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January 30, 2003

Best years of my life

When I was 17, I could bench press 285lbs. I tried for months, but never reached my goal of 300lb. Now twice that age, I'm going to try to lift 300lbs by years end. Been working out for 4 months now, and tried my max for the first time today. 250 pounds. Fifty to go.

It will feel great to know that my best years are not behind me :-).

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:53 PM | | Comments (0)

January 29, 2003

Killing me softly

Your computer could kill you. San Jose Business Journal:
Sitting at a computer for long periods of time could kill you ... there is a risk of developing life-threatening blood clots from sitting for long periods at a computer, similar to a problem that has injured or killed some airline passengers on long flights.

Ok everybody. Stand up. Get a glass of water. It's break time.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:27 PM | | Comments (0)

January 27, 2003

B-2 weather pattern


Line of Twisters Hit Cyprus...

Is it just me, or does this look like a B-2 on a bombing run?

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:10 PM | | Comments (0)

January 24, 2003

Photo of the day

Digital Photo of the day has some great shots:

Don't miss the archives.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 12:49 AM | | Comments (0)

January 19, 2003

Katherine's football picks

Katherine's a natural. She picked both the Buccaneers and Raiders. 2 for 2. Not bad for 3 1/2. She even wanted me to "put the football back on" when the first game went to half. Had to explain that the players were resting and the coach was coaching at half.

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Jerry Porter (84) makes a catch.

Click for larger image Oakland Raiders wide receiver Jerry Porter (84) makes a catch over the head of Tennessee Titans cornerback Donald Mitchell for a gain of 14 yards in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003 in Oakland, Calif. The Raiders beat the Titans, 41-24, to advance to the Super Bowl. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) (Click for Large Photo)

[Yahoo! Photos]

Posted by Steven Spencer at 7:41 PM | | Comments (0)

When cows can fly

'The Cow', a hot air balloon, takes off in the skiing resort of Chatea....

Click for larger image 'The Cow', a hot air balloon, takes off in the skiing resort of Chateau d'Oex, in the Swiss Alps, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2003, at the 25th International Hot Air Balloon week. More than 100 balloons from 19 countries were entered in the event. (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini) (Click for Large Photo)

[Yahoo! Photos]

Posted by Steven Spencer at 9:53 AM | | Comments (0)

January 16, 2003

Aim Higher (and higher)

As mentioned last week on Big Frog:

U.S. Air Force Col. Dr.Peter Demitry explains the Air Force's use of amphetamines.

Click for larger image U.S. Air Force Col. Dr.Peter Demitry, a former fighter pilot and now flight surgeon working out of the Office of the Surgeon General, explains the Air Force's use of amphetamines to the news media January 16, 2003 at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. The use of amphetamines, also known as 'go pills' became the focus on the third day of hearing for two Air Force pilots accused of dropping a bomb on Canadian troops in Afghanistan. (Jeff Mitchell/Reuters) (Click for Large Photo)

[Yahoo! Photos]

Posted by Steven Spencer at 2:42 PM | | Comments (0)

January 15, 2003

bah bah

Vincent's now 7 1/2 months. He said da da for the first time this morning. That brings it up to 4 syllables so far:

  • bah
  • ah
  • mah
  • da

Posted by Steven Spencer at 8:49 PM | | Comments (0)

January 14, 2003

Battle of the Russian tennis babes

(Yet another reason to cheer the demise of communism)

Click for larger image Iroda Tulyaganova from Uzbekistan yells at herself during her match against USA's Lindsay Davenport at the Australian Open Tennis Tournament in Melbourne, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2003. (AP Photo/Tony Feder) (Click for Large Photo)

[Yahoo! Photos]

Click for larger image Russia's Anna Kournikova hits a forehand during her second-round match against Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Jan. 15, 2003. No. 5 seed Henin-Hardenne won the match 6-0, 6-1. (David Gray/Reuters) (Click for Large Photo)

[Yahoo! Photos]

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:55 PM | | Comments (0)

Postcards from the edge

A poster depicting missiles hitting the U.S. Capitol building hangs on a wall of a shoe factory in Sinuiju, North Korea, in this Sept. 25, 2002 file photo. The isolated regime's bellicose rhetoric reached a new pitch in the past week, when North Korea escalated its nuclear standoff with Washington, warning of a 'Third World War,'' 'a sea of fire'' and a 'holy war' against the United States.(AP Photo)
[Yahoo! Photos]

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:49 PM | | Comments (0)

What your cable company doesn't want you to know

Recently my cable company sent a flyer explaining the benefits of moving to digital cable. Lot's of channels, video on demand, etc. And by the way, analog cable's going up to $45/mo, making it more expensive than digital. Problem with digital, of course, is that you can no longer watch and record a (different) show at the same time and that it takes longer to channel surf.

Cable's dirty secret

So, what happens if you don't want to upgrade. You're happy with your current set up but don't want to pay more for analog? Upgrade to digital. Turns out, you still receive the same analog signal. Just don't hook up the digital box. Watch and record away.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 11:19 PM | | Comments (0)

January 13, 2003

Don't be a wanker

Don't be a wanker.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 10:11 PM | | Comments (0)

North Korea fanzine

The Internet is littered with fan sites. Even North Korea has one. The grammar, though, leaves something to be desired:

The USA is creating an energetic crisis by stopping the delivery of heavy oil and delaying in five years the construction of the Light Water Reactors that were promised in exchange of freezing the Nuclear Power Stations in our side.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 10:10 PM | | Comments (0)

January 10, 2003

Speed talking

Inside the Ring (scroll down to "speed talking")

This gives a whole new meaning to War on Drugs. It used to mean War "against" drugs. Reading the above, the new meaning apparently is War (while high) on Drugs.

Apparently, the U.S. Air Force hands out amphetamines, a.k.a. "go pills", to combat fatigue on long missions. The two pilots being prosecuted for the Canadian friendly fire incident in Afghanistan claim to have taken said pills.

In a seven points talking points defense, the Air Force claims:

  • Use of prescribed stimulants by aircrew member is completely voluntary.      
  • Those who decline to use stimulants face no penalty.
  • Doctors prescribe 'go pills' only in consultation with the aircrew member and the local commander.
  • Aircrew members are ground-tested with the medicine.
  • Decades of study and evaluation substantiate the efficacy, safety and practicality of giving the drug.
  • There are no reported safety incidents involving aircrew members' use of 'go pills.'
  • Fatigue and sleep deprivation are especially dangerous for aviators.

Taking speed does seem to make sense in a combat role like this. Pilots can be on missions that last 10 - 20 hours and sitting in the same seat for that long can really dull the senses. I have a hard time staying awake while driving on my 45 minute commute these days.

Makes me wonder who else is "go" popping. Special forces? Anyone on a long missiont? Wouldn't be surprised. Whole thing reminds me a bit of Jacob's Ladder. Tim Robbins starred in this movie as a soldier in Vietnam involved in a experiment that made combat troops more aggressive by giving them a modified form of L.S.D.

Posted by Steven Spencer at 12:08 AM | | Comments (0)

January 8, 2003

Money for nothing, chicks for free

Music record labels were conficted of conspiring to fix prices of CDs between 1995 and 2000. If you have bought any music in that time, you may participate in the settlement. It could pay up to $20.

Claim Form

Posted by Steven Spencer at 10:59 PM | | Comments (0)