Nokia X6 Mobile Phone - Part 1 - Unboxing & Product Tour

Nokia X6 Mobile Phone - part 1 - Unboxing & Product Tour

Nokia X6 Mobile Phone - part 1 - Unboxing & Product Tour. This swish touch screen offering from Nokia lands in the Geekanoids office, lets take a ...

Farewell to Bob Hope's widow 1909-2011

Publication: Globe
Date: 10 Oct. 2011

Bob Hope's widow Delores died last week, and the Globe has a respectful send-off to her. No secrets taken to the grave, no battles among her children, just a dignified farewell.

Here's something I don't write every week. Well done, Globe editorial staff.

Bells Are Ringing Alert™: Pippa engaged!

Publication: People
Date: 10 Oct. 2011

People says Pippa Middleton is engaged. I have not found independent confirmation.

I would hate to see People become as unreliable as OK!

All the Teen Mom crap for 10 Oct. 2011

Publications: OK!, In Touch, Weekly Life & Style, Us Weekly
Date: 10 Oct. 11

Four supermarket gossip rags decided to take a dip in the cesspool that is Teen Mom. Here are the headlines, three about Farrah Abraham and one about Catelynn Lowell, just in case anyone reading this can tell the difference between these half-witted bimbettes.

• OK!: Teen Mom Farrah: back with her baby
• In Touch: Farrah's baby: Ditched to party
• Weekly Life & Style: Farrah's regret: She wants Sophia back
• Us Weekly: Teen Mom Catelynn: Afraid Tyler will dump her

Note that there are three completely different takes on the Farrah story, and In Touch and Weekly Life & Style are owned by the same company. Some one need to work on getting their stories straight.

Motorola Defy

The Motorola Defy is an Android-based smartphone from Motorola, The Defy is marketed as water-resistant, dust-resistant, impact- and scratch-resistant by merit of its port covers and Gorilla Glass screen.The phone has also been launched unlocked in France, Italy, India, Thailand, Spain, the UK, Turkey and Greece under various networks and is distributed exclusively by T-Mobile in the US, TELUS in Canada and Telstra and Optus in Australia.

Motorola Defy

Motorola Defy

Motorola Defy

Motorola Defy

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Motorola Droid 3

Motorola Droid 3

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Drink More Coffee, Dear!

A new study from Harvard apparently has found that drinking more coffee helps cut down on depression in women.   Who knew?

Girl of the Day - Just Because We're A Free Country And I Can (Esti Ginzburg)

Given the two stories below, on the evil of Iran in threatening to execute a Christian cleric solely for practicing his religion (a religion of peace), and the justice of America's assassination of a radical Islamic cleric/terrorist for practicing his (a perversion of religion or, if you will, a religion of war), I thought I'd celebrate Western freedom and the one democracy in the Middle East, Israel, by having Esti Ginzburg of Tel Aviv back as our Girl of the Day.  

Better than a burqa, no?    I think this is her third time on the blog, so she probably trails only Marilyn Monroe on the Regular Guy's dirty-old-man meter. 

Motorola Droid Dock

Motorola Droid Dock

Motorola Droid Dock

Motorola Droid Dock

Motorola Droid Dock

Motorola Droid Dock

Motorola Droid

The Motorola Droid (stylized as DROID; GSM/UMTS version: Motorola Milestone) is an Internet and multimedia enabled smartphone designed by Motorola, which runs Google's Android operating system. The Droid had been publicized under the codenames Sholes and Tao and the model number A855.In Latin America and Europe, the model number is A853 (Milestone), and in Mexico, the model number is A854 (Motoroi).[citation needed] Due to the ambiguity with newer phones with similar names, it is also commonly known as the DROID 1 or the OG DROID (where OG is short for OriGinal or Original Gangster or Old school Gangster).The brand name Droid is a trademark of Lucasfilm licensed to Verizon Wireless.

Motorola Droid

Motorola Droid

Motorola Droid

Motorola Droid

Motorola Droid

Motorola Droid

The Assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki

Al Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki was apparently assassinated by American drones firing Hellfire missiles somewhere in Yemen today.   I use the word "assassinated" advisedly.   Anwar al-Awlaki was a terrorist, to be sure:  he helped plan multiple attacks on the U.S., including the failed 2009 Christmas bombing, and he inspired the Fort Hood shooting by Nidal Hasan, which resulted in the deaths of 13 people. 

But... he was an American citizen (born in New Mexico), he was in a country with which we are not at war, and there's obviously no evidence that American authorities attempted to apprehend him.   We assassinated him, period.  

Which I guess I'm all right with.   Although we are not at war with al Qaeda, a terrorist organization, not a nation-state, they are at war with us, and so I don't have any problem with trying to disrupt their organization by decapitating their leadership.    I think it sends the right message to the Middle East -- don't mess with the U.S.

On the other hand, I find it very interesting that the same people (liberals like Obama) who won't let us dunk a guy's head under water to get information without otherwise harming him, much less killing him; and who think that terrorists we've detained must have access to the full panoply of legal rights, including jury trials in federal court; nevertheless appear to think targeted extra-judicial assassinations around the world are just peachy.

Just sayin'.  

***

Oh, and by the way, the whole trope that poverty in the Middle East causes people to be drawn to radical Islam has always been hogwash, but it's particularly hogwash now.    Al-Awlaki was born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents who were educated; as a child his family moved back to Yemen, where he father served as a professor at Sanaa University and as the agriculture minister.   And al-Awlaki himself studied civil engineering at Colorado State University, education at San Diego State University, and did doctoral work at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., undoubtedly all on scholarships he obtained as a beneficiary of the schools' diversity programs.   This wasn't a poor person angry because he didn't have basic needs.   This was a middle-class or upper-middle-class, educated child of the elite in his country, who simply hated America and the West out of a virulent ideology.

A Scandal On the Verge of Tragedy - Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani

Iran is preparing to execute a Christian cleric for the crime of being a Christian, supposedly because, although he has never been a Muslim, he has Muslim "heritage," and thus his Christianity is considered apostasy, punishable under sharia.   The man's name is Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, leader of the Church of Iran denomination in Rasht.   Here is a picture of him:

Please keep him in your prayers.   And, whenever you can, talk to people about his plight.   Only an upswelling of outrage from America will stop this tragedy.

***

Oh, and here's what I'd like to do: I'd send NYC policemen and FBI agents into the United Nations with guns drawn and arrest the Iranian ambassador and his entire staff for crimes against humanity.   Then I'd threaten to try them in a military commission (a la Nuremburg), seeking the death penalty.   Might get their attention.

My old man had a simpler view of these sorts of things.   His default position was to tell America's enemies to stop doing X (whatever X was), or their biggest city would "be no more after noon tomorrow."   As in, "release Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani immediately or Tehran will be no more."

So, you see, I'm the moderate in our family.

Meanest story nominee: Rick Perry's ties to the Ku Klux Klan!

Publication: National Enquirer
Date: 10 October 2011

Welcome to gossip hell, Rick Perry! Commenter #1 Karen Zipdrive tells me that Austin is abuzz with sexual rumors about Governor Goodhair, but the Enquirer begins their attack on him by saying he's tied to the Klan.

I say "begins their attack" because the Enquirer is tenacious, if not always accurate. Other politicians they went after in the past couple of years include Sarah Palin, Al Gore and John Edwards.

This is a nominee for Meanest Story of the Week.

Meanest story nominee: Demi & Ashton's $290 million divroce!

Publication: Star
Date: 10 October 2011

It was thirteen months ago when Star broke the story about Ashton Kutcher cheating. For a few weeks, several of the supermarket rags piled on, but nothing came of it. This week, Star again accuses Kutcher of cheating and uses the majority of the cover to say it's the end of the marriage. Here are the headlines.

• They've been living apart for months
• Ashton's serial cheating exposed
• His secret fling with Britney Spears
• World exclusive: It's over!
• The final showdown

Kutcher has responded on Twitter with a link to the Public Enemy song Don't Believe The Hype.

This is a nominee for Meanest Story of the Week.

UPDATE: One week later, this story is on six covers, so whether a divorce actually comes of it or not, in retrospect this gets a Scoop of the Week label.

Meanest story nominee: William orders Charles to dump Camilla now!

Publication: National Examiner
Date: 10 Oct. 2011

In the tabloids, the Camilla Parker-Bowles of 2011 is not so much a human being as a robot programmed to attack her daughter-in-law Kate Middleton. (I know I should stop calling her by her maiden name, but I really haven't got quite used to Duchess Catherine yet.) In any case, Wills has told jug-eared Chuck that he has to get rid of her NOW.

This is a nominee for Meanest Story of the Week.

Meanest story nominee: Joan Kennedy collapse after the death of her daughter.

Publication: Globe
Date: 10 Oct. 2011

Last week, two women who were daughters of prominent Democratic politicians both died at the very young age of 51. One was Eleanor Poling, daughter of Walter Mondale, and the other was Kara Kennedy, daughter of Ted and Joan Kennedy. The Globe tells us that Joan has collapsed after this bad news.

This is a nominee for Meanest Story of the Week.

How To Personalise Your Nokia C6 Mobile Phone

How to personalise your Nokia C6 mobile phone

You can personalise your C6 by changing the standby mode, main menu, tones, themes or font size. Most of the personalisation options, such as ...

Fussin' and Feudin' Alert™: Why Kris' family hates Kim!

Publication: Weekly Life & Style
Date: 10 Oct. 2011

Fresh trash on Thursdays! This is one of two stories about Kim'n'Kris this week, and while they don't completely contradict one another, they do point in different directions.

According to Weekly Life & Style, Kris Humphries' family has little love for his new bride, which means we can expect a steady stream of catty insider gossip about this year's most famous couple, reality TV division.

I hate to be the one to say I told you so, but these Orc/Hobbit mixed marriages never work.

Bun in the oven alert™: Kim's big news!

Publication: OK!
Date: 10 Oct. 2011

Fresh trash on Thursdays! OK!, the nicest of the supermarket rags if not the most reliable, says Kim Kardashian is in the family way and includes her husband in the picture on the cover, just in case readers might be confused about the paternity. Here are the headlines.

• It's baby time!
• The secret she can no longer keep: Her first child is on the way!
• (showing already)
  

I have seen neither denial or confirmation of these latest rumors.

Bun in the oven alert™: Jessica Simpson is pregnant!

Publication: In Touch
Date: 10 Oct 2011

Fresh trash on Thursdays! Jessica Simpson, she of the big eyes, white teeth, large breasts and small brain, is supposed to be pregnant. In Touch has this story exclusively and adds the details of "kooky cravings and a $14,500 crib" in the sub-headline.

She was also supposed to be pregnant back last December, which accounted for her hurry to get married.

Note that it will be October this weekend, she is not married and so far, she has confirmed no pregnancy.

UPDATE: Jessica confirmed the pregnancy on Halloween, almost exactly a month later, so as the first story of her pregnancy in the proper time frame, this story gets a belated Scoop of the Week.

Least interesting cover story of the week: Jessica Simpson postpones her wedding.

Publication: Us Weekly
Date: 10 Oct. 2011

Fresh trash on Thursdays! Yet again, a celebrity story is on the cover of a supermarket rag without any artwork, so it gets the nod for Least Interesting Story of the Week. I'm sneaking it into the extended Thursday line-up because we have two Jessica Simpson stories that disagree with one another.

Besides no artwork, OK! reported the same story two weeks ago. This means Us is two weeks late and a picture short.

For shame, I say, for shame!

Love Bird Alert™: J. Lo's new man is...

Publication: OK!
Date: 10 Oct. 2011

Fresh trash on Thursdays! OK! has a teaser headline, promising an exclusive story on who Jennifer Lopez's new fella is.

I never play the guessing game stuff, but I will finish the sentence.

J. Lo's new man is... a damn fool if he doesn't get as far away from this drama queen as he can and double quick, too!

Fussin' and Feudin' Alert™: Oprah tricked out of millions by Gayle!

Publication: National Enquirer
Date: 10 Oct. 2011

Fresh trash on Thursdays! If it's a nasty story about Oprah Winfrey, you can bet it will be in one of the Three Wicked Step Sister tabloids, this time in The Flagship, the National Enquirer. If we are to believe them, always a risky proposition, things aren't going well with The Big O and her galpal Gayle King. Here are the headlines.

• Oprah tricked out of millions by Gayle
• Oprah blasts: "You used me!"
• plus: Shocking new lawsuit claims Gayle's a con artist
  

Kick several corpses, why don'tcha? The Jackie tapes, both real and imaginary.

Publications: People, National Examiner
Date: 10 Oct. 2011

Fresh trash on Thursdays! The top and the bottom of the supermarket gossip food chain have cover stories about the Jackie Kennedy Onassis tapes that have been released.

Let's start with the headlines on People.

• Jackie's secret life
• New revelations, new questions
• Fifty years after the White House, the iconic First Lady still fascinates. A look at her life, her loves, her private pain and her enduring style

And then there's the low rent Examiner with the alleged inside scoop.

• Secret Jackie O tapes
• What wasn't allowed on TV
• Plan to make John Jr. president
• Who really killed JFK!
• White House affairs - his and hers!
  

It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This

One of the best nights of my life in terms of watching baseball.   As Harry Caray would have said when I was a kid and he was still calling Cardinals games, "Holy Cow!"

