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Thursday, February 06, 2003 |
What Does God Eat?
Here's what the national news magazines were going to put on their covers this week, via Randy Alfred: "Mysterious Tree-Dwelling Boy Says: Give the Inspectors More Time!"
11:08:50 PM Permalink
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Columbia Science
I think I've been so discouraged about this space shuttle disaster that I've been guilty of downplaying the accomplishments in my mind. This article at The Why Files provides a nice little sumary of what this doomed mission accomplished. It was, after all, as they point out, the first strictly scientific mission in three years. And over its history, Columbia certainly accomplished a lot. There's just a sense, to me, that we're aiming too low; I'd sure like to see us go back to the moon (how about to build a telescope on the far side?) and let's get ready for Mars, too.
10:08:43 PM Permalink
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Porn leads the way
Gary sends me this in an email:
On this day in 1861, Samuel Goodale patented the machinery that ran the Mutoscope, the coin-operated peep-show machine. Eight hundred fifty cards, made from fifty feet of film, were attached to a drum. Viewers inserted a penny and cranked the drum, and a small bulb lit up and illuminated the procession of cards. Most of the first films were risqué, with titles like "French Dressing," "X-Ray Gown," and "Ladies Night in a Turkish Bath."
He points out, rightly, that this is another case of the first use of a technology being porn.
12:09:47 PM Permalink
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300 Episodes of the Simpsons [Slashdot]
The Slashdot article linkes to a piece in Entertainment Weekly that lists the 25 best episodes. All in all, pretty good. They list Bart To the Future as the worst episode ever. Maybe, but it does have the redeeming quality of showing us the Flanders kids grow up.
8:36:27 AM Permalink
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While I'm at it, my thoughts today go out to my pal John who is undergoing surgery on his right eye to try to retinopathy from Diabetes. That's scary stuff, and I hope it works out well for him.
8:23:04 AM Permalink
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This should be required reading: Air Traveler ID Requirement Challenged:
"United States courts have recognized for more than a century that honest citizens have the right to travel throughout America without government restrictions. Some people say that everything changed on 9/11, but patriots have stood by our Constitution through centuries of conflict and uncertainty. Any government that tracks its citizens' movements and associations, or restricts their travel using secret decrees, is violating that Constitution," said Gilmore. "With this case, I hope to redirect government anti-terrorism efforts away from intrusive yet useless measures such as ID checks, confiscation of tweezers, and database surveillance of every traveler's life."
I've flown twice lately (unlike the original of this post implied), and this "you papers please" stuff at the airport reminds one of nothing so much as spy stories about the Nazis or old Soviet Union. Just having to show your ID makes you feel that you must be guilty of something.
[Disobey Nonsense Network]
8:21:38 AM Permalink
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Clumsy
Dang, but I was out walking the dog last night between 9 & 9:30. I was walking down the street and the street light went out, making the sidewalk pretty dark. All of a sudden I tripped in a broken chunk of sidewalk and did a header into the concrete. Broke my glasses, scraped my forehead and nose, and have some scrapes where the frame around the right lens crashed into my eyebrow and cheekbone. It looks petty bad. I banged my left knee good, too, and may need to have it looked at; it smarts but seems to be able to move OK. I'll consider taking it to the Doctor later.
But I had to revert to an older pair of glasses, which I guess is almost two years old now. I can see OK through them, but they were a cheap design and the right temple is broken. So now I've got to waste a bunch of time getting new glasses, along with possibly getting my eyes looked at.
Falling down makes you feel like an old man. Besides the wasted time and pain, it's the damage to the pride that's really annoying. I think I'll call the city office and ask them about those street lights going out and also that chunk of sidewalk.
8:16:51 AM Permalink
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© Copyright 2004 Steve Michel.
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