David – Page 354 – third world county

February 4, 2008

Petition: Berkeley v. Marines, an issue of free speech/association

By now, most readers of this blog have heard that

…the City Council of Berkeley has declared that United States Marine Corps recruiters are “uninvited and unwelcome intruders” within city limits and applauds those who choose to “impede” the Marines in their recruiting mission…

Take a few moments to visit

A Petition in Support of the U.S. Marine Corps Against the 29 January 2008 Resolutions of the Berkeley City Council

…and perhaps sign the petition, before forwarding the information to everyone you feel should view it.

Trackposted to Right Pundits, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Woman Honor Thyself, Right Truth, A Newt One- Shared News!, The World According to Carl, DragonLady’s World, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Leaning Straight Up, Dumb Ox Daily News, and Stageleft, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

February 4, 2008February 4, 2008

“One CLICK to rule them all… “

…and in the shadows bind them…

I recently recieved feedback on an email where I’d referred the readers to a page and included download instructions (for a book on intelligence). Part of the instructions were “Right-Click on the link… ” The feedback I recieved? From a Mac user, paraphrased, “Right-click? What’s that?”

Well, obviously that was from a traditional Mac user. Contemporary Intel Macs often come with multi-button/multi-function mice that do not require keyboard-one-button mouse combos to emulate the functionality Windows and Linux users have long enjoyed. Traditional one-button Mac mice were apparently based on the Apple assumption (or perhaps it was solid research into the Mac user base) that MAc users couldn’t handle anything as complex as two-button mice, either because of the extreme mental effort required to manage such a large number (2) or because of poor physical coordination.

Regardless, it seem that in order to attract more users, Apple has had to adopt more and more features from the PC side of the divide (along with th hardware it has been adopting for years until now it simply sells PCs with the Mac OS tacked on), and true multi-function mice are now available for Mac users as well as the rest of the world, which has had them for many years.

Now, that’s “innovation” eh?

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February 2, 2008February 2, 2008

NASA/USAF Poo the Scrooch

*heh*

USAF/NASA Red Tape Cancels Launch of Model Rockets

“The planned launch of 50 Juno I model rockets from Cape Canaveral to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Explorer I launch has now been cancelled by the station’s wing commander. Although the CCAFS has no qua[l]ms about launching Deltas, Atlas and other massive rockets, they go into a complete tither when it comes down to launching a 12 inch long model rocket made of balsa wood and paper weighing just under 2 oz…

“…Thus, all over America on January 31, 2008 school kids and adults will celebrate the the day that the US Army launched Explorer I into space by launching model rockets. In spite of the winter conditions, the launches will take place in parks and school yards and back yards all over the United States- every place EXCEPT for Cape Canaveral.

“In 1958, the US Army restored the nation’s pride following Sputnik, but it seems that in 2008, the Air Force and NASA cannot even get out of their own red taped way to launch a simple rocket made of balsa wood and paper.”

A bit more at the link.

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February 1, 2008February 4, 2008

OK, I’m trying really hard to “get” the idea of an iMac

iMacs look cool. And they’re undoubtedly well-made. Heck, getting one with OSX “Leopard” installed is guaranteed to make a computing experience mostly pleasant, no doubt.

But. “On Sale” at MacMall:

iMac 24″ Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16 GHz
24″, 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM, 250GB SATA, DVD-R/CD-RW Super Drive 8x, 10/100/1000 BASE-T Enet, Built-in AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth 2.0, Built-in iSight, OS X 10.5 Leopard: Only ~~$1,499.00~~ $1,399.00

Let’s see: I have no use for bluetooth. I won’t be using any computer as a primary viewing device for DVDs, etc. I do NOT like having to add capabilities via a mess of USB cabling or wireless external devices strung out all over, preferring to add such things whenever possible IN the computer case–and the iMac AIO “feature” pretty much precludes such use. Oh, the “Built-in iSight”? *pfui* The things are regularly available for between $1 and $10 all over the place. I guess “built-in” (meaning non-user-configurable aiming/focusing, or at least highly limited) is soooo much better, eh?

Then there’s the wonderfully low price for the thing. *pfui* I can build a computer (including two 17″ LCD displays–better for my use than one 24″ by far) that has a faster processor (still X86, just like the iMac), has more memory, twice the hard drive space, wireless kybd/mouse, a GREAT (not “Super” *heh*) DVDRW drive, etc. for about $500 or so. (Yes, I have run the numbers, cos I’m looking at building–read “assembling”–another personal box Real Soon Now, anyway.) Plunk in PCBSD or Ubuntu and even a spare copy of WinXP, or just use WINE. (OK, if I were to have to buy another copy of WinXP Pro, it’d cost me about $90 or so.)

Heck, I’d even include a nice floppy drive for backward compatibility and not go above my $500 mark.

All with good quality components and room for expansion and adding more features in the box any time I wanted to.

