Scruit

I have an identical scar on my right index finger from where I cut my fingertip off with a hacksaw blade as a kid. 7 stitches.

Met a guy today who was at the bombing, halfway between the bombs. He couldn't get parked where he wanted so wound up on the other side of the road any they wouldn't let him cross. So when the bombs went off he was on the other side and safe.

So I was was actually flying east, backwards, at 415mph...? Mind. Totally. Blown.

Kiss my ass, with all due respect and shit.

Depends on my mood. Generally as soon as I open my mouth that is considered an open invitation to ask about where I came from, why I emigrated, etc. even worse from Brits because they tend to feel some kind of kinship with me and think I will talk their ear off all evening. I just got done with 6 hours of flying, 3 hours sitting at airports, I'm supposed to be asleep already, I just want some food, a beer and go to bed. It is easier to stifle the conversation right now than look for awkward excuses later.

Nasty. Reminds me of when I hit my finger with a hammer stapler. Not as bad but lost the nail. Yuck

He knows and is looking for an excuse to start a conversation.

In that case the stitches were from an excision, so the skin wanted to pull apart again and had to stretch to cover a large amount of space. If your fingertip was not under tension then you're fine. Don't bite your fingernails for a bit... Might bite off more than you can chew.

Just remembered my phone has a Union Jack background. My cover will soon be blown.

California for a database tech conference. Sitting at the hotel bar right now drinking Guinness in Santa Clara. The guys next to me are British. Keeping my gob shut as I can't be arsed to get into a conversation. Lots of geeks talking about databases and MySQL/percona stuff. And I'm setting here dressed like I just finished fixing a car. Total stealth mode.

And no, I am not flapping my arms. I'm in cattle class, barely enough room to inhale, never mind actually move appendages.

I am currently finding $5.85 at 34,000' Modern tech is amazing.

In the past the docs have told me to leave them in long enough that they started to really pinch the new skin growing around them, and removing them was a relief...

CNN reports that the bomber's injuries could make it so he can no longer talk. The tin foil hat crowd are gonna love that one...

Would be amusing if that turned out to be the COD. http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/20/us/boston-details/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 The cops were taking the older brother alive, and the younger brother killed him with the SUV. Either he wanted to hit the cops, or they had a "don't let them take me alive" deal going on.

Cop or not, you have the right to defend yourself against an attack -especially when you cannot retreat. I don't know what I would have done. Nobody does until put in that situation. I have been in a road rage situation where the other guy vandalized my car an approached my door. I just locked it and waited for the police. Under those circumstances it worked out for me.

When you are sitting there at the drive-thru window, you're in a terrible situation defensively. If the guy gets out of the car behind you then what do you do? Wind up your window? Drive away? Grab your own weapon? 1) Wind up window: Won't stop a bullet 2) Drive away: If you can, you'd look stupid in the 99% of cases where the guy behind got out for some different reason. Once he has his feet on the tarmac he can still shoot you easily. Gun control is irrelevant if he is a cop. 3) Grab your own weapon (lethal force): You're now a cop-killer and we'll only ever hear your side, leaving most to condemn you and jail you. If you survive he encounter - he may "defend himself" and kill you, then only HIS side of the story comes out. "The kid kid asked me up to his window because he needed police for something and tried to shoot me when I got there..." 4) Grab your own weapon (nonlethal): If you deploy your weapon before he deploys his then now you are "assaulting a police officer". 3 & 4) Any use of a weapon against someone who approaches you without a visible weapon is going to be very difficult to justify. If the cop waited until the last second to deploy his weapon then the kid won't have had time to do anything. Me: I tend to have easy access to a weapon (gun/oc/taser etc) any time I'm stopped in a car handling money - ATM or drive-thru, because I know they are common robbery scenarios. If I'm unarmed I'd more likely conduct my business indoors at the counter where I have more non-weapon defensive options. I think if the guy behind me started getting nasty I'd keep a close eye on him and lock my doors. If he started to get out I'd probably move that weapon from it's quick-access storage place into my lap with my right hand while winding up the window with my left. The problem is still that the transition between an ornery prick yelling at you to a dangerous man with a deadly weapon happens so fast that you cannot change your defensive tactics at that point - you have to already be prepared. Anyone whole reaches into my car is not going to take that limb back unharmed.

Did they demand, or request?

Would be amusing if that turned out to be the COD.

3 people were arrested in New Bedford, MA, just over an hour ago as part of the bombing investigation. http://www.abc6.com/story/22028344/report-3-arrested-in-new-bedford-in-connection-to-bombing-suspect

Boston police just tweeted suspect-in-custody. CNN reports in custody too.

Suspect in custody, medic medic medic!!

in custody!

Unattended black bag found about 1/4mile from the boat. Seems to be some disagreement over who is going to run the raid - officers are being reminded to let HRT run the show.

FBI is asking for a shield