http://cheerfulcurmudgeon.com A complete lack of ideas and the power to express them. Tue, 13 May 2008 00:08:44 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Three years ago today, I posted my first entry on this blog. Join me in celebrating by splurging on a piece of birthday cake. http://cheerfulcurmudgeon.com/2008/05/12/cheerful-curmudgeon-turns-3/ I just read a letter to the editor in my local newspaper. It begins, Are you kidding me? Jefferson Middle School says that no kids can bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch because there are kids with peanut allergies? Peanut butter is dangerous to the 1.3% of Americans who have ... http://cheerfulcurmudgeon.com/2008/05/11/risk-analysis-not/ We all know that distractions make driving significantly more difficult and dangerous. Cell phones top the list, at least from lawmakers' perspectives, and we now have laws in several states which limit cell phone use while driving. Sadly, lawmakers have not found a way to make children stop bugging their ... http://cheerfulcurmudgeon.com/2008/05/11/shut-up-and-let-me-drive/ Now I'll readily admit that I'm no expert in windsocks. I've seen my share but never paid 'em much mind. I've certainly never delved into the technology which makes 'em work. Obviously, I have ignored somethin' which ought not be ignored. I just read this NOTAM: Trenton NJ (Trenton Mercer) [TTN]: May ... http://cheerfulcurmudgeon.com/2008/05/05/high-tech-windsock/ Thanks to Jeremy Zawodny for drawing my attention to Clay Shirky's talk on the cognitive surplus. Shirky makes some excellent points. Give it 17 minutes of your time and watch. My comments follow. I agree with Shirky, we like to do more than we like to watch. That's why it was ... http://cheerfulcurmudgeon.com/2008/05/03/moving-beyond-tv/ Here is a little bit of just "plane" fun to brighten your Monday. Watch Boeing build a new 777 in just four minutes. http://cheerfulcurmudgeon.com/2008/04/28/build-a-boeing-777-in-four-minutes/ It's Earth Day so celebrate. Go and get yourself a glass of clear, cool, refreshing water. Sip and savor the cool wetness as it trickles back along your tongue. Do your teeth feel cold, too? Take a deep gulp. Ahhhhh. That satisfies, doesn't it? Now celebrate again because you didn't pay $0.79 for that privilege; it ... http://cheerfulcurmudgeon.com/2008/04/22/celebrate-earth-day/ Sometimes you just gotta do it. You've got this thing going on and life is good and the moment comes and you make a commitment. That's what I did; I made a commitment. I said it out loud, in front of witnesses, to my wife. Six of us were celebrating Cindy's ... http://cheerfulcurmudgeon.com/2008/04/19/a-rib-for-a-pickle/ For several years, my son planned to join the Army. As a father, I had mixed emotions: pride that he wanted to volunteer for a very tough job and fear that he would be killed... or worse. He and I had several discussions about the dangers; largely fruitless because teenagers ... http://cheerfulcurmudgeon.com/2008/04/18/casualties-of-war/ Is a licensed, downloaded music recording your personal property? What happens when the state of California says that something is "tangible personal property" even though the EULA says that your rights are still restricted? How would California's law impact interpretation of the first-sale doctrine as it applies to downloaded music ... http://cheerfulcurmudgeon.com/2008/04/09/plan-would-tax-music-downloads-san-jose-mercury-news/