September 2012

There were 103 posts published in September 2012 (this is page 10 of 11).

Statistical Probability That Mitt Romney’s New Twitter Followers Are Just Normal Users: 0% – Alexander Furnas and Devin Gaffney – The Atlantic

Last week Zach Green of 140Elect, noticed some strange goings-on with Mitt Romney’s Twitter account (@MittRomney). Romney’s account, which had been averaging around 2,000 to 5,000 new followers a day, gained 141,000 followers in two days.

This observation prompted speculation – from Green, Slate,The Huffington Post, CNN, and many others – that the Romney Campaign was buying robot followers, or perhaps (conspiratorially) someone else was buying them to make Romney look bad.

via Statistical Probability That Mitt Romney’s New Twitter Followers Are Just Normal Users: 0% – Alexander Furnas and Devin Gaffney – The Atlantic.

How to simulate being a sailor

I found this on another website and thought it was funny. If you’ve ever been in the Navy you’ll recognize these.

How to Simulate Being a Sailor

  1. Buy a steel dumpster, paint it gray inside and out, and live in it for six months.
  2. Run all the pipes and wires in your house exposed on the walls.
  3. Repaint your entire house every month.
  4. Renovate your bathroom. Build a wall across the middle of the bathtub and move the shower head to chest level. When you take showers, make sure you turn off the water while you soap down.
  5. Put lube oil in your humidifier and set it on high.
  6. Once a week, blow compressed air up your chimney, making sure the wind carries the soot onto your neighbor’s house. Ignore his complaints.
  7. Once a month, take all major appliances apart and then reassemble them.
  8. Raise the thresholds and lower the headers of your front and backdoors, so that you either trip or bang your head every time you pass through them.
  9. Disassemble and inspect your lawnmower every week.
  10. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, turn your water heater temperature up to 200 degrees. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, turn the water heater off. On Saturdays and Sundays tell your family they use too much water during the week, so no bathing will be allowed.
  11. Raise your bed to within 6 inches of the ceiling, so you can’t turn over without getting out and then getting back in.
  12. Sleep on the shelf in your closet. Replace the closet door with a curtain. Have your spouse whip open the curtain about 3 hours after you go to sleep, shine a flashlight in your eyes, and say “Sorry, wrong rack.”

    13. Continue reading →

Republican paid voter registration operation linked to fraud « gregflynn

My friend Greg Flynn has unearthed some interesting links between a firm hired by the North Carolina Republican Party to register voters and other similar firms alleged to have destroyed and changed voter records. The firm apparently tried to cover its tracks but not before Greg found it.

Good sleuthing, Greg!

An effort by Republicans to register voters with paid workers is underway in North Carolina and across the nation. In the past month various ads have appeared on Craigslist, Facebook and other online job listings offering amounts from $11 to $13 per hour and in some cases internship credit to help Republicans and Mitt Romney win in North Carolina in November by identifying conservatives and registering them as voters. The operation is linked to an Arizona company with a history of fraud allegations including the destruction of Democratic registration cards.

via Republican paid voter registration operation linked to fraud « gregflynn.

Sarah Wenger infographic

Remember when I discovered all the dubious infographics that are being posted to various websites? I got another one in this morning from a “Sarah Wenger.” The text of the invitation is similar to the earlier ones:

Hey Mark,

I recently developed another infographic that could be a good fit for your site. I just wanted to reach out and share it with you. It highlights and illustrates the use of corn in American and how it can affect a persons health.

You can check it out here:

Title: Big Bad Corn
Graphic: http://www.LearnStuff.com/big-bad-corn/

Let me know what you think, I would love for you to publish it if you find it suitable for your site.

Thank you,

Sarah
wenger.sarah77@gmail.com | LearnStuff.com

Continue reading →

Off the grid and on the lake

We spent the weekend off the grid, so to speak, as we stayed at a friend’s lakehouse on Lake Gaston. Most of our time was spent on the water in some boat or another, though we did visit a bit with our good friends the Naylors (and their friends Bill and Sue) at their lakehouse.

We’re glad to be back home and settled in on a rainy “school night.” We’re glad to have gotten in a trip to the lake and look forward to our next visit.