OK. I was unaware of that. From what I remembered, the whole binary liquid bomb had been debunked as 'difficult to mix ahead of time because it's unstable; impossible to mix on the plane because of the long times involved and the specific conditions needed to avoid premature detonation (which would not be explosive enough), and very hard to detonate without attracting a whole lot of attention.'

Apparently that notion was wrong.

Nonetheless, I stand by the rest of my statement. DHS/TSA responds to awkward attempts at terrorism with far-reaching overreaction, while honest-to-goodness systemic threats are treated as non-issues. This is a problem.

I first found this incident via Bruce Schneier & Wired.

The most telling thing, for me, was this section of the linked article:

“DHS and the FBI are gathering facts surrounding the report of a water pump failure in Springfield, Illinois,” according to a statement released by DHS spokesman Peter Boogaard. “At this time there is no credible corroborated data that indicates a risk to critical infrastructure entities or a threat to public safety.”

So...in the instance of a single shoe bomber, stopped by his own stupidity and the efforts of other airline passengers, TSA (a section of DHS) responds by calling it a systemic risk to air travel, and we must all take off our shoes. In the instance of a plot to use liquid explosives, which probably wouldn't have worked and was stopped in the planning stages, TSA responds by calling it a systemic risk and we must all limit ourselves to 3oz bottles of liquids that fit in a quart size bag. In the instance of a single underwear bomber, stopped by his own stupidity, TSA responds by calling it a systemic risk to air travel, and we must all be subject to X-ray/millimeter wave scanners and/or the big Grope.

In the instance of SCADA hacking, which could conceivably harm our infrastructure on a significant and systemic level from afar, with little/no risk of the perpetrators being caught, DHS responds by saying, "No big deal."

There's something very...wrong here.

So... you're saying that you were vaccinated, and your daughter was vaccinated, but you both still got Pertussis.

But we're all supposed to get vaccinations because that will protect us from getting Pertussis.

Questions:
A) How likely is it to contract Pertussis in a population of completely unvaccinated people?
B) What are the risks (side effects) and probabilities of those risks to that population if 100% of the population is vaccinated?
C) By what amount is the risk of contracting pertussis lowered if 100% of people get vaccinated against that disease?

If C > B, then vaccinate 'em all. If B > C, then the cure is worse than the disease. If there's some balance that makes sense for at-risk sub-groups within the population, then tailor the recommendation to those sub-groups.

If you haven't done the studies, then shut up.

Finally! Now we know how Dude Perfect makes all those shots!

Please PLEASE let it be Sarah Palin!

/I'm a registered Republican
//I can't stand Palin

"...and vote in the primaries."

Better yet, if your state allows, vote for the candidate you'd rather see in the main election from the other party. If you're a Democrat, pick your favorite Republican. If you're a Republican, pick your favorite Democrat. This will moderate the parties and make things better.

In Chicago, there's a great hipster coffeeshop called The Wormhole (warning, the website sucks). It features all sorts of great '80s memorabilia like plastic lunchboxes, Goonies posters, Star Wars action figures, etc etc. But the absolute best feature is a real life, honest-to-goodness DeLorean, complete with a food processor glued to the back and dressed up to look like Mr. Fusion, and a California license plate that reads "OUTATIME".

So yeah, there's plenty of 80s nostalgia out there, if you're willing to look for it.

Good Lord, it's awful.

A couple examples of completely inappropriate non-sequitur groupings:
Lost, but only sort of the TV show
Obama, only not.

These were gleaned from my own FB page over the last two days.

I really hate this 'feature'.

A) Infrared is line of sight, so if it's a separate sensor, you stick a piece of metallic duct tape over it, and problem is solved.
B) Companies will begin selling small dots of IR filtering tape that you can stick on the lens of the camera. Price is $5 for a sheet. Problem is solved.

It seems that no matter the implementation of this, the workaround is trivial.

You are correct--no decent human being would find the above examples acceptable or defensible. But racist/sexist slurs are not--of themselves--illegal (they can be if they are part of some physical threat of harm, incitement to riot, false reports/alarms to cops, or a small handful of other things).

Acceptable =/= legal. Unacceptable =/= illegal. There is a subset of actions/speech which are both indefensible and unacceptable, but nonetheless legal. White supremacist groups fall in this category. They have every right to hold their beliefs, share pamphlets, etc, so long as they don't threaten others with physical harm or incite others to do so.

From IL General Assembly's website
"(a) A person commits disorderly conduct when he knowingly:
(1) Does any act in such unreasonable manner as to alarm or disturb another and to provoke a breach of the peace; or
(2) Transmits or causes to be transmitted in any manner to the fire department of any city, town, village or fire protection district a false alarm of fire, knowing at the time of such transmission that there is no reasonable ground for believing that such fire exists; or
(3) Transmits or causes to be transmitted in any manner to another a false alarm to the effect that a bomb or other explosive of any nature or a container holding poison gas, a deadly biological or chemical contaminant, or radioactive substance is concealed in such place that its explosion or release would endanger human life, knowing at the time of such transmission that there is no reasonable ground for believing that such bomb, explosive or a container holding poison gas, a deadly biological or chemical contaminant, or radioactive substance is concealed in such place; or
(4) Transmits or causes to be transmitted in any manner to any peace officer, public officer or public employee a report to the effect that an offense will be committed, is being committed, or has been committed, knowing at the time of such transmission that there is no reasonable ground for believing that such an offense will be committed, is being committed, or has been committed; or
(5) Enters upon the property of another and for a lewd or unlawful purpose deliberately looks into a dwelling on the property through any window or other opening in it; or
(6) While acting as a collection agency as defined in the "Collection Agency Act" or as an employee of such collection agency, and while attempting to collect an alleged debt, makes a telephone call to the alleged debtor which is designed to harass, annoy or intimidate the alleged debtor; or
(7) Transmits or causes to be transmitted a false report to the Department of Children and Family Services under Section 4 of the "Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act"; or
(8) Transmits or causes to be transmitted a false report to the Department of Public Health under the Nursing Home Care Act or the MR/DD Community Care Act; or
(9) Transmits or causes to be transmitted in any manner to the police department or fire department of any municipality or fire protection district, or any privately owned and operated ambulance service, a false request for an ambulance, emergency medical technicianambulance or emergency medical technician paramedic knowing at the time there is no reasonable ground for believing that such assistance is required; or
(10) Transmits or causes to be transmitted a false report under Article II of "An Act in relation to victims of violence and abuse", approved September 16, 1984, as amended; or
(11) Transmits or causes to be transmitted a false report to any public safety agency without the reasonable grounds necessary to believe that transmitting such a report is necessary for the safety and welfare of the public; or
(12) Calls the number "911" for the purpose of making or transmitting a false alarm or complaint and reporting information when, at the time the call or transmission is made, the person knows there is no reasonable ground for making the call or transmission and further knows that the call or transmission could result in the emergency response of any public safety agency; or
(13) Transmits or causes to be transmitted a threat of destruction of a school building or school property, or a threat of violence, death, or bodily harm directed against persons at a school, school function, or school event, whether or not school is in session."

1--causing a ruckus in public
2-4--intentionally sending false alarms to cops or first responders
5--peeping tom law
6-12--intentionally sending false alarms/reports to other public agencies
13--Threatening people/buildings at school

None of these seem to fit. Perhaps section 13 might, if the kid's list included threats. But if it was simply "ratings"--however vile, crass, or offensive those rankings might be--it does not fit the simple reading of the IL law. (IANAL, but you can read the law for yourself.)

I think this kid ought to be publicly ostracized by parents and mentors, and as appropriate under school disciplinary codes. But there seems to be no basis for the charges being brought here.

How much does a gallon of electricity weigh, anyways?

Please provide your answer in Libraries of Congress units. Show your work.

How much does a gallon of electricity weigh, anyways?

Please provide your answer in Libraries of Congress units. Show your work.

It worked for Ender in Ender's Game with Jane. She was the artificial intelligence brought into existence through the video game that Ender played while on the Battle School, and later made him zillions of dollars.

I need to start playing this game and hope for the best.