Idle Ramblings

Should I even bother...

2009-01-08T16:14:00.002-06:00

In just about a month, February 13th to be exact, Joss Whedon's new show "Dollhouse" makes its premier on the FOX Time Slot of Death - 8 p.m. Friday nights. What I have to decide at some point is: Should I bother?

There are lots of things that bother me about this show. The premise seems weak. There's been all kinds of trouble in the development stage and Joss has had to go back and redo so much of it because the FOX people didn't like what he'd done. I really don't like Eliza Dusku.

But, the biggest thing is that I don't want to get sucked into a show that turns out to be great only to see it cancelled after a handful of episodes. Whedon's been up that road before with Firefly and, at least to me, the similarities between the two can't be ignored. Whedon had to cave into FOX executives because they didn't like the Firefly pilot. He got little to no support from the network and was, once again, stuck in the infamous Friday night black hole. It just seems like they're setting him up again.

I don't want to start a passionate relationship with another of Whedon's shows only to have it run out on me and toss me a "pity movie" a couple of years later.

I don't have a problem with Whedon and his ideas. Honestly, I didn't think a series based on the crappy movie "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" would amount to anything or be even remotely interesting. I now have all seven season sitting on my DVD shelf. I never thought David Boringass, er Borenaz could pull off an "Angel" series. He did and it sits right beside Buffy on the shelf. I thought the idea for "Firefly" wasn't the greatest and only was able to see one episode when it originally aired. I'm now watching the series once again and lamenting about its premature end.

Joss has a history, at least with me, of putting ideas that sound kind of lame out there and then blowing me away with the results. I hope, if I take the chance and actually watch "Dollhouse," he'll do the same again.

But, here's the biggest thing. FOX has a terrible record of canceling shows I like. Sure, 24 has stuck around for a good run and I'm looking forward to more gut-wrenching action this spring. But for that one show, there is a list of others they put the hatchet to which deserved a rich, full life. Here are a few:

Millennium - Remember this one? Lance Henricksen as a former FBI agent who tracked down serial killers and worked for the mysterious Millennium group? After the success of that series that never existed - The X-Files - FOX gave him another show and this was it. It was great, for two seasons. Then it got cancelled after the second season so they ended the world. Then it got uncancelled and they had to unend the world and they limped along for a third season.

Space: Above and Beyond - Starship Troopers as a weekly, big budget sci-fi series. Brought to us by two of the big names behind that show I mentioned earlier that doesn't exist. Maybe a bit cliched, especially in the beginning, but it grew into its own on. Then, after a season that just got better and better, it got zapped and ended with a maybe it's over, maybe it's not final episode.

Futurama - The show from Matt Groenig much more than The Simpson (love The Simpsons, though). They made four seasons. Fox stretched it into five. Revived thanks to Adult Swim and Comedy Central. But as all things revived, well, the sparkle just isn't there, though each movie has progressively gotten better.

Family Guy - Okay. Cancelled, revived and funnier than ever. But still cancelled. And in the first episode after it comes back there's a great opening where Peter lists off all the shows FOX has cancelled between the end of Family Guy's first run and its return. Freakin' hilarious.

The Tick - Just watched this again for the umpteenth time. I still laugh my ass off.

The Critic - Okay. Cancelled on both ABC and FOX, but FOX was the last one to cancel it.

As much as I hope against hope, I just have a bad feeling the "Dollhouse" is going to be added to this list of shows that I really got into and then had jerked away from me. It's not just FOX. In recent years other networks have teased me with shows like "Threshold" and "Surface" which lasted as much as half a season before they were taken away. They weren't great, but they were good. And they are the reason I've refused to watch any new sci-fi series on network television for the past several years. I've even skipped "Fringe" which I have heard is pretty good, but very iffy as to how much longer it's going to last.

So, Joss, let me apologize in advance. I may watch your new series. I may not. I may wait and pick up the entire 13 episode run in coming years and lament about its demise much in the same way I do "Firefly." I am going to hope for success for you, but, I mean, dude.... It's FOX.

Too many blogs, too much, er, I mean little time

2009-01-08T12:51:00.002-06:00

I've got too many blogs floating around.

Some are unused, such as Live Journal, which I joined just basically so I could access some other people's blogs. Or Yahoo360 which... I can't really remember why I set that up....

Some, such as this one, were originally ended on purpose. I quit blogging on this particular blog in June 2004 after I ended my newspaper career. The Idle Ramblings name was one I'd used as a column title for most of my time in the newspaper business, so I felt it was time to do the same for the blog. I quickly started a new blog, which was basically the same thing, only under the title Taking A Nap.

Now, I have incorporated them into one blog, the original Idle Ramblings, which I'm starting up again.

In the meantime, there was MySpace, which offered a handy blogging feature which I have been using since summer 2006. At some point later, I moved into Facebook, where I was basically duplicating my posts on MySpace.

For some reason, today, I have decided that I'd really like all of my on-line efforts in one place, combined, and available for the world to ignore as a whole, rather than just having the world ignore little chunks of them all across the Internets. Unfortunately, I'm finding that's a lot easier said than done and, mayhap, be impossibly done.

I'm finding blogs don't like to talk to each other and, with the exception of merging one Blogger blog to another Blogger blog, it ain't easy to automatically merge them. Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe I'm not blog savvy enough to know what I'm doing. I don't know.

So, regardless of all that, I have figured out how to at least feed this blog into my Facebook account and, for now, that's good enough. Maybe there's some voodoo which will get it into MySpace too so I don't have to continually copy stuff all over the place.

We'll see.

This is a test..... Is this thing on....?

2009-01-08T12:22:00.003-06:00

As I'm prone to do, from time to time, I'm blowing the dust off my old blogs and seeing what's what. I'm currently trying to see if I can tie all of the various old blogs, scattered over cyberspace, together. So far, the Blogger blogs, Idle Ramblings and Taking A Nap, have been easy. Now I just want to see how well I can integrate them into Facebook and to also see if I can get the Facebook and MySpace blogs tied in as well.

We'll see.

This post is mainly a test to see how well Facebook picks up on new posts.

Damn modern technology....

How Ms. Pac-Man took my manhood

2007-02-26T00:57:00.000-06:00

In my quest to bring those things that come with being in a relationship - romance, friendship, companionship and, yes, sex - back into my life, I can't say that I've been completely successful. Of course, I can't say I've really had my heart completely in it, but, that's for a different blog entry.

Since I don't have the romance, companionship, friendship and, especially the sex, at this time, I decided I needed to do something that would make me feel better about myself as a man. Some way I could prove my prowess. Something that would let me prove to myself that I was still viable and desirable as a male of the species. I needed to be something I was good at to boost my ego. I already have a new guitar and bass, so that was out. I've got a new computer, so there's another no. I'm not into cars, so no flashy new sports car. So, I decided there was only one thing left.

Video games.

You know those video game systems you can find nowadays? The ones that have half a dozen or so classic video games programed into the joystick controller? I decided to get one of those. And not just any one, the Ms. Pac-Man set since it had my two favorite games Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga. What better way to boost my ego and prove to myself that I was still a virile young man (I've decided to move middle age off to 50 since I'm about to turn 40). So, I grabbed my joystick, er, the joystick and began playing.

I spent many hours and many quarters in my youth perfecting my Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga games. I had the highest scores on the machines down at the Quick Stop plenty of times, so I was looking forward to getting my MoJo back.

So, I select Ms Pac-Man. It takes a while to get back into the swing of things, after all, it's been a while - a long, lonely, dry spell. But, I figure once I get started, it will all come back to me and I'll get into the rhythm of things. But, unfortunately, maybe a minute or so later, it was over and I was just sitting there holding my joystick, er, sorry again, I meant THE joystick. I was embarrassed. This had never happened to me before. I mean, it was over too quick. I guess it had just been so long....

Well, I figured the next time it would be better. So, once I was up to it again, I go back to her and try again. I'm eager now, and want to prove that the previous time was a one-time thing, but, it happens again and it's over before I know it.

At this point, I'm not feeling so good. I feel like she's just sitting there, laughing at me. I used to be able to make it last for so much longer. Hours, just going on and on with the excitement and the thrill of feeling like I was accomplishing something. But, I was beginning to feel like I'd lost the touch. And, now, every time I saw her, I just got nervous, feeling like I needed to try to do better. But, in the end, it's been over quick and very unsatisfying.

So, have your fun Ms. Pac-Man. Just keep laughing at me. I'll be back with a vengeance one day soon and we'll go all night long. Just get rested up.

Meanwhile, I've switched to Galaga. At least with it, I get to blow crap up.

Um..... Did they Listen to the whole song before using it?

2007-02-26T00:56:00.000-06:00

Like every generation, I get a little miffed when I hear the important anthems of my youth used to sell things. Sure, it's an ago-old practice to use songs people know and instantly recognize as background music while companies hawk cars, burgers, computers, and whathaveyou, but sometimes, you really have to wonder if the advertising people who came up with the idea really got the meaning or the lyrics of the tune, or, if they even really listened to it.

It pissed me off when The Beatles "Revolution" was used to sell tennis shoes, but, even though I loved the tune, it wasn't one from MY generation. It was already around in my formative years and wasn't part of the soundtrack for my angst-ridden youth. So, I was pissed, but I didn't fully get it. Then, recently, Burger King decided to use Modern English's "I Melt With You" in their commercials. To me, one of the greatest songs from the decade. Something memorable. Something wonderful. Hearing it playing while burgers zip across the screen took something away from it.

But now, tonight as a matter of fact, I was kind of taken aback when I saw a new commercial for Wendy's and I realized what the song was they were using. I must say, when I think of hamburgers, "Blister in the Sun" by the Violent Femmes isn't really the first tune that comes to mind. Of course, they didn't actually use any of the lyrics, just the very recognizable guitar licks.

Would these lyrics make you think "gee, I'd really like a hamburger"?

When Im out walking I strut my stuff yeah Im so strung out
Im high as a kite I just might stop to check you out
Let me go on like I blister in the sun
Let me go on big hands I know your the one
Body and beats I stain my sheets I don't even know why
My girlfriend she's at the end she is starting to cry
Let me go on like I blister in the sun
Let me go on big hands I know your the one...

It's not that I'm completely against using these songs for commercials....well, actually I kind of am, but on the flip side, I'm glad some of these artists are once again making money off these songs. But, come on people, just because a song was popular to a generation, would it really be appropriate to use in a commercial.

Of course, the opening few bars of Prince's "Darling Nikki," before the vocals come in, would be perfect for a product advertised with a wink and a nod for "feminine personal dryness," or for a new fabric softener. Who do I talk to about getting that into a commercial.....

Un-Christmasing

2006-12-27T21:24:00.000-06:00

I'm one of those people who, once Christmas is over, I like to have all reminders of the holiday down and put away as soon as possible. The "holiday cheer" has never really lasted too much beyond 3 or 4 p.m. on Christmas afternoon and is definitely gone by the time you have to go back to work.

The thing is, when you put up the decorations, there is all kind of festive holiday music to listen to. There are the traditional Christmas shows on TV you can have going on in the background (at least most years, refer to my earlier blog entry on that subject.) There's milk and cookies and the warmth of the roaring fire coming from the natural gas heater you have because it's much more energy efficient than the fireplace.

But what about when you take down the decorations. There should be something special for that too. After all, it's much more of a pain in the ass to take them down than to put them up. If for no other reason than everyone enjoys putting them up, but no one enjoys taking them down.

Maybe someone needs t come up with an album of post-Christmas music, designed especially for the days after that will help make the un-Christmasing time go much better. While I do love writing songs and making music, I fear I am not really up to the task due to my extreme laziness. But, I do have some suggestions for song ideas.

"Christmas time is over and all I have to say/is let's go out to Wal-Mart and spend out gift cards today"

or, "As this day comes to an end/I kneel down, my knees I bend/and I give thanks through this song/that the relatives are finally gone."

and of course "Take down the Christmas lights/before the neighbors laugh at us/take down the Christmas tree/I really don't want to have to fuss...."

And, yeah, I still have some of my decorations up, but they are slowly making their way into the closet and my tree will soon be planted in the back yard. But, like I said before, I'm lazy, so it may take me a while.

Can You Get Any More Stupid?

2006-12-27T21:23:00.000-06:00

Being nearly 40-year old and having no children, I'm not necessarily up to date on all the latest stupid things "these kids today" are doing. Usually, I find out about them once kids start dying, being maimed, abducted, or chemically lobotomized and it starts making the news. Thus is the case of something called "Ghost Riding."

This one has got to be a contender for the Darwin Awards, because, honestly, anyone who would do this, doesn't need or deserve to have their genetic material passed on to the next generation. Basically, Ghost Riding, or, Ghost Riding the Whip as I believe it is properly called, is a dance style similar to break dancing. So far, not a problem. Break dancing is actually kind of cool. I've seen both "Breakin'' and "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo." Where the utter stupidity comes in is that this style of dancing is done on top of a moving vehicle.

It's apparently a West Coast hip hop trend (okay, I'm not down with all the latest terminology. I think hip hop is probably one of those outdated or, in this case, inaccurate terms, but I'm doing the best I can with the knowledge that a 39-year-old, white, male librarian in a small Southern town has about these things) and thanks to You Tube it has begun to spread around the country. There has apparently been plenty of broken bones and head trauma to go along with the fad and at least one death when someone whanged their head on a parked car as they were attempting a dance move while going down the street.

