Anyone know anything about smoke alarms? The geniuses behind the model building code require smoke alarms to be "hard wired," meaning that they're tied into your electric circuitry. I think it also means that they're linked: if one goes off, they all go off. Great idea, until one of them malfunctions and trips all of them, then stops, then waits for you to doze off, then goes off again. It's been happening for two weeks now (twice last night; each episode lasting about 25 minutes) and nobody can tell us why it's happening. Any ideas? Email link on left.
Anyone know whether it's possible to locate a lost cell phone equipped with GPS, if the cell phone is turned off? We've lost one of our new (well, not new: we had it 19 days) Razr V3 phones. Cost to replace: $209. I should've gotten the insurance, but it's $5 a month and has a $30 deductible. If we lose a phone every 19 days, we'd burn through $540+ in annual deductibles, plus $60 in premiums. I'd rather use cans and string. But if you think there's a way for us to locate the cell phone using GPS technology, please email me (email link on left). (Note: We're pretty sure it's in the house. If there's a way to use GPS to confirm it is or isn't, that would give us certainty.)
If it seems to you that this posting doesn't have a happy air to it, you're picking up my electronic vibe well. If anyone knows the best way to drink hemlock, email link on left.
Fortunately, there are stories like this to lighten my day: "A would-be kidnapper shot his own testicle after tucking his gun into the waistband of his trousers."
When babies aren't wanted, everyone pays. Especially this guy: A German court has ordered a gynecologist to pay child support for up to 18 years as compensation for botching a contraceptive implant.
The race is on to digitise the world's literature . . . A vast coalition backed by Yahoo and Microsoft is working to outpace internet juggernaut Google and be the first organisation to digitise the world's books.
I don't like reading electronic books. Lots of reasons, I suppose: Staring straight ahead, not being able to adjust the position of the book, the glare. But according to Gary North at Lew Rockwell, helpful e-book technology has arrived.
Finally: My weekly column at Catholic Exchange was delayed a day. So if you woke up this morning, tearing out your hair, thinking, "I missed Scheske's column!" stop fretting. Excerpt:
I'm hoping this trend isn't limited to gender decisions. I, for instance, would like the freedom to be a horse. I guess I have that freedom now: I could walk around on all fours, snort, and try to get people to ride me. But it'd be a lot better if I could force my local Health Board to recognize it and give me Mr. Ed status. That way, I'd be entitled to a public servant to scoop up the streets after me.
