This BBC documentary about the Ross Royce engine factory is a real eye-opener about just how miraculous the technology of the modern turbofan jet engine is.



h/t Stephen Trimble @ FlightBlogger.

Well, about 53 minutes. Worth it.

"If Conservatives are waging a 'War on Women' why do they need 'Rape Free Zones' at Occupy protests and not at Tea Parties?"

(As an aside, this introduces the scary concept of what the rule is outside the "Zone".)

Basically they took out-takes from the voice-overs and animated them, except for the last bit....

Okay, the Law is very weird. In opposing a challenge to Obama's ability to be on the New Jersey ballot, Obama's Lawyer, Alexandra Hill ADMITTED THAT THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE PREVIOUSLY CIRCULATED WAS A FORGERY, but then argued that just because it was a forgery was not proof that he was Not a citizen.

Okay, so there could, indeed be a real birth certificate out there, but the one published WAS NOT IT. So all you Obama supporters who jumped on the Birthers saying "See! See! He did publish it! You all have egg on your faces!" well, you have now been rewarded for your support by having the tables turned on you BY THE Administration. Obama thanks you for your blind credulity and support in perpetrating a fraud.

The more vehement your excuses for all of the various discrepancies opponents found in the forgeries, the more of a fool you have been made to be.

I'm not a birther, because right now there still hasn't been any evidence one way or the other presented (the same argument Obama's NJ lawyer makes), but the presentation of two fraudulent documents by the administration makes fools of all of you who have supported him on this issue so far.

About five years ago, Evan Sayet made a fantastic speech at the Heritage Foundation. Today I stumbled across a transcript, and I thought I'd share.

http://www.heritage.org/research/lecture/regurgitating-the-apple-how-modern-liberals-think

But for me, here's the money quote:

What I discovered is that the Modern Liberal looks back on 50,000 years, 100,000 years of human civilization, and knows only one thing for sure: that none of the ideas that mankind has come up with--none of the religions, none of the philos­ophies, none of the ideologies, none of the forms of government--have succeeded in creating a world devoid of war, poverty, crime, and injustice. So they're convinced that since all of these ideas of man have proved to be wrong, the real cause of war, pov­erty, crime, and injustice must be found--can only be found--in the attempt to be right.

If nobody ever thought they were right, what would we disagree about? If we didn't disagree, surely we wouldn't fight. If we didn't fight, of course we wouldn't go to war. Without war, there would be no poverty; without poverty, there would be no crime; without crime, there would be no injustice. It's a utopian vision, and all that's required to usher in this utopia is the rejection of all fact, reason, evi­dence, logic, truth, morality, and decency--all the tools that you and I use in our attempts to be better people, to make the world more right by trying to be right, by siding with right, by recognizing what is right and moving toward it.

The whole thing is worth your time.

TED Presentations are always fascinating, but this one especially so.

Just a reminder. If you've changed your phone number of bought a new Cell Phone, you might want to get that new number on the Federal Trade Commission's Do Not Call list.

The REAL link for it, not some scam site, is:
https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx

I got there from the Federal Trade Commission's site. Which is also a good place to report scam e-mails.
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

Lather, Rinse, Repeat Excerpt:

The killer of French schoolchildren and soldiers turns out to be a man called Mohammed Merah. The story can now proceed according to time-honored tradition:

Stage One: The strange compulsion to assure us that the killer is a "right wing conservative extremist," in the words of NRO commenter ExpatAsia, echoed by Chrisman and Galt's Bain. Up north, this view was shared by Canada's most prominent establishment Jew and the Liberal Party attack poodle Warren Kinsella [...]. The insistence that the killer was emblematic of an epidemic of right-wing hate sweeping the planet is, regrettably, no longer operative. Instead, the killer isn't representative of anything at all.

So on to Stage Two: Okay, he may be called Mohammed but he's a "lone wolf." Sure, he says he was trained by al-Qaeda, but what does he know? Don't worry, folks, he's just a lone wolf like Major Hasan and Faisal Shahzad and all the other card-carrying members of the Amalgamated Union of Lone Wolves. All jihad is local.

