Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Talk about your ambiguous marketing - the cafeteria at work had a big sign saying that if you wore Mardi Gras beads today, you'd get a quarter off your purchase price. No, not 1/4 off. 25 cents off, as I discovered. Hardly worth putting the silly things on.
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Today was also blood drive day. I made my first donation after being deferred for a year after spending two nights in a "malaria-risk" area of Peru. The phlebotemist had to exert so much effort to get the needle into my arm (what, has the total lack of moisture in the air for the past 4 months toughened my skin?) that I was sure of a massive bruise afterwards, but there's nary a mark. The actual draining only took five minutes - drinking huge amounts of water beforehand must've helped.
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Today was also supposed to be the day that it rained for the first time since October. Around 7:00 tonight I went out into the backyard, and though I couldn't feel anything, it sounded like very tiny raindrops might be occasionally hitting the platic tarp I'd used to cover the mulched bed. It was hard to tell though, because at that moment a helicopter started buzzing the neighborhood and every airplane in America flew over my house on its way to Sky Harbor.
So, we wait another month.
0 comments
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Today was also blood drive day. I made my first donation after being deferred for a year after spending two nights in a "malaria-risk" area of Peru. The phlebotemist had to exert so much effort to get the needle into my arm (what, has the total lack of moisture in the air for the past 4 months toughened my skin?) that I was sure of a massive bruise afterwards, but there's nary a mark. The actual draining only took five minutes - drinking huge amounts of water beforehand must've helped.
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Today was also supposed to be the day that it rained for the first time since October. Around 7:00 tonight I went out into the backyard, and though I couldn't feel anything, it sounded like very tiny raindrops might be occasionally hitting the platic tarp I'd used to cover the mulched bed. It was hard to tell though, because at that moment a helicopter started buzzing the neighborhood and every airplane in America flew over my house on its way to Sky Harbor.
So, we wait another month.
0 comments
Sunday, February 26, 2006
The new home for all my Stardust County news is now here on LiveJournal. This here blog you're looking at now will continue to be the home for my inane ramblings on other subjects.
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Lullaby for a Weary Lion
TTO "Lullaby for a Weary World"
I wonder how the lion can sleep
with all those people singing:
eeeeeeeeeeeeOwimoweh
Thanks to a new South African court ruling, Solomon Linda's heirs are finally starting to see their share of the royalties for "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". The story, including a good summary of the history of the song, is here and here. Read the original Zulu lyrics and translation here.
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Update: Blogger ate the latter part of my post, where I was badmouthing MSWord's web editing "feature". Massive XML scripts, renaming image files with user-hostile names like "image035.jpg", etc. Can anyone recommend a real HTML editor that doesn't think it knows better than you, but won't break the bank? I need to overhaul my website and it's going to be a PITA if I have to do it all in raw HTML.
1 comments
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Lullaby for a Weary Lion
TTO "Lullaby for a Weary World"
I wonder how the lion can sleep
with all those people singing:
eeeeeeeeeeeeOwimoweh
Thanks to a new South African court ruling, Solomon Linda's heirs are finally starting to see their share of the royalties for "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". The story, including a good summary of the history of the song, is here and here. Read the original Zulu lyrics and translation here.
----------------
Update: Blogger ate the latter part of my post, where I was badmouthing MSWord's web editing "feature". Massive XML scripts, renaming image files with user-hostile names like "image035.jpg", etc. Can anyone recommend a real HTML editor that doesn't think it knows better than you, but won't break the bank? I need to overhaul my website and it's going to be a PITA if I have to do it all in raw HTML.
1 comments
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Cell phone security warning
Help me spread the word on this. If you or anyone you know has a bluetooth-enabled cell phone, you should be aware that it has a "feature" that lets other bluetooth users within 10 meters send you anonymous messages and video clips. This feature can be turned off, but the phone comes with it automatically enabled, and most users are unaware it's there. The reason you should be concerned is that increasingly perverts are using the feature to send anonymous threats and pornography; they're especially targeting women and children. (See this article in the New Zealand Herald.)
Like I said, you can turn this off. Check your user manual; not all phones come with anonymous messaging.
0 comments
Help me spread the word on this. If you or anyone you know has a bluetooth-enabled cell phone, you should be aware that it has a "feature" that lets other bluetooth users within 10 meters send you anonymous messages and video clips. This feature can be turned off, but the phone comes with it automatically enabled, and most users are unaware it's there. The reason you should be concerned is that increasingly perverts are using the feature to send anonymous threats and pornography; they're especially targeting women and children. (See this article in the New Zealand Herald.)
Like I said, you can turn this off. Check your user manual; not all phones come with anonymous messaging.
0 comments
Sunday, February 19, 2006
And now for something completely apolitical
The mage-king Hermes Trismegistus was sitting in judgment as was his custom, when two disputants came before him: one a wealthy merchant bearing the sigil of the House of Hoff; the other a crabbed old man, richly yet eccentrically robed.
"Highness," complained the merchant, after salutory gestures had been concluded, "know that I paid this reverent sage 50 snickels to foretell the most propitious day for the wedding of my daughter. He did but lock himself in the toilet and refuse my entreaties to come out! At length I could wait no longer and left in great wroth, but upon seeing him in the street this morning did press him to accompany me here before ye."
The mage-king looked at the old man gravely. "This is behavior unseemly to both our august order and thy advanced years. What sayst thou in thy defense?"
"Long hath I practiced the Sooth," the sage replied, gesturing dramatically the while; "sensible as I am of its weighty traditions, yet I had not attained my degree of mastery without experiment and pursuit of the novel. In past months come I have by one of the wondrous flush toilets such as accommodate the palaces of the Doges of the East. As ye knowst, of such a device is a water-containing bowl; I do but practise to sprinkle certain holy herbs upon this water and, by means of prayer and chant, draw forth visions upon its surface."
At this much hilarity consumed the court, until Hermes called order.
"Surely thou knowst," he smiled, "that the 'porcelain god' be not a reliable source of prophesy, nor an artifice approved for the telling of fortunes?'
The old man drew himself up in incense of indignation.
"It's my potty," he declared, "and I'll scry if I want to!"
Rim shot.
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Things are moving on Stardust County. Have a tentative date for the first session in May; need to get confirmation from Tom and Lon and then we're go! There's been some rearrangement of the cast due in part to the hiatus, so I'm working that issue this week. I can't believe we're finally moving ahead! Heavens, we might actually finish the project!
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As usual, didn't get as much accomplished in the yard as I wanted, but made some progress. I turned one bed and planted tomatoes (Early Girl, Heat Wave, Red Grape), sweet peppers (red and brown), a tomatillo and a Japanese eggplant, all seedlings from Home Depot. From seed I planted corn (Early and Often) and bush beans (Royal Burgundy). I also transplanted the Brown Berry tomato seedlings to containers - they're not going to mature fast enough to put in the yard. Then I got my upper body aerobic workout by digging holes for an avacado tree (oh yeah) and a couple vines I got for the gazebo, and set up the irrigation system to take care of everything. Next weekend I do the other veg garden bed, and plant the emu bushes in the side yard.
2 comments
The mage-king Hermes Trismegistus was sitting in judgment as was his custom, when two disputants came before him: one a wealthy merchant bearing the sigil of the House of Hoff; the other a crabbed old man, richly yet eccentrically robed.
"Highness," complained the merchant, after salutory gestures had been concluded, "know that I paid this reverent sage 50 snickels to foretell the most propitious day for the wedding of my daughter. He did but lock himself in the toilet and refuse my entreaties to come out! At length I could wait no longer and left in great wroth, but upon seeing him in the street this morning did press him to accompany me here before ye."
The mage-king looked at the old man gravely. "This is behavior unseemly to both our august order and thy advanced years. What sayst thou in thy defense?"
"Long hath I practiced the Sooth," the sage replied, gesturing dramatically the while; "sensible as I am of its weighty traditions, yet I had not attained my degree of mastery without experiment and pursuit of the novel. In past months come I have by one of the wondrous flush toilets such as accommodate the palaces of the Doges of the East. As ye knowst, of such a device is a water-containing bowl; I do but practise to sprinkle certain holy herbs upon this water and, by means of prayer and chant, draw forth visions upon its surface."
At this much hilarity consumed the court, until Hermes called order.
"Surely thou knowst," he smiled, "that the 'porcelain god' be not a reliable source of prophesy, nor an artifice approved for the telling of fortunes?'
The old man drew himself up in incense of indignation.
"It's my potty," he declared, "and I'll scry if I want to!"
Rim shot.
-------------
Things are moving on Stardust County. Have a tentative date for the first session in May; need to get confirmation from Tom and Lon and then we're go! There's been some rearrangement of the cast due in part to the hiatus, so I'm working that issue this week. I can't believe we're finally moving ahead! Heavens, we might actually finish the project!
------------
As usual, didn't get as much accomplished in the yard as I wanted, but made some progress. I turned one bed and planted tomatoes (Early Girl, Heat Wave, Red Grape), sweet peppers (red and brown), a tomatillo and a Japanese eggplant, all seedlings from Home Depot. From seed I planted corn (Early and Often) and bush beans (Royal Burgundy). I also transplanted the Brown Berry tomato seedlings to containers - they're not going to mature fast enough to put in the yard. Then I got my upper body aerobic workout by digging holes for an avacado tree (oh yeah) and a couple vines I got for the gazebo, and set up the irrigation system to take care of everything. Next weekend I do the other veg garden bed, and plant the emu bushes in the side yard.
2 comments
Poltergeist
This morning I was enjoying a good sleep-in when there was a sudden and prolonged crash and clatter, of the kind most likely caused by cats knocking a pile of fragil crockery off the kitchen counter and onto the floor. I vaulted from my bed, raced into the kitchen, and found - nothing. Same in every other room in the house. Not a thing out of place. So I did my yoga, showered, fed the cats, checked my email, and went out to get the Sunday paper. Not in the driveway. I checked out in front of the fence, because sometimes it doesn't get that far. Not a trace of it anywhere. Grumbling, I went back inside, called the AZ Republic line and requested a replacement. Then I turned around, and found the newspaper sitting in plain sight on the chaise in the music room.
Conclusion: I have a noisy yet helpful poltergeist who likes to bring in the paper.
Conclusion.1: I am losing my marbles. They say memory is the second thing to go...
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On the fungibility of oil
I just have to comment on today's Dilbert cartoon, because I've seen this argument before, and it's highly specious. There's no point in our conserving oil, because if we don't use the oil other (developing) countries will. This assumes demand is a constant. If Developing Country X isn't able to buy enough oil to meet its demand, it's because the price is too high, not because the U.S. got to the pump first. So if the U.S. suddenly stopped buying oil from Terrorist-supporting Country Y, Country X wouldn't be able to take up the slack unless Country Y lowered their prices - hence less money for terrorists, if that's your reason for conserving oil. More importantly, it makes the U.S. less politically beholden to Terrorist-supporting Country Y.
WTF, I'm not talking about piddlin' little Developing Country X, I'm talking about China! Damn straight. China's going to be entering the the oil market in a big way in the coming decades, potentially becoming a bigger consumer than the U.S. and putting us in Developing Country X's shoes - forced to pay more, develop alternatives, or make do with less. True, we may be able to develop more domestic sources of oil, but without an embargo or significant tarriffs, China's going to be the primary consumer of that too. This is the pragmatic argument, and more persuasive IMO. People don't agree on politics, but everyone feels a hit to the wallet.
Footnote: Personally, I find recent advancements in "alternative" energy sources one of the more exciting technological frontiers; but I'm not ready to trade in my Corolla for an Impala E85.
0 comments
This morning I was enjoying a good sleep-in when there was a sudden and prolonged crash and clatter, of the kind most likely caused by cats knocking a pile of fragil crockery off the kitchen counter and onto the floor. I vaulted from my bed, raced into the kitchen, and found - nothing. Same in every other room in the house. Not a thing out of place. So I did my yoga, showered, fed the cats, checked my email, and went out to get the Sunday paper. Not in the driveway. I checked out in front of the fence, because sometimes it doesn't get that far. Not a trace of it anywhere. Grumbling, I went back inside, called the AZ Republic line and requested a replacement. Then I turned around, and found the newspaper sitting in plain sight on the chaise in the music room.
Conclusion: I have a noisy yet helpful poltergeist who likes to bring in the paper.
Conclusion.1: I am losing my marbles. They say memory is the second thing to go...
-------------
On the fungibility of oil
I just have to comment on today's Dilbert cartoon, because I've seen this argument before, and it's highly specious. There's no point in our conserving oil, because if we don't use the oil other (developing) countries will. This assumes demand is a constant. If Developing Country X isn't able to buy enough oil to meet its demand, it's because the price is too high, not because the U.S. got to the pump first. So if the U.S. suddenly stopped buying oil from Terrorist-supporting Country Y, Country X wouldn't be able to take up the slack unless Country Y lowered their prices - hence less money for terrorists, if that's your reason for conserving oil. More importantly, it makes the U.S. less politically beholden to Terrorist-supporting Country Y.
WTF, I'm not talking about piddlin' little Developing Country X, I'm talking about China! Damn straight. China's going to be entering the the oil market in a big way in the coming decades, potentially becoming a bigger consumer than the U.S. and putting us in Developing Country X's shoes - forced to pay more, develop alternatives, or make do with less. True, we may be able to develop more domestic sources of oil, but without an embargo or significant tarriffs, China's going to be the primary consumer of that too. This is the pragmatic argument, and more persuasive IMO. People don't agree on politics, but everyone feels a hit to the wallet.
Footnote: Personally, I find recent advancements in "alternative" energy sources one of the more exciting technological frontiers; but I'm not ready to trade in my Corolla for an Impala E85.
0 comments
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Happy Birthday to Me
Yesterday was my birthday. I broke out some of the gift certificates my employer now gives as bonuses instead of cash, and treated myself to dinner at Mosaic. 45 seems so much more... August than 44.
V-day assignment
Never touch the stuff myself, but here's my latest lyric-spinning assignment in belated honor of Valentine's Day.
Take a song in which the word "life" appears, and replace it with "wife".
Example: "You light up my wife"
The sincerest form of flattery
I've got Iran all figured out. They're just a bunch of USA-wannabees. First they say that no stupid ol' U.N. committee can tell them what to do. Then they rename a popular fast food in a nationalist snit. Hey Shirley, Jan, this sounds like a good basis for a (comedy) bellydance routine!
1 comments
Yesterday was my birthday. I broke out some of the gift certificates my employer now gives as bonuses instead of cash, and treated myself to dinner at Mosaic. 45 seems so much more... August than 44.
V-day assignment
Never touch the stuff myself, but here's my latest lyric-spinning assignment in belated honor of Valentine's Day.
Take a song in which the word "life" appears, and replace it with "wife".
Example: "You light up my wife"
The sincerest form of flattery
I've got Iran all figured out. They're just a bunch of USA-wannabees. First they say that no stupid ol' U.N. committee can tell them what to do. Then they rename a popular fast food in a nationalist snit. Hey Shirley, Jan, this sounds like a good basis for a (comedy) bellydance routine!
1 comments
Monday, February 13, 2006
Blogger mangled the first version of this post. Let's try this again...
This is going to be my only post on this topic, but - Does anyone else think of Donald Duck and Petunia Pig angrily brandishing molotov cocktails when they hear reference to the "cartoon riots"? Not that I suppose it matters to either side at this point, but the drawings that everyone's upset about aren't the by-comparison-innocuous ones that were published by the Danish newspaper. The Globe and Mail has that story, which seems to have flown under everyone else's radar, here.
One wonders what the reaction would be if something similar happened in the U.S. - say, an American political group sent American politicians cartoons of Jesus sodomizing a child, and some hoo-head spread the rumor that The Washington Post had published it. Most pundits say that the American response would be more enlightened. I disagree. Less violent, certainly. But more enlightened? Remember the boycott of Proctor & Gamble, because the moon on their label "proved" they were owned by the Church of Satan? Here's what I predict would happen:
1. A boycott of the newspaper by people who don't read it anyway.
2. A boycott of all stores that sell the newspaper.
3. A boycott of all companies that advertise in the newspaper.
4. A boycott of Starbucks, just because.
5. A nationwide crusade to raise funds for some unspecified activity to fight cartoons, simulcast to mega-churches throughout the country.
6. Cartoon-scandal themed 401 scam spam.
7. Viruses spread via emails with cartoon-scandal subject lines.
8. Anti-cartoon legislation springing up in backwater counties to be immediately followed by a challenge to their constitutaionality from the ACLU.
9. Calls from members of Congress to amend the Constitution to make cartoons illegal.
10. Pundits carrying on authoritatively about cartoons, when in fact the last cartoon they'd read was Lil Dot back in 1965.
The vast and noisy circus would suddenly be cut short and be forgotten within the week when an unchaperoned American teenager disappeared on spring break in a foreign country.
0 comments
This is going to be my only post on this topic, but - Does anyone else think of Donald Duck and Petunia Pig angrily brandishing molotov cocktails when they hear reference to the "cartoon riots"? Not that I suppose it matters to either side at this point, but the drawings that everyone's upset about aren't the by-comparison-innocuous ones that were published by the Danish newspaper. The Globe and Mail has that story, which seems to have flown under everyone else's radar, here.
One wonders what the reaction would be if something similar happened in the U.S. - say, an American political group sent American politicians cartoons of Jesus sodomizing a child, and some hoo-head spread the rumor that The Washington Post had published it. Most pundits say that the American response would be more enlightened. I disagree. Less violent, certainly. But more enlightened? Remember the boycott of Proctor & Gamble, because the moon on their label "proved" they were owned by the Church of Satan? Here's what I predict would happen:
1. A boycott of the newspaper by people who don't read it anyway.
2. A boycott of all stores that sell the newspaper.
3. A boycott of all companies that advertise in the newspaper.
4. A boycott of Starbucks, just because.
5. A nationwide crusade to raise funds for some unspecified activity to fight cartoons, simulcast to mega-churches throughout the country.
6. Cartoon-scandal themed 401 scam spam.
7. Viruses spread via emails with cartoon-scandal subject lines.
8. Anti-cartoon legislation springing up in backwater counties to be immediately followed by a challenge to their constitutaionality from the ACLU.
9. Calls from members of Congress to amend the Constitution to make cartoons illegal.
10. Pundits carrying on authoritatively about cartoons, when in fact the last cartoon they'd read was Lil Dot back in 1965.
The vast and noisy circus would suddenly be cut short and be forgotten within the week when an unchaperoned American teenager disappeared on spring break in a foreign country.
0 comments
Sunday, February 12, 2006
The train has pulled out of the station
I meant to announce this in a long, rambling yet insightful post, but I've got a splitting headache this afternoon so must keep brief. Jeff and I talked by phone Friday night and we've made plans to have a first recording session out here in Phoenix in late spring. I'll need to find a local studio where Jeff can plug in his laptop and run the board, but the studio itself doesn't need to have any computer setup since he's bringing his own.
If you're in the cast, check your email.
More when I'm feeling better.
0 comments
I meant to announce this in a long, rambling yet insightful post, but I've got a splitting headache this afternoon so must keep brief. Jeff and I talked by phone Friday night and we've made plans to have a first recording session out here in Phoenix in late spring. I'll need to find a local studio where Jeff can plug in his laptop and run the board, but the studio itself doesn't need to have any computer setup since he's bringing his own.
If you're in the cast, check your email.
More when I'm feeling better.
0 comments
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Frodo is out from under the futon and getting bolder by the day; last night I had circle at my house and all three cats were running around making nuisances of themselves, chewing on the flowers, jumping up skirts, and horning in on the feast. He's still alternating between "Pet me pet me!" and "No don't touch me! Run away!!!"
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Animal Planet isn't spending buckets of money to compete with the Super Bowl. No, they're offering twelve hours of "Puppy Bowl", a bunch of puppies romping in a pen made up to look like a football satdium. If that's not cute enough for you, this year they've added the "Kitty Half-Time Show". And you can buy the DVD.
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On a more serious note - much as I try to keep things positive over on stardustcounty.com - the Stardust County CD has been lost in La Mancha for over a year now and I really feel that it's reached a crisis point. I don't want to work with a producer I don't have experience with and trust, and I certainly don't want to produce something of this magnitude on my own, but if this CD is ever going to get off the ground we're going to have to get into the studio soon. The only plan I can think of is to start recording some preliminary tracks locally at a studio that uses the same software Jeff does. I sent off an email to Jeff, but don't expect to hear back soon, as (figuratively) snowed-under as he is - commuting 200 miles every weekend and trying to sell the house. Hopefully by the time the Phoenix Folk Festival rolls around in March I'll have a better handle on how to move ahead, or not.
4 comments
