For The Unbelievably Lazy

Ken AshfordScience & Technology1 Comment

Oh, for crying out loud.  You just have to press a couple of buttons to microwave.  Is that too difficult for people? Daewoo’s Voice Recognition Microwave Oven: At first glance, this may seem like a regular microwave, but it’s anything but normal. This voice-activated microwave oven stores up to 40 voice commands and will respond to anyone who talks to … Read More

Bush’s Church To Bush: “Get Out Of Iraq”

Ken AshfordBush & Co., Godstuff, IraqLeave a Comment

The United Methodist Church (Bush’s religion of choice) took a stance the past weekend: United Methodist Church leaders helped launch a week of protest and civil disobedience against the war in Iraq by signing a declaration of peace urging President Bush to pull U.S. troops out of the country. The Declaration of Peace, signed Sept. 21, is described as a … Read More

Earth Is Hotter Than Ever

Ken AshfordEnvironment & Global Warming & EnergyLeave a Comment

AP reports: The planet’s temperature has climbed to levels not seen in thousands of years, warming that has begun to affect plants and animals, researchers report in Tuesday’s issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The Earth has been warming at a rate of 0.36 degree Fahrenheit per decade for the last 30 years, according to the research … Read More

Fastow Sentenced

Ken AshfordCourts/LawLeave a Comment

Sometimes I don’t think I’ve done enough with my life, but then again, this guy was a classmate of mine in college, so I shouldn’t complain.

How To Poach Salmon …In Your Dishwasher

Ken AshfordRandom MusingsLeave a Comment

Apparently, it works! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO COOK A WHOLE FISH! 1 Place fish packets on the top rack. 2 Add dirty dishes and lemon-scented soap. This optional step is not recommended for novices. However, as long as the salmon’s tightly sealed in its aluminum foil packet, it won’t absorb any soapy taste or smell. 3 Set dishwasher to the … Read More

More Women Prefer…

Ken AshfordWomen's IssuesLeave a Comment

Every Tuesday, the folks over at Mental Floss type a search term into Google, and report the trivia that turns up in the results.  They call it "Tuesday Turnip" (get it?). Today’s Tuesday Turnip was "More women prefer".  Here’s what the Mental Floss folks discovered from searching that phrase in Google: More Women Prefer Dogs Over Husbands: An online poll … Read More

Facebook Open To All, Starting Today

Ken AshfordWeb RecommendationsLeave a Comment

Go there.  Here’s why it’s better than myspace: Facebook is clean; you can’t add stupid music videos or sparkly lights or huge text to your profile. It’s much more professional-looking, and the features are quite useful. MySpace, on the other hand, feels like the internet circa-1997. Sure, the kids love it, but it’s uglier than anything else on the net. … Read More

Supreme Court Preview

Ken AshfordSupreme CourtLeave a Comment

The first Monday in October is coming, which means it’s time for the Supreme Court to don their robes and do . . . things. Back in the day, I used to blog more about the Supreme Court, partly because I had to prepare continuing legal education materials as part of my job.  I don’t do that anymore, unless a … Read More

The Clinton-Wallace Smackdown, or “What Did Bush Do To Combat Terrorists Pre-9/11”?

Ken AshfordWar on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

I have little to say about the whole controversy, except this: Clinton was right. Hirsch explains: [W]hen Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace gently asked the former president “why didn’t you do more” to put Al Qaeda “out of business,” he sparked an unexpected blast. Clinton, who had granted Wallace an interview at his signature Global Initiative Forum in New … Read More

Thanks, But Can You See How That Doesn’t Help?

Ken AshfordGodstuff, IraqLeave a Comment

New York Times, 9/25/06: Col. Tom James, who commands the division’s Second Brigade, acknowledged that his unit’s equipment levels had fallen so low that it now had no tanks or other armored vehicles to use in training and that his soldiers were rated as largely untrained in attack and defense. The enormous strains on equipment and personnel, because of longer-than-expected … Read More

Liberal Media

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

Yeah, right. Look at the cover of this week’s Newsweek, broken down by geographical region. Important story about how Afghanistan (which was at one time a victory) is being moved to the "loss" column, and what do we in the U.S. get? A cover story about Annie Leibovitz. Sheesh. (HT: Rising Hegemon)

Bush Busted In A Huge Lie

Ken AshfordIraq, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

Glenn Greenwald says "this report alone ought to dictate the outcome of the election." If you haven’t heard the news, a leaked internal government report — a government report from the Bush Administration — says "No". A classified intelligence report concludes that the Iraq war has worsened the terrorist threat to the United States, U.S. officials told CNN Sunday. Some … Read More

Generals Against The War

Ken AshfordIraqLeave a Comment

Can’t let this pass unnoticed: Retired military officers on Monday bluntly accused Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld of bungling the war in Iraq, saying U.S. troops were sent to fight without the best equipment and that critical facts were hidden from the public. "I believe that Secretary Rumsfeld and others in the administration did not tell the American people the … Read More

Barack Obama

Ken AshfordDemocratsLeave a Comment

Good interview of the next good President (probably not in 2008, but sometime in the next decade) can be found here.

What Happens To Your Email After You Die

Ken AshfordScience & TechnologyLeave a Comment

It turns out, it’s actually kind of a problem: Talcott, 69, a friend of beatnik Neil Cassidy, apparently took his password to the grave. It’s a vexing, and increasingly common problem for families mourning the loss of loved ones. As more and more people move their lives, address books, calendars, financial information, online, they are taking a risk that some … Read More