ColdINK http://www.ColdINK.net ColdINK Blog 2010-03-13T03:03:52Z ColdINK.Net ColdINK CMS System en Nick "LiQUiD_X" Johnson 37.378341-122.023987 Shounen Shinigami http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/03/12/Shounen_Shinigami 2010-03-04-Shounen-Shinigami.png
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I don't post much of my art here since most of it's intended for a different audience. Still, it's been slow, so may as well ;)

The outfit is somewhat inspired by Maka from Soul Eater. I didn't intend his face to look so Death Note-ish, but it seems to suit him. ^.^
]]> 2010-03-12T14:50:27-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/03/12/Shounen_Shinigami Another victim to religion http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/03/09/Another_victim_to_religion http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/...oore-gun-range

Newly released notes and audio recordings left behind by a woman who shot her son and then took her own life leave little doubt that she planned the attack.

In rambling messages to family, friends, police and the owners of Shoot Straight, the Casselberry gun range she chose for Sunday's fatal shooting, Marie Moore said the murder-suicide was the only way to save her son Mitchell Moore, her family and the world from violence and eternal damnation.

"I'm so sorry," Marie Moore, 44, wrote in one note. "I had to send my son to heaven and myself to Hell."
This is tragic, not to mention idiotic in the extreme.
]]> 2010-03-09T01:38:19-08:00 Onionpaste http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/03/09/Another_victim_to_religion Google Street View http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/03/08/Google_Street_View
]]> 2010-03-08T11:55:14-08:00 LiQUiD_X http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/03/08/Google_Street_View Poor Gore.. Still chasing ManBearPig http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/03/02/Poor_Gore__Still_chasing_ManBearPig
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=11411

Gore says, "The heavy snowfalls this month have been used as fodder for ridicule by those who argue that global warming is a myth, yet scientists have long pointed out that warmer global temperatures have been increasing the rate of evaporation from the oceans, putting significantly more moisture into the atmosphere — thus causing heavier downfalls of both rain and snow in particular regions, including the Northeastern United States."

It's an interesting theory, but where are the facts?

According to "State of the Climate" from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "Global precipitation in 2009 was near the 1961-1990 average." And there was certainly no pattern of increasing rain and snow on America's East Coast during the post-1976 years, when NOAA says the globe began to heat up.

So what was it, exactly, that Gore's nameless scientists "have long pointed out"? A 2008 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, "Climate Change and Water," says climate models "project precipitation increases in high latitudes and part of the tropics." In other areas, the IPCC reports only "substantial uncertainty in precipitation forecasts."
]]> 2010-03-02T11:40:37-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/03/02/Poor_Gore__Still_chasing_ManBearPig Link Soup for February 2010 http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/03/01/Link_Soup_for_February_2010
]]> 2010-03-01T12:08:24-08:00 ColdINK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/03/01/Link_Soup_for_February_2010 Think Muslims are the only ones who view women as slave creatures? http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/25/Think_Muslims_are_the_only_ones_who_view_women_as_slave_creatures
http://jezebel.com/5479032/the-next-...et-miscarriage

A new Utah law could charge women with homicide if they miscarry, making women's rights advocates concerned that women will be brought up on murder charges for drinking, failing to wear a seatbelt, or falling down the stairs.
Read the article... This has already passed the legislature and could soon become law. It really is as backward and scary as it sounds.

Women are objects, after all. Right?

*sigh*
]]> 2010-02-25T14:42:45-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/25/Think_Muslims_are_the_only_ones_who_view_women_as_slave_creatures Wait, wat? http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/24/Wait_wat http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000..._WSJ_US_News_5

The bill's centerpiece is a tax credit for employers who hire new workers—a measure Democrats hope will motivate business owners to hire.

Employers wouldn't have to pay their 6.25% share of federal payroll taxes for the rest of 2010 for any new workers that have been unemployed for at least 60 days. If that employee was still on the books in a year, the business owner would receive an additional $1,000 tax credit.
(Emphasis mine)

Seriously? Seriously?

