Review: Serenity

It gives me so much satisfaction to actually review this one before Nomad that I'm as giddy as a school girl. Well okay, that's not exactly true. And I'm sure Nomad will post his own thoughts, if they ever let him out of work. So on to the movie...

Short version: I loved it, Muse hated it.

Longer version: So after we had talked a while and had dinner, she didn't really hate it as much as she was just not happy with a couple of things. Some I agree with and others I don't. The things I do agree with were the only issues I had with the movie. 1) The song wasn't in the movie. It's not really Serenity without that theme song! 2)Technically there were a couple of moments when the words were muffled by other sounds. Thankfully this was not often, but often enough to cause annoyance when it did happen. 3) I can't talk about because it's a MAJOR spoiler that no one will see coming unless you've already read about all the spoilers on the web (like Nomad.) And I mean seriously, you will not see this one coming. But that's all I can say.

The good points were many: The writing was still great with typical witty lines thrown in at just the right moment to break the tension, the action was very well done and also very much a step up from the show, and there is actual character development still going on, and the acting is still excellent.

The movie's main antagonist is an Alliance man, but that's pretty much all you see from the Alliance. None of the freaky blue-gloved men in this particular part of the story. However, there are tons of Reavers all over the screen pretty much from start to finish. Whedon was obviously aware of what a great creation his fans thought the Reavers were, and he tapped into the disappointment of how little they showed up in the series. Not only are the Reavers in the story from start to finish, but they actually play a major role as all that we have been told about the origins of these horrors turns out to be not entirely true.

So what will fans think? It's hard to tell. I liked it a lot, Muse didn't. My in-laws (who we got hooked on the series) liked it as well, and both of them dislike Sci-fi. So it's hard to say. Our audience seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, and the emotion was certainly palpable as the crew goes through the challenges they are trying to overcome in this film. I imagine people will walk away with different takes, but I enjoyed it and it was great to see the Serenity and its crew back on the screen.

The Future of the Web

Eh, sharing is over-rated.

The Next Supreme Court Nominee

John Hawkins has polled a fair sampling of conservative bloggers on opinions about the next choice.

$100 Laptop, Coming to a Grey Market Near You

I was listening to Clark Howard yesterday on the radio and he started talking about a program at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) to try and develop a $100 Laptop computer. This sounded like a great idea to me. Well, I found this article on the program an dits founder today online. Check it out.

I've Been Having a Lot of "Dumb Days" of late

A New Stadium for New York??? Not Exactly...

The Jets and Giants have agreed to jointly build a new stadium. It still won't be in New York. It is going to be built at the Meadowlands in New Jersey just as the current Giants Stadium is. This is probably the best thing for the New York metropolitan area. I just hope they put a retractable roof on the stadium. That way we can see the Final Four and Super Bowl in New York.

Is He Worth the Fight?

John Hawkins considers, in two posts, if DeLay is worth saving. The first is here and the second is here. I have to say that I found his argument convincing and I encourage taking the time to read it. For anyone who still values actual conservative policies, it might just be time to let this one go.

Four Years Later and This is Where We Are

So much for the American spirit that was so well-recieved after 9/11.

No, We Do Get It

Sullivan still just can't figure it out. Today he insists, "I don't think most Americans are aware of what really went on at Abu Ghraib, and the depth and extent of the brutality."

No Andrew, we really do get it. And we all wish you could get it through your thick skull that you're not the only one who thinks that everyone responsible for what happened at Abu Ghraib needs to be punished. But when you, and the lunatics on the far left, insist that we have to believe that Abu Ghraib was as morally appalling as 9/11, of course virtually no one to the right of Ted Kennedy is going to agree with you. The thing that makes those of us "right-wingers" so resistant to listening to anything you say about Abu Ghraib is that you're still talking about it with more passion after these last months than you did about 9/11 this far out.

If you and the left force us to choose which is "more vile," then you had better believe that most Americans are going to choose 9/11. But it doesn't mean that no one else cares about what happened in Abu Ghraib. Maybe if you stopped and actually listened to what people were saying, instead of insisting that you already know, you would actually realize that.

John Roberts Confirmed by Senate

John Roberts is now confirmed as the supreme Supreme. This proves a long-held theory of mine, which seems too self-evident to really call "mine." Simply, it goes, "The biggest political success comes from saying as little as possible, with as many words as possible." I am not opposed to Roberts, but you have to admit that his main skill so far has been dodging questions of angry Senators.

Still dropping...

Still dropping...
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Kofi and the Stupid Brigade

What? The situation in the Sudan is bad? Wow! Thank goodness the UN decided that. Surely that means they'll act right? Yeah, I know. Everything you need to know can be summed up with the first quote of the article,

"The situation in Darfur now is disturbing, violence is spreading, and the displaced don't trust the Sudanese police or the Sudanese judiciary system," Juan Mendez told reporters Monday after his second assessment visit to Darfur. His first visit was a year ago.

The situation NOW? What about two years ago? I guess it wasn't "bad" enough then. And these are the clowns we're supposed to want to have directing our foreign policy?

Fun with DU

Well, I know it's been a while since we've had an installment, but the mods at DU have slipped and not gotten around to censoring...er, I mean editing the boards today and so I present a few nuggets of insanity from the DU on news of widespread mis-reporting of the situation in New Orleans by the media:

I think the point a lot of media were trying to say...
The people of NO had been left with no proper shelter, protection, medical care, or food and water. It was the media who alerted FEMA that there were people at the convention center in the first place. They had no idea. It was the media who alerted the world to the fact that the people of NO had been abandoned by their own country.

Were rapes and murders exaggerated? Who knows? The press were not allowed into the superdome or the convention center. Oprah didn't even go that far in herself. We have no record of what went on there. We never will. The only thing we do know for certain is that NO was abandoned for several days. We know for certain that the rest of the country let that city down. Why? I don't know.

Yes, we should forgive the absurd exagerations becuase the MSM had a good heart about it...really!

YES, the reports of rampant rape, murder and mayhem were
exaggerated. And these very exaggerations gave a criminal administration cover for its murderous inaction, conned a bunch of people who should know better into thinking that it made sense to restrict the Red Cross from aiding the hungry, thirsty and sick until the city was secured by the military like a foreign enemy, and cost HUNDREDS OF AMERICAN LIVES.

To conflate this (purposeful?) suspension of ALL journalistic standards with the courageous, truthful reporting of those journalists who saw what was happening firsthand serves only to muddy the waters.

I guarantee you it was part of a F.U.D. strategy encouraged by Republicans
The frame determines the soultions.

They didn't want to help people. They want to take away more freedoms so that the wealthy can get wealthier.

The exaggeration of the Superdome/Convention Center violence was key to:
1.) Shifting the blame for the fate of the victims from authorities to the victims themselves.

2.) Enlisting the help of neighboring police in trapping the victims at these locations so that they could later be dispersed to FEMA controlled sites around the country.

3.) Justifying the extreme amount of military/paramilitary presence that we now see in NOLA.

In short, it was vital for this administration and their plans for NOLA.

Of course, no post at DU would be complete without an attempt at blaming the White House for the crisis again. So now the logic is obvious, the purposefully made the situation look worse, and hurt their own public standing, just to get at those pesky black people! Becuase we all know that George Bush doesn't care about blacks! And as for their "plans for NOLA," well who knows what those might be. It must be a DU secret. Ah yes, the joy of life among the reality based community.

Media Reporting on Katrina was Disastrous

A new media crisis has opened surrounding the reporting on Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. After the dust has settled, it turns out that most of the horrified stories being reported as fact by the press were in fact merely rumors being picked up in the emotionally-charged Superdome and other refugee hang-outs. The fact that then public officially then picked up the stories and ran with them in an attempt to get more money and manpower to the region. The excuse given by the media masters? Bad telephone connections. i.e. Since they could not get anything confirmed *or* denied, they assumed it was true.

Way to go, media ethicists.

Far Left Watch

Hitchens calls it exactly as it is on the anti-war left. It's a really good read to see where the Democratic far left get their marching orders from.

Still Debating Hybrids

Our blog has been very friendly toward Hyrbrid cars, and for good reason. They save the environment and save money. Or do they? The math says otherwise.

A hybrid Honda Accord costs about $3,800 more than the comparable non-hybrid version, including purchase, maintenance and insurance costs. Over five years, assuming 15,000 miles of driving per year, you'll make up that cost in gasoline money if the price of gas goes up immediately to $9.20 a gallon and averages that for the whole period.

Regardless of the extra cost, I will continue to hope for hybrid success becuase it means less wear and tear on the environment. That's a worthwhile investment in my mind. But just the same, keep these figures in mind the next time some hybrid owning snob insists "Aren't you sorry you didn't invest in a hybrid yet?

Too many team sports = lack of moral development

I found this article on a study saying that members of team sports tend to lack moral reasoning - at least after a while. Here's the basic premise

"The environment of athletics has not been supportive of teaching and modeling moral knowing, moral valuing, and moral action," Stoll's 2004 study found, in part because there are few consequences for immoral behavior in sport.

With a broad stroke this study paints many athletes a morally deficient. Being someone that was an athlete and had to deal with jocks I can see some merit to the study - the athletes that are most applauded for their achievements tend to get the least amount of chastisement when they behave badly. Nonetheless, I know many jocks who have had most of their moral development as a result of being in sports. I think the study paints with too broad a stroke, but their is still a place for it.

Oh Morley...You're so funny!!!

The following is a quote from Lloyd Grove's Column in the New York Daily News.

"WITTY EXCHANGE? LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE! Unless you want to risk seeing a guy pushing 80 smack a guy pushing 60, don't sit Morley Safer next to Donald Trump. Asked by New York magazine for his opinion of NASA's plans to spend $100 billion to send a human to the moon, the "60 Minutes" regular opined: "It's the only way, short of murder, of getting rid of Donald Trump. And it's worth every penny." When I called Trump, he fired back: "Morley Safer is a total has-been. He lost it many years ago." To which Safer riposted: "I'm sorry. I always confuse Donald Trump with Donald Duck. I apologize.""

