This and that

1. Just back from Salt Lake City. Had a nice visit with family. While there, we went to see the "Body Worlds 3" exhibit. There was an unforgivably long line to slog through to get in. The only entertaining part of the wait was the display above. One could text messages and the skeleton would "say" them. I was too bored to resist.

2. I had gotten a bit behind on listening to the Hard-Boiled Poker Radio Show, so I downloaded the last three (episodes 9, 10, and 11), put them on my non-iPod, and listened to them today while driving home. Good stuff, as always, and utterly unlike any other poker podcast out there.

3. The SLC editorial I mentioned a couple of days ago is available here. The highlight: "Internet wagering is the crack cocaine of gaming. It's highly addictive and readily available, a round-the-clock siren preying on those too weak to know their limits."

I wonder if the Salt Lake Tribune is consistent in wanting to ban everything for which it is true that a small minority of users indulge to excess, causing personal and societal woes: alcohol, computers, pornography, sex, eating, rummage sales, shopping in general....

The concluding paragraph: "The Legislature should approve the resolution and send a strong message to Washington. It's imperative that federal officials respect Utah's constitution, and preserve the state's right to protect the public from these Internet predators."

The actual legislative proposal on the table wouldn't make it a crime to engage in Internet wagering in Utah, but that sentence sure makes it sound like the Tribune editorial board thinks the state legislature should follow Washington state down that path.

I shouldn't have to tell you by now how things like this make my blood boil. I neither need nor want any government (local, state, or federal) to "protect" me from my own decisions. The unstated, but unavoidable, implication behind this is that they know better than I do what is a good use of my time and money. That's appallingly, shockingly condescending, and such overt governmental paternalism should be offensive to every right-thinking American.

4. Rather than risk an expensive breakdown of my old car in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, I decided to go for a rental. Found a great deal from Alamo: a 2009 Toyota Yaris 4-door for four days for $59, including all fees, taxes, etc. The thing got 39.2 mpg over just under 1000 miles, even though most of that was at 75-80 mph, not exactly the car's sweet spot for optimum mileage, while going up and down through mountains (at least 5000 feet of elevation change). Impressive.