Monday, March 31, 2003
We are experiencing some technical difficulties. My 'blog template seems to have been switched with someone else's. Some else who really likes Linkin Park. Let's see if I can't fix this.
I think someone is playing tricks on me (or else 'blogger is really fouled up). Everytime I reload I get another, uh, crummy template. We'll have to resolve this tomorrow, I think. Hopefully tonight, though, I can at least restore an older version of the template.
I think someone is playing tricks on me (or else 'blogger is really fouled up). Everytime I reload I get another, uh, crummy template. We'll have to resolve this tomorrow, I think. Hopefully tonight, though, I can at least restore an older version of the template.
I ran across this weird Chicago Sun-Times editorial and skimmed through it because it seemed to be talking about deregulation of certain areas in the telecommunications industry. I don't know, however, how you can pose the question "What's best for consumers vs. telecommunications?" and wind up at the end of the editorial with the conclusion "School desegregation isn't working". Maybe I missed something.
Every day, another new thing
And today that new thing is my new page on AcidPlanet. Check out my songs on my AcidPlanet page. Please give them a listen and rate them. I gaurantee that there is at least one song there which in unavailable any place else (see if you can guess which one. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised). New music will be posted there first, too, so be sure to check back every now and again.
And today that new thing is my new page on AcidPlanet. Check out my songs on my AcidPlanet page. Please give them a listen and rate them. I gaurantee that there is at least one song there which in unavailable any place else (see if you can guess which one. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised). New music will be posted there first, too, so be sure to check back every now and again.
Zelda, Zelda, Zelda, Zelda, Zelda, Zelda, Zelda, Zelda, Zelda, Zelda!
Since we've all been so sick this past week we've been doing nothing, pretty much, except playing The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker on the GameCube. If you have $200 to spare run, do not walk, to your nearest BestBuy or whatever and pick up a GameCube (for $150, and that includes a free game. I recommend Metroid: Prime) and a copy of this game. People who have invested the time in The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time will find their familiarity with that story and the land of Hyrule particularly well rewarded. But even if you've never played a Zelda game before this game stands, and will stand for years, as a yardstick in gaming: something against which all future games will be measured. It's nothing short of outstanding: all of the little side quests and exploration you're free to do in this game. Little hints are dropped which leads to putting the main quest on hold for hours while you go off and explore some as-yet uncharted island, gain some new ability or chart there, and go off on another tangent from there. You could literally play this game for months and not see all the game world has to offer. The unique (and very family-friendly) art style, too, creates a jaw-dropping situation whenever a new environment or enemy is revealed. The enemy character animations stand out particularly as it feels, more often than not, like you're playing an actual cartoon -- and not a crappily-animated cartoon either.
Maybe it's because I have a cold or maybe it's because I've been playing videogames all week, but words fail me when I try to describe just how big and intricate this game is. Just check it out, even if you're not a gamer, you will be impressed.
Since we've all been so sick this past week we've been doing nothing, pretty much, except playing The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker on the GameCube. If you have $200 to spare run, do not walk, to your nearest BestBuy or whatever and pick up a GameCube (for $150, and that includes a free game. I recommend Metroid: Prime) and a copy of this game. People who have invested the time in The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time will find their familiarity with that story and the land of Hyrule particularly well rewarded. But even if you've never played a Zelda game before this game stands, and will stand for years, as a yardstick in gaming: something against which all future games will be measured. It's nothing short of outstanding: all of the little side quests and exploration you're free to do in this game. Little hints are dropped which leads to putting the main quest on hold for hours while you go off and explore some as-yet uncharted island, gain some new ability or chart there, and go off on another tangent from there. You could literally play this game for months and not see all the game world has to offer. The unique (and very family-friendly) art style, too, creates a jaw-dropping situation whenever a new environment or enemy is revealed. The enemy character animations stand out particularly as it feels, more often than not, like you're playing an actual cartoon -- and not a crappily-animated cartoon either.
Maybe it's because I have a cold or maybe it's because I've been playing videogames all week, but words fail me when I try to describe just how big and intricate this game is. Just check it out, even if you're not a gamer, you will be impressed.
Every so often I have a killer idea for a domain name and then the race is to see if it's already been taken. Sadly, this is the case with oatmail.com, oatmail.net, and oatmail.org. None of the three, though, seem to be fully utlized.
Ugh. Still recovering from this cold, my head feels like it's filled with pixie dust. Or sawdust. One of the two. Just as soon as my head clears, normal 'blogging for the day will resume.
The Belgians have already offered to replace the Statue of Liberty (should, you know, this anti-French thing go far enough). I think every Monday should begin with Mannekin Pis. Thanks, Britain, for the link!
Sunday, March 30, 2003
There are a number of cute Flash Animations at FlashKit which appears to be sort of a users' group for Flash. Lots of neat short stuff there.
Chemistry.org: Scientists Find DuPont Chemical Likely Affecting Women, Girls
When you read things like this or the recent studies which shows that our drinking water is chock full of hormones secreted by folks using birth-control drugs (corollary to a recent USGS study) it makes you wonder how any of us can still be fertile (answer: many of us aren't) and why we're not either extinct or just all a race of funky-haired, mutant eunuchs.
Interstingly enough (I hesitate to say "ironically"), the only people who seem at all concerned with entire male fish populations suddenly developing eggs thanks to secreted hormones are the transgender advocacy folks. This is really something with which more people should be seriously concerned.
When you read things like this or the recent studies which shows that our drinking water is chock full of hormones secreted by folks using birth-control drugs (corollary to a recent USGS study) it makes you wonder how any of us can still be fertile (answer: many of us aren't) and why we're not either extinct or just all a race of funky-haired, mutant eunuchs.
Interstingly enough (I hesitate to say "ironically"), the only people who seem at all concerned with entire male fish populations suddenly developing eggs thanks to secreted hormones are the transgender advocacy folks. This is really something with which more people should be seriously concerned.
Saturday, March 29, 2003
Today I had my first of three classes designed to gear me up to be able to take the Project Management Professional certification test. Basically, as far as project management is concerned, you have to have your PMP certification to even be considered for a position in this tight labor market. I'm not sold on Project Management as my vocation, or anything, but it's something I've done and frankly speaking probably one of the few things I could ever get paid to do.
Initially I approached the PMP certification (it's advanced by the Project Management Institute and you can read all about it on their website) as a bit of a scam: you need to have so many hours of classtime, so many hours of project management experience before you can even take the test (which, itself, is something like $500 -- and some people spend upwards of that much again on prep materials). But after this class and a couple of meetings with our local chapter of PMI, I'm less inclined to think of it as a scam or professional clique. Once you move beyond the sort of loosey-goosey "let's all get together and have a conference call, put together something which we call a project plan but is really just an email telling you to do some stuff whenever, and then talk with each other every week or so until there's a re-org and we're all either laid-off or moved to another group" attitude my previous employer had towards project management there really is a formal structure that any business could really benefit from following and the PMI (and their certification) ensures that it's standardized and adhered to.
I guess I sound like a bit of a corporate tool, here. But it was just so astonishing to me to find that anything like this could even broach, to some small degree, the walls of cynicism I'd built up....
Initially I approached the PMP certification (it's advanced by the Project Management Institute and you can read all about it on their website) as a bit of a scam: you need to have so many hours of classtime, so many hours of project management experience before you can even take the test (which, itself, is something like $500 -- and some people spend upwards of that much again on prep materials). But after this class and a couple of meetings with our local chapter of PMI, I'm less inclined to think of it as a scam or professional clique. Once you move beyond the sort of loosey-goosey "let's all get together and have a conference call, put together something which we call a project plan but is really just an email telling you to do some stuff whenever, and then talk with each other every week or so until there's a re-org and we're all either laid-off or moved to another group" attitude my previous employer had towards project management there really is a formal structure that any business could really benefit from following and the PMI (and their certification) ensures that it's standardized and adhered to.
I guess I sound like a bit of a corporate tool, here. But it was just so astonishing to me to find that anything like this could even broach, to some small degree, the walls of cynicism I'd built up....
Watch me almost get banned from Zorak's 'blog for my comments. I thought it was funny, anyway. I should be careful, though, as her husband, O.O. (or DJ O-Nasty, as I call him), is a bonafide hero. Honestly.
Where have I been? Well, we've all been pretty ill this week, but more than that we've been playing Windwaker. The game is a perfect synthesis of Skies of Arcadia (itself not a Zelda game, but one of my favorite Dreamcast games ever) and The Ocarina of Time (and the way the game ties in with the story from Ocarina of Time is pretty astonishing: it seems completely unrelated and yet there are so many neat, subtle references which seem to all be building towards something big). Oh, and I have Project Managment class today. So enjoy your Saturday! I'll be back this evening.
Thursday, March 27, 2003
From the sublime to the ridiculous now, with two links provided by Kevin:
Is the war in Iraq a War for Oil? Or is it in fact instead America's Triumph and Europe's Angst: The Secret Race To Control Iraq's Extraterrestrial Heritage? You be the judge.
There is evidence that powerful exotic weapons such as scalar electromagnetic devices are being used around the planet in an effort to warn the US about overstepping itself, and to 'encourage' a diplomatic solution to the current crisis over access and control of Iraq's ET heritage.
And all this time I thought those scalar electromagnetic devices were just the Palm Pilots of urbanite war-protesters as they IM each other as to at which Starbucks they will meet when they get tired of standing around holding signs. Again with the poorly translated Sumerian cuneiform, though. Why is it that everyone who translates Anunnaki (Sumerian for 'those who came from Heaven to Earth') to mean Aliens. Why not Angels? For more on the scientics' (my term for those who claim to practice science but then take their reductionist/materialist worldview into matters "spiritual") read what Greg Popcak has to say on DNA creator's Dr. Francis Crick latest thought nugget: that our DNA is a gift from space aliens to us! Oh and co-creator Dr. Watson says now that all religion everywhere is nothing more than "myths from the past" (all right: but where did those myths from the past come from? I mean, to the folks in the past who came up with them initially? From further in the past? All right, but where did those myths come from?). Anyway, now Dr. Crick will have something else to think about as he watches the war coverage on television. Maybe the Iraqi ETs have some new DNA stored in a bunker somewhere and maybe the Husseins are the next step in human evolution.
Think about that while you look at some nice pictures and movies of what happens when you throw a big block of sodium into the water. This trick also works with magnesium, too, if I recall.
Is the war in Iraq a War for Oil? Or is it in fact instead America's Triumph and Europe's Angst: The Secret Race To Control Iraq's Extraterrestrial Heritage? You be the judge.
There is evidence that powerful exotic weapons such as scalar electromagnetic devices are being used around the planet in an effort to warn the US about overstepping itself, and to 'encourage' a diplomatic solution to the current crisis over access and control of Iraq's ET heritage.
And all this time I thought those scalar electromagnetic devices were just the Palm Pilots of urbanite war-protesters as they IM each other as to at which Starbucks they will meet when they get tired of standing around holding signs. Again with the poorly translated Sumerian cuneiform, though. Why is it that everyone who translates Anunnaki (Sumerian for 'those who came from Heaven to Earth') to mean Aliens. Why not Angels? For more on the scientics' (my term for those who claim to practice science but then take their reductionist/materialist worldview into matters "spiritual") read what Greg Popcak has to say on DNA creator's Dr. Francis Crick latest thought nugget: that our DNA is a gift from space aliens to us! Oh and co-creator Dr. Watson says now that all religion everywhere is nothing more than "myths from the past" (all right: but where did those myths from the past come from? I mean, to the folks in the past who came up with them initially? From further in the past? All right, but where did those myths come from?). Anyway, now Dr. Crick will have something else to think about as he watches the war coverage on television. Maybe the Iraqi ETs have some new DNA stored in a bunker somewhere and maybe the Husseins are the next step in human evolution.
Think about that while you look at some nice pictures and movies of what happens when you throw a big block of sodium into the water. This trick also works with magnesium, too, if I recall.
I Like The Park
One of the things I have been able to do the past two weeks, since it's been so nice out, is to take 'Xander with me on my walks about town. The really nice thing about downtown Plymouth is that every three blocks or so there is a nice neighborhood park. Since 'Xander was too little last summer, we really didn't take him to the park much. But now that he can walk, run, and climb I've started taking him there. And I had no idea just what a social hub the neighborhood park really is. Tons of kids all there with their moms (and sometimes with their dads -- the moms today remarked how odd it was to see a kid there with his dad) most about 'Xander's age. So it's been fun doing all the introductions, yes, he's tall for his age, and talking about teething and so on. It's really a nice time.
And another thing: when I check in on 'Xander as he's taking his after-park nap I like to imagine him dreaming about the trips down the slide with Daddy and I hope that those dreams make him happy.
One of the things I have been able to do the past two weeks, since it's been so nice out, is to take 'Xander with me on my walks about town. The really nice thing about downtown Plymouth is that every three blocks or so there is a nice neighborhood park. Since 'Xander was too little last summer, we really didn't take him to the park much. But now that he can walk, run, and climb I've started taking him there. And I had no idea just what a social hub the neighborhood park really is. Tons of kids all there with their moms (and sometimes with their dads -- the moms today remarked how odd it was to see a kid there with his dad) most about 'Xander's age. So it's been fun doing all the introductions, yes, he's tall for his age, and talking about teething and so on. It's really a nice time.
And another thing: when I check in on 'Xander as he's taking his after-park nap I like to imagine him dreaming about the trips down the slide with Daddy and I hope that those dreams make him happy.
Self-referentially Incoherent Statement of the Week Award
"We are a very tolerant state and people in the military also expect to be treated with the same courtesy and respect that we show to others," Lt. Col. Scott Stirewalt, director of security at the Vermont National Guard, told WCAX news.
I hear that there is even legislation pending in Vermont to allow two people serving in the armed forces to be married to each other! Seriously, I wonder if this is even considered a "hate-crime" in Vermont: public stoning based on one's chosen profession.
"We are a very tolerant state and people in the military also expect to be treated with the same courtesy and respect that we show to others," Lt. Col. Scott Stirewalt, director of security at the Vermont National Guard, told WCAX news.
I hear that there is even legislation pending in Vermont to allow two people serving in the armed forces to be married to each other! Seriously, I wonder if this is even considered a "hate-crime" in Vermont: public stoning based on one's chosen profession.
FOXNews: Saddam Hussein Helped Detroit Church, Got Key to City
I hope this really is a situation where someone has changed from an otherwise nice guy into the monster folks would have us believe he's become. You don't find too many people, including other Christians, being that helpful and generous towards the Chaldeans (which is a real shame). The fact that Saddam would help them out to such great lengths, even when it wasn't (as near as I can figure) a requirement of his being set up in power in Iraq, is troubling in as much as this isn't at all the Saddam Hussein folks tend to hear about anymore. I guess you can never really know what's written on the hearts of men, though. I would like to read more about Hussein's relationship with the Chaldeans, though, if anyone can provide me with any resources.
I hope this really is a situation where someone has changed from an otherwise nice guy into the monster folks would have us believe he's become. You don't find too many people, including other Christians, being that helpful and generous towards the Chaldeans (which is a real shame). The fact that Saddam would help them out to such great lengths, even when it wasn't (as near as I can figure) a requirement of his being set up in power in Iraq, is troubling in as much as this isn't at all the Saddam Hussein folks tend to hear about anymore. I guess you can never really know what's written on the hearts of men, though. I would like to read more about Hussein's relationship with the Chaldeans, though, if anyone can provide me with any resources.
How to tell when your religion is being successful:
They have to pass a "law" (without allowing debate) to crush it.
Even someone who converts to a new religion of his own free will can face a one-year prison sentence under the Gujarat legislation, if he fails to gain prior approval from local authorities.
So say what you want about the state of civil-liberties in America, but there's a contrasting snapshot from one of the more "civilized" countries on the planet. I'm reading Dorothy Sayers' "Mind of the Maker" now and a lot of what she had to say, some 47-odd years ago, still rings true today.
They have to pass a "law" (without allowing debate) to crush it.
