Category Archives: Uncategorized

Exoskeleton by Berkeley.

What it won’t do is turn you into a Borg, the gadget-happy gladiators of “Star Trek” fame.

Eh, forget it then.

Ebay vs. Apple. Shipping on Apple is 1-3 weeks out. Apparently it’s worth $50 to not have to wait. Amazing.

Cheney yucking it up.

via IMAO

Are there no community sports? And the public libraries? Are they still in operation? Let the students go there and get it over with.

Contra Costa school district to try spending their money teaching students, apparently.

Maybe we can go back to Orange Alert. I like Ernie better.

Mountain Dew Livewire is coming back. I’m shocked, shocked.

Victor Davis Hanson has a website, finally.

via Pete

I just paid $30 for ~16 gallons of gas. I miss the good old days, when I could get leaded gas for $.95 a gallon.

And you kids get off my lawn.

New and improved.

Breaking two world records, the demonstration OLED device is now fully functional as a 24-inch x 24-inch panel, which produces 1,200 lumens of light with an efficacy of 15 lumens per watt (on par with today’s incandescent bulb technology). This latest breakthrough demonstrates that the light quality, output and efficiency of OLED technology can meet the needs of general illumination. Based on the dimensions of a room, the desired level of brightness can be increased or decreased depending on the number of 24 in. x 24 in. panels installed

I want my paper thin monitor.

More killer computers.

The Center for Disease Control, which you think would worry about, you know, diseases, has apparently run out of diseases to worry about.

“Obesity has got to be job No. 1 for us in terms of chronic diseases.”

It’s a disease? How do you get it?

Okay, this is just funny. Of course it is, it’s Scott.

If you want to eat healthy, DON’T EAT AT McDONALDS. Now, I don’t want to hear any more about this.

And just so you know, I’ll be having an emergency steak dinner tonight at Wolf Lodge. Mmmmm. Steak.

Gamer died after marathon game.

An employee at the cafe said he would play for more than 10 hours a day and was found dead on Saturday morning after a marathon 20-hour session, the newspaper said.

You should never increase your game time by more than 10% a week. Everyone knows that.

Chubby churchgoers.

This bugs me though:

As part of his “Body for God” sermon series, his wife cooked on stage, showing how changing a few ingredients in a meal could cut the fat grams.

Church is for fellowship, prayer, and teaching the bible. Food Network is for teaching how to cook.

Dave Barry:

Q. Speaking of pig flatulence, what is our political leadership in Washington doing about the deficit problem?

A. Both the Democrats and the Bush White House are setting aside their partisan differences and working together on a courageous, long-term solution to the looming financial crisis, even if this requires them to make unpopular decisions in the short term.

Q. Ha ha! Seriously, what are they doing?

A. They’re being total slime-weasels. They’re spending MORE. They’re pandering their brains out. The Republicans just added a hugely expensive new drug benefit for senior citizens, which the Democrats have bitterly criticized because it isn’t expensive ENOUGH.

I believe he has captured the essence of it.

Iraq’s new constitution. Check out Article 7.

On the internet, in a handy graphic view.

via Fark

Aristide want you to know he’s still in charge.

Chavez, president of Venezuela, keeps threatening the US. I have no idea why, but it’s pretty funny.

Tribal folks in Pakistan may or may not be helping hunt down Osama.

Observers of Afghan tribal politics note that the spirit of apparent co-operation among the tribal leaders has come only after several months of arm-twisting from the Pakistani government.

Poor things.

14. We have always been able to reproduce DNA in the laboratory.
15. Wars begin and end quickly; peace-keeping missions go on forever.
16. There have always been ATM machines.
17. The President has always addressed the nation on the radio on Saturday.
18. We have always been able to receive television signals by direct broadcast satellite.
19. Cities have always been trying to ban the possession and sale of handguns.

Misunderstood introverts. Amen, brotha.

It’s Spam’s 10th birthday. If I’d know it was your birthday I would have baked a cake.

Five planets will be visible, assuming that it’s not snowing, in the night sky.

If you don’t notice time, time won’t notice you.

Yah! We rock.

