2010 archive
An Armed Society Is a Polite Society 3
Yahoos with guns make us all safer.
What I Have Learned from Drug Commercials 2
It is really quite astounding what one can learn.
Apparently, as a nation, Americans can’t make a (ahem) move without drugs.
For example (Warning: May be almost as offensive as the commercials themselves):
Dustbiters 0
While I was offline and then occupied with migrating the site, I lost track of the banksters.
I see that they are still showing their mastery of the universe by going out of business.
One down so far this week:
And two:
Hung Out To Dry 3
No legal protections for clotheslines in Virginia:
(snip)
Still no dice. The (House of Delegates) panel tabled the measure, effectively killing it. The 5-2 vote broke down along party lines, Democrats for and Republicans against.
Since this proprosal protects an individual freedom (to hang clothes out on the line) and makes environmental sense, but does not involve guns, it is quite logical that Republicans would oppose it.
iVodka 0
According to Bloomberg, there’s an app for that.
(snip)
One of the distiller’s new initiatives is an application for Apple Inc.’s iPhone that allows the user to scan the barcode of a bottle of Smirnoff or Tanqueray gin and be shown cocktail recipes based on that liquor, Moseley said.
Diageo also aims to tap middle-aged women, who it says account for 62 percent of vodka purchases made in stores, by advertising and running promotions through food and lifestyle Web sites such as NBC Universal Inc.’s Today show.
The Entitlement Society 0
David Bochover on the banksters bonuses for showing up to work policies demolishes the “we have to pay for talent” sophistry:
I’m Back (Updated) 0
I’ll muck with the theme tomorrow. Something’s not working with my Pine View Farm theme, but the database has been restored and seems to work okay on the new hosting outfit. There won’t be much posting until I finish unpacking and have the place looking more like home.
It’s been kind of nice to have a little vacation from blogging. Feeding the blogbeast can take some effort.
But I have saved up this gem, which pretty much sums up Republican Economic Theory:
Addendum, the Next Day:
Well, I’ve fixed everything but the color of the title at the top of the page. It’s starting to feel like home–like a new place with one piece of furniture that just doesn’t match and needs to be reupholstered. The upholstery has been ordered.
“Smile, You’re on Candid Camera” (Updated) 0
I used to live in Lower Merion, which has now made international news. I lived in the poor part of the township, actually not far from where Senator Heinz’s plane went down (the school grounds were about four blocks away from my house).
Lower Merion is one of the richest jurisdictions in the US, with a very impressive “mansions per square mile” ratio.
I lived there in 1983. Now Lower Merion appears to be stuck in 1984.
From the BBC:
A couple from Pennsylvania have filed a lawsuit against a school district which gave laptops to its high school pupils.
They say their son was told off by teachers for “engaging in improper behaviour in his home” and that the evidence was an image from his webcam.
The Inky has the latest and the even laterest.
Addendum, Several Days Later:
Some interesting links regarding this.
The latest from the Inky and the Philly DN.
And, according to Martin at the Network Security Blog, the software in question was much more than anti-theft software, such as LoJack; it was remote administration software which enabled the remote user to take complete control of the computer, not just to snap a picture if the box were reported stolen.
Know Nothings 0
Richard Hofstadter was correct.
Leonard Pitts speaks to contempt for facts in supporting a run for the Presidency by Beyond the Palin.
Down at the Farm 0
Down for two weeks.
Database problems. I hate databases.
Also, the modem seems to have lost its IP address. I had to reboot the modem to get the connection working again. This was exacerbated by my having been away when the Snow Gods clobbered the area, delaying my return so I could shoot the trouble.
But I’m back. For a while. I’ll be offline for a planned outage on Sunday, but, this time, I should be able to post a “Gone Fishing” notice.
Emoticonfidence Game 0
Victor Borge thought he was being funny when he did this (and he was).
I suspect that he did not expect that, years later, some outfit would try to license (as in, “charge for using”) a new punctuation mark.
Milking It for All It’s Worth 0
Melamine, that is:
The powder is thought to be from a batch recalled after it killed six children in 2008 and made 300,000 ill.
Two dairies were shut down at the weekend after they were found to be selling products using the powder, which should have been destroyed.
CorporateSpeak 0
Shaun Mullen considers what he calls “worst Supreme Court ruling since the Dred Scott decision.”
Stray Thought, Overdone Super Bowl Halftime Show Dept. 0
I’d like to have the post-halftime Bengay concession for the band.
Afterthought:
It’s a blinking CSI commercial!