Even someone who converts to a new religion of his own free will can face a one-year prison sentence under the Gujarat legislation, if he fails to gain prior approval from local authorities.
So say what you want about the state of civil-liberties in America, but there's a contrasting snapshot from one of the more "civilized" countries on the planet. I'm reading Dorothy Sayers' "Mind of the Maker" now and a lot of what she had to say, some 47-odd years ago, still rings true today.
Windwaker: First Impressions
We've played our way through about the first two or three hours of the game, all the way through Windfall Island. Without giving too much away (and mainly for the purposes of annoying James Preece) here are our first impressions.
We've played our way through about the first two or three hours of the game, all the way through Windfall Island. Without giving too much away (and mainly for the purposes of annoying James Preece) here are our first impressions.
- Overall the game seems to be oriented to a younger crowd than Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Link to the Past (my chief frames of reference). If it's only because those earlier three games had seeminly universal appeal, I don't know, or what, this one in its dialogue and action so far seems to be appealing to the 10-year-old set. Perhaps it's the new cel-shaded graphics, too, which creates that impression.
- Whatever you think about the new approach in the graphics, though, they are awesome. A lot of folks were concerned that they would be too cartoony. Well, when you see the expressiveness for which the cel-shaded animation approach allows in the game's characters, you'll put any doubts behind you. It's not the gorgeous photorealism like Metroid: Prime but more than once I had Link run up and down the same area of a fortress or island, playing with the camera (which can be user-controlled, unlike in Ocarina of Time (though other than the camera, for the most part the controls are exactly the same), just to see how cool the scenery looks.
- What's up with that (literally) snot-nosed kid? Is he just there to gross out anyone over the age of 10? Still, computer-animated snot never looked so good.
- Overall, though, having played through one dungeon and a couple of towns, the game is awesome. The story, despite its rather kiddie trappings is shaping up to be the mega-epic Zelda stuff we're used to. In a way it almost seems like it's going to take on a more RPG-y feel than previous games, if only because of the "boat traveling to different points on the overland map" device which they seem to be about to implement. I'll let you know if that turns out not to be the case.
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
FOXNews: Vandals Burn Statue of Liberty Replica
Wow. Some people are taking this anti-French thing a little far, don't you think. Oh wait, the vandals burning the replica statue are from France? I guess self-loathing just comes naturally to the French.
Wow. Some people are taking this anti-French thing a little far, don't you think. Oh wait, the vandals burning the replica statue are from France? I guess self-loathing just comes naturally to the French.
No time to be mopey or embittered now!!! The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker just arrived via FedEx. I'll talk backatcha'll in a couple weeks!
I happen to disagree with Kevin Miller's agreement with the reader who disagrees with NRO contributing editor, Michael Ledeen's statement (which is in agreement with Patton) that Americans love war.
I think your average American does love war. To the "average American" (if such a thing exists) watching war coverage on television combines the thrill of the SuperBowl (Hooray for our team!) with all the seriousness and bilious humour of the WTC attacks. It's like the ultimate sporting event because not only do we have a clear-favorite to root for but also people die and stuff blows up. Were this not the case would we all be glued to our television sets just waiting for the British troops to storm into Basrah already and take out those Iraqi troops who are clearly not "playing by the rules"? I really doubt most people would honestly say that they "love the nobility for which war can be an occasion". What we love watching are the tanks and planes and bombs and the winning.
Any true concept of "nobility" in warfare died in Ypres on April 22, 1915, and then again in Verdun over the next year. "Nobility" is, at best, for those Americans who even consider such things, an intellectual and anachronistic curiousity. But -- you have to appreciate the US military for their publically expressed belief that modern warfare has "rules" or any notion of civilized conduct left attached to it.
I think your average American does love war. To the "average American" (if such a thing exists) watching war coverage on television combines the thrill of the SuperBowl (Hooray for our team!) with all the seriousness and bilious humour of the WTC attacks. It's like the ultimate sporting event because not only do we have a clear-favorite to root for but also people die and stuff blows up. Were this not the case would we all be glued to our television sets just waiting for the British troops to storm into Basrah already and take out those Iraqi troops who are clearly not "playing by the rules"? I really doubt most people would honestly say that they "love the nobility for which war can be an occasion". What we love watching are the tanks and planes and bombs and the winning.
Any true concept of "nobility" in warfare died in Ypres on April 22, 1915, and then again in Verdun over the next year. "Nobility" is, at best, for those Americans who even consider such things, an intellectual and anachronistic curiousity. But -- you have to appreciate the US military for their publically expressed belief that modern warfare has "rules" or any notion of civilized conduct left attached to it.
Since folks asked: No, I forgot to tape "The World Over" on EWTN where Raymond Arroyo interviews Mel Gibson. You can listen to the entire program, though, as a RealAudio stream from EWTN's webservers. Just imagine a really tired-looking yet still animated and articulate Mel Gibson talking to a (as per usual) perfectly composed Raymond Arroyo, and that gives you some idea as to what it would like like with video. If you really want the video you can either wait until the interview re-airs (which it probably will in a few months) or buy a copy of the video direct from EWTN for $15.
Zorak's links never cease to bring a smile to my face (mainly the O.O. quotes just leave me concerned for the mantis' safety, but I digress), and now we have something to compete with the old Ninja Attack web-thingie: Send an anonymous Rat Attack.
Arg. So I didn't get The Job. The one we were sure would be The One. Not much to do now except start over at square one, I suppose. I'm beyond the point of even feeling frustrated about such things anymore. Just persevere (to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement), I guess. Truth be told, I'm starting to get used to not working. It's actually a lot of fun hanging out with 'Xander all day. Not that I'm complaining, but if there were such thing as a "reversal of fortune" card and if I had one, I'd probably play it now. Though that's not even true, thinking about it. I have pretty much everything I ever wanted or need, just not a job. Hmm. Now where did I put that unemployment paperwork...
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
"Something is being done to our nation deliberately, something sinister... something horrible."
Er, call me a patriotic idiot but I don't think that anyone did anything bad to Ali. In other words: I don't think the black helicopters descended on his house in Metro Detroit in the middle of the night and carried him and his family off to Area 51 where they and every other Iraqi-American are sure to be detained in the coming weeks (or whatever paranoid scenario you want to work out). If his family felt they had some reason to leave the area before they could possibly be interviewed by the government (and not all Iraqi-Americans are even being questioned, largely just the ones known to be in our country illegally -- i.e. the ones which arguably shouldn't even be here to begin with), it's probably a good thing for everyone concerned that they left.
Er, call me a patriotic idiot but I don't think that anyone did anything bad to Ali. In other words: I don't think the black helicopters descended on his house in Metro Detroit in the middle of the night and carried him and his family off to Area 51 where they and every other Iraqi-American are sure to be detained in the coming weeks (or whatever paranoid scenario you want to work out). If his family felt they had some reason to leave the area before they could possibly be interviewed by the government (and not all Iraqi-Americans are even being questioned, largely just the ones known to be in our country illegally -- i.e. the ones which arguably shouldn't even be here to begin with), it's probably a good thing for everyone concerned that they left.
Gus Fink: The world's finest outsider art.
There should probably be a big question mark after that sentence. If you poke around in the art he offers on eBay, you can find a portrait of artist Peter Max. I asked a friend why Peter Max's eyes were bleeding in Gus Fink's portrait of him and my friend replied "He must've seen his portrait."
There should probably be a big question mark after that sentence. If you poke around in the art he offers on eBay, you can find a portrait of artist Peter Max. I asked a friend why Peter Max's eyes were bleeding in Gus Fink's portrait of him and my friend replied "He must've seen his portrait."
Kat proves once again that even her mindless blather is still some of the best, most blog-spirited stuff around. By my own count it had been nearly 20 years since I'd seen the Burger Chef "Orange Licky" (I don't know if that's its actual name, I just call it that because everyone could stand an orange licky -- whatever that might be -- every now and then) logo. Sure brings back memories of... something. Oh, I know... I'm five and totally into prehistoric and contemporary deep-sea creatures and my mom takes us to Burger Chef and I'm showing this book off to the woman behind the cash register and it's a photo of a huge snake with little beady eyes and a huge toothy mouth and she says it looks just like her ex-boyfriend. I also remember straws. Lots of straws.
