UT Hacker Indicted

This dude really screwed the pooch. I really don't know what he expected to happen. Anyway, the UT Knoxville student that hacked Sarah Palin's email account has finally been indicted. He faces five years in prison and a 250,000 dollar fine.

Painting of the Day

Artist: Rene Magritte

Title: Elementary Cosmogony

Knoxville Brewers Jam

Heads up! The Knoxville Brewers Jam is the weekend on Saturday. I have never been but I hear it is a good time. Also, they are limiting the tickets this year so you might do well ordering them online.

Dow Down Again

As of right now the Dow is down today about 230 points. Is this ever going to end? I thought the bail-out was supposed to help.

Personal Info Consolidation

The federal government now wants to consolidate everyone's personal info in one database. I don't like this idea. Hackers are very resourceful. They also have shown a relentlessness that prove that any system plugged up to the network is hackable in some way. I don't feel safe with the prospect of one hacker being able to get into the database and get access to all my information, let alone millions of Americans.

Premature Ejaculation

There you go guys. You no longer have to blame a lack of self-control. It seems as though scientists may have linked premature ejaculation to a gene. The only problem is that I am starting to get slightly cynical about the mountain of articles like this one that have come out over the last few years. What purpose does it serve to "know" the gene? Besides, we don't even know how genes are turned off and on.

Comic Book Movie News

I won't lie. I very much enjoy comic book movies. This article about the upcoming movies due to be released have me rather excited. I just hope that they don't screw them up.

Ecto-1 For sale

I wish that I had 45 grand because I would buy this car. Think of all the ladies that I could get driving this sucker around campus.

Presidential Debate Aterthoughts

I can sum of the extent of the debate with one word: boring. Both candidate failed to say much more than their normal talking points. The most annoying thing was the format. Put the two guys in the room, allocate ta certain time on the big issues, and let them go at it. 

Cool Violin Video

I wouldn't mind neing a good violinist such as this fellow. I have a little while to go.

Recipe for those who asked

Ingredients:

Chicken breast
Grated asiago cheese
Thinly sliced prosciutto
Olive oil
salt
pepper
Fettuccine noodles
Can of spinach
Alfredo sauce
Tooth pick

Technique:

Preheat the oven to 350

Trim the fat off of the chicken breast. Cut open the chicken like a hot dog bun leaving it well connected so that you will be able to close it around the stuffing. 

Mix the asiago cheese with a little bit of salt and pepper. Put the mixture inside of the chicken. You can put as much as you like. 

Lightly brush some olive oil on the outside of the chicken to prevent it from drying out in the oven.Also, lightly salt and pepper the outside of the chicken.

Wrap the prosciutto around the chicken so it seals all the good stuff inside. Again the amount of ham used is a personal preference. Put the toothpick through the middle of the chicken to keep the ham from unwrapping.

Take a large casserole dish and pour some Alfredo sauce on the bottom. Put some uncooked fettuccine noodles on top of that. Cove the noodles with more sauce.

Drain out the can of spinach and put chunks here and there on top of the sauce.

Lastly, put the chicken on top of the noodles/sauce/spinach. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the chicken is done. You will know it is done if it is firm and completely white.

Serve hot.

Plummeting Dow

The Dow sunk like a rock again today (around 470 points). I wonder how low it will get before it begins to bounce back consistently rising again.

Painting (Drawing) of the Day

I know. This doesn't count as a painting of the day. That doesn't make it any less spectacular so I couldn't help but posting it.

Artist: Leonardo Da Vinci

Title: "Burlington Cartoon"

Heroes

I watched another episode of 'Heroes' last night. It had a ton going on and there wasn't a great deal of anything resolved. One thing that I was happy about was the second Peter was killed. Also, him getting Sylar's powers while Sylar turning good was also interesting. The main problem I have, though, is all the time traveling characters meeting themselves and there ending up being two. It is getting rather old. A way to solve that problem would be to kill off Peter and Hiro, but much of the audience would be upset. At least 'Fringe' and 'The Mentalist' come on tonight.

Presidential Debate Tonight

There is a presidential debate on tonight at 9 pm est. It is supposed to be town hall format so it could get quite entertaining. I would recommend watching to see the fireworks.

New Article throwing Jabs at Palin

This article is clearly liberal slanted. It's whole purpose is to discredit Sarah Palin. Yet, there was a quote or two in there that Palin purportedly said that has me scratching my head.

Barack Obama, she told 8,000 fans at a rally here Monday afternoon, "launched his political career in the living room of a domestic terrorist!"

Worse, Palin's routine attacks on the media have begun to spill into ugliness. In Clearwater, arriving reporters were greeted with shouts and taunts by the crowd of about 3,000. Palin then went on to blame Katie Couric's questions for her "less-than-successful interview with kinda mainstream media." At that, Palin supporters turned on reporters in the press area, waving thunder sticks and shouting abuse. Others hurled obscenities at a camera crew. One Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at an African American sound man for a network and told him, "Sit down, boy."

"Kill him!" proposed one man in the audience.

Craziness, I tell you...

Ford Attempts to Protect Teen Drivers

Ford has released a new key technology that is supposed to help teens be safer on the road. Some of the features include not allowing the car to go over 80 mph, making the max radio volume to be 44%, and a continued chime if the seat belt is not worn. Some people will undoubtedly say this is crushing teen freedoms. The technology will also definitely be used too long by some parent. The thing is that both those things don't matter much to me as long as it saves some lives. Good job Ford. You have kudos from me.

Man Shot For Supporting Obama

What is the world coming to? In the eyes of the people that shot him, the only crime that the victim had committed was wearing a t-shirt that supported Barack Obama. Some people are taking this election a tad too seriously.

A Cool Scooter

I would love to have one if these. Normally when you think of a scooter, you think lame. People won't feel that way with this one. Too bad it probably will be out of my budget.

Painting of the Day

Title: "Nude Descending Stairs"

Artist: Marcel Duchamp

Winehouse on Suicide Watch

Amy Winehouse has been put on suicide watch. The article reports that she has become obsessed with an early death. Not good.

Stock Market Fears Spread

I know I am spending a lot of time on this issue compared to others but it could turn out to be a very big deal for the average Joe. Fears are spreading.

Mammals Going Extinct?

Well, according to a survey, 1/4 of all species are. I am slightly cynical of the data but it can't be argued that many species of animals around the globe are having troubles. Save the whales!

Sex in Advertising

I honestly found this commercial to be humorous. Yet, it can easily be asked at what cost. Should scenes like this one be normalized in today's media? Just as a warning, the link does not show any nudity but it is a sexually suggestive scene. It probably would not be a good idea to watch it at work even though it is on Youtube.

Guinness Commercial

Lego Engine

Legos have to be one of the greatest toy inventions ever made. There are an endless variety of things that people build with them. Case in point: working electric V8 engine.

Dow Continues to Fall

Wasn't the bail-out partly put into place to prevent the continued free fall of Wall Street? Some good that did. The Dow continues to fall because investors are scared of a global economy slow down. How much of the problems are we seeing are caused by the investors being flighty? Correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn't the problem seem to start moving in the right direction if investors would go back to trading tactics that the were formerly using?

Dictionary Removing Words

This doesn't make sense to me. This dictionary is wanting to remove 24 words to add in 2000. What difference does 24 words make when compared to 2000? I enjoy interesting words. Hell, look at the title of my blog. Why not just leave the words where they are because it can't be much more than a page?

The Mystery Pack of Smokes

So, I woke up a couple days ago to a slightly odd occurrence. I always keep the belongings that I carry around with me in the pocket of my pants. There it all stays until the next day when I transfer the stuff to the next pair that I am going wear that day. It is just a habit that I have formed in order to make sure that I don't lose things often. Saturday morning I was going to do the routine switch when I found something new in my left front cargo pocket. It was a pack of Pall Mall cigarettes. The weird thing is that I don't smoke, never have and never will. Even weirder is that I have no idea how they got there and before anyone asks, alcohol was not involved.

I could have just thrown them away without a second thought. Yet, here I am carrying them around in my pocket. There is no lighter so the chances of me ever smoking any are less than nil. I just can't help but wonder if they are going to come in handy somehow. Something is definitely amiss.

Decent McCain Video on Youtube

This guy actually does a good job laying out why he voting for John McCain.

Since people are still giving Obama grief about Ayers

Guilt by association. That is a sorry political tactic when both sides are making claims about the same thing. I am actually starting to get more and more worried about the next thirty days. I keep asking myself when it will all be over.

Why aren't more people talking about this?

Yahoo is reporting that half a million or more gallons of crude was spilled because of hurricane Ike. Ike happened weeks ago and we are just hearing about it now.

Taxing Farts and Burps

This article is absolutely ridiculous. It goes to show two things. One, the United States isn't the only country with politicians lacking common sense. Two, society on a global level needs some big changes.

Interesting Obama Story

If it is cool, awesome. I will admit to being slightly skeptical though.

Painting of the Day

Title: The Anthropomorphic Chest of Drawers

Artist: Salvador Dali

Interesting Article Concerning Memory

I stumbled across an interesting article about memory on msnbc.com. My concentration at the University of Tennessee is Psychology so I have a decent perspective on the matter. The article has it's merits, but it takes too much of a Cognitive Psychology stance touting it as gospel. I will be the first to admit that the current cognitive psychology model is very appealing. In fact, I currently lean toward following it. The Behaviorist model also deserves a mention though. It has a huge following in the Psychology world.

More Election Absurdity

This picture can speak for itself.

What is wrong with Janet?

Rumors were abound that she was pregnant after she suddenly canceled her first show. Now she has canceled three more. What is wrong with the queen of pop?

Berating Biden about Botox

There is some buzz on the net about the possibility of Joe Biden getting some plastic surgery. Who really cares when it gets down to the meat and potatoes of the election? Let's just say for a second that it is true (it very well may be). Does it have an effect on his ability to govern? I don't see how it would. Does it even say anything about his character? There are millions of Americans who have had some sort of cosmetic work done that would be slightly upset if you said so.

Laser Pointer Crack Down in the UK

How wide spread was this problem? We don't seem to have a major issue with laser pointers on this side of the pond.

Pencil + 13 V of Electricity = Lightsaber?

This is another one of those videos that I run across on the web that is just plain cool. They sharpened a pencil on both ends, sent 13 volts of electricity through and attachment, and then watched the fireworks. Check it out.It is not a bad way to spend a minute and twelve seconds.

Artificial Electric Eel Cells

This is a very impressive scientific project. I doubt it will be the next Velcro, but it is cool nonetheless.

Painting of the Day

Title: "Fatigue"

Artist: Scott Hutchison

This is slightly creepy

Evangelical baby could be the subject of a horror movie.

Awesome Table

Check out this table. I want one!

Tour de France President Insults Armstrong

If I was Lance Armstrong, I would be rather angry about the comments that came from the president of the Tour De France. Lance Armstrong was one of the best things that has ever happened for that race. He won seven times in a row and has done so with class. He made a fan out of me. My question is why they continue to not show him respect? What Armstrong did athletically and for the sport of cycling as a whole was nothing short of extraordinary. My only thought on the matter is that he was an embarrassment because no European could match him.

Windows Cloud

Everyone has heard about the next Windows operating system that is set to be released, Windows 7. Few have heard about Windows Cloud. I am slightly confused about the exact purpose of Cloud. Does the Internet need an operating system?

The Glove Fits

Oj didn't get away with this one. There are rumblings that it was impossible for Simpson to get a fair trial due to his previous run in with the law. I can actually understand that sentiment because just about everyone watched his last trial. The only problem is that this is pretty much a clear cut case with eye witnesses. Even if the people were out to get him, he was still dumb enough to pull a stunt like this.

Bush 2.0?

This I found to be slightly amusing. Is Sarah Palin Bush 2.0? Either way, good editing by the video maker.

Condom Innovation

A condom is a condom right? I guess not. Check out the demo video because it is nifty (no there is no nudity). 

Watchmen Movie

I never read the comic book (Oops sorry. Graphic novel) and know very little about the story line, but I am definitely looking forward to the release of this movie. The visuals alone will make trip to the therter worth it.

I highly recommend clicking on this link to view the trailer.

Media Bias

What is wrong with this picture? Something does not compute. Also, I love the bottom left corner with such a disparity on who the readers thought who won the debate.

The Future Gasoline Engine Mod?

This gadget Claims to Improve Fuel Efficiency by 20%. Sounds like a lot huh? In the article it says that it made a Mercedes go from 32mpg to 38mpg. Don't expect me to go out running for one of these if the hit the market.

What will porn think of next?

This story gave me a chuckle so I had to share.

Vangelis Fitsios

It is no secret that I like art and I create art. So, I have decided to share great work that I come across.

This is a painting by Vangelis Fitsios (links to more if you click the picture). Critiques won't be made. It is just here for the pure aesthetics and originality.

Football Special Treatment Evident to the Casual Observer

Many people know that there is a home football game tomorrow afternoon. That makes it easy to spot football players on campus today because almost all wearing the same all orange outfit. It was even easy to spot one well known starter drive up in a brand new, black, Dodge Charger. Could it be a case of mistaken identity? Well he stopped traffic, rolled down his window, and his name was yelled by his football buddies. How is he supposed to have bought that new car (it had temp tags) with all the restrictions the NCAA puts on football players these days?

Eureka!

Science is everywhere. Even with a bunch of strippers. Maybe I should get my Ph.D. studying something cool like mostly naked women.

Time to Tax Religion

If religious-based organizations that have bases in the United States continue to stick their nose into politics, Maybe it is time to remove tax exemption from religious organizations. Who knows? It might even bring in some more revenue to try to tackle the mounting debt.

Reporter in Trouble for Iraq Mementos

She thought it was a good idea to take mementos from the aftermath of an Iraq bombing. Now she is in hot water. I am inclined to agree that it was a bit outside what is considered the right thing to do in such a situation, but I can understand why she may have done it.

China is at it again...

Apparently China is up to it's old tricks. they are using software that is their version of Skype to eavesdrop on the conversations looking for political messages. China seems to be a two headed dragon these days. One head is inherently productive and great for the world as a whole. However, the other head is of a darker sort...

Genetic Engineering Grow Plants in Toxic Soil

I am not sure how I feel about this one. Do you want to risk eating a plant grown in toxic soil with the chance that it may have absorbed some of the toxicity?

VP Debate

I watched a good portion of the debate last night and was slightly disappointed. It wasn't because I felt that either candidate didn't hold up to some invisible standard. It wasn't because both candidates didn't seem in command of the issues. It wasn't even because the moderator failed to really show an explicit bias toward Obama as some suggested was going to happen.

It was because there were no major gaffes that were particularly entertaining. Oh well. Maybe it will happen in the next one.

Oil prices continue to fall. What about gas?

Well, the price of a barrell of oil continues to fall. Theoretically it should mean lower gas prices right? Right? 

Apparently not. Oil jumps a dollar per barrell and we see the effect instantly on the gas prices. Oil prices has been dropping like a rock lately and yet the prices change very little.

Some Professors Say the Dumbest Things

I was sitting in English class halfway paying attention when my English professor said this gem. She was talking about critical thinking skills and conformity. She actually had the nerve to say, "there are times when we should just conform without question." She then went on to ask the class for examples of when people should do what they are told without questioning. I could tell that she wasn't the happiest when I called her out on the ridiculousness of her statement.

UT Priorities

I remember last year when I was in the Humanities building waiting for my Philosophy class to start. Then all the sudden the fire alarms went off and the building was evacuated. Two fire trucks and a couple police cars showed up to make sure everything was ok before they turned off the alarm. It was clear that the building wasn't on fire, but they had to cover all their bases. Anyway, after about ten minutes of looking we were let back in.

Flash forward to today.

I was walking back to my car after my last class of the day. There was this weird siren going off and I didn't know what it was at first. It became clear when I got closer that it was a fire alarm going off in the athletic dorm. I must have got there early because no police or firemen were there yet. Good thing because I would have missed the spectacle.

A couple minutes later not one, not two, not four, but six fire trucks were on scene. That doesn't count the few police cars that showed up to make sure no precious athletes were harmed. This time, just like the last fire alarm that I saw on campus, it was clear that there was no fire. I just thought it was slightly amusing at the difference in reaction with the difference in location. It just goes to show where UT's priorities really lie.

Man Uses Lighter To Siphon Gas

Sometimes you just can't make this stuff up. This wonderfully intelligent man was siphoning some gas. The only problem is that he couldn't tell exactly how much gas was siphoned into the container. What does he do? He lights a lighter for the light to check. Apparently he never learned that it isn't the gasoline itself that is flammable. It is the fumes...

Sarah Palin

The internet has been buzzing about several recent Palin gaffs that have gained quite a bit of attention. It's not that Biden doesn't say his share of things to gain attention. It is just that she has had a nice string of interviews and statements that are making her appear to be unprepared for the pack of rabid wolves that is the media. Right now it seems like both presidential candidates could potential have their campaigns derailed by the running mate and not their own credentials.

Educate the Idiots Campaign

I have found yet another proof positive that being intelligent and being in politics very often don't go hand-in-hand. There recently has been a leaked internal memo by the democratic alliance in Colorado saying, "increasing CO union power: 'Educate the Idiots' ... Target: minorities, GED's, drop-outs...". Don't believe me that they can't be that stupid? Here is a direct link to the pdf file. I know that it was supposed to be a private memo but you have to think of the possibility that it may be leaked, especially when it contains a gem like this.

Obama 24/7 on Dish Network

Apparently Obama is trying a new media tactic with his own tv channel. I really don't know how much good this is going to do for his campaign. So far the only thing on the channel is an ad pertaining to economic looping continuously.

Lambo Hybrid?!

The pictures of this car are absolutely beautiful. I just hope that they don't go the way of the Chevy Volt. The Volt was also a cool looking car but by the time it had hit the production line, it just looked like every other ugly car on the road. Anyway, the new Lamborghini looks good and I would have one if I could afford to drop 200,000 dollars on a car.

New Nintendo DS

The next generation of the Nintendo DS is on the way and it comes with some interesting features. Instead of keeping it strictly a gaming system, they are branching out to transform it into a multimedia hand-held device. It can now take pictures with a built in camera, play music files, and download games. That is pretty impressive and it is moving the once touted gimmick portable into the realm of just plain cool.

America's Got Talent Finale

I didn't follow this show religiously. Yet, I had my favorite and the winner wasn't him. Eli Mattson impressed me with his voice and piano playing. Unfortunately, the opera singer named Neal E. Boyd won the million and the gig in Las Vegas. That isn't to say that he doesn't have talent. He has an amazing voice. I am just truly amazed that America voted for an opera singer to win a talent show.

Current Perspective of the Prime Time TV Season

I am not a huge watcher of TV, but this year I have caught a few of shows hoping to recapture their viewers after the big strike last year.

Heroes

Season two lost a lot of the momentum that was gained with the inaugural run. Some of those problems have been corrected. Other haven't been. I, personally, think that the worst thing the show ever did was introduce characters that could travel through time at will. It just made the plot so convoluted that it is hard to follow at times. Also one of the shows most popular characters, Hiro, has moved from being a pinnacle of the plot to being almost annoying. Apparently one of the best shows of a couple years ago didn't even crack the top twenty this year. I don't want it to seem like I am totally down on this show. I watched the first two shows of the season and still enjoy it. The only problem is that they apparently alienated their core audience and are going to have to work hard to get them back.

Fringe

This show keep getting more and more interesting as time goes by. As a long time X-files fan, this show is right up my alley. I watched the pilot and was somewhat worried about the direction that the show was taking but it has sense been providing me with great entertainment. The only problem is that I wonder if the audience can suspend disbelief long enough to get hooked. Also, JJ Abrams better not pull his usual stunts by never given the audience any answers or I will write him off completely. Alias was not funny.

House

You know, this show has grown on me over the last couple seasons. I am a late bloomer, meaning that I never watched the first couple seasons. This year is shaping up to be quite interesting with the character progression that is happening. Some people don't enjoy the show because they say that Dr. House could not exist in the real world. There is just one main problem with that mindset. The whole point of TV is that we are supposed to watch happenings that are directly related to the real world because, frankly, the real world is boring.

The Mentalist

Here is a show that surprised me. I missed the pilot live, but caught it online after "Fringe" was over. My main question is, why do my favorite shows have to compete with each other in the same time slot?!  Now, I am not sure about the staying power of this show but it intrigued me enough to watch it next week. Apparently I wasn't the only one watching because it cracked the top ten in ratings.

There are other shows that I am looking forward to this season. They include: CSI: Las Vegas and Californication.

I am actually pretty upset that they cancelled Shark because that was a good show with great acting and dialogue. 

Senate Passes a Bailout for Wall Street

Well, in case you haven't heard, the senate has passed the much touted bail out plan. Unfortunately, I think that they got a little preemptive in there assessment of the supposed crisis. There is no doubt that there is a crisis right now. Credit has been frozen for a little while now and thousands of people have been feeling the effects of the overzealous companies. The unfortunate part is that the SEC recently took action (thanks shotsacrossthebow). The SEC action just might make any bailout plan redundant. Now some may tout me as being a liberal monkey completely unconnected with the whole crisis. Well, they are wrong. I felt the effects of this situation faster than most people outside of the large companies that recently filed for chapter 11. Currently, I am a student at the University of Tennessee and have been waiting over two months for my student loans to get dispersed. Even before anyone was talking about the possibility of this mess affecting the average college student, I was feeling it. The good news is that with the SEC changes, even before the bailout plan passed, my loans were getting squared away so I wouldn't end up homeless. Unfortunately every American is going to have to shell out over two grand for a possible temporary fix.

Related links:

Fed injects 630 billion into the financial system

Some schools have been having problems with Edamerica liquidity (I want to point out that UTK has just been cleared for disbursement for some students soon)