"Even if it were a fact, they would not be very "valuable" any more after the market on Earth was flooded with them"
Just a short note:
As I am writing this, I have a small pendant around my neck. It is nothing all *that* special. It has a rather nice looking "Trillion" cut green translucent stone in it. That stone is called Moldavite. I sell it, and other precious and semi-precious stones.
Most stones have a very fickle market. Sometimes popular now, sometimes never. Birthstones are always pretty easy to sell. Agates and composits are pretty big right now.
Then, there is Moldavite.
Moldavite comes from one place on earth, and it is the result of a meteorite impact. Whether the stone is actually a part of the meteorite, or was simply a product of the compression and heat of the collision is a matter of great debate.
However, it simply DOES NOT MATTER to the people whom I sell Moldavite, and other gemstones too. As soon as they hear that "It is a product of a meteor collision" they smack down whatever money they have in their pockets. It helps that it really is a pretty shade of green, but, especially when it comes to "new-agers", if it has something to do with space, they want it.
Don't worry about whether space mining would take a long time to become profitable. As long as *some* of whatever rocks you bring back can be polished, you will have a market that will kill itself to buy what you were just going to throw away. And it would take a *very* long time to saturate that market.
BTW, wanna impress your geek friends with jewelry? I can set you up with a tungsten ring, platinum inlaid with an alexandrite stone. Its cool no matter what, and practically indestructable.
*amazed to here something good has come out of this incredibly bad day*
I enjoy Family Guy for its spot-on grasp of the sense of humor of its target demographic. There was always something to make me laugh out loud at least three times an episode.
There is truly some genius in that show. Same for (IMHO) The Oblongs. Or perhaps it is just my twisted sense of humor.
The scene in Family Guy S2E14 "Let's Go To The Hop", where Lois and Peter are slipping into their BDSM gear while dicussing the problems facing kids today may well be the funniest thing I have ever seen in animation. And, *laughing* I'm pretty sure done by someone who knew what they were talking about at the time.
I had *almost* gotten to the point where I could get through an entire day without hearing "Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Mushroom Mushroom" recited from some dark and twisted corner of my brain.
" Hasn't someone built a proxy that will filter out all this extraneous information so I can focus on the important things on the web?"
I know this was a joke, but the usenet service (newsfeeds.com) I used to use actually *did* offer this type of filter service on their "adult" servers.
Filtered out the spam, the conversations, the whiny "please re-post blah blah" garbage. All you got was the pR0n you paid for.
But guys, I mean, I read the journal entries about moving to the new building, and the server problems, as well as the efforts to update the "look and feel" of slashdot a bit, but these smileys? They gotta go man.
I'm all for updating, and keeping with the times, but what was wrong with nice little colored dots?
(sigh)
I feel like I am on some second-rate blog site now.
Then again, maybe it will just take some getting used to.
Sorry for the off topic post, But perhaps this might generate some discussion in regards to this issue?
While I can't say that I remember the storm in 1991, I certainly was taken by suprise by the displays in October of 2001.
I was driving back to Cincinnati from the Carolina Renaissance Faire, and had just about reached Lexington when I noticed that the sky looking north towards Cincy was Green! Picture not taken by me, but a good representation of what I saw.
I have to admit I am truly sad to say my first thought was "Oh god, what have the terrorists done now," being that it was 2 months after 9-11, but after about 10 seconds of panic I realized it was just the northern lights.
I pulled off the road, down a few country back roads to get away from the lights, and enjoyed the show.
It really was a wonderful event, and I do credit it with getting me much more interested in space weather.
Not only does solar activity follow an 11 year cycle, it also *appears* to follow an annual cycle, with solar activity (CME's, sunspots) appearing to peak in late October, early November.
Why is this so odd?
Because a year on the Sun obviously is not the same as a year on the Earth, and scientist (as of yet) have not been able to pin down why solar activity seems to peak this time of year. At the moment (at least, last time I read up on it, which was during the big Auroral display in November of 2001) scientist were at a loss to explain a 12 month cycle in solar activity.
