« February 2007 | Main | April 2007 »
March 31, 2007
Tennessee River Paddlefish
Today, I took my Sea-Doo down the Tennessee River from Nickajack Reservoir down to Stevenson, Alabama. I wanted to make it further. I wanted to go to Wheeler but...shall we say...I had technical difficulties? The dude sped up after a while, and we got going so fast I couldn't control the Sea-Doo. When it's towed on a plane, the Sea-Doo gets kinda squirrelly. Who knew?
Not sure why all my adventures seem to end in Stevenson, but if the name sounds familiar, it's the same town I ended up at when I took my train ride last year.
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 31, 2007 at 8:32 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Lahti 20mm anti-material rifle
Makes me drool all over. I would have bought one, but I live in Illinois...
Posted by Uzi Baron on March 31, 2007 at 8:29 PM : Comments (4) | Permalink
Tennessee River Pop Quiz
1) What is the speed limit on the Tennessee River?
2) Is it legal to drink and drive a boat in Alabama and/or Tennessee?
3) Can you drive a Sea-Doo at night in Tennessee?
4) Does Tennessee have an open container law for automobiles?
Answers:
1) There is no speed limit on the Tennessee River, or on most of the nations waterways for that matter. There are some "No Wake" areas, but on the river, you can go as fast as you want.
2) Yes. In Alabama, "Drinking while boating is a choice." In Tennessee and Alabama, and in most states, there are no open container laws for boats.
3) It is illegal to operate a Personal Water Craft between the hours of sunset and sunrise in Tennessee.
4) As long as you're not driving, Tennessee law says you can drink alcohol in a moving vehicle.
The waterways of this country are the last frontier. The tree-huggers haven't shut them down yet. Get out there and play while you still can. Life is short. Play hard.
Update: Update: My buddy Goat down in Alabama told me I was mistaken on this, but I'm not clear that he's right. Even Kalifornia does not have an open container law for boats. "...there is no "open container" law for boats..." The California Department of Boating and Waterways " recommends that boaters do no drink alcohol while boating." However, it appears that in 2002, Utah became the first state to enact an open container law for boats, but it only applies to "moving boats". Texas does not have an open container law for boats.
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 31, 2007 at 6:47 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 30, 2007
Sunset on Tims Ford
I'm the proud owner of a Bombardier Sea-Doo GTi Personal Water Craft. It's a 10' 4" long three seater with a Rotax 718cc twin-cylinder two-stroke water-cooler 85 hp engine. The gas tank holds 15 gallons. It goes 52 mph if the lake is flat and you kneel down on the seat and put your chin on the handle bars. Although it seems fast, apparently ducks can fly faster than this. Don't ask how I know though, because I'm reasonably sure that harassing migratory waterfowl is a felony.
Here's some lame videos I shot out on the reservoir today with my pink RAZR. These are 3g2 video files and you probably won't be able to view them, but they should play in the latest free version of Apple's QuickTime player::
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Update: Marty mentioned that these videos seem somewhat familiar.
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 30, 2007 at 9:44 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Saturn Alia
On March 1, 2007, NASA released a stunning photograph of Saturn taken by the Cassini space probe.
The Cassini spacecraft has captured a fresh view of Saturn from high above the planet's gorgeous rings and also provided a stunning video of its travels through the ring plane.
The robotic probe has climbed to higher and higher inclinations over the past several months, providing looks at the planet and rings that scientists have eagerly awaited.
"Finally, here are the views that we've waited years for," said Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging team leader at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. "Sailing high above Saturn and seeing the rings spread out beneath us like a giant, copper medallion is like exploring an alien world we've never seen before. It just doesn't look like the same place. It's so utterly breath-taking, it almost gives you vertigo."
The new photograph shows the rings from a 40-degree angle on high.
The video shows the rings as they appeared to Cassini while it sped from south to north, rapidly crossing the ring plane. When the rings are seen edge-on in the video, they disappear.
+away.+Credit%3A+NASA/JPL/Space+Science+Institute){kind=link}
Now, things have gotten more interesting.
Continue reading "Saturn Alia"
Posted by Robert Racansky on March 30, 2007 at 10:14 AM : Comments (1) | Permalink
March 29, 2007
A Beer Before it Starts
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 29, 2007 at 11:17 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
30 Things You'll Never Hear a Woman Say
30 things you'll never hear a woman say.
1. You know, I've been complaining a lot lately. I don't blame you for
ignoring me.
2. The new girl in my office is a real beauty, and a stripper too, I
invited her over for dinner on Friday.
3. While you were in the bathroom, they went for it on fourth down and
missed. If they can hold them to a field goal they'll still cover.
4. Bar food again! Kick ass.
5. I liked that wedding even more than ours. Your ex-girlfriend has class.
6. That girl is wearing the same outfit as I am. Cool, I'm gonna go over
and talk to her.
7. Let's just leave the toilet seat "up" at all times, then you don't have
to mess with it anymore.
8. I've decided to buy myself a boob job. How big do you want'em?
9. It's only the third quarter, you should order a couple more pitchers.
10. Honey, come here! Watch me do a Tequila Shot off of Stephanie's bare
ass.
11. My mother is going to take care of the tab, so order another round for
you and your friends.
12. I'm so happy with my new hairstyle, I don't think I'll ever change it
again.
13. Damn! I love when my pillow smells like your cigars and beer.
14. You are so much smarter than my father.
15. If we're not going to have sex, then you have to let me watch football.
16. Are you sure you've had enough to drink?
17. I've decided to stop wearing clothes around the house.
18. You're so sexy when you're hung over.
19. I'd rather watch football and drink beer with you than go shopping.
20. Let's subscribe to Hustler.
21. I'll be out painting the house.
22. I love it when you ride your Harley, I just wish you had more time to
ride.
23. Honey, our new neighbor's daughter is sunbathing again, come see!
24. No, No, I'll take the car to have the oil changed.
25. Your mother is way better than mine.
26. Do me a favor, forget the stupid Valentine's Day thing and buy yourself
something.
27. Listen, I make enough money for the both of us, why don't you retire.
28. You need your sleep ya big silly, now stop getting up for the night
feedings.
29. Look! My ass is fatter than yours!
30. Let's get rid of my friends and keep all of yours.
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 29, 2007 at 11:15 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Windows Vista Upgrade Decision Flowchart
With the launch of Windows Vista, many people are wondering if they should upgrade their computers to the new operating system. Use this chart to help you decide if an upgrade is right for you.
The chart begins with a logical question: Do you have a computer?...
Download the (.pdf) file for printing and posting in your office for easy reference.
http://www.bbspot.com/News/2007/02/windows-vista-upgrade-decision-flowchart.html
Posted by Uzi Baron on March 29, 2007 at 10:28 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
War Profiteer
If you get your news from the main stream media, you may not know that Dianne Feinstein's husband owns not one, but two defense contract firms.
There's no difference between the Republicans and the Democrats. They're both as stupid, evil, greedy, and corrupt as the Republicans.
Continue reading "War Profiteer"
Posted by Robert Racansky on March 29, 2007 at 12:59 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Chicago Police Close Ranks
Well, it isn't like we didn't see this one coming. When Anthony Abbate, the Chicago cop that pummeled an innocent woman in a Chicago bar, walked out of the Cook County Court House, the police ticketed all the reporters cars and threatened to arrest them for covering the story. Then, they let their man Abbate slip out the back door so he wouldn't have to face the music. Oh, and there's another video of 6 cops beating the tar out of innocent citizens in a Chicago Bar from Dec 15th of last year. That video was never released. Go figgure.
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 29, 2007 at 8:41 AM : Comments (1) | Permalink
March 28, 2007
Sea-Doo Life Expectancy is 300 hours?
