z: davidmsc
Sunday, November 18, 2001
"The moment every traveller lives for is the native dinner where, throwing caution to the wind and plunging into a local delicacy which ought by rights to be disgusting, one discovers that it is not only delicious but that it also contradicts a previously held prejudice about food, that it expands ones culinary horizons to include surprising new smells, tastes, and textures. Lutefisk is not such a dish." (more...):
Courtesy of Fredrik, who informs me that "julebord" is the Norwegian holiday that roughly occupies the same spot on the calendar as Thanksgiving does in America. Hang in there, Fredrik...I'll eat some extra helpings of turkey this week in your honor!
And I found out how to customize my GreyMatter templates, after enough Googling. Still not confident enough to show it off, but it'll be ready soon.
"My Fair Lady" is on AMC right now. Truly one of the best movies *ever*. So many great lines, too. Rex Harrison is simply perfect/amazing in his role as Henry Higgins, and Audrey Hepburn...(sigh)...probably my first "movie star" crush when I was young, after having seen "Sabrina." Eliza's father, Alfred P. Doolittle, never ceases to bring a smile, and Wilfrid-Hyde White, as Col Pickering, is just delightful, walking a fine line between Wise Elder and Jolly, Doddering Senior Citizen.
Saturday, November 17, 2001
Well, I've gone and installed GreyMatter, with a little prodding from Fredrik. Simple enough; CHMODs were no problem, and I was able to tinker with just a wee bit of customization. For the life of me, however, I can't figure out how to change the font/s, and the intial index.htm page just looked so damn empty with only my three feeble "testing" posts. Frankly, I'm embarrassed by it, so you won't see it until I can make it "prettier." Warning: learning curve ahead.
By the way, didja catch the new Justice League show on Cartoon Network? Frankly, I was underwhelmed. Green Lantern was a surprise fave, Flash was a hormone-driven wiseass, Superman didn't live up to his billing, the Martian was surprisingly interesting, and when the heck did Wonder Woman gain the power of flight (without her invisible plane, I mean)?
Jeff Jarvis: "I've never met Welch, Ken Layne, Sullivan, Charles Johnson, Thomas Nephew, Dan Hartung, Reid Stott, or Bjørn Stærk but I admire and like them (even if I often don't agree with them) and feel as if I've come to know them and their views over beers instead of blogs. Damn, I love this."
Friday, November 16, 2001
I know I'll probably get some heat and likely be called a "troll" for my comments in this MeFi thread. But seriously, we should put Bill Gates on a stamp, or issue a coin with his picture, or at least get the DoJ to publicly apologize to him. Sheesh, more than any other single person, he was responsible for the economic boom of the 1990s. Monopoly, my eye. Here's something else that's ticking me off: I can't get a comment system to work. WHY? I've tried dotcomments, tried aspcomments, tried blogback...either I can't set it up properly, or the service goes belly-up, or something else goes wrong. Ideas...? Anyone...?
Weird...driving home on Wednesday, I heard Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto #2 on the radio. Hadn't heard that in several years. Today, driving home, I heard Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto #1 on the radio. The funny thing is that way back in 1988 I bought a cassette tape; side #1 was Concerto #2, and side #2 was Concerto #1. Don't know what happened to the tape; time to get the CD. Great stuff. Also: note to self -- replace missing "Best of Parliament" album, too.
The Justice League is back, baby! Thanks to Annessa for tipping me to this. No, we're not talking about the "then-cool, but now-cheesy" 70s version; this is NEW. Very cool. One odd note: doesn't seem to be the Justice League OF AMERICA any more. BTW, I've always thought The Flash was way cool, almost as much as Superman. The early-90s live-action version of The Flash was amazing, but short-lived. Music by Elfman, natch. Wonder how the biggest Superman fan that I know of feels about this new-and-improved J.L.?
Oliver: The Wonder Woman reference (Woman + "Lasso of Truth" = Move Along) is brilliant.
Amazing. What else can I say? "Iron Chef USA" is on right now; it is every bit as large-as-life as you would expect (hope?) an American version of Iron Chef to be, especially with William Shatner as the "Chairman." Shatner was in great form, playing the role to the Nth degree. As he entered Kitchen Stadium, he "inspected" the assembled (non-Iron Chef) chefs, all decked out in their white finery. He approached one chef, pretended to rub some dirt off of the man's uniform, gave a frown of disapproval, and then, with the wave of an arm, directed the offending chef to depart post-haste. The crowd roared approvingly at the complete mastery of Shatner's character over the assembled chefs, and indeed the whole stadium. Back to the show: tonight's challenger, billed as "The Rock-n-Roll Chef!", rode in on a motorcycle. The surprise ingredient: Dungeness Crab! Naturally, they were alive in a tank of water and proceeded to be mercilessly chopped/hacked/cooked right before our eyes (take that, PETA!). The on-scene announcer's name: Sissy Biggers. No, I am not making that up. BTW, the "Rock-n-Roll Chef" chose Iron Chef American to battle. Why? "Because I want to duel." Future episodes promise to entertain.
One disappointing note about "Iron Chef USA": unlike the classic Japanese version, there is no constant refrain of "Fukui-san!" from the on-scene reporter. I once clocked 33 utterances of "Fukui-san!" during one episode.
Interesting article found at Harry Roolaart's site.
Monday, November 12, 2001
If you, like me, believe that "The Critic" was one of the greatest TV shows in history, don't forget to check out the Shockwave/Atom Films site for new mini-episodes. They've done ten of them so far, and while they are short (5-8 minutes), they are reasonably good. Perhaps not as good as the original, but certainly worthwhile.
Can I ask you a favor? Just curious about how you are connecting to the internet. Would you be so kind as to let me know, via this simple poll, whether you use dial-up, DSL, cable-modem, or some other means? Much obliged - thanks.
Here's a plug for a movie I saw several months ago: "Nurse Betty." Great movie. Lagged just a tiny bit at about the 2/3 mark, but only for a few minutes. Extremely interesting characters, wacky plot that just barely edges into unbelievable, and quite well acted. Morgan Freeman? Incredible. Particularly cute is his brief "dream sequence" at the Grand Canyon with Nurse Betty, and co-star Chris Rock's reaction. And the female lead, Renee Zellweger is surprisingly charming and quirky. "Nurse Betty" is highly recommended.
Sunday, November 11, 2001
Excellent! Looks like Punditwatch provides a round-up of all of the Sunday talking-heads programs; handy since I usually can't rouse myself on a Sunday to catch the early ones, and by the time "This Week" (with Sam & Cokie!) rolls around, I'm too busy scarfing down breakfast tacos and devouring the Sunday paper.
I finally got around to installing a screenshot utility on my iPaq. Voila! And don't forget -- if you're looking for tips & tricks when building your webpage, check out CNet's Builder pages. Trust me -- if you're a "newbie" and wondering about HTML and page design, there's simple but effective tools here. Neat stuff, and often humorously explained.
I've got to put another plug in for GoDaddy.com. Strange name, granted, but it's got the cheapest domain-registration that I know of -- only $8.95! And you don't have to buy a name for five or ten years to get that price -- you can buy a domain for $8.95 for only one year. I just bought another one - www.afmsnews.com - for my AF Medical Service News Bytes page. In other news, I just saw my brother; he's not the black sheep of the family, but rather the psychedelic sheep. After living here in SA for a year and drying out for seven months, he's headed back to North Carolina to be with/near his kids. Good luck, Jon.
Note to self: check out Fast Company website.
Saturday, November 10, 2001
Much obliged to Mark, who pointed out the error in my Blogger template that was causing unexpected *bolding*. Tip o' the hat to you, Mark! Also discovered, via Mark, is a very intriguing page by Harry Roolaart; it contains cultural reviews (movies, etc), interesting art, and philosophical musings. Also -- thanks to Annessa for the front-page link, and in case I hadn't mentioned it already, the cute origami stars at the top of my page!
Friday, November 09, 2001
You must see this. We must not forget what happened, and why we are fighting. It is a large .swf file, but well worth it (with broadband, it will load in less than 1 minute). Set to haunting music by Enya, it is a montage of images & audio from 9/11. Thanks to Oliver for alerting me to this.
One other thing, somewhat related but certainly more positive: Capitalist Chicks!
1. Ultra-groovy -- Space Age Pop Music is just too marvelous for words. If you're ever in a bind over what to listen to, some SAPM should do the trick. 2. Ford has the Explorer, the Expedition, the Excursion (gawd, what a behemoth!), and now the sporty Escape. Continuing this tradition, I think that Ford should name the next generation of SUVs simply "Extreme!"? By the way, do you remember when Nissan was called Datsun?
1. "Web surfers, who had fallen into a deep sloth since beating the "All Your Base" phenomenon into the ground, suddenly leaped into action..." and now we finally (maybe) have a winner! 2. Do you love animals, particularly dogs? Do you love jewelry? Then you've simply got to check out Golden Wonders. When you order something (and you will), be sure to tell them that Dave sent you. 3. Not only do I enjoy watching television, I also enjoy reading about television.
By the way -- does anyone know why the first few words of each of my posts is suddenly *BOLD*? I can't figure it out in my template...any ideas? Anyone...Bueller? Bueller?
Thursday, November 08, 2001
Time to play "Who wants to be a military millionaire?" That's right -- there will be a special "military edition" of the quiz show on ABC on November 11-12, and people from the Army, Navy, and Air Force will be front-and-center! I sure would love to see a blue-suiter walk away with $1 million dollars!
Wednesday, November 07, 2001
1. A little bit dated, but here is a spot-on critique of the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) under David Kessler; it's quite a perfect picture of bureaucracy. I'd be willing to grant that perhaps some safety oversight is necessary, but this article highlights the worst examples of absolute tyranny and excess of the FDA. 2. A nifty little article (from March) about the cable news channels; a brief analysis of their personalities, strong points, downfalls, etc. As a news junkie, I certainly have my opinions about the "big three" (CNN, Fox News, MSNBC), and the bottom line of the article is correct: when it really matters (election, 9/11, etc), they deliver the goods, but they could/should do better all the time.
Monday, November 05, 2001
1. Some brand-spankin' new United States Air Force commercials now available for your viewing pleasure. 2. Here is an article from NYT about the enduring popularity and background of Our Favorite Family. One sidenote: the article references "turn-of-the-century America." Took me a minute to realize that it was referring to *now*. 3. Please take the time read what Oliver has to say about autumn and the approach of winter. My sentiments exactly.
Friday, November 02, 2001
1. The ultra-condensed version of the trilogy of Thomas Covenant, Ur-Lord & Unbeliever. Seriously, the books were OK, but really, when you get right down to it, this condensed version is spot-on accurate. 2. The cable-news channels are slowly but surely killing our precious verbs. And lest you think that the non-stop coverage of 9/11 is to blame, what with it's never-ending appetite and developments, PBS documented same way back in August. 3. In his novel "The Tomorrow File", author Lawrence Sanders describes a killer who contaminates the glue used for postage stamps...with botulism toxin. He wrote the book waaaay back in 1980, I think. Just popped in my head in light of the recent anthrax attacks.
Monday, October 29, 2001
Salon magazine wants to know if it is time to bust the Cipro patent.. The scary response, according to "activist" Jamie Love: Yes.
Here's a sample of this interview: Q: If the administration does decide to authorize generic production of Cipro, would Bayer be entitled to any compensation? A: Absolutely. You have to pay. It's not free. The federal government would be on the hook for the compensation. They would have to pay whatever a judge says is reasonable compensation. (emphasis added)
Ha! I suppose Love would prefer that Judge Jackson be the one to decide...? (((Shudder))) With so many people shrieking about "civil rights" being trampled in the post-9/11 environment, I'm glad that HHS chief Thompson hasn't completely forgotten the rights of business. Of course, he still shook Bayer down, to the tune of about $1 per pill, but he at least had exercised some discipline & integrity by not trying to break the patent. Two steps forward, one step back...
I would be remiss if I didn't note that my buddy Doug sent me a birthday card today, via e-mail. Enclosed was a picture of a famous learning institution. Thanks, Dougie! I would also be remiss if I didn't note that my friend Tom (from Enid!) was thoughtful by sending me an e-card, too! BTW, Tom, I figured we'd disagree about...you know...but as you said, we respect each other's rights to our respective opinions. Ain't America great? Best wishes to all back "home!"
Saturday, October 27, 2001
Orisinal : Morning Sunshine contains some visually stunning games. I'm impressed. The visuals, the music, the variety...I hope this person is making $$$ from his creativity and talent. The game titled "Among The Clouds" is my favorite; it's actually not even a game, just a 15-minute long ride in a balloon, which you maneuver with your mouse and use to occasionally pick up green balls (while avoiding red balls), set to some very relaxing music. Very peaceful and tranquil; almost hypnotic.
The Virtue of Prosperity by Dinesh D'Souza has a vaguely familiar-sounding title, doesn't it...? :-)
Friday, October 26, 2001
Woo Hoo! We set the clocks back one hour this weekend -- that means Halloween is almost here! It also means that I can drive to work with some sunlight, at least for a few weeks. And that the weather will really get better now (finally)...some cold fronts, some falling leaves, some autumn colors, my birthday, crispness in the air...did I mention that I love October, and autumn, and Halloween? And speaking of time changes, have you noticed that Afghanistan is 8 and 1/2 hours ahead of EDT? What's up with that extra 1/2 hour?
Weighty matters indeed...there are some really cute/funny/bizarre links cropping up lately. Cats, toads, robots, more cats, and who knows what else...Speaking of small mammals, isn't it about time that some lambs in New Zealand got their very own websites? Damn right.
Thursday, October 25, 2001
Six options for combatting terrorism, according to Reason magazine. Interesting perspective -- options include "Kojak," "Gandhi," and "Bronson." I'm leaning towards Bronson, with a pinch or two each of Kojak and Strangelove.
Tuesday, October 23, 2001
RANT: Argh! API, the company from whom I purchased the "ultra-super-fancy-includes-everything" warranty for my wife's Explorer, just denied payment of a $280 claim for service. Obviously their "ultra-super-fancy-includes-everything" warranty doesn't.
RAVE: But on the positive side of the ledger, Iron Chef USA is coming soon! None other than Bill Shatner is hosting, so you KNOW this is going to be good. And cheesy (no pun intended)...(mmmm....cheese.....)
WHIMSY: Go ahead...poke the bunny. I know, this is a retread from several days ago, but it's still whimsical, so just do it.
Sunday, October 21, 2001
I picked up an issue of The Weekly Standard yesterday, and am quite impressed. Intelligent commentary; subscription-worthy...? Next topic -- what the heck is a Universal Dishwasher? Must investigate. (via Ev)
Saturday, October 20, 2001
Are you ready to rumble? Well, now you can sound off in the ongoing battle of George versus Dave. Make your voice heard -- vote for the one that YOU think is correct! And now...go ahead...poke the bunny. More animation, but of a slightly less cute nature, is this cute little bear that has a...um...interesting relationship with prime numbers; I don't why, but it simply made me laugh.
Wednesday, October 17, 2001
Well, with Brill's Content gone, I'll have to find another decent source of media review & criticism, and NPR's On the Media has been recommended. Another possibility is Media Life magazine (on-line). More media: Jane White is Sick & Twisted looks like an...er..um..interesting movie. Features many cast members who have previously been stars (or "stars") on other shows, including Wil Wheaton, Michelle Philips, Gary Owens, Danica McKellar, and others. If nothing else, the website is quite irreverent...you simply MUST check out the "Cast" link and see how they trash some of the movie's stars, or otherwise mock them.
Tuesday, October 16, 2001
Check out the Internet Archive; sorta like a Wayback Machine for web pages long thought dead. And take a look at what the city of Edmonton is doing for the Walk For Capitalism; some nifty posters, too.
On C-SPAN a few minutes ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed (by a way large margin) a measure to "encourage U.S. public schools to post signs that say 'God Bless America'." OK, time for a little perspective: how do you think the vote would go if the proposed resolution asked public schools to post signs reading, "Allah Bless America?" Or how about "Lucifer Bless America?" Or how about "Vishnu Bless America?" Or any other number of alternate deities? Why the heck not? Oh, I see...because there are more Christians in America than there are Hindus, or Muslims, or Satanists. And because the majority gets to infringe upon the rights of the minority, when it comes to atheism. OK, then let's project about 100 years into the future, and assume that Muslims now outnumber Christians and other religions...THEN will it be OK to say "Allah Bless America?"
And to those who argue, "So what?" and maintain that a simple sign shouldn't offend us, and ask why we can't just get over it, and it certainly doesn't HURT anything to express such a sentiment, I say: bull. In the last few weeks, the sudden rise of religion -- and specifically christianity, and judaism to a lesser degree -- as a supposed "shared value" that "unites" all Americans is increasingly being shoved down our throats in every forum: at work, at school, at every ball game, on every corner, on every business sign. Hey -- if it's a private business, no problem; that's the owner's right. But as one of the "owners" of the U.S. government, and subsequently the public school system, this is very disturbing because it implicitly (explicitly?) implies that the government endorses, favors, or otherwise approves of christianity and judaism, or whatever other religion has a supreme being that it refers to as "god." As an atheist, I am as offended as, say, a Christian would be if he was forced to pray to Allah or Satan every morning at the beginning of class. For instance, you see.
Monday, October 15, 2001
Damn. Brill's Content has gone belly-up. My favorite magazine. I was really looking forward to the next issue, which would have covered the media's coverage of 9/11. Damn.
Rave: Caught up with an old classmate of mine today -- Colin Smyth! Let's all send a big, collective "Congrats!" to Colin in Hawaii for being selected for promotion to Major, and also for his (a) marriage to Kathy and (b) becoming a dad twice in the four years since we last saw each other! Good on ya, Colin!
Rant: On her radio show today, Dr. Laura decried Halloween; I'll respond to her criticism later. Suffice to say she is wrong on several counts.
Sunday, October 14, 2001
Once more, I must recommend Jeff Jarvis' WarLog. As mentioned earlier, it has some killer links and a rocking commentary by Jeff himself. For instance, he predicts that cocaine will lose it's appeal (hard to believe it has any, but what are ya gonna do?), because, as he points out, what kind of moron wants to go snorting some powder into their nose & lungs in the current environment? Jeff also maintains that Rudy Guiliani should be the next Attorney General. I dunno...Ashcroft seems to be doing OK, and I think the FBI is more screwed up than Justice as a whole, so I'd install Rudy as FBI director. Either way, I think it would be a great move (perhaps even necessary to America's psyche) for Rudy to take a very active & official role on the national scene (recovery, justice, etc) when his term expires.
Saturday, October 13, 2001
Courtesy of my friend George: Star Trek Enterprise. Thanks, George. However, in alerting me to this great ST site, George tipped his hand and, as usual, he is wrong about yet another key cultural issue; he seems to think that Jolene Blaylock (T'Pol) is "better" than Linda Park (Sato).
An analysis of CNN's newest anchor-du-jour, Aaron Brown. I remember him (with Lisa McRee) from the early days of ABC's World News Now.
It's everyone's favorite tourist from 9/11 -- all pix are completely fake, of course, but I'll be darned if some of them aren't just as creative as can be. And in case you hadn't heard, the original picture is a fake, too (duh). Yet another urban legend arising from the tragedy of 9/11.
NEXT: Just for fun...I thought I'd try adding a new page, simply titled "Dave's Media Page." It will consist primarily of books, movies, magazines, and possibly music that I enjoy or am considering reading/watching/etc. I used an interesting Blogger template that changes colors as you view it. In addition, you (as the viewer) can change the font size and type at will. Your thoughts?
Friday, October 12, 2001
COLD FRONT! SEVERE WEATHER!
Oh, do I love October -- surely the best of all months. Let me count the ways: set the clocks back, Halloween, my birthday, Columbus Day, leaves fall from trees, cold fronts begin & weather starts-a-changing (woo-hoo!)...what's not to love?
Accurate article that ponders why local (municipal) governments haven't more fully embraced the web, particularly for times of crisis or disaster.
Thursday, October 11, 2001
The US has unveiled a new website to chronicle our military & government efforts to combat terrorism: Defend America! NEXT: "Am I Terrorist or Not?" Not only does this site let you rate possible & confirmed terrorists, it provides a brief background on each person (and dog) after you place each vote. NEXT: The Warlog has some great, great links, and pretty good commentary to boot.
Hooray! Laura Ingraham has a website! Now if we could just get one of the local radio stations to carry her program... Next: don't forget to kneel before Zod. What a great line (from a great movie). Next: I never realized that invisible pink unicorns actually rule our universe. Delightful.
This is certainly the *tastiest* type of charity I can think of: Dine For America! It's simple: go out to eat today! Just find a participating restaurant near you, and then load up the family car or grab some friends, head over there, and order up! Profits from today's sales will be given to the Red Cross. I haven't looked at the list of all of the restaurants, but I do know that CHILI'S is participating...mmmmmm...
Wednesday, October 10, 2001
Aaaah...truly one of my favorite movies from the 80s...this is one the movies that I know (virtually) every line of: Better Off Dead. Ricky just cracks me up, Monique is "hubba-hubba," Lane is...well, pathetic but cool, and the Japanese guys are dead-on with their Howard Cosell impersonations. Classic line: "Gee, Ricky, I'm real sorry your mom blew up." More classic lines. And continuing with this post's theme of cult shows, here is an excellent resource for all things Simpson.
Tuesday, October 09, 2001
Amid all the chaos of the last several weeks, I have heard many people worry about losing their civil rights or freedoms because of our newfound war on terrorism; I don't think their fears will come to pass. However, the daily commentary from the Cato Institute reminds us about some of the economic rights that were lost (and in some cases, never regained) during WWI and WWII. Wage & price controls -- you know, stuff straight outta the likes of Wesley Mouch and Bertram Scudder.
Uh, oh...looks like my favorite magazine, Brill's Content, may be in serious trouble. Dammit. But speaking of magazines, check out the Time.com error screen - way cute, eh?
Monday, October 08, 2001
Hey, I like Star Trek. You might even say I'm a "trekkie" (or "trekker"). But holy cow...can you imagine devoting nearly all of your waking moments to fantasizing about Brent Spiner, who played Lt Cmdr Data on ST:TNG? (warning: page will attempt to download a .wav file -- simply click "no").
OK, people, you've been waiting for a long time...and now you at last have an alternative to The Onion and Modern Humorist: Verbal Attack! It is quite liberal in the use of foul language (fair warning), but quite funny. Stricly text-based, so no memory-hogging bandwidth issues to worry about. Go visit Verbal Attack now. Go on...get over there.
Cool -- online air hockey! Pretty realistic, and it's "beatable" too!
Holy cow...look at this filth: "When one country of about 300 million in a population of 9 billion, controls 80 percent of the world's resources for its own purposes, maintains half the world in varying degrees of poverty, including many of its own citizens, and enforces its exploitation with the most powerful military machine the world has ever seen, I call this empire." This diatribe, this hatred, is from a "reverend" of the Unitarian Universalist church in Massachussetts, further reinforcing my belief that religion is truly the greatest cause of terror in the world and ultimately incompatible with American society.
On a personal level, religion is merely annoying and poses no direct threat to freedom & capitalism; when espoused or practiced on a large-scale (churches, "God Bless America" signs), it often results in seeming contradictions between the religious tenets ("turn the other cheek", self-interest is "evil", etc) and our political/economic systems. The secret of many religious folks in America is that they truly believe in capitalism (and, in turn, freedom & democracy) and live accordingly; their practice of their religion is limited to Sunday morning services, occasional moments of introspection, and national events such as 9/11.
When practiced on a national (governmental) scale, namely theocracies, you wind up with the Taliban, and other such countries/regimes that place religion ahead of freedom & democracy & capitalism. These states usually involve a strange mix of third-world poverty sprinkled with a few wealthy government and business officials; gleaming palaces surrounded by huts and tents; modern automobiles surrounded by nomadic tribes on camels; and leaders who get quality medical care in the US while their citizens suffer diseases that we conquered long ago.
Always interesting to see what people are looking for, and what they aren't looking for, at the Google Press Center.
Sunday, October 07, 2001
Facts about Norway: "The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism..." ??? Also: Norway is roughly the size of the state of New Mexico, and has approximately 4.5 million citizens. And if you want to know what time it is in Norway (or Afghanistan, or Korea, etc), you can find out here.
Pure 80s: Breakin' -The Movie. Saw it the night I graduated from high school. Will pay $$$ to get a VHS copy.
Saturday, October 06, 2001
Do you love Google? Are you fascinated by (a) media (b) news/current events and (c) the internet? Then you should read "The Effects of September 11 on the Leading Search Engine." Fascinating.
Friday, October 05, 2001
Darn...I tried to remember to buy a Sugar Twins CD months ago, but I forgot. Maybe this time I really, really will remember...
Ever wonder why I don't consume alcohol (in any form)? Here are just a few reasons.
Found courtesy of Fredrik: "America, just for example, produced more wealth in the last century than the rest of the world, including China and Russia, in the history of mankind...Its system of government was not coincidentally born in the Age of Reason; liberty was merely a necessary political feature of a society based on reason." (more...)
Stimulus: "This is not going to be a popular view, but the constant undertone of 'they can't do this to us - we're Americans' is not attractive." (more...)
Response: "After an attack of this magnitude, most great nations would do as Rome did to Carthage...the United States absolutely could do that." (more...)"
Damn. I wish I had known about DECA when I was in high school. Or the Junior Achievement organization.
Thursday, October 04, 2001
A website called "Agnostic Llama" has a very nifty game called (for some reason) slime volley ball. It's incredibly simple, no plug-ins needed; you just click your mouse to begin, and then use your right/left arrow keys to hit the ball to the other side of the net. It's sorta like crossing "Pong" with volleyball.
While doing some follow-up websurfing after watching "King Gimp" on HBO several months ago, I stumbled across the home page of Eyal Sherman (no relation). This kid has more artistic talent in his lips (literally) than I have in my whole body; check out his drawing of Pinocchio. Me? Heck, I can't even draw a stick figure. Kudos to Eyal!
