Posted 6/29/2010 05:44:00 PM by Douglas

Turns out the other shoe is about to drop with Barry's new NASA plan, and that plan is laying off contractors at JSC:

Workers at Bastion and elsewhere are caught in a growing conflict between Congress, which has banned NASA from canceling any part of Constellation, and agency leaders who have directed program managers to scale back their work while preserving the parts that would fit into the new space policy proposed by President Obama.

The administration wants to turn to commercial companies for taking future astronauts to orbit while taking a hiatus from any ambitious missions to send astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit. Yet Congress has not agreed to the scuttling of Constellation and added a clause in this year’s federal budget that prohibited NASA from canceling the program or starting a new one without Congressional assent.

Well who knows what's going to happen. Happen after all the contractors at JSC are laid off.

Posted 6/29/2010 05:36:00 PM by Douglas

The Supremes came around to recognizing the second amendment as the other nine amendments are interpreted.

The Supreme Court held Monday that Americans have the right to own a gun for self-defense anywhere they live, expanding the conservative court's embrace of gun rights since John Roberts became Chief Justice.

By a 5-4 vote, the justices cast doubt on handgun bans in the Chicago area, but signaled that some limitations on the Constitution's "right to keep and bear arms" could survive legal challenges.

That's all we need to know about that.

Posted 6/27/2010 05:23:00 PM by Douglas

So the teenaged sailor is back with her brother, and headed home. And the question of her age, experience, and the money it took to pull her out of the drink just won't seem to go away:

Sixteen-year-old Californian sailor Abby Sunderland got a big hug from her older brother Saturday on the appropriately named Reunion Island, and again defended her family for letting her try to sail around the world alone.

Though saddened by the loss of her boat in an Indian Ocean storm, Sunderland said she isn't giving up sailing.

Well that's just super. I'm getting tired of the phony controversy, myself. She got rescued, that's what civilized nations do.

The part that I don't understand is where is the risk anymore if you're just going to be rescued? Her voyage was dangerous, for sure, but if you can call for help when you get in trouble, where does the excitement come from if the risk is mitigated from someone's assistance? What's the thrill in climbing Mt. Everest if you can call a helicopter to rescue you if you get half way and change your mind?

Posted 6/27/2010 05:20:00 PM by Douglas

I generally don't find myself agreeing with Somali Islamist militants, but this may be the only way to silence the deafening, stupid sound of the vuvuzela:

Somali Islamist militants killed two people and arrested dozens of others for breaking a ban on watching the World Cup on television, residents said.

They said the masked fighters from the Hizbul Islam group raided houses on Sunday and Monday in the Afgoi district, 30 km (19 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu, after hardline Islamist groups banned Somalis from watching the tournament.

Soccer is pointless and dumb, but probably doesn't warrant an execution.

Posted 6/27/2010 05:15:00 PM by Douglas

Yet another example of how red light cameras are about revenue, not safety.

This month marked the second anniversary of red-light cameras in the city. When they were brought online in 2008, city officials said any revenue the cameras produced would be the byproduct of a program they promised would make intersections safer. City data show the cameras have raked in more than $1 million, but in some cases, the monitored intersections are more dangerous.

Check out the numbers. Some accidents have increased. Why? Because people stop at lights now, but don't try to explain that to a [no doubt Texas A&M] traffic engineer:

Amarillo Traffic Engineer Taylor W_____ said he was "puzzled" that the number of rear-end collisions had increased.

Is it that hard to figure out? $1 Million for the city, or more accidents. That's a no brainer.

Labels: red light cameras

Posted 6/27/2010 05:10:00 PM by Douglas

Interesting story of the sixty failed nations of the world. I'm not sure what the distinction of "failed state" and "abject poverty" is, but the pictures are devastating. Think about the majority of the world starving to death and eating their own shit the next time your Tivo doesn't record Seinfeld.

This year's index draws on 90,000 publicly available sources to analyze 177 countries and rate them on 12 metrics of state decay -- from refugee flows to economic implosion, human rights violations to security threats. Taken together, a country's performance on this battery of indicators tells us how stable -- or unstable -- it is. And unfortunately for many of the 60 most troubled, the news from 2009 is grave.

