Klingon Turkeys

The Joy of Tech: "They will sing songs of our glorious drumsticks..."

 "It was a really good paper."

Ellen Feiss, the subject of the most infamous of the Apple Switch ads has been interviewed by the Brown Daily Herald.

Take note that as of a few minutes ago the Brown Herald site seems to be overwhelmed by connections. Here's a mirror of the interview in www.macslash.org.

 Who?

The Brouhaha email list contained this clever parody of Abbott, Costello and Bush. Excerpt:

Condi: Hu is the new leader of China.
George: That's what I want to know.
Condi: That's what I'm telling you.
George: That's what I'm asking you. Who is the new leader of China?
Condi: Yes.
George: I mean the fellow's name.
Condi: Hu.

Here's audio of the original A&C radio sketch. It's funny every time I listen to it. (Sorry, but it's in RealAudio format. I'm looking for a Quicktime compatible version.) Audio clip source: www.baseball-almanac.com

 Winter

We received the season's first real snowfall over the weekend. Around here it was a slushy, wet mess. Other parts of New England have reported an icestorm with power outages.

Gone east... harumph.

 Every Breath You Take...

William Safire wrote this article in the NYT last week. I've come across many references to it, and I think I've been in denial about how serious it is. Could this really happen in America?

If the Homeland Security Act is not amended before passage, here is what will happen to you:

Every purchase you make with a credit card, every magazine subscription you buy and medical prescription you fill, every Web site you visit and e-mail you send or receive, every academic grade you receive, every bank deposit you make, every trip you book and every event you attend — all these transactions and communications will go into what the Defense Department describes as "a virtual, centralized grand database."

 Cool Birds

I saw two Sandpipers at the Fundy area of Pawtuckaway Lake today. I'm pretty sure they were Greater Yellowlegs. I've never seen Sandpipers here before. I usually associate them with ocean and tidal shorelines. They are all over the place out in California, but here, not so much. I'm guessing they are likeing all the exposed mud this time of year.

 #2 to a dead guy.

For months now I've been the Number One result on Google when you search for "Jack Hodgson". The rest of the Top Five results have been references to a Jack Hodgson who died 25 years ago at the age of 67.

Today I've noticed that I've fallen to second place. The dead guy is now #1.

And to add insult to injury: Out of nowhere, the #6 result is now the archive of the poker hand that eliminated me from an internet poker tournament back in 2000. (Don't worry Ma, it was for play money.)

 Misplaced bumps

Another thing about this old machine is that the keyboard has the touch-typing home-key 'bumps' on the wrong keys. They're on the d and the k, instead of the f and the j. It's a little disconcerting.

I'll probably pop off the relevant keys and move the bumps to the right places. I almost never look at the keys anymore so it shouldn't be a problem. Of course it will screw up anyone else who uses this keyboard. I hope I'm watching when that happens.

 Something old is (not quite) new again.

I've set up my old Mac Performa to give me a desktop machine to use. The only mouse I have for it -- it requires an ADB mouse -- is my old Mouse Systems optical mouse.

I loved this mouse. It was my first optical mouse, and it made me a 100% convert from mice with moving parts.

The thing about it is that, unlike current optical mice, it requires a special mousepad, with a fine grid on it, for the "laser" to see. And the pad I have now is pretty worn out from long use. It's like the third pad I've had for this mouse over the years. I've had to replace them because I've literally worn away the grid pattern from long use. I used to have a source to get new pads, but last time I looked, no joy.

So I'm using this pad that's all worn in the center. If I do my mousing on the edges it's OK. But towards the center, ironically, it feels just like the old mechanical mice did when the ball would get stuck and the arrow wouldn't move.

I'd like to get a new, modern, optical mouse. The new kind that doesn't need a pad. But they connect via USB and this machine has none. Anyway, I'm debating with myself about how much money to invest in this old machine.

 Small consolation.

I'm still recovering from the election. All my candidates lost. I DID vote for ONE question that won. Small consolation.

I didn't get as involved in the process this cycle as I had intended. There's a city council election in a year. It's not too soon to get started.

BTW, the good news about this election -- if you can really say there was ANY good news -- is that, contrary to initial reports, the Democrats may not have lost control of the Senate. It's still -- as of last night anyway -- unclear whether the Senate might end up 51-49 Democratic. Small consolation.

 Portsmouth Herald: Why political campaigns get nasty: "They’re races between generic moderates to see who can be the least unpopular. These races go negative because candidates cannot separate themselves from their opponents because their views are so similar"

 Al Quaka

There was a 7.9 quake in Alaska yesterday, that reportedly damaged the Oil Pipeline. How long do you think it will be before Ashcroft and Bush claim that the quake was a terrorist attack and more restrictions on civil libeties are required?

 Lunch at Legals

Halley Suitt -- who I'm convinced I know, but I can't remember from where -- plays a fun game during a recent visit to Legal Seafoods.

 Microsoft Beats The Rap

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled today that the settlement between Microsoft and the U.S. Justice Department was substantially OK, and that it was approved.

So Microsoft is left intact with virtually all its powers to abuse its competition still in place.

 West Wing Good.

Wednesday nite's episode of West Wing was very satisfying.

A good practical joke at the beginning that had both me and Toby completely fooled.

President Bartlett pretty much annihilated his opponent in the debate.

But the best part was the storyline that had Sam visiting the campaign office of a recently deceased Congressional candidate.

This stuff about behind-the-scenes, how-campaigns-and-politics-works, is fascinating for me. In the end, Sam volunteered to fill the slot of the dead candidate. Most WW fans believe this is laying the groundwork for explaining the departure of Rob Lowe at the end of the season. It also hints at replacing him with the dead guy's campaign manager, played by Josh Malina, and his speechwriter sidekick, played by the now all-grown-up, Winnie from Wonder Years (Danica McKellar).

Stuff I'm involved with:
EAA Vintage Chapter 15
Prescott Park Arts Festival

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