VDH:

The United States is waking up from a serious malady. Once upon a time state-supported terrorism was seen as a criminal problem, not war, requiring yellow police tape, not GPS bombs. Afghanistan was turned into an anti-American terrorist base. Saddam Hussein required never-ending patrols to “box” him in. Osama bin Laden was too “hot” to be apprehended when offered up by potential captors. Pakistan and North Korea went nuclear — the greatest failure of many of the Clinton administration. Iran and Libya bought arsenals with impunity. Yasser Arafat systematically destroyed twenty years of economic progress on the West Bank and violated every accord he signed. Anti-Americanism grew in Europe without rejoinder or consequences. Saudi Arabia expected protection while our own female soldiers on patrol there hid their faces and arms — and promised not to drive. Terrorist funds flowed freely throughout the globe, as anti-Semitism and Islamicist-inspired hatred of Israel became the new pillar of trendy left-wing thought. All that has at least been recognized, checked, and is well on the way to being stopped.

Russia (evil reg. req) had its hand in the cookie jar.

In an effort to help mankind, here is a great site that I found very informative.

It must be time for the annual, “OMG (G as in “gosh”), gas prices are going through the roof”. I want my free Iraqi oil. I know that’s why we invaded, er, liberated them.

This is odd. I wouldn’t want a record of my life laying around. How dull would that be.

By Dick Morris.

Some of those who have Bush’s ear may urge him to speak more about the economy and less about terror. This would be a big mistake. Bush must use his profile as president to make Americans understand how crucial staying the course in the war on terror is to our safety. Bush has lost a lot of support among women with the war in Iraq. But he can restore that support by stressing the need to make America safe from terror attacks and to stress how important it is to stick to this task.

via Drudge Report

Frank Answers questions you never cared about:

George S. at 16 floors above street level, Central Texas writes:
I understand downloading copyrighted music from the Internet is illegal, but is it immoral? If immoral, is it a venial sin or a mortal sin? Isn’t downloadable music really a public good, as my enjoyment of it does not lessen another person’s enjoyment of it and it is cost prohibitive to prevent folks from downloading music? I’ve got to go to confession soon, so I need to know whether this is a sin or not.

I find the best way to deal with moral issues is to not think about them; then you don’t have to worry about guilt or nothing.

Now quiet; Metallica has just started up on my playlist

Spyware programs already ask if you want to install them, for the most part. And people naturally just click yes.

The Terror Exchange. I don’t know how well it will work without actual financial incentive.

Wondering why the US went to Haiti? There’s no oil there. But there’s plenty in Venezuela, isn’t there? It’s no coincidence. *cough*Halliburton*cough*

This is awesome.

5. Seriously, who wants to give Dick Cheney a heart attack?

6.Was: Presidential debates. Is: Presidential debates. . . on ice!

The new nickels are coming!

The back of the new nickels now headed into circulation bear the words “United States of America,” “Louisiana Purchase” and “1803.” There is an image of hands clasped in friendship — one with a military cuff to symbolize the U.S. government, and the other with an ornate bracelet to represent American Indians.

I thought we got the Louisiana Purchase from the French? Napoleon and all that. Those people at the mint should have payed more attention in history class.

Slashdot says this Japanese robot for the home will be available soon. Here’s a video. Looks like fun.

Near as I can tell, they play rap at high volumes and it causes the atoms to implode. And who can blame the poor atoms.

Godzilla is retiring.

The odds, apparently are 16-1 that there could be life on Mars.

I say you have better odds of this happening.

No more Super-size fries, you’ll have to buy two mediums. How sad.

How to spot a Straussian. As a warning, the comments sucked the fun right out of the post, skip them.

What is wrong with Bush? Does he want to lose? Or is he planning that it won’t pass the House and it will be a moot point?

“It didn’t work and it isn’t necessary,” said Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig, who has led the floor fight against gun control.

Hey, my elected representative is representing me! What a refreshing change of pace.

I will not eat them on a train, I will not eat them in the rain.
I will not eat them on a box, I will not eat them with a fox.
I will not eat them here or there, I will not eat them anywhere.
I will not eat green eggs and ham, I will not eat them Sam I Am.

Dr. Seuss (evil reg. req.) is getting a postage stamp, a star on the Walk of Fame and a statue. Considering that’s all the poetry I ever memorized, I figure he deserves it.

via Fark

An interesting article on the Senate’s money-making ability.

via Instapundit

Mars once had water. Lots and lots of water.

That does not mean that evidence of life has been found — but it suggests that life could have evolved on Mars just as it did on Earth, NASA said.

It does mean NASA can go ahead with a plan to eventually send people to Mars.

Two questions:

1. What are the odds of life evolving on two planets in one solar system?

2. What difference to future missions does finding water make?

Are these people so stupid they can’t see the difference between a war criminal and Tony Blair? Well, yes, apparently.

Paul McCartney is releasing a new DVD! About a couple of squirrels!

Evangelical Outpost asks a question concerning Instapundit:

Am I wrong in expecting him to address his critics?

Well, yes. But since it’s late, I’m going to pontificate. Blogs exist as a way for the author to get their point across, whatever that point may be. And just because Instapundit gets what? 10,000 times the traffic I do, doesn’t obligate him to address his critics any more than I am obligated. If he (or I) want to take on the critics, fine and dandy, but if not, why should he? If you want fair and balanced watch FoxNews.

I’ve heard nothing but good about the Shure E3c earphones. If only I had $180. They make more expensive ones too, the E5c. And cheaper ones, the E2c. I would welcome the opportunity to try them out, if anyone wants to buy me some. Take your pick, I’m not that particular.

Low-carb diets could put you in a bad mood. I know Atkins believers annoy me tremendously.

I’ll go eat some ramen.

NASA is having a news conference tomorrow to announce they found water.

Here’s something I disagree with, pretty much in its entirety.

Kay Whitlock, the national representative for LGBT issues for the American Friends Service Committee, circulated a statement at the National Religious Leadership Roundtable last fall that argued, “We cannot speak about equal civil marriage rights and the discrimination that currently exists without also speaking of the twin evil of coercive marriage policies promoted with federal dollars…. For us, it is critical that the LGBT movement work for equal civil marriage rights in ways that do not further reinforce the idea that if a couple is married, they are more worthy of rights and recognition than people involved in intimate relationships who are not married.”The statement continued, “We do not want to convey the message that marriage is what all queer people should aspire to. We also do not want the discussion of marriage to overwhelm and suppress discussion about a broader definition of human rights and basic benefits that ought to accompany those rights.”

This seems like a good place to start.

Oy.

UPDATE: Oh, look Stanley Kurtz.

via Fark.

Robots are coming to a culture near you. I can’t wait to get my NS-5 in July.

This is all the rage.

Iraq is making progress (evil reg. req.).

“This document protects the rights of individuals more than any other document in the region,” said Feisal al-Istrabadi, an Iraqi American lawyer who helped draft the interim constitution.

I’d feel better if they said it protected the rights of individuals as well as the American Consititution, or something like that.

Right Wing News’ favorite Rumsfeld quotes.

“Look at me! I’m sweet and lovable.”

21% of people 18-29 cite The Daily Show and SNL as their major presidential race news source. 23% watch actual news. 50% can’t spell “presidential”. Okay, I make the last one up.

Evening news producers have long recognized their audience is older; the common theory is that when people get jobs, mortgages and children, they’ll take a greater interest in their programs.

The worry is that with so many other sources of news available now, young people will become accustomed to them and not make the evening news a priority.

Artificial flavoring is artificial!

A man is fighting for the right to not have to show police officers identification.

UPDATE: RFID privacy in Utah.

For $250 you too can have a chance to win an mini iPod.

At the Apple store, Johnson failed to explain why anyone who wants an iPod mini would spend the exact purchase price on a grab bag that had a good chance of not containing one.

“Illegal Aliens” is a racist term according to the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials.

VDH.

In short, preemption is now a politicized, debased word. It is part of the anti-Bush lexicon and has lost any real meaning for the foreseeable future of its usage. The same may be true of “multilateralism” and “unilateralism.”

Blu-ray is out, HD-DVD is in. Which is fortunate because the blu-ray is not backwards compatible.

This just in, people hate pop-up ads.

While I’m not particularly concerned with what Kerry did before I was born, his recent voting record is much more interesting to me, this is an interesting story on KGB tactics.

Really old British hand grenade found.

Orson Scott Card is talking sense.

We will once again be performing a potentially devastating social experiment on ourselves without any attempt to predict the consequences and find out if the American people actually want them.

…

So either civilized people will succeed in establishing a government that protects the family; or civilized people will withdraw their allegiance from the government that won’t protect it; or the politically correct barbarians will have complete victory over the family — and, lacking the strong family structure on which civilization depends, our civilization will collapse or fade away.

…

Depriving us of any democratic voice in these sweeping changes may not lead to revolution or even resistance. But it will be just as deadly if it leads to despair. For in the crisis, few citizens will lift a finger to protect or sustain the elite that treated the things we valued — our marriages, our children, and our right to self-government — with such contempt.

via The Emperor

Iron Chef America has picked up Alton Brown to be the expert commentator. Morimoto and Sakai are going to kick everyone’s butts.

via Fark

A rather limited poll I conducted concluded that most people under 40 realize they are never going to see a penny of Social Security and would be estatic if the government would just stop taking the money from them. They can keep what they’ve taken, just leave us alone so we can fund our IRAs.

Instapundit on Milosevic. C’mon, ancient history. No one cares.

Lileks has an opinion or two. Just ask Jasper.

It’s hard here in America. The cars, they all look the same. Imagine if Henry Ford had gotten his way. Yeah, it’s black, like that one. And that one. And that one. And that one.

Edwards is feeling left out and wants Bush to pick on him too.

UPDATE: Scrappleface.

What’s happening to America? A movie about Jesus is practically the only thing being talked about, Clear Channel is cleaning up the airwaves, South Dakota is trying to ban abortions, the whole gay marriage debate is flaming (er, as in flame war) away. It’s like America woke up this week and discovered morals or something.

In the last 10 minutes I’ve been sent three copies of Netsky. And I usually don’t get massive amounts of viruses. Don’t open attachments, kids.

I think I need one of these.

Interesting.

And therein lies one of the central dilemmas of political life in developed societies: sharing and solidarity can conflict with diversity. This is an especially acute dilemma for progressives who want plenty of both solidarity (high social cohesion and generous welfare paid out of a progressive tax system) and diversity (equal respect for a wide range of peoples, values and ways of life). The tension between the two values is a reminder that serious politics is about trade-offs. It also suggests that the left’s recent love affair with diversity may come at the expense of the values and even the people that it once championed.

I have my 1040s, my Schedules A-Z and 1000-9999, my W-2s, my proof of insurance, the tags that I tore off of my mattresses, several candles lit to scare off the demons, the IRS website opened, and the Holy Grail playing in the background so I can say, “Help, help, I’m being repressed!” I shall now attempt to do my taxes.

ONE HOUR LATER: Ouch. But it’s done. Except for the actually paying them part.

I say we hold off the flame wars until something actually happens. I’m dying to find out if Kerry and Edwards would vote for or against this.

You know the chickens are still going to sneak right through the border.

We’re talking about 34 Teraflops of Computing Ability here. The next IBM supercomputer is going to peer into the past.

The FDA approves Taiyo Yuden CDs. I’ve always liked them. I think we’ve had maybe a dozen bad ones out of the thousands we have used, and now I can prepare food with them, or something.

This deserves mention just for the opening line.

via Instapundit

I’m going to be busier than usual for the next oh, month and a half. Yes, my job does occasionally entail actual work. I’m sure you’ll get by with fewer posts. I know you can do it.

Right Wing News calmly discusses the importance of speaking English when living in America.

Late, I know.

Voters, I have the same values, morals, religious beliefs, ethnic background and number of children as you. We even have the same blood type! If I am elected president, and you ever need blood, or an organ, you just come to the White House, and I will immediately hang up the Hot Line phone, and, bam, I will give you a kidney, lung, pancreas, liver segment, whatever you need, no questions asked. Name me one other candidate, besides Dennis Kucinich, who has made that promise.

Of course this is not enough for the so-called ”news media,” which as we know is dominated by left wingers; or, if you prefer, right wingers. The point is, they are wingers, and they are always nosing around, asking questions, trying to make me reveal intimate details about my personal life, such as which party do I belong to, and do I have a domestic or foreign policy.

He seems honest enough.

You know, if the government got out of the health business, it wouldn’t have to be so nosy about its constituents eating habits and lifestyles.

An argument that the US military is disengaging.

Secretary of Education calls the NEA a “terrorist orginization”.

“I don’t think the NEA is a terrorist organization,” said Rendell, who has butted heads with the group as well. “They’re not a terrorist organization any more than the National Business Organization is a terrorist organization.

We need something akin to Godwin’s Law. Maybe Bin Laden’s Law.

I’m inclined to think that the military wouldn’t announce that they have bin Laden cornered. But I hope it is true.

UPDATE: Here we go. The story is shot down. …But maybe that just what they want us to think…hmmm.

A quiz on the ships of Star Trek. It’s a toughie.

Scrappleface.

It’s funny cause it’s true.

Nader’s running again. That check from Cheney must have cleared.

UPDATE: All but the last of these thoughts occured to me, but I didn’t write them down. And now I don’t have to.

Low level magnetic fields, like what comes from appliances, are dangerous to rat’s brains. I’m not sure how to apply this to my life, but now you know.

TSA is going to start fining people for trying to carry illegal items through the airport.

Bring something you shouldn’t like a loaded gun, and that’s $1,500. A knife will cost you a minimum of $250. And explosives? A whopping $10,000 fine.

I got busted for having a crescent wrench I forgot about in my backpack. Hey, I have a VW Bug, it’s just smart to have a wrench with you at all times.

Mark Steyn on the Canada/Triumph trouble.

Some websites are ignoring the cease and desist order from EMI concerning The Grey Album, a remix of Beatles’ songs.

Why, oh, why can’t Apple drop the Mini price $100? Pleeeeease.

Victor Davis Hanson. Because it’s Friday.

No one wishes to occupy a country. But after the instability in Iraq and a cost nearing 400 combat deaths the Democrats are now not merely questioning the tactics of achieving democracy in Iraq, but the entire notion of occupation itself. But once they go down that road they will discover history is not on their side and will be hard put to offer better alternatives to the present course.

That’s what I’m interested to hear from the Democrats. It’s too late to complain about invading Iraq. What do they intend to do with the reality that we are there already? Pull out and let Iraq sink into chaos? Send the UN? Something else?

Younger conservatives are ambivalent about gay marriage. For 20 years the gay movement has been trying to mainstream itself. Those of us under, what, 35 have been fed the line that it’s none of our business, etc. for most of our lives and now it is bearing fruit. If the polygamy movement gets to work, in another 20 years or so they can be sitting pretty too. Matter of fact, the gay movement has done a lot of the groundbreaking, it might only take them five or ten years.

Russian missile tests fail. I don’t know if these are the warp capable ones or not.

via Drudge Report

Iran is having “elections” today. This could be the start of something bad which might be, ultimately, good.

Buzz Machine is the place to go to keep up with the Iranian bloggers.

The Russians say they have a Warp 5 capable missile.

Colonel Baluyevsky gave few details of the new missile which was tested on Wednesday, but said it was one that moved five times the speed of light.

Light, sound; same difference.

Jonah doesn’t want to talk about The Passion anymore. At least, not until it comes out. Hear, hear.

This list of oil vouchers (read: bribes) from Saddam’s Iraq is going to cause trouble. Very interesting names on it.

via Roger Simon via Instapundit.

The Spokesman Review is highlighting local bloggers (keep refreshing for different photos). My plans to take over the world continue. Yesterday a Right Wing News Site of the Day. Now, front page on the paper. Slowly, carefully, the momentum builds.

Nice pic, eh. Yeah, not much to work with there.

Researcher at Ft. Detrick accidentally jabs herself with Ebola. Suddenly The Stand and Outbreak come to mind.

The bad news is that marketing has already driven the stores to put out the Easter stuff out. The good news is Peeps, the real ones, are here.

The “Missing Peep” formation

Paragraphs, people. Would it kill you to string two sentences together?

Fear, uncertainty and doubt spread concerning CJD in Washington. I’m not saying that this isn’t a problem, I’m just saying that hysteria is not the way to spread the word. Well, it works, but it just doesn’t seem right.

Read what the CDC says.

The text game. So far, I’ve managed to get out of bed.

UPDATE: Dang it. The bulldozer won. A tricky one this is.

FURTHER UPDATE: If I were sensitive I could figure out what to do once I’m on the Vogon ship. Stupid Vogons, I should read them some of MY poetry.

How could Jungle Book beat out Robin Hood? C’mon Roger Miller, tax revolts, archery, elephant chase scene, it’s got it all.

What on the earth were Mexico and Chile doing hammering out secret compromises with Saddam?

Uranium enrichment equipment found in Iran. The question is did it come from France, Germany or Pakistan.

Well, I’m closing off the comments on the perennial spammer favorite Weight Loss Tips. But don’t worry, if you need Viagra or a Certified New Car, and just can’t find it anywhere else, let me know.

U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea.

Try this test.

52% Dixie. Born and raised in Southern California, I bet that’s it. There did seem to be a sad lack of distinctively Western answers. While I’m sure some would disagree, there is articulate life west of the Mississippi.