Linkee-poo sees a red door and I want it painted black

"And that difference comes down to the dividing line between plot and plot device."

John Scalzi on using rape as a plot device.

Vindolanda and the Roman Fort three generations of Birley's have been excavating.

Did shield maidens exist? While the article equivocates, they do provide answers that most scientists would. Also a pretty good explanation of "well, we expect this because of our culture, so we see this" which is a plague on many sciences. Also to note that recently a number of viking grave sites (and other grave sites of antiquity) were reclassified from male to female (because of the aforementioned problem). Also, one does not mess with shield maidens, they are favorites of the gods. And finally, of course there were. Women have always fought (even in our more patriarchal society where women disguised themselves to fight). Our concept of sex roles (hunter or gatherer) determined by biological differences and which genes you have is a relatively modern concept.

But what if yeast could brew morphine from sugar? Well, that would be a game changer. If we were a rational species this would be fabulous. Until you think about people being able to brew their own high-quality heroin the same way (or just morphine, it would sell just as well). Also I'd like to leave you with the lesson I learned from having a kidney stone. If the nurse asks you if you would like one more dose of morphine before going home, say "Yes."

A paper thin 55" display that you can hang on the wall with magnets. Note I didn't say TV, because the actual guts of the device are elsewhere, but the screen is thin, light and flexible. (Grokked from John)

Frank Deford on Tom Brady. This is also why I believe Pete Rose should never get into the Hall of Fame. He was the greatest player, but he also committed the greatest sin you can in baseball.

What exactly will the X37B Space Place being doing during this launch? Well, the Air Force has released some of the experiments it will be conducting, including testing 3 new propulsion technologies and a satellite TCP/IP server. So, they're totally not running guns to our alien overlords. (Grokked from John)

Designing better workspaces by observation. Or, as I like to think about it, designing a better maze by watching the rats run the maze. And, speaking of running rats, more on the ruse of the robots. In this case, software (not exactly a robot) can write a news story faster than a reporter, albeit with less style and informative language.

"Michigan pastor who railed against same-sex marriage resigns after being caught seeking men on Grindr" Puts another mark on the board, notices board is getting quite filled with marks. The church also is circling the wagons, deleting social media accounts, telling their members to be wary of reporters, and "Should a member of St. John’s church come across information on the Internet pertaining to Makela’s Grindr travails, Kempin urges them not to panic, not to respond to media wanting to 'generate traffic to their website,' and to alert church leadership with “any information the members need to have.” You know, separatist movements had the good sense to move to the wilderness. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)

Oops. "'Plains (All American Pipeline) deeply regrets this release has occurred and is making every effort to limit its environmental impact,' the company said in a statement." You'd think something named "All American" wouldn't hurt us. And don't worry, Plains, I'm sure you'll get the bill (that won't really cover the recovery costs that the tax payers will pickup).

Oops. That's the problem when you crowd source information, especially for something like Google Maps. Not all people are Good Actors. (Trigger warning for the n-word)

Conservatives believe in local control of political decisions. Except when the local governments don't do what they want. Then they're all for taking the rights of self-rule. In this case, Texas kneels before the oil/gas industry and not only overturns all local laws banning oil and gas exploration (fracking), but wiped away local regulations on the oil and gas industry. Yes, the poor little gas and oil industry were being picked upon. Tell you what, okay, let's remove all regulations on a heavy industry and allow them to drill anywhere they can, but let's also invalidate any NDAs the industry has signed with land owners regarding the effects of drilling.

But, on the other hand, look at government working for you. "After the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a complaint against PayPal today, the company quickly agreed to refund $15 million to customers it ripped off over the past few years… PayPal will also pay an extra $10 million in fines to the CFPB, so the total settlement is $25 million." Remember which party didn't want the CFPB, attempted to filibuster any nomination until the President watered down their power, and which party runs Texas. Just remember it when it comes to election time. Although "It’s telling that the company ponied up the money within a day of the complaint." Makes you wonder just how much they made illegally. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)