Note: Burger Chef is most vehemently not to be confused with Happy Chef (or as I call him "Maniacal, Towering, Wooden-Spoon Wielding Chef") which you can find in even the smallest of towns in South Dakota (where they pronounce "chef" with a hard "ch", like in "chariot" or "charred remnants"). Sure the webpage only says they have 23 restaurants, total, in the Midwest but that's just what they want you to think....
Note: Burger Chef is most vehemently not to be confused with Happy Chef (or as I call him "Maniacal, Towering, Wooden-Spoon Wielding Chef") which you can find in even the smallest of towns in South Dakota (where they pronounce "chef" with a hard "ch", like in "chariot" or "charred remnants"). Sure the webpage only says they have 23 restaurants, total, in the Midwest but that's just what they want you to think....
God bless our allies, the Moroccoans.
I guess that's kind of a 21st-century take on the powder monkeys.
I guess that's kind of a 21st-century take on the powder monkeys.
MSNBC.com: U.S. enlists dolphins to aid Iraq war effort
Those dolphins look like they're just having the time of their lives. At least they're employed, anyway.
Those dolphins look like they're just having the time of their lives. At least they're employed, anyway.
Britain waxes nostalgic about Animalympics. To answer his second question: I think there has been a long tradition, in American animation, of dancing animals falling out of their costumes. I think this happened at least twice in Fantasia and one or twice, perhaps unintentionally, in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which is just available today on DVD.
FOXNews.com: Military Wipes Out Iraqi GPS Jammers
Oh, you mean the Russians weren't opposing the use of force against Iraq out of some deeply-held, peaceful convictions (though I guess they now have someone who'd be in the market for another six GPS jammers, should the Iraqi economy ever recover to such an extent where purchasing them becomes possible again)? I wonder what they'll turn up on the Germans and French (maybe the Republican Guard will start attacking coalition troops with bad techno music) as the conflict drags on.
Oh, you mean the Russians weren't opposing the use of force against Iraq out of some deeply-held, peaceful convictions (though I guess they now have someone who'd be in the market for another six GPS jammers, should the Iraqi economy ever recover to such an extent where purchasing them becomes possible again)? I wonder what they'll turn up on the Germans and French (maybe the Republican Guard will start attacking coalition troops with bad techno music) as the conflict drags on.
Monday, March 24, 2003
I don't think there is a single thing in this wide world which is as sad as a sick kid. Except, maybe, two or more sick kids.
Anyway, if you have a spare portable CD player and wanted to turn your living room into a Borders, complete with CD listening kiosks, this may be a semi-affordable way to do just that.
Anyway, if you have a spare portable CD player and wanted to turn your living room into a Borders, complete with CD listening kiosks, this may be a semi-affordable way to do just that.
It's been a loooong time since I've seen anything on the Internet which made me laugh as hard as these did:
Weight Watchers recipe cards from 1974
You think your diet is bad? Look at the appetizing morsels cooked up roughly 30 years ago. The commentary presented along side each card is pretty funny, too, but there is some occasional mild descriptive language (which you might expect, looking at some of the pictures) so don't plunk your kids down in front of these if you care about such things. The only way to enjoy these, in my opinion, is to start with the first one and take the "tour" through all of them. These are dangerously funny.
Memo to Alton Brown: this is the real "Food Gallery."
Weight Watchers recipe cards from 1974
You think your diet is bad? Look at the appetizing morsels cooked up roughly 30 years ago. The commentary presented along side each card is pretty funny, too, but there is some occasional mild descriptive language (which you might expect, looking at some of the pictures) so don't plunk your kids down in front of these if you care about such things. The only way to enjoy these, in my opinion, is to start with the first one and take the "tour" through all of them. These are dangerously funny.
Memo to Alton Brown: this is the real "Food Gallery."
"What's the matter, McFly? Chechen?"
Some things, you wonder why they even qualify as "news."
Director Moore Criticizes U.S.-Iraq War. Michael Moore opportunistically using a nationally-broadcast television appearance to promote his own half-formed and uninformed idealogies? Quelle surprise! I'm from Michigan and I'll be the first to say that Michael Moore is a big, fat idiot. From all reports, "Bowling for Columbine" isn't remotely even a documentary. It's a polemic; a one-sided broadside. In short: the only kind of film Moore is capable of making (or The Academy recognizing).
Director Moore Criticizes U.S.-Iraq War. Michael Moore opportunistically using a nationally-broadcast television appearance to promote his own half-formed and uninformed idealogies? Quelle surprise! I'm from Michigan and I'll be the first to say that Michael Moore is a big, fat idiot. From all reports, "Bowling for Columbine" isn't remotely even a documentary. It's a polemic; a one-sided broadside. In short: the only kind of film Moore is capable of making (or The Academy recognizing).
Well, I've remixed and remastered "M.A.R.V.I.N." (below) but the mp3 version still sounds too boomy in the bass (one disadvantage of making music with a free piece of software that doesn't let you insert EQ on each channel. It does allow you to do things very quickly, though, which is why I used it). I'll work again on correcting that perhaps later today. The baby has a bad cold and I'm not feeling so hot myself, so we'll have to see.
"You know. For kids!"
Thanks to Britain for passing along the link to The CIA's Homepage for Kids. Remember: "Fly high on intelligence NOT drugs...". Or you can visit Dr. Disguise and get a wacky disguise for your agent. Loads of fun to be had here for future snoops.
Thanks to Britain for passing along the link to The CIA's Homepage for Kids. Remember: "Fly high on intelligence NOT drugs...". Or you can visit Dr. Disguise and get a wacky disguise for your agent. Loads of fun to be had here for future snoops.
Sunday, March 23, 2003
New Music!
It's not the latest ISS song, but it's better! It's a little funky piano tune I worked on a bit tonight. I mixed it using headphones, though, since the little one has a cold and went to bed early, so the bass may need additional taming (I'll listen tomorrow on the speakers and adjust accordingly). It's the grooviest thing I've done in a while though. Pretty cool, check it out.
Victor Lams - "M.A.R.V.I.N." mp3 format, 3.7MB
You might need to right-click save as.
It's not the latest ISS song, but it's better! It's a little funky piano tune I worked on a bit tonight. I mixed it using headphones, though, since the little one has a cold and went to bed early, so the bass may need additional taming (I'll listen tomorrow on the speakers and adjust accordingly). It's the grooviest thing I've done in a while though. Pretty cool, check it out.
Victor Lams - "M.A.R.V.I.N." mp3 format, 3.7MB
You might need to right-click save as.
This is pretty cool. I had almost forgotten that I'd ever ented this particular songwriting competition, and I just found out I got fourth place. Woohoo. This means I won a softsynth VSTi instrument of my choice (from the same company whose banner ad you can click on up there... and I'm up to $24 with the ad campaign which means that very soon I'll get a second VSTi from that company). Neat-o.
Saturday, March 22, 2003
Dude, this is so wack.
Seriously, if you really want to blow up one of your fellow soldiers wait until after the war. Or at least wait until you're on the battlefield and something like this is even a little bit more plausible. And, honestly, if you really want to die that bad there are probably cleaner and less painful ways (at least as far as your surviving family is concerned) to committ suicide than court martial and being hanged.
Seriously, if you really want to blow up one of your fellow soldiers wait until after the war. Or at least wait until you're on the battlefield and something like this is even a little bit more plausible. And, honestly, if you really want to die that bad there are probably cleaner and less painful ways (at least as far as your surviving family is concerned) to committ suicide than court martial and being hanged.
So far, we've caught a couple episodes of Nashville Star on the USA television network. It's definitely far superior to American Idol, the show on which it is so obviously based, in that the youngsters (and there are a couple of older guys -- read: in their 30s --- on there, too, which is another refreshing departure from Idol) can actually play instruments (most of them) and sing. You can't fake singing in country music, especially when you're performing in front of a packed arena full of country fans and even if you can only marginally tolerate country music (which is how I'd characterize our level of country music appreciation, though we both like Texas Swing and Bluegrass to varying degrees) you should check out this show.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
I mean, it's really sweet that the Transformers were there for him to fill that void when his father died. I know how it is when you're a kid to latch on to whatever it is that's available and find meaning in that, so I'm very sympathetic in that regard. But I wonder if Mr. Prime knows that the Decepticons actually kill Optimus Prime (in the movie, I believe, until a massive letter campaign back in '87 brought him back. Interesting factoid: Hasbro lost money on both the Transformers movie and My Little Pony). But I guess "Rodimus" isn't as cool a first name as "Optimus". Though neither is as cool as just naming yourself "Starscream" in my opinion. Thanks, RC, for the link!
I hope the Iraqis don't destroy their valuable energon cube fields before Mr. Prime gets there! PS. Now that I think about it, Starscream has got to be the coolest name ever. Our next child will proudly bear the name of the second-in-command of the Decepticons, regardless of his or her sex. "Starscream Lams". It's got a certain goth ring to it... like "Worldkiller Jones" or "Glorious Harbinger of Night O'Connor". Or maybe not.
I mean, it's really sweet that the Transformers were there for him to fill that void when his father died. I know how it is when you're a kid to latch on to whatever it is that's available and find meaning in that, so I'm very sympathetic in that regard. But I wonder if Mr. Prime knows that the Decepticons actually kill Optimus Prime (in the movie, I believe, until a massive letter campaign back in '87 brought him back. Interesting factoid: Hasbro lost money on both the Transformers movie and My Little Pony). But I guess "Rodimus" isn't as cool a first name as "Optimus". Though neither is as cool as just naming yourself "Starscream" in my opinion. Thanks, RC, for the link!
I hope the Iraqis don't destroy their valuable energon cube fields before Mr. Prime gets there! PS. Now that I think about it, Starscream has got to be the coolest name ever. Our next child will proudly bear the name of the second-in-command of the Decepticons, regardless of his or her sex. "Starscream Lams". It's got a certain goth ring to it... like "Worldkiller Jones" or "Glorious Harbinger of Night O'Connor". Or maybe not.
We just watched last year's Spiderman movie as part of Comcast's one-cent on-demand feature. It was pretty cool: Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi were both great in it. But watching it, though, we made another observation: if stainless steel is the new black and orange is the new red then is it becoming the case that bra-less breasts protrubering through wet or otherwise tight fabric is becoming the new naked, at least as far as PG-13 movies are concerned? Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course, but I must admit I that I have some rather conflicted feelings about that, if that's the case.
Friday, March 21, 2003
Did you see Mel Gibson's interview on EWTN just now? Did that not just kick ass?! I'm going to tape that when it's rebroadcast on Sunday night and watch it everyday from now until The Passion comes out. Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock.
Friday Toast
It's time for the Friday Toast, which is a new feature on this 'blog. This is the part of the week where I start off a more or less famous toast, and then you, gentle reader, complete it. Don't worry if you don't know the particular toast because it's likely someone else knows it and when they respond, you can just move your mouth and then drink your drink.
"Here's to us! Who's like us?
It's time for the Friday Toast, which is a new feature on this 'blog. This is the part of the week where I start off a more or less famous toast, and then you, gentle reader, complete it. Don't worry if you don't know the particular toast because it's likely someone else knows it and when they respond, you can just move your mouth and then drink your drink.
"Here's to us! Who's like us?
If you're looking for a way to add five thousand visitors to your 'blog each day you could always move it to Baghdad.
Don't believe that "Salam Pax" is "real" (really from Baghdad? Really has access to the Internet? I'm not sure...). Here's proof: he's a nice guy!
Don't believe that "Salam Pax" is "real" (really from Baghdad? Really has access to the Internet? I'm not sure...). Here's proof: he's a nice guy!
I think that if you were ever to become a malevolent deity, one who specializes in hearing the deepest wishes of people and then turning those around on them by granting them in hideous, awful ways it would be way too easy to fall into the habit of just giving people what they want, but way, way too much of it (you know, like drowning the man dying of thirst), as opposed to coming up with something unique and particularly ironic every time.
Well, I'm off to my interview!
Well, I'm off to my interview!
I don't normally like 'blog poaching from Fr. Bryce (I do it all the time, but that doesn't mean I like doing it), but this is too good not to 'blog: JesusComes2Play.com.
How come my "cross necklace" doesn't light up and change colors? Better yet, why does Jesus even need to wear a "cross necklace" -- is being crucified something one could ever forget? And, as a commenter on Fr. Bryce's 'blog points out, shouldn't He play "I am Your Sunshine" instead? And since the makers of the doll obviously want Him to be all hip, why isn't Jesus wearing a bracelet that says "WWID?" Still, it's a little cute, I will give it that.
How come my "cross necklace" doesn't light up and change colors? Better yet, why does Jesus even need to wear a "cross necklace" -- is being crucified something one could ever forget? And, as a commenter on Fr. Bryce's 'blog points out, shouldn't He play "I am Your Sunshine" instead? And since the makers of the doll obviously want Him to be all hip, why isn't Jesus wearing a bracelet that says "WWID?" Still, it's a little cute, I will give it that.
Thursday, March 20, 2003
Prayer Request redux
Praise be! I've been called back for a second interview, tomorrow morning, and this one will be a lot more technical, so any and all prayers are muchly appreciated! I've been petitioning Sts. Joseph, Anthony, Joachim, Rita, and Cecilia as well as Ven. Fr. Solanus Casey, Blessed Miguel Pro, and Father Pierre De Smet for their intercession. Thank you!!!
Praise be! I've been called back for a second interview, tomorrow morning, and this one will be a lot more technical, so any and all prayers are muchly appreciated! I've been petitioning Sts. Joseph, Anthony, Joachim, Rita, and Cecilia as well as Ven. Fr. Solanus Casey, Blessed Miguel Pro, and Father Pierre De Smet for their intercession. Thank you!!!
I think I should change the name of my 'blog to "Virtual Antwerp" because it seems to be the place where the various 'blog superpowers hash out their differences (see comments, a few posts below). Of course, to the extent to which I bring this all about myself any comparison to the actual Antwerpians of 1944 is a little unfounded.
Project Gutenberg: Chamber Music Archive, doing for chamber music what the original Project Gutenberg did for public domain works of literature: preserving these works of art for many future generations to come. Thanks, Kat, for the link! I wonder if Steve Guttenberg wishes there was a Project Gutenberg for all of his movies. That way all the Police Academy, Short Circuit, and Three Men and a 'X' movies (as well as more recent projects like P.S. Your Cat Is Dead) could be preserved forever.
Welcome Jeanetta of De Fidei Oboedientia 'blog (or as it is apparently translated into English: "Domestic Punk 'blog") to et cetera, by far the greasiest member of St. 'Blog's Parish. Er, I mean me, my 'blog is greasy, like in a good way, not Jeanetta. Is greasy. Hmmmm... hey "Domestic Slide" would be a great name for a dance tune, don't you think? It's domestic!
TVGuide: Slay What?! Joss Whedon on Life After Buffy
Whoa, there, Joss! Don't give us too much information or anything. Sigh. Buffy for sure is ending, though. Angel was kick-BUTT tonight, though. Faith and Willow both sharing the stage with the gang from Angel, Inc. That was cool.
Whoa, there, Joss! Don't give us too much information or anything. Sigh. Buffy for sure is ending, though. Angel was kick-BUTT tonight, though. Faith and Willow both sharing the stage with the gang from Angel, Inc. That was cool.
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
Slate: Baby Talk: Can a 20-year-old host handle his own show?
I'd heard of this show but have never seen it. It does sound very creepy. Like that episode, well episode in the movie, The Twilight Zone where the omnipotent kid rules the house by making his sister lose her mouth and by doing who knows what to his parents. Only this kid doesn't have any siblings.
I'd heard of this show but have never seen it. It does sound very creepy. Like that episode, well episode in the movie, The Twilight Zone where the omnipotent kid rules the house by making his sister lose her mouth and by doing who knows what to his parents. Only this kid doesn't have any siblings.
Greg Popcak is working out a solution to the hyperlong posts at HMS 'blog.
My original suggestion, I think, is a good one: it's time to thin the herd a bit. You don't have to kill off some of the regular characters, though, if you don't want to (as I originally suggested). No. Here's another idea: spinoff 'blog! Seriously, if it's done right, it's a perfectly respectable thing to do when your cast gets a little too big. Look at the success of Buffy spinoff, Angel. And who could forget Laverne and Shirley?
One must, of course, exercise discretion in such matters. But we're not talking about a mediocre sitcom like "Growing Pains" here; we're talking about HMS 'blog! The liklihood of a spinoff achieving such mind-blowing stupdity as, say, "Just the Ten of Us" has got to be pretty rare.
"Just the Ten of Us". Hmm. That actually sounds like a good name for HMS 'blog proper, now that I think about it (especially since everyone knows that when it comes to group 'blogs, "Eight is Enough"). Seriously, it's not even 6pm (EST) yet and already there have been 71 posts today. SEVENTY-ONE! That's not hyperbole, that's an actual count (as of 5:30 EST). Who has time to read it all? And who else, without reading them all, could tell which ones of the multitude of posts were really worth reading?
Say it with me: Spinoff! Spinoff! Spinoff! Or at least look into doing something with a message board or forum format, you know where you can view posts by thread instead of having to page down 30 or 40 times to try and find the post being referenced in post #52. Voice of the Faithful had some degree of success with this, I believe.
My original suggestion, I think, is a good one: it's time to thin the herd a bit. You don't have to kill off some of the regular characters, though, if you don't want to (as I originally suggested). No. Here's another idea: spinoff 'blog! Seriously, if it's done right, it's a perfectly respectable thing to do when your cast gets a little too big. Look at the success of Buffy spinoff, Angel. And who could forget Laverne and Shirley?
One must, of course, exercise discretion in such matters. But we're not talking about a mediocre sitcom like "Growing Pains" here; we're talking about HMS 'blog! The liklihood of a spinoff achieving such mind-blowing stupdity as, say, "Just the Ten of Us" has got to be pretty rare.
"Just the Ten of Us". Hmm. That actually sounds like a good name for HMS 'blog proper, now that I think about it (especially since everyone knows that when it comes to group 'blogs, "Eight is Enough"). Seriously, it's not even 6pm (EST) yet and already there have been 71 posts today. SEVENTY-ONE! That's not hyperbole, that's an actual count (as of 5:30 EST). Who has time to read it all? And who else, without reading them all, could tell which ones of the multitude of posts were really worth reading?
Say it with me: Spinoff! Spinoff! Spinoff! Or at least look into doing something with a message board or forum format, you know where you can view posts by thread instead of having to page down 30 or 40 times to try and find the post being referenced in post #52. Voice of the Faithful had some degree of success with this, I believe.
Electric Aunt Jemima
by Frank Zappa
Electric Aunt Jemima
Goddess of Love
Khaki Maple Buckwheats
Frizzle on the stove
Queen of my heart
Please hear my plea
Electric Aunt Jemima
Cook a bunch for me
Tried to find a reason
Not to quit my job
Beat me till I'm hungry
Found a punk to rob
Love me Aunt Jemima
Love me now & ever more
Love me Aunt Jemima
Tried to find a raisin
Brownies in the basin
Monza by the street light
Aunt Jemima all night
Holiday & salad days
And days of mouldy mayonaise
Caress me
Caress me
Caress me Aunt Jemima
Caress me
Caress me Aunt Jemima
..etc..
by Frank Zappa
Electric Aunt Jemima
Goddess of Love
Khaki Maple Buckwheats
Frizzle on the stove
Queen of my heart
Please hear my plea
Electric Aunt Jemima
Cook a bunch for me
Tried to find a reason
Not to quit my job
Beat me till I'm hungry
Found a punk to rob
Love me Aunt Jemima
Love me now & ever more
Love me Aunt Jemima
Tried to find a raisin
Brownies in the basin
Monza by the street light
Aunt Jemima all night
Holiday & salad days
And days of mouldy mayonaise
Caress me
Caress me
Caress me Aunt Jemima
Caress me
Caress me Aunt Jemima
..etc..
WashingtonPost.com: Mall Standoff Enters Third Day
Goodness. Three days and this is the first I've heard of it. I guess we've all been a little preoccupied with the nice weather here in Michigan to much care. But seriously, I think this is the way a lot of folks wished "The Straight Story" would've ended.
Goodness. Three days and this is the first I've heard of it. I guess we've all been a little preoccupied with the nice weather here in Michigan to much care. But seriously, I think this is the way a lot of folks wished "The Straight Story" would've ended.
They Might Be Giants: Direct From Brooklyn
If you've been sitting around thinking to yourself "Hey, I wonder when the collection of They Might Be Giants videos, Direct From Brooklyn, is going to be released on DVD" wonder no more. It's out and features all of the videos they did from about 1986 to 1996 including the Tiny Toons videos. Also included is some footage from the 2002 tour (of their tour manager eating fire to the tune of "The Sun"), two tracks which were on the Japanese version of Mink Car but not on the American release (including "Your Mom's All Right" which is a pretty cool tune), a remix of "Man, It's So Loud In Here", a short, short preview of the documentary "Gigantic" as well as John and John commentary on the videos (which I haven't watched yet). The best thing of all about this DVD? Buy two at Amazon and you get free shipping, so buy one for a friend, too!
If you've been sitting around thinking to yourself "Hey, I wonder when the collection of They Might Be Giants videos, Direct From Brooklyn, is going to be released on DVD" wonder no more. It's out and features all of the videos they did from about 1986 to 1996 including the Tiny Toons videos. Also included is some footage from the 2002 tour (of their tour manager eating fire to the tune of "The Sun"), two tracks which were on the Japanese version of Mink Car but not on the American release (including "Your Mom's All Right" which is a pretty cool tune), a remix of "Man, It's So Loud In Here", a short, short preview of the documentary "Gigantic" as well as John and John commentary on the videos (which I haven't watched yet). The best thing of all about this DVD? Buy two at Amazon and you get free shipping, so buy one for a friend, too!
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
FoxNews.com: Ridge Unveils 'Liberty Shield'
I'm a little confused by the name. Is this another renaming of something French? Like when French Fries became Freedom Fries and the French Dressing became Democracy Dressing? If so, I'm trying to recall what might have at one time been called a "French Shield". It sounds like a novelty prophylactic device.
I'm a little confused by the name. Is this another renaming of something French? Like when French Fries became Freedom Fries and the French Dressing became Democracy Dressing? If so, I'm trying to recall what might have at one time been called a "French Shield". It sounds like a novelty prophylactic device.
Things I will miss once I'm working again (hopefully soon): going to the mall with my wife and kid on a Tuesday morning just because.
Things I will not miss: paying $750 a month for COBRA health insurance coverage.
Things I will not miss: paying $750 a month for COBRA health insurance coverage.
Monday, March 17, 2003
MSN Health: Songs Stick in Everyone's Head
Stuck song syndrome annoyed, frustrated, and irritated women significantly more than men. And earworm attacks were more frequent -- and lasted longer -- for musicians and music lovers. Slightly neurotic people also seemed to suffer more.
Stuck song syndrome annoyed, frustrated, and irritated women significantly more than men. And earworm attacks were more frequent -- and lasted longer -- for musicians and music lovers. Slightly neurotic people also seemed to suffer more.
I'll support the president no matter what, but I really don't know what good sending Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy to Iraq is going to do for us... except maybe make sure there are no more Klumps movies.
Brains In Space
Lest all you think I do is goofy one-off tunes, well, I have been known to do some serious music every now and then. Just don't ask me to recall when the last time I did anything serious was. Anyways, now that spring is here, I'm feeling the creative juices starting to flow and I rediscovered one of my favorite things to do: realtime sound sculpting. This is when I grab a virtual-analog synth, my beloved blue (blue being the "new black" back in 1999/2000) Novation Nova, hit a couple of notes on the keyboard, latch the arpeggiator and just fiddle around with the knobs on the Nova's control surface and listen to the sound evolve over the course of 1, 10, or 100 minutes. It's like grabbing a lump of clay and working it without any real end result in mind (or I guess you could say it's like the dreaded "free write") but it's the audio equivalent and when it's done, it's done. It's a very relaxing process and I would recommend it as therapy to anyone. Today this took seven minutes (to bliss) and I actually recorded the process in case you're curious. If I could build a time machine and go back about 30 years, I figure I could put this on a record and sell it but since time travel seems to be impossible, I guess I can only post the .mp3 on my weblog. It has no musical value but if you need a dose of chaotic spacey sounds, this might possibly give you your fix.
Victor Lams - "Brains In Space" 128kbps mp3, about 6.5MB
Lest all you think I do is goofy one-off tunes, well, I have been known to do some serious music every now and then. Just don't ask me to recall when the last time I did anything serious was. Anyways, now that spring is here, I'm feeling the creative juices starting to flow and I rediscovered one of my favorite things to do: realtime sound sculpting. This is when I grab a virtual-analog synth, my beloved blue (blue being the "new black" back in 1999/2000) Novation Nova, hit a couple of notes on the keyboard, latch the arpeggiator and just fiddle around with the knobs on the Nova's control surface and listen to the sound evolve over the course of 1, 10, or 100 minutes. It's like grabbing a lump of clay and working it without any real end result in mind (or I guess you could say it's like the dreaded "free write") but it's the audio equivalent and when it's done, it's done. It's a very relaxing process and I would recommend it as therapy to anyone. Today this took seven minutes (to bliss) and I actually recorded the process in case you're curious. If I could build a time machine and go back about 30 years, I figure I could put this on a record and sell it but since time travel seems to be impossible, I guess I can only post the .mp3 on my weblog. It has no musical value but if you need a dose of chaotic spacey sounds, this might possibly give you your fix.
Victor Lams - "Brains In Space" 128kbps mp3, about 6.5MB
Be sure to check in with ThereseaMF's Destination Order. College life seems to have taken its hold and it's not as updated as frequently as it was in months past but most recently there is a rather interesting post of a clinic protest.
Check out Vector Park for some really neat, simple Flash "toys" (they're not games and they're not animations... "toys" suits them best I think). I had a blast with "Levers" (click on the birdhouse) but the little critters are pretty cool, too. To my mind, this is what Flash was designed to do.
It makes me wonder what the brothers Miller (Robyn and Rand) are up to these days? I truly loved Cyan's Cosmic Osmo when I was in High School (it was all Hypercard back then) and of course I knew Myst was going to be huge even before it came out back in September of 1993 (I had one of the very first copies for the Mac). But last I heard Robyn was working on a movie (?) or something (??). Anyone know what they're up to? Their old company, Cyan, is now Cyan Worlds and I don't think either of the Millers is still affiliated with the company, but I'm not sure of that.
It makes me wonder what the brothers Miller (Robyn and Rand) are up to these days? I truly loved Cyan's Cosmic Osmo when I was in High School (it was all Hypercard back then) and of course I knew Myst was going to be huge even before it came out back in September of 1993 (I had one of the very first copies for the Mac). But last I heard Robyn was working on a movie (?) or something (??). Anyone know what they're up to? Their old company, Cyan, is now Cyan Worlds and I don't think either of the Millers is still affiliated with the company, but I'm not sure of that.
The Spectator: Rome v. Washington
‘How many divisions has the Pope?’ Stalin asked derisively. The role of the present pontiff in the subsequent liquidation of Stalin’s empire provided the answer, besides making him a hero in the eyes of American conservatives. The problem is that the Vatican cannot be wooed, like some dirt-poor member of the United Nations Security Council, by bunging it a power station and a couple of billion dollars.
...
Today, the Vatican is enjoying the rare luxury of finding its rigorous doctrinal posture endorsed globally by the secular zeitgeist. Unlike its opposition to abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, artificial birth control and a host of other controversies, Rome on this occasion is singing from the same hymn sheet as secularist progressive opinion. To the potential discomfiture of the Bush administration, many American Catholics will rally to the Pope on this issue, for the same reason that they defy him on contraception: it suits their convenience.
A very interesting article which makes a few more interesting observations, in addition to the two I've included above. It shows to go you, though, just how much we need a Russell Kirk today.
‘How many divisions has the Pope?’ Stalin asked derisively. The role of the present pontiff in the subsequent liquidation of Stalin’s empire provided the answer, besides making him a hero in the eyes of American conservatives. The problem is that the Vatican cannot be wooed, like some dirt-poor member of the United Nations Security Council, by bunging it a power station and a couple of billion dollars.
...
Today, the Vatican is enjoying the rare luxury of finding its rigorous doctrinal posture endorsed globally by the secular zeitgeist. Unlike its opposition to abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, artificial birth control and a host of other controversies, Rome on this occasion is singing from the same hymn sheet as secularist progressive opinion. To the potential discomfiture of the Bush administration, many American Catholics will rally to the Pope on this issue, for the same reason that they defy him on contraception: it suits their convenience.
A very interesting article which makes a few more interesting observations, in addition to the two I've included above. It shows to go you, though, just how much we need a Russell Kirk today.
Sunday, March 16, 2003
If you get a moment, check out George Duke.com. It's both one of the nicest recording artist sites I've seen and one of the funkiest places on the Internet. There doesn't appear to be any free mp3s to download though (grrr!) so in that respect I have to give the nod to Bernie Worrell.com (which also wins out in the baby pictures category, as well). I've already mentioned Herbie Hancock.com on this 'blog in the past, though, (factoid: Herbie Hancock had a T1 line running to his house way back in 1993 or 1994... back before there was anything on the Internet to download!) but I'm mentioning it again because now you have a full three-course helping of funky keyboard players.
Saturday, March 15, 2003
No doubt. And don't act all surprised. It's pretty much been the policy of every military since time began to try to kill people who invade your bases during a war. All the armies who didn't make this their policy were losers, historically speaking.
Anyway, we're still taking suggestions for this week's song title, though it will be hard to top "That Chicken Sure Could Rap" (but as I'm not "The Henhouse Five plus Two", which was the 45rpm record featuring fake chickens clucking "In The Mood" that my parents would play every morning real loud to get us out of bed -- I guess I'll leave that to you, gentle reader, to determine if hearing something like that every morning of my childhood has made any great or lasting contribution to who I am today -- we'll have to see if it makes the final cut). See two posts below.
Anyway, we're still taking suggestions for this week's song title, though it will be hard to top "That Chicken Sure Could Rap" (but as I'm not "The Henhouse Five plus Two", which was the 45rpm record featuring fake chickens clucking "In The Mood" that my parents would play every morning real loud to get us out of bed -- I guess I'll leave that to you, gentle reader, to determine if hearing something like that every morning of my childhood has made any great or lasting contribution to who I am today -- we'll have to see if it makes the final cut). See two posts below.
NIMFY!
I don't know if you all have these where you live, but here in the quiet suburb of Plymouth signs have been popping up on front yards which read "NO WAR!" I recently drove through Ann Arbor (The People's Republic Of...) to visit my folks and there were even more and varied signs there and many of them had website URLs underneath the messages of "Peace For Me!" or whatever they said (the URLs were all forgettable jumbles of letters.org so don't ask me to recall any of them).
Okay: it's fine to be all anti-war, that's cool. But do you really need to put a sign up in your front yard expressing that? I mean, if you don't want people leaving advertisements hanging on your doorknob, that's one thing. A sign could be quite useful in that case. But what possible response are you hoping to elicit from the folks driving by when you put up an anti-war lawnsign? "Oh, look, Harold. That nice house there is against the war. And they have nice, new Pella windows. Those sure are nice windows. Maybe we should be against the war too!" Or is it more a question of one's own self-importance as regards one's place in the world, particularly if one lives over 600 miles from the White House? "Why, I bet President Bush must drive down this street in his gas-guzzling SUV every day! Next time he does, he'll see this sign I put up here and either forget the war or at least he'll be really angry. I can't wait to see the look on his face. Hee hee hee."
Or perhaps it's a more noble reason which drives a person to erect a "Peace is Groovy" sign in their front yard. Perhaps the owners of the house have the safety of their family at heart. Perhaps, like the protagonist of Aristophanes' The Charcoal Burners, the homeowners are trying to broker a private peace with the opposing side. Perhaps they really are expecting Iraqi tanks or Al Queda operatives to come barreling through their upper-middle-class residential neighborhood and when the armies do they'll just pass over the houses with bold "NO WAR!" signs in the front yard, sparing the property and residents inside: "How about this house? Should we torch it?" "No, man, don't you see the sign? That's probably been up there since, like, before day one. Let's rape and pillage at the house across the street. See? No sign."
Are bumper stickers simply not good enough anymore? Maybe I should get a sign for my front yard that says "If you can read this, you are too damn close." Or I could get a sign that says "Give me free money!" That'd be a lot more realistic.
I don't know if you all have these where you live, but here in the quiet suburb of Plymouth signs have been popping up on front yards which read "NO WAR!" I recently drove through Ann Arbor (The People's Republic Of...) to visit my folks and there were even more and varied signs there and many of them had website URLs underneath the messages of "Peace For Me!" or whatever they said (the URLs were all forgettable jumbles of letters.org so don't ask me to recall any of them).
Okay: it's fine to be all anti-war, that's cool. But do you really need to put a sign up in your front yard expressing that? I mean, if you don't want people leaving advertisements hanging on your doorknob, that's one thing. A sign could be quite useful in that case. But what possible response are you hoping to elicit from the folks driving by when you put up an anti-war lawnsign? "Oh, look, Harold. That nice house there is against the war. And they have nice, new Pella windows. Those sure are nice windows. Maybe we should be against the war too!" Or is it more a question of one's own self-importance as regards one's place in the world, particularly if one lives over 600 miles from the White House? "Why, I bet President Bush must drive down this street in his gas-guzzling SUV every day! Next time he does, he'll see this sign I put up here and either forget the war or at least he'll be really angry. I can't wait to see the look on his face. Hee hee hee."
Or perhaps it's a more noble reason which drives a person to erect a "Peace is Groovy" sign in their front yard. Perhaps the owners of the house have the safety of their family at heart. Perhaps, like the protagonist of Aristophanes' The Charcoal Burners, the homeowners are trying to broker a private peace with the opposing side. Perhaps they really are expecting Iraqi tanks or Al Queda operatives to come barreling through their upper-middle-class residential neighborhood and when the armies do they'll just pass over the houses with bold "NO WAR!" signs in the front yard, sparing the property and residents inside: "How about this house? Should we torch it?" "No, man, don't you see the sign? That's probably been up there since, like, before day one. Let's rape and pillage at the house across the street. See? No sign."
Are bumper stickers simply not good enough anymore? Maybe I should get a sign for my front yard that says "If you can read this, you are too damn close." Or I could get a sign that says "Give me free money!" That'd be a lot more realistic.
ISS Format Change
We're going to do ISS (Interactive Songwriting Sunday) a little differently this week, just for the sake of variety. This week we'll start taking submissions on Saturday (so I guess the name will change to Interactive Songwriting Saturday) and instead of taking the first suggestion out the gate I will choose from among the various responses to the ISS post... and if there's only one suggestion, then I guess I'll be choosing that one.
So here is this week's topic (and yes, I did finish the song from last week. Check two posts down). I need the name of songs which would appear on a low-budget compilation album "Worst Dance/Party Hits of the '90s". So if you ever sweated to tunes like "Shake That Body", "Jump Around", "Sexy MF", or "Everybody Dance Now!" back in the day then this is your week... only we're looking for what would've been the worst dance/party hits from time period: songs which probably would not have gotten people up on the dance floor, with titles like "Let's All Meditate!" or "Waiting For An Oil Change!" or "Sit!". Stuff like that. Post your suggestions, as many as you can come up with, below.
We're going to do ISS (Interactive Songwriting Sunday) a little differently this week, just for the sake of variety. This week we'll start taking submissions on Saturday (so I guess the name will change to Interactive Songwriting Saturday) and instead of taking the first suggestion out the gate I will choose from among the various responses to the ISS post... and if there's only one suggestion, then I guess I'll be choosing that one.
So here is this week's topic (and yes, I did finish the song from last week. Check two posts down). I need the name of songs which would appear on a low-budget compilation album "Worst Dance/Party Hits of the '90s". So if you ever sweated to tunes like "Shake That Body", "Jump Around", "Sexy MF", or "Everybody Dance Now!" back in the day then this is your week... only we're looking for what would've been the worst dance/party hits from time period: songs which probably would not have gotten people up on the dance floor, with titles like "Let's All Meditate!" or "Waiting For An Oil Change!" or "Sit!". Stuff like that. Post your suggestions, as many as you can come up with, below.
Friday, March 14, 2003
I figured out why I really like all those Sprint PCS commercials. I mean, I like their pitchman, Brian, who wears the black trenchcoat and who is in all the commercials, even if he's just in the background somewhere, so that's one reason I like the commercials, but what I really like about them is that, yes, while their gags can be a little weak at times (though some are pretty funny), they never truly run the commercials into the ground. You see the commercial maybe four or five times and then it's gone and then there's a new Sprint PCS commercial for you to enjoy before you ever get really sick of the old ones. Even so, I wouldn't mind seeing the "get The Captain and Tenille for the halftime show" commercial again, though.
ISS Song Completed!
At long last, here is the song from last weekend's Interactive Songwriting Sunday. You may recall that this one was supposed to be "something tasteful about naked fat peaceniks", subject suggested by Don of Tancos, and was to be performed by guest alter-ego "Big Mouth Dave and the Blues Blowfish 20" a mid-1990s alternative pop/rock band. This one was a toughie. Not to write, of course, but just because this week was so busy. The music itself was completed last Monday but then I didn't have any time to work on it until today. I had about half an hour before dinner so I scribbed down some words (stream of consciousness, of course... click here for original lyric) and then hastily sang into the microphone (again, stream of consciousness). So this one came together in under three hours. Considering it's over two minutes, that's not bad.
Naked Human Shields (mp3 format, 2.2MB) (Netscape users may need to right-click to save as).
At long last, here is the song from last weekend's Interactive Songwriting Sunday. You may recall that this one was supposed to be "something tasteful about naked fat peaceniks", subject suggested by Don of Tancos, and was to be performed by guest alter-ego "Big Mouth Dave and the Blues Blowfish 20" a mid-1990s alternative pop/rock band. This one was a toughie. Not to write, of course, but just because this week was so busy. The music itself was completed last Monday but then I didn't have any time to work on it until today. I had about half an hour before dinner so I scribbed down some words (stream of consciousness, of course... click here for original lyric) and then hastily sang into the microphone (again, stream of consciousness). So this one came together in under three hours. Considering it's over two minutes, that's not bad.
Naked Human Shields (mp3 format, 2.2MB) (Netscape users may need to right-click to save as).
Is the world ready for a $4500 synthesizer which features not one but four orange joysticks? Seriously, this beast looks awesome. Any keyboard which is based on neural networks and has a 10GB hard drive and a cool aluminum case like that has my vote for coolest axe of the year.
I think part of being a good dad is claiming responsiblity for some stuff you didn't do, you know, in order to enhance the aura of parental mystery which surrounds you. This probably makes you a more authoritative and effective parent, too. You shouldn't overdo this, of course, and claim responsibilty for too much stuff, but when 'Xander is a little older I don't think he'd have a problem with me saying that I'm the fifth Wiggle or that I singlehandedly made all the VeggieTales tapes. The trick, of course, is that you have to be able to make your claim credible. To the extent which I know all the VeggieTales tapes by heart (except for Esther, which we don't have, and Lyle the Kindly Viking, which we've misplaced) and can sing "Fruit Salad" in an Australian accent, I should be able to pull it off.
Thursday, March 13, 2003
Ugh. I've been trying to do without coffee today and I'm feeling it a little. I have been busy, though, got new tires for the family car (my dad saw the ones we had on there, which, thanks to gravity, still mostly contacted the pavement, and got a little concerned for the welfare of his onliest grandson) and am helping Jackie paint t