Idiots of the Day/Week/Month



Nuclear Fusion Paves Way for Inexhaustible Energy



The idiots aren't the people trying to build the reactor, mind you. It's the people referenced in the last two sentences: "Environmentalists have reacted strongly against the project. Greenpeace has described the project as a nonsense money waste."



Ok, so we have the possibility of creating an efficient reactor, using the most common substance in the universe, thats only by-product is Helium, an inert gas. And what does Greenpeace do? Complain. Ok, then let's go to the next best thing: Nuclear fission. Highly efficient (could power the entire city of New York off of 6 reactors), very safe (if constructed properly), a nearly inexhaustible fuel supply, and relatively clean (the by-products are put into containers and stored away from cities, as opposed to being pumped into the atmosphere above cities, like a coal reactor). Oh, but the environmentalists don't like those either. So let's go to natural gas? Oil? Coal? Nope, nope, nope; environmentalists say you can't use anything that burns non-renewable fossil fuels (despite the fact that natural gas is actually manufacturable). Ok, wind power. Uh, no. That kills the local bird wildlife. Solar? Nope; toxic chemicals are used in the manufacturing of the photoelectric cells. Um... than what then? Obviously, the environmentalists want us to go back to sitting around fires in caves and trying to decide if rocks are edible. Oh wait, can't do that as the fire would involve cutting down trees, and eating the rocks would probably kill some endangered type of moss that's growing on it.



It just goes to show that environmentalists are less concerned with the environment and more concerned with stopping all scientific progress (boink).

Your Thoughts?



This... frightens me.

Homes may be 'taken' for private projects - U.S. News - MSNBC.com



Of course, we have the usual suspects in favor (Stevens, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg, and Breyer). I still find that odd, as this seems like the perfect cause for the liberals to go rushing to: the evil private-industry capatilists paying off the local government with the promise of tax dollars, and in exchange getting permission to bulldoze people's homes and building hotels, health clubs, and office buildings.



Well, I suppose it's not the first time a local government screwed people out of their homes (*cough cough* LAX and Westchester *cough cough*)

Area Man Couldn't Care Less About Reliability-Centered Maintenance.

OMAHA, NE - According to sources close to him, area man Joe Belland doesn't give "a rat's ass" for reliability-centered maintenance. During a recent training session, Belland was reported to state "and as you can see, by implementing a preventive maintenance policy with planned maintenance every 62,800 hours, and inspections every 4400 hours, we have increased the availability of this component and reduced the total lifetime cost by, ah s***, who gives a crap about this?"

It was reported that Belland then left the room to "watch the faucet drip or anything more interesting than this crap."

Idiot(s) of the Day/Week/Month

Actors Weigh Strike Over Video Game Voices

Yet another in a long series of pointless strikes. I think this one would be even lamer than striking over having to pay for healthcare.

I agree with Fargo. On the one hand, you have a group that contributes 99% of the product, works 90 hours a week (no exageration) for years to finish said product, gets paid sub-standard wages for their skill set, and are treated like sweatshop workers, and on the other hand, you have a group that contributes 1% of the product, works just a couple days, and is paid $273 an hour. So who's thinking of striking, demanding a share of the profits? The latter group! That makes perfect sense.

Y'know, I think my purpose in life is to form the first-ever white-collar software programmer's union. Then we can make the same demands as other unions, like free health insurance, yearly increases to the already-high minimum wage, and double overtime for working more than 8 hours.

As examples of the poor conditions video game makers work under, a group of former EA employees are suing EA for not paying overtime, even if their hours doubled a normal working week. EA claims that they don't have to pay overtime, under a California law that exempts businesses from paying overtime to certain "specialty" employees. However, that same law states that the entertainment industry, specifically mentioning film, theater, and television, does not fall under that "specialty" category.

In other news, Ubisoft sued a group of its former employees for leaving Ubisoft's Canadian division to work for EA Montreal. This violates the non-competition clause of their contract, which forbids employees from working at any video game developer within a year after working for Ubisoft.

So essentially the publishers can force you to work obscene hours for little pay, but you can't quit to work for another game developer. Sounds fair. For them.

Oh yeah, my sources:
http://goty.gamespy.com/2004/news/
http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/splintercell/news_6076727.html

This is also an interesting discussion:
http://www.igda.org/Forums/showthread.php?postid=70676

No, no, no!
Yes, yes, yes

Dang, that Vader's good at Wheel of Fortune...

But he really doesn't like Roller Coasters.

So Sorry, But You Can't Graduate Until You Take A Pointless Elective.
By Wilfred Belinsky, Dean of Students, California State University of Fullerton

Dear Student,

In preperation for our commencement ceremonies next month, we have been reviewing our students' transcripts to ensure that each and every one has fulfilled CSUF's rigorous academic program and have become well-rounded, educated citizens able to use the critical thinking skills required by today's society. After all, CSUF cannot allow one student to graduate without having met its important qualifications, as this would reflect poorly on CSUF's reputation as a serious institution of higher learning.

I regret to inform you that while reviewing your academic transcript, it has come to our attention that you are short of the requirements by one class. Apparently, a class that you had taken at your previous school did not transfer towards your academic requirement here in Fullerton, despite the fact that we told you it had.

Unfortunately, this means that you will not be receiving your Bachelor's degree at the end of the Spring 2005 semester as planned. I do have good news, however. The class you are lacking is from the "pointless electives" category and you will be able to make up the difference during the summer semester. Cal State Fullerton offers a wide array of pointless and trivial electives that you can use to satisfy your requirements. I suggest picking up a course catalog for the summer semester. Inside, you will find many idiotic courses to choose from that will develop your mind and help you to become a better citizen.

One class I might suggest is our special topics health class "Alcohol Intervention". Over the course of the 4-week mini session, you will learn all about different alcoholic drinks, how to mix them, and their effects on the human body. You will also learn how to recognize the signs of alcoholism in a friend and how to treat someone who is in danger of dying from alcohol poisoning.

I see that you are a History major. Then perhaps you would enjoy HST 335: "History of Rock and Roll". This is a popular History elective, enjoyed by young and old alike. You will be taken from the earliest days of Rock and Roll all the way through the '80s hair metal to the current style of inoffensive pop/rock. Extra credit is awarded for listening to the radio outside of class.

If you're looking for something outside of your major, to broaden your horizons, might I suggest Surfing 218: "Surf Board Styles and Riding Techniques"? This is another class that is popular with our California youth culture. In the course you will be instructed about different styles of surfboards, their origins, and how they are ridden. The midterm project is to spend a day surfing at the beach.

In addition to these fine classes, you will find many other equally pointless electives, such as ENG 191: "Classic Automobiles", House and Home 412: "Underwater Basket Weaving", and Sociology 380: "Women's Studies".

I hope you will not be frustrated about your inability to graduate and instead look on this as an opporunity to further your education. You must understand that we cannot make exceptions to our graduation requirements. Imagine the loss of reputation Cal State Fullerton would receive if word got out that it was graduating students who had not completely met the requirements for time-wasting and ultimately trivial classes. Employers around the country would cease to accept CSUF's degrees, knowing that students had not taken their quota of mind-numbing and degrading courses. This is unacceptable.

I close by offering you good luck on your next semester, not that you will need it. The pointless electives require the brain power of a cockroach to pass, so you should have no trouble at all.

Sincerely,

Wilfred Belinsky
Dean of Students
California State University, Fullerton

Idiot of the Day/Week/Month

http://boxofficemojo.com/reviews/?id=1815&p=.htm

Ok, BoxOfficeMojo.com is great for tracking the quiggly-jiggly-illions of dollars that movies make, but that's about it. The guy who runs it also posts his movie reviews, and to this date, I don't think I've seen one that I agree with.

Anyways, the part of this review that lowers it from "who the hell cares what you think" to "ha ha, that's so stupid, you moron" is the line: Venerable names like Vader are assigned cursory origins, more like perfunctory backpedaling than progressive plotting. When a shiny Nazi-like helmet—a lacquered icon for evil—locks on Vader's wounded head, it is an afterthought, selected by no one for no apparent reason other than that it matches his black cape.

Y'know, that's just what ROTS needed, a montage sequence of Darths Sidious and Vader going to Helmets "R" Us at the Coruscant shopping mall and trying on all sorts of different funny looking hats, until Vader, about to leave dejected and unable to find the one he wants, spies the infamous Vader mask in the back corner. This scene should be cut to Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight".

Also the scene where Darth Sidious says in his creepy, uber-deep and sinister voice, "Henceforth you shall be known as 'Darth... Vader'" should also be changed. He should try out a few other names first. Y'know, like "Darth Harpo", then "Darth Snooky-Wookums". Until he finally finds one that Anakin likes.

The reviewer also makes the claim that "there is not one memorable scene." I was going to counter this by making a list of my favorite memorable scenes, but then realized that would just be the entire movie. But anyways, Anakin bursting into flames is pretty memorable (it's seered, seered into my memory, as John Kerry might say), but my favorite scene is probably the one in the trailer where Anakin and Palpatine are at the weird concert thing, and Palpatine says "The dark side of the force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be 'sploitz." To which Anakin responds, "Is it possible to use these abilities to Power Level?" Palpatine puts further division between Anakin and the Jedi by saying "The Jedi are lame. They won't let you PL." Well, the scene went something like that. I've only seen it 3 times so my memory's a bit hazy. (Hazy like the moores of Scotland? Yes, Exactly!)

Anyways, following are my fan-boy comments on that scene from the movie (huge spoilers; don't read unless you have seen the movie or want to hate yourself; highlight to read). The debate that will be raging for years to come on Star Wars message boards from this scene is who is Anakin's father really? I hold that (twist of twists) Palpatine is Anakin's father. When he starts telling the tale of Darth Plagus the Wise, Palpatine mentions that Plagus was so powerful he could influence the midichlorians to create a life, obviously hinting that Plagus may have created Anakin. As he goes on and talks about Plagus' death, he mentions that unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew (implying that his apprentice may have also learned to influence midichlorians). At the end of the tale, when Palpatine is recounting that Plagus' apprentice killed him in his sleep, and it was ironic that Plagus could save the ones he cared about but not himself, it seems that Palpatine is almost reminiscing- remembering even- how he killed his former master. I guess George Lucas wanted to keep it more subtle than Palpatine saying, "Anakin, I am your father." That's been done before.

Anyways, if you haven't seen the movie GO SEE IT! Unless you're in Iraq. In that case, the best you can do is wait for your friends to buy a pirated DVD off the street and mail it to you. Or download it off Kazaa.