Random Ramblings – Page 40 – Blah, Blah, Blahg

Alabama still stuck in 1954?

Andrew has this handy graphic to help understand the state of the state of Alabama:

Now why would he intimate this? Well, let’s just take the quote he used and see if it tempts you to read the full story.

With the state’s weather forecasters not delivering much-needed rain, Gov. Bob Riley on Thursday turned to a higher power. The governor issued a proclamation calling for a week of prayer for rain, beginning Saturday.

Yes, there seems to be an attempt to solve a lack of rain through prayer. Now go see what Andrew has to say about it.

[tags]Alabama stuck in 1954?, Kantor highlights excellence in governance[/tags]

Disaster averted – for now

Thanks to the quick thinking of one man, we have one less vampire to threaten the world now.

A peacock that roamed into a fast-food restaurant parking lot was attacked by man who vilified the bird as a vampire, animal-control authorities said.

Beaten so fiercely that most of his tail feathers fell out, the bird was euthanized, said Richard Gentles, a spokesman for the city’s Center for Animal Care and Control.

Please don’t think I actually condone beating animals. I hate to think how many crazy people are out and about, hidden in plain sight. And here, I don’t mean “suffering from minor or major mental disabilities” crazy, but rather “potentially and likely dangerous but not recognized as such” crazy. It’s not hard (for me) to think that someone who would beat a peacock because they believe it to be a vampire as falling into both categories. I’m all for helping treat those in the first category and trying to help them function in the world as it is. I’m pretty much not so much in favor of helping the second category group back into society at large without major improvements at recognizing whether or not they actually still fall into the second category.

[tags]He started it!, The peacock was a vampire, Protecting the world from vampiric fowl[/tags]

Big brother of the year is bad-ass 5-year-old

Man, this is the kid I want as my big brother when I’m going through life on the next pass-through.

A 5-year-old boy grabbed a rabid fox by the neck and pinned it to the ground during a family cookout, protecting six other children before his stepfather could step in.

“I wanted to protect my little brother,” said Rayshun McDowell, who battled the animal in the front yard of his home Sunday in Kingstown, a town about 50 miles west of Charlotte.

Soooooo, 5-year-old. Rabid fox. Little brother to protect? Much canine ass-whooping occurred. Well done, sir Rayshun. Well done, indeed.

[tags]Bad-ass of the year in under 10 category, Big brother of the year, He opened a can on the fox[/tags]

Five people fail to be worth anything

Here’s a post of five worthless people doing nothing to justify their existence.

As stabbing victim LaShanda Calloway lay dying on the floor of a convenience store, five shoppers, including one who stopped to take a picture of her with a cell phone, stepped over the woman, police said.

So what reason is there for even having those five people around any more? And for the record, Ms. Calloway died later at the hospital.

[tags]Worthless people, LaShanda Calloway[/tags]

Today in History – Hello, Dolly

Well, probably not the “Hello, Dolly” you are thinking of, but on this day in history the first successful mammal clone, Dolly the sheep, was born.

Originally code-named “6LL3,” the cloned lamb was named after the buxom singer and actress Dolly Parton. The name was reportedly suggested by one of the stockmen who assisted with her birth, after he learned that the animal was cloned from a mammary cell. The cells had been taken from the udder of a six-year-old ewe and cultured in a lab using microscopic needles, in a method first used in human fertility treatments in the 1970s. After producing a number of normal eggs, scientists implanted them into surrogate ewes; 148 days later one of them gave birth to Dolly.

Also of note today in history is the 1946 introduction of the bikini, the first American fatality in the Korean war in 1950, and the 1921 accusation for throwing the 1919 World Series of several Chicago White Sox members. This and more at The History Channel’s This Day in History for July 5th.

[tags]Today in History, Hello Dolly, Mammalian cloning, Dolly the clone born, The real clone wars[/tags]

Happy July 4th

I realize this is late in the day to post, but happy July 4^th holiday everyone. I’m stuck at work, but I got to spend time with my kids this morning and have lunch (Mmmmmm, burgers) with my wife, mother-in-law, and kids before heading to work this afternoon. I just wish we’d gotten to a pool or parade somewhere in there.

[tags]Happy July 4th, Independence day[/tags]

Electrocute your hot dogs for wholesome good taste

What’s the best way to enjoy food? Deep fried, of course. But as a fallback, what would be fun to do to your food? You could, you sadistic freak (and we like that about you), instead electrocute your hot dogs, treating them like the condemned criminals they really are.

