Just throw strikes…

The Suns are out. For those who get their NBA news from my blog.

Mule line, the flat line somewhere between rope and string that we use to pull cable through conduit is expensive – but so is labor. At some point, you just gotta cut the line, tie a new one, and move on with the job.

It’s a lot more expensive to change plans after the conduit is in place – a lot.

If your first instinct is that you probably can’t quite get the boom basket around the obstruction from this position – you’re right. Proving that to yourself is a slow and frustrating exercise.

You all know that North Korea will never actually launch a nuclear missile at the US, right? The whole country operates like its run by kindergarteners, and this is just one more tantrum for attention. We gotta calm down and be the grown-ups. Really.

Much as I like the Obama admin, they still live in fear, at least in foreign policy. [sigh..]

In little league, you can hit a ball three feet from the plate and still score a run on that very play.

And the team my son’s team faced last Tuesday – they’re the terror of the entire league. My son’s team is closer to the middle of the pack than that game would indicate.

And they played well tonight. And Ben scored his first run (walk, two stolen bases, walk home on a bases loaded HBP). His team played well and won. Don’t worry – I’m not going to update in this sort of detail all season.

Now you know.

SF, eagles and gratuitous football metaphors [10/16/08]

Eventually, sleep deprivation overwhelms any amount of caffeine or motivation, and you just pass out on the couch, without updating your blog or rotating your laundry. Life goes on.

Paul Chitlik, who teaches screenwriting at UCLA has posted Eight Things to Remember when writing science fiction. [via SF Signal]

So say we all.

The southwest bald eagle is, according to ornithologists, a separate and distinct species from the rest of the North American bald eagles. They are, on average, smaller, geographically isolated, and nest and breed in the winter rather than the summer like the rest of their kin.

I’m working on an article about these birds, and their prospects (the Feds recently de-listed them as “Threatened”, but all of that is still in court). At the 2/3’ds mark of the research, I’d say their prospects are good regardless of how the Feds classify them.

A quick Debate Metaphor: Down by 9 points, Team McCain took the certain field goal, forced Team O’Bama to a three and out, and ended up with decent field position. They still need a touchdown with about 3 minutes left, and face a very good O’Bama secondary that knows they have to put the ball in the air.

The best electoral map on the web: Real Clear Politics.

According to their math, McCain can sweep the toss-up states and still lose. Personally, I think he steals Virginia from the Dem’s as well – but that won’t change the result – just reduce the landslide.

Why the Founders Feared the Common People [9/26/08]

I’ve been watching the John Adams miniseries which ran on HBO (and which I have via Netflix). I haven’t leared a whole lot (I read David McCulloh’s book) except a fact I probably forgot. Adams rose to fame (and infamy) in Boston for successfully defending the soldiers who fired in the Boston massacre. Adams convinced the jury that they fired in self defense. (In truth, any mob that rows rocks and sticks at any modern US police force is likely to get gun downed as well). However, as compelling as his courtroom antics were, Adams won the case in jury selection. None of the jurors actually lived in Boston, and more than half had business interests with the British army.

Top political interent search subjects according to a guy on NPR (wrote the book Clicks – name escapes me).

For O’Bama: “How tall is Barak Obama?”

For Sarah Palin: “beauty pageant photos.”

(On that subject, Waxy has the swimsuit competition short, because YouTube keeps pulling it down, They have several clips of Obama playing basketball in about an equal amount of clothing.)

After the debate (of course I watched!) the commenators – on PBS no less – were complaining that is was dull. No name calling – just a serious policy debate on issues of substance. What is the Republic coming to?