Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Argentium G. Tiger's InsaneJournal:

[ << Previous 20 ]

Saturday, March 5th, 2011
7:11 am	The Adjustment Bureau So I was considering going to go see "The Adjustment Bureau". It actually looked like the previews as if it was a semi-interesting bit of entertainment. Ace says otherwise, and informs us that the previews appear to be an intentional bait and switch. Read on... One of Ace's commenters provides a link at docs.google.com where the original Phillip K. Dick story is available: The Adjustment Team. I'll just read that instead. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011
8:29 pm	I just ran the price conversion numbers... I probably shouldn't have. Gas is $1.259 a liter where I am. 3.79 liters = 1 US Gallon, so that's $4.77 CDN per U.S. Gallon. Taking into account that 1$ CDN = $1.0273 USD right now (yeah, our dollar is higher?!), that means right now we're paying $4.90 per gallon. Syracuse is paying about $3.55 a gallon on average; a difference of $1.35 per gallon. Canadian taxes suck hard. (Comment on this)
8:12 pm	And people wonder why I've never visited Washington DC. Dear God, why would anyone work for this woman? (I read all 7 pages, it's a jaw-dropper.) Congressional bosses from Hell: Sheila Jackson Lee Current Mood: disgusted (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, February 3rd, 2011
6:10 pm	Haven't felt much like posting. I'm still alive, just haven't felt like posting or going near email. Don't know why, probably just that it's winter. Gonna go fire up the woodstove now and enjoy some heat. Current Mood: blah (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, January 13th, 2011
7:08 am	Canadian Radio basically pusses out: Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" no longer playable. Apparently Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" is now deemed "too offensive for radio" by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council. Press Release Full Decision The CBSC is a part of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (the CAB), who say about themselves that they are "the national voice of Canada’s private broadcasters, representing the vast majority of Canadian programming services, including private radio and television stations, networks, specialty, pay and pay-per-view services." And of course, since there are damned few truly independent radio stations out there anymore (most are part of big media conglomerates), the decision is pretty much binding. If there ARE any independent radio stations out there that are members of the CAB, I hope they break ties with them and inform them that this little bit of "stupid" was the last straw. God damned, small-minded, self-important, pencil-pushing, censoring bureaucrats!! Current Mood: annoyed (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, December 24th, 2010
5:12 pm	Happy Yule/Merry Christmas Everyone! Current Mood: content (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 21st, 2010
9:47 am	On Fear As Kate over at small dead animals - the roadkill diaries likes to say: "Now is the time when we juxtapose!" Read them in this order: ABC News: Attorney General's Blunt Warning on Terror Attacks Fred on Everything: Awaiting the Storm I think Fred just nailed it. (Comment on this)
Sunday, December 19th, 2010
2:06 pm	What could POSSIBLY go wrong here? Intel's Sandy Bridge processors have a remote kill switch Intel's new Sandy Bridge processors have a new feature that the chip giant is calling Anti-Theft 3.0. The processor can be disabled even if the computer has no Internet connection or isn't even turned on, over a 3G network. (or so that article claims.) Intel explains their technology here: (I had to use Internet Explorer to view this page, Firefox 3.6 wouldn't view it.) http://antitheft.intel.com/Libraries/Documents/Intel_R_Anti-Theft_Technology_-_Technology_Brief.sflb.ashx I still don't like the idea of a remote-kill with re-enable, there's too much to go wrong, and too many out there that would use such a thing against the computer's user or owner, in an illegitimate fashion. Still, on a corporate computer, it's their hardware, they can protect it how they like. But for a personal computer? No way in hell would I buy hardware with this feature set on it. In fact, this reminds me of the Biblical reference to the fool who built his house on sand (and how a storm destroyed it.) Similarly, only a fool would build their computer around a Sandy Bridge processor... Current Mood: *facepalm* (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
2:14 pm	No way, no how, Nuh uh. Not happenin'. Okay, this guy's got an amazing job, but I know my limits, and just... wow. No. The last 30 seconds of audio is totally worth watching this video! :-) YouTube Link: The Ultimate Electrician YouTube Embedded: Current Mood: impressed (Comment on this)
Sunday, December 5th, 2010
