What? Iranian nuclear program? butterfly ballots, flexible seating, n to dvd, Mario returns

Sorry for days without posting. It's been another hectic work week, with long hours working on an issue. But, here are some items:

• Iranian negotiator boasts of fooling Europeans on Iran's secret nuclear program. Later, is shocked to find that Europeans read Internet news.
• Not this again. Did "Crash" win best picture due to confusing butterfly ballots? (How many in news media won't realize this is a joke?)
• The Feel seating system from Animi Causa is an interesting design. Supposedly modeled after molecules.
• "Captain N" might be coming to DVD. If you don't remember it, it was a Saturday morning cartoon (when I was a kid) filled with Nintendo based characters. Back then I remember watching to see if my favorite characters would show up, but being disappointed by the cheesiness and poor execution.
• Speaking of Nintendo, looks like there will be a return to classic Super Mario Bros. action in the updated New Super Mario Bros.. Looks old school cool.
  

Loch nessiephant, taxi cop, origami, moving money

Good stuff on the net today:

• Oh good, the mystery is solved. Loch Ness Nessie was actually a circus elephant. Thank you, Science, for ruining everything fun.
• Cop and suspect hail the same cab. Unfortunately, "COPS" wasn't there to catch it on video.
• I am amazed by the winning entries from MIT's origami contest, and that people went to that much effort folding paper.
• And speaking of Origami, are new pics and info on Microsoft's Origami project surfacing?
• Sweden's new banknotes have moving images for fraud prevention. But hey, we got quarters for each State.
  

Live action Simpsons, some worthwhile podcasts

Check out this awesome live action recreation of 'The Simpsons' show opening. It was much better than I was expecting when I first saw the link.

Thought for something different I would post links to some of the podcasts I listen to or watch. I'm lazy and just get them all from iTunes (it's so easy). Anyway, here's a few:

• Ask A Ninja - people ask a ninja questions, and he responds. I guess I didn't really need to explain that. Funny vidcast.
• Diggnation - Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht (formerly of G4-TechTV) discuss some of the top ranked stories posted to social news site Digg.com. Always interesting and often humorous. (Occasional adult language.)
  
• Channel Frederator - a collection of cartoon shorts by different artists and studios. Many are mediocre (or lame), but there are quite a few really good ones. Traditional, CGI, and sometimes music videos that have animation. (Occasional adult language or themes.)
• Geek News Central - tech stories and discussion. Appropriate for all ages.
• The Official Lost Podcast - "Lost" executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse discuss the previous episode, give some hints about the upcoming episode, and answer fan questions. Occasionally, there are interviews with stars of the show.
• CIO Podcast - Information Technology and business stories.
• The Onion Radio News - news farce from the humorist site "The Onion". Often very funny. (Occasional adult language.)
  

Review: "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire

I just finished reading "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maquire. This book was excellent; one of the best I've read in a long time, and I highly recommend it to those that are familiar with the "Wizard of Oz" but have a satirical streak.

The book tells the story of Elphaba (otherwise known as the Wicked Witch of the West), from birth through the events of "Wizard of Oz". We find that she perhaps isn't the evil to the core person we are introduced to in glimpses in "Wizard". The story covers a few periods in her life from birth, then to her college experience (which I think is one of the most interesting periods in the book), and others including adulthood in the timeframe of "Wizard". The book is sort of using a gimmick (the backstory behind a famous movie villainess) but is not at all gimmicky; it is very well thought out, and makes you think. There are challenging themes of what is good and evil, what is choice, as well as fairly rich political, social, and religious debates. It is a good exercise in taking preconceived ideas (the "Wizard" movie or book) and challenging that with more information that was previously hidden. I'll let you read the book and form your own opinions about the Witch, the Wizard, and Oz.

The one minor disappointment I had was really my own misunderstanding of the book. I thought it was strictly following the "Wizard of Oz" and would just fill in the gaps. However, it actually tells a different version of some of the scenes (basically playing on the fact that the movie might be a revisionist telling of the "true" events). I was a little confused where scenes passed that happened differently in the movie, but that is a minor complaint.

So, in summary, I highly recommend this book. It was fun, well written, and surprisingly deep, plus it adds to an already great story.

Review: "Black" by Ted Dekker

Thought I would give another review; this time for "Black" by Ted Dekker. This is the first book in a trilogy, of which I have not read the last two. If you want to read this, plan to read all three since it ends with a cliffhanger.

Overall, I thought this was a decent book with a good basic premise. The main character, Thomas, is living in two worlds. When he falls asleep in one, he wakes up in the other; the big question of the book being which is real (or are they both real). One world (the "normal" one) is essentially our world in the near future, with most events taking place in the US or Bangkok.
The other world is a vastly different world of magic and strange beasts, and a child-like population. Thomas has tremendous problems trying to convince anyone in either world that the other world exists.

To make matters worse, in the second world, he gets information about the first world. He hears that in the "past" of the world a deadly virus was released that devastated the population. So, now he has to try and prevent that from happening in the first world (on the assumption that our "normal" world is the ancient past of the magical world; even that assumption comes into doubt at some point, though it is obvious there is a connection).

There is a whole lot of stuff going on in this book, and I think that is what saves it. Any of the stories on their own would be kind of flimsy, but the sheer complexity of it and the fast pace keeps it entertaining. I tended to get really caught up in what was happening and then slightly disappointed when Thomas wakes in the other world; but that is part of what keeps you reading. The magical world does seem a bit simplistic, and that made it a little harder for me to buy in that it might be the real one, but since there are effects that carry through to the other world, it is still somewhat plausible.

So, if you are a fan of alternate reality stories, or fast paced fantasy, you'll probably find this book to be OK. I was certainly intrigued enough that I'll be looking for the other two books in the trilogy.

Unlucky lottery, iPod boombox, pong battle, Chinese internet

• Oh no! lottery winners luck can go bad! Well, now I'm totally glad I haven't won millions of dollars.
  
• Apple announced their iPod Hi-Fi today. I am not interested in it.
• Atari threatens the makers of the Pong clock, and then, well, relents. It's a back and forth like... uh... I don't know. Something that goes back and forth.
• China making their own Internet domain name system. Ooh, is this the beginning of a cheaper, overseas knockoff of the Internet?
  

da Vinci lawsuit, governor appointments, e-ink reader, big computer display

• "The Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown being sued for stealing plot points from a history book called "The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail". Also, authors of that book are being sued by God for stealing points from the Bible.
• Kentucky governor appoints justices to his own case. If I understand this, this governor is investigated over his hiring practices, so naturally he appoints two campaign contributors to be special justices in that case only.
• Some new info on Sony's Portable Reader System (e-ink reader). Looks cool, but I hope it is affordable and has better content support than past e-book devices.
• If you've got $12,000 to spend, you can have this computer display made from 6 24" LCD screens.