And I do think there's something to the point Radley [where I saw the link] that there's an interesting link between climate and cultural development. Northern Europeans have long cited this difference to justify African racism. I don't it's earned, but there's certainly something to be said for locations where food is plentiful and those where it's not.

Posted 6/26/2010 12:09:00 PM by Douglas

Here's a good list of pointers for an idiot that's never grilled a steak before. Suspiciously absent how to start a fire, where to put the cooked steak when it's done, and how not to cut off your thumb with a steak knife. The Myths:

1. A steak is a steak is a steak.
2. You should bring a steak to room temperature before grilling.
3. Salt toughens steak. Don't apply it before grilling.
4. A barbecue fork is the proper tool for turning a steak.
5. Turn the steaks often while grilling.
6. The best way to check a steak for doneness is to cut into it with a knife.
7. Steak tastes best sizzling hot off the grill.

I don't agree with some of these (don't like a "steak crust") but most are fairly obvious. This is where they lose me:

Finally, for flavor, sheen, and succulence, don't forget to drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil, melted butter, or beef fat over your perfectly grilled steak before serving. Think of it as the varnish on your masterpiece.

That's fucking disgusting. I like mine on the medium-well side, so the thought of slathering it in grease I find rather repulsive. But I guess if you're going to waste your time and money on a gas grill, you gotta add some flavor from somewhere.

Labels: charcoal

Posted 6/26/2010 11:51:00 AM by Douglas

I've never liked the notion of a "hate crime." Aside from the fact there is no such thing (is there ever an assault because someone really, really likes their victim?), there's really no way to determine what "protected class" of victim warrants the additional punishment after the crime was committed because that person "hated" the victim. Here's the latest rampant inflation of hate class victim status: old people.

But in Queens since 2005, at least five people have been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, committing a very different kind of hate crime — singling out elderly victims for nonviolent crimes like mortgage fraud because they believed older people would be easy to deceive and might have substantial savings or home equity.

And this month, Queens prosecutors charged two women with stealing more than $31,000 from three elderly men they had befriended separately. The women, Gina L. Miller, 39, and Sylvia Johns, 23, of Flushing, were charged with grand larceny as a hate crime.

Other than an overzealous D.A. that's trying to make a name for himself, who on earth would think that this is a good idea?

Posted 6/26/2010 11:44:00 AM by Douglas

After the farming accident, sounds like Oscar only has eight, or possibly seven lives left. And he's definitely already got one foot in the grave. Ok, maybe two.

A cat which lost both back paws after a traumatic accident involving a combine harvester has regained a spring in its step after being fitted with prosthetic limbs.

In a groundbreaking surgery carried out by Noel Fitzpatrick, a Surrey-based veterinary surgeon, the custom-made implants "peg" the ankle to Oscar's foot and mimic the way in which deer antler bone grows through skin.

"We have managed to get the bone and skin to grow into the implant and we have developed an 'exoprosthesis' that allows this implant to work as a see-saw on the bottom of an animal's limbs to give him effectively normal gait," he added.

That's incredible that they can get the skin to grow around it. Still going to be creepy when Oscar jumps on your pillow at 3 A.M.

I hope they're carefull. This is exactly how Darth Vadar got started.

---

Update:Yahoo's now running this under the headline "Faux paws." Apparently this story is replete with jokes.

Posted 6/24/2010 09:46:00 PM by Douglas

The only part I don't understand about this story is why his private pilot's license wasn't revoked permanently.

A Beaumont man accused of buzzing people at Crystal Beach with a private airplane during spring break won't be flying for at least a year after the Federal Aviation Administration yanked his pilot's license, officials confirmed Wednesday.

On March 13, Joseph B. K_____ was flying a Diamond DA40 single engine airplane that skimmed over people and cars on the beach, at times flying no more than 15 feet above the ground, FAA officials said.

Wow, what a moron. Trying to cover it up should be enough to yank his ticket permanently, but there's just no excuse for such
assholic behavior.

Posted 6/23/2010 06:58:00 PM by Douglas

I've had a crush on my boss for a while. What's the best way to get her attention? I know! I'll put a camera in the restroom in the bathroom at work and try to get her on video taking a dump! What could go wrong?

The Humble seafood restaurant worker will spend eight months behind bars after pleading guilty Tuesday to placing video cameras in a bathroom at work to take explicit pictures of his female supervisor.

"I understand I committed something serious, and I must pay the consequences," Rito, 53, said in state District Judge Randy Roll’s court after admitting to two counts of improper photography.

The illegal immigrant from Mexico is expected to be deported when he gets out, Roll said.

Rito was arrested this week after a female supervisor at El _____ Fish Mexican restaurant on FM 1960 found a camera camouflaged with a brown paper bag attached to the bottom of a bathroom sink. She had just seen Rito leave the bathroom, prosecutors said.

"It is our understanding that he may have had feelings for her that she wasn’t aware of," said Assistant Harris County District Attorney Eve Flores.

In his plea, Rito said that he had set up secret cameras at least twice.

Man, something about this story doesn't smell right. Maybe it's the camera, maybe it's the fish. Maybe a little of both.

Posted 6/23/2010 06:52:00 PM by Douglas

When investigating the malfeasance at a local titty bar, one visit might not be enough. You may need to get six months of data to make it stick:

Authorities have arrested six women and were looking for 10 more Thursday night in an investigation of indecent exposure at Charlotte strip clubs, Alcohol Beverage Control officials say.

All 16 topless dancers are charged with violating a state law that, while allowing topless dancing, prohibits dancers at the adult clubs from performing naked.

"They know that they're not allowed to expose themselves and they did," said Michael Crowley of Mecklenburg's ABC commission. "You're not allowed to remove your bottom."

The recent arrests follow a six-month undercover investigation into eight adult-entertainment clubs

So after the first time the undercover saw some cooter, that just wasn't enough. They had to go back for more evidence. Six months worth. I'm sure the people in Charlotte sleep better at night knowing that horny drunk guys paying a desperate woman to grind their crotches don't see cooter, and that the dedicated police are on the job.

Posted 6/23/2010 06:05:00 PM by Douglas

The problem with a huge slush-fund set up to compensate victims of the Gulf oil spill, you have to compensate everyone, and that includes strippers.

Is a strip club that caters to oil-rig workers entitled to a piece of the $20 billion fund for victims of the Gulf of Mexico disaster? How about a souvenir stand on a nearly empty beach? Or a far-off restaurant that normally serves Gulf seafood?

The farther the massive spill's effects spread, the harder it will get for President Barack Obama's new compensation czar to decide who deserves to be paid.

That's the trouble with a Czar, isn't it? Who gets the handout and who doesn't?

Posted 6/21/2010 06:30:00 PM by Douglas

Obama's space plan is untenable. Whaaa?

Almost 50 years after President Kennedy proposed sending a man to the moon "before this decade is out," Obama has set an equally improbable goal. He has proposed a 2025 date for NASA to land humans on an asteroid, a ball of rock hurtling around the sun.

In February, Obama took steps toward killing Bush's moon program, which was beset by technical troubles and money woes. Two months later, in a speech at Cape Canaveral, Obama announced that the astronauts' next stop is an asteroid.

If there was a reason, means, or motivation to make this happen, it might be worth worrying about. But this BS is even a bigger pipe dream than universal coverage on Obama-care. It ain't never gonna happen.

Posted 6/21/2010 06:05:00 PM by Douglas

Here's the other dirty little secret about the "get off the oil" rant we've been hearing since 1973 and got ratcheted up after the Gulf spill: We can't survive without the plastic.

As the world has watched the dreadful string of attempts to stanch the flow of oil from its source a mile down in the Gulf of Mexico, it's a good time to consider ways people can make a positive difference in the ocean.

That petroleum bubbling from the seabed is used to make plastic, and, at an alarming rate, that plastic returns to the ocean as pollution.

Let's say a magic fairy gives us our wish and we can buy Mr. Fusion at Wal-Mart tomorrow. What will happen to all the industries in this world that can't function without cheap, disposable plastic? We like it for the computer, most of your car, countless things around your house. . . and the medical industry simply could not function without sterile, disposable plastic. So what's going to replace that?

Posted 6/21/2010 05:24:00 PM by Douglas

The leak in the Gulf continues, and the drive to come up with the dumbest way to quantify the leak's quantity spills out from journalist's iMacs faster than oil from the seabed.