For more information, and very up to date info on the current situation with the storms, current solar wind patterns, and a gallery of GREAT pictures, try spaceweather or also
Spaceweather Now (NOAA)
Okay, typing that out made me feel stupid, so I went and re-read the article on seasonal variations, and found out I was somewhat wrong, there is a terrestrial reason dealing with OUR magnetic field that makes solar activity seem to affect us more. If you would like to read the article, it can be found Here
Anyways, keep looking up this week, (unless you live in Cincinnati like I do, and it will be cloudy most of the beginning of the week) and you might be suprised at what you see.
"Welcome back, and how's our jello doing in that liquid nitrogen?"
Now *that* makes me think of one man. A man who made science and physics *very* interesting (and fun) to me.
No, its not Bill Nye, although he is cool.
Nope, not Don Herbert either, although I must say that our beloved Mr Wizard certainly entertained and educated me more than I can really express in words, it was just the other kids that he had on the show that annoyed the hell out of me.
(Then again, I really miss those afternoons after school. Mr Wizard at 4:00, Dangermouse at 4:30, and You Can't do that on Television at 5:00, now that made for a decent afternoon)
Granted, he looked like a mad scientist, but he made physics cool to me. And he made mistakes, and that was one of the things that made it so fun to watch! Not only did I learn why things work, but he also taught me to *wonder* why things work the way they do, instead of just accepting that they work.
I am so very happy that those shows still air daily here on PBS in the states.
Sure the editing was atrocious, and the film was grainy, and the music just.. well.. was wierd, but If they would put those old shows on DVD, I would spend that money in a heartbeat, not only for myself to watch and enjoy again, but for my kids.
Heck, the messes that they would make in the kitchen couldn't possibly be as bad as the ones I made right?
THAT was the kind of show that, in some bizzare "train wreck" way, I just could not stop watching. Hell, I still watch them if I happen to channel surf past them in the afternoon.
Although, if I let my kids watch Mr Wizard also, I am going to have to watch it before they do, just to make sure I edit out that one episode where he teaches you how to make the hot air balloon with a dry cleaning bag, a few straws for a frame, and a little pile of burning sterno as a heat source. Then it was up, up, and away!
I have a strange feeling that if my kids were to copy that little trick, they might be branded as junior terrorists at this point.
Hey, shoot me an email if you want some quick $ for those old drives. I take the magnets out of them and make cloak clasps for my friends at the Renaissance Festival.
Although, since he was an AC, I wonder if he'll check back in on this thread.
Speaking of sympathy for the blind, I have to share something here and see if anyone can explain it to me.
Back in my pizza delivery days, I had a regular (2-3 times a week) delivery to a blind person. She was really nice, tipped well, and was one of my favorite customers. She also used to do a little trick for me.
I asked her one day how she always knew the denomination of the bill she was handing me. She had them on her big table in the middle of the room, and they were not in seperate stacks, nor faced in any particular direction. (I know some blind people who bend the corners, or put them in certain orders so they do not get confused)
She asked to see my "bank", and offered to organize it for me. She was damned fast about it. She would take a stack of bills that I handed her, in no order, and sort them by denomination in seconds. Much faster than I could do it by visually verifying the denominations.
She would do this on a regular basis for me. I think she enjoyed showing off the talent for someone, and I enjoyed having my money organized and watching her have fun doing it.
She always told me that different denominations felt slightly different. The only time she had trouble was if a bill had been washed/dryed before and was *very* crinkled.
So, was she pulling a fast one on me? (note, she never tried to keep any money, nor did I ever leave missing any) or does US currency actually have different feels to each bill?
And I wonder if the new currency feels different to her than the old currency.
In 199* (I honestly do forget what the year was, I wasn't sleeping much back then do to a screw up in my AD/HD medication, and my memory is a little foggy) I went to a 24 hour sci fi show at a local theater here in Cincinnati. They used to call it the repatory back then, its gone now.
I'm fairly certain they broke more than a few laws showing things as they did, or they were bootleg copies, but they ran 24 hours of sci fi, no breaks.
Star Wars, Empire, ROTJ, ST 1-4, a few choice trek episodes, Akira (that was the reason I really went, and I think was the reason MOST people were there) Terminator, Aliens, and Outland.
It was actually quite enjoyable.
I know there are a lot of people who think sitting in one place for 24 hours would be torture, but its not once you get past hour 4 or so. I mean, how many of you have blown a day sitting in your chair in front of your monitor playing your favorite mmorp, or ut2k3 or half life?
