"An era can be said to end when its basic illusions are exhausted." - Arthur Miller

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Linkfest - Romney Gaffes Again

Romney: 47% of Country are Lazy Freeloaders
In a video (link above) authenticated by Mother Jones, Mitt Romney said "...there are 47 percent who are with [Obama], who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. ...my job is not to worry about those people." In short, Romney said anyone who votes for Obama is a lazy freeloading victim. Last I checked, I have not freeloaded, worked full time since I was 16 and fortunately have not been a victim of anything except my own stupidity. The amazing thing is Romney held a rushed press conference where he stood by his comments brushing them off as "not elegantly stated" begging the question of the what elegant version sounds like. Amazing that for a man that can flip flop on any issue depending on what direction the wind is blowing takes stance of refusing to back down no matter what once embarrassed by a mistake. George W Bush behaved that way too often damaging results.

While that was one of the worse, those were not all of the ill-conceived, rich people matter most, comments from the governor. His belief that only the rich don't pay taxes isn't really true, turns out a whole lot of American's across the entire tax bracket spectrum have successfully gamed the system to pay no income tax (emphasis on income as that doesn't include all kinds of other taxes that pretty much everyone pays daily). He going to close their loopholes? Probably not. His disdain for anyone that isn't rich should not be surprising when he admitted in an interview that "middle income is $200,000 to $250,000 and less." The Census Bureau pegs the real median household income at $50,000. Remember his definition when he says he will cut taxes for the middle class because he really means the rich version of middle class and 99% of us are not in the category.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Nintendo Announces Price, Release Date of Wii U

Yesterday Nintendo held an Apple style press conference where they announced the price, release date and details for their next generation game system the Wii U. The system is basically an evolution of the Wii system first released six years ago. Even though it is "next gen" for Nintendo, graphically it just puts them almost level with the Playstation 3 and XBox 360. Both of which are in their twilight and expected to be replaced in next year or so.

Wii U
- Release Date: November 18th
- Two versions of system, the Basic ($299) and Deluxe ($349)
- GamePad: special controller for system with 6/2" screen, 2 analog thumbsticks, facing camera, gyro sensor
- Basic: White color, one GamePad, 8GB memory, AC adapters, sensor bar, HDMI cable
- Deluxe: Black color, one GamePad, 32GB memory, AC adapters, sensor bar, HDMI cable, console stand, GamePad charging cradle, membership to Deluxe Digital Promotion (digital downloads discount), and Nintendo Land game
- Both systems allow for USB external hard drives, backward compatible with all Wii games and accessories, built in wireless and 1080p output; full specs

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Apple Announced iPhone 5, new iPods

As expected, today Apple announced the iPhone 5 with a refresh of the iPod Touch, iPod Nano, and iPod Shuffle. While the iPad mini was not announced there is enough evidence to indicate that it will probably come in a separate announcement to avoid stealing the iPhone's thunder. The video of the keynote can be found here. Below are the highlights with links to more details.

iPhone 5
- Lightest (3.95 ounces) and thinnest (7.6mm) yet
- 4", 1136 x 640 resolution screen, adds 5th row of icons, sort of a 16:9 ration screen, may have to letterbox (black bars like on TV) for some apps
- adds LTE connectivity worldwide
- iSight: new 8-megapixel camera, improved low light performance, 40% faster photo, Panorama mode, 1080p resolution video but still take photos
- A6 with improved speed, better graphics, better use of battery
- new Lightning dock connector (80% smaller) with reversible design.
- Battery life: Apple gave stats but it looks like it’s about the same
- Colors: Black, White
- Improved Siri, ships with i0S6
- Price: $199 (16GB), $299 (32GB), $399 (64GB)
- Release date: pre-orders start September 14th, out September 21st
- Comparison to other mobile phones
- Hands-on

Friday, September 07, 2012

Amazon Introduces New Kindle Fire for 2012

Yesterday Amazon announced (video below) an across the board refresh of their Kindle eBook readers. The goal was same experience with faster speeds at competitive prices. From what I saw today it looks like they are meeting that goal. The line breaks down into four main areas - Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire SD, Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle. Within each area you have several options on what extras the Kindle will or will not have.

