Sony shoots self in foot.

Apparently Sony will not allow porn to be produced on the BluRay format. Wow. This is one of the reasons betamax didn't succeed. The porn industry was the first (and may be the most) profitable company on the Internet. They are a multi-billion dollar industry. To tell them to f*ck themselves (and not in the good way) is a sure way to make sure no one uses your technology. Way to go Sony. How's that minidisk tech working for you? And the PS3? Still sitting in warehouses? Nice.

I'm calling it for HD-DVD. Gentlemen, start your wallets.

Dammit dammit dammit!

I'm weak. I admit as much. I have a weakness for some technology. You might say I crave it. Oh sure, I may have backed the wrong technology now and then. Like VESA local bus, Betamax and minidisk. Sure, in hindsight those were bad choices.

But despite my missteps in the past, I still hold true to the idea of technology and THE FUTURE!

Bright, shiny. Chrome covered. Oh yes.

That doesn't mean I am some kind of fanboy. I don't heap praise on some company just because they make their interface lickable. You will note that I don't own a Mac. The idea of an overpriced white laptop with my lifestyle is beyond absurd. For a laptop to match my lifestyle it needs to be dirt colored, made of adamantium, weigh 1 pound, be solar powered and be able to get an internet connection from inside the Pyramid of Khufu. Show me that laptop, and I'll gladly shell out the dough that Apple asks for their gear.

But today I saw something that really blew me away. The iPhone. There's been all kinds of speculation among the drooling cult of the i-faithful. Rumors, fake photos, endless arguments and navel gazing. None of it really right. I knew there was some kind of phone coming down the pipe. It's innevitable. The phone and the mp3 player are destined to join as one.

But what Apple showed today was pretty frickin amaaaaaaazing. Look at the picture:



Oh sure it's pretty. So pretty. But it's the implementation that is so revolutionary. There are a lot of phones that look cool. The trouble is trying to get them to actually do shit. I own a Treo 650. It does quite a bit, but each application had its drawbacks. And the fact that it needs a keyboard means I've lost prescious screen space. Apple removed this problem by making the entire front of the phone a touch interface. Go check out the site and watch the demos. All of it works. Seamless integration. The interface is fantastic.

But this shiny piece of Nirvana will cost. Will I buy it? It's possible. I'll need to try it for myself first, run my fingers along its smooth curves. Caress its screen. Push its buttons. Oggle its huge screen.

If you'll excuse me, I need to take a cold shower.

232 Star Wars Lines Improved by Substituting the Word “Pants”

"I find your lack of pants distressing"

more here...

Putting my money where my mouth is...

Ok, it seems I will be voting for Barack Obama should he run for President in 2008.

"Uh, isn't that a little premature, Steve?"

No, not at all. There's a lot to like about Senator Obama. First, he's extremely well spoken. That counts for a lot with me. Our current President is a moron, but what's worse, he sounds like a moron. He may only be 'just stupid' but he comes off as far worse. Honestly, it hurts me to watch him attempt to speak. It causes me physical discomfort.

Yes, Obama is somewhat new to the political arena. But so was Bush. Obama has also worked with community groups helping the poor, as a civil rights attorney (graduated Harvard Law) as well as in the State legislature. Although he hasn't run a large business, all the ones Bush ran failed miserably, so it 's a zero sum game there.

He is a Christian, and is happy to talk about it. Normally that sets off some alarm sirens for me. But I read about his childhood and how his mother took him to several different churches when he was growing up. Muslim, Buddhist, Baptist & more. He was exposed to different faiths and I admire his mother for doing that. Eventually he became a Christian, but I can deal with that so long as he grasps the fundamental concept of separation of church and state.

But none of these facts is the reason I will vote for him. Some of you may have heard me wax political (rant) now and then and one oath I have sworn numerous times is that I would vote for the first Presidential candidate who freely admitted that he used drugs in his youth. Why do I place such importance on this seemingly trivial fact? Because it is a goddamn fact of life that young people these days (strike that throughout all recorded history) do some stupid things in their youth. You smoke, or binge drink or take too much of something. But eventually you wise up. You learn that there are consequences for doing stupid things. Hopefully you do it before the behavior becomes destructive to yourself or others around you.