11:02 am	On Tax Cuts, the "Rich", the Tea Party, and the Birthers Tax debate has Missouri senators talking about 'pitchforks' and 'demagoguery' WASHINGTON – The congressional debate over the Bush-era tax cuts heated up Friday, with U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D.Mo., saying Americans might “take up pitchforks” against Republicans who want to extend tax cuts for millionaires – while U.S. Sen. Christopher S. "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., called such arguments “populist demagoguery.” Appearing at a Capitol news conference with six other Democratic senators, McCaskill (right) endorsed a plan – which may come to a Senate vote on Saturday – that would extend the tax cuts for families earning as much as $1 million a year, but allow the Bush-era cuts to expire for millionaires and above, to help reduce the deficit. That plan is portrayed as a compromise between the Republican position of extending the tax cuts for all income levels and the White House-backed and U.S. House-passed plan to extend cuts only for those families taxable earned income of less than $250,000 a year. “I don’t know how anyone can keep a straight face and say they are for deficit reduction while they insist on a permanent tax cut for the wealthiest Americans, completely unpaid for,” McCaskill said of the GOP stance. “If they think it’s OK to raise taxes for the embattled middle class because . . . (Democrats) don’t give more money to millionaires, it really is time for people in America to take up pitchforks.” But the arguments made by McCaskill, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Democrats seemed to fall on deaf ears on the other side of the political aisle. Calling the campaign against taxing millionaires “populist demagoguery,” Bond said he would stick with the Republican position of insisting on extending the tax cuts for all income levels. (more at the original article, click this link to view) First, I'd like to look at the taxation angle, and Senator McCaskill's claims that removing the tax-cuts for the rich (with earned income above $1M a year) is a good idea, then I have some comments on the Tea Party, and finally the Birthers. Removing the tax-cuts for the rich (those with an earned income of $1M a year or more) is a bad idea, and pretty much for the reasons Sentator Bond espoused, but I'd like to expand on this a little, if I may: ( But let's put this behind a cut-tag - Dang if I didn't get long-winded here... ) Current Mood: thoughtful (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, December 4th, 2010
12:56 pm	Music from odd things YouTube Link: [ORIGINAL] --Just awesome talent-- Same, Embedded: And I know I've mentioned them before, but the Zeusaphone is just too cool: YouTube Link: Zeusaphone Z-60 Musical Tesla Coil Same, Embedded: Current Mood: Fun! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
11:10 am	KKK Snowman Spreads Holiday Hate In Hayden KXLY: KKK Snowman Spreads Holiday Hate In Hayden (Idaho) While most see the holiday season as one of joy and merrymaking, at least one Hayden, Idaho, resident is taking the opportunity to spread a little hate courtesy of a noose-carrying, KKK hood-wearing snowman on their front lawn. Several area parents noticed the offensive snow sculpture, located in front of a home in the 9000 block of Hillview Drive, while taking their kids to school Wednesday morning. The sculpture depicts a snowman with a pointed hat and an outstretched right hand with a noose in it. Residents in the neighborhood say the homeowners also have an Aryan Nations flag on display. One resident said they were "appalled at the nerve they have to threaten people in our community with their signs of hatred," adding that this is a season of love and hope, not hate. Good, you should be appalled, that means your moral compass isn't broken yet. This, THIS is why I really like the First Amendment protections, and despise "Hate-speech" restrictions like what we have in Canada. I LIKE knowing who the assholes in my neighborhood are, so I can avoid 'em. Current Mood: Doh. (Comment on this)
10:24 am	Anyone want to explain to me... How ANY of this squares with the "secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity" phrase in the pre-amble of the United States Constitution, or for that matter, squares with the plain meaning of the Fourth Amendment? Wired Magazine: Feds Warrantlessly Tracking Americans’ Credit Cards in Real Time Damn the Republicans for creating the Department of Homeland Security, and abusing the restraints of the Constitution in that, and other departments/agencies. Damn the Democrats for doing nothing to reverse this trend, and only expanding these powers and abuses of the Constitution and the citizenry. The Republicans and the Democrats: Each happy to exercise unconstitutional power over, and abuse the citizenry for their own stinking agendas. Lord thunderin', but the United States Government is downright creepy now, and has been for a while. Current Mood: angry (Comment on this)
Friday, December 3rd, 2010
11:59 am	Fighting the Solar Minimum this Winter with Fire Mrs. Tiger and I finished off our big wood stacking project this morning. We measured it out at 12.5' x 12' x 6' high, or 900 cubic feet. 7 full cords of wood, neatly stacked. Not bad, not bad at all. The wood we've been burning has been from another pile though that's just about gone. So, we'll have 7 full cords to last us from the beginning of December through the last of the cold days in April. Current Mood: accomplished (Comment on this)
Monday, November 29th, 2010
6:28 am	Biologist/Biophysicist takes a look at the TSA scanners ... and doesn't like what he sees. Review of the TSA X-ray backscatter body scanner safety report: hide your kids, hide your wife In order to really understand these concerns, I think its important to consider the type of radiation used in these scanners, which the TSA has described as 'soft' and 'safe'. First, we need to clarify the definition of 'soft' vs 'hard' X-rays. The TSA has been stating that the X-rays used in the back scatter machines use 'soft' X-rays, which are defined as radiation between 0.12-12 keV (or kilo electron volts) and are generally stopped, or absorbed, by soft tissue or low density matter. 'Hard' X-rays are between 12-128 keV and are absorbed by dense matter like bone. According to the TSA safety documents, AIT uses an 50 keV source that emits a broad spectra (see adjacent graph from here). Essentially, this means that the X-ray source used in the Rapiscan system is the same as those used for mammograms and some dental X-rays, and uses BOTH 'soft' and 'hard' X-rays. Its very disturbing that the TSA has been misleading on this point. Here is the real catch: the softer the X-ray, the more its absorbed by the body, and the higher the biologically relevant dose! This means, that this radiation is potentially worse than an a higher energy medical chest X-ray. That's just a snippet, the entire article is interesting reading, and isn't too long. Enjoy. Hat tip to Ace of Spades (Comment on this)
Saturday, November 27th, 2010
5:46 pm	Coolest Thanksgiving story I've read this year Gizmodo: This Guy Crashed a Thanksgiving Party Because He Got an Accidental E-Mail Invite Current Mood: amused (Comment on this)
12:08 pm	Motor Trend Magazine: 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year: Chevrolet Volt *Bwahahahahahahaha* Seriously? That overpriced, had-to-be-subsidized piece of shit got a "Car of the year" award? I wonder how much GM had to fork over Motor Trend for this paid-advertisement er.... I mean "award". Current Mood: amused (Comment on this)
12:12 am	I ran across a quotation... Turned out it was quoting a friend of mine, the Geek With a .45. I thought I'd post it here in case it gives anyone else a smile, as it did me: "A Rifleman’s Prayer: Oh Lord, I would live my life in freedom, peace and happiness, enjoying the simple pleasures of hearth and home. I would die an old, old man in my own bed, preferably of sexual overexertion. But if that is not to be, Lord, if monsters such as this should find their way to my little corner of the world on my watch, then help me to sweep those bastards from the ramparts, because doing that is good, and right, and just. And if in this I should fall, let me be found atop a pile of brass, behind the wall I made of their corpses." -- Geek with a .45 (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 25th, 2010
9:46 am	Happy Thanksgiving For everyone who gets to enjoy Turkey Day today: Happy Thanksgiving! Update: A recipe Mrs. Tiger serves every year comes out of the States, and requires a product from there as well: French's French Fried Onions: The original recipe is: - 1 (10 3/4 oz) Can Campbell's mushroom soup. - 3/4 cup milk - 1/8 tsp black pepper - 1 1/3 cups French's French Fried Onions - 2 (14 1/2 oz) cans green beans, or 2 (9 oz) packages frozen green beans, thawed In a 1 1/2 quart Casserole dish: * Mix soup and milk * Add pepper, beans, and 2/3 cup French Fried Onions * Bake at 350 deg F for 30 minutes or until hot * Stir, top with remaining French Fried Onions * Bake again for another 5 minutes * Serve Mrs. Tiger's modified (and simpler) recipe gets rave reviews in our household every thanksgiving, you might want to give hers a try: Ingredient changes: - Omit the Pepper and the milk - Use Cream of Celery soup instead of Cream of Mushroom - Use French-cut frozen green beans (The Cream of Celery soup has a stronger flavor, which removes the need to add the black pepper, and not adding the milk allows you to skip the add of the French Fried Onions on the top at the end, and extra baking step.) Simplified instructions: - Add frozen french-cut green beans into a cooking pot and add water so there's only 1/2 inch water at the bottom. Bring that to a boil, then let cook until all the ice is gone and the beans are steam-cooked. They should be a little bit crunchy this way and fresher (Mrs. Tiger says "el dente" - not raw, but not soggy either.) - Drain the water, and add the beans to the casserole dish. - Add a can of cream of celery soup - Add 1/2 can of the French Fried Onions. Stir/mix. - Add other half of French Fried Onions to the top of the dish covering evenly. - Bake for 30 minutes at 350 deg F Done! Our American friends who come to our Thanksgiving dinner rave about this dish, so I thought I'd pass the modified recipe on to you all. :-) (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
8:52 pm	Because statist crap just keeps multiplying unless it's put down, like a rabid dog. Next step for body scanners could be trains, boats, metro The next step in tightened security could be on U.S. public transportation, trains and boats. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says terrorists will continue to look for U.S. vulnerabilities, making tighter security standards necessary. The more of this I see, the less I want to visit the United States. They're not making themselves more safe, they're making themselves less free. A friend of mine has been watching what's going on down there, and reminded me of this quotation, which he's decided to start appending to each of his emails: "I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them." -John Bernard Books Current Mood: worried (2 Comments |Comment on this)