tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146987662024-03-12T22:17:20.810-07:00Post No BillsRandom musings of someone who is enjoying writing about their life in almost total anonymity.Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-30271066217164622602012-01-02T09:35:00.000-08:002012-01-02T09:35:01.753-08:00Beyond Twitter Length Reply To Joanna Brooks (@askmormongirl)<br />
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So Joanna Brooks (@askmormongirl) asked the question on
Twitter yesterday:<o:p></o:p></div>
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if you had to convince a 23 year
old that a religious / faith / spiritual life was worth the investment, what
would you say?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Over the night she retweeted various answers (one of mine
included). I think about things like
this a lot because I find human nature puzzling. Most of the answers Joanna retweeted seemed
to me like the writers of the original tweets already believed in God and
religion and was merely waiting for someone to get them an address; something
like a radio contest where the first caller would get the prize. Others responded as if matters of faith were
as easy to convince people of as the benefits of a healthy diet. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Later in the night after I was already asleep @msdefarge
replied with what I thought was the best answer to the question: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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if you had to convince a 23 year
old that a religious / faith / spiritual life was worth the investment, what
would you say?<o:p></o:p></div>
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The answer didn’t assume anything beyond the attitude of the
person answering which is all that can really be done. If matters of attitude, values and belief
could be resolved with appeals to logic many of the world’s issues would have
been resolved a long time ago. Religion and politics would no longer be an
issue and, I suspect, we would all be wearing silver jumpsuits and travelling
the universe looking for other species that are ready for contact with a
species not of their planet. <o:p></o:p></div>
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What I believe the fact of the matter is that the Zeitgeist,
the spirit of the time, common beliefs, assumptions and values in America are
disappearing. There used to be a
mainstream that politicians could appeal to that allowed us to make general assumptions
about certain things that can no longer be made. Like all things this change in the American
culture this change is a double-edged sword.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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The bottom line is that there is no one way to convince
people of anything. Sharing of deeply
held personal beliefs, if done sparingly and in an appropriate setting, has a unique
effect on other people’s attitudes but the essence of opinion is that
individuals don’t change their mind about something until they want to and what
other people say almost always plays the smallest part in that process. <o:p></o:p></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-17986446765820984282010-04-08T14:36:00.001-07:002010-04-08T14:36:59.418-07:00The One Percent<div xmlns=''><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>I watched the documentary “The One Percent” today. This is a really powerful documentary about the richest 1% of society in the United States. As a documentary filmmaker Jamie Johnson has greatly improved from his first effort, the documentary “Born Rich” but it seems apparent that he still has some room for improvement. I don't mean to say that it's no good (it is good) or that Michael Moore could have done better (he couldn't, he makes propaganda films not documentaries) but that some of his interviews seemed unprepared.</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>Let's take, for instance, his interview of Milton Friedman. Milton Friedman was talking in sound bites and cliches and left himself open for some good questions to really get at the heart of his assertions. Rather than go that route Jamie sounds like a little kid trying to convince a parent they deserve a third helping of dessert.</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>There are also the scenes when Jamie interviews his father and doesn't attempt to explain to him what he wants out of the interview, or maybe he does and it isn't shown. But when his father tries to get out of the interview by saying that he doesn't have the answers and isn't a genius (or something along those lines) he lets his father off the hook and lets him get frustrated rather than attempt to explain what he is trying to get out of the interview.</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>I thought that the best example was the part where they interview the Johnson family economist who comes across as a frenzied sycophant but is never pinned down for specificities when he says things like “you haven't done your homework” and “you need to think about this”. Why not ask him what needs to be studied and what homework needs to be done and why?</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>Those quibbles aside I recommend this documentary.</font></font> </p><br clear='left'/></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-53826339824460975712010-04-08T13:51:00.001-07:002010-04-08T13:51:18.486-07:00The Crazy Lady Network<div xmlns=''><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'><font face='Calibri, sans-serif'>One of the first things that I do in the morning when I get to work is look at what's on my Google Reader. One of the first things that I saw was <a href='http://goo.gl/3MUP'>this article about Kate Gosselin getting another show on TLC</a>. Now her getting a new show isn't so surprising but what is was a combo of a one-two punch of info in the article itself.</font></font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><ol><li><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'>“ <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>[Kate] … has found her new calling: using her role as an 'example mom' to help and learn from others”</font></font></p></li><li><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'>“ <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>It's part of a plan to build on the channel's growth that also includes Sarah Palin's Alaska, a travelogue series about the state and its high-profile former governor”</font></font></p></li></ol><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>Wait, I've seen Kate Gosselin <i>and</i><span style='font-style: normal'>Sarah Palin before and it is almost as if TLC has decided to rename their network something like “The Crazy Lady Network”. They could likely keep the same acronym of TLC if they made it something French like “The Lady de Crazy Network”.