GorT is an eight-foot-tall robot from the 51ˢᵗ Century who routinely time-travels to steal expensive technology from the future and return it to the past for retroinvention. The profits from this pay all the Gormogons’ bills, including subsidizing this website. Some of the products he has introduced from the future include oven mitts, the Guinness widget, Oxy-Clean, and Dr. Pepper. Due to his immense cybernetic brain, GorT is able to produce a post in 0.023 seconds and research it in even less time. Only ’Puter spends less time on research. GorT speaks entirely in zeros and ones, but occasionally throws in a ڭ to annoy the Volgi. He is a massive proponent of science, technology, and energy development, and enjoys nothing more than taking the Czar’s more interesting scientific theories, going into the past, publishing them as his own, and then returning to take credit for them. He is the only Gormogon who is capable of doing math. Possessed of incredible strength, he understands the awesome responsibility that follows and only uses it to hurt people.
Sure, GorT is a fan of soccer (and no, I don’t call it Football or International Football. It’s soccer). Yes, the constant buzzing is freaking annoying – however, it doesn’t bug me as I’ve installed a dual Nyquist-Shannon filter to … Continue reading →
From the Baltimore Sun: Here is the latest statistical data from the Labor Department on average compensation paid to private-sector workers and state- and local-government workers. Note that the figure includes cash wages AND the value of benefits, including deferred … Continue reading →
Steve Jobs gave an interview to Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher published in the WSJ. It’s an interesting read and I think showcases the control-freak nature of Jobs personally and what he has instilled within Apple’s corporate culture. I do … Continue reading →
Gormogon operative DT writes in from next door to Sen. Dodd’s Connecticut’s residence (he’s an operative, remember) regarding this post: …here in the Democratic People’s Republic of Connecticut, if a high school football team beats an opposing team by more … Continue reading →
Yep, hopefully at some point growing up you heard your mother or father say just that. Life isn’t fair. Maybe even followed by, “so deal with it”. Many readers will remember that GorT is a soccer coach so this story … Continue reading →
GorT and family have just returned from a special assignment on the left coast and here is a dump from the databanks that passes as a trip report. Count yourselves lucky – The Mandarin just comes and goes and no … Continue reading →
Later this summer, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first man in space. Wait, GorT, you’re wrong, Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin’s flight was on April 12th, 1961 making last month the 49th anniversary. Well let me introduce you to … Continue reading →
What ‘Puter failed to mention was that the Volgi doled out compare and contrast assignments* today so here’s mine. I’m sure he’ll give me a B+ because I don’t include enough foreign languages. Event one: Mexican President Felipe Calderón was … Continue reading →
I took a read over the WaPo OpEd by Mr. Dionne, Jr. and I wanted to add the following to ‘Puter’s thoughts – Mr. Dionne believes that this “ideological purity” that the GOP is pursuing (whether or not you believe … Continue reading →
Just a brief personal gripe. At GorT’s church, we have two transepts, each have a vestibule area leading to the outdoors. These vestibules are like airlocks, in that they have outer doors, the vestibule itself and inner doors that open … Continue reading →
Someone is doing something right at a number of the cable TV channels like USA, TNT, FX and TBS. These networks, USA in particular, are airing solid shows. By year end, the USA network will be airing seven original episodes. … Continue reading →
GorT lives in* the blue state of Maryland. It’s been a democrat stronghold (or should I say stranglehold) as long as I can remember it. There are the few exceptions (former Gov. Ehrlich and Lt Gov Steele in recent memory) … Continue reading →
Just a minor correction to the disclosure: GorT is a Blackberry user. I have a serious problem with the closed nature of Apple – from their proprietary hardware solutions, to their limitations on iPhone/iPad/iTouch application development (which is going to … Continue reading →
If we needed any extra proof as to why baseball is boring, let me point to three pieces of recent empirical evidence: 1. During their eighth straight loss (all at home), the Seattle Mariners’ Ken Griffey Jr. fell asleep in … Continue reading →
First, kudos to the various elements of the government, law enforcement and other agencies who caught Shahzad before he could leave the country. But let’s be honest here: we got lucky. Lucky on multiple counts. Now, I’ll take lucky every … Continue reading →
So we have already discussed the increasing encroachment of government into our daily lives: from the ObamaCare bill, to declaring carbon dioxide to be a dangerous substance (quick, stop exhaling), to regulating salt in our diets to a brand new … Continue reading →
