Sleepless in Midland

Ninja Road Repair Warriors

Mild mannered citizens by day, Ninja Road Repair Warriors by night -- dressed for success in black Ninja costumes, they sneak into position while the city sleeps. While Batman rids metropolises of criminal vermin, the Ninja Road Repair Warrior fills pot holes.

Blogging neighbor Wallace has reignited Mean Street Kick Ass in a desperate cry for help with a villainous pothole. But the contractors who would do that for the city street department are most likely tied up on other projects. And ordinary potholes may not be serious enough to pull the workers off those other jobs. As most of us eventually discover, many times it's easier to just do something ourselves rather than wait for someone else to do it.

So maybe it's time for some Ninja Road Repair Warriors to slip in late some night, clean the hole, dump in some EZStreet cold asphalt, tamp it down, then make a speedy getaway.

Who were those masked men and women? I dunno, but when they left, that pot hole was filled!

Sandhill Crane -- the poor man's Whooping Crane

Pity the poor Sandhilll Cranes. They fly thousands of miles for their seasonal migration from as for North as Alaska only to arrive in Texas just in time for hunting season. As they duck and weave to avoid shotgun pellets, they should take some comfort knowing the hunters are using lead free shot.

As if we didn't already feel it in our bones, it's a sure sign of winter to humans who see the picturesque "V" formation as the majestic birds fly South.

The poor bird not only has to fly such a great distance just to stay warm, dodging hunters the whole way, but he has to endure the taunting whoops of his snobby cousin, the Whooping Crane with the privileged plumage of white feathers who glides safely across the U.S., living the good life behind that invisible shield created by the word, "Endangered."

Maybe Sandhill Cranes will live long enough to one day fly the "Endangered" banner, too. Irony happens. In the meantime, good luck to you ugly ducklings. And may all of your hunters be shooting cameras.

Some easy money for a resourceful bounty hunter

Saturday after Thanksgiving a man armed with a silver revolver robbed a Cash America Pawn Shop in Lubbock, Texas, and got away with 276 pieces of jewelry valued at $40,000. News reports here and here.

The store had cameras about the place, and a photo of the perp is currently posted in Cash America store windows announcing a $10,000 reward for information that leads to this guy's capture. Also, Crime Line, the crime reporting hot line, is offering another $1,000.

If this guy's acquaintances have seen this photo, they know who it is. It's only a matter of time before someone decides to cash in that lottery ticket.

Post script.  Speaking of rewards, the big bounty money is on the terrorists. Seems like some mercenaries would have tried to collect that $25 million for Osama bin Laden.

Purell in the Port-a-Potty

It makes perfect sense.

"Wash your hands!" "Wash your hands!" Our mommas always said to wash our hands. And now that flu season is here we are told to sanitize our hands to prevent the virus from spreading.

The first sanitizer dispenser I noticed in a port-a-potty was at the Fort Stockton sesquicentennial celebration a couple of months ago. There was one in the port-a-potty at a road repair site the other day. And the man who came to pick it up said that most port-a-potties have one these days.

A sanitizer dispenser in a Port-a-Potty is so logical that it shouldn't be a surprise that the people in the business have already implemented that idea.

Hillary's advice to Tiger's wife

Hillary Clinton and Tiger Woods' wife have something is common, man trouble. Hillary went through it, and she no doubt has some advice of her own for Mrs. Woods, or Elin Nordegren as she prefers to be known.

Let's imagine what Hillary would say:

A crisis is a terrible thing to waste. Play the victim's role, and you'll be a celebrity in your own right. Oprah's audience will eat it up. Hell, you could even run for office! (Just joking girl, stay out of my game.)

Tiger hasn't peaked yet, and there's still a lot of money yet to be made in this deal. Milk it for all it's worth.

Oh, and learn the words to "Stand By Your Man," and sing it all the way to the bank.

National Sarcasm Society -- like they need our support

Just one of many funny pictures found at eatliver.com.

Actually, there is a Sarcasm Society where someone can try to learn how to be sarcastic if they wanted to. I would advise against it, though. I learned it early on, and it has taken me a lifetime to unlearn it. Sarcasm is a solitary humor that is usually enjoyed by the person who creates it but no one else.

The intersection is open!

Today was the big grand opening of the intersection of Garfield St. and Golf Course Rd. in Midland, Texas. If you recall, the pipes under the street that carried rain runoff had rusted after having done their jobs for 35 years, and a cavern grew under the intersection. A small hole in the street was discovered, and that exposed the problem. The intersection was barricaded, and a month long street project began with a coordinated effort involving the city of Midland, Key Enterprises, Inc., and James Hindman, Inc.

And a major effort was made today to try to get the intersection open by 4:00 pm. Asphalt was laid, but the temperature was too cold for some of it to cure properly. So steel plates were laid on a problem area, and one lane remains closed.

I would have liked a ribbon cutting, but it was more like a synchronized movement of city vehicles to unblock the streets when the intersection finally opened.

Ever wonder how those white arrows and lane markings get stuck to the street? They come in pre-cut sections, and they are melted onto the street with torches reaching temperatures of 450 degrees.  Here are some photos.

The first car to travel through the intersection legally in almost a month came through at about 5:40 pm today. You can see it in the last photo -- a silver Camaro.

The Sig P250 2sum - a stocking stuffer for the handgun lover

Sig Sauer has a new product out called the P250 2sum. What makes this handgun package unique is that it's basically two guns in one. The package comes with two guns -- a full size and a compact -- with only one set of innards. The user decides whether he/she wants to shoot the big one or the little one then drops the innards into the frame of choice. And the interchangeable grip modules lets the user fit it to his/her hand. The regular P250 comes in a variety of calibers, but the 2sum comes in 9mm.

The Sig site doesn't show the MSRP at the moment, however gunbroker.com currently has a few listed for sale between $739 and $799.

So is this a good marketing strategy? They'll find out, I guess. But many gun owners might prefer to simply own two separate working guns rather than two with only one working mechanism. Also, I hate to bring this up, but there's no manual safety. That's a big issue with me, but then I'm just a big sissy.

A couple of cool T-shirts in honor of computers of the future from the movies

  First up, Skynet, the computer that brought us the Terminator and all the sequels and spin-offs.

And my favorite, the Hal 9000, the computer that created an obsession with those who saw 2001: A Space Odyssey to always make sure they've got the key before locking the door.

New slogans for Obama's 2012 campaign

President Obama pulled in a lot of votes in 2008 with his focus group tested slogans -- "Hope," "Change we can believe in," "Yes we can," etc. More recent phrases, like "Public Option," haven't been as successful.

So now he's probably stockpiling slogans for the 2012 election. Let's help him out with some bumper sticker suggestions of our own.

Campaign slogans for Obama in 2012:

We didn't waste the last crisis,
We won't waste the next one

Obama 2012 -- the devil you know

More government is better government

They were wrong when they said I would ruin the country. Give me another four years.

Obamanomics -- Gruel in every pot!

You loved me in '08
Can't we still be friends?

He stole your heart in '08
Re-elect Obama and get it back

Four more years
and we'll get it right

Obama Magic -- Will make your job reappear.

Central Planning
Is the plan!
If 'Bama can't do it,
No one can!

Obama -- the American Apologist

It's working in Venezuela

We fooled you once, that's our fault
We fooled you twice, that's your own damn fault,
Wait, wait, that didn't come out right.

Republicans may need some, too. So let's help them out with these:

Yes we can, too.

We're not as bad as Democrats

Give us another chance.
We won't piss it away this time

Where did those all those plastic buffaloes roam?

There was a time when you couldn't turn a corner here in Midland, Texas, without seeing one of those painted fiberglass buffaloes. (See the photos at a post from '05 titled West Texas Wildlife for a sampling.) Then all of as sudden they were gone.

So it was a surprise to see some stashed behind a building at the Parks and Recreation Department building. Such an ignoble ending for such a noble animal.

But that's fine. Modern art is best appreciated when it's not permanent.

And the winner is ...

Pam Inskeep!

She's the winner of two tickets to the 12/12/09 performance of the Midland Community Theatre production of "A Christmas Carol."

Congratulations Ms. Inskeep. Enjoy the play!

And to everyone who entered this and previous contests, thank you for participating! It's been fun!

Road Repair -- snow day shut down

The road repair work at Garfield and Golf Course Rd., Midland, Texas, came to a standstill the other day when the rains first came. And the Friday morning snow didn't exactly light any fires.

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So the whole operation has been delayed. The good news for anyone hoping to use the intersection sometime soon is that, aside from laying a new surface, the work in the intersection itself appears to be getting close to an end. Work may continue West of the intersection, however.

Tiger car parking -- the game

It didn't take the gamers long. And it's not as easy as it looks. Play Tiger Parking Slam.

OK, that was cruel. Try an educational game instead. Place the 50 states in place with this game for rehabilitation.

Look at this criminal mastermind

He robbed a woman at gunpoint taking her purse and camera cell phone. The owner had programed the camera phone to send any photos taken with it to her computer. So when the scholar snapped a photo of himself holding what appears to be an air gun the victim gets some first class evidence.

The photo was published yesterday. And last night he turned himself in.

CSI 3-D: laser scanning technology for Crime Scene Investigators

This looks like a fascinating piece of equipment, if it's affordable. The Deltasphere scanner takes a digital image of a crime scene, then gaming software lets the investigator work the scene and manipulate the images. It will be like playing a game based on a true story, the players just have to solve a crime.

North Carolina State University received a grant to help build an IC-CRIME platform. Here's an excerpt from their news release:

The IC-CRIME platform will employ the latest in 3-D laser scanning technologies to virtually reconstruct and preserve crime scenes, and will be built on a game engine to enable virtual recreation of the scene. The laser scanner technology, developed by Research Triangle Park company 3rdTech, will allow investigators to accurately record room and object dimensions, as well as the placement of every piece of evidence in a crime scene. The scanners can capture millions of data points at a crime scene within a few minutes. Combined with high resolution digital photography, and other trace evidence data such as microscopic and chemical analysis of fibers, a comprehensive, permanent data record will be produced within the NC State IC-CRIME platform. The IC-CRIME platform will make the crime scene accessible to those investigators granted access, such as blood spatter and hair and fiber experts who may be located in different parts of the country. In fact, experts from around the globe will be able to be brought into crime scene virtually and collaborate effectively to prosecute a case.

Chief: "Are you playing computer games again???"

CSI tech: "Uh, yeah."

Chief: "Good."

Via Slashdot.

Climategate provides a Schadenfreude moment for skeptics

From the standpoint of those of us who have been sitting on the fence on the Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) theory, the leaked emails and research data and the reaction of the pro-warming crowd has gone a long way in pushing us to the opposition.

If the AGW theory were really valid, then surely there must be some real proof that (a) CO2 emissions have been rising as rapidly and consistently as the warmist camp says, (b) temperatures have been rising during that same period, and (c) that (a) caused (b). But no, there was just the strident calls to silence the opposition.

I used to enjoy listening to Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcasts (theskepticsguide.org) featuring a group of self described skeptics who skewered psychics, quack medical cures and spoon benders. But they grew tiresome when it became clear their politics had so much influence on their thought processes, and they would ruin something with an offhand remark like, "Bush ruined science." Huh? They were all so completely on board with the anti-Bush narrative that they felt such a remark needed no explanation.

They were so smitten with the AGW theory that they tagged the theory's skeptics with the name "global warming deniers," you know, like Holocaust deniers. For people who called themselves "skeptics" there sure seemed to be a lot of group-think conformity.

So I had to go back to them for their take on Climategate, and episode 227 on November 25, 2009, has an 11 minute discussion beginning at around 34:00.

Sure enough they circled the wagons, defended the global warming narrative, and tried to link global warming skeptics with tobacco industry efforts to confused the link between smoking and cancer. At worst, Climategate is just an embarrassment but shouldn't change anybody's mind, they say. And they bristled over the use of the word "skeptics," they are the the true skeptics, you see. Those who are skeptics of the global warming science on which the warmists rely are just "deniers."

To those of us in the cheap seats, the shrillness of the warmists was supposed to alarm us into acceptance, but it had the effect of hardening our resistance. And with Climategate developing, and the warmists in deer-in-headlight mode, it's time to enjoy the Schadenfreude.

And the winner is ...

Laurie McLain!

She's the winner of two tickets to the 12/5/09 performance of the Midland Community Theatre production of "A Christmas Carol."

Congratulations Ms. McLain. The feedback on the play has been very positive.

There's another contest going on, and that one is for two tickets to the 12/12/09 performance of the same play. Email me to enter. The deadline will be noon on 12/7/09, and barring any unforeseen delays, the winner will be notified that afternoon.

Bah humbug in the nicest way!

A satisfied ticket winner

It's such a pleasure hearing from satisfied customers. DiAnn Ervin was a recent winner of tickets to the MCT production of "A Christmas Carol."  (She was kind enough to agree let her name be used here.)  She attended the 11/28/09 performance and gave it a good review:

"I just wanted to let you know that the play was marvelous! The stage scene sets are really well done, the clothes are gorgeous and the acting simply fantastic."

Sounds like a great play.  Thanks DiAnn. Glad you had a good time.

Meanwhile, a contest for the two ticket to the 12/5/09 performance should have concluded at noon today, but the ticket drawer is running a little late today. That contest should conclude very shortly, and the winner will be notified by email.

A contest for two tickets to the 12/12/09 performance is still open, if anyone is interested.

A Prius in the Pit

Dig a hole, and someone will fall in.

It started a couple of weeks ago when a cavity was discovered under the intersection of Garfield and Golf Course Road in Midland, Texas. Work crews have dug up and replaced much of the bad water drainage pipe. But the work is not yet finished, and currently there's a deep ditch in the intersection.

Ditch Diving -- In the predawn hours this morning a woman drove a Prius past the "Road Closed" signs, plowing through the fence into the ditch.

Try to visualize this in slow motion. The vehicle enters the hole with the right wheels still on the street. The left wheels go into the hole tilting the car to the left. The car starts to roll, and while the vehicle is almost sideways, the left front strikes a conduit in the hole. That stops the front of the car, and the rear comes over the top. The car rights itself and settles at the bottom of the ditch, upright, facing the opposite direction from which it came.

Sunk in the Sink Hole -- The driver called in the accident report herself, and she was said to have incurred minor injuries. As you can see from one of the photos, the airbag had been deployed.

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Police officers speculated that alcohol may have been involved.