From the Whiskey and Gunpowder folks, some advice:

Let's now return to my previous question: "In what time frame will the current (and probably soon-to-be confiscated) nickel be worth more than a dollar?"

Aaron Krowne gave a couple of possible answers to that question on AutoDogmatic.com:

“If base metal values continue to increase by 5% per year on average, and the dollar continues to depreciate by about the same, then in about 26½ years, a nickel will be worth a dollar in inherent value. If the rates are 10% per year, then in a bit over 13 years, this milestone will be reached.”

Some might think Aaron is asking too much, others too little, and in the short term, I am still calling for a pullback in copper prices. But what's to lose by hoarding nickels? Oddly enough, hoarding nickels is a hedge against both hyperinflation and deflation. If hyperinflation kicks in, a nickel might be worth more than a quarter (in metal content) in no time flat. If deflation kicks in as I suspect, cash will be a good thing to have. If you are going to hold cash (change), it may as well be in nickels.

'Tis the season...

Have you heard? There is support for the Biblical use of the stars for "signs and seasons." I'm thinking of signs in particular.

Go to the "Star of Bethlehem" for a treatise on some very "coincidental" astronomical happenings around the time of our Savior's birth.

(See if you can catch the point that I like... ;^)

A bit of wisdom:

You can't always get what you want, but you can always get what you don't want.

:^) Use it freely - with attribution.

Thank you, thank you.

Did you ever wonder why you go to the "Start Menu" to put your Windows PC to sleep, etc.?

Here's a rant about the unusability of the Start Menu and how it could be fixed: Choices = Headaches.

Here's a salient description of how the aforementioned rant was made possible/inevitable: The Windows Shutdown crapfest. (With a brief follow-up)

Addendum: The Design of the Mac OS X Shutdown Feature

I hope that y'all had a happy Thanksgiving day and are safely comatose (or near enough, since you're surfing the 'net ;^). Drive safely and remember that turkey meat can make you sleepy. So don't eat (leftovers) and drive!

Here's some Black Friday news: Apple slashes prices on Macs and iPods for 24-hour sale.

And their stock is going up... :^)

It's about to get a lot darker in the world...

Thanks to the research of an assistant professor of optics at the University of Rochester (NY), blasting metals with lasers for extremely brief periods of time has yielded highly light-absorbing characteristics.

Black gold? An end to anodizing? The article seems to be saying that the properties are permanent, but I wonder how long the "nanostructures—pits, globules, and strands that both dramatically increase the area of the surface and capture radiation" will last when absorbing radiation so efficiently.

Why is Apple no longer "beleaguered" or "dying" as was often pronounced in the not so distant past?

Well, first, because tech writers are paid to make dire predictions - most of which won't come true and...

Because

While HP and Dell’s market share can grow and shrink dramatically based on pricing fluctuations and the outcome of few big deals, Apple offers its customers a unique product with no direct equivalent in the market, making it harder for PC makers to poach Apple’s sales.
. . .
Now that Apple is a PC vendor with growth exceeding the PC industry at large, it is in a position to convert Windows users to the Mac. For the first time ever, Mac users can run Windows natively if they choose, so there’s no remaining risk or barrier to switching to the Mac left.

Apple is by far at its strongest competitive position in more than a decade, right as Microsoft is at its weakest, struggling to cope with legacy problems, architectural flaws, and security issues, and hoping to sell its user base on a long overdue and expensive upgrade to the new and unproven Vista.

Read "Leopard vs Vista 3: A Risk Strategy" from Roughly Drafted for more insights.

:^)

Wish: That blogs other than my own would let me know when conversations in which I'm participating are added to.

If you just stop to think... Sometimes you realize just how absurd some people's fears and actions are.

This isn't going to be really deep, but I hope that it causes you to think.

So, on to the topic at hand: I was listening to Laura Ingraham's show one day and she goes off on a rant about someone who didn't wash her hands after using the restroom. And it starts me thinking...

(Why am I sharing this with you? Well, blame it on the anonymity of the internet, but that's another topic.)

Do you wash your hands after you're done with the facilities?

Do you only wash your hands when someone is in the bathroom with you?

Do you touch the knobs with your dirty hands to turn them on and with your clean hands to turn them off?

Do you use a towel to both turn them on and off?

Would it make more sense to turn them on with the towel (thus cleaning them) and off without - or vice versa?

Do you use a towel to open the door on your way out? Do you throw the towel away in the bathroom while holding the door or dispose of it elsewhere?

Did you realize that, on the way into the stall, you touched some of the same spots that previous users touched on their way out of it? You put your fingers on various parts of your clothing. Your pants lay on the floor. You pick them up and put them back on.

Wouldn't it be much more sanitary to wash your hands before you put your pants (skirt/dress for women (and others))? Wouldn't people think you quite strange if they saw you standing at the sink with your clothes around your ankles?

Do you still care? Thanks for your patience. :^)

Today is the official release of the absurdity that is "Zune."

:^)

UPDATE! CNN reviews the Zune (video link) This is funny and sad.

ANOTHER!! Zune is not Vista(tm)-compatible. (I couldn't have made this up if I wanted to.)

Do NOT attempt to install Internet Explorer 7 in a PC that has ZoneAlarm on it. It won't work.

Trying to stop ZA doesn't help. It just makes all your actions "go on walkabout."

To remove ZA, you must start in "Safe Mode." Either uninstall or drag its folder to the trash.

Does my C++Builder work yet? Nope. Dunno what bolluxed it, but I wasn't having this problem before IE7.

Checking the disk is a painfully long task, too. Bah!

More later. argh.

More: So, I've tried to uninstall IE7. No love. Reinstall IE6? No skittles. Fix C++Builder installation? No va. Reinstall C++Builder? Na da. Fix Win XP? No nothing.

Reinstall? TBD.

Oh, and I have now heard other evidence (anecdotal, by definition, of course) that IE7 is pretty much a Vista(tm)-only thing (Microsoft auto-installer advice notwithstanding). :^/ A co-worker's son, also a programmer, had his system buggered by it.

Later (11:24 14NOV06): Almost everything successfully reinstalled. C++Builder still a non-finisher. Will have to go back to files few days old and take a running start at it. Hmmmm... *sigh* At least I fixed one thing.

From "What Would Charles Martel Do?":

Re-examining Islam as Heresy and Blasphemy

I have been toying with this idea for some time, and will expand on this post or in another larger one altogether. The term "mohammedan" is usually objected to by Muslims based on their claim that the worship Allah and not Mohammad...

I like the term, myself, and really like the blog's name. :^)

Here is a compilation of uncommon sense from a legend: Col. Jeff Cooper.

VIOLENCE
January 1975--"One bleeding-heart type asked me in a recent interview if I did not agree that 'violence begets violence.' I told him that it is my earnest endeavor to see that it does. I would like very much to ensure--and in some cases I have--that any man who offers violence to his fellow citizen begets a whole lot more in return than he can enjoy."

RELIGION
June 1990--"It appears that the Soviets are now going to allow prayer in school. One wonders how soon the United States will catch up."

LAW OF AVERAGES
February 1988--"Considering the amount of fancy equipment now seen in competition, some readers have complained loudly that the 'average guy' does not have a chance. It might be pointed out that this average guy never has had a chance. Competition is held to determine what is best, not what is average. And if all the equipment were standardized, the man who won would still not be in any sense average."

RELIGION
June 1990--"It appears that the Soviets are now going to allow prayer in school. One wonders how soon the United States will catch up."

FIGHT BACK!
November 1993--"Fight back! Whenever you are offered violence, fight back! The aggressor does not fear the law, so he must be taught to fear you. Whatever the risk, and at whatever the cost, fight back!"

