The Thune Amendment, I'm torn

I can't decide, I know this has already been shot down, but I'm trying to figure out which of my senators (Lugar, a republican who's getting a lot of credit for shooting it down, or Bayh, a democrat who voted for it, crazy) to send the angry letter to. On one hand I personally would like other states to recognize my concealed carry permit. On the other hand, I don't want the federal government meddling in state affairs.

Federal standardization of permit requirements was a fear of opponents, who stated that the amendment would essentially allow non-residents to carry without meeting the visited state's requirements. The opponents also cited extreme cases of criminals with guns, child molesters, etc. Ok, we get it, your rare exceptions to the rule and crazy examples are valid reasons to oppose this amendment.

So what do I think? I was surprised to learn that 48 states allow concealed carry, only my two neighbors Illinois and Wisconsin do not (they're 'special'). I like the idea to be able to carry into other states, but not necessarily at the expense of state sovereignty. I believe I'll take the Star Trek way out, and propose a third option. Expand on what already exists. Several states have already figured out on their own, without any federal legislation, how to identify other states that share similar permit requirements, and have decided to acknowledge them. Indiana requires a background check to obtain a permit, if Virginia requires a background check and a training course, Indiana should happily recognize their permit. So if the Fed wants to do something, create a voluntary group of which participating states meet a set of minimum permit requirements.

One last comment, it's pretty absurd to allow visiting residents a pass on any law just because it's law in their state. Would that ever slide with gay marriage, tax rates, um, uh, gun laws? Next time I visit Illinios I'll just tell them, "Well we don't have a county tax back home, I'll just go ahead and not pay that here either."

Pandora is cutting me off, noooo!

I just received an email from Tim Westergren, the friendly exec at Pandora. Apparently Tim thinks I stream too much of his kickin' tunes. They're setting a cap of 40 hours as a result of the great internet radio debaucle of 2007, and he says of me, "Most listeners will never hit this cap, but it seems that you might."

Ok, so I listen to internet radio a LITTLE bit.... but I am resolute, just like traditional radio, I WILL NOT pay for internet radio. I've used Live365 and Slacker in the past, but found Pandora to be my favorite. So far the options are to pay $.99 after you reach 40 for unlimited songs the rest of the month, or pay $36 (too much!) per year for unlimited.

So here's the real question, is it 40 hours per ISP address or per user account? As soon as I run out this month I'll find out!

USB Powered Chainsaw

I want this. I want it right now.
Be sure to watch the video, it shows you how to saw your coworker's Ikea bench in half!

i.Saw

I hate this...

...so much.

Wet and Wild Wombat Action

(He's "special")

I hereby want a pet wombat. I would name him Wario, because I name all my pets after Nintendo game characters. Wario the Wombat would burrow in my backyard and we'd be best friends.

One thing I found very interesting is that a wombat's pouch, unlike other marsupials, opens backwards. I guess when you're scurrying around underground a front-loading pouch might be counterproductive.

Check out the blog post and satiate your hunger for wombat knowledge.
Link

Eat Sweet Potatoes, Live 147 Years.

"Sweet potatoes are one of the highest ranked vegetables on the nutrition scale. They're essentially a perfect food; what can be termed a "superfood." They're high in fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, potassium and manganese. They can also help stabilize blood sugar, which means
they're a good choice for diabetics. They're relatively low in calories for all of the nutritional power they pack, at approximately 95 calories each."

Sweet potatoes will cure the common cold, extend your life, and curb your pretentious nature. Eat them, live longer, and annoy your friends by relentlessly badgering them to follow your example. Stare in silent discrimination of those who consume lesser foods, yours are 'super'. Sure, you'll admit fried potatoes are enticing, but you've seen Super Size Me. Even though you don't consider yourself an elitist, you know you're healthier than most, I mean, who else do you know that purposely doesn't put dressing on their salad?

So eat that potato skin, reveal that sinister smirk when you see them uneaten on others' plates, drink that glass of red wine with dinner, just one piece of dark chocolate for you, please. You'll outlive all those white bread eating, non-diet soda drinking, MSG abusing neanderthals.

They will die young.

You were right. You are better off. You are alone.