Last week, Jake Tapper blogged about a supposed 'legislative fix' for the right-wing radio vitriol, and I commented...
Although talk radio tends to be extreme conservatism, "free speech" allows them to do so. The main issue is the politicians and suits in Washington allow themselves to listen (and care).
Last week, Jake Tapper blogged about Michael Moore's new documentary 'Sicko,' and I commented...
With all the talk of global warming being the issue of our lifetime, I beg to differ. The persistent looming health care crisis is by far the biggest issue facing Americans.
I just wanted to confirm the craziness that is the consumerist nation of the United States. While walking around the city (of Berkeley) looking for lunch, I noticed people on beach chairs against a storefront. My initial thought was, "Man, someone gave those bums a bath... and a beach chair." But then I looked up and noticed it was an AT&T store, formerly Cingular. And then -- obvious -- the iPhone.
People are crazy. Yes, I want an iPhone too, but I'd rather order it online than skip work all week and sleep outside of a cellphone store. Also, I will gladly wait for the second iPhone to come out. The first iPhone will be the one with the bugs -- similar to the first iPod, which by the way, is the size of my TI-89. And lastly, AT&T's network is lacking, at least in the bay area, and no matter how much they charge for the benefit of rollover minutes, I'll let my phone be a phone, it's all it wants to be.
- Well, one must admit, he has two huge balls. Representative Rahm Emanuel, brother of Hollywood super-agent Ari, proposed to cut off funds for the vice president, who had claimed that he had extraordinary powers, and was not governed by the Constitution.
- Was there a real reason that price floors were not allowed for ninety-six years? "The [Supreme Court] decision will give producers significantly more, though not unlimited, power to dictate retail prices and to restrict the flexibility of discounters." That's exactly what we needed. ('We' being consumers.)
- Speaking of the onslaught of conservative/pro-business rulings coming out of SCOTUS, Slate Magazine wonders what liberals think now of a Roberts Court. This includes me, since I blogged that the Roberts appointment may not be too bad. Hey, he's from Buffalo, he was vouched for.
- If the Bush presidency wasn't only 18 months from ending, Bush would most certainly be heading towards impeachment, and rightfully so.
- And Michael Moore's new film will hopefully change the health care system in the U.S., as it "documents a corrupt and scandalous situation in which doctors and health care gatekeepers get rewarded for denying coverage and the HMOs rack up profits in the billions." The one place in society that we don't need stockholders and business interests is the health care industry.
An IM with my sister-in-law...
[20:42] eszczep: are we officially cancelled for tahoe
[20:42] eszczep: i gotto know what to pack
[20:45] reyonthehill: yea
[20:46] eszczep: have you gotten some junk food for my arrival!
[20:47] reyonthehill: um, not yet
[20:50] eszczep: well there is enough time! potato chips and veggie tray
Instead of Tahoe, my wife likes Yosemite; I say Mendocino.
- Until he is pardoned (presumably on January 19, 2009), Scooter Libby will be "federal inmate No. 28301-016." That the real crime was committed by his boss, the vice president, and Bush's brain, Karl Rove, is another story, one worth drinking to (to aid in one's discomfort).
- Bush is apparently still on the lord's payroll. "One day the good Lord will take Fidel Castro away." (Question: Doesn't Castro basically believe the same thing as Bush when it comes to Jesus? Oh wait, Jesus touched Bush. Or was it the opposite?)
- The Bush court seems to think that segregation in schools isn't that bad, despite all of the efforts to desegregate the past fifty years. I know I'm overly simplifying this issue, it is quite complicated. However, this is just another example of what we should expect from the Bush court for a generation to come. Will Bush have another opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice, and if so, will the democrats in the Senate play ball. (They basically gave him Roberts and Alito.)
- And a hidden bushism following news that Bush's immigration plan is dead in the Senate: "A lot of us worked hard to see if we couldn't find common ground." Couldn't? And you're not even the negative type, mister president. Give us the status of the surge in Iraq, for old times sake.
What is with the "free stuff" section of craigslist that gets people delighted to pick up your garbage?
Yesterday, I posted two ads, and within twenty minutes, I received an email and had three messages on the answering machine. And then I had to report the bad news, again and again, over the phone and by email to other interested parties that the stuff had already been picked up.
These were my ads (I should go into marketing, shan't I kill myself)...
Camping Gear - Chairs, Picnic Table, Mat
I have some camping gear: a fold-out picnic table (made from plastic, purchased at Target), two blue camping chairs (purchased at Yosemite lodge), and a sturdy mat for a sleeping bag (purchased at REI). All (or any) of these items are free. Must pick-up in Hercules. Please call 555-555-5555* to schedule pick-up.