I was kicking around the idea of posting about the Arizona Immigration bill and ‘Puter just provided a good segue. Immigration is a huge problem in the U.S. and elected leaders in Washington have done little to nothing to help. … Continue reading →
Dan Henninger from the WSJ has a great OpEd video below. He makes a number of excellent points, but the one I like the best and wish the regular news outlets would pick up on is that it is much … Continue reading →
GorT has been holed up in the lab trying to to get the replicators working faster to replace all the microfuses that I’m blowing over taxes. A few issues are at hand: First, the media and the general public are, … Continue reading →
GorT accepts the Terms and Conditions presented by the Czar and offers the following: In the event the Capitals lose out prior to the Blackhawks, GorT is prepared to send: To the Czar, a Twilight novella (one, it’s his hidden … Continue reading →
The national foreclosure rate was 3.3 percent in February – this is a 51% year-over-year increase and the number of new mortgage problem loans remains at a five-year high. The total number of failing first-lien mortgages and REOs exceed 7.9 … Continue reading →
Operative GD writes in (quickly, but we know our loyal operatives wait with baited breath for the next missive from the Castle) with some observations about the intel business: I think another significant issue with our current intel effort is … Continue reading →
Brad Thor over at Big Journalism makes some interesting and accurate points about portions of our intelligence system. However, after reading it, there is one glaring issue that he left unvoiced. Specifically, the field of engagement has changed. We are … Continue reading →
The topic of this post has been rattling about in my head for a number of weeks and with some recent purchases and events, it’s been reinforced so I decided to try to get it out there. It’s all about … Continue reading →
Dr. J writes in after reading the latest Castle insider scoop that our prepublication review board approved earlier this week: Why is it that only The Czar and ‘Puter have the privilege of having sidekicks?Surely the Notorious OEV, the devious … Continue reading →
On Wednesday, President Obama announce that the federal government will purchase the first 100 electric cars that roll off an American assembly line. Currently, that appears to be the Chevy Volt which is reportedly going to carry a price tag … Continue reading →
I really dig maps. I do geospatial work as part of my job and I love a variety of maps on a personal level. I was interested to come across this “mashup”. Now, I agree with the original author that … Continue reading →
Yesterday into last night, the GOP forced the Senate to consider 29 amendments to the health care bill. The democrats voted each one down. Keep this in mind when Obama continues his stumping for public support for this bill. I’m … Continue reading →
So the Obama Administration has targeted a number of groups, largely behind outcries from the left that these organizations “make too much profit” – oil/gas companies, banks, federal IT contractors, insurance companies, etc. I’m waiting for the next shoe to drop. It … Continue reading →
Every once in a while we get some traveling salesmen arrive at the Castle. We know they’re coming, trust us. So we watch as they approach when we’re bored. They pause before the moat, gather themselves and strut across the … Continue reading →
GorT takes offense to ‘Puter’s “dirt burner” comment. Let me clarify it (and yes, I have over 70% Irish heritage): Peat Burners Happy St. Patrick’s Day GorTGorT is an eight-foot-tall robot from the 51ˢᵗ Century who routinely time-travels to steal … Continue reading →
Maybe I’m too smart for my own good. Here’s the directions on the census form: Before you answer Question 1, count the people living in this house, apartment, or mobile home using our guidelines. Count all people, including babies, who … Continue reading →
GorT is in possession of the 2010 Census form and I have a few thoughts on the materials provided: 1. Ok, I get it. The answers are confidential and the form is easy to complete. If nothing else the government … Continue reading →
The five of us put our heads together at the Leaping Peacock last night (it was the only way to get ‘Puter involved) and conducted our Selection Sunday for our own take on the meaningful brackets. For those of you … Continue reading →
I came across this piece on the Castle’s coffee table this afternoon. No clue how it got there as it’s more suited for the Castle’s public restroom. I’ll pick at a few choice portions here: How Free Markets Sank the … Continue reading →
Take a look around the world – see all the issues going on? A couple natural disasters, a potentially nuclear-armed Iran, Russia’s expanding regional influence, the economic troubles in Greece and elsewhere, etc. All the while, what is our president … Continue reading →
It’s amazing how different perception and reality can be. Many of us (and maybe not enough) are aware of the recent reports coming out from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Let’s start with the basic numbers. There are roughly 284,000 … Continue reading →
