Good for the FDA

Good.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government revived efforts Monday to widen access to the morning-after pill, but only to women 18 and older, issuing a surprise announcement that it was reconsidering over-the-counter sale of the emergency contraceptive almost a year after it was thought doomed.

The Food and Drug Administration notified manufacturer Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. early Monday that it wanted to meet within seven days to iron out new steps the company must take in its three-year battle to sell the pill, called Plan B, without a prescription to at least some women.

Thanks, CNN.

 

The apparent non-evilness of this particular move, given the FDA's long and glorious history of pure, unadulterated evil confuses me.

Someone well-connected is about to, no doubt, make a LOT of money.

Emurse

I found this yesterday, but figured I'd save for a rainy day.

Although outside it's HOT, here it is:  Emurse.

 

Emurse has got to be one of the most useful sites I've come across lately. Not only can you create a resume using their handy dandy template tool, but Emurse also allows you to download your resume from anywhere AND gives you the choice to instantly turn your resume into a web site so employers can find you.

 

How found?  Lifehacker, kiddies.  I can't express the love enough.

 

I've yet to use the service, but it suuuuuure looks interesting.  Lots of feedback as well.  I say check it out.  Template?  Download anywhere?  WEBSITE?  Yeah, baby.  Not to mention a mess of things I haven't mentioned yet.

 

 

 

 

Totally Uncorraborated, But YIKES

Haifa?

 

At least one rocket has struck the northern Israeli port city of Haifa, hours after a threat by the militant Lebanese group Hezbollah.

 

BBC News.

 

Now, I'm not saying that this is true, although with the escalation that's happening in the Middle East right now, I wouldn't be particularly surprised.  I can't find any other information, even on the Internet.

 

However, if it is:

1.  Scratch one country.

2.  Hello, Iran.

3.  EVERYBODY PANIC!!!

 

Go find out, people.

Things That Make Me Happy

How about the Steely Dan Dictionary?

 

Ever wondered what a bodhisattva is? Or how to gaslight somebody? Then this site is for you! You're looking at an A-Z glossary of over 80 obscure words, people and places — all taken from the lyrics Steely Dan songs.

 

Dude, you SO get a link from me.

 

At night when we chase the Dragon,

The water will change to cherry wine,

And the silver will turn to gold,

Time out of mind.

- Steely Dan

 

Ah, to be nineteen again.  Wait.

 

Flags?

You might have noticed the cool little flags at the top of every post.

Well, quite simply, if you click on a country's flag, this blog now translates the page!

 

Try it!  Isn't that cool?

 

What I don't like is that I have NO idea where I got this code.  As soon as I figure it out, I will post credits. 

For All You Shaver Haters Out There

I've got some shaving help for you.

 

I hate shaving! Thankfully I don't have the same problem as some other men which requires me to shave every day, but even at every second day it's a hassle. Is there anything simple I can do to slow my facial hair growth so that I need only shave, say, once a week at most?

 

Metafilter, via Lifehacker, yet again.

 

I friggin' HATE shaving.  I'm not sure of anyone that I know that likes it.

 

Straight razors, anyone?  Where?

 

 

Galaga, Gorf, Tempest, Defender, Missle Command, Ms. Pac Man.

Hopefully, in that order.

 

Microsoft announced today that due to the popularity of its downloading service for the XBOX 360, it will release one game from the 1980's era every Wednesday for the next five weeks. Available for subscribers through XBOX Live Arcade, the games will be updated versions of classic arcade games such as Pac-Man and Frogger. The going price will range from $5 to $15 per game.

 

Rock on, DailyTech.

 

That's sweet news.  Ah, the Golden Age of the Video Game.  But will this make me buy an Xbox 360?

 

Not if I want a girlfriend.

 

 

 

Stem Cells? Hell No, Says Pope

Not again.

 

God's Rottweiler is taking yet another bite out of science with the announcement that any scientist who engages in stem cell research of any kind will be excommunicated. The same goes for any politician who votes in favor of legislation permitting such research to take place.

 

Props to Sploid.  Word.

 

Again, I refuse to bag on anyone's religion.  Whether you worship the God of Abraham, the God of Allah, trees or Pan, everyone needs something.  Spirituality of a type is key.  It helps humans to muddle through the escalating freakiness of today's world.  But stem cells?!

 

Properly researched and used properly, stem cells can possibly save lives.

 

Does anyone have a problem with that?  Really?

Why?

 

 

 

 

 

Amusing...kinda

I found this totally, completely, and completely obvious.

PITTSBURGH - A city attorney is suing the creator of a Web site that lets women dish dirt on men they claim have wronged them, saying they made defamatory statements about him.

Attorney Todd J. Hollis sued because he contends two Pittsburgh-area women and other anonymous users posted items about him on http://www.dontdatehimgirl.com in which they claim he is unfaithful, among other things, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Thursday.

Yahoo News.  Via, surprise of surprises, Fark.  Remember, kids!  You have to sign up to see the comments!

 

Typically, I'm in favor of a little tit-for-tat.  But how surprised can anyone be when they run a website like this in our hyper-litigous society?

I'm not going to defend the guy, though.

 

And... uh... I probably won't go to the website.  Probably, anyway.

.

.

.

 

 

Google Checkout - Paypal Competition?

Competition for Paypal?  Surely this must be a good thing.

 

Internet search engine giant Google has announced a system to pay over the internet in an attempt to become an even more prominent player in internet shopping.

The widely anticipated move puts it in direct competition with one of its largest advertisers, the auction website eBay, which owns leading internet payment service PayPal. The system, called Google Checkout, allows consumers to buy things over the web without constantly having to enter their account details.

Grabbed via Telegraph.co.uk.

 

Verrry interesting.  But I wanted more info.  So I went to the source:

 

One cool feature of Google Checkout is that you can buy from stores with a single Google login – no more entering the same info each time you buy, and no more having to remember different usernames and passwords for each store. To help you find places to shop, you'll see a little icon on the Google.com ads of stores offering Google Checkout. It's an easy way to identify fast, secure places to shop when you search. And after you've placed your order, Google Checkout provides a purchase history where you can track your orders and shipping information in one place.

Because we see big benefits for shoppers as the service grows, our immediate priority is to help more online stores join Jockey, Starbucks Store, Levi's, Dockers, Buy.com, Timberland, Zales, and others to offer Checkout on their sites. To keep website integration simple, we've built a range of integration alternatives such as cut and paste buy buttons, pre-integrated ecommerce partner offerings, and an API that supports more advanced integration.

 

That's the Official Google Blog, by the way.

Sounds cool.

When I get a chance to actually use it, I'll get back to you.  I'm not sure it's a Paypal killer, but it certainly sounds like it could have some interesting applications in the future.

 

What can't Google do, anyway?

 

Personally, I think they're on the verge of building the Planentary AC, but that's just me. 

Big props to whoever actually gets that reference.

 

 

 

Baseball Suc... No, Wait

This is an act of kindness in major league baseball that I simply won't forget.

 

Matt LaChappa hasn't thrown a pitch professionally in 10 years. He is confined to a wheelchair, and constrained by the physical fallout from back-to-back heart attacks.

Yet the Padres continue to pay him as if he were an active player. It might be the noblest thing they do.

From SignOnSanDiego.com.  Found via Fark. 

 

Wait.  There's more.

 

"When he was drafted and he came into the office to sign, I've never seen such a troop of tribal people," Oppenheimer said. "I think he was the first full-blooded American Indian ever drafted."

Oppenheimer assured LaChappa's parents then that they needn't worry about their teenage son because, "I'll take care of him." Three years later, when LaChappa was stricken in the bullpen in Rancho Cucamonga, Oppenheimer proved even better than her word.

Narrowly interpreting a vague promise by then-CEO Larry Lucchino that LaChappa would "always be a Padre," Oppenheimer kept the young player on the club payroll and placed pictures of him on her desk.

"He's my hero," she said yesterday. "He was always up. He had a good personality, a good sense of humor. He was cheerful. It made you feel good to be around him.

Dear Ms. Oppenheimer:

 

Who knows what other things the San Deigo Padres might do, but today, Priscilla Oppenheimer, you win at life.

 

Warmest regards,

Humanity

P.S.:  We hate steroids.  Get them out of baseball, thanks.

 

A Movie Script

This is what I want.  Last night, I had a flash of an idea:

 

Vampires vs. Zombies - The Movie.

 

Imagine the beauty of this idea.  Bloodthirsty vampires!  Flesh eating zombies!  We'll add a few pockets left of human resistance.  No, let me tell you: this is perfect.

 

More perfect than Snakes On A Plane.  Which, naturally, assumes that's possible, of course.

 

I even have a tagline:

 

Vampires vs. Zombies - With Mankind As The Ultimate Prize!

 

I can't decide who I want to star in this more:  Nicholas Cage or Samuel L. Jackson.  I considered Bruce Willis and Ice Cube as well, of course.

 

I want royalties.  Don't steal my idea.  I'll be watching.

 

Maybe I'll just write the movie myself.

 

C'mon. I Know That You Want To Know What World Destruction Looks Like

Someone over at the New Scientist discovered a computer animation - created by a person with obviously too much time on their hands - of the world being destroyed by a 100km asteriod.  Link is on the page.

 

I still think that raising Cthulhu is a much more creative what to spend one's time. 

 

Ia!  Ia!

 

 

Warren Buffett

Stud.

 

"Brace yourself," Buffett warned with a grin. He then described a momentous change in his thinking. Within months, he said, he would begin to give away his Berkshire Hathaway fortune, then and now worth well over $40 billion.

This news was indeed stunning. Buffett, 75, has for decades said his wealth would go to philanthropy but has just as steadily indicated the handoff would be made at his death. Now he was revising the timetable.

"I know what I want to do," he said, "and it makes sense to get going." On that spring day his plan was uncertain in some of its details; today it is essentially complete. And it is typical Buffett: rational, original, breaking the mold of how extremely rich people donate money.

via Fortune.

Why can't other extremely wealthy people do things like this?  Well, besides the Gates', of course.  God, I love linking to that website.

 

As much as I think it would be extremely cool to donate a little bit of that cash to me, man, do you have to hand those people their props.  Serious props.  Sometimes, humanity, in all it's amazing cruelty and it's wonderful philanthropy can make your jaw drop to the ground.

 

Man Convicted Of Cyberstalking

Here.

Sorry, but I had to kind of chop this post, it was blowing up the blog. But go read the article.

The Bane of Existence

Is it jury duty?

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A man made a mockery of the justice system when he tried to get removed from a jury pool in a death penalty case by claiming he is a heroin addict and a killer, a judge said.

 

Benjamin Ratliffe, 21, of Columbus, was charged with contempt of court and obstruction of justice and ordered to spend a night in jail.

 

 

Yahoo News.  However, if you really want to read some hilarious reponses to this, head over to Fark.

I am not a big fan of the American system of justice, for several reasons:

 

1.  If have enough money, you can almost always beat the rap, unless it's insider trading, fraud, or tax evasion.

2.  The death penalty is a travesty of American justice, because it disproportonately is used against minorities and the poor.  States shouldn't be in death business, anyway.

3.  I actually went to law school for a little while, and it was probably my biggest mistake.  True quote from an attorney friend of mine:  "Clark, you seem like a nice guy.  Why the hell would you want to be a lawyer?!"

 

Granted, the American legal system is still probably one of the best, if not the best, in the world.  But let's be real.  The rich people make all the rules.  That's it.

 

Of course, I've never had jury duty.  I hear that's it's horrific, however.

 

I'd like to think that I'd go if called.

 

But, you know, sometimes I'm not quite sure.

Something I Have Always Suspected

Needless to say, I wasn't surprised by this in the least.

 

How can one explain the phenomenal global success of one of this country's least talented individuals? There are only three ways.

• Mr. Hasselhoff actually is talented, but this goes unnoticed in his own country.
  
• Mr. Hasselhoff has sold his soul to Satan in return for global success.
  
• David Hasselhoff is the AntiChrist.

I vote for the latter -- and perhaps, after seeing the facts involved, the rest of the world will agree.

Yes, it's David Hasselhoff is the AntiChrist.  Yes.  Suddenly everything makes sense.  Why didn't I think of that before?  Thank the Stupid Site Hall of Fame for this link.

 

I spend too much time on the Internet.

 

 

SuperDad

I wouldn't mind it.  Being SuperDad, I mean.

 

Fortunately for me, with Father's Day coming, everyone and their mother is running self-improvement articles.  Courtesy of msn.com:

 

Learning to read is a process, one that requires mastering three basic skills. These skills are syntax, semantics, and phonics. Syntax (grammar and punctuation) is the way words, phrases, and clauses go together to create sentences and paragraphs. Semantics is the way words and sentences in a group relate to one another. Phonics refers to the sounds letters make and the relationship between written and spoken words, or comprehension.

 

This is from the Learning to Read section.  As you might imagine, there are a lot of sections.

 

Naturally, I plan on reading it all.  I will then index the information and enter it on my Palm Pilot (with time reminders), so that when the appropriate time comes, I can refer to it and use the information accordingly.

 

Or, instead, I might read it and play everything by ear, like my parents did.

It seemed to work.  So far.

 

 

 

I Like Picture Day

A friend of mine sent me these via email.

 

Warning:  This is good stuff. 

 

Pantagruel I

Pantagruel II

 

Ah, the stuff of nightmares.  Thanks to Lt. Wilkes for sending me the links.  At least I'll KNOW why I suddenly feel like detaching my forehead and feasting upon my own brains this evening.

 

Oh, and Lt.?  If you still have a site out there let me know.  I'd like to give you a plug.

$150 My Booty

Have an idea?  Is it booze-related?  People will buy it.

 

Modern Spirits is adding all sorts of crap to their vodkas in an effort to give demanding consumers a customized tipple at an equally impressive price. At $150, you'd better be thinking long and hard which flavors you want in this booze.

Gizmodo, who I haven't linked in a bit, deserves the credit for this one.

 

Perhaps I've been working too hard.  I'm changing my life's goal.

My new goal is:

 

To have a favorable article written about me or one of my products in Gizmodo.

 

I personally think that it's an achievable goal.  I've got ideas, (I even have a product out there or two), now I have to do is sell.  Directly.  To Gizmodo.