Oh, how I love Urban Legends; more to the point, I relish discovering the source of them and debunking them. Snopes has done a great job of cataloging the many, many urban legends dealing with 9/11; a few turn out to be true, but the majority are as phony as can be. And a totally unrelated subject...I really like the attitude of Patrick Ruffini. Well spoken, too.
According to Mortman, here is a "winners/losers" look at the media in the last three weeks. I agree with his assessment about Newt Gingrich; maybe Newt should stage a comeback to national politics...? And here is Andrew Sullivan quoted in OpinionJournal: "The left's howls of anguish are therefore essentially phony...Forced to choose between the West and the Taliban, the hard left simply cannot decide. Far from concealing this ideological bankruptcy, we need to expose it and condemn it as widely and as irrevocably as we can. Many liberals are already listening and watching--and the tectonic plates of politics are shifting as they do.
This was probably just a matter of time, given Coulter's recent hysterical rant about "converting them (implied: Muslims) all to christianity":National Review drops Ann Coulter (washingtonpost.com). While I occasionally enjoy seeing Coulter on pundit shows, her column following 9/11 was really pretty bizarre. I understand her outrage, but that last comment about "converting them" really was off the page.
Wednesday, October 03, 2001
THIS is interesting: Metaphilm. A site that "interprets" popular films and provides commentary on what it considers to be, essentially, the new religion & church: movies, and movie theatres. In light of recent events, the 1998 Bruce Willis movie "The Siege" seems to lend itself to particular scrutiny. (link courtesy of MeFi).
Hmmm...looks like I might need Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods by M.Q. Patton
Here is a shameless plug for an on-line novel by an intelligent & opinionated person whose ravings on MeFi and on his own website are favorites of mine (even if & when we disagree): Confluence: A Novel
And now, it's time for a moment of geekness: here is the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Episode List. Now that "Enterprise" is up & running, it's time to dust off all of my Trek memories and, to quote Jean-Luc, "Engage!" Link courtesy of Oliver.
Promotion lists for MSCs released yesterday: Major Lt Col
Yay! Joanie, Dana, Adolphe, Colin, and several other friends & acquaintances were selected for promotion! I love it when good things happen to nice people!
Tuesday, October 02, 2001
My wife's favorite show on TV: Trading Spaces. My favorite show: Fox News Watch. Well...maybe not my favorite, but certainly in my top five or so.
Monday, October 01, 2001
Make no mistake: I hate sports. I also hate baseball. Nope...I know what you're thinking, but I truly don't believe that baseball is a "sport." So, back on topic: I hate both sports & baseball. Nevertheless...I am very much rooting for Barry Bonds to set a record this season with the most home-runs of any player in one season. I like his attitude: straight-forward, no-nonsense, just-doing-my-job. Besides, that McGwire character, who set the record three years ago, gave me the creeps. Go Barry!
"In the space of five days, a man named Bill Maher, who hosts a late-night program called Politically Incorrect on the ABC network, underwent a kind of public nervous breakdown on national television.". His humor was sometimes funny, but his rage and disgust with Ronald Reagan way back in the 80s went over the line; since then, I've had little or no respect for Maher. What he's done in the wake of 9/11, however, is bizarre. Although I think he's an idiot, I didn't think he would be so stupid as to get himself into this kind of mess.
From the Cato Institute: Attacks on American Values. Chock full of insight. On a lighter note, here is a picture that my little one drew/colored over the weekend. Excellent!
Saturday, September 29, 2001
I often mean to check the Drudge Report and sift through the many op-ed/editorial/pundit links.
Woo-hoo!!! Rock 'n' Roll High School is on right now...on Turner Classic Movies, if you can believe it! Such memories...Gabba Gabba Hey!!!
Finally...some humor amidst the tragedy. Trust The Onion to come up with some good stuff: Hijackers Surprised To Find Selves In Hell
Friday, September 28, 2001
I'm surprised...Contentville has shut down. I was one of the charter members, and that was only 14 or 15 months ago. Wow. And in case you hadn't heard, Brill's Content is now a quarterly, rather than a monthly, magazine, but I must say that the first issue of BC as a quarterly was quite nice & chock-full of good stuff. Wouldja believe that under the "Stuff We Like" column they lauded "TV Funhouse!"?
Thursday, September 27, 2001
CONGRATULATIONS to the newest Medical Service Corps officers (select)! The accession board met last week and the results have already been posted - CLICK HERE to see the list. Great news - Mark Colebrook is on the list - congratulations Mark!
Wow. "A New Height" by Bryan Larsen
OK, it's time for some good news re: media. First of all, Nick @ Nite began airing one of my favorite 80s shows, "Family Ties," this week. Alex P. Keaton, uber-capitalist and Reagan-lover extraordinaire - hooray!
Second, I caught the premiere episode of "Enterprise" last night. Well done. Not outstanding, not incredible, but certainly good enough to make me want to see the next episode. Worst part: the crappy opening "song." Why the hell are the producers trying to make it "hip" by having some lame current-attraction rock band sing the opening song? Why couldn't they have just used some instrumental music, like the other ST series? Also, sadly, it seems that the producers have given in to the "sex sells" lesson, with the Vulcan T'Pol getting a decontamination chamber "rub down" from a fellow crew member. Distracting, at best, and certainly of no interest to true Trekkers. Feh. Bakula seems OK in the role of Captain Archer; the ship itself seems a bit too modern-looking, but certainly beautiful. Transporter...hmmm...so it looks like Capt Archer was the first human being to ever be transported. The two most intriguing characters, so far, seem to be Ensigns Sato and Mayweather. All in all, well done. Of course, I appreciate the reference to Oklahoma, too. Broken Bow, specifically.
Tuesday, September 25, 2001
A short, insightful article that explains why striking back at the terrorists is both proper and necessary.
Sunday, September 23, 2001
Of course the events of 9/11 have launched a new crop of urban legends & myths; this one, a digitally-altered photo, will initially make your jaw drop open, until you think about it for a minute and realize that it is phony. Scroll down and you can read the de-mything of the photo, too.
Friday, September 21, 2001
Wheee! A MeFi thread devoted to Objectivism! And apparently some University of Michigan students appreciate the philosophy, too.
Thursday, September 20, 2001
President Bush hit a home run tonight, correctly identifying many of the issues that are at stake in this new battle. His delivery was better than I've ever seen in him. Some excerpts:
"Americans are asking 'Why do they hate us?' They hate what they see right here in this chamber: a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms: our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other..."
"These terrorists kill not merely to end lives, but to disrupt and end a way of life. With every atrocity, they hope that America grows fearful, retreating from the world and forsaking our friends. They stand against us because we stand in their way...."
And my favorite part of the speech: "We have seen their kind before. They're the heirs of all the murderous ideologies of the 20th century. By sacrificing human life to serve their radical visions, by abandoning every value except the will to power, they follow in the path of fascism, Nazism and totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way to where it ends in history's unmarked grave of discarded lies." He should have included communism, but I think the point was made.
From Prodos' "Walk For Capitalism" site: Clearly, the destruction of the World Trade Center was designed as an attack on the very ideals of Capitalism.
It was no less than a *deliberate* strike upon: Life, Liberty, Property, and the Pursuit of Happiness. These are the Founding Principles of the United States of America - and they are universal.
It was not America which created these principles. It was these principles which created America. (emphasis added) And any culture which embraces them will, like America, also transform itself into a Titan - a powerhouse of freedom and prosperity.
One of the truly greatest tragedies to emerge from the nightmare is the story of Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, who lost 700+ employees & friends, including his brother. Combined, these people had over 1,500 children who are now left without (in most cases) a father. Mr. Lutnick has appeared on a couple of shows in the last week and simply can not contain his grief. I don't know how anyone could, in his shoes. ((heart breaks))
Tuesday, September 18, 2001
Capitalist Chicks: Changing the Face of Capitalism. And re: their name -- strike another blow against the tyranny of "politically correct" terms!
Monday, September 17, 2001
A very cogent essay by Shelby Steele; it accurately pinpoints *unearned guilt* as one of the failings of American society, although it places (to my mind) just a bit too much emphasis on "white guilt." Still, Mr. Steele is largely correct: unearned guilt leads to equivocation on the part of the West, and America in particular, which emboldens those who would take advantage of us, or, as we saw last week, seek to destroy us. Link courtesy of Fredrik - thanks!
Sunday, September 16, 2001
One reporter's account of being with President Bush flying on Air Force One when the catastrophe occurred.
Saturday, September 15, 2001
This op-ed cartoon simply brought me to tears. The artist, Luckovich, conveys such simple innocence in the faces of the firefighting & police heroes. One of the very few times in my life that I almost (almost) wish that I believed in an afterlife. And the second op-ed illustration rings true...dedication to liberty is what has made our nation great, and our continued reliance on freedom & individual rights will ensure our everlasting strength & prosperity. Click on either image to see a larger view. You can see many more such illustrations gathered from newspapers around the country at Slate.com, which I found via Metafilter.
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A sobering interview with the "biographer" of the World Trade Center towers.
Friday, September 14, 2001
As of Tuesday, all Americans, and many other people, became honorary citizens of World New York.
Which reminds me...one of the most touching things I've experienced since Tuesday was a brief clip on NPR this morning on the way to work. The report stated that for the first time - ever - the monarch of England had directed her Color Guard to play the American National Anthem. The report then replayed this tribute, and in the background you could hear many British folk singing along. Frisson, indeed. Thanks, Brits.
Rebuild the World Trade Center towers! If this isn't a noble cause, I don't what is. Maybe we should build it even bigger this time!
Lieutenant General Paul "P.K." Carlton, the Surgeon General of the Air Force, and Master Sergeant Paul Lirette, radiology technician, were literally on the front lines during Tuesday's nightmare. I can't recall ever hearing of a sitting AF/SG (or any service SG) performing life-saving measures in a de-facto combat zone. Way to go, Lt Gen Carlton and MSgt Lirette!
Thursday, September 13, 2001
Walk For Capitalism: December 02 - 2001 and American Ideals. Nobody seems to have started a San Antonio-based Walk-For-Capitalism yet...should I try to organize one? And here is a gentle reminder to visit the home page of Fredrik K.R. Norman, an ardent supporter of capitalism and freedom. Thank you, Fredrik.
A very intelligent op-ed piece from the New York Times on what the author calls the beginning of World War III.
Wednesday, September 12, 2001
A minute-by-minute account of one man who was very, very close to the World Trade Center towers...and had his digital camera with him. Stunning pictures, moving story.
Tuesday, September 11, 2001
From Capitalism magazine: A Rational Response to Terrorism in America. What happened today was perpetrated by those who despise America precisely because of the values & principles that our nation holds dear & was founded upon.
Worst national tragedy in US history. I can't believe it. The World Trade Center towers are gone. If I believed in god, I would pray.
Monday, September 10, 2001
"This is not a site to mock rabbits."
So there.
But the pictures of the rabbit really are cute & funny.
Sunday, September 09, 2001
Hey -- remember the 80s?! Then you'll just love Music of the Eighties!
On a less musical note, here is Webword.
Friday, September 07, 2001
The latest salvo in the cable news wars has CNN poaching in Fox News Channel's backyard. I dunno...I think CNN is letting desperation show; the Andrea Thompson fiasco was bad enough, and now this. I wasn't sure about Zahn's credentials or credibility, but she seemed to do OK on her show "The Edge." Not great, but good. CNN apparently wants to do a "morning show" with Zahn, and while they say that they don't want to imitate ABC/NBC/CBS, it's probably a sure thing that it will be a clone of the worst kind. "Fox & Friends" is still tops in my book for morning shows, though - they are at once zany, thoughtful, and quirky. You couldn't pay me money to watch the network morning shows - feh.
Wednesday, September 05, 2001
I like the looks of this: Top Ten Blog!. Collaborative, apparently...I'll have to donate something. And check out the news about "Six Feet Under" at Cahners | TVinsite. (note to self: product specs for the Xerox DocuPrint M750 inkjet printer.) And just as a reminder (for those of you that have forgotten), here is what some other Baylor students have done for their Graduate Management Projects.
Pet peeve: People who think that the word *MOOT* is spelled (and means?) MUTE. They will use it like this: "...your 'bullet proof copy protection' becomes a mute point to overseas pirates that want to sell your content without your permission."
Also: I hate the word "cradle." Not the meaning, but the way that it sounds. The C-R-A sound, in this word, just makes my skin crawl. The C-R-A sound in the word "crawl," on the other hand, sounds fine. Why?
We'll end this session with a very cute, but somewhat unusual, picture of a bunny.
Sunday, September 02, 2001
Courtesy of CNN, here is a brief news article that discusses the role of religion on "The Simpsons." Interesting. And doncha love Homer's take on god: "...omnivorous..."
I really enjoy Dasani-brand water. Other people don't and some even see evil in these harmless blue bottles. But I like it. Pretty bottle, isn't it?
So my child needed a guitar for her music class at school...we shopped around a little bit and came across a store that offered a guitar, case, video, and an electronic tuner all in one "everything you need to begin playing guitar" package. The price on the sticker: $349. The manager said he could let me have it for $239. I returned several days later and a different manager was working...I told him that the gentlemen on duty several days ago had offered to let me have the package for $210. I then stated that I could see my way to paying no more than $175. We walked out several minutes later, guitar & package in hand, for a grand total of $188 (taxes included). Success! And my daughter absolutely loves her new "baby!" (...almost as much as I love my "Paqqy!")
Antmusic! The official website of Adam Ant and/or Adam & The Ants. And (unrelated to Antmusic) premiering tonight on the Cartoon Network: Adult Swim, featuring animated programs targeted at older kids...you know, grown-ups. Or "grups" as I call them.
Friday, August 31, 2001
Sorry it's been so long - but I finally added a few new items to the AFMS News Page.
Thursday, August 30, 2001
I remember reading about the "Wesley problem" in the world of Star Trek (NextGen). He never particularly bothered me - seemed like an OK character, had a really cute mom (Gates McFadden), pissed off Picard sometimes, and saved everyone & the ship in the episode where the wearable video game was trancing out the entire crew...but the episode when he turned into some sort of Native American spirit guide sorta thing was a bit much. Now, courtesy of Wil Wheaton Dot Net, you can get to know the *real* person - the actor behind the ensign.
CAKE MUSIC!!! Mmmmmmmm....cake..... Actually, it's dawned on me that I need to purchase an album by Cake. Sorta snuck up on me, how good their music is. Current airplay song, "Short Skirt/Long Jacket," is amazing.
Wednesday, August 29, 2001
Recently read on a discussion board concerning the merits of pocket PCs (PPC) compared to Palm devices:
If it's important AND urgent, DO IT.
If it's important and NOT urgent, PLAN IT.
If it's NOT important but it IS urgent, DELEGATE
If it's NOT important and NOT urgent, BE LAZY.
"His Girl Friday" was on last night, and when I woke up a few minutes ago "My Favorite Wife" was on. That got me to thinking...if you throw in "The Philadelphia Story," then you've got three of Cary Grant's best films, and they all involve Cary Grant's character trying to win back his first wife. I wonder if he planned this, and was trying to send some sort of message to one of his previous girlfriends or something...? Or just dumb luck, that he picked these three scripts...? And by the way...in "My Favorite Wife," the judge, played by Granville Bates, absolutely steals both of the scenes that he appears in, particularly the opening scene. Stealing a comic scene from Cary Grant is tough, but he pulls it off. And of course you know that the first twenty minutes of "His Girl Friday" are just about the funniest twenty minutes of movie history, right? Water buffalo, indeed...
Thursday, August 23, 2001
A smart chap who goes by the handle "Instapundit" has posted some very cogent thoughts regarding recent debate & controversy about cloning. His points mirror mine, but are stated much more eloquently than I would have been able to. "Where's...my...clone?!" (a la Bart's "Where's...my...elephant?!" demand)
Wednesday, August 22, 2001
Use of PDAs among physicians is up to an estimated 26%. Along the same lines, MedicalPocketPC.com here is a site dedicated to chronicling the use of Pocket PCs in the medical arena.
Monday, August 20, 2001
Hooray! Metafilter is back, baby! So comforting to see that familiar blue screen and the number of new posts since I last visited...
Sunday, August 19, 2001
Here's the deal: everytime I surf, I bump into a dozen different IPAQ sites...so I have created a new page (blog-powered!) page so that I can quickly BlogThis! to my IPAQ page without cluttering up this main page with geek-related stuff. Enjoy.
Saturday, August 18, 2001
Guess what I bought? Yay - a new toy! (does happy dance) This is phenomenal...a few days ago, this puppy retailed for $349.99, and is still listed at the Compaq website for $399.00. My price, at CompUSA: $199. But that's not all - also included was a $50 mail-in rebate. Whee! I nearly cried when I opened it, turned it on, started the Windows Media Player, and heard sound emanating from the speaker. Oops...I have to be quiet right now, while my new baby is taking her first bottle (initial charging - est. 3 hours). In the meantime, here is some stuff that will help me tame this new contraption: message boards and fan-club/info sites.
Friday, August 17, 2001
More PDA reviews & news: PDASquare
Timing is everything...remember that Compaq dropped the price of the IPAQ 3135 several days ago down to only $199? Today (within the last several hours, in fact), Handspring announced price cuts on four of the five Visor models. The Deluxe dropped from $199 to $169, the Platinum went from $249 to $199, and the Edge dropped by $100 (from $399 to $299). In that vein, here is a great review from February 2001 of the Handspring Visor Platinum from a well-written medical student who moonlights at PC Scoop.
So - now I am torn between the Palm m105, the Handspring Visor Platinum, and the Sony CLIE S-320. My thinking so far: the Palm m105 is the de facto standard in the PDA biz (for now), thereby allowing the best "match" for peripherals, accessories, etc. It does look a bit stodgy, though, and there does not appear to be any way to upgrade the OS when it becomes available. The Handspring Platinum is *robust* with the fastest speeds, and it has that nifty expansion slot/module, and it comes in five different colors. On the other hand, it is the bulkiest of the three and looks rather like something a child would play with. The Sony is the hands-down sleekest-looking of the three, with the largest display & screenspace, as well as boasting the Palm OS 4.0. The Memory Stick slot is a nifty plus, too, or so I believe...many reviews comment on this feature, but bemoan the fact that you can not actually run a program off of Memory Stick.
Definitely leaning towards the Sony right now...but I will continue to scour the web for news, reviews, and further price drops. If you have any experience with these models, please let me know what you think.
Hooray! Another site to debunk claims of the supernatural and/or paranormal and/or urban legends: The Skeptic's Dictionary.
Thursday, August 16, 2001
Handspring homes in on midrange. Interesting developments, particularly the news about the Compaq IPAQ 3135.
Wednesday, August 15, 2001
Courtesy of George, here is another great reference for those in the PDA market, with plenty of news & updates: PDA Street. I'd link to George's homepage, but HE DOESN'T HAVE ONE (hint, hint). And in other news, here's another nifty JavaScript & HTML "how to" site.
Sunday, August 12, 2001
How refreshing - an article from Business 2.0 that provides some insight into the link between Objectivism and the recent technology boom, and also gives some thought to the increasing number of business people who acknowledge Rand as providing the fountainhead (!) for success.
Saturday, August 11, 2001
Continuing my quest for information about which device I should purchase...PDA Buyers Guide.
I'd like to put in a plug for Dan Sanderson, the creator/owner of the Sub-Honker Filter. No, it's not a goose-calling device, but rather a nifty service that allows you to select your favorite weblogs and, upon logging in to SHF, determine at a glance which ones have been updated since your last visit. I'd also like to mention that Dan seems to be quite the web-enabled genius, and is darned nice to top it off.
Friday, August 10, 2001
I know, you've laid in your bed, tossing & turning, unable to sleep, wondering whatever happened to that lovable star of the 1970s game show "Match Game" and several other shows: Charles Nelson Reilly. Wonder no more. And if you just can't get enough of Charles...hoo boy...you're going to get awful excited next spring.
Just a reminder to myself to occasionally review my Wish List at Amazon.com so that I actually remember to buy something that appealed to me during a late-night browsing session months ago.
Right now I'm leaning towards the Handspring: Visor Deluxe; it looks like a nice entry-level PDA and a decent balance between features, reliability, and price.
Almost time to take the plunge and invest in a PDA...but which one? I'm amazed at how many choices there are out there...just a couple of years ago, there was basically only the Palm series. Now there's Palm Compaq, Casio, Handspring, and several other smaller outfits hawking PDAs. (snicker) I remember a classmate back in California using an Apple Newton in the dark ages (1994/5). We were intrigued, but skeptical. So - on with the comparison - here is a nifty little page that seems relatively up-to-date and allows you to compare price, features, size, etc, of any number of makes & models. BTW, if you have an opinion about which PDA I should consider, please let me know - thanks.
Hooray! The August edition of the Surgeon General's Monthly Newswire is finally on-line!
Thursday, August 09, 2001
I'm so happy! I just found out that the Sci-Fi Channel is broadcasting the wonderful show "Now and Again!" What a great show - and what a shame that CBS has a bunch of spineless, moronic dolts who wouldn't know a Quality Show if it knocked 'em upside the head. Imagine - cancelling a show as good as "Now & Again" after only one season. Bastards. But THANK YOU, Sci-Fi Channel! "Sci-Fi Channel - it's not just for breakfast anymore."
Tuesday, August 07, 2001
Please, please, tell me that you remember Space Food Sticks! You know, those string-cheese sized chocolate-like chewy sticks that were popularized in the late 60s and early 70s by the NASA space program and sold commercially for several years? Yeah, of course you remember them! Page & information courtesy of Retrofuture and the Year 2000.
This is it. The definitive "George versus Dave" battle reference. Go ahead - take sides. Come on, people, we all know that Marcia is cuter than Jan, and that Pepsi is better than Coke. Right? And it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) - Frank Sinatra, may he rest in peace, was truly the ultimate entertainer. Who is this "Elvis" clown that George keeps babbling about?
I tells ya, this George guy is just asking fer trouble. I'll say this for him, though: he may be wrong, wrong, wrong, about all cultural issues (Carol Burnette, for cryin' out loud!) and stubborn to a fault, but he is truly the Master of All Cheese & Gravy. I am humbled by his superiority in this respect. ONLY this respect.
Monday, August 06, 2001
Enid gets some press in not one but TWO recent movies! First, there was Jurassic Park III, which featured the wonderful actor William Macy as the proprietor of a small hardware business in Enid, Oklahoma. Next up: the movie "Ghost World," which features Thora Birch as a character named Enid. Cool. You go, Enid!
Saturday, August 04, 2001
Interesting blog here at Web Voice. Chronicles activity and developments in the world of blogging, instant-messaging, and other web-related tools.
Holy cow - I haven't laughed this hard in days...if you despise Mariah Carey as much as I do (and as much as the author of this "article" does!), you must read Mariah's Theme: An Unholy Shriek of Death. The part that really, really got to me was the bit about Aretha Franklin and the livestock. It's funny. Seriously funny. Cruel, but funny. And I happen to like Aretha's singing.
Thursday, August 02, 2001
Wednesday, August 01, 2001
Take a few minutes to learn about the 750th Medical Squadron. It was located at Onizuka Air Station...and, as I had to explain to many people when I got orders to Onizuka in 1994, it is NOT in Japan. Onizuka Air Station was and is located in Sunnyvale & Mountain View, California, about 35 miles south of San Francisco. Although the 750 MDS operated for only several years, it really was a remarkable experience. Read more about it: 750 MDS - Best Small Clinic!
Tuesday, July 31, 2001
Could this be the next Napster?
Sunday, July 29, 2001
Standing in stark contrast to yesterday's viewing of the lackluster Planet of the Apes, today I saw Jurassic Park III and was quite impressed. Certainly better than JP and JP II. Biggest critique: why, oh why must danger-fraught scenes of monsters chasing people occur in the middle of a pouring rain in the middle of the night? And after roughly the third time that Sam Neill's character said "Shhhh!" and narrowed his eyes to signal impending doom. Other than that, it was quite delightful. Best moment for me was when the pterodactyl emerged from the gray fog, standing on the bridge. For some reason, that was much more dramatic and frightening than the lumbering T-Rex or too-smart-to-be-possible raptors. I give this movie 3 stars - maybe 3 and 1/2.
Saturday, July 28, 2001
"Planet of the Apes" - Tim Burton's remake doesn't measure up (from Slate). This review very accurately sums up my impression of the movie. Roger Ebert makes some good points, too. Me? I walked away quite disappointed overall. Key aspects of the movie from my perspective are summarized below:
(1) Makeup = Very Good
(2) Human Acting = Banal, Pointless (esp. female human)
(3) Ape Acting = Intense & Riveting
(4) Script/Story = Lifeless (DO something, fer crissakes!)
(5) Best Performance = Tie: Ari (Helen Bonham-Carter) & the Human "Slave Trader" (good lines, laughs)
(6) Timeline = WTF? Did Leo go forward, then backward? Or backward, then forward? Or same planet, but different realitites? I give up.
(7) Ending = Worst. Ending. Ever.
(8) Use of Charlton Heston as Ailing Ape Patriarch = Distracting (but somewhat humorous)
If you haven't already, be sure to visit my Air Force Medical Service page. It's new, so there's not a whole lot there yet, but I try to add interesting information and links often. If you have a link or tidbit, or a "success" story of an Air Force medic somewhere in the world, let me know and I will post it!
Friday, July 27, 2001
First week of residency: Done. Only 51 more weeks to go. Attended a rather interesting luncheon today, courtesy of the Greater San Antonio Hospital Council; the guest speaker was newly-elected mayor Ed Garza. Saw some Baylor buddies (Ponce, Dana, etc) and some old friends (Adolphe, etc).
Thursday, July 26, 2001
More reminiscing: Bentwaters/Woodbridge American Schools. Nelson has done a great job of assembling information, names, yearbook scans, and other nifty stuff. For military brats, the web is the closest thing that we have to a true "alumni club" or official reunion.
Monday, July 23, 2001
(huff, puff, huff...) I forgot how big Wilford Hall is...I probably lost five pounds running around there today.
Sunday, July 22, 2001
The Center for the Moral Defense of Capitalism. Good stuff.
Truly one of the greatest movies - The Philadelphia Story. Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, and Ruth Hussie are amazing in this movie. The names alone bring a smile to my face: C.K. Dexter Haven, Tracy "Red" Lord, Macauley Connor...and of course Dear Uncle Willie.
Is the Fox News Channel the most Biased Name in News? I don't think so...as one of the comments in the article points out, simply by presenting subjects the "biggie" outlets won't touch, or taking a POV that is just slightly right-of-center, it can sometimes appear that FNC is more extreme than it actually is. Take a look at the FAIR article and see what you think.
Friday, July 20, 2001
Excellent! The "Twelve Outstanding Airmen of the US Air Force have been named, and I'm quite pleased that a medic (lab tech) ranks among them. On a related note, I have started a new page devoted solely to news, information, and links about the Air Force Medical Service. I will incorporate the links and features of my current USAF page into this one over the next few days. Check it out and let me know what you think, or suggest links or items that you would like me to add.
Wednesday, July 18, 2001
The movie "Above & Beyond" was on TCM last night. It is about Col Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay, which dropped the first atomic bomb. Surprise: Col Tibbets is still alive, making appearances & speeches. What do you think goes through his mind when he recalls that fateful day? Would YOU have been able to drop the bomb that ended World War II?
UPDATE: Wow - this simple post generated quite a bit of discussion and heat. I figured that many MeFi-ers would find fault with the decision to drop the bomb, but I am quite surprised (pleasantly) that so many sprang to the defense of our use of the bomb to end the war. Very interesting discussion.
Nifty site with tips/tools and $$ downloads/utilities for using FrontPage. Also: Hardy, har, har. Nice card trick. Can you figure out how it is done?
For the last time: There is no left-wing or right-wing bias in the media! Face it, "the media" is too large, too diverse, and too *everything* to have a tilt one way or another. Those who want to see left-wing bias will see it, and those who want to see right-wing bias will see it. The only way to prevent yourself from being "influenced" too heaviy one way or another, or from hearing only one side of the news, is so make sure that you obtain your news from a variety of sources on a regular basis. Don't just watch Fox News...watch MSNBC, too, and CNN. Watch both ABC and CBS. Read your local paper, and then read some from other cities. Surf numerous websites that analyze the media (below). Be smart. Give a hoot.
FAIR....MediaResearch....Brill's Content....Kurtz...Fox News Watch...and so on.
The bottom line: it all balances, very much like Monty Burns, who has every conceivable disease & malady known to mankind, but the sheer volume of viruses, bacteria, and malignancies cancel each other out, leaving him...healthy!.
Um...not sure how to interpret this site yet...joke? Serious? There is a link to Objectivist.org on there, which leads me to believe that someone is taking it seriously. Some funny questions, at least. You decide: FORUM 3000
Monday, July 16, 2001
Note the address of the following link: Girl Power! Campaign Homepage. That's right - it's a dot-gov site, paid for & operated by our federal government. Kind of weird, having the feds maintaining a site called "Girlpower!" Not wrong, or bad...just weird.
Groovy - a page that lists the homepages of all MetaFilter-ites! Yep, my page is listed (whew!).
Frozen Cappucino* Cheesecake! (mmmmm...dessert....)
WHAT YOU NEED: 1 1/4 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs; 1/4 cup melted margarine; 1/4 cup sugar; 8 oz softened cream cheese; 14 oz sweetened condensed milk; 2/3 cup chocolate flavored syrup; 1 tbs instant coffee; 1 tsp hot water; 1/2 pint whipping cream, whipped; additional cookie crumbs. WHAT YOU DO: Combine crumbs, margarine, and sugar, press firmly on bottom and sides of 8-inch springform pan. In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup until smooth. In small cup, dissolve coffee in water; add to cheese mixture. Mix well. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into prepared pan; cover and freeze 6-8 hours or overnight. Garnish with additional cookie crumbs.
Thanks Kerry!
* Note: The recipe is called "Frozen Mocha Cheesecake" but I like the term cappucino better...has a bit more cache, don't you think?
WTF? This is what I get when I try to log into Blogger last night & today. The page cannot be found
Of course the answer is Quito, and I'd wager that this pinhead knew that, too...he let the *glamor* & pageantry of "phone-a-friend" lure him into choosing the wrong answer. But suing? Sounds like a case of sour grapes/sore loser. Jerk.
Saturday, July 14, 2001
For my friend Tony: Remember, you have been warned! The show "TV Funhouse airs at 11:30 pm on Sunday nights on Comedy Central. If you can't watch it, tape it, and when you do watch it, apply surgical or masking tape around your abdomen to prevent your sides from splitting.
For my friend Kerry: GOD BLESS YOU* for creating that fabulous dessert - Frozen Cappucino Cheesecake - absolutely incredible. Thanks for the recipe!
* As an atheist, I can't really have god bless you, but you know what I mean - thanks!
Friday, July 13, 2001
Selection rate for promotion to Staff Sergeant reaches all time high. Would you believe a SIXTY-FOUR PERCENT selection rate? Um...there are several different ways to interpret and react to this. To put it in perspective, when I was selected for promotion to SSgt (way back in 1992), the selection rate was on the order of 20%, if memory serves. What do YOU think of this interesting news? Use the "Your Comments" link to post, or just use the guestbook.
Here are a couple of reviews of the HBO series "Six Feet Under" that you may find interesting, accurate, or perhaps way off-base:
Washington Post: HBO Provides A Death Benefit
Montreal Gazette: HBO Tackles Final Taboo
Thursday, July 12, 2001
And now for something completely different...OK...take a deep breath...say a small prayer that you never have to experience what you are about to read...and then learn about this man's ordeal with a very *delicate* medical procedure. Most important - read the "how to avoid having this happen to you" section towards the end (no pun intended). BTW, the writing style of the poor chap is quite witty & inspired.
Excellent! A handy webpage that allows you to visualize the interaction between colors for backgrounds & text on a given site, as well as see the hex code for each color.
Cool! MetaFilter stuff!
Wheeeee! Made our annual trek to the zoo yesterday. Loads of fun, but it was just sooooo hot that it was quite a chore just to shuffle from one exhibit to another. Here's a few pix - they turned out pretty lame - must be time to upgrade the digital camera, eh?
Kids 1...
Kids 2...
Bats...
Kids 3...
Dave...
Cheetah!
Kids 1... Kids 2... Bats... Kids 3... Dave... Cheetah!
Monday, July 09, 2001
Some recent thoughts about the quality & significance of the Beatles & the Eagles, taken from a recent MeFi thread concerning a *qualitative* and *quantitative* index of popular artists & albums:
Me: Of course, any survey/product/report that includes the Eagles immediately loses credibility with me, since the Eagles are the worst band ever. Except maybe for the Beatles. Each had only good song - "Disco Strangler" for the Eagles, and "Tax Man" for the Beatles. Thank goodness Paul got out of that terrible Beatles junk and moved on to something worthwhile - Wings. But back on topic, it really is an interesting view on music & marketing.
jaded: Whether or not you like the Beatles or the Eagles, Dave, can I call you Dave(?), you have to admit that historically, they were both important musical acts. (The Beatles far more so, IMNSHO, than the Eagles). I'd be really curious as to why you think the Beatles, in particular, are lame. Do you simply mean that you don't like them? Or do you have some sort of deep insight into their alleged lameness?
Me: Of course - please call me Dave...in turn, can I call you a cab? ;-) OK, Jaded it is. Yes, roughly...it means that I don't care for much of their music. Some of it was catchy ("Paperback Writer"), to be sure, while others ("Hey Jude" springs to mind) seemed to be pointless exercises in putting people to sleep. Beyond the music, however, was the near-revolution that the Beatles supervised, if not caused. It can be argued that the sharp decline in *morality* (hard to define, easy to spot) began with the introduction of the Beatles and their subsequent transition from quirky little pop tunes to New-Agey, hippie, counter-cultural icons. Far be it from me to discourage an occasional rebel yell, when necessary, but theirs seemed quite pointless and inspired only by their curiousity about how they could shock, offend, or otherwise the existing state of the culture. I know, it was mostly Lennon, but "the Beatles" get full credit. In addition, the self-importance of both bands in the eyes of their current crop of fans is really off-putting. People seem to regard them as some sort of demi-gods who can do no wrong. I mean, let's get real - I love music as much (or more) than most, but I don't stop everything I'm doing and gaze vacantly whenever a great song is played. Nor do I loudly proclaim "(Insert band/artist here) is the greatest!" Music is just waaaay too subjective, largely, to proclaim any given artist/song as the "best" except for the individual who is listening. Remember Elaine's boyfriend who went *spacey* whenever "Desperado" came on the radio? Perfect example.
On the other end of the spectrum, as an example, is Bowie. His music rarely (until early 90s) was uninspired or boring, and he always sought to incorporate new sounds & techniques. His "rebel" nature manifested largely in his manner of dress & stage persona, which served to challenge commonly-accepted norms of gender, fashion, and identity. Am I splitting hairs? Perhaps. But hey...at the very least, Bowie made counter-cultural statements that looked good, rather than simply shaggy & unkempt. And I will acknowledge that both the Eagles & Beatles were, historically, significant (but so was Hitler). ;-) Hope this helps explain my attitude.
jaded: A cab won't be necesary, I'll catch a bus. yeah. That's precisely the kind of...thoughtful...answer I was hoping for. And for the most part, I'd have to agree with you. One of my biggest pet peeves about musical conversations is the "qualitative" statement thing, i.e. statements such as "the Beatles suck", when in fact they mean "I don't like the Beatles". I'm not really a big fan of the Beatles, myself, so I'd agree with much of that, to a point, anyway. I seem to recall a link, don't know if I saw it here or elsewhere, to an analysis of the Beatles lyrics as being mundane, which actuallly explained their popularity....but I digress...I'm going to have to disagree with you on the post 90 bowie, though. I happen to think that his last couple of releases are pretty good. Sure, he's jumped on the "electronica" bandwagon, but I can think of worse things for him to do (cough, Blue Jean), and I can think of worse people to do it, (cough cough, Madonna). I'm inclined to give the guy a little credit and view it more as an experiment, and a realization that "hey wow - there's this entire new soundscape I can work with", rather than him just jumping on for the electronic-popularity ride. At any rate. That evergreen "study" shows one thing, if nothing else.....there's just no accounting for taste.
Howdy, Brent! Your page has some nifty features, like the "vote" function (+ or -), as well as a neat comments feature. Is it OK if view your source, copy-n-paste, and try it out...?
Saturday, July 07, 2001
Federal mandate for insurers to include oral contraceptives to women: A more nuanced analysis of the issue from a Reason.com contributor. As she points out, why don't we just take the whole "coverage" issue away from the debate and put "the pill" on the over-the-counter market?
See, people...this is what I'm talking about. Where else but in this amazing period of time known as the year 2001 could I read the inspiring story of Frank the Goat? You've never seen a goat like this...patriotic, intelligent, innovative, daring, and savvy. And, of course, handsome (as goats go). Yep...Frank is certainly one cool goat.
Friday, July 06, 2001
Google Press Center: Zeitgeist. Interesting snapshot of the week's Google search highlights, including things/people most frequently searched for, once-popular searches that are now in decline, most frequently mis-spelled queries, etc.
Also: Did you know that Judge Harold T. Stone's armadillo (not real, of course) is named Clarence. Uh huh...he called it "Clarence" in the episode where Elayne Boosler first appears.
My Cat Hates You. No, not MY cat...other people's cats (OPC). This site is amusing...and be sure to click on the "other cats" link. Loads of photos with often funny captions. Funny that this site was posted on MeFi just a day after the movie "Cats & Dogs" was released. Coincidence? I think not.
Thursday, July 05, 2001
Wednesday, July 04, 2001
I'd like to send a shout-out to my homies Tony & Kerry for having us over to their fine crib for some juicy Q.
Translation: Thanks to Tony & Kerry for inviting us over to their lovely home to enjoy some BBQ (burgers, dogs, chicken, etc), lively conversation, and a relaxing & pleasant Independence Day mini-party!
The movie "Alligator" is on USA network right now...pure cheese. BUT...it does have Robert Forster, who was absolutely brilliant as private eye Max Cherry in "Jackie Brown." His character in that movie was perfect - and he was the perfect actor to play Max Cherry.
Tuesday, July 03, 2001
A few hours early, but I wanted it to be available all day tomorrow. Happy Birthday, America!
And if you would like to read the Declaration of Independence and be reminded of how dramatic a document it was and is, here you go.
Monday, July 02, 2001
Wow...coming on the heels of the death of Jack Lemmon, I finally got around to watching "Mister Roberts" today (it was on AMC). Fantastic...funny, well-acted, evocative, and poignant. Cagney was incredible, Fonda was amazing as the quietly intense title character, Lemmon was irrepressible and fresh, and Ward Bond, as the Chief, was the visual embodiment of a "Chief" - burly, strong, intense. The last scene or two of the movie, when the crew learns of Mister Roberts' fate, really was powerful...as was the next scene, when Ensign Pulver does what he has to do. Very impressive...3 1/2 stars!
Saturday, June 30, 2001
The Flick Filosopher: Girl Movie Critic. There sure are tons of amateur on-line movie reviewers...maybe I should begin doing it, too.
On a slightly more manic note...the Game Show Network is in the midst of a mini-"Gong Show" marathon! What sheer lunacy! Chuck Barris is a laff riot - the panelists are cool, bizarre, and quirky, and the contestants...well, stark raving mad might begin to describe them. And, of course, "Gene, Gene, the Dancing Machine"! What a show!
Great line from the character Claire on HBO's Six Feet Under: "You know, just once I wish that people wouldn't act like the cliches that they are." And if you love the theme music to Six Feet Under as much as I do...here's a link to enjoy it.
Friday, June 29, 2001
NEW! Nifty little tool from someone named Jesse Malone...it allows you, gentle reader of blogs, to publish your very own thoughts or comments about any given post on my page. Just click on the "Your Thoughts" link at the bottom of each post. Go ahead - try it!
Also: Congratulations to Sherri Olson from HQ AETC/SG on her promotion to Master Sergeant today! Very nice ceremony, and very much deserved. Also promoted: Cindy Cohen, newly arrived from the schoolhouse at Sheppard AFB.
Thursday, June 28, 2001
Back from our mini-vacation to Corpus Christi & Padre Island! It was, all in all, the best trip we have ever taken. No mechanical breakdowns, enough $$$ to do fun stuff, great hotel, good eats, and not too long in the car. Saw the Texas State Aquarium (two & a half stars out of four), the USS Lexington (three stars, but waaaay too hot to enjoy fully), the beach (two varieties), and drove by the statue of (believe it or not) dead Tejano star Selena. The hotel (Holiday Inn on Shoreline) was great - only $59.99 + tax, right on a small beach, great game room (Pam & I enjoyed the table tennis immensely!) and pool. And we ate dinner at El Chico's - consistently good food, and great service from a waiter named Josh. Chips & salsa - mmmmmmm... Breakfast was Whataburger, which we discovered is based in Corpus Christi. We couldn't drive more than two miles or so without passing one. Their "flagship" store is right on the beach, practically, and it's a pretty neat place...two stories, with groovy architecture, and immaculately clean. In fact, there were more Whataburger's in Corpus Christi than there were McDonald's and Burger King - combined! If you love burgers as much as I do, perhaps you'd like to share one of your favorite burger stories on the Whataburger website - go ahead, tell the world about your passion for cheeseburgers! Cheeseburgers...mmmmmmmm... And of course we checked out the Naval Air Station; naturally, there was no space-available room at the inn, but it was interesting to visit the base.
Here's a few preliminary pix via my increasingly lame & obsolete digital camera - more on the way from a regular *film* camera.
Monday, June 25, 2001
The Stellar Acting Career of Troy McClure. At last - someone has catalogued all of the dizzying highs, the terrifying lows, and the creamy middles of Troy McClure's amazing career. One question: no mention of "Jack The Piglet." What gives?
Sunday, June 24, 2001
You know you are a military brat if you ... Many of the things listed here are all too true. Brought back some memories. Some sadness, some nostalgia, some appreciation, some anger, all blended together into a strange mixture of...bizarre acceptance that THIS is/was my reality. And, to a large degree, the reality of my daughters.
Blue-Eyes.Com: Thanks to the Webchick for alerting me to this groovy site! It's in the same vein as Space Age Pop Music.
Saturday, June 23, 2001
Busy, busy, busy...that was me yesterday. Up at 5:15 to prepare for the Opening/Closing Ceremony for my Baylor class...not a "graduation" since we didn't, you know, graduate, but a formal ceremony to mark the end of our classroom portion of the program and our transition to our residencies. Also a chance to welcome the new class as they prepare to endure the joy that is sure to ensue over the next 12 months for them. Then, a celebratory luncheon, which was very nice, although the food selection didn't offer much for me - I ate rice pilaf & rolls with butter. Then back home to change into comfortable clothes, and the off to the bowling alley with the kids and three of their friends. It was fun! Haven't bowled in nearly three years, and I couldn't find a comfortable bowling ball, so the one I used left my thumb real sore. Then...back home, washed up and put on a *nicer* shirt (thanks Honey for the Father's Day gift!) and we went to Dave-n-Buster's for a mini office party for Pam's work. Had a great time - and the food was incredible - peppercorn ribeye! Then some video games in their "playroom" and (finally) back home at around 11:45. One last cup of coffee, and we were asleep by 12:45. Whew! Tired I was, but for some reason I woke up at 5:30 this morning...why???
