The test of the Japanese NAL successor to the Concorde that I mentioned last week was less than successful, as the model crashed into the Australian desert seconds after takeoff. Obviously, this is quite a setback for the program; no word yet on a cause or what this does to development plans.
This guy might even displace Bud Selig from his place as Dick Of The Week! CNN reports that an ‘Antiques Roadshow’ dealer has been sent to prison for making fake appraisals, sometimes selling items at a much higher price than he appraised them for, as well as outright staging segments for the show. He made “between $800,000 and $1.5 million on the fraudulent transactions.” I can’t believe that he got away with this for so long; it’s not as if he was the only person who knew what these things were worth…
Remember the Superfriends? They were one of my favorite Saturday morning cartoons! Coming across this Super Friends page was quite a treat, especially because the site is so damn funny.
Dennis Miller’s HBO show is ending after nine years on August 30th. That’s a real shame. Although I often forget to watch it live, I always enjoy it when I manage to see it. Some people have claimed that his references are too obscure and highbrow, and maybe that’s the case for a good segment of the populace watching Monday Night Football. Personally I applaud the fact that he can be simultaneously erudite, hilarious, and plain fun. Of course, lately I seem to be ranting about anything that contributes to the dumbing-down of our nation, which not surprisingly often involves W. :-p
Here’s a picture of W giving a speech on corporate abuse. His newly-created task force is (not, unfortunately) poised to arrest him on the grounds that he committed several acts act of fraud and abuse while on the board of directors for Harken Energy. Ironically, he condemned such acts in his own speech. Isn’t it nice to have a President that sets such a great example for our children? He’s intelligent, worldly, ethical, and when it comes down to it, he’s just a regular guy. Yeah, right.
Reuters’ photographer Desmond Boylan got an excellent shot of a charging bull in Pamplona. He was smart enough stay out of the way, unlike some of the drunks daredevils who ended up getting gored…
Milton 
(from Office Space) would be proud: Swingline is once again offering its classic stapler in red.
<curmudgeon>
Further proof that today’s youth is losing their grasp on proper English is given by the “lingo” used in SMS mobile phone systems. Granted, this is not a phenomenon exclusive to our youngsters, as the use of SMS-capable mobile phones is quickly gaining ubiquity in the population at-large. And I realize that part of the reason for the lingo is to keep messages short so that they cost less. Still, I see this as just another dumbing-down of the language to a generation already inundated by TV and radio programs where personalities use horrible grammar and pronunciation, to say nothing of the proliferation of “dialects” like Ebonics (sorry, I had to mention it). Anyway, the story mentions a website called transL8it! to help translate between “English and Lingo” and vice versa in case anyone’s interested. Sigh, I guess I can either bitch about it or go out and get my own so I can be “with it.”
</curmudgeon>
Did you know that Anthony Kiedis and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers will be 40 this year?! I sure didn’t. CNN has a review of their new album, By The Way, as well as a short history of the band. I like the first single they’ve released, “By The Way,” which the album is obviously named after.
