The Rantings of a Madman. My Life is Pointless.

Sigh. You know, you go into college and come out of college with such aspirations. I honestly thought I could make a difference. I mean, at UCSC we even fostered this mindset. "The number 1 reason why a student chooses to go to UCSC is because they 'want to change the world and felt this was the best place to do so.'" It's a belief that I always subscribed to. Even when meaningless politics muddied the thinking and idealist standards we all held ourselves to, I was always optimistic. Life could only get better.

Here I am, a temp in a job I hate. Hate with a passion. I'm not even getting paid a decent amount. Well, anything more than zero is a decent amount but compared to what other people get, it's not decent. On top of that, I don't get holiday pay or overtime pay, despite staying until 7, 8, 9 at night. I don't really mind, it's my work ethic, but it's frustrating knowing that as a temp, I'm not really needed. I don't hold any position of value in this company. I always thought that I'd be able to do something worthwhile, that I'd be able to do something important. In UCSC, I spent the last 3 years there doing worthwhile activities. I worked in departments that helped out students. I was able to be an RA and work with students. I was able to be a tour guide and work with prospective students. I was able to do favors for CREs, CPCs, CAOs, Provosts, other RAs, students, friends, some of the people I had the most respect for in the world. I was even allowed to speak at graduation, an honor I treasure and will treasure forever. Now? I honestly think that if I didn't show up for work starting tomorrow, it wouldn't matter. What would change? Honestly? My boss would have to do his own grunt work? Not likely. He'd pass that off. My manhours spares each person probably an hour of extra work a day. They're all already 2 hours behind everyday. Drops in the ocean.

I swear, if I don't get out SOON, I'm going to go mad. I'm going to go completely psychotic. I'm going to go homicidal. I need AN OUT. Mr. Wizard, I need an exit.

Sony MoFo update

For those of you who are not regular slashdot readers or haven't heard through other means, California's filed a class action against Sony BMG and New York's announced they're following suit. Australia and Italy are investigating Sony BMG for consumer law violations. Sony BMG is going down! Woo-hoo! May they burn and burn and burn.

Ok, that was just me being bitter. I'm sorry. For those of you who don't know what's going on, I direct y'all to Mark's Sysinternals Blog, which broke the story after the dude spent who knows how long reverse engineering the damn virus and finding out what the hell it was in the first place.

http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/11/sony-you-dont-reeeeaaaally-want-to_09.html

That link's actually the last entry. Scroll down for a nifty summary. For the nitty gritty, including a response from First 4 Internet, the company that wrote the rootkit program and a rebuttal to the reponse, I suggest you just read the exploits entry by entry.

For a list of pariah CDs that you should not buy because they contain BMG's bullshit rootkit:
http://slashdot.org/~xtracto/journal/121697
This slashdot journal's got an updated list but it's not as clearly written.

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004144.php
This Eff page's got a less-updated list but a brief how-to for identifying bullshit CDs. I warn you now, if you see any of those signs, DO NOT BUY THE CD. Pirate it. You will be better off fending off the RIAA than jumping through Sony BMG's hoops of death trying to get the rootkit off your computer. (Oh, read Mark's Sysinternals entry [the first link] about his analysis of the uninstall program and Sony's continuing bullshitting.)

PIRATE SONY!

Sony Bullshit UPDATED

Sony's in it now.
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/7536/
The first virus has been found that hides itself in Sony's rootkit software. Not malicious, my ass.

http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/7540/
Also, a Macintosh rootkit's been discovered. Kill Sony now!

If you want to sign an online petition against Sony:
http://www.petitiononline.com/bcsony/petition.html

Let's stop the madness!!

The Great Bird of the Galaxy lives on!!

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8275
Do I need to explain how cool this is? Star Trek makes yet ANOTHER appearance in real life technology. This puts the flip phone cell phones to shame, however, since the military has now designed PHASRs! (hehe. I'm giddy beyond belief that they tried their damndest to name the thing a phaser.)

Google Risk

Play World Domination!
http://www.lifehacker.com/software/google-maps/play-risk-with-google-maps-135951.php
Someone programmed a Risk game to run atop a Google World Map API. Now, you can imagine yourself dominating the actual world. I don't know about you, but this is the coolest electronic version of Risk I've ever seen. It's a whole new experience to try to actually CONQUER AMERICA. Fun fun fun. =D BTW: I still don't like to play Risk. This is just marginally better.

Sony bullshit part 3

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000210067093/
Sony president Thomas Hesse has said, quoted in NPR, "Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?"

Thomas Hesse is officially a jackass.


He gets an official MTV copyrighted JACKASS badge. May his head develop an inoperable tumor.

Also, a lawsuit's brewing in Italy over Sony BMG. If a class action gets underway in the States, I'm all over that shit, you better believe it.




oh, and go vote.

Comic Book recommendations part 1

I didn't get a chance to post anything today and I'm not going to post anything of significance now so don't look into it.

Ravi mentioned a couple of days ago that he was curious as to what I considered some of my choices for top comic book stories. I thought about it and spat a couple back to him. He suggested I put it into this blog, which is a good idea.

I took a cue from iTunes Artist Essentials and divided this up into 2 sections: The Basics and Deep Cuts. The Basics are my book choices that should be read by anybody who's interested in comic books as a medium. Deep Cuts are stories that take a little more to get into which amounts to either an experimental story or a story deeply rooted in the history of the series. Still, they're both worth checking out. So, without further ado:

The Basics:
The Watchmen -- Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons created this classic book during an era where comic books were trying to capture a legitimacy in the medium. This is following the uber-camp of the Adam West Batman. Although Adam West Batman was a huge success and was absolutely crucial to the survival of comics post-Wertham (comics would've died had it not been for the Batman tv show in the 70's. It's as simple as that), it did serve to present comic books as nothing more than kid's fare. Alan Moore changed that with this pivotal work. The ideas and themes used in this 12 part miniseries are still being used in mainstream comic book works today, including ambiguous morality, superheroics as a metaphor for passion and isolation, introduction of real world problems to supplement archvillains, etc. If your mental association of comic books are Archie and Adam West, this book will change that; I guarantee it.

The Dark Knight Returns -- Frank Miller's magnum opus (well, magnum opus until he did Sin City) is by far the definitive Batman book. Following the Adam West camp of the 60's and the social consciousness of Neal Adams's Batman in the 70's, Frank Miller brought Batman back to its roots with this 4 part miniseries. This interpretation of Batman is by far the most complex form of Batman ever. It clearly defined the boundaries of Batman, the capabilities of Batman, the mentality of Batman, and the moral compass of Batman. Beyond that, however, this is just a really good story. If you want to understand why Batman stands as one of the most popular comic book heroes in the world, this book will tell you.

Kingdom Come -- Alex Ross and Mark Waid crafted an epic story with this Kingdom Come 4 part miniseries. In the cynicism of the late 90's, with the advent of the anti-hero in the forms of Wolverine and Spawn, Alex Ross and Mark Waid's Kingdom Come reminded readers just what the appeal of traditional heroism was. Beyond that, it reestablished morality and infused the iconic superheroes of the DC Universe with a sense of belonging. If you think Superman is as outdated as Santa Claus, reading Kingdom Come will tell you just how important he is.

Astonishing X-Men -- The first storyarc is entitled Gifted. This is the current main on-going X-Men title. It's also written by Joss Whedon (yes, the Buffy creator) and drawn by John Cassidy. Joss manages to craft a fantastic X-Men story, pulling the characters away from the black leather world of Bryan Singer's movie X-Men and putting them back into their superhero costumes. The dialogue's spot-on and the Cassidy's artwork is amazing. If you want to read good old fashioned superhero action and adventure, read Astonishing.

Midnight Nation -- J. Michael Straczynski (creator of Babylon 5) ventured into comic books after Babylon 5. One of his first ventures is the graphic novel Midnight Nation. This story is a very elegantly crafted story about a man's struggle to understand the afterlife and regain his soul. It's deep but subtly so. It is extremely emotional and adventurous. In the end, the story just captivates you. It also showcases Straczynski's amazing storywriting ability, with storytelling elements that echo his masterpiece Babylon 5. If you want to read a deep but simple story of discovery, read Midnight Nation.

Bone -- Jeff Smith's epic story Bone is a fantasy story delight. The first thing you'll notice is that the humor and art style is remeniscent of an animated movie. It's no wonder because Jeff Smith's art background includes a stint at Disney as an animator. The complete collection of Bone is available and is what I recommend. However, it clocks in as one of the most expensive book on this Basics list. However, it's well worth it. While starting relatively light, Jeff Smith interweaves classic Fantasy tropes into a classic Tolkien style pastiche while still retaining an extremely unique voice. The end result is an extremely inventive and fun story that will last awhile and become embedded in your imagination. If you want to read a great fantasy setting comic, read Bone.

Sandman -- Neil Gaiman's comic book masterpiece 10-volume work is both amazingly beautiful and amazingly deep. If you read the whole thing (which I recommend) it'll cost you a pretty penny. If you're trying to save money or just want a taste of the writing style, then read the 4th book: Seasons of Mist. I recommend you pop on Wikipedia or find a comic book fanatic friend to explain the first 3 books before you dive into the fourth one. Still, it's an emminently beautiful set of stories that examines every facet of mythological basics as well as humanity. If you want to be amazed, read Sandman.

Deep Cuts:
will be continued tomorrow.

---
ADDENDUM: I totally forgot a book:

Maus -- Art Spiegelman's 2-part magnum opus of a story is one of the most famous comic books works in the country because it transcends comic book as a medium. It's used to help teach both young students and analyzed by older students in classrooms all across the country. This survivalist story about Spiegelman's father in Auschwitz is touching, raw, heartfelt, and representational of what comic books provide more than any other medium: accessibility. Because of the anthropomorphic animals in the role of humans, the story presents a very easy to approach quality. However, once you get into it, you realize that Maus is more than just talking mice. If they didn't make you read it in high school or college, read it now. It's definitely worth it.

Sony Virus UPDATE

It's 1 in the morning. I was woken up by the sound of my computer starting up (you know, the Windows startup tune). An error report was automatically sent to Microsoft (automatically. I did not touch the keyboard or click the mouse when I got up) and this is the Microsoft response.

Solution found: contact First 4 Internet Ltd to obtain the update

Problem description

Thank you for submitting an error report. The error was likely caused by:

Aurora

Solution

Aurora was created by First 4 Internet Ltd. First 4 Internet Ltd informed Microsoft that they have a solution available for the problem you reported. To learn more about the solution, First 4 Internet Ltd recommends that you visit the following website:

http://updates.xcp-aurora.com

Clicking the link gave me a website that said this:

Service Pack 2

2|Nov|2005, 3.253Mb

This Service Pack removes the cloaking technology component that has been recently discussed in a number of articles published regarding the XCP Technology used on SONY BMG content protected CDs. This component is not malicious and does not compromise security. However to alleviate any concerns that users may have about the program posing potential security vulnerabilities, this update has been released to enable users to remove this component from their computers.

Download Now

WHAT??? Not malicious? This virus that was installed on my computer by a Sony BMG CD is automatically restarting my computer. AUTOMATICALLY RESTARTING MY COMPUTER. I'm not technologically impaired. I did not run any programs that would restart my computer. My virus checker (Norton's) did not run. I checked the system log. The only thing that could've done this is, ACCORDING TO MICROSOFT, this stupid SONY BMG PIECE OF CRAP VIRUS. (Just in case anybody was wondering, I searched through my system's processes, which was something I didn't do earlier because I didn't think that the Sony BMG bullshit ran without a Sony CD in it. It turns out that son of a bitch program has a background program that runs 24/7 called "Content Verification" or some fucking bullshit like that. Even money says that's the assclown program that restarted my system.)

I hope Sony dies.

--------------------

ADDENDUM: I'm taking the only course of action available (I checked. This is it.) to take this malicious piece of crap off my computer. I went to Sony's website and reported that I need this software taken off. They sent me a form email that said that I would need to install service pack 2 to remove the stealth bullshit that they talked about up when I quoted their website. They have another paragraph on their email:

If you wish to completely uninstall all of our DRM software, visit the form below using the computer where the software is currently installed. After submission you will be emailed a custom uninstall link within 1 business day (M-F).

http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/form9.html

I clicked the link and got an actual form:

UNINSTALL REQUEST

where they asked for my case ID (provided in the email) and a field for:

Please Describe why you need to make an unistall request

They're making me fill out a REQUEST to uninstall MALICIOUS software that I DON'T WANT ON MY SYSTEM. I've never had this happen to me before. I've never had any adware, spyware, or virus demand a reason before an uninstall could be processed.

I don't normally do this but I URGE URGE URGE URGE URGE URGE URGE URGE URGE URGE URGE URGE URGE URGE URGE URGE you to pirate Sony CDs. DO NOT PURCHASE SONY CDs. THEY ARE MALICIOUS AND HARMFUL AND CANNOT BE EASILY REMOVED. DO NOT PURCHASE SONY. PIRATE THE SHIT OUT OF SONY. PIRATE THE SHIT OUT OF SONY.

Thanks for listening.

Political rants.

Vote no on Prop 73. It's wrong to force underage people to get parental consent for abortions. This will not increase communication between teenagers and parents. This will encourages teens to lie and forge documentation. This will encourage unsafe abortion techniques and will increase an ignorance about pregnancy and safe sex. It is wrong and unethical to use laws in such a way. This world's going to hell in a handbasket. It's better now to break the law than follow the law. Citizens are being pushed further and further into polarized attitudes and actions. It's becoming more and more beneficial to become an anarchist. We're destroying democracy through so many ways and so many misguided leaders. I know we're in trouble. I can feel it in my bones and smell it in the wind. We're facing the wall soon and we either have to turn around and start moving backwards or we have to throw ourselves against the wall in an effort to break it down. Ok, that was a cyptic metaphor but you get the gist. We're in trouble in so many ways.

In honor of my 100th post, I offer... a hate post

I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES.

Ok, I guess I should explain myself (but why?). I bought a CD legitimately. It's a Sony Music CD. Because of their copyright bullshit, I needed to install a rootkit on my computer just to listen to it with the computer. I couldn't rip the CD without using their rootkit program, which converted them to copyright protected WMV formats. I can't put these (bear in mind, legitimately bought) files on my iPod or play them through iTunes. I have to either buy the CD again on iTunes Music Store or I have to buy a Sony approved MP3 player in order to play them.

First off, this is WRONG because I DIDN'T PIRATE this CD. Once again, because this is important, I DID NOT pirate this CD. This is a CD I bought in a real store for real money. I did not steal this CD. I picked it off the shelf, walked it to a register, inserted my credit card (at Target they have these keypads with a slot for the credit card), signed the box, and received a receipt. I even have a witness. So, again, I did not break a single law in buying this compact disc. Now, I cannot enjoy this compact disc in the way that I want. Mind you, I have no intention of harming anybody. In fact, I cannot even peripherally harm anybody buy putting this CD on my iPod and through iTunes. I paid for the CD so the artist and the production company will both receive a portion of the sales, as will the store that I bought the CD at. I am throwing away the plastic wrap which means I'm not littering. Perhaps I will be harming the eco-system by throwing the plastic wrap in the landfill (not personally but laterally) but I have no other solution for that problem. However, I'm still not breaking any laws at any point of this process. So, I ask again, why can I not enjoy the CD on my iPod?

Is it necessary to purchase another MP3 player? The CD says it's able to be put on an approved MP3 player. However, I already own an MP3 player. So should I spend 100+ dollars on an MP3 player to play a 15 dollar CD? That seems unbelievably redundant. What's slightly better but no less redundant is the idea of purchasing the CD once in real life and again on iTunes music store. Am I required to buy this CD twice?

So, what could possibly be worse than this?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/01/sony_rootkit_drm/
Yes, that's right! If I attempt to remove the root kit, I will crash my computer and render it completely useless! Sony is now CREATING VIRUSES! This is even worse than a virus because this virus was acquired by following laws. I didn't pirate, I didn't download, I simply bought a CD and wanted to put it on my iPod.

Let me take a little jaunt down a tangent and explain really quickly why I tried to put it on my iPod in the first place. When I buy CDs, I have a tendancy of scratching them up. I keep them in my car and out of the case because it's easier to change CDs while driving by keeping them out of the case. I hardly listen to CDs outside of the car. I didn't buy one of those visor CD holder dealios because if I put the CDs on the outside of the visor--

[Quick comment: I'm watching Grey's Anatomy right now as I type this. A pacemaker just burst into flames during surgery. Does that happen in real life? That's crazy!]

Ok, where was I? Oh yeah. I don't put CDs on visor because I can't change how far against the windshield or how far against the roof of the car the visor rests. So, I keep my CDs in a section under the radio and above the shifter. It's quite convenient but the exposure and lack of a CD case makes it susceptible to scratching. I've actually bought the same CD twice because I accidentally scratched it up beyond recognition. So now I try to put CDs onto my computer so I don't scratch them up.

Ok, that's explained. I feel that's a completely legitimate reason for putting CDs on my computer and iPod. However, this Sony CD does not allow me to do it. What's really stupid is that if I were to pirate the CD, i.e. download it with Limewire or Bittorrent, I would be breaking the law (only mildly) but I wouldn't have any problem and I'd probably be listening to the CD right now instead of typing this rather lengthy rant.

FUCK SONY. FUCK SONY. FUCK SONY.

I am being punished for following the law. I obeyed the copyright law, stupid as they are, by buying the CD legitimately and I'm being punished. I cannot listen to the CD on my iPod (WHICH I BOUGHT LEGITIMATELY TOO) and I cannot listen to the CD on my computer using my audio program of choice. On top of that, I now have a VIRUS (A SONY VIRUS) on my computer which I CANNOT REMOVE. Ok, realistically there is 1 way I can remove it. ONE. Sony released a patch to remove the rootkit but it's a hasty patch that doesn't remove everything. It's incomplete. AND IT SHOULDN'T BE NEEDED IN THE FIRST PLACE! Sony sucks so much ass.

I want to go to Sony headquarters and shoot every single person with "Manager" in their title. I want to find the people that wrote this code and chop off their legs, put leeches in the open wounds, force them to eat their own fingers, burn their hair as it's still attached to their bodies, and slice cuts in their bodies and urinate in the open wounds. I want to tear apart the Sony headquarters building brick by brick. I want to grind each brick into dust and shove it down the throats of their Goddamn board of directors. This is such a bullshit control tactic that goes so far against the principles of Capitalism that it sickens me. They are threatening the future of freedom of expression by literally crippling the computers of the owners of these CDs. I hope that Sony dies. Just dies. I hope they go bankrupt and die. I hope the RIAA chokes on its own vomit. I know that in the future, this period of copyright hysteria will be looked upon the same way as McCarthyism. I hope the RIAA suffers an extreme Wile E. Coyote moment and falls into a canyon. I hope their houses and possessions are repossesed and distributed to the homeless. I hope they're forced in the slave labor and forced to work in 3rd world countries cleaning filth and cooking dinners then they're forced to work in the Gulf coast and must rebuild each house brick by brick. I hope they die.

I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES. I hope Sony DIES.

Positive Story

Ok, I've written a lot of negative comments about Bush's administration. I thought it was time to write something positive.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/05/bush.ethics/index.html

Bush is required all his senior staff to attend ethics classes. I don't know what's going to stick, but this is by far the best thing I've heard about the Vulcan administration in a long time. For that, Bush gets a:



Super Calvin Effort Badge! Way to go, Bush!

NaNoWriMo fun!!

I'm working slowly on this "novel." I'm at 779 words. That's hardly anything but it's a start.

The story's called The Adventures of Corporate Bob. Seriously. It's the idea I had for a comic book possibility but I never got started and so I'm working now on it as prose. The biggest problem, however, is that I originally conceived of this work as having no (or as little) dialogue as possible. I was just going to write a one-page summary at the beginning with character bios and setting descriptions. Then just pictures. Unfortunately, a novel can't really allow pictures to speak for themselves. So, I'm just trying to work this out slowly but surely.

I also bought season 4 of Star Trek: Enterprise on DVD. I know, I know, but I heard the show was really starting to turn itself around and that Manny Coto's writing was stellar. I just had to see it for myself. So far, it's actually pretty good.

Ok, that's it for now.

Writing madness!!

I'm officially a participant in the NaNoWriMo.
Join me for the writing madness!! =D (I'll try to blog my progress. If I have progress...)

BTW, I'm watching Jeopardy right now. I can't believe I didn't remember "gilding the lily" for Final Jeopardy. I suck... =`(```````0 <-- puddle

NaNoWriMo (Sounds like something Flanders would say)

To all my fellow writers and writer-wannabes:
http://www.nanowrimo.org/
It is officially NaNoWriMo! What is NaNoWriMo? It is National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to spend the whole of November (from 1st to 30th) to produce a 50,000 word (175 paged) piece of work.

Here's the official who/what/where/when/why page, in case you're too lazy to find it on your own. =P
http://www.nanowrimo.org/modules/cjaycontent/index.php?id=2

I'm definitely going to sign up! Seriously, this is a good idea. Writing at this speed probably means you'll write a lot of crap. Still, writing's all about taking risks. It's these risks that help break writer's block. If you're going to hit a wall anyway, might as well run fullspeed into it. Sign up! Write 50,000 words! It may be crap but at least it'll be finished crap. See you all on the otherside on Nov. 30!

I'm thinking maybe a mystery-adventure novel for me...

Yoda did what?

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/03/alito.ap/index.html
So, Alito's nomination for Supreme Court Justice looks like it might polarize Congress. It's already divided the Gang of 14 and I get the feeling that they're not hopeful that they can settle their differences with regard to Alito. I credit Bush with yet another move toward furthering the
divide of a split nation.

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/images/11/03/brown.emails.pdf
Read some of former FEMA director Michael Brown's emails! Now, working in a cubicle that I don't want to be in for 40 hours (at least!) a week, I understand the frustration that comes with an office job and I understand the desire to write flippant stupid sarcastic emails. However, 2 major differences between my nonsense emails and Michael Brown's nonsense emails. 1 - I'm not in the middle of a national crisis. 2 - I'm the lowest possible level of employee in the office right now. Brown was a director. SO DON'T SPEND TIME WRITING EMAILS ABOUT HOW GOOD YOU LOOK! "Fashion God" my ass. Brown deserved to get fired. He should be jailed. He's almost as big a jackass as Don Young. We should have a special Washington D.C. jail where we send incompetent high level Federal employees. "Go to the Gulag and think about what you've done, old man." Nah, it'll probably cost at least $231 million dollars to build. And you know these jackasses will demand satellite TV for their jail cells.
(To be fair, I understand that all of Brown's emails weren't released and he may have actually done some real work while in FEMA. However, end results were not promising and the emails he did write that we know about are clearly stupid. Brown's still jackass material.)

Hey, 2 live TV shows this weekend worth mentioning. The West Wing has a live episode with the Republican presidential candidate and the Democratic presidential candidate debating this Sunday. Those of you who haven't been watching consistently might want to skip it and wait for it on DVD so you have a chance to catch up with the show. Now that I mention it, I don't think I have a single friend who watches West Wing realtime. Also, George Carlin has a new comedy special that airs live on HBO this Saturday. Should be good.

Lakers made a showing at their opening game. I think it took a lot of people by surprise that this Laker squad (deemed by ESPN as being the Lakers Year 2 AS [After Shaq]) was able to step up to the Nuggets on their hometurf. True, the Nuggets were still playing like a preseason team, awash in their own mistakes, but watching the Lakers truly step-up and display that they could possibly hang with the big boys, that made me happy. Still, it was nerve-wracking to watch the pandamonium of the game and Lamar Odom made me quite sad (I still contend he's going to be the darkhorse powerhouse of the 2006 Lakers squad) with his failure to play good basketball. I still have hope, however, and I believe in Phil.

Anything else to talk about for now? Not really. Hope everybody's having a good week. If you're not, well, rest assured that it is almost over.

Oh! I remember something I wanted to mention.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4888526365200963792
It's a video of an Easter Egg (I think) on the Star Wars Episode III DVD. If you already have the DVD you might wanna go online and find out how to get the Easter Egg. It's probably better quality. If you don't own the DVD, click on the link. It's a funny video.

Don Young: Jackass Extraordinaire

In case you hadn't heard about it already, Representative Don Young (a Republican from Alaska) has an earmarked sum of money totaling close to $500 million dollars that's set aside to build 2 bridges in Alaska. (just for the bridges. He has a total of over $900 million earmarked for transportation repairs and renovations throughout Alaska.) One of them is connecting a city to an island with about 50 people (no lie) that's already accessible by ferry with a bridge estimated to be roughly the size of the Golden Gate. The other is a literal bridge to nowhere that connects Anchorage to literally 1 guy (just above a town with literally 22 people). As stupid as this sounds, here's the kicker. After Katrina, FEMA has asked for the money back in order to help pay for the Gulf Coast repairs. Young has not only refused to give the money back, he nearly shit a brick.

"They can kiss my ear!" he said. That's a direct quote. DIRECT QUOTE.

This jackass claims that he already helped by helping to raise $500,000. Yes, Don Young, $500,000 is roughly the same as $500,000,000! Jackass.

(In case I have any friends from Alaska reading this, I'm not criticizing Alaska. Just this one jackass. Best of luck with that island of 50 people.)
Here's the story from the Alaskan Daily News, which I can't figure whether they support Young or denounce Young.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/6988027p-6889112c.html

Here's the Salon's article
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/08/09/bridges/
which includes some really good numbers breakdown and this fabulous quote:

"Included in the bill's special Alaska projects is $231 million for a bridge that will connect Anchorage to Port MacKenzie, a rural area that has exactly one resident, north of the town of Knik, pop. 22. The land is a network of swamps between a few hummocks of dry ground. Although it may or may not set the stage for future development, the bridge, to be named 'Don Young's Way,' will not save commuters into Anchorage any time, says Walt Parker, a former Alaska commissioner of highways."

Btw, it's worth noting that in the Salon article there are people who live in these 2 towns who believe that the money SHOULD go to Katrina victims and not Alaska. That means it's just Don Young who wants to build these bridges. THESE POINTLESS BRIDGES. Jackass.

(Oh, and Gordo: check out the Bozeman, MT reference in the first article!)

Tuesday. "Two-day"

It's Tuesday. That is a fact that is hard to deny.

What've I done so far? I've worked, dropped my car off at Costco to get the tires replaced, and bought Star Wars Episode III on DVD. I did not participate in the various giveaways. Basically, for those of you who still plan on buying to today, look up online what the different stores and giving away. I think Walmart's got the best giveaway (Bonus DVD) with Best Buy in second place and Target in third. I, however, bought it at Fry's because there's a Fry's on the way to work and they open at 8 in the morning so I could hit 'em up before work.

---JUDY WARNING: iPOD-CENTRIC PARAGRAPH---
I got my iPod yesterday. It's pretty and black and awesome. I've noticed something, though (beside the damn thing crashing 2 seconds after I turned it on). The black collects dust like nobody's business. Thankfully, I have a handy-dandy cleaning cloth I got included with the iPod stand I bought. So, it's kept fairly clean. =D After resetting it (because the damn thing crash immediately), I loaded my entire music/iTunes Music Store-bought video collection. I also bought season 1 of Desperate Housewives so that I'd have quite a bit of video content to enjoy on the thing. BTW, the picture is FANTASTIC. It's clear and beautiful and crisp and beautiful and... beautiful. The new iPod is EVERYTHING it's cracked up to be. =D =D
---JUDY WARNING HAS ENDED---

So, what else is new? I'm not entirely sure what to make of the Democratic leadership's close door Senate move. It's very unusual and I'm pretty sure it's not just the lack of an Iraq investigation that brought it on. I think in the face of Libby's indictment and Alito's nomination, this is the Democratic leadership's way of calling a timeout, so to speak, and plan for a future strategy. Let's face it, politics are heading into a dark dark couple of years right now. Partisan issues are becoming more and more of a focus as Bush's "leadership" (term used as loosely as possible) has polarized the nation. Hardfast Republicans and hardfast Democrats are ready to throw on gloves and fistfight their way into a compromise. We'll see what happens. Personally, I support the move (just barely) because Democrats have been hit fast and hard the last couple of years. We've completely lost control of whatever power we held onto and the Liberals need to hold up a second and figure out what the Hell's going on.

Black Friday's going to be crazy this year with the must-have items of the season being so outta control (iPods, for example). I'm looking forward to shopping on the day-after-Thanksgiving because it's going to be nuts!! (And I'm not working @ Target so I'm not going to die like last year!) =P

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000100066100/
Umm... this year's Elmo is kinda scary. It speaks (not too surprising) and you can program it to use your child's name from a list of 15,000 names (kinda Chucky-ish). You can even program it to "remind your kid" to do task like eat vegetables and stuff (way creepy). Engadget's hoping someone hacks it. I would love to see what they could do with it.

Ok, I really gotta get back to work now. Sigh... I wish I could just sit around and watch Desperate Housewives...