September 13
Well, here we are. Two days after the disaster.
Well, here we are. Two days after the disaster.
A friend and co-worker just came back from a business trip to New York City. He took some photos of the buildings and the skyline with our digital camera, and I downloaded them and saved them as Photoshop jpgs for him. They couldn't get close; they didn't live in the area. But they took some good pictures. I'm going to see if I can put some of them up here.
Here are the promised photos taken by a co-worker.
The Oscar nominations are out.
A year ago today, I was in New York City. The Financial District, to be exact. I had gone to our New York City office, to help them with some upgrades and do some installs. I found a bed & breakfast right around the corner from the office, on Nassau Street (our office is on John Street). This B&B was really a back room with a wonderful bathroom attached, off of someone's apartment. Hell, with rents like they are, I'd imagine every little bit helps.
I had arrived by train the day before, taken the subway in the right direction totally by accident, and wheeled myself and my luggage to the office. I called the B&B folk, went and checked in, got my keys and such, then went back to the office and worked for the rest of the day.
I asked for advice on food at night - it's the Financial District, not much is open after the businesses, and Wall Street, closes. But I was told to go in the direction of the water, there was a bunch of shops down there, and probably some place to eat (I know, they weren't too helpful). I wandered down at dinner time when I was hungry, found a neat restaurant, had dinner and dessert (expense accounts, wheee!), and then wandered back. No one had even suggested visiting the World Trade Center - the Twin Towers were a few blocks in the other direction, probably not even as far as the water. I know now that there were stores and restaurants in there, places I could have eaten, and might very well have, had I known.
The next morning, I woke up and turned on the TV in my little room. I delayed going into work because they were announcing the Oscar nominees. I was really cheering for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, amongst others. Watched the announcements, then checked out, headed to work, and later in the day, headed home.
I saw the Towers only at a distance when I was in the city. And then eight months later - nearly to the day - they were gone.
The image was passed around work today, so I did a web search to find out more. Caught the above link, which has images large enough to be used as desktop wallpaper.
What talent - and very moving.
Have iPod, Will Secretly Bootleg
Amazing. Never even thought of it, but it's brilliant. I don't have an iPod, but I do have a 20GB FireWire drive at work I use for system configurations. I'd never take it into a store to do this -- I'd get caught for sure, as it doesn't remotely look like an MP3 player -- and it would just be a bad idea anyway.
But damn...who came up with this idea?
Courtesy of Metafilter
ABCNEWS.com : Oops! Astronomers Say Universe Is Beige, Not Green.
Damn. Green is still my favorite color, even if it's not the color of the universe.
Courtesy of ***Dave.
Newsflash!
I played a Jamaican character at GenCon last year. I kept losing the accent, so I would suddenly break into "Call me for your free reading now!" to get back into it.
The game itself was fun - Theatrix, IIRC. I hope there are more Theatrix games this year.
Oh yeah...
Courtesy of ***Dave.
Can anyone else tell right from wrong?
I think this sums up my husband's thoughts on the matter. We talked about this a little at home, not much. Once the verdict was read, he was appalled. Working in the mental health industry, it was inconceivable to him that she would be found guilty. I was not perhaps so stunned, but surprised.
I think many people in the US of A need to learn a lot more about mental illness.
Courtesy of Ginger Stampley.
Lou and I noticed this before they reported on it. Hell, I noticed it this past week, when I had to get gas for the minivan. "What the heck?" I asked myself as I pumped a ton (or as Ian would say it, tonne) of money into the van to fill it up, "I hadn't heard anything about this on the news?"
Lou filled the van up this weekend while we were on the Cape, and he had the same reaction. Of course, after we both shell out the dough, the news is all over it.
I am more anxious than ever now to replace Lou's car with a hybrid. Too bad we won't be able to afford it until next year.
We were in Firestone today, picking up the van from it's brief repair. The news came on the TV there, and Jack said, "I guess Eddie Izzard was wrong." Eddie has, on one of his audio and video performances, a bit about how grandmothers live forever, and he mentions the Queen Mum, and how she's still going strong after all these years.
Still, 101 going on 102 is nothing to sneeze at. Well lived, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Well lived.
Nothing really much to blog about, alas.
I was going to try to find some good links to the Cranston situation, but the Providence Journal, aka the ProJo, didn't have any really good summaries.
Ah, here's one. Not so much a summary as to how they got themselves mired in this, but a good look at the shit that's going down in the wake of it all. I'm glad I don't live in Cranston, myself.
Tried to lure the Husband out to lunch today, being the "Voice of Evil." But I waited too long, he was in Warwick, and didn't have time to come back and pick me up. Maybe later in the week.
Cybersmut and Debt Undermine Penthouse
(New York Times article, free registration required)
Wow. What will I do for my porn when Penthouse goes? Curl up in bed with a laptop with a 'net connection and go trolling alt.sex.stories.moderated? Or the archive?
And what will happen to the Penthouse Letters??
Why doesn't anyone think of the CHILDREN??
(oops, sorry there, got kinda lost...)
Courtesy of ***Dave.
Oh great...just what the addiction needs.
Of course, they'll still need to work around that whole pesky keyboard thing. But you will/can be able to buy one (and a mouse) when you get the broadband/hard drive adapter.
But does this mean that Linux users won't have to boot into Windows to play the game finally?
Courtesy of Slashdot.
WARNING - this post may not be for the faint of heart. Read at your own risk.
A New York Times magazine article, entitled Power Steer, details the life of a cornfed Angus steer. A journalist bought a cow, and followed its progress through to the slaughterhouse.
I think it's worth a read by anyone who likes beef, which I do. A few quotes:
We have succeeded in industrializing the beef calf, transforming what was once a solar-powered ruminant into the very last thing we need: another fossil-fuel machine.
I hadn't realized this. The cows are cornfed, that I realized. But the chemical fertilizer used on the corn is created using a heck of a lot of oil, 1.2 gallons for every bushel.
We are what we eat, it is often said, but of course that's only part of the story. We are what what we eat eats too.
A good thing to remember. Read the article and take note of the amount of antibiotics our cornfed beef need to be on to keep themselves healthy on a diet of corn. Hormone therapy is another issue.
This article won't make me give up meat. I love a nice medium steak just as much as I did before I read the article. But now I'll take a look at the local supermarkets, start comparing the prices of grassfed beef (when I can find it...though there are some local "healthy" stores I can look at), just to see.
Lou and I don't eat meat that much at home...usually hamburger. Maybe once every other month, we get steaks for our George Foreman Grill. At that rate, we might be able to afford the higher cost.
I have a friend who gave up eating meat, partially out of reading some propaganda informational material on slaughterhouses from his pro-environmental sources, and convinced his brother to do the same. The article also has a description (though not from the journalist, he was not allowed in that room) about what happens to the cows in that room. What I found most interesting was the person who designed the room is autistic. She said he helped her "think like a cow." And the industry has embraced her ideas, though mostly out of their own self-serving practices.
Hmm...now that I think about it, I'm reminded of a show I saw on Animal Planet, about the eating of dogs in some Southeast Asian countries. And how supposedly, dogs seeing other dogs being killed before them gave the dogs a rush of adrenaline, which according to connoisseurs, sweetened the taste of the meat. The show, by the way, was condeming the practice, and not promoting it.
What is sacred cow to some, is dinner for another. I guess that's what I'm trying to say here.
Courtesty of ***Dave.
Looking for a new apartment in NYC? Go on, make the call!
Courtesy of The Morning News.
George Alec Effinger dies. The Locus link promises more details as they become available.
CNN is reporting this story.
Accused mailbox bomber Lucas Helder told authorities he was planting pipe bombs in a pattern to show a happy face during his five-state weekend cross-country spree.
I'm just glad for my friends and fellow-bloggers who live in/near the areas where he planted the bombs that he was caught.
Ian, you can get one now. Be glad you waited the few days instead of buying on eBay.
Sony cuts PlayStation 2 prices. It's down to $199.
Also, controllers and memory card prices are dropping a lot.
Jack says he may get one to have two DVD players in the house.
And I love my boss. She said, when I told her to go to Apple's homepage, "How many do you want?"
I've never done much with racks before. This would be a lot of fun. I'll have to learn all about managing them at MacWorldExpo.
Made my hotel reservations today. Decided to go on the cheap, at the Travel Inn, which is right around the corner from the convention center. Didn't want to have to walk far in NYC in the summer, and don't want to bother with cabs.
My mother-in-law, who is a librarian, will no doubt be thrilled by the federal judges who tossed out the online pornography law. And two other friends who work in libraries, one of whom works a technology position, will no doubt also be thrilled.
Critics of the law claim that Web sites can get mistakenly categorized as porn by mistake-prone filtering programs -- making information on breast cancer and homosexuality, for example, unavailable to library Internet surfers.I can confirm that this stuff happens. When I worked at St. George's School, we had a number of websites that were filtered by our program that shouldn't have been. Our sports medicine coach asked us why she couldn't get to a site that sold some custom-made sports equipment. Turns out they sold bras for women who'd had mastectomies. Oh no, can't let the kids see BREASTS!
Other sites that were blocked included neo-Nazi sites, which didn't help the kids who were doing reports on Nazis for class.
The list goes on. All I can say is, Go Federal Judges!
A number of Israeli reserve combat officers and soldiers have decided to stop taking part in missions that don't directly serve Israel's defense. Like the War of the Settlements.
Bravo.
Courtesy of Michael.
This belongs in News and Laughter.
Apparently, the Beijing Evening News reported a story, taken from The Onion, as full truth. Read all about it from the Reuters link.
Courtesy of Slashdot.
Believe it or not, there has been a dotcom success story, and it's not pr0n. The New York Times has an article on how used bookstores are making money selling via the internet.
In fact, the used-book industry so well illustrates the classic economic model that it could replace widgets in Econ. 101 and no one would know the difference.It's not surprising to me. I helped found Bookstore Junkies, a non-profit gathering of people who love to scour bookstores looking for genre fiction. We did it not-for-profit, though. Cost must be cover price + shipping only, and we did a great job of finding books for each other. Our free service could easily have been turned into a paid service if someone had a mind to do so.
While I love walking through a used bookstore and browsing the shelves, looking for specific titles and finding others I hadn't known I wanted, I must say that it's a godsend to just be able to order something online and get it within a few days.
Courtesy of Slashdot.
'Unidentified Floating Object' Washes Up On Beach
Police, firefighters, an Air Force bomb squad, the Coast Guard and the state Department of Health and Environmental Control all examined the orb on Wednesday, but none could identify it.So when the invasion hits, don't say I didn't warn you.Officials contacted NASA and the National Weather Service, but none claimed ownership.
Courtesy of The Daily Illuminator.
I heard about this while listening to The World on the way home.
It is possible to force one photon into a specific quantum mechanical state and, because the two photons are connected in some way, the other photon will instantaneously take up a complementary state.While it is a long way from beaming people, or even beaming atoms, it's a step forward.
Our skies are yellow.
It is noon, and I need to have lights on in the apartment to be able to see well.
According to the Weather Channel, there is a huge fire in Quebec that is causing smoke plumes to obscure a significant portion of New England's skies.
If you look here, you'll see a streak of cloud across New England.
Only it's not a cloud. That's the smoke.
It's not bad enough that I'm coughing or breathing in smoke, but we may end up putting the air conditioners back on in an hour or two. The humidity is also creeping up on us.
They say the winds will shift and it'll be out of New England tomorrow.
This could really go into both Entertainment and News, but I'm trying to not confuse things by putting them into two categories, so News it is.
Janis Ian, you know, the one who sang about not getting chosen for the basketball team (with apologies to Christine Lavin)?
Well, turns out she's quite the music activist.
Read her whole take on the RIAA "debacle" as she calls it here. She has excellent points. Read through them all.
One point to particularly note:
Or take author Mercedes Lackey, who occupies entire shelves in stores and libraries. 15 years ago she published a series of books with "Arrows" in the title; she's been getting royalties ever since. However, one royalty period after putting the first "Arrow" book on Eric Flint's "Baen Free Library" site, she received over triple the normal royalty.* In fact, payment on all her old titles increased, suddenly and significantly, with the only change being the availability of that one free book. I don't know about you, but as an artist with an in-print record catalogue that dates back to 1965, I'd be thrilled to see sales on my old catalogue rise.It looks like she's also a SF/F reader, or at least a really good reseacher as well.Lackey says "It's what I'd expect to happen if a steady line of people who'd never read my stuff encountered it for freeﾖthey started to work through my backlist." I've found that to be true over and over again. Every time we make a few songs available on my website, sales of all the CDs go up. A lot.
I had heard the Lackey comment earlier. I know that Lou downloaded the electronic copy of On Basilisk Station from the Baen Free Library when it was available. We already have it in paperback, Lou wanted to see if the electronic format worked for him (it did not). I currently have The Fifth Sorceress on my Palm (free by following a link out of Dragon Magazine), but am having trouble reading it on the Palm's small screen, though I have read some short stories that way.
Okay, I moved off-topic into books. My bad. Go read Janis Ian's article.
Courtesy of Jack comes this report from our Department of Homeland Defense.
Biological Warfare and the "Buffy Paradigm"
From the report:
If this is the "Buffy paradigm," the "Buffy syndrome" is different. The characters in Buffy constantly try to create unrealistic plans and models, and live in a world where they never really face the level of uncertainty they must deal with. They do not live in a world of total denial, but they do seek predictability and certainty to a degree that never corresponds to the problems they face. In short, they behave as if they could create and live with the kind of strategy and doctrine that is typically developed by the US joint chiefs, could develop and implement an NSC decision memorandium, or solve their problems with the equivalent of a Quadrennial Defense Review.Does this mean Joss & co. will be called in to help with homeland defense?
I heard about her escape yesterday morning from Lou, who told me what she had done. I didn't have time to blog about it (and also forgot to do so), but I am very psyched that they caught the guys who kidnapped her.
This girl is just amazing. Seven years old. Chewing her way through the duct tape. Go her!
"I'll tell you one thing," said Mannwell Gellen, a friend of the Pratt family, "You don't mess with a 7-year-old from Southwest Philadelphia."No sir, no you don't at that.
Don't want to visit a graveyard when your loved one dies? Don't want to worry about Grandpa's ashes being knocked off the mantelpiece?
