Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attacks Octopus Paul - Telegraph -
This? I love this. Ahmadinejad is a crazy little tyrant and he needs to grow a sense of humor. Or wish one from Allah. Whichever.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian leader, says Paul the Octopus, the sea creature that correctly predicted the outcome of World Cup games, is a symbol of all that is wrong with the western world.
He claims that the octopus is a symbol of decadence and decay among “his enemies”.
Paul, who lives at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre, in Germany, won the hearts of the Spanish by predicting their World Cup victory.
He became an international star after predicting the outcome of all seven German World Cup matches accurately.
However, the Iranian president accused the octopus of spreading “western propaganda and superstition.” Paul was mentioned by Mr Ahmadinejad on various occasions during a speech in Tehran at the weekend.
“Those who believe in this type of thing cannot be the leaders of the global nations that aspire, like Iran, to human perfection, basing themselves in the love of all sacred values,” he said.
You’d think “posting pics of boobs” would be answer number one, especially considering what I’ve been seeing around these parts (your… parts) but I asked around and there were two resounding answers (no, it wasn’t the “left boob” and the “right boob”). The answers were: kittens and bacon.
I won’t do it a lot. My dog Max would not have it. But since I’m feeling like the new kid on the block…
I’m just gonna leave this here.
Even I can’t accept The Steve’s directive of, “Well, just don’t hold it like that,” regarding the antenna connection issues on the iPhone 4.
That said, I don’t happen to hold my phone “like that” anyway, and when I try to replicate the issue, I can do so only if I use the entirety of my thumb to hold the side of the phone (just branching my finger across the divider doesn’t do it), but when so many people complain of an issue, I think it deserves a little more of a response than the old physician’s axiom.
The fact that Apple released “bumper cases” that provide a rubber ring around the stainless steel bands forming the edges (and antenna) of the case tells me that Apple probably knew of this issue, but found out about it only after the final design had gone to manufacturing, and they needed a quick fix. Other than the iPad, do you remember the last time Apple created a branded case for one of its gadgets? I don’t. This, of course, is purely speculation on my part and I have no knowledge whatsoever of the truth behind this issue, but the release of the bumper to cover an otherwise beautiful phone just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.
(Okay, as I was typing that last paragraph, I remembered the stupid little “socks” that Apple released in multiple colors, but I’m talking about “case cases” not “sock cases.”)
Of course, I’ve already ordered bumpers for my iPhone (in black, of course) and my wife’s (in pink, her choice), and I know they’ll destroy the machined, Audi-esque look of it, but damn, The Steve. This flaw is a pretty big let-down, especially when the rest of the device is so incredible. I mean really, there is no other phone I’d rather have in my pocket, regardless of network. Everything is so well executed that having a gaff that results in a complete loss of signal is just mind-blowingly not Apple.
/end rant
[video]
There has been endless chatter about the “cost” of Google’s one-day stunt in which they celebrated the venerable video game “Pac-Man” by replacing their daily graphic with a fully-functional HTML5 version of the game that anyone could play.
@Workawesome, a favorite Twitter feed (and corresponding web site) put out the following this morning:
The cost of the hours lost due to the Google Pac-Man logo is revealed: $120,483,800. Ahem.
While this post doesn’t directly blame Google for the amount of productivity lost, many others that I’ve read recently do.
Google had no more of a hand in this dollar amount than fork manufacturers did in making me fat. The world has seemingly lost its ability to enact and uphold personal responsibility. If “Tom” spent twenty minutes on Google’s website playing an old classic, then that’s what Tom chose to do during his work hours instead of working. I knew that Google had the game up there, and you know what? I just didn’t use it while I was at work. Others did, and that’s not Google’s fault. The whole “attractive nuisance” theory of litigation has gotten so out of control in this country that it’s spilled into every facet of our lives. Did you break into my house one night, and I shot you for doing so? It’s RIDICULOUS to think that you then would expect to sue me for damages, but in states without a Castle Doctrine, it happens every day. Did your boss fire you because you weren’t producing anything anymore? It’s not “the man’s” fault because you chose not to get off the Internet and telephone for eight hours a day after being warned repeatedly, genius.
Another company taking a hit right now is Foxconn, in China, and by proxy, Apple who contracts them to build the iPad and iPhone among other devices. Yes, it’s had a number of suicides lately, but it’s an 800,000 person company, and their suicide rate is less than the AMERICAN NATIONAL AVERAGE. Yet, because of the press and the “blame anyone else but yourself” mentality we have these days, Foxconn is squarely in the news with a target on it’s managerial head, and Apple is making grandiose promises to directly give bonuses to the workers just to stop the finger pointing.
I’m just sick—and extremely tired—of people blaming their problems on others in this world instead of just getting over themselves, doing what’s right, and occasionally dabbling in the truth once in a while instead of looking for someone else to identify as the “real” culprit. If someone has wronged you—truly wronged you—then let them stand trial for their crimes. Otherwise, just because you slipped on the neighbor’s pool deck when you jumped over his fence at night to take an unauthorized swim, you don’t deserve to sue him for HIS negligence to get that fat settlement that you can retire on.
Over-aggressive soccer mom just got out of line behind me, pulled around me, squeezed through the gate, and parked ahead of me PAST the pick-up line to be first.
Seriously? I SO wish the worst thing I had to be concerned about in life was jockying for first car in the primary school pick-up line.
People, you have no idea what’s waiting for you out there.
I’m home today so my wife can chaperone a field trip with 9’s class to Mt. Vernon. Something came-up at work I really needed to be there for, but we couldn’t find someone to either take her place or watch 2 all day and pick-up 7 from school.
So, my wife pings me at 1:02 PM to ask if I’m going to 7’s Spring Party. I had no idea about this, except for a vague recollection that I told her before that I wasn’t going to make it.
Long discussion short, she basically ordered me to go because of how much it would mean to 7.
I rush to get 2 and myself ready to get there for the last half of the party. We got to the school, checked-in, and found 7’s class outside.
7 came over, gave me a hug, and ran off to play. We were left with the class little snot who insisted on hanging around the baby, telling me that HER little sister had everything my baby had on/with her, one item at a time.
Every time we moved closer to 7’s group, they ran away.
On the way back into the school, 7 gave me another hug and ran inside. That was that. Not so sure how “special” that was for her, hon.
I guess the bright side is that I’m 45 minutes early for the pick-up line and am first. Take that, over-achieving soccer moms.
Strangely appealing…
Bacon Bouquet
(submitted by Rusty Shackleford)
I think I’ll be doing a few more of my “favorite things” posts. I mean, if Oprah can do it, why can’t I?
Oh, right. Because she’s Oprah. Whatever. I’m still doing them.
The black one is the new Walther PPS pistol; it’s compared to its older sibling, the Walther PPK/S.
I’ve been a Walther pistol fan forever. For my high school graduation present, my mom took me down into Arlington to a pawn shop that she knew well. Besides being a source of alternative financing, it was also a gun dealer for both new and used pieces.
Looking through the case, I found a new stainless steel Walther PPK (the shorter-gripped variant) much like the one above. Its serial number started with “A007”; the 17 year old kid in me knew that was the one. (I mean, if a 17 year old kid is going to get “James Bond’s gun,” one that had a matching serial number was priceless.) We split the cost of the pistol, and I’ve had it in our family’s possession ever since. It’s been rugged, reliable, and problem-free. I’ll pass it down with reverence to my children when the time comes.
However, as a personal defense weapon, the PPK has a few drawbacks—most notably, the somewhat anemic .380 cartridge it fires. Also, while small, smooth, and concealable, it’s also very heavy due to the stainless steel construction. The weight assists accuracy, but it also drags down your pants.
Enter the Walther PPS. Walther reimagined the idea of their police pistol series and created the PPS (black pistol above). The PPS is available in 9mm or .40, and has magazines that run from a highly-concealable 5 rounds (of .40) through an extended grip offering 7 rounds (or 8 rounds of .9mm). While it looks a little futuristic, especially compared to the swooped curves of the PPK, it’s a sincerely fine firearm.
Accurate, tight, and easy to disassemble and clean, the Walther PPS offers small or large backstraps, allowing the shooter to customize the grip for his/her hand. Unlike the Walther P99’s cotter pin that must be removed (which caused me to put a small scratch in the handle of my P99), the PPS has a pressure switch at the heel of the grip that pops-off the backstrap quickly and cleanly. Additionally, this automatically decocks the striker, making cleaning a safer procedure than other polymer pistols that require you to pull the trigger to disassemble it.
Even though it has a relatively short barrel length, accuracy is excellent. In fact, I’m far more accurate with it than I am with my full-sized Walther P99. The design puts the slide low to the frame, keeping the center of gravity down and minimizing muzzle flip — especially important in the .40. Interestingly, many people I’ve spoken with at gun shops have warned about their doubts about being able to control a .40 that light. When I ask them if they’ve ever fired one, the answer was invariably, “No, no, I haven’t.” Truth is, muzzle flip is extremely controlled and more manageable than many of my other pistols.
How much do I love my PPS? About six months after I bought my first one, I bought a second. For concealed carry and personal protection, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find something better balanced between size, features, and caliber than the Walther PPS. This goes triple if you don’t like Glocks. Glocks have a huge fan base, but I have yet to hold one that fits or feels right in my hand. If Glocks leave you cold, try the Walther for better ergonomics. The narrower grip will work better for people with smaller hands (like myself) who might have trouble holding a SIG or Glock’s wider grip comfortably.
Pros: Offers 9mm or .40 versions, smooth, very slim, compact, light, no external safety, crisp and light double-action only trigger, easy to take down/clean/reassemble, and configurable with different backstraps and a short accessory rail. (An X2 light or light/laser fits perfectly.)
Cons: Relatively expensive (about $650-$700), few accessories offered (get on making some grips, Crimson Trace!), only a handful of holsters are available (but many custom makers offer them now), and the single-stack ammo capacity is somewhat light by today’s double-stack XD standards, no external safety (if you like them—I don’t). Early PPSes had issues with sticking slides, but there have been few instances of that happening with later production runs.
