I Need To Find The Event Horizon

...for my office.

Shouldn't be too hard to find the Swarzchild Radius...

where:

is the Schwarzschild radius;

is the gravitational constant;

is the mass of the object;

is the speed of light in vacuum.

The proportionality constant, 2G/c², is approximately 1.48×10⁻²⁷ m/kg, or 2.95 km/solar mass.
An object of any density can be large enough to fall within its own Schwarzschild radius,

where:

is the volume of the object;

is its density.

"Why?" I hear you asking...

Because weird shit keeps accumulating inside my office.

To wit:
The NASA Surveyor 2 probe, supposedly crashed south of the Copernicus crater on the moon September 20 of 1966, has mysteriously appeared in my office.


WTF, man?

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Pull The Other One...

...It has bells on it.

NSA surveillance programs helped foil terror plots in 20 countries

U.S. intelligence officials released newly declassified information Saturday, stating the National Security Agency’s controversial programs gathering millions of phone and email records helped foil “dozens of potential terror plots.”

The three-page document regarding the NSA programs was released to congressional intelligence committees, and states the plots were thwarted in the U.S. and more than 20 other countries.

...Except, of course, the Boston Marathon bombing.

'Scuse me if I call BullShit on this one....

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Dearth of Freee Ice Cream

I got nothing today.

How about some "awwww"... Because Black Labs rock.

"I'm Batman!"


TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Trouble Brewing Part II

Troll The NSA



7:00 PM tonight...

Man. Not sure I want to participate in reading the script involved in this trolling...

Hey! How’s it going? I’m all right.

My job is so shitty I wish I could overthrow my boss. It’s like this oppressive regime where only true believers in his management techniques will stay around. I work marathon-length hours and he’s made all these changes that have made it the worst architecture firm to work at in Manhattan. Like he moved the office to the Financial District and fired my assistant. She was the only one who knew where the blueprints were! I need access to those blueprints to complete my job! F my life, right? And he keeps trying to start all these new initiatives to boost revenue, but seriously we just need to stick to what we do best. There’s only one true profit center. I seriously feel ready to go on strike at any second.

I just read this article about how these free radical particles can cause the downfall of good health and accelerate aging. These could actually cause death to millions of Americans. If these particles are flying around undetected everywhere, does that mean we’re all radicalized?

Have you seen the second season of Breaking Bad? I just finished it. I couldn’t believe that episode where they poison the guy with ricin! That was the bomb! I won’t say any more because I don’t want to reveal the earth-shattering events to come.

Oh! So I’ve been planning a big trip for the summer. I’m thinking of visiting all of the most famous suspension bridges in the United States. So probably like the Golden Gate Bridge, The Brooklyn Bridge, and the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. I’m gonna bring my younger brother and I know he’ll want to go to bars, so I’m thinking of getting him a fake drivers license, but I hope that doesn’t blow up in my face.

Okay, I gotta run! I’m late for flight school. I missed the last class where we learn how to land, so I really can’t miss another one. Talk to you later!

Wow. Talk about hitting all the buzzwords.

Of course, just including it as a post on my website is probably just as bad...
Guess I won't be getting that visa for my trip to Russia...

(Ha! Like I wasn't ALREADY on a watchlist or seven.)


TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Trouble Brewing

Sitting in my office is a device* that is just begging to be abused.


Click for a closer look

In this era of  'If you see something, say something', do you think this device, left in the front seat of a car parked, say, at an airport, might get noticed?

(The tennis ball cannon in the corner is another device needing some attention, but that can wait a bit... I actually have a legitimate use for that beast.)

*What is it?  Go ahead and take a guess.
 RobertaX might know what it is, but since she only reads this foolscap on a passing basis, she probably won't tell you...)

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Attention Low-Information Voters:

Re: Prism

You're just now figuring this out?

Never heard of Echelon and Carnivore?

If you had been paying attention for the last 20 or so years
the phrase "We're from the Government and were here to help you."
should scare the shiving lit out of you.



TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Nothing To See Here... Just Move Along...

Hey- Look! Squirrel!

How about that Red Wedding on Game of Thrones?

Isn't American Idol on tonight?


TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Truth and Sloganizing

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

What The Hell Is Going On?

I get the atmospheric Acts of God like hurricanes and tornadoes... Nothing can be done, except to be prepared and to be smart about what you do in the aftermath.

(But not the mindset of idiots that say catastrophic weather events are a product of mankind's existence on the planet. If you are an elected official that is responsible for anything more politically intricate than catching stray dogs, and you feel anthropomorphic climate change is a matter of world-wide importance, then you need to resign your position and go do something about it, rather than just spend other people's money on it.)

But I don't get the OKC Bomber, Aurora shooter, Tucson shooter, Newtown shooter, Boston Marathon bombers, or the most recent heinous crime in Santa Monica California. And who knows WTF is wrong with the people behind the last couple ricin letter-mailers...
I mean, I get pissed on the highway, or when I'm standing in line behind idiots at the hardware store, or when I watch the news or read the newspaper...
And I have more than enough hardware to make the national news, but I never even think about using it, no matter how bad the talking heads piss me off, or how often I nearly get squashed like a bug on the road, or read about how bad the abuse of power is getting out of hand in Washington DC.

The people that commit crimes like OKC, Aurora, Columbine, ad infinitum, ad nauseum, are subhuman at best... The fact that people like this are walking among us scares and frustrated the shit out of me.

The only thing that lets me keep my sanity about this crap is when I read the accounts about these things and come across gems in the reporting or from witnesses.

“There were hundreds of rounds of clips laying on the floor,” he said. “It looked like the guy just dropped his stuff right there.”

Morons.
Just like legislators that enact laws about things that have no understanding of...
If you don't know what you're talking about, shut up.

And I think I'll do that now.



TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Media Whores

I see USATodayYesterday is still using "choirboy" pictures for the Trayvon Martin case...



Thanks for being part of the problem, Media Assholes.

Why not use this shot?
 (People say no one can verify this is Trayvon. Conversely, they can say it isn't him, either. Methinks they doth protest too much.)

Notice to Media Whores:
Selectively picking a particular crime to rally against in order to boost readership and to cause unrest is so dishonest it is nauseating.
What about all the other Trayvons, Rosalindas, D'Marcios, Eduardos, Tanishas, Joses, and countless others dying every weekend in those gun-free utopias of Chicago and New York?

Where were the rallies and media masturbation for them? Sorry, nope.
Black-on-Hispanic crime? Forget it.
Not enough opportunity to inflame one race against another, so don't look for them.

 Not sensational enough, and not enough opportunity for Sharpton, Jackson, Et al.  to bask in the light of the TV cameras and give carefully rehearsed soundbites.


Next week is gonna suck for people in Sanford Florida...

And in 5 or so weeks, the defecation will hit the ventilation. Hard.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

What's For Breakfast?

'Mornin' y'all...




TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Daily Squee - Basset in the Puddle

See his alligator impression at :53...

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Seen On My Morning Bike Ride

Down in the Jax Beach "entertainment district"...
(Well, it's entertaining to me, anyway.)

Looks like Sin-derella lost her shoe on the way to her ball...

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Too Much Time On My Hands

Multitasking today...

Chasing down NBA stuff, prepping for a conference call with A Nice Golf Course, and dealing with passport issues for Kazan/World University Games.

A little background-
SpongeMark SquareHands had a bit of a tiff with the service company that does the groundwork in getting us visas, etc last week. They asked stupid questions and SpongeMark does not suffer fools gladly and there were words exchanged...

Which is why I was ecstatic when I got an email this afternoon-

Travel Goddess:  "Should have the passports for (Spongemark) and Chitt tomorrow.

Never one to leave an FYI email unmolested and given SpongeMark's dustup with Olga at the travel service company I replied.

Yours Truly: Huzzah!
Of course, Mark will only have a space on the visa page to ENTER Russia…
The will have neglected to process the EXIT portion.

Protip: Learn to love vodka and borscht.

As SpongeMark was copied on the email, he was quick to chime in.

SpongeMark Squarehands: I have one of those skills down already and borscht doesn’t look so bad.

Things started to get out of hand immediately.

YT: Spongemark's Favorite

Then...

Travel Goddess (who is just a bit sheltered from the ravages of event travel):"There is a vodka called 'Five Wives'?"

YT: Yep… 'Five Wives – The vodka that treats you like you cheated on every one of them.'
Of course, I chose to fly Lufthansa because they serve Effen Vodka on the flight.

No doubt, Travel Goddess is probably on the phone with HR right now...


TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Answer To This Week's Puzzler

Ding! Ding! Ding!
We have winners!

Yes- astute and observant Constant Readers figured it out...

About 6 months ago the ignition key on my FJR started to go flaky, and about 2 weeks ago it gave up the ghost completely.

I originally wired a toggle switch into the circuit, but that's not exactly secure.

Then I found this company:

They make this little jewel...


Just an  RFID tag/fob in your pocket- completely passive-
you don't have to push the button.
Walk up, get on, flip the "run" switch and press the starter.
The key still works to lock the steering column, and of course I need it for the gas tank, the panniers and the seat lock...

And even an idjit like me can install it... it took all of 20 minutes.
(One of the benefits of having all that plastic on the bike- easy to hide hardware and wiring.)

The drawback is when one of the local LEOs notice there is no key in the ignition and follows you into the grocery store parking lot to ask why you hot-wired the bike.
You dig the key out and show him you still have it, and then get to demonstrate the RFID activity radius and the bells and whistles of the system, like how it doesn't shut down if you were to drop your keys while underway...


Really cool stuff... they have version for cars, watercraft, and heavy equipment.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

(FTC Disclaimer: Bite me.)

Problem Solving Methodologies

A Republican and a Democrat were walking down the street when they came to a homeless person. The Republican gave the homeless person his business card and told him to come to his business for a job. He then took twenty dollars out of his pocket and gave it to the homeless person.

The Democrat was very impressed, and when they came to another homeless person, he decided to help. He walked over to the homeless person and gave him directions to the welfare office. He then reached into the Republican's pocket and gave the homeless person fifty dollars.



TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Puzzler

What's wrong with this picture?



TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Feeling My Pain

(Click pic to see entire comic)

Yeah...
The guys at Doghouse Diaries have a clue. One of them must be 6'+.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Daily Squee - Elk In A Mud Puddle

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Occupation: Driving Instructor

The next time I am filling out a form that asks me what me occupation is, I'm going to put Driving Instructor.

On my drive home last night I realized how many times I was yelling instructions at people in cars in front of me...


"Hey! Moron! The light is green!"

"That stick on your steering column is NOT just a spot to hang your purse...
It's your TURN SIGNAL. USE IT!"


"Hang up the f'ing phone and drive, Dipstick!"


"I'll bet if you stop texting, you 'd be able to keep your farking car in your own farking lane!"


"Honey, you're looking for that pedal on your right... If you step on it just a liiiittle harder, you car might actually make it to second gear..."


"I can guarantee that you will not have enough time during the red light cycle to check your messages or do a Facebook update before it turns green, so don't even try."


"If you throw that cigarette butt out the window, I swear to Ghod I'm going to follow you home and shit on your front lawn, you f'ing slob."



(Desperately trying to avoid this scenario.)


Man, these morons are wearing me out.


TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Hitler Wants An Ingress Invite

h/t Croc

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Geocaching + MMOG + Cryptography + Augmented Reality

a/k/a - The thing that has been occupying my time lately...

Ingress

Ingress is a near-realtime augmented reality massively multi-player online video game created by Niantic Labs (Google) and released for Android devices. The game has a complex backstory that Google is revealing piece by piece.

Players of the game belong to one of two factions, “Enlightened” (represented in green) and “Resistance” (blue). Players attempt to enclose regions of territory on Google Maps of Earth with virtual links between virtual portals; these maps are displayed on the players' smartphones, laptops and tablets (which function as mobile game consoles), with territory gained designated as "control fields". The ultimate goal of the game is for one’s faction to control the largest number of “Mind Units”, the estimated number of humans within the regions of territory controlled by the faction. The game has attracted an enthusiastic following in cities worldwide.
 (from Ingress Wiki)

The game is in beta right now, but you can request an invite from the website...There is no official iOS app yet, giving the existing players quite a smug feeling about their Android smartphones...

The game is a high-tech augmented reality geocaching experience. It revolves around XM-emitting portals - originally Post Offices and libraries, now including permanent structures like statues, monuments and plaques, but not limited to these things... One of the portals I visit all the time is the WaterTower in Jax Beach.

One of the most interesting aspects is that the game involves 2 novel concepts:
First, you HAVE to get off your ass to play... You can immerse yourself in the Intel portion, but in the end to really participate you have to get away from the console and head out into the cold cruel world and actual go to the Portals to progress in the game.
Also- you have to work as a team in real life, especially when you get to be higher level.
When you are low level you can completely activate a Portal solo, but when you are higher level you can destroy enemy hardware, but only partially activate a Portal- you need other players to finish the activation... Lots of strategy and tactics come into play.

Obviously there are large opportunities to participate in Ingress communities,
Google + and  hangouts, and there are real-time status line updates as play is underway.

A this moment the Resistance has control of the Beaches, as indicated by the blue portals and fields... But that can change like the weather. A team of the Enlightened can come in and convert all our Portals and leave the places covered in green like pond scum in a matter of minutes...
Those green portals at the bottom are in the Mayo Clinic area...
They can be tough to get to, but they will be turned over on Tuesday...

I was kind of amazed at how widespread the game is being played...

Check out London, where you can't swing a rat on a string without hitting a portal.

Even over in Kazan Russia (where I'm heading next month) there is a large player contingent...

 And this is a small sample of the Portal density in Shanghai...

 It's quite an interesting game...
It will be interesting to see what happens when it goes out of beta-
Lord knows, since I'm enjoying playing it, Google will probably cancel it...
That's what happens- if I like a show (Firefly, anyone?) or use a particular program (**cough**GoogleReader**cough**) it goes away...

On the Niantic Project website they release clues daily- and let me tell you, they are top-notch puzzles...
Example:

Codephrase:
4tnrspp5daep3tr2
Solve:

re-group in 4′s
4tnr
spp5
daep
3tr2
Read first row down
4sd3
go to second row, step 1 then read down
pat–then go back to top for last t
Go to third row, step down again
er–jump to top  np
…
In the end you get the passcode:
4sd3patternp2r5p

Are you f'ing kidding me?
Let em tell you- that was nothing...

Here's another that is completely insane...

http://www.nianticproject.com/?id=02wod14
View source the page and you will notice the following in a <span> tag at the end:
22111114421152212212111241132213221312221
412123311111212111221111421222123222213143
The style=” font-size:0px; letter-spacing:1px; is a hint on what needs to be done.
The numbers are the number of repetitions of 0 or 1 that are in a string when a run-length encoding is involved. Lets start with the first 2 as 00, which means the next 2 will become 11 and, the following 1 will become 0 and the 1 after that 1. Thus we get:
2(00) 2(11) 1(0) 1(1) 1(0) 1(1) 1(0) 4(1111) 4(0000) 2(11) 1(0) 1(1) 5(00000) 2(11) 2(00) 1(1) 2(00) 2(11) 1(0) 2(11) 1(0) 1(1) 1(0) 2(11) 4(0000) 1(1) 1(0) 3(111) 2(00) 2(11) 1(0) 3(111) 2(00) 2(11) 1(0) 3(111) 1(0) 2(11) 2(00) 2(11) 1(0) 4(1111) 1(0) 2(11) 1(0) 2(11) 3(000) 3(111) 1(0) 1(1) 1(0) 1(1) 1(0) 2(11) 1(0) 2(11) 1(0) 1(1) 1(0) 2(11) 2(00) 1(1) 1(0) 1(1) 1(0) 4(1111) 2(00) 1(1) 2(00) 2(11) 2(00) 1(1) 2(00) 3(111) 2(00) 2(11) 2(00) 2(11) 1(0) 3(111) 1(0) 4(1111) 3(000)
This gives us:
00 11 0 1 0 1 0 1111 0000 11 0 1 00000 11 00 1 00 11 0 11 0 1 0 11 0000 1 0 111 00 11 0 111 00 11 0 111 0 11 00 11 0 1111 0 11 0 11 000 111 0 1 0 1 0 11 0 11 0 1 0 11 00 1 0 1 0 1111 00 1 00 11 00 1 00 111 00 11 00 11 0 111 0 1111 000
Arrange in groups of 8. We get:
00110101 01111000 01101000 00110010 01101101 01100001 01110011 01110011 01110110 01101111 01101100 01110101 01101101 01100101 01111001 00110010 01110011 00110111 01111000
Converting binary to Hex this gives us:
5xh2massvolumey2s7x
This won’t work as the passcode yet, we need to find a keyword. Mass and volume form matter: 5xh2mattery2s7x

The guys who solve these have waaaaay too much time on their hands.


But if you enjoy this kind of thing and you have the time and inclination- join in the game...  It is a very interesting twist on today's "computer" games.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

I Hope This Is Real and Not a Photoshop...

AAR - Oklahoma City

"Something called 'the Oklahoma Standard' became known throughout the world. It means resilience in the face of adversity. It means a strength and compassion that will not be defeated."
- Brad Henry (D) - Gov. Oklahoma

Let me throw a few little comments from JAFO for you to start this off...

First- In Oklahoma City, the Airport is not on Airport Rd...
(And just to add to the irony- Terminal Rd is NOT where the Terminal is located.)

And since we're starting on The Airport...
It's called the 'Will Rogers World Airport'?
Because Will Rogers International Airport was taken?
Will Rogers Intercontinental, maybe?
Meh.

(Looking at the flight displays there weren't many flights to Madrid or London.
There was a flight to LA so I guess its KINDA like an international flight.)


Now, the Chesapeake Energy Arena- now this was a nice place, and the guys running it were top-notch...

But - the name...
With the 'Chesapeake' in the name I would expect it to be in Baltimore or Norfolk... It might be reasonable to give that name to an arena in Richmond VA (University of Richmond- Go Spiders!)...

But in Oklahoma City- How about a local Fortune 500 Company?
Why not The Sonic Arena, or the Braums Forum, or maybe the Hobby Lobby Center?
(I would even suggest the name "Love's Shack" as an arena name, as Love's Truck Stops & Country Stores is a large corporate entity in OKC, and they have a decent marketing presence inside the arena already. Not sure how it'd go over with the B-52s though.)

Anyhoo-
Quite the trip. It was a last-minute gig, and on the spur of the moment I took a chance at reaching out to Famous the Evyl Robot and his inestimably better half- Jennifer to see if I could coax them out to a nosh and good conversation over tiffin.
And glory be- they acquiesced! And they brought along That Guy (a/k/a TeenBot) from Intelligenttrousers.com... A soft-spoken young man, but from reading through his 'blog, he might well be a force to be reckoned with in the 'blogosphere if he continues his writing...

Michael suggested we met up at a little joint in beautiful downtown Edmond OK,
Zarates Latin & Mexican Grill...
Holy mackerel! Such food, you would not believe...
Check out their menu-
I highly suggest a visit any time you are within 100 miles of the place.
I had the Pabellon- a Venezuelan version of Ropa Vieja... shredded beef, peppers & onions in a red sauce... Sooo good.
Michael had the chuleta and Jennifer had the Peruvian saltado (I think...).

I got to see Michael's modded Leatherman, and man, I'm going to whip up a pair of them tout damn d'suite... Go check it out...
Michael and I also discussed my desire for some custom leather for the the 92F Twins and my Anaconda. We'll see how that works out... From the photos and examples I've seen of his work, it should be amazing.

The conversation ranged far and wide- I got to hear the first-hand tales from the NRA Convention, which has steeled my resolve to attend the festivities in Indy next year. We discussed the different bloggers we have all met over the years, talked about firearms, blogging, family, shooting (and lack thereof recently) and all manner of things we find fun...


I got Jennifer to tell the tale of her banner pic with the KSG by Oleg Volk, and we discussed rampant stupidity of mouth-breathing droolers (Those colors don't go together!)
Jennifer and & broke out our iPads and shared pictures, and generally we all had a great time.

But- all good things come to an end- they had obligations and I had an airline employees to make miserable, so we parted company- only briefly, I hope.
One never know who will show up at a blogmeet.

They are Good People-
Odd how that works- JayG and all the NE Blog Crew, Borepatch, the folks in Indy, and all the Texas bloggers like KX59 and Belle in Houston, to BobS and good folks up in Dallas, to the danged Florida bloggers like Robb and McThag that I can never seem to get around to visiting even though they are 3 hours away....
The GunBlogging community are just amazing folks to be around, and I count myself fortunate to be able enjoy their company now and then.


Wrapping up- Michael, Jennifer & Teenbot- y'all are awesome- thanks for a great afternoon.


TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Campaigner-In-Chief

I think he just likes the IDEA of being President, not the actual work involved... He didn't know it was going to be so hard.

(Well, I think they (Mooch-elle and the Obamettes) like all the perks too- Worldwide spare-no-expense vacations, unlimited golf, all the Hollywood glitterati fawning over their every move, etc)

Seems like whenever the work-work-work gets to be too much, he either a) Leaves DC to go give a campaign speech for an official visit somewhere to talk about job growth or the economy or wahthaveyou, or b) goes off on vacation with Michelle and the girls to some far-off location surrounded by friends, cronies, wannabees, Secret Service agents, lackeys, toadies, minions and ass-kissers.

Basically he doesn't like the job, he doesn't like the Media, he doesn't like dealing with the senators or congresscritters of either flavor, he feels like he's a Washington outsider, and he hates American exceptionalism.

What he DOES like is giving a well-written speech- full of buzzwords and 'let-me-be-clears', stern looks, finger pointing/shaking on a properly functioning teleprompter and giving his shit-eating-grin as he accepts the enthusiastic applause of the beguiled masses.

He's almost as bad as the last Democratic shitheel that held the office of President...
The one who lied through his teeth just like our current Chief Executive and everyone believed him, or they just didn't care...

You remember- Mr. 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman.' and 'I never inhaled.'

This one carries on that grand progressive tradition with his greatest hits: 'I only found out on Friday when I was watching the news' and 'You can keep your doctor' and 'I don't want to take away your guns.'

Which brings me to an aside on Austin TX... (reading the account of his recent visit to Austin was what triggered this missive, just-so-you-know...)
Texas is the textbook definition of a Red State, every city in the Lone Star State I have ever visited has been as conservative as they come...
I've driven across the state on coast-to-coast runs probably 8 times, worked multi-day events in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, and spend several days in Midland-Odessa, Bridgeport, Corpus Cristi, and Amarillo... and Austin is the ONLY place that came across as being full of hipster-emo-pinko turds of the first order.
I find on reflection that the only way it can be explained it that Austin is the state Capitol (thus, filled with career politicians- who as a rule are typically progressives) and the location of the University of Texas- a hot-bed of leftist activity if one ever existed.
(As a matter of fact, google up some of the tenured professors that teach politics at UT, then look at their CV- you find most of them [all of them I looked at] are proud activists.
If you have left-wing activists teaching your political courses, what do you think they are teaching?)
I don't know how Borepatch ever made it through his tarriance there...

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Who Does This Sound Like....

...Suddenly, another voice spoke, low and melodious, its very sound an enchantment. Those who listened unwarily to that voice could seldom report the words that they heard; and if they did, they wondered, for little power remained in them. Mostly they remembered only that it was a delight to hear the voice speaking, all that it said seemed wise and reasonable, and desire awoke in them by swift agreement to seem wise themselves.  

When others spoke, they seemed harsh and uncouth by contrast; and if they gainsaid the voice, anger was kindled in the hearts of those under the spell. For some the spell only lasted while the voice spoke to them, and when it spoke to another they smiled, as men do who see through a juggler’s trick while others gape at it. 

For many the sound of the voice alone was enough to hold them enthralled; but for those whom it conquered the spell endured when they were far away, and ever they heard that soft voice whispering and urging them. But none were unmoved; none rejected its pleas and its commands without an effort of mind and will, so long as its master had control of it.

Ring any bells?

TBG

OMFG-Dark-30 Ruminations

Flight time: 6:31a Sweet Jeebus, why did agree to this dog's breakfast?

After waking up every twenty minutes or so starting at 2:00am, at 3:40 I couldn't stand it any more.

I got up, showered, dressed and strapped my bag on my bike and headed for the airport.

I got about a mile then went back for a thicker jacket.

Ambient temp was 50, and considerably cooler in a t-shirt and a 70mph wind chill factor.

I got hit by a wave of aromatic nostalgia during my ride out to JAX...

As I crossed the Intercoastal Waterway there was a heavy scent of salt marsh in the air and the smell brought me memories of driving down US1 down in the Keys in the days of my sordid youth.

The smell of exposed salt flats and decaying seaweed always takes me back to those days where I spent my days diving and my nights swilling paint-thinner tequila and throwing up,

Good times.... Good times.

- - - - 

Chesapeake Energy Arena is in my crosshairs this morning...

The OKC Thunder are about to be eliminated fromthe playoffs and we'll be there to help drive the last few nails in the coffin.

One of these days arena personnel are going to start recognizing us as harbingers of doom and quit being so helpful when we come knocking.

But until then....

- - - - - 

Meanwhile... Can I interest you in some mockery?

- - - - - - - - 

(While deplaning in Atlanta)

I understand that you have been incommunicado for 45 minutes on our flight from JAX to ATL, but for cripes sake, can you either stay in your ferschlugginer seat and finish your text message, or wait until you get out to the concourse.

Because this "I'm going to block the entire jetway as I slowly try to walk and text at the same time" is going to get you a quick leg-sweep from that ogre behind you...

Srsly. 

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Gotta say, the Chesapeake Energy Center is quite a nice arena...

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TBG, in the press box.

Puzzler Of The Day

One of my left-leaning co-workers today opined that Joe Biden was behind the re-opening of the Benghazi hornet's nest...

"He's doing it to make Hillary look bad- that way he'll be President in 2016." she said.


Man, I'm surrounded by morons.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Oceanus Non Carborundum

ZOMG! The little esquimaux are gonna drown causa teh Globull Warmenings!
DOOO SOOMETHINGS!

Seriously USAToday?

Alaska town to vanish by 2017, report says
When it comes to the fate of the 350 residents of Newtok, Alaska, the Guardian pulls no punches: "Exile is inevitable," it writes. That's because their coastal village, located about 480 miles west of Anchorage, is in the process of being washed into the Bering Sea.

I don't know about you, but where I'm from we have this thing called "erosion".
That's where the land is washed away by the movement of water.
And last time I checked, "erosion" ≠ "rising sea level".

While you are checking out 'erosion', 'abrasion' and 'desedimentation', look up 'estuary'.
See if you can figure out why you shouldn't build a castle in a swamp.

Srsly.

Knock it the fuck off, you're scaring the low-info voters.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Pop Quiz: "Never Let A _______ Go To Waste"

-or- "If it's good for the goose, it's good for the gander."

Carney: "Because, you know, what we have here with one issue – Benghazi – is so clearly, as we’re learning more and more, a political sideshow. A deliberate effort to politicize a tragedy."

Cracker, please.
Yo- Spokesguy!  - Were you not paying attention for the last 6 months?
Do the words "Sandy Hook" mean anything to you?

But this is SOP for the Obama Presidency... The administration's mantra that is famously attributed to Rahm Emanuel says it all...... Never let a serious crisis go to waste.
They never finish the actual quote when they use it... it goes something like:
"...unless you are a Conservative, in which case if you use a crisis for political gain you are low-life, scum-sucking cretins just like us."

What gets under my skin is the hemming and hawing that they do-
"Let's not jump to conclusions..."
"We can't act without all the facts"
"We are looking into it..."
"We don't have irrefutable information on this situation..."

Seems to me most of these prevarications are shorthand for "we don't know how we can turn this to our political advantage yet, but when we do, you'll know it when we use it to bite you in the ass"...

With any luck, by June there should be several White House entities back in the private sector, earning $20,000 a pop for speaking engagements.


TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE