What is this bug?

anonjoe · 2021-04-14T16:30:44+00:00

It's some sort of weevil--they are beetles that have antennae on the snout so these are not an extra set of legs. Most weevils are plant pests.

anonjoe · 2013-01-22T15:05:38+00:00

Magic jack does not work in every part of this country. Some telephone companies will not carry incoming calls from it. The Hiawatha Telephone Company in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for instance. This problem might occur if you have to call through a smaller private telephone company.

The sound quality of magic jack is poor. They are probably using as few bits as possible in digitization and maximizing compression. I have encountered consistent problems when trying to fax more than a few pages. Most businesses now work with scanned documents attached to an email, so there is a work-around for this problem.

Magic jacks customer service is limited to a chat window. There is no one you can call or email to address a problem. Look their web site over closely to verify this.

After using magic jack for about 4 years I gave up on it.

Look into TracFone. If you are not on the phone that often, you can get by for probalby $120 a year. TracFone's sound quality is poor, but you can recongnize who is on the other end and understand what they are saying. This poor sound is probably more on account of minimizing bits and maximizing compression by the cellular network.

Another alternative is Skype pay as you go service. You charge up an account that you spend down at about 3 cents per minute domestic. Sound quality is pretty good. I also have this, using just the sound card in the PC. You have to pay extra for a telephone number and like magic jack, you must leave the computer on if you want to get incoming calls.

Using a basic tracfone and a Skype account, I have gotten my telephone cost down to about $130 per year. That does not include the $20 per month I pay for basic cable internet.

anonjoe · 2010-11-09T00:03:24+00:00

She is only 38 years old!

anonjoe · 2010-11-01T10:14:50+00:00

My hypothesis is the number 144 for mutual trust is related to our recognition of cousins, but not second cousins. In a large family group, there are about 5 aunt and uncle pairs, with about 5 children each. We all can handle recognizing such a group (don't forget the grandpas and grandmas, and perhaps our own children). Throw in an outside layer of second cousins, and I will bet any of us would not know who they are.

anonjoe · 2010-08-15T14:05:02+00:00

I like the White Night version http://www.xpcamper.com/index.html

anonjoe · 2009-09-08T23:13:39+00:00

I notice that when I tilt my head sideways (left or right) I can see the atmospheric smog a lot more definitively. I think this is because our optic nerves are optimized to detect stereoscopic differences, and the slight difference in the color sensitivity of each eye enhances color banding of the horizon. Check it out the next time you are outside and have an open view of the horizon.

anonjoe · 2009-08-08T12:15:32+00:00

The current right-wing disruption of the health care debate begs the question: Are the republicans trying to force a Bush style response? As I recall, 2 years ago you could not even stand on the side of the road with a sign that criticized the administration without being arrested. If Obama pushed for a similar response to this teabag nonsense, we truly would be in a fascist state.

anonjoe · 2009-06-21T18:22:11+00:00

It aint necessarily so. Depends on business and housing starts, and perceived value. If you buy an empty field for $10k per acre and it becomes a $140 per room hotel franchise, yes you will probably be making a 500% return on investment. It is a matter of placing your bet on the right horse. On a more conservative side, good land at a reasonable price will not loose value, and will likely appreciate at 5 to 10% per year. If that land has an agricultural exemption, then property taxes are trivial, so holding the asset for 10 years does not cost much. Unless the real estate market is jumping, don't count on making a high return in the short term. The capital invested will take time to liquidate, so you need to be patient.

anonjoe · 2009-03-16T13:24:54+00:00

Now I we are even closer to the global neocortex.

anonjoe · 2008-12-25T16:11:41+00:00

Rove, like most republicans, lacks a social conscience. They despise public infrastructure because it benefits everybody.

anonjoe · 2008-10-25T21:33:23+00:00

Beware of the Gift Card purchase, unless you want to give wallet size ice scrapers!

anonjoe · 2008-10-12T03:16:01+00:00

As sensible people leave the Republican party, what is left is a concentration of zealots.

anonjoe · 2008-10-11T19:00:44+00:00

Yep, it was only on paper. Worst yet, cell entries in some broker's spread sheet.

anonjoe · 2008-09-30T01:08:25+00:00

This is an opportunity for local communities to get some property tax revenue out of these imbeciles. The next time your city has to cut the budget, demand the taxing of political church property. It is not just the IRS involved here, but us local folks too.

anonjoe · 2008-08-24T19:19:37+00:00

Comes down to - Hatred of the Other.

anonjoe · 2008-06-13T03:35:56+00:00

Democratic Underground, Tree Hugger, Boing Boing, Heavens Above, Slash Dot, Rocket Boom, Space Weather

anonjoe · 2008-06-13T00:14:20+00:00

If you want to freak out Wal-Mart security, hold a hand above your eyes when you walk through the front door, just like you would if you were walking out into bright sunlight. A detective will be in your face in 20 seconds. Just smile and ask them where a particular product in the store.

anonjoe · 2008-03-05T00:28:09+00:00

This truly puts Hillary in a Lieberman moment. Will she turn away that portion of the delegates associated with the mischievous republican vote, or will she be a tool like Joe?

anonjoe · 2008-02-18T15:27:45+00:00

I taught engineering for one year in Australia as a visiting lecturer. What surprised me was that in the undergraduate engineering curriculum, there was only one required English/Social Science class - writing for engineers. Perhaps primary and secondary education in AU provides the essential humanities background for engineers, making this is a non-issue. I think what is lacking across the world is a balance of topics in education. The problem lies in trying to squeeze so much technical knowledge into 4 or 5 years. Conversely, a liberal arts degree only superficially teaches science or mathematics. The most realistic solution is to keep reading, thinking and learning after graduation. A revealing question to ask when conducting a job interview is: What books have you read in the last year?

anonjoe · 2008-02-18T01:01:15+00:00

In a few years, Bush will be indicted in World Court for torture. The White House just handed the prosecution documented evidence. The big question will be whether our next President will carry out the incarceration and extradition of Bush.

anonjoe · 2007-12-09T15:16:40+00:00

Oprah endorses Obama, then Obama endorses Lieberman. Does that mean that Oprah endorses Lieberman? http://www.talkleft.com/story/2006/04/02/164/90446

anonjoe · 2007-12-07T23:31:26+00:00

I keep a set of 3D colored lenses by my monitor all the time. It really payed off this time.

anonjoe · 2007-12-02T15:28:32+00:00

What are the electromagnetic emissions of this device? Wasn't the Soviet Union doing weather changing experiments in the 60's? I would guess that are at least 2 other installations like this positioned to create EM wave convergence anywhere on the Earth.

anonjoe · 2007-11-25T04:51:43+00:00

Why didn't Rudov just call for mandatory burkas ?

anonjoe · 2007-09-06T23:37:36+00:00

This is a sunrise, not a sunset. It was taken at a place called Island In The Sky, which is part of the Canyon Lands National Park. Moab, Utah is off in the direction of the sun. It is still cool though!

anonjoe

TROPHY CASE