My Point of View

2009-08-08T13:37:00.000-05:00

Today I woke up and did the usual weekday routine, got ready for work, walked to the metro, took the metro and walked from the metro to my office hoping I don’t continue sweating all day long. Everyday I pass by the same Wall Street Journal newspaper stand, the one where you put in 50 cents or whatever and you pull open and take only one paper (If you’re honest. The newspaper companies have a lot of trust in people. That’s another story). Anyways, I’m always fascinated that the WSJ stand has a credit card reader, which makes sense since not many people carry around $2.50 in change. Today I had a much different though than I have had any of the previous days I’ve walked by this machine. Today I thought, “only in America can you buy a newspaper from a little stand with a credit card.”

After I had this thought I immediately stopped walking and realized how stupid I was to think that. That thought implied that this little credit card device was so complex that only Americans have the intelligence to think of something like that. How wrong was I. This is mere childs play compared to what you can do other places. You can pay for a soda with a text message in Japan. That’s when I realized I desperately need to get out of the US for a little while.

I have a very open mind and normally don’t think I’m better than anyone else. Today I realized that I have conceited thoughts just like everyone else in this country. I think Lewis Black said it best….(paraphrasing)…People think the US is better than every other country. How do they know? Have they even been to another country? Maybe other countries just give away stuff for free, like healthcare. This statement is probably true, while I would not want to live in many other countries, how can more than half the country say the US is better than every other country when they haven’t left the US? Its probably the same reason why people who never even thought about going to college think George W. Bush is an idiot when he went to Yale and managed to become President of The United States. I don’t ever see the logic.

Amazing Ear Buds by Ear Candy

2009-05-13T20:15:00.004-05:00

I ran in a 5k a couple weekends ago and couldn't find my earbuds. A week later I finally found them in the back of my jeep, I put them in my in my shorts pocket. When I went to run two days later I forgot where I put the earbuds and wore an old set of headphones. So, before this gets any longer, I washed and dryed the ear buds in my shorts and they still worked. Ear Candy makes an excellent pair of earbuds.

DC Gun Laws

2009-05-11T20:54:00.000-05:00

The DC attorney general Peter Nickles is worried about motorcades being threatened if DC gets rid of its gun laws. He says prohibiting The District from enacting legislation would have a serious public safety impact. How? There are already plenty of shootings in DC. The people who committed the shootings obviously did not buy their guns in The District. Does the attorney general think criminals are going to start buying guns legally to commit crimes? There is going to be a risk to the public regardless of gun controls laws. He is also quoted as saying “Government facilities, dignitaries and public servants are prime targets for terrorists, both foreign and domestic.” Seriously? Are terrorists going to come to DC and buy high powered rifles? Shouldn’t background checks prevent something like this from happening? The only purpose a gun control law serves is preventing a law abiding citizen from purchasing and owning a firearm. Maybe it will decrease crime if a criminal has to worry about someone shooting back.

Nitro Circus

2009-04-22T20:44:00.003-05:00

I've managed to catch every episode of Nitro Circus this season. Travis Pastrana and his friends are some crazy mother f****rs. I, probably along with the rest of the Nitro Circus fans, have come to the conclusion that if it has wheels or it can be rode, Travis Pastrana will try to do a backflip on/in it.

God I wish I was that stupid and fearless. (not kidding) I'd love to have the balls to attempt half that crazy $hit they do.

Washington Nationals

2009-04-21T19:58:00.001-05:00

I have recently moved to the DC metro area and decided to go to a Washington Nationals game. For those of you who don’t know, the Nationals moved from Montreal where they were known as the Expos. The team was at risk for being shut down but, moved to DC to start the 2005 season.

The Nationals currently have a record of 2-10 (1-8 when I attended the game) making them the worst team in baseball.

The Nationals were off to an excellent start scoring 5 runs in the first inning with a grand slam by Austin Kearns. The team went into the 9th inning leading 6-3. Without warning the Nationals fell apart. The bullpen let up one run and the SS Alberto Gonzalez botched an easy throw over to first that turned out to be a game changing error. I’ve seen better throws by 12 year olds. The Marlins homered to tie the game at 6-6.

Extra innings was not much better, Alberto Gonzalez had another terrible throw drawing first baseman Adam Dunn of the bag. The Marlins went on to win the game due to an awful pitching display from the bullpen and two errors by Alberto Gonzalez.

It makes me wonder how someone who hasn’t even started a quarter of a season since being called up can be number one on the depth chart at shortstop, especially when he is makes two throws like that. Maybe Gonzalez needs to take some fielding lessons from third baseman Ryan Zimmerman who made a spectacular off balance throw to second base.

Keep in mind, the Nationals blew the Sunday nights game in the 9th inning as well. I think the Nationals need to shake up the bullpen.

Barack Obama and George Bush

2008-11-23T21:28:00.004-05:00

The only reason this half white man was elected is because of George W. Bush and his lack of popularity. Did he really do that bad of a job? He ousted a tyrant who was committing genocide, he tried to fix social security but no one listened. Bush didn't make people buy houses they couldn't afford. Bush didn't make companies buy mortgage backed securities and lose all their money. Now who is helping bail them out? Obama seemed to think a debate was more important than the economy. Oh and gas prices, look who was president when they went down. I think that proves he had nothing to do with the price of oil despite the ignorant public opinion.

All he did was give republicans a bad name because America thinks a person who went to Yale is a moron or an idiot. When less than half of America went to college nevermind and Ivy League school. A "C" average at Yale is much better than not going to college at all. He did manage to become president so he is obviously has something going for him that 299,999,996 people minus everyone under 35. I'd like to see everyone who thinks he is a moron try and run for president.

Personally, I think Obama being elected could be a bad thing in a lot of ways. For one, he lacks experience and has extremely weak ideas on the defense of the country.

I have listened to a few Black-Americans (not sure why they are called African Americans since most of them were born here in America. ) and they think they "won't have to pay for health care, won't have to pay their mortgage." I seem to remember white people having to pay for their mortgage when there was a white president. Considering he is only half black wouldn't logic suggest they would only have to pay for half their mortgage?

Also, why does everyone seem to think people who worked hard to earn their salaries should be punished by taxes? Why is half the country looking for a hand out? Are people that lazy that they hate the government but then want them to bail them out of every problem they have. Why should people who bought houses they couldn't afford be "rewarded" for screwing up their lives and people who can afford their houses have to pay for it?

Who knows maybe people will be happy when they have nothing for retirement and for the sake of the country I hope Obama can do everything he said he will. I won't be the first one to say "I told you so" if he can't.

Gym People

2008-05-15T19:59:00.002-05:00

I don't understand some people at the gym. There is the guy who walks around naked in the locker room. Why can't he wear a towel? He is fat an old. He will carry his towel but won't wear it. I don't want to see some naked old guy. Does he really think people want to see him naked?

Then there is the tall large woman who wears really tight clothes but has cellulite and flab. She hurries around the gym and does one set of like 30 things. Its mindboggling how she hasn't lost any weight. I wish she would wear looser clothes and buy a longer shirt. I can wear sweatpants to workout, why can't she?

Next are the high school kids who spend 30 minutes using leg press. They load up around 1000lbs, need two people to help push the weight to get them started and after all that they do one rep. Its not even really a rep, they barely break thier knees and the sled moves about 4 inches total. What the hell is the point of that? I can do 10 FULL reps with around 800lbs, maybe they should lower the weight so they can actually get a good workout.

ECO TERRORISM

2008-03-04T20:07:00.000-05:00

Today I heard that Eco Terrorists are responsible for the fires that destroyed mutli-million dollar houses on the "Street of Dreams" in the northwest Seattle suburb of Woodinville. A spray-painted sign left at the scene had the initials, "ELF" which stands for Earth Liberation Front, a radical environmental group with a history of arson.

The sign read "Built green? Nope black!" and "McMansions in RCDS r not green".

Congratulations on committing this moronic federal crime. Any idiot with a match can start a fire. This group must not be aware of insurance companies and federal laws. In 4 or 5 months the houses will be rebuilt right where they were before they were burned down. Don’t worry, insurance will cover the cost. If you really cared about the Earth you wouldn’t have done it in the first place. Think about it, they will rebuild the same house with the same claim that it is “green.” At least the builder is trying to save energy by building these houses; all your group does is waste it. You have caused someone to use more oil, wood, energy and many other things to rebuild the house. Thank You for helping to increase the price of gas for the rest of the country. I guess all the rebuilding from the fire will help keep people employed. Do you have any idea how many people are involved in making a house? Everything in that house had to be manufactured somewhere by someone. They will all drive to work in big trucks and SUVs use more oil and destroy the Earth some more. Great way to care about the environment. Think about all the harmful gas released into the atmosphere from your fire, how is that liberating the Earth? Your group is so dead set against things that you don’t think about how much damage your actions actually do. You’re not helping anything. No one cares about what you did. You pissed people off and you’re going to end up in a federal pound me in the a$$ prison. Do you really think your fire is going to stop people from building houses? If your group really cared about the Earth you would all stop breathing so you don’t waste oxygen and release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. But, you’re not that smart.

Daylight Saving Time

2008-03-04T07:05:00.001-05:00

Its almost that time of year again, time to spring forward. It was all Benjamin Franklin’s idea. This Sunday everyone, with the exception of a few towns who are right on the edge of two time zones and can’t pick a side and Hawaii, gets to lose an hour of sleep. Personally, I love daylight savings time. Losing an hour of sleep on a Saturday night is not a big deal for most people. When I was in college I used to stay up drinking on Saturday nights and go to sleep at 4am. So, in reality I wasn’t losing any sleep at all since it was like going to bed at 3am instead of 4.

I’ve never been sure why so many people don’t like daylight savings time? You get an extra hour of daylight when you come home from work. Do the people who don’t like daylight savings time all work third shift and want it to get light out sooner in the morning? Maybe they’re vampires and don’t want to avoid the sun for an extra hour every night.

Interesting Facts:
-We use less energy during daylight savings time.

-No babies will be born on March 9th between 2am and 3am.

-In the fall if a twin is born and the second twin is born after time changes back, the second born will be the oldest twin on paper.

-Boston, New York City and Washington D.C. were all on different times before DST was standardized.

-Amtrak trains try to go faster to stay on schedule. In the fall trains sit on the track for an hour so they are not ahead of schedule.

-Pi Day is right around the corner

Superbowl and Super Idiots

2008-03-02T19:21:00.000-05:00

People who call in to the radio are either extremely dumb and shouldn't be allowed to exist or, they are liars. I was listening to a radio station in Charlotte, NC. They were talking about the Superbowl and every bet a person is able to make. Such as, How many times will they mention the '70 whatever Dolphins? How many times will the show Archie Manning? How many times will Joe Buck mention Peyton Manning? Its amazing how someone is able to put a line on bets like those. After this they were talking about people making bets that would ruin their marriage. Supposedly there is a guy who is a big time Giants fan and is certain they are going to beat the Patriots. He is so certain that he made a $5,000 bet. To cover the bet he is either going to use his wife's car or money the family saved to go to Disney World. I don't know if this story is actually true but, if it is someone might as well step up to the plate and hit they guy in the head with a baseball bat and put him out of his misery.

Next, a guy called in claiming he made a $12,000 bet on the Patriots to cover the spread with money he and his wife saved to make a down payment on a house. To top it off they close on the house in three weeks and there is a 12 ½ point spread. If this guy is telling the truth, which I doubt since you'd have to be a moron to do that to your wife, I hope he has a good divorce lawyer.Keep in mind I am a Patriots fan. (I was born in Massachusetts and I lived 10 minutes from the stadium for 15 years. So, I'm not on the band wagon.) My money is on the Patriots but, I don't think they'll cover the spread.
Oh yeah, while writing this, MS Word said Superbowl is spelled incorrectly. My choices for correction are Super bowl or.......
Superb owl

Nintendo Wii

2008-01-07T22:49:00.000-05:00

So I finnaly got a Nintendo Wii. Its probably the best video game system I have ever played. It has cartoon like graphics on the Wii sports game and SSX Blur, the only games I have played. I am planning on getting Madden 08 and Tiger Woods 08. The idea of actually swinging the remote to hit the ball is very intriguing. It took me a week to find another remote. I checked Best Buy, Target, Circuit City and Walmart. I finally found one at my least favorite store...Walmart. The people who shop there are morons when it comes to self checkout but, thats a whole different story.

