NASA Betrayed by Microsoft Product

"Most detailed map" data can't be accessed due to what is probably a slashdotting and a poor implementation of an obstreperous database shackled with a punishing licensing scheme.

Man of the Year

Unwatchable train wreck that has all of Wag the Dog's flaws plus lots of new ones. Christopher Walken's character, created in spite of his dialogue rather than through it, is the sole redeeming characteristic. I actually started skimming at about 45 minutes, which, if you know me, I don't do. I didn't skim Kristin Lavransdatter, for example.

Preachy But Timely

WayLay | Salon Comics

Buzzword Bingo with a Side of Techno-Babble

ElasticVapor :: Life in the Cloud: The Day the Cloud Died
This why the real world hates blogging.

The Last Hurrah

I just watched The Last Hurrah which is chock full of great character actors but is drivel, and was going to make what I thought was an original observation about the finale but I was totally skunked by Time in 1958. Snow White, cf.

I Can't Believe I Am Giving This Stuff Away for Free

I am Carbunicle.

Overloaded Power Strip Starts Fire

Fire guts U-District copy shop
If you have to use a power strip, use one with a fuse. And don't daisy chain them, for God's sake! Looking at you, former workplace with the low regard for fire safety.

SC gov resurfaces after mystery trip to Argentina

His politics are not the same as mine but I cannot condone all this fuss and upset. Is he required to be reachable all the time? If this was the first time, it would be prudent to worry, but he has done this before (with far less panic from the blog-nuts) and he announced to his wife and staff, in effect, "I'm taking off somewhere for a while. Be back soon." Get off his neck, already.
The only people who might have an issue are his life insurance underwriters.

Update: He went to Argentina to see his mistress. And made a big weepy to-do about it. lame. Now he sucks for keeping secrets from his wife and then being a big baby. Lame. On the other hand, why is his personal life more important than his political acts? Why?

Well - How the Food Makers Captured Our Brains - NYTimes.com

or: In Praise of Snickers. To which I will testify. If given a choice, it's always Snickers.
update: on the Thursday Daily Show, Cameron Diaz told Jon Stewart that Snickers are sugar crack.

Banking broken, consumers need help: U.S. watchdog | Reuters

Although the barn door is indeed open and the horse is gone, this will have to do. Alternately, just nationalize the banks already and finish the job that Hamilton started.

Not good. Not good at all.

Local News | Auditors throw up hands at how poorly King County tracks spending | Seattle Times Newspaper

Nerd Harmonic Convergence

John Hodgman at Radio & TV Correspondents' Dinner

Bailed-out banks' CEOs used jets for personal use| Reuters

Bailed-out banks' CEOs used jets for personal use: report | Reuters
The article mentions new rules for 2009 that will prevent this abuse of the public weal.

Too late to reboot when in the air

Miranda Devine: "Too late to reboot when in the air"
As usual, bad news for Airbus is good news for Boeing. Although the "cheaper" pilots discussion is alarming.

Fun With Words

As the brain winds down into its September stage and the demands put upon it strain its dobbin back, perhaps a crutch becomes needed. Or in this brain's particular case, one of those little carts for dogs with weak hips. An example is vocabulary software when trolling through the thesaurus becomes a chore.

The Economy is Not Fine

"For Crabtree the coffee shop literally was home. He and his two daughters, their two boyfriends, and his two infant grandchildren lived in quarters attached to the Grand View (topless coffee shop)."

Unemployed Nerds Leave Basement

Amid hard times, an influx in real superheroes - CNN.com
I'm not arguing against volunteering or cosplay but I'm not sure it's two great tastes that taste great together.
On the other hand, the image of Ravenblade and Xtreme doing a Walk for Babies is charming.

David Carradine RIP

Suicide in a fancy Bangkok hotel.

After Before and Before After (In Progress)

When I replaced the wax ring under the toilet, some of the old linoleum came away and I decided to pull it up, which led to the state in the first picture. One trip to Ace Hardware later I had a heat gun and a scraper to use against the linoleum which I figured would be a snap because that center bit came up so easy.

Not so.

The rest of the floor can be revealed at about one inch every 5 minutes. Aaaaaagh!

Homo Sapiens Astronauticus

"Another possibility is to select astronauts based on genetic factors that would make them more resilient to the effects of space radiation."
In space no one can hear you being naturally selected.