aubreyturner.org

An inventor has patented a way for people to send cash anonymously online.  The device is kind of like an ATM in that it both accepts and dispenses cash (as well as coins in this case).  The article is a bit sparse on the details, but I’m assuming that one would deposit cash and get a receipt with a code.  The code would then be sent to the payee who could go to another machine to obtain the cash.

I actually like the idea, since it would allow me to bypass PayPal and to avoid leaving a money trail (if I so desired).  I cancelled my PayPal account because I just didn’t trust them anymore (I also cancelled my eBay account for the same reason—I lost confidence in PayPal when eBay bought them and of course the way they changed their AUP didn’t help).  This looks like it would also be a convenient way to get money to people quickly, if needed.

As I see it, the major stumbling blocks for this concept are that this machine would need to be widely adopted (so it would be convenient to use) and I would expect that banks might not want to be involved with it (since they seem quite content to spy on you for the government; they wouldn’t want to upset their masters by contributing to anonymous payments).  There is also the fact that cash becomes inconvenient to handle in large amounts (and tends to set off alarms with the aforementioned bankers when withdrawn).

Anyway, I wish him success with the endeavour.  Anything that we can do to win back a little financial privacy is a good thing.

The Fort Worth Zoo was quite nice, although I would want to wait for cooler weather before going back.  The temperature was above 100 °F by the time we left.  Most of the animals were hiding in the shade and trying to keep cool.

We kind of wished we could make like the rhino and just sit in a nice cool pool:

Afterwards, we went to the gun show at the Will Rogers Center, which was only a mile or so north of the zoo.  So not only did my friend experience her first zoo she also went to her first gun show.  I made another acquisition, which I will add to my gun page in a few days.

After that I went to a friend’s housewarming party in Dallas.  I finally made it back home and into bed around 2:30am after a round trip of around 160 miles.  Oh, and to give you an idea of just how “pleasant” our recent hot weather has been, it was still in the upper 80’s when I got home.

Unless I get some free time tomorrow afternoon, it’s likely that I won’t update tomorrow or Saturday.  I’m planning to go to the range after work tomorrow and then I have to get up a little early on Saturday. 

I was speaking to a friend on Tuesday evening and was amazed to learn that she has reached the age of 23 and has never been to a zoo.  So, we’re going to go to the Fort Worth Zoo on Saturday morning and then to the gun show in the afternoon (she’s never been to a gun show either and the zoo is less than two miles from the Will Rogers Center).  After that is another friend’s house warming party starting at 6:00 (in Dallas).  Saturday is going to be a long day away from the computer and away from home.  It’ll be a nice diversion, although it’s going to involve a lot of driving (about 130 miles round trip).

While I’ve got gun shows on my mind, I should point out that there will be a show in Ft. Worth this weekend at the Will Rogers Center.

*Yet Another Evil Loophole Gun Show

I just learned that the Great Western Gun Show has moved from California (spit) to Fair Park in Dallas.  The show had run into some problems with the anti-gun nitwits in Los Angeles county.  Although the show’s promoters had won the court case and gotten a damage award against the county, the county made it clear that they would continue to harass the show in an effort to drive it out of business. 

LA county’s stupidity is our gain.  The promoter’s plan is to start with a smaller show and work back up to their previous level.  They plan to have 2500 tables at this show (where they had 5000 previously).  Even so, with 2500 tables I suspect that I’d succumb to MEGO† syndrome long before I saw everything

The show will be held Friday, November 7, 2003 through Sunday, November 9, 2003 (unlike the regular shows around here, they’ll be open all day Friday). 

I’ve updated my gun show page to include this show and a link to their site.

†MEGO=Mine Eyes Glazeth Over

Kevin (from Wizbang Blog) left this link in the comments section at a small victory.

In the case of Robert M. Peters Sr., size does matter.

The 47-year-old locksmith from Bangor is accused of exposing himself to a client on June 12, 2002, while making a house call in Bethlehem. Peters’ trial began Monday.

The victim testified that she and Peters were sipping tea after he finished installing a deadbolt lock when she saw Peters’ semi-erect penis sticking three inches past the bottom of his shorts.

That’s impossible, according to defense attorney Gary Asteak.

“She’s mistaken,” Asteak said. “He’s not that big.”

According to Asteak, physician Eric Schoeppner examined Peters and found his penis is only 1 inches long when flaccid and four inches erect.

Just to make sure the measurement wasn’t a mistake, the doctor administered Viagra to Peters and measured again. The penis was still four inches long, Asteak said.

I’m trying to resist the urge to make fun of the guy’s name…

You sure learn interesting things reading weblogs.

I knew that they sometimes went for skimpy outfits (and improbable chest measurements) in some anime, but I didn’t know it went that far.  And what’s up with the whole tentacle thing?

The Bitch Girls are going to be doing a 24 hour blogathon on July 26th for the charity Locks of Love.  Locks of Love provides hairpieces for children who have lost their own hair because of medical conditions (and who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford one).

It’s not something I would have thought of, but on further reflection, the aesthetic is important too.  I think this is especially so for children who live in a harsh world where they are judged ruthlessly by other children.  I’ve signed up as a sponsor.  If you can afford it, head over and pledge your support as well by sponsoring them.

This looks like another argument for staying single (at least if you’re a man):

Creative genius and crime express themselves early in men but both are turned off almost like a tap if a man gets married and has children, a study says.

Satoshi Kanazawa, a psychologist at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, compiled a database of the biographies of 280 great scientists, noting their age at the time when they made their greatest work.

The data remarkably concur with the brutal observation made by Albert Einstein, who wrote in 1942: “A person who has not made his great contribution to science before the age of 30 will never do so.”

“Scientific productivity indeed fades with age,” Dr Kanazawa says.

“Two-thirds (of all scientists) will have made their most significant contributions before their mid-30s.”

But, regardless of age, the great minds who married virtually kissed goodbye to making any further glorious additions to their CV.

Within five years of making their nuptial vows, nearly a quarter of married scientists had made their last significant contribution to history’s hall of fame.

“Scientists rather quickly desist (from their careers) after their marriage, while unmarried scientists continue to make great scientific contributions later in their lives,” says Dr Kanazawa.

The energy of youth and the dampening effect of marriage, he adds, are also remarkably similar among geniuses in music, painting and writing, as well as in criminal activity.

Of course, I suppose none of this matters for me at this point, since I’m 33.  I think I’d be willing to take the tradeoff for marriage.  Now to find a libertarian-leaning gun-loving woman….

We went to the Dallas Boat Show on Saturday.  I’m generally not much of a lake-goer, but I wouldn’t mind having a Sea-Doo Sportster 4-TEC.  It’s not too big, yet it has a 155-hp engine and it can seat four.  Of course, I don’t happen to have $18,000 laying around, so I suppose I won’t be getting one any time soon.

One of the good things going on in the jet ski industry recently has been the introduction of four-cycle engines (and the 4-TEC is a four-cycle).  It’s been done because of emissions rules, but I like it for convenience.  I hate having to mix the oil with the gas and I hate breathing the smoke.  I guess it comes from too many dealings with two-cycle weed trimmers over the years.