I want to see what the Monkey Webcam looks like personally. Perfect for spying on people.

Lovers of cute things (and the Japanese) will snatch up this USB MyPet Webcam that comes in both monkey and puppy models. Supporting up to 640x480 at 15 frames per second, this webcam is perfect for the girlfriend that hates tech.

Readers could also use it to spy on a victim who doesn't know this is a webcam. A very dumb victim.

USB MyPet Webcam cranks the cuteness factor [uber gizmo]

[via Gizmodo]

The WSJ has a short article about how Hollywood still falls short when portraying computer use in movies.

In the 1996 blockbuster "Mission: Impossible," the secret agent played by Tom Cruise uses email to set a trap for one of his adversaries -- a shadowy, Bible-quoting figure he knows only as "Max."

Mr. Cruise's character uses a laptop to compose an email message addressed to "Max@Job 3:14." Once he clicks the "send" button, the email is carried away in an oversized on-screen envelope, complete with postage stamp. In the real world, such a message would set the stage for a bounce-back error message, not an action/adventure thriller. [WSJ.com]

This morning I woke up to part of Electric Skychurch's Deus Suite playing on Groove Salad. And the sun was shining through the windows just right. Such a nice peaceful way to wake.

Yesterday was Boston day. I just had felt the need to get out of the house and be social. I had plans for brunch and then just planned to bum around and see who I could find the rest of the day. Hopefully using up enough time to make it to my friend Bree's going away party.

Brunch was great. We went to one of my favorite brunch places, Soundbites. And as usually it didn't disappoint. I even got to see the breakfast guy yell at a table for taking too long. It was classic. And I got some yummy eggs benedict too! Maybe I'll see about turning this into a monthly thing until I move back up there.

The rest of the day was spent in Harvard Square and Davis Square. Then I stopped in to see Bree, since I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make it till 6. It was good seeing her, I hadn't seen her in around a year (when she came to visit me in the hospital).

I left there intending to go home, but I realized I really only needed to fill up an hour and a half till her going away thang started. So I headed over in the direction, parked and wandered around the Virgin Megastore for a while before heading over to the Otherside to find her. It was a nice time, got to hang out more, see other friends, and drink enough chai to be all revved up for the trip home. And I got to meet the Pennysaver guy!

Overall a great day.

I've been meaning to post about this story for a while and this article seems like a good place to start. A book on manga has been pulled from a some California libraries because it *gasp* has some naughty pictures in it.

Irresponsible Pictures

Paul Gravett's Manga pulled from library shelf

One of the best books ever written on the subject of manga, Paul Gravett's Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics (Harper Design International) has been removed from the shelves of the San Bernadino County Library System after a parent complained about illustrations depicting sex acts. Her sixteen-year-old son had checked the book out and was disturbed by the graphic nature of some of the material presented.

After the Victorville branch initially declined to remove the book from its holdings, which was shelved appropriately with the adult holdings, Bill Postmus, Chairman of the San Bernadino County Board of Supervisors, intervened on the family's behalf. County library officials obligingly led Postmus through the library's reconsideration process that led to the book’s removal. Gravett's book will still be available to county patrons via inter-library loan. [Comic World News: Flipped]

It's so nice to see censorship alive and well.

Just a reminder to everyone that tomorrow is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's. Unfortunately there isn't anyplace close to me to go for it. Big suck.

Do you play Second Life? Are you looking for some action? Then check out SL Escorts for listings and reviews. Also see an article on 1UP on MMO Call Girls.

[via Waxy Links]

In celebration of my one year mark my parents are going to take me to see Spamalot. ROCK!

Today I celebrate getting my lung one year ago. Woohoo! It's been quite a voyage and continues to be an adventure every day. But things are going well and once I get this reflux stuff taken care of I hope it will be even better.

Tonight I have some friends coming by for a small gathering to celebrate. Should be a good mellow time.

I went out for lunch today and by the time I got home I was sneezing my head off and all stuffed up. Spring is here, and with it the beginning of allergy season. Wah-choo!

The New York Times has a short review of the new Doctor Who online. Pretty decent.

The familiar blue police box doesn't seem much revamped, either; it appears to run on pneumatic tubes, and there is no sign of a computer on board. The Doctor, on the other hand, almost quivers with energy. In previous regenerations, depending on the actor playing him, this character has variously been crotchety, spacey, avuncular and even a little glamorous. Christopher Eccleston brings a kind of manic blokishness to the part, giving the Doctor a sardonic grin and a working-class Manchester accent. (When another character says, "If you're an alien, how come you sound like you're from the North?" he replies, "Lots of planets have a North.")

This Doctor is a little forgetful and inept, but nevertheless fairly contemptuous of the human beings he has come to save — except for Rose Tyler, a shop girl to whom he takes a completely understandable shine. Rose, played by Billie Piper, a former pop star who used to occupy roughly the same niche in Britain as Britney Spears does here, is not just cute but also quick and inventive. She's much less frightened of lumbering mannequins or boiling plastic than either her vain, slutty mum or her well-meaning but dopey boyfriend, and she even gets the careless Doctor out of a jam.[New York Times]

An answer to social networks: isolatr

Today brings us the latest offering from Google: Google Mars. Explore the red planet in three different ways: an elevation map shows color-coded peaks and valleys, a visible-imagery map shows what your eyes would actually see, and an infrared-imagery map shows the detail your eyes would miss. It is pretty nifty. Check it out!

Another week another test. This one is my PersonalDNA, a mapping of my personality. Here it is:

Kind of interesting test, but not much different from others like it.

Swiped from Bookslut. Compare and contrast Brokeback Mountain and Curious George, as written by a freshman.

Although Curious George and Brokeback Mountain share many similarities, they also share many differences. Both involve men in hats, but the meaning of the hat changes.

Curious George is the story of a monkey and the man he adopts. The Man in the Yellow Hat works in a museum, where he never figures out that Drew Barrymore has a crush on him. He must be gay or something. He gets sent to Africa to find a statue that could save the museum. He doesn't, but he could of if he had figured out how to read the map. A monkey steals his hat, which is like stealing his identity, but it's a hat. It's an example of nature's inhumanity to man. [Confessions of a Community College Dean] [via Bookslut]

I took this test a good decade ago and am surprised to find that I got the same exact result. Though most of the explanations for the various numbers seems a little simplified to me (based on what I'd read in the past).

the Peacemaker Test finished!

you chose BX - your Enneagram type is NINE. "I am at peace" Peacemakers are receptive, good-natured, and supportive. They seek union with others and the world around them. How to Get Along with Me If you want me to do something, how you ask is important. I especially don't like expectations or pressure. I like to listen and to be of service, but don't take advatage of this. Listen until I finish speaking, even though I meander a bit. Give me time to finish things and make decisions. It's OK to nudge me gently and nonjudgmentally. Ask me questions to help me get clear. Tell me when you like how I look. I'm not averse to flattery. Hug me, show physical affection. It opens me up to my feelings. I like a good discussion but not a confrontation. Let me know you like what I've done or said. Laugh with me and share in my enjoyment of life. What I Like About Being a Nine being nonjudgmental and accepting caring for and being concerned about others being able to relax and have a good time knowing that most people enjoy my company; I'm easy to be around my ability to see many different sides of an issue and to be a good mediator and facilitator my heightened awareness of sensations, aesthetics, and the here and now being able to go with the flow and feel one with the universe What's Hard About Being a Nine being judged and misunderstood for being placid and/or indecisive being critical of myself for lacking initiative and discipline being too sensitive to criticism; taking every raised eyebrow and twitch of the mouth personally being confused about what I really want caring too much about what others will think of me not being listened to or taken seriously Nines as Children Often feel ignored and that their wants, opinions, and feelings are unimportant tune out a lot, especially when others argue are "good" children: deny anger or keep it to themselves Nines as Parents are supportive, kind, and warm are sometimes overly permissive or nondirective Renee Baron & Elizabeth Wagele The Enneagram Made Easy Discover the 9 Types of People HarperSanFrancisco, 1994, 161 pages You are not completely happy with the result?! You chose BX Would you rather have chosen: AX (SEVEN) CX (TWO) BY (FOUR) BZ (FIVE)

Tomorrow my parents head down to NOLA to party it up for a week at Mardi Gras. I'm a bit envious, but travel like that and NOLA in general probably aren't great for my health at the moment. It also means I'm stuck home alone once again, this time for a week.

So fair reader, what should I do? Throw a party? Take a road trip? Run around the house screaming? Play WoW for a week straight? Throw a dinner party of some kind also. What? What? What?

Well, there have been no more votes on my Johari Window (though feel free to go add your views) for a day or so, so I thought I'd post the results. I thought they were fairly interesting in that I've never thought of myself as particularly brave.

Dominant Traits

63% of people think that snooze is brave
63% of people think that snooze is friendly

All Percentages

able (0%) accepting (18%) adaptable (27%) bold (0%) brave (63%) calm (9%) caring (18%) cheerful (45%) clever (18%) complex (0%) confident (0%) dependable (0%) dignified (0%) energetic (0%) extroverted (0%) friendly (63%) giving (27%) happy (9%) helpful (9%) idealistic (0%) independent (9%) ingenious (0%) intelligent (36%) introverted (0%) kind (27%) knowledgable (9%) logical (0%) loving (9%) mature (0%) modest (9%) nervous (0%) observant (18%) organised (0%) patient (0%) powerful (0%) proud (0%) quiet (18%) reflective (9%) relaxed (18%) religious (0%) responsive (0%) searching (0%) self-assertive (0%) self-conscious (9%) sensible (9%) sentimental (0%) shy (0%) silly (18%) spontaneous (0%) sympathetic (0%) tense (0%) trustworthy (18%) warm (9%) wise (0%) witty (9%)

I also have one of those nohari things, feel free to rip me to shreds.

I feel like I'm in a snow globe.

For those of you in western MA, friends of mine have just opened a new store, Inspirit Common.

The store is in Hadley on 123 Russell St. (Route 9) and looks really nice. From their web site: Inspirit Common, a mind/body/spirit centre, is an oasis for those journeying along their personal path. The talents of many dedicated friends have been combined to provide an intentional space of community, learning, healing -- and a little shopping -- that honors and complements the many traditions that have inspired our spirit.

If you're in the area you should check it out. Tell them Gregory sent you.

Store pics:

Just got back from heading up to Boston to pick some stuff up. It was the kind of day I hate driving: Foggy, rainy, not much sun, etc. Grabbed some onigiri for a quick cheap lunch and headed back. I'll be up a few times next week though, hopefully with better weather.

Overall the weekend was pretty mellow. I ended up going to Boston on friday for a doctor appointment and tried forever to find someone around to hang with afterwards. Sheesh, everyone got lives when I wasn't looking! That and I very much need to update my address book. Too many of the numbers I have for people are wrong.

I ended up visiting with my friends Mike and Michelle. It was great to see them and to be social. It made me realize I have to start having more contact with people. I stayed there way too late and came home and crashed.

Next time I have to go up will probably be saturday. Who is going to be around?

This is so cool. And A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of my favorites.

Replica of Charlie Brown's Xmas tree
Cory Doctorow: Urban Outfitters is selling a replica of the "pathetic" Xmas tree Charlie Brown took home in A Charlie Brown Christmas:

The tree is an exact replica of the tree from the famous cartoon, made of wire branches and plastic needles with a criss cross wooden base. The bendable branches allow you to make it look just how you want, super pathetic or just kind of pathetic. The tree comes with one red Christmas ball ornament.

Link

(Thanks, Cory!)

[via Boing Boing Blog]

I personally think it should come in a big roll. It isn't really duct tape if it doesn't make that noise when you rip a piece off. It also needs to be multipurpose. You should be able to use it to build some bizzare contraption with it, like MacGuyver.

Duct Tape Band Aid

I am a man's man. Nothing hurts me. I am pretty much invincible, except when my kitty scratches me. The worse thing is going to the construction site (work as I call it) and getting ridiculed by all of the other guys, and even the women for wearing a daffy duck band aid. This is a duct tape band aid for the most hardcore people out there. No longer will people think you are a baby. I mean honestly, nothing says hardcore more than having duct tape wrapped around a boo-boo. Maybe dipping said boo boo in motor oil and wrapping a used diaper around it is harder core, but not by much.

The Duct Tape Band Aid [OhGizmo!]

