Merry Christmas!

It would appear Dead Like Me is returning with a straight-to-DVD movie. A lot depends on just who is behind the thing, but the trailer looks interesting.

It's most likely for the best light sabers aren't real, otherwise this would most likely be a common outcome. Then again, alcohol and weapons routinely mix during Ren Fairs, and I can't recall ever hearing anyone getting hurt. Maybe because by the time you're wasted enough to go after the other guy, you're too wasted to find the ax?

Glenn Reynolds: ...it's important to understand that to the Framers the "militia" wasn't some specialist unit of government employees, but a group consisting of the armed populace; one that, though in some ways organized by the government, was also in some ways set against the government, as a check.

The pro-control argument that the 2nd Amendment is too vague or would never have been put in place if modern weapons were available only seem valid when considered just in light of the text of the amendment itself. When one reads the supporting documents from the people who framed the Constitution, it's quite easy to see they did in fact mean the populace should be able to arm itself without interference from the government. While there were no machine guns back then, large caliber weaponry was still quite common, and yet there is no, "except for big shotguns and cannon" in the amendment. In fact, from what I've read, the framers of the Constitution most likely would've explicitly included our right to own Howitzers and .50 caliber machine guns, if they'd known such things could exist and that the citizens of their country would be able to buy them one day.

Today's "why are you spending so much money when the old stuff is doing the job?" article is brought to you by the Washington Post.

I remember these sorts of stories coming thick and fast during the last fighter jet procurement cycle. Everyone knew the F-4 was the plane to have, we knew how they worked, we had tons of parts, and all the R&D was paid for. Of course, it wasn't their butts getting strapped into a design a generation out of date, so who cared?

I do think the development cycle of modern combat weapons is suspiciously protracted. Then again, considering it's the federal government we're talking about here, I suppose I should be impressed they're able to get anything done well.

Scientists have observed a giant beam of charged particles being fired from one galaxy into another. Any Earth-like planets in any part of the beam would have their ozone layers blasted away in the space of months or years, making underground real-estate in such areas premium grade.

In all seriousness, it's thought the unique pair will provide insight into how particles and beams interact.

I'd known for some time that an early F-15 Eagle had survived a spectacular mid-air collision which resulted in the nearly complete loss of one wing, but I'd never seen any pictures. Until now, at any rate. How the special got by me is anyone's guess. Curse you TIVO!

In other news, Australia has goths:

Summer officially begins in Melbourne around the time of the first sighting of a Goth in Elizabeth Street in short sleeves. It's not unlike the American custom of using a groundhog to indicate fine weather ahead but it's more unpredictable and so much more exciting. Our version of a hibernating rodent emerging from its burrow can happen in December, possibly February, or maybe March.

Gleaming models of glittering starships ruling the night are all well and good, but everyone knows the most interesting machines have scars. I don't even want to know how long it took to gin some of those things up.

Fark (of course) linked up news of the creation of the ultimate "stuffed bird" dinner. Not content with just three birds, this dish lays claim to twelve birds stuffed into each other. Incredibly, all of this stuffing-into-things frenzy is apparently inspired by actual Tudor-era recipes. No wonder Henry VIII ended up such a butterball!

AMCG's new member is home! Acting indignant and barking her displeasure at us already!

All those times the realtor told you it was bad to have a house near utility towers? Sometimes, just sometimes, they may have a point. Still, just how many 1000ft + TV towers are there in the world? And of those, how many might get covered in ice?

Considering what it did to that Honda SUV, I think I'd still stay inside.

Mark gets a no-prize with a really nifty uniform for bringing us the latest news about recruit candidates for the Army. Poor WWII reenactors get no love. And they even have their own machine guns!

Scientists have discovered yet another way we differ radically from our closest living relatives. This time up, menopause. Seems both chimp and human females lose their reproductive abilities at around age 40, but the chimp drop off is caused by, well, chimps dropping off. Those which manage to survive are actually more successful at raising the kids than the younger ones, and are preferred by male chimps perhaps because of this. The long post-reproductive survival period seems to be one of the most biologically distinguishing things about us.

Scramjets seem to be getting closer to reality. It's always a good sign when Big Science stops predicting a technology will show up "in about 25 years" (which is Big Science Speak for "after I retire") and starts predicting it will show up "real soon" (BSS for "adequate funding and a materials breakthrough").

Mark gets a no-prize with nail polish and gun oil for bringing us the most logical way all horror movies should end. At least that's the way they should end in the US. Other countries, maybe not so much.

I think that they don't is one of the reasons I've never been fond of the genre. It irritates me to no end when the good guys must be stupid for the bad guys to win.

There are places which fire simply shouldn't be:

Sweden's welfare board has criticized a hospital in Stockholm after a 40-year-old woman caught fire during a hemorrhoid operation, Aftonbladet reports.

Well, of course by fire I mean the "oh-my-god-is-that-smoke?!?" sort, not the "holy-crap-you-just-ate-a-habanero" kind.

The Final Countdown never sounded so good. Hey, if disco can be recycled, anything can be saved.

Mark gets a no-prize that'll annoy him standing on his front porch for bringing us this... innovative... Christmas carol. SFW, no worries there. It's actually quite difficult to "screw up" that intricately on purpose. And in tune, no less.

While we're certainly nowhere near 3500 books, I think we may some day try this solution on our own library. Just being able to figure out what's in there would be nice, for a start.

Looks like the deficit most likely won't balance out in time for the elections. Then again, since it's only 1.4% of the GDP, why worry?

The Mars rovers, and the Mars orbital probes, just keep moving on. This time with "innocent bystander" and "gullies carved by uphill flow" goodness!

A non-profit think tank concerned with nanotechnology's potential for abuse recently issued a report. The results are pretty much what you'd expect from a bunch like that:

The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, a non-profit think tank focused on studying the economic, security, military and environmental implications of nanotechology, has developed a series of scenarios dubbed "Nano Tomorrows." And one of those tomorrows involves the cheap and easy proliferation of "fabber," or "Easy-Bake," micro-UAVs with small explosives.

I'm more interested in a fab that'll let me make my own car, but I'm funny that way.

Terry Pratchett has been diagnosed with a rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's. Details are pretty sketchy, but it would seem he's OK, at least for now.

Via Siflay.

Robert Jordan fans in the peanut gallery may be interested to hear there'll be one last Wheel of Time novel written. Not, of course, by the recently departed Jordan, but by an author hand-picked by Jordan's wife. From the article, it would seem the final volume was well under way when Jordan passed, but nowhere near finished. So it would seem it won't be an "imagining", but the completion of a rough draft.

Swoozie is in the front. Her leg band is on her right foot. Her sister was banded on the left.

Answer me guys? WHY?

Can't you be happy with a flag attached to the back of your bike?

A NEW species of a giant spitting cobra - bout 2.6 metres long and with enough venom to kill up to 20 people in one bite - has been discovered in Kenya, a study said today.

The large brown spitting cobra, initially included under the black-necked spitting cobra species, was discovered at a snake farm in June 2004, but confirmed as a separate species this year.

The black-necked species grow to a maximum of two metres, with an average of 1.5 metres, scientists said, making the new species the largest in the world.

I know, I know, I can't have one.

Owner Wendy Wallis said Jelly wandered back in to their property, which borders the creek at Sorell, about 11.30am yesterday carrying the snake with her.

See the picture and article here.

Mark gets a no-prize covered in blinkenlights for bringing us a look at what everyone's favorite automated Christmas light display is up to this year. These guys could definitely take some lessons from the Bellagio Fountain folks, but considering they most likely did it all on their own, it's plenty impressive enough.

Scientists are reporting the development of a "desktop" synchrotron. I'm pretty sure this is a Good Thing, but my head 'asploded about half way through the article. "Ugh. Scientist say is good. That good enough for Thag."

... to join the herd:

Turtle ownership jumped 86% from 2001, to a pet population of 2 million. DeHaven cites a big increase in domestic breeding of turtles free of the salmonella that once plagued imported turtles.

In our case, Om was acquired not because of salmonella-free chelonians, but rather because of an encounter with a beach ball-sized example. Don't worry, Ellen, you've already got one. :)

Democratic process: 1, trying to do an end-run around it: 0

The Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled Friday that same-sex couples who marry in Massachusetts, the only state that allows same-sex marriage, may not divorce in Rhode Island.

In a 3-to-2 decision, the court ruled that it was up to the legislature, not the court, to determine whether same-sex marriages and divorces would be recognized in Rhode Island.

The narrow margin is disheartening, but we've all gotten so used to the courts making policy instead of adjudicating law I guess it's a victory nonetheless. For the Constitution, at any rate. Members of the peanut gallery who think it's OK for unelected retired lawyers to rule us all will, I imagine, not even completely understand what I'm talking about.

Mark gets a no-prize that just doesn't understand!!! for bringing us Monthly Man, the time-release capsule that allows men to share that extra-special emotional roller coaster women make such a big damned deal over. Now if they'd just make a pill that'd give women that "drink beer, fix cars, watch porn" feeling we all have...

By far more impressive than the one in Vegas.

It was cold and crowded, but we still got to see Radio City Music Hall!

The very first dinosaur put on display!

Of course it is a T-Rex!

They do not know who or what these arms belong to!

On second thought, it's probably for the best we missed this:

The N train may need to be changed to the NC-17 and the L could be dubbed the lap dance express.

That's because commuters on the lines got their two bucks worth - and then some - when four leggy New Yorkers set out to turn the subway cars into strip-club Champagne lounges.

When we were downtown this past weekend, the trains we rode were too crowded for these sorts of shenanigans. Which would've made it much more interest--

No, no, please don't get up. Put the frying pan down Ellen. Concussions make baby Jesus cry--*CLONG!!!*

#@$@@$#

NO CARRIER

Scientists have discovered that the solar system is "squashed" by the force of the local interstellar magnetic field. The concept of something as big as our solar envelope being "sloshed" makes my head 'asplode. Surf Sol!

Slashdot linked up news of the development of a camera system which appears to help folks with minor dementia remember things. The camera is worn by the person in question, and it takes a special stabilized photograph of the person's surroundings every 30 seconds. The pictures can then be uploaded to a playback device, which the person can use to review what they did that day. Studies are showing this seems to significantly improve recall in test patients.

Personally, I think it'd be pretty useful in bars too. At least then you'd know the exact sequence that lead to your losing an arm in a "coyote" encounter.

While I'm pretty sure at least some of these examples of "extreme sleeping" are staged, others look like typical shots of the homeless, or a kid experiencing a nap attack at full throttle. When I was in college, I was capable of sleeping just about anywhere. Unfortunately (or not, depending on your point of view), I seem to have lost that skill.

The guy has good taste in cars as well.

Ron gets a no-prize with a lot of complicated bits on for bringing us a Christmas book for... someone. My own opinion is, if you didn't come with one, you really don't need one. But that's just me.

Tomorrow I shall bring you The Museum of Natural History pictures!

Some of the wax models were REALLY good, others really sucked.

While we were in NYC this weekend, we hit Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.

Slashdot linked up the first of what I'm sure will be many reviews of the Ugobe Pleo. The verdict? Definite shortcomings, but also definite fun. The warning, "not for children under 8" is reiterated in the review, so I'll be taking it seriously and waiting a few years for upgrades and hopefully price reductions. But those of you with older kids won't have that limitation, so enjoy!

Update: Yeah, I know there's a video out there of someone torturing one of these things. As far as I'm concerned, people who torture children's toys for the fun of it aren't being clever or amusing, they're using the toy as a proxy for a child. Not cool, not cool one least little bit.

Let the Python jokes begin:

A Norwegian news site is reporting that a young boy and his sister were attacked by a moose ... the boy reportedly "taunted' the moose away from his sister, and then feigned death, causing the moose to lose aggro and leave. "Just like you learn in level 30 in World of Warcraft," the boy is reportedly quoted as saying.

See, ma? Games are good for something!

The French Air Force has lost its first Rafale fighter. Details are still sketchy, but it would appear the pilot didn't get out. They're opening three separate inquiries, so one would assume whatever caused this will be found out.

Researchers have developed a toothbrush that functions using only light. Olivia hates "spicy" toothpaste, so assuming this thing actually works, we're going to be quite interested in it.

It's not how a metal ring was removed that was the question, but rather how it got there in the first place. Then again, considering how desperately dumb some men can be when their willy starts to talkin', I guess I shouldn't wonder at all.

Oh, and kudos to Dremel, for yet another use. Is there anything it can't do?

Sick F&*KS

I bring you Star Wars tattoos.

Scientists have discovered that "scrambled" polymers are effective at killing drug-resistant bacteria. The discovery was unintentional... while trying to design effective polymers to exploit bacterial weaknesses, scientists found the "control" of random polymers did much better than anything they were designing. Ain't experimental protocols grand?

Definitely reads like something Ellen would do:

Charlie is a wild-born coyote who was unexpectedly delivered to my doorstep this past April after both his parents were shot for killing sheep. Whatever reservations I had about raising a wild animal simply didn't matter - couldn't matter - when I realized his survival, at least in the short term, depended on me.

Then again, vets know most of all that coyotes and cats don't usually mix, so I'm not sure what Ellen would do.

Oh who am I kidding. We got so many different kinds of animals around here nowadays I'm not even sure I'd notice.

Looks like someone went a little "Tim Allen" on the common fly swatter. The potential for misuse is mind-boggling.

DARPA is looking to field some networks as "firing ranges" with which to test their electronic widgets. I suppose most large software development offices have (or have access to) things like this, and if they're sitting around doing nothing most of the time, why not?

As with all things, some guys ignore everything when they're playing a video game. Emphasis on some. I may play around the wife or child when they walk in front of the TV, but if ol' fido decided to make me his personal love slave I'd dump the game in a second. Then again, I've always been able to find the PAUSE button. I'd probably be divorced by now if I couldn't.

Personally, it wouldn't completely surprise me if an obnoxious documentary film maker managed to find Osama bin Laden. If Osama's intelligence network is good enough to keep him away from our SF squads, it's most likely good enough to figure out four guys from San Fran really are just useful idiots with gear. The members of the peanut gallery with foil hats firmly in place will most likely think otherwise, but that's their problem.

I say, let 'em crash.

Those with a Sci-Fi or astronomical interest should find this collection of "space art" of interest. One of the best things about SF conventions, for me at any rate, was the opportunity to see originals of these sorts of paintings. The difference between what was on the cover of a book and what was on the painting it was made from could at times be breathtaking. I couldn't afford the prices then, but soon I may just. Beats the hell out of a velvet Elvis.

Mark gets a no-prize he's allergic to wearing a wig for bringing us Kitty Wigs. It's exactly what you think it is, in a "no-not-that-kitty-you-sick-f-" way. Coming to a cat clinic near you!

Bonus: lots of "FOR THIS, HUMAN, YOU DIE TONIGHT" lolcat candidate pictures.

Get it while the bandwidth lasts: a nifty collection of underwater wreck diving pictures. I'm pretty sure at least one of the big aircraft is a Japanese Betty, and one of the smaller ones is a Grumman F6F Hellcat. If I'm right, then this'll be somewhere in the South Pacific.

Ok, Ok...

Finally I will let you all see a video of us dancing.

The Skeptical Optimist has a neat post that shows no matter which way you slice it, the US Government's debt just doesn't matter. That is, as long as we keep pursuing pro-growth policies. I've long known that even though the public debt is a really astounding amount, it's size is dwarfed by the GDP of the country. You can have the biggest truck in the world, but if you park it in the VAB it's still going to look small.

Scientists have uncovered a rare ancient wooden throne at Herculanium. It's exact purpose is unclear, but it represents the first time such a significant piece of ceremonial furniture has been found.

While I do agree the Lamborghini Reventon is a neat car, I can't see how they make any money on these damned things. I'm just about certain it cost more than $20 mil to develop it, probably quite a bit more. I guess Audi looks at Lamborghini the way most of us look at boats... large holes in which to pour money.

We've been mulling over whether or not to see The Golden Compass for about as long as it's been advertised. Now I find out that, in the opinion of at least one person, at root it's all about an attack on Christianity. Catholic Christianity, to be precise.

I'm never particularly good at seeing subtexts, and I imagine, had I not known beforehand, this particular set would've gone right over my head. I still think the deciding factors for us will be a) does it suck? and b) is it scary? The former will prevent us from seeing it, the latter will prevent us from taking Olivia. The option c) it portrays Catholics as jackbooted thugs I guess I'll have to reserve for after I see it, if I see it.

*Shrug*

Via Instapundit.

Big surprise the MSM forgot to mention the recent stem cell breakthrough was not without its problems:

Now the Kyoto team, led by biologist Shinya Yamanaka, reports that it can reprogram adult skin cells in both mice and humans into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells without c-Myc. Further, in a mouse model, when the cells are incorporated into an embryo, the adult animal faces a dramatically lower risk of developing cancer. But there's a catch: "We found that the omission of [c-Myc] resulted in fewer numbers of iPS cell colonies," Yamanaka told ScientificAmerican.com via e-mail. "The process also takes longer. However, most of resulting iPS cells are very good."

And, as they say, "that's not all, folks!" Still, it would seem progress of a sort, although it definitely looks like we're quite a long way from being able to grow organs in a jar.

Taken by Baby O no less.

After delays resulting from electrical glitches and engine defects, the F-35 program is resuming flight testing. The much more interesting (and higher-stakes) F-35B is also nearing final assembly, with a first flight scheduled for some time in May of 2008.

Ron gets a no-prize that deserves to be punished for bringing us news of the development of an artificial liver which functions for weeks instead of days. This allows drug companies to test new compounds for toxicity in a more reliable, repeatable, and less expensive ways. Which leads to mo' betta' drugs, at least in theory.

Our pookie-pie is home sick today. She sounds like she swallowed troll snot. :/

IRobot has come out with a new, improved Roomba vacuum, and if this extensive review is any indication, it would seem the new model addresses most if not all of the problems earlier models experienced. Bonus: greenie angst over machine gun-toting Roombas conquering our homes.

Our current vacuum cleaner is only about a year old, so we won't be switching any time soon. However, when replacement time comes back around, I'll most likely seriously consider it.

They're supposed to play a game, not remember they're wearing an open microphone. Which makes it even funnier when they forget.

The Washington Post today carried news of the discovery of that most rare of fossils, a mummified dinosaur. As noted in the article, this is quite different from your garden variety virgin sacrifice in the Andes mountains. It's a completely mineralized creature, perhaps even down to the internal organs.

Casualty numbers in Iraq continue to fall. Keep in mind the numbers come from a well-known anti-war organization. When the absolute worst source shows real improvement, it becomes increasingly difficult to deny, eh?

A Caturday thread someone else pays for! It'll come back here again, I'm sure. We just need to drink enough beer be in the right mood with the computer open.

Fans of everyone's favorite bending unit will be pleased to find out Futurama has returned. First a DVD release, hitting the stores this week, then a televised airing on Comedy Central next year. We're not much for buying TV series on DVD, but this'll definitely end up on our season pass list.

Oh, and one other thing... if any of you get the cable channel ION, keep an eye out for Terry Pratchett's Hogfather. Our Tivo's set to scoop anything with his name on it, and it spotted the popular Christmas special. Olivia's monopolized the TV, otherwise I'd post the exact date, but I think it's in about two weeks. Mark your calendars!