Sanford Wallace, generally credited* with modern spam**, the scourge of the Internet, is at it again. This time, MySpace is suing him. I'm quite mystified why someone hasn't given him a pair of cement shoes and thrown him over a bridge. Like many things in life, just because it's legal doesn't mean it's right. Now he's making fake profiles on social-networking sites to lure people to spam sites on the net.
Having battled Spamford Wallace and CyberPromo myself back in the Pro-Entropy days, I am definitely on MySpace's side. They've got just as much money as AOL did and they have a good chance of winning. I hope he suffers anal violation in prison by an HIV positive masochistic guy who's built like a pro-wrestler.
* I don't mean this in a good way, obviously.
** He's also credited with the modern junk-fax
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Video Game Console Wars
Whither PS/3, Xbox-360, and Nintendo Wii? Ah, well I am so glad you asked. In the 24 March 2007 issue of the Economist, they do an analysis of which of these systems is better.
So far, The Xbox 360 has sold the most consoles but is flopping in Asia while doing well in the US and parts of Europe -- speculatively because they launched much earlier.
Nintendo can be proud of the Wii having accelerated sales far faster than anyone else, and still having scarcity based on demand in many markets. Analysts expect sales to taper off because the graphics on the Wii are inferior compared to other offerings. I tend to disagree because the Wii (in my personal experience) is way more fun than any video game I've played in ages.
Sony claims PS/3's relatively slow sales are the result of low availability, but we all know they're in stock everywhere unlike the Wii. (The Xbox also has Ample supply). However many people buying the PS/3 are in search of a Blu-Ray player and not a video game console, considering that a nice bonus.
So who's the winner? The answer will absolutely, positively shock you. In the month of December alone the Sony PS/2 (not PS/3) outsold both the PS/3, Wii, and Xbox 360. Yes, the PS/2 is still winning the race.
So far, The Xbox 360 has sold the most consoles but is flopping in Asia while doing well in the US and parts of Europe -- speculatively because they launched much earlier.
Nintendo can be proud of the Wii having accelerated sales far faster than anyone else, and still having scarcity based on demand in many markets. Analysts expect sales to taper off because the graphics on the Wii are inferior compared to other offerings. I tend to disagree because the Wii (in my personal experience) is way more fun than any video game I've played in ages.
Sony claims PS/3's relatively slow sales are the result of low availability, but we all know they're in stock everywhere unlike the Wii. (The Xbox also has Ample supply). However many people buying the PS/3 are in search of a Blu-Ray player and not a video game console, considering that a nice bonus.
So who's the winner? The answer will absolutely, positively shock you. In the month of December alone the Sony PS/2 (not PS/3) outsold both the PS/3, Wii, and Xbox 360. Yes, the PS/2 is still winning the race.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Waronker the Douche Bag
I've always wanted to use the phrase "douche bag" in my blog. I find it funny and especially scathing. There are many people I'd like to call a douche bag, but aside from President Bush Jr I really haven't been able to find a worthy recipient -- you really need to be consistently scummy to warrant the title.
So, today I was using some of my various software* to study inbound hits on my various web pages, which is always an extraordinarily interesting task. I rarely, if ever, check the stats on my personal page because it doesn't get that much traffic to warrant a full study. Well over the past month there has been a noticeable uptick in traffic. I decided to see what it was about. One look and the douche bag immediately popped into my mind. Yes, my least favourite arselick and dickwad in the hockey world must be up to something.
David Waronker as a search term has accounted for over 50% of the traffic to my site in the past month. On said page, you will note I have the very old diatribe about his scumbag ways of doing business and stiffing his season ticket holders (and my friends). Apparently, his company USALandsale must be having some goings on because many of these search terms are coupled with that. Yes, he is the very definition of douche bag and I am apparently not the only one who thinks so.
Here's what's on my page that is attracting all these hits. And keep in mind, this section of text hasn't been changed since the year 2004 so it's not anything I did that caused this uptick:
I hate David Waronker because he screwed me out of nearly $700 and I hope he and his entire family rot in the eternal abyss of hell. Here's why: I accept people try and fail at things. I accept people sometimes can't meet their obligations. I do not accept people who deliberately lie, defraud, and otherwise mislead you specifically to avoid those obligations. Do not do business with him or his companies. He's a scumbag. One must assume his lack of honesty is prevalent in all his businesses (CBD Development, USALandsale, others). The quick story: I bought and paid for season tickets, and mid-way through the season on February 28th he relocated the team. He promised all season ticket holders a prompt refund (I have this in writing and copies of media reports saying this as well). As of early May I had not been paid, most e-mails had gone unanswered, and the ones that were answered contained promises not fulfilled. Certified letters were ignored, calls were not returned, and so forth. All of this is documented. On 5-15-04 (less than one week after this page went up) I got a profanity-laden, typo-ridden email from Mr. Waronker's wife who thinks I've said terrible things about her children. I don't seem to see that above; do you? I was going to answer, but decided not to get in a pissing match. I got a more politely worded letter from Mr. Waronker asking who would actually read this web page. I guess the answer is "Mrs. Waronker." He suggests I use my refund (not received as of yet) for medical attention. I do not believe in posting private e-mails, so you don't get to see them at this time. I do have them archived for posterity's sake along with copies of all the e-mails and web pages which constitute my reasons for being irate. On 5-17-04 I received a counter check with no imprint which had both my first and last name spelled incorrectly, in a plain envelope with no return address. I have presented it to the bank and awaiting it to clear. Copies of the check, envelope, and such have also been archived. None of my other friends have received refunds, return phone calls, e-mail answers. I have encouraged them all to retain legal representation. I stand by all statements made here. I am expressing my opinion on the honesty and integrity of Mr. Waronker based on his actions. These actions are documented. I am considering posting them on a separate page for your amusement. (As of July 2004 I am the only one who has received a refund. He's been twice spurned by the WHA in an attempt to sell his team. Apparently I'm not the only one who doesn't wish to do business with him. In August 2004, the City of Orlando ejected him from the arena for breach of contract.)