Remember the Obama campaign? Specifically for this discussion, recall that then-candidate Obama stated that he would engage in direct negotiations with Iran. Specifically, his website read as follows: Obama supports tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without preconditions.Now is the … Continue reading →
As I started my day this morning I almost choked on my 10w-40 omelet when I saw this. Read it, including the unbelievable transcript of Rep. Pelosi’s (D-CA) responses. She stands by her claim that she’s running the most “honest, … Continue reading →
Read this. Yeah, that’s the kind of support we’re getting from the democrats and why they need a swift gut-boot from the Mandarin. All of them. Now. GorTGorT is an eight-foot-tall robot from the 51ˢᵗ Century who routinely time-travels to … Continue reading →
The Gormogon alert service is up and running as evidenced by the rapid feedback we received from Gormogon operative GD: I agree that, overall, the tax plan needs a serious revision and I would support just about anything that makes … Continue reading →
I’ve always been a fan of simplifying the tax code. A flat tax. A segmented tax. Whatever. Make it simpler you gain a few things, including a reduction of required government oversight in the form of the I.R.S. It may … Continue reading →
Have you ever been asked how long it would take you do complete a task you’ve never done before? You might have familiarity with the general approach or of some of the steps required, but in general it comes down … Continue reading →
Remember all the hub-bub about the “illegal” wiretapping of international calls from or to people on terrorist watchlists? You had things like this and this. Since then the furor has died down and the Obama administration has actually defended and … Continue reading →
We always strive to be accurate. So in fairness, Dr. Phil Jones said that “This trend (0.12C per decade) is positive, but not significant at the 95% significance level.” So while we chew on what that means, note the graph … Continue reading →
Looks like “consensus” isn’t what it used to be. Dr. Phil Jones, one of the central figures to the recent problems with the pro-AGW theories and data and recent former director of the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit … Continue reading →
Just when I finish shoveling out the driveway from the latest snow plow pass and power is restored, I get the first shots of the rants from the AGW crowd: record snows are in line with our AGW theories! SnOMG!#@#!#!! … Continue reading →
Last week we discussed the iPad as a potential device to enable a resurgence in board games. At least it would enable a “virtual board game” where players in various physical locations could play Monopoly, Sorry, and the like. Especially … Continue reading →
From the Canadian CBC (link provided just in case you don’t believe me): George Lucas is tackling his first musical, a film about the Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of African-American pilots. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Lucas is working on … Continue reading →
Courtesy of Slashdot and PBS, there is a show going on at the American Folk Art museum in New York featuring the works of Wilson Bentley. It’s probably not a name that you would recognize from the art world largely … Continue reading →
Probably not with Janet Napolitano at the helm. Case in point – the House Homeland Security Committee was holding a hearing about the “Christmas bombing plot”. Secretary Napolitano, who had earlier claimed that “the system worked”, failed to show. According … Continue reading →
We’ve told you all this before – if ANYONE reading this site believes this administration’s claims about the Recovery Act (Stimulus bill) then please email me so I can set you straight. I’ve clipped the beginning of this article from … Continue reading →
The Czar is writing off playing a PC because it “cheated”…likely story, probably one you will hear when he falls to GorT in the near future as we enjoy board game night in the Castle. Seriously, I know the outcome, … Continue reading →
As I was completely entertained by the Volgi’s documentary of my recent trip back to the mid 1940s, I thought I’d provide a few other items on the iPad. First, the good: this is an interesting take on the iPad … Continue reading →
More details were released later yesterday on the iPad and I spent a bit more time this morning reading about it. My interest is waning quickly on the unit and I think Jobs might be overselling this as such a … Continue reading →
Yeah, yeah, yeah, looking at the timestamp on this post you might notice that I’m blogging during the SOTU. But, GorT, don’t you want to listen? Don’t you want to pick apart what was said, what wasn’t said, how many … Continue reading →
I found this absolutely funny. Good catch by our friends over at the Galley Slaves. Sit back and read all four pages of the analysis this guy did between The Shining and Apollo 11 and the moon landing. This has … Continue reading →
Given the recent setbacks failures that the democrat party has experienced, what can we look forward to in the coming months from them in order to preserve what they can going into the 2010 elections? Well, the Czar points out … Continue reading →