Swiss army music, da Vinci sketches, MS Origami, tax problems

• A Swiss Army knife with a built in mp3 player, for when you need to play music and cut things at the same time. Is there anything they haven't put an mp3 player in yet?
  
• If you are waiting for the Da Vinci code movie, here's a gallery of da Vinci drawings.
• What is Microsoft's Origami project? I don't know, but it looks cool so far.
• H&R Block goofs on its own taxes. Yeah, probably not a good sign.
  

President names, shrine attack, port sale, lego games, luxury bath

I just got my bill from the carpet cleaners today: ouch. A lot more than I was expecting. Oh well, had to be done, I guess. What also has to be done: sharing some links:

• Family names their seven children after past Presidents. And not obvious ones like Taft, Roosevelt, or Nixon.
• Askariya shrine attack pushes Iraq toward civil war. Maybe we should wait on reconstruction efforts. Carried out by Sunni insurgents, and already the US is taking some blame. It is a shame this beatiful Golden Mosque was destroyed, and I hope the majority realized that it was attacked by a very small minority that is trying to enflame further violence.
• Bush, while strongly defending the port sale, was unaware of it until after it was approved. Apparently the same for Donald Rumsfeld. If all the necessary investigation and checks are in place, I think this deal should go through; I don't think we should halt this just because it's being sold to an Arab state. I think the same security rules should apply to any purchaser. However, this story does point to more communication problems within our government.
• This guy creates video game scenes out of Legos. Cool, but why would you think of that?
• You want the La Scala home theater whirlpool bathtub.

Review: "Corpse Bride"

I just got Tim Burton's Corpse Bride on DVD, so I thought I'd throw out a quick review of it. I'll start by stating I'm a big fan of almost all of Tim Burton's work (except for "Mars Attacks!" which I really didn't care for, for some reason), so it was no surprise that I liked this movie a lot.

The story deals with shy groom Victor Van Dort who accidentally marries a dead woman while practicing his wedding vows. It gets into a love triangle of sorts, where he tries to make it back to the living and lovely Victoria, but at the same time is sucked into the lively land of the dead and his corpse bride. The story remains pretty simple; there is a murder 'mystery' (if you can call it that) that is pretty obvious from the start, and works well enough as is. There is also some plot around Victor and Victoria's parents and their social ambitions.

The stop motion animation and visuals are stunning. The obvious comparison in style is to The Nightmare Before Christmas, with a nice balance of morbidity and vibrancy. I really like the way Burton plays with light and dark (not just visually) to show that what we traditionally think of as creepy and gruesome is maybe not that bad after all. The wonderful contrast in this movie is that the land of the living is bleak and dreary, with muted color palette and muted behaviors, while the land of the dead is colorful and lively, with much more cheer and freedom.

The music is also wonderful, perhaps not as memorable as "Nightmare", but it is still excellent work by Danny Elfman. The instrumentals are well done, and the land of the dead has a very jazzy feel.

I really enjoyed the movie; if you are a Tim Burton fan, you'll love it. If you like sweet, simple romance comedies, you'll like this movie. Or if you want a movie that is different than the mainstream, give "Corpse Bride" a try.

Veto, Holocaust jailing, deadly elephants, Vista versions, and more

Hello! Here are some links for you:

• Bush seeks line item veto but Congress hesitant to give it. Instead of letting the President (Executive) legislate, shouldn't we just clean up Congress (Legislative) so they don't sneak unrelated junk into bills?
• British author that diminished the Holocaust in his books gets 3 years in jail in Austria. Now, I'm no supporter of Holocaust denial, but isn't imprisoning someone for speaking their belief a characteristic of the historical governments you are trying to atone for?
• Warning: elephants may seek revenge. Great. One more thing to worry about in my day.
• If you are ambitious enough, you could build your own roller coster, like this guy.
• If you use del.icio.us, you might want to try Thumblicio.us, a handy site that displays thumbnails of your bookmarks.
• In order to make things more complicated, Microsoft will have 8 different versions of Windows Vista.
• Need a cool licensed logo or character iPod case? Check out Iconz.
• Fans of "Strange Brew" be on the lookout for the upcoming animated 'Bob and Doug' show.
  

More water, mechanics, mortgages, and money

The Curse of the Water Spirit continues. This morning, when I looked outside, I saw construction workers. Water was streaming out in the street due to a water main break in front of my neighbor's house (maybe my bad luck is spreading). They had to tear up the street to fix it, so it will be a little messy until they can pave it in the summer. Oh well, no major to effect to me (that I know of yet).
Items:

• London survey finds some mechanics are more costly per hour than lawyers and doctors. Well, with all that schooling and malpractice insurance, and ... wait, what?
• Bond sales may promote longer mortgages, like 50 year loans. Yeah, a 50 year mortgage. That's a good idea. You could pay the interest if you won...
• ...the record $365 million Powerball jackpot.

RIAA rips on ripping, declassification, cablebone, water light show

• RIAA now says ripping your CDs to transfer to an iPod is not Fair Use. Oh well, that's fine. Let me just buy another copy of all those songs from iTunes. Sheesh.
  
• VP Cheney has the authority to declassify classified info. No wait! He wasn't supposed to tell you that!
• The cablebone looks like a simple, smart idea for organizing your bird's nest of cables and wires.
• A showerhead that lights up the water based on temperature. Very handy if you can't feel the different temperatures with your skin.

Easy evidence, ironic shooting, DS web, minature food people

Brrr. it's cold here! I suppose the recent cold wave is to help with the ambiance of the Winter Olympics. Here's some stuff:

• If you're going to steal stuff, please be considerate and leave a note in your house indicating 'stolen stuff visable' to help the police in their investigation.
• Man laughing about Cheney accidental shooting incident gets accidentally shot a few hours later. You probably want to avoid laughing about this story.
• Nintendo DS owners, you are getting a web browser (from Opera).
• Here's a neat little gallery of little model people on food landscapes.
  

Happy Valentine's, TomKat split?, eagle power, Cheney coverage

Happy Valentine's Day to you! I hope you've received some cheer today.
It's not all love and flowers though, as Tom and Katie are splitting. Who would have thought! I thought they would have the longevity of Brad and Jennifer, uh, Nick and Jessica, uh, Bennifer, uh... nevermind.

More of an Independence Day type article, but the American bald eagle takes a step closer to coming off the endangered list.

And in case you've missed it, the "Daily Show" had some good coverage of the Cheney shooting incident, including a top-notch re-enactment.

Wiretapped?, holy terror!, is there gravity in your house?, heart eggs

Ah, I came home and it was silent in my house... no industrial fans or dehumidifiers cranking away. Carpet is dry, and now just needs to be reinstalled. Also, I've got a new water heater installed today; hopefully this one lasts longer.
Some links:

• Bush forgets the mics are on again.
• Our newest weapon against terror? Batman.
• Just what you need: your own gravitational measurement devices.
• Valentine's Day tomorrow. Here's an idea for Valentine's breakfast: heart shaped eggs.
  

Hot water, Cheney on the hunt, a review of "Legends of Dune"

Looks like my water heater problems are not over, as it is smoking a little. I suppose I do have to get it replaced now. Could be worse; I could be part of Vice President Cheney's hunt for the most dangerous game.

Anyway, thought I'd start something different by occasionally posting reviews of books that I've recently read (or movies seen, etc.). To start, I'll give this very high level review of the "Legends of Dune" trilogy (The Butlerian Jihad, The Machine Crusade, and The Battle of Corrin).

Firstly, these books, which take place centuries before the classic "Dune" series, are now where near as good as the classic series. The trilogy covers a period called the Butlerian Jihad, in which humanity is in a brutal war with the thinking machines (basically robots), their mastermind Omnius, and a handful of "cymeks" (big robots with human brains) called the Titans. It centers on some key members of the families so familiar in other "Dune" series, namely the Atreides and Harkonnens, but it touches on the Corrinos as well. It also deals with the origins of some of the integral organizations in the classic "Dune" series.
On the plus side, I think the books gave a fairly good epic feel, by covering several generations and really showing some change in the characters and situations over time. (Again, not nearly as epic as the original series.) Also, there are some interesting characters, including Vorian Atreides and te complex thinking machine, Erasmus. However, there are also a lot of characters that seemed like they were supposed to be important, but never really went anywhere, like the authors set up too much and then abandoned it as they went.
It wouldn't be "Dune" without politics, and they are here too, but frankly feel simplified and stereotypical. I would have liked more depth and realism.

My biggest disappointments are that the authors try to create the origin of every major element from the classic series (Suk doctors, Fremen, Bene Gesserit, Spacing Guild, Atreides/Harkonnen feud, etc.) into a relatively short period of time (all within basically a hundred years), which I thought was very unlikely (the "Dune" saga spans tens of thousands of years at least) and completely unnecessary. Also, the sub-plot about Arrakis (Dune) is easily one of the most flat and dry (pun intended) stories in the series, which is ironic given the series' namesake. Lastly, when I read the original "Dune" books, I never would have pictured that the history was a giant war between humans and robots. Kind of cheesy, in my opinion.

Verdict? I really felt the authors (one of which is Frank Herbert's son) were really just riding on the coat-tails of the original books, and didn't do that great a job at it. There are some interesting things, and if you are familiar with classic "Dune" you'll either appreciate the tie-ins or find them not in spirit with the original books (some of this could just be my interpretation of the classic series too). If you haven't read the original "Dune" series, read those instead; they are much better books. If you are a die-hard fan of "Dune", you'll probably want to read the "Legends of Dune" trilogy (if you haven't already) for the details and history. If you are a fan of human versus machine stories ("Matrix" or "Terminator"), you might enjoy these as well. Otherwise, the only way I can recommend is if you are looking for an epic series that will keep you busy for a while (but again, read the classic "Dune" story first so as not to spoil your experience of that).

Burns and leaks, channel shopping, Hogfather, real cash for virtual jobs, laser swords

What a week! As you'll recall from the last post, I have a horrible sunburn on my head and face, I came home from vacation to a flooded basement, and now this morning my water heater started on fire. (Oh, and we're in the middle of a blizzard too!) I'm buzzing with anticipation to see if the next thing will be localized earthquake or possibly a Godzilla attack. (I exaggerate the water heater a bit. The electrical box did shoot flames and smoke, but didn't sustain a fire. But hey, it's funnier to think of a flaming tank of water.)
Some things to see:

• Did Cheney authorize the classified info leaks?
• FCC considering a la carte pay TV now, even though against it in the past. I have to admit, I thought this sounded like a good idea, but with deeper thought, I'm not so sure.
• Hooray for fans of Discworld! "Hogfather" being adapted as a TV special. And hopefully, it will make its way here to the US eventually.
• Tired of that boring "real" job? Maybe you can make more money with a career in a virtual world.
  
• A note from my vacation: we ate at a place on Sanibel called Lazy Flamingo. If you're in the area looking for a bite to eat, they've got pretty good grouper sandwiches and salads.
• We are finally getting closer to achieving a true lightsaber!

Deleted emails, clocks, doorknobs, leaks, Google, and Zelda

Hello! I'm off for vacation tomorrow, so don't expect updates for several days. Before I go, here are a few items:

• Dick Cheney's emails deleted from around the time of the Plame incident, contrary to White House Policy. Well, that's convenient.
• Build your own projection clock if you are too cheap to buy one and have lots of time.
• Finally! A doorknob that knows who I am!
• Well, that's an interesting new approach to accidentally leaking confidential credit card info: sending it out with the newspapers.
• What's the future of Google? Scientists and visionaries give some thoughts.
• The 20th anniversary of "The Legend of Zelda" brings some neat new collectibles.
  

CSI criminal guide, best companies, no more buzz lightyear, wow map

• Are crime shows, like "CSI", making smarter and bolder criminals?
  
• The top 100 best companies to work for. The page also has an interesting article 'Uncover the Best Companies'.
• Toy Story 3 will not be made. I agree, move on to more great original work, instead of sequel-itis.
• My gosh, you can use Google Maps for even fictional locations now, like World of Warcraft map.
  

Challenger, end game, chat cartoons

• As we reach the 20th anniversary of the Challenger tragedy, here are seven myths about how people remember it.
  
• Game Revolution has a gallery of game endings sure to be nostalgic to people in my age group. I spent days to see some of these as a kid!
• I haven't had a chance to try this yet, but here's a tool to convert any IM thread or text file into an online cartoon.

Power change, color change cars, iTunes U and GoogleTunes

• Hamas wins majority in Palestinian elections - wait, if a militant group is now in charge, that's not a good thing!
• Here's and excessively scientific article about car paints that change color based on temperature. Bah, KITT was still cooler.
• Apple launching iTunes U, where universities can offer lectures through the application. What a great idea! Let's put class lectures right next to the not-at-all-distracting music and tv downloads.
• And speaking of iTunes, is Google close to developing an iTunes competitor?
  

Room number, just die already!, choco-jolt, robo-pets, all thumbs

Hello! Still busy with work stuff, so sorry for the sporadic, irregular blog posting. But, let's say the inconsistency adds an element of anticipation and excitement to reading my blog, right? "When and what is he going to post?" "Let's check back often to find out!" (Did they buy it?)
Some links:

• Attention dumb criminal: When you rob the motel you're staying at, don't leave a note that lists your room number.
• What's this? A company that buys your life insurance may not have your best interests at the top of mind? This company is trying to cancel woman's contract because she did not die quickly.
• Just what you need: a recipe to make caffeinated chocolate.
• We've heard that pets are good for their owner's health, this article says robot pets are also good for your health. (But not as good for your electric bill.)
• Huh, that's an interesting, simple idea... the Thumbthing helps you hold books open one handed.
• Big Brother, errr... Wal-Mart, Costco, and Target are considering biometric payment systems where you can pay by scanning your fingerprint.
  

Iran, mouse-phone, ye olde historic tale

• Iran is moving assets out of Europe and then their president meets with and pledges support to anti-Israel militant groups. Well, I'm sure this is all just misunderstandings, right? What is Iran doing and why is the world worried?
• It's a mouse; it's a phone; it's both! Umm, why?
• Here is the Historic Tale Construction Kit, which I'm sure you'll have plenty of uses for.
  

Speed of light, misadventure, cartoon wall art, robo-signer

• Is e=mc2 wrong? This theory suggests that speed of light is not a constant (the "c").
• Iraqi Invasion: A Text Misadventure - a text adventure style parody (some rated R language).
• Want a giant Trix rabbit on your wall? Here's a how-to.
• Why learn sign language when you can just get a robot translator? (Wouldn't it be easier to have this translated into text on a display instead of robotic hand gestures?)
  

House ethics, top satire, top conspiracy theories, roof top ads

House Republicans Unveil New Ethics Plan. Am I the only one that initially misread this as "House Republicans Evil New Ethics Plan"? I think it's a good start that they're (Republicans and Democrats) making in looking at ethics, but it seems like it is more about political appearance and avoiding legal issues instead of... well, being ethical. Doing the right things for the sake of not getting in trouble is not the same as doing the right things because you believe they are the right things.
Other stuff:

• I have not read them all yet, but plan on looking through Humorfeed's top satire stories of 2005.
• Got lots of roubles laying around? Why not spend them on elaborate practical jokes?
• The top 10 wackiest conspiracy theories... or are they?
• It was only a matter of time. People are advertising on roofs so their logo shows up on Google Maps' satellite maps.
  

Doomsday, sweetness, digital postcard, aroma clock

Happy MLK Jr. Day to you! Here's a few totally unrelated links:

• Is Iran's president actually a crazy, doomsdayist?
• New tablets can make sour taste sweet. So now I can eat my Chicken McNuggets in Sweet & Sweet sauce?
• A new digital postcard for when you're willing to spend $25 on a "wish you were here".
• Now, instead of sounds, you can wake up to scents with the Aromatherapy Alarm Clock. (Or at least different scents than you normally wake up to.)
• Purdue U. designers win Microsoft competition with this cool bookshelf based PC design.
• A rollable, fabric keyboard looks like a great portable keyboard option.
  

Green ham, Whitehouse/Delay, new nickel, pod hacks, mobile site converter

Oh, man, I've neglected this site a bit because I've been at work almost non-stop this week. Big production issues have kept us on round the clock shifts; maybe some of you other IT workers out there can relate. Thankfully, I can rest up a little this weekend, and after the essentials (like sleep) I'm getting back to a new post here. Here's some links for you:

• Finally! One step closer to green eggs and ham, with the transgenic green pig.
• Whitehouse distancing themselves from Tom Delay. Well, duh. Interesting article in the Bush and Delay relationship.
• New nickel breaks coin tradition by having a forward facing Jefferson. I must admit, I am a fan of these commemorative coin redesigns, though I haven't seen hardly any of the Westward Journey nickels.
• Big collection of iPod hacks on Wikipedia if you are so inclined to add functionality to (and possibly void warranty of) your iPod.
• Need a better view of a site on your mobile device? Google provides this URL to strip down and make a website mobile friendly.
  

Concept cars, long concert, something new in keyboards

Missed several days of posts due to nightmare days (and nights) at work, and then sheer laziness as I recover my lost sleep. Anyway, here are a few links for today:

• Check out these sweet concept cars. The Dodge Challenger concept is especially cool in a retro way.
• Second chord sounds in world's longest concert. First chord started in 2001; entire concert to last 639 years. I would go, but I hate to go to a concert late.
• I hope I can afford the Optimus Keyboard, because it looks awesome.
  

CES and gadgets, religious trends, alien sensations, old body - new tricks

• Lots of cool info popping up from this year's Consumer Electronics Show (caution: loud, annoying music on site); Gizmodo and Engadget are a couple good places to find some interesting coverage.
• Like Sony's new e-book reader. I really like the thought of e-book readers in theory, but I think I'd need some time getting used to it. I know past attempts at them have failed, and maybe it's because people, like myself, like the feel of a "real" book.
• Check out the Entertaible, an electronic, LCD based board game. Now this, I think is a really cool idea. You can load various different board games onto it, but still play it like an old fashioned board game.
• Trying to decide if you should go HD-DVD or Blu-ray for your next DVD player? Gizmodo links to a couple sites that tell which movies are being released in each format.
• Bush giving $6000 of Abramoff raised campaign money to charity in the same manner of other politicians trying to distance themselves from the lobbyist. Wait, if it was campaign money, shouldn't it have been spent on the campaign?
• For the religious minded, Newsweek's five most important religious trends of 2005 offers some insightful thoughts.
• Are you an alien abductee? offers a pretty worthless checklist ("Has someone seen you being abducted by aliens?" to paraphrase one of them).
• MSN Men's Health 18 tricks to teach your body gives some tricks for fighting ice cream headache, minor burns, stuffed nose, and more.
  

Furby hacking, guilty lobbyist, picnic on the go, Google googles the PC

• Hacking your Furby. And I thought these things looked creepy with the fur on!
  
• Lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleads guilty, agrees to cooperate. Congressmen everywhere put hands in pockets, whistle a tune, and try to look innocent.
• Want to enjoy a picnic, but don't have the time to stay still? Try this motorized picnic table.
• Google may be releasing the Google Cube low cost PC at Wal-Mart. Article includes surprising quote of "In fact, Google could over time become more of a hardware company than anything else."
• More Google road to domination: Lexar USB flash drives to include Google software. Google software soon to be installed in televisions, media players, pace makers, and newborn babies.
  

Your celebrity face

I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Here's an interesting site I found on another blog today: my Heritage's face recognition demo. You can upload a picture of your face and run face recognition software against pictures of celebrities to see who you most resemble. I did this, and here are the top ten. The amazing thing they all have in common is that they don't look like each other.
Brian apparently looks like:

• Carlos Castaneda 63% match (yeah, I hadn't heard of him either)
• Angelina Jolie 59%
• Steven Soderbergh 58%
• Jeff Goldblum 55%
• Margaret Atwood 51%
• Margaret Thatcher 50%
• Eddie Murphy 50%
• John Hume 47%
• Goran Persson 47%
• Tom Hanks 47%

Yes, you read that right - I am a 50% match on both Margaret Thatcher and Eddie Murphy. I've always thought they were separated at birth.

Intel logo, speakers, race car, things we know, Jeep spending, Bush quotes

• Intel launches new logo. New slogan as well, but Intel is still inside.
  
• Of course, please compliment your iPod with these $4000 speakers. That seems sensible.
• New Nissan concept that also functions as a video game machine. Having your actual car function as a racing game console. Now that is a safety minded idea.
• An interesting list: 100 Things We Didn't Know This Time Last Year.
• The Marines buy Jeeps at $100K a piece. If only I could get them to come to my garage sale...
• "Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job." is 2005's top Bush quote.
  

Jockey goof, cats and pods, Microsoft surprises, pac-movie, water clock

• Jockey celebrates early and ends up losing the lead. 80 meters left.
• Want to combine your love of cats with love of iPods? Try the iKitty.
• The ten biggest Microsoft surprises of 2005. Security issues? How is that a surprise?
• Pac-Man to be a movie. Yes, the yellow dot guy. Also, Tekken and Castlevania movies, because hey, videogame movies are always really good, right?
• A water powered clock. Shh, don't let Big Oil find out!
  

Net usage, toast portraits, role models, dash, tech talk

Hope everyone has been having Happy Holidays! I'm back from Christmas in Iowa and here are a few leftover Christmas goodies for you:

• 68% of United Statesians use the Internet (from this set of Internet stats), and you might be one of them! (I'm pretty confident in the "you're using the Internet" part, not so much the "you're a United States citizen".)
• Are you bummed that portraits don't mysteriously appear in your toast? Here's a way to laser engrave your own toast.
• British teen girls came up with this insightful list of the ten most inspiring celebrities. Let's let them decide the Nobel Prize winners.
• The new Mercedes S-Class has a digital dashboard. Included is picture-in-picture that constantly plays "Cannonball Run".
• 2005's tech exec foot-in-mouth awards. Who would have thought a tech executive would speak inelegantly?
  

Our new robot leader, that crazy Congress, wiretap rules?

• New robot that can recognize itself in a mirror. Huge market for robot makeup and hair products just around the corner.
  
• Senate blocks defense spending bill that includes Alaskan refuge oil drilling. Alaskan refuge oil drilling in a defense bill. Also in this defense bill: hurricane relief money and help for low income families to pay heating bills. Why can't Congress logically group things in their bills? Oh, and there should have been a Congressional pay raise tacked on.
• Oh, that's why! they're paid to pass laws in exchange for campaign donations.
  
• Quote from April 2004 Bush speech: "Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution." Hmmm... and Bush began authorizing warrantless wiretaps in 2001?
  

Corrupt Congress, edible lawns, table defense, mac IE, super MIT bros

• Sen. Reid calls Congress "most corrupt in history" Not sure if he is complaining or bragging.
• How to eat your own lawn. I should clarify, this is for humans. If you are a sheep, you probably already had it figured out.
• Finally! A bedside table that will help defend against those invading Visigoths and Vandals.
• Mac users: Internet Explorer for Mac being phased out. This must be heartbreaking considering how much you love Microsoft products.
• Someone(s) with a lot of time turned a MIT hall into a Super Mario level. Yes, fine college education at work.
  

Blog this blog! Spying, soap, portable tv, chalk wear, toys

A friend of mine was commenting that he hardly knows what a blog is, since he felt people use (and mis-use) the word for all kinds of things. I guess I don't hear it incorrectly used that often, but he went to the interesting point of "'blog' is going to become the next 'smurf'." (as in "Holy smurf, here comes Gargamel!"). Well... yeah, I guess that could happen.

I don't usually get overtly political in my blog blogs, but was bothered by the story President Blog authorizes spying on citizens without warrants. It's one blog to protect America, but by violating (or potentially violating) liberties and freedoms to do so kind of defeats the purpose. There is that great quote by Benjamin Franklin that goes "They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security." Also, we have a government of checks and blogs, so for the Executive Blog to start spying on citizens without involvement of the other branches (typically the courts), is allowing too much power to the blog.

Other blog:

• Want to blog your own soap? TeachSoap is filled with info on the topic. Surprisingly interesting.
• Oh, the wonderful blog of the Japanese! HDTV on the go for when blogging HDTV in the home is not enough.
• The Blackboard T-Shirt with chalk. Finally a shirt that never goes out of blog. Know what you could blog on it? Blog.
• Popular toys of the last 100 years. Lots of classics, but I was surprised to see blog missing from the list.
  

No read good, terror release, e-ink clock, more

• 1 in 20 American adults is illiterate. If you're one of them... well, I guess you can't read this.
  
• Al-Zarqawi caught then released. I'm not a military strategist, but that doesn't seem like the surest road to victory.
• If you've been looking for a 52 inch wide, flexible wall clock, the Citizen e-ink clock is for you.
• Google might buy Opera? A web juggernaut buying a browser?
  
• Bush and McCain agree on torture ban. Why exactly did this take so long?
• Korean human cloning was faked. This is a sad day in my quest for the All Brian Army.
  

Dead law, dead wrong, dead presidents, long dead finds, and... um Google

• If you outlaw death, then only outlaws will die.
• Iran's president - not a fan of Schindler's List apparently.
  
• New dead presidents dollar coins to start debuting in 2007.
  
• The 10 most puzzling ancient artifacts. Odd, there's no mention of the eight-track cassette...
• Google lets you build a custom Google homepage. But that's it. They have to be about out of ideas.
  

Santax, wake n' bacon, pixel power, colorful past

• Argentina's taxmen dressing as Santas. What better way to encourage the kids to give money to the government.
  
• Now, this is ingenious: an alarm clock that wakes you by cooking bacon. And it has a clever name: The Wake N' Bacon!
• A 39-Megapixel camera?? What insane photographer could possibly need this?
• Check out Bound for Glory, America in Color 1939-1943. A great Library of Congress website exhibition. (And be sure to browse some of the other great exhibitions online.)
  

Bangalore, Xbox discounts, drumsheets, happy media

• Bangalore gone!.. the way of Madras, Calcutta, and Bombay. City name change in the plans.
  
• Xbox sales so bad in Japan, prices slashed to $150 with ISP contracts.
• Need a way to bring excitement to that boring old spreadsheet? How about an Excel drum machine plug-in?
• What wonderful times we live in... Happy Meal toys might be replaced with media players.
  

Integrity, poles, populations, pooh, and more

• I don't know if we should be pleased by 'integrity' being the most looked up word on web dictionaries. On the one hand, it means Americans are possibly interested in integrity, but on the other, it means most of them don't know what it means.
  
• Here's a very cool PC case mod adding a Japanese touch.
• Better sell all your stock in compass companies. Earth's magnetic poles are drifting.
• An interesting view of the world: a map of Earth with country size scaled to population.
• Winnie the Pooh gets a new friend. Disney replacing Christopher Robin with a girl. Next up: Piglet replaced by rapping wild boar and Hundred Acre Woods gets a paved skateboard park.
• Looking for a new hobby? By like this guy and create your own homemade nuclear fusor.
• Hope you didn't pay huge dollars for an Xbox 360 online. They can't even get rid of them in Japan (at a lower price than in the US, no less).
  

Narnia, PC phone calls, answers, bioprint, alarming news

• The new Narnia movie opens tomorrow, and I will probably see it, even after this review calling it a LOTR wannabe. Sheesh, criticizing it for relying on good versus evil? Did you read the book?
  
• Yahoo! to offer cheap PC to phone calls, in the one to two cents per minute range.
• Speaking of Yahoo!, have you tried Yahoo! Answers? (It's a yes or no question.)
  
• You know, I can print regular or glossy or on sticker paper, etc., but I would like to print organs on demand.
• A flying alarm clock. Now that is innovation! Personal jetpacks and flying cars must be right around the corner.
  

SNL iPod, awesome light show, super broccoli, dog phones

• SNL iPod skit - funny, in case you missed it.
• A Christmas lights display that I had in a previous post, has been taken down due to causing a car crash and traffic buildup. See, I told you it was an awesome Christmas light show.
• Cancer team makes "super broccoli". Now why wouldn't they have put the effort into pizza?
• Having trouble staying in touch with your dog? New dog cell phone is just the thing for you.
  

Google rules, NBC iTunes, Charlie Brown Christmas

• Google's Ten Golden Rules. Interesting points in their company philosophy.
  
• NBC to offer TV shows on iTunes. Good news for iTunes fans. I'll admit I've bought a couple episodes of 'Lost' off of iTunes, but haven't been impressed with their so-far meager offering of shows (just 5 ABC properties).
• Do you like "A Charlie Brown Christmas"? Of course you do. Here's a brief article with some facts about it, and here is a quiz about the holiday special. I scored a worthy 18/20 (though I admit to some guessing).
  

Star wars reference, 9/11 commission report, Xbox class action, iPods cheap!

Well, as I write this, I can't get into my own blog (and I noticed the same errors on some other blogspot blogs), but oddly I can still get into the Blogger edit tools (and thus, I can still post; hope this makes it to my actual blog OK).

• Need a Star Wars encyclopedia? Of course you do! Try the Wookieepedia, a clever take on the wonderful Wikipedia (a great resource if you take into account that anyone can change any page; so trust with caution).
• More F's than A's. Is it time to call Homeland Security's parents in for a chat?
• Man starts class action suit against Microsoft for releasing the Xbox 360 "defectively designed". Also, he thinks "Call of Duty 2" is too hard.
• Attention, if you are going to try and buy iPods using fake barcodes, you might want to try a more realistic price than $4.99.
  

Snow, photos, photos of snow

And still more snow... it is slowly, but surely coming down, and everywhere you look is blindingly white. I put a few pictures from the beginning of the week up on my Flickr account. I mentioned long ago that I'm using Flickr, and I have now upgraded to the pro account (after running into the transfer and photo set limitations on the free account). Over in the right column of this page -> is a badge linking to my account as well. There are some public photos there, but if you know me and would like access to some of my other photo sets, just send me an email.

Paper watch, lampshade, jury duty, hit points, in his manger

• The first e-paper watch soon to be available. Just what you want (and can't afford).
• Want your own origami paper lampshade? Instructions here.
• President Bush gets out of jury duty. Wouldn't it be a little intimidating to have the President of the United States in your jury box?
• Final Fantasy Potion beverage. Further blurring the lines of video games and reality. It may restore Hit Points, but please remember: do NOT drink Ether to restore your Magic Points.
• Spears and Federline turn baby's room into Nativity scene. Yeah, this kid is not going to grow up with any ego issues.
  

Snow, book projects, demotivation

More snow today, but thankfully the wind was low, so no major drifting. I'm looking on a couple weather sites, but can't seem to find accurate info. One says we had 0 inches of precip. in the last 24 hours and 0 inches of snow on the ground, which is obviously inaccurate. Another won't show me what has happened, but predicts we'll get another 2 to 4 inches tonight. Why don't they show the actual weather events? Is it because they don't want us to see how bad their predictions were?

• Here is a neat project to create a book wall hanging from public domain books. It is kind of hard to see the results from their pictures. Here is a somewhat related project on the same site.
• As referenced in that book wall hanging link, Project Gutenberg is a great place to get public domain book texts.
• Just got a catalog from them recently, so I thought I'd post the link to Despair, the "demotivator" site. Some clever satire of "Successories" motivational style materials, and the site has a lot of subtle humor.
  

Safe doctrines, next gen media, Firefox, teenager repellant

• Oh good! The works of L. Ron Hubbard will survive a nuclear holocaust. Question, if "-ology" means "the science of", wouldn't that make Scientology "the science of science"?
• Who will win in the next generation DVD wars? Blu-ray or HD DVD? Wait, HVD could make them irrelevant?. It's nice when technologies start to be outdated before we even have them.
• Firefox 1.5 released, for those of you that want an Internet Explorer alternative.
• Teenager repellant. No, not unhip parents, but a sonic device.
  

Blizzard, hamburgler, flipbooks, games

Blizzard! We are buried (maybe "buried" is too strong a word) in ice and snow. Right now, the wind is the worst, and I'm hoping I don't get drifts in the driveway before work tomorrow.

• Ronald MacDonald robs Wendy's. The Burger King has been put on High Alert.
• I recently posted a link to a flip book making service. Here's one, Flipbook Printer, that is free, but you print it out yourself on business card stock.
• The Pong Wall Clock. Probably the best application of Pong ever (... besides the game).
• Nintendo Revolution to be unveiled on May 9. Good move; maybe gamers will start to tire of their Xbox 360s and PS3s by then.
  

Bad products, print services, alternate realities

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

• Just in time for holiday shopping item avoidance, the list of the Ten Worst Tech Products of the Year.
• If you're at all interested in print-on-demand services, here are a few I ran across in Wired:
• FlipClips- turn home movies into flip books.
• Lulu - publish books, CDs, DVDs, or calendars.
• iUniverse - for publishing and selling books.
• Cafe Press - all kinds of personalized items.
• And of course, most of the major photo services have some neat products, like at Kodak Gallery (Ofoto), Snap Fish, and Qoop.
• I have to admit that I like the idea of "alternate reality gaming" (link to ARGN), but haven't invested much time into it. Back at the time, I followed the CloudMakers (marketing for Spielberg's "A.I."), but really just read the summary of what people were finding.
  

What, mate?, iPod tv, xbox is a smash, wizard at the box office

• Finally we can understand what those people in England are saying, with the British to American Translator.
• Here's a handy tip for playing iPod video on your TV without buying Apple's proprietary video cable.
• Uh, sure... I suppose that's a perfectly good response... smashing your Xbox 360 with a sledgehammer right after spending 55 hours in line to buy it.
• Harry Potter cleaning up at the box office. I saw it last weekend, and enjoyed it tremendously except for the part in the most pivotal scene in the movie (which I won't spoil for you) when the usher comes in flashing his flashlight around the theater and some guy with him repeatedly shouts out for some person he is trying to locate.

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Light show, small change, warnings, and just the facts

And speaking of holiday decoration (as I have in the last week), check out this absolutely fantastic holiday lighting display! (Link in post by Carson Williams; can open in Windows Media Player.) Now I feel ashamed of my boring old net lights and rope lights.

• Like carrying change, but wish it wasn't so darn big? This site is for you.
• And while you are shrinking your change, you may need a warning label conveniently created by the Warning Label Generator.
  
• If you need the facts on an urban legend or rumor, check out Snopes, a great site for facts about the stories.
• Along the same lines, FactCheck.org is a good non-partisan evaluation site regarding political statements. I visit it frequently during election season, and it basically shows that all politicians have some trouble with their facts.
  

Supercleaners, onion ring emergency, loud mouth, GOP and Goblet

• Finally, the quiz that matters: Superhero or Household Cleaner? I scored a mighty 17 out of 20.
• Woman calls 911 for cold food. I'm no expert, but she should have probably taken her complaint to the manager first.
• Build your own megaphone helmet. For, as the site humorously explains, "the maximal aural stupidity allowed by law".
• House GOP seeks quick veto of Iraq pullout. Or veto of quick Iraq pullout. Your choice.
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is sure to clean up this weekend. I will try to see it this weekend, after I finish all of my Potions homework.
  

Pen computing, MacGyver, bar codes, fashion police, cost of a song

Wow, it's getting cold here in Whitmarshall! More snow today. With this dusting of white, I'm getting the urge to turn on those Christmas lights. No.. must... resist until .... reasonable holiday time frame...

• The amazing LeapFrog Fly pentop computer. I read an article about this device a couple months back. It sounds like a cool technology with a lot of potential.
• What Would MacGyver Do? book in the works. The author plans to finish it with a chewing gum wrapper, a paperclip, and a reel of fishing line.
• Would you like to impress nerds at parties? Guide on reading bar codes.
• IT workers dubbed "worst dressed" corporate professionals. Oh, but wait, this was in Australia... whew!
• iTunes to potentially drop the flat rate pricing. I like the idea of paying less than 99 cents for some songs, but I'm not thrilled with the paying more than 99 cents for others part of it.
  

Flix deal, paper pda, the blue marble, xbox guts, and America's sweethearts in danger

• Netflix class action - lawyers get $2.5 million and customers get a free month trial. Umm, yeah... I... guess that's a .... good deal.
• Too cheap for a PDA? The PocketMod might be an easy, low cost solution for you.
• Some awesome Earth images at NASA's Visible Earth.
• Are you waiting for an Xbox 360? These guys got one and already tore it apart.
  
• Aww, who would have ever thought there would be trouble in Spears/Federline paradise?

Blizzardy day, toy mash-up, lost rhapsody, Sony's cd blunder

Ooh, it's cold! Why do I never expect it to be this cold when we're first hit with wintry weather? We had a little snow weeks ago, but today it is actually staying on the ground. Roads were noticibly icy as I left work, and the wind is a killer. I just hope I don't get any drifts in the driveway overnight.

• Star Wars meets Transformers!?! Two of my beloved childhood toys are colliding. If this happened when I was a kid, I just might have fainted from the toy joy overload.
• Fans of "Lost" may enjoy this Lost - Bohemian Rhapsody combination. Lyrically and visually it goes together eerily well. (Might be some spoilers for you if you're behind on episodes.)
• Spotter's guide to CDs that have Sony's XCP protection. Why should you care? Running one of these CDs on your computer will install DRM software (without telling you) that can leave you open to vulnerabilities. (Brief summary here.)

Unfortunately, I ran one of the xcp CDs on my PC before hearing about this (list of known CDs listed in the Spotter's guide link above), so looks like I'll be spending the rest of this evening figuring out how to remove Sony's unwanted junk from my PC.

Not so quick serve, holiday time, IA tornado

A friend convinced me to take another go at KFC/A&W. We went a little earlier in the evening than normal, to dine in at the fine establishment. It was again ridiculous. It is so busy, that I think people are assuming it will close down in a week, so they're trying to get as much out of it now as possible. After we ordered, it was about a 25 minute wait in line to get our orders up. It felt like the experience of standing in line for Star Wars opening show tickets, only with the expectation of mediocre food as your reward.
As an aside, I don't understand why there are people that try to cut in front of you after ordering. They take and fill orders in sequential fashion, so it's not like you'll get your food faster if you can make your way to the pick-up counter faster.
The whole time in line, I never saw an employee come out into the "public" area of the store. Tables went uncleaned, the drink station was an absolute disaster area, and best of all: a couple of times people would go up to the pick-up counter to say "you're out of cup lids" or "you're out of napkins out here", and, get this, the employees would hand them a stack of the item and asked the customer to restock them!
As a final insult, we were watching TV later that night and a KFC commercial showed their chicken combos for a remarkable $4 ("why, that's half the price I'd pay at a 'sit-down' restaurant!"). My friend had one of those same combos and his ticket came to more than 6 bucks.
To sum-up:

• It is bad when I could have gotten my food faster at an Applebee's or Friday's or whatever than at a "fast" food restaurant.
• KFC/A&W brings you a unique experience by making you the customer work the restocking of supplies.
• KFC lies about their prices (or at least the franchisee in our area doesn't follow the commercials).
• Didn't mention it before, but this KFC doesn't even have a buffet. Most of the others I've been to around here
  

______
This weekend, I put up my outdoor Christmas lights. I want to stress that I will not turn them on for many weeks, because I don't want to condone early holiday decoration. (I put them up because it is supposed to get really cold this week, and I wanted to get the rope light stakes in the ground before it freezes.) It's bad enough that most of our downtown stores are already decked out for Christmas (same day they took down their Halloween decor), and the discount stores have had holiday stock out for a month or more.
Pretty soon, holidays will just flow from one right into the other. It happens earlier every year and is so hard to keep up that I think I'm going to jump right to the Valentine's Day decorations next week. Thanksgiving gets kind of lost in the shuffle, but thankfully one person on main street has a huge, ugly, inflatable, lighted turkey on their lawn. Thank you, sir or madam! Thank you for not succumbing to the accelerated pace of Christmas cheer!
______
Video footage of the Stratford, IA tornado (see links by article). Scary footage, and those videographers should consider themselves lucky. That tornado cut a path of destruction in a blink of an eye (or, not as fast as people put up Christmas decorations, but infinitely faster than our KFC/A&W service).

Album art, teen mayor, tin foil, chimps, more

• Are you an iTunes user and want to import album art? Try this free tool (iTunes Art Importer 0.9.2). It pulls album art from Amazon.com, and worked well for me.
• Wow, a teen write-in candidate wins mayor spot from the incumbent. A teen mayor, who would have thought it!?
• Oh, wait, here's another teen that wins mayor spot. Teen Mayor... sounds like a bad Disney movie.
• Tin foil hats actually increase capability of government mind control rays! Or, at least that's what they want you to believe.
• You too can build an impossible triangle.
• Get your stinking paws off me, you damn, dirty ape!
• Ah, the pitfalls of being interviewed by a Comedy Central news show. I am a fan of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, but don't get to see them every day.
  

Lists, pong, TV-VOD, a bad career choice

• Hey, White House enemies list! Click the link to see if you're on it (if you are one of the few famous people mentioned in the article).
• Have you dusted off that old Pong machine and can't remember how to play? The manual is now online. Finally!
• Video On Demand for TV is becoming more popular. You can finally watch TV when you want it without having to deal with that darn "12:00" blinking clock on the VCR.
• Apparently one of the worst jobs this year? Hussein case lawyer.

Video iPod

I broke down and bought a video iPod today. It's about the size of my 3G iPod, but holds 4 times as much, has a bigger screen, and of course can hold video and photos. I have to say, the setup was a lot easier than I remember it being for my first iPod. Also, video looks pretty darn good on that screen.
Other stuff:

• "Lost" reinventing television? It is one of my favorite shows, and I do enjoy the online ramblings of crazy fans, too...
• Speaking of crazy online rambling, the 9/11 tragedy was predicted on the $20 bill!
• The marker clock, an interesting, yet unnecessary device.
  

Food service curse

I broke down and went to the new KFC/A&W (see previous post). The parking lot was full (and there were cars parked on side streets and in adjacent lots), so I decided to go through drive through. It was a pretty darn long wait (and this was at around 1:15pm, so I thought the lunch rush would die down slightly). When I got to the pay/pickup window, I asked the girl to read back what I got because I thought the price was quite a bit more than I mentally calculated (turns out one of the items was twice the cost I thought). She gave me a bag of food and said "thank you, come again", and it took her a little while to realize I was still waiting there because she didn't give me my drink. Comically, she said "wait! don't go yet, I've got to get your drink!", which she then did and I started to drive off (as is the custom). I looked in my bag as I was leaving and found that they left out one of the items in my order (in addition to the almost missed drink), so I had to go back again and wade through the gaggle of people in the restaurant. To top it all off, I thought the food pretty much sucked (I leaned A&W in the order); it was all pretty cold (cold, soggy fries), and the burger was at the bottom of the quick serve quality. Plus there was a dollup of mashed potatoes in the bottom of the bag; and I didn't even order mashed potatoes! (I suppose that was a bonus.)

Quick serve, online books, music advice

Our town just got a new KFC/A&W this week, and I haven't been there yet because it has been unbelievably busy. The couple times I've driven past, the line for the drive through has been at least 20 cars long (so maybe they're really slow instead of really busy). Town, do you think maybe you are overreacting? I mean, come on, it's a KFC and A&W! We had a five star restaurant open earlier in the year that didn't gather this much attention.
Some items:

• Google Print Beta is available and interesting. You might want to read the FAQ as it discusses tracking page views to your id.
• Want music recommendations? I haven't spent much time with these yet, but plan on giving them a closer look: Musicstrands and Soundflavor.
• I haven't heard much talk of the live action "Star Wars" show for a while, but works seems to be moving ahead for more animated shows.
• You know, like books can be, like big. And I, like, totally don't want to read all that. Luckily, soon you can buy books by the page from Amazon. So now you can find out the butler did it in a few short minutes.
  

Well, I'm going to call KFC/A&W for reservations. Oh, I hope I can get my tuxedo cleaned in time!

Flu shots, unledivered mial, silly "celebs", episode 3!, secret jails

Our company had its health expo yesterday and today, so I got my wonderful free flu shot. I wasn't able to get one last year due to the shortages, so it was a welcome benefit to get one this year. Also, I got a screening for cholesterol and glucose; my numbers were so good that I'm wondering if they somehow messed up the test. (I was expecting cholesterol to be much higher.)
Enough about my body chemistry:

• Attention: If you are dyslexic, do not apply for a job delivering mail. Her giudacne counlsre should be seud.
• Ah, the good life of the rich. And they're still such nice people!
• Star Wars Episode 3 now available on DVD. Go! This is your chance to watch all 13 hours of the series in one sitting!
• Umm, I don't think you can call them "secret CIA jails" if they're all over the news.