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July 28, 2005

World War II - Online Game Chat

If you've ever wondered what World War II would have been like if it was played as an online game, then this is for you. One warning is that it is laced with profanities. Another is that it is full of net-speak shorthand. It's quite funny, but also does a decent job of accurately telling the story of World War II in short form. Nicely done.

Posted by Lockjaw at 6:24 AM | TrackBack

July 27, 2005

That Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Kid Sure Plays a Mean Pinball!

This is a great story. There's this kid in Nebraska who claims he can be beaten in the video games he plays, but other people seem to have a hard time doing it. The catch? He's blind. He's learned to follow audio cues and play better than most.

It's always great to hear stories like this. Too often, you'll hear people complaining about the constant limitations in their lives. Not this kid.

He's not alone, either. I've had the pleasure, recently, to talk with a great radio guy. He runs a radio business, and maintains a LOT of equipment, and he's completely blind. Today, when we went by his place, he was hooking up the newly repaired PC. Watching him program a radio on the computer was an inspiring sight. Using audio cues for keystrokes, menus, and on-screen text, he was able to work on a PC faster than many of the users I help on a daily basis. He also has a reputation for being able to solder a better connection than most, apparently using smell as a guide. He's known for his talent because he's talented, not because he's blind.

No excuses. Get it done. Limitations aren't always limitations. If you want to do something, or be something, the only thing holding you back is you. Be inspired. Go do somethting. Do, excel, succeed.

And have fun.

Posted by Lockjaw at 7:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 22, 2005

Islamic Terrorism Isn't About Iraq

There are those who believe that what happened in London is about the Iraq war. They're wrong. The Anchoress lays this out in detail, with photos. [Caution: Vivid]

Terrorism isn't about Iraq. Iraq is about terrorism.

Posted by Lockjaw at 8:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 21, 2005

Terrorist-Losers - Explosions Mostly Harmless

There are reports of explosions in three London tube stations. Shepherd's Bush, Warren Street, and Oval stations are reported to have been hit by explosions, with at least one "nail bomb" included. There are also reports of a possible bus explosion, as well. I'd say it's a good bet that Islamic/Islamicist terrorism is involved.

Fox News is reporting that noises similar to gunshots were also heard at the Warren Street stop, which may have been denotators going off, but failing to actually detonate the bomb. Also, one man's backpack exploded enough to blow up the pack itself, but not enough to do much else, causing some consternation on his part.

The London Telegraph is reporting that the incident is not being treated as a major event at this time. Reports are that the bus that was hit hat its windows blown out with no casualties.

Early reports seem to show that this attack (possible attack?) did not go off as planned, with failed detonations, smaller-than-expected detonations, smoke and some smells being the end result. Could this be a separate cell that didn't have the skills of the previous group? Whatever the case, incompetence on the part of the terrorists works in our favor.

Posted by Lockjaw at 9:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 20, 2005

Scotty is Dead - James Doohan 1920-2005

James Doohan, known to millions as Scotty on Star Trek, has passed away. He had been diagnosed with Alztheimers and withdrawn from public life in 2004. He died from pneumonia.

James Doohan, beamed up at 85.

Posted by Lockjaw at 12:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Minor De-Uglification of the Lair

Slightly different color change (One color changed) and a slightly less ugly logo are now in place. How do you like it. Is it less ugly enough? I never have been one to try to make my websites look too fancy. Functional is best. When I design for others, I try to make them look much better, but my own purposes demand simplicity. Hope you like it. The "Ogre" gargoyle is attributable to Jon Hurd and used through Creative Commons provisions.

Posted by Lockjaw at 9:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Laughable Opposition to John Roberts

Move On has already jumped, calling John Roberts a "right wing idealogue." NARAL the pro-abortion (NOT just pro-choice) group says " there is little doubt that he will work to overturn Roe v. Wade."

Over on Democrat Underground, "Raiden" says, "And if they don't fight the good fight - I'll never vote Dem again." Don't you know he thinks this sentence fragment makes him look smart?

Senator Kennedy says Roberts should be held to the O'Connor Standard, instead of the constitutional one. Basically, this means that Roberts should meet a standard, not of constitutional knowledge and adherence, but to an idealogical wishy-washiness that doesn't let the electoral losers lose more ground.

At least Robert Byrd had some class, saying, "I thank President Bush for reaching out to Senators on both sides of the aisle as he worked to select a nominee for the Court. I hope that this bipartisan cooperation will continue as the confirmation process begins."

The fun is just beginning. There's nothing like a good judicial fight to make politics interesting again. This Karl Rove stuff just hasn't been much fun, what with the Democrats trying so hard to make political hay. Only the moonbat and media wings of the Democratic Party have seemed to care, what with Rove not even being the subject of the investigation in the first place.

Posted by Lockjaw at 6:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 18, 2005

Comment Spams and MT Upgrade

I've been fighting the good fight against comment spam on the site for some time. Moveable Type has some nice tools available to help in this. One of these is MT-Blacklist, which I've used for some time. Unfortunately, after upgrading to the new MT 3.2 Beta 1 platform, MT-Blacklist quit working. I installed the patch, but it was still broken. This opened me up to a HUGE number of spams.

I've since installed a different anti-spam plugin for Moveable Type. This one does things a bit differently. I've set it at its most oppressive levels, so as to keep as much spam out as possible, without my having to do much work. This MAY mean that some legitimate commenters could find their comments blocked. If this happens to you, you can get a TypePad key and use it to authenticate when you post. This is a good thing to do anyway, as it works across many sites.

I'm enjoying the new version of Moveable Type. I'm looking forward to the furtherance of the Beta process, and finally release. It has some nice new features, and some changes to the interface that I've wished for.

Posted by Lockjaw at 11:41 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 17, 2005

Froggy Visit to SEAL Memorial

Matthew Heidt of Froggy Ruminations tells the story of his trip to the memorial for the fallen US Navy SEALs. It's an excellent read.

"I made the travel plans somewhat impulsively, not really thinking the trip through. After purchasing the non-refundable plane tickets, it hit me that I was going to a memorial for 5 SDV guys that I had never met who were stationed at a Team that was a community within a community, separated from the West Coast and East Coast Teams geographically and culturally. I figured I would know a couple of guys, but would they remember me? After all, it has been 5 long years since I wore a Trident every day, and I wasn’t sure how or if I would fit in with a bunch of salty combat veterans. Would they look at me and ask, 'So you flew out here from LA, and you didn’t even know any of these guys?'"

Posted by Lockjaw at 6:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 14, 2005

New Amateur Radio Blog

In my need for a shorter and more professional-looking website address, I've registered my Amateur Radio callsign as a web address. The most immediate need of such a site was to serve as the host for the Lee County Amateur Radio Emergency Services website, thus the choice of addresses. The LC-ARES site is still under development, but I wanted to put something up on the main site. The obvious choice was to start a blog. If you're interested in Amateur Radio, go on over and take a look. There isn't much there right now, but it will slowly improve. You may also notice my penchant for the ugly website. Pretty sites are great for other people, but I like simple and boring. (I have almost decided that this site is even uglier than I intended, but that's another project for another day)

It ain't much, but run over to KD4THS.com and take a look.

Posted by Lockjaw at 9:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 13, 2005

Huffington Post?

When is the last time you heard anybody acting like they cared about the Huffington Post?

That flash in the pan fizzled fast, didn't it?

Posted by Lockjaw at 10:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Most Important Karl Rove Question

Now that "the source" of the Valerie Plame leak has been discovered in Karl Rove, everything should be clear, right?

So, why is Judith Miller in jail for not revealing Karl Rove's name? Could it be that Karl Rove isn't "the source?"

This question would get in the way of the partisan attacks from the left, so you won't see it being asked by them. It should be asked.

Posted by Lockjaw at 6:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 12, 2005

Democrat Neck-Stretching Over Rove

It is very interesting to watch so many representatives of the Democratic Party trying to make a scandal out of Karl Rove and the Valerie Plame affair. Every time they think they have an issue, they race to see who can stick their necks out the furthest. This time is no different.

The only detail we KNOW about Rove and the whole story is that he agreed to be an anonymous background source, and provided approximately two minutes of discussion. That's not much. In fact, that's not very much at all. A background source is not a primary source. Primary sources are where information is gained. Background sources are usually presented with information by the reporter, and asked for verification of previously gained data. With a whole two minutes of discussion, there couldn't have been an awful lot of verification going on.

Let's put that aside, though. That doesn't discount the possibility that Rove might have leaked Plame's name. Who else might have leaked her name? Here we have an ambassador's wife and CIA employee who hadn't actually been undercover for years. They went to the right parties and knew all the right people. Is it unreasonable to consider that Karl Rove might not be the only person who knew this story?

That's the problem. We're still in a period of great doubt on this issue. Since the investigation is being handled at a Grand Jury level, it is illegal for any information about the investigation to be made public. This allows enemies of the President to attack relentlessly, absent any real, valuable evidence, without fear of contradiction.

The truth will come out. Maybe it will incriminate Rove, and maybe it will not. We'll see. Unfortunately, some are willing to convict before the evidence is in. How "progressive" of them.

Posted by Lockjaw at 1:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 11, 2005

Obama on Democrat Core Values

This is one of those things that, if a Republican said it of the Democrats, would be villified. That's because it's true. Democrat Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill., has joined the list of people who have pointed out that Democrats lack core values from which they draw their beliefs.

