Judge: McDonnell lawyers ‘dancing through fantasy land’

From Matt Zapotosky, Washington Post

"RICHMOND — A federal judge on Tuesday signaled that he is growing increasingly frustrated with the voluminous and at times rancorous filings by defense attorneys representing former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell (R) and his wife in a corruption case, dismissing one of their recent requests as “dancing through fantasy land” and asking them and prosecutors to limit their written disputes “for the sanctity of the trees.”"

Whole article here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/attorneys-for-former-virginia-governor-prosecutors-take-bitter-haggling-to-court/2014/03/17/264637ca-ae08-11e3-a49e-76adc9210f19_story.html

Basically, McDonnell's gripe is that since the government has screwed up other prosecutions, his case should be dropped.

Derf on Cosmos

A foot of snow yesterday in No. Va. Thought I would post some snow driving tips for the Millennials!

Driving safely on icy roads

1. Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop.
2. Finish all text messages and put you phone down before braking.
3. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
4. Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
5. Resist the urge to pick up your phone even if Amanda instagrammed a pic of Grant's new beard.
6. Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
7. Keep your lights and windshield clean. Look through the windshield occasionally.
8. If your front wheels skid, put down your phone and take your foot off the gas
9. Check Yelp for the latest review of that Celtic/Indian fusion bar and as the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return.
10. As it does, text Matt to join you, and steer in the direction the phone's GPS tells you to go.
11. Then put the transmission in "drive" or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.

Remember to Like, Re-blog, and Re-tweet this helpful advice. Let's be careful. Remember that your phone's case may not fully protect the beloved device in the event of an automotive crash.

"I wish they'd find that airplane so cable news can go back to focusing on other stories they have

no information about." - Frank Conniff

https://twitter.com/frankconniff

Scientific advances on the 5 Second Rule!

"If you’ve ever consumed food after dropping it on floor and then wondered what sorts of diseases you might be contracting, here’s a new study that may put your mind at ease (or not). New research out of Aston University in the U.K. finds that there may be some truth to the old wives’ tale, often called the “five second rule,” which suggests that it’s ok to pick up dropped food as long as it’s within a five-second limit. Many people halfheartedly teach their kids this first “rule” of food safety, because, hey, it’s better to risk disease than to waste food.

Whole article by Alice G. Walton of Forbes at
http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/03/14/amazingly-science-backs-5-second-rule-for-dropped-food/

Photos of colorful sunsets and cute kitties will drain your bank account

"Trend Micro’s security analysts have recently discovered that images of sunsets (and some cats) being shared on the Internet are carrying malware that can hack into bank accounts and begin drawing funds."

Whole article at Boing Boing
http://boingboing.net/2014/03/03/photos-of-colorful-sunsets-and.html

Vladimir Putin, Crusading Columnist for the New York Times

From Tom the Dancing Bug:

"Life Down on the Click Farm" - Tom the Dancing Bug

“Fortunately for police, the chips floated,” the news release said.

A married couple that tried to bluff Maryland’s largest casino with counterfeit $100 chips was caught and charged, and charges are being sought against two others for a similar fake-chip scheme, Maryland State Police announced Tuesday.

Rosa A. Nguyen, 36, and her husband, Vuong Q. Truong, 37 — both of Annandale in Northern Virginia — were charged with one count of theft and two counts of conspiracy to commit theft, after allegedly putting doctored chips into circulation at Maryland Live Casino. Additionally, Truong was charged with two other theft-related counts, according to a news release.

SNIP

The investigation led to Northern Virginia, where search warrants were served last week by Virginia State Police. In Fairfax County, investigators discovered that “many of the counterfeit chips had been discarded by one of the suspects in Lake Accotink,” not far from Nguyen and Truong’s home in the 4000 block of Estabrook Drive in Annandale.

“Fortunately for police, the chips floated,” the news release said.

Authorities recovered about $115,000 worth of counterfeit casino chips from the water.

Whole sorrid tale by By J. Freedom du Lac at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/local/wp/2014/02/25/two-charged-two-others-sought-for-passing-fake-chips-at-maryland-casino/?tid=hpModule_99d5f542-86a2-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394

FYI: Lake Accotink is a small man-made park lake, which thanks to over-fertilization of lawns, fills up with sediment making it about 12 inches deep in places.

Robot Termites Build Complex Structures with Amazingly Simple Rules

From Meeri Kim, Washington Post

"The termite, typically reviled as the wood-eating nemesis of buildings and homes, has ironically inspired a new batch of construction robots. The automated machines, each about the size of a small brick, can work as a team to build any predefined structure given to them — without a leader or step-by-step instructions, as termites are thought to do.

Instead of communicating directly with one another or following a central command, the robots coordinate their actions by assessing what work has already been done and adding to it. So, say the first robot puts down a block. As it leaves the site, another comes along and senses the block’s location. Based on this local information, as well as knowledge about the end product, it decides to put down its own load on top of the first."

Whole article and video here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/termites-inspire-construction-robots/2014/02/13/e6ef44ce-941f-11e3-83b9-1f024193bb84_story.html

Embedded video at