Well now, with costs of $4,000 to $22,000, you can turn your departed loved one into a diamond to keep with you forever. The company, LifeGem, is responsible for this new way of keeping the memory of your loved one alive forever.
Taking the carbon from the cremated remains of the departed, they turn it into the precious gem.
And they're also considering expanding into your departed pets, too.
Courtesy of The Daily Illuminator.
Though this reminds me more of the fancloak/Warder's cloak from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, it looks like someone's trying to patent an invisibility cloak.
The idea hinges on carefully mimicking background lighting conditions to help render an object invisible, similar to how a chameleon blends in with its surroundings. The rear and front surfaces of an object are covered with a material containing an array of photodetectors and light emitters respectively.Should be interested, if it works.
Courtesy of Slashdot.
Schoolteachers are finding that students these days aren't practicing proper grammar and spelling. And, according to the New York Times article [free registration required], they don't see anything wrong.
Literally. They're not aware they're doing it, they see it so much.
Ms. Brecker once handed in a midterm exam riddled with instant-messaging shorthand. "I had an hour to write an essay on Romeo and Juliet," she said. "I just wanted to finish before my time was up. I was writing fast and carelessly. I spelled 'you' 'u.' " She got a C.And perhaps, even worse was this report from a woman performing an internship:
"They would be trying to make a point in a paper, they would put a smiley face in the end," said Ms. Weaver, who teaches at Alvernia College in Reading, Pa. "If they were presenting an argument and they needed to present an opposite view, they would put a frown."Gee, and I had to text my husband back to explain the phrase "l8r" that I had sent to him while we were at GenCon.
Courtesy of Slashdot.
Our President. Yes, Our President.
If anyone can tell me where that image comes from, I'd be eternally grateful. I found it on someone's livejournal with no attribution.
Okay, I by no means am an expert in the tarot. But the latest leak in the Montgomery County sniper attacks (by the way, I used to live in "Monkey County," in Rockville, actually) makes me think the killer has no clue what about the tarot.
Taking gaming a bit too far, it seems that a 24 year old man died after 86 hours of gaming.
Quoting witnesses, police detective Oh Myong-sik in Kwangju said the man had been virtually glued to the computer since late last Friday and had no decent sleep and meals. The man collapsed in front of the counter early yesterday but soon regained consciousness.And no one called anyone? Police? A doctor? Hello???
While the guy may have gamed himself to death, the internet cafe workers should have done something. But frell, that's one more loser out of the gene pool.
That Flaming Hair Could Mean Flaming Pain - Study
Redheads may actually have another trait that makes them stand out -- sensitivity to pain, specialists reported on Tuesday.For those who don't know him, Lou is a natural redhead. And he really, REALLY hates needles. Though the report was mostly about using more anesthesia on redheads than on non-redheads. Interesting study.
Courtesy, again, of Slashdot.
I heard about this on the Today show on Monday morning. The first thing I thought of, being an Amber player and GM, was "This guy just tried to pull a Caine!
For those not in the know, in the Amber books by Roger Zelazny, a character named Caine fakes his own death by going out and finding a "shadow" of himself (basically a duplicate) and killed him, then planted the body and everyone thought Caine was dead, until he showed up at the end of the series, very much alive.
Since I didn't actually make a blog entry yesterday, I had to do some web searching to find this story, but the Sacramento Bee came through for me.
Meadows spent weeks searching the Internet for someone who would be mistaken for himself, Davenport said. He was seeking men who were 5-foot-6, about 150 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.Fortunately for the victim, Stephen "Jeremy" Bowen, Meadows was not as thorough as the fictional Caine was, and he managed to pull the knife out of his throat, cut the ties holding him, and go to a neighbor's house for help. Jeremy's alive, though no doubt emotionally a wreck, and Meadows has turned himself into police.
The strange thing is that Meadows really thought that he'd get away with it by burning down the house. Has he never heard of dental records?
Crushed passenger wins obesity payout
Virgin Atlantic has paid a woman passenger ｣13,000 (US$20,289) compensation, after she was squashed by an obese person sat next to her on a transatlantic flight.Turns out that the obese passenger in question booked two seats on the flight out, but not on the way back, and there were no other seats available. The woman had a blood clot in her chest, torn leg muscles, and acute sciatica.
Courtesy of the BBC and NetNewsWire Lite, the coolest thing for RSS feeds since sliced web images! (sorry, OSX only.)
Since I know some of you who read my blog are in the Rocky Mountain area, I just thought I'd share this little tidbit.
My big boss's grandaughter is at the bottom of this picture. Looks like you've got quite the growing newspaper out there!
(Flash required)
Joe Strummer, the leader of legendary Seventies punk band The Clash, has died aged 50.
A moment of loud, jangling guitars instead of silence, please.
Woolly writing creates new poetry
A man has been given a grant to create poems from words painted on the backs of sheep, then let loose to wander.
An example of the poetry created: Warm drift, graze gentle, White below the sky, Soft sheep, mirrors, Snow clouds.
Courtesy of The Daily Illuminator.
The One Ring.net has an RSS newsfeed.
*adds to NetNewsWire*
I just wish that the Star Wars site's feed wouldn't put italics in their headers. It invalidates the feed and I can't get it again until that header scrolls off. I also wish The Force.net had a feed.
So, what do you feed on?
Me, I have /., MacSlash, BBC News, Boing Boing, Kuro5hin, MacMegasite, myapplemenu, Ranchero, MacUpdate (MacOS X), Mac OS X Hints, StarWars.com, TORN, Gamegrene, Wil Wheaton, ***Dave Does the Blog, Blogatelle, Too Flattering Sweet, Perverse Access Memory, Digital Midnight Art, and Blackrose's Fiction.
Gimme more feeds.
I may not like the Hooters restaurant chain, but I must admit, they do have a great sense of humor.
And glad to see anti-war protesters using the LotR/Bush joke.
Public prayer fanatics borrow page from enemy's script
Interesting perspective, and not one I'd expect from a movie critic. But that's just me.
News Channel 10 - News - Pileup Shuts Down I-95 In Attleboro
I'm glad I don't go home that way.
*looks out window* I wonder if staying here for a time would be good.
The 2nd interview was cancelled today, because one of the interviewers was out sick. We did the first one, but since I'm recusing myself from the second (I know the person very well), that would have left Kate to do the job. So that's rescheduled for next Thursday.
As long as D&M lets me get my guide still, I'll be happy.
No Last Minute Save for SONICblue
For its part, D&M said, "D&M and SONICblue were unable to finalize the terms of a transaction before the deadline expired. D&M remains interested in these businesses and is evaluating the best way to proceed through the court auction process."
I am glad that I didn't buy the lifetime membership, just in case the folks who buy it decide to cancel the guide service.
Microsoft says to take aim at Google
"We do view Google more and more as a competitor. We believe that we can provide consumers with a better product and a better user experience. That's something that we're actively looking at doing," Bob Visse, director of marketing for Microsoft's MSN Internet services division, said.
Google couldn't be reached for comment.
I don't know about you, but it scares me.
1-Hour Arrest details the case of Peruvian immigrant Jacqueline Mercado and her boyfriend Johnny Fernandez, both of whom were arrested after an Eckerd Drugs employee notified authorities that the photos they dropped off to be developed were "suspicious."
The photos in question show two naked kids getting ready for a bath, a topless Jacqueline in bed with her two children (again, they were naked), and - the biggest offender - Jacqueline breast-feeding 1-year-old Rodrigo.
The charges against the couple have been dropped. But they still don't have their children back.
Courtesy of Kuro5hin.
Microsoft & HP's new computer.
I want to know what the thing on the left is.
Damn being an East Coaster. And a New Englanda to boot!
EDIT: There's another one, spotted by Anne.
Marvel Enterprises, Inc. - CREATE FOR MARVEL
They've changed their submission guidelines. Interesting.
I know it's not good karma to rejoice in death, so I will just simply say that Strom Thurmond has just died at 100.
::does little dance where no one can see::
I heard this story [Real audio link] on NPR this morning, and started doing a search to find out more. Nothing on Sports Illustrated, or CNN, which surprised me. I know that show horses aren't high on the list of sports news, but with an attack like this, I thought it would have gotten SOME coverage. Fortunately, Google came to the rescue, and I found a local article: Attack on horses shocks show participants.
According to the NPR report, they don't know what substance was injected into the horses' legs. One of the newspaper articles said it was acid, but I don't know if that's accurate.
I am no Saddlebred fan. In fact, one of the colleges I applied to was heavily into the 5-gaited horses, which was one of the main reasons I chose not to go there. But for someone to maliciously hurt each of these five horses enough to make them lame enrages me. Not enough to kill, it seems. Just to put them out of competition.
From another article:
Each horse developed a hole where flesh was dying on the rear pastern between the ankle and hoof. Only the left front leg of each horse appeared to have been touched, Lopez said.I can only say further that I really hope it wasn't someone involved in the show horse business. To imagine that a competitor would do such a thing to another's horses does not make me think that he or she would treat his own horses well.
Episcopalians approve gay bishop
I would imagine this will be a very busy day for my friend The Rev. Jan Nunley, who is the Deputy Director of the Episcopal News Service. Yes, busy day indeed.
Are we heading for a real Diamond Age?
Courtesy of Slashdot.
NP: The Horsetamer's Daughter by Leslie Fish
Iron-eating bug found to thrive in 121C heat
The newly discovered micro-organism does not yet have a scientific name but its finders call it "Strain 121". The researchers, Kazem Kashefi and Derek Lovley from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, found the tiny creature in a deep-sea volcanic vent on the bed of the Pacific Ocean, where temperatures reach 400C.Come on, guys! Call it what it is. A rust monster!They put Strain 121 in a hot oven to find that it enjoyed the experience - colonies continued to double in size at 121C.
Courtesy of Slashdot.
The Renesys Corporation has a report, including a neat animation, of the internet routing outages during the blackout last week.
Courtesy of Slashdot.
Dean gets old-fashioned fundraiser [free registration required]
So far, Dean has received contributions from 93,000 on-line supporters at an average of about $80 each. Last night's fundraiser at the home of Jennifer and Joesph Gould -- two top administators at St. George's -- had a minimum donation of $250 and drew about 175 for wine and canapes under a billowing white tent on a pleasant summer evening.Gotta love the Projo. Misspelling the first name of my old boss. But it does make me wonder what position Jen has at the school. When I left, she wasn't working there. Ah, a quick check of the website reveals all. She's a gift coordinator.
By the way, though it's not mentioned in the article, Dean did attend St. George's, like most of his siblings. Not quite sure if he graduated like the others did, but I do know he went there.
On Sunday, Warren Zevon passed.
Early this morning, Johnny Cash passed.
*makes playlist of Best of Warren Zevon and The Man Comes Around IV*
Also, completing the trifecta, John Ritter died.
NP: In My Life from the album "American IV: The Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash
Governor Dean likes to say that George W. Bush deserves a one-way bus ticket back to Crawford, Texas.Well, we looked into it, and George Bush's bus ticket home will cost about $145.
You can send the message that Bush needs to get on that bus by contributing your $145 now.
One thing, though: there's no bus service all the way out to Crawford. That $145 ticket will get him to Waco -- he'll just have to get out and walk the rest of the way.
From Dean's blog, here. If you don't like Dean, consider contributing that amount to any Anti-Bush candidate.
Last night I went and took a look at this, and this. My favorite bit, I'll include in the cut.
I also find it terribly amusing that these folks immediately assume that, if we let gay people marry, suddenly others will come out of the woodwork wanting to have multiple spouses recognized, or worse yet, allow people to marry animals! Ellen DeGeneres did a wonderful bit on this (and Lou had to remind me it was her, as I'd forgotten). "Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Billy." *sporfle*
So, this morning I wake up, and one of my first thoughts after hearing the morning sports news is, Wow, the Cubbies and Sox are really dragging this out, followed by, You know, they're both going to lose in 7 games and it'll be a Yankees/Marlins series, just to cause the most PAIN. And on the heels of that, to echo Peter David, And no one will give a flying fuck save Yankees and Marlins fans.
While I'd love to see a Cubs/Sox series, and I still hope for it, It's becoming less and less likely.
The baseball gods are jesting with Sox and Cubs fans this year. And once again, Lou will be right.
Microsoft fires temp for posting pictures of G5s arriving at Microsoft on his blog.
Courtesy of Slashdot. Now, let's see how TypePad handles the /. effect.
Massachusetts court strikes down ban on same-sex marriage.
The highest court in Massachusetts ruled Tuesday it is unconstitutional for the state to deny marriage to gay and lesbian couples, a move that could make the state the first to legalize same-sex marriages.
Saddam was held by Kurdish forces, drugged and left for US troops.
Saddam Hussein was captured by US troops only after he had been taken prisoner by Kurdish forces, drugged and abandoned ready for American soldiers to recover him, a British Sunday newspaper said.
Since this is Yahoo, and it will likely vanish soon, here's another bit:
A former Iraqi intelligence officer, whom the Express did not name, told the paper that Saddam was held prisoner by a leader of the Kurdish Patriotic Front, which fought alongside US forces during the Iraq war, until he negotiated a deal.
Do you think this will get much play in US newspapers and on the news? Naaaah.
Massachusetts high court: Same-sex couples entitled to marry
Yay for my state!
Palm's next gen OS ceases OS X support.
Well, I guess if I want a new Palm, I'll have to make sure to get it before the PalmOS 6, aka Cobalt, comes out. Since I mostly sync my Palm IIIc at work and not with my home Windows machine, and it's a work-provided Palm, this is a big issue.
Especially as I dislike iCal.
Courtesy of Macslash.
Valentine's Day, that great state holiday, by Bill Maher in the Op-Ed column in the Boston Globe.
And why does the Bush administration want a constitutional amendment about weddings? Hey, birthdays are important, too -- why not include them in the great document? Let's make a law that gay people can have birthdays, but straight people get more cake -- you know, to send the right message to kids.
I saw this floating around Livejournal, with no source attribution. If anyone knows, tell me and I'll add it in here. EDIT: I was contacted in IM via a very nice person with the handle of Amystyle, to tell me that this is from Gator Gay Straight Alliance. So update your links!
Ideas: Gay Marriage - Pro and Con
This argument for gay marriage comes from a conservative. Originally published in the Op-Ed column of the New York Times last November.
The conservative course is not to banish gay people from making such commitments. It is to expect that they make such commitments. We shouldn't just allow gay marriage. We should insist on gay marriage. We should regard it as scandalous that two people could claim to love each other and not want to sanctify their love with marriage and fidelity.
I don't think I agree with everything he says (such as the line about becoming each other in the marriage - we have to retain some of our individuality!), but that only strengthens his point, for me.
Volvo has a new concept car, designed by women for women.
While I love the concept of a split headrest for women who wear ponytails, the inaccessible engine compartment leaves women like me - trained by my father on how to change the oil on my car, and able to get my old Plymouth Duster going when the men around me just stood and stared dumbly - scratching their heads.
I also don't think I'd change the seat pads to match my outfit (*teehee* I'm a girl!!), though putting wool ones on in the winter would be helpful.
Courtesy of Slashdot.
Word.
Where is the Christian tolerance in those right-wing Christian leaders who would impose their religious beliefs on the entire diverse population of the United States, even to the extent of a Constitutional amendment curtailing our rights of religious freedom?
Well said, Mr. Cronkite.
Someone, please tell me that this isn't true. Please.
A bill. To allow Congress to reverse the judgments of the United States Supreme Court.
I have no words.
The BBC is reporting that new TLDs have been submitted to ICANN.
.cat?
.cat?
How long before people start registering "catname.cat"? I mean, I'd love to have athena.cat and artemis.cat, even if I never do anything with them.
I must admit, I still think a .xxx TLD is a good idea. I have read through the recent Slashdot discussion on it (well, some of the discussion). I know what is considered "adult" or "pr0n" in some places don't match other places, and I do also believe it's up to the parents to monitor their kids.
I guess I just want all my pr0n in one place.
Courtesy of Slashdot.
NPR Stations Had Pushed for Change [NYT, free registration required] details a push for removing Bob Edwards as host of Morning Edition, a position he's held since it started 25 years ago this November, that began at the local NPR station level.
I listen to NPR every morning when I drive in by myself (which, I admit, isn't very often anymore), but I also listen to it once I get to work, as our local station keeps it going until 9:00, at which point they move to BBC Newshour.
NPR hopefully will have learned a valuable lesson from all the brouhaha they're going to be getting over this.
In case you hadn't heard, "Weird Al" Yankovic's parents died on April 9th, from carbon monoxide poisoning. Al has spoke up via this, letting us know that he's not cancelling his tour, and where donations can be made in memory of his parents.
I just wish his tour came closer to us. I'd get a ticket.
Just so you know, Mr. Gulick, I do log all our conversations, by default. Do you consent?
Courtesy of a friend on LJ
Earlier this afternoon the state legislature of Virginia ratified a bill that would outlaw any “partnership contract or other arrangements that purport to provide the benefits of marriage.”
Courtesy of Gay Straight Alliance.
The Marriage Affirmation Act was passed by a vote of 69-30 in the House, and 27-12 in the Senate, just missing the 1/3 vote in each house to kill the bill.
Some of the best commentary I've found is here. I don't think "insane troll logic" in the comments is insane enough to describe what has happened in Virginia.
Yahoo! News - Maine recognizes same-sex pertnerships
Of course, my FAVORITE thing about this article is the misspelling in the title. And in the footer.
But...Go Maine! *roots*
Live frog found in airline meal
"There was a bit of consternation by the passenger who called back the attendant," said Fergus Small of New Zealand's Ministry of Agriculture. The attendant removed the salad and the frog, which was killed by quarantine staff when the aircraft landed.
And now all I can think about is Christine Lavin's "Fly on a Plane" song.
Rescuers prep for hybrid car accident
The growing popularity of hybrid vehicles poses a new danger for rescuers at accident scenes: a network of high-voltage circuitry that may require some precise cutting to save a trapped victim.
It's mainly about cutting into doors to get someone out of a car, but it's still good to note. Use rubber gloves and boots, and disconnect the battery, if you can. And cut into the roof.
Courtesy of Slashdot.
Slashdot has an article today which links to this Wired article, which features Hybrid Buzz!, a blog by Pete Blackshaw, wherein he details how unsuccessful he has been at getting 40+ mpg with his Honda Civic Hybrid.
I know that Jack has been getting very good mileage with his Prius, at least 40 (right, Jack?). So I'm not sure where the difficulty lies.
And another link for Jack, if he wasn't aware of it before. :)
Courtesy of Slashdot.
Some, but not all, of the list of occupations, arranged alphabetically, listed on gay marriage applicant licenses in Massachusetts.
No X and no Z jobs, alas.
Alas, you can't turn the music off, so be warned in advance.
This makes me want to cry. Not just for what happened to this man, but for the fact that we live in a country now where this is all too commonplace.
I have no words to describe this travesty, so I will let the article and the CDC speak for themselves.
New guidelines gut HIV prevention — and endanger young people’s lives
The CDC guidelines available for comment are here.
ETA: Here's another take on the decision.
So, it appears that Mount St. Helens has blown its top a bit again.
I remember the first time it blew, back in 1980. I must admit, being on the East Coast and being 13 meant it didn't have a HUGE impact on me. But I do remember it being a big news event.
This one is pretty small, so far. But I think we're due for a larger explosion.
Yes, Virginia, Wales does really exist. Unless, of course, you're looking on the EU map, which somehow omitted that country, slightly attached to England.
All I can say on this matter is I've been in Wales. Besides having the city with the longest name, pretty much all else they have is rocks and sheep. Spray-painted sheep, but that's about it.
Really.
[oh, in browsing that site, I realize there is a longer-named town in New Zealand, now. Ah well.]
I'm on a blogging roll today!
A creationist book detailing how the Great Flood created the Grand Canyon stays for sale at Grand Canyon museums and gift shops. Why?
Now that the book has become quite popular, we dont want to remove it.
The sale of the book in particular was supposed to be reviewed by higher ups in the NPS, but that review never happened.
Courtesy of a Canadian friend.
Lou and I stayed up until the final out last night. We were at a game, and started listening on the way home, since someone told us they were up 6-1 in the 4th.
As I said in my subject, I think he echoes my sentiments pretty much.
But the curse isn't over, even if we DID beat those damned Yankees.
I've said for some time that the Providence Place Mall would be the perfect location for an Apple Store. Well, according to this website, it is definitely a serious possibility. (scroll down to the second entry under "Confirmed By Job Listings, News Accounts, Etc.")
I still don't know if I'd ditch education for retail, but it would still be great to have an Apple Store so close.
I'm not changing my blog colors to black because of the election. I'm sticking with the Sox colors for a bit longer.
I'm upset that Bush won, that Kerry conceded, and that enough of this country believes Bush's lies to keep him in office for four more years.
But life goes on, and if anything, I think this will (I hope) mobilize even more people become activists.
Now, who do we have to put into office in four years?
Spotted linked to on my friends list on LJ, I give you a geek's eye view of the 2004 Election.
We have to remember, with all the debate going on about gay marriage, that first and foremost, they are people. Not the enemy. Not bent on taking over your marriage and corrupting your sacred institution. They are simply people, wanting to do what we've been doing for years. Getting married to express their love.
Courtesy of ***Dave.
Like some people, I was thrilled when I heard of Ashcroft's potential (now fact) leaving.
And then he had to mention - what if the replacement is worse?
Then she had to mention the unthinkable.
I do not think he'd get confirmed, however.
And I must admit, I am amused at ***Dave's title to his post. I mourn for my good, lost comic now. *sighs* (kinda like my country)
It reads like a Disney movie.
Elephants rescue antelope held in boma
The only thing missing, of course, is the singing and the musical score in the background.
Google now has a page for information and donation links for the Tsunami Relief.
If I could set my ReplayTV in far enough advance to record this show, I would.
Fortunately, one of our local PBS stations is WGBH, and I'm glad they're still going to be airing it.
And I'm not really thrilled with our brand new education secretary. It's an odd day when you're considering wishing Rod Paige was still in charge of the Department of Education.
MIT students pull prank on conference.
It's like the Lorem Ipsum generator. Or any of those web-speak/business-speak/corporate-mission statement generators.
I know they say they're good apartment dogs, and I believe it, but I just don't think we could manage a dog in our little apartment along with two cats.
But if you live in the Northeast, please consider adopting a greyhound if you can manage it.
All I can say is, it's about time.
Of course, it won't probably be open until the end of this year, if then. But they've finally inked the deal.
A mom relates a story about her 8 year old being suspended for a day from school for reciting his own version of the pledge of allegiance.
Also a good read is her link to another story of Star Trek and her kids, and how the family started watching it. The link is at the end of this entry.
Smurfs used as shock treatment in UNICEF's fundraising drive
Very unSmurfy, though it makes the point quite well, it would appear.
taptaptap Is this thing on? Oh, yes, thank you. clears throat
Defective Yeti has a very interesting view of Bush's time in office here: Xyzzy
Local Weather Forecast for Fall River, MA (02723)
For those of you who will read this much later than when it's posted, here is today's forecast, for January 5, 2007:
Cloudy with periods of rain. High 59F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Tomorrow, January 6th, 2007:
Rain showers early with overcast skies later in the day. Near record high temperatures. High 62F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Hey Colorado, can you finally let go and send some to New England? Thanks!
So, watching the rain pour down outside my work window, I'm still wondering...
Whither Winter?
I know, I know, north of me is getting socked hard, but down here? We've had nothing. Some snow this morning that made the commute slow, but now it's simply rain rain rain.
*le sigh*
I guess this will be one of those winters where we never get the true Nor'easter that socks it to coastal New England. I'd still love at least an inch that lasted more than half a day, tho.
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