Gilead: Codex

Facebooking the blogosphere?

2009-11-04T10:53:00.000-05:00

If you're still reading just this site, half the world is now over on Facebook, and I've got the photos from Picasa feeding to both here and there...so check it out. Don't know how much I'll blog on here anymore, since it's not as "socially connected" to my friends and family as Facebook. (We'll see if FB fades out in a few years, and what the "new" way to publish to the web is...who knows?)

Yes, I'm at Celtic Woman again...this time in Philly! :)

2009-06-20T22:40:00.001-04:00

Finally, the LP gets my viewpoint...

2009-04-14T11:30:00.001-04:00

Took a while, but the Libertarian Party is finally able to articulate my view on the gay marriage argument I've been saying for years now. You don't have to be FOR or AGAINST the government allowing gay marriage, you have to get government OUT of it. :) We're so worried about forcing people to live the way we live, because our way is "right" and they're "wrong"...that's not freedom. That's slavery.

America’s third largest party Monday praised officials in Iowa, Vermont and the District of Columbia for taking recent steps toward marriage equality, and urged legislators in all states to scrap government licensing, taxation and regulation of marriage.

“The government’s power to define marriage has historically been used as a tool to retaliate against minority groups, and the right to marry is the newest frontier of civil rights. Libertarians everywhere applaud this advancement of civil rights, but warn the only way to guarantee true marriage equality is to get government out of the question entirely,” said Catherine Sumner, LBGT policy advisor for the Libertarian National Committee.

“Removing government from the equation entirely allows gay and lesbian couples to enter into the same legal agreements and arrangement as heterosexual couples, and it would allow individuals and businesses to decide for themselves who to grant the benefits of marriage to,” said Sumner. “No individual, straight, gay or lesbian, should be forced to accept someone else’s definition of marriage.”

Also, McCain is still an idiot.

2009-02-27T10:07:00.000-05:00

Not that I'm enjoying Obama spending my sons's future paychecks, but dude, have you been too busy with Iraq for the past 8 years to notics Afghanistan?:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former GOP presidential nominee John McCain warned Wednesday that the United States is losing the war in Afghanistan.

...McCain said on Wednesday, "When you aren't winning in this kind of war, you are losing. And, in Afghanistan today, we are not winning." He delivered his remarks at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based think tank.

Um, which direction have you been looking in for the past 8 years? Thanks for waiting 2 months after your golden boy is out of office to start your bitching. Classy.

Few and far between...

2009-02-27T10:01:00.000-05:00

Amazing what being a father does to your time-management skills. :) Some new photos on the left from the holidays, and I'll leave you with this ridiculousness:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A federal anti-terror law that requires longshoremen, truckers and others to submit to criminal background checks has ensnared another class of transportation worker -- mule drivers.

Yes, so-called mule skinners -- in this case, seasonal workers who dress in colonial garb at a historical park in Easton, Pa. -- must apply for biometric Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWIC), according to the Transportation Security Administration, which says it is bound by federal law.

The requirement has officials of the Hugh Moore Historical Park perplexed. "We have one boat. It's pulled by two mules. On a good day they might go 2 miles per hour," said Sarah B. Hays, the park's director of operations.

The park's two-mile canal does not pass any military bases, nuclear power plants or other sensitive facilities. And, park officials say, the mules could be considered weapons of mass destruction only if they were aimed at something resembling food.

2009-01-15T14:10:00.000-05:00

If work is a hologram...do I have to come in tomorrow? :) Read the full article for more brain-bending stuff, such as "we can tell by measuring the blurriness of the universe". It almost makes sense...Stephen Hawking, eat your heart out.

According to Craig Hogan, a physicist at the Fermilab particle physics lab in Batavia, Illinois, GEO600 has stumbled upon the fundamental limit of space-time - the point where space-time stops behaving like the smooth continuum Einstein described and instead dissolves into "grains", just as a newspaper photograph dissolves into dots as you zoom in. "It looks like GEO600 is being buffeted by the microscopic quantum convulsions of space-time," says Hogan.

If this doesn't blow your socks off, then Hogan, who has just been appointed director of Fermilab's Center for Particle Astrophysics, has an even bigger shock in store: "If the GEO600 result is what I suspect it is, then we are all living in a giant cosmic hologram."

South America....NOT on my vacation list anymore

2009-01-12T11:59:00.000-05:00

Glad my family got to go there as a port-of-call on a cruise as a kid. Caracas, Venezuela is definitely OFF my vacation list forever. From CNN:

"Foreign Policy magazine said in September that Caracas tops the list of five murder capitals of the world, with an official tally of 130 homicides per 100,000 residents. The city, which is Venezuela’s capital, has about 4 million inhabitants."

Of the top five, only one U.S. city made the list: New Orleans. :)

Last minute shopping...

2008-12-22T10:45:00.000-05:00

..and it's COLD! 26 degrees, and someone looks warm.

While mom's away...

2008-12-09T13:52:00.001-05:00

The men of the house will...sleep?

"I think this bed's too big for me now, Dad."

Tom Cruise, eat your heart out...

2008-12-02T10:52:00.002-05:00

Don't look nervous at the airport, or anything....

Several Israeli-based technology companies are developing detection systems that pick up signs of emotional strain -- a psychological red flag that a passenger may intend to commit an act of terror. Speedier and less intrusive than metal detectors, these systems may eventually restore some efficiency to the airplane boarding process.

...developers say the combination of these technologies can detect a person's reaction to certain stimuli by reading body temperature, heart rate and respiration -- signals a terrorist unwittingly emits before he plans to commit an attack.

...so i can't help thinking, reality-meets-fiction-yet-again. Didn't "Minority Report" just come out only a few years ago, and "pre-crime" was a "futuristic" idea? I guess I need to stay out of airports soon. "Hey, I didn't DO anything yet." "Well, you THOUGHT about blowing up the White House". "Asshat...I'm a libertarian...I think that every damn day." :)

Babys Don't Price Scan...Apparently

2008-11-28T22:01:00.003-05:00

Also, self portrait with camera phone and baby-in-hand is kinda hard. :)

If the bills weren't so damn LONG...

2008-11-18T11:38:00.001-05:00

I repeat myself, but again, why you can have too much government: (does anyone still really think we need "just one more program"? Comment if you do, PLEASE.)

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson rejected using the government’s financial-rescue program as a “panacea” for economic difficulties, clashing with lawmakers who want the funds to help beleaguered homeowners.

Barney Frank, who heads the House panel, cut off Paulson...saying “the bill couldn’t have been clearer” in also being aimed at reducing foreclosures. “We don’t have a lot of time and I don’t usually do this,” Frank said in interrupting Paulson during an exchange on how to deploy TARP cash. “I read sections of the bill that says -- write it down -- give them assistance."

Well, we wouldn't be having this argument if you (Congress) hadn't inflated the original proposal from 3 to 451 FUCKING PAGES (PDF download, if you have no life and want to read it). Read the top 10 sweeteners...wooden arrow makers, rum in Puerto Rico, wool-makers...) There's probably the kitchen sink AND the Second Coming of Christ in that bill if you read enough of it. Vote smaller, dammit!

The "right" of marriage? Not in at least 3 states.

2008-11-11T16:16:00.000-05:00

Irony: As of 1961, there were 16 states with anti-interracial laws still on the books. Two people who wouldn't have been allowed to marry back then (in those states) are the parents of the man now elected to run the country. So now, the gay community sees it all over again. California, Florida, and Arizona voters decide to tell people how they can love each other. Watch as Keith Olbermann gives an emotional defense.

While I believe marriage is not a "right" from a libertarian perspective, the government should be out of marriages completely, and only recognizing all as "civil unions" for tax/property purposes if necessary. The question is not "should gays be allowed to marry?", but "why should ANYONE ask permission of the government to marry?". That's the only way I see this resolved. I didn't want to apply for a marriage license....it's a contract between two consenting adults; the government is merely an intruding third party.

How's that cabinet coming along?

2008-11-10T12:48:00.001-05:00

Just because Bush is on the way out, I've still got to beat on the establishment. :) Still think we have a free country? Check back in 4 more years. From an excerpt from Obama's pick for chief-of-staff, Rahm Emanual's book, "The Plan: Big Ideas for America":

"Young people will know that between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, the nation will enlist them for three months of civilian service. They'll be asked to report for three months of basic civil defense training in their state or community, where they will learn what to do in the event of biochemical, nuclear or conventional attack; how to assist others in an evacuation; how to respond when a levee breaks or we're hit by a natural disaster. These young people will be available to address their communities' most pressing needs."

Think that's just a scary future? We're laying the groundwork now. A blurb from Obama's new "Change.gov" website as he prepares for office:

"Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by setting a goal that all middle school and high school students do 50 hours of community service a year and by developing a plan so that all college students who conduct 100 hours of community service receive a universal and fully refundable tax credit ensuring that the first $4,000 of their college education is completely free. "

IT'S NOT FREE. YOU JUST WORKED 100 HOURS FOR IT DUMMY. That's $40 bucks an hour, not bad, but still...the school kids get ZILCH for theirs. My children will learn to volunteer because they want to do the right thing, not because someone mandates it.

Post-election musings...

2008-11-06T12:42:00.000-05:00

OBAMA FOR TEH CRUSHING WIN. Well, we'll have to see how the next 4 years goes now. I wish him the best of luck in fixing this country, but it's a tall order, one that "more government" will not likely help. Still, I'm looking forward to critiquing a President more engaging than a stick of celery.

Post-campaign revelations from a Newsweek project they've been doing since 1984 with an internal team following the campaigns, only disclosing the day after polls close. I'm gonna have fun with the new guy, heh:

The debates unnerved both candidates. When he was preparing for them during the Democratic primaries, Obama was recorded saying, "I don't consider this to be a good format for me, which makes me more cautious. I often find myself trapped by the questions and thinking to myself, 'You know, this is a stupid question, but let me … answer it.' So when Brian Williams is asking me about what's a personal thing that you've done [that's green], and I say, you know, 'Well, I planted a bunch of trees.' And he says, 'I'm talking about personal.' What I'm thinking in my head is, 'Well, the truth is, Brian, we can't solve global warming because I f---ing changed light bulbs in my house. It's because of something collective'."

Shopping is Bo. Ring.

2008-11-05T15:28:00.000-05:00

First trip to the mall and he's oblivious. Storing up energy for
waking Dad up at 4am. :)

NOM NOM NOM

2008-10-26T16:10:00.000-04:00

Finishing up placating a hungry baby @ the annual farm/corn maze

Silly parents...

2008-10-07T13:47:00.000-04:00

The stork doesn't bring babies, silly...they grow in pumpkin patches!

(Jason will hate me for these pics one day)

A mote of light in a pile of a crap-tacular law

2008-10-03T16:40:00.001-04:00

Well, at least in all the "pork" to get the bailout bill through (it went from 3 pages to 451 on Bush's desk!), there's a silver lining if I can just get my current car to last a few more years:

WASHINGTON -- Congressional leaders have added $1 billion in tax breaks for plug-in electric vehicles to a $700 billion Wall Street bailout bill. The provision would grant plug-in vehicles with at least a four-kilowatt battery pack a $4,168 tax credit. A vehicle like the extended range 2011 Chevrolet Volt with a 16-kwh battery would qualify for the maximum $7,500 tax credit for vehicles under 10,000 pounds.

Holy crap, now THAT is a tax break. If you pay attention, sometimes the sucky "system" can indeed be used for your benefit. Stretch those dollars...we're in for a loooooong depr...er, "recession". :^)

Economics for kids...

2008-10-02T12:17:00.000-04:00

Is it sad that an old episode of "Duck Tales" can be used to illustrate why inflation of the money supply is bad? Bring it on, Feds....I'm still trying to beat the 5.4% inflation rate this year on top of it. Can't wait for the underwhelming "good" 3% raise this year. No fault of my employer, but it's effectively a pay cut in adjusted dollars...so sad.

Also, why can't they make good cartoons like that anymore? :)

Chaos in the market and at home. :)

2008-10-01T18:00:00.000-04:00

Wow. Just wow. Back to some regular blogging....while out of the loop for a while with the new little guy in the house, the financial market has just gone balls-out crazy. After the Fannie/Freddie takeover (though the gov't started them anyway, so serves 'em right to have to take 'em back in the fold): Lehman brothers gone Chapter 11. Bank of America buying Merrill Lynch. WaMu goes under. Wachovia bought by CitiGroup. Here at home, Constellation Energy, parent of BGE, getting bought. (here's a good list of the mess)

So, the solution is this $700 billion bailout? Um, solving the problems of "too much easy credit" by injecting a shitload of credit into the market? Keep killing the dollar, politico-types. I'm looking forward to $50 bucks for a gallon of milk for the kids.

Sar. Ca. Sm.

Grocery shopping is BORING, Dad. :)

2008-09-30T21:03:00.001-04:00

Drag me out to the store....I'm just gonna take a nap.

Charging the sleep batteries...

2008-09-21T11:41:00.000-04:00

...so I can keep Dad up around 3am or so. Sleep deprivation kicking in
a bit...I'm supposed to go back to work soon like this? Hey, this boy
is still *awesome*. I recommend you go get your own. :)

Cuteness factor overwhelming...

2008-09-17T11:10:00.000-04:00

Day 2, and still awesome. Sleeping a lot in the day, so we gotta wake
that boy up for lunch!

Sleep time...

2008-09-16T19:48:00.000-04:00

Yes, I can hold my son and blog with one hand. :)

Jason Paul Culotta!

2008-09-16T17:42:00.001-04:00

5:08pm, 5 lbs 13 oz, and wonderfully healthy! More pics ASAP!

Politics and black holes....they both SUCK.

2008-09-08T16:31:00.000-04:00

If you're worried that the government now owns your house (ok, ok..only true for 50% of America...not me, I've been able to build a life without the help of Uncle Sam, thanks)....have no fear. We'll all die in the coming months as the earth collapses into itself.

"Although physicists acknowledge that the collider could, in theory, create small black holes, they say they do not pose any risk. A study released Friday by CERN scientists explains that any black hole created would be tiny, and would not have enough energy to stick around very long before dissolving."

Tyler's first birthday

2008-09-07T18:59:00.001-04:00

Testing to make sure I can blog some pics for the new arrival in the
family. The Internet will know about it before most of the family... :)

Penn Jillette on leaders...

2008-09-05T15:46:00.000-04:00

We don't need great leaders...that's exactly what screws over Americans, power in the hands of someone with ambition to "fix it all". Bush may be stupid, but Obama is not, and handing the reins of power to him just might be worse in the long run. Penn Jillett expounds:

"I don't want anyone as president who promises to take care of me. I may be stupid, but I want a chance to try to be a grown-up and take care of my family. Freedom means the freedom to be stupid, and that's what I want. I don't want anyone to feel my pain or tell me to ask what we can do for our country, or give us all money and take care of us.

...I think Ron Paul and Bob Barr mean it when they say they want much smaller government. But the government is already big enough, powerful enough and bipartisan enough (and "bi" means exactly two and no more) that Ron and/or Bob won't even be in the debates. People won't even hear someone suggesting that our president should do less and individual citizens should do more for themselves.

The choice shouldn't be which lesser of two evils should have the enormous power of our modern presidents. The question should be, who would do less as president? Who would leave us alone? "

Waiting, waiting...

2008-09-03T16:35:00.002-04:00

Well, updates around here might be thin for a while. Waiting for the new addition to the family, so we'll see how much time I get to post stuff. Check back for pics of the new baby and stuff....they're typically posted on the right under 'latest photos', or on the Picasa albums, under 'Photos' on the left navigation.

As to politics? Sarah Palin...meh. Some people say McCain just killed his campaign picking an inexperienced "nobody"....although I have to say she's more libertarian than any of the other guys in either the blue or red camp. I suppose I could hope for McCain to win and then die? :) Of course, when you get into that position of power...things tend to change. Suddenly you can make the world better, if people would JUST see it YOUR way. "Let them eat cake." "But sir, the peasants don't want cake." "CAKE OR DEATH?" Ah, nice choice you've given me.

See the problem? Much as I would like, I can never enter politics. My first act after winning an election would be to absolve my position and make the government smaller by one person. :)

Memorable quotes...

2008-08-19T15:43:00.000-04:00

Currently in my email signature, I'll post them here so they stick around for a while... :)

"There is no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is to crack down on criminals. When there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking the law. Create a nation of lawbreakers and then you can cash in on the guilt."
-Ayn Rand, "Atlas Shrugged"

"No party holds the privilege of dictating to me how I shall vote. If loyalty to party is a form of patriotism, I am no patriot. If there is any valuable difference between a monarchist and an American, it lies in the theory that the American can decide for himself what is patriotic and what isn’t. I claim that difference. I am the only person in the sixty millions that is privileged to dictate my patriotism."
-Mark Twain

In some small corner of the world...freedom rears its head. And gets stepped on.

2008-08-15T12:00:00.002-04:00

Awesome quote from an interview with the President of Georgia...you know, the country that's getting invaded by Russia? Yeah.

Although the name Georgia is familiar to the United States, the country isn't. Most Americans don't know its remarkable story. The first time I spoke to [President] Saakashvilli a few months earlier, it was under much more pleasant circumstances. I found him to be a young, energetic and well-spoken reformer who in many ways understands our founding fathers better than most Americans.

He spoke to me about his vision for Georgia, the vision that transformed it from a failed state to a burgeoning democracy with a quickly growing economy.

He said, "the government is going to help you in the best way possible, by doing nothing for you, by getting out of your way. Well, I exaggerate, but you understand. Of course we will provide you with infrastructure and help by getting rid of corruption, but you have all succeeded by your own initiative and enterprise, so you should congratulate yourselves."

Also, McCain is a damned hypocrite: "Speaking to reporters about the situation in Georgia, Sen. John McCain denounced the aggressive posture of Russia by claiming that:"in the 21st century nations don't invade other nations." (link to the actual video)

THIS...IS...SPARTA!!!

2008-08-12T14:03:00.000-04:00

Just in case you wondered how Michael Phelps was doing on his quest for olympic gold:

Drug busts...going to the dogs.

2008-08-08T16:34:00.001-04:00

Sorry, couldn't resist the post title above. But really, is it worth busting down a door and shooting the mayor's dogs for some pot?

"Police officers stormed the house after Calvo picked up the package -- containing 32 pounds of marijuana -- off his front porch and walked inside. Officers fatally shot his two Labrador retrievers, Payton and Chase, and detained him and his mother for questioning for hours."

Turns out his wife was a victim of identity theft...and now also a victim of the Prince George's County police. I know there are cops who do a good job out there, but there's no way to compensate the family in this case. Better make sure you look at your mail a little closer. Big Brother is watching it too.

(U.K version of the story gets an honorable mention for artichokes: "Seeing the masked gun-toting officers, Porter, who was in the kitchen cooking artichokes, screamed."). Dramatic British reporting. :)

Audio blogging? Typing out posts is so last century...

2008-08-06T18:40:00.004-04:00

Uploaded by www.cellspin.net

A moment of brilliance in a sea of blond-ness...

2008-08-06T11:02:00.003-04:00

I'm hating the election fluff, but this has got to be teh win. If you've been under a rock and missed the McCain ad comparing Barack to Paris and Britney...well, the normally-vapid Paris apparently wasn't gonna take that sitting down. Touche'.

Wait, she's sitting down in that; I stand corrected. At this point, I'd pick her over McCain. "Legally Blond 3:Paris does Washington" anyone? :)

Testing again from teh iPhone...

2008-08-05T10:08:00.002-04:00

Yep, got me a new toy, but awesomely powerful. Posting this from blogger.com on the built-in Safari browser, not too bad...we'll have to see how posting pics on vacation works.

In other news, still prepping the house for the new addition on the way, so as usual, updates are far between, but hopefully will keep everything here up to date.

In still other news...do I really care who wins the election, with this crap being used as the campaign ads? Barack = More spending, more taxes...more war. McCain = More spending, more deficit...more war. Either one of them lowers the dollar's power, and hurts my paycheck. Let people be responsible for their own lives, and get the hell out of my way.

I'm trying to build a family here. I don't WANT "help" from Uncle Sam. Go. A. Way.

2nd Amendment is an individual right...

2008-06-26T10:29:00.003-04:00

Finally answering a 200 year old question, the Supreme Court today affirmed (5-4) D.C. vs Heller, in that the Washington D.C. complete ban on handgun possession is unconstitutional. I'm fairly happy about it, since the 2nd Amendment should apply to individuals like the others...but of course the states are still free to infringe on that, I guess. (*cough*, Maryland, *cough*)

Maryland's constitution, unfortunately, does not include a "right to keep and bear arms", so I'm not sure what effect that will have here, though there might be a 14th Amendment argument.

The "right" to your health (care)....

2008-05-20T10:27:00.003-04:00

Debating over whether "Hillary Care" or "Obama Care" is the better plan? Try less mandated coverage of care, which largely contributes to the rising cost of your premiums. Read this great response to a recent article in the New York Times on the rising cost of health insurance....by Paul Hseih, who as an MD is probably qualified to speak on the issue. He's summarized the questions his readers sent back into a nice list of 8. Heavy hitters you'll never hear in a presidential "debate", like:

How would a free market guarantee that all Americans will have necessary health coverage?
Isn't the purpose of a government to promote the common welfare of all citizens?
Isn't it my social obligation to subsidize the health care of those who can't afford it?

It's a great summary of what the free market could be capable of, if we would only get out of the way and let it. Forced care is never moral.....sorry, liberals.

New layout....again.

2008-05-05T22:52:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I'm a lazy programmer....or I just like to spend time OFF the internets. I'm moving the site back over to Blogger.com (yeah, I lose some of the nice customized programming/geek stuff I had going), but hell....I've moved my photos to Picasa, and my mail to Gmail, so I figure....might as well use Google's blogging service. I'm just a Google Whore™. Free is good.

It's taking some hacking to get these standard templates to look like the old site, eventually I'll do something new...but the idea is for me NOT to have to do any coding in the day-to-day website postings. I'm 32, with a kid on the way, and finding it harder to work on my own site, with work and all the rest life throws at you. So....you'll still see mobile photos and blogging when I'm on vacation or finding something nice to snap a pic of, don't worry.

To quote the best movie of all time: "Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Pointing the Finger O' Blame

2008-05-01T16:14:00.001-04:00

Seriously, aren't there better things than to worry about what your government does? They are completely out of touch. This was the first line in an CNN article on the rising food costs

"NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Lawmakers heaped blame on farmers - and the subsidies they receive - for pushing up food costs at a Congressional hearing Thursday scrutinizing the impact of soaring food and gas prices on American consumers."

...um, lawmakers blaming farmers for subsidies...that come from, um....LAWMAKERS. Yeah. We handed you this bag of money and you're BAD, BAD for taking it. BAD farmers! Seriously, there is no logic left in this nation. My household makes sense...the rest of the world is NUTS.

The fatal blow of libertarianism?

2006-05-31T10:33:00.000-04:00

Very happy this morning. I can't believe this sentence showed up in a major CNN article:

Libertarian fatalism has infected and afflicted the leaders of both political parties, and none of us should take seriously the partisan posturing from either the Republicans or Democrats.

Yep. Die, major parties, die. How does "Culotta 2014" sound on a bumper sticker? Meh, not so good. :)

"Illegal" immigrants? We're all immigrants...unless you're Native American.

2006-05-19T10:51:00.000-04:00

See here's just another example of how this border/immigration thing is messed up.

SAN DIEGO, California (AP) -- The world's busiest border crossing reopened early Friday following a nine-hour closure that occurred after federal authorities shot and killed the driver of a sport utility vehicle headed for Mexico, officials said.
...
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents began following the black SUV after somebody reported seeing it pick up suspected illegal immigrants near the U.S. side of the Otay Mesa border crossing, Lt. Kevin Rooney of San Diego Police Department said.

I just don't get it. The government is supposedly morally justified in shooting and KILLING the driver of a vehicle after it was REPORTED that he picked up SUSPECTED illegal immigrants. Guilty until proven innocent. Couldn't they have shot out the tires, at least? And now you won't know the whole story, just the government's side, because he's dead. Sad.

I loathe this government so much. When you go to vote, and you pick a non-libertarian candidate, just know that you're voting to take MY money and rights by force. That's what people don't realize. "Voting" and "democracy" is a process where you force your views and morals on other people who don't agree with you, and you use the government as your weapon. It's just a nasty thing all around, I think.

Ok, I'll stop now.

What's the bigger problem?

2006-05-12T10:22:00.000-04:00

For those of you who insist we're not heading downhill in this country in a number of facets, take your pick today: Diebold machines have another critical flaw (and we just lost an effort to ditch them in November here in MD), or Halliburton building large-scale "immigrant detention centers", yet another $385 million of YOUR tax dollars.

Keep paying, bitches, and vote for your pathetic candidate in the fall who will steal more of your money. Yes, steal. Taxes are force. Back to our cubicles, sheep. :)

I can't wait for the rest of Dubya's term. So exciting!

/click
//the sound of exercising my 2nd amendment rights
///the 15-round magazine part

Tax "fun"!

2006-04-17T09:54:00.000-04:00

Given that tax time is now over (for this year at least), I leave you with a "fun" statistic.

Americans spend 6 billion hours on their taxes every year, or $265 billion. Basically, 22% of every tax dollar collected. Yeah, 22% overhead just to collect the tax. That number is just for tax prep time, and does not include any litigation disputes, or running the IRS itself.

Keep that in mind this November when you go to select which retard you elect to tax you more. I'll be taking off that day to, er....educate the masses. Not that it will do much good. :P I've also reworked my withholding forms so I don't think I'll be getting anything back next year....which means it will be making 4% in my ING account in the meantime, Uncle Sam. It was my money in the FIRST place. I can't help you screwed up and took too much.

Back to work! Your government needs 40% of your pay today to go bomb some people or spy on you, or something. Hop to it, citizen.

/wow, that was a rant
//haven't even see "V for Vendetta" yet, either
///Remember, remember. 16th of December. (Boston Tea Party)

Frontin' on tha interweb?

2006-03-07T15:19:00.000-05:00

You know it's the 21st century, when the gansters are getting up their own websites to spam each other.

"Netbanging": Street gangs are now establishing an internet presence, both for recruiting as well as for scheduling fights with other street gangs.

Well, I guess it's better than shooting each other?

Indecision 2006?

2006-02-28T11:55:00.000-05:00

Ah, I just can't wait for the elections in the fall. Watch as the masses keep voting for people who "lack a clear plan":

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- By a large number, most Americans lack faith in the ability of Democrats or Republicans to solve the nation's problems, a CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll released Wednesday indicates.
Sixty-eight percent of people surveyed February 9-12 said Democrats had no clear plan for the country, while 67 percent said Republicans lacked one.

Nevertheless, most of the respondents -- 52 percent -- said things are going very or fairly well in the country, a statistically similar response (49 percent) to the last time the question was asked in November.

Sic friatur crustum dulce.

Quote of the day/month/year....

2006-02-26T21:36:00.000-05:00

Yeah, no posts for a while, but this has got to be the new banner quote if I ever redesign the site:

"There are four boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt

Says it all, for me. So when I ramble on to my friends...just remember I'm only on the first box. :)

6 Types of Libertarians....

2006-02-15T13:19:00.000-05:00

Poll time from my favorite podcasters, FreeTalkLive....how liberty-minded are you, really? Libertarians broken down based on what level of force you think is allowed against others:

Limited Government Libertarian
Minarchist
Free Market Retributionist
Free Market Reparationist
Self Defense Libertarian
Pacifist

...scroll to the 2nd post for the full defs. The "Limited Govt. Libertarians" is how it needs to be sold to Americans to make it palatable, as it's far better than our current system, but I think I'm in with either the Free-Market Retributionists or Minarchists. I need my revenge factor...for example: someone kills your cat, and the Retributionists say that you can only get the monetary value of your cat back. I want his ass beat. but not sure if the option to have it done privately (non-gov't force) is best, which isn't allowed under Minarchism.

Bitter rant...part 3? Yeah, it's still going on.

2006-02-09T12:44:00.000-05:00

Told you that search engines other than Google were evil. Your surfing gets you jail time in China. Good thing our own government isn't spying on you in secret in America.

...Yahoo! provided Chinese authorities with personally identifying data on yet another of its customers in China. Li Zhi, a 35-year-old resident of Sichuan province, used what he believed to be an anonymous Yahoo account to express his opinions on message boards and chatrooms, and was accused of communicating online with overseas dissidents.

The data Yahoo gave authorities led to his imprisonment for eight years, -- that would be the second such case involving Yahoo in less than a year (Shi Tao, the Chinese journalist jailed for ten years with Yahoo's help).

Holo-rific!

2006-02-08T16:05:00.000-05:00

Was commenting to a co-worker the other day about how "yeah, PDAs are getting smaller, but like laptops, the screen is now the limiting size and we need that holographic crap like in Star Wars....'Obi-Wan, you're my only hope' and all that".

Once again, reality is right on the heels of sci-fi:

A new device developed by Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology uses lasers to project "real" 3D images into the ether. A special projector can cast three-dimensional shapes of white light between 2 and 3-meters into the air -- previous devices only tricked the eyes into thinking the image was 3D. The images are created by blasting the nitrogen and oxygen in the air at fixed points resulting in glowing plasma emissions which hang-out just long enough to etch an ephemeral image.

Now we just need Emperor Palpatine to show up and execute Order 66.

Guess you should stick with the plain t-shirt next time?

2006-02-01T16:44:00.000-05:00

Yep, at last night's State of the Union speech (which I refused to watch live, lest I throw a rock through my nice HDTV), people supporting BOTH sides of the view on Iraq were kicked out becuase of their t-shirts.

Anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan wore a shirt with the message, "2,245 Dead. How many more?" -- a reference to the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq.

Beverly Young, the wife of 18-term Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Young of Florida, wore a shirt that read, "Support the Troops."

Both women's shirts resulted in their owners being ejected from the House chamber before President Bush's State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

See why I push for a smaller government? Too many cooks in the kitchen. Vote for big government parties, and you get.....yep, big government in your life.

Are you happy knowing almost half the money you're at work for today is for your government? We spend 40+ hours a week working.....how much is an hour a week of e-mailing or writing your legislators (here and here) or signing some petitions for reform?

Quote of the week....

2006-01-24T15:31:00.000-05:00

I'm blogging a blog of a post from another site, too many degrees of separation? From the cool guy at Alphecca.com comes the quote of the week, at the end.

Maybe that's why "Stand Your Ground" bills are becoming popular in various state houses here in the U.S. Last week I reported on one introduced in Alaska that is under consideration. Naturally there is opposition to it including (besides the usual Brady Bunch) trial lawyers. From the Fairbanks News-Miner:

The senator said the law would act as a deterrent to criminals. Melissa
Fouse, executive director of the Alaska Association of Trial Lawyers, disagreed.

"Nobody has ever proven that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime," Fouse said.

She describes the bill as a "boutique immunity bill" designed to deprive people of their right to sue over wrongdoing.

"We don't think that's right," Fouse said. "Besides, why would you shoot somebody over a car?"
Well, as one commenter to my post said, "Because it's my car!"

Bitter rant...part 2?

2006-01-20T11:28:00.000-05:00

An update from Wired about Google being the only company so far to fight the search engine subpoena.

I never understand people who say "if you have nothing to hide, what's the problem?" Well, my personal privacy for one, which I value above almost every other inalienable right that I have as a human being in this world. I am not a terrorist, dammit. I will not let my privacy be violated without due cause. This is exactly what "unreasonable searches and seizure" is.

So...since other search engines have already bowed to the subpoena, I respectfully ask that you and everyone you know stop using any web search engines except for Google, who is the only one I know so far to fight back. That means no MSN search, Yahoo, AOL. Hell, Microsoft is in the government's pocket anyway.

As a free citizen, what you search for on the web is NOT the government's business. Guard your privacy....it's another part of your personal liberty they are trying to take.

Your resident libertarian,
Kris

Bitter rant....strangely involving porn.

2006-01-19T15:17:00.000-05:00

Need I say anything about invasion of privacy on this one, that hasn't already been said about the current Bush administration?

The Bush administration, seeking to revive an online pornography law struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, has subpoenaed Google Inc. for details on
what its users have been looking for through its popular search engine.

Google has refused to comply with the subpoena, issued last year, for a broad range of material from its databases, including a request for 1 million random Web addresses and records of all Google searches from any one-week period

Given the most recent (blatant) abuse of executive power, I'm surprised they even BOTHERED to ask a court for the subpoena. And just watch the Democraps whine ineffectively from the sidelines. Our 2 parties are a shambles...corruption and endless bickering everywhere, while a third of your paycheck is squandered away.

TAKE IT BACK. If you don't help break the political stranglehold on this country by voting for a Big Change, then you deserve the crap country we are turning into. Don't come running to my house when they start tagging your kids with chips to track them and tax you into poverty so you can wait in line for more "entitlement" programs from your OH-SO-LOVING GOVERNMENT.

Hey, it worked SO well in Soviet Russia, right? Apathy leads to liberty for none.

Hypno-chickens?

2005-12-31T10:25:00.000-05:00

Ending the year with some random stuff:

"A chicken can be hypnotized, or put into a trance by holding its head down against the ground, and continuously drawing a line along the ground with a stick or a finger, starting at its beak and extending straight outward in front of the chicken.

If the chicken is hypnotized in this manner, it will remain immobile for somewhere between 15 seconds to 30 minutes, continuing to stare at the line. "

More? Of course! See you in 2006!

Oxymoron of the day: "government efficiency"

2005-12-29T16:32:00.000-05:00

As if you needed more proof that government-sponsored "help programs" suck:

Federal loans meant for businesses "adversely affected" by the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States often went to businesses barely touched by the tragedy or not at all, according to an audit...

The inspector general sampled 59 of 7,058 loans ... found that 85 percent of the loans lacked justifications or had justifications that were less than convincing.

For example, a $770,000 STAR loan allowed a restaurant in New Jersey to purchase a second location although the borrower said he only experienced a slight dip in business after the attacks and no long-term problems at all.

A real estate appraiser in Oregon received $371,500 to buy land although his financial reports "showed a growing business and an 87 percent increase in revenues," and the borrower said he experienced no adverse affects from the terror attacks.

So, go ahead and be sure to vote for the social-program-loving liberals next election to spend all your money helping other people who often don't need it. Oh, don't like that? Go vote for the conservative bastards, then or the "terrorists will win" or some crap. Yeah, that sucks too.

Ready for a new party yet? Ready to vote out the incumbent idiots? If you want the the government to change, you better vote, cause otherwise, I don't wanna hear crap from you. :)

Speeeeeeeed!

2005-12-20T11:52:00.000-05:00

How fast computers have gotten since I finished high school, way back in 1993:

One stalwart component has survived through all of these innovations: the 3.5" floppy. ...The floppy is the only component that still remains in use today, practically unchanged in its 18 years of service, running at 360 rpm and offering a transfer rate of 34 kB/s. Once again, let's put that in perspective with regard to today's world: Transferring a file to your computer from a server that is 10,000 miles away on another continent is three times or even faster than getting it from your internal disk drive. And despite all this - the floppy lives.

It's a looooong article on the history of CPUs, but a great read for the geeks out there. My cell phone has more RAM than my first PC did (2MB!), and the new system I'm building has a quarter-terabyte hard drive. Wow, that sounds like, futuristing, dude!

SexBox360?

2005-12-15T11:02:00.000-05:00

Wow, I bet this would have made standing in line at Best Buy for an XBox360 more worth your while (posting ahs since been removed...darn):

...if one Craigslist.org ad were to be believed, two Boston-area women would do just about anything to get their hands on the next-gen console. Under the headline "trade sex for an xbox 360," a person claiming to be a 22-year-old woman said "Me and my roommate are totally hard core gamers, but our desperate (sic) attempts to get an Xbox 360 have gotten us nothing so far."
...while the poster was apparently willing to debase herself to get an Xbox 360, she still had standards. "I'm looking for the PREMIUM system, not the sh**ty watered down one," she said.

Graffiticus romanus?

2005-12-12T15:38:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder what Roman graffiti was like? Of course not. Broaden your worldly knowledge with such gems (first on the list is the best, by far):

I.2.20 (Bar/Brothel of Innulus and Papilio); 3932: Weep, you girls. My penis has given you up. Now it penetrates men’s behinds. Goodbye, wondrous femininity!

VI.16.15 (atrium of the House of Pinarius); 6842: If anyone does not believe in Venus, they should gaze at my girl friend

VIII.2 (in the basilica); 1880: The man I am having dinner with is a barbarian.

Herculaneum (on the exterior wall of a house); 10619: Apollinaris, the doctor of the emperor Titus, defecated well here.

Have we really changed much as a civilization (and I use that term loosely) in 2000 years?

Rational discourse?

2005-12-08T10:47:00.000-05:00

Winning both the vote for the person I'm least likely to buy a house next to....and the quote of the day:

STORRS, Connecticut (AP) -- Conservative columnist Ann Coulter cut short a speech at the University of Connecticut amid boos and jeers, and decided to hold a question-and-answer session instead.

"I love to engage in repartee with people who are stupider than I am," Coulter told the crowd of 2,600 Wednesday.

Boy...that sure leaves her with a small audience, then. :)

No, seriously. You only really learn when you're surrounded by smarter people than yourself. Basically, she's admitting to getting off on bashing people. Can someone please tell her that her 15 minutes are up?

Take that, you extroverts!

2005-11-29T00:59:00.000-05:00

Yahoo News is reporting that introverted individuals tend to have more brain activity in general, specifically in the frontal lobe.

Researchers using brain scans have found introverts have more brain activity in general, and specifically in the frontal lobes. When these areas are activated, introverts are energized by retrieving long-term memories, problem solving, introspection, complex thinking and planning.

Doesn't say that said activity is more productive....we could all just be sitting around daydreaming a lot. Hey, that's fine. The extroverts are probably just jealous we have so many free synapses. :)

Paranoia, paranoia....

2005-11-20T11:52:00.000-05:00

MIT guys just keep coming up with studies for the strangest things:

Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve as the protective measure of choice against invasive radio signals. We investigate the efficacy of three aluminum helmet designs on a sample group of four individuals. Using a $250,000 network analyser, we find that although on average all helmets attenuate invasive radio frequencies in either directions (either emanating from an outside source, or emanating from the cranium of the subject), certain frequencies are in fact greatly amplified. These amplified frequencies coincide with radio bands reserved for government use according to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Statistical evidence suggests the use of helmets may in fact enhance the government's invasive abilities. We speculate that the government may in fact have started the helmet craze for this reason.

