Show your support! (Please?)
Category: News and Politics

Many thanks to future Vice-President Myk-El for providing this.

Currently reading : I Am America (And So Can You!) By Stephen Colbert Release date: 2007-10-09

12:30 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Flip, Flop, and You Don’t Stop
Category: News and Politics

So Johnny and Barry have been getting all the press that should be going to me, the upstart candidate.  Sure, there are a few "third parties" out there, but the Humanitarian Party is the only square root of negative one party in the race, and that should count for something!

What's more, these guys aren't getting noticed for anything more than contradicting themselves!  Somehow, it's considered newsworthy that the two front-runners are shifting their feet and switching positions.  I hate to break it to you, kids, but that started at least as early as Thak's campaign for Alpha Male of The Tribe By The Big Rock Near The River, if not sooner.

If that's what it takes, though, then consider me on board.  So here are some flip-flops on previously stated promises:

*I will leave California and the Dakotas alone, mostly because I don't want to be bothered with the paperwork

*Instead of being forcibly deported, Celine Dion will just be strongly "encouraged" to leave

*Puerto Rico will still be auctioned off, but a minimum price will be set so we don't end up unloading it for a couple of bucks

*I will not tie up our ground troops invading Belgium; instead, there will be an aerial assault

That should put me back on top of the polls, don't you think?  Next up, you can probably expect me to manufacture and deny some sort of scandal.  If only I didn't have such a squeaky-clean past....

02:25 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Whipping Out Our Polls
Category: News and Politics

The Humanitarian Party campaign is off to a good start.  I won't bore you with the numbers, but I wanted to at least share some details with you.

*Our name recognition is highest here in Colorado.  No surprise there.  Thank you!

*Thanks to Marji, I have a small but loyal group of supporters in New England.

*Numbers are low in Ohio, but I think they'll improve once I explain that my plans involve just a small portion of one city, and NOT the entire state.  Also, I never stated that nuclear weapons would be deployed.

*We're getting good responses from freaks, mutants, other aliens, nerds, geeks, the Welsh, and assorted weirdos.  Among the mentally ill, we're second only to Ron Paul!

*Overseas, we've gained a fair amount of support in Antarctica.

We're headed in the right direction, but we need to do more.  Kidnap your neighbors and brainwash them into voting for me.  I would do the same for you.

01:45 AM - 1 Comments - 1 Kudos - Add Comment

Hitting the Campaign Trail (until it stops struggling)
Category: News and Politics

I'd like to announce that my running mate will be my good friend Myk, of the respected family of El.  He's ethical, he's trustworthy, he'll help impose my will on the rest of the nation, and (unlike many other men who have held the office of Vice-President) he has never devoured the still-beating heart of an adorable animal stolen from a petting zoo.

He also satisfies the requirement of geographical disparity so prized by voters.  His records show him to be a native of the wonderful state of Colorado; my own papers identify Arkansas as my place of origin.  (Don't ask.)  More importantly, he's from Krypton, and I'm from Z'ha'dum, and the two are nowhere near each other.

Of course, we need more than just two solid candidates.  I recognize that a good campaign needs a unifying theme, ideally expressed as a brief phrase that can fit on a bumper sticker, or be chanted by a crowd in response to semi-rhetorical questions in my speeches.  This phrase will be an acknowledgement of the highest purpose I know:  To Serve Man.  That purpose gave me the name of our new organization, the Humanitarian Party.

With your help, your vote, and your unswerving, almost frighteningly obsessive devotion to the cause, we can make a difference.

01:45 AM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Flinging My Headwear into the Circle
Category: News and Politics

We need to stop screwing around, 'cause we're going nowhere.

I'm running for President of the United States.

Let's get any imagined obstacles out of the way first.  Once that's done, we'll talk about decks, porches, platforms... whatever carpentry it is that politicians are always going on about.  Age?  No problem -- I meet the Constitutional requirement this month.  Citizenship by birth?  Covered -- all of my carefully crafted documents confirm my Springsteenian status.  Experience?  Please!  Look at all the damage done over the past two centuries by guys who claimed they were suited for the job!  While I have a grasp of governmental basics that's at least as good as any casual fan of Schoolhouse Rock, I am in no way politically experienced.  This makes me the best being for the job.

Some people would say that a political unknown -- a true Outsider -- might actually have what it takes to shake up the power structure and get things accomplished.  I would be inclined to agree.  Some might say that someone who isn't in one of the two major parties can only hope to improve things by creating a plan of action so twisted that the red and blue will have no choice but to team up against the ultraviolet.  I can see some sense in that as well.  Me, I'll be trying for a little bit of both.

Vote for me.  Give me the reins of power.  If you do, here are some of the things you can expect after my inauguration in January:

*I will invade Belgium

*The budget system will be completely revamped, because government departments should be rewarded, not punished, for spending less than they're given

*I will annex Antarctica

*The combined powers of the FBI, IRS, and all branches of the military will be used to threaten, intimidate, and otherwise browbeat as many state governments as needed to repeal the Eighth Amendment

*I will have Celine Dion deported

*California will be divided into two states, Northern and Southern; to prevent modification of the flag, the Dakotas will be combined

*I will have troops surround the Capitol and refuse to let Congress leave until the tax code is no more than one-tenth its current length (This may happen more than once.)

*The presidential anthem "Hail to the Chief" will be replaced by Robert Plant's "Tall Cool One"

*I will eliminate the $1 bill so that people have no choice but to use the dollar coin

*Puerto Rico will be auctioned off to the highest bidder

Also, unlike my opponents, I'll be so honest with you that I'll tell you right now that I'm probably going to lie to you from time to time.  You have my word that I'll try not to do it unless I have to.

And who, exactly, are my opponents?  To our right, we have That One Guy, known for his rich tropy wife and his service to the country in the Spanish-American War.  Business as usual, in other words.  On our left, we have That Other Guy, who seems to be significant primarily because of this weird obsession that humans have with color-coding.  (If you can believe it, only pink people have held this job before, for reasons that are unfathomable to me.)  He seems like a high school valedictorian on graduation day:  he's full of enthusiasm and non-specific plans to change the world, but reality will probably crush his soul before long.  I'm not business as usual, and I've already had my soul crushed more than once.  The others promise change, but I'll actually make it happen, by abusing my power and exceeding my authority.

Those of you who know about my plans of planetary conquest may see this as me settling for less, but you're wrong.  I see this as a stepping stone on my journey, and after I straighten out the USA, I'll begin the task of improving (and subjugating) the rest of the world.  I have no problem with working my way up.  Should it become necessary, I can set my sights lower again; I'm not too proud.

If this doesn't work, Lichtenstein had better watch its ass.

Currently listening : Now & Zen By Robert Plant Release date: 1990-10-25

07:00 AM - 12 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

Mostly losses, but some gains

There is a nearly-indefinable thing/force/state of being that has been described in a number of ways.  Musician Brian Wilson called it "good vibrations".  Salesman J.R. "Bob" Dobbs gave it the name of "slack".  Whatever you call it, it's something we all want more of, and that people keep trying to take away from us.

Last Friday night, Marji and I ended up in a Perkins -- the one on South Colorado Boulevard -- and met one of the greatest individual slack-killers of all time.  Her name is Belinda.  Belinda is an inattentive waitress.

I'll spare you the full details of all the suffering we went through.  But I'll hit some of the high points:  Barely any contact.  No refills.  We waited repeatedly for anything and everything we needed.  She didn't have our ticket when we were ready to go.  When she promised to go get it, we waited even more.  Finally, in frustration, we went straight to the counter.  We considered leaving without paying, but unfortunately, we're both too nice for that.  Besides, it might not have gotten our message across.

So Marji gave them some feedback on their website, and gave them my contact info.  I got a phone message yesterday, and it was (I gather) the local manager, wanting to know how he could "make it right".  I haven't called back yet; I don't know exactly how to respond to that.  Maybe some freebie desserts.  I'm not used to people trying to make up for their offenses against me, to be honest.  And Marji is even less confrontational than I am.  (I may advocate various crimes against humanity from time to time, but it's not like I'm interested in being on the front lines.)

Speaking of offenses against me, they finally blocked Fark at work.  Sure, I was used to not being able to read comment threads, but at least I could read the funny headlines and follow the news links.  Now?  Nada.  That cost me a lot of slack, I don't mind telling you.  I'm not sure how I'm going to recover from that.

Looks like I'll have take some time in the near future to go out of my way to relax and do something I like, as I did on the Friday before the Perkins debacle.  My recipe for slack after work that day was a portable music player, Celtic rock (mostly the Indulgers and the Prodigals), and Clement Park.  Try it.  Your mileage may vary.

03:00 PM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Save the planet?

I've been hearing a lot of talk -- especially today, for some reason -- about saving the planet.  As the wise philosopher George Carlin has pointed out, the planet is fine.  The planet itself is in no danger.  The life forms on it may not like local conditions, but the planet itself won't have anything to worry about until the local sun hits the red giant phase.  And that's not due for several billion years, give or take half an hour.  So, really, your concern is not for the planet, but for everyone on it.  There also seems to be a lot of chatter about proper use of resources.  Based on that, I have to tell you that your best bet is to stop relying on just the one planet.

Seriously, people, why is this such a problem for you?  You can mine metals from the asteroids, you can get more water from Europa, you can skim off any hydrogen you need from Jupiter -- and use fusion reactors to turn it into other elements.  All that stuff on Io is good for something, I'm sure, and even if it isn't, there's a quick door out of the solar system near there if you figure out the secret knock.

Come to think of it, let's go a step past that.  You don't want to save the planet, you want to destroy the planet.  A solid sphere gives you the minimum amount of surface area for a given mass.  Once you break this rock apart, you'll have lots more room for everyone to live.  Plus, you'll have access to an vast, untapped reserve of nickel and iron.  Even in MBL (metric butt-loads), the number you would use to calculate it all would be immense.  Plus, there are all of the other goodies under the surface, radioactives and whatnot.

Oh, and you're really serious about ramping up your solar energy use, there's no better way to do it than to put more stuff in the path of the solar rays.  By more stuff, I mean chunks of what used to be Earth.  It'll cover a whole lot more space than it did in one piece.  Remember, a Dyson sphere doesn't have to be a solid shell -- you just have to catch as much sunlight as you can and make use of it.  (A solid shell is a major pain in the ass anyway, engineering-wise.)

Screw the planet, humans.  The sooner you get rid of it, the better off you'll be.  If you need any more suggestions, you know where to find me.

07:30 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

I have been blessed!

I heard the voice of Jesus as I was driving home today.

Every account I've ever heard of this particular avatar says that He died nearly 2000 Earth years ago, so I was (of course) confused.  He assured me that He was alive, and that He had waited for this.  By "this", I assumed He meant contact with me, as difficult as that was to believe, so I took this as encouragement to ask questions.

I asked when He would heal the sick.  I asked where and when He would save us all.  No matter what I asked, the answer was the same:  right here, right now.  And not only was He with me right there, I was even told there was no other place He would rather be.

The voice is gone now, and as awed and grateful as I am, I'm still left with questions.  Why me?  Why as I was driving?  Why just after I changed radio stations?  And when did He change His last name to Jones?

02:45 PM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria
Current mood: disturbed

There are basically two ways of looking at the universe.

Way number 1 goes something like this:  People have observed A since before civilization, and come up with all sorts of explanations for it.  A couple of ancient Greeks speculated it might have something to do with B, but no one really came out and said so until the Renaissance.  In the 1700s, it was expressed as C, then in the next century it was defined as D.  Around the 1930s, someone did some amazing math and formulated it as E.  Since then, additional information has given us the modern view of F, and that's the best we've got until something we didn't anticipate comes along and makes us change it to G.  We don't know a lot, but we'd love to find out more.

Way number 2 is along these lines:  If A through F have anything to do with each other, it's because of X.  They have always been that way because of X.  They will always be that way because of X.  We believe what we believe because that's what we believe.  We know this book is true because this book says that it is true.  We don't know a lot, and that's how it should be.

As vast as the cosmos is, I would think that there would be enough room for both ways of thinking.  But the ones who believe everything they're told have always fought to silence the ones who dare to question.

And lately, I've been worried that they're winning.

06:00 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Things I Would Pay to See, part 2

A publisher finally step up and put Other Guy from Wham: the Andrew Ridgely Story on the shelves

Sid and Marty Krofft put on trial for crimes against humanity

Whoever's in charge of the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still to come to their freakin' senses and ditch Keanu Reeves.  Seriously, he has no place in this movie.  Have you thought about maybe Michael O'Hare?

The Flintsones and all other inhabitants of Bedrock slaughtered by a rival civilization that just learned the secret of working bronze

No "news" items about Britney Spears for a whole year

Tom Cruise getting a swift kick in the yarbles

A sock puppet elected to Senate

The sequence of DNA common to all life that, when decoded, reveals the message "For Demonstration Purposes Only"

02:40 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

There’s a point in here somewhere, I’m sure of it.

Stand-up comic on TV: Yo, check this out -- black guys drive a car like this.
Yeah, but white guys, see, they drive a car like this.

Homer Simpson: Ah ha ha, it's true, it's true!  We're so lame!


Most (perhaps all) people are guilty of using stereotypes.  Sometimes we fall into them by having a few too many unpleasant experiences, sometimes we're just programmed to believe a certain way in our childhood years by people around us.  In either case, it's sloppy thinking, and we should be better than that.  I'm not going to do a lot of finger-pointing, though, because I've been guilty, too.

There are people who would have me believe that, because of my epidermis, I am the devil.  There are others who look at the same outer covering, often named for a mountain range which I have never visited and probably never will, and tell me that I inherently better than everyone else.  Whatever.  Skin color shouldn't matter unless you're green, and then you're the filth of the universe.  But anyway...

Both of the above groups, and prejudiced extremists like them, frighten and disturb me.  Yet I firmly believe in their right to say whatever foul thoughts are bubbling through their disturbed brains.  I don't believe this just because freedom of speech is something that Americans in general are supposed to like.  (All my papers say I'm American, and no one can prove otherwise until the INS finds the spaceship.)

I believe in freedom of speech because we don't want to drive them underground!  When we can hear them and see them, we know who the stupid and/or dangerous people are!  We want the tumor on the surface, so we can take care of it if it ever becomes malignant.  The last thing we want is for the sickness to be hidden.  I know law enforcement makes a damn good effort to track down potentially dangerous groups, but the AMA has a better record than the FBI when it comes to finding concealed problems.

Getting back to my earlier point, I'm not going to say that stereotypes are universally evil.  Sure, even the positive ones can be a pain in the rear, especially for the people who don't fit into everyone else's preconceived notions -- but at least these are positive views.  They can also be used effectively in the service of comedy.

This brings me to Max Karson.

Max Karson is a CU student, and the latest in a long line of people who bring the kind of attention to Boulder that I bet they'd rather not have.  He recently wrote an editorial piece for the school paper in which he claimed that all Asians hate white people, and he thought it was time to respond in kind.  Don't take my word for it; go read it yourself.  I'll wait.

Even a clueless cracker like me can see that's offensive.  But merely being offensive, while not nice, is also not noteworthy.  Was it inaccurate?  I couldn't say.  There may, in fact, be Asians who don't care for whitey, and with people like Max around, I can see why.  But as with anything else, that would be just some people; I refuse to believe that the entire population of one group hates the entire population of another group.  Was it something that shouldn't have been said?  Obviously it shouldn't have been said.  But his own sense of self-restraint should have stopped him; there should not be, as some of his fellow students are now saying, restrictions on otherwise free speech.  (See above, in case you missed that portion of the rant.)

So we have something that is offensive, something that has upset a great many people, something that shouldn't have been written or published, and something that was inaccurate to a degree depending on how many Asians actually do or don't hate white people.  (I don't know where to find that kind of demographic info, sorry.)  As bad as all this was, I consider none of those items to be his greatest crime.

The worst thing I can say is that he just wasn't funny.  Being funny makes it easier to sneak a social statement under the radar -- just ask George Carlin -- assuming there was any kind of statement in there to begin with.  If there's no statement, being funny makes it easier for people to forgive you when you're being offensive.  But mostly, it's because there is no greater sin in the Book of Rhaab than not being as funny as you think you are.

Go forth and sin no more.

05:00 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

One bridge, never used, like new

No, I'm not referring to the Brooklyn Bridge.  For one thing, it could hardly be called "like new".  (But if you'd like to make an offer anyway, drop me a line.  We can make arrangements.)  What I'm referring to, obliquely, is that I thought about becoming a troll, but my heart wasn't in it.  In the words of Inigo Montoya, "Lemme 'splain."

For about the past year, I've been reading more news online than I ever have in the past.  Having some awareness of certain items helps me look/sound good in my job, and I choose not to get my news from the paper or from TV for a number of reasons that can be found here.  I do, however, frequently visit the websites of the major local newspapers.  (Oh, and I also read this weekly paper, but that's one I actually do like to pick up -- and not just because I was in it once.)  Both the Post and the News allow people to comment on their websites on certain articles, and on letters to the editor.  I was known to drop a comment or two when it was an unsupervised free-for-all, but I've been pretty quiet ever since they required registration.  (Yes, it's free.  It's the principle.  Or something.)

The News, for some reason, seems to draw a very politically polarized crowd, especially in the letters section.  And not just in a typical "I disagree with your beliefs" way, either.  We're talking hand-crafted crazy.  (See my previous blog on the craftsmanship of lunacy.)  As a political centrist, I find this fascinating.  Not that this sort of knee-jerk reactionary behavior flies well with me; it doesn't.  I'm the sort of person who hates all prejudiced people and thinks all extremists should be lined up and shot.*  But it's interesting to watch, all the same.  The sweeping generalizations (Democrats are all stupid, Republicans are all hateful) are pretty standard, but the demonization of party icons is spectacular.  For instance, if Bill Clinton weren't so soft on terrorists, your date would be waiting in Constantinople rather than Istanbul.  And it turns out that George W. Bush personally led the mob that burned the Library of Alexandria.

After watching the circus for a while, I thought about running away to join it.  I didn't want to connect the New Guy on the letters board to me, so I created a new e-mail address for the sole purpose of registering.  While there's plenty to mock on both ends of the political spectrum, I decided to start out with a far-right-wing persona.  For one thing, it was a snap to come up with a clever name.  For another, there seem to be (on that particular website) a roughly equal number of people on both sides of the aisle who are willing to argue rationally.  The right, however, has a couple of really stand-out nutjobs, so I thought it would be easier (and funnier) to try (but actually fail) to blend in.

I kept going back.  I looked for the right time to post something in character.  Nothing ever really came up.  And as I kept reading, I realized that the fun would quickly fade, as I don't lean far enough in either direction to make fun of just one for very long.  I suppose it's comforting for people who live binary lives, always knowing this answer is right and this answer is wrong.  It's a little more difficult for those of us who are able to see shades of gray, so sometimes we look for odd ways of entertaining ourselves.

If you'd like to entertain yourself -- if you're interested in a shiny net alias that still has that new-persona smell -- just drive down to Colorado Springs and ask around for Dexter Wright.


*The Society for the Advancement of the Friggin' Obvious -- known as SOFA, because they're not terribly bright -- has asked me to point out that the statements in this sentence are jokes.  If you have also been guilty of making jokes that are more subtle than a hammer to the forehead, you can probably expect to hear from them as well.  SOFA would also like to remind you to go see Meet the Spartans, or if you're reading this more than four days after the release date, to buy the DVD that is out right now.

03:55 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

They don’t make ’em like they used to.

Once upon a time, insane was just that.  And it wasn't that long ago, either.  You only have to go back 40 years to get to the height of Charlie Manson's whacked-outedness.  You'd look at how he came up with his action plan based on Beatles lyrics and the Book of Revelation, and you'd say, "By Marduk," or whoever you believe in, "that's some FINE crazy right there!  That's genuine, hand-crafted crazy!  That's like a Swiss timepiece!"  Then you throw in that stupid crap about survivors of the future race war needing to be led by white people 'cause they're inherently superior, well, that's just icing on the cake.  (Never mind the fact that the whities in question were a backwoods criminal and his drug-addled hippie friends.  Charlie and the people like him all say that melanin level is all that matters.)

At work today, I got a call from a guy who has an account with my employer.  Like many other people who have been calling us lately, he was concerned about what's been going on with the economy these days.  That's fine.  But he ended up being my official notice that people are really, really over-reacting.  (Apologies in advance if my story is jargon-heavy.)

First, he asked about stock certificates, and seemed surprised when I told him that some companies don't even have their stocks available in certificate form any more.  I guess he missed the memo that the 19th Century ended some time ago.  Then, without me prompting him, he starts asking me all these "What if?" questions to paint his own personal worst-case scenario.  To make a long story short:  the market drops thousands of points, people who bought investments through short-term borrowing ("on margin") are unable to pay my employer what they owe, my employer is forced to go out of business, and the SIPC (kinda like the FDIC, but for brokerage firms) is unable to cover everyone's losses. So I mentioned the world-famous insurance company that we use for coverage above what the SIPC offers so that our investors would still be OK in the unlikely event that we ever go out of business -- a company that probably knows what they're doing, seeing as how they've been in business for longer than the United States.  Mr. Cheerful says that they're also unable to pay, what with lots of other claims of the same nature being made at the same time.

After spinning his hypothetical yarn, he asks me a question.  "If that's the case, then what happens to all those electronic shares?"  I was thrown so far off-balance by his eagerness for doomsday that I had to admit I didn't know.  He smugly replied, "That's why I'm interested in certificates."

Complete and total financial collapse across multiple industries, and the companies you've chosen are going to still be in good shape in this post-apocalypse scenario.  Sure, pal.  I mean, just because my glance at your portfolio didn't show me anything in the "killing each other for gasoline" sector doesn't mean you won't be golden.  The handbasket is all revved up and set to take the world as we know it on a trip, and yet somehow your precious certificates will have value as something other than kindling.

If you want to bring the crazy, bring the crazy, but at least try to be internally consistent.  I don't mind if you're paranoid, just try to think it through first.  Put some work into it.  Believe me, you'll save yourself a lot of embarassment down the road.

They just don't make lunatics like they used to.  Seriously, where's the artistry?  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go talk to the leprechauns about Elvis Presley's involvement in the sinking of the Lusitania.

Currently reading : The Book of the SubGenius : The Sacred Teachings of J.R. ’Bob’ Dobbs By J.R. Dobbs Release date: 15 May, 1987

03:15 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Sharpening My Edge
Current mood: pleased

Technologically speaking, I have almost never been on the cutting edge.  The reasons for this fall into two major categories.

Financial
Interstellar shipping has always been expensive, but things have been even worse ever since the collapse of the Altairian Dollar.  Plus there's the fact that as much as I enjoy being a mocker, derider, instigator, and so on, those things don't really provide a lot of disposable income.

Technical
New releases of hardware and software invariably have flaws in them.  Oh, sure, the new artificial intelligence suite may have all the nifty doodads you're looking for, but it probably won't hold up.  Tell the store demo "I'm lying to you right now!" and see if you don't get the Blue Screen of Death, a verse of "Daisy Belle", or both.

And even when you find something that has all the bugs worked out, it may not have all the features you want.  Last time I went shopping for an AI, they only had the Majel Barrett voice option; I wanted a Douglas Rain.

And that brings me to the topic of using what you have at hand.  The longer I stay on Earth, the less stuff I have that's really advanced.  The spaceship needs a new overthruster, the cloaking device is missing, and the disintegration ray just isn't what it used to be.

So I've been not only behind the curve, but behind the curve even by local standards.  That started changing recently, though.  The first jump forward was the fantastic Christmas gift I got from the Fair Lady Marji:  I have finally joined the ranks of iPod owners.  I greatly increased my potential to "act real rude and totally removed", and I now get subliminal messages from Steve Jobs pumped directly into my ears.  (I feel compelled to buy a black turtleneck, and put a lower-case "i" in front of a bunch of words.  But I'm iOK with that.)

The problem was that my computer was running the antiquated Win2000, and the only version of iTunes compatible with that OS was incapable of syncing with my new toy.  I thought about just upgrading the software, but I had a hard time finding XP for a decent price.  (Vista was, of course, unthinkable.)  And anyway, it's not like I had specs to spare on my system.  So I threw down some money for a new computer.  Things being what they are, a new computer with XP pre-loaded was only about 50% (or so) more than XP by itself.  And I now have a faster processor, about 20 times the drive space, and a few other goodies.  Of course, it also helps that Marji had made it possible for me to get a used monitor for free from the underappreciated-by-everyone-but-her IT guy where she works.  So I saved more money by removing the monitor from the package deal I had chosen for the new computer.

So now I've got better hardware, better software, and a system that will work with the iPod.  Not that the 'Pod was the only reason I bought a new computer; I had been looking for an excuse to upgrade for a while.  And speaking of buying things, I understand that there's a certain organization that believes that copying music that you have already bought into some sort of portable music player, even though it's strictly for personal use, is still theft.  Therefore, I would like to make a public statment that I HAVE BEEN DUTIFULLY RE-PURCHASING IN DIGITAL FORM ALL OF THE SONGS THAT I ALREADY PAID FOR ON CD.

The last thing I need is some jack-booted recording industry goons breaking down my door.

04:30 PM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Things I Would Pay to See, part 1

A Buckingham Palace guard lose his cool and give some stupid tourist a much-needed beatdown

A Neo-Nazi skinhead with a Hello Kitty tattoo

The capture, trial, and imprisonment of notorious terrorist Pali Wali Dudil Al-Diday

Escalating international tension between Andorra and Luxembourg

A local news reporter wrap up a "heartwarming" human-interest piece by saying something like, "Although frankly, I don't see why I should give a shit."

An Elric movie made with the same respect for the source material as LotR

A no-holds-barred, steel-cage grudge match between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs

07:45 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment