Basil's Blog

Shocked!

2013-05-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

I was shocked -- Shocked! -- to learn that the chairman of the Democrat party in Georgia, an attorney named Mike Belon, is being disciplined by the State Bar.

Now, it's only a Review Board Reprimand, which means no fine or suspension. I'm not sure if it even comes with a "don't do that again." What did he do? Well, according to WAOK radio:

The client had claimed Berlon failed to file paperwork as requested and paid an investigator without permission.

Berlon tells The Associated Press he takes responsibility for the miscommunication with the client on legal strategy.

So, a Democrat is supposed to be working for someone, but has no idea what the client wants, and it ends up costing the client more?

Heck, he's presidential material. If you consider Obama presidential.

Leash law

2013-05-21T11:00:00.000-04:00

Was doing laundry Sunday. Of course, that meant a trip to the laundromat, which meant ... Laundromat People.

Now, I fully realize that I'm now one of the Laundromat People, but that just makes me more qualified than others to comment on them.

Let me set the stage. The TV is on De Pelicula, and it's showing a movie featuring masked Mexican wrestlers, girls in short shorts, and double-south-of-the-border rejects from The Final Sacrifice -- complete with hockey hair.

Then, there's the the kid on a leash running around. Little girl, three years old maybe, that was there with two women (possibly a mother and grandmother, but not sure). This isn't a debate about putting kids on a leash. I'll let Erick Erickson deal with that. No, I want to use the kid to make a point.

Now, if you weren't paying attention, let me say the key part of this again: there's a kid on a leash running around.

Think about that. If she's on a leash, how is she running around? No, she's not dragging the leash behind her. There's a hand firmly attached to the leash.

No, she's not leading the mother around. She's carrying her own leash.

And that's the problem with the government. We know it needs a leash, but we let it carry its own leash. And, it runs wild.

So, what do we do about it? The government, I mean. Do we grab the leash and hope it doesn't bite us? (Think: IRS.)

Do we try to cage it?

What do we do about it? 'Cause I got the feeling it's sizing us up for something a little more restrictive than a leash.

Here's your sign

2013-05-16T07:00:00.000-04:00

KRQE-TV/YouTube Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CN

Read an article earlier this month about a worker at an Intel plant that sued over a "kick me" sign others placed on his back. The lawsuit wasn't just because of the sign, but because people at work actually kicked him. You can go read about it if you want.

The thing is, it gave me an idea. What if somebody put a sign on Obama's back?

Now, I don't know if he'd sue, but I'd be willing to take that chance. But would you?

If you had the chance to put a sign on Obama's back, would you? And, if so, what would it say?

1 Corinthians 13

2013-05-08T07:00:00.000-04:00

Son, you're now married. Whether you realize it or not, your world has changed.

Yes, this is the dreaded "Dad's giving me advice and I didn't ask for any" situation that arises ... well, all the time. It's kinda what I do.

I'm gonna suggest you go read 1 Corinthians 13. Almost any translation will do. If you use the King James Version, it'll say "charity," but that word from 1611 would today be rendered as "love." Anyway, go read 1 Corinthians 13.

Now, why would someone with my marriage track record be someone you'd listen to? Maybe I'm not someone you need to listen to. Then, again, maybe I am. Hear me out and decide.

Go read 1 Corinthians 13. Yes, that's the third time I've said that. Maybe I think it's important. And maybe you need to go see why I think it's important. So go read it.

Now, about the wedding. It was beautiful. Yes, the rain kinda made things wet and sloppy and just plain rotten at times, but that was nothing but stuff around the wedding. The wedding itself was beautiful. Your vows to each other brought tears to my eyes. Everybody was looking at the two of you, so I got away with it.

Remember when it was all stressing you out, and in the elevator, when it was just you and me, I said to let those that are wanting to do their stuff do their stuff? I wasn't telling you anything you didn't already know; you were already doing that. But, I said it anyway, to reinforce what you were doing. You were doing the right thing for the circumstances, and I wanted you to know that.

See? You already know what to do. You're a grown man. Now, you're a grown married man. I'll be offering advice, but, like the "let 'em do their stuff" advice, it'll often be things you already know. When I do that, I'm trying to reinforce what you know. I can't teach you much anything new, except by example, and then, it's often examples of what not to do.

Kinda like, "Huh. Look what Dad did. Look where it got him. I need to not do that." So, yeah, I can be of some use, even if it's an example of what not to do.

But, I also have some good advice on things to do. Like what I mentioned earlier: go read 1 Corinthians 13.

Oh, and this next bit isn't easy, but it's necessary: After you've read it, go live it.

Netflix and Sarah Palin

2013-05-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

Maybe I'm just a humorless jerk, but I didn't find this funny:

#SarahPalinFilms "Iron Sky" nflx.it/11AZvLR twitter.com/netflix/status…
— Netflix US (@netflix) May 1, 2013

You see, the lefties had started a Twitter hashtag #SarahPalinFilms trashing the former governor and GOP vice presidential nominee. Netflix saw fit to join in the Sarah-bashing.

Then, when asked about it, lied. So that's two strikes. But, the first is enough for me.

Now, had they done such a thing with Barack Obama also, then there'd be the chance that Netflix was ragging on both sides of the political spectrum. But, no. They only poke fun at the right. So, this right wing nutcase isn't sharing any more of his money with Netflix. After all these years, I've canceled my Netflix account:

I'll be able to find enough to watch without them. It's a shame, though. I've been a customer a long time.

Too bad they don't respect their customers. At least, their right-wing customers.

The break-up

2013-04-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure I expected this day would come, but it has. And break-ups, despite their necessity, are never easy.

I fell in love at first sight. We were so compatible, it seemed. We went many places together, and I found the whole relationship to be very satisfying.

Oh, sure, there were the occasional problems. Many times, it was because when the situation required my input, I would totally screw it up. But, on those situations, I'd realize my mistake and make it right.

However, the misleading things from the other in the relationship began to gnaw at me. And, one day, I had simply had enough. I knew a break-up was inevitable.

And, being a guy, I did what any guy would do: I began looking for ... well, let's just say I wasn't entirely faithful.

Now, I'm moving on. The relationship is over and I've severed ties.

Despite everything, I'm not bitter, and I truly believe I would be welcome back. But, I really don't think it'll happen.

So, Waze, you were a pretty good GPS for my iPhone, but I'm now with Google Maps. Still, I truly do wish you the best.

These are not the doctors you're looking for

2013-04-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

Calling Dr. Killbot

Robots have been in the news lately. There's a robot that's been operating on people, and killing some of them.

I know. You're thinking that the Three Laws won't let that happen. Well, guess what? The Three Laws are just fiction. Killer medical robots are real.

There's an AP report out of Chicago that tells of one busy robot:

... a million-dollar, multi-armed robot named da Vinci, used in nearly 400,000 surgeries nationwide last year ...

Did you know that? Some multi-armed robot has been doing surgery all across the country, at the rate of over 1,000 a day.

And, if that's not enough, it's a killer robot:

... the high-tech helper is under scrutiny over reports of problems, including several deaths that may be linked with it ...

If I had told you when Congress was getting ready to pass Obamacare that in 2013, we'd have killer robots operating on people, you'd've said I was a right-wing nutcase.

Yeah, well, the Associated Press backs me up. We got killer robots playing doctor. And not in the fun way.

You thought all you had to look out for was drones. But now you have to be wary of multi-armed killer medical robots.

If I were you, I'd play it safe and avoid all multi-armed robots. For a while, at least.

Trippin'

2013-04-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

Photo: Ramon Espinosa/AP

Seems some folks are getting their panties in a wad over Mr. & Mrs. Shawn Corey Carter's trip to Cuba. You may know the Carters as Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Or, you may not.

Mrs. Carter is the one called Beyoncé, in case you aren't familiar. She's a singer or something. She also acts. You may have seen her in the Austin Powers movie Goldmember where she played Tamara Dobson.

Mr. Carter is a singer and part owner of the Brooklyn Nets, a former ABA team.

Anyway, now that you know who they are, they're catching a lot of grief over their trip to Cuba. They went for their fifth wedding anniversary.

"So, where do you want to go for our anniversary, Sweetheart?"

"Well, I've always dreamed of walking the streets of a city where there are chickens running around loose."

"How about Cuba? Lots of places like that down there."

"Perfect!"

Okay, maybe that's not how it went, but then again, maybe it was. You don't know.

A couple of Florida Congressmen (okay, a Congressman and a Congresswoman) are all up in arms over it, according to the Washington Post.

Personally, I don't have a problem with their trip to Cuba. I'm all in favor of them going there. I'm even more supportive of them staying there.

Simple.TV vs TiVo

2013-04-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

In my quest to find the best cable-cutting setup, I'm looking at something called Simple.TV (that's not just its name, it's its Website).

Simple.TV is a DVR. Only, it doesn't connect to your TV. Which sounds kinda odd. But, here's how it works.

The idea is to connect the Simple.TV box to your input (cable, or, in my case, antenna). Note that it only works with unencrypted (ClearQAM) digital channels. That means if your cable provider is sending analog signals (some still do), then it won't work. It also won't work on encrypted channels (Comedy Central, AMC, HBO, etc.). But, since I cut cable and am using an over-the-air (OTA) antenna, I'm good.

You need a hard drive for storage. They don't include any onboard storage, but the device will work with most USB external drives. But, you gotta buy that extra.

The Simple.TV box also has to be connected to your network via ethernet port. That is, wired. As in not wireless. Which means you either need to have a cable/antenna connection near your router, a good network extender, or a really long LAN cable.

The final thing is, you need a Roku box.

Remember when I said that it doesn't connect to your TV, which is kinda odd? Well, they get around it by using Roku. That also means that a single Simple.TV box will support up to 5 TVs. Most DVRs are for a single TV, so that's a nice feature.

So, how does it work? It works okay, but it's got some bugs.

Here's the good: price.

Compared to TiVo, it's cheaper. A lot cheaper. Both a Simple.TV box and a TiVo Premier box run $149. The Simple.TV setup requires a hard drive (around $69), so that makes the initial cost more. But, it's the cost of the service that makes the savings of Simple.TV over TiVo.

A year of Simple.TV service is $49. TiVo is $14.99/month, which works out to $179.88/year. And there's your savings.

Now, here's the bad: it's not as polished as TiVo. In fact, it's barely polished at all. The TiVo interface is vastly superior. Vastly. Did I say "vastly?" Well, I will: vastly.

Using the TV interface (via Roku) to schedule a recording is a pain. The selections say "Beta" and they mean it. It's not ready for prime time. You can view what's currently playing, and what's coming up next, and ... that's it. There's a "Browse Upcoming" area that's not totally useless, but with a little work, could be.

The best way to schedule recordings is via the Website. Even then, there are some simple things that Simple.TV didn't think about. For example, you can't rearrange the priority of the shows. TiVo makes that fairly easy to do. Simple.TV? Not so much.

I won't sit here and trash Simple.TV, but I will say that it's inferior to TiVo in many respects.

What would make Simple.TV better? Multiple tuners, for one. Or, at least a way to seamlessly link two devices to one account. But, that's a nice to have. They need to fix the other stuff first.

Like what? Well, they should improve the interface. I'd like to be able to easily find and schedule shows. You can't do that via the interface. Sure, the Website is an option, but that's not simple. As in Simple.TV.

They also need to fix the Website. If you want to change the recording options for a program, the screen tells you to go to the Website to do that. Only, that page doesn't exist. And, looking around the pages that do exist, there's no readily apparent way to alter the recording options on a show.

I suggest someone at Simple.TV pony up and buy a TiVo. Use it. See how it's done. Look at the functionality TiVo offers in finding and recording shows via the interface. You don't have to clone TiVo, but you do need to look at what they offer, and find a way of offering the same functionality. Or, at least, make your functionality easier to use. You know, simple.

As you can tell, I'm a fan of TiVo. But, it's expensive. Don't get me wrong; it's a great service. But I wish there were cheaper alternatives.

Simple.TV shows a lot of promise, but they haven't yet delivered on them. I haven't given up hope. I'm not yet ready to recommend it, but I haven't sent mine to the cornfield yet.

Envahisseur étranger?

2013-04-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

The Associated Press -- and apparently it's the political correct crowd with whom they are associated -- has decided to stop using the term "illegal immigrant" to describe an illegal immigrant.

According to the AP blog, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll says:

The Stylebook no longer sanctions the term “illegal immigrant” or the use of “illegal” to describe a person.

So, what should they call them?

I kinda like Jay Leno's suggestion (as quoted by Andrew Malcom):

AP, the world's largest newsgathering organization, bans the term 'illegal immigrant.' From now on AP will call them 'undocumented Democrats.'

Maybe there's a better term for an illegal immigrant.

Foreign invader, perhaps?

Easter 2013

2013-03-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

Luke 24: 1-9

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
And they remembered his words,
And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.

Firing up the Kindle

2013-03-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

Upgraded my Kindle recently.

The more accurate way of saying that was I passed my Kindle -- what was a good little e-reader -- along to someone else and bought a Kindle Fire HD to use.

Why did I spend the money? I mean, the little Kindle device worked just fine. Well, if I hadn't had some Amazon gift card credits that offset a good portion of the cost, I may not have made the purchase. At least, not just yet. And, without the credits, I may have purchased the standard Kindle Fire, rather than spending the extra money for the HD version. But, I did so I did. And I'm glad I did.

Again, nothing wrong with the standard Kindle, not even the low-end cheap one I had. But, the Kindle Fire is a great little e-reader, plus it's a very good little tablet.

The one I got is the smaller, 7-inch version. It's just a little bigger than the standard Kindle devices. It connects via wifi only. The larger 8.9" Fire HD has AT&T 4G LTE capability starting at an additional $50/year. The Kindle Keyboard and a version of the Kindle Paperwhite have free 3G connectivity included.

It's kinda hard for me to compare the Kindle Fire to a standard Kindle e-reader without breaking the functionality into two categories: e-reader and tablet. I'll cover the e-reader part first.

The standard Kindle e-readers currently come in four varieties: Kindle, Kindle Keyboard 3G, Kindle Paperwhite, and Kindle Paperwhite 3G. The Paperwhite versions, which I haven't used, come with a built-in light. I hear it's nice. The Kindle and Kindle Keyboard models don't have a light. If you need a light, they sell covers with extendable light sources. Or, you can turn on a lamp.

The Kindle e-readers (the non-Fire Kindles) can be easily used in direct sunlight, just like a book. As e-readers, they're great. I love the convenience of having a lot of books available in one little device.

The Kindle Fire doesn't need a light source. Just like you don't need a light to see the content on your computer screen, you don't need a light to see the content on your Kindle Fire screen. The drawback is in direct sunlight. While the Kindle Fire does appear to do a better job at handling glare than my older iPad (1st generation), the standard Kindle has no glare, and therefore, problem at all in direct sunlight.

The Kindle Fire is a color screen, and allows to set the r-reader display to black text on white background (default), white text on black background, or black text on sepia (my preference).

With the standard Kindles, you press the buttons on either side to turn the pages. On the Fire, a touch on the edge of the screen or a swipe will change the pages.

The most obvious difference is the e-reader displays are black-and-white (just like a book) while the Fire displays are in color. When browsing the store for more content, the color is nice.

Strictly as an e-reader, the Kindle e-readers are slightly better -- but only ever so slightly -- than the Kindle Fire, in my mind.

That brings us to the tablet portion of the comparison. And, there's no comparison. The Kindle e-readers are strictly e-readers. So, it may be better to compare the Kindle Fire to the iPad. And I will.

As a tablet, the iPad is a better tablet than the Kindle Fire. But not a lot better. While the iPad is an excellent tablet, the Kindle Fire is a very good tablet. Make that a very, very good tablet. Almost excellent.

The advantage the iPad has is in the apps. The Apple App Store has a really huge selection of apps. The Kindle Fire, although an Android table, doesn't access the Google Play store. Amazon opted to go the Apple route. You get your apps from Amazon. That does help weed out a lot of really useless apps, like is common in the Google Play store. But, it also keeps out some good apps.

When I started adding apps to the Kindle Fire, it had the apps I wanted to add first. Of the apps on my iPad that I use regularly, it's primarily local news apps and games that are lacking. For the news apps, the Web browser covers adequately for my purposes.

Where the Kindle Fire shines is music and videos. The integration of those categories into the interface is seamless.

The Kindle Fire integration with Amazon Instant Video is better than the iPad integration with iTunes. Switching between your local library and the online store simple refreshes the content on the page with the Fire. On the iPad, switching from local library to the online store obviously switches apps. While it's not a problem with the iPad, the Kindle Fire does it better.

Overall, though, I like the iPad as a tablet a little better. I don't like the iPad as an e-reader, though. While iBooks works well, and while there is a Kindle app for the iPad, the Kindle Fire does a superior job of integrating e-reader functionality into the tablet experience.

So, as an e-reader, the Kindle standard e-readers are better than a Kindle Fire, but not by much. As a table, the iPad is a better tablet, but not by much.

I suppose the best way to boil it down would be for me to assume I have none of the devices, but had experience with all the devices. That is, if suddenly, if I had to replace them, what would I do?

I'd buy a Kindle Fire.

And that's someone who really loves his iPad talking.

Microsoft condom

2013-03-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

Bill Gates wants a better rubber. Not necessarily for him, mind you, but for people in general.

According to the Grand Challenges in Global Health project of the Gates Foundation, they want a better rubber:

We are looking for a Next Generation Condom that significantly preserves or enhances pleasure, in order to improve uptake and regular use.

They're serious about this. They're offering $100,000 to help you get the project up ... so to speak. They think that's enough to cover it.

Now, I've never considered taking on such a project, but I suspect it would be hard. But, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would love to go hands-on in such an adventure. And, if they succeed, I'm sure good things will come.

There one thing, though. Despite the fact that Bill Gates is no longer running Microsoft, there's the natural association of him with the software giant. He founded the company, and ran it for years. Bill Gates and Microsoft are still thought of as one.

Add to that the fact that one of the primary uses of a condom is prevention of disease. They're not just for stopping pregnancy anymore; they're for stopping the spread of disease. Viruses.

What's Microsoft's record at stopping viruses?

Consider this: if someone says they got a virus, do you immediately thing of a disease? Or are you wondering if their Windows computer is infected?

Heck, I recently spent a couple of days removing trojans (the sneaky virus kind, not the prophylactic) from someone's Microsoft computer. Really. It was a very serious, very hard-to-fix problem. Ended up having to reformat the hard drive and restore the computer to factory settings after all other efforts failed.

So, should you trust something from Microsoft to stop a virus? Not on your life.

Trusting Obama

2013-03-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Photo: AP

The Speaker of the House trusts Barack Obama.

Okay, I know what you're thinking: "What's the punchline?" Yeah, there's not one. John Boehner says he "absolutely" trusts Barack Obama:

Boehner said "hope springs eternal" in regards to the possibility of a budget deal, and told (ABC News correspondent Martha) Raddatz that he has a "very good relationship" with President Obama and that he "absolutely" trusts him. He added that the president's recent outreach — or so called "charm offensive" -- intended to woo Republicans, is a "good thing."

It's nice to know that Boehner trusts Obama. I was worried that all the lies and tricks Obama had told and pulled over his life would make him untrustworthy. But Boehner can see right through that, and know that Obama can be trusted.

And that's good news. Boehner will be able to work with the president to make good things happen. I believe he'll work with Obama and deliver a good, workable plan for the future of the country. After all, Boehner delivers. Just think about how he managed to deliver his home state in the last election.

Now, don't you feel better?

This ranks right up there with Microsoft Bob

2013-03-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

Bill Gates has a wonderful idea: give Barack Obama more power. Because that's the problem: Obama doesn't have enough power.

Being able to kill you with a drone strike while you are sitting on your couch at home isn't enough.

Being able to take all your money and give it to people who sit on their couch all day long, isn't enough. (And, no, those aren't the one's Obama would send a drone after.)

Raising your taxes isn't enough.

Taking your guns isn't enough.

No, Obama needs more power. So says Bill Gates.

This is the same Bill Gates that released MS-DOS 4, by the way. And Windows ME. And Windows Vista.

Yes, that Bill Gates. He wants Obama to have more power.

Now you know why I have a Mac.

The new Roku are in! The new Roku are in!

2013-03-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

Ever since I dropped cable a little over two years ago, I've been a big fan of the Roku device. It's one of the primary devices I use to watch TV. I'm such a fan that I've bought other boxes for some other family members as gifts.

The first generation Roku box -- my first -- worked well, and still does, in fact, though not for me. It became a hand-me-down (though a popular one) after I bought a Roku 2 a little over a year ago.

Well, now I've bought the new Roku 3 box. And, I like it, too.

When you get right down to it, all the Roku boxes are pretty much the same. If you use it as its original intent -- streaming content from the Internet to your TV -- then the cheaper models ($49) are just fine. But, if you want the little extras that, quite honestly, I rarely use, then the more expensive models (up to $99) may be the thing to get.

Let me stop for a second and give you a rundown on the current models of Roku boxes, and the one that was just dropped from the lineup:

Roku LT is the $49 purple box. Straight-forward Internet streaming. 720p output via HDMI or composite (yellow video, red/white audio). It's wifi-only, This one is probably the one to get, unless you need a feature on a more expensive model.
Roku HD is the $59 box, and isn't very different from the LT. It uses less power (2W vs 4.5W) and comes with a slightly different remote (includes a 7-second replay button), but otherwise, they're practically the same device. Unless that 2.5W difference makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, or you just gotta be able to back a video up 7 seconds, there's no real reason to get this one -- unless you find it on sale for $49 (which happens sometimes), or unless everyone's sold out of the LT and this is the next cheapest option. It also has HDMI and composite connections.
Roku 2 XD runs $79. The only difference between this one and the HD is that this model supports 720p and 1080p output. It, too, has HDMI and composite connections.
No longer available: Roku 2 XS, at $99, was essentially an XD with a LAN connection, a USB port for local playback of video (MP4/H.264, MKV/H.264), and a microSD slot to allow more channels or games (not content), and a bluetooth gaming remote, as well as HDMI and composite connections.

The new box, the Roku 3, currently comes in just one model, and it replaces the Roku 2 XS. It's $99, has the LAN port, a USB port, and a microSD slot. The remote is wifi, not bluetooth, and includes a headphone jack for private listening (works, too). The wifi connection supports dual band (which means that 5 GHz is now available).

The Roku 2 bluetooth remote doesn't work with the Roku 3. The Roku 3 power adapter isn't interchangeable, as the previous ones were across the other models. It's also HDMI only. Roku has dropped composite output on the Roku 3.

The most apparent cosmetic difference is the rounded appearance, which is a slight departure from the previous appearance.

The most noticeable difference in using the Roku 3 is the interface. The previous interface, while functional, was in dire need of an update. The new interface looks very nice, and is very responsive.

The new menu looks great.

The channel selection layout is much improved.

The Channel Store redesign was needed, and works.

Search finds content on Amazon, Blockbuster, Crackle, HBO GO, Hulu Plus, Netflix, and VUDU.

There is good news for owners of the older models, or for those looking at buying one of the cheaper models: the new interface will roll out to the older boxes within the next two months. The only way to get the new interface today is via the Roku 3, but if you're patient, it'll come to the older boxes soon.

If you have a Roku 2 XS, or and XD, is it worth upgrading? Probably not. But, if you're looking for a top-of-the line set-top-box for Internet streaming, the Roku 3 is a great choice. But don't fail to check out the Roku LT, HD, and XD models. They may do the job you need, and save you some money in the process.

iGottahaveit

2013-03-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

The iWatch is coming!

Maybe.

Nobody really knows what it is. But there is all kind of speculation that Apple is building some great new fancy device that you've gone your entire life without but once you know about it, won't be able to live without.

Like the iPod did. Unless you don't have an iPod.

And like the iPhone. Unless you don't have an iPhone.

And like the iPad. Unless you don't have an iPad.

Or a Roku. Oh, wait. Apple didn't invent the Roku. They got Apple TV though, which is pretty cool, but it's no Roku. Though it is close.

Anyway, Bloomberg (the news organization, no the idiot mayor) reports that Apple is building something they're calling the "iWatch" -- as in wristwatch.

And, it'll be an Apple invention. Something nobody would every have thought of before. Ever.

And, you'll want one. You'll never know how you got by without it.

Then, it'll be racist to have one, because the fat unemployed lady with food stamps and an Obamaphone doesn't have one -- even if she's white and looks like a Honey Boo Boo family member, it'll still be racist because ... SHUT UP!!1!!!.

So, there'll be a new tax, and your Verizon bill (or whoever runs the service behind the iWatch) will go up so they can fund handing them out to useless people.

iCan hardly wait.

Cartoon of the Day - Reactions

2013-02-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

[Source: Glenn McCoy - GoComics]

Cartoon of the Day - Pie Chart

2013-02-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

[Source: Michael Ramirez - Investors.com]

To Mars!

2013-02-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Dennis Tito wants to go to Mars. In fact, he says he's blasting off to head to the Red Planet in January, 2018. Look at a calendar; that's less than five years from now.

I know what you're thinking: Who the heck is Dennis Tito? Well, he's the guy that, in 2001, paid the Russians a bunch of money to take him to the space station. He's the first private citizen to go to space. Now, he wants to go to Mars.

I kinda got my doubts about the feasibility of a trip to Mars, at least right now. But, hey, it's his money; he can do what he wants with it.

But just wait until the liberals find out what an investment consultant is planning. They'll throw a hissy fit. Someone like Dennis Tito wasting all that money on a trip to Mars when the government could waste that money right here on Earth.

I'm kinda with the liberals on this one. Kinda. Let me explain.

I think the first person to Mars should be Barack Obama. I mean, he's as well-qualified to be an astronaut -- or would he be a cosmonaut? -- as he was to be elected president. Or to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Or... well, anything he's done. His lack of qualifications haven't stopped him from being all these other things, so why should they stop him from being the first man to Mars?

And, we shouldn't wait, either. Send him now. Tomorrow. Heck, send him today.

Sure, there are some problems with the physics involved, since the positions of Earth and Mars right now make the trip a little difficult. But, if they simply put a "Physics-Free Zone" sign on the rocket, he'll get there and back in around 500 days. Maybe even less.

There's also the problem of oxygen. Obama would need oxygen. A lot of oxygen if he talks a lot. But, as wonderful and magical as he is -- giving us free phones and food stamps and such -- I bet when he breaths out, it's not carbon dioxide, but even more oxygen. So, that problem is solved.

Of course, there's the issue with food. [See previous paragraph and apply to this topic because I don't really want to write about that.]

Anyway, I say we send Obama to Mars.

Except...

There's the whole problem with space radiation exposure during such a long trip. What if the 1950s movies were right, and it caused Obama to grow to incredible size when he gets back to Earth? He'd go crazy and destroy everything.

Of course, he's kinda doing that now, but at least we'd get a 500-day reprieve. So, let the countdown begin!

Cartoon of the Day - Practice

2013-02-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

[Source: Mike Lester - GoComics]

Heat map

2013-02-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

Have you seen the new meteor impact heat map?

Well, there's a map that plots all of the recorded meteorite impacts on Earth since 2300 BC. Note, this is recorded impacts. If no one saw it or found evidence of it, it's not recorded. That's why there aren't a whole lot shown over the oceans. So, it's not a full mapping of every meteor impact, just those we know about.

You can go to the interactive map and zoom in or select any place on earth. It contains information about each strike. I found it interesting.

Naturally, it's inspired by the recent meteor strike in Russia. But, it's not the only map inspired by recent events.

Here's a map of areas of the United States that are victims of the economic impact of Obama and Democrat policies. Those adversely affected are shown in purple.

It's a little more accurate than the meteor map. And a lot more scary.

Cartoon of the Day - Parents

2013-02-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

[Source: Gary Varvel - GoComics]

Cartoon of the Day - Relief?

2013-02-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

[Source: Steve Kelley - GoComics]

Washington's Birthday (2013)

2013-02-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

It seems nobody wants George Washington to have a birthday anymore. Or ever.

George Washington was born on February 11, 1731. At least, as they used the calendar at the time. Great Britain and its colonies used the Julian calendar then, and the new year didn't begin until March 25. Weird, right?

Then, in 1752, Great Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar. That moved New Year's Day to January 1, in addition to causing a refiguring of dates. Among the changes was that February 11, 1731 became February 22, 1732.

Only, folks weren't done messing with George Washington's birthday. You see, 1879, the United States added Washington's Birthday as its fifth national holiday, joining New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Other days were added along and along.

In the late 1960s, there came a movement to make federal holidays fall on a Monday. In 1971, that was made to happen for four of the nine federal holidays. New Year's Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day kept their actual dates. But Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Columbus Day were moved to Mondays. When Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. was added -- and yes, that's the actual name of the holiday -- it, too, was designated as a Monday.

All of the Monday holidays fall on the Monday nearest the actual date, except one: Washington's Birthday. It's the third Monday of February, which means it can fall as early as the 15th, but never after the 21st. In other words, Washington's Birthday will never fall on Washington's birthday.

But wait! There's more!

In the last several years, there has been a diminishing of George Washington by people calling his birthday "Presidents Day." Well, it's not. Now, it's true that some states used to celebrate Lincoln's birthday (February 12) as a state holiday, and have combined Lincoln's birthday and Washington's birthday into one observance. But, that's only for some states. The U. S. holiday on the third Monday in February is Washington's Birthday. Take a look at United States Code 5 U.S.C. 6103 and see for yourself.

It's been rough for George Washington's birthday, officially and unofficially.

First, they move his birthday from February 11 in one year to February 22 in another year. Then, they make it on a Monday that will never match the actual date. Then, they call it something else. Do some people hate George Washington? Maybe so, After all, he did help secure the blessings of liberty and help found these United States.

I think he deserves his birthday to be called by its proper name. If you hear anyone call it "Presidents Day," you have my permission to beat them around the head with a stick. Two, if you think they really need it.