Kid Proofing the Home Theater

Here's some good ideas from the guys at Wired.

I need to work on a few of these myself.  I'm afraid to say that right now my Sony SXRD TV and all my gear is inhabiting an old coffee table I painted black - not the most kid proof of furniture.  Of course, I take the approach that it is better to house-proof the kids than kid-proof the house, but 1 and 4 year olds are mighty curious.  The worst part is that the TV is upstairs where they also spend a lot of time playing.  And as they grow older and can play by themselves, the possibility of something bad happening to the electronics and kids will go up.  So, looks like I'll have to get off my duff and fix this.  Thanks to Wired, now I have a good idea what to do.

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This Week's Episode of "Blogging the Quran"

Robert Spencer's latest is up at Hotair.

This week Sura 19 talks about the birth of Christ.  Needless to say there are some differences from the Gospel accounts, including Jesus talking in the cradle.  Of course, nowhere is he acknowledged as the Son of God.  Also in the Quranic version Mary is a single mother, and the birth is under a palm tree, not in a manger.  You'll have to read the rest.

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Hollywood Stop-Loss

YAAIWF (Yet Another Anti-Iraq War Film) has made its way out of Hollywood. Let's see how it's doing on opening weekend.

I'm told #7 Stop-Loss opened to only $1.6 million Friday from just 1,291 plays and should eke out $4+M. Although the drama from MTV Films was the best-reviewed movie opening this weekend, Paramount wasn't expecting much because no Iraq war-themed movie has yet to perform at the box office. "It's not looking good," a studio source told me before the weekend. "No one wants to see Iraq war movies. No matter what we put out there in terms of great cast or trailers, people were completely turned off. It's a function of the marketplace not being ready to address this conflict in a dramatic way because the war itself is something that's unresolved yet. It's a shame because it's a good movie that's just ahead of its time."

Here's a thought - how about making an Iraq war movie that doesn't slander the soldiers involved?  How about making an Iraq war movie that celebrates the heroism embodied in those who choose to serve their country?  There are stories in this war that need to be told.  For example, a quick Google search for Medal of Honor winners turns up CPL Jason L. Dunham.  Cpl Dunham used his helmet and body to shield the rest of the Marines from a grenade, dying in the process.  His self-sacrifice saved the lives of at least two other Marines.  And this is not an isolated incident, it is happening all over Iraq and Afghanistan while the Armed Forces fight for their freedom and our safety.  Any time Hollywood wants to make a movie about that I will happily go see it.

Via Hotair's headlines.

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It's about time

We've been needing this for years.

One of the U.K.'s top nuclear officials said today that she was told the U.S. will okay plans to build the first nuclear power plants since the accident at Three Mile Island nearly three decades ago. Lady Barbara Thomas Judge, chair of the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority, said that the chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission informed her that the NRC will approve three applications for new nuclear reactors that it's currently considering.

One of them is for the Shearon Harris plant just down the street.  Of course, it will be another three years before the paperwork necessary for the approval is even ready.  Not to mention the actual approval and building.  If it is ready before 2020 I'll be surprised.

It's also interesting to note the recurrent mentions of the Three Mile Island incident, as well as the Chernoybl accident.  And, of course, they had to mention global warming and climate change.  But, if that demagoguery is going to get us some cheaper, cleaner energy, then I am willing to put up with it for now.

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Thanks, Duke

For playing such a stellar game against West Virginia.  Or should I say, a stellar half.  You got my hopes up in the first quarter, only to squish them in the second.  Were those really the same players out on the court after half time?

Well, you have totally messed up my bracket.  Each year, I give you the benefit of the doubt, that you are going to pull it back together after slumping at the end of the season, and each year you prove that you can't go the distance.  For the second straight year you've bowed out in the second round after I've picked you for the final four.  I've learned my lesson - the hand has been burned too many times.  Next year, you get a first round win and that's it.  I don't care if you're playing Mount St. Mary's in the second round, you're getting marked for defeat.

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Killing pain - with mirrors?

Just goes to show you how little we know about the brain.

Dr. Jack Tsao, a Navy neurologist with the Uniform Services University, was looking for ways to help soldiers like Paupore (who lost a leg in Iraq). He remembered reading in graduate school a paper by Dr. V.S. Ramachandran that talked about an unusual treatment for amputees suffering "phantom limb pain," using a simple $20 mirror.

The mirror tricks the brain into "seeing" the amputated leg, overriding mismatched nerve signals.

Here's how it works: The patient sits on a flat surface with his or her remaining leg straight out and then puts a 6-foot mirror lengthwise facing the limb. The patient moves the leg, flexing it, and watches the movement in the mirror. The reflection creates the illusion of two legs moving together.

The brain thinks that it is actually moving both legs, and seeing 'success' from the mirror, interprets the leg as existing.  But, it isn't getting any pain information from the leg, so everything must be OK and the phantom pain goes away.  That is just crazy.

It seems like every time we think we are getting a handle on what goes on in the brain something like this pops up.  It strains the imagination to think about what we will learn over the coming decades.

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High Tech Salvage

Wired has an amazing story about a salvage crew rescuing a car carrier off the coast of Alaska (Warning:  includes language you would expect from a salvage crew off the coast of Alaska). 

Having been in the Navy, I am semi-familiar with what they do, but I did not realize how much they rely on computers and 3d modeling.  The salvage team takes a computer expert with them to the salvage site in order to build an exact 3d replica of the ship so that they can model the effects of pumping out water, or moving water around in the tanks.  This way they can re-float the ship with the least amount of work possible.

As the Ship's Diving Officer on a submarine, I was responsible for making sure that the sub had the proper amount of ballast on board.  Ideally, a sub, once submerged, should have neutral buoyancy, meaning it does not tend to sink or float.  This can be very difficult if the sub has been in port for a while, taken on stores, added more people, pumped out tanks, loaded weapons, or anything else that can change the weight of the boat.  Now I'm jealous - all I had to calculate all this was an Excel spreadsheet.

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Blogging the Quran

Each week, Robert Spencer writes a post about the Quran at Hotair.  He has been systematically covering the Quran, starting with the first Sura, and going until he has covered the whole thing.  If you have any interest in what the Quran actually says, but don't have the patience to wade through the whole thing, then this is a good place to start.

Here's this week's installment.

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John Wayne on raising children

I heard about this clip on WPTF while driving in to work this morning. John Wayne discusses what he wants for his little girl as she grows up. I'm not sure I could say it any better. Skip to 1:50 if you want to go straight to the good stuff.

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Two looks at Iraq

Michael Totten and Michael Yon have some of the best looks at what is happening on the ground in Iraq.  These two risk their lives to bring us stories that otherwise would not be told.  They have both been to Iraq multiple times, and have seen the incredible changes made possible by the surge.  Here are their latest articles, both well worth the time it takes read them.

Michael Totten:  In the Villages of Al-Anbar

Michael Yon:  Guitar Heroes

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