Bush hits record disapproval ratings on the same day that oil gets within spitting distance of $100 a barrel? Sure, he can fake a country into a war, run a torture prison, admit that he tortures people, run a special program to extradite people for torture, remove all civil rights, spy on citizens without any warrants, arrange massive scams to… Read more →
Year: 2007
I Am Not Making This Up
When I first checked into the hotel on Sunday, I noticed that across the hall from my suite was a door marked “Maintenance Office”. I had an offhand thought about it being odd to find that on the 3rd floor–you’d think it would be on the first floor, or possibly in the basement–and thought no more about it. This morning… Read more →
Update
We did in fact lose power at around 3AM (or 2AM, depending when I was supposed to set my clock back, I guess.) It was still off when I woke up, which made packing for Boston a pain in the ass. The power company was claiming that it would be back by 6PM on Monday, and the news that it… Read more →
“The illest weatherman in the biz”
Well, we did the whole checklist of simple preparations today, so hopefully the Umbrella Theory will kick in and the storm won’t cause any serious effects. Although I will honestly be severely shocked if we don’t lose power–even though the storm appears to have shifted slightly westward, meaning we might only get 100km/h winds (what the locals would refer to… Read more →
Bah. The Last Thing I Need.
I have been in a very black mood since midday Friday, and this is the last thing I need: Since Nova Scotia Power is so incompetentThis is the short version of “behaves as a economically rational actor in a profit-based system which does not assign any intrinsic value to providing an essential public service, where a monopoly is held”. Essential… Read more →
A Litigious Society (is occasionally a plus)
I believe my thoughts on Fred Phelps and his hateful clan are on record. So, you can probably understand why I’m going to sit on my normal rant about ridiculous jury awards in America, and just enjoy this bit of news: Jury awards father $11M in funeral case By ALEX DOMINGUEZ, Associated Press Writer Wed Oct 31, 6:23 PM ET… Read more →
Achilles’ Heel
Apparently my wife is well aware of exactly what my emotional Achilles’ Heel is, since she sent me this story: 3-year-old found alive after plane crash kills two For five hours in the freezing mountains, a little girl hung from a car seat in the twisted wreckage of a crashed Cessna. When rescue workers finally reached her, her first request… Read more →
The foetid taint of Hollywood
Why does Hollywood have to taint everything good? I mean, if they’re going to screw up Radio Free Albemuth, and apparently VALIS as well, (both of which I am fairly sure are unfilmable without dramatically transforming the work, and not for the better), what is safe? (Maybe I’m being cynical, although Dick’s history in Hollywood supports me. And “very close… Read more →
Sex Ed (For Alex Wilson)
WARNING: Do not read if squeamish. Really this is only for Alex. The new Jhonen Vasquez book is out. Yes, this is the same fellow who was the driving force behind Invader Zim. The same guy behind Johnny The Homicidal Maniac and (my favourite of his works) I Feel Sick, plus a bunch of other stuff. The new book, which… Read more →
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…
…the computer industry is a scam. Now, normally when I say this, I mean something about the broad “knowledge industry”, and how commercial software developers are amongst the most highly-paid people who only theoretically…and I would say NOT practically contribute to society. However, it is also true on a much more retail level: Read more →
How to really feel like a 1337 4aXXor
Most of the time, when watching “hackers” on television, and in movies, I am usually quite harsh in mocking the appearance of their tools, and the Hollywood OS. The fact of the matter is that real programmers, and even more so real hackers, primarily work with the keyboardThey usually get this right, oddly. and character mode information…but not this!–this, however,… Read more →
Yes, I Am A Manly Man
Today I picked up a poppy at the grocery store, and probably severely over-donated as part of that interaction. I can’t help myself–one of the things that completely crack through my stern and manlyYes, I am totally serious. I am a manly man. If something can even manage to cut my steel-hard skin, I bleed 100% pure testosterone. exterior is… Read more →
Quote of the Day: Peter Watts
And the audience was pretty damn appreciative, even if some of them had already heard my comparison of God to an invisible purple hamster who lives up my butt and tells me what to do. (source) Read more →
Books, Cheese, and Beer
As you can probably tell, my access to the Internet has been spotty this week (and will continue so for a few more days). However, I’ve stolen a minute now to mention that yesterday was the day of Books, Cheese, and Beer. Details to follow when things return to normal, probably along with some commentary on a couple of tourist… Read more →
Last bit of Cintra
If the earlier quotes on L.A. didn’t sell you the book, I’m going to take one more shot at convincing you, and then I’m going to shut up about it. Promise. France’s Surya Bonaly, the beautiful black ice skater, has gotten screwed by the judges every time I’ve ever seen her compete. Surya Bonaly is a blazing star, she is… Read more →
