Lots of life happening right now, details coming when I know more myself. In the meantime, here's a quick tour of some of the interesting (to me) things I've seen lately in the neighborhood.

USS Clueless did a typically thorough analysis of the future of war in space. Taking the idea and running with it, Buckethead of The Ministry of Minor Perfidy posted a fascinating multi-part series on the concept as well (this link is for part three, which has links to the rest, including the Clueless posts - they're all worth reading). The comments are good reading too.

And if you don't read the original Clueless post mentioned above, then you won't understand why this from Ghost of a Flea about ancient Trireme warships ties in either.

Just because it's bloodthirsty warmongering stuff doesn't mean it can't be neato-keen. De Doc has a great post about UAV's equipped with precision-guided weapons and pattern recognition systems.

Got Wawa? They're just becoming common in our area, and they're pretty good. If you aren't familiar with them, they're a variation on the 7-11 convenience store model, and they're making a dent in 7-11's business. Kinda like WalMart whupping on KMart, who whupped on Sears, who whupped on Woolworths, and so on and so on. Anyways, Roberto of DynamoBuzz talks about Wawa and shares some interesting tidbits.

Shaggy and Scoobie Doo were stoners. Fred and Daphne were getting it on. Big surprises, eh? Although I have to admit I like the idea that Velma was a lesbian, and she wears glasses too. All that, plus more in-the-closet cartoon characters, courtesy of Dustbury.

While you're over there, check out Dustbury's thoughts on the demise of Oldsmobile. Growing up, the best family car we ever had was a '72 Olds Cutlass that would blow the doors off most 'hot rods' the teens of the day were driving. I for one am going to miss Oldsmobile.

Over at BlackFive there is an article posted called Taking Chance Home.

The following is Marine Lieutenant Colonel Strobl's account of escorting the remains of Lance Corporal Chance Phelps. It's a long and beautifully written and it deserves to be read in it's entirety. It's about Valor, Honor and Respect.

Lightening up a bit. SilverBlue invites your questions. Ask away, because he says "bring it on!" and he ain't waffling about answering either.

Paul looks back at simpler times. Laugh-out-loud funny.

Another wonderfully funny post: how Moxie spent Earth Day. I especially loved the comments:

sample: You have made my day. I think I'll start up the Hummer and let it idle for earth day.

Rob of Left & Right shows off his ribbons and medals, and explains what each one means. I'll have to see about digging mine out, although I don't have the impressive combat ribbons he has.

You do read QandO, right? Jon and McQ are partisan as hell - against stupidity and dishonesty. Dems and Repubs alike get fact-checked and called out when needed.

Over at Travelling Shoes, we hear about something that makes me lower my voice to impersonate Boris Karloff doing the narrative of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (paraphrased: and he had an idea, a terrible wonderful awful idea). He's still blogspotted, so if the link doesn't work, scroll down to "Oily George". Classic.

And here's a random link I found while looking for Grinch references. Besides that, I also discovered that the singing (You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch) in the animated version was performed by Thurl Ravenscroft, who received no on-screen credit for it. You might know Mr. Ravenscroft better for his other work, as the voice of Tony the Tiger.

Nic writes one of the scariest pieces I've read in a long time. Snakeheads and Bruce Boxleitner. *shudder*

And finally, to distract you from that nightmare, Victor links to this ebay auction. Thanks guy, I needed that laugh!

Go Sharks!

Posted by: Ted at 06:57 AM | category: Links
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But I'm still going to go back this evening and check out the archives.

Human Descent, a photoshop gallery.

Thanks to Lynn for the pointer.

Posted by: Ted at 12:45 PM | category: Links
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"Protect your banana!" (work-safe)

Thanks to J-Walk Blog for the - ahem - pointer.

Posted by: Ted at 11:49 AM | category: Links
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It's located down by Rue de Dey.

Posted by: Ted at 10:51 AM | category: Links
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Yeah, I'm easily amused, but still, this is funny!

(the picture is work safe, the C&S comments banner isn't)

Posted by: Ted at 12:18 PM | category: Links
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I was up late last night (this morning) watching hockey. The Canucks/Flames went into triple overtime before the Canucks scored to force the series into a deciding seventh game. Three AM before I crawled into bed. What? Don't you realize it's the first round of the NHL playoffs? C'mon, get some perspective. Sheesh.

My dogs aren't hockey fans, although they do lay on the floor near the TV. I think they have trouble following the puck, so they close their eyes and just listen to the game. That's what I choose to believe anyways.

They also wanted to go outside way too early this morning. *yawn*

Speaking of dogs, do you read Two Nervous Dogs? You should be, because of stuff like this:

In other doggie developments, the ear infection is pretty much gone (again), but then a sty appeared on the eyelid. The vet punctured it, which was disgusting. The puncturing of the sty didn't seem to bother the dog at all. Yep, no problem at all with a guy jabbing a needle right into the eyelid "while you wait," but you just try clipping those toenails, mister.

Meanwhile, Denita continues to provide monster artwork for their new game. You've got to check out the latest over at Who Tends the Fires. Make sure you click on it and see the bigger version too. Between cooking and movie reviews and kid-blogging and intelligent commentary, there's a whole lot of good stuff to go through.

Lynn posts beautiful pictures, talks about classical music, and makes me smile with her wit and insight. She's got a post up about Vegetarians, and this line of hers made me laugh out loud:

I sort of lean toward the "The body is a temple" side myself but, as everyone knows, temple gods demand regular sacrifices of animal flesh.

And for the record, I like liver.

Spoons recently got married (congrats!). He also wrote one of the funniest posts I've seen in a long while. It's short, you should go read it.

And speaking of congrats being in order, SilverBlue and his partner have decided to make it official. Best wishes for you both, and I hope you find happiness, contentment and prosperity together.

And lastly but not leastly, a couple of pointers to some other bloggers that review movies on a somewhat regular basis. Besides Ironbear at the aforementioned Who Tends the Fires, you could also visit Truly Bad Films for some great fun, as well as one brand new to me called A Perfectly Cromulent Blog (and thanks to Norbizness for that pointer).

My dogs are laying here snoring, yet I'm now wide awake. I think I'll go cook some bacon and not give them any.

Posted by: Ted at 08:46 AM | category: Links
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1 Awww. gee.... Thanks for the well wishes. :-)

Posted by: SilverBlue at April 18, 2004 09:35 AM (apTMj)

2 Thanks for the kind words -- and BTW have I ever said how much I like the artwork you've used in your banner of late? Very nice.

Somehow I doubt your dogs will snore through the cooking of the bacon. ;-)

Posted by: topdawg at April 18, 2004 09:52 AM (JMaAr)

3 Thanks for the linkagery, m'dear! And thanks for the high praise, too! You're such a sweetie! :-)

--TwoDragons

Posted by: Denita TwoDragons at April 18, 2004 11:23 AM (5iteU)

4 We've been trying to get Denita to stop that intelligent commentary stuff. She's making me and Eric look bad. ;]

Thanks Ted - aren't the VRWC d20 critters just flat cool? I'm looking forward to the next installments myself.

Posted by: Ironbear at April 18, 2004 12:04 PM (k4doI)

5 Topdawg, thanks. I'm always on the lookout for new pictures I can stea... uh, adapt for new banners. I've got several more that will eventually be added to the rotation.

Posted by: Ted at April 18, 2004 07:19 PM (ZjSa7)

6 *LOL* @ Ironbear--Hey now, intelligent commentary is just my thing, my schtick, y'see...unless I haven't had my daily dose of caffeine yet. Then I'm about as incoherent as a person can get and still remain upright and sober. Bleagh.

You guys keep up like this and you'll be responsible for the stretchmarks on my head, dammit! ;-)

Oh, and Ted? You didn't kill this comments thread! NYAH! };-)

--TwoDragons

Posted by: Denita TwoDragons at April 19, 2004 10:58 AM (3l/gk)

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The guys at Anticipatory Retaliation point out this unique way of looking at space exploration: Expensive Hardware Lobbing. Funny commentary to go along with your history.

Also, John links a wonderful collection of space and science themed e-cards. Very nice.

Posted by: Ted at 11:54 AM | category: Links
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Has Bill Watterson (of Calvin & Hobbes fame) resurfaced under a psuedonym? Check out the conspiracy theories laid out and linked by The Llama Butchers.

Posted by: Ted at 10:06 PM | category: Links
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Rabbits invented hip-hop.

Posted by: Ted at 05:42 AM | category: Links
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First, I won the caption contest at Wizbang! And although it was a while ago it's not like I enter these all the time. Besides, Susie said some of my other entries should've won too, which proves that she has exceptional taste.

Now, over at Captain's Quarters, I've taken top honors once again. Thanks to Stephen for suggesting people go over to whup him like a red-headed step-child enjoy his fine entries and possibly play as well.

We now return to our modest and self-depreciating self.

Posted by: Ted at 01:46 PM | category: Links
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1 A well deserved win.

I DON'T HAVE RED HAIR!

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at April 07, 2004 06:07 PM (CSxVi)

2 Congrats. And speaking of modesty, thanks for the compliment over at spoons.

Posted by: buckethead at April 07, 2004 06:29 PM (ztNrs)

3 Well earned bucket. I enjoy Perfidy, and even though I frequently want to strangle Ross, I think it's just my inner-Rumsfeld coming through.

Posted by: Ted at April 07, 2004 08:24 PM (ZjSa7)

4 Thanks again!

About Ross, you're not the only one. But that's why we have him there. Otherwise Johno, Geeklethal and I would sit around nodding at each other, and occasionally arguing around the edges of things.

If I can just break Ross of his habit of reflexively presuming ill intent on the part of conservatives, we'll really be in business. I'm making progress, but I'm not quite there yet. He's a sharp guy, good coder, and fun to have a beer with.

Posted by: buckethead at April 07, 2004 11:36 PM (oHUql)

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Last night I had on my first baseball game of the year - Giants vs Astros - and they had an interesting factoid. Tonight will be the first time in baseball history that a 300 game winner (Clemens) pitches to a 600 home run hitter (Bonds).

The reason the game was on was because I couldn't stand another minute of Mars Needs Women. Lord knows I tried, but even I have limits.

So while the game was on, I did a quick check of all those little sticky notes on my desk...

Terra Taco is back! Yay!

Denita of Who Tends the Fires showcases her artistic talent by presenting not one, but two internet creatures: The DU Spawn and the Spam Golem. Mmmm, spam. Gimme an onion and a skillet and I'll whip up some good eats!

Rob at Left & Right tells a hilarious story that falls under the category of Stupid User Tricks. Years ago I saw a 'computer alphabet' and the letter 'V' stuck with me:

V is for Void
A vast empty null
A lot like the inside
Of a user's skull.

I had to wave my wife over to the PC to read this classic from Kelley because I was laughing too hard to read it to her.

Now here's a twist to the old Nigerian scam that I might fall for: Save the Nigerian Astronaut! Thanks to Transterrestrial Musings for the timely intervention.

Bunsen. Red Sox. No surprise there, it's funny.

And just so this doesn't turn into a one-note chucklepalooza, take a look at Travelling Shoes and his link about fruit fly fights.

Wizbang guest blogger Rodney links to the story that the Mars rover Spirit has officially completed all tasks on its original mission. NASA has plenty more lined up, but from here on out it's all icing on the cake.

Short list this time, life has been hectic. If I post less often, does that mean the quality on Rocket Jones improves because the frequency of suck goes down? Any statitstics wizards out there?

Posted by: Ted at 06:13 AM | category: Links
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Who else but the flea would point out this gem of a site, a list of "Holy (blank), Batman!" phrases used by the sidekick of the Caped Crusader?

For some reason my inner-synergist is inspired by this.

Munuviana - Holy Multitudes
Ambient Irony - Holy Alter-ego
Practical Penumbra - Holy Perfect pitch
Blather Review - Holy Blackout (I'm guessing this applies to his keyboards)
Stranger in a Strange Land - Holy Missing relatives
Publius & Co. - Holy Purple cannibals
Jennifer's History and Stuff - Holy Jelly molds
MookieRiffic - Holy Molehill
The Cheese Stands Alone - Holy Chutzpah
Hoppings of Roxette Bunny - Holy Rainbow
D.F.Moore - Your Daily Dose of Pizzazz - Holy D'artagnan
Caught in the XFire - Holy Crack-up
Angelweave - Holy Armadillos
Anger Management - Holy Astringent pomite fruit
Snooze Button Dreams - Holy Split seconds
Everyday Stranger - Holy Escape hatch
Simon World - Holy Squirrel cage
Tom's Nap Room - Holy Trolls and goblins
Semi-Intelligent Thoughts - Holy Skull tamper
Civilization Calls - Holy Crucial moment
Hold the Mayo - Holy Hot foot
Minx Development Blog - Holy Mechanical army
annika's poetry and journal - Holy armour plate
Trying to Grok - Holy Travel agent
Ilyka Damen - Holy impregnability
Being American in T.O. - Holy bat-logic
Read My Lips - Holy Red herring
G'Day Mate! - Holy Geography
Miss Apropos - Holy Masquerade
Little Miss Attila - Holy Levitation
Triticale - Holy Terminology
Backstage - Holy Bijou
Um's Musings - Holy Unrefillable prescriptions
Rambling Rhodes - Holy Reverse polarity
XSet - Holy Uncanny photographic mental processes
Lemur Girl - Holy Looking glass
Educated Beyond Her Intelligence - Holy Einstein
Primal Purge - Holy Priceless collection of Etruscan snoods
Flying Space Monkey Chronicles - Holy flight plan
A Likely Story - Holy Las Vegas
There's One, Only! - Holy One-track Bat-computer mind
Mamamontezz's Mental Rumpus Room - Holy mesmerism
Light & Dark - Holy Magic Lantern
It's All About De - Holy Diversionary tactic
TexasBestGrok - Holy Toreador
Fear Your Future - Holy Fugitives
2Flower To You - Holy Fishbowl
Anticipatory Retaliation - Holy alphabet
The Meatriarchy - Holy Mashed Potatoes
Ellis Island - Holy Fourth of July

Holy uneven effort, Batman!

Posted by: Ted at 08:20 PM | category: Links
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1 Holy Mammoth Undertaking, Batman! Did you look at all our blogs to do this??? HEE! This is awesome. I wish you had seen my sushi and dr. seuss - I don't think it would've warranted the Einstein.

Posted by: Alex at April 06, 2004 04:31 AM (MNwPu)

2 Holy Squirrel Cage! That could be the next by-line.

Posted by: Simon at April 06, 2004 04:50 AM (FUPxT)

3 I try to visit all the Munuvians every day. Don't always make it, but I try.

Posted by: Ted at April 06, 2004 05:36 AM (ZjSa7)

4 Holy smoke - the church is on fire!

Posted by: triticale at April 12, 2004 09:03 AM (cxv1J)

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You're in your yard, admiring all the hard work. You've spent hours fertilizing and mowing, trimming and edging, not to mention the back-breaking landscaping projects you've done over time. But there's something missing, you need a focal point. Something that will make the whole neighborhood stop and say 'wow'.

Nothing says wow like real military hardware.

Picture the impact your tulip bed would have as it frames a 155mm howitzer. That mixed bed of hostas perfectly sets off your new M-5 Stuart light tank (as an added bonus, it'll keep those pesky kids out of your yard too!).

The Kenosha Military Museum not only has lots of real vintage hardware on display, but they also buy and sell equipment. Spring is in the air, why not spruce up in a big way?

Posted by: Ted at 10:20 AM | category: Links
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I honestly don't know if anyone who stops by Rocket Jones practices Islam. But it can't hurt anyone to read this, and if so inclined to go here.

Posted by: Ted at 05:10 PM | category: Links
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Perfect for those days you just don't want to work that hard.

Posted by: Ted at 06:14 AM | category: Links
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