riddler

It's a difficult position in the economy right now. Every number, except jobs, is perking up. Even the auto industry is starting to make a comeback: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/14/business/14auto.html?_r=2&hp All of the nay-saying seems to focus on jobs and fear. And it's fear that's keeping employers from hiring. Fear, fear, and more fear. If my friend Brian Germain is watching this thread, I can see him having some thoughts on that In fact, he's written a few books on the subject. On the fear side, we now have the Hindenburg Omen, which is entirely based on an attempt to predict the future based solely on trends: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/7944824/Hindenburg-Omen-foreshadows-imminent-FTSE-crisis-warns-BGCs-David-Buik.html Political motivations aside, it comes down to what kind of person you are. Are you an economic atheist that believes only in the numbers? If so, you should be optimistic about the economy, because the numbers are looking good. Or are you a Bible-thumper that thinks fear and invisible spirits will drive the economy? If so, then put out the dog and turn out the lights, because we could be headed for the end of western civilization. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

What's really funny is when the cops get annoyed and speed up to get rid of everyone. Like an eagle-ray jumping out of the water to fling off those annoying remoras. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Sadly, many motorcycle riders feel that they're not going to do much damage to anyone or anything else if they burn in. Insurance companies agree - motorcycle insurance for collision damage to others is minimal. But the truth is any object has the potential of killing a driver. Sometimes wheels will come off of cars, accelerate, and hit an on-coming vehicle's windshield, killing the driver of the other vehicle. Human bodies of motorcycle riders and motorcycles themselves can also kill occupants of other vehicles. It doesn't happen that often, but it's not an excuse for pretending it never happens. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

So, the fine for this could be about 1 MILLION DOLLARS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGKHZdGjfhs&feature=related Seriously, that's got to be some kind of record speeding fine. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

You're right. That's something subtle, but powerful, about the video. The other cops standing around, watching, doing nothing. This lends credibility to the earlier poster's argument that the police are in cahoots. Part of the job of the police should be to police each other. If they can't do that, they shouldn't be in the police, and they should be prosecuted for being an accessory. One of the other cops should have tased this Deputy. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Nice. I'm glad I'm not the only one that prefers to grab two big jugs on the way out of the plane. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I respect cops as a group. But man, if one has a bad day, it can really hurt. I guess the officer said that while they were riding in the van, the prisoner threatened to find his family and kill them. I've heard that some officers have training to deal with prisoners that say such things. I also know that Sheriffs Departments often get a lot less training and budget than city police do. Seriously, though, I think this deputy should be put in prison. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Disturbing video: http://us.cnn.com/video/#/video/crime/2010/08/10/sotvo.nr.police.beating.video.cnn?hpt=T2 What the Hell? What could have caused him to do this? I can't see any logical reason ... Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Now that's just funny! Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

The story that I heard was that he grabbed a beer from the beer cart on the way out, before he opened the door and jumped down the chute. If that's true, I would license my story to the beer companies and offer to be in a commercial where I grab their beer, kick open the plane door, shout "take this job and shove it!", then jump out. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Ditto - they would say "never heard of him, don't really care". Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Actually, about 10% of marriages worldwide are between first cousins. But that doesn't mean that it's good - first cousins have four times the consanguinity of second cousins. So a woman that marries her first cousin and has a baby at 30 years old has the same risk of birth defects in the baby as another woman delivering at 41 years old. What's really interesting is there is a huge stigma in the US about first cousins marrying. But apparently, it's not nearly as stigmatized as gay people are. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Speaking of bizarre practices, check out the attachment. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

C'mon, Mark! Muslims aren't responsible for 9/11 anymore than Christians are responsible for the Holocaust or the Oklahoma City bombing. Terry Nichols is a born-again Christian, but he didn't speak for Christians when he helped blow up the Federal building in Oklahoma City. And Hitler didn't speak for Christians when he killed Jews, homosexuals and everyone else. Bad people are bad people, regardless of their religious affiliations. There were 2 billion Muslims in the world that had nothing to do with 9/11 on that infamous day. The vast majority of them abhorred Bin Laden's actions, just like people of every other faith. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Thank you, John. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I've heard through the grapevine that Ed, the former proprietor of Altimate High Skydiving Club, in Erie, Colorado may have passed on. Does anyone have any information about this? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Well, compared the four climate-change scientists he trusts that deny AGW, it's a step in the right direction. OTOH, here's a study with 704 long-term users and 484 non-users by UCSD, concluding that marijuana has failed to reveal a substantial, systematic effect on the neurocognitive functioning of users. http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/pot/a/blucsd030628.htm Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Yeah, I feel that way whenever I see a Keanu Reeves movie. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Within one day, he has a Facebook fanpage, t-shirt line and his own ringtone. I wish him success, and I hope they find his sister's attacker. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

"Hide yo' husband too, 'cause they is rapin' everybody out here!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEvNS5TzvwM&feature=related Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Many people that use marijuana are in chronic pain. My father is a vietnam vet that was shot 13 times. It helps him cope with the pain better than all of the drugs that the VA gives him. I don't use it myself, but I support the legalization of it. In Denver, you just need a card from a doctor and you can purchase and use it legally. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

They need to add a message about not driving while high. Traffic has slowed down 5-10 MPH since they legalized marijuana in Denver. But people can't seem to stay in their lane or turn well. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Slightly better version. Not much better, but kinda: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB4vxQDllFU&feature=related Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

It's all about the money. I seriously think they sit around a table and do a dutch auction: "I can make a movie for $5,000." "I can make a movie for $4,500." "I can make a movie for $4,250." At the point that the bidding stops, that's who gets to make the movie. SyFy then adds a cheesy soundtrack for $49.99 from some starving musicians, and they've just filled a 2-hour slot that they can sell $50,000 of advertising. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD