How do you smoke pot from a skull? Or was the skull just decoration for a real bong? It seems like there are too many holes to plug to make a skull watertight and smokeable.

First off, I'd like to say I appreciate Alex Steffen 's comments and rebuttals. It's not really an easy thing to come back to discuss things on the internet where people can be anonymously openly hostile.

I think the two basic points of contention here (as long as your company is completely legit) is that

A) Even though you say "We all should live greener", carbon offset companies play the role of enabler to consumers that want to continue to pollute. It's like a heroin addict's mother telling them to get off the drugs, but then handing them $50. It doesn't help the addict/consumer change their habits. It's an easy way out, and a poor long-term solution.

B) Carbon offset companies appear to be one of the least efficient, bureaucratic-laden, roundabout ways to go about fixing the environment. Sure I guess it's better than nothing, but like I said, it isn't a long-term answer. You can't crap in your left hand and keep moving it to the right hand without it filling up. I don't think it's a good idea to pacify people's fears with an inviable long-term solution.

As far as Mother Theresa's administrative costs, they'd probably be A LOT less than you'd think. Mostly because there's already a structure in place that pays for and supports what is essentially just a nun on a mission: The Catholic Church. The do the same for hundreds and thousands of other nuns on religious missions. I'd bet the carbon offset companies have had to build a lot of that structure from scratch.

Heh, maybe I'm just too much of a nerd, but that's not that obscure of a reference Misshallelujah. It's actually one of the first things I thought when I read that part in Little Brother and this post.

@SG, Oh yeah? I'll sell these sucke...ahh customers twice as many coupons, for $400!! Let's start a bidding war and devalue the environment even more!!

#2 Ok, I was going to build one of these, but now you've just creeped me out. Spiders scare me to no end.

Just like #2 said, the game encourages you to take a cab.

I'm about halfway through the game now. There are some things I think I'm going to be disappointed about in the end just because there's no good attempt at a counter-message (as in the drunk driving thing), but I'll keep my mouth shut until I finish the game and know for sure.

Boy but anybody that has a beef with Drug companies or HMOs should sit in an in-game car and listen to the PLF radio channel. Spot on and hilarious.

Is there something wrong with me if I like almost every single one of those?

The horse in the kitchen one is weird though. But I really like the one with the car in the dining room. Really liked it.

ehh I had an bad cut and paste in there. Yes I said something about transportation twice. This place really needs an "edit post" button.

#2: Completely. I predict that there will be many "green scams" like this in the future.

How about buying that high school kid green transportation for when he goes to college? Or something else tangible that both enriches the kid's life and makes less impact on the environment. Like some sort of green transportation for example.

Buying these carbon offset coupons and thinking you're part of the solution is what's wrong with the world today. The very idea that you can still (mis)use all the resources you want and just pay someone to assuage your guilt is the pinnacle of eco-laziness. I don't know what's more disgusting, buying stuff like this, or not seeing anything wrong with doing so.

And how do you "discount" a product like this?? That should make everyone wary in the first place. If this was a service being provided by people that actually gave a fuck about the environment and weren't in it to make a profit first and foremost, every penny would be going to offsetting those carbons, and there would be no room to offer a discount. What a scam.

If you care so much about the environment to give away $6000, wouldn't you want the people that are receiving that money to be just as committed to the cause?

It's ~$150 US !!!! Things like this are a good idea until they charge 5 times what a normal battery charger costs.

I for one welcome our new Chinese overlords.

I think we all know the real news here is the return of Lee Priest.

People like #7 miss out on life because they're too busy jumping at shadows.

I had two hospital stays when I was a kid, one was pre-gameboy, one was post-gameboy. The post-gameboy stay was much more serious, but was so much more bearable thanks to that wonderful gadget.

Also, do people really not know that Bill Gates is one of the most charitable people on the planet? It's cool to hate on MS I guess, but save that hate for something of MS's that warrants it: Vista.

Aww no Tattered Cover in Denver? Anyway, Good stuff, I've got a couple of nephews that will be getting copies soon.

You people realize that because you're talking about it like this R* has won, right?

@Enoch Root: Nope, I've used the "rewt" for years because many places/systems (read:*nix)don't let you use anything related to root in a user name for fear of accidentally being mistaken as an admin. Thanks for your concern though...

@ACB: Even though I dislike all those beers listed, they're not even close to the evilness that is Coors in a can. The only time it's good is at the Brewery less than 30 minutes after it's made, and ANY beer is good then.

About Music Tagging:

I started tagging my music years and years ago. From scratch. It's a royal pain in the ass if your music collection is over 100 songs. I've always thought that correctly tagged songs and albus would be the big draw to actually purchasing songs digitally instead of downloading them illegally (before I had heard of DRM even). You know, so you don't get the yahoo that thinks he remembers the names to the tracks but doesn't, puts "R1pPeD by 7E37 HaxXo0rz" in the comment tags, or doesn't put ANYTHING into the tags.

But really, what's the point of tagging music if you're using a shuffle mp3 player and can't see those tags anyway? These screenless mp3 players create a huge disconnect between songs/albums and the names the artist would like to attach to them.

Furthermore, albums vs. songs debate asidem I'll say that I like to listen to new and different things regularly. How am I to remember what the names of these new and different things are for future reference when the player can't show me the name and the player is on random shuffle? Bob forbid that I ever want to listen to something I heard again on demand at some point.

"Shuffle-style players pander to debased musical tastes."

I should have agreed wholeheartedly to this statement sooner, so let me do so now. I'll even say that I feel shuffle-style players are made for and marketed to the stupid. Stick that in pipe and smoke it.

#44: Don't paint yourself as a different sort of snob (others would call groupie/bar trash) to fight against

@Stumo: Stingy is pretty universal, just so you know. Interestingly enough here in America we would ask for a top off, not a top up ;) Or at least everyone I know would.

Also, here in America you'll never get a full, true pint. These might be more marketable as an export than in their country of origin. But then again most Americans drink CuursFromaCan. bleh.

Greeeaaat. Let's zip up all the lint, crumbs and gunk so that the mouse can marinate in it instead of setting on top of it. It's like non-edible shake'n'bake!

Can I humbly suggest using more spatulas and less spoons? They come in all sizes and do a better job than these contrived (though aesthetically pleasing) spoons.

The spatula is my go-to utensil for making PB&J and eating yogurt.

I find it amusing that someone that wants $500,000 for a nut that they made by gluing two halves together is met with laughter and whimsy and the ~$6000 chair that a person bangs into shape with a sledgehammer themselves is met with near-hate and disgust.

#2: Everything you listed is what's wrong with today's wasteful society.

*Unnecessary waste of electricity when the powder could be stored without it.
*Great, a disposable bottle that will almost never decompose. How convienent
*Your third point is the worst in my book. "Wow, I didn't think ahead to what I may need for my day! I'll just waste resources to make up for my lack of foresight!"

It's people like you that actually think the new arrowhead eco-bottles are actually a good idea. For shame.

http://www.arrowheadwater.com/DoingOurPart/EcoShapeBottle.aspx

I'm also of the album-preferring set. If I get a new artist to to listen to I must listen to it as a whole body of work, preferably straight through. The first time anyway. For one thing I'm not going to be listening to any such fluff as Britany Spears who puts out constant singles. I feel I owe it to the artist to hear their progression of songs and feelings. There are some albums that demand to be listened to in whole. The Street's A Grand Don't Come for Free, Most any Pink Floyd, NIN's Pretty Hate Machine, just to name a few. These works are unquestionably better because they come as a whole package.

Someone made a comment about DJ mixes. A true DJ mix is something that you listen to because you take it on trust the the mixer is going to take the sounds to a new and interesting place musically and you're along for the ride. DJ mixes =/= an iPod on shuffle. Most DJs would be downright offended by the comparison.

All well, and good to hit, stab, microwave these chips, but how about a tutorial to actually find these things.

I just recieved a new debit card that I'm sure has one in it. Now for the life of me, I can't figure out where exactly it would be. Maybe on passports its more obvious, but not on my card. I don't just want to bash randomly with a hammer at it. I would like to use this card because they actually managed to spell my name correctly on it, unlike my old one.

And to those that are upset that Cory is pluggging his book on what basically amounts to his website (in part I know): God forbid that someone is allowed to make a livelyhood.

The only hardback books I've ever had that lie flat like that are books with seriously damaged spines. I would count that as destroying the book even if it doesn't shred the pages.

Is that sign proclaiming that there is no butter with boxes of sticks of butter sitting all around it? Or is that margarine? And if the shortage is so severe isn't margarine acceptable?

This sounds interesting, I'll have to check it out when I'm not at work. My one question though is how does Wesabe make it's money? Does it sell shopping trends, consumer traffic info or something like that? Site advertising? A fee for the recommendation?

Why am I reminded of Han Solo trying to hotwire the door to the shield generator bunker on Endor?

At least PETA is making an attempt (however misguided) to find a solution to their "problem" instead of throwing red paint on people and brainwashing young children.

And wow, some of the imagery in this discussion is disturbing.

I posted this a few days ago, but I quit smoking by doing pushups inbetween rounds of online video games. It was my trigger, when there was a break in the action, I'd light up a cigarette. I had to wait until I got a new game (so the trigger wasn't quite so imbedded) and just started doing pushups instead. Or crunches, or whatever.

I also bought a bag of zip ties (you know, the things that cops use for handcuffs when they're out of handcuffs) and chewed the ever-loving crap out of them to help with the oral fixation.

There's really a Cyberdyne that builds robots? And they named it HAL? Do they really expect to have ANY customers?

There's too many good authors in this to restrict it to kids. I'll go pick up a copy today.

If I use this in conjunction with a dishwasher, does it mean I never have to touch the surface of a dish again?

Will it break wine glasses (with sound, like fat opera ladies)?

It may not be effective at keeping bugs away, but it'll certainly keep -me- away. Superstition = nutbaggery = I don't want to know you or give you my money.

So you're superstitious about superstition?

I live downtown just for this reason. Yeah, I could pay a little less for my place per month, and the groceries are a tad bit more expensive, but I don't spend $200/mo+ on gas.

And as for crime, there's probably more violent crime, but far far less petty crime like kids egging houses and breaking into cars to steal radios, because there's cops every 4 blocks and a lot of watching eyes crammed into a smaller space than in the suburbs.

This doesn't make sense to me. I guess the only thing we have to keep away here are mosquitos and since they spawn in water, I'd think they'd be attracted to it. But what do I know?

Only 80 to 90 percent of what they should make? But they're not standing in the stall all day!

I seriously can't think of the last time I saw an honor system in place where I live. Oh yeah, it was for gum at the office, and someone stole it all and the 75 cents in the basket too :(

Heh, after an hour of Call of Duty 4 online, I'm pretty much worn out. It's real incentive die less in video games, that's for sure.

Then again, how often does a whole NAS die?

I'm sure the company doesn't care, as long as they get $25/mo from a bunch of people. Nothing like selling someone something they don't need....

Go Bluejean! I've been a loyal customer for years, mostly because they also do a good job of explaining the cables they sell.

And wow, as the kids say it these days, that letter is ownage. He even accuses Monster of tax evasion on tax day. Crazy.

#1: In Soviet Russia headphones wear you.

Audiophiles may cringe, but I choose my headphones according to which set makes me not look crazy while riding public transportation. These wouldn't fit the bill.

You could attach some braces/headgear to these things and no one would notice that didn't already because of the headphones themselves.

The dual analogs are pretty slick, but I'd hit the keyboard constantly trying to use them I think. Is this concept art hopefully?

Also, the buttons on the right are labeled Playstation-style. It's not that big of a deal but if you're playing a non-Playstation game, the buttons wouldn't match up to the screen. Why do the makers label them at all then?

I'd just like to share my own video game exercise tip. I play video games online, and at the end of the game I double my deaths and do that many push ups. Or triple it and do that many crunches.

It seems kind of silly, but I also quit smoking recently, and one of my triggers was that right after a game was done I'd light up a cigarette. This was the only way I found to fight the urges. You don't need a Wii to get in shape.

And yes, John Brownlee keep up the hilarity. And maybe you should move out of Germany if you don't speak German?

@METLIN: This typewriter has reached Enlightenment. It's content to just "be".

#5 Jordan: Just because there's very little legal ground to stand on doesn't mean that the Apple iStormtroopers won't try and shut them down...

Even though it's stupid, because more copies of Leopard sold = more money and market share for Apple. But who needs capitalism I guess?

1. I like it. I rest my spoon across the top of regular bowls all the time. I would buy this if I saw it in a store (but not pay $21 to get it shipped from the internets)

2. I use teaspoons to eat. Tablespoons are for serving. When was the last time you went to a decent restaurant and had a tablespoon in the place setting?

3. Some people need to lighten up, it's just a bowl and spoon....

Holy crap. These people need to get a grip. I want a monkey as a pet. I want to put it in a stroller and push it around town. But I want it as a pet and not some poor attempt to fill a gone child's void. Pick up the phone and call your kid for Pete's sake. Concentrate on being the parent you are now to your adult children and the grandparent to their children instead of trying to live in an idealized past with a fucking monkey as a stand-in child.

There was so much tissue damage because Sheldrake pulled the thing out himself. If you are ever stabbed or pierced by something DO NOT PULL IT OUT. That's what doctors are for.

And doesn't anyone teach their younglings how to shank a guy anymore? Who stabs for their thigh first?

If he can build it, I volunteer to fight it.

The company's name is Omlet? Oh I LOLed until I cried.

Raise a couple of chickens while staving off red mites and the avian flu? Sounds like good clean fun for the kids.

Uh, yeah do some fact checking Kenny. Still, there's only three reasons to read the Westword, Savage Love, the yearly "Best of" awards they give out and to giggle at what Kenny Be gets right.

I wish I could crap gold like these guys. I mean that in a good way.

I can't wait to play their game too. I bet it's pretty hilarious.

#60 Scottfree:

Heh, my neighborhood is covered in grafitti, it didn't keep me away. But it does disappoint me that ever week or two either I or my landlord have to go try and scrub silver paint of the bricks on the front of the house. (at least they're not mean enough to get it in the grout).

I do know my neighbors fairly well. As far as whatI bring to the neighborhood? How about a polite, quiet neighbor that can be asked to watch a kid for the afternoon, as my neighbor has fequently done? Or one that cares about his doorstep enough to help the landlord keep clean of grafitti like I mentioned above? Or how about a neighbor that's just plain better than the heroin/crack addict that could afford the rent on my place as well?

I love how you assume I'm rich and I "invaded" some neighborhood. I make about as much as a primary school teacher, and my neighbors think I roll in the dough. I could choose to live in the 'burbs for about the same amount I guess, but then I'd have to pay to commute, there wouldn't be 6 unique restaurants within 5 blocks of me to eat at on the cheap and the apartment wouldn't have nearly the sense of style as the 100+ year old building I live in now. Nobody I've talked to that lives around here likes having to scrub the grafitti, and we don't even care about the alley. They can have the alley, it's for trash anyway. Just keep it the fuck off the sidewalks and front of buildings.

Oh, and yes, I'm glad this candy person is doing these sayings in chalk. But it's a great minority compared to the rest of the stencils out there.

#32, maybe he didn't use the word poor. You should go ask the homeowners of these *ahem* "working class" neighborhoods and see if they're fine that there's grafitti everywhere. I bet you'll find that the majority of them are mad as hell about it. Think about what your parents would say, or your childhood neighbors would/(did?) say if you grew up in one of these neighborhoods. To say that grafitti is any sort of solution to rising real estate costs is absolutely asinine.

I actually do live in a fairly impoverished neighborhood, and do so because I enjoy the atmosphere and feel of it. It's a very unique neighborhood. If you covered all of the neighborhoods in grafitti, they all look the same and lose that culture.

An to all those grafitti defenders (it's not hurting anything bleh) I've decided I have important things to communicate to hikers, backpackers and campers. I'm going to go paint every highly-visible rock I can find in Rocky Mountain National forest with things they need to hear and that will make them "think" this weekend. Before you say "that's different!", how is it really? It's not hurting the rocks, is it?

Bullshit. I worked (in a very grunt position) in State Government where the Venture Capital Authority was located. The people looking fr VC funds weren't even supposed to apply for them where I worked (they were supposed to actually talk to the actual fund managers) and we still would get thousands of calls.

But, VC/angel people are weird. Maybe they're mad that there's not enough bootlicking going on to satisfy them.

#7: Call your State or City Economic Development office. Starting a business is actually very easy. Even a corporation. Don't go into it thinking they'll do the work for you, but it's a very good start to getting the steps and information on finding funding. You're almost better off finding your own funding, the VC people are looking for a sure thing, and want the documentation to prove it. Unless it's a fairly complicated field (Nanotech, Biotech, energy) with huge startup costs.

I guess that kind of proves the article's point, but still, there's too many people that seem to think that sharing their profits for less startup costs is a better way to go. So they beg for for VC money until they're blue in the face. They don't factor in the sheer amount of paperwork involved as work, even though you could hire a part time person that would have their hands full dealing with it.

Also, don't get me started on grants for starting a business. You'll never get one. They don't exist (unless it's non-profit or a rural/farming business), no matter what some idiot in a question mark suit tells you.

@DCER: I also live in a neighborhood where "thoughtful, ironic etc." stencils are everywhere. Some of them say political things, some of them are hilarious, some of them hate on Google. It's just not that impressive. Maybe the first 20 I saw, but it's been run into the ground (literally!) already.

In fact, the more I think about it, the less I consider stenciled letters "art". I'll catch hell for this one, I'm sure.

#23 use graffiti to keep an area poor? So you'd prefer a neighborhood with poor schooling, lack of nourishment beyond the quik-e mart and liquor store, and a high violent crime rates just to keep the "culture"? Because these vaunted graffiti-covered neighborhoods come with all that as well.

Don't be afraid of change and growth. Just because a neighborhood gets wealthier, doesn't mean it has to sacrifice it's culture. Even urban neighborhoods that used to be considered a suburb when they were built develop their own sense of style and culture.

I don't buy it, you can't say that one type of graffiti is art and the stuff tag bangers throw up isn't. It can't work that way. This has to be condemmed in the same way.

Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of graffiti art. There's even some room for the aforementioned tag banger tags to be classified as art. Good intentions can't be used as justification for a destructive act.

Am I the only one that thinks that whether it's some gang name or introspective questions, that it's all graffiti and public property shouldn't be defaced like that?

I'd just be happy to have a pool.

I recently cancelled my Comcast HD package. I got sick of paying a crazy monthly bill for something like 18 total HD channels at very questionable quality.

I wish they'd bring FiOS to my area, but since I live directly downtown in a 100+ year old building I'm not holding my breath.

The headline for this story should be changed to:

"NEWSFLASH! Homeless people aren't stupid!"

What do people expect? That they're going to advertise that they're homeless? Unbelievable. This article really has an entire "Gee Whiz they're tricky buggers" attitude.

I'm a hard typer. Like really hard. I helps me keep from missing keystrokes (and bruises my fingertips). I've snapped the keys off their little pegs on cheap keyboards. I've been able to dial it back enough that this doesn't happen too much anymore, but my co-workers hate my typing because it's loud.

I have very dry skin, and have never worn a keyboard like that out, even though I type hard. I'm guessing the PH idea is what's doing it, and my dry hands don't carry enough moisture (or my PH is off) to the keyboard to do this. But it does occur to me that my thumb sits on the spacebar and touches either the "M" or "N" keys depending on where I'm reaching on the keyboard. Maybe that's why these keys are the ones worn through the most, is because they're actually getting touched by the tip of the thumb more than any others, even if they're not being used?

This is bullshit. So now if I play to many online video games I'll get my speed throttled? I can't set up a game server to run 24-7 on my connection or else it goes to shit?

Just give me what I pay for Comcast and keep your nose out of it.

(sorry about the cursing, this burns my grits)

Every time I read a story about Italy or somehing Italian on BB lately, it involves mobsters somehow. Is that just a coincidence?

It's really hard to believe that this type of thing happens in the civilized world still.

Can I get some clarity here? Are the dancers Vegan? Or is it just the food they serve?

Whoever said they couldn't eat at a strip club, here in Denver one of the premiere topless bars serves one of the best steaks in the city. Oh, yeah, I forgot this was about meat-free strip clubs.... heh. I really didn't put that one together until I had typed it.

I just wanted to post in the comments on the post regarding posting in the comments. That's all I wanted to do.

And oh yeah, this is the most comprehensive set of rules for posting I've ever seen.

This guy should thank his lucky stars that he's not in prison being gang raped. Grrrr.

I'd like to see the exact wording of the ad. Does it say "If no one answers the door break a window, pick the lock or kick the door down to get at the lootz!"? Like Catbeller, I really want to know how the first few there got in.

Also, did his evil niece state a date and time when she knew he wouldn't be there, or did she think it would just be a hassling prank for him to answer the door 100 times?

@DJAM: The ads will probably never tell you to search for their company name instead a general product type. I can't read kanji so I couldn't tell what the ads in the picture above say, but I'd stake a toe on it.

This sure is turning a corner for companies like google and yahoo though, the more accepted this becomes the more they transform from optional "help-you-find-it" sites to mandatory stops on the internet superhighway.

Yeah, I said it. MUHAHAHAH

This makes me want to move to Iceland.

If Zan is correct, and I'm sure he's close at least, I wonder how this guy was pulling this off? If he's paying the cashiers to pretend they're hypnotized, it doesn't really leave an out for him if/when he gets caught. It only gives the chance to let the cashiers off the hook. But then again criminals are stupid and he probably didn't think it completely through.

@BUGS: No one has anything positive to say because this isn't a solution for drug dependence. It doesn't seem to have any effectiveness for the recovery process, it's just to sober them up when their medically in danger like Narcan. Basically it doesn't matter what you try and do to the drug addict, if that person isn't ready to quit and get help they'll go back to using the first chance they get. The addict's willingness to change is always the first step.

@CLIFFIII: For Bob's sake man, QUIT! You can get a full time (car driving) paper route for what they pay at Walmart. The only way that Walmart will collapse is if people quit working and shopping there. Trying to force them into giving you better benefits and pay only prolongs their reign of terror.

AAhh nothing better than a "SCIENCE" link. I laughed. Just at the link mind you, not the data.

I think the people that live there should start a petition to make the people that signed the original petition paint their houses in copper fleck wi-fi inhibiting paint. Just for fun.

I have a few gay friends that have some peculiar tastes, that is for a straight guy like myself. I learned that when my one of those friends told me a man with hair on the inside of his forearms is the sexiest things he could think of on a man that I would never understand his version of being gay. I kind assume transgendered folk are the same. No matter how many questions I ask, I'll never get it. Why not just not ask, accept it, and move on?

If it's fairly simple to replicate, this will be used much more to pass UAs (if it really "cleans" up the body and bloodstream) than to save freaking out meth addicts.

I'd say you'd be able to buy it any headshop when it hits market, but it'll probably be a controlled substance as well. I could see people dealing meth/ecstasy and this to get clean along with them.

Don't put seeds in it, most people don't want random bushes in the middle of the yard. And if you buy two or three of them over a kid's childhood, you'll have nothing but bushes in the yard.

Not to mention that what's native here isn't native in other places. Is it possible for plants to throw the ecosystem out of whack by introducing a new species? Would they tailor each fortress to the area that they ship to or sell it in to get around this? Then it wouldn't be as cheap. This is one of those silly things that makes a great quote when you're trying to impress people and sell an idea but is extremely impractical when put into practice.

One of the sexiest things I've ever seen on BB.

Somebody needs to tell that guy in the picture that his tire is flat and that wouldn't have happened if he had brought a BIG wheel to a big wheel race.

Remember when the Guiness book of World Records was actually interested in recording amazing feats? It all went downhill after that horrible Fox show.

People that are concerned about dropping laundry in the toilet: I feel for the women in your household because they'll never teach you to put the lid down.

Seriously though, how can this win if there's no pull-out workspace/counter in between the toilet and the washer? That seems like a no brainer to me.

Peep one-on-one combat is where it's at. Stick two peeps in the microwave with cocktail swords stuck in them, microwave until one duelist loses, eat the mess.

They're nice, I don't want to hate on the maker, but Hobbits and socks mesh together as well as Jeffrey Dahmer and vegetarian cookbooks.

Not street legal? Since when did that stop anyone? Here in Colorado nothing under 50cc has to be licensed. These are only 31cc, so they actually have more freedom to go where ever they want (including driving on the sidewalk). The price will probably be more of a restriction than anything.

During the pocketbike craze I got absolutely sick of dodging assholes ignoring stop signs and such in neighborhoods because they thought the law didn't apply to them. On the other hand this same licensing loophole lets people with Mopeds and scooters drive around cheaply and park on the sidewalks for free.

And be crazy.

And people are worried about the economy. Silly Humans.

#8: and isn't it interesting that only Obama's passport being looked at is mentioned in most of the other stories you'll see today? What's up with that?

At least it was an operation to add something, and not remove something. And who knows maybe a prosthetic anus would be awesome to have (In addition to a fat settlement).

This is a great example of the media overblowing a story. It's a 98% chance that these people are just Obama supporters that where curious. Just because they are contractors doesn't mean they have security clearance to look into these files. That they did it when it wasn't due to some work-related task is the only issue. Should they discipline these people? Yes. Should there be a minor investigation into whether these people are "Terrorists". Uhh maybe. Should I have seen this story 7 times in the last two hours across four different news outlets? No. Funny how I haven't heard about the people dying in Tibet today, but OMGWTFBBQ people looked at Obama's passport? Burn them! BURN THEM!!

When I worked at a Land title company, we had great fun thinking up people and looking at their titles. I looked at John Elway's, The then-Governor of Colorado's, Alice Cooper's, all sorts of people that lived in the area. It was all just curiosity, abeit mildly illegal (I think) and not job related.

So I don't get it. Is this so the consumer feels like they're getting a more sophisticated product? But the average consumer won't see it anyway. And wouldn't the company making the Eyeclops rather cut costs and not buy fake circuit board stickers? I can't wrap my head around the "why" of these stickers.

Err, I meant blind panic with quiet dread. Damn you dyslexia!

Wow, I need this. I have a bad habit of hitting the off button on the alarm when I intend to hit the snooze button. But I think I'd just forget to reconnect the wires before I went to bed instead.

And just FYI, my alarm clock starts out quiet and gets louder to avoid shocking it's user. It just replaces quiet dread with blind panic.

I live within the vicinity of the Jolly Rancher plant (could be closed, haven't been over there in a bit) and the Celestial Seasonings Tea plant. Both places make their respective neighborhoods smell like the products. My best friend's family had to move away from the Jolly Rancher plant because the smell was "maddening", but I hear nothing but wonderful things from the people that smell the Celestial Seasonings factory. Even as a non-coffee drinker I thought the smell of coffee as very pleasant. I guess I just have to say that people are weird.

Falling apart? The Millenium Falcon was a bucket of bolts according to some snooty hoes, but it was still bitchin. BID BID BID.

I don't care about the product, I just want to play "Explode Pigboat". With a name like that it has to be a GOTY contender.

#2, I agree. The universities should teach, not police. I'd say it's impossible to do both.

But with Peerguardian, forced encryption and a random listening port, they'll never catch copyright infringing students anyway.

There was a case here in the US (I know, this is the UK) where a man rigged a shotgun to go off if a trespasser opened a door. That eventually happened and the trespasser died. It was a big test of the "Make my day" law. Ultimately the courts decided that this wasn't covered under that law and the man was convicted of murder.

On the other hand, a few months a go a man shot and killed two robbers that were stealing from his neighbor's house and he hasn't been charged with anything. He was even on the phone with 911 (emergency dispatch) while he did it. And yes, this was in Texas.

But the railway tie is just plain stupid, couldn't he find something a little less lethal? Like baskets of cobras covered in land mines or something? I'd say he's an idiot, but he's managed to shoot his wife out of a catapult, he has a leg up on the rest of us guys.

I'd pay $25 for a disease-free monkey.

Bah, my work computer already does this without any attachment. Nothing like having the mouse freak out every 5 minutes.

I didn't get a chance to read all of the comments,but I completely agree with #12 and that's the nitty gritty of it. These people made stupid deals and now they are paying for it. It's not the government's fault, not the people that didn't take these dumb loans' fault, and it certainly isn't my fault. And yeah, the people that made these bad loans are paying for it too. Arguing that the workers didn't have a say is is BS. If you feel like your work is dishonest you don't have to do it.

I like the "compassionate but unsympathetic" phrase. It's time to take Darwin a little more seriously folks.

#12 Awesome pictures. I can't wait to make a new desktop when I get home. Thanks.

I don't know Prince Phillip (or his reputation) from Adam, but I'd like to sit down and have a drink with him. Except for the fairly racist indian comment, he's just speaking frankly or making a joke that probably wouldn't be offensive if not taken into context with the rest of these. Personally I think more leaders should speak more plainly.

Ok, I'll give you the "You look like you're ready for bed to the Nigerian diplomat is just bad diplomacy. But like someone said, if this is the worst quotes that they could come up with, he's could have done a lot worse.

penis. Pe-nis. PENIS. PEEEEEENIIIIIS. It's in medical textbooks, it's ok to say it. Don't let the Peggy Hills of the world hold back the rest of us.

I looked at the picture before reading anything and thought "Ohh cool, rocketship bendy straws."

I'd say the girl's daughter is going to be more aware of a penis shape now because the mom complained about it instead of just letting it go. Way to go mom. Nice parenting (according to your values anyway).

Awesome. Whoever makes these should seriously consider selling them on the web, they'd make a mint.

Airship, Yeah, I guess my comment was colored by my preconception that fake = cheap. I assumed that everyone thought like me (and I only read the BB post, not the link, stupid work filter). And mostly it was a puzzle to see how much of a fake gold bar one troy ounce of gold would cover at 1/16th of an inch thickness (and how much it would cost) to pass the time on lunch.

My grandmother liked to pan for gold, all this has really put into perspective how much that jar full of gold flake sitting on her kitchen ledge was really worth.

Not to mention that a very small fake gold bar(2 inches x 1 inch x 1 inch) would cost ~$4000US to make. Buy I guess if you have $4000 lying around...

On one hand I can see giving closure to the families of people missing, but is it worth it to put Manson on trial again giving him more publicity? Should we really make this guy's life more interesting?

And if the families of these alleged missing people have no inkling that their loved ones got tangled up with the Manson Family, does it help the families or create a whole new situation for them to wrap their heads around? I guess no one could really say conclusively except for the victim's families, but it's something to think about.

Personally I think Charles Manson should be left in his cell to rot. Unless this keeps him from getting out on parole (which he'll never get anyway) everything the law could do has already been done.

The only picture on the linked website of one not lit up (or it's lighter in the room than in the lamp) is pretty darn darn disgusting. I can only imagine what a member of the opposite sex would think the first time they saw your dwelling with a lump of flesh sitting on an end table.

I want one. But taking the toilet paper away from a fixed position in the bathroommeans I'd lose the tube somewhere, and end up s**t creek, so to speak.

As long as this is an innocuous attempt, cool.

If Verizon is doing this to make things cheaper for themselves, who cares? If they don't end up restricting people on networks that don't "play ball" and just greatly prefer people that are on their own network, more power to them. But don't do it at the cost of speed either.

Dog poop that biogrades within a day or two? Where do I get one of these amazing dogs?

I hope the quote from the NYT is just poor translation. “But not serious. Only several people got hurt.” really illustrates how desensitized people have become. Shouldn't people getting hurt be enough?

Because they must be manufactured using the soul of a dead orphan or forsaken child.

You should look into an LED DLP projector. The LEDs are rated at about 20,000 hours, but you can't replace them (yet anyway). But that's pretty comperable to an old CRT TV's life.

Travel Myth 2847:

You will not get mistaken for a menacing monster in South American towns when wandering drunk at night!"

Am I going to die?

I pity tha fool that doesn't have big centaur giblets!

It sounds like I need to move to Akron for some excitement, my kind of town.

Yet another product on Boingboing that makes me say "I have to have it" only to go into fits of laughter after I see the price. I was willing to spend $60-80US, but $120 is ridiculous. Maybe I'll go buy my own used canvas tent at the flea market for $10 and sew my own pair.

#7: If I remember the news correctly this morning, one euro is worth $1.54 US dollars, the weakest it's been since 1995.

I've adamantly resisted the evil allure of the iPhone, but peggle may push me over the edge. In addition to that the 3g version comes out just after my even eviler contract with Verizon is up.

Is there some techno-saviour I can pray to for redemption from this temptation? Maybe I just have to keep reminding myself that purchasing an iPhone dooms me into installing and using iTunes. *whew*, that was close.

What's the deal with these companies telling you to call them? When did this become an accepted practice? Verizon has done this to me this month. They call with an automated message to call them at some number about an important change in my plan. Why not just tell me what the heck that change is in the first place?

Comcast has done the same thing, except it was acutally a telemarketing call. Are you kidding me? You call me, so I call you, so you can try an sell me something? WTF.

I'm amazed that GoDaddy wouldn't actually call about the takedown. It would be like Public Service turning off my heat without calling or sending a letter. What cowards.

#13, at least that some of the money that we pay (I'm assuming you're talking about taxes) goes to fixing roads, school systems, etc. The money they pay goes no where but the Mafioso's pockets.

And if you're an American I hope you're not voting Democrat this year. You'll pay more for that wonderful healthcare they're promising.

Did you know in Canada the wait time for an OB/GYN to deliver your baby is 10 months? I hope you planned ahead!

They'll all use the government to destroy the economy anyway. Whether it be the Dems throwing money away on socialist healthcare, or the Republicans bleeding money on the Iraq war, they all suck. I might actually vote for Nader this year, not because I'm particularly enamored by him, but because the rest of these fools need a wake up call and Nader needs to get 5% of the popular vote for green party federal funding. Then real change can happen.

Wow, never even thought of the pest angle. We have a squirrel problem here, they come in through the vents of the apartment roof and nest in nooks and crannies. Usually where I keep my old grocery bags under the sink.

I went to the website to order some, but I'm not paying $200+ to build furniture so that squirrels and other critters can nest in it.

Good idea in theory, bad in long term practice. And looking at the assembly instructions it seems like it would take forever to put together a temporary structure like a tradeshow booth or something.

IF I could get Peggle on an iPhone, I would seriously consider buying one. And that's saying something. Generally I'd rather kiss the business end of a wood chipper than buy anything Apple.

Sorry for the double post, but I guess the graphic novels do make sense. Art and architecture still netted much more per book though.

And yeah, a book thief would never ask a clerk about a book that they were going to steal, not a smart one anyway.

I'm a former book thief, and this list surprises me. Unless they're hardbacks, signed, 1st editions or maybe plume editions of these books, they're fairly poor choices to steal for profit. The best money is in art and architecture coffee table books. Since the price tags on these books were between $50 and %150 dollars, you only had to get a few for it to add up, which meant less risk due to the fact that you didn't have expose yourself as a thief as many times when you were sticking them in your bag. Get ~$300 worth of books, and sell them to a used book store for 1/6 of the cover price, and you had netted enough for the daily fix and food.

In my town a used bookstore would laugh at you if you tried to sell any fiction for cash. Generally they only do trades for other used books for anything fiction and paperback. I remember selling a hardback copy of Ayn Rand's Atlast Shugged (With a cover price of like $39.99) for $4. I would suspect that most of these books are stolen to be read, as the bookstore doesn't pay cash for them (again, in my town). Or if they do for very pay cash certain authors, the thief probably wouldn't be very comfortable with returning to a used bookstore day after day, week after week with the same 4 titles to sell. A book thief doesn't come up with this scheme and do it just once.

On a side note, when I was doing this (1996ish) I knew at least 30 other people that were doing the same thing. Sometimes I would walk into a bookstore only to find the choice sections already wiped clean. It's a wonder that bookstores would even willingly buy and stock these books.

Before I get lambasted by indignant boingboing readers about stealing books, I would like to say that I regret my former profession (among many other things at that time in my life ) very, very much. I am an avid reader, and spend around $200-$300 a month on books nowadays.

And a special apology to the Tattered Cover, who needs to put in a working security system and not just a pretend one that doesn't actually go off when you walk out with a book. Not only is this store a great purveyor of books, it's owners are at the forefront of the advocacy of free speech and privacy in my state. My apologies.

I have two words for this thing: "Cool" and "Stolen". I can't see this hanging around in your average suburban neighborhood, much less my downtown one.

Shovel, definitely. You'll find all sorts of weird uses for it. I've even used mine as a fishing pole (with a small kit with hooks, line etc. that I keep in my emergency kit).

Like someone said above, a water purifier/pump is the way to go for your water supply. Screw carrying in water as long as you don't plan to camp in death valley. Taking a walk sans pack to a stream and carrying water back is much better than trying to bring it all in with you.

And the real important thing I have to say is that most state's fishing licenses have a small charge attached to them that pays for general search and rescue expenses. In Colorado they charge a grand total of $0.25 to be airlifted out by a heli in an emergency. Check to see if your state fishing license has this, and pay the ~$20 to get one. That way you can fish with your shovel at will as well.

In my experience you hold a magnifying glass over bugs to fry them. I hope it gives the comments in the past tense!