Follow the link for 5 more pages. :^)

I'm cheap.  I don't talk a lot on cell phones when I have them.  I hate the idea of paying > $30 / month for a service that I'm not going to use to the point of efficiency...

So, when AT&T offered to give me a free phone and not charge me anything but for the minutes that I used (15¢ off-peak and 19¢ during peak hours, plus applicable federal, state, and local taxes, fees, surcharges, etc. - of course), I jumped at the opportunity.  I got one.  I got another for my wife.  The second one died, so I gave the first to my wife and got two more (so that I could use one as a battery charger).  Some smart, yah? :^)

Well, fast-forward to the present.  Cingular has taken over AT&T's cell phone service.  They're cutting the old TDMA service off in 2007 or so and charging $5 / month for the luxury of keeping the old account open.  OR we can turn in our phones for subsidized GSM phones that cost $60+ / month for the family.

So, thinking I would just use my company issued cell, I shut off mine and left the wife's on.  Then we got rolled over to a new company and the old company wanted their cell back.  The nerve! ;^)

So, I'm without a phone, right?  Yep.

Well, they didn't ask for 'em all back, so I got one from a co-worker who had cancelled his service months ago and am going to try something another co-worker told me about:  a FREE International GSM SIM card

Sure, it seems a bit steep at $1.50 for US calls and $1.75 for incoming calls, but I don't think that I'm going to accept calls.  It should be good enough for emergency use and I won't have to pay for 911 service, etc...

Your mileage may vary, but if you're interested, let me know, because I can get 10% off of my charges for successful referrals.  S'allright?

As Joe Bob Briggs would say:  "Check it out!"

(This almost seems bloggish.  Perhaps I'll do some more of this...  ;^)

Happy Reformation Day!

Have you seen "Luther" yet? It's quite good. (Amazon.com has good prices on it.)

From WND.com,

Mohammed: The original terrorist?

Bert, you knew about this, right?

The next big thing in little bitty efficient disk drives.

It's official: in Australia, Mohammedans may rape women - if they are acting like uncovered meat.

Apparently the followers of the Religion of Peace (MA!) aren't expected to have much self-control.

Top 10(ish) quotes about France and the French

And they're somewhat charitable, IMO. :^)

How to tell if you're drinking too much coffee:

Sorry for the interruption. Dilbert's a funny comic. :^)

Back to our topic. Any coffee is too much. It's just nasty, a Product Of The Fall(tm), definitely not Nature's Most Perfect Food!

(Is is just me, or was Dilbert very tiny? Update: fixed Blogger's default code.)

From /.

According to an article at the BBC, an evolutionary theorist in London suggests that humanity may split into two sub-species within the next 100,000 years. From the article: 'The descendants of the genetic upper class would be tall, slim, healthy, attractive, intelligent, and creative and a far cry from the "underclass" humans who would have evolved into dim-witted, ugly, squat goblin-like creatures.'

Read the first comment. :^)

Update: Here's a link to the discussion. (Sorry about that!)

Here's a link to the BBC article.

Abortion vs. Murder

Death: Natural
Abortion: Sometimes Natural

Murder: Wrong
Killing: Sometimes Wrong

Life of a nother in jeopardy: Killing allowed.
Life of a mother in jeapardy: Abortion allowed.

Laws against murder do not stop them.
Laws against abortions will not stop them.

Laws in both cases (would) show our appreciation for life and its protection.

Do you need to:

* create musical scores
* scan existing music
* transpose music
* extract parts from your scores

?

Then you need Music Publisher, available from zComposer.

Help your choir director, support a struggling Christian family -- be the first on your block to own a copy! ;^)

(This is an unpaid and unsolicited advert for a friend.)

This found at WorldNetDaily:

You can help send Bibles to people in oppressive regimes with Bibles Unbound

"It's time to get involved."

Be the first in your cube farm to own a . . .

