SOTU

So I'm live blogging in my head so this might seem scattered but it'll be my thoughts as I hear the speech...

- Alito looks good in his new robe. Of course, the camera keeps focusing on him. I'm sure the Dems are not very happy about that beings how things went down today. And Sheehan was there. How desperate are the Dems? But apparently she's already been arrested. Too bad for her, no more attention tonight for her.

- Great to mention King. That was a nice sentiment.

- Starting off right away with talk about bi-partisan work. Bringing back the "Uniter, Not Divider" image.

- WOT gets top billing early on. Not five minutes in and a 9/11 reference already. I'm surprised he mentioned OBL. He seems to not have been a topic the White House likes to bring up of late.

- Nice twist of phrase, "Allow the violent to inherit the earth." He's really hitting hard against "isolationism." I like the images he's using to remember what America has been in the past and what he still believes we should be today.

- Let's hope he really hits on these points about the good happening in Iraq. The administration has been far too silent in defending the work in Iraq. 3 years to move from brutal dictator to democratically elected leaders. That's astounding when you stop to think about it. What kind of measure are the liberals using when the call this a failed endeavor? Certainly not a reasonable one.

- Smackdown on the Democrats. The difference is between responsible criticism and defeatism. Cut and run is not a strategy. That's a great line.

- Democratic reform throughout the Middle East. I'm sure we all know how they just reacted in Terhan and Syria. The acknowledgement of Hamas' win. I wonder if we will deal with them at all before they disarm? I'm hoping that we will not deal with them until they committ to allowing the existence of Israel.

- He's really calling for such a HUGE program, continuing the liberal streak that has defined so much of his post 9/11 Presidency. Eliminate poverty and disease the world around, spend billions to export good-will.

- Renewing the Patriot act that infuriates liberals so much. I'm glad to finally here him going on the offense about the paranoia of "Big Brother." The liberals hated that one. Did you see Hillary? That alone was worth the price of admission.

- Back on isolationism. He's really binding our current situation to the great ideals of America-past.

- Again, finally on the attack about the economy. But I still feel like he's waited so long. And how long do we have to wait to jump into the new era and make sure we stay ahead of China and India? Immigrants are vital to the economy, nice prod at his own party there. That's more like the Bush who campaigned back in 2000.

- Good stewards of tax dollars. It might be true that they've cut some spending, but this administration has certainly spent it in plenty of other places. How could the deficit be cut in half in three years? Unless we're entirely out of Iraq, I don't see how that will happen.

- "Congress did not act last year on my proposal to save Social Security," and the Democrats are applauding. They are now proud to be obstructionists. But everyone in Washington likes bi-partisan committees.

- With a level playing field, no one can out-produce or compete with the American worker. Great line.

- Affordable health care, not free.

- Medical liability reform. Great idea but laywers don't like it so it's not likely.

- Advance Energy Inniative. "America is addicted to oil." Another great line. But his administration has done little to help break that trend. Maybe they're going to really get behind the alternative fuel idea? That would be wonderful...competitive alternative energy within six years and freedom from the Middle East in twenty.

- Math and Science education. We need it or we're going to be so far behind Asia that we'll never catch up. We're already on the verge of falling too far behind. Who can be against better educating our children?

- Crime, welfare, drug use, abortions, teenage pregnancy all down. And yet people still say they're concerned about the way America is going. I think we've become traumatized. We've been scared by every muck raker out there and we can't even see the positive. I'm glad he's hitting on this.

- Roberts and Alito. I still maintain that they will be the greatest legacy of this administration and they are vindication for all the conservatives who have become disgruntled with this administration.

- Be cool, stay in school!

- Reconciliation concerning the Gulf Coast. But how much money will we end up spending to rebuild? And what will the results be? Are we going to pour billions into the Gulf just to end up right back where we were?

- Good references to Lincoln, MLK, and WWII. "We will show that courage, and we will finish well." Great end to the speech.

Not a bad job at all. Not the most encompassing speech ever and not the most inspiring 51 minutes he's had. No huge initiatives, nothing shocking and new. But overall, a good speech about the situation we find ourselves in. Let's hope he keeps on task, especially with the shift from oil, education reform, and the WOT.

Fear of Rape in Iraq?

This story is making its way around the liberal side of the blogsphere. On the one hand, I hope and pray that it is simply not true. On the other hand, if it actually isn't true then I am disgusted that Col. Janis Karpinski (The former commander of Abu Ghraib) would sink so low. The setting for her disclosure, The Commission of Inquiry for Crimes against Humanity Committed by the Bush Administration, leaves a certain feel of disrespectability to it. Particularly since this is the first time she has made this claim.

I would be interested in any solid evidence about this, something that is completely lacking from her account. After all, Karpinski isn't exactly an un-interested observer here. Her career has been ruined because of what happened in Abu Ghraib, despite her claims that it really wasn't her fault. So she could easily have an axe to grind with the military. Or, she could simply have nothing left to lose and be telling the truth. But it sounds all too much like the claim of Americans aiming for news reporters, a bold claim but where is the evidence? As I said, I hope this story is not true. However, I hope that if it is true, the military actually takes action against the leaders who would allow this to happen to the brave women trying to defend our freedoms.

More Testimony About Katrina Incompetence

The more information that comes out about the preparation of officials for Hurricane Katrina, the sadder I find myself becoming. CNN is reporting that not only did FEMA refuse equipment and expertise which might have saved lives, but that the Lousiana authorities did not even have a plan for evacuation in case of emergency. I am left speechless. It is one thing to be faced with an unimaginable disaster (which, despite the dire warnings of experts, some might be able to argue was the case with Katrina). It is another to not even think about ANY possible worst-case scenarios. There could be a million possible reasons to have to evacuate New Orleans for a short period of time: outbreak of disease, attack by foreign enemy, insurrection, natural disaster, etc. And yet the local authorities did not have any plan ready. Every city, town, village, and municipality should have an evacuation plan ready.

More and more, I am realizing the amazing job Rudy Guiliani did not only in REACTING to 9/11, but also in PREPARING for 9/11. The various emergency drills (biological attack, chemical attack, firebomb attack, etc.) ensured the city was ready when the unthinkable happened. If any elected official from New Orleans is still in office after their terms are up, then I will be shocked. And saddened.

Denial's Not a Pretty Thing

Poor moonbats. They lost, and lost big, on Alito. So what has their reaction been to the failed attempt at blocking this "radical right-wing reactionary?" Just a quick glance at Dumbocratic Underground reveals the turmoil the liberals are suffering. First, there is of course the required "Kerry and Kennedy are patriots" line. Right, because they attempted to disrupt the Constitutional process, they're patriots. Sure.

Next comes the battle cry. Consider this:

The Senate Democrats know where there base is. There's no way they could not know. If they did not get a hundred thousand calls each about this it's only because they didn't have enough staffers, voicemail space, and fax paper to record them all. I think it is fair to say that as regards contacting the Senate Democrats to make ourselves heard, we did all that could be done.

So...Assuming that there were that many calls and letters put in, that means that a hundred thousand people in each state make up the base of the Democratic party. No wonder they can't win elections.

Then comes the really ugly stuff. This poor guy says he needs a beer:

Sucks to be us right now. It's true, the vote didn't go the way we wanted it to. But I think we have a lot to be proud of. I think it is fair to say that without the liberal blogosphere, there wouldn't have even been a fight. So that's something that you all did. You should be proud. At least now they know that we aren't going to sit back and do nothing while our country goes down the toilet.

A fight? I must have missed something. A few of the most liberal Democrats fail to garner even minimal support from their own side and it rates as a fight? Well, the next poster elaborates with the battle cry "We won today."

Eight days ago, there was no opposition to Alito whatsoever. No filibuster was planned, and even had one been started, there was not a chance in hell that anybody but the one Senator to propose it would vote against cloture. The Far Right had just had "Justice Sunday" an illegal use of the pulpit to promote a political agenda which they spent millions of dollars on in order to motivate their zombie-like zealots, and it looked like no opposition was even possible.

In that eight days, we worked a miracle; We got the man who was elected President in the last stolen election to declare that he was going to filibuster, and we got MANY (I don't have the final count) Democratic Senators to vote NAY on cloture. We organized a campaign entirely through our resources here on the Internet, and swamped every fax machine and phone line in Washington DC and elsewhere with our message to vote against Alito and against cloture. We have proven that we can motivate and act with little money and few resources a campaign that nearly set the massively funded GOP Fascist Juggernaut on its ear.

Ah...Life among the "reality based community." Only in desperation could someone actually see this as any victory at all. Where to even start? The fact that he's still moaning about the last election, which was a clear win for Bush, ought to disqualify this clown from being read in the first place. But DU is hardly known for its standards. I have NO IDEA what he's talking about with the illegal talk. I'll just chalk that up to tinfoil poisoning. Ok, they worked a "miracle." Wow, that's all it takes to make a miracle in the eyes of the moonbats? You'd think more of them would be able to understand belief in God then. He's a lot easier to believe in than the long shot that the filibuster was going anywhere. Finally, this campaign supposedly almost turned the "GOP Fascist Juggernaut (note the caps to make it seem more formal and ominous) on its ear." How did it do that, exactly? Barely half of the elected Democrats even joined in with the filibuster effort. This wasn't even a roadbump in the process, let alone a major obstacle.

You need to look no further than the left's own bastions of thought (whatever might pass as thought in liberal circles these days) to see how much of a disaster this confirmation process has been to the liberals. They have been unable to act at each step, becoming increasingly shrill and absurd in their rhetoric. And now their last effort has crashed and burned a terrible death. And all this under a President that they continue to argue is so unpopular. What must that say about the Democrats?

Bill Gates vs. the $100 Laptop

You have to hand it to Bill Gates. He can recognize a potential threat to Windows when he sees it, and is never far behind with a response. The newest apparent threat to Windows is the $100 laptop being developed by MIT. The laptop will be running Linux, instead of either MacOS X (which had been offered for free) or Windows (which Gates has allegedly offered to Open Source for the laptop). If this project takes off, it would put millions of laptops into the hands of the developing world (read: developing market) which do NOT run Windows.

Microsoft has an alternative plan. They want to develop a SmartPhone (i.e. high-powered cell phone) running WindowsCE which can be adapted for computer functions using an external keyboard and television. This would put Windows onto every "computer" in the developing world, and ensure a whole new generation of Microsoft customers.

Of course, I find it unlikely that this can be produced as cheaply as the $100 laptop, though it is in line with the theory of many that the cell phone will become the computer of the future. Sort of the Tricorder of the next generation. And it undermines one of the specific goals of the $100 laptop - that its code can be freely modified by locals to encourage local entreprenuers to become technically proficient. Still, I can think of worse things than a free market battle to get practical computing power into the hand of every child in the Third World.

Some Obesity Caused by Virii?

As the "epidemic of obesity" continues to rise in America, it turns out someone actually asked the question "Doesn't 'epidemic' imply some kind of disease at work?" Scientific American is reporting that a new study shows certain kinds of contagious viruses do cause an increase in fat in fowl (i.e. chickens, ducks, etc.) who are infected. A class of viruses has been known previously to cause additional fat collection, but this is the first time that it has been shown to be a common class of virii known to be common in the population.

This is not to say that ALL obseity is viral in nature. There are genetic factors as well as behavioral factors. But I know many fat people who eat far less than their thin partners - some who also exercise MORE than their skinny peers - and still continue to gain. This may be the explanation. For now, the article says the scientific team is wondering about innoculations. I can't help wondering if some kind of antiviral may also help those already infected? It is worth considering, if the study can be done without fear of creating drug-resistance virii.

Exxon sees highest profits in World History

It is being reported that Exxon has posted record profits not merely for itself, but for ANY United States company in history. This quote from the article puts the issue particularly in scale.

To put that into perspective, Exxon's revenue for the year exceeded Saudi Arabia's estimated 2005 gross domestic product of $340.5 billion, according to statistics maintained by the Central Intelligence Agency.

Exxon is defending their profits as entirely in line with the amount they invested this past year. But one has to wonder how many of the spikes in the price of gasoline artificially inflated these figures. I remember the guy in New York City who refused to raise his prices as required by the parent company, who then had his company seized and liquidated.

I am sure that Exxon's execs have their own point. But this is particularly bad timing for such a HUGE winfall. This, more than anything else, is likely to push anti-oil congressmen to call for a "windfall tax" against oil manufacturers, which we all know will simply drive up the price of gasoline for the rest of us.

When will we enter an era of CEOs who can think beyond the next quarterly revenue sheet, and understand the political and social ramifications of their decisions?!

No paper handy? Why not print on a flower?

Yes, you read that right. There is now a printer that prints color designs on the petals of a flower. It allows you to slide the whole flower into the unit, where it will print pretty much anything you have a JPEG or GIF for.

I have a feeling this is one which will be abused within hours of delivery. How long until Hallmark or FTP is telling you that red roses don't REALLY say "I love you" until they have her name on them. Or how long until we start seeing "Patent Pending" on some of the new Genetically Modified breeds?

How did RIM go from BlackBerry Titan to Legal Whipping Boy?

If you have been hearing about the possibility of the BlackBerry network that CEOs and Congressman count on being shut down - at least temporarily - over the current patent dispute in the USA, you will probably want to read this article which explains the history to date. It proves yet again, that it is almost never the crime that gets you, it is the cover-up afterward.

First Fruits of the Disney/Pixar Merger

It was while shuddering during a commercial announcing the release of "Bambi 2" on DVD, that I realized this article is big news. John Lassetter, former head of animation at Pixar, has used his new clout after the Disney/Pixar merger to kill the production of Toy Story 3. Anyone who has found themselves scratching their heads at such inexplicables as "Cinderella 2" knows that one of Disney's obsessions the last few years has been to put out dubious sequels to classic children's movies from the days of Walt Disney. Without consideration of whether a story exists to justify them, the films have been churned out like M&Ms at a candy factory to hold up Disney's bottom line. And to be fair, they have sold EXTREMELY well. But they also cheapen the existing films, and have given Disney even less incentive to produce good NEW films in the last decade. With a new team insisting on putting story first, it is actually possible we will see a Disney film out in the near future that is actually worth watching by more than just a few politically-correct cultural enforcers.

Business Analysts Get Their Moment in the Dilbert Sun!!!

In case anyone wondered what it meant when I say I am a "Business Systems Analyst", the comic below illustrates it better than you can possibly imagine. I would be Janice in the comic below.

Random Thought

It would probably take a sci fi fan, who happens to also be interested in the evolution vs creation debate, to think of this. But it seemed worth sharing.

Isn't it interesting that those most vehemently in support of pure Darwinism are also the biggest supporters of the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence? If they are right on pure Darwinism, then any race we are likely to come across is one which has won the battle for survival of the fittest. Therefore, any alien race we are likely to come across are MORE LIKELY to be like the War Of The Worlds aliens, than the Close Encounter aliens. Even we ourselves tend to have a strong streak of self-love, and hated of that which is unlike ourselves. Any race descended thru pure evolutionary development is likely to be a warlike people, and thus not necessarily a good thing for the human race.

Hee Hee Hee

I think this expresses what Nomad would do if he was asked to coach some football.

Deal of the Day: 8.1 Megapixel camera!

I don't know how many of our readers know about Woot.com, but it is a site I enjoy checking out from time to time. Their schtick is that they offer only one item each day for not more than 24 hours. The item is usually gadgetty and is a really good price for it (sometimes hundreds below MSRP). But as soon as they are sold out or the clock passes midnight (whichever comes first), it is over. Anyway, I thought today's item might interest our readers. It is am 8.1 Megapixel digital camera for only $250! My Digital Rebel ($1000 camera) has only 6.4 Megapixels and most Pro SLRs that came out this year are barely 8.1. If you are looking for a new camera whose images you can make posters out of, this may be the deal for you.

Soderbergh's Grand Experiment

CNN is reporting on "Bubble", a new film by Steven Soderbergh that comes out today. What is new and interesting is NOT the actors - all unknowns cast from locals of the area Soderbergh was shooting in. It is not the script - which was a general outline from which the actors invented their own dialogue. It is not the budget - which is miniscule. No, it is the distribution method!

When "Bubble" comes out Friday, it will appear simultaneously in theaters and on cable television, with a DVD release scheduled for just a few days later. Amid dwindling box-office numbers and rampant piracy, it's an experimental alternative to the traditional movie-release method.
"The biggest thing is people having access to the movie who might not have access to it for a while," Soderbergh told The Associated Press. "They might have read about it and they're interested but they don't live near an art cinema, or they don't have a video store that carries this kind of stuff, and this way they can get it and get a hold of it as soon as they've heard about it."

We should not expect this film to be a runaway success - it is being made for peanuts without any stars and almost no advertising. But if it has even moderate success, it may pave the way for a new world where the home theater is placed on par with the movie theater, for first-run releases. I must admit I would probably see more new movies if I could pick them up in Wal-Mart. And it would remove ANY temptation that most of us might have to download movies that we do not have time to get to the theater and watch.

Update 12:32 PM EST: CNN has their review up of the movie. Apparently, if this film sells it will NOT be for the story, the acting, or... pretty much anything else. Too bad.

Up, up, up!

Up, up, up!
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Idol Thoughts

I don't really watch American Idol as a rule. I never watch past the first few episodes. Yes, I'm one of those people who watches for the awful performances early on. But something has really struck me this season even more than in previous years.

People are really coming out and trying to sing some fairly tough songs. I've heard half the Celine Dion songs ever written, and I've heard Bohemian Rhapsody at least twice in the first couple of weeks alone. Now look, there is something to be said for "swinging for the fence." And sometimes, it pays off. But seriously, 99% of the population can't sing like artists like Celine and Freddie. Trying to sing their songs is almost certainly going to come out disastorous. At this point, should contestants be more concerned with showing that they have a style their own, that they are coherent, and that they can carry a tune?

But then, this has become the nature of the Idol machine, and indeed all of reality TV. Getting in front of the camera is more important than what you actually do once you're there. Consider William Hung, after all. If there's any more proof necessary that talent isn't really necessary, I don't know what it would be.

The fact that hundreds of thousands of Americans, and now people from all over the world, line up in their respective cities just to make it on TV, even knowing that they have no chance of making it onto the show reflects the nature of our western civilization. It's become more important to be famous, for anything, than it is to do what you do well. People desire little more than be known to the country as the lousy singer who was told how horrible they are by Simon. And if that's your goal anyway, why bother singing a simple song? Why not go all out and really show us all just what you're capable of not achieving.

The Difference is Easy to See

I recommend looking through this excellent photo journal project from the recent pro-life march in San Francisco. Pictures are truly worth a thousand words (and there are few of those along with the pictures too.) Be warned, there are a few signs with foul language among the crowd.

Discussing Alito

There's a piece on Alito at Althouse that is fairly mundane. But the comments are well worth the time it would take to read through.

Hamas Wins Majority in Palestine?

Hamas is claiming that it has won a clear majority in yesterday's elections among the Palestinian people, though official results are not expected to be announced until at least later today. This result comes from an election with almost 75% participation among eligible voters, and a campaign where Hamas refused to give up its platform calling for the destruction of Israel. Hamas's military arm is still considered a terrorist by the United States.

How are we to react to this? One the one hand, we preach democracy all over the world. But this is when it gets tough, when a people democratically elect a government which we disagree with on fundamental levels. Will Hamas radicalize the Palestinian Authority? Or will positions of power tame Hamas, and force them to become a credible partner at the negotiating table?

Only time will tell. But it appears that peace in the Holy Land may be as far away as ever.

Want Firefly Back? Check This Out.

A new company is exploring the possibility of producing a second season of Firefly. But not on network television. Rather, they are hoping to deliver the program via DVD, iTunes Music Store, or Pay-Per-View cable television. An interesting idea to be sure! But first they must convince Fox to release the rights... or at least let them license them. To help them do this consider filling out this survey being used to convince Fox Marketing.

When Does it Cease Being Entertainment?

Having seen the trailers for the new movie, "Hostel", I was simultaneously disgusted and intruiged about what kind of reception it would get. The work of Eli Roth, protege of Quentin Tarantino, it billed itself as the most disturbing film in recent history. After reading a spoiler (I have NO desire to see the film), I can agree that it is easily one of the most sadistic and horrible things to cross the screen in some time. At least since November when Saw II terrorized theaters.

So imagine my surprise when I read that Eli actually thinks that this story has a heart of gold, and that he's doing society a great service by having created this movie. Eli was apparently influenced by a Thai site he found which allows businessmen to shoot a willing Thai resident in the head for $10,000. The money goes to the family of the slain person. Eli was fascinated that life should be worth so little to these people and decided to explore that theme. As a result, we have "Hostel," a movie about a cartel of rich businessmen who pay to have tourist in Eastern Europe kidnapped so that these rich men can torture people to death for the "rush."

But the problem comes in that Eli, much like his talented mentor, never bothers to flinch away from the most gory, horrific scenes he can create. He revels in the horror of what these people are doing to innocents. And he asks the audience to come along with him on this ride, so that we can (supposedly) cheer for the "good guy" at the end after he escapes and takes revenge.

Now, Eli hasn't actually killed anyone and neither has the audience. But don't we still have to ask, are we really any better then the buisnessmen in the movie if we go to a theater and watch this sort of horror for "fun?" Are we, as a society, really so different if we actually find enjoyment in watching people being tortured? It seems to me that Eli has tried to make a point but fails to see that he is so mired in it that he hinders, rather than helps, the situation. By creating a situation where we can go and watch people being tortured, granted it's only in the movie but it's still torture, is he really helping? And what does it say about us that we pay to see it?

Be Afraid!

So says the news this morning. There's a new video out showing Al Qaeda recruiting in rural Pakistan. Apparently, it's a sign of how "strong" OBL and his men are that they are able to recruit poor, uneducated Pakistanis to fight against us. Certainly, this shows that Al Qaeda is "stronger and more organized" again. And this isn't even Al Qaeda talking. This is just our news media.

Let's be serious here. Certainly, the terrorist the world around would love to strike at us. Duh. But the fact that there is recruiting going on in small towns in backwater Pakistan hardly shows the mighty strength of Al Qaeda. If they were so strong, they would leave the confines of the unknown regions of Pakistan and "openly" recruit other places as well. The truth is that this shows that they cannot come out in the open, and they know it. They have been weakend by our attacks and cannot be so bold. Yet, this doesn't stop by media from prolaiming us all in mortal danger.

The irony is that they run these stories to indicate that we're not any safer than we were before 9/11. The White House, by the nature of such threats still existing, has not done enough. But these stories will only concern people even more, making them more likely to buy into anything that this administration has to say. When we're told that OBL might be planning the next big attack,we will be even more willing to agree to the removal of more of our rights.

The loss here is ours. Because when both "sides" continue to trumpet the same unfounded claims over and over, it only hurts the American people.

When Writers Lose Their Nerve

I'm a big fan of the remade Battlestar Galactica, especially of the creators' willingness to take us places we're not expecting. They have been willing to make some really tough calls for the sake of good story telling. But after this past week's episode, it seems that they might be losing their nerve. Why do I say this?

It has been known since the mini-series that the President's illness is terminal. She could not survive. It has been a staple of the story that Rosalyn would die, it's even part of the prophecy. But the writers have now saved her from certain death and cheated one of the toughest story arcs of the show. Now I will give that the way they brought this about opens up a lot of potential for human drama and real moral crisis. However, they still backed out of a tough call. Maybe this was actually their plan the entire time, but listening to commentaries implies that they truly intended to kill off the character. And who knows, perhaps they're still going to kill her, just in a different way. But for the time being, I can't help but think that the writers took the cheap and easy way out. This is made even more dissapointing by the fact that Moore and crew have so rarely resorted to such tactics previously.

The "Running Into the Stands" Incident

FoxNews has up a commentary on the incident of last week where NBA Star Antonio Davis ran up into the stands during a game to defend his wife. There has been much back and forth on this issue - he started it, she started it, etc. - but this commentary has it right, I think. Davis did the right thing in going to his wife's aid... even if SHE started it. He did not start a fight, nor did he take any aggressive action. He simply inserted himself between the combatants and waited for security to arrive. The NBA also did the right thing with its suspension of him - even if he did the right thing - because they can not allow players to go into the stands (and possibly start a riot) without consequence. If this incident went unpunished, then other less mature players might use it as an excuse for worse behavior later.

There are times in life when one MUST defy the "rules of the occasion" in order to obey the "higher rules of life" that exist. Character is shown in knowing the difference, and in accepting the consequences. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi knew this and accepted prison for their passive resistence. Anthony Davis is no King or Gandhi, but the concept holds true. Sometimes a man's manhood is proven more by accepting consequences with equanimity, then it would have been by fighting them.

XBox 360s Still Rare And No End in Sight

CRChair was hoping to get an XBox 360 for Christmas, but the extreme rarity of the system meant that it was simply impossible. (Actually, our mother did have a "chance" to get her hands on one, but it may have wound up as a bare-knuckled brawl in KMart, so she stayed in the shoe department instead, where she has the advantage during combat.) Since Christmas, we have been checking every EBGames, Target, Wal-Mart, etc. on the off-chance that an XB360 will show up. No dice. We have yet to see a non-display XBox 360 in the wild.

It turns out we are not alone. XBox 360s continue to be rare all over the country, and there does not appear to be a let-up in sight. Circuit City will not even advertise the system for fear of creating demand for a product they can not supply.

The article goes on to say unless Microsoft can solve the supply chain problems, consumers may sour on the XB360 altogether. I must say my experience is that this has already happened. Several folks who were holding off on new game purchases, have emptied their bank accounts on new PS2 and PSP games instead. Microsoft has missed the boat. The only way for them to get back on top, would be for Sony to miss their shipping window on the PS3... which is looking more and more likely, unfortunately.

It's official Disney/Pixar are the same

As a follow up to a post last week, it has now been made official. Disney has bought Pixar for $7.4 billion. Steve Jobs gets a post on the Disney board. I suppose this means we'll see more ABC/Disney/ESPN material both on iTunes and the annual SteveNote. I hope this doesn't mean that Nomad has to give up his stock.

UPN & The WB Merging

For years UPN and The WB have been struggling to make it on their own as networks. Each network has a handful of shows that are worth watching and two handfulls of shows not worth watching. In an effort to make themselves more profitable they have decided to merge into one network, taking the best of each network and scrapping the rest. This would presumably allow them to get a larger marketshare and perhaps become more profitable as networks, not to mention get rid of a whole lot of shows that are not worth watching. Here is the press release and here is CNN's report on the merger. As long as they don't cut Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars I'll be happy.

UPN + WB = CW?!

According to CNN, Warner Brothers and CBS are planning to merge the struggling UPN and WB networks into a single network to be called "CW". You may recall that UPN and WB were launched after the success of Fox in creating a powerful network in the late 80s and early 90s. But these new networks never attained the heights of their forerunner, despite UPN's flagship Star Trek franchise and... what did the WB have on, again?

The new unified network will contain hit shows from both UPN (America's Top Model, Veronica Mars, etc.) and WB (Smallville, Gilmore Girls, etc.). And I'll bet CW will try to push for another Star Trek iteration to premiere with the rollout. Here's hoping it is not Star Trek: Deep Space 90210, starring Freddie Prinze, Jr.

Mod-Blog Review: TWO FOR THE MONEY

When I saw the trailers for "Two For the Money", it really only told me two things about the movie: (1) Al Pacino loves playing the same basic role over and over again, and (2) Matthew McConnahey (sp?) is learning that basic skill from Al Pacino. I bought the DVD at Wal-Mart this week, hoping that the movie would be better than a replay of past performances, but pretty much that is all that is there... which is not all bad.

TWO FOR THE MONEY tells the story of "Sports Advisors" - a shady grey-market where betting laws are obeyed, but only barely. Pacino plays the head of a "sports advisor" house, which spends its time telling big-time gamblers who to bet on... and then collects 10% of the winning if/when they do win. McConnahey plays a newbie to this world - a former college football player who understands the game from the inside out, and thus when he stumbles upon a minimum wage job taping betting picks for a 900 number, turns out to be a prety good at it. His picks top 80% each week, yet he himself never bets on a game. This draws the attention of Pacino, who recruits McConnahey, gives him a new name, and trains him to be the ultimate "man in the know" who high stakes bettors will trust with their life savings. Then, after several months of wins, McConnahey hits a cold streak, and suddenly learns about Pacino's deeply-ingrained self-destructive streak, and that he is a secret gambler living off of the high that McConnahey's picks are providing.

If you have seen any of Pacino's "loud brash manipulator" films, then you have already seen this film. If you have seen any of McConnahey's "charming southern boy with heart of gold" films, then you have already seen this film. Renee Russo also appears in this film, looking gorgeous, but providing little in the way of foil, and pretty much playing her generic "beautiful, intelligent older woman with a hint of vulnerability".

That being said, you now know whether you want to see this film or not. If you like Pacino or McConnahey in their default roles, you'll like 'em here. If you'll see a film just because Russo is in it and beautiful, then you'll like this film. If you want something new, different, or truly insightful... well... skip this one.

How desperate is NBC for ratings...

...or how much do the stars of Friends need the money. NBC has inked a deal that will give us 4 one hour episodes of Friends some time next year. It seems that each star will "earn" $5,000,000 each for doing the shows. NBC's ratings have been sagging since Friends went off the air - heck they were sagging before, but nobody wanted to mention it. So this would make their ratings go through the roof - at least for one month. None of the stars of the show have done anything significant since the show wrapped - Matt LeBlanc stared in a spin off that was decent but by no means great, Jennifer Aniston has stared in a couple thoroughly mediocre movies and divorced Brad Pitt-Jolie (a good move if you ask me), Courtney Cox has started a production company with her husband that is yet to produce anything of significance, David Schwimmer voiced the giraffe in Madagascar, Lisa Kudrow was in the disappointing Happy Endings and Matthew Perry has not really done anything that I know of. I'm guessing the only reason they would do this is to see their value in hollywood continue to stay high. Unfortunately for them this will make the idea that they are one sided actors (which is true for Schwimmer) more prevalent and perhaps make it so fewer people are willing to actually use them in some other type of roll. I can already see it: Friends - Grandparents. I thought the show ended on a good note, now they're going to wreck the illusion that "they lived happily ever after" by providing more content to work with. I really liked the show when it was on, but I think this is a really bad idea for the legacy of the show and the actors.

Canada goes Conservative

Apparently Canadians don't dislike GWB as much as we were led to believe. Canada had their major national election on Monday and elected a conservative prime minister while electing more conservatives than any other party. Up north there they have a multi-party government, so it's difficult to win an outright majority - which is what has happened this time. The conservatives won 125 out of 308 seats, so they're close to a full majority but they'll still have to make alliances with other parties to see legislation pushed through. I'm not sure how this is going to affect the US at this point, but it seems like it couldn't hurt us.

Some ideas are just too good.

Next-Gen Machine Gun Fires 240K rounds per second!

The army is testing a new machine gun system which can fire 240,000 rounds/sec (versus 60 rounds/sec in current weapons)! This new weapons system is a way to allow individual soldiers to carry more firepower (making the army small, lighter, and faster). Of course, one must wonder how much more effective 240K is over 60 per second, but the article explains it. This kind of weapon is capable of putting up a literal WALL of bullets which can hold off incoming mortars or rocket-grenades - the dominant source of casualties in the Iraq war.

Recognizing Greatness

Whether you like him or hate him, we need to recognize the great performance that Kobe Bryant put on last night. He scored 81 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors. That is the second highest individual point total in NBA history. The first is still Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points. Kobe has had ups and downs in recent years, but this year he has had many 40 point games and now has done something that Michael Jordan has not done. We should congratulate Kobe for his great day.

Free Computer that's almost Free

Back in July Nomad posted a story about one of those programs on the internet that promise a free computer if you fulfill a couple of offers. I was in need of a new iBook, since my 600 Mhz. G3 iBook was not running Photoshop all that well any more - never mind trying to watch a video off of iTunes. So, I went ahead - without my wife's knowledge (not a good idea) - and started working through the requirements to get me a new iBook. The company is called Internet Opinion Group (IOG).

You register for the program, then they bring you to the first page of "offers." These offers range from credit cards to CD programs, to insurance. On the first page you have to pick 3 offers, the next page 2 and the following page 1. To fulfill an offer there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind. First, make sure any pop-up blocker you have on your web browser is turned off. Second, after you click on the offer and the pop-up comes up, make sure you read the offer completely so that you understand what is required to fulfill the offer. Once you have fulfilled the required 6 offers the waiting game begins. You have to wait for the company with the offer to report back to IOG that you fulfilled the offer. Some of the offer companies register the emails and communication as spam, so often times the offer companies will not report back to IOG. You need to keep your eyes open for this, if you know that you have fulfilled an offer and it does not register as being fulfilled after 3 months be sure to contact IOG with any documentation you have stating that you fulfilled the offer.

I actually fulfilled 7 offers: MyDailyDose, yourMusic, Video Professor, BMG, Ink Blvd, Entertainment Book and another one that I can't remember the name of. Many of these are "free" offers, but they sign you up for a subscription that is by no means free - video professor and MyDailyDose come to mind. On these one's all you need to do is make sure you turn off the auto renew feature or cancel them before the first charged shipment. As long as you pay attention to these issues you'll be fine. When all was said and done I spent around $250.

I started the whole process in late July, around October I started to wonder why things weren't moving along. So, I contacted IOG to see what was happening. They informed me that two of my offers hadn't registered with them. Unfortunately I had deleted the emails that listed when I fulfilled the offer, so I had to contact the companies directly and get that information emailed to me. Once I had that information I sent it off to IOG, then they sent me the appropriate information for finishing off the program. 18 weeks after I sent in the final information my new iBook arrived.

I sold my old iBook on eBay for $350, so at the end of the whole program I ended up making $100 on my new iBook. Thus, this was a successful venture for me - which makes my wife happy since she was rather skeptical when I began. If you want to do this, then I would suggest you keep your eyes on all of your offers and make sure you don't have anything that is going to cost you money on a monthly basis. If you pay attention then you too could get an iBook or any number of other things for fairly cheap - though not free as they would like you to think.

Viva Baseball!!!

The US Government reversed an earlier decision yesterday and decided to allow Cuba to play in the World Baseball Classic being sponsored by Major League Baseball. This is a good decision as what could be better than for more Cuban baseball players to defect around a big international event. Also, this adds more legitimacy to the competition. Having an international baseball competition without Cuba would be like having a figure skating competition without the Russians. Yeah, you would still have god competition, but you wouldn't have one of the major powers in the sport there competing.

Also from a self interested standpoint, this will allow major league baseball teams to really be able to scout the Cuban players playing against high levels of competition.

Oh, my!!!

Being a family-friendly blog, we rarely link to places that use off-color language. This link uses the A-word (yes, I know some folks don't consider that profane, but some do) but is funny enough to make it worth it. Be sure to read the fine print at the bottom.

I Want a Pinata Gun!

This is a shameless advertisement for Dice.Com but it is also HILARIOUS.

Iraqi Election Count Finalized!

CNN is reporting that the Iraqi election count is done, and the Shiites won a majority, but not a dominating one.

Iraq's Shiite-led United Iraqi Alliance won the December 15 parliamentary election, according to final uncertified results announced Friday.

The alliance, part of the transitional government's ruling coalition, earned 128 seats in the 275-member Council of Representatives -- not enough for it to retain an absolute majority.

The Kurdish bloc -- which also governed the transitional administration with the United Iraqi Alliance -- won 53 seats. The Kurds make up about 20 percent of the estimated 25 million Iraqis. They were brutally repressed under toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

Two Sunni Arab tickets won 55 seats. Sunnis also make up about 20 percent of the population.

The ticket of Ayad Allawi -- the nation's former interim prime minister -- received 25 seats.

Not quite the secular majority that some hoped for, but it seems pretty representative of the real Iraq. It gives real hope for Democracy in the post-Sadaam nation.

Bin Laden's bluff shows weakness

I am no gambler, but I enjoy watching the pros on ESPN from time to time. One of the sayings you hear over and over again is "Strength means weakness, and weakness means strength." i.e. If your opponent seems overly aggressive, it probably means he has nothing in his hand but a pair of twos, and is trying to buy his way out of the hand.

I could not help but think of this when I heard about Bin Laden's offer of a "truce" to the West. For a man who glorifies in overblown rhetoric to suddenly seem magnanimous seems to me to show he knows something has gone seriously wrong. My guess is either:
1. OBL knows he has lost the moderate Muslim world, and is hoping this brings some back, or
2. OBL was more seriously hurt by the missile attack in Pakistan than we originally thought and is trying to buy time to recruit more leaders, or
3. OBL knows that his time is short, and is trying to create a legacy with some inkling of peace, to be remembered by.

Either way, it seems to me this is a desperate bluff, and an encouragement to the War on Terror.

Disney and Pixar back in bed?

So says Reuters. There has been a lot of speculation about this, especially since Jobs has been showing signs of wanting to be CEO of only Apple. But this is the first time a newspaper has claimed the talks are officially happening.

This places me in a weird position. I am proud to own Pixar stock, but have moral qualms with owning Disney stock. Will I have to sell? Or will Pixar remain its own division within Disney?

Attack of the Monsters from the Deep

It seems that Japan has a little problem with huge jellyfish. It seems that these very large jellyfish have come about in such large numbers that the Japanese fishing industry doesn't know what to do with them. There is no known cause for the large outbreak of these jellyfish, so scientists are speculating on causes. As always, when something happens in the ocean that scientists can't explain they have attributed it to global warming. Some people have suggested eating the fish, but for some reason the Japanese people just aren't taking to it - I suppose raw blowfish tastes better than jellyfish tofu ice cream. CNN has the full story.

P.S. the only reason for posting this is that I think the size of these fish is really amazing. You may move on now.

Don't Press the Red Button

THIS is really, really funny. I am amazed the author kept it clean as well. It just keeps going, and going, and going...

Gas Prices Hold Steady

Gas Prices Hold Steady
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Still higher than I'd like, but at least it's not rising higher still

Dogs Sniff Out Cancer

A new study has found that dogs, when properly trained, can detect cancer on the breath of cancer patients. The study is based on well known science that dogs can smell thousands of times better than humans and that cancer cells exude small amounts of chemicals that have a particular oder. There are some questions about the study, but nothing glaring in their methodology. Should be interesting to see if anything comes out of this.

Teen Drivers are Lethal

CNN is reporting on a very important study. I'll put the critical parts here, rather than paraphrasing.

About one-third of the people killed in automobile crashes involving the nation's youngest drivers were pedestrians or occupants of other vehicles, according to a report released Wednesday..."Regardless of what the state law says, parents should not allow their teen to ride with other teen drivers, nor should they be allowed to transport other teens in the first year of driving," Darbelnet said.
Kathy Fowler, 37, a medical reporter for WJLA-TV in Washington, survived a crash on a rural road in Ohio when she was 18. Two other people were killed in the accident.
"I guess as teenagers you think you're invincible, immortal," she said. "None of us realized back then that something we did in a split second could have such a lifelong impact and create so much pain for so many people."

Parents, Take note!!! I know *YOUR* teen appears adult and responsible. But they should face the same restrictions on their driving. It only takes a moment of foolishness (and there are many in the teen years) and the car is transformed from a vahicle into a lethal projectile.

Mod-Blog Review: JARHEAD (Movie and Book)

After seeing the many trailers for the movie JARHEAD - and having it recommended to me by a friend - I decided to pick up a copy of the AudioBook that the movie was based on from the iTunes Music Store. I drive 40 miles each way to and from work, so it gives a lot of time to listen to books, and hope to "improve myself." After reading the book, I suspended judgement and went to see the movie. My opinion did not change. The long and the short of it is that both the book and the movie are intensely despairing stories. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.

JARHEAD tells the story of the author - Anthony Swafford - and his experiences surrounding the Marine Corps and the first Gulf War. Swafford always wanted to be a Marine, since hearing the stories of his heroic (and dead) uncle who had been a "jarhead." He joined right out of high school, as soon as he could legally sign his own induction contract, and served until shortly after Operation: Desert Storm. He writes, sometimes lyrically, about the brotherhood of the Marines, and the "killer culture" which has grown up around that branch of the military. But overall, he seems to view his time there as a waste, and his first glimpse that life is ultimately meaningless.

Swafford spends most of the book dwelling on the debauchery that he enjoyed while living as a marine. The abuse of his fellows, the unending drinking binges, the long line of prostitutes and willing partners in his bed, and his strong desire to kill all are spoken of with two voices. One that longs to go back and do it again. And another that wonders how he ever thought those activities worth his time. He views these acts as part of the culture of being a marine - that they show the toughness and invincibility of the modern warrior. But also a product of most of his fellow marines being stupid kids who don't know any better… who grow up into stupid officers and non-comms who don't care about anything better. He hates what he sees, but embraces it wholeheartedly.

The remainder of the book is focussed on his experiences in Saudi Arabia (waiting for the war), Kuwait (walking toward the war), and Iraq (finding out he missed the war). As a Maine sniper, Swafford's team was tasked with being at the front of the advancing ground forces. But the air war was so far ahead of any grunts on the ground, that he largely finds the battlefield full of already-blackened corpses and of the two firefights he finds himself in, one is with a careless American tank brigade. He walks for miles and miles in the desert, blinded by the sun, dehydrated by the heat, rubbed bloody by the sand, rained on by oil wells set ablaze, and ultimately forgotten by his own platoon when victory is declared. He never gets to fire a shot, and ultimately is left with a war where he walked, and walked, and walked to nowhere.

The lessons that Swafford draws from these experiences are twofold: (1) Life is meaningless, and (2) Life is only preferable to death, in that life allows for the possibility for change and thus temporary improvement. (My words, not his.) As a marine, Swafford toys with suicide. After the war, friends die in meaningless accidents and lose their minds to paranoia. Swafford sees only darkness and death in this world, and concludes from the emptyness of his life, that all of life is empty.

I found myself continually frustrated by the book and the movie by Swafford's stubborn focus on despair. He seems like he sees himself as Solomon - who tried every kind of life and found them wanting - but really, he has steered a very narrow life, experiencing little in the way of diversity, and drawn conclusions accordingly. Very early in his journey, he decided God was a myth and never looked back. Instead, the conclusions that seem more obvious to me is that his life was a pointer away from his choices, toward something better. If drunkenness and orgies and brawling are meaningless, does that mean life is meaningless? Or rather that the meaning is elsewhere? It is like picking up a lollypop from the ground, licking the side that is filthy with sand, dirty, and lint and concluding that all lollypops are disgusting.

I do not recommend the movie, unless you are specifically in the mood for something of this genre. It is an anti-war movie/book about the Gulf War, but you really learn very little about the war, and there is nothing philsophical in Swafford's dislike of battle. He thinks he is drawing deep and lasting conclusions about life, but is instead making them about his own narrow experiences. It is basically a recipe for depression, not for thoughtful review of either war or life or even the Marines.

Star Wars Meets Transformers

When I was a kid, there were two lines of toys that consistently held my heart-strings: Transformers and Star Wars. I loved Star Wars for the cool Jedi lightsabers and powers, and the great stories. I loved Transformers for... well... the cool designs and the ability to change them back and forth and back and forth and... you get the idea. I still love both lines of toys, though I try (sometimes I fail) to restrain my child-like desire to buy more of the toys.

Today, I simply could not resist when I saw a new line of toys at Wal-Mart. They have released "Star Wars: More Than Meets the Eye" which is a line of toys with Star Wars ships and vehicles that transform into robots that look like major characters from the series. So far, they have a Tie Fighter than transforms into Vader, a Jedi Fighter that transforms into Obi Wan, an X-Wing that turns into Luke, and a Wheel-bike that turns into General Grievous. The designs are good, and the toys are great.

I wonder when they'll release a Darth Maul version?

Pay $6000 for Personal Body Armor, Lose $400K If You Die

A site I honestly know little about (i.e. take with a grain of salt) is reporting that soldiers who have bought their own body armor are being told that dying in it "could" cause their death benefits to be denied to survivors. Readers may recall that toward the beginning of the War, there were supply shortages and a number of military families were buying equipment and sending it overseas. Now, this act of charity may be tainted by a short-sighted military command.

Two deploying soldiers and a concerned mother reported Friday afternoon that the U.S. Army appears to be singling out soldiers who have purchased Pinnacle's Dragon Skin Body Armor for special treatment. The soldiers, who are currently staging for combat operations from a secret location, reported that their commander told them if they were wearing Pinnacle Dragon Skin and were killed their beneficiaries might not receive the death benefits from their $400,000 SGLI life insurance policies. The soldiers were ordered to leave their privately purchased body armor at home or face the possibility of both losing their life insurance benefit and facing disciplinary action.

This is being hotly debated at the moment, but I can't find anything official denying the story. This is one of those cases where some bureaucrat probably made a decision, ignoring the history. But as with many things in life, before you can simply act, you must make sure you understand what has come before. If this order is to be given, then AT THE LEAST families should be reimbursed for the money they spent to buy the alternate armor while supplies were low.

Munich, Medved & Brokeback

Some of you may be familiar with radio talk show host Michael Medved. He is well know for being a conservative and a Jew and a historian as well as a good movie critic - he used to host Sneak Peeks. He recently wrote an editorial for USA Today criticizing the movie Munich for distorting history. He makes some good points in this article, like this...

The readiness to embrace a leftist message movie such as Munich— with its implicit critique of the Bush administration's harsh, violent response to terrorism — indicates that it's utopian liberalism, rather than any form of Jewish commitment, represents the reigning faith of the entertainment elite.

I haven't seen the film, but the way it is portrayed in commercials makes me somewhat suspect of the claims of the movie. Interestingly enough Munich did not win any awards at last nights Golden Globes, which are supposed to be - in some small way - a predictor of who will win come Oscar time. But still in thinking about who did win last night and some of the comments made before and after the show, there were quite a few revelations about the motives of Hollywierd. For example, Brokeback Mountain which is infamous for its plot of two gay cowboys that hide their relationship from their wives, won four awards - none for acting interestingly enough - and yet has been quite frankly a box office flop. It has been out as long as Chronicles of Narnia and has taken in about 85% (currently Chronicles is at $226 million and Brokeback is at $32 million) less money than the Chronicles. I know it's unfair to compare the two, since one is a classic children's novel beloved by many and the other is...well....something. But still if it's this amazing film that, in the words of the Will & Grace cast-mates, "is touching middle America with the struggle of gay men" then why is it not making any money? If it's that good then shouldn't people be clamoring to see it? Apparently not. I know there are some films that are so good that they transcend the understanding of the ordinary watcher, but is this really one of those movies? I somehow doubt it.

Why Parrots Are Banned from the Hallways of the CIA

This is not a problem for dog owners, but maybe it should be.

A computer programmer found out his girlfriend was having an affair when his pet parrot kept repeating her lover's name, British media reported Tuesday.
The African grey parrot kept squawking "I love you, Gary" as his owner, Chris Taylor, sat with girlfriend Suzy Collins on the sofa of their shared flat in Leeds, northern England.
But when Taylor saw Collins's embarrassed reaction, he realized she had been having an affair -- meeting her lover in the flat whilst Ziggy looked on, the UK's Press Association reported.
Ziggy even mimicked Collins's voice each time she answered her telephone, calling out "Hiya Gary," according to newspaper reports.
Call-center worker Collins, 25, admitted the four-month affair with a colleague called Gary to her boyfriend and left the flat she had shared with Taylor, 30, for a year.

Not sure who I feel more sorry for. The man who had to deal with the revelation, or the parrot who lost his home for innocently reporting on the sin!

Microsoft Office Stays Alive on the Mac

Apple and Microsoft signed a new 5 year partnership this week. One of the components of the deal is that Microsoft will continue to produce their Microsoft Office product for both Pre-Intel and Intel based Macs. Kudos to Apple and Microsoft for being willing to work together for the good of their customers.

XBox 360 Sales Announced

An independent group has released their figures and it looks like 600,000 XBox 360s have been sold so far. Being that it is now 2 months since the release of the system and part of the sales time included Christmas, I think there is a very low possibility of Microsoft reaching their goal of selling 5.5 to 6 Million units before July 1st. The XBox 360 release will be studied by many business classes in the coming years to show how not release a new product. If you are going to release a new product in time for the Christmas season, you need to have the ability to produce them at a fast enough pace to at least satisfy 50% of the demand by Christmas. I'm sure many people got PSPs this Christmas instead of the XBox 360 and in many cases, are happier for it.

End of the Spear Controversies

End of the Spear is a movie due out on Friday which chronicles the story of Jim Elliot, the missionary who said "He is no fool who gives what he can not keep, to gain what he can not lose." Jim was murdered by the tribes he came to witness to, and served as an example to many young Christians who decided to go to the missions field.

A new controversy has begun to boil in the Evangelical community about this film, which is being marketed like "Passion of the Christ" - thru churches. The controversy is specifically about one of the actors, Chad Allen, who plays Nate Saint (one of the other missionaries killed with Jim Elliot). Chad Allen is an outspoken gay activist, who has been featured prominently on the national stage. The director is unapologetic for hiring Chad Allen (scroll down to comment #3 on the link), and claims he was hired as the best man for the job.

Frankly, I am not sure how I feel about this controversy, but I think it highlights a much more troubling trend in the church. The church is being used more and more by Hollywood as a market for their trailers. PASSION OF THE CHRIST did not concern me - it was clearly a Christian story and it was closely vetted by pastors and Christian scholars. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA was a bit more concerning, but as a major fan of Narnia who sees the value of C.S. Lewis's stories for kids, I was fairly sympathetic. But this shows the complete disconnect between Hollywood - who just wants to sell movies - and the church, who should not be in the business of "selling" anything. It is one thing to allow the community to share information about a good movie, or show, or band. It is another to become another distribution medium.

It should come as no shock that there is a disconnect between Hollywood and the Church. The bigger shock should be that we (Christians) were so willing to forget the inevitable disconnect.

It is REALLY, REALLY cold

dreaming of a cup of hot coffee
Originally uploaded by tamjpn.

It is only 16 degrees (F) out and with windchill it feels more like -8.8 degrees (F). IT IS COLD!!! I know it gets colder farther north (I lived near Buffalo for 4 years in college) but this is just one of those colds that not only is technically true, but that also just gets into your bones and leaves you shivering long after you are inside and huddled in front of the heater.

This picture is NOT mine, but it beautifully illustrates the day, I thought.

Man-Made Island by Econut

Some stories you simple could not invent. For example, there is this story of one ecology nut who build his own island out of used soda bottles!

But seriously, Reishee Sowa has done something pretty incredible, and he really has a passion for a better world. "We are being faced with a population explosion and maybe building islands is the answer. This island is an example of something that could be built worldwide. You could be totally self sufficient with it. All is as natural as possible. I catch rain water for showers, the toilet naturally composts, and you can grow your own produce," he says. While we aren't sure we'll be able to solve the world's problems by building floating islands from recycled pop bottles, it's the spirit of his work that we like best. He's able to live self-sufficiently in his own version of paradise...

I must admit that the thing which disturbs me most about this story is their constant use of the word "Pop" for soda. {{{Shudder.}}}

New Intel Macs do NOT Run Classic Apps

I had thought this was well-known, based on comments made last year by Steve Jobs, but apparently not everyone was paying close attention... or is as obsessive about this kind of stuff as I am. But now it is official the PowerPC emulator (Rosetta) on the Intel Macs does not support MacOS 9 (Classic) applications. "So what?" you think. "MacOS 9 has been dead for almost half a decade!" Well, maybe so, but there is still a wealth of older Mac software whose developers never updated to MacOS X. My mother has a cornucopia of MacOS 9 games that she loves and Online Bible still has not updated to X, despite promising for 4 or 5 years not that "a MacOS X version is coming in the next 3 months, and will be a free upgrade."

Oh, well. Not a shock, but what a coup it could have been. Especially if Classic still ran 680x0 apps. Then you could have had a huge multi-emulation environment. Intel, emulating PowerPC, emulating MacOS 9, emulating 680x0.

Apple Cell Phone Rumors, Part... I've lost count

ArsTechnica has up yet another theory on a coming Apple Computer cell phone. An iPhone has been rumored to be in the works since the first generation iPod hit the streets. In fact, some folks claimed to have "absolute confirmation" that the iPod was going to be a cell phone. Instead, every iPhone or iCell rumor has proved to be false. Even the "iTunes Phone" turned out to be just another Motorola product. But who knows? Steve Jobs loves to come out with products on Monday that he claimed on Friday were impossible or against Apple's corporate interest.

No More WMV for Mac

Microsoft has officially stopped development of Windows Media Player for Mac. Instead they are promoting a third-party plugin, which we covered the other day, to fill the "void" left by this decision. I don't need to use WMV for much, but unfortunately I need to use it to watch video on CNN. This new plugin actually works quite well. The UI doesn't always show and doesn't update well at the moment, but that has no effect on the video quality - which is way better than any WMV I've ever see. Even if MS hadn't made this move I'd probably stick with the plugin because of its advantages over the MS product.

MacBook Pro Video from MWSF

This site has up a shaky, handheld video from MacWorld San Francisco, where an Apple Salesman walks the blogger through the highlights of the new MacBook Pro. Be sure to take your dramamine before watching, as the camera is definitely lacking image stabilization features. But it is a nice window into the new machine, and what Apple thinks is important about it.

I must admit that the magnetic easy-out/easy-in power cord is one of those ideas which I would NEVER have thought of, but which upon retrospect is obvious. The very definition of brilliant. I am betting that is standard in the industry within 2 years... unless Apple enforces its patent too vigorously.

Pat Robertson Apologizes... Sort Of

According to CNN, Pat Robertson - whose remarks about Ariel Sharon's stroke lead to a firestorm of criticism - has given a formal apologiy letter to Omni Sharon, Ariel Sharon's son.

"My zeal, my love of Israel and my concern for the future safety of your nation led me to make remarks which I can now view in retrospect as inappropriate and insensitive in light of a national grief experienced because of your father's illness," Robertson wrote.
In his letter, Robertson expressed "profound sympathy" for Sharon, who is making slight improvements after the cerebral hemorrhage he suffered last week. Robertson also called the 77-year-old leader "a kind, gracious and gentle man" who was "carrying an almost insurmountable burden of making decisions for his nation."
He added, "I ask your forgiveness and the forgiveness of the people of Israel for saying what was clearly insensitive at the time."

So, he is sorry for the timing, but definitely NOT for the content of the remarks. Ironically, I'm betting that this generates a lot of criticism from Arabs, since characterizing Sharon as a "kind, gracious, and gentle man" is hardly in line with his reputation for his actions during the wars of the early history of Israel.

Not BJs but StillGoing Up

Not BJs but StillGoing Up
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Sprint Refuses to Save Kidnapped Baby Without Fees

It does appear that this is a problem with a certain employee, rather than Sprint at large, but this is still unacceptable. If some heads do not roll over this, then Sprint deserves the negative publicity.

The Cochran family of Eastvale was loading their baby into their SUV in the home's driveway. The father, Jason, belted in their 10-month-old baby and came back inside for their 3-year-old.
"Stephanie was finishing brushing his teeth. I went and got him and walked out the door and the car was gone with Wade in it," said father Jason Cochran.
When the parents called 911 they also realized that the father's Sprint cell phone with GPS locator technology was also in the car.
NBC4 reported that Sprint wouldn't provide a location to the parents or to the deputies.
"The deputies were told that Sprint had the location of the vehicle but that they could not disclose it to them because they needed to pay the $25 fee for a subpoena or fill out some forms," said Stephanie.
Almost 2 ½ hours later a passer-by spotted the SUV abandoned a mile away.
Responding deputies found the boy safe in his car seat.

This is an opportunity for Verizon or Cingular to score some points by making a commercial about this... if they can keep people from thinking about how much the cell phone company knows about their activities these days.

Is Cold Fusion back?

The answer is a qualified "maybe." If so, this is different from the electrical paladium setup that Ponns and Fleishmann announced back when I was in High School. This time, scientists are trying to take advantage of sonoluminesence - an effect which occurs in some liquids when bubbles form and then implode. These bubble-pops create intense pressures and release heat and light. It is suspected if you mix some dueterium (2-neutrons in a hydrogen atom) that this may provide the conditions for desktop fusion. The results are decidedly mixed, so far. But interesting. It is unlikely your next iPod will be powered by a cold fusion battery, but a future CAT Scan might use it as a source of exotic particles.

iPod Video Conversion within iTunes

One of the unannounced features of software released this week by Apple is the ability to encode videos for the iPod from within iTunes itself! This can be a time-saver and means that folks no longer have to own QuickTime Pro in order to do the job. Of course, iTunes still won't encode a DVD for you, but then there are free programs to do that for you. (Handbrake!!!)

Why I am *NOT* upgrading to the MacBook Pro now...

...of course, there are the obvious financial issues, but besides that I thought folks might be interested to hear why I have decided not to upgrade to the newly-released MacBook Pro.

• The first revision of new Mac hardware always contains unforeseen design flaws. LowEndMac.Com recently ran a survey of its readers and found that almost 50% of first-generation Macs have to go back for a "significant repair" whereas later revisions are more in the 10% level. A complete change of architecture is likely to be an especially strong magnet for issues.
• 15 inch laptops are not the ideal form factor. While it certainly tries to balance between the monstrous desktop replacement of the 17+ inch laptops and the tiny 12 inchers, 15 is simply not right for the way I use a laptop. My 12 inch Powerbook is my favorite Mac of all time - taking over from the Pismo Powerbook which is still serving a friend well. It is small enough to NEVER be a problem to take along, but powerful enough that it handles every task I throw at it.
• The color scheme is too similar to PowerPC Macs. I hate to say it, but sometimes looks do matter. The new Intel Powerbooks, sorry MacBooks Pro, should have a distinct new look to set them apart. I would recommend a black finish to match the new Video iPods and iPod Nanos.
• Not enough software (yet). Universal binaries are great and will ensure that iTunes can use the full power of the Intel Core Duo. But frankly, it does not need it. Until video encoders and the like are fully converted, G4 and G5 more than meets my needs.
• I am ambivalent about the internal iSight. I hate to say it, but the idea of the integrated iSight on the new iMac and MacBook Pro have me a little nervous. How long until someone figures out how to hack into a networked Mac, and watch what is going on thru the iSight? Now, it is not much of a worry for me. I'm boring. But what about female Mac buyers? It still seems like an invitation to voyeurs.

Them's me thoughts. I hope perhaps these can serve as an antidote to other geek's gadget-lust, and restrict the first round of MacBook Pro buyers to those who can actually benefit from the changes.

If you're a guy, this rings all too true

QuickTime plays Windows Media Files

I don't know about the rest of our readers, but one of my major pet peeves has been Windows Media files on the Mac. The Mac version of Windows Media Player is horrible, and tends to litter the system with lots of useless files. I much prefer Quicktime which plays almost everything, and is well integrated into the system. Well, now Quicktime can play Windows Media files thanks to freeware from a new startup company. I have downloaded but not yet installed the files. But it seems like a good way to finally allow Mac users to see that portion of the video world.

Transformers Movie CGI Test Footage?

I don't know if this is real. But I surely hope so! Can we see Optimus Prime next?

Aw...Poor Microsoft, No One Wants Your System

The X-box 360 has been outsold by every console and portable game unit in Japan. Half the anticipated sales? Wow. I made the joke when visiting with Nomad and CRChair for Christmas that not selling the X-box 360 might prove a better financial choice for Microsoft. I had no idea that Bill Gates thought the same way I do!

MacWorld Fever!

Updated 2:20 PM EST:
The Keynote is over and the word is in:
1. Intel iMac - looks the same as the old one, but new Intel Duo Chip
2. MacBook Pro - 15.4" intel Powerbook (but losing the "Power" monicker for now) with quite a few improvements including integrated iSight. Supposedly 4-5x faster than any Mac on the market before it.
3. iWork '06: New versions of Keynote (PowerPoint replacement) and Pages (Word replacement)
4. iLife '06: New version of all apps (including iPhoto, now takes up to 250,000 photos!) plus a new Podcast authoring module, and iWeb to one-click publish to .Mac.
Very cool. I am tempted by the MacBook Pro!

8:06 AM EST:
For those who may not pay as close attention to these things as the MacHeads here at Mod-Blog, today is the day of MacWorld where Steve Jobs will take the stage and reveal the newest Apple products to the world. There have been a lot of rumors floating around, but the most likely appear to be:

• Intel-based iBooks
• iLife 2006, including iWeb - probably a blogging application integrated with .Mac
• iWork 2006, including a Spreadsheet application (insurance against Microsoft pulling MSOffice for Mac)
• Mac Mini with DVR functions to serve as a MediaPC in your Living Room

Of course, Steve Jobs takes great pride in surprising everyone with new products. So it is possible there will be something else out of left field. Perhaps a wireless iPod?

Mummified Body Still In Front of TV

File this one under "too weird to NOT be true." We writers hate these kinds of stories, because in a story they would NEVER be believed.

The mummified body of a woman who didn't want to be buried was found in a chair in front of her television set 2 1/2 years after her death, authorities said.
Johannas Pope had told her live-in caregiver that she didn't want to be buried and planned on returning after she died, Hamilton County Coroner O'Dell Owens said Monday.
Pope died in August 2003 at age 61. Her body was found last week in the upstairs of her home on a quiet street. Some family members continued to live downstairs, authorities said. No one answered the doorbell at Pope's home Monday afternoon...Police went to the house last Wednesday after receiving a call from a relative who hadn't seen Pope in years. They found a staircase behind a door blocked by a basket and climbed to the second floor, where they found the body.
It was not clear if any crimes were committed, Owens said.

There is a movie here somewhere. Weekend At Bernie's III?

Foolishness By Another Gifted Athlete

Why are the young so foolish? Marcus Vick (age 21), the younger brother of Atlanta Falcons star quarterback Michael Vick, was arrested yesterday for pointing a gun at 3 people outside a restaurant. The day before he had declared his intentions to enter the 2006 NFL Draft after being kicked off of the Virginia Tech football team for repeated rule and legal problems. Vick was the ACC's top quarterback this year and with a famous brother would have been sure to be drafted this year by a NFL team. Now, it looks like he may be lucky to get an invitation to training camp. It is too bad that no one has been able to come along side and help Marcus Vick control his actions. Lets hope that he is able to turn his life around before we hear about him really hurting someone.

U.S. Government Opening International Mail

CNN is reporting that the Customs and Border Patrol are opening some international mail coming in from overseas in an ongoing bid to combat terrorism and disrupt communication between terrorists. Of course, many non-terrorists are also having their mail openned.

U.S. officials are opening personal mail that arrives from abroad when they deem it necessary to protect the country from terrorism, a Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman said Monday.
"Customs and Border Protection is charged with making sure that terrorists and terrorists' weapons don't enter the country," said Suzanne Trevino, a spokeswoman for the customs agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
"One of our areas of responsibility is to inspect international mail coming into our country," she said. "We respect privacy and always keep that at the forefront, but at the same time we need to make sure we do our job in keeping U.S. citizens safe."

This seems reasonable to me, though understandably annoying to those finding their letters opened. However, it will require CAREFUL oversight to ensure that government employees do not begin abusing this privilege for personal gain.

Movie Theater Economics

Every wonder how movie theaters make their money? No, I don't either. Between the $10 small popcorn that you can make at home for $1, and the $10 soda that you can buy at the machine outside the theater for $1.25, most of it is pretty obvious. But it turns out that he fickle economics of the movies are leading to a war between movie advertisers and between-movie advertisers. Add to this the recent bill presented in CT for theaters to advertise the ACTUAL START TIMES of movies, and we are clearly coming up on a crisis for the old cinema.

Of course, I watch most of my films on DVD now. Which makes for a whole OTHER crisis for Theater owners.

King Kong (2005) Review

Okay, it took me quite a while to see this movie (and even then it was under less-than-optimal conditions), but finally Mod-Blog can venture an opinion on Peter Jackson's King Kong. I thought I would NEVER say this about a Peter Jackson film, but this time it is inevitable - IT IS WAY TOO LONG. "WHAT?!" I can hear many saying, "Is this the same guy who recommends the Extended Edition LOTR DVDs? Is this the man who LOVES Lawrence of Arabia and feels that maybe Braveheart was a bit too short? Is this the guy who can sit thru all the Star Wars movies without a bathroom break?!" Yes. Yes, it is the same guy. I have no problem sitting thru long films - heck, when I'm home sick I often watch an entire season of a show like Firefly or Star Trek: DS9 over the course of a day. But there is one major difference with PJ's Kong - It is simply NOT a deep movie that warrants a 3-hour commitment.

Let us review the plot. Movie producer wants big film. Funding people want to pull the plug. Movie producer snatches up a writer, a pretty female star, and heads out to a mysterious island to shoot the movie. Movie interrupted by arrival of big ape. Big ape kidnaps girl. Girl rescued, ape captured. Ape put on display in NYC. Ape goes… well… "ape," and climbs the Empire State Building. Ape gets offed by Al Capone in a big musical number.

Oops, that last part might be a bit off. I might have nodded off toward the end.

Anyway, anyone who has seen the original film, or any of the THOUSAND parodies (a hundred of them on the Simpsons), knows what to expect. This is not King Lear, it is an American version of Godzilla. Big monster smashes things, turns out it is our fault, we feel bad but the big guy dies anyway. A proro-typical popcorn movie that usually comes out July 4th. 90 minutes, in and out, a few laughs, a few tears, and just enough escapism to let you forget the 9-to-5 job for a few minutes. Instead, Jackson has tried to do to KONG what he did to Lord of the Rings. The first hour is not about the Big Guy, but about all of the little characters that get us TO the Ape. The Film Producer, The Writer, the Shallow Actor, the Gritty Captain, etc. Lots of words, lots of talk, but in the end what does it matter? There are only two characters in this film who are anything more than plot devices - Kong and Ann Darrow. And the moments between those two are done wonderfully. But much time is spent trying to build up or tear down the other secondary characters, to the point that I simply stopped caring toward the end of the first hour. And the director never got me back, despite a second hour that included dinosaurs, explosions, and an Ape sliding around on his backside. It is no shock to me that Narnia outdid the film, despite a smaller budget, lesser FX, and a director that few of us knew before this.

Do I recommend this film? Well, if you are a fan of the original, you definitely will want to see this one. It a film by a Kong Geek, for Kong Geeks. And I am sure the effects are MUCH more powerful on the big screen, than they will be on DVDs. But don't go crazy and attend one of the expensive showings. Wait for the matinee, or until your buddy with the widescreen HD TV gets it on DVD. Hopefully, next time PJ decides to make a popcorn movie, he'll remember that is IT a popcorn movie and not an art film.

Going up!!!

Going up!!!
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Al Qaeda Becoming Desperate

It is beyond my understanding that anyone could read Al Qaeda's newest claim with a straight face. For sure, most liberals have already fully agreed with the message. But for those of us not in the "reality-based community," this should enforce in our minds just how desperate Al Qaeda is. Consider the "points" made on the tape.

"Even though I send my condolences to my Islamic nation for the tragedy of the earthquake in Pakistan, today I congratulate everyone for the victory in Iraq. You remember, my dear Muslim brethren, what I told you more than a year ago, that the U.S. troops will pull out of Iraq. It was only a matter of time.

Of course it's only a matter of time. We've said over and over that we don't want to set up camp. We've said since the beginning that we would pull out once the mission was finished. If this is victory for Al Qaeda, then we truly have nothing to worry about. Elections with a turnout to make the US envious, violence way down, all three groups working together. But the message becomes even more of a parody.

"You have set the timetable for the withdrawal a long time ago and Bush, you have to admit that you were defeated in Iraq, you are being defeated in Afghanistan, and you will be defeated in Palestine, God willing."

Afghanistan? When was the last time Al Qaeda pulled off anything in Afghanistan? It's growing into a peaceful, prosperous place. The biggest issue in that country is the opium issue. That's a big issue but we've got plenty of drug problems in the states. It's got nothing to do with Al Qaeda.

What further can be said? The cowards in Al Qaeda are grasping for straws. They have nothing with which to claim any victory. No attacks on America since 9/11, major leaders captured, OBL still not on video since 2004...Sounds like things aren't going so well and they know it. Now if we could only convince the liberals in our own country of the obvious truth that Al Qaeda clearly sees.

Christian Evangelists: Please Stop!

Pat Robertson has done it again. This time he went out and said that God has/is killing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for pulling out of Gaza. I am an evangelical Christian and I will admit that I don't have a clue how God is going to deal with the Jews at the end of all things. I will also admit that I don't thing the nation-state of Israel that we now know is not the same as the covenant nation of the Bible - in other words I don't think any of the land claims of the Bible have any impact on the Israel of 2006. With that stated I obviously don't think that God is killing Sharon for splitting of the land of Israel. But that is a side issue to the big issue that needs to be dealt with - Christian evangelists, spokespersons, celebrities need to stop standing up and saying things for God that are not biblically warranted, especially when it has to do with people that are dying or presently helpless. I am so tired of hearing people that supposedly believe in a loving and caring God claiming that devastation and death is the result of God getting back at really bad people. God does chasten those he loves, but the time to discuss this is not when people are in the midst of suffering. Did God cause Katrina to take out New Orleans because of their debauchery? Nobody knows, so we shouldn't be out their proclaiming that God did it. Instead we should be out there bringing the love of Christ to those affected by the tragedy. Surely displaying the love of God is more effective in showing the essential character of God than discussing the wrath of God. So, here is my plea... If you have any amount of sway in the Christian community, please start talking about the love of God and stop telling people that God is killing them because they're horrible. Thank you.

Patch for Critical Windows Vulnerability is OUT

If you running Windows... any version of Windows... fire up WindowsUpdate now!

Software for Starving Students

One of the problems with Free and Open Source software is the difficulty of figuring out what is good, what is bad, and what is useful. Yet, Free Software can take a lot of the bite out of buying a new computer by not forcing the extra expense of a new copy of Microsoft Office, etc. for the new unit. One group has set up a website called Software for Starving Students which hosts CD images with some of the best and most useful Free Software. There is both a Windows and a MacOS X version available for download. You can download directly from here (there is a BitTorrent and full disk image there).

They also encourage folks to buy TheOpenCD if they do not feel qualified to burn their own CD Images from a download. Then again, if you have to buy it, it is not truly "free", is it?

Biggest Software Company - Slowest to Patch

CNN is reporting that Microsoft hopes to have a patch for the severe security flaw discovered last week, by next week. I know that lots of people have wondered aloud about this before, but why is it that MS, the largest software company in the world, takes so darn long to come out with security patches. Sure they put out more security patches than anybody else, which means each patch has to wait for the previously ordered patches to be written. Still, shouldn't they be willing to put other patches on hold when a gaping hole like this one is found? I don't know... thank God for my Mac.

Ariel Sharon has a stroke (again)

Please be praying for the (former?) Prime Minister of Israel, who apparently has had a "significant stroke". It may be the end of another era of "peace" in Israel/Palestinian relations.