Patterns in the Snow...

One man – Simon Beck – creates these by walking around on fresh snow, in snowshoes.  Awesome...

Gun-Free Zones...

The very idea of “gun-free zones” as a method for reducing violence involving guns has always seemed completely stupid to me, for two reasons:

1. It assumes that someone willing to shoot another person would meekly obey the law forbidding the possession of guns in such zones.  To which I say “Really?  You believe that?”
2. It produces a pool of defenseless victims in a known place and at a known time.  Imagine you were evil enough to want to shoot a bunch of people.  Can you imagine a better place to target?  You know you can shoot a whole bunch of them before the cops manage to get there!

The statistics bear this out:

[John] Lott offers a final damning statistic: “With just one single exception, the attack on congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson in 2011, every public shooting since at least 1950 in the U.S. in which more than three people have been killed has taken place where citizens are not allowed to carry guns.”

I avoid “gun-free zones” myself, as I consider them to be dangerous places – the precise opposite of the intent.  I don't have a concealed carry permit myself (they are darned hard to get in California), but I'm confident that in any public place there are likely to be some law-abiding people who are armed.  I want them around me, where they can confront a criminal.  I don't want to be in an area where I know the only armed people are criminals.

Sandy Hook Elementary School is a gun-free zone.

Read the whole article...

A Love Story...

Reader Jim M. passes along this touching love story out of the frozen north:

Claude & Char lived by a lake in Northern Minnesota. It was early winter and the lake had frozen over.

Claude asked Char if she would walk across the frozen lake to the general store to get him some beer. She asked him for some money, but he told her "no, just put it on our tab". So Char walked across, got the beer at the general store, then walked back home across the lake. When she got home and gave Claude his beer, she asked him, "Claude, you always tell me not to run up the tab at the store.. Why didn't you just give me some money?".

Claude replied, "Well, I didn't want to send you out there with some money when I wasn't sure how thick the ice was yet!"

I Will Never Complain About My Job Again!

Politically Incorrect or Insenstive Humor...

Via reader Jim M:

I was devastated to find out my wife was having an affair but, by turning to religion, I was soon able to come to terms with the whole thing. I converted
to Islam, and we're stoning her in the morning!

The wife suggested I get myself one of those penis enlargers, so I did.  She's 21 and her name's Lucy.

Went to the pub with my girlfriend last night. Locals were shouting "pedophile!" and other names at me, just because my girlfriend is 21 and I'm 50.  It completely spoiled our 10th anniversary.

Just been to the gym. They've got a new machine in. Could only use it for half an hour, as I started to feel sick. It's great though. It provides me with everything I need - KitKats, Mars Bars, Snickers, Potato Crisps, the lot.

Question - Are there too many immigrants in Britain ? 17% said yes; 11% said No; 72% said "I am not understanding the question please."

The cost of living has now gotten so bad that my wife is having sex with me because she can't afford batteries..

A man calls 911 and says "I think my wife is dead". The operator says, "How do you know?" He says "The sex is about the same, but the ironing is piling up!"

I was explaining to my wife last night that when you die you get reincarnated but must come back as a different creature. She said she would like to come back as a cow. I said, "You obviously haven't been listening."

My wife has been missing a week now. The police said to prepare for the worst. So, I had to go down to Goodwill to get all of her clothes back.

I've heard that Apple has scrapped their plans for the new children's-oriented iPod after realizing that "iTouch Kids" is not a good product name.

There's a new Muslim clothing shop that opened in our shopping center, but they threw me out after I asked if I could look at some of the bomber jackets.

The Red Cross just knocked on my door and asked if we could contribute towards the floods in Pakistan. I said we'd love to, but our garden hose only reaches to the driveway.

The Wisdom of Luke the Drifter...

We Americans got so tired of being thought of as dumb asses by the rest of the world that we went to the polls this November and removed all doubt.

Connoiseurs...

Quote of the Day: Cheap CEO?

Reader Larry E. (who used to work for HP, via its Peregrine acquisition) refers to this article, and says:

You know, after the Board of directors scandals, the mess by Carly Fiorina, Mark Hurds crazy acquisition strategy and managing to destroy any real R&D, Leo Apothothacer dodging a subpeona for his first 3 months and then promptly scraring the crap out of investors by indicating he wanted to sell off the PC division, and, of course the 70 day tablet debacle, and finally Meg Whitman at a loss to do anything but writing off ridiculous amounts...massive numbers laid off...a stock price that managed to go from 60/share to 11/share...

I'm telling you, I could have ruined HP at a fraction of the cost those fancy high priced CEO's charged.

Hah!

It truly is very sad.  HP is an iconic high technology company, and used to be a place that any geek would have been proud to work at.  These days it's closer to a laughingstock, sort of like Nokia or Research in Motion...

Make Your Web Site Look Halfway Decent...

Just the kind of advice I'd need were I building a web site.  Which, come to think of it, I will be doing soon!