I may have little desire to see Morley Safer on 60 Minutes, but he proves that he still has a quick wit.

The Ring
Originally uploaded by quizwedge.

Prices still dropping

Prices still dropping
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Here's hoping Rita doesn't reverse this trend.

Cool Resource... Uh... Sunday: CoolText.Com

Building a new website and need a cool-looking logo? Don't have photoshop or any of the other text rendering programs? Despairing about the possibility of using plain text instead? Consider checking CoolText.Com. It uses an online version of the Open Source program GIMP (Graphics Image Manipulation Program) to produce logos, buttons, and other useful website tools. Since I have a good eye, but absolutely no artistic talent, this is a great tool for me to use in producing website logos.

Though, of course, when you want something really good, just talk to Sean instead.

This one is for CRChair

You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry

CNN has up a review of the the new The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction video game. Playing this game is Nomad's current favorite way of blowing off steam. This is one of those classic, much destruction with little thinking games that many of us enjoy. In the world of Puzzle games it's nice to have a game that you can just sit down with and relax and not tax your brain much.

Pics of Hurricane Rita as she happens...

Flickr, my site of choice for the displaying and archiving of my digital photos, has post a special place for pooling all photos related to Hurricane Rita. These pools often have the more interesting pictures long before they reach the papers or normal news media. So this is your chance to get a feel for how it is to be there... without having to be there.

Roberts gets the nod from judiciary committee

SCOTUS nominee John Roberts has been granted approval by the Senate Judiciary Committee and will now move on to a vote by the full Senate. He was approved by a vote of 13-5, which seems to indicate bi-partisan approval. He shouldn't have a problem getting through the Senate, I imagine. Provided he is approved and moves into the court, it'll be interesting to see who Bush nominates next.

Tyra Keepin it Real

Tyra Banks yesterday on her syndicated TV talk show had a doctor examine her breasts in front of her studio audience (Minus the men who were asked to step out during this segment) and then had a sonogram done to prove that she does not have implants. The conclusion of the doctor was that her breasts are totally real. Tyra made sure to say that she does not think there is anything wrong with having breast implants, but that she wanted to quell the rumors about her.

Let's hope that Tyra tackles hard hitting stories like this more in the future. ;)

The calm before the storm?

The calm before the storm?
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

With hurricane Rita on the way. This may be our last day before prices jump back up.

Happy First Day of Autumn!

Can you read te Bible in one sitting? Maybe now you can.

A British Cleric had released is own version of the Bible that he claims can be read in under 2 hours. Are you up to the challenge?

Hurricane Rita Follows Survivors

Okay this is spooky. Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans with Category 4 winds and evicts hundreds of thousands. The majority of the suvivors head for Houston, Texas, according to recent news reports. Now, Hurricane Rita roars into the Gulf with Catefory 5 winds. And where is it heading? Houston. Makes you think of Jonah, doesn't it?

Digital Age vs. Paper Age

It is hard these days to be both a writer and someone who posts on the web. How do you balance the needs of a hardworking writer to make money, with the inherent open and freely available nature of the Internet? Just as the printing press transformed publishing in the age of Gutenberg, now the Net is transforming it again. And the starving writer is caught somewhere in the middle. In an attempt to stem the tide, the Authors Guild is suing Googe over its plan to digitize whole libraries and make the text freely available online.

Update 9/21/05 at 5 PM: Google has posted their response to the lawsuit. They make some interesting points.

Cindy Sheehan Silenced legally.

Cindy Sheehan was finally silenced by Philedelphia police yesterday, but not for the reason that many people would think. The organizers of a rally in the city of brotherly love did not pull the correct permits including one to use a loudspeaker before their rally. So police stopped the rally and arrested the organizer. Cindy SHeehan was not arrested and her supporters ushered her away from the scene peacefully.

North Korea says no to Nukes...No Really, We Mean it This Time.

North Korea agreed yesterday to abanden their Nuclear weapons program. This is the result of the 6 nation talks that have been going on for some time now. In return, the other nations in the talks agreed to give North Korea aid in the areas of food and economic development.

I can't help but think that the only reason that North Korea is willing to do this is that they can see that their harvest of crops for this year won't be as big as they had hoped, thus worsening the already horrible famine conditions in their country.

NEW FEATURE: Mod-Blog Lite!

Many of you know that I am a big fan of SmartPhones and own a T-Mobile Sidekick (if you want one, watch Amazon.Com where occasionally you can get it for free, with rebate and activation). I love the ability to surf the web from any where, at any time. But I have to admit that most mobile devices can't handle all of the technologies that the Broadband llifestyle is bringing to even the simplest of pages. Many pages have "lite editions" with only the bare essentials. Well, thanks to QuizWedge, Mod-Blog is happy to announce our own LITE EDITION for the happy use of our readers. (You'll want to bookmark the page, as the URL is not terribly friendly.)

Please note: This is also great for any readers still stuck on Dial-Up. Quick download, with all of the Wardly goodness of the original.

Switchfood apologizes for Copy Protection

I had to miss it, but the Bible Quiz Team I help coach went down to Allentown, PA this past weekend to a major Christian concert starring Toby Mac, Skillet, Day of Fire, and others. While there, one of the coaches eagerly bought the new Switchfoot CD, as well. He may now be regretting the choice, as apparently Sony chose it to be one of the first with a new wave of copy protection. Luckily, Switchfoot is responding to incensed fans, apologizing, and providing some suggestions for ways around it!

my heart is heavy with this whole copy-protection thing. Many PC users have posted problems that they have had importing the new songs (regular disc only, not the dual disc) into programs such as Itunes. Let me first say that as a musician AND as a music fan, I agree with the frustration that has been expressed. We were horrified when we first heard about the new copy-protection policy that is being implemented by most major labels, including Sony (ours), and immediately looked into all of our options for removing this from our new album. Unfortunately, this is the new policy for all new major releases from these record companies. It is heartbreaking to see our blood, sweat, and tears over the past 2 years blurred by the confusion and frustration surrounding this new technology.

I should, of course, also point out that Mac users are immune to the problem.

To Quote the Hitchhiker's Guide...

...with a slight paraphrase to match my own life,

Me: "It is times like this, when I am at work at 3:45 AM, waiting for a "Mock Conversion" to complete, so we can run some tests, which could as easily be done at 9 AM, but Management wants it done at 4 AM, I wish I had listened to what my mother told me."

Coworker: "Why what did she say?"

Me: "I don't know! I didn't listen!"

I miss Douglas Adams.

Much better! Keep going down, please!

Much better! Keep going down, please!
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

I don't know why, but this hits me just right today...

If this is true, God help the fashion industry

I must say, this one sounds like a case for the MythBusters (in the absence of any decent sci fi show, my favorite at the moment).

An Australian man built up a 40,000-volt charge of static electricity in his clothes as he walked, leaving a trail of scorched carpet and molten plastic and forcing firefighters to evacuate a building....Frank Clewer, who was wearing a woolen shirt and a synthetic nylon jacket, was oblivious to the growing electrical current that was building up as his clothes rubbed together....When he walked into a building in the country town of Warrnambool in the southern state of Victoria Thursday, the electrical charge ignited the carpet..."There were several scorch marks in the carpet, and we could hear a cracking noise -- a bit like a whip -- both inside and outside the building," said fire official Henry Barton. Firefighters cut electricity to the building thinking the burns might have been caused by a power surge. Clewer, who after leaving the building discovered he had scorched a piece of plastic on the floor of his car, returned to seek help from the firefighters..."We tested his clothes with a static electricity field meter and measured a current of 40,000 volts, which is one step shy of spontaneous combustion, where his clothes would have self-ignited," Barton said.

Fore!!!

I think this comic from In The Bleachers sums up Nomad's opinion on golf.

Nintendo De-Evolution Controller

What is Nintendo's idea of a next-generation controller? What is cutting-edge and the next big thing in gaming? What is their grand concept to ensure that they take back the market from Sony and Microsoft?

A remote control.

No, I am not kidding. This has been confirmed from multiple sources. They're idea of a 21st century technology is a form factor that was developed for TV sometime in the 1970s. Now, I am not knocking 1970s technology - the company I work for runs on huge mainframes who do the job better than newer tech could do. But this hardly seems competitive when compared to the current PS2 controller... or even the lumbering behemoth X-Box controller.

Apparently, Nintendo has given up competing on terms of technology or innovation. Between this and the Nintendo DS, their bread and butter is the novelty factor. After all, the VirtualBoy worked out really well, right? Right?!

Marv a Net???

I was reading through an opinion piece on the New Jersey Nets of the NBA moving to Brooklyn and it had this interesing piece of information.

"Marv Albert, former voice of the Knicks, is already on board, signed to call games on the Yes Network."

I had not heard this before, but this is a coup for the Nets. Marv Albert is the premiere basketball announcer of his generation. I like Ian Eagle who he is replacing, but when you can get the best, you have to do it. Looks like lots of NBA fans in the New York area will be watching the Nets just to hear Marv's voice.

Dilbert on Management Logic... Or Lack Thereof

Getting better... Still not good...

Getting better... Still not good...
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Reveiw of Serenity - The Movie

I have successfully addicted Ward and Muse to the cancelled TV show Firefly which now lives on in a DVD incarnation and reruns on the Sci Fi channel. The series was in fact so popular on DVD that it is being redone as a mid-budget sci fi movie due out in late Fall. Dark Horizons has up the first major review of the film, and it is not great.

Overall its a hard film to review because a lot will depend upon your reaction to this sort of material and your existing love or familiarity with the show. I went with two friends to the screening - one who'd never seen the show and one who had gotten into it more than I did. We're all sci-fi fans to a different extent and yet all three of us came out rather blasse - the unfamiliar one didn't like it, I thought it was decidedly average and the bigger fan thought it was ok. Yet the 'Browncoats' fans which made up most of the audience whooped and hollered throughout. Hardcore fans will undoubtedly be satisfied but its unlikely this will spread much beyond that audience, and even they will find it lacks that human spark and freshness that made the series distinctive and appealing.

