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February 28, 2009

The Hogback

We went down to play on some of the red sandstone formations trapped between the hogback and the front range. This particular formation is an Open Space in Ken Caryl.

Continue reading "The Hogback"

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 28, 2009 at 9:53 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Change?

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 28, 2009 at 8:43 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

How Twitter's spectacular growth is being driven by unexpected uses

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 28, 2009 at 11:19 AM : Comments (3) | Permalink

Live Animals

Jennifer, Sidney, and Meghan appear to have trapped a wild animals.

Continue reading "Live Animals"

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 28, 2009 at 9:16 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Everything is amazing, nobody is happy...

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 28, 2009 at 8:39 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

February 27, 2009

Evan

This is Evan. Evan is a mess.

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 27, 2009 at 5:40 PM : Comments (3) | Permalink

Denver Tea Party

Today, I went down and shot some photos at the Denver Tea Party on the east steps of the Colorado State Capital in Denver.

The Denver Tea Party was part of a nationally coordinated protest against Obama's stimulus in several cities across the United States.

For more information on the Denver Tea Party, see the attached links:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=52582750591
http://www.peoplespresscollective.org/2009/02/denver-tea-party/\
http://michellemalkin.com/2009/02/27/fiscal-responsibility-is-the-new-counterculture/

More photos in the extended entry.

Continue reading "Denver Tea Party"

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 27, 2009 at 1:00 PM : Comments (2) | Permalink

February 26, 2009

Another Tough Day In Elementary School

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 26, 2009 at 11:11 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

The 5 Greatest Coach Meltdowns Ever Filmed

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/therundown/2009/02/the_5_greatest_coach_meltdowns_ever_filmed.php

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 26, 2009 at 10:54 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Eric Holder is a Piece of Work

This guy is a piece of work. John Ashcroft lost an election fair-and-square to a dead man, then came Albert Gonzales, and now this guy Eric Holder. Here, Eric Holder, the new U.S. Attorney General says:

"Well what the president said during the campaign...uh...you will be surprised to know...will be consistent with what we will be doing here at law enforcement...uh...He was ..uh...my boss during the campaign. He is formally and technically and by law my boss now. And so what he said during the campaign is now ...um...American policy."

Does anyone see anything wrong with this? Probably not, because most Americans are so stupid they think that we're a Democracy and most couldn't name the three branches of government.

The role of the Attorney General is not to create the laws, nor is it his role to select which laws will be enforced. It is not his role to do what his "boss" tells him to. In his oath of office, Eric Holder solemnly swore to "support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, both foreign and domestic".

The Legislative branch creates the laws. The Judicial branch enforces the laws.

If the current regime thinks that the current laws relating to the manufacture, sale, and possession of Marijuana are imprudent, then they should work with the Legislative branch (Congress) to have the laws changed. Selective enforcement of the laws is not only irresponsible, it is illegal. Failure to enforce the law is legally referred to as "malfeasance under the color of office", which is apparently something Eric Holder is ready and willing to do.

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 26, 2009 at 10:15 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

13,000-Year-Old Tools Found In Boulder Yard

13,000-Year-Old Tools Found In Boulder Yard

"A homeowner in Boulder is trying to learn more about the person who buried a stash of tools in his yard. That may be hard to figure out, though, because the tools are about 13,000 years old.

An anthropologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder says there have been only a handful of finds of items as old as the tools -- ever.

In what is now Patrick Mahaffy's yard near Chautauqua Park, someone took dozens of stone tools for cutting and scraping and burried them in a hole -- perhaps for safekeeping -- approximately 13,000 years ago."

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 26, 2009 at 11:30 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Skycar Flies from London to Timbuktu

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/wiltshire/7909379.stm

"A team of adventurers have returned to Wiltshire after a 4,000 mile expedition across the Sahara Desert to Timbuktu in a "flying car".

The bio-fuelled flying vehicle - known as Skycar - was designed by Dorset engineer Gilo Cardozo.

He said: "It's the first Skycar to fly over Europe to Africa. We even did a ferry trip which normally takes a car two hours - we did it in 15 minutes."

The team hopes to have it on the market with a price tag of £50,000 by 2010."

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 26, 2009 at 11:12 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Good News Everyone!

Futurama Might Return To Fox For 6th Season

"After strong sales of the straight-to-DVD Futurama movies, Fox is reportedly considering bringing back Futurama for a 6th season. This according to Billy West in a recent statement at the Anime Supercon in Florida."

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 26, 2009 at 10:53 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Obama to Renew Assault Weapons Ban

Well, I knew he was lying when he told gun owners they had "nothing to fear" and told people "Don't Stock Up On Guns", so I went out and bought an AR-15A3, several 30 round magazines, and a thousand rounds of ammo. I told everyone that would listen that Obama would reinstate the Assualt Weapons Ban on January 20th. So, I was wrong. He waited a whole month before he raised the issue. Ha Ha. Suck it tree-huggers. I've got my AR-15 and I'm not giving it back. :)

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 26, 2009 at 9:50 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Can You Hear This?

Train Horns

Supposedly, only people under 25 can hear this.

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 26, 2009 at 9:20 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

February 24, 2009

Jimmy Carter Legalized Home Brewing

Jimmy Carter did one good thing as president. He legalized home beer brewing and revolutionized an industry.

"For connoisseurs of Budweiser, the 1970s were a pale golden age. In every supermarket across the land, the King of Beers maintained its status as the grocery world's most superfluous monarch, reigning over just a handful of domestic taste-alikes and one or two upstart imports. The American public had decided it liked its beer cheap, bland, and less filling, and the industry--which, after decades of consolidation, consisted of a mere 44 breweries in 1979--was happy to oblige. Consumers with a thirst for something tastier, or at least different, had few options. Things were so bad, in fact, that Coors, distributed in just 11 Western states, was considered such a rare delicacy in other parts of the country that bootlegged cases went for three times their retail price in New Jersey and Tennessee. Was it any wonder that the nation was feeling weak and watered down?

Then Jimmy Carter took pity on our wretched souls. In 1978 he signed Senate Amendment 3534, a portion of which gave each household permission to produce up to 200 gallons of tax-exempt beer each year.

Three decades later, the U.S. boasts 1,463 breweries, including 975 brewpubs."

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 24, 2009 at 12:22 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Denver Tea Party

http://coloradoindependent.com/22322/conservatives-plan-stimulus-tea-party-protest-at-state-capitol

"The Denver details are still a bit skimpy, but look for two hours of fiscal acrimony to begin at 10 a.m. on the eastern steps of the state capitol facing Grant Avenue. The western steps, which traditionally hold public assemblies, is already reserved for the lunchtime swearing-in of Lt. Col. James Wolfinbarger. As the new Colorado State Patrol chief, Wolfinbarger will administer a portion of the state's allocation from the $4 billion in federal stimulus projects for local law enforcement."

They even have the Denver Tea Party event in Facebook.

Friday, February 27, 2009
Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm (There's no such time as 12:00 p.m., but what do you expect from idiots like this)
Location: Colorado State Capitol Building - West side steps
Street: 200 E. Colfax Ave.
City/Town: Denver, CO

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 24, 2009 at 2:08 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Comet Lulin

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/02/see-it-rare-lit.html

Comet Lulin will make its closest pass to Earth (about 38 million miles), reaching its peak brightness and fastest apparent speed at 10:43 p.m. ET.

So, I decided to try to find this thing tonight - this silly ephemeral comet. I installed Stellarium so I'd know where to look and went outside with my laptop. And when I went out, the sky was crystal clear and I was like..."Fair enough - Game on." But while I watched, the sky clouded over. I was able to locate Corvus, Ursa Major, and Saturn before the clouds set in. But that was all.

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 24, 2009 at 1:27 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Joaquin Phoenix Spoofs

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 24, 2009 at 12:34 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

February 23, 2009

Graph Showing Bear Markets

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 23, 2009 at 11:28 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Suck It Treehuggers

Buying organically grown food and recycling? Doesn't work. Five ways people are trying to save the world but are just wasting time.

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 23, 2009 at 11:10 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

February 22, 2009

Booger Cobbler

Tonight we're sitting around eating some homemade blueberry cobbler that's as addicting as crack and Evan asks what it is and we say "Blueberry Cobbler" and he says "Booger Cobbler?" It probably has about 11,000 calories per gram, but it's seriously good and Janelle's homemade pumpkin bread is delicious as well and I'm working through these desserts like I'm getting ready to hibernate and I don't know why I do this to myself. I can hear myself getting fatter.

Tonight finds me on the back side of Shadow Mountain and before dinner, I'm driving the four wheeler around with a couple of kids. They're wearing helmets, of course, and we're off trail, but it's just snow. It's not like we're hurting anything. We're not driving over fields of Daisies or anything. Just driving the ATV across the snow, but don't you know some tree-hugger busy-body has to come running up, breathless and fat, to inform us that we aren't supposed to be having fun, according to some esoteric government regulation, of which we are in clear violation.

This is the type of person that sits at home endlessly fondling themselves, wondering why everyone else seems to be having so much fun. These fundies go to great lengths to stop those around them from having fun by adopting the most arcane and contrived doctrines.

"Excuse me. Are you new here? Can I talk to you for a minute?" she screeches, but I just shake my head and flee. There's no point in talking to these dolts. Until every gasoline engine has a stake through it, they won't be happy. Even then, they'll dream up some new crusade. Some perceived infraction. Surely it's only a matter of time before people in gyms are castigated for exhaling too much carbon dioxide. There must be some cause for this idiot to rally to. This much is certain.

She actually walks around the neighborhood until she finds my ATV and comes up to the house and starts berating everyone who will listen about how illegal it is to ride an ATV and how dangerously I was operating it and she was only concerned about the safety of the Children or the May Flies or Sasquatch or the Paraguayan Snail Darter.

We all knew, of course, that she was really just jealous. She was fat and ugly; old and bitter. All of the pleasure had seeped from her life when her husband killed himself that winter long ago, when her nagging had piled upon him, layer upon layer, until it crushed him one day - as the spring snows crush the fading mountain barns.

These tree-huggers are like grown up hall monitors. They impute meaning into their own hollow lives by castigating strangers.They can't be reasoned with.

And when she finally tracked down my four wheeler and waddled up to the house, I just closed the door and refused to speak to her.

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 22, 2009 at 10:21 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

February 21, 2009

Feeding Ducks

Today, we walked around Evergreen a bit. The girls fed the ducks in Bear Creek, shopped, and then sat down for a hot dog lunch in the sun. In the bottom photo, Jennifer sports her new ear rings. She had to get them repierced on Monday because the girl that did it the first time screwed it up.

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 21, 2009 at 10:50 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Is Your Cat Plotting To Kill You?

Is your cat plotting to kill you?

I took the quiz just now. I thought I was safe, but apparently I was mistaken. Click on the image above to take the test for yourself.

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 21, 2009 at 9:58 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Michelle Muccio

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 21, 2009 at 8:14 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Santa Cruz Freak Show

If you've never been to Santa Cruz, then you really can't imagine what a freak show it is. But maybe this will give you a glimpse into their world: http://www.wimp.com/strangepublic/

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 21, 2009 at 6:18 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Arrest in Chandra Levy Case?

http://cbs13.com/local/chandra.levy.murder.2.940325.html

According to the NBC station in Washington D.C., police are close to making an arrest in the murder case of Chandra Levy.

In an article published on the station's website, the station says according to a source that D.C. Police have submitted evidence to the U.S. Attorney's office in an attempt to obtain an arrest warrant for Ingmar Guandique. Guandique is reportedly in jail for assaulting two women in Rock Park, the same park where Levy's remains were found one year from the time she disappeared.

Levy, 24, of Modesto, had just finished working as an intern for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in May 2001 when she disappeared from her apartment. The cause of death was ruled as homicide, but nobody was ever charged.

Levy was romantically linked to California congressman Gary Condit. He denied any involvement in or knowledge of Levy disappearance or death; however, he acknowledged to investigators that they had an intimate relationship.

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 21, 2009 at 9:42 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

February 20, 2009

Drunk British Soldier Takes Tracked Vehicle on Joyride Through Germany

British FV107 Scimitar Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle

A British soldier stationed in Germany got all tanked up and took a tank for a spin. The two vehicles he managed to commandeer, crash, and abandon were British FV107 Scimitar Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicles, so they were "light tanks" - tracked and lightly armored, but not main battle tanks, per se. And the photo above, also shown in the article linked below, has nothing to do with the joyride in question. It's a stock file photo they pilfered off the internet without giving credit.

http://www.thelocal.de/national/20090220-17565.html

A drunk British soldier stole two small tanks from his northern German base for a joyride towards the town of Bergen at 4 am on Friday morning, a British Army spokesperson told The Local.

"He had a blood alcohol content of 1 promille - past the legal driving limit in Germany - and decided he'd like to take one of the vehicles out of camp," British Army spokesperson Helga Heine said. "At some point he wrecked the tank, got out, went back and got another one and drove it in the same direction, hitting a tree before he was stopped."

German police in the state of Lower Saxony reported that the 18-year-old Camp Hohne soldier stole two tanks, but Heine said they were actually Scimitars, which are armoured reconnaissance vehicles often called light tanks.

Just before the soldier reached the Bergen city limit, British military police stopped him as he almost rammed an oncoming car, police said. The soldier then ran a patrol car off the road and lost control of the tank, hitting a guide post before being halted by a 75-centimetre-thick tree, police reported.

Military police arrested the soldier and are being assisted in their investigation by German police.

"We all got the giggles when we read this," Heine told The Local. "But stealing a vehicle is a serious offense it will be dealt with accordingly."

Camp Hohne is home to some 2,000 British soldiers and the headquarters of the 7th Armoured Brigade.

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 20, 2009 at 9:40 AM : Comments (2) | Permalink

February 19, 2009

Arctic Free of Ice? Not So Fast...

http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/02/19/0420255

"The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) has been at the forefront of predicting doom in the arctic as ice melts due to global warming. In May, 2008 they went so far as to predict that the North Pole would be ice-free during the 2008 'melt season,' leading to a lively Slashdot discussion. Today, however, they say that they have been the victims of 'sensor drift' that led to an underestimation of Arctic ice extent by as much as 500,000 square kilometers. The problem was discovered after they received emails from puzzled readers, asking why obviously sea-ice-covered regions were showing up as ice-free, open ocean. It turns out that the NSIDC relies on an older, less-reliable method of tracking sea ice extent called SSM/I that does not agree with a newer method called AMSR-E. So why doesn't NSIDC use the newer AMSR-E data? 'We do not use AMSR-E data in our analysis because it is not consistent with our historical data.' Turns out that the AMSR-E data only goes back to 2002, which is probably not long enough for the NSIDC to make sweeping conclusions about melting. The AMSR-E data is updated daily and is available to the public. Thus far, sea ice extent in 2009 is tracking ahead of 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008, so the predictions of an ice-free north pole might be premature."

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 19, 2009 at 5:35 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Best In Show

Charlie forced me into staying at a dog show for six hours last weekend which is painful beyond description. Words can't do it justice. It's probably the least exciting organized event you can attend, outside of a chess tournament or a star trek convention. His cousin was at the show and showing a dog but somehow had not yet managed to watch Best In Show, which is just sacrilege, IMHO.

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 19, 2009 at 10:57 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

February 18, 2009

The 20 Best Free PC Games

http://www.extremetech.com/print_article2/0,1217,a%253D236863,00.asp

Hey, times are tough. Games are expensive. What are you going to do, stop playing them? Hah! You can give your credit card a break and still stay up until 2am yelling at your computer monitor if you just know where to find all the best free PC games. Of course, the Web is a front of free entertainment. There are more lame flash games out there than you could possibly catalogue, and even a few really great ones. A Google search for "free games" will take you to any number of portals where you can play ad-supported flash games, or even awesome paid flash games like Robokill.

We're here to help you separate the wheat from the chaff. What follows are some of the best free PC games you can get online.

http://www.extremetech.com/print_article2/0,1217,a%253D236863,00.asp

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 18, 2009 at 7:59 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink

February 17, 2009

Guns and the Constitution: A legislator finally 'gets it'

http://www.examiner.com/x-2698-Charlotte-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m2d16-Guns-and-the-Constitution-A-legislator-finally-gets-it

New Hampshire state House Representative Daniel Itse has stirred the political pot with his bill, House Concurrent Resolution 6: "A RESOLUTION affirming States' rights based on Jeffersonian principles", under which New Hampshire would secede from the United States if the federal government attempts additional usurpation of power under five specific circumstances, including "Further infringements on the right to keep and bear arms including prohibitions of type or quantity of arms or ammunition..."

In an interview with Alex Jones of infowars.com, Rep. Itse made particular mention of a gun control bill HR 45: "Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009" as being an example of such usurpation, noting that "if the government chooses to aggress in nullifying the Constitution, it is impossible to secede from something that doesn't exist."

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 17, 2009 at 10:54 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

Cool Shots of Kamchatka

There are some cool shots of Kamchatka posted as a slideshow by some scientists searching for extremophiles in the Far East. The slideshow was apparently produced with Macromedia Studio MX, which is now Macromedia Studio 8.

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 17, 2009 at 10:26 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

February 16, 2009

American Schools Fall Behind

Posted by Rob Kiser on February 16, 2009 at 11:07 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink

February 14, 2009

Canon Camera History

Someone asked where I get my cameras repaired and I said Canon, but now I'm trying to reconstruct my Canon service history:

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