The Muffin Incident Jan 25, 2007
When I got home from work yesterday, I was greeted with the most recent cat-produced disaster, hereafter referred to as "The Muffin Incident".  Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, so I wasn't able to reproduce photographic evidence of the offense.  But basically, it was exactly like The Marshmallow Incident but with blueberry muffins.  The scene I came home to was one of a ripped open plastic bag, half-eaten muffins strewn about the floor, and little blue bits flung all over the place.  Based on my observation of my cats' eating patterns, the blue bits are most likely the result of them (let's be honest, it was Dilbert) taking a bite of something, realizing it's gross, and shaking their head to make the undesirable food item fall out.  I find it at least slightly odd that the cats continue to eat something even after they realize it contains something they don't like.  But hey, whatever.  Cats are stupid crazy.  The most frightening part about this incident was that I thought the bag of muffins was originally placed on top of the refrigerator for safekeeping (i.e. cat-proofing).  So if the cats can get up on the fridge, what other out-of-reach places can they get to?  It turns out the muffins were actually on the kitchen table, which came as a much-needed relief. #food
Ray gun Jan 25, 2007
The U.S. military has a new weapon:  An "active denial system" that "shoots a beam that makes people feel as if they are about to catch fire."  That makes me smile.  This "ray gun" uses a form of microwave radiation called electromagnetic millimeter waves that are capable of penetrating a very thin layer of human skin.  The penetration heats the skin up to about 130°F, making it extremely uncomfortable but completely non-lethal and non-injurious.  God bless America.  (via Mental Floss) #science
Overheard Jan 25, 2007
5 things I like to be forced to overhear people doing: 
  1. Complaining about work, life, family, money, stress, etc.
  2. Burping, farting, or other bodily functions not followed by laughter.
  3. Talking about personal and medical problems like weight loss, relationships, bunions, menopause, OBGYN, urology, stones, etc.
  4. Spouting out misinformed and uneducated opinions about politics, religion, movies, music, etc.
  5. Nose-blowing, throat-clearing, loogie-hocking, or any other mucus-related activity.
#psychology
Reply-all kill switch Jan 25, 2007
Every few months at work, we have some sort of reply-all problem.  It usually goes something like this: 
Person 1:  (Addressed to all) I'm looking for information about this stupid thing that only I care about.
Person 2:  (Replying to all) I have that information.  Let's talk. 
Person 1:  (Replying to all) Thanks. 
Person 3:  (Replying to all) How can I be removed from this mailing list?
Person 4:  (Replying to all) You have to contact the computer people.
Person 5:  (Replying to all) Stop replying to all. 
Person 6:  (Replying to all) Please remove me from this mailing list. 
Person 7:  (Replying to all) Please, everyone, stop replying to all. 
I've seen these conversations escalate to involve upwards of 20 or 30 people angrily being asked to be removed from the list, all the while another 20 or 30 people keep reminding everyone to stop replying to all.  It's a downward spiral, and people get madder and more insistent upon each new email received. 

Since our email is server based (i.e. doesn't reside on our local PCs), it seems there should be a simple solution to this:  A reply-all kill switch.  When a reply-all conversation gets out of hand, the email server gods should be able to simply delete the non-essential emails from the server, which would instantaneously delete all related emails from everyone's inbox.  Or, the email server gods should be able to simply block all email with a certain subject (RE: Info about stupid thing) and/or certain recipients (All).  Since email has effectively devolved into the biggest timesuck for any organization's workforce, this little hack would make everyone's lives a little better.  Especially mine. #technology
Onion sports Jan 25, 2007
The Onion's sports section is hilarious.  Recent football headlines include: 
Peyton Manning Looking Forward To Ninth Annual Super-Bowl-Watching Party (#)

Bill Parcells: 'I've Always Hated Football' (#)

Americans Wondering What They Did To Deserve This Much Joe Buck (#)

Bears Lead Rex Grossman To Super Bowl (#)
Reminder:  The Onion is a fake news site. #sports
Huge manatee Jan 25, 2007
This is the kind of thing that keeps me going every day. 
(via Neatorama) #nature