Eric Covener’s Journal

i miraculously was able to fix my jammed (all the way pushed up to the steering wheel, of course) electric drivers-side seat with my own two little hands. Electrical snafu aside, The honoroable engineers at toyota made each of the 4 14mm nuts in it’s own uniquely challenging orientation.

I felt like a combination of Andy Duphresne and a triumphant contestant on Ninja Warrior when I hoisted the seat out of the car, only to flop it over and stare at the electrical guts.

I was very surprised that neither FAQ for this failure was actually the problem, but there was a blatant disconnected line that did the trick.

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/backstage_error_scraps_quiz_show_sJe8oL2jywmh8tnstE0RVO”

FOX is pulling “Our Little Genius” off the air — and will reshoot the entire series to avoid the appearance that the young contestants may have had help with the answers.

“I recently discovered that there was an issue with how some information was relayed to contestants during pre-production of ‘Our Little Genius,’ ” the show’s producer, Mark Burnett, said in a statement.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/backstage_error_scraps_quiz_show_sJe8oL2jywmh8tnstE0RVO#ixzz0c2WIi8Ln

They insist the children didn’t get answers, which probably means they only got the questions ahead of time!

Man threatening to `kill all the Jews’ taken off Miami flight, arrested

An Ohio man who became loud and disruptive aboard a flight from Miami to Detroit — at one point shouting “kill all the Jews” — was removed from the airplane and taken into custody by Miami-Dade poli

Although if you really were about to go on a anti-jew rampage, why would you be flying out of Miami and into Detroit? This guy needs a refresher of his Jewish stereotype handbook.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34436730/ns/us_news-life/

MILWAUKEE – Cities around the country that have installed energy-efficient traffic lights are discovering a hazardous downside: The bulbs don’t burn hot enough to melt snow and can become crusted over in a storm — a problem blamed for dozens of accidents and at least one death.

With Reverse Panda Syndrome:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/12/giant-panda-genome/

The panda genome gives clues to understanding the panda’s strict bamboo diet. It turns out that pandas have mutations in two copies of a taste gene called T1R1, which encodes a protein that senses the savory taste of meats, cheeses, broths and other high-protein foods. These mutations may have robbed pandas of the ability to taste meat, pushing them toward their bamboo diet, the researchers suggest.

Pandas possess all the requisite genes for digesting meat, but none of the genes required for digesting bamboo, Wang and colleagues found. The researchers guess that pandas rely entirely on communities of gut microbes for extracting nutrients from bamboo.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/07/saturday.night.live.cast/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Michaela Watkins and Casey Wilson have been dropped from the show, while Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad are joining the cast, Entertainment Weekly reports.

Watkins — who joined “SNL” mid-season last year and was known for her hilarious impersonations of Barbara Walters and Kathie Lee Gifford’s suffering “Today” show co-host Hoda Kotb — said she was shocked by the firing.

(Casey is the brunette Cougar).

New additions that nobody has probably ever seen before: Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad.

Best in-movie pseudo music videos:

http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/06/16/five-awesome-intentionally-funny-music-videos-in-movies/

Including Empire Records, Naked Gun, Eurotrip

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1656168.html

If you like your pooch at your feet while dining outside Raleigh restaurants, your doggie dinner dates are numbered.

Wake County food safety officials, citing their interpretation of state rules, have started telling restaurants that canines are no longer allowed at outside tables.

… 26 dollars for the assorted crap picked up throughout Target while waiting for it to be ready. Well played target.

http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2009/08/18/9873193.aspx

Here is our list of action-ons.

The obfuscation is now complete. Nobody knows whether this is a list of things they want to do, a list of things for which management has given their approval, a list of things for which work has begun, or a list of things which have been completed! The only thing that is clear from that sentence is that there’s a list of some sort.

I’m surrounded by people blathering on about terms made up in the last month that have no rigorous meaning, so I can sympathise.