riddler

She was also bug-eyed (or I think J.K. described it as "large, luminous" or something), and the makeup people did a great job with that. Great movie! Yates is to be commended on a good balance with what was an extremely difficult job. Condensing a large book into a short space, excellent sound and special effects, just the right amount of screentime for the amazing actors, fast-pace, but not too fast, like the last movie, and getting the right mix of dark and light moments. This was a much better movie than the last one. Oldman, Rickman, Thewlis and Gleeson, Smith, Isaacs and Walters all stood out, despite the limited time they had, and Imelda Staunton as Umbridge was a pleasant surprise. The girl that played Tonks is just plain HOT (as is Helena Bonham Carter of course, but she didn't do as good a job acting as she's capable of). Emma Thompson also was a slight disappointment after her great performance in POA. I was worried they would leave out Grawp and the Dursleys (again), and I was really happy that both made it into the movie. We went to see an early IMAX-3D, and there was only 20 minutes of 3-D time at the end. For some reason, Superman Returns and other 3-D movies only want to spend a certain amount of money on random and intermittent (usually CG) scenes in 3-D. The 20 minutes of 3-D at the end of OOTP was very good, although they really shouldn't call it a 3-D movie if only the last little bit qualifies. I think this movie ties with POA for my favorites of the movie series. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I don't understand Japanese culture that well, and I probably never will! However, as far as language, I've had pretty good luck with the Pimsleur Comprehensive series. It will teach you everything you need to know for about a 15-minute conversation about polite topics, such as the weather If you want to discuss religion and politics, it's probably best to live there ... Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

So I looked up the website on the airport where I learned to skydive and still skydive. The one reference to skydiving looks like this: OK, so I'm not a pilot, but is this how the FAA refers to skydiving? I checked FAR parts 65 and 105, and I never see a reference to parajumping - just parachute operations and such. Is this common in aircraft literature, or maybe older terminology that's outdated? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Way, way, way overpriced. Figure $600 for the 8 gig model, +2 yr contract, they are making $1,000 or more profit, which is what you can buy a low-end Mac for. Why spend the same for a small device when you can get an entire computer for that? Sure, I have a $500 Blackberry, but I got it for *free* back when everyone thought that judge was going to shut down RIM for the patent infringement. Even with a free phone, the 2-yr contract with Cingular SUCKS. Can't wait for it to end. Apple and Cingular - both way over-rated and over-priced. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Well, maybe not. I always feel a little bad bringing up evolution as an argument, because I believe very much in it, but I know a lot of other people do not. As far as I know, every mammal (and many other species) has the ability to regulate their metabolisms, but some do it much faster and easier and to greater extent than others, and there's the question of which ones do it consciously (and many people that don't consider humans as animals will often argue that animals have no conscious anyway). But I'm sure you probably believe in history. And I think that just about every sane historian will tell you that most people in human history did indeed "starve" (or just not eat) for short or long periods of time. I guess I don't think of not eating as starving - I think of starving as when you have completely depleted your body of energy stores. If you don't eat for a day, or even a few days, I don't think you starve, just as I would say you don't need to fill up your gas tank if you only have 3/4 or 1/2 of a tank left (but I do know a few people that do that too ). I've heard a few other people that state that by not eating for a few days, you are starving. I know at least one of those people was very much into high-energy sports and had been told by a few physical trainers that they need to eat a lot. I don't dispute that for an athlete that's training hard, you need to keep up your intake of nutrients. But that's not most Americans. The original post was about detoxification, and I believe that if someone chooses to go for some days without eating in a low-energy environment, that doesn't justify calling it "starving". I agree that starving your body is never really a good idea, but is it really starving if you have reserves left? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I'm curious why you would think this. Not trying to be argumentative. But here's a few examples of why I think the opposite. (I would like to add that I've never done a "serious" fast, such as a water-only fast). 1. Digestion takes between 1/4 and 1/3 of your total energy, depending on how you add up all the pieces/parts of this rather complicated process. Next to cardio-pulmonary functions, it's the second largest energy demand on the body. Assuming you have enough energy reserves (fat, which most Americans have plenty of), then it seems to me that your body could use this energy for other purposes (such as healing or cleansing itself) while you're fasting. 2. Most other creatures on the planet experience regular periods of fasting, because their food supply is not year-round (such as artic foxes) or not always close at hand (for example, pelagic fishes and mammals). Humans and all other hominids experienced regular and consistent periods of famine for their entire evolution (about 7 million years). Our bodies were designed by evolution to adapt to not having food for short periods, or having only limited quantities of food for long periods. We were not designed by evolution to eat all year around; it's only been in the last few hundred years that technology and social change has enabled humans to eat all the time. It seems that if anything, eating all the time is less "natural" than having periods of fasting. I think that starving yourself would not be a good idea if you are attempting to add muscle mass via rigorous exercise. But moderate exercise, even during famine periods, is very common among african tribes (think tribal plainsmen running across the barren desert between the stormy seasons). OTOH, if you are attempting to cleanse your body in a low-energy environment (such as sitting at work in front of a computer), my thinking is that fasting might not be such a bad thing. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

