Archive

Archive for September, 2008

Mechanical geek quiz

September 24, 2008 6 comments

I am cleaning out the garage to get ready to make some home repairs.  Before I throw out this old oil pump, tell me…
Which way will the bottom gear have to turn, to move oil from the left chamber to the right chamber?  Clockwise?  Or counterclockwise?
The winner gets to right-click on the picture and download his very own .jpg of an old oil pump.  It’s an extravagant prize, to be sure.

Categories: Geeky

Sarah Palin calls Hillary Clinton

September 24, 2008 1 comment

I’m inclined to laugh at Sarah Palin…

…except ignorance and an anti-freedom agenda are a dangerous mix. (HT Greg Laden)

But maybe she has inner positives we just have not seen yet.  How could we, since the ‘barracuda’ has been kept safe from the press ever since the McCain campaign found out that she, well, isn’t VP material?  Let her out of the cage, man.  FREE SARAH PALIN!

Categories: Humor, observations

Henri Cartier-Bresson in Chicago Tribune today

September 21, 2008 1 comment

It’s incredibly cool that the Chicago Tribune published a full-page article on Five things to know about Henri Cartier-Bresson today, and it is a nifty article as far as it goes.  But never once did they mention “The Decisive Moment”, the fundamental concept in HCB’s photography.  It would be like writing a full-page article about Ansel Adams and not mentioning the Zone System, or about Eugene Smith and not mentioning his courage as a photojournalist.

But you can see the entire film documentary; The Impassioned Eye online in 10 parts at the Rollfilm blog.  Hear Cartier-Bresson say (in French, with translation) that photographers should “aim well, shoot fast, and scram”.  Hear his comments as he sheafs through his photos.  Learn about him seizing the moment from the stream of events, with his tiny Leica camera. Enjoy! 

Categories: Geeky, Photography

Fox News, doing what worked before

September 21, 2008 1 comment

They don’t have to get everyone to believe this junk, just enough to throw a close election…

It’s the same old xenophobia, anti-intellectualism, hyper-nationalism, and fearmongering.  As a country, can’t we grow past this?

Perhaps by exposing it for what it is: an infomercial

 

(HT: ***Dave)

Categories: Uncategorized

Rumor: Biden to drop out of race on 05 October

September 20, 2008 13 comments

Found this on Cajun’s blog.  He’s a really interesting guy with fascinating knowledge of energy infrastructure and also guns and tanks.  He’s also as conservative politically as you can get, and I know I can say that without worrying that he might take it as anything but a compliment.  Recently the following email landed in his inbox, and he asked Could this one be true?

Let me share some info with you that I have gotten from excellent sources within the DNC: On or about October 5th, Biden will excuse himself from the ticket, citing health problems, and he will be replaced by Hillary. This is timed to occur after the VP debate on 10/2.

There have been talks all weekend about how to proceed with this info. generally, the feeling is that we should all go ahead and get it out there to as many blog sites and personal email lists as is possible. I have already seen a few short blurbs about this – the ‘health problem’ cited in those articles was aneurysm. Probably many of you have heard the same rumblings.

However, at this point, with this inside info from the DNC, it looks like this Obama strategy will be a go. Therefore, it seems that the best strategy is to get out in front of this Obama maneuver, spell it out in detail, and thereby expose it for the grand manipulation that it is.

So, let’s start mixing this one up and cut the Obamites off at the pass – send this info out to as many people as you can – post about it on websites and blogs – etc etc

Could it be true? Sure, in the sense that it doesn’t violate any laws of physics or causality.  And Biden had surgery for two aneurysms in the late ‘80’s.  But even if it were true, I’d take Hillary over Palin any day.  At least Hillary knows what the heck she’s doing. I’ve had enough of incompetent government.

Categories: Uncategorized

Rainbow around the sun

September 19, 2008 4 comments

Saw this as I walked out of the building on my way to lunch today

And I mean, I saw exactly this because it was necessary to cover the sun with my hand, to see the rainbow.

Categories: Geeky, Photography

Can’t breathe, can’t get comfortable

September 18, 2008 11 comments

…other than that, perfect conditions for a restful night.  So this is an open thread.  Anything you want to talk about, have at it.  I’m going to the TED site and watch a Jonathan Haidt video on the differences of moral psychology between liberals and conservatives.  With a view to understanding some of the mysteries of this election cycle.

Update: if you watched the video, what do you think strategically of “Change” as a campaign message?  (Still an open thread, I’m just trying to get the ball rolling)

Categories: Uncategorized

Behold… The PENTOMINIUM!!!

September 15, 2008 5 comments

Are both obscenely rich and amazingly stupid?  Do you value pleasure above all else?  If this describes you, then you may be one of the very special marks elites to deserve living in…

The PENTOMINIUM!

The video just goes on and on, getting weirder.  I’m still trying to count the different levels on which this is both funny and sad. 

Categories: observations

Offshore drilling is the answer

September 14, 2008 10 comments

Ike pays a visit to the Land Of Lincoln

September 14, 2008 2 comments

Hurricane Ike has settled down to a huge storm system making its way across the heartland, and it’s been on top of us for the last several hours.  I have some water in my basement, an inconvenience the abatement of which is not how I wanted to spend my Sunday.  But check out these pictures… I’d feel silly complaining to the residents of Galveston.  Something tells me a wet-vac and a little profanity isn’t going to fix it for them.

Bloomberg reports that oil production in the area is pretty much shut down.  Joseph at Corpus Callosum points out that we shouldn’t become complacent when the “Ike Spike” in fuel prices finally comes down:

My suggestion: whatever you do to adapt to the shortages, please keep doing that, even after the shortages are alleviated.  There will be a spike in shortages after Ike.  Then things will seem to return to normal.  But it is not really a spike; it’s a preview.

“It is not really a spike, it’s a preview”.  Oil demand is rising worldwide, and production is leveling off.  What’s that old saying?  “A word to the wise is sufficient.”