Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Bottom One Percent?!?!?!?

Of course, I believe George Pickett graduated dead last from West Point, but still. I had no idea about John McCain's performance until a friend of mine pointed me to it today:
Some of the unreleased pages in McCain's Navy file may not reflect well upon his qualifications for the presidency. From day one in the Navy, McCain screwed-up again and again, only to be forgiven because his father and grandfather were four-star admirals. McCain's sense of entitlement to privileged treatment bears an eerie resemblance to George W. Bush's.

Despite graduating in the bottom 1 percent of his Annapolis class, McCain was offered the most sought-after Navy assignment -- to become an aircraft carrier pilot. According to military historian John Karaagac, "'the Airdales,' the air wing of the Navy, acted and still do, as if unrivaled atop the naval pyramid. They acted as if they owned, not only the Navy, but the entire swath of blue water on the earth's surface." The most accomplished midshipmen compete furiously for the few carrier pilot openings. After four abysmal academic years at Annapolis distinguished only by his misdeeds and malfeasance, no one with a record resembling McCain's would have been offered such a prized career path. The justification for this and subsequent plum assignments should be documented in McCain's naval file.

I had no idea he was such a royal screw-up both in School and the Service. Boy, he and Bush really do have a lot in common. There's much more in the full article, so I urge you to go read it.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Life imitates Futurama

Could this be the future of our fuel needs?


Er, sorry. I mean, could this be the future of our fuel needs (via Crooks and Liars)?


"Ten years ago I could never have imagined I'd be doing this," says Greg Pal, 33, a former software executive, as he squints into the late afternoon Californian sun. "I mean, this is essentially agriculture, right? But the people I talk to – especially the ones coming out of business school – this is the one hot area everyone wants to get into."

He means bugs. To be more precise: the genetic alteration of bugs – very, very small ones – so that when they feed on agricultural waste such as woodchips or wheat straw, they do something extraordinary. They excrete crude oil.

Unbelievably, this is not science fiction. Mr Pal holds up a small beaker of bug excretion that could, theoretically, be poured into the tank of the giant Lexus SUV next to us. Not that Mr Pal is willing to risk it just yet. He gives it a month before the first vehicle is filled up on what he calls "renewable petroleum". After that, he grins, "it’s a brave new world".

Monday, June 16, 2008

Do I make a Ben Hur or a Road Warrior reference in the post title?

My drive to work takes me through an Interstate exit that is a popular rest stop for truckers. While I was stopped at a light this morning, I looked in my rear view and spotted something like these on the truck behind me:


(Picture courtesy of sheogre over at Flickr)


The truth about this little addition to the wheels is much more mundane than you would think: They are "Chrome Plastic Lug Nut Covers - Spike Style". In other words, there is very little danger of these babies tearing up your tires should you piss off the driver.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Mmmm. Enjoying that PB&J, Dad?

I realize that this is an odd thing to post on Father's day, but it's a prime example of poor parenting that i can proudly attest does not resemble my own wonderful parents in any way.

I don't know if this ever actually happened or not, but I can guarantee you it's at this very moment being forwarded to the email addresses of obnoxious mothers and fathers who don't have enough gray matter to fashion an argument that makes any logical sense.

I only hope that when I become a father, I won't be using piss-poor analogies on my children who aren't developed enough yet to realize that it's total BS (Of course, I'm not enough of an idiot to think that a couple of swear words in a movie will scar my child for life).

Oh, and kids, if you do happen to have a parent who performs this little exercise on you, then treat that smug paragon of virtue to the Wonders of the Internet. ENJOY!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

"We got CLOUDS, BABY!"

I'm leaving you with this before I depart for Atlanta tonight. Y'all have a good weekend. Bye!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

And you thought the Boston Tea Party was bad.

Busy busy busy. And it will be more of the same as I depart tomorrow night for a wedding in Atlanta. In the meantime, I offer an earnest plea to voters out there to keep in mind the important issues when casting your ballot in November: