Linkee-poo, it's just a spring clean for the May Queen

Justine Larbalestier wants to remind you, if you're doing research for your story, keep careful notes.

Saladin Ahmed has been tweeting about his research into pre-code comics. If you haven't been following his twitter feed, you're missing something wonderful. But here I will point out, the actual Comics Code.

"It's not just corporate America that is trying to get workers on the cheap. Turns out, despite tuition costs that are insane for you and me, half of all professors at universities are working for peanuts. Sometimes they're even on food stamps." They're called "adjuncts". And they could probably make more working at the McDonalds down the road, if they weren't "over qualified." And, yea, even people in education don't understand or know about this. To the point, I was asked if I would consider such a position for Graphic Design. Yea. That isn't going to happen. (Pointed to by Sheila)

"One of the most infamous urban legends in video games has turned out to be true." The last resting place of the Atari game, E.T. Although they've only recovered "a few hundred" cartridges. Actually what's most exciting isn't so much the "thousands" of cartridges supposedly buried there, but Atari also cleaned out their R&D labs of everything that didn't get produced and buried those as well. For those people who don't know there was a lot of very cool stuff Atari was working on that never saw the light of day. (Grokked from Dan)

An Apple II emulator written in javascript. Because reasons. (pointed to by Dan)

Don't put pins in your mouth. Yes, this. And, yea, I've done that x-ray (although mostly for random change, but one was a suspected pin). (Grokked from Mary Robinette Kowal)

The testosterone surge. Building the next Viagra industry. This isn't to say there aren't a lot of men who should be able to get testosterone replacement therapy. But just as Viagra isn't used only by people who have ED, many people who are going to get tested for Low-T, and will receive prescriptions, really don't need it. If you're going to get tested, here some tips on how to be tested.

Hey, lets take a pricing model consumers hate, hides all taxes and fees, is widely misleading, and compare that with a pricing model that isn't fully "truthful" (baggage fees, anyone) and make the former one the law. Sure industry loves it. Now, I can see an alternative argument that this makes very explicit the taxes being charged, but this is why you itemize a bill. What this really is there is to hide the various fees that companies charge (telephone bills, anyone) to mislead you about pricing. What should happen is all those companies who aren't subjected to full fare pricing should be brought under its umbrella. Every price should include all fees and taxes (this includes things like groceries that are taxable, note here in Ohio most groceries are not taxable). As I remember, this is standard practice in Europe. (Grokked from Annalee)

Everybody's code sucks. Or, as the saying goes, if architects built cities the way programmers codes, the first woodpecker to come along would destroy civilization as we know it. (Grokked from Dan)

"It's not cheap, she says, but the coverage allowed her to quit her job and launch an online business to help other young women take care of sick loved ones." Obamacare is allowing people to leave their jobs and start the mythic small business and others can now afford to retire. Look, it's what conservatives feared all along. Why, it's unpossible. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

"Florida Gov. Rick Scott… went to a senior center on Tuesday to warn of the dangers of Obamacare and hear horror stories about the law. But instead Scott found almost all the seniors he talked to were satisfied with the new law." And now you see the real horror story that conservatives were fearing. Obamacare might be popular once people know the truth instead of the spin.

"The utilities hate this requirement (for mandated levels of renewable energy sources), for obvious reasons. A report by the Edison Electric Institute, the lobbying arm of the power industry, says this kind of law will put 'a squeeze on profitability,' and warns that if state incentives are not rolled back, 'it may be too late to repair the utility business model.'" Point source generation, it becomes awfully much easier with renewables. Which means traditional utilities go bye-bye. And another arm of the Koch brothers is stretching its tentacle out to squash all the hard won requirements. Especially right here in Ohio. (Grokked from Morgan J. Locke)

Okay, this is fun. Which are lines from 50 Shades of Grey and which are from contemporary Christian music lyrics. Full disclosure, I worked at a studio where our major clients worked in the CCM. (Grokked from the Slactivist)

When will conservatives learn, there are always records of conversations now. Especially when you tell the editor of Scientific American to pick some other future trend topic than climate change when he appears on Fox & Friends.

Life in the Bundy Camp. Well, that seems sane enough. (Grokked from Jim Wright)

And I guess I was wrong about the roads being open. Apparently the whackaloon contingent is growing at the Bundy Ranch and is now setting up road blocks and check points. You know, just like our founding fathers did. The crazy, it's catching. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)

Say, think people at the Bundy Ranch (or any of the various militias) going to remember the government has satellites, drones, and tanks? Yea. Probably doesn't figure to well into their dreams of their own Red Dawn scenarios.

And how's the other crazy (2014 election cycle) going about its business? Yep, just what I thought.

"Sterling's partisan affiliation appears to have no relevance to the national political debate. But descriptions of Sterling as a Democrat could be found early this week in conservative media outlets including the Drudge Report and National Review, which made the assertion based on Sterling's past campaign contributions to several Democratic politicians." Um, yea, Bob.