</span></font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'><span style='font-style: normal'>Both of these ladies (and apparently I'm using the word loosely here) have a very difficult time dealing with reality. Palin like to whitewash her past and invents her own reality on-the-fly which is a lot like Gosselin does. It looks like TLC is expecting there to be a market for this but, regardless of one's politics, I couldn't imagine who would waste their time watching this.</span></font></font> </p><br clear='left'/></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-23465489585140431212010-04-04T12:20:00.001-07:002010-04-04T12:20:26.497-07:00Krauthammered<div xmlns=''><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'><font face='Calibri, sans-serif'>I got most recent issue of Time in the mail yesterday and boy is it a doozy. In addition to the cover article about Steve Jobs and the iPad (what looks like it amounts to the PR equivalent of a hand job for the most popular kid in class) they included a quote from Charles Krauthammer on the <a href='http://goo.gl/zROy'>Verbatim page for the current issue</a>. ( <a href='http://goo.gl/jRML'>The whole issue can be found many places all over the Internet</a>.)</font></font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'><a href='http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1977116,00.html#ixzz0k9wOSMDR'>The excerpt is</a>:</font></font> </p><p style='margin-left: 0.49in; margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'><font color='#000000'><span style='font-style: normal'><span style='font-weight: normal'>American liberals have long complained that ours is the only advanced industrial country without universal health care. Well, now we shall have it. And as we approach European levels of entitlements, we will need European levels of taxation.</span></span></font></font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'><font color='#000000'><span style='font-style: normal'><span style='font-weight: normal'>I have a few issues with this and the first is: it's not accurate. This is a typical trick of right-wing commentators who try to indicate that universal health care comes in one flavor; the flavor provided by the likes of England and Canada. This is just not true. Go ask Germany and Japan.</span></span></font></font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'><font color='#000000'><span style='font-style: normal'><span style='font-weight: normal'>Second, What is wrong with making sure that everyone has access to health care? As a nation we don't charge for basic education or public safeties like fire protection or the law enforcement. Why do we not provide for people to be healthy? What does that say about us as a nation?</span></span></font></font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'><font color='#000000'><span style='font-style: normal'><span style='font-weight: normal'>Third, why do these ideas have to live in a reality distortion field where neither side will talk honestly and openly about it? I understand that this is not an issue specific to health care but I feel like this is something important for our country. When people are allowed to die and/or go broke because they can't afford to stay healthy is akin to allowing someone's house to burn down because they can't afford to pay the firefighters or allow a child to not learn to read because they can't afford to pay to go to school.</span></span></font></font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'><font color='#000000'><span style='font-style: normal'><span style='font-weight: normal'>Morally it is just wrong and now that the law has passed Krautie sounds like one of my kids who didn't get their way and has decided to mouth off while he's pouting.</span></span></font></font></font> </p><br clear='left'/></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-62592735392368635702010-04-01T14:05:00.001-07:002010-04-01T14:05:41.997-07:00Potpourri<div xmlns=''><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>I haven't posted in a while, mainly because I haven't felt too inspired to write anything so here are a few random items: things that would be classified as “Potpourri” on Jeopardy.</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><ol><li><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font size='2'><font face='Calibri, sans-serif'>I finally heard back from The Consumerist “moderator” who referred to my remarks as “nasty and mocking”. I thought I was restrained with what I could have said and often do say to people in real life. This only confirms that they are as smug as they look in the “The Consumerist Team” section (except “Roz” who is the “moderator” and apparently broke the camera when they got to her (him?))</font></font> </p></li><li><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'><font color='#000000'><span style='font-style: normal'><span style='font-weight: normal'>It's a slow day at work today so I'm reading my Time magazine (I don't know that there will ever be a suitable electronic replacement for reading things on paper) and came across a <a href='http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1974949,00.html'>profile of Andrew Breitbart</a>. I just can't imagine being this worked up all the time about anything. I pay attention and I find plenty of things I don't like but I find ti hard to be “outraged” like the bumper stickers say that I should be. Mostly I'm bewildered but more on that later. I know that cooperation doesn't sell and make you rich of famous but the polarizing of American needs to stop.</span></span></font></font></font> </p></li><li><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'><font color='#000000'><span style='font-style: normal'><span style='font-weight: normal'>I'm really happy that the Health Care reform and accompanying “Fix-It” bill passed. I didn't think it would and while there are a lot of points in the bill that are good and some that are perplexing I think that Obama opened himself up to a lot of criticism by not framing the argument as a humanitarian need. I think framing this in terms of what we are allowing to happen to fellow citizens would have headed off “death panel” claims (or at least make them sound absurd the moment they were spoken). And while I'm on it, please just stop the “I didn't get to vote on it” complaints because that's not how our government runs. I think there are a lot of people that need to go back to High School and re-learn the government civics lessons again.</span></span></font></font></font> </p></li></ol><br clear='left'/></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-31982888945303856282010-03-20T09:16:00.001-07:002010-03-20T10:47:26.099-07:00@Consumerist #Consumerist Can't Stand The Heat, Pulls Me Into The Fire<div xmlns=""><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I've been a fan of <a href="http://www.consumerist.com/">The Consumerist</a> for a while now. It's tough to tell how long because when I find a site I like it either gets added to my <a href="http://reader.google.com/">Google Reader</a> feed or it gets bookmarked and forgotten. <br />
<br />
At any rate, a while ago I signed up for an account and proceeded to “audition” for the privilege to comment on their web site. Apparently I was approved and I've been commenting for some time now. Well, I was until about two weeks ago. <br />
<br />
About two weeks ago I was evidently banned, as I discovered when I tried to add a comment to <a href="http://consumerist.com/2010/03/use-this-calculator-to-find-out-what-to-set-your-paycheck-withholdings.html">a story about a tax withholding calculator provided by Kiplinger</a> rather than <a href="http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96196,00.html">the official one provided by the IRS</a>. I really think it makes much more sense to direct people to the official tax withholding calculator rather than directing people to a third party when money and potentially jail time is on the line. But this is beside the point. <br />
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Just before the discovery of my banishment from commenting on Consumerist I, along with others, had made some comments on an article of theirs that wasn't “Consumerist” related but more of something you'd find on a consumer electronics related site like <a href="http://www.engadget.com/">Engadget.com</a>. (I don't remember which story it was but it was either <a href="http://consumerist.com/2010/03/sony-finally-realizes-iphone-exists-decides-to-make-psp-phone.html">this story</a> or one like it posted around the same time.) My comment, as I mentioned, was similar to others like it already posted. In fact, if you go to the story about the PSP phone many of the other comments musing about why Consumerist was posting a story of that nature are still there. <br />
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What I find ironic is that a snarky web site that is based on criticizing companies for poor customer service bans me for criticizing them for, as I and others perceived, going off-topic. Ironic right? To get all uppity because someone has the temerity to do to them once what they do to others many times a day. <br />
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As a disclaimer, so I'm not accused of being ignorant or completely honest I do know there is a <a href="http://consumerist.com/comments-code/">page on their site with posting</a><a href="http://consumerist.com/comments-code/">“code”</a>. Also, while I don't remember what I said exactly I do remember the gist of the message and I also remember exactly what I said in part. I said something like this was the kind of news I expected on Engadget (another snarky site I patronize which apparently doesn't mind a taste of its own medicine from time to time) and that “my how the mighty have fallen”. <br />
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Really? You can't take that with all that you dish out you get your fans, the ones who care enough to comment and point out how they think you've strayed from the path a bit and this is the thanks we (I'm assuming they booted others as well) get for caring? <br />
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I'm not going for self-pity here. While I am not going to follow their RSS feed anymore unless they reinstate my commenting abilities (and even then I'm going to think about it for a while) I do want to point out the hypocrisy of their actions.</span></span> </div><br clear="left" /></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-69812129615044505772010-03-19T23:29:00.001-07:002010-03-20T08:02:12.472-07:00Falling In My Dreams<div xmlns=""><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I'm a pretty sound sleeper, just ask my wife. Last night though I woke up at about 5 am. I've started keeping a record of my dreams because I find them fascinating (not that anyone else really would). <br />
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One thing that I have found though is that in my dreams I don't run or jump particularly well. So when I was running in my dream last night and attempted to jump a gap on a walkway I fell. It was if I knew I was asleep and knew that rather than hitting the ground I could wake up and save myself. Here's to hoping it doesn't happen again tonight; it's the weekend.</span></span> </div><br clear="left" /></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-52223146246911655872010-03-19T14:21:00.000-07:002010-03-19T14:21:06.155-07:00The New Michael And Janet Question? II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Stick with me on this one. After I posted about Larry Wachowski I couldn't get the image(s) out of my head. It is true that Larry is more attractive as "Lana" than he is as Larry (although neither is all that attractive) but then it donned on me that there are two other people that look similar <i>and</i> have never been seen together:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.realone.com/assets/rn/img/9/3/3/3/9133339-9133342-slarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i.realone.com/assets/rn/img/9/3/3/3/9133339-9133342-slarge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larry (left) as Larry</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/aorphea_9j2_wachowski_npg_0__oPt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://img.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/aorphea_9j2_wachowski_npg_0__oPt.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larry as "Lana"</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos/kate-gosselin-kate-gosselin-book-signing-NlK6rN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos/kate-gosselin-kate-gosselin-book-signing-NlK6rN.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Lana" as Kate Gosselin?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-53367176082892183422010-03-16T12:54:00.001-07:002010-03-16T12:54:20.761-07:00Wachowski Freak Out<div xmlns=''><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>The Wachowski “Brothers” are freaking me out. Well, not both of them but Larry is. I used to subscribe to Rolling Stone magazine back when they originally <a href='http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/9138137/the_mystery_of_larry_wachowski'>published an article about his penchant for cross-dressing</a> and how his then-soon-to-be-ex-wife was calling him crazy-as-bat-shit. <br/><br/> Now I admit that I really loved the original Matrix movie and the duo-sequel they made was alright (better if you didn't expect the same quality of movie) so I went to IMDB today and looked up some info about the newly-released-on-DVD movie “Ninja Assassin” that I know they were somehow involved in. Well, I then see the credit for Lana Wachowski rather than Larry Wachowski. What gives? <br/><br/> So then comes the research. First I did a Google News search that only tells me that Lana is involved in some kind of unscripted war movie poacking such A list celebrities as Jesse Ventura and Arianna Huffington. Next I head over to <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lana_Wachowski#Lana_Wachowski_rumors'>Wikipedia</a> where I figure I can get a documented and unbiased story and find out that there is apparently a debate as to whether or not he's had a sex change. <br/><br/> I can understand that Joel Silver wants to protect one of his meal tickets and that speculation runs rampant when there is no official source for a story, but really. After reading the story about the writing of the original Matrix screen play in Creative Screenwriting (Vol. 10 No. 3) I was convinced that they've mostly been lucky.</font></font> </p><br clear='left'/></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-1479648227973158152010-03-16T11:33:00.001-07:002010-03-16T11:33:03.087-07:00Victor Champ's New Nickname<div xmlns=''><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>Don't call me George W. Bush or anything but I've decided to bestow a nickname on <a href='http://victorchamp.wordpress.com/'>Victor Champ</a>. I've decided that, after reading what he has posted so far on his relatively new blog he deserves the nickname of “The Hammer” for hitting the nail on the head in every blog post so far. <br/><br/> Take his latest post about the <a href='http://victorchamp.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/the-ipads-biggest-supporters-dont-understand-it/'>quasi-rush to support the iPad</a>. I agree that the iPad is a device in search of customers. Maybe we should get Leonard Nimoy on that. I really loved the link to the <a href='http://www.retrevo.com/content/blog/2010/02/apple-ipad-hoopla-fails-convince-buyers'>news story comparing consumer interest before and after the official announcement of the iPad</a>. I felt that same way as most of those responders felt. I was very interested in the iPad before the announcement but was nervious about price, etc. Then the announcement came and its what? A bigger iPod Touch? An ultimate web experience without Flash? (I know it doesn't support Java either but I believe I could survive without that.) <br/><br/> The most awesome setup for Victor's latest article was his (is Victor a him or an it? You look at his photo and decide) <a href='http://victorchamp.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/why-html5-isnt-your-savior-after-all/'>blog post about HTML5</a>. I knew a little about HTML5 before this article but this is really telling about how far ahead of the implied (by Stevie J) curve they are. Who wants to wait for however long to get their Farmville fix on a $500 device? I wouldn't. The only thing the iPad convinced me to buy was a Netbook. I love it and, just guess, it does Java and Flash.</font></font> </p><br clear='left'/></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-50501261582971152422010-03-15T13:18:00.001-07:002010-03-15T13:18:53.469-07:00Train Of Thought<div xmlns=''><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>I was watching the new episode of “The Pacific” and I remembered the part in “Band Of Brothers” where the one guy was trying to get a German gun as a souvenir. I used to be a souvenir guy but my wife cured me of that. I used to want to get something everywhere I went. I'm not talking about finding something but buying the over-priced ones for sale at the gift shops. Aside from the waste of money it was also a clutter of stuff building up that was rarely ever looked at. Not the least of ll things this is one I'm thankful to my wife for.</font></font> </p><br clear='left'/></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-9050102114936816242010-03-14T08:18:00.001-07:002010-03-14T08:18:22.054-07:00I Picked The Wrong Day To...<div xmlns=''><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>I picked the wrong <strike>day</strike> night to not be able to fall asleep. I usually have this problem when I've taken a nap during th day but last night I just couldn't sleep. I listened to the new episode of “This American Life” and then started in on the movie 2012 before finally falling asleep. Because I hadn't changed the bed side clock I didn't even realize I was an hour behind until now. Ugh...</font></font> </p><br clear='left'/></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-42170826881408289452010-03-12T18:40:00.001-08:002010-03-13T08:39:48.596-08:00Return Of Alan Wilder?<div xmlns=""><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Is Alan Wilder returning to Depeche Mode? I wouldn't be surprised. Back on February 17, 2010 <a href="http://www.depechemode.com/news.html?pageNum=&i=111#news_111">he shows up at the end of a benefit concert</a> DM participated in. Then today I read on the DM site that <a href="http://www.depechemode.com/news.html?pageNum=&i=113#news_113">Alan will be releasing a “new” Recoil album of old but “remastered” material</a>. Alan's departure from DM was acrimonious but it was also in 1995. I really don't think he'd fully rejoin the band, even for just one album but I wouldn't be all that surprised if he came back and worked on a song or two that were included in the next album.</span></span></p></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-67117813532948822982010-03-12T07:31:00.001-08:002010-03-12T07:31:29.735-08:00Lawsuits!<div xmlns=''><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>My politics may lean to the left but I have a hard time understanding so many of the lawsuits that make it to the news. Today there is a proposed settlement for “Ground Zero” rescue workers who have reported illnesses. Now I know that some of these workers were public service employees who were assigned to work there (like firefighters) but what about those who volunteered? It seems to me that even with a modern day building that there would still be something unhealthy floating in the air after it was demolished by an airplane. What else could have been expected? <br/><br/> Now I don't have enough time to really get into this right now but would a lawsuit be completely necessary if there was national healthcare?</font></font> </p><br clear='left'/></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-61562480491544730702010-03-06T08:05:00.001-08:002010-03-06T08:05:06.130-08:00Linux Schminux<div xmlns=''><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>Engadget has posted it's latest “Entelligence” column this week about <a href='http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/05/entelligence-will-android-fragmentation-destroy-the-platform/'>fragmentation of the Android platform</a>. It might happen but it might not; who cares? Desktop Linux appears to be gelling around Ubuntu as a “ standard” (which I find confusing since I've tried to use it on numerous occasions and I find I prefer Windows 3.11 to Ubuntu) so why wouldn't this happen eventually to Android? If Google were smart they'd require some baseline compatibility for apps and then it wouldn't really matter. What do I really care? I'm trapped on a contract with a BlackBerry where I'm at the whim of RIM's servers if they decide to crash monthly or not (really they do).</font></font> </p><br clear='left'/></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-56782750194892631932010-03-04T17:28:00.001-08:002010-03-04T17:28:49.795-08:00Autism In Time Magazine<div xmlns=''><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>I finished reading this week's time magazine. It's this cycle where Time usually comes in the mail on Saturday (sometimes Monday) and then I read it almost as fast as I can for two reasons:</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><ol><li><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>Another one comes in a week (and if I fall behind things might end up like my subscription to National Geographic where I fell so far behind that I finally gave up)</font></font> </p></li><li><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>I have other things I want to read in addition to Time magazine</font></font> </p></li></ol><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>So today I was able to burn through the latest issue and it had a couple of unique articles. First was the <a href='http://bit.ly/aL1GOH'>article about a German family that was granted political asylum</a> in the US because Germany won't allow them to home school their kids. Wait, what? Asylum so you can home school your kids? That's crazy. 'Nuff said.</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>The other was the story about how <a href='http://bit.ly/bBBKwn'>Jenny McCarthy is the most feared mom in America</a> because the MMR vaccine is the only thing in the US causing autism but there are many, many roads to “recovery” (results may vary). I find it hard to believe that there can be one main cure but several “recovery” options. Now it may be possible that it is related but the logic of her arguments doesn't make sense because it uses arguments akin to religious miracles rather than science.</font></font> </p><br clear='left'/></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-87767698909473442812010-02-28T09:43:00.001-08:002010-02-28T09:43:39.340-08:00Windows 7 Ultimate On A Netbook<div xmlns=''><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>Remember months ago when Microsoft offered their Windows 7 “House Party”? Well I joined in but no one attended (don't cry, no one was psyched to attend an operating system party). So I have this copy of Windows 7 Ultimate (complete with Steve Ballmer's signature embossed on the cardboard cover) and no computer to run it on. See, I use a Mac at home and after being unimpressed with the performance of Vista as a VM or the Windows 7 beta version as a VM either. I wanted to use it at work but I work for a software company and our software isn't certified for Windows 7 yet and clients are 50/50 when they run our software on Windows 7. That leaves me with a copy of Windows 7 that isn't currently being used. Add to this the fact that I just got a netbook last week and I think you can see where this might be going.</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>The netbook I got was a Dell Inspiron Mini (I bought it at Best Buy and they sell it as the Inspiron Mini but I believe Dell sells it as the Mini 10 on their web site). It comes with Windows 7 Starter which is fine with me. I didn't purchase the netbook to perform high end tasks but mainly for writing and the occasional web surfing and video watching. But here's the rub: Windows 7 Starter doesn't allow the user to change the wallpaper. Are you serious? I can understand limiting or eliminations themes and colors and the like for product differentiation purposes but wallpaper? Now I've got an itch that I want to scratch but at $80 for an upgrade to Home Premium just to change wallpaper seems a little ridiculous to me.</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>But wait, I have a copy of Windows 7 ultimate that I am not using right now and it indicates that it “Includes Windows Anytime Upgrade”. I did this on my laptop at work: it came with Windows Vista Business and I had a code for Windows Vista Ultimate and the same kind of anytime upgrade. When I ran that it took nearly as long as installing the OS would originally take and that was on a pretty decent system, this is a netbook.</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>I decided to take the plunge after a little research on the Internet where the only negative comments about it came from</font></font> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'><a href='http://www.cio.com/article/490588/Windows_7_Ultimate_on_a_Netbook_See_How_it_Runs'>Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols</a> who apparently decided to install it on an abacus that could, of course (knowing Stevie), run Linux flawlessly. Then, to put this netbook through its paces he decides to do things like encode videos using Handbrake and attempt to hack into the pentagon (or so I heard) but isn't so pleased with the performance. Pretty much everyone else said there would be no issues upgrading to Windows 7 Ultimate.</font></font></p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>I was a little nervous but I decided to go for it. I put in my Anytime Upgrade DVD and tell it to run. It finally said that if I was going to do this I needed to initiate the upgrade from the “Windows Anytime Upgrade” shortcut in the Start Menu. I ran the shortcut, it asked for my key, did something for about 5 minutes, rebooted and about 10 minutes or so later I was ready to log into Windows 7 Ultimate on my netbook.</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>It really was much ado about nothing since it was so fast and smooth. I'd recommend it to anyone considering doing the same thing.</font></font> </p><br clear='left'/></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-84604924125439771942010-02-27T15:08:00.001-08:002010-02-27T15:08:43.972-08:00I'm Back!<div xmlns=''><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>I know that I've been really sporadic about blogging (not that many, if any, have noticed at all) but I just got a netbook mostly for writing. I want to write some essays but I also have some story ideas that I'd like to work on and all of this will likely include some blogging too. I've even thought about publishing some of my writing here on my blog or on my “Anonymous” blog I'm going to keep. (I won't divulge that location because it wouldn't really be anonymous.)</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>One of the main things that I'd like to start off with is my fatigue with the shenanigans in Washington (D.C. that is). I'll admit that I am an Obama supporter. I have been almost from the moment that I met him and my switch from being more conservative to more liberal started a few years ago when I read the the book “The Corporation” by Joel Bakan.</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>Now I don't want to get into that story here and now (the two combined because I may later and even here). The things that I am tired of is the power struggle between parties that leaves the people in the middle in a crossfire of polarizing ideas and vitriol that most people don't care about.</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>I've talked about this idea with a co-worker that is probably my politically mirror opposite but we've agreed that the current two party system is pretty unappealing to most people. When the Republicans and the Democrats get together and hammer out ideas and “planks” in their party platforms there is little overlap so voters are largely left to choose one side over the other. I realize that there are regional differences but I'm trying to not be overly specific in my generalizations.</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>What I think people need is a third party that isn't formed based on just one principle. There are parties like The Green party, The Libertarian party and so forth that appeal to a very small base of voters. What I think we need is a None Of The Above party that appeals to the middle and doesn't necessarily stand for the same things all the time. For example, the Republicans are usually in favor of more defense spending and the Democrats are usually against. In the 80s while we were fighting the Cold War and now with the War On Terror (such an unfortunately open-ended phrase) the idea of increased defense spending makes sense. In between those two periods the expenditures didn't need to be as high. A party that would accept those realities and embrace them makes sense to me.</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>I also know that the defense spending argument is easy to make in hindsight it should have been a little more obvious and rational to tell the defense department they were going to get a little less in the mean time. They'd still get money for R&D and to maintain what they need to maintain but any group on a budget is always going to want more money and use what they get. This isn't something that just the government does.</font></font> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in'> <font face='Calibri, sans-serif'><font size='2'>But the difficulty of building a party in the middle is that bold ideas that appeal to one extreme or another and those would largely be missing; the attention getting and appealing ideals present wouldn't be there. Also any intrusion on the power held by either party would be perceived as a political threat and be attacked which wouldn't be so bad as long as the purpose was served: the purpose of ending bickering for the sake of reclaiming power and returning Washington, D.C. back to a place where people compromise for the common good.</font></font> </p><br clear='left'/></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-66577266267442525712009-12-28T20:17:00.000-08:002009-12-28T20:41:25.150-08:00The Long Slow Demise Of A Favorite Band<span style="font-family: arial;">I listen to a lot of music. I think my love of music started when I heard Slade's "Keep Your Hands of My Power Supply". I don't know why but ever since then I've really enjoyed listening to, collecting and anything else you can do with music. There are a lot of bands I like but over the years some have held a special place in my heart: Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, Depeche Mode, Stellastarr*, Echo And The Bunnymen, EMF, New Order, Leiahdorus, Anything Box, The Echoing Green and Jesus Jones to name a few. <br /><br />Anything Box and Jesus Jones are two bands in particular that I have found disappointing. Anything Box started as a synthpop bad that most people would not even consider a one hit wonder but in actuality they put out several albums before proceeding in reverse order from a musical butterfly of luscious synthpop into a caterpillar of a band making horrible sounding neo-garage band dirges. <br /><br />Many people get on the band's site and lament this but they come across as whiny, especially since there are, apparently, people who enjoy their current sound. I've not bothered to try and poll people who claim to like them now and see if these are new fans or ones that have been with them since their synthpop days. <br /><br />Another formoer favorite band of mine, one that has apparently decided to go from "good" music to nothing that anyone would listen to is Jesus Jones. I think about them a lot because I really liked their first four albums. Well Perverse (album #3) was my least favorite of the first four but still it was better than London. They went from a top notch band that blended samples and rock with the same skill that Dryers blends peppermint and ice cream for the holidays. Then they went from a bigger label to a smaller one (in the form of a Koch affiliated label MI-5 Records) and they started to put out sub-par garage music. <br /><br />I've thought this for a while but it has been on my mind a lot lately because I picked up the live recording of Jesus Jones when they were in the US back in 2005 and was let down by their "modern" renditions of their "classic" hits. Then, to top it off, the album includes a bonus interview where the band proceeds to, in essence, indicate that things would have been very different had they had the time and education to do things they way they wished they had. What I really loved was essentially a "mistake". <br /><br />I suppose I should be grateful for what I got from the band but at this point but JJ and the band members have kept pretty close with their fans over time which makes it all the more painful for me. <br /></span>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-7396438138222210492009-12-26T21:40:00.001-08:002009-12-26T22:16:13.383-08:00Borders Has Apparently Given UpI'm a fan of books. I buy more than I read but I love them anyway. My favorite place to buy is Costcobecause anything on sale there is barely more than 50% of the cover price. I used to love used book stores but there aren't many in Utah (there are some in California but used book stores are apparently a dying breed) and none that are worth checking out. Amazon is nice, especially since I have a Prime account which makes 2 day shipping "free". But at times I do enjoy going into a regular brick and mortar store to browse: not what happens to be in stock at Costco and not the virtual browsing which brings me to my dilemma. <br /><br />Barnes & Noble (as I like to refer to as Banes & Chernobyl on occasion) has a really awesome selection. Their stores almost always have the item I'm looking for in stock (at least somewhere nearby if not at my preferred location, if I'm not just browsing) but I remember when B&N was Bookstar (or at least they owned Bookstar). This was a bookstore in the tradition of Crown Books that offered a discount on everything in the store. Not a discount bookstore that sold books no one really wanted anyway but nice bookstore that offered 10% off on all the books everyday. They even offered an additional 5% off if you purchased a membership card for $10/year. Crown Books didn't offer a membership but they did offer a discount on all their books. <br /><br />Since Bookstar and Crown Books are all but gone (and non-existent in Utah) there aren't many choices. There are some nice locally owned shops (like The King's English and Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore) but those aren't very close to where I live. This puts me in a position where I like to shop at B&N for a number of reasons: the selection, the quality of the store, etc. But the full price of the books (so different from Bookstar) and the steep price of their annual membership ($25/year for only 10% off? Gimme a break!) means that I'd like a little competition. <br /><br />Here's where Borders enters the picture. When my wife and I were dating she had a Borders gift card she needed to use before it expired so I went with her to the Borders that used to be in downtown SLC. I was shocked at how much they were charging for CDs. At the time the only downloading of music available was on Napster so purchasing CDs was the only real legit way to get music and apparently Borders figured jacking up the prices was a good way to go. That turned me off to going there originally and explained (in my mind) why there were so few Borders locations compared to B&N. <br /><br />A few years later I was in Park City and noticed the "cheap" bookstore was now a Borders Express. I decided to stop in and it changed the way I thought about Borders, for a while anyway. The store was a nice version of a discount bookstore with some interesting books (mostly crap though) at some very nice prices. Also, to boot, they had a reward program. I signed up, gave them my email and noticed that the marketing emails I received offered some pretty nice coupons. <br /><br />As intended these promotions got me in the store because even Amazon doesn't always offer 30% off a book I want which is when I started to realize that Borders has apparently give up and wants to die an ignominious retail death. The selection at Borders doesn't hold a candle to B&N. And the coupons they send can only be applied to what they normally stock which means that even if I was willing to wait for them to order in the book I really wanted the coupon wouldn't apply anyway. On top of that the last two times I've attempted to reserve an item online for in store pickup I eventually get an email back (the first time days later and today nearly 12 hours later) telling me they couldn't find the item, even tough I had ended up in the store anyway and found more than one copy of the item I wanted. <br /><br />Borders: blind employees, undesirable selection, bad prices by comparison, and on and on and on... I have read that Borders is circling the drain financially anyway but pushing coupons and other specials that get people into the store only to see they're not offering anything even equally the competition seems to me like trying to die. I used to care but I'm realizing that they, and other people, just don't seem to care.Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-18542985030126330212009-07-09T15:36:00.000-07:002009-07-09T15:42:16.664-07:00The New Michael And Janet Question?<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZv6f6X8bx5rrDtewtFZw_jTNz47-2CJrTBmSXJyEziKX0yGIOWpY_PZFigD8zxzbjo3Jhv9aaRTUv7WmFG9H4_E0N2Lmrk57NJXB0kY75Bc3fSfOoz5D_1zfMysOhyphenhyphen2jyUF_/s1600-h/76335503_10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZv6f6X8bx5rrDtewtFZw_jTNz47-2CJrTBmSXJyEziKX0yGIOWpY_PZFigD8zxzbjo3Jhv9aaRTUv7WmFG9H4_E0N2Lmrk57NJXB0kY75Bc3fSfOoz5D_1zfMysOhyphenhyphen2jyUF_/s320/76335503_10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356593998683497682" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2CPtBW89niW1NxsMuTemiTDQPong_Pm9hOgqFIFwoA3MfKSk9Oy5WiB5U0VbTFNjo7mUoN-K2wN8F5UFvJFcXDKsfYrgXcVcwrUZjzipQoyKz_EzHNTnndtKYAvo4wMMpnF5/s1600-h/51LaMV3uN9L._SS500_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2CPtBW89niW1NxsMuTemiTDQPong_Pm9hOgqFIFwoA3MfKSk9Oy5WiB5U0VbTFNjo7mUoN-K2wN8F5UFvJFcXDKsfYrgXcVcwrUZjzipQoyKz_EzHNTnndtKYAvo4wMMpnF5/s320/51LaMV3uN9L._SS500_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356593911037167138" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />When I saw the cover to the new Rob Thomas album I wondered if it was really Michael Cera. Are they the same person?</span>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-19563540536707400812009-07-09T14:55:00.001-07:002009-07-09T14:55:58.252-07:00Depeche Mode<div xmlns=''><p style='margin-bottom: 0in' class='western'>A couple of months ago I was browsing iTunes (as I do frequently) and I <a href='http://bit.ly/1vqPa2'>came across a documentary about Depeche Mode and the making of the album “Songs Of Faith And Devotion” <font color='#000000'><span style='text-decoration: none'>(SOFAD)</span></font></a>. (Technically it is titled “A Short Film (We Were Going to Live Together, Record Together and It Was Going to Be Wonderful) [1991-94]”). That really took me back, much like watching the VH1 “ Behind The Music” they did about DM. I think they showed it once and like most of those they were never shown again.</p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in' class='western'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in' class='western'>Anyway, the really took me back so I loaded my iPod up with all of the DM albums so could listen to them again (and I'm accused of never going back and listening to music a second time). I've focused mainly on SOFAD but have listened from that album on and I really feel, now that I have time and a modicum of maturity on my side, that DM is just as good after Alan Wilder left as they were while he was still with the band.</p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in' class='western'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in' class='western'>I think most people didn't really know about the “other two” in the band beyond Dave Gahan (commonly known as the dude that almost over-dosed on heroin) and Martin Gore (commonly referred to as the guy who looks gay (but isn't)). Much like U2 there are (or were in the case of DM) four members in the band and two are more widely recognized than the others. (It would help if the other two members of DM had written the main song for a summer blockbuster.)</p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in' class='western'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in' class='western'>What I'm trying to get at is that most people knew the music but not the members of DM so when word got out that Alan Wilder (one of the DM “Other Two”) had left the assumption was “Well they're going to suck now, if they don't break up.” Then, when the band does put out another album, most people turned into haters. It reminded my a lot of the the summer after break dancing peaked or the summer after the first Tim Burton Batman. People who used to be “fans” turned their nose up at them. (Most notable to me being Todd Durant who claims that fans would buy an album of DM “burping and farting”. I just think he's bitter now that his business is dying because technology has passed him by.)</p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in' class='western'> <br/> </p><p style='margin-bottom: 0in' class='western'>Common complaints are:</p><ol><li><p style='margin-bottom: 0in' class='western'>Alan was the sound of DM and now they're not special: Go back and listen to Ultra (the first album without Alan). There are songs on there that sound very much like they would fit on Violator or SOFAD: “Home”, “It's No Good” and “Useless” being the ones that I'm thinking of. There's even a hidden track that pays homage to “Pimpf”, “St. Jarna” and other instrumental oddities called “Jr. Painkiller” (which I like more than those tracks, especially the remix).</p></li><li><p style='margin-bottom: 0in' class='western'>They're not true synth stars now since they use guitars and drums and the like: Go back and study SOFAD closely, they branched out to using more traditional instruments while Alan was there.</p></li></ol><p style='margin-bottom: 0in' class='western'>I think that DM is just as good without Alan as they were with him. Why not go pester the Erasure fans because there is plenty to complain about on “ Loveboat” and “Other People's Songs” if you want to complain about a band hitting the skids. They came back and even DM can make an album that isn't so great. Just check out “Exciter” for a good example.</p><br clear='left'/></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-3925432364581572482009-07-08T14:10:00.001-07:002009-07-08T14:10:54.979-07:00Utah Drivers<div xmlns=''><p style='margin-bottom: 0in' class='western'>I just read <a href='http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705315500/Driver-report-ranks-Utah-about-average.html'>this article</a> claiming that Utah drivers are “average” and not “bad”. What metrics do they use? I highly doubt this claim. On top of that I'm also going to go public with my current belief that I don't think that Californians are good drivers anymore. I still would like to go back to New York and see if they would still retain my current #1 ranking.</p><br clear='left'/></div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-87641077637368042552009-07-08T14:07:00.001-07:002009-07-09T14:44:01.517-07:00Sarah Palin IS A Quitter<div style="font-family: arial;" xmlns=""><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" class="western">Sarah Palin IS a quitter. I don't know what else there is to say about it. I know that there is likely more than meets the eye but right now all that has been shown is that she just doesn't want to be the governor from Alaska anymore. What other option is there? People have been (apparently) bugging to know if she is going to run for a second term. Why does anyone care this far in advance? I know that most reporters aren't that good so they run around asking mostly the same stupid questions over and over again hoping that one time someone will be caught off guard and same something newsworthy.<br /><br />Anyway, Palin fesses up (quite early I would say) that she's not going to run for re-election and, while she's at it, she's going to resign. Now she is claiming that she's not quitting and all her political options are still on the table? Now, I know that politicians don't always say what they mean but I only have her word so here's the breakdown:</p><ol><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" class="western">She's not running for re-election. I know people make up their minds about this at different times but isn't the next election for her state 2 years off?</p></li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" class="western">Because she's not going to run again she's resigning because she doesn't want to be a “lame duck” governor. Isn't she the one “outing” herself and labeling herself as a “lame duck”? Someone has to be the governor and anyone in that position now is somewhat a “lame duck” anyway.</p></li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" class="western">She says that “all options are on the table”. What options would these be? By all accounts of people who aren't die-hard right wingers she was just the McCain sideshow that few took seriously and that was before she quit. Now that she has how could the mainstream and “undecided” voters elect her now? Just like Mitt Romney she is considered a leading contender for the office of president only because this far out who else is really campaigning? No one. Once things heat up neither of them will be in the running.</p></li></ol><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" class="western">Just call it like it is: Palin didn't want to be governor anymore and she chalks it up to what I already said and threw in the “liberal media” too, just for good measure.</p> </div>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14698766.post-14853929983105401012009-06-29T10:06:00.000-07:002009-06-29T10:07:21.090-07:00They Need To Do More Damage<a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/29/michael.jackson/">They didn't do enough</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> by fucking MJ and his siblings up, now they want a shot at his kids too. </span>Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08787218304321653209noreply@blogger.com0