"Holy s##t!" – the amazing Zero SR electric motorcycle blows our minds
 

[URL]http://www.gizmag.com/zero-sr-2014-electric-motorcycle-review-test-ride/32015/[/URL]
[QUOTE]It's been about three years since we last tested one of Zero Motorcycles' electric bikes, and in that time, the company has been very busy. Compared to the [URL="http://www.gizmag.com/zero-s-electric-motorcycle-road-test/18226/"]2011 Zero S[/URL], the 2014 Zero SR has between 200-400 percent more [I]everything[/I] – riding this bike was an absolutely shocking progress report on the state of the art. The SR represents a liminal moment in motorcycling. We may look back in years to come and see this as the first time an electric motorcycle stood shoulder to shoulder with petrol powered bikes, and made them feel like yesterday's heroes.[/QUOTE]

Climate Topsy-Turviness
 

[url]http://tpc.pc2.netdna-cdn.com/images/Climate_Chaos_Synonyms.jpg[/url]

Fusion power...
 

Came across this on Slashdot.org...

[URL="http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/14/05/20/0126248/fusion-power-by-2020-researchers-say-yes-and-turn-to-crowdfunding"]http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/14/05/20/0126248/fusion-power-by-2020-researchers-say-yes-and-turn-to-crowdfunding[/URL]

He might be a quack. But, on the hand, he might be onto something.

I'm going to give him [URL="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/focus-fusion-empowertheworld--3"]$100 USD[/URL] for his experiment. Possibly worthless, but possibly worthwhile.

And, hell, I pay about that much per month for only one of my servers.

P.S. He knows how to handle himself [URL="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/focus-fusion-empowertheworld--3"]debating the physics before many very knowledgeable people[/URL]....

[QUOTE=chalsall;373940]Came across this on Slashdot.org...

<snip>

Possibly worthless, but possibly worthwhile.


[/QUOTE]

I'm in!

There are occasions when I think that BobS may be on to something...

[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27442541[/url]

:sad:

[QUOTE=xilman;373953]There are occasions when I think that BobS may be on to something...

[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27442541[/url]

:sad:[/QUOTE]

Who has time for boring "work intensive" stuff like that when one is furiously MMORPGing, TwitTweeting and facePalling?

Aren't a majority of Fields Medal winners from the US?

Fields was Canadian

[QUOTE=jasonp;374026]Aren't a majority of Fields Medal winners from the US?[/QUOTE]

No. At least according to [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fields_Medal"]Wikipedia[/URL].

12 are American. 41 are from other countries.

Do you have an iPenis?
 

[url]http://news.techeye.net/mobile/apple-offers-phone-5s-owners-big-penises[/url]

[QUOTE=retina;374084][url]http://news.techeye.net/mobile/apple-offers-phone-5s-owners-big-penises[/url][/QUOTE]

LOL - the snark is strong in this one.

There should be a law that protects computers from human abuse
 

[url]http://rinkworks.com/stupid/cs_abuse.shtml[/url]

[QUOTE=retina;374142][url]http://rinkworks.com/stupid/cs_abuse.shtml[/url][/QUOTE]

:rofl:

I think it should go into the "funny" thread...

[QUOTE=retina;374142][URL]http://rinkworks.com/stupid/cs_abuse.shtml[/URL][/QUOTE]
:smile:
I remember seeing someone at work back at the start of the 1990s, when I was helping to provide support for staff PCs, handling 5 1/4 floppy disks (on which crucial company data was stored) with their protective covers off and with his thumb over the opening, obviously touching the disk inside. He thought it was just a handy thumb-notch for ease of portability. Unfortunately he was a really senior person in the company and I didn't have the nerve to speak to him about it.

Here's another site which gives similar stories, but then mostly on the software side of things, from a helpdesk in New Zealand.
[URL]http://www.evilgenius.org.nz/index.html[/URL]

Lies, damned lies and Phat Stats
 

[url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-28/obese-or-overweight-people-top-2-1-billion-worldwide.html]Obese or Overweight People Top 2.1 Billion Worldwide - Bloomberg[/url]

Idiotic "meaningful statistic" des Tages:
[i]
"More than half of the world’s 671 million obese people live in the U.S., China, India, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, Germany, Pakistan and Indonesia."
[/i]
Toting up the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population]per-country population numbers[/url] for the aforementioned nations we get

[code]County Population (in millions)
-------- ------------------------
Brazil 202.6
China 1364.7
Egypt 86.5
Germany 80.7
India 1244.7
Indonesia 247.4
Mexico 119.7
Pakistan 186.6
Russia 143.7
U.S. 318.1[/code]

...which total to almost exactly 4 Bln, or ... (breathless pause; wait for it) ... 56%, also more than half - of the estimated current global population of 7.17 Bln. Ergo, a giant nothingburger of a statistical blurb.

OTOH, the "exceptional" U.S. being home to 13% of the world's obese - 3x the average per capita rate - is highly significant. But following that with "...followed by China and India, which together represent 15 percent" as the article does is again inane, because China and India taken together are home to 36% of the world's people; thus their collective per-capita obesity rate is much lower than average, and drastically lower than that of the U.S.

An Onion-esque [i]"Poll: Over 70% of journalistic blurb-turner-outers unqualified to use statistics"[/i] faux-headline seems apt.

[QUOTE=ewmayer;374502][i]"Poll: Over 70% of journalistic blurb-turner-outers unqualified to use statistics"[/i] faux-headline seems apt.[/QUOTE]Indeed. And now that the 100-year meteorite event has just occurred recently in Russia now we are good for another 100 years of peace.

[QUOTE=retina;374504]Indeed. And now that the 100-year meteorite event has just occurred recently in Russia now we are good for another 100 years of peace.[/QUOTE]Actually we were overdue. The last one before that happened in 1908.

[QUOTE=Uncwilly;374508]Actually we were overdue. The last one before that happened in 1908.[/QUOTE]Maybe that one early.

[QUOTE=retina;374510]Maybe that one early.[/QUOTE]

Perhaps, but what are the odds of that happening?

======================

Switching back to an earlier sub-discussion in this thread:

[QUOTE=ewmayer;368011]Anyone here thinking of buying one or more of the Saddle Ridge found coins when they go up for sale? I might consider buying one of the lower-priced ones if the "sekrit stash" premium over a similar run-of-the-mill-graded coin is not outrageous.[/QUOTE]

The coins [url=http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_416970082_5?ie=UTF8&node=9243922011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=auto-sparkle&pf_rd_r=1TDPR36QED4SJEBJNRXJ&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_p=1815037282&pf_rd_i=saddle%20ridge%20hoard]are available for sale on Amazon[/url], A few cursory same-year/mint/grade cross checks versus ebay alas reveals that the "sekrit stash" premium is at least 2x for the lower-priced coins, and probably a lot more for the rarer ones, where such cross-checks are difficult since similar coins come uo fro auction/sale rarely. (I.e. one would really need access to a multi-auction-site database).

However, the check was still worth it, because there is some very funny hoi-polloi snark in the "customer reviews" posted for the [url=http://www.amazon.com/Finest-Saddle-Original-1866-1894-Various/dp/B00KH13U8G/ref=lp_9243922011_1_1?s=coins&ie=UTF8&qid=1401346066&sr=1-1]cream of the crop lot[/url]:

[i]Thanks to the free shipping, I was baaaaarely able to purchase these. Very pleased! Coins are shiny and coin-like. Old can is, as promised, an old can. A great value![/i]

[QUOTE=ewmayer;374511]Perhaps, but what are the odds of that happening?[/QUOTE]Ask a journalist.

[QUOTE=ewmayer;374502] Ergo, a giant nothingburger of a statistical blurb.

<snip>

An Onion-esque [I]"Poll: Over 70% of journalistic blurb-turner-outers unqualified to use statistics"[/I] faux-headline seems apt.[/QUOTE]

[URL]http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1996-04-17/[/URL]

[QUOTE=chappy;374515][URL]http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1996-04-17/[/URL][/QUOTE]

Curse you! The Dilbert site is a deadly trap! However, it does have a search engine which found a favorite which is just over 20 years old.:smile:

[url]http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1994-04-27/[/url]

Just give one to each of your enemies and encourage them to use it
 

[url]http://phys.org/news/2014-06-police-highlight-dangers-3d-printed-gun.html[/url]

[url]http://techreport.com/review/26523/the-ssd-endurance-experiment-casualties-on-the-way-to-a-petabyte[/url]

[url]http://www.thestar.com.my/News/World/2014/06/20/CDC-anthrax-scare-conjures-up-real-Friday-the-13th-nightmare/[/url]

[QUOTE][URL]http://www.gizmag.com/zero-sr-2014-electric-motorcycle-review-test-ride/32015/[/URL][/QUOTE]
[url]http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/06/19/harley-davidson-livewire-electric-motorcycle-first-ride-review-photos-video/[/url]

[QUOTE=Xyzzy;376285][URL]http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/06/19/harley-davidson-livewire-electric-motorcycle-first-ride-review-photos-video/[/URL][/QUOTE]

It is interesting that Harley designed in a gear whine. I wonder if it can compete with the roar of a V-twin. Noise seems to be one of the main attractions for many bikers.

In a world where paranoia rules ...
 

[url]http://wtnh.com/2014/06/20/suspicious-package-halts-trains/[/url]

[QUOTE=kladner;376298]Noise seems to be one of the main attractions for many bikers.[/QUOTE]

Noise is rather important for pedestrians, too. If they can't see you coming, and they can't hear you coming, how can they get out of your way?

[QUOTE=BudgieJane;376353]Noise is rather important for pedestrians, too. If they can't see you coming, and they can't hear you coming, how can they get out of your way?[/QUOTE]You'd need to be a pinball wizard. Or perhaps Helen Keller.

[QUOTE=BudgieJane;376353]Noise is rather important for pedestrians, too. If they can't see you coming, and they can't hear you coming, how can they get out of your way?[/QUOTE]When Priuses were new, I nearly stepped in front of one gliding silently down a parking-lot lane. Now, I try never to assume that a moving vehicle makes noise.

[url]http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/06/candid-camera-part-1-five-times-video-footage-showed-police-misconduct/[/url]

[url]http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/06/candid-camera-part-2-four-times-that-video-evidence-exonerated-cops/[/url]

I say dear chaps could be possibly please adopt this more proper style?
 

[url]http://www.addedbytes.com/blog/if-php-were-british/[/url]

[QUOTE=retina;376580][URL]http://www.addedbytes.com/blog/if-php-were-british/[/URL][/QUOTE]
:tu: haha, good one!

[CODE]would_you_mind {
// Code here
} actually_i_do_mind (Exception £e) {
// Politely move on
cheerio('Message');
}[/CODE]

[QUOTE=retina;376580][url]http://www.addedbytes.com/blog/if-php-were-british/[/url][/QUOTE]Almost all of that is excellent, but I fail to see the necessity of changing the spelling of "serialize". The author is self-evidently not an Oxford man.

[QUOTE=xilman;376595]The author is self-evidently not an Oxford man.[/QUOTE]It is stated on the page the following:[quote]Thoughts from a Brighton geek about ...[/quote]So you are correct. And perhaps that means that Oxford is not truly British then? Or Brighton is not truly British? Or maybe there is more than one true Britain? Or is that only a true Scotsman ...? Now I'm confused.

[QUOTE=retina;376598][...]And perhaps that means that Oxford is not truly British then? Or Brighton is not truly British? Or maybe there is more than one true Britain? Or is that only a true Scotsman ...? Now I'm confused.[/QUOTE]
I lived in Britain (seven different areas scattered throughout England and Wales) for 29 years and never to my knowledge encountered anywhere or even anyone who was truly British.

[url]http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/06/most-kids-believe-that-achievement-trumps-empathy/373378/[/url]

[YOUTUBE]pIKQjt-e0zY[/YOUTUBE]

We found this via Wikipedia's "Random article" feature: [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_H._Taylor[/url]

There are moments during the day when I throw my hands skyward, toward the gods of satire, and plead, [I]Please, please tell me this story is not true.[/I]
Alas, this is one such moment the gods have answered back emphatically, [I]You're in America, you schmuck. Of course it's true.[/I]
Okay, so what just occurred? This: [B][URL="http://www.koamtv.com/story/25862613/homeowner-assesses-damage-after-14-inch-artillery-shell-enters-house"]a local gun range fired an artillery shell from a historic howitzer that traveled three miles and damaged a local couple's home.[/URL][/B]
I can hear your incredulous head-shaking all the way from here, it's so vigorous. [I]No[/I], you're saying to yourself, [I]this one can't possibly be real, even in our weapon-crazed country, can it?[/I]
You betcha. Here's the report from [URL="http://www.koamtv.com/story/25862613/homeowner-assesses-damage-after-14-inch-artillery-shell-enters-house"]KOAM[/URL]:
[YOUTUBE]UYVeiYk9pNo[/YOUTUBE]
(continued)
[URL]http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/06/27/1310070/-Yes-I-m-actually-writing-about-a-14-inch-howitzer-shell-shot-from-an-OK-gun-range-that-hit-a-house?[/URL]

[QUOTE=kladner;377084]... from a historic howitzer that traveled three miles ...[/QUOTE]Deliberately misreading the ambiguous title reveals a low mileage weapon that has hardly even left the foundry from whence it was forged.

[QUOTE=Uncwilly;374508]Actually we were overdue. The last one before that happened in 1908.[/QUOTE]June 30 was the anniversary of the event.

I need to include these "competitions" into my empire
 

[url]https://medium.com/@sir_castiq/how-to-exploit-a-developer-a005306d5320[/url]

[YOUTUBE]lL6WniQ-Srw[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]IEUBEpuAMmc[/YOUTUBE]

[url]http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies.htm[/url]

[url]http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/breaking-brutal-tradition-young-tribesman-fights-babies-lives-n139716[/url]

[url]http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jul/23/democratic-sen-john-walsh-plagiarized-masters-thes/[/url]

[URL="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/singer-chubby-checker-and-hp-settle-penis-measuring-app-lawsuit-9628724.html"]Not the typical lawsuit between a musician and a technology company....[/URL] Probably not safe for work.

[QUOTE=Uncwilly;379151][URL="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/singer-chubby-checker-and-hp-settle-penis-measuring-app-lawsuit-9628724.html"]Not the typical lawsuit between a musician and a technology company....[/URL] Probably not safe for work.[/QUOTE]

I've been using my Palm for that particular application for some time...

[url]http://www.facebook.com/ThisisLADY/photos/a.149576188404935.26238.149423348420219/874291169266763[/url]

So many people don't know the order of operations. :\

[QUOTE=ixfd64;379439][url]http://www.facebook.com/ThisisLADY/photos/a.149576188404935.26238.149423348420219/874291169266763[/url]

So many people don't know the order of operations. :\[/QUOTE]
Pants first then shoes.

[QUOTE=ixfd64;379439][url]http://www.facebook.com/ThisisLADY/photos/a.149576188404935.26238.149423348420219/874291169266763[/url]

So many people don't know the order of operations. :\[/QUOTE]

[YOUTUBE]y9h1oqv21Vs[/YOUTUBE]

[url]http://www.kait8.com/story/26152335/radio-dj-shows-walmart-ice-cream-sandwhich-wont-melt-in-sun[/url]

[QUOTE=Xyzzy;379452][URL]http://www.kait8.com/story/26152335/radio-dj-shows-walmart-ice-cream-sandwhich-wont-melt-in-sun[/URL][/QUOTE]

The Wonders of Science! :tu:

[url]http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Family/2013/0812/1912-eighth-grade-exam-Could-you-make-it-to-high-school-in-1912/Arithmetic[/url]

[YOUTUBE]CXiifFBHj5g[/YOUTUBE]

[URL]http://images.dailykos.com/images/98296/lightbox/quiztime720.png?1407175850[/URL]

[url]http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/photos/optical-illusions-blow-mind-24885141/image-24885193[/url]

[QUOTE=Xyzzy;379954][url]http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/photos/optical-illusions-blow-mind-24885141/image-24885193[/url][/QUOTE]

These are not animated!! :surprised

[url]http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/08/an-actual-fish-has-been-playing-pokemon-red-for-135-hours-now/[/url]

[url]http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2024221697_pacificcrestrunner02xml.html[/url]

[url]http://guff.com/if-great-scientists-had-logos[/url]

The Joys of Privatization
 

[URL]http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/08/08/3469027/1000-michigan-inmates-dump-their-lunches-over-maggot-infestation/[/URL] :sick::ick::yucky:

[QUOTE]Since Michigan turned over food services at its prisons to a private contractor in December, the state has seen a spate of maggot infestations in and around prison food, [URL="http://www.freep.com/article/20140630/NEWS06/306300136/prison-food-maggots-Aramark"]outbreaks of food poisoning[/URL], and [URL="http://www.freep.com/article/20140624/NEWS06/306240074/aramark-prison-food-privatization"]meal shortages[/URL]. In Ohio this week, inmates facing the second maggott infestation this year at their facility [URL="http://www.abc6onyourside.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/inmates-claim-maggots-found-prison-food-second-time-34012.shtml#.U-Ps3fldWSq"]dumped their lunch trays[/URL] in the garbage en masse in protest.[/QUOTE]

[YOUTUBE]-0gED3rn2Tc[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]k0KzquDdSM8[/YOUTUBE]

How well do you know the world? [URL="http://bbc.in/1t7TciL"]Play Geoguessr to find out![/URL]

Widespread Support for Sending Politicians to Prison for Ninety-Nine Years
 

[url]http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/25400-widespread-support-for-sending-politicians-to-prison-for-ninety-nine-years[/url]

[QUOTE]Last week’s indictment of Texas Governor Rick Perry has sparked widespread bipartisan support for the concept of sending politicians to prison for ninety-nine years.


While Americans are divided about the merits of the specific charges levelled against Perry, there is near-unanimous agreement that imprisoning politicians for ninety-nine years is an idea worth exploring further, a poll released on Monday indicates.


According to the poll, eighty-seven per cent of voters from both parties agreed that sending politicians to prison for such a lengthy period would “solve a lot of problems” and “make the country safer.”
[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=kladner;380682][url]http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/25400-widespread-support-for-sending-politicians-to-prison-for-ninety-nine-years[/url][/QUOTE]The problem is that it would be those same politicians that would vote to enact such laws. So basically it has no chance of ever happening.

[QUOTE=retina;380684]The problem is that it would be those same politicians that would vote enact such laws. So basically it has no chance of ever happening.[/QUOTE]The use of pardons could also defang such laws. Politicians have a lot of control over things intended to reign in politicians.

[QUOTE=retina;380684]The problem is that it would be those same politicians that would vote to enact such laws. So basically it has no chance of ever happening.[/QUOTE]

This is one of the rare Borowitz pieces which is not prominently labeled as satire, which is what his gig is.

Fighting Words From Rick Perry
 

Now here is a Borowitz bit which has the usual disclaimer. Unfortunately, it sounds all too real.

[url]http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/25454-fighting-words-from-rick-perry[/url]

[QUOTE]
Lashing out at what he called the “Soviet-style” tactics of the indictments against him, Texas Governor Rick Perry said on Tuesday that the government had “grossly overstepped its traditional role of mandating transvaginal ultrasounds.”
[/QUOTE]

[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28929626[/url]

[QUOTE=xilman;381387][URL]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28929626[/URL][/QUOTE]

I thought it was rather funny.

[QUOTE=kladner;381389]I thought it was rather funny.[/QUOTE]Truth be told, so did I.

[QUOTE=xilman;381387][url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28929626[/url][/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=kladner;381389]I thought it was rather funny.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=xilman;381394]Truth be told, so did I.[/QUOTE]
[YOUTUBE]XtH016CjIYU[/YOUTUBE]

Suggestion for a new/improved subtitle: "Then as now, British swiftly forced to retweet."

[url]http://www.people.com/article/hello-kitty-not-a-cat[/url]

[QUOTE=Xyzzy;381595][url]http://www.people.com/article/hello-kitty-not-a-cat[/url][/QUOTE]

A purrr-fectly shocking revelation! The pointy ears and whiskers would, however, beg to differ.

======================

[url=www.nytimes.com/2014/08/27/upshot/how-social-media-silences-debate.html]How Social Media Silences Debate[/url] | NYT

As a leading purveyor of "manufactured consensus", the NYT certainly should know...

Train vs car
 

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI5syATWoCQ[/url]

[URL="http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/12-common-words-that-will-boost-your-scrabble-score"]12 Common Words That Will Boost Your Scrabble Score[/URL]

[url]http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/08/30/new-york-teen-dies-taking-lamborghini-for-once-in-lifetime-test-drive/[/url]

The URL is a bit ironic…

[QUOTE=Xyzzy;381751][url]http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/08/30/new-york-teen-dies-taking-lamborghini-for-once-in-lifetime-test-drive/[/url]

The URL is a bit ironic…[/QUOTE]

An early-life one-item bucket list, mayhap?

=======================

Caught a TV ad for Public Storage just now, advertising $1 first-month teaser rates for storing your stuff with them. Get this - their official trademarked slogan is
[i]
"We'll treat your stuff like it's our stuff."
[/i]
Hmmm...

PS is ok, their slogan notwithstanding.

I had to move all my stuff to storage three years ago - between the townhouse lease end and the closing on my home. Used PS, and I did pay just a few bucks for the largest unit they had for the three weeks that I needed.

Nothing happened to our/[I]their[/I] stuff. ;-)
I packed the whole unit wall to wall and to the sliding door with our crap. Maybe that helped. :truck:Nobody slept in it when we came back.

[url]http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/2f1mg3/nurses_of_reddit_whats_the_craziest_thing_youve[/url]

*whistles*

[QUOTE=rogue;381745][URL="http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/12-common-words-that-will-boost-your-scrabble-score"]12 Common Words That Will Boost Your Scrabble Score[/URL][/QUOTE]

Would the Brits here accept all those "*.ize" words as legit, or correctly spelled? :sirrobin::lol:

[QUOTE=kladner;381788]Would the Brits here accept all those "*.ize" words as legit, or correctly spelled? :sirrobin::lol:[/QUOTE] There are (at least) two separate questions here. First is acceptability in the game of Scrabble. There the Brits have no real choice. If the word is in the standard reference used it is acceptable, otherwise it is not. Note that the US uses a different standard for English-language Scrabble from the rest of the world so players in international competitions have to be aware of which standard they must obey.

The other is acceptability in general written communication. As far as I am concerned, they are acceptable. There again, I'm an Oxford man. The [i]OED[i] generally prefers -ize, especially for those words derived ultimately from Greek. It, and other decent dictionaries, give bothe -ise and -ize suffices where they have been used sufficiently often.

[QUOTE=xilman;381791]There are (at least) two separate questions here. First is acceptability in the game of Scrabble. There the Brits have no real choice. If the word is in the standard reference used it is acceptable, otherwise it is not. Note that the US uses a different standard for English-language Scrabble from the rest of the world so players in international competitions have to be aware of which standard they must obey.

The other is acceptability in general written communication. As far as I am concerned, they are acceptable. There again, I'm an Oxford man. The [i]OED[i] generally prefers -ize, especially for those words derived ultimately from Greek. It, and other decent dictionaries, give bothe -ise and -ize suffices where they have been used sufficiently often.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]NOTICE OF REVOCATION OF INDEPENDENCE

To the citizens of the United States of America,

In the light of your failure to elect a President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective today. Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchial duties over all states, commonwealths and other territories. Except Utah, which she does not fancy. Your new prime minister (The Right Honourable Tony Blair, MP for the 97.85% of you who have until now been unaware that there is a world outside your borders) will appoint a minister for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded.

A questionnaire will be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

1. You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary. Then look up "aluminium". Check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'favour' and 'neighbour', skipping the letter 'U' is nothing more than laziness on your part. Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters. [COLOR=Red][B]You will end your love affair with the letter 'Z' (pronounced 'zed' not 'zee') and the suffix "ize" will be replaced by the suffix "ise".[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

[URL]http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/revocation.asp[/URL]

The beer rules are also hilarious. The tale of the many-times-enhanced versions is also amusing.
[QUOTE][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]12. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all, it is lager. From November 1st only proper British Bitter will be referred to as "beer", and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as "Lager". The substances formerly known as "American Beer" will henceforth be refered to as "Near-Frozen Knat's Urine", with the exception of the product of the American Budweiser company whose product will be referred to as "Weak Near-Frozen Knat's Urine". This will allow true Budweiser (as manufactured for the last 1000 years in Pilsen, Czech Republic) to be sold without risk of confusion. [/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=ixfd64;381784][url]http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/2f1mg3/nurses_of_reddit_whats_the_craziest_thing_youve[/url]
[/QUOTE]
I have a copy of an x-ray of: [SPOILER]A knife in an eye.[/SPOILER]
The story behind it: [SPOILER]The young fellow was using his knife to pop truck tires. The pressure from one of them caused the knife to kick back. Instant karma[/SPOILER]

Scrabble players adhere to two religions, one is SOWPODS and one is TWL. It has nothing to do with being british or american, or chinese, thai, etc. If the word is in the list, that's it. If it is not, that's it.

[QUOTE=Uncwilly]The story behind it: [SPOILER]The young fellow was using his knife to pop truck tires. The pressure from one of them caused the knife to kick back. Instant karma[/SPOILER][/QUOTE][SPOILER][url]http://www.reddit.com/r/IdiotsFightingThings/comments/1j18su/never_bring_a_knife_to_a_tire_fight/[/url][/SPOILER]

Re. crazy headwounds, check out the late Mr. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phineas_Gage]Phineas Gage[/url]. Yes, the dude survived -- in fact he was walking and talking almost immediately after the accident. The Wiki article is fascinating reading.

There was a famous article in [i]Science[/i] a few decades ago which did a computerized reconstruction of Gage's skull wounds. IIRC in House MD, House has a reproduction of that cover image on the shelf behind him as he sits at his office desk.

[QUOTE=kladner;381788]Would the Brits here accept all those "*.ize" words as legit, or correctly spelled? :sirrobin::lol:[/QUOTE]

As xilman has said, the answer to this question is "Yes".

However, there is an associated question which has to do with "*.yze" words. They are not, in any way, legit. It shouldn't take long to analyse the origins of these words, to discover how the erroneous substitution of zed for ess occurred. [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hart%27s_Rules"][I][COLOR=#0066cc]Hart's Rules for Compositors and Readers at the University Press, Oxford[/COLOR][/I][/URL] states: "In verbs such as analyse, catalyse, paralyse, [I]-lys-[/I] is part of the Greek stem (corresponding to the element [I]-lusis[/I]) and not a suffix like [I]-ize[/I]. The spelling [I]-yze[/I] is therefore etymologically incorrect."

[url]http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN110S9-Framed-110-Inch-Ultra/dp/B00L403O3A[/url]

The price is not a typo.

[QUOTE=ixfd64;381845][url]http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN110S9-Framed-110-Inch-Ultra/dp/B00L403O3A[/url]

The price is not a typo.[/QUOTE]

But did you read the reviews:

"Purchased this TV for my island retreat. Use it to primarily watch comedies like "The Shrinking Middle Class", "Income Inequality" and "The Ever Widening Wage Gap." Have to say, wow what a picture! Watching the 99% struggle with this level of clarity is amazing. It's like I'm right there beside them but thankfully I am not. No need to see that suffering firsthand, I can watch it in crystal clear 4K from a safe distance. Thanks Samsung!"

"I gave serious consideration to this tv. To be honest, I was torn between this and buying the movie theatre that is up for auction less than a mile from my house. The theatre is a little run down, but for the money, i could have had 7 theatre screens all to myself vs one very large tv. Unfortunately, the maintanence costs of a movie theatre combined with the required improvements made the theatre unfeasible. I decided to buy Nicaragua instead. So far, I have been happy with my decision. The rebel fighters are annoying, but they make a mean margarita."

And there are more.

[QUOTE=ixfd64;381845][url]http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN110S9-Framed-110-Inch-Ultra/dp/B00L403O3A[/url]

The price is not a typo.[/QUOTE]
Even at that price they still take off one cent.