This concerns me, but the reviews from those who watched the series faithfully has been much more positive. This kind of reaction probably means there will be no Serenity II in the theaters, but might bode well for a return to the small screen.

Paris Hilton Hacker Sentenced

One of Mod-Blogs biggest days in terms of hits was the day we reported that Paris Hilton's Sidekick had been hacked. Well, now the news is in that her hacker has been sentenced to 2 years in a juvenile facility. Apparently, the hacker was a teenager.

In February, celebrity phone numbers stored in Hilton's cellphone were posted online when her account was hacked. On Wednesday, a Washington Post report identified the hacker as a 17-year-old Massachusetts boy.
The boy is a juvenile under U.S. federal law, so prosecutors would not name him or confirm Hilton as a victim.
He was sentenced last week in U.S. District Court in Boston. He pleaded guilty before Judge Rya W. Zobel to nine counts of juvenile delinquency, prosecutors said.
The charges included hacking into internet and telephone service providers, theft of personal information and posting it on the web, and making bomb threats to high schools in Florida and Massachusetts - all over a 15-month period.
While in custody and during two years of supervised release, the teenager is prohibited from possessing or using any computer, cellphone or other equipment capable of accessing the internet.

I am sure Paris is thrilled to know she is attracting the attention of this kind of person. Were he not so young, she'd probably think he was flirting.

Legal Action Between Christians

Last night, our church had a discussion about a sale of land to a local Christian school. Essentially, the issue came down to whether the school had offered us a fair price, and many felt it had not. A vote was held which was inconclusive - there were too few members attending to come to a binding result. Nothing here yet to warrant a post to the Blog. But during the discussion it was revealed that the land - which adjoins the school already - had "uncertain boundaries" and thus "legal action" would be required to clarify the boundaries if we were to explore selling to other buyers. To non-Christians, this may seem like a harmless aside with no bearing on the issue. But Christians who have read the gospels will be aware that this raises a question that Jesus spoke directly upon.

Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
Matthew 5:25

And it is further discussed by Paul.

If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church![a] I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother goes to law against another—and this in front of unbelievers!
The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers.
1 Corinthians 2:1-8

These passages are generally taken to mean that lawsuits between believers (and presumably between bodies of believers) should be avoided at all costs.

But what about "legal actions"? The bringing up of this issue before the Congregation was obviously intended to raise the specter of lawsuits, thus to encourage the Congregation to vote to sell the property. (Though it was never raised directly, to the credit of the Moderator.) I am curious as to the opinion of the readers of this site. Would a "legal action" like this - which would definitely involve lawyers, but likely no judge or arbitrator - be grouped under these passages? Are lawyers themselves to be avoided in discussions between Christians? Or are there times when it is appropriate to have "friends of the court" to assist in dispute resolution?

Do not assume this is idle speculation or philosophizing. The decision of our church may well wind up hinging on these verses.

SNL Adds 2 More Cast Members

It was announced today that Saturday Night Live, the popular late night television show on NBC will add two "Featured Players" for the upcoming season. They are: Bill Hader and Andy Samberg. These actors are sure to have a great opporunity to act this year as 2 current cast memebers, Tina Fey and Maya Rudolph will both go on Maternity leave for part of the upcoming season.

Tired of the Pre-Approved Credit Offers?

One of the worst and most prolific offenders of junk mail (snail mail, not e-mail) has to be those "pre-approved" credit card offers. Every plastic manufacturer on the planet is ready to offer "easy terms" for credit, for the chance to make each and every one of us a debt slave. Well, due to recent consumer law, there is now a website that offers a chance to stop these offers.

FAIR WARNING!!! I have done as much as I can in a short period of time (checking Google, credit reporting websites, etc.) and this appears to be 100% legit. However, it does ask for some personal information, and a hacker could possibly use it to phish your information. Be careful.

Millenium Falcon Mac Mini at MacMod

This one combines my love of Star Wars and my love of Apple products. These guys put a Mac Mini into a Fisher Price Millenium Falcon. The new hybrid even includes an integrated iSight!

We Will Never Forget

More Power to Ya

Researchers have developed a Backpack that generates electricity with each step that the carrier takes. The idea is that this backpack could be used to recharge electronic devices while hiking or camping. Sounds like an idea that could have lots of adaptations.

Wait, You Can *CALL* Amazon.Com?!

I found this one in a PCWorld article but it came originally from this site. What is "it"? The phone numbers for Amazon.Com, eBay, and PayPal. The sites hide, obscure, and deny their phone numbers to avoid contact with customers at all costs, but apparently they do exist... probably due to some consumer protection laws in numerous states.

