September 30, 2003
Coming Tomorrow
Photographic intelligence on the Dean and Gephardt campaigns! Don't touch that browser!
Major Conclusions Regarding The State Of Maine
My parents came to visit over the weekend. On Sunday, we took a charming drive up Route 1 into Maine. We drove through York, Ogunquit and Wells, then proceeded out Route 9 to Kennebunkport. We were not fortunate enough to run into George and Bar while wandering around. I was able to develop a simplified model of the economy of Maine. Gross state product is approximately composed of the following:
1/3 - Motels and inns.
1/3 - Seafood shacks.
1/3 - People selling antiques to each other.
All other economic activity appears negligable.
September 24, 2003
Irish Applied Technology
I'm sure that it's only a matter of time before they teach this thing to pour you a pint. Either that or add the ability to network it to a "smart stool" at the local pub so your settings travel with you.
September 20, 2003
Equal Time
Recently, I brought you news of the John Edwards campaign's activities in Portsmouth. Today, I located the headquaters of the Joe Lieberman camp.
While Edwards is a Subway man, Lieberman has apparently aligned himself with local eateries West End Pizza and Hong Kong Express.
What fast food brand fuels the Kerry campaign? Where do the Dick Gephardt faithful go for their saturated fats and cholesterol? Stay tuned to this space for answers to these and other important questions facing the republic.
September 17, 2003
Have You Opposed The RIAA Today?
Do something useful today! Tell your elected representatives in the United States Senate that you want to see them reign in the runaway abuse of consumers permitted under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) has introduced a bill known as The Consumers, Schools, and Libraries Digital Rights Management Awareness Act of 2003 (PDF Version). According to the online privacy watchdog group Electronic Frontier Foundation, which supports Sen. Brownback's bill, the Act will:
While these are not giant steps in and of themselves, the bill itself sends a message. American consumers are tired of seeing their traditional fair use rights trampled by the entertainment industry. Contrary to the RIAA's propoganda, the wounds that are killing the industry are entirely self-inflicted.
You can find the email addresses of your state's Senators here.
If you're suffering from a bit of writer's block, here's what I sent to my senators:
Hon. Judd Gregg (mailbox@gregg.senate.gov)
Hon. John Sununu (mailbox@sununu.senate.gov)
Senators Gregg and Sununu,
I am writing to strongly encourage you to support Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas in his efforts to enact the Consumers, Schools, and Libraries Digital Rights Management Awareness Act of 2003. Senator Brownback's bill represents a significant step in restoring the balance between the rights of intellectual property owners and consumers that was dangerously altered by the ill-conceived Digital Millennium Copyright Act. DMCA granted copyright holders the ability to obtain subpoenas demanding the identity of ISP customers without review by a judge. This is a fundamental violation of privacy and a denial of due process to American consumers. Provisions of DMCA have already been extensively abused by the Recording Industry Association of America in its quixotic crusade against online file trading. Senator Brownback's bill would reign in the runaway abuse of consumers by copyright holders.
I look forward to reading about your position on this vital legislation.
Very Truly Yours,
Be sure to include your name, your email address and your real address, so they can tell that you're actually a constituent.
September 16, 2003
Still No Cure For Cancer...
Researchers (I can't bring myself to call them "scientists") at the University of Surrey in England have determined that there is a strong correlation between the position people sleep in and their personalities. Valuable information to equip yourself with before your next fishing expedition to the singles bar.
"Well, she was a lot of fun to be around and she was pretty good in the sack, but when I saw her asleep in the starfish position I knew that we just weren't compatable."
Reality Vs. Drunk Reality
Over the weekend, I went out drinking in Boston and accepted a gracious offer from freinds of mine to spend the night rather than driving back to Portsmouth. In the middle of the night, as often happens when you've been out drinking, I needed to go to the bathroom. My friends live in a nicely refinished, two-story apartment in East Boston. Their upstairs bathroom happens to be right outside of their bedroom door. As I stood there in the darkness, pondering how I could make the least amount of noise, I experienced a classic confrontation between Reality and Drunk Reality:
Drunk Reality: I am the drunken ninja master! I can move cat-like down these stairs and use the first floor bathroom. My sleeping friends won't hear a thing. I am so clever.
Reality: I am the drunken elephant. Each and every step on this creaky, old wooden staircase will be clearly audible throughout the building. I might as well dump a 246 piece mechanic's tool set down the stairs for all the good my inebriated efforts at stealth will do. I am an idiot.
September 10, 2003
Phat, Phunky and Phake
What's a young lad to do when, even after $7,500 worth of tripping out, his Toyota Celica still isn't quite cool enough? How about installing a subwoofer that looks like a tank of nitrous oxide? It's stupid-looking AND annoying to other motorists! How can you go wrong? As a side benefit, there will be a veritable race between kids who steal car stereos and kids who huff paint thinner to see who will get to break into your car first!
September 09, 2003
Out Of Print, But Still Close To My Heart
A listing I found on Amazon's used books site brings back a lot of memories. My folks bought me a copy of Charlie Brown's Super Book of Questions and Answers when I was 6 or 7 years old. I must have read that book cover-to-cover a hundred times. Eventually, I owned all five books in the series. I'm sure they're responsible, in some way, for me being the M.I.T.-degree-having, web log writing geek I am today.
Hey, thanks Charlie Brown.