Another Super Bowl gone by. Some good football was played and the Saints definitely earned their victory. I'd forgotten what it was like to be treated like a passive consumer with no brain. As if my part in this world is to open up my wallet for fluff that means nothing. Apparently a side-effect of being unplugged from the TV is that I don't Want stuff like I used to. I have a craving for Dorito's because they spent a lot of money but that's it. Bud Light did convince me that only jerks should drink it. And all the ads together convinced me that my desires should come from inside rather than the glowing screen.

The things I do right today I do because I messed them up on some yesterday.

Dear UPS, it is not at all convenient to me to have my package cruising around town on a brown truck all day. Please can I just get an email when the package gets to the local hub. That's the only place I ever get packages anyway. We do the same dumb dance every time. They drive my package all over town, leave a note on my door, I call then wait for the truck to get back then I go pick it up. It adds hours or a couple days to my delivery time depending on my nightime schedule.

Just so's ya know, there are several companies selling "full body scanners" aka Millimeter wave scanners(wikipedia) which use really high frequency radio waves to see through clothing. This will allow operators to see anyone in the buff through the scanner. Mandatory strip searches! We've removed your rights for your own security.

The NY Times covered how these scanners can save and send the nude images.

Here are some examples(google) of the images. Images are safe for work.

China jewelry makers say toxic metal cuts costs

Manufacturers in China are starting to seem malicious rather than just ignorant. Lead was illegal but the more dangerous cadmium was not specifically banned. It's shiny, easy to work, cheap and it's poisonous and causes cancer. But at least it's cheap.

Senator Schumer is sponsoring a bill to ban the use of cadmium in kids toys. Join me in inviting him to include a comprehensive list of toxic materials by contacting him.

ACLU Tells High School to Allow Students to Protest ACLU at Football Game

The ACLU was trying to prevent led prayers at football games. The students were going to were protesting Tshirts and the school said no. Then the ACLU wrote in to suggest that the students were within their rights to protest.

We spent yesterday bouncing between dealers and test driving cars. We've narrowed it down to 3 models but we still want to test drive a Civic. Don't want to narrow down our preference any more. Any of the three cars we drove would be fine, just gotta find a good deal on one.

Last night I could barely get to sleep because my brain wouldn't stop thinking about cars. I woke up today with a headache of doom, probably a cold. Today has been very slow, it hurts when I walk fast and bending over is more than I'm willing to deal with. blerg

Jenny's okay after hitting some black ice. The cheap, old car may be totaled. My brother and his wife are taking care of her tonight and I'll pick her up in the morning. The way things worked out, if I picked her up tonight, it could be 5AM before we're home and it would involve a non-zero amount of accident risk. So, we sleep and I'll get her in the morning.

Did ya know that Buzz Aldrin took communion on the moon? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11#Lunar_descent

It's not my thing, but Happy Jesus' Birthday! Post your favorite thing Jesus said in the comments.