Pining for the Fjords

Social Justice Worker alert: Hillary Clinton: "Women have always been the primary victims of war. Women lose their husbands, their fathers, their sons in combat." Yeah, Hill, the men only lose their lives, but no matter....

From the same media cesspool: did you know women suffer from prostate cancer too? They suffer when their partners get it. This idiocy is not going to stop for a long time.

• A 38 year old Polish nightclub owner was practicing his tank driving, as we all do, when he drove it into his own nightclub during a live Facebook stream.  This story highlights the difference between European and American culture: you cannot drive a tank in the US. We will never be truly equal until we can.

The New Oakland, California police chief ordered a shutdown of everyone's cell phone service on SFBART because he thought there was going to be a protest. Digest this... the police can order your cell service shut down on public transportation. Because of an alleged protest.

• The 'Hack the Pentagon' program has gone very well. This is where people are encouraged to find flaws in the Pentagon's computer systems (non-core or critical systems only).  The program turned up over 100 bugs. Just in 'non-ciritical' systems. Dare we guess what's going on with critical systems? Dare we guess why we're hacked?

The Anonymous hacking collective has been going after the Islamic State by replacing content with porn, to shame them. Hopefully they haven't been using goat or child porn, which would only excite them.

• Three women were charged for assaulting McDonald's employee for working too slowly. I'm wondering if the threat of this can be used to get employees to work faster and, more importantly, more accurately. Maybe they can be hired or visit different stores. The mind boggles.

Russian government hackers have been in the DNC network for up to a year. The State Department doesn't have to release emails - the Russians have already threatened to.

• Microsoft has purchased LinkedIn. As if either of them mattered.

With all the crap going on in the world, New York proves there's still a shred of humanity, after three men jumped down from a subway platform to save a man on the tracks. I'm sure there's a lot of this going on but it goes unreported.

• We here at Thermionic are against all forms of gun control. However, some guy adjusted his pants at Zabar's, an upscale Manhattan market, and shot himself. This is the kind of gun control we need. Some might call it Darwinism.

German Justice Minister Haiko Mass says Germany will not recognize polygamous or underage marriages, as practiced by immigrants. Apparently assaulting Germans and throwing gays off buildings are still on the table.

PRO TIP FOR MINORITY GROUPS IN THE PUBLIC EYE: As we know, I'm a libertarian. I haven't seen a ton of others but I have seen some local libertarians and their web pages. With the exception of Gary Johnson and the other guys running for president in our party, we're not a good-looking bunch of folks. I don't mean attractive - I mean the way we dress and act. If you're looking for some attention or to get someone's vote, a very important part of this is making your audience think you're like them. Guys (and girls, if there are any), put on a suit jacket. Sound mainstream normal. Yeah, this is style over substance but you stand a much better chance of being elected if you don't look like a mountain man in a black button-down shirt, who hasn't shaved in a month or three. This is precisely why I'm not out doing libertarian work - I look like a reject from the Aging Rock Star pageant. I'm the idea man, the inside guy. The guy you don't want out scaring potential voters.

Now let me extend this to our brothers and sisters in the LGBT community: Orlando was a national nightmare. The only positive thing that came about thus far is that you have been given a voice on the national stage. While I hope this event can produce something of long term substance, you need to make the most of your current opportunity. You probably don't want your spokesman to be a limp-wristed flamer with a flag painted on his face or a woman who shaved off half her hair and dyed the other half purple, with nose and eyebrow piercings and a suspicious chain going down into the front of her pants. There are gay people everywhere, who dress for business. Put a few of them up front. Again, you want your audience to feel that you're just like them. You're likely to gain a lot more traction this way.

Ymmv, of course.

RIP Ren, 2016

Why Does it Hurt When I Pee?

Ok, credit for the title goes to the great Frank Zappa.
But have you ever seriously asked yourself what does the color of my pee mean? The Cleveland Clinic has your answer.

Along similar lines, what do we do about too much poo on Mt Everest? Further proving that we all don't know shit.

One must also wonder if humans are getting cleverer. One must also wonder if cleverer is a proper word. Perhaps if you know the answer, you're clever(er). Regardless, we're still a nation of morons.

NFL Champions to Donate Their Brains to Science. This begs the question of how they find their brains.

Britland asks Nigerian asylum-seeker to prove that she's gay. Will this involve Birkenstocks? Joan Jett concerts?  LL Bean catalogs?

It will all come out in the wash (no wonder abortion is such a contentious subject).

Some people go with the flow. Some against the flow. Some are free-thinkers. Some, well, some think on their toes, like my friend Bob. After the recent Charlie Heado bombings, Bob quickly got online and ordered some cheap airline tickets to France. For some reason, the fares had gone down drastically.

We are facing a silent epidemic. It's slipping under the radar and I wanted to do my best to get the news out to the public. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about people driving or leaving their vehicles on train tracks and walking off, causing their vehicles to become compact cars (and much harder to drive).  I direct your attention to the most recent incident, wherein fifty people were injured. I have absolutely no idea why the fellow decided to park his truck on the tracks but he was picked up and charged for hit and run(?), after being found walking along the tracks, talking on his cell phone.  Ah, cell phone - that might explain things. The tracks probably interrupted his texting, so he left the truck there.  After the train hit the vehicle, he probably took a few selfies and posted them to Faceyspaces, then walked away, calling a few friends to tell them the news. Oh yeah, there might have been Certain Substances involved too, but that's just my speculation.  Let's face it, it was either drugs or the guy was that stupid. Or both. 

The fellow's attorney (you knew there had to be an attorney involved) stated 'that  his client had been confused and mistakenly turned onto the tracks instead of a nearby street'.  Tell me, dear readers - do you leave your car on the median when you mistakenly make a wrong turn?  If you make a mistake and wind up in the really bad part of town, do you get out of your car and walk away, talking on your cell phone?
If this guy drove into a building, he'd leave the car hanging out of a window and climb down before taking his selfies. Incidentally, the crash  flipped over three double-decker Metrolink rail cars and derailed two others. He must have walked away out of concern.
This lady, in Australia, got hit so badly that the car got thrown 170 meters (that's 47.3 American miles).  No idea why she was on the tracks but she lived.
In St. Louis, this car was hit by a train. There were no injuries!
This vehicle 'was attempting to stop at the tracks and slid'.  Looks like it failed.
Didn't their parents teach them not to play on train tracks? With matches? While running with scissors?


And in closing, the Chinese restaurant across from work no longer sells Chinese food.

Philly Area Events of Note

This Saturday, 5/4, is the New Hope Winery musicians flea market.

I hear good things about this flea market but have never attended.  If you haven't been to New Hope, you should go and bring the spouse/significant other.  It's a really `quaint little shopping village'.  Nice place to spend the day.  They have all sorts of interesting shops you won't see elsewhere and good places to eat.

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This Sunday, 5/5, is the Warminster Hamfest

This is my traditional first hamfest of the season.  It's a great location, albeit a ride.  Warning: the mere presence of a hamfest at this location on this day tends to produce rain.  You never know which way it's going to go.  But a great time is usually had by all.

For the uninitiated, a hamfest has nothing to do with ham, pigs or potato salad.  It's a flea market for amateur radio and electronics nuts.  You can also find a bit of stuff for computer people and musicians.



I have no financial interest in any of these places or events.  It's just nice to get out of the house once or twice a year.

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Funny story about New Hope

Last time there, we located an adult shop.  I was having a fun time holding things up and saying, "Hey Honey, look at this!".  

While walking to the next area, my wife asked me if I noticed that guy.

What guy?

The guy in the adult shop.

No.

You didn't see him looking at you?

No, why.

He wanted you.

Excuse me?

You really are oblivious, aren't you?

Completely.  I don't notice women coming on to me.

Or men, apparently.

I stopped cold in my tracks and considered what she said.  As we continued walking, I started looking around and really noticing.  Uh-oh.  I was apparently way more popular than I had ever thought possible (and I am not a good looking guy).  I swore, at that moment, I would never objectify women again.  I felt like a piece of meat.

As it turned out, New Hope is a rather gay place.  While I am a huge supporter of gay rights, I do not participate.