October

And there's something about a chilly, rainy day that makes me want to goof off.

... even more than usual, I mean.

Quote of the Day

from Stephen Colbert: "How are you supposed to protest an abuse of authority, when an authority figure has told you not to?"


And here's a bit more for context:

Last night, I told you all about the University of Florida student who asked John Kerry a question — and ended up with a sack full o' taser. I was particularly impressed by the response of his peers, who, at a moment's notice, sat back and watched.

Well, a student present at the tasering responded. One Sir D.W.D. astutely said, "Stephen Colbert stated we stood idly around, not helping. How could we help with police officers telling us to back off …"

My point exactly. How are you supposed to protest an abuse of authority, when an authority figure has told you not to? There is a reason you received that knighthood, "Sir" D.W.D .!

Burn Baby Burn

I confess, I have a particular hatred of resumés.  It probably started when I first had to create my own, but has long since gone beyond that.  The damn things just nauseate me, no matter whose they are.  It doesn't help that you can't spell it correctly without those wretched accent marks.  Ugh.  I can't even explain it.  It's like the cockroach reaction.  It doesn't make sense that they're any worse than any other vermin, but for some reason they are.  I see a resumé scurrying up my screen and I just want to knock it off and stomp on it until I can't tell what it used to be anymore.

Scrappy

He's definitely got a little Captain in him!

Bridge Over I-40

Here's a factoid about the recent disaster from the geniuses at Fox News.

The entire span of an interstate bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River during evening rush hour Wednesday, sending vehicles, tons of concrete and twisted metal crashing into the water.

— A look at recent fatal bridge disasters in U.S. history:

• Bridge/location: Silver Bridge, Ohio River
Date: Dec. 1967
Deaths: 46

• Bridge/location: Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Point Pleasant, W.Va.
Date: May 1980
Deaths: 35

• Bridge/location: Schoharie Creek Bridge, Amsterdam, NY
Date: April 1987
Deaths: 10

• Bridge/location: Hatchie River Bridge, Covington, Tenn.
Date: April 1989
Deaths: 8

• Bridge/location: Zuber Creek Culvert
Date: Jan. 1983
Deaths: 5

• Bridge/location: Bridge over I-40 in eastern Oklahoma
Date: May 26, 2002
Deaths: 14

Note how every entry except the last one has some fairly specific information about where it is. You might also notice that, although the "bridge over I-40" incident had a higher death toll than any but the top two, it's last. If you think that's because they're in chronological order, then take a look at the "Zuber Creek Culvert" entry .

But that's not the funny part. It wasn't a "bridge over I-40." It was I-40. This is not just a couple of rickety boards over some culvert (in which case it would make perfect sense to leave the name out). It was an interstate highway over the ARKANSAS FREAKIN' RIVER, a waterway that crosses four states and is a major tributary of the Mississippi.

Amazing.

Sharkborgs

All I want are some frickin' sharks with frickin' laser beams!

US 'plans stealth shark spies'
BBC News, Thursday, 2 March 2006, 16:44 GMT

Pentagon scientists are planning to turn sharks into "stealth spies" capable of tracking vessels undetected, a British magazine has reported. They want to remotely control the sharks by implanting electrodes in their brains, The New Scientist says...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4767428.stm

Blue Sky

The Sun is shining in the sky.
There ain't a cloud in sight.
It's stopped raining,
Everybody's in the play,
and don't you know
it's a beautiful new day!
(hey hey)