POLITICAL: TSA blog — “we molest because we’re the Feds and superior”

Monday, May 16, 2011

http://blog.tsa.gov/2011/05/texas-house-of-representatives-seeking.html

5.14.2011

Texas House of Representatives Seeking to Ban Current TSA Pat-Down

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What’s our take on the Texas House of Representatives voting to ban the current TSA pat-down? Well, the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution (Article. VI. Clause 2) prevents states from regulating the federal government.

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Interesting, interesting, interesting … …

This is another “great fight” that is shaping up to head for the supremes.

(Never understod the Dead Old White Guys thinking that the Gooferment would be regulated by a Gooferment “court”. But they were pretty smart and never expected “We, The People” to be so dumb.)

Guess whoever writes the TSA blog never heard about “the better part of valor”.

Last thing I’d do is tell a bunch of <past tense synonym for urine output> off Texans that “we do cause we’re the tsa and better than you”.

Guess they’ve never read the 10th. Soon to be a MORE popular topic in Texas.

(The folks in the Pepuls Republik of Nu Jerzee are still trying to be better socialists than California or New York, so this will be unknow to them.)

While not enough to move the folks into the streets, it’s certainly gotta sit like a burr under a saddle.

And, if I was a troublemaker, I’d forward this story to everyone I knew in Texas.

(And, call them “goat ropers”. They just love that. It’ll put them in the proper frame of mind to read it.)

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POLITICAL: Bureaucrat votes and then cashes in

Monday, May 16, 2011

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-tech/post/fcc-commissioner-meredith-baker-to-join-comcast-nbc/2011/05/11/AFYfl1rG_blog.html?hpid=z3

Posted at 11:45 AM ET, 05/12/2011
FCC commissioner Meredith Baker to join Comcast-NBC
By Hayley Tsukayama
Updated 11:45 a.m., Thursday

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Federal Communications commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker announced Wednesday that she will resign from the FCC on June 3 and join Comcast-NBC Universal as its senior vice president of governmental affairs.

Baker, a Republican, joined the FCC in 2009 after working at the National Telecomunications and Information Administration under President George W. Bush. While at the NTIA, Baker oversaw a $1.5 billion coupon program to help consumers make the transition to digital-only television.

The commissioner’s announcement comes four months after she voted to approve a joint venture between Comcast and NBC Universal.

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Regulatory capture or just biz as usual.

Politicians and bureaucrats have NO shame!

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INTERESTING: Has BONES jumped the shark?

Monday, May 16, 2011

Recent episode had BONES in the sack, tastefully, without apparent sex, maybe, with BOOTH.

Is this the shark jump?

Is the tension between the kool hunk and the nerdy hunkette over?

Sigh. It was good. But maybe they’ve run out of gas.

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TECHNOLOGY: Free windoze utility to save ink and toner!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13845_3-20061950-58.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=TheCheapskate

MAY 12, 2011 6:00 AM PDT
Free Windows utility lowers your printing costs
by Rick Broida

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Tired of burning through pricey ink and toner cartridges? PretonSaver Home promises to cut these consumable costs by up to 70 percent. Best of all, it’s free. (Note: You can use the previous link to download the program, but click here to go to Preton’s site and register for the activation code.)

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Sounds like a great idea.

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FUN: On a children’s dance recital — observation #4

Sunday, May 15, 2011

OK, last one, (I think),

Here we have youngsters. Giving entertainment. Working “hard”. Doing what may or may not be their “best”.

They know that all their peers get up, jilly jack around, take a bow (in various forms), and get applause for their efforts.

There were at least three acts of “little kids” … …

(under 6 ish.)

(How do you estimate children’s ages? Saw ’em in half like trees?)

… … where no one, except me, applauded.

Shame on my fellow audience members. You “stole”. You took their effort and returned nothing to them.

Little kids.

What lesson does that teach?

Think if these folks in the audience were “promised” a pay raise and didn’t get it they would say “no big deal”.

Me, a fat old white guy injineer, was horrified. Where were these children’s parents and relatives encouraging them.

So like I crazy old fool, I applauded 75 times or so. Lost count. I left when my ride did. The “souvenir” and “refreshment” tables were closed when we left so maybe it was done.

I just felt bad for the three groups that got NO applause. Maybe I just dozed off, but I don’t think so.

Shame, shame, on those folks.

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FUN: Interesting use of a sequin dress

Sunday, May 15, 2011

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{Privacy Invoked} Went to bed in a sequin dress. Woke up like I put out with a cheese grater. Never again.

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I read this and for some reason it struck me funny.

After I stopped ROFL, I decided that this was worth memorializing. No idea why? But it just grabbed my attention. Sad really, but very funny.

# – # – # – # – # 2011-May-15 @ 06:31

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HARDWARE: Samsung and Google introduce Series 5 Chromebook

Saturday, May 14, 2011

http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/index.php/site/samsung_and_google_introduce_series_5_chromebook

> Samsung and Google introduce Series 5 Chromebook
> Posted by: Michael on Wed, May 11th, 2011

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Today Samsung and Google announced thie Samsung Series 5 Chromebook running on the ChromeOS. I am a huge fan of Samsung notebooks, I love their design and style, but I have a feeling Samsung will regret this product as much as Logitech and Sony regretted their Google TV products.

> Key Specs:

> ● 0.79-inch thin case designed for comfort and mobility

> ● Full-size Chrome keyboard

> ● Oversized multi-touch trackpad

> ● Intel® Dual-core Processor

> ● 16:10 resolution

> ● 12.1-inch SuperBright Display – 36% brighter than standard display

> ● Starts up in less than 10-seconds

> ● Resumes instantly from standby

> ● Up to 8.5 hours battery life*

> ● HD Webcam, built-in digital microphone and stereo speakers

> ● Two USB ports capable of charging mobile phones and accessories, connecting digital cameras and media storage devices

> ● Support for removable media cards (SD, SDHC, MMC) for photos, videos, music and documents

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Hold off any hardware purchases, especially notebooks or tablets, until we see the reviews. These sound like “winners” to me. A game changing piece of hardware.

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FUN: On a children’s dance recital — observation #3

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Ever hear of the guru’s of the human performance movement talk about “the zone”.

It’s that magical time when the stars align and all is right with the world. Or at least your part of it.

At this dance recital, if you watch very carefully, you could see it.

A young child, mostly girls, would have a practiced routine. And, every once and a while, they’d “get it”.

Maybe it was the music striking their ear put them in sync. Maybe it was the endless practice. Maybe it was the crowd.

But you could see it.

There would be a realization on their faces that I’m doing it. And, I’m doing it well. And, it’s fun.

Then a big smile would break out. They may be sweating, panting, and exhausted. But they had done it. Whatever it was supposed to be.

That was worth the sore butt from sitting.

Hope I have a day like that some day. Hope everyone does.

I appreciate them sharing that moment with me.

Made me smile too.

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TECHNOLOGY: Death by GPS

Friday, May 13, 2011

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/accent/travel/canadian-couples-missteps-shock-nev-town-locals-1468419.html

Canadian couple’s missteps shock Nev. town locals
By JOHN MILLER The Associated Press
Posted: 10:36 a.m. Wednesday, May 11, 2011

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MOUNTAIN CITY, NEV. — At about 6,000 feet in a narrow valley surrounded by bulbous, snowcapped mountains, this tiny northeastern Nevada town sits roughly two hours from anywhere, in the middle of nowhere.

It’s that remoteness and grandeur that apparently drew Rita and Albert Chretien to the area around Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest as they made their way from Canada to Las Vegas. Albert Chretien has been missing in the wilderness since late March after the couple, guided by a new GPS, ventured off the highway onto muddy, washed-out forest service roads winding deep into the high country.

Rita Chretien was found Friday by a trio of hunters after spending seven weeks in the couple’s van stuck in mud, surviving off trail mix, hard candy and water from a nearby stream. Her husband set out on foot to find help, hoping to make it to Mountain City. He hasn’t been seen since.

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Death by technology?

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FUN: On a children’s dance recital — observation #2

Friday, May 13, 2011

What is the audience’s responsibility to the performers?

I was shocked and amazed at a few things.

(1) Maybe I’m an old fuddy duddy. But … the first act on stage was a number by a group of several age groups. I don’t remember anything other than the costuming left little to the imagination and the dance moves were comparable to what one would see in a “strip club”. If, of course, if I had ever been to one. Being in what I would have perceived as the “Bible Belt”. This surprised me. While the youngest bumped and ground, I saw many men facing their wives and children and talking. Perhaps, this was to avoid the near occasion of sin. Or, that they could not look at the cherished girl member of their family “performing”. I knew no one on the stage at that time and I was embarrassed for them. Yeah, I know fuddy duddy.

(2) Opening announcement was something like “don’t use the fire doors. it screws up our video and distracts the dancers.” Shouldn’t have bothered. Those doors were used. Frequently. And, it was distracting to this audience member. It was like they were saying: “Screw You. I’m a VIP. And, I’m more important than you.” I have to admit I was tempted to go down and stand by the door and play policeman. Maybe they should, like most good strip clubs, hire a Arnold Schwarzenegger type bouncer. I’m told that all the clubs have them.

(3) Now, maybe some of the performers were “less than good” or even down right “bad”. As a fat old white guy injineer, I wouldn’t know how to tell. Any more than I can score Olympic Ice Dancing. But, I did notice if the performer was smiling. And, I did notice when they were out of sync. But I also remembered my Father saying to me one time at a baseball game: “You’re not allowed to boo the umpire unless you can do it better.” Now, to me, imho, not applauding is the equivalent to booing. By the same token, I applauded every “act” since there was no way I was getting up on the stage and making a fool out of myself. Especially, not in those costumes! That would have cleared the joint!

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