Tales of Interest [Archive] - Page 4

EDwardo

12-13-11, 07:07 PM

New Stratolaunch plane will take people into Earth’s orbit

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is teaming up with aerospace pioneer Burt Rutan to build a giant machine that is part airplane and part spaceship. The new vehicle will be able to transport people and cargo into Earth's orbit and is scheduled to be commercially available by 2016.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/stratolaunch-plane-people-earth-orbit-203001086.html

Methanolandbrats

12-13-11, 07:25 PM

Gnam

12-13-11, 07:41 PM

Where exactly will that thing take off and land :saywhat:

Wherever it wants to. Space Goose!

cameraman

12-13-11, 07:54 PM

Rutan flies out of the Mojave Air and Space Port. It has a 9500 foot runway. The whole idea sounds like Virgin Galactic's SpaceShip Two/WhiteKnight Two on steroids. I guess Branson didn't want to pony up the money, no surprise there, so Rutan sold the idea to Paul Allen.

The return from orbit capabilities seem a bit overhyped. It is still launching a capsule on the end of a rocket into space. It won't be able to return large cargos like the shuttle could.

nissan gtp

12-13-11, 09:13 PM

Gnam

12-13-11, 09:41 PM

If Rutan is involved, it should work

notice they didn't explain what happens to the launch booster (that looks like an upsized Pegasus). presumably it burns up :flame:

Parachute?

Rutan likes efficiency. Maybe they reuse it?

miatanut

12-14-11, 12:00 AM

If Rutan is involved, it should work

notice they didn't explain what happens to the launch booster (that looks like an upsized Pegasus). presumably it burns up :flame:

Although you wouldn't get it from the video:

Long-term re-usability is key to the dramatic cost savings that will enable innovative U.S. space exploration programs to continue. The Dragon spacecraft is a fully and rapidly reusable spacecraft, and SpaceX is working toward the goal of delivering the world's first fully reusable launch vehicle.
http://www.stratolaunch.com/ "multistage booster" Read More link.

"Working toward the goal" may mean they haven't yet figured out how to keep a light weight carbon fiber structure from burning up on re-entry. :D

SurfaceUnits

12-14-11, 01:16 PM

The first Recorded Con-job in the New World

Recall the story of how the greedy Europeans took advantage of the naive natives by buying Manhattan Island for the equivalent of $24. Well it actually didn't happen that way. Seems that when the Dutch were negotiating to buy the island, they somehow got to talking with a tribe from Long Island, who had no claim on Manhattan Island. And sure enough they paid the Long Islanders the $24, but they soon discovered their mistake and had to enter into negotiations with the Manhattan Islanders and it ended up costing the Dutch much more than $24.

Isn't Bernie Madoff from Long Island?

cameraman

12-14-11, 01:30 PM

Queens, to be specific.

miatanut

12-14-11, 02:39 PM

cameraman

12-14-11, 03:04 PM

Symmetry is pretty important for aircraft. How else would you drop something that big and remain symmetrical?

miatanut

12-14-11, 03:24 PM

Symmetry is pretty important for aircraft. How else would you drop something that big and remain symmetrical?

You could have two small fuselages. The payload is in the middle.

Gnam

12-14-11, 03:49 PM

The fuselage size may have been required to support that giant wing. I wonder what the deflection of the wing tips will be?

gjc2

12-14-11, 04:33 PM

Symmetry is pretty important for aircraft. How else would you drop something that big and remain symmetrical?

Rutan has had some asymmetrical designs in the past

Ankf00

12-14-11, 05:28 PM

a single fuselage is still symmetric, but twin fuselages would place mass away from the Cg/Cp and the long axis, increasing the moment, so greater transient loads off of the axis/Cg/Cp would be required to upset the plane's balance for equal equal mass/lift

Methanolandbrats

12-14-11, 06:12 PM

SteveH

12-14-11, 06:15 PM

TravelGal

12-14-11, 06:31 PM

English, ************ do you speak it? :D

:rofl::rofl: I don't know...I sort of like "equal equal mass/lift" Has a sort of rhythm to it. Or was it a typo?

trish

12-16-11, 05:38 PM

Way to rally them! (http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/principal-sorry-for-student-parent-kissing-prank/)

SurfaceUnits

01-03-12, 02:45 AM

Eight years ago, an old man told me a story that took my breath away. His name was Louie Zamperini, and from the day I first spoke to him, his almost incomprehensibly dramatic life was my obsession.

That first conversation with Louie was a pivot point in my life. Fascinated by his experiences, and the mystery of how a man could overcome so much, I began a seven-year journey through his story. I found it in diaries, letters and unpublished memoirs; in the memories of his family and friends, fellow Olympians, former American airmen and Japanese veterans; in forgotten papers in archives as far-flung as Oslo and Canberra. Along the way, there were staggering surprises, and Louie’s unlikely, inspiring story came alive for me. It is a tale of daring, defiance, persistence, ingenuity, and the ferocious will of a man who refused to be broken.

It is impossible to condense the rich, granular detail of Hillenbrand's narrative of the atrocities committed (one man was exhibited naked in a Tokyo zoo for the Japanese to "gawk at his filthy, sore-encrusted body") against American POWs in Japan

http://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-World-Survival-Resilience-Redemption/dp/1400064163

nrc

01-05-12, 12:15 AM

nrc

01-05-12, 12:33 AM

Meanwhile, they still shoot vermin in Okiland.

An 18 year old mother with a 3 month old child was widowed on Christmas. New Year's Eve a couple of dope heads decided they'll break into her trailer hoping that her deceased husband has left behind some painkillers or other drugs.

In the end, McKinley fired a 12-gauge shotgun and killed Justin Shane Martin after he entered her residence, according to a Blanchard Police Department affidavit filed in court Wednesday. Martin was armed with a knife, authorities said.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/04/justice/oklahoma-intruder-shooting/

Missy's mom was burglarized within a few weeks after her father passed away. That's when we learned that people like this actually check the obits looking for targets to victimize. They took not only bags of valuables, but her sense of safety and security when she was at her most vulnerable. Now she packs heat of her own and anyone unfortunate enough to think her home an easy target might well end up in the same state as the fellow in Oklahoma.

emjaya

01-05-12, 06:18 AM

Meanwhile, they still shoot vermin in Okiland.

An 18 year old mother with a 3 month old child was widowed on Christmas. New Year's Eve a couple of dope heads decided they'll break into her trailer hoping that her deceased husband has left behind some painkillers or other drugs.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/04/justice/oklahoma-intruder-shooting/

Missy's mom was burglarized within a few weeks after her father passed away. That's when we learned that people like this actually check the obits looking for targets to victimize. They took not only bags of valuables, but her sense of safety and security when she was at her most vulnerable. Now she packs heat of her own and anyone unfortunate enough to think her home an easy target might well end up in the same state as the fellow in Oklahoma.

I like this part: his partner-in-crime gets charged with his death.

Stewart was charged with first-degree felony murder, Walters said. If during the commission of certain offenses, such as burglary, a death results, an individual can be charged in the death, the prosecutor said.

chop456

01-05-12, 07:32 AM

Something about that law makes me squeamish.

devilmaster

01-05-12, 07:50 AM

The one thing that caught my eye was that the woman was on the 911 line for 21 minutes.... :\

Don Quixote

01-05-12, 09:54 AM

The survivor also called 911 after his buddy was shot. They played portions of the 911 call on the news this morning. That little girl was scared but calm during the ordeal.

01-05-12, 12:35 PM

Something about that law makes me squeamish.

Yes.

Napoleon

01-05-12, 01:15 PM

Something about that law makes me squeamish.

And it use to be worse. It is a Common Law doctrine that goes way way back to England that any unintended death that results during the commission of ANY felony was felony murder.

Say you're on your way to commit a felony by cashing a check you stole (assuming that the particulars make it a felony) and hit a drunk guy who stumbles out from between two cars - felony murder under the traditional rule.

grungex

01-05-12, 11:04 PM

The one thing that caught my eye was that the woman was on the 911 line for 21 minutes.... :\

I'm sure the cops were too busy working speed traps to bother..

cameraman

01-06-12, 02:21 AM

I'm sure the cops were too busy working speed traps to bother..

