Saturday, September 6, 2008

Wow, Palin through an Alaskan's eyes

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/kilkenny.asp

Look Out IFL! I Am Going to Run the A-11 Offense Tomorrow

Here is my new offense making its debut in the IFL tomorrow.
11 players eligible to get the ball! It's known as the A-11 offense and developed in Piedmont, California. With two potential quarterbacks and up to 10 eligible receivers, this offense dramatically increases the number of options available. According to Scientific American, you have 36 options for who receives the snap and who receives the ball using a standard formation. Using the A-11, there are over 36,000 options!

Here is a preview of what you are up against...



Good luck, IFL!

DIVE IN AND RSVP !!!


It's time to dive in and RSVP if you haven't done so yet.
I did email the ones I haven't heard from yet,
but I found the last time I emailed, there were some that
didn't get it.

If you haven't RSVP'd for our next
get-together, (Sept 20th)
please email me by Wednesday
so I can finish planning and get this party started :)
lizardmom@wi.net
THANKS!!

A 156% tax increase goes to far!

Whether you’re a smoker and non-smoker some of our politicians are out of control.

What’s going to happen if this increase goes in to affect? Will more people quit smoking...sure they will and tax revenue will decline. You know the money grabbers in Washington will not accept that so it will have to be made up elsewhere.

The government has too many windows of opportunities where to get the money from; alcohol, gasoline, property taxes, individual income taxes and list goes on.

You may want to think about this and write your congress representative and urge him/her to vote down this increase. It will eventually affect everyone, smokers and non-smokers alike.

You can do it online line at
“No Means No”".







Kenosha Unified Investment should be prosecuted by U.S. Attorney

Written by John Nordquist and Lisa Loring



It is the position of The Daily Kenoshan that the CDO cloud hanging over our Kenosha public schools be referred to the U.S. Attorney for investigation and prosecution.
From its inception the investment, which has lost $23,000,000 to date, has been cloaked in lies, false characterizations of the nature of the investment, and was illegal under state law.


Documents received by KENOSHA NEWS reporter Gary Kunich show that KUSD board members knew as early as May of 2007 that the investment was in danger, yet despite that knowledge, board and district officials persistently lied to the public by insisting that the investment was sound and safe. Under State law, speculative and risky investments of public money is illegal. The KUSD Board knowingly and incorrectly characterized the investment as "bonds" which would mature in 2112. The investments in no way resemble bonds, but are in fact Credit Default Swaps with no promise of return.


The State Department of Public Instruction warned the KUSD, many months prior to the commitment of public funds, that they must not risk public money in risky investments.


The original advisor guiding the District in the CDO investment characterized it as risky and warned the board accordingly.


In addition to these facts, the relationships and associations of key players in this scheme suggest that the investment was made with no regard to future loss. The same investment firm is also accused of duping Lac du Flambeau of nearly $30 million in risky and failing casino schemes, while the former KUSD Board President has inherited the Troha Kenosha Casino scheme.


The fact that the Board of Education persistently and knowingly lied to the public and to those inquiring about the investment, and even attempted to discredit those asking questions by referring to them as 'troublemakers' makes it painfully clear that without the full weight of the U.S. Attorney's office investigating the matter, the truth would be covered up and responsibility denied. At this time, anyone inquiring from the elected officials about the investment are referred to a PR firm for answers rather than providing facts to their constituency. Since the investment involves banking interests that are outside of the United States, local and State authorities would be less likely to succeed in investigating and prosecuting the matter.


We are therefore pressing for this matter to be taken up by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin to properly investigate, assess responsibility and prosecute as necessary.

Bonus Track

Not really a lost video, but god damn, this song just kicks all forms of ass. Janes Addiction Live - Irvine Meadows 1991 Jane Says......... Im gonna kick tomorrow....



Friday, September 5, 2008

Friday nights lost video




A friend of mine lost his wife this week to cancer. She leaves behind a nine year old son. Austin, this is for you:

Hush now dont cry
Wipe away the teardrop from your eye
Youre lying safe in bed
It was all a bad dream
Spinning in your head
Your mind tricked you to feel the pain
Of someone close to you leaving the game of life
So here it is, another chance
Wide awake you face the day
Your dream is over...or has it just begun?

Theres a place I like to hide
A doorway that I run to in the night
Relax child, you were there
But only didnt realize it and you were scared
Its a place where you will learn
To face your fears, retrace the tears
And ride the whims of your mind
Commanding in another world
Suddenly, you hear and see
This magic new dimension

Chorus
I-will be watching over you
I-am gonna help you see it through
I-will protect you in the night
I-am smiling next to you...in silent lucidity

If you open your mind for me
You wont rely on open eyes to see
The walls you built within
Come tumblng down, and a new world will begin
Living twice at once you learn
Youre safe from pain in the dream domain
A soul set free to fly
A round trip journey in your head
Master of illusion, can you realize
Your dreams alive, you can be the guide but...

9 Ball!

http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/pool-jam

This is a 10 minute 9 Ball game... guaranteed to waste 10 minutes of your time.

Things I have learned playing this game:

Don't bother with the "English" thingie, just takes time

The faster you shoot, the higher your score

You get penalized for scratches ( starts at -300 for the first round, goes up from there for each round)

You can place the cue ball anywhere after a scratch, so make it good!

I was thinking we could all play and get used to the game and maybe have a JTI pool tournament sometime?

Feel Young Again



I take the generic, WalMart brand, so how young do I get to feel?

Sarah Barracuda Can't Use "Barracuda"

Yep, the use of Heart's pop classic "Barracuda" the other night at the RNC did not amuse Ann and Nancy Wilson. No permission was sought or granted for use of the song. Heck, even Olive Garden knows that you have to get permission and pay royalties to use a copywrited song like "Happy Birthday" in a public place which is why they have their own little birthday ditty.

From their statement: "Sarah Palin's views and values in NO WAY represent us as American women. We ask that our song 'Barracuda' no longer be used to promote her image...It was written in the late '70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women...There's irony in Republican strategists' choice to make use of it there."

Sort of like when Ronald Reagan didn't quite get the meaning of the song "Born in the U.S.A." and wanted to use it in his campaign.

Brewer Post season ticket lottery

I entered it. If nothing else, I'll be rich Rich RICH when I scalp em. (provided I win of course)

Is This Your Typical Workday?

Try it...it's a great flow chart to drive your decision making!


(Click to embiggen)

Microsoft is Spending $300 Million to Promote Vista



And that is the first commercial, premiering last night.

WTF?

What do you do when you can't sleep - Play Games

The object of the game is to move the red block around without getting hit by the blue blocks or touching the black walls.

If you can go longer than 18 seconds you are phenomenal. It's been said that the US Air Force uses this for fighter pilots. They are expected to go for at least 2 minutes.

Give it a try but be careful...it is addictive!!

“Red Square Game”

Happy Friday !!!!!!!!


Happy Friday everybody!!
It's been a long week,
Wearing this 'boot' makes me feel like a pirate
with a peg leg - Arrgg, a pirates life for me...
I need a parrot!!
Have a great weekend!!!

McCain, face lift?

What happened to McCain's age lines? Are they air brushing his pictures, or has he turned to face lifts and Botox? Anyone notice the removal of near 30 years of age off his face in the last few years? Not a lib thing with acusations, heck Hillary has the same "youthful" line free features. Just another thing to think about.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Sick of Left Wing nonsense

They just couldn't show some modicum of respect, even when John McCain is delivering his acceptance speech. Three different leftist morons interupted the Senator. I thought he handled it very well.

In contrast, on the day of Obama's speech, when McCain was asked to comment, all he would say was this is Obama's day and I will let him enjoy it. There were no lunatic protestors.

How sad the political discourse in this country has become when they can't show enough respect to allow McCain to deliver his speech in peace.

And don't give any of that weak minded "free speech" bullshit. It was highly disrespectful and certainly does not advance their cause at all.

Regardless of our political differences, we should show respect to those who have earned it.

Sit and spin

Something I've found interesting is the polarized news items on Palin. Using just the headlines you can easily see which side of the aisle the "reporter" is sitting in. "Reporters Gush for Palin," "Palin stretches the truth."

Journalism schools teach that a reporter is supposed to be non-biased. We no longer seem to be seeing that. Now it is, "How can the populace be manipulated," and boy are we manipilated.

Stupid is as stupid does

Four thieves on Milwaukee's northwest side attemtped to carjack a 1995 Ford Ranger as it proceeded down an alley early this morning. One of the men pulled out a gun and stood in front of the vehicle. All went according to plan until the would-be badasses realized that the truck was a stick shift and none of them knew how to operate it.

http://www.jsonline.com/watch/?watch=1&date=9/4/2008&id=45654

ROFLMAO!!!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Technology Issues in the Presidential Election

I assume that most people here have at least a passing interest in technology and a modest skill level (or higher), but it is rarely discussed by the candidates. Since we are constantly told that our economy is being transformed from a manufacturing based economy to an information and technology based economy, I kind of think this is a HUGE issue if we are going to stake our economic future on it.

Of our current candidates, Obama and Palin appear to be most competent users of technology. McCain famously avoids the internet and email (although he is "aware" of it). Biden, although he is somewhere in the middle in terms of use, well, I'll get to him!

I will use Cnet, one of the big tech websites, as my starting point. They published a 2006 TechVoter's Guide (2008 not done yet). Obama scored 50% tech friendly. Biden was even worse at 37.5%. McCain can limbo lower and eked out a 31.25% tech friendly score. Palin gets off easy with an incomplete since she did not vote in Congress or the Senate. I expect that some of the stances that Cnet considers tech friendly might be considered good stances by some here, so here is the list of votes for the House and Senate they used.

Durign the presidential primaries,the asked all the major candidates a series of questions and summed it up in a nice little chart. Biden did not respond to the survey at all which is disappointing. The only question McCain and Obama found agreement on is the next tax ban (although McCain ducked two of the questions and Obama ended up voting for telecom immunity even though he opposed it in this questionaire). But this survey shows Obama to be the more tech friendly (omitting Palin of course since, well, no data). You can read the detailed answers from Obama and McCain to these questions as well.

So I am going to call this issue for Obama in spite of his choice of Biden as a running mate.

If it's the economy stupid, we had better talk about science and technology if we are to have a science and technology based economy. Oh yeah, I will write another blog entry coming up on science policy (look for it in a few days).

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

CPA Wants To Give Racine CPR

Local accountant and Racine Taxpayers' Association member Jody Harding has declared her candidacy for the Racine mayoral election of 2011. She posted a press release on her blog, The World According To Jody, in which she states: “An attractive city is a fine thing, but this mayor seems obsessed with the outward appearance of our neighborhoods. While he is busy applying a coat of whitewash, the foundation is rotting.”

I applaud her entry into the field. I hope that more members of our community follow suit. Choice is good.

I'd also like to state that although I know absolutely nothing about Ms. Harding, that will not prevent me from being amongst the first to sling mud her way. Seeing her announcement in a blog made me start to wonder about the political possibilities of another blogger in Racine. "OrbsCorbs, Of Course!" has a nice ring to it and may be just the slogan to land me a cushy city job in '11.

More Amazing Shuttle Pics

Just another set after Ser's wonderful post a few days ago. This is from the Boston Globe's Big Picture series and highlights preparations for the Hubble repair mission scheduled to lift off in October (not going to put a date down yet as it is going to change with these storms taking pot shots at Florida). Here is one of my favorites for a sample.

I have been up the service tower of a Delta II rocket at the Cape , but never on launch pad 39 or in the VAB, two things I am jonesin to do!

Are You Ready For Some Football Physics?

Yep, football season is upon us and the NFL and the JTIrregulars League kicks off this week. Football is a game of speed, strength, leverage, and collisions...what better laboratory for physics?

University of Nebraska Physics Professor Timothy Gay produced a series of short videos on football physics. These videos are shown on the jumbotron before the University of Nebraska football games. He also wrote a book on Football Physics.

Dr. Gay also gives hour long public talks on football physics. I saw him give the talk at a meeting a few years ago and it was very good. Through the magic of technology, you can also see one of his talks. He gave a talk at Fermilab in 2005 and they have it available streaming online. This was after I worked at Fermilab so you won't see me in the audience!

I hope you are ready for some bone crushing hits...I know how to use leverage!

Lockheed Aircraft 1940's

Lockheed During W.W.II (unbelievable 1940s pictures) This is pretty neat--special effects during the 1940's: During World War II the Army Corps of Engineers needed to hide the Lockheed Burbank Aircraft Plant to protect it from Japanese air attack. They covered it with camouflage netting to make it look like a rural subdivision from the air.

BEFORE



AFTER


"Don't be afraid, and don't let these little punks and thugs and rats run your life,” says Kenosha Police Chief John Morrissey

Authorities Crack Down on Kenosha Crime

Anti-crime initiative introduced

Crackdown yields nearly 100 arrests in first week

Meanwhile, authorities in Racine have decided to step up their anti-crime efforts with the announcement that additional sand will be trucked into Monument Square this Friday for local politicians and civic leaders to stick their heads into.

"We're not quitting until we don't see a damn thing!" declared one city official.

Hale Bopp---400 tons of water?

I saw a news article about night shining clouds on the edge iof space. Pretty interesting until I came across the screw up (I think) stating that 400 tons of water from the shuttle exhaust caused one of these clouds to form. Care to give a explanation?

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080901-mm-night-shining.html

Monday, September 1, 2008

The Pledge of Allegiance Was Written by the Founding Fathers?

Funny that, I thought it was written by Francis Bellamy in the 1890s. It turns out that Sarah Palin does not agree with me on this one. She seems to think it was written by the Founding Fathers with the "under God" line intact. So where did I find this? Moveon? The Huffington Post? The Daily Kos? Or some other liberal site? Well, not quite. The Eagle Forum Alaska (falling solidly on the right) posted a series of questions to Alaskan candidates for Governor in 2006. In repsonse to a question about the Pledge, Palin responded, "If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance."

This was not a live interview...the questions were SENT to the candidates which shows exactly how much research she did answering it (zero). I would rather have someone who takes time and researches her answers than shoots from the hip...when you shoot from the hip, you never know what you are going to hit!

It is educational to look at her answers to these questions. No wonder the far right likes her!

$9.99 CDs at Best Buy!?!

I just went to Best Buy this evening and sometime in the last couple of months, they dropped the price of almost every CD to $9.99. I would have thought there would have been a bigger announcement of this. I got the Broadway shows I am missing from my collection (although they did not have Xanadu which I am dying to get and see how this truly awful '80s movie was transformed into a Tony nominated musical). Guess they are feeling the heat from online music sales and lowering prices to compete.

Yeah, as tech geeky as I am, I still buy the CDs. I can rip them and put them on my mp3 player. MP3s are not a lossless format and I still can tell the a certain lack of "pop" in their sound when you get them from iTunes or Amazon.

So audiophile trumps tech geek in this case.

The First Day of Ramadan

I saw the crescent Moon tonight...the first spotting of it (which probably occurred yesterday but it was raining here last night) marks the beginning of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month. For the next month, Muslims must fast from sunrise to sunset...no food, no water and no sex (although it makes sense, I have always found it odd that it seems to be considered part of the fast!)

Ramadan is based on the lunar calendar, so it drifts. Each year it stars about 11 days earlier. I remember several years ago it was in November (that was 2003...I remember a Muslim friend commenting about it at the time). Now you might notice that when Ramadan is in December, well sunrise to sunset fast isn't so bad. In June and July, I imagine it would be a little more trying with the longer days. And I admit I occasionally wonder weird things like what if a Muslim lives north of the Arctic Circle and its light 24 hours a day? One source I found says they go by the sunrise and sunset times in Mecca.

Last year we had the first Muslim in space during Ramadan and they issued special rules for him in space. I mean, you get about 18 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours and its pretty tough to stay constantly facing Mecca while in orbit (and keeling isn't so easy either!)

I have looked up the proper greeting, so I leave with with Ramadan Mubarak and Salaam.

Another Math Chick...

A few weeks ago I blogged about Danica McKellar's math books. It turns out that Paula Poundstone has also coauthored a couple of math books: You Can't Keep Slope Down, The Sticky Problem of Parallelogram Pancakes and Venn Can We Be Friends.

Unlike McKellar's books, Poundstone's books are not targeted quite so much at girls. With her sense of humor, I am betting boys would probably be just as amused by them.

Paula Poundstone is performing here in Tucson Friday night...I won't be able to go since I have an improv show Friday night.

Eric Gange pees away another one for the Brewers

The best thing Eric Gagme did for the Brewers was to be on the disabled list for a good chunk of the season. Today, he pees away another game like he did in Chicago. How many millions did the Brewers pay for this guy? The only other entity that can throw money away like that is the government.

About the time you think that you have it rough....

along comes someone else who has it rougher....

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/01/people.sean.combs.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Comcast to Place a Cap on Internet Downloads

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/technology/30comcast.html?em

Oh no! This reminds me of when I first signed on for dial-up. They had two plans, one which allowed for X number of hours online per month, and one which allowed for unlimited time online. The guy who was helping me set up for the net said I should sign up for the limited access deal because there was no way a normal person would spend more time than that online. Well, I knew I wasn't normal, I signed up for the unlimited access, and I haven't looked back since. Now I have Road Runner Turbo. I'd have Business Class if I could afford it. Time Warner has also been conducting trials of internet metering and I assume that we can expect them to folow suit.

Anyway, as the article states, this isn't about the amount of time you spend online, it's about the amount of data that you download. And I really don't know how much I download on average. I used to use a peer-to-peer file sharing program similar to the old Napster to download music. (Forgive me RIAA, for I have sinned.) I still have it installed, but don't use it anymore. Turns out that I just don't have the time/inclination to listen to much music.

And last week I downloaded the Olympics opening ceremony for a friend. Over 4GB of data, downloaded overnight, but that's very rare for me. I had to reinstall the BitTorrent software on the spare computer to do it. What I'm much more likely to go after these days are flash files from YouTube, or other video files that I encounter or which friends send me. Most of those are under 10MB.

I don't think a 250GB monthly limit would affect me, but I don't like what this portends: internet service charges based upon usage of the net, not a one-size-fits-all policy. That's only fair, I suppose. I'm going to install some sort of bandwidth monitoring software to get an idea of my monthly usage. Anyone have any suggestions? A Google search turned up this: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1B2GGGL_enUS177US177&q=bandwidth+monitor&btnG=Search

And I'm going to hurry up and download all 6 seasons of The Sopranos before Time Warner cuts me off. Geez, now I gotta get some larger hard drives to store all this stuff.

"Russia Web site owner killed after arrest"


http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10029798-38.html


And we thought we had censorship problems.


Is it true that "Ingushetiya" is Russian for "Irregular"?