Apparently a posting on a Fark thread related to Scientology becoming more like a religion... that became rather a hard crash inside my head when I saw it. So I share the pain of the train wreck:

I fully expect such a deed to be very difficult, and very painful, to accomplish, though. Except, perhaps, for Doug's wife.
--

"You know how parents tell you everything's going to fine, but you know they're lying to make you feel better? Everything's going to be fine." - The Doctor

The same time Toyota was trying to debunk the idea that nothing is wrong with the electronic throttle of their cars, a Prius at 1300 local time went out of control from a stuck throttle on the 8 freeway in San Diego. The car was doing 90 mph. The driver called 911. The CHP managed to get a cruiser in front of the car and slowed it down to a stop. The driver was shaken, but unhurt. If this Prius had a fix and still went out of control, it doesn't look good for Toyota.
__________________
Into terror!,  Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell

So this is a little something I've been kicking around for, oh, a long time now. It's not even close to finished, but the story-as-is makes for a nice little look into the pre-war life of the Soviet Air Force. I'm kicking it out just to see what people think. Enjoy! --Mal

So, I'm considering getting an online game of some sort going - probably an open MUSH of some sort - I do have a setting in mind - and I'm looking for game mechanics to go with it. Savage Worlds has been suggested. I'd be open to advice from folk who have some experience with the system...
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

...you should find something funny in this:
Funny or Die’s Presidential Reunion featuring Will Ferrell, Chevy Chase, Ron Howard, Jim Carrey, Fred Armisen, Darrell Hammond, Dan Aykroyd, Maya Rudolph, Dana Carvey, FOD Team, Jake, and Antonio Scarlata.  Warning:  This is a political commercial of sorts, so if you're in favor of having no regulation on banks and credit card companies, you might not want to watch it.
Posted in General because I think the funny outweighs the political.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Fresh off the presses here.
And it is awesome.  The very last moments are killer.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Peggy and I just got back from an IMAX 3D showing of Burton's new "Alice".
Go see it.  As soon as you can.  The effects are spectacularly well done but at the same time do not distract you from the story.  The actress playing Alice is exceptional, and of course Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are great.  They've also got some surprise voice talent for the CGI-only characters, including Stephen Fry, Alan Rickman, and for all of two lines Christopher Lee.  The story is ... well, they've done a wonderful job of concealing this in the marketing, but I will give away a small secret -- this is not a new version of the classic story.  Alice is not Dawson-cast at almost 20 instead of being 7.  There's a reason she's almost 20 -- It is a sequel to the original stories.  And it works.
Oh, extra bonus:  A new, long, detailed trailer -- in 3D -- for Tron Legacy precedes it.
Like I said, go see.
ETA:  Just discovered that the main theme -- written by Danny Elfman -- is available for free download in MP3 format from Amazon.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

All those references to Fenspace not having folding money because there are better uses for paper?

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2 ... money.html]Forget about them. That excuse doesn't wash.

This is doubly-embarrassing considering that Australia hasn't had paper money since before handwavium was discovered.

Now how do we explain why Fenspace is a cashless society?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

I noticed http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?p=946895]a thead over on the SJGames forums where the thread starter is looking for "movies where nerds are the main protagonists, and are (a) shown in a positive light (b) shown to stay true to their nature, and yet attain whatever goal that more-or-less corresponds to happiness."

If we can't come up with a couple of dozen suggestions, I'll be disappointed...

What's already been suggested:

• The New Guy (Dizzy)
  
• Napoleon Dynamite
  
• Revenge of the Nerds
  
• The Rock
  
• TRON
  
• Sneakers
  
• Role Models
  
• REAL GENIUS
  
• Wargames
  
• Mozart and the Whale
  
• Serenity
  

As folks may know from some of the Legendary Channel chats, I'm interested in constructed languages. Well there's a recent announcement about one of the typical affordable resources for a non-academic hobbyist.
Mark Rosenfelder's Language Creation Kit will soon be released via Amazon .com as a Print-on-demand dead trees edition that is 4 times larger than the free web version.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll