Sunday, February 28, 2010
Update Coming Soon
There is a new blog post coming soon. I swear. No really. Cross my heart. You believe me right? I have an honest face. That's why it's so very easy to lie to people. NO WAIT I DIDN'T MEAN THAT!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Of Things Lost and Found, and Speaking of Geeks
From the department of Lost and Found
For a little while there I thought that I had lost my treasured eight gigabyte thumb drive. For anyone who doesn't know me that's a big deal. Like leave my cave and chase after short fuzzy people while muttering about a "precious" or some damn thing, kind of big deal. Not for any bad reason, either; I keep most of my writing on this thing. I don't save much of anything locally anymore. Most of my writing is either done in Zoho Office, or it's done in another program like Celtx or MS Word (though lately I've been thinking of switching to OpenOffice.org) and saved to my thumb drive. With that in mind you can imagine that losing it was a bummer. Also for those who don't already know me, I teach a martial arts class. Well, that night I had to go by the home of my assistant instructor because he had been kind enough to drive that night, and my cell phone had fallen out in his car. I thought something similar might have happened with my thumb drive. My thought was, in my hurry to get ready for class (as I was running late that night) I might have slipped it into the pocket of my training pants, which is something I never, ever do. At any rate, I didn't find it right away so I figured it gone. What bothered me about this more than the thought of losing years and years of writing was the possibility that I'm capable of being so incredibly careless. If I can fail myself to that extent, how might I have failed someone I care about, and to what degree. The question still haunts me. However, I did end up finding the errant flash drive. It had fallen into the laundry bag next to our bed. Since finding it I've undertaken to copy all the writing that is most important to me to a file folder in my Google Apps account. I'll update these files periodically. I've also created a DropBox account and copied my most important files to this folder as well. The question of my potential for carelessness still haunts me, but the story ultimately has a happy ending and a valuable lesson.
Geek Speak
This strip will take a little explaining. A while back I had this really awful dream, the kind of dream that sort of makes you wish you could scour your brain. In this dream I was the kind of guy that might make you long for the days when public hangings of criminals were more commonplace. The kind of guy that the good people of a small town get together to quietly lynch, then bury in dotty old Mildred's petunia bed. In this dream I verbally abused and badly beat my wife, all of which was witnessed by another woman in the room who ran for it to call the cops. To stop this second woman from calling the cops, this dream sociopath version of me gave pursuit with the intention of beating her to death. Charming isn't it? Needless to say I woke up breathing heavily, covered in sweat, my hands shaking, and just repeating over and over, "What the fuck was THAT all about?" Later, though, as I was thinking about it, something funny occurred to me. I know, "beating your wife then murdering the witness, that's fucking HILARIOUS!" stay with me here. Most of the time I think I'm a pretty decent guy. I'd even go so far as to say I'm one of the good guys. If I can have a dream like that, what do bad guys dream about? I mean really bad guys. What do murdering sociopaths who kick puppies have nightmares about? Do they wake in a cold sweat from horrible dreams of...selling cookies at a bake sale? Helping a blind person with their grocery shopping? Quilting? That struck me as kind of funny, which lead me to today's Geek Speak.
Geek Speak
For a little while there I thought that I had lost my treasured eight gigabyte thumb drive. For anyone who doesn't know me that's a big deal. Like leave my cave and chase after short fuzzy people while muttering about a "precious" or some damn thing, kind of big deal. Not for any bad reason, either; I keep most of my writing on this thing. I don't save much of anything locally anymore. Most of my writing is either done in Zoho Office, or it's done in another program like Celtx or MS Word (though lately I've been thinking of switching to OpenOffice.org) and saved to my thumb drive. With that in mind you can imagine that losing it was a bummer. Also for those who don't already know me, I teach a martial arts class. Well, that night I had to go by the home of my assistant instructor because he had been kind enough to drive that night, and my cell phone had fallen out in his car. I thought something similar might have happened with my thumb drive. My thought was, in my hurry to get ready for class (as I was running late that night) I might have slipped it into the pocket of my training pants, which is something I never, ever do. At any rate, I didn't find it right away so I figured it gone. What bothered me about this more than the thought of losing years and years of writing was the possibility that I'm capable of being so incredibly careless. If I can fail myself to that extent, how might I have failed someone I care about, and to what degree. The question still haunts me. However, I did end up finding the errant flash drive. It had fallen into the laundry bag next to our bed. Since finding it I've undertaken to copy all the writing that is most important to me to a file folder in my Google Apps account. I'll update these files periodically. I've also created a DropBox account and copied my most important files to this folder as well. The question of my potential for carelessness still haunts me, but the story ultimately has a happy ending and a valuable lesson.
Geek Speak
This strip will take a little explaining. A while back I had this really awful dream, the kind of dream that sort of makes you wish you could scour your brain. In this dream I was the kind of guy that might make you long for the days when public hangings of criminals were more commonplace. The kind of guy that the good people of a small town get together to quietly lynch, then bury in dotty old Mildred's petunia bed. In this dream I verbally abused and badly beat my wife, all of which was witnessed by another woman in the room who ran for it to call the cops. To stop this second woman from calling the cops, this dream sociopath version of me gave pursuit with the intention of beating her to death. Charming isn't it? Needless to say I woke up breathing heavily, covered in sweat, my hands shaking, and just repeating over and over, "What the fuck was THAT all about?" Later, though, as I was thinking about it, something funny occurred to me. I know, "beating your wife then murdering the witness, that's fucking HILARIOUS!" stay with me here. Most of the time I think I'm a pretty decent guy. I'd even go so far as to say I'm one of the good guys. If I can have a dream like that, what do bad guys dream about? I mean really bad guys. What do murdering sociopaths who kick puppies have nightmares about? Do they wake in a cold sweat from horrible dreams of...selling cookies at a bake sale? Helping a blind person with their grocery shopping? Quilting? That struck me as kind of funny, which lead me to today's Geek Speak.
Geek Speak
Monday, February 15, 2010
Prima Guide to Webcomics about Aged Dragons and Geek Speak x2
The Book of Dragon Age: Origins
In a fit of frustration and moment of indulging in some retail therapy (always a bad decision, always, even if you do end up buying something your wife really needs), and picked up the Prima guide for Dragon Age: Origins. Perhaps not the best use of $25.00. When I picked it up, it was in the hopes that the video game sages of Prima-who spend their days in unwashed diapers playing PCs and consoles endlessly so that us mere mortals might actually stand a chance of completing one of the damn things-would have some as to the best strategy to defeat the brood mother. Sadly, it was not to be. The book offered the same basic advice I had from the wiki. Which is to say, "this is a tough. fight. Load up on health poultices." Thanks sparky. I'd worked that much out for myself. Unfortunately, it has no recommendations as to the best way to acquire said health poultices. One of the annoying things about the game is the fact that shopkeepers will actually run out of shit. If you've purchased all the health poultices offered by a particular shop, that's it. You're screwed if you ever have to go back. At this point I have to stock up on health poultices the best that I can and return to fight the brood mother. There are two ways this could go that I can foresee.
1. I fight the brood mother. It's a tough battle but my new stock of health poultices help to pull me through.
2. In lieu of tearing my hair out trying to defeat this vomitous bitch queen, I may just change the level of difficulty and move the hell on.
Webcomics worth mentioning
Ever since I was introduced, really introduced to comics in middle-school, I have been seriously into story telling through sequential art, and comic books in particular. As with most thirteen year old boys I was particularly excited about boobies. But that's a different subject, we're talking about comic books. Initially I was particularly fascinated with superheroes, as I think most boys my age were (those who were reading comics, anyway). In recent years I've kind of moved away from that and started seeking out either new spins on the superhero story, or other types of story told using comic books (graphic novels if you feel like gilding the lily a bit) as a medium.
Lately I've been keeping my eye out for webcomics. These are largely self-published, independent stories, told in the form of an online, illustrated serial. The ones listed below are the best I've read to date:
In light of the fact that I felt it necessary to take down my last cartoon, because you never know who is watching, I'm offering two Geek Speak strips with this post. This first one was done as I was thinking about how an encounter between a bunch of l0w-to-mid level adventurers and a giant might end. This would have to be a party that had been successful enough to get cocky, but not so successful as to stand a snowball's chance of actually taking a giant. Honestly, I'm surprised more encounters don't go this way.
Geek Speak
Click on the image above to view the full-sized version.
This next cartoon came to me when I got to thinking about the infamous smoking beaver shot from Basic Instinct. To date still one of the most boring movies I have ever seen. The action of the movie breaks down kind of like this:
Geek Speak
In a fit of frustration and moment of indulging in some retail therapy (always a bad decision, always, even if you do end up buying something your wife really needs), and picked up the Prima guide for Dragon Age: Origins. Perhaps not the best use of $25.00. When I picked it up, it was in the hopes that the video game sages of Prima-who spend their days in unwashed diapers playing PCs and consoles endlessly so that us mere mortals might actually stand a chance of completing one of the damn things-would have some as to the best strategy to defeat the brood mother. Sadly, it was not to be. The book offered the same basic advice I had from the wiki. Which is to say, "this is a tough. fight. Load up on health poultices." Thanks sparky. I'd worked that much out for myself. Unfortunately, it has no recommendations as to the best way to acquire said health poultices. One of the annoying things about the game is the fact that shopkeepers will actually run out of shit. If you've purchased all the health poultices offered by a particular shop, that's it. You're screwed if you ever have to go back. At this point I have to stock up on health poultices the best that I can and return to fight the brood mother. There are two ways this could go that I can foresee.
