Finally! A flying saucer patent

I have been translating on and off since 1997 and full time since 2003. Since 2003, I have been translating patents exclusively. I have translated some pretty interesting stuff, most of which I can't talk about because I have signed a non-disclosure agreement. However, I have been hoping that someday I would be able to translate a patent for a flying saucer. Well, today it came! Here is the picture.No, I'm not joking!
I'll have to dig out my Isao Tomita albums and listen while I translate.
Now, if I can just find my crayons...

No more foggy mirrors!

Mark Steyn

Mark Steyn is quickly becoming one of my favorite columnists.
Take this one about Al Gore.

Vouchers

I haven't made a final decision about the vouchers issue, but I am leaning against it.
One of the main reasons to consider a voucher system is if public schools are broken or doing a very poor job. This may be the case in large inner city schools, but I don't see this situation in Utah. Although not perfect, public schools appear to be functioning fairly well. I taught part time for a while at Lone Peak High School, so I saw from the inside how a typical (I think) high school operates in Utah. The kids were typical immature high schoolers, but they worked in class when I was firm with them. Vouchers may become necessary in the future, but I am not sure they are necessary in Utah, yet.

Nascar Cooties

Them darn disease-ridden Southerners!
Just insert your favorite group in this sentence, "Be sure to get immunized before you attend XYZ!"

Suggestions for XYZ:
the Super Bowl
a Republican caucus meeting
a Democrat caucus meeting
an NAACP convention
a Mormon conference
a gay pride parade
a NOW convention

A Stupid Conclusion from a Correlation

Patty Henetz of the Salt Lake Tribune draws a whopping conclusion in this story.
The first two sentences are a non sequitur.
1. "Utah is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions per capita than the rest of the nation." 2. "The state is warming faster than the global average."
The rest of the article is one non sequitur after another.
It is clear her intention is to imply a causal relationship, but there is no evidence that even hints that Utah's emissions lead to higher temperatures in Utah (or anyplace else for that matter).
How dumb is that? Does she think than some sort of emission bubble permanently hangs over Utah and the wind never sweeps it away? The Huntsman commission didn't even draw such a conclusion (although it appears that Huntsman has bought into man-made global warming lock, stock, and barrel).

Not to beat a dead horse, but a correlation between two data sets does not mean there is a causal relationship.

Harry Reid's Visit To BYU

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid visited BYU yesterday as the weekly forum speaker. It was mostly uneventful. He gave his Searchlight, NV talk, but added a Mormon twist to it. He had a few one-liners that would only be funny to a Mormon crowd. He kept the political part of the speech fairly short and limited it to simple statements on his positions (which everyone knew about in advance anyway). He got some applause when he stated his antiwar position and his pro-life stance. However, the most bizarre moment was when he said that he thought Mormons would eventually vote Democrat in the large numbers that they do now for Republicans. I know that he doesn't smoke, but he must have been smoking something yesterday!! Great shifts in Democrat and Republican positions would have to occur for that to happen.

My position on global warming

My position on global warming is very simple.
I believe that global warming is occurring. The evidence is fairly clear.
However, I don't believe it is man made. Having watched several Science Channel (which usually takes a slightly liberal view of things) programs on the topic, I believe that the sun is the main reason for global temperature changes.

Darned Chopsticks!

Having trouble with chopsticks?
Just use a clothespin spring!

Boise State in the MWC Conference?

I think Boise State would be a great addition to the MWC, but I think the University presidents in this league might be a bit too stodgy to actually extend the invitation. Considering their absolute terrible judgment in Ok'ing the current television contract (what a fiasco!), I am not sure they would invite the right school. Tulsa, UTEP, Fresno State, and other such schools just do not match the attractiveness of Boise State. Nevada might be OK, but not nearly as good as BSU.

Tired of Praying?

Just get a prayer chair!

Good news, sort of...

I am happy to see that Cannon will have some competition in the primary. Jason Chaffetz, the former Huntsman chief of staff, has announced his candidacy. Being a member of the Huntsman inner circle is not necessarily a positive in my eyes. Huntsman is a disappointment for me.

I am an adherent of the ABC group in Utah County (Anyone But Cannon).

I remember when Cannon referred to his constituency as "unsophisticated." That was the last straw for me. His snooty, holier-than-thou, condescending attitude is more than I can bear.

Nevertheless, Chaffetz has a mountain to climb. Utah county senior citizens are notorious for voting for incumbents based on name recognition alone (maybe Cannon was right about that unsophisticated bit). If Chaffetz's last name was Hinckley, he might stand a chance.