Criminally
Absurd
Violent video games are training children to kill
By Bill France, Herald
Net
In
the baseless argument that video games cause violence in children, Bill
Grace, children's advocate, and amateur kiddy porn fluffer, pushes the
limits of reality with his argument that "If a parent wanted their
children to develop attitudes like Gary Ridgway, the confessed killer
of at least 48 women, these games might provide a good training
ground." You must be joking. Does he actually believe this tripe?
Throughout
the "article" he keeps inferring that somehow video games are
responsible for the behavior of those like Ridgeway, the Green River
Killer. Stating "The video game scripts could be culled from Gary
Ridgway's confession." So are you trying to tell me that the
violent games of the early
80s
where responsible for Ridgeway's crimes? Such games as the ultra gory
classics, Donky Kong, and Pac-Man. I have not been following the case
to closely, but I am pretty sure that not one of those 48 women was
killed by a barrel while climbing to the top of a tower. That is the
sort of thing that has a tendency to stand out from a new report. In
truth, Ridgeway never touched a game controller. In this, fairly
thorough, analysis of
Ridgeway, his interests and hobbies are listed as
"hunting, fishing, working in the yard, chopping wood and getting away
with his wife in their RV. He scavenged for junk to sell at garage
sales." Nothing about video games.
[More]
awiggins
on 11.26.03 @ 08:01 PM EST [Remarks
(1)]
Stuff
That
Doesn't Suck
Evidence of Ancient Roman Geeks Unearthed
Lot Description: A ROMAN GLASS GAMING DIE, Circa 2nd Century A.D.
Deep blue-green in color, the large twenty-sided die incised with a
distinct symbol on each of its faces
2 1/16 in. (5.2 cm.) wide
Lot
Notes: Several polyhedra in various materials with similar symbols are
known from the Roman period. Modern scholarship has not yet established
the game for which these dice were used.
For the geek who has it all, this fabulous piece of role
playing history can be had for between $4000 and $6000 at Christie's.
awiggins
on 11.30.03 @ 06:35 PM EST [Link]
[Post a Remark]
Stuff
That
Doesn't Suck
The Picture of Everything
by Howard
Hallis
This is one of the coolest things I have seen, ever. This
fellow, Howard Hallis, made this drawing of, well, everything. It is HUGE.
It measures 76.5 by 176 inches and has thousands of pop culture
references. The above image represents approximately 1/200th of the
full drawing. I think you could peruse this for hours and still not
have seen it all. Some of my favorites:
- Kool-Aid Man
- JR "Bob" Dobbs
- Escher on an Etch-A-Sketch
- The Restraunt at the End of the Universe
- The Beastie Boys Space Ship
- Red Dwarf
Simply Amazing. I looked for Strong Bad but could not find
him. How about you?
awiggins
on 12.11.03 @ 01:26 PM EST [Link]
[Remarks (2)]
Arcanum
Pickled Dragon Mystery
Cross reference "Fraud & Conspiracy"
from The Sydney Morning Herald
A
pickled "dragon" that looks as if it might once have flown around Harry
Potter's Hogwarts has been found in a garage in Oxfordshire, England.
The baby dragon, in a sealed jar, was discovered with a metal tin
containing paperwork in old-fashioned German of the 1890s.
Allistair
Mitchell, who was asked to investigate the dragon by a friend, David
Hart, who discovered it in his garage, speculates that German
scientists may have attempted to use the dragon to hoax their English
counterparts at the end of the 19th century, when rivalry between the
countries was intense.
"At the time, scientists were the
equivalent of today's pop stars. It would have been a great propaganda
coup for the Germans if it had come off," Mr Mitchell said.
"I've
shown the photos to someone from Oxford University and he thought it
was amazing. Obviously he could not say if it was real and wanted to do
a biopsy."
The documents suggest that the Natural History Museum
turned the dragon away, possibly because they suspected it was a trick,
and sent it to be destroyed. But it appears a porter intercepted the
jar and took it home. The papers suggest the porter may have been
Frederick Hart - David Hart's grandfather.
Mr Mitchell said:
"The dragon is flawless, from the tiny teeth to the umbilical cord. It
could be made from indiarubber, because Germany was the world's leading
manufacturer of it at the time, or it could be made of wax. It has to
be fake. No one has ever proved scientifically that dragons exist. But
everyone who sees it immediately asks, 'Is it real?"'
Some
scientists believe that dragons, though the product of imagination,
were inspired by the extraordinary creatures that once roamed the Earth.
As J.K.Rowling's alter ego Hermione Granger once suggested, legends
have a basis in fact.
awiggins
on 01.30.04 @ 10:24 AM EST [Link]
[Remarks
(9)]
Stuff That Doesn't Suck
Build a Camp Stove From Pepsi & Guinness Cans
by Scott Henderson, PCTHiker
This
little stove is amazing; it's made from pepsi and guinness cans, using
things that can be found around most households. It takes about an
afternoon to make (plus some time waiting for the epoxy to set), weighs
only a few grams, and is sufficient for most backpacking trips. I made
my first one a few years ago, and I've been handing them out as gifts
ever since. The stove is powerful enough to boil a quart of water in a
reasonable amount of time, it's MUCH quieter than other camping stoves,
if you lose it you're not out $80.00, and you can get the fuel for it
(denatured alcohol) at most hardware or paint stores. Mine fits nicely
inside of the mug I use for cooking and eating, with room to spare. I
usually stuff a spare pair of socks in with it to keep it from rattling
around. The site provides detailed instructions and photographs, as
well as a message board with feedback and suggestions from other stove
builders.
Finally, a creative use for my new Dremel. Now
I just need some Guinness cans. If I bought some Guinness, would anyone
help me drink it?
awiggins
on 02.05.04 @ 11:01 AM EST [Link]
[Remarks
(3)]
Technologica
Nauru
Fraud & Conspiracy
