Drive Me Crazy - Melissa Joan Hart.

Is it really a chance to grab power? If she can assert her will in this, does she become "a voice to be reckoned with"?

I saw a really mediocre movie once where it was asserted that when guys have an argument, they get it right out in the open, do a lot of chest beating, and then get to working together. Women on the other hand will play everything behind the scenes - cloaking it all in an air of civility while they sharpen their knives.

Since I saw that movie (ashamed to say I saw it, but if you happen to remember the reference go ahead and out yourself), I've notice that it's actually a very true statement.

Um. Yes and no.

The M1 Garand (arguably one of the most widely used assault rifles ever made) uses an 8-round clip. The clip is inserted into the magazine, and the clip is ejected from the magazine when the last round is fired.

The fact that over six million M1 rifles were manufactured and used in three wars (WWII, Korea, Vietnam) by American troops probably contributed significantly to the use of the word "clip" when in most cases what is intended is the word "magazine".

"It's not about a working tag or not. It's about COMPLIANCE."

Totally agree. And her religious objection is also about compliance. The school requires compliance, and her religious belief is that compliance endangers her soul.

So let the school think she is complying. When in reality she is sabotaging. Microwave, altered tag, forged tag. The school officials get to go "See. we get our way. She's being a good-little-citizen." All the while she can also say to herself (and her deity) "Look. I am not allowing them to put a number on me. I am not going along with their system. I am breaking their system."

And then she can convince a friend or two to "convert" to her church. And microwave/alter their tags. And then they can find friends. And if the school lets them run around with deactivated tags, then a trend starts. And in the end, the whole RFID tag concept goes out the window as an enormous waste of money.

Just pop the tag in a microwave oven for a minute or two. No more RFID.
"I don't know what happened. Maybe the Lord don't like RFID tags."

After enough tags go poof, the school administration will probably give up on having you wear one.

Physical tag with barcode? Sharpie the barcode to another number, maybe. Or generate your own barcode and forge a new tag. There are so many possibilities to screw with the administration that it seems like it would be more fun to see how long until they broke.

Lamy Safari - with either the Fine or Extra Fine nib.

http://www.jetpens.com/Lamy-Safari-Fountain-Pen-Extra-Fine-Nib-Lime-Green-Body-Chrome-Clip-Limited-Edition/pd/9180

Pick a stand out color for the pen (I picked yellow so I can find it amidst my desk of infinite crap.

You can either go with the pre-filled cartridges that just pop in, or you can get a converter that allows the pen to suck ink out of an ink bottle.

In either case, the ink flow is immediate and consistent. It feels more like you are depositing ink onto the paper than you are rolling a gummy ball around.

It's geeky, and practical at the same time.

If you want a cheap way to check out fountain pens before spending $30 or so, then just go to Walgreens and pick up a Zebra FP fountain pen. It's a fine point, and will give you a cheap introduction to see if it's for you.

Just stand over there citizen. We'll get to you shortly.

You are missing the obvious difference:

Robots don't use toothbrushes.

Notoriously poor dental care. It's almost like robots are, um, ... British.

Why do you think the cybermen just use speakers? And the daleks hide inside their little trash cans?

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Can't tell you how many times this happens to me. You always leave bolts loose, and then incrementally tighten. Hell, you even do it when changing a tire.

Because god knows that we can't expect police officers of prosecutors to be able to use a telephone.

(I was interviewed by phone by UK police during the Climategate investigation. There was no compelling need for me to travel to the UK.)

"No Steve Jobs Ghost - It's like be both snuck into Roger Fidler's place one night to steal his TV, and we both found Dave from 2001 A Space Odyssey had gotten there first."

Held a door for a local law enforcement officer the other day. As he was thanking me, I was this close to (and chickened out of saying),

"Of course. You have the power to shoot me dead and falsify a police report. Why wouldn't I hold the door for you?"

Some days my internal voice sneaks out. Other days, it hides behind the sofa cowering in fear.

http://www.immigralaw.com/english/familypref.shtml (I know, not a US.GOV site, but it was the first place I looked).

" Family First Preference:

Quota: 23,400 plus any unused 4th preference visas
Waiting Period: 2 years for all countries except the Philippines (11 years) and Mexico (4-5 years)
Who is Eligible: unmarried people with at least one US citizen parent

Oh, here:

http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/154162.pdf
(Page 12)
"Prospective family-sponsored immigrants from the
Philippines have the most substantial waiting times before a visa is scheduled to become available
to them; consular officers are now considering the petitions of the brothers and sisters of U.S.
citizens from the Philippines who filed almost 23 years ago"

As your spouse, your wife literally got to walk to the front of the line for her green card. As an immediate relative (spouse) she fits the category with no waiting period, and for which 226,000 green cards are allotted each year. In fact, she gets to step in front of every other category, including - child of citizen - 2 year waiting period, unless you are mexican - 4-5 year waiting period, or Filipino - 11 year waiting period, and then every other possible relation with increasing waiting periods just to get paperwork processed (up to 19 years in some cases).

Everyone else who wants to come here has to put their name into a lottery, from which only 55,000 are chosen each year.

It's easy to talk about how everyone should just do it the right way, when you are able to walk to the front of the line in front of those you are lecturing.