Amazon.Com US Customer Service
Phone toll-free in the US and Canada: (800) 201-7575
Phone from outside the US and Canada: (206) 346-2992 or (206)-266-2992
Another direct line: (206) 266-2335

e-Bay, Inc.
408-376-7400
Toll Free: 800-322-9266
And another one: 888-749-3229

PayPal
1-888-221-1161

Vatican: Read Your Bibles! (Now that you have them)

We just got finished watching Luther - the recent film about the life of Martin Luther. One of the major plot points of the film - and of course of the Reformation - was Luther's translation of the New Testament into German, so that it could be read by the average person, and the horror that the Catholic Church had about normal, uneducated human beings reading the Word of God. So - as a proud Protestant (who does not doubt Catholics can be saved) - I had to laugh when I read this article.

The Vatican told Roman Catholics on Thursday to read the Bible more regularly instead of keeping the 'good book' on the shelf gathering dust.
'Unfortunately, we must acknowledge that there is still too little Bible in the lives of the faithful,' said Bishop Vincenzo Paglia.
Paglia, speaking at a news conference presenting a Vatican conference on the Bible to be held later this month, said a recent survey of Catholics in Italy, Spain and France showed that only three percent of them read it every day.
He said the survey showed that the overwhelming number of Catholics, some 80 percent, only heard the Bible when they went to Mass on Sunday...In order for Catholics to catch up with Protestants on Bible reading, one participant joked privately after the news conference, the Vatican would need the patience of Job.

If you ask me, this historical irony proves only one thing: God definitely has a sense of humor.

Where Aged Rockers Go

Okay. So I haven't blogged in a while. A long while. But I've been busy. Anyway, this isn't about me, it's about those aged rockers who mellow out and become "CROSSOVER" artists.

What does that really mean? Does the genre bend, or do the artists?

Here I am, watching a little CMT, and here is a "World Premier Video" by a "Crossover Artist" who happens to be marrying Lance Armstrong--- no other than Sheryl Crow. I frankly, am appalled. It's hard enough to define country and rock and rockabilly, and now parent-company VH1 decides to move Sheryl Crow from MTV to VH1 to CMT.

I think perhaps age has to do with it. If you're "rocking" and marrying pop-icons, and you break the 42 year-old glass ceiling, then you will automatically be moved from MTV and/or VH1 to CMT. Because if you age, then you mellow, and if you mellow, then you are country.

Don't deny it. Soon even Mick Jagger will be defined as country. and then Al Gore can be defined as a conversationalist.

Yes, Virginia, A "Nano" Is Smaller than a "Mini"

The Wall Street Journal Online has up a nice review of the new iPod Nano that Apple released yesterday. Basically, the new unit replaced the hard drive in the iPod mini with flash memory (read: no head crashes and no moving parts), added a color screen, and shrank the unit until it is smaller than many business cards. No, I am not exaggerating. And if you don't have time to read the review, the verdict is (shockingly) that the reviewer loved it.

I am ashamed to admit the one feature of the new iPod Nano that I find most compelling: it comes in stealth black. I miss the old black Powerbooks, too. Is this a sign of a return to classic Mac black?!

Sigh...

Sigh...
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

What more is there to say?

Never-Ending Lunacy

From Michael Moore's website,

There is much to be said and done about the manmade annihilation of New Orleans, caused NOT by a hurricane but by the very specific decisions made by the Bush administration in the past four and a half years. Do not listen to anyone who says we can discuss all this later. No, we can't. Our country is in an immediate state of vulnerability. More hurricanes and other disasters are on the way, and a lazy bunch of self-satisfied lunatics are still running the show.

That's right, it wasn't hurricane Katrina, it was the President.

But it gets better! Guess who has been missing the media attention?

Cindy Sheehan, the brave woman who dared to challenge Mr. Bush at his summer home, has now sent her Camp Casey from in front of Bush's ranch to the outskirts of New Orleans. The Veterans for Peace have taken all the equipment and staff of volunteers and set up camp in Covington, Louisiana, on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. They are accepting materials and personally distributing them to those in need and have been going into New Orleans on a daily basis.

That's right, our favorite attention craving lefty had to move herself on down to New Orleans to offer political swipes...I mean, to offer "help."

And it's just by chance that she packed up her crew and moved them down to New Orleans with all the cameras of the media. Never mind all the people hurting and suffering all across the Gulf Coast. They're not as press-worthy...I mean, they don't need as much assistance. Yes, this is life among the "reality-based community" that is so superior to the rest of us.

How the Democrats Won't Win the Politics Game

For most of us, it's already clear that the Democrats' inexusable ploy to turn the horror of Katrina against the President is as morally bankrupt as it is pointless. According to a new Gallup Poll, only 13% of Americans blame the President for what has happened in New Orleans. It's too bad that there is no shame left.

A Different Perspective on N.O.

There has been a lot of name-calling and complaining going on over what happened in New Orleans. And most of it has been pointed squarely at an allegedly slow-to-react Federal government. And there is no doubt some good blame to go around there. But from the start it has sticken me that the difference between NYC on 9/11 and NO this last month was not the Feds. It was the local government... or lack thereof. The New York Daily News has an interesting perspective on this angle.

