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The fine folks at Think Geek have announced their spring line. While I know I should be buying several wireless extension cords for use in my over-electrified home, the prospect of a caffeine inhaler is too good to pass up. Some of you, however, could probably use the USB-powered desktop tanning station.
You should act quickly, though, I suspect these items won't be offered for long.
As a follow-up to the voting machine questions on the previous post, Florida's Attorney General has issued subpoenas to the three companies certified to provide election equipment to the state. I am cautiously optimistic; let's see where this goes.
There's a fellow in Tallahassee named Ion Sancho, the elections supervisor for Leon County, Florida. He pissed off a lot of powerful people last December when he allowed independent testing of the electronic voting machines certified for use in Florida. There wouldn't have been a problem, except that the tests showed that it was almost trivial to hack the machines to change vote results.
Predictably, all three voting machine companies permitted by the state to sell voting equipment in Florida have come up with reasons why they can't do business with Leon County. Additionally, pressure is being applied to remove Sancho from office, to the point that at the start of Sunshine Week — our annual tribute to the fairy tale that Florida governance takes place under public scrutiny — the Secretary of State decided to hold a meeting with Sancho behind closed doors. What effect this will have is questionable, since Leon County voters really like Ion's fierce independence.
If you live in Florida and would like the attorney general to investigate the probable collusion between ES&S, Diebold, and Sequoia, then please take a moment to read this PDF file from the Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition, then visit the attorney general's site to get a copy of the complaint form. If you want to learn more about this business, here are a few links to get you started.
If you aren't familiar with the troubling nature of electronic voting in the US, I recommend taking a look at these watchdog and activist sites.
If you live in the south Florida area and are interesting in helping keep elections free and fair and auditable, consider dropping in on an MDERC meeting. The all-volunteer group has been fighting the good fight for several years now, and has made a name for itself at the national level for its tireless investigation of the shadowy and Byzantine labyrinth behind our voting process. They are a thoroughly non-partisan group, with members from at least four political parties that I know of, and many others without a defined party affiliation.
While Florida may be one of the national leaders in corruption and governmental malfeasance, I'm certain the rest of the country will follow closely behind. (I'm looking at you, Ohio.) This is a story which we all should follow.
When I went in to the office on Saturday the street outside my building was blocked by the police. After a moment's concern — we've had a fire and a bomb threat both in the last few weeks — I remembered that it was the Downtown Miami Classic Car Show. When I arrived they were just getting everything set up, so when I went downstairs to grab a slice of pizza at Mario the Baker I took a moment to wander around and snap a few photos.
This also marks the second time I've found out about the show too late to arrange a meeting with Mustang Bobby of Bark Bark Woof Woof fame. Ah, well, I needed to get back to work, anyway.
Yes, I am alive, and thank you for the inquiries as to my status. I have a major work project which will be over Wednesday night, so I've been spending 14-16 hours a day in the office or continuing work at home. I hadn't expected it to get this far out of line, but when you have three people producing an event for 600+ people, things can get a little tense.
But like I said, that ship will have sailed by the end of next week, so I'll start to update again then.
While I've not yet seen the film, I am a fan of Alan Moore and David Lloyd's graphic novel V For Vendetta. I first read it back when it was serialized in Britain's Warrior magazine back in the 1980s, and then again when DC Comics re-released it. It's an interesting story, deeply layered, and which requires the reader's careful attention to detail.
During its initial run several bits of sheet music were included, with lyrics by Moore. David J, Bauhaus bassist and occasional collaborator with Moore, recorded and released some of these songs in 1985, on his album The Etiquette of Violence.
So since I highly doubt that it was used for the film, here's an MP3 of David J performing This Vicious Cabaret [3.1MB MP3]. Now I'm off to wrack my brain and try to remember who borrowed my copy of the graphic novel and my copies of Warrior.
Perhaps my way back to the movie theater will be eased in the future. The National Association of Theater Owners is considering petitioning the FCC to allow cell phone jammers in movie theaters. Currently the FCC prohibits any use of cell phone jamming devices, ostensibly to prevent evil-doers from screwing with emergency calls.
Normally I would think that the welfare of the citizens would trump this, but these days I have to wonder. I mean, how much money does the National Association of Theater Owners drop into the pockets of politicians these days?
Do you ever listen to music? Listening while doing something else doesn't count; I'm talking about sitting down in a quiet room, and having your primary focus be on the sounds entering your ears.
For most people music is just a pleasant background, something to keep the stress of traffic or work at a minimum, something to occupy your consciousness while you work out or do your ironing. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with that, either — in many cases popular music is greatly improved by careless listening. But so often we miss out on the nuance and subtlties of composition and performance through our lack of concentration.
Several weeks ago I attended the New World Symphony for a concert which included fan favorites Rhapsody in Blue and Bolero. It was a terrific concert, and not just because Matt comped me the tickets. (Thanks again, Matt!) Prior to the concert I was joking that for an ex-music composition major the program was a bit light, but still good, enjoyable selections.
And as in the old adage, be careful what you wish for. I don't know if this was at Matt's suggestion, but the NWS communications director just comped me tickets for Saturday night program, which is about as far from Gershwin as you can get. I will be attending a rare performance of Olivier Messiaen's Des Canyons aux etoiles… [From the canyons to the stars...], a 90 minute continuous work for a small ensemble. After reading up on Messiaen I am fascinated and looking forward to the performance, but when a symphony's communications director refers to a work as "a listening adventure," you know it's going to be interesting.
So if you are local and looking for something interesting to do tomorrow night, give this a shot. Open your ears to something different.
Back in 1992 Umberto Eco pointed out the religious nature of computer operating systems. In the short essay he contrasts the Catholic central authority of Apple with the "here's a basic outline, come up with your own solution" of DOS/Windows.
I've always thought this was a particularly apt description, and apaprantly the Vatican agrees. The Pope carries an iPod Nano.
Mustang Bobby poses an interesting question. If you could pick any director, living or dead, who would direct the film version of your life? My answer is in his comments.
It was another mediocre year at the Oscars. Jon Stewart, I'm afraid, is too smart for the show. The audience expects broad humor, and he gave wit. Well, half the time, anyway. There were some very funny bits with "attack ads" between the nominees, and his (perhaps ad libbed?) remark that "If we pull [the gigantic Oscar statue] down, will democracy be restores to Hollywood?" got me to laugh. But I doubt he'll be asked back next year.
There were a few moments of joy, such as when "It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp" won best original song. The members of Three 6 Mafia were obviously stunned that they won, and seemed almost at a loss for words. Philip Seymour Hoffman won Best Actor for Capote, and looked for all the world like he was about to faint. But to my mind the best moment was at the beginning of the show when George Clooney won Best Supporting Actor, and in his acceptance speech said: "We are a little bit out-of-touch in Hollywood," Clooney said. "I think that's probably a good thing. We are the ones who talked about AIDS when it was only being whispered ... We talked about civil rights ... I'm proud to be part of this Academy, proud to be part of this community, proud to be 'out of touch.'"
On another note, you can tell it was a bad year in the box office, because they really harped on the "see it in a theater" thing. Tell you what, Hollywood. You get a voluntary national guarantee in all theater chains assuring me that you'll install cellphone jammers, that people who talk during the movie will be ejected without refund, and start refusing tickets to people escorting children under eight to non-G rated movies, and I'll stop waiting for the DVD release to see a film. Make going to the theater an enjoyable experience again, and I'll go back to the theater. Do we have a deal?
Usually I post a list of all the films nominated for Academy Awards some time prior to the event. This year it just didn't seem to be worth the effort. Not that there aren't worthy films in the list, as there are. I just have a harder time each year mustering enthusiasm for watching a gigantic Hollywood circle jerk.
Although now that I think of it, watching the celebrants at the Kodak Theater tonight engaging in public masturbation would probably be more entertaining than watching z-list interviewers kiss their asses.
So why bother watching? Well, sometimes interesting things happen, and while the best parts would probably end up on Google Video or You Tube [warning: video links], you can't count on that. Also, while I saw fewer of the nominated films this year than any year in the last five — a whole four films — there are still some people I'll be rooting for. The awards don't mean much in terms of the quality of the craft, but they mean a lot in terms of potential exposure for deserving artists or creators, and I'd like to see these guys get their due.
So yes, I'll be watching Robert Altman get a long overdue Oscar, even if it is the lifetime achievement "you might die soon and we have to admit you stuck it out even though we snubbed you for 50 years" award. I'd love to see Corpse Bride win animated feature, even though it's almost a given that Wallace & Gromit will prevail. Although I haven't seen it, the very idea of a documentary short about Norman Corwin warms my heart. But other than those, I'm mainly curious to see if Brokeback Mountain sweeps the awards. If so, will Monday's papers and blogs be filled with shrill editorial screeds about this final proof that Hollywood is pushing an unpopular gay activist agenda down Red America's collective throat? (Pun fully intended.)
So I'll watch Jon Stewart (and cheer him on, too, I suppose, since he's one of the good guys), and probably work at the same time, since there won't be enough happening to require my full attention. And some time late in the evening it'll mercifully end and I'll know whether or not it was worth staying up just to have something to talk about at the water cooler.
But that's show biz.
Or as Mustang Bobby might say, "Look! Look at the kitty!"
Nicolette is an extraordinarily sweet-tempered cat who has taken up residence on my porch since I rescued her during Hurricane Wilma. I guess she feels safe, since last night around midnight she decided to have her four kittens there.
So as soon as they get old enough they'll all be making a trip to the vet for shots and a little surgery, and then I'll set out to find good homes for them. I've already got two cats, and in what is effectively a one bedroom house, that's already pushing it. Can anyone recommend a good placement organization?
Hidden City Video Library: a databased list of the DVDs I own, which may tell you a bit too much about my taste.
