5 Thoughts for August 5, 2015

1. Yes, still watching Rick and Morty. The great thing is, the most current episode is free at Adult Swim, right after it has aired. Season 2, Episode 2: Mortynight Run. One word: Jerryboree!
2. This could potentially blow up: Google and ATT have filed motions in a lawsuit against Apple, for intercepting (blocking) text messages to users who'd switched from the iPhone to Androids. They seem to know dates and people to focus on, so it seems they know quite a bit about what's going on at Apple.
3. Let me explain something that the media has failed to highlight in this debate over Planned Parenthood and abortions: The federal government does not pay for abortions (with the exception of rape, incest or the health of a woman) -- a result of the perpetually passed Hyde Amendment. So when politicians argue that PP should be defunded, what is actually being defunded is not abortions, but women's health. Then came along Jeb Bush who said, "I'm not sure we need a half a billion dollars for women's health issues"..."but abortion should not be funded by the government." He tried to walk the comment back by saying that he was talking about PP, but the truth of the matter is, that his slip of the tongue was actually spot on, and defunding PP would defund women's health programs, and that abortions truly aren't funded by the federal gov't. As for whether PP sold fetuses for a profit, none of the infamous (uncut) videos released offer a trace of evidence. Thus, politicians have taken to the airwaves to declare that they must defund PP. Never mind, that singling out PP is actually a violation of the US Constitution under the broad interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause (14th Amendment) as a result of the conservative favorite, corporate personhood. And if you're still unconvinced, then consider that Jeb! is suggesting a violation of the US Constitution's Article 1, Section 9 ban on Congress passing Bills of Attainder, and skip Due Process.
4. Yes people, the Lexus hoverboard is REAL! So how would you make this work? The used a superconductor (cooled) inside of the bottom of the hoverboard, and a magnetic track was placed below the surface of the concrete. I would think however, that you could create a supermagnet via a welded wire fabric layer in the concrete.
5. Tom Brady's primary defense in Deflategate: I was not told that I might be penalized for destroying the phone I had used during the critical period of this investigation and my lawyer said it was okay not to turn it over. It's a weak excuse for three reasons: (1) A week before he destroyed the phone in question, it was requested that he turn over his phone; (2) He destroyed this phone on the day before his interview with the independent investigator; (3) Though he insisted that his protocol was to destroy his old phone when he received a new one, he produced an older phone before the critical period under review. His perfectly timed actions reflect a guilty state of mind, and at the very least shows that he lied. Still not convinced that he's a liar? After clearly stating that he liked his balls at 12.5 PSI, he then immediately tried to walk back his statement, saying, "We picked 12.5 because that was -- I don't know why we picked 12.5. We could have picked 12.6. I don't even remember it being a part of that conversation; I really don't." His testimony is peppered with this sort of stuff and a lot of lost memories ("I don't remember") about what happened. Being evasive might work in a criminal trial, but in a civil trial or in a hearing of this nature, the weight used is based on who you believe more, and being evasive when everyone else isn't, makes you look sketchy. You can read the transcripts yourself, here.