Interesting

So if you go to Amazon UK you can pre-order HP Book 7, and the ship date on it is Dec. 31, 2007. Seems a rather unlikely date for a book release to me so I'm assuming it's just a temporary date they've inputted before getting the real date from the publisher. But it's odd that only the UK version is actually taking pre-orders. The US one isn't, but does offer an alert for when they do. Hmm...

Only got two responses for the beta testing next Monday so I'll try the sales pitch once more, if you've got a little over an hour available next Monday at 9 a.m. I could really use your help on our beta site. It'll be practically painless, I guarantee.

My goal for today is to leave work on time and actually get home before 7 p.m. I don't know that this is even possible for me these days but what's life without a goal, no matter how unattainable?

You work that closet, Rush

Let's see what's oozing around Rush Limbaugh's vestigial brain, shall we:

If Obama is seen smoking in public, and it is said because no one wants to criticize him because, he’s above criticism, because he’s a godlike figure to the godless. Now, you don’t criticize gods or godlike figures. What if the whole anti-smoking bunch has to come out, ’cause they’re a bunch of libs too, has to find a way to justify Obama’s coolness? Because he’s got fire. If he’s got fire in his hands, what has he got in his pants?

I...-the fuck? :O

Scott at World O'Crap responds:

Some people accused Rush of flogging that old wives’ tale about the plus-sized loinsabres wielded by African American males, but I think there is some room for reasonable doubt. After all, Mr. Obama is a “Halfrican,” so logicially, his dusky crotch crane could only be 50% larger than a white senator’s — hardly worthy of comment. On the other hand, when Minority Leader John Boehner was recently outed as a heavy smoker, Rush didn’t feel the need to speculate on the size of the Ohio Republican’s over-the-sac-bracket, even though his name is a homonym for “Boner.”

Batshit crazy. Head-trauma crazy.

In response to this poll from CBS news showing the President's popularity at 28%, Kungfu Monkey reposts "The Crazification Factor":

John: Hey, Bush is now at 37% approval. I feel much less like Kevin McCarthy screaming in traffic. But I wonder what his base is --

Tyrone: 27%.

John: ... you said that immediately, and with some authority.

Tyrone: Obama vs. Alan Keyes. Keyes was from out of state, so you can eliminate any established political base; both candidates were black, so you can factor out racism; and Keyes was plainly, obviously, completely crazy. Batshit crazy. Head-trauma crazy. But 27% of the population of Illinois voted for him. They put party identification, personal prejudice, whatever ahead of rational judgment. Hell, even like 5% of Democrats voted for him. That's crazy behaviour. I think you have to assume a 27% Crazification Factor in any population.

John: Objectively crazy or crazy vis-a-vis my own inertial reference frame for rational behaviour? I mean, are you creating the Theory of Special Crazification or General Crazification?

Tyrone: Hadn't thought about it. Let's split the difference. Half just have worldviews which lead them to disagree with what you consider rationality even though they arrive at their positions through rational means, and the other half are the core of the Crazification -- either genuinely crazy; or so woefully misinformed about how the world works, the bases for their decision making is so flawed they may as well be crazy.

John: You realize this leads to there being over 30 million crazy people in the US?

Tyrone: Does that seem wrong?

John: ... a bit low, actually.

(no subject)

Dammit, this piece by Keith Martin almost makes me want to re-watch the Star Wars prequels, it's so goddamn brilliant:

Then, on the verge of escape, Vader himself turns up only yards from both of his children, one of whom is leaking Force all over the place. Obi-Wan stages a distraction by letting himself die and go into the Force while the others escape. At this point, Chewie suddenly realises that he's been left in charge, not only of the Death Star Plans and the survival of the Rebellion but of the secret son and daughter of Darth Vader. With the Organas and Kenobi all dead, only Chewie, R2 and Yoda know who Luke and Leia are. And only Ob-Wan knew where Yoda has been hiding. Chewie is stressed out by the responsibility and R2 (who keeps making crude jokes about the whole affair) is being no help at all.

A re-interpretation of episodes 4-6 given what we learned in 1-3, it really does put an interesting spin on the flicks. And I love the concept of R2 and Chewie as the masterminds behind most of the events in A New Hope.

Also a podcast I need to check out is "How to Succeed in Evil":

How to Succeed in Evil is not a self-help page for the maladjusted. It it is the story of Edwin Windsor, Evil Efficiency Consultant. He’s like Arthur Anderson for Supervillians.

Just because a person can melt walls by winking at them or build a device to threaten the very fabric of our reality doesn’t mean that they know how to manage investments or squeeze money out of a scheme. Just look at M.C. Hammer. (Not that’s he’s evil or super — just that he’s exquistely bad with money.)

But the problem with supervillians is that they are all too egomaniacal to listen to good advice. (They always pay, but they never listen.) So Edwin gets so fed up with this state of affairs and decides to go into business for himself. This results in an efficient, ruthless (and often very funny) brand of evil.