Interviewer: How long have you been out of work?
Candidate: Oh, I'm not. I'm pretty good at my job. Just looking to progress my career, ya know. I see a great future with your company and think I'd be a valuable asset.
Interviewer: Oh, sorry. We're looking for someone who's been un-hirable for at least 60 days.

Later that day...

Interviewer: So, how long have you been out of work?
Candidate: Beaver Monkey Dishwasher! Purple!
Interviewer: Longer than 60 days?
Candidate: I engineer! ENGINEER! I make things go BING! BADA! PURPLE! MONKEY!
Interviewer: You sound perfect. You can start today!

*sigh*

Or how about the companies who decide to lay off workers for 60 days, re-hire them, then lay off a different set of workers for 60 days?

Is there any logic left in our congress critters? Any at all? Has there ever been any?

For the love of Snarf, stop meddling with the fucking economy you damned dirty apes. It will do just fine without you :/
]]> 2010-02-24T14:38:23-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/24/Wait_wat Canadian politicians won't even use Canada's health care institution http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/24/Canadian_politicians_wont_even_use_Canadas_health_care_institution
http://www.google.com/hostednews/can...Yz_6_b-gsGGDxA

The 60-year-old Williams said doctors detected a heart murmur last spring and told him that one of his heart valves wasn't closing properly, creating a leakage.

He said he was told at the time that the problem was "moderate" and that he should come back for a checkup in six months.

Eight months later, in December, his doctors told him the problem had become severe and urged him to get his valve repaired immediately or risk heart failure, he said.

His doctors in Canada presented him with two options - a full or partial sternotomy, both of which would've required breaking bones, he said.

He said he spoke with and provided his medical information to a leading cardiac surgeon in New Jersey who is also from Newfoundland and Labrador. He advised him to seek treatment at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami.

That's where he was treated by Dr. Joseph Lamelas, a cardiac surgeon who has performed more than 8,000 open-heart surgeries.

Williams said Lamelas made an incision under his arm that didn't require any bone breakage.

"I wanted to get in, get out fast, get back to work in a short period of time," the premier said.
]]> 2010-02-24T12:07:01-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/24/Canadian_politicians_wont_even_use_Canadas_health_care_institution Für Noggin http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/24/Fr_Noggin
]]> 2010-02-24T10:14:31-08:00 DeathCharms http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/24/Fr_Noggin And you thought train crossings were bad.. http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/22/And_you_thought_train_crossings_were_bad airports-2-470-0210.jpg
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Bonus pic of another terrifying air port ^.^

]]> 2010-02-22T10:20:02-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/22/And_you_thought_train_crossings_were_bad I would so live here, XVII http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/17/I_would_so_live_here_XVII lrFgE.jpg
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C'mon; it looks like a giant fucking airship!
]]> 2010-02-17T11:51:12-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/17/I_would_so_live_here_XVII Hiking Journal - Big Basin - 2/13/10 and 2/15/10 http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/16/Hiking_Journal_-_Big_Basin_-_21310_and_21510


On Saturday we considered doing Shadowbrook backward, however in the end decided to follow last week's path instead. It was wet and muddy; Slippery Rock lived up to it's name as being quite slippery. The falls poured strongly from all the rain we've been getting.

In a vain attempt to find the old trail (vs. the new bridge that has been built) we walked up and down paved camp roads for just over a mile. That's what the odd Y-shaped path is at the south-east end of the trail ;) This camp is actually open and there were a handful of campers setup with tents. Why anyone would want to camp in mud is beyond me, but whatever.

Monday's hike was much more interesting. Once we reached Slippery Rock (we took a short break to hike down to the falls again, of course) we went up instead of across. Yes, that's right--the path goes up the slippery face of the rock. Some parts receive enough sun to dry off and there's a nice bed of moss on either side of the rock. As you can see by the GPS trail we hugged the left-hand side of the rock as closely as possible. We stopped near the top to get a nice view of the valley. Sadly a couple of other groups started climbing the rock, which completely dashed our plans to smoke a relaxing bowl up there.



Past the rock is a bit more of a climb. The trail then passes over an old escape road and starts winding down the other side of the mountain. This was probably my favorite part of the hike. I'm slightly acrophobic (and the trail a wee bit on the goat-insane narrow side) but the views were absolutely stunning. The trail winded around the peak; directly to the left was a steep drop (500 feet at least?) to the base. The redwoods are so massive they grow from that base, to the trail level, and past it into the sky. It's dizzying to follow one from its roots to its tip--especially when you're standing on a narrow mound of dirt serving as the path.

Sadly this part of the journey ended entirely too quick. We came to a road and a bridge--the turnaround point. It wasn't that late at this point, however, and neither of us felt too tired. After a brief consideration, we decided to tackle Meteor Trail.

This trail--a 600 foot climb from its base--is fairly exhausting. It's a little over a mile of uphill with few flat stretches for rest. As with most mountains, it gets steeper the closer you get to the peak. The creek runs along the right-hand side as you climb and is accented with frequent small waterfalls.

The trail climbs away from the creek near the end and eventually comes to a road. It's unfortunate we hadn't researched the area enough in advance (we thought we'd just turn back at the bridge) and thus were not aware Ocean View Summit was so near to the road we stopped at. We weren't sure what, if anything, we were supposed to be looking for up there. Instead we toked a bowl on the peak and started the return trek.

]]> 2010-02-16T10:44:32-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/16/Hiking_Journal_-_Big_Basin_-_21310_and_21510 Welcome to the United States of America®! http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/12/Welcome_to_the_United_States_of_America
http://www.zcommunications.org/the-c...y-noam-chomsky

The Corporate Takeover of U.S. Democracy
By Noam Chomsky

Source: ITT
Friday, February 05, 2010

Jan. 21, 2010, will go down as a dark day in the history of U.S. democracy, and its decline.

On that day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government may not ban corporations from political spending on elections—a decision that profoundly affects government policy, both domestic and international.
]]> 2010-02-12T12:26:20-08:00 DeathCharms http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/12/Welcome_to_the_United_States_of_America I would so live here XVI http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/10/I_would_so_live_here_XVI 1265663762ih8bLFR.jpg
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]]> 2010-02-10T18:04:40-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/10/I_would_so_live_here_XVI For all you dog lovers http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/08/For_all_you_dog_lovers
]]> 2010-02-08T11:55:26-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/08/For_all_you_dog_lovers Hiking Journal - Big Basin - 1/31/2010 http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/05/Hiking_Journal_-_Big_Basin_-_1312010
The full gallery (complete with full-sized images!) can be found below:

http://photos.nick.johnson.name/view...ods/Jan312010/

We took the Shadowbrook trail this time, ~5 miles round-trip. The first half of the trail sadly follows the paved road to a fairly nice campground (closed in Winter) at the base of Sempervirens Falls. I dislike following roads. The trail itself was nice enough. A bit bland, but not bad.

Note that we didn't hike on the road. Unseen in these pictures is an actual trail around 20ft away from the road itself. While the road takes a nice even climb through the mountain, the trail yo-yo's in elevation above and below it. We considered shifting to hike on the road instead but decided we'd prefer the better workout of the trail ;) In any case, the road was nearly always visible, which irked me.





The waterfall itself was quite nice. The water is fairly muddy at its base due to how shallow it was. I wish we could have approached the base itself (or squeezed in behind it!)--alas there were tons of "access restricted" signs everywhere and we didn't feel like angering the rangers that day.





]]> 2010-02-05T16:25:30-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/05/Hiking_Journal_-_Big_Basin_-_1312010 Tax Advice Fail http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/05/Tax_Advice_Fail epic-fail-tax-advice-fail.jpg
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]]> 2010-02-05T15:30:13-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/05/Tax_Advice_Fail Armatrix SmartGun disables itself so you don't have to http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/02/Armatrix_SmartGun_disables_itself_so_you_dont_have_to armatrix-smartgun.jpg
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http://www.gizmag.com/armatrix-wrist...andguns/14044/

To ensure criminals can’t just steal the watch along with the gun the user must first have their fingerprints verified. The fingerprint is read by a sensor on the watch, which compares it against an internal database of stored prints. Once the print is verified the watch is then activated for a definable period of time – a police officer’s work shift for example – or until manually deactivated.

Once the authentication procedure has been completed the weapon’s integrated locking electronics and actuators unlock the weapon automatically when it is within a predefined distance of the watch. In this way even if the gun is lost in a scuffle, it will be useless if it is not close enough to the watch. Also, if the watch is ripped off or removed, both the watch transponder and weapon are deactivated immediately.
...

This is a fucking brilliant idea. Now all I gotta do is bring a jamming device that can interfere with whatever wireless signal they're using (bluetooth? wifi? doesn't matter...don't need to decrypt it, just jam it) and...piggy can't shoot back.

Fucking. Retarded.
]]> 2010-02-02T15:10:11-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/02/Armatrix_SmartGun_disables_itself_so_you_dont_have_to Glowing Forest http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/01/Glowing_Forest 2010-01-21-Glowing-Forest-G.png
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First full painting ;) (As opposed to coloring)
]]> 2010-02-01T20:05:28-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/02/01/Glowing_Forest Link Soup for January 2010 http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/31/Link_Soup_for_January_2010
]]> 2010-01-31T00:06:21-08:00 ColdINK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/31/Link_Soup_for_January_2010 My respect for Obama is lower than ever http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/27/My_respect_for_Obama_is_lower_than_ever
And now he wants to axe manned space travel? Idiot. Asshole. Those are just the more polite words I'd use.

http://science.slashdot.org/story/10...=Google+Reader

He's obviously not an intellectual, no matter how much the far right likes using this word.

Obama is nothing more than a populist beauty queen. And that's downright sad.
]]> 2010-01-27T12:13:13-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/27/My_respect_for_Obama_is_lower_than_ever Hiking Journal - Big Basin - 1/23/2010 http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/25/Hiking_Journal_-_Big_Basin_-_1232010
Saturday was the only day (for over a week on either side of it) that had any significant period of dryness. The morning was raining, but the afternoon looked clear. Thus a short hike was decided upon as we didn't want to be out much past sunset. Just in case, I loaded my iPod with both Dvorak's and Mozart's requiem. If I'm going to be stuck in the wilderness at night I'm damned well going to listen to the right music.

The road to Big Basin is incredibly fun to drive. Most of it is one-lane with a turn every twenty feet or so. It's a slow but fun drive over the mountain, worth it even if you don't intend to camp or hike. We didn't get started until around 2:30 so didn't have much day left.


A forest rains long after the sky clears. The trees were covered with water, dripping slowly onto us. Water poured down the trails in ad-hoc streams. At times we second-guessed the trail, not sure if it was just temporarily a stream or if we'd missed a turn somewhere.

I carried Liquid's tripod in my pack. The tripod is too tall so sticks out like a pole. The wind over the past week knocked over several trees, creating hazards. I'm fairly certain I resembled a giant lobster crab-walking under these, trying (but failing) to keep the tripod from catching overhead branches. As trite as it sounds, I listened to Dvorak's New World Symphony as we hiked. My ears were sore when it finished so didn't bother with an encore. Besides, the streams and falling water were pleasant enough as they were.

In the end we opted not to even use the tripod--the ground was too muddy. The sky was also urgently pushing us for time. We really didn't want to be out much past sunset and were making slower progress than desired. Turns out swapping lenses whilst protecting them from the raining trees is a time-consuming process ;)


A forest grows dark long before sunset. The ground will be cast in shadow while the sky glows vibrantly. This worked to our disadvantage as, without the tripod, it's difficult to hold the camera steady enough to facilitate a slow shutter. Many of the nicer shots blurred due to this.

We stopped for a snack around 4:20 on a fire road and took the opportunity to refresh our buzz (weed and hiking go together wonderfully, I should add.) In addition to the camera, lenses, laptop, tripod, flashlights, snacks and other miscellaneous gadgets we carry a pair of fold-up chairs. Like the tripod these are too tall to fit in a backpack. They can be slung over the shoulder or carried by hand, however.

These chairs are a slight extra burden to carry, however more than pay off when you set them up. The comfort of being able to stop wherever you like and sit in comfort is beyond my ability to properly express.

We turned back shortly after this (well, diverted to a trail leading back to park HQ rather) due to the setting sun. I think we took some of the best pictures during this time. It started to rain again, although the same canopy that had been dripping on us all morning now protected us from the onslaught. Indeed, it was only slightly more wet with this light rain than it was without.

The rain clouds floating through the towering redwoods provided some amazing views. Sadly, the increased moisture also prevented Liquid from switching to a better lens. It was growing dark, anyway. Well, darker--the trail had been in deep shadow since we finished our snack.

We hiked down a different stream we hiked up. The flashlights helped, but this was still the longest 0.9 miles of the trek. The darkness increased the difficulty of distinguishing trail from creek, making for a fairly slow descent.

Still a very fun, if short, afternoon. Hopefully Liquid can get some more pictures posted soon. We're anxious for the weather to clear to try out the new photo equipment properly. Alas, rain seems to be the perpetual forecast.

Fucking rain.
]]> 2010-01-25T13:20:57-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/25/Hiking_Journal_-_Big_Basin_-_1232010 The first photo! http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/23/The_first_photo
DranoK and I took a hike up through Big Basin Redwoods State Park.

Enjoy!

]]> 2010-01-23T21:16:33-08:00 LiQUiD_X http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/23/The_first_photo Stay classy, Saudi http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/21/Stay_classy_Saudi http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worl...ne-school.html

A 13-year-old Saudi schoolgirl is to be given 90 lashes in front of her classmates after she was caught with a mobile camera phone.

The girl, who has not been named, was also sentenced to two months in jail by a court in the eastern city of Jubail.
I've said it before, and I'll repeat it now. Sexist violence toward women is one of the two major evils in the world today (the other being religion, which is oft the cause for this violence).

Even in first world nations women are consistently treated as second-class humans in a cultural bias so perverse it fully penetrates even the activism trying to stop it.

I'm a sexist bastard. I really am. I don't want to be, though. The fact that it's so easy to marginalize over half our entire species is absolutely maddening.
]]> 2010-01-21T11:26:09-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/21/Stay_classy_Saudi Art Dump - Night Demon; Ifrit Summon; Le Great el Foldo http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/20/Art_Dump_-_Night_Demon_Ifrit_Summon_Le_Great_el_Foldo


]]> 2010-01-20T11:55:12-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/20/Art_Dump_-_Night_Demon_Ifrit_Summon_Le_Great_el_Foldo Squirrel! http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/19/Squirrel
You can check out my gallery here, but I'll likely be posting lots of pics to coldink in the near future =D I've just been very busy lately.

]]> 2010-01-19T11:55:50-08:00 LiQUiD_X http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/19/Squirrel The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/12/The_Conservative_Case_for_Gay_Marriage
http://www.newsweek.com/id/229957

The second argument I often hear is that traditional marriage furthers the state's interest in procreation—and that opening marriage to same-sex couples would dilute, diminish, and devalue this goal. But that is plainly not the case. Preventing lesbians and gays from marrying does not cause more heterosexuals to marry and conceive more children. Likewise, allowing gays and lesbians to marry someone of the same sex will not discourage heterosexuals from marrying a person of the opposite sex. How, then, would allowing same-sex marriages reduce the number of children that heterosexual couples conceive?
]]> 2010-01-12T14:04:54-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/12/The_Conservative_Case_for_Gay_Marriage Super Mario Jesus http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/12/Super_Mario_Jesus YouTube- Super Mario Jesus
Quite impressive, imho ;)
]]> 2010-01-12T10:23:10-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/12/Super_Mario_Jesus Cowardly Google http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/07/Cowardly_Google

Fuck Islam.
Fuck Mohammad.
Fuck everyone who censors their shit out of fear of terrorists.
]]> 2010-01-07T13:54:23-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/07/Cowardly_Google There's your RPG setting, right there... http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/04/Theres_your_RPG_setting_right_there nat-hm-wallpaper-2_1600.jpg
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Wallpaper-sized if you click it :)
]]> 2010-01-04T12:35:03-08:00 DranoK http://www.ColdINK.net/2010/01/04/Theres_your_RPG_setting_right_there