The Paper Trail

The Iraq War Charge

This video claims that the Iraq War has cost the average household more than $16,000 since it started.

Continue reading this entry ...

Twins ballpark design unveiled

“A thick stand of pine trees beyond the centerfield wall, evoking the forests of northern Minnesota, and the looming presence of the downtown Minneapolis skyline, appeared to be the signature elements of the final design for the Minnesota Twins ballpark when drawings were u …

Pelosi Diplomacy May Have Been Illegal

"Did Nancy Pelosi commit a felony when she went to Syria?" This is an interesting study of how Nancy Pelosi, besides making a fool out of herself, may have violated the Logan Act by conferring with Assad this week.

How's Your Gas Problem?

Let’s hear how the people on the street are being hurt by gas prices.

Continue reading this entry ...

'Irresponsible' Mortgages Have Opened Doors to Many of the Excluded

“When contemplating ways to prevent excessive mortgages for the 13 percent of subprime borrowers whose loans go sour, regulators must be careful that they do not wreck the ability of the other 87 percent to obtain mortgages.”

Prosper.com Loans: Not as Pretty Up Close

After reading a couple of articles in which Prosper.com has turned up ("The EBay of loans!"), I've been looking into how they might fit into my savings and investing practices. After digging into the specifics, however, I'm not so sure it's as good as it has been made to sound.

Continue reading this entry ...

Alternative rules for the Dread Pirate board game

Do you own this beautiful but frustratingly insufferable board game? Then maybe you can help me beta test some alternative rules for it. (Note: This article is a copy of one I have posted on my personal website.)

Continue reading this entry ...

What's Up With Authors Being The First Commenters On Their Own Articles?

So I see you've just written this huge long article,and the first "comment" is by...you. How cute!

Continue reading this entry ...

Enron's Skilling Enters Minnesota Prison

Looks like Jeff Skilling is going to be staying in Waseca, MN for awhile. Not sure why they shipped him up here, but I know one thing: It's almost certainly this guy's fault if we don't have a white Christmas this year.

Was Robin Hood a Liberal or a Conservative?

It's commonly-accepted wisdom that Robin Hood was a liberal. After all, he stole from the rich and gave to the poor.

Continue reading this entry ...

News from Minnesota: Nobel Prizes, Wind Turbines, and Geese-Induced Blackouts

A former farm boy/chess champ from Willmar is recognized in Stockholm for his part in a Nobel Prize-winning physics project.

Minnesota Sets the Bar On Health - Again

“Americans looking for a long life may want to move to Minnesota.

Caribou Coffee In Agreement With Coke To Sell Iced Coffee

Coca-Cola said on Thursday it will link up with Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee to sell a line of ready-to-drink iced coffees in the United States next summer. Does this mean that Frappuccinos will finally have some viable competition?

Manage Your Passwords Securely: Don't Use Your Browser

Storing your passwords inside the same program you use to connect to the internet is just bad practice. I've always believed this; I was vindicated on it (again) by today's story on Slashdot detailing a new security exploit that cracks open Firefox's password manager.

Continue reading this entry ...

The History Behind Holidazzle

Holidazzle season is just around the corner: learn how it started. The night-time parade of luminous festoonery runs every night between Thanksgiving and Christmas. One more thing: Holidazzle is spelled with one (1) ‘L’. Thank you.

Handwritten Bible Commissioned by MN Monastery Near Completion, 1st in 500 years

Calligraphers commissioned by St. John's Abbey and University, of Collegeville, Minesota, have been working on The St. John's Bible, which has been called "America's Book of Kells by some, since 1998, and are scheduled to finish in 2008.

The New Twins Stadium: Why Fi?

It looks like Cisco, besides providing the land for the A’s new ballpark, has big plans for the role of technology in the stadium.

Continue reading this entry ...

Mideast terror leaders to U.S.: Vote Democrat

"Of course Americans should vote Democrat," [said] Jihad Jaara, a senior member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group... Terror leaders...unanimously rejected [Pelosi's] contention an American withdrawal would end the insurgency.

The Foley Democrats

An interesting look back at Gerry Studds, the exact Democratic counterpart to Foley. While Foley resigned, Studds defied a censure and stayed on to get a committee chairmanship from his party.

Caribou Coffee's Switch to (Basically) Free Wi-fi

Recently, Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee began a rollout of free wifi hotspots at nearly at 1,000 of its locations nationwide. Goodbye, SBC FreedomLink, hello Wandering Wifi.

The Mechanics of Investing

Last year, when I first started to look into investing, I read a lot about "plans" and "strategies" in general. "Investing is only a part of your overall financial planning," people would say.

Continue reading this entry ...

Results of Using PowerRatings for One Week of Investing

PowerRatings makes big claims but is a bit pricey for the novice investor at $495/year. Here are my results so far after one week of using and tracking their recommendations.

Continue reading this entry ...

The MiniDisc Lives - Sony MZ-RH1 Arrives

MD is unbeatable for recording and long-term audio storage, and the new MZ-RH1 is geared towards those strengths. They did away with the glossy smugy iPod finish, added Mac compatibility and full USB 2.0 capability.

Why the Origami Concept Will Not Go Away

People seem quite disappointed, almost to the point of anger, about the UMPC devices shown at CeBIT. To me, this is proof of the Origami concept's inherent goodness.

Continue reading this entry ...

John Bolton Takes the UN Security Council to Basketball Game

At the invitation of U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, council members headed to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday to watch the New York Knicks "play" against the Miami Heat.

About Velcro Van

Articles Posted: 15
Links Seeded: 27
Member Since: 1/2006

Mid-twenties, born and raised in Minnesota.

Velcro Van's Feeds

Subscribe to Velcro Van's content using the feeds below. Use RSS for your newsreader and JSS to insert onto your own blog:
  • Articles
  • Seeds

Latest Comments

Velcro Van's Groups

Velcro Van is a member of the following groups:

Velcro Van's Private Articles & Seeds

Velcro Van has not published any private articles or seeds that you have access to.