Brain Dump

Facebook vs. My own blog

2008-09-19T12:54:00.003-04:00

Lately, anything I have found interesting I've posted on Facebook. I do this because more people will see it on FB as opposed to people having to come to blog site. Sorry if this hasn't been active, though I doubt you're that disappointed ;).

Maybe I should post some more techy stuff here? Right now I'm just posting Political Propoganda on FB. Have to combat the GOP...

Wicked

2007-12-03T17:46:00.000-05:00

Saturday night, we saw Wicked at the Phantages theater. I'm not all that into musicals, but the story was pretty good. Unfortunately, the music wasn't very remarkable. All the songs had that standard "musical" vibe which I hate. If Hedwig and the Angry Inch every played, I'd go see that in a minute though.

Diana Ross

2007-12-03T17:42:00.001-05:00

Last month, Kelly and I went to see Diana Ross at the Gibson Amphitheater (at Universal Studios). In case you didn't know, Kelly is a huge Diana Ross fan. I don't know much about her, but she was pretty good that night. She sang several of the motown hits, and also did some covers. Gordy Berry, Jr. was in the crowd and she dedicated a song to him. I didn't know this, but she has a huge gay following. Sadly, earlier that day her father passed away, so she had to leave right after the show, but despite all this, put on a good show.

The Kite Runner

2007-12-03T17:31:00.001-05:00

Last night I went with Tina, Eva, Creighton and Tina (Creighton's wife) to a premiere viewing of The Kite Runner for a charity, The Afghanistan World Foundation. Overall, the film was pretty good. I actually bough the book on Audible a few months ago, but have not listened to it yet, so the plot of the movie was new to me. Some elements seemed far fetched, but it is a work of fiction.

There is a part of the film where the main character sneaks back into Afghanistan during the Taliban rule, and he has to wear a fake beard. Unfortunately, it looks all of the other actors portraying the men of Afghanistan are also wearing fake bears. All I could keep thinking of was Team America.

Slow comments on Movable Type?

2007-05-22T13:44:00.000-04:00

Thanks to a quick search on google, I found this page which explains that a spam lookup service shutdown their server, which caused the comment process to slow down because it was waiting for a timeout...

Hopefully Six Apart tells people.

Actually, they did yesterday here

UFO Exploding?

2006-01-22T12:09:00.000-05:00

Check out the video footage. Really strange...

40 Miles SouthEast Of Sonora California Exploding Object Amazing Video Footage

Battlestar Galatica is on!!!

2006-01-10T23:17:00.000-05:00

I mean ON!!!!! I forgot it was starting up again and it popped up on our Tivo. We had to watch, and it didn't let us down. For a season premiere it was a nailbiter. I thought they were suppose to resolve the season cliffhangers in the premiere and then set you up for another story arc. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned.

As an aside, I keep watching shows that for look to me like they are all commenting on the state of our nation, a la King George. A lot of the "Do what's good for the people even if it means breaking laws" kind of plots. Maybe I'm just reading into things here....

Drunk Leina Claus

2005-12-20T23:43:00.000-05:00

Maybe Leina had a little bit too much eggnog to drink...

Leina Claus

2005-12-20T23:41:00.000-05:00

Kelly got Leina this really cute santa outfit. She took a whole bunch of pics with her in it and chose one to use as our christmas card. Unfortunately Snapfish sent our cards and they got lost in the mail. No cards for anybody....Maybe they'll show up next month and people will get belated x-mas cards....

Christmas in NYC

2005-12-20T23:33:00.000-05:00

We went to NYC a few weeks ago. My birthday gift from Eva was tickets to see Avenue C, which I've been trying to see for the last year. Everytime we'd go to NYC, I'd try to buy last minute tickets for it, but they were always sold out. Eva came to Boston and took care of Leina while Kelly and I went to NYC for the weekend. Thank you Eva for being so thoughtful. We did miss Leina though...;(

Avenue C was pretty funny. Nothing like seeing puppets singing and having puppet sex on Broadway.

Creighton and Tina happened to be in the city that weekend as well so we all hung out. We went to Koi for dinner and it was a sight. A lot of really cheezy people there. Though I did see this guy with a very sweet velvet suit on.

Cool advert with a nice song

2005-11-17T23:00:00.000-05:00

Sony BRAVIA - The Advert

Saw this on mydd.com.

Another one

2005-10-17T16:21:00.000-04:00

Another one
Originally uploaded by awhig.

I can't get enough of her.

She looks like a little Milkmaid

2005-10-14T17:04:00.000-04:00

She looks like a little Milkmaid
Originally uploaded by awhig.

Dutch I think.

