Yesterday I mentioned Intuit's Tax Freedom Project. I was just looking at it again, and I noticed it doesn't even support free direct deposit of your refund check in the free software. Now, I really can't blame Intuit for wanting to be paid for their product, and TurboTax is a good program, but if you're going to offer a free tax program, and pat yourself on the back for your civic-mindedness, don't cripple the product. Perhaps Tax Freedom has outlived its usefulness: it was originally a public-private initiative to get more people to file electronically; now, most people don't need any incentive to do so.

I should note, if it sounds like I'm just needlessly whining about a free product, this free product did end up costing me money. I thought the free product was the same as TurboTax Basic, so I thought I had to pay for TurboTax Deluxe. I didn't realize that the free TurboTax is actually a stripped down version of TurboTax Basic. So I bought more services than I needed. Not the end of the world, but frustrating, none the less. Leaves just enough of a bad taste in my mouth, I might experiment with a free offering like Tax Act next year.

Friend Codes holding back Final Fantasy Online for the Wii. Friend codes suck.

It's tax time again. I thought I would call your attention to the Intuit Tax Freedom Project, which offers free online federal tax preparation for those with an income under $28,500, or who are active duty military or qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. Some states (not mine) also offer free state filing through the service (California offers free state filing directly through their web site). Unfortunately, they limit the service to those with fairly basic returns. I have some capital gains to report, so I can't use the free service. But I get a decent discount on the software through Vanguard. I was tempted to just prepare my taxes by hand, but for under $30, I decided it's worth the convenience to pay to file online.

I finished most of my return tonight, though I still need a few forms, including the big one, my 1099 from work. Hopefully, that should be waiting for me at work tomorrow. So I still don't know where I stand. I did notice a mistake on another tax form, so I'll have to wait for a corrected form before I can file, in any event. I expect to get a decent refund.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force promotion causes bomb scare. Very amusing to hear stodgy media reports trying to describe the concept of the Mooninites. Good times...

How come pop-music-management simulators where you get to give young girls backrubs never seem to make it to the States? I tell you what, the day the XBox version of iDOLM@STER is released in the U.S. is the day I buy an XBox 360.

Slamdance Guerrilla Gamemaking Competition finished with a whimper, after over half the entrants pulled their games in solidarity with Super Columbine Massacre RPG!, after the controversial game was pulled from competition. In contrast, Elephant received the Palme d'Or at Cannes. I would not say that films and video games are equivalent, but if you're going to go to the trouble to hold a game festival as an adjunct to a film festival, you should at the very least extend the same creative freedom to those on both sides. I can guarantee you if it was a film in question, it would have screened at the festival. But apparently there are special rules for video games, because video games are for kids.

Those who succeeded in getting the film pulled, of course, only undermined their objectives, giving the video game a fresh wave of publicity, and new players. I never bothered to play the game, until last week, when, in light of the controversy, I decided to give it a try. I didn't enjoy the game, but then, that's not the point. But I didn't find anything like what the critics of the game describe. Eventually, yes, you start killing students using an NES-era Final Fantasy-esque interface, but I really don't know how even a true sociopath could enjoy that part of the game. Basically, you enter your command, target the student, and they die, within a round or two. No challenge, because the students are completely outgunned. Which really makes it hard to claim that the murderers are somehow made to look heroic.

Overall, I'd say the game is an interesting attempt to tackle very serious issues in a video game format. I don't know if the primitive graphics and dull game play, compared to the first-person shooters the actual killers preferred, was a conscious choice on the game designer's part, or if it was dictated by the medium (the designer used preexisting RPG design software to create his game). But the creator of the game uses the medium to present a cogent point of view regarding a major cultural touchstone, and encourages reflection in his audience. And that's what art is supposed to do.

So, a few weeks back, I had some down time at work, and thought I might make a list of the top albums of 2006, in order to kill an hour or two. But what started as a lark, has consumed far more time than it should have (though the time in question was time sitting around listening to music, so why am I complaining?), and is still rather in the unfinished category. But I'm sitting around, a bit under the weather this evening, and so I'm putting this baby to bed tonight.

I don't generally make top ten lists for music, as I feel like I miss far too many of the new releases, and I'm not always aware of whether an album even came out that year, or if it's just new to me. But this year, it seemed like there were a lot of new releases I rather enjoyed, so that I should be able to pick out a few that deserve special kudos. Also, thanks to my eMusic subscription, I've had an incentive to download new albums at a steady clip throughout the year. So overall, I think I stayed reasonably on top of the music world this year. At least those segments of the music industry I have an interest in.

I'm sure there are releases I missed that would have qualified for my list had I heard them. But reviewing various best-of lists online, I found few albums mentioned that really appealed to me, which I haven't gotten around to. Overall, I think the list I present is a good reflection of my tastes, and what was released in 2006.

I was going to build the suspense, and work my way up to #1, but I think I'll just start at the top and work my way down, until I get bored, or until I start getting to albums that, whatever their merits, don't really rise to the level of "Best-of" (I'm thinking the Racounteurs is a good place to draw the line). Anyways, let's begin:

#1: Johnny Cash, American V: A Hundred Highways	I'm sure this comes as a surprise to no one who knows me. As I said at the time, it's an absolutely amazing album, a goodbye that's unflinching, but never dispairing. Standout tracks: "Like the 309," "If You Could Read My Mind," "On the Evening Train," "I'm Free From the Chain Gang Now"
#2: The Pipettes, We Are the Pipettes	Probably the most unexpected discovery of 2006, this is a really fun album. A manufactured girl group, but in the best possible sense, they conjure up the best of 60s Phil Spector productions with a decidedly modernist mindset. Standout tracks: "Pull Shapes," "Because It's Not Love (But It's Still a Feeling)"
#3: Lady Sovereign, Public Warning	Another surprise, a bit removed from what I normally listen to. But I got hooked big-time on "Love Me or Hate Me" last summer, and when the album came out, found more of the same, only meatier. Walks a fine line, being crowd-pleasing and fiercely independent, accessible and distinctly British. Standout tracks: "Love Me or Hate Me," "My England," "Tango"
#4: Willie Nelson, You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker	Willie put together an amazing western swing band for this album, but he still manages to keep the spotlight on the songs. Great honky-tonk balladry by Cindy Walker, who passed away a week after this album was released, with simple lyrics that cut to the quick. Standout tracks: "You Don't Know Me," "Dusty Skies," "It's All Your Fault"
#5: The Meat Purveyors, Someday Soon Things Will Be Much Worse	Somewhat disappointing, in comparison to their previous work, especially considering this is to be their last album. But still quite good punk bluegrass, and they continue their tradition of odd covers, although their rendition of "Don't You Want Me Baby" does come off a bit gimmicky. Standout tracks: "Liquor Store," "Don't Be Sorry," "666 Pack"
#6: Bruce Springsteen, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions	I would have thought a Bruce Springsteen tribute to Pete Seeger would be about as strident as you could get. But this album's a lot of fun, and if anything could use more political content. Standout tracks: "Pay Me My Money Down," "Jacob's Ladder"
#7: Solomon Burke, Nashville	Great soulful renditions of country standards. Solomon Burke is one of those living legends I feel guilty for not knowing more about, and this album serves as an accelerated education, and a charge to seek out more of his stuff. Standout tracks: "That's How I Got to Memphis," "Ain't Got You," "Does My Ring Burn Your Finger"
#8: Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat	The Rilo Kiley singer's solo debut showcases the country/soul influences detectable in that band's output, in a beautifully produced package. Standout tracks: "The Big Guns," "You Are What You Love," "It Wasn't Me"
#9: Various Artists, Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman	This tribute album is somewhat hit or miss, but it hits a lot more often than I would have expected (with only Steve Earle's "Rednecks" as a truly spectacular miss). Having Americana artists turning out covers of Newman's more Southern-centered work turns out to be a pretty good idea. I just hope Newman himself is on this list at the end of 2007. Standout tracks: Sam Bush's "Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man)," Kim Richey's "Texas Girl at the Funeral of her Father"
#10: Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint, The River in Reverse	A wonderful collaboration that emerged from post-Katrina benefit concerts. Standout tracks: "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further," "Tears, Tears and More Tears"
#11: Neko Case, Fox Confessors Bring the Flood	I've tended to think Neko Case is a bit overrated, but here her gothic alt-country ballads come pretty close to living up to the enormous praise heaped upon her. Standout tracks: "Dirty Knife," "Lion's Jaws"
#12: Various Artists, Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys	There's a lot of stuff here, and it's not all gonna be great, but the best here is quite remarkable, and anything that brings more attention to sea chanteys is a good thing in my book. Standout tracks: Loudon Wainwright III's "Turkish Revelry" and "Good Ship Venus," Baby Gramps' "Cape Cod Girls," John C. Reilly's "My Son John"
#13: The God Damn Doo Wop Band, Broken Hearts	They probably suffered a bit from the inevitable comparison with the Pipettes, but if Broken Hearts isn't as hefty as We Are the Pipettes, it's still a lot of fun. Standout tracks: "Talk Too Much," "One More Night"
#14: Dave Alvin, West of the West	Alvin's tribute to his fellow Californian songwriters is, if not his best album, at least his most consistent. Standout tracks: "Kern River," "Here in California"
#15: Kris Delmhorst, Strange Conversation	I've tried to judge the albums on this list in their entirety, but I must admit that, while this album (a collection of songs based on classic poems) is pretty good, it is the opening track, "Galuppi Baldessare," that's largely responsible for its rank on this list. Standout track: "Galuppi Baldessare"

This is probably a good time to break with the rankings, and just conclude with some honorable mentions. These are listed in a vaguely descending order:

Los Straitjackets, Twist Party	Partnering with vocalist Kaiser George (and at their live shows, the World Famous Pontani Sisters), this album isn't quite as exciting as seeing them live, and does get a bit repetitive. But the whole project has such a joie de vivre, it's easy to overlook its flaws. Standout tracks: "Twist and Grind," "Domino Twist"
Belle and Sebastian, The Life Pursuit	Standout tracks: "Another Sunny Day," "The Blues are Still Blue," "Sukie in the Graveyard"
Dixie Chicks, Taking the Long Way	You gotta be rooting for them now, but this is not their best work. Standout tracks: "Not Ready to Make Nice," "Lubbock or Leave It"
Josh Ritter, The Animal Years	Standout tracks: "Lillian, Egypt," "Wolves," "Thin Blue Flame"
Chatham County Line, Speed of the Whippoorwill	Standout tracks: "Rock Pile," "Savoy Special"
I See Hawks in L.A., California Country	Better seen live, but this album's a reasonable approximation. Standout tracks: "Raised By Hippies," "Golden Girl"
Dan Zanes and Friends, Catch that Train!	Apparently some sort of children's album, but you'd never guess if you weren't told. Standout tracks: "Loch Lomond," "Welcome Table"
The Little Willies, The Little Willies	Standout tracks: "For the Good Times," "I Gotta Get Drunk"
Wailin' Jennys, Firecracker	Standout track: "Glory Bound"
"Weird Al" Yankovic, Straight Outta Lynwood	Very hit or miss, but a few moments of brilliance, especially on the Beach Boys style parody. Standout tracks: "Pancreas," "White and Nerdy"
The Be Good Tanyas, Hello, Love	More of the same, but in this case, is that so bad? Though the Prince cover caught me off-guard (picking up where the Meat Purveyors left off, I suppose). Standout track: "When Doves Cry"
Old Crow Medicine Show, Big Iron World	Standout tracks: "Down Home Girl," "Cocaine Habit," "New Virginia Creeper"
Crooked Still, Shaken By a Low Sound	Standout tracks: "Oxford Town/Cumberland Gap," "Ain't No Grave"
Casey Dienel, Wind-Up Canary	Standout track: "Doctor Monroe"
Paul Burch, East to West	Standout tracks: "Montreal," "Last Dream of Will Keane," "Daddy Rhythm Guitar"
Natalie MacMaster, Yours Truly	Another case of turning out another perfectly good album that just doesn't stand out amongst the rest of her wonderful work. Though the bagpipes certainly help it stand out a bit. Standout track: "NPG"
Johnny Cash, Personal File	A bit of a disappointment, but considering these are outtakes, one's expectations need to be checked a bit. The intimacy of the recordings helps, and the introductions can be interesting. Standout tracks: "Life's Railway to Heaven," "Jim, I Wore a Tie Today," "Saginaw, Michigan"
Hank Williams III, Straight to Hell	Standout tracks: "Country Heroes," "My Drinkin' Problem"
The Racounteurs, Broken Boy Soldiers	Standout tracks: "Steady, As She Goes," "Intimate Secretary"

So there you have it. My opinion of the best albums of 2006. And I even managed to get it out to you before the end of January 2007 (barely). By my standards, that's pretty timely. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the list. I like to make lists, with "like" here being a word which means "voices in my head often implore me to make lists," so maybe I'll share more lists with you, the internet community, in the future.

As reported at The Comics Curmudgeon, the 1940s adventure comic strip Steve Canyon is being rerun from its inception online. The pacing is a bit slow for modern tastes, but it still moves lightning-fast by Mary Worth/Judge Parker standards. More interesting as a time capsule that anything else, but holds up well enough to make it worth a daily read. Mostly, it's just fascinating to imagine a time where comic strips were as anticipated as the latest television program or podcast or whatever the hell it is the young people care about these days; a world where words like "excitement" and "sex appeal" weren't out of place in discussing the funny pages. A comic strip debuting on page one, above the fold, is hard to fathom today.

Relatedly, an article about clipping and saving vintage strips, with a mention of some of the fantastic Fantagraphics anthologies of recent years.

Please take a moment to contact your elected representatives, and share your opinion regarding the PERFORM Act, if you enjoy listening to streaming radio on the internet. The RIAA's battle with satellite radio is threatening all online MP3 streams.

I always feel a little weird writing to my Senator to protest a bill, when they are a sponsor of the legislation. I swear, if the Republicans would nominate someone to run against them who wasn't a crackpot, I'd consider switching sides, just to get some fresh blood.

If you enjoyed the music from the Wii ad campaign, Tofu Hut has posted some songs from the Yoshida Brothers. It also has a link to the remixed version from the commercial.

Nicolas Cage, truly America's finest actor:

I was considering giving some business to GoDaddy recently, but in light of their treatment of their own customers, I believe I'll pass.

Paul Reubens discusses Pee-Wee's return to the silver screen.

Randy Newman is in the New York Times' Op-Ed section today, with an abridged version of the lyrics to "A Few Words in Defense of Our Country," published in response to Bush's State of the Union address. Nonesuch has the full lyrics online.

Just a few words in defense of our country Whose time at the top Could be coming to an end Now we don’t want their love And respect at this point is pretty much out of the question But in times like these We sure could use a friend

Start saving your pennies; the song will be on iTunes next week. I've heard it live a few times, and would definitely recommend downloading it. After hearing the final version at Disney Hall, I worried that the conclusion (the bit about the Supreme Court, excised from the NYT version) felt a bit forced, but reading it, it's grown on me. After all, how can you not laugh at a line like, "I defy you, anywhere in the world/To find me two Italians as tightass as the two Italians we got [on the court]?"

Oh, and Randy, congrats on the Oscar nod.

As you most likely are aware, the latest format war is in high swing, and many observers thought that Sony's decision to turn its back on porn could doom Blu-ray in the marketplace. But a report today in porn industry trade magazine The New York Times reports that high-def porn might be a bit too much of a good thing. The actresses might not like the scrutiny, but I for one am looking forward to finally seeing each and every sexy inch of Ron Jeremy.

I enjoy zoos. I have some moral qualms about some aspects of zoos, particularly in regard to the presence of primates, but tend to be willing to overlook the more problematic elements, as merely a concentration of larger social ills. Primates in captivity may be depressing (I try to avoid those exhibits as much as possible), but seem morally defensible to me as a necessary stopgap, in the face of habitat decimation and the bush meat crisis, to ensure the existence of endangered species. So I don't have a problem with the existence of zoos, but I certainly believe that their practices should be monitored and debated, and that debates like the recent debate over the presence of elephants in zoos are good for the animals and, ultimately, the zoos themselves.

I tend to side somewhat on the animal rights activists' side on the elephant issue. The present conditions at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park strike me as woefully inadequate. The Zoological Society seems to agree, as they are improving the Zoo accommodations. But, while I tended to begrudgingly accept the recent importation of several elephants from an African wildlife refuge as a lesser-evil type of situation, the concomitant need to ship off several elephants to die in Chicago and Utah was less defensible. But I certainly felt there was room for debate on the matter, and was willing to give the Zoo the benefit of the doubt, or at least agree to disagree.

I received the current issue of Zoonooz in the mail today, and the topic of the issue was elephants, promoting their new and improved elephant exhibit, currently under construction. The opening letter from the president of the Zoological Society even addressed the controversy directly, which I was happy to finally see done in the organization's official organ. Unfortunately, all the letter did was show that the San Diego Zoological Society is not as willing to tolerate dissenting opinions on the elephant issue as I am. In her letter, Berit N. Durler helpfully explains the nuances within the arguments on either side of the issue: opponents of the zoo "would rather see elephants go extinct that live in the care of humans," while zoo supporters are the only people favoring the existence of elephants. I found this false dichotomy infuriating, and quickly wrote an angry letter to President Durler, which I repost here for your own edification: Dear President Durler: I was pleased to see that the February issue of Zoonooz, which I received in the mail today, was devoted to the topic of elephants, and my interest was raised when you made reference, in your opening message, to "the controversies surrounding the management and protection of elephants in today's world." Given the press given to critics of your institution on the matter, I was eager to hear your side of the matter. Especially as, I must say, I have some misgivings regarding the conditions of elephants in your care myself. Imagine my surprise when I was informed, by you, that those who criticize your position on the matter "would rather see elephants go extinct than live in the care of humans." Really? That's our only choice, support your position or rejoice in the extinction of elephants? I didn't realize that, because I tend to think a few paltry acres is inadequate for the care of elephants, I actually was a first-class elephant-hater. Thanks for clarifying the stark contrasts in the elephant debate, and making it clear that either I'm with you, or I'm against the elephant. I thought this was an issue where we could agree to disagree, where I could support the good work of your institution, with some discomfort about some aspects of your surely well-intentioned work. But apparently there's no room for dissent at the Zoological Society of San Diego. I would hope that someone working to save animals from extinction would use the word "extinct" to raise awareness of the stakes of animal conservation, and not as a slur to fling at those who disagree with you. When animal rights activists dump manure in front of the Zoo, they look like idiots. When you start dumping the same b.s. in your Zoonooz column, you hardly come off looking better. Until more reasoned discourse prevails, I shall not be renewing my membership.

---

I currently have a Curator's Club membership at the Zoo, so I would hope they would take my opinion at least somewhat seriously, and at the very least reply with more than a form letter. Time will tell.

NETeller closes its U.S. operations. As the existence of NETeller was one of the major obstacles to the enforcement of the recent anti-gambling act passed in this country, its absence should be the death knell to online gambling in the U.S., unless the ban is recinded. Sad times, these.

Colbert, O'Reilly to be guests on each other's shows next week.

I certainly didn't vote for him, but I believe in giving credit where credit is due, so I will acknowledge that Gov. Schwarzenegger's health care proposal looks promising.

I managed to get the archives back. Turns out it just required a little tweak to the template, replacing the old archives javascript command with the code called for by their new system. And I put in a line break to pretty up the top of the page slightly, with the new bar and all. Though I couldn't quite get the archive links formatted to match the rest of the page (I could get the first link to look fine, but it wouldn't carry over to the rest, so I decided to just make them all look the same). Anyway, rest easy, knowing that this blog's archives are back in service, to meet your various needs, whatever those might be.

A very happy new year to you all. This is of course the time of resolutions, so I decided I should use this space to share my resolutions for the year, and review last year's. I notice the archive feature of this blog is missing for some reason, but the ugly tool bar now on the top of the page offers convenient search functionality (I'm hoping it looks better when I see it on another computer, and that the issues I have are just with Safari--and on the plus side, the new Blogger seems to have activated comments on the blog). So I was able to review last year's resolutions, and much like I had to announce the failure of 2005's resolutions in that post, here I announce the failure of 2006's resolutions. To start with the last resolution, graduating college, I'll just say the less said, the better. But my primary resolution was fitness-based, to build up to a training regimin of 20 miles a week. I thought this was more focused that the previous year's resolution, but apparently it wasn't focused enough. I never really got beyond running maybe 25 minutes a day, and in fact was mostly stuck at the 20 minute level. Breaking seven miles a week was a major achievement, and missing an entire week or two (or three) was not uncommon. And I managed to gain about four pounds. To be fair, most of my slacking off was late in the year, when various illnesses gave me some excuse. And at least I remained committed to the concept of exercise throughout the year, and tried to at least do something, rather than nothing. But the fact remains, by the end of Feburary, my goal was falling apart. I think the problem was that my goal was focused solely on my state at the end of the year, with no accountability along the way. Which I have tried to address in this year's resolutions, while still leaving myself some flexibility.

So for 2007, I have set a target of running the Silver Strand Half-Marathon in November. To advance this goal, I will be running a series of races throughout the year to keep myself on track, both 5Ks and 10Ks, starting with a 5K the first week of February. I think this goal gives me reasonable flexibility while still providing structure: I can set my own training pace, and adjust it as needed, but if I'm falling short, it will be (literally) painfully clear on race day, and I can respond accordingly. Failure won't wait for the end of the year to announce it's presence, and thus I'll have time to reverse the situation. I also intend to work out in the gym twice a week, and do more runs outdoors rather than on treadmills (my tendency lately to run mostly at the gym has probably contributed to some degree of boredom with running). And while I don't have any resolutions directly regarding dieting, I have resolved to keep a food log, and keep more healthy foods stocked in the house. I'm not denying myself food, but if I have good choices available, and stay aware of what I am eating, I tend to make better decisions.

I did weigh myself this morning (I bought a scale recently with a body fat monitor--giving me an opportunity to weigh myself in the nude, which the fascists at my gym don't allow on the scale in the cardio area) and I've lost 2.2 pounds this week, which is a good start. And despite it being a bit chilly (by So. Cal. standards), I've found running outside to be vastly more enjoyable than treadmills (I plan to limit my treadmill runs to days I do weight training, and really inclimate weather). So I have confidence this is the year I buck the recent trend and get back to the halcyon days of my running life, where I made resolutions and kept them.

Johnny Cash was the second-best selling artist of 2006.

James Brown, dead at 73.

For some reason, The Areas of My Expertise is available for free download on iTunes. Get it while you can.

Merry Christmas!

Bless this mess.

Dr. Phil is such a tool:

Okay, Dr. Phil, you've booked the maker of Bumfights on your show. You've shown a 90-second promotional piece for his product, and in the heat of the moment, you have second thoughts, and kick the man off your show. You know what you do next? You don't air the interview! Jesus Christ, man, it's not that hard a concept to grasp. Of course, if you just had the man on to kick him off your show, to make yourself look good, that's another matter. But I don't know if you're that hypocritical. I mean, it's not like CBS uploaded this clip to YouTube themselves, to promote your show...oh, I see...

Notwithstanding the fact that the whole thing seems staged, with the Bumfights dude knowing his role and two security guards straight from central casting ready to escort the fellow off-stage in as camera-friendly a way as possible. I'm not a fan of Dr. Phil, but I must say I expected more of him than this.

Mallard Fillmore's creator is a big stinking drunk. I'd make a joke, but if I've learned one thing from Fillmore's Ted Kennedy strips, that statement alone is always hilarious.

Yes, I know, I've been lazy about keeping this site updated. If I didn't pop in occasionally to tell you that someone died, you'd probably think I had. There's a few reasons why I haven't been around too much. There's school, for one. But primarily, I'd say my absence is due to two things. I've been sick for quite a few weeks, a really bad case of the flu over two days or so, and then a low-grade version I've had trouble shaking, and, probably related, a marked deterioration in my chronic insomnia (I'm lucky to fall asleep before 3:00 these days). The result of which is, I've accomplished very little recently. The second reason I've been lax in updating is that most of my time online has been spent nurturing my obsession with the Wii.

Which I now own. I got up a bit before 6:00 this morning, and was at the Target in Grossmont Center around 6:30 or so, where I found no line. I pulled into a space facing the first-floor entrance, where the line-ups for this sort of thing take place, and saw no one in line, which actually worried me a bit, but I saw people in the cars on either side of me, so I rolled down my window to ask one if they were there for the Wii, which of course they were. Then the guy on the other side of me says he was told they don't have the Wii. At first I thought he was trying to fake me out to get me to leave, but it was soon apparent he was telling the truth, but as I was assured they would have 40 or so units, I figured the loading docks guy was simply misinformed. I sat in my car for a few minutes, but apparently my arrival was the tipping point, as a line quickly began to form, with myself in the third position. There were probably ten or so groups in line when it first formed, and about thirty in line around 7:30, when the manager came out and confirmed that they had 42 units. He also confirmed that they had no extra controllers for sale. Which is fine, as I intend to wait for the release of Wii Play, which will come bundled with an extra controller. By 8:00, the line was fairly long, to the point that the people at the end probably went home empty-handed. But within about five minutes, I was walking out with a Wii. I didn't buy any games, as I've ordered Trauma Center and Zelda online, and intend to pick up Rayman Raving Rabbits on my way home from work. Wii Sports should be more than enough entertainment for a week or so, at least, and I do intend to get at least one game off the Virtual Console, just to try it out (probably Sonic the Hedgehog, or possibly Super Mario 64--I can think it over, since it's all moot until I get a wireless network set up).

It is a bit frustrating to wait in line for ninety minutes or so, get my coveted equipment, and then have to set it aside and go to work, but that's life. I'll have time this evening to explore my new best friend--to quote the great man, "Teacher, mother, secret lover." I actually have a little more time than I could normally expect, as we're closing early tonight for our holiday party. I was planning to go, but with the excitement of the Wii, the fact that I got less than three hours sleep (I actually feel quite alert, considering), and seeing as my recent illness would preclude much drinking, I'm skipping it. It's on a boat, which is nice, our last party on the boat was a lot of fun, but it means I can't just pop in for an hour or so, so I'm just skipping out entirely. I'm sure I'll have some Wii-flections for you all soon.

The question is, now that I own a Wii, can I stop pouring over the Wii search results on Google Blog Search, or will I just become even more obsessive and disturbed? I won't share all the articles I found, but I will point to this one, which might just be wishful thinking, but it is definately true that the Wii has the potential to revitalize the adventure genre. The article made me feel all warm and fuzzy just for reminding me of the existence of the Tex Murphy series. My impression is that Max Payne might follow at least in the tone of that series, but since I've never actually gotten around to playing it, I couldn't say for sure. As far as Space Quest is concerned, I loved it as an adolescent, but my revisitation to the series finds that they do not hold up as well as I hoped, at least as far as gameplay. A new iteration of the series could definately work, though.

Robert Altman, dead at 81.

Dueling campaign commercials, courtesy of Rifftrax's Michael J. Nelson:

Perhaps at least one good thing will come from the existence of Justin Timberlake--Grey Kid is bringing Paxil back:

"Weird Al" Yankovic finally has an album in the top 10.

Ken Jennings discusses his appearance on 1 vs. 100. He confirms my opinion, that the show is heavily weighted against the mob. I did see one contestant lose, because he confused the Jessica who fell down a well with the Jessica who mocked Iraqi's genitalia [UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention that I had Jessica Lynch confused with Lynndie England. I regret the error. But the important thing to note is, neither of these women fell down a well]. Members of the mob won a whopping $750 or so a piece, while the more successful individual contestants had winnings in the six-figures. It doesn't pay to be part of the mob (they didn't even pay Jennings' travel expenses, apparently).

CNN weighs in on Aldomania.

Freddy Fender, dead at 69. I only had the opportunity to see him perform once, at a free concert at Golden Acorn Casino. Not a bad show, but I would have loved to see him as part of Texas Tornados.

Interview with Stephen Colbert in New York magazine.

Randy Newman was on The Colbert Report last night, performing "Political Science" after his interview. To the best of my knowledge, this was Colbert's first musical guest to perform a song (he's had musicians on, but not to perform, though Neil Young tried to sing "Let's Impeach the President," but was quickly cut off by Colbert). Newman carried himself fairly well, I thought. I was hoping he would perform his new song, "A Few Words in Defense of My Nation," which he's been doing in concert, but maybe he feels it's not ready for a national audience yet. Besides, "Politcal Science" could practically be Colbert's theme song, the musical embodiment of the arrogance the show parodies four nights a week. And Not to give away the punchline, but at the end of their interview, when Newman explains the concept of the unreliable narrator in his songs, and that in "My Life is Good," he's merely pretending to be an obnoxious rich guy, Colbert, in a very meta moment, chastizes him, explaining, "Nobody wants to listen to somebody pretend to be an obnoxious rich person, and not mean what they say, sir." To which Newman, thinking back on his recent studio album sales, no doubt, responds, "I'll say!"

I. Nelson Rose analyzes the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. Overall, my feeling that the law won't make a big difference is unchanged, but it still remains an open question as to how this will impact Neteller. It seems possible that government regulations developed in response to the new law could ban transactions with third-parties like Neteller as well as casinos, but time will tell. It is worth noting that the law changes nothing regarding the legality of placing on-line bets (the one breaking the law is the person taking the bet or facilitating the wagering, not the bettor). It is also worth noting that the bill was rushed through so quickly that at least one portion seems blatantly contradictory to the rest of the bill, and most likely is simply a typo, that, like the notion of corporations as people, shall now be the law of the land.

Joe Glazer, dead at 88.

As I recently mentioned, my iPod was having issues, and had to be sent in under warranty. I'm pleased to say I got it back on Friday, and am even more pleased to report that Apple had some very good news for me: There was nothing wrong with it. According to the letter (which isn't in front of me, so I'm paraphrasing), either my iPod was found to be operating well within acceptable parameters, or otherwise did not require replacement hardware (the letter was deliberately vague, I presume, to avoid calling me an idiot or a liar). So apparently freezing up and not turning on are now features. I am trying to be optimistic, that perhaps in diagnosing the problem they took the iPod apart, and perhaps tightened up some loose part that was the cause of the problem. But I've noticed the iPod is a bit sluggish in opening menus or selecting songs, which makes me worry that nothing has changed. When I took the iPod out of the box, it wouldn't turn on, which I found quite amusing, considering the problems were supposedly in my head. I think they didn't complete the restore process, which requires the attachment of an external power source, because once I plugged it in to a charger it turned on (and I was able to verify that the battery was charged).

I must say the experience left me less than satisfied, and would make me less likely to consider an Apple computer in the future. Though to be fair, the experience was far more pleasant than my contact with Dell customer service, though ultimately neither was useful (but at least Dell acknowledged that my computer was non-functional). Of the two iPods I've owned, I should note my first iPod is still working fine, despite suffering several catastrophic-appearing drops (hard falls onto my concrete driveway, for instance). And even the troubles with my current iPod mostly have been only moderate, crashes repaired by simply resetting the iPod (though that was an inadequate solution for reparing the most recent crash). So while I am less confident in the long-term reliability of the iPod (in my opinion, the life cycle of a $350 piece of electronics should be at a bare minimum two years), I still see no better choice for large-capacity MP3 players.

I did look at some of the competition in the 60 gig+ MP3 player market, but really never seriously considered buying anything other than another iPod as a replacement. Especially when I realized there was an easy solution to the problem of my disillusionment with Apple technical support. I will purchase my next iPod at Costco, home of the 100% satisfaction guarantee, which will take almost anything back anytime. So if my next iPod acts up, I'll ignore Apple's warranty and simply return it for a full refund and buy the most recent iteration of the iPod, and simply continue to get free upgrades every time my iPod acts screwy, or I just fell like an upgrade. Love that Costco.

The situation did encourage me to take a look-see at the forthcoming Microsoft Zune. And I had to laugh when I learned that the Zune will not support "Plays for Sure." So for all the MP3 manufacturers and music stores who supported Microsoft's standards, Microsoft is rewarding you by engaging in direct competition with you, and undercutting the standard you adopted. I'm not a Microsoft fan, but I still expected better of them. If you don't buy an iPod, the most likely reason is the proprietary nature of their DRM. So why would you buy another manufacture's inferior product with an equally (or more) restrictive DRM (though unlike Apple, it does support a subscription service--though only their own)?

Iva Ikuko Toguri, AKA "Tokyo Rose", dead at 90.

Okay, I know, I haven't really said anything in this space in some time, and now I'm back, and I'm making another post about Mary Worth. I'm sorry, but I can't help it. I probably spent about four hours today going through the comments to a single post at the Comics Curmudgeon, aptly titled Why, God, Why? I would venture to say that virtually every person under 60 who reads Mary Worth could be found their coming to terms with their grief. Some bizarre and amusing theories were floated to how Aldo might still be alive. A few even made video montages to express their pain:

(see also "The Wind Cries Mary Worth")

It was a bleak day. And the question that was on my mind, and many others, remains unanswered: Now that Aldo is gone, do I keep reading Mary Worth? Of course, it's been mentioned that there's no telling how long it will take Mary to overcome her grief and guilt for essentially killing this emotionally-disturbed man with her intervention-cum-ambush. But I imagine I'll stick with the strip for at least a little while longer.

Oh, and here's an article on "Aldomania", including an interview with writer Karen Moy, which confirms the resemblance to Captain Kangaroo was intentional.

Man, I've gotten lazy about this whole blogging thing. I had a nice little vacation, and have quite a bit to write about there (for now, I'll just say that the Museum of Jurassic Technology is freakin' awesome). But it always seems like there's something to keep me otherwise occupied. Most recently, it was some technical problems with iTunes, which I tried to fix using the brunt force method, which ultimately led to the loss of all my iTunes settings (playlists, song ratings, etc.), so I spent quite a bit of time tinkering with that and recreating my playlists as best I could. Only to have my iPod die this afternoon. Still under warranty, by just under a month, but I still have to pay $30 (!) shipping and handling. I could still have purchased an extended warranty for $70 rather than pay shipping for this repair, but I decided it wasn't worth it, as I have a feeling I'll be buying an iPod Video early next year, if the internet rumors are to be believed.

My iPod's death made me sad today, but what truly has me preoccupied is the death of Aldo Kelrast. By means of explanation, let me say that I have become a bit obsessed with the website Comics Curmudgeon. As a result, I have begun reading some comic strips I never paid attention to, like Apartment 3-G and They'll Do It Every Time (I'd never even heard of that one before). But the biggest shake-up in my comic-reading activity was the sudden interest I took to a little strip called Mary Worth. And while an interest in the meddling adventures of an elderly biddy was already percolating within my heart, it was this summer's series of strips, affectionately dubbed "Aldomania" by the internet community, which promoted Mary Worth from an ironic amusement to a full-blown obsession.

And it could be a painful obsession. I don't know if you've ever followed a soap opera comic strip, but with only three panels a day, stories take a long time to unfold. A week could pass just with Mary Worth ending her volunteer shift at the hospital. And the filler strips, intended to stall the story so that the shocking reveal could occur on a Sunday, those would really strain one's nerves, when one desperately needed to learn just how Toby's plan manifest itself. But this week, after I began to lose confidence in Aldomania, things took quite a turn.

I feel bad I didn't direct my faithful...um...reader?...to the Comics Curmudgeon website months ago, so they too could bask in the glow of an elderly woman being stalked by Captain Kangaroo. But since I didn't, I'll simply direct you to some post from their archives, so that you can try to get caught up enough to understand what I'm feeling right now. Anyway, here we go:
It Begins.
Our first good look at Aldo.
Aldo's swarthy good looks accentuated.
Mary's whoring it up with Captain Kangaroo starts to bring shame upon her.
Is Aldo a murderer?
Aldo's magic mirror.
And we thought with this strip Aldomania was truly becomming awesome. We had no idea...
The reality of her situation begins to sink in for Mary.
Aldo contemplates the thrill of the hunt.
Is Mary asking for it?
Mary tears into Aldo! She says capisce!
Aldo has a drinking problem? No kidding.
Toby hatches a scheme.
What is the shocking reveal?
Christ, that's lame.

There are more posts about Aldomania to be found, if you peruse the Comics Curmudgeon archives, but those will give you the basic storyline of this Summer's Mary Worth. Things looked bleak after Labor Day, though, when the storyline seemed to be wrapping up with the lame intervention twist. But when the intervention ended, and Aldo promised to leave Mary Worth alone, things took another twist. The strip archives go back a few weeks, so you can read the most recent installments of Aldomania yourself. The Sunday strips aren't archived, so you'll have to read Sunday's strip at the Comics Curmudgeon.

Today's strip confirms the awful truth: Aldo Kelrast is dead. Aldo is dead. The feeling of loss is palpable. It's truly been a joyous summer watching Aldo desperately try to win the heart of Mary. I'll miss the little guy. The question is, where does Mary Worth go from here? I'm guessing someplace awesome. Unless that damn pompous chinbeard is involved.

Ann Richards, dead at 73.

"Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irvin, dead at 44.

I had a close call this evening, when I was almost made to look foolish (I've come to terms with being foolish, and now merely focus my efforts on keeping others from discovering my foolish nature). I went out to dinner with my mom after work, and forgot my keys. She went to talk to our neighbor for a minute when we got home, and I wasn't able to open the door. I didn't feel like talking to the neighbor, so I just decided to wait. Which was fine for a few minutes, but soon it became obvious they were going to have a long chat (she was apparently showing pictures of her daughter's wedding). But now too much time had passed for me to walk up and say I needed Mom's key, without looking like a fool (I faced a dilema similar to one faced by Sen. Larry Pressler after accidentally walking into a closet). And as more time passed, my dilemma deepened, as it became less and less an option to ask for Mom's key, yet it became more and more an inevitability that I would appear a fool when discovered waiting at the door (though just by one person, rather than two).

Fortunately, I was sent a savior, in the form of a neighborhood kitty who has recently taken a shine to me. I'd set the cat loose a couple times after being cornered by Tanner, so now we have some sort of bond, and in the last week or so, she's often looking for me when I get home. And after I'd been sitting outside the front door for about twenty minutes, my feline friend came by, giving me the perfect cover: I was sitting outside the door so that I could pet the kitty. I think Mom thought the scene didn't quite seem right, but I was not conclusively shown to be a fool, so I was happy.

I was also thinking that kitty needs a name. I think she's a girl (although the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence, she doesn't seem to have male genitalia), so I decided on the name Sable. I actually came up with a good name while attending a Dave Alvin concert last night, but couldn't remember it in the morning (yes, I stand around thinking up names for kitties while attending concerts by rock 'n' roll combos--yet another window into my soul, courtesy of Blogger). But whatever name slipped into the ether, I do think the name Sable suits her, even if does sound a bit like a stripper.

Good news: I got out of jury duty.

My vacation is approaching, and I was thinking about how to spend my evening in Los Angeles, when inspiration struck. Sadly, an internet search revealed that the Naked Trucker (aka Dave "Gruber" Allen), whom I've been wanting to see live for some time), was performing the night before I'm in town, and the night after, but not that Thursday. But apparently he's taping a new series for Comedy Central, so I'll be able to see him in all his glory, eventually.

David Brent in Microsoft training videos. Kind of long, and the best stuff tends to be near the end, but worth watching.

Vintage drug ads.

A movie version of Sweeney Todd starring Johnny Depp has been green-lit. Tim Burton seems a great choice to direct a film based on one of my favorite musicals, but I share Sondheim's reservations about Depp.

The Meat Purveyors are splitting up, according to their MySpace blog. Very sad that I never had a chance to see them live. Their Oregon show almost coincides with my vacation, I'm tempted to go see that show, but I don't see how I can stretch my vacation that much. At least their new album was good, so they're leaving on a high note.

Wondering why you can't buy a copy of a newpaper from a vending machine in Las Vegas? Turns out the porn industry is to blame. Though you probably already figured as much. This Question of the Day is only available today, August 9th, after which you'd need a Las Vegas Advisor subscription to access it (the coupon book is a good deal for many Vegas travellers, depending on your needs, but I wouldn't recommend signing up just to learn about the newspaper/vending machine/porn nexis).

I just had a conversation in which it was revealed that I had Steve Gutenberg and Judge Reinhold confused. Anyone have any idea how this might have happened? The two look nothing alike, and I'm not aware of any similar roles they played. The only thing I can think of is the names, Gutenberg Bible being what Judges might have sworn you in on at one time. Anyway, I felt a little foolish about that mix-up, especially since I realize I'd been confused on this matter for some time (how Reinhold's appearance on Arrested Development didn't set me straight, I don't know).

Another embarassing item, I passed out at the blood bank on Monday. I've given blood quite a few times with no issues, so it was a bit surprising. But suddenly some nurse asked if I was okay, and I said I was fine, and gradually came to realize I was on the floor. I think it happened because I haven't slept well lately, and Monday was my first chance in awhile to sleep in, so I didn't get up until about 11:30, which means I didn't have breakfast, and I wasn't drinking water all morning. But in my fall, I apparently hurt my shoulder, which is still a bit sore this evening. I planned to go to the gym this evening and see if I could loosen it up, but decided on second chance I should take it easy a few days until I'm sure I'm back to normal. In any event, be assured that I will get up early the next time I give blood, have a big breakfast and drink lots of water.

Randy Newman kept an online journal from his recent European tour. I am excited to be seeing him this Wednesday at Humphrey's. Also excited to be seeing Ramblin' Jack Elliot tonight.

For some months now, I have been meaning to plan a vacation to Las Vegas. I'm sure faithful readers of this blog have been very concerned for my mental health, taking notice of how long it's been since I've been to my true spiritual home. But I recently got word that my sister received four passes for a tour of the Charles M. Schultz Museum from her local PBS affiliate. The tickets are good until sometime next year, but I've been meaning to go there for some time, and now seemed as good as any time. So I've decided to scrap my Vegas vacation and go up to see her and the baby.

As driving up to San Jose would involve passing through Los Angeles, I thought of stopping off at the Museum of Jurassic Technology, which I have badly wanted to visit since learning of its existence. But it doesn't open until noon on Friday, and looks like it requires a few hours to get the whole experience, seeing as they screen two one-hour films in addition to the museum. So I thought I might have to save the museum for another time, even though I really am anxious to experience this rather odd place. But then I remembered that I keep seeing advertisements on the TV in which George Lopez tells me and my fellow Southern Californians that we should take our vacations in Los Angeles, and I decided that George Lopez seems pretty on the ball, so I'll go ahead and make a day of it, and spent the night in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, I'm planning on going right after Labor Day, and I've noticed several attractions (most notably the Huntington Library) I would like to attend have reduced hours in the post-Labor Day off-season. So seeing it all in one day will be a bit tricky (fortunately, the Museum of Jurassic Technology is open late). I'm considering spending two nights in Los Angeles, so I have a whole day with no travel time (except for the eternity it takes to get anywhere within Los Angeles), but since the room rates I've found for basic accomodations in neighborhoods I think are reasonably safe look to start at $99/night, if I can keep it to one night, that'd be good. I was also thinking about visiting the Hearst Castle on my way home from San Jose, and staying somewhere along the coast that night, rather than driving all the way home in one day. I haven't yet decided where I would like to stay, though, and as I was looking into the details of the Hearst Castle tours, it dawned on me that my plans would put me there on September 11, and I had to ask myself if it was appropriate to ogle the ostentatious wealth of a prototypical American fat cat on a date on which, while I mostly haven't done much to commemorate those who died, it seems fitting that I at least comport oneself in a subdued and contemplative manner.

Anyways, I spent most of this evening perusing various websites (AAA's, mostly) for ideas of things to see in Los Angeles (I'd planned to see Cash'd Out at the Casbah tonight, but I wasn't feeling very good, so I decided to stay in). I'm thinking maybe I'll go to the Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanical Garden first, as it's near the Huntington Library, and then head over to the Museum of Jurassic Technology. I'd like to visit Will Rogers State Historical Park, but I don't think I'll have time, just as I know I won't have time for the Getty Center, unless I decide to add a day to my stay. Any suggestions of things to do in Los Angeles, or of a nice place to spend an evening on my way back from San Jose, are welcome.

I uploaded some pictures from Comic-Con.

