Old things are new again

As we get ready to begin a new year, let's look back at some of our Mod-Blog contributors together years ago. (7 years ago to be exact.)

It's one resolution you MAY be able to keep

If it is good for the goose...

VideoJug: How To Be The Perfect Boyfriend

I don't know if this is accurate...

...but it certainly seems like it.

VideoJug: How to be the Perfect Girlfriend

Confederate Questions

This story talks about how the U. of Texas is reconsidering a couple statues that depict important leaders of the Confederate States - Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis to be exact. I understand that the distaste for these statues is that they represent the "slave states" before and during the war between the states, but I think that it is a grave mistake to eliminate the Confederate States from our conscious.



It is unfortunate that in school, more often than not, we learn that the civil war was over slavery. In our later years we discover it was over a vast array of things of which slavery is one. In fact if you look real close at the civil war you quickly find out it was more about states rights than about slavery. Don't take me wrong, I don't support slavery and I think that it was right to make it federally illegal, I also don't think it was right for the confederate states to separate. But I do think it was right for the Confederate States to fight for their rights - because after all we do live in a republic and not a democracy and the federal government isn't supposed to have that much control over the states.



With that said I believe it is important to remember the Confederate States and their leaders - who were men of steadfast resolve to their beliefs. By eliminating these statues UT would be undermining both their and our collective history. They would be depriving the students of seeing two men that made hard decisions and, though they ended up on the losing side, lived honorably with those decisions. To eliminate the losers of history is to force ourselves to make the same mistakes as well as some new ones. But in all reality this goes beyond UT to the hundreds of fights that have been fought over Confederate symbolism in the south. You can't simply erase history - and important history at that. Without a memory of the missteps of both sides in the debate leading up to the war between the states we are bound to repeat them.

The Last Daily Foxtrot Ever

Bill Amend is going into "semi-retirement" and only doing Sunday comics starting tomorrow. He used his last daily strip to thank his fans for being loyal all of these years. Personally, I'd rather he just kept writing, but I guess all good things must come to an end.

Sadaam Hussein is dead

It is official. Sadaam Hussein, former dictator of Iraq and finally resident of a spider hole, was hanged last night until dead. May God have mercy on his soul, and may God have further mercy and blessing upon the people of Iraq now that this shadow no longer hangs over them.

They come in 3s

There is an old wives tale that deaths always come in threes. First was James Brown. Second was Gerald Ford. Who knew that Sadaam Hussein would be #3? Perhaps this will be the last major news event of 2006.

Posted without further comment

Rest In Peace, President Ford

Former president Gerald Ford has passed away.

Former President Gerald R. Ford, who declared "Our long national nightmare is over" as he replaced Richard Nixon but may have doomed his own chances of election by pardoning his disgraced predecessor, has died. He was 93.

The nation's 38th president, and the only one not elected to the office or the vice presidency, died at his desert home at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Our prayers are with his family at this dificult time.

Amazing BBC Documentary about Hiroshima

Fantastic 4 II Trailer Leaked

I was underwhelmed with the first movie. Other than the effects surrounding the Human Torch, the whole thing looked silly and inconsequential when compared to the Spider-Man and X-Men franchises. But this one does look at least like it might be fun.
(Ed. Ahem. Or you can view it in high quality version on Apple's site.)

Pssst... See if they have change for a $200

According to The Smoke Gun, a criminal has successfully passed a $200 bill at a North Carolina FoodLion. For those who may not realize it, there is no such thing as a $200 bill. What is funnier is the cashier failed to notice the bill in question had a picture of George W Bush on the front, and a picture of the White House on the back complete with a yard full of joke signs.

I am guessing someone is out looking for work today: either a less-than-alert clerk, or the manager who had that clerk working a 48 hour shift over the Christmas weekend.

Contrasts in Christmas

Rest in Peace, James Brown

He passed away this morning apparently from complications of pneumonia.

A Very Merry Mod-Blog Christmas

This picture is just a small fragment of the Mod-Blog family, but we all wish our readers the best as we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ.
Created with PhotoCard

Christmas Commentary

I am SO ready for some Snow

Interesting Optical Illusion

MayoClinic.Com

If you have been watching the shoutbox (or live within a 10 mile radius and can hear my coughing), you are aware that I am sick. I have what has been officially classified as bronchitis which appears to basically mean I have a generic viral infection of my lungs and respiratory system. Treatment: fluids, rest, and more rest. Virii are unaffected by antibiotics.

However, while I was there, my docctor recommended I check out - and pass along to my Mod-Blog readers - MayoClinic.Com. It is a useful tool for initial self-diagnosis (i.e. when should I see a REAL doctor) and general understanding after diagnosis of a condition. Check it out, and I hope no one else has a real reason to use it for a while. The one advantage to Mod-Bloggers being scattered all over the country is most of you are safe from me infecting you.

Interesting Sport of Sepak Takraw

I found this picture on CNNSI.com and did a little research on the sport of Sepak Takraw. Wikipedia describes it as a cross between volleyball and soccer.

"War on Christmas" is actually "Quest for More Money"?

In light of Ward's post from this morning, I thought I'd post this from a more liberal-leaning blog.

I imagine in some circles, the “controversy” is still a fairly big deal, but my sense is that this year’s “war on Christmas” is largely a bust. It was vaguely faddish last year, but most sensible people got sick of the issue quickly. Reasonable, levelheaded Americans figured out a long time ago that there is no war, the vast majority of the country celebrates and enjoys the holiday, and the conservative culture warriors probably just need to pick up a new hobby.

But they can’t. Not because there’s a nefarious scheme to undermine Christianity, and not because there are key skirmishes yet to be fought, but because the religious right has figured out that this silly little “War on Christmas” is a cash cow.

I suspect that the "religious right" is not quite so mercenary in their own minds. But it makes a good point, as well. We need to be careful to differentiate between a real crisis and just a trend that annoys us.

Pac-Man Comes to Minnesota

Recently, around Minneapolis-Saint Paul, road crew drew huge dots on the highway in order to give drivers a visual cue about how far apart to stay (to reduce tailgating). But some intrepid urban artist added his own touch.

Sheriff Gary Miller cruised east from Buffalo to the stretch of Hwy. 55 with large, white ovals painted by the state to slow tailgaters by showing drivers how far apart to stay. About halfway through the stretch he saw the unauthorized addition: a giant rendition of a yellow Pac-Man, the jaws from the 1980s video game trailblazer, attacking an oval dot on the pavement.

"I drove that road the other day," an amused Miller said, "and drivers were bunched up to figure out what it was ... It's definitely a Pac-Man eating a dot."

Reaction appears mixed at present. But I'll be surprised if it does not eventually become something of a tourist attraction.

My Head is About to Explode

I am so sick of Christians in this country claiming to be terribly persecuted. So what, a horror movie is released on Christmas day. Big deal. Here's the clincher,

"The use of religious music -- 'Silent Night' -- and the nativity set on the front porch in one scene are insensitive to Christians," Giroux said after watching the trailer online.

"It's not enough to ignore and omit Christmas, but now it has to be offended, insulted and desecrated. Our most sacred holiday, actually a holy day, is being assaulted."

So, a nativity set in a horror movie is offensive to Christians now? And this might just be me, but I hardly call Christmas our most sacred holiday. In my opinion, hat happens a few months from now when we celebrate the resurrection. But that could just be me...

If you think I am paranoid about the built-in iSight on the new MacBooks...

...check out this little site. If you have a built-in iSight on your computer, you will see an image on the web page from your iSight!!! This Security Update is supposed to keep the data from leaving your laptop (before this, a picture could be captured by the remote server). But it shows the potential for abuse of such an integrated solution.

Both Evil and Brilliant

95% of Adults Had Pre-Marital Sex?

CNN is reporting on a new study which claims 95% of all men and women since 1940 had pre-marital sex. This is used in the article to argue that abstinence programs are a waste of time, and that "safe sex" should be the focus on Federal funding since "most people will have pre-marital sex anyway."

More than nine out of 10 Americans, men and women alike, have had premarital sex, according to a new study. The high rates extend even to women born in the 1940s, challenging perceptions that people were more chaste in the past...
Finer is a research director at the Guttmacher Institute, a private New York-based think tank that studies sexual and reproductive issues and which disagrees with government-funded programs that rely primarily on abstinence-only teachings. The study, released Tuesday, appears in the new issue of Public Health Reports.
The study, examining how sexual behavior before marriage has changed over time, was based on interviews conducted with more than 38,000 people -- about 33,000 of them women -- in 1982, 1988, 1995 and 2002 for the federal National Survey of Family Growth. According to Finer's analysis, 99 percent of the respondents had had sex by age 44, and 95 percent had done so before marriage.
Even among a subgroup of those who abstained from sex until at least age 20, four-fifths had had premarital sex by age 44, the study found.

I realize that I am one of those the study would say is "in the minority" and probably deluded, but I find this study hard to believe. Of course, we don't know what they define as "sex" or where the pool of respondents came from. I am sure this will be a major point of discussion in the blogsphere over the next few weeks.

First FULL Transformers Movie Trailer is Online

Here it is I am looking forward to a higher quality version on Apple.Com soon.

Stewardess's Bible Banned on Saudi Flights

This is definitely a hard case. A woman working for BMI - a western airline - is being banned from bringing her bible on flights which touch down in Saudi Arabia due to local law there.

A spokesman from the airline said: "We issue advice to all our staff and passengers that these are the guidelines.
"She is saying she wants to carry her bible with her. We are saying we can't start designing rules around individuals when we've got several hundred members of staff. To take every personal preference into account would be impossible."
On its web site the Foreign Office says of Saudi Arabia: "The importation and use of narcotics, alcohol, pork products and religious books, apart from the Koran, and artefacts are forbidden."
BMI said it offered the stewardess the opportunity to transfer from long-haul duties to short-haul, but she refused.

It is always a balancing act between the laws of a home country, and the laws of a host country. But it seems like there should be a more logical middle ground here!

Who says propoganda can't hurt?

Is the US at a financial crisis?

This blog posting is typical of those appearing on the web today, after a financial report was released yesterday.

Despite improvement in both the fiscal year 2006 reported net operating cost and the cash-based budget deficit, the U.S. government’s total reported liabilities, net social insurance commitments, and other fiscal exposures continue to grow and now total approximately $50 trillion, representing approximately four times the Nation’s total output (GDP) in fiscal year 2006, up from about $20 trillion, or two times GDP in fiscal year 2000....Given these and other factors, it seems clear that the nation’s current fiscal path is unsustainable and that tough choices by the President and the Congress are necessary in order to address the nation’s large and growing long-term fiscal imbalance.

I'd like to hear from a real economist or at least money guy on this. Is this the iceberg that people have been predicting for government expenditures, or is this something else? Do we need another Ross Perot to wake us up to the horrors of deficit spending?

Stationary Movies

This is a little creepy, but also somewhat fun. I could only get 8 out of 20 of these, but Viking appears to be betting even poor players will have a sudden urge to buy Sticky Notes.

Looking for a Snow-Themed Screensaver?

Here in Connecticut, the weather has been unseasonably warm and the odds of a White (as in snowy) Christmas are falling rapidly. While this is probably a good thing for those travelling for the holidays, it leaves ice-lovers like myself a little depressed. Well, if you would like to get some snow on your Mac desktop at least check this one out. Allegedly, it is the same screensaver being used in the Apple Stores now. I just know it works on both my PPC and Intel Macs, and is beautiful!

A Cure for Diabetes?

This could be the most exciting news in medicine in a decade. Researches managed to actually cure Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes in mice with a single injection. Essentially, the theory they were testing was that diabetes was caused by a chronic inflammation of the pancreas (which produces the hormones that break down sugars properly). The pancreas was injected with a powerful anti-inflammatory, and by the next day the mice showed normal levels of insulin! For at least some of the mice, the effects from a single injection lasted 4 months!

My family has a history of diabetes, including many people who are currently dependent on daily injections of insulin to keep them from crisis. The idea of a 4 injections a year to lead to "normal" lives is huge. Plus, they may avoid the blindness, limb numbness, and lost extremities.

Sniper - iPhoto Style Interface for Flickr

Wish that your Flickr Photostream was a little more like iPhoto? Check out Sniper! It is still in Beta but is a nice interface and a great way to get photos from Flickr to iPhoto in case you did any uploads that bypassed Apple's tool (i.e. from a cameraphone or work computer).

Jedi Trainer Game

This is a very fun Star Wars-themed game. Basically, you take the part of Luke in the Millenium Falcon, training with the robot remote and a light saber.

AudioGlue - Searching for Similar Musical Artists

AudioGlue is an interesting new Flash tool for finding bands that you may not have known about. You search for a first band, and then can expand to see what other bands are similar in sound and/or content. I used it with Caedmon's Call, and the results were pretty good. I did not find any bands I did not know about yet, but I only went a few layers deep. Definitely worth checking out for those looking to fill their iPod further.

Shrek the Third Trailer

Check it out. Overall looks fun, but forgettable. But I really enjoyed the Pinnochio scene.

Wind Storm Pictures

windtree03
Originally uploaded by anthropos9.

You may have heard that there was a pretty big wind storm in the northwest on Thursday night. I went out and took some pictures for my job and I'm sharing them with you here. We were fortunate enough to only lose power for a short time and cable, but others were not so fortunate and will be without power for perhaps the entire weekend.

You are here --> *

Ever wonder how close your favorite websites are on the internet? Well, this site is a fun way to check that out. It maps any IP Adress or Domain Name (i.e. blogger.com) to its placement in the internet. You can check out Mod-Blog's spot here.

Just Watching This Video Relaxes Me

CNN: Political Christianity is not acceptable

This article is one of the more disingenuous articles I have read of late. In it, CNN's editors argue that political Christianity is diametrically opposed to the message of Christ.

While the current state of Christianity might seem normal and business-as-usual to some, most see through the judgment and hypocrisy that has permeated the church for so long. People witness this and say to themselves, "Why would I want to be a part of that?" They are turned off by Christians and eventually, to Christianity altogether...

So when did the focus of Christianity shift from the unconditional love and acceptance preached by Christ to the hate and condemnation spewed forth by certain groups today? ...Regardless of the origin, one thing is crystal clear: It's not what Jesus stood for.

His parables and lessons were focused on love and forgiveness, a message of "come as you are, not as you should be." The bulk of his time was spent preaching about helping the poor and those who are unable to help themselves. At the very least, Christians should be counted on to lend a helping hand to the poor and others in need.

This brings us to the big issues of American Christianity: Abortion and gay marriage. These two highly debatable topics will not be going away anytime soon. Obviously, the discussion centers around whether they are right or wrong, but is the screaming really necessary? After years of witnessing the dark side of religion, Marc and I think not.

There are a few things right and a lot of things problematic with this argument, which I would distill down to: "Christians should shut up and help the poor, and otherwise get out of the way, because that is what Jesus did."

The right: Modern American Christians think more about themselves than the poor. We are more likely to spend a $2000 windfall on a new MacBook than we are to give it to a person in need. We have allowed ourselves to often become more defined by a political party (Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent) than by Christ. Likewise, we need to understand that the worst of the name-callers who call themselves Christian, are not doing the right thing. I think of the church sending anti-gay protesters to the funerals of fallen soldiers. That is not Christ. Period.

The wrong: The idea that Jesus was a mamby-pamby individual who loved without ever shouting, or that he was unconnected with the politics of his time, is simply wrong. The same Jesus who said "He who is without Sin should cast the first stone" (a political statement at the time, regarding the authority for capital punishment not being with the mob) is the one who overturned the tables in the temple and who called the Pharisees "you brood of vipers." Sometimes a point can not be made without harsh words or a harsh tone. And the idea that Christians should be divorced from all political discourse is foolish and contrary to Biblical sources and traditions.

So, CNN, let's just say what actually makes sense. Lets everyone calm down and try to tone down the rhetoric. Christians are no more culpable for this than other groups. But Christians, let us also not be afraid to confront the over-reactors and the unreasonable ones within our own ranks as well. There is a body of Christ, and sometimes a passionate speaker is intended to be an internal organ stirring us to think, and not our mouth - the voice that the outside world hears and thinks speaks for us all.

Someone's been letting young ones listen to the new Weird Al album

FlickrBooth

One of the features of my new MacBook 13" that I do not like is the integrated iSight, because I feel like someone could use it to spy on me. Still, I am trying to enjoy it as I can. And this little application may help. FlickrBooth is a plugin for Photo Booth (Apple's iSight novelty app to take pictures) that allows uploads to one-click uploads to Flickr. Very cool!

Circumcision cuts risk of HIV infection in half?

I find this new report to be quite interesting. I hesitate to draw any conclusions from this study, but it makes one wonder if the old Jewish rite was more than just a sign of obedience.

Circumcising men cuts their risk of being infected with the AIDS virus in half, and could prevent hundreds of thousands or even millions of new infections, researchers said on Wednesday.

Circumcising men worked so well that the researchers stopped two large clinical trials in Kenya and Uganda to announce the results, although they cautioned that the procedure does not make men immune to the virus.

"It does have the potential to prevent many tens of thousands, many hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of infections over coming years," Dr. Kevin De Cock, director of the World Health Organization's Department of HIV/AIDS, told reporters.

Of course, nothing cuts the risk of AIDS like abstinence. Let us not forget that, either.

The Return of Futurama

The last time this news came out it turns out to be a hoax, but this time it seems more serious. It appears Futurama is returning to the air!

It’s the good news everyone has been waiting for! A new season of "Futurama"—the brilliant, animated sci-fi comedy from "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening and executive producer David X. Cohen—is finally being produced for a 2008 release.

It’s still not determined whether the new episodes will debut on Comedy Central or DVD, but we’re too excited to care! We pinned down Cohen to get the skinny on what we can expect when "Futurama" reawakens from its cryo-sleep.

I am reserving judgement, but genuinely hope it is true. I miss a real reason to laugh each week. The Simpsons just isn't guaranteed anymore.

Incoming House Intelligence Chief Fails Test

This one pretty much speaks for itself. Makes one wonder how long the Democrats will be able to hold Congress.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes of Texas, who incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tapped to head the Intelligence Committee when the Democrats take over in January, failed a quiz of basic questions about al Qaeda and Hezbollah, two of the key terrorist organizations the intelligence community has focused on since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
When asked by CQ National Security Editor Jeff Stein whether al Qaeda is one or the other of the two major branches of Islam -- Sunni or Shiite -- Reyes answered "they are probably both," then ventured "Predominantly -- probably Shiite."
That is wrong. Al Qaeda was founded by Osama bin Laden as a Sunni organization and views Shiites as heretics.

Methinks perhaps there is a little hubris beginning to form amongst the incoming Congresspeople.

NBA Returns to Leather Ball

I was not aware this was a controversy, but apparently the NBA has switched to a carbon-fiber composite bal this year. Players were hating it, and complaining of cut fingers. Now, The NBA has decided to switch back to the classic leather ball in response to play concerns. This despite stats that scoring, speed of play, and turnovers were increasing with the new equipment. Proof, perhaps, that change for its own sake, is not always positive.

Truthiness wins word of the year.

A word "Truthiness" made up by Stephen Colbert won the Webster word of the year. Follow this link to find out more information including what it means.

BJs Gas

BJs Gas
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Vocabulary Fun!

I love learning new and obscure words. Let the obscurity commence!

21. OPHRYON
The space between the eyebrows on a line with the top of the eye sockets.

22. PEEN
The end of a hammer head opposite the striking face.

23. PHOSPHENES
The lights you see when you close your eyes hard. Technically the luminous impressions are due to the excitation of the retina caused by pressure on the eyeball.

24. PURLICUE
The space between the thumb and extended forefinger.

25. RASCETA
Creases on the inside of the wrist.

26. ROWEL
The revolving star on the back of a cowboy's spurs.

How do I know who is on my Airport Express network?

I have the dubiious honor of having a still unsecured 802.11b/g network in our house, because a few of our less-well-designed wireless tools (*cough* Palm PDA *cough*) can't deal with a password. Well, the number of other wireles networks around our house has grown from 1 to 5 in the last month or so, so I figured it was time to check who was surfing on our network to see if it was time to start securing it regularly. Well, it turns out the Apple Airport Utility has no such tool. They trust if you want to know who is on your network, you can ask around and people will fess up. Sigh. The cheapo linksys router I bought to use when travelling has such a tool, so why not Apple's much-touted Airport line of wireless networking hardware?!

Well, it turns out they do, actually. It is buried deep in the Airport Suport docs, but if you click here you can download a tool that will monitor your network. Use the Airport Management Utility, and click on the MONITOR tab to see. It stil ain't perfect - it just gives you MAC (as in network, not as in Macintosh) addresses, instead of computer names - but you expect to see 1 connection and you see 7, you can be pretty sure someone else is stealing your bandwidth.

A cure for insomnia?

Are computers killing our souls?

This article provides an interesting question, are computers killing our souls? By soul I don't mean that which is often confused with our spirit - the supernatural aspect of every human. Instead I mean the essence of who we are - the connecting glue between our physical, mental AND spiritual selves. I think the author has some interesting points. As someone who's livelihood is dependent upon computers I can see how someone would come to the conclusions the author does. Personally, I have to take one day a week where I don't interact with a computer (by that I mean a laptop or desktop - I know TVs and DVD players have computers in them), instead I take walks, watch movies, read. I find that these days always leave me more refreshed than the days where I interact with computers a lot. I feel more alive. Perhaps computers are killing us softly, but seeing I need to work I'll have to deal with that chance.

Aren't the Zunes more likely to do this?

FireFly Online

Although I'm probably the one who is the least qualified to discuss this, having never seen the show, I figured other Mod-Bloggers would be interested. There is talk of a MMORPG based on FireFly. The article makes it sound as though this will help grow the FireFly universe for fans, but my guess is that, at least for the Mod-Blog crowd, it will not be a good replacement to the TV show.

This is TOO funny

What if marketing consultants redesigned national flags? Find out!

Don't Flush the Fish

I just don't think I could use this toilet... I think it would just weird me out way too much.

Do Princesses Pass Gas?

Following up on yesterday's "visible fart" post, we have another gas-related story. This time we have an unaired clip from the Mythbusters in which they test the myth "Do pretty girls pass gas?" If this does not wind up as the #1 feature on an eventual "Special Edition" DVD set, someone is missing the boat.

Usual warning: This is a video link. Do not open at work unless your workrules allow it AND you have headphones so you do not bother co-workers. Unless of course you want to entertain them, as well.

I have to admit I have wondered about this from time to time...

No More Daily FoxTrot

FoxTrot, the comic by Bill Amend has been a daily part of my life for a few years now. We have many of the books as well as being daily visitors to his website. Now, it appears that Mr. Amend has decided to cease daily comics and only publish a weekly Sunday comic. This is a major disappointent to me, and I am not yet sure how to feel about it. But I a distinctly not happy.

Gas at Mobil

Gas at Mobil
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Again the warning light came on too far from BJs to reaach there.

Mac Cure for the DOCX Blues

The newest version of Microsoft Word is now out in the wild and producing a new file format: DOCX. It is a hybrid of the old Word format and XML (a universal standard for storing data). The problem? It is 100% incompatible with all current Mac applications. The Microsoft MacBU promises a translation utility by April or March of next year, and the new Microsoft Office for Mac is due out for Christmas next year which will resolve the issue entirely. i.e. We have at least 4 to 6 months of Mac users being locked out of Microsoft Office. (Likely a "so there" from Mr Gates for having released iWork as a competitor.)

Well, enterprising Mac users are now coming up with solutions, like this one which uses a hybrid of Mac's built-in ZIP file handling ability and the build-in PHP. This particular fix is so easy, it is only a matter of time until there is an online utility to make it work.

Still, thanks a lot Microsoft. Will you ever remember your decisions should be driven by what users want instead of what your competitors last did?

In the ongoing quest to get EVERYTHING on camera...

To pass gas. To break wind. To cut one. To cut the cheese. To fart. To let her rip. To rip one. Better out than in. However you say it, it is a bodily function both disgusting (to others) and satisfying (to ourselves). And now, someone has managed to catch one on "film" with an infra-red video camera.

Far less dramatic than I would have expected, but I imagine more dramatic for those walking by or with smell-o-vision. Bowhunter, I am wondering if perhaps you assisted in this experiment.

Ever wonder why we love dogs?

An elderly couple in upstate New York were saved by their pet dog when they were caught outside during a freak snow storm near Buffalo New York. The couple, both 81 year old, were outside to attend to some injured birds in their yard when the snow intensified and trees fell. Their dog dug a tunnel almost 20 feet long and then came back and got his owners and helped drag them through the tunnel.

Is there any doubt that dogs are better than cats?

Effective Crowd Control

Wired News describes it as the "Goodbye Weapon". The military has developed a non-lethal beam weapon that has been certified for use in Iraq. It creates a burning sensation in which "most subjects reached their pain threshold within 3 seconds, and none of the subjects could endure more than 5 seconds." Any damage, even to the eyes (which rarely happened in tests - even monkeys under anesthesia blinked), is healed in 24 hours.

R U Serious? Rutgers to play 7-5 team in Texas Bowl

Not many people probably noticed, but Rutgers football team is going to play in the Texas Bowl a few days before New Years. And this team that was undefeated late into their season and would have played in a major BCS bowl had they won their last game are playing...Kansas State. Now, I have a good friend who graduated from Kansas State and have nothing against them, but how does the 16th ranked team in the country play a team that is 7-5 for its bowl game?

What's actually worse for Rutgers is this game isn't even being broadcast by a major television network. It will be broadcast on the NFL network which is only available on cable. So Rutgers doesn't even get the added bonus of helping its nationwide recruiting by playing on national TV.

Send a Soldier Silly String

What does the most technologically equipped military in the world use to save lives from trip wire bombs? Silly String! As reported on Wired, some are starting an effort to ship silly string in care packages over to soldiers in Iraq.

Space Food Upgrade

I remember being in middle school and eating "space ice cream" - the ice cream astronauts eat. I know some people liked it but I thought it was pretty disgusting. Well, no more of that - at least for a couple meals. Rachael Ray, the celebrity chef - has been tapped by NASA to create a few of the meals the astronauts will be eating on their next meal. I guess some of the smartest people in the world doing some of the most dangerous work anywhere deserve a good meal now and then.

Looking for a Digital SLR for Christmas

This article provides some useful tips. I can't help smiling that his #1 recommendation is the Canon Digital Rebel XT, which is the camera I shoot mostly with. Of course, he also makes the VERY important point that in the SLR world it is not just the camera but also the lens you pair it with which is critical to great pictures.

I want this flashlight!

I always tell my mother that a cool flashlight is always a good gift for a guy. This may be the coolest (or is that HOTTEST) flashlight I have ever seen. Not exactly safe, but you'd feel like a super hero with that thing on your utility belt.

With great incandescence comes great responsibility.

Waterboarding - The Debate, Part 2

The wikipedia article that BowHunter posted contains a definition of waterboarding that seems in line with other authorities on the web. (Yes, I am too lazy to go out and look up the precise legal or procedural definition.) I think a reasonable summary of it would be?

Waterboarding is a technique where a subject is made to believe s/he is drowning, while attempting to hold back from inflicting actual permanent damage and death upon the subject. This technique has been used both as a method of applying psychological pressure for interrogation and as a method of torture to humiliate and break the psyche of prisoners. The technique has been called horrific by most who have been subjected to it, and can lead to brain damage or worse depending on how it is applied and the health of the subject.

This practice is something I hope to never have cause to see or hear about in my daily life.

The other thing we need defined for this discussion to really begin, is "torture" vs "psychological pressure." Dictionary.Com defines torure as "the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty." "Psychological Pressure" is harder to define, but the common man's view of it might be "the act of inflicting low-level suffering upon an individual to impel them to an action."

Under these definitions, "psychological pressure" might be a good-cop-bad-cop interrogation of a suspect, or sending a child to stand in the corner to keep him/her from bothering their neighbors. "Torture", on the other hand, might be removing the fingernails of a subject or burning them with hot irons in order to extract a confession.

However, it becomes obvious very quickly that these two definitions are not two different things, but simply positions along a spectrum. Standing in the corner is "pressure", standing in the corner even when one needs to use the bathroom is painful, standing in the corner when one needs to use the bathroom and is hungry and is exhausted is extreme, standing in the corner with all the previous conditions plus an open wound is cruel, standing in the corner for days without sleep or relief is torture, standing in the corner without sleep, food, or relief for long enough is a death sentence.

This leaves us with two real questions that need answering for this discussion:
1. Where along the spectrum does "pressure" become "torture"?
2. In which part of the spectrum does Waterboarding lie?

(I know this is going slow. Stick with me, we're almost to the meat of it.)