Car Falling Apart?

When someone's car is the butt of constant jokes, I often think of Planes Trains and Automobiles. Steve Martin and John Candy at their best.

Armed Forces Day

Trekkie bashing

This is a hilarious clip!!


Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'

Weekend & Monday

Well the posts are slowing. Sometimes I wish this blog would post stuff through osmosis but it doesn't.

More posts coming, just needed a break.

Intel

I have to hand it to Intel. They must have hired some good advertisers. This short spot made me laugh for today. As my wife would say, I am a geek!

Finally

The words all us geeks have wanted to hear. Warp drive is not impossible.

What it boils down to is breaking the speed barrier of light. So far nothing we have does this. According to the article: "this speed limit only applies within space-time (the continuum of three dimensions of space plus one of time that we live in). While any given object can't travel faster than light speed within space-time, theory holds, perhaps space-time itself could travel."



So now that the physicist has spoken, here it is in simpler terms.

Dom Deluise

Today is a sad day in the world of comedy. He was famous for his Mel Brooks movies and many others in a career stretching back to the 60's. Dom Deluise August 1, 1933 - May 4, 2009


Dom Deluise in Robin Hood Men in tights

Gadgets

This is more a gadget to make you say "huh?" I don't know exactly what to think of the Wolverine Gloves. Someone obviously has too much time on their hands. One attack he does he checks the floor to make sure he didn't stab it. I wonder where he found the Adamantium? *sarcasm*


Homemade Real Wolverine Like Claws X-Men - Awesome video clips here

Before They Were Big

I don't know why but I was thinking of one of these skits the other day. This one had Jim Carrey and Dameon Wayans trying to one up each other the whole time and is funny. I liked the one with Dameon Wayans playing this character renovating his box that one is great!

Rest In Peace

This week GM pulled the plug on a legendary line of cars. Now, I'm not a GM person per se, but They had some iconic cars from the Pontiac Line. Some of the more memorable ones in my mind are the 1988 Pontiac Firebird KITT from Night Rider, the 1974 Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit and the Pontiac GTO from the 60's. Maybe someday they will be back, but for now so long Pontiac.

The Pontiac brand is part of the General Motors family, and is home to many of the automaker's more performance-oriented vehicles. Currently, the marque offers a broad range of sporty cars and SUVs. However, as part of GM's restructuring plan, the brand is slated to be discontinued by the end of the 2010 model year.

Pontiac originated as the Oakland Car Company of Pontiac, Michigan, in 1907; it was founded by Edward Murphy. Acquired by General Motors in 1909, Oakland introduced the first Pontiac vehicle in 1926. Dubbed the "Chief of the Sixes," the car was powered by a six-cylinder engine and made its debut at that year's New York auto show. It was so successful that the Oakland name was phased out in favor of Pontiac, the name of an 18th-century chief of the Ottawa Indians. Throughout the 1930s and '40s Pontiac made coupes, sedans and wagons in the low-to-mid price ranges. A unique styling cue of Pontiac cars from the mid-'30s to the mid-'50s was known as "Silver Streak," a set of art-deco-inspired chrome "speed lines" that ran up over the length of the hood to the base of the windshield.


The 1950s saw the introduction of the Pontiac Bonneville. The sprawling, stylish cruiser offered equal measures of performance and luxury, and was a breakout hit. But it wasn't until the 1960s that the Pontiac brand truly came into its own. American manufacturers had begun to offer downsized alternatives to the gigantic cruisers that had ruled the highways in previous decades. Pontiac came to market with the compact Tempest. In 1964, Pontiac made its biggest impact yet with the creation of the GTO option for the Tempest. By equipping the car with the powerful 389 cubic-inch V8 from the full-size car line, Pontiac created the first "muscle car." Phenomenally successful, the GTO helped define the burgeoning muscle car category. Pontiac also saw tremendous success during the latter part of this decade with its Firebird and Firebird Trans Am.


The oil crisis of the '70s made fuel efficiency a priority for many car buyers. Following the lead of its GM siblings, Pontiac made compact vehicles like the Ventura and Phoenix a major part of its lineup. The '80s saw the launch of the two-seat Pontiac Fiero. Despite its modest beginnings (it was initially marketed as a "commuter car"), the Fiero eventually blossomed into a credible sports car.

The '90s saw the launch of Pontiacs like the Sunfire and Montana minivan. Pontiac has slowly lost sales due to changing tastes and a lack of differentiation between its models and those of other GM divisions. In hopes of recapturing past glory, the division embarked on a plan to retire aged models and introduce all-new ones with distinctive styling and personality. For a while, the effort seemed to be bearing fruit. New models like the Vibe, Solstice and G8 made Pontiac a brand to consider in many segments. However, GM's financial troubles in 2008 and 2009 have resulted in the company's decision to phase out Pontiac as a brand. It's expected 2010 will be Pontiac's last year for new models.
- Edmunds

The Torture Memos

So the release of the "torture" memos has been quite a stir. More specifically the use of waterboarding. But what the hell, this is going to be a long one because I cover some of them, most of them. The Liberal Huffington Post has them posted but mine are abbreviated.

Here is how it goes, before undergoing any of these enhanced techniques, a detainee is "evaluated by a medical and psychological professional ... to ensure that they are not likely to suffer any sever physical or mental pain or suffering as a result of interrogation."

Also "Medical and psychological personnel are on-scene throughout and daily physical and psychological evaluations are continued throughout the period of use."

Another fact "These techniques have all been imported from military, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape ("SERE") training, where they have been used for years on U.S. military personnel, although with some significant differences described below."