The best way to find out is try it out yourself and see how you feel. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I hear they are just going to fly around in the wind tunnel this time, so that the 4.5 minute free-falls are believable Johnny jumps into the tunnel with no helmet But only a handgun, and points it at the bad guy, and says "get out of the tunnel". Bad guy says, "you have to fly me out yourself, and you can't do that holding a gun!" Meanwhile the tunnel rats are flashing the lights and telling them both their time is up. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

More or less - "mostly composite material". Which explains why we can't get certain skydiving helmets at the moment. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I love dogs, but a lot of owners aren't very responsible with them at the DZ. I've personally had a dog grab and run with my PC while I was packing. I've seen another dog lift his leg to a rig (we all think he was stopped before anytinkle happened). I also don't think it's considerate to other jumpers to bring pets to the DZ, since about 15% of the adult human population in the US has dog or cat allergies. I've also seen some very well behaved dogs that don't stick their nose in your crotch, stay away from the packing areas and generally hang around their owners. Sadly, those aren't the ones most people remember. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Of all the crazy wars going on in the world at the moment, this one probably makes the most sense: how cocoa fuelled the conflict in Côte d’Ivoire Finally, something worth fighting for. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

As my instructor used to say ... "Riding a bike will teach you humility. You may have every right to that lane/turn/light, but if a larger vehicle wants it, you will surrender it." Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

If'n you've got an old microwave you don't care about destroying ... Try a light bulb. The metal screw part at the end will spark and could destroy your magnetron. But if you do it for a short period (5-10 seconds), you get some nice colors that glow from the filament. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

See, I was hoping it would give me more confidence in there - one less thing to whack. But sadly, I'm still a coward in there. Those walls are scary. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Man, I used to have little respect for the rats, until I started to hang out more at the tunnel. Those guys take a beating for sure! BTW - a full-face completely solved my problem. The rats don't get to wear them because the students need to see what they're saying. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Well, different techniques The doc said you gotta snort it to get it far enough back into your sinuses. The only downside of just tilting your head is that it only seems to get into the front part of your nasal cavity. Although that helps, he said it's not as effective. But yeah, it hurts more On the plus side, I will never, ever become a cocaine addict. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

You need to try raw almond hummus! It uses almonds, rather than chickpeas: 1/2 cup almonds - soak overnight in a bowl of water. Next day, blanch the almonds. Blanching is cool and fun; Take a small pan of water and boil it, throw the almonds in for only 5 to 7 seconds and immediately throw them in a strainer and run cold water over them. 5-7 seconds won't kill the almonds, but you can squeeze the skin right off (think about squeezing a watermelon seed and how it squirts out of your fingers). Throw the skinned almonds into a blender. Add a clove of garlic, 1/3 cup water, squeeze half a lemon in there, add a little sea salt, and just a tiny bit of cumin powder. Since I know you shop at whole foods, get a little bit of their raw tahini (in the bulk food isle) and add just one tablespoon. Blend! Eat! Food is most vibrant and full of flavor when you don't cook it. Don't overdo the lemon, though Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Umm, it takes a lot more for me to get used to pain like that. But it's really good for sinuses. I would do that after getting dust up my nose from the tunnel. It works. But it hurts. We used to have a sinus doctor that jumped at Mile Hi until he broke both femurs, and I haven't seen him since I visited him in the hospital a few years ago. Anyway, I guess this guy went all over the country lecturing on sinus allergies, and he would pretty much say this same thing - snort water to clear out the nasal cavity. He would have you lean way back and get the water to flush out the back of your sinus cavity too. This is not for the weak ... Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Man, all I can think is that Duece would've been perfect for that Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Looking forward to it since I saw the preview at Pirates 3. Silver Surfer was one of the cooler comics when I was young. What's the deal with Galactus, anyway? The dude consumes entire planets. Never gains any weight. I think Oprah even tried his diet. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Robert Alan Soloway, nicknamed "Spam King" by prosecutors, was imprisoned about a week ago, pending trial. This guy was one of the first people to repeatedly and unabashedly send mass email. If you're reading this, you've most probably received spam from him at some point. Story here. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Wait - are we increasing our wingloading, or decreasing it?? I think if we call it a wingloading diet, it should be something to increase wingloading. Sometimes when I spend all day climbing a 14er, I really want a bunch of calories by the time I'm done. I keep a bottle of beer right next to a pint of Ben and Jerry's in a cooler. The ice cream keeps the beer cold, and the beer warms the ice cream into liquid. By the time I get back, I pop both open, and take turns swigging - beer in one hand, liquid ice cream in another. That'll increase your wingloading for sure. Today I tried to get into my RW suit after packing on about 20 pounds of winter fat. Didn't work If we're trying to get into our jumpsuit, we should call it the "trying to get our fat asses back into last summer's jumpsuit diet".

Friend of mine got a new Lexus and we drove to Boulder, Colorado today. He apologized if my seat felt wet. What? He said it's the AC - it makes the seat feel wet. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I said I was fine. A few minutes later, I felt like I just wet my pants. Silly Lexus blows AC right up your tushy through the seat. OK, I like heated seats. But AC? A guy can't even take a respectable midnight naked drive without getting blue balls. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Binford Catalogue An entire online catalog for tools that never existed Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Wow. Whenever we were both at the holiday boogies together, Duece always went out of his way to spend time chatting with me and making me feel welcome. How do you put a value on that? I can only hope he got as much from me as he gave. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD