IMAGE OF THE DAY

[No Pic For You!]

Monday, February 28, 2005

RIP Jef Raskin

From Wired Mag:
"Jef Raskin, a computer interface expert who conceived Apple Computer's groundbreaking Macintosh computer but left the company before it came to market, has died. He was 61...
Raskin joined Apple in 1978 — as its 31st employee...
'His role on the Macintosh was the initiator of the project, so it wouldn't be here if it weren't for him,' said Andy Hertzfeld, an early Mac team member."

Breakin' the law, breakin' the law...

The Guardian:
"Undeterred, a couple of students from Cornwall are intent on making American criminal history by spending their summer breaking as many US laws as possible.
Starting in the liberal state of California, they hope to evade the attention of local police officers when they ride a bike in a swimming pool and curse on a crazy-golf course. In the far more conservative - and landlocked - state of Utah, they will risk the penitentiary when they hire a boat and attempt to go whale-hunting."

continue...

More dumb laws at dumblaw.com

Friday, February 25, 2005

Sorry I'm late honey, what's for dinner?

From Ananova

"A Dutch tourist has finally returned home after five months stranded in a Brazilian airport.

Sheridan Gregorio was stuck at Fortaleza airport after he spent all his money on holiday.

He had a return ticket to get home but did not realise that he also had to pay airport tax.

After missing his flight, he was told he had also lost his ticket because it was non-refundable.

With no money, Mr Gregorio resorted to sleeping in the airport and cleaning restaurants in exchange for food and some money.

After he saved enough for the airport tax, Brazilian police negotiated with the airline to let him use his old ticket to go home.

Mr Gregorio told Jornal da Globo: 'The Brazilian people were really nice to me, they treated me well.'"

Go blow it out yer ear!

"Wei Mingtang, 55, a factory worker from Guilin city, Guangxi province, discovered his ears leaked air over 30 years ago reports Nanguo Morning News. He then came up with the idea of using them to inflate balloons with the aid of a pipe."

Silly monk

From Ananova:
"Phra Khru Prapatworakhun, a Buddhist monk, ... had gone to the temple's medicine cabinet looking for eye drops to soothe an itch. But mistakenly, he took a tube of superglue instead.'...I put four drops into each eye. In about a minute, my eyes felt cold and then sealed closed.'" Eyes Glued Shut

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Similar to the real thing!

RSR found the best'ist web site in the whole wide world! Where else can you get light sabers, time machines, free-energy machines, jet packs, etc.? Check out these quotes from Future Horizons Inc.(FHI)

(FHI): "This Hyper-Dimensional Resonator hooks up to the head of the user and by setting the dial, it will allow it's user to spontaneously astral project. And once your able to astral project, you can travel in space and time either to the future or the past. This is no joke!! Plugs into a normal 110 volt outlet."
(RSR): Ok, so you want me to attach this thing to my head and then plug it into a wall outlet. How many times have you guys done this?


(FHI): "The Plasma Saber looks amazingly similar to the real thing when activated."
(RSR): Really!? Similar to the "real thing"?


(FHI): "Time Machines... NOTE:This section of our site is considered highly experimental."
(RSR): Oh please, don't be so humble!

(FHI): "Wishing Machine (upgraded) Imagine if you had 3 wishes. Well with this device, you have as many as you want. The equivilant of an electronic genie, it amplifies users brain waves to make your wishes literally come true! Be careful what you wish for."
(RSR): Dude, you arn't kidding! I could like wish to spend the rest of my life inside a beautiful woman and end up being turned into a tampon! That would suck!

And finally, forget about the G-Spot...
(FHI): "G-Strain Amplifier The transistorized gravity-strain amplifier derives power from the gravitational field manipulation of positrons. One embodiment generates 21 volts from 15v input =162% efficiency!"

War On Fun

From Reason:
"The New York Times notes that states are cracking down on Texas hold 'em tournaments in bars, even when there are no entry fees and no real stakes. In a Minnesota raid last summer, "20 officers, guns bared, burst into the bar," seizing the chips and cards. In Illinois bars have received $500 fines for holding hold 'em tournaments. Last December 83 people were arrested on misdemeanor charges for participating in a tournament at a Texas bar."

Head in the Sand

Once again the liberal media is failing to misunderestimate GW. Ignoring the EPA and other egg heads is all a part of his strategery don't ya know. GW is the type of leader who puts book lernin' aside and lets the common sense of the American working man guide his decisions. Who do you trust more to protect your family, a man who sits in an office reading and writing books or a man who "clears brush" for fun?

Apparently when GW's dad said "line in the sand" GW heard "head in the sand".

First they came for the pot smokers...

The Nanny state is starting to lock up fat people “in the interests of that person’s health or safety or to protect other people”...

From the Sun
"SOBBING 31-stone Chris Leppard was dragged off to a mental hospital against his will by meddling social workers and police. Chris, 23, has been forcibly detained for a month because he cannot stop eating. The authorities used powers normally used to detain mentally ill people who might harm themselves or others. They locked him up despite the fact neither he nor his family wanted him to go. Last night Chris’s furious mother Anne said he has no mental problems and was winning his fight against the rare illness that compels him to eat."

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Lazy Americans Lose Title

This story is a wake up call for Americans who have been sitting around on their fat asses secure in their belief that the US will indefinately remain the top consumer of useless crap. HELLLOOOO! China is catching up! Nobody remembers 2nd place!

Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch for sale?

A link for those of you who can't get enough of Micheal Jackson. RSR thinks the charges against Micheal are a plot to keep the artist out of the recording studio.

What do California, Iowa and Florida have in common?

Links to Iowa City triva onthis page. Look in the "Random" category.

Who knew there are cities in California, Iowa and Florida named Iowa City?

A web site dedicated to listing unimaginative city names. Iowa City, IA is mentioned.

"So as this story seems to suggest, Chauncey Swan and John Ronalds were so unimaginative because they were pressed for time and sleep-deprived. The fact that they were working under cover of darkness might also explain why they chose such an amazingly hilly site, a fact I curse each day while walking to work. Marne G., Imaginative Resident of Unimaginative Iowa City "

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Brain Dead

It turns out getting shot in the head will earn you a 'get out of jail free' card in California.

"An inmate who was left brain-dead after being shot by a prison guard last month was freed from custody"

This statement by a prison offical is telling...
"He's the family's responsibility now"

Apparently it is ok to spend tax dollars locking people up for drug possession, but not ok to spend tax dollars taking care of them when government agents shoot them in the head.

This sounds similar to the Pentagon policy of discharging wounded soldiers without making sure they have enough cash to get home.

Green Taxes

States are getting worried about lost gas tax revenues due to people driving fuel efficient cars. The fix? Start taxing drivers by the mile. So much for rewarding people for thinking green.

"But tax-by-mile advocates say it may be the only way to ensure that fuel efficiency doesn't prevent smooth sailing down the road."

The story

Monday, February 14, 2005

Those who trade liberty for security deserve neither

A scary story about cops torturing a "drug dealer" in Campbell County, Tennessee.

"They arrived in unmarked vehicles, dressed in plainclothes. But they were cloaked with the authority to serve Siler with a warrant for his arrest. Siler, the document alleged, had been breaking the rules set for him a year ago by a Campbell County judge. [...] With lawmen at her door, Jenny Siler turns on a tape recorder in her kitchen and sighs as she heads to the door to greet them. The recorder would continue to roll long after the lawmen send away Jenny Siler, 27, and her 8-year-old, leaving them alone with Eugene Siler. It would produce a recording that spanned 40 to 45 minutes of what authorities contend was a two-hour ordeal. The FBI transcript of the recording indicates that it not only captured what the officers said but what they did. It is replete with references to sounds of Siler being slapped and struck. It details Siler's moans, his pleas, his piercing screams."

Friday, February 11, 2005

It was a good day. Didn't get shot by an AK...

"A few monkeys have stopped by my cage today. They made funny noises and strange hand gestures. Since I didn't understand what they were trying to communicate I just nodded and grunted at five second intervals. This seemed to make them happy and eventually each went away. Their absence makes me happy."

Shake it baby

A moderate earthquake that rattled parts of Arkansas and Tennessee Thursday should serve as a wake-up call to the central United States about the potential for much stronger events, experts said.

The infamous series of three New Madrid(MO) quakes in 1811-1812 occurred a few weeks apart, from Dec. 16 to Feb. 7. They measured 8.1, 8.0 and 7.8 and represent three of the four strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the lower 48. ...continue

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Driving while not impaired

Bored with the same old "piss in cup" drug test? If so, good news! Lobbyists for the drug testing industry are busy these days. It won't be long before we can all enjoy road side hair cuts and saliva swabs on our way to the grocery! All for public saftey and health...of course??

"...For the past several years drug testing superhawk Michael Walsh, a former
Associate Director to the Drug Czar and current president of the drug testing and lobby organization the Walsh Group, has led the charge to apply workplace drug testing standards and regulations to all licensed U.S. drivers. In 2002, Walsh partnered with the White House to lobby state legislatures to amend their drugged driving laws, arguing that states should no longer require "impairment" as a necessary condition for prosecution. Instead, Walsh asserted that prosecutors simply charge all drivers who test positive for any level of drugs or drug metabolites as a criminal drugged driver—even if the motorist is neither under the influence nor impaired to drive! As a result of Walsh's lobbying efforts, eleven states—Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, and Wisconsin—have now adopted such legislation, known as "zero tolerance per se" laws..." ...continue

Crime-Friendly Neighborhoods

An interesting story for anyone interested in urban planning...

Burras Road was a pleasant cul-de-sac of 21 new homes in Bradford, England. Its residents were blissfully unaware that, just east of the site, approval for a proposed new shopping center required the breaching of their cul-de-sac by a bicycle-pedestrian path.

Planners favored this requirement because, they say, cul-de-sacs do not encourage movement and therefore are “auto-dependent” and “anti-urban.” Opening up the site would connect residents to local services, and the path would promote walking and cycling.

The path connecting the shopping center to the cul-de-sac opened in 2000. Although there is no evidence that the path has led residents to drive less, it did have a profound effect on their lives. During the next six months, a neighborhood that had been virtually crime-free saw its burglary rate rise to 14 times the national rate, with matching increases in overall crime, including arson, assault, and antisocial behavior.

...

Architects and urban planners who call themselves New Urbanists say their proposals, including developments that mix residential and commercial uses, have homes with tiny private yards and large common areas, and feature pedestrian paths, will solve all sorts of social problems, including crime. Yet the housing and neighborhood designs they want to substitute for the modern suburb almost invariably increase crime.

... continue

2004 home computer

Has anyone bought the RAND corporation's home computer for 2004? It looks like it kicks ass! (see "Image of the day" above)

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Only 3 jobs? You slacker!

The President comforted Mornin on the security of social security stating that 'the promises made will be kept by the government.'

But without prompting Mornin began to elaborate on her life circumstances.

Begin transcript:

MS. MORNIN: That's good, because I work three jobs and I feel like I contribute.

THE PRESIDENT: You work three jobs?

MS. MORNIN: Three jobs, yes.

THE PRESIDENT: Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that. (Applause.) Get any sleep? (Laughter.)

3 jobs...

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Rugby fan cut off his own testicles

8 February 2005
A Welsh rugby fan cut off his own testicles after his team beat England, police confirmed today.
...the man told his friends: "If Wales win I'll cut my own balls off." After the 11-9 victory in the Six Nations clash, the man is reported to have gone outside and severed his testicles before bringing them back into the club to show fellow drinkers. ThisIsLondon.com

Game Review from Somethingawful.com

"Legacy Interactive has literally dozens of employees, many of whom are of legal age to work in the United States, so you’d think at least one of them would have realized that while it is fun to shoot and destroy things, it’s not fun to be the guy stuck cleaning up the mess afterward.
...
At the end of the day, I have to admit Combat Medic did teach me some valuable lessons about the medical industry, lessons that can only be learned through bitter experience. For example...I learned how many scalpel stabs it takes to kill a man (four) and how many it takes before he starts whining (one)....I learned that the “survival saw” should rarely, if ever, be used to decapitate a patient. And after suffering through several educational hours of Combat Medic, I have now returned from the front lines to give the Legacy Interactive team this message: the next time you hear a quiet nagging voice saying “is this really such a good idea for a game?” please listen to it. You could save everyone a whole lot of unnecessary suffering. "

Review of Combat Medic at Somethingawful.com



These arn't the droids you're looking for...

Weapons?? What weapons? We asked for a toaster! Apparently the contractor thought we wanted a mega-watt laser.

"'This is not warfare in space. Our focus is how to best use our space-based assets to coordinate the joint terrestrial fight,' said Brig. Gen. Daniel Darnell, commander of the Space Warfare Center at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado."
...cnn.com

Glaciers hate global warming

CNN says scientists discover glaciers dispise global warming...

"'Ample' evidence indicates that global warming is causing glaciers to retreat worldwide, reports the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N.-sponsored network of climate scientists led by Pachauri."

Friday, February 04, 2005

Another student dies from drinking

Another hazing death from drinking. When will this insanity stop?


