The Ottermanempire.com » science http://blog.theottermanempire.com A lib "otter" ian view from Phoenix,Arizona Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:08:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 If it’s really that simple, that singular, and involves the environment. It’s arguably wrong. Time to piss off the loco vores http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/11/if-its-really-that-simple-that-singular-and-involves-the-environment-its-arguably-wrong-loco-bores-may/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/11/if-its-really-that-simple-that-singular-and-involves-the-environment-its-arguably-wrong-loco-bores-may/#comments Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:17:24 +0000 Haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/11/if-its-really-that-simple-that-singular-and-involves-the-environment-its-arguably-wrong-loco-bores-may/ There’s an inverse relationship between technology, modern society and  return to a time that exists in Disney movies. Happy serfs one and all:)   What is it that drives those with the  least practical skills to want to go back to a lifestyle were they would be necessary for survival?    They planning on taking up the yoke as it were?

Anyway  nearly all attempts to take a massively complex system and put an apparently “common sense” reading on it  doesn’t quite  work.    Yes transit does use up resources but if you take the examples in this piece it’s ofter less than  forcing the local climate to support it. E.g if you could only eat that which  grows native to your locale it would totally suck. Suck as  in the malnutrition , scurvy and other fun  atavistic maladies sense.

The Food Miles Mistake: Saving the planet by eating New Zealand apples – Reason Magazine

Food miles are supposed to be a simple way to gauge food’s impact on climate change.

…Local food production does not always produce fewer greenhouse gas
emissions. For example, the 2005 DEFRA study found that British tomato
growers emit 2.4 metric tons of carbon dioxide for each ton of tomatoes
grown compared to 0.6 tons of carbon dioxide for each ton of Spanish
tomatoes….

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/11/if-its-really-that-simple-that-singular-and-involves-the-environment-its-arguably-wrong-loco-bores-may/feed/ 0 fifty percent of you will leave this post feeling better. Placebo the anti drug BBC Radio 4 series. http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/09/fifty-percent-of-you-will-leave-this-post-feeling-better-placebo-the-anti-drug-bbc-radio-4-series/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/09/fifty-percent-of-you-will-leave-this-post-feeling-better-placebo-the-anti-drug-bbc-radio-4-series/#comments Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:26:40 +0000 Haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/09/fifty-percent-of-you-will-leave-this-post-feeling-better-placebo-the-anti-drug-bbc-radio-4-series/ One of the greatest  losses of moving to the USA was that of the BBC Radio services. Sadly the BBC is funded by a tax  not for using their services but for the  gall of operating a TV  , Radio or Satellite receiver. Licensing electronic media  which is the ONLY practical location were people of limited means could  find out what’s up in their society,  you know get informed which is what we’re told is crucial to playing the  game that is democracy , is a pretty horrible way to behave. 

You must pay the $200+ a year to the BBC  even if you never use their service. Yet for free I can  access this programming over the net. ( odd that but I’m grateful anyway)

I listened to a short series about the placebo effect ,BBC – Radio 4 – Placebo, which  goes  into depths on just how much ” it’s all in the mind”   goes towards   reducing the perception of pain,  recovery time and  general mental well being.  Yep  sugar pills work , their analogs work  ( reiki, reflexology or anything that has a  believable story that your culture buys into )

In short

We feel what we expect to find  as long as we’re committed to that belief.
Reality can be changed by symbols , yep symbols really are for the symbol minded.
 
And advertising.. well :) that’s another story.

 

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/09/fifty-percent-of-you-will-leave-this-post-feeling-better-placebo-the-anti-drug-bbc-radio-4-series/feed/ 0 The future , soon? The irony is that the environmentalists may kill us off faster. http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/09/the-future-soon-the-irony-is-that-the-environmentalists-may-kill-us-off-faster/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/09/the-future-soon-the-irony-is-that-the-environmentalists-may-kill-us-off-faster/#comments Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:06:04 +0000 Haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/09/the-future-soon-the-irony-is-that-the-environmentalists-may-kill-us-off-faster/ Came across this item on the  Clean Technica blog which has a practical  view of energy that’s sadly lacking on those that oppose it. Hell in the UK when Torness , a nuclear power station, was being built many locals had a sticker that said “nuclear power? No thanks. Atop an image of the sun.  I laughed, I still laugh and to this day usually ascribe such glorious ignorance to those that   want to save the planet but ONLY  within their ideological boundaries on what’s comfy technology wise.  In most cases their comfort level is  fire , then you have the raw foodies who’ve not even gotten that far but more abuse on that natural crowd later.  Natural does not equal good in all, hell most cases. That people post these online rather than using a “natural” rock to stand and engage passers by with leads me to question their commitment to the atavistic tendencies that seem to serve them so well with the diet.   

Anyway.  Let’s get back to the portable nuclear generators and how fricking handy these will be if we can  avoid the people that work at Jiffy Lube ever getting these in for service.. :D

Answer to an Amory Lovins Disciple Who Believes in Conservation, Solar, Wind and Micropower : CleanTechnica

Hyperion Power Generation, for example, is focusing on a heating unit that is small enough to fit on the back of an over-the-road truck that can produce 70 MW of thermal energy constantly for several years. I spoke to the company founder for The Atomic Show Podcast and he explained how his company is establishing the supply chain needed to build 4,000 units that will be able to provide heat for about $3 per million BTU. By comparison, liquified natural gas sold in Japan last week for $20 per million BTU.

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/09/the-future-soon-the-irony-is-that-the-environmentalists-may-kill-us-off-faster/feed/ 0 Now this is cute. Invertebrates in space this SO needs to be made a plush toy. Come on Think Geek get on it! http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/09/now-this-is-cute-invertebrates-in-space-this-so-needs-to-be-made-a-plush-toy-come-on-think-geek-get-on-it/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/09/now-this-is-cute-invertebrates-in-space-this-so-needs-to-be-made-a-plush-toy-come-on-think-geek-get-on-it/#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2008 05:31:41 +0000 Haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/09/now-this-is-cute-invertebrates-in-space-this-so-needs-to-be-made-a-plush-toy-come-on-think-geek-get-on-it/ Invertebrate Astronauts Make Space History | Wired Science from Wired.com

 Erin was telling me that the “hardest” animal in existence could survive ,exposed, in the vacuum of space.  Bullshit I said, the hardest animal  is a pig with a flick knife and everybody knows that.  Looks like I was wrong. 

You’d never guess from looking at these clips that the millimeter-long
tardigrade is the world’s toughest animal, found from deep ocean to
Himalayan mountaintops, able to survive at a single degree above
absolute zero.

Tardigrade (Water Bear)

These things are so cute that there needs to be a plushie made in their honour.  I look forward to sharing their DNA soon. :D

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/09/now-this-is-cute-invertebrates-in-space-this-so-needs-to-be-made-a-plush-toy-come-on-think-geek-get-on-it/feed/ 0 Penn and Teller. by looking for what you are missing , you may find that your missing even more. http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/08/p-and-t-look-what-you-are-missing-you-may-find-that-your-missing-even-more/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/08/p-and-t-look-what-you-are-missing-you-may-find-that-your-missing-even-more/#comments Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:19:34 +0000 Haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=982

Erin with Teller. ( I love his voice, his writing’s rather good too)

I’ve been a fan of Penn and Teller since being exposed to them in the mid 80′s and one of the life goals, as far as I have plans, was to see them perform live. That’s another collective 40 years experience up on stage and if they were great in the 80′s they are now fucking amazing. During the intervening time I didn’t turn out to be an atheist as I always was one, as are all newborns it’s only the prevailing culture that tells a three year old that he’s a Christian child and sadly he’s doomed to burn in hell unless he thanks the zombie jew for his gift of ever lasting life, feeling sick yet?

There’s enough material on who Penn and Teller what they believe in and their reputation as the bad boys of magic when most of the mainstream ,magically speaking, were just bad. Note I said mainstream since there are amazing entertainers such as Jamy Ian Swiss, Jerry Sadowitz and Tom Mullica ( Well he makes me laugh)

I kinda have to mention the Pendragons as the other act I’d love to see live and not just because she’s hot. She’s hot and they’re talented.

That’s not telling you much about P an T though but I wanted to let you know I am predisposed to magic as an art form and non belief as a science.

The show is 80 minutes long and costs about $1 a minute , that may sound high but think about how long it takes to swallow a $5 beer, not that high now is it?

What you get is not just entertainment but some amazingly open lessons on just how fallible we are when we’re paying attention to that which others wish us to look at. Their usage of a video camera in one piece had an audience member focusing on the close up magic for the big screen while they are missing the large changes going on around them all while they pull a meta magical moment by pulling the same trick on the audience. That’s a big lesson people think they can spot the obvious but study after study has shown that a preoccupied brain misses the elephant, or bear, in the room. It’s hilarious until you take it out side of the theater and realize that it’s our default view. Just try to see the person in front of you when looking through a 2000 year old lens.

Secondly, and still on the topic of invisible friends, the attack on psychics ( as Penn says fake psychic is a redundant term) in a manner that’s far more humane than I have been able to come up with. E.g. the believer isn’t stupid, just that they made a mistake in choosing to believe an evil human. I don’t think that works, works for people with the belief but isn’t that a regressive statement to the point were the person starting the religion is the only evil one out there:)

They still have some pg13 moments, include art ( Fire eating is , well not a trick it’s exactly as described) and the bullet trick , the way they do it, continues to amaze.

I love seeing the transparent cup and balls and Teller’s pet red ball which I am failing to recall the name of, regardless, it’s a thing of beauty. Toss in the flag burning , or is it, the live music and their willingness to sign and meet with the audience afterward this was for once, a nice birthday outing. That they expose themselves to idiots like me that try not to go cotton mouth / blurt or ask silly questions plus sign my metal bill of rights is too classy for word. Actually my question is a good one but likely not a fair one to ask and will be the subject of another post.

Bought Penn’s book, Sock, so look out for a review on that.

Sock
by Penn Jillette

Read more about this book…

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2008/08/p-and-t-look-what-you-are-missing-you-may-find-that-your-missing-even-more/feed/ 0 She’s a brick and I’m taking your eye out. LEGO as a WMD http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/08/shes-a-brick-and-im-taking-your-eye-out-lego-as-a-wmd/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/08/shes-a-brick-and-im-taking-your-eye-out-lego-as-a-wmd/#comments Thu, 23 Aug 2007 21:16:30 +0000 Haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/08/23/shes-a-brick-and-im-taking-your-eye-out-lego-as-a-wmd/ Seemingly I was not the only one with a misspent childhood.  With access to guns, a scrapyard , welding gear and about any dangerous farmyard tool that have caught the unwary  over the years I still wanted to make my toys more , well, interesting.  So it’s with great joy that I  find that there’s a book coming out devoted to the art of the plastic projectile launcher.    I managed to get an  2  x 12  to stick into drywall using rubber bands x 3 and a massively and in retrospect  a wasteful  design that was more likely to me having a face full of bricks than forward motion.  How long till the TSA bans blocks;)

 
Boing Boing: Forbidden Lego: dangerous Lego projects!

Forbidden Lego, a new book from No Starch Press, is a compendium of recipes for building anti-social Lego projects — looks like good, eye-removing fun.

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/08/shes-a-brick-and-im-taking-your-eye-out-lego-as-a-wmd/feed/ 0 Accountability in public office Chinese “take out” their “FDA” Head http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/07/accountability-in-public-office-chinese-take-out-their-fda-head/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/07/accountability-in-public-office-chinese-take-out-their-fda-head/#comments Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:07:33 +0000 Haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/07/10/accountability-in-public-office-chinese-take-out-their-fda-head/ All we do is subject our official to is public ridicule and a cozy life in the private sector after a quiet period. China seem to take corruption just a tad more seriously.  Oddly enough it’s better here, more democratic, e.g you bribe more people;)

China executes former food and drug safety chief

BEIJING – China executed the former head of its food and drug watchdog on Tuesday for approving untested medicine in exchange for cash, the strongest signal yet from Beijing that it is serious about tackling its product safety crisis.

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/07/accountability-in-public-office-chinese-take-out-their-fda-head/feed/ 0 What happens when renewable energy requires non renewable sources to function? http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/06/what-happens-when-renewable-energy-requires-non-renewable-sources-to-function/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/06/what-happens-when-renewable-energy-requires-non-renewable-sources-to-function/#comments Sun, 03 Jun 2007 20:37:01 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=504 The law of unintended consequences has better representation  presently than we do as a race. It’s nice that we have a myriad of ways  to attempt to keep living in the manner to which a certain part of the world has been accustomed but where the real work seems to be lacking in removing the need for the need to  try to maintain a status quo that’s so brief a time in our history  is weird.
 How much energy we waste just to have people show up  same time, same place to interact remotely with those they never see face to face based on what?  a fear your employees will “steal” and goof off your time?   Some will, and already do,   because as long as we still keep seeing most things as  jobs ,  things you -have- to be paid to do and ends up with us treating  people with the level of contempt that causes.

Seriously, adults  checking up on  the bowel movements  of those with a different job title   leads to what benefit to the customer?  Bad enough  you have to suffer the “piss police” and their shoddy  inaccurate tests ,that can’t tell a cold medicine from a drug , but grown people  having to account for the time they took to shit?   Until that mindset alters I’m not sure how much we gain by making the transport to and from the workplace archipelago more efficient.

Well that was a nice digression.  New Scientist has an article that asks what next? Prior to us even getting into the  efficient non polluting technologies ( least in then conventional sense) we’re basing most of this tech on rare and pretty much unknown  reserves materials  like  platinum, tantalum and gallium  the latter two rather useful in semi conductors and solar panel construction.

Earth’s natural wealth: an audit – earth – 23 May 2007 – New Scientist Environment

This could prove lucrative, but Prichard is motivated by something far more significant than the chance of a quick buck. Platinum is a vital component not only of catalytic converters but also of fuel cells – and supplies are running out. It has been estimated that if all the 500 million vehicles in use today were re-equipped with fuel cells, operating losses would mean that all the world’s sources of platinum would be exhausted within 15 years. Unlike with oil or diamonds, there is no synthetic alternative: platinum is a chemical element, and once we have used it all there is no way on earth of getting any more. What price then pollution-free cities?

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/06/what-happens-when-renewable-energy-requires-non-renewable-sources-to-function/feed/ 0 Remember that you’re standing on a planet that’s evolving and revolving.. Nikon gives us perspective http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/03/remember-that-youre-standing-on-a-planet-thats-evolving-and-revolving-nikon-gives-us-perspective/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/03/remember-that-youre-standing-on-a-planet-thats-evolving-and-revolving-nikon-gives-us-perspective/#comments Sat, 31 Mar 2007 18:40:52 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=451 Nikon | Universcale

Nikon’s total perspective flash,”Universescale” is missing the fairy cake but can take you all the way from femto meters to light years with interesting stops along the way. I still think HHGTTG put it best.

“Space,” it says, “is big. Really really big. You just wont believe how vastly, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean you think it’s a long way down the street to the chemist but that’s just peanuts to space,”

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/03/remember-that-youre-standing-on-a-planet-thats-evolving-and-revolving-nikon-gives-us-perspective/feed/ 0 Today I had a Sunday go to meeting bun.. ( First non theist "church" http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/03/today-i-had-a-sunday-go-to-meeting-bun-first-non-theist-church/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/03/today-i-had-a-sunday-go-to-meeting-bun-first-non-theist-church/#comments Mon, 05 Mar 2007 06:48:20 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=428 Holy shit,  has hell frozen over?  Er no it doesn’t exist and besides it would need to exist first.  Anyway it was the inaugaral  meeting of the first non theist “church” , there’s still debate over using that part as a word, I mean  from the Greek,”house of the lord” it seems to have an insurmountable issues.  That being said I totally arsed up the recording  due to unfamiliarity with the recorder (which I own so I am in the dumbass club tonight)   It’s very early days yet I probably am going to assist with the web community and recording / podcasting the  sermons and trying to get more people involved that way.

Come on in , we have no sin:)  More on this soon but I don’t have the time tonight.

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2007/03/today-i-had-a-sunday-go-to-meeting-bun-first-non-theist-church/feed/ 0 Sick the baby, don’t sick the baby… Sick the baby crash.. http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/12/sick-the-baby-dont-sick-the-baby-sick-the-baby-crash/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/12/sick-the-baby-dont-sick-the-baby-sick-the-baby-crash/#comments Wed, 20 Dec 2006 01:30:25 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=242 My little flapping head “Ike”  had to recalled once more from daycare, the day part is at least correct, for going rashy/ spotty over much of the body.  It looks very much like a reaction to, not necessarily allergic,  the amoxycillin. Dobh’s fine with it, I’m not that happy though  I’ve never taken so much time off on an ad hoc basis since day care was involved it’s a shocking piss poor compromise that you either have to be

earn over 100k on one income 

Be poor enough to have morons like me pay for your daycare ( thanks Janet) 

If you are in the middle ground you end up needing to nearly  double your salary to get back in real terms what you can  get from the “state” for free, oh and pay no taxes doing it.

Rant coming.. ANGRY    for once though I can  bring up my child, someone other than myself , see I’m not a self centered capitalist  I also wuv my family That  nearly 50% of my salary goes to paying for food, for daycare,for medical care  for just about every other need we have to provide for our kid  is supplied gratis to others  by the state holding a gun to our heads and “inviting” us to pay.  It’s a shite state of affairs Tommy and all the fucking Red Rock in the world ain’t going to change it” 

 

While I am in a pissed off mood   this time.. at myself. I once passed my radio ham test, I must have known how to explain waves and propogation and various other bits of info that would make my current project easier.  Today  I realised that  “just so” is useless as a way to pass info and that not understanding the why  is pointless even if you know the how.. :)   I feel an expensive educational solution coming on:)

Failing that I will continue to wallow in my ignorance.

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/12/sick-the-baby-dont-sick-the-baby-sick-the-baby-crash/feed/ 0 The British are going, the British are going. Where we move to when leaving the UK http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/12/the-british-are-going-the-british-are-going-where-we-move-to-when-leaving-the-uk/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/12/the-british-are-going-the-british-are-going-where-we-move-to-when-leaving-the-uk/#comments Tue, 12 Dec 2006 00:44:27 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=229 Only 5.5 million?  of my “fellow countrymen” have escaped that nightmare of poor drink chilling, socialist bullshit nanny state , can’t mass produce a decent car without having an external company do it and home to the most pathetic games on the planet, CRICKET , SNOOKER And QUEING politely. 

So where do we all escape to?    Mainly USA, OZ, NZ and then Europe. 

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/12/the-british-are-going-the-british-are-going-where-we-move-to-when-leaving-the-uk/feed/ 0 Need Another Stupid Anchor? Exploring the space between Couric’s ears http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/10/need-another-stupid-anchor-exploring-the-space-between-courics-ears/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/10/need-another-stupid-anchor-exploring-the-space-between-courics-ears/#comments Thu, 19 Oct 2006 06:32:26 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=151 News anchor wonders if the money from NASA buys us anything which as the commenters to their blog remind them of the benefits right under her nose.Firstly it’s nice that the comments are in place since they are harsher than you usually see talkback taking. I.e it’s not just name calling, though there are some really good ones,  

The Bad Astronomer takes her down   with some choice phrases

Look, I know a lot of people don’t know this stuff. I know, too, that NASA could do a better job of talking about this kind of stuff. I also know Ms. Couric is not a journalist, but c’mon, she plays one on TV. It’s simplicity itself to actually, y’know, do some research.

Love it.   People make their voting choices based on these talking heads, I tell you we’re scroomed

 

*screwed and doomed.

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/10/need-another-stupid-anchor-exploring-the-space-between-courics-ears/feed/ 0 Pregnant women infected by cat parasite more likely to give birth to boys, say researchers http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/10/pregnant-women-infected-by-cat-parasite-more-likely-to-give-birth-to-boys-say-researchers/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/10/pregnant-women-infected-by-cat-parasite-more-likely-to-give-birth-to-boys-say-researchers/#comments Thu, 12 Oct 2006 07:13:18 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=143 Guardian Unlimited | Science | Pregnant women infected by cat parasite more likely to give birth to boys, say researchers

Counter intuitive.. Don’t cats need more crazy old ladies to keep them than men?  Maybe we have to ask what the parasite wants?

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/10/pregnant-women-infected-by-cat-parasite-more-likely-to-give-birth-to-boys-say-researchers/feed/ 0 Determinism – another Franks you very much mental mindfuck http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/08/determinism-another-franks-you-very-much-mental-mindfuck/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/08/determinism-another-franks-you-very-much-mental-mindfuck/#comments Mon, 28 Aug 2006 07:18:01 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=106 Determinism – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Narrator: ( you know the guy with no fucking neck)

There are those that say that free will is an illusion and that it’s but a figment of the mind possesing a complete picture of the universe  it is perceiving.
We “have” to have this or a god would be kinda #1 bastard of the ‘verse .( should one exist) to condemn people to the role of actors where the part you are studying for is baby with a hole in heart #2 or rape victim. Most godheads claim free will is a must for the very reason it’s kinda horrible to think that we’re mechanical animals truly damned by  a very unoriginal sin , poor craftsmanship, to star in the soap opera that’s planet Earth. ( I’m rather undecided about the theories advanced by the other participants since it falls into my “no practical use” category.
So this was a topic around the campfire this weekend which included such joys as primate penis size, sperm competition, women that have fought off all the shackles of their faith apart from their model of how men/women should form relationships and whether a Doctor that refuses to inform rape victims of mitigating treatment to prevent pregnancy  can be counted as a Doctor and not some  Doctor like object.. kinda like a Taxi Driver that will get you to the airport but only  by using right turns.

More on the no practical use. Even if determinism  , of the seemingly fatalistic kind, was 100% true    what action can one take?  More dangerously ,should it be a total pile of horseshit,  what harm would the  inaction do to a person convinced by this argument?   Later, I’m determined to get some rest.

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/08/determinism-another-franks-you-very-much-mental-mindfuck/feed/ 0 Planet? Schmanet ,,,Janet! Pluto.. hoisted by its own petard http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/08/planet-schmanet-janet-pluto-hoisted-by-its-own-petard/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/08/planet-schmanet-janet-pluto-hoisted-by-its-own-petard/#comments Thu, 24 Aug 2006 19:51:21 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=104 CNN.com – Pluto gets the boot – Aug 24, 2006

pluto, how ironic,
“death” to a “planet” leaving
just a goofy rock

Isn’t defining things fun?  See how ephemeral most of this shit is?

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/08/planet-schmanet-janet-pluto-hoisted-by-its-own-petard/feed/ 0 CNN.com – Study: Hybrid cars will pay for themselves over time ..wrong tax payers are forced to assist. http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/08/cnncom-study-hybrid-cars-will-pay-for-themselves-over-time-wrong-tax-payers-are-forced-to-assist/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/08/cnncom-study-hybrid-cars-will-pay-for-themselves-over-time-wrong-tax-payers-are-forced-to-assist/#comments Wed, 23 Aug 2006 02:53:28 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=102 CNN.com – Study: Hybrid cars will pay for themselves over time – Aug 22, 2006

DETROIT (Reuters) — Some hybrid cars will make up for their premium cost because of higher gas prices and tax credits from the U.S. government

Credits from WHOM? Jesus it’s not the U.S gov it’s everybody that pays taxes driver or not. To say that a hybrid , costing 10k more than a suitable alternative ( yeah cheap Kia) but still, has to make up 10k plus in fuel savings over its life. ( most break even points at today’s price’s come in at $40k a year. If you don’t have a long commute or gas goes to $8 a gallon most of the hybrids touted wont break, have higher servicing costs. Current diesels, way cleaner than their forebears, already do 50mpg. No tax breaks,less complex and longer lasting engines yet.. yet. seemingly they have a sucky lobbyist group.:D

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/08/cnncom-study-hybrid-cars-will-pay-for-themselves-over-time-wrong-tax-payers-are-forced-to-assist/feed/ 0 chemistry on a plane? http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/08/chemistry-on-a-plane/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/08/chemistry-on-a-plane/#comments Sun, 20 Aug 2006 19:36:11 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=97 Mass murder in the skies: was the plot feasible? [printer-friendly] | The Register

After a few hours – assuming, by some miracle, that the fumes haven’t overcome you or alerted passengers or the flight crew to your activities – you’ll have a quantity of TATP with which to carry out your mission. Now all you need to do is dry it for an hour or two.

Binary explosives , while we’re still waiting to hear from the UK re the  alledged plot to bring down the planes the language coming from the gov is rather amusing and  until they show up with  people possessing passports ( useful for getting aboard a plane so I hear,  and a working method on how to create a practical device  it would all seem a little .. unbelievable?
I may just as well intend to build a teleporter to remove all the gold from fort knox, oh and a time machine to go back to when there really was enough to  make such an endeavour worthwhile.

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/08/chemistry-on-a-plane/feed/ 0 Vee for Vot the Vuck is up with the UK . Thought Police now http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/08/vee-for-vot-the-vuck-is-up-with-the-uk-thought-police-now/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/08/vee-for-vot-the-vuck-is-up-with-the-uk-thought-police-now/#comments Mon, 07 Aug 2006 15:26:59 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=78 Usually the UK lags the states by about 10-15 years in their rush towards a police state it looks like they are taking a slight lead for the time being.

Check out this UK Documentary with yet another Hitchens, nope it’s not Christopher this time and if you’re having any doubts which side of the phrase.

“we’re from the government we’re here to help you”  you are on hopefully this will further help you.

Having been on the wrong end of an extremely serious accusation in the UK, police, actually in this case I prefer the term Pigs like to threaten those on the periphery with whatever crime they thought has taken place rather than use common sense to determine what’s occurred. E.g They are not your friends. Sadly the vast majority of people haven’t had such experience and maintain that those with nothing to hide , have nothing to fear. Just wait till they get granular enough :)

Hey mate, yer papers guv’nor

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/08/vee-for-vot-the-vuck-is-up-with-the-uk-thought-police-now/feed/ 0 Guardian Unlimited Boiled alive. And yet I chose to live in Phoenix.. Mad dogs and ,er scotsman out in the midday sun. http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/07/guardian-unlimited-boiled-alive-and-yet-i-chose-to-live-in-phoenix-mad-dogs-and-er-scotsman-out-in-the-midday-sun/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/07/guardian-unlimited-boiled-alive-and-yet-i-chose-to-live-in-phoenix-mad-dogs-and-er-scotsman-out-in-the-midday-sun/#comments Wed, 26 Jul 2006 06:21:10 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=69 Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Boiled alive

Kinda redundant since I live in PHX but you’ld be amazed how many people don’t get it that 118 degrees and no water + exposure = crappy death. Anyway the point of bringing this up was just how easy it is to rile a popluation up over something new while ongoing acceptable methods of death are happily allowed to continue. Case in point, Firearms kill less children than swimming pools from accidental deaths but the comfort level with pools is seemingly way higher than it is with guns which is a shame since dead = dead no matter how you get there. So bird flu versus boring medical deaths, yep more people die monthly in the US re medical mistakes than WHO have attributed to bird flu on the WHOLE planet.

The surprise at the heat was matched only by shock at the scale of the human casualties it caused: more than 2,000 people died in Britain, 7,000 in Germany, 4,000 in Spain and 1,000 in Italy. The largest casualties were in France, where almost 15,000 perished in the first three weeks of August, more than 19 times the global death toll from the Sars epidemic earlier that year.

Amazing how many people worry about the next big thing when all the old killers seem to get a pass seemingly the democratic oath taken here is “do no thinking”

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/07/guardian-unlimited-boiled-alive-and-yet-i-chose-to-live-in-phoenix-mad-dogs-and-er-scotsman-out-in-the-midday-sun/feed/ 0 Christians and Nazi’s together at last ( ok least in this post) http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/06/christians-and-nazis-together-at-last-ok-least-in-this-post/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/06/christians-and-nazis-together-at-last-ok-least-in-this-post/#comments Tue, 20 Jun 2006 02:42:35 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=37 Some items of interest from my feed based diet.

Sploid: America loves Nazis Sometimes there’s not an Ominous Parallel but a straight frigging line.

Dark ages  the sequel Abilard lets off a little steam on those that burn history  are…

The type of article  on market anarchism that’s removing my transitional minarchist leanings into something as yet undefined.

Sadly most of the day was taken up with work   which is a good thing:)

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/06/christians-and-nazis-together-at-last-ok-least-in-this-post/feed/ 0 Watching food is now bad for your health. Fuck you very much the FCC http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/06/watching-food-is-now-bad-for-your-health-fuck-you-very-much-the-fcc/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/06/watching-food-is-now-bad-for-your-health-fuck-you-very-much-the-fcc/#comments Fri, 16 Jun 2006 06:09:01 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=28 BBC NEWS | Health | Call for tougher junk food ad ban

While I would claim to be thoroughly disgusted with President Bush signing into law the ability for the FCC to levy massive fines for indecency against broadcasters on the grounds that seeing or hearing bodilly or excretory functions is more damaging than the mutilated remains of our enemies plastered over the news at all hours to children. To me the FCC should not exist in this role it seems to contradict amendment one and the “shall make no law” part that they’d like immigrants to be able to recall yet not think too hard about. Thinking about it is indecent , I mean, can you really think about complaint mills such as the Parent’s television council members sending in 4000 complaints without ever seeing the offending item, essentially lying for their “greater good” without going “what the fuck”
Egregious as this is it’s small deep fried potatos in a partially hydrogenated  fat laden salty dish compared to the social engineering the nanny state that is the United Kingdom is up to. Advertising foods that may not be healthful when used daily is the reason that children are obese. Ok, these kids seemingly don’t have parents,

“It claims more than two-thirds of parents would support such a move.”

Oh sorry they do have parents. I am puzzled. Back to my childhood.   I couldn’t buy much of  anything without my parents consent. I had no salary, transport  or ways in which to store my hoard of illicit calories.   Having a child has taught me one thing. That all the people that have used ” it’s different  when you have kids you won’t feel the same way “  as an evasion to promote their own socialist utopian fantasies were wrong, probably  evil and exactly the kind of people that Dobhran should avoid.

Dan Carlin’s podcast  often comments on “the fat police“  and the infantilizing of America by the people that just won’t leave us alone.  Once they pay for my health care they can have a legitimate concern on my actions until then..  EAT ME ..

I didn’t even get started on how the joke that is the 4th amendment was further shat upon by SCOTUS today which once more argued that JBT  safety overrides any protections to those without the privilige of belonging to the badged classes.

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]]> http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/06/watching-food-is-now-bad-for-your-health-fuck-you-very-much-the-fcc/feed/ 2 Darwin Award? 2 College students found dead inside deflated balloon http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/06/darwin-award-2-college-students-found-dead-inside-deflated-balloon/ http://blog.theottermanempire.com/2006/06/darwin-award-2-college-students-found-dead-inside-deflated-balloon/#comments Sun, 04 Jun 2006 18:40:00 +0000 haltse http://blog.theottermanempire.com/?p=23 CNN.com – 2 found dead inside deflated balloon – Jun 4, 2006

If you fill a balloon with helium where does the oxygen go?  Seemingly that’s something that high school failed to address.
This falls into the Simpson’s category  “It’s funny because it’s not me” . We can put a check on the irony category too.  An advertising major killed by advertising. They wanted to get into advertising but the advertising got into them after they had gotten into it.
Either that or had they listened to Bill Hicks and decided to take the honorable way out?

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