Dashboard Mohammed

Cute idea... Crude language in subpages alert.

Guilt...

Or what's wrong with "Make Me A Blessing"

Verse 2: ...Others will trust Him if only you prove
true ev'ry moment you live.

That's a lot of weight.

You might think that you don't like Perl, but you may like this: The State of the Onion 10 delivered by Perl's author/linguist Larry Wall as Perl leaves its teen years.

There is a lot of fun stuff related to his family. Check it out. But read fast.

How much less trouble would we have with The Left if the last line of the following were in our (yes, I'm USA-centric) Constitution?

American Minute with Bill Federer
September 25

"Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

Thus began the Ten Amendments, or Bill of Rights, which were approved this day, September 25, 1789.

George Mason, known as "The Father of the Bill of Rights," wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights from which Jefferson drew to write the Declaration of Independence. Mason was one of fifty-five who wrote the U.S. Constitution, but was also one of sixteen who refused to sign it because it did not abolish slavery and did not limit the power of the Federal Government. He worked with Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams to prevent the Constitution from being ratified, as the abuses of King George's concentrated power were still fresh.

It was through Mason's insistence that in the first session of Congress ten limitations were put on the Federal Government.

George Mason had suggested the wording of the First Amendment be:

"All men have an equal, natural and unalienable right to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that no particular sect or society of Christians ought to be favored or established by law in preference to others."

___
This email is sent by subscription only. The recipient of this email is . To add or remove your subscription, go to American Minute

Then again, some black-robed wonder would probably just define "others" as: Buddhists, Zoroastrians, Mohammedans, whatever... Bah.

Does anyone know of a good PC laptop?

Apparently the Luddites at Northland Baptist Bible College can't work a MacBook into their student network. So my sister-in-law is not going to be purchasing a quicker, more flexible, more featureful MacBook and will be getting the aforementioned PC laptop.

The main "support" guy on campus states that, if given a Mac, he'd throw it in the trash. (Me? If given a PC laptop, I'd eBay it. ;^)

This is the type of open-mindedness of which conservative Christians often get accused, isn't it? It's a shame to see it.

I was looking forward to installing Parallels and Windows XP on it - to make it "compatible." But that probably won't be necessary.

Ah! Vicodin!

The cure for the common umbilical hernia(incarcerated) surgery.

Timeline:

Thursday evening: after working out, subject notices slight distension of right side of abdomen.

Friday afternoon: subject waits 1.5 hours for primary care doctor to acknowledge condition and recommend a guy with a knife.

Monday afternoon: the guy with knife discusses alternatives and discussion of time ensues, which leads to. . .

Thursday morning: the guy with the knife, during a time tesseract, seems to have attached some gauze and tape to my belly.

Now: why am I blogging at 5AM? This stuff was supposed to make me drowsy!

Smart jokes posted by (and re-used without direct acknowledgement) readers of Slashdot (/.):

#1

An astronomer, a physicist and a mathematician are traveling on a train through Scotland. Through the window of the train they notice a black sheep.

"Aha!" shouts the astronomer. "In Scotland, all sheep are black."

"Nonono, " says the physicist. "We only know that there are black sheep in Scotland, not that all scottish sheep are black."

The mathematician looks furiously at the other two and almost screams. "In Scotland there is at least one sheep with at least on black side!"

#2:

A biologist, a physicist and a mathematician are sitting at a cafe patio sipping coffee and watching the people go by. They see two people enter a nearby building. A few minutes later three people come out of the building.

'Ah,' the biologist says, 'they must have reproduced'.

'Nah,' says the physicist, 'three is within statistical error of two'.

'Well,' says the mathematician, 'one thing is for certain: if someone walks into the building now, it will be empty'.

Inspired by "A Puffed-Up Extrasolar Planet"

Edit 9/19/6: minor spelling errors

The "Sinister Microscope": A microscope for Bike Bubba and other similarly sinister people.

Bike Bubba! Your common sense might be putting you in danger!

In order to be safest whilst riding your bike, I conclude from reading an article on new research in the UK, you should have a long-haired wig over your helmet and ride, to a small degree, somewhat erratically.

In honor of 9/11, Pudge, one of the architects of the Perl code behind /., published a poem that he was sent. It's written in perl, which is not an uncommon thing.

At the top, he links to a song that he's written. It's about how his birthday has been OBE. :^(

It's not bad.

Update: Not really his birthday. (Maybe/probably not even his song?)

Update 2: It is his song.

It's been a while since I posted a link to the Evolutionary Evangelism forum that is sometimes found under the label of "Nobel Intent" at Ars Technica, but here's one that discusses a topic that should be hard: Altruism and Evolution.

Do they do enough handwaving to convince you?

Are they sufficiently openminded and tolerant in the ensuing debate?

Judge for yourself and let me know what you think. :^)

Here's an interesting commentary/historical article by a writer for Whiskey & Gunpowder. They're quite educational on various and multitudinal topics.

The Whiskey Rebellion

The introductory paragraph describes what might have happened to our Union if there had been no excise tax placed on the whiskey or if the rebels hadn't been challenged.

The New American has a new article on Global Warming. You may find it interesting.

There is also an excerpt of an article on a hot air mass and his movie.

Having trouble posting comments on your friends blogs? I am.

Not getting many comments recently? Same.

Here's the problem:

"

Account Moved to a Google Account

The account you've just logged in with, themarklark, has been merged with the Google Account marklark@gmail.com.

You will need to log in to the new version of Blogger in beta with your Google Account.

Log in to the Blogger beta

Unfortunately, you cannot post a comment on a non-beta blog or claim a mobile blog using your Google Account. These features are coming soon.

"

Google's products are, almost all, semi-perpetually in Beta

So, get out there and upgrade. (you Luddites! (And I mean that in the nicest way possible, of course !^))

Q: What's more attractive than women?

A: Women with guns.


Q: What's more attractive than women with guns?

A: Swedish women with guns. (non-pictorial :^)

 

$6M

Last year, conversations started in Wal-Mart around the potential of swirls to save customers money on utility bills. "Somebody asked, 'What difference would it make if we changed the bulbs in the ceiling-fan display to CFLs?'" says Kerby. A typical Wal-Mart has 10 models of ceiling fans on display, each with four bulbs. Forty bulbs per store, 3,230 stores.

"Someone went off and did the math," says Kerby. "They told me we could save $6 million in electric bills by changing the incandescents to CFLs in more than 3,000 Wal-Marts. I couldn't believe it. I didn't know I was paying $6 million to light those fixtures. I said, that can't be right, go back and do the math again." The numbers came out the same the second time: savings of $6 million a year...

I mentioned compact-fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) a while back. Here's an informative, rah-rah article about them. :^)

So, Bubba...

You think that your PC is cheaper than my Mac? Yes?

Well, check out the price list for upgrading your OS to the latest and greatest bug-ridden, Swiss-cheese securitied offering from Redmond. Someone accidentally put it on the web.

Order now from Amazon.com

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium $239 full / $159 upgrade

Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate $399 full / $259 upgrade

(Both qualify for free shipping ;^)

By way of comparison, the Mac OS is included in the price of the computer, is easily transferrable, and the typical upgrade price is $129.

Readers: If you've been here in the last week or so, you may have seen the generally excellent cartoon DayByDay here at the top of my blog.

It has been removed due to its portrayal of a couple who have been involved in extra-marital sex.

Dear Chris,

I _just_ last week promoted your strip to my blog-readers (both of
them :^) and put it on the top of the page. And then it becomes very
obvious that Damon and Jan have been fooling around.

I can't promote that. :^/ I expected better of Damon.

I'm glad that you're marrying Zed and Sam. And I'll keep watching.

Sincerely,
Mark

UPDATE: A Quick Response

Yeah, the characters do things I wouldn't do. But that's who they are.

Seriously, you're the client, and if DBD is not meeting your expectations, remove it. It's your blog, man!

Both couples fool around (before marriage) though Zed/Sam are engaged, but that's the reality of their world.

If it doesn't fit in, my apologies, and I am glad you gave it a shot, I appreciate very much your input, Mark!

Thanks,

Chris

The video below was found at Little Green Footballs and hosted by YouTube.



It's a remake of a classic 'Net video capture of a video game ("classic" if you're a geek, that is :^)

Here's another popular re-interpretation.

UPDATE: There seems to be an official website! You have to watch this one last from the official website - with apologies from to Queen, I hope.

If you can handle a bit of old technology - or desire to be able to do so - here's a bit of news from one of my favorites that hit my INBOX today:



* No minimum purchase required. Does not apply to past purchases.

Shop online or call 1-800-634-9599.

I received this newsletter by submitting my name and address at
http://www.TABASCO.com.

They've never bothered me, so sign up yourself.

A gallon of Habanero Tabasco is a Good Thing, is very economical, may be able to prevent/cure prostate cancer, and can last a long time. (It goes very well with Nature's Most Perfect Food. ;^)

There is a technology called SawStop, which could save your fingers when involved in careless or accidental woodworking mishaps. Read about it here.

Check out the "Hot Dog Demo!" :^)

My Dad can only count to 9 1/2, something like this would have been a good thing(tm).

A little bit of geekery here:

Why you won't have to worry about whether or not your computer and its applications are 32- or 64-bit with Mac OS X and why you will with Windows Vista: article.

So why haven't you bought a new Mac? They can run all your "necessary" PC apps in a safe sandbox via Parallels or VMWare (beta).

(Okay, Bert, I know your reason. ;^) Price. But find something comparable before you say it.)

Did I forget to mention that these things are fast? Just as fast as PCs these days. *sigh*

Here's the vivisection of one. Did you work on the drive?

UPDATE: A price comparison between Apple and Dell.

Is it just fun? Or is it Euro-snobbery?

This was seen at Radio Blogger.

I won't be buying a "smart" car or anything else from Daimler-Chrysler anytime soon.

(But I may send them some web traffic, I guess.)

So... My company supports the quest for continuing education.

I took them up on it and have been accepted into the UCCS graduate program in Computer Science - probably with a preponderance of Information Assurance coursework.

Have your advanced degrees served you well?

So... The DayByDay cartoon is talking about RightRoots. What is that?

It's explained by Captain Ed Morrissey over at Captain's Quarters Blog

It can be found at: ABC PAC.

I'm experimenting here. Hopefully you'll soon be able to see "DayByDay," a political cartoon, when you visit.

Update: That doesn't seem to be a bad fit. Any problems with seeing it near the top every time?

Yoni has moved to a new site: http://www.yonitheblogger.com/

He's still blogging on news from Israel and Lebanon.

If you happen to be in an enclosed space without adequate cooling today, here's a post that might be useful: It describes how animals evolved fins, how they developed the concept of sides and symmetries, how they determined top from bottom.

My point: A great deal of hand waving and wishful thinking is involved. I hope that it cools you off.

You know that old joke about how to lose 10# of ugly fat?

Here's a way to do that to our U.S. budget: Get U.S. out!

Here's a win for our side: "Senator ditches bill tied to 'superstate'"

A little supporting information:

Stop the FTAA courtesy of the John Birch Society

Meet my #1 favorite web-based comic strip: Sluggy Freelance

It's a bit strange: There are talking animals.

Wait. Most strips have anthropomorphic animals these days...

The bunny carries a switchblade, though.

Oh, yes, good point.

No nudity. No bad language. Just a bit... Different.

For what it's worth, check out the "New Viewer's Guide."

If you haven't heard Yoni Tidi on Hugh Hewitt's radio show, you have missed a real man. A real Jewish army man. He's probably on the show every day now that the IDF has gone into Lebanon.

You can read up on what's happening in Israel and its surroundings almost moment by moment by going to Yoni's Townhall.com web page.

I should have kept up my Hacky-Sack playing...

I coulda been a contender

Well. Not really, no. ;^)

Here's something for those of us that have sedentary jobs:

It's not your metabolism, Stupid!

Get up and move. :^)

From WorldNetDaily: Cornyn wants U.S. taxpayers to fund Mexican development.

Under the NAIF (North American Investment Fund) plan, we and Canadians would be asked (forced) to give tax dollars to Mexico to improve their national infrastructure. This would improve their lot in the world and keep more of their people south of the border.

Naif? Sounds like French for "naive!"

This is sponsored by a Texas Bush-buddy and co-sponsored by an otherwise well-regarded Minnesotan, Sen. Norm Coleman.

Here's a link to a video study of the wonders of mixing Mentos and Diet Coke. Funny ending. Share this with your DC-drinking friends. :^)

A little bit of original material (for a change).

Topic: Grilling

When grilling, you can get a quick start on your charcoal (better flavor than gas) by using a hair drier as a bellows.

After the starter fluid has burned down and given you the slightest hint of gray on the edges, apply hot, fast air from your hair drier. Very quickly, you will have a raging, hot set of coals. Let them simmer for a little while, put the cooler edge-coals in the middle of the hot ones and add more air. Move the hair drier around to get the heat out the sides that aren't blazing yet. When the coals are very gray, spread 'em, let your grill heat up and start grilling.

Since they'll burn down quicker this way, don't skimp on the coals.

Don't leave your food unattended for long, as you are using more heat than you may be used to.

Don't expect your wife to use this hair drier again. It will add a certain smokiness to her hair -- she probably won't like it. :^)

It's a good thing(tm) (Attribution requested when sharing this tip, please. (Hey, I have to get famous somehow... ;^))

More later...

After a long hiatus, brought on by travel and general lethargy, I bring you:

A two course helping of video commentary on Minneapolis:

1st course.

2nd course.

Editted for content - but not by me.

Here is an interesting commentary from Edwin Meese III on the new Amnesty/Immigration being debated in Congress and the White House.

Basically, he's "been there, done that."

Don't drink and drive!! It can be detrimental to your acting career.

These two, were recently, quickly, unexpectedly, and unceremoniously removed from "LOST," ABC's hit TV series.

Don't drink and drive.

I participated in the Colorado caucus system as a Republican delegate this past week.

These scenes would have been somewhat refreshing to see.

:^/

I'm almost glad that I was lured out of the house for dinner last night -- Because it meant that I missed watch the POTUS.

Here's a link to an interesting pre-deconstruction of the speech (text),
that I found via Powerline.

It probably would have been good/additive to my blood pressure to have watched, though. :^/

Composure under pressure or helping your host save face.

Check it out. :^)

Ever wonder why Windows doesn't work very well?

They are afraid to cut their mangled limbs off.

Not so with Apple: OS 9, PPC, Motorola 680x0 chips - going, going, and gone.

What computer do tough guys use? :^)

"You can't cheat an honest man."

Are you this honest? 419 Article

Here's a question: Would you replace your aged washer AND dryer if one of them failed?

If so, why?

Here's an interesting read on plagiarism (how and not to, that is :^) from the Center for Individual Freedom.

They have an interesting approximately weekly emailing. Check 'em out

In April 25's pro-Evolution rant at Ars Technica, there is a quote by Glenn Branch of the NCSE that "There is no ethical requirement for graduate faculty to be complicit in the training of someone who is ultimately going to actively harm the field."

Wow.

Here's an article that shows our children are speaking up in class. However, the other side is working on their presentation of doctrine.

The subject? Evolution.

Need ammunition for yourself and your family? I recommend the new Answers Magazine from Answers in Genesis. Check out the Institute for Creation Research, also.

For the wild-eyed discussion of the topic from (mostly) the other side and a description of the NY Academy of Sciences presentations, check this out(updated daily). (UArsTechnica discussions open for several hours and then are deleted.)

Thanks for your time!

The whole series:

Arming teachers to teach evolution part I 4/24/06
Arming teachers to teach evolution part II 4/25/06
Arming teachers to teach evolution part III 4/26/06

It looks like I'm living in the wrong part of the country. Just before the current election cycle starts, the state of Georgia has decided to do something about illegal immigration.

:^)

Anybody else out there working on this?

" There IS a problem with global warming... it stopped in 1998"

'Nuf said?

Courtesy of the fine folks at Google, here's another Penn & Teller show on PETA.

Contains foul language. Bah.

By the way, they produced a computer game a long time ago that had a segment where the player had to drive a bus down a straight stretch of highway for about 8 hours. The bus would drift to the shoulder, so cheating was hard. The segment was worth 1 point. :^/ Twisted.

For those of you out there who are looking to buy a new PC, the new Intel-based Apple MacBook Pro laptops are faster than normal PC laptops with the same CPUs.

AND! They can now boot into Windows XP using Apple's Boot Camp technology. So, you can use programs like AutoCAD that are currently Windows-only and then, after work, reboot into a safe environment free of SpyWare and Viruses, etc. for email and web surfing.

Of course, this will work on the iMac, too. :^)

Spotted over at John Lott's blog: a crude, but sensible look at gun control by Penn & Teller

28 minutes long. Those with sensitive ears should be gently removed from the area.

A fairly benign, odd, and totally arbitrary occurrence happens early tomorrow: at 2 minutes and 3 seconds after 1 a.m., the date can be represented as "01:02:03 04/05/06"

Have you been thinking about getting rid of your Windows PC before upgrading to Vista? Good news: you won't have to make that decision anytime soon... ;^)

If you're considering getting a Mac, here's a testimonial. (Scroll down a little bit and read "tiffany." :^)

I probably won't pay anything so see "I Walk the Line." -- I may, however, check out some of Merle Haggard's music.

Here's the reason: Why Hollywood Loves Johnny Cash—and not Merle Haggard

(And I really prefer something more hefty and metallic ;^)

For those of you with a history of prostate cancer in your family, there is hope!!

For those of you with a taste for HOT, there is hope!

Enjoy!

Do you have trouble with public speaking?  Scott Adams (Dilbert artist) describes what he went through to fix his voice problems.

Another Democrat that I could vote for!

(And he's not Zel Miller this time. :^)

Michael Crichton seems to be a writer of particular insight, imagination, and sense. He also gives lectures.

Check out his site for stimulation of the thinking apparatus: Crichton Speeches

From the author of "The Myth of Heterosexual AIDS," we have a nice article on something we already know: medical and science journals have an agenda. Science Journals Delivering "Political Science"

Quick, take the "Bozosity Test." :^)

Please leave the results here in Comments.

I was a little concerned with my employer, Multimax.com, after the 1st point, but was okay through the rest. Pshwew! :^)

If you have a couple of moments to spare, head over to the Graffiti Research Lab (requires QuickTime) to see a different way to graffiti/decorate your neighborhood. Geek-style, non-permanent, reusable, but littering, nonetheless.

For instructions: go here.

I couldn't sleep very well last night, so I thought that I'd check out 'Free Credit Report .com'

I found it - and everything looks fine. I have few open accounts and they are all current _and_ getting smaller

But I was annoyed that I would later have to cancel a monitoring agreement (or pay $12/month). So I checked the major credit reporting agencies and, through TransUnion.com, found an easy way to check up on your debt load.

Make sure that you see "The End of The Spear." It's a very well done and moving film.