A little mathematical context to the spill size can put the environmental catastrophe in perspective. Viewing it through some lenses, it isn't that huge. The Mississippi River pours as much water into the Gulf of Mexico in 38 seconds as the BP oil leak has done in two months.

On a more human scale, the spill seems more daunting. Take the average-sized living room. The amount of oil spilled would fill 9,200 of them.

Since the BP oil rig exploded on April 20, about 125 million gallons of oil has gushed into the Gulf. That calculation is based on the higher end of the government's range of barrels leaked per day and the oil company BP's calculations for the amount of oil siphoned off. Using the more optimistic end of calculations, the total spill figure is just over 66 million gallons.

For every gallon of oil that BP's well has gushed into the Gulf of Mexico, there is more than 5 billion gallons of water already in it. And the mighty Mississippi adds another billion gallons every five minutes or so, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Well when you put it that way. . . . One part per five billion of oil. . . in the entire Gulf. What could go wrong?

Some more bullshit comparisons:

More not-so-dreadful context: The amount of oil spilled so far could only fill the cavernous New Orleans Superdome about one-seventh of the way up. On the other hand, it could fill 15 Washington Monuments. If the oil were poured on a football field — complete with endzones — it would measure nearly 100 yards high.

If you put the oil in gallon milk jugs and lined them up, they would stretch about 10,800 miles. That's a roundtrip from the Gulf to London, BP's headquarters, and a side trip from New Orleans to Washington for Hayward to testify.

This is getting ridiculous.

Posted 6/20/2010 04:54:00 PM by Douglas

I liked this slideshow of the "Altered States" exhibit. Specifically, the "panhandle epidemic" one. You can't argue about the term with Florida, Oklahoma or Idaho, but I've always thought the Texas Panhandle was grossly misnamed. Who came up with that? You try to cook with a Texas shaped pan, you're going to burn the crap out of your thumb.

But, it turns out that the only one calling it "the barren steppe of West Texas" is me.

Posted 6/20/2010 01:27:00 PM by Douglas

Interestingly sketchy story from Fox news about "internet monitoring:"

As terrorists increasingly recruit U.S. citizens, the government needs to constantly balance Americans' civil rights and privacy with the need to keep people safe, said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

But finding that balance has become more complex as homegrown terrorists have used the Internet to reach out to extremists abroad for inspiration and training. Those contacts have spurred a recent rash of U.S.-based terror plots and incidents.

"The First Amendment protects radical opinions, but we need the legal tools to do things like monitor the recruitment of terrorists via the Internet," Napolitano told a gathering of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy.

Napolitano's comments suggest an effort by the Obama administration to reach out to its more liberal, Democratic constituencies to assuage fears that terrorist worries will lead to the erosion of civil rights.

Interesting story coming from Fox news. They weren't too concerned with the erosion of civil liberties when Bush did it.

Posted 6/20/2010 01:10:00 PM by Douglas

Even after almost TRILLION dollars of bailout money, banks are still in trouble, and their next step to solvency is taking away free checking.

Banks incur an expense of between $250 and $300 a year to maintain each of the roughly 200 million checking accounts, the paper said citing industry estimates.

Bank of America may lose more revenue than most other big banks because it is in the process of dismantling its checking-overdraft program in the face of new restrictions.

So they can't charge stupid NSF fees anymore, so they're going to dump their "free checking" accounts? What if I just promised to bounce one check a month? That's what they really want.

But, as I noted earlier, all it will take is one bank that's going to be happy with getting the float off your direct deposit to offer you a free account.

Posted 6/20/2010 12:55:00 PM by Douglas

Something about thinking about the pope watching The Blues Brothers is almost as funny as the movie.

When Jake and Elwood Blues, the protagonists in John Landis' cult classic "The Blues Brothers," claimed they were on a mission from God, the Catholic Church apparently took them at their word.

On the 30th anniversary of the film's release, "L'Osservatore Romano," the Vatican's official newspaper, called the film a "Catholic classic" and said it should be recommended viewing for Catholics everywhere.

Maybe they didn't watch the whole movie. Just because "they're on a mission from God" doesn't really make it "godly" movie.

Posted 6/16/2010 04:42:00 PM by Douglas

Do you like movies about gladiators?

If one of your pilots gets ill, you never know who else on the plane might be able to help land the aircraft safely.

On Monday, it was a flight attendant with an an [sic] inactive pilot's license who helped land an American Airlines jumbo jet after the co-pilot became incapacitated because of stomach flu.

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffin' glue!

Just want to tell you both good luck. We're all counting on you:

Labels: Airplane

Posted 6/15/2010 08:59:00 PM by Douglas

Saw Barry's Oval Office address tonight. On one hand I find it disgusting that he wants to take so much credit for causing and fixing the spill and providing aid (to states that didn't vote for him, anyway) but what I really find fascinating, and somewhat endearing, is his child-like innocence and gullibility. Sure, he can say "ass" and not get a whoopin', but this was a private company drilling for energy this country (and rest of the world) desperately needs. He says the Government's Minerals Management Service screwed up by getting lax on regulation, but what is his solution? MORE regulation! A true politician, which he is, sees this as a perfect solution. Mainly because they don't have another one, but also because it's not the system that's built on greed and corruption, it's the fact that it wasn't my guy in there getting the kick backs. I wish I could point to an example where this wasn't the case.

Secondly, our "addiction" to foreign oil. This is a horrible ecologic catastrophe, but does Barry think that we're out there drilling in 5,000 feet of water or importing a billion dollars of oil a day because we just don't like those cars and power plants that run on sunshine, rainbows and our good intentions? Without a doubt, more R&D could be done for advancing energy independence, but every one he spouts off, wind, solar, ethanol, fuel cells, baby-farts, every one except nuclear is thermodynamically unviable. And if they weren't, we already be paying them a billion dollars a day for energy instead of arguing about where to put a few million dollars in government subsidies in wind farms that don't even generate enough electricity to pay for themselves before they have to be replaced. But that's a rant for another day.

What really got me is his total lack of definable goals. Oil spill? We'll clean it up. Plentiful renewable energy? Sure, it's on the way. We're Americans! The question is how, and he's never been a man to mire himself with the details of anything. That's why this statement really chaps my hide about our ability, specifically in the technology sector, to solve problems:

You know, the same thing was said about our ability to produce enough planes and tanks in World War II. The same thing was said about our ability to harness the science and technology to land a man safely on the surface of the moon.

Ya know what? Boeing didn't develop long ranger bombers because someone thought it might be a good idea. The requirements were defined, the challenge was understood, and technology was developed that changed the world. And now is not the time to pull out Kennedy's moon challenge example, Barry. Guess where all those unemployed engineers at Houston's JSC are looking for work? The oil patch. How do you like that hope and change?

But as long as I'm making fun of Barry's boyish gullibility, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this one. Holy cow, she was on Fox right after the address, and I really can't believe she's still around. People say more people vote for American Idol than vote for president, and if she's running in 2012, that's clearly not a bad thing. Give it a listen, if you dare:


If you can listen to more than six seconds of her and are not reminded of this train wreck, I hope you don't vote. They're the same thing:


Maybe Miss North Carolina would have taken the call from the Norwegians when they called to try to tell us how to plug the leak in the gulf. But Barry let that call go to voicemail, and the world will never know.

Posted 6/15/2010 08:12:00 PM by Douglas

One more video. Barry from April 2nd, less than three weeks before the rig exploded and sank into the gulf.

Posted 6/14/2010 07:17:00 PM by Douglas

The New York Times can has cheezburger?

Mr. Huh, a 32-year-old entrepreneur, first became aware of I Can Has Cheezburger, which pairs photos of cats with quirky captions, after it linked to his own pet blog. His site immediately crumbled under the resulting wave of visitors.

Sensing an Internet phenomenon, Mr. Huh solicited financing from investors and forked over $10,000 of his own savings to buy the Web site from the two Hawaiian bloggers who started it.

For every Cheezburger network, there's 100,000 smartasses that put silly pictures on the web. Good for him.

Posted 6/14/2010 07:09:00 PM by Douglas

I was following this story since she got lost, but I was waiting for this one. Turns out, they can't afford to pay for her rescue.

It is estimated that the cost of sending a Qantas plane to search for Abby, 16, and coordinate a French fishing vessel to collect her could reach $300,000 (£175,000).

