I agree with Titivil on this ridiculous story: our ever-vigilant TSA is going after remote-controlled toys. Going after remote-controlled toys may be prudent on the streets of Baghdad where they might be used in a booby-trap, but on an airplane?
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Breaking news from the N&O
I think this is the most obvious headline I’ve ever seen in the News and Observer. Yeah, this is why I get a paper.
Thank you, N&O, for bringing this important matter to my attention.
Context and the Internet
Mark Cuban has some important thoughts about what the Internet has done to context. Worth a read, and something I’ve not considered before.
On the other hand, this isn’t new to celebrities. The tabloids collect a file full of pictures of a celebrity’s differing moods. When that celebrity has a down week, the papers will run an angry picture. When its a happy occasion they’ll run a happy picture. I guess when everything gets recorded this is to be expected.
How miserable was Raleigh’s summer weather?
I was just looking over the climate summary records at the Raleigh NWS office. Its pretty depressing stuff: August was the hottest month ever recorded for Raleigh. Now that September’s in the bag it will be interesting to see how many 90-degree days it held.
Below is the public information statement describing this summer’s records. The facts and figures from the official climate summary is here.
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Back from Ohio Linux Fest
I made it back from the Ohio Linux Fest about 4:45 this afternoon after driving from Ohio and dropping off my passengers, Bill Mars and his son, Jim. Bill and I had a lively discussion about a number of geek-related and Navy vet-related topics which made the 9+ hour drive go much faster than it otherwise would’ve.
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Long Farking Day
I’m back at the hotel after a very long day at the Ohio Linux Fest. It’s a small trade show, if you could call it a trade show, but I swear I’ve never worked harder at a trade show in my life. I was passing out T-shirts and hats so fast that hours had gone by before I could even get the demo up and running. I was so beat when the show was over that I didn’t dare nap more than 20 minutes or I knew I would be out for 10 hours.
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Hello, Columbus!
“Hello, Columbus!” was how Guns and Roses bassist Duff welcomed the crowd when the Monsters of Rock tour visited Columbia, SC in August 1992. He will forever be linked with Columbus in my mind.
We made it to Columbus this evening around 7 PM after 500 miles of driving. The drive went pretty smoothly. The original plan was for everyone to ride in one 12 passenger van but the turnout was so overwhelming that I had to take people in my minivan.
The show is tomorrow. Should be fun. Look for updates as the show goes on. And check the Software Freedom Road Rally page for other updates.
Freedom Trail
I’m off to join the Software Freedom Road Rally tomorrow as me and my fellow geeks travel from Raleigh to Columbus, Ohio for the Ohio Linux Fest. We should have net access on the way, so expect some updates while we travel. Being a driver, my updates will be light.
Check out the Software Freedom Road Rally site to follow the fun.
Popular Mechanics for Kids
I was trying to explain welding to Hallie the other day when her eyes lit up. “Oh,” she said, “that’s in the ‘Undersea Water Creatures’ video!” She marched over and popped the DVD in and sure enough one of the kids on the show does some underwater welding!
A lot of the kid videos out there are lousy. Either they’re too sugary or just plain dumb. I can stand to watch very few of them. Popular Mechanics for Kids, though, is an exception.
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Suspicious cop stumbled upon Google – YouTube negotiations
I was amused to read in Valleywag that the Google-YouTube deal was almost broken up by a cop.