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Let's just completely ignore all the fanciful opinions that precede the following quote:

"and there wouldn't have been so much death in New Orleans."

What makes you think a Democrat President would have done things so differently? The levees would have still failed. People and governments still would have refused to evacuate. The Coast Guard still would have been performing helicopter rescues. The National Guard still would have performed their duty. Geraldo and Blitzer and others would still cry on camera.

I'm sure the total would be pretty close to 1,577 in any case because you'd still have people stuck in nursing homes and straggling in late to the superdome and convention center. You'll never convince anybody that a Democrat President would have influenced local politicians to follow their own plans and user their own buses before the hurricane hit.

Maybe the media wouldn't have had a field day with George Bush, who I hear "doesn't care about black people", and so we'd get fewer rape and cannibalism stories. Just maybe a Democrat in charge would have had a little more pull with the Democrats in charge of Louisiana so they'd blame him less. Oh, I guess maybe the FEMA head would have been fired a little sooner. Yay for federal scapegoats!

So that adds up to 1,500 trapped, stubborn, and stupid dead people from a hurricane, a neglected levee system, a failed response from local and state relief agencies, and a lot of scrambling from the feds. Sure doesn't sound any different, except that this time the President takes a smaller political hit because he's from the party that cares oh so much about all the poor black people that they'd likely get more than $2,000 on the FEMA debit cards that are passed out like candy. You know, because he actually cares about them... collectively... as black vot^^^ people.

Tell them that they are too stupid to own a computer, pack it up and give it back to you.

See: http://www.snopes.com/humor/business/wordperf.htm

Let them decide naturally what they want to do.

Actually loosing a tile or two doesn't matter. Actually when they switched, tile damage went up dramatically. Read about it here - http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4448 .

Environmentalists have lied to us for years. Here is a link to the founder of Greenpeace exposing what he has put us through - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artic le/2006/04/14/AR2006041401209.html . I admire his courage for coming clean in such a public manner. Unfortunately there are still a lot of anti-nuke nuts out there. Looking at my electric bill, I wish they would go away.

Envoronmentalists have also helped us a great deal. For example eliminating Tetra-ethyl-lead ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetra-ethyl_lead )- a catalyst used to slow down the raction of gasoline burning (a catalyst either speeds up or slows down a reaction by definition). They have also done a lot of other good like taking CO (carbon monoxide) out of the atmosphere from gasoline engines. They said convert it into harmless CO2, a gas that plants need, a gas that promotes life. A "greenhouse" gas and that is a good thing. Plant trees too. Now they are telling us that CO2 causes global warming and it must be eliminated or we all die!

So the real trick is knowing if they are lying to us or they have something to what they are saying. Take a stand, ban di-hydrogen monoxide! See http://www.snopes.com/science/dhmo.asp

On a related note, Mars is going to be closer in August than any time for thousands of years past /future. Maybe the natives of Mars will flee their dry rocky planet and swarm over here. Welcome Red Men!

Let's not perpetuate this silly myth.

Are you implying that members of Congress don't have to pay Social Security taxes? If so, I'd like to direct your attention to a debunking of this myth.

So DARPA's invented something else now. How long before Al Gore goes on CNN to claim he invented this all by himself as well?

[*Sigh* -- not this again.]

Al Gore never claimed that he "invented" the internet. In a March 1999 interview, Wolf Blitzer asked Gore what distinguished him from one of his opponents (Bill Bradley) for the Democratic presidential nomination. Gore responded by describing how he "took the initiative" on a number of issues, including "creating the internet". In context, he was talking about his leadership in developing legislation. Unfortunately his choice of words was sloppy and perhaps smacked a bit of chest-thumping.

It's not hard to find details about the "Gore invented the internet" urban myth. A quick Google turns up lots of stuff, including the following:

http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,39301,00 .html
http://sethf.com/gore/

It's nothing to do with fashion. It's to do with the fact that Ken Lay was a close personal friend of George W. Bush, that Ken Lay was on the Bush administration energy task force whose meeting minutes are being kept secret, that back as far as 1988 George W. Bush was phoning the government of Argentina and using his family connections to try and get Enron juicy government contracts, and so on.

See also http://www.snopes.com/politics/clintons/enron.asp

First person to post the Apple version of this wins a 12 year old who can mend your shoes and hack your ipod for you!

For those few who haven't figured it out yet, most of the things ascribed to Quayle were made up by his liberal opponents.

Check out his own comments on the event in this article. While the media did blow it out of proportion, and it was used as an avenue to attack his intelligence, it did actually happen. As did several other gaffes. (Be sure to scroll down to read the things he actually DID say after the false attribution given by a Republican.)

The IBM Mouse Balls story is one of my favorites. Snopes says it was an internal joke memo. Here is a version from 1989, scroll down for it.

I once read on another source, probably made up, that this WAS in fact a real memo and that the person sending it went to some lengths to bypass the normal internal checks that keep such humor from getting out into the field. Specifically, the person who allegedly wrote the memo declared it a safety emergency memo, which at the time allegedly went through virtually zero in-depth checks from management. I am unable to find this source and I don't give it much credibility.

As for photocopying disks for backup purposes, I do so for insurance purposes. If my house burns down, my "off-site backups" help me file an insurance claim. It works for hard drives too.

It's a great urban legend, but it's not true.

At the beginning of the space race both the American and Russian astronauts used lead pencils. However they found that the leads tended to break, and could get short out electronics if they got lodged somewhere they shouldn't, not to mention striking an astronaut or being inhaled (never mind the lead/graphite dust). Fisher independently developed the pressurized "Fisher Space Pen" in 1965 and all American and Russian space flights since, have used it.

http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp

You are referring to an urban legend that is not true. It results from a mis-quotation around the idea that for any one task you use about 10% of your brain - but for a variety of different tasks you use all of it.

See http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/10percnt.htm for more info.

Stop with that freaking urban legend!

The space pen was developed wholely without prompting and without money from NASA, by the Fisher Pen company.

>silly claims by politicians to have "invented" the internet.

http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp

Yes, the illustration you provide is simple, clear, and wrong.

http://www.snopes.com/katrina/politics/carcrush.as p

Motherfuck racist bitch asshole Ray Nagin straight to hell. There can be no dispute that he single handedly fucked the people of New Orleans in the ass as he laughed about their loss.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/sexuality/reynolds. asp Busted for lying AND being a perv of underaged people. Looks like Justice is finally starting to get served - except Clinton practically pardoned this sick fuck.

The exact etymology of Donkey Kong's title is debatable. My favourite honest-to-goodness botched transliteration is that great big-top racing sim, Continental Circus.

Besides this guy's confusion of data format versus application as others have mentioned, why does he think that all disabled people (and abled people for that matter) have $399USD kicking around for a copy of Microsoft Office? Bizarre.

Sigh, I was going to use the Bush Sr. & the grocery store ancecdote here but Snopes says it's not what it's cracked up to be.

Guess I'll have to fall back to the standard: Because he's a clueless pratt who just got a $30M 'donation' to the state education system by MS - so obviously creating any standard not MS's is bad.

Why don't you guys use real statistics and not something the NRA made up. This stuff is an urban myth. Also realise the situation in Australia is different. In Oz 60% of homicides happen in the home, in the US most happen in the street.

16 year olds?!? Try five.

1) Interstates are numbered odd numbers North/South and even numbers East/West. Main routes have 2 digits, and connectors and bypasses have 3 digits, where the last two digits are the ID of the MSR that it connects to.

I'm sorry about nitpicking, but main routes of the Interstate Highway system have 1 or 2 digits. All Californians know this because Interstate 5 ("Highway 5") is the fastest way to drive between Northern California and Southern California. An additional interesting (to me) fact: the odd numbers assignied to north-south Interstates grow larger from west to east (note Interstate 95 on the East Coast). The even numbers assigned to east-west Interstates grow larger from south to north (e.g. Interstate 10 from Santa Monica to Jacksonville, Interstate 90 from Seattle to Boston).

Also, any explanation of the numbering system of Interstate Highways would be incomplete without also explaining the U.S. Highways (or Routes). After all, the famous Route 66 is a U.S. Highway, not an Interstate Highway. U.S. Highways (or Routes) have black and white signs with 1 to 3 digits. Like Interstates, U.S. Highways (or Routes) have odd numbers for north-south, even numbers for east-west. However, the numbering scheme is inverted: the odd numbers for north-south U.S. Highways grow larger from east to west (e.g. Highway 1 on the East Coast, Highway 101 on the West Coast). The even numbers for east-west U.S. Highways grow larger from north to south.

For a better and more complete (but brief) explanation than mine, see my source: The High(way) Sign.

