Archive for January, 2005
Thus spake Evil Overload
January 28, 2005 at 12:22 pm
Who knew?
Flying carpets were discouraged in the Islamic lands for two reasons. The official line was that man was never intended to fly, and the flying carpet was a sacrilege to the order of things, an argument that was spread enthusiastically by a zealous clergy. The second reason was economic. For the establishment, it was necessary to keep the horse and the camel as the standard means of transport. The reason was that certain Arab families, who had access to the inner chambers of successive rulers, had become rich because of their vast stud farms, where they bred hundreds of thousands of horses each year for the army, merchants and the proletariat. It was the same with camels. Certain Egyptian king-makers (listed by Ben Sherira as the Hatimis, the Zahidis and the progeny of Abu Hanifa II) owned camel farms, and enjoyed a total monopoly on the supply of camels in the whole of the Islamic empire. None of these old families wanted their privileges usurped by a small group of poor artisans who could potentially wreck their markets by making flying carpets popular. Thus they were undermined.
Heh. Link (via Hit and Run)
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Thus spake Ennui
at 7:48 am
Warning: The way a right-wing “parents” group is wasting the FCC’s time might just make you (dare we say it?) “pissed.”
By Amy Reiter
Jan. 27, 2005
On Monday, the Federal Communications Commission announced that it had rejected 36 complaints of indecency brought by the right-wing Parents Television Council against TV shows like “Friends,” “The Simpsons,” “Scrubs” and “The Gilmore Girls.”
This may seem like an encouraging development, depending on how you felt about the FCC’s recent fining of TV and radio networks thanks to Janet Jackson and Howard Stern, or its prolonged deliberation over whether Bono’s uttering of the F-word — in joy, as an intensifier — at the 2003 Golden Globes deserved sanction, or how its “indecency” crusade was used to frighten TV stations away from airing “Saving Private Ryan” (also found by the FCC this week to be A-OK).
source: Salon.com
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Thus spake Joanne
January 27, 2005 at 8:43 am
Thus spake Sheni
at 8:40 am
This is important, because we were asked the question at work today, “Would you rather have a room full of dimes or a room full of quarters?” Theoretically, if:
V of 3dimes <= V of 1 quarter
Then you would prefer to have a room full of dimes. But if the opposite is true, then you would prefer a room full of quarters.
Ideally, you would be able to figure out the volume of one dime and the volume of one quarter, then divide each of them into the volume of the room, multiplying each result by it’s respective monetary value.
But I think this might be an oversimplification of the problem. Because you still have to deal with the issue of area. Mainly, since the dime is smaller, could you fit more rows of dimes in the room. If you could shake the room around a little bit, then you might think more dimes would find their own little nook and cranny amongst the other dimes.
Anybody got an answer?
Thanks ACraw.
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Thus spake Joanne
January 26, 2005 at 7:43 pm
Thus spake Evil Overload
at 8:48 am
This page generates permanent links to New York Times articles, suitable for weblogging. These links are to the NYT archives, so they won’t expire. It may or may not bypass the membership thing, I can’t tell. Someone without a membership to the New York Times website, try viewing this article and let me know if it works.
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Thus spake Evil Overload
at 6:09 am
This morning, on the sidewalks of Downtown, some tool has written “Condor on MTV @ 4:30″ in chalk. Definitely effective, but it made me wish for a pressure-sprayer.
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Thus spake Evil Overload
January 25, 2005 at 6:41 am
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Check out the godawful sound this thing makes by clicking here. Also, an article about the devils and their island home here.
And, for those not easily nauseated, here’s a video of a horde of these beasts making a road-killed kangaroo disappear.
(via Boingboing) |
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Thus spake Ennui
January 24, 2005 at 2:42 pm
Thus spake Evil Overload
at 1:29 pm
Using an enzyme that promotes cell division, scientists are now able to cause an egg cell to divide, providing a source of embryonic stem cells without the need to sacrifice a potentially viable embryo. Hopefully this will allow further research into theraputic use of stem cells without tying in debate over abortion and related matters. Link
(thanks, Heather!)
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Thus spake Antropologo
January 22, 2005 at 6:28 pm
Link
“This morning, while joking around with my girlfriend, i referred to my “male implement” as a “wand of fucking +2,” and proceeded to request that she make a saving throw against orgasm.”
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Thus spake Antropologo
at 6:07 pm
Thus spake Antropologo
at 5:57 pm
Link to News Story
International gangs such as Mara Salvatrucha-13 and Mara 18, continue to increase the scope of their activities throughout North America, Mexico, and Central America. The maras (or gangs) originated in LA as a way for Salvadorenos to defend against Mexican gangs, but have now gone global.
“They provide security to the drug smugglers and human traffickers,” said Moises Sanchez Lopez, a university professor who heads a human rights group in Tapachula. “They are the army of these people. They have created a society of fear.”
Seriously folks, these maras pose a real threat to the stability of countries to our south. I also think they are the most likely candidates for recruiting potential terrorists — or to harbor radical Islamic terrorists
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Thus spake Antropologo
January 21, 2005 at 2:27 pm
Thus spake Evil Overload
at 9:43 am
Woohoo. Bring on the O’Doules.
Japanese scientists recently discovered that, while heavy consumption of alchohol greatly increases the risk of cancer, there are compounds, as yet not isolated, in lager and stout that reduce much of the DNA damage from certain carcinogens. Mice that were given non-alchoholic beer instead of water to drink showed 85% less damage to their DNA. The scientists have not yet done tests to determine if moderate consumption of normal beer has a positive effect. Link
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Thus spake Evil Overload
January 20, 2005 at 9:26 am
Thus spake Evil Overload
at 9:10 am
Thus spake Evil Overload
at 9:06 am
Thus spake Bailywolf
at 7:02 am
Thus spake Tycho
January 19, 2005 at 3:49 pm
Is this cool or what? The city of Philadelphia is planning to offer city-wide WiFi coverage at dial-up cost, or even less for folks with low incomes. Link.
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Thus spake Sheni
at 12:18 pm
I hate to beat a dead horse, but ….
I found this clever little NY Times article that goes in depth about the Golden Girls - Sex and the City connection.
Conclusion: Dorothy = Carrie.
For instance:
Truly, the parallels between the two shows are uncanny. Our leads are the sensible, sane but tartly funny career girls Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) in “Sex and the City” and Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur) in “The Golden Girls.” Each is haunted by her leading man — Mr. Big always seems to arrive at Carrie’s apartment stoop just when she’s gotten over him, and Stan, Dorothy’s ex-husband, reappears like a rash.
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Thus spake Sheni
January 18, 2005 at 1:45 pm
Thus spake Sheni
January 17, 2005 at 7:05 pm
Thus spake Antropologo
at 2:16 pm
Thus spake Adrian
January 15, 2005 at 9:59 am
Thus spake Evil Overload
January 13, 2005 at 9:05 am
Thus spake Bailywolf
at 8:52 am
Thus spake Evil Overload
January 12, 2005 at 12:40 pm
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”
-Winston Churchill
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Thus spake Ennui
at 11:51 am
Thus spake Sheni
January 11, 2005 at 6:04 pm
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