1. I fight the brood mother. It's a tough battle but my new stock of health poultices help to pull me through.
2. In lieu of tearing my hair out trying to defeat this vomitous bitch queen, I may just change the level of difficulty and move the hell on.
Webcomics worth mentioning
Ever since I was introduced, really introduced to comics in middle-school, I have been seriously into story telling through sequential art, and comic books in particular. As with most thirteen year old boys I was particularly excited about boobies. But that's a different subject, we're talking about comic books. Initially I was particularly fascinated with superheroes, as I think most boys my age were (those who were reading comics, anyway). In recent years I've kind of moved away from that and started seeking out either new spins on the superhero story, or other types of story told using comic books (graphic novels if you feel like gilding the lily a bit) as a medium.
Lately I've been keeping my eye out for webcomics. These are largely self-published, independent stories, told in the form of an online, illustrated serial. The ones listed below are the best I've read to date:
- Girl Genius - bar none my favorite on this list. Drawn by Phil Foglio and written by his wife, Kaja.
- Looking for Group - Seriously takes the piss out of the fantasy genre and fantasy gaming, especially WoW. Looking for group is frequently hilarious, but does struggle with its identity. Sometimes this comic is side-splittingly hilarious, other times its run out and buy some HIM albums level of "takes itself seriously."
- Sequential Art - Written and drawn by the excellent Phillip M. Jackson. This is a more traditional comic strip that is typically updated a couple of times a week.
- Penny Arcade - Check it out, read the archives, 'nuff said. These guys will be at the Meltdown in Hollywood on the 26th. I'm going to be there.
In light of the fact that I felt it necessary to take down my last cartoon, because you never know who is watching, I'm offering two Geek Speak strips with this post. This first one was done as I was thinking about how an encounter between a bunch of l0w-to-mid level adventurers and a giant might end. This would have to be a party that had been successful enough to get cocky, but not so successful as to stand a snowball's chance of actually taking a giant. Honestly, I'm surprised more encounters don't go this way.
Geek Speak
Click on the image above to view the full-sized version.
This next cartoon came to me when I got to thinking about the infamous smoking beaver shot from Basic Instinct. To date still one of the most boring movies I have ever seen. The action of the movie breaks down kind of like this:
- Sharon Stone is screwing some guy
- Michael Douglas is investigating a crime scene
- Intense dialog
- Infamous smoking beaver shot
- Intense dialog
- Sharon Stone is screwing Michael Douglas
- Intense Dialog
- Michael Douglas is screwing some other woman who, I think, is supposed to be a forensic psychologist but delivers her lines like someone who once heard that there was such a thing.
- Normal Guy is ready to tear his eyes out just to make something fucking interesting happen.
Geek Speak
Friday, February 12, 2010
Geek Speak Redacted
It's a sad fact that you never know who is reading these blogs. Sadder still that something I do on my own time, for the entertainment of myself and my friends, could potentially be used against me and the people I work for. Ultimately, I feel this is a risk I can ill afford to take at this time.
My position means that I have to be very careful and self-policing with regards to what I post on these pages. This means that I can never, ever post anything remotely critical about either the world's largest purveyor of operating systems, or the world's leading search giant. Even something that is exaggerated for comic effect, and intended to poke fun at either or both of these companies could offend someone at either company. This could damage the relationship my employer has with either of these companies and ultimately lead to me being dismissed. As a result I felt it necessary to remove yesterday's cartoon. I hope you had a chance to enjoy it.
I think everyone loses out in this situation. Not the least because I feel that these major tech giants should be criticized from time-to-time, when it is appropriate to do so.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Endless Neighborly Dragons Geek Speaking
ragon Age
Yes, I'm still playing this freaking game! It's huge. I mean just monstrous. As a casual gamer you can literally be playing this game for months. Take it from me. I'm currently in the Dead Trenches, which can officially lick sweat straight off a donkey's balls. Holy crap on a communion wafer this level is difficult. I'm not talking run-of-the-mill hard, I'm talking about blood-pressure spiking, snap the controller in half, go kick the entertainment center levels of fucking brutal. Two words. Brood. Mother. The disgusting, flabby, six-titted, whore can't move, but she has all kinds of tentacles and 'spawns' new enemies for you to fight on a regular basis. In a vain effort to find a strategy that worked I did some looking online. Foolish mortal. All of the strategies can be boiled down to, "Have plenty of health poultices," of which I have ONE. I've already bought all of the poultices available from the various sellers in Orzamar, which means I have to leave and try to find health poultices out in the world. Then I can come back and try to tackle her royal grotesqueness.
Being neighborly
We (my wife and I) don't live in the greatest of neighborhoods. This is really nothing new for me, which is actually kind of sad now that I look at it written out. Even so, there are times I find it entertaining, like today. When I left to go teach my eskrima class there were a couple of random derelicts sitting on the cement enclosure that surrounds the front yard of the building next to ours. This congress of cleverness consisted of a man and a woman. As I was walking out the woman was shouting obscenities and ranting in the man's direction. Most of which I don't remember except this little nugget, "...is not a fucking faggot, you don't say that kind of thing about my nephew mother fucker, fuck you you fucking..."
You get the idea. She continued in that vein for longer than I would really want to recount on these pages, anyway.
Unaccountably, and completely unbidden, the old Sesame Street song, "The People in Your Neighborhood" just popped into my head at that moment. Which made me laugh. In some ways that might actually have made me look crazier than those two.
Geek Speak
(Comic strip redacted)
Yes, I'm still playing this freaking game! It's huge. I mean just monstrous. As a casual gamer you can literally be playing this game for months. Take it from me. I'm currently in the Dead Trenches, which can officially lick sweat straight off a donkey's balls. Holy crap on a communion wafer this level is difficult. I'm not talking run-of-the-mill hard, I'm talking about blood-pressure spiking, snap the controller in half, go kick the entertainment center levels of fucking brutal. Two words. Brood. Mother. The disgusting, flabby, six-titted, whore can't move, but she has all kinds of tentacles and 'spawns' new enemies for you to fight on a regular basis. In a vain effort to find a strategy that worked I did some looking online. Foolish mortal. All of the strategies can be boiled down to, "Have plenty of health poultices," of which I have ONE. I've already bought all of the poultices available from the various sellers in Orzamar, which means I have to leave and try to find health poultices out in the world. Then I can come back and try to tackle her royal grotesqueness.
Being neighborly
We (my wife and I) don't live in the greatest of neighborhoods. This is really nothing new for me, which is actually kind of sad now that I look at it written out. Even so, there are times I find it entertaining, like today. When I left to go teach my eskrima class there were a couple of random derelicts sitting on the cement enclosure that surrounds the front yard of the building next to ours. This congress of cleverness consisted of a man and a woman. As I was walking out the woman was shouting obscenities and ranting in the man's direction. Most of which I don't remember except this little nugget, "...is not a fucking faggot, you don't say that kind of thing about my nephew mother fucker, fuck you you fucking..."
You get the idea. She continued in that vein for longer than I would really want to recount on these pages, anyway.
Unaccountably, and completely unbidden, the old Sesame Street song, "The People in Your Neighborhood" just popped into my head at that moment. Which made me laugh. In some ways that might actually have made me look crazier than those two.
Geek Speak
(Comic strip redacted)
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Pepsi Goes All Natural (sort of) and Geek Speak Debuts
Pepsi-Au Natural-For Now
Look at Pepsi cans right now. They're sporting the classic blue and red logo on a white can, with one new addition. On a bright yellow band that bisects the nostalgic logo the liquid confection container proudly boasts that it is now made with real sugar! For a limited time!
This has got to be the dumbest marketing move I've seen in a while. It just begs the questions "Real sugar? What was in it before? Unicorn blood?" and "So...when you stop making it with 'real sugar' what are you going back to? The crap you've been feeding us for the last thirty years? Is there really so little sugar in the world that you can't keep using 'real' sugar?"
Says the Pepsi Marketing Machine, "There's a sugar shortage, so we're sweetening Pepsi with innocence distilled from baby rabbits. Yes it means cute little bunnies have to die, but it's all in the name of tasty soda!"
Pluto's a Planet, No It's Not, Yes It Is...
Apparently Pluto's status as a planet was restored back in March 2009. I think now we're calling it a dwarf planet. It's a relief really. It's never good to leave a mnemonic device hanging; My Very Educated Mother Just Made Nine...
Geek Speak
So, I've been working for a while now on a series of cartoons. There's a definite tech and geek/nerd culture bend to the humor of it, but I'm not really married to any single theme. I also haven't necessarily developed a cast of recurring characters, but that might happen more or less organically. I've tentatively titled the series of comics 'Geek Speak.' Partly because the majorifty of them will have something to do with geek or nerd culture, and partly because I think of myself as a geek, and these strips reflect things that I think are funny. Many of them will come from my own life, many of them will be things that I've seen or heard, and some of them will seem like they came completely out of left field. Which, I think, is ok.
That said, I present one of the first actual 'strips' that I drew. This character probably will be recurring. I think mostly because I like the idea of following the comic adventures of a woman in the tech industry. Tech is a business that is still dominated by men, and jokes about the tech industry while following a male character are fairly...done, if not trite. A female perspective seems to offer something fresh, while also being a fairly rich playground for finding jokes. I hope you agree.
