stuff-n-things

I'm having one of those weeks in which everything I touch seems to want to turn into a hydra of complicated mess or just turn into crap.

I still don't know why my main DVD player died. Power supply? And the second one is... fussy.

On the plus side, I got my copy of Tower Lord by Anthony Ryan yesterday. So... goooood.....

And now that it's the Third of July:



Compelling argument.

Pun-tastic

Presented without further comment:

What they said

Re: Capaldi being "too old" to be the Doctor.

Things to make a Tuesday less Tuesdayish

• On the topic of Peter Capaldi and profanity...
• Ghost music serenade this fine morning. I'll try to take this as a positive omen.
• BAD! WRONG! BAD!
• Hobbit-a-licious Win!
• A few things to leave you in stitches (yes, I went there)
• RAmen!

Hi NSA!!!

Thank you xkcd!

Huh

If the Internet is to be believed (I love writing statements like that), "Game of Thrones" aired the Red Wedding finally.

Those of us who slogged through the books knew this was coming, but those poor folks who haven't enjoyed George R.R. Martin's prose were in for a bit of a shock.

To those folks, I'd just like to say one thing:

You ain't seen nuthin' yet.

I say, old chap

I am a snob and I need a monocle now.

Though I love Guinness and have a streak of Egalitarian in me.

Shiiiiiiny

I love the 21st Century.

Sure, we've got catastrophic environmental issues that will degrade our quality of life and may well destroy our civilization as it reshapes our world.

Sure the economy is spiraling into shit because a bunch of greedy rat-bastards continue to try to suck away as much wealth as possible, returning human civilization to a feudal-like era.

Sure there's an ever-increasing risk of some batshit crazy lunatic getting a nuke and blowing giant, radioactive holes in the Earth and killing millions.

Sure, we're becoming a psychotic police state.

But technology is inventing awesome stuff! You can get a flashlight that can generate 400 lumens on a single CR123 battery!

BOO-YAH! In your face larger-and-more-important concerns!

Bringing a box cutter to a knife flight

The TSA has finally found a brain cell and is allowing small (less than 6 cm) blades on airplanes. Oh, and golf clubs.

Still don't allow box cutters. Not that I'd ever want to carry a box cutter, but it's still a weird, nonsensical restriction.

Interestingly-enough, these loosened restrictions mean that the Titanium Utility Ring is now "TSA legal".

The revised rules otherwise make a certain sense. The knives have to be folding but not able to lock. So small Leatherman or Swiss Army tools can be carried as tools while large lockbacks or full-sized Leathermans or similar items that can be more effective weapons get put in checked luggage.

Note I said "more effective". Let's face it, a resourceful and properly-trained person can turn innocuous things into a weapon or figure out ways past the unfunny comedy of airport security theater.

At this rate, we may actually have something that might be vaguely sane airplane security rules just in time for the collapse of human civilization. Go hope!

Huh...

The Oscars were on last night?

Huh. Imagine that.

Yawn.

Sooty Wednesday. No wait...

Yesterday was Mardi Gras?

I missed Mardi Gras?

I'm not sure how I feel about that.

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This whole Christopher Dorner thing in SoCal is weirdly-Hollywood. Apparently he got a bunch of SCUBA gear at one point.

Needless to say, I wouldn't be terribly shocked if it turned out he's still alive. Just sayin'.

---

My calendar claims yesterday was Lincoln's Birthday, today is Ash Wednesday, and tomorrow is that day people give each other candy. The one that isn't Halloween.

Interesting series of events.

Ash Wednesday. My Catholicism has lapsed sufficiently that I've deleted most of my Catholic lore. Isn't that going into Lent? I suppose I could look it up on Wikipedia, but that would imply I care.

---

I didn't pay attention to the TV schedule. So when I set my recording for "White Collar", I found I'd recorded a dog show on USA.

There are still dog shows. This both amuses and puzzles me.

Then again, this is a world in which ping-pong is an Olympic sport. So is golf.

People watch golf on TV. And they enjoy it.

At some point in my past, I must've stumbled into the Twilight Zone or something.

I bet in my universe, "Firefly" is still on the air. *Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh*

Ooh! I KNOW! I KNOW!

Ars Technica asks why was the Earth bombarded wtih high energy particles in the year 774 A.D.?

It was clearly the Doctor's doing.

Duh!

Discovery of the moment

Personal log:

Excavation of beige site 7.

After some time inspecting site 7, I have initiated excavation at the behest of my superior.

I've discovered something curious beneath several layers of compressed vegetable matter containing various incomprehensible records of the local civilization.

The discovery is a cool, grey, solid surface beneath the layers. At this point I cannot excavate further without specialized tools.

This seems to indicate that site 7 is actually supported by some sort of infrastructure. According to the locals, they call this a "desk". Under some sort of local legend, such structures are usually not obscured by layers of compressed vegetable matter.

Most curious. I continue to excavate in hopes of learning more.