Largest Movie Monsters

Ever wanted to know where your favorite movie monster ranks in size? NPR put up this graphic that shows that although Star Wars may be our favorite movie series, the mighty Rancor is still smaller than a Marshmellow Man.

Ouch. Sadly true over the last 2 years.

All too true!

Is that you, Cap?

British student invents solar-powered fridge

Never let it be said that an Ivy League education is the only element to success. Consider a British student, who was refused a place in an engineering course at her college for lack of qualifications has invented a cheap, reliable, electricity-free refrigerator for the Third World, which is being eagerly embraced in Africa.

Is this the long-rumored Playstation Phone?

Engadget claims it is. I am interested to see how a game-oriented phone fares in the iPhone/Android/Windows 7 Phone/WebOS war. Nokia's NGage did not last long on the market.

Anti-Outsourcing Bill Dies

Yes, I know it is a transparent attempt to manufacture an issue right before a hostile election, but... why exactly is it a bad idea to pass a bill to limit outsourcing? After all, in an economy with millions unable to find work and thousands having given up on even looking for work, don't we want to encourage companies to keep jobs in America?

The bill included a payroll tax holiday for companies that bring jobs back from overseas, ended tax breaks for plants that shut down to go elsewhere, and blocked companies from deferring their tax bill year to year by keeping money out of the U.S.

I have no doubt that overseas workers can do good work. But this seems to be one of those rare cases where a little protectionism might go a long way.

NEVER thought I'd see this on my iPad. (It is NOT jail broken!)

NEVER thought I'd see this on my iPad. (It is NOT jail broken!)
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Will Republicans be a "minor party" in Colorado?

Sometimes a bad candidate is just a bad candidate. But sometimes, it can be deadly to the future of a political party. Colorado may be teaching a hard and costly lesson.

But if Maes fails to get 10 percent of the vote on election day, his legacy won't be the U.N. bike plot warning or the tall tale of working undercover as a cop in Kansas. It will be leaving Republicans with minor party status in Colorado until 2014.

After weeks of declines in the polls, the TPM Poll Average now shows Maes coming in at 9.3%.

As The Denver Post reported back in September, minor party status means that Republicans wouldn't appear at the top of the ballot with the Democrats in 2012 and 2014. Instead, they'll be listed down with the Libertarian, Green Party and other third-party candidates.

On the upside, it would be a golden opportunity for the Constitution Party whose candidate, Tom Tancredo, could give then Major Party status.

Come one, come all!

Red in the trees.

Red in the trees.
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Texas Republican candidate talks violent overthrow

Emotions are running high as we come into the final days of the 2010 election. Tea Party candidates are passionate, and Democratic candidates are desperate. So it is perhaps not surprising that extreme statements are made. But it is shocking to hear of one Texas congressional candidate openly discussing the violent overthrow of government, if the 2010 elections do not bring about change.

In the interview, Brad Watson, political reporter for WFAA-TV (Channel 8), asked Broden about a tea party event last year in Fort Worth in which he described the nation's government as tyrannical.

"We have a constitutional remedy," Broden said then. "And the Framers say if that don't work, revolution."

Watson asked if his definition of revolution included violent overthrow of the government. In a prolonged back-and-forth, Broden at first declined to explicitly address insurrection, saying the first way to deal with a repressive government is to "alter it or abolish it."

"If the government is not producing the results or has become destructive to the ends of our liberties, we have a right to get rid of that government and to get rid of it by any means necessary," Broden said, adding the nation was founded on a violent revolt against Britain's King George III.

Passion in political debate is no vice, but reasonableness is a virtue! The Founding Fathers turned to violence only AFTER trying every other possible remedy. It was only two years ago that Republicans controlled the Federal government. We have plenty of remedies left. (And "losing a valid election" is NOT evidence of tyranny.)

Found online and posted without further comment

Pentagon wined and dined the Enemy

It was hard to tell friend from foe in the dark days following 9/11/2001. America's illusion of invulnerability was shattered, and we were desperate to prosecute the attackers while simultaneously reaching out to moderate Muslims. It appears in the rush to reach out, the Pentagon may have invited in the man who is now at the top of the CIA's kill-or-capture list for dinner. And it appears that if they had only asked the CIA at the time, they'd have known it was a bad idea.

Awlaki "was considered to be an 'up and coming' member of the Islamic community. After her vetting, Aulaqi (Awlaki) was invited to and attended a luncheon at the Pentagon in the secretary of the Army's Office of Government Counsel."

Awlaki, a Yemeni-American who was born in Las Cruces, N.M., was interviewed at least four times by the FBI in the first week after the attacks because of his ties to the three hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi, Khalid al-Mihdhar and Hani Hanjour. The three hijackers were all onboard Flight 77 that slammed into the Pentagon.

Awlaki is now believed to be hiding in Yemen after he was linked to the alleged Ft. Hood shooter Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who e-mailed Awlaki prior to the attack.

Yet more evidence that our issue is not knowing our enemy, but that the various branches of the military, intelligence, and law enforcement disciplines are unwilling or unable to share information. And there is little evidence that the DHS has helped much.

PA Democrat admits sponsoring Tea Party spoiler

CRChair had previously brought to our attention a scheme by NJ Democrats to split the Connservative vote by getting a fake Tea Party Candidate onto the ballot. Now, a Pennsylvania Democrat has admitted doing the same. It is a sign of the depth of the Democratic Party's panic over their fortunes on November 2, that their only hope is to provide more Conservative alternatives.

Bryan Lentz, the Democratic nominee running for the seat being vacated by Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), said he knew that volunteers from his campaign helped Tea Party candidate Jim Schneller.

"If somebody's already made the decision to run, I didn't think that 'helping' with the process of signature petitions was improper," Lentz told told the Delaware County Daily Times editorial board in an interview.

Lentz said he could not remember when he learned of his volunteers' work on behalf of Schneller, but he said, "I didn't think it was a bad thing for the process or for my candidacy."

Why does this remind me of Nokia?

New England Foliage

I am home sick today, and not up to any in-depth political or technophile analysis. Instead, here are some photos of the Autumn foliage surrounding us up here in New England.

German businessman bypasses incandescent bulb ban

California has banned incandescent bulbs in an attempt to force consumers toward more energy-efficient alternatives like CFL or LED bulbs. Europe has done the same, but one business found a way around the ban by embracing the inefficiency of the bulbs and reclassifying them from "light sources" to "heat sources".

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101015/od_nm/us_germany_heatballs

This is why regulating for non-criminal behavior is a losing game. A smart human will always find a way around the law if they are motivated enough, and there is no moral component to hold them back.

Voters voting against Health Care Reform Bill

Wondering how the Democratic Health Reform Bill is being judged by voters? Nearly everyone who switched sides to get it passed is seeing themselves anywhere from "at risk" to "no hope of victory".

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Dems-find-careers-threatened-by-Obamacare-votes-1228371-105059824.html

Found online and posted without further comment

Check the forecast in Hades...

...it just may be snowing. Verizon has announced they will be selling iPads! The trick is they'll be Wifi iPads bundled with Verizon Mifis. A very cool idea, and likely a hot seller for Christmas.

http://www.9to5mac.com/30465/verizon-gets-ipad-october-28th?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+9To5Mac-MacAllDay+%289+to+5+Mac+-+Apple+Intelligence%29

Are any Mod-Bloggers tempted?

So Happy Together

A friends baby and cat share a nap.

Data points on Gay vs Straight

The debate over homosexual marriage is full of stereotypes and assumptions on both sides. While I do not support the legalization of homosexual marriage, I understand the desire for recognition and "normalization" of this lifestyle by those in that community. It is refreshing to see one site attempting to use their data to bring us new insights on the debate. Clearly, the writer had a pro-gay-marriage axe to grind, but that does not mean that the data gathered is not worth considering. One of the keys to being a moderate is listening to both sides of the debate, and making your own choices.

Obviously, click this link with caution. This is a family-friendly blog, and some of the content there may be disturbing to those with a sensitive disposition.

101 Years Can't Come Soon Enough

A woman in Texas has waited 101 years, but this week she will finally become a US Citizen. The woman was carried across the US-Mexico border in 1909 by her mother when she was an infant. Back then, there were few border crossing rules and even fewer people to enforce the. She has lived and worked in Texas since that that time and has been married and widowed twice. No she will finally have the opportunity to make her citizenship official.

10/10/10 = The Answer to Life, The Universe, and Everything

Gotta love the fact that an arbitrary date which happens to look significant becomes a tribute to Douglas Adams. Rest in peace, DNA.

If you pop open your calculator, put it into Programmer mode, click the Binary button, and then type in 101010, you’ll see that flipping to Decimal mode shows you 42 instead.

I could use a ninja hug

Congresses passes (and Obama vetoes) bill no one wanted

If you're looking for a perfect example of how dysfunctional the current Congress is, consider this story. A well-meaning bill to enhance interstate commerce was passed without debate, and almost unanimously. Only problem? It also would make fraudulent foreclosures MUCH easier, just at the moment we are learning many of the major banks ignored regulations.

Democrats were trying to figure out Thursday how they allowed a bill to pass that critics say would introduce more fraud into the system, a Pelosi staff member said. It was sponsored by Rep. Robert B. Aderholt (R-Ala.), the first measure he sponsored that passed.

Even he was surprised that it passed, his spokesman said.

Might I be so bold as to suggest the current practice of congresspeople voting on bills without reading them might be the cause?

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) said in a statement that his office heard no objections from inside or outside the Senate and even asked the Justice Department to review the language. His committee then approved the bill and it passed by unanimous consent after every Senate office was notified.

Yet another example of how our "professional politicians" are anything but acting professionally in this Congress.

NJ Democrats Work to Get a Tea Party Candidate on the Ballot

Democrats in South-Western New Jersey have done what some would consider the unthinkable. They actively worked to get a "Tea Party" candidate on the ballot in their congressional district. Of course, the candidate Peter DeStefano is not actually affiliated with any of the major Tea Party groups from around the country. None the less, he will be on the ballot in November running under the party tag of NJ Tea Party. The Democrats ran the numbers and decided that a generic "Tea Party" candidate was likely to draw around 5% from the Republican's vote total. Currently, Rep. John Adler is in a tight race with Republican Jon Runyan. There has been no admission of any knowledge from Rep. Adler yet, but many well known and well connected Democrats from the district have their names on the petition to have Peter DeStefano on the ballot and in New Jersey by signing that type of petition you are pledging your support for that candidate. Perhaps the worst looking part of the story in the Courier-Port is the following.
"Regional Tea Party groups said they'd never heard of DeStefano until the Adler campaign released partial results of an internal poll last summer that indicated DeStefano might be a viable third-party challenger. In July and August, DeStefano agreed several times to be interviewed by the Courier-Post and either canceled at the last minute or never showed up."

A candidate who blows off his local papers when running for national office is either foolish, paranoid, or has something to hide.

Republican vs Democratic Strategies

From Political Grafiti.

As scary as it is funny

Monkey Wars: A New Hope

There is something to be said for an all-natural solution to an human-created problem. In India, human feeding of wild monkeys has lead to a plague of macaques breaking into houses to steal food. So entrepreneurs have taken to the streets with a unique security force to drive them off - MORE MONKEYS.

But Chotu and his gang are a special force trained to put a stop to any monkeying around near the stadiums. Chotu, Pinki and Mangu are langur monkeys.

Their trainers said each one has the ability to scare off 50 potential attackers -- namely the wild smaller macaque monkeys that roam the streets and buildings of Delhi.
The wild monkeys are known for some naughty habits...

"They bite, they charge, sometimes they bite people's ears. That's why we have to use langurs," langur trainer Promod Kumar said.

The strangest part of this strange article is "animal rights activists" who question the use of monkeys as workers. Are they afraid they'll refuse to join the union?

Congrats to Phillies Pitcher Roy Halladay!

Today, Roy Halladay made history by pitching only the second no-hitter in baseball playoff history! Here's hoping this is only the start of a historic post-season for both my favorite team, and all fans everywhere.

Facebook app shares ALL your Phone Numbers?

It is clear now that the "privacy problems" are not merely bugs, but actually endemic to their corporate culture. A new report shows Facebook's iPhone app can share all of the numbers in your address book in a public space or user consent. To protect yourself, simply (1) never add your phone number to your Facebook profile and (2) don't sync your iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad address book to Facebook.

The Guardian's Charles Arthur reports that Facebook's Contact Sync feature links your friends' Facebook profile pictures to the contact telephone number in your iPhone address book. The app then pushes these private phone numbers onto Facebook's servers, and publishes them to Facebook's Phonebook app. The Facebook app also appears to share numbers for contacts that you don’t have, but your Facebook friends do. If you are logged onto Facebook, you can see your Phonebook here.

LA Times Half-Hearted Endorsement of Jerry Brown for Governor

The LA Times endorsed Jerry Brown for Governor of California. In what can be described as the lowest enthusiastic endorsement of all time, the LA Times picked Jerry Brown over Meg Whitman. The best line of the article comes in the second paragraph after having talked about what the state needs in its next governor. The Times goes on to say..

"Fate presents the state instead with two candidates who fall well short of our current needs."

Let's hope whoever wins proves the Times wrong and can make some headway toward putting our most populous state back on a solid fiscal track.

Mono...D'oh!!!

A new type of monorail has been invented and made in New Zealand. This new Monorail is powered by a mechanism like a bicycle. The rider is put into a clear pod that has the bicycle pedals in it and pedaling propels you on the track. This could be a great idea for nature preserves and national parks. It is a way to get skyway views while remaining off of the power grid and therefore being "green".