My $.02: October 2005

The "Jobs snobs" weigh in the comments section.

Contains link to today's NYTimes article (email reg. req'd) as well.

MacDailyNews - Apple and Mac News - Report: Steve Jobs would consider selling Pixar

Monty's road back

Myabe with all his winning's this year he can pay for plastic suregery to have his man-boobs reduced....
Or hit the gym - whichever is easier.

BBC SPORT | Golf | Photo Galleries | Monty's road back

Hmm. Wacky.
So does have some type of lock-out functionality so that it stops one from drunk-dialing an-ex if it tests you as "drunk"? Talk about "value-add"! Oh yeah - and the DUI avoidance. That's nice too....
LG's breathalyzer phone - Engadget - www.engadget.com

PEZ Shuffle?

Now, for $99, Pez aficionados can take their obsession into the digital age with the new portable Pez MP3 player. The device, available at pezmp3.com, is powered by a single AAA battery and topped by the Pez Pal Boy head.

PEZ MP3

Sucks to be Dubya

A Long, Rocky Road With 39 Months to Go - New York Times

20 Most Influential Photographers

What makes a photographer influential? PDN readers weigh in.

PDN 20th Anniversary : 20 Most Influential

Wired 13.11: Battle for the Soul of the MP3 Phone

Consumers want an iPod phone that will play any song, anytime, anywhere. Just four little problems: the cell carriers, the record labels, the handset makers, and Apple itself. The inside story of why the ROKR went wrong.* (*And what it will take to make a truly rocking music phone.)

Wired 13.11: Battle for the Soul of the MP3 Phone

Enjoy wine without fear

Wine has been around for about 7,000 years. Trouble picking a good bottle is of more recent vintage.

NewsDay Food and Drink - Enjoy wine without fear

Bah Humbug!

ESPN.com - NCF - Yale to limit drinking, tailgating for Harvard game

The Next Hurrah: SCOTUS: Which base needs bottle-feeding?

Mac Mania on the high seas

Feeling the strange pull of my inner-geek self to attend...

(TUAW) - Mac Mania on the high seas

KISS Cover Band Guitarist Leaves To Start Vinnie Vincent Invasion Tribute Band | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

O Onion, how do I love thee....

KISS Cover Band Guitarist Leaves To Start Vinnie Vincent Invasion Tribute Band | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Protecting the Presidential Seal. No Joke

Don't the legal folks in the White House some some bigger fish to fry right now?. Seriously....

Protecting the Presidential Seal. No Joke. - New York Times

Elmo like $5's & $10's nice Daddy

I think my kids would be scarred for life if they witnessed Mommy & Daddy being shook down by Elmo.

Although the chance to go postal on "Elmo" has crossed the mind of many parents of a toddler watching those Elmo DVD's and listening to the talking Elmo dolls over and over and over and over and over.....

WSJ.com - Hollywood Boulevard Just Isn't Big Enough For Elmo and Friends

Shaft lyrics translated into Chaucerian English

"Translating the lyrics from the Shaft theme into Chaucerian English isn't just cool -- it's practically what the Internet was invented for." "Alle clepe tha carl ane badde mooder-
SOFTE! Speken of Shaft bene I." via Boing Boing

A Townie's Tale - Marty Made Me Do It

What's He Really Worth?

The Donald's worth anywhere between $2.5 - $9 billion, depending on the source; and the day...
What's He Really Worth? - New York Times

Jane, You Ignorant Slut

Point/Counterpoint in today's Washington Post on Google's digital library initiative

Riches We Must Share . . .
. . . But Not at Writers' Expense

Exec Sued Over $241k Strip Club Tab

Hmm, wonder if this will make it the annual shareholder letter. The unresolved issue is justifying the $20k in "legit" charges on the corporate card. I would love to be a Savvis employee traveling for business right now. Can you "precedent set"??
The SMoking Gin.com - Exec Sued Over $241k Strip Club Tab

The Mad Man Of Wall Street

I must say, sometimes I stop and watch if I'm channel-flipping just for the train-wreck quality of the show...
The Mad Man Of Wall Street
Online Extra: How We Compiled Cramer's Report Card

BNL - They're no Don Henley

This is why I love this band. Who else would provide a breakdown of how touring in the music business works and detail where the money really goes. Bottom line, the band keeps approx. 50% of the gross proceeds per show and then only gets to keep a fraction of that in order to cover operations/insurance, etc.

Too bad they're not coming to KC or I'd help contribute...

BNL Blog

Light

Light on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

A Vineyard Prodigy Too Young to Drink

A Vineyard Prodigy Too Young to Drink - New York Times

Aperture: Photoshop Is Invulnerable No More

"Opinion: Apple's Aperture software may demonstrate that an intuitive workflow trumps software every time, and eat away at Photoshop's monopoly of the image editing market in the process."

Agreed. Based on the on-line demos over at Apple's site this is a gorgeous piece of software. Assuming you've the got the right tech specs (I don't - just a G4) for the hardware, this begins to make a lot of sense over Photoshop. I suspect most pros will use both. Aperture for day-to-dat stuff and Photoshop for the fine-art/creative stuff.

Aperture: Photoshop Is Invulnerable No More

Marathoners Warned About Too Much Water

What ever happened to good old common sense? Why would you a drink a gallon of water before you do anything - let alone run a marathon?

Marathoners Warned About Too Much Water - New York Times

A Rove exit could hurt economy - Huh?

I disagree Larry. I fail to see the logic in any of this. This has to be the most blatant pro-GOP at any cost, shill of a column I've read in quite some time. Rove may be a top adviser, but last time I checked, it was Congress that was responsible for passing any of your evil supply-side economic mumbo-jumbo legislation that you so dearly love. The White House may have an agenda that they use to influence Congress, but Karl doesn't control consumer spending, GDP output, the Federal Reserve, housing markets, & Wall St.

Wake-up. Karl has been a bad boy and the rampant Bush-GOP-cronyism folks are finally getting caught with their hands in the cookie-jar. Yes, Democrats have faced similar problems in the past (see Dan Rostenkowski); all parties with controlling power in the House/Senate are susceptible. But to state that the economy may stumble because the "terd" in the West Wing may end up tossin' someone's salad in the pokey is a stretch by any means.

Kansas City Star | 10/20/2005 | A Rove exit could hurt economy

The Rise Of Kwyjibo

I always thought this would make a great name for a band, and lo & behold, here it is. Although, I think the original Simpsons reference started with a "Q"...

UPDATE: It did indeed start with a K and this Wiki entry needs to be updated with the band's information.
Amazon.com: Music: Kwyjibo - The Rise Of Kwyjibo

Slate.com Roundup

Several good articles from Slate.com; one of which could easily apply here at the mothership...

The Edifice Complex - What fancy corporate headquarters really mean

The Colbert Factor - The Daily Show's senior bloviator gets a desk of his own

Bushism of the Day By Jacob Weisberg

WWJD - What Would Jesus Drink?

I'm thinking a half-caf, double latte, skinny....

USATODAY.com - Starbucks stirs things up with a God quote on cups

Photoshop Contests - Corporate Takeover

This Worth1000 contest is a look at corporate logos on great works of art and nature.

Worth1000.com | Photoshop Contests | Are you Worthy? | contest

My Outsourced Life

Via Kottke
One man's quest to outsource all that he can in his life. Funny stuf...
Esquire: My Outsourced Life

Why I love NPR

"Hula hooping isn't just for children any more. The jam band String Cheese Incident has spawned a hooping craze among its followers."

NPR : Hula Hooping Gets Groovy Again

Psst - Hey Buddy! Wanna buy a Tyche statue?

Troubles at Getty Ripple Through Art World - Yahoo! News

Bobos in Paradise

Remember when MBAs ruled? No more. Creative thinkers are in demand for their flexibility. Meet five leaders who have parlayed their "useless" academic degrees into business success.

Fast Talk: Voices From the Creative Front Lines

Fresh Tracks - Jazz in the studio vs. jazz recorded live

Must buy soon...

Slate.com - Fresh Tracks - Jazz in the studio vs. jazz recorded live

Return of the Flying Toaster Screensaver

It's true - the classics never die...

.: UNEASYsilence :. Blog Archive-The Flying Toasters are Back (for free) !

Canon EOS 5D Digital Camera Review

This is the best in-depth review of the 5D I've seen thus far. Anxiously awaiting the "official" review from dpreview.com

This WILL be my next DSLR body, just not at this price.

Canon EOS 5D Digital Camera Review - Canon Digital Cameras - Reviews, Ratings & Comparisons

Bugs in the Code

"After noticing I liked The Second Coming of Steve Jobs iTunes figured I'd like Ann Coulter's Treason: Liberal Treachery from Cold War to the War On Terrorism. I guess thats why Just For You is still in beta."

Ironic on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

40 Acres & a Hotspot

Biggest Wi-Fi Cloud Is in Rural Oregon - Yahoo! News

Hallmark | Meet Our Celebrity Judge...Butch Patrick

Wow, how'd you like to be his agent? I'm glad that "Celebrity" is italicized in the web copy only in the sense of trying to convey irony.. Plus this has to be the worst URL I've ever seen coded...

Hallmark |Meet Our Celebrity Judge...Butch Patrick

Sears Tower made from Jenga blocks

Via Geek Press

Jenga Tower: Sears Tower completed

Malbec's on the rise

This is some of the best stuff out there given the price point and quality. This is my current red wine of choice given all the histronics currently associated with Pinot Noir(thanks "Sideways"...).
You owe it to yourself to try a Malbec if you have never done so.

LATimes.com - Food and Drink - Malbec's on the rise

Best cover song ever

"I’ve wanted to cover this song for a long time, because it is excellent - there’s a wonderful message in there for those of you who have big butts."

Jonathan Coulton, Blog Archive, Thing a Week 5 - Baby Got Back

'Tis the season

"This crafy Flickr user has knitted a series of characters from George Romero's classic Dawn of the Dead, then staged photos of yarn zombies chasing yarn defenders."

Flickr: cakeyvoice's photos tagged with dawnofthedead

RNC's False Email - FactCheck.org

"Mehlman claims,"Before Ms. Miers was even announced many Democrat groups said they would oppose her." Actually, none did."

RNC's False Email - FactCheck.org

Silent Night? Holy Crap! - Tom and Katie's scary Scientology birth plan

L. Ron - You are a weird & dangerous man...

Silent Night? Holy Crap! - Tom and Katie's scary Scientology birth plan. By Dana Stevens

Apple wants 10% of iPod accessory revenue

God, er, Steve Jobs, wants his tithe....

Apple wants 10% of iPod accessory revenue - Engadget - www.engadget.com

The Scotch Blog: The shape of the bottle

In case you wondering...
The Scotch Blog: The shape of the bottle

Free del.icio.us videos in iTunes

Git yo free vids in iTunes...

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) - Free del.icio.us videos in iTunes

Little Pink Houses

Little Pink Houses on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Bad Day for Dubya pt. 3

It's pile-on day for the prez here at My $.02

Poll: Bush Presidency Judged Unsuccessful - Yahoo! News

Bad Day for Dubya pt. 2

You've been a naughty boy Mr. Rove...

Jitters at the White House Over the Leak Inquiry - New York Times

Bad Day for Dubya pt 1.

"Wag the dog", anyone?

In a Scripted TV Scene, Soldiers Reassure Bush - New York Times

Marthatown: Living in the Bubble

Move to Raleigh/Cary, NC and cough up a half-million and you too can live like Martha!! Home confinement & ankle bracelet lojack not included - some restrictions apply. See your probation officer and interior designer for full details...
Marthatown: Living in the Bubble - New York Times

A Nobel Letdown in Economics

After reading this, it only inforces the label of "the dismal science" often associated with Econnomics.
A Nobel Letdown in Economics

Running to New York on Wings of Water

Don't ever give up. Never give up. to parahrase Jimmy V.

Running to New York on Wings of Water - New York Times

How the Republicans Let It Slip Away

"Watching the Republicans floundering over the past week, one can't help thinking of a school of beached whales. The leviathans of the GOP have boldly swum themselves onto this patch of dry sand, and it won't be easy for them to get back to open ocean."

How the Republicans Let It Slip Away

Wired News: Apple Hones 'One More Thing' Hype

Schroeder quits government, blasts U.S., Britain

I guess when you have a national unemployment rate of 11 - 12% and a 0% GDP growth over the last 3 years, you'll say just about anything. We may not be perfect, but at least we have a free-market economy that repsonds to incentives and globalization.

Schroeder quits government, blasts U.S., Britain - Yahoo! News

All in the Family, Again - New York Times

For the first time, Michael Mondavi is not working with his famous father. So what next?
All in the Family, Again - New York Times

WH Pool Report: What They're Drinkin' in NOLA - Wonkette

Looks like NOLA is beginning to regain some of it's former, baudy self...

WH Pool Report: What They're Drinkin' in NOLA - Wonkette

A couple from Slate.com

Slate has a couple of really good tech related articles this week regarding Google's long-term stability based on its current business model (e.g. giving stuff away and relying on serach related advertising) and Motorola's homely and useless ROKR mobile phone; which proves you can't just slap Apple's name on something and expect the same sales/take rate as it applies to the form/functionality of the iPod. And for the record, it's an iTunes enabled phone (limited to storage of 100 songs which is useless), not an iPod phone as it if often advertised.

Has Google Peaked? - Potential obstacles for the world's hottest tech company.

Off Their ROKR - Why Motorola's new iTunes phone is a flop.

The Business-Class Nomad

300+ days on the road for business. When do you ever have time to get off the hamster wheel and cash-in the frequent flier points?? Unless you're single with no family/life, no thanks.

The Business-Class Nomad - New York Times

Yoko Pans Paul at Q Awards

Yikes! Yoko's 72?
Anyhoo, we get it Yoko! Please stop trying to suck every last bit of life out of John's legacy...

Yoko Pans Paul at Q Awards - Yahoo! News

A one pay-phone town

Cute, quaint. But not very practical...

Cellular-Free Enclaves Fight to Save Pay Phones - New York Times

iPod family - a photoset on Flickr

"Mr. and Ms. iPod share the pictures of their new arrival, little Shuffle." Aunt Nano is soon to make the scene rumor has it...

iPod family - a photoset on Flickr

Nebraska - Where the "N" stands for Knowledge...

Mistake Leads to 29-Cent Gas Price - Yahoo! News

Why Do-It-Yourself Photo Printing Doesn't Add Up - New York Times

Duh...

Why Do-It-Yourself Photo Printing Doesn't Add Up - New York Times

Sipping Ryes

The whiskey of George Washington is back in vogue. I've been making my Manhattans with Jim Beam Rye (yellow label) for years now. Nice change of pace from the Maker's Mark version I also favor.

LA Times Food and Drink - Sipping ryes

Republican Sighting in SF, CA!

I know. I refused to believe it either until I saw the photo. Looks like he's doing a gang-buster of business with regards to recruiting...
Republican on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Fine by me

Any SCOTUS nominee that Brownback opposes is fine by me to be nominated. This guy is an embarrasment to the citizens of this fine state. His extreme views/ideaology do not reflect the majority of the states'. (even with the margin of error included). But it makes for good headline and interview material over at the NeoCons cable mouthpeice, Fox News.

Foe of Abortion, Senator Is Cool to Court Choice - New York Times

Spice of Life

Sounds wonderful...

The Scotch Blog: Spice of Life

The Beltway Gossip Roundup: What's Being Said

Gossip Roundup: What's Being Said - Wonkette

Nano Scratches Nothing New(s)

" I decided that it boils down to this: nanos are fine. People are careless. Rub plastic or even glass against a rough enough surface and it will get scuffed. Who knows, maybe this is on purpose. Without scratch-prone iPods, there'd be no market for iPod cases."

Column by PC Magazine: Nano Scratches Nothing New(s)

A Wine of Character, but How Many Miles to a Gallon?

Sort of like that Simpsons episode (The Crepes of Wrath) where Bart goes to France as an exchange student, but ends up as a child-labor victim curning out anti-freeze laced wine for a corrupt vinter. A classic to say the least.

A Wine of Character, but How Many Miles to a Gallon? - New York Times

Think Secret - New iPod--but not video--on next week's itinerary

"The new iPod will be available in capacities up to 80GB and will be slightly smaller than current color iPods, sources have said. It's unknown whether Apple will keep the white casing or go with a silver version Think Secret sources spied in January. Contrary to Apple's initial estimates, iPod nano sales have favored the black units suggesting that Apple may offer another color alongside the iconic white and chrome."

Think Secret - New iPod--but not video--on next week's itinerary

Now you never need to stop drinking...

Or until your liver fails - whichever comes first....

Now you never need to stop drinking.. - Yahoo! News

Snake vs. gator: It's a dead heat

"The 13-foot snake and 6-foot gator both wound up dead, locked so gruesomely it is hard to make heads, tails or any other body part of either creature."

Snake vs. gator: It's a dead heat - Yahoo! News

Cracking Your Next Company's Culture

Good article. Could come in handy here at the mothership, given the new environment...

Cracking Your Next Company's Culture

Who do you trust?

The Poli Sci geeks weigh in on the Miers nomination.

danieldrezner.com :: Daniel W. Drezner :: Who do you trust?

How Baseball's Rich Fared

As Major League's post-season begins, it's clear that the biggest spenders on salaries aren't always the contenders for the crown

Baseball: Money Can't Buy Me Wins
* (Millions of Dollars) SALARY STANDING

FINAL STANDING IN DIVISION

NL EAST
New York Mets$101 4th
Philadelphia Phillies$96 2nd
Atlanta Braves$86 1st--playoff bound
Florida Marlins$60 3rd
Washington Nationals$46 5th and last

NL CENTRAL
St. Louis Cardinals$92 1st--playoff bound
Chicago Cugs$82 4th
Houston Astros$77 2nd--wild card berth
Cincinnati Reds$62 5th
Milwaukee Brewers$40 3rd
Pittsburgh Pirates$38 6th and last

NL WEST
San Francisco Giants$90 3rd
Los Angeles Dodgers$83 4th
San Diego Padres$63 1st--playoff bound
Arizona Diamondbacks$62 2nd
Colorado Rockies$48 5th and last

AL EAST
New York Yankees$208 1st--playoff bound
Boston Red Sox$124 2nd--wild card berth
Baltimore Orioles$74 4th
Toronto Blue Jays$46 3rd
Tampa Bay Devil Rays$30 5th and last

AL CENTRAL
Chicao White Sox$75 1st--playoff bound
Detroit Tigers$69 4th
Minnesota Twins$56 3rd
Cleveland Indians$422nd
Kansas City Royals$37 5th and last

AL WEST
Los Angeles Angels$98 1st--playoff bound
Seattle Mariners$88 4th and last
Texas Rangers$56 3rd
Oakland Athletics$55 2nd

*Salary data from USA Today"

How to pick up girls

Based on the article's photo of the author, looks like hair and clothing choices are mute points...
CNN.com - How to pick up girls - Oct 5, 2005

GeekPress: Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Geekpress has got its game on today. The first 3 entries are wonderful.
GeekPress: Wednesday, October 05, 2005

His 'Secret' Movie Trailer Is No Secret Anymore

Kubrick's 1980 "The Shining" re-cut as a romantic comedy trailer. Ahh, the power of editing... (requires Quicktime to view the trailer).

His 'Secret' Movie Trailer Is No Secret Anymore - New York Times

Anesthesiologists Take Pride in Music

Leave it to the gas docs....
Anesthesiologists Take Pride in Music - Yahoo! News

The October Surprise

It's your home heating bill, 70 percent higher than last year's...

Slate.com - The October Surprise - It's your home heating bill

Royals' errors start at the top

I rarely agree with ANYTHING Jerry Heaster writes, but today's column is right on the money.

Kansas City Star | 10/05/2005 | Royals' errors start at the top

The decline of cork, the rise of screwcaps

"Since the cork industry has shown all the efficiency of FEMA in solving its problem, the rest of the industry is moving on…"

I'm sorry but a 3% defect rate from a key supplier of parts (e.g., the cork) in what is esentially a manufacturing environment is toally unacceptable. Cork is dead! Long live the cork!

Kansas City Star | 10/05/2005 | The decline of cork, the rise of screwcaps

Lunar eclipse photo on Flickr

"What you see is the form of the sun when the moon was passing in front of it, then the shadow of the moon is reflected through the leaves of the trees."

Also a link to video of the scene further down the page in the comments section.

Lunar Eclipse Photo on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Winchester Mystery House tour-guide blogs off-limits rooms

I last visited this as teenager (20+ years ago..) while seeing family in the Bay area. Features photos of off-limits rooms.

Built by the widow of the Winchester rifle fortune, the old barn house had over 800 rooms added and removed over several decades in a crazed bid to confuse the ghosts of dead Indians slain by Winchester rifles whom the widow believed to be haunting her.

Mystery House

My $.02

Monday, October 31, 2005

Friday, October 28, 2005

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Friday, October 21, 2005

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Monday, October 17, 2005

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Friday, October 14, 2005

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

A couple from Slate.com

Monday, October 10, 2005

Friday, October 07, 2005

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Monday, October 03, 2005

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