I'm getting verbose here, so I'm going to stop talking and let you enjoy the first official 'Geek Speak' comic.
Geek Speak
(Click the image to see the full-sized version)
Geek Speak by Isaac Brown is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Look at Pepsi cans right now. They're sporting the classic blue and red logo on a white can, with one new addition. On a bright yellow band that bisects the nostalgic logo the liquid confection container proudly boasts that it is now made with real sugar! For a limited time!
This has got to be the dumbest marketing move I've seen in a while. It just begs the questions "Real sugar? What was in it before? Unicorn blood?" and "So...when you stop making it with 'real sugar' what are you going back to? The crap you've been feeding us for the last thirty years? Is there really so little sugar in the world that you can't keep using 'real' sugar?"
Says the Pepsi Marketing Machine, "There's a sugar shortage, so we're sweetening Pepsi with innocence distilled from baby rabbits. Yes it means cute little bunnies have to die, but it's all in the name of tasty soda!"
Pluto's a Planet, No It's Not, Yes It Is...
Apparently Pluto's status as a planet was restored back in March 2009. I think now we're calling it a dwarf planet. It's a relief really. It's never good to leave a mnemonic device hanging; My Very Educated Mother Just Made Nine...
Geek Speak
So, I've been working for a while now on a series of cartoons. There's a definite tech and geek/nerd culture bend to the humor of it, but I'm not really married to any single theme. I also haven't necessarily developed a cast of recurring characters, but that might happen more or less organically. I've tentatively titled the series of comics 'Geek Speak.' Partly because the majorifty of them will have something to do with geek or nerd culture, and partly because I think of myself as a geek, and these strips reflect things that I think are funny. Many of them will come from my own life, many of them will be things that I've seen or heard, and some of them will seem like they came completely out of left field. Which, I think, is ok.
That said, I present one of the first actual 'strips' that I drew. This character probably will be recurring. I think mostly because I like the idea of following the comic adventures of a woman in the tech industry. Tech is a business that is still dominated by men, and jokes about the tech industry while following a male character are fairly...done, if not trite. A female perspective seems to offer something fresh, while also being a fairly rich playground for finding jokes. I hope you agree.
I'm getting verbose here, so I'm going to stop talking and let you enjoy the first official 'Geek Speak' comic.
Geek Speak
(Click the image to see the full-sized version)
Geek Speak by Isaac Brown is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Interesting Times, or Living in the Future
Interesting Times
If I may be serious for a moment, and at the risk of sounding like granddad ranting at Christmas dinner, kids these days are really missing out, and they either don't know or don't care. Walk around any school. Take your pick of any elementary or middle school, just make sure to dress in conspicuously friendly clothes. We don't want anyone slapped with a restraining order or registered as a sex offender. If you just take things in for a moment you will notice nary a kid without a phone, ipod, blackberry, notebook, netbook, iphone or some other electronic do-da or gadget designed to keep them connected to the digital broadcast-net. What I will call here, the 'broadnet.' I know that sounds like a low-end porn channel, but hang with me for a moment.
People of a certain age, such as myself, have a really interesting perspective on the development of our ability to interact without connecting. Let me explain that a little bit, and just for kicks I'll stick with the 'granddad ranting at dinner' motif. When I was their age we didn't have all these fancy cell phones and knick-knacks. If we wanted to look stuff up, we went to the library. If we wanted to talk to someone on the phone, we left a message on an answering machine or actually talked with that person so they would know when we'd be home and could call. If we wanted to hang out, we actually got together instead of logging on to Facespace or MyBook, or whatever the hell these kids are calling it.
The point being, we got outside. We connected. It can be argued that we're more connected now than ever, thanks to the Broadnet (like the use of capitalization there? Thanks.). I would argue the reverse is true. We don't connect. We don't get personal. Young people these days may have more friends than ever, if a lengthy friends-list on Twitspace (wow. that works better than I expected) is any indication, but all of those people are kept at a safe distance.
The saddest manifestation of this is something my wife commented on at some point. She happened to be passing by a couple of girls who were on lunch from school. These two girls had cell phones out and were giggling like mad while they sent a flurry of text messages, the accumulated cost of which will likely be larger than the GDP of a small country. What she discovered as she listened to their chatter, was they weren't texting to friends who were in class, or at another school, or out sick. They were texting each other.
It might sound strange for someone who works in a technology related field to say this, but I don't believe that technology is bringing us together. Sure, I can talk to a developer in Indonesia about a project without ever dialing an actual phone, and that's pretty cool. I can talk to him about the rainy season and whether or not he had a good weekend, and it's kind of fun to think that I'm hearing a voice from the future (his timezone is fifteen hours ahead of us in Southern California). On the other hand, I remember getting along pretty well when there was no Internet. Games? Just because it didn't come on a disc didn't mean there weren't games. If you wanted something to do, you went outside and found something to do, rather than plopping down in front of the TV and zoning out to bubble-headed celebrity infotainment spoon-fed to us by model-gorgeous women sporting two degrees with a 'D' average.
I think if we want to do kids a favor, or do something really great for them it would be to take them camping out where there is no cell coverage and no electricity. Even if they have their iphones and laptops, there's no signal and no way to recharge them. Take them out there, play games outside (who remembers hide and seek, or flashlight tag after it gets dark), and sleep out under the stars. Give them some perspective. Some of them might even come around. I bet they'd even tweet about it when they get home.
People of a certain age, such as myself, have a really interesting perspective on the development of our ability to interact without connecting. Let me explain that a little bit, and just for kicks I'll stick with the 'granddad ranting at dinner' motif. When I was their age we didn't have all these fancy cell phones and knick-knacks. If we wanted to look stuff up, we went to the library. If we wanted to talk to someone on the phone, we left a message on an answering machine or actually talked with that person so they would know when we'd be home and could call. If we wanted to hang out, we actually got together instead of logging on to Facespace or MyBook, or whatever the hell these kids are calling it.
The point being, we got outside. We connected. It can be argued that we're more connected now than ever, thanks to the Broadnet (like the use of capitalization there? Thanks.). I would argue the reverse is true. We don't connect. We don't get personal. Young people these days may have more friends than ever, if a lengthy friends-list on Twitspace (wow. that works better than I expected) is any indication, but all of those people are kept at a safe distance.
The saddest manifestation of this is something my wife commented on at some point. She happened to be passing by a couple of girls who were on lunch from school. These two girls had cell phones out and were giggling like mad while they sent a flurry of text messages, the accumulated cost of which will likely be larger than the GDP of a small country. What she discovered as she listened to their chatter, was they weren't texting to friends who were in class, or at another school, or out sick. They were texting each other.
It might sound strange for someone who works in a technology related field to say this, but I don't believe that technology is bringing us together. Sure, I can talk to a developer in Indonesia about a project without ever dialing an actual phone, and that's pretty cool. I can talk to him about the rainy season and whether or not he had a good weekend, and it's kind of fun to think that I'm hearing a voice from the future (his timezone is fifteen hours ahead of us in Southern California). On the other hand, I remember getting along pretty well when there was no Internet. Games? Just because it didn't come on a disc didn't mean there weren't games. If you wanted something to do, you went outside and found something to do, rather than plopping down in front of the TV and zoning out to bubble-headed celebrity infotainment spoon-fed to us by model-gorgeous women sporting two degrees with a 'D' average.
I think if we want to do kids a favor, or do something really great for them it would be to take them camping out where there is no cell coverage and no electricity. Even if they have their iphones and laptops, there's no signal and no way to recharge them. Take them out there, play games outside (who remembers hide and seek, or flashlight tag after it gets dark), and sleep out under the stars. Give them some perspective. Some of them might even come around. I bet they'd even tweet about it when they get home.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
From the Department of Hundreds of People Sharing a Single Brain
I hate the TSA: Meet Mikey, 8 [years-old]: U.S. Has Him on Watch List!
His mother makes a good point, though. A would-be Nigerian suicide bomber can get on a plane and blow his junk off with an underwear bomb (of the high explosive variety, not the Taco Bell type) but her 8-year-old son can't get on a plane for a family vacation without getting frisked.
On a related note, the TSA indicates they are creating a new database that will be used for suspects on their no-fly and suspectee lists. The new database will include the person's birth date and gender in addition to their name. Really? It took this long for someone to deduce that a database of fucking terror suspects should include vital information about that person beyond their goddamn name! Who made the first database? Some white house bureaucratic ass-hat's six-year-old? Was she reading from Baby's First Access Database? Couldn't be. Most six-year-olds have more sense than that.
I will continue to include amusing bits of TSA ass-hattery until they can prove they are doing even ONE thing that actually keeps us safe.
Alternatives to Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office 2010 is due to launch (go figure) this year. Microsoft has already announced the price for the 'standard' edition, or what they're calling the Home and Business edition. You can get your hands on this software for one easy payment of $279, or $199 if you download it. For your money you get to install the software on a whopping two PCs. By now you may be scratching your head looking at this and going "What the fuck? Aren't we in, like, a really bad recession? Who the fuck has $300 to spend on bloated, resource gobbling software from Micro$oft?" You wouldn't be alone. PC World published an article today covering inexpensive alternatives to Microsoft Office. "What do you mean, inexpensive," you ask with a cynical sneer. Well, Mr. Justifiably Jaded Consumer, by inexpensive I mean that two of them are free, and the one that isn't is only $80. "What kind of Microsoft Office alternative is free, or comes that cheap?" You sneer at me again, "Don't you get what you pay for?" Well, Mr. Justifiably Jaded Consumer, the answer is both yes and no. Let me explain. There is too much, I will sum up.
The solutions put forward as alternatives by the good people at PC World are OpenOffice.org, Zoho Office, and Softmaker. Two of these I've used myself. I'll start with those.
OpenOffice.org: In short is made of Oreo crusted goodness. Not only is it free, but it includes applications for word processing, spreadsheets, powerpoint presentations, and (though this is less important to the majority of users) database. Not only are these fully-functional applications in their own right, but files produced in these applications are compatible with similar applications from Microsoft. The cross-compatability isn't perfect but its good enough to pass files created in OpenOffice to people using Microsoft Office and have a reasonable expectation of them being able to work wih them.
Zoho Office: May I say something sincere, here? Just for a moment? Thank you. I like this application suite. That cost me something but I think I'm stronger for it. Unlike OpenOffice.org and Softmaker Zoho is hosted online. There's another well known, fully-hosted suite of applications out there but...I like this one better. Why? It's fully-featured, light, easy to use, and offers a huge number of options. Want to write a novel? No problem. In fact, that's what I use it for. Want to put together a basic budget in a spreadsheet? No problem. Want to create a wiki to manage your comic book collection online you dirty, dirty, geek? No problem. Oh, and if you happen to be a devotee of that other online suite of applications, no problem, Zoho and that other suite that rhymes with 'snoogle maps' are compatible.
Softmaker: Deskside application that offers their suite with word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations for $80. One license lets you install on three computers...That's about all I know about it.
I was going to go on and recount my adventures in the world of Ferelden and Dragon Age: Origins, but I think this has gone on long enough. Shame. I even had a clever name for the section heading. You will all just have to wait for that.
I hate the TSA: Meet Mikey, 8 [years-old]: U.S. Has Him on Watch List!
His mother makes a good point, though. A would-be Nigerian suicide bomber can get on a plane and blow his junk off with an underwear bomb (of the high explosive variety, not the Taco Bell type) but her 8-year-old son can't get on a plane for a family vacation without getting frisked.
On a related note, the TSA indicates they are creating a new database that will be used for suspects on their no-fly and suspectee lists. The new database will include the person's birth date and gender in addition to their name. Really? It took this long for someone to deduce that a database of fucking terror suspects should include vital information about that person beyond their goddamn name! Who made the first database? Some white house bureaucratic ass-hat's six-year-old? Was she reading from Baby's First Access Database? Couldn't be. Most six-year-olds have more sense than that.
I will continue to include amusing bits of TSA ass-hattery until they can prove they are doing even ONE thing that actually keeps us safe.
Alternatives to Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office 2010 is due to launch (go figure) this year. Microsoft has already announced the price for the 'standard' edition, or what they're calling the Home and Business edition. You can get your hands on this software for one easy payment of $279, or $199 if you download it. For your money you get to install the software on a whopping two PCs. By now you may be scratching your head looking at this and going "What the fuck? Aren't we in, like, a really bad recession? Who the fuck has $300 to spend on bloated, resource gobbling software from Micro$oft?" You wouldn't be alone. PC World published an article today covering inexpensive alternatives to Microsoft Office. "What do you mean, inexpensive," you ask with a cynical sneer. Well, Mr. Justifiably Jaded Consumer, by inexpensive I mean that two of them are free, and the one that isn't is only $80. "What kind of Microsoft Office alternative is free, or comes that cheap?" You sneer at me again, "Don't you get what you pay for?" Well, Mr. Justifiably Jaded Consumer, the answer is both yes and no. Let me explain. There is too much, I will sum up.
The solutions put forward as alternatives by the good people at PC World are OpenOffice.org, Zoho Office, and Softmaker. Two of these I've used myself. I'll start with those.
OpenOffice.org: In short is made of Oreo crusted goodness. Not only is it free, but it includes applications for word processing, spreadsheets, powerpoint presentations, and (though this is less important to the majority of users) database. Not only are these fully-functional applications in their own right, but files produced in these applications are compatible with similar applications from Microsoft. The cross-compatability isn't perfect but its good enough to pass files created in OpenOffice to people using Microsoft Office and have a reasonable expectation of them being able to work wih them.
Zoho Office: May I say something sincere, here? Just for a moment? Thank you. I like this application suite. That cost me something but I think I'm stronger for it. Unlike OpenOffice.org and Softmaker Zoho is hosted online. There's another well known, fully-hosted suite of applications out there but...I like this one better. Why? It's fully-featured, light, easy to use, and offers a huge number of options. Want to write a novel? No problem. In fact, that's what I use it for. Want to put together a basic budget in a spreadsheet? No problem. Want to create a wiki to manage your comic book collection online you dirty, dirty, geek? No problem. Oh, and if you happen to be a devotee of that other online suite of applications, no problem, Zoho and that other suite that rhymes with 'snoogle maps' are compatible.
Softmaker: Deskside application that offers their suite with word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations for $80. One license lets you install on three computers...That's about all I know about it.
I was going to go on and recount my adventures in the world of Ferelden and Dragon Age: Origins, but I think this has gone on long enough. Shame. I even had a clever name for the section heading. You will all just have to wait for that.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Aging Dragons, Happy New Year, and a Ten Minute Rant
Originating the Age of Dragons (SPOILERS)
Play has continued somewhat in Dragon Age: Origins, and I've even started a third character. The third character is an Elven female mage, but I'll come back to her another time. For a while I was just faffing about with my main character, traveling here and there, and trying to complete side quests to gain experience and level. Just for kicks I tried to complete the Morrigan companion quest having to do with acquiring Flemeth's grimoire. I figure she's going to be tough, but not something I can't handle so I go and talk with her. The conversation goes along the lines of "You're a bad, bad woman and I'm not going to let you kill your daughter and take over her body in some weird reverse Oedipal complex but with chicks type...thing...no I'm not kidding...stop laughing at me...let's fight." To which she is more than happy to oblige and promptly turns into a dragon. The fight goes along the lines of *squish-dead party, dragon picks teeth.* After watching my party fight en flambe a few times I decided she could just keep her grimoire, see if I care, and I hope she chokes on it. I've moved on to Orzamar to complete the "Paragon of Her Kind" mission which should bring the Dwarves into the fray on the side of Ferelden against the blight. That was just so nerdtastic that I really feel it's time to move on before I paint the walls with nerdism.
Happy Freaking New Year
It would be disingenuous for me to say this was anything but a crap year. There were some bright spots. I shot a short film directed by a really terrific USC student, and had a blast the entire time hanging out with my great leading lady. There was a scene that I shot for an educational film that'll be used by the Church of Scientology (I am not a scientologist), which was really a fun day and everyone was very professional and cool. Finally, I shot a commercial for Oh Henry candy bars which should start airing in Canada sometime in the next few weeks. Even given that there have been family issues, work is an ongoing struggle, my wife and I have both lost family members, and there have been health issues for enough people that I care about that, on the whole, I'm glad to put this year behind me. Am I optimistic about this year? No. I was very optimistic about 2009, and about half-way through it I found myself wishing I could have 2008 back with everything that went with it. I've been burned too badly by optimism to go down that road again. Instead I'm being practical. I'm taking this year a day at a time, and I"m going to work to make it the best year I possibly can.
Play has continued somewhat in Dragon Age: Origins, and I've even started a third character. The third character is an Elven female mage, but I'll come back to her another time. For a while I was just faffing about with my main character, traveling here and there, and trying to complete side quests to gain experience and level. Just for kicks I tried to complete the Morrigan companion quest having to do with acquiring Flemeth's grimoire. I figure she's going to be tough, but not something I can't handle so I go and talk with her. The conversation goes along the lines of "You're a bad, bad woman and I'm not going to let you kill your daughter and take over her body in some weird reverse Oedipal complex but with chicks type...thing...no I'm not kidding...stop laughing at me...let's fight." To which she is more than happy to oblige and promptly turns into a dragon. The fight goes along the lines of *squish-dead party, dragon picks teeth.* After watching my party fight en flambe a few times I decided she could just keep her grimoire, see if I care, and I hope she chokes on it. I've moved on to Orzamar to complete the "Paragon of Her Kind" mission which should bring the Dwarves into the fray on the side of Ferelden against the blight. That was just so nerdtastic that I really feel it's time to move on before I paint the walls with nerdism.
Happy Freaking New Year
It would be disingenuous for me to say this was anything but a crap year. There were some bright spots. I shot a short film directed by a really terrific USC student, and had a blast the entire time hanging out with my great leading lady. There was a scene that I shot for an educational film that'll be used by the Church of Scientology (I am not a scientologist), which was really a fun day and everyone was very professional and cool. Finally, I shot a commercial for Oh Henry candy bars which should start airing in Canada sometime in the next few weeks. Even given that there have been family issues, work is an ongoing struggle, my wife and I have both lost family members, and there have been health issues for enough people that I care about that, on the whole, I'm glad to put this year behind me. Am I optimistic about this year? No. I was very optimistic about 2009, and about half-way through it I found myself wishing I could have 2008 back with everything that went with it. I've been burned too badly by optimism to go down that road again. Instead I'm being practical. I'm taking this year a day at a time, and I"m going to work to make it the best year I possibly can.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
My Safety Blanket is NOT the TSA
A friend from Colorado recently took a trip by plane and was informed she could have nothing in her hands for the entire trip. It inspired me to write the rant below. I thought it was a bit too inflammatory for a comment on her space, so I posted it here and put a link to it in my comments on her post.
Security-Schmecurity
Airport security should not be someone's retired aunt Mertyl with a metal wand asking you, "can you take off your shoes dear," while trying to keep her dentures from falling out because the Dent-u-Cream stopped working an hour ago and she still has ten minutes before her next break. Nor should it be the fuck-wit who sat next to you in high-school history drawing pictures of boobies in his notes, who dropped out and ultimately had to get a GED so he could hold a job, and only has the job in the first place because the entrance exam for entering into public service jobs basically consists of:
A.) fog a mirror
B.) pass a drug test
I have not once found the presence of either of the above (who are otherwise lovely people) remotely reassuring. I'll put it to you another way, someone working a security position without law-enforcement or military training, that I could disable with my bare hands without breaking a sweat, does not make me feel safe. I have the benefit of martial arts training. Their entire job is about keeping me safe. They should have more than that.
What would make me feel safer? Burly guys with badges, uniforms, and guns watching every. single. person. who passes buy. Visible drug and bomb sniffing dogs doing their work. A uniformed U.S. Air Marshal on every flight. Plus knowing that all of this is just a hustle. A bait and switch to draw attention away from the guys who aren't in uniform, but are mixing in with everyone else, listening to chatter, picking up leads, and genuinely working what is a very dangerous job to keep us safe. The mistake being made is in thinking that we can be safe without a visible and effective enforcement presence. Everyone wants to feel safe, but no one wants to get their hands dirty doing it. It's not possible, people.
Even with that, will bombs still make it on to planes? Sadly yes. Will we be attacked again?...yes...yes, we will. What we should not do is make it easy for those who would harm us, and a burly law enforcement agent (male or female) with a HK-MP5, training, and ice in their veins is a better deterrent than my sweet retired auntie.
Security-Schmecurity
Airport security should not be someone's retired aunt Mertyl with a metal wand asking you, "can you take off your shoes dear," while trying to keep her dentures from falling out because the Dent-u-Cream stopped working an hour ago and she still has ten minutes before her next break. Nor should it be the fuck-wit who sat next to you in high-school history drawing pictures of boobies in his notes, who dropped out and ultimately had to get a GED so he could hold a job, and only has the job in the first place because the entrance exam for entering into public service jobs basically consists of:
A.) fog a mirror
B.) pass a drug test
I have not once found the presence of either of the above (who are otherwise lovely people) remotely reassuring. I'll put it to you another way, someone working a security position without law-enforcement or military training, that I could disable with my bare hands without breaking a sweat, does not make me feel safe. I have the benefit of martial arts training. Their entire job is about keeping me safe. They should have more than that.
What would make me feel safer? Burly guys with badges, uniforms, and guns watching every. single. person. who passes buy. Visible drug and bomb sniffing dogs doing their work. A uniformed U.S. Air Marshal on every flight. Plus knowing that all of this is just a hustle. A bait and switch to draw attention away from the guys who aren't in uniform, but are mixing in with everyone else, listening to chatter, picking up leads, and genuinely working what is a very dangerous job to keep us safe. The mistake being made is in thinking that we can be safe without a visible and effective enforcement presence. Everyone wants to feel safe, but no one wants to get their hands dirty doing it. It's not possible, people.
Even with that, will bombs still make it on to planes? Sadly yes. Will we be attacked again?...yes...yes, we will. What we should not do is make it easy for those who would harm us, and a burly law enforcement agent (male or female) with a HK-MP5, training, and ice in their veins is a better deterrent than my sweet retired auntie.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Originating Dragons, the Unbearable Enthusiasm of 'Meh,' and Other Stuff
More blogging, less excuses
So I know that I've said I would blog more frequently, and I really mean it every time I do, but somehow it never seems to materialize. It's not like I'm hurting for inspiration. It's just that I work in front of a computer all day. By the time I get home the last thing I want to do is anything that feels even remotely like work. That's not really any excuse though. I will try to blog more, and the Christmas weekend is as good an excuse to get started as any. This will be lengthy, and I apologize for that.
Notice I said Christmas not holiday because that's what this weekend fucking is, Christmas. If that bothers you leave an angry letter in the comments so I can say "fuck you" to your 'face.' Seriously, does it bother anyone else that in the interest of not offending the delicate sensibilities of anyone we seem to have scrubbed the identity off of anything that could remotely be construed as belonging to a single group of people, so that days we looked forward to growing up are now special to absolutely no one. I grew up thinking of December 24th and 25th as Christmas, so did my parents, so did theirs, and so on. You know what? These two days belong to the whole world, and the world is full of adults who can embrace them as Christmas, call them Yule, or just celebrate having a day and half off from the soul-destroying jobs that define their miserable existence by getting really drunk and making love to a cat. I don't judge. Just stop destroying our identity in the interest of not offending this person or that person, or that person's dog.
That tirade out of the way...
Google Wave
So...Google is doing this thing, and they have been for a while, where they either buy up a company that is doing something unique with web applications, or they create a new one of their own in an effort to try and reshape how we think of the Internet. I consider myself something of a geek and generally feel warm fuzzies about the evolution of the Internet. That said, there are things I don't like about, but that is (perhaps) the subject of another post. Google Wave's most recent foray in to telling us how to use the Internet, because they're Google and they know best, is Google Wave. On the face of it, it seems kind of cool. You can have real time conversations with a group of people in a manner that looks like chat, but you can see multiple users typing simultaneously and in real time. In other words you see their key strokes. It's possible to drag and drop photos into a 'wave' if you want to share them, and there are plug-ins already that allow you to conduct a basic survey (yes, no, or maybe) and do conferencing. Pretty cool...in concept...having used it a bit I can say that my response is an enthusiastic 'meh.' It's painfully slow if you're using it for chat-like functions. I can't bring in people who do not A.) have Google Accounts and B.) have a Google Wave invitation or Google Wave identity. Which means that if someone I know wants to use it, they have to create a new account with Google, which they then have to maintain and check. Most people I know already have more email accounts than they can use (including work I actually have five that I check regularly, not including Facebook). It just isn't useful to me if it's not 'account agnostic.' If I can't invite my friends who are on Yahoo, without forcing them to create an account with Google and accept their terms. I can see Google's side of things, though. World domination just isn't what it's cracked up to be if you can't force people to do what you want.
Dragon Age: Origins
Holy crap. I wouldn't usually blog about a game I'm playing. I play them as hobbies and to relax. In most cases I'm too casual and ambivalent about games to say more than "it was fun, I liked it." More needs to be said about this epic crack-beast from Bioware. It's not just that it's a solid gaming experience, or the characters are particularly well drawn and interesting, or that the world is expansive and richly detailed, or that the dialogue is crisp, witty, and never pedantic; it's that this game is all of these things at the same freaking time! Every year we see more movies and television shows that can't claim one of those things, much less all of them. I'm not going to bore anyone with the details of my character, or what not, but I might comment on the game play from time to time as I wrap up my first play through.
Aging the Origin of Dragons *SPOILERS (FOR ANYONE WHO GIVES A CRAP)*
I lied. I'm playing a female human warrior of about 15th level right now. Don't kid yourself. Any good WoW player knows the hot Dark Elf chick with the sweet armor who's been totally flirting with them for a month is really played by a sweaty 35 year old dude, who doesn't bathe enough, and is living in his mom's garage. I've just completed the Arl of Redcliffe mission. I saved Connor without sacrificing Isolde, because I'm a conscientious do gooder who leaves a swath of dead bodies in her wake as I'm out...doing good. I've also done both the Stone Prisoner and Soldier's Pass missions provided as downloadable content (DLC), so I have the best armor in the game and Shale. Shale is a stone-golem warrior. His fists can crush a man in one blow. He's also terrified of pigeons and wants me to find crystals to adorn him with so he can, and I quote, "glitter from ear to ear, so to speak." Freaking hilarious.
That's enough for now. I'll bore anyone reading this with more later.
That's going to have to be it for now. This has run on longer than a senate committee on holding more senate committees.
So I know that I've said I would blog more frequently, and I really mean it every time I do, but somehow it never seems to materialize. It's not like I'm hurting for inspiration. It's just that I work in front of a computer all day. By the time I get home the last thing I want to do is anything that feels even remotely like work. That's not really any excuse though. I will try to blog more, and the Christmas weekend is as good an excuse to get started as any. This will be lengthy, and I apologize for that.
Notice I said Christmas not holiday because that's what this weekend fucking is, Christmas. If that bothers you leave an angry letter in the comments so I can say "fuck you" to your 'face.' Seriously, does it bother anyone else that in the interest of not offending the delicate sensibilities of anyone we seem to have scrubbed the identity off of anything that could remotely be construed as belonging to a single group of people, so that days we looked forward to growing up are now special to absolutely no one. I grew up thinking of December 24th and 25th as Christmas, so did my parents, so did theirs, and so on. You know what? These two days belong to the whole world, and the world is full of adults who can embrace them as Christmas, call them Yule, or just celebrate having a day and half off from the soul-destroying jobs that define their miserable existence by getting really drunk and making love to a cat. I don't judge. Just stop destroying our identity in the interest of not offending this person or that person, or that person's dog.
That tirade out of the way...
Google Wave
So...Google is doing this thing, and they have been for a while, where they either buy up a company that is doing something unique with web applications, or they create a new one of their own in an effort to try and reshape how we think of the Internet. I consider myself something of a geek and generally feel warm fuzzies about the evolution of the Internet. That said, there are things I don't like about, but that is (perhaps) the subject of another post. Google Wave's most recent foray in to telling us how to use the Internet, because they're Google and they know best, is Google Wave. On the face of it, it seems kind of cool. You can have real time conversations with a group of people in a manner that looks like chat, but you can see multiple users typing simultaneously and in real time. In other words you see their key strokes. It's possible to drag and drop photos into a 'wave' if you want to share them, and there are plug-ins already that allow you to conduct a basic survey (yes, no, or maybe) and do conferencing. Pretty cool...in concept...having used it a bit I can say that my response is an enthusiastic 'meh.' It's painfully slow if you're using it for chat-like functions. I can't bring in people who do not A.) have Google Accounts and B.) have a Google Wave invitation or Google Wave identity. Which means that if someone I know wants to use it, they have to create a new account with Google, which they then have to maintain and check. Most people I know already have more email accounts than they can use (including work I actually have five that I check regularly, not including Facebook). It just isn't useful to me if it's not 'account agnostic.' If I can't invite my friends who are on Yahoo, without forcing them to create an account with Google and accept their terms. I can see Google's side of things, though. World domination just isn't what it's cracked up to be if you can't force people to do what you want.
Dragon Age: Origins
Holy crap. I wouldn't usually blog about a game I'm playing. I play them as hobbies and to relax. In most cases I'm too casual and ambivalent about games to say more than "it was fun, I liked it." More needs to be said about this epic crack-beast from Bioware. It's not just that it's a solid gaming experience, or the characters are particularly well drawn and interesting, or that the world is expansive and richly detailed, or that the dialogue is crisp, witty, and never pedantic; it's that this game is all of these things at the same freaking time! Every year we see more movies and television shows that can't claim one of those things, much less all of them. I'm not going to bore anyone with the details of my character, or what not, but I might comment on the game play from time to time as I wrap up my first play through.
Aging the Origin of Dragons *SPOILERS (FOR ANYONE WHO GIVES A CRAP)*
I lied. I'm playing a female human warrior of about 15th level right now. Don't kid yourself. Any good WoW player knows the hot Dark Elf chick with the sweet armor who's been totally flirting with them for a month is really played by a sweaty 35 year old dude, who doesn't bathe enough, and is living in his mom's garage. I've just completed the Arl of Redcliffe mission. I saved Connor without sacrificing Isolde, because I'm a conscientious do gooder who leaves a swath of dead bodies in her wake as I'm out...doing good. I've also done both the Stone Prisoner and Soldier's Pass missions provided as downloadable content (DLC), so I have the best armor in the game and Shale. Shale is a stone-golem warrior. His fists can crush a man in one blow. He's also terrified of pigeons and wants me to find crystals to adorn him with so he can, and I quote, "glitter from ear to ear, so to speak." Freaking hilarious.
That's enough for now. I'll bore anyone reading this with more later.
That's going to have to be it for now. This has run on longer than a senate committee on holding more senate committees.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
A prisoner of my own dung poo
Random thought of the day:
I was working my little fingers off today, as I often do, when a thought leaped into my head. There, seemingly cut from whole cloth, shiny and new was a revelation. When martial arts masters have to take a dump, as we all must 'do,' can they be said to be meditating on the ancient and noble art of "Dung Poo?" Not sure where, exactly, that came from. I think I just pulled it out of my ass, really, but now it won't leave me alone.
Today's ten minute rant: Can you be a prisoner of success?
I was wandering past an AT&T service person as he was working on a junction box of some sort, today. He was dressed comfortably for the heat and listening to the radio as he worked. As I walked past I heard the talk show host lament the fact that he, "...is a prisoner of [his] own success." Oh. woe-is-you. You sanctimonious prick. How can anyone who is genuinely successful in the vocation of their choice be considered a 'prisoner!' I'm fairly certain that he chose to be a nationally syndicated radio show host, and there's not a beefy guy named Karl holding a gun to his head screaming, "more controversy, bitch!" Somehow I just can't find room in my soul to feel sorry for him. I do hope that the next time this comes up he's trying to relate to a homeless guy. Tell your average bum on the street, "I can relate. I mean, I'm not homeless or anything, but I'm a prisoner of my own success (whimper, whine, puppy-dog eyes)," and I'm pretty sure they'll educate you in the real meaning of 'bum rush.'
I was working my little fingers off today, as I often do, when a thought leaped into my head. There, seemingly cut from whole cloth, shiny and new was a revelation. When martial arts masters have to take a dump, as we all must 'do,' can they be said to be meditating on the ancient and noble art of "Dung Poo?" Not sure where, exactly, that came from. I think I just pulled it out of my ass, really, but now it won't leave me alone.
Today's ten minute rant: Can you be a prisoner of success?
I was wandering past an AT&T service person as he was working on a junction box of some sort, today. He was dressed comfortably for the heat and listening to the radio as he worked. As I walked past I heard the talk show host lament the fact that he, "...is a prisoner of [his] own success." Oh. woe-is-you. You sanctimonious prick. How can anyone who is genuinely successful in the vocation of their choice be considered a 'prisoner!' I'm fairly certain that he chose to be a nationally syndicated radio show host, and there's not a beefy guy named Karl holding a gun to his head screaming, "more controversy, bitch!" Somehow I just can't find room in my soul to feel sorry for him. I do hope that the next time this comes up he's trying to relate to a homeless guy. Tell your average bum on the street, "I can relate. I mean, I'm not homeless or anything, but I'm a prisoner of my own success (whimper, whine, puppy-dog eyes)," and I'm pretty sure they'll educate you in the real meaning of 'bum rush.'
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
New blog post featuring the ten minute rant
Ten Minute Rant
Biz Jargon
This constitutes probably the most evenly roasted chestnut in my lexicon of shit that pisses me off, business jargon. Let's see if you can recognize some of these:
The sheer level of overuse seen by these catching little ditties all but guarantees that your standard middle management asshole will be all but mute if you take them away. This isn't limited to speaking in board meetings (the subject of another rant, possibly) but also in business writing. Your average professional can't write above a fifth grade level as it is, so they try to inject meaning and relevance by endlessly trotting out these tired aphorisms like the world's only undead show-pony. If you were to strip away the business jargon from the average business executive memo you'd be left reading something shorter and more lacking in literary weight than your first reading primer of See Jane Run.
This concludes the ten minute rant for today. Hope you enjoyed.
Biz Jargon
This constitutes probably the most evenly roasted chestnut in my lexicon of shit that pisses me off, business jargon. Let's see if you can recognize some of these:
- Think outside the box
- Web 2.0
- Leverage
- and so on...
The sheer level of overuse seen by these catching little ditties all but guarantees that your standard middle management asshole will be all but mute if you take them away. This isn't limited to speaking in board meetings (the subject of another rant, possibly) but also in business writing. Your average professional can't write above a fifth grade level as it is, so they try to inject meaning and relevance by endlessly trotting out these tired aphorisms like the world's only undead show-pony. If you were to strip away the business jargon from the average business executive memo you'd be left reading something shorter and more lacking in literary weight than your first reading primer of See Jane Run.
This concludes the ten minute rant for today. Hope you enjoyed.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Of work, writing, and tech
Work
I have never wanted to make my blog about work, or complaining about work, or even just talking about what I do for a living. That said I'll try to keep this pretty short. I think I need a new job. Not just something like what I'm doing with a different company, or "same shit different day" as the sages tell us, but genuinely a new job. For the last ten years (maybe more) I have been clicking a mouse for a living. As I type this my hands are paining me. Both arms end in a dull throb with fingers. This is getting to be more and more common. There's Advil in the kitchen, but that's a dangerous game to play. It's not a big stretch from, "I think I'll take an Advil or two to take the edge off this pain," to "I can't get through the day until I've taken my Advil." What terrifies me more than anything is the possibility that I've abused my hands so much for so long that my problem isn't so much a repetitive motion strain, but early-onset arthritis. That's probably over reacting, but it's something I think about. So, yeah, I could probably use a new job.
Writing
This is kind of tough because I don't get a lot of time each day. Between my day job and other things I get somewhere between twenty minutes and two hours a day that I could realistically use for writing. To a greater or lesser extent I do use that. I've been working on a story featuring a character I'm kind of proud of, and that's been going well. That narrative has reached up over the 20,000 word mark, and around 35 pages, single spaced. That's pretty exciting. I also have three or four different short film scripts that I'm working on. These fall under a couple of different categories. At some point I would like to produce these, in fact my goal is to do two next year. Another big reason to write them is as an exercise, preparing me to write a couple of very heavy feature films that I have rattling around in my brain.
Technology
The technological awesomeness of the moment for me has got to be the market that is springing up around "netbooks". Netbooks are very small computers made by a number of companies. These computers are based on the Intel Atom processor and are fairly low power machines by most standards, but they are good for some very basic things. For the most part none of them have an optical drive, their screens aren't any larger than 10 inches, and their hard-drives tend to be (comparatively) small. However they are ideal for writing on the go, a basic computer for getting online and writing email, and for a second computer when you don't want or need your more powerful notebook. There is quite a variety of netbooks produced by a number of companies including Asus, Acer, and HP. Netbooks got started running versions of Linux, though many are now running a stripped-down version of Windows XP Home. The best part is they are all relatively low-cost. Prices range from $400 up to around $800. On the high end, you're probably better off spending a little more for a full-on notebook, but up to that point the Netbook is a good alternative if all you need is a basic utilitarian computer.
I have never wanted to make my blog about work, or complaining about work, or even just talking about what I do for a living. That said I'll try to keep this pretty short. I think I need a new job. Not just something like what I'm doing with a different company, or "same shit different day" as the sages tell us, but genuinely a new job. For the last ten years (maybe more) I have been clicking a mouse for a living. As I type this my hands are paining me. Both arms end in a dull throb with fingers. This is getting to be more and more common. There's Advil in the kitchen, but that's a dangerous game to play. It's not a big stretch from, "I think I'll take an Advil or two to take the edge off this pain," to "I can't get through the day until I've taken my Advil." What terrifies me more than anything is the possibility that I've abused my hands so much for so long that my problem isn't so much a repetitive motion strain, but early-onset arthritis. That's probably over reacting, but it's something I think about. So, yeah, I could probably use a new job.
Writing
This is kind of tough because I don't get a lot of time each day. Between my day job and other things I get somewhere between twenty minutes and two hours a day that I could realistically use for writing. To a greater or lesser extent I do use that. I've been working on a story featuring a character I'm kind of proud of, and that's been going well. That narrative has reached up over the 20,000 word mark, and around 35 pages, single spaced. That's pretty exciting. I also have three or four different short film scripts that I'm working on. These fall under a couple of different categories. At some point I would like to produce these, in fact my goal is to do two next year. Another big reason to write them is as an exercise, preparing me to write a couple of very heavy feature films that I have rattling around in my brain.
Technology
The technological awesomeness of the moment for me has got to be the market that is springing up around "netbooks". Netbooks are very small computers made by a number of companies. These computers are based on the Intel Atom processor and are fairly low power machines by most standards, but they are good for some very basic things. For the most part none of them have an optical drive, their screens aren't any larger than 10 inches, and their hard-drives tend to be (comparatively) small. However they are ideal for writing on the go, a basic computer for getting online and writing email, and for a second computer when you don't want or need your more powerful notebook. There is quite a variety of netbooks produced by a number of companies including Asus, Acer, and HP. Netbooks got started running versions of Linux, though many are now running a stripped-down version of Windows XP Home. The best part is they are all relatively low-cost. Prices range from $400 up to around $800. On the high end, you're probably better off spending a little more for a full-on notebook, but up to that point the Netbook is a good alternative if all you need is a basic utilitarian computer.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Monday Madness
Just a short blog post to update this thing and get back in the groove of making a regular habit of writing. There has been a lot that has happened since the last time that I posted. I'll try to go through things in order.
Directed a Production of Much Ado about Nothing
This has to have been one of the most challenging, most stressful, most educational, and most rewarding things I have ever done. The actors we cast in this production were all wonderful, gifted, and professional individuals who each brought something important to the production. They also kept me on my toes as a director, which was great. This was the first time I had undertaken to direct one of Shakespeare's many plays, and the fifth play I have directed overall. I learned a great deal that will help me the next time I direct anything, much less another of Shakespeare's plays.
Appeared in a production of Little Women
This was my first experience with the Advent Theatre, and I hope that it was only the first of many. I played "Laurie" in this adaptation of the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott. You may not realize this, but Beth doesn't die in Little Women. She dies in the follow up novel Ms. Alcott wrote at the request of the publisher, called Good Wives. At some point after the initial run of the books as separate installments the were consolidated by U.S. publishers under the title Little Women. Some European publishers still publish the separate books. This created some confusion when the play ended, and beth was generally getting better.
Appeared in a production of Much Ado about Nothing
Right on the heels of Little Women (literally) I was cast in a production of Much Ado about Nothing, in which I played Claudio. Again, it was a rewarding and instructive experience. There was much here that I will take away as both an actor and a director. What I learned aside for the moment, I had a good time. Claudio is a fun role that I would like to do again should the opportunity present itself.
Taking some time off
On the whole the last year has been busy. Very busy. Insanely busy. Out of a full year I had maybe three months in which I was home in the evening. Otherwise, I was getting up so as to be at work by 9AM, and not getting home until after 10PM most nights. Many of those nights my wife was already in bed. For a year I have missed on any kind of home life, or personal time. I'm well overdue for a break. So that's what I'm doing right now. I'm taking time to be with my wife, go back to my acting class, and teach my martial arts class. To say nothing of bolstering my savings account.
Break time notwithstanding, I'm still not sitting idle. I've ordered new headshots, which will largely be used for distribution to agents. I've stepped up my efforts to submit on Actors Access and Now Casting (more the former than the latter), and I'm focusing on paid work, or work that I can use for promotional purposes. In essence, I've committed to taking my acting career seriously. We'll see if anything comes of that.
That's about all I have time for now. More coming later. Hopefully not much later.
Directed a Production of Much Ado about Nothing
This has to have been one of the most challenging, most stressful, most educational, and most rewarding things I have ever done. The actors we cast in this production were all wonderful, gifted, and professional individuals who each brought something important to the production. They also kept me on my toes as a director, which was great. This was the first time I had undertaken to direct one of Shakespeare's many plays, and the fifth play I have directed overall. I learned a great deal that will help me the next time I direct anything, much less another of Shakespeare's plays.
Appeared in a production of Little Women
This was my first experience with the Advent Theatre, and I hope that it was only the first of many. I played "Laurie" in this adaptation of the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott. You may not realize this, but Beth doesn't die in Little Women. She dies in the follow up novel Ms. Alcott wrote at the request of the publisher, called Good Wives. At some point after the initial run of the books as separate installments the were consolidated by U.S. publishers under the title Little Women. Some European publishers still publish the separate books. This created some confusion when the play ended, and beth was generally getting better.
Appeared in a production of Much Ado about Nothing
Right on the heels of Little Women (literally) I was cast in a production of Much Ado about Nothing, in which I played Claudio. Again, it was a rewarding and instructive experience. There was much here that I will take away as both an actor and a director. What I learned aside for the moment, I had a good time. Claudio is a fun role that I would like to do again should the opportunity present itself.
Taking some time off
On the whole the last year has been busy. Very busy. Insanely busy. Out of a full year I had maybe three months in which I was home in the evening. Otherwise, I was getting up so as to be at work by 9AM, and not getting home until after 10PM most nights. Many of those nights my wife was already in bed. For a year I have missed on any kind of home life, or personal time. I'm well overdue for a break. So that's what I'm doing right now. I'm taking time to be with my wife, go back to my acting class, and teach my martial arts class. To say nothing of bolstering my savings account.
Break time notwithstanding, I'm still not sitting idle. I've ordered new headshots, which will largely be used for distribution to agents. I've stepped up my efforts to submit on Actors Access and Now Casting (more the former than the latter), and I'm focusing on paid work, or work that I can use for promotional purposes. In essence, I've committed to taking my acting career seriously. We'll see if anything comes of that.
That's about all I have time for now. More coming later. Hopefully not much later.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Post Thanksgiving Thanks
Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone I thought it a good time to sit down and list some of the things I'm thankful for. Lists like this tend to be overwrought and maudlin. I'll avoid that as much as possible and try to keep this brief.
My wife. I couldn't be more thankful for her in my life.
My friends. Without them I'd be able to pursue a lifetime as a hermit. I'm thankful they distract me from that ambition.
Puppies. Really, puppies make the world a better place.
My dog. He makes me feel needed, if only because he lacks an opposable digit.
Chili powder. Without which making my chili would be next to impossible.
My watch still works. I wear a Fossil “Blue” that is water resistant to 50 meters. It was a birthday or Christmas gift from my sister from well before my wife and I were ever married, and it still works.
Altoids. The curiously strong mint.
Neil Gaiman. His books rock!
Jim Butcher. His books rock!
Terry Pratchett. His books rock!
I'm no longer a kid, but I'm still young enough to enjoy myself.
The cooler weather that comes with winter. Los Angeles summer heat sucks.
I can walk to work. I'm saving a fortune in gas, but I'm wearing the hell out of my shoes.
That's probably enough. If I try to go any further I'll start saying things like “I'm thankful for my health, because without that you really don't have anything.” If it's at all avoidable I'd like to not be dragged out into the street and stoned for being maudlin and gushy.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Thanish Bad-Assedness
So this last weekend and the weekend before I had the pleasure of seeing Beowulf in 3D at the AMC 16 in Burbank and the Arclight in Hollywood, respectively. I've really been looking forward to this movie as I'm somewhat familiar with the epic poem, and I've recently become a fan of Neil Gaiman. Beowulf is also the first movie that I've seen in 3D. A fact which surprised my movie-going compatriots.
"Thou hast never partaken of the cinema of dimensions three? ...Philistine..."
Overall I really like this movie. Really like it. Being something of a sucker for animated movies anyway, it was pretty much a guarantee that I would be going to see this movie. Let's start with the good stuff shall we.
Visually the movie is a feast for the eyes. I'm really only talking about the 3D version of the film, because that's the only one I've seen. Even so, the look and composition of the film is never tired, pedantic, or boring. Each shot is carefully composed for maximum impact and effect, and the story flows well from shot to shot start to finish. The film is colorful, regardless of the winterly setting, but not so much so as to be like looking at Lord of the Rings through a kaleidescope.
The script is rock solid. It's co-written by Neil Gaiman. 'Nuff said.
The soundtrack is breathtaking. Even the pop-version of a song featured in the movie that rolls over the credits is well done and doesn't take away from the experience.
This is an animated movie for adults. HUZZAH! Such a thing in the U.S. is long, long overdue. Animation is a beautiful and flexible (if expensive) story telling medium that has long been under-utilized by western film companies. Disney has made some great films, and some not so great, but animation in the U.S. has long been considered 'kid's stuff' and not really explored beyond the animated musicals or 'family friendly' movies.
Here is some of the bad:
There is some cheese ball dialog. This was a little hard on my pallet until I remembered that the movie is based on an epic poem written sometime in the eighth to eleventh century. The language may seem cheesy, but this was how stories were told and news was passed in those days. When I pulled my head out of my modern complacency and remembered I was watching a period piece, some of the cheesier dialog was easier to bear.
Crispin Glover as Grendel talks in Old English. On one hand, Old English is much prettier than what passes for the English language now. His lines are beautiful to listen to (especially those responses in dialogue that are given by Angelina Jolie). On the other hand he's not subtitled and it's damn near impossible to figure out what he's saying except in context with the rest of the lines. I don't know if it was in the script this way, if it was a director's decision, or if it's just Crispin Glover being his slightly oddball, entirely over-educated, avant-garde self. Whatever the reason, the difficulty of understanding Grendel was pretty distracting, even on a second viewing.
The ugly
The biggest complaint I have about this movie is that it really could have been, and probably would have been better served by being, an R-rated film. It's violent, bloody, bawdy, and pretty heavy hitting. Even so, I spent most of the movie feeling like it was holding back somewhat. It showed in quick cut-aways during fight scenes with Grendel, clever ways of suggesting but not actually giving voice to especially bawdy lines. Most distractingly is the period leading up to the fight with Grendel, the fight itself, and the immediate afterward in which our hero, Beowulf, is nude. Throughout this sequence and shortly after there are lots of conveniently placed articles to hide his Geat-bits. It gets to be a little like the end of the first Austin Powers movie, which is not a compliment. It would have been better to swallow the R rating and show us Beowulf's Thanish glory, or to cover him somehow.
Water-demon Angelina strolling across the top of her watery lair in...sigh (I can't believe I'm actually saying this)...demon stiletto heels. Not shoes, her heels extend down to a point like physiological stripper gear. Yikes. Most guys just have to worry about their lover's cold feet. Her bedtime play things have to worry about freaking stab wounds.
On the whole I really like this movie. What criticisms I have in no way detract from my enjoyment of the movie. It's worth it just to see an animated Geat warrior come on to a Thanish honey with the oh-so-suave "How about a quick gobble".
"Thou hast never partaken of the cinema of dimensions three? ...Philistine..."
Overall I really like this movie. Really like it. Being something of a sucker for animated movies anyway, it was pretty much a guarantee that I would be going to see this movie. Let's start with the good stuff shall we.
Visually the movie is a feast for the eyes. I'm really only talking about the 3D version of the film, because that's the only one I've seen. Even so, the look and composition of the film is never tired, pedantic, or boring. Each shot is carefully composed for maximum impact and effect, and the story flows well from shot to shot start to finish. The film is colorful, regardless of the winterly setting, but not so much so as to be like looking at Lord of the Rings through a kaleidescope.
The script is rock solid. It's co-written by Neil Gaiman. 'Nuff said.
The soundtrack is breathtaking. Even the pop-version of a song featured in the movie that rolls over the credits is well done and doesn't take away from the experience.
This is an animated movie for adults. HUZZAH! Such a thing in the U.S. is long, long overdue. Animation is a beautiful and flexible (if expensive) story telling medium that has long been under-utilized by western film companies. Disney has made some great films, and some not so great, but animation in the U.S. has long been considered 'kid's stuff' and not really explored beyond the animated musicals or 'family friendly' movies.
Here is some of the bad:
There is some cheese ball dialog. This was a little hard on my pallet until I remembered that the movie is based on an epic poem written sometime in the eighth to eleventh century. The language may seem cheesy, but this was how stories were told and news was passed in those days. When I pulled my head out of my modern complacency and remembered I was watching a period piece, some of the cheesier dialog was easier to bear.
Crispin Glover as Grendel talks in Old English. On one hand, Old English is much prettier than what passes for the English language now. His lines are beautiful to listen to (especially those responses in dialogue that are given by Angelina Jolie). On the other hand he's not subtitled and it's damn near impossible to figure out what he's saying except in context with the rest of the lines. I don't know if it was in the script this way, if it was a director's decision, or if it's just Crispin Glover being his slightly oddball, entirely over-educated, avant-garde self. Whatever the reason, the difficulty of understanding Grendel was pretty distracting, even on a second viewing.
The ugly
The biggest complaint I have about this movie is that it really could have been, and probably would have been better served by being, an R-rated film. It's violent, bloody, bawdy, and pretty heavy hitting. Even so, I spent most of the movie feeling like it was holding back somewhat. It showed in quick cut-aways during fight scenes with Grendel, clever ways of suggesting but not actually giving voice to especially bawdy lines. Most distractingly is the period leading up to the fight with Grendel, the fight itself, and the immediate afterward in which our hero, Beowulf, is nude. Throughout this sequence and shortly after there are lots of conveniently placed articles to hide his Geat-bits. It gets to be a little like the end of the first Austin Powers movie, which is not a compliment. It would have been better to swallow the R rating and show us Beowulf's Thanish glory, or to cover him somehow.
Water-demon Angelina strolling across the top of her watery lair in...sigh (I can't believe I'm actually saying this)...demon stiletto heels. Not shoes, her heels extend down to a point like physiological stripper gear. Yikes. Most guys just have to worry about their lover's cold feet. Her bedtime play things have to worry about freaking stab wounds.
On the whole I really like this movie. What criticisms I have in no way detract from my enjoyment of the movie. It's worth it just to see an animated Geat warrior come on to a Thanish honey with the oh-so-suave "How about a quick gobble".
Sony Bailing Like Mad to Rescue Sinking Ship
Sony announced they would halve the cost of the development kit for the ailing PS3 in order to boost developer interest, and (hopefully) start turning out games. This is an ill sign for the ill-fated console. Much like the similarly ill-fated Sega Dreamcast and a number of start-up consoles the PS3 suffers from some bad decisions on the part of the producing company. Here is the deadly mix:
I don't want this to sound like a flame on Sony. I genuinely feel they produce good, solid products. Truthfully, they've just had a difficult year. My feeling is I would like to see them ditch the PS3 and steal a page from both Microsoft and Nintendo. Make a console whose format doesn't force adoption of new technology, has a reasonable price point, great online support, and games that are genuinely fun to play. With the technology that's available there's no reason Sony couldn't build a game console that plays top of the line games, has a good sized hard drive, plays HD movies, provides online support, and costs less than $400.
If you build it, they will buy.
- Forcing adoption of new technology, in this case the Blu-Ray media format.
- Lack of titles. This is the biggest killer of any game console. You get a game console to play games a shortage in this department means a disappointing Christmas bonus for your front line developers and employees.
- Ridiculously high price point. This was a major killer of Dreamcast, Neo-Geo, and 3D-O, among others. Your high price point may tell the consuming public that your console has the latest greatest technologies, but if they can't afford it they won't buy it. In this case, when the PS3 first came out it was possible to purchase the XBox 360 and the Nintendo Wii for the cost of one PS3. Way to alienate your public, Sony.
I don't want this to sound like a flame on Sony. I genuinely feel they produce good, solid products. Truthfully, they've just had a difficult year. My feeling is I would like to see them ditch the PS3 and steal a page from both Microsoft and Nintendo. Make a console whose format doesn't force adoption of new technology, has a reasonable price point, great online support, and games that are genuinely fun to play. With the technology that's available there's no reason Sony couldn't build a game console that plays top of the line games, has a good sized hard drive, plays HD movies, provides online support, and costs less than $400.
If you build it, they will buy.
Monday, September 11, 2006
All Things are Eventual
UNITED NATIONS - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took his verbal battle with the United States to the floor of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, calling President Bush, "the devil."
Oh that's FANTASTIC!!
Just what we need. Our name isn't mud in the global community as it is, we need this yahoo calling our president the devil. What's worse? He probably has a good argument! Fabulous! Frabjous day!
Learn to drive, please
Holy crap. I had to go to Inglewood today for a meeting. My God people! Learn how to drive please. I would like, just once, to make a trip down the 405 without fearing for my life. Over the course of the trip I narrowly avoided something like a half dozen accidents that were the result of somebody following someone too closely, who was in turn driving too fast, and had to slam on their breaks. I don't care how much 'oh shit' space you leave between yourself and the next guy. That's a recipe for a twelve-car pile-up
More to come.
Oh that's FANTASTIC!!
Just what we need. Our name isn't mud in the global community as it is, we need this yahoo calling our president the devil. What's worse? He probably has a good argument! Fabulous! Frabjous day!
Learn to drive, please
Holy crap. I had to go to Inglewood today for a meeting. My God people! Learn how to drive please. I would like, just once, to make a trip down the 405 without fearing for my life. Over the course of the trip I narrowly avoided something like a half dozen accidents that were the result of somebody following someone too closely, who was in turn driving too fast, and had to slam on their breaks. I don't care how much 'oh shit' space you leave between yourself and the next guy. That's a recipe for a twelve-car pile-up
More to come.
Friday, August 04, 2006
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