USS Momsen - The USS Momsen is a new BURKE Flight IIa class destroyer being built in Bath, Maine. A cousin of mine is the prospective XO of this new warship. For those interested, here are some pictures of pieces of this ship as it is being built.
Pictures: Destroyer Photo Index DDG-92 USS MOMSEN
Article: New Destroyer Stationed In Everett

Survey shows how gross people are - this Annanova story reports on a study which shows many people admit to doing some pretty disgusting things. I have just lost my appetite for lunch.

Got to start animating... - Here's yet another source of twisted net-distributed animation. When am I going to get Flash and start making this stuff? I dunno. In the meantime enjoy: Mondo Mini Shows Happy Tree Friends Review Page

Aces Full at the Tables - Last week I played at the 7-Stud tables at Foxwoods. It was a profitable visit, but was not especially noteworthy. However, I did show down aces full of kings (the best possible full house) in one hand, beating out someone with queens full of something. When he hit his fullie he didn't try to bang me back at all (my hand was hidden with only one ace and one king up, and he should have thought he had the best hand at that point), so I was a little disappointed that I didn't make more money off the hand.

The Daily Howler - It's a site which calls out and catalogues blunders in the press. The entry for Monday was: "The WashTimes slandered the NEA. Your pundits, bought off, just don't care" In this installment they point out how some nationally respected pundits have claimed that the NEA website set up to help teachers deal with the 9/11 tragedy is some sort of subversive plot. The site is actually full of speeches by Bush himself and what looks to be some pretty supportive stuff. But through the magic of selective reasoning, quotes are taken out of context to twist the meaning of the site.

I haven't ever checked the Howler regularly, but it appears it might be a good place to stop by once a week or so.

Handy in a logical pinch... - I thought of submitting this link because of the frequency with which I read and hear poorly constructed arguments. The logical Fallacies: Index is a list of logical fallacies you might encounter in everyday life, or even when reading the news. I report that with sadness, but you'll find politicians and the-man-on-the-street alike supporting their opinions with a hefty dose of logical fallacy.

Some favorites are:

• Straw man
  (a favorite in one-sided TV commentary)
  
• Argument from Ignorance
  (a favorite of the paranormal crowd)
  
• Against the person
  (a favorite in online forums)
  

But choose your own favorites!

Write in "Jedi" - Two people sent me this story. Does that mean I am a geek?

Australians deluge their census-takers with claims that 70,000 of them are part of the "Jedi" religion. See: Jedi 'religion' grows in Australia

There was a threat to fine these people for giving false info to the census-takers. However, they throw away the name information so it seems like it's logistically improbable that they will be able to figure out who to fine.

Synthetic Spider-Man - Research into why geckos can stick to most any surface has yielded success. It turns out that tiny hairs are responsible rather than any chemical. Researchers have been able to synthesize these hairs and verify that van der Waals forces are able to keep them sticking - even to extremely smooth polished silicon chips.

As soon as they start manufacturing Spider-Man gloves, I'm getting them on preorder. See: Scientists discover what makes geckos stick.

Dude... it's just a wedgie! - Okay, giving someone a wedgie is pretty rude and it is a form of physical abuse. However, you don't get back at someone for giving you a wedgie by killing him (see: Salon.com People | Man accused in wedgie case)

It's much better to come up with a creative revenge solution.