4. I bought a coprolite attached to a magnet at a scientific conference. I used it as my "administrative magnet" for holding administrivia.

We can't preserve everything. I've seen Pompeii. 90% of it should be re-buried since it's impossible to care for it adequately.

I like to say I was present when the War of 1812 ended.

Yeah, you could burn Washington in 1814. BUT WHERE ARE YOU NOW THAT WE REALLY NEED YOU?

This may have had a benign intent but it still epitomizes a serious problem in American society, a vigilante attitude. Unless you're a duly constituted authority like a cop or a teacher in a classroom, you have ZERO authority over anyone else. You have ZERO authority to correct other people, or discipline their kids.…

"TRY? Losers TRY. Winners go home and f*** the prom queen!" from "The Rock"

No, for a real nightmare, go to the U.S. Geological Survey and try to download digital map data (DLG and DEM, not just scanned maps). Not many years ago, there was a list of map types. You clicked and got a list of states, click the list and you got a list of map quadrangles. Click on the quad and you got the…

When I clicked on "Products and Services, I actually expected to find a listing of products and services. Boy do I feel silly.

There's an additional problem. Teaching "critical thinking" in a vacuum is like business schools who think they can teach "management" in a vacuum, cranking out people who want to "manage" (and be paid accordingly) while having no clue what the business actually does. A guy who ran a bank steps in as CEO of a car…

Okay, those last three are just unreal. Although it does explain why I got slapped last time I reached for a box of Cheerios.

The rave scene ate up half an hour of plot and WTF was that business with the Merovingian all about?

And this one: using civilians as shields is a war crime?

Why are the lights still on in Moscow?

#4. Prohibition was backed by industrialists, who hoped it would cut worker absenteeism. But didn't they realize it would interfere with their own drinking? No. Because they had no intention whatsoever of abstaining themselves. Prohibition was strictly for the lower classes. Virtually identical thinking to the…

When you were a kid, did you ever play in a vacant lot and encounter weeds that had an acrid smell when you break the stems? That, to me, is most vegetables. I eat them because I should, but I also do my taxes like I should, too.

I had a flashback to C.S. Lewis' novel That Hideous Strength and the discussions of plans for cleansing the earth, eventually removing all non-human life.

Look up what a Ponzi scheme is. Social Security can run indefinitely as long as it takes in enough to pay benefits. Right now it has a bottleneck but that can be fixed by a few minor reforms, which are mostly being blocked by people who want to wreck Social Security.

How much of Canada do you own? Nunavut.

"The mellow independence and freedom of the old days of the small family farms"

If I led a criminal gang, I'd plan all year for the Purge. Criminals will shred middle class recreational purgers, and the payoff is sweeter. Take over a gated subdivision and force everyone to transfer their assets to a Cayman Islands account. Armored doors? Cool, I'll just steal a semi and plow through your wall. Or…