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How much do you pay the goverment?

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:16:38 -0400

I read an interesting article the other day that talked about the preconceived image that Europeans that Americans are always complaining about to high taxes yet pay significantly less then they do in Europe. The article went on to talk about the wide range of taxes paid to the government and how there spread out so that it's hard to notice how much they are. It asked the readers to try and make a list of all the times and things they pay the government. hears mine.

Federal income tax
State income tax
Social Security
Medicare
State sales tax
Federal Gas tax
State Gas Tax
Personal Property tax on car
Car registration every two years
Emissions test on car every two years
Safety inspection on car
Real estate tax
Drivers License every 5 years
Capitol gains tax

Hmm never seems like much but it all adds up.

Ron Paul wants to audit Fort kKnox

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:18:41 -0400

Some of you may have seen that Ron Paul wants to audit the gold in Fort Knox to find out how much there is claiming that there might not be any.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-r...d-reserves

Brief research on my part came up with the fact that they attempted to do this as recent as 2005 but stop because it was to hard and costing to much money to do so. So why I in favor of the spirit of the idea I not sure about the implementation of it especially if in doing so we add more money to the debt soming that Ron Paul has argued correctly that we should not do.

good idea or big brother over the line?

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:00:54 -0400

Does the idea of a school tracking children with GPS make you feel safer or more worried?

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-bea...zpass.html

No Ordinary Family - Pilot

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:06:39 -0400

The new TV show "No Ordinary Family" is set to premiere on Sept 28th, but they have the Pilot available online at ABC TV's web site.

You have to create an ABC login account and after you log in go to this link: http://abc.go.com/watch/noordinaryscreening and enter the password/promo code "Extraordinary" ( no quotes - case sensitive )

A quick synopsis of the TV Series is:

".. a family goes with scientist mom to Mexico on business trip in rickety ol' plane that crashes in body of glowing water that changes them. Changes them forever? I dunno, neither do they. Give 'em a chance they just found out about all this.

Michael Chiklis and Julie Benz are fine together. Their kids (one of each) are disaffected teens with issues of their own. It seems these changes they experience dovetail with their life issues.

It does harken back to Heroes in some respects but with much more family dynamic here..."

Fan Expo Canada 2010

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:27:02 -0400

Last week I moved to Toronto and I learned all about Fan Expo. This is Canada's biggest convention, it is a combination of Horror, Sci-fi, gaming, anime and comics and it is my first ever Sci-fi Convention.

It was quite amazing actually. There were many issues with lines and horribly poor scheduling. However I was really lucky when it came to timing and never really had to wait long. I only went 2 out of the three days, Saturday and Sunday. I got to the convention location at 8:00 am ish and entered the line designated for ticket buying. The line grew fast and we waited for 2 hours to get in and my friend and I were at the beginning of the line. The booths opned an hour later than they were supposed to and then after we got our tickets the convention hadnt even opened yet. So hundreds of people were getting continuously squished together for about 10 minutes.

The first thing I saw was A life size Dalek. COntrolled from the inside by the man who built him. Everything worked it shot out steam and moved around smoothly and spoke in the dalek voice. I have no doubt there will be many videos of it on youtube aaand He called me pretty and let me take a picture with him.
Throughout the day I got to see many awesome things to buy in the dealers room which was huge. There was a space channel booth (the canadion syfy channel) which I have learned is WAAAAAAAAAAy better than syfy. Next to that was a booth about the new alien box set which had the sleep chambers where people could get in and see an exclusive video montage. I did it and it was very awesome and kinda effing creepy.

(still saturday)
I met some awesome kids who made their own star wars fan film. They started it as a college project and then turned it into the real deal. I also need to talk up one of the boys he is 13 and did a lot of the cg effects and helped design a lot of their swag. Kid was talented polite and loved what he was doing.
http://saberlegend.com/ <---- thats the website check it out. I told them about slice too and I am hoping they can get in contact.

THe biggest issue with the convention was the overcrowding. Fanexpo was not well organized. They went over capacity by noon and people actually werent allowed back in no matter kind of pass they had if they left the building. Some were held outside for an hour and a half. Which was not cool. I did not have this issue but too many people that paid good money did.

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!

Got there at 11 long line of people waiting for con to open which is supposed to be 9:30 ish again running late people had been waiting since 9. Once opened line went super quick. I went to a space channel panel with the Guys of Inner space, David Blue and Ryan Robbins. It was unreal asked a question about their makeup and said I was from boston Robbins then cheered on the red sox. I shook David blues hand mentioned how much I loved his interview on slice and he called me sweet. I dont think i stopped smiling. I then got to be on of the 50 people who got to get their singnatures at the space booth. I also then had a conversation with the guys from space channel and they remember me from the panel and also new the Makeup school I am going to. So far the day was unreal. I met David blue and Ryan RObbins they both remembered me. David wrote me a personalized message calling me So Cute. Again still smiling and giddy as hell. Robbins and I chatted about the Redsox. it was just the most amazing day I've had in a long time.

Phew.

Ps- Still smiling

Guns in Spaaaaaaaace!

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:08:00 -0400

Forgive me if this has already been discussed.

In response to the caller on the last voice mail show who was commenting on firing guns in vacuum. Smokeless power firearms (which encompass pretty much every modern firearm) will fire just fine in vacuum. The gunpower contains its own oxidizing agent and requires no atmospheric oxygen for it to burn. This allows firearms to fire in a variety of environments that do not contain atmospheric oxygen such as submarine or outer space.

There are other considerations which make firing current firearms in vacuum problematic, mostly owing to temperature effects on the barrel steel and breach steel and necessary lubricants, but it is entirely possible to fire off your Dirty Harry .44 Magnum at some space-punk trying to highjack your Firefly.

Indeed, the idea that firearms are no good in space is related not to the necessity of atmospheric oxygen but that kenetic impact weapons are really, really dangerous in hulled environments. The last thing you want is to punch holes through the hull of your space station. Hence the use of non-kenetic weapons such as lasers (which, sadly, would do the same if they were powerful enough to use as weapons, this is one of the reasons why lasers as weapons in science fiction began to fall out of favour in the late 1960s early '70s).

Originally, the idea of directed energy weapons were spawned from the "futuristic" aura of the discovery of x-rays and radioactivity in the late 1800s, spawning the ubiquitous "death ray", rather than any consideration of the difficulties of kenetic weapons in space-ship environments. By the 1950s, with such scientifically minded writers as Asimov and Heinlein, the idea that kenetic weapons would harm the space craft itself began to be realized and other kinds of weapons were invented to maintain verisimilitude.

The best explanation I can remember is in Babylon 5 where the characters describe the workings of their PPC weapons in an info-dump somewhere in the first or second season.

So in short, yes, guns work in space. No, they aren't a good choice if you are worried about uncontrolled decompression.

On a side note, kenetic weapons still remain the go to wmd if you just want to destroy things. Directed energy weapons suffer from several insurmountable problems that kenetic weapons do not. The real future is in kenetic kill vehicles and dumb mass weapons rather than particle beams and high-power lasers.

Satoshi Kon Passes Away

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:20:10 -0400

You may not be familiar with Satoshi Kon, but he is the brilliant director of some amazing anime films. He passed away yesterday from pancreatic cancer. He was only 46.

Topless Robot has a nice, but brief, write up:
http://www.toplessrobot.com/2010/08/sato...3-2010.php

If you haven't seen his films, fix that. They are well worth watching.

Update: Ed Sizemore @ Comics Worth Reading has a great write up about Satoshi Kon's work and what a loss his passing means for films in general.
http://comicsworthreading.com/2010/08/26...e-eternal/

PodCulture 220: The Theory of Relative Geekery – Part B

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:55:39 -0400

Welcome back, Geeklings! Christina is still at the Hellmouth in Cleveland, and the guys welcome back Andy and Jason!

Glenn has fallen off the wagon and has resumed playing World of Warcraft! The guys discuss monopolization of the internet, and laptop lockdown.

Trollie Strawberry Puffs have invaded the studio and Geek Cuisine is on again!

Glenn is watching The Gates and Haven. While Haven is doing its best to pull of the Warehouse 13 vibe, he is preferring The Gates. For an old school shout out, he’s also watching Tru Calling on DVD. The guys discuss the Jason Priestly Kiss of Death. The gang lets him in on the hidden gem of Jericho. Glenn shares Kick Ass, and the guys share their favorite moments, including viral videos and responses to the comic series. Jason was moved more than he expected to be, and Glenn went so far as to buy it on blu ray. They discuss the merits of blu ray players of present and future. Adam has been watching the IT Crowd, and appreciates all the little geek in-jokes. He has finished watching The Tick with all of Patrick Warburton’s awesomeness. Adam has Warehouse 13 lined up to watch, and Brad shares that it is the only show he watches as it airs. Brad loves the humor in the characters as well as the great gadgetry. Adam has found a special on Origami, called Between The Folds and has sparked a new light of creativity. Jason, suffering from PFCD (Post Firefly Cancellation Disorder), waited for a while before venturing into True Blood. The boys laud the Xbox 360 as a streaming device, even if you’re not a gamer. Jason has also watched The Book of Eli, and Andy appreciates the the closeness with the novel. Andy and Son of Freehold South are watching Avatar: The Last Airbender (the animated series) on Nickelodeon. Brad keeps trying to make the perfect storm of bad with (Ewe Boul) and (M. Night Shamylan). Andy and his wife are watching Dollhouse, and despite her reticence, she is absolutely taken with it. Aside from the World Cup, the couple are watching the second season of The Colony, and Andy takes stock of his boy scout skills. In Christina’s absence, Brad has been watching Speed Racer on blu ray. The boys discuss anime to film conversion and Andy praises Blood: The Last Vampire. Brad finally got around to Mission Impossible 3, and he and Christina have been watching the brilliant Steven Moffatt’s retelling of Sherlock. The pair have been watching True Blood, and Glenn talks about the special Lost book you can get with the box set from Best Buy.

In closing, the guys talk about the HTC Evo and the prospects for increased battery life. Glenn has pre-ordered the Call of Duty: Black Ops, Prestige Edition that comes with a radio controlled drone. Adam entices us to play Starcraft 2, and lets us in on the secret that he’s making his own Master Chief helmet. Jason suggests Just Cause 2 and looks forward to Force Unleashed. He has enjoyed this past series of Doctor Who and anticipates the new series of Torchwood. Andy reminds us that The Walking Dead will be an AMC series soon, and wishes Song of Fire and Ice would follow.

Brad makes the annoucement that after 5 years, he now owns PodCulture.com!

Promos come courtesy of The Critcal Myth Podcast and musical interlude provided by Insane Ian with “24″.

PodCulture 220

Super 8

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:43:26 -0400

It's been forever since Spielberg wowed us with a twisted "aliens are misunderstood and not bad, but might want to kill you none-the-less" type storyline. Super 8 might just fill that void. I have no major insight into the storyline, but the fact that this movie and others like it are all slated for release in the following year heralds the blessed end of the Superhero-movie-era and drives us headlong into a year of classically themed Sci-Fi features. I'm getting excited about the theater again. Monster/Invasion movies done right (and not in 3D), that's my ultimate IMAX experience.

Here's the trailer for Super 8.

Skyline - Not the Nissan variation

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:24:55 -0400

Well, I asked for it...
I'm not sure when but I specifically remember asking for a true alien invasion film the likes of ID4.
A friend of mine just forwarded me this link. Any comments? It's bound to be summer film fluff, as the actors aren't even really in the trailer, but...

Skyline Trailer - Via Youtube

Voice mail show - lack of content

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:57:14 -0400

I just listened to the most recent Voicemail show in which the complaint about lack of voicemails/voicemails-with-content came up.
I suggest that since some of us don't have voices for radio, some content could be pulled directly from this board. That way, too, we all could chime in on the commentary.
So, my suggestion: create an Admin Thread as the Voicemail Show content alternate with comments and questions from which to pull content when the phone calls dry up.

