Watchful Rest

Posted By lex, on February 23rd, 2012

There’s a growing body of evidence which suggests that an “eight straight” sleep cycle is not so natural as we had been led to assume:

How do they do that?

Posted By lex, on January 4th, 2012

Wintertime fun in Finland.

My experience was very different.

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Because, FU

Posted By lex, on September 23rd, 2011

I clearly don’t spend enough time on Facebook.

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The International Brotherhood of Ironyworkers Union

By lex, on September 14th, 2011

State unions protested in force in response to Wisconsin governor Scott Walker’s actions to limit collective bargaining rights for public sector employees, stop automatic deduction of union dues from payroll payments and allow members to opt out, saying that the governor’s reforms were anti-labor.

Those reforms having passed after some prolonged theatrical kabuki that included state legislators absconding across the border, the Wisconsin Education Association Council just laid off 40% of its workforce:

WEAC Executive Director Dan Burkhalter said Monday that the layoffs and budget cuts are based on a projected loss of revenue as a result of Gov. Scott Walker’s “union-busting legislation.”

Burkhalter said WEAC’s membership decreased because of extra retirements last year and districts limiting their hiring of new employees this year.

He said the cuts were not related to any prediction that there would be a further drop in membership as a result of the upcoming re-certification elections for local unions around the state.

Faced with budgetary pressures and declining revenues, the WEAC made a business decision to cut headcount. For the workers!

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Aviation

By lex, on May 17th, 2011

It was always about getting the girl.

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Open Thread 04/01/2011

Posted By lex, on April 1st, 2011

Your host is winging his way in a rented Cessna 182RG to Las Vegas (baby) to catch the last day of an airborne networking conference, so you are left chiefly to your own devices . I’d ask you not to make a mess, but the 75 comments attached to the post below (as of 0600 Pacific time, 1300 Zulu) render this a vain, futile gesture.

I know: I started it.

After Action Report

By lex, on April 2nd, 2011

The desert air does not appear to agree with my constitution, for at 0700 this morning, my eyes are terribly bloodshot and my head hurts, a little.

Report ends.

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Batting 1000

About 10 years ago I was called to jury duty.

Before the trial, both the defense and the prosecutor get a certain number of potential jurors they can dismiss for whatever reason.

The first time the defense didn’t like me.

This time the prosecutor didn’t like me.

Lex’s wish list

Posted by lex, on November 26, 2006

Other blogger’s put wish lists up. Things from Amazon, DVDs and the like. Widgets. Gewgaws.

Me?

I want the same thing I wanted when I was a little boy: I want a jet.

In fact, I want an A-4 Skyhawk. And you, gentle reader, can buy one for me. For around $149k from EBay,* unless you want to go through the high drama of the actual auction. Which, you know: Be my guest, if that’s the way you’d prefer to handle it.

Oh, and the seller says that I’ll need around ~$750k to make her airworthy. Maybe you can all pitch in on that.

He also says that he “has a line” on a TA-4J cockpit that can be used to “convert a single.” Which is just enough to queer me on the whole enterprise, because that makes it clear that he has no idea what he’s talking about. You don’t just slap a -J cockpit into -C and call it a day. Wouldn’t fit *. *sigh*

So. DVD?

** 09-14-20 Links gone; no replacements found – Ed.

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Sometimes

 

Posted by lex, on June 14, 2006

You just get lucky:

Drinking coffee protects alcohol drinkers from developing liver disease, says a new study carried out at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, California, USA. According to the researchers, one cup of coffee per day lowered the incidence of cirrhosis of the liver for alcohol drinkers by 22%. 

News you can use. I’m a four cup a day guy, myself. Have been since finals, plebe year.

Starbucks, anyone?

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