Marc said 1 day later

It's actually not circular, it's an oval. The difference is you turn...then go straight, then you turn, then you go straight again. When did The Onion get a news channel, man I haven't seen that site in a while.

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Steve said 1 day later

"Go fast, and go straight."

"Am I going fast enough?"

"Go faster, and go straighter"

"Am I going straight enough?"

"Go straighter"

Steve said 44 minutes later

Amen brother. I've been preaching this for over a year. Ethanol is DUMB, DUMB, DUMB. I cringe at the fact that my industry is helping to push this stupid idea. Costs of nearly everything we eat are going to skyrocket if Ethanol becomes the fuel of the future. Think about how much of the food you eat has some significant ingredient that's made from corn, wheat, vegetable oils, etc - anything that is grown. The price of those ingredients is going to go up, as more farm land is used to grow plants for ethanol, and less is being used to grow plants for food.

Not to mention, you get 33% worse fuel economy when driving on E85, and you pay the same, if not more, for a gallon of E85 than for a gallon of gasoline.

So let's summarize. Buy ethanol, increase your yearly fuel costs, make farmers rich, make poor people suffer more due to higher food prices, suffer more yourself due to the higher food prices. Um, where's the positive? Reduced dependance on foreign oil? Are you kidding me?

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GJ said about 1 hour later

And I never gave the farmer's lobby much respect for being powerful. Was I ever mistaken!!

Geoff said less than a minute later

A kindergarten class had a homework assignment to find out about something exciting and relate it to the class the next day. When the time came to present what they'd found, the first little boy walked up to the front of the class made a small white dot on the blackboard and sat back down. Puzzled, the teacher asked him just what it was.
"It's a period,'' said the little boy.
"Well, I can see that,'' she said, ''but what is so exciting about a period?''
''Damned if I know,'' said the little boy, ''but this morning my sister was missing one, Daddy had a heart attack, Mommy fainted, and the man next door shot himself."

GJ said about 5 hours later

You, my friend, just breathed massive life into my CPU. I'm getting me a PS2 GH controller pronto!

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Steve said about 8 hours later

Can you play it using the keyboard, or do you need the guitar? I need to improve my eye-hand coordination to use the guitar, and figures some practice on the keyboard would get me started.

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GJ said about 8 hours later

You can play it with the keyboard. You hold it just like a guitar...but you may need to attach a strap. Hehe..my new keyboard is wireless. Who needs a guitar??

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Marc said about 24 hours later

Here's a little tutorial on making simple songs for FoF:

http://www.beefpile.net/Todayland/2007/05/19/creating-songs-for-frets-on-fire-a-tutorial/

You do need to spend a lot of time making them I imagine. Plus it'll probably turn out better with a little bit of knowledge on guitar techniques. Luckily, a ton of people have already made songs, if you look around on BitTorrent sites you'll be able to find Frets on Fire packs which include the songs.

GJ said about 1 hour later

It's not that hard. http://www.electronics.oulu.fi/latex/figures/converting_eps.html

Let me know if this is over your head (I don't know what your geek comfort level is). It wouldn't be too hard to set this up on my home CPU.

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Steve said about 1 hour later

Any idea if the conversion of files from .bmp to .jpg to .eps is going to reduce the quality of the image?

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Geoff said about 2 hours later

Send me the file and I can convert it. There will likely be some quality loss, depending on the type of image. Vector EPS is a completely different format from Bitmaps like JPGs, GIFs, BMPs, etc... It uses Math to determine the rendering of a drawing, rather than pixels. The benefit is Vector can be resized to any dimension, without image loss. Can't do that with Bitmaps.

Marc said about 1 hour later

Good lord, has FARK ever heard of pagination? My scrollbar is far to small to be usable. I can't believe that sparked such a debate....well not much of a debate since it's 1 vs. 1000.

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Geoff said about 12 hours later

Clearly, it's a UFO. My proof is finally here!

Steve said 16 minutes later

I'll draw a conclusion - the reason for the higher percentage of non-religious doctors working with the poor is because a higher percentage of them (versus religous doctors) have had trouble with the law, and are serving out their community service sentances by practicing medicine with the underfunded.

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GJ said about 4 hours later

Ah, that old canard....those that don't believe in God have no morals. In fact, I've had a hell of a time unlearning mine...I should be able to start murdering people in cold blood any day now!

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Marc said about 5 hours later

I guess it's just as bad as saying those that are religious must have good morals or do good acts and that they represent everyone who follows that religion.

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Steve said about 5 hours later

Oh, sorry, I forgot to add - this is all true, "trust me."

I just thought I'd try pulling stuff out of my arse for once.

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GJ said about 7 hours later

Ya gotta be flexible...there be all kinds of orifices to pull crap out of, if you're creative!

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Steve said about 7 hours later

Just consider me a "GJ in training..."

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GJ said about 14 hours later

or was that an "anti-GJ?" :)

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Geoff said about 16 hours later

The only conclusion I drew is that it sucks to be poor!

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Marc said about 17 hours later

Haha, always thinking outside the box Geoff...I guess that's why you're the designer in the family.

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Geoff said about 17 hours later

Yeah, I was abducted by the Walpole street lamp when I was a kid, what can I say?

Marc said about 1 hour later

That's very cool. So when are you going to try this out GJ?

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GJ said about 1 hour later

I have an *real* accelerometer today...and have used it maybe twice. There just aren't many places to do that sort of thing around here.

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Steve said about 4 hours later

Actually, I have GJ's accellerometer still, as out in the country, I have a few places to at least do 0-60 and 60-0 stuff. I won't do 1/4 mile with my car becuase I don't want to be doing 95 mph at the end of the run on a back road. And GJ, whenever you want it back, please let me know. It's definitely heading back to NY when either you get a G8 or Dad gets a Camaro.

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GJ said about 18 hours later

It's likely my times have improved, thanks to my summer tires and the upgraded PCM, but at best I'm hovering around 0-60 times of 6.2 or so. But, even when I get a G8, I'm still stuck with next to no place to really test this thing out. Still, this wiimote thing is cool.

Kristen said about 7 hours later

I checked, it's sold out! bummer, although I wasn't crazy about the song list anyway.

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Marc said about 9 hours later

Yea the song list was pretty pathetic. Luckily, Rock Band's is awesome. Especially that one song...oh what is it...oh yes, Tom Sawyer, by Rush. :)

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Geoff said about 15 hours later

They did have Winger on there, I'll give them that! ;)

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GJ said about 19 hours later

Winger? I didn't think my appreciation of your musical taste could go any lower, Geoff.

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GJ said about 19 hours later

Come on...lots of good tunes on here. You just didn't grow up in the 80s.

Samples:

Quiet Riot
White Lion
Vapors
Asia
Oingo Boingo
The Police
Dio
38 Special
Romantics
Billy Squier
Iron Maiden
Judas Priest

I mean, come on!!! Good stuff here!!!

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Geoff said 1 day later

You're forgetting WINGER!!!

She's only seventeeeeennnnn!

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Steve said 1 day later

What, no Poison?

Seriously though, no Def Lepard? AC/DC? Bon Jovi?

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Marc said 1 day later

Bon Jovi (Wanted Dead or Alive) is in Rock Band...not sure about Def Leopard. AC/DC probably isn't in there because most of their music is likely too simple. Unfortunately, Weezer is making a comeback in Rock Band as well. The list of songs are here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Band_%28video_game%29

What's great is Don't Fear the Reaper. Unfortunately, the drumkit does not have an attached cowbell.

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Kristen said 1 day later

I was wondering what you guys were talking about with this Rock Band---sounds better than guitar hero! I bet you have to get a different controller though huh? Tom Sawyer is a cover, hope it's as good.

guitar hero 3 will have an unlockable slash! We'll have to get marc to play to beat him.

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Marc said 2 days later

Slash is the man, but he will lose.

The new Rock Band is only available on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. So we need a whole new system! New controllers (10 buttons instead of 5...the extra 5 buttons are the new solo buttons located near the pickups of the guitar), drum kit, and microphone will be needed. We can get a kit of guitar, drums, microphone, and game for $200.

The Tom Sawyer cover musically should be perfectly fine, I'm worried about the vocalist though. Tough to match the vocal dynamics of Geddy Lee!

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GJ said 2 days later

They have Poison on GH 80s. As for Rock Band, there is no reason it can't be done for the Wii--expect to see it ported there, too.

Steve said about 9 hours later

So what does a murder of a soldier in Iraq have to do with the war in Iraq, other than the fact that the murder happened in Iraq? How do we know that the enemy didn't get ahold of one of our weapons and used it to shoot Tillman.

And 30 feet - that's probably fairly typical range. Remember, this is fighting in cities and whatnot. And these aren't necessarily cities with roads that are as wide as ours. Was the bullet from a rifle or a hand gun?

I'm not saying I agree with the war, or I'm that big of a fan of Bush anymore, but I think your logic is a bit flawed here. You've had much more convincing arguments against the war in the past, this is more like typical media sensationalism.

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Kristen said about 16 hours later

Are you saying that Tillman was shot because he was an atheist? I wouldn't be shocked to hear that he was intentionally murdered, but he must have known something...or been involved in something he shouldn't have.

I just finished reading Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried (thanks Marc). It's a collection of stories from his experiences in Vietnam. It's scary how much what he has to say still rings true today...

"In June of 1968, I was drafted to fight a war I hated...the American war in Vietnam seemed to me wrong. Certain blood was being shed for uncertain reasons. I saw no unity of purpose, no consensus on matters of philosophy or history or law. The very facts were shrouded in uncertainty: Was it a civil war? A war of national liberation or simple aggression? Who started it, and when, and why? America was divided on these and a thousand other issues, and the debate had spilled out across the floor of the United States Senate and into the streets, and smart men in pinstripes could not agree on even the most fundamental matters of public policy. The only certainty that summer was moral confusion. It was my view then, and still is, that you don't make war without knowing why. Knowledge, of course, is always imperfect, but it seemed to me that when a nation goes to war it must have reasonable confidence in the justice and imperative of its cause. You can't fix your mistakes. Once people are dead, you can't make them undead." (p.40-1)

Amen brother.

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GJ said 1 day later

First, this happened in Afghanistan, not Iraq. I just liked the Toles too. 30 feet in Afghanistan is not 30 feet in Iraq...there is next to no city fighting going on in Afghanistan, and they were not in a city at the time this occurred.

There is no logic here, actually...if anything, I need to call for the heads of not only the administration, but the military commanders who also helped perpetrate this. No doubt, however, that the need to keep the war in a positive light, be it in Afghanistan or Iraq, is the reason this kind of crap is going on.

Now, for Kristen's point asking "was he shot because he was an atheist?" Sorry, I totally muddled up that point--there is no way to know if that was the case, at least not without a detailed murder investigation. Note that this has yet to occur, and probably will never occur. Tillman wasn't the first soldier murdered by his team. Word is, actually, that not only was he an atheist, but not very tolerant of those soldiers who were not handling the pressure of combat too well. It's entirely possible he just pissed someone off on his team to the point of murder.

Some pundits are claiming that perhaps Tillman knew something that would put the war in a bad light. Ummm...probably not. That smacks of paranoia. But...again, a real investigation might put that to rest.

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GJ said 1 day later

Back to the 30 feet thing. Steve, you've fired a gun, so you know what recoil is. I don't have the specs on just how close the bullet entry points were, but they were close enough the cause the autopsy examiner to raise alarms about how the body didn't match the story that came with it. 30 feet is very close--an accidental shooting isn't going to put 3 slugs in someone's forehead all right next to each other. You'd expect that, aimed at the head, they'd be all over the place.

Something still smells.

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Geoff said 1 day later

Well I did forget to take a shower this morning...

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Steve said 1 day later

Have they confirmed all 3 shots came from the same gun?

I have fired guns before, and recoil can vary greatly based on the gun design. Sharpshooter's guns have very little recoil. My shotgun uses the gases from the shell being fired to load the next shell into the chamber. Using the some of the energy in this manner reduces the recoil in my shotgun to less than half what you would get in a pump or double barrel shotgun.

Ammuntion also makes a huge difference in recoil. The loads we shoot for sporting clays are fairly light, as they like to limit the travel of the shot. Loads used in hunting geese are quite heavy, and have a LOT of kick. I can fire 100 rounds of sporting clays loads no problem, but I'd have a very sore shoulder if I fired 10 goose loads in a day.

Also, who says the shots were fired in quick succession? The first shot could have killed him, then the killer could have walked up and fired the next two shots while standing over him.

Sounds like there is just not enough known about exactly what happened, and that's likely the reason there will not be a closed murder investigation.

BTW, what does the gov't get out of publicizing his death, hero or not? I'd think they'd want to keep it quiet. Right now, most of the public doesn't have a personal connection with people that have been killed in Iraq/Afg. Start killing off celebrities that people connect with, and then you'll see some serious negative feelings.

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GJ said 1 day later

And now, doesn't one of his squadmates come out of the woodwork to claim it was friendly fire...but cannot confirm any hostiles present. If his testimony is to be believed, he claims the shots came from more like 50 meters away. Another source puts a sniper team onsite during this hoedown.

Also turns out the "Tillman was ridiculing his religious squadmates" story came from the chaplain who wrote up the incident...but this squadmate in the interview says that Tillman was nothing like that at all.

OK, what does the government have to gain regarding publicizing his death? They weren't so much publicizing as spinning the story. Tillman was already famous for giving up an NFL career to join the Rangers. Him dying in combat was a big story all on its own. Adminitration starved for good war news plays the war hero angle, perhaps before they got the whole story, or maybe they spun it maliciously from the get-go. Regardless, the real cause of death (by US weapon fire) was not disclosed to his family for quite a long time--they were fed a false story, apparently fueled by the administration not wanting to look like they jumped the gun on this case.

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Steve said 2 days later

See, now, your last paragraph in your last response says it all. "Perhaps before they got the whole story, or MAYBE they spun it maliciously from the get-go." "Regardless, the real cause of death (by US weapon fire) was not disclosed to his family for quite a long time--they were fed a false story, APPARENTLY fueled by the administration not wanting to look like they jumped the gun on this case."

Ok, so put yourself in the place of the government. This guy gets killed. What would you do? Now, all you know personally is that the guy was killed in Afghanistan. Well, you assume that he was killed by Taliban or Al-Quada fighers, right? And if you make that assumption, then you would spin this is a hero story, right? Keep in mind, George Bush and his PR people doesn't personally conduct an investigation into each person that is injured or killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The fact is, WE don't know the hard facts of this case, so we cannot make any accurate conclusions based on speculation by us or the media.

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GJ said 3 days later

I can't put myself in the shoes of the executive branch. I have a conscience, after all. :)

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Steve said 3 days later

What's a conscience? Isn't that something God gave you to help determine right from wrong?

Yea, I'm in the mood to harass you, if you haven't already been able to tell....

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GJ said 4 days later

No, I'm pretty sure the soul is the thing God have you, especially since I can't seem to find mine. Your conscience, which is what pretty much dictates right and wrong for you, is formed by your parents and peers early on, and continues to evolve over time unless you're a republican. It's definitely not supplied by God, because different folks around the globe have *very* different ideas of right and wrong. Unless, of course, you buy into the theory of a sadistic God.

I like the harassment game! ;)

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Geoff said 4 days later

Hey I was watching Dawkins on YouTube yesterday, and beyond all the trash talking of religion, he actually brought up an interesting point about morality and how gorillas exert some moral "conscience" if you will...pretty neat stuff. You'd have to watch it to get a better idea than my few words of wisdumb. Do a search for the "Root of All Evil"....in case didn't know :)

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GJ said 4 days later

And I have another interesting read....see the next post.