Bag of Randomness

  • I think there should be a new rule in baseball, that you only get to use one bat when you are at the plate.  If it breaks or you throw it in the stands, then you either have to stand there for the rest of the plate appearance or try to lean into the pitch to get on base.  I’m only half joking about this.
  • Louis CK has a story about how he and his wife hugged each other the first time they heard their child put together a real sentence.  I thought about that story yesterday when I saw GirlGeeding eating a Pop Tart.  I like to tease her by pretending to confuse her for her brother, and I asked, “Is brother eating a Pop Tart?”  She replied, “No Daddy, brother not have teeth.”
  • I believe the Supreme Court’s decision and all paperwork and protocol about their decision on healthcare has already been made, so I don’t know why they are holding off until Thursday.  It gives me the feeling they want the ruling to be announced just as they are driving or flying away for vacation.
  • It would be a crappy thing to do, but can cities on the west coast charge Japan for the cleanup costs associated with the debris washed ashore due to the tsunami.
  • CNN anchor becomes a priest
  • Sandi Patty sang God Bless America at the Ballpark yesterday.  That’s a name I haven’t heard in a while, all I can really remember about her is that affair she had back in the early 90’s with her back up singer who was also married.  I didn’t know until yesterday that they ended up marrying each other.  What’s our Christian radio’s slogan . . . Safe for the whole family?
  • The CBS Evening News had a segment on the new college football playoff system.  Two things stood out, how much money that will be made and how they mentioned the only likely location for the first championship game is to be Jerry Jones’ Cowboys Stadium.  You know Jerry is lobbying hard behind the scenes to get that game . . . it’s a good thing he has all that extra time to do such a thing as the president and general manager of professional sports organization.
  • I think when all is said and done, Jerry actually likes the idea of not have any corporate sponsorship attached to the stadium.
  • I’m not sure why Natalie Morales isn’t in the mix to take the place for Ann Curry.  She’s pretty, smart, personable, and heck, there’s a growing Hispanic population.  Here’s a trick question about her . . . Where was she born?  Surprisingly, Taipei, Taiwan.
  • A great quick fix if those little keyboard legs breaks.
  • KDFW Fox 4 is getting another pretty face to do the weather on weekends.
  • The second picture in this Southwest Airlines blog post shows a sign that is significant to the DFW area.
  • Big Ben is getting a new name.
  • A decent idea for a Superman movie, I especially like the idea of using Jon Hamm in the  40’s.  Tina Fey as Lois Lane . . . I’m luke warm to that.
Posted in Personal | 1 Comment

US Army’s Pixellated Camo Uniform Is a $5 Billion Failure

The Army is changing clothes.

Over the next year, America’s largest fighting force is swapping its camouflage pattern. The move is a quiet admission that the last uniform — a pixelated design that debuted in 2004 at a cost of $5 billion — was a colossal mistake.

Soldiers have roundly criticized the gray-green uniform for standing out almost everywhere it’s been worn. Industry insiders have called the financial mess surrounding the pattern a “fiasco.”

As Army researchers work furiously on a newer, better camouflage, it’s natural to ask what went wrong and how they’ll avoid the same missteps this time around. In a candid interview with The Daily, several of those researchers said Army brass interfered in the selection process during the last round, letting looks and politics get in the way of science.

“It got into political hands before the soldiers ever got the uniforms,” said Cheryl Stewardson, a textile technologist at the Army research center in Natick, Mass., where most of the armed forces camouflage patterns are made.

The researchers say that science is carrying the day this time, as they run four patterns through a rigorous battery of tests. The goal is to give soldiers different patterns suitable for different environments, plus a single neutral pattern — matching the whole family — to be used on more expensive body armor and other gear.

Full Article @ The Daily

Posted in Interesting | 1 Comment