Somehow, that wouldn't suprise me. :)

Quote of the day...

2005-11-14T21:57:00.000-05:00

Headline We'd Like to See: "Bush Still an Idiot"

"The White House has said it doesn't pay attention to poll numbers and the figures do not affect policy.

"We have a proud record of accomplishment and a positive agenda for the future," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters Wednesday. "We look forward to continuing to talk about it. I mean, you can get caught up in polls; we don't. Polls are snapshots in time."

...er yeah, and you remember those flip books we had as kids? When you flip through a series of 'snapshots', you can see the downward spiral of your party in motion, Scott. :)

Remember, the 2nd Amendment is only a FEDERAL limit...

2005-11-09T09:55:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Constitution prohibits the federal government from restricting your right to bear arms (notice I didn't say it gives you the right to them...rights are part of all human life, and the Constitution only prohibits infringement of them). However...state and local laws are free game, as we saw yesterday:

SAN FRANCISCO -- Voters approved ballot measures to ban handguns in San Francisco and urge the city's public high schools and college campuses to keep out military recruiters.

The gun ban prohibits the manufacture and sale of all firearms and ammunition in the city, and makes it illegal for residents to keep handguns in their homes or businesses.

Only two other major U.S. cities - Washington and Chicago - have implemented such sweeping handgun bans.

Yeah, and it worked great for those two "low crime" cities, eh? Hey, SF...prepare to have your crime rate double, now that criminals know you're unarmed when they break into your house.

Update: Even the SF police didn't want the ban.

In space, no one can...catch your touchdown pass?

2005-11-08T10:36:00.000-05:00

Fringe benefits of an astronaut:

SPACE CENTER, Houston (AP) -- Two spacewalkers installed a camera on the outside of the international space station Monday and tossed overboard a surplus data-collecting device, sending it spinning off into the void like a spiraling football.

"How's that for a Hail Mary pass?" American astronaut William McArthur Jr. radioed.

"That was pretty impressive," Mission Control responded.

The "F" word?

2005-11-04T12:52:00.000-05:00

And in other news....just keep voting for your bloated idiot-filled parties. They'll keep coming up with ways to take your money. Democrats? Social programs out the wazoo. Republicans? Oh, here's a new one....Senator Grassley of Iowa thinks we need to tell the corporations HOW to spend their PROFITS? Sounds like a joke but it's not:

Grassley is now on record as wanting (the rhetorical equivalent of "demanding") that oil companies "donate" 10 percent of their profits to help poor Americans pay their heating bills. Grassley sent letters to oil companies outlining his request; letters he claims to have sent to "embarrass" the oil companies into contributing to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Embarrass? I don’t think so. The right word here would be "intimidate."

When government owns everything, it's tending towards socialism. When private busineeses own with government control....yeah, that's FACISM. Might as well just direct-deposit my paycheck into the US Treasury at this rate. I'm hoping the younger generation has a better grip on free market ideas (and reality).

Fire the "laser"....

2005-11-04T12:44:00.000-05:00

From my friend Joe....new cool toys that Katy would kick my ass for buying:

You, too, could own the weapon of the future with this handheld laser gun from Information Unlimited. With a blasting power of 500 Joules, the Laser Ray Gun can fire 120 to 150 shots on a pair of AA batteries, burning holes in most materials.

For $20, you can buy the plans to build one of these babies in your garage, or you can drop $1,750 on a fully assembled unit. (You can also buy the kit and assemble it yourself to save a couple hundred bucks.) But whichever option you choose, you'll have to return a signed hazardous equipment affidavit before the company will send you any hardware.

Factoid of the day...

2005-10-21T16:47:00.000-04:00

I leave you with this for the weekend. Who know that the solution to violence in Israel was to give the Palestinians more room to blow themselves up?

"For the first time since the start of the intifada, more Palestinians have been killed in internal violence since the start of the year than those who have died in clashes with Israel, according to an official report published Thursday."

You have the right to....er, do you?

2005-10-20T13:16:00.000-04:00

Not as exciting as my parents protesting back in the day....but hey, could I actually catch a raft of shit from the government for all the political crap on my site? That would be too funny. Apparently possible under that wonderful campaign-finance reform law passed a while back (thank you McCain...I almost thought you were the perfect politician ):

"But bloggers don't necessarily work for a campaign or a political party and thus should not fall under McCain-Feingold, right?

Don't be too sure. Bloggers often endorse candidates or parties in an election. Those endorsements are of value to the candidates and may end up being treated as a campaign contribution, subject to limits and disclosure. Bloggers may also contribute to a campaign by linking to a candidate's website or republishing a candidate's press release."

I'll have to make sure near the next election to put lots of "killbushkillbushkillbushkillbushkillbush" on the website. Oh wait. I just did. :)

Would you like fries with that subpoena?

2005-10-20T13:07:00.000-04:00

Finally your over-controlling/protective government is trying to pass a bill for people to be responsible for their own lives, namely eating habits. Whodathunk?

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would block lawsuits by people who blame fast-food chains for their
obesity.
The "cheeseburger bill," as it has been dubbed in Congress, stems from class-action litigation that accused McDonald's of causing obesity in children.
...
"As one judge put it, if a person knows or should know that eating copious orders of super-sized McDonald's products is unhealthy and could result in weight gain, it is not the place of the law to protect them from their own excesses..."

Waste not, want not?

2005-10-20T11:29:00.000-04:00

Random link: Help find fluff in your gov't! List of all the departments and agencies....lets find ones we don't need:

"Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements" (er, textile companies can't agree on textile trade w/o these guys?)

"Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds" (yeah, like the ones in the White House?)

"Institute of Peace" (not working very well, apparently)
and finally, the "President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency"(clearly a wasted effort)

Paranoia of the day....

2005-10-18T12:49:00.000-04:00

1.) Big Brother is watching you. EFF finally breaks the code in the "invisible dots" that come out of your office printer....so the bad, scary government can track all those emails you print. :)

2.) One of the best simple toys ever made: The Mind Molester (read a review). It beeps. That's it. Hide it, and people will go nuts trying to turn it off. I'm ordering at least 3, I think.

Glad we have 2 of them....

2005-10-06T13:15:00.000-04:00

In the "who else can be pissed at us" department...The Guardian is reporting that the EU, obviously unimpressed with the US's refusal to relinguish control of the Internet, will be forming several comittees and forums to look at forcibly removing control of the Internet from the United States:

"Old allies in world politics, representatives from the UK and US sat just feet away from each other, but all looked straight ahead as Hendon explained the EU had decided to end the US government's unilateral control of the internet and put in place a new body that would now run this revolutionary communications medium. The issue of who should control the net had proved an extremely divisive issue, and for 11 days the world's governments traded blows. For the vast majority of people who use the internet, the only real concern is getting on it. But with the internet now essential to countries' basic infrastructure - Brazil relies on it for 90% of its tax collection - the question of who has control has become critical."

Quick, Al! Invent us another one! :)

"Oops" of the day...

2005-09-30T13:57:00.000-04:00

In case you forgot why protecting your "electronic identity" is important....don't let people take pictures of your credit cards:

"Within two minutes of AFP photographer Stanly Honda electronically publishing a photo of Katrina victim Latesha Vinette holding up her Red Cross debit card, Ms. Vinette was paged by the management of Reliant stadium to receive a call from Mastercard asking about cash advances totally $65,237, the attempted purchase of a Ferrari automobile using her card #, along with hundreds of purchases from eBay, including, ironically, camping gear."

And no, the card number isn't good anymore, trust me. :)

Talk about throwing your weight around....well, mass actually.

2005-09-29T16:24:00.000-04:00

Weighing in (ha) on the debate with what to call these planet-like objects they keep finding in the solar system, now that the latest one is DEFINITELY larger than Pluto (which should have been demoted...friggin' captured moon):

An Illinois man has added fuel to a furious astronomical debate by officially applying to the International Astronomical Union for status as a planet.
...
The IAU definition states in part that planets are "objects with true masses below the limiting mass for thermonuclear fusion of deuterium...that orbit stars or stellar remnants are 'planets' (no matter how they formed)".

"I've put on a few pounds these past couple of years, but I'm clearly below the limiting mass for thermonuclear fusion," said Finkelschmidt, while patting his belly. "And I orbit the Sun, obviously. So technically, I qualify."
...
His two cats, Artemis and Vampira, are listed on the application as "moons."

Slooooow glass?

2005-09-22T15:08:00.000-04:00

Scientists getting better at slowing down light....now for up to a whole second (which is forever as far as the light is concerned).

“When we shine a laser pulse at this crystal, it’s normally absorbed. The light doesn’t get through the crystal. Then we add a second laser beam that turns on the coupling between the nuclear spins and the light. This coupling makes the crystal transparent. So when we now fire the first laser beam at it, it gets through, but the odd thing about it is that it takes a very long time to do so.”

Hey, if we can store light, and release it slowly....can I make a cool non-lethal lightsaber for those Star Wars conventions? :)

Relief? Not from Katrina....from HANSON.

2005-09-13T19:43:00.000-04:00

Now here's how to raise money:

"Suggested by a few members of the student council, the school is playing Hanson's 1996 hit "MMMBop" through the loudspeakers before classes begin, between periods and during lunch. The idea? Annoy students into donating; have them pay to stop the music. "

Bankruptcy law and Katrina...how convenient.....

2005-09-13T09:43:00.000-04:00

Now that your house is gone (oh, and keep making that payment to the bank until the insurance check comes in, unless you want your property confiscated), good luck with the new bankruptcy laws:

The new law requires consumers filing for bankruptcy to jump through numerous hoops including filing mounds of paperwork on a strict schedule, proving they lack the capacity to repay certain creditors, and requiring them to take a credit counseling course before they can even file.

The old bankruptcy law contained a provision that loosened filing rules for people who had been through a hurricane or flood. Early this year, a congressional easing was defeated in a party-line vote to have a similar provision included in the new bankruptcy law, exempting victims of natural disasters from some of its more onerous provisions.

Next up: "Bush created the hurricane" conspiracies. :p

Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out...

2005-09-12T20:36:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: Just when I was pointing out the inability of the Bush administration to fire anyone (Rumsfeld, Rove, etc ), Brown has to go ahead and resign. Bush has done worse....where's HIS resignation, hmmm? :)

Trapped in New Orleans....

2005-09-12T15:48:00.000-04:00

A great first-hand account of people who tried to leave the city:

We questioned why we couldn't cross the bridge anyway, especially as there was little traffic on the six-lane highway. They responded that the West Bank was not going to become New Orleans, and there would be no Superdomes in their city. These were code words for: if you are poor and Black, you are not crossing the Mississippi River, and you are not getting out of New Orleans.

...and a summary of the whole mess on the front page of counterpunch.org (although the article will probably move after a few days....do a search, it's titled "Power Grab in New Orleans":

At the request of the Louisiana governor, President Bush declared a federal emergency for Louisiana on Saturday August 27 prior to Katrina's arrival in New Orleans on the following Monday. The declaration specifically authorized FEMA "to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency." However, FEMA took no action until 3 days after the hurricane, delaying the arrival of effective help until 5 days after 80% of New Orleans was under water.

Your government is in denial...

2005-09-08T15:22:00.000-04:00

On Hurricane Katrina, conflicting quotes of the day, from CNN:

"The governor and the president let thousands of people die and they let them die on their roofs and they let them die in the water," said Davis, 45. "We got left. They didn't care."

Walking a hurricane-riddled street, Vice President Dick Cheney declared Thursday that much progress is being made in a disaster relief effort he termed "very impressive."

Again, proof that if you put a bag over your head, the world looks perfectly fine, no matter what.

Keep track of your beaver...

2005-09-08T09:23:00.000-04:00

Apparently, statues are being stolen from a town in Ohio. Beaver statues. So this brief article about the new tracking devices they've implanted produces what has to be the best quote of the week:

"The electronic gadgets alert police if the beavers are picked up, and enable officers to track them. The devices also give off loud beeping sounds if the beavers are moved."

'Nuff said.

Loving the 2nd Amendment...

2005-08-30T16:17:00.000-04:00

Concealed-carry can actually be a good thing, you know:

"ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - A fatal shooting at an Albuquerque Wal-Mart last week was the state's first by someone with a concealed-carry gun permit, authorities said.

Police said Felix Vigil was attacking his ex-wife with a knife near the store's deli counter where she worked when an armed customer intervened and shot him. The woman, Joyce Cordova, was treated for multiple stab wounds and later released from an Albuquerque hospital."

F-bomb of the day...

2005-08-29T14:42:00.000-04:00

From a school in the UK....quite unlike any of mine:

"Pupils are being allowed to swear at one Northamptonshire secondary school - as long as they limit their use of bad language to five times a lesson.

A tally of how many times the f-word is used will be kept on the board."

Yeah, I'd just save them all up until the end of class, and let out one almighty tirade just before class is dismissed. :)

Today's tip from Captain Obvious....

2005-08-10T16:43:00.000-04:00

On the recent $280 billion-something transportation bill just passed (it was only $20 billion over Bush's limit, so no veto from Dubya, of course):

"The more than 1,000-page highway bill is more costly than he preferred and includes cash to bankroll some 6,000 pet projects for lawmakers in their home districts."

So, make sure you vote for those big, powerful, spend-a-rific parties next time. Yes. That's sarcasm.

Follow up "fun fact":

"Not since John Quincy Adams has a president served a full term without using a veto. "

/fiscal conservative Republicans, my *ass*.

2005-08-05T14:55:00.000-04:00

Watch as scientists recreate plasma conditions on the sun.

Next up: creating a singularity that will suck in the entire planet. Hey guys, maybe you should back off a bit and think if this stuff's a good idea first? :)

Space time...."OUT TO LAUNCH"

2005-07-26T11:55:00.000-04:00

Shuttle update: finally the first post-Columbia disaster liftoff, no problems so far.

Saturn update: Listen to some eerie radio transmissions from the ringed planet. Shifted down by a factor of 44 for your puny human ears. :)

Can your government ever GIVE UP power, once taken?

2005-07-22T10:17:00.000-04:00

Looks like we're trudging towards making most of the "Patriot" Act permanent for the next 10 years. It's passed the House, so WRITE YOUR SENATORS and tell them you don't want to live in a police state where everyone is suspect to numerous violations of your rights, at any time. (good stuff on that last link explaining what exactly the government can now do...search your house without notification, get info on what churches you go to, books you get from the library, any financial records, e-mail and web use....usually WITHOUT PROBABLE CAUSE.)

We'll see how the Senate vote goes....but if you vote for ANY of the asses in Congress that pass this, we're going to be standing across a wide chasm on our political discussions from now on. :)

Next time you go to vote, remember that lots of Dems and Reps both pass this sort of oppressive crap. (Oh, and I loved the convenient 2nd bomb threat in London that didn't kill anyone, it just *happened* to be the same day that Congress was debating limiting their powers under the Act. Yeah, great coincidence. Scare people, then have the vote.)

Libertarian: No longer voting for the lesser of 2 evils.
www.lp.org

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House voted by a wide margin Thursday night to renew expiring provisions of the USA Patriot Act, the collection of antiterrorism measures passed after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

The final vote was 257-171. The bill makes permanent 14 of 16 provisions in the act set to expire next year and extends two others for another 10 years.

...

Lawmakers narrowly turned back an effort by Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Virginia, to renew the expiring Patriot Act provisions for four more years, rather than making them permanent -- an amendment that drew spirited support from archconservative Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-California.

Rohrabacher said he supported the Patriot Act in 2001 because of the threat faced by the country after 9/11, but only under the belief that once the emergency was over, "the government would again return to a level consistent with a free society."

"We should not be required to live in peacetime under the extraordinary laws that were passed during times of war and crisis. Emergency powers of investigation should not become the standard once the crisis has passed," he said, drawing applause from his colleagues.

Boy do I feel dumb....

2005-07-19T10:16:00.000-04:00

Proof that it's never too early to take your Microsoft certification exam:

A Pakistani girl has qualified as a Microsoft Certified Professional at the age of 9.

Arfa Karim of Multan has officially become the youngest MCP in Pakistan, and one of the youngest in the world. Karim, now 10, met with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates last week--an experience she later described as second only to visiting Disneyland.

Fireworks for NASA?

2005-07-05T10:11:00.000-04:00

Of a different sort: NASA slams an 800-pound copper projectile into a comet to see what's inside. History in the making? Or just grown boys who like to blow things up? :)

Update: Some things never change....a Russian astrologist is suing NASA for messing with the ephemeris of the comet and f*cking up her horoscope.

New WTC

2005-06-29T10:53:00.000-04:00

...redesigned yet AGAIN, and Liebeskind is pretty much out of the picture, but I like this one. Big. Bold. No twisty crap. No smaller towers. Beam of light to shine out the top. Ok, that's something I can learn to like.

The building, which has been dubbed "The Freedom Tower" by Pataki, will remain 1,776 feet, symbolizing the year the United States declared its independence.

It would be almost 100 feet taller than the Taipei 101 Tower in Taiwan, currently the tallest building in the world.

It also will retain a spire, containing a 400-foot broadcast antenna which will emit light at night and is intended to echo the Statue of Liberty's torch.

The public observation deck will be at 1,362 feet, the height of old South Tower, while a glass wall will rise 1,368 feet, the height of the old North Tower.

And the fact that it looks a bit like flippin' the middle finger to the terrorists is nice, too.

More SCOTUS goodness....

2005-06-28T16:50:00.000-04:00

Well, at the end of this year's session for the Supreme Court, a mixed bag:

Split on the two Ten Commandments cases
Groskter's gonna get crushed for promoting copyright infringement on their file-sharing network
Your local police can't be sued for non-enforcement of a restraining order (can I have my permit to carry concealed now?)
And a swift "bite in the ass" of someone filing a request to use the "eminent domain" ruling to build a hotel on Justice Souter's house. Doomed to fail, but hilarious! :)

On Monday June 27, Logan Darrow Clements, faxed a request to Chip Meany the code enforcement officer of the Towne of Weare, New Hampshire seeking to start the application process to build a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road. This is the present location of Mr. Souter's home.

Clements, CEO of Freestar Media, LLC, points out that the City of Weare will certainly gain greater tax revenue and economic benefits with a hotel on 34 Cilley Hill Road than allowing Mr. Souter to own the land.

Home "ownership"?

2005-06-23T16:41:00.000-04:00

Suprise. SCOTUS hits another home run....local governments are now free to sieze your property under "eminent domain" for PRIVATE use now, not just roads and schools (public use things).

The 5-4 ruling represented a defeat for some Connecticut residents whose homes are slated for destruction to make room for an office complex. They argued that cities have no right to take their land except for projects with a clear public use, such as roads or schools, or to revitalize blighted areas.

As a result, cities have wide power to bulldoze residences for projects such as shopping malls and hotel complexes to generate tax revenue.

I've got enough "collapse of our democracy" stuff for a whole page on this website. Hey, that's a good idea. That way we're not suprised when the revolution comes. :)

So, what's your tax burden?

2005-06-20T22:20:00.000-04:00

Not that I'm claiming to be an expert on taxes, but the fact that now a THIRD of Americans owe no taxes under our current system...ya think that might just be part of the problem? (Someone tell the liberals you can't cut taxes any more for the poor...that's called GIVING them money. Cut the rest of us a break!)

Tax Foundation economists estimate that for tax year 2004, a record 42.5 million Americans who filed a tax return (one-third of the 131 million returns filed last year) had no tax liability after they took advantage of their credits and deductions. Millions more paid next to nothing.

I have one thing to say about that. FairTax.

Rock climing....kick ass!

2005-06-16T11:13:00.000-04:00

So....first time *seriously* rock climing yesterday, and it was very cool. Think I'll be heading back soon. Remember, kids....I bitch about lots of political stuff, and sure, I'll geek out and stand in line for Star Wars tickets for 3 days....but you gotta get out and LIVE a bit too.

Later this summer: skydiving! (maybe, ha)

Our government is now COMPLETELY OFF THE DEEP END.

2005-06-08T14:11:00.000-04:00

(Canada, or anywhere, is SERIOUSLY looking better...but I just finished unpacking in the new house.) In today's "WTF?" category....the guys you voted for (or at least 51% of you did) have gone completely mad. First, they're trying to approve expanded powers for the oft-hated Patriot Act, so the FBI can write their stuff WITHOUT a court.

The FBI would get expanded powers to subpoena records without the approval of a judge or grand jury in terrorism investigations under Patriot Act revisions approved Tuesday by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

And now today, they "suddenly" decide not to bust the chops of the tobacco industry, without explanation?

After eight months of courtroom argument, Justice Department lawyers abruptly upset a landmark civil racketeering case against the tobacco industry yesterday by asking for less than 8 percent of the expected penalty. [$10 billion of the previously expected $130 billion]

How can you possibly vote for this crap in the next election? Do we LIKE being governed by insane/corrupt/warmongering/idiotic people? I truly hope America can do better than this. Really. Please?

UPDATE: Let's give some more taxpayer money to former Enron executives for a new project! Great idea!

SCOTUS flips the bird to 'checks and balances'. WTF?

2005-06-07T14:48:00.000-04:00

So much for states' rights and the 10th Amendment....oh, and all you pothead...er, "medical marjuana" users are screwed too. The Supreme Court has (sadly) ruled that the federal government can override state laws at whim, apparently. Democracy dies more than a little today:

"Respondents... use marijuana that has never been bought or sold, that has never crossed state lines, and that has had no demonstrable effect on the national market for marijuana. If Congress can regulate this under the Commerce Clause, then it can regulate virtually anything - and the Federal Government is no longer one of limited and enumerated powers" - Justice Thomas, dissenting in Gonzales v. Raich

No, I haven't quit blogging yet...

2005-06-06T21:11:00.000-04:00

Long time, no blog. I've been wrapping up the year-long project at work, sitting in line for Star Wars tickets, and white-water rafting...sorry, as much as I love the world of technology, I gotta get out and enjoy life once in a while, right? :)

So, a few mobile pics on the right, and I'm wrapping up 2 photo sets: the 2nd half of the Star Wars pictures, and hopefully some ones from the rafting trip. If you haven't been white-water rafting, I *highly* recommend!

De-facto National ID cards, finally?

2005-05-10T16:42:00.000-04:00

In today's "overreaching-government-makes-civil-libertarians-cry" department:

Hundreds of civil liberties groups, immigrant support groups and government associations oppose the Real ID Act, a piece of legislation that critics say would produce a de facto national ID card, cost states millions of dollars and punish undocumented immigrants.

Yet despite widespread opposition to the bill, it passed through the House last week and is expected to easily pass through the Senate on Tuesday.

Get ready to product FOUR forms of ID at the DMV now, I'm not kidding. Slipped it into an $82 billion spending bill....I'm sure most of your congressmen haven't even READ the damn thing. Kiss your privacy goodbye. I'm moving to Canada. (I know that's not the first time I've said that. If only it were warmer....)

UPDATE: Just think how fun this will be, with all the identity theft on the rise (I'm assuming you do follow the news occasionally), just think will all your personal info in one database, how easy it will be for, oh, TERRORISTS TO IMPERSONATE YOU EASIER? And I forgot the obligatory "Those who trade their freedom for security deserve neither" quote by er, Thomas Jefferson? Also, a nice discussion/flamewar on ArsTechnica.