RubensteinWeb.com

My new website

2009-06-10T07:27:00.001-05:00

Just put up my new "professional" website, with links to my research papers as well.

http://www.rubensteinweb.com/

Check it out, give me any feedback you might have.

Star Trek Guide

2009-05-15T14:35:00.004-05:00

A quick (and hilarious) guide to Star Trek Movies

Bruce Lee + Nunchucks = Awesome

2008-11-30T11:00:00.001-06:00

Some of the new Nokia ads showing Bruce Lee being awesome. And of course these are real - please.

Big Dog

2008-10-10T13:33:00.002-05:00

New fully automated robot "Big Dog" entering active service now.

Also check out the parody after you see the real thing.

Batman/Toy Story

2008-10-10T13:29:00.001-05:00

Pretty good Dark Knight / Toy Story trailer spoof.

Anti-theft baggies

2008-09-17T12:07:00.000-05:00

People keep stealing your lunch? Get this baggies with fake mold printed on them.

Low-Budget Terminator 2

2008-08-30T16:47:00.001-05:00

VERY low budget remake of terminator 2 - in 6 minutes viewing time. Very funny, especially if you've seen the movie 1042 times like I have.

Mobile Blogging

2008-07-06T15:18:00.002-05:00

I figured out a pretty rapid way to post pics from my phone to the blog directly today, using the go@mobile.blogger.com email method. Pretty nice. Stay tuned here to see some major I-journalism, like police brutality or bigfoot or something. Or boring stuff like this picture of us driving out to the countryside.

The Great Office War

2008-06-23T09:55:00.002-05:00

Epic cubicle nerf battle, very funny.

The Mobile Phone Rip-Off

2008-05-12T11:26:00.002-05:00

With increased competition in the mobile phone industry, voice package prices are dropping very low, so providers are trying to make up profit in other areas, like charging astronomical fees for text messaging.

This article shows how the text message data charges are 4x as high as NASA has to pay to receive data from Hubble.

Homeless Bond

2008-05-07T14:56:00.001-05:00

Homeless 007 - Watch more free videos

Pretty funny skit...

Annuale

2008-03-28T10:49:00.001-05:00

Funny fake-drug-ad from SNL. Hold on to your hat!

Bad Way to Go #2021 (birds list only)

2008-03-28T09:53:00.003-05:00

What's worse (if you're a bird or superman) than being hit by the space shuttle as it rockets upwards?

Answer: Being hit by the space shuttle, being knocked unconscious, then falling into the exhaust flames of the engines.

Heart Fountain

2008-03-24T12:41:00.002-05:00

Very cool, but a little creepy fountain.

Product Review: Bad Investment

2008-03-04T13:27:00.003-06:00

Avoid investing in this item: An electronic-shark repellent. During testing, the item was actually eaten by a shark. The company says it's still effective for surfers who are "not moving" but should not be used while "moving, paddling, or surfing".

Post-apocalyptic Surival Vehicles

2008-02-26T10:14:00.003-06:00

Wondering what would be the best vehicle to protect yourself and your family for the potentially upcoming Apocalypse? Looking for anti-zombie features? This is a nice list of the top 10 anti-zombie survival vehicles.

Red Shirts

2008-02-01T13:08:00.000-06:00

So true....

Top Superbowl Commercials

2008-02-01T13:06:00.000-06:00

It's that time again - superbowl commercial time! Check out this link for The top superbowl commercials... I especially like this one:

Official US Air Force Aircraft ID Chart

2008-02-01T08:31:00.000-06:00

Medical Myths

2008-01-30T16:09:00.000-06:00

This is a interesting article that debunks several commonly held health ideas.

1. People should drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
2. We use only 10 percent of our brains.
3. Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death.
4. Shaving hair causes it to grow back faster, darker or coarser.
5. Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight.
6. Eating turkey makes people especially drowsy.
7. Cellphones create considerable electromagnetic interference in hospitals.

Biofuel Comparison

2008-01-11T18:23:00.000-06:00

This is a nice comparison of various biofuels, as far as the energy input per output, as well as emissions from burning the fuels. As I've discussed before, cellulosic ethanol is a MUCH better fuel source than corn-based ethanol.

Fighting Five-year-olds

2007-12-14T08:35:00.001-06:00

Airline Complaint

2007-12-12T05:34:00.001-06:00

This is apparently a true complaint "letter" turned into an airline service department. It is written on napkins, and is hilarious. It's available as a GIF here, and as a PDF here.

