Author Archives: Merlin Silk

The Deadliest Weapon

Even though I believe that this Rev. Robert Tilton is a just a skilled con man, I have still learned something very important from him as the farting preacher – facts don’t matter if you are using the most dangerous weapon of them all – ridicule.

So, why is not somebody so brave to make a video like this about David Miscarriage Miscavige?

How many planes in Europe and America

Found this great web site that shows real-time flight traffic around the world, OK, most of the world – guess the one that has radar.

What I found interesting is the amount of traffic in the air at any given moment in time – and the difference between Europe and North America. As expected, North America has more traffic, but Europe’s traffic is more up to date (yellow v. orange).

More on Chrome Users, Profiles and Applications

Recently I reported on my findings about the Google Chrome parameters

  • –user-data-dir and
  • –profile-directory

Now I had to set up a computer for somebody with two main gmail accounts and I wanted to have direct access from an icon in the windows 7 task bar to each of these two gmail accounts.

It required a bit of juggling all these Chrome parameters but I finally managed to have two gmail icons in the task bar that allowed the user to get her two gmail accounts without ever having to switch accounts. The following solution also avoided the confusion that was created by the fact that Chrome remembers the last User that was active when Chrome is closed.

The first icon has the following parameters:

%path-to-chrome%\chrome.exe 
   --user-data-dir="C:\usr\browser\chrome-0001" 
   --profile-directory="Default" 
   -app=https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0

and the second is different in selecting another user within the same profile

%path-to-chrome%\chrome.exe 
   --user-data-dir="C:\usr\browser\chrome-0001" 
   --profile-directory="Profile 1" 
   -app=https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0

You know how to set the properties of a pinned icon in the windows 7 task bar, yes?

Really? You are good – it was more by accident that I ran into this and was rather relieved when I did – Right-click on the icon, and then right-click again on the name of the application (usually the second from the bottom if the application is not running, otherwise the third.) This is  how you get to the usual window for the properties of a shortcut.

2001 for the new Generation

Stanley Kubric’s movie 2001 must be my most favorite movie – how could it be not – I  have watched it probably about 10 times. But then again, that was a long time ago.

When I wanted to share that love with my son a while back he got bored with it really quickly. I realized that this is definitely a movie for which you have to have patience and that is not trained with today’s fast-paced flicks.

Finally, somebody came a long and made – at least – a trailer for this cinematic masterpiece that might appeal to the new generation. They might be disappointed once they start watching it for real – especially the long takes in the beginning – but maybe they gain some patience and learn to enjoy scenes that are longer than three seconds…

They are alive!

Ran into a video at the YT Academy (YouTube) of autonomous little robots ganging together to play the James Bond theme. Sure, they did not build all the instruments themselves but I am sure this is just a matter of time.

But all these little guys jamming it out makes them really look alive and having fun…

I had to look a little bit further on what that actually is all about, and found this TED talk…

Courtroom Dramas – Really!

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while the exchanges were taking place.

Attorney:What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?

Witness:He said, ‘Where am I, Cathy?’

Attorney:And why did that upset you?

Witness:My name is Susan!

Attorney:What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?

Witness:Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

Attorney:Are you sexually active?

Witness:No, I just lie there.

Attorney:What is your date of birth?

Witness:July 18th.

Attorney:What year?

Witness:Every year.

Attorney:How old is your son, the one living with you?

Witness:Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can’t remember which.

Attorney:How long has he lived with you?

Witness:Forty-five years.

Attorney:This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?

Witness:Yes.

Attorney:And in what ways does it affect your memory?

Witness:I forget..

Attorney:You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?

Attorney:Now doctor, isn’t it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn’t know about it until the next morning?

Witness:Did you actually pass the bar exam?

Attorney:The youngest son, the 20-year-old, how old is he?

Witness:He’s 20, much like your IQ.

Attorney:Were you present when your picture was taken?

Witness:Are you shitting me?

Attorney:So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?

Witness:Yes.

Attorney:And what were you doing at that time?

Witness:Getting laid

Attorney:She had three children , right?

Witness:Yes.

Attorney:How many were boys?

Witness:None.

Attorney:Were there any girls?

Witness:Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?

Attorney:How was your first marriage terminated?

Witness:By death..

Attorney:And by whose death was it terminated?

Witness:Take a guess.

Attorney:Can you describe the individual?

Witness:He was about medium height and had a beard

Attorney:Was this a male or a female?

Witness:Unless the Circus was in town I’m going with male.

Attorney:Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?

Witness:No, this is how I dress when I go to work.

Attorney:Doctor , how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?

Witness:All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.

Attorney:ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?

Witness:Oral…

Attorney:Do you recall the time that you examined the body?

Witness:The autopsy started around 8:30 PM

Attorney:And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?

Witness:If not, he was by the time I finished.

Attorney:Are you qualified to give a urine sample?

Witness:Are you qualified to ask that question?

Attorney:Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?

Witness:No.

Attorney:Did you check for blood pressure?

Witness:No.

Attorney:Did you check for breathing?

Witness:No…

Attorney:So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?

Witness:No.

Attorney:How can you be so sure, Doctor?

Witness:Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.

Attorney:I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?

Witness:Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

Thanks, Beverly!