Mug Shots
Dec
30
Dec
30
Christmas Tree Quote
“You compliment a christmas tree the same way you compliment your girlfriend’s breasts. If they’re real you say they look fake, if they’re fake you say they look real.”
Dec
30
Bugs That Eat Waste and Excrete Petrol
This is really cool. I think we should be exploring this more. Here is the article and this is a picture of a vile of excreted petrol.
“Ten years ago I could never have imagined I’d be doing this,” says Greg Pal, 33, a former software executive, as he squints into the late afternoon Californian sun. “I mean, this is essentially agriculture, right? But the people I talk to – especially the ones coming out of business school – this is the one hot area everyone wants to get into.”
He means bugs. To be more precise: the genetic alteration of bugs – very, very small ones – so that when they feed on agricultural waste such as woodchips or wheat straw, they do something extraordinary. They excrete crude oil.
Unbelievably, this is not science fiction. Mr Pal holds up a small beaker of bug excretion that could, theoretically, be poured into the tank of the giant Lexus SUV next to us. Not that Mr Pal is willing to risk it just yet. He gives it a month before the first vehicle is filled up on what he calls “renewable petroleum”. After that, he grins, “it’s a brave new world”.
Dec
29
New DUI Laws.
Starting Wednesday, anybody convicted of a DUI will have their license suspended for 30 days, but will be allowed back on the road if they agree to have a breathalyzer device installed in their vehicles. The law, which was sponsored by Senator John Cullerton, is one of the strictest in the nation. Drivers who have a 0.08 or higher blood-alcohol level at the time of their arrest will be required to drive with the monitoring devices in their cars for five months. Drivers who refuse to take a blood alcohol test but are nonetheless convicted will be required to use the device for 11 months. The device also requires drivers to be tested periodically while the car is running. Drivers will have to blow into the device again within the first 5 to 15 minutes of a trip, then at least twice every hour.
Although, I have several friends who have been injured in drunk driving accidents, I worry that a law like this is another step towards the “Big 
Brother” world of Orwell’s 1984. I appreciate the severity of a DUI and certainly sympathize with the intent of the law, but I still worry that strapping a first time offender with an expensive car device will open the door to other oppressive laws.
Further, I looked into the accuracy of the breathalyzers and found that they are shockingly unreliable. According to the Wikipedia page and the How Things Work page, breath testers can be very sensitive to temperature. Breathing pattern can also significantly affect breath test results. One study found that the BAC readings of subjects decreased 11 to 14% after running up one flight of stairs and 22–25% after doing so twice. Another study found a 15% decrease in BAC readings after vigorous exercise or hyperventilation. Hyperventilation for 20 seconds has been shown to lower the reading by approximately 32%. On the other hand, holding your breath for 30 seconds can increase the breath test result by about 28%. Some breath analysis machines assume a hematocrit (cell volume of blood) of 47%. However, hematocrit values range from 42 to 52% in men and from 37 to 47% in women. A person with a lower hematocrit will have a falsely high BAC reading.
Even though BAC tests are riddled with inaccuracies, they are admissible in court. Offenders are not required to take a BAC test and will be charged with a violation of the illegal per se law if they refuse. However, in Illinois refusing to take a breathalyzer results in an automatic suspension of the offender’s driver’s license even if not convicted of drunk driving. Interestingly enough, in Wisconsin, the first DUI offense is normally a civil ordinance violation. YEAH BADGERS!
I write this in order to implore my friends to think twice before drinking and driving. And remember never blow.
Dec
29
Dec
28
The Death of Dating
Last night at my friend Kyle’s graduation party, I was told by my friend Bruno that I need more original content and a few less Dilbert comics. So I’ve been thinking about what I should write. As anybody who knows me knows, I am an opinionated person. I believe that my opinion is not only correct, but should be heard by everybody. So having a blog is perfect for me.
I recently asked a girl to go out on a date and it occurred to me that dating is dead. She and I are going to dinner and a movie and that should be fun, but dating as my parents understand it is over. I asked several of my guy friends and they agreed. The consensus is that people choose hooking up over dating. We prefer to have casual relationships over the interview process that comes with a first date.
But I like interviews. In my last interview, I essentially turned the filter off. I even went so far as to ask the HR girl out. The interview went great. The date, now that was awkward. Overall, I believe the concept of just hooking up without dating is misguided. I understand that it is easier to just meet at a bar and hook up, but it lacks some of the one-on-one that I enjoy.
Being single really agrees with me. I was rusty at first, but it is like riding a bike. And going out five nights a week means plenty of opportunities to flex that muscle. I’m worried though, my partners in crime are becoming normal functioning members of society. Nick got a job and Will has to go to school. So if I am going to be reducing my nights out I think I need to up the dates.
I wonder whether people who date versus just hooking up have more or less sex. I thought I would look into a little more. I found an op-ed article on NY-Times where the columnist and I agree. He wrote something that I thought was interesting. “Under the old model, you dated a few times and, if you really liked the person, you might consider having sex. Under the new model, you hook up a few times and, if you really like the person, you might consider going on a date.”
I think there has to be a middle road that would produce the best of both worlds. I am going to keep doing research and I’ll write more later. If you have an opinion, COMMENT. And Bruno eat your heart out.
Dec
26
Dec
25
A Festivus for the Rest of Us
I found this on Fark and it is from the Huffington Post.
SPRINGFIELD — In the world of the TV sitcom “Seinfeld,” Festivus is a goofy, high-tension Christmas substitute dreamt up by George Costanza’s angry dad. Revelers gathered around an aluminum pole and couldn’t leave until someone pinned the head of the household to the floor.
Festivus is still good for a laugh among “Seinfeld” loyalists, even 11 years after the episode was first broadcast.
Funny, but nobody’s laughing much about the Festivus pole that popped up under the dome of the Illinois Capitol this week.
Not the people who set up the nearby nativity scene.
“I think it’s a mockery,” said Dan Zanoza, chairman of the Springfield Nativity Scene Committee.
Not the atheists who set up their own Capitol display.
“If the state’s going to create a forum for religion at this time of year, which we do not approve of, this is what’s going to happen,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor of the Freedom from Religion Foundation.
Even the 18-year-old who created the pole isn’t laughing much. State workers, he gripes, set it up too far out of the way for anyone to see.
“I’m halfway thinking about complaining about the location,” Michael Tennenhouse said.
Festivus was, after all, a holiday built around the airing of grievances.
“I got a lot of problems with you people!” Frank Costanza told family and others gathered for his odd, uncomfortable holiday. “And now you’re gonna’ hear about it!”
Atheists’ gripes over nativity
Illinois’ Festivus tale opened with the atheists’ gripes over Zanoza’s nativity. The Freedom from Religion Foundation won permission to put up a sign after the nativity went up early this month.
“There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell,” the sign reads. “There is only our natural world.”
The Madison, Wis.-based group has set up similar displays around the nation, including one in Olympia, Wash., that caught the attention of Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly and led to protests by his viewers.
“It doesn’t make sense to have a public forum for religion in December in a state capitol,” Gaylor said. “It just clutters everything up.”
The chatter about the issue gave Tennenhouse the idea. The high school senior and member of the American Civil Liberties Union is home in Springfield for a break from his Lake Forest boarding school.
His parents reluctantly contributed the aluminum handle from their swimming pool skimmer, and Tennenhouse and his 13-year-old bother, Matt, applied for a permit to put up a Festivus pole in the Capitol.
The state, much to Tennenhouse’s surprise, didn’t turn him down.
Nathan Maddox, senior legal adviser with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, says the state couldn’t legally deny Tennenhouse’s right to free expression.
So, on Tuesday, up went the pole, along with a printed poster that included an e-mail address, friendsforfestivus@gmail.com, and a message that reads, in part:
“Although Festivus is traditionally celebrated Dec. 23, the people of Illinois have had to begin ‘Grievance Airing’ early this year. Hopefully we can conclude Festivus before February.”
Tennenhouse’s message is part political, he says, noting the reference to the corruption charges facing Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. And it’s a little ideological — the teenager says the Capitol is no place for religious symbols.
But something else was at work in Tennenhouse’s plan: boredom.
“I’m here for three weeks and I really don’t have much else to do.”
Zanoza wishes Tennenhouse had found something — just about anything — else to do.
“I give more credence to the atheists’ sign,” said the 55-year-old Zanoza, who lives in Lincoln. “At least they represent a position, a belief, or a lack of belief.”
Gaylor doesn’t mind the Festivus pole, as long as Illinois insists on allowing holiday symbols into the statehouse. But she counts her blessings that she lives in Madison — Wisconsin’s capital.
“The nice thing here is we do not have a nativity,” she said.
Tennenhouse and his brother went to the Illinois statehouse Tuesday, just to gauge the response to their blue aluminum pole. There wasn’t much, he said, because it’s tucked away in a corner of the rotunda where few people are likely to see it.
Maybe that’s OK, he says. Even a little humorous.
“Ours is kind of ridiculous,” he admits. “I think it’s kind of funny that it got up there.”
Dec
25
Better Than an iPhone?
It has no internet and no specialty features, but the Nokia gunphone reduces the number of accessories the redneck needs to carry. I think Nokia has a hit.
Dec
25
Dec
23
Dec
23
Dec
22
Dec
22
Dec
22
A Duhig Christmas
Most of my posts have been things I find on the internet but this one is more my thoughts. As a Jew, the holiday season holds a little less meaning for me, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have holiday traditions of my own. Every 
year on Christmas my family takes part in the ancient Jewish tradition of a Chinese dinner and a movie.
However, there is something I look forward to even more than my sesame chicken and that’s the Duhig family Christmas Eve party. A tradition I’ve only been a part of for the last few years but something I nonetheless have come to love. I never have on the proper Christmas sweater attire, but it doesn’t matter. The holiday spirit is abound.
So I say, don we now our gay apparel and deck the halls, Christmas is upon us.
Dec
22
What Mariah Carey Really Wants for Christmas!
This is a must see.
[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=z8LmMtScH3g]
Dec
22
Chanukah
Last night was the first night of Chanukah. Besides eight nights presents, which I usually bundle into one bigger gift, my next favorite part of the holiday is the Latkes. So here is a little Latke tribute.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVkZFt7C2ig]
Dec
21
iPhone 3G Unlock ‘Yellowsn0w’ Demo
This is a demo of an unlocked iPhone 3g. I thought many of my friends would appreciate this.
[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1887115&w=425&h=350&fv=rssURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fqik.com%2Fvideo%2Ff68d5b668a114eb1afb0d8bff0454e99.rss%26autoPlay%3Dfalse]
Dec
21
Dilbert on Investing
Dilbert author Scott Adams wrote this blog post about the average Joe investing in the stock market. I thought this was an interesting insight.
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Recently I suggested that someday it might be illegal for untrained citizens to invest in stocks of individual companies because it is too risky. As regular readers know, I sometimes throw out provocative ideas just for the fun of it. I didn’t think much about that idea until after I wrote it. But the more I mulled it over, the more it started to make sense. So I’m going to develop that argument here.
I remind you that I lean libertarian (without the crazy stuff) so all of my impulses are to allow people the freedom to hurt themselves any way they choose, so long as their corpses don’t block my driveway or cost me anything. So the argument I am about to make offends even my own sensibility. The troubling part is that it makes sense.
Let’s begin by noting there are already plenty of restrictions on personal freedoms when the consensus is that these restrictions somehow protect people from themselves, or they protect society as a whole. For example, where I live you can’t legally…
- - Drive without a seatbelt
- - Ride a motorcycle without a helmet
- - Commit suicide
- - Practice law, medicine, or other professions without a license
- - Operate a motor vehicle while under the influence
- - Gamble in most places
- - Carry an Uzi down the street
- - Buy dynamite
The list goes on, and that doesn’t even include the many restrictions on underage activities. So there is nothing unusual or unprecedented about legal restrictions on freedom when an argument can be made that it protects lives or property.
My argument against allowing individuals to invest in stocks is that unless you have insider knowledge, which is already illegal, your odds of beating the index averages are slim. It is nothing more than gambling.
The myth of stock investing is that a person who does more research has better results. But there is no science to support that view. Indeed, the person who understands the most about individual stock investing avoids them completely and invests in ETFs or index funds.
The problem with doing your own research on stocks is that you must rely on the information coming from the management of a company, and managers are generally misinformed or lying. Even the most seasoned investment professionals running mutual funds perform worse than the indexes on average. Brains and research can’t overcome the fact that much of your data is deliberately tainted at the source.
When people go to Vegas to gamble, they usually set some sort of limit for their losses. And they go with the full knowledge that winning is unlikely. It makes sense for that sort of activity to be legal, within limits, because it is viewed as entertainment and not investment. But if it were common for people to bet their retirement savings on Blackjack, you can be sure it would be illegal.
We don’t allow unlicensed people to practice law or medicine, sell real estate, or even build a house. It is entirely consistent to restrict the untrained from making risky stock investments.
I reiterate that this runs against my own libertarian philosophy. I would feel I had lost something important if I couldn’t invest in individual stocks. But it is also true that my net worth would be larger if I had never done it. And it would be larger still if I hadn’t allowed professionals to do it on my behalf.
If anyone comments to this post by saying, “I do my own research and I made money in the stock market,” it is proving my point. And if you don’t see why that proves my point that further proves my point.
Dec
21