The hardware differences account for the difference in prices and will be broke down below. As far as the operating system, all versions of the Kindle Fire are the same with heavily modified Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Since it is essentially a custom interface created by Amazon, they expanding existing features to better take advance of Amazon Prime and multimedia offering that Amazon has. Whispersync, which was used to sync where you stopped reading across devices, now has been expanded to audio books and games. For audio books it means listen (or read) wherever the audio book last stopped on another device without having to find your place again. For games that means picking up your last save on another Fire device (not seeing this application being nearly as useful as audio one). Another new feature is FreeTime, which provides a kids mode with parental controls. Another expanded feature is X-Ray. It was used to provide wiki like info on selected items in books, now it provides info from IMDB.com for videos and more info for use with textbooks.

Monday, September 03, 2012

RIP Michael Duncan Clarke (1957-2012)

Today Michael Duncan Clarke passed at the age of 54 way before his time. This mountain of a man was never considered A-list by Hollywood standards but that was due to lack of vision, not his lack of ability or skill. He had many memorable roles such John Coffey in The Green Mile, receiving a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination. He was also The Kingpin in Daredevil, Manute in Sin City, Bear in Armageddon, and so many more roles. His distinctive voice brought to life the characters of Kilowog in the Green Lantern series, Commander Vachir in Kung Fu Panda, and Atlas in God of War II.

Honestly I rarely care when a celebrity dies. It’s why most of the RIPs get jammed into one of my link fests. But there are exceptions and Mr. Clarke was one of them. I am truly upset at his passing. Hollywood and film has lost an icon.

I watched the TV series The Finder simply because he was in it. He brought a level of joy to his roles that few actors do. You could tell he loved what he was doing and took pleasure doing it. Something it seems few in Hollywood are capable of. I never read a bad thing about him from his peers. He seemed like a kind soul and it was because of him that I know what the phrase "a kind face" really means. I enjoyed what he brought to every role, and believe every moment he acted in. He was an immense talent and Hollywood will likely never see his like again. He will be missed by his legions of fans. Condolences to his family and friends.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Linkfest - GOP's Legitimate Rape

It has been an interesting week for the GOP. They are coming off of the unexpected press blowup over the term "legitimate rape". A concept the party has quietly supported for decades and often spoken of by the GOP even if not quite such stark terms. Then you have the GOP convention that had the VP candidate get called out for a speech of lies by every news organization including Fox News and a speech from Romney that was remarkable for how unremarkable it was. Other topics include the Samsung vs Apple lawsuit and the end of Nintendo Power.

Legitimate Rape
It is weird how all it takes is a poor phrase to get people to wake up to a truth that has been around for a very long time. GOP's Rep. Todd Akin made the mistake of saying exactly what he thought of the idea of there being exceptions to abortion for rape or incest by saying in an interview "...from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." He later said he "misspoke" for the phrase he used but never apologized for what he meant which is if a woman got pregnant, she wanted the sex and therefore could not have been raped. The idea that pregnancy is proof of no rape has been around for literally centuries. At one time the victim by law would be forced to marry her rapist if she had got pregnant. That thinking is also shared by almost the entirety of the GOP who have made the concept of no exceptions central the the RNC platform for Romney's election and was part of a bill that his VP candidate Paul Ryan write and tried to push through Congress. Below are a few videos that illustrate just how stupid the whole concept is.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Linkfest - Lying Ryan

Been a while since did a linkfest. This edition is about the odd choice of Paul Ryan as GOP VP choice, links to amusing Calvin & Hobbes animated gifs, Lego's 80th Anniversary, Lego Serenity, movies trailers and a disturbing nursery song.

