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New provisions under the Homeland Security Act classify the propellant in model rocketry engines as an explosive material, causing companies like UPS and FedEx to stop shipping them and making it difficult if not impossible for model rocketry club and enthusiasts to get permits for their hobby. I understand the need for heightened security in the wake of recent events, but this is ridiculous. I used to launch model rockets when I was younger, so I know full well that this is bullshit. Those engines are not powerful enough to do much more than provide thrust for a small rocket made of balsa wood and a cardboard tube; they are not *explosive* in the conventional sense of random destruction. The engines are resistant to conventional combustion; you need special electrical ignition switches to even get them to ignite. I know this, because when I was younger my friends and I used all kinds of flammable materials to try and get them to go off when I ran out of the electronic igniters, although I am loathe to admit that. 🙂

More and more, I see this nation going down a path of narrow-minded, paranoid delusions and haphazard, stifling regulations in the name of Homeland Security (duct tape, anyone?). I know that a lot has changed in this world rather quickly, but some circumspection and common sense is needed before things deteriorate into an Orwellian nightmare…

Including most of the cast members and following in the footsteps of such hilarious movies as Best In Show, Waiting For Guffman, and of course This Is Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind is opening April 16th. According to IMDB, the “mockumentary captures the reunion of 1960s folk trio the Folksmen (Guest, McKean, Shearer) as they prepare for a show at Carnegie Hall to memorialize a recently deceased concert promoter.” I can’t recommend those other movies highly enough and am really looking forward to this. The movie trailer is available here.

Support independence for The Republic of Cascadia, comprised of the “former American states of Oregon and Washington and the former Canadian province of British Columbia.” This campaign is surprisingly well-thought out, albeit in an off-kilter, delusional sort of way. I think that the “Bureau of Sasquatch Affairs: A Division of the Cascadian Department of Health and Hominoid Services” was the crowning touch, although the Belgian Conspiracy is most intriguing.

Was Stalin poisoned by the KGB? According to Russian historian Edvard Radzinski, they did it to avoid World War III, which the Soviets were unprepared to win. If you believe the historian, and if you believe the testimony of one of the guards on duty that night, then it seems very likely. Apparently, Uncle Joe was not in the habit of giving his bodyguards the night off. Go figure.

Are you easily amused? Then VirtualStapler.com : the Revolutionary Online Stapler Simulation might be just the thing to amuse you for seconds on end!

Do you remember such classic Atari games as Peabo Bryson’s Cow Tipper, Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Motocross, and the one based on the TV show Bosom Buddies? Well, if you do, then you must have some imagination, because despite the very realistic-looking screenshots, all of those games are fake. However, check out the rest of VGG’s awesome salute to the Atari 2600 and relive your childhood years with memories of some of the real games…

According to the official Star Wars page, Lucasfilm and the Cartoon Network are set to air 20 animated shorts taking place between the action of The Phantom Menace and the upcoming Episode III, continuing the saga of the Clone Wars. While this is a pretty cool development, many speculate that this means that the Episode III movie itself will not encompass the actual events of The Clone Wars, which would really suck. Keep an eye out for these animated shorts “in 2003-2004 between other programming.” Or check Kazaa regularly and save yourself the trouble. 😉

Why Nerds Are Unpopular is actually a pretty insightful article, as I can personally attest to, bordering on one myself back in high school. Perhaps it’s wishful thinking on my part, but I grade myself at least a “C” on the cafeteria map…

By the way, sign the petition at the official Freaks And Geeks site to get the show released on DVD!

I haven’t posted much about the NASA investigation into the loss of the Columbia, mostly because there just hasn’t been much concrete news. However, this video of the Columbia breakup seen through the gun camera of an AH-64 Apache taken by Dutch pilots training in Fort Hood, Texas shows some remarkable detail, although I’m reminded of the voyeuristic morbidity of reliving the burning reentry over and over again in the days following the tragedy. Anyway, NASA is interested in the video because it has an accurate time-coding as well as exact aircraft coordinates, along with much better resolution than most cameras. Still, I wonder whether they’ll ever figure out exactly what caused the catastrophic destruction of the shuttle…

I’ve been wondering for some time now why W has been playing down the issues of North Korean nuclear capabilities, especially considering how unstable and aggressive North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il is. Granted, there has been a lot of North Korean propaganda and rhetoric, but the region is way too volatile to simply blow off. CNN reports on the latest, and perhaps scariest, entry in North Korea’s “verbal barrage,” one that just maybe W should listen to: “Victory in a nuclear conflict will be ours and the red flag of army-first politics will flutter ever more vigorously…Our victory is certain and the future ever more radiant.”