Via Popular Science, a car that's a boat.

Very cool.

(Hat tip: Gravity Lens)

Posted by: JohnL at 11:28 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I've been meaning to add a link to the Commissar's blog for some time now, and thanks to the Llama Butchers' recommendation of this excellent post on proletarian linking practices, I have finally done so.

Posted by: JohnL at 11:18 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I haven't done nearly enough musical blogging recently. Thanks to my recent addition to Lynn's blogroll at Reflections in d minor, I have been inspired to share some of my musical background.

I play keyboards: piano, organ, and synthesizers. I also know a little bass guitar and can sing passably. I am trying to teach myself drums, but I don't practice consistently enough (I only have a practice pad) to be making much progress.

more...

Posted by: JohnL at 10:18 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I just read this article at Slate about Bob Dylan's new role as Victoria's Secret pitchman.

Seems familiar, no?

Posted by: JohnL at 11:59 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Stephen Green is back and blogging and links to this great set of pictures from a recent airshow at Edwards AFB.

My favorite is the side-by-side flyby photo of the A-10 Warthog and the P-51 Mustang.

Enjoy!

Posted by: JohnL at 11:45 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Little Miss Attila pointed out in a comment that her browser (IE/Mac) rendered this blog so that my right links column was impinging on the text in the main body. I've tried to fix that by defining actual (rather than percentage-based) div and margin widths in the stylesheet; I hope the layout looks OK now. Please comment if it doesn't!

(I already know that my Texas flag banner is broken in Opera - there's a big gap between the blue field and the white and red stripes - but it renders perfectly in IE6/Windows and Firefox, the two browsers that I figure most readers probably use).

If you are a Mac user with Safari or IE (or Firefox!) I would love to hear how the page looks. One reason I'm trying to stick to pure CSS and avoid HTML tables is to prove that an amateur like me can stick to standards and best design practices.

P.S. Attila Girl also helpfully pointed out that I didn't have an email link on my page. I have now fixed that. Please feel free to send me an email if you don't want to leave a public comment.

Posted by: JohnL at 11:26 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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As a lawyer, I am accustomed to some good lawyer jokes.

But I never knew there were actuarial jokes.

Enjoy.

Posted by: JohnL at 11:00 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Ever wondered how to read military ranks?

The DOD has a listing of the enlisted and officer ranks for each of the armed services, along with pictures of the insignia.

Posted by: JohnL at 10:20 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Australian Alan Brain, sometime author for the Command Post, has a long and thoughtful piece on the revolution in International Affairs currently underway in the world.

He briefly lays out the historical development of and reasons for the western fetishization of "national sovereignty" as a reaction to the suicidial wars Europe committed against itself from the 17th through the 20th centuries.

He traces the development of the "religion" of transnationalism from WWI on and explains that the United Nations' failure to live up to its obligation, its promise to enforce collective self-defense, has given rise to a new doctrine of "righteous retribution" by a world power -- the United States. He has some misgivings that the vigilante USA is doing what the lawful authorities should be handling, but in all seems supportive of America's efforts in doing what must be done.

As they say, read the whole thing.

Posted by: JohnL at 12:19 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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1 Pixy and I both invited Alan to join Munuvia and haven't gotten any response.

Posted by: Ted at April 11, 2004 09:52 AM (ZjSa7)

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So Bob Dylan is the new pitchman for Victoria's Secret.

In the new ads, his face is intercut with shots of Brazilian model Adriana Lima cavorting in a bra and the [ridiculous] VS trademark angel wings. You can watch a video of the ad here.

Bob Dylan's voice and face are two things I'd rather not associate with sexy lingerie, thank you very much. I much preferred the "What is Sexy" campaign (about which Jonah Goldberg had a few entertaining words).

I also think they got the wrong Brazilian supermodel. They should have gone with this blog author's previously-noted favorite, Alessandra Ambrosio, who looks a lot cuter and lacks the awful collagen trout pout that so many models and actresses, including Lima, have these days.

(Confession - I cribbed the title of this post from this Swiss article -- Bob Dylan kennt Victorias Geheimnis -- about the Dylan spot. Don't you love the Internet?)

Posted by: JohnL at 11:59 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Scaled Composites' SpaceShipOne lit off its rocket again today, this time for 40 seconds. No official details have been released by ScaledComposites yet, but reports indicate that SpaceShipOne climbed past 100,000 feet at Mach 2.

Congratulations to Rutan and crew!

Posted by: JohnL at 10:11 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Not much more in the way of substantive posts tonight; I'm still tinkering with CSS and HTML to get my new blog home just the way I want it.

Let me know what you think of the new look.

Posted by: JohnL at 11:47 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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For some reason, we libertarians are often mistaken for right-wingers.

While I think the whole "[Whatever] Eye for the [Whatever] Guy" is getting pretty tired, the personalities spoofed in this funny little flash animation are anything but libertarian, and are the reason I refuse to identify myself as a conservative.

(Hat tip: Crooked Timber).

Posted by: JohnL at 11:44 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Today, Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne received a suborbital launch license from the FAA.

My birthday is coming up in a little less than a week, and I can think of no better present than to see a privately-built and -owned spaceship launched.

Update: The FAA actually issued the license on April 1, 2004, as explained in this press release.

Posted by: JohnL at 11:33 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Robert the Llama Butcher criticizes a chili recipe for its lack of beer. I would agree, except for his recommendation of Lone Star beer.

As far as I'm concerned, the "real" national beer of Texas is Shiner Bock, brewed in the Spoetzel Brewery in Shiner, Texas (pop. 2,100).

Another good thing to include in a real Texas chili is novelty meat -- venison, rattlesnake, bison, you name it. Maybe even llama?

Yip yip indeed.

Posted by: JohnL at 10:36 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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You are a GRAMMAR GOD!


If your mission in life is not already to
preserve the English tongue, it should be.
Congratulations and thank you!


How grammatically sound are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Posted by: JohnL at 08:24 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Hello fellow Munuvians!

Thank you for inviting me to join this lively and lovely community.

I'm working out some technical matters, and hope to begin posting new material soon.

Posted by: JohnL at 05:42 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Timothy Sandefur doesn't like them very much, even though he prefers them to zoning laws. In my previous law firm life, I represented several condominium associations, so I have some familiarity with the enforcement side of things.

As a matter of principle only, I prefer HOAs to zoning laws, but just barely. And for practical purposes, unless you can prove laches or inconsistent enforcement, it is likely easier to modify bad zoning regulations (simple majorities at the ballot box) than restrictive covenants that run with the land (usually requiring a supermajority or
unanimity to modify).

Posted by: JohnL at 08:51 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I see that today is Timothy Sandefur's one-year bloggiversary. Congratulations, Timothy, and keep up the good work.

Today also happens to be the six-month milepost for me. Let's have a look-see at my first post.

I haven't talked much about cycling, coaching, or theology. I do think, however, that this has turned into a cohesive narrative on life, the universe, and everything. Please leave me a comment. Let me know what I've done well, what I can do better.

More Legos? More domestic bliss? More law and policy stuff? More of the same?
In any case, I've had a great time, and I appreciate knowing that I have a few loyal readers. Thanks.

Posted by: JohnL at 10:53 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Another Photoshop, funnier than anything he did with Dean.

(Favorite caption: "Hello Clarice").

Posted by: JohnL at 10:51 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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