riddler

Here's an article I wrote on the Blackberry Curve (Verizon) vs. the iPhone (older, not 3G). The BB curve with EVDO-revA is a great phone, but the iPhone is catching up with the 3G phone. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3217924;page=unread#unread Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

The city of Denver has passed three separate laws, all some years apart, legalizing the possession and use of marijuana within the city limits. Of course, the cops can still bust you on state and federal charges if they want, but plenty of people walk around the city while smoking it. A lot of people don't understand why a major city can make pot legal despite the "war on drugs". To help explain, I'd like to paraphrase the state song of Colorado, but going backwards: Friends around the campfire and everybody's high (Yes, this really is the state song) Rocky mountain high (high Colorado) (this was made the 2nd state song by elected politicians in 2007) You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply (This really depends on how good your Ganja is) And they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun (Now, really, most people never get to smokin' this much dope, but some do) Rocky mountain high (high Colorado) (ol' JD is definitely NOT talking about the 5,280 feet of elevation in Denver) Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Luna totally rocks! Nerdy, offbeat girls (ala Sarah Silverman) are the new hip genre of celebrity. They toned down the character in the movie, for sure, but both the book and movie character are a lot of fun. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

My 21-month old starting talking at four months, but the words were limited at first to just a few things like "mama", "dada", etc. She really started talking a lot at about 16 months, and we like to make silly sounds to each other, like blowing raspberries, barnyard animals, etc, and laugh together about it. At about 19 months she was so prolific that she started talking in her sleep. It's cute because I put her to bed every night, and I read to her, and sing songs to her until she falls asleep. I stay with her long enough to make sure she's past alpha and theta sleep, otherwise she might wake up quickly, then it takes a really long time to get her back to sleep. So last week, I was singing to her and she falls asleep. I kept singing until the sleep-grins faded, and the little arms and leg-twitches stopped to make sure she was in deep sleep before I got up to go back to work on the computer. I was singing Mary Had a Little Lamb, and I was just about ready to stop, somewhere in the third verse, when right on cue, in the middle of a pause, she makes a "baaa" sound, like a sheep, in her sleep. At that point, I had to stop singing, because I was trying to hold in my laughter, not shake the bed too much with convulsions, and wipe tears away. She never woke up - just kept right on sleeping. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

heh - I used to like the Outback, too. Until I became a vegetarian. The portions were really big. But that ain't no place for grass-eaters. Never did see 'roo on the menu. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Dude, post your FSBO house on craigslist. You will have every realtor in town calling you and emailing you. Especially if you specifically say you don't want realtors to call you or email you Average rate for MLS posting - $200, but I've seen $100, and you could probably talk them down to $50, as long as you don't want the full GFE. One rule - if you have a FSBO sign on your front yard, it's a no-no to MLS list your house. Other agents will have a fit. Although it's kinda fun to watch them cat-fight Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

This is more geography than I ever learned in public school. Sure, I had to memorize every state capital in the US, but not once was I asked to point out the entire continent of Australia. In another 10 years, the way public education is going, I expect the average school-kid won't be able to identify America on a map, or even spell the word map. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I am not stating that the merger should be stopped. In fact, I could not care less, as I stopped listening to sat-radio many years ago. What I am stating is that nothing gets done in this country without a payoff. The payoff here is that the FCC has made the statement that they would block the merger, "in the interest of consumer rights". The truth is the FCC doesn't care one iota about consumer rights - they care about how much money they can make from it. The sat-radio companies decided they need to merge to be profitable. Good for them, again, I don't care. But they only way it can get done is if they throw $20 million at the government. It's a bribe - nothing more or less. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

The primary purpose of government taxes is to provide common services to the citizens of this country. Social programs are the biggest expense in every first-world country, and that is the way it should be. Despite all the problems with Social Security, it is by far the most efficient government expenditure - all of the administration costs of SS make up less that 1% of the gross - no other government program comes close to that. It's improper to compare an illegal war that does not contribute to our safety to a program that is designed to help our citizens. No, we should not cut SS by 10%, or even 1%. Instead we should ask why we are fighting three-trillion dollar a war halfway around the world, when congress never passed a formal declaration of war? You can point the finger on spending at congress if you are a Republican, but congress is the only entity that should decide on wars, and they didn't decide on this one. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Anyone that does not believe that the US Government is just another corporate entity looking to make a buck should look at the newly approved merger between the only two US satellite radio providers in the US: XM and Sirius to merge Here's the short version of the story: FCC: We will not allow you to merge because it is bad for US Consumers. Financially struggling sat-radio: How about $20 million for you? FCC: Deal! Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

This is not the federal "spam-king" Robert Alan Soloway, but it is a local spammer from Colorado, Edward Davidson. His wife helped break him out of jail last weekend, then he killed her, his 3-year old daughter, and himself. His 14-year old daughter, and a seven-month old baby survived. A tragic end for an evil spammer, and unfortunately, killed some innocent people in the process. I've gotten plenty of spam from this dude. Rocky Mountain News Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Wow - so relieved that I can return to my own BDS&M prison role-playing with a German accent without fear of being branded a Nazi-sympathizer by the press. Mosley's making the world just a bit safer for those of us with eccentric tastes. Sadly, I can't afford the almost-real experience of five whores for $1,000/night each, so I'll just have to go back to flogging myself with a garden hose while shouting "Ach, du lieber!" at the neighbor's Yorkshire Terriers. I'm also working on a do-it-yourself waterboarding home kit, which I intend to patent. Anyone want to help with the patent search on that one? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I don't see it as a dem/rep issue. It's a marketing decision. When the DNC selects a city to host, they definitely expect to get their asses kissed, polished and waxed. Same with the RNC. Denver did a good job kissing butt, and will they continue to do so. I've lived here for over 30 years, and it's one of the more corrupt city governments around. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Nope. What I'm saying is bad is parents not educating themselves about child vaccinations, and taking the word of the government and doctors without understanding that they have rights and choices. Maybe injecting one shot containing eight attenuated viruses into newborn is bad. Or maybe you think it's OK. That's a decision the parents are allowed to make for their children. Maybe using mercury in vaccines is detrimental to a newborn's immune system. Again, most people don't realize that this is the case with many vaccinations. But do you even realize you have a choice as a parent? Most people don't. Maybe the leading cause of polio outbreaks worldwide is the vaccinations themselves. You can choose to believe that statistic or not, and more importantly, choose if you want that particular vaccine for your child. Even the CDC has this to say about vaccines: So, like skydiving, you get to choose your risk level. If I'm taking my kids to Nigeria, I'll get them a polio vaccine. Meantime, living in the center of the US, I don't really think it's necessary, and potentially more dangerous than not doing it. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I understand that some dropzones in Japan use helicopters only, due to limited airfield space. Personally, I'd rather jump out of a hot air balloon than a helicopter. Less fuel (I think), quieter, and you can hear yourself yelling "oh shit!" when you accelerate out of the basket Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

On the plus side, fear is at an all-time high. Well, at least Americans have something to be passionate about. I was chatting with the midwife who helped us deliver our two daughters. She was recounting a story from the previous week about her conversation with a nurse that was about to have a baby (with a traditional hospital birth). The nurse was a first-time mother, who knew nothing about breast-feeding, had no idea what options were available for child-birth (circumcision, inoculations, etc). She didn't have "time" for any classes in these matters, but she decided she should take at least one class in something to prepare for having a first baby. What one class did she take? "How to prevent child abduction". Well, I guess the kid will probably get circumcised, injected with 8 vaccines and fed processed formula "food", but at least his chances of being kidnapped decrease from virtually zero to almost nothing, because mom took a class. Fear. It does a nation good. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

My 21-month old is at that age where she runs around a lot and hurts herself. No big deal - I ask her if she wants me to kiss it, and that helps a little. She knows sign language too, so she knows the ASL sign for kiss. She gets more clutzy and irritable at night when she's tired, and then every little boo-boo becomes a crisis. I put her to bed every night, and she's just big enough to start crawling up into bed with me. Except one night, she was tired and unbalanced, and fell onto her butt from almost a standing position. This is normally not a big deal, and she gets up right away, but since it was bedtime and she was tired, she made a fuss as I soothed her. After I lay her down in the bed, I asked her where she hurt herself, and she pointed to her butt. Then she makes the sign for "kiss" and points to her butt again I laughed and told her I'm not kissing her butt, but she started to get insistent. Well, I'm thinking she pretty much is the princess, she already runs the household, and I kiss her butt figuratively every day anyway. How hard could it be? But I guess I couldn't bring myself to do it, so I promised her that I would kiss her 10 times for not kissing her butt. I guess that helped, because she was asleep before I was done Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I can't believe they didn't mention the blockbuster Reign of Fire There was even skydiving in that one. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

They're very cool when they're young - mine are 21 months and two months. I'm devising a plan for when they get older. 1. All boyfriends must come to the house before they can date the girls. 2. All boyfriends will view naked baby pics of the girls. I have about a dozen on the oldest already, and three or four on the two-month old. By the time they're dating age, I plan to have several hundred of each. 3. All boyfriends must view my shotgun collection, including the one or two I just bought, and I'm really excited to kill something with. 4. I expect that pre-paid private investigation will be just as popular in 15 years as pre-paid legal is today. For only $10 I can have someone follow the kids around all night with a camera and cell phone. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

And the most relevant line from that article: Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I meant in color - she was always kinda thin Probably was the outdoor lighting that brought out her highlights. Glad you had a good time, and glad you're back safe. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Murray's mission: to bring attention to the USO and all the good works they perform. I doubt that anyone in the US Army doesn't know about the USO and their good works Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I'm scared of Disneyland. The waterfall pics are wonderful, and it looks like Rose had a good time as well. Edit - wait, is that Rose? She looks lighter, but maybe it's the camera. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

How do you make prostitution legal? Take a video camera and record it - now, it's not prostitution (illegal pay for sex), it's pornography (very legal pay for sex). Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Schoolyard Bully: "I hate that little kid that always hangs out at the edge of the playground. I'm gonna go beat him up." Toady (Great Britain?): "I don't think he could hurt you, he's too small." SYB: "Ya never know. He might sneak up behind me and hit me on the back of the head with a rock someday. Better if I show him who's boss now." Toady (Canada?): "Yeah, probably. I heard he was gonna tell the teacher on you, anyway." If we preemptively invade another country, aren't we the terrorist group going after them? And should we also invade Iran, Syria, Lybia, Cuba, North Korea, and Sudan ? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD