I really thought that DS9 would be #1:

You scored as Babylon 5 (Babylon 5). The universe is erupting into war and your government picks the wrong side. How much worse could things get? It doesnâ??t matter, because no matter what you have your friends and youâ??ll do the right thing. In the end that will be all that matters. Now if only the Psi Cops would leave you alone. Babylon 5 (Babylon 5) 88% Deep Space Nine (Star Trek) 81% Millennium Falcon (Star Wars) 75% Serenity (Firefly) 75% Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica) 69% SG-1 (Stargate) 69% Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix) 56% Enterprise D (Star Trek) 56% Moya (Farscape) 56% FBI's X-Files Division (The X-Files) 44% Andromeda Ascendant (Andromeda) 44% Bebop (Cowboy Bebop) 38% Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com

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Ann,

The first time I ever heard of you was back in the day on Politically Incorrect with Bill Mahrer. You earned an enormous number of brownie points back then for repeatedly poking Bill in the eye. Sure, you were a bit snarky, but you were at least funny. Here, I thought, was a great spokesperson for the right. Smart, attractive, witty and more than able to hold her own against the shrill leftists. There were times when I thought you went a tad overboard as a polemicist, but still I defended you. After all: poking Bill Maher in the eye, repeatedly.

I read Slander, which I thought provided great detail on the hypocrisy of the left and its proponents repeated attacks on conservatives. It was funny. Harsh, at times, but rightfully so in most cases. Again, when you appeared to step over the line: poking Bill Mahrer in the eye.

Then you released Treason. That's where you started to lose me. Essentially, you painted all liberals as treasonous bastards. Listen up, Ann: I'm as big a critic of the JFK administration as anyone, but when you use a brush wide enough to paint that president, as flawed as he was, as a traitor, you've gone off the deep end. While you made many valid points in the book, they were pretty much lost in the white noise of the crap. The whole Bill Mahrer eye thing isn't providing the necessary balance anymore. Still, you did, at times, at least seem funny in your criticisms, so I decided to give you another chance.

I guess that we all have to live with our mistakes. Thanks for making mine so painfull:

She referred to Muslims as "ragheads." She went farther than calling for Justice John Paul Stevens to be poisoned. Muhammad is depicted as a historic law-giver on one of the court's frieses. Coulter wanted Muslims informed so they would burn down the Supreme Court. But just before that happened someone would call Justices Roberts, Scalia, Alito, Thomas, and Kennedy.

Ann, I have to ask you: when did you stop trying to be funny and just become mean? The whole "I hope your daughter is raped to death-JUST KIDDING!" schtick is something that I expect from my political opponents, and then only from the frothing at the mouth crazy ones. Reasonable people simply don't talk that way. If I haven't made myself clear to this point, that means that I've ceased to think of you as reasonable in any way, shape, or form. And I'm willing to bet most of my allies in the center or on the right feel the same way. Face it, Ann: you've lost us. You're now nothing more than the Right's version of the posters at the Daily Kos. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but hey, life is tough.

Here's a little advice that I'm certain you won't follow: apologize. Admit that you screwed up royally and that you've seen the error of your ways. No one would expect you to stop being a smartass. Heck, it's part of your appeal, especially to a smartass like me. But we'd like you to think a little bit more about what you say, before you say it.

I know what you're thinking. Yes, apologizing would give the left a bigger cudgel to beat you around the head and shoulders with. Frankly, though, you deserve it this time. At least being genuinely sorry could bring some of your former supporters like me back around. I have to tell you, though, that you're facing an uphill battle this time. So apologize. Be sincere. Accept the rhetorical beatings to follow. It's what a grownup would do, so of course I don't expect you to listen.

Sincerely,

A former, saddened supporter.

Update: I see that Dean was already at this point long ago. Hey, some of us have to learn the hard way.

Update: Ace thinks that it's time for an intervention.

Update: And it's the last; this topic weries me. Jeff Harrell is spot on in his criticism:

There are those out there who think that controversial speech should be controlled by the government. There are those who think that saying things like what Ann Coulter said -- or publishing editorial cartoons deemed by some to be sacriligious -- should be against the law. These people clearly have the wrong idea. But just because Ann Coulter should be allowed, by law, to say whatever she wants to whichever audience chooses to invite her, so also should she be held responsible for saying things that do more harm than good. And calling people "ragheads" to resounding applause certainly does more harm than good. Harm to the conservative cause, harm to east-west relations and harm to the national discourse.

Ann, seriously. From now on, just stay off our side.

Update: I lied. Michelle Malkin has collection of links to conservatives ragging on Ann.

See how easy that was Ann? I used the word "rag" in a non-pejorative fashion. You idiot.

Really, the final update: John Hawkins has been a huge Coulter fan for a long time. If memory serves, he even had an interview with her once on his blog. And now she's losing his support. Money quote:

But, if she can't tone it down a few notches and stop being so deliberately outrageous (and yes, it's all deliberate), she's going to be written off like Pat Robertson by a lot of conservatives sooner, rather than later (It's worth noting that a lot of conservatives have already said good-bye to Ann).

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Welcome to COTR #78! I've compiled a list of mouth-watering recipes submitted from blogs around the globe which are guaranteed to tame that might beast hunger in all us.

First up, over at Aussie Wife, Amanda has a recipe for Pasta with tomato, basil and chevre sauce. How can you go wrong with two cloves of freshly minced garlic?

David Gillies posts a recipe for fried pork wontons at Daily Pundit. I'm definitely making them soon.

Dave at The Glittering Eye posts a recipe that I remember fondly from my childhood: Porcupine Balls. I'm guessing that the porcupines are somewhat less fond of this recipe. Just a guess, though.

This recipe over at In the Headlights is quite a mouthful: Chicken-noodle-bacon-um-potato-onion soup. In addition to being a winning Scrabble word, it looks mighty tasty. Be sure to thank Riannan when you make it.

The instructions that CalTech Girl lists with her recipe for Pork Chops Stuffed with Smoked Gouda and Bacon includes directions for cooking on the grill. Sure, you can cook them in the oven, too, but why would you?

Speaking of grilling, everyone needs a recipe for good homemade barbecue sauce, and Grill Maestro helps out with his recipe for Really Cheap Coca Cola BBQ Sauce. I'm still not certain where I can find a 20 cent can of Coke, though. I must shop at the wrong stores.

Dubious Wonder posts a recipe to help take the chill off during winter: Cauliflower Cheese Soup.

Shawn Lea of Everything and Nothing weighs in with a soup recipe, too, and it looks quite robust: Shrimp and Corn Soup.

The next recipe comes from a blog down under, Keewee's Corner. Jennifer's recipe for Chicken Chow Bake looks both easy and delicious, two things that appeal to me.

Elisson, of Blog d'Ellison fame, posts a recipe for Duck Confit. It's not a throw it together in 30 minutes meal, but it looks well worth the effort.

The Ziggurat of Doom live blogs the making of his Anchor Leg Chili. It looks like a great way to spend an afternoon.

Over at Seriously Good, Kevin offers his recipe for some tasty Pork Ribs.

Matthew at OUPblog weighs in with a recipe from Lizzie Collingham's Curry: Green Coriander Chutney. My wife will ove it.

The Headmistress at The Common Room weighs in with her recipe for Florentine Beef Pinwheel. Cool. I love a good recipe for meatloaf.

Next on the menu is this recipe for Beef, Pineapple and Red Pepper Kabobs, courtesy of Marsha over at A Weight Lifted. A recipe that includes 3 of my favorite foods HAS to be good.

Bothenook at A Geezer's Corner spices up his recipe for Chicken, Spanish Olives and Saffron Rice with some food porn. You know that you want to look.

Have trouble getting your children to eat? Mom at Raising4boys.com offers up her recipe for Bananas ala Kid. I think that you might want to make one for yourself, too.

Muse at Me-ander presents for your inspection her variation of a recipe for a traditional Kewish food, In the Kishkes. It looks like it would go great with some latkas. Muse also offers up a recipe for Diet Killer Crumble. Like I need more diet-killing recipes.

If, like me, you really enjoy eating, you've probably fallen prey to the sin covered in this recipe for Gluttony: Potstickers over at 7 Deadly Sins. So go and sin a little bit.

Anna at bunny? gives us a taste tempting recipe for Roasted Salmon with Rosemary Crust.

Kim at Life in a shoe is this first entry this week that includes both an a entree AND a dessert. Go check out Mexican Chicken Chowder w/Peach Cobbler. What's that you say? It's a soup and not an entree? Good chowder IS a meal. So give it a try.

Anthony unveils the secret behind the making of paneer in his recipe for Paneer masala with green peas and potatoes. Now that you know, you'll have to make some.

My entry this week is a recipe for Chili Soup, which I think that you'll enjoy.

Taleena of Sun Comprehending Glass gets us off on the right sweet tooth foot with her recipe for Strawberry Tarts and Clotted Cream. Here's where I do my best Homer Simpson impression: ::drool::. Hey, I didn't say that it was a GOOD impression.

Mensa Barbie continues in the dessert genre of cooking with her recipe for Ginger-danish Ice Cream. Looks like the ice cream maker I got for Christmas is going to get a workout.

Cathy of CFO: Chief Family Officer gives us her recipe for Key Lime Bars. I dunno if my children like limes, but I think that I'm going to find out soon. Yum.

I hope that you enjoyed this week's collection of recipes from around the blogosphere. Be sure to visit Carnival #79 next week, hosted at The Ministry of Minor Perfidy. And if you're interested in hosting the COTR, send an email to Recipe (dot) Carnival (at) Gmail (dot) com and be sure to include the word "host" in the subject line.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 07:27 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 Wonderful job! Thanks for putting it all together this week.

Posted by: deputyHeadmistress at February 13, 2006 10:51 AM (iesES)

2 fun! thanks!

Posted by: rachel at February 13, 2006 11:41 AM (sw30B)

3 MMM looks good this week I keep opening up new tabs on the delicious looking recipes.

Posted by: Taleena at February 13, 2006 11:56 AM (F/4wK)

4 Mmmm, lots of soup this week, just in time for the cold weather.

Posted by: The Hermit at February 13, 2006 01:11 PM (r0Zq6)

5 Thanks for hosting this week, I get my cans of coke when you're on sale for 4 twelve-packs for $10 (20.8 cents each) at my local Giant. So it's not 20 cents *exactly* but it's close enough right? Thanks!

Posted by: gm at February 13, 2006 03:02 PM (v/869)

6 Thanks to everyone for contributing and putting up with my delay, however physically unavoidable it was. Great recipes from great blogs.

Posted by: physics geek at February 13, 2006 05:39 PM (auFn9)

7 Not much on my mind right now, but it's not important. I've just been letting everything happen without me. I just don't have anything to say right now.

Posted by: Kaka6792 at July 19, 2006 01:32 PM (ZAU8O)

8 I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen. Whatever. Not much on my mind lately. I guess it doesn't bother me.

Posted by: Kaka49192 at July 20, 2006 10:47 AM (jw1Fz)

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This is a recipe that I used to make when I worked in a commercial kitchen: chili soup. Don't mistake it for chili that's been diluted with water; it's really, really not.

Ingredients
-------------
Kidney beans, dried*** 2 lb.

1) Weigh beans before washing. Wash beans. Soak overnight in cold water. Drain.

Margarine 6 oz.
ground beef ""
green pepper, chopped 10 oz.
onion, chopped 1lb.6oz.
chili powder 1/2 oz.
curry powder 1 Tbsp.
garlic, crushed 1 clove

2) Cook beef, pepper, onion, chili powder, curry powder and garlic in margarine until meat is browned.

Beef stock 1-1/2 gal.
tomato puree 2 qt.
salt 1/2 oz.
pepper 1/4 tsp.
sugar 2 oz.
worcestershire 1 Tbsp.

3) Add stock, drained kidney beans, tomato puree and remaining seasonings. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until beans are tender, 2 to 2-1/2 hrs.

flour 6 oz.
cold water 3 cup

4) Mix flour and water. Add to soup. Simmer 15 minutes. Remove from direct heat.

***3 lb. drained, canned kidney beans may be substituted for each 1 lb. of dried kidney beans.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 07:36 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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In response to several questions, no, there isn't a specific theme for recipes this week. Submit any and all recipes.

FWIW, I plan to post the Carnival late Saturday evening.

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I've got your honor killing right here, assholes.

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So Democrats use the Correta Scott King funeral as a platform to bash President Bush. If anyone- and I mean anyone- is surprised by this turn of events, I pity you. Your naivte is endearing in a pathetic sort of way, but it's still pathetic.

My wife is essentially an apolitical person. Add in the fact that she's one of the most sensitive persons I've ever met(no, I don't know how I lucked into her either) and you end up with someone who can't understand how anyone would be a bbig enough dick to do what the Dem's did yesterday. Me? I was expecting it. I'm fairly certain that our current president was, too. The only thing did surprise me was the fact that no one started screaming CHIMPY MCSMIRKY BUSHITLER!!! Then again, maybe I stopped watching too soon.

As you might expect, yesterday's reprehensible grandstanding at the funeral has everyone buzzing. First up, the Anchoress:

My best friend, who was watching the funeral, called me up and said, “exactly when did the Democrats utterly revise history and co-opt the civil rights movement? Why does the world forget that it was Democrat Bull Connor putting the hoses and the dogs on the marchers, and the Republicans standing up for civil rights? Why doesn’t anyone mention that Bobby Kennedy was wiretapping King?”

History got revised because of the US press, and two men - Lyndon Johnson (the Great Society) and Bobby Kennedy, who did indeed wiretap Dr. King in an attempt to ruin him. But Bobby Kennedy went to the poor in Appalachia, and he went to the poor in the South, and he ended every speech with “now, let’s sing the song,” and joined hands and sang “We Shall Overcome,” and it moved people to see a man born into unimaginable privilege find common cause with the under-represented. It made it easy to forget that he’d tried to get dirt on Dr. King. I remember it like it was yesterday. Kennedy then single-handedly and forever put the “Democrats=Civil Rights” equation together when he, upon hearing of the assassination of Martin Luther King, extemporaneously and movingly called for calm and gave tribute to King. You can read or listen to the speech here.

In the issue of Civil Rights, I think itÂ’s pointless to carry on about revised history. ItÂ’s done. The warp of history and the woof of of hype will never be untangled. Let it be. People believe what they want to believe, anyway, as we see daily.

And Glenn Reynolds delivers a total bitchslap, in his usual understated manner:

The problem with today's Democrats is that they try to invest the naked hunger for power with the dignity of the civil rights movement, a dignity that they no longer possess because it was based on a self-discipline that they no longer possess.

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Duke travels to Chapel Hill tonight in the first of two face-offs between bitter, geographically close hated enemies rivals, with the second meeting to occur on March 4.

Quick question for all you supposed college basketball experts: what made you think that "UNC won't be very competitive this year"? Are you all on crack, or do you simply like to spout nonsensical statements in the hopes that people won't notice? I freaking hate UNC's basketball team(my blood runs Duke blue), but I certainly respect them. Oh, and that Roy Williams guy? He's a pretty good coach. You might have heard of him; he won the national championship last year.

So UNC lost their 7 best players from last year. Boo-effing-hoo. Anyone who thinks that Williams couldn't coach some even some high school also-rans to about 20 wins is dreaming. And the guys he brought in this year are a lot better than that.

What were some of the "informed" comments I heard? Here's a sample:

They'll play hard, but they won't come close to cracking the top 25.

Williams needs another recruiting class or two to become competitive in the ACC.

And Sports Illustrated ranked their top 50 teams in the preseason. UNC didn't make that list. I was reading the article whilst sitting on the john, which seemed appropriate because I called BULLSHIT then.

Anyway, if you want to see the best rivalry in college basketball, bar none, you should tune in to watch. I know that I will.

Update: This year's Duke team is going to give me a freaking aneurysm before the season is over. My head hurts and I'm shaking. And Duke won. Eesh.

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Just to let everyone know that I will be hosting this week's Carnival of the Recipes. Please send those recipes to Recipe (dot) Carnival (at) Gmail (dot) com .

Update: Well of course I'm behind the times. Again. Anyway, Prochein Amy is the hostess with the mostess for Carnival #77. It has a pretty yummy chocolate theme going on.

Ugh. That means that I have to think of something for this week. Double ugh.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 02:58 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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When you've tired of fixing broken Windows, and are ready to move on to Linux, you're probably confused as to which Linux you should try. After all, there are hundreds of competing Linux distros out there, which is probably one of the bigger reasons why Linux has such a hard time taking on Microsoft. However, you as a typical user can reduce the number of choices dramatically. Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols has the scoop. Excerpt:

I think the best Linux desktop is the one that's best for a particular person based on their needs and level of Linux expertise. So, the next time someone asks you that question, I suggest you reply with a couple of questions of your own.

For example, you could ask, "Do you want to replace Windows? For home? For work? Are you interested in Linux because you want to get some new life out of an old system? Do you just want to mess around with Linux?" And so on...

Then, once you know where they're coming from, you can give the best possible answer.

For what it's worth, here's what I'd tell someone today based on some of the more common answers I get to my questions.

I want a home Windows replacement.

For these folks, I have an additional question: "Do you want just the software basics, or do you want to shop around for other open-source software?"

If they just want the basics, I recommend Xandros Inc.'s eponymous Xandros 3 Desktop. The Xandros line has been meant from the start to persuade Windows users to give Linux a try.

In my experience, Xandros is the closest to Windows XP you're going to get with a Linux system. Now, for some of you, I know that's the last thing you want, but for someone who knows Windows well, it may be exactly what they want and need.

On the other hand, Xandros doesn't have a lot of ready-to-use software outside of the basic package. If your friend really wants to try out a lot of Linux software but couldn't tell apt-get from an RPM, then Linspire Inc.'s Linspire Five-0 is the Linux for you.

I know it's fashionable in some Linux purist circles to make fun of Linspire, but it's well past time to get over that nonsense. Linspire is a good, solid Debian-based Linux, and like Xandros, it goes out of its way to be new-user friendly.

Linspire also far out-does Xandros with its easy-to-use CNR (click and run) new software installation system. With CNR, even your grandma can install Linux programs.

If your friend wants more than just something that looks like XP, but looks like a particular Windows set up, they should also check out the combination of Versora's Progression Desktop and Win4Lin's Win4Lin Pro.

Progression Desktop migrates Windows and Windows programs' settings and data from Windows to many Linuxes, including Xandros and Linspire. For example, you can use it to transfer Outlook on Windows messages to Thunderbird on Linux. Win4Lin enables you to run Windows 2000 or XP as a virtual machine in Linux. The companies have bundled these together to make a single package.

While I haven't had a chance to really review this combo, I have tried it out with Xandros and an XP set up, and it does seem to deliver the goods. Look for a real review of the pairing soon, here at DesktopLinux.com

As it is, I've tested about 13 separate livd CD Linux distros, but still haven't come to a decision, although I'm leaning towards Slackware Linux. Eventually I'll choose. When I do, I'll post a report here.

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In my opinion, a crowbar and/or an incendiary device will work just fine. However, if, unlike me, you're not in the mood to chuck your Microsoft driven PC out a second floor window yet, you might want to check out this article, which gives some great information on how to fix Windows' error. Recovering data when your operating system goes BOOM! is also covered. The solution is, not surprisingly, to use a bootable Knoppix CD.

If your Windows system crashes completely and cannot be recovered using the registry editor or the boot.ini, you may face some serious problems if important data on the system wasn't backed up. Knoppix can come to your rescue by enabling you to access your Windows partition and save your important data to multiple devices for restoration later. These devices include USB jump drives (also called flash drives or key drives), CD-Rs and DVD-Rs, and copying data over the network. This section explains how to recover and save the data that you'll restore after you have re-installed Windows following a crash.

Preparing for Data Recovery The most common mistake when recovering data from a system is failing to retrieve all of it because of haste. What you leave behind is typically the data you end up needing the most, so take your time and ensure you are capturing everything valuable. The most common area for data storage is in the Documents and Settings folder (usually /mnt/hda1/Documents and Settings), which is Windows' default for saving most of all users documents, music, pictures, and so on. If there are any non-standard directories into which you or your users save data, consider those as well.

Look, I understand why most people don't want to switch from Linux to Windows. It's still a geeky, not quite ready for primetime operating system. I'm an enormous nerd and I have issues getting a printer installed. However, the advantages of using a fully functional OS, with all of the associated bells and whistles, for data recovery purposes cannot be overlooked. Trust me when I tell you that the Microsoft recovery floppy disk that I've used in the past does not give you much beyond the ability to use your CD-ROM drive. If nothing else, having a bootable Linux CD around provides some piece of mind. Unless your PC catches fire and the hard drive slags down and stops spinning, you'll be able to recover most of your data in the event of a Windows crash.

Don't live Knoppix? Fine. Use Damn Small Linux , which comes in around a whopping 50Mb.

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Ads aired during the Extra Large Superbowl can be found here. Go Daddy.com ads deemed to risque to air can be viewed here.(Scroll down)

And now a gratuitous Go Daddy girl images found here.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 04:33 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Via Bane comes the quiz whose results are listed below:

You Are 40% Weird

Normal enough to know that you're weird... But too damn weird to do anything about it!

Only 40%? Umm, no. Not even freakin' close.

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But there is one Starbuck that I like. Here's an interview with Katie Sackhoff, figther pilot extraordinaire on BSG.

Thank Dean for the link.

