Thursday, November 26, 2009

Pardoned Turkey Goes On Murderous Rampage


Andy Borowitz is a funny guy. Still, how long until Fox News and Michelle Malkin start reporting this satire as truth?

In a potentially embarrassing situation for the Obama White House, a turkey pardoned by President Obama earlier this week went on a three-state killing spree on Thanksgiving Day, killing nine.

Pardoned White House Turkey Slays Nine

Image via banjobelknap's photostream on flickr


A WKRP Thanksgiving

As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.





Swine Flu and Condoms






Dinosaur Comics, Plato, and Dudes

Click here for a larger view.




















Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Diamond Optical Illusion



This makes my head hurt. It appears that the diamonds, which are all alike, aren't a solid shade of gray, but rather gradient in nature, lighter at the top and growing darker toward the bottom.

Linky in Spanish


Who's Keepin' Sarah Palin's Career Alive?



Via Lunchbreath's photostream on flickr


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Teen Spends 11 Days Riding Subway, World Doesn't Care


Sad. There's just no other word to describe this story.

A 13-year old Brooklyn lad with Asperger's syndrome got frightened as a result of a potential school scolding from his mom and, with $10 in his pocket, rode the subway for 11 days before a transit cop recognized his face from a poster and stepped in to help.


No one spoke to him. Asked if he saw any larger meaning in that, he said, "Nobody really cares about the world and about people."

Hug your kids today. Or someone else's kids. No child should feel this way.

Via Gawker



Worst Political Website Ever

Looks like someone got themselves a bottle of Captain Morgan and a copy of Microsoft Frontpage.



George Hutchins for U.S. Congress


Joe Biden Jr. Buys Call of Duty

Click the image for a larger view. Via Geekologie





Cereal Flowchart

Via Eating the Road, another in a series of humorous and entertaining flowcharts that can help you decide what to eat.

This time - breakfast cereal!

Click the image for larger viewing.





Mindmapping - An Instructionalicious Guide



Via lunchbreath's photostream on flickr


Monday, November 23, 2009

Airports Are To Celebrities As Train Stations Are To.......

[Singapore’s] Changi is the Meryl Streep of airports.

- news.com.au via niki





Iran Will Build A Nuke But Doesn't Know Daily Show Is Fake

Perhaps The Daily Show has gained a bit too much credibility.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Jason Jones: Behind the Veil - Persians of Interest
www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor
Health Care Crisis

Their frequent takedowns of Fox News won't help them provide a "We're just a fake news comedy show!" alibi.


Science Jokes - Creationists Can Laugh, Too

Science - it works, bitches.



Via BoingBoing


Palin Visits Columbus, Brings Her Cloud of Stupefying Nothingness

This is one of the challenges we face here in Columbus - herds of people who are head-over-heels for superficial pseudo-candidates without having the first clue about the issues or positions that person represents - but that doesn't stop these folks from spraying the countryside with teabagger Mad-Libs.



When did ignorance become a point of view?

Via Instaputz


Sunday, November 22, 2009

IE6 and IE7 0-Day Vulnerability Confirmed


Updated 5:20 PM 11/26/09: Microsoft has released v1.1 of this advisory, updated to include some mitigation steps. This is especially important given the types of exploits being noted in the wild.


Updated 9:45 PM 11/23/09: Microsoft has released Security Advisory 977981 concerning this issue.

Original post: SANS has reported and Symantec has confirmed a flaw in Microsoft Internet Explorer that could allow attackers to compromise a vulnerable system.

According to VUPEN Security:

A vulnerability has been identified in Microsoft Internet Explorer, which could be exploited by attackers to compromise a vulnerable system. This issue is caused by a dangling pointer in the Microsoft HTML Viewer (mshtml.dll) when retrieving certain CSS/STYLE objects via the "getElementsByTagName()" method, which could allow attackers to crash an affected browser or execute arbitrary code by tricking a user into visiting a malicious web page.

According to Symantec, the current exploit shows poor reliability, but that's expected to change and the reliability is expected to rapidly improve.

Recommendations are the same as always when Internet Explorer is involved - make sure your antivirus is up to date, disable JavaScript, and only visit trusted sites until Redmond rolls out a patch.

An alternative is to use a browser with a lower attack footprint, such as Firefox with the NoScript add-on.


Ricky Gervais on The Book of Genesis



Via Effect Measure



Things Not To Be Thankful For

Via The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, a few things we should ignore in this season of thanks.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Things Not to Be Thankful For - Silverdome, Goldman Sachs & Congressional Recess
www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor
Health Care Crisis




Saturday, November 21, 2009

American Ribbons of Shame

One measure of how low America has sunk is that 49 million of its citizens lacked consistent access to adequate food during the Bush administration.


That's a staggering figure, one seemingly too large for even cold-hearted conservatives to sweep under the rug. But they're trying.

Where's the outrage?

Outlined in Household Food Security in the United States, 2008 (warning - pdf), the Food and Drug Administration report outlines the kind of issues we're dealing with here: Food scarcity for 7-8 months of the year, for several days each month.

Does anyone reading this even know what that would be like? Have you ever gone a day or so without knowing from where your next meal would come?

I haven't - not in my entire 48 years. And I've been through some lean times where packaged ramen noodles, generic mac and cheese, or spaghetti with watery tomato sauce was the repas du jour. But I always knew I had something in the pantry.

I don't understand how, with million dollar bonuses being handed out like Halloween candy and executives floating gently to earth while harnessed to exorbitant golden parachutes, we can sanction 49 million of our fellow villagers living in a constant state of sustenance anxiety.

When did we lose our humanity?


The America I'm observing thousands of people waiting in line for hours wherever an organization spins up a volunteer clinic to provide free medical and dental care. At one such clinic in New Orleans this month, four mortals were immediately taken to the hospital due to the severity of their conditions.

22% of Louisiana's population is not covered by medical insurance. That hasn't stopped Governor Bobby Jindal from attacking the health care reform bill passed by the US House or the pending Senate legislation. Nor has it kept Jindal from traveling out of Louisiana several times in the past week for fundraising purposes.

Keeping constituents from dying or raising cash for re-election? It appears Jindal has made his choice.

Little Rock, Arkansas held a clinic this week for 1300 uninsured citizens to receive free health screenings. Senator Blanche Lincoln (D) has opposed the public option offered by the House and Senate bills, and Republicans are lining up candidates to challenge her for re-election, certain to use her HCR vote as a wedge issue. Lincoln desperately wants to keep her job, and the vast majority of the state's 473,000 uninsured residents would be eligible for for federal assistance under the Senate proposal.

It seems like this should be a much simpler decision for Lincoln. She could help make a difference in the lives of nearly a half-million Arkansas residents. Or she could focus on remaining in the Senate - two positions which, believe it or not, are not necessarily in conflict.

The US unemployment rates stands at 10.2%. It was 4.4% in May 2007. The broader U-6 unemployment rate, including those who have stopped looking for work or who can't find a job, stands at 17.5%.

When it comes to wealth distribution, roughly 10% of the US population owns 71% of all US wealth. The top 1% controls nearly 38%, while the bottom 40% owns approximately 1%. The level of wealth inequality has almost doubled since 1975.


Does the 10% of the population with the most wealth have health insurance and a stable food supply? Probably so. As do members of Congress, state legislators, governors, lobbyists...

When did we lose our humanity? Evidence suggests the loss began accelerating in the mid-1970s.

Can we regain it?

I'm not confident. History demonstrates few instances where the haves accepted less so the have-nots might have some without legal mandate. One look around the teabagger circuit and Sarah Palin's book tour should provide insight into the support for wealth redistribution. As Matt Taibbi notes, Palin has done a masterful job of connecting with the "pissed-off, frightened, put-upon America."

If Bill and Melinda Gates can donate $3.35 billion, and Warren Buffet can spare $37 billion, there's no reason why the top 10% can't cough off a little dough to make sure everyone eats and no one dies due to poor or nonexistent medical care.

It's time for the "richest country in the world" to take care of their own.





Metasploit Framework 3.3 is here

Metasploit Project has released version 3.3 of the Metasploit Framework, including updated exploits for WIndows 7.

All told, v3.3 packs 446 exploits and hundred of payloads, more than enough for those seeking an automated attack platform. 180 bugs have been fixed since the last release.

There's no need to be a cyber-genius to use the Metasploit Framework, much to the consternation of security professionals who miss the days when significant technical proficiency was required to write and launch attacks.

With the Metasploit Framework, it's as easy as selecting and configuring your exploit and payload, finding a vulnerable target, encoding your payload to hide from intrusion detection systems, and launching your exploit.

Remember, you should be using this tool for research, teaching, and assessment purposes only. Running Metasploit against targets without permission can get you a visit from people wearing sunglasses and dark suits.

You've been warned.




Flash Mob on Bondi Beach, Australia




The Cat Translator




Via Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal


Humping and Barking

“We’re banned from the dog park. Well, I guess it’s okay to hump, and it’s okay to bark, but both at the same time freaks people out."

via shitmydadsays on Twitter



Creationists and Flu Shots

People who don't believe in evolution really shouldn't be allowed to get flu shots.

-Rainn Wilson, via DailyKos


Big Bird Cake Disasters

Sesame Street's 40th anniversary reminds us that outside of the warm, fuzzy images of Jim Henson, there exists a distorted reality often served on paper plates at children's parties.

Such is the case with Big Bird cake disasters, via BoingBoing.

I'm sure family members had noble intentions when attempting to recreate Bird in confectionery form, but sadly, what they accomplish is sending a cruel life message to someone they love.

Things are never as good in real life as they look on television.



Children and Logic




Via Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal


Utah Lawmaker Worries About Choking on the Gays

Utah State Senator Chris Buttars (R) doesn't have a problem with the gays, necessarily. He's just fearful that one will get stuck in his throat, perhaps while children are watching:

BUTTARS: I meet with the gays here and there. They were in my house two weeks ago. I don’t mind gays. But I don’t want ‘em stuffing it down my throat all the time. Certainly not in my kid’s face.

And that, my friends, is why Republican Chris Buttars opposes allowing same-sex couple to  adopt children. You can't wear a mask to protect yourself from the gay like you can the pig flu.

Via Think Progress



TMNT Meets Reservoir Dogs



Via The Daily Dish


It Must Be Holiday Time in the USA

"A tanker truck carrying 7,000 gallons of Canadian Club whiskey overturned on a Kentucky highway on its way to the Jim Beam distillery. Said a nearby child: 'It smells like uncles.'"

- Seth Meyers, SNL

Via Psychic Knife




Friday, November 20, 2009

Cracking Eggs is Hard

Not sure how I've managed to do this manually for half a century. I guess a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.



Via BoingBoing




Sarah Palin Supporters - OMFG

JesusChristOhMyFuckingGod.




Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Punching a Friend in the Face

Over at WaltSense, an interesting perplexity has been put forth by Walt: If you could punch one of your friends in the face, who would it be, and why?


Oh, the possibilities.

Walt provides the criteria and a list of five things to ponder before selecting your victim:

  1. The friend's height
  2. The friend's weight
  3. Your friend's smile
  4. Is your friend considered better looking that you?
  5. Does your friend talk a lot?
It's a good thing I don't have very many friends - makes it much easier to choose.

So who would you punch? The comments are wide open!

Image via Wikimedia Commons