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| posted at: 12:26 | permanent link to this entry |
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| posted at: 12:05 | permanent link to this entry |
It's ok to bathe now. ;) This month's rains didn't just dent the drought, they ended it. W00t! Additionally, we're due for a few more days of rain, today and Thursday. |
| posted at: 12:02 | permanent link to this entry |
If we get one pitcher with 200+IP, Braves will be 2nd in the NL East, and will at least threaten the Phillies. If we get two pitchers with 200+IP (and Blaine Boyer makes fewer than 70 relief appearances), the Braves will restore order in the division. McCann, Diaz, and Francoeur lost a combined 60-70 pounds since the end of last season; that's a whole lot of reaction time, defense, and bat speed that just showed up. Kotchman has had a full spring to gel with the team (and get over being traded out of the playoffs last year). Well, we just traded Josh Anderson (CF, AAA-out of options) for a bag of beans. So the front office is still messing around; Anderson will be an All-Star CF for the Tigers in two seasons. Looks like Jordan Schafer will be starting in CF, or platooning with Gregor Blanco (of whom I might be the only fan around these parts). This actually speaks volumes about the Braves' opinions, both about Schafer's "test-free" suspension for HGH use, and MLB's retention of players who are likely still playing after positive tests. Good for them. UPDATE: we just signed Chipper for 3+1 seasons; this is also very good. |
| posted at: 11:55 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Judge to Johns Creek: No grounds exist to make the adult toy store take down its sign in order to maintain a false image of your false city. |
| posted at: 03:19 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Somehow, I don't think container houses will be replacing McMansions anytime soon. Ok, maybe in 2011, but that's still a ways off. |
| posted at: 19:25 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Why 'privatized prisons' are a bad idea: PA Supreme Court has appointed a judge to consider and overturn hundreds of juvenile convictions from two judges who "worked" for $2.6M in kickbacks. (And that's just one county in Pennsylvania.) |
| posted at: 11:38 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| The "EcoDrain", a heat-exchanger between the cold water input and the tub/shower drain. It's like a "tankless heater", using the drain water as a source. Actually, I really like this idea. |
| posted at: 13:49 | permanent link to this entry |
| I suppose the DoD can let us know about Cold Fusion, now. |
| posted at: 18:59 | permanent link to this entry |
Sara has conveyed what anyone I am legitimately angry at the administration and Democrats in Congress for one thing primarily: not explaining the issues to the American people like they are semi-intelligent human beings. Obviously the media isn't going to do it, as toothless and dumbed-down as they have become, but someone needs to. We shouldn't just accept that people won't understand this stuff so we'll fully engage the public misperceptions. Someone needs to stand up and explain these complex issues to the people who are spinning their wheels in search of a scapegoat. I am in near-complete agreement with the linked article. I've also tuned out the noise for the past month while I do spring cleaning, so I'll just second that article, instead of repeating its points. |
| posted at: 18:44 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| More tilt-shift fun: Bathtub IV. |
| posted at: 18:33 | permanent link to this entry |
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| posted at: 18:29 | permanent link to this entry |
[The second installment was far too advanced to post on a lowly blog. *adjusts turtleneck*]
[2/2/09] |
| posted at: 22:55 | permanent link to this entry |
How's the economy? Local craigslist is showing many listings for individual office rentals, such as this one. As of 3Q '08, ads like this were rarely seen, if at all. Apparently, vacancies are up enough to make leasing/subleasing and "virtual offices" an attractive option. This search directly follows (1) a conversation I recently overheard between two people, one of whom is a recently unemployed professional of some kind; and (2) the near-complete lack of software employment ads in the area. This is the type of activity which will reset the economy, as firms and professionals start over, relatively free of overhead (other than that transferred to the national debt, by way of unemployment/welfare benefits). |
| posted at: 15:32 | permanent link to this entry |
Those Madoff victims couldn't buy a break, even if they had any wealth remaining. Check out this brief [PDF] filed on behalf of various Madoff victims. Buried deep in this document (with names redacted, of course), on page 36 (of the PDF), is...a 419 scam. |
| posted at: 15:29 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| A 5-lb-capacity electric composter, from Panasonic. |
| posted at: 07:50 | permanent link to this entry |
| First, it was that weekend of rain, then another weekend snowstorm, and now, the local forecast calls for five days of rain, starting tonight. |
| posted at: 07:50 | permanent link to this entry |
| [h/t ATLMalcontent] There's a new website, dedicated to investigative reporting in Atlanta (and presumably, the surrounding area). Atlanta Unfiltered is in play; I plan on keeping an eye on it. |
| posted at: 02:35 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| A Tea house too high. |
| posted at: 02:35 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Last year, it was tomatoes. This year, it's peanuts. Blakely rallies around what's left of their peanut agriculture. |
| posted at: 14:23 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| It's Saturday. What the heck are you doing reading this!? |
| posted at: 12:35 | permanent link to this entry |
This past week, I caught up with a few places I'd wanted to try, and have seen amidst the blogosphere:
A further note on Nam: One of the commenters mentioned Nam's proprietors are trying to get out of their lease, and doesn't blame them. Neither do I, as Starbucks was allowed to build (or have built for them) a free-standing building as an outparcel over the past 6 months or so. Said outparcel completely obscures Nam's corner of the shopping center, is an oversized, ill-fitting, tumor of a building, and is now full of people who are completely tone-deaf to such abominations. |
| posted at: 12:35 | permanent link to this entry |
News from Oxford is that Ed Dye, "marginally talented and regionally known", has added "definitely passed" to his extensive music and television resume. The following has to be the absolutely calmest performance I've ever seen the man deliver. |
| posted at: 00:32 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Favorite sandwich: Club, Grilled Cheese, "Italian" Sub, Mozzerella/Tomato, PB&J. |
| posted at: 00:30 | permanent link to this entry |
Then you have learnt nothing from Spacebat. He did not teach us to worship him, what he did was far more significant.... |
| posted at: 23:21 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Today's moment of win: A two-weeks notice, written in frosting on a cake. |
| posted at: 03:23 | permanent link to this entry |
Notes on Newspapers' Continuing Death
[Crossposted from the finger-pointing over at ATLMalcontent and DriftGrift (both of whose sites show up in my blogroll)]. It's more than a bit sad to think of newspapers not existing, but that's the point of what's going on. Broadcast media is a niche market at best, because (a) it is broadcast, and (b) there might not be an outlet in the world that isn't compromised by some interest or another. Combined, they are the long-term reasons why the Internet has eaten everyone.s lunch. There are too many outlets for interests to control and maintain influence, and while some of those outlets are forums, there will always be an open channel somewhere. In those open channels, Assembly and discussion prosper. To the degree that an interest seeks to control its message, both that interest and its messenger incur a disadvantage. Case in point: DaleC and ICAtlanta {regular posters at that blog}, who find it necessary to spam threads with talking points. They have to resort to spam, in an effort to spike discussions that can neither be buried by an editor, nor driven out of existence with 'market forces' meant for that purpose. Yes, I am directly comparing the newspapers. decline to that of the (so-called) Conservative movement; they are all based on controlling interests who are similarly dissolving in a bog of free assembly. With regard to the comparisons between newspapers and television.there is a vital difference, in that television can deliver live video. Otherwise, television has coped so far, by directly inflating its prices, as measured by the 'top-tier' subscription packages and channels. That fluff will die off, much as the newspapers have, but television will still have live programming to fall back on (as well as any shenanigans involving bit-rated internet). |
| posted at: 03:57 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Mathematical Graphs. |
| posted at: 03:50 | permanent link to this entry |
| ...lurking around my bathroom, sopping up bits of water from the shower, and enjoying some central heat. That's right; the ants are back. |
| posted at: 03:47 | permanent link to this entry |
| [cross-posted from some discussion board or another]
Wow, the dive bars...there was the one I worked at in college, where I baked (and burned) pizzas...lots of characters in that place, actually. There were quite a few 'ghosts' (aka retired spooks) failing to unsee their careers; quite a few washed up hippies; a construction crew (including the lesbian metal worker duo), a few police, and a vampire. Throw in a hundred college students and a band a few times a week, and you had a cool joint. [I admit to smoking up that room so bad (with a burned pizza) one night, that I reduced the big-screen TVs to accent lighting.] Then, there was the proper biker bar outside of town, situated on a nice, flat, 3-mile stretch of road. There would easily be 2-dozen bikes parked outside on any given night. 30-40 giant bikers who could (and would, if needed) beat the living shit out of anyone who caused trouble, and a 4-pound terrier to nip at newbies' ankles for entertainment. Then, there are all the old bars around Atlanta; dives all over the place. There are even holes around here. And by 'holes', I don't mean 'hole in the wall'; I mean 'where drunks learn the true meaning of pain, as they are slowly digested over the course of a thousand fifths.' The innate counterculture of Atlanta tends to forment the dive bar. The Highlander, The Independent, The Local, My Sister's Room (RIP), Smith's, The Freight Room (RIP), Moe's and Joe's, Northside Tavern, The Clermont Lounge, The Royal Oak, The Righteous Room, and a thousand others, all have serious dive qualities about them. |
| posted at: 03:46 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Semolina. |
| posted at: 15:01 | permanent link to this entry |
"Online content" vs. "Journalism", and The "Death" of Newspapers.
| A fellow named Bill Thompson has put the Blogger/Journalist conflicts into perspective, with this blog essay, and it captures my opinion on the matter. |
| posted at: 15:01 | permanent link to this entry |
| I saw the replay of Jim Cramer's appearance on The Daily Show; and it's strikingly clear that Cramer was offered up as a chewing bone for Jon Stewart and the crew. Where Stewart's sinking of Crossfire should be required viewing for every high-school civics class, this episode was simple grandstanding. I'll post details, once I can coherently write them up. |
| posted at: 14:43 | permanent link to this entry |
| Both Thrashers and Hawks have 5-game win streaks in the homestretch, and the Braves are looking quietly strong, even when factoring in Spring's eternal optimism. Thrashers are very reminiscent of the '97 Falcons, in that the team is now playing to win games, not just survive the ice time. Hawks are bidding for another playoff run. The next few years will be quite interesting for Atlanta sports. |
| posted at: 14:42 | permanent link to this entry |
| Wikileaks tells of The Dirty Bomb that Disappeared. Grandstanding aside, the article is relevant. Some Nazi or another was supposedly working on a dirty bomb, and the guy's wife shot him when she found out. Bangor Daily News has the scoop (without Mr. Assange's pretentious grandstanding). |
| posted at: 15:37 | permanent link to this entry |
Battery Tech Advancement: sub-minute Li- Recharge Times
| Here comes the cavalry: MIT researchers applied nanotech to lithium-ion batteries, and produced recharge times measured in seconds. |
| posted at: 15:36 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Dill. |
| posted at: 15:34 | permanent link to this entry |
Flowing Downhill: Vehicle Title Tax.
These people just don't get it: General Assembly is considering a title tax (currently: 7%, capped at $2000) to replace current sales and property taxes.
The cap on this fee exposes the intent: dealer support. Combined, they form a 7% tax with a $2000 cap; that means tax burden ceases around the $28,500 mark..., with breakeven being north of there, depending on ownership duration and local sales tax rates. Any car sold or given privately, for any price, will carry a new fee (not necessarily made more expensive, as the tax will be built into prices, etc). |
| posted at: 23:50 | permanent link to this entry |
| It seems that armor still weighs on soldiers' performance, after all these centuries. |
| posted at: 19:19 | permanent link to this entry |
| It seems Lincoln's watchmaker really did add a secret message to the President's purchase. |
| posted at: 19:14 | permanent link to this entry |
Epic Fail at Symantec -- In Progress
Apparently, Symantec released an anti-virus patch yesterday that (a) wasn't signed (per the AV releases they were updating), and (b) phones home with as-yet-unknown details about installed clients. So, not only did they get caught, Symantec might have been caught loading spyware of some kind. Now folks, this is a pants-down moment that's critical enough, as-is. Symantec then decided to respond to the flood of "what is this executable" inquiries by deleting the offending posts from its support boards. Then, someone called for /b/ackup, and The Internet showed up shortly thereafter. Symantec's eventual PR response to the flap included several choice headlines from the denizens...
...without any hint of explanation what said patch was doing phoning home in the first place. At this point, Symantec's been caught dead-to-rights, and the only question is that of payload. Stay tuned, and I won't be surprised if I hear/read something about a whistleblower in the coming weeks. [Regardless of what happens, Symantec might well have been caught spying on someone's behalf; now open questions exist of what information is being sent to whom, and where else in their products this activity already occurs.] |
| posted at: 19:10 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Awesome! |
| posted at: 14:36 | permanent link to this entry |
| President Obama would like federal agencies to disregard his predecessor's signing statements. |
| posted at: 19:04 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| China would rather us not spy within radio range (ok, I think we're actually looking for submarines, but that's a different story). |
| posted at: 19:04 | permanent link to this entry |
[Note: I realize this is four screenings in two months, which is highly uncharacteristic of me. Unlike my recent couch purchase, I'm not losing my mind this time. :) At some point, I realized my mistake was attending the short films, and I can't take those back.] I attended the midnight showing of Watchmen at Midtown Art Cinema. My impressions (without giving away more than what I've seen already): The opening "credits" were stunning. As a Bob Dylan fan, I found it worth the price of admission alone, just to watch that. There are an abundance of subplots, themes, and statements missing from this movie; supposedly, the DVD release will have another hour of footage. While these omissions detract from the film (and will be certain to irritate the diehard fans), I suppose it's difficult to get theaters to agree to a two-part screening for a first-release. In fact, what detracts most from Watchmen are the small touches which seem to be obligatory for a movie these days. [soapbox]Still present is the Hollywood conceit that audiences can't figure out how the popcorn stand works without a label, cue, or prompt. This conceit drags the movie into "standard" territory, in much the same way as leg braces "assist" perfectly mobile people into a semi-dependent state.[/soapbox] A few weeks ago, a horribly edited scene was released as a trailer. Fortunately, that scene is the worst this movie gets over 2 1/2 hours; even then, it plays better with theater sound. In context of this release, the chopped scene is a cinematic foil to the rest of the film, and its early release seems to be a middle finger to whomever made the cut. Overall, this adaptation incorporates the novel well enough that the inevitable "studio/marketing" meddling should stand out as caricature for folks who have read the novel. Visually, this movie is also good. I've heard gripes about the frequent use of slow motion; those scenes looked stellar, actually. One more interesting tidbit: Motion capture tech is advanced enough to make standard CGI look silly in a live-action shot. This particular screening included a moment of true terror: At some point, the (digital) projector lost alignment; the resulting 15% vertical wrap sent a half-dozen people running for the exit to flag down the cinema staff. My overall impression is that Watchmen is too complex and rich a story for Hollywood to stop. That fact alone is a testament to a very well-constructed fiction, and the author who composed it. So, my one-line description of this film is: Alan Moore > Hollywood. |
| posted at: 13:35 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Forecast for tomorrow: sunny, 78. Helloooooo, springtime! :D |
| posted at: 13:18 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| From Las Vegas: The Magician and the Red Ball. |
| posted at: 02:26 | permanent link to this entry |
While folks who took deductions for their mortgage interest were preparing a self-styled 'tea party' over mortgage assistance at the Capitol, Georgia Power was pulling off a swindle for the ages. Remember, it isn't a Ponzi scheme if it has PSC 'oversight' (Thank you, Karen Handel; now do us a favor and go jump in the river). So, here's my $120 middle finger to Georgia Power. I plan on trying out one or more of these LED bulbs, within the next month. |
| posted at: 04:51 | permanent link to this entry |
How bad is the economy? According to AJC, Grocery stores reported no panic buying Sunday afternoon. Let's check that: Atlanta metro got a half-foot of snow, on a weekend, and there wasn't a run on milk and bread. This will be the first such snowstorm in decades that wasn't accompanied by pictures of empty shelves and coolers. |
| posted at: 00:23 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| While the economy languishes, bacon technology moves forward. Presenting: The Baco [bah-koh]. |
| posted at: 00:12 | permanent link to this entry |
| And so, while wandering around on a pub crawl last night, I purchased fanfic from a busker/con-man. This brings my collection of "addle-brained writings" to two volumes. |
| posted at: 00:06 | permanent link to this entry |
| To cap off the first weekend-long rain we've had in a long, long time, we got 5+ inches of wet, sloppy snow today. Most of it melted on contact, but the yards and roofs are covered in frozen snow right now. That will melt off tomorrow and Tuesday, with that runoff acting as "virtual rain" for the next two days. Effectively, that will make a 5-day wet streak, which will put a good dent in the drought. |
| posted at: 00:03 | permanent link to this entry |