The day in Richmond, the evening in Fredericksburg :)

~115 posts on my Friends page since about 15 hours ago. Craaazy.

In the interim, I drove down to Richmond from about 1030 to 1230, verified the drive problem, waited until 1430 for the drive to be delivered by courier from Sterling, discovered it was the wrong one due to a misfiled entry in the parts catalog, ordered the correct one around 1500, and headed out for food. As I was at Ukrops getting said food at 1600, the local POC called me to say the part had arrived (from Richmond), and I was done with everything checked out by 1645.

While there, I figured I'd stop by skeeter800's in Fredericksburg, but didn't think I had her cell#, so I sent her an email saying to call me. With no call, I stopped by anyway, and lo, there she was, along with roommates Kelly and Juliet, plus a Brtish guy whose name I've forgotten. Was invited to stay for a nice home-cooked dinner, then hung out for several more hours, over photos (silly, cute, and/or provocative--some hotness in that household ;), CMT's Cowboy U and A Cowboy Christmas, a bit of The Real Gilligan's Island, The Biggest Loser, Queer Eye, L&O:SVU, and part of A Time to Kill, before I headed home a bit after midnight. :)

Anti-abortion budget || Thanksmas, AI cliches, faith vs. science, liquid lenses

A serious bit, via subbes: Congress approves anti-abortion clause without debate, as a last-minute addition to the budget.

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Quite a bit of frivolity:

Via megachrisgt: Happy Thanksmas! (Not particularly worksafe! Needs audio!)

Via inkyblue2: Movie cliches about AIs

Via jwz, an entertaining rant on faith vs. science.
I am sorry if my column offended you, but please understand: I am deeply offended by the notion that myths invented in the Bronze Age by superstitious desert nomads should be given exactly the same credence as the work of people like Darwin and Einstein and Euclid and Hawking and Newton... It is considered perfectly okay for you to mock my perfectly rational ideas about evolution, but if I point out that your position depends upon the notion of a magic superhero in the sky, you'll probably take offense. Why? Why are irrational beliefs somehow less subject to scrutiny and dissection than rational ones?

Also via jwz: Through a lens sharply. Electrostatically focused liquid lenses, with a range of 150 diopters; the potential lies herein for small cameras with large-lens capability. Also, I'm reminded of the awesome, force-field-suspended-liquid-lens binoculars in Dune (the book). :)

Via notjaffo: Sushi Eating Howto. (Some tongue-in-cheek, but mostly real advice. :)

Morford on Sex, Xmas geekery, Moving to Canada, and a birthday

Mark Morford: Forget the alarmist headlines. Ignore the shrill faux-moral groups who live like sad trolls in places like Colorado Springs who deign to tell you what sex and God and love is supposed to be about despite how they haven't seen their own genitalia since about 1987. The Great Sexual Revolution 2.0 is coming. Deny it at your peril. Bring extra batteries.

HA! Today's Foxtrot:


Via xviragox: Before You Flee to Canada, Can We Talk?
After nearly four years as an American in the Great White North, I've learned it's not all beer and doughnuts. If you're thinking about coming to Canada, let me give you some advice: Don't.

As attractive as living here may be in theory, the reality's something else. For me, it's been one of almost daily confrontation with a powerful anti-Americanism that pervades many aspects of life. When I've mentioned this phenomenon to Canadian friends, they've furrowed their brows sympathetically and said, "Yes, Canadian anti-Americanism can be very subtle." My response is, there's nothing subtle about it.

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Happy birthday yesterday, pendragon!

"Work", accident-induced traffic, Sagan on Harvard, and upcoming shows

Today: A bunch of electronic paperwork, and a mail run to the USPS (where I bought Priority Mail postage with delivery confirmation, from a machine! I could even have gotten insurance there) and FedEx (too busy for only one of the counterfolk to be helping). Alas, on the way back out, there was apparently a somewhat major accident on Rolling Rd about a block south of where I was, and traffic looked to be backing up for miles. After waiting in the intersection for a few cycles, contemplating taking the side street and using a map to find another way, traffic moved a car length or two, and I ill-advisedly went with traffic. However, when people started getting out of their cars, I looked at where I had space, backed onto the shoulder, back to the intersection, took the side street, and meandered over to Burke Rd, Burke Lake Rd, 7100, and home. I left a message for Nathan warning him of the blockage, but I don't know if he'll check it.

Now, to do something about dinner..

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Hahaha! Carl Sagan on the 'tron, on preparing for a Harvard interview.

Ooh.. upcoming at the 9:30 Club:
12/4: Del McCoury Band & Donna the Buffalo (bluegrass & roots-rock)
12/31: Pietasters w/33 West & The Playets
1/8: Emmet Swimming w/Kenin

Also on 12/4, the HFSmas Nutcracker at the Patriot Center, but it's been sold out for a while.
Also on 12/4, a Hart benefit party in Annandale, for which I received a flyer from an animal shelter guy at Petsmart a couple weeks ago.