It's more than just Imus - Newsday.com

2007-04-13T10:50:00.000-05:00

It's more than just Imus - Shaun Powell

An African-American (to be politically correct) Sport Columnist.

In retrospect, outraged people shouldn't have united and screamed "blank you" to Don Imus the last few days. No, instead, we should've stuck out our hand and said, "Thank you."

We should feel indebted to a shriveled, unfunny, insensitive frog for being so ignorant that he actually did us all a favor. He woke society the hell up. He grabbed it by the throat, shook hard and ordered us to take a long, critical look at ourselves and the mess we've made and ignored for much too long. He made us examine the culture and the characters we've created for ourselves, our impressionable young people and our future.

Had Imus not called a bunch of proud and innocent young women "nappy-headed hos," would we be as ashamed of what we see as we are today?

Or, to quote Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer: "Have we really lost our moral fiber?"

And our minds as well?

I'm not sure if the last few days will serve as a watershed moment for this MTV, middle-finger, screw-you generation. Probably not, according to my hunch. A short time from now, the hysteria will turn to vapor, folks will settle back into their routines, somebody will pump up the volume on the latest poison produced by hip-hop while Al Sharpton and the other racial ambulance chasers will find other guilt-ridden white folks to shake for fame and cash. In five minutes, the entire episode of Imus and his strange idea of humor will be older than his hairstyle. Lessons learned will be lessons forgotten.

I wish I were wrong about that last part. But I doubt it, because any minute now, black people will resume calling themselves bitches and hos and the N-word and in the ultimate sign of hypocrisy, neither Rutgers nor anyone else will call a news conference about that.

Because when we really get to the root of the problem, this isn't about Imus. This is about a culture we -- meaning black folks -- created and condoned and packaged for white power brokers to sell and shock jocks like Imus to exploit. Can we talk?

Tell me: Where did an old white guy like Imus learn the word "ho"?Was that always part of his vocabulary? Or did he borrow it from Jay-Z and Dave Chappelle and Snoop Dogg?

What really disappointed me about that exhausting Rutgers news conference, which was slyly used as a recruiting pitch by Stringer, was the absence of the truth and the lack of backbone and courage. Black women had the perfect opportunity to lash out at their most dangerous oppressors -- black men -- and yet they kept the focus on a white guy.

It was a tremendous letdown for me, personally and professionally. I wanted Stringer, and especially her players, many of whom listen to rap and hip-hop, to take Nelly to task. Or BET. Or MTV. Or the gangsta culture that is suffocating our kids. They had the ear and eye of the nation trained upon them, and yet these women didn't get to the point and the root of the matter. They danced around it, and I guess I should've known better, because black people still refuse to lash out against those black people who are doing harm to us all.

Honestly, I wasn't holding my breath for Sharpton or Jesse Jackson, a pair of phony and self-appointed leaders, because they have their agendas and financial stakes. I was hoping 10 young women, who have nothing on the line, who are members of a young culture, would train their attention to within the race, name names and say enough is enough. But they didn't, and I was crushed.

You should walk around the playground and the elementary and high schools today and listen to how young black people speak to each other, treat each other and tease each other. You'd be ashamed. Next, sample some of their CDs and look at the video games they're playing. And while you're at it, blame yourself for funding this garbage, for allowing your kids to support these companies and for not taking a stand against it or the so-called artists making it happen.

Black folks, for whatever reason, can be their own worst enemy. The last several days, the media had us believe it was Don Imus. But deep down, we know better.

Google Directions

2007-04-03T21:07:00.000-05:00

So these are the directions you get if you try to go from NC to London, U.K. on google maps.

Amphibious Houses

2007-04-02T19:11:00.000-05:00

A Dutch company called WaterStudio has designed an amphibious house. The house is designed to float on water. The bottom of the house is a foam encased in concrete with steel cables holding it in place. The house is designed so it will rise with the water level. It is currently being built in an area in the Netherlands where they moved back the flood gates to set aside 1.2 million acres as a flood zone for rising waters. These amphibious houses are the only houses allowed to be built in this area.

Funny Bill Clinton Voodoo Doll Commercial

2007-04-01T19:15:00.000-05:00

How to Paint the Mona Lisa in MS Paint

2007-03-30T16:39:00.001-05:00

Nuclear Power

2007-03-28T21:55:00.000-05:00

Wall Street Journal, 3-28-07

By William Tucker

Al Gore recognizes that any solution to global warming is going to require a revival of nuclear power. He was edging toward that in his House of Representatives testimony last week -- yet downplayed the idea on the following grounds: "Nuclear power plants are the costliest to build and they take the longest time and at present they come in only one size -- extra large."

This is a curious notion. At present, the U.S. Navy has 10 giant aircraft carriers and 50 submarines that run on nuclear power; the average reactor generates about 200 megawatts (MW). The French Rubis class of submarines still operates on 48 MW. Although these reactors are enough to provide power for the lifetime of a submarine or drive a 100,000-ton aircraft carrier, they are small by commercial standards.

When Adm. Hyman Rickover "beached" a submarine engine at Shippingport, Pa., in 1957 to create the first country's civilian nuclear reactor, it produced only 60 MW of electricity. Dresden 1, built privately in 1960, was 210 MW and Indian Point 1, built by Con Edison in 1961, produced 275 MW.

Once the technology was established, reactors quickly grew to the 500-1000 MW range for one simple reason -- bigger is better. The principles of thermodynamics dictate that a single 1,200 MW generating station operates much more efficiently than two 600 MW plants. The same thing holds true for coal plants, nuclear power's chief rival in the electricity field. Both coal and nuclear plants are now built to the 1,200-1,500 MW range for economic reasons.

Yet all this hardly suggests that nuclear reactors "come in only one size -- extra large." Many research reactors produce only 5 MW. We've never reached the point where nuclear electricity runs cars or airplanes -- as early dreamers suggested -- but in theory it's possible.

"Mini-reactors" are now being suggested in many remote locations -- just as wind and solar energy are thriving where other power sources are not available. In Galena, Alaska, far up the Yukon River, Toshiba has proposed a 10 MW reactor to replace the town's diesel generators, which now produce electricity at ten times the normal price. The Russians have started building "floating reactors" as small as 3 MW to transport into isolated outposts of Siberia, where weather conditions make construction of power plants impossible. Both Canada and Venezuela are considering small reactors to cook the oil products out of the ground at remote tar sand deposits.

One of the most promising technologies is the "pebble bed modular reactor," in which nuclear material is reposited in tennis ball-sized graphite-coated spheres that sit in the reactor vessel as in a giant gumball machine. Each pebble is a "mini-reactor" with all the necessary components and a collection of them produces enough power. "We've found the optimum size to be around 250 MW," says Prof. Andrew Kadak, who has been working on a design at MIT.

Since balls can be inserted and withdrawn individually, the reactor never has to shut down for refueling. Temperatures do not climb high enough to cause a meltdown and proponents say this eliminates the need for an expensive containment structure -- although environmentalists dispute this. South Africa is scheduled to complete a 200 MW pebble bed reactor by 2012.

In his public testimony Mr. Gore seemed to be convoluting several things, suggesting somehow that nuclear plants are too expensive and take too long to build because they only come "extra-large." This is not true.

Nuclear plants take more time to build and are more expensive than comparative coal plants, but they are not prohibitively expensive. The Japanese are now building reactors in five years at competitive prices. Higher construction costs are more than compensated by lower fuel costs and higher capacity ratings. America's existing nuclear plants are now operating so profitably that Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal recently proposed a windfall profits tax because the state's reactors were making too much money.

And this is all before environmental considerations are factored into the equation. In three years of operation, a 1,500 MW coal plant will spew three million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere -- the prime source of the world's carbon emissions. An identical nuclear reactor will produce only a few bundles of highly radioactive fuel rods that can be safely stored in a nearby storage pool. Yet coal currently pays for none of these environmental damages. A carbon tax of roughly $10 per ton would level the playing field and make nuclear power far more competitive.

The reason building nuclear plants has been expensive and time-consuming is because of exaggerated popular fears of the technology. The public is now coming around. Seventy percent now consider nuclear plants acceptable, meaning new plants will probably not become bogged down in endless court delays.

The only reasonable scenario for avoiding global warming is to substitute nuclear power for coal as our prime source of base-load electricity, supplementing it with wind and solar electricity for our spinning reserve and peaking-power needs. If Al Gore were to support a nuclear-solar alliance -- a joint effort by the carbon-free technologies to impose a tax on carbon emissions -- we could take giant steps toward solving the problem.

Mr. Tucker is author of "Terrestrial Energy: How a Nuclear-Solar Alliance Can Rescue the Planet," forthcoming by Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

Hilarious Peyton Manning Video From SNL

2007-03-27T17:05:00.000-05:00

Peyton Manning gives his time to the United Way. Maybe that's not a good thing.

PC World - News - Sugar-fuelled battery soon to juice up portable electronics

2007-03-26T09:45:00.000-05:00

PC World - News - Sugar-fuelled battery soon to juice up portable electronics

Fuel cell technology that is currently in development boasts the ability of extracting energy from virtually any sugar source to power portable electronics like cellular phones, laptops, and sensors. The new technology is expected to be biodegradable, environmentally friendly and more energy efficient than current options, providing a green alternative to current Lithium-ion batteries.

The cell operates at room temperature and uses enzymes to oxidize sugars, hence generating electricity. So far, researchers have run the batteries on glucose, flat soft drinks, sweetened drink mixes and tree sap.

Despite only attaining a maximum of 20 percent efficiency in the conversion of sugar to electricity, researchers say the new batteries will operate three to four times longer on a single charge than current battery technology.

"This study shows that renewable fuels can be directly employed in batteries at room temperature to lead to more energy-efficient battery technology than metal-based approaches," said study leader Shelley Minteer, an electrochemist at Saint Louis University in the U.S.

"Right now we are looking at only partial oxidations, so no more than 20% efficiency, but we are improving as we go along," she said. "Employing sugar as a fuel can lead to three to four times the energy density [of metal-based batteries], which leads to a battery that will operate three to four times longer than current battery technology."

While using sugar for fuel is not a new concept, scientists only recently have learned how to produce electricity from sugar.

Minteer said that her technology is believed to be the longest-lasting and most powerful of its type to date.

One of the first applications envisioned for the sugar fuel cell is a portable cell phone recharger that would contain special cartridges that would be pre-filled with a sugar solution and easily replaced after use. Ultimately, Minteer hopes that the sugar battery can be used as a stand-alone battery replacement in a wide range of portable electronic devices.

"The consumer electronic won't be adapted, but instead a new battery will be developed for the battery compartment," she said. "The only difference [between the new battery and existing technology] will be that the battery will have to contain air holes to allow oxygen into the cell."

Besides being used in consumer electronics, the technology also has potential for use in the military, where sugar batteries could charge equipment in situations where access to electricity is limited. Devices could then be recharged by adding virtually any convenient sugar source, including plant sap, Minteer said.

The technology has been licensed to a small company for commercialisation, and is expected to reach the market in three to five years.

Instruction Manual for the Nintendo Entertainment System

2007-03-25T14:59:00.000-05:00

Congratulations on your purchase of the Nintendo Entertainment System. You're only seconds away from unlocking 8 bits of the most awesome electronic gaming the world has ever seen. Just follow the simple instructions below and prepare to be blown away: Now you're playing with power!

Step 1: Connect NES RCA adapter to television's RCA output feed and tune television to channel 3.

Step 2: Insert NES game cartridge into NES console, push cartridge down into locked position, and press POWER button on front of console.

Step 3: NES System will power on and off repeatedly in 4-second intervals. Remove game cartridge from console, place lips against bottom, and blow up and down cartridge connectors. Re-insert cartridge and press POWER.

Step 4: Television will intermittently flash blue and burgundy screens. Remove game cartridge from console and again blow on cartridge connectors even harder, as well as inside NES console. Re-insert and wiggle cartridge side-to-side for 15 seconds. Press POWER.

Step 5: Main menu of game will appear, with music, for roughly 4 seconds before re-starting. Remove cartridge and allow little brother to assist. Little brother will re-insert and rapidly push cartridge up and down in console and press POWER.

Step 6: Screen will instantly freeze on jumbled, pixelated image of game's main menu along with loud, monotonous tone. Accuse little brother of "making it worse" and punch him in arm.

Step 7: Plead with mother and stepfather to order official NES Cleaning Kit ($49.95 + S&H). Kit will arrive from Kyoto, Japan in 6 to 8 months.

Step 8: Enlist assistance of cool uncle who claims to have beaten Metroid. Cool uncle will recommend only partially inserting game so that top of cartridge rubs against inner wall of console. Comply and press POWER.

Step 9: Grey and turquoise screens will flash. Remove cartridge from console and blow, harder still, on bottom connectors.

Step 10: Repeat as necessary.

Bloody Pirates

2007-03-20T20:21:00.000-05:00

Pirates of the Caribbean is one of my favorite movies. The third movie finally comes out on May 25th. Watch the trailer

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLDS END

Pi Day

2007-03-14T20:26:00.000-05:00

Pi is the ration of a circle's circumference to its diameter it is also known as Archimedes constant and Ludolph's number.

In a Simpson's episode Lisa yells "pi is exactly 3" to get the attention of a hall full of scientists.

The poem Near a Raven is wrote to the "tune" of Pi. Each word in the poem has the same number of digits as its sequnetial digit in Pi.

Poe, E.
Near a Raven

Midnights so dreary, tired and weary.
Silently pondering volumes extolling all by-now obsolete lore.
During my rather long nap - the weirdest tap!
An ominous vibrating sound disturbing my chamber's antedoor.
"This", I whispered quietly, "I ignore".

Perfectly, the intellect remembers: the ghostly fires, a glittering ember.
Inflamed by lightning's outbursts, windows cast penumbras upon this floor.
Sorrowful, as one mistreated, unhappy thoughts I heeded:
That inimitable lesson in elegance - Lenore -
Is delighting, exciting...nevermore.

The character in Weird Al Yankovic's 2006 song "White and Nerdy" claims he knows pi to a thousand places. The digits of pi that are shown in the background are all correct.

In the Leslie Nielsen spoof film Spy Hard, a spy (Nicollette Sheridan) is referred to as "Agent 3.14."

3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679
8214808651328230664709384460955058223172535940812848111745028410270193852110555964462294895493038196
4428810975665933446128475648233786783165271201909145648566923460348610454326648213393607260249141273
724587006606315588174881520920962829254091715364367892590360011330530548820466521384146951941511609...

How to Shower - Men & Women

2007-03-07T19:57:00.000-05:00

How To Shower - Men & Women - For more funny movies, click here

Fuji the Dolphin

2007-03-06T16:51:00.000-05:00

Today I read one of the weirdest things I have ever read. A Japanese dolphin named Fuji received a tail implant.

The tail was made by Bridgestone Tire Company out of material used for Formula One race car tires and the black silicon rubber was reinforced with artificial bone made of carbon-fiber. One of the friends of the handlers works for Bridgestone. The cost was 10 million yen, about $85,000.

Fuji had her tail removed due to a skin disease and was unable to exercise. She was gaining weight and had high cholesterol. After initially being frightened of it, the dolphin now leaps and swims with vigor.

WARNING!!! Home Depot

2007-03-05T17:17:00.000-05:00

Be careful @ Home Depot. Just a "heads up" for you
guys, I know you are regulars at Home Depot. Over the
last months I became a victim of a clever scam while
out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has
turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't be naive
enough to think it couldn't happen to you!!!

Here's how the scam works: Two seriously good-looking
20-21 year-old girls come over to your car as you are
packing your shopping into the trunk. They both start
wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with
their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy
T-shirts. It is impossible not to look.

When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say
"No" and instead ask you for a ride to another Home
Depot or Lowe's. You agree and they get in the back
seat. On the way, they start having sex with each
other. Then one of them climbs over into the front
seat and performs oral sex on you, while the other one
steals your wallet.

I had my wallet stolen January 4th, 9th, 10th, twice
on the 15th, 17th, 20th, & 24th. Also Feberuary 2nd,
3rd , twice on the 7th, three times just yesterday and
very likely again this upcoming week. So be very careful!"

SUSHI

2007-03-04T21:16:00.000-05:00

My Thoughts on John Edwards

2007-02-28T18:49:00.000-05:00

John Edwards has been apologizing for his vote in 2002 authorizing the invasion of Iraq.

“Democrat John Edwards said Tuesday that honesty and openness were essential qualities for a president” If I may step back to middle school for a second, No Shit Sherlock! “and the he was proud to acknowledge his 2002 vote authorizing the invasion of Iraq was a mistake.”

I don’t know anyone who wants the president to lie. You voted to invade Iraq because at the time you felt it was the right thing to do. Hind sight is always 20/20. Lets say the president made a statement tomorrow and said “I was wrong and made a mistake when I decided to invade Iraq.” If he said this more than half the country would jump all over him, maybe he realizes this. To back up the president, I have read plenty of stories about soldiers who believe what we are doing in Iraq is the right thing.

"There's not a single voter in America who doesn't understand that their president is human, and their president will sometimes makes mistakes."

I think there are plenty of voters who expect the president to be perfect. I guess Mr. Edwards doesn’t read the comments accompanying articles posted on websites.

I don’t feel as if I have been lied to by the president and I do like the fact that George W. Bush is sticking behind his decision to invade Iraq. We’re there and we should continue to support our decision to go there. I don’t want a president who is going to flip-flop all the time and not stand by his decisions. If I recall correctly, the country re-elected Bush mainly because they wanted him to finish what he started in Iraq. Now everyone wants to get rid of him because we are still in Iraq. He didn’t win the election by much, but I don’t understand the public’s reasoning for changing their minds. I guess people really are stupid in groups, or maybe the media makes them stupid.

Smoking Idiots

2007-02-19T16:36:00.000-05:00

So I was reading this article today and it struck a nerve.

HONOLULU - There's a revolt going on in Hawaii as some bar owners openly defy the state's new anti-smoking law, one of the nation's toughest, by letting their customers light up.

So far, they're getting away with it, although a recent protest smoke-in brought police to one downtown bar.

"We're being rebellious. Look at the Boston Tea Party. Look at Prohibition. They rebelled and they won," said Fred Remington, vice president of the company that runs O'Toole's Irish Pub.

Hawaii is one of 16 states that have banned smoking in all public places. Its law, which took effect in November, even covers open malls and popular outdoor dining areas, and it doesn't allow bars or offices to set aside rooms for smokers. Penalties start at $100 and increase up to $500 after the third offense. Bars could lose liquor licenses and customers could be fined $50.

Backers said the law was needed to protect the health of employees in bars and restaurants who can't avoid inhaling secondhand smoke, but bar owners complain that it is ruining their business.

Lance Gomes, owner of Pigskins Sports Bar, said the ban cost him nearly half of his customers, although business has rebounded since he decided to disobey the law.

Honolulu police have not issued any citations against defiant smokers, said spokeswoman Michelle Yu. The law requires a member of the public to make a report before an officer will investigate, and then it's up to the offer how to handle the violation.

"What we're hoping for is the public's cooperation," Yu said.

During a recent protest by angry bar owners at O'Toole's, several dozen people crowded the pub to light up cigars and cigarettes, but after police arrived everyone put out their smokes.

Remington helped rally the 93-member Hawaii Bar Owners Association, which filed a lawsuit in January against the state in a bid to overturn the law. The legal action claims the government has violated their private property rights.

Similar lawsuits have been brought in other states but not one has succeeded, said Deborah Zysman, director of the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawaii.

"We're pretty confident that our law will stand," she said. "We have always been pretty certain that it's a relatively small number of establishments that are acting as scofflaws. The overwhelming majority of restaurants and businesses are following the rules."

Bartender Brenda Kennedy-Rogers, who works at Cha Cha Cha in Waikiki, argues that people expect to be able to smoke in a pub.

"If I'm drinking, I want to be smoking," Kennedy-Rogers said as she took a drag outside the Aloha Tower Marketplace. "They keep taking more and more of our rights away."

"We're being rebellious. Look at the Boston Tea Party. Look at Prohibition.”

If any smoker dares to compare themselves to revolutionaries I have to ask, are you a f**king moron? The Boston Tea had to do with taxes from the British government. Is Russia preventing you from smoking in a bar in Hawaii? Maybe its Sri Lanka?

How can you call yourselves rebellious if YOU PUT YOUR CIGARETTES OUT when the police arrived? If you were really rebellious you’d keep smoking and pay the fine. Weren’t there a bunch of blacked people being hauled off to jail for protesting against racial discrimination in the 60s?

Yeah, lets look at prohibition. This was a law enacted by the federal government; I think they even made an amendment to the constitution. NO ONE was allowed to MAKE alcohol. You can’t smoke in a bar, cry me a river and maybe it will float your lazy ass outside so you can smoke.

Exactly what rights are you talking about? The right to kill yourself from inhaling smoke? It serves no purpose what so ever. What about my right to breathe clean air while I’m indoors? I want to go to bars as well. If I develop lung cancer from smoke inhalation, can I sue smokers? I think so, they’re negligence would be the cause of my lung caner. Why should I have to breathe in smoke from your cigarette because you’re a weak willed person who gets his or her relief from something that has been linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths? Do you really think its attractive to smell like smoke? I can’t stand going out at night and coming home to smell like smoke.

If you want to compare your “right” to smoke in a bar to something, how about comparing it to my right to spit in your face in a bar.

GPS Gang Bang

2007-02-15T20:06:00.000-05:00

Kind of Annoying but I thought it was funny.

Panel Discussion

2007-02-13T22:46:00.000-05:00

Tonight I was a member of a panel discussion at my college. Myself and four other people talked about our internship experiences to freshmen engineering majors. I think I probably learned as much as they did during the discussion but in a different way. There were two people who work for the college talking about resumes, internships and how important they are. Some of the things they told the students sounded like scare tactics. They along with everyone on TV make the corporate world sound like its extremely cutthroat and if you make one mistake your life is over. The guy from the career center said he was a member of a hiring committee where they would shred every resume with any errors on it. It makes no sense to me since you could be shredding a resume wrote by the next genius.

All the time I was listening it made me think about how they scared. I listened to the same speeches but from a different point of view. With professional experience the difference is amazing. Half the time I was sitting there thinking what they are saying is bullshit. I realize they are just trying to prepare them for the worst since some companies are actually like that. When I talked I tried to tell them its good advice but don't take it to heart that much.

I let them know companies are excited to talk to you and there is no reason to be nervous. When I interviewed for my internship, it wasn't much of an interview since they had already planned on hiring me, I sat around and joked with the guy for most of it. The person who interviewed me turned out to be one of the funniest people I have met. Actually I haven't met a person at the company I work for who doesn't have an extremely good sense of humor. So if you're in college get an internship but relax your interviewer was in your shoes once and I don't think they intend to make you nervous or stump you. Unless they're an asshole, then you might not want to work there.

Ho-riffic moment on Jeopardy

2007-02-08T13:40:00.001-05:00

Niagara Falls Freezes Over

2007-01-24T17:19:00.000-05:00

In 1848 Niagara Falls actually froze over.

Beer Can Truck

2007-01-16T15:15:00.000-05:00

Driving Skills

2007-01-12T10:26:00.001-05:00

I don't know where the Bojangles market ends but they recently came out with a commercial I Love. It complains about people's driving skills. One of the lines goes something like..."If you can't use a turn signal, what makes you think you can operate the rest of the vehicle?" I found the picture below and it kind of makes you feel bad for the person double parked. Then I thought about all the time I couldn't find a parking spot and all the people who were double parked and stopped feeling bad. (You have to click on the picture to be able to read the note)

Death Clock and Doomsday Clock

2007-01-03T14:55:00.000-05:00

Today I was browsing and came across several interesting websites. The first is a death clock which tells you the day you will die and counts down the number of seconds you have to live. It also inclues websites with info to delay your death. www.deathclock.com

I also found this interesting website http://wwwwwwwww.jodi.org/

It displays an arrangment of characters which don't appear to make any sense but if you view the source code you find this:
This is just a prank, so don't call the FBI or homeland security. You can click around some more on the site but its nothing dangerous, just a lot of blinking.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is a nontechnical magazine that covers global security and public policy issues, especially related to the dangers posed by nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. It has been published continuously since 1945, when it was founded by former Manhattan Project physicists after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists of Chicago. The Bulletin's primary aim is to inform the public about nuclear policy debates while advocating for the international control of nuclear energy.

The most interesting thing on their website is the Doomsday Clock. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has informed the world what time it is since 1947, when its now-famous "Doomsday Clock" first appeared of the cover of the magazine. Since then, the minute hand of the clock has moved forward and back to reflect the global level of nuclear danger and the state of international security.

Wow, Today Sucked

2006-12-18T19:21:00.000-05:00

Today sucked, but its probably my fault. At work we have all these electrical connections for the power plant organized by system. Each system has components within it, such as valves, pressure switches, pumps and things like that. There are close to 2000 components all together. It is a pain in the ass trying to find a component package (several drawings) since some components are connected with another system and thus organized with that system.

I am the low man on the totem pole, meaning my billing rate to the client is the lowest. I was responsible for organizing all the packages and I posted a list above each package which contained every package in the pile in the order it was in. People still have problems finding a package b/c of what I mentioned before. So this morning the Project Engineering asked me if I had the electronic copy of the lists I made. I looked and didn't find them, but I know I sent it to him. I assumed he didn't have it since he was asking me. WRONG! As you will see later... He wanted to number each stack and add them to the spreadsheet so it was easier to sort and figure out which stack the package is in.

I took the printed lists off the wall and was going to scan them and use character recognition. We figured we could copy and paste from Adobe into Excel. Well, Adobe sucks and can't distinguish a 1 from an I or a 0 from an O, 5 from an S , or a 6 from a O and in most cases a 9 from a g. So I spent the rest of the day copying and pasting and fixing every component that was wrong. I finally finished and I showed him the first few pages and he noticed some things missing, so he looked at another list and we ended up finding the lists I made a few months ago on the LAN. So I pretty much wasted the whole day. I figured he checked the LAN before he asked me since he was the one who put it there.

What do you want for Christmas?

2006-12-09T11:58:00.000-05:00

I have no idea what I want. All I've been able to come up with is a Pirates of The Caribbean DVD and some clothes or shoes.

History of Reuters

2006-12-06T18:34:00.000-05:00

Today, I learned two things which I found extremely interesting. One of which I will share today and the other in my next blog. I’m sure everyone has heard of Reuter’s news agency and more than likely read an article from them. Back in 1851 Paul Reuter, from Germany, opened an office in the City of London which transmitted stock market quotations between London and Paris. It took a long time for news to make it across the Atlantic Ocean. Reuter wanted to build a telegraph cable system through Europe to the Arctic Circle where ship crossed to Alaska. Ships crossed here much faster than they did the Atlantic.

Investors decided this project was taking too long and were worried it wasn’t going to work, so they started pulling their money out. In short Reuters finished the line but was barely able to stay in business. In 1865 the assassination of President Lincoln saved his company. Reuters was able to get news of his death FOUR days before anyone else. The only problem was that no one believed him. The people that did believe him quickly pulled their money out of the stock market. Needless to say, four days later, when the news of Lincoln’s death arrived; the stock market in Europe crashed. The rest, as they say, is history.

I Meant To Post This a Few Days Ago

2006-11-24T15:11:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and didn't eat too much Turkey. I read this article on Wednesday and kind of agreed with it. Maybe Kramer shouldn't have called them niggers but everyone has their breaking point. John Ridley basically says, he was up on stage trying to do his job when he was heckled by two people who were never on television and probably work at a fast food place down the street. SO WHAT if two people don't think he is funny, if you don't why would you go in the first place, waste your money, ruin the show for everyone else when you could have avoided all that by leaving quietly. Here is the link:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20061122/cm_huffpost/034664

I like Ridley's query in the second paragraph, it made me think about all the times I've been in similar situations. The two people may not think Kramer is funny but he is certainly smarter than they are since Kramer has their money.

I would like to point out that I have no problem with black people for the most part and I am not a racist. I do have a problem with black people to whom the following quote applies...

"The stereotype of SOME blacks who are unable to be demure in public. SOME blacks who are oblivious to a code of conduct."

Kramer (Michael Richards) loses it on stage.

2006-11-21T19:55:00.001-05:00

I can't blame him, I'd be pissed off too if people came to my show and started talking. Why would you pay to go see a comedian and not even listen?

Kramer (Michael Richards) loses it on stage.

2006-11-21T19:55:00.000-05:00

I can't blame him, I'd be pissed off too if people came to my show and started talking. Why would you pay to go see a comedian and not even listen?

Its kinda funny what shows up in the auto fill-in box

2006-11-07T18:03:00.000-05:00

You know, when you click on a box to type something in and the browser brings up all the stuff you've typed in the past. Like an email address, or the title of a paper you wrote two years ago b/c you were searching for the title online. Needless to say, I read Coming of Age in Mississippi in three days and wrote the report on the fourth day. It was for an elective class in college. Anyways...

I squeaked by, winning 122 to 120 this weekend in fantasy football thanks to Darrell Jackson of the Seattle Seahawks. I really love their jerseys, especially the gloves Deion Branch wears with his. I'm 6 and 3 this season, 3rd place overall, but last place in my division. Go Figure. If this keeps up I'm not going to make the playoffs and I'll be a little mad that we switched to the division format.

I saw Borat this weekend a very good movie, definitely worth seeing. It wasn't funny at first but after a few minutes it was hilarious. I was amazed at all the people under 17 at the movie. It makes you wonder if they even know who Sacha Cohen is or if they just went because everyone was raving about it and they thought it was cool to go see an R rated movie. Oh well, they're not my kids but its sad their parents would let them go see it.

I, on the other hand, have seen just about every episode of the Ali G shows and saw the Ali G movie before it came out on DVD in the US. Which I am very proud of. It kind of bugs me when I find stuff that is little known and I like it then it blows up and I can't stand it anymore because everyone else likes it too. It feels good to know that I found it first and everyone else is just riding the bandwagon. I'm not saying its a bad thing, I'm just not much of a bandwagon person.

Why I hate Miller Lite

2006-10-30T23:48:00.000-05:00

I have never really liked the taste of Miller Lite and preferred Budweiser. I like the taste of bud but mainly I like them because I have been on a tour of the Anheuser-Busch brewery.

At first the Miller Lite commercials with the referees throwing flags for drinking Budweiser was funny, then it got old. They spent way too much time trying to say they were better than Budweiser and it was annoying. I'm not sure who does the advertising campaigns for either company. It could be the same company or it may have even been planned. However, Budweiser came back with a better commercial with the referees giving them Miller Lite so they could steal the Budweiser. That pretty much told Miller to Shut The Fcuk Up. But Miller kept playing those commercials over and over and kept dragging it on and on, probably like this blog but oh well.

Then there was the whole president of beers thing since Bud is the King of Beers. That went on FOREVER and they wouldn't shut up about how they are better than Budweiser. Then Budweiser told them to Shut The FcukUp again when they came out with the commercial that said how can Miller be President when they are owned by a South American company. Needless to say, Miller didn't run those ads anymore.

Now its the man law commercials. I'm glad they stopped saying how much better than Budweiser they think they are but this is just as bad. The campaign has been going on way too long. You see a commecial once and then the second time it gets old. I'm guessing there are a few more ads in the campaign and it will run until football season is over. Hopefully they will have a somewhat funny commercial for superbowl. There are many commercials I can watch over and over and they are still funny, but Miller is just annoying. You have to wonder how good a product actually is if a company has to put down another company's product to sell it. I don't buy products when people play the negative advertising game.

I guess Lewis Black was right, if you had someone tell you that they are better than you everyday, you would want to kill them and then eat them just so you can posess their power, or whatever.

So if you made it through all that, I HATE MILLER LITE as a beer and as a company.

Great Day for Brian $$$

2006-10-18T16:51:00.000-05:00

Well, Apple AAPL proved everyone wrong with their earnings report today. Analysts were expecting $0.51 per share, Apple reported $0.62 per share. Revenue rose 32% to $4.84 Billion. The stock rose $3.50 in after hours trading.

I also read this article today and it made me wonder what the world is coming to. For those of you who don't read the article, it is about an elementary school in Attleboro, MA banning kids from playing tag, touch football or any other unsupervised chase game. The school board thinks kids may get hurt and hold the school liable.

The first thing that went through my mind when I read this was WTF! Are they serious? Its part of being a kid. Are they going to ban basketball for the fear that someone might get hit on the head with a ball? Or ban jump rope because its a tripping hazard? When I was in elementary school I played tennis ball, (baseball with a tennis ball and a whiffle ball bat covered in colored electrical tape.) touch football, and basketball. I did get hurt a few times but it was never serious. I remember running into a pole and a fence but that was the extent of the damage. I didn't break any bones or draw a significant amount of blood. Recess at elementary school was one of the best times of my life because of those things. Its very sad to know that a parent would want to take that away from their kids or hold the school responsible. So what if your kid gets hurt, maybe he won't grow up to be a pussy.

I really feel bad for kids in school and I'll more than likely complain A LOT when I have kids in school. Parents go overboard with what they don't want kids to be allowed to do in school. Its pathetic to know that the school boards listen to one person, or a small group of people and base their decisions on them. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools aren't allowed to have cupcakes for birthdays anymore. Then there is the school that is restricting the Halloween party. Why not just pull your kid out of public school if you have so much of a problem with the rules. Or better yet, tell your kid not to play touch football or eat a cupcake or eat candy at Halloween. I swear people have the attitude "I don't want my kid doing it so I'm going to make it so no one else can do it either. "

People bitch about the school system, but when I see what people let their kids do in public, or they way they treat their kids, and the lack of attention, I'm not surprised at how screwed up some kids are. But of course no one wants to place the blame on the parents.

Driving In The Rain

2006-10-17T20:18:00.000-05:00

Is it really that hard to drive in the rain? All you have to do is slow down a little and leave more following distance. There were over 25 accidents in the Charlotte area today not counting the ones on the interstates, mainly due to following too closely in the rain. I saw way too many people who didn't have their headlights on while driving with windshield wipers on. On top of that there were plenty of people who didn't signal when changing lanes in front of me. Its hard enough to see in the rain, why wouldn't you want someone to know which way you're going.

I think everyone should be required to pass at least a high school physics course before they are allowed to drive. Brakes work on the principle of friction. They increase to amount of friction on the rotor or drum making it harder for the wheels to turn thus, slowing down the car.
More Friction = Stopping Fast. When water is added (rain water on the road) to the brakes it acts as a lubricant decreasing the amount of friction. Less Friction = Not Stopping Fast. So since it takes longer to stop when you're brakes are wet you should leave more distance between you and the car in front of you.

Water+Brakes+Following Too Closely = Less Frictions + Accidents

I seriously doubt anyone will read this so I don't think I'll make anyone a better driver.

Lots of things happening today...

2006-10-11T17:16:00.000-05:00

First off a plane crashed into a building in NYC killing a Yankee's pitcher. I know its a horrible thing but, I wonder how many people will say something like "their pitching staff wasn't that great anyways so its not a big loss." I know thats mean but I'm curious how many people will think that.

One thing I wish the NEWS WOULD STOP DOING is reporting news when they don't know the all the facts. One article said four people in the plane died, another said two people died and an article on CNN said only one person died. I'm all for free speech and freedom of the press but I wish someone would pass a law that says the media can't report something unless they can prove it or have facts to back it up. If they can't say without a doubt how many people have died why don't they just say that? I'm really getting sick of hearing one side of the story or false information. Hopefully they won't drag this story out for a month.

Legg Mason had a shitty day. They reported the company is going to miss earnings estimates for the quarter, the stock fell 17%.

Bank of America is now going to offer 30 free equity trades for customers with a balance of at least $25,000. This is bad news for Etrade and Ameritrade as a company but, it may be good for me since it could mean lower trading fees.

Work was fairly boring today but I ended up talking about fantasy football and the TV show Lost for about an hour. I've seen a few episodes but haven't really got into it. I'd like to but I don't have the time to watch the last two seasons.

On a more positive note I was at the gym and I declined 315lbs eight times today.

My First Post

2006-10-09T21:43:00.000-05:00

Its about 10:30 and I've been creating this thing between commercials on Law and Order: The Original. Today was a pretty good day, Apple's stock is up as well as ABB. I'm looking to buy another stock very soon. I'll probably buy SAIC when it comes out this week or next . It is being highly recommended by analysts especially Jim Cramer who I watch frequently on Mad Money on CNBC.

On another note, I really miss my girlfriend and I'm pretty lonely after we spend the weekend together and then one of us goes home. I'll talk to her in a little bit so its all good.

-Goodnight

P.S. BUY AN IPOD