OnSt…op

The folks at InfoPackets alerted me (and thousands more, of course) to this:

GM On Board with Radical OnStar Plan

In the world of computer technology, measures that put the brakes on a user without his or her permission are often tossed into the hated spyware heap. However, when it happens to a car thief, it’s hard not to be a supporter.

Confused? Granted, the idea is a strange one. For years OnStar has been offering drivers directions, help in emergencies, and saving them embarassment after keys are locked in a vehicle. However, its latest idea, to gradually decrease the speed of a stolen vehicle, is getting some very positive reviews from everyone but the thieves themselves.

OnStar calls the initiative Stolen Vehicle Slowdown (simple enough), and it works by transmitting a signal from the company’s Detroit headquarters to a car’s powertrain system. That signal tells the vehicle to reduce its flow of gasoline, ever so slowly (and carefully), cutting the speed of a thief’s new ride. Any police in pursuit will obviously have a much easier time apprehending the suspect.

[…]

Just in case you’re wondering, OnStar promises the service will only be used on stolen vehicles. “Safeguards will be in place to ensure that the correct vehicle is slowed down.”

That’s reassuring.

To the closing line, “Not really!”

So OnStar, which often leads to OnStart, will implement something that could go by OnStop.

I like the benign implementations of the OnStar technologies.

I don’t like the misuse and abuse waiting to happen.

My Vote Didn’t Count

Come to think of it, though, my vote wasn’t solicited.

Lynn Vincent begins her rant at WorldMagBlog this way:

The world has heaped another honor on Albert Gore: The Nobel Peace Prize.

The world has?!

I guess I don’t understand how the Nobel Prize thingy works.

But never mind. Here’s more of what Lynn has to say:

I’m just not clear on how Gore’s pimping for a dubious corner of science qualifies him for this honor. This is a man who wrote (in his book, Earth in the Balance) that the first example of pollution in the Bible was when Cain slew Abel, spilling his blood on the ground (!!). Has the Nobel Peace Prize become more like getting elected global homecoming queen?

Well, like I said, my vote didn’t count.

I voted for Rush. 😀

Meanwhile, over at WizBangBlog, Kim Priestap begins her piece (An Inconvenient Truth) thus:

Yasser Arafat. Jimmy Carter. Now this . . . .

And concludes:

There was a time when winning the Nobel Peace Prize actually carried prestige, but no more. It’s nothing more than a left wing, environmentalist wacko, terrorist coddling, moonbat mutual admiration society.

A Best Foods List

The 10 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating

Although some guys aren’t opposed to smoking some weed, most wouldn’t think of eating one. It’s a shame, really, since a succulent weed named purslane is not only delicious but also among the world’s healthiest foods.

Of course, there are many superfoods that never see the inside of a shopping cart. Some you’ve never heard of, and others you’ve simply forgotten about. That’s why we’ve rounded up the best of the bunch. Make a place for them on your table and you’ll instantly upgrade your health — without a prescription.

The top three: beets, cabbage, guava. 😀

Regarding Number One:

Think of beets as red spinach. Just like Popeye’s powerfood, this crimson vegetable is one of the best sources of both folate and betaine. These two nutrients work together to lower your blood levels of homocysteine, an inflammatory compound that can damage your arteries and increase your risk of heart disease. Plus, the natural pigments — called betacyanins — that give beets their color have been proved to be potent cancer fighters in laboratory mice.

Now go do the right thing. 😉

Reviving the Right

Left Behind is the title of this piece over at The American Spectator:

Ever since James Dobson threw down the gauntlet against the Republican Party nominating a pro-choice presidential candidate, the focus has been on the intransigence of the religious right. Obdurate evangelical zealots are said to be tearing down GOP frontrunner Rudy Giuliani and paving the way for Hillary Clinton’s presidency.

The real story is how feeble and ineffectual conservative Christian opposition to Giuliani has actually been.

[…]

Dobson argues that their movement will be set back if the GOP nominates a candidate with Giuliani’s social views. Gary Bauer, by contrast, has said he cannot imagine “a bigger disaster” than Hillary Clinton in the White House.

They could both be right. But if social conservatives don’t get their act together, they will be complicit in their own marginalization.

It crossed my mind that a political defeat for the religious right may open their hearts (and mine) to revival.

If that were true and if I’m praying for revival in the USA . . . .

Who Needs Aircraft Mechanics?

Airline sacrifices goats to appease sky god

Officials at Nepal’s state-run airline have sacrificed two goats to appease Akash Bhairab, the Hindu sky god, following technical problems with one of its Boeing 757 aircraft, the carrier said Tuesday.

Nepal Airlines, which has two Boeing aircraft, has had to suspend some services in recent weeks due the problem.

The goats were sacrificed in front of the troublesome aircraft Sunday at Nepal’s only international airport in Kathmandu in accordance with Hindu traditions, an official said.

“The snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights,” said Raju K.C., a senior airline official, without explaining what the problem had been.

Was the “snag” fixed by Akash Bhairab?

Do you know anyone who has ridden on a Nepal Airlines plane?

Clarifier: I am not making fun of the folks at Nepal Airlines. Too bad they don’t know Jesus. That’s more my attitude.

Private
Above all, love God!

since November 9, 2005