On to Stage Three: Okay, even if there are enough lone wolves around to form their own Radio City Rockette line, it's still nothing to do with Islam. I'm sad to see the usually perceptive Ed West of the London Telegraph planting his flag on this wobbling blancmange.

And then, of course, Stage Four: The backlash that never happens. Because apparently the really bad thing about actual dead Jews is that it might lead to dead non-Jews: "French Muslims Fear Backlash After Shooting." Likewise, after Major Hasan's mountain of dead infidels, "Shooting Raises Fears For Muslims In US Army." Likewise, after the London Tube slaughter, "British Muslims Fear Repercussions After Tomorrow's Train Bombing." Oh, no, wait, that's a parody, though it's hard to tell.

H/T Banner

Isn't it interesting how all Liberal Women's Issues (Free Contraception, Subsidized Abortion, Sexual Liberation, anti-abstinence sex education, etc) are all related to making women sexually available to liberal men with no consequences (children), and outside the confines of the (much denigrated by the Left) institution of Marriage (no-fault divorce, beatification of single motherhood)?

They're teaching women to becomes sex toys and telling them it makes them free. Prostitutes are "Sex Workers", Stripping is Art, porn, well, sometimes it's objectifying, but Free Speech, right? We just have to make porn the women like to look at with their men.

With this kind of attitude towards women, it's no wonder they keep throwing their sympathies towards Islam. It's the same objectification, only with more skin showing.

This is my first ever apple pie. Still too hot to eat yet.

Lessons learned?
Dividing the dough evenly in half isn't the best idea. Save a little bit more for the bottom crust. Then you can make a better edge than this mess.
The thing about putting foil around the edge to slow the browning should probably be done.
I'll have to find out by eating if Fuji's are good for pie.

Here, spend an hour and ten minutes under the Krell Mind Machine with Condoleezza Rice.



Seriously, you'll feel smarter just for having seen this.

Even if you really Hate Toto's Africa from the '80's, do yourself a favor and watch the first two minutes of this acapella chorus from yes, Slovenia. It is very impressive.


H/T Clayton Cramer.

Five minutes, that's all my $75 APC UPS buys me. That actually seems reasonable, considering what I've got hooked up to it. The PC I'm sure accounts for the lion's share of the wattage it supplies. The TV is a big one, and I have to run the amp because if it shuts off, so does the video signal. And then one network hub and the Wireless internet modem.

At first it was only 3, but turning down the backlight on the TV from 50 to 25 made a big difference, and actually the screen is less of a strain on my eyes.

Five minutes. But that's enough. Just this morning the power got nailed for a whole 9 seconds. That would be just enough to fuck up my day, with unsaved files and the eternity it takes to re-establish the network connection. But instead, all I have to do is go around resetting a couple of the clocks.

I wouldn't have known this without setting up the software. Originally I didn't, and I got home once after a fairly long outage annoyed that things were shut down. It had exhausted the battery. Once I hooked things up and learned how much juice the system consumes, I was able to make a few adjustments. I'm not sure what happens if it successfully "Hibernates" my computer, but I don't expect it will come to that.

I wonder if it will work should I connect a huge car battery to it. That will probably void the warranty and equipment guarantees though.

If you've ever wanted to snag some pro-level 3D art programs, now's the time. Daz is giving away the Pro versions of all their stuff at this link. http://www.daz3d.com/i/3d/free-3d-software-overview

Now the cynic in me suspects they're doing this because they're about to release all new upgrades or something. But still, it would be worth it.

True, a lot of BAD art has been created with Daz Studio, which is a good renderer that only works with pre-made models that you can buy (the blades for the free razor) but the pro version is much more capable. But still, the OTHER free products free you from having to buy library items if you're any good with the stuff.

Anyway, I got mine. I haven't installed them yet, but I figured if anyone else wants to get them, now's the time, It goes away at the end of the month.

From the Novelization of Star Wars, by George Lucas.

"Going somewhere, Solo?"
The Corellian couldn't identify the voice, coming as it did through an electronic translator. But there was no problem recognizing the speaker or the gun it held stuck in Solo's side.
The creature was roughly man-sized and bipedal, but its head was something out of delirium by way of an upset stomach. It had huge, dull-faceted eyes, bulbous on a pea-green face. A ridge of short spines crested the high skull, while nostrils and mouth were contained in a tapirlike snout.
"As a matter of fact," Solo replied slowly, "I was just on my way to see your boss. You can tell Jabba I've got the money I owe him."
"That's what you said yesterday-and last week-and the week prior to that. It's too late, Solo. I'm not going back to Jabba with another one of your stories."
"But I've really got the money this time!" Solo protested.
"Fine. I'll take it now, please."
Solo sat down slowly. Jabba's minions were apt to be cursed with nervous trigger fingers. The alien took the seat across from him, the muzzle of the ugly little pistol never straying from Solo's chest.
"I haven't got it here with me. Tell Jabba-"
"It's too late, I think. Jabba would rather have your ship."
"Over my dead body," Solo said unamiably.
The alien was not impressed. "If you insist. Will you come outside with me, or must I finish it here?"
"I don't think they'd like another killing in here," Solo pointed out.
Something which might have been a laugh came from the creature's translator. "They'd hardly notice. Get up, Solo. I've been looking forward to this for a long time. You've embarrassed me in front of Jabba with your pious excuses for the last time."
"I think you're right."
Light and noise filled the little corner of the cantina, and when it had faded, all that remained of the unctuous alien was a smoking, slimy spot on the stone floor.
Solo brought his hand and the smoking weapon it held out from beneath the table, drawing bemused stares from several of the cantina's patrons and clucking sounds from its more knowledgeable ones. They had known the creature had committed its fatal mistake in allowing Solo the chance to get his hands under cover.
"It'll take a lot more than the likes of you to finish me off. Jabba the Hutt always did skimp when it came to hiring his hands."
Leaving the booth, Solo flipped the bartender a handful of coins as he and Chewbacca moved off. "Sorry for the mess. I always was a rotten host."

which totally blows away the idea that people just didn't see it clearly the way it was shot, the new explanation.

I have a slightly different reason than most, who merely think it's cooler that way, to say that Han shooting first is better. First of all, yes, Han WAS a cold-blooded Pirate/Smuggler. But that's the great thing. It's called CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Han went from being a lowlife to being a hero, from being someone who only cares for his money to being one of the saviors of the galaxy. Just by being involved with Luke and the old man, he becomes a better person.

And all of that wonderful character arc gets thrown out the window if you try to re-make him as a good guy from the start.

H/T Shots across the Bow

http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/12/inside-media-matters-sources-memos-reveal-erratic-behavior-close-coordination-with-white-house-and-news-organizations/?print=1

Major media outlets just run with whatever Media Matters puts out, while the leader of the organization is a paranoid, drug-afflicted monster. How nice.

Some money quotes:

High profile though these victories against conservatives were, Media Matters has perhaps achieved more influence simply by putting its talking points into the willing hands of liberal journalists. "In '08 it became pretty apparent MSNBC was going left," says one source. "They were using our research to write their stories. They were eager to use our stuff." Media Matters staff had the direct line of MSNBC president Phil Griffin, and used it. Griffin took their calls.

Stories about Fox News were especially well received by MSNBC anchors and executives: "If we published something about Fox in the morning, they'd have it on the air that night verbatim."

But MSNBC executives weren't the only ones talking regularly to Media Matters.

"The entire progressive blogosphere picked up our stuff," says a Media Matters source, "from Daily Kos to Salon. Greg Sargent [of the Washington Post] will write anything you give him. He was the go-to guy to leak stuff."

"If you can't get it anywhere else, Greg Sargent's always game," agreed another source with firsthand knowledge.

Reached by phone, Sargent declined to comment.

"The HuffPo guys were good, Sam Stein and Nico [Pitney]," remembered one former staffer. "The people at Huffington Post were always eager to cooperate, which is no surprise given David's long history with Arianna [Huffington]."

"Jim Rainey at the LA Times took a lot of our stuff," the staffer continued. "So did Joe Garofoli at the San Francisco Chronicle. We've pushed stories to Eugene Robinson and E.J. Dionne [at the Washington Post]. Brian Stelter at the New York Times was helpful."

"Ben Smith [formerly of Politico, now at BuzzFeed.com] will take stories and write what you want him to write," explained the former employee, whose account was confirmed by other sources. Staffers at Media Matters "knew they could dump stuff to Ben Smith, they knew they could dump it at Plum Line [Greg Sargent's Washington Post blog], so that's where they sent it."

Glenn Reynolds described these reporters as "Self-herding" after Ann Althouse.

Bill Whittle, need I say more?

Of course, the people who need to see this won't watch it.

"Great big heavy steel cars like they used to make in the '50's are safer than the flimsy junk they make today. Give me some Detroit Iron!"

1959 Chevy Bel Air vs. 2009 Chevy Malibu:



Better vid showing the interior film.

So I was pointed to this article about the future opening of a Sci-fi-themed Brothel in Nevada.
http://lasvegas.cbslocal.com/2011/12/29/science-fiction-themed-brothel-opening-soon/

Now aside from thinking that this is a) a license to print money if done right or b) an insulting travesty of the lowest order if done wrong, I had to read the comments on it, which had me laughing out loud over and over.

Personally though, I'm betting on B).

Carrier landings and take-offs with an F-35

H/T Clayton Cramer.

Why?

I FINALLY found out how to print to my Apple LaserWriter 12/640 from Windows XP!

I am fucking ECSTATIC!!

I have been trying to make this work, off and on for YEARS, I mean, it must be approaching a decade. From whenever David Cannon first gave me his old PC (Of which only the case, power supply, CD and Floppy drives are still original.) I have NEVER been able to make it work. I've searched out all kinds of online guides, and they've all been wrong. They try to add TCP/IP ports and they SAY it will work, but it doesn't. I could telnet to the printer's IP address and view settings, but I couldn't print. But I have FINALLY found the solution, and it's so SIMPLE.

It's all spelled out here, the bestest and simplest and most straightforward guide EVER to setting this up: http://agsci.psu.edu/it/how-to/set-up-high-end-apple-printer-on-your-windows-xp-computer

But the point is, my printer supports LPT, the trick was nobody EVER told me what to name the LPT queue. Since you can't proceed without it, that avenue was always blocked, so I tried these other ways that didn't work. The answer, by the way, is "RAW". I eventually found that in the 378 page manual for my printer, but only in the Unix configuration section, and there it was lower case, which apparently doesn't work. Even though the printer itself doesn't CARE what you name the print queue, Windows won't continue unless it can talk to it.

Man, I SO wish I'd been able to make this work at least five years ago, when I was running pdf files of my work orders for Impact back and forth every day on a flash drive just to print them out.

It's SO stupid that it took this long, and it was SO simple to fix this, but I don't care! I can do it now!

Now to see if I can get Cartridge World to reload the printer cartridge....

(Oh, and for anyone who suggest inkjet, or a new printer. I have two inkjet printers. They suck HUGE gobs of money, clog and the results are not waterproof. In the meantime, I have one of Apple's last and BEST printers, with virtually all of the accessories, including the 500 sheet tray AND the duplexing unit. So there!)

Ah, now if only I could make file sharing work again. I had that but it died when I went from XP Home to Pro.

This should make certain people's brains explode. Christopher Hitches and Newt Gingrich on the same stage in 2002, largely in agreement. A half hour on "Uncommon Knowledge" on PBS.



H/T Ricochet.com via Instapundit.
Ricochet has an archive of Hitchens' appearances linked from the source page here:
http://ricochet.com/main-feed/When-Events-Collide-An-Uncommon-Knowledge-from-July-2002-with-Hitchens-and-Gingrich