You couldn't be here if stars hadn't exploded.
To the question, “Why me?” the cosmos barely bothers to return the reply, “Why not?”
Atheist: Natural Morals, Real Meaning, Credible Truth

30 June, 2011

28 June, 2011

Yum!

So after dinner Liz says she has some special desert and she'll bring it to me.  I pause the Dexter.  After some noises and bottle openings she brings me a coffee mug of ice cream and IBC root beer.  Mmmm... root beer float!  :-)  She goes back into the kitchen to make her's.  More mug rattling and bottle opening and...  "Hey!  Does yours taste all right?"  "Yeah, mine tastes fine!" I say.  "This tastes like soap!"  She pours it out and gets a clean mug, scoops more ice cream and more root beer into the mug and comes in to sit next to me so we can continue to watch Dexter.  "This still tastes like soap!  What is wrong with this?"  That is when Liz notices that she had opened a bottle of Fat Tire.  We laughed and laughed.  :-)

15 June, 2011

LM News... more layoffs.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems to Eliminate Approximately 1,200 Positions Lockheed Martin
"Space Systems, which currently employs approximately 16,000 employees in 12 states, will implement a broad-based workforce reduction of roughly 1,200 employees by year-end. It is anticipated that middle management will be reduced by 25 percent, with significantly smaller percentage impacts in other levels and disciplines."
Oh hell. Here we go again. I wonder if I should start looking for a new job just to head off the pain and agony of WARN notices and wondering if I'll get replaced. Probably.

04 June, 2011

Recollections of a Vagabonde: Riding on the TGV Train No. 9321 to Brussels, Belgium

Recollections of a Vagabonde: Riding on the TGV Train No. 9321 to Brussels, Belgium:
"fly44d said...
Despite being a pilot, I've always enjoyed riding trains! :-) Thanks for opening the memories."
I do like riding trains. Too bad there are so few good ones in this country. I'd like to see the California high speed line get built, but I bet it gets scrapped. Too little too late probably, I don't see our politicians having the will to get it done.
Trains... From East Pakistan (Bangladesh) to northern Norway to California. I am going to spew out some memories:
  • California Zephyr - riding in the observation dome.
  • Dacca to tea country and back - crowded with people hanging on everywhere. Very slow and rickety.
  • Oslo to Bodo Norway - seeing the sun not set one summer day, Bodo was as far north as we could get on the train.
  • Bonn to West Berlin - East German guards checking ID at the borders in the middle of the night
  • Frankfurt to Mainz - Traveling by myself for the first time in a country where I didn't speak the language
  • Malmo - Spent the night locked in the train station with some old women for safety

02 June, 2011

Answers in Genes: Show me the Sausages!

This cracked me up. Very nice.

Show me the Sausages!


"A philosopher designs a marvellous sausage machine. A scientist comes
to marvel at this wonderful creation, and raises an eyebrow.
The philosopher says, 'Ah, behold the wonderful cogs and sprockets and
temperature-controlled mixing chambers in my wonderful machine -
surely you can see how it must produce the most fantastic sausages!'
The scientist says 'Yes, that is all very interesting. Show me the sausages.'
The philosopher says 'How dare you, a mere scientist, question my
wonderful philosophical reasoning?'
Scientist: 'I'm not questioning your reasoning - I want to know if
your machine really produces sausages.'
Philosopher: 'Can you point to any flaw in my argument that it
produces sausages?'
Sci: 'I don't know - I just want to know if it produces sausages. Here
is some meat. Why don't you feed it through and see if you get any
sausages?'
Phil: 'And sully my wonderful machine with mere offal?'
Sci: 'You said it was a sausage machine. I want to see the sausages.'
Phil: 'Are you questioning my ingredients?'
Sci: 'I'm just questioning whether it produces sausages or not. Show
me the sausages.'
Phil: 'Ah, so you cannot attack my premises and you cannot attack my
argument. Therefore I'm right and you lose.'
Sci: 'Don't be such a melodramatic prancing arse. Show me the sausages.'
Phil: 'The sausages inevitably flow from the argument. You see my fine
machine. You can even inspect the meat & onions. The sausages
necessarily flow.'
Sci: 'Show me the sausages or I'm off to Tesco.'
Phil: 'You are a mere scientist with no understanding of philosophical matters.'
Sci: 'Bye.'

- Sent using Google Toolbar"