Dave's Picks

Why the "Gun Show Loophole" matters

Here’s a good take on Why the “Gun Show Loophole” matters, and why Democrat’s claims that closing the loophole “wouldn’t change anything for law-abiding citizens,” is an outright lie.

Teen with Home Chemistry Lab Arrested for Meth, Bombs

Ugh. Teen with Home Chemistry Lab Arrested for Meth, Bombs. Even though he wasn’t making either. He was just fiddling around with a home chemistry lab. But of course We Can’t Have That. He might learn something.

Chrysler Faces Criticism for Full-Page 'Thank You' Ads

The auto-maker bailout eventually went through, the not-so-big-anymore three got buckets of money. Now Chrysler Faces Criticism for Full-Page ‘Thank You’ Ads, as they prove they really have no idea what to do with money. Remind me again why we bailed their sorry asses out, please.

2009 Minnesota Gun Shows

My first (and second) pass on the list of 2009 Minnesota Gun Shows is done. Hopefully I’ve got most of them now and won’t have to do too many updates during the year.

Great Lakes surfers pay no mind to frigid temps

People who live in Minnesota are sometimes seen as odd among those living in the rest of the country. Witness: Great Lakes surfers pay no mind to frigid temps. The breaks on Superior are apparently only good in the winter when the wind’s blowing like crazy, and chunks of ice up to bowling-ball size actually make the waves better.

Dave Barry Year in Review: Bailing out of 2008

It’s the end of the year, which means it’s time for the Dave Barry Year in Review: Bailing out of 2008. A fun few minutes of reading.

Sara, 13-yrs girl, plays RUSH-YYZ with stick performance

This video titled Sara, 13-yrs girl, plays RUSH–YYZ with stick performance seems to be the real deal. I can’t tell if she’s got every stick-twirl exactly correct, but damn, that girl has practiced. And apparently she’s been a Rush fan at least since she was 10. Look out, Neil, someone younger is after your job.

The Far side Reenactments Pool

Hmm. I wonder if I could stage some photos for The Far side Reenactments Pool with Squishycows over the holidays. It seems like it might be a project that would fit my time and mood just fine.

The 10 Worst Predictions for 2008

Here’s a nice little list of The 10 Worst Predictions for 2008. They’re right up there, I think.

Ducking an iPhone Annoyance

Here’s how you could be Ducking an iPhone Annoyance. While the referenced words aren’t ones that give me problems on my phone very often, there are plenty of other words that it wants to correct for me that I’ll be adding somewhere.

Mario makes way for Shakespeare on Nintendo DS in HarperCollins deal

This is interesting. Mario makes way for Shakespeare on Nintendo DS in HarperCollins deal. If I carried my DS around at all anymore, I’d be tempted to try it out, but now I want an iPhone version.

Opening the Unclosed

More on the anti-social networking front. jr’s working on Opening the Unclosed and maybe he’ll help come up with a solution.

Facebook and the Social Dynamics of Privacy

A short essay on Facebook and the Social Dynamics of Privacy. More stuff to think about.

Beamish brewery to close, 120 jobs lost

And speaking of dark, when I found out recently that Heineken had bought both Murphy’s and Beamish, I was a little worried. Now Turly points out Beamish brewery to close, 120 jobs lost and all I can say is Argh. Dark indeed.

Minnesota Senate recount

The Star Tribune lets you look inside the Minnesota Senate recount and Take the Franken-Coleman Ballot Challenge. You can see and vote on the contested ballots if you register. At this point, I don’t really care which of the carpet-bagging clowns we end up with. I just want it to be done.

some comments

Dan and the flutterbarians have some comments about my bit on Anti-social networking from last week. And Aaron pointed out this perspective Friends in a Facebook World from The Boston Globe. Apparently I’m not the only one thinking about these things.