Found this: Return of the xxxx? while searching for something else. I'd guess the author is a Microsoft employee, since he talks about "returning to work on the Internet Explorer team".
Contemplating Microsoft starting development on IE, let me just say this:
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.....{deep breath} aaaahahahahahahahahaha.
Just get Firefox.
Update: Iliad has the same idea
Take an area that is the traditional breeding ground and starting point for major epidemics (SARS, bird flu, cholera, typhoid). Wait until northern hemisphere winter, when some of the most dangerous contagions begin their spread.
Now add one major geologic disaster, killing tens of thousands, and displace millions into refugee camps with poor sanitation and bad nutrition.
Lastly, send lots and lots of people and planes into the affected area, and back and forth to the western world.
No, nothing to worry about there.
More observations have increased the calculated risk of impact, now 1 chance in 37.
Party on, dudes.
Update: Okay, now I'm confused. This morning that link said they were using 191 observations and showed an accumulated risk of 1 in 37. Tonight, they say they're using 118 observations, and April 13, 2029 isn't even listed for a close approach, much less a possible collision. Now the impact probability is 1 in 56,000.
In other words, move along. Nothing to see here. Keep moving.
But if you like your planetary disasters without a schedule, google Cumbre Vieja.
Update 2: the page changes every few hours, but still hasn't gone to as high a risk as it had yesterday. But not everybody has the word.
So did the Sumatra earthquake move us just enough to avoid this threat? Or does the ever-changing number of observations mean something else?
Update 3 (and final, whew): Now they have it.
Final final update: it missed. Everyone please go back to what you were doing. Or, if you're hungry for threats of disaster, try this or this.
Just a thought, sitting here after Christmas dinner, apropos of nothing,
Zantac 75 makes my life worth living.
Okay, would you leave on a car trip, say, knowing in advance that there was 1 chance in 45 that you would have a head-on collision with an eighteen wheeler?
On the bright side, we have 25 years (less 8 months) to party down.
Watch that page to see if the odds get better, or worse.
And party on.
ENT News | News: Microsoft Loses First Appeal in EU Case
Microsoft paid the fine in the spring and has already accounted for it in its financial statements. However, the company argued that adopting the other provisions would harm the company's ability to compete.
In a statement, the court disagreed: "Microsoft has not shown that it might suffer serious and irreparable damage as a result of implementation of the contested decision."
So, if they can't maintain their monopoly, they might suffer "serious and irreparable damage"?
God, those words have a ring to them don't they? Loss ... widens ... at SCO ... Group.
I just love saying that.
Almost as much as "SCO loses big in court, bankruptcy expected soon (officers expected to be indicted)".
The loss includes a $2.7 million restructuring charge.
Revenue fell more than 50% to $10.1 million from $24.3 million a year earlier.
Revenue fell more than 50%. Ahhhhh.
Phishing hole discovered in IE | CNET News.com
Cripes, can't they fix that piece of crap? Oh, right. THEY CAN'T.
TIME.com: TIME NAMES PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH 2004 PERSON OF THE YEAR
Now let the left-wing wailing of rage begin.
I have been in denial for the last week or so. I can not believe that that idiot jerkoff, Norm Mineta, is still going to be the Secretary of Transportation. In a sane world, he would have been drawing unemployment since no later than September 15, 2001. But noooo, he's still around, being an idiot jerkoff. And he's staying.
Crap.
UPDATE: Here is Michelle Malkin's take on Mineta.
FCC Won't Stifle Satellite Stern
In the time-honored tradition of American business, a broadcast executive, upon hearing Howard Stern threaten to "crush traditional broadcasters", decided to take action. Would he bring to the table vibrant, relevant broadcast content to take Stern's oxygen supply away? Hell, no. He'll ask the FCC to muscle in on the satellite services and turn them into nanny radio too.
In an ever rarer moment of clarity, the FCC declined to intervene. I expect Mr. Levine will now go back and plan better content for his stations? No, I expect him to shower his congress whores with cash and try to get them to carry his water to the FCC, and demand that the FCC regulate satellite content.
Wait and see.
Okay, I thought they said the ice caps are melting, so what's this (CNN.com - Iceberg threat to penguin chicks - Dec 14, 2004) then?
Some sample subjects from today's mail:
1. Are search engines include you website? (No, are they include you?)
2. May Cause DROWSINESS when TAKING THIS MEDICATION
(This one includes the immortal prose: "We run a Cannadian Pharmmacy that will save you thousands of dollars each year on the exact same mediciine you buy in the United States
- Vicoodin, Xanaax, Vaalium, and Ciaalis and more"
Try to learn to spell the name of your country, eh?)
3. Earn a 6 Figure Income Online! - 100% Automated System! (Yeah, right)
4. fire CIAL11S, XAANAX, /ALI1UM, /1AAGRRA, AMBIIEN at CHEEAP black guard (don't really know where to go with that one)
5. Comprehensive healthcare is too expensive? deoxyribonucleic (let's say it again! deoxyribonucleic! come on, everybody! deoxyribonucleic!)
1. The wireless card in my Linux server died, so now it is offline. I can't find a PCI card that is supported in Linux to replace it.
(Listen, you damn vendors -- in spite of Microsoft, Linux is going to be around a while, and I don't think it would hurt you to provide drivers for your damn cards.)
2. Weber apparently no longer makes or sells the cast-iron cooking grids for their grill. Now you have to buy the ceramic coated grill, and the cast-iron one made stuff taste so good.
3. SCO is still hanging on, in spite of their case being basically in shreds now. Their stock has even been laddered up above $4 again.
WTF is up with Google today?
Whois Server Version 1.3
Domain names in the .com and .net domains can now be registered
with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net
for detailed information.
GOOGLE.COM.SUCKS.FIND.CRACKZ.WITH.SEARCH.GULLI.COM
GOOGLE.COM.HAS.LESS.FREE.PORN.IN.ITS.SEARCH.ENGINE.THAN.SECZY.COM
GOOGLE.COM
I am trying to rescue the hard drive from my son's laptop. It started failing to boot about a week ago, reaching the "Starting Windows XP" screen and then restarting after a while. Wouldn't boot into safe mode either.
It would, however, boot from a SlakLive CD into Linux, and I used that to backup all the critical data files over the network.
I talked to Toshiba Technical Support, who advised that only a system restore would work at this point. Unfortunately, system restore found errors on the drive and won't finish running.
So I went to Fry's and picked up a USB enclosure, and I'm trying to format the drive using that. We will see what happens, but I think it ultimately will have to go to the service center for a new drive.
Update: No go so back to Toshiba it goes. Apparently the drive is fried.
Oh my god. When I read this, I didn't know whether to pee my pants laughing or throw up in disgust.
My father was a Marine who fought in the Pacific during World War 2. I am trying to picture him engaging in this kind of pathetic, whining, cry-baby bullshit over an election, and I just can't see it. From the greatest generation to this, in 60 years.
Here's a clue why your guy lost: he's one of you. A pathetic whining loser. Thank GOD you people lost, I would wake in the night screaming to think that the defense of this nation was in the hands of such a bunch of loser pussies.
Oh and their "group therapy" is FREE. Christ, what is this coming to? Pathetic crybaby whining pussy losers who won't even pay the freight for their own therapy. Here's some therapy: Florida is a peninsula. Start walking either east or west and keep going till your hat floats away.
Pussies.
HoustonChronicle.com - Teen bracelets carry hidden sexual meaning
The Houston Chronicle buys into an Urban Myth, hook, line, and sinker.
Snicker.
Okay so Jack in the Box is saying for the holidays, if you buy one of their hamburger meals, they will give you, free, a reindeer ball.
Ick.
On November 23, 2004, a tornado struck the town of Olla, Louisiana, in north LaSalle parish. Of the 587 homes in the town, 163 were destroyed, either totally, or beyond economical repair. One person was killed. The high school building sustained major damage, and classes for the rest of the year are being held in a nearby factory building until the school can be rebuilt. It is not known whether the existing building can be repaired, or if a new structure will be built.
Here is what the Free Dictionary says about Olla:
La Salle Parish is a parish located in the U.S. State of Louisiana. As of 2000, the population is 14,282.
Geography
The parish has a total area of 1,716 km2 (662 mi2). 1,616 km2 (624 mi2) of it is land and 100 km2 (39 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 5.82% water.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 1,417.
Geography
Location of Olla, Louisiana
Olla is located at 31°53'58" North, 92°14'5" West (31.899443, -92.234774), the town has a total area of 8.9 km². 8.9 km² (3.4 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 1,417 people, 587 households, and 407 families residing in the town. The population density is 160.0/km² (413.9/mi²). There are 681 housing units at an average density of 76.9/km² (198.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 95.06% White, 3.46% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. 1.20% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 587 households out of which 32.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% are married couples living together, 11.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% are non-families. 27.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.41 and the average family size is 2.95.
In the town the population is spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $24,762, and the median income for a family is $31,648. Males have a median income of $30,188 versus $15,833 for females. The per capita income for the town is $11,669. 23.5% of the population and 19.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 26.9% are under the age of 18 and 14.5% are 65 or older.
The high school I attended (many years ago) played football against LaSalle High School in the parish rivalry. We were a 3A school, they were a 1-A school, but the rivalry was intense enough that either one could prevail in any year.
Olla was the first town in the parish to open a recreation center with a 3-lane bowling alley and pool tables in a youth center setting, rather than a pool hall, where the tough kids went to smoke and hang out. I learned to play rotation and eight ball on the pool tables in the Olla Rec Center. My own town built a rec center of its own a few years later, in part I believe because they were somewhat shamed by Olla's being the first to do so, and because a lot of parents were fretting about so many kids making the 18 mile one way drive to the rec center.
Most of the industry and support businesses in Olla have closed up in the last 20 years, and employment for the residents of Olla is primarily elsewhere, with commutes averaging 20 miles. There is a real danger that, without outside assistance to rebuild damaged and destroyed homes, financial considerations will force many of the town's residents to relocate closer to their jobs. This will further weaken the tax base of the town, and could easily spiral to the point where Olla will no longer exist as a viable town.
Olla was the center of oil exploration and production in Central Louisiana starting in 1938 and for many years afterwards. Olla was incorporated as a town in 1899, but settlement in the area goes back at least to the 1870's when riverboats visited the nearby sulphur springs.
I personally find the possibility of Olla's demise as a town to be a horrifying prospect. I have many memories of the time I lived in LaSalle Parish, and a lot of them involve Olla. The idea that it might not survive because of a storm that lasted less than a minute is a tragedy beyond words.
Here's hoping for the best for this town.