There were three deputies on duty in a very rural 1100 sq mile county. If you look at Grady County you will quickly realize that you can't get from place to place easily.

The rather icky part of the story is the 18 year old mom whose husband/partner of three years just died at the age of 58....

Andrew Longman

01-06-12, 09:35 AM

The rather icky part of the story is the 18 year old mom whose husband/partner of three years just died at the age of 58....Icky? He made an honest woman of her. And he did it all legal like. I'm sure he even asked her folks permission and stuff.

You're just jealous. ;)

Ripped

01-06-12, 09:42 AM

You're just jealous. ;)

:D

Methanolandbrats

01-06-12, 09:48 AM

Damn, 55 into 15, I think I know what killed him.

01-06-12, 12:20 PM

Damn, 55 into 15, I think I know what killed him.

Around here, 55 into 15 will get you 20.

High Sided

01-08-12, 03:28 PM

there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

check these underground missile silo condo's being offer in Kansas. now this would be the perfect place for the george's. :gomer:

news story video from yesterday...
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7394214n&tag=mncol;lst;1

video from 2009...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_liNYkZn_M

EDwardo

01-09-12, 02:14 PM

Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop arrested

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Madison man with an unusual name is in jail after police said he violated his bail conditions from a previous run-in with the law.

Thirty-year-old Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop is tentatively charged with carrying a concealed knife, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and a probation violation after his arrest Thursday. He remained in jail as of Sunday. Jail records don't list a bail amount or an attorney for him.

The Capital Times reports (http://bit.ly/z7IOdM) he was arrested after residents complained of excessive drinking and drug use near Reynolds Park.

Court records show his previous name was Jeffrey Drew Wilschke, and he legally changed it to Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop in October. He was arrested in another Madison park last April after police found a loaded handgun in his backpack.

http://news.yahoo.com/beezow-doo-doo-zopittybop-bop-bop-arrested-021848401.html

extramundane

01-09-12, 04:10 PM

^^^
tyQvjKqXA0Y

EDwardo

01-23-12, 06:20 PM

Celestial Stunner: Venus to Cross Face of Sun This Year

On your 2012 calendar, be sure to put a big red circle around June 5.
The planet Venus will cross the face of the sun. From June 5-6, 2012, an exceedingly rare occurrence is to take place: from here on Earth, we will be able to see Venus cross in front of the sun, making itself evident as a small black spot slowly moving across the solar disk.
On June 5, the entire transit will last almost 6 3/4hours and will be visible in some form across approximately three-quarters of our planet.

The beginning will be visible from the northwestern part of South America, and all of North America, Hawaii, central and western Asia, New Zealand and the eastern two-thirds of Australia.

The end will be visible from northern and northwestern North America, New Zealand, Australia, Asia, the eastern half of Africa and most of Europe. From the contiguous 48 states as well as most of Canada, the beginning stages occur before sunset. For much of Europe, the sun will rise on the morning of June 6, with Venus already on the sun's disk with the transit nearly over.

http://news.yahoo.com/celestial-stunner-venus-cross-face-sun-214403166.html

This ought to be really interesting.

emjaya

01-25-12, 10:58 PM

The New Zealand Police in action. (http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/topless-woman-sparks-police-visit-to-beach-20120126-1qim3.html)

"I went down there and had a look," he said.

:D

gjc2

01-26-12, 02:21 PM

Talk about six degrees of separation!

check this out . . .

http://www.businessinsider.com/astonishing-political-fact-of-the-day-two-of-president-john-tylers-grandchildren-are-still-living-2012-1

Napoleon

01-26-12, 02:25 PM

Talk about six degrees of separation!

check this out . . .

I find it interesting also that there are some people alive who were born to people who had been slaves in the US prior to the end of the Civil War.

Gnam

01-26-12, 02:59 PM

That means just three generations of the Tyler family are spread out over more than 200 years.

http://www.businessinsider.com/astonishing-political-fact-of-the-day-two-of-president-john-tylers-grandchildren-are-still-living-2012-1
Sounds like a Highlander. Better check him for a sword.

Gnam

01-30-12, 10:20 PM

Speaking of swords...

Portland police said Canterbury swung the Star Wars sabers — one in each hand — at three customers on Dec. 14 at about 9:50 p.m. at the store at 1800 Jantzen Beach Center. He then carried the light sabers outside the store and swung at police. Officers tried to use a Taser to subdue him, but Canterbury successfully deflected one of the wires away.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/12/hillsboro_man_held_after_alleg.html

Keep Portland weird. :D

dando

01-30-12, 11:35 PM

Speaking of swords...

Keep Portland weird. :D

Yeah, but did he shout "Don't taze me, bro!" while deflecting the wire? If not....fail. :gomer:

-Kevin

datachicane

01-31-12, 01:29 AM

Yeah, but did he shout "Don't taze me, bro!" while deflecting the wire? If not....fail. :gomer:

-Kevin

Needs more beer and strip club content.
Like this classic: Pork smackdown gone bad (http://offcamber.net/forums/showthread.php?t=16536)

TravelGal

01-31-12, 01:10 PM

From today's ARTA E-News
IRS Clarifies Its Interpretation Of Airline Miles
Consumers will have to pay taxes on miles they receive for opening a bank account, but miles earned for purchases using credit cards or taking a trip are tax-free. The issue came up when Citibank sent tax forms to those who received thousands of miles for opening a new account. The IRS said "When frequent-flier miles are provided as a premium for opening a financial account, it can be a taxable situation subject to reporting under current law."

SurfaceUnits

02-02-12, 12:26 PM

has anyone ever done a verification study on that damn rodent in Pennsylvania's perdictions

Methanolandbrats

02-02-12, 12:40 PM

has anyone ever done a verification study on that damn rodent in Pennsylvania's perdictions

It's animal abuse. I wish that groggy rodent would fly out of there and rip the balls off of one of those hungover Shriners or whoever the hell wakes it up.

Napoleon

02-02-12, 01:30 PM

It's animal abuse. I wish that groggy rodent would fly out of there and rip the balls off of one of those hungover Shriners or whoever the hell wakes it up.

Now that I would go see.

02-02-12, 02:12 PM

It's animal abuse. I wish that groggy rodent would fly out of there and rip the balls off of one of those hungover Shriners or whoever the hell wakes it up.

That would fuel the end-of-days-2012 people to an entertaining level.

Napoleon

02-02-12, 03:29 PM

That would fuel the end-of-days-2012 people to an entertaining level.

I am pretty sure one of those Mayan line drawings only visible from above is of a ground hog with his teeth sunk into some guys crotch.

Napoleon

02-02-12, 04:39 PM

has anyone ever done a verification study on that damn rodent in Pennsylvania's perdictions

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/groundhog-day-2012-punxsutawney-phil-sees-shadow-6-more-weeks-of-winter/2012/02/02/gIQA9Hb7jQ_blog.html

SurfaceUnits

02-02-12, 05:05 PM

Since the Groundhog’s first prediction in 1887, Phil has seen his shadow 99 times and failed to spot it just 16 times. There are 9 missing years in the record, but Phil has issued a forecast without exception.

that's one old rodent

TravelGal

02-02-12, 06:54 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/groundhog-day-2012-punxsutawney-phil-sees-shadow-6-more-weeks-of-winter/2012/02/02/gIQA9Hb7jQ_blog.html

Good article. Man, those NOAA guys gotta lighten up a bit.

Methanolandbrats

02-02-12, 08:15 PM

Good article. Man, those NOAA guys gotta lighten up a bit.

Trash talking about a rodent :rofl:

trish

02-03-12, 10:27 PM

Vermont inmates hide pig in official police car decal (http://news.yahoo.com/vermont-inmates-hide-pig-official-police-car-decal-004403610.html)

There's a video at the bottom of the page.

Elmo T

02-06-12, 03:12 PM

This seemed to go buy relatively unnoticed. I found the audio fascinating - far more interesting than watching the old newscasts from the day.

A recent discovery of lost audio recordings from Air Force One have resurfaced, and are being inspected for possible details regarding this tragic event.

Nathan Raab, VP of The Raab Collection, stumbled across the tapes at the bottom of a box owned by Ted Clifton. Clifton served as a military aide to both Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, and he was in charge of military actions immediately after Kennedy’s death. The tapes were donated by the Raab Collection to the National Archives, where they were made public.

