The Discriminating Omnivore

End of an Era: No more free Budweiser samples

2009-01-06T12:57:00.000-08:00

Sad but true: this was a time-honored ritual for William and Mary students who turned 21. The rite involved driving over to the Anheuser-Busch brewery near Busch Gardens to check out the hospitality room...and get free samples. Not full beers, mind you, just six ounces or so.

What is weird is that the coverage is making it sound like they were handing out free beer right in the middle of the theme parks, in which case I can understand why they might have killed the program.

Well, that and the expense of operating said program, especially in college towns.

But I never saw anything like what they're talking about, where it was co-located with the theme park. The brewery was entirely separate.

Then again, I haven't been to Busch Gardens "Europe" since they added Ireland.

NPR: "Murals Depict Power of Law and Justice"

2009-01-05T13:58:00.000-08:00

Really cool story on NPR Morning Edition today about the murals on the walls in the US Department of Justice.

It wasn't all that long ago that we still used public art to instruct and provoke thought because people were actually paying attention. It reminds me of the murals at Coit Tower in San Francisco, those were also very cool.

Of course, the general public cannot actually see the murals at the USDOJ...

Late to the game - Google Adwords

2009-01-02T13:48:00.001-08:00

I am just now getting involved in this online marketing tactic, Google Adwords. The smoke and mirrors are endlessly fascinating.

No wonder an entire industry has sprung up around Search Engine Marketing and Google's share price is through the roof.

Take shots! 11! He Shoots! He Scores!!

2008-12-30T13:51:00.001-08:00

I have a confession to make: I am a hockey fan. My affliction began with a fateful playoff game in 1998, when I bought a single ticket to the first round of the San Jose Sharks vs. the Dallas Stars and watched Andrei Zyuzin win it in overtime. When I could not get tickets for the next round, I bought season tickets for the next year to guarantee playoff tickets.

So began five years of season-ticket-holder fun, the residue of which is being felt today with nightly indulgences in Center Ice. My husband is currently obsessed with the World Junior Championship tournament, meaning that most of our waking moments are spent watching the NHL Network or live feeds from other rinks around the country. My two year old son already knows the word "hockey" and can recognize it instantly.

I even tried playing it, but it's too time-consuming and expensive to find the right equipment and get ice time. But I do get to belong to what feels like an exclusive club - in the US anyway - of people who can talk comprehensively about the game.

I don't get to see the Sharks much now that we're on the East Coast, and they play half of their games at 10:30. But every once in a while, I get to hear the greatest play-by-play team in the world, Randy and Drew.

And now, I am agog about Claude Lemieux clearing waivers today. Wha??? The guy was mean in his prime, but he started in the league in 1983.

Not everyone can be Jeremy Roenick.

There are no random events.

2008-12-26T11:21:00.000-08:00

In my new role in a new industry (to me, anyway), I am doing a lot of research into efficient and cost-effective ways to get the word out. While reading an ancient book - publication date, 2002 - about email marketing, I came across a sample of an email newsletter that was cited as an effective way to keep a reader's interest and decrease the number of opt-outs.

Lo and behold, the sample included mentions of BroadVision and Inktomi, two players that were prevalent in my previous life. Fair enough, most people have heard of these two companies, particularly since Inktomi did some eye-catching TV and print ads back in the day...but then the article in this newsletter also made mention of my employer for eight years, the now-defunct enterprise search company, Verity, Inc.

Whaa? No one has ever heard of them outside of the industry. I mean, come on now. That's like finding out that the former CEO of Verity, whom I knew very well, was working on a new web project in LA with my younger brother a few years back. Honestly! What are the chances?

There are no random events. Obviously, all roads lead back to me.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-24T06:46:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share the fantastic picture featured today on Seth Godin's blog.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Where in 2009?

2008-12-24T06:18:00.000-08:00

2008 was interesting. In both senses of the word, positively and negatively.

Moved back to my hometown (that's a whole other long, intense story); spent 8 months looking for work before landing a great opportunity with a new technology and industry to learn about; celebrated my son's 2nd birthday; participated in a landmark election; watched the economy go down the tubes.

Turning toward 2009, it can only get better, right?

Then again, given this year's bevy of surprises, who's to say what will happen?

TiVo = software provider?

2006-03-06T15:32:00.000-08:00

Looks like they're still traveling further down the software path according to this bit from Engadget:

TiVo's next act: software only?:
In recent comments to analysts, TiVo CEO Tom Rogers said that he envisions much of the company's future growth as coming from partnerships with cable operators. 'We're a total software upgrade when you think of the cable side of our business. The more that are out there, the more we have an opportunity to roll out to, the more we have the ability for cable subscribers to become TiVo subscribers.' While risky, the strategy might be TiVo's best bet to stay alive in the industry it helped create, given that many cable operators are already providing DVR service using boxes and software provided by companies such as Scientific Atlanta.

Again, this is what I said a while ago... and apparently I was not the only one to notice it.

The problem still remains convincing potential users that the TiVo interface is worth the extra money. Having seen what's available from the cable company, I would say that it is definitely a better solution.

But then, I already have a TiVo that I use every day.

From Digg: "Alarm Clock - Snooze Button + 4 Piece Puzzle Puzzle = Awake"

2006-03-02T16:36:00.000-08:00

The purpose of this entry is two-fold. Firstly, I'm testing the ability to blog items directly from the Digg website. Secondly, because there are days when SigO could really use something like this. >snort<

This mild challenge apparently will wake you up. So, for the snooze button kings, this is for you.

read more | digg story

Well it looks like it takes a bit more work to make it pretty directly from Digg, but it's a good start.

I just need to work on my rudimentary HTML...

Keano! Fergie Still Loves You

2006-03-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

According to the BBC, there are no hard feelings from Sir Alex after four months away from Old Trafford for Keano:

Ferguson tips Keane for greatness: Sir Alex Ferguson says Roy Keane will go on to make a fantastic manager.

The love fest continues in the article.

So does this mean that the problem was that Keano couldn't keep his mouth shut when he was unhappy with other players and overstepped his bounds? Or does it mean that Sir Alex was just ticked off that he didn't get in the first public tirade?

Whatever anger or resentment the leaked interview-that-wasn't caused between Keano and the manager, it sure lit a fire under the rest of the players.

And they needed it!

Modern Life: Disrupted

2006-02-28T13:03:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how easily one can adapt to doing things a certain way.

This past weekend I not only had my debit card arbitrarily (as far as I can tell) killed off for "suspicious activity" on Friday, but my car developed a slow leak on the right front tire on Saturday night. Thus, by Sunday morning, I was left with no ready access to my money and a gimpy car.

Fortunately the tire place I use is nearby and was able to repair the flat for free on Monday. Unfortunately, despite a visit to the branch location for the first time in about three years, my credit union was only able to issue an ATM card since a debit card had already been ordered for me. That would arrive in 10-14 business days.

In the meantime, I had to rack my brain to remember what we used to do in olden times when we needed to pay for something. So yesterday, for the first time in perhaps five years, I was forced to write a check in a store. Twice. Don't get me wrong, I still pay rent and other miscellaneous bills with checks, but everything else is electronic or debit.

It really felt like it took forever to sit there and fill out the amount...sign my name...make a record of it... It also made me flash back to an internal discussion I had a few years ago:

Me: "I love bacon. Wonder how I would cook it if I didn't have a microwave?"
Myself: "Ummm.... how about a pan on the stove top? Duh?"
Me: "Riiiight."

How does one handle disappointment?

2006-02-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

How does one handle disappointment?

This is a question that I'm finding myself faced with these days. Yesterday brought less-than-good news on two fronts, and I'm finding myself wondering about this.

Notice the qualification in the description, though -- these are not necessarily tragedies, travesties or life-changing events, just disappointments.

The disappointments in question are the kind that should be relatively easy to get over because they are each part of an ongoing process right now. It just means that I didn't get the outcome that I was hoping for. The results I did get were mainly because of events that were outside my control.

So, I've done a little moping, had some discussion with SigO and am moving on. Sometimes it also helps to have some sort of distraction to lighten the mood.

It strikes me that there are many different kinds of disappointments, ranging from the "I didn't make the team" variety to the more serious Miss Havisham sort. The true test is in how deeply one lets these little setbacks affect one.

Personally, I'm striving for the "I didn't make the team" nonchalance at the moment.

TiVo has Brain Wave, Smacks Forehead

2006-02-20T15:40:00.000-08:00

I've written about this before in my blog, as well as about how wondrous and sticky TiVo is. Now they're finally figuring out what one of the big issues is (from TechDirt):

Davis Freeberg writes 'In a candid interview with Bloomberg news, TiVo CEO Tom Rogers...offered a lot of great information, but the most interesting piece is that TiVo is considering offering a subscription only model for their subscribers. Once someone uses a TiVo it will be difficult to go back to the generic PVR. By giving new consumers the opportunity to try TiVo without making a $300 investment, the company can expand their appeal beyond just the early adopter crowd'...That's funny... it's been almost three years since we suggested TiVo should do exactly that and people thought we were crazy.

I've also suggested something along those lines. Once the novelty of recordable TV wears off, there has to be some other differentiator.

For TiVo, that's going to be their user interface and programming functionality. They need to go this route in order to stick around... because I need them.

Google Does Jeux Olympiques d'Hiver

2006-02-17T15:57:00.000-08:00

So Google has gotten into the spirit. Where is Yahoo with this? They usually keep pace.

I like seeing what they do with these things. Google has a whole slew of sketches available here.

The Winter Games are particularly kickas$ in HD.

[Hat tip to the Official Google Blog.]

Review: Dune - Extended Version

2006-02-17T15:19:00.000-08:00

In order to continue to maintain my geek street cred, I must confirm that I am in fact a huge fan of the David Lynch film Dune. Call it the product of a Youth Misspent Watching Cable.

When SigO told me that there was a new DVD coming out that included the extended version, I was all over it. Pre-ordered from Amazon, it arrived on its release date, January 31st.

Imagine my surprise when we got the disk -- flashy metal DVD case -- and put on the extended version. I'll just quote from my review over at Rotten Tomatoes:

It's labeled as an Alan Smithee film so that should tell you something... they've recut the beginning to remove Irulan and done some other very strange things, even down to making some soundtrack changes. I don't know the full extent as I was too aghast to make it too far in. Will have to steel myself to get through the rest of it.

Overall, great if you're a fan because of the behind-the-scenes stuff. Otherwise, eeewwww!! And actually, that may be your reaction even if you are a fan.

Review: The Moonstone

2006-02-16T15:21:00.000-08:00

Finished reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. I can't remember how I got turned on to this book, which is touted as one of the first mystery stories.

One thing that is unusual about it is that it is long. There are still the same twists and turns, but the length is attributable to the fact that a lot of the characters get to contribute their own perspectives and memories about the events.

Bottom line: I enjoyed it, but I kept saying GEEZ this is long!

brrreeeport lemmings

2006-02-15T16:08:00.000-08:00

Q: "So just because Robert Scoble tells you to put brrreeeport on your blog you're going to do it?"

Domnivore: "Yes."

Q: "And if he jumped off a bridge would you do that, too?"

Domnivore: "We're talking a virtual bridge, right?"

How to Blow an Interview

2006-02-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

Some suggestions if you'd like to not create the best impression when meeting someone about a potential job for yourself:

1) Show up late
2) Chew gum
3) Roll eyes
4) Respond to all questions with a dismissive "tchuh!"
5) Forget your interviewer's name
6) Eat a turkey lunch right before an afternoon interview
7) Pick out your office decor
8) Ask interviewer: "Are you going to be my admin?"
9) Talk about how much you prefer another company, preferably a direct competitor
10) Ask interviewer: "If I'm totally late a lot, is that like, a problem?"

I avoided most of these things yesterday, fortunately, which means that I am now short-listed for a potential position. Hooray for me!

The one thing I did not get right was the turkey lunch before going in. Sure it's supposedly an urban legend, but couple that with a boiling hot conference room and there's trouble. Somehow I pulled through without a nap -- and I guess it really doesn't need to be on the list since I'm into the finals.

Carrier Lemmings

2006-02-10T09:14:00.000-08:00

This article amused me because I find that there are two types of people: those who are consolidating into Treos and whatnot, and those who are just discovering the joy of gadgets like iPods and Crackberries and cell phones and the like.

Interesting angle with the whole "dispens[ing] with sources of shared stability" idea.

Washington Post: Why do we carry so much around?:
Burdens of the Modern Beast

***

It’s the perfect posture for the Age of Insecurity. We fret about our jobs, families, country, manhood or womanhood, ability to be a good parent. We believe someone is out to get us. And to get our things. So, like the homeless, we carry our stuff with us. Just in case something, or anything, happens.

After all, one must be prepared for any eventuality. Just ask any woman with a purse big enough to carry herself in.

Review: The Philip K. Dick Reader

2006-02-10T08:20:00.000-08:00

This book is amazing. I know the name of course because of how many movies have been made based on his stories -- he could give Jane Austen a run for her money.

Each one of the stories in The Philip K. Dick Reader is a morsel of paranoia and fear covered with Twilight Zone secret sauce. It was interesting to read how much he was a product of his time, with plots centered around a world struggling with the aftermath of a nuclear war between the Russians and the States as well as futuristic dystopian societies.

I actually found myself unable to finish the last story in the set, "Second Variety", because the sense of dread was too much for me to bear. I had to stop reading this book before going to bed because it would rev me up too much to sleep.

Another interesting aspect of reading the book was seeing how the germs of ideas were developed into films such as "Total Recall", "Blade Runner", "Paycheck" and "Screamers". The directions that the screenwriters and directors chose to take are enough to make one very cynical about the whole practice of adaptation to the screen.

At the least the original stories are still out there.

Keano! Celtics update

2006-02-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

He's still out there kicking ass... I just don't get to see him at work anymore.

Keane helps Celtic stretch lead as Rangers and Hearts stumble (AFP): Celtic took a huge step towards the Scottish Premier League title with a narrow 2-1 win at home to Falkirk.

Keano!

LinkedIn: Part Deux

2006-02-08T17:50:00.000-08:00

Jeremy Zawodny and Ken Norton put in their two cents on Linked In.

Ken uses it in much the same way that I do:

LinkedIn is becoming people search: I noticed something interesting today. I was introduced to somebody new for a job opening at JotSpot. When I wanted to learn more about them, I went to LinkedIn and searched for them. In the past, I would have used Google to search for somebody, but LinkedIn gives me much more context - where they've worked, what they've done, and - most importantly - how I might know them (and who I know that knows them).

And Jeremy found one of the problems that I've noticed:

I, too, have used LinkedIn to find people a few times. When it works, it works pretty well. But in my limited experience, it only solves half the problem. LinkedIn works well for finding someone when you already know their name. But if you're looking for someone in your network of connections who can help with a woodworking project or has a special skill, it's a different story.

Trying to find the right query to bring up the right contacts can be frustrating, but the search results are also limited by how much the participants want to share about themselves. Especially with folks they don't know. These are acceptable limitations because they show a respect for privacy and for individual preferences.

Not so fun for those searching for something in particular and not finding it.

Gmail even more sticky!

2006-02-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

I've written before about how sticky Google is making everything -- including the ability to blog from Google Reader like I am right now -- and they've gone and integrated something that makes complete sense. No more downloading a separate app to chat aimlessly with your coworkers and friends. We relied heavily on YIM during my last full time gig.

Chatting in Gmail: One of the big holes in Google Talk is about to be filled--in a proprietary manner. Google is in the process of rolling out Gmail Chat, a feature that will save chat transdcripts within Gmail, and subject them to search. Saving and searching archived chats was impossible when Google Talk was rolled out. This integration of Google Talk with Gmail also helps explain why owning a Gmail account is a requirement of Google Talk.

I am proud to say that I am one of the few who has seen the intermittent rollout in my Gmail accounts. Now I just need someone to chat with...

Super Bowl XL = Medium.

2006-02-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

Sure, I'm ignoring the controversial missed calls for and against both teams. I wasn't really interested in the outcome, I was more interested in the commercials. And even those were a bit disappointing.

After a million hours of pregame coverage, the game and its accoutrements are anti-climactic. At least the Stones were pretty good, and SigO and I went all out on snack foods. Very important.

[Side note: Stones were censored to not say word "cocks" in the context of animals, but a commercial can refer to jackasses (see 3rd quarter CareerBuilder Donkey ad).]

Apple sued over iPod hearing risks

2006-02-06T11:09:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I'm not too proud to be an American... even if you discount our questionable activities as the self-appointed World Police Force.

Apple sued over iPod hearing risks:
Just when you thought disgruntled iPod customers couldn't find anything else to complain about, a Louisiana man has filed a lawsuit against Apple, complaining that the iPod can cause hearing loss.

Litigation is not always the answer. And this is why there are gigantic warning labels on hair dryers that say "DO NOT REMOVE".

Football News: No, the other kind.

2006-02-04T11:22:00.000-08:00

Even European football managers sometimes get the blues:

Football: Newcastle sack coach : Newcastle boss Graeme Souness is sacked and temporarily replaced by Glenn Roeder and Alan Shearer.

What's he supposed to do when all of his players develop freak injuries? Might have lasted a bit longer at a team that has a lower profile than Newcastle United.

Meanwhile, Manchester United found themselves the recipients of a 4-3 drubbing at the hands of Blackburn Rovers. I wouldn't have expected it myself, but then I'm biased. And Rio was a -3 for me this week on my fantasy team -- midfield holding player? Not so much.

Job Search Tools: SimplyHired & Indeed

2006-02-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

Another tool in my arsenal is the online listing aggregator. I have experience with two of them, SimplyHired and Indeed. Each allows you to create a search and receive email alerts on a daily or weekly basis that contain the latest listings.

What this means is that instead of having to go to CareerBuilder, Monster, craigslist, etc. on an individual basis and do an separate search on each, you can have them all delivered to your mailbox. There is some lag time between the listing and the arrival, of course, which is a risk you must be willing to take.

It gives me some confidence that many of my bases are being covered. I would still recommend, however, that if you are targeting a specific company that periodically searching the company site should be the first step.

Once located, you can use your LinkedIn account to find out how you might be connected into the company. LinkedIn also offers a download called JobsInsider that pulls up a separate frame in the same window that contains that information for any listings on any general job site. Quite fascinating.

Haven't had any slam dunks on that, either, but at least I can feel informed.

More info in an article by SearchViews, available here.

The Manolo, He is Opposed!

2006-02-02T16:09:00.000-08:00

Scrolling through my Google Reader today and found this.

The Fashion Police

Under no conceivable circumstance should one wear the slogan-bearing t-shirt to the Statement of the Union Speech. And, if you are silly enough to do this, you deserve to be led out in shame to the Capitol Rotunda where the gay-but-fashion-challenged Fab Five they will publicly make you over into the ridiculous metrosexual. This they should do this even if you are the woman.

I was unwilling to subject myself to the State of the Union Address without my Jon Stewart filter so this is the first I'm hearing of it. Hilarious, in a sad sort of way.

Is this what the Administration's opposition is reduced to? Sigh.

Something had to give... Sharks Win!

2006-02-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

Finally managed to pull one out last night against a division opponent, but barely. One of the goals was an empty-netter.

Cheechoo hat trick powers Sharks (AP): Jonathan Cheechoo scored three goals for the second time this season against Anaheim, leading the San Jose Sharks to a 6-4 victory over the Mighty Ducks on Wednesday night. Tom Preissing got the go-ahead goal on a power play with 7:04 left in the game and Evgeni Nabokov made 35 saves, helping end Anaheim's three-game winning streak and the Sharks' three-game skid.

I don't really enjoy close playoff races. Fortunately for me it looks like we may not have one, and not in a good way.

Major drawback to all these three point games. But as a whole, the new rules get a big thumbs up.

Job Search Tools: LinkedIn

2006-02-02T09:41:00.000-08:00

I'm six months into my search for a full time job, and I'm finding some things that are very useful in the hunt. One of these is LinkedIn, the online networking site.

I was invited to join by a few of my fellow students in the SCU MBA program about two years ago, and I didn't do much with it until after I left my last full time position. It's a fascinating graphical display of your network, limited of course by the number of your contacts that have signed up for the service and agreed to connect with you. Depending on how your contacts have configured their accounts, you can then see their list of contacts and search through the extended network that you have created.

There is even a job-specific search function, which I am finding useful as I conduct my primarily Internet-based job search. These days online postings mean that HR departments and hiring managers are inundated with dozens, if not hundreds, of resumes for a single opening. With LinkedIn, you can find a direct route to someone in the company, if not the hiring manager. My offline network resulted in a job interview last week, which came about because a friend who worked at the company in question hand delivered my resume to the right person. So one point for the offline network -- and an anecdote that directly proves that human contact is necessary to get any kind of results.

I've upgraded to a paid level of service so that I have more communication options... the merit of that is still TBD. I'm exploring options around the country at targeted companies, and finding the corporate recruiters through the LinkedIn network may be my ticket in.

Update - some tips: if you have recruiters that you have been talking to, see if you can find them on LinkedIn and connect to their networks. Some of them have 100s of contacts, and it will automatically give you that much larger of a contact base. Another idea is to see if there are any groups represented on LinkedIn with which you might be affiliated -- for example, I am in the Santa Clara University Alumni group.

To Be Continued...

Google Reader beta - old news?

2006-02-01T16:54:00.000-08:00

I'm fairly removed from the "real world" in my unemployed cocoon these days, which has me wondering how long the Google Reader has been around. I don't know how I stumbled onto it today, but so far so good.

See, when I left my last position, I had to leave behind my Windows-based RSS reader, RSS Bandit. Being a Mac household, there wasn't anything to really take the place of it. Bloglines is kind of eh because it doesn't have the same level of control over refreshing feeds, and it has the slight lag that is fairly standard with web-based apps. Using Safari or Firefox for RSS feeds didn't make much sense to me because I was used to a much more slick interface with better controls... even Bloglines was better than that. (That may be just user error, but I know what I like.)

Google Reader is somewhere between Bloglines and RSS Bandit. Still a slight lag, but at least there's a refresh button. I would have preferred to keep using RSS Bandit, but they're a small outfit -- I don't blame them for not tangling with the Mac OS.

Update: I'm getting sucked in even farther. Google Reader allows you to email interesting stories or blog them with two clicks. Oh that sticky, sticky Google.

Kimono Laptop Accessories - Gimme!

2006-02-01T16:19:00.000-08:00

Don't make me go Veruca Salt on you.

Why is this only available in Japan?

Soooo puuurty.

[hat tip to Engadget]

MarketingSherpa Wisdom Report 2006

2006-01-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, I do actually use the Internet for business as well. My former manager introduced me to the MarketingSherpa newsletter, which always has interesting case studies and interviews from the world of marketing.

They've just now published their Wisdom Report for this year, and it's available for download. Definitely recommend it to my fellow marketing types out there.

Wow Mom. Hide from SigO!

2006-01-20T11:54:00.000-08:00

Mac Setup and more
Originally uploaded by visualseed.

Oh wait, too late. He is going to want one of these now.

This is why technology is so cool. Not only can this guy outfit his home like this, he can share a picture of it. With the world.

I just hope that SigO doesn't use this as a shopping list (mutter mutter).

[hat tip to Good Morning Silicon Valley]

Agatha Christie = Cheez Doodles.

2005-11-09T16:35:00.000-08:00

They're light, crisp and fairly cheesy. You pretty much always know what you're going to get when you crack one open. And I really, really like them.

Am I talking about Agatha Christie novels or Cheez Doodles? Why can't it be both?

They're both good for the beach or a quiet weekend at home, and it's only a matter of time before LilBud loves Dame Agatha as much as he loves "oodle-oodle-oodles".

Election Day 2005

2005-11-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

Vote
Originally uploaded by Vaguely Artistic.

Done did my civic duty, even though this election is only a bunch of propositions here in CA.

Just a taste of success in the '90s and I'm hooked... unfortunately the last few Election Days haven't gone my way.

Doesn't keep me from trying.

There's just too many of them! Sports Edition

2005-11-07T22:31:00.000-08:00

The problem with being an omnivore is that there is just way too much to talk about.

"Is too much. Let me sum up."

Keano's comments - As I learned from reading his autobiography, Roy Keane is not afraid to say what he thinks. He called teammates on the carpet by name after the embarrassing slaughter last week by 'Boro. The difference between this and T.O. is that Keano did it in an interview that would be screened by the boss before airing -- therefore it never aired. Still doesn't win him any prizes.
ManU vs. Chelsea - Hooray! There was much dancing that startled the kitty. Should Keano get any credit? Who cares?
Colts vs. Patriots - Not snobby about types of football, regardless of soccer fan stereotype. It was a tight game for a long time, then the Pats started getting petulant. It was ugly to see.
Fantasy Leagues - I'm participating in a fantasy EPL and a fantasy NFL. Each has their drawbacks, but going forward I'm going to stick with the FEPL. Much more fun, much less confusing. But it still doesn't change the fact that my older brother seems to be running away with the FEPL title. Again.
NHL rule changes - Definitely making a big difference. Those extra three feet inside the blue line make it that much tougher to clear the zone on the penalty kill. The long breakout passes are spectacular. Now if only the Sharks could win a game in regulation...

Hair color's just about right.

2005-11-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

Another one of those quizzes for fun...

GALADRIEL

Possessing a rare combination of wisdom and humility, while serenely dominating your environment you selflessly use your powers to care for others.
Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.

I could change the course of the future. I'd still have to bum rides off people.

(Hat tip to WWdN:iX)

Review: Keane

2005-11-01T15:50:00.000-08:00

I read this book to find out more about Roy Keane, fiery Irish midfielder for my favorite footballers, Manchester United. It was a fairly quick read, not really going into any depth on most of his life. The main emphasis was on some of the events that had made him a somewhat notorious public figure in England.

Being a new fan of the English Premier League, a lot of the events were unfamiliar to me. In each of them, Keane is portrayed - of course! - as being a victim of circumstance because of his inability to put up with bullsh*t. Whether you buy that or not, it is interesting to see how he came to find himself dismissed from the Irish squad for World Cup 2002 (which I remember hearing about) or getting set up for tabloid fodder by a couple of conniving women.

What is perhaps most ironic of all about this book is that the blurbs all compliment the candor with which Keane writes... and then a new added chapter shows that one of the most controversial passages about a run-in on the pitch with another player was forcibly censored by the English Football Association.

Funniest thing about the whole book: several times Keane says something along the lines of "Gary Neville was born an adult" and "Gary Neville was never a child." If you've ever seen G. Neville play, it totally fits.

As for recommending it to read, only if you're a real fan. Might bore the socks off you otherwise. Good insight on some of the greats that Keane played with such as Eric Cantona and Steve Bruce, and it has some great pictures. My personal favorite is the infamous Bruce Lee move executed by Cantona on a hapless fan in the stands.

New Phone Phun

2005-11-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

SigO and I finally got of our duffs and got on a family plan for our cell phones. Ridiculous that we should have gone so long without one, I know, but it was just one of those "Duh" moments.

Since I am an AT&T Wireless stepchild of a customer to Cingular, my existing line was added to SigO's plan after jumping through several hoops involving 800 numbers and identity checks. Hooray. And as a testament to my stubbornness in not wanting to get email or take photos on my phone, I got the more recent version of my basic flippy, the Samsung X497 (pictured above).

So far so good on the service, but the ringtones and graphics are LAME. I may be stubborn but I'm not that stubborn. I want cool crap on my phone! Looks like my best friends will no longer be able to trigger "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" and "Happy Valentine's Day" by Outkast will no longer signal SigO. And since I am now the subordinate on the plan, I can't log on to the web to download, and for some reason can't access downloadable ringtones or graphics from my cell phone.

Someone decided that IM would be a good idea, however, so now I seem to be permanently signed in to Yahoo! Messenger. Curiouser and curiouser.

Actual added bonus, however, is that Caller ID now shows my cell phone number with SigO's name. Heh. Mistaken identity hijinks set to ensue!

Daylight Savings Time GRR!

2005-11-01T13:44:00.000-08:00

Yeah, this is what I'm coming back with.

Still completely out of sorts from the time change two days ago. Why can't we just leave the clock alone?

Don't make me move to Arizona.

Blogging for Fun and Profit

2005-09-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm still here. Just haven't had much to share, really... except for a wedding and a trip to the beach. Those involve photos so they won't be up here.

What's bugging me today -- the large issues like Katrina and gas prices aside -- is the newly-discovered "personal branding portfolio". Like the practice of networking for the sake of networking, there is a level of disingenuousness to it that I don't appreciate.

Hypocritical of me, maybe? I probably wouldn't be bothered by it if I were running a successful blog. It may also be why I'm still unemployed right now, not forthright enough in my forthrightness.

Go! Team - San Francisco

2005-07-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

Go! Team
Originally uploaded by gregoryperez.

This picture is from a different show, but the vibe is captured well. The Go! Team is a UK band with high energy music that SigO discovered via Pitchfork Media a few months ago, and we couldn't resist the chance to see them at Bimbo's in the city last night.

Their music is difficult to describe, with samples, heavy drums, singing, rapping, guitars, piano... it's just crazy fun.

I've told my little brother he has to see them, since they're going to be in LA tonight and tomorrow night.

Review: The Birth of Venus

2005-07-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

My mother recommended this book to me, which I guess is a testament to the fact that I'm all grown up because it has sex in it. We proper Southern women don't discuss such things.

Anyhoo, I found myself getting sucked into it, although the story seemed like the familiar set-in-the-past-rebellious-woman thing that I feel like I've run into before. It was entertaining enough to keep reading, even though I made the mistake of wandering through the discussion questions at the end -- it was one of those book club editions -- that tipped some of the plot points. Probably would have been better without that.

Despite the fact that I swallowed it whole in about three days, it gets an "eh". If you enjoyed Girl with a Pearl Earring or The Red Tent, you will probably enjoy this one as well.

Real Madrid vs. LA Galaxy - July 18th

2005-07-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

Real Madrid vs. LA Galaxy
Originally uploaded by laNDN.

SigO and I spent the weekend with his parents in Redondo Beach so that we could all go to this game on Monday night in Carson. What a treat!

We also got to meet up with my little brother who lives down there, which is always cool.

Of course, Real Madrid just made it look like they were playing against a practice squad, but you know. They took it easy on the Galaxy and only won 2-0.

Good thing my dad brought back a Zizu jersey from Italy so I could wear it!

Pictured here are Beckham, Roberto Carlos and Michael Owen. Other players on the team include Zinedine Zidane (Zizu), Gravesen, Figo, Raul and Ronaldo.

Review: Blink

2005-07-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

This book read surprisingly quickly for what is basically a sociology text. It's really not very long, and it dissects a concept called the adaptive unconscious, which is described by the subtitle of the book, "The Power of Thinking Without Thinking". This is a trait that allows one to make snap decisions based on input that one is not even aware of.

The most striking example that Malcolm Gladwell gives is of a situation where the mind's ability to interpret facial expressions and body language failed, which is the case of Amadou Dialo, an innocent who was shot 41 times by NYC officers in a blind panic a few years back. In more subtle cases, he describes how corporations use packaging shapes and colors to influence consumers. It is definitely a book that provides food for thought, and surprisingly readable for a book dealing with such an abstract concept.

And not one to miss an opportunity for subtle digs, the military exercise chapter is frightening -- when faced with unconventional tactics during war games that cost them victory, the powers that be call a "do over" and handicap their faux renegade general so that they can predict the outcome. Given that this occurred back in 2000 according to the book, it's easy to see how the US military can apparently be taken off guard.

Review: The Master and Margarita

2005-07-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

Picked up this book by Mikhail Bulgakov on a whim because I remembered that my little brother had recommended it a few years back. I had wandered into a bookstore to pre-order Harry Potter #6 -- nothing wrong with that -- and felt stupid walking out of a store with just a receipt. That and there was a picture of a cat on the cover.

It takes some time to get started and is a bit confusing because of the Russian patronymics, but it really does pull you in. The edition that I got was a newer translation from the Russian. The author, Bulgakov, is extremely popular now in that country, but his works were banned during his lifetime under the Communist regime.

I can't begin to explain this book, but the simple version is that the Devil comes to Moscow and very strange and gruesome things begin to happen. This is interwoven with a novel by The Master, who is writing about Pontius Pilate at a time when anything that is in any way religious is banned. While it sounds depressing, what emerges is an allegorical satire about life in the Soviet state that is laugh-out-loud funny at times. Fortunately the notes at the end are very thorough in explaining some discrepancies in the narrative and some of the name and word choices that the author makes.

Very highly recommended. In fact, it became my best friend's birthday present, to whom I always try to give the best book I've read that year. Hopefully she won't see this before she gets the package!

Armstrong = Super Fantastique

2005-07-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

It must suck to be Jan Ullrich. Sure, you've won the Tour de France, but then along comes this Yank who's supposed to have died of cancer and proceeds to dominate the prime of your career.

Reminds me of a quote from the golfing world a few years back:

Interviewer: What would you have to shoot this weekend in order to win?
Respondent: Tiger Woods.

Should be a wide-open field next year, but this year's TDF is making Mr. Armstrong look invincible. He's just toying with people, man, I can see how one might not appreciate that.

If you've got OLN, you'd best watch. Me, I'm watching mostly to see the fantastic French countryside and spectacular aerial shots.

Review: Lindbergh (Finally!)

2005-07-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

For being such a great biography, it really took me a long time to get through it. So long in fact, that I renewed it too many times, had to return it to the library, then checked it out again. And then I still had to renew it once. I think the problem was that I had several reserves come through at the same time, and they had definite time constraints because other people had requested them as well. Lindbergh was not in high demand so it got a lower priority.

At any rate, I decided to read this book after reading Kate Remembered, A. Scott Berg's memoir about his relationship with Katharine Hepburn that he published after her death. I liked his writing style and was intrigued by the high praise he had received for his other biographies of Max Perkins and Samuel Goldwyn. I also wanted to read about Lindbergh because I had read somewhere that the Hepburn/Tracy film "Keeper of the Flame" was loosely based on him because of his controversial involvement in an isolationist movement called America First at the beginning of WW II. He was accused of being a pro-Nazi fascist with aspirations to creating his own dictatorship -- and he was too naive to deign to address these aspersions directly.

There is a breathtaking level of detail in the book, the culmination of nine years of research. Berg was the first author given complete access to the diaries, letters and other documents of Lindbergh himself, his wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh, their children, and any other associates that might have had a bearing on creating this portrait of the enigmatic flyer. The density of facts is a bit overwhelming and necessitates a kind of focus that makes it impossible to read bits and pieces here and there as I was trying to do. It clocks in at over 600 pages and comes with several sections of photographs, some of which are from the private Lindbergh collections, and are great illustrations of the people and places described in the pages.

Overall, it was a fascinating picture of a man that even his family did not know well. Linbergh comes across as distant, willful and motivated by an unbending need to control everything around him. His flight to Paris was attempted not to bring him the fame that haunted him for the rest of his life, but to prove that the challenge could be met. This unwilling international hero tried to keep some things for himself and his family, but the press was relentless in their pursuit in a way that echoes the current paparazzi scourge. After the kidnapping death of their first child and the subsequent media circus, the Lindberghs were forced to emigrate to Europe to retrieve some measure of a "normal" life. The chapter on the "Trial of the Century" is a real page-turner, even if it does cast doubt on the idea that the perpetrator was able to pull off this astonishing atrocity by himself. Lindbergh's level of fame seems astonishing now, in an age where such "heroes" are manufacturing on a weekly, if not daily, basis and left behind just as quickly.

Interestingly enough, all of this fame and glory was tarnished by his unabashed admiration for the technological advances of Nazi Germany and his apparent refusal to explicitly state his aversion to the attempted genocide of the Holocaust. To be fair, although he did advocate that the US stay out of the "European" war, he was the first to try and reenlist in the armed forces once Pearl Harbor happened. Unfortunately he had put himself on the wrong side of FDR and had to find other ways to serve -- including acting as a guinea pig for aeronautics companies that were working through the technical problems of creating pressurized flight decks. Eventually he was able to find his way into the service as a "technical rep" and unofficially flew 50 bombing missions in the Pacific. His recommendations on increasing power and fuel efficiency expanded the attack radius of the fleets in the Pacific and brought a much-needed element of surprise to US battle plans there.

To be sure, it was not all sunshine and roses, particularly where his marriage was concerned. However, I think that those interested in the great man and his rise, fall and subsequent redemption through his conservation efforts will find this book a valuable resource. I knew that he was buried at Hana when I visited Maui six years ago, but if I had read this book before going there, I would not have stopped short of making it to his gravesite.

I was impressed enough to contemplate reading Berg's two other biographies; however, I think I will take my time in getting to them.

Review: The World is Flat

2005-07-11T12:53:00.000-07:00

I am waayyyy behind on reviewing what I've read, so I'll just stick to the most recent few. This book, The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century, is written by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman and explores the way that technology has removed the barriers to globalization. In particular, he focuses on the advent of the web and the fall of the Berlin Wall and how they have affected the distribution of productivity around the globe. We've obviously just reached the tip of the iceberg here, as technology keeps ramping up efficiencies.

I was fascinated by his take on things, much as I was when reading his The Lexus and The Olive Tree. His style of writing is very clear and interesting, even when the subjects aren't necessarily scintillating. He writes about offshoring, outsourcing, and how they can factor into geopolitics. One frightening point he makes is that we have yet to see what will happen to the global economy once all of India and China are online and bring their massive populations' energy demands to the world market. And we think gas prices are high now...

Definitely recommend this book for brain spinach reading. If you're looking for a break from light summer fare, this is a good bet.

And one note: I'm using Safari at the moment to post, which apparently does not support all of the Blogger functionality. No inserted links or formatting capabilities!!

Taproot Foundation

2005-07-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

So how else am I filling my time, you ask? What useful thing am I doing to offset the absence of employment?

Working with the Taproot Foundation, of course! This is a great organization with chapters scattered around the country that does pro bono marketing work for non-profit organizations. Is my halo showing yet?

More information here: http://www.taprootfoundation.org

The project I've been assigned to is a redesign of a website for Downtown College Prep, a charter public school dedicated to preparing underachieving kids from downtown San Jose to attend 4-year colleges and succeed. Way cool.

Their current website is here: http://www.downtowncollegeprep.org

See if there is a chapter in your area and sign up as a volunteer today!

Blog Hiatus

2005-07-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

I know there's a funny term for it, the blog hiatus, but I can't think of it right now. Working my way back into posting between my current obsession with finding more work and the Tour de France on OLN. I'm writing today in fact because it's a rest day. Sad really.

I'm also writing surrounded by my all-Apple all-the-time technology, including a 12" iBook, and iPod Mini plugged into JBL speakers. The crowning glory, my Targus optical mini-mouse, as recommended by Backup Brain.

And of course, this post is just a test of my Blogger posting Widget. Love that Mac OS X.

This Day in History: The Magna Carta

2005-06-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

As some of you may remember from your middle school world history lessons, the Magna Carta is always touted as a pretty big deal. Well, according to the History Channel website, King John sealed the deal on this date.

Interesting to note, however, that the actual execution of the document is not all it's cracked up to be:

The Magna Carta has been subject to a great deal of historical exaggeration; it did not establish Parliament, as some have claimed, nor more than vaguely allude to the liberal democratic ideals of later centuries. However, as a symbol of the sovereignty of the rule of law, it was of fundamental importance to the constitutional development of England.

Wonder how many other significant milestones we've learned by rote that aren't what we think they are?

The Declaration of Independence comes to mind... July 4th is great and all, but we still had to fight a big, bloody war after that.

Review: We the Media

2005-06-13T17:57:00.000-07:00

Because I spend a lot of time monitoring blogs for my current assignment, I became aware of Dan Gillmor and his contributions to the online community. Based on what I had read by him and about him, I thought I would check out his book, We the Media, about the changing role of blogs and the potential they have to be the news delivery system.

An interesting premise, and he develops his case thoroughly using specific examples of where blogs have affected events and outcomes, as well as providing the background and definitions for those who might not be conversant in the exact terminology. One chapter I was glad to see was specifically related to RSS and its uses, which I have had some trouble explaining to my family members who are not involved in technology.

I was also surprised to find how big of a role the online community has played in certain events, as it continues to do with coverage of the Iraq war and the response to the Thai tsunami in late 2004. I wonder though if there will not be the inevitable backlash against online sources as their credibility and legitimacy are challenged both online and in the courts. Allegations even surfaced today that a prominent news organization had become so desperate for online traffic that they enlisted a shady organization to raise their page rank -- if they are also sucked down, what will be left?

Mostly what the book did for me is underscore the point that the journalism profession is reliant upon a stringent code of ethics that sometimes seems to be enforced on a strictly "honor policy" basis. It makes it difficult to know whom to trust, much less believe. I don't like being a cynic, but it's difficult to feel that all news reporting now is not just spin based on the political agenda of the transmitting organization. It makes a sad statement that the only "news" program that I watch is "The Daily Show". But at least I am also well-informed enough to know when they get something wrong.

Overall, I would recommend this book as reading for those who are just becoming familiar with the "blogosphere" and what it can do.

Episode III: Take Two

2005-06-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

SigO and I went to see Episode III last week in digital. It was great
-- crystal clear, astounding visuals... and still clunky dialogue. But
we knew that.

I was still able to feel compassion for Anakin; be bewildered by his
sudden decision to bow to Sidious; and feel sorry for Hayden
Christensen for being saddled with the thankless task of delivering an
emotional performance for a director that wouldn't know one if it
walked up and bit him. Banter, he can do up to a point, as demonstrated by the interplay between Anakin and Obi-Wan in the first act. Sigh.

SigO has just completed his Phantom Edit and is already planning the
same for Clones and ROTS. I have many suggestions for him, but I'm
sure he's got them covered.

Note: adding links has started to bug me, so I'm posting this without
them for now.

Magic Number to Find Job?

2005-06-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

Your Birthdate: April 8

Born on the 8th day of the month, you have a special gift for business, as you can conceive and plan on a grand scale.

You have good executive skills and you're a good judge of values.

You should try to own your own business, because you have such a strong desire to be in control.

You are generally reliable when it comes to handling money; you can be trusted in this regard.

Idealistic by nature, you are never too busy to spend some time on worthwhile causes, especially if managerial support are needed.

There is much potential for material success associated with this number.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Too bad I can't use this as a reference for finding a full time job. Somehow it's difficult to get this across on a resume.

If I could throw this into the ring, I could then use my horoscope and my numerology profile to back it up.

PXNA05 - Warfield

2005-06-02T16:13:00.000-07:00

The Pixies,
originally uploaded by fannymcgee.

We had a great Memorial Day weekend, capped off by seeing the Pixies at the Warfield on Monday night. It was a bizarre set up where they played two shows in one night, the first starting at 7:00 and the second at 11:30. SigO was braver than I and stayed through both.

Here's the set list from the show I went to:
Show #1: Lady In The Radiator Song, Wave of Mutilation (UK surf), Where is My Mind, La La Love You, Here Comes Your Man, Nimrod's Son, Vamos, Mr. Grieves, Blown Away, Winterlong, Into the White, Bone Machine, Gigantic, Caribou, Monkey Gone to Heaven, The Sad Punk, Stormy Weather, Hey, Dead, Tame, River Euphrates, Ed is Dead, Alec Eiffel, Planet of Sound. Encore: Gouge Away, Debaser.
Courtesy of T. Malone, who was also there. We were standing on the floor right near the front, great view all around & rocked out as much as our old bones could stand. SigO finally got to see "River Euphrates" live, and I got to hear "Winterlong", which is one of my favorites to sing along to. We went to see them last year at the Greek Ampitheatre over in Berkeley and up at UC Davis, and they really have it all together now.

Unfortunately there was a guy on Monday behind us doing his best imitation of a smoke machine of the wacky kind so it was very pungent -- but easily ignored.

If you give a damn and you can get out to see 'em, I recommend it.

Episode III: Sigh.

2005-06-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

From Starlog.com

I actually saw Episode III: ROTS the day after it came out, but I've been busy with other things. I think it did a good job overall because it made me really, really sad in spite of the fact that most of the dialogue was excruciating and some of the acting was terrible. I kinda knew what to expect in that regard because "I've got a bad feeling about this", while a Lucas catch phrase that I myself use fairly often, is not stellar writing.

I ended up seeing it with my family while in VA, and I told SigO later as we compared notes that I felt like LilBud in the second half of the movie saying "Noo." in the whiny little voice of a two-year-old being asked to do something they don't want to do. I knew how it was going to end, but I didn't want him to go out like that. It was not a satisfying turn to the dark side in my mind. Even though they were building to it effectively, in the end it was more of a squeak than even a whimper when Anakin succumbs to Sidious.

And then there was poor Natalie Portman. It makes me wonder how much better I would have felt about the part of Padme if I didn't know her as a great actress -- I felt like she was wasted here. More unknowns in other parts might have helped, too, to eliminate some of the feelings of stunt casting that have been haunting the prequels.

SigO says that it improves upon second viewing, but you know it's bad when my Dad, Mr. Blow-'em-up-flick-fan, thinks that the light saber battles are too long. But even given all of that, I know that we will have to get the DVD, and I can't wait to see the special features.

This is why George Lucas is worth approximately a gazillion dollars.

Oo! Oo! Wal-Mart is Out!!

2005-05-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

Well I'll be darned. Looks like someone realizes that Netflix has a great thing going:

Under the agreement, Wal-Mart will offer its online customers the opportunity to sign up with Netflix at their current monthly subscription price of $12.97 for a year, and Netflix will promote Wal-Mart DVD sales to its 3 million subscribers.

Blockbuster is still in it; Amazon is still a darkhorse, but this can only be good for Netflix.

Cruise/Holmes = Huh?

2005-05-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

Many props to the Manolo for this series of pictures, which somehow captures my feeling about the whole thing.

Kind of happy for them, I guess, but in some respects it just seems creepy. The main difference between this relationship and that of Ms. Moore and Mr. Kutcher is that Mr. Kutcher did not profess a desire to be married to Ms. Moore before he met her.

I want to believe that this is on the up and up, but somehow I just can't. That being said, they are a phenomenally attractive couple.

English Premier League Map - Circa ??

2005-05-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

Source: Educational Services

My older brother sent this out to the fam today and I just had to share. They used to have this great satellite zoom before each of the EPL games on Fox Sports World (now Fox Soccer Channel), which I liked because it would show you specifically where the matches were taking place, even down to what the stadium looked like from the air. It was way cool.

Teams on this list that are currently not in the EPL: Sunderland (they were up two seasons ago!); Bradford City; Leeds United (they were up last season!); Derby County; Leicester City (they were up last season!); Coventry City (butt of a Monty Python joke!); Ipswich Town; West Ham United (they were up two seasons ago!); and, as of this past Sunday, Southampton.

It's Funny because it's True...

2005-05-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

Spencer the Katt from eWeek

Saw this cartoon mentioned on Scobleizer and just had to share because a large part of my job involves tracking blogs and trying to get my company covered on them.

The cynicism is well-earned.

Bay to Breakers 2005

2005-05-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

IMG_4501,
originally uploaded by davelu37.

Just a sample of the wackiness that went on yesterday at the Bay to Breakers in San Francisco. We actually saw this guy leaving the hotel, he was staying on our floor!

SigO and I walked the 7+ miles due to our gimpiness, but it was very entertaining. Many travelling alcohol dispensaries, sexual organs real and simulated, and a swarm of salmon running upstream to spawn. That one was my favorite.

Check out Flickr for more pics!

"Time keeps on tickin tickin tickin...

2005-05-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

...into the future..."

Ah, that was one of my favorite songs growing up. Has some great electronic special effects in it, especially if you're six years old.

As things pick up at work and as I get ready to go on a jaunt back home to see my family, I've found it hard to get around to posting to this site. Add in the fact that the home Internet connection is wonky (grumble grumble Comcast sux grumble grumble), and you've got a recipe for "eh".

So I'm going to copy Jeremy Zawodny (without quite as much seriousness in the content) and put in a list of things rather than separate posts.

FEPL Update: We're nearing the end of the season, and it looks like my older brother has run away with the title, much in the spirit of Chelsea. Which actually had a lot to do with it since he consistently made Frank Lampard the captain of his fantasy team, and Lampard had a dream season. At least I'm not coming in last...but that's really an itty bitty consolation. Note to self: whenever SigO picks someone for his team, and particularly if he makes that player his captain, drop him like a hot rock. He's either about to get hurt or not play that week.
ManU & Glazer: Can't believe that this guy is getting his foot in the door, especially with a bid that includes so much debt. I'm with Sir Alex. It's also worrisome given that the team's quality seems to have fallen off this season. SigO and I have debated their seeming inability to finish and the lack of consistency (except for Rio Ferdinand) on the back line. If Mr. Glazer were intending to revitalize the team the way that Abramovich has Chelsea, it might be a different thing. At the moment, I'll have to use a Lucasism: "I've got a bad feeling about this."
Disney + Muppets: In the same vein, I have to agree with this article about the takeover of the Muppets by Disney and what it could possibly mean for the future of the characters. I grew up with the Muppet movies and The Muppet Show because it happened in the era between The Rescuers and The Little Mermaid when Disney animation just wasn't all that great (The Black Cauldron, anyone? And I loved the Lloyd Alexander series). I'm going to be watching "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz", don't get me wrong, I'm just not expecting to like it very much.
Fanzone: Fox Soccer Channel sometimes shows the Sky Sports coverage of EPL games called Fanzone, which involves a fan for each team on the pitch and a mediator, covering the game. There's no play-by-play, it's all color. There's plenty of screaming and smack-talking involved, and it's absolutely hilarious. Particularly the reaction to Rooney's spectacular goal against Newcastle United, where the ManU fan just ended up screaming for about 15 seconds.
Aussie Rules: One of my summertime treats is Australian Rules Football on Fox Soccer Channel. I just caught it randomly one night when FSC was still called Fox Sports World, and I got hooked. Mostly because I had to figure out what the heck was going on, but it's great! These guys make American football players look like pansies because Americans wear pads. Some similarities to rugby, but it's really a wide open game. The commentators are great, too. My favorite quotes from last week: "He chose the third of two options." and "He's got delusions of adequacy." Then there's also just the general screaming and carrying on that they do when they're excited.
Getting Things Done: I had been reading about this book in several blogs so I decided to check it out. It does have some interesting ideas, but my psychological makeup may be such that I don't get as much benefit from it as some others might. I'm always thinking of tiny detail things that need to be done just when I have no way to capture them, such as when I'm in the shower or driving. I also don't seem to find some of the open loops floating around in my brain to be important enough to merit writing down... which of course is a good way to undermine the entire system. I also found that I have a lot of the recommended habits already (do it if it's under 2 min, write things down, etc.). One good thing that did come out of it is that I picked up a wireless keyboard for my Tungsten E that is fantastic. It's also given me a bit more confidence that I'm getting things under control, and led me to try some interesting new online services such as Ta-Da lists, Backpack and AirSet. I'm a part-time marketing consultant using my client's PC as my base computer, and having the online sync capacities means that I don't have to clutter my Palm with the crap I don't want on there. Still working out the kinks in the system, but it has so far inspired me to take a more active role in running my rec league soccer team.
CWRISP!: This is an ongoing lament that SigO and I have with respect to the Oakland A's. Their record is terrible at the moment, and it's very discouraging to watch them. Mostly it has to do with how horribly they've been doing with Runners In Scoring Position, hence the acronym "Crappy With Runners In Scoring Position". I've taken to shouting that whenever they've got someone on 2nd or 3rd because generally that person is never moving any closer to home base. It does however mean that they are willing to try new things, which has resulted in such novel developments as a lead-off bunt single. But it's still not enough. Also Gold Glover winner Eric Chavez is having a slower start than he usually does -- personally I blame EA Sports MLB 2005. At least local boy Eric Byrnes is as nutty as ever.

I've got many more, but I've already been working on this for too long. SigO will be wondering where I am... hasta.

Google Logo: National Teacher's Day

2005-05-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

Couldn't let this one slide by as my older brother is one of the few, the proud, the high school calculus teachers.

Give a teacher you know an attaboy! Or girl!

Review: Suspense and Sensibility

2005-05-02T15:56:00.000-07:00

Whipped through this one in a little over a day, much as I knew that I would. Suspense and Sensibility is the second book in the Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery series by Carrie Bebris, and it picks up a few weeks after the first book, Pride and Prescience (see previous review) leaves off.

This time we are introduced to the characters from Sense and Sensibility some 15 years after we meet them in the original novel. Again there is the supernatural element that of course Darcy scoffs at, obviously making him the Scully to Elizabeth Bennet Darcy's Mulder in this relationship.

As I was describing this book to a friend of mine, she raised a very good question -- how is it that someone can take these characters and create a completely different story? I can only imagine that it has something to do with public domain as I could not find any acknowledgement of copyright or reference to permission from the Austen estate.

In any case, it is a mildly diverting addition to the Austenite pantheon; once again, perfect for a long flight. Some elements are not that well disguised, particularly for anyone who has read The Picture of Dorian Gray, but it is still very creative in its use of the characters.

Simpler IS better! Amazon's New Look

2005-04-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

Whoa! Clean version of amazon,
originally uploaded by mathowie.

I like the look of this, particularly since I'm on the site a couple of times a week, if only researching books or ordering gifts.

Now if they could only stay in business...

Amazon's Earnings Dilemma

2005-04-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

Amazon announced earnings yesterday, and it's interesting to note that the full swing away from the dotcom era seems to be complete. Now if you aren't making enough profit you're in trouble.

Interesting to note that part of the problem seems to be the Amazon Prime program that I wrote about earlier, with the annual fee for 2-day shipping. They've been through the hard part, though, they've gotten their physical infrastructure in place.

Now if they would just buy Netflix, my worries would be over! Maybe.

RSS: The New Crack

2005-04-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

I've recently been introduced to the wide wonderful world of RSS -- I'm not an early adopter (see blog start date) -- and I'm finding that it's more addicting than email or the web.

What's new?! What headlines have been published in the past five minutes on the websites that I track?! MUST KNOW NOW.

I use RSS Bandit, an aggregator endorsed by some other bloggers, and I like it because it's straightforward. I can use it in addition to my tracking software to keep tabs on competitors, industry news, you name it.

And I'm even vain enough to subscribe to my own Atom feed.

Review: Metropolis

2005-04-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

HOLY COW! FIREFOX JUST EXPLODED SO I LOST THIS WHOLE POST! That can't be good. And all of my cleverness and wit was poured into the review I just lost. Crap.

/Saving as Draft
As they say in the Monty Python skits , "Start again".

Metropolis was one of those books that I found having praise lavished all over it by several different magazines. I put in a request for it at my local library -- see my previous post about already owning too many books -- and patiently waited my turn. As often happens, when I finally did get it, it was trapped in a flood of other books that I had requested that I also wanted to read. Unfortunately I was not as interested in it as I had been when I requested it, a problem that I also often have with Netflix.

Long story short, I ended up have to blaze through the book in order to finish it before it was due at the library. I couldn't renew it because someone else had requested it after me, and I refuse to be someone who thinks that paying fines for overdue library books is OK. Call it a thing.

In its defense, I did find myself getting sucked in. I started it in order to decide whether or not I really wanted to try to read it in two days, and I figured, "Why not?" (Some who read the book might think that's a pun but it's not.)

Some of the characters were interesting, but the central love story between Beatrice O'Gahmna and Frank Harris was just annoying. So annoying in fact that I ascribed it to the fact that the author was a woman and had to include some overweening passion to motivate her characters and keep readers interested. And I'm a woman! At least there weren't the gratuitous sex scenes that I had to sit through in Rise of Endymion. Ugh.

I did enjoy the picture it painted of life in New York City in the late 1860s, particularly the descriptions of the open spaces that had not yet been filled to overflowing on Manhattan Island and the surrounding boroughs. The author also had some playful spots where she injected herself into the story -- "Shall I end it here?" -- and talked about the nature of fate. She also succeeded in building a sense of dread because you knew that Frank's luck was such that he was going to end up a sucker for Undertoe again.

Would I recommend it? Eh. It was well researched, fairly well written, but I won't be running out to buy it.

Three Weeks + 2 Days...

2005-04-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

to Episode III!

I'm half expecting to be disappointed when I finally see it, but I know it's going to be a hell of a ride on the big screen. Another clue in the D.O. chronology: I saw each film in the original Star Wars trilogy during their original theatrical releases.

And no sir, I don't really appreciate some of the changes that were incorporated into the "Special" editions. Even though I saw all of those in the theater, too. I'm sorry, Greedo didn't shoot first and Han didn't duck. Doesn't work for me.

Awesome.
Source: BBC News

Mr. McGregor is just tops -- he makes the '60s sex comedy satire Down With Love extremely watchable. Any DVD you can find of his films, be sure to watch the behind the scenes doc if they have one. High-larious.

Beauteous Spring in CA

2005-04-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

Rancho San Antonio, April 2005,
originally uploaded by domnivore.

This photo was taken at the top of the Wildcat Loop Trail at Rancho San Antonio in Cupertino.

It's a great open space preserve, and SigO and I have taken to hiking there while training for the Bay to Breakers.

The view is good motivation, no?

For the record, we will not be wearing silly costumes or our birthday suits for the race. We are quite boring that way.

Earth Day 2005 - Google style

2005-04-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

Google continues its lovely logos.

Get out of your car and sniff a flower today.

Review: Rise of Endymion

2005-04-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally finished the Shrike (or Hyperion as I guess it's called) series. The last book, Rise of Endymion, does tie up some loose ends, but to a linear thinker like me there are still some questions to answer.

There are some loopy time-shifting things going on, and Simmons doesn't bother to go back and explain where the empathy part of the human UI has gone or fits into the narrative and why John Keats of all other poets is important... I think I'm even confusing myself trying to write about it. It does end on a bit of a happy note, albeit still confusing because of the time travel things as I think back over the story of all four books. Maybe I should just accept that I won't understand it and leave it at that.

Still left me feeling a bit unsatisfied, though. Simmons creates a slow-on-the-uptake narrator in Raul Endymion that keeps him from having to explain things. Serves his purposes, but not mine. Grumble grumble grumble.

I Demand a Recount!

2005-04-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

Your Linguistic Profile:

50% General American English

25% Yankee

20% Dixie

5% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Surely I can't have more Yankee than Dixie in my language make-up... surely. Ah sweah that ah am frum thu Sa-outh!

(Well, maybe not that far South.)

Review: Practical Demonkeeping

2005-04-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

I would say that overall, I liked this book. It started out well, really funny and off-kilter in a Matt Ruff kind of way. The set up is hilarious, and it is not one of those books that takes its sweet time getting where it wants to go. After reading so much Dan Simmons (Hyperion, Fall of Hyperion, Endymion), I can really appreciate that in an author.

I seem to keep coming back to the light and fluffy in my reading materials and the accompaying descriptions, and this qualifies as that definitely. Note: not recommended for those who might be overly dismayed by a main character demon whose main purpose seems to be eating people in three bites, starting at the head. The subtitle of this is "A Comedy of Horrors" for a reason.

TiVo + Search Engines = Yeah, what he said.

2005-04-19T13:37:00.000-07:00

I could not agree more with this assessment. I understand that TiVo is looking at any and all ways to get its name out there and court potential consumer users and potential corporate acquirers, but I need some convincing before I can take a partnership between TiVo and Yahoo or Google seriously.

Caveat: the title of this blog isn't "The Discriminating Omniscience". I've been surprised more than once by how these things turn out.

Review: Riding Giants

2005-04-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

If I took the time to review all the movies I watch, there wouldn't be time for much else, but this one really stands out so it gets special treatment.

I had wanted to see this because SigO and I each have a soft spot in our hearts for surf films, and I was not at all disappointed. I found myself wanting to buy a copy of this to share with my (as yet unborn) kids so that they could feel my awe and love of the beach and the ocean and understand how compelling it can be.

I haven't seen any other Stacy Peralta films, but now I really want to. The structure worked, the animation and 3-D shots they used to fill gaps in the history of surfing were fantastic... I felt the cynic thinking "Of course Laird Hamilton is portrayed as a god, he's an executive producer", but the visuals overwhelm that kind of thinking. I can only imagine what it must have been like on the big screen.

This all comes from a non-surfer, by the way, I don't actually count bodysurfing. Just a beach lover who's spent a week a year on the shores of North Carolina for most of her life. If everything goes well, I'll get to retire near the water somewhere.

NYY vs. BOS = Big Trouble

2005-04-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

Turns out that the Italians don't have the market cornered on sports fans issues. All hell broke lose during the Yankees/Red Sox game in Boston last night when a drunken idiot brushed Gary Sheffield as he was trying to field a ball in play in right field.

I saw the slo-mo and it looked like the guy was off-balance and boozin' -- he wasn't even looking at Sheffield when his hand hit him. Imagine his surprise when Sheffield came up swinging and knocked the beer out of his hand. Not that you can blame the player, I don't think you'd find a more hostile place to play as a Yankee than Fenway.

But it brought up images of the NBA melee in Detroit in November and other incidents that have happened in recent years. It's all ugly.

Leonardo da Google

2005-04-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

Google is continuing its cool logo shifts for various things... who knew that Leonardo was born on tax day?

Amazon + Netflix??

2005-04-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

Reading through the blogs I track this morning, I noticed this bit on Techdirt. It seems strange to me that Amazon is considering entering the DVD rental business... maybe some kind of advertising partnership or making Amazon the go-to place where you can buy the DVDs that you liked on Netflix would make sense, but not this, as far as I can tell.

According to the article, they like the idea:

It keeps Amazon from competing directly, and gives them access not only to Amazon's marketing reach, but also could allow them to better tie into Amazon's customer database and recommendation information -- which could strengthen Netflix's own recommendation offering.

I just really can't see why Amazon wouldn't just buy Netflix if it really wants to get into this market. What real motivation does Netflix have? I guess the marketing reach is tempting, but I honestly don't even know of any other online DVD rental service (I don't count Blockbuster) so to me that means that Netflix is top-of-mind.

We'll have to see how this pans out, I guess. The Netflix + Tivo combo makes much more sense to me, though, both as a business person and as a customer.

Mayhem in Milan

2005-04-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

Source: AP

Pandemonium in Champions League Football Tuesday. Who can justify this level of violence? They hit Dida in the head with a burning flare for crying out loud!

It's just embarrassing for the international game. And apparently the culmination of several days of violent behavior from fans of Italian football teams around that nation. Fortunately the Liverpool/Juventus game went off without a hitch.

Unless you're a Juve fan.

Review: Murphy's Law (A Molly Murphy Mystery)

2005-04-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

See, I told you had a lot of reviews to catch up on! When I get on a tear, I can really plow through some books. Shorter ones, anyway.

Saw another book in this series in the bookstore, and instead of buying it I exercised some control and decided to check it out at the library. Discovered that the book I had seen was not the first in the series and decided to start at the beginning, with Murphy's Law. Again, light and fluffy. Almost as insubstantial as cotton candy, actually.

The only thing that kept me reading this book is I wanted to see if Molly would be able to get off the boat and deliver the kids to their dad. That's really it. Then I was so much closer to the end and didn't have anything better to do so I finished it. I didn't really care who had committed the murder on Ellis Island or who would have something to hide worth killing for.

There were some elements that were romance-novel-esque that were a bit distracting and annoying... but if I were looking for something to fill up a trip cross-country by air, I might pick up another in the series.

And by "pick up" I mean check out of the library. I've already mentioned that I own too many books.

Review: Pride and Prescience

2005-04-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

Light and fluffy, this book is nothing more than another addition to the genre that takes existing literary characters and plops them down in new situations. Books like Grendel, which retells the Beowulf legend from the point of view of the monster, or The Wide Sargasso Sea, which tells the story of Jane Eyre from the point of view of Rochester's mad wife, are good examples.

Pride and Prescience takes things in quite a different direction, however, as it starts after the wedding scene that ends Pride and Prejudice and takes the characters through a mysterious adventure. Probably only interesting to Jane Austen fans or fans of the original book, it is engrossing enough to keep you reading. I must say that for me the mystery was secondary to the byplay between the characters in the book.

At one point I did feel a little ill-used because the series obviously plays on the fascination that I and many others have for Jane Austen's characters. There are chinks where the modernity of the author peeks through, but if you're reading the book in earnest and wilfully suspending your disbelief like a good little audience, you'll be willing to ignore them.

I knocked this one out in less than a day and would recommend it to anyone else looking for some nice brain candy. I've already got its sequel, Suspense and Sensibility, in my reading queue.

Review: Endymion

2005-04-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

The Shrike series continues with Endymion, the third book of four. It's a bit different from Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion in that it only has two characters that narrate, which leaves the character of Aenea even more mysterious because she is not one of the two so we don't know what's going on in her brain.

The first is Raul Endymion, an aimless denizen of post-Fall Hyperion who gets sucked into events that he doesn't understand by Martin Silenus, the randy poet figure from the first two books. The second is Captain Father - you know, I can't remember. I really must learn to read these things more slowly.

Anyway, as I was reading, I was trying to piece together the rest of the pieces of the puzzle including Moneta, the Shrike -- who has a MUCH different role in this one -- the quicksilver suits, the Time Tombs, and how all this fits into the metasphere thing (That sentence would make sense if you've read the first two books.).

Unfortunately, none of these questions were really answered. As I believe I've mentioned before, I'm an American, which means that I have to have things spelled out for me a lot. Not that I'm stupid, just that I don't always make the connections that the author/artist/director might think are obvious.

I'm hoping that the final book, The Rise of Endymion, might finally answer some of these questions. Somehow, I doubt it, since even in this penultimate book in the series the author brings in a new (short-lived) character with 10 chapters to go that introduces all kinds of new plot questions that Simmons doesn't really take time to address. But hope springs eternal, yadda yadda yadda.

Review: The Power of Now

2005-04-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

Oohhhmmmm.... ooohhhhmmmm.... this book purports to combine philosophies from around the world into a single, simple way to drive the anxiety out of everyday life. It also claims to make it clear for those reading it how they might accomplish this kind of zen balance in their own lives.

It sure didn't do a good job of it. However, if I were interested in their line of supplementary materials, it probably would have made a whole lot more sense.

Question: Is it ironic that I had so much trouble staying focused enough on a book called The Power of Now that I had a hard time getting through it?

The author would say that it is my thinking mind that it is interfering with my ability to absorb his teachings and experience the Real Me that just Is (paraphrasing). Although it is interesting to note that he points out that words are not actual meanings in themselves but just signposts to the meaning underneath. I wrote a paper about that very topic for my Honors class on India back in college during our segment on Buddhism. Hooray.

Review: Inside Intuit

2005-04-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

SigO works there so I was able to get my hands on a free copy of this book. I was pointed to it by a friend of mine who is running a startup and aspiring to the same level of market penetration. I thought it would be a good case study.

It's a good general overview of the genesis of the company at Scott Cook's kitchen table and its metamorphosis into the ginormous organization that it is today. It is not, however, a scientific dissection of the business practices and processes that supported its growth, although they do address some of that. Mostly it's a rah-rah-sis-boom-bah book that is disturbingly detailed in some areas and annoyingly shallow in others.

It begins with fairly intricate descriptions of the opening staff, and as it moves through the company timeline devolves into name-dropping people and assuming that the reader knows who they are. The inconsistency is frustrating, but I guess if they stayed at the same level of detail the book would be 600 pages long.

Bottom line: Great idea - right time, right team. Whether or not the model can be replicated is questionable. They sure aren't going to tell you how to do it in this book, but I guess that would be giving away their competitive advantage.

Catching Up...

2005-04-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

The massive technology conspiracy continues. I barely got the Germans Love Him! post done last week because of problems with Blogger, then my Comcast connection at home went kaput. Still down as of last night.

Thank goodness for the "service upgrade". I've got tons of review and updates to post so bear with me... if I can get them up even now. Trying to surreptitiously hack away at them while I'm still at work.

Fingers crossed that this goes up.

My Birfday

2005-04-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

I recently had a birthday, which was unfortunately shared with the funeral rites for one Pope John Paul II. Better that than Camilla and Charles, I say.

I guess it is only fitting since my folks were in Rome and had visited the Vatican the day he died. We were also visiting the day Ling-Ling died at the National Zoo. Not that the Pope compares to a giant panda, but when does a coincidence become a pattern?

SigO came through for me with roses, champagne, and a ManU jersey from my favorite player. He's feisty, Irish, and a Jerk to Play Against.

Keano!

Photo source: Manchester United

Germans Love Him!

2005-04-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

(Hat tip to Norm MacDonald)

I recently came upon a treasure trove of Hasselhoff-related materials that are just too amusing to be described. Thanks to the Manolo for posting a link to the first, many thanks to TonyT for adding the others in the comments.

My oh my.

Tidal Dave
Prepare to Lose Your Mind
Wink!

DST - Damn Silly Thing

2005-04-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

This whole changing around of the clock thing is really tiresome.

I like the longer days of summer and can't understand why we have to switch them back in the fall. Mostly because it gives me a case of the mean reds that even Tiffany's wouldn't be able to snap me out of.

Also because at the moment, like most of the rest of the poor saps who have to go through this government-mandated hoohah, I am groggy and cranky.

Review: Snobs

2005-04-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

I got interested in this book because I really enjoyed the film Gosford Park, for which Julian Fellowes wrote the screenplay. It took me a while to get through it, even though it isn't that long, simply because I had a bad feeling about where it was going. I don't like to see people make fools of themselves or get hurt.

It's fairly amusing in its skewering of the still-extant social castes in modern England, but the story focuses on the ascension of Edith Lavery to the haughty Broughton clan and the not-so-hilarious hijinks that ensue. Which is not to say that it's a total downer, but it does have its rough bits.

Overall a fair bit of light reading, but nothing that I would gush about and then recommend to everyone within earshot.

Review: Cat's Eyewitness

2005-04-04T13:03:00.000-07:00

I am a fan of the Mrs. Murphy mysteries for two reasons. 1) I love animals, and the series features several recurring animal characters who are usually key to moving the plot along; and 2) they're set in Crozet, Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains and make me homesick as heck. There are several thousand miles and several gradients of environmental climate between here and there, and the setting for these books really brings it home. To the point where I was almost in tears while reading this one. Autumn leaves and snow. I remember those!

The series in general is silly, with a closed-town atmosphere that means that any new given character introduced is most likely going to bump off another new character. Exceptions appear in the series, of course, but you know that the big 8-10 characters will stick around.

Cat's Eyewitness, the latest in the series, sticks to the formula well and throws in a few red herrings here and there to keep you guessing, but it's never really mysterious who of the three possibilities is the culprit. The main focus, however, is on some surprising character developments for a character that has been around since the beginning of the series. It also follows the continuing story of Harry and her progress toward reconciling with her ex-husband, Fair.

For series fans, definitely, but I mostly recommend it for the descriptions of the weather in the Blue Ridge and as a light read for a plane trip. I'm from near there, and I really miss it sometimes.

You're Very Smart. Now Shut Up.

2005-04-01T12:46:00.000-08:00

I have a sense of humor, I swear that I do, but people have just got to get over this April Fool's thing. Seeing as how I have a job which requires that a large portion of my time be spent poring over websites to keep up on industry and competitive news, today's redundant headlines and snickering are really a bit much.

It also makes it more difficult to cull the signal from the noise, but some of the jokes are a bit more obvious than others. I hope.

Or maybe I just need to get in a good nap this afternoon because I'm cranky.

Review: The Fall of Hyperion

2005-04-01T11:58:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned earlier, I carried on straight through to the sequel to Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion. More of the story threads were tied up, but much room was left open for more books. Of which, of course, there are a few. To which I say: Bah Humbug.

To be fair, I did feel myself propelled through this one to find out more about the Shrike and what the characters had to do with one another, but it didn't resolve enough for me with respect to the overarching conflict between the humans and the AIs. As mentioned by Gavril in the comments on the last review, it's easy to lose patience with the whole thing.

It also made me wonder how differently I would have viewed the book if I weren't so familiar with Frank Herbert, who is the master of building characters and universes and then setting them on their ears. He was the first author I read (1st book: Dune at age 11 thanks to the David Lynch movie on cable and a crush on Kyle MacLachlan) who actually killed off characters that you didn't expect to see die and orchestrated "plans within plans" that really kept you off-kilter.

Or maybe I just put him at the pinnacle because I was 11 and hadn't yet read a book where people died who weren't technically the bad guys. Anyway, the result was that the twists of Fall were not as twisty because I have been schooled in the Herbert Method of Reader Bewilderment.

Simmons also throws in some religious and political elements for good measure. I'm not saying that he was mimicking Herbert by any means -- there are still enough unusual and inventive elements in the story to make it stand out -- but there are some definite similarities in the effort to be ponderous and deep.

All of that being said, I still have Endymion, the next book in the series, in my rather-large-and-growing pile of books to read next.

Bah Humbug - US Men vs. Guatemala

2005-03-31T14:45:00.000-08:00

We've been treated to several World Cup Qualifiers this week, through the magic of Fox Soccer Channel and TiVo. I didn't write about the Sunday game vs. Mexico (on ESPN) because, well, it got my blood pressure up too high.

Last night (on ESPN2) wasn't much better, even though they won. Sunday's game had me asking myself what would happen if they didn't qualify for the World Cup. Last night's game told me that even if they did, they still wouldn't get very far. Unless their finishing and their defense really picks up between now and then. A distinct possibility, of course, but I'm not holding my breath (pessimist!).

Can't tell you how many times an American missed a fantastic chance at net and SigO turned to me saying, "Rooney would have buried that."

After having watched the EPL for the past few years, it's hard to see the US men's squad as anything but pretenders. Sigh. So they get the quaint, non-profane expletive that I use whenever something annoys me or is generally too silly for further comment: Bah Humbug.

That or "wet popcorn", referring to the ages-past era when my friends and I used to dip our popcorn in our Kool Aid and throw it at the TV whenever Boss Hogg appeared on the screen during our Friday night sleepovers. (That'll put me on the chronological map for ya, won't it?)

TiVo Getting Some Brains

2005-03-31T14:27:00.000-08:00

Another aspect of the TiVo service they're rolling out to placate the advertisers is a pop-up that will apparently appear as you fast forward through ads.

I'm sure this is going to be annoying as heck to have to deal with, but I'd rather have TiVo as a company getting another revenue stream/keeping the larger advertisers off its back than as a company with impervious integrity and going out of business.

It's another step along the path that they initiated when they put two guys (Chuck Fruit & Joe Uva) who are prominent in the ad industry on their board: "Please don't hurt us, mega-corporations! We can play nice!"

I want my TiVo around!

If only because I turned the sound effects back on while SigO was out of town so the TiVo could keep me company... I especially like the tympani "error" sound.

How do I add this to my Amazon Wishlist?

2005-03-30T13:04:00.000-08:00

I just have four words for you:

PC EZ-Bake Oven.

Mmm.... source: ThinkGeek

I never got to have one as a kid, why shouldn't I get one now?

Van Google

2005-03-30T12:17:00.000-08:00

Source: Google

I had to convert it to JPEG in order to use Hello and get it in here. As a result it's not fantastic-looking here -- but Mr. Van Gogh gets his own Google tribute today for his birfday.

This is based on one of my favorite paintings, of which a poster resided on a wall in many an apartment of mine for many years. Sig O can vouch.

Censorship on Blogger?

2005-03-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

Interesting. Turns out that yesterday there was a major problem with Blogger, and in my frustration I turned to posting via email. One of those emails went through and is on the site, no problem.

The other, sent to the exact same email address, was bounced. Here it is in its entirety:

Blogger is Down... I repeat... Blogger is Down.

The perils of not hosting your own, I guess.

I'm trying to add more entries today, I swear. We'll see if I can do it via this email conduit.

Surely there must be some explanation besides the conclusion I'm leaping to? I'm thinking they just don't like proof that "a bad kernel upgrade that has significantly impacted the service" has ticked someone off.