August 31, 2009
And so it Begins

Problem: Afghanistan being, well, Afghanistan, is resisting the obvious charisma, hope, and change of the glorious leader all but the most seditious of us love with every fiber of our being by obstinately refusing to play along.

Solution: Move the goalposts, and blame Bush.

I'm not sure who this guy is, but he seems to get on French TV regularly enough. If that doesn't define the thin wedge of the defeatist left, I don't know what does.

Posted by scott at 04:25 PM | Comments (0)
~ Said it Once Before but it Bears Repeating ~

This one's for NASA-employed friend Kevin: "India loses contact with an unmanned spacecraft conducting its first moon mission. Support techs ask Mission Control to confirm that the spacecraft is turned on and that it is currently plugged in"

From Fark's weekly "best of" thread.

Posted by scott at 04:06 PM | Comments (0)
Well that Sounds Messy

The things you learn when your daughter only wants to watch Sponge Bob and all you have to do is troll Wikipedia include learning what happens to a human body when the diving chamber it's in goes from 9 atmospheres to 1 in a fraction of a second:

Subsequent investigation by forensic pathologists determined D4, being exposed to the highest pressure gradient, violently exploded due to the rapid and massive expansion of internal gases. All of his thoracic and abdominal organs, and even his thoracic spine were ejected, as were all of his limbs. Simultaneously, his remains were expelled through the narrow trunk opening left by the jammed chamber door, less than 60 centimeters (24 inches) in diameter. Fragments of his body were found scattered about the rig. One part was even found lying on the rig’s derrick, 10 meters (30 feet) directly above the chambers. His death was most likely instantaneous and painless.

How this has managed to avoid being turned into a movie I never will know.

Posted by scott at 03:07 PM | Comments (1)
Just Have to Wait

While I'd like to put a picture or two of Olivia in her 1st grade outfit up, I'm not able to because Swoozie the Dino Burd chewed the cable in two last time she went walkabout. You'll all just have to wait until I source a new one.

Posted by scott at 01:48 PM | Comments (1)
Best. Birthday Present. Evar!!!

Hey, if I knew how to cast iron, I'd probably want to make a cannon too. I don't know enough about Civil War tech to figure out if a 4"-er was a standard sized gun or not. Meh, it'll shoot golf balls 600 yards. That's plenty good enough for me!

Posted by scott at 01:24 PM | Comments (1)
Uh.. I've Never Seen Bakers Like This... Ever.

Posted by Ellen at 07:51 AM | Comments (2)
Fish: Not Yours

Ok, I get that sperm whales can be a nuisance to fishermen. But after watching this video, I'm flummoxed as to exactly what can be done about it.

Posted by scott at 07:38 AM | Comments (0)
BFF!

And now, a baby chimp taking care of a baby puma. No better way to start the week!

Posted by scott at 07:28 AM | Comments (0)
August 30, 2009
How About "No"?

Coming soon to a Christmas tree far, far away from mine: the pole dancer doll. Oh no, it's much worse than you think it is. Much worse.

Posted by scott at 03:50 PM | Comments (0)
Reunion

Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly, best known as the stars of Cagney and Lacey, are reuniting for an upcoming episode of Burn Notice. A good combo on a good show. What's not to love?

Posted by scott at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)
Dude. Wait, What?

Ok, all together now, injecting things into Mr. Winky makes him sad. And who the hell pulls out their wang at a drinking party anyway? Man, just put it away.

Posted by scott at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2009
In Honor of a Certain Someone...

6096_583350364034_317344_34386304_6995214_n.jpg

Someone partied a little too hard last night. Well, ok, a lot too hard. And for once it wasn't me!

Posted by scott at 12:40 PM | Comments (4)
August 28, 2009
Can I Get an Awww... Conversion Can Be A *GOOD* Thing!

They die often and—frequently—brutally, from disease and neglect, from attacks by predators like foxes and coyotes, from target practice by kids or hunters, or from the bites of rabid raccoons. They get hit by cars or, in the worst cases, waste away from starvation and exposure. When their numbers grow—few are spayed or neutered—they often are shot. Some of the softer farmers put heat lamps in their barns or let their barn cats into basements and mudrooms on subzero nights. Most don't.

So SWEET!

Posted by Ellen at 06:13 PM | Comments (1)
~ Still Crazy, After all These Years ~

P. J. O'Rourke: "Oh, [America is] a crazy tree. And the taller it grows, the crazier it gets. And I roost upon the tip-top branch. Ye of the Washington Post, Don't park your SmartCar under my perch." I'm sitting on a branch nearby, and I've been eating prunes.

Posted by scott at 01:31 PM | Comments (0)
Ka-*BOOM!!!*

I don't care what Snopes says, this is a much better story if it was caused by some redneck with a backhoe. Corroded gas lines are bad, mmkay?

Posted by scott at 12:20 PM | Comments (2)
Old Tech

Fans of computers or old electronics may find this collection taken at the Computer History Museum in California of interest. I think the control panels from the 60s and 70s are pretty nifty, in a "looks like Star Trek wonder what that button does um no I don't and I didn't touch it and let's get out of here" sort of way.

Posted by scott at 06:53 AM | Comments (0)
Well, that's... Different...

Like the headline says: Meet Lauren Williams, the woman with two vaginas. It's not a porno title, it's a medical condition! Article is SFW.

Posted by scott at 06:42 AM | Comments (0)
August 27, 2009
Mystery World

Scientists have found a planet that shouldn't exist. Wasp-18b orbits its start in less than twenty-four hours, and is only the second planet found to-date to do so. It seems current models predict such planets should be swallowed by their stars comparatively quickly, and this one, well, hasn't. If they knew why it wouldn't be called, "science."

Posted by scott at 02:06 PM | Comments (0)
Heart Patch

Scientists have developed a new technique for "patching" damaged hearts. Healthy heart cells are taken from a patient, allowed to grown on an organic "scaffold", and then implanted in the abdomen, where they grow and develop blood vessels. When the result is implanted in the heart, it integrates and synchronizes its beating, effectively healing the damage.

At least, that's the way it works in mice. It's hoped the technique will also work in humans, providing hope for millions of heart attack victims.

Posted by scott at 07:10 AM | Comments (1)
I Can Haz Contradiction?

Veterinarians in the UK have discovered a "genetically impossible" male tortoiseshell cat. Ellen called b-s, claiming there have long been reports of male calicoes. In other words, extremely rare, but far from impossible.

Posted by scott at 06:43 AM | Comments (2)
The Next US Alfa?

The latest rumor seems to indicate the 169's replacement will be based on a Maserati chassis, not that of the Chrysler 300. The 300's platform is well-regarded, but old and difficult to adapt to the needs of European markets. The Maserati chassis will be sweet, but the resulting vehicle will almost certainly be too much for us to afford new. Ah well, maybe after depreciation does the deed we'll pick one up. At least this one is nice looking!

Posted by scott at 06:36 AM | Comments (0)
August 26, 2009
How Hard Can it be to Hit the Freaking Moon?

Looks like NASA's latest lunar probe used up half its gas due to a software glitch. I bet they turned it off and turned it back on over and over again until it stopped. Hey, it worked for Mars Pathfinder back in the 90s!

Posted by scott at 08:03 PM | Comments (0)
When Nerds Attack... Traffic!

I dunno. I think this guy is onto something. Driving a standard transmission in Virginia's legendary highway treacle fairly forces you to create large gaps ahead. I've found there are two real problems to this strategy: 1) once the gap reaches a certain size, the adjacent lanes "collapse" into the space, like waves of surf, and 2) psychopaths behind you flip their sh*t when they see you letting traffic "get away", and try to punt you along faster. Still, I think there's likely something to all this.

Posted by scott at 07:15 PM | Comments (1)
People Are Just Sick

Accused kitty killer Sean Lynde turns self in; suspected of murdering 4 of girlfriend's adopted cats.
Read more: here.
Posted by Ellen at 07:08 AM | Comments (0)
I Drank What?!?

Finally, a consumer's union that reviews things we need to find out about. You know, like how good various kinds of cheap booze are. I'm way too old for that sort of foolishness nowadays. Come to think of it, I was way too old back in the day. Some of my old college buddies, maybe not so much.

Posted by scott at 06:33 AM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2009
~ Let's Fly, Let's Fly Away ~

What better way to end a Tuesday than perusing a collection of airshow photos. One of these days I gotta get myself over to Moscow. They let those boys shoot off flares at their airshows.

Posted by scott at 06:34 PM | Comments (0)
Alice in Rocket-Land

NASA and the Air Force are testing a "green" rocket fuel. Using a combination of aluminum powder and water-ice, the article makes it sound like the new stuff will be cheaper than the old stuff. By how much, and even if it's true, the article doesn't say.

Posted by scott at 02:32 PM | Comments (0)
You Gotta be Kidding Me

As if being a poodle wasn't bad enough, people have to go and do this to them. Meh. Doggies don't care as long as there's food to eat and toilets to drink out of. Ellen loves these sorts of things.

Posted by scott at 10:17 AM | Comments (1)
Pot, Kettle. Kettle, Pot. Black.

I see, I see now. When you all called Bush a new Hitler, that was Ok. But calling Obama a new Hitler, that requires some serious scolding. Go for the "it's-my-foil-hat-I'll-wear-what-I-want-to" conspiracy paranoia. Stay for the shameless "of course it's OK if we do it. We're the good guys" commentary.

Posted by scott at 06:44 AM | Comments (1)
August 24, 2009
Let's Just Say I'm Glad Plants Don't Move Very Fast

Presenting Nepenthes attenboroughii, a pitcher plant so big it eats rats for dinner. Do not miss the time-lapse film of these things growing and then blooming. I especially liked the monster sound effects.

Posted by scott at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)
Fun with Photoshop

There's nothing quite like photo-realistic retouching to mess with your day. Bock Bock!

Posted by scott at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)
Blocking Practice

Turns out that, if you want to help people get out of a room quickly, you should block their way. As with most counter-intuitive science discoveries, it's the details that make the difference.

Posted by scott at 07:04 PM | Comments (0)
Geek Critique

I think I can honestly say I had this conversation with just about all my college buddies at one time or another. That, and just what it was that made a thermal detonator, well, tick. Oh don't worry, we all eventually got lives. Of a sort.

Posted by scott at 06:54 PM | Comments (1)
Ancient Brew

Being scientists, a group of men resurrected some 45 million year-old yeast just to see if it could be done. Being men, they then used the result to make beer. No, really!

Posted by scott at 06:51 AM | Comments (0)
August 23, 2009
Your Thought for the Day

All petrolheads should own an Alfa if they want to know what differentiates a car from a toaster

-- Jeremy Clarkson

Nuff said.

Well, maybe not. If you genuinely wonder, "you know, you seem quite rational. Except for your choice in cars. Dude, wtf?!?" Well, read this, but skip past the bits about the watches. That's what I feel, and God help her I'm pretty sure Ellen feels, about Alfas.

We're coming up on a very specific anniversary very soon. Like, now. We'll all need to badger Ellen into talking about it.

Posted by scott at 10:15 PM | Comments (0)
Smoke Em' If You Got Em'!

"Glad to see me, boys?" Doda called out cheerily. She laughed, patted Bill Yankers on the cheek and, without missing a beat, picked up the next line of her song and headed back up the room toward her band.

Forty-five years after she donned a topless bathing suit at the Condor Club one hot summer night and started the national topless dancing craze, Doda is still packing 'em in at North Beach.

Read the rest.

Posted by Ellen at 07:50 PM | Comments (0)
Your Thought for the Day

funny pictures of cats with captions

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

My wife, let me show you her. My wife.

