Bag of Randomness for Friday, February 24, 2017

  • Chief Meteorologist Scott Padgett of CBS11 confessed on air he’s never eaten anything from Whataburger. He’s been at the station since September 2013.
  • Last night’s ‘Life In Pieces’ had an obscure Tina Yothers (you know, the young blonde girl in ‘Family Ties’) reference which reminded me of one of my favorite SNL bits. It was one of those “TV Funhouse” cartoons with Mr. T. At the end of this particular bit, Mr. T says, “Let that be a lesson to all the Gary Burghoffs, Joey Lawrences, Tina Yotherses, and George “Goober” Lindsays! If you believe in yourself, drink your school, stay in drugs, and don’t do milk – you can get work!“
  • As our kids are on a “Diff’rent Strokes” kick, I’ve noticed the intro and ending songs are diff’rent even though they sound the same. The intro has lyrics which focus on Mr. Drummond’s life as he adopts the kids and the ending song has words on how the adoption has changed him. Also, only the song in the end credits ends in “hmmmmm“.
  • I knew Gary Coleman had health issues as a child, but I didn’t know how bad and thought it was more of an urban myth. But per Mental_Floss:
    • Coleman’s short stature was the result of drugs given to the youngster to address a genetic birth defect: he was born with one atrophied kidney and the other already failing. By age five, he had received his first kidney transplant. After getting a second one in 1984 and facing another operation in 1986, Coleman opted for dialysis four times daily instead. Through it all, the drugs given to manage his condition resulted in a suppressed growth phase. By age 14, Coleman knew he wouldn’t grow beyond four feet eight inches.
    • I don’t blame the guy for taking on a dramatic role, but does his character have to set a dog on fire?
      • He also convinced NBC to give him a dramatic role in 1985 as the lead in a TV movie, Playing with Fire, about a child arsonist who wants to set the family dog ablaze. Like his Very Special Episodes, it ends with a strong message for would-be firebugs: “Get therapy.”
  • Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) invoked the 2011 shooting of former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) at a constituent event this week as a reason not to hold a public town hall.
  • Just a random Alaska Airlines commercial one of your favorite bloggers contributed one literal second to.
  • Heart rate update – It’s interesting how my heart rate dropped and remained consistently steady for a week and then watch it go right back up during my trip to D.C. While away, I made sure to get my daily cardio in and get my 10,000 steps, but I guess stress of being in a new environment and actual human interaction are contributing factors.
  • Speaker Paul Ryan was recently in Texas touring the Rio Grande Valley about border concerns. I’m surprised his visit didn’t get much coverage.
  • PenFed should are being aggressive with their advertising button, I hear and see their commercials ad-nauseum.
  • All for their shamrock shakes-  McDonald’s has re-engineered drinking straws – The redesigned STRAW — short for “Suction Tube for Reverse Axial Withdrawal,” of course — is meant to alleviate the most basic of problems: having to wait for your shake to melt a bit before you can get the perfect mix of chocolate and mint flavors
  • Benjamin L. Corey – Camel Through The Eye Of A Needle? Or Have You Been Reading The Bible Wrong?
    • I’ll be honest and I don’t recall this ever being explained to me, and I feel embarrassed because I thought my biblical knowledge was more than average, but I always thought Jesus was talking about a sewing needle and a camel. But Corey explains it has often been taught this way:
      • The explanation usually goes like this: There were gates to the entrance of the city that had small openings called “needles” and in order for camels to pass through, they had to get down on their bellies and wiggle themselves through the eye of the needle. The basic application of this exegesis was that rich people face a lot of barriers to becoming Christian.
        • He later reveals there’s no evidence a gate with a needle’s eye existed at the time.
    • However, Corey goes on to explain the difficulty in translation when working with dead languages and ancient manuscripts which have textual variants. And in this case, the New Testament is written in ancient Greek, but Jesus most likely would have spoken Aramaic. Then he goes on to explain Greek has similarities between the word for “rope” and “camel” (a single letter) and because of context, should go with “rope” and that “needle” is actually an anchor on a ship. He further asserts, referencing a theologian, Jesus lived in a fishing village and that his first disciples were fishermen, and with this in context –
      • “The image of the oceangoing vessel with a heavy, braided rope hawser holding to the anchor or tying the ship to the pier makes the image much stronger…” in reference to this exaggerated metaphor.
      • “As they used their hand-held needles and thread to mend (fishing) nets, Jesus said: “It is easier for a hawser to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.” The logic is inescapable, and the language moves in that direction, as soon as one looks to the Semitic tradition behind the Greek text, working in the languages which Jesus fluently read and spoke.”
Posted in Personal | 7 Comments

Tigers Capture Drone

The owners need not worry about retrieving that thing, it’s done for.

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Bullet-proof origami: folding Kevlar shield

BYU mechanical engineers have created an origami-inspired, lightweight bulletproof shield that can protect law enforcement from gunfire. The new ballistic barrier can be folded compactly when not in use, making it easier to transport and deploy. When expanded — which takes only five seconds — it can provide cover for officers and stop bullets from several types of handguns.

Posted in Goofy | 2 Comments