Jericho: Happy Birthday, Max!

Took me forever to figure out what the hell his Twitter was about! :)

Maxy, my best friend, is 37 years old today. I love him and I hope that this is the best year yet.

I couldn't think of what gift to give him. A card is useless, he knows how I feel. I can't afford to buy him a bass (that I will NEVER hear him play!) No matter how much cash I handed him, it would seem like a drop in the bucket and probably get absorbed into a bill. (Send the smegging cash anyway! Right, Max?)

While I was thinking about this, it occurred to me: no matter what gift I gave him, it would never be enough. Max has been my savior on far too many occasions. He's stuck by me when the world seemed to have abandoned me. And, these days, in his time of need, I've had my own problems and haven't been able to be there for him like I wish I could.

So, no, Max, no gift this year. Probably the first year I didn't just plumb forget your birthday. I actually put thought into it for once. And when I thought about it - nothing would do. Nothing would show you how much I love you and how much you mean to me.

I wish I could quit you! :)

Max: Traister Warns PUMA's About Palin

For the true Hillary holdouts, the handful of so-called PUMAs who spent this week jawing about how they were going to vote for John McCain, these antiwoman stances aren't likely to make a dent. These agitators will not consider that picking Palin, a politician with only a few years of experience, is a pandering and condescending sop toward them, one that suggests that by dint of her gender alone, Palin could stand in for Clinton, who spent years being fire-forged for her place in history.

More at Salon.com

Max: Dark Night Trailer Redone With Chilluns

Max: Writing In Your Own Words, Literally

Funner. Impactful. Blowiest. Territorialism. Multifunctionality. Dialoguey. Dancey. Thrifting. Chillaxing. Anonymized. Interestinger. Wackaloon. Updatelette. Noirish. Huger. Domainless. Delegator. Photocentric. Relationshippy. Bestest. Zoomable.

What do all these words have in common? Someone, somewhere, is using them with a disclaimer like "I know it's not a real word..."

More at Boston.com.

Max: Why Photoshop When You Can Caption-Shop?

I guess I was the only one who didn't buy the low res photos of random shapes.




More here.

Max: The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove by Dead Can Dance

I love this song.

Max: Gamma Ray Emmisions In The Milky Way

Click to embiggen.



The first images from the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope. Are my eyes freaking out or is there a weird 3D optical illusion in this pic?

Max: 50 Year Of NASA - Interactive

NASA @ 50

Max: Rap - Let Freedom Ring by Timid

A little preachy, but a nice break from ho-bashing.

Max: Green Grass and High Tides Forever

Max: Richard Dawkinds Reads His Hatemail

Max: Dalek Inspirations

Here

Max: Carbs Kill Appetite Regulation

That's it, I'm living on steak and grilled chicken from here on out...

Dr Andrews found that appetite-suppressing cells are attacked by free radicals after eating and said the degeneration is more significant following meals rich in carbohydrates and sugars.

"The more carbs and sugars you eat, the more your appetite-control cells are damaged, and potentially you consume more," Dr Andrews said.

More @ Sciencedaily.com

Max: Terrorists Now Destroying Stereotypes

MI5 has concluded that there is no easy way to identify those who become involved in terrorism in Britain, according to a classified internal research document on radicalisation seen by the Guardian.

The sophisticated analysis, based on hundreds of case studies by the security service, says there is no single pathway to violent extremism.

It concludes that it is not possible to draw up a typical profile of the "British terrorist" as most are "demographically unremarkable" and simply reflect the communities in which they live.

The "restricted" MI5 report takes apart many of the common stereotypes about those involved in British terrorism.

They are mostly British nationals, not illegal immigrants and, far from being Islamist fundamentalists, most are religious novices. Nor, the analysis says, are they "mad and bad".

Those over 30 are just as likely to have a wife and children as to be loners with no ties, the research shows.

More here

Max: Bill Hicks On The 80's

Does anybody else think that Bill Hicks would just spontaneously burst into flames on stage if he had been around for the last 8 years?

Max: Thoughts on Privacy

From Bruce Schneier

The most common retort against privacy advocates -- by those in favor of ID checks, cameras, databases, data mining and other wholesale surveillance measures -- is this line: "If you aren't doing anything wrong, what do you have to hide?"

Some clever answers: "If I'm not doing anything wrong, then you have no cause to watch me." "Because the government gets to define what's wrong, and they keep changing the definition." "Because you might do something wrong with my information." My problem with quips like these -- as right as they are -- is that they accept the premise that privacy is about hiding a wrong. It's not. Privacy is an inherent human right, and a requirement for maintaining the human condition with dignity and respect.

Max: Porno-Terrorist Faces Life Sentence

They hate us for our Puritanical hatred of sex!

Max: Using Stills To Improve Your Video

Using Photographs to Enhance Videos of a Static Scene from pro on Vimeo.

Max: MOTD

Though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness, consideration and cooperation can finally lead men to the dawn of eternal peace.

     -Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. general and President

Max: Guilty Until Proven Innocent

At JFK Airport, Denying Basic Rights Is Just Another Day at the Office

In the past five years I have worked for human rights and refugee advocacy organizations in Serbia, Russia and Croatia, including the International Rescue Committee and USAID. I have traveled to many different places, some supposedly repressive, and have never seen people treated with the kind of animosity that Homeland Security showed that night.

Max: The IT Crowd

Series 1


Series 2

Max: Bill Moyers Interviews Andrew J. Bacevich

Is an imperial presidency destroying what America stands for? Bill Moyers sits down with history and international relations expert and former US Army Colonel Andrew J. Bacevich who identifies three major problems facing our democracy: the crises of economy, government and militarism, and calls for a redefinition of the American way of life

Max: Living on Two Hours' Sleep

I just looked at next month's schedule. I am scheduled for first shift on Saturday 9/13. I don't know how they expect me to do this on a regular basis given that I work until midnight on Friday. Even if I slept in my cubicle that is still only 7 hours of sleep. Given that I have to drive home, eat, shower and drive back, that leaves me with far less time for sleep. On top of everything else, now I have to ignore basic physical needs in order to keep myself in a shitty job.

Max: Former Seattle Top Cop Just Says No To Drug War

Max: Dah Guvahnatah

Jericho: You may ask yourself:

Where does that Highway lead to?

Max: Venting

Anyone who calls the helpdesk, asks for something to be set up and after it is set up says, "I don't know anything about computers but that isn't right. There used to be a thing there. I don't know what it is and I never used it but someone told me that if the thing isn't there it's not right," should be kneecapped.

Max: Whiny Cretin

The job still sucks, but I am not feeling quite so persecuted.

I think maybe stress has knocked my brain tuner between stations, replacing self pity and bitterness with mental white noise.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Max: Cursed

When I started here, it was typical to get 5 or more minutes between calls. 99% of the time, our tools worked. There was time to relax and talk and let off steam.

Lately, there are 5 or more calls in queue at any given time. "Upgrades" break a critical system at least once a month. Our new tools can take 20 minutes or more just to set up; if we can even get the information we need to start setting up. As a result, our departmental numbers are in the toilet and every moment not spent on the phone (peeing, getting drink, whimpering, etc) is noted and held against me.

Why does every job I have have to go to shit? I thought I had it pretty good. For the first few month I had this job I didn't spend Sunday night cursing the end of the weekend. Now I start tensing up on Saturday night, my mind screaming that mere hours stand between me and endless support calls.

Now I am less than two hours into my shift on Tuesday and I am already fried.

And there isn't shit I can do about it.

Max: Our Water Is Contaminated By Rainbows

Max: Cooking With Beardyman

Max: History Channel Posits Insanity Runs In My Family

Max: Alternative IT

Max: Word Up/Easy

Max: Honorary Irate Weirdo

A list hundreds of pages of long of people so dangerous they can't be allowed to fly, but so innocent that we can't think of anything to arrest them for.
     -Cory Doctorow on the No Fly List

Max: Government InAction

A clip from Yes, Prime Minister, via those wacky Brits.

Max: This is...Odd

Via The Telegraph

The Association of the Sovereign Order of the Temple of Christ, whose members claim to be descended from the legendary crusaders, have filed a lawsuit against Benedict XVI calling for him to recognise the seizure of assets worth 100 billion euros (£79 billion).

They claim that when the order was dissolved by his predecessor Pope Clement V in 1307, more than 9,000 properties as well as countless pastures, mills and other commercial ventures belonging to the knights were appropriated by the church.

But their motive is not to reclaim damages only to restore the "good name" of the Knights Templar.

Max: $35,262.39

That is how much I need to save per year if I want to retire at age 65 and have the equivalent of $40,000 a year in today's money to live on.

That is just a few grand less than I currently make per year.

I am going to be working until the day I die. The last moment of my life will be spent in a beige cubicle, getting bitched out because I can't magically undo the results of some user's stupidity.

Wee.

Max: Green Sludge of (Pseudo) Science

At SciAm

The recent medical controversy over whether vaccinations cause autism reveals a habit of human cognition—thinking anecdotally comes naturally, whereas thinking scientifically does not.

Max: The MPAA Want To Pwn Your AyVeez

Max: The Final Countdown

Until they fire up the LHC!