Have I Seen The Future Of Vampire Movies?

I simply must see the movie 30 Days of Night.

The IMDB page.

The IESB.net trailers.

The Graphic Novel.

See it, I must. I shall.

Another Life Lesson For Your Children (And For You)

I find it funny how a rut can begin and how quickly familiarity can breed contempt.  Even a person that spends time on the ever-changing Internet (like myself) is not immune from the boredom that everyday life can bring.  So, I have found myself considering that topic, and how I might teach my daughter how to avoid the tedium the everyday world can bring.  As is not particularly unusual, I caught myself learning something new as well.

Perhaps you might have perceived that I'm quite the reader.  Exercise for the brain is really what opening up a book and reading really is.  Not to say, all books are particularly enjoyable - they aren't.  Some are awful, at least by my estimation.

But not all are.  On occasion, a good book will remind you of something that you can use everyday; there's a lesson there that can make you a better person, parent, and teacher.  And today, I remembered this some lines from this poem " If" by Rudyard Kipling:

"If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools"

…and so on.

There's a lesson to be learned here, that I believe is similar to a quote that Joy Behar attributes to Rush Limbaugh in the worthwhile book Got What It Takes? Successful People Reveal How They Made It To The Topby Bill Boggs.  That is, be bold.  BE BOLD.  Mostly I can get behind that theory.  Very few people accomplish things of note without some measure of risk and hard work. 

For my daughter and myself, I will reinterpret that slightly. 

The real lesson is this: in whatever you decide to do, sure, be bold, but don't let that be an excuse to be stupid.

Yes, I think that's a good plan for us all.

What bold thing have you done today for your children or yourself?  Perhaps today, more than any day, is the perfect moment to try something radically different.

Compare And Contrast, For Your Amusement

Two famous people.  Two audiences whose popularity are worldwide.  Two equally powerful American political parties.

 

Today, for your consideration, from NobelPrize.org:

"for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change"

 

Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr.

 

1/2 of the prize

USA

b. 1948

Now, from Editor and Publisher: Ann Coulter on "perfecting" the Jews:

 

DEUTSCH: "Let's wipe Israel off the earth." I mean, what, no Jews?

COULTER: No, we think -- we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say.

DEUTSCH: Wow, you didn't really say that, did you?

COULTER: Yes. That is what Christianity is. We believe the Old Testament, but ours is more like Federal Express. You have to obey laws. We know we're all sinners --

DEUTSCH: In my old days, I would have argued -- when you say something absurd like that, there's no --

COULTER: What's absurd?

DEUTSCH: Jews are going to be perfected. I'm going to go off and try to perfect myself --

COULTER: Well, that's what the New Testament says.

DEUTSCH: Ann Coulter, author of If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans, and if Ann Coulter had any brains, she would not say Jews need to be perfected. I'm offended by that personally. And we'll have more Big Idea when we come back.

[...]

DEUTSCH: Welcome back to The Big Idea. During the break, Ann said she wanted to explain her last comment. So I'm going to give her a chance. So you don't think that was offensive?

COULTER: No. I'm sorry. It is not intended to be. I don't think you should take it that way, but that is what Christians consider themselves: perfected Jews. We believe the Old Testament. As you know from the Old Testament, God was constantly getting fed up with humans for not being able to, you know, live up to all the laws. What Christians believe -- this is just a statement of what the New Testament is -- is that that's why Christ came and died for our sins. Christians believe the Old Testament. You don't believe our testament.

DEUTSCH: You said -- your exact words were, "Jews need to be perfected." Those are the words out of your mouth.

COULTER: No, I'm saying that's what a Christian is.

DEUTSCH: But that's what you said -- don't you see how hateful, how anti-Semitic --

COULTER: No!

DEUTSCH: How do you not see? You're an educated woman. How do you not see that?

COULTER: That isn't hateful at all.

Sigh. 

I suppose you should read the whole transcript.

Ann Coulter.

 

 

 

...and that is probably the last time I will ever write your name, Ann.  May you soon be regulated to the political discourse dustbin that you so obviously deserve. 

Office In A Thumb Drive

Lifehack.org, yet another of my favorite websites ever, put out an excellent article on how to turn your USB thumb drive into a mobile, primary office. 

With very little work and no money aside from the original expense of the drive itself, you can easily turn a thumb drive into your primary workspace — complete with the software and settings, reference material, and documents you uses the most.

How nice.  With the six (all good) ideas that they mention in this article, you are pretty much set.  Web pages like this are the reason that I started POW in the first place - here's a nice reference point for safekeeping.  Don't forget, many flash drives now contain simple word processors, anti-virus, and other valuable software preinstalled.

 

It's hard to believe that just a few years ago my primary computer had 4 GB.  Now you can buy a thumb drive with that much for next to nothing.  I have one, and feel like I have the whole world under my thumb.  There's your pop culture reference of the day, people. 

 

Heady times, my friends.  Read the article.

Grade Your Website (And Justify Your Existence)

Over at How To Change The World, Guy Kawasaki ( you know, the Mac guy) tossed out a post about a tool called Website Grader. This free tool gives your website a SEO "grade" based on a few criteria that you enter into the site. Being that I'm always interested in the reach that my website has, I entered in this site's information and was given, within minutes, a score and a few items where I can improve my site reach to my audience.

It would seem that I have a lot of room for search engine optimization improvement. In other words, my scores were…lacking. I definitely will be working on that presently behind the scenes. Successful networking is certainly something that I am all about these days.

How are you working on SEO? Feel free to email me, or drop me a note in the comments.

Popular Podcasts On POW

Last night, I had this crazy dream that I added some of my favorite and more popular podcasts to this blog.  Imagine my surprise when I actually got up this morning and did it, changing my sidebar yet again.

Yes, I've added podcasts.  Not my own, mind you (I'm not that crazy yet), but if you have an iPod or some other device that can accept podcasts, a few of the more popular ones are located on the right hand side of this page.  They'll change frequently.  Let me know if there are any particular podcasts you'd like to see listed, and I'll try to put them up.  Enjoy!

Another New Widget - Blogrush

You might have noticed yet another change to my sidebar.  I've added Blogrush, a blog syndication tool featured in Business Blogging Tips.  I've only had the Blogrush widget on my blog for a couple of days, but the service seems to be getting updated continually and I'm wondering if it will be effective in generating additional readers for this here website. 

 

You see, I've been feeling ashamed because I've been devoting so much of my time to my other projects that I feel as though you, my first readers, deserve a little more love.  I like to improve your experience, so I'm always looking for little updates.

 

Take a look at it, and if you feel so inclined, put it on your own site and tell me what you think.