Posted by scott at 05:37 PM | Comments (0)
Now In Bloom

funny pictures of dogs with captions
see more

Posted by Ellen at 03:36 PM | Comments (1)
August 22, 2009
I Can't Believe it Ate the Whole Thing

And now, a shredder so bad-ass it's able to eat a whole car. Now that's recycling.

Posted by scott at 07:36 AM | Comments (0)
Lovely Destruction

HardOCP answers the question we've all been asking: how many hard drives does it take to stop a .50 sniper rifle round? The answer is as cool as the question.

Posted by scott at 07:24 AM | Comments (0)
Glidin' the Day Away

Sometimes luck is bad, sometimes it's good, but for a turtle named Lucky, fortune seems to include the use of furniture sliders. He certainly doesn't seem to be suffering. He's certainly a lot more energetic than our own leopard-spotted tortoise!

Posted by scott at 07:04 AM | Comments (0)
August 21, 2009
... and So She Owes Me A Dollar...

... for not checking her own blog before posting. I'm moving the office this weekend, and so am less able to error-check than I normally am. Ah well, two completely different takes on the exact same article is still amusing, if not particularly informative, eh?

Posted by scott at 06:20 PM | Comments (1)
Atheist Scam Alert!

Who the hell is going to pay them after the Rapture? I mean, no pet sitter in their right mind gets paid $110 for long term watching of a pet.

Our service is plain and simple; our fee structure is reasonable. For $110.00 we will guarantee that should the Rapture occur within ten (10) years of receipt of payment, one pet per residence will be saved. Each additional pet at your residence will be saved for an additional $15.00 fee. A small price to pay for your peace of mind and the health and safety of your four legged friends.

It's the next best thing to pet salvation to a post Rapture world.

Posted by Ellen at 09:23 AM | Comments (4)
How Joshua Missed This I Never will Know

"AMCG," we hear you ask, "that wonderful preacher with the tent came by my town and ensured I was ready for The Rapture. My soul is clean with minty freshness, and his ability to guide us through judgment is ensured by my large donation. We've known Fluffy the Cat was going to hell since she crapped in my new shoes. But what about Skipper? He's such a sweet dog!"

Fear not, friendly fundie, AMCG is here to help! Presenting Eternal Earthbound Pets, a service which promises to, for a modest fee, provide an atheist to care for your pet once you have been taken up to your ultimate reward. Act now! The spelled-in-reverse bone-gnawing deity you save could be your own!

Posted by scott at 06:40 AM | Comments (0)
August 20, 2009
Amber Alert NY

AMBER ALERT IN OSHAWA, NY - 3 YEAR OLD GIRL TAKEN BY MAN DRIVING NEWER SILVER TRUCK Ontario PLATE # 72B 381.

Contact your local law enforcement if you have details on this alert.

Posted by Ellen at 08:33 PM | Comments (1)
Baby Squawk

No, Ellen, you can't have one:

Yesterday at around 7 a.m., Morgan Pitts, a 36-year-old propmaster who works out of Silvercup Studios in Queens, had an Encounter With Nature. While on a routine coffee run near his Greenpoint home, he heroically and rather nonchalantly saved a baby falcon from a dangerous urban environment...

That sound you here is Ellen and Amber "squee!!"-ing several hundred miles apart at the same time.

Posted by scott at 07:07 PM | Comments (1)
Weird...Yet Fascinating...

Seven Awesome Acts of Nature.

Posted by Ellen at 04:48 PM | Comments (0)
~ Leavin' it all Behind ~

As with most Hollywood fantasies of starting over, attempting to completely disappear is much harder than it would at first appear. There were a couple of times in my life, long ago, when doing just that would've been relatively straightforward. I discarded the idea for precisely the reasons stated in the article.

Posted by scott at 06:44 AM | Comments (1)
Squaring a Circle Spiral

When is a spiral not really a spiral? When it's a bunch of differently-colored squares, that's when. It's likely our visual centers evolved in response to the pressure of finding ripe fruit in a tree, not to counter some clever damned scientist in a lab. Fun!

Posted by scott at 06:28 AM | Comments (0)
August 19, 2009
This Is So Wrong On Many Levels...

To recycle the sex toys drop it in the mail. Please clean them first. Yes, they can be used sex toys. They can also be unused. They can even be broken sex toys. When the toys arrive at the Dreamscapes Recycling location the toys are clean and disassemble into parts. The parts are then sent to select recycling facilities. Every part of each sex toy is recycled and/or disposed of responsibly: the batteries, the hard (no pun intended) plastics, the rubber, the silicone, the metal, the motor and any e-waste.

I vomited a bit in my mouth with this one.

Posted by Ellen at 06:29 PM | Comments (0)
The Largest Inventory of Used Cats In The Area!

Come check us out! Lowest prices, 0% financing and $0 down!

Visit your local shelter today!

Posted by Ellen at 06:22 PM | Comments (0)
Ok, Now How Many Pennies is that...

The latest fully-functioning replica of an Me-262 is complete and available for sale at, for what it is, a pretty fair price of $650,000. This one comes with replica "kills B-17s dead" rockets, too! One of these days I'll get to see one of them at an airshow. That will be a very good day, indeed.

Posted by scott at 03:59 PM | Comments (1)
I Got Yer Anger Right Here

The Spectator: "My Grandma Is An Angry Mob -- And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt." The guy who coined that "hell hath no fury" line obviously never knew a pissed-off gramma.

Fellow Arkansans may find Blanche's schedule of interest. Especially since she seems to be changing it a lot. I wonder why that is?

Posted by scott at 03:23 PM | Comments (0)
On this day...

... I've packed up my office for only the second time in thirteen years. Oh, no worries, we're just moving. Up the street even. Zone gets transferred tomorrow night, and then the real fun begins when it's time to move the servers. I'll end up just a block from where Ellen works!

Posted by scott at 02:32 PM | Comments (0)
Just for Fun... FAIL!

The "Fail" Blog.

Posted by Ellen at 01:24 PM | Comments (0)
Sensational Headlines? From the Media?

Observation: there seem to be a few reports of iPhones hissing, steaming, or cracking.

Headline: Apple investigating iPhone explosions.

Well, it did make me read the article, after all.

Posted by scott at 06:54 AM | Comments (0)
Ok, 51 Really Stings

The new Beloit College Mindset List, which details things incoming freshmen have "never" and "always" known, has been revised again. #64 took me a few seconds to get my head around, since I've bought a CD in a cardboard case in the past year. Then I remembered what they really once were like.

Posted by scott at 06:41 AM | Comments (1)
A Group Ride, for the Rest of Us

Leave it to the Germans to combine fitness with its opposite. If any of us who regularly do a group ride on the weekend had one of these, I think it'd be a whole lot easier to get extra people to come out, eh?

Posted by scott at 06:32 AM | Comments (1)
August 18, 2009
Definitions

Happy Birthday, Ellen!

The trick is remembering that "I want low key" in guy-speak is fundamentally different from "I want low key" in chick-speak.

Posted by scott at 09:41 PM | Comments (2)
Can I Get a, "DUH?!?" From the Audience?

"Ric Romero here, reporting live from Britain. Scientists have detected a link between UFO sightings and UFO depictions in the popular media." What I think is interesting is how similar stories of mysterious flying objects were reported in the 19th century, except there the craft were depicted as giant boat-like machines attached to balloons. There's definitely something going on, but I think it has more to do with the space between our ears than it does the space above our heads.

“Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.” -- Calvin.

Posted by scott at 03:34 PM | Comments (1)
Nice Work, if You Can Get It

Hey, why not drive four supercars across the country? There was one in there even I didn't know what it was, other than pretty. You'll have to scroll down to the start and read up, but I thought it was worth it.

Posted by scott at 02:29 PM | Comments (0)
Space Change

The conclusions of the Obama-appointed panel to review NASA policy are beginning to leak out. My memory may be failing me, but this sounds a lot like the options being kicked around before Mike Griffen took over and rammed the Ares concepts through. Regardless, things don't look real bright for Ares I fans. From what I've read, I'm not completely sure that's a bad thing.

Posted by scott at 12:54 PM | Comments (0)
It's Only Nerdy if You Don't Understand

So how many years did Bill Murray's character spend in Punxsutawney? The answer seems to come close to what the director just threw out there in an interview long ago. Go to see what nerds like me (and most of the guys who read this site) do when they get the bit in their teeth. Stay to watch the NERD FIGHT!!!

Posted by scott at 10:43 AM | Comments (0)
Feet of Clay

It would seem the author of The Lord of the Flies wasn't a particularly nice man. I guess it's one of the requisites of the English upper class, to have one's dark past revealed after one's death.

Posted by scott at 06:45 AM | Comments (0)
I'm Sure This Will End Well

And now, a woman dancing with a stripper pole mounted on a rickshaw being pedaled through Manhattan. I got yer cash cab right here. Link is SFW.

Posted by scott at 06:40 AM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2009
The Shape of Things to Come

Ron gets a no-prize filled with genuine buttery goodness for bringing us this past tale of a future that didn't come to pass then, but could today. How could someone be so prescient? Well, 1978 was the first time in the past thirty years when the economy was in the crapper, confidence was low, and progressives held all the cards. The second time had a better politician at the helm. The third time... well, let's all hope the third time is not the charm, in this case at least.

Oh, and I can cast each role in the story using a buddy of mine. I leave it as an exercise for the reader to figure out who ends up in which role.

Posted by scott at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)
~ Touch My Man Again and Ima F-- You Up ~

It would seem there's a reason Ellen growls at those cute checkout girls when we go grocery shopping. Me? I'm clueless. The only way I know the cute chick thinks I'm cute is when Ellen's hackles go up. Otherwise I'm the same ol' clueless computer nerd I always have been.

Posted by scott at 01:58 PM | Comments (0)
I Guess There's a List for Everything

Normally Cracked's various lists are, to me anyway, a little lame, but this "5 creepiest sex scenes in comics" was fun anyway, because I remember reading the issue which held their #2 (as it were) entry. I don't recall being disturbed by it, I just thought it was kinda weird. Being, as I recall, 13, I was much more interested in the improbable proportions of the tightly costumed super-ladies. The stories were just excuses to get them to move around.

Dude. I was 13, in a small Arkansas town, before internet pr0n. Of course I was desperate!

Posted by scott at 11:46 AM | Comments (1)
That's One Big Bottle Rocket

Mark gets a hopeful but shaky no-prize for bringing us pictures of the Ares I-X test launcher in the VAB. Looks like they'll finally need to open all the doors to get this one out. It's been, what, something like 35 years since that last happened?

Posted by scott at 09:38 AM | Comments (0)
Pachyderm Prosthetic

Look who they're fitting with artificial limbs now. Apparently it's a permanent one, which answered the question of how they were planning to deal with contact sores.

Posted by scott at 06:43 AM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2009
And Now, Your Moment of Zen

Posted by scott at 07:44 AM | Comments (1)
Help! Help! I'm Being Held Captive...

Another August, another trip deep in to Indian Country (aka the-inlaws in NY) for a family reunion. Posting will be light, but pictures are sure to follow. The Milano made it fine until we hit a wall of traffic 5 miles from the destination. The brake boost packed up after 20 minutes of stop-and-go in that heat. It'll be fine after sitting overnight and cooling off. Another part to put on the list. The a/c was wo...nderful and absolutely no overheating problems! Beats the heck out of driving a Nissonda or Kiundai.

Posted by scott at 07:27 AM | Comments (0)
August 14, 2009
BSG Reboot, Part Deux

Looks like Battlestar Galactica is getting yet another do-over, this time to the big screen. This could, and IMO likely will, end up being so much vaporware, but hey, it is Larson's property after all.

Posted by scott at 03:45 PM | Comments (0)
Wake up! Time to Die!

Ok, see if you know the punch line to this one... four perps run into a store, handcuff the employees, and pistol-whip the one who resists.

This being America, the punch line goes the way it should.

To me, the fact they were handcuffing everyone is very significant, and dangerous. In my opinion, it meant the perps were going to make sure nobody would be around to identify them when they were done. Any violent death is tragic; that said, some are definitely more tragic than others.

Posted by scott at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2009
Your Thought for the Day

funny pictures

moar funny pictures
Posted by scott at 09:52 PM | Comments (0)
Maybe Downhill, in a Hurricane

Speaking of delusions of grandeur:

1972 Alfa Romeo Spider, in fair shape [...] runs great and with this engine the top end is over 200 mph!

The mind boggles...

Posted by scott at 07:38 PM | Comments (0)
Encounter Survival Guide

I've often heard it said a person who doesn't break the law has nothing to fear from the police. I would counter a police officer who's doing the job correctly has nothing to worry about from a citizen who knows, and plays by, the rules. Plus, the chick who plays the homeowner at the end of the film is hawt.

Oink oink oink.

Posted by scott at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)
Injury Details Emerge

The BBC's F1 Mole has more details on why Michael Schumacher had to cancel his comeback. Sounds like he would be just one solid thump away from his head falling off. Yeah, I think that would make me reconsider, too. Because you know they asked me next, right?

Yes, I do know what "delusions of grandeur" means, thank-you-very-much!

Posted by scott at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)
~ Come Fly with Me ~

An innovative UAV manufacturer is making a pretty impressive effort at redefining what can be called an aircraft. I wonder how noisy the weird seed-like one is when it "glues" itself to the wall?

Posted by scott at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)
Bad Ink

Wow...just wow.

Posted by Ellen at 06:42 AM | Comments (0)
No More Stops

Fans of secret and abandoned places should find this collection of pictures of abandoned subway stations of interest. I'm pretty sure the Toronto station was used in the filming of the Matrix, but it's too early in the morning for me to research and be sure.

Posted by scott at 06:33 AM | Comments (0)
August 12, 2009
Look Down

lookdown.jpg
Posted by Ellen at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)
Eyes Have It

eyeshaveit.jpg
Posted by Ellen at 09:53 PM | Comments (0)
Sailing Away

Historian Victor Davis Hanson recently visited the Mediterranean and penned these various thoughts on his journey. Useful not only for the political insights, but also for impressions and tips from someone who's visited the area many times over many years.

Posted by scott at 01:57 PM | Comments (0)
Where to Begin...

Gotta love Florida. Where else can a dog get his leg bitten off, whilst illegally off the leash, drinking from a pond, by a 10 foot alligator, in a public park characterized as "a popular recreation facility"?!?

Yeah. 10 foot alligators are definitely what I want to see when I take my kid over to the swing set! Welp, there we go, strike Florida off the list of "nice places to live."

Posted by scott at 12:49 PM | Comments (0)
It's got that Great, Ranty Freshness

Ron gets a rambling but no less entertaining no-prize for bringing us a bit of left-center disgust with the shambling mound that is the Obama administration. Oh, don't worry, the author does plenty of Bush slamming too. I don't want to take you people too far out of your comfort zone.

Posted by scott at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)
I Shall Call it, "Greencrete"

By using a different base for its cement, a British company has created a concrete that "eats" carbon dioxide. I think. The article looks a bit spin-tastic to me, but whaddoIknow?

Gee. If only there was a phrase to describe what happens when entrepreneurs are given incentives to meet a growing demand. Oh, wait...

Posted by scott at 06:55 AM | Comments (1)
Rain Rain Go Away

Scientists in China are claiming to have discovered a strong link between rain an flower evolution. Seems creating a solution to the problem of grazing dinosaurs (which is, as I understand it at any rate, the most widely accepted explanation for flower evolution in the first place) also created a vulnerability to rain, which flowering plants have been working to solve ever since. Their solutions are as many and varied as anything else you'd expect from nature.

Posted by scott at 06:42 AM | Comments (0)
Couldn't've Happened to a Nicer Guy

A guy seen tossing his girlfriend through a window fell in after her and was fatally injured in the process. Unfortunate that such things are so unusual. The court system would be much more straightforward if it were otherwise.

Posted by scott at 06:34 AM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2009
Little. Italian. Different.

Coming to an obsessive blog about science fiction, anger, and cats near you: the Alfa BB video series. Sharp eyes will note the lack of a shift knob and the non-stock steering wheel. Even though it's fuel injected, mine sounds pretty much the same, but only if I pull the air cleaner off first. And I'd love a garage like that. LOVELOVELOVELOVE!

Posted by scott at 10:08 PM | Comments (0)
If it Smells Like a Fish...

Hey, man, I'm not attacking anyone, I just have the same questions this guy does about recent "fishy" statements about health care. I mean, the Dems keep telling me to not believe everything I'm told, because some people out there have an agenda and might be prone to distort things.

I'm not pointin' any fingers, I'm just sayin'...

Posted by scott at 04:27 PM | Comments (0)
You Wouldn't Want the Navy's Life to Get Boring, Would You?

Looks like the Chinese are trying to field an effective missile-toter. Ask the B-52 boys how effective an ancient bomber design can be when you operate beyond the reach of the other guy's air defenses. Once these things go active-duty, you suddenly have the potential for three or four hundred cruise missiles heading across the Taiwan Straight at the Seventh Fleet. I guess it's time for the MSM to remind us all why we don't really need all those advanced weapon systems, eh?

Posted by scott at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)
Well, that Stinks

Looks like Schumacher won't be making a comeback after all. The injuries sustained after a previous motorcycle accident had been mentioned when his name was first being toss around. F-1 cars are capable of more than three G's of lateral force, so having neck or upper back injuries is a very real problem when trying to race in that series.

Posted by scott at 11:50 AM | Comments (0)
[Interplanetary] Pow!

Like those glittering little squares that tend to litter any well-traveled intersection, scientists can tell there's been a collision between planetary bodies by the shards of glass they leave behind. Explain that one to the adjuster!

Posted by scott at 06:50 AM | Comments (0)
What a Bargain!

Olivia: "Daddy? Watchadoin?"

Me: "I'm typing."

Olivia: "About what?"

Me: "About a guy selling a $6000 Mercedes for $100,000 because he thinks he's Christ's grandson."

Ellen: "What?!?"

There's car crazy, and then there's car crazy.

Posted by scott at 06:41 AM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2009
I Can Haz Skritch?

That sound you heard was Ellen's head exploding with candy. Amber's too, most likely.

Note: video is safe for work, but the site itself seems marginally NSFW. Watch it at home.

Posted by scott at 05:45 PM | Comments (1)
I Shall Call it, "Holotouch"

Making the rounds: scientists have created a "touchable" hologram that uses ultrasound to reproduce the "feel" of an item. Oh, don't worry, people are already talking about what it might all imply for the obvious application.

Posted by scott at 05:31 PM | Comments (0)
I Guess Everyone Needs a Hobby

I'd like to think a furries convention would be a fun place for little kids to visit and see all sorts of amazing and cute cartoon characters. And, as long as Olivia's hand is held firmly in mine, we might even think about visiting one.

By watching it on TV.

Across the room.

With our eyes half shut.

Maybe.

Posted by scott at 03:32 PM | Comments (1)
Pow!

Thanks to a rare edge-on view of Saturn's rings, the Cassini space probe has imaged what appears to be a large object punching through one of them. Personally, I suspect Dick Cheney is behind it all.

Posted by scott at 06:39 AM | Comments (0)
I've Wanted to do This

Child leashes would seem to have more uses than you'd initially suppose. For whatever reason, we never seemed to need anything like that. Maybe girls are less likely to run off?

Posted by scott at 06:31 AM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2009
Amy G

Fun with kazoos!

Posted by Ellen at 07:51 PM | Comments (0)
Reminisce

You've gotta be kidding me. I distinctly remember reading about the roll-out of the B-2 in Aviation Week, sitting in the magazine section of the Mullins library on some week day, let's call it a Wednesday. The airport-inspired long couches looked great, thin in black leather with aluminum arm rests, but got uncomfortable after about fifteen minutes. The place smelled of manila folders left out too long, stale tea and dusty paper, with carpet you can still find in any good convention hotel. It was all done in classic 70s black-and-white, accented with brutal bare concrete that was cold to the touch in winter, but merely rough as the college year opened.

I'm quite happy how Facebook has allowed me to hook back up with many of the friend I had back then. We've come a long way. Some have changed in ways unexpected, and yet stayed recognizably the same. Others have merely grown much wiser than they already were. The rest, well, the rest remain pencil scratches, fading but recognizable, just waiting for a retrace.

The B-2 is now 20. That library is unrecognizable, if Google maps is any indication, since I haven't been back since 1993 or so. But the friendships endure.

And really, that's all that's important...

Posted by scott at 07:11 PM | Comments (1)
Roses are Pink...

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Posted by Ellen at 06:46 PM | Comments (0)
Montage

I have no idea what to make of this, other than it's got a lot of interesting pictures, which seem to transition from black and white to color. It was interesting enough for me to scroll to the bottom.

Note: contains nekkid people.

Posted by scott at 05:01 PM | Comments (0)
Well Aren't They the Little Helper?

Looks like if Obamacare passes, after retirement we can all look forward to sorta-mandatory discussions about death and dying every five years Or sooner, if it looks like we won't make it to the next five year discussion. It's not the content in particular that bothers me. It's that the state has decided that it's a good idea to remind me I'm going to die soon. And it's decided to keep reminding me, you know, in case I forget. Because, I tell ya, if it's one thing seniors forget, it's that they're gonna die soon.

Via Instapundit.

Posted by scott at 03:39 PM | Comments (0)
A Fire Truck, for the Rest of Us

Problem: You work at a place where accidents happen at very high speed around a race track that's more than twenty miles long.

Solution: Horsepower. Leave it to the Germans to over-engineer something to the point it goes right out the other side and becomes amazingly cool.

Posted by scott at 10:44 AM | Comments (0)
Olivia And The Tree

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Posted by Ellen at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)
On The Bench

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Posted by Ellen at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)
2009 Dress From Goa

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Every year one of the Drs from my work leaves for a month to go visit family in Goa. Each year he brings Olivia back a new dress. He has nothing to do with picking them out. Apparently his cousins know all about Olivia and they pick the outfit out for her.

Posted by Ellen at 10:12 AM | Comments (0)
The More You Know...

US travelers thinking about going international may find this guide to "do's and don'ts" of various cultures of interest. The article is, of course, more interested in presenting colorful examples than it is in providing a consistent, useful guide, but I always find it fun to learn the details of exactly how specific countries differ from our own.

Posted by scott at 08:45 AM | Comments (1)
August 08, 2009
Head Esplode Into Candy...

A snoring duckling! How cute!!

Posted by Ellen at 05:20 PM | Comments (0)
WHEEE!

Go to watch goofy Italian sedans going balls-out down various medieval donkey trails. Stay to see if those Italian sedans end up collecting any of the insane Frenchmen crowded on the sides of the road (minute 9-ish). And the song at minute 4-ish.

Posted by scott at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2009
Amber? Is That You? II

There's camping, and then there's camping. Driving tourism dollars to a small North West town is all well and good, but did it have to involve sparkly vampires?!?

Posted by scott at 07:18 PM | Comments (0)
But will it Work with Porn?

By using innovative new techniques and devices, scientists have created a new technique to induce "out-of-body" experiences. The idea is that this sort of thing can be used in therapy to help physically disabled people more easily and successfully incorporate prosthetics into their daily lives. I think. Once they started talking about mirrors and vibrators I sorta lost my concentration.

Oh shaddup, you. That wasn't what I was talking about.

I think.