Question: does Katie look like she's in better shape this year? Maybe it's just me, but she sure is looking good this season.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 10:36 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Do you use a USB flash drive? Do you want to know if it's possible to recover deleted/lost data? It is. Excerpt:

If you need help recovering data which you have accidentally deleted, you are in luck. This is the problem with the most simple solution and the highest chance of success, so long as the deleted data has not been overwritten. In order to recover the deleted information you simply need to employ a program which can read the drive for you information and restore it. Some freeware options for task can be found here.

If you have written over your deleted data or even formatted the drive the chance of recovering your data is less than before but there is still hope. Your best bet is to try Photo Rec, a free program which works with almost any OS, including Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, and even Solaris. Downloads are available here. The program may see strange at first, but with some time is has proven to work well.

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It was better than Cats.

Note to Euroweenies: stop pissing off Emily. You know not what you do.

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Stephen Green usually makes better points when he's rambling than I do when I'm attempting to be concise. Case in point:

Look at me.* I'm pro-choice. I support gay marriage. I think porn is OK and that drugs (which aren't OK) ought to be legal. My tastes in music and movies and entertainers are a lot more New York and LA than they are Nashville or Branson.

But with the exceptions of maybe Zell Miller and Joe Lieberman, there's not a Democrat today I'd vote for without first chewing through my own forehead.

Democrats: I'm your target voter! Appeal to me! I'm sick of the Republicans already! Don't make me perform impossible physical acts! Please!

But they won't listen and, come November, I'll vote for a bunch of Republicans again. (Although I'll probably leave a bunch of choices blank.) I'll feel bad about it, of course, but I'd feel even worse if I voted for a Democrat.

And I'm their target voter. Sheesh.

And while I disagree with some of Mr. Green's position(I am not pro-choice), I agree with his analysis of the current state of the Democrat party. Someone like Joe Lieberman, who appears sane and reasonable, even though many of his positions differ from mine, has no chance of getting his party's nomination. Zero. Nada. Diddly, and squat, too. And therein lies the problem.

Back during the 2004 primary season, when Howard Dean looked like a shoo-in for the Democrat presidential nomination, Peggy Noonan implored the Democrats to nominate someone else, hoping that the Democrats could thereby save themselves from political suicide. Thankfully, Kerry received the nomination. Sure, he lost, but it wasn't the disaster that a Dean nomination would have been. Anyway, here's my hope that Democrat voters will come to their senses and kick their insane brethren to the curb. I keep hoping that they'll nominate someone for whom I could vote. Unfortunately, I don't see it happening for a long while yet. Which means that the Republicans will almost certainly get worse as a party.

To quote a certain loquacious bovine, "If you'll excuse, I'll just go out back and shoot myself."[Ed. note: I haven't read the book in almost 20 years, so this is a paraphrase.)

Posted by: Physics Geek at 01:39 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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SOTU drinking game, v.2006. Excerpt:

There's more. Lots more.

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Okay, it's actually hydrogen or helium, but lofting balloons with wireless repeaters for cell phone coverage, instead of traditional towers, is a pretty cool idea. Excerpt:

Extend America and Chandler, Ariz.-based Space Data Corp. are developing the technology, which is believed to be the first to use disposable balloons to provide cellular coverage.

A trial balloon will be launched in the next few weeks to test the idea, said Schafer, who left office in 2000 after eight years as governor.

"To cover every square mile of North Dakota, it would take 1,100 cell towers," Schafer said. "We can do the whole state with three balloons."

If successful, the hydrogen-filled balloons could be drifting across the stratosphere above North Dakota this summer, providing cellular coverage at a tiny fraction of the cost of building cellular towers.

Nifty idea. Cheap, too.

Update: John Cole notices something that I missed. Excerpt:

While it is interesting, I am posting this simply because it amuses me that for the first time I remember, a story refers to a trial balloon that actually is a TRIAL BALLOON.

I am easily amused.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 11:48 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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It appears that President Hillary! Commander in Chief has been cancelled due to low ratings.

I know why ABC created this show. It wasn't to be cutting edge, or to try something different. The purpose behind this show was to get people in this country used to seeing a female president on television for a few years before Hillary runs in 2008. Unfortunately for ABC, their caricatured description of DC(Geena Davis was an Independent, all opposition dicks were Republicans, Democrats apparently didn't exist), the show wasn't entertaining, not even the liberal dreamworld fashion of The West Wing. Commander in Chief was simply boring.

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