Now, I and my generation did plenty of stupid things when we were growing up. Some of them even dangerous. But the difference is, we knew that if we were injured while doing those stupid things, if we didn't have head trauma after the accident, we'd certainly have it once our parents got a hold of us. And, I'm pretty sure that even if we'd had the ability to video that kind of things, we'd have been smart enough not to. We knew better than to have evidence of our stupidity around, not to mention being smart enough to know better than to put that evidence on display for all the world to see.

And, yeah, I know every teenager things they are invincible and will never die or be seriously injured. Been there. But, come on. You've got to wonder if there's something else at work here. My theory is that these are some of the first kids of the "Barney" generation and that watching Barney somehow lead to some type of undiagnosed brain damage. It didn't turn them gay (that's the Telletubbies), and didn't have the positive effects that Sesame Street had on my generation. After all, who of us who grew up an Sesame Street can't count to 10 in Spanish. It could be that all those years of Barney gave an entire generation some type of subconscious death wish. "I love you. You love me" going through the deep, dark recesses of the young mind for a decade or so just makes them want to die.

Whatever is the brilliant idea behind this new trend, it still just floors me. But, then again, it just shows how easy it is now for something to spread like wildfire thanks to places like You Tube and MySpace. Maybe I should take a page out of L. Ron Hubbard's book and use this new technology to start my own religion. I've been outlining it for years, ever since college, kind of as a "get rich quick" scheme. Of course, I ought to just write a "How to" book about starting your own religion and sell it on late-night TV infomercials and get rich that way. It's slightly more ethical.

Or, maybe, I'll just break out the video camera, get a bunch of cool looking young people and start my own trend by posting it on You Tube. It would need to be something young, bored, middle class white males could do that was dangerous and would probably get them seriously maimed or killed and would piss off their parents and it has to be set to music. I'm thinking either head butting oncoming trains or joining the military.

Look for it on You Tube soon.

Netflix Frustration

2006-02-10T15:29:00.000-06:00

I saw this article about fruntration among Netflix subscribers about the company's "throttling" service which was recenlty revealed. "Throttling" gives customers a lower priority on shipping out movies and on getting new movies, thus reducing the costs to the company. Many are crying foul, even though they still say they are getting a good deal from the service.

Up until last month, I was a Netflix subscriber, and for much of that time, I was fairly satisfied, especially in the beginning. I signed up about a year ago for the basic three-at-a-time service. They delivered as promised, and, I saw a lot of movies I wouldn't have normally seen because there was such a great variety. Rebecca and I are "fast watchers." When we get a movie, wether bought, rented or Netflixed, we usually sit down and watch it almost immediately. With the Netflix fare, we usually watched all three movies in the same day, especially on the weekends. So generally, we'd get them in the mail that morning, watch them that afternoon and evening, and send them back the next morning. And since Memphis is one of the distribution centers, we got them fairly quickly. Then, back in the fall, that began to change.

The first problem was we began receiving DVDs that were broken or scratched up so bad they didn't work. So basically what that meant is it took twice as long to get a watchable movie. In at least one case, it took three times to get the DVD because once the broken one was sent back, they sent a disc that was in the wrong envelope and that had to be straightened out.

Then, the shipments started slowing down. DVDs that were mailed on Monday weren't showing up as returned until Thursday or Friday and the next DVDs weren't shipped out until the following Monday - basically three a week. Still, a decent deal at less than $2 per DVD rented and the convenience of not having to go to the video store. Frustrating, but more or less acceptable.

Then came the month were we only receive, maybe four or five DVDs. We still watched them as soon as we got them and mailed them right back, but the next movies took a long time in coming. In one case, it was a week after the DVD was mailed that they acknowledged receiving it. It was another couple of days before they alerted me they had sent the next DVD and it was EIGHT DAYS before I received the DVD. So basically, it took more than two weeks to get my next movie. This kind of thing went on for a couple of months.

Then I heard about the lawsuit. I thought, great, maybe things will get better, and they did, slightly. Or at least they had gotten to the 9 to 12 movies a month level, not the 15 to 18 movies a month level it had been before. At this point I was frustrated - again, still not a bad deal, but not the one I signed up for - so I decided to keep going. Then, I heard about the "throttling" thing a few weeks ago and that was the last straw and I cancelled my membership.

Now, I'm not saying Netflix is a bad deal. And I'm not saying that at some point, I won't resubscribe, but for many people, it's not the deal they signed up for. Even with the changes they have made in their disclosure policies, I still think it's misleading at best. I think they promote the "perfect world" scenario and don't adequately let you know that heavy users will be shuffled to the bottom of the deck.

Netflix is a successful company, and will continue to be successful, at least in the near future because it offers a great convenience and a good selection of stuff that will never be in my local video store (the complete Space: 1999 series for one). But, I think they need to be more up front about their delivery policies, they need to play down or remove the "unlimited rentals" claim, and I think they need to offer the heavy users an option of upgrading their accounts, at a higher fee, which keeps them from being shuffled to the bottom of the deck.

There. That's my rant for the day.

Maybe We'll Finally Get Some Candy

2006-02-07T14:44:00.000-06:00

At long last, the long awaited Strangers With Candy movie may actually be making its way to the big screen. Maybe. June or July. Maybe..... It seems that everytime a release is announced, it gets scrubbed. The movie has been floating around for about a year I think. If you haven't seen the series, watch for re-runs on Commedy Central. It's bizarre. Very funny. Made more so by Amy Sedaris (sister of David Sedaris) and Stephen Colbert, who has really come into his own with The Colbert Report on CC. Hell, if nothing else, it should at least be brought to CC's Late Night Stash.

What Was I Thinking?

2006-02-07T12:26:00.000-06:00

I have recenlty been watching several DVDs of fairly recent movies and I noticed my opinion of these films changed from the time I went to see the movie to the time I watched the DVD. Four movies, in particular, stood out. Two I liked better on DVD, two I didn't like as much. Granted, I like all these movies. This is like the 180 I did with Independece Day where I really didn't like it when I saw it at the theater, but then liked it much better when I got the DVD.

Better

Serenity - This was actually one of my favorite movies from last year. I'm a big fan of Joss Whedon and started watching the series Firefly in the fall when it was brought to the Sc-Fi Channel. It was cool on the big screen. The story was good. If the series is truly over, it's a fitting ending. But I just watched it on DVD and it just seemed "better." Maybe it just seems more at home on the small screen.

The Fantastic Four - Sentimentality and good casting made this movie alright when I saw it this summer. A typical superhero origin story, it really didn't stretch the boundaries of the genre or of special effects. But it was the FF, which was always one of my favorite comics, and it didn't suck. After rewatching it, I found I liked it a little more. Maybe, since I already knew it was a decent product, I was more forgiving, but it did seem more enjoyable. And I see the cast has re-upped for a sequel, scheduled for 2007. I hope they go into the negative zone.

Worse

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - This one had everything going for it - Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, an favorite movie and story - but was a bit of a let down when I saw it on the big screen. The added story with Willy Wonka's story didn't work for mee (though the disappointment was softened by the fact his father was played by Christopher Lee), and the whole thing was kind of flat. Still, it was okay. Watching it again, however, sharpened those disappointments and highlighted minor ones, such as the somewhat lame nature of the Oompa Loompa songs (again, Danny Elfman, usually awesome. That's two movies he did last year where I was sorely disappoint in the music.). I though Deep Roy actually was one of the best parts of the movie. I'll stick with Gene Wilder.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Easy to understand. I was so relieved when I went to see this at the theater that it wasn't as terrible as I had heard. Again, not a bad movie, but watching it again heightened the disappoinments. The casting for the most part was good, but the additional material, even if it was originally written by Douglas Adams, just didn't work. Plus the whole Arthur ends up with Trillian thing was just counter to, well, who Arthur is throughout the series. Though it's cheezy, I'll stick to the BBC version.

New Music Monday

2006-02-06T12:32:00.000-06:00

For anyone who may be interested, I have some new tunage posted at MacJams. Working Class Day is my latest. It is a lament about the state of the working person today.

Also, Politics, Religion and Football has been up a couple of weeks. It's an examination of the taboos surrounding discussion of those subjects. More notably, it's my most extensive attempt todate, to rip off the sound of Adam and the Ants.

TV or Not TV

2006-02-03T13:08:00.000-06:00

As the television season begins to head into the home stretch, I find myself ambivalent about the renewal or non renewal of shows that, only a few months ago, I was crazy about. Most are new shows from this season, some are more veteran shows. Here we go:

New

Commander In Chief - Great premise. Started off with a bang. Geena Davis and Donald Sutherland - two great actors in their own rights - carry the show with ease and have a great chemistry together. The first half of the season was great. President Mackenzie not only had to deal with moving from vice president into the top job, but with the politics behind the scenes and the day to day job. I don't know exactly when Steven Bochco was brought into the production, but it was probably about the time all the episodes started being the same - some major crisis arises and President Mac uses her own brand of intellectual insightfulness to avoid disaster for both her politically and for the country. It's still doing okay int he ratings and Davis recently won one of the Much Ado About Nothing awards, so I think it stands a good chance of getting renewed, though, at this point, I'm not too concerned if it does or not. It will be on the schedule during the February sweeps, even though the number of episodes ordered for the season was cut from 22 to 18.

Surface - Of the four sci-fi/supernatural shows that debuted this season, this one was the best. Invasion was boring from the get-go, though the critics picked it as the best (and it did guest star Cirroc Lofton in one episode I watched), it just plodded along - and is still plodding along. Threshold started off with a great pilot and a couple of interesting episodes that followed, but quickly crashed and burned by Thanksgiving. Supernatural was just dumb. Surface was actually the one I thought would be the least interesting, but, through some fluke of nature, it was actually pretty good. I think part of that, at least for Rebecca and I, is a healthy leviathan fear. But, it also turned out that there was some decent plot and decent, if somewhat predictable at times writing. I will say that Lake Bell and Jay R. Ferguson will never win any acting awards. Ferguson is a tubby David Borenaz, without the talent, and Bell, well, it's a good thing she's pretty. But they fill the role they need to fill which is simply advancing the plot, which is actually the star of the show. The CGI monster are really good and the story line about the kid turning into the lizard king really helps out the show. The finale shows Monday, ending a 15 episode run. No decision has been made about its renewal and I don't know how well its done audience-wise, but I know the reruns have a pretty good spot on the Sci-Fi Channel, so there may be hope. I'm a little more interested in whether this one gets renewed or not, but I won't be devistated if it's not. I can't see it having more than a half, or one good season left in the premis without getting weird (in a bad way) or repetitive.

One show I am surprised that I want to see renewed is The Office. I'm a huge fan of the Ricky Gervais BBC series, and when I saw that NBC was going to produce an American version, I though about recent similar efforts such as "Coupling" and the John Laraquette vehicle based on Fawlty Towers. Surprisingly, however, The Office seems to have found it's own way. Same basic characters, same basic premise, but, in large part due to Steve Carell, who took Gervais' character and made it his own, it has succeeded. It's like the movie Office space on setroids. I think between decent ratings and decent success from iTunes downloads, this one will stick around.

Veteran shows

Lost - As much as I hate to say it, the show is beginning to become Lost to me. This season has been slow and fairly pointless so far. I don't care about any of the new characters from the tail section of the plane. The only thing that has really stuck with me this season is the reunion of the husband from the tail section and the wife who was with the main group - a very, very minor plot for the series. It's bogged down and I don't know if it will recover my interest. I know it will be renewed and I'll watch it throughout the reast of the season, but, it may not stay on the Tivo list next year.

24 - Next to The Shield, this is my favorite non-science fiction show on today. In the beginning, the premis was unique, and still is. The writing is good. Keiffer Sutherland is excellent in the role of Jack Bauer, who, for several years in a row, has had one 24-hour period that has just really sucked. This season started off with a bang and has just been rolling ever since. I'm disappointed, however, that several of my favorites from previous seasons were killed off in the opening few minutes of this season - especially Dennis Haysbert who portraid President Palmer in all the previous season. I don't want this series to be cancelled, but I wonder just how far the rollercoaster ride can go and still be fun. This is the fifth season. I would hate to see it start limping as series usually do in their final two seasons.

Shows I'm still enthusiastic about

The Shield
Boston Legal
Battlestar Galactica
Stargate SG1
Stargate Atlantis

We'll see what comes down the pike.

Manson in Wonderland

2006-02-03T12:56:00.000-06:00

It might not seem like it at first, but if you think about it who better to writ, direct and star in a movie about "Alice in Wonderlan" creator Lewis Carroll than Marilyn Manson. It should definitely bring out Carroll's darker side, which, I think, we really don't see enough of.

What's Old is New Again

2006-02-03T11:44:00.000-06:00

WARNING: Beyond here, thar be spoilers!!!!

I love the new Battlestar Galactica. It's not only one of the best sci-fi series ever, it's also one of the best dramas on TV today. But while I love all the new ground they are breaking with the series, I also love the nods they are making to the 1978-1980 series.

One case in point is the obvious recent reappearance of the Pegasus. Nice twist with Michelle Forbes as Admiral Kane - a cross between Captain Ahab, Captain Blye, Captain Crook and possibly Captain Crunch - I'm just not sure. It took an old idea from the series and molded to the new series quite well.

Another recent idea, which seemed to be taken right from the scripts of the original series was another recent episode. The one where Apollo is with the prostitute he's been seeing and the black marketeers break in beat him up, kidnap the woman and her daughter, threaten to kill the prostitute and they sell the daughter into a child sex slave ring. Apollo hunts down the head of the black market and then shoots him in the head. I mean, you don't get any more of a classic BSG plot line than that. I still remember Richard Hatch's riveting performance in the 1979 version of that episode. Good stuff!

Anntention: Mac Loves Only!

2006-01-21T00:10:00.000-06:00

Do you love you Mac?

I'm not talking about now, with you shiny new iPod video and Intel MacBook Pro, I'm talking about the serious Mac lovers. The ones who have (or have had) a Classic. The ones who stuck with Apple through the Dark Times. The ones with two or more Macs, including that old LC II that hasn't worked in years, but you'll never get rid of it.

If you love you Mac, then go here! It's the official song site for "I Love My Mac" by Daphne Kalfon. A song recently featured on the MacAddict CD and at the MacWorld Expo and now available for download at the iTunes Music Store. There's even a video.

So if you love your Mac. If you REALLY love your Mac, you'll check it out.

A Picture is Now Worth 1,024 Bytes

2006-01-13T13:22:00.000-06:00

Nikon, who in my opinion made the best film cameras for newspaper work, is all but getting completely out of the film camera business. Not a big surprise. The switch from film to digital has been a long time coming for a number of reasons, including increasing cost of buying and disposing of the toxic chemicals needed to process film, the increased quality of digital cameras, and the ease and speed at which a digital image can be printed. Increasingly, you're seeing the film media left to a shrinking handful of professionals. It will only be a matter of time before you see the chain store film developers completely replaced by the digital print kiosks.

On a related note, the announcement from Nikon has made me decide to keep my old FM-2 that I used so many years in the newspaper business. One day, I'll put it next to my old manual typewriter as a monument to the past.

Who's on Sci-Fi First?

2006-01-13T11:30:00.001-06:00

David sent me a link this morning about the announcement that the new incarnation of the BBC's "Dr. Who" will be premiering on the Sci-Fi Channel this spring. This is one of several announcements of production green lights for Sci-Fi, including a new 12-hour mini series from Steven Spielberg. Spielberg previously co-operated on the 20-hour epic mini-series "Taken," which even though I missed some of it, was excellent. The other cool sounding show involves Stan Lee in a reality contest show called "Who Wants To Be A Superhero" in which follows contestants as they try to create their owne superheros.

Disappointing History

2006-01-13T11:17:00.001-06:00

Apparently, scientists have determined that the Donners, of the Donner Party fame, didn't revert to cannibalism as we have all learned in our history classes. They've found evidence that other members of the party, in a separate encampment did, but not the Donners. It's always disappointing when the less interesting truth of history conflicts with what you've learned all your life.

Light at the End of the Breakfast Tunnel

2006-01-13T11:13:00.001-06:00

This article about the creation of three glow in the dark, flourescent green pigs causes me to wonder how far we are from glow in the dark bacon.

New Years Resolutions

2005-12-30T16:33:00.001-06:00

I don't do a lot of New Years Resolutions. I tend to do anything major and important such as the usual self-improvement lose weight, exercise more, etc., based more on my birthday than on the calendar year.

I do, however, sometimes make some resolutions that are more fun to keep. That way, if I don't do them, I'm not stuck with the crushing guilt of being a failure as a human begin when I don't accomplish them. I'm just not as entertained.

So here's what I plan to accomplish in 2006:

1. Learn at least four more chords on the guitar and use them in songs.

2. Finish the outline for my novel and write at least one chapter.

3. Purchase and learn to use Logic or, more likely, Logic Express.

4. Decide what 12 songs I plan to put on my debut CD, which I am planning on releasing on or before April 8, 2007, and begin recording them.

5. To not go more than a month without putting something on my blog.

6. Write and record at least one new song per month.

7. Go see more movies.

8. Read at least one book that isn't science fiction or about politics or journalism.

9. Go to a concert.

10. Come up with a cohesive Grand Unification Theory, invent a cold fusion power generating device, develope a faster-than-light means of propulsion or a safe means of human teleportation.

11. Check back at the end of 2006 to see if I've actually done any of these things.

More From the Greedy Bastards File

2005-12-28T10:57:00.001-06:00

The bad news just keeps getting worse for the music industry as the New York Attorney General's office is now looking into whether music companies are engaging in price fixing when it comes to digital downloads.

I'd like to think this was spurred, at least in part, by Steve Jobs' comments earlier this year criticizing the indistry for wanting to raise prices for downloads. This has been a bad year for the big music industry players, sales continue to slide, payola investigations, the Sony spyware fiasco, continued bad press over illegal downloading. I can only hope that the industry will look at all that's going on and decide it's time to change their ways, but if they don't, I'll just keep listening to my independent music.

Just for the record, I've now bought more CDs by independent, self-produced artists this year than main stream record label artists.

Are We Not....Children?

2005-12-28T10:50:00.001-06:00

New Wave pioneers Devo have gotten together again for a new album featuring their classic tunes sung by children. It's not exactly the kind of reunion and new material I'd hoped for, but it's a start. And it does sound kind of interesting.

Choose Your Battles Wisely

2005-12-28T10:41:00.001-06:00

An article I stumbled across today has a couple of important lessons.

1. If you're going to stand on a pedistal and preach, you'd better be sure to practice what your preaching, because someone's going to surly call you on it when you don't.

2. Asy the old saying goes: Don't pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel and paper by the ton.

You Say You Want Some Evolution...

2005-12-20T12:53:00.001-06:00

In the continually evolving argument about whether science classes will teach science or religion, a judge in Pennsylvania has ruled that "Intelligent Design" can not be offered in public school biology classes as an alternative to evolution. I'm sure this is going to cause a firestorm among those who are increasingly insistant on imposing their religious beliefs on everyone else int he county. But, in this particular case, the public has already spoken by voting out the eight members of the school board who had approved the evolution disclaimer in the first place.

While I don't want to wade too deep into the arguments of science versus religion, church and state, culture versus religion, etc., I do want to say this, the constant assaults by those with extreme views, ideas, beliefs, etc., on the views, ideas, beliefs, etc. of others don't do anyone any good. Whether it's the religious extremeist who wants their views on morality and religion to be imposed on others, ot whether is anti-religious extremeists who basically want to punish those who believe, it's as destructive to our society as strapping on explosives and walking into a crowded building.

We are supposed to be a nation of tolerance, open to a vast marketplace of ideas. And while some might view this ruling as a restriction of these free-wheeling ideas, it's not, really. Dress it up as they may, "Intelligent Design" is nothing more than creationism. It should be taught in biology class about as much as it should be taught in Building Trades or PE.

WHAT! I CAN'T HEAR YOU.

2005-12-20T12:37:00.001-06:00

Surprise, surprise. Apparently, listening to loud music on your iPod and using your earbuds can cause hearing problems.

Duh!

It's not a new problem, even though the design of the earbuds does seem to make it a little worse.

My problem with the earbuds, however, is more that they are uncomfortable. They don't fit well and begin to irratate my ears after a while. It's a physical thing, not a sound thing.

I started using studio headphones for my iPod long ago. I figured if I have an expensive pair of earphones designed for quality sound and comfort, why not use them. It's not like I listen to my iPod anywhere where a pair of large, black earphones would look out of place. Mostly, however, I use the iPod in my vehicle using either an iTrip or a cassette adapter.

Back to the origonal concern about damaging hearing, anytime you listen to loud music, or loud anything for that matter, it can and will damage your hearing. I know I already have some hearing loss from my years of standing in front of a stack of guitar amps and PA speakers as well as attending very, very, loud concerts. But, compared to the volume and the amount of time younger people today are listening to loud music, especially in the most destructive frequencies, my experiences were nothing.

Let me just put it this way: I plan on investing money in the stock of companies that make hearing aids. In 10 years or so, it'll make me a lot of money.

Latest Video Game Obsession

2005-12-16T11:48:00.001-06:00

I like video games. Mostly, I'm pretty old school when it comes to video games. My favorites usually involve a small electonic blob at the bottom of the screen moving back and forth shooting at small electronic blobs at the top of the screen, or some variation of this. Of course, moving around a maze or other landscape while being chased by ghosts or pookas is a lot of fun too.

But that's not to say I haven't enjoyed other types of game and that I haven't moved up in the world. Fifteen years ago, Rebecca and I got a Super Nintendo for a wedding present and had lots of fun with Super Mario Brothers, Sim City, Zelda, and lots of other adventure-style quest games. And since I've played Dungeons and Dragons for 25 or so years, once I got a computer, I naturally began playing the increasingly complex D&D based games and other similar games.

One genre I haven't really warmed to is the first-person shooter. Just never have been a big fan of Doom or similar games. But recently, we were given an extended loan of a GameCube and Rebecca started getting the Resident Evil games. They were a little more than just simple first person shooters that I've played in the past, but, still, they didn't really float my boat.

Then we got Resident Evil 4.

Not planning on playing it, I watched my wife play for a couple of weeks. The graphics were amazing. The environment was expansive. And it was more than just walking around shooting zombies. So I started a game. And it's been fun.

It's got a complex story, in line with the Resident Evil universe. You've got a lot of different options for weapons and even have a weapons dealer that pops up from time to time. Plus, you take everything with you instead of having to run from storage box to storage box.

Rebecca finished the game first. I finished the game last weekend and started a second round (with all the weapons and supplies left over from the previous game). I finished the second round last night and started a third round, this time with an Infinite Rocket Launcher, a prize you can purchase after defeating the game, but it's expensive.

Now, it's just total carnage, which has really been a lot of fun. I'm sure the carnage will lose its allure in a few days, and then I'll go back to my partially completed D&D game.

More MacJams Favorites

2005-12-15T10:45:00.001-06:00

Here are a couple of more favorite artists from my MacJams list:

If you want to jam, then there isn't anyone better than JOAN. JOAN, as a collective of individuals, has been jamming together for 15 years, and have recently been posting those jams at MJ. They go from rocking to ethereal to all points in between. To get a sampling of JOAN, check out Angels Stopped Flying and Popcorn Chemical Suit.

jiguma, aka Neill Porter, comes from the Land Down Under, at least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere - or Australia if you prefer. Neil has a very distinctive sound and writes some really great stuff, ranging from politics to the joy of a visit from his daughter. His latest is People Beyond Blue but my favorite is Sydney Weekend.

One from the 'Much Ado About Nothing' category...

2005-12-10T17:15:00.001-06:00

I won't be wishing anyone a "Merry Christmas" this year. You'll just have to settle for a "Happy Holidays."

This is not because, as "The War Against Christmas" author Michelle Malkin, Fox News, Bill O'Reilly or others who fear a "vast left-wing conspiracy" would have you believe, I want to somehow belittle "Christmas" for anyone or try and suck out holiday cheer like some type of Yuletide vampire. It's simply that, for me, "Happy Holidays" is nice and generic and I don't have to remember to tailor my superfluous greeting to the individual.

As those who know me know, there's not a religious bone in my body. But, as long as you don't try to push your beliefs on me, I don't care what you celebrate. If you want to celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, have at it. But don't try to push that on me, and that includes religious-themed displays, celebrations, etc. in an inappropriate place, manner or time. On the flipside, I don't care if a city, county, state or nation's capital has a "Christmas" tree or a "Holiday" tree. Call it what you want, however, I'll probably have something to say if you call it the "Baby Jesus, Lord and Savior" tree.

And, I also don't care if you wish me a "Merry Christmas," Happy Holidays,' or whatever. Say what you want, or say nothing. It's all the same to me.

But, for me "Happy Holidays" is a convenience and my attempt to at least try and be accommodating to those with different beliefs. In a given week, I might be around people who celebrate any number of the holidays this time of year: Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah, Yule, Solstice. You name it, I probably know someone celebrating it. And I can't always remember who celebrates what. Most of the time, if you wish someone "Merry Christmas" as they are headed home to light the latest candle on their Menorah, they're pretty cool about it (though, maybe not if you reversed that). But "Happy Holidays" is safe. Or at least it should be.

But this year, there's a very handily orchestrated campaign to make "Happy Holidays" a big issue. They would have you believe that my wishing you a "Happy Holidays" is tantamount to telling you to "go fuck yourselves and your beliefs." It's "Happy Holidays" that's discriminatory against the poor, oppressed 80 percent of the country who at least claim they are Christian - including most every elected official and law maker in the country - they would have you believe. It's taking the meaning out of Christmas.

Of course, if you want to get technical about it, Christmas historically was a pagan holiday, as are most of the rest of the major religious-themed holidays which were co-opted by the church in an effort to destroy the pagan religions. But, I'll be nice and not point that out.

It's a very clever campaign on behalf of those who really believe there's a war on Christmas, Christianity, morality, Mom, apple pie and baseball. (Or it's a very clever campaign by those who at least have no qualms against using those who truly believe those things as political pawns.) It's an emotional, yet meaningless, topic that unites one rather homogeneous segment of the political spectrum, but has the potential to divide other segments. And like so many of the "cultural wars" issues, it's designed more for politics than for beliefs. Like gay marriage or flag burning, it's a non-issue. But it gets people more steamed up and motivated more than, say, the growing budget deficit, providing healthcare for vulnerable populations, making sure the environment is clean, etc.

I've seen the same level of nastiness from people "discussing' this "issue" as from those "discussing" the war in Iraq. You'd think Osama bin Laden was behind the move to wish people "Happy Holidays." (Or was that Sadam Hussein? I always get those two confused.)

My, doesn't this just stir up the holiday and/or Christmas spirit.

So, I'll wish everyone out there "Happy Holidays," no matter what holiday you celebrate. And just think about this: Aren't you glad you live in a land where you can celebrate whichever holiday you wish, or none at all, if you prefer?

New music Tuesday

2005-12-06T08:46:00.001-06:00

My latest tune os up today on MacJams. A throwback to 80s new wave Destination:Everywhere was inspired by my re-watching of Carl Sagan's classic "Cosmos." Lots of rich synths, allusions to exploring the universe, this one was a lot of fun to make.

The second song, Yule, is kind of on the other end of the spectrum. It's more or less a song for the season. It's a choral work produced by my singing the same parts over and over and over.... It's actually a remake of a song I did about a year ago. It's kind of differnt from the stuff I usually do, but it's fun (at least I think so.)

Now on DVD!

2005-12-06T08:32:00.001-06:00

Finally, one of the greatest really horrible Star Wars-spawned science fiction movies of all times has come to DVD.

I was looking through one of the many DVD catalogs I get at the liberry and saw the movie title "Female Space Invaders," and who was on the DVD cover but the great Caroline Monroe. Though the name had changed, I knew this had to be the DVD I've been waiting for for so long - "Starcrash: The Adventures of Stella Star."

This is an Italian film from 1979 and is your basic good guy versus evil empire kind of story. Besides Monroe, I think what helps make this movie so delightfully bad (aside from the script), is the fact that Christopher Plummer plays the evil emperor and David Hasselhoff as Stella's sidekick.

If, like me, you love the best of really bad science fiction, it's well worth the $8 it sells for on Amazon.

A MacJams Primer

2005-11-30T10:24:00.001-06:00

In order to satisfy requests coming from the vast audience for this blog i.e. David, I'm putting together a "starter" list of what I consider some of the best home-brewed music MacJams has to offer. These are in no particular order and are taken from my "Favorites" list on my MacJams artist page.

I Love My Mac by Daphna (Daphne Kalphon). A must for Mac users. Apple should use this as their theme song. The song is going to be included on the next (I think) MacAddict CD.

A Hundred Million Times by rmaclema (Richard MacLemale). Doesn't have much posted on MacJams, but his first album, "Florida Songs" is available through iTunes and he is currently working on his second album.

Stars on My Ceiling by pgreenstone (Peter Greenstone). One of the finest tunes on all of MacJams and my personal favorite. Peter is about to release his first album through Simig Media Records.

American Plain by atwood (Tom Atwood). This is a breathtakingly beautiful orchestral work in four movements (large file). Tom also has a CD, Songs from the American Plain, available from The Lost Records, which is another independently produced record label started by several MacJammers.

The Unquiet Grave by Rebsie and Mandoliquent (Rebsie Fairholm and William Shaw). Rebsie and Mando, both together and separately, do some great traditional and modern British folk music.

Superhero by cjorgenson (Christopher Jorgenson). Since so many of my friends just love poetry, they'll really dig the spoken word tracks available on MacJams.

Fernvale by Nolan. One of the first tunes I came across on MacJams. This song mainly uses altered GarageBand loops, but the rest of his music is mostly him and his guitar. Sounds very much like Neil Finn.

With Words Let's Take Them Down by mikkinylund (Mikki Nylund). Mikki is one of my all-time favorites on the site. It's hard to get a representative song from his catalog because he is very diverse and very prolific. Like me, Mikki has a great appreciation for punk and new wave. Definitely check out some of his other stuff.

The Blue Elephant Song by dane (Dane Obuchowski). Fairly new to MacJams and only has a few songs, but what he has posted is very impressive, especially for a 19-year-old. Sounds like he could hold his own against Ben Folds.

Doing the Eggshell Walk by jiguma (Neil Porter). Neil is from Australia and has a very smooth, folksy sound and some incredible lyrics. We origonally discovered one another because our site names are so similar.

This is just a small sampling to get anyone interested started. All songs on MacJams are available for streaming and download. You can sign up to be a member of MacJams whether you post music or not. Membership allows you to use features such as voting, commenting and chat.

Enjoy!

New music!

2005-11-28T14:42:00.001-06:00

It's been quite a while since I posted anything about new music on MacJams. I have a number of new or fairly new tunes posted. If you get a chance, stop in and take a listen. Here are some links:

My MacJams artist page

Songs:

Stone/Southern Boy

Eye to Eye

Feeling Good Today

These are just ones I've posted in the last month or so. And while you're on MacJams, check out other artists on the site.

Support Independent Music!

2005-11-28T12:32:00.001-06:00

The more I read about stupid things the music industry is doing and the more I hear the increasingly crappy offerings from said music companies, the more I am thankful for independently produced and self-produced music.

Two things have really made me think about this recently. The first is the whole fiasco caused by Sony placing spyware on its music CDs, opening up computers (Windoze) to hackers. Supposedly, the move was to prevent piracy. As an offshoot of this, I have bought at least one Sony CD which wouldn't even play on Macs and couldn't be ripped to an iPod, so there was $15 down the tube!

The second is greed. As CD sale continue to slump and on-line purchases start to level off, the music industry is considering raising the price of on-line downloads. There's a way to get back those who are either not buying music because of the price or not buying music because of the quality. And raising the price is sure to convince those already pirating music to give up getting it for free and start paying.

Almost two years ago, Apple Computers released a music recording program called GarageBand. Now, I've gone on and on about this program before. It basically allows you to have a fully operational recording studio on your computer. It's easy to use and gives you the ability to produce professional-quality digital music with nothing more than your computer or with as much audio equipment as you want to plug in. It's mainly for beginners to the recording world and hobbiests, but there are plenty of people out there who use it to its fullest potential and make very good, professionally produced music. GarageBand is the "little brother," if you will, to the professional-level recording software Logic.

GarageBand and other easy-to-use or fairly-easy-to-use programs have spawned a whole new wave of musical hobbiests. These are people who might have toyed with recording at some time in the past, but grew frustrated with the time and effort that it took to make one recording. In college, I used a firend's Fostex 4-track recorder, adrum machine and bits of audio equipment we had collected over the years. Setting everything up would take several hours. Recording tracks, several more hours. The basic tracks for one song would take the better part of a day. Mixing was another story alltogether.

Shortly after I got GarageBand and began learning how to use it, I discovered there were a number of places on-line where people were featuring their own musical creations. One of them, MacJams, was the place where I decided to start posting my own music. At MacJams, I discovered many diverse and talented artists from around the globe, most of whom were using Macs to make their music.

For almost two years, MacJams served as an on-line community for featuring homemade music. Now, the creators of MacJams have created Simig Media Records which is a record label featuring independent, self-produced music. The first two offerings are by two very talented long-time MacJams members Tobin Mueller and Peter Greenstone. Tobin is a multi-talented individual who has not only written a lot of great music on MacJams, but produced a number of other musical works and does a lot of work with children. Peter, who I've written about before on this site, is a computer artists who has worked on a number of movies, video games and other projects. Music is his "hobby" and he creates some spectacular stuff.

The unwillingness to change is going to destroy the established music industry. The industry is lethargic and monolithic. It goes by an outdated business practice and doesn't foster new, origonal talent or new, origonal ways of thinking. MacJams, Simig Media Records and the people producing their on homemade music are definitely the wave of the future. They may never break the back of the music giants like Sony, but they have found a way to thrive. They have adapted to new technology and they are unfettered by lack of imagination. These artists are putting out works that don't have to go through the filters of producers, engineers and executives who distill raw talent in to lifeless, boring pablum acceptable to Clear Channel or the other commercial radio chains. The worst places like MacJams has to offer is usually more interesting than the best modern radio (or MTV - if they decide to play some music, that is) has to offer.

I know I'm a big fan because I'm part of the movement, but I also know a good thing when I hear it. Simmig Media Records, MacJams, and those other efforts to get independent, self-produced music out to the world will succeed not just on the talent of those making the music and running the businesses, but because those of us who are involved in making our own music will put our effort behind the endeavors and make it a success.

And now back to the trivial things which occupy so much of our lives...

2005-09-01T19:14:00.001-05:00

A show I really got to like last year during its first season was the Sci-Fi Channel's reality series "Ghost Hunters." It was cool, following a team of regular, everyday people who at night and on weekends checked out supposedly haunted locations. Each week, they visited a different location. You got to see the behind-the-scene's stuff of ghost hunting most people who have never actually been on a ghost hunt have never seen. (I've been on one real, actual ghost hunt, though without quite as many neat gadgets. It was equally very exciting and excruciatingly dull.) There was some stuff about the day-to-day lives of the ghost hunters, their jobs, their families, their relationships, but it was mostly about hunting ghosts. It was going to the places, learning their histories and the stories surrounding them, the exploration of the places, the analysis of the findings, etc. There was some interpersonal "drama" from time to time, but it was mainly filler. It was slow sometimes, but there was some really cool stuff during the season.

Now, it's been jazzed up. Instead of operating out of a trailer in Jason's (one of the founding members of The Atlantic Paranormal Society) backyard, they have a storefront office. They have lost of new gizmos, specially outfitted vans and obviously a lot larger budget from the Sci-Fi Channel. And while this season started off with a bang - a trip to The Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana, (Which if it's still standing was considered one of the most haunted places in America) i has rapidly gone down hill. They are cramming multiple investigations into one show, they are almost completely cutting out footage of the team investigating the places and analyzing the data. What they are showing more of is the bickering between the characters, the interpersonal drama and the stuff having nothing whatsoever to do with investigating hauntings. Plus, it's now showing what assholes founding members Grant and Jason are to their so-called "friends." The last episode showed them basically kicking to the curb a team member who supposedly had been Grant's friend for years and a longtime T.A.P.S. team member. And when the poor guy finally decided he was just going to go his own way, Jason didn't even want to shake his hand goodbye.

I'll probably keep watching it. It's still interesting, but the reality of television is that I hate "reality" television. I can see plenty of people fight, argue, bitch and moan and play out their little dramas for free everyday. I don't want to watch it on a show that's supposed to be about ghosts.

Way to go, Inspector Javert!

2005-08-31T19:54:00.001-05:00

I will not come to the defense of those taking advantage of the situation left behind on the coast and in New Orleans by Katrina to loot. If you are taking property that does not belong to you, you are stealing. Now, that being said, I take issue with what seems to be a thinly veiled "shoot first, ask questions later" pronouncement by Gov. Cornpone and others. I understand the tough talk is meant to deter the wrongdoing, but I doubt seriously anyone contemplating grabbing the contents of a K-Mart when the lights are out will be listening to the governor speak on public radio.

Plus, does anyone seriously think that law enforcement or military personnel are going to set aside their efforts to search and rescue to chase down a suspect for grabbing a DVD player? And if they did, what then? Put him in jail? Where? If you put them in jail, you just have to use more resources and manpower to keep them there. Plus, what about those who are stealing food in order to keep themselves alive. Will we put them in prison for 20 years for stealing a loaf of bread? I think someone wrote a book about that once...

Again, I am not defending or excusing the acts of the people doing this. IT IS WRONG! And while taking a loaf of bread might be intended to keep you alive, you can't make the same excuse for a DVD player, a shopping cart full of clothing or a cartload of guns and ammo. If there is someone hauling off weapons, then definitely shoot first. That is a definite public safety issue. The time will come to deal with those who take advantage of the death and destruction for their own gain.

Some good news

2005-08-31T18:24:00.001-05:00

I've heard from a number of friends down in the southern part of Mississippi and they all say they are doing fine. Have heard a few stories, but nothing compared to what will come once they have time to sit back and breath. My friends at The Scott County Times have said they are doing fine. Steven Watson, the editor and publisher, a great journalist and French horn player said in his e-mail earlier today...

"A little worse for wear, but we made it AND GOT A PAPER OUT DAMNIT!!! :)"

And I know how he feels. I'm sure putting out a paper in such a condition was no small feat. People don't realized just how important their efforts, and the efforts of small town newspaper personnel will be in the coming weeks. They will in large part be the only sources of necessary information for the individual communities. Radio stations that have remained on the air, especially Mississippi Public Radio, have been doing an incredible job. But for a long time to come, the individual community newspapers will play a critical role in keeping the people of the small towns across southern Mississippi informed. That is why I originally went into the newspaper business and that is about the only thing I miss. That sense of knowing what you are doing is important and vital to your community. That's something the moneygrubbers that run most of the companies now forget or, more likely, never understood in the first place.

I'm glad to hear folks are doing well. And Steven and Baker did a great job and showed a lot of professionalis and amazing dedication to their community and their jobs.

The Day After

2005-08-30T23:24:00.001-05:00

We've gotten our first good look today at the devastation left by quatrain. Around here, we were very fortunate. Little damage, less rain than most and we are part of the 20 percent of the state who has power tonight. We never lost it though many areas around us did.

The pictures coming from the coast are almost unreal. As I see pictures from billows, I look for familiar landmarks. At one point, a reporter was standing right across from the Beau ravage. It was unrecognizable. The photos from the air around the Presidents Casino and the Grand Casino, places where I have stayed many times in the past 10-12 years, showed a landscape that was unrecognizable. It's hard to imagine that this area will ever be rebuilt.

There have been reports today about visits and possible visits to the area by our fearless leaders. Gov. Cornpone visited this morning to survey the damage. There were reports today that Trent Lott has asked Dubya to visit the area to get first-hand look at the damage and to give the people of this state a "morale boost." Of course, what they really mean by "morale boost" is "photo opp." Anytime you have such a visit, it's rarely about gathering information or boosting morale, it's about attention. It's posturing. It's something that can be sent out on glossy 8x10s as a fund raising effort. If Dubya really wants to help Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, he can stay in Washington or go back to Crawford and finish his 8-week vacation. (Oh, wait. Cindy Sheehan is still there, isn't she. And the war justification tour didn't go so well last week. Better go be sympathetic to some poor hurricane victims.)

As a result of the loss of the 12 casinos on the coast, Mississippi is losing $500,000 per day in state tax revenue. That doesn't even count the revenue generated by all the other attractions and commerce on the coast. This is going to really hurt the state in the short term and the long run. What's sad is that less than a day after the storm, while bodies are still being dug out of the rubble, there are those criticizing plans to rebuild the casinos. I've even heard one person say that god bitch-slapped New Orleans and the coast because of, as they saw it, the Sodom and Gomorrah depravity of the area. Whatever. But I read earlier that those horrible, evil, sinful casinos are going to continue to pay all their employees their full salaries while they are closed. Can't think of a lot of other places that would do that.

The Wrath of Katrina

2005-08-29T23:05:00.001-05:00

As I type this, the wind outside sounds like a low, continuous roar punctuated by the occasional loud rushing sound. The wind is whistling through cracks around the windows, which rattle with the larger gusts. We are getting wind speeds half or less of those on the coast and further south. When I stick my head out the door on occasion, the sight of the large trees in our neighborhood whipping back and forth is very eerie. As of the last report, there are at least 54 people dead in Mississippi and the search has barely gotten underway. There are entire sections of the coastal area that are still inaccessible. No one knows what has happened or what's left. Right now, we are probably near the peak intensity where the wind is concerned. AS we move toward morning, and then on into Tuesday, the conditions will continue to improve. So far so good. Wind, rain, no major damage around here. No large limbs down. (My mailbox fell over, but that's no biggie.) And we've still got power so nerves have been soothed by killing zombies this evening. Tomorrow, as the images and news begins to come from the coast, will probably be a rough day for Mississippi. As I said in my previous post, I am awed by the power of Mother Nature and this has just reinforced what my father always told me: You don't mess with the weather. You don't take it for granted. You don't underestimate it. If you do, it could be the last thing you do.

Katrina and the waves (and the wind and the rain...)

2005-08-28T21:33:00.001-05:00

As I watch the impending arrival of Hurricane Katrina, I can't help but be fascinated. Weather has always fascinated me. I guess a lot of that comes from having a father who was, among other things, a meteorologist. I learned a lot about how the weather works growing up. Every thunderstorm, heavy snow, or hot, dry spell was a lesson in why the weather did what it did.

I'm not making light of what is about to hit the coast of Louisiana and Mississippi. People have already died in the storm and there will be more deaths in the days to come. Much of the coast will be devastated. One official said just minutes ago that once Katrina goes through, there will no longer be a casino industry on the coast because the casinos, while built to withstand hurricanes, won't be able to weather this hurricane. Even as far inland as Jackson and Meridian, it won't be very safe since Katrina is expected to still be a Level 2 storm even that far inland. Here slightly north, we're expecting some pretty bad weather as well, but the eye should go east of us and the brunt of the storm will be northeast of the eye. I have plenty of friends and family who are going to be a lot closer to the most dangerous areas than I am and I hope for the best (LEAVE NOW!).

But still, Katrina fascinates me. It's the same way I was fascinated and terrorized the day in April 1984 that I, along with my father, watched a tornado rip the heart of my home town. I am awed by the destructive aspect of Mother Nature. The thought of winds at 160 to 180 mph and a wall of water 30 to 40 feet is just incredible. The destruction will be terrible and will devastate people's live, but this is something no one has ever seen here in the U.S. in modern times. Katrina stands to be the most destructive hurricane in modern history. In the end, we will learn a lot from this storm. We've already learned that Mother Nature can surprise us. Katrina popped out of nowhere, meteorlogically speaking. And while we still say no one can predict the weather, we've at least gotten used to the big things to be fairly predictable. But this just shows that's not the case.

Craft vs. art

2005-08-26T22:50:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about the creative things which occupy so much of my spare time. Often I wonder about my creative side. Am I truly being creative. Am I taking the world around me and distilling it in a unique way into my writing, my music? Or am I just being a clever mimic? Might as well go ahead and get the obligatory Trek reference out of the way: Am I truly being creative or, like Data, am I just synthesizing what I've seen others do into what I create?

Of course, Picard would defend that way of looking at it, saying that was creative in itself, but I wonder...

Whether it's craft or creativity, for the most part, doesn't bother me. I sit back and read what I write or listen to what I've created and I enjoy it and that's primarily what I'm doing it for. It's just an added bonus if someone else likes it as well. But there's still that small part that wonders....

I spent so long in the journalism frame of mind, in many ways it has stifled my creative side for a long time and it's just now starting to re-emerge. I'm not saying there wasn't a creative part to journalism, there was, but most of what I did was plug and play. The pieces were predetermined, my "creative" discretion was where I put the pieces. It's like putting together a puzzle as opposed to painting the artwork on the puzzle.

I am very aware of the fact I can be my own harshest critic. I can read a passage I've written and thinks "Ah, here you're trying to be a third rate Douglas Adams, and here, well even Faulkner would have written a less convoluted sentence..." Musically, it's much the same, "ohh, part Coldplay, a little Adam And and just a touch of Thomas Dolby..." And I'm not trying to shout "oh, poor pitiful me! I haven't a talented bone in my body." I'm just in one of those introspective moods where I ponder. And now my ponderings are here.

Musicians will have constant arguments on subjects like this. One of the things that keeps getting hashed over on MacJams and other music sites is over the genuine creativity of tunes made strictly with prerecorded loops - are they art or are they craft. Or, what more troubling and less tidy, are they something in between. Something that is both and neither. There are plenty of people that will remind everyone that there are only 12 different notes which can be used to create a song and everyone's got to use them. It's not what you use. It's not the tools you use. It's how you use them. Same with words, though to potential pool to draw from is somewhat larger (for most of us.)

Am I an artist or do I merely employ a craft when I create. I guess really the point is moot. Artist sounds better. Crafter sounds like it should have "Lens" in front of it and be located in a mall. But without learning the "craft" behind the production of any art, there is no art. So I guess I'm good either way I go.

As you were.

Yippie!

2005-08-26T12:54:00.001-05:00

It's now official. My liberry is switching to Mac. This week, my board of directors approved my plan to purchase new eMacs to replace our antique PCs. (The eMacs were actually cheaper that comparable Dells. And Microsoft Office was actually cheaper though the Apple Store than buying it with a new Dell.) We will still use Windoze machines for administrative purposes, mainly because they are newer and our cataloging software is PC only. But, a rep from the company I spoke with last fall said they are working on a Mac compatible version because a lot of liberries are switching. I hope to have the new machines in place by the end of next week.

Star Trek SG1

2005-08-26T12:50:00.001-05:00

The Star Trek/Stargate crossover continues as Enterprise NX01 engineer Trip Tucker heads through the gate to the Pegasus Galaxy. Connor Trinneer is apparently set to make a guest appearance on Stargate: Atlantis as a Wraith turned human. He joins a growing list of former Trek stars which includes: Colm Meany, Rene Auberjonois, Marina Sirtis, John Billingsly, John DeLancie, Robert Picardo, Jolene Blaylock, and possibly other Trek regulars I may have forgotten about.

Robert Picardo, who will be returning to Stargate SG1 this season, has also stated that like David Hasslehoff, the Stargate is big in Germany and other parts of the world and is even bigger than Trek. Well, maybe. We'll see in 40 years.

But I will say this, Stargate has become one of my favorite franchises. And yes I realize I used to say some unkind things about it, but that was probably based on a partial episode watched several years ago when I already had too many sci-fi TV shows to watch already and no Tivo.

I really liked the original movie. It was a cool concept which the TV franchise took and ran with, expanding the universe, the back stories, adding new characters. There's also a lot of humor. Much more than Trek. And that really adds to its appeal. Some of the writing, especially early on, was kind of inconsistent, but it hit a stride and has managed to keep it even after switching to the Sci-Fi Channel where it really took off.

This season especially, Stargate SG1, which has entered its ninth season, has stepped up a bit by adding some big (relatively) names to the cast. I was kind of surprised when Louis Gossett, Jr. joined as a recurring character and Beau Bridges joined as a regular cast member. The coolest addition has been Julian Sands as the creepy leader of the brand new threat to the galaxy. He is really good at being a creepy bad guy. Even his publicity photos look creepy.

I don't know if in 40 years people will look back at Stargate like they look back at Trek and still hold it in such favor. Probably not. Trek broke ground in so many ways. It has endured all sorts of adversity and I'm sure will continue inspite of what was done to it by Rick Berman.

In the meantime, I'm glad that there are some decent shows like Stargate and the new and vastly improved Battlestar Galactica that are keeping my interest.

Shameless self promotion!

2005-08-23T22:02:00.001-05:00

If you haven't checked out my MacJams music page lately (or at all), I have a couple of new tunes that have gone up in the past week.

Free To Be is a good-ole 80s throwback railing against our increasingly Orwellian society.

Run Away Free also goes back to the 80s, cause that's when it was written.

Hope you enjoy.

I knew there was a reason...

2005-08-23T20:00:00.001-05:00

...that I and most of my friends were a bunch of perverts. There's yet another watch list I'm probably on now.

More MacJams Favorites

2005-08-14T16:06:00.001-05:00

There are a lot of people on MacJams who are really talented musicians and excel in writing, performing and producing their tunes. Mikki Nylund manages to encompass the entire package, producing a range of musical styles. Not only are his tunes musically interesting, they excel lyrically as well, a feat even more impressive since English is not his native language. Mikki is also a dynamo, producing songs at an extraordinary rate. Of his latest tunes, The Sleep is my favorite.

Another MJ artist who has created a very creative and unique sound without even saying a word is jackstone . jackstone creates a dreamy and sometimes overwhelming sonic assault. He creates intricate soundscapes ranging from soft and dreamy to stark and jarring, sometimes both at the same time. Check out his latest A Fool In The Rain.

Blowing my own horn

2005-08-08T19:11:00.001-05:00

A year after leaving the newspaper business, it seems that I have yet another journalism accolade to add to my list. For the second year in a row, I took first place in the editorial writing division of the Mississippi Press Association's Better Newspaper Contest. The contest is for material generated the previous year, which means this was actually for the first half of 2004. I'm pretty pleased with this, if for no other reason it probably pissed off certain people who disliked the fact that I wrote editorials in the first place.

It also is probably the last journalism award I will receive, so the end of that era is truly over.

Thanks to my friend Baker for getting me that information.

Religious freedom, but for who

2005-08-07T23:01:00.003-05:00

How would you feel if someone told you you couldn't share your religious beliefs with a member of your family? What if that someone was a judge with a court order and the family member was your own 9-year-old son? Doesn't sound like something you'd expect from a country that likes to let the world know about the religious freedom guaranteed in our Constitution's First Amendment. Does it?

In Indiana, a Wiccan couple going through a divorce has been prevented by a judge from exposing their son to any "non-mainstream religious beliefs or practices." apparently, the court felt that exposure to these "non-mainstream religious beliefs" would be damaging to the 9-year-old, who had already been brought up with these very beliefs.

To me, it seems the question must be asked, would this ruling have been put into place if the "non-mainstream religion" was something other than Wicca? And what constitutes "mainstream?" The number of people who adhere to the beliefs? The estimated number of Wiccans and neo-pagans in the U.S. is anywhere between 400,000 to several million. The number of places of worship? Wiccans and neo-pagans consider all of nature their "temple." The number of people who are taking up the belief? Wicca is currently the fastest growing religion in the U.S.

And what is it exactly that might be damaging about this "non-mainstream" religion? It it their reverence for nature? Is it the Wiccan creed that basically said you can do what you want, but be sure you do no harm to others or yourself ? I've spent a lot of time over the past few years hanging around with a number of Wiccans, Druids, and other neo-Pagans. I will be the first to admit that I knew next to nothing about Wicca and neo-Paganism before I met these people and what I did "know" I learned from great academic sources like Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Since my exposure to "different" religions is basically akin to trying a limited number of flavors on vanilla ice cream, it was very eye opening.

Increasingly, it seems like people in this country freakout in a major way when it comes to a religion different from their own. It was already bad enough before 9/11, but since then, it seems to have gotten much worse. The rhetoric is much more harsh and unaccepting. Many people in this country, people of all faiths, seem less and less willing to try and open up a dialog and find some common ground.

This case will eventually sort itself out as it travels through the court system, but for this family and this child, the damage has already been done. Basic rights such as freedom of expression and freedom of religion have already been trampled on for all three of these people. This is a case everyone should be watching closely, no matter what their beliefs or lack of beliefs, because who knows which religion will be next.

The final signoff...

2005-08-07T23:01:00.002-05:00

Long-time ABC news anchor Peter Jennings lost his battle withlung cancer today at the age of 67.

While I have been out of the journalism business for over a year now, I am still saddened by the passing of someone like Jennings. He always seem professional and respectable, never grabbing the headline with on-the-air and off-the-air comments and antics like his CBS rival Dan Rather. He will be missed.

Is someone jealous, maybe

2005-08-07T23:00:00.001-05:00

The latest addition to the list of sour grapes authors is none other than fantasy writer Terry Pratchett, who is apparently a little jealous over the success of the Harry Potter series of books. Pratchett, who has milked Discworld for about 749 books, seems to have gotten his nose put out of joint because Potter author J.K. Rowling is not a huge fan of fantasy and is trying to reinvent the genre (which, for the most part in the last 20 year or so has gotten pretty dull and pretty silly.) So now Pratchett joins the ranks of such sci-fi and fantasy luminaries as Harlan Ellison and the previous most recent entrant Orson Scott Card, as world class jerks. (For those who don't know, both Ellison and Card have both run down Star Trek, for various reasons, the most likely being that Star Trek is better and more popular than anything they have ever come up with - Ender's Game included.)

All together now...

2005-08-07T22:14:00.001-05:00

And a good time was had by all....

A brief thought...

2005-07-31T13:39:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Rebecca and I took my nephew and niece to the zoo for my nephew's 12th birthday. We stopped to eat lunch in the zoo restaurant, one side of which is a glass wall that looks out onto the black bear habitat. The bears were as curious as the kids crowded against the glass wall. And as the children laughed and squealed with delight, pressing their hands and faces against the glass with the bears only inches away doing the same. At that point it occurred to me that the difference between a fun afternoon and terror and carnage is nothing more than an inch thick pane of glass.

Watch out for invading Lectroids!

2005-07-29T23:46:00.001-05:00

It looks like scientists may have discovered a 10th planet, large than Pluto out on the very edge of the solar system. The possible new planet, located in the Kuiper Belt, which, without getting too technical, is the region of our solar system that helps keeps its pants up. The belt was named after Gerard Kuiper and was originally called the Kuiper cumberbund, but that fashion trend was quickly found to be outdated.

Planet 10 is of course best know as the home of the Red and Black Lectroids. The Red Lectroids were brought to Earth in the 1930s after a failed attempt to open the 8th dimension by Dr. Emilo Lizardo and Dr. Hikita. A former colleague of Dr. Hikita's was Dr. Masado Banzi who was the father of Buckaroo Banzi - the man who decades later saved the world and the Black Lectroids from the evil Red Lectroids.

The scientists who discovered this possible new planet are keeping the submitted name for the new planet quiet, but I have it on good authority it won't be Phil.

Why George Martin pisses me off!

2005-07-28T16:10:00.001-05:00

Legendary record producer George Martin of The Beatles fame has gone on record saying he feels modern technology such as the MP3 player is ruining the music industry. In a brief quote from an interview:

Legendary BEATLES producer GEORGE MARTIN disapproves of modern technology because now anyone can make a record in the comfort of their own home.

Martin sealed his place in history by piecing together a string of classic albums including REVOLVER and SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND - but he fears the advent of mp3 players will dumb down the music industry.

He says, "With iPods, mini-recorders and all the new technology, people can lie in their bath and make a rock record."

Martin has appearantly forgotten all of the new, cutting edge technology he used in creating some of the most remarkable albums from the greatest group in rock 'n' roll history. They pioneered multi-track recording and studio techniques which musicians today take for granted.

And for the record, I've found plenty of people on line who have used all the latest in modern recording technology to make some amazing music. Just head over to MacJams and check out some really great music made with modern technology.

Here's why King Arthur pissed me off!

2005-07-27T21:12:00.001-05:00

The movie, that is, not the actual king.

Now, I'm not always the first person to see a movie when it come out. I'm not even the first when it comes out on DVD. I'm the guy that likes to talk about seeing a movie months, even years, after everyone else has seen it. In the case of the 2004 "epic" King Arthur, I really don't think there were a lot of people talking about it. Jon Stewart described King Arthur as "a steaming cauldron of liquid shit." That was a rather kind assesment of the movie. One of the things I like about watching a movie on DVD is, if it sucks, I don't feel obligated to sit through it. But King Arthur was so bad, I felt compelled to watch the whole thing and ridicule it remorselessly. This movie was dumb and confusing and didn't seem to really have a plot. Arthur's back story was the same story seen in Conan: The Barbarian. If you want a more historically accurate telling of the King Arthur legend, watch Mony Python and the Holy Grail.

Here's why The Fantastic Four pissed me off!

2005-07-27T20:11:00.001-05:00

It didn't really, but I'm trying to establish a theme here.

I actually went to TFF expecting a really crappy movie. Pretty much everything I read and everyone I've talked too told me to expect that. But guess what, it wasn't that bad. It was, in fact, okay. Now the dysfunctional foursome have always been my favorite superhero team, so I might be cutting the movie a little slack, but despite being a little slow at times, I enjoyed it. While it was not as well done as either of the X-Men movies, it was waaaaay better than any other recent comic book super hero movie adaptations. (Hear that, Spiderman!)

However, to be fair, this has nothing to do with the script, the director or the special effects. It has to do with the casting. Or at least the casting of three of the characters - Mr. Fantastic, Ben Grimm and Victor Von Doom. Iaoannoan Gruffururddrud, or whatever his name is, Michael Chiklis and Julian McMahon carry the movie. They more than make up for the vacant (but very attractive) stares of Jessica Alba or from whatever that other guy playing Johnny Storm did. The plot was the typical "establishing the superpowerdom" plot, basically as revealed in Issue #1, and probably re-tolled in Issue #500-something to bring it up to date.

I know there were complaints of not enough action, but the FF was as much a soap opera as it was action. I'm sure the inevitable sequel will have plenty of action. (I'm hoping for Galactus. Be a great way to get the Silver Surfer on the screen.)

One thing I hope for. When they get ready to release the DVD, they need to do a special edition with the 1994 movie as an extra. Never seen it, but if it's near as bad as I've heard, I've GOT to see it.

Here's why liberal, left wing Democrats piss me off!

2005-07-27T19:42:00.001-05:00

And yes, I consider my self a liberal, left wing Democrat. I'm pro-choice, I have my ACLU card tucked away in my wallet. My wife and I support NARAL, PFLAG, People for the American Way, gay marriage. I'm against the death penalty, etc, etc. I could go on, but that's not my point.

Earlier this week Sen. Hillary Clinton gave a speech to the Democratic Leadership Council urging Democrats of all stripes, liberal, moderate, conservative, to come together, find some common ground and unify in order to strengthen the party. Now, she is being ripped to shreds by left-wing bloggers and others because the DLC is considered by many to have too many close ties with big business. They consider the DLC to be ineffective in pushing an aggressive, progressive agenda that this country desperately needs. It's too "inside the Washington beltway" and doesn't heed the needs of the average, everyday American. And you know what, they are absolutely right as far as I can tell.

But here's the thing. I think a lot of us on the left forget just how badly we Democrats have had our asses handed to us over the last decade. Sure, we had Bill Clinton in the White House until Dubya took over, but that's the last time we had any significant say in the way things are run in this country. Right now we don't have the authority to change a light bulb in this country much less prevent a take-over of the Supreme Court by right-wing radicals.

The DLC has its flaws, and I don't pretend to know a whole lot about the organization or its history, but I do know one thing, it has the potential to help bring balance back to our government. To stand a snowball's chance in hell of being elected president in the next election, the Democratic candidate is going to have to have some serious corporate support. Grassroots efforts are great and they have the potential to bring about great change in this country (just look at how well the right has used them over the past 30 years), but while they might get you over the top of the mountain, they won't get you there in the first place by themselves.

There are a lot of people crying that it's too early to begin the 2008 presidential campaign. They are dead wrong. The right-wing had more than 30 years planning behind their takeover. You'd better believe they are already planning hot and heavy on who the successor to George II will be and they will have a formidable plan in place long before they even decide who their candidate will be.

We on the left side of the fence also need to realize something: We don't have the power or the resources our counterparts on the right have. We have the reputation of being flakes at best and threats to the very fabric of this nation at worst. Even the most outlandish things that have been said on the left are no more outlandish than those said on the right, the only difference is on the right, they are whispered behind closed doors by men in business suits while on the left we shout them from a mountain top using a bullhorn and wearing a funny hat.

Monday, Sen. Clinton didn't call for Democrats to give up on what they believe in. She didn't ask people to compromise their beliefs or their positions on issues. She asked us all to find common ground and work together. If we really want change, we need to listen to her, she's smart, she's politically savvy and she stands a damn good chance of being our next president. Working together, we can be strong and we can begin to get the things accomplished that need to be done.

MacJams music update

2005-07-26T23:38:00.001-05:00

While I encourage all my devoted reader(s) (the plural is optimistic) to visit my MacJams site, (see the link on the side), but I also encourage people to check out some of my favorite musicians on the site. From time to time I'll promote these artists and songs.

Here are two of my favorites - Peter Greenstone (pgreenstone) and Rebsie Fairholm (Rebsie).

Peter's music page can be found here: pgreenstone, and his latest tune is here: Stars on My Ceiling.

It's one of the best songs I've come across on MJ. Listen to all his stuff. It's well worth it.

Rebsie's music page can be found here: Rebsie.

She has done a number of colaberations with MacJammer Mandolinquent including this one: The Unquiet Grave.

She does wonderful versions of traditional English folk tunes in addition to the origonals she has written and performed.

Check 'em out, people. And don't forget, you can download lots of great music from MacJams.

Slowly, I wake from a nap...

2005-07-26T23:07:00.001-05:00

Not a lot of blogging in, oh, say the past five months or so. Trying out a few different things, photos, etc. Maybe one of these days, I'll actually learn html.

Photo test

2005-07-26T22:29:00.001-05:00

This is a test of uploading an image to my blog. I took this yesterday in my back yard. These are sunflowers I planted earlier this year. I spent abut half an hour yesterday evening watching this butterfly, taking photos, getting bitten by mosquitoes. That's one of the things I like about where I live now, things grow well, there are plenty of beautiful plants and flowers that my parents planted all over the hill.

Dean for America!

2005-02-12T22:39:00.001-06:00

Former presidential candidate Howard Dean was installed today to head up the Democratic Party. Dean was my second choice among the slate of candidates last year and, while much was made of his campaign's meltdown in the primaries (and his scream), he is an amazing campaigner and for some reason seems to really connect with people at the grassroots level. I hope he will re-energize the Democratic Party, bring in new blood and vitality, sweep out some cobwebs and, if not bring the Democrats back into power, at least bring the two parties back into balance (which would actually be preferable in many ways.) Too tired to espouse too much on politics this evening. Do good things, Howard. We're counting on you.

Great movie

2005-02-12T22:30:00.001-06:00

Go see Phantom of the Opera. Even if you don't like musicals. This is my favorite of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals and I was apprehensive about seeing after reading about some of the changes made to it, but it was amazingly well done. Even my Mom, who has seen the stage version twice (once on broadway) thought it was a great adaptation. My only complaint was I wasn't 100 percent happy with the guy who played the Phantom, didn't really like his voice, but I've listened to the Michael Crawford/Sarah Brightman version so long, I may be a little biased. Visually, it's stunning. The casting is great and Minie Driver as Carlotta steals the show. Don't wait for the DVD. See it on the big screen.

Creepy old guy report

2005-02-12T22:04:00.001-06:00

I've found myself listening to a lot of new music here lately, stuff these kids today are listening to on their hi-fi transistor radios and such. And, even though I have made the statement that no good music has been made since The Police broke up, I have heard some really good stuff here lately.

Most recently is the Brittish group Keane and their first U.S. album release Hopes and Fears. Immediately, you will hear comparisons to another contemporary Brittish group, Coldplay, and while there are some similarities in the sound, the two couldn't be more different. The trio that makes up Keane has produced a collection of really great pop songs. The songs are well written, the vocals are great and the fact that the trio relies on the piano for their musical mainstay gives it a fresh and full feeling, much in the way Five For Fighting has done for pop music on this side of the pond. The 11 track release Hopes and Fears doesn't have a weak track on it. Definately worth checking out.

Another band that has been burning up the college radion airwaves recently, The Darkness, on first listen, didn't appeal to me. I had heard them on U-92 for the first time after hearing a lot of hype and I wasn't impressed. However, I picked up their album Permission to Land, and gave it a try. While I do have some reservations about the group, mainly the lead singer's vocals can get annoying and don't really fit (Imagine Robert Smith of the Cure being asked to step in at the last minute and perform the vocals for AC/DC songs), most of the songs on the album rock. The song everyone has heard, and I'm too lazy to look up the name of it, is probably the worst song on the album. There are several other really, really great tracks on the album that would probably go further in winning them fans outside the college radio ranks. Of course, maybe they already have them. I try to stay out of touch as possible with these kinds of things.

The other album is Jet's Get Born. First, I have to admit I got the album after hearing it on the iPod commercial, but, on my recent vacation trip to the coast, we listened to the album two or three times. Nothin but good old rock 'n' roll. A couple of the songs get a little repetitive, but, top to bottom, it is a good album.

One group i wan't too impressed with that I really thought I'd like was Modest Mouse. I've listened to Good News for People who like Bad News a couple of times now and just really am not that impressed. Go figger.

Ahhhhhhhh

2005-01-02T22:43:00.001-06:00

I'd never leave the house.

Light at the end of the tunnel? Or just another train.

2005-01-02T21:45:00.001-06:00

It seems as though Bray Grey, the man behind such movie hits as "The Cable Guy" and "City by the Sea" and little know cable shows like "The Sopranos" and "Just Shoot Me" is up for the job heading Paramount. apparantly one of the things the money people behind Paramount want to end is its "play it safe" strategy. Maybe, if this comes to past, some of it will trickle down to Trek.

Final year in review.

2004-12-31T22:40:00.001-06:00

Alright, here's my last year in review. I guess this time I'll do 2004 since that seems to be what everyone else is doing.

January - sucked because Rebecca started her new semester of Law School at UM while I was still stuck in Aberdeen.

- Found and abandoned little puppy on the Natchez Trace. Took her home to find her a nice home. We absolutely

were not going to keep her. Now she has become a rather large dog and is lying on our livingroom floor.

January 19 - Ordered iLife 2004 which included GarageBand, the greatest Apple app ever.

January 22, approx. 3 p.m. - Received iLife.

January 23 approx. 3 a.m. - Finished my very first tune in GarageBand.

March - Buy a suit. I hate ties, so, since I'm a grown up, I get a nice suit you don't have to wear a tie with. HA!

March - Interview for what would be a great job editing a magazine in the biology department on campus. Good job.

Good money and would get me on the same side of the state as Rebecca. Don't hear anything for five months.

April - Turn 37. Start watching Stargate SG-1. Pretty good show.

May - Find out my hometown library is looking for a new director. They want someone with a college degree,

someone who's from the Valley and someone who plans to saty for a long, long time. Sounds great to me. I interview.

Among those interviewing me are two former elementary school teachers and a friend of the family who has known me

since I was born. This could be good.

June - Yes! I get the job and I finally get to leave the hell hole I was living in and the crappy job I had at the newspaper.

Move to the Valley and put the house up for sale.

July 1 - Star my new job at the library, henceforth known as the liberry. Awesome job.

July 7 - Finally hear back about the job editing the magazine on campus. Turns out they eliminated the position.

Good to know.

July - At the Mississippi Press Association Better Newspaper Contest Awards ceremony, I received the most awards I had

received in my career, the paper wins the most awards it has ever won and wins the most awards of any weekly paper

in the state. Guess that shows what a terrible job I did as the Managiing Editor.

August - Discover MacJams and MacIdol, homes on the Internet where I can upload my own music and listen to GarageBand

creations from people around the world. It's awesome!

September - Got my iBook. Sweeeeeeeeeeeet! Got wireless Internet. Sweeeeeeeet!

October - Rebecca and I went to a Halloween party dressed as a punk couple. Gave me an excuse to buy a couple

of t-shirts from The Damned.

- Sold the house in Aberdeen thus completely severing ties to a place I had long wanted to leave.

November - Thanksgiving. Nice to be able to just walk up the hill to go to my mom's thanksgiving dinner rather than driving

two hours to get there, two hours to get back, usually late at night and then get up the next morning to go to

the newspaper office and sit around and do nothing for eight hours because everyone else is out shopping and

the company wouldn't let us close the office and stay home that day. Have I mentioned I don't miss my old job.

December - Christmas similar to Thanksgiving.

December 31 - Sit around house drinking and watching Ed Wood movies to ring in the new year.

Doesn't get any better than that.

Hope everyone has a great New Year.

Fine cinema

2004-12-31T22:36:00.001-06:00

Everyone must watch Vegas In Space. It is possibly the best Sci-fi, musical, comedy, movie starring an all drag queen cast from a story based on a party ever made.

It is the movie Ed Wood would have made had he lived in the 1990s.

ATTENTION! Read this just before midnight!

2004-12-31T22:31:00.001-06:00

10.......

9........

8.......

7......

6......

5.....

4......

3......

2.....

1.....

(Insert one from the following list)

Happy 2005!

Happy 2006!

Happy 2007!

Happy 2148!

Happy Groundhog Day!

Lift Off!

Ready or not, here I come!

Ahhh Chooo!

Jeronimo!

Energize!

Reverse the tachyon flow inverter on the thrusters!

Another year in review

2004-12-31T15:45:00.001-06:00

Okay, I haven't gotten the whole "year in review" thing left over from my old newspaper days out of my system yet, so here's another Year in Review.

72,237 BCE

Jan. - Extreme cold over the Northern Hemisphere creates a shortage of sabertooth tiger skins for clothing. Though sabertooth bear, sabertooh woolf and sabertooth rabbit skins are plentiful, Grug, a cleaver neanderthal, uses the primative beginnings of clever marketing to make the sabertooth tiger skin the "in" thing for the year.

Feb. - Medium size asteroid hits somehere in the mid western U.S. No great environmental impact, however, rock contained an alien being in suspended animation which would wreck havock some 74,242 years later when discovered by some guy who likes to dig holes in his backyard.

April-May - Mhruug, a cunning caveman, decides to take control of his clan by convincing them to go to war with neighboring tribes. He profits by selling sticks, rocks and fire to all sides involved. In an ironic turn, his lineage can be traced directly down to Dick Chaney.

Aug. - Glug, the shaman of the nobby hill people, creates a small hollow log that fits in the palm of your hand, along with am elk bone with a small, round rock attached on the end with cured aardvark skin, used to beat on the log rhythmically. He calls it the iRoc and makes a fortune in skins, bone and shiny rocks.

Sept. - The first professional sports team plays its first game. The game, "roll the large boulder down the hill onto the other team," was called after the first half because the Grassy Knoll Clan ran out of cave people. The Flailing Elk Clan won by default. It was the only game on record ever played.

December - The first, and only, fruitcake was created.

Great grilling weather

2004-12-31T15:41:00.001-06:00

Beacuse it's New Year's even in Mississippi, that means we're either under ice or it's a great time to put on some shorts and a t-shirt, fire up the grill and break out some cold and frosty beverage. we're doing the latter.

Nothing rings in the New Year like a couple of steaks and some over-roasted potatoes with garlic, rosemary, pepper and olive oil and a nice, overly-expensive "imported" beer.

More for the holiday munchies

2004-12-24T20:34:00.001-06:00

Preheat electric stove eye to just above medium or medium on gas stove

Take 1/3 cup unpopped popcorn

4 Tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons canola oil

Mix together in a stovetop popcorn popper (preferable one that has the handle on it where you can stir it while it's popping)

Add at least two tablespoons of your favorite (liquid) flavoring (vanilla, coconut, rum. I used Old Charter.)

Place pot on eye and stir continuously until corn is popped. Pour the popcorn out onto a cookie sheet and allow it to cool.

Then eat.

Yummy.

...and so the world domination begins...

2004-12-24T20:28:00.001-06:00

I love stuff like the following.

iPod users making the switch to Mac

December 23 - 21:03 EST Two Wall Street Journal writers received reader responses that support the fact that the iPod "halo effect" is working. "In Monday's column, we predicted that the combination of the iPod's popularity and the increasing worry over viruses, security holes and spyware in Windows PCs will lead to the second coming of Apple as a home-computing power," write Tim Hanrahan and Jason Fry. "To say that struck a chord would be putting it mildly. Boy, did we ever get mail--including a significant number of people who said that the iPod, Windows security concerns or a combination of the two had made them switch to a Mac or plan to do so."

An exciting new discovery

2004-12-24T20:20:00.001-06:00

Okay, maybe not earth shattering, but tasty. Take one to two shots of sour apple flavored vodka, very cold, mixed with half a can of ginger ale poured over ice. Yummy. It goes particullarly well with an early Xmas present like, oh say, the complete Monty Python's Flying Circus.

New music Xmas eve

2004-12-24T13:49:00.001-06:00

I've got a new winter-related sing posed on my music sites on MacJams and MacIdol. Hope to have another in the next day or so.

The Year in Review

2004-12-24T13:24:00.001-06:00

One of the yearly traditions at the newspaper was the year in review articles we always ran, mainly in order to fill space during the slow holidays. I always broke them down into three parts for the last three weeks of the year so I would have to do as little other work as possible.

Since I don't have to worry about that at the liberry, I decided to do my own personal year in review. The year I've chosen is 1985 because I can remember some of the stuff I did that year.

January - Started the last semester of high school.

February - Received straight Superior ratings at Solo and ensemble

- Attended I-55 band clinic. Made first chair. Ironically enough, Rebecca was second chair. It's where we met.

March - Spring break. Managed to make it trhough withou any trips to the emergecy room.

- Drank my first bottle of burbon.

April - Tears for Fears album "Songs from the Big Chair" released. One of the best albums ever.

May - Graduated from high school

June - Spent next two months working in the city cemetery. Actually a pretty good job.

July - Spent a lot of time drinking beer with high school buddies before we went off to college.

August - Went off to college. Spent a lot of time drinking beer with friends from college and the on the weekends with friends from high school.

September - December - Did college stuff

December - Bought my first electric bass guitar.

Santa Claus and John Ashcroft are watching you

2004-12-22T20:24:00.001-06:00

This is a little too close to reality to be funny.

Like a Strolling Phone

2004-12-22T20:13:00.001-06:00

Rolling Stone Magazine, which stopped being cool back in the mid-80s, put out another list of of the top 500 songs of all times. While I don't necessarily agree with all the top 10, and especially the fact that the first Beatles song only comes in at #8 (they do have the most sings on the list, however, at 23), it's still an interesting list.

A Long Winter's Nap

2004-12-22T20:12:00.001-06:00

I realized it's been almost two months since my last posting, so I figured I was overdue for a little blogging of my own. So here it it. Ta da!

Movietime

2004-10-23T23:34:00.001-05:00

I have been remiss in my movie viewing for a number of months. Most of the movies that come out nowadays, I am content to wait another four to six months until they come out on DVD and watch them in the comfort of my own home. However, this past week, I finally got around to seeing Sky Captian and the World of Tomorrow and Team America: World Police.

Sky Captian first. Wow! What a georgeous movie. Stylistically, it is beautiful. I have always loved the retro-future look, a throwback to movies such as Metropolis and Things to Come. The story was well done. As good a salute to the old serials as Raiders of the Lost Ark. Jude Law is perfect in movies such as this because he doesn't look real to begin with. I say this without feeling any threat to my heterosexuality, he is a pretty man, too pretty to be natural. So he's perfecft as a character in what is basically a computer-generated movie or as the gigalo robot in Artificial Intelligence. I can't say I care either way for Gwynneth Paltrow, she can't act anyway her role didn't require much in the way of acting to begin with, so it didn't matter. It was a fun movie and something a little different from the standard fair.

Team America: Trey and Matt have done it again. While it didn't have as many laugh out loud moments as, say, the South Park movie, it was a very clever and well written satire. One of the things we lack today is good satire. There are too many people afraid of offending this group or that group or any group and they end up making the motion picture equivalent of styrofoam. I found it amusing when walking out of the theater to hear the comments of those leaving, including the groupn of college-age women who found the movie offensive mainly because of the language. People, you've got to do your research. At least read the little line of type under the Rated R printed on the movie poster. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out that a movie involving Trey Parker and Matt Stone is going to not only contain a great deal of harsh language, but it's probably going to ridicule something you feel strongly about, whether it's the "war on terror," action movies or puppet sex. Speaking of which, I can't wait for the unrated DVD. If that was the edited puppet sex scene, I gotta see the whole thing.

These two films have temporarily restored my faith in movies which was shattered by M. Night Shymalan and the extrodinarily crappy The Village.

Congratulations

2004-10-23T23:31:00.001-05:00

My friend Tutor got married today. I'm sorry I was unable to attend the wedding, but I wish he and Christina the best in the journey they are undertaking together and I hope that they find the happiness Rebecca and I have found.

More Godzilla

2004-10-20T22:25:00.001-05:00

The big green guy seems to be getting some much-deserved recognition after 50 years of making movies and romping on Japan. Now Godzilla will be getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This, added to the MTV Lifetime Achievement Award a few years ago are a good way to begin the final send-off for the big guy before he hangs up his large, radioactive hat and retires. Only one thing remains....can we say Oscar?

This is going to be good

2004-10-20T22:21:00.001-05:00

Glenn Close is going to join one of the best shows on television these days, The Shield, as a series regular and the new captain of the Farmington precinct. This is going to be gooooooood!

New music Sunday.

2004-10-17T20:36:00.001-05:00

Once again, I've posted some new music on the GarageBand sites. One is a song I wrote in college. The other is one that came together between 8 p.m. and midnight Saturday night. Thus the title. I hope you enjoy.

These songs are also listed on my MacIdol page.

Musicians and liberals and pagans, oh my!

2004-10-17T20:28:00.001-05:00

I've updated my sidebar a little adding some of my favorite websites. My plan is to update this from time to time adding and subtracting as time goes by. Of course, I also planned to update my blog on a regular basis. I'm pretty much shooting for updating over the weekends now. Since Star Trek, sci-fi and movie websites are pretty much a given, I've stuck to other areas of interest for the side bar. If anyone has any other sites they think I might find interesting, please, by all means, let me know.

A journalistic 'well, duh!'

2004-10-17T19:01:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week, I heard one of those radio news stories that had me yelling at the radion in my truck the same way I yell at my television or the Internet (or according to Dubya "the Internets") when they really discuss something stupid. Last week on one of the public radio talk shows (I don't remember which one) they were discussing the latest trent in the national "news" media of fact checking the candidtes' statements made during the debates. This is something that has been happening on the web for a while, both by partisan and non-partisan sites. The mainstream news organizations are just now catching on to this trend.

This discussion was about whether or not it was the media's job to fact check the candidates or if the national media powerhouses should just simply report what the candidates were saying. If I remeber correctly the fact checking started at either the Times or the Post when a senior editor spoke up about the blatant lies coming from one camp about the policies proposed by the other camp. (Guess which one was telling the lies :) ) After that the newspaper started checking the claims made by both candidates and printing the facts along with the rhetoric spouted by the candidate.

