Monthly Archives: August 2001
Poll of the Day
Also – Check out – http://www.halcyon.com/piglet/books.htm for all things Oz.
Better than Harry Potter, sez I. Not bad, for a book that recently became 100 years old. Really.
Got off my butt, and will be having cable installed next Saturday sometime between 11am and 2 pm. Pricey… 19.95 a month until December, then it jumps to $41.50 (at which time I’ll either renegotiate, succumb to the new pricing, go with another company, or get a direct TV setup. for now, $20 is ok. If I kill it before December, they charge a $20 kill fee.
my plans for today.
Spend time with sweetheart, and give her lots of love.
Spend time with Newton, and give him lots of love.
Buy some pants (tore a pair yesterday, they need replacing)
get an area rug/Persian at Walmart
shop for a sofa/bookshelves/coffee table at the following –
Faith farm, salvation army , wal-mart, consignment. Mission: find a nice one, and have it delivered. (I can honestly say it took my admiring my sweetheart’s abode to spur me on to furnish mine. )
figure out how I want the living room to be arranged.
I figure that if I don’t see my sweetie by about 1pm, I’ll launch and get on the chores, and save the fun lovey stuff for later.
Note to self, do review of planet of the apes later.
nutshell – it wasn’t bad. better than three of the sequels from in the original series. compared to the original, it had very little heart. entertaining, though.
looks like lj is having some image issues… none of the emotion icons, or lj user /etc seem to be making themselves visible.
- Okay, so I’m going to listen to the cast on Warped Radio for a little while. Click here to listen.
good to lounge to. 🙂 join me, and listen to
Scotto’s Dinner –
2 bottles of Smirnoff Ice
1/3 bag of salt & vinegar potato chips
Going to bed with thoughts of my sweetie, after brushing my teefies.
good night.
Evil News returns.
Worker Fired Over MP3 Files
=================================
So you thought the worst trouble you could get into on the office computer was playing solitaire? Carla Tomino found out otherwise when Northwestern University fired her for keeping 2,000 MP3 music files on her computer at work.
Propane Huffing and Pot Smoking Like Don’t Mix
=================================
A Muskegon man who authorities say admitted he was “huffing” propane and smoking marijuana, causing his house to blow up, now faces a felony charge.
“It’s unbelievable that he would light a marijuana cigarette while at the same time releasing propane from the tank. The result is pretty clear.”
Fundamentalists on the Run Over Right to Spank
=================================
More than 100 members of a fundamentalist church that promotes spanking with paddles and sticks have fled their homes in Canada because they fear their children will be seized by the authorities. The pastor of her church in Aylmer, the Rev Henry Hildebrandt, has claimed that children enjoy being hit.
Boy Allegedly Partied After Murders
=================================
A teen-ager charged with killing his father and the man’s girlfriend and stashing their bodies in a barn partied with friends after the shootings.
Joshua L. Lepley, 14, allegedly committed the crimes after his father woke him up to do household chores, prosecutors say.
Deadly Train Track Pillow
=================================
A man lying on railroad tracks was struck and killed by a train.
James Donald Robb, 46, died early Wednesday morning. He had been lying near the crossing arms on the Florida East Coast Railway tracks, police said.
Special Messages In Some Food Packaging
=================================
David Burris of Baker City, Ore., was stunned when he opened a box of Jell-O that he bought to prepare a dish for Thanksgiving only to find a coupon bearing a swastika and hate message.
FBI Agents Arrest CNN Producer For Kiddie Sex
=================================
The FBI has arrested a CNN executive producer on charges he used the Internet to try and entice an underage girl for sex.
Floss Floss Floss Floss
=================================
Nearly 300-strong, they stood ready in the midday heat, determined to set a world’s record and become a part of history. Mounted on a makeshift platform, Chris Boncimino eyed his unwavering line of volunteers as a continuous spool of filament was unraveled by the surgically-gloved hands of orthodontist John Napolitano and two dental assistants. Resplendent in white Glide dental floss T-shirts and steely-eyed under equally white Crest toothpaste sun visors, the impatient would-be record holders began their chant: “Floss, floss, floss.”
“It’s going to take too long, and it’s stupid,”
words of the day – germane (not German) and chaise Longue (not Lounge)
germane jur-MAIN, adjective:
Appropriate or fitting; relevant.
Germane comes from Middle English germain, literally, “having the same parents,” ultimately deriving from Latin germanus, from germen, “a bud, a shoot.”
chaise longue shayz LONG noun:
plural chaise longues or chaises longues (shays LONG)
A reclining chair with an elongated seat for supporting legs.
[From French, literally long chair. The prevalent variant form of this term, chaise lounge, is formed by folk etymology.]
Happy Birthday !! 🙂
did you know that crayola has tech support?
after being written to via the website – http://www.binney-smith.com/brands/
Dear Crayola Consumer,
Thank you for your e-mail. In response to your question, “How do crayons work?”, it is the nature of the materials at room temperature. The paraffin wax and stearic acid are susceptible to being transferred to a substrate when pressure is applied and the crayon is moved over the substrate. Friction and the heat produced play a small role, but the crayon would probably still lay down material without friction heat because of the physical nature (its relative softness) of the crayon base at room temperature.
If you have any further questions, please call (800) 272-9652 weekdays between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM Eastern Time and a representative will be happy to assist you.
Thank you for your interest in Binney & Smith and Crayola products.
Holy Frijoles!
I know that Mexican jumping beans jump because of worms or larvae inside, but what kind of beans are they, and what kind of worms? What happens to the worm? Does it hatch out as a bug or moth or something, or what?
for the answer….
“Greetings from the Humongus! The Lord Humongus! The Warrior of the Wastelands, the Ayotollah of Rock and Rollah!”
Ok…. anyone care to guess what movie is playing on Scotto’s VCR right now?
…because the battery doesn’t last long enough to get to the large intestine….
This thunderstorm is about 10-20 miles away. Lightning can be seen up to 75 miles away at night when the intervening sky is clear and dark. Thunder, however, may be heard only a few miles away in a noisy location, 10 miles away in the open, and up to 15 miles away in quiet locations.
Cloudcover has mostly passed, but we were treated to a lovely set of lightning flashes, heavy rains and parking lots reduced to wading pools due to poor drainage. Still a flood watch until 6pm, and a severe weather warnig until 8.
Some of the things I’m digging about the rain is the cooler temperatures… I may be able to open my windows when I get home tonight…. but the humidity makes it feel much warmer than it might otherwise.
On another tack, either this code red thing is worse than I’d thought or all the mailing lists I’m on are taking a little nap today. Where I usually get about 30-50 pieces of mail a day, I think that perhaps only 10 got through… and the majority of those are LJ replies and personal mail… that’s why there’s no evil news today, none of the spiders have crawled back home to roost. Perhaps that explains all the ip pinging I’ve been getting lately too. Kids, get a firewall, especially if you’re on dsl or cable. I can’t say it enough.
fascinating to me.
The War on Drug Wars, a photo gallery of 11 people during first-time highs on drugs ranging from crack to ecstacy.
Owen Ng (CHIMP)
miniMAX’s DNPC
| Points | Powers | END |
| 12 | 1d6 HKA: bite (Total 2d6); Range: 0; Versus: PD; Reduced Penetration: -¼ (15) | 1 |
| 6 | +10 PRE; Affects Figured: No; Limited Power: only while threatening: -¼; Limited Power: create fear only: -½ (10) | |
| -4 | Running (-2″, 4″, NC: 8″); Non-Combat Multiplier: ×2, +0 (-4) | 1 |
| -2 | Swimming (-2″, 0″, NC: 0″); Non-Combat Multiplier: ×2, +0 (-2) | 1 |
| 18 | 3d6 Entangle: Splooge-pistol (DEF 3); Range: 300; Entangle Damage: Entangle and Target Both Take Damage, +¼; Special Effect: Sticky-goop; Charges: 3, -1¼; OAF: -1; Sticky: +½; Personal Immunity: +¼ (60) | 0 |
| 30 | Total Powers | |
| 7 | Acrobatics | 14- |
| 5 | Breakfall | 13- |
| 7 | Climbing | 14- |
| 3 | Scientist | |
| 2 | Science: Robotics | 12- |
| 2 | Science: Nanotechnology | 12- |
| 2 | Science: Mathematics | 12- |
| 2 | Science: Biochemistry | 12- |
| 2 | Science: Subatomic Physics | 12- |
| 3 | Computer Programming | 12- |
| 1 | Forensic Medicine | 8- |
| 3 | Inventor | 12- |
| 3 | Paramedic | 12- |
| 3 | Gambling | 11- |
| 3 | Professional Skill: Research Scientist | 12- |
| 1 | Small Ground Vehicles | |
| 3 | Systems Operation | 12- |
| 2 | Knowledge Skill (American Sign Language | 11- |
| 1 | Pistols | |
| 55 | Total Skills, Talents, Perks |
| Value | Characteristic | Points |
| 18 | STR | 8 |
| 15 | DEX | 15 |
| 15 | CON | 10 |
| 9 | BODY | -2 |
| 13 | INT | 3 |
| 10 | EGO | 0 |
| 10/20 | PRE | 0 |
| 10 | COM | 0 |
| 4 | PD | 0 |
| 4 | ED | 1 |
| 3 | SPD | 5 |
| 7 | REC | 0 |
| 30 | END | 0 |
| 26 | STUN | 0 |
| Total | 40 |
| 50+ | Disadvantages |
| 10 | Distinctive Features: Chimp!; Concealability: Concealable, 10; Reaction: Noticed and Recognizable, +0 |
| 8 | Watched: Vanguard (8-); Capabilities: More Powerful, 15; Non-combat Influence: Extensive, +5; Geographical Area: Unlimited, -0; Actions: Only Watching, ×½; Punishment: Mild, -5 |
| 8 | Berserk: Held, entangled, trapped (11-, 11-, Enraged Only); Circumstances: Uncommon, +5 |
| 10 | Phys. Lim.: Nearsighted (wears glasses) (Frequently, Slightly) |
| 15 | Reputation: It’s that Monkey-Guy! (14-) |
| 10 | Vulnerability: Chemical (Tear Gas, Pepper Spray) (2× STUN); Attack: Uncommon, +5 |
| 15 | Psych. Lim.: Will Not Kill (Uncommon, Total) |
| 76 | Total Disadvantages |
| COSTS: | Char. | Powers | Total | Total | Disadv. | Base | ||||
| 40 | + | 85 | = | 125 | 126 | = | 76 | + | 50 |
| OCV | DCV | ECV | Mental Def. | PD/rPD | ED/rED | Phases |
| 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 4/0 | 4/0 | 4, 8, 12 |
!
!
!
!
miniMAX – Scotto’s PC
egame- 1999, live – 1996
prize for showing that meta-abilities can exist in plant life. (Sadly, the
experiment was lost after the fern in question found a suitable ‘host’ to
control, and fly it to somewhere in South America. The pilot returned with no
memory of the incident.) At twelve, he and his younger brother (six at the time)
inexplicably stopped a bank robbery by blinding the robber with Fire
extinguisher spray & locking him in the vault. Events like those happen to Will
on a regular basis… this is not to say regular things don’t happen to him, but
it seems that oddities are more frequent with him around. He’s a product o f a
boy’s club style family. (His mother died when he was 13, leaving behind a very
busy father, and a younger brother.) Will thrived when he took on the household
responsibilites, acting as cook & maintenance for the family, as well as tutor
and confidant to his younger brother. Aside from the occasional peanut-butter
omelette (Which younger brother August enjoys eating…), Will did a great job
keeping the family together and maintaining excellent grades at school.
Excelling in science, Will got a scholarship to U Penn, and later was recruited
by Sabretech to pursue his theory about loosening the bonds surrounding matter
(Desolidification) surrounding matter to allow for safe, unhindered movement
from place to place. Cars never need crash, police need never be shot, and
freight trains could fit dozens of cargo cars overlapping in the space of just
one. The procedure involved a chemical bath of the object, and subjecting it to
a ‘phase-altering’ radiation. Unfortunately this experiment never came to
fruition, as on the fifth day of testing, the laboratory building suffered some
sort of electrical surge, exploding the containment tank, and dousing visiting
brother August, a lab Chimpanzee and Will with an upsettingly large amount of
the chemical. After a quick trip to the emergency room, and showing no ill
effects, both of them began exhibiting a high level of control over the
molecules in their own body. The chimp somehow gained a much higher intelligence
as well. (One guess is the Neurons of his brain formed new connections and
‘jumpers’ as a result of the accident. INT. of about 13-15), and communicates
via a hand powered voice box on his chest. (acts as Will’s Lab assistant, now.)
Will, by extending or contracting the distance between his atomic structure can
shrink to a small, physically dense man of about 4 inches tall and grow to a
powerful giant of nearly 3 or four stories. August’s abilities are not similar
to Will’s, he can bridge seemingly empty gaps in space with a thought. August
has since gone to boarding school to learn to control his abilities. Shortly
after the accident, Will left Sabretech (and destroyed the notes he had
there) when it was revealed that the lab was making weapons for a terrorist
group. Hired by Vanguard he and the ape (Who has taken the name Owen, and under
sentient beasts law, exists as a citizen) continue work in subatomic physics and
molecular biology there. Eventually Sabretech came looking for him, to take
notes back, and to have him build weaponry for them. He refused, and instead
decided to take the law into his own hands to destroy the lab. Donning a costume
and building a few items that would help in the attack, Will (as miniMAX)
infiltrated the lab’s complex, made sure no people were there, and laid waste to
the computer & written weaponry information. No longer safe at Vanguard’s labs
in Hershey, Will and Owen transferred to the ABE area branch within the last 3-4
days. After getting a taste of pummeling bad guys, Will has decided to devote a
serious portion of his time tracking down the baddies, and seeing to it that
they get picked up by the rightful authorities. (Once fully trained, he hopes to
send for his brother, and work as a team. That, and he misses the little
booger.) A side effect of his molecular shifting ablitites, Will takes more
damage from electro-magnetic attacks.
bent. (I don’t imagine the shrinking would make the papers as much, except that
he seems to manage to leave the scene very quickly, and he does wear a silver
jetpack lately.) Other things known would be he used to appear in Hershey, but
is now in ABE, is known to put protecting innocents in front of capturing
criminals… has medical skills to some degree. Apparently has a flippant but
friendly attitude to non-violent types and authorities, and is seemingly appaled
by violent folk.
engages in regular workouts. Sandy-brown hair, cut short for comfort, low
maintenance style. Eyes are blue. If I had to pick a look, I’d go with Gil
Kane’s Hal Jordan (Green Lantern) about 1965 or so. Think Johnny Weismeuller
without the stupid look on his face. In costume, he wears a Blue & black
jumpsuit (akin to a S.H.E.I.L.D. uniform, with black knee-boots, long Black
gloves & a black riot helmet w/mirrored visor for keeping the identity a
secret. An ‘elevator-like’ logo on his chest, with a green tringle pointing
up over a red one pointing down, on a yellow oval. (He keeps the costume shrunk
on his person, in a pocket…about half the size of Ken-doll clothes…when
changing, he shrinks down, takes a half phase and grows to fill.) When not in
costume, he usually wears polo-style shirts, Khaki pants. In the lab that’s
augmented with safety goggles and a lab coat.