This doesn't sound very promising:
I have ridden only Sea Doo for eight years. The last Sea Doo, A GTX, a good-looking jet ski, fast enough (61 mph) but don't let these two factors cloud the big picture. I had to take it in for a problem after 3 days and again after fifteen. This went on like this for a year. The worst part of all of this was the shop would look at me like it was my fault. Because I rode only Sea Doo's I didn't know any better. I thought this was just the way jet skis are. This GTX was in the shop for exactly 65% of the time I own the Jet Ski. After only 350 hours it was declared a total loose by my insurance company. It was my insurance company, not the Sea Doo Warranty that paid for the lose. I now ride a Honda F12. I am at 90 hours. I ride hard so I change the oil more than the manual says. The Honda, F12 has never been in the shop for a problem. I have not had one problem with the Honda F12, not one. As everyone keeps saying to me, its a Honda, what did you expect. Honda has figured out how to build a dependable motor. I am just one more rider telling you Sea Doo's will last about 300 hours. Its true, do the research on the Internet and the 300-hour life expectancy number for Sea Doo jet skis just keeps popping up. Bombardia will understand only one thing, money. We deserve better than this. As a worldwide Jet Ski riding community we can force Bombardia to do the right thing. Either build a better jet ski or get out of the business. With this philosophy we all win.
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 28, 2007 at 8:39 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Independent-Minded Correct-Thinkers
from "What You Can't Say" (January 2004)
When people are bad at math, they know it, because they get the wrong answers on tests. But when people are bad at open-mindedness they don't know it. In fact they tend to think the opposite. Remember, it's the nature of fashion to be invisible. It wouldn't work otherwise. Fashion doesn't seem like fashion to someone in the grip of it. It just seems like the right thing to do. It's only by looking from a distance that we see oscillations in people's idea of the right thing to do, and can identify them as fashions.
Time gives us such distance for free. Indeed, the arrival of new fashions makes old fashions easy to see, because they seem so ridiculous by contrast. From one end of a pendulum's swing, the other end seems especially far away.
To see fashion in your own time, though, requires a conscious effort. Without time to give you distance, you have to create distance yourself. Instead of being part of the mob, stand as far away from it as you can and watch what it's doing. And pay especially close attention whenever an idea is being suppressed. Web filters for children and employees often ban sites containing pornography, violence, and hate speech. What counts as pornography and violence? And what, exactly, is "hate speech?" This sounds like a phrase out of 1984.
Posted by Robert Racansky on March 28, 2007 at 7:02 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 27, 2007
Gapminder
Another wonderful Google Tool
Gapminder is a non-profit venture developing information technology for provision of free statistics in new visual and animated ways. Goal: enable you to make sense of the world by having fun with statistics. Method: turn boring data into enjoyable interactive animations using Flash technology.
Posted by Uzi Baron on March 27, 2007 at 7:01 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Remapping the Universe
http://www.fastcompany.com/video/player.html?bctid=422563006
In this video, Jeff Han and Phil Davidson demonstrate how a multi-touch driven computer screen will change the way we work and play.
Posted by Robert Racansky on March 27, 2007 at 4:13 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Math Observations...
The whole circle around the elephant and the question mark were unnecessary on the teacher's part. It's not like elephants are inconspicuous or anything. Either the elephant was in the way or not...
Part (b), is obviously a trick question. If an object is at rest, then it isn't moving. The elephant answer wasn't necessary...
We have to assume the object was on the surface of the Earth, so it would continue to move at the same speed as the planet... DUH!
Continue reading "Math Observations..."
Posted by Uzi Baron on March 27, 2007 at 9:59 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 26, 2007
ATV Carnage
Jennifer and I broke out the 4-wheelers yesterday. I have some video of her, but I took it with my cell phone and it's not very good. She shot me with her digital camera, which came out a lot better than my footage. Although the video is not terribly entertaining, her narrating makes it more funny, IMHO. If you are restricted from viewing active content like the YouTube video embedded above, try this slower video link as an alternative, but sub-optimal solution.
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 26, 2007 at 4:53 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Faces Of The RIAA: Look Into the Eyes of the Enemy
The RIAA, who they really are? Who is stupid enough to sue a 10 year old girl? or to coerce a 15 year old girl to commit perjury?
Find out who are the record companies and the record companies executives.
Posted by Uzi Baron on March 26, 2007 at 11:13 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Words Women Use
1.) FINE: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
2.) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five Minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
3.) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.
4.) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!
5.) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)
6.) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
7.) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome.
8.) Whatever: Is a women's way of saying F@#K YOU!
9.) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "what's wrong", for the woman's response refer to # 3.
Send this to the men you know, to warn them about arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminology. Send this to all the women you know to give them a good laugh, cause they know it’s true.
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 26, 2007 at 9:59 AM : Comments (1) | Permalink
March 25, 2007
Post Katrina Chainsaw Art
Four live oak trees in the median of U.S. Highway 90 Biloxi that died as a result of hurricane Katrina received new life at the hands of skilled chain saw artist Dayton Scoggins. The City of Biloxi commissioned the carvings from Scoggins, a native Mississippian with international acclaim as an award winning chainsaw carving artist. Note: I did not take these photos, nor am I clear who to credit for them. Fly sent them to me today. Thanks, Fly. :)
More photos in extended entry.
Continue reading "Post Katrina Chainsaw Art"
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 25, 2007 at 9:35 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
RIAA Going After 10 Year Old Girl
The RIAA is going after a 10 year old girl. She was 7 when it happened. Her mother is disabled and lives on Social Security Disability payments. Way to go, RIAA.
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 25, 2007 at 7:13 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
NYPD Spying on Innocent Citizens for Years
So, it looks like the NYPD has been spying on honest citizens that are trying to actively and legally participate in the political process. The NYPD has been secretly infiltrating political meetings in the U.S. and Canada and God only knows where else.
Oh, and the odds are better than 1 in a 1,000 that you're already on the government's Terrorist Identites Datamart Environment(TIDE).
They should really take a clue from Cuba. In Cuba, you are free to go to any meeting you like. But there's a guy with a smart little hat and a whistle from the Ministerio del Interior standing at the door taking names. This link to Cuba claims that they fire or imprison "prisoners of conscience". However, in my research, this is not what I have found to be the standard protocol. It costs money to have people a) not working or b) in prison. What they do instead is sentence them to cut sugar cane in the fields with a machete. Trust me. I'd take prison any day over cutting fields of cane by hand in a bilstering cauldron of 2nd world poverty.
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 25, 2007 at 6:42 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Scamming the Scammers
Oh I love this one. People are scamming the Nigerian scammers. I have to admit that I've played with them before myself. When I got those junk emails from a Nigerian prince and they needed an account to put 40 mill in, I'd reply and say "OK. I'm in. How can I help you?" I never went as far as these guys though.
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 25, 2007 at 8:58 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
MirrorMask - Close To You
This is a video clip from the movie MirrorMask, a collaborative effort from Neil Gaiman and artist and director Dave McKean, the innovative minds at The Jim Henson Company.
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 25, 2007 at 8:31 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 24, 2007
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming? Pinch me - I'm dreaming.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 24, 2007 at 10:38 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Carjacking thwarted when driver shoots suspect in head
A carjacking victim turned the tables late Friday when he shot the suspect in the head as the man drove down the street.
"...the vehicle was carjacked with the owner inside. "The vehicle owner somehow has access to a gun and shot the person in the head," she said. The car owner then managed to get out of his vehicle while the wounded man continued driving. As he drove on South Havana Street, the man crashed into another car ..."
Yeah, see, the problem here is that in Colorado, you don't have to have a concealed carry permit to carry a gun in your car. Your car is legally considered an extension of your house. So, it's really not a good state to be car-jacking people in. Try Kalifornia or New York or Chicago. (Sorry, Uzi.) :)
Update: I've submitted this to the Guns Used In Self Defense blog.
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 24, 2007 at 12:41 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink
Chicago, my kind of town!
Prosecutors are investigating allegations that six off-duty Chicago cops were caught on a downtown bar's video camera beating four businessmen, the second such incident in recent months, law enforcement sources said.
Details of the incident have emerged in the wake of accusations that Chicago Police Officer Anthony Abbate beat a woman Feb. 19 at a Northwest Side bar. The incident also was caught on the bar's security video. Charges against Abbate, 38, were upgraded this week to felony aggravated battery, from a misdemeanor.
Posted by Uzi Baron on March 24, 2007 at 10:16 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Calvin and Hobbes Snowmen
I'd seen many of these Calvin and Hobbes snowmen before in pictures. But I never bothered to try to create them, mainly cause they looked too complicated. But Jennifer and I did make some snow dragons one time...
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 24, 2007 at 9:37 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
11 minutes
A cop was patrolling late at night in a well-known spot.
He sees a couple in a car, with the interior light brightly glowing. The cop carefully approaches the car to get a closer look.
Then he sees a young man behind the wheel, reading a computer magazine.
He immediately notices a young woman in the rear seat, knitting. Puzzled by this surprising situation, the cop walks to the car and gently raps on the driver's window.
The young man lowers his window . "Uh, yes, officer?"
The cop says: "What are you doing?"
The young man says: "Well, Officer, I'm reading a magazine."
Pointing towards the young woman in the back seat the cop says: "And her, what is she doing?"
The young man shrugs: "Sir, I believe she's knitting a pullover sweater."
Now, the cop is totally confused. A young couple. Alone, in a car, at night in a Lover's lane....and nothing obscene is happening!
The cop asks: "What's your age, young man?"
The young man says : "I'm 22, sir."
The cop asks: "And her what's her age?"
The young man looks at his watch and replies: "She'll be 18 in 11 minutes."
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 24, 2007 at 9:24 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Think SSL encryption is safe? Think again!
John Bambenek of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign writes about the new Russian Gozi Trojan
"Until we find a way to get consumer PCs secure, or better yet, find a way for private financial data to be transmitted through a PC without the untrusted PC being able to compromise it, no electronic financial transaction will be secure. If the home PC isn't secure, all the encryption in the world won't help."
Source: SANS Internet Storm Center
Posted by Uzi Baron on March 24, 2007 at 8:57 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
TinyURL
My buddy Racansky turned me onto the TinyURL gig. What it does it take gi-normous, long URL's and create much shorter URL's to replace them. The TinyURL then re-directs to the long tedious URL.
For instance, I turned this URL: http://www.peeniewallie.com/2007/03/the_boat.html
Into this URL: http://tinyurl.com/25eko3
It's pretty slick. Try TinyURL out when you get a chance.
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 24, 2007 at 8:47 AM : Comments (2) | Permalink
March 23, 2007
Bubble Tanks - Another Time Killing Game
http://www.tokenarcade.com/play-585-Bubble_Tanks.html
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 23, 2007 at 10:06 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
The Boat
I'm out on the lake and Marty tells me to take the wheel but I don't know how to drive a boat. A boat is a funny thing. It doesn't have brakes and there's no lines painted on the river or the lake. No passing lanes and no shoulders. So it's not like driving a car. Not at all, really. And I slide down into this seat in the cockpit and there's this little windshield in front of me and it slopes back and when I shove the throttle down all the way the nose of the boat rises like Icarus to touch the sun and I can't see anything. I'm accelerating down the river blindly, praying theres nothing in front of the boat and pretending like I know what I'm doing. I can't see anything and I'm sweating like a whore in church and I fiddle with the engine trim and gradually the nose comes down but even now, I still can't see much. Imagine trying to drive a Greyhound bus down the interstate from...oh say about... row number six.
For the rest of the story, buy my book "Killing Strangers".
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 23, 2007 at 8:58 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink
More Toys
I'm currenly looking at a Bombardier Sea-Doo GTi personal watercraft that seats 3. It's either 10 or 12 feet long. It has a 718cc 2 cylinder 2 stroke 85 hp Rotax engine. Goes 55 mph. It has a gas tank that's somewhere between 10 and 15 gallons.
I don't have any photos, but it's purprle and looks similar to this one. Here's another one I found on eBay.
Update: Photo of my toy above
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 23, 2007 at 1:16 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
When Everything Is Outlawed...
With the law books filled with a great assortment of crimes, a prosecutor stands a fair chance of finding at least a technical violation of some act on the part of almost anyone. In such a case, it is not a question of discovering the commission of a crime and then looking for the man who has committed it, it is a question of picking the man and then searching the law books, or putting investigators to work, to pin some offense on him.
Via "slughead" at Slashdot, who asks the reader to "Realize this was back in 1940, when the federal body of law was half what it is today."
In 1940, Robert Jackson was Attorney General of the United States. He later went on to become a justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Posted by Robert Racansky on March 23, 2007 at 9:57 AM : Comments (2) | Permalink
Universities Bitch Slap the RIAA
The University of Wisconsin has refused to release the identities of users accused of downloading music illegally on the university computer system without a subpoena. The University of Nebraska claimed that they couldn't identify the users even if htey wanted. Then, the had the balls to turn around and bill the RIAA for the time they wasted on the effort.
Posted by Rob Kiser on March 23, 2007 at 6:39 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 22, 2007
Airbus A380 Takes To The Skies
The Airbus A380 began flying recently. It's really hard to describe how large this plane is. The plane has 4 Rolls Royce Engines Trent 900 engines, which were tested at the U.S. Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) in TN.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 22, 2007 at 10:33 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Outsourcing
As a test of my new-found posting powers at PeenieWallie.com, here's a funny video about outsourcing tech support.
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7362895170514642646
Available as a downloadable file from tinyurl.com/yqnh5s (6.8 MB .mp4 file called "ADGSecurity.mp4)
.mp4 files require QuickTime 7 (free) or video iPod (not free) to view.
Posted by Robert Racansky on March 22, 2007 at 10:10 PM : Comments (2) | Permalink
You Gotta Love The Irish
Irish supergroup U2, recently held a concert in Belfast. Halfway through the concert, lead singer Bono stood in a spotlight on stage and asked the audience of 30,000 for complete silence. Gradually the auditorium fell quiet.
Then Bono began slowly clapping. The audience was spellbound. Was this the beginning of a song? Did he want everyone to clap with him?
He took the microphone and said: "Every time I clap my hands a child dies in Africa."
Suddenly, from the front row of the venue a voice broke out in a thick Irish brogue, ending the silence as it echoed across the crowd, "Well fookin stop doing it then!!"
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 22, 2007 at 3:24 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Now That's Entertainment
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 22, 2007 at 3:22 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Banks Robbing Their Own Customers
Not that this should come as any surprise to any one, but the large banks are raping their customers, which is what I've said for some time. US Bank and Wells Fargo screwed me so bad that I got out of the game and got into a small credit union.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 22, 2007 at 11:47 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 21, 2007
USB Mouse Pinout
Here's a web site that shows the wiring diagram (pinouts) for several connectors, including the pinout for a USB Mouse. This site appears to have some USB interface design specs.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 21, 2007 at 8:48 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Pet Food Recall - FDA Shines
In case you've been living in a snow cave at the North Pole, there's been some crazy dog/cat food recall announced. Go here for the details one what Dog and Cat food was recalled. Lots of cats have died, but no one cares. Unfortunately, though, some dogs have died as well. Don't worry though, dog and cat food is regulated by the FDA, so I'm sure your pets will be fine.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 21, 2007 at 7:17 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink
TSA, the Pigs, and the Department of Homeland Stupidity
Just because the TSA couldn't find a hand grenade in a checked suitcase and a guy made it through the security screening process in Colorado Springs armed with a 12 gauge shotgun (if you're not familiar with shotguns - think BIG shotgun), and our protectors are beating us senseless doesn't mean that we aren't safe, komrade. Loose lips sink ships. Welcome to the gnu world odor.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 21, 2007 at 6:57 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 20, 2007
The Geek Way of Telling Your Spouse You're Leaving
http://www.dpchallenge.com/challenge_results.php?CHALLENGE_ID=637
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 20, 2007 at 12:27 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Anything She Wants
Yesterday, Jennifer said she wanted a Quail egg incubator, so I wasted no time ordering her a Little Giant incubator with automatic temperature control, a circulating fan, and an automatic egg turner with the Quail egg sized tray.
- Model 10200 Forced Air Incubator
- Model 6200 Auto Egg Turner
- Model 6201 Large Egg Cups
- Model 6202 Small Egg Cups
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 20, 2007 at 6:38 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Vote Early - Vote Often
This is Gretchen's friend Esther. We're supposed to vote for their video, I think. I watched the video. The kid is cute. I'll give her that.
Update: Voting has ended for their video. It looks like they came in second.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 20, 2007 at 12:35 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Homeowners Association Bans Guns
A homeowners association has banned firearms. I wouldn't be surprised if this was in Kalifornia, but in Tennessee?
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 20, 2007 at 12:33 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 19, 2007
The Drunken Stranger in the Mirror
The flying waitress is in the galley straightening up the bags of chips on her trolley. She's wearing a digital watch and she put her base on with a trowel to cover the furrows in her face, but you suspect they run deep...maybe as deep as Antelope Canyon. She dies her hair. And she's sraightening those chips...puffing up the little bags just so. Putting way too much effort into it. And you can see that she doesn't want to be here. Not tonight. Not on this flight to nowhere just now at 30,000 feet. She's got to push that trolley down the aisle asking every idiot that can scrape together $150.00 what they want to drink and whether they want Doritos or Sun Chips. You can never know what people want by looking at them. You have to ask. And in this peculiar atmosphere of the airplane cabin, everyone struggles to hear or be heard over the din of the white noise of twin jet engines.
For the rest of the story, buy my book "Killing Strangers".
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 19, 2007 at 11:59 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Obama is a "Magic Negro"?
The LA Times has called Obama the "Magic Negro". You just can't make this stuff up. Now, if Fox had said this, there'd be blood in the streets. But, apparently, the LA Times gets a pass.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 19, 2007 at 1:10 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Creature Concept Art
This website has some pretty cool creature concept art.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 19, 2007 at 7:29 AM : Comments (2) | Permalink
March 18, 2007
Frontier Airline's Website Breaks New Ground
Frontier Airlines has broken new ground with their website. It was already bad. It was so bad that it couldn't assign seats. Couldn't keep track of your frequent flyer number. Couldn't show you when your flight would take off or arrive. But now...it's worse. Much worse. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's the worst in the industry. Now, it won't even allow me to purchase a ticket. It won't even email me a confirmation in the off chance that I'm able to make a purchase. Good job, Frontier. Keep it up.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 18, 2007 at 10:05 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
New Toys
I'm looking at getting a new flash for my camera, cause the one that came on it is lame. But, if you get a new flash, you really have to get some more batteries on line, so I'm looking at getting the following:
Canon Speedlite 580EX Flash
Speedlite Bracket SB-E1 (L-bracket )
Canon BG-E2 Battery Grip or the Canon CP-E3 Battery Pack
Canon BP-511A Lithium-ion Batteries
This should allow me to take better photos indoors. Did I mention I hate my flash?
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 18, 2007 at 9:22 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
What 'cha got there, Sparky?
So this guy on the plane on Friday was watching televsion on his Blackberry and I was like..."uh...what 'cha got there, Sparky?" So, he explains to me that he can watch television on his cell phone and I'm thinking..."I can't watch tv on my cell phone. How bout that?" and I hate it when other people on the plane have more better toys than I have. I fly armed with the following:
- Sony Vaio Dual Core Laptop
- Canon EOS 20D Digital SLR Camera
- Compaq Ipaq 1945 PDA
- Garmin eTrex Summit GPS
- Motorola RAZR Cell Phone
- Apple Ipod Nano
- Bose Acoustic Noise-Canceling Headphones
So, I'm carting around a lot of technology. It isn't like I'm altogether unarmed. I can surf the internet from anywhere in the country that I can get a cell phone signal, using my laptop and the cell phone as a tethered modem. But I can't watch televsion on my cell phone. Dammit.
Not only that, but I wasn't even sure I believed him. I wasn't sure the technology existed. I had an idea that he might be making it up. He was not. He explained to me that he owns a piece of technology called a Slingbox. The Slingbox is apparently connected to his VCR at home, and also to his computer. And this Slingbox doohickey uploads(streams) video through the internet to his cell phone somehow. So, he's sitting beside me on the plane watching television on the plane.
Now, granted, I take some solace in the fact that he has to turn off his cell phone before we take off. And I get to watch free television at my seat for the entire flight courtesy of Frontier Airlines. And I get to drink for free to boot. But, he's got me scooped on this whole Slingbox thing. He has one and I clearly don't. I've never seen one. Never even heard of one. They're as real to me as unicorns or Big Foot or tommyknockers
But, I looked it up and he's not making it up. Here's the scoop on watching tv on your cell phone using a slingbox.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 18, 2007 at 12:42 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 17, 2007
The Truth About Dihydrogen Monoxide
Dihydrogen Monoxide is often used:
Dihydrogen Monoxide is an extremely dangerous chemical. It can be fatal if inhaled. Thousands of people die from it every year. Excessive consumption of Dihydrogen Monoxide can cause sudden death known as "Dihydrogen Monoxide Intoxication".
Dihydrogen Monoxide is pervasive. It is found in every stream, every river, and every ocean on earth. It is a major component of acid rain. Thousands of people die from Dihydrogen Monoxide every year. And yet the U.S. government still refuses to ban this deadly substance.
Find out what you can do to help.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 17, 2007 at 10:55 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink
Run Fred, Run!
Anyone But Hillary in 2008. Sure. We can all agree on that. That's the easy part. Not Hillary. But who then? George Bush can't run in 2008. Jeb Bush won't run in 2008. Giuliani is in favor of gun control. Obama is a Dimocrat. Not many people know this because a) he's only been in office 18 months and b) the left wing liberal media keeps saying he's running, without bothering to mention that he's a Dimocrat. McCain has so many problems that I don't know where to begin. I feel sorry that he was a POW in Vietnam, and I don't question his patriotism, but I don't agree with him on anything at all. Then there's Newt, but he has more baggage than a woman on safari, and I'm not sure he's electable.
So my buddy Marty and I are out in Tennessee this week, mulling this dilemna over and he says "Fred Thompson" and I'm like "Who the hell is Fred Thompson?" Well, as it turns out, Fred Dalton Thompson is a former Senator from Tennessee, and an actor to boot.
Fred Thompson seems to be on the right side of most of what is important to me, namely Gun Control and Fluffy White Frosting:
Gun Control - Gun Control means holding your breath and squeezing the trigger slowly so that you don't jerk or buck the gun in anticipation of the recoil. That's what Gun Control means and Fred Thompson knows it. My good buddy at Alphecca.com has the low-down on Fred's position on Gun Control.
Fluffy White Frosting - The modern renaissance man has to know how to cook. My sources tell me that you can't go wrong with Senator Fred Thompson's Fluffy White Frosting.
Captain's Quarter's notes that Thompson is very popular with conservatives:
In comparison to the three candidates at the top, Thompson appears much more reliably conservative, and more above the political fray. He doesn't have the personal baggage of Giuliani (and Newt Gingrich), and he doesn't have the flip-flops of Mitt Romney. Thompson supported John McCain in 2000 and is reluctant to oppose his friend in 2008, but conservatives have made clear after the McCain-Feingold disaster and the McCain-Kennedy immigration disaster to come that they will not support him -- and McCain made clear in his rejection of CPAC that he's not interested in conservatives, either. Thompson has an opening to exploit, and it could be a wide opening at that.
Here's Fred Thompson's positions on the issues.
Instapundit posts that Brian Noggle makes the case for Fred Dalton Thompson here.
Provoking The Muse has some good links about Thompson incluidng the following observation by Fred Dalton Thompson on the peace movement and their idol, Gandhi::
During World War II, Gandhi penned an open letter to the British people, urging them to surrender to the Nazis. Later, when the extent of the holocaust was known, he criticized Jews who had tried to escape or fight for their lives as they did in Warsaw and Treblinka. “The Jews should have offered themselves to the butcher’s knife,� he said. “They should have thrown themselves into the sea from cliffs.� “Collective suicide,� he told his biographer, “would have been heroism.�
Fred Thompson seems to be on the right side of most of what is important to me, so today, when my neighbor Bud and I were chewing the fat yesterday in Colorado, casting bullets, reloading ammo, and putting on our "Anyone But Hillary - 2008" bumper stickers, Bud asks me this he says "Who the hell are we gonna put up against Hillary?" and I said Fred. Fred Thompson.
Senator Fred Dalton Thompson - 2008
Run Fred, Run!
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 17, 2007 at 9:30 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Passport For Children
Jennifer is applying for a passport. If you don't have one for your kids, you should get one. You never know when you may need to flee the country in a hurry.
All persons must have their own passports, including infants.
For All Minors Under Age 14 :
Each minor child shall appear in person.
All applications for children under 14 require both parents' or legal guardians' consent.
Application for Passport (DS-11).
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 17, 2007 at 1:28 PM : Comments (2) | Permalink
Ice Cream Carnage
It's hard to eat ice cream without getting it in your hair. For some people any way. Obviously.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 17, 2007 at 1:20 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 14, 2007
The Problems With Noah's Ark
Not that Noah's Ark needs debunking, but, oh...what the hell.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 14, 2007 at 10:19 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Global Warming Expedition to North Pole Cancelled Due to Cold and Frostbite
I'm LMAO on this one. Thanks Uzi!
An expedition to the North Pole to bring attention to global warming was cancelled due to the extraordinarily cold weather. I kid you not. As reported by the Associated Press Monday (emphasis mine throughout):
The explorers, Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen, on Saturday called off what was intended to be a 530-mile trek across the Arctic Ocean after Arnesen suffered frostbite in three of her toes, and extreme cold temperatures drained the batteries in some of their electronic equipment.
"Ann said losing toes and going forward at all costs was never part of the journey," said Ann Atwood, who helped organize the expedition.
http://newsbusters.org/node/11369
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 14, 2007 at 9:52 PM : Comments (2) | Permalink
The Old Hong Kong Airport
It looks like the old Hong Kong airport was a pretty crazy place to fly into. Here's some spectacluar approaches to other airports.
http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=0723489
http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=0950928
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 14, 2007 at 9:31 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 13, 2007
One Dogwood Winter in Tennessee
This slideshow is composed of original images I shot duing a 'Dogwood Winter' in Middle Tennessee. All photos were captured using a Canon EOS 20D and either a Canon EF 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens or a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens.
This slideshow (4:06) is an 8 Meg self-playing executable named boston.exe created using Imagematics StillMotion PE+. Soundtrack is Boston by Augustana, off of the All the Stars and Boulevards album.
Click here to download the presentation. If you have an Apple, or you're running Unix, or if you're nervous about running a .exe file from my site, then click here to download the Macromedia Flash version. The resolution is not quite as good on the Macromedia Flash version, and you can't pause and go backward and forward, but it loads faster, and it's a fairly decent presention. Click here if you need help.
To see all of the slideshows, click here.
Lyrics in the exended entry.
Continue reading "One Dogwood Winter in Tennessee"
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 13, 2007 at 11:10 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Bella Paul
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 13, 2007 at 9:40 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Finally - The .60 Caliber Pistol
The .60 caliber pistol is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. Check out the video of this idiot trying to shoot one.
Now a .50 caliber pistol - that's something altogether different. A .50 caliber pistol is something every man needs.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 13, 2007 at 10:52 AM : Comments (2) | Permalink
Raccoon - It's What's For Dinner
HIBERNIA, Ind. -- After a four-year absence, raccoon is back on the menu for the Hibernia Community Building's annual fundraiser.
LaVeran Lorenz, 86, has agreed to resume cooking duties for the March 24 event -- with a little help with the cleaning.
"It's not like cleaning a chicken, I'll tell you that," said Dina Woods, one of Lorenz's neighbors who agreed to learn how to clean raccoons for cooking.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070312/LOCAL/703120474
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 13, 2007 at 10:48 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 12, 2007
SUPA INK Taggers
I work right beside a heavily used railroad track. They run freight trains up and down the line continuously. Mostly they're CSX trains. In any event, the thing that really sticks out on them is the graffiti. They're basically rolling billboards for taggers who start spray painting them as soon as the cars slow down.
Technically, it's vandalism and they prosecute the vermin when they catch them, but I'm not really clear how much damage they're doing. It makes the train a lot more interesting to watch as it rolls by, in my opinion. I noticed that a lot of the trains here have SUPA or INK tagged on them. But then, I see lots of tags and I've never been very adept at reading that pecualiar font they tag their names in. I'm critically white when it comes to deciphering gang tags.
But, what caught my eye was that I noticed that they spray painted SUPA on the bridge supports underneath the viaduct that crosses over the railroad tracks. So that means they're tagging here locally. I searched the internet and managed to find this police report where they charged someone with " one count of felony vandalism and two counts of felony destruction of property utilized by a railroad" for tagging some freight trains. Multiple felonies. Yikes.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 12, 2007 at 10:17 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Trouble in Chocolate City
The murder rate in New Orleans is the highest in the country and it's rising like a fart under water. Read about Saturday's carnage here.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 12, 2007 at 6:21 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Another Helicopter Crash on Kaua'i
Another chopper went down on Kaua'i today after the pilot reported mechanical problems. This is first fatal commercial sight-seeing tour helicopter to crash on Kaua'i since Thursday. One passenger died in the crash.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 12, 2007 at 5:39 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Shadow Wolves to help track Bin Laden
An elite group of Native American trackers is joining the hunt for terrorists crossing Afghanistan's borders.
The unit, the Shadow Wolves, was recruited from several tribes, including the Navajo, Sioux, Lakota and Apache. It is being sent to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to pass on ancestral sign-reading skills to local border units.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,21363226-2,00.html?from=public_rss
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 12, 2007 at 4:14 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
The 1/2 Hour News Hour
I didn' see Fox's new show "The 1/2 Hour New Hour" last night but I won't miss it next time. I'm setting my PVR to record this baby.
President Rush Limbaugh and First Lady Ann Coulter introduce Fox's new show The 1/2 Hour News Hour.
Barak Obama A Life In Politics - My 18 Month Journey.
Dr. Harvey Jenkins - Recess Facilitator "This includes classics such as 'monkey bars are racist', the playground game of tag is 'just another form of discrimination', the 'Fidel Castro Death Watch', and the dangers of 'Third-hand smoke'.
Where is Ed Begley, Jr? Tracking actor/eco-terrorist Ed Begeley Jr.'s progress in his electric car.
Jihad International Terrorism Expert Dr. Franklin Robertson plays Connect-The-Terrorists.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 12, 2007 at 1:58 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink
The Implosion of the Nuclear Family in America
51% of Women Are Now Living Without Spouse
For what experts say is probably the first time, more American women are living without a husband than with one, according to a New York Times analysis of census results.
In 2005, 51 percent of women said they were living without a spouse, up from 35 percent in 1950 and 49 percent in 2000.
In the unlikely event that the parents don't get divorced, new houses in the United States are now increasingly being built with two master bedrooms so that the husband and wife won't have to actually sleep together.
Couples that do stay together aren't having sex because the wife doesn't feel obligated.
Coupled with the fact that in 2005 married couples became a minority of all American households for the first time, the trend could ultimately shape social and workplace policies, including the ways government and employers distribute benefits.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-07-18-cohabit-divorce_x.htm
Divorce is on the decline in the USA, but a report to be released today suggests that may be due more to an increase in people living together than to more lasting marriages.
Couples who once might have wed and then divorced now are not marrying at all...
This site makes some compelling arguments, though I'm not sure I agree with them. There is definitely a correlation between women entering the workforce and the divorce rate skyrocketing. However, just because there's a correlation, does not necessarily imply causation.
I personally think it has more to do with the no-fault divorces which went into effect in this country, anhilating the american nuclear family.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 12, 2007 at 1:04 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 11, 2007
Why Intelligent People Tend To Be Unhappy
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
- Ernest Hemingway, author and journalist, Nobel laureate (1899-1961)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/8778/Why-Intelligent-People-Tend-To-Be-Unhappy
The rates of suicide, imprisonment and emotional dysfunction among highly intelligent people are much higher than for the average. Many are socially and emotionally underdeveloped or maldeveloped.
"...we have many highly intelligent people whose social development progresses much slower than that of most people and they have trouble coping with the stressors of life that present themselves to everyone. It should come as no surprise that the vast majority of prison inmates are socially and emotionally underdeveloped or maldeveloped and a larger than average percentage of them are more intelligent than the norm."
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 11, 2007 at 9:26 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink
Eat The Cat
When Komatsu decided to start manufacturing heavy construction equipment and compete with Caterpillar, their motto was "Eat The Cat". As in "Eat Caterpillar's Lunch". In 1985, Komatsu opened their first assembly plant in North American on 55 acres in Chattanooga. These days, Komatsu is making money hand over fist. They now have five assembly plants in the North America. They opened a 200,000 sq foot assembly plant in Aiken, South Carolina in 2002. They also have plants in Peoria, Illinois and Lexington, Kentucky. But I think that their largest assembly plant in the country is in Chattanooga (488,000 sq feet) where they assemble mid-size hydraulic excavators like the PC300LC-7 excavator (shown above) and articulated dump trucks. Next month, in April of 2007, the Chattanooga Manufacturing Operation will reach a milestone of producing its 34,000th machine.
I really can't begin to describe what this place looks like. It's a freak show. There's this huge assembly facility and you drive by and there are just rows and rows of these excavators all sitting out there and they're all exactly alike. Surreal.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 11, 2007 at 8:07 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Crappie Fishing
I went down and stayed with Scott and his family in Chattanooga this weekend. They're really the nicest people you could ever meet. His daughter is of course, precious and precocious. We went to Lake Junior today and caught Largemouth Bass and Crappie on Toughie minnows (.85 cents a dozen) till the cows came home. It was a hoot.
If you have no clue what a crappie is, they look like this. (Try to ignore the camel toe).
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 11, 2007 at 4:35 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink
March 10, 2007
A Dogwood Winter
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 10, 2007 at 10:17 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Fatal Helicopter Crash in Kaua'i
Looks like a sight-seeing chopper lost hydraulics and crashed while attempting an emergency landing at the Princeville Airport. Here's a discussion of the crash on Air Disaster. The crash killed three passengers and the pilot. This was the fifth fatal tour helicopter crash on Kaua'i in less than four years.
The pilot flew in Vietnam and he was an excellent pilot. Hawaii has a bunch of pilots that flew in Nam and they come back to the states and fly tourists over the islands.
Some of these helicopters are fairly old. The one in question had been in service since 1979. The NTSB is investigating, and they'll figure out why the hydraulics failed and probably work with the company to improve their maintenance procedures. But, statistically speaking, this is still basically a freak occurrence. In 2005, one in ten tourists to the islands - over 750,000 tourists flew on a helicopter tour over the islands. You really can't imagine how many helicopters are flying over there. They're jockeying for position over the volcano like flies at a picnic. So, it's sad that people have died in crashes, but it's really just a freak occurrence and it gets a lot more attention than people dying in more common and less spectacular ways. For instance, last year on Oahu, a guy died in a car crash and then the next day, people were standing around mourning at the accident site and someone hit them and killed three more. But this didn't make national news. And there won't be any investigation. And people won't stop driving cars.
Sad that this happened. May they rest in peace.
Thank God it wasn't our chopper that went down.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 10, 2007 at 9:37 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Depth of Field Calculator
I found a nice website that allows you to calculate depth of field so that you can make sure your subjects will be in focus. I've been going around and shooting some of the early blooming plants Dogwood, Bradford Pears, etc. One of the most complex challenges when shooting flowers is getting the depth of field correct, so that all of the flower is in focus, and the background is out of focus. This, of course, is the goal.
Calculating the depth of field is not easy. Depth of field is affected by so many variables, that it's nearly impossible to figure out in your head. Depth of Field is affected by the len's aperture, focal length, and the distance to the subject. Additionally, you have to consider the "Circle of Confusion" , which is determined by the size of the camera's film or sensor.
I have discovered that I'm frequently unable to get the depth of field correct, particularly when shooting subjects like flowers, where the depth of field is extremely important. One simple trick to increase the depth of field is to put the camera on a tripod and crank down the aperture from 4.0 to 22 or something like that. This will increase the depth of field. But, again, normally, I'm just going through the motions. I don't really have any concrete way of knowing exactly what the depth of field will be in these cases. Just that it will be deeper.
So, today I plan to go out in the field with my laptop and see if I can't get better results using this handy Depth of Field calculator.
Update: You can download a verion of the DOF Calculator for your Windows laptop here (so you don't have ot be online). Or download a version of the DOF Calculator for your Palm Pilot here.
Update 2: That last DOF Calculator program made my head spin. Here's another DOF Calculator download I found that I'm going to try now. This is the one to go with. Bob Atkins has it figured out. I changed it to use feet instead of meters and set my Circle of Confusion to 23 microns since I'm shooting an EOS 20D with a 1.3 LMF. This little program is slick, and of course, the price is right.
Continue reading "Depth of Field Calculator"
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 10, 2007 at 7:35 AM : Comments (1) | Permalink
Mouse Move 1.0
If you work in an office where they force a screen saver to lock up your computer every seventeen seconds if you're not sitting there, then you may find this product useful. Move Mouse 1.0 is a free download. You can program it to move your cursor one pixel every so often. So, if your screen saver kicks in every 10 minutes, you can set this to move 1 pixel every nine minutes and it's bye bye big brother. :)
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 10, 2007 at 6:40 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 9, 2007
Tim's Ford Lake
I went out to Tim's Ford lake to test drive a 19' VIP Ski Boat with an OMC 4.3 V6 engine. Unfortunately, the engine wasn't running right, so I didn't buy it. :(
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 9, 2007 at 7:18 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
D.C. Circuit Court Strikes Down Gun Control - Cites 2nd Amendment
Instanpundit reports that D.C. CIRCUIT STRIKES DOWN DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA GUN CONTROL LAW as a violation of the Second Amendment , adopts individual rights view.
Woohoo! The courts have not consistenly ruled that the 2nd Amendment's right to keep and bear arms is an individual right. Sometimes, they incorrectly view it as a collective right. Even the ACLU, through some embarrassingly tedious reasoning, doesn't deem the 2nd amendment worthy of their support.
So, to have the courts rule in our favor is a big deal. Very big. If the gun control laws in D.C. violate the 2nd amendment, then logically, the same is true of the onerous gun control laws in NYC, Chicago, and San Francisco.
Update: Hit & Run weighs in with Washington, D.C. Discovers Constitution
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 9, 2007 at 11:22 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 8, 2007
Coast Guard Prepares for Massive Influx of Cubans
The Coast Guard is staging a little wargame down in the Straits of Florida in preparation for the next wave of Cubans. For the record, the state of Florida covers 54,252 square miles and 18 Million people. The island of Cuba covers 40,543 square miles and has a population of 11 million people. The island of Cuba is nearly as large as Florida, and has a slightly lower population density than Florida. So why are they anticipating a massive tidal wave of migration? Because Cubans earn an official government salary of $17.00 a month. (No, that isn't a misprint.) The annual GDP of Florida is roughly $500 billion. The annual GDP of Cuba is roughly $37 billion.
Cuba is a desperately poor country. And they don't have any welfare. They're so poor they can't afford to put people in prison, so they put them in the cane fields cutting cane by hand from sunup to sundown in August. Everyone has to work and the local CDR man (Committee for the Defense of the Revolution) drives around looking for people not working and rounds them up and puts them to work.
Sadly, Gregorio Fuentes, of Cojimar, Cuba, won't be among them. Gregorio Fuentes was actually born in the Canary Islands. He emigrated to Cuba as a young child, and his father died on the voyage. So, when he showed up in Cuba, he was pretty much on his own. When Hemingway started making money from his books, at some point he divorced his wife in Key West and moved to a house near Cojimar, a little fishing village about 20 km east of Havana. Hemingway got hooked on Marlin fishing, used the funds from his books to buy a fishing boat, and then picked Gregorio Fuentes to be his skipper. Fuentes didn’t speak any English and Hemingway didn’t speak much Spanish, but the two were reportedly very close for about 30 years, from 1930 – 1960. During this time, Hemingway traveled extensively, covering the Spanish Civil War, going on safari to Africa. Occasionally they’d fly down together to go marlin fishing off the coast of Ecuador. When I met him, he was about 102 or 103, and dying of jaw cancer. He was actually kind of sad. He couldn’t hear very good, and he was clearly on his way out when I met him. They’d prop him up in a chair in this little house in Cojimar, and light a cigar and stick it in his mouth, and put a fishing rod and reel in his hand, for the occasional tourists to take photos of cause he was something. Cuba is very poor and the tourists poses were their only chance to get their hands on U.S. currency instead of Cuban pesos. Fuentes was like this vestigial remnant of himself…a real life, fading extension back to Hemingway, who’d blown his brains out back in Swan Valley, Idaho in 1960, 41 years prior. Hemingway killed himself with the same shotgun his father had killed himself with. Put his toes on the triggers of a doublebarrel and put the barrels on his forehead and that was that. When he died, the fishermen in the village of Cojimar wanted to do something for Hemingway. They wanted to cast a bronze statue of him in his honor. But, they had no money, so they melted down their boat propellers and cast their boat propellers into a statue of Hemingway.
Immortalized in Hemmingway's book The Old Man and the Sea, Fuentes passed away at the ripe old age of 103. I met Gregorio in December of 2001, and he died the following month in January of 2002. May he rest in peace.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 8, 2007 at 12:24 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
New Toys
Canon has announced a new frame, the Canon EOS 1D Mark III. It's an awesome piece of technology, but, for four large, it ought to be. Also, Sigma has a announced a smoking new lens, the Sigma APO 200 - 500 mm F2.8 lens. No word on the price/availability of the Sigma lens though.
Just for the record, I don't have either of these toys. Just window shopping.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 8, 2007 at 12:15 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Three Surgeons
Three Arkansas surgeons were playing golf together and discussing surgeries they had performed.
One of them said, "I'm the best surgeon in Arkansas. In my favorite case, a concert pianist lost seven fingers in an accident, I reattached them, and 8 months later he performed a private concert for the Queen of England.
The second surgeon said. "That's nothing. A young man lost an arm and both legs in an accident, I reattached them, and 2 years later he won a gold medal in track and field events in the Olympics."
The third surgeon said, "You guys are amateurs. Several years ago a woman was high on cocaine and marijuana and she rode a horse headÂon into a train traveling 80 miles an hour. All I had left to work with was the woman's blonde hair and the horse's ass. I was able to put them together and now she's a senator in New York.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 8, 2007 at 10:44 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 7, 2007
An Unexamined Life
"An unexamined life is not worth living." - Socrates
"The unlived life is not worth examining.� - Sheldon Kopp
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 7, 2007 at 10:44 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Oxley Recants
Sarbanes-Oxley is the most draconian set of financial regulations ever unleashed on the private sector. The restrictions are so onerous that it has actually resulted in a drastic decrease in the number of stocks listed on the U.S. stock exchanges. Oxley, co-sponsor or the abominable Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) bill, admits the Sarbanes-Oxley provisions are counter-productive.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 7, 2007 at 10:14 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
NASA Fires Diapernaut
Well, NASA finally got around to firing that psychotic diapernaut. Apparently, its the first time NASA's ever fired an astronaut. But, this ends weeks of evading the issue, as all the geniuses at NASA sat around wringing their hands and thanking God that Anna Nichole Smith died.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 7, 2007 at 7:25 PM : Comments (2) | Permalink
Personal Ad Decoder Ring
DICTIONARY FOR DECODING WOMEN'S PERSONAL ADS:
40-ish: 49
Adventurous: Slept with everyone.
Athletic: No breasts.
Average looking: Mooooooo.
Beautiful: Pathological liar.
Emotionally secure: On medication.
Feminist: Fat.
Free spirit: Junkie.
Friendship first: Reformed slut.
New-Age: Body hair in the wrong places.
Old-fashioned: No BJs.
Open-minded: Desperate.
Outgoing: Loud and Embarrassing.
Professional: B*tch.
Voluptuous: Very Fat.
Large frame: Hugely Fat.
Wants soul mate: Stalker.
Continue reading "Personal Ad Decoder Ring"
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 7, 2007 at 2:42 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
The Myth of Global Warming
Don't look now, but February was the coldest February on record. I've lived in Colorado for 10 years and we had more snow this year than in the last 10 years. I have not been able to get my truck into my driveway for 3 months (since December 18th) due to the massive snowstorms in Colorado this winter. The inconvenient truth is that a recent Global Warming Meeting was caneled due to an ice storm. But don't look for these stories to get any coverage, because it contradicts the junk science behind the myth of global warming.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 7, 2007 at 12:20 PM : Comments (2) | Permalink
United Airlines - Please Wait Here
And I'm trying to fly out tonight 'cause I worked a short week last week and I'm talking to my brother on my cell on the way to the airport and I don't know it yet the Hawaiian earthquakes and ensuing power failure have re-routed hundreds of flights and backed up air traffic halfway around the planet. And, if that weren't enough, in some unnamed North American city, some idiots have punched a hole punched through the wing of my plane you could stick a loaf of bread through. But I don't know this yet and I'm on the cell phone with my brother telling him about last night.
“I went out with this chic last night...I couldn't find any hair gel, so I found this stuff in my cabinet I didn't know what it was...either shoe polish or hair gel....no clue...so I rub some in my hair and some on my shoes and we go to this club and the next thing I know, we're in some restaurant chugging Mojitos at one in the morning and I'm begging these to chics to just take me home...�
“Were these chics married?�
“I'm thinking they're possibly divorced, or on somewhere near there.�
“You're going to get shot.�
For the rest of the story, buy my book "Killing Strangers".
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 7, 2007 at 11:43 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Quail Catapulting
Well, I've shot a few quail in my life, but I've never heard of Quail Catapulting until today. (Note photo above of a Quail Catapult hunting party - these heartless killers even have a child in the group.) Cat Poking and tossing a goat from a church tower sounds interesting, though I'm not sure that I'm up for the Goose Clubbing. Using a goose for a pinata sounds messy and not all that entertaining, IMHO.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 7, 2007 at 11:08 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 6, 2007
Muffintop
Well I learned a new word today - Muffintop. Yikes.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 6, 2007 at 5:28 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink
Carbines Anyone? Anyone?
If Bill Clinton didn't destroy all of the WWII vintage M1 Garands and M1 Carbines in the U.S. arsenal, it wasn't because he didn't try. Recently, however, in spite of the Clintons, the DCM/CMP managed to obtain a few crates of carbines packed in cosmoline. (I love the smell of cosmoline in the morning). A carbine is one of those things where you either have one or you need one. If you are interested in obtaining one, this web site has the scoop.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 6, 2007 at 5:08 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Testing the New Global Hawk
They've been testing the "Block 20 Global Hawk" out on base this week. Also called the RQ-4B, its a new configuration of the Global Hawk unmanned plane. The new configuration is has a wingspan of 130.9 feet and is 47.6 feet long. Payload will increase 50% from 2,000 pounds (Block 10) to 3,000 pounds (Block 20). It is also modified to accomodate more sensors and the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MPRTIP). They're testing it in Wind Tunnel Test Cell 16T, a trans-sonic wind tunnel that can simulate speeds up to mach 2.8. They're apparently doing some additional testing of this beast out at Edward's Air Force Base in Kalifornia. Additional images here.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 6, 2007 at 4:26 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Anyone But Hillary
.jpg "Anti-Christ")
Here's that indefatigably stupid Hillary Clinton (formerly known as Hillary Rodham Clinton) proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that she's every bit as stupid as you suspected she might be. Listen to her adopt a fake accent to talk down to blacks in Selma. Get your Anyone But Hillary bumperstickers here.
"Many of you are well enough off that [President Bush's] tax cuts may have helped you. We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We're going to have to take things away from you on behalf of the common good." - (Hillary grandstanding at a fund raising speech in San Francisco; SFGate.com 6/28/2004.)
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 6, 2007 at 2:50 AM : Comments (1) | Permalink
When Swords Are Outlawed...
When swords are outlawed, only outlaws will have swords.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 6, 2007 at 2:39 AM : Comments (1) | Permalink
March 5, 2007
Operation Blizzard
Operation Blizzard is a bunch of 10th Mountain Division re-enactors got together up at Camp Hale near Leadville Colorado recently for their annual re-enactment. They basically have all the gear from WWII, including the M29C weasels, and they camp out and play around for the weekend.
Video with bonus weasel footage
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 5, 2007 at 3:43 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
A Pig, A Lawyer, and 50cc of Canadian Mist
“The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.�
– Shakespeare - Henry VI, Part 2
The flying waitress prints my boarding pass and hands it to me and I'm like “Why do you people do this to me? 20C? Why do you keep sticking me on the back of the plane?�
And she checks my status and now she knows that we have a problem.
“I'm sorry Dr. Kiser. Where would you like to sit?�
“Christ...how about...not in the back of the fucking airplane?� They always do this to me and I don't want to be that guy - the lunatic screaming in the airport, berating the fading, brittle gate agent. I just want them to put me in the seat I requested. But, for some reason, I request seat 2F and I get 20C and it just drives me nuts because I'm on the same plane every week and Lord God what have I got to do to get in seat 2F anyway?
My hero is the guy in Snow Crash that has “POOR IMPULSE CONTROL� tattooed on his forehead. Maybe I should tattoo on my forehead “I WANTED SEAT 2F� and maybe that would clear it up for them.
For the rest of the story, buy my book "Killing Strangers".
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 5, 2007 at 10:25 AM : Comments (1) | Permalink
My Driveway
I haven't been able to get in my driveway since December 18th. So, for those of you playing the home game, we're coming up on 3 months that I can't get down the driveway. To help you visualize my problem, I've included some handy home movies shot with my RAZR. You probably won't be able to play these videos. However, they will play in the latest version of Apple's free QuickTime Player.
030407_17361.3g2
021807_09501.3g2
021807_09511.3g2
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 5, 2007 at 9:04 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 4, 2007
Antivirus Software Comparison
It looks like my favorite free antivirus software, AVG Anti-Virus from Grisoft, performed fairly well when compared with the best antivirus programs on the market, but it didn't come out quite as well as I had expected.
http://www.av-comparatives.org/
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 4, 2007 at 5:06 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
March 3, 2007
Tennessee Winter
This slideshow is composed of original images I shot over the winter in Middle Tennessee. All photos were captured using a Canon EOS 20D and either a Canon EF 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens or a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens.
This slideshow (3:58) is an 8 Meg self-playing executable named winter.exe created using Imagematics StillMotion PE+. Soundtrack is Gypsy Eyes by the Rippingtons, off of the Wild Card album.
Click here to download the presentation. If you have an Apple, or you're running Unix, or if you're nervous about running a .exe file from my site, then click here to download the Macromedia Flash version. The resolution is not quite as good on the Macromedia Flash version, and you can't pause and go backward and forward, but it loads faster, and it's a fairly decent presention. Click here if you need help.
To see all of the slideshows, click here.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 3, 2007 at 3:58 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Lunar Eclipse
Don't forget about the lunar eclipse tonight. The peak of the eclipse will be at 8:21 p.m. MST. The other times for the eclipse are as follows:
2:30 p.m. MST Partial eclipse begins
3:44 p.m. MST Total eclipse begins
4:21 p.m. MST Mid-eclipse
4:58 p.m. MST Total eclipse ends
6:02 p.m. MST Sun set
6:03 p.m. MST Moon rise
6:11 p.m. MST Partial eclipse ends
You can find the time for your local sun set and moon rise here.
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 3, 2007 at 3:19 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
The Mid-Winter Campfire
I've lived in Colorado over 10 years, and this winter has easily been the most brutal winter I've ever experienced. To celebrate, I'm going to build a huge bonfire out back in three weeks. Sort of a big party to bust winter right in the nuts. So come up to the compound and toast the Colorado winter with us.
What: Mid-winter Campfire
When: 7:00 p.m. Saturday March 24th
Where: At the compound
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 3, 2007 at 10:10 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Who's Your Daddy Now??!!!!
That's right, baby! Peenie Wallie is back on line!!! Whos' your daddy, now?!!!
We spilled beer on one of the servers two weeks ago, early in the morning of Saturday, February 17th. Peenie Wallie was basically out of commission for the last two weeks. I tried to host the site temporarily on Jennifer's PC running Windows 98SE and Apache, but was only marginally successful.
However, after I recieved a magic package from Dell, I was able to get this bad boy up and running today (Sat March 3) at 10:00 a.m. MDT! Wooo hooo!
So, now that this fine web site is back up and running, I'll try to get some stuff posted. I have tons of photos to share and loads of stories that are too bizarre to be share except for over the campfire. So, stay tuned, citizens.
Details of crash in extended entry.
Continue reading "Who's Your Daddy Now??!!!!"
Posted by Peenie Wallie on March 3, 2007 at 9:59 AM : Comments (5) | Permalink