Not So Fast

I feel rich.

What nationalized health care in America will have to do, according to some.

a particularly ludicrous and risible fantasy because we already have nationalised health care for end-of-life care RIGHT NOW and we’re spending like eighty shrillion dollars on it

I believe the correct term is “brazillion”.

Sweeping Democratic change not so changing. I’m shocked. And stunned.

Teehee. Unidicted co-conspirator.

I won’t vote for Rudy Guiliani either. The republicans are going to have to do better than this if they want my vote.

Wil Wheaton has another review of Star Trek: TNG for TV Squad up.

Posting to resume…this afternoon? perhaps…. Nothing much is happening anyway. Wii comes out next week, Congress is flexing its muscles, and what? not much else. A search for classic Sesame Street clips on YouTube is hours of entertainment

After almost 100 years of promises of rocket packs and flying cars, I’m dubious we’re going to make such great strides in the next 40 years.

• The flying car era will really begin around 2015 with flying drones. Flying drones will be used by FedEx and UPS to deliver packages, Pizza Hut to deliver pizzas, and Kroger and Safeway to deliver groceries. But beyond that, drones will enable homes to be taken off the grid with delivery of water and electricity (changing out batteries for the home), trash and sewage pickup, and much more. These too will begin as air-powered vehicles and later convert to frictionless drones.

There will never be flying cars. And no, you can’t have a pony.

10 shopping days till my birthday.

You’ll want to get something this weekend so that you can mail it to me in time.

Mr. Political Spine that Bends with the Breeze begins run for president.

A McCain vs. Hillary election would definitely get me voting 3rd party. Wasted vote or not, I couldn’t bring myself to vote for either of them.

He’s like that principal with the bat, except he uses toast. And it’s Montana, not an inner city school.

Britian unprepared for alien invasion says one of their own guys.

Frankly, we are wide open – if something does not behave like a conventional aircraft now, it will be ignored.”

But if movies have taught me anything, it’s that a virus, computer or actual, will kill them off so I’m not too worried.

A burrito is not a sandwich. It’s good to see some common sense coming down from the bench.

Mmm, burritos.

We’re not a bunch of gay hippie commies, says San Fransisco.

Clothing maketh the woman.

One of the best commercials ever. I almost ROFLed. Definitely LOLed.

The power of cheese commercial about the moon is the best commercial evar.

It’s completely useless and completely awesome. I need a bumpersticker that I can change the display on.

Possibly the bravest man alive. Surgery, in a third world hospital. I shudder to think of it. Visit one sometime, you’ll see what I mean.

Also, just like your parents, he warns against getting what you wanted.

How to make a carboard tshirt folder.

Hamas tells Muslims to direct their fury toward America. Somehow this is a radical new direction for terrorists. And yes, we all blame Bush you might as well too.

Mythbusters bloopers.

The downside: weeks and months of gloating. The upside: maybe this will stuff up the whole process and nothing will get done for two years.

Mark Steyn stayed up late so you didn’t have to.

Hilarious Christopher Hitchens interview.

Scrappleface has George Bush’s top ten positive results of the election.

10. New York Times and CNN will carry much less negative news about Congress.
9. Rhode Island Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee lost and Connecticut Democrat Sen. Joe Lieberman won, a net gain of two for the GOP.
8. We may finally get to see the Democrat plan for victory in Iraq.
7. Taxpayers will be relieved of the burden of making so many investment decisions.

We’ll let anyone vote, won’t we?

that is when this smarmy, poll worker came over and said sir your have to leave to voting area, she took me by my arm. I started screaming, disenfranchisement, disenfranchisement, help I am being disenfranchised.

#139 at my polling place. Fairly crowded being the noon hour, mostly 20-30 year olds. I love the postive spin on the stickers. No more “I voted”, now it’s “My voted counted”. Heh.

Apparently it’s news when a Christian politician actually believes one of the basic tenets of the faith.

Global warming has arrived. It’s November, the temperature is 60 and the winds are blowing at 20-40mph. I don’t see a downside.

It’s ironic that I can’t stand listening to or watching local politics, but I love reading about it. Assuming it’s Lileks doing the writing, of course.

Good to see the family reaching the heights.

I’m just posting this for the obvious jokes.

The researchers have found seven stones in all, which they believe date from the 10th century. Jellinge stones tell of the founding of Denmark and of Christianity’s arrival in the country.

Also, stealing pic-a-nic baskets, smarter than average bears, escaping from the Ranger.

Best inventions of 2006, according to Time Magazine. I know I’ve seen the wheelie snow shovel thing before. It was mocked because where do you fling the snow? Right back onto your path. Genius.

So, Saddam is guilty. Who knew?

BofA has their little Keep the Change thing where they round up your purchases to the dollar and put the difference in the savings account. After two weeks, $5.00. Not bad, and it’s painless. I won’t be retiring on it or anything, but as some great thinkers once said, everything counts in large amounts.

Here’s a tip: If you’re a pastor, don’t buy meth from gay prostitutes. I would have thought that went without saying, but apparently not.

World ends, sushi lovers hardest hit.

Weren’t we supposed to run out of fish 20 years ago?

Seems that those Iraqi documents that the Bush Administration put out on the web contain dangerous levels of information. Not dangerous in the hands of Saddam Hussein, of course, just dangerous in the hands of internet denizens.

Among the dozens of documents in English were Iraqi reports written in the 1990s and in 2002 for United Nations inspectors in charge of making sure Iraq had abandoned its unconventional arms programs after the Persian Gulf war. Experts say that at the time, Mr. Hussein’s scientists were on the verge of building an atom bomb, as little as a year away.

Because DDR isn’t torturous enough.

John Hawkins reads America Alone so you don’t have to.

A nice little video from Scrappleface.

GIs mock Kerry.

For the record, I recognized immediately that he was trying to slam Bush and flubbed it. It is the most obvious explanation, which we all know is usually the correct one, but man, he sure just kept on digging, didn’t he. He should have just apologized to the troops and not tried to blame Bush. Kinda dumb the way he handled it.

Here you go, Jay explains it.

Good news about Iraq, if you can stand it.

Papua New Guinea threatening to cut off Australian aid over something or other.

It’s NaNoWriMo, in case you were planning to write the Great American Novel.

A brief fisking of Maureen Dowd column.

Need I say more?

Oh, okay then. He’s reviewing not funny comedies for snobs.

Seems that 24% of Protestants and 36% of Catholics are confused as to what a Christian is.

Not everyone who described themselves as Christian or Jewish said that they believed in God. Only 76 percent of Protestants, 64 percent of Catholics, and 30 percent of Jews said they are “absolutely certain” there is a God.

It’s World Vegan Day. Vegetable haters rejoice

When I think Depeche Mode, I don’t think Legos.

Until now.

declares Bejing Bob.

I would totally buy a leatherbound laptop, had I the spare cash.

USB rechargable AA batteries. A little steep pricewise at $24/pair, but still an awesome idea.

I too am dead tired of WiPEs. I am looking forward to seeing how everything will become roses and rainbows once there is a presidential election. Birds will be singing, small children will be laughing, the economy will be booming, foreign relation problems will disappear and we’ll all have a white kitten to kiss. The only thing keeping us from that, near as I can tell, is George Bush personally. He’s the anti-Coke.

CBS is looking for people that Muslim’s make nervous.

In the word’s of the immortal Akbar, IT’S A TRAP. Let’s see who falls for it.

I almost said it was cold enough to snow out loud this evening, but I didn’t want to jinx it.

So much for that plan.

This cake, fuhggedaboutit*.

I can’t actually have a piece yet, but there is no conceivable way this could possibly be less than fabulous.

* 3. The subject is unequivocally excellent; further thought and analysis are unnecessary.

You know how your teachers all tell you that you can be anything you want when you grow up? LIES.

I will never be a professional crepe maker. 31 attempted: 25 survived: 6 weren’t badly deformed in one manner or another: 0 proper crepes. Eh well.

Ratbert discovers an immortal truth.

I know I fear backlash against Christians every time a Pat Robertson quote gets out into the public. Practically the same thing.

I then go on to blame the White House, because I know that will draw attention away from me as everyone starts frothing at the mouth at the thought of Bush.

Russian scientists testing the idea that beatings cure depression. Thereby justifying your mother’s “I’ll give you something to cry about” as a remedy for crying. I think I’d rather have a pill with side effects.

I neeeeed bookshelves like these. Regardless of the fact I no appropriate place for them.

via Make

Tim Blair looks at Australia’s mufti apologizing for his “blame the rape victim” speech.

Thinking better of their clever plan, animal rights activist compromise.

Animal rights activists who broke into a circus to liberate a rare white tiger changed their minds after seeing it – and took a bunny rabbit instead.

Hey, I think I could write like this. Given time. And practice.

Computer, did we bring batteries? Computer?
– Eileen Gunn

It’s behind you! Hurry before it
– Rockne S. O’Bannon

The baby’s blood type? Human, mostly.
– Orson Scott Card

Tick tock tick tock tick tick.
– Neal Stephenson

WORLD’S END. Sic transit gloria Monday.
– Gregory Benford

Okay, there’s lots more good ones, but you can go read them yourself.

Okay, okay, okay, one more:

Metrosexuals notwithstanding, quiche still lacks something.
– David Brin

Not that I agree with that, quiche is almost a perfect food: bacon, heavy cream, pie crust, what is it lacking?

The Slashdotters bring the funny with the whole IE7-Firefox cake thing.

I had no idea the Wave was a modern invention. Or so controversial. Surely the Romans had something like that.

Everyone’s talking about the new Firefox, so against my better judgment I downloaded it. My biggest problem with the new Firefox 2.0 is that it doesn’t work. It opens. Nothing will load though. Makes surfing the interwebs very difficult.

A reinstallation fixed it. Still, not the best of first impressions.

The IE7 team shares the love with the Firefox team.

Post Falls, Idaho has a Center for Advanced Microelectronics
and Biomolecular Research. Post. Falls. Idaho.

I learned this because the director and one of the assistant professors is lecturing the CCA kids.

Oh sure, help the brain damaged, but I’m thinking: superhuman reflexes. Two cortexes = twice as much thinking = twice the fun.

How the media will manipulate the last couple weeks of the election cycle.

Should someone hit a homer into left or center field tonight Taco Bell will give away a free crunchy taco to everyone.

Free tacos will only be available at Taco Bells in the U.S. and selected franchises in Canada between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Wed., Nov. 1.

The depressing list of dead people that make more in a year than you will in your lifetime.

So I hadn’t really checked in with the Dilbert blog lately, and boy have I been missing some stuff. Seriously odd stuff.

I stopped getting the Botox shots because although they allowed me to talk for a few weeks, my voice was too weak for public speaking.

No really. That stuff is a menace.

The bizarre crackdown was prompted because Vegemite contains folate, which in the US can be added only to breads and cereals.

Despite my hatred—like the fire of a thousand burning suns—of the Tigers, this is a great wootcast.

I think it’s the keys. And the clever lyrics. And the ooooo’s. And the Otis Redding part.

Spock’s mother has died. Father Know’s Best, what’s that?

via Inoperable Terran

Want to immortalize yourself? Yahoo and the Smithsonian are here to help.

At the gym, constant ads for “Broken Government – The Do Nothing Congress“. And by constant I mean four times I ran for about 2 and a half minutes every 5 minutes or so and saw the ad 3 times.

Right before an election, hmm. What are they trying to say? I’m not saying it’s not broken, or fixed. Frankly, the whole lot annoy me with their drunken Democrat-like spending and I would kick all the bums out if I thought there was something better to put into place, but I have to question the timing of a supposedly unbiased media. It may be a fair and balanced report, but the ad doesn’t come across that way, and in American politics, appearance is everything.

A Boston Herald columnist takes the New York Times, and the media in general, to task over their aid and comfort to the enemy reporting.

Our media has repeatedly propagated falsehoods about what the administration and the president have said, about what was known and about what in some cases has been borne out about the threats we have faced from al Qaeda, Saddam Hussein and others. This has been done to such an extent that reasonable people cannot be blamed for believing their president lied to them before committing troops to battle. To the extent that some seemingly responsible people now question whether we face any threat at all.

Lileks serves as someone I can point to and say, “See, I’m not as bad as that.” thereby justifying my moderate packrat tendencies.

This is coming from someone that prefers fake syrup to real tree sap on pancakes so take it with a grain of salt, but the lack of Miracle Whip in the world, not a bad thing.

Girls suspended from school because their friends are morans.

Newly discovered bacteria living deep in rock relies on uranium splitting water molecules for energy. The hydrogen combines with sulfates, so in that they are similar to the bacteria that live in the hydrothermal vents deep in the ocean.

This is just my public school education showing, but I had no idea Poland had a coast. Much less a Coast Guard that is trying to start WWIII, or WWIV, or WWV, depending on where you think we are.

The Halo movie lost its financing.

Ful Disclosure: I would have rented it.

Depending on who you ask, we may or may not be in the annual flu-shortage scare.

Having found our weakness, it appears that the stingrays have begun their offensive.

Oddly enough, work is keeping me from posting. Not my normal work, but special added bonus work. I’m having fun taking computers apart and putting computers together and then taking them apart and putting them together and then declaring them D-E-A-D, dead.

Added bonus advice: A quality power supply is worth the money.

An open letter to conservatives from Iowahawk Howard Dean.

Sound is cool. So is fire. Together, it’s an amusing two and half minutes.

I swear I recognize that guy, and I have no idea why. Sorry dude, whoever you are.

Cod fish are too big for their own good.

“We are not the wide-open spaces anymore,” said Martha Farnsworth Riche, who headed the Census Bureau in the mid-1990s and is now a research demographer at Cornell University. “Our choices are constrained.”

Whenever someone complains about a lack of room in the United States I always recommend driving I-15 from Las Vegas to well, anywhere north of Las Vegas. By the time you get to Utah my point should be made, but southern Idaho and Montana are quite nice too, might as well see that.

Sure it’s nicer weather on the coasts, mostly, and our economy is centered there, but that doesn’t mean we can’t grow inland, we just don’t want to.

There’s no point in taking what some stranger typing away thinks so seriously. There’s a saying about the Special Olympics and arguing on the internet that everyone needs to take to heart.

The pair met in an internet chatroom called Yahoo, Islam 10 as both had an interest in the Muslim faith, the Old Bailey was told.

Hmm. Not really helping the Religion o’Peace image there.

Stephen Colbert with Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinam.

Just look at how much humans have changed in the last 1000 years and I think you’ll see where we’ll be in the next 1000.

Kim’s declaring war on the world. His people are starving, desperate to leave the country, he relies entirely on humanitarian aid to feed and clothe his country, his nuclear bomb was minute, his rocket failed, and he’s declaring war. Dream on, little broomstick cowboy.

I didn’t know. Happy Birthday to the Shoeblog of the Manolo.

Tim Blair is celebrating the 300,000,000 Americans with photographic proof. So here’s more of the same.
Hoppe’s of yesteryear:

Here’s us today—well, this summer—minus the parents, plus the in-laws:

When China is talking about a regime change for your country, it’s time to get nervous. And when I think that being a Chinese puppet would be better for your country, you know it’s bad.

Sure, it’s getting cold, the sun goes down earlier and earlier, you have to winterize everything, and no more flowers, but on the other hand you get, dramatic clouds in the evenings, rainbows, and nice leaves.

There really is a rainbow in that picture

And Foster Street. The best looking street in Coeur d’Alene. Between 4th and say, 9th.

CCA has an assembly with Dr. Ben Whittington(name? sp? sorry setting up sound during the introduction) speaking about first century Jewish culture. I’m sitting in because I can. Yes, I have plenty of real work to do, but hey, carpe diem.

• It’s all about the southern accent
• dyadic personality – I just learned a new phrase.
• honor and shame – more important to avoid shame than anything else: he mentions oriental cultures, but it was huge in Uganda too. The point: Jesus being crucified should have shamed Christianity into the ground.

Continue reading →

I love stories with a nice moral.

/brought to you by the letters E and Q and the number 7.

Instapundit puts it well:

THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE HAS BEEN AWARDED — and, in something of a departure, it’s gone to somebody who actually deserves it:

I don’t think this is going to be the great insult they think it is.

The contest, titled ‘Denmark’s King and Pigs,’ offers 5 million rupiah (548 dollars) in prize money to the winner, said Imam Mubarok of Radikal radio station in Kediri, East Java.

‘We will send the winning drawing to the Danish kingdom,’ he told Republika, a Muslim-oriented daily newspaper.

It was unknown whether the contest’s subject is the late Frederik IX, who died in 1972. Denmark’s current reigning monarch is his daughter, Queen Margrethe II.

A fairly comprehensive list of Science fiction cliches. With handy ratings as to viablity for use in your story.

The heady lawless days of video posting fun may soon be over.

“There’s very little that holds YouTube’s audience to YouTube except the belief that whatever they want to see, there is a very good chance YouTube will have it,” said Joe Laszlo, senior analyst with Jupiter Research.

Quoted for truthiness.

For instance: Kitty UFC.

A look at the Iraqi death toll numbers in the Lancet.

It’s a woot-off. Check often for useless stuff you can’t live without at that price.

The market for $50,000 cloned cats isn’t as big as Genetic Savings & Clone was hoping. Little Nicky is darn cute though.

Why does a weed killing robot need a 80g hard drive?

An editorial on the current UN Human Rights Council. Where, apparently, the worst perpetrators of human rights abuses get together to swap stories.

For all its faults, the previous U.N. commission occasionally discussed and condemned the regimes most responsible for human rights crimes, such as those in Belarus and Burma. China used to feel compelled to burnish its record before the annual meeting. The new council, in contrast, has so far taken action on only one country, which has dominated the debate at both of its regular meetings and been the sole subject of two extraordinary sessions: Israel.

Now, I love technology and gadgets more than the next person, but even I think there’s a limit to their usefulness. If there’s one thing Data taught us it’s that the human element is so important.

Franklin Graham is attempting to get his aid workers in Sudan killed, apparently. Remember how well it went when the Pope made an oblique reference to violence and Islam? Yeah. The Dafurians are already either rioting or on the verge of rioting. This will be a great excuse.

Wil Wheaton reviews some Star Trek: TNG episodes for TV Squad.

In an attempt to actually win something I’m asking you to go sign up for Blingo and use it. Please. If you win, I win.

This is a test of th emergency blogcast system. This is only a test. Had this been an actual emergency you would have been instructed to run out of the building screaming.

UPDATE: Figured it all out. The timestamps are screwy. Right on.

Had Bush concentrated on North Korea, he would have been focusing too much on poor little North Korea who hadn’t done anything to hurt anyone.

This is an interesting article. In South Korea, conservatives blame Roh, progressives blame Bush. Strikingly similar to the US, no? Except they blame Bush for doing too much to push NK into doing something and Roh for not doing enough.

Google and YouTube, together at last.

Complain away, Mexico. We all know how much pull the UN has.

Americans are happy to mostly ignore the UN and assume they are doing good things in other countries, what if they tried to boss us around?

“What should be constructed is a bridge in relations between the two countries,” Derbez said.

Like a bridge over the wall? We don’t need a bridge, we already have dozens of 4-lane highways, chief.

Isn’t this going to do terrible things to the environment? Sucking water out of the air on any sort of large scale can’t be good for the atmosphere.

Yesterday was Columbus Day and I didn’t even realize. The one day a year I can claim some land, pillage some resources, and I missed it. I guess there’s always next year.

So, I happen to have some of that recalled lettuce. Should I risk it? My immune system isn’t compromised, I’ll probably just get sick on the slim chance my head of lettuce is contaminated.

 So far, no one has reported getting sick after eating the Foxy brand lettuce. The problem was discovered early enough so most of it never made it to market.

Tis a puzzlement.

The success of invading Russia seems to be very weather dependent, historically speaking.

In frustrating one page per event form