While I agree with the points made by my esteemed collegue from the west-north-west wing of the Castle, I do have a clarifying point to make to his conclusion. Specifically: conservatives should take the Brown win cautiously. First, there was … Continue reading →
After school (or schooling those readers who just don’t get it), the Gormogons like to play. We play hard and we play to win. None of this political correctness where everyone gets a ribbon and there’s no losers. Get real. … Continue reading →
Not only are we sending troops to support various efforts in Haiti, but the military, specifically US SOUTHCOM) has redirected a RQ-4 Global Hawk drone to provide aerial imagery for damage assessments and recovery efforts. Pictured is the damaged Presidential … Continue reading →
By now you’ve heard that President Obama is instituting a “fee” entitled the “Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee” in an effort to secure additional federal funds. I call “shenanigans” on this. First, it’s a tax. The administration would rather it be … Continue reading →
…unless you’re looking at “responsiveness to the needs and choices of the individual patient”. The much touted U.N. World Health Organization’s ranking system’s assessment that our country’s healthcare system ranks number 37, only slightly better than Cuba is misleading. Why … Continue reading →
On January 5th (Tuesday), press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked whether President Obama supports televising the healthcare reform bill reconciliation debates and discussions as requested by the open letter from the CEO of C-SPAN. Mr. Gibbs responded by saying that … Continue reading →
…the Gormogons gave to me: Twelve Dirty Teacherseleven Volgi weapons ten ‘Puters singing nine dancing Czars eight sex milking hits seven GorTs a’ traveling six Man’drin Bootingsfive Gor-mo-gonsfour bags of mailthree Guest Spotstwo Boxing Daysand a Hello Kitty in … Continue reading →
To continue a meme from my last post, I’ll reference a FoxNews item. Apparently, President Obama and democrat congress members are meeting to hammer out a compromise on the health care reform bill differences between the house and senate. Now, … Continue reading →
In a New York Times OpEd today, David Brooks writes about the rise of the Tea Party movement and America’s supposed growing disillusionment with the “educated class”. We need to stop right here and work through a definition of “educated … Continue reading →
…the Gormogons gave to me: Eleven Volgi Weaponsten ‘Puters singing nine dancing Czars eight sex milking hits seven GorTs a’ traveling six Man’drin Bootingsfive Gor-mo-gonsfour bags of mailthree Guest Spotstwo Boxing Daysand a Hello Kitty in an orange tree … Continue reading →
…the Gormogons gave to me: Ten ‘Puters Singingnine dancing Czars eight sex milking hits seven GorTs a’ traveling six Man’drin Bootingsfive Gor-mo-gonsfour bags of mailthree Guest Spotstwo Boxing Daysand a Hello Kitty in an orange tree We all have our … Continue reading →
…the Gormogons gave to me: Nine dancing Czarseight sex milking hits seven GorTs a’ traveling six Man’drin Bootingsfive Gor-mo-gonsfour bags of mailthree Guest Spotstwo Boxing Daysand a Hello Kitty in an orange tree Of course everyone is expecting this post … Continue reading →
Public transportation is taking a hit as part of the economic downturn. Ridership is down, funding from state and local municipalities has been reduced. The Stimulus money a/k/a the Federal bailout of failed state budgets isn’t sufficient to help keep … Continue reading →
…the Gormogons gave to me: Eight sex milking hitsseven GorTs a’ traveling six Man’drin Bootingsfive Gor-mo-gonsfour bags of mailthree Guest Spotstwo Boxing Daysand a Hello Kitty in an orange tree We check our web server logs pretty regularly – they … Continue reading →
…the Gormogons gave to me: Seven GorTs a travelingsix Man’drin Bootingsfive Gor-mo-gonsfour bags of mailthree Guest Spotstwo Boxing Daysand a Hello Kitty in an orange tree I do a lot of traveling (time and otherwise) and if there is one … Continue reading →
…the Gormogons gave to me: Six Man’drin Bootingsfive Gor-mo-gons four bags of mailthree Guest Spotstwo Boxing Daysand a Hello Kitty in an orange tree Here’s a quick recap of the six most recent bootings by the Mandarin. We keep these … Continue reading →
…the Gormogons gave to me: Five Gor-Mo-Gons!four bags of mailthree Guest Spotstwo Boxing Daysand a Hello Kitty in an orange tree Ok, like you expected something else for this day? Yep. All five of us are enjoying the holiday season … Continue reading →
…the Gormogons gave to me: Four Bags of Mailthree Guest Spotstwo Boxing Daysand a Hello Kitty in an orange tree We get a lot of mail here at the Castle. Each Gormogon deals with their fan (or hate) mail in … Continue reading →
…the Gormogons gave to me: Three Guest Spots and two Boxing Daysand a Hello Kitty in an orange tree We’ve been busy over the years. Dat Ho was kind enough to pull out the Gormogon media guide as we sipped … Continue reading →
…the Gormogons gave to me: Two Boxing Days and a Hello Kitty in an orange tree This is the second Boxing Day that the Gormogons have been around the blogosphere posting on various topics. Hopefully we’ll been entertaining and educating … Continue reading →
…the Gormogons gave to me: A Hello Kitty in an orange tree Over the next twelve days, join us as we share a little holiday cheer with our readers by way of a familiar holiday tune. We’ll tie days in … Continue reading →
…for all good men to come to the aid of their country. People should be asking a few simple questions: (1) if healthcare reform was so critical that it needed to be enacted in Augustbefore Thanksgivingbefore Christmas, then why is … Continue reading →
I wonder what kind of backroom deals and promises were made to the “on the fence” senators to agree to the Reid bill? Likely most of them will include some job protection/offers for next fall when their complete disregard for … Continue reading →
Well, ok, maybe not right now. In fact, maybe not soon. The disastrous and dysfunctional Copenhagen talks are taking place while Denmark is likely facing its first white Christmas in 14 years. Aren’t you glad that President Obama sent Secretary … Continue reading →
Remember the quote that Rep. Pelosi claimed would be the modus operandi of the democrat-led Congress? No? Let me remind you: Democrats pledge to make this the most honest, ethical, and open Congress in history. – Rep. Pelosi So fast … Continue reading →
So on one hand, liberals enjoying touting this “scientific consensus” (which means nothing if the data is lost or protected and not subject to a quality, unbiased peer review process) of 2,000 scientists (by the way, that number has been … Continue reading →
So the current hot trend in the climate debate is to rip people blogging about the subject, particularly those who are skeptical of AGW. Case in point, an unnamed author in the Economist’s blog section rips a post by Willis … Continue reading →
Given the enormous strain that the iPhone has put on the AT&T data service (see previous posts for some hinting of this…it happens when you travel time like I do), the CEO of AT&T’s mobile division, Ralph de la Vega … Continue reading →
So while the top 1% is covering the taxes for us (note that the top 1% only earn 22.8% of the Adjusted Gross Income for the country, while they pay 40.4% of the taxes – the top 1% are those … Continue reading →
President Obama’s administration has declared war and we should fear the enemy. This country has just declared a critical component to the life of vegetation on Earth as a pollutant. They have done this through the corruption of science, misleading … Continue reading →
If you haven’t heard, Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt did an OpEd piece in the WSJ that focused on the demise of traditional journalism – specifically newspapers and news magazines. You can read it here. The more amusing piece is here, … Continue reading →
Subtitled: Baby, it’s cold in this computer. Sure, I’m titled this post as such partially because I am one by trade and if you’ve learned anything from reading our site, we’re right (the Mandarin and ‘Puter are watching you, so … Continue reading →
It’s a wonder why people even read the newspapers anymore. You would think that some of the intrepid jornalism majors would have aspired to be investigative reporters. We’ve seen the complete ignorance of hallowed journalism mainstays like the NY Times … Continue reading →
I’m going to cut through the chaff and get right to the core of the issue with the East Anglia / Hadley CRU emails: the corruption of the scientific process. I’m not sure where these “scientists”* were in grade school, … Continue reading →
…that this is just a commercial, they got the idea from spending some time up at the field behind Castle Gormogon. h/t Borepatch GorTGorT is an eight-foot-tall robot from the 51ˢᵗ Century who routinely time-travels to steal expensive technology from … Continue reading →
Given the good weather here in the DC area, GorT and family decided it was time to hang up the Christmas lights. Mind you, we’re not turning them on until after Thanksgiving (a family rule – 1 holiday at a … Continue reading →
And it’s starting to worry the kids. With the problems with the Stimulus plan and it’s über-transparent recovery.gov site, the bribery-induced healthcare bill (if you don’t believe me, go look at Sen. Reid’s 2,000+ page bill where it elaborately lays … Continue reading →
I’ve been meaning to post a story on the further woes of the Obama Administration’s stimulus activity but I’ve been tied up time traveling again. The Czar dropped a note from operative MB in my inbox at the castle pointing … Continue reading →
The Volgi pointed me at this article as he knows that I somewhat buy into broad generational patterns. To set some parameters around this (and for more details, go check out “The Fourth Turning” by Pete Peterson), let me outline … Continue reading →
Today is the 34th anniversary of the loss of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. The iron ore pellet carrying freighter sank 17 miles from the entrance to Whitefish Bay on Lake Superior. A terrible tragedy and a reminder that winter is … Continue reading →
Note to readers (and fellow Gormogrillers), be cautious of grilling large amounts of food where the grease builds up. Our kids’ school hosts a “homecoming” each fall centered around the intramural flag football league. It’s a good time with face … Continue reading →