Free Weedwhacker
Weedwhacker, red and black, I believe Toro, uses plastic line to cut grass, used condition but still works. Free. Must pick-up in Hercules. Please call 555-555-5555* to schedule pick-up.
Now tell me, what is with these ads that drove the interest? My guess is "free." I was telling my wife, if I posted these ads for $20, I might get one or two interested people, and then they'd come by, and think about if it was really worth it, and I'd have to "sell them" on the worth of the items. But, if I post the ads in the free section of craigslist, where hundreds of people search for junk, I would most likely get rid of this stuff today. (I didn't realize it would only take a few minutes though, which was nice.) People came by, and even after seeing that what they were getting was junk, they still took it because it was free. Thank you, craigslist. You may be the death of the newspaper industry, but my less-cluttered garage and I thank you.
* A real phone number was posted. It is easy to tell this is a fake number because it is all 5s, which would never happen in real life.
- I was forced to cancel plans in Tahoe this weekend because of the forest fire. By the way, because of the fire, Hotels.com refunded my money in full, with no cancellation fee. (Were the customer service people really aware of the Tahoe fire, or was this one of those magical reasons that allowed them to waive the rules for the customer?)
- I may have an opportunity to work on the design of this new biofuels research center.
- Bush is losing support for his failed war policy in Iraq from key GOP senators, who have "called for a reduction in U.S. forces."
- Elizabeth Edwards took Ann Coulter to school over hate speech, and really quieted the right-wing monster for a good moment or two. (It really is must see video.)
- The summer heats up: Democrats "subpoenaed the White House and Vice President Dick Cheney's office for documents relating to President Bush's controversial eavesdropping program that operated warrant-free for five years."
- And Cheney has given up, at least temporarily, on defending the indefensible, that is, claiming that the Vice President's office is not part of the Executive Branch, but is actually some sort of super-office, with no accountability and without any pesty constraints from the Constitution.
With Vimeo v5 now out and about, I'm hesitant to staying on-board. In an IM conversation with Tour for the Cure's Tim Riley this morning, reyonthehill time, I mentioned my displeasure...
[09:13] tmorly: new vimeo
[09:13] tmorly: it is a lot to take in
[09:13] tmorly: the old version was more simple
[09:13] tmorly: but i think i will like this once i get used to it
[09:13] tmorly: no bump from 250mbs
[09:13] tmorly: megs, i mean
[09:13] tmorly: im sure you're thrilled
[09:15] reyonthehill: i like the old vimeo
[09:15] reyonthehill: i liked the simplicity
[09:15] reyonthehill: this is much more social-oriented
[09:16] tmorly: yeah i think that was always the goal
[09:16] tmorly: there are some features i like
[09:16] tmorly: the videos are bigger
[09:16] tmorly: and you can do full screen
[09:17] reyonthehill: yes, but both of those could have been added to the previous framework
[09:20] tmorly: it needed an upgrade
[09:20] tmorly: the old one was web2.0ish enough
[09:21] reyonthehill: it has the feeling of children's website, disney-ish, nickelodian-style
[09:22] tmorly: yes, a little bit
[09:22] tmorly: you are right
[09:22] tmorly: i think it will take some getting used to
[09:23] tmorly: i also think they will revise a bunch of stuff based on complaints/suggestions
[09:23] reyonthehill: yes, most likely
[09:26] tmorly: i thought the same thing when they released the last version
[09:26] tmorly: (the disney feel)
[09:26] tmorly: but compared to the other garbage design out there, it just seemed way different
The single greatest thing about Vimeo was it's clean-feel, and although it was a social site, it didn't feel like one, it just gave you a great platform to show personal videos. The new Nickelodeon-style Vimeo, however, is much more busy, with more YouTube-like elements, the absence of which is what attracted me to Vimeo in the first place.
Some people may think that my lack of posting yesterday was an all-out assault on the land we call blogtopia, and if you do, then you don't have a clue. It just turned out to be one of those days. A late morning, not in the office until after 11am. And then a busy day, and a short day, out of there by 4pm, in order to get to a softball game. It was the early game, where the fewest people can make it, so I spent some time -- too much time -- getting a couple players to play for us. (Yes, that's right, we cheated, and we still lost 17-3.) And then, after the game, a few beers, and then at home, I finally got around to finish painting the garage. So, no, I do not hate the blogosphere and everything it does and does not stand for. It was just one of those days.
