This video makes me think that we're a decent amount of sue-happy.

Step 1. Read this comic. Hold that thought.

Step 2. (optional) If you haven't seen the Boom De Yada ad from The Discovery Channel, please do so now.

Step 3. Read XKCD's version of the Boom De Yada Song

Step 4. Watch this video done by some random fans of both.

Step 5. Grin.

"China plans to deploy 20 anti-aircraft (AA) guns around the city, firing a steady barrage of special payloads containing silver iodide and dry ice into cloud cover, whenever it should appear."

Teach your kids about freedom with the new Playmobil Security Checkpoint!

The best part is the comments, for example:

I was a little disappointed when I first bought this item, because the functionality is limited. My 5 year old son pointed out that the passenger's shoes cannot be removed. Then, we placed a deadly fingernail file underneath the passenger's scarf, and neither the detector doorway nor the security wand picked it up. My son said "that's the worst security ever!". But it turned out to be okay, because when the passenger got on the Playmobil B757 and tried to hijack it, she was mobbed by a couple of other heroic passengers, who only sustained minor injuries in the scuffle, which were treated at the Playmobil Hospital. The best thing about this product is that it teaches kids about the realities of living in a high-surveillence society. My son said he wants the Playmobil Neighborhood Surveillence System set for Christmas. I've heard that the CC TV cameras on that thing are pretty worthless in terms of quality and motion detection, so I think I'll get him the Playmobil Abu-Gharib Interogation Set instead (it comes with a cute little memo from George Bush).

It's the See Spot Run version of Beowulf. This is best read aloud so go slow.

Why Norway? You gotta check Norway for Lions (plush lions and tigers are now avail) oh, and Magical Trevor.

The mighty hunter even Sleeps fiercely. Grrr

Includes how to get the cardboard for free, assemble and paint the walls.

It's an great view of what it was like to be a geek in a earlier age. The details have changed, but the story is familiar.

Some jargon for the added enjoyment:
CQ: I'm looking for someone to talk to. (Say it out loud a couple times)
CW: Continuous Wave i.e., Morse code

A man's home is his Castle

It's wood with stone veneer. Take a look at the construction album.

We Three Kings

Sara was in the church choir when this claymation Christmas special came out. And yes, they sang We Three Kings at mass. And yes, her brothers were sitting up in the front row where she could see them. It may be the case, though the 5th Amendment says I don't have to admit this, that some number of Sara's brothers gestured, bopped, "Bedoo Be dooo"d and otherwise distracted her during their rendition of this song.

See also YouTube search for Claymation Christmas

For the computer geeks in the audience.

For comparative reference, here's my archive of a collection of forum posts on this topic.

[One ad reads] "Carve the turkey any way you damn well please." Think about the number of assumptions there. A shrill harpie of a wife, so overbearing that she's prone to criticizing her husband's turkey carving, yet so inept that she can't carve the turkey herself because it's a man's job. A henpecked, spineless cad of a husband, so hapless that he accepts her orders to portion the poultry but then holds onto the resentment of her criticisms of his effort. A relationship so broken and twisted that his purchase of a blood-tainted rock from a monopolist cartel would appease her superficiality enough to get her to relent from her sniping at his performance of a trivial act. And this seems like a bargain because this man is so emotionally worthless that he couldn't just say, "Hey, if you want me to carve the turkey, you should probably be less critical of how I do it."

Jake's a fighting friend who got tapped by the army to go to Iraq. We chatted on AOL IM for a couple hours last night and figured out all (I think) the bits and pieces of GI gear that he'd need to make workable armor for SCA heavy weapons fighting. Apparently they have no leather or barrel plastic so he's going to use his normal army body armor. I hope he manages it.

If you can find any true statements in there, tell me.
"OPEC which stands for 'North Atlantic Treaty Organization'" *groan*

Design by Unintelligent Hand
Theory of Creation by Flying Spaghetti Monster

I did mention the offensive part right? Yes, I did. Don't click those. It'll just make you angry. D.U.H. is less offensive and mentions baby tiger cubs. F.S.M. may cause mouth-frothing, but they do have a good point that there is a corelation between global warming and the decreasing number of pirates.

Apart from that, Bastard Operator From Hell is generally not offensive to religious people and is also funny. Hose monkeys, by the way, are similiar to Sock Monkeys but less cuddly. Some people trim off the metal couplings, I guess that would help.

Remember, you only have to get a touch over half the population to vote for you (Only a third in the UK). With half the population having an IQ of less than 100 you don't need to promise all that much to get their vote.

Stating the obvious and then grossly oversimplifying the action to take is a pretty good way to get elected. from a slashdot comment

If you say "49% of people are dumber than average" . . . How else would you do it though? Everyone has different experiences and if you cut someone out of the voting pool, they'll get the short end of the stick sooner or later.

I'm thinking of setting up a political Wiki for the calm rational discussion of political points and their supporting arguements. Could ya cope? Would ya use it? What's a wiki?

I'd run it here but I don't really want to remind you dear readers about all the birthday's and anniversaries coming up in my family. :) Jenny and I were thinking about making up some dates to remind the world of instead. I came up with "Little White Lie Day", "Tell the Whole Truth Day", "Whack Your Manager With a Pool Noodle Day", "Rice Crispie Treats Day", "No-Bake Cookie Day" and "Get the Office to Buy Pizza Day".

"Weare, New Hampshire (PRWEB) Could a hotel be built on the land owned by Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter? A new ruling by the Supreme Court which was supported by Justice Souter himself itself might allow it. A private developer is seeking to use this very law to build a hotel on Souter's land."
-- press release from the Freestar Media, LLC

Justice Souter voted on the majority side, that this sort of development is an acceptable use of eminent domain. (see also the wikipedia article Kelo v. New London for way wore detail than you want.)

Thanks to Gare and Jaime for passing the link on.

Too Much Water, without electrolytes, is Bad

Sideways Room

Guns and Violent Crime on Google Answers.
"I would be grateful to know a credible source to compare violent crime rates in the United States against those in countries that have strict gun control laws like the U.K. and Canada." is responded to well.

Sorry for the brevity.

Oh, I got to demolish a friend's rotting shed today. Sledge and prybar = fun.

Thank you for choosing Verizon Online. We're excited to share our new DSL price plan structure, an opportunity to offer our most loyal customers our best pricing options. Starting March 22, 2005, your current $34.95 a month, non-commitment plan, will increase to $37.95 a month.

Saturday Night Live had a skit called "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy", wherein quiet music and peaceful nature footage were the backdrop to someone reading in a slow, serious voice.

Someone has collected many of these tidbits of wisdom.

Here's an example: "I think somebody should come up with a way to breed a very large shrimp. That way, you could ride him, then after you camped at night, you could eat him. How about it, science?"

And, just to make life more silly, there is a page dedicated to this syle of comment for Rush (the band) fans. http://www.erikandanna.com/Humor/DeepThoughts/deep_thoughts_RUSH.htm

Deception Detection: Psychologists try to learn how to spot a liar

Fibbers tend to move their arms, hands, and fingers less and blink less than people telling the truth do, and liars' voices can become more tense or high-pitched. The extra effort needed to remember what they've already said and to keep their stories consistent may cause liars to restrain their movements and fill their speech with pauses. People shading the truth tend to make fewer speech errors than truth tellers do, and they rarely backtrack to fill in forgotten or incorrect details.

Hello Mr. Politician!

Three Dead Trolls in a Baggy is a strange Canadian band who can offend anyone who is offendable. Lot's of their stuff is funny though. (If you go there and get offended, that's your bad.) They've written one called "The Privacy Song".