Cranked up for the Lord

"Ashley Smith, who was held hostage in her apartment in March by the man now charged with murder in the Atlanta courthouse shootings, was hailed as a hero after she disclosed how she had persuaded her captor to surrender, partly by reading to him from the spiritual best seller The Purpose-Driven Life. But in a memoir released yesterday, Ms. Smith also recounts that she gave the kidnapper some of her supply of crystal methamphetamine during her captivity ..."
Let's see how fast she stays on Rick Santorum and Bill Frist's speed dial (no pun intended..)
Freakonomics Blog: The Crystal Meth/"Purpose-Driven Life" Coefficient

DeLay's Woes: The GOP's Tipping Point?

Now we see the violence inheirent in the system! Help, help, I'm being repressed.
Hopefully this will be the wake-up call to all the sheep who believe all hte dribble coming out of the GOP power structure...

DeLay's Woes: The GOP's Tipping Point?

Chav Indeed

Tacky is more like it. Britney Spears and her husband also come to mind...
At Wit's End, a Town Dithers Over Its Millionaire Pest - New York Times

Opponents seeing red over Iowa's pink locker room

Hey, I'm all for breaking down gender-based stereotypes, but the wife's beloved Hawkeyes need all the help they can get this season. Wouldn't surprise me if Callahan tried something similar in shades of mauve at NU

ESPN.com - NCF - Opponents seeing red over Iowa's pink locker room

iPod Nano Spoof

IFILM - Viral Videos: iPod Nano Spoof

Disney Enters the MP3 Market With Players Aimed at Children

Great. More "Disney-crack" aimed at my impressionable 5-year olds. (Note the white headphones) Slap a "Princess" character on it & our girls think it's the best thing ever. Much to my chagrin, Disney is a marketing machine able to leverage tie-in's to music and TV and harvest exsiting IP (witness the repositioning of the "Princess" line out of exsisting characters from previous movies - Fu*$ing brilliant, actually...)

WSJ.com - Disney Enters the MP3 Market With Players Aimed at Children

Grow Some Testables - Intelligent design ducks the rigors of science

"What makes ID infinite and unfalsifiable is its refusal to explain intelligent design. You send your kids to biology class to learn by what processes living things evolve. ID doesn't even try to answer that question."

Grow Some Testables - Intelligent design ducks the rigors of science. By William Saletan

Podcasting has jumped the shark

Great. Look for the RJR Reynolds podcast soon extolling the virtues of smoking. Maybe Sherman-Williams will get in on the act with a podcast on best ways to watch their paint dry.

Who's Podcasting? Did you guess Whirlpool?

When Celebrities Attack!

"It's easy for people in the starkeeping profession to get complacent, and when stars sense that, they often lash out."

Two Publicists, Stylist, Personal Assistant Injured As Nicole Kidman Turns On Handlers | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Wired News: Free the Cell Phone!

This could cause a bit o' calamity here at the mothership....

Wired News: Free the Cell Phone!

Kidman: Psychiatry Is Worthwhile Field

Boy, is she feeling glib or what? How could they NOT have gotten divorced? That, and the fact that he's "not straight".....
Kidman: Psychiatry Is Worthwhile Field - Yahoo! News

House Leadership Figurines on Special in Aisle Two - Wonkette

See ya Hammer!! Touche regarding the last line.

House Leadership Figurines on Special in Aisle Two - Wonkette

Santorum's Mighty Wind, Part 2

This guy just gets more on my nerves with every passing day...

Santorum's Mighty Wind, Part 2 - If you can't lick 'em, spoof 'em. By Timothy Noah

Picture This: Ben Affleck, Senator From Va.

Yikes! As if us Dems don't have enough image issues, now Bennifer - er, Benator. But he is better looking than Al Franken....

Picture This: Ben Affleck, Senator From Va.

Spirits Notebook: A Scotch That's Just 2 Grand

Hmm, $2G's for the nectar of the Gods? Maybe in another lifetime.

Spirits Notebook: A Scotch That's Just 2 Grand

Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs

Here are the San Francisco Chronicle's picks from 50 Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs from 2002 and 2003. Get your Miles-like passion on, eh?

THE CHRONICLE'S WINE SELECTIONS: Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

What .Mac Lacks

Couldn't agree more. Even after last week's "upgrades", I still don't see the value given competing tools and apps.

Subtraction: What .Mac Lacks

Shul of Rock

Since we're approaching the high-holiday season next week, it's time to give a shout-out to the hebrew rockers amongst us. Rock the Kabbalah....

Jewsrock.org

'That 90's Band' Tries Again

Maybe they could dig up Shannon Hoon's bones and tour with Blind Melon again...

'That 90's Band' Tries Again - New York Times

7 Habits of Highly Successful People.

1. Skiing
2. Yachting
3. Snorkeling
4. Golf
5. Polo
6. Dinner parties
7. Shopping

Via Airbag - McSweeney's Internet Tendency: 7 Habits of Highly Successful People.

TranStrap

For the public transportation germaphobe in all of us...

TranStrap - Enhancing the experience of commuting on public transportation

The Cone of Permanent Silence

Don Adams of 'Get Smart' Dies at 82 - New York Times

But what about Coke Light?

Coke is What?

Shedding some light on secret conclave

"An anonymous cardinal reportedly breaks his vow by releasing details on April's papal vote and runner-up status of an Argentine cleric."

Expect a new Dan Brown novel to follow shortly....

Chicago Tribune | Shedding some light on secret conclave

Unpeeling Apple's Nano

Researcher iSupply took a look inside the latest iPod to find out how much Apple is making off it and who supplies its parts
Unpeeling Apple's Nano

What's Bigger Than Cisco, Coke, Or McDonald's?

Hedge funds frighten me. If I were I CFO or CEO, I would be worried as these guys call the shots now. Look at how their influence was/is felt in such recent deals as MCI-Verizon-Quest and the entire Sears/K-Mart hook-up. Eddie Lampert made a $1B in pay last year as K-Mart and Sears are his hedge fund now. Hedge funds are great if you're one of their investors or you're looking to sell your company and bail, but given how little these funds are regulated and if they screw-up (see Long Term Capital Managment) they have the potential to put a serious drag on the capital markets.

What's Bigger Than Cisco, Coke, Or McDonald's?

Just say no to variable iTunes pricing

EFF: DeepLinks - Bronfman, You Hypocrite

Hot XXX SMS Action!!

If your spuse/partner is this jealous and/or untrusting, brother you got bigger fish to fry than worrying about taking your cell phone into the WC with you....
Why do I forsee this as a "very special episode" of the Dr. Phil show?

Secrets on Cell Phones Revealed When You're in the Bathroom - Mobiledia

Just When Airlines Thought Things Couldn't Get Worse

Just When Airlines Thought Things Couldn't Get Worse - New York Times

Apple Expo iPod accessories

Mmmm, accessories.....

Apple Expo iPod accessories

The Pinot Noir Is in the Mail

Update on the reduction of interstate wine shipment barriers as ruled on by the Supreme Court back in May.

WSJ.com - The Pinot Noir Is in the Mail

Yellow..

So we went to see Coldplay last night at the "Verizon Wireless Amphitheater" in fab Bonner Springs, KS. Sorry, it's always been and will always be "Sandstone" to me. Partly because the whole Verizon things galls me that they got the naming rights smack in the back-yard of the mothership here in KC. Also, it's just easier to say. Hadn't been out there for a couple of years to see a "big" concert. Now I remember why.

Security was RIDICULOUS. They had separate lines for male and female and were going though stuff and patting down like it was Hell's Angels Day at Ozzfest. WTF???!!! It's COLDPLAY, the mopiest, of all brit-pop bands out there. Hardly the weapons and Jack Daniels pint crowds. Beer prices were a joke as well. $5 for a 12oz foam ladden stale Bud / Bud Light. Mmmm - not!! Or, step up to the value-add of 16 oz. for $7.50. Plus, you could only get 1 beer at a time, per person. Not that I wanted to drain my 401k to get a buzz, but geez...

Like to end a positive note - Band was perfect, almost too perfect.. Cool video screens complete with hidden HD cameras around the stage for weird angles and perspectives of the band members all run through various video effects on this panoramic screen behind the band that moved up and down. Plenty of beautiful people to look at as well. Again, this was hardly the biker crowd that Security was acting like. As an added bonus, there was no parking charge, which stunned me. Seeing as I got the tickets foe below face value off eBay last weekend, I'd say this was an overall win. But it just reinforces the corporate controlled concert experiences SUCK!!!

Bu that's just my $.02

The Good Earth

"Fetzer Vineyards is a fierce competitor who happens to believe that sound environmental and social practices are also good business."

Fast Company.com - The Good Earth

The MacArthur Fellows Program

A photographer, Fazal Sheikh, made it into this year's list of winners. Maybe there's hope for my fledgling side-career yet...

The MacArthur Fellows Program

Most Dangerous Animal?

My mother can attest to this....

Safety: Most Dangerous Animal? Hint: They Make Honey - New York Times

Hack your Walkman Phone

iTuneMyWalkman is an iTunes script that will help you synchronize the contents of iTunes playlists with you Sony Ericsson Walkman phone.

iTuneMyWalkman

Inside the iPod nano

See the detailed dissection.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) - Inside the iPod nano

Dell DJ Ditty now available - Yawn...

Huh, huh - you said "ditty"

Dell DJ Ditty now available - Engadget - www.engadget.com

Hollywood's Biggest Blunders - Inexplicable decisions of the new moguls

Hollywood's Biggest Blunders - Inexplicable decisions of the new moguls. By Edward Jay Epstein

No easy answers for Huskers' sputtering offense

"If you’re a Husker fan and you witnessed Saturday’s scrum, you’ve probably already bypassed panic in favor of pain-numbing acceptance that NU rolling up 400 yards per game is about as likely as sustained peace in the Mideast."

Huskerextra.com - The Slant

The Daily Show clips

Celebrate last night's Emmy wins with a bunch of recent clips, including the "Evolution Schmevolution" shows along with the ROberts confirmation hearings and Hurricane Katrina coverage..

Content tagged with daily-show - CommonBits

Who's in Charge? Karl Rove!

No surprise here, if this is indeed true.

Who's in Charge? Karl Rove!

Why Do Airlines Go Bankrupt?

To buy time - pure and simple.

Why Do Airlines Go Bankrupt? - Delta can't keep up with JetBlue

Engadget @ Canon Expo 2005

Sorry for back-to-back engadget posts, but this post has some shots of Canon prototype gear.
Engadget @ Canon Expo 2005 - Engadget - www.engadget.com

Already with the Swarovski iPod nano - Engadget

Yet another shot in the arm for the iPod accessory market comes in the form of the Nano's roll-out last week.

Already with the Swarovski iPod nano - Engadget - www.engadget.com

Is Paul Krugman Worth $49.95?

I love Paul, Tom, Maureen (and David Brooks), but I'll pass. I can get the op-eds through our Factiva.com feeds here at the mothership.

Is Paul Krugman Worth $49.95?

7 Wonders of Chicago

The votes are in. The debates begin...
I love Chi-town, regardless.

Chicago Tribune news : Entertainment - 7 Wonders of Chicago

Stroud's to move - End of an era

Bummer. The "beat-up shack" feel will not be easily replicated.
Kansas City Star | 09/09/2005 | Looking for a bridge to land under

Flickr: Hecho en Mexico: Black Velvet Art

Sweet. Elvis+Yoda+Black Velvet Poster = Who could ask for anything more?? More Elvi in the Flickr gallery.

Flickr: Hecho en Mexico: Black Velvet Art

5th Grade Devo

Fifth grade students at Hawley Elementary School in Minnesota made this wonderfully fun video of the Devo classic "Whip It."

IFILM - Viral Videos: 5th Grade Devo

My Houston: Ridiculous Cross Promotions Part 1

"Old Yeller Dog Food" - Have you no decency Mr. Esiner/Igert?

My Houston: Ridiculous Cross Promotions Part 1

Dubya needs to see a man about a horse...

Thanks to Airbag

Music-playing cellphones

Uncle Walt gives them thumbs down...

WSJ.com - The Mossberg Solution - Music playing cellphones ring flat

March of the NeoCons

Sorry folks, but the intelligent design analogy just doesn't hold. This is survival of the fittest if ever there was...

March of the Conservatives: Penguin Film as Political Fodder - New York Times

The Next Big One

Where America is most vulnerable and how the nation can better manage the risks ahead.

"The Next Big One" - BusinessWeek online

How the iPod Nano came to be

Airbag - "Stevie's Little Wonder"

Flickr: Photos tagged with ipodnano

Flickr: Photos tagged with ipodnano

Brushed metal, bye bye

This is funny if you're somewhat of a Mac-fan/nerd and a regular viewer of "Entourage". Guilty on both counts....

Brushed metal, bye bye (kottke.org)

Aptly labeled

I couldn't agree more.

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Photo Gallery (Worst Disaster)

Why Do People in New Orleans Talk That Way? - The origins of the accent

I already knew this, courtesy of Todd. but maybe the rest of yous, did not...

Why Do People in New Orleans Talk That Way? - The origins of the accent

Steel vs. Oak

Oregon is becoming known from some great Chard. in additon to its stellar rep. for Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.

I'm a fan of the steel fermented chardonnays as it's a nice change of pace/pallete feom the buttery, oak flavor that the Mrs. so enjoys.

Food and Drink - Where there's pinot, there's chardonnay

iPod nano review

Uncle Walt loves the nano...

WSJ.com - Personal Technology

Worker fired for eating leftover pizza wins offbeat contest

Classic stuff.
I really think the "fencing with adult sex toys" furniture movers should have won though...

USATODAY.com - Worker fired for eating leftover pizza wins offbeat contest

How Not to Eat Like a Power Broker

Guilty of this from time-to-time...

WSJ.com - Health Journal - How Not to Eat Like a Power Broker:Time-Pressed Dieters Try to Alter Habits

Yale technology enables you to hear your golf swing

No word on if this will get you into Skull & Bones, though....

gizmag Article: Yale technology enables you to hear your golf swing

FEMA through Rose Colored Glasses

"photography can be every bit as subjective as writing"

Freakonomics: Guess the Photographer

None Dare Call It Stolen

"This democracy can survive a plot to hijack an election. What it cannot survive is our indifference to, or unawareness of, the evidence that such a plot has succeeded."

Did Dubya/Rove steal the 2004 election through Ohio? You decide. Either way, let's call it even as Kennedy's 1960 victory was widely corrupt in Illinois, thus pushing him over the top of Nixon. Let's hope that 2008 is level playing-field. I'm not holding breath though....

None Dare Call It Stolen (Harpers.org)

The Big Easy No More

"Big Easy" term came from the influx of jazz musicians to NOLA and their ability to find regular gigs.

Jazz Musicians Ask if Their Scene Will Survive - New York Times

First Look: iPod nano

Christ, he's tiny (said in my best Fat Bastard voice..) Me likes - a lot!!

Playlist: First Look: iPod nano

Howard Beale Lives!

They're mad as hell and not going to take it anymore...

The Rebellion of the Talking Heads - Newscasters, sick of official lies and stonewalling, finally start snarling. By Jack Shafer

The problem in NOLA

This is beurocratic "logic" at its finest...

Marginal Revolution: Government Stops Red Cross from Entering New Orleans

An Icon Imperiled

Why we love this city and how it much it hurts to see it being slowly destroyed.

An Icon Imperiled - Washington Post.com