Archive for category Senseless Rants
Taser Gets Their First Defeat
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts, Senseless Rants on August 11th, 2010
So the Supreme Court of British Columbia has handed Taser International (Taser, not a direct link) its first defeat in a Court of Law. (full decision here)
Since Robert Dziekanski was cruelly taken down by four RCMP officers with substantial assistance from such a Taser, I have been watching this with great interest. And I say it’s about damn time. Read the rest of this entry »
Deep-Sea Oil Spill Action
Posted by Daryl in Senseless Rants, Technology on June 2nd, 2010
Oil spills being what they are – blights on the Earth – I have to say that watching the action almost 5,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico has become something of a ritual for me.
As I sit here right now, a wire-cutting machine is making its way through the riser tube on the top of the blowout preventer. And through the cut that is being made, an absolute torrent of oil is coming forth.
Just a couple minutes ago @ 11:07PM:
Two Thoughts for December 2nd
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts, Senseless Rants on December 2nd, 2009
1. Where do old dental hygienists go to die? I swear I’ve never seen one older than about 35. Do they float the old ones out to sea on a giant set of teeth…with nothing but a giant toothbrush to paddle with?
2. I bet Tiger Woods’ wife Elin has an extra-large putter. So she can hit 2 balls at once.
The Email Warning
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts, Senseless Rants on October 20th, 2009
I don’t know how many emails I’ve gotten from how many sources, but there seems to be one piece of the standard trailer on many, many emails that must have a common origin:
This e-mail and its attachments are confidential and intended for use by the above named recipient(s) only. If you are not the intended recipient, please note that any use, modification, dissemination, edition or reproduction (either in whole or partially) of this e-mail and/or its attachments, or of the information contained herein, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail by mistake, please notify the sender immediately, and immediately delete this e-mail with its attachments and any copy of it from your computer system.
North Korea – Again.
Posted by Daryl in Politics, Senseless Rants on May 28th, 2009
So North Korea (Chosun, DPRK, whatever) has tested another nuclear weapon. Unlike the last test which was widely thought to have fizzled, this test appears to have been a success. And, at about 20KT, comparable to the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki a the close of WWII.
What I Would Do With 1.6 Trillion Dollars
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts, Politics, Senseless Rants on March 15th, 2008
So the USA is up to $1.6 TRILLION dollars for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. And that’s just the dollars that have been spent, to say nothing of the human toll that these wars have exacted – on all sides. And though we may mourn more deeply for those we have lost to this fight, we cannot forget the innocent lives that have needlessly been lost.
The object of fighting any War is to gain security. In this regard, I did and still do believe that we have done the right thing in Afghanistan. The right thing is not always the easy thing, but to deprive Al-Qaeda of their Taliban protectors and to attempt to return Afghanistan to the community of nations is a noble effort. We harbour no doubts that Afghanistan was the staging ground for numerous attacks, including those of September 11, 2001.
I also believe that the USA had to hit back after those attacks. To sit idle or to engage in protracted diplomacy would have sent the wrong message to those who would wish harm to the USA and its allies.
But Iraq, well, that’s an entirely different kettle of fish.
Read the rest of this entry »
Just Say No to Pennies
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts, Politics, Senseless Rants on January 9th, 2008
Recently there was a study released that 55% of Canadians want to keep the penny. Well, as one of that other 45%, I intend to vote with my pocket – my considerably lighter pocket – by not taking pennies any more.
That’s right. When I pay with cash, if my change is $1.59, I won’t take the four or nine pennies that will be foisted upon me.
It’s not like the “Take-a-Penny, Leave-a-Penny” tray you see in a lot of places, where you take your pennies and toss them in there. No, this is a more powerful statement than that, it’s “I say No to Pennies.”
So, say no to pennies. You can have a whole pocket full of the things and still not be able to buy a stick of gum, so let’s just ditch the things and move on with our lives. The more of us that don’t want pennies, the less pennies will be needed, and the less it will cost us all anyway.
Is THIS Canada?
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts, Senseless Rants on November 16th, 2007
Last night I watched the execution video of Robert Dziekanski. I call it an execution video because that’s what it was. And I’m a Canadian Citizen, so I feel I can speak on this with impunity.
People who know me would tell you that I’m rarely at a loss for words, but watching this video – of a man who wasn’t threatening anyone and merely needed assistance – disgusts me. It just disgusts me.
Yes, he was agitated. Yes, he was sweating. Shit, if I’d just spent 10 hours sitting in an airport after being on an aircraft (for the first time, I understand) for who-knows-how-long from Poland, I might be agitated myself. Read the rest of this entry »
Dr. Haneef’s SIM Card
Posted by Daryl in Deep Thoughts, Politics, Senseless Rants on July 16th, 2007
So, the Indian-born and trained Muslim Doctor Mohammed Haneef has not only been charged with the offence of supporting terrorism, but he has also been summarily stripped of his Australian Visa and taken into Immigration Detention.
Update: It seems the news reports that Dr. Haneef was in immigration detention were incorrect. He’s still in jail in Queensland because he hasn’t posted bail yet. His lawyer thinks he might avoid detention by not posting bail (to trump the trump, as it were) so we’ll just have to see how this shakes out.
And all this over a SIM card that he left with his cousins in Britain when he came to work in Australia.
Kicking the Oil Habit
Posted by Daryl in Senseless Rants, Technology on June 20th, 2007
So, just about everyone is coming around to the idea that we’re not going to have limitless crude Oil forever. To this revelation I say, Duh! There can only be so much of the stuff on the Globe, so, yes, it must eventually run out.
The fact is that we – as in Human Civilisation – may never actually run out of Oil, so much as what remains will be a luxury item that only those with wealth can afford.
Not to mention that, even today, most of the countries supplying Oil to the World are – at best – politically unstable, and – at worst – not friendly to the West.
