In other news... (humorous news items, etc)

[Dark567]

The most sleep deprived professions*:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/americas- ... 03794.html

*I'd include a spoiler but it isn't working for some reason

[Роберт]

The most sleep deprived professions*:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/americas- ... 03794.html

*I'd include a spoiler but it isn't working for some reason

I'm a software engineer, not a programmer, and I get lots of sleep.

I find it amusing that programmers get some of the least sleep and engineers get the most. Not a lot of variation in averages, though.

[Dark567]

Not a lot of variation in averages, though.

Yeah, the range was only like 23 minutes different. Probably a lot bigger deal where you work then the specific occupation.

[Dauric]

The most sleep deprived professions*:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/americas- ... 03794.html

*I'd include a spoiler but it isn't working for some reason

... Yeah, I think these lists are bullshit. The one that seems glaringly inaccurate is that Aircraft Pilots are on the "most Sleep" list. Pilots, especially short-haul regional pilots, have notoriously whacked schedules that ride the line of illegality. Pilot Fatigue is a major issue in the airline industry. They might be counting total hours slept, but if you're catching a few dozen 30-minute naps it doesn't make you well rested.

[Felstaff]

23 minutes a day works out to nearly 12 hours a month. That's an extra 6 days' sleep a year. Given that you work in your chosen profession for say, around 40 years, you're losing a cumulative 8 months of sleep in your lifetime, based on the job you've taken.

[Nylonathatep]

Dolphins deserve rights, scientists told

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/21 ... ists-told/

Not sure if that's a good idea.

http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/14p70/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLEb-iCQ ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=en ... wLNe4&NR=1

[Panonadin]

23 minutes a day works out to nearly 12 hours a month. That's an extra 6 days' sleep a year. Given that you work in your chosen profession for say, around 40 years, you're losing a cumulative 8 months of sleep in your lifetime, based on the job you've taken.

I do not like your new Avatar.

[buddy431]

23 minutes a day works out to nearly 12 hours a month. That's an extra 6 days' sleep a year. Given that you work in your chosen profession for say, around 40 years, you're losing a cumulative 8 months of sleep in your lifetime, based on the job you've taken.

But that variation is much less than the variation between individuals in a given job, based on other aspects (like, how much they like to sleep vs. go out). Some of those differences are probably statistically significant (they did interview 27,000 people), but I really don't think that too much should be read into them.

[mousewiz]

Dolphins deserve rights, scientists told

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/21 ... ists-told/

Not sure if that's a good idea.

I like that Ms. Marino is advocating rights for dolphins.
Perhaps next up will be an article where a Ms. Lemieux advocates rights for penguins?

[Weeks]

23 minutes a day works out to nearly 12 hours a month. That's an extra 6 days' sleep a year. Given that you work in your chosen profession for say, around 40 years, you're losing a cumulative 8 months of sleep in your lifetime, based on the job you've taken.

I do not like your new Avatar.

What is wrong with you?

[TheGrammarBolshevik]

Not only do I like it, but I'm trying to get up the courage to ask it out for coffee.

[Radical_Initiator]

I wanted to ask it out, but it's out of my league.

[buddy431]

John Edwards' sex tape to be destroyed

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/23/justice/north-carolina-edwards-sex-tape/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

Bummer, because I'd really been looking forward to seeing that...

[Ghostbear]

Bummer, because I'd really been looking forward to seeing that...

The scary part is that some people, somewhere, are saying or thinking that non-sarcastically.

[The Mighty Thesaurus]

23 minutes a day works out to nearly 12 hours a month. That's an extra 6 days' sleep a year. Given that you work in your chosen profession for say, around 40 years, you're losing a cumulative 8 months of sleep in your lifetime, based on the job you've taken.

I do not like your new Avatar.

I'm sure Felstaff will devastated by this

[Felstaff]

[Felstaff]

Idiot rioter convicted thanks to his cross-eyes (pic included).

[ShortChelsea]

Heh. That is awesome.

[JBJ]

Idiot rioter convicted thanks to his cross-eyes (pic included).

I don't get it. How did his crossed eyes lead to a conviction? I mean, aside from it being an characteristic used to identify by witnesses, but that's like saying idiot rioter convicted thanks to having a large mole on his chin.

Edit - Nevermind, about the how. I just saw the caption under the pic. Police combed through CCTV camera footage using his eyes as an identifying marker, but still, I don't get what's funny about it.

[Dauric]

Idiot rioter convicted thanks to his cross-eyes (pic included).

I don't get it. How did his crossed eyes lead to a conviction? I mean, aside from it being an characteristic used to identify by witnesses, but that's like saying idiot rioter convicted thanks to having a large mole on his chin.

The distinctive feature probably gave the police an idea where to look for other clues as to his activities using the pervasive CCTV system London has. In and of itself it probably wouldn't have convicted, but it probably allowed the police to track him despite having used a ski-mask during the arson which would have allowed the police to find [hypothetical] where he may have disposed of the mask and/or gloves that may have been sources of DNA evidence and traces of accelerant [/hypothetical].

[Роберт]

Idiot rioter convicted thanks to his cross-eyes (pic included).

I'm glad they caught the guy. Maybe they can figure out why the heck he torched the place. Makes no sense to me.

[Cleverbeans]

The most sleep deprived professions*

The author couldn't figure out why economists are losing sleep... in the worst recession in 100 years... caused by shortsighted economic policy... developed by economists...

I lose sleep just *thinking* about being an economist.

[Iulus Cofield]

Alaskan man initiates suit to prevent Obama from running for president on the grounds that the 14th Amendment makes him a citizen

I feel I must be missing something here.

[Dauric]

Alaskan man initiates suit to prevent Obama from running for president on the grounds that the 14th Amendment makes him a citizen

I feel I must be missing something here.

Basically the nutbar in question is such a strict constitutional originalist (in addition to being a hateful racist) that the 14'th amendment to the constitution doesn't count since it was added after the constitution was ratified.

[ahammel]

Alaskan man initiates suit to prevent Obama from running for president on the grounds that the 14th Amendment makes him a citizen

I feel I must be missing something here.

Maybe he's saying the 14th Amendment wasn't really ratified? Or that it doesn't count in Alaska, because Alaska never ratified it? Maybe he's just horribly stupid?

[Роберт]

Alaskan man initiates suit to prevent Obama from running for president on the grounds that the 14th Amendment makes him a citizen

I feel I must be missing something here.

Maybe he's saying the 14th Amendment wasn't really ratified? Or that it doesn't count in Alaska, because Alaska never ratified it? Maybe he's just horribly stupid?

Maybe he's saying Alaska shouldn't be allowed to vote for Presidents?

[Dauric]

Alaskan man initiates suit to prevent Obama from running for president on the grounds that the 14th Amendment makes him a citizen

I feel I must be missing something here.

Maybe he's saying the 14th Amendment wasn't really ratified? Or that it doesn't count in Alaska, because Alaska never ratified it? Maybe he's just horribly stupid?

Maybe he's saying Alaska shouldn't be allowed to vote for Presidents?

I actually attempted to parse the original complaint, as much as it shocks me that I would attempt this feat. The latter half is pretty much ye-olde birther nonsense, including an argument that the state of Hawaii doesn't count as a state since it's not part of the contiguous U.S. (which would eliminate this guy's claim to political participation as well...), but the first part attempts to separate "Civil Rights" as guaranteed by the 14'th amendment from "Political Rights" (his nonsense, not mine), and that since non-whites don't have "political rights" they cannot actually hold a public office.

It's a pretty milquetoast combination of conspiracy-theory and bald-faced racism.

[JBJ]

Don't forget sexism. In a letter to Chief Justice Roberts (PDF) he applies the same 14th Amendment logic to Sarah Palin as well, claiming she was not a lawful candidate for VP because she is a woman (page 7).

[Dauric]

Don't forget sexism. In a letter to Chief Justice Roberts (PDF) he applies the same 14th Amendment logic to Sarah Palin as well, claiming she was not a lawful candidate for VP because she is a woman (page 7).

BWAHAHAHAHAHA... Ahem, sorry. The post-script of that letter is precious. That it is not the business of the "clerk of the supreme court" to "intercept" and "obstruct" letters addressed to members of the Supreme Court. Clearly clerks and secretaries are not nor have they ever been hired to open mail and filter out junk-mail for busy executives or holders of public-office.

[Diadem]

What was that bit about him not being allowed to vote under his full name? Do US IDs omit 2nd names? (Not that I think that makes his complaint legitimate. I'm just curious. Seems strange).

[ahammel]

[...]The latter half is pretty much ye-olde birther nonsense, including an argument that the state of Hawaii doesn't count as a state since it's not part of the contiguous U.S.[...]

Fun fact: if you say this during actual court procedings, US law permits---nay encourages---the judge to hit you with the gavel.

[Xeio]

What was that bit about him not being allowed to vote under his full name? Do US IDs omit 2nd names? (Not that I think that makes his complaint legitimate. I'm just curious. Seems strange).

Christians, or maybe just Catholics have a religious ceremony where they choose another name (confirmation? I think? wow it's been a while that I can't even remember anymore, hah). So it would essentially be 'First' 'Middle' 'Religious' 'Last'. Though I'm surprised he can't just legally change his middle name to include both or something if he wanted to...

EDIT: Or, you know, I could have just linked this before posting.

[Dauric]

What was that bit about him not being allowed to vote under his full name? Do US IDs omit 2nd names? (Not that I think that makes his complaint legitimate. I'm just curious. Seems strange).

Christians, or maybe just Catholics have a religious ceremony where they choose another name (confirmation? I think? wow it's been a while that I can't even remember anymore, hah). So it would essentially be 'First' 'Middle' 'Religious' 'Last'. Though I'm surprised he can't just legally change his middle name to include both or something if he wanted to...

Or, you know, I could have just done this before posting.

A lot of bureaucratic forms only have space for the middle initial to save room on the xeroxed forms. If you look at the complaint he's bitching that he can't register as "Gordon Warren Epperly", but has to register as "Gordon W. Epperly" which he claims is a government invented strawperson.

... I doubt government invented, but I think he's pretty spot on that Gordon W. Epperly is a strawperson....

[Xeio]

Or it could be that.

[Роберт]

Sometimes I wonder why we even give the total idiots airtime. Does it make me a bad person that I have no desire to understand where he's coming from and prefer to just think of him as an evil idiot who likes being racist and sexist because he's an evil idiot?

[Dauric]

Sometimes I wonder why we even give the total idiots airtime.

For the rest of us to learn from their horrible examples. Success is wonderful, but epic-fail is where the education is at*.

*Yes this can be taken any number of ways.

Does it make me a bad person that I have no desire to understand where he's coming from and prefer to just think of him as an evil idiot who likes being racist and sexist because he's an evil idiot?

It's probably not at "Saintly" on a sliding scale, but I think it's in the reasonable average.

[Shivahn]

Does it make me a bad person that I have no desire to understand where he's coming from and prefer to just think of him as an evil idiot who likes being racist and sexist because he's an evil idiot?

It's probably not at "Saintly" on a sliding scale, but I think it's in the reasonable average.

Yeah, I'd say the answer is "no, but that also means you lack the ability to effectively fight that kind of thought."

[Роберт]

Yeah, I'd say the answer is "no, but that also means you lack the ability to effectively fight that kind of thought."

I'm pretty sure I DO lack the ability to effectively fight that kind of thought. It boggles the mind and I can't relate at all.

[jareds]

What was that bit about him not being allowed to vote under his full name? Do US IDs omit 2nd names? (Not that I think that makes his complaint legitimate. I'm just curious. Seems strange).

I think his complaint was not just the middle initial, but that the state issued him a voter ID with his name in ALL CAPS, exactly like he typed it in the letter. He then interpreted the refusal to print it in mixed case as refusal to issue an ID in his real name. We have lots of crazy people.

[Shivahn]

Yeah, I'd say the answer is "no, but that also means you lack the ability to effectively fight that kind of thought."

I'm pretty sure I DO lack the ability to effectively fight that kind of thought. It boggles the mind and I can't relate at all.

Fair enough! My main point was just that if something is to be effectively combated, actually trying to understand it, however unpleasant it may be, is a good idea. I don't think there's anything wrong with deciding it's not worth it.