Then there's Mayor Ray Nagin...who has blamed everybody but himself. Maybe he has forgotten his plans for dealing with Katrina.
Last July, his office prepared DVDs warning that, if the city ever had to be evacuated, residents were on their own. According toa July 24 article in The Times-Picayune (spotted by the Web's Drudge Report), "Mayor Ray Nagin, local Red Cross Executive Director Kay Wilkins and City Council President Oliver Thomas drive home the word that the city does not have the resources to move out of harm's way an estimated 134,000 people without transportation."
"You're responsible for your safety, and you should be responsible for the person next to you," one official said of the message.
And how's this for preparation? Cops were told not to work on the day Katrina hit, one officer told The New York Times, but "to come in the next day, to save money on their budget."

I was not going to post today - work is nightmare these days - but I could not leave this one off the Blog. My opinion is the main problem here is not Federal, and is not even Republican or Democrat. The problem was a local government so lax that they never planned for a disaster that they knew was not only possible, but likely.

Ripken is still the Iron Man

USA Today has up a great article on Cal Ripken Jr.. It talks about what he is doing now that he is retired and what his goals in life are. He currently owns 2 minor league baseball teams and plans to buy more. He is a great role model for the youth and adults of today.

Rewards for Being Fired

Apparently, getting fired is not all bad these days. A group from Silicon Vallery handed out a free Caribbean vacation to the person with the most pathetic story of how they got fired.

Garrison, who lives in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, said he never thought he would be rewarded for getting fired. Then again, he never dreamed he would be fired after he ate two of the six pieces of pepperoni pizza left over from a company meeting.
What he didn't know is that several other employees had already worked out a plan to take the leftover pizza home with them.
When they discovered one-third of the leftover pizza pie had been eaten, the employees reported Garrison to management, ultimately leading to his firing last November -- a month after he ate the food.

Makes me wonder if going thru all of the stuff at my work is worth it. Then again, I am not one who wins contests, so with my luck I'd wind up broke, unemployed, and vacation-less.

Lego Going Gold?

Apparently, Lego has decided that their clientele is a little more upscale than the typical 5-year-old playing in the living room. In honor of their "golden anniversary", they are putting "gold bricks" in certain marked buckets of new legos.

Changing Again

If you're reading this, then you've caught me in the middle of a template change. Don't worry, we're not under new management. As you can see, I'm about half finished and hoping to have worked out the rest of the template sometime Tuesday. Feel free to let me know what you think of the basic template so far.

Bringing the Katraina Helpers Together

KatrinaHousing.Net is a new site dedicated to bringing together all of the information on helping out the victims of Hurricane Katrina in one place. Have surplus houseing to donate? They know who to contact. Ready to break open your piggy bank to donate to relief efforts? They have got the scoop. This is one of the better uses of the net. Getting info on aid organizations for the disaster has been viral up until now. Instead we have a one-stop shop.

John Roberts to be Nominated for Chief Justice

This morning the Bush administration nominated John Roberts to become the new Chief Justice on the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Supreme Goes the Way of All Flesh

With the whole country focussed on the disaster in New Orleans, we all missed the signs. Last night, Chief Justice William Renquist succumbed to lung cancer and passed away. This leaves GWB with a second Supreme Court vacancy to fill. This adds considerably more pressure to the confirmation of Mr. Roberts, since any judge confirmed for the Supremes at this point is automatically a possibility for the Chief Justice position. Not exactly what the political strategist would have wanted. Then again, Death rarely checks the Dick Morris types when deciding when to pay anyone a visit.

Elsewhere in the World

A major offensive is going on in Iraq today. The media has probably forgotten where Iraq is by now but they wouldn't report on this bit of news anyway since it would be impossible to report on it without mentioning the considerable presence of Iraqi forces.

To Shoot or Not?

Professor Bainbridge tries to tackle the question that has no easy answer.

Chrenkoff On Katrina

He's got lots of fascinating quotes that you simply have to read to believe in several posts. It's incredible what people on both sides will say in order to exploit the situation for their own political gain.

Kicking Around the Old Duckskin

I found this one on the Digital Rebel Discussion forum and had to post it. It is sick and funny all at the same time. (Fear not, no ducks were harmed in the making of this photo. Just a few Photoshop files.)

New Orleans

Let me start by stating that I do feel deep sympathy with the people of New Orleans, Biloxi, and the surrounding areas. Especially tragic are those who truly couldn't flee because of children and so on. However, this growing chorus of blame being laid at the foot of the government has simply gotten to be too much.

True, the government needs to do more. However, they're far from the only people who need to step up. Let's start with the news media who has taken so much effort to report every short coming while managing to miss virtually every positive piece of news. Especially frustrating is the talk of how awful the government is for not moving people out of the danger zones sooner. Did even one news crew offer to help transport the sick or dying out on their DAILY trips back and forth into the city? Certainly, the media could have saved hundreds, if not more, of lives just by taking a few people in their vans and trucks with them every evening when they went back to their soft, cushy beds for the night.

The second group that infuriates me is the people of New Orleans itself. How many stories did we hear of people packing up BOTH of their SUVs with their belongings and riding out of the city with only one passenger per vehicle? Too many. The people who could afford vehicles had the moral responsibility to help those who did not. Instead, they choose to value their belongings more than other humans lives. Shame on them, and they're as much to blame for the deaths as anyone else is. Tied closely to this are the people of New Orleans who stayed and are now roving the streets in gangs with automatic weapons, killing innocent people. Or people who stay on a rooftop and use a sniper rifle to kill emergency workers. Does anyone actually believe that we should send our emergency help into an area where the people they're trying to help are going to potentially kill them? I certainly don't. Our emergency helpers' lives are far too valuable to me.

Third are the idiots living on the rooftops of buildings, crying that the government isn't coming to save them and how they only have five days worth of supplies. Having been to New Orleans on two occasions, I can tell you from experience that these people are being stupid. You can walk from downtown New Orleans to Metairie (where all the news crews stayed in those cushy beds) in an hour. With children, it might take a little longer but you could still do it all during daylight. There is no excuse to run to the roof and denounce the government for having "forgotten" you. Sorry, but all those sick and extremely old people dying at the airport need help a little bit more than you do.

Certainly, mistakes have been made. The President admitted as much. Hopefully heads will roll over this. And there are many people in New Orleans and all across the Gulf Coast who need serious help. But this entire situation reflects what a society of helpless victims we have become. Even worse is our growing comfortableness with that victimization. Our country has been made strong, and even great, by people who sucked it up when tragedy struck. Without that will power, do we really believe that we can survive the trials ahead in our new world?

The Iraqi Constituion - Have you actually read it?

There has been a lot of talk about the Iraqi Consitution in the news. GWB loves it. Sunnis hate it. Some say it is a mediocre attempt to have *something* before an artificial deadline. Some say it is a road toward theocracy. But how many of us have actually read it? (Sound of crickets.) I thought so. Well, here is the document for your reading pleasure. And here are some comments by Charles Krauthammer on the doc.

The constitution writers in Iraq finessed the question of Islam by posing it as a thou shalt not. No law may contradict Islam. But it also says that no law may contradict democratic principles, and that the constitution accepts all human rights conventions.
This means that there are two gatekeepers for the passing of any law. Insofar as the constitution is adhered to (a heretofore dubious assumption in that part of the world), democratic rights are protected from the imposition of sharia. Establishing a double roadblock to new legislation is an excellent way to launch Iraq's first experiment with limited government.

I just read through it and the most troubling parts for me are (1) the establishment of a state religion (Islam, of course) and (2) the number of dubious "rights" that are assigned including a "right to work" which appears (to me) to guarantee a job to every Iraqi, enshrining a welfare system in the very Constitution of the nation. But even here, I can see why this is important based on Iraqi history, just as some of the stranger parts of our constitution are based on our history (for example, the ban on quartering troops in civilian homes - something no western nation does today, but was a major complaint during the American Revolution).

This gives me more hope for Iraq. They are going through a transformation that took America decades, and they are doing it in about the space of 3 years. It is bound to create major problems. But still, the heart of the new government is in a much better place than I would have suspected from the evening news.

Take this Job...and Fill It!

This seems to be the motto of many businesses in recent months. The Unemployment rate has dropped to the lowest point in the last 4 years. The Economy is sure to be effected by the tragedy from Hurricane Katrina, but at least we are starting from a strong position.

No Better Ad for BJs

Originally uploaded by nomad7674.
Gas prices continue to be horrendous, but this time I see the positive. This morning, I got gas for $2.99 per gallon. Horrible when you consider a few weeks ago it was $2.30. But great when you consider the other cheapest place in town is $3.15 per gallon!

Unfit on Smoking

This one is a bit harsh... but funny!

Foxtrot on Procrastination

Katrina Before & After

This site has up some satellite pictures from before and after Katrina came through. Wow. Gives an amazing sense of the devastation.

Katrina Kills Gas Prices, Too

Yeah, yeah, I know I am behind the curve on this one. But it is finally time to face facts that Hurricane Katrina is not just another storm, but one which specifically is hurting areas of American where we were/are vulnerable. Now, add gas prices to the mix.

US gasoline futures surged to a record high on Wednesday after the Department of Energy reported a 500,000 barrel drop in gasoline inventories to 194.4m barrels as stocks fell for a ninth week in succession.
The September Nymex gasoline contract rose 17.2 per cent to $2.90, its highest level since opening in 1984.
“US gasoline prices are now in the process of the most dramatic spike ever seen,” said Kevin Norrish, analyst at Barclays Capital.
The inventory data covered the week to August 26 and does not reflect the impact of Hurricane Katrina. Although the US government attempted to calm the market by saying it would tap the strategic petroleum reserve, this move was seen as largely ineffective after the disruption to refining capacity caused by Katrina.
Traders fear gasoline prices could spike higher, as Katrina has left nine refineries idle and four operating at reduced rates. Analysts said reduced refinery output would present a major problem, with estimates of losses of between 20m and 40m barrels of refinery throughput.

Have I mentioned how thankful I am that our house uses natural gas for heating?