Black Power + Gay Pride > Mental Disorders

One might think that the combined cultural power of racism and homophobia would doom a fairly large portion of the population that was both black (or African-American...oooh, I hate that term almost as much as the phrase Oriental) and gay to depths of depression and other mental problems that would doom them to their own private hells.

Not so fast, says the Science Blog. Turns out that black gay men and lesbians have fewer mental disorders than similarly situated whites.

According to a study conducted at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health among lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations, blacks and Latinos do not have more mental disorders than whites. Based on the theory that stress related to prejudice would increase risk for mental disorders, researchers typically expect that black lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals face prejudice related to both racism and homophobia and therefore would have more disorders than their white counterparts. Contrary to this expectation, however, the Mailman School study found that black lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals had significantly fewer disorders than white individuals.

There's an interesting finding. The first thing that comes to mind is this: perhaps homosexual blacks feel more culturally accepted in society than white homosexuals? Is that possible?

It's a valid question. If you are expecting a enlightened and well reasoned response, I honestly don't have one. But it's still curious.

Mining The Internet Gold Mine, From 1 to 5000+

Wow.  Mashable, which I've written about before, has finally lost their minds and complied over 5000 resources to do just about anything that you want on the web.

 

There is way, way too much good stuff there to write about in this small space.  Suffice it to say that it would be quite clever of you to take a look at the article.

 

In other news, you might notice that the look of this site has been changing quite a bit lately.  I've added widgets from MyBlogLog, LibraryThing - where you can see the latest books that I've read - and Criteo, which shows blogs that might be similar to mine.  I figured that it might be time for a change up.

 

I suspect that I'm really going to change this blog up a little bit more, as I've feeling a bit mischievous of late. 

I'm Not Going To Write About Them

If you watch baseball, you know who the hottest team in the National League right now.  They might be a team that I might find entertaining and interesting to watch.  Unfortunately, I won't be writing about them, because I fear repercussions.  After all, there were repercussions, seemingly, in this case (where the Denver Nuggets were the victims of my curse - this has happened twice) and in this case, where the Arizona State Sun Devils felt my fearful wraith.

 

I refuse to take any chances.

 

Therefore, I'll wait until the playoffs begin.

 

That is all.

 

We are all behind you, and you inspire us.

Something That I Didn't Know About The Housing Crisis

The news is full of information about the problems in the housing market, but the most interesting thing that I've read so far is something that I read in a recent article about the current crisis in foreclosures - that might have an impact on you, gentle and harried adults that you are (or might be):

According to the most recent foreclosure numbers released by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the U.S. is embroiled in the worst foreclosure crisis in recorded history. More than 14 percent of subprime borrowers are defaulting, and prime borrowers are beginning to follow suit.

MBA Report Summary

 

• The foreclosure rate recorded in the last quarter has increased beyond the highest point seen in the history of the MBA survey, which dates back to 1953.
• 14.82 percent of subprime borrowers are currently behind on their home loans.
• The highest percentage of foreclosures are on homes with 2/28 adjustable rate mortgages.

I found this on Homeguide123.  Shockingly, though, this is not the part that I'm referring to in the title.

These lines are the ones that shocked me.

'Many blame subprime lending for our current real estate crisis, but rampant speculation, even by those with great credit, played a leading role,' said O'Toole in a press release. 'The subprime market took the first hit as those borrowers had the least to lose when they walked away. Now that nearly half of foreclosures represent non-owner occupied properties, it is clear that speculators are walking away too.'

It is true that non-owner occupied properties have been hitting the auction block in record numbers. Of the 9,477 properties auctioned in California last month, 44.3 percent of them were speculator owned properties.

Another shocker: 90.3 percent of the homes were bought or refinanced in 2005 and 2006.

90.3 percent of the homes were bought or refinanced in 2005 or 2006.

I rent.  I'm very glad that I do at this point. 

Mid-2008 is sounding like a pretty good time to buy, however.

No Respect - No Respect For These Google Products At All, I'll Tell Ya

With all apologies to Rodney Dangerfield, here's a good list of a bunch of Google products that simply get no love.
 

But how many people do you think would discuss being able to set up customised RSS feeds in Google News? Or being able to download source code in Google Code? How many people would know that Google offers various possibilities for users to help improve their products?

Here are some Google services that need a lot more loving (cue Barry White music) :

Makeuseof.com.  I think that I like their website.

 

Everyone here knows that I love me some Google stuff.  Google has it's own category there on the side of the page.  Here's your chance to take a look at some of the things that I'm always writing about.

 

 

The Best Example That Hope Lies With The Kids That You’ll Read All Day

On occasion, and sadly, not often enough, I derive enormous amounts of pleasure from snippets that I read on the Internet.  Most articles that you read about kids consist of the doom and gloom about teenagers - how kids are on drugs, or teens are robbing liquor stores and putting it on YouTube, or students are shooting up high schools and colleges, or kids are apathetic general.  You know the familar refrain.

This story is most definitely not about any of those topics.

This is a story about the best of our kids.

The Grade 9 student arrived for the first day of school last Wednesday and was set upon by a group of six to 10 older students who mocked him, called him a homosexual for wearing pink and threatened to beat him up.

The next day, Grade 12 students David Shepherd and Travis Price decided something had to be done about bullying.

"It's my last year. I've stood around too long and I wanted to do something," said David.

They used the Internet to encourage people to wear pink and bought 75 pink tank tops for male students to wear. They handed out the shirts in the lobby before class last Friday — even the bullied student had one.

Wait.  There's more.

"The bullies got angry," said Travis. "One guy was throwing chairs (in the cafeteria). We're glad we got the response we wanted."

David said one of the bullies angrily asked him whether he knew pink on a male was a symbol of homosexuality.

He told the bully that didn't matter to him and shouldn't to anyone.

This bit of good news comes via Fark from the Chronicle Herald - in Nova Scotia.  The only beef that I have with this is that it didn't occur in the United States, so I could wave an American flag as I write.

Life imitates John Hughes.  Can real life have mid-80's new wave music playing in the background?

Today's Hope For Humanity Award is hereby given to high school students David Shepherd and Travis Price.  The world can learn a lot from you two kids.  I applaud.

9-11 - Six Years Later, The Wrong And The Right

Today is the anniversary of 9-11, which some Americans consider to be the most significant event in their lives .

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Six years after the September 11 attacks on the United States, most Americans view the plane hijackings that killed around 3,000 people as the most significant historical event of their lives, according to a poll released Monday.

Eighty-one percent of those surveyed said they see the attacks as the most significant historical even of their lifetimes, with more people on the east coast -- 90 percent -- choosing this view compared to 75 percent on the west coast.

The Zogby International telephone poll surveyed 938 people between September 6 and 9 and has a three-percentage point margin of error.

Thank Yahoo.

First, I'd like to say that 9-11 is most certainly NOT the most significant event of my life.  Number 1: Birth of my daughter.  Number 2:  Meeting my significant other.  3.  Birth of my nieces.  So.  To me, 9-11 is significant, it just pales in comparison to those events.

What I find notable about 9-11, however, is what events have happened since.  Here's my list.
- One completely justifiable war (against the Taliban)
- One completely un-justifiable war (against Iraq)
- The wasting of an enormous amount of pro-American sentiment
- The pillaging of Bill of Rights and the Constitution
- The utter decimation of the health care system
- Virtual destruction of the public school system nationwide
- The creation of the Homeland Security Agency

When I think about how much money has been spent on the war on Iraq, I think of how the Taliban could have been completely wiped off the face of the planet, or how Osama could have been found, or how schools could have been improved, or how a national health care system could have been created.

The saddest thing about 9-11 is what has occurred since then.  We have wasted a lot of time, money, and lives.  9-11 is one of America's greatest catastrophes... and the aftermath is one of our greatest disasters.  We should be ashamed.

Put Emmy In To A Box

Today I'm faced with a challenge.  First I'll present the news, then the challenge.

From Seattle PI.com:

 

LOS ANGELES -- There are dozens of surprises among the more than 400 Emmy nominees, but none quite like the one we can't name in this story.

It's in the Original Music and Lyrics category, a holiday-themed music video that aired last December on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" with an off-color title. Performed by Justin Timberlake and "SNL" cast member Andy Samberg, the fake music video describes packaging a certain part of the male anatomy in a gift box and presenting it to a loved one.

We'll just call it "(Blank) in a Box."

I've seen the SNL skit, and it is funny, quite.  Now for the challenge: how do I put a cap up of this not-so-safe for work video on this family website?

 

Oh, I know.

 

Below is the video.  It is NOT SAFE FOR WORK.

 

Widgets

.and boy, does Mashable have them in the article 50 Great Widgets For Your Blog.
Here's a few that I found interesting:

MyBlogLog's Recent Readers - this widget can easily be called a hit amongst blog owners; its popularity even managed to convince Yahoo into buying MyBlogLog. The widget lets you see the avatars of recent visitors to your blog, provided they're also members of MyBlogLog.

PollDaddy - PollDaddy lets you create beautiful polls in no time, and display them at your blog.

aStore - similar to AuctionAds, only for Amazon. Create a mini-store on your site and receive profit when someone buys an item through your store.

Yahoo! For Good - create a charity badge and ask for donations for a worthy cause.

A few of these I already knew about, but I'll be honest, many of them I didn't.  Of course, some of them would just clutter me up more than I'd like. 

However, don't be surprised when a couple of these show up here.  Take a look at Mashable - it's a fine website for blog owners.

Shockingly Useful Websites

Yes, I know, I'm in a posting mode.  I'll have you know that I'm spending a lot of time elsewhere at the moment - it's on the freelance gig still.

However, I couldn't let this get by without saying something:  I found a decent little post about websites: 40 Unusual Websites You Should Bookmark, from Makeuseof.com .

If you're long time makeuseof reader at one point or another you may have seen several of these websites before. We have covered lots of lists and round-ups but this one is quite different: it lists undiscovered webservices that are original, rather unique, unusual, useful, free, and must-be bookmarked type. You won't find any collaboration, storage or ToDo service here. Enjoy!

Honestly, I've seen a few of these before, but there are definitely some gems in there, so take a look at it.

An Oldie, But A Goodie

I can't remember if I had posted this before, but an article title on Fark reminded me of it.  The Fark article title?

"Oh my God, there was this study where kids ate lots of food colors and preservatives and they were all like "WEEEEEEEEEE." Gonads and strife, gonads and strife, gonads and strife"

So, without too much fanfare:
The Inspiration.

More On Television

Yet another post on television. Sorry, but it's a must. Thank MSNBC for this article.

CHICAGO - Watching television more than two hours a day early in life can lead to attention problems later in adolescence, according to a study released on Tuesday.

The roughly 40 percent increase in attention problems among heavy TV viewers was observed in both boys and girls, and was independent of whether a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder was made prior to adolescence.

What struck me about this was that it immediately shook a core tenet of my personal beliefs, in that perhaps the reason that so many kids are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD is not that psychiatrists (or is that psychologists? I can never keep that straight) can make money off of the drugs that the end up prescribing the kids, but maybe, just maybe, the kids develop these disorders more now because we parents end up using the television as the babysitter altogether too much.

Another reason to toss the television, I'm afraid. Nature. I'm really becoming a fan of nature. Can we make going outside a spectator sport?

Reading Is Fundamental

This year I have read an average of a book a week - probably the happy result of both deciding to get more into reading for information and entertainment and the decision to read on my commute into downtown.

Apparently, this volume of reading activity puts me among the most voracious readers in the country.

According to an AP poll, basically no American reads any books anymore. Well, the "typical person" claimed to have read four books, with half of respondents claiming to have read fewer and half claiming to have read more.

Thank Gawker for this news; then go read the AP poll via CNN.

Since January 1, no joke, I've read 34 books.  I'd post them all if I had an attractive web-friendly plug in that presented all of the titles in a multimedia format.  If anyone happens to be aware of one of these let me know.  I'm quite sure, though, that my voracious reading habits are probably part of the reason why child education drives me occasionally batty.  Reading is part of what creates an educated population.

 

Reading is fundamental, people.

 

I'm Feeling Hobbesian Today

Wow, it's been a busy couple of months.  Very.  I've been spending an awful lot of time over at my brother blog, Single Dads, for the last few weeks - for reasons that soon will become clear. 

 

Don't let this get you, though.  I don't intend to go anywhere.  In fact, you, gentle reader, are bound to see quite a bit more posting in the future.

 

In the meantime, here's a beautiful thing I found while searching the webs, especially if you are a Calvin and Hobbes fan (I am)... all of the Calvin and Hobbes comics linked on one handy webpage .  Thanks, Marcello!

 

Go get them quick.  I suspect this page won't be available for very long.

Financial Quote Of The Day

...yes, that said Financial Quote of the Day.  Believe it or not, I'm not kidding.

Like many who have jobs and kids, I am one of those that actually has a 401(k).  Unlike many that have jobs and very young kids, though, I have taken the bizarre (and poverty inducing) step of actually starting a 529 plan for my little honey's college education.  I figure that hey, if she doesn't go to college, I'll buy a boat, and give it my daughter's name or something.  But I do believe in being prepared, thanks to a little peach of a post that I caught some time ago.

