- From the “Tax Dollars at Work” Department – The Marine Corps is shelving two robotics projects. In one, the robot can only carry about 40 pounds and requires constant operator input. In the other, the robot can go for 48 hours straight, but apparently its gas motor is a tad loud. So, basically, it took $42 million to figure out that the if the Marines wanted something that can carry 40 pounds and needs constant supervision, they can get another private, as well as figuring out that a pack mule that sounds like a leaf blower isn’t such a good idea when out on patrol. I’d make a joke here, but that’d be like beating a dead, robotic mule.
- From the “Money Doesn’t Buy Intelligence” Department – Police report that a pizza order via cell phone led them to a mother and son pair of fugitives. The son became famous a few years ago after his defense for killing people while driving drunk was “Hey, I’m rich and my parents indulged me too much!”. He was given ten years of probation in exchange for killing four people, and he apparently couldn’t even do that right. Authorities pledge to try to do better this time, and are reportedly planning on having the young man go to his room to think about what he’s done, and this time they mean it.
- From the “Hands in the Cookie Jar” Department – The NSA, which really ought to know better, has been caught out listening in on not only the conversations of Israeli politicians, but also those of U.S. officials. Now, let’s be brutally honest here: there is no problem with the United States government conducting intelligence against Israel if that furthers a United States national security objective. This is the real world, and governments read each other’s mail. However, the moment that somebody realized that somebody in the conversation was a U.S. citizen, much less a member of Congress, they really ought to have pulled the plug. Seriously, this is the kind of thing that ought to send somebody to jail. I find it instructive that the White House rather artfully dodged discussion of the NSA intercepting conversations that involved members of Congress. I won’t hold my breath while waiting for somebody to be disciplined for this.
- From the “Dumbass” Department – A police officer in Iowa is in trouble after he fired his weapon while practicing his ‘quick draw.’ Officer Hopalong apparently decided that it was not only a good idea to practice his draw while at an airport, but also to do it with a loaded firearm and not keep his #!@#$!@ booger hook off the #$!#@$!@ bang switch. In response to this incident, his department has mandated that firearms training and practice not happen at airports.
News Roundup
Posted by daddybear71 on December 30, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/12/30/news-roundup-249/
Musings
- When working with sewer augurs, it is always a good idea to have the correct cutting head before leaving the rental place.
- Cast iron pipes do not have any elasticity at room temperature. Please make a note of that.
- New family rule – If you’re good at the vet, you get french fries on the way home.
- The chicken sandwich, on the other hand, is not yours, no matter how much you beg and try to sit in the driver’s lap.
- Siamese cats make for outstanding companions while working a night shift in the basement.
- Putting “2001: A Space Odyssey” on the computer before you go to sleep for the day makes for some rather interesting dreams.
- The first 20 minutes or so of that movie always remind me of family. I’m not sure why.
Posted by daddybear71 on December 30, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/12/30/musings-176/
Restaurant Review – El Caporal
Louisville is fortunate in having two good local chains for Tex-Mex food. Today, let’s look at El Caporal.
El Caporal’s menu has a pretty standard mid-western Tex-Mex selection. I like the Camerones del Diablo or the Steak Ranchero. Irish Woman likes the Burrito Enamorado or one of the combinations. Boo, who is a bit of a picky eater, has never turned his nose up at anything on the menu. Portions are generous, and the food is tasty, with just enough spice to taste good.
Service has always been excellent, friendly, and always helpful if the customer needs help finding something they’ll enjoy. Once, we took the kids out for dinner, and one of them wanted a fish selection. The waiter, knowing that most people aren’t ready to get a whole fish on a plate, went back and got the fish to show us what to expect. You won’t get that from most waiters.
I’ve never had one of their margaritas, but I have it on good authority that they are quite scrumptious. Their selection of draft beer is good, but not exceptional.
Dinner for two adults, including non-alcoholic drinks and an appetizer, usually comes to just shy of $30, which is about par for the course in this market.
El Caporal has three locations in Louisville, and all are pretty easy to get to. If you’re downtown or near the fairgrounds, the location in Beuchel takes about ten to fifteen minutes to get to. In the east end, the restaurant on Blankenbaker Parkway is less than five minutes from Interstate 64. The location in Crestwood is a bit off the beaten path, but is easy to find once you get out there. Irish Woman and I normally go to the Blankenbaker location, and parking is always ample.
This is our go-to restaurant for Mexican in Louisville, and I definitely recommend it for families or small groups of friends.
Posted by daddybear71 on December 27, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/12/27/restaurant-review-el-caporal/
Musings
- Girlie Bear successfully lost her fifth cell phone this weekend. It’s somewhere in the house, but short of picking the house up and shaking it to see what falls out, we’re out of places to look.