But for some reason, we still cling to some strange Puritanical ideas. And because some poll says that the majority of Americans don't trust someone who's taken drugs, many politicians simply lie. Some will talk about their wild youth, but offer no specifics or will downplay their activities. Clinton pissed me off by copping out in a manner that was very lawyerly. "I tried it, but I didn't inhale. " Then why did you take the joint? C'mon! Go the distance. Even if you tried it and didn't like it, which is very possible. Just say, "I took a toke and coughed for the next 10 minutes, I nearly threw up I coughed so hard." That's what happened to me the first time I inhaled a joint. I damn near threw up. The truth shall set you free.

So when a young man like Obama comes out and freely admits he took drugs, that he did stupid things but learned from the experience and doesn't do them now he has proved to me that he has the strength of character to tell me the truth from the outset. He won't waste time and energy trying to cover up or 'spin' his actions. It's a small thing, but it counts for something to me.

So, would you trust a politician who admits to what many of us have done in our past? Comments welcome.

Welcome to 2007

Last night I eschewed the larger parties and instead attended a very small get together at a friends house. It was very pleasant. I ate some wonderful Tai chicken and saffron rice, and then began the ritual drinking. It started with a very sweet Pear mead, followed by a less sweet (but very tasty) Italian Muscat, Chocolate Mint Bailey's Irish cream, some more mead, a brief interruption for some Welsh Scotch and then something else I can't remember clearly.

Of course all this was consumed in very modest quantities and with lots of munchies and some Pepsi One. We watched THE most disturbed South Park episode on my hosts ginormous big screen tv. And when midnight approached, we fired up the Internet and watched Saddam drop.

You heard me. Everbody's seen the big ball. Nothing new, but the shaky camera footage of a dictator being hanged? That's different. Now I could go into the many implications of this event. It's significance with relation to the war, the Iraqi judicial system and in the broader context of our society. But I won't. We sat and watched it like it was a train wreak, knowing what was going to happen, but unable to look away. Each of us, I am sure, took away something different.

I am not sad to see this guy go.

And now, we're officially done with 2006. I'm not sorry to see it go either. It was a good year business wise. But the quality of a year cannot be judged solely on its financial merits. I'm looking forward to 2007 with some optimism and hope. To all of you, I bid you Peace of Earth, and good will towards all. Because the other thing we're doing? Not workin so well.

Dumbasses vs. Bees

I direct your attention to the following forums post with death defying pictures. Man, who the hell would do something so farking dangerous?

I'm looking at you Grimm.

It's a filthy lie!

This following video is NOT of me. At no time have I ever attempted to affix coke cans to my head. This I swear. This is not me.

Back in the saddle

It's been a while since my last website design gig. And to tell the truth, I am somewhat limited by the constraints of an ecommerce site. Things need to be a certain way, which limits the creativity a bit.

Luckily I've just picked up a new client and this site doesn't have to sell anything. This gives me the freedom to create something nice looking. Dare I say... artistic? The contract hasn't even been signed yet and I am already in photoshop sketching up ideas. It feels good.

Concert

For some reason I feel the need to see a live concert once every few years. This usually turns out to be a less than life altering experience. The venue is typically smokey and the music is WAAAAY too loud. It's typically standing room only or, if at a large venue, the band is over a mile away. It can be expensive, the the quality of the music always suffers. But that didn't stop me from heading over to the House of Blue in scenic downtown Cleveland last night to catch Gogol Bordello and I am glad I did.

The House of Blues is a nice venue. Not too big, not cramped. Well laid out and decorated in faux voodoo. We arrived after the first act had started to play. I can't recall their name but they were pretty good. Three guys and some solid skills. They finished their set and we found a space near the stage near the wall. We still had to stand, but the new smoking ban made the air quite tolerable as we waited for the second band to set up. I took this opportunity to insert my earplugs. I have learned from my past mistakes. Why a live concert must be played at ear splitting volume is beyond me, but it always is.

The second act came on and that is when things started to get interesting. The band, Valiant Thor (apparently they are from Venus) is a little hard to describe. It's as if they had found a group of homeless guys and gave them all jeans jackets. Lots of hair and beards that would impress ZZ Top. They got right to it with some very loud and VERY enthusiastic playing. The lead singer was REALLY working, and shortly into his second song, he took his shirt off. At this point, I believe I heard Lindsey actually coughing up a hairball. I could not blame her. This was not the buff bod nor wirey frame of a rock god, but the pasty and slightly paunchy frame of a man who does not like the sun or vegetables. I will say that these guys seemed to be having a good time. They enjoy playing and do it with gusto. All I can say is that if these guys are from Venus, it is a very loud place with a crucial lack of barbers. Then the lead singer engaged in the short banter that often happens between songs. And this is where we came to realize that this guy was more Ted Kazynsky than Jim Morrison. He ranted about how the banks had all the power, which they got from the sports teams. He rambled on about the spirits and justice. I swore he was going to pull out his slide of Dealy Plaza and explain where the second shooter was in the grassy knoll.

Thankfully the second act came to an end. Now the crowd came forward in anticipation. At about 11"15 the band started right up and they did not let up for the entire set. This was one fucking energetic show. And despite the volume, you could still make out the Acoustic guitar, violin and accordion players. after two songs the band was intermittently joined on stage by two oriental girls dressed in football attire (sans pads), who accompanied on washboards and (during the bands very catchy "Start wearing purple) a base drum and cyballs. The Cleveland crowd actually got excited and was leaping into the air and singing along. Ed got washed into the Mosh area but I tied myself to a balustrade. The music was very up and I was amazed the lead singer could keep up the frantic pace. During one short break he pointed to s sticker on his guitar and in his thick Russian accent asked if anyone knew what country it was.

"Finland!!" the crowd yelled.

"Yeah, and what is this one?" he pointed to another sticker.

"Spain!!"

"And what flag is this?" he pointed to a flag draped just beneath the drummer that featured a wagon wheel with a blue top and green bottom.

"Romani!" I yelled. Apparently I was one of only a handful of people who recognized the Gypsy flag, but then I Am a wellspring of useless trivia.

The group plunged back into the set that lasted until at least 1:30 am. The last song was a traditional gypsy song with only the three principles playing until the end. All in all, a great show. We finished the night at the only open restaurant we could find, Diana's on W. 117th. I can't stress enough, go buy their music. You'll like it.

Coolest armor EVAR...

This artist is entirely too clever. Clicky the linky to see his gallery of armor for cats and mice. Amazing work here.

The straight dope...

I just found a very interesting blog entry that lays out 15 misconceptions about Marijuana. It's a good read and I'd appreciate your opinions on the matter.

"Well what about you, Steve?" I hear you ask. Fair enough. Confession time. I am in general, a tea totaler. My consumption of alcohol is relatively small and is limited to what the more sophisticated call "girly drinks". Mead, Smirnof, a few mixed drinks. Being of good suburban upbringing I didn't touch drugs of any sort for most of my adult life. To this day I generally avoid strong medications unless I am very sick or in a great deal of pain.

I came to try Marijuana for the fist time on New Years of 1999. I found it produced a mild euphoria and slower reactions. It did not induce paranoia, violence or even the munchies. My wife drove me home, heartily amused by my constant running commentary. (Apparently I was interested in conveying the experience in a reasonable and logical manner. Others call this 'rambling').

Trying marijuana did not lead me to trying other drugs. Why? Because I am not stupid. The damaging and addictive qualities of other drugs are well known to me. And I will never try them. Since my first experience I have 'gotten a buzz' about once a year. Typically at the end of an evening. I have RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome) which means that I twitch when I go to bed. It isn't painful but it is REALLY annoying and keeps me from falling asleep, sometimes for hours. This can be mitigated by avoiding sugars or taking a hot shower. I have learned that after taking a few puffs of marijuana I am able to get to sleep much easier and sleep much more soundly. Even if marijuana were legal, I doubt I would use it much more often as I have a strong aversion to smoking in general.

Would legalizing marijuana bring about serious societal problems? In the short term, maybe. But the cost of prosecuting and housing tens of thousands of recreational users is staggering. If legalized, it could be come a taxable revenue stream. Grown domestically it could revitalize southern farms as well as provide hemp, a very useful byproduct. If regulated it would actually be harder for minors to get it. Could it lead to an increase in driving under the influence? I think it likely, and that is a strong setback. But people already drive while hammered. Oddly, people I know who will drive after drinking moderately (with food and waiting at least an hour or two) would not even think of driving while stoned.

In short, it's time America grows up. We're big kids now and we can handle it. What do you think?

Guns Guns Guns

This post has NOTHING to do with my rant below. I would like to make this perfectly clear. It just so happens that a few days after this post I attended the a gun show in Medina. I've never been to one and was interested to see what they were like. A group of us planned on meeting up at the sight at about 10. Of course THAT didn't happen. I arrived on time and was COMPLETELY UNSUPERVISED. Knowing my exceptionally weak will I drove down the road and window shopped before coming back. Not that this group represented the voice of restraint.

My first impression, after gazing in childlike wonder at all the shiny toys, is that this is a very polite crowd. There were a lot of attendees. You were bound to bump into someone and this was always met with an 'excuse me'. The dealers were polite. The buyers were polite, the people selling hot dogs and pizza were polite. Everyone is polite. I imagine that if you even tried to enter the building looking pissed, you would not make it. This event is all about calm people. Calm people with guns. And that's fine with me.

Next, there are NO booth babes here. This surprised me a little. I'm sure that at the big manufacturers convention's there are plenty of hot chicks displaying big guns. Here? Not so much. The closest that I could find was a middle aged woman with a Semper Fi tattoo that looked like she could punch me senseless. This was a room primarily of white males from the ages of 23-45. I'm sure its hard to find hot women who know the infinite minutia of firearms but that's not the point. The babes draw in people, for photos or autographs, for handouts. This creates a crowd. Crowds buy things. But this is a new field for me and if they aren't doing it, there must be a reason. Still, it was a bit of a drag. 2 huge rooms with guys in drab clothes. And lots of guns.

Homeless guys with guns. At first, I was a bit confused. I kept seeing guys with rifles slung over their shoulders and signs plastered on their chest or taped to their hats. Apparently, these are attendees who are trying to sell off their guns (presumable to buy new guns) but the effect is very strange. "Will sell complete stranger rifle for handfulls of cash".

Did I get anything? I was sorely tempted. Thanks to the ingenuity of the soviets one can buy a Romanian knock-off AK-47 with 2 clips for about $300. That's pretty damn cheap. By comparison a well made pistol costs $4-500 on average. The AK is a very well designed weapon I am told, easy to take apart and pretty accurate. But finances just didn't allow for it. I found a supply of Mosin/Nagant bolt action rifles most likely built in the 50's for under $100. Despite their age they are a well built rifle and can be very accurate with a scope. This is the weapon used by the Russian Hero Vasily Zaytsev . I held off for now. Guns and I still have a few issues to work out. Maybe in the Spring

My last observation didn't come to me until I was driving home and it is this; These people are nerds. You heard me. These gun wielding red-blooded Amuricans are hard core nerds. Read the two following statements:

"The 223 has a range of about 300 yards and a dispersal pattern of about 8 inches. You've only got five shots so you needs to make them count. Penetration is pretty decent with 20 grain. It'll take out just about anything. "

"The magic missile has about a 100ft range (+10ft per level) with a 1d4+1 damage. It'll affect up to 2 creatures in a 10' area. No saving throw, it's a standard action that uses a V and S component."

Are we seeing an similarities? Both of these speakers are about 20lbs overweight and are drinking Mountain Dew though only one of them is wearing a button that says "Assassins do it from behind". I won't tell you which.

This is not to imply that being a gun nerd is a bad thing. It's simply a different kind of nerd. And I guess it made me feel kinda warm and fuzzy to know that we share a common nerd-ness. Unlike the gaming nerds however, I will NOT get into a heated argument with a gun nerd over some trivial technicality. These people have guns, remember? It would not end well.

p0wned!!

A quick update to my Fred Phelps rant. It seems that the father of a deceased marine sued Freddy boy and won. Phelps made much of his money through frivolous lawsuits (this was before he was disbarred permanently, now he uses his kids). Suck it Phelps, suck it hard.

Hatred

It's just past 3am in the morning. I really should be asleep. But I can't sleep. My chest hurts and my stomach is churning. It was the same last night when I stayed up til 3:30am reading something that disturbed me so profoundly that even as I lie in bed I could not close my eyes. My mind would not cease.

I have devoted a short rant here and there at the 'Reverend' Fred Phelps Baptist Church' in Topeka Kansas. He is the patriarch of a large brood of hateful children/lawyers best known for picketing at the funerals of famous gays and more recently, dead U.S. servicemen and women. His trademarks are the brightly colored "God hates Fags", "God Hates America" and "Thank God for IED's" signs.

His actions so outraged veterans that the Patriot Guard Riders were formed. They are motorcycle enthusiasts, many veterans, who show up (if invited) to funerals targeted by Phelps. They gun their engines to drown out the Phelps clan and hold up large American flags to obstruct the view of the hateful signs.

Recently the Phelps clan was forced to make a hasty retreat when a large crown turned hostile. They were ushered away in a van to the taunts of the crowd, a window broke from some object thrown at the van. You can watch the video here.

In reading about the story at Fark.com I scrolled through the comments section. The reactions ranged from the logical "Ignore him, its what he wants" to the "Someone should kick the crap out of these asshats" to the defenders of free speech "He isn't breaking the letter of the law and the Bill of Rights specifically protects unpopular speech". The debate is heated, and like most Internet discussion, it did nothing to change the facts of the event. Just as I was about to click away I saw a post:

If you want to learn about what a psycho Fred Phelps is, and how horribly abusive he has been to his family (who constitute his entire "Church"), read Addicted to Hate, a journalist's account of life growing up with Phelps, based on the testimonial of two of his estranged kids.

The whole thing is online.

It will send chills up your spine.

The man is Satan incarnate.

I clicked the link and spent the next few hours falling into the dark pit that is the story of this mans life. I want you to read it. It's long. I know that I try to keep things pretty light. I enjoy talking about gadgets and travel intermixed with humor and occasional witty observations. Not this time. This is a journey into the Heart of Darkness. Into the life of a deranged and abusive man of god. How he came to be and how he twisted his faith. How he created his own world with himself at its center and how he abused his wife, his children, his community, the legal profession and the name of the civil rights movement all in the pursuit of his sick, hurtful, greedy desires. My words cannot begin to describe how fucked up this man is and what he has done to his own family and to those around him.

I tend to fall pretty strongly into the "Rule of Law" camp. Several states have tried to create laws that are targeted directly at Phelps group and the ACLU has filed several suits challenging the constitutionality of these laws. The part of my brain that lets me walk upright understands that you can't just make up a law because you don't the message of a particular group. A lot of whites didn't like the message of Martin Luther King. To paraphrase Voltaire:

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"

But I ask you, would our founding fathers have considered the words and actions of Fred Phelps even remotely defensible? If, in the time of Lincoln, a proto-Phelps had stood at a street corner as the assassinated president's funeral procession passed and held up a sign that said "Thank God for John Wilkes Booth!" Would his message have been very vigorously defended? I doubt it. In fact I suspect that such a man would have been roundly thrashed for such a horrid breach of common decency. But we have become somewhat immune in our modern age to outrageous displays in public. And in many ways it is better that way.

But there is another part of the brain, the primitive little lizard part. It is a part that many pretend doesn't exist. When man reflects of the barbarity of War, when he thinks about it he sees its futility. he understands that violence is not the answer. But it isn't the higher brain that makes war. It is that lower, baser part. And pretending it isn't there doesn't make it go away. I understand and accept that it exists. I believe in civility and acting civilized, but I know that we as a species are not even close to civilized.

And what if he showed up and the funeral of a friends kid, killed in Iraq? A kid I saw grow up? What if he protested daily at the small shop where our surrogate daughter Lindsey works? What if they showed up at my parents funeral? I do not think that I could 'just ignore them'. And despite all the pleading of the higher brain functions I think that I would be sorely tempted to strike out at these brainwashed morons. Their twisted bible-hate is enough to make even me ignore my upbringing and my moral code. And that says a lot.

He who lives by the sword....

So the local fundies in Virginia wanted to get their message out to kids and parents in the public school system. But the bad people running the schools said "We shouldn't be promoting religion or politics" Fundies threaten to sue. School relents and lets flyers go home with kids. Now fundies are unhappy that pagans are using the system. Suck it fundies, you made the bed, you lie in it.

This is why we have separation of church and state people.