Well lets take a look shall we.

Oh this is harsh, Number 1 Dietary manipulation: "This technique involves the substitute of commercial liquid meal replacements for normal food, presenting detainees with a bland, unappetizing, but nutritionally complete diet."

THE FIENDS!!

Number 2 Nudity: "This technique is used to cause psychological discomfort, particularly if a detainee, for cultural or other reasons is especially modest."

Um, my kid gets naked every night

Number 3 Attention Grasp: "consists of grasping the individual with both hands, one hand on each side of the collar opening, in a controlled quick motion. In the same motion as the grasp, the individual is drawn toward the interrogator."

Oh no, not the dreaded "grasp." We are just shy of a feather being involved here.

Number 4 Walling."This technique involves the use of a flexible, false wall. The individual is placed with his heels touching the flexible wall. The interrogator pulls the individual forward and then quickly and firmly pushes the individual into the wall. It is the individuals shoulder blades that hit the wall. During this motion, the head and neck are supported with a rolled hood or towel that provides a C-collar effect to help prevent whiplash. To reduce further the risk of injury, the individual is allowed to rebound from the flexible wall."

Wow, I think that I paid to enter Six Flags once where they shoved me in a car, threw a plastic restraint around my neck, then shot me out of a dark tunnel into a 2 minute terror ride that I may never have recovered from, this was repeated at least 5 TIMES!!

Some of the others:

"Cramped Confinement" How many people have flown lately?
"Wall standing" "technique used to induce temporary muscle fatigue."
"stress position" reminds me of wrestling.
"water dousing" "Cold water is poured on the detainee either from a container or from a hose without a nozzle."

Holly crap really?

"Sleep Deprivation" That sounds like my Basic Training, EXACTLY!

Then the dreaded WATERBOARD "detainee is lying on a gurney that is inclined at an angle of 10 - 15 degrees to the horizontal, with the detainee on his back and his head toward the lower end of the gurney. A cloth is placed over the detainee's face, and cold water is poured on the cloth from a height of approximately 6 to 18 inches. The wet cloth creates a barrier through which it is difficult - or in some cases not possible - to breathe. A single "application" of water may not last for more than 40 seconds, with the duration of an "application" measured from the moment when water - of whatever quantity - is first poured onto the cloth until the moment the cloth is removed from the subject's face."

My only question is ... HOW?

How in the world are those Arab countries not laughing there asses off at our "torture" techniques. Have you seen what they do to their own people when they steal? Yeah, they chop off a hand. You think their torture techniques are lighter than ours?

I'm sorry but this was a huge mistake releasing this simply from the fact that now all the other countries know how "intense" we really are.

Reminds me of the Spanish Inquisition:

Apache

This is a video clip of an Apache engaging insurgents hiding in a building with a few hellfire missiles. The last one just vaporizes all the remaining insurgents in the building. I like the Apache!

Wow

Did he really just say what I think he said...?



Guess so. The great survivalist Joe Biden says to stay away from confined areas and not to ride subways and planes. That shouldn't incite panic with anyone.

Now if my count is correct 1 person in the US has died. ...from the flu. Isn't that the same number of people that a certain Senator has killed?

Power

Talk about a beast of a thing. This is the Mine-Eater 3. What a monster, these are anti-tank mines and this is a survivability test for it. Well, it survived ..

Just Imagine

You are a someone in NYC that has worked there before and after 9/11. The last time you heard engines from a plane over the city, your life and those of everyone you know would be changed forever. Now imagine seeing and hearing those same sights and sounds and not knowing what was going on. Welcome, Scare Force One, as the folk at Hotair.com are referring to it. To top it off, its being followed by a military fighter. Listening to the end you can really hear people getting freaked out by this very expensive Glamore Shot.

Swine Flu

So as mass hysteria is gripping some people and keeping them more anti-social than they already where. Others can laugh about it. I mean really there has been one confirmed death in the US with over 60 people infected and recovering. This is not that bad. So on a lighter not I think the Daily Show had a good skit on it. Enjoy...

War Documentaries

One of the biggest movies (in my mind) that I wanted to see this year was Brothers at War. This is a movie that has no spin, it is a documentary of the wars our soldiers are fighting. It also gives a look at what happens at home while they are away. The Producer on this film is a little known actor named Gary Senise. This documentary gives a true look at these wars away from the one-sided hollywood view. I have always been a huge fan of Mr. Senise and what he has done for our troops. Unfortunatly I would have to drive quite a ways to see this movie but I will be sure to see it.



And finally another movie/documentary called At War that I want to see. The filmmaker Scott Kesterson seems to be someone who has a story to tell. He owned his own construction company in Oregon and decided he would rather fulfill a goal of being a photojournalist. What he got was a view from the soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan. Here is one of the trailers.



To bad movies that are worth anything always end up in bigger cities and don't get wide recognition they should.

Jaunty Jackalope

I am now an avid user of my Ubuntu machine and I am liking it. Upgrading to Jaunty Jackalope was super easy and I have defiantly found some fun things for Ubuntu. One of the best articles on must haves for my new operating system, came from a Lifehacker post.

My favorites are:

Ubuntu-Tweak customizes the entire look and feel of the OS. You can tailor it to look like about anything.

Screenlets are like the widgets in Vista and are totally customizable.

Conky shows customized information on uname, uptime, CPU usage, mem usage, disk usage, network monitoring, and more.

Virtual Box Run any and all OS's virtually, its a beautiful thing.

Someone needs help

Microsoft and their commercials. If their vision of the future is going to be this dark with crappy music then I don't want Microsoft in my future.

Weekend

Friday is here