Police: Student died from 'water
intoxication'

CHICO, California (AP) -- A
California State University student
died of "water intoxication" during
hazing in the basement of a
fraternity, authorities said
Thursday.

Matthew Carrington, 21, died early
Wednesday while drinking water from a
five-gallon jug and doing exercises at
the Chi Tau house near the Chico
campus, said Chico Police Sgt. Dave
Barrow.

An autopsy showed death was triggered by hyponatremia, a condition in which excess water in the body causes sodium levels in the blood to drop. Water is then absorbed into the blood and fluid builds up in the brain. The case was still under investigation, and no decision had been made on whether to file charges. Carrington's is the second pledge death at Chico since 2000, when an 18-year-old died of alcohol poisoning. The university cut its ties to Chi Tau in 2002 because of "a series of increasing problems and complaints," including excessive alcohol use and loud parties, a campus spokesman said.

How Smart is Your Right Foot?

This will boggle your mind. And you will keep trying at least 50 more times to see if you can outsmart your foot, but you can't.

1. While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction.

And there's nothing you can do about it!

How To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity

More humor here

1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses
on and point a hair dryer at passing cars.
See if they slow down.

2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.

3. Every time someone asks you to do something,
ask if they want fries with that.

4. Put your garbage can on your desk and label it "in"

5. Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks.
Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions,
switch to espresso.

6. In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favors".

7. Finish all your sentences with "in accordance with the prophecy."

8. Dont use any punctuation marks

9. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.

10. Ask people what sex they are.
Laugh hysterically after they answer.

11. Specify that your drive-through order is "to go".

12. Sing along at the opera.

13. Go to a poetry recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme.

14. Put mosquito netting around your work area. Play a tape of jungle sounds all day.

15. Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party
because you're not in the mood.

16. Have your coworkers address you by your wrestling name, Rock Hard Kim.

17. When the money comes out the ATM,
scream "I won!", "I won!" "3rd time this week!!!!!"

18. When leaving the zoo, start running towards the parking lot,
yelling "run for your lives, they're loose!!"

19. Tell your children over dinner. "due to the economy,
we are going to have to let one of you go."

20. Send this list to everyone in your address book,
even if they sent it to you or asked you not to send them stuff like this.

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Burned alive

As a teenager in the West Bank, Soauad became pregnant by a local boy. He 'shamed' Palestinian family condemned her to death and she was set on fire by her brother-in-law. Every year, thousands of women in the Middle East die in 'honour killings'. Souad survived. This is her harrowing story
...
He came towards me and said, with a smile: "Hi. How goes it?" He was chewing a blade of grass. "I'm going to take care of you." I hadn't been expecting that. I smiled a little, to thank him, not daring to speak. Suddenly I felt a cold liquid running over my head; I was on fire. I slapped at my hair. I screamed. My dress billowed out behind me. Was it on fire, too? I smelt the petrol and ran, the hem of my dress getting in the way. Did he run after me? Was he waiting for me to fall so he could watch me go up in flames?...continue

In case you missed it...

From Reason Mag Brickbats

Television Detectives (1/26)
Paul Oldham doesn't own a television and doesn't want one. But he can't seem to convince the British government of that fact. He keeps getting demands from the government that he pay his television license fee, which funds the BBC. And when he writes back that he doesn't have one, they tell him to expect a visit to his home. The government also requires retailers to report everyone who buys a television. Some 3 million Britons have their homes searched for a television each year. The government sent 20 people to jail for not paying the fee in 2003.

Speak No Evil (1/25)
Telling a mother-in-law joke or quoting parts of the Bible could earn a person prison time and a hefty fine in France. The nation has responded to rising reports of anti-gay crimes by banning insults against women and gays. Remarks "tending to denigrate homosexuals as a whole" when uttered in public or made in print will be met with fines of up to 45,000 euros and up to one year in prison. The law has been opposed by Reporters Without Borders, religious groups and even the national commission on human rights who say it is overbroad. Gay groups and feminists say the law will only be used to prosecute "genuinely scandalous" remarks. But some gay groups also say they consider any claim that homosexuality is abnormal to be a prosecutable offense.

Stuck On You (1/24)
Lawmakers in Rio de Janeiro have banned shoe glue and some solvents because some children were sniffing them to get high. "Shoe glue serves a good purpose when used by shoemakers, but it also is an extremely strong narcotic and its free sale contributes to the moral degradation of youths and boosts crime levels," said the law's author.