So, upon closer inspection, there is no law against full frontal nudity on broadcast television between the hours of 10pm and 6am local time.

From the FCC (actually from the ruling I linked to in my last post, but adopted by the FCC):

According to the U.S. Supreme Court, to be obscene, material must meet a three-prong test: (1) an average person ( Read more... )

This article brings up all kinds of issues about free speech and decency ( Read more... )

Yesterday we visited team Isaacson for dinner. I spent quite a bit of time hanging out with Luna while Katherine and Sonja talked about boring adult things ( Read more... )

An Update of the Epic Saga

A searcher once flew to Nantucket
And then took the train to Pawtucket
From there to Manhasset
He asked "DO U HAS IT?"
But that walrus could not find his bucket!

This article has lots of great detail. The summary is that several organizations, including the US Energy Information Administration and Exxon believe that gasoline consumption in the US reached a peak in 2007 that it will never reach again.

I've noticed a general increase over the last few years in the number of people talking about the possibility of a civilization-ending disaster. So more people are talking about it, in general terms, but more interestingly, the prospect is universally discussed as a positive thing. Since, whatever the specifics, it would quite obviously be a ( Read more... )

Here's a brief list of some upcoming movies that interest me:

The Invention of Lying has a neat premise and could have some gems.
Ninja Assassin looks like it will be unadulterated awesome. It could simultaneously suck, but I think the awesome is pretty much guaranteed.
The second and more elaborate trailer for District 9 is really compelling. I ( Read more... )

My dad's dad died. He was pretty great in his day. He loved to provoke people, to start arguments, and to take unpopular positions for the sake of discussion. He constantly challenged everyone, but he also had a completely unrestrained joy that was often infectious. I miss him, but no more so now than for the past five years. As his hearing ( Read more... )

Man charged $23 quadrillion for smokes; bank adds overdraft fee

Unruly Teen Charges $23 Quadrillion At Drugstore

Coincidence, or sign of the end times? YOU BE THE JUDGE!

After turning 21, the age milestones become less worthy of celebration and more just a matter of time. So I'm always on the lookout for milestones worth celebrating, and I stumbled on this one today, just a little bit belatedly: Most men commit suicide between the ages of 20 and 40, so at 31, I'm over the hump! The same goes for women, but the ( Read more... )