2008 August

Or at least a few parts of him do.
Here’s something you don’t hear too often:
I’m not all that sure MJ is a monster.  Where’s the proof?  With the lack of serious evidence, maybe the guy got railroaded.
This is not to say he’s not a little weird.  I’m just not certain he’s what the press implies.

X Files star David Duchovny has voluntarily entered rehab for sex addiction, his lawyer says.
I know I’m not supposed to make fun but I just can’t help myself.  Maybe I can get into a program for compulsive wiseasses.   But seriously, folks, I like David Duchovny (at least from the little I’ve seen).  He seems [...]

If you have a shortwave radio, you’re in pretty good shape to catch the amateur weather nets in advance of Gustav.  They’re warming up now and will likely be in full swing early Monday morning.  Don’t worry if you don’t have a shortwave radio - some nice folks have taken care of this via the [...]

Thing have started with a bang over in Minnesota.
Ramsey County authorities conducted raids across Minneapolis and St. Paul Friday and Saturday as a pre-emptive strike against disruptive protests of the Republican National Convention.   pre-emptive strike…. that’s a uniquely republican concept, like in Iraq.
Five people were arrested and more than 100 were handcuffed, questioned and released…   and released…
“This [...]

A two-year investigation has concluded that most Verizon FIOS installations fail to meet national safety standards, and could cause fires or electrocutions.
Copy a Single File to Avoid Re-Activating Windows XP
New York’s Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, is warning consumers after an undercover investigation found that 25% of gas stations are engaging in “deceptive practices,..” (yet he [...]

Yup, sure is.
The local government gave them exclusive rights to lay cable.  No one else can do it.
There is absolutely no cable competition!
They can hawk their unlimited cable access up and down the block.
They can raise prices regularly without raising quality.
They can have service that’s so subpar that it has become the industry joke.
They can [...]

From this month’s issue of Popular Communications:
Authorities in Zimbabwe have banned wind-up receivers, a favorite among non-governmental organizations seeking to promote access to information in rural areas. Their presence has spawned listening clubs accused of tuning in on “illegal” foreign news bulletins broadcast on shortwave.  Batteries are almost unavailable in Zaimbabwe.  Along with satellite dishes, [...]

One of my favorite blogs, Dog Reader, just featured a story about finding a computer virus on the space station.  I highly recommend this blog and always find myself saying THAT’S RIGHT when I read it.
I want to deconstruct the story and the larger issues a bit.   Here are the facts as stated in [...]

Two nights ago a neighbor told my wife to keep the dog inside, as the township was spraying for mosquitos.  We got a call an hour later on the same topic.  Yesterday a coworker told me about it.
Isn’t that interesting?  My township is spraying for mosquitos and the citizens apparently don’t have a Need to [...]

Over at the Fun with Tubes group at Yahoogroups, they were discussing ways in which they almost killed themselves with electronics/electricity.
I got to thinking about the ways in which I almost killed myself.  Most of them, oddly enough, didn’t involve electricity, although a few did…
* At 18, I had concurrent hepatitis and mono.  I didn’t [...]