Just a thought. Since I donated, primarily because I like the highly-biased, cynical, comedic commentary in the VMS, I would like to see that element of the show persist.

US founding documents now come with a children's warning label.

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:25:06 -0400

Recently a book called "Foundations of Freedom: Common Sense, The Declaration of Independence, The Articles of Confederation, The Federalist Papers, The U.S. Constitution" was published by Wilder Publications had the following inserted in the cover as a warning. "This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today. Parents might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work."

So now the founding documents of the USA are PG-13 rated by publishers?

What the heck are they finding offensive?

http://gunowners.org/op06142010ep.htm

FPoint Recap signin & itunes

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:50:48 -0400

I set iTunes to update, & went to bed. Next morning there was a sign in box for Farpoint Recap onscreen, asking for my name and pw! I have Farpoint Recap on my podcast list, but what the heck is up with the sign in thing? Of course I ignored it. Suspicion can be a good thing. Anyone else ever get this? What is it?

[attachment=380]

Shiki

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:02:05 -0400

I am recommending an anime on Hulu called Shiki.
http://www.hulu.com/shiki

A student, doctor and a priest are trying to solve what first appears to be an epidemic striking a small town.

Of course its a bunch of vampires that are slowly taking over the town. The show is more atmosphere and dread rather than gore. I like that this different than the Buffy or Twilight like stories.

TITANIC II (Blame Tim Adamec.....)

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:46:54 -0400

on Slice of Sci Fi # 278...

Brian: So, Back to the Future did it. The Matrix did it. And now it looks like James Cameron's gonna do it, too....

Tim: What, Titanic Part II ?

Mike: I would have actually had to have quit this broadcast...

Well, Mike....hope you're ready to quit! Titanic 2 is coming direct to DVD on 8/24/10!

No joke!

You can order it on Amazon!
http://www.amazon.com/Titanic-II-Bruce-D...763&sr=1-1

Here's the IMDB page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1640571/

And the poster!

(Yeah....it stars 'Willard' himself! Bruce Davison!!)

And ...here's the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVkOAaQzHUs

Attention All You Comic Book Geeks - Recommendations Please

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:26:42 -0400

I started reading manga this past January and now I am considering dipping my toe in the vast sea that is comic book-dom. Attention all you comic book geeks out there, can you tell a girl where to start?

I need recommendations. However, here are a few things I'd like you to consider first. I'm new to this. Which means, I don't want to start one of those series with a universe that is so massive, it'll make my head spin. No Spiderman or Superman. I am a strict stickler when it comes to starting at the beginning when approaching any new content and I don't have the life time and a half it would take to read all the Superman comics in existence. Also, after spending eight years, perpetually waiting for the next Harry Potter book, I've learned to only read book series that are completely published. I'm greedy, and I want to know whats going to happen next, now!

My interests include, but are not limited to: Action, Adventure, Scifi, Supernatural, Romance, Fantasy and Humor. I'm looking to read that great comic book that blew your mind. The one that would make a great movie, only no one's gotten their grimy Hollywoody hands on it yet and ruined it.

PodCulture 219: The Theory of Relative Geekery – Part A

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:15:34 -0400

Don’t adjust your headphones! Christina’s off visiting the Hellmouth, so Brad, Glenn and Adam welcome our number one fan, Andy and Adam’s brother, Jason to the studio!

Glenn is bereft, having finished Red Dead Redemption, but he’ll be back in the saddle when the expansions come out. In the meantime, he’s got Alan Wake and Alone In The Dark to keep him busy. Jason recalls playing the original Alone In The Dark, back in the day. Adam has been watching IT Crowd and is loving it! Jason is playing Just Cause 2 and is thrilled with the openness of the game. He enjoys that both he and his wife get in to True Blood. Andy is getting back to school and laments that he can’t be there to cheer Brad on at the Parsec Awards. He has spent his summer geek bonding with his family and is torturing his wife with some of Glenn’s Guilty Pleasures. Glenn has won a Sharktopus pin from Scyfy and Twitter. Brad is on his own, while Christina is in Cleveland, but he’s keeping up the geeking. He discusses the fact that his Augen Tablet has been pulled from shelves, and has watched Speed Racer on blu ray.

They dudes talk tech this week! Jason shares his Sprint genius and the guys discuss HTC, the Evo, and the Froyo update. Each has his favorite new kind of application. Adam is loving the photo editing apps, as well as the Tricorder app. Jason talks about the Tweet Deck and Brad likes Tweetcaster. Adam uses Rainy Days and Radar Now to check the weather. Brad uses the Qik app to stream PodCulture video. Jason compliments the new Galaxy S, and Brad was excited about the Droid R2D2 phone. Who is winning in the war between Apple and Android? Let us know!

Brad provides Geek Cuisine this week, and he shares Jolly Rancher Awesome Twosome Chews along with the story of his Jolly Rancher addictions.

Musical Guests: Devo Spice with “Flight Check” and Sci-Fried with “Dr. Jones”

Promos come courtesy of The British Invaders Podcast, and outtakes courtesy of your own dear and wacky hosts.

PodCulture 219

Mosque & the U.S. Constitution

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:50:50 -0400

Mosque and the U.S. Constitution

I find myself in the unfamiliar position of defending President Obama against many of my fellow conservatives on the issue of the rights of those who wish to build a mosque complex on the site near the 9/11 tragedy in New York City.

As a Jew one of the things I am most sensitive to is the liberty of religious freedom and expression. As a people, we Jews have witnessed and been made victim to centuries of ethnic/racial/religious cleansing and bigotry. We are even seeing remnants of this kind of intolerant hatred coming from our own in the State of Israel today by a band of ultra-orthodxy and their attack on the Law of Return and the definition of "Who is a Jew".

However, in the United States one of the bastions of freedom has been the constitutional guarantee of the freedom to exercise a religious belief without governmental interference or control. It has been rightly stated in the past that the foundation stones of liberty as stated in the U.S. Constitution are:

1. Freedom of speech (a free press)
2. The right to bear arms and,
3. Freedom of religious expression.

Removal of any one of these three would undermine said liberty and bring an end to the kind of freedom envisioned by the nation's founders. Without all three fully entrenched in the hearts and minds of its people, America would simply be a faded copy of a weak and demoralized democratic Europe whose residents honestly think their psuedo-liberty is real freedom.

In a White House speech delivered during a dinner to acknowledge the end of the first fast day of the Islamic celebration of Ramadan (a dinner hosted by Presidents going back to Thomas Jefferson), the President said he fully understands how many feel about the idea of a mosque being placed on the "hallowed ground" of the 9/11 site, but more important is the defense of the hallowed ground of America's "committment to religious freedom" and that committment must remain "unshakable" even when it leaves a sour taste in our mouths.

As much as I loathe the idea of anything related to Islam being a part of the 9/11 area I must never forget that those responsible for what took place on that horrific day have killed more Muslims over the years than any one else and many American Muslims died in those two towers when all they were doing was their daily jobs and living out their lives as free Americans. What happen on 9/11 had little to do with religion or faith and much to do with terror, hate and intolerance. Should we who remain carry on that tradition of hate or can we move on from it to something better? Perhaps the real test of our nation's resolve and dedication to its Constitutional perogatives is being measured by our response to this very thing.

Is it a Constitutional right for those who wish to build their mosque on this site? Absolutely and unequivocally yes. BUT: a real question for Islam, as a religious movement that claims to stand for peace, tolerance and boasts of its sensitivity to the needs of its surrounding communities, is it appropriate? I think not!

Dragoncon 2010

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:39:23 -0400

With the economy still in the doldrums, is *anybody* going to D*C this year? I'll be going and have my daughter in tow again this year.

Heads up! READ ME

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:21:11 -0400

Scott has informed us(the admins/mods) that the database for the forums is approaching it's maximum size. He has pruned some users, but we only have 2 options:

1) start over(and probably put these forums in archive mode)

2) delete old threads

We may have to act REALLY fast, but I thought it would be good to give you guys a heads up. These forums *are* for you, so your input would be appreciated.