How much space does a nuclear power plant take up compared to 3,000 acres?
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 9:01 AM on April 30, 2006

So if its thickening its probably because of global warming and if its melting then its probably because of global warming.....ok.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 10:52 PM on October 23, 2005

I have to wonder if there isn't some negative effect to keeping weaker animals alive longer - doesn't that allow them to spread weaker genes later, or eat food that could go to a more fit species?

Look what its done for the human race.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 10:03 AM on September 22, 2005

We talking about Ward Churchill again?
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 3:10 PM on September 20, 2005

On that note, since biodiesel is picking up steam, Will there ever be a device that is part of your vehicle that you can load with any sort of carbon based expendables to power you aroun

Back to the Future 2 was ahead of its time....er, ahead of 1985.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 11:28 PM on September 14, 2005

Is this the next thing to replace hard working assembly line robots?
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 6:23 PM on September 14, 2005

Didn't you have to be a member and pay to watch videos on the CNN webpage? I know now they are all free to watch.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 1:27 PM on September 13, 2005

God we're back in the 70s already? I wasn't ready! I wanted to be dead before the 70s came back.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 9:24 AM on September 13, 2005

Nobody's vote counts. The Electors could pick whoever they wanted, they just pick with the majority of popular votes. They could all vote for Ron Jeremy if they wanted. At least thats my understanding. Don't think the constitution says anywhere we have the right to vote, just that the government shall not hinder our vote due to race, sex, religion, etc.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 9:47 PM on September 12, 2005

Terrible
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 4:33 PM on September 12, 2005

What I got out of the article was that everyone screwed up, not just the President. Nagin calling an evacuation a day later than usual, Blanco not wanting to give up her authority over the evacuation, and Bush...well, I'm sure most of you can think of a few.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 4:28 PM on September 12, 2005

After watching this I wanted to shoot everyone that contributed to making it.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 10:22 AM on September 8, 2005

There are a lot more important things to worry about now then what to call these refugees.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 8:02 PM on September 6, 2005

She [Barbara Bush] was part of a group in Houston today at the
Astrodome that included her husband and former
President Bill Clinton, who were chosen by her son,
the current president, to head fundraising efforts for
the recovery. Sen. Hilary Clinton and Sen. Barack
Obama were also present.

No former President Bill Clinton and wife Sen. Hillary Clinton? Are they still married? I don't follow the news much.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 10:57 AM on September 6, 2005

4. Mind control on a mass scale has now become possible, and the machines to do it are already in place in certain nations. It has become possible to mentally enslave whole populations with the twist of a few dials.

This is the 21st century. Shouldn't we have gotten rid of dials, knobs, and oversized buttons by now? Maybe not. Scotty, warp 2 please.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 6:12 AM on September 5, 2005

Looks to me like clouds at different layers of the atmosphere moving in different directions. I've seen stuff like that on more than a few squall lines that have blown over my wee house in Texas, though that's freakier than most. I've certainly seen clouds do freakier stuff here.

Not so uncommon. I believe its what helps tornados form.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 9:05 AM on September 5, 2005

I think he will be pushed through in a timely manner. Excluding about 3 or 4 "fringe" Democrats and Republicans on either side, the Senate is one big happy Party. Or at least they seem to vote that way.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 6:01 AM on September 5, 2005

Still, if Bush really *liked* poor people, he'd have more poor friends. Can anyone point out a single good, longterm friend of Bush who isn't well off?

Or Kerry for that matter? Tell the truth, who would seem more the poor man's friend, Bush or Kerry? I'm not saying who is really the poor man's friend, probably neither, but Bush has always seemed more salt of the earth to most Americans I feel. Am I wrong?
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 10:11 PM on September 4, 2005

I agree with umberto and serena about the buses. At least get some people out for God's sake. Any place would be better than in NO....and do you seriously think they would be without food or water or shelter for 5 days in Houston or some other city? When that hurricane hit any other place in the country would have been better than being in the path of that storm. There are plenty of other screwups as well, I would add not using these buses as one of them.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 6:06 PM on September 4, 2005

I blame local and state government for the inability to get those people out before Katrina. I don't put the responsibility of how best to evacuate a city on the Federal Government, I put it on the local government. I blame FEMA for their slow ass response afterwards. I don't put the responsibility of saving thousands of lives and supplying food and water to those thousands on the local and state government, I put that on the Feds.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 6:22 PM on September 4, 2005

Does anyone else think that if the buses were taking people to the superdome as a last resort a good hurricane plan would have been to have some food and water there? Again, I believe screwups were on all levels. If the city had an evacuation plan that got 80% of the city out and the rest into the superdome, then wouldn't having a small supply at least of food and water seem like a good idea too? Or are we to completely rely on the federal government for everything? And I am not letting FEMA... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 9:51 PM on September 4, 2005

Cherokee County sheriff's deputy Jeremy Hitchcock told law enforcement on site that the Tahlequah office got notice that 250 people were jailed in Houston after a riot broke out as the buses were being loaded for the trip to Oklahoma.

Maybe this is why they decided to search them before entering. And I agree with login, the interviews will help mostly with identifying those with special needs.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 6:35 AM on September 4, 2005

but is some isolated camp the best place to provide any of those services?

They are about 50 miles from Tulsa.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 6:39 AM on September 4, 2005

If I was told I was being bused to Hicksville USA, out in the middle of rural whitebread America with not even a major convenience store within walking distance, I would probably be just a bit upset as well.

