From #haskell, via a discussion on reddit:

<sigfpe> Haskell is so strict about type safety that randomly generated snippets of code that successfully typecheck are likely to do something useful, even if you've no idea what that useful thing is.

Now that the weather has started to get warmer (high of 86F today!) the cats are starting to shed much of their winter fur. But they still have a lot. I snapped this picture of Smithers in the inbox he stole using eminent feline domain:

He is really a big cat.

Amazingly, the box is one of his favorite spots for napping.

Can you image what this would be like?

Detective: Well, we went over to the serial murder suspect’s house and he told us we couldn’t investigate him anymore. What do we do next?

Police Chief: I guess we’ll just have to drop the case. Oh well. The next time he brutally murders hundreds of people we can ask him again.

Oh, and it isn’t even just that. We also found out today that the NSA domestic spying has been even more extensive. But heaven forbid we investigate this! It is completely crazy that these government agencies are currently being operating under the assumption that they are above the law and not subject to any sort of checks and balances.

This has got to be one of the funniest unintentional comics I have ever seen.

In our global economy, occasional language difficulties crop up. I bought a second global mains plug adapter today at Staples. These warnings were found on the back:

• Do not put it on the place where is instability (such as on top of a shaky table, or the place that declined). Where it fells, it will cause trouble of an injury and damage. Also pay attention to a shock.
• Do not put a metal fragment inside (such as a wire). It will cause trouble of electric shock, and fire.
• Do not use it in the other methods besides an instruction manual.
• Do not put in on the place where infant can reach their hands. It will cause an accident of injury.
• Be sure to pull out the plug from the power socket after use. It will cause a trouble, and fire.
• Do not wet with liquid. It will cause trouble of an electric shock, short of an electronic circuit, emit smoke, ignition, and corrosion.
• Do not use it in condition where fixed to refrigerator/electric heater, etc for a long time. It will cause a fire.
• Do not decompose or remodel. It will cause trouble of electric shock, and fire.
• Do not use it in over 250 Voltage/6A eletric [sic] current. It will cause trouble of electric shock, and fire.
• Do not handle with wet hands. It will cause trouble of electric shock.
• Where there is abnormality, stop using it immediately. It wil cause trouble of electric shock, and fire when abnormal things happen such as a smoke, smell, and enters water.

On the plus side, the thing is built like a transformers toy and it supports type A,B,C,O,BF,B3,O2, and SE socket types. I didn’t even know there were that many. Of course, I am constantly nervous the thing may suddenly transform into a robot.

These are my URL ABCs:

• A is for abuse.net/lookup.phtml
• B is for blackboard.unh.edu
• C is for ctrlaltdel-online.com/index.php?t=archives&date=last
• D is for debian.org/security/2004/
• E is for en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
• F is for fark.com/
• G is for google.com/
• H is for howardforums.com/
• I is for isomerica.net/~dpn/rawdog/
• J is for juicystudio.com/fog/index.asp
• K is for kde-look.org/
• L is for livejournal.com/users/lucky_otter
• M is for myunh.unh.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp
• N is for newegg.com/
• O is for online.securityfocus.com/infocus/1659
• P is for pubpages.unh.edu/~cs515/
• Q is for questionablecontent.net/index.php
• R is for rfc-ignorant.com/
• S is for spamcop.net/
• T is for tv.yahoo.com/
• U is for uh.edu/
• V is for verizonwireless.com/b2c/index.jsp
• W is for wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=03857
• X is for xkcd.com/
• Y is for yarnivore.com/francis/archives/001102.html
• Z is for zug.com/classics.html

The UK Guardian has an article about some of the horendous working conditions at Nike’s factories:

In more than half of Nike’s factories, the report said, employees worked more than 60 hours a day.

Somebody call the NGOs!@ Screw it, somebody call Stephen Hawking! They must have some sort of time portal there! Thus, this weblog entry is unique in receiving the humour, scitech, and politics categories. (If they’ve corrected the error, view a screen shot.)

All joking aside, this is probably one of the best examples of what can go wrong with globalization. Nike has been known as a sweatshop company for years, yet they never seem to care. Why? Because customers continue to purchase Nike’s products, even when they know the truth about factory conditions.

UNH’s Mask and Dagger is putting on Nicky Silver’s Pterodactyls, a wicked funny black comedy. Very black. And very funny. I am the sound designer. If you can make it, you should go!

February 24-26th: 7PM, February 27th: 2PM.
MUB Strafford Room.
Tickets are available at theMUB Ticket Office.

As a lover of rodents, especially rats, I found this cake hilarious. I wonder how long it takes to make something like that? Via BoingBoing.

Seen in #pugglewump:

<@spinfire> Wunderground says it is -0 F here.
<aelscha> -0? heh
<@spinfire> it is a very low zero!
<@dyfrgi> It’s limiting to 0 from below.
<@spinfire> Haha.
<@spinfire> except it’s not, because it is definitely approaching 0 from above :)


On a lighter note:

As everyone knows, this year the Red Sox won the World Series. In fact, every time the Red Sox have won the world series in an election year, Woodrow Wilson has been reelected. Therefore, I predict the winner of tomorrow’s election to be Wilson, by a landslide.

Whats that you say? Hes dead? Well, nobody thought the Sox would win, either!

I never before realized the amazing similarities between Dick Cheney and C. Montgomery Burns. But, this wonderful photoshop brought immediate laughter. Even the liver spots match.

Eeeexcellent. (Via Boing Boing and many, many others.)