The OLED-topped keyboard is finally reaching production in limited quantities.
But who's going to pay $1560 for keyboard, and a non-ergonomic one at that? Not I, sir. Though I must admit that it's kinda cool.
2007-05-19
2007-05-03
C&R FFL
Found this helpful link regarding obtaining a Curio & Relic Federal Firearms License. The main useful bit:
Also found a couple articles, one mirrored from Shotgun News with more info, another on importing, and then there's C&R Buds that has a bunch of useful C&R info.
What is a C&R or Cruffler?One of my old roomies got a C&R, way back when, hence my lingering interest.
C&R is nothing more than a way to facilitate collecting.
You may have certain firearms shipped to your C&R FFL address, just like a FFL business.
The easy definition is firearms that are 50 years old or more.
-There are also some collectible firearms allowed.
You can write to the ATF asking them to determine a firearm a C&R.
-It looks a little difficult; requiring you to demonstrate why the firearm is collectible.
It is not a business.
-It MAY NOT be a business or it will be taken away fom you.
If you can own a gun you can get a C&R license.
The ATF determines who may have a C&R.
-Cities have little to no say in whether you may get one.
It does require you to keep a logbook.
-You must record EVERY C&R purchase.
You don't have to record non C&R firearms purchases in your C&R bound book.
Also found a couple articles, one mirrored from Shotgun News with more info, another on importing, and then there's C&R Buds that has a bunch of useful C&R info.
2007-05-02
2007-05-01
STEREO Pictures of Earth
My Dad sent me this link to the STEREO website. Actually, he probably sent it a couple weeks ago. Anyway, the site's got some pretty sweet pictures of the sun. In stereo. Bitchin'!
2007-04-19
Lee Iacocca on Chrysler and the Future of Detroit
CNN Money had an interesting interview with Lee Iacocca. A couple interesting blurbs:
AT: Do you blame the Japanese for Detroit's decline over the past couple of decades?A 50-cent gas tax? Why not? There's nothing that says people have a god-given right to cheap transportation. Of course, our economy depends on it. And in general more taxes are bad. Still, by having artificially low gas prices, we encourage its waste.
LI: I've taken on the Japanese forever. Toyota's a great competitor. Nissan's coming on strong. Honda's always been great on engineering. They're good companies, but they had advantages. It's unfair competition. Their market is closed to us. They still manipulate currency. When they come to this country they don't have unions, and that's tough to compete against. Sometimes I think their trade practices are predatory.
AT: In the '80s you suggested raising the gas tax.
LI: Yes. I went to see Reagan and said, "Let's put a 50-cent-a-gallon tax on gasoline. That's $50 billion. We can cut the deficit in half." He said, "You've got to be out of your mind. You don't tax gasoline." And he laughed. So we never did it. Our state and federal taxes add up to about 46 cents a gallon, compared with $5 in Europe.
2007-04-18
OS X Safe Sleep
I've often wondered why OS X doesn't have an analogue to Windows' hibernate mode. Turns out that newer Macs have the feature, called Safe Sleep, and that it can be enabled on some older Macs as well.
- A how to enable Safe Sleep on legacy Macs.
- An Apple help document depicting a Mac coming out of Safe Sleep.
- A description of the feature.
2007-04-17
Minute Man Range
Back on 3/31 I ventured over to the Minute Man Range. Mostly because I wanted to shoot and it was raining, and I wasn't aware of any other indoor ranges near town. It took about 30 minutes to get there, driving through some real country. The drive was kind of nice, actually, except that would've been about a gallon and a half one way in my car.
I took one of my guns and rented a Glock G21 from the shop. Previously I was skeptical about Glocks, but the one I'd shot before was a G19, and 9mm I've found is pretty lame for accuracy, at least relative to .45. The G21 was nice. The range was nice, except their ventilation could've been better. That's a perennial problem with indoor ranges, though.
I took one of my guns and rented a Glock G21 from the shop. Previously I was skeptical about Glocks, but the one I'd shot before was a G19, and 9mm I've found is pretty lame for accuracy, at least relative to .45. The G21 was nice. The range was nice, except their ventilation could've been better. That's a perennial problem with indoor ranges, though.
2007-04-14
Seattle Mariners
The wife's father wants to go see Ichiro play at the Mariners' home ground. Thus, we're doing some checking into tickets and such. First there's the Mariners' website. A map of the Safeco Field seating helps pick out where to park it. The "Terrace Club" area looks good, if not spendy. Maybe one game in the lower box and another in the Terrace Club would do. There's a Field A-to-Z Guide, a collection of FAQs about the field. Interesting tidbits include the custom jerseys available for purchase, and that if one shows up during batting practice before the game one might be able to get an autograph. Cool!
2007-04-05
Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young
I had occasion to look up on Wikipedia Chris Rock's No Sex (In the Champagne Room), for background on all that good advice. (I particularly liked the part about "don't go parties with metal detectors", and the humor of the pierced tongue part.)
What I didn't realize that was it was a parody of the "Wear Sunscreen" song. I'd heard that on the radio before too, but either had forgotten about it or figured the latest trend was to give random advice accompanied by music. The column that song was based on, apparently often the target of Internet hoaxes, is actually quite good. Especially for a column. Thus, I bookmark it here.
What I didn't realize that was it was a parody of the "Wear Sunscreen" song. I'd heard that on the radio before too, but either had forgotten about it or figured the latest trend was to give random advice accompanied by music. The column that song was based on, apparently often the target of Internet hoaxes, is actually quite good. Especially for a column. Thus, I bookmark it here.
2007-03-26
Anna Nicole Smith's Autopsy
I'm sure that this is in poor taste, but CNN posted Anna Nicole Smith's autopsy on the web. Out of sheer prurient interest, I checked it out. It's pretty twisted.
2007-03-21
Most Digital Content Not Stable
Further rationale for doing analog backups of select material, e.g. photos to negatives or slides. Gotta keep collecting these articles....
2007-03-15
File Sharing a Threat to Children and National Security
Actually, yes, it is. Parents these days don't teach their kids right and wrong, and file-sharing is definitely in the gray area. You just know that even 50% of files swapped are legal! Plus, less than bright employees could put such applications on government machines, and misconfigure them such that confidential material gets shared. (Of course top secret machines shouldn't be connected to the Internet, but still.)
I haven't read the paper yet, though. It's rather long.
I haven't read the paper yet, though. It's rather long.
2007-03-14
The No Asshole Rule
Now this looks like an interesting book. There used to be an asshole in my group at work, but fortunately, he's gone now. Now only if my job were better....
Wisdom from Chris Rock
"Those are the choices in life: You can be married and bored or single and lonely," Rock said in his 2004 HBO special "Never Scared." "Ain't no happiness nowhere."Amen, brother. ;-)
2007-02-26
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics
I've been a mini-fan since college, but I only bought a couple of her CDs, notably Mirrorball, which is close to a best compilation, just live. Anyway, some of the lyrics are open to interpretation so it helps to have the lyrics handy. I just found out that on Sarah McLachlan's website, the discography contains links to lyrics pages. That's rather nice of her.
2007-02-11
Not Quite Mr. Fusion
On /. a few days ago, there was a bit about a mobile biorefinery that takes garbage and produces electricity. Sounds cool, but how's it for pollution?
Censorship Alive and Well at Universities
Apparently it's not acceptable to have a conservative-leaning viewpoint at some schools. City Journal has an article regarding this phenomenon. The piece is long, but worth the read.
Seems like the Right and Left in this country keep getting more and more polarized. We're heading for serious conflict, possibly civil war. This time, it's not going to be about slaves, it's going to be about freedom: whether you can say what you want without censorship, or keep weapons to keep the government in line.
Seems like the Right and Left in this country keep getting more and more polarized. We're heading for serious conflict, possibly civil war. This time, it's not going to be about slaves, it's going to be about freedom: whether you can say what you want without censorship, or keep weapons to keep the government in line.
Minute Man Gun Range
I'm going to have to go check out this range one of these days. This time of year, it's hard to go shooting at an outdoor place!
Found the link via Packing.org. They don't list SMSC among the area gun ranges. Odd.
Here's an omake link. It came up in the search for "minuteman", with a rather unfriendly quote by Ahnuld.
Found the link via Packing.org. They don't list SMSC among the area gun ranges. Odd.
Here's an omake link. It came up in the search for "minuteman", with a rather unfriendly quote by Ahnuld.
2007-02-09
Faux Weed and "Tokyo Mango"
Check out this artificial marijuana plant for sale in Japan at Nodaya Denki.
Actually, I got that from Lisa Kitayama's "Tokyo Mango" blog, linked to from Wired News. Pretty funky, but just being in Japan leads one to lots of funky stuff. Something's wrong with one who can't find junk like that over there!
Actually, I got that from Lisa Kitayama's "Tokyo Mango" blog, linked to from Wired News. Pretty funky, but just being in Japan leads one to lots of funky stuff. Something's wrong with one who can't find junk like that over there!
2007-02-08
Lately
Recently I've been blogging more political items on my link blog. That's largely because the commentary is news-driven. Sometimes I need to just jot down what I thought when I read a given article. Furthermore, on my main blog, I don't use as much profanity, whereas I don't have such restrictions on my link blog. Here, I can call it like I see it!
Sick Educators
This country's in the toilet and ready to be flushed. Or at least Massachusetts is. First read the article, then my diatribe.
People can do that stuff in private—they're free, at least to the extent people are "allowed" now. But try to shove it down my kid's thoat as normal, and I rip them a new one to play with.
What really pisses me off is that these are the kind of idiots who bitch about teaching kids about guns, but then they force their own ultra-liberal agenda on 5 year olds. Well, I suppose hypocrisy on the part of the political correct fools is to be expected. The right to bear arms is a demonstratably important freedom; further, it's in our Bill of Rights. The "right to teach kids how to be homosexual" is not.
Lest I come off as a homophobe, I do know some gay people, and have no problem with them choosing to live their lives in the way they decide—as long as the effects on others are acceptable (i.e. no torture, homicide, etc.). They can present their ideas to me, and of course I have the right to refute them. (Democracy is about open discussion, not censorship according to a politically-correct agenda.) When the ultra-left crowd starts dictating education to birth future supporters of their agenda, however, is where the shit hits the fan. The whole concept of "King and King" is just fucked up. If we have to quit using romantic fairy tales in the classroom entirely so be it: the genre is too sappy anyway!
People can do that stuff in private—they're free, at least to the extent people are "allowed" now. But try to shove it down my kid's thoat as normal, and I rip them a new one to play with.
What really pisses me off is that these are the kind of idiots who bitch about teaching kids about guns, but then they force their own ultra-liberal agenda on 5 year olds. Well, I suppose hypocrisy on the part of the political correct fools is to be expected. The right to bear arms is a demonstratably important freedom; further, it's in our Bill of Rights. The "right to teach kids how to be homosexual" is not.
Lest I come off as a homophobe, I do know some gay people, and have no problem with them choosing to live their lives in the way they decide—as long as the effects on others are acceptable (i.e. no torture, homicide, etc.). They can present their ideas to me, and of course I have the right to refute them. (Democracy is about open discussion, not censorship according to a politically-correct agenda.) When the ultra-left crowd starts dictating education to birth future supporters of their agenda, however, is where the shit hits the fan. The whole concept of "King and King" is just fucked up. If we have to quit using romantic fairy tales in the classroom entirely so be it: the genre is too sappy anyway!
2007-02-06
Who's to Blame?
CNN had a link to an article from Time regarding what should be considered rape. Out-and-out sexual assault is pretty clear: man wants woman, woman doesn't want man, man takes woman anyway. Consent on the part of the woman is central in this case. But what if the woman initially gives consent, then withdraws it during the act?