"What price would you put on a child's life?" Maryanne Sunderland said yesterday when asked about compensation.

"The full cost of chartering an Airbus would be so high, you'd think they (Australian rescue authorities) would have to work with the US government for that.

"We're not wealthy people."

What fun would it be to be the youngest person to sail around the world if it weren't dangerous. You can't take chances if you can't deal with the consequences.

Posted 6/12/2010 01:03:00 PM by Douglas

Interesting web site proving something I already knew: I'm not so smart.

Posted 6/12/2010 12:59:00 PM by Douglas

A growing city with big traffic problems decides the perfect solution is to NOT build roads.

Traffic impact studies presented by a city-hired consulting firm showed the proposed FM 518 Bypass might not be the best solution for traffic problems at the Five Corners intersection.

well that's just super. But here's the money quote:

Resident Shelly A__, a NASA contractor, said imminent job cuts at the Johnson Space Center could decrease the city’s population, which will make a drastic change like relocating FM 270 unnecessary.

Perfect! We don't need no stinkin' roads, because when JSC lays off all the contractors, they'll pack up and leave. What a great solution. Worked for Detroit!

Posted 6/10/2010 05:02:00 PM by Douglas

Government Motors continues its steadfast march into obsolescence.

On Tuesday, G.M. sent a memo to Chevrolet employees at its Detroit headquarters, promoting the importance of “consistency” for the brand, which was the nation’s best-selling line of cars and trucks for more than half a century after World War II.

And one way to present a consistent brand message, the memo suggested, is to stop saying “Chevy,” though the word is one of the world’s best-known, longest-lived product nicknames.

I would think that "Chevy" is as much of a branding icon as any GM owns. Way to piss of your (dwindling) customer base, morons. I liked this touch, though:

A postscript to the memo says a sort of cuss jar - a plastic "Chevy" can - has been placed in the hallway. "Every time someone uses ‘Chevy' rather than Chevrolet," the note said, the employee is expected to put a quarter in the can.

The proceeds are to be spent on "a team building activity."

Is "unemployment" a "team building" activity?

Looks like GM didn't say this:

General Motors Co. on Thursday backed off what it called a "poorly worded" internal memo that asked employees to refer to the brand only as "Chevrolet" instead of its long-standing and well-known nickname.

GM said in a statement that it "in no way" is discouraging anybody from using the name Chevy. The internal memo was part of an effort to develop a consistent brand name as it tries to broaden its global presence.

So they said it in the memo, but you just weren't supposed to see it. Way to go, GM.

When reached for a comment, Chevrolet Chase was quoted as saying "this is bullshit!"

Posted 6/10/2010 04:50:00 PM by Douglas

A little too realistic to be funny, but still:



Kevin Costner is right!

Posted 6/09/2010 06:16:00 PM by Douglas

Turns out Bill "EVACUATE" White, who still wants to be your next governor, made some scratch off of post-Rita contracts he gave out, AFTER over 100 people died due to his unprepared evacuation call.

Former Houston Mayor Bill White, who widely was praised for guiding his city through the devastation of Hurricane Rita, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Tuesday that he made money by investing in a company that was hired to help the region recover from the storm.

I'd almost forgive him if these companies set up contra-flow lanes or anything else that actually HELPED Houston evacuate. But like most vultures, he swoops in afterward and picks apart what's left.

But now it looks like GoodHair wants him to bow out.

Republican Gov. Rick Perry accused Democratic challenger Bill White Wednesday of "profiteering" from Hurricane Rita and said White should drop out of the race if he can't clear up the allegations.

Perry said White should "immediately resign from the race for governor" if he can't better explain an investment he made months after the storm. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that White put $1 million into an energy company that he had enlisted for help after the 2005 hurricane.

Dropping out of the election? OK, I'd be OK with that. In lieu of jail time.

Posted 6/09/2010 06:08:00 PM by Douglas

Keith sums up the death of the CxP and manned space flight.

There comes a time when badly-managed and chronically under-funded programs run out of resources. That is what has happened to Constellation. Of course, in the end, the little guy always gets the shaft.

I still think it's sad we just don't want to do this anymore. But time to move on.

Posted 6/07/2010 05:56:00 PM by Douglas

Guess what, hypochondriac, you're probably not doing yourself any favors by seeing your white-coat friend every time your farts stink.

