Happy New Year: On dying consumer technologies
A few thoughts on dying consumer technologies for 2008: Copy-protected music is almost dead. The demise of copy-protection software has finally almost arrived. Warner is the third of the four major music corporations to move away from digital rights management (DRM) software. In large thanks to the influences of Amazon MP3 and Radiohead this year. […]
TV thoughts: Imaginationland, Heroes, Discovery Channel
I have a few quick thoughts to share about television shows. Last Wednesday’s South Park episode, “Imaginationland,” was one of the best I’ve seen in ages. I loved the parts with M. Night Shyamalan, Michael Bay, and Mel Gibson. They were perfect. The episode was the beginning of what I’m sure will be an epic […]
MLB playoffs/payrolls, Prawn To Be Wild, Gottfried, Letterman
I have four topics to ramble about today (if you don’t want to read about baseball, skip to the three more entertaining topics below): MLB playoffs/payrolls Every year around October I like to look at the payrolls of Major League Baseball teams that make the playoffs. Since there is no salary cap in MLB, the […]
New fish and Novak Djokovic
Following the recent death of the last fish (Jezebel the alarmingly aggressive goldfish) from my original 2003 fish tank setup, I cleaned out the aquarium and started over this weekend. But, before I get to my new fish, I want to mention the U.S. Open 2007 men’s final. This was the first match I’ve watched […]
Roswell, kitten neutering, Epsom salt, helium balloons
Today is the 60th anniversary of the Roswell incident, the most famous UFO sighting in American history. Read more from MSNBC: The Roswell Experience. I was kind of obsessed with Area 51 conspiracy theories when I was a kid. I visited Roswell during the summer of 2001, a few months before I moved to Oregon. […]
Independence Day: Hot dogs and melons
First, I have some, uh, breaking news: Today, at the Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest at Nathan’s Famous at New York’s Coney Island, the meatstick consumption title was brought back to America. That’s right, the mustard yellow belt of champions has returned to the land of obesity where it belongs. A skinny […]
Beaver baseball National Champions again (and pepino)
Congratulations to the Oregon State baseball team! The Beavers swept through the College World Series, winning all five of their games. In the best-of-three finals, they beat the North Carolina Tar Heels for the second straight season. OK, you know how I love random trivia, so here are some CWS facts: The Beavers (49-18) trailed […]
Fighting off ninjas. Easy.
Earlier today a coworker told me about a new ninja-themed MythBusters episode, due to premiere on Wednesday, April 25, 2007. Here’s the official episode description: Episode 78: Walking on Water It’s “East Meets West” in this episode of MythBusters. Shrouded in secrecy and mythology, not to mention cult popularity, ninjas are perfect fodder for the […]
Much ado about J.D. Drew
I don’t care much about the experience of watching Major League Baseball. I read about sports much more than I watch sporting events (or anything) on TV. Though sometimes I get pulled in during dramatic postseason runs (like the Red Sox in October of 2004), or other big sporting events like Bowl games and March […]
Easter Special: “You Were Right”
Today I was talking to a friend of mine, who, after mentioning her unusual mood swings of late, asked, “What does manic depression feel like?” Well, I said, smiling, “Manic depression’s a frustrating mess.” “Wait a second,” she said. “Who sings that? Led Zeppelin?” “Nope,” I said. “Right era, wrong rock legend. Jimi Hendrix.” “Oh, […]