The Original White House Version of the Kennedy Assassination Air Force One Tape, Not Previously Known to Exist (http://www.raabcollection.com/kennedy-air-force-one-tape/)

Full Audio from the GPO (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-NARA-JFK-ASSASSINATION-AUDIO/content-detail.html)

nrc

02-15-12, 02:57 PM

Guy excavates his basement using only RC model heavy equipment.

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/02/canadian-digs-out-basement-using-only.html

SurfaceUnits

02-16-12, 08:16 PM

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/02/11/article-0-11AEFD6C000005DC-758_964x377.jpg

Historic panorama: A camera soaring above San Francisco Bay by a kite immediately following the earthquake of 1906 captures the mass destruction from the historic 7.9 magnitude quake

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099768/A-city-ruins-Stunning-photo-captures-devastation-San-Francisco-earthquake-1906.html

SurfaceUnits

02-16-12, 08:33 PM

Canadian Digs Out Basement Using Only Radio Controlled Scale Tractors and Trucks...Since 2005!

Excavating a basement using professional machinery is nothing new but doing it with radio controlled (RC) scaled models is something unheard of. Welcome to the little big world of Joe, from Saskatchewan, Canada.

For the past 7 years (!), Joe has been digging out his basement at an average annual rate of 8 to 9 cubic feet using nothing more than RC tractors and trucks!

And we're talking about the whole nine yards here - he starts by transporting the excavator on an RC truck to the basement, unloads it, digs and uses other trucks to transfer the dirt up to the ground through a spiral ramp! He even has a miniature rock crusher!
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/02/canadian-digs-out-basement-using-only.html

Steve 02/10/2012 12:21 PM
the man got too much time on his hand. what a loser.
1 person liked this.

8LiterHemiV8 02/10/2012 12:58 PM in reply to Steve
Why are you talking about yourself? This is an epic way to pass time.
32 people liked this.

Hugh Jorgan 02/10/2012 02:24 PM in reply to Steve
He plays in his basement, you play on the computer... explain why he is the loser.
42 people liked this.

auto 02/10/2012 04:45 PM in reply to Steve
there is only one loser here mate, and it's not this guy.
22 people liked this.

Countrysk8 02/14/2012 03:20 PM in reply to Steve
only looser here is you, you troll.
7 people liked this.

Jeff Yesterday 04:40 AM in reply to Countrysk8
well actually there's two losers here.. Steve and the guy who can't spell loser.

High Sided

02-16-12, 10:01 PM

comments in the update fair much better, thanks for posting the story.
update "meet the man"....
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/02/meet-joe-man-who-excavated-his-basement.html

SurfaceUnits

02-17-12, 12:03 AM

SurfaceUnits

02-17-12, 12:14 AM

BT to offer 300 Mbps fibre optic broadband 'on demand' in 2013

Fibre optic broadband connections of up to 300 Megabits per second will be available on demand in 2013, BT says.

That is three times the maximum 100 Mbps speed the company currently offers using the technology and it described the development as a "game changer".

According to Ofcom the current UK broadband average is 7.6 Mbps.

BT said it hoped to create a "mass market" for high speed broadband among small and medium sized businesses following trials in Cornwall.

The company made the announcement following successful trials of so-called fibre to the premise (FTTP) in St Agnes.

"By December 2014, two-thirds of the country will have access to ultra-fast fibre if they want it" said Mike Galvin of Openreach, part of the BT group.

The firm plans to roll out the system starting next year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16870464

cameraman

02-17-12, 03:06 AM

And here in America I can get 0.5 Mbps on only a very good day...

Methanolandbrats

02-17-12, 09:07 AM

And here in America I can get 0.5 Mbps on only a very good day...

DSL?

cameraman

02-17-12, 12:49 PM

DSL?

Yes. The only other choice is Comcast cable which might bump it up to 2 or 3 Mbps when it is working for only $150 a month.

Methanolandbrats

02-17-12, 01:12 PM

Yes. The only other choice is Comcast cable which might bump it up to 2 or 3 Mbps when it is working for only $150 a month.

Wow. Charter cable around here is 30 down, 4 up and dead reliable for $30/mo. You have regulatory problems that need to be sorted out.

EDwardo

02-17-12, 02:39 PM

China to Launch 3 Astronauts to Space Laboratory by August

China's next space mission will launch three astronauts to a prototype space station module orbiting high above Earth, possibly in June, according to state media reports.
The mission, which will be China's fourth manned spaceflight, will send a crew into orbit aboard the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft to rendezvous with the country's prototype space station module Tiangong 1.
Unlike the Shenzhou 8 mission, the manned Shenzhou 9 flight will demonstrate a manual space docking, according to Xinhua. The three-person crew will then stay aboard to live, work and perform science experiments.

http://news.yahoo.com/china-launch-3-astronauts-space-laboratory-august-172004288.html

Ankf00

02-17-12, 03:00 PM

welcome to 50 years ago, China.

Indy

02-17-12, 09:15 PM

Welcome to 70 years ago, America. :saywhat:

KLang

02-17-12, 09:33 PM

welcome to 50 years ago, China.

Perhaps but we can no longer do it. :irked:

EDwardo

02-18-12, 11:11 PM

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish man was dug out alive after being snowed in to his car on a forest track for two months with no food, police and local media reported on Saturday.
The 45-year-old from southern Sweden was found on Friday, emaciated and too weak to utter more than a few words.
The man, who was laying in the back seat in a sleeping bag, said he had been in the car since December 19.
Ebbe Nyberg, duty officer at the Umea police, said police saw no reason to doubt that the man had been stuck in the car for a very long time.
"We would not make something like this up. The rescue services were on site too and saw the same as us," he told Vasterbottens-Kuriren.
Besides eating snow, the man probably survived by going into a dormant-like state, physician Stefan Branth told Vasterbottens-Kuriren.

http://news.yahoo.com/swedish-man-survives-months-snowed-car-194327236.html

dando

02-21-12, 11:09 AM

Perhaps but we can no longer do it. :irked:

Glenn rips decision to shutdown the shuttle:

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/02/21/in-spotlight-glenn-calls-shuttles-end-a-drastic-error.html

2017? :saywhat: :mad: :irked: :thumdown:

Can I have my share of the $$$ wasted for the likes of Solyndra to keep the shuttles flying? It's beyond stupid not to have a replacement in place before retiring the shuttle.

-Kevin

Elmo T

02-24-12, 10:15 AM

ghCTZF61ey0

Australian inquest considers dingo-baby mystery (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gLUROWy6ZvNV9UMKYLARPD2f84WA?docId=3e71bfa82 18c419eaf13277ab9724c73)

A coroner on Friday opened the fourth inquest into the most notorious and bitter legal drama in Australia's history: the 1980 death of a 9-week-old baby whose parents say a dingo took her from a tent in the Australian Outback

Methanolandbrats

02-24-12, 10:36 AM

SurfaceUnits

02-25-12, 02:41 AM

Denmark: Most Baby Names

The country has some of the strictest child naming guidelines in the entire world. In fact, citizens of the country can only select names on a list approved by the government or they must seek permission from the government for an exception to the rule. Right now, the officially approved names list contains only around 24,000 names.

SurfaceUnits

02-25-12, 02:41 AM

China: Jasmine

After the “Jasmine Revolutions” in Tunisia, Chinese protestors were inspired to spark their own revolution. As a result, authorities cracked down not only on the rebels, but on the flower itself. The plant is now banned in the country, as are songs about the flower and text messages including the word “jasmine.”

and other 11 Things You Won't Believe Governments Have Banned
http://www.oddee.com/item_97890.aspx

emjaya

02-25-12, 04:13 AM

Maybe it was a really big dingo, anybody think of that?

It's the Northern Territory. (http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/northern-territory-drinks-most-alcohol-in-the-world/story-e6freuzr-1225735132584)

Methanolandbrats

02-25-12, 08:51 AM

It's the Northern Territory. (http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/northern-territory-drinks-most-alcohol-in-the-world/story-e6freuzr-1225735132584)

I must attend the Australian GP. :D

cameraman

02-25-12, 01:40 PM

Right now, the officially approved names list contains only around 24,000 names.

The State of Utah could really use that rule just to stop the idiot parents who think it is cool to spell their kids names wrong so that they will be unique:shakehead
Xiaver, Dakoda and Saibryna come to mind

Methanolandbrats

02-25-12, 05:46 PM

The State of Utah could really use that rule just to stop the idiot parents who think it is cool to spell their kids names wrong so that they will be unique:shakehead
Xiaver, Dakoda and Saibryna come to mind

Inbred white trash cannot come up with cool names, but black people got that down to a fine art :thumbup:

02-25-12, 09:12 PM

Inbred white trash cannot come up with cool names, but black people got that down to a fine art :thumbup:
Yeah, some kids names these days are certainly Yooneek.

In Utah, you just need to convince people that if it isn't in the Bible, or secret papers, that the name is only for use by strippers.

;)

Gnam

02-26-12, 04:30 AM

The internet is a weird place.

The University of California, San Francisco maintains a Legacy Tobacco Documents Library that contains more than 13 million documents (70+ million pages) created by major tobacco companies related to their advertising, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and scientific research activities.

But sometimes it is also an awesome place. Take, for example, a Camel GT press release from 1981 about driver David Hobbs, complete with Hobbsisms (page 3).

http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/documentStore/t/g/k/tgk13a00/Stgk13a00.pdf

:D

SurfaceUnits

02-27-12, 03:09 PM

http://www.bannedinhollywood.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/funny-friday-picdump-banned-hollywood-02.jpg

stroker

02-27-12, 03:16 PM

Ouch

03-05-12, 12:56 AM

Abandoned Communist UFO/Building thing.

http://humanplanet.com/timothyallen/2012/02/buzludzha-buzludja-bulgaria/

Nice photos.

EDwardo

03-06-12, 06:11 AM

Incompetent People Too Ignorant to Know It

A growing body of psychology research shows that incompetence deprives people of the ability to recognize their own incompetence. To put it bluntly, dumb people are too dumb to know it.
It's not merely optimism, but rather that their total lack of expertise renders them unable to recognize their deficiency.

http://www.livescience.com/18678-incompetent-people-ignorant.html

Indy

03-06-12, 11:32 AM

Incompetent People Too Ignorant to Know It

Think about the gomers who were unable to see the laughable mediocrity of the IRL. What do you think is the average IQ of the gomer vs. the average IQ of the CART fan?

Elmo T

03-06-12, 12:52 PM

Today in 1990.... LAX to IAD in 1hr 4min :eek::thumbup:

suWhYA5EeD0

SurfaceUnits

03-11-12, 10:32 PM

http://weburbanist.com/2012/03/03/haunted-house-the-abandoned-mansion-of-steve-jobs/

Andrew Longman

03-12-12, 01:40 PM

Maybe not of "interest" but it sucks. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/apparent_double-murder-suicide.html

This was up the road a few miles. The son graduated from my kid's HS a few years back. I sort of knew them. I know the names. I know the property. I know them on sight. The dead wife bought Mary Kay from the SIL. We saw the kid around now and then. The quoted cousin has been the school nurse in our elementary school forever.

Pretty f'd up and not the sort of thing that happens here except every few decades.

Andrew Longman

03-12-12, 01:44 PM

Today in 1990.... LAX to IAD in 1hr 4min I was backpacking in the Sawtooth mountains in Idaho at about 11K in about 1987 when an SR 71 flew overhead. Friggin' loudest thing I ever heard.

Actually I heard it about 3-4 times before I saw it because it was moving so fast it was gone from the sky by the time the sound hit me. I just happened to look up one day while waiting for a trout to bite and it was ripping low over the mountain tops and about 15 seconds later the sound hit.

Coolness.

SurfaceUnits

03-12-12, 09:15 PM

I was down by Barksdale AFB last weekend, home of the 2nd BW, the oldest bomber wing in the AF

http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0002bw.htm

Had some cool planes on display at the museum

EDwardo

03-15-12, 11:16 PM

Daredevil who'll leap off the edge of space: Skydiver prepares for 23 mile jump

It will be one giant leap for man – and leave the rest of mankind dizzy at the thought.

The world’s most daring skydiver is preparing to jump out of a balloon on the edge of space.

Felix Baumgartner, 42, hopes to break an altitude record which has lasted more than 50 years.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2096973/Felix-Baumgartner-Skydiver-prepares-break-sound-barrier-23-mile-jump.html

Record-seeking skydiver makes 13-mile test jump

Baumgartner lifted off Thursday for a test jump from Roswell, N.M., aboard a 100-foot helium balloon. He rode inside a pressurized capsule to 71,581 feet — 13.6 miles — and then jumped. He parachuted to a safe landing, according to project spokeswoman Trish Medalen.

http://news.yahoo.com/record-seeking-skydiver-makes-13-mile-test-jump-233204849.html

TravelGal

03-16-12, 01:46 PM

From Travel Weekly, March 14.

Posted without comment.

As Greek politicians continue to haggle with the European Union and International Monetary Fund in hopes of sorting out their nation’s economic mess, private individuals in Greece have banded together with people of Greek descent worldwide in an online “crowd-funding” project to shore up the country's tourism industry. The effort, called Up Greek Tourism,

emjaya

03-17-12, 05:43 AM

A "Great Escaper" remembered.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/true-story-of-the-great-escape-20120316-1vac0.html

TravelGal

03-17-12, 01:51 PM

A "Great Escaper" remembered.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/true-story-of-the-great-escape-20120316-1vac0.html

I choked up reading it. No words to say.

EDwardo

03-18-12, 01:13 PM

For Sale: Zombie head Bowling balls.

http://static.dudeiwantthat.com/entertainment/sporting-goods/zombie-head-bowling-balls-2787.jpg

http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/entertainment/sporting-goods/zombie-head-bowling-balls.asp

SurfaceUnits

03-18-12, 02:56 PM

Three Japanese tourists in Australia, misled by their GPS device.

Three Japanese tourists in Australia found themselves in an embarrassing situation after their GPS navigation system lured them down the wrong path.

The three, who are students from Tokyo, set out to drive to North Stradbroke Island on the Australian coast Thursday morning, and mapped out their path on their GPS system.

The road looked clear, at low tide - but the map forgot to show the 9 miles of water and mud between the island and the mainland.

As the three drove their rented Hyundai Getz into Moreton Bay, they found the GPS device guiding them from a gravel road into thick mud. They tried to get back to solid ground, but as the tide rose they were forced to abandon their car. Passengers on passing ferries watched in amazement.

"It told us we could drive down there," Yuzu Noda, 21, told the local Bayside Bulletin. "It kept saying it would navigate us to a road. We got stuck . . . there's lots of mud."

http://gma.yahoo.com/gps-tracking-disaster-japanese-tourists-drive-straight-pacific-172043575--abc-news.html

SurfaceUnits

03-18-12, 03:00 PM

Offended by religious group's highway blessing, atheists 'scrub' it away

http://www.baynews9.com/content/dam/news/Lakeland-unholy-water.bmp

LAKELAND --

Atheists in Polk County symbolically scrubbed away at a major highway leading into the county Saturday.

The were removing a blessing placed there a year ago by a group of religious leaders.

Brooms, mops and water hoses in hand, the atheists gathered at the roadside.

"We come in peace .. now that's normally what aliens say when they visit a new planet, but we're not aliens, we're atheists!" Humanists of Florida director Mark Palmer shouted to the group along Highway 98.

Representatives from various atheist groups in the area scrubbed the road at the Pasco-Polk county line. They were figuratively removing holy oil that had been put on the road last year by a group of area religious leaders. That group was Polk Under Prayer, or PUP.

PUP director Richard Geringswald said his group had been blessing the county line.

"And praying for that entryway in to the city, that God would protect us from evildoers, mainly the drug crowd, that they would be dissuaded to come in to the county," Geringswald said.

But Humanists of Florida members don't see it that way. They say it makes them feel unwelcome.

"It sends a very bad signal to everyone in Polk County, and (anyone) who travels through Polk county who doesn't happen to be Christian,” Palmer said, “This event is not about atheist rights; this is about welcoming everybody into Polk county."

So Humanists = drug crowd in the atheists' minds?