I can even make the thing use a GUI with a “Mac-like” look and feel if I wish (done it, but didn’t much care for it–strictly personal taste), and with PCBSD even use the same basic UNIX Apple uses with OSX.

So, spend about three times what it should cost just to get something that looks cool but takes up no less desktop space (yeh: sit the ordinary PC “tower” on the floor where it belongs, OK?) and locks the user into the OSX straightjacket.

Sorry, I’m still not “getting it”.

/rant

But I’m sure it works really well for folks who need a hand-holding, training wheels computing experience, and that’s just fine; it’s a perfectly good option for folks who are less hands on and feel comfortable throwing money around as though it pours out of a firehose. I’m just too much of a tightwad, and I prefer having my computers do things my way.

Heck, I think that these iMacs are the ONLY thing that should be allowed in “Assisted Computing Facilities”–*LOL*

“Here, dearie, let me make that mouse click for you…”

*heh*

I’m sure Medicare or some other fedgov thingy would pay for it.

/rant off

Now, what I really don’t get is those folks who buy an iMac… and then immediately install Microsoft Office on it. What’s with that? *heh*

January 31, 2008July 14, 2015

T-13; 2.03: Thirteen Health Benefits of… Coffee

Coffee, THE number one Holy Brew has a bad rap among the twittering masses. Here are a few of the many ways coffee is a blessing:

1.) Lowers risk of diabetes¹

2.) Lowers risk of Parkinson’s¹

3. Lowers risk of colon cancer¹

4.) Mood enhancer¹

5.) Headache treatment¹ (“…a single dose of pain reliever such as Anacin or Excedrin contains up to 120 milligrams” of caffeine. *heh*)

6.) Useful as a paliative in Adult ADD/ADHD² (medicating children out of their right minds is another issue entirely *sigh*).

7.) Some research indicates drinking coffee helps prevent dental caries³

8.) Helps in asthma management.¹

9.) Enhances athletic performance. ⁴ (Of course, for me that means the ability to walk briskly to the network closet to reset a router… :-))

10.) Coffee with milk daily=less childhood depression.⁴ (But of course! Who wouldn’t have (had) a better childhood with a daily dose of The Holy Brew #1? *heh*)

11.) Oops. Left out lowers risk of breast, liver and rectal cancer.⁵

12.) With over four times the active anti-oxidants found in tea, coffee is better at providing the heart-health benefits often touted for that beverage.⁶

13.) Despite what you may have heard (even from so-called medical professionals) the evidence is that coffee does NOT cause elevated blood pressure and poses no risk for those who have high blood pressure.⁵. Oh, and coffee is no more diuretic than plain old everyday water.⁶

I could go on, but I think you get the point,

O Blessed, Holy Caffeine Tree!

Midi File:

Mp3 File (Courtesy of the Morning Coffee and Afternoon Tea Singers):

Go ahead; sing along. 🙂

(This mp3 is a lower-sampling-rate version of trhe one at the Morning Coffee and Afternoon Tea link above.)

Oh, and here’s another verse, not included in the verses above:

O Blessed Holy Caffeine Tree,
In gratitude I sing of thee,
For all the ways you give life zest,
O Caffeine Tree, you are the best!

N.B.–The graphic above has a word-switch in the second verse that I need to get around to editing. First one to spot it gets two brownie points, redeemable for absolutely nothing but a pat on the back and a hearty “Attaboy/girl!”

🙂

If you wish to use this song for your personal amusement, just print it out and/or download or record the MIDI file. Do NOT remove the copyright information and do NOT reproduce multiple copies for use by a group unless

1.) You credit me and
2.) Notify me of its use in a group/choral setting and
3.) Provide me with a recording of any performance

Do NOT download or otherwise reproduce the mp3 recording Christine of Morning Coffee and Afternoon Tea made without contacting HER and asking HER permission to do so.

Do not use this material in any way to produce income or for sale or distribution without my permission. Period. Ever. Clear?

If you have any questions just email me at mnmus@thirdworldcounty.us

Noted at The Thursday Thirteen Hub and Trackposted to The Virtuous Republic, Rosemary’s Thoughts, The Random Yak, Right Truth, Shadowscope, Pirate’s Cove, Big Dog’s Weblog, Cao’s Blog, Leaning Straight Up, The Pet Haven, A Newt One, Conservative Cat, Adeline and Hazel, Right Voices, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

January 30, 2008January 30, 2008

“I mock you with my monkey pants”

(Thanks for the post title, Oz)

One of my favorite times of the year is here. For the next month or so, I get to mock all the illiterati, lazy bums and idiots who can’t pronounce February correctly. Happy-happy-joy-joy for a curmudgeon! *heh* Heck, I’ve gotten an early start, as I’ve listened to professional babblers mispronounce it as Feb-YOU-ary for the last week or so. Idiots. Lazy bums. Illiterati. Happy-happy-joy-joy. 🙂

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January 29, 2008January 29, 2008

It’s a rope, maybe a tree, perhaps a kazoo…

Ever listen to a politician *spit*, Mass Media Podperson, or Academia Nut Fruitcake a talk about a “problem” (usually caused by their interference)? They all seem to sound like the proverbial blind men attempting to describe an elephant. Nothing they say seems to have anything but the slightest, almost fantastical relation to the actual facts, but they are rock solid certain (or rock solid liars pretending to be rock solid certain) that what they describe is real, real I tell you!

*sigh*

The sad thing is that so many self-made idiot sheeple stupidly nod their heads, “Baaah, baaah, baaah,” in agreement with these talking heads of cabbage.

And that, my friends, is why we have both the Dhimmicrappic and Republican’t parties acting together as the Uniparty, fighting over how quickly to tear this country down and salt the earth it sprang from.

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January 28, 2008January 28, 2008

On Weasel Words

Mark Steyn, the otherwise clear thinker who’s under legal attack by Muslims for happening to notice that Islam is not exactly the “religion of peace” its disingenuous defenders claim, has also come under (just, IMO) attack from others for distinguishing between “Islamists” and so-called “ordinary Muslims.”

Just so we’re clear here, I do appreciate Steyn’s attempts to realistically note the clear danger Islam poses to the West (most particularly via the West’s increasing embrace of the suicidal tendency to kowtow to inferior cultures), but I agree with his detracters’ assertions that embracing the term “Islamist” give cover to the practice of al-taqiya–so-called “holy deception” by Muslims as practiced against the “dar al harb“–by Muslims who are no more peaceful than the terrorists they provide with aid and comfort.

Nor do I agree that the masses of Muslims who appear to be peaceful (whether simply because they do not happen to be genuine followers of the Prophet of hate, mass murder, rape, pillage, etc. or because they simply have not yet had opportunity to kill the kafirs) are not supporters of their terrorist brethren. As long as they begin their Islamic new year celebrating the murder of over 900 Jewish men and the rape, enslaving and pillage of their wives, children and goods, NO MUslim is anything BUT a supporter of terrorism.

Frankly, I don’t see why “ordinary Muslims” should get a bye just because they are dishonest.

And that brings me to one of my favorite quotes, taken from The Weapon, by Michael Z. Williamson,

I don’t care what the historians have to say about Lenin, the “Irish Republican Army” (which was neither Irish, Republican, nor an army), Hamas, al Qaeda… or any other group of thugs in history, or those running around now. They attack civilians to create terror, to force a government to yield. They do not attack politicians directly, or soldiers or cops. They attack civilians “because they have no choice” (and because their penises are too small for real fights and they lack the intelligence to stage real revolutions)…

[Their terrorist acts are] never their fault, of course. It’s the fault of anyone who won’t give them money, agree with their brand of extremism, and worship God in their fashion. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself for causing so much anguish?

The Weapon

Make the connection yourself.

As for me, I make no distinction between “Muslim,” “Islamist” and “Islamic terrorist” because even the common, ordinary, run of the mill pseudo-“peaceful” Muslim venerates the hate-mongering terrorist founder of Islam, Mohammed, The Butcher of Medina.

Just a thought from the starboard side of the Mothership, Planet Earth…

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January 27, 2008

Pray that God does indeed “watch over fools, drunkards and the United States… “

Trenchant comment of the week:

Today both parties seem to subscribe to the notion that we have social problems — lack of medical insurance, bad education — that can be fixed by the Federal Government. The notion of local control and states rights, transparency and responsibility, the idea that the people most affected by policies ought to have some control (such as local school boards controlling both education and its finance) is pretty well considered ludicrous by nearly every academic intellectual and political leader in the nation. Fascism has prevailed, and we hardly notice it.

Yet the conservatives, who want to allow local control and to limit the power of the greater government to interfere in people’s lives, are thought to be the fascists. So it goes.

Yep. The Uniparty (call e’m Dhimmican’ts or Republocrats or whatever) is the modern Fascist Party in drag. Limp-wristed fascism. And so the dream of the Founders ends; not with a bang but a whimper. (With semi-sincere apologies to T.S. Eliot. ;-))

*sigh*

Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, The World According to Carl, The Pink Flamingo, Big Dog’s Weblog, Cao’s Blog, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, A Newt One- blog talkradio show tonight, A Newt One, Stageleft, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

January 27, 2008

From the Mailbag…

[OK, so I can think of a downside, but on balance… ]

Thanks to G.F. I now have something more to add to my wish list…

“After going through a virus attack, losing a hard drive, fighting off hackers, upgrading all my software, installing fire-walls, being threatened with being cut-off by my email provider, and a host of other problems…

I have fixed my computer…

…and NOW it works exactly the way I want it to!”

Continue reading “From the Mailbag…”