.comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

"You Can't Fight Evil With A Macaroni Duck!"

General musings and observations of the world. Commentaries and thoughts on various subjects. Links to interesting sites and programs. Site's name comes from the TV cartoon "The Tick". [Scott aka Alefifer]

My Photo
Name:
Location: somewhere on the eastern shore, Maryland, United States

Originally from Rhode Island and now living in Maryland. Happily married to my best friend and have two wonderful daughters. I have a sense of humor that sometimes takes over when I should be restraining it.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Being Blind To The War

Life goes on in America. What's the latest on your favorite reality show? Did that old celebrity lose that 5 pounds? What type of bug will you see someone eat this week? Are you concerned about getting to your local Starbucks early enough to stand in line for your special morning beverage? Is your VCR timer set? Are you comparing the specs on different mp3 players? Want that new video game? Picky about breakfast cereals? Tonight are you in the mood for a light "banquet" beer or a hearty full-bodied ale? Perhaps a nice year and a half old chardonnay with not much bite to it? Is your grey showing? Considering Botox? Planning on going to an expensive concert? Do you care about canine halitosis or your cat's urinary tract health?

Let's get real. Government and Media in the United States is a distraction. A sideshow. A commercial ratings battle. American's suffer short-term memory. The real truth is probably even sadder. We really don't care. It's "them" not us. A nice retort of "Well lucky you live in the U S of A" should shut them up. We turn a blind eye to what is reality in the rest of the world and are more preoccupied with being loyal American consumers. Sure we'll donate money to a relief cause, to make us feel good. Open that car window a crack and hand the homeless a fiver. Slip some quarters from the checkout into a jar. Feel better? I know I do! What's on TV tonight? I wonder how they'll kill Kenny, that is always fun to guess. Seen the new Ipod? Hey there's a phone that plays mp3s now, gotta get it.

We keep our mouths shut. We don't want to be labeled unpatriotic. We are either part of the solution or part of the problem. Don't wear a label. Behave. America chose the path we're on by voting, right? So just sit back and keep your head and arms inside the ride at all times and wait for the coaster to come to a complete stop. What really happened? What's really happening? Do you care? Is there a way to stop it? Who knows. And do you care?

Don't keep your brain shut. If nothing else, become aware of what you're not seeing. Let it "hit home", "touch a nerve". Become human again.

http://mindprod.com/politics/iraq.html Pictures of war in Iraq. graphic. disturbing

Wake up America.

STS 114 Did NASA's Cameras Catch A UFO ?-UFO Casebook Files

Very interesting!

"...After a while, an object near the left edge will light up and start moving across the screen to the right following the curvature of the Earth. When it is no longer visible in the atmosphere, watch the RIGHT edge of the screen as a brilliant object comes quickly on screen, going from right to left but slowing down as it goes..."

STS 114 Did NASA's Cameras Catch A UFO ?-UFO Casebook Files

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Stellarium Astronomy Software

This is a nice little free planetarium program for you to run on your computer. There are many commercial ones out there. The price on this one is nice. I noticed today that they have a newer version than what I have installed on my pc. I'll have to go download the new version.

Input your location and off you go. You can turn things on and off, like constellations, stars and names, atmospheric glow, the ground, etc. Fun distraction.

[As a note here...After posting this I visited a site that has a commercial astronomy program called Distant Suns. They now have a newer version and are offering a special free version of Distant Suns 6. If you're interested you can visit them here. Another popular program is at StarryNight. Enjoy]

Stellarium Astronomy Software

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Ask the Oracle!

Cyberdivination. Got a burning question and can't find your rune stones or your tarot deck?

Matrix Software

SMART BrainGames

When connected to a Sony PlayStation this new periphreal will read the EEG signals coming from a users brain through sensors placed on the head. Game performance depends on the ability to stay focused and be calm. Try this while you're trying to win a race in Gran Tourismo!


WORTHPLAYING - - All about games !

Monday, September 26, 2005

Log Flume Photo


Here's a picture of Sarah riding a scary log flume ride at Hershey Park, PA. She loves roller coasters and thrill rides!

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Houston...we have a problem.

I'm sorry but today when I was watching CNN's coverage of the traffic heading out of Houston before Rita hit, I had to laugh. No, the hurricane's destructive potential is not a laughing mater, I realize this. It's simply that living in an area highly prone to congestion on the roadways I enjoy seeing others suffer.

No that's not it.

It was the pictures of 100 miles of stopped or creeping cars. 100 miles! Can you believe it?! haha

Okay, here's the thing.
Houston is not New Orleans. New Orleans is a town that is below sea level and is smack dab right up on the coast, what's worse is it's got a huge lake on the other side that is higher than the city as well. Now whose great idea was this? Anybody ever try to build a sandcastle? Yup the waves always win. New Orleans is also much smaller.

I don't know for certain whether a mandatory evacuation order was issued for Houston. I sure hope not. That would be a ludicrous order! Now a suggestion, yeah...good. Now also, these folks have seen all the devastation in New Orleans and Mississippi so they are scared.

The point is...you cannot reasonably expect a city of the size of Houston (over 4 million people) to evacuate. Not easily. Not gradually. Not orderly. Not at all. Now it's reasonable to hope that those living in areas prone to flooding or on the coast would have the sense to leave the town and leave it early...but even if a tenth of the population decided to pack up their cars and leave in such a short span of time as the approach of Rita offered the logisitics of the situation will fail. Everyone's buying gas at the same time, buying ice, buying diapers, batteries, food, tape and plastic tarps...and then heading for the freeway.

People are going to be running out of fuel waiting to get out. Their cars will be stuck causing further gridlock. Towing crews may not be able to easily remove these vehicles. The storm will hit with thousands of folks in their cars on the roadways. This is my guess.

Houston will undoubtedly suffer from this storm, as will New Orleans again I'm afraid. I just hope that the storm will dissipate rapidly and that the amount of lost property and lives will be very minimal.

If you wish to see some info on Rita, including some graphics on its movement you can go here.

Poultry Thursday



I believe that it's crucial that people need to pay more attention to how poultry products are produced. The only safe chicken now is one that you raise yourself.

"A recent study of 1,000 chickens from retail markets in 36 cities across the U.S. found 71 percent to be contaminated with harmful bacteria. Campylobacter-the leading cause of foode-borne illness in the U.S. — was the most commonly found pathogen. Salmonella was the second most commonly found bacteria. Taken together, these two pathogens are estimated to infect up to 10 million people every year in the U.S., killing as many as 3,000."

Poultry.org

Ratchet: Deadlock


Okay, now this game might be one to keep your eyes on. I've played Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando and the game after that which was Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal. If you've never played either they're a lot of fun. Frankly I liked Going Commando better with regards to the length of the game. If you feel inclined to buy one, buy the Going Commando and maybe rent the UYA one to check out the multiplayer features (which are indeed fun).

These games are in vivid semi-destroyable environments. Eventually you'll get capacity to revisit other areas. Bolts are the currency, which appear pretty much everytime you smash something ...you can buy weapons and powerups, and ammo.

In this new game the weapons will work a bit differently than in previous versions. You will be able to combine weapons together to make more powerful/different weapons. For example you could combine a flamethrower with a shotgun to come up with a weapon with characteristics of both.

Premise in this game is that Ratchet and Clank have been kidnapped and put on a planet where they must take part in sort of an underground gladiator game/hunt. He needs to run for his life and of course fight his way through various levels, all the while this is being fed to tv viewers as a bizarre spectacle. He's hot, ratings soar.

The game is reported to have 85 levels and will be out in october.

Anyways...I'll definitely keep my eye on this new one, Deadlocked, and I'll check the reviews over at Game Rankings once it hits the shelves.

WORTHPLAYING - - All about games !

Your Portal To The World of RPG Maker™

This game for the PS2 looks interesting. It's RPG Maker3. I've never played any of the earlier versions but have seen screen shots of them. The screenshots on this new version are much better. This game allows you to design your own Role Playing Game and then play it yourself, or let others try.

Found info on it first at Worth Playing, which is a link I should probably add to my sidebar.

It might be nice if they have a random button which would create a random game...that way there'd be surprises. Hmmm...


Your Portal To The World of RPG Maker™

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

My Favorite REALLY Bad joke

Q: What's red and invisible??




A: ...no tomatoes!


Vermont and Rhode Island

Okay...saw this posted around on different blogs and thought some folks may find it amusing.


You Know You're From Vermont when...


  • You can instantly convert kilometers to miles - and vice versa
  • You've got at least three different types of Ben and Jerry's in your fridge at all times
  • You own at least one tie dyed t-shirt
  • You can roll a mean joint and make a water bong
  • You're still hanging on to those old bootlegged Phish tapes
  • At least of one your friends lives in a van
  • You don't think there's anything odd about voting for a Socialist
  • There's four seasons - summer, fall, winter, and mud
  • You've skied Mad River Glen
  • You believe in diversity, even though all your friends are white
  • You scoff at imitation maple syrup
  • You don't know what's so funny about Super Troopers
  • You only own three spices - salt, pepper, and ketchup
  • You design your Halloween costumes to fit over a snowsuit
  • The mosquitoes have landing lights
  • You have more miles on your snowblower than your car
  • You have ten favorite recipes for venison
  • The hardware store on any Saturday is busier than the toy stores at Christmas
  • You live in a house that has no front steps, yet the door is one yard above the ground
  • You've taken your kids trick-or-treating in a blizzard Driving is better in the winter because the potholes get filled with snow
  • You think everyone from the city has an accent
  • You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and a flannel nightie with only eight buttons
  • You owe more money on your snowmobile than your car
  • The local paper covers national and international headlines on 1/4 page, but requires six pages for sports
  • At least twice a year, the kitchen doubles as a meat processing plant
  • The most effective mosquito repellent is a shotgun
  • Your snowblower gets stuck on the roof
  • You think the start of deer hunting season is a national holiday
  • You head south to go to your cottage
  • You frequently clean grease off your barbecue so the bears won't prowl on your deck
  • You know which leaves make good toilet paper
  • The mayor greets you on the street by your first name
  • The major parish fundraiser isn't bingo - its sausage making
  • You find -20?F a little chilly
  • The trunk of your car doubles as a deep freeze
  • You attended a formal event in your best clothes, your finest jewelry and your snowmobile boots
  • You can play road hockey on skates
  • Shoveling the driveway constitutes a great upper body workout
  • You know the four seasons: Winter, Still Winter, Almost Winter, and Construction.
  • Your town buys a zamboni before a bus
  • Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway."Vacation" means going to Burlington for the weekend.
  • You measure distance in hours.
  • You know several people who have hit moose more than once.You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day
  • You use a down comforter in the summer.
  • You see people wearing hunting clothes at social events.
  • You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
  • You think of the major food groups as deer meat, beer, fish, and berries.
  • You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend knows how to use them.
  • There are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at the Derby store at any given time.
  • You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
  • Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
  • You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and flannel pajamas.
  • You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Vermont.

You Know You're From Rhode Island when...

  • You celebrate "birt-day"
  • If your oldah brodah is a retad.
  • If you had a "wickit" good time at the beach.
  • When you hear an amazing fact your immidiate reply is "no suh!"
  • You can drive two miles with out seeing a Bess Eaton
  • You know the difference between red, white and clear chowdah
  • You consider a car journey of longer than one hour a day trip.
  • You can you curse in Italian.
  • You know the basic rules of DuckPin bowling.
  • You own garden tools from Job Lot.
  • You have tried to drive the measured mile in less then 45 seconds.
  • You know what the expression "side by each" means.
  • You have used the expression "Not For Nuthin" or "bubbla".
  • You serve bread with every meal.
  • You know what "3 all the way" means.
  • You load up on milk and bread before a snowstorm.
  • You feel compelled to hear at least one weather report a day.
  • You understand the humor of the Ocean State Follies.
  • You have pulled out of a sidestreet and used your car to block oncoming traffic so you could make a left-hand turn.
  • You consider your holiday season incomplete without a trip to Lasalette Shrine.
  • You have a bottle of coffee syrup in the fridge right now.
  • You've phoned into a talk show on WPRO or WHJJ.
  • You have given a bottle of Sakonnet wine as a gift.
  • You've gotten sick from eating too many clam cakes.
  • You own at least one coffee table book with a picture of a lighthouse on it.
  • You've boasted about the money you saved at the Christmas Tree Shop.
  • Your first live concert was at The Civic Center or Rocky Point.
  • You own a hat with a red "P" on it.
  • You were born at Lying-In Hospital.
  • You still call the Rhode Island Mall the Midland Mall.
  • You have close relatives who work for the state.
  • You've gone to "Legs and Eggs".
  • You have used a demolished landmark when giving directions.
  • You secretly watch "Providence" even though you tell your friends you don't.
  • You have slammed on your breaks to discourage a tailgater.
  • You know what a burger "The Newport Creamery Way" is.
  • You have dated a girl named Brenda or a guy named Vinnie.
  • You have used the breakdown lane on 95 to pass someone.
  • You've personally met Vinnie Paz.
  • Your idea of a dream house is a raised ranch.
  • You have relatives who have been to Edgehill Newport, Codac, or Butler.
  • You have driven more than 5 miles out of your way to save less than two bucks.
  • You been on a RIPTA bus less than 12 times in the past 6 years.
  • You can sing the Rocky Point theme song.
  • You know what a "governor-preferred" plate is.
  • You know someone who works for the Registry.
  • You've asked your mechanic for an inspection sticker even though your car failed to pass.
  • You have a degree from RIC, CCRI or URI.
  • You think vodka and Del's is a great combination.
  • You've been to Twin Oaks for your birthday.
  • You've borrowed dealer plates from a friend.
  • You know how to pronounce Pawtucket, Cowesett, Usqepaug, and Narragansett.
  • You've been to Scarborough Beach but not Block Island.
  • You know where "The Pier" is located.
  • You've been on a Bay Queen cruise.
  • You can recognize a Cranston accent.
  • You think high hair, gold chains, and gum go together.
  • You think there's a "v" in the name Cheryl.
  • You drop the "w" in Greenwich, Kingstown, and Warwick.
  • You use the expression "down-city" for downtown.
  • You've eaten at Haven Brothers.
  • You celebrate St. Joseph's Day and know what a "zeppolla" is.
  • You have at least one gallon of Newport Creamery coffee ice cream in your freezer.
  • You know what "ProJo" stands for.
  • You still call CCRI "reject".
  • You know who Jack Comly, Sara Wye and Sherm Strickhauser are.
  • Your city house and your beach house are less than an hour away from each other.
  • You know the original name for Airport Road.
  • You always start giving directions by saying, "Well, you get on 95"
  • You know where "NiRoPe" comes from.
  • You know what "John from Alpert's" sounds like.
  • You can recite the license plates of all your family members and friends.
  • You know where "Harvard on the Hill" is located.
  • You refer to the movies as the Show.
  • You know what a "package store" is.
  • You think lots of gold jewelery looks great on the beach.
  • Your favorite expressions are, "Are you serious?", "Wicked", and "You know what I'm saying?"
  • You know you need "quahogs" to make "stuffies".
  • You know there's a West End but not a West Providence.
  • You think banana, vanilla, and idea all end in "r".
  • You know what a burger "The Newport Creamery Way" is.
  • You put vinegar on your french fries.
  • You've eaten at Haven Brothers, drunk.
  • You know what Allie's makes.
  • You've gone to Cumbie's for milk or gas. (HAHAHAHA Cumbie's!!)
  • You know that there is never any school in Fosta-Glosta when it snows.
  • The girl you ended up marrying lived no more than 6 blocks from where you grew up.
  • You've converted the basement of your house into an apartment.
  • You call spaghetti sauce, "gravy."
  • You tell friends that something is "on special", instead of on sale.
  • The meal at every wedding you've ever attended was chicken, shells and french fries.
  • You put celery salt on your hot dogs.
  • You are never from Providence, or East Providence, but from the East Side, Rumford or Riverside
  • You order an iced coffee in December.
  • You read the wedding announcements in the Sunday Pro-Jo and recognize at least 3 couples.
  • The seltzer guy delivers bottles to your home on a weekly basis.
  • People at work wish you a "Happy St. Joseph's Day!
  • Your holiday season isn't complete without a trip to LaSallette Shrine.
  • You know someone who knew the Farrelly brothers when they lived around here.
  • You know exactly which parts of Dumb and Dumber, There's Something About Mary, Meet Joe Black and Amistad were filmed in RI, and you can tell someone exactly where that is.
  • You know what the Coffee Cup Salute is, and who does it every morning.
  • You grew up with everyone you see at Stop and Shop.
  • You know where South County is, even though it doesn't exist.
  • You and everyone you know are either Italian or Irish, or both.
  • You’ve never been farther south than Jersey, and not farther West than there, either, but are planning to move to Florida as soon as you turn 60.
  • You don't eat dinner...,you have"suppa"
  • You pronounce it "Wark" instead of Warwick
  • You reuse the Newport Creamery Gallon container to freeze your meatballs and gravy.
  • You have a $200 car with a $2000 sound system...
  • You have an ashtray made from a quahog shell
  • You put vinegar on your french fries.
  • You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Rhode Island.

Monday, September 19, 2005

Maryland Renfest




This past Sunday my family and I went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville. This is always a blast to go to. Lots of the visitors often get dressed up in period costumes as well. I could go nuts buying stuff at one of these things. If I could afford any of it that is. haha. Nyah, there's stuff that's affordable, but many of the items are handcrafted and that sort of thing isn't cheap. Lots of fun though. Saw some jousting, comedy acts, jugglers, musicians, and lots and lots of lusty wenches.
If you live in this area or are willing to drive to Crownsville, MD, the fair is going on for a few more weekends. If you go, wear a hat, the sun is paticularly hard to deal with while watching the jousting tournaments. Bring water. HOT. Things to get...hmmm. Have you lost your satyr horns? Does your armor need replacing? They have cool mugs, art, swords, leather goods, even chainmail for women. Good beer and mead and food to be had. They have special weekends for different events, this upcoming weekend is Pirates weekend. The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd of October is the last weekend, so keep that in mind if you're considering going. (There's one in PA running through the end of October too!)

Interested in looking at some of the wares or garb you may find at a Renfair? Cool stuff can be found at Medieval Mayhem; a nice site that's been around for years and has a decent inventory.

If you've already been to a Renaissance Festival already and do enjoy them, consider making a trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival which is really huge and lots of fun. You can camp there too ($5 fee, only friday to sunday), in fact the camping is a party in itself, with bonfires, drum circles, fire-breathers and lots of merriment (they also have a quiet "family" area if you need it). Be advised it's primitive though, no water and only porta-poties; but it's fun. [Even more fun if you're camping in a Panther tent!] The Texas one doesn't start until the first weekend in October, and if you can't get an opportunity to go you can see it here.

If you want to surf some other sites relating to renfairs and such here's a link for ya. Enjoy.

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Now this is weird...or cool...not sure.



Okay, this is for you gum-chewers out there (you people are so gross. ;) ) A candy company is now packaging chewing gum that looks like it's already been chewed.

Here's an LED illuminated bathtub. Now why didn't someone think of this already? Actually I'll wait for the bathtub that's got an aquarium built into the sides, now that would be cool! But until then...
Illuminated Tub

Find you have too little counter space in your kitchen? Maybe you need to buy this toaster that has a built in radio.


This next is cool for owners of Sony cameras. Sony's finally coming out with a larger size memory stick. For around $200 you can get a 2 gig card.

picture error

Okay....where the hell does my picture keep disappearing to? This is torquing me off. I've spent a couple hours trying to figure why the pictures aren't displaying. grr. Very irritating.

Tranquil Setting



It's always fun to relax and watch the river glide quietly by. Stopped here for some quiet time and reflection. Looks like a nice place to fish or put a kayak in.

Friday, September 16, 2005

Illusions of Color

No, no, no I'm not going to discuss race relations. Just thought I'd pass on a short distraction for you during your day.

Here's a link to a site that illustrates how our vision's perception of color varies according to what are neighboring colors. Go there and check it out. Interesting.

OpticalIllusions

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Okay so I have a blog

"Okay so I have a blog", doubt anyone's ever typed that before. After spending quite a while trying one blog name after another, only to discover that the name had already been taken, I decided to search through my memory of some great and noble quote that would lend an air of dignity and wisdom to my site. I frequently had to mentally shoo-away the quote "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy" so many times I was actually on the verge of embarassing myself. Being alone and embarassing oneself is not a pleasant sensation, I assure you. After a while I remembered something Arthur said to The Tick, on craft night..."You can't fight evil with a macaroni duck!" Certainly there's something profound in this proclamation. Perhaps it will be this site's destiny to reveal the pearl of wisdom and polish it to a lustrous shine to guide us through life. yawn Or perhaps I was tired of looking at the Continue Button when I was creating this site. Whatever ... I hope you enjoy your visit.