 

Lately, though, I've been a little in the dumps, because I actively LOOKED at what my various little investments were doing, in light of the recent ups and downs in the stock market.  Ugh.

 

Then came this article on the market from the Washington Post, which actually not only handed out some good advice, but provided the title to this here post, above.  Here's a bit from the article:

 

The recent stock market plunge has whiplashed many investors and left them wondering what to do about their portfolios.

But in times like these, don't panic. Instead, you want to think about the three D's, says Erik Davidson, a chartered financial analyst and senior director of investments at Wells Fargo Private Bank in Denver.

Good advice in there, but the key thing that the article mentioned was this gem of a phrase:

 

Whatever you do, "have a programmed approach that keeps you buying during the downturns," Seely said. "Think about something other than what the market did today."

 

Think about something other than what the market did today.

 

I like the cut of that phrase, and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

 

Don't Say "Take This Job And Shove It"

It's time.  You're fed up with your job, you've found another gig, and want to give your two weeks notice?

Try looking at Lifehacker, first, to craft the winning resignation. 

 

But resignation time shouldn't be bridge-burning time, so wikiHow's got some advice on how to quit professionally and with grace.

 

That's Gina for you.  Posted there and on wikiHow.

 

You know what's amazing about posts like this?  Timing.  Wow, they are good.

Google: We're In Ur Store, Mappin' Ur Stuff

I haven't made a post about Google in a while, so imagine my surprise when I saw how you can be an independent contractor for them , especially since it's not April Fool's Day.  Requirements include the power of speech and a camera.  From the FAQ:

 

1. Why should I become a Google Business Referral Representative?
   
   Joining the Google Local Business Referrals (LBR) program is a great way to earn some money while connecting people to the businesses in your neighborhood. The information you collect could be seen by millions of people who use Google every day. And you'll be helping the businesses you refer attract new customers while also making it easier for people in your community to find the products and services they're searching for.

2. What will I be doing as a representative?
   
   As a Google Business Referral Representative, you'll visit local businesses to collect information (such as hours of operation, types of payment accepted, etc.) for Google Maps, and tell them about Google Maps and Google AdWords. You'll also take a few digital photos of the business that will appear on the Google Maps listing along with the business information.  After the visit, you submit the business' info and photo(s) to Google through your Local Business Referrals Center, and we'll pay you up to $10 for each listing that is approved by Google and verified by the business.

   All you need to be a successful Business Referral Representative is a passion for helping local businesses succeed, a love for the Internet (some knowledge of Google is great, too), and access to a computer and a digital camera.

Say again?  Google will pay me for taking some pictures of some local businesses?

Wow.  Where do I sign up?

By the way, I found this via Reddit, so you'll probably never see this article again, so take some notes. 

 

Seriously, I'm thinking that Google is:

- Rich as all get out, and

- Preparing for world domination.

Deadbeat Dads Drive Me Crazy

When you are a single parent, frustration is a constant companion, which is oddly enough why no single parent should be lonely for even a minute. Besides the usual complaints:

- your ex, and the mother/father to your children,

- money,

- the nagging feeling that you're doing something wrong as a parent

- money,

- seeing the job as a barrier to seeing your children,

- money,

- finding new companionship,

- the legal system,

- and money,

there are a host of other irritations. Some are much, much worse than others. I'm no exception to that particular mental state.

Lately, though, my biggest source of irritation is deadbeat dads - that is, those dads that have to pay child support for their children, sometimes with one woman, sometimes with several - and don't.

I realize that child support is expensive. I pay it myself. Apparently, though, a lot of fathers seem to believe that they DON'T have to pay it. The way that I see it, this just makes my job as a responsible father much, much harder.

Single mothers, when told that I am a single dad, look at me with guarded suspicion. The legal system looks at me sideways, because I could always just "leave" and leave my daughter high and dry… even if that's something I could never do. I am deemed to be possibly be not as good of a parent in part because of my testosterone level. The prejudice against fathers who want as much custody of their kids as possible is hard enough; add the stereotypical deadbeat dad into the emotional mix, and it creates an unfavorable position for me.

I'm a man working two jobs and a freelance position - none of which I necessarily do for my health. I participate in several community events and donate to several charities. My daughter has never been in any compromising position in my care, ever. I've never even just paid the minimum for child support for my daughter simply because I felt that I could afford a touch more - I give more when I can. I know child support is oppressive, Lord, do I know. I know that child support awards are unfair. I know that the system is bent against fathers. But so what? Work on changing the system if you like or if you can, but concentrate on helping the kids, first, because as dumb as the system might be, you still have your kids to worry about. Pay up, or negotiate.

In short, there's nothing that I can't stand more than a dad who can't, or won't, go out there and bust butt to make sure that their kids are being raised well when Dad isn't around.

Deadbeat dads of the world, get with the program, or get out of the middle of the road. You're slowing us down. And I promise, with my schedule, I definitely have someplace important to be.

Well Played, Ms. Calhoun

The funniest quote of the week comes from Patricia Calhoun, editor of the Westword, Denver's weekly alternative newspaper, during a trial where the weekly was sued by some guy named Steve Horner (who, naturally, lost) who decided that ladies' nights at bars were a violation of his civil rights and newspaper advertising those promotions were violating state civil rights laws:

"I'm running to the ladies room." Turning to Horner, she added, "You don't object, do you?"

Thank the Rocky Mountain News for this.  Then thank Fark for the hat tip.

I'm not sure what's wrong with that guy, and in fact, I don't even like bars (who wants to be the old guy in the club?!), but I have a feeling that cheap drinks at Denver bars probably won't help his attitude.

Keeping Lethal Animals In Your House Just Might Leave A Mark

...and...the Sun is there.

 

A MAN who lived in his own "zoo" of lizards and insects was fatally bitten by a pet black widow spider — then eaten by the other creepy-crawlies.

Police broke in to Mark Voegel's apartment to find spider Bettina along with 200 others, several snakes, a gecko lizard called Helmut and several thousand termites had gorged on his body.

Neighbours alerted police after becoming alarmed by the stink.

And horrified officers were met by a nightmare scene.

Interesting story, indeed.

 

Victim:  Are you trying to tell me that keeping a bunch of dangerous spiders, venomous snakes, and poisionous frogs and toads in my house is a bad idea, somehow?

 

Observer with common sense:

  

 

 

Ah.  The thing that I love most about the world is a diversity of ideas.  Mostly bad ones, but ideas nonetheless.

First Google Checkout, Now This

You might remember a previous post about Google Checkout, the service that competes with Paypal and thus has caused rifts between two Internet giants - Google, and eBay.

 

Enter Amazon.

 

Look for a launch announcement by Amazon this week or next of a new web service around payments, adding to their S3 (storage), EC2 (virtual server) and other services. They've been quietly testing the service, which will compete with PayPal and Google Checkout, for a few weeks. It is an extension of the existing Amazon Payments , which allows third parties selling items on Amazon's extended network to receive payments from buyers.

Techcrunch for the win.

 

Have you been getting the feeling that Amazon is slowly, but surely, sneaking up on us all?

 

I love the competition, personally. 

 

Things are about to get ugly up in here.

Can I Start A Bottled Water Company?

Yep, I've been on a sporadic hiatus.  Between holidays, working two jobs and doing freelance work (expect yet another announcement soon, as I started this project a few weeks earlier), visits, and everything else, my posting has been going down... this in spite of ReaperCat, drunken astronauts , Lindsey Lohan, and the newest Harry Potter book.  How I've been able to keep from posting is beyond me.  I must have been asleep.

 

But what finally makes me post again this week?

 

Tap water.

 

PepsiCo Inc. will spell out that its Aquafina bottled water is made with tap water, a concession to the growing environmental and political opposition to the bottled water industry. According to Corporate Accountability International, a U.S. watchdog group, the world's No. 2 beverage company will include the words "Public Water Source" on Aquafina labels.

 

Via CNN.

 

Seriously, I'm all about the importance of water.  I live in a pretty high altitude, where water just... leaves.  It's here, then it's not, and if you don't hydrate, well, you've got problems.  But I am most certainly NOT a fan of bottled water.  Why?

 

Think about this.

 

Water and plastic.

First, it's lukewarm.  Then it travels.  The water and the plastic bottle heat up.

Then it arrives at it's destination, and goes into a freezer, where it suddenly becomes cold.

 

Then it goes into another location.  It's hot again. 

Then it's cold again.

 

After who knows how many iterations of hot and cold this water becomes, one seriously has to think, what is the chemical impact on the water actually in this plastic (meaning made from petroleum products) bottle by the time you drink it?  Have you ever gotten a bottle of water that tasted... different?  I have.

 

And speaking of petroleum, I'm not crazy about that either.

 

So I don't buy bottled water anymore.  Love me some tap water, though.  Apparently, so does PepsiCo.  So do yourself a favor.

 

1.  Buy a metal water bottle.

2.  Turn on your faucet and fill it up.

3.  Think of the $1.09 you just saved versus buying the bottled stuff.

4.  Profit.

 

Sure, South Park fans, I added a step.  But at least now you know how to get the "Profit" part of the plan.

 

Unblocking The iPhone

An article in Gizmodo on the efforts to unblock the iPhone comes with the best photoshop that I've seen all month.
First, the article:

Apparently, the amazing code wizards at the iPhone Dev Wiki have been able to partially unlock the iPhone using a new application called iASign. It won't fully unlock the iPhone for use with other companies, but the hack will allow you to use any existing Cingular/AT&T Pre-paid/MVNA SIM so you don't have to get a two-year contract with AT&T. We are now testing this, but if confirmed the benefits are great.

Then, the photoshop.






"YAHOOOOO! You're all clear, Kid. Now let's blow this thing and go home."

Something Useful From The Government

...and it's on the Internet.  Who would have guessed that?

Overlooked and difficult to find, there are hundreds of thousands of U.S. government web sites that can help you accomplish a variety of tasks. At the right federal .gov destination you can locate historical documents, keep tabs on Congressional happenings, view presidential paperwork, and a whole lot more.

One of these days, I'm going to write a poem - not like one of those godawful poems that you used to write when you were a sophomore in high school - but a detailed, loving poem as a celebration of the wonders of Lifehacker.  Ah, Lifehacker, how I love thee.

Personally, I've used the CIA World Factbook quite a bit in the past.  Not that I travel that much... well, at all, but if I WERE to go to, say, Guinea-Bissau,I like to know what the most important local imports are that year.

10 Instant Life Improvements? Surely You Jest

Apparently, jest they do NOT.

Many of our problems come from within our own minds. They aren't caused by events, bad luck, or other people. We cause them through our own poor mental habits. Here are 10 habits you should set aside right away to free yourself from the many problems each one will be causing you.

Thank Lifehack.org for this article.  Then read the article in its entirety.

I especially liked this suggestion:

Don't hang on to the past. This is my most important suggestion of all: let go and move on. Most of the anger, frustration, misery, and despair in this world come from people clinging to past hurts and problems. The more you turn them over in your mind, the worse you'll feel and the bigger they'll look. Don't try to fight misery. Let go and move on. Do that and you've removed just about all its power to hurt you.

This sounds like the most intelligent thing that I'll read all week, and this week I've read some amazing things.

You mean that I shouldn't ruminate over that girl that I dated in the 11th grade whose best friend I took to the Homecoming Dance?

I think I'll sleep well tonight.

Who Wants Good, Inexpensive Wine?

You do.  And here's a surprise.

 

The connoisseurs may cringe, the snobs may even sob, but the judges have spoken: California's best chardonnay costs less than $3.  Charles Shaw Chardonnay, better known as "Two Buck Chuck," beat hundreds of other wines and was named the top prize in a prestigious tasting competition in California.

 

6abc.com.  Hat tip: Fark.

 

Can't beat that with a stick.  Go get your wine on, 21 and over adult crowd.

One Of The Talks I Hope To Give My Daughter

…and I don't mean that one that you're probably thinking.

I devote a lot of time thinking about things that I'll tell my three year old daughter when she gets older, and lately, the topic that has crossed my mind quite a bit regards drugs. In our Paris, Lohan, Nicole, Britney crazed society, it probably doesn't take too much of a mental leap to figure out why.

But the key thing that has crossed my mind is this: most parents probably do not spend the brain power considering how to approach the subject of use and abuse of substances, controlled or otherwise, with their kids.

I don't want to be one of those parents, so after considering the question, I believe there might be a decent discussion out there on the subject. My proposal to answer the question "What would you say to your child about drugs?" is this:

"Honey, let me tell you something about drugs. I'm ashamed to say that I've ever taken them, but in the past I have. Really I have. But over time, I've come to some conclusions. Someday, someone that you think is attractive, perhaps someone that's rich, , or powerful, or that you admire, will offer you drugs. And you might be curious, and you might think that perhaps if you do what they do or offer, you'll be as attractive, rich, or powerful as they are."

"This is not the case. Those people that are rich or beautiful or whatever WILL NOT feel as good as you feel the next day after they have made the offer. You will be smarter than them for not following along with the crowd. You will not be panicked, you will not be depressed, you will not be ashamed, and they will be."

"I'm not saying that this will happen today, or even tomorrow, but eventually it will happen, and when it does, just try to remember what I'm saying right now, and don't do it."

I don't know if that is the smartest thing that I could say, and I have no idea if it would work, but I think those are very close to the words I'd utter.

And if that didn't work, I'd try again with something else.

In my humble opinion, that is what any Dad would do.

No Relationship At All. Nope. None.

It's been a long time.  My home connection is still on the fritz.  I hope to have it fixed today, as it's now costing me money.

 

I will, however, make my return with this nugget of information on the looming terrorist threat:

 

WASHINGTON - A new threat assessment from U.S. counterterrorism analysts says that al-Qaida has used its safe haven along the Afghan-Pakistan border to restore its operating capabilities to a level unseen since the months before Sept. 11, 2001.

 

Via Yahoo News.

 

Aaaack!  Everybody panic!

 

Hey, what's this all about?

 

June 22, 2007

Two-thirds of Americans Disapprove of the Way
George W. Bush is Handling His Job as President

Over two out-of-three Americans say they disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president according to the latest survey from the American Research Group.

Among all Americans, 27% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 67% disapprove. When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 29% approve and 64% disapprove.

 

Oh.

 

 

Coming Soon

I've been quite the busy man - and quite the sketchy Internet connection as well.

 

Sorry about that.  Look for some interesting news.

Blame The Foreign Looking Clerk Guy

Infuriating.

 

LITTLETON - The families of two young men killed in a drunk driving accident want the stiffest penalty for a store clerk who prosecutors say sold alcohol to one of their sons who used a fake ID.

 

9news.

 

So, wait.  A liquor store clerk sold someone some alcohol and now the parents of the children who were killed by their drunk driving accident want the clerk to be penalized?

 

Obviously there's more to the story.  Let's read on, shall we?

 

The parents of Paul Ondrish and Brandon Nichols, who were both 20 years old, admit their sons made poor choices, but say the store clerk should have been more responsible.

 

So, these kids weren't technically children after all, they were 20 years old. 

Alarm bells are beginning to ring.

 

The clerk, 25-year-old Loc Truong, pleaded guilty on Thursday to selling Ondrish the liquor on July 12, 2006.

"There were a series of mistakes made that night, but it started when the store clerk sold alcohol to a minor," said Frank Ondrish, Paul's father.

Early the next morning, Ondrish crashed, killing both him and Nichols. Neither was wearing a seatbelt.

The other three passengers, all of whom were 20 years old, were also injured.

Truong was working at Marina Pointe Liquors at Chatfield and Wadsworth in Littleton.

Ondrish bought rum from him using his brother's expired Michigan driver's license as ID, according to the DA's office.

 

A series of mistakes that started when the store clerk sold alcohol to a minor?

Actually, no.  One of the first mistakes was for a kid to use his brother's expired ID to try to buy booze. 

One might argue that the parents made the first mistake somewhere along the line, but why quibble.

 

Let's move on.

 

"Stores with a liquor license have a great responsibility to follow the law," said Patti Ondrish, Paul's mother.

 

"People who walk into liquor stores to buy booze have a great responsibility to follow the law," said Clark, father of a daughter.

 

The alarm bells have become a siren.

 

A liquor store clerk making probably $8.50 an hour does have a responsibility to follow the law, but NO MORE SO than two 20 year olds that intentionally walk into a liquor store to buy rum using fraudulent identification.  Luc Truong is not the proximate cause of their accident; the proximate cause of the accident seems to be their deciding to purchase booze for their drive into the mountains, then doing it.  Luc Truong was unfortunate, but not a criminal.

 

This man does not deserve to go to jail.

 

However, these parents, as much as I feel for their loss as a parent myself (and I do mean that), do deserve a lesson on the effects of cognitive dissonance.

 

Unless there is a significant amount more to this story than meets the eye, I would have to say that a reasonable person could not find that this 25 year old liquor store clerk deserves to lose his job, his liberty, and possibly his very future because two 20 year olds decided to defraud him and his employer and successfully buy alcohol.

 

Free Luc Truong.

 

Parents, dead children, jail, and lawsuits.

 

This story stains the memory of the young and dead, and once again, personal responsibility surrenders.

Dear God In Heaven - The Wal-Mart Card

NOOOOOOOOO!

 

Check our Walmart's awesomely evil deal: Cashing your check costs $3.00, but if you put the money on a Walmart MoneyCard, they'll waive the $4.64 "loading" fee. Neat! After that it's only $4.94 a month to keep your money on the card.

Want to know how much is left? That'll be $0.70 to check your balance .This card, in essence, takes people who don't have access to the banking system in this country and makes Walmart their "bank." Except it's a "bank" where it costs $1.95 to get money from an ATM, but getting "cash back" from Walmart's POS is free! If you deposit more then $1,000, Walmart will generously waive the monthly maintenance fee on the card. Want to speak to a teller? That'll be $3.50. Your paper statement? $2.00.

The Consumerist, of course.

 

What's so notorious, so demonically clever, so gloriously evil about this idea is this:

 

People WILL do it.  Why?

 

Banking is expensive, and bank accounts become harder and harder to get.  Although I'm not a gambling man, I'd wager that in many ways, getting a credit card is easier.  The "unbanked" market will continue to grow, and as it does, you'll see more of this - because it's a cash cow that preys on that middle-lower-middle class market.  Just wait.

 

Excuse me, my brain is hurting.

Terrorism: A Tale of Two Mayors

Compare:

Michael Bloomberg, present mayor of New York, after the thwarted attempt to blow up John F. Kennedy Airport on Monday on how ordinary citizens can relate to possibility of terrorist post 9-11 (from the New York Times via WCBS tv:

There are lots of threats to you in the world. There's the threat of a heart attack for genetic reasons. You can't sit there and worry about everything. Get a life.

Contrast (and yes, this is in part a opinion piece, so tread wisely) with this story on yesterday's incident at a Giuliani gathering in Prison Planet.com:

Matt Lepacek, the reporter who was kicked out of the CNN press room and arrested after asking Rudy Giuliani's staff a question, has now been released on bail. Criminal indictments are now being pursued against the police involved as well as Giuliani's staffers for their flagrant abuse of the First Amendment, assault and wrongful arrest.

<snip>

The female staffer was witnessed to be instrumental in alerting the police to the "crime" of Lepacek asking a question that the Giuliani camp weren't comfortable with.

Rudkowski was assaulted and questioned on who he was working for despite the fact that he hadn't even asked a question and was standing separately from Lepacek.

Lepacek was told that other eyewitnesses saw police stamp on one of the cameras as it lay on the floor.

Another eyewitness said that the entire arrest was clearly being directed by Secret Service, who were ordering the police to threaten anyone who asked questions about the incident with arrest.

I find the dichotomy interesting.

Freak On The Street

On the Freakonomics Blog, our heroes spend some time with Stephen Chau, one of the wizards at Google Maps behind Google Street View - the application that allows you to see a street level view on Google Maps - which has caused a full Internet freak-out over at Boing Boing and several other websites.  Check out Street View.  It's... impressive.

 

Here's Mr. Chau on privacy concerns:

 

At Google we take privacy very seriously. Street View only features imagery taken on public property and is not in real time. This imagery is no different from what any person can readily capture or see walking down the street. Imagery of this kind is available in a wide variety of formats for cities all around the world. While the Street View feature enables people to easily find, discover, and plan activities relevant to a location, we respect the fact that people may not want imagery they feel is objectionable featured on the service. We provide easily accessible tools for flagging inappropriate or sensitive imagery for review and removal.

Each Street View imagery bubble contains a link to "Street View Help" where users can report objectionable images. Objectionable imagery includes nudity, certain types of locations (for example, domestic violence shelters) and clearly identifiable individuals, if those individuals request takedown. We routinely review takedown requests and act quickly to remove objectionable imagery.

Street View invokes mixed emotions from me; I admit a little bit of a freak out when I noticed that most of my neighborhood was mapped on Street View, then a little relief when I noticed that they didn't have MY streets mapped.  On the other hand, I'm awestruck.  The only problem that I see is when our friends in the government start using a souped up version of street view for surveillance.

 

I'm quite sure that's next unless someone at Google commits to a smackdown of that idea with the quickness.  Money does talk, though.

 

Do no evil.  Don't let me down, guys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do It Yourself Background Checks

Yes, I'm aware that this is two Consumerist posts in one day.  However, this couldn't be more useful unless you had a handy clone willing to punch the keys or dial the phone.

 

The real post is here, however, via the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

These are the unspoken questions asked by employers, landlords, creditors, insurers and banks as you – the consumer – make your way through the normal affairs of adult life. To the company that may give you a job, write an insurance policy, or rent you an apartment, you represent a risk – the unknown – and companies feel a need to assess their "risk" in dealing with you. Of course, you won't be asked these questions outright, but those who want to rate your "risk level" are turning more than ever to specialized "consumer reports" to find out more about you.

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) covers reports about your overall financial health. Credit reports allow a lender to see whether you pay your bills on time, have filed for bankruptcy, have an outstanding judgment or collection action against you.

However, despite its name, the Fair Credit Reporting Act covers a lot more than simply credit reports. Credit reports are just one of a broader category of consumer reports covered by the FCRA.

To learn more about your credit reporting rights, see PRC Fact Sheet 6, How Private Is My Credit Report?, www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs6-crdt.htm .

Consumer reports can also include reports about you made to employers, insurance companies, banks, and landlords. In recent years, many new companies have sprouted, compiling reports specifically targeted at employers, insurers, and landlords. The companies that compile reports for targeted users are "consumer reporting agencies" under the FCRA, just like the three credit national credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.

Do yourself a favor.  Real both the Consumerist post and it's comments, and read the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse information.  It might be the smartest thing you'll do all month... and it's only June 1.

 

Wine Tips

Via The Consumerist, here are some tips on the best wines under $10 from the Dr. Vino blog .

 

Why is it only a list of nine wines under $10 instead of the usual ten under ten? Because I'm grumpy. It's increasingly difficult to find good wines with character under ten dollars. Blame part of it on the weak dollar (though my list here is heavy on eurozone wines), blame it on producer greed–they're all just excuses! Good wines, easy on the palate and on the wallet are what consumers want. Sure, there are lots of great wines for $12-$15 and many more from $15 - 20, but these are out of reach for a lot of people to have with dinner on a given Tuesday. Producers take note of this market opening, ready to be filled! Meanwhile, we can fill up our wine storage areas with this value vino.

No one with a wine storage area should be grumpy.

 

 

Tech Boom 2.0: Electric Bugaloo

An interesting theory on Microsoft and Yahoo that I simply could not fathom occurring... until now.

 

May 18 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp.'s plan to buy AQuantive Inc. for $6 billion increases the likelihood that the software maker will also buy Yahoo! Inc., Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analyst Anthony Noto said today.

Yahoo would plug a ``strategic hole'' at Microsoft that isn't filled by the purchase of AQuantive, announced today, Noto said in a note to clients. AQuantive, which creates Web ads and measures whether they reach the target audience, doesn't give Microsoft the roughly half a million advertisers required to compete against Google Inc., Noto said.

``We believe the odds of a deal happening over time actually increases,'' New York-based Noto wrote. ``Microsoft is willing to do deals that are a strategic necessity.''

Thank Bloomberg.

 

Obviously, no one learned anything from the 90's.

 

And I would suspect that Yahoo probably does NOT want to be acquired.  That's a fairly clever bunch.  Stay tuned.

 

 

 

The Sequel To The Best PC Game Of All Time

I'm not a young guy anymore, but I'm positively giddy about the game which is arguably the best game of all time.

Introducing: Starcraft II.

Protoss, Terran, and Zerg. These three distinct and powerful races will clash once again in the fast-paced real-time strategy sequel to the legendary original, StarCraft. Legions of veteran, upgraded, and brand-new unit types will do battle across the galaxy, as each faction struggles for survival.

Featuring a unique single-player campaign that picks up where StarCraft: Brood War left off, StarCraft II will present a cast of new heroes and familiar faces in an edgy sci-fi story filled with adventure and intrigue. In addition, Blizzard will again offer unparalleled online play through Battle.net, the company's world-renowned gaming service, with several enhancements and new features to make StarCraft II the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game.

Oh, dear.
Finally a reason to upgrade the computers.
Here's the trailer.

The Credit CARD Act

Usually, I have a natural suspicion of obviously-named bills (see: Patriot Act, No Child Left Behind, etc.).  Not in this case.  I bring you... The Credit CARD Act if 2007 .

 

 

A BILL

To amend the Consumer Credit Protection Act to ban abusive credit practices, enhance consumer disclosures, protect underage consumers, and for other purposes.

 

Where discovered?  Why, The Consumerist, of course.  It's easier to buy into a bill when they are into it.

 

The Credit CARD Act Of 2007 is a bill currently before Congress aiming to end some of the credit card industry's anti-consumer practices. Among H. R. 1461's proposals:

• Advance notice of interest rate increases
• End universal default clauses, the premise that they can raise your credit card interest rate if your credit score changes
• Prohibit credit cards being issued to minors without a parental signature

Here's your chance to stem unadulterated evil, people.  Don't blow this.  Support positive changes in the things that drive you crazy in your everyday life, then marvel at the improvements in your daily existence.

Regular Google Is Not Enough?

If it isn't, try the experimental Google search.

 

Google is always experimenting with new features aimed at improving the search experience. Take them for a spin, and let us know what you think.

I'm actually not exactly sure what this is, but I'm going to try it, anyway.  I'm an early adopter of Google products by nature.

 

Yes, I know that I haven't been posting as much lately.  I promise that I'll make it up to you.

All Things In Moderation

Perfect news for men.

 

Heavy multivitamin users were almost twice as likely to get fatal prostate cancer as men who never took the pills, concludes the study in Wednesday's Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Here's the twist: Overall, the researchers found no link between multivitamin use and early-stage prostate cancer.

The researchers speculate that perhaps high-dose vitamins had little effect until a tumor appeared, and then could spur its growth.

More wonderful news from Yahoo, but don't shoot the messenger.

 

Someone once told me that his doctor told him that if he lived long enough, he'd get prostate cancer.  He did.

Now, too many vitamins might help small cancers beat you?

 

That's it.  It's steak tonight.

 

Population Growth Oddly Making Sense

Over at kotte.org, they noticed a little article from the Wall Street Journal on The Realignment of America.

 

The bad news for them is that the Coastal Megalopolises grew only 4% in 2000-06, while the nation grew 6%. Coastal Megalopolitan states--New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois--are projected to lose five House seats in the 2010 Census, while California, which has gained seats in every census since it was admitted to the Union in 1850, is projected to pick up none.

You see an entirely different picture in the 16 metro areas I call the Interior Boomtowns (none touches the Atlantic or Pacific coasts). Their population has grown 18% in six years. They've had considerable immigrant inflow, 4%, but with the exceptions of Dallas and Houston, this immigrant inflow has been dwarfed by a much larger domestic inflow--three million to 1.5 million overall.

Naturally there are political implications here, but why, do you think, this would happen?

 

If you can't come up with an answer right away, think carefully, Google, and get back to me.

Consider also the how areas in this country grow these days as well.

 

Sometimes, people try to make things more complex than they really are.

 

May 14th - Tappity Tap Tap Tap.

When it comes to privacy, remember that you don't have any on the Internet.  On Monday, you'll have less.

 

May 14th is the official deadline for cable modem companies, DSL providers, broadband over powerline, satellite internet companies and some universities to finish wiring up their networks with FBI-friendly surveillance gear, to comply with the FCC's expanded interpretation of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act.

 

Wired said this first.

 

Oh the news, Zombie Hoover sat up in his grave and applauded.  Oddly, the same news made millions of American Internet users shake their heads in disgust.

 

They Take The Titans Seriously In Tennessee

Today's interesting news story brought to you by WBAL, via my good friends at Fark .

 

Ravens quarterback Steve McNair has been arrested in Nashville, Tennessee, and charged with owning a vehicle being driven by a drunken driver.

 

Steve McNair was driving dr.... hey!  Wait a minute...

 

Jamie Cartwright, 31, was driving McNair's 2003 Dodge pickup truck, with McNair as a passenger, northbound on Hillsboro Road at Abbott Martin Road at 11:53 p.m. Wednesday when DUI Squad Officer Harold Taylor saw that the truck was traveling 45 mph in a 35 mph zone. Officer Taylor activated his emergency equipment and Cartwright pulled into a strip mall on Hillsboro Road near Crestmoor Drive.

When Taylor approached Cartwright, he detected an obvious odor of alcohol and saw that Cartwright's eyes were red and glassy. Cartwright admitted to drinking at least two beers earlier in the evening. Taylor administered the standard field sobriety tasks to Cartwright, which indicated impairment. Cartwright was taken into custody for DUI and was asked to submit to a breath alcohol test. He refused.

Because McNair owns the truck and was a passenger with Cartwright, he too was charged with DUI. It is illegal in Tennessee for the owner of a vehicle to knowingly permit its operation by a driver under the influence of an intoxicant. Metro police have charged 43 persons, including McNair, for violating that statute since the first of this year.

So.  To be clear, Steve McNair, who may have been drunk, was riding shotgun with a person that may have been drunk, and Steve McNair (the passenger) was charged with a DUI?  Or is it a PUI.  Hm.

 

Clever.

 

 

 

 

Friends, don't let friends drive your car.  Anytime, just to be safe.

 

 

Hoaxes On The Internet

The way that you can tell that you've been on the Internet for a while is that you've at least seen or heard of most of these, highlighted today by Yahoo:  The Top 25 Web Hoaxes.

 

Some old favorites:

 

2. Sick Kid Needs Your Help (1989)

4. Five-Cent E-Mail Tax (1999)

5. Nigerian 419 E-Mail Scam (2000)

20. Rand's 1954 Home Computer (2004)

21. Microsoft Buys Catholic Church (1994)

Funny how things change so much, yet so little in Internet culture.  In some variety, I still see a lot of these available on the Internet and in my email - some daily.  Do yourselves a favor, folks, seriously:  check Snopes.com before you send that email explaining how Bill Gates is giving away money for just sending an email.  Snopes is a good resource, and is conveniently located on my sidebar.  Oldsters will remember the old Usenet group rec.folklore.urban - from which Snopes was born.  These guys know their stuff and have been writing about Internet and other urban folklore, or urban legends, for years.

Take a look.  I tend to do that before I believe anything that I read on the Internet.

 

 

 

POW! Goes The Blog

Quite unfortunately, last night while doing some blog tweaks, I unfortunately lost my blog template, so things might look a bit strange for a couple of days.  If anyone has any ideas on how to recover an inadvertently lost blogger template, let me know.

 

In the meantime, I have much to do, and will try to have this fixed by the weekend.

Digg Dugg?

Uh oh.  I'm not sure what happened to Digg.com, but something big is definitely afoot.

 

I've never really seen anything like this on user run websites, but chaos is taking place over on Digg. As I have mentioned before, Digg is my favorite website out there, but after they banned me earlier today I got a little pissed. I submitted a story about a T-Shirt with the now famous HD-DVD hex key on it, and I was banned for "violating the terms of use".

Stories were getting deleted and user accounts were being banned all because of a stupid HD-DVD copyright Hex code that can be used to unlock HD-DVD. Digg claimed that they could be sued and what not for it so they decided to censor all of the stories that had to deal with the key. The whole thing is just bull, you can't copyright a sequence of numbers and letters.

Thank TechPwn.

 

Then this, also from TechPwn.

 

Well, as a follow up, digg has shut down story submissions. They have also turned off the ability for stories to reach the front page.

 

This is quite the interesting thing to come home to after a 15 hour day.  Here's a little Digg background.

 

...and here's Digg.com.

 

Slashdot weighs in here. 

 

I am a member of Digg, but I haven't been there lately.  The geek in me finds this revolt... intriguing.