VALUE CHARACTERISTIC COST BASE PTS NAME: Will Piper, Scientist at Vanguard
15 Strength x1 10 5 HERO ID: miniMAX (Will S. Piper)
18 Dexterity x3 10 24 PLAYER: Scott von Berg
20 Constitution x2 10 20
10 Body x2 10 0 PTS POWERS END
18 Intelligence x1 10 8 86 MP (Mutant Powers) (86),
11 Ego x2 10 2 "Molecular Powers "
15 Presence x1 10 5 7u 4 LVLS Shrinking (Mutant
16 Comeliness x1/2 10 3 Powers)(64mm,25g,+8 DCV,+12 KB),
8 Physical Defens x1 3 5 Affects Inanimate, Accessable
8 Energy Defense x1 4 4 Items (Unliving)(+1/4),0 END
5 Speed x10 2.8 22 (+1/2) 0
8 Recovery x2 7 2 3u 6 LVLS Growth (Mutant Powers)
44 Endurance x1/2 40 2 (4m,6.4t,+6 BODY/STUN,-4 DCV,+30
40 Stun x1 28 12 STR,-6 KB) 3
Characteristics Cost: 114 1u +9" Running (Mutant Powers),
"Giant Sized Movement",linked to
DISADVANTAGES BASE: 150+PTS levels of growth 1 pt usble
DNPC,"Owen Ng (Lab Assist- 5 doubles with each lev(-3/4) 2
Chimp)",normal,useful skills, 2u 15/10 Armor (Mutant Powers),
appear 8- "Dense Skin",linked to levels of
Hunted,"Sabretech-enemy lab", 10 growth 3 pt usble doubles with
less powerful,non-combat each lev(-3/4)
influence,harsh,appear 8- 15 1 LVLS Shrinking (Radiation)
Psych Lim,"Hero Code (patrol 4 15 (0.5m,12.5kg,+2 DCV,+3 KB),
hrs a day, do duty)",common, "Grenades"(0.5m,12.5kg,+2 DCV,+3
strong KB),OAF(-1),4 Charges(-1/2),
Psych Lim,"Vs. Killing",common, 15 continuing,duration: 1 turn,
strong Ranged(+1/2),Area Effect(+1),
Psych Lim,"Overconfidence", 15 radius,up to 800 kg accessable
common,strong inanimate, non living(+3/4),
Secret ID,"Will Piper, 15 usable against others
Scientist at Vanguard" (inanimate)(+1/2) 0
Vuln,"Electro-magnetic",common, 20 10 PKG,"Helmet",OIF(-1/2),
x2 stun unbreakable
Watched,"U.S. Govt./Vanguard", 10 (4) x1000 Micro Vision,Extra Time
more powerful,non-combat (-3/4),time: 1 minute,only to
influence,mild,appear 11- start power
Weirdness Magnet 3d6 unluck 10 (2) Discriminatory,Detect,Extra
only for we Time(-3/4),time: 1 minute,only
Ape is Human 0 to start power
Vuln,"Electo-magnetics",common, 10 (1) +0 Detect,"Chemicals",Extra
x1 1/2 body Time(-3/4),time: 1 minute,only
to start power
(3) 5 Flash Defense
20 15" Flight,OAF(-1),unbreakable,
total flight time 6 hours
between refuelings(-1/4),0 END
(+1/2) 0
5 3 Levels: Hand to Hand,linked to
levels of growth 1 pt usble
doubles with each lev(-3/4)
3 Scientist
1 SC: Molecular Biology 11-
1 SC: Inorganic Chemistry 11-
1 SC: Robotics 11-
1 SC: Subatomic Physics 11-
1 SC: Biochemistry 11-
3 Inventor 13-
0 Climbing 8-
0 Concealment 8-
0 Conversation 8-
0 Deduction 8-
0 Paramedic 8-
0 Shadowing 8-
0 Stealth 8-
0 TF,Automobiles
0 AK: Hershey, Pennsylvania. 8-
0 PS: Scientist 8-
4 M Strike
4 Martial Dodge
3 Martial Throw
Disadvantages Total : 125 171 : Powers Total
Experience Spent + 10 114 + Characteristic Total
Total Points = 285 285 = Total Cost
http://www.weather.com/weather/local/USFL0412?par=internal&site=magnet&promo=english&code=433775
Florida, land of sunshine?
Not during the rainy season. Not that I mind. Not a bit… I only would prefer to skip work again today, and curl up with the kitty, my sweetie, a good book, and some bedclothes.
Heavy Rain 
73 °F Feels Like: N/A
UV Index: 1 Minimal
Wind: From the Northwest at 12 mph
Dew Point: 73 °F
Humidity: 100 %
Visibility: 1.25 miles
Barometer: 30.08 inches and steady