Archive for February, 2008

2008.02.10

Being Emo Phillips

Sounds like a movie title, but really that’s how it feels as an audience member when Emo Phillips speaks. You get a feeling, watching and listening, of what a strange world he occupies, hilarious and twisted and yet innocent in the way little kids sometimes say something inadvertently dirty.

I went to see Emo last night with Mookee and his girlfriend at Punchline. In a certain sense Mookee and I have Emo to thank for our long friendship. When we first met I though Mookee was the biggest jerk in the world. Then one summer there was no one else to hang out with. Mookee would just stand there reciting Emo Phillips jokes he’d memorized and somehow it made him just tolerable enough that I could stand him for more than a minute at a time.

So thank you, Emo! You were awesome last night.

2008.02.10

Please Pardon the Outage

Hi. Alas last night my hosting provider crashed. I haven’t heard yet what was the cause but we were down for at least 12 hours. The latest back up was old so I’ve rebuilt the posts (aren’t RSS feeds awesome?) and put comments back in.

In the meantime, we are back, and will posting promptly about something not related to outages. Not that it’s any more exciting (you should have seen me freaking out late last night!) but it’ll be something beside this boring update.

2008.02.09

No More Poloroid Pikchas!

Sad -yet not unexpected- news: Poloroid will be closing its instant film processing plants soon and Poloroid pictures will soon be used to gauge how old we really are. Before the age of digital photography and its instant gratification, Poloroids were the coolest thing going. I remember my Mom taking pictures at birthday parties. We’d pose for the camera and Mom would take the picture, then we’d run over and watch as our grinning faces slowly appeared on the distinctive picture.

I never had a Poloroid camera myself, but we had one growing up (my Mom still has and uses it) and I’ve been to parties where a Poloroid was passed around liberally. They were/are a lot of fun to play with and there’s something very satisfying (almost magical) as you watch the chemicals mix and form the picture right in front of your eyes.

If you have a Poloroid camera and want to use it going forward, it’s time to start hoarding all the film you can afford! For the rest of us we can enjoy the nostalgia of their TV ads and the pictures we have from our childhood.

2008.02.06

The Most Terrifying Video

Actually, I don’t find it the most terrifying video in the world, but it does do a pretty good job of explaining logically why we should join together and fight global warming. The creator/narrator asks the viewer to poke holes in his theory. Go watch it (link above; a bit over 9 minutes long but quick) and then read on here.

1: Most people are not logical. You cannot appeal to their sense of the rational. If that were the case the conservative movement would have never gotten to where it has been in the past decade and more.

2: If you have the notion that maybe it would be better to wipe the slate clean (I’m am not of this bent) then, really, you want the world to turn into an ecological catastrophe.

All that being said, I agree with what he says! It makes far more sense to assume global warming is happening and do something about it than to sit on our butts and do nothing at all. It’s an argument I often make, actually. Even if it was impossible for global warming to happen I still think that we should reduce or eliminate our dependence on oil (for energy, for transportation, for manufacture, for products, etc). The Middle East is fscked up and will only get worse before it gets better. We’re not helping by pumping our money into the region (purchasing oil) and throwing our weight around (maintaining the flow of oil).

Thanks to the Polecat for the link!

2008.02.06

Surfing Kitty

In Peru, the kitty like to surf. That one wet kitty!

Thanks to NHK for the link. He knows I love surfing kitty!

2008.02.05

Facebook is Odd

After getting several requests to join this social networking world, specifically on Facebook, I finally made the plunge. I haven’t found any long lost friends yet (it’s not even obvious how to find them yet) and I don’t get a lot of the features. I suppose much of that comes with time and use.

I don’t understand the whole “poking” thing. They do realize this is a metaphor for sex, right?

2008.02.05

VOTE!

If you’re in one the States voting today, go out and vote! In California if you are an independent you can request a Democratic ballot when you sign in and vote in their primary. I did.

Stupidest local measure this year: a San Francisco proposition to acquire Alcatraz and turn it into a peace center. I’m all for peace (anyone is if you ask them correctly) but destroying a national monument of historical importance…? Vote “no” on this idiocy.

2008.02.04

San Francisco EveryBlock.com

I don’t know how long they’ve been up, but there’s a site called EveryBlock.com that is trying to make the news and statistics about your area as specific as you want them to be. They’ve only got San Francisco, Chicago and New York City up right now but I’m sure more will follow.

It’s an interesting idea. I especially like how I can type in my zip code and get data specific to the area I live in. Crime stats, missing connections, photos… It shows a lot of promise!

2008.02.03

Domed Cities Becoming a Reality

Part of St. Petersburg in Russia will soon be under a partial dome. Perhaps when our climate goes to hell in a hand basket they could build domes with huge air conditioners. In the meantime happy shoppers in St. Petersburg will get to avoid the rain and cook themselves when the sun is shining under this proto-dome.