Eau de PLAY-DOH?
Those fresh-from-the-can, full-of-potenial, childhood memories. Now in a convenient spray.

Play-Doh Cologne

Rattle wrote:
"quantum physics, immaterial evidence and material evidence" to prove his case.

Quantum Physics? That's a brilliant defense... He's really from another reality where time moves backwards... To us he was killing people, but to him he was sucking bullets out of poor souls and bringing them to life.

RE: Chron.com | D.C. Sniper Introduces Himself to Jurors

It has taken almost three years—by some counts, more than 6 years—but ICANN’s domain name policy making organization has finally taken a stand on Whois and privacy. And the results were a decisive defeat for the copyright and trademark interests and the US government, and a stunning victory for advocates of the rights of individual domain name registrants.

In Historic Vote on WHOIS Purpose, Reformers Win by 2/3 Majority

Decius wrote:
YouTube has taken down the videos [of Colbert's performance], citing copyright infringement.

If the news can't be used for discourse, what good is it?

RE: Boing Boing: Why was Colbert press corps video removed from YouTube?

A remarkably unacceptable treaty proposal is currently being pushed through the U.N. World Intellectual Property Organization's Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights, seemingly concieved by the RIAA and MPAA and backed by traditional old-line media businesses. The Broadcasting Treaty, currently undergoing review at a UN convention in Geneva, Switzerland, contains passages that would severely restrict the concepts of fair use and freedom of speech—on a global level. IP Watch has an excellent overview of the issues:

UN Broadcasting Treaty seen as severely limiting essential freedoms

Kick Ass Kung Fu lets players fight onscreen enemies using real kicks, punches, head-butts or by wielding any improvised weapon they choose. A video camera captures their movements from one side and superimposes a two-dimensional silhouette of them onto a computer screen. A computer then translates the silhouette's moves into real-time computerised kicks and punches, enabling a player to take on virtual opponents.

Kick Ass Kung Fu

Someone got a flash mob together in Best Buy's colors and invaded the store.

Flash Mob + Store = fun

Look, long ago we realized that guys with beer bellies have more fun.
But since we didn’t sport beer bellies of our own, we decided to
take matters into our own hands, er…belly.
The
result?
A
removable spare tire that also serves a stealth beverage.
So now you can not only sport the look that’s
legit to the touch (and the frisk), but you can also enjoy a
tasty beverage wherever you want, whenever you want!

The Beerbelly

Ummm... why does everyone keep comparing the U.S. to their house? Your house is a piece of property where you and whoever you select live together. A country is... oh wait, I'm not a fourth grade social studies teacher. We all know what a country is, right? And this country is a "democracy."

A democracy made up of citizens. You can't choose who's born here as you can't choose your family... But you can choose who crosses the border the same way you can the threshold of your families house. We can make our democracy stronger if we pick and choose than if we let just anybody in.

Additionally, why do people keep comparing homeless people to immigrants? "The bottom of the barrel?" How about the people who were brave and bold enough to cross an extremely inhospitable border, move to a new country with a new culture, language, and system, and find a job. Have you ever moved to a new CITY? Its rough, man. I wouldn't say that those peope are the 'bottom of the barrel'.

I'd rather import someone who might have a better chance of curing cancer, than someone to wash my dishes. We have more than enough people to do dishes already, we have a bottom of the barrel and it's sort of crowded there. If they've decided to cross over in some inhospitable method it's a damn shame they didn't think they'd make the grade if we were to make the choice of accepting them or not. They should save the hard work and show us why we should choose them rather than the person next to them. If they wish to come here and be a house cleaner, good for them, but it's less useful than someone who can come and teach a college course. Not a grade of humanity, but some people are more useful than others. Why should we encourage malaise?

I also believe that you will find many individuals of great intelectual worth who come here legally and illegally. Some refer to it as "the brain drain."

Great... a genius has crossed the border illegally... Now he can go home and learn to follow rules. Sorry, but if you fuck up at the threshold, you can't sleep over... I don't care how smart you think you are, you are not welcome in my family's house.

RE: How can Illegal Immigration help our Homeless situation?

Jello wrote:

Now Verleger favors what he calls a "prospective gasoline tax," which would allow the country four years to get ready to do the right thing. Congress would enact a stiff tax of $2 per gallon, to take effect in January 2009, with further increases of another dollar in each of the following three years. To cushion the blow, the Treasury would borrow against the expected tax revenue to buy back the public's gas guzzlers (defined as vehicles getting fewer than 25 miles a gallon) at their 2004 value.

Verleger estimates that this program could reduce U.S. oil consumption by almost 2 million barrels per day in the program's first year and as much as 10 million barrels per day by 2020. At a stroke, that would reduce the power of the OPEC cartel and America's vulnerability to turmoil in the Middle East. As a bonus, it would also reduce emissions that contribute to global warming and increase employment in the auto industry as all those gas guzzlers are replaced.

There's one big problem with Verleger's idea. It's too sane. America likes roaring down Thunder Road, playing chicken with the oil cartel.

I still think it would be better to tax owners of SUV's and other high gas using cars based on mileage once a year. This would encourage people not to drive these types of things if they don't need to, and put the pressure on where the demand REALLY is. Offering a tax cut for owners of hybrid cars would create yet another incentive to use them.

RE: Why Gas Prices Are Too Low (washingtonpost.com)