Links: Burning Books Break... Oh, Fiddlesticks, what's a Synonym for Heart that Starts with 'B'?

After the jump: find out what's angering me this time!  Airplanes!  Snakes Vipers Vipres!  Liars!  Preacher-men!  Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof!

Okay, not that last one, but there are atheists in foxholes!  Let's smoke 'em out!  Dirty people without religion!  

"Clouds currently being generated by air travel have a larger impact on the climate than the cumulative emissions of all aircraft ever flown." That's what Ars Technica tells us.  If you've ever stumbled onto the contrails Wikipedia page, though, you would already be aware of the effect contrails and  "ship tracks" have on the climate.  Nevertheless, it's worth repeating, and one has to wonder if flight is not the future of high-speed/long-distance travel, after all.

To be honest, I think that future has not been invented it, yet.  Whatever it turns out to be, it will be something we've never seen before.

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I was a bit concerned when a story came out claiming that Samsung computers contain a keylogger, as I happen to use a Samsung.  Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for Vipre, it turns out that it was a false positive all along.  Phew!

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While the MPAA wants us to believe that the US government's seizure of a large number of streaming websites was a huge success, Torrent Freak reminds us that it actually achieved nothing at all.

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Nine people died and 80 were injured in a violent reaction to a Floridian pastor's burning of the Quran. The greater tragedy in this (besides the amount of deaths and injuries) is not that so many people reacted so poorly, but this note from the article:

The Florida pastor at the center of the controversy expressed no public regrets over the violence triggered by last month's mock "trial" and subsequent torching of a copy of the Muslim holy book. The Rev. Terry Jones instead called for retribution against those who carried out the attack.

Come on.  I have always defended free speech, but I have also always advocated responsible use of your rights.  There is such a thing as abusing the right of free speech.

This guy has to understand that while he has every right to burn a book (ugh, I have to admit, as someone that collects books, typing that out made my stomach churn), the repercussions are his responsibility.  If you troll someone and they punch you in the face, you don't go crying to mommy and demanding retribution.  It's your fault.

It's sad that this pastor doesn't understand this and see how his actions have harmed a lot of people, as well as put countless Usonians Americans (and possibly Caucasian non-Americans) in danger of being attacked by angry Muslims.  What it ultimately means is that he has no qualms about doing it again, and then, too, will he shirk responsibility and deflect the blame onto the people he has pissed off.

And pissing people off isn't how you alleviate tension and animosity in a country you've just invaded and all but destroyed.

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"The cliche notwithstanding, there are atheists in foxholes," MSNBC explains in a story depicting a group of soldiers trying to "win recognition and ensure fair treatment for nonbelievers in the overwhelmingly Christian U.S. military."

Being non-religious in the military can be an awfully isolating experience, especially in cases where one is quietly ordered to attend religious events.  Mucho Respectomundo to the men and women trying to find a place to be free in that lonely world.  (Original link: Military Atheists in the Media)