[tags]Electrocution for yummy hot dogs, Can’t fry? Electrocute instead, Presto hot dog cooker[/tags]

Robot news – shocking to you

As the robots continue their work toward world domination, they are picking up new partners.Ã‚Â In an attempt to not be crushed by the robots, the humans at Taser have agreed to arm the robots for the coming battle.

RoboCops and robot soldiers got a little closer to reality Thursday as a maker of floor-cleaning automatons teamed up with a stun-gun manufacturer to arm track-wheeled ‘bots for police and the Pentagon.

By adding Tasers to robots it already makes for the military, iRobot Corp. says it hopes to give soldiers and law enforcement a defensive, non-lethal tool.

But some observers fear such developments could ultimately lead to robots capable of deciding on their own when to shoot and kill.

Expect those humans to mysteriously disappear soon.Ã‚Â The robots don’t want humans pointing out their slow growth in power.

I happen to know the robots are collecting lethal weapons too.Ã‚Â This deal with Taser for non-lethal (actually less-lethal according to law enforcement, but that’s a minor quibble) weapons is a ruse to cover the real ambitions…

[tags]The robots will take over, The coming robot uprising, Robots get tasers – zap your ass, Robots stocking up on less lethal weapons to cover amassing of lethal weapons[/tags]

Fired for having a little fun on the job?

In a “What the hell was I thinking? I must be an idiot” moment, Norberto Cappas made a bad decision that has come back to haunt him:

An officer who ordered two women to put on a “sex show” in a jail cell will be fired. Norberto Cappas, 32, was found guilty by a police tribunal of conduct unbecoming an officer and lying during a departmental investigation and will lose his job following a 30-day suspension, the department said Tuesday.

nternal Affairs investigators found that Cappas ordered the two women to kiss and touch each other and expose their breasts in September 2003. The two had been picked up on suspicion of drug possession, but they had no drugs and were not charged with a crime.

Of course, that was a stupid move. Sounds like perhaps an abuse of power done by someone who thought he could get away with it, although honestly I’m not sure I believe ol’ Norberto has sufficient mental facilities to actually think about whether he could get away with it:

Cappas has denied wrongdoing and refused to talk to a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter seeking comment Tuesday.

The real kicker though, is this little tidbit in the story:

The case sat idle for years until the Inquirer raised questions about it last year.

Yup. Sounds like a case of limited thinking combined with departmental inertia and buearacracy let him do something stupidly abusive and almost get away with it.

[tags]Stupid criminal watchers?, Stupid abuse of powers, Dumb cop story[/tags]

What iPod software to use?

My wife recently got an iPod. She already hates the iTunes interface. Is there good software for managing music and playlists on the iPod? I recently found Musik Cube and intend to try it, but wonder if there are other good tools out there. Comments don’t requires accounts, so please leave a comment with any software recommendations you have.

[tags]What software to manage iPod?[/tags]

Eye Candy – more freaky chick pics

I have a thing for freaky looking chicks. And to me, that’s a term of deep admiration, not an insult. Lately, the freaky chick I’ve been paying attention to is Amy Lee from the band Evanescence. She’s very pretty, and into the goth freaky look.

See? Pretty. Freaky. Mmmmmm.Ã‚Â I looooove those boots.
[tags]Amy Lee, Evanescence, Freaky hot chicks, Eye candy[/tags]

An iPhone view from PC World

Like so many other organizations aimed at the tech and near-tech folks who surf for their information, PC World is taking a look at the iPhone and giving a short review of the ups and downs of this new gadget.

Want an iPhone? Of course you do. It looks sexy, it’s innovative, and–for a while at least–it’ll be the ultimate status symbol.

OK, they almost lost my reading time with this. No, I don’t want an iPhone. It’s a first gen tech toy. It’s an underperforming MP3 player. It’s an oversized phone (but I think that about most phones that are more than phones). It’s an under-functioning web tool (in fact, in more ways than one). It is apparently sometimes difficult to activate (and none of its features work until the entire phone is activated). It has a non-replaceable (by the end user) battery. Oh, and if you want a better functioning gadget for anything the iPhone does (which won’t be too hard to find, given the compromises necessary for this all-in-one functionality), you either carry another gadget, upgrade your iPhone if a better one is available and has the gadget improvement you want, or do without. Still, I kept reading.

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