The Time article notes a case where a man and woman began sex consensually, then she asked him to stop, which he did. The article made it sound like that although the guy stopped almost immediately and did not ejaculate, he was found guilty of rape and sentenced to five years in jail. If the facts are correct, that's just wrong. Guy and girl start banging, girl says stop, guy does without blowing his load, and yet that counts as rape? Bullshit!
Obviously, true rape is a brutal mala in se crime. However, "withdrawal-of-consent rape" doesn't seem to be of the same level. A woman has the responsibility of judging who she lets in her bed. If she changes her mind partway through, then she's relying on the man to be honorable enough to stop. She did the screening, and should accept responsibility for such decisions. From a moral perspective, if a man doesn't stop, I'd say that makes him a scumbag, but not necessarily a criminal.
Of course that's discussion at a theoretical level. Saying that a woman is fully responsible is not acceptable because men could easily claim that she gave initial consent. I've read that some rapists seem to actually believe that their victims wanted the act. Plus, not punishing the man for continuing after 'stop' would accentuate the date rape problem. On the other hand, making it too easy for women to blame men after the fact, i.e. having consensual sex and then due to some later event, such as the discovery of other sexual partners, changing her story and declaring rape, is a disservice to men as well. (Promiscuity may be immoral, but it is not a crime.)
Ejaculation doesn't seem like a good criteria, either, because in the case of a "minute man", the woman might stay stop just a second too late; or in the case of a "marathon man", going against the woman's will would be a protracted assault!
The notion of a "consensual sex contract" is legally on-target, but practically absurd. Who would have sex with someone that asked for a signature first?
The bottom line is, in my opinion, that rape should only be used to describe a forced non-consensual sexual act, where the whole affair is from the start against the victim's will. If initial consent is given and later retracted, then it becomes simple assault. The former should carry much greater penalties than the latter, because the intent behind each act is very, very different. Of course either way, as with any disagreement between a couple, the issue will degenerate into a bout of he-said, she-said.
The Time article notes a case where a man and woman began sex consensually, then she asked him to stop, which he did. The article made it sound like that although the guy stopped almost immediately and did not ejaculate, he was found guilty of rape and sentenced to five years in jail. If the facts are correct, that's just wrong. Guy and girl start banging, girl says stop, guy does without blowing his load, and yet that counts as rape? Bullshit!
Obviously, true rape is a brutal mala in se crime. However, "withdrawal-of-consent rape" doesn't seem to be of the same level. A woman has the responsibility of judging who she lets in her bed. If she changes her mind partway through, then she's relying on the man to be honorable enough to stop. She did the screening, and should accept responsibility for such decisions. From a moral perspective, if a man doesn't stop, I'd say that makes him a scumbag, but not necessarily a criminal.
Of course that's discussion at a theoretical level. Saying that a woman is fully responsible is not acceptable because men could easily claim that she gave initial consent. I've read that some rapists seem to actually believe that their victims wanted the act. Plus, not punishing the man for continuing after 'stop' would accentuate the date rape problem. On the other hand, making it too easy for women to blame men after the fact, i.e. having consensual sex and then due to some later event, such as the discovery of other sexual partners, changing her story and declaring rape, is a disservice to men as well. (Promiscuity may be immoral, but it is not a crime.)
Ejaculation doesn't seem like a good criteria, either, because in the case of a "minute man", the woman might stay stop just a second too late; or in the case of a "marathon man", going against the woman's will would be a protracted assault!
The notion of a "consensual sex contract" is legally on-target, but practically absurd. Who would have sex with someone that asked for a signature first?
The bottom line is, in my opinion, that rape should only be used to describe a forced non-consensual sexual act, where the whole affair is from the start against the victim's will. If initial consent is given and later retracted, then it becomes simple assault. The former should carry much greater penalties than the latter, because the intent behind each act is very, very different. Of course either way, as with any disagreement between a couple, the issue will degenerate into a bout of he-said, she-said.
2007-01-31
Ellen Feiss & Street Fighter
Another /. piece of news: an interview with Ellen Feiss, the "stoner" in the Apple "Switcher" ads. She's kind of cute now that she's 18. But now that she's shot down the stoned-while-shooting rumor, people going to latch on to comments she made in the interview that imply that she might be gay. That's what she gets for going to France! Just kidding. From the interview, she sounds pretty cool, actually.
There was a post about some Street Fighter thing on /. also, but what I found hilarious was the link to an amateur flick parodying the SF characters, like "where are they now?" The shorts are pretty well done—I want to see more! (Although predictably they mispronounced "Ryu" and he appears to be played by a Chinese guy.)
There was a post about some Street Fighter thing on /. also, but what I found hilarious was the link to an amateur flick parodying the SF characters, like "where are they now?" The shorts are pretty well done—I want to see more! (Although predictably they mispronounced "Ryu" and he appears to be played by a Chinese guy.)
2007-01-26
Chavez is a Turd
When I first heard about his antics in the news, I thought it was kind of funny, like a cheap circus act. Then I realized he was serious.
While it'd be nice if one of his own citizens would cap him in his fat head, if Chavvie wants to play hardball with expelling the U.S. envoy and reallocating other countries' investments to "the people" (i.e. him), then he can have it his way.
We pull out our people, and embargo the country. If they start procuring WMD, then we have license to go in and kick their asses!—after we pull out of Iraq?
Yeah, the Iraq war has been a fiasco not in that it got some soldiers killed—callous to say, but those are the casualties of war and the consequences of soldiering—it's reminded the world of the U.S.'s previous failure in meddling with another country's politics: Vietnam. It's also been a reminder that the American Military Might isn't all that it's cracked up to be, and all of a sudden all these little shitty governments like Iran and Venezuela are clamoring for a piece of the spotlight. As long as they're waving their cheap AK-47 clones, I don't really care. It's all about the nukes. If they decide they want to dance, maybe the world needs another demonstration of what happens to stupid dictators and their followers when they mess with their betters.
While it'd be nice if one of his own citizens would cap him in his fat head, if Chavvie wants to play hardball with expelling the U.S. envoy and reallocating other countries' investments to "the people" (i.e. him), then he can have it his way.
We pull out our people, and embargo the country. If they start procuring WMD, then we have license to go in and kick their asses!—after we pull out of Iraq?
Yeah, the Iraq war has been a fiasco not in that it got some soldiers killed—callous to say, but those are the casualties of war and the consequences of soldiering—it's reminded the world of the U.S.'s previous failure in meddling with another country's politics: Vietnam. It's also been a reminder that the American Military Might isn't all that it's cracked up to be, and all of a sudden all these little shitty governments like Iran and Venezuela are clamoring for a piece of the spotlight. As long as they're waving their cheap AK-47 clones, I don't really care. It's all about the nukes. If they decide they want to dance, maybe the world needs another demonstration of what happens to stupid dictators and their followers when they mess with their betters.
2007-01-18
2007-01-04
Kiuchi Beer
Hotel California
MRG forwarded me a note by a Japanese guy asking what the lyrics to Hotel California mean. How the hell should I know? Does anyone? Here are some opinions:
From Song Facts,
From The Straight Dope,
From Niniane,
And there's always Wikipedia.
From Song Facts,
From The Straight Dope,
From Niniane,
And there's always Wikipedia.
Travelstar
From the intranet front page at work there was a link to an article on Hitachi infringing on a Chinese trademark. An older article gives more info about the battle. What they didn't say was when the BTHC registered their trademark and when IBM/HGST first used the mark in China—seems to me that would be most saliently relevant.
In Japan, the U.S. maker Logitech has to use the mark "Logicool" because another maker in Japan has the name "Logitec". Certainly if Logitech didn't enter the Japanese market before Logitec was formed, then they don't have the right to use the mark.
Law is fraught with peril.
In Japan, the U.S. maker Logitech has to use the mark "Logicool" because another maker in Japan has the name "Logitec". Certainly if Logitech didn't enter the Japanese market before Logitec was formed, then they don't have the right to use the mark.
Law is fraught with peril.
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