This is how I know PETA has lost their minds.

http://www.peta2.com/Sea_Kittens/free_stuff.asp



They want us to "rebrand" fish as sea kittens. Because nobody wants to eat a kitten. And yes, they're serious.

A moment for the history books indeed!

Something to cheer me up

I needed something to put me out of today's doldrums, and I happened across this, which is complete and total GEEK, I know. But I love this kind of stuff. Sue me.



1984 Atari Touch Tablet Unboxing

It's just geek porn. But I dig this stuff.

"I Pledge to Ridicule Celebrities Who Refuse to Recognize We Are At War With People Who Want to Kill Them, Too"

This is the must-read of the day. By Andrew Breitbart.

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/breitbart/2009/01/19/where-were-you-celebrities-after-911/

God bless, President Obama. Even though I didn’t vote for him, and disagree with much of his agenda, he has my best wishes and all of my best efforts.

But that doesn’t mean I will forgive and forget an era of narcissism, petty complaining and conspiracy theory peddling from the majority celebrity class that began well before Iraq.

Conspiracy theories of America’s complicity in 9/11 dominated cocktail party discussions for eight tedious years. They couldn’t simply disagree with Bush. They had to ascribe evil to his motivations and make sure the whole world agreed on that flawed premise.

Yet, hating the president doesn’t mean one can’t still help out the country in a great time of need. But many went to foreign countries and demeaned it instead. Called those that disagreed with them rubes and hicks. The elitism of the celebrities against flyover country America could not have been more pronounced. They made a boat-load of movies that affirmed this narrow and patronizing world view.

And now they want us back.

We’re all Americans -- NOW.

It’s a convenient lie the celebrity left peddles that they were with us during the initial Afghanistan phase of the war, and even after 9/11.

No syrupy revisionism will change this fact.

*clears throat*

I want to scream this at the top of my lungs. Out of respect for my neighbors and co-workers, I will instead speak my piece here.

No, it was not a miracle

I would have been falling down drunk last night, utterly obliviated, if I took a sip of beer for every mention of the word "miracle" last night on the evening news.

Look. There was no MIRACLE involved here. I'm really tired of hearing that word bandied about as though we're all witness to some supernatural event. What saved the lives of all the passengers was:

1) the plane hadn't achieved any more altitude or speed when disaster struck. If it had climbed a few thousand feet higher before it encountered the birds, it would have hit the water a lot harder, or (more likely) the ground;
2) the pilot was experienced, well-trained, competent and calm in the face of sudden dire circumstances (which makes you wonder about our president-elect and how he's going to handle sudden adversity when the time comes);
3) none of the passengers or crew did anything panicky or stupid.

It's ok to be grateful and happy everybody lived, but can we please put the credit where it belongs: half dumb luck and the other half on the level heads of all involved, especially the pilot. If those people needed a miracle to survive, the birds who got sucked into the plane's engine would have seen it coming in the first place and, I don't know, maybe stayed out of its way.

The Ultimate Extended Definitive Platinum Collectors Director's Cut Special Deluxe Edition

One of the best Amazon.com reviews I've seen to date. Quoted in its entirety, sampled from the Casino Royale (Three-Disc Collector's Edition) DVD page:

Ross J. Raniere says:
Not only is this yet *another* double dip Bond release, but it's apparently the first Blu-ray double dip as well! They could have put all these features on the release the first time around (*especially* considering that the standard DVD was already bloated to a 2-disc set). If you are a fan, chances are you own this already. I'm tired of loyal followers of films getting screwed every time they make a purchase, not knowing if a re-re-re-release is around the corner. We have to do internet research before buying anything anymore-- quite ridiculous.

And if there is indeed an "unrated international cut" of Casino Royale, and that version is NOT being released with this greedy dip #2, it's even more of an insult. And if someone says, "Well you don't have to buy it!", I am going to scream. That's not the point. I *already* bought it. I am a Bond fan. I would like all the stinking features, instead of only getting a smattering of content and then see a THREE-disc re-release. When will this madness end? Why should anyone have to put up with this? How many movies (and now, sadly, TV shows) have to be put out multiple times so a fan must either wait indefinitely, or purchase the film they love only to be slapped by the studio again with another version? Ultimate Edition. Collector's Edition. How about Fed-Up Edition? I know the reason it's done is "because they can"-- doesn't make it any less crummy of a routine. And it unfortunately now has become a routine.

And how many times can the Bond films be repackaged? They were rereleased again in 2-disc editions [only in shrewdly mixed actor box sets, Connery + Brosnan together, how cute], and now *those* are coming out separately, with different (and even poorer) cover designs. Put out the freaking "Ultimate Once and For All Editions", and use the great Bond poster art instead.

And if the marketing strategy of this is to include "Movie Money" (which rarely covers the whole cost of a movie ticket anyway), I already bought the movie, so give me the movie money. I've spent a lot of money on movies and have seen countless DVD's that I've purchased be repackaged, rereleased, rehashed, added to, subtracted from (i.e. the new version doesn't contain quite all the features from the previous one, yay)-- I don't think it's out of line to be angered by these practices.

With the ongoing Bond re-releases and repackagings (with the 2-disc box set editions now coming out as individual releases), can a triple-dip be that far behind? Maybe "Casino Royale: The Texas Hold-'Em Edition"!

How was your lamb, oh James Bond DVD marketeers? "Skewered. One sympathizes."

I JUST BOUGHT the 2-disc version of this film, so this poster's sentiments very much reflect my own. Guess I shouldn't buy the 2-disc Quantum of Solace DVD when it comes out, like I've been planning to, cause I can surely expect a "Three-Disc Collector's Edition" Edition soon after!

Maybe it's time to move

It occurred to me finally that, after almost eight years in my current little apartment, it may actually be time for me to find a new place to live.

I'm not exactly looking forward to moving as an exercise in relocating property, my phone number, wiring my network, etc. But I'm starting to get settled into my new job at MFA Inc., and seeing the value in getting some substantive experience designing a magazine under my belt. I spent four years at an ad agency, and more than eight years doing Web sites, five of those years producing a magazine site. Now I've got a magazine of my own [to design]. It's making me think about my time in Columbia, the depth and variety of my job experiences and that it's getting stronger the longer I stay with MFA, not weakening with my continued Columbia existence.

I'm also getting tired of apartment living and think it might be time for a duplex. A garage, washer/dryer, another actual bedroom in addition to an office. I mean, even the idea of a garage of my own is awfully tempting. (There's a particular place in mind in Columbia I'm thinking of, but I really need to disabuse myself of the idea of moving there. There's got to be nice, comfortable places besides that around town.)

I need to get a handle on this new pay schedule .. still not fully figured out. It's not as predictable as it was while I was at MU. I need to do some budgeting and line up my ducks. But I'm thinking about it. I have a few months before I'll be expected to re-sign at my apartment complex, so I can mull it over. I don't want to spend a lot more than I am now, but I'm current paying way more on my current apartment than I was a few years ago. They keep stairstepping the rates up, and they're about to go up again (unless I re-sign by the end of January). It's getting ridiculous. I know I owe on my student loan, and I know I owe my dad money on my earlier student loan still. Those need to be priorities.

Never thought I would move again while living in Columbia, but ....... maybe it's time for that. I'm 36 years old. I make decent money. I want a garage.

My next camera?

I guess I always knew I'd one day come across a camera that would make my current digital camera, which I bought in 2005, look old and dated. But just a few minutes ago I finally did.


Sony DSC-T700

WOW. 10.1 megapixel. That's a touchscreen there on the back for framing and image review. Comes with 4GB on board storage. 4x optical zoom. Face recognition. 9-point autofocus. And 640x480 movie capture with sound.

As much as I loathe Sony, I think I might have to upgrade to this.

Microsoft Zunes bricking themselves en masse

Apparently they can't handle leap years. Just priceless.

http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/12/31/1428254&tid=128

Looks like excrement-brown was the most appropriate color for the Zune after all.