PolarShark

Get Out of the Fast Lane...

2010-02-03T20:18:00.000-05:00

Glad to see this potential left-lane legislation. Slowpokes get to the right!

Blocking the fast lane could cost Georgia drivers $75

Next we need the same fines for escalators and moving sidewalks...

Phones Don't Crash Cars - People Crash Cars

2010-02-02T05:34:00.000-05:00

It makes sense that the insurance industry would have a good handle on crash data. While hands-free headsets did reduce crashes, banning cellphones while driving did not.

A Results-Free Cell Phone Law

U.S. Under Authority of INTERPOL

2009-12-28T18:47:00.003-05:00

There's really nothing more to say. The link to the story above speaks for itself. We have become the USSA. We are rotting from within.

Concealed Carry Probable Cause of Criminal Activity

2009-12-16T03:38:00.004-05:00

The judge in the above link stating that a Georgia Firearms License is an affirmative defense (without any other probable cause) is like stating that a Georgia Driver's License is an affirmative defense (without any other probable cause). This means that since you are in possession of a deadly weapon (firearm, automobile), you can be questioned and detained until they determine you are not a threat to society. The biggest difference between firearms and automobiles is that firearms ownership is a right guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment. The framers of the U.S. Constitution knew this type of nonsense would occur if they didn't enumerate that right. Our Constitutional framers were brilliant men! I just wish the Bill of Rights were 10 pages long instead of only 10 lines.

Thomas Sowell on Utopia vs. Freedom

2009-09-02T05:59:00.002-04:00

Without personal morals to guide us individually, we, as a nation, look to the government to fulfill that role. We all have a need for a higher moral authority. And since we've been told over and over again that God isn't that authority, government has naturally stepped in to take the reins. But more government comes with a price. You can't have more government AND keep the same level of freedom.

Thomas Sowell - Utopia vs. Freedom

Politicians are already one of the main reasons why medical insurance is so expensive. Insurance is designed to cover risks but politicians are in the business of distributing largesse. Nothing is easier for politicians than to mandate things that insurance companies must cover, without the slightest regard for how such additional coverage will raise the cost of insurance.

Army Football

2009-08-30T08:46:00.000-04:00

It seems to me that the US Military Academy football team should wear cat eye reflectors on the back of their helmets.

Be Careful Who You Date...

2009-08-29T08:39:00.003-04:00

Actually, the girl was probably lucky... at least she found out who he was on the first date...

FERNDALE, Mich. (AP) - Police in Michigan say a first date went from bad to worse when a Detroit man skipped out on the restaurant bill, then stole his date's car.

Police say 23-year-old Terrance Dejuan McCoy had dinner with a woman April 24 at Buffalo Wild Wings in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale. The woman says the two met a week earlier at a Detroit casino and she knew McCoy only as "Chris."

The woman told police that McCoy said he left his wallet in her car and asked for keys. He then sped away in the 2000 Chevrolet Impala.

The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak reports that police identified McCoy by a photo he'd sent to the woman's cell phone, and his phone number.

McCoy is charged with unlawfully taking the car, a five-year felony. He waived a preliminary exam and was bound over for trial Thursday.

Naked Truth

2009-07-01T22:29:00.004-04:00

Here's another reason to avoid a seat in the back of a plane. Click the title above for an interesting read.

It's the Economy...

2009-04-23T17:30:00.002-04:00

Got this in email...

NFL Headsets

2009-03-20T03:11:00.000-04:00

The NFL should take a lesson from NASCAR and put headsets in every player's helmet. Then each player/position should have a spotter up on the roof telling them what's going on during the game. "Watch out, you're about to get blindsided on your left..." or "It's a fake, it's a fake..." or "You're over-pursuing, get back to cover the reverse..." I think it could make the game much more interesting. They could even bill it as a "green" initiative - think how much paper they'd save by not printing out thousands of those rooftop Polaroids they print every game.

And speaking of helmets and green... Get rid of the stupid lime green dots on the helmets. It make sense on the Seahawks helmets because they have lime green piping on their uniforms anyway. But, for everyone else, have it match their uniform. For a league that is so uniform conscious, lime green stickers for everyone are stupid.

NASCAR and the Rain

2009-03-18T03:11:00.002-04:00

NASCAR should take a lesson from the NFL and have a couple of indoor races. Put some covers on a couple of those racetracks so we can do away with these incessant rain delays. Bristol's small, surely they could cover Bristol Motor Speedway. But I'm trying to remember if I've ever seen rain at Bristol.

Better yet, learn to drive in the rain. Heck, give 'em snow tires if that's what it takes. Especially on road courses, they could definitely race in the rain on road courses. And if they can't, well, we get more action and the last one left in the race wins by default...

NBA Tournament

2009-03-15T22:52:00.003-04:00

As we get ready for the Big Dance I was thinking about the NCAA tournament versus the NBA playoffs. One evokes excitement while the other is three months of boredom. Wouldn't you think the NBA would like to have people as excited about their playoffs as people get about the NCAA tournment? Come on, NBA, try it - just one year, try it. Can you imagine, May Madness! Heck, seed all 32 teams and let 'em play. I think all but two of them get in now, don't they? Wouldn't that be pandemonium?

Is Your Senator Really This Arrogant?

2009-02-12T00:25:00.002-05:00

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY): The American people don't care about pork projects in stimulus.

I say if you're not part of the "chattering class," perhaps you're part of the problem...

Heaviest Element Ever: Governmentium (Gv)

2009-02-10T00:52:00.004-05:00

Don't know who is responsible for this - I got it through email but its good...

Lawrence Livermore Laboratories has discovered the heaviest element yet known to science.

The new element, Governmentium (Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second, to take from four days to four years to complete.

Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2- 6 years; It does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places.

In fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass.

When catalysed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium, an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.

Dirty Jobs' Mike Rowe on Lamb Castration, PETA, and American Labor

2009-01-25T14:50:00.002-05:00

Drawing on his experiences picking up roadkill, feeding swine, and castrating a lamb with his teeth, Mike Rowe, host of Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs, discusses how modern American culture belittles necessary labor. ...

Well worth the 20 minutes. I think he has a great perspective on work...

Hat tip, Red

Where Next?

2009-01-21T22:26:00.002-05:00

Here's a little input from the only page I like in the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Today marks the first full day in the wilderness for Republicans and for conservatives — the start of the long process of defining the principles on which the party stands. And, when that is done, finding a way to frame the message to a nation that has begun to divide roughly 50-50 on whether we want more or less government.
Those who carry its financial burden want less, as do those who accept the responsibility to provide for themselves and their families. Those who want more see government as the second provider to the family — or in many cases the first — as well as the co-signer on every note, whether the note is a mortgage or a business loan.

The rest of the piece can be found at the link at the top.

Home Protection

2009-01-19T23:28:00.009-05:00

It's about time we had a neat invention like this. It might be a little difficult to make the bed, but what's more important?

The Backup

What to Do with an Old Xbox

2009-01-13T23:08:00.004-05:00

So I've had this old Xbox Classic sitting in a closet for a while now. I guess you could call it my ex-Xbox. It has long since been replaced by the 360. I've considered selling it on Ebay but it's still there. I stopped by Game Stop the other day and asked them what they'd give me for it and I was staggered to find out they'll pay a whopping $20 in store credit. So it's still there.

But the other day, while researching media center options for the house I came upon something called XBMC (Xbox Media Center) and I was immediately intrigued. I found an how-to article on LifeHacker that talks about how to convert it so I think I have my next system project for the house. I guess installing this software will void the Xbox warranty with Microsoft - oh, wait... I did that years ago when I popped the case open. I'll let you know how it turns out.

There's a little sample video of XBMC at youtube.com/watch?v=8amNvWnGrew

Groups Working Hard to Tax Online Purchases

2009-01-12T17:49:00.002-05:00

New York appears to be leading the charge of trying to make online companies collect sales tax for Internet purchase even when the company is not in New York. There are a number of states looking to further tax their citizens. Some bricks-and-mortar companies have banded together with states to form the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board. Their idea is to simplify the tax rules in order to be able to collect more taxes.

http://apnews.myway.com//article/20090112/D95LPQH81.html

Let's get this straight. The economy is down and everywhere you look they are telling us that people have less money; things are tight. So the Government answer is to find newer ways to tax us. Does anyone else see the problem with this? Shouldn't these states be looking at ways of reducing costs? A tax-deficit has two potential solutions; "collect more taxes" isn't the only solution.