Or, as Jack Buck would have said, "That's a winner!"

Now that that's over, how about we just go ahead and win the whole thing?


UPDATE:

Here's a cool chart from a website called "coolstandings.com" that shows the Cardinals' chances of making the playoffs throughout the season.  

As it shows, the Cardinals had practically no chance in late August, and only really got close to having a decent chance in the past few days.   The blue line represents our chances of winning the division, which were nil by late August and stayed nil as the Brewers pulled away.   But the red line was our chance of making the playoffs (as a wild card, which is represented by the black line).   As we kept winning and the Braves collapsed, our chances skyrocketed.

Which is to say, echoing Churchill, never ever ever ever ever give up.   

File This Under You Gotta Be Kidding Me...

Not chastened by the Solyndra scandal, the Obama Administration is apparently pushing ahead with another billion dollars of "loan guarantees" to solar power companies, including one that is connected to the brother-in-law of former Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi:

DOE announced a $737 million loan guarantee to help finance construction of the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project, a 110-megawatt solar-power-generating facility in Nye County, Nev. The project is sponsored by Tonopah Solar, a subsidiary of California-based SolarReserve.

The Energy Department said the project will result in 600 construction jobs and 45 permanent jobs.

Once again, the Regular Guy feels compelled to do some math and ask some questions.   First, the math:  at $737 million for 600 temporary jobs in construction and 45 "permanent" jobs (ask the folks at Solyndra how permanent jobs in the solar industry are), we're looking at -- I know this math might be difficult for the average government bureaucrat -- more than a million dollars per f***ing job!  Putting aside the permanent jobs for the moment, let's say the construction of the facility takes two full years.   We're still spending more than $500,000 a year per construction worker.   If we're doing this just for stimulus purposes, why wouldn't just handing out, say $50,000 per year in cash to ten times as many people do the trick?   Or $5,000 per year to a hundred times as many people (that would be 60,000 people getting $5k they could spend as consumers under the Keynesianism the administration believes so fervently in)?

Now the big question:  is solar power economically efficient, i.e., is it a good investment?   The answer is pretty clearly no:

Hydroelectric is the most cost effective at $0.03 per kWh. Hydroelectric production is naturally limited by the number of feasible geographic locations and the huge environmental infringement caused by the construction of a dam. Nuclear and coal are tied at $0.04 per kWh. This comes as a bit of a surprise because coal is typically regarded as the cheapest form of energy production. Another surprise is that wind power ($0.08 per kWh) came in slightly cheaper than natural gas ($0.10 per kWh). Solar power was by far the most expensive at $0.22 per kWh—and that only represents construction costs because I could not find reliable data on production costs. Also, there is a higher degree of uncertainty in cost with wind and solar energy due to poor and varying data regarding the useful life of the facilities and their capacity factors. For this analysis the average of the data points are used in the calculations.

Put bluntly, by definition if an investment is worth making, private investors would already be making it.   And, conversely, if an investment requires government subsidies, it's because the marketplace, filled with savvy people acting on good information and putting their own money at risk, has already decided that its a bad investment.

Government needs to get out of the business of subsidizing selected businesses, period.   It's bad economics, since they invariably will only subsidize bad investments that the private sector has concluded aren't going to produce good returns; and it's bad for our civilization, since it's so obviously an opportunity for graft and corruption.

Girls of the Day - Elvis' Girls

For a kid like me who grew up in the 1960s, Saturday TV meant watching a lot of Elvis movies.   I suspect that most are unwatchable today, but at the time I thought Elvis was extra cool (didn't every extra cool guy break out into song spontaneously, with the added advantage of an unseen orchestra?).   So I thought I'd look back at the more obscure girls from some of his movies as my girls of the day.

First, there's Joan Blackman from Blue Hawaii:

Next, we have Anne Helm from Follow That Dream:

And here's Laurel Goodwin from Girls Girls Girls, with Elvis:

Next, here's Joan O'Brien from It Happened at the World's Fair:

Finally, here's Yvonne Craig from Kissin' Cousins:

If there's a pattern, I guess I'd have to say that someone was very consciously casting girls who were attractive in a wholesome way, but not so attractive that they would ever ever upstage Presley.   Joan O'Brien I remember vaguely from another movie, Operation Petticoat, where she played Tony Curtis' love interest, and Yvonne Craig later went on to be Batgirl on Batman, but other than that, they've pretty much all receded into obscurity, their fifteen minutes of fame (and reflected fame at that, overshadowed by Elvis) up.