What really got me shouting at the disembodied voices coming out of my dashboard was the argument made by one that fact checking should not be the function of the media, but of the consumer. It should be up to them to basically keep the candidates honest about their "facts." To do otherwise would introduce an element of bias against candidates ont he part of the news outlet, and would be patently unfair.

Okay, now I realize I've only spent 16 years of my life in journalism and only practiced it professionally in small town Mississippi, but, if I remember any of the lessons learned in any of my classes (with the possible exception of one or two taught by a certian professor. My fellow j-students know who I'm talking about), checking the facts of a news story was kind of part of the job. If farmer Bob claims to have a 50-pound turnip shaped like Elvis, you don't just take his word for it. You have him load it up in the back of his pick-up, bring it to the office and you actually see for yourself if his claim is valid. In addition, you run a photo of farmer Bob holding the turnip up while sitting on the tailgate of his truck above the fold on the front page along with the story as proof to the reader. If you do this, it gives the reader more information at their disposal as they consider farmer Bully's claim that farmer Bob's turnip is actually only about 30 pounds and looks more like Jerry Lee Lewis than Elvis and that farmer Billy's turnip is actually 60 pounds and looks like the young, skinny Elvis.

The argument that it's not the media's responsibility to fact check politicians, candidates running for the top office in the land, smacks me not only of laziness and irresponsibility, but also of that superior attitude sported by many I've met in the national press that gives journalists such a bad name. I remember meeting one journalist while in school who came to talk to us. He talked about how he and many others inside the Beltway isolated themselves from the rest of the world to help keep themselves "unbiased." They only fratanized with other members of the media. They didn't attend social functions unless they were there on the job and many of them didn't vote because they considered that a bias.

I remember thinking at that time what a ridiculous idea that was. Rather than eliminating bias, it introduced an element of extremeism into the media which has given people the impression of intellectual snobbery. The truth is even the best journalist is going to be biased. They are humans. They have opinons. It might be a subtled bias like prefering thin young Elvis-shaped turnips over old, fat Elvis-shaped turnips. You can't eliminate bias, but you can learn to recognize it in your reporting and try and compensate for it.

I always acknowledged my bias while in the business. Maybe not publicallyh, but I would be the first one to hand my story to others in the office to look over when I had to report on someone I couldn't stand or an issue I felt strongly about. I know they would be biased as well, but not exactly the same as me, and the more people who looked at it, the better chance you would get as fair a story as possible.

We also checked facts. Sure, maybe it wasn't as big a chore in small-town Mississippi covering an Alderman race as it is in Washington covering a presidential election, but the principle is the same. If a candidate gives you a "fact," check it out and take the candidate to task if they stray from the truth. The follow-up question seems to be a lost art.

More and more as I watch the media from the outside today, I am more and more glad I work in a library.

Validation!

2004-10-17T18:21:00.001-05:00

After all these years, I can finally thumb my nose at all those people who said I was just wasting my time watching all those Godzilla movies growing up. It seems now that I was engaging in a scholarly endeavour and to prove me right, the University of Kansas is having a scholarly conference on the legacy of the big guy in honor of the 50th anniversary of the release of the origonal Godzilla. It will be complete with a large inflatable Godzilla standing atop a theater showing the recently re-released Japanese version of the movie.

Happy birthday

2004-10-17T11:30:00.001-05:00

Happy birthday to Dungeons and Dragons which reached the optimum role of a 20 sided die and a 10 sided die. Or optimum combined roles of three four sided dice and four six sided dice. Or a 12 sided, eight sided and 10 sided dice.

New music

2004-10-10T20:37:00.001-05:00

I've got some new tunes posted on MacIdol and hopefully coming soon on MacJams.

Trek redux

2004-10-10T20:28:00.001-05:00

I downloaded and watched the lastest episode from Star Trek: New Voyages, In Harm's Way, last night. It was pretty good. An improvement over the first episode, which I also thought was pretty good. My only real complaint about the story was that it was a little jumbled, especially at the end. I do hope that in the future the creators get a little more origonal with the stories. The first episode, Come What May, seemed way too much like a Q episode. The second episode brought back too many elements from the first three seasons.

The special effects were pretty good, the acting was better and Kirk's hairdoo seemed to have calmed down a little bit. I hope this group keeps up their effort and continues to put out new episodes, maybe at even a little quicker pace than once a year. With some of the backing they seem to be getting now, maybe that will be possible.

Must see TV

2004-10-10T20:19:00.001-05:00

I can't remember the last time I watched a television series on ABC. In fact, I can't remember the last time I watched anything on ABC, but so far I've come across two new series that are off to a promising start. Lost, the adventures of a group of survivors of a plane crash on a deserted island, is off to a realy good start in the first three episodes. So far, it's managed to stay creepy. It's well written and has yet to get into any of the regular deserted island cliches.

The second show just premiered last week, and to be honest, there are two reasons I decided to watch it. The first is that it starred one of my favorite TV icons, the second is because my wife is in law school. Boston Legal, which stars William Shatner, James Spader and co-stars Rene Auberjonois, was funny, weird and very entertaining. I've never like lawyer TV shows, including Perry Mason and L.A. Law, (okay, I did kind of like that sci-fi lawyer series last spring Century City, but realized it was kind of silly), but I think this one's going to be pretty good. And I readily admitt that I probably would be watching it if it weren't for Shatner.

The state of small town newspapers today

2004-10-10T20:11:00.001-05:00

I read with interest recently about the endorsement of John Kerry by the Iconoclast, the Crawford, Texas newspaper in the adopted home town of Dubya. Political leanings aside, I knew when I read the editorial exactly what the response would be. It would be nasty, it would be personal and it would be unfortunate for the small town newspaper every where.

The publishers of the Iconoclast responded to the criticism, economic retaliations and outright threats of violence in an excellent editorial here. Again, politics aside, this is an excellent editorial to a reaction that, as a former small town journalism, I am very familiar with.

Even more Democracy in action

2004-09-17T08:31:00.001-05:00

There's no better publicity than having a grieving mother arrested while protesting your campaign.

And now for today's politics-free Trek moment

2004-09-16T22:12:00.001-05:00

For a while, I haven't been able to get on the New Voyages website. Aparantly, it has been down for a while but you can now access at a different location here.

The launch date for the next New Voyages episode is October 8.

"Journalists" in action

2004-09-16T22:01:00.001-05:00

There's nothing like good journalism.

Dan Rather on the spot over report on Bush war record

Thanks Dan.

BTW, here's a little known journalism secret -Check your damn sources!

More Democracy in action

2004-09-16T21:49:00.001-05:00

There's nothing quite like expressing your political opinions:

Moulton woman says she lost job for sporting Kerry sticker on car

Federal lawsuit follows anti-Bush T-shirt arrests

Pledging allegiance to Bush-Cheney

Democracy in action!

2004-09-16T21:43:00.001-05:00

I've added a new poll whcih I will keep in place until the November elections. The winner of this poll will then be declared the winner of the U.S. presidential election in a more valid manner than the 2000 selection.

If you want to learn more about the major candidates listed in the poll or the lesser known candidates in the race, go here.

Trek as you've never seen it before!

2004-09-04T22:34:00.001-05:00

It arrived. I've watched. I'm impressed (mostly).

I have long been awaiting the first season box set of Star Trek:The Origonal Series. Much as I was tempted, I held off buying the individual episodes, mainly because I had gotten most of TOS through the Columbia House Club on video tape over the years. But as the day neared, I donated my video tapes to the liberry and made space along side my DS9 and Trek movie collection for the real deal.

Was it worth the wait? More importantly, was it worth the money? Definitely yes! If, for nothing else, the convenience of having the eight disc, 29 episode set that fits roughly in the space one video tape took.

Now, it's not everything it could have been, and that is a slight disappointment. More on that later.

As for the set, first, the bad part. Each of the season sets come packed in a plastic case, somewhat reminiscent of the origonal tricorder. Yellow for season one, blue I think for season two and red I think for season three. The cases are hinged longways down the middle and open up to reveal the series in a multi dvd case inside. The way the case is built makes it awkward for construction. It's bigger that a regular season set, such as the DS9 or Buffy sets I have. And don't through away the little cardboard box bottom it comes in for shelf storage, because the case doesn't really like to stand up on its own. The individual disks, at least on my set, are also very difficult to get out of the trays. More so than usual with a dvd.

Now for the good part. I have watched only a handful of the 29 episodes so far, but, wow, the quality is amazing. Never before have I seen Trek so clear. The transfer is really impressive. The colors are clear and the picture is crisp. I can honestly say I have never seen TOS look this good. The video tapes were cleaner than what I grew up watching on TV and the Sci-Fi Channel digitally restored episodes looked good as well, but not this good.

In addition, the extrapolating of the sound for Dolby Surround or whatever they call it, makes the episodes sound great. Even the alternate mono track souds really good.

On this first season, I think five of the episodes have text commentary, ala the sepecial edition movie disks. I have watched "Where No Man Has Gone Before" with the commentary. Very cool. I know it's too much to ask, but it would have been great to get the same insights on all the episodes. But naturally here's one of several places Paramount comes up short with Trek. Par for the course.

One of the things that really struck me about the first season is just how out of order the episodes are. They are presented by air date, but the production number is included in somewhere, maybe on the disks or on the packaging, I don't have either with me at the moment, or I could have looked it up at StarTrek.com. But you really see the inconsistancies of the rearranging, with "Where No Man Has Gone Before," the second pilot episode filmed a year before the rest of the series, airing as the third episode of the series. You've already introduced McCoy as a major character in "The Man Trap" and "Charlie X" and now, poof, he's gone for an episode, only to return in "The Naked Time." Not to mention the differences in uniforms, sets, etc.

As for the special features, I have watched a few. The first included interviews with many of the origonal people behind the scenes, including archival footage of Gene Roddenberry. The second feature is about Shatner's obsession with horses. I thought it would be kind of lame, but it actually was pretty good. The photo gallery is the only other feature I've gone through. It's pretty much like any other dvd photo gallery.

The packaging is okay, though a lot of the hardcore fans are going to find the stories included about the history of the Federation and Star Fleet and the evolution of the Romulans kind of lame. Two paragraphs of the Romulan story are devoted to the changes in Romulan fashion from the origonal series, through all the other series on to Nemesis.

Again, Paramount could have done better. They could have just bought a season of Buffy or Angel and looked at how it's packaged.

Overall, the whole thing is great so far. There are a few deficiencies, but nothing that drastically takes away from the set. But you can tell it was produced more for the casual fan than for the hardcore fan. It would be nice if, just for once, Paramount tipped its hat toward those of us who continue to support the franchise, no matter how bad it gets.

There's nothing like The Origonal Series. It's definitely worth the cost.

DaveIdol

2004-09-02T21:10:00.001-05:00

In my quest to be more like David, I'm adding some new things to my blog, such as a poll. I still plan to be hit and miss on how often I update the blog, including the new features.

Welcome to Amerika

2004-09-02T20:16:00.001-05:00

It's a good thing the Secret Servce is keeping our nation safe from 19-year-old kids with anti-Bush bumberstickers on their cars.

Oh, the pain. The pain.

2004-09-02T20:05:00.001-05:00

It's not every day that one of my apendages turns black. But that's exactly what happened Tuesday. One of my toes, which had been red and swollen for several days, had really gotten rather disgusting looking. So, with a little encouraqgement from Rebecca, I went to the doctor yesterday. Turns out a I a severe staph infection in my toe. Fun. So, since then I have been popping some of the anthrax-killing antibiotics, anti-inflamitories and pain killers.

Naturall though, I though this morning I would still have no problem going to work. Afterall, working at the library is nothing like working at the paper. I can sit my ass behind a desk al day and I'm doing my job. After a couple of hours, my assistants told me to go home. Who am I to argue?

The up side to the story is that just over 24 hours later, my toes has turned from black and swollen to red and swollen, I've got plenty of time to sit around and goof off (I wish my Trek DVDs had come in today, though), and it appears my toe is probably not going to fall off. That's always good news.

Is someone watching what you're watching

2004-08-29T20:05:00.001-05:00

This is a good column about the increasing pressure for the government to more closely regulate what we see and hear in the media. There was already plenty of pressure before to clamp down on the broadcast media, but now, there is a real danger that the chilling effect at least, if not the actual regulation, is moving toward cable and satellite as well. MTV is toning down its VMAs this year. There is discussion about whether cable shows such as Nip/Tuck, The Shield, Sopranos, Six Feet Under and other shows should be allowed.

If you add to it polls such as the one by the First Amendment Center which shows fourty percent of the public think the news media should be regulated by the government it starts getting kind of Big Brotherish.

Where does the problem lie? Is it in the eyes and ears of the viewing, listening and reading public? More than objections to material they find offensive, is the public reacting to the glut of new an information which is available to them today. Especially since, at least from the news standpoint, much of it is considered "negative." Is it that the media has become to overly invested in selling the public on conflict and controversy? Or is it something else? There seems to be a giant disconnect between the cries for increased regulation and the demand for increased sensationalism.

Or, are there forces out there playing the ends against the middle, doing everything they can to keep the populous atuned to what, in the scope of things, are trivial matters while the big picture matters go unnoticed.

These are the kinds of things that keep me up at night at least until I turn on the TV and pacify my brain with Comedy Central.