Go Sox!!!

2005-10-06T13:33:00.000-04:00

Go Sox!!!
Originally uploaded by awhig.

They have to pull it out from 0-2...

One of my favorites

2005-08-17T18:13:00.000-04:00

One of my favorites
Originally uploaded by awhig.

This is on all my desktops now!

The Bacon Show

2005-08-11T23:13:00.000-04:00

Blog dedicated to recipes all involving Bacon. Saw this on MeFi.
The Bacon Show

Leina at play

2005-08-11T00:57:00.000-04:00

Leina at play
Originally uploaded by awhig.

She loves her exersaucer

Leina surprised

2005-08-11T00:56:00.000-04:00

Leina surprised
Originally uploaded by awhig.

Wearing her cute hawaiian outfit Ryan and Jen got her

a picture for you

2005-08-11T00:55:00.000-04:00

a picture for you
Originally uploaded by awhig.

Leina smiling

Leina and Anya at Lake Winnipausakee

2005-06-28T22:21:00.000-04:00

Leina and Anya at Lake Winnipausakee
Originally uploaded by awhig.

From a few weeks ago. I wonder if they will like each other when they

get older...

Bunny Coat

2005-06-27T13:05:00.000-04:00

Bunny Coat
Originally uploaded by awhig.

Auntie Eva gave Leina a bunny coat. It's a little warm for it right now, but had to post the pic.

CODEX SERAPHINIANUS

2005-06-26T11:36:00.000-04:00

I must get this book. It was created by an Italian architect in the 1980's. It's basically an encylopedia to an imaginary world, with an invented scripts and numbering system. It's pricey though, but it appeals to my sensibilities. Check out the images.

The Codex info.

Here's a guy's story on how he found a copy in Rome.

CNN.com - Cracking the code - Jun 19, 2005

2005-06-20T10:38:00.000-04:00

CNN.com - Cracking the code - Jun 19, 2005

This the whole thing is pretty cool.

'Flea at MIT' draws nerdy

2005-06-20T10:32:00.000-04:00

'Flea at MIT' draws nerdy - The Boston Globe - Boston.com - Personal Technology - Business

I never knew this flea market existed. I think I'm going to check it out next month. I probably won't buy anything, but I like looking at this kind of stuff. It's every third Sunday from April through October.

Jay holding Leina

2005-06-17T09:25:00.000-04:00

Jay holding Leina
Originally uploaded by awhig.

Kelly and Leina at the Beach

2005-06-17T09:24:00.000-04:00

Kelly and Leina at the Beach
Originally uploaded by awhig.

Mom and daughter at the beach for the first time.

Leina's First Day at the Beach

2005-06-17T09:23:00.000-04:00

Leina's First Day at the Beach
Originally uploaded by awhig.

We went to Horseneck beach, and Leina got to sit in Anya's Star Wars chair.

Leina trying to seduce you with her cuteness

2005-06-17T09:15:00.000-04:00

Leina trying to seduce you with her cuteness
Originally uploaded by awhig.

This is from a few weeks ago. But she's still cute.

Leina getting to know her roots

2005-06-08T01:25:00.000-04:00

Leina getting to know her roots
Originally uploaded by awhig.

Since she's half Taiwanese, Leina got her first Chinese dress. Since

she has about a half inch of neck, it wouldn't button up to give it that

nice authentic look, but she looks cute none the less.

Leina all dressed up

2005-06-08T01:08:00.000-04:00

Leina all dressed up
Originally uploaded by awhig.

Leina in a party dress

Kim Jong Il

2005-06-08T01:07:00.000-04:00

Kim Jong Il
Originally uploaded by awhig.

Sometimes Leina puts on her face that to me looks a little like the

North Korean Dictator...

Red Sox Fan

2005-06-08T01:05:00.000-04:00

Red Sox Fan
Originally uploaded by awhig.

Leina recieved a Red Sox outfit from my friend Raju. It fits quite

nice and she looks cute. Thanks Raju.

Discovering the Hand

2005-06-08T01:04:00.000-04:00

Discovering the Hand
Originally uploaded by awhig.

Leina is starting to suck on her fingers. It took her awhile to find her hand.

Leina and Kelly

2005-06-08T01:01:00.000-04:00

Leina and Kelly
Originally uploaded by awhig.

Right now, Leina's not to fond of anything on her head. She hates hats

right now.

Leina at our Boston Common picnic

2005-06-08T00:57:00.000-04:00

Leina at our Boston Common picnic
Originally uploaded by awhig.

We went out an enjoyed the weather last weekend at the Boston Common.

Watched some swan boats, ate some leftovers...walked around. Good

times.

Leina looking down the barrel of a bottle

2005-06-08T00:56:00.001-04:00

Leina looking down the barrel of a bottle
Originally uploaded by awhig.

Leina looking down the barrel of a bottle

More Leina

2005-06-08T00:56:00.000-04:00

More Leina
Originally uploaded by awhig.

funny

2005-06-08T00:55:00.000-04:00

funny
Originally uploaded by awhig.

funny

Leina at Rest

2005-06-08T00:47:00.000-04:00

Leina at Rest
Originally uploaded by awhig.

Leina taking a little nap

Gamer's Manifesto

2005-05-30T21:40:00.000-04:00

I'm not a hard core gamer, but I do enjoy a game or two. I just bought the Lego Star Wars game and was really pissed when it wouldn't work in my older PS2. I ended up having to put on pieces of scotch tape on the top of the disc to get it to work, a tip on the IGN board I found. Something to do with blue discs not working in older PS2s. Anyway, here's a Gamer's manifesto which has a lot of good observations about the current state of gaming....Manifesto

A Picture Share!

2005-05-02T22:34:00.000-04:00

Barista World Championships

2005-04-19T00:34:00.000-04:00

Man wins frothy fight to be best barista
. These guys are insane baristas!!!

I've been trying to work on my frothing technique at home, but I don't think I'm world class yes. I still haven't replaced my milk thermometer that was eaten by the disposal last month. I've been kind of guessing when I've reached the right temperature...

We made the Boston Globe!!!

2005-04-14T23:38:00.000-04:00

Boston.com / Your Life / House & Home / Karaoke crowd brings it home: Kelly Cook, 34, and her husband, Richard, have introduced dozens of friends and family members to the joys of singing to an audience in the comfort and privacy of their Cambridge home.

''I'm Asian," explains Cook with a laugh. ''Karaoke is in my genes!"

Google Talk

2005-04-13T02:08:00.000-04:00

Type in the first few words of a sentence and see what Google comes up with. I typed in, "I like big"...can you guess what it can up with? Quick what's the first thing that comes to mind?

Google talk a
Google Hack by
Douwe Osinga

a picture for you

2005-04-13T00:10:00.000-04:00

You guys must be getting sick of these photos by now...;)

a picture for you

2005-04-13T00:08:00.000-04:00

Leina and Anya with phone

Me and Leina

2005-04-10T15:45:00.000-04:00

Kelly thinks she looks a lot like me in this pic.

Perpendicular Hard Drives

2005-04-09T10:53:00.000-04:00

I read on slashdot about Hitachi's new technology for increasing hard drive capacity. It involves taking the bits on the drive and organizing them perpendicularly, so that more bits can be added.

The following is a flash animation that explains the whole thing in layman's terms, which is actually quite funny.

I think it's gas...not a smile yet

2005-03-27T23:11:00.000-05:00

A Picture Share!

2005-03-23T16:05:00.000-05:00

Introducing Leina Cook

2005-03-23T01:01:00.000-05:00

Ryan and Denis celebrate a Red Sox win

2005-01-24T01:24:00.000-05:00

Ryan and denis right after the Red Sox won a world series game. I think the 4th.

These are some old pics off of my camera phone. I just discovered Flickr which among doing a lot of other cool things with your photos, makes it easy to host and upload photos to your blog.

A Picture Share!

2005-01-24T00:22:00.000-05:00

Freaky

A Picture Share!

2005-01-24T00:18:00.000-05:00

The cruise

A Picture Share!

2005-01-24T00:13:00.000-05:00

New years in nyc

My Netflix Queue

2005-01-09T01:01:00.000-05:00

Hey, if anyone wants to know what's on our netflix queue, check it out at Our Queue,Our Most Recent Rentals, and Our Recommendations. These are RSS feeds so you'll need a reader for it to look pretty.

I want to get links from my friends queue's so I can get ideas for movies that I may have missed. It would be nice if Netflix had a place to do this on their site, sharing queues. It would be very handy. Get on it Netflix.

....

Okay, just found this Friends section of Netflix, which I think does what I just described above. How come I've never seen this?!!!! Must explore

I'm getting mad now!!@#$%&*

2004-10-12T23:12:00.000-04:00

Employees of a private voter registration company allege that hundreds, perhaps thousands of voters who may think they are registered will be rudely surprised on election day. The company claims hundreds of registration forms were thrown in the trash.

[Read More]

Bush's hometown Endorses Kerry

2004-10-01T13:12:00.000-04:00

The Lone Star ICONOCLAST - Editorial, Opinion of the Publishers

The Lone Star Iconoclast, the newspaper from Crawford, Texas, is endorsing Kerry, not Bush.

Bush is FROM Crawford, Texas, a Republican state. What does it say, when his hometown paper, who endorsed him in 2000, no longer believes in him? Read why....

Following the electoral college

2004-09-17T13:40:00.000-04:00

I'm obsessed with http://www.electoral-vote.com/

I check it out everyday. Very exciting, but depressing to see all the Bush states. One theory mentioned on the site is that all the pollsters are not polling cell phones, which a lot of younger people only have, who are usually democrats, so the polls may be under reporting democrat votes...hope they are right.

Vote Kerry. Get Bush out.

Still Unreported: The Pay-off in Bush Air Guard Fix

2004-09-08T01:10:00.000-04:00

Still Unreported: The Pay-off in Bush Air Guard Fix
Saturday, August 28, 2004

by Greg PalastIn 1968, former Congressman George Herbert Walker Bush of Texas, fresh from voting to send other men’s sons to Vietnam, enlisted his own son in a very special affirmative action program, the ‘champagne’ unit of the Texas Air National Guard. There, Top Gun fighter pilot George Dubya was assigned the dangerous job of protecting Houston from Vietcong air attack.This week, former Lt. Governor Ben Barnes of Texas 'fessed up to pulling the strings to keep Little George out of the jungle. "I got a young man named George W. Bush into the Texas Air Guard - and I'm ashamed."THE PAY-OFF
That’s far from the end of the story. In 1994, George W. Bush was elected governor of Texas by a whisker. By that time, Barnes had left office to become a big time corporate lobbyist. To an influence peddler like Barnes, having damning information on a sitting governor is worth its weight in gold – or, more precisely, there’s a value in keeping the info secret. Barnes appears to have made lucrative use of his knowledge of our President’s slithering out of the draft as a lever to protect a multi-billion dollar contract for a client. That's the information in a confidential letter buried deep in the files of the US Justice Department that fell into my hands at BBC television.
Here's what happened. Just after Bush's election, Barnes' client GTech Corp., due to allegations of corruption, was about to lose its license to print money: its contract to run the Texas state lottery. Barnes, says the Justice Department document, made a call to the newly elected governor's office and saved GTech's state contract. The letter said, "Governor Bush ... made a deal with Ben Barnes not to rebid [the GTech lottery contract] because Barnes could confirm that Bush had lied during the '94 campaign."In that close race, Bush denied the fix was in to keep him out of 'Nam, and the US media stopped asking questions. What did the victorious Governor Bush's office do for Barnes? According to the tipster, "Barnes agreed never to confirm the story [of the draft dodging] and the governor talked to the chair of the lottery two days later and she then agreed to support letting GTech keep the contract without a bid."
And so it came to pass that the governor's commission reversed itself and gave GTech the billion dollar deal without a bid.
The happy client paid Barnes, the keeper of Governor Bush’s secret, a fee of over $23 million. Barnes, not surprisingly, denies that Bush took care of his client in return for Barnes’ silence. However, confronted with the evidence, the former Lt. Governor now admits to helping the young George stay out of Vietnam.

Clemens ejected from son's youth league game

2004-08-02T19:37:00.000-04:00

This is interesting because the team his son was playing were the Bakersfield Curve, a team from my hometown. The Curve eventually won the tournament.

Mean Girls and high school stories

2004-06-28T01:01:00.000-04:00

Last night we went to see Mean Girls. It was written by Tina Fey, and I had heard good things about it. I wasn't disappointed.

Anyway, afterwards, we went to the Burren to a few pints, and we started telling all the fucked up stories from high school. You know, the ones you and all your friends reminisce about when you see each other.

The one that was the most disturbing was the one Ryan told about his history teacher in Hawaii who was totally whacked. He was in Nam and apparently he had gotten some sort of intestinal worms while he was there. He was still dealing with them when he was teaching at Ryan's school. So one day, a group of students were talking to him after class, and noticed some weird photos on the podium. Someone asked what they were and he said, "You wanna see what I did all summer?" They turned out to be pictures of worms coming out of his butt.

Tseng stuns Wie in Publinx championship

2004-06-28T00:55:00.000-04:00

SI.com - Golf - Tseng stuns Wie in Publinx championship - Sunday June 27, 2004 6:22PM

Kelly knows this girl who just beat Michelle Wie in a tournament. She's from Taiwan, and Kelly's sister Eva used to work with the junior golf association in San Diego, so she knows her, and the guy who sponsors her in the states...Kelly says she's a trip.

Basketball on the PS2

2004-06-26T14:58:00.000-04:00

I bought a a PlayStation2 several years ago to be my DVD player and a game console. I only have a few games, and I hardly play it, (I'm still on the 3rd mission in Grand Theft Auto III if that is any indication), but every once in awhile, I'll play some games.

My wife, for x-mas got me NHL Hockey 2004, but she doesn't like to play it much cuz I kick her ass. Kelly's a huge Lakers fan, so a month ago, I got NBA Live 2004, so we could all play, and Kelly would be interested. I had to promise to let her always play the Lakers. So far she likes it, but she says she's already losing interest in it... :(

Anyway, last night my friends Denis and Ryan came over for some beers and a little b-ball. Good fun. We did a little round robin tournament, basically just practicing. Ryan doesn't know all the moves yet, and we still don't know how to take full advantage, but we're getting bettter.

The soundtrack is really cool. All hip hop. I don't watch a lot of sports, but I got it in my head that that's all they played at NBA games. So last month when we went to a Lakers-Timerwolves game (while we were in town for my sister's wedding), I expected all this cool hip hop music. Instead it was a bunch of the lame "professional sports music" you always hear. The only time you heard hip hop was when the Laker Girls were on the floor. I WANT MORE HIP HOP!!!!

That game was pretty cool by the way. The Lakers won. This was after the .4 Derek Fisher game, so people were still high from that. One guy behind was kind of annoying, but was somewhat funny. He kept yelling "huuuuwwwwhhhaaaat", which I couldn't place at the time, but is the "What" that Dave Chappelle does while imitating Lil' John...

Hollywood Vampyr (2002)

2004-06-26T14:22:00.000-04:00

A few years ago, when my sister was working in the film industry, she worked on a film called Hollywood Vampyr. She was on the crew, doing production work, but at some point, she took the place of another actress and played a role in the movie.

I had forgotten about it, and my sister never talks about it (I don't think it was suppose to be all that great), but at her wedding recently, I met a women who worked with her on the film, so that dusted off the cobwebs. She told me I could rent the movie on Netflixs, but I did a search and could not find it. I ended up doing a google search, and it directed to me Amazon.com, where I just bought a new copy from some vendor.

I thought the movie was just a regular vampyre movie, but apparently the movie is a docudrama about the vampyre/goth underground in LA.

Jen, told me a story of the time she had to take a vampyre/goth home after a day of shooting the film. His car was busted or something. During the ride, he went into detail about how he drinks blood of other people. He said that they only drink the blood of people who want them to. Usually friends, not strangers. At this point, Jen said she was getting a little creeped out, but nothing weird happned.

I like most anything to do with vampires. As many people know, my friends and I watched Buffy and Angel until they both bit the dust. My sister actually happened to be in a Buffy episode as an extra in the first season, so Jennifer's ties to this vampyre universe are even closer than mine. :)

Hi-larious

2004-06-25T23:14:00.000-04:00

Here Comes The Judge - June 24, 2004

JUNE 24--While seated on the bench, an Oklahoma judge used a male enhancement pump, shaved and oiled his nether region, and pleasured himself, state officials charged yesterday in a petition to remove the jurist.

Mmmmm Espresso

2004-06-12T23:53:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I finally took the plunge and bought a home espresso machine. I've always been a little hesitant to buy one just because in all the research I've done in the past it seems every machine breaks frequently, they make sucky coffee, and/or they are just pretty pricey.

Well, I said fuck it, and bought one on impulse when we were at Macy's a few weeks ago. It's the Saeco Classico. It was $350, but I got a 15% discount for opening a Macy's account.

Some impressions:

* It's pretty noisy when you're frothing the milk.
* It takes about 2 minutes or so to froth the milk up to 140 degrees (F). You have to stand there and do it, so it's pretty labour intensive as far as making coffee goes.
* It comes with a "pod" adapter and a few "pods" of coffee which we used. I like the option of being able to use pods.
* It has a cup warmer on the top, but it doesn't really warm anything.
* It can be pretty messy with the frothed milk between 140-160 degrees right there close to you, steam coming out of the frother, hot water coming out of the pump, coffee grinds being tamped into the holder, but with a little practice I've managed to minimize the mess.

Before I ran out of pods, I went and bought some espresso coffee so I could see what the grind looked like. Then I bought some fresh roasted coffee and ground that up myself. I get excellent crema from all 3 forms of coffee.

I don't have an official tamper yet, they didn't have one at Macy's or at the kitchen store in the mall, which was lame. So I'm still using the back of my coffee scoop to do the job.

So far I'm totally in love with it. But how long will that love last? I'm just hoping it doesn't break soon. Give me at least 2 years out of it, and I may be happy.

If you're not into making coffee, you might be better off getting those new single serve machines that use the pods. My friend Jay started a website, Single Serve Coffee that covers the market. It's part of the reason why I finally broke down and got a machine. Jay and I always talk coffee, and seeing those machines kick started the urge again. I came close to buying one last year, but my wife's family has an auto coffee behemoth (not espresso) and said they use to have an espresso machine that always broke...

As far as single serve pod machines, I consider myself more of a purist though and enjoy the act of making the coffee and being able to choose my own beans, etc., so I'll probably stick with the espresso machine. Since I've got the machine, I haven't made one pot of brew coffee, if that's any indication of how much I like this coffee...

I wonder if this thing makes good coffee Coffee System
from Miele.

My sister got married

2004-06-12T23:49:00.000-04:00

Well, we went to LA to marry off my sister. It went off without a hitch. Her old man is Jim, a nice guy, couldn't be happier for the both of them. I wish them both the best.

Spanish Flea lyrics

2004-05-25T17:56:00.000-04:00

I love this song!!!

Spanish Flea

There was a little spanish flea
A record star he thought he'd be
He heard of singers like Beetles
and The Chipmunks he'd seen on TV
Why not a little spanish flea?

And so he hid
Inside a doggie from madrid
He arrived in the city
Still singin his sweet harmony
As proud as any flea could be

He walked around
As if he owned the town
Humming his pint sized melody
With his guitar he knew he'd be a star
And in his own home town, how proud he'd be

Then all at once he met a man
Who said, "I'll help you if i can"
He listened close to his song
And then he sang right along for you see
He loved that little spanish flea

Brutal story

2004-05-16T00:48:00.000-04:00

Printable page

Don't try this at home

2004-05-14T09:53:00.000-04:00

Man. I downloaded the video of the American who got beheaded off of some site. I was kind of curious. But as they say, curiousity killed the cat.

Big mistake. Very gruesome and creepy too. They're all chanting Allah Akbar as they're cutting his head off.

My wife says I polluted my chi by watching this...

Don't recommend it.

Not to say it's okay, but from what I read, he was offered a ride out of there before this all happened, and the US had recommended that people not hang out there. He should of gone to someplace that was not as volatile.

Pretty good rip on B list stars

2004-05-13T23:38:00.000-04:00

Rip

Last night Sony held a celebrity studded party for Playstation 2 at the Mayan Theater. Couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a celeb. Lara Flynn Boyle looking positively emaciated didn't have vip access but walked right in when the sleazy velvet rope man saw her. Shannon Elizabeth looking sad that no one likes her now that she wants to keep her top on. Leonardo Di Caprio sans Gizelle, drunk as hell and all over several girls. Iggy Pop and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's performed and phoned it in for their personal appearance fees. Karen O (of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's slipped out of her limo in the"

Hello, Pay Phone Information? Enthusiast Provides the Answer

2004-05-13T00:19:00.000-04:00

The New York Times > New York Region > Hello, Pay Phone Information? Enthusiast Provides the Answer

Trip to Dallas

2004-05-11T09:47:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted in awhile, so I thought I'd start back up with some photos of my weekend trip to Dallas. We went to visit Kelly's friend Tina and her husband David. Good people.

One of the things we did while in Dallas was visit the Sixth Floor Musuem, which is actually the book depository building from where Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK. Way cool.

They had it sealed off, but the actual corner on the 6th floor where LHO perched his rifle is all there, with book boxes and all, that he used to conceal himself. They also had a section sealed off where they found the rifle after he dumped it.

We had an audio cassette tour, and read the displays, viewed the photos, saw the Zapruder film, and analyzed forensic evidence. We determined that LHO was a patsy and was in cahoots with a Cuban underground who didn't like JFK's policies...

The best part was going outside and taking pics at the assassination site. Now, I'm not morbid, but it's just cool to be in the exact spot where such a seminal event occurred.

View of the Depository from the street. The 6th floor, (second to top in this photo), right corner, is the sniper perch

The road JFK's limo was driving down as the attack began

The "Grassy Knoll" where people heard more shots, and saw a puff of smoke

The bush where experts have determined a human form was hiding behind (that's actually my wife, Kelly, not a mafia hitman/cuban exile)

The view of the road from behind the bush on the "Grassy Knoll"

The actual spot where JFK's limo was when he was hit (don't know if it was the first or 3rd bullet)

View of the depository from the spot. It's easy to see that there's a clear shot from the window, which isn't really evident when you're standing on the sidewalk between the road and the building. Several trees seem to be in the line of site.

CNN.com - Man to bet all on Vegas roulette spin - Apr 8, 2004

2004-04-08T13:14:00.000-04:00

This guy is incredibly stupid or really ballsy. Take your pick.

CNN.com - Man to bet all on Vegas roulette spin - Apr 8, 2004: "Man to bet all on Vegas roulette spin
Now the subject of TV show
Thursday, April 8, 200"

Funny thing I read...

2004-03-29T15:07:00.000-05:00

there was this semi retarded half-japanese kid in my elementry school named patrick. i remember him crying because of all the violence in treasure island.

when you're in 6th grade pirates are supposed to kick ass. someone's mom fucked someone up.

The Carpetbagger Report: Scandal after scandal after scandal

2004-03-27T19:21:00.000-05:00

The Carpetbagger Report: Scandal after scandal after scandal

This list from the Carpetbagger Report is just mind blowing. I know it's common for politicians to compromise their integrity while in office, but this is just unreal...

* Cheney's secretive Energy Task Force was investigated by the GAO and the case is currently pending at the Supreme Court.

* The Plame Game is under investigation by the Justice Department.

* Bush's Medicare scam and the circumstances that led the administration to lie to Congress about the cost of the legislation is under investigation by the HHS inspector general's office.

* The massive intelligence failure that led Bush to lie to the world about the Iraqi threat is under investigation by a congressionally-authorized independent commission (which Bush fought the creation of).

* Bribes offered on the House floor to Rep. Nick Smith (R-Mich.) in exchange for his vote on Bush's Medicare plan are under investigation by the House Ethics Committee and the Justice Department.

* Attorney General John Ashcroft was under investigation by the Federal Election Commission for violating campaign finance laws in 2000, and the FEC concluded that Ashcroft accepted $110,000 in illegal contributions.

* An investigation into House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's criminal fundraising schemes in Texas -- which allegedly used corporate funds to help state GOP lawmakers -- is already before a Texas grand jury.

* Republican staffers on the Senate Judiciary Committee were investigated for stealing thousands of confidential memos from Dem computers, a matter that has now been referred to the Justice Department for a possible criminal probe.

* Republican Connecticut Gov. John Rowland is under a criminal investigation (and an impeachment investigation) after he lied about prominent state contractors and several government aides paying for refurbishments to his lake-front cottage.

* Former Rep. Bill Janklow (R-S.D.) was under investigation for vehicular manslaughter, a crime for which he was later convicted.

* The Pentagon launched a formal investigation into well-armed evangelist and three-star General William "Jerry" Boykin, Bush's pick for deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence, and his record of extreme religious rhetoric.

* The circumstances that led to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 are under investigation by a congressionally-authorized independent commission (which, again, Bush fought the creation of and then later resisted cooperating with).

* And honorable mentions should go, of course, to investigations into Halliburton (Dick Cheney's former company) and Enron (George Bush's biggest corporate supporter).

Don't Let the GOP get you down

2004-03-09T12:24:00.000-05:00

Congressional candidate Mike Murphy feels the strong arm of the GOP,By John Gonzalez

Dear Abby duped by Simpsons episode

2004-03-09T11:22:00.000-05:00

This is hilarious...

News

BBC NEWS | Technology | More than just a pretty interface

2004-03-08T15:54:00.000-05:00

Through interviews with Walkman owners and now iPod buyers, he found that listening to music acts as a shield, aura or cocoon.

Using headphones helps to keep the world at bay and reclaim some space.

I definitely use headphones during my travels to shield myself from a lot of outside influences. I put headphones on as soon as I leave my door in the morning, and don't take them off until I get to the office. I block out sounds from the subway, the 5 or so panhandlers I pass (sometimes I give, sometimes I don't), other people's conversations which I don't particular want to listen to, the endless army of City Year and MASSPIRG kids who want me donate all the time, and listen to music I want to listen to and not some (usually) crappy musician playing songs I don't care for in the train stations...oh, and all the crazy people who try to yell at you while walking...

BBC NEWS | Technology | More than just a pretty interface

Coffee is 'health drink' says Italian

2004-03-08T15:46:00.000-05:00

From BBC News. Thank god. I love my coffee. Been drinking it for as long as I can remember. One of the benefits of having a Colombian mom...

BBC NEWS | Europe | Coffee is 'health drink' says Italian

Thank god she's gone SPOILER ALERT

2004-03-05T10:16:00.000-05:00

Well, watched Apprentice last night, and she's really gone. I can't believe it. Omarosa after being criticized by the Donald, lost her shit, and walked back into the boardroom, uninvited, which almost certainly sealed her fate. It truly was a sight to behold.

I wonder how some of these people recover from a show like this? I mean, your whole personality is out there. You have to take into account that they are somewhat at the mercy of the producers of the show, but for the most part, who they are is pretty much all there in front of the American public. I mean, would you hire Omarosa if given the chance?

States I have been to

2004-03-02T10:28:00.000-05:00

create your own personalized map of the USA
or write about it on the open travel guide

Wired News: The Masters of Memory Lane

2004-03-02T10:18:00.000-05:00

Very interesting. But my only gripe is that several of the people equoted good memories with being super intelligent. I don't necessarily think that is true.

Wired News: The Masters of Memory Lane: "y"

For want of a word

2004-03-01T14:32:00.000-05:00

New Scientist: "For want of a word

Imagine how different politics would be if debates were conducted in Tariana, an Amazonian language in which it is a grammatical error to report something without saying how you found it out - as Alexandra Aikhenvald tells us its speakers tell her. Tariana is in danger of dying. With each such disappearance we risk losing insights into different ways of thinking. Aikhenvald told Adrian Barnett about the race to record languages"

The Girl Who Feels No Pain

2004-03-01T11:16:00.000-05:00

This is This is freaky.
The Girl Who Feels No Pain

local6.com - News - Man Dies After Lying In Yard For Days Refusing Help

2004-02-27T18:07:00.000-05:00

This is so sad...

local6.com - News - Man Dies After Lying In Yard For Days Refusing Help: "Man Dies After Lying In Yard For Days Refusing Help"

I turned on the atom feed

2004-02-26T09:50:00.000-05:00

Which is sort of like rss.xml, but I'm not sure if rss.xml is there as well. This will be a test of sorts...

Trepanation

2004-02-24T12:12:00.000-05:00

This is crazy...

Trepanation

10 Worst Album Covers

2004-02-23T14:37:00.000-05:00

Truly, a goldmine of musical history...

10 Worst Album Covers

Women get a little competitive...

2004-02-18T11:45:00.000-05:00

Interesting.

BBC NEWS | Health | Women slate rivals to win a mate

The West Australian

2004-02-17T10:57:00.000-05:00

I always wanted to pull a job like in Bottle Rocket...

The West Australian: "s"

Breast for Success - What's really behind the sex-sells antics on The Apprentice. By Dahlia Lithwick

2004-02-13T16:06:00.000-05:00

Breast for Success - What's really behind the sex-sells antics on The Apprentice. By Dahlia Lithwick

Confessions of a Car Salesman

2004-02-13T15:57:00.000-05:00

Awesome article...

Confessions of a Car Salesman

BBC - Science Human Body - Psychology Tests

2004-02-09T11:04:00.000-05:00

I just did the "Spt the Fake Smile Test". Got 11 out of 20 right. For the most part, I was more suspicious of people and called real smiles fake, not the other way around. At least I'm not a sucker...

BBC - Science Human Body - Psychology Tests

This is so scary

2004-02-09T09:53:00.000-05:00

The Awful Forums - My mother is insane (~5M of photos)

These guys are hardcore man...

2004-02-05T11:35:00.000-05:00

From Wired News:

It's a Bloody Outrage!
Forget about Janet Jackson's infamous Super Bowl nipple slip. A Norwegian death-metal band's mind-bending show -- featuring sheep heads on stakes, gallons of real blood, satanic symbols and nude women on crosses -- is cranking up righteous rage in Poland. Gorgoroth's Sunday concert in Krakow could land the band's members in jail for up to two years for causing religious offense in the heavily Roman Catholic country. "Onstage there was blood everywhere. About 10 decapitated sheep heads and naked people, alive, on large crosses. Everyone was painted with 100 liters of sheep blood," said the director of state TV station TVP, which recorded the show. "This kind of thing should not happen on state TV and especially not in Krakow, which is the pope's city."

Three Blind Phreaks

2004-01-30T09:42:00.000-05:00

From Wired...

3 Arab Israeli blind brothers who are super criminals ;)
Wired 12.02: Three Blind Phreaks

Starting your own business?

2004-01-29T14:43:00.000-05:00

Nice little article about starting a business...

Welcome to the MSDN Library

That's one spicy meatball....

2004-01-29T14:05:00.000-05:00

This just in from Jim:

TAIPEI (Jan 29) - The decomposing remains of a 66-ton sperm whale exploded on a busy Taiwan street, showering nearby cars and shops with blood and organs and stopping traffic for hours, local newspapers said.

The 56-foot dead whale had been on a truck headed for an autopsy at a university earlier this week, when gases from internal decay caused its entrails to explode in the southern city of Tainan.

The whale had died after it was beached on the southwestern coast of the island.