1 min read
As a veteran let me just remind folks that memorial day isn’t about those of us who survived. Please, don’t thank us - instead use today to reflect on the ultimate sacrifice that so many others have made in the past (and are still making).
Please don’t cheapen the day by focusing on all veterans - focus on those who have given their lives in the line of duty.
3 min read
There is a nasty angry cat that lives in our neighborhood. He’s a real fucker.
A couple weeks ago while walking our dog this cat jumped out of the shadows and just attacked the dog with a couple of quick swipes of his clawed paws. He was totally unafraid. I had an old police night stick with me and I popped it not too hard in the stomach to get it to back off and it just stepped back, arched its’ back, and hissed at me. I thought, for a moment, that he was about to attack me too so I popped him softly in the nose to make sure he realized I had good reach and that the stick was hard. He turned tail and left us alone.
Until last night. Last night we went for a walk and our cats, as usual, walked with us (albiet at a slight distance behind). When the walk was done we all headed in the house. The cats are a real pain about crossing the threshold and they always approach it as if it were a trap but last night piglet bolted in but grover, stubborn old grover, wouldn’t go in so I closed the door.
As soon as the door was shut I heard the tell-tale sounds of a cat fight. Hissing and howling and growling. I opened the door back up and that fucking cat was attacking grover right on our porch. I didn’t have the club with me but I did have the dog, off a leash, and she bolted outside to dish out payback.
The cats both bolted in different directions and Rosie (the dog) and I both chased the cat. Rosie supermanned it over the fence in hot pursuit (glad we built the fence to safely contain her). I followed along up to the nearest intersection where Rosie had cornered the cat under a parked car.
The cat tried a couple times, unsuccesfully, to sneak out a different side of the car but Rosie is fast and was waiting for the little feline devil could escape. Eventually I called Rosie over and we abandoned the cat and I felt good that we had at least scared the cat and maybe given it a reason to reconsider coming in our yard again.
I doubt it but I’m hopeful.
Eventually Grover came back home and he had a bunch of loose fur on his back near his tail. I removed it and checked him for real injury but he seemed ok. So I let him go in (he entered reasonable fast this time) and Rosie ran over to see how he was.
He smacked Rosie in the face and then bolted up the stairs. Clearly Grover was in no mood for anyone, but me, to be near him at that point and I don’t blame him. Rosie shrugged it off. Rosie’s cool like that.
That cat,if it comes back in my yard, and I can catch it, will be going to the pound. If I can’t catch it I’ll probably shoot it. It’s a fucking menace.
2 min read
I keep seeing Google reference QR codes for a variety of things in relation to the android phones on the market but I never really hear about QR codes and the iPhone. However, today I decided to see what was available for my phones crappy camera. It turns out there is one really good, and free, option - i-nigima. I saw it referenced in an article about books with QR Codes in them and then again in the comments on an article comparing other QR code readers for the iPhone.
I tried a couple of other apps before trying i-nigma and I have to say that i-nigma blows them out of the water. To test it I went to a website that will make QR codes for you (it was pretty cool too). I-nigma handled almost everything I threw at it. The only code it couldn’t read was for a QR code for text that was longer than 500 characters long. It was fine with URLs, Calls, SMS, and vCards and text up to 500 characters.
It’s pretty impressive really - so if you have an iPhone check it out.
2 min read
It goes without saying that the internet is an amazing resource for information retreival and, thanks to sites like snopes.com, a lot of the bullshit information out there has been debunked.
Sadly, for many people sites like snopes don’t seem to exist. Far too many people just pass on the absolute bullshit they hear or that they find in their mailbox. They pass it on as if it were gospel instead of taking a minute to actually check and see if what they are propogating is bullshit or not.
Take this new story going around about how Pres. Obama is a piece of shit because he is the first president, since memorial day’s inception, who won’t be at Arlington laying a wreath. Instead he will be in Chicago.
It sounds believable on the surface - I mean, who really keeps track of Presidents on memorial day and whether they are at Arlington. Well, it is a total bullshit story. In fact, in the past 30 years only one president has gone to Arlington for each of the years of his presidency.
It wasn’t Regan or either of the Bush’s by the way - it was that damn draft dodging Bill Clinton (though not a felonious draft doger)
There are some out there who dismiss snopes as having a “liberal bias” and to them I say “bullshit” as well. Read the Clinton article I linked to - they categorize his actions as “unethical” and “morally reprehensible.” Snopes has problems (like too much and far too invasive advertising) but their bias isn’t one of them.
Stop spouting off with complete and utter bullshit and get your facts straight people. I’m getting tired of telling you that you’re wrong.
1 min read
Link: Throw Out the Kids Menu
I like this guy’s style. Throw out the kids menu and “force” your kids to try new things - if they don’t try new things how will they know what they are capable of?
1 min read
I just came across this via John Mayer’s tumblog, jhnmyr - It’s a link to a website that shows various drinks with their equivalent’s in sugar shown as food. For instance this atrocity - Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream (venti, 20 fl oz) - is shown to be the sugar equivalent of 8½ scoops Edy’s Slow Churned Rich and Creamy Coffee Ice Cream - WTF!
Sadly, the pictures get much worse and the text under each describe how these drinks are bad for you beyond just sugar content. The coffee shown is said to have as much saturated fat as two slices of deep dish sausage and pepperoni pizza from Domino’s on top of all that sugar.
Go on, read it for your hearts sake.
Pictures of drinks beside their sugar equivalents in food. Some you expect but most are quite shocking.
