Odd Lots
- So far, two people have written to request that I post photos of my rash. Ummm, no. You’d barf. And most of us take far too many trips to Three Mile Island already these days, Web discussion being what it is.
- And no, I’m not getting better. In fact, I may still be getting worse. But I do think it’s time to dump what’s in the Odd Lots file:
- While I wait patiently for more sunspots (and thus better ionospheric conditions for long skip) scientists tell me that I may have to do without them for awhile. (This from a link in a post with more graphs and links at WUWT.) The last time I had a really good antenna during a really good solar maximum was 1980.
- Intel is doing with its CPUs what IBM did with its mainframe processors in the 1960s: Disabling CPU features (in IBM’s case, it may have been as simple as inserting NOPs into the microcode) and then offering to turn them back on for a fee. (In this case, $50.) This is one of those things that sounds good on paper, but may not work well, and will certainly not make them any friends. (Odds on how long it takes the hardware hacker community to provide a crack?)
- PVC pipe fittings are wonderful big-boy tinkertoys, and come in any color you want as long as it’s black or white. If you want to broaden your spectrum a little, here’s how to permanently stain white PVC pipe any color you want.
- The battle between portrait mode and landscape mode in the online magazine world may come down to simple economics: It costs more to lay out (or somehow code up) a digital file that reads well both ways. Between the lines, however, I sense an attempt to twist Apple’s arm to cut their 33% cut of subscription revenue. Obnoxious question arises: How are iPad-targeted mags different from ambitious ad-supported bloggish Web-article sites like Wired, Slate, or Io9?
- While driving to our HMO’s Urgent Care facility the other day, I counted three MMDs (Medical Marijuana Dispensaries) on the eight-mile trip. Which means that Colorado Springs has a marijuana store every 2.7 miles. I guess we’re not so conservative here after all.
- One of the MMDs had a big banner across the storefront reading, “ICE CREAM!” Somehow I don’t think it’s French Vanilla.
- Pertinent to both of the above: The kettle is trying hard to prevent legalization of…the pot.
- It’s not the fat. It really is the fructose. (Thanks to David Stafford for the link.)
- Last Tuesday night we spent a little dusk-and-evening time at Cottonwood Hot Springs in Buena Vista, Colorado, and I highly recommend it. Not as slick as Mt. Princeton Hot Springs, but for looking up at the stars while immersed in hot water, you can’t beat it. (They keep lighting around the springs pools to an absolute minimum. Walk carefully if you value your toes.)
- Do you still smoke? If cancer doesn’t scare you enough, consider what it will do to your looks.
- I moderate comments on Contra pretty harshly, but I have to say, a recent spam comment from an IP in Vietnam is a testament to something. Maybe automated translation: “The content on this publish is really a single of the top material that I’ve ever occur across. I love your article, I’ll appear back to verify for new posts.” Heh. No, you won’t.
Posted in: Odd Lots.
Tagged: astronomy · hardware · health · humor · publishing · spam · travel
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There are at least four MMJ dispensaries in the downtown area of Denver, maybe more. One of them is along Blake Street, in between my office and the bus station, occupying Suite 420 (there’s that cheeky reference again) in the same building as the Concentra Urgent Care Center. It advertises a “Happy Hour” from 4:20-5:20 daily. (Closer to the original meaning of “420” here.) They call themselves “Apothecary of Colorado.” Incidentally, Pamela thinks the Finnish word “apteeki” (pronounced “ahp-taay-key”), meaning “drugstore” and a cognate of “apothecary,” would be a good generic word to use for all these businesses.
Meanwhile, another dispensary closer to where we live has run advertisements in one of the local publications, openly proclaiming, “Thursdays: Free joint with $25 purchase! Fridays: Free gram with $50 purchase!” Make no mistake, when it comes to MMJ in Colorado, these are the Crazy Years.
I suspect the Springs is allowing the dispensaries for at least one reason: they’re bringing in tax money that wouldn’t otherwise be generated by vacant storefronts. And medical marijuana is presently a growth industry in Colorado. (Pardon the pun…)
What puzzles Carol and me is how there could really and truly be this many doctors writing that many prescriptions for weed so as to support the thirty-odd MMDs listed in the CoS free paper. I sense a significant Bending of the Rules somewhere, though I’m not so interested that I’d spend time trying to figure out where. (My doc didn’t offer me weed when I went in for something to dull the shingles pain I’m in the thick of right now–and I’m good with that.)
My doctor wouldn’t prescribe me Mary Jane either. I, too, suspect there’s a few doctors out there who are willing to sign off on official state MMJ cards for just about anyone for any “imagined” reason. Not really my business, though.
Some of the dispensaries out there seem to be very focused on health concerns, and their names reflect that: “Wellness Center,” “Compassion Center,” and so forth. (Indeed, some of them offer other services, such as massage therapy and yoga.) But what is one to make of the ones that have “happy hours,” discount deals, or names like “Dr. Reefer’s Medical Marijuana Dispensary” (a real dispensary in Boulder)?
Incidentally, another science fiction story I’ve read correctly predicted that alcohol purveyors would line up against marijuana legalization. It also predicted that the timber industries would oppose it, because of the possibility of the increased use of hemp to make cheap, high-quality paper. I wonder if that will turn out to be the case here as well.