Mitt Romney Picks Paul Ryan as VP
For reasons that confound me, Mitt Romney has picked Paul Ryan as his Vice President. Usually the VP is designed to fill in a voting gap that the candidate can't achieve to help put them over the top be it a state or demographic. Ryan is a far right conservative with a media profile based desperate to make the election more exciting than it is by simply repeating myths about him. Tea Party/Religious right vote is a lock no matter what, after all not like they can explore the alternative of voting for Obama so not sure why make this extra effort to please them. He will do nothing to help Mitt Romney get moderates and undecided. If anything he will send them screaming in the other direction. Paul Ryan deeply believes in the Ayn Rand philosophy that society only functions best when society is geared towards the goal of making rich people richer. This was very well demonstrated with his Budget Plan that would reduce the top 1%'s tax burden to less than 1%. An example being his running mate Romney who under their collective plan would go from paying around 13% to .082%. To pay for a tiny portion of this $4.7+ trillion cost of his plan, he wanted to cut social security by 20% (or privatize it) and turn Medicare into a voucher program. His big claim to fame is a screw you budget proposal that literally takes from the poor and middle-class and gives to the rich. His other conservative thing is supposedly being a deficit hawk. Despite the fact he voted for the Bush tax cuts, two wars, bank bailout and more that added around $7 trillion and counting to the deficit. He supposedly wants less government in your life yet is happy so support laws that would make birth control illegal and, any abortion illegal even in cases of saving mother's life, rape or incest. Not exactly a small government idea. About the only reason I can think he made the choice is money. Ryan will be a money making machine as conservative flood Romney and Super PAC coffers. In general, the more money you spend on an election, the greater your chances are of winning. That is ultimately the Romney plan - simply buy the election.

Calvin and Hobbes Animated Gifs
Hit the link for a selection of gifs that turn certain panels from the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip into motion.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

NBC Olympics Opening Intro and Closing Ceremony Credit Montages

Update: Updated post for 2014 Sochi Olympics is here.

I love watching the Olympics. I like the drama of it, I like seeing the close races, the victories and more. While I feel for those that lose, what I really love about the Olympics is the pure joy of victory and pride. If you think about it, how much real joy do you see in life each day, month or even year? During the Olympics for two weeks we get to see that expression of pure joy over and over and over again. I am not ashamed to say it brings tears to my eyes, especially when see the athletes' family and friends react with their own moments of joy. It is a wonderful to watch and just makes me look forward to the next Olympics two years later.

In the United States, the Olympics Games television rights are owned by NBC (starting in 1988 for Summer Games, 2002 for Winter Games). Their many hours of coverage always begins with a poetic introduction that shows off the host country and ends with their Olympics Closing Ceremony credit montage that summarizes the games in spectacular fashion. The credits montage is something I look forward to as Olympics fatigue sets in. With the 2012 London Olympic Games coming to a close today, it seemed like a good time to look at NBC Olympic intros and closing montages over the years in reverse order.

NBC Olympic Closing Credit Montages
2012 London Summer Olympics Closing Credit Montage
Not online yet.
Music Credits: "Finale" by Randy Edelman from movie "Dragonheart"; "Titan's Spirit" by Trevor Rabin from movie "Remember the Titans"

2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Closing Credit Montage
Music Credits: "Finale" by Randy Edelman from movie "Dragonheart"; "Titan's Spirit" by Trevor Rabin from movie "Remember the Titans"

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) 2012 Panels Links

Below are around 250 links to as little over 100 panels from the 2012 San Diego Comic Con. Even more panels were held but this is all I could from fans and studios that posted them online. The panels cover various television shows, movies, video games, comics, and more. They may include a necessary cut to remove copyrighted footage like trailers, gag reels and other fun stuff that if left in might result in the entire panel video being removed. Did try to post actual panels where comics where the subject but failed to find any.

If see "complete", that means panel wasn't broken up into parts, that is the entire panel, if see "press" that refers to any press conferences that were also held during the con, Nerd HQ refers to a podcast video on the related subject, and if just see an actor name that means a video interview. The panels I recommend most are the Firefly 10th Anniversary, anything Joss Whedon, Fringe, Powerful Women in Pop Culture, TV Guide Fan Favorites and THR Actor Roundtable. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments along with links to any panels (or better copies) that you might have found.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Linkfest - Grand Finale

This weeks linkfest includes a goodbye to a great children's author, Emmy nomininations, cool Lego builds, launch of 135 shuttles, Oz trailer and a dig at the usual GOP hypocrisy.

R.I.P. Donald Sobol
Donald J. Sobol, the author and creator of the Encyclopedia Brown children's books, died at the age of 87 around July 11th. He wrote more than 80 books with 29 of them Encyclopedia Brown books from 1963 with the final book called "Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme" coming out in October. I remember reading his books as a child, always trying to find a new one that I had not read before at the library. His books are the reason I developed a love of reading. A love that continues despite the mini-war my English teachers had waged on it. I think it’s time I do some catching up on those stories, just to see what mysteries I have missed. Thank your Mr. Sobol for teaching me to love reading.

2012 Emmy Nominations Announced
Hit the link to see what favorite TV shows were nominated for the 2012 Emmy Awards. The winners will be announced on September 23, 2012. Few surprises in the list with the safe choices (those who offend least) occupying most of the categories. A few surprises include Lena Dunham for Girls (decent choice), Veep (really? not that funny a show), Don Cheadle (could do the role in his sleep), Kathy Bates (really? not enough to fill the category?), Ashley Judd (more proof that "movie stars slumming it" always get Emmy love even when not deserved) and lots of love to Sherlock (sweet). Sadly that mostly awful American Horror Story was also given lots of nominations. While a fan of the lovely Connie Britton, it doesn't deserve to win a single category. I am sure there are lots of snubs but except for Fringe, I can't think of any I care about.

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Linkfest - Happy July 4th

Happy July the 4th! This week's link fest remains politics free with links to an amusing Star Wars parody music video, Atari's 40th, Snorkisms, YouTube 301 views, and SDCC schedule.

RIP Andy Griffith
An icon died today as Andy Griffith died at the age of 86. For your parents’ generation he was known as the town sheriff in The Andy Griffith Show. For me, I grew up on him as defense attorney Matlock. His 60+ year long career included movies, specials, radio, and a whole lot more. Condolences to his family.

The Star Wars That I Used To Know
Take the Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" music video, and some Star Trek fan frustration and here is the result. Pure gold, if only to hear "George Lucas" sings his response to the complaints.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Obamacare Lives and Why It Matters

I said for over a year now that the Supreme Court would overturn the individual mandate of Obamacare. I figured it was automatic with the charge being led by Chief Justice John Roberts. I could not have been more wrong. Not only did the court uphold the law 5-4, but Roberts was the swing vote. Even more amazing, it was upheld by the legal reasoning that the government has a right to tax and the penalty of not getting health insurance is the equivalent of a tax. The ruling was so unexpected both CNN and Fox News initially got the ruling wrong, declaring it overturned. This is good news for Americans even if 50% don't know it. Oddly it seems most that are against are the ones that most likely will need it at some future date. However, always keep in mind that the Republicans have years to come up with their own solutions and as always, the best they could come up with is "tax cuts". That is their Band-Aid for everything.

Fox News and the GOP have spent a tremendous amount of time and (tax payer) money fighting Obamacare but rarely do they explain why it’s bad and what the alternatives are. It comes down to "its socialism" and wrong. Ask anyone for specifics on why it’s wrong and can guarantee that maybe 1 out of a 100 can provide an informed response beyond the basic talking points of it simply being wrong just because the talking heads say it is. Did you know that thanks to Obamacare, you cannot be denied insurance because of a pre-existing condition? Did you know your kids can't be either (yea before they could be)? What about knowing if your child wants to get a graduate degree or just hurting from this down economy, they can stay on their parents insurance until 26 years old? Again Obamacare. I am aware of a ton of die-hard Republicans taking advantage of that. What about free mammograms or a ton of other maintenance tests that use to cost a lot and soon no longer will. Free tests means people will detect problems before they become a whole lot more expensive and possibly a burden on the tax payer (more below on that). When people ask about these kinds of individual aspects of the law, Americans are overwhelming for them (in 80% range). Add they are part of Obamacare and suddenly that numbers dives to around 50% range. That makes no sense except you have to remember that Fox News folks rarely are giving any actual information to form an informed opinion.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Linkfest - New Apple, Microsoft Tech

Time for more stuff that grabbed my interest (or linkfest to keep it simple). This week found the cool image of a Lego mini-fig, Apple and Microsoft has new toys that might be worth buying (but not really), some Game of Thrones fun and upcoming movie trailers. What do you know, another week without politics.

Anatomy of a Lego Man
Hit the link to view images and breakdown of how this kind of creepy split section of a Lego man was produced by carving and painting polyurethane foam. The final result from artist Jason Freeny is a little over a foot tall but pretty cool looking. His equally bizarre art of the anatomy of a gummy bear can be found here.

Apple WWDC 2012 Announcements
Last week Apple held a developer's conference to announce a refresh of MacBook Pro and Macbook Air along with an update to OSX and iOS6. Over all it was a ho hum event. The Macbook Air is getting a speedier processor and tweaks but essentially the same product. The MacBook Pro is improved with a much thinner look and Retina display (whose resolution is so tight that it reaches point where can't really read the text). That small size and screen resolution level you will never use or need will set you back around $2200. The iOS6 update, which will not work on first gen iPads and first three generations of phones, is really nothing major. The big changes is Siri to iPad, Facebook integration, phone tweaks, safari update, and removal of Google Maps for Apple's own solution. Most of which jailbroken iOS and Android devices can already do.

Wednesday, June 06, 2012

E3 2012 Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo Press Conferences

This week Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo teased their plans for the next year in video games. For Nintendo, it was an important show as they plan on releasing the Wii U for the Christmas holiday season as a means to finally compete with the other two graphics wise while still offering that unique Nintendo library. The show could be summarized as march of the sequels. Games shown off include Crysis 3, Black Ops 2, new Medal of Honor, Resident Evil 6, Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed 3, God of War: Ascension and the list goes on. The Wii U for all intents is just an improved sequel to the Wii.

Nintendo's Wii U sadly disappoints. For all intents it is an updated graphics chip with a fancy controller that most will probably stop using pretty quickly once they buy the pro controller for the system (think Nintendo's version of the XBox 360 controller). The idea is sound but at the end of the day if people wanted to use a tablet device to play video games they would just play games on a tablet. The system is set for release by Christmas, no price yet but I suspect the $250 to $300 range. The system also is the first time Nintendo seems to embrace the existence of the internet but it still remains a tightly controlled sandbox around the Mii experience.

Monday, June 04, 2012

Linkfest - Death in 3s

For once a non-political post but sadly one with posts of dead entertainers with a mix of movie trailers.

Kathryn Joosten, Dead at 72
Over the weekend, TV lost a fan favorite with the death of Kathryn Joosten at the age of 72 after a long battle with lung cancer. She came onto my radar do to her memorable character of Dolores Landingham on The West Wing, a character that died all too soon in the series. She popped up again and again on TV, often for brief but excellent roles including another favorite of mine in Scrubs. Her final role was on Desperate Housewives which ended its series run in May. Never knew her personally but she did what I think any entertainer wants... to be remembered for their work. I remember hers and was looking forward to her popping up again on TV. I guess now we will just have to stick with our memories and repeats.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Networks Reveal Their 2012 Fall Schedules

This week the big four networks (CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox) revealed their plans for the 2012-2013 TV season that begins usually around mid-September. While subject to change, the main takeaways is the new shows and those that got cancelled to make room for them. Some favorites have been moved around. So far there doesn't seem to be many standouts with the pattern being an emphasis on comedy and more reality competition. Below is the summary of what is cancelled, new shows, links to trailers and new shows descriptions along with a completely uninformative opinion if a show is dead on arrival (DOA) or not.

ABC
Cancelled: Charlie’s Angels, TBS-bound Cougar Town, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, GCB, Man Up, Missing, Pan Am, The River and Work It
New Shows: Last Resort, 666 Park Ave., Mistresses, The Family Tools, How to Live with your Parents, Malibu Country, Nashville, The Neighbors, Red Widow, Zero Hour
Trailers
Press Release with Show Descriptions
DoA: all but Zero Hour

CBS
Cancelled: CSI: Miami, A Gifted Man, How to Be a Gentleman, NYC 22, Rob and Unforgettable
New Shows: Elementary, Vegas, Made in Jersey, Partners, Golden Boy, Friend Me, The Hob
Trailers
Press Release with Show Descriptions
DoA: all but Elementary

Fox
Cancelled: Alcatraz, Allen Gregory, Breaking In, The Finder, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Napoleon Dynamite and Terra Nova
New Shows: The Mob Doctor, Ben and Kate, The Mindy Project, The Goodwin Games, The Following
Trailers
Press Release with Show Descriptions
DoA: Ben and Kate, The Mindy Project, The Goodwin Games. Mob Doctor has decent chance and The Following will survive the season.

NBC
Cancelled: Are You There, Chelsea?, Awake, Bent, Best Friends Forever, Chuck, Free Agents, Harry’s Law, The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect and The Firm
New Shows: Revolution, Go On, The New Normal, Animal Practice, Guys with Kids, Chicago Fire, Save Me, 1600 Penn, Next Caller
Trailers
Press Release with Show Descriptions
DoA: all but Revolution

CW
Cancelled: Ringer, The Secret Circle, One Tree Hill (which aired its series finale on April 4), H8R, Remodeled and The L.A. Complex
New Shows: Beauty and the Beast, Arrow, Emily Owen, MD, Cult, The Carrie Diaries
Trailers
Press Release with Show Descriptions
DoA: Emily Owens. Carrie Diaries, Cult. Arrow and Beauty and the Beast will last season but only one will get renewed.

Monday, May 07, 2012

Linkfest - Avengers Assemble

Just realized it has been weeks since posted anything. I guess just have not found much that I felt like posting about but here are a few new things. Most of it is politics related after the break.

The Avengers Smash Weekend Record
In just three days, The Avengers took in a record breaking $207.1 million in the US box office smashing the previous record of $169.2 million held by Harry Potter 7.2. The movie deputed in most other parts of the world last week so now at the end of its first full week out, its total is already a staggering $654.5 million. It did in one week what the most successful movie of 2012, The Hunger Games, took months to make. For those on the fence, you should see it.

It really is as good as people say. The first hour of story building can drag at times but even then the character interactions are entertaining enough to not matter. When the movie shifts to New York though, that is when everything snaps into perfect place. The last hour is just wall to wall action that always servers the characters or the story. There are even a few "Whedoneque" moments of humor that are inserted at just the right moments.

This movie is the epic story telling that Michael Bay keeps trying to achieve with Transformers but falls short because he fails to recognize that spectacle that doesn't serve the story or character is pointless. See the entire tilting building sequence for evidence of this. It had lots of spectacle but could remove entire sequence from movie and have no impact on story or characters. You can't really say the same about the Avengers. Every sequence has purpose, even a throwaway line that is followed up after the credits. When watch do make sure to at least stick around for the mid-credits scene that introduces the villain Thanos. His goal? Make Death fall in love with him by destroying all life. Hopefully Whedon will write and direct the sequel just to see that fight. Next time he might be able to get in the classic "Avengers Assemble" line as could not without it seeming forced and corny. Good call.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Linkfest - RIP Dick Clark

Dick Clark Dead at 82
The legendary TV entertainer Dick Clark died today of a heart attack at the age of 82. Dick Clark was probably known to most as the host of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve. For me, he became part of my weekly television rituals as host of TVs Bloopers & Practical Jokes and various versions of Pyramid. He also hosted American Bandstand for nearly three decades. It is his good humor, goof feelings hosting style that became the norm for television and emulated today by the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Ryan Seacrest. His last television performance was New Year's 2011. I watched him for most of my life every New Year’s Eve. This year's New Year celebration will just not be the same without him.

Final Flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery
Hit the link before for a video of the final flight of Discovery as it was given a bit of the red carpet treatment by being allowed to fly low in Washington, DC as it heads to its final resting place at the Smithsonian. Normally the airspace in DC is restricted to pretty much all flights but the President so brief change was a kind of way for the nation to tip its hat for 30 years of service and the end of the current shuttle missions and really the space program for the foreseeable future.

Friday, April 06, 2012

Linkfest - Illusion of Safety

Supreme Court OKs Strip Searches for Any Reason
In yet another example that the definition of Conservative "small government", the Supreme Court ruled that strip searches are ok for any reason. When it comes to making people think that Conservatives are keeping them safe, it seems government can't get big enough or stomp on enough rights. In the latest ruling, the five Conservative judges once again voted as a block ruling that police can perform strip searches for any reason, including minor traffic offenses. In short, if the police are willing to arrest you and haul you into a jail cell, they can do whatever they want. This doesn't mean you are guilty or they even have evidence. They can simply arrest you, strip search you, decide it was a mistake and release you. Your dignity may not remain intact but hey at least your will feel "safe" from whatever new thing they want you to fear. The justification for the decision was based on Tim McVey (Oklahoma City bombing) being arrested for a minor traffic offense and not getting stripped search. Without explaining how, the Conservative ruling failed to explain how a strip search would have led to the discovering of his car bomb. I guess they figured he kept the car jammed up his rear? This is ironic considering the Five will overturn the Health Care act in June on claims it stomps rights to purchase what you want (never mind states requiring car insurance, home insurance, etc.). To sum it up, to the Conservative Court your body has no rights but you do have the right to not buy stuff you don't want but need. Once again Conservative hypocrisy in action.

Wiretapping for Profit
While they claim to the contrary, the telecoms probably make a pretty decent profit listening in on our calls at the government's request. T-Mobile charges law enforcement (aka tax papers) $500 per month per target. Sprint charges $400 per "market area" and "technology" with a $10 per day fee. No idea what those "per" mean. For AT&T its $325 activation fee, $5 per day for data and $10 for audio. Verizon charges $50 fee and $700 per month per target. The fees pile on after that depending on what others things law enforcement want for targets of wiretaps. Listening in is good for business.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Linkfest - More MPAA/RIAA Lies

Oops been a while. Here is the last few weeks of links that grabbed my interest. There is a gallery of a Lego Delorean, an end of the Encyclopedia, exercise myths, more proof of MPAA/RIAA lies used to stomp our freedom for corporate benefit, Keith Olbermann fired, and two amusing videos.

Lego Back to the Future 2 Delorean
Mimicking the style of the high end Star Wars sets, Alex Jones has re-created the Back to the Future DeLorean out of the Legos. Hit the link above too few more of the gallery.

Encyclopedia Britannica Ending Print Version
A true end of an era as the Encyclopedia Britannica is no longer printing encyclopedias after a 244 year run. The last volume will be the 2010 edition. The decision was made due to lack of sales. Sure most kids today probably barely have used a set but still a little sad to see such a thing goes away.