"The Democrats at times have lost their way," conceded Obama. "We are trying to decide what our core values are."

This is something I've tried to point out since I left the Democrat Party a decade ago. Democrats have lost their way, not because the Republicans are better at swaying voters, but because they themselves have ceased to draw on basic, core values as the foundation for their beliefs. It really is that simple. It's gotten even worse than that, though. Now, to look for real core values is to risk being on the same side as Republicans on major issues, and that can get in the way of opposing Republicans for everything they stand for. When you have defined yourself as a party by your opposition and hatred of the other side, it is hard to explain how you can agree on major issues at the same time.

As long as the Democratic Party defines its beliefs against those of the Republicans, they will continue to lose ground. It's what they deserve. If, though, the Democrats could honestly face the issues on the merits of the issues themselves, they could possibly work themselves back into majority status. Right now, they're at least 12 years out from any real change, because of the dynamics of the political system.

It's sad, really.

Posted by Lockjaw at 12:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Fun Weekend Recap

This past weekend was a blast. It was exhausting, but well worth it. The wife and I spent the weekend on a jewelry sales trip to Virginia, coupled with some visit time with my Father-in-Law.

On Friday, I left work and made the 40 minute drive home. Once there, we loaded the car. I gave the car a once-over, including an oil change and a topping off of the radiator. That done, we started North. We made the drive to her Dad's house in a little over five hours, and went straight to bed.

On Saturday, we were up at 5am. After a quick shower, we hit the road to Waynesboro, 45 minutes away. Waynesboro has a fantastic park on the river, on the side of a hill. There's a lot of greenspace, where we setup, as well as a performance stage, baseball field, playground and pool. We found our spot and started setting up the jewelry, which took a little over an hour from scratch.

The festival started at ten oclock, but we had customers long before that. There were several other jewelry makers, but everyone made different items and had vastly different displays. Since the wife's jewelry is completely different than everyone else's, we never have any trouble with competition. No offense to anyone, but stringing glass or stones is an easy skill to learn compared to what my wife does, and few are willing to put in the years of effort to get to her level of quality.

Saturday was a productive day, paying for all our expenses for the trip as well as for everything we bought at the show. That was a great feeling, especially knowing that we had a second day to show. According to the other folks showing at the festival, Sunday was an even bigger day than Saturday.

On Saturday evening, we were able to spend some time visiting with the family, talking about politics, bluegrass music, and other stuff. We fell into bed and were asleep almost immediately.

Sunday morning, I took some time to take photos of the flowers in the backyard, as well as the view from the mountaintop. I haven't had the chance to review the shots, but I believe I have some fine work waiting for me, including several beautiful flowers, bees, and a beautiful doe we caught having a snack. After a breakfast of steak and eggs, french toast, canteloupe, and strawberries, we set back out for the show.

Sunday's setup took around 30 minutes, because we had put the wares away the day before, to allow for an easy reset. For the initial setup, everything is packed for storage, but on the second day of a two-day show, we can pack differently. That makes life much easier. Sunday was also quite productive. We sold out of one very popular item completely. One item sold moments before another lady came back to buy it. We had custom orders, and two inquiries about wholesale purchases for shops. We didn't make a fortune, by any means, but we paid for our trip, all expenses, all of our food, all of our purchases from other vendors, and a trip to Wal-Mart. On top of that, we still came back with more money than we left with. We were able to enjoy a wonderful weekend, visit with family, have a lot of fun, and make a profit. That's success.

I picked up a couple mass-produced hematite necklaces at a very low price. The wife will use the pendants from these necklaces as shape templates for her own work. She bought some hair scrunchies that are really nice. I picked up a bat-house, to provide a new home for the bats I'll be excluding from our attic very soon, and I bought two jars of molasses.

Another five+ hours of driving, and I was home at midnight.

There's nothing like having a job you enjoy, and spending your weekends working and having even more fun. Life is good.

Posted by Lockjaw at 8:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 7, 2005

Coordinated Explosions Rock Mass Transit in London

[UPDATED]I'm sure a lot of people will try to blame George Bush for this, but you can't expect better from them. Six explosions, coordinated to go at approximately the same time, have occurred in London. Targets included the subway system and the bus system. Early reports are at least 2 dead and 9 seriously injured. I would expect that these numbers will increase greatly. Casualty numbers are estimated to be at least 200, with news still coming in.

I'm looking at the possibilities for who could have done such an evil thing. I'm down to three big probabilities.

Any guesses?

CNN, Fox News, Associated Press, UPI
The Washington Post is reporting that the Washington DC Metro system is seeing stepped up security, including searches for unescorted baggage.
BBC Radio is reporting that Al Qaeda has taken credit. I guess the Buddhists are off the hook, but I still worry about the knitting group.
This AP Article says, "A group calling itself 'The Secret Organization of al-Qaida in Europe' posted a claim of responsibility for the blasts, saying they were in retaliation for Britain's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Web statement, republished on the site of the German magazine Der Spiegel, could not be immediately confirmed."
The Australian has this quote, "We are aware that one of the sites does containly[sp] does contain indications of explosives."

Posted by Lockjaw at 6:55 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

I Want My "Club Gitmo" T-Shirt

You can add this to my wishlist. It's the jumpsuit orange "Club Gitmo" T-Shirt from Rush Limbaugh. Club G'itmo logo on front. "Your Tropical Retreat from the Stress of Jihad" emblazoned on back. I like it even more than the "What happens in Gitmo stays in Gitmo" version. I also quite like the hat, though I'm much more attached to my Lowes Motor Speedway American Flag hat. The "Jihad Java" coffee mug would go nicely alongside my Watergate Hotel cup, too.

Mmmmmmm, rice pilaf, *drool*.

Posted by Lockjaw at 6:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 5, 2005

Live 8 – Concerts Without Purpose

This past weekend’s “Live 8” shows were apparently big news. For the most part, I didn’t even watch it. Unlike Live Aid two decades ago, I never felt that this event had much in the way of concrete goals. Instead, it just seemed to be an excuse for a bunch of rockers to put on a show and act like they were doing something. Considering the outcome of the Live Aid, it may have been just as well.

Live Aid raised millions to send food to Africa to feed the starving. With great fanfare, a huge shipment of food was sent to Ethiopia, where not nearly enough of it made it to the neediest. A corrupt government took control of far too much of the food, minimizing the impact. Being an event-driven effort, the food aid wasn’t ongoing, so what did make it to the starving poor was gone too soon. Asked about the aid 20 years later, one Ethiopian woman was quoted as saying, "Someone helped us once I think, but they did not stay…”

Ethiopia has seen a change in government, and the breakaway of a portion of the country. Food production is rising, but years of socialism have harmed the farms almost as much as the people. Many farms still haven’t recovered from socialist-style mismanagement, and may require many years longer. Ethiopia has a long way to go before it recovers from what famine and bad government have wrought.

Ethiopia isn’t the only part of Africa in trouble. Zimbabwe was once the breadbasket of lower Africa. Corruption, racism, victim-mentality and socialist farm management have destroyed this ability. Because white Europeans once colonized the area, privately-owned farms belonging to white people are being stolen by the government through complex means, and given to black cronies of the ruling class. Skilled farmers find themselves out of work, while political hacks take over the farms and then mismanage them. There is a fear that South Africa may soon go this way, as well.

What exactly is it that Live 8 is supposed to do about this? Apparently, the purpose of the concerts was to raise awareness of the issues. What little I did see of the show featured a crowd full of people wearing symbols of what is wrong about hungry Africa. An anti-free-trade flag flew during U2’s performance. T-Shirts featuring socialist slogans dotted the crowd. Anti-capitalist signs were raised high. A crowd that came to raise awareness of hunger and poverty came supporting ideals that are root causes of that same hunger.

What can be done to help end hunger in the world today? There are a few simple ways to begin.

First, all farmland should be immediately privatized. Any farmland owned by the government on the African continent should be put up for auction. A covenant should be attached to any sale that requires that at least 50% of the land be cultivated for crops within two years of the sale, and that cultivation be continued on no less than 80% of each plot for at least ten years.

An African free-trade zone should be created, eliminating the economic barriers for cross-border trade. This would allow food to flow freely across the continent. This would also allow more affluent areas to utilize lower-cost workforces in needier areas. The result is lower-cost items for people with money to spend, and an income for people in those areas where jobs are few and far between.

DDT should be un-banned, worldwide. This inexpensive, effective pesticide has been long-maligned as damaging, with almost no evidence against it. DDT would allow better control of malaria, a major killer. It would also help prevent locusts and other insects from damaging the crops that are needed to renew Africa’s food supplies.

Better crops, including Genetically Modified crops, should be researched as to their ability to increase crop yields and nutrition. If better crops can be found for the purpose, they should be immediately put to use.

Privately sponsored scholarships should be created to allow individuals to come to America and study subjects such as horticulture, medicine, engineering, manufacturing, business, electronics and other useful professions. Scholarships should not be used for education in psychology, sociology, or any liberal arts field. This would allow graduates to return home with skills necessary to build infrastructure, perform crops research, care for the health of the population, and create businesses to employ the people.

That’s only a beginning. There’s plenty more that could be done.

It’s also more than the Live 8 shows are doing, which is pretty much nothing.

Posted by Lockjaw at 11:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack