Olbermann Special Comment: Bush’s Unforgivable Interview
No commentary from me necessary here - I’ll let Keith do the talking.
When you’re done being outraged, go check out the Countdown website.
REALLY Random Thought: Pic-a-nic baskets
This is what happens when I let my mind wander.
So, if his theme music is to be believed, Yogi Bear sleeps until noon, but has every picnic basket in Jellystone Park by sunset. Last time I checked, picnics are traditionally a lunchtime affair. And as we all know, Yogi is pretty civilized - sure, he doesn’t wear clothes beyond his shirt collar, green tie, and snappy hat, but you’d have to presume he at least showers and brushes his teeth, which would take at least 15-20 minutes. Assuming the tie’s not a clip-on, by the time he completes his look and ventures out of his cave, it’s at least 12:30 PM. So…
- Is Jellystone Park starting some kind of happenin’ ‘late-afternoon’ picnicking trend?
- Are the lunchtime picnickers just really lazy, and allowing their food to spoil? (And, in that instance, is Yogi actually doing them a favor?)
- Is Jellystone Park frequented by environmental activists, insistent on ignoring Ranger Smith and feeding the animals anyway (intentionally allowing Yogi to steal their baskets)?
- Is there some strange time/space phenomenon at the entrance to Yogi’s cave, causing it to be noon inside and dawn outside?
William of Ockham tells us that all other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best. Which means, of course, that…
- Yogi Bear is a ninja.
Think about it. He’d have to be really fast to get all of those baskets. He’s constantly giving Ranger Smith the slip. He speaks in riddles. And bears are the #1 threat to America. It all adds up.
You think about it. Think. About. It.
Election ‘08: The lasting cost of the war in Iraq
Previously in this space, I’ve touted the electability of ‘none of the above’, stumped for our Digital Ruler, and purported that one of the candidates for NJ Governor might eat babies. So that gives you a pretty good idea about my feelings toward the political system thus far in the ‘Oughts’.
Now that the primary races are nearly done (we hope, anyway - that’s fuel for at least three or four more posts), it’s going to be nearly impossible to avoid talking about politics. I promise to try and keep things as light as possible, but given the huge ramifications of this year’s election, it won’t always be possible.
Like now, for instance. Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under President Clinton and current lecturer at UC Berkeley, provided an interesting perspective on the true cost of the Iraq war and why the ‘100 year’ policy of soon-to-be Republican nominee John McCain could end up costing us dearly in the long run. It’s well worth the read and/or listen.
Marketplace.org - Iraq casualty: Your standard of living
For the record, in a future post I’ll address my primary voting experience, my general frustration with the primary process, and the candidate for whom I’ll be casting my vote in November. (Hint: this time it won’t be a Mooninite.)
SXSW 2008: By Popular Demand, My Fray Cafe Story
Thanks to Nikolai Nolan for the video. Please, don’t spoil the shock ending!
SXSW 2008: Good night, Austin! We love you!
For five days every March, the geeks of the world are the rock stars in Austin. Those five days are over, and the actual (and wanna-be) rock starts are starting to invade the Texas capital. As for me, I’m sitting in Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, sipping on a crappy latte, sorting through a few hundred photos and trying to process all of the good stuff from the last few days. I’ll be posting photos over the next few days (no, I won’t wait 6 months like I did last year).
I just wanted to take an opportunity, while I have a moment, while it’s still fresh in my mind, and while I’m not distracted by work, I just want to say thank you to all of the veterans at SXSW who always make me feel so welcome; to all of the folks I’ve met over the past four years, who make the trip worthwhile (perhaps almost as much as the conference itself); to all of the newbies and the new-to-me-bies, with whom I hope to speak again soon, either over Twitter or IRL; and to everyone who stuck around for the marathon at Fray Cafe on Sunday night and cheered my semi-embarrassing story.
Soon, I’ll be back in New Jersey, trying to figure out how to rawk after SXSW. And sleeping in my own bed…which is always nice. And scheming ways of making sure my schedule is clear for SXSW 2009.
SXSW 2008: International Day of Awesomeness
Today is the International Day of Awesomeness. Go forth and be awesome to each other.
Image lifted from http://echosphere.net/star_trek_insp/star_trek_insp.html (currently down)
SXSW 2008: Two experiments with varying results
Today is the first day of panels here in Austin, and I thought I’d try running two different experiments with my personal habits here at SXSW:
Experiment #1:
Purchase a replacement MacBook Pro battery, and by virtue of hotswapping batteries, not have to plug in at all during the day at ACC.
Result: Success. It’s going to be close, but I’m in the middle of the last panel session of the day, and I’ve got about 1 hour left on battery #2. I’ll have to work out an overnight charging regimen, but all in all, it’s a good thing.
Experiment #2:
Get through an entire day of panels without any coffee or caffeinated beverages.
Result: EPIC FAIL. I found myself drifting off and typing nonsense in my notes from the 37signals panel. Thankfully, Dinah was there to rescue me with some Jolt Caffeine Gum. Tomorrow, I’ll need to wake up early enough to get down to Starbucks and get my standard venti quad vanilla latte.
SXSW 2008: Ready to Rawk (and be rawked).
I’m on the ground in Austin for SXSWi 2008. I’ve already run into a few familiar faces, and will most likely catch up with the rest at dinner tonight. Updates as events warrant.
Reminder to those of you who are here - find me and get tagged!
(You can also follow me on Twitter, although I should warn those of you not in Austin that Twitter becomes less about what you’re doing and more about where you’re going. That’ll make more sense starting tonight.)
What the hell, Austin?
What the hell is this, Austin? You and I usually have a pretty good arrangement - I visit you for five days or so, and you make me forget it’s winter. This is nigh-unacceptable. *grumble*
What you leave behind.
As part of my SXSW prep, earlier tonight I took a drive up to East Brunswick to do some shopping at the fat guy clothing store. As I drove down Rt. 18 south, I passed the Mid-State Mall and noticed something…odd. Something out of place.
I’m pretty sure that I’ve mentioned in this space on at least one occasion that I used to work at Borders - Borders Store #42, to be specific. The one in the Mid-State Mall in East Brunswick. It started as a part time job between seasons at Six Flags, but I ended up staying on full time, and eventually got promoted into a position where they trusted me with a LOT of money. I enjoyed my time at that store, and still keep in touch with a few of the people I worked with there, but after two years, I moved on to new ventures.
Anyway, I mentioned that there was something odd about the Mid-State Mall tonight, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, because a reasonably-new Starbucks (the kind with a drive-thru window) is sitting on the corner of the property where the enormous jughandle used to be, and therefore obscured my view.
I took way too much time shopping, but as I returned north on Rt. 18 (heading toward Rt. 1, and eventually, home), I investigated. And while my discovery confirmed my suspicions, it didn’t make it any easier to digest: Borders #42 is officially closed.
I’m not sure why I was so shocked by this development - the store was chronically understaffed, even when I worked there; the fixtures were falling apart (and sometimes falling on employees!); and the location was, frankly, kinda crummy. (Hell, look at the picture - those letters have been out for 10 years!) And according to an article from the Sentinel, Borders says the store was ‘underperforming’, although I find that somewhat hard to believe - Store #42 was (at least when I worked there) always at the top of the sales charts for our region, due in no small part to the high volume of computer books we sold - you know, the ones that are never discounted and weigh 40 lbs? Yeah, those. So I can’t quite fathom how the store ‘underperformed’. But from what I’ve been reading in the press, there were a lot of ‘underperforming’ Borders stores to get the axe, so it shouldn’t be that surprising.
Still, I’m a little sad to see the store sitting there, closed down and gutted, with only an 8 1/2 x 11 typed note in the front window thanking customers for 15 years of patronage. It’s another small part of my past that I’ll never be able to revisit.