Hell, after reading about Postal2 on/. yesterday, I remembered that I had it and had not played it yet. Spent about 13 hours last night playing it. I'm not terribly out of shape either, I do get up and away from my computer on a regular basis. But 24 hours of total immersion does not seem extreme at all to me.
Gimme a bathroom break every 3-4 hours. (I suppose it would be a little harder than it was in the 90's, because I was stupid and took up smoking, so I would be jonesing for a cig pretty bad after about 4 or 5 hours)
I would drop $50 in a heartbeat to watch the entire LOTR trilogy, if they threw in a snack cart or something in the middle.
In short, intermissions would be cool, but I really don't think they are needed, especially when it is material you have probably seen before.
(Wasn't there an intermission in The English Patient a few years back?)
Okay, I kmow this is off-topic, and it sucks that Roy was maimed so badly, and truly may not survive (puncture wounds in the neck are a bitch) but this is just too good an opportunity to pass up...
(Here goes my karma, may fortune favor the foolish)
As I was reading the comments attached to this story, one point kept coming to mind. Maybe, just maybe, this type of idea could be the savior of human language.
Bear with me on this.
Leet-speak aside, vocal (as well as written) communication has (IMHO) been deteriorating at a rather rapid pace. Now, it could just be the fact that I am working in a direct customer contact position again, and I have to deal with the general public on a more frequent level than I used to. But it simply amazes me the number of people who cannot communicate what it is that they are thinking.
"I am looking for one of those orangishy whatchamacallits wit' that springy thingish-like doohickey on the end"
He wanted a pipe wrench.
*eep*
If this technology were to become as ubiquitous as google has become as a search engine, people who wanted to be able to use this technology would have to learn to communicate clearly and concisely.
(Yes, I am well aware of the fact that I have certainly not mastered those skills myself, so please don't flame me, its just an idea)
In reality, the ACLU would probably sue the programmers until the language heuristics were so loose that it would become unusable, because some idiot with money and power got upset because his new "Google enviromental information interface" kept telling him that there was no such word as nookular.
Wouldn't it be great though, to see people actually interested in learning how to communicate better, because they have been given a technological incentive, instead of dumbing down the interface because they are too lazy to learn how to use it?
As somewhat of a weather enthusiast, I have found that one of the *best* links to get up to the minute weather data is Here The IWIN (Interactive Weather Information Network) homepage.
You can just browse for state by state info, or get down to the detailed observations from small stations. VERY up to date watch/warning info, all in a (IMHO) rather well designed interface.
Besides intellicast, thats where I go when I need to know what is really going on.
However, because I had already *read* the article on CNN, I decided that the blank canvas was just too tempting. I *had* to post something.
The reason I felt I *had* to post something was clear. I read at -1. I suppose I sometimes enjoy the flame wars and trolls and the gritty life that is reading at -1. Hell, maybe I am just a masochist. Who knows?
The one thing, however, that truly annoys me about reading at -1 are the first post (or attempt) at first post trolls.
Oh, to be sure, I was actually impressed with the amazing string of first posts that the GNAA had managed to attain. But the "watching a train wreck" curiosity of those postings wore off in about, oh.. 5 stories.
So, (and maybe it was the wine) I felt this sudden rush of anticipation, a feeling that I might not only obtain my first ever first post, but that in getting first post, I would be preventing some idiot troll from getting it, and for at least one story, life would be a little brighter. (for me at least)
It is a shame that this is not only a *not funny* topic, but one I feel pretty deeply about as well. Thus being part of the reason I regret doing it, as my posting certainly does not convey a sense of groking the issue, or anything meaningful or insightful.
I knew I would not have time to come up with something insightful, topical, or even vaguely interesting, so... I just posted the first funny thing I thought when I read the headline. I previewed, and then hit submit. (obviously)
And there it was, in all its lame-assed not even funny enough for Leno or SNL glory. My first first post.
(not that it really means anything, nor have I any desire to do it again, but it is neat I suppose to have done it once.)
So, here I am. Dealing with a mixture of geekdom pride that I pulled off a first post that was not immediately modded into the depths of hell, and a sensation of utter shame in the fact that I will always have to remember that the time I actually achieved a first post, and kept some troll from doing it, I could not think of anything *better* to say than what you see above.
I wonder what my shrink would say about all this.
(Anyway, if you actually read all this, I'm sorry for all the rambling and the poor punctuation. I blame the whole incident on the fact that I was drinking, something I do not do often, but I had a really bad day at work, and what the hell, it's a holiday for me!)
Well, after that whole lighbulb thing, my Karma is apparently enjoying the beating it has been taking this week, so.. what the hell.
Here is the disclaimer from my website.
My apologies for a lack of formatting, but I am home at lunch, and must get back to work in 10 minutes.
This page may or may not reflect the thoughts or opinions of either myself, my company, my friends, or my cat; don't quote me on that; don't quote me on anything; all rights reserved; you may distribute this message freely but you may not make a profit from it; terms are subject to change without notice; illustrations are slightly enlarged to show detail; any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is unintentional and purely coincidental; do not remove this disclaimer under penalty of law; hand wash only, tumble dry on low heat; do not bend, fold, mutilate, or spindle; your mileage may vary; no substitutions allowed; for a limited time only; this message is void where prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted; caveat emptor; This page is provided "as is" without any warranties; reader assumes full responsibility; an equal opportunity website; no shoes, no shirt, no problem; quantities are limited while supplies last; if any defects are discovered, do not attempt to read them yourself, but return to an authorized service center; read at your own risk; parental advisory - explicit lyrics; text may contain explicit materials some readers may find objectionable, parental guidance is advised; keep away from sunlight; keep away from pets and small children; limit one-per-family please; no money down; no purchase necessary; you need not be present to win; some assembly required; batteries not included; instructions are included; action figures sold separately; no preservatives added; slippery when wet; safety goggles may be required during use; sealed for your protection, do not read if safety seal is broken; call before you dig; not liable for damages arising from use or misuse; for external use only; if rash, irritation, redness, or swelling develops, discontinue reading; read only with proper ventilation; avoid extreme temperatures and store in a cool dry place; keep away from open flames; avoid contact with eyes and skin and avoid inhaling fumes; do not puncture, incinerate, or store above 120 degrees Fahrenheit; do not place near a flammable or magnetic source; smoking this webpage, or a printout of, could be hazardous to your health; the best safeguard, second only to abstinence, is the use of a condom; no salt, MSG, artificial color or flavoring added; if ingested, do not induce vomiting, and if symptoms persist, consult a physician; html is ribbed for your pleasure; possible penalties for early withdrawal; offer valid only at participating sites; slightly higher west of the Rockies; allow four to six weeks for delivery; must be 18 to read; disclaimer does not cover misuse, accident, lightning, flood, tornado, tsunami, volcanic eruption, earthquake, hurricanes and other Acts of God/Goddess/Cthulhu/Pikachu/Pikathulhu etc, neglect, damage from improper reading, incorrect line voltage, improper or unauthorized reading, broken antenna or marred cabinet, missing or altered serial numbers, electromagnetic radiation from nuclear blasts, sonic boom vibrations, customer adjustments that are not covered in this list, and incidents owing to an airplane crash, ship sinking or taking on water, motor vehicle crashing, dropping the item, falling rocks, leaky roof, broken glass, mud slides, forest fire, or projectile (which can include, but not be limited to, arrows, bullets, shot, BB's, shrapnel, lasers, napalm, torpedoes, or emissions of X-rays, Alpha, Beta and Gamma rays, knives, stones, etc.); other restrictions may apply.
Slashdot Mirror
"Even if it were a fact, they would not be very "valuable" any more after the market on Earth was flooded with them"
Just a short note:
As I am writing this, I have a small pendant around my neck. It is nothing all *that* special. It has a rather nice looking "Trillion" cut green translucent stone in it. That stone is called Moldavite. I sell it, and other precious and semi-precious stones.
Most stones have a very fickle market. Sometimes popular now, sometimes never. Birthstones are always pretty easy to sell. Agates and composits are pretty big right now.
Then, there is Moldavite.
Moldavite comes from one place on earth, and it is the result of a meteorite impact. Whether the stone is actually a part of the meteorite, or was simply a product of the compression and heat of the collision is a matter of great debate.
However, it simply DOES NOT MATTER to the people whom I sell Moldavite, and other gemstones too. As soon as they hear that "It is a product of a meteor collision" they smack down whatever money they have in their pockets. It helps that it really is a pretty shade of green, but, especially when it comes to "new-agers", if it has something to do with space, they want it.
