cherrypicking

I got this hateful email forward from a family member the other day: I re-framed a couple of the items in it. Do you have any ideas for the others? The men who shot John Lennon and Ronald Reagan are conspicuously absent: I wonder why?

These events are actual events from history. They really happened! Do you remember?

1. 1968 Bobby Kennedy the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr was shot and killed by

a. Superman
b. Jay Leno
c. Harry Potter
d. a Muslim male extremist a white male between the ages of 17 and 40

2. In 19721996 at the Munich Atlanta Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred a nail bomb was set and detonated, killing two, by
a. Olga Corbett (sp)
b. Sitting Bull
c. Arnold Schwarzenegger
d. Muslim male extremists mostly a white male between the ages of 17 and 40

3. In 1979, the US embassy in Iran was taken over by:
a. Lost Norwegians
b. Elvis
c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

4. During the 1980’s a number of Americans were kidnapped
in Lebanon by:
a. John Dillinger
b. The King of Sweden
c. The Boy Scouts
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

5. In 1983, the US Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
a. A pizza delivery boy
b. Pee Wee Herman
c. Geraldo Rivera
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

6. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year old
American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by:
a. The Smurfs
b. Davey Jones
c. The Little Mermaid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

7. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens , and a US Navy diver
trying to rescue
passengers was murdered by:
a. Captain Kidd
b. Charles Lindberg(sp)
c. Mother Teresa
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

8. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
a. Scooby Doo
b. The Tooth Fairy and The Sundance Kid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

9. In 1993 1995 the World Trade Center Murrah Federal Building in OKC was bombed the first time by:
a. Richard Simmons
b. Grandma Moses
c. Michael Jordan
d. Muslim male extremists mostly a white male between the ages of 17 and 40

10. In 1998, the US embassies in Kenya nd Tanzania were bombed by:
a. Mr. Rogers
b. Hillary Clinton, to distract attention from Wild Bill’s women problems
c. The World Wrestling Federation
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

11. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles
to take out the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed
into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers.
Thousands of people were killed by:
a. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
b. The Supreme Court of Florida
c. Mr. Bean
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

12. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:
a. Enron
b. The Lutheran Church
c. The NFL
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

13. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:
a. Bonnie and Clyde
b. Captain Kangaroo
c. Billy Graham
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

links for 2007-10-28

boosted from comments: plans for a spam-free reunion site

So what would this take?

Someday someone is going to start a reunion site that will stay free. [From classmates.com spam scam | a crank’s progress ]

Free? Who would do it, then? What you want is one that is upfront about the cost and never tries to rope you into a membership under false pretenses.

After all, what do they provide? And what’s it worth?

  • A site where you can register and associate yourself with a school: easily done.
  • A searchable list of names and schools
  • Some kind of contact system (this guestbook business that seems to be a scam)

So how hard would it be to create a database-driven website with as many publicly listed schools as possible (there are lists, after all), allow people to register and associate themselves with a school and class/year, and advertise themselves as available to be contacted?
Here’s what I would propose. Instead of a guest book that can be abused by whoever hosts the site, set up double-blind email addresses, such that classmate A sends a message to classmate B, all without divulging their real address. Only members see these addresses: they’re not published for harvesting by spammers.
Once they establish that they do know each other, they can establish some kind of link (like the networks on the LinkedIn site) so that people can see who their extended network knows. Or they can remain unlinked, publicly, and manage their network themselves. The idea would be that the members own their information, not the site, and they can choose to reveal or hide as much as they like.
What would you pay? I’m thinking a one-time fee: pay once, and you’re a member forever, like a co-op. Say, $20, and it doesn’t matter how many associations you make, how many classes/schools you are associated with, or how many connections you make.
Now, if only I was smart enough to build it.

when libraries surprise me

Amazing. And at $99, not something I’m likely to buy any time soon. And that’s just Volume I. The Author pointed out some examples of artwork that was published in the mass market comic editions vs what’s in Absolute and it’s striking.

It’s a big thing, though. The kind of book that needs one of those reading stands.

“The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1” (Neil Gaiman)

wear it proudly

I can’t justify paying $10 over retail for the MAKE logo and cool tag — wish I could — but I may get one in the stealth version.

1770361060 F48Ee25004 O
Just made a new batch of tools! The MAKE “bomb defuser” is small enough to fit on your key chain and the perfect companion for mobile fixing, hacking and MacGyvering. This is a limited offering with custom “MAKE: bomb defuser” laser etched with care using a 35w laser. Order today or be sorry tomorrow.

Features

  • Squirt E4 features
  • Electrical Wire Cutters (spring loaded)
  • 20, 18, 16, 14, and 12 gauge wire strippers
  • Straight Knife
  • Tweezers
  • Extra-Small Screwdriver
  • Small Screwdriver
  • Phillips Screwdriver
  • Wood/Metal File
  • Bottle Opener
  • Lanyard Attachment
  • Length: 2.25 in. / 5.5 cm closed
  • Weight: 1.8 ounces / 52 grams

MAKE: Bomb Defuser – Leatherman “Squirt” E4 (electronics version) – Link.[Read this article] [Comment on this article] [From Bomb defusers]