One might ask why the FBI had these training materials in the first place, and whether they plan to throw out the attitudes (yeah, riiiiiight) or just the paperwork. You probably already know Tess Pennington’s online series 52 Weeks to Preparedenss. But it’s always worth a link. And soon? A book! Bovard: “First wheat, now health care.” Drone Studies. A new college major. That is &^%$# repulsive. Security: a crypto-nerd’s imagination vs what would actually happen. S, who sent this, noted that these days they’d probably dispense with the drugs. RelaxShacks.com. Extremely cool tips for getting the most out of…
Category: Humor
Here’s an aspect of the dreadful FATCA that hasn’t gotten much coverage. From jed in comments: homeless by choice (and on principle). “How to Be Creative.” I don’t buy the claim that there’s no such thing as “creative types” (OMG, there are indeed creative types). But the rest is surely true. Creativity isn’t just for artists, writers, and inventors. Neat idea: an urban food forest. Not quite sure, though, how “free” it can be. A U.S. government soldier decides to freelance. (ADDED: The story that it was one “lone nut” “going rogue” probably isn’t going to hold up.) “Gaining Respect…
Average cost of living $150,000/year? I freaking don’t believe it. Not sure I believe this, either. But it makes me all the more grateful for that freezer full of grass-fed beef. (H/T PT.) Now, this I definitely believe: Having power makes you stupid. Something actually good about Rick Santorum. I try not to lift too much from Radley Balko, since I figure a lot of the same people read his blog and mine, but this was too good: Why you can’t smoke pot. (Because there’s sooooooo much money and lobbying for the drug warriors.) “10 Rules for a Literary Feud.”…
But if I posted it, poor old Dave would be compelled to fire my sorry self from the blogging crew. Reader JP sent it to me this afternoon. It shows an airport “security” checkpoint. Picture a conveyor belt. Picture a male TSA agent in blue uniform. Well, partially in blue uniform. Partially … not. Picture a blonde woman passenger with, shall we say, unusually developed glands. She is emphatically not wearing any uniform of any sort. Said TSA agent has said passenger bent over conveyor belt and is … um … subjecting her to an unusually thorough probe. Without using…
Deadlining, so nothing Deep and Profound at the moment (not even anything deep and profound without the capital letters). But lotsa, lotsa links …. Here’s some insider dope on the weird stuff you may have heard is going on at Cato. Mobile phone privacy tips. And when it comes to privacy, you just gotta love Mozilla. You know that stupid TSA rule against more than three ounces of liquid? Well see if you can figure this one. And speaking of milk, turns out you can get a bigger “price on your head” for selling the raw stuff than for oh…
Real world disaster preparedness. The other day in comments, clark posted this link to a Katrina survivor’s experience and observations. Very much worth a read. I particularly liked this page that sums it all up. Simple, clever experiment reveals why we need to keep moving for health’s sake. One of the reasons, anyhow. Murphy’s Law. Your chances of a screw-up can now be calculated. Except … er … doesn’t Murphy’s Law ensure that the calculations are likely to be screwed up? “Hijacking the General Welfare Clause.” Historical research from wonderful new blogger AgoristDon. Better than a cop? Deer saves woman…
While we’re just goofing around on a rainy Sunday … And speaking of rain, it’s often said that in the NorthWET climate, if you stand still too long, you’ll grow moss on your north side. In recognition of that, here’s a recipe for making moss graffiti. Really. Moss graffiti. Both these finds are courtesy of S, who must have been in an unusually unserious mood. —– Here’s another unintentional laugh from the NorthWET. Nothing to do with the climate this time; this one comes from government (that endless source of snorts and giggles). A reader writes to say: The other…
Okay, so I was doing an image search for “frog eyes.” Yeah, maybe not the most common search. Not like looking for pictures of Justin Bieber or any random Kardashian. But when you’re doing art, sometimes you need to know these things. And I ran across this: Uh, not exactly what I was looking for. But a must-see, all the same. It took me a little longer to find its original source — which is here. And contains even more adorable oddities. And here we thought Joel’s Jayne Hat was as weird as it gets … Oh. Also. For the…
“Pigeon: Impossible.” 🙂 How companies learn your secrets. The bit about the pregnant women (pages 6 & 7) is the creepiest. Hint: aside from not giving ’em any personal data (e.g. pay cash, never participate in a survey, etc.), don’t be a creature of habit. Oh, those tidy Swiss. Now they’re set to clean up outer space. How the brain responds to disaster. This specifically pertains to earthquakes, but I know from experience that it applies more broadly. (Tip o’ hat to PT.) Long feared, now here: microchips you swallow with your meds to report your body’s doings. This is…