Don't worry about whether space mining would take a long time to become profitable. As long as *some* of whatever rocks you bring back can be polished, you will have a market that will kill itself to buy what you were just going to throw away. And it would take a *very* long time to saturate that market.
BTW, wanna impress your geek friends with jewelry? I can set you up with a tungsten ring, platinum inlaid with an alexandrite stone. Its cool no matter what, and practically indestructable.
Just a thought.
*amazed to here something good has come out of this incredibly bad day*
I enjoy Family Guy for its spot-on grasp of the sense of humor of its target demographic. There was always something to make me laugh out loud at least three times an episode.
There is truly some genius in that show. Same for (IMHO) The Oblongs. Or perhaps it is just my twisted sense of humor.
The scene in Family Guy S2E14 "Let's Go To The Hop", where Lois and Peter are slipping into their BDSM gear while dicussing the problems facing kids today may well be the funniest thing I have ever seen in animation. And, *laughing* I'm pretty sure done by someone who knew what they were talking about at the time.
YMMV.
Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Mushroom! Mushroom!
*sigh*
In my head for three months now.
Here, make some space in *your* head for it. Badgers
No no no no no no...
I had *almost* gotten to the point where I could get through an entire day without hearing "Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Badger Mushroom Mushroom" recited from some dark and twisted corner of my brain.
I curse your name.
" Hasn't someone built a proxy that will filter out all this extraneous information so I can focus on the important things on the web?"
I know this was a joke, but the usenet service (newsfeeds.com) I used to use actually *did* offer this type of filter service on their "adult" servers.
Filtered out the spam, the conversations, the whiny "please re-post blah blah" garbage. All you got was the pR0n you paid for.
But damn was that service expensive.
Okay, I know this is offtopic as hell.
But guys, I mean, I read the journal entries about moving to the new building, and the server problems, as well as the efforts to update the "look and feel" of slashdot a bit, but these smileys? They gotta go man.
I'm all for updating, and keeping with the times, but what was wrong with nice little colored dots?
(sigh)
I feel like I am on some second-rate blog site now.
Then again, maybe it will just take some getting used to.
Sorry for the off topic post, But perhaps this might generate some discussion in regards to this issue?
My home faire is the Ohio Renaissance Festival, and yeah, I was speaking mostly boothies. There are more than a few performers I know that are Pagan.
The Carolina faire (being held in North Carolina, where witchcraft is specifically illegal *lol*) has a pretty high ratio as well.
"And 85%-90% virgin."
Have you ever BEEN to a Renaissance Faire???
You're missing something.
Most likely, (and I say this with more than a bit of experience, being Pagan, and working in techinical support) that it is probably
Renaissance Faire Employee.
We tend to run about 45% to 75% Pagan. At most Renaissance Fairs I attend anyways.
YMMV
I was driving back to Cincinnati from the Carolina Renaissance Faire, and had just about reached Lexington when I noticed that the sky looking north towards Cincy was Green! Picture not taken by me, but a good representation of what I saw.
I have to admit I am truly sad to say my first thought was "Oh god, what have the terrorists done now," being that it was 2 months after 9-11, but after about 10 seconds of panic I realized it was just the northern lights.
I pulled off the road, down a few country back roads to get away from the lights, and enjoyed the show.
It really was a wonderful event, and I do credit it with getting me much more interested in space weather.
Why is this so odd?
Because a year on the Sun obviously is not the same as a year on the Earth, and scientist (as of yet) have not been able to pin down why solar activity seems to peak this time of year. At the moment (at least, last time I read up on it, which was during the big Auroral display in November of 2001) scientist were at a loss to explain a 12 month cycle in solar activity.
For more information, and very up to date info on the current situation with the storms, current solar wind patterns, and a gallery of GREAT pictures, try spaceweather or also
Spaceweather Now (NOAA)
Okay, typing that out made me feel stupid, so I went and re-read the article on seasonal variations, and found out I was somewhat wrong, there is a terrestrial reason dealing with OUR magnetic field that makes solar activity seem to affect us more. If you would like to read the article, it can be found Here
Anyways, keep looking up this week, (unless you live in Cincinnati like I do, and it will be cloudy most of the beginning of the week) and you might be suprised at what you see.