Posted by scott at 01:19 PM | Comments (0)
Oh That'll Buff Out

Airplanes do a lot of things well. Offroading isn't one of them. Just by the pictures, it doesn't look like a complete write-off. But what do I know? That's one expensive excursion right there, folks.

Posted by scott at 11:40 AM | Comments (1)
Got One

A Taliban leader in Pakistan may have been killed by a drone attack. This was the one Taliban press releases was saying killed his wife and a whole bunch of other innocent women and children. Hey, if it's in a press release, we gotta believe it, right?

Posted by scott at 08:37 AM | Comments (0)
When Taxidermists Attack

Bah. Why mount up that crazy hunter's deer when you get get all artsy with it instead? Something tells me my mother-in-law would be less than pleased if one of these suddenly appeared on her wall.

Posted by scott at 06:57 AM | Comments (0)
A Difference only in Language

A friend recently wondered what a truly outraged Ellen might be capable of. This sounds about right. I can say with some pride that, while I have done any number of boneheaded things under the influence, I've never made someone so mad at me they actually set me on fire.

Posted by scott at 06:52 AM | Comments (0)
August 06, 2009
Planet Sight

NASA's Kepler planet-search probe has now proved it can in fact detect planets, by "finding" ones already discovered by other means. Unfortunately it also appears overly sensitive to cosmic rays, which seem to be causing it to spontaneously shut down every once in awhile. Here's to hoping they find a work-around, or that it doesn't affect the mission too much.

Posted by scott at 07:12 PM | Comments (0)
Biker Chicks

While a bit "fluffy", this editorial about how women are turning to motorcycles in increasing numbers was still of interest, even to a guy like me. Mainly, I guess, because it includes brief advice on the sorts of bikes one should look at as a beginner.

No, not for me, I'm askeered of those things. A few other people I know either are getting or want to get one. Those people.

Posted by scott at 01:51 PM | Comments (0)
Old Bugs

By using sophisticated new x-ray techniques, scientists have been able to create 3-D models of long extinct spiders. Turns out, they were just as creepy 300 million years ago as they are today.

Posted by scott at 06:39 AM | Comments (1)
That Sounds Suspiciously Reasonable

So, was Van Halen's legendary "no brown M&Ms" really just a way to suss out careless promoters? Their shows always were known for incredibly complex staging.

Posted by scott at 06:32 AM | Comments (0)
Out with You

Look out, everybody, they've turned Squeaky loose. By all the accounts I've read, she's still just as nuts now as she was more than thirty years ago when she waved a gun at President Ford. With a few notable exceptions, age tends to plane the edges off crazy, so maybe she'll fit back into society. Who knows?

Posted by scott at 06:26 AM | Comments (1)
August 05, 2009
What He Said

Why don't I like Cash for Clunkers? This is why:

Cash-for-clunkers amounts to a rounding error in Tim Geithner's nose-hair at this point, which is probably why at least some liberals seem so genuinely baffled by the disproportionate criticism it has drawn. But for some of us it's also a nearly perfect symbol of economic statism run amok. The federal government is taking from the many, giving it to the less-than-many, destroying functional cars, funneling money to an auto industry that it already largely owns (at a hefty taxpayer price tag), then taking multiple (and multiply premature) bows for rescuing the economy and the auto industry in the process.

Now now, read the last paragraph too, because I agree with it as well. Strangely, this was not rated as "fascist" by the twirling moonbats who infest Fark's comment areas. The MSM is still on its knees in front of Obama's pants, but they now seem to be demanding a peck on the cheek before they do their duty. Could these things be marking the beginning of the end? Heck all I'm hoping for is the end of the beginning.

Posted by scott at 04:27 PM | Comments (0)
Well that Sucks

Problem: Lead paint is dangerous to children.

Reaction: WE'RE FROM THE GOVERNMENT, AND WE'RE HERE TO HELP!!!

Unintended consequence: Classic children's books disappear.

Hope and change, people. Hope and change...

Posted by scott at 02:56 PM | Comments (1)
And Now, Your Moment of Zen

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I have absolutely no idea what to make of this. I bet the shoes cost $300, easy.

Posted by scott at 11:51 AM | Comments (3)
Electric Bugs

By using various new breeding techniques, scientists have created a bacteria which generates 8 times as much electricity as its "wild" ancestors. Yep, you hear right, bacteria which creates electricity. And all this time I thought bacteria that pooped diesel oil was a neat trick. These new guys just saved a step!

Posted by scott at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)
Brain Buzz

Scientists claim to have discovered a structural difference in the brain which appears only in those qualified as "psychopathic." Will this be a valuable new diagnostic tool, or yet another example of a new, more expensive sort of phrenonlogy? Only time will tell.

Posted by scott at 06:54 AM | Comments (0)
Well, DUH!

From the, "we-know-the-truth-lets-make-some-numbers-up-to-support-it" department, we have a report which claims kids today cost $221,000 over the (presumably) 17 year period you're responsible for. Which begs the question, who cuts their kids off when they turn 18?!?

See, Ellen? I told you we could've gotten a Ferrari!

Posted by scott at 06:46 AM | Comments (2)
August 04, 2009
Don't Use La Plaz Funeral Home NYC

In fact, by the end of the funeral the flies buzzing around the body's open wound became so persistent the funeral home placed a white veil over the corpse's head to protect it.

Every family's nightmare.

Posted by Ellen at 09:09 PM | Comments (0)
Correct This

That's the problem with "Teh Intartubes", they have a really long memory. I very well remember dozens of slashing stories on the previous generation of fighters when they were first introduced. Too expensive, don't work, not needed, all over the place. Then, fifteen or so years later, the same networks, and sometimes the same reporters, would run glowing stories about how wonderful they were in the Gulf War.

At least now we can hold their feet to the fire a little earlier than normal, eh?

Posted by scott at 03:57 PM | Comments (0)
Now, Now, be Nice

It's nice to see that the right can be just as prurient as the left, and the political operatives of the left can be just as effete as those of the right. Those of you who think the whole business stinks and wonder why they can't all just grow the f- up should read up on how ante-bellum politics was practiced in this country. Then you'll discover the sad truth... they already have grown up.

Posted by scott at 12:50 PM | Comments (0)
When Librarians Attack

Well, maybe not attack, but certainly march. Annie gets a no-prize that's entertaining but no threat to DCI for bringing us proof that even the lady who shushes you has a sense of humor.

Posted by scott at 11:45 AM | Comments (0)
We Live In a Mentally Ill Country

WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Use of antidepressant drugs in the United States doubled between 1996 and 2005, probably because of a mix of factors, researchers reported on Monday.

About 6 percent of people were prescribed an antidepressant in 1996 -- 13 million people. This rose to more than 10 percent or 27 million people by 2005, the researchers found.

Sad really. Many of them are misdiagnosed too.

Posted by Ellen at 07:02 AM | Comments (2)
Amber? Is That You?

It's all fun and games until your reality show "performance" violates your probation. Go for the "yeah, right, pull the other one" explanations from the principal. Stay for the comments from her pimp-tastic lawyer.

Posted by scott at 07:02 AM | Comments (0)
Give and Take

The good news: Alfa is still working on some sort of crossover SUV. The bad: it seems we're only going to get that, and a top-of-the-line sedan, some day. If the 500 is a success, maybe that'll convince Fiat that the US is a potential market for its smaller, less-expensive cars.

Posted by scott at 06:39 AM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2009
Sleepy Cheetah

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Yep, asleep under an umbrella.

Posted by Ellen at 09:11 PM | Comments (1)
SSsssshame!

Florida is having a huge problems with pythons in the Everglades.

Just goes to show you, it you can't take of it, don't own it.

Posted by Ellen at 08:22 PM | Comments (0)
That's Good to Know

Well, I'm still not completely sure if mermaids exist, but it would seem that, if they do, Allah says it's OK to eat them. Something tells me they probably won't taste like chicken. Too bad the Imam won't be able to advise if we should use a Chardonnay or a Merlot.

Posted by scott at 02:50 PM | Comments (1)
When G Kills

It seems the most recent F-22 accident was ultimately caused by a test pilot almost blacking out at exactly the wrong place & time. Getting killed by supersonic wind force sounds like a quick way to die, but not a particularly neat way. Of course all those MSM outlets that ran not-so-subtle reports blaming the F-22 itself for the accident will now be publishing contrite, prominent, front-page retractions and corrections, right?

Right?

Posted by scott at 01:44 PM | Comments (0)
Not so Bad After All

American health care: expensive, but darned well worth it. I think point #10 can't be emphasized enough. In fact, I have a theory that one of the reasons why our health care is so expensive is because we're actually subsidizing all these other nationalized health care schemes. I'd like to think we could put a proviso in some policy somewhere that would prohibit the export of any US-developed medical innovation for 10 years, just to see what would happen. I can't figure out how to really enforce it, unfortunately.

Via Instapundit.

Posted by scott at 12:35 PM | Comments (0)
Rrrm... What?

Leave it to the English to create a story with proper grammar, containing simple words, that makes no sense whatever. They do love their eccentrics, I'll give them that...

Posted by scott at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)
A Kit, for the Rest of Us

Ah, progress. It now appears that, for the comparatively affordable price of $8,000, you, too, can get your own satellite launched. The press release makes it sound like a grown-up version of those electronics kits you used to get from Radio Shack. Except, of course, this eventually gets to go into space. Progress is good!

Posted by scott at 06:38 AM | Comments (0)
You Ate What?!?

Annie gets a tasty but scary-looking no-prize for bringing us Steve! Don't eat that!, a blog which chronicles the various culinary experiences of its eponymous author. All those things you cruise past in the grocery store, that look curious but too scary to actually try? Yeah, he tries them.

Posted by scott at 06:25 AM | Comments (1)
August 02, 2009
Best is as Best Does...

[T]ake away the profit motive, and what's left doesn't deliver results quickly or efficiently, if at all.

I've said this elsewhere, but it deserves repeating... we all expect government to f- it up. If government f-'s up the roads, I'm stuck in traffic jams for the next 10 years. If government f-'s up health care, I die.

Me? I'm counting on the boomers' legendary narcissism and shrieking lack of spirituality to fund us all to immortality. Obamacare is going to get in the way of that, either through taxation or the oozing amber of government regulation. You only disagree with me because you think most of these people shouldn't be alive anyway.

Via Instapundit.

Posted by scott at 08:58 PM | Comments (1)
Cheetah Olivia!

Olivia got invited to a company picnic of some school friends. She loves her cheetahs! Scott and I are wondering how long she won't let us wash her face!

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Posted by Ellen at 06:36 PM | Comments (2)
Not So Pretty In The Sky

The glamour has long faded from the job of a flight attendant, but the occupation still captures the imagination of a public fascinated by the constant travel and work above the clouds.

"A lot of passengers complain that flight attendants don't smile, but I can't tell you how many times I've stood at the boarding door with a smile on my face greeting people and they will just ignore me," said Heather Poole, a flight attendant for 14 years who writes for the travel Web site Gadling.com.

So much for my next career.

Posted by Ellen at 11:36 AM | Comments (1)
I Shall Call it, "Jogbot"

Japan's fascination with robotics seems to have made another step in bringing us a genuine C3PO. It sorts looks like a person trying to run across ice, at least to me.

Posted by scott at 08:52 AM | Comments (0)
I'm Pretty Sure it's not Supposed to do That

And now, a building that falls over and rolls across the street. No, really!

Posted by scott at 08:37 AM | Comments (1)
August 01, 2009
Morrr... Rythmmm...

He... He... he sees white people!!!

I'm not completely sure what the point is, other than it's funny. And it'll likely offend a few of the folks on the left side of the peanut gallery. If it does, my work will be complete.

Posted by scott at 09:47 PM | Comments (0)