16/19 on the pedophile quiz (they gave me 15/19 and a B+ because I forgot to guess on one person, but I thought I'd guessed and if I'd actually clicked the "yes" button I'd've been right, so I'm giving myself 16, so there), 8/10 on the serial killer quiz.

Now I have to go rinse my brain with bleach and rubbing alcohol.

OK, the Saruman/Sheik Yassin picture on the pedo-quiz is a little WOAH.

Does pony-related news go in Minearverse? Robots should go in Tech, right? Well, this is robot-pony news, so I think I'll put it here....

In a departure from its smaller toys, Hasbro is introducing what it calls a "realistic, life-size" miniature pony, Butterscotch My FurReal Friends Pony, that will be sensitive to light and touch and will embody enough robotics to, among other things, turn its head to see who tickled its ears and shake its head after "eating" its carrot.

It will sniff and whinny and respond to soothing voices when it becomes frightened by the dark or by too much commotion around it, company spokesmen said. And it is made to bear the weight of young children and simulate galloping. Available in the fall, it is expected to cost $300.

Also,

Some strived to be friendly, like the coming I-Cat "interactive music companion" from Hasbro's Tiger Electronics brand, a follow-up on last year's I-Dog, a robotic dog speaker accessory for digital music players.

While both the I-Cat and the I-Dog are furless and highly stylized, Ms. John noted that both make use of colored L.E.D. lights that are diffused inside their smooth, seamless and translucent bodies. Scoty, whose core technologies were developed by Philips Home Dialogue Systems in Germany, uses the same approach. Its smooth, segmented body glows with different colors signifying that it is "listening" to and "understanding" requests.

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eta: I wonder if the robo-pony could be hacked, allowing you to stage Butterscotch My FurReal Friends Pony cockfights....

Best evidence yet that quitting my job is a good idea: this morning, even sleep-deprived and suffering from a sinus infection, my bp was 122/80.

this morning, even sleep-deprived and suffering from a sinus infection, my bp was 122/80.

Behold my jealousy....

Behold my jealousy....

I swear, every time I tell someone that I'm quitting my job, I think my blood pressure goes down. It's like magic!

Do you have a timer set up yet, counting backwards to "Screw You Guys, I'm Outta Here" day?

I got 7/10 on the latter, and C+ on the former.

I got a C- guessing pedophiles, and 9/10 on the Language Inventor or Serial Killer quiz.

I'm pretty much safe from strange serial killers trying to convince me they're programmers, but if I ever have kids, I should apparently never let them out of the house.

Do you have a timer set up yet, counting backwards to "Screw You Guys, I'm Outta Here" day?

Not yet. I should get on that when I have a spare second. I'm buried under a gigantor pile of work, but since I don't give a shit, it's not really bothering me that much.

Does pretty much everyone know by now that anti-abortion groups are generally anti-birth control as well?

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - An attempt to resume state spending on birth control got shot down Wednesday by House members who argued it would have amounted to an endorsement of promiscuous lifestyles.

Missouri stopped providing money for family planning and certain women's health services when Republicans gained control of both chambers of the Legislature in 2003.

But a Democratic lawmaker, in a little-noticed committee amendment, had successfully inserted language into the proposed budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 that would have allowed part of the $9.2 million intended for "core public health functions" to go to contraception provided through public health clinics.

The House voted 96-59 to delete the funding for contraception and infertility treatments after Rep. Susan Phillips told lawmakers that anti-abortion groups such as Missouri Right to Life were opposed to the spending.

"If you hand out contraception to single women, we're saying promiscuity is OK as a state, and I am not in support of that," Phillips, R-Kansas City, said in an interview.

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