Now *that* makes me think of one man. A man who made science and physics *very* interesting (and fun) to me.
No, its not Bill Nye, although he is cool.
Nope, not Don Herbert either, although I must say that our beloved Mr Wizard certainly entertained and educated me more than I can really express in words, it was just the other kids that he had on the show that annoyed the hell out of me.
(Then again, I really miss those afternoons after school. Mr Wizard at 4:00, Dangermouse at 4:30, and You Can't do that on Television at 5:00, now that made for a decent afternoon)
Nope, just one person pops into mind.
Julias Sumner Miller
Julius
Sumner
Miller (warning, scary music and horribly made page)
Granted, he looked like a mad scientist, but he made physics cool to me. And he made mistakes, and that was one of the things that made it so fun to watch! Not only did I learn why things work, but he also taught me to *wonder* why things work the way they do, instead of just accepting that they work.
I am so very happy that those shows still air daily here on PBS in the states.
Sure the editing was atrocious, and the film was grainy, and the music just .. well .. was wierd, but If they would put those old shows on DVD, I would spend that money in a heartbeat, not only for myself to watch and enjoy again, but for my kids.
Heck, the messes that they would make in the kitchen couldn't possibly be as bad as the ones I made right?
THAT was the kind of show that, in some bizzare "train wreck" way, I just could not stop watching. Hell, I still watch them if I happen to channel surf past them in the afternoon.
Although, if I let my kids watch Mr Wizard also, I am going to have to watch it before they do, just to make sure I edit out that one episode where he teaches you how to make the hot air balloon with a dry cleaning bag, a few straws for a frame, and a little pile of burning sterno as a heat source. Then it was up, up, and away!
I have a strange feeling that if my kids were to copy that little trick, they might be branded as junior terrorists at this point.
It does.
I can get XXXX beer at my Outback.
I still can't talk them into finding a way to get me a VB here in Ohio though.
It's been 4 years since I have had a VB damnit!
*lol*
Hey, shoot me an email if you want some quick $ for those old drives. I take the magnets out of them and make cloak clasps for my friends at the Renaissance Festival.
Although, since he was an AC, I wonder if he'll check back in on this thread.
Speaking of sympathy for the blind, I have to share something here and see if anyone can explain it to me.
Back in my pizza delivery days, I had a regular (2-3 times a week) delivery to a blind person. She was really nice, tipped well, and was one of my favorite customers. She also used to do a little trick for me.
I asked her one day how she always knew the denomination of the bill she was handing me. She had them on her big table in the middle of the room, and they were not in seperate stacks, nor faced in any particular direction. (I know some blind people who bend the corners, or put them in certain orders so they do not get confused)
She asked to see my "bank", and offered to organize it for me. She was damned fast about it. She would take a stack of bills that I handed her, in no order, and sort them by denomination in seconds. Much faster than I could do it by visually verifying the denominations.
She would do this on a regular basis for me. I think she enjoyed showing off the talent for someone, and I enjoyed having my money organized and watching her have fun doing it.
She always told me that different denominations felt slightly different. The only time she had trouble was if a bill had been washed/dryed before and was *very* crinkled.
So, was she pulling a fast one on me? (note, she never tried to keep any money, nor did I ever leave missing any) or does US currency actually have different feels to each bill?
And I wonder if the new currency feels different to her than the old currency.
Just wanted to ask/share.
Palino? Is that you?
GOOD GODS MAN! It's been too long!
Good point on the motor thing though. I was thinking the same thing.
email me or something will ya?
Shadow
Oh the memories.
/. yesterday, I remembered that I had it and had not played it yet. Spent about 13 hours last night playing it. I'm not terribly out of shape either, I do get up and away from my computer on a regular basis. But 24 hours of total immersion does not seem extreme at all to me.
... glad she did.
In 199* (I honestly do forget what the year was, I wasn't sleeping much back then do to a screw up in my AD/HD medication, and my memory is a little foggy) I went to a 24 hour sci fi show at a local theater here in Cincinnati. They used to call it the repatory back then, its gone now.
I'm fairly certain they broke more than a few laws showing things as they did, or they were bootleg copies, but they ran 24 hours of sci fi, no breaks.