2008 in Review - Dave Barry Style

2008-12-30T13:59:00.002-05:00

As only Dave Barry can...

How weird a year was it?

Here's how weird:
O.J. actually got convicted of something.
Gasoline hit $4 a gallon -- and those were the good times.
On several occasions, Saturday Night Live was funny.
There were a few days there in October when you could not completely rule out the possibility that the next Treasury Secretary would be Joe the Plumber.
Finally, and most weirdly, for the first time in history, the voters elected a president who -- despite the skeptics who said such a thing would never happen in the United States -- was neither a Bush NOR a Clinton.

See the full review at http://www.miamiherald.com/283/story/826965.html

Snowzilla Lives!

2008-12-24T09:54:00.003-05:00

The mysterious 25-foot-tall Snowzilla has once again arisen from his wintery slumber in Anchorage to the delight of many and the chagrin of some...

News24.com

Bailouts, Bailouts, Everywhere, and Not a Cent to Spend

2008-12-16T21:10:00.005-05:00

RedPlanetCartoons hit it again with Bailout Fatigue. Where does it end. How long before we have companies intentionally tanking just so the government will bail them out? Is it already happening.

It brought to mind to a few thoughts:

The Mouse the Roared. Begin an enterprise just to lose and take advantage of the American people.

The perversity of the Law of Unintended Consequences. Check out Laura Rowley's suggestion for creating positive unintended consequences. Reward good behavior - wow - what a concept...

Somehow it will all translate to the the government needing a bigger chunk of our paychecks.

Shouldn't we be finding ways to encourage the growth of private enterprise? After all, businesses create jobs and more revenues. Wonder how the FairTax could help us out of this economic handbasket we find ourselves in? (referring to an old Far Side cartoon: "Where am I going? And what am I doing in this handbasket?")

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T12:49:00.003-05:00

I hope your day is festive and that you have much to be thankful for...

If you think you know everything about Thanksgiving, try this little test. I got 10 out of 20...

home.aristotle.net/Thanksgiving/trivia.asp

And, here's a little Thanksgiving story sent to me by a friend...

One year at Thanksgiving, my mom went to my sister's house for the traditional feast. Knowing how gullible my sister is, my mom decided to play a trick. She told my sister that she needed something from the store.

When my sister left, my mom took the turkey out of the oven, removed the stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen, and inserted it into the turkey, and re-stuffed the turkey. She then placed the bird(s) back in the oven.

When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the turkey out of the oven and proceeded to remove the stuffing. When her serving spoon hit something, she reached in and pulled out the little bird.

With a look of total shock on her face, my mother exclaimed, 'Patricia, you've cooked a pregnant bird!'At the reality of this horrifying news, my sister started to cry.

It took the family two hours to convince her that turkeys lay eggs!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Politics of New Coke

2008-10-14T21:24:00.000-04:00

Years ago Coca-Cola changed the formula of their signature product: Coke because they were losing market share. They assumed they were losing customers to Pepsi and came out with "New Coke," which was more Pepsi-like. Not better, just more Pepsi-like. They assumed that's what people wanted because they assumed they were losing customers to their dreaded rival.

Turns out that Coke wasn't losing customers to Pepsi, they were losing customers to Diet Coke. So they changed their formula for no reason and wound up ticking off a bunch of people for no reason. Suddenly Coca-Cola Classic appeared on the market and New Coke began to disappear.

I see the same thing happening in politics today. I think the Republican Party is afraid they are losing market share to Liberals. So they're giving us a "New Coke" version of the Republican Agenda. They seem to think that if they're more like the Democratic Party they'll woo Liberal voters while keeping Republican voters by virtue of brand loyalty. Let's face it, the Republican Party has gone so far left that, given a set of campaign promises, I couldn't tell you which party they came from.

Guess what: "New Coke" sucked.

I think the Republican Party is losing market share because they're starting to smell TOO liberal. They're are headed in the wrong direction. Right now it feels like my voting options are "liberal" and "more liberal." I want my "Classic" back.

Flying.... Again

2008-10-14T20:52:00.001-04:00

Flew to Seattle this morning. Flying lately brings out some of my pet peeves regarding customer service. Coach flying has almost reached the level of going to the Post Office. I wonder if that's their goal...