This is not good news.

Scott Adams is one of my favorite people and definitely my favorite cartoonist. His witty barbs strike a chord (or a nerve) with anyone who has worked in a bureaucracy, whether in the private sector or in government and he maintains his humorous outlook despite whatever life throws his way. I love Dilbert as a daily read and own all of the book collections. Scott's Dilbert Blog has been a regular stop for more than a year now.

So I was not happy to learn that Scott is severely curtailing his blogging efforts. I understand his reasons and accept his logic for cutting back but I will miss my daily Scott Adams post.

Supreme Comedy

Things must be slow at the Yale Law Journal. In an article in that august publication's on-line version, Jay Wexler reports that he has "calculated the number of times during the 2004-05 Term of the Supreme Court of the United States that each Justice said something that caused enough chuckling in the courtroom to inspire the Court Reporter to insert the notation “(Laughter)” into the transcript."

In summary, the three funniest justices, based upon audience reaction, are Justice Scalia (54 laughs/term), Justice Breyer (30) and my personal favorite, the new Chief Justice, John Roberts who finishes his first complete term in third place (19).

I doubt any of them will be subbing for Jay Leno anytime soon.

My favorite part of Wexler's piece is this quote:

Although the Court Reporter continues generally to use the phrase “(Laughter)” to indicate courtroom hilarity, this past March the Reporter suddenly started to vary the formulation. Following a wisecrack from Justice Roberts in an argument on March 19, the transcript reads “(A little laughter.).” A week later, the courtroom apparently experienced “(Some laughter.)” after a joke from Scalia. What’s next? “(Knee-slapping guffaws)”? “(Some peeing in pants)”? The Reporter’s actions would appear to be a direct response to the study, which complained that the transcript “does not distinguish between types of laughter, either in terms of duration or intensity.” It may seem a small change, but for those who care deeply about Supreme Court humor, the importance of the Reporter’s innovation cannot be overstated.

It just reinforces the importance of making an accurate record.

Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds.

Did he really think the GPS knew how wide his truck was?

I'll never understand why some people blindly follow the spoken directions of a GPS without regard to the laws of physics or common sense.

From the Daily Mail comes the story of Yuri, the Czech driver of the lorry (truck to us) pictured at right. It seems that Yuri spent three days in the cab of his truck when he blindly followed the directions from his GPS down a lane in Devon, England which was obviously not wide enough to handle his vehicle.

The moral of the story is that the best GPS accessory is a pair of human eyes.

The Rip Saw could be yours.

0-60 in 3.5 seconds, a top speed of 80 mph, the ability to drive through a building like it was a refrigerator carton and the advantage of being able to park anywhere you damn well please. All for only $200,000.

The Rip Saw was built for the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge (it didn't win but turned a few heads all the same).

More information and video of the Rip Saw in action can be found at the Howe and Howe website.

Here's a little dash of irony.

I can't possibly add anything to this.

Unidentified burglar 0, vigilante gator 1.

Sometimes you're just better off staying in bed instead of going out on a crime spree.

It seems an unidentified thief was (allegedly) burglarizing some cars behind the Miccosukee tribe's resort and casino in Dade County, Florida.

His choice of criminal venue was singularly uninspired. It seems that some witnesses called the local Native-American gendarmes and the boys in blue arrived on the scene and gave chase. Hoping to elude the Miccosukee tribal police, the suspect dove into a pond behind the resort where he was greeted by a 9-foot alligator unfamiliar with the concept of Miranda rights. Unfortunately for the suspected burglar, the gator was of the aggressive and unpleasant variety, and thus, a budding career criminal came to an unexpected and grisly end.

Unfortunately for the vigilante gator, Florida fish & wildlife reps saw to it that he followed his erstwhile prey into the afterlife.

Which British laws are the most ludicrous? The vote is in.

The BBC reports that our cousins across the pond have voted on what they regard as the most ludicrous laws on their books:

Those they consider the most daft are (drumroll, please):

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament.

2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British king or queen's image upside-down.

3. It is illegal for a woman to be topless in Liverpool except as a clerk in a tropical fish store.

4. Eating mince pies on Christmas Day is banned. (This one apparently dates back to the days of Oliver Cromwell).

5. If someone knocks on your door in Scotland and requires the use of your toilet, you are required to let them enter.

6. In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet.

7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the King, and the tail of the Queen.

8. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing.

9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour.

10. It is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow.

On this side of the Atlantic, some of my personal favorites are:

1. Louisiana law recognizes two kinds of fruit but only one of them is "natural." (Insert your own joke here.) Louisiana Civil Code §551.

2. New Jersey requires a license if you are in business to "break eggs" for any purpose. (Do you suppose Tony Soprano bothered to get a license - oh, sorry that was "break eggs" not "legs.") New Jersey Statutes §24:11-1.

3. In Michigan, using pictures of dead presidents to sell liquor is illegal. (Of course you still need to use pictures of dead presidents to actually buy the liquor). Michigan Compiled Laws §750.42.