"In answer to that perennial trivia question, the state of Hawaii has three roads designated as interstate highways (all of them on the island of Oahu) because roads established under the purview of the Federal Aid Highway Act and receiving funding from the federal government are considered interstate highways, even if they fall completely within the borders of a single state. Hawaii's interstate highways are somewhat different than other interstates in that they are identified with numbers preceded by the letter H rather than the standard I, however."

That link also provides a nice explanation of the numbering system for the Interstate Highways (red, white, and mostly blue signs), U.S. Highways (black and white signs), and State & County Routes. After reading that, you'll never look at a highway map the same way again.

Were these discarded weapons a threat to us? No. Were they going to be? No. Were they going to come as proof in the form of a "mushroom cloud?" No.

DO NOT accuse me of being childish. I have watched in complete horror as thousands of people have been recklessly sent off to their deaths, and our international reputation as the leader of the free world shredded in a buzzsaw, for what is quite plainly a fraudulent lie. And I have listened as right-wing parrot-heads have arrogantly screamed that those who objected on perfectly logical consistent grounds that there was no reason to dash wildly into this catastrophe were traitors or fools or Saddam-lovers. It is FUCKING INSULTING and when I encounter that kind of shit I have decided I'm not sitting still for that.

In reality, even the Iraqis thought they had WMD, and were expecting to use them in the run-up to the war. When the US invaded, they were just as shocked as the US was that there were no-such-weapons (at least in Iraq).

Do you have an attribution for this? Do you have a source? Do you have any proof whatsoever, because as far as I recall, the initial march to Bagdhad was met with almost no resistance, and certainly nothing in the form of chemical or biological weaponry.

Also, what are you calling me an "idiot" for when you post an entirely off-topic (and largely debunked) claim like this:

The real chemical weapon used on our troops was the sweetener Aspertame (Nutrasweet), which turns into Formaldehyde. I venture to guess that more than 2500 (est. current Iraq US troop casualties) people have died as a result of that. Where is CS on that issue? Hmmm?

Memo: there's as much formaldehyde in a tomato as a can of diet soda. Get a clue. I'm no fan of Monsanto, but learn your facts about just one thing before spouting off like you're some kind of fucking expert.

How many times must this be shouted down?

Not true, according to Snopes:

Claim: The American interstate highway system was designed to be used for emergency airstrips in case of war. Status: False. http://www.snopes.com/autos/law/airstrip.asp

Someone else has already squished (2), so allow me to reference information pertaining to the use of highways as landing strips.

It also has. just barely, but has the 2 mile straight length that was demanded in each highway every so often for landing endangered aircraft.

not only that - but this is just FUD - better not hold your metal car keys either.

Also see :



http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/gasvapor.asp

Take a deeper look into the literature. the "chronic dehydration epidemic" is little more than a fad that has mutated into an alternate health meme. Take a look at Snopes article for some good medical references.

Drinking a bit more water certainly won't hurt you, but chronic dehydration isn't a problem in the western world, and wouldn't lead to back problems at any rate.

Wow, the guy looks like a pretentious corporate asshat even. And then there's high resolution images available on the MS executive profiles? I think they took the "sexiness" of the Bill Gates photospread a bit too seriously. http://www.snopes.com/photos/people/gates.asp

Like we really WANT detailed images of MS execs or something.

Not a direct hit but close enough.

http://www.snopes.com/autos/business/carburetor.as p

There are too many automobile companies.

There are too many motorcycle companies.

There are too many lawnmower companies.

There are too many gasoline engine makers... in the world... for your story to be credible.

In addition, I offer other anti-super fuel efficiency arguments:

Is it plausable that this technology was supressed during World War II, when the outcome of major battles depended on gasoline more than once and there was massive rationing in the states (ration coupons for gasoline, etc.)

Is it plausible that perhaps companies composing a fraction of 1% of the economy could suppress this information from the rest of the economy which would make so much money off it (every major trucking company, every taxi company, every delivery company, etc.).

I think the other companies have too much to looossee* for them to let such an invention be supressed.

---
* I have given up trying to oppose the increasingly popular misuse of "loose" as "lose" so now I will join with them.. but of course I am way behind on having the proper number of extra letters by the new contemporary spelling of loooose so I'll be putting in even more extra o's to catch up.

Debunked.

Mostly because you believe things you see on the Internet. http://www.snopes.com/legal/lawsuits.asp

Stop believing what you hear on TV....
The man never claimed invention of the internet.
http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp

Actually, this does remind me of one of those stories where someone does a scientific study to find out something that "everyone already knows."

Except, of course, we didn't all know it before, we suspected it, and assumed it was true. Every once in a while you find out that something "everyone knows" isn't true after all, so getting confirmation does have value.

Wrong

It was a little blurb of an editorial, and plenty of people never read the editorials, but it managed to get the point across very clearly, spelling out why this is bad for Internet users, and urging them to contact their representatives.

So, no, it's not just here. Mainstream citizens care about their Internet and will fight against those who would take it away. Remember the Great Modem Tax Scare? It wasn't geeks spreading that myth, it was average citizens. I had to explain to more than one relative that this wasn't true.

I've had more than one non-geek ask me about "this whole net-neutrality thing." I tell them it's a real issue, and suggest that if they want the Internet to remain free, they should do something about it, like write their representatives.

Zabasearch
I recommend reading http://snopes.com/computer/internet/zabasearch.asp

Also, I imagine that anyone who is, in fact, shot in the face will not be shooting back at you any time soon. I believe the first reaction to such an event is often to fall down and/or seek out medical attention to replace a missing nose.

how about what BF Skinner did to his daughter?

Do you mean this:
http://www.snopes.com/science/skinner.asp?

While I agree with you, can we stop using the boiled frog analogy? It isn't true, even frogs aren't that dumb. What does that say about us?

Try this instead.

http://www.snopes.com/legal/privacy.htm

snopes is your friend. While she is certainly guilty of being a gullible butthead and spreading North Vietnamese propaganda, a great of the "traitorous" acts that she was accused of turned out be fabrications by a Fonda-hater which were mixed in with stuff that she really _did_ do, to make the lies more realistic and harder to figure out what was real or not.

U.S. cyberspace chief warns of 'digital Pearl Harbor'

December 8, 2000
Web posted at: 1:52 PM EST (1852 GMT)

REDMOND, Washington (AP) -- The nation's top cyberspace official Friday called on the next president to shore up the government's computer security to prevent a "digital Pearl Harbor."

"What this presidential election year showed is that statistically improbable events can occur," Richard Clarke of the National Security Council said at a Microsoft-organized conference.

"It may be improbable that cyberspace can be seriously disrupted, it may be improbable that a war in cyberspace can occur, but it could happen."

On coming to office, the next president will find that several nations have created information-warfare units, Clarke said.

"These organizations are creating technology to bring down computer networks. Some are doing reconnaissance today on our networks, mapping them," he said.

Clarke, appointed by President Clinton as the first national coordinator for security, infrastructure protection and counterterrorism, spoke at the SafeNet 2000 summit, which brought together computer experts to discuss ways of improving Internet security and privacy.

Clarke said the next president should appoint a government-wide chief information officer, with authority to oversee all the government's computer security, and whose appointment would need confirmation from Congress.

He also said the Clinton administration is creating a scholarship program to increase the number of government computer security experts. Students who study computer security would receive $25,000 a year in return for each year they agree to work for the government.

Another way to improve security throughout the Internet is to create secure lines of communication between the technology industry and the government, Clarke said. That way, they could share information about hackers and viruses without worrying about the public learning about it.

Clarke said the plan would require an exemption from the Freedom of Information Act.

Others at the conference expressed the same notion. Harris Miller, president of the Information Technology Association of America, said that a nonprofit organization of 18 companies would be created early next year to share information.

"You'll want to have the ability to share high-level intelligence on an anonymous basis, without believing it's going to show up in an AP article the next day," Miller said.

Thanks, I remembered that Schneier article and was going to hunt for it if nobody posted it. The other aspect I find irritating is that *without* all this data mining, we had the information we needed to detect prevent stop 9/11. Suspicious-acting Arabs were going to flight school and asking to learn how to fly but not land airplanes. James Woods noticed and reported terrorists doing a dry run for 9/11. These warning signs were ignored, and they would be even *more* likely to be ignored today, because the NSA will be too busy dealing with millions of false positives.

They would not turn the plane back but the person would not be allowed passed customs. The few times it has happened, if not legal able to enter a country the ticket agent should stop you, then it is probably your responsibility to find a way back home.
For worse case senario of this look at Merhan Karimi Nasseri

Just FYI, sugar doesn't kill an engine.

But your argument is certainly reasonable otherwise :)