Pervasivelight 5.0

The ACLU of Texas actually supports and defends ALL of the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

Put another 60 miles on the bike today (run down to Cross Country and back for service.

Computer readout flashed around 22 degrees F the entire way but damned if it didn’t feel like 10 below.

Did I mention I can’t wait to get to Texas.

call me paranoid, but I get the feeling that there’s a whole lot more to this story than is being said in this article.

Feds allege plot to destroy Fannie Mae data
Friday January 30, 10:58 am ET
Feds allege fired Fannie Mae worker planted virus to destroy mortgage company’s computer data

URBANA, Md. (AP) — The Justice Department says it foiled a plot by a fired Fannie Mae contract worker in Maryland to destroy all the data on the mortgage giant’s 4,000 computer servers nationwide.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 35-year-old Rajendrasinh Makwana, of Glen Allen, Va., is scheduled for arraignment Friday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on one count of computer intrusion.

U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein says Makwana was fired Oct. 24.

Rosenstein says that on that day, Makwana programmed a computer with a malicious code that was set to spread throughout the Fannie Mae network and destroy all data this Saturday.

Makwana’s federal public defender did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Washington-based Fannie Mae is the largest U.S. mortgage finance company.

while the source isn’t exactly unimpeachable this is worrying.

At least 40 al-Qaeda fanatics died horribly after being struck down with the disease that devastated Europe in the Middle Ages.

The killer bug, also known as the plague, swept through insurgents training at a forest camp in Algeria, North Africa. It came to light when security forces found a body by a roadside.

Anyone know how common YP is in Algeria?

so i’m looking at Obama’s official portrait last night and think i see something amiss.

did I miss something?

Yeah, I know, but it made me giggle.

Cat Edition

would have felt cold if I had any feeling left in my extremities.

display on the right is: time, odometer, TEMPERATURE! & gear

As the cold white fingers of pending armageddon bear down on New York, I’m currently in the Capitol of Texas securing our next temporary domicile.

And, oh, yeah, it’s 70 degrees out.

… and he has a sense of humor.

Some Transportation Security Administration workers are reporting severe skin rashes, lightheadedness, swelling and redness in and around the eyes and lips as a result of the blue uniforms TSA officers started wearing this summer, according to the union representing the workers. The uniforms were intended to give the nation’s 43,000 TSA officers a more professional look as they search for contraband at airports and harbors.

In 1971, during a drilling, geologists accidentally found an underground cavern filled with natural gas. The ground on which the drilling rig was placed collapsed, leaving a large gaping hole exposed with a diameter of about 50-100 meters. To avoid poisonous gases coming out of the hole, it was decided to let the gases burn. As of 2009, gases in the underground cavern are still burning without interruption. Locals have named the cavern The Door to Hell.

The most important single central fact about a free market is that no exchange takes place unless both parties benefit.

Milton Friedman

Via Joe Huffman

You couldn’t ask for a more practical demonstration of Point Shooting than Mr. Rufus Hussey

More info on Rufus here

There is no substitute for good parenting, but that doesn’t seem to stop lawmakers does it?

It has all the makings of a holiday toy: a miniature Santa Claus that lights up, chuckles “Ho, ho, ho” and sings a Christmas carol.

But there’s a catch: To activate those cool features, a person has to flick the lighter switch and spark a flame. And that is why there’s an effort to ban it, along with other novelty lighters.

State Rep. Ed Wildberger, a Democrat from St. Joseph and a former firefighter, has pre-filed a bill that would make it illegal to sell novelty lighters in Missouri. The proposed law would specifically prohibit lighters that look like cartoon characters, animals, vehicles or food products. Lighters that play music or have flashing lights also would be outlawed.

This year is a big one around here… it’s the year we move from the state of TaxUs to Texas.
Interesting aside: As I understand it, the Republic State of Texas’ constitution forbids both an income tax as well as requiring a balanced budget.

There are of course some other side benefits not available here in New York.

Here’s to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009 for y’all.