So now I get to throw his name out there again, and I get to use the term douche bag again. And you know what's sad? He actually seemed like a really nice guy the few times I met him. Really a shame. But some people are dishonest and some people (I suspect this is him) are so dishonest they don't even think they're dishonest. My now defunct mailing list had posts about him and even my current message board has posts (and this too) about him -- running right through 2007. Amazingly, not once did anyone ever stick up for him. He seems to be universally reviled. (And to update the story, he's had lease issues with other cities since Orlando, nobody ever did get a refund -- and he's been evicted again.)
To reiterate, these are my OPINIONS and I think he is a douche bag but there is no evidence he is actually a medical device. Then again, there's no evidence he's a sack of shit either but based on his actions, I think there's a preponderance of evidence that he possibly is. If anyone would like to take either side, I will gladly moderate your comment but I will not accept anonymous comments to this post.
*Google Analytics, Web Trends, Stat Counter, and Extreme Tracking -- all of which monitor various aspects of my site's traffic to better analyze: keywords, browsers, came from, popular page, exit and entry pages, monitor resolutions, CPU, javascript status and more. (I use this to better make my site function.)
So, today I was using some of my various software* to study inbound hits on my various web pages, which is always an extraordinarily interesting task. I rarely, if ever, check the stats on my personal page because it doesn't get that much traffic to warrant a full study. Well over the past month there has been a noticeable uptick in traffic. I decided to see what it was about. One look and the douche bag immediately popped into my mind. Yes, my least favourite arselick and dickwad in the hockey world must be up to something.
David Waronker as a search term has accounted for over 50% of the traffic to my site in the past month. On said page, you will note I have the very old diatribe about his scumbag ways of doing business and stiffing his season ticket holders (and my friends). Apparently, his company USALandsale must be having some goings on because many of these search terms are coupled with that. Yes, he is the very definition of douche bag and I am apparently not the only one who thinks so.
Here's what's on my page that is attracting all these hits. And keep in mind, this section of text hasn't been changed since the year 2004 so it's not anything I did that caused this uptick:
I hate David Waronker because he screwed me out of nearly $700 and I hope he and his entire family rot in the eternal abyss of hell. Here's why: I accept people try and fail at things. I accept people sometimes can't meet their obligations. I do not accept people who deliberately lie, defraud, and otherwise mislead you specifically to avoid those obligations. Do not do business with him or his companies. He's a scumbag. One must assume his lack of honesty is prevalent in all his businesses (CBD Development, USALandsale, others). The quick story: I bought and paid for season tickets, and mid-way through the season on February 28th he relocated the team. He promised all season ticket holders a prompt refund (I have this in writing and copies of media reports saying this as well). As of early May I had not been paid, most e-mails had gone unanswered, and the ones that were answered contained promises not fulfilled. Certified letters were ignored, calls were not returned, and so forth. All of this is documented. On 5-15-04 (less than one week after this page went up) I got a profanity-laden, typo-ridden email from Mr. Waronker's wife who thinks I've said terrible things about her children. I don't seem to see that above; do you? I was going to answer, but decided not to get in a pissing match. I got a more politely worded letter from Mr. Waronker asking who would actually read this web page. I guess the answer is "Mrs. Waronker." He suggests I use my refund (not received as of yet) for medical attention. I do not believe in posting private e-mails, so you don't get to see them at this time. I do have them archived for posterity's sake along with copies of all the e-mails and web pages which constitute my reasons for being irate. On 5-17-04 I received a counter check with no imprint which had both my first and last name spelled incorrectly, in a plain envelope with no return address. I have presented it to the bank and awaiting it to clear. Copies of the check, envelope, and such have also been archived. None of my other friends have received refunds, return phone calls, e-mail answers. I have encouraged them all to retain legal representation. I stand by all statements made here. I am expressing my opinion on the honesty and integrity of Mr. Waronker based on his actions. These actions are documented. I am considering posting them on a separate page for your amusement. (As of July 2004 I am the only one who has received a refund. He's been twice spurned by the WHA in an attempt to sell his team. Apparently I'm not the only one who doesn't wish to do business with him. In August 2004, the City of Orlando ejected him from the arena for breach of contract.)
So now I get to throw his name out there again, and I get to use the term douche bag again. And you know what's sad? He actually seemed like a really nice guy the few times I met him. Really a shame. But some people are dishonest and some people (I suspect this is him) are so dishonest they don't even think they're dishonest. My now defunct mailing list had posts about him and even my current message board has posts (and this too) about him -- running right through 2007. Amazingly, not once did anyone ever stick up for him. He seems to be universally reviled. (And to update the story, he's had lease issues with other cities since Orlando, nobody ever did get a refund -- and he's been evicted again.)
To reiterate, these are my OPINIONS and I think he is a douche bag but there is no evidence he is actually a medical device. Then again, there's no evidence he's a sack of shit either but based on his actions, I think there's a preponderance of evidence that he possibly is. If anyone would like to take either side, I will gladly moderate your comment but I will not accept anonymous comments to this post.
*Google Analytics, Web Trends, Stat Counter, and Extreme Tracking -- all of which monitor various aspects of my site's traffic to better analyze: keywords, browsers, came from, popular page, exit and entry pages, monitor resolutions, CPU, javascript status and more. (I use this to better make my site function.)
Limited Medical Update
Oh, wait, there isn't much of one. I'm sick -- but don't feel bad except for the damn infernal 24/7 hacking. The doctor says I'm sick and am suffering from some unknown viral malaise. Doesn't that sound fun. My throat is shredded to bits from the constant hacking. Talking hurts, so I haven't been doing much of it lately despite some people's efforts to try and make me talk.
I begin antibiotics today for a week coupled with some highly narcotic cough syrup (yay) Hydromet Syrup which my insurance has inexplicably declined to pay for even though it's clearly covered. I asked the pharmacist why. He explained as follows: "Your doctor prescribed a 1/2 teaspoon dose once per day and gave you enough for 48 days. But the insurance company will only pay for 30 days worth."
I explained to the pharmacist that I'm supposed to take 1/2 teaspoon dose at least twice (as needed) per day which means I got a 24 day supply at most. But, the prescription says one per day or as needed. So I asked him to give me less, and he said it's a liquid in a standard size bottle and he can't. My choice is to call the doctor back tomorrow and have him re-issue the prescription or pay for it. I'm very cranky already and decide I'll just pay since I'm already pissed off and the talking is killing me. All that, and it's only $15.82 -- if my insurance had covered it, it would have been $20 which is my minimum drug copay. Fucking insanity, I say. I paid less not being covered.
I also went to the otolaryngologist (ENT) to discuss my results from the Endoscopy in more detail but he referred me back to the original doctor who did the procedure instead and said he should go over it with me instead. That pissed me off. I paid $30 to get sent to another doctor. So that's two co-pays today. Although the ENT did give me a lecture and a half for taking Orange Juice for my cold (which is a no-no for Acid Reflux patients). I assumed that the cold was worse and a few days of that wouldn't be a problem -- I stand corrected. No citrus ever again for any reason. He said OJ for colds is an old-wives tale anyway though he supports chicken soup. He then gave me the official "endoscope up the nose" procedure -- which is a problem because with my cold I can't breathe so well through my nose and we almost had an episode like before (previous blog post).
Then of course, I didn't mention the insurance crisis. We have two plans at our office a regular plan and the same plan with the Open Access option. The OA option is quite a bit more money (nearly double the price) but I gladly pay it because I'll be damned if I'm letting some insurance company book tell me what doctors and I can or can't see and double-damned if I'm going to keep going to my primary care to get a referral. If I know what's broken and I know what type of doctor can fix/treat it, then I'll find one that's good and go to him/her right away and shave days and dollars off the process.
So I go to the otolaryngologist and check-in like always (remember, I've been before) and pay my $30 co-pay for a specialist. No worries. Sit down. I get called back to the window and told "You need a referral to see the doctor or you have to pay $290 for the visit plus any additional money for whatever the doctor does." I ask why because I'm on the OA plan. She says I'm not and she shows me a printout which conflicts with the card I have. She gets her phone, dials the physician access line and presses my card number into the automated system. Sure enough it says I'm on the regular HMO without the OA option. I call my office and ask the controller to get the insurance agent involved but it's too early and we can't get it resolved. We come to a compromise: I leave her a signed note saying she can charge my card if it isn't resolved in 24 hours. When I get back to the office later, Aetna insists I'm on the OA plan and can't explain the failure of the physician's automated line to get it right. They promise they'll call me back within an hour and also call the doctor and straighten it out. That was 10 hours ago. Not done. (My primary care doctor was nice enough to fax a referral to the doctor so I don't get charged. Technically not proper but nobody feels bad because the insurance company screwed it up.)
I hate insurance companies. I wish I could stop coughing.
I begin antibiotics today for a week coupled with some highly narcotic cough syrup (yay) Hydromet Syrup which my insurance has inexplicably declined to pay for even though it's clearly covered. I asked the pharmacist why. He explained as follows: "Your doctor prescribed a 1/2 teaspoon dose once per day and gave you enough for 48 days. But the insurance company will only pay for 30 days worth."
I explained to the pharmacist that I'm supposed to take 1/2 teaspoon dose at least twice (as needed) per day which means I got a 24 day supply at most. But, the prescription says one per day or as needed. So I asked him to give me less, and he said it's a liquid in a standard size bottle and he can't. My choice is to call the doctor back tomorrow and have him re-issue the prescription or pay for it. I'm very cranky already and decide I'll just pay since I'm already pissed off and the talking is killing me. All that, and it's only $15.82 -- if my insurance had covered it, it would have been $20 which is my minimum drug copay. Fucking insanity, I say. I paid less not being covered.
I also went to the otolaryngologist (ENT) to discuss my results from the Endoscopy in more detail but he referred me back to the original doctor who did the procedure instead and said he should go over it with me instead. That pissed me off. I paid $30 to get sent to another doctor. So that's two co-pays today. Although the ENT did give me a lecture and a half for taking Orange Juice for my cold (which is a no-no for Acid Reflux patients). I assumed that the cold was worse and a few days of that wouldn't be a problem -- I stand corrected. No citrus ever again for any reason. He said OJ for colds is an old-wives tale anyway though he supports chicken soup. He then gave me the official "endoscope up the nose" procedure -- which is a problem because with my cold I can't breathe so well through my nose and we almost had an episode like before (previous blog post).
Then of course, I didn't mention the insurance crisis. We have two plans at our office a regular plan and the same plan with the Open Access option. The OA option is quite a bit more money (nearly double the price) but I gladly pay it because I'll be damned if I'm letting some insurance company book tell me what doctors and I can or can't see and double-damned if I'm going to keep going to my primary care to get a referral. If I know what's broken and I know what type of doctor can fix/treat it, then I'll find one that's good and go to him/her right away and shave days and dollars off the process.
So I go to the otolaryngologist and check-in like always (remember, I've been before) and pay my $30 co-pay for a specialist. No worries. Sit down. I get called back to the window and told "You need a referral to see the doctor or you have to pay $290 for the visit plus any additional money for whatever the doctor does." I ask why because I'm on the OA plan. She says I'm not and she shows me a printout which conflicts with the card I have. She gets her phone, dials the physician access line and presses my card number into the automated system. Sure enough it says I'm on the regular HMO without the OA option. I call my office and ask the controller to get the insurance agent involved but it's too early and we can't get it resolved. We come to a compromise: I leave her a signed note saying she can charge my card if it isn't resolved in 24 hours. When I get back to the office later, Aetna insists I'm on the OA plan and can't explain the failure of the physician's automated line to get it right. They promise they'll call me back within an hour and also call the doctor and straighten it out. That was 10 hours ago. Not done. (My primary care doctor was nice enough to fax a referral to the doctor so I don't get charged. Technically not proper but nobody feels bad because the insurance company screwed it up.)
I hate insurance companies. I wish I could stop coughing.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
I've Added Snap
Snap is this little thingy where as you mouse over a link you get a preview of the link's website. I'm going to try and see if I like it. Guy Kawasaki uses it on his blog, so I'm sure it's reputable.
Let me know what you think. You can turn it off if it irritates you or configure it -- just click the OPTIONS tag in the upper right corner of the Snap window. I think it's kinda' cool. I installed it and tried it with the icons, but found that intrusive so I removed that.
Let me know what you think. You can turn it off if it irritates you or configure it -- just click the OPTIONS tag in the upper right corner of the Snap window. I think it's kinda' cool. I installed it and tried it with the icons, but found that intrusive so I removed that.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Gay Sex Causes Global Warming?
Of course not. However that's the title of this great article. Though amusing, it's also thought-provokingly profound. After all, you've got to love the truth in this comment: "The fact is that if climate change were caused by gay sex, or by the practice of eating kittens, millions of protesters would be massing in the streets."
With statements like "NO ONE seems to care about the upcoming attack on the World Trade Center site. Why? Because it won't involve villains with box cutters. Instead, it will involve melting ice sheets that swell the oceans and turn that particular block of lower Manhattan into an aquarium. The odds of this happening in the next few decades are better than the odds that a disgruntled Saudi will sneak onto an airplane and detonate a shoe bomb. And yet our government will spend billions of dollars this year to prevent global terrorism and … well, essentially nothing to prevent global warming. "
Only the very naive are still arguing that the citizens of this planet are busy destroying it. We don't have another home -- we're destroying the place we all have to live. Our current administration has done everything in its power to prevent any change in course, even going so far as to reverse previous administrations efforts to alleviate the current situation.
With statements like "NO ONE seems to care about the upcoming attack on the World Trade Center site. Why? Because it won't involve villains with box cutters. Instead, it will involve melting ice sheets that swell the oceans and turn that particular block of lower Manhattan into an aquarium. The odds of this happening in the next few decades are better than the odds that a disgruntled Saudi will sneak onto an airplane and detonate a shoe bomb. And yet our government will spend billions of dollars this year to prevent global terrorism and … well, essentially nothing to prevent global warming. "
Only the very naive are still arguing that the citizens of this planet are busy destroying it. We don't have another home -- we're destroying the place we all have to live. Our current administration has done everything in its power to prevent any change in course, even going so far as to reverse previous administrations efforts to alleviate the current situation.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Let's Buy Dick Cheney a Cheeseburger
Some clever chap has a brilliant idea which I am very keen on. This person states "I hereby declare April 13, 2007, is National Buy Dick Cheney a Cheeseburger Day. Millions of Americans will buy cheeseburgers, consume them, and then mail their receipts to Vice President Dick Cheney, to encourage him to chow down or celebrate the fact he can't."
It's rather amusing, trying to kill-off Mr. Cheney this way. Would that it works. In the blog, he provides full details. Though, I might suggest directly sending them to Mr. Cheney as follows:
Big Dick Cheney
1 Observatory Circle NW
Washington, DC 20008
USA
You can buy also buy gift cards/certificates/vouchers at either http://www.bk.com and http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/shop/certificates.html -- perhaps you wish to get a card and use it all up except one or two cents and then mail in the gift-card as well.
I wish this guy wasn't anonymous because I'd like to thank him for giving me this little bit of joy, just before tax day coincidentally.
It's rather amusing, trying to kill-off Mr. Cheney this way. Would that it works. In the blog, he provides full details. Though, I might suggest directly sending them to Mr. Cheney as follows:
Big Dick Cheney
1 Observatory Circle NW
Washington, DC 20008
USA
You can buy also buy gift cards/certificates/vouchers at either http://www.bk.com and http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/shop/certificates.html -- perhaps you wish to get a card and use it all up except one or two cents and then mail in the gift-card as well.
I wish this guy wasn't anonymous because I'd like to thank him for giving me this little bit of joy, just before tax day coincidentally.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Weird Large Numbers and Other Miscellany
This excerpted from Josh's blog-thingy with his permission.
I was playing with some numbers the other day wanting to see what kind of data it would take to texture a model of the entire planet in 1′x1′(1 sq. ft.) photographs of the Earth’s surface with your average 7-mega-pixel camera. The numbers may be screwy, but here’s what I got: There are 1,597,675,918,771,730 (quadrillion) sq. ft. of planet Earth x 2 MB (average 7.1-mega-pixel JPG) 1 sq. ft. photograph = 3,195,351,837,540,000 (quadrillion) MB (megabytes), or 3.2 ZB (zettabytes), with 1 zettabyte equaling 1,180,591,620,717,411,303,424 bytes, or approximately 1.2 sextillion (21 zeroes) bytes, or 4,564,788,339,342 (trillion) compact discs, or 679,862,093,093 (billion) DVD movies, or 6,390,703,675 (billion) average 500 GB external hard drives, or roughly one of these 500 GB hard drives for every person on the planet. 1,597,675,918,771,730 (quadrillion) 1′x1′photographs.
I found the fact that he did this fascinating (A) because it's really interesting (B) because it shows he's got even less of a life than me, and (C) the numbers are enormous. Any comments should be directed to his blog. You should surf over and read the whole thing.
Also, if you're a pet owner, please read this before you feed your animal any more food. There's a recall on a number of brands that may cause kidney failure in your dog or cat.I'm sick and can't talk. My voice has gone AWOL. I'm sure I'll get over it, but I hate being sick. My mother must be a natural blonde who doesn't listen based on my conversation with her moments ago.
I'm trying to pawn off my tickets to tonight's hockey game but have found no takers so far.
I went to Publix, where shopping is a pleasure, and it damn near wore me out. I think I'm home for the rest of the day (and night).
Monday, March 12, 2007
Daniel Radcliffe's Penis Hits The Web (Harry and the Magic Wand)
My God! If I get one more e-mail asking me about Harry Potter's dick I will just scream. Yeah, I made a post about it, but it was not a sexual post. It was a "what is the kid thinking" post and more bemused than anything. I posted a publicity still (tasteful but boring) in a subsequent post. And, as a result, my blog gets tons of hits clearly looking for Harry's penis. The analysis reports I get read like a porn list. I don't even really want these sort of visitors.
If you really want to see The Magic Wand and accompanying Cas, it's out there (poor choice of words) and here's a link so you can see it. I am not posting naked photos of anyone here --ever -- but I'll save you teenaged girls out there the trouble of using Google. It's not very difficult but apparently you're all too thick to figure it out. Really, just go buy a ticket and get your cheap thrills that way.
(Due to popular demand of perverts everywhere, here's an index of all the Potter posts involving this play Equus)
I have made three previous posts about this and this is the fourth one (12 March 07):
If you really want to see The Magic Wand and accompanying Cas, it's out there (poor choice of words) and here's a link so you can see it. I am not posting naked photos of anyone here --ever -- but I'll save you teenaged girls out there the trouble of using Google. It's not very difficult but apparently you're all too thick to figure it out. Really, just go buy a ticket and get your cheap thrills that way.
(Due to popular demand of perverts everywhere, here's an index of all the Potter posts involving this play Equus)
I have made three previous posts about this and this is the fourth one (12 March 07):
- I first blogged it on 7-28-06 when it made the news he might do it.
- Then they made the first publicity photos on 1-31-07 and I blogged that. That's when I started getting teen girls and pervs asking for photos. (For the record I do not reply to those emails.)
- And lastly on 3-4-07 I was amused that he doesn't want his castmates to see him naked.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Mr. Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries Dies
One of the funniest actors in the Britcom genres, John Inman has died today at age 71. He is best known for the role of Mr. Humphries in the classic Are You Being Served? series on BBC television which ran for nearly 13 years. He and Mrs. Slocombe (Mollie Sugden) stole the show -- he of the effete mama's boy character and she of the double-entendre pussy joke run amok.
He was able to convey his very over-the-top character in a way that made you like him whilst laughing at him and with him at the same time. He was funny, had impeccable timing, and was what helped make this series a runaway success on both sides of the Atlantic. It spawned an ill-fated sequel (Grace and Favour) and even more ill-fated US knock-off and even an Australian spin-off.
He'll be missed by connoisseurs of the fine dry-witted Britcom. Rest in Peace Mr. Humphries.
He was able to convey his very over-the-top character in a way that made you like him whilst laughing at him and with him at the same time. He was funny, had impeccable timing, and was what helped make this series a runaway success on both sides of the Atlantic. It spawned an ill-fated sequel (Grace and Favour) and even more ill-fated US knock-off and even an Australian spin-off.
He'll be missed by connoisseurs of the fine dry-witted Britcom. Rest in Peace Mr. Humphries.
A Lizard in the Works
Yeah, the title is a tip-o-the-hat to "Spanner in the Works" but it's also just what happened. I've been crabby all day because I barely slept a wink last night after a short night the previous night. I'm sore, tired, and miserable. So what's the story? Ah, yes, glad you asked.
Last night, around 9ish, I noticed the AC was running still -- unusual as hell. I also noticed it was warm but chalked it up to my tiredness. Around 1030 or so, it was still running and I was still warm so I went and checked ye olde thermostat. A blistering 74 degrees and rising -- I can't sleep much above 70 or so. I stuck my hand in front of the AC vent and it was warm.
Normally, I'd open my window but in this neighbourhood we're near the city dump and they incinerate at night and the smell is horrible. A nice 68 outside and no way to let the air in. I turned on the fan wondering why my AC is plagued with glitches. I fell asleep instantly mostly because at this point I'm exhausted all the time and can barely function anymore. Within an hour, I'm up and sweating. And being a cat owner, all attempts at sleep include a fur coat whether I want one or not. I shed more clothing and all covers, and turn on the fan and though I doze in and out of sleep it's fitful and I'd probably have been better off not sleeping at all.
At 8am, I call Xelor (the AC repair folks with whom I have a service contract). I leave work early and meet them at home at 345pm. They check my unit and the guy says, "your compressor isn't coming on" -- which is unusual since it's not that old, so he removes the cover. Inside is one of those big industrial capacitors (think can of soda size and shape). He said "there's your problem" and pointed at a fried, dead lizard. I looked at him like he's insane.
He shows me a new capacitor and the old one. "What happens is that if a lizard gets in and manages to touch all three contacts at once, it shorts out. The lizard and the capacitor fry. So your fan motor runs but the compressor won't come on." The old capacitor is bulging at both ends and burnt around the top. The lizard is crispy and could be served at your local Chilis or Applebees. He replaced it, and voilà it works!
(For those thinking my AC bill must be nuts because I can't sleep at a reasonable temperature, I would like to report that I have a programmable thermostat. 78 whilst at work, 74 when I return home, 70 around 930 pm until 1am then up to 72 until I leave for work. Weekends it runs at 76/72/70 depending on time. My AC bill is still less than it was before I got the programmable thermostat.)
Last night, around 9ish, I noticed the AC was running still -- unusual as hell. I also noticed it was warm but chalked it up to my tiredness. Around 1030 or so, it was still running and I was still warm so I went and checked ye olde thermostat. A blistering 74 degrees and rising -- I can't sleep much above 70 or so. I stuck my hand in front of the AC vent and it was warm.
Normally, I'd open my window but in this neighbourhood we're near the city dump and they incinerate at night and the smell is horrible. A nice 68 outside and no way to let the air in. I turned on the fan wondering why my AC is plagued with glitches. I fell asleep instantly mostly because at this point I'm exhausted all the time and can barely function anymore. Within an hour, I'm up and sweating. And being a cat owner, all attempts at sleep include a fur coat whether I want one or not. I shed more clothing and all covers, and turn on the fan and though I doze in and out of sleep it's fitful and I'd probably have been better off not sleeping at all.
At 8am, I call Xelor (the AC repair folks with whom I have a service contract). I leave work early and meet them at home at 345pm. They check my unit and the guy says, "your compressor isn't coming on" -- which is unusual since it's not that old, so he removes the cover. Inside is one of those big industrial capacitors (think can of soda size and shape). He said "there's your problem" and pointed at a fried, dead lizard. I looked at him like he's insane.
He shows me a new capacitor and the old one. "What happens is that if a lizard gets in and manages to touch all three contacts at once, it shorts out. The lizard and the capacitor fry. So your fan motor runs but the compressor won't come on." The old capacitor is bulging at both ends and burnt around the top. The lizard is crispy and could be served at your local Chilis or Applebees. He replaced it, and voilà it works!
(For those thinking my AC bill must be nuts because I can't sleep at a reasonable temperature, I would like to report that I have a programmable thermostat. 78 whilst at work, 74 when I return home, 70 around 930 pm until 1am then up to 72 until I leave for work. Weekends it runs at 76/72/70 depending on time. My AC bill is still less than it was before I got the programmable thermostat.)
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Music and the 1 Terabyte Hard Drive. Complete.
I have had a series of posts about my ongoing CD ripping project started 1-1-07 and finished today 3-6-07 after 65 days of work. The first post is here, but you can see them all by using the labels (tags) feature.
The final result is 10,629 songs for a continuous playing time of 29.8 days -- this represents 773 albums and 252 artists*.
As I said in my original post, I've always wanted to have my complete library available to me, and now I do. I've ripped everything except spoken word discs
I used either 160 or 192 and in a few rare cases 320 bits depending on the recording. Most are being done at 160 because when they were recorded any real difference wouldn't be noticeable, and as a result I saved tons of drive space. Newer discs were done at the higher rate for better quality. My calculations for total space were way off because I took a typical CD and used that for all calculations, but most older albums are much shorter. Back in the LP era, an album could hold 45 minutes of music. The new ones hold 70 to 80 minutes so I ended up using half the space I expected. I also did the calculations before factoring in disk space shrinkage for using smaller bit rates. It was all done at 320, so my 1TB hard drive still has a lot of space which means I can buy more CDs.
I still wish iTunes let you have real dual libraries -- that is you could have two open at the same time and move songs back and forth. That would please me and it would make my project of removing any remaining illegal tracks go faster. I'll start updating tags which should be done later this year. And I'm slowly adding artwork too, because I'm anal that way.
* Sort of. Some albums a multi-disc set counts as "one album" and on others it counts as "two albums" depending if iTunes recognizes it as "Title" or "Title (Disc One)" and "Title (Disc Two)" but that is a minor quibble. Also for artists, it's the same thing "Elton John" is not the same artist as "Elton John & Billy Joel" so the count isn't perfect. Use the iTunes browse feature to get this information..
The final result is 10,629 songs for a continuous playing time of 29.8 days -- this represents 773 albums and 252 artists*.
As I said in my original post, I've always wanted to have my complete library available to me, and now I do. I've ripped everything except spoken word discs
I used either 160 or 192 and in a few rare cases 320 bits depending on the recording. Most are being done at 160 because when they were recorded any real difference wouldn't be noticeable, and as a result I saved tons of drive space. Newer discs were done at the higher rate for better quality. My calculations for total space were way off because I took a typical CD and used that for all calculations, but most older albums are much shorter. Back in the LP era, an album could hold 45 minutes of music. The new ones hold 70 to 80 minutes so I ended up using half the space I expected. I also did the calculations before factoring in disk space shrinkage for using smaller bit rates. It was all done at 320, so my 1TB hard drive still has a lot of space which means I can buy more CDs.
I still wish iTunes let you have real dual libraries -- that is you could have two open at the same time and move songs back and forth. That would please me and it would make my project of removing any remaining illegal tracks go faster. I'll start updating tags which should be done later this year. And I'm slowly adding artwork too, because I'm anal that way.
* Sort of. Some albums a multi-disc set counts as "one album" and on others it counts as "two albums" depending if iTunes recognizes it as "Title" or "Title (Disc One)" and "Title (Disc Two)" but that is a minor quibble. Also for artists, it's the same thing "Elton John" is not the same artist as "Elton John & Billy Joel" so the count isn't perfect. Use the iTunes browse feature to get this information..
Scooter Update
A busy day for me, to be sure. I came home after receiving the hernia news, and had a message to please contact the vet's office to schedule an appointment for more blood work on my cat Scooter. Of course, I immediately called and made an appointment to do so. (If you'd like to see pictures of Scooter, feel free to peruse them.)
Not 15 minutes later my phone rings again and it's the vet. Dr. Diaz who thought she may have a thyroid condition because her previous tests (T3) were all one point out of whack and scheduled the second test (T4) said her results came back perfectly normal. He said she doesn't need to go on medication and as long as her appetite and behaviour are normal, she doesn't need to go back to the vet. He recommends a check up every six months just to be safe.
At least there was some good news today.
Not 15 minutes later my phone rings again and it's the vet. Dr. Diaz who thought she may have a thyroid condition because her previous tests (T3) were all one point out of whack and scheduled the second test (T4) said her results came back perfectly normal. He said she doesn't need to go on medication and as long as her appetite and behaviour are normal, she doesn't need to go back to the vet. He recommends a check up every six months just to be safe.
At least there was some good news today.
Hiatal Hernia
I have a hiatal hernia -- those are the results of the endoscopy. Because it's not too bad, they are not recommending surgery. They expect to continue to treat my acid reflux with Nexium. I am to follow up with the original doctor in about three weeks. The hiatal hernia is causing the acid reflux and the hyperlink to WebMd will explain it in detail.
I do not have any signs of cancer, ulcers, varices, tumors, or polyps. Nor do I have any serious signs of esophogal erosion. All of that is good news. The bad news is I must continue on my white, bland diet.
Thanks to the few of you who expressed support or actually called/wrote to see how I was.
I do not have any signs of cancer, ulcers, varices, tumors, or polyps. Nor do I have any serious signs of esophogal erosion. All of that is good news. The bad news is I must continue on my white, bland diet.
Thanks to the few of you who expressed support or actually called/wrote to see how I was.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Nicolas Cage in Ghost Rider (Movie Review)
Yeah, so I saw Ghost Rider today. Had to kill time doing something that didn't overtax my voice which is slowly returning. Hopefully it'll be close to normal tomorrow at work, especially since I didn't tell anyone about my Endoscopy.
The movie is very funny -- including in the places it shouldn't be. I'm quite sure the screenwriters didn't intend the audience to be laughing uproariously at many of the scenes that were provoking guffaws throughout the film. Despite that, I have to tell you I was entertained. Ultimately that is what one wants out of a film. This was not a good film but I liked it anyway. The comic book was much, much better.
I had a hard time believing in the bad guys and a hard time... well never mind. It's an absurd concept to begin with so I probably shouldn't expect any realism at all. Still, it's nice to see Ghost Rider actually ride. A few nice tips of the hat to the comic book, but they mostly forged their own way loosely remember the comics. They left the end open for a sequel, of course but I can't imagine they'll make one unless it makes gobs of money, which it may, apparently do.
The soundtrack and sound effects were exceedingly bad to the point of distraction. The special effects were very fake, and obviously done on a budget -- except the rider himself which was very well done. There's just not a lot to recommend this film, but dammit, I had fun.
The movie is very funny -- including in the places it shouldn't be. I'm quite sure the screenwriters didn't intend the audience to be laughing uproariously at many of the scenes that were provoking guffaws throughout the film. Despite that, I have to tell you I was entertained. Ultimately that is what one wants out of a film. This was not a good film but I liked it anyway. The comic book was much, much better.
I had a hard time believing in the bad guys and a hard time... well never mind. It's an absurd concept to begin with so I probably shouldn't expect any realism at all. Still, it's nice to see Ghost Rider actually ride. A few nice tips of the hat to the comic book, but they mostly forged their own way loosely remember the comics. They left the end open for a sequel, of course but I can't imagine they'll make one unless it makes gobs of money, which it may, apparently do.
The soundtrack and sound effects were exceedingly bad to the point of distraction. The special effects were very fake, and obviously done on a budget -- except the rider himself which was very well done. There's just not a lot to recommend this film, but dammit, I had fun.
Radcliffe scared to reveal all to Potter cast
This snippet from World Entertainment News Network:
HARRY POTTER star DANIEL RADCLIFFE has begged his cast mates to avoid his hit play EQUUS because he's terrified of them seeing him in the nude. Radcliffe, 17, has been hailed by critics for his performance in the provocative PETER SHAFFER written show, but urged his friends to keep clear of the West End production - much to their relief.
Potter co-star RUPERT GRINT says, "He told us he didn't want us at the play. I was glad because it would be a little weird and uncomfortable to see."
So, if you're in a play don't you think everyone should see it? I think having a whole bunch of strangers seeing me nude would be weird. Why is it weirder to have your co-stars seeing you naked? I wonder if he realizes the scores of young teenage girls are just there to oogle his magic wand. Hypocrite? I dunno, really.My original blog post is here if you're interested -- it has a photo.
In other, related news, Mr. Radcliffe has signed on to do the remaining Potter films. So we'll have the same Harry until book and film seven.
(Due to popular demand, here's an index of all the Potter posts involving this play Equus)
I have made three previous posts about this and this is the fourth one (12 March 07):
- I first blogged it on 7-28-06 when it made the news he might do it.
- Then they made the first publicity photos on 1-31-07 and I blogged that. That's when I started getting teen girls and pervs asking for photos. (For the record I do not reply to those emails.)
- And lastly on 3-4-07 I was amused that he doesn't want his castmates to see him naked.
Friday, March 2, 2007
A380 takes another hit -- UPS Cancels
UPS Inc., the world's largest shipping carrier, said Friday it will cancel its order for 10 Airbus A380 freighters, following delivery delays. The decision will leave the European aircraft manufacturer with no firm orders for its jumbo freighter. The news follows an earlier decision by Memphis, Tenn.-based FedEx Corp. to cancel its order for the freight version of the A380 .... UPS now understands Airbus is diverting employees from the A380 freighter program to work on the passenger version of the plane. "Based on our previous discussions, we had felt that 2012 was a reasonable estimate of when Airbus could supply this plane," David Abney, UPS COO, said in a statement. "We no longer are confident that Airbus can adhere to that schedule."
I really don't have much to add except to say that HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. This just pleases me to no end. My derision for Airbus is well known, but this is just funny. It couldn't happen to a nicer company. It's like the kid nobody likes but the kid is too thick to understand why. Yes, the ever popular return of schadenfreude.
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