Google Maps update

2007-11-29T12:34:00.000-06:00

This looks like a pretty nice upgrade to google maps mobile. Allows gps-like (but less accurate) location determination on your mobile phone w/o GPS based on cell tower triangulation. This has been available by other services, for a fee, prior.

Badass Bible Verses

2007-11-28T10:58:00.001-06:00

I never thought I'd ever have any biblical links in my blog, but this article is way too funny to pass up.

Onion: Ninja Parade

2007-10-31T19:56:00.000-05:00

Ninja Parade Slips Through Town Unnoticed Once Again

Another Onion Video - My favorite part is when the boy found candy in his pocket...

Google's Plug-In Hybrid

2007-10-29T20:49:00.000-05:00

You can keep track of how Google's real-world test of plug-in hybrids is going here. Currently they're at around 70 MPG. They are using Prius's converted to plug-in by Hymotion

Study Break: Coolest. Drag Race. Ever.

2007-10-29T19:51:00.000-05:00

Those suicidal brits over at Top Gear have cooked up another awsome duel: Bugatti Veyron versus Eurofighter Typhoon.

How do they get the RAF to participate in all these?

Video: Onion News Network

2007-10-23T07:46:00.001-05:00

In The Know: Situation In Nigeria Seems Pretty Complex

Our favorite (fake) newspaper, The Onion, is now doing (fake) news shows as well. I get these automatically downloaded to my tivo as a TivoCast, but you can also view them on the web.

This one was pretty funny... pretty much sums up what we know about most of Africa.

Presidental Politics, 2008

2007-10-22T16:15:00.000-05:00

If you find sorting out where the candidates stand on various issues like I do, check out this nice overview HERE in the NY Times. You can see the stated positions on various issues, as well as their voting record for all the candidates.

Monkey Attack

2007-10-22T08:15:00.000-05:00

Here's something you don't see everyday - a gang of monkeys assassinating government officials. I, for one, would like to welcome our new Rhesus macaques overlords.

How To Destroy The Earth

2007-09-27T11:09:00.001-05:00

An entertaining read. Not really a handbook on real ways to destroy the earth, but some well-written possibilites, on a sort of galactic sense.

Elegant Universe

2007-09-27T11:06:00.000-05:00

I highly recommend reading the book "The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene. If you are too lazy to read, the NOVA Series by him is good too. I had to read it a few times; but it's very nice overview of modern physics, from newton to multi-dimensional string theory.

Taco Town

2007-09-09T16:52:00.000-05:00

Don't know if I've posted this before, but it's one of the better (modern) SNL skits.

America's Middle East Policy - In a Nutshell

2007-08-24T12:54:00.000-05:00

Check out movie here.

This is a hilarious clip from Jon Stewart - who sums up our middle east "policies" over the past 20 years. Funny, but sad.

10th dimension

2007-08-24T12:51:00.001-05:00

A nice visualization (a la Flatlanders) of how to picture higher dimensions 4-10. Some of it is a bit questionable but a nice movie anyway.

Another great onion article

2007-08-22T09:51:00.000-05:00

I wasn't expecting this article to be so funny, but it had to be one of the better ones I've read recently. Make sure to read through all the text...

Google Earth goes to the Stars

2007-08-22T07:10:00.001-05:00

Google Earth now has a feature to look skyward and search the start for planets, constellations, etc. You can watch the planets move across the sky, and other cool astronomy-related features.

Deloreans to return in 2008

2007-08-21T15:19:00.000-05:00

Sweet. Delorean's are cool. Not really good performers; but still look damn cool.

Funny Commercial

2007-08-20T17:39:00.000-05:00

Found this one pretty funny...

Serenity II?

2007-08-08T12:15:00.001-05:00

Make sure to buy the special edition of SERENITY when it comes out August 21st... Joss Whedon says good sales could fuel SERENITY II!

Picking a Safe Laser Printer

2007-08-03T16:23:00.000-05:00

In this study researchers found differing levels of particle emissions from different brands of laser printer. Theoretically, the higher the particle count the more the deleterious effects from breathing the air nearby. I would definitely recommend consulting TABLE 1 (scroll down to the very bottom) and pick a non-emitter printer.

Oil consumption

2007-07-11T21:06:00.001-05:00

This is an amazing graphic depicting how much oil we use in this country compared to the rest of the world, and how underpriced it is here. We really, urgently, need to loose our dependence on oil (especially foreign oil)

The Onion

2007-07-07T14:42:00.000-05:00

If you haven't visited The Onion recently, you really should. It still cracks me up.

Here are a few good old articles that came out right after 9-11.

Blind Rage vs. Controlled Rage

FAA to ban passengers

Tricky Japanese Pitcher

2007-06-27T09:29:00.000-05:00

Pretty cool if it's real. I think the Ump was confused too - calling that a strike.

PicasaWeb Geomapping

2007-06-27T09:17:00.000-05:00

Photo Gallery

The google online picture galleries through Picasa now have drag-and-drop picture location identification. Pretty cool.

iPhone line waiter

2007-06-27T08:23:00.000-05:00

Want an iPhone Friday but have too much pride to wait in line? Never fear - craig's list is here! Find some unemployed student to wait in line for you, and hope they don't run off with your money! Much cheaper rates here in Chicago than in NYC - upwards of 1k in NYC currently.

GingerMan Video

2007-06-27T07:47:00.000-05:00

Some in-car video from GingerMan this past weekend. Not from MY car, of course - that might void my warranty - but it's from a car very similar to mine. Click on the title to go to the full-size version.

Special Ops

2007-06-18T16:57:00.000-05:00

Special Ops Extraction - by far the coolest way to get onto a helicopter. Must be hard to fly a helicopter with it partially submerged...

Time for the HooHoo Crackpipe

2007-06-17T13:06:00.002-05:00

Time to upgrade tires! Gonna try out the Hooiser R6 slicks. Should be fun, for the 2-4 days the tires last. Had to go down to 245/40s from my RA1s which were 255/40s, since they recommend at least a 9" rim for the 255s.

Relaxing time at the beach

2007-06-17T13:01:00.001-05:00

Apparently there is a nice beach on the island of St.Maarten where you're like 30 feet off the runway - watch this 747 approach that is a "bit low". Youtube is full of video from this beach - "Maho Beach" - lots of close calls.

Picture site

2007-06-15T17:54:00.001-05:00

A nice site for some pretty funny collections of images.

Home Inspection Nightmares

2007-06-15T17:14:00.000-05:00

It's worth the time to go through the different galleries turned in by home inspectors - you won't believe some of the stuff people have done to their homes - and then try to sell them.

Cool Lamp

2007-06-14T14:18:00.000-05:00

This has to be the coolest lamp I've ever seen!

Lindy Hop Finals

2007-06-06T13:57:00.000-05:00

Some pretty amazing high-tempo Lindy Hop with lots of Aerial Goodness.

RIAA and your government

2007-06-02T16:47:00.000-05:00

Looking for other ways to distinguish between the various candidates for senate/president? Make sure you see who is taking money from RIAA.

Coolest. Lego-Dude. Ever.

2007-06-01T10:24:00.000-05:00

Wicked Cool...

Bud Ad

2007-06-01T09:34:00.000-05:00

Here's a pretty fun Budweiser ad - never saw this one on TV, wonder if it made it past the censors?

Ow.

2007-05-29T20:20:00.001-05:00

Just had all four of my dens sapientiae extracted today. Very unpleasant.

Tip: When the oral surgeon says you can "probably" tolerate it under topical anesthesia only, be worried.

New BATMAN movie to be (partially) shot in IMAX!

2007-05-29T20:12:00.001-05:00

The upcoming Batman movie will be partially shot in the IMAX film format for better resolution and quality. I'm looking forward to this film - they already shut down Lower Wacker Drive for its' filming, as well as the old Post Office in Chicago.

Google Updates

2007-05-24T22:01:00.000-05:00

A few cool new updates from google:

Google Maps Mobile now has GPS capabilities. This is for mobile phones - I'm not sure if normal google maps could interface with GPS, like say on a laptop and a USB GPS unit... But there are some reports that it can take data from the built-in GPS in some mobile phones.

Google Calendar now has a Mobile Page. This is OK, but we really need a native windows mobile application a la gmail mobile.

If you haven't tried it yet, I'm loving Google 411. A free service, just call 1-800-GOOG-411 and get information (411)-like information - but with more details. I use this on my cell phone hands-free alot, because it's all voice-activated.

New: Stree View on google maps - many of the major cities now have a street-level view, basically a 360degree photo every 10 feet or so.

Transformers Movie

2007-05-19T18:13:00.001-05:00

Check out the HD trailers for the new Transformer Movie. I was a little skeptical at first, but these trailers are awesome.

Musings on Democracy

2007-05-19T09:17:00.000-05:00

There is a good excerpt from Gore's new book "The Assault on Reason" over at TIME. This was a very interesting read, and Gore brings up some excellent points on how the media is destroying the core of Democracy - and how the internet, and bloggers like yourself, may save it. I highly recommend at least looking at this excerpt.

Al appears to me to be the best person to lead our country - clearly he has priorities in line and could make the tough decisions that can address long-term, big-picture item like climate change, even if they are in the short-term politically unpopular. Will he enter the 2008 race? One can only hope.

And how can you not vote for someone with this wicked desktop setup?

Sheep + Mask = hilarious

2007-05-17T10:52:00.000-05:00

Sheep Wearing Scream Mask Scares Herd - Watch more free videos

There's something strangely hilarious about this simple stunt. I think it's the main sheep's disappointment when he can't get back in the herd..

"300" Parodies

2007-05-17T09:18:00.000-05:00

There's been a few really funny 300 parodies:

300 on United

A "PG" version of 300.... 'FROOOOOOSSSSSTTTTING!!!!'

The "305" - slightly less buff spartans.

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-10T14:16:00.001-05:00

This was pretty funny...

Squirrel 3 : First Grade 0

2007-05-10T13:36:00.000-05:00

Squirrel enters S. San Jose classroom, attacks two adults and a student; 3 people hospitalized.

I, for one, welcome our new angry-fighting-squirrel overlords.

Sweet Voicemail Upgrade

2007-05-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

I've been using a new free service called CallWave that's pretty sweet. Basically, you make an account, and program you cell to use their voicemail instead of the default voicemail from your cell carrier (free as far as I can tell). Then you can get voicemails emailed to you as a .wav file, text messaged to you, or pop up in a widget. You can also call it like plain old voicemail too.

It's pretty sweet, and free.

WalMart Solar to Produce 20 Million kWh/yr

2007-05-08T09:16:00.000-05:00

Walmart has accepted bids from major solar panel producers to outfit 300 stores in a "pilot" program - expected to produce between 10 and 20 *million* kWh/yr. Very nice - imagine how much they could produce if all their stores had solar roofs.

Cheap Dent Fix

2007-05-05T18:03:00.000-05:00

Remove Car Dent With Airduster - video powered by Metacafe

I just tried this on a good-sized dent on my car - worked fantastic! No paint damage, dent gone! And I was quoted $600 from the dealer and $175 from dent wizard to fix it. Did it with a $2 can of compressed air.

Jason's Safety Tips: #292

2007-04-16T08:19:00.000-05:00

Water Gushes Onto Highway - Click Here for more great videos and pictures!

When like a billion gallons of sewage suddenly erupt violently out of a manhole cover, do *not* stop your car and get out to look.

SNL Parody - "Hide & Seek" by Imogen Heap

2007-04-16T07:59:00.000-05:00

Pretty funny SNL parody skit... of the OC Season 2 Finale. Watch it first here.

Chris Rock Saftey Tips (NSFW)

2007-04-13T13:04:00.000-05:00

Funny Chris Rock Clip - But lots of swearing!

Google Broadband

2007-04-10T08:01:00.000-05:00

For those of you looking for free broadband connections - don't miss Google's commode-based ISP. It's free!

Leeeeeroy Jenkins!

2007-04-10T07:53:00.000-05:00

For those of you who haven't seen this one yet - it's a net phenomena. Even was a jeopardy answer.

STi Jump

2007-04-06T12:20:00.000-05:00

Rally Car Jump - The best bloopers are here

I think I was at *least* that high at Gratten.

Flute = Cool?

2007-03-30T09:49:00.000-05:00

Flute Beat Boxing - Click Here for more great videos and pictures!

Don't know if the beat boxing part is real or not, but this guy makes the flute cool (again?).

How Not To Drive an Enzo

2007-03-30T09:40:00.000-05:00

This is physically painful to watch.

Mentoring Children

2007-03-30T09:35:00.000-05:00

A great SNL skit in classic fashion - united way spoof with Peyton Manning.

One man vs. Tank(s)

2007-03-20T09:21:00.000-05:00

You've all seen the photo - now see the video, it's even more amazing. Were all the soldiers welded into their tanks? I'm surprised they didn't get out and gang tackle him. Who knows what was in those grocery bags?

"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito" The Dalai Lama

Steve Jobs Annouces the iRack

2007-03-19T11:14:00.001-05:00

Northwestern Cardiac Excellence

2007-03-08T15:11:00.000-06:00

Northwestern Hospital has received a top ranking in the nation for its rapid treatment of heart attack patients. The current recommendations are a door-to-balloon time (time from entry to emergency room to opening of artery in cath lab) of less than 120 min. In 2005, 93% of our MI patients met this guidline (compared to 30% at University of Chicago). I have to take pride in this and my small roll in obtaining these good results.

Al Gore - Academy Award Winner!

2007-02-26T07:39:00.000-06:00

For those of you who missed it, Al Gore won an academy award for his documentary on climate change, "An Inconvenient Truth". The oscars also made an effort to go green.

Check out the footage of his speech here. Pretty funny bit about announcing his candidacy.

Slashdot!

2007-02-26T07:30:00.000-06:00

Shandy made slashdot! - on his shape-shifting modular robot project for NASA.

Cheney's Scientific Opinion on Global Warming

2007-02-26T07:08:00.000-06:00

According to this recent article, Cheney believes that 'There Does Not Appear To Be A Consensus’ That Global Warming Is ‘Caused By Man’.

This goes against the consensus of 2,500 scientists from 130 nations in their recent UN report that "it was very likely, or more than 90 percent probable -- that human activities led by burning fossil fuels explained most of the warming in the past 50 years."

Time for a new roomate?

2007-01-26T08:56:00.000-06:00

How to know when it's time to think about looking for a new roomate.

Stick Feel A Little Light To You, Vern?

2007-01-25T13:22:00.000-06:00

Not the image you want to see on your plane during takeoff.

Coolest Toy. Ever.

2007-01-23T09:55:00.000-06:00

Ah, the power of marketing. I wonder how much this multi-tool costs... But look at the package, it allows you to... blow up bicycles?

Times Square Crash

2007-01-22T08:24:00.000-06:00

Whoops, hate to see that...

Amazing Waterfall/Fountain

2007-01-19T11:05:00.000-06:00

This is a video demonstration of a waterfall fountain used by Jeep at autoshows that can create "images" in falling water. Pretty impressive.

Rules of Combat. (USMC)

2007-01-19T07:50:00.000-06:00

1) Bring a weapon. Preferably, bring at least two. Bring all of your friends who have weapons. Bring their friends who have weapons.

2) Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.
Only hits count. Close doesn't count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.

3) If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough, nor using cover correctly.

4) Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)

5) If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a big weapon and a friend with a big weapon. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived and who didn't.

6) If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running.

7) Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting is more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the weapon.

8) Use a weapon that works EVERY TIME. "All skill is in vain when an Angel pisses in the flintlock of your musket."

9) Someday someone may kill you with your own weapon, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.

10) In combat, there are no rules, always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.

11) Have a plan.

12) Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work.

13) Use cover or concealment as much as possible. The visible target should be in FRONT of YOUR weapon.

14) Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.

15) Don't drop your guard.

16) Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees.

17) Watch their hands. Hands kill. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them).

18) Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.

19) The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.

20) Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one. Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

21) Your number one Option for Personal Security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.

22) Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with a ".4."

Robotic Sniper Sensor

2007-01-19T07:48:00.000-06:00

This guy is pretty cool. Uses multiple microphones to determine origin of gunfire, determines if it is friendly or not, and illuminates the shooter with a laser pointer for air strike.

Two Stargate SG-1 Movies

2007-01-17T10:22:00.000-06:00

Two stargate SG-1 movies in production!

"Stargate: The Ark of Truth"

As SG-1 searches for an Ancient artifact which they hope can defeat the armies of the Ori, they learn more Ori ships are about to be sent through the supergate to launch a final assault on Earth. Daniel discovers that the artifact, the Ark of Truth, may be in the Ori home galaxy, and SG-1 embarks aboard the Odyssey to find it, and pre-empt the attack. The IOA has a plan of their own and SG-1 ends up in a distant galaxy fighting two powerful enemies.

"Stargate: Continuum"

While SG-1 attends the execution of Ba'al, the last of the goa'uld system lords, Teal'c and Vala inexplicably disappear into thin air. Carter, Daniel and Mitchell race back to a world where history has been changed: the Stargate program has been erased from the timeline. As they try to convince the authorities what's happened, a fleet of goa'uld motherships arrives in orbit, led by Ba'al, his queen, Katesh, (Vala) and his first prime, Teal'c. SG-1 must find the Stargate and set things right before the world is enslaved by the goa'uld.

Supreme Commander RTS

2007-01-17T09:00:00.000-06:00

This game looks like a pretty sweet evolution in RTS gameplay! Watch the E3 demo.

Full size here.

Top 10 Things I've Learned About Computers From The Movies and Any Episode of "24"

2007-01-16T09:24:00.000-06:00

This was pretty funny, found it linked on Digg:

Top 10 Things I've Learned About Computers From The Movies and Any Episode of "24"

1. Megapixels aren't important: What determines the resolution of a photograph or audio recording is the "enhancement" algorithm run on it. Any image, when run through the proper enhancement, will reveal sufficient detail to recognize a face, read a license plate, etc.

2. Computer screens output text at 4800 baud and make chirping sounds while doing so: Sometimes, computers can be revved up to 9600 baud, and sometimes, for instance when printing the names of conspirators, slow to 300 baud. There is a great deal of variety in the sound computers make when outputting text, though. It used to be a sound reminiscent of a lineprinter, but modern computers seem to implement a more "boop boop boop" approach. Oh, and most computers output in a 16 x 9 font.

3. All computer systems have backdoors: Hackers can get into any system by way of "backdoors" that are left by the people who originally designed the system. The password of the backdoor is generally the name of the programmer's daughter.

4. There are wireframe schematics of every building on Earth: These schematics interface with a wide variety of sensor and alarm systems. They can be manipulated in realtime and are infinitely zoomable (see #1 above).

5. Decryption works one character at a time, while the other characters cycle quickly through all possibilities: Face detection algorithms work the same way, as do most search algorithms. Oh, and every time a detail is revealed, the computer makes a beep. You know, really, most times a computer makes a partial computation, it makes a beep.

6. It takes 10 minutes to break into a system: A computer expert will first play coy, saying that they don't know how long it will take. Then, in a few minutes, they'll reveal that they can get in, but they'll need a few minutes more (damn it).

7. The US government surveils the entire planet, in realtime, and keeps the tapes: At first, this seemed implausible to me, but then I realized that they probably have a couple dozen Webcams in orbit amd use enhancement.

8. People generally keep incriminating evidence in folders organized by codename: However, they often encrypt them (see #5). Oh, and computers erase data at 300 baud, in reverse (see #2).

9. Powerful people have Webcams that record from the middle of their displays: You and I dart our eyes back and forth between the Webcam and our own screen. Powerful people have intense video conversations while staring straight into the camera and, therefore, the Webcams must be recording from the middle of their screen.

10. Powerful people have access to very powerful PDAs: The mobile computers used by powerful people not only support full video, they have acces to the realtime wireframe schematics, decryption and enhancement algorithms, and so forth. Oh, and they can read any data in any device. Oh, and as phones? They have awesome coverage.

Airplane Mechanical Humor

2007-01-09T09:03:00.000-06:00

I got this in an email, thought it was quite funny!

After every flight, Qantas (Australia's major airline) pilots fill out a
form, called a "gripe sheet," which tells mechanics about
problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the
problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots
review the gripe sheets before the next flight. Never let it be
said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some
actual maintenance complaints submitted by Qantas' pilots
(marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an
S) by maintenance engineers.

By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never,
ever, had an accident.

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Auto-pilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per
minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.

P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to: straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a
midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.

Warning!

2007-01-05T14:47:00.001-06:00

Here's a great warning label for a washing machine...

Public Disinformation

2007-01-05T07:37:00.000-06:00

The AP is reporting that ExxonMobile spent $16 million dollars in a effort to "mislead the public by discrediting the science behind global warming." This report from the Union of Concerned Scientists mirrors similar claims by Britain's leading scientific academy, the Royal Society, which last September wrote the oil company asking it to halt support for groups that "misrepresented the science of climate change."

Is this one of the reasons why the public perception
is that there is scientific controversy?

Sweet Hybrid Coupe

2006-12-30T19:38:00.000-06:00

Here's a concept car from Toyota that would be pretty sweet if it's ever released. 400+ HP, hybrid, under 35k!

War on Bees

2006-12-30T19:34:00.000-06:00

Here's a Pretty funny post on how a few people wage their own war on a bee hive attack.