"Greeeaaaaat," he said sarcastically.

The new Yahoo mail is going out of beta over the next few weeks. Maybe they are fixing some bugs in the process to make it smoother, but as is, it is a clunky product.

One problem is that it takes a while to load, especially at home where we have a slow connection. I usually pre-empt it by clicking the link to view my mail in the old standard version.

And it always drives me nuts that you have to go through hoops to get to the actual email. What kind of email program doesn't open up by showing its inbox? Instead, you get some screen with a bunch of news links. If I wanted the news I'd go to the DrudgeReport (uh oh, Republican Senator Larry Craig is in a bit of hot water) but I wanted to see my email so I came to Yahoo! Mail. So then you have to click on the Inbox Tab and wait some more for that to load. And don't try to open one of the actual emails before the ads are fully loaded or things may come to a complete halt. Oh greeeaaaat, it finally loaded. I've got spam!

Lolcats and Star Trek

Thanks to a link from the Wall Street Journal (registration required), of all places, I found that Live Granades put together a lolcat version of the Troubles with Tribbles Star Trek: TOS episode.

Self-Proclaimed Pedophile is Taxpayer-Subsidized

Before his server was taken down, Jack McClellan blogged about taking pictures of little girls in parks, other public places, and near child care facilities. He is under a 3-year restraining order barring him from being within 30 feet of children, which, according to the Associated Press, he recently broke:

[McClellan] was arrested Aug. 13 for investigation of violating the order when he was found near a child care center at the University of California, Los Angeles. He had a camera with him at the time, but he told a local TV station that there wasn't any film in it.

Since he didn't have proper notice about a hearing to argue the merits of the restraining order, he was released from jail.

More from the article:

McClellan is unemployed and has been living out of his car. ... McClellan, who said he lives on supplemental security income and suffers from depression, has maintained that he launched the site as a form of therapy and wouldn't do anything illegal.

This, to me, is a case of an individual taking advantage of the welfare system. Why should taxpayers have to subsidize an unemployed, depressed pervert?

New from China!

Put your kid to sleep with some brand new Chinese Flamable Formaldehyde Pyjamas!

China is getting defensive. From the Financial Times:

The latest concerns came as Li Changjiang, head of China’s safety watchdog, claimed the product safety scares were “a new trend of trade protectionism”, and accused some governments of “demonising China’s products”.

It seems the Chinese are doing alot to demonize their own products. Maybe this is some misdirected revenge for the Opium Wars.

Loser Mentality Takes Root in Boston

With the Yankees now just 4 games back, Boston is feeling the heat:

The Boston Red Sox simply shrugged off their lead in the AL East dropping to four games over New York after they lost to left-hander Joe Saunders 3-1 on Sunday.

"If the Yankees win 20 in a row, they'll catch us," Mike Lowell said. "If every division winner got to the World Series it would mean something. But it doesn't mean anything" to finish in first.

Hot New Item: Chinese Lead Bibs!

Sure, your kids may turn out a little "slow", but they'll be safe from X-Rays in the meantime! Buy 'em up before they are all recalled!

From the NYT:

Certain vinyl baby bibs sold at Toys “R” Us stores appear to be contaminated with lead, laboratory tests have shown, making the inexpensive bibs another example of a made-in-China product that may be a health hazard to children.

The vinyl bibs, which feature illustrations of baseball bats and soccer balls and Disney’s Winnie the Pooh characters, are sold for less than $5 each under store brand labels, including Especially for Baby and Koala Baby.

Tests this summer, financed by the Center for Environmental Health of Oakland, Calif., found lead as high as three times the level allowed in paint in several styles of the bibs purchased from both Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores in California.

A separate test by a laboratory hired by The New York Times of the same Toys “R” Us bibs, purchased in Maryland, found a similar level of contamination.

Chinese Nazi Chewing Gum

In addition to sending U.S. children lead-coated crap, China is also selling Nazi chewing gum:

An Israeli woman was astounded to find a tattoo- sticker of a Nazi soldier inside a pack of bubble gum she had bought at her local store, Maariv daily reported recently.

"A surprise awaits you," said the "Roll Bubble Gum" pack, showing a picture of a pink wrapper alongside what it said was the sticker, which showed a Nazi officer in uniform and wearing a swastika armband. ...

The newspaper quoted Orna Gutman, 23, as telling its website the pack's label was in Arabic and English and stated the gum was made in China but did not name the importer.