Well fuck you. Glad you appreciate people, churches and communities coming together to give to these refugees. Why even bother, why don't we just string us up a few negroes when they get here.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 6:13 PM on September 4, 2005

I played plenty of PMS people back in my college days when I was in clan BioHazard (BH) and Clan Karnage (CK). That was the day and was lots of fun. I had the silly name Nuckin' Futs cause it sounded funny one drunken evening. But I haven't touched Quake in quite a few years.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 2:57 PM on August 16, 2005

Seems like a bad time to be on the space station.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 6:15 PM on August 11, 2005

FOOD FIGHT!
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 7:03 PM on August 10, 2005

They got funnier the more I watched them. Maybe I was just getting more tired. But I did laugh.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 8:45 PM on August 1, 2005

They don't have to abandon it, and no one has said they should--But don't dare claim that that is its primary meaning here in NY--or the western world--at all--or that it should be. Or that people are wrong or silly or whatever for not wanting it inlaid on their floors where they'll see it every single day. This is not even a debate--the swastika equals Nazis, and hate and terror. It's still used to create terror and fear--even here in the US. Ignoring that because other cultures view... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 10:39 AM on July 30, 2005

Anti-born?
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 7:48 AM on July 30, 2005

You all ever notice whenever they showed "Scotty" using the transporter that those pairs of hands just didn't seem to fit him? Or you wondered why the strange camera shot to show someone working the controls (just the pair of hands)...I guess its hard when you're missing a digit. I wonder if a missing finger makes it easier to do that Vulcan peace sign thingy.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 1:06 PM on July 20, 2005

So anyone who was purportedly against Roe is a no go for the SC?
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 6:28 PM on July 19, 2005

From what I recall, in the Bible it is a sin to bare false witness while in the Koran it is permissible to lie to "infidels" to protect your hide. I am guessing the use of the Bible to swear oaths stems from the sin of baring false witness whereas asking someone to swear to the Koran might encourage them to lie (to save their hide). Either way, people will lie and not care, lie and ask forgiveness, or lie justifiably.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 2:07 PM on July 19, 2005

...I do wonder how you get a cool job doing those experiments?

I spent two years of my graduate work doing experiments with two-phase flow (liquid/gas flow) in microgravity (like the vomit comet or a "drop tower"). It was really cool at first but got pretty monotonous during the second week.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 7:34 PM on July 15, 2005

Are there any developers out there who can find out where the justices who supported this live and convince the local government that the city would be better served with a strip mall down Ginsburg Lane?

I heard someone somewhere say, "Now we know how the Indians felt."
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 11:41 AM on June 23, 2005

Our horse had one of these and went absolutely apeshit playing with it all the time. Then one day he broke his leg and we had to shoot him. But he loved that ball.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 11:56 AM on March 7, 2005

Abu Mohammed....what an original name.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 2:52 PM on February 22, 2005

Didn't Larry Summers make some lady from MIT "physically ill" after saying men and women might have differences in innate abilities?
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 10:11 PM on February 10, 2005

you don't seem to recognize the fact that it's the Republicans who are in charge since January 2001 -- it's not up to the opposition (weak as it is) to come up with a plan. it was the GOP's responsibility, as the owner of the White House, Senate, House, and SCOTUS to:

I don't like the sound of this. Are you saying its not the Dems responsibility to come up with any alternative plans or ideas to help protect/better this country? Are they just to sit... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 1:29 PM on February 5, 2005

I'm wondering if anyone here has become a member of the above posted site.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 8:23 PM on November 19, 2004

Sunday morning I was flying back from Mexico and on my connecting flight back to Tulsa half the plane was full of soldiers on R&R for Thanksgiving for 15 days. Naturally we talked about Iraq. Their battalion had worked in Baghdad, near the green zone, and also in Fallujah. They had lost 2 soldiers in their battalion and had about 2 dozen people injured. When they talk about the people they lost you could sense an overwhelming sadness.

The young man I talked to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 8:48 AM on November 15, 2004

I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat. - Will Rogers
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 8:54 PM on November 4, 2004

I've heard a lot of you say Bush ran on a pro-Gun, pro-God, anti-Gay campaign but I did watch the debates and Kerry did say he believed marriage was between a man and a woman and he did quote the Bible (and mentioned being an alter boy and so on), and he was out hunting a few days before the election. Maybe I'm just a redneck and don't understand. But to me it looks like Kerry was trying to look pro-God, pro-Gun, and anti-Gay marriage. But, I will concede the point that he did say he doesn't... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 8:10 PM on November 3, 2004

I'm going to bed a happy panda :D
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 10:30 PM on November 2, 2004

I will have to agree with scarabic on his previous points. Though I am happy Bush won I never felt this election would be lost to Kerry. The message of the Democrats is not clear and focused yet(Kerry does come off as a flip-flopper). I think that is also shown by the gains the Republicans have made in the Senate (especially with Daschle losing). Your hateful remarks about America's decision is not much help either, though by all means say them if you must. I know you think the rest of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 11:12 PM on November 2, 2004

Kerry is only down 11 EVs now. You can't count him out yet at all.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 11:38 PM on November 2, 2004

249 to 242 per CNN
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 11:43 PM on November 2, 2004

I think there is something to be said about the Republicans picking up another Senate seat. But as scarabic said, Bush retains a 51% majority so his coat tails ain't that long. Add to that his approaching 4 million advantage on popular vote, I feel that Americans voted on the issues important to them, and unfortunately for your candidate, his issues were not in tune with the majority of America's issues this time round.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 12:06 AM on November 3, 2004

What really stuck out in the article, for me, is how the hell did he grow roses in the desert? I don't have a green thumb but aren't roses hard to grow especially with nuclear parts buried under them?
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 12:10 AM on June 26, 2003

This is kind of funny since I spent two weeks at NASA Glenn Research Center studying how the lack of buoyancy affects bubbles. Afterwards I would go to Bennigan's and drink a few pints of Guinness, never thinking of all those tiny bubbles in my frosty beverage.
posted to MetaFilter by Ron at 11:36 AM on June 20, 2003