More medical care won't necessarily make you healthier — it may make you sicker. It's an idea that technology-loving Americans find hard to believe.

Anywhere from one-fifth to nearly one-third of the tests and treatments we get are estimated to be unnecessary, and avoidable care is costly in more ways than the bill: It may lead to dangerous side effects.

Enjoy your radiation!

Posted 6/07/2010 05:48:00 PM by Douglas

I'd really like to know the story of this prop newspaper and why it became so pervasive over such a long period of time.

I don’t know the story behind this prop newspaper, but I assume it was created as a royalty free prop for television shows. Somewhere along the line, the prop became a reoccurring gag between propmasters. Something like how sound designers reuse the Wilhem Scream in every movie. Check out some examples after the jump.

It's probably just the word "fart" repeated hundreds of time on a page.

---

Update on the paper. It's a prop, dummy.

Posted 6/05/2010 06:02:00 PM by Douglas

I've been paid quite handsomely throughout my professional career to calculate heat transfer, but what I've never been able to understand is the notion of a "radiant barrier" in your attic. It's never made sense to me how aluminum foil on the lower deck of your attic could save you anything when it goes to the heat leaking into your house. Well, this guy says a mouth full:

NASA uses radiant barriers because radiation is the only way they can transfer heat from them to other spatial bodies. It’s the only mechanism that works. '

But as long as you’re building your buildings on Earth, in an air-filled environment, there are other mechanisms that are actually more important. But the NASA technology and the “ceramic balls” — it’s all just bullshit.

Put the foil on the outside of your roof, but the inside? I can't see it buying you much, no matter what these brainiacs say. It just doesn't work.

Posted 6/01/2010 06:23:00 PM by Douglas

Upside-down in a mortgage? Wondering if you should just stop paying and walk away? Why bother? Just stop paying. Are they really going to throw you out?

“Instead of the house dragging us down, it’s become a life raft,” said Mr. Pemberton, who stopped paying the mortgage on their house here last summer. “It’s really been a blessing.”

A growing number of the people whose homes are in foreclosure are refusing to slink away in shame. They are fashioning a sort of homemade mortgage modification, one that brings their payments all the way down to zero. They use the money they save to get back on their feet or just get by.

Fuck, why didn't I think of that? STOP paying your bills for financial obligations you willingly entered into. These guys are brilliant. A downside? Is there a moral dilemma?

This type of modification does not beg for a lender’s permission but is delivered as an ultimatum: Force me out if you can. Any moral qualms are overshadowed by a conviction that the banks created the crisis by snookering homeowners with loans that got them in over their heads.

That's right. The evil bank gave me this loan. They knew I didn't qualify for it, but they gave it to me anyway. Well I'm just not going to pay.

“I tried to explain my situation to the lender, but they wouldn’t help,” said Mr. Pemberton’s mother, Wendy Pemberton, herself in foreclosure on a small house a few blocks away from her son’s. She stopped paying her mortgage two years ago after a bout with lung cancer. “They’re all crooks.”

These people don't need to be thrown out of the houses they can't afford. They need to be thrown in the bottom of a well. Is it too late to bring back debtor's prisons?

Posted 6/01/2010 06:03:00 PM by Douglas

The Austrian economists have been preaching doom and/or gloom for a very long time, but this is just peachy. A smattering:

• The tremendous economic Sophism of the day is that a nation can print its way into prosperity; “If debt and money printing equaled prosperity then Zimbabwe would be the richest country.”
• “Mugabe is the economic mentor of Ben Bernanke.”
• There is no means of avoiding a total collapse in the West; at the first train station in 2008, the financial system went bust but didn’t die, at the next station nations will go bust (though this could take 5-10 years or less), but first they will print money as this is the most politically tenable option, and ultimately the world will go to war
• All of us will be doomed

A chilling vision of things to come.

Posted 6/01/2010 05:59:00 PM by Douglas

Just 10 years after everyone else in the country, Tipper finally dumps Al.

Former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, have sent an e-mail to family friends announcing a mutual decision to separate, a longtime family friend told CNN.

Actually, I think I like Al more than Tipper, if only for the PMRC bullshit in the 80s.