Tuesday, March 27, 2007

The shape of things to come...

Driving home from work I saw a interesting sight. It was a repo truck for other cars and the license plate was "UBWALKN". Great just what the world needs repo guys with a sense of humor. Next thing you know there will be bloggers out there talking about things like the license plate they saw on the drive home from work... oh wait....

So yeah.... about that those bloggers great people eh?


Ok time to move on. So with my moving from a Dell PDA back to Palm I'm once again free from the tryanny of Outlook (at home). I also have a PDA for sell if anyone is interested. Actually for the record just about everything I have is for sale. That is just the kind of guy that I am.

Anyway I'm free from Outlook since I'm only syncing my calendar with the Treo and can do that with Palm Desktop. Sweet I finally have a thrown free all of my bonds from the Windows Platform!

OH look a shackle with a large lock that's got alot of gum in the key hole... oh yes gaming my Achilles heal.

/sigh

I have considered going back to Thunderbird but honestly I just don't like it's interface very much and I find it's database system to be more susceptible to corruption then Outlook. I know Mr. Open Source likes a Microsoft product. Yeah I know let me turn in my geek cred badge at the door.

Then again when your into Linux you run into these type of things all of the time. You know the idealouges who want to a "perfect open source system" and the cold harsh reality of "the business world"

Hmmm maybe I need to find a woman who apperciates the term "free as in beer or free as in speech"

Sunday, March 25, 2007

A letter...

Dear MR. Ronald D. Moore; Creator and Excecutive producer of the "New" Battlestar Galactica.


RE: Season 3 finale


From the desk of a fan:

Mr. Moore I just finshed watching the final episode of the third season of Battlestar Galactica. I have to say I was over all very immpressed.

Except for the last 45 seconds.

WHAT THE FUCK??!!

Thursday, March 22, 2007

The golden / red / brown / black rule(s)

Uses for beer... other then drinking it.

26. STOP SNORING
If your log-sawing is ripping a hole in your marriage, try this simple remedy: Get a pocket T-shirt and a 6-ounce mini-can of beer. Put the can in the pocket and fasten it closed with a safety pin. Just before you go to bed, put the shirt on backward. Research shows that you're more likely to snore when resting on your back. This little setup prevents you from rolling over. Plus, come morning, you won't have to get out of bed for breakfast.

25. COOK RICE
Rinse 1 cup jasmine rice in water. Do it twice more, then drain well. Next, dump the rice into a medium-size pot and add 12 ounces of beer. (A nut-brown ale works well.) Bring the mixture to a boil, turn the heat to low, and cover the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes, then remove from the stove and cool for an additional 10 minutes. The rice won't be lumpy, and it'll have a nuttier flavor — just like you after you eat it.

13. FIND DUE NORTH
Okay, here's the scenario. A bit far-fetched, we admit, but look who's going to be our next president. Let's say you're hopelessly lost in the wilderness, and all you have is a can of beer, a sewing needle, a small bowl, and a pair of extra-large silk panties. (Because this is a matter of life and death, the camp counselor should give hers up.) First, open the beer, pour some into the bowl, and let it go flat. (Better drink the rest; this may not work.) Next, magnetize the needle by stroking it repeatedly in one direction with the panties. This will generate a charge of static electricity. Then float the needle in the beer. When it stops, it'll be pointing in a north-south direction. Now get outta there!

12. KILL SLUGS
Gather a few empty salsa jars (or similar wide-mouth containers) and fill them a third of the way with cheap beer. Then bury them about 15 feet from your garden, girlfriend, or whatever you're trying to protect. Make sure the rims are almost level with the soil surface. For some reason, slugs love beer. They'll find the traps, drop in, and drown. Do this in the evening, let them party all night, and give them an honorable burial in the morning.

10. PASS A KIDNEY STONE
As you've undoubtedly noticed, beer is a diuretic. It helps flush the kidneys and bladder. This can be beneficial if you're suffering from a bladder infection or kidney stone. "You can drink water or cranberry juice," explains Dr. Alexander, "but beer also works. It helps dilate the ureters [the tubes connecting the kidneys and bladder], which may help you pass a stone quicker and easier. Plus, the alcohol will take the edge off the pain." But don't drink beer if you're taking antibiotics or narcotic pain medications. You'll render the drugs useless and make yourself sick.

7. LOOSEN RUSTY BOLTS
Pour some beer on them and wait a few minutes. The carbonation may help break up the rust.

2. PUT OUT A FIRE
Although certainly not as effective as a real fire extinguisher, a can or bottle of beer can mimic one if none is available. Simply shake and spritz. After all, beer is mostly water. This works on small grill flare-ups, and some people have been known to carry an emergency can in their car in case of engine fire. Or at least that's what they tell the state troopers.

1. BATHE IN IT
Instead of sipping a beer, try soaking in it. Pour a bottle of German Badebier in the tub and lie back for a real bubble bath.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

This blog entry is brought to you by a really good whiskey and the smoking lamp is off

This one is for the BSG nurds....

I've been watching Deep Space Nine on DVD starting with Season 1. Yes I know I'm a gluten for punishment. Anyway I'm a nurd... one of the things that I like to do is look up the actors from a series I'm watching and see what is written about them in the IMDB.

So I'm going through the Deep Space Nine entry from the IMDB and they have all of the executive producers listed. One of them is Ronald D. Moore, who we all know is the Executive Producer and Creator of the "New Battlestar Galactica". But if you've watched DS9 before you already knew this (I did). What the hell I will go take a look at Ron Moore's IMDB entry...

There is a trivia section and it had this comment...

"In the pilot episode of the fifth Star Trek series, "Enterprise", a character was named after him. The farmer who shot the Klingon (Klaang) in the beginning of the episode was named Farmer "Moore". This is not only homage to Ron's reputation with klingons, but also his reputation for killing off characters."

Well shit that explains a few things.

So of course this leads me to the Wikipedia entry for Ronald D. Moore where I learn that he was a producer on "Voyager" for a little bit in the Sixth season.

And a excerpt from the interview Moore did concerning Voyager after he left

"

Moore's re-imagining of Galactica is noted for taking a more serious tone than its predecessor, something that was foreshadowed in the January 2000 for Cinescape interview, where he discussed what he saw as the root problem with Voyager.

"The premise has a lot of possibilities. Before it aired, I was at a convention in Pasadena, and Sternbach and Okuda were on stage, and they were answering questions from the audience about the new ship. It was all very technical, and they were talking about the fact that in the premise this ship was going to have problems. It wasn’t going to have unlimited sources of energy. It wasn’t going to have all the doodads of the Enterprise. It was going to be rougher, fending for themselves more, having to trade to get supplies that they want. That didn’t happen. It doesn’t happen at all, and it’s a lie to the audience. I think the audience intuitively knows when something is true and something is not true. Voyager is not true. If it were true, the ship would not look spic-and-span every week, after all these battles it goes through. How many times has the bridge been destroyed? How many shuttlecrafts have vanished, and another one just comes out of the oven? That kind of bullshitting the audience I think takes its toll. At some point the audience stops taking it seriously, because they know that this is not really the way this would happen. These people wouldn’t act like this." "
Two things... this is why Ronald D. Moore is the man! And one of my biggest problems with Voyager.

Good night and good luck.

Friday, March 16, 2007

As seen at sky harbor

Some one is a bit cranky...

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Play us a song young piano man...

Photographic evidence from trip #3 to Milwaukee.... went on "safari" in downtown Milwaukee on the River Walk with people from the class... Here are the highlights in pictures.

Here we have a picture of Dr. Franklin (this one is for Kristi and Matt) from a place called the "Safe House". Interesting place... next time you see me have me talk about it. Other notables on the wall of Celebrity's at this place. Anthony Daniels (C3PO) and two of the three "Lone Gunmen" (that one is for Curtis).


And because no trip is WI is complete with out some sort of cheese like product.....


And the last two were on the out side of this bar on the River Walk... Ironically I did not have Guinness instead I had Smithwicks.

Monday, March 12, 2007

The one where I feel a kinship with Cody

On a business/training trip to Milwaukee.. you know it's not like I haven't been here before but my god man couldn't I go someplace different for a change?

Traveling is always a endurance race for me... I don't really like flying, actually the term I would use is I loathe flying. And in my book loathing is one step above sheer contempt. My biggest problem with flying is my lack of control over the situation. You know I'm driving in my truck if I choose to run in into the median and cut over 6 lanes of traffic that is my thing. If the pilot decides to take us to the scene of the crash before the paramedics show up that's not cool. And as always when I fly I have to ask the following question. If the seats turn into flotation devices how come the plane doesn't turn into a boat!

Other random observations from my travels... BSOD on a pay phone (that's a first for me) and people literally kicking their luggage down the aisle at security. I dislike my luggage but I don't kick it through security dislike it. I only check my bags in at the counter dislike my luggage. And the only reason I did that was because I don't have a printer at home to print out my boarding pass.

Anyway flying from Phoenix to Milwaukee is much like flying from Las Vegas to Milwaukee. Not eventful at all, however the two hour time difference is kind of screwing with me... I had a cup of coffee and a bagel for breakfast at the airport. That was at 7am Arizona time... the next thing I had to eat was a brownie that Kristina made at 3pm (5pm WI time) (thanks again Kristina).

So on the hunt for sustanance I decided to check out the mall that is across the street from the hotel. I don't remember if it was Cody or someone else but I'm going to chalk this on up to Cody. "When I'm in someplace new I always try to eat at someplace local and avoid the big national restaurant's" I'm in WI I'm going to do like the locals at the mall.... well if the mall is like a mall in Phoenix that is what I got. Ok the mall was a no go. Well there is a bar in the hotel that has a full dinner menu I will check it out. Really all I want is a beer and a burger. So I belly up to the bar order my dinner and have one of the better fruity ales that I've had in a long while (it's called "Spotted Cow" look to the beer blog for additional information).

I'm sitting there drinking my beer eating my burger watching ESPN on the bar TV thinking to myself how many nights has Cody done something like this. I start thinking about it more and more and decide. Cody has a much better go at it now.

Other things I have learned... I now understand why Cody likes his Marriott so much. And HBO on the road is a nice perk since I'm to cheap to pay for it at home.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Overheard at the Toyota dealership

'' I'm the most feared of social minorities... I'm an angry white male''

Putting in my time Tom style.

Getting mytruck serviced is always an adventure for me. Most of this stems from the fact that I am car idiot and I know it. I'm fine with this, the part that gives me heart burn is getting the service estimate.

Do I really need the super-dura tess synthetic tire oil?

Going to get my car serviced reminds me that computer geeks aren't the only people with their own freaking language.

On the bright side the dealership I go to has a REALLY NICE LOUNGE so the wait isn't as bad as it used to be. I mean it has a wifi connection for you to use if you have a laptop with you. And well since I do travel with a Treo these days a laptop isn't that far fetched of a concept. Now if only my laptop could play supreme commander

Friday, March 09, 2007

Holy movie geek Batman

In line for 'the 300'

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Pegasus Rising......

So in the course of the last two weeks I have gone from seriously considering a MAC Book Pro back to building a new Desktop PC.

The reason... a fucking game

Yes the one reason I had against the MAC has reared it's ugly head and bitten me.

Though I've finally landed on a configuration that I'm pretty sure that will hit all of the right notes with "Vista" (I don't know why they call it "Vista" we've seen this before it was called MAC OS X in 2002 and we were in shock and awe then... I guess when you've seen one "Vista" you need to see them all)

So anyway I've landed on a configuration pending approval from the lending department.

Oh look at that the lending department just got back to me... WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M DENIED!!!!

Inconsiderate bastards. Since I am the lending department!

OK I need to go sell my body to some lonely sorority girls at ASU..... This is going to take a while.

Monday, March 05, 2007

You Bastards.....

They Killed ______________;


YOU BASTARDS!

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Are you there Beer? It's me Tom...

Inspiration level... still not there.... But I've had two things pop up in the last 24 hours that have spiked my built in inspiration level. So come with me if you will down that deep and dark path that is my head and I'm sure along the way we will find a couple pounds poo or so.

Nine Inch Nails has a new album coming out....

Yes I know I checked the calender too it's not 2010 it's 2007. I don't know what's up with Trent but he must have become inspired or something like that. Normally it's 5 years (give or take) between NIN albums...

1989 Pretty Little Hate Machine...

1994 Downward Spiral....

1999 The Fragile (Great Album can't tell you how many times I listened to it)

2005 With Teeth.

Now this is just the new material this is not including the live stuff or reissues anything like that. So with that list you can see why I'm a bit concerned.... This new album is coming much to soon. I have great hope and great fear for it.



The second thing that I came to my attention was actually posted by Brandi... and well since Brandi keeps her blog password protected, locked, DNA sampled, and Voiced ID'ed behind serveral layers of barbed wire and a helliacious mine field I will just give you a link and you can read it your self.

Recruiting the self centered

I saw a blurb on CNN earlier this week about the college students of today being more self centered then previous generations but I hadn't read it... I read this article. You know I got to say that I'm just about offended that I'm apart of this generation after reading this article.

Not because there is anything wrong with the article, but because it is so dead on and it pisses me off that people who have no reason think that they are the greatest thing since Moses or at the very least Joan of Arc (you know the first woman to get a job outside of the home). I really see it in people my own age and it pisses me off. Of the people in my age group I know some that are work workaholics... some that are students (still)..... some that skate by.... and still others that are so wrapped up in their own lives they can't see past themselves.

Where did this come from? I'm going to pick on the one cultural touchstone that everyone has been through... School... school taught you that you were a unique snowflake... just like everyone else. When schools started coddling children instead of teaching them that is where the trouble began. Yes I know there are things like no child left behind and insufficient funding for school and lord forbid we use corporal punishment to discipline children.. hell teenagers even. Because giving them a couple of good swift kicks to the ass might hurt their feelings and we can't do that now can we?

While we are at it... I need take down my parents generation a notch or two also... but I need to work on that one... those old people are wily.