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Planet Dave! Monday, August 23, 2004
It turns out that intelligence actually IS important for a President
I got this from Wil. It pretty much depicts Bush as, at worst, stupid, at best, uninterested in learning the facts. There's really nothing in there I didn't already know, but it made me mad again anyway. I can't for the life of me figure out why his approval rating is so high.
Dubbya States His Intentions
Wil sent me this article about the signing of a new defense bill. Wil pointed out a quote from Dubbya himself, "They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." Well, at least now we know it's intentional.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
The Coriolis Effect is Cool!
My favorite force in physics is the Coriolis force. (Ok, it's not really a force. It's another effect of inertia. But it's still cool.) This article over at Science @ NASA talks about how space ships of the future will probably create artificial gravity with rotating sections. It then goes on to discuss human adaptation to an environment with a noticeable Coriolis effect. I actually had a dream once that I was in a rotating section on a space ship. I was sitting on the floor and when I tried to stand up, I didn't compensate for the Coriolis effect, and it knocked me down. (It was a small rotating section.) I'm going to neglect my educational duties here, and I'm not going to go into a long drawn out explanation of the Coriolis effect. (I'm tired, I'm going to bed.) But if you get a few beers in me, I'll tell you in as much detail as you want. (Probably more.)
Department of Vague Paranoia
Terrorism fear isn't just a way of life here in America. It's the same way in the UK. But lucky for us both, they have a web site with some helpful advice for preparing one's self for a terrorist attack. There's lots of good stuff in there like, "Reduce fire hazards in your home. Children are the worst fire hazards; consider giving them up for adoption."
TV Sucks
What happens when a guy who doesn't own a TV subjects himself to a full day of it? (For scientific purposes, of course.) Pretty much what you'd expect. (This is why I don't watch TV. That, and my attention span isn't long enough to get me through a comercial break.)
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Hummer Rescued by 20 Year Old Jeep
The setting: some sort of Jeep rally or party or something. I'm not really sure what it was, but the important thing to remember is that driving there in something other than a jeep is frowned upon. So what happens when a guy drives in with a brand new Hummer H2 and gets it stuck on a stump right next to the parking lot? Why, he's pulled free by a 1982 Jeep Scrambler, that's what. Man, I've wanted a Jeep ever since high school. I'll have to schedule that for my mid-life crisis.
Child's Play
Got this from Jamie. It's about what happens when you take a bunch of 9 to 12 year olds, and give them video games from when I was that age. Kids today. No respect for history.
Monday, August 16, 2004
Bush Administration Puts Free Speech at a Safe Distance
I'm getting a little tired of seeing the current administration wipe its ass with the Constitution of the United States. Do a Google search for "free speech zone" and you'll see what I mean. I like Wired's title, "Free Speech Behind the Razor Wire." I used to think that the Bush administration isn't evil, just inept. But I'm starting to wonder. A little too much manipulation of the public via Nazi methods.
What the heck is a First Cousin, Twice Removed?
We had a family reunion a while back. I come from a big family, and I'm easily confused. So this page helped tremendously. I'm still not quite sure I've got it, but I'm closer.
Bill O'Reilly Adds Slander to Resume
At least according to Lawrence Lessig. (Found this at BoingBoing.)
Friday, August 13, 2004
American Olympic Coverage Sucks
The opening ceremonies are over, and the Olympics are officially underway! And holding with a tradition that goes as far back as I can remember, I spent the opening ceremonies wondering why American television needs sports commentators yammering through the whole thing. Just once, I'd like to see an American broadcast of an opening or closing Olympic ceremony with musical performances devoid of endless inane chatter. Why don't they use golf commentators? Or maybe outsource to England and get some cricket commentators. Someone with the sense to know when their voice is detracting from the event, not adding. I forgot to keep track, but between Scot, Teresa, and myself, the "Shut up, Bob" count was well over a dozen. (I'll keep a tally during the closing ceremonies.) I fondly remember my days living closer to Ann Arbor, where I could get Canadian Olympic coverage. Unfortunately, here at the Hacienda, we're condemned to NBC. Tomorrow I'll do some searching for some non-American web coverage of the games. I'll post what I find out. Go USA!
Thursday, August 12, 2004
The Houston Airport Rangers
There's an interesting article over at the Register. Quoth, "Want to help fight terrorism? Want to be able to stop and detain suspicious characters? Or do you just want to ride your horse on ten miles of trails normally closed to the public? Then you might want to join the George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) Airport Rangers program. That's right. Just fill out a form and undergo a background check, and you too can become a front-line fighter as Houston's airport tries to keep our nation safe and secure. No experience necessary. You don't even have to be a US citizen." Well. I feel safer already.
The Future of Surveillance
Boing Boing pointed me towards a funny little video of the possible future of pizza delivery. Yay Big Brother.
More on the Hysterical Skies
Remember the thing on the Hysterical Skies I posted a while back? It hit Snopes as a full blown Urban Legend. Some people.
Jews Evaded Nazis by Living in Cave for Nearly 2 Years
The National Geographic has a story about a cave near Korolówka in the Ukraine where a group of Jews hid from the Nazis. Pretty incredible stuff.
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
It's Not Pirates Who Are Cheating Game Developers Out of Their Money
According to one of the makers of Galactic Civilizations, it's publishers. That's a good game, by the way. Brad got it for me. Similar to Civ, it's a turn based stradegy. The gist of this guy's rant is similar to what we hear from singers. The publishers want to wage war against the consumers because of a few pirates, then cheat the actual craftsmen out of their royalties. Incidently, you can bypass the publishers and buy games directly from TotalGaming.com. Stardock (makers of Galactic Civ) has some really cool stuff for download on their web site, freeware as well as retail.
Blogging a Ride on the 'Vomit Comet'
A group of students from Duke managed to score a flight on NASA's Vomit Comet. According to /., they're studying "the effects of microgravity on the shapes of cells and the positions of their organelles, such as the nucleus." Well, their trip has been immortalized in blog form, complete with pics and videos.
Apollo 11 Photographs Digitized
From /., "NASA has pulled another set of photographs, this time of Apollo 11's trip, out of the freezer and digitized them." The poster goes on to point out a couple favorites, including a classic and one I've never seen, a kick ass view of the Earth over the LEM.
FAA Approves Sport Pilot License
I saw over at /. that the FAA has created a new pilot's license. I haven't gone over the details yet, but the idea is that it's much easier and cheaper to get a Sport Pilot License, and the planes that fall under that category will be much cheaper. (On the order of $30k. I may have to start saving my nickels and dimes.) Here's the story at the AOPA, and at the FAA. And here's an overview.