[via Gizmodo]

I have to check on the status of the leaves changing this year. Anyone up for playing hooky from work someday, or maybe driving up to western MA to see if the leaves have changed next weekend? I think my parents are out of town, so folks could stay over. The only condition is that I'd want to visit my high school campus while up there. They have good places for walking too (or did).

My mom's been pretty much glued to the computer every spare moment she has trying to figure out just how bad the flooding is by my sister's apartment. She came across some pictures taken by someone taking a boat ride through areas near the apartment. There's something really eerie about it all. It made me realize that most of the pictures I've seen of New Orleans on the news are focusing on places with people. There's a link to a slide show of pictures at the nola.com link.

My neighbour and I took a boat ride through Uptown flooded flooded streets yesterday morning. Our route was as follows:boat launch at Nashville and Freret. Travel north on Nashville to cross Claiborne into Broadmoor. Right on Rocheblave. Return through Robert and Octavia back on Nashville. I took over 120 pics of the streets. Overall impression: news aren't good. Water 5-6 feet high on the street, every home is affected starting two blocks past Freret. Dead body floating at the corner of Octavia and Rocheblave. Our house at 4900 block of Rocheblave has 3 feet of water. We didn't even go into it. Pictures cover our route:Boat launch at Nashville and Freret. Travel north on Nashville, cross claiborne. Go into broadmoor, take a right on S. Rocheblave (we live on that street). Head out back on Robert, Octavia and Nashville. [nola.com]

I've been meaning to post something about New Orleans and the hurricane for a few days now. For me the big positive news is that my sister is safe. She got out of town Sunday and stayed with friends in FL. Now she's up in the Baton Rouge area and trying to keep busy (she volunteered at the Red Cross the other day). My nephew is with her and doing just fine also. He'll hopefully be attending school up there while they wait for school to be available around his father.

As of right now, she still has a job at the Tulane Medical Center. Though there's been no word about when she might be back at work. Something that's true for just about anyone who works in NO.

It also looks like her apartment may be safe. We can't tell for sure, but it seems to be right on the edge of some flooding. Her apartment is on the first floor, but it is up a number of steps, so I think she's got something like 4 feet before the water would get into her actual apartment. Our fingers are crossed.

Also, via LJ user Tenzil, a really good article over on CNN about The Big Disconnect. Good, but a bit disturbing.

Originally seen over on LJ:

Call to turn exam failure into a qualified success
By Alexandra Blair, Education Correspondent

A RETIRED primary school teacher has called for the word "failure" to be banned from the classroom and replaced with "deferred success".

Liz Beattie, who taught for 37 years, said that children's aspirations to learn are crushed as soon as they are deemed failures and that they should be praised instead.

The motion to remove the word "fail" from the educational vocabulary will be put formally to members of the Professional Association of Teachers (PAT) at the union’s annual conference in Buxton, Derbyshire, at the end of the month. [The Times]

Bah. I think this school teacher is an idiot. While I don't think you should necessarily yell "MY GOD YOU SUCK" to a student in the middle of class, getting rid of the concept of failure is a horrible idea. And just how are you supposed to praise the kid who got a zero on a test? Good job Billy! You got the lowest grade in the class, a new record! Keep up the good work!

Now Playing: D-tecnolife from the album "D-tecnolife Single" by UVERworld

LJ user terrajen points to today's New York City edition of the Metro describing how to recognize terrorists.

So if you see someone sweating a lot during the summer and avoiding eye contact in Manhattan call the cops!

I'm back in CT after two days of doctor appointments in Boston. They wanted to check out my heart, since my heart rate had been a bit irregular right after my surgery. The good news is that my heart is doing just fine.

Then last night we went to Evoo, one of my favorite restaurants. I'd wanted my mom to go for a while, as I thought she'd really like it. And she did. I had the Chinese Box, my favorite thing on the menu, and as always it was quite yummy.

Then today was my regular appointment at the transplant clinic. Everything looks to be doing okay. And the best news is they gave me the okay to drive. So I believe I'll be taking a short drive tomorrow :). So happy!

Happy 4th of July everyone. I haven't been posting much because I just haven't felt like I've had much to say. But the last day or two I've been feeling a little bit more talkative and it finally reached critical mass.

My sister and nephew are here visiting for the week, which is nice. My nephew is all about playing Pokemon on his GBA. He keeps wanting to trade with me (Yes, I have it too.) The problem is I haven't played in months and have no idea how I got different Pokemon. Though he's since educated me on how to evolve all kinds of various ones (whether I wanted to know or not). He's a good kid, needs to listen to his mom more, but a good kid.

I also missed my goal of walking around the block. Mostly because the weather was pretty oppressive last week, not the best conditions for pushing myself some. Instead I walked all the way down to the CVS on Friday, which is considerably longer than going around the block.

I've also been poking around at dating sites online. I'm kind of curious to hear what sites people like. I think I had a profile on match.com years and years ago, but it's probably long gone. Anyone have any favorites?

MSNBC has an article up reporting the identity of the infamous Deep Throat.

>Ex-FBI official says he's 'Deep Throat'

Magazine quotes him as saying he was 'doing his duty'

Updated: 12:01 p.m. ET May 31, 2005

W. Mark Felt, who retired from the FBI after rising to its second most senior position, has identified himself as the "Deep Throat" source quoted by The Washington Post to break the Watergate scandal that led to President Nixon's resignation, Vanity Fair magazine said Tuesday.

"I'm the guy they used to call Deep Throat," he told John D. O'Connor, the author of Vanity Fair's exclusive that appears in its July issue. [MSNBC]

No word yet from Woodward and Bernstein, who have pledged not to reveal the identity until the person has died.

So once again my parents are going away for a week and I'll have the house to myself the weekend of the 22nd. I'm still trying to figure out what to do. I'm not sure that it will be warm enough to BBQ, but I'm thinking of having some kind of gathering. Maybe a movie/anime festival of some kind I can talk a few folks into coming down to visit. At least something to keep me from going stir crazy in his big house.

A few years ago I remember a story going around about someone trying to use a $2 bill at a Taco Hell. Snopes doesn't have any indication as to if it is true or false, but it seems that there are some people out there who still aren't familiar with $2 bills.

Best Buy Has Customer Arrested For Using $2 Bills

A Baltimore man tried to pay for a Best Buy car stereo installation with $2 bills—and was arrested. Apparently the man was already upset with the Best Buy's service, so thought he'd stage a minor protest by using the uncommon currency:

"I'm just here to pay the bill," Bolesta says he told a cashier. "She looked at the $2 bills and told me, 'I don't have to take these if I don't want to.' I said, 'If you don't, I'm leaving. I've tried to pay my bill twice. You don't want these bills, you can sue me.' So she took the money. Like she's doing me a favor."

He remembers the cashier marking each bill with a pen. Then other store personnel began to gather, a few of them asking, "Are these real?"

(Thanks, C0bra!)

More proof that Best Buy is actually "Worst Buy": Man arrested for paying in $2 bills [Anandtech]

[via Gizmodo]

I've seen Gloomy Bear comics, but never an actual one. I want one!

Gloomy bears
It's a little mean, don't you think, to give little kids cute stuffed bears to hug while they sleep, dreaming of the day when they will befriend a real bear, not yet knowing that it will never ever happen. I am still not over it. Gloomy bears, designed by Mori Chak are adorable and pink, but the blood stained claws will let your children know that bears are wild animals, not to be hugged if encountered in the woods.

Gloomy bears are $20-$40 at unica. [via Popgadget: Personal Tech for Women]

Last night everyone was supposed to have set their clocks ahead an hour. But here's the strange thing. With the exception of my phone, everything else I have that keeps time changes its time automatically. No need for me to do a thing. I had a moment this morning where I was looking around trying to figure out how I could tell that the time change happened. If my phone wasn't stupid and not able to do it on its own I'd still be clueless.

Now I have to figure out if there is anything else that I need to change by hand.

Google has announced their latest project: Google gulp! (with auto-drink(tm)).

Think fruity. Think refreshing. Think a DNA scanner embedded in the lip of your bottle reading all 3 gigabytes of your base pair genetic data in a fraction of a second, fine-tuning your individual hormonal cocktail in real time using our patented Auto-Drinkâ„¢ technology, and slamming a truckload of electrolytic neurotransmitter smart-drug stimulants past the blood-brain barrier to achieve maximum optimization of your soon-to-be-grateful cerebral cortex. Plus, it's low in carbs! And with flavors ranging from Beta Carroty to Glutamate Grape, you'll never run out of ways to quench your thirst for knowledge.

I'm still unsure about the bottles reporting information about me to Google, but the Sero-Tonic Water sounds tasty. They are also rolling this out slowly, as they did with Gmail. You can only get some if a friend of yours gives you a bottle cap for it. Hopefully I'm cool enough that I can get one.

Decided to take one of those silly quiz things:

Taken from LJ:

How many total songs?
7580

Sort by Song Title
First: 'Till the End of Time, Delerium
Last: track 8 (it's in japanese: 黒い翼) off of Los Angeles by the brilliant green

Sort by time:
First: Let's Hear It For Nine Inch Nails, Nine Inch nails
Last: Essential Mix - 04.01.2001, Carl Cox Live @ Space

Sort by Album:
First track: (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing, Heaven 17, (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing (cd single)
Last track: LITTLE BUSTERS, The Pillows・他, フリクリ オリジナルサウンドトラック

Top Ten Most Played:
I Love Love You, Hideki Naganuma/Guitar Vader
READY STEADY GO, L'Arc~en~Ciel
HEY! JIMMY, HAV
Super Shooter, RIP SLYME
Cutie Honey, Koda Kumi
The Concept of Love, Hideki Nagnuma
A Place in the Country, Adam Ant
Puss n' Boots, Adam Ant
Future Is What We Are, Ken Ishii
Run Rabbit Junk, Yoko Kanno

10 most recently played: (Same comment as last one):
Place in the Country, Adam Ant
Take Me To The River, Talking Heads
You Won't See Me Coming, Jean-Jacques Burnel
Screw, The Cure
It Only Makes Me Laugh, Oingo Boingo
No One Lives Forever, Oingo Boingo
Greetings to the New Brunette, Billy Bragg
Like a Prayer, Bigod 20
Run Rabbit Junk, Yoko Kanno
HIT IN THE USA, BEAT CRUSADERS

Find "sex", how many songs show up?
18

Find "death", how many songs show up?
13

Find "love", how many songs show up?
442

This article at the New York Times made me laugh quite a bit this morning:

Right Name, Wrong E-Mail In-Box

LAST fall, David A. Green was looking forward to his new job at a Manhattan real estate brokerage. Finally, he would be able to shed the e-mail confusion that plagued him because of the two other David Greens at his company.

No such luck. At his new company, Cushman & Wakefield, there was yet another David Green. And that Mr. Green already held the coveted e-mail name David_Green, following the company's convention for e-mail addresses.

At his old company, CB Richard Ellis, he had been, reluctantly, David.A.Green. Now he became David_A_Green. Hundreds of his e-mail messages went to the wrong David Green.

"I would have been better off being at his desk than at mine," said David A. Green, noting that the original, initial-free David Green is "most gracious about sending me the volumes of e-mails that go to him." [via New York Times: Technology]

So why did I find this amusing? This isn't a new topic. The sendmail FAQ has had a question on this forever (or at least since 1997). It still amazes me that people don't think that this might be a problem. When I was in college pretty much everyone had four character email addresses in the format (first initial)(second initial)(random alphanumeric)(random alphanumeric). Mine was gb1d. I can still remember pretty much all my friend's addresses from then too. It also helps to keep out people just spamming by sending emails to any old firstname_lastname address.

Uh. I really have no response to this. I saw the story and had to go listen. It's just mindboggling.

'Chickenpox Parties' for Parents Wary of Inoculations
Oregon is experiencing a growing phenomenon of "chickenpox parties" -- events where parents wary of getting their kids inoculated against chickenpox knowingly expose them to infected children to build immunity. [via NPR News: Health & Science]

McDonalds is starting a new ad compaign urging people to get some exercise.

McDonald's Says It's Time to Exercise

MCDONALD'S has a suggestion for Americans, who are becoming obese in alarming numbers: get some exercise. The company, under fire from those who say its food plays a role in the nation's obesity problem, introduced a marketing campaign yesterday promoting physical activity as part of a balanced life. The theme: "It's what I eat and what I do ... I'm lovin' it." The campaign includes commercials that largely dispense with traditions like showing the product, the restaurants or people eating food. One spot even tells viewers, "Maybe you should spend less time with your TV." [NYTimes]

Today I was calling my cell phone company to make a payment since I realized I'd spaced on paying that one online. Upon calling I discovered that they now have a voice driven menu system. So, first I had to say "I'd like to make a payment", then say every little bit of information that was needed. First, saying this with any kind of cough is difficult, took me two tries for my credit card number. Second, it was slow.

I could have been done with the phone call in about 1/3rd of the time if I hadn't had to say it all. It's a heck of a lot easier to key in all that stuff. The sad thing is that I bet this will become the norm because it is 'cool'.

Today we're making gingerbread houses. It's a tradition that my mom has some friends over and they make them every year. I'm most likely going to be working on one, but for the moment have been busy taking pictures of the houses as they are constructed and decorated. I'll be posting to Flickr once they are done.

Okay, someone needs to stop coming up with ideas for reality shows. This is getting ridiculous.

New Fox Show: Adoptee IDs dad for $100K

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Fox network said Tuesday it will air a special next month, "Who's Your Daddy?", where a daughter given up for adoption as an infant attempts to guess the identity of her birth father for a $100,000 prize.

Activists in the adoption community immediately attacked the special, which will air for 90 minutes on January 3.[cnn.com]

I don't even want to think about what will be next.

Rock. A sequel to Katamari Damacy is in the works.

Katamari Damacy sequel in development

Namco is working on a sequel to innovative, um, "roll-'em-up" Katamari Damacy and plans to release it in Japan on the PlayStation 2 during its 2005 financial year, according to a report on IGN. [via]  [via Waxy.org Links]

Here's another cool Flickr thing, a calendar showing when you've posted pictures in the last five weeks.:

Each day is a link that brings you a page with pictures for that day. Nothing real fancy, but it does look pretty cool I think. You can also view calendars by month.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I've been a bit slow posting lately, so I'm just finally getting around to posting about my Turkeyday. It was a great holiday this year. My cousin and his family came to visit. Which was nice because I always like it when there is more family around. We ate lots of food and followed by passing out. They also brought their dog, which was great and reminded me how much I think we should get one.

And as for things I'm thankful for:

• My parents. These past few years they have been wonderfully supportive. And if it weren't for them I don't think I'd be able to handle this whole lung thing.
• My friends. They always seem to be there when I need them. Especially when I need stuff carried for me :).

In the world of bizzare news:

Pickled cats thrown at police

Hamilton woman angry at police confiscation of pickled snakes so threw a jar of pickled kittens at them

It has been revealed a Hamilton woman was so angry about police taking her three preserved snakes that she stormed into the station and threw a jar of pickled kittens at the counter.

The jar shattered. [NZCity News]

I personally think the sentence "It has been revealed a Hamilton woman was so angry about police taking her three preserved snakes that she stormed into the station and threw a jar of pickled kittens at the counter." would make a great entry into the Bulwer-Lytton Contest.

I can't remember where I saw the link to this originally (or I'd give credit). Here's a subset of a bunch of disclaimer stickers for science textbooks. The first one is an actual disclaimer is taken from a sticker designed by the Cobb County School District in Georgia (see original).

I was whining this morning over on #joiito about being in a bit of a slump as far as blogging goes and Joi gave me a kick to get me back into gear, so here come a few posts.

Thinking that students might be threatening the president by performing Bob Dylan's "Masters of War", the Secret Service paid a visit to a Boulder, CO high school this week.

School Talent Show Draws Secret Service

Colorado Band Singing Dylan Song Seen as Threatening President Bush

BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 12, 2004 — Parents and students say they are outraged and offended by a proposed band name and song scheduled for a high school talent show in Boulder this evening, but members of the band, named Coalition of the Willing, said the whole thing is being blown out of proportion.

The students told ABC News affiliate KMGH-TV in Denver they are performing Bob Dylan's song "Masters of War" during the Boulder High School Talent Exposé because they are Dylan fans. They said they want to express their views and show off their musical abilities.

But some students and adults who heard the band rehearse called a radio talk show Thursday morning, saying the song the band sang ended with a call for President Bush to die.

Threatening the president is a federal crime, so the Secret Service was called to the school to investigate. [abcnews.com]

For further reading, here's the lyrics to "Masters of War" (which was first released in 1963).

From CNN.com:

TV stations canceling 'Ryan' telecast

Worried about FCC sactions; film must run uncut

NEW YORK (AP) -- More than 20 ABC affiliates around the country, including two in Ohio, have announced that they won't take part in the network's Veterans Day airing of "Saving Private Ryan," saying the acclaimed film's violence and language could draw sanctions from the Federal Communications Commission.

The decisions mark a twist in the conflict over the aggressive stand the FCC has taken against obscenity and profanity since Janet Jackson flashed the world during the last Super Bowl halftime show.

Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning movie aired on ABC with relatively little controversy in 2001 and 2002, but station owners -- including several in large markets -- are unnerved that airing it Thursday could bring federal punishment. The film includes a violent depiction of the D-Day invasion and profanity.

"It would clearly have been our preference to run the movie. We think it's a patriotic, artistic tribute to our fighting forces," Ray Cole, president of Citadel Communications, told AP Radio. The company owns three ABC affiliates in the Midwest.

...

Cole cited recent FCC actions and last week's re-election of President Bush as reasons for replacing "Saving Private Ryan" on Thursday with a music program and the TV movie "Return to Mayberry." [CNN.com]

I don't know about you, but I certainly find "Return to Mayberry" to be much more offensive than "Saving Private Ryan". I really hope this isn't some kind of sign of what TV will be like in the near future.

There's a part of me that really wants to at least try this. Even if it would be scary.

Hello, Kitty!
Hello Kitty Online World! [via #!/usr/bin/girl]

I posted a bunch more pics to flickr tonight. My mom had asked me to pick up some apples so she could make some apple pies. I took the opportunity to play around with my new camera some more and try out some of the things I'd learned about it. I took a bunch of pictures of this one brook (complete with squirrel), and pictures of the first two houses I lived in.

Pepsi has a new version for the holidays: Holiday Spice Pepsi. You too can enjoy pepsi with the taste of cinnamon and ginger while you sip your holiday pepsi.

In the rockin' future of Hello Kitty.

Boston.com has an article on how parents feel that long term papers are too much work for high school students.

...But Laurie Mokriski, also a PTSO member, said she worries because the papers contribute significantly to students' already-heavy academic loads. Newton parents met earlier this month to discuss homework and agreed their children have too much, Mokriski said. They also need time for sports, theater, music, and academic teams, she said. ''They're trying to enjoy their high school years," she said.

Denise Clark Pope, author of ''Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out Materialistic and Miseducated Students," argues that today's high school students are overworked. [boston.com]

Is it me or does this just seem like too much whining. I remember having term papers that were at least 10 pages long in High School. I thought everyone had to do that kind of thing. I like how because the kids have so many extra-curricular activities, we have to give them less academic work.

A friend of mine asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I really wasn't sure. I mean, I want the new Looney Tunes collection coming out on my birthday. In fact, I'd say the first three things on my Amazon wish list are the big items.

If money wasn't an issue I'd want something like the new Think Outside bluetooth mouse or a iPod Photo (60GB of course) (only partly care about the photo part, I want most of it for music).

Oh, and I just signed up with that freeipods.com thing, so if you want to help me out, sign up for something using http://www.freeiPods.com/default.aspx?referer=10659946. I'm actually opting for the $250 gift certificate for the iTunes music store. Since that will be handy for impulse puchases.

A few years after I graduated from high school, my school started doing mock elections. Since 1988 their mock election has accurately chosen the eventual winner. VOTES 2004 was today, and the winner was... John Kerry! Let's hope their record of success continues.

It's a pretty interesting setup. From the web page:

Two schools from each state participate in the highlight of the month-long project—a mock election at which a winner is declared just days before the general election. The VOTES election is unique in that it simulates the electoral college process of selecting a candidate: the winner must earn at least 270 out of 538 electoral votes.

And here is the breakdown of the results:

Candidate
John Kerry
George Bush
Ralph Nader
David Cobb
Michael Badnarik
Michael Peroutka
Others

Electoral Votes