Star Wars, Empire, ROTJ, ST 1-4, a few choice trek episodes, Akira (that was the reason I really went, and I think was the reason MOST people were there) Terminator, Aliens, and Outland.
It was actually quite enjoyable.
I know there are a lot of people who think sitting in one place for 24 hours would be torture, but its not once you get past hour 4 or so. I mean, how many of you have blown a day sitting in your chair in front of your monitor playing your favorite mmorp, or ut2k3 or half life?
Hell, after reading about Postal2 on
Gimme a bathroom break every 3-4 hours. (I suppose it would be a little harder than it was in the 90's, because I was stupid and took up smoking, so I would be jonesing for a cig pretty bad after about 4 or 5 hours)
I would drop $50 in a heartbeat to watch the entire LOTR trilogy, if they threw in a snack cart or something in the middle.
In short, intermissions would be cool, but I really don't think they are needed, especially when it is material you have probably seen before.
(Wasn't there an intermission in The English Patient a few years back?)
My GF dragged me to that one
Not only does the punishment depend on the child, the punishment also depends on the severity of the punishable offense.
I used both time outs and the occasional spanking for my daughter, who is pretty damned well behaved now. (She'll be 10 next month).
Timeouts were used in just about every situation, unless there was a chance of serious injury or death occuring.
Talking back to the parent= Timeout.
Letting go of my hand and running in a parking lot with moving cars= Getting your ass swatted.
Seems to have worked for her. YMMV.
Congrats on your first post, but calm down will ya?
.. I am getting there just fine. No problems on the east side of town at all.
as far as google from cincyrr
IHPBT , I don't care
Okay, I kmow this is off-topic, and it sucks that Roy was maimed so badly, and truly may not survive (puncture wounds in the neck are a bitch) but this is just too good an opportunity to pass up...
(Here goes my karma, may fortune favor the foolish)
In Soviet Vegas, Pussy eats YOU!
As I was reading the comments attached to this story, one point kept coming to mind. Maybe, just maybe, this type of idea could be the savior of human language.
Bear with me on this.
Leet-speak aside, vocal (as well as written) communication has (IMHO) been deteriorating at a rather rapid pace. Now, it could just be the fact that I am working in a direct customer contact position again, and I have to deal with the general public on a more frequent level than I used to. But it simply amazes me the number of people who cannot communicate what it is that they are thinking.
"I am looking for one of those orangishy whatchamacallits wit' that springy thingish-like doohickey on the end"
He wanted a pipe wrench.
*eep*
If this technology were to become as ubiquitous as google has become as a search engine, people who wanted to be able to use this technology would have to learn to communicate clearly and concisely.
(Yes, I am well aware of the fact that I have certainly not mastered those skills myself, so please don't flame me, its just an idea)
In reality, the ACLU would probably sue the programmers until the language heuristics were so loose that it would become unusable, because some idiot with money and power got upset because his new "Google enviromental information interface" kept telling him that there was no such word as nookular.
Wouldn't it be great though, to see people actually interested in learning how to communicate better, because they have been given a technological incentive, instead of dumbing down the interface because they are too lazy to learn how to use it?
</Pipe Dream>
You can just browse for state by state info, or get down to the detailed observations from small stations. VERY up to date watch/warning info, all in a (IMHO) rather well designed interface.
Besides intellicast, thats where I go when I need to know what is really going on.
Actually, I somewhat regret the whole thing.
.. 5 stories.
I have not really ever desired the first post.
However, because I had already *read* the article on CNN, I decided that the blank canvas was just too tempting. I *had* to post something.
The reason I felt I *had* to post something was clear. I read at -1. I suppose I sometimes enjoy the flame wars and trolls and the gritty life that is reading at -1. Hell, maybe I am just a masochist. Who knows?
The one thing, however, that truly annoys me about reading at -1 are the first post (or attempt) at first post trolls.
Oh, to be sure, I was actually impressed with the amazing string of first posts that the GNAA had managed to attain. But the "watching a train wreck" curiosity of those postings wore off in about, oh
So, (and maybe it was the wine) I felt this sudden rush of anticipation, a feeling that I might not only obtain my first ever first post, but that in getting first post, I would be preventing some idiot troll from getting it, and for at least one story, life would be a little brighter. (for me at least)
It is a shame that this is not only a *not funny* topic, but one I feel pretty deeply about as well. Thus being part of the reason I regret doing it, as my posting certainly does not convey a sense of groking the issue, or anything meaningful or insightful.
I knew I would not have time to come up with something insightful, topical, or even vaguely interesting, so... I just posted the first funny thing I thought when I read the headline. I previewed, and then hit submit. (obviously)
And there it was, in all its lame-assed not even funny enough for Leno or SNL glory. My first first post.
(not that it really means anything, nor have I any desire to do it again, but it is neat I suppose to have done it once.)
So, here I am. Dealing with a mixture of geekdom pride that I pulled off a first post that was not immediately modded into the depths of hell, and a sensation of utter shame in the fact that I will always have to remember that the time I actually achieved a first post, and kept some troll from doing it, I could not think of anything *better* to say than what you see above.
I wonder what my shrink would say about all this.
(Anyway, if you actually read all this, I'm sorry for all the rambling and the poor punctuation. I blame the whole incident on the fact that I was drinking, something I do not do often, but I had a really bad day at work, and what the hell, it's a holiday for me!)
Happy Equinox!
Thats a new way to break the ice!
Must try that at my next party.
Well, after that whole lighbulb thing, my Karma is apparently enjoying the beating it has been taking this week, so .. what the hell.
Here is the disclaimer from my website.
My apologies for a lack of formatting, but I am home at lunch, and must get back to work in 10 minutes.
This page may or may not reflect the thoughts or opinions of either myself, my company, my friends, or my cat; don't quote me on that; don't quote me on anything; all rights reserved; you may distribute this message freely but you may not make a profit from it; terms are subject to change without notice; illustrations are slightly enlarged to show detail; any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is unintentional and purely coincidental; do not remove this disclaimer under penalty of law; hand wash only, tumble dry on low heat; do not bend, fold, mutilate, or spindle; your mileage may vary; no substitutions allowed; for a limited time only; this message is void where prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted; caveat emptor; This page is provided "as is" without any warranties; reader assumes full responsibility; an equal opportunity website; no shoes, no shirt, no problem; quantities are limited while supplies last; if any defects are discovered, do not attempt to read them yourself, but return to an authorized service center; read at your own risk; parental advisory - explicit lyrics; text may contain explicit materials some readers may find objectionable, parental guidance is advised; keep away from sunlight; keep away from pets and small children; limit one-per-family please; no money down; no purchase necessary; you need not be present to win; some assembly required; batteries not included; instructions are included; action figures sold separately; no preservatives added; slippery when wet; safety goggles may be required during use; sealed for your protection, do not read if safety seal is broken; call before you dig; not liable for damages arising from use or misuse; for external use only; if rash, irritation, redness, or swelling develops, discontinue reading; read only with proper ventilation; avoid extreme temperatures and store in a cool dry place; keep away from open flames; avoid contact with eyes and skin and avoid inhaling fumes; do not puncture, incinerate, or store above 120 degrees Fahrenheit; do not place near a flammable or magnetic source; smoking this webpage, or a printout of, could be hazardous to your health; the best safeguard, second only to abstinence, is the use of a condom; no salt, MSG, artificial color or flavoring added; if ingested, do not induce vomiting, and if symptoms persist, consult a physician; html is ribbed for your pleasure; possible penalties for early withdrawal; offer valid only at participating sites; slightly higher west of the Rockies; allow four to six weeks for delivery; must be 18 to read; disclaimer does not cover misuse, accident, lightning, flood, tornado, tsunami, volcanic eruption, earthquake, hurricanes and other Acts of God/Goddess/Cthulhu/Pikachu/Pikathulhu etc, neglect, damage from improper reading, incorrect line voltage, improper or unauthorized reading, broken antenna or marred cabinet, missing or altered serial numbers, electromagnetic radiation from nuclear blasts, sonic boom vibrations, customer adjustments that are not covered in this list, and incidents owing to an airplane crash, ship sinking or taking on water, motor vehicle crashing, dropping the item, falling rocks, leaky roof, broken glass, mud slides, forest fire, or projectile (which can include, but not be limited to, arrows, bullets, shot, BB's, shrapnel, lasers, napalm, torpedoes, or emissions of X-rays, Alpha, Beta and Gamma rays, knives, stones, etc.); other restrictions may apply.