- Boo had a good Christmas, and between the books and art supplies, he should be well occupied for a long time.
- Girlie Bear got clothes and luggage. She seemed pleased.
- Irish Woman’s principle gifts were jewelry and pajamas. She’s been proudly wearing both for the past two days.
- I was blessed to receive hand tools and coffee for Christmas. The family really knows me, don’t they?
- I have in my possession tickets to take the kids to see the new Star Wars movie, tickets to see Alton Brown perform in the springtime, and reservations for LibertyCon. I haven’t felt this much nerd in a long time.
- One good thing about being on night shift for a long stretch is that eventually you get used to it. One bad thing about being on night shift is that eventually you have to flip back. Another is that I’m only getting a few days of ‘normal’ before I go back on nights for a week.
- There are few things more disheartening than finishing a story that you really enjoyed writing, re-reading it, and discovering that you ripped off somebody else’s blogpost, a childhood cartoon, and quite possibly the premise for a well-known author’s flagship series. Oh, well, maybe I can fix it with a re-write.
- On the Via Serica Book 2 front, research is progressing. The internet is a wonderful thing when you’re trying to find information sources about obscure places 2000 years ago.
- There was a ton of rather dramatic socio-political stuff going on in the decade before the birth of Christ, and not just in Europe. I’m going to have to do a lot of timelining to make sure I don’t a) miss something important or b) get it totally wrong.
Posted by daddybear71 on December 27, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/12/27/musings-175/
Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on December 25, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/12/25/todays-earworm-597/
Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on December 24, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/12/24/todays-earworm-685/
Geek Christmas Carols
Yeah, I’m finally in the mood. Not the Christmas mood, just a mood.
Jingle bells, UNIX smells
Windows laid an egg
The mainframe it just vapor locked
But the VAX is A-OK!
I’m dreaming of a white laptop
Just like Jobs used to sell
With a one button mouse
It costs as much as a house
But it goes with black turtlenecks so well!
The users called me
The network is down
They can’t surf their pr0n
The network is down
The tech is on his way
The network is down
Email jokes can’t be sent!
The network is down
Network is down
Network is down
Silent NOC
Happy NOC
No alerts
No drama
Reading a novel
And eating take-out
Hoping my shift
is quiet no doubt
Keep my board clea–ar
Ke-ep my board so clear
Just see those servers crashing
And hard drives thrashing
Oh joy!
This is a…
View original post 10 more words
Posted by daddybear71 on December 24, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/12/24/geek-christmas-carols-2/
Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on December 23, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/12/23/todays-earworm-684/
Movie Review – The Force Awakens
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is the seventh installment in the Star Wars saga. Directed by J.J. Abrams, the movie takes place a few decades after “Return of the Jedi“.
Plot Synopsis: Go buy a ticket and watch the movie. Seriously, I’m not going to spoil it for you. NOTE – There are spoilers below the fold at the end of the open review. Don’t go there if you want to be surprised in the theater.
The cast includes old favorites like Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford, and they are joined by new talent Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Adam Driver. Also making appearances are Anthony Daniels as C3P0 and Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca.
Overall, the acting was very well done. The bright spot was Daisy Ridley as Rey, the female lead, although Boyega’s work as Finn was also entertaining. Ford, Fisher, and Hamill bring continuity from the original trilogy, and their characters did not overwhelm the new storyline.
The music was, as always, exceptional. John Williams picked up where he left off with the other movies, and his music was woven into the movie as seamlessly as one could hope. It was almost always there, but it never asserted itself as the focal point once the movie moved beyond the initial story crawl.
The special effects were outstanding. Honestly, I thought they looked better than what we saw in the prequels, and that was the only thing that impressed me about those movies. Abrams does a good job of making the special effects support the characters and story, instead of the reverse found in the prequels.
There were a few problems with the plot, which I will get into below the fold. However, this was a good movie. It was fun, and it followed a definite plot without delving into philosophy or discussions about points of view. The good characters were good, the bad characters were, for the most part, bad, and they were all trying to get somewhere.
Overall, I’d give this movie a B+. It’s not the best Star Wars movie, but it’s certainly better than most. It’s not the pinnacle of American cinema, but it’s a lot of fun and it kept me engaged through its entire 2 hour run. It made for a good date movie, and it’s appropriate for children who can handle the original trilogy.
Best part – No Jar Jar, no midiclorians, and no obnoxious nine-year-olds hitting on the teenage lead.
Warning – Spoilers ahead!
Posted by daddybear71 on December 23, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/12/23/movie-review-the-force-awakens/
Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on December 22, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/12/22/todays-earworm-683/
DaddyBear
DaddyBear’s Den 