I'm sure everyone has been eagerly awaiting my account of Comic-Con 2006. With this damn heat, I've been too lazy to type it up, preferring instead to spend my time staring vacantly into space. But today the heat wave seems to have broken a bit (though the humidity remains), and I was even able to venture to the gym (it actually occurred to me to go down there and go ice skating for the first time in my life, but neither Saturday session was well-timed for me, so I just ended up on a treadmill), so perhaps today is as good a time as any to type about my brief exploration of this years Comic-Con extravaganza.

I suppose I should start with Saturday, since I never got in the building, and it shouldn't take too long to explain why. Generally, I buy the four-day pass well in advance, at a substantial savings. Even if you miss a day, you still come out way ahead on the deal. But I kept putting off the purchase, and as I only planned on attending Friday and Saturday, I decided to just purchase day passes for those two days. So Thursday night, I registered for Friday online. I decided not to purchase a pass for Saturday at that time, so that if I saw everything on Friday, and decided I didn't want to go back on Saturday, I could back off. It seemed a sensible decision, as I hadn't been as excited about Comic-Con as I had in the past (though by Thursday, I was beginning to get Comic-Con Fever). So when I got home on Saturday, around 10:30 or so, I went to register for Saturday, only to find that online registration had been closed due to this year's increase in attendance. Registration on-site Saturday would be available, but not guaranteed.

That didn't sound good, but I decided I had to go try to get in, so I got up Saturday morning and took the trolley down to the convention center. I was expecting a long line, but not what awaited me. The line for on-site registration reached down behind the Hyatt hotel, down to Seaport Village. I gamely tried to find the end of the line for about ten minutes or so, but soon came to the realization that there was no way I would get inside the convention center; the fire marshall would cut off admission long before I got my turn to register (even if I did get inside, the panels I was most interested in were early in the day, when I would still be in line). So I hiked back to the trolley stop and headed home, with a heavy heart. I got a call just before 2:00 from a friend who got in line right at 10:00, who had just gotten inside, and about fifteen minutes later, I looked online and saw the announcement that on-site registration had been shut down. So there was no way I was getting inside; my decision to return home proved to be a wise one.

I think it was a good thing that online registration was closed, as the line to pick up preordered badges was itself horrendous, and I don't think I would have enjoyed waiting in that line (though I would have eventually gotten in), seeing as I had a pounding headache when I got home, and generally felt like crap all day due to, I believe, a touch of heat exhaustion. It is a credit to Comic-Con that they are responsible enough to shut down registration when the enrollment gets to be too great, rather than just selling more and more tickets for more and more people who will spend the bulk of their Comic-Con experience waiting in line in the stifling heat. My sister often complains about the Star Wars convention she goes to sometimes, which has no problems selling tickets without regard to maximum occupancy, so that the fire Marshall shuts them down, and ticket holders can't enter the convention hall. Comic-Con generally does a great job of managing all the logistics of hosting such a massive event, and deserve praise for their hard efforts.

So that's why I didn't get to go on Saturday. Now let me skip back a day, and tell you what I saw when I did get to go inside, on Friday. There wasn't really anything scheduled early in the day I wanted to see, so I took my time getting there, arriving a bit after 11:00. I hoped that the preregistration line might have died down a tad by then, and it had. I waited about ten minutes at the most to pick up my badge, and soon I was on the floor of the convention center. No sooner had I entered the hall and turned the corner then I was face to face with Lou Ferrigno, who was selling autographed polaroids for $20. It was tempting, but I passed. The Lollipop Kid, one of the munchkins from The Wizard of Oz, was selling a very nice looking autographed picture for a bit more, $35, if memory serves. I considered purchasing one as a gift for my sister, but decided to buy it the next day, instead, as I planned on leaving earlier that day, and wouldn't have to carry it around as long. But that wasn't to be, of course. Billy West was also selling autographed pictures, head shots of himself along with some of the animated characters he voices, but as he signed the CD I purchased last year, I passed on that and just snapped a somewhat unflattering shot of him myself, while he told a story about meeting Jerry Lewis (recently, I believe, though I came late to the story).

Of course, autographs aren't the only thing to be had on the Comic-Con floor, and I spent about half the day covering approximately half of the booths. If you've attended in past years, there were no big surprises to be had. Mostly the same merchants selling the same stuff. A piece of Simpsons artwork caught my eye at the Van Eaton Galleries booth, with all the ancillary characters hanging out in Moe's Tavern, but though the price seemed quite reasonable, I decided to pass, as I have no place for it. The Peanuts booth had some nice T-shirts for sale, including two Snoopy Comic-Con exclusives. But they only had the one I wanted, with a more subdued image of my second-favorite beagle, in large, and they ran small, so I had to get the other one, with a glittery Snoopy that probably won't wear well (and even the extra-large was still quite snug and unflattering on me, so I'll have to slim down a bit before I wear that one in public), along with a T-shirt of Snoopy and Woodstock in a sixties motif. I bought one or two comic books, and contemplated some other purchased, which I planned to make on Saturday. I marveled at the detail in the Little Nemo in Slumberland anthology, which I actually held in my hand for the first time at the Bud Plant booth, but decided that was a luxury purchase I could not presently afford. And I ventured past the merchant booths into the center region, where the Hollywood studios and other big-wigs have their booths. I had to pick up some stormtrooper figures for my sister from the Star Wars booth, which only took fifteen minutes or so. Like the booths on the north end of the convention center, there weren't many huge surprises here, with the same companies promoting the sequels of things they promoted here last year. I did think that video games were more heavily represented. I watched some people try out an Eye Toy video game (I must remember to post here about my experience with the Eye Toy, which I purchased a month or so ago), and various other booths also had demo games available. Most elaborate was the Nintendo booth, which was heavily promoting the DS and its games (I didn't notice any reference to the forthcoming Wii). I unfortunately did not bring my DS, so I was unable to download any of the demos they were offering. In fact, that is my primary regret about not getting in on Saturday, as I brought my DS with me and was eager to download the demos of upcoming games.

The southern end of the convention floor included the booths of various independent publishers and some more comics-related booths. There were several booths in particular I was looking for, and I also was anxious to browse amongst the offerings, but by this point, the floor was getting quite crowded. It felt like a Saturday crowd, and it was getting a bit difficult to move. Not gridlock, just slow-going in getting from one point to another. So I decided to move upstairs to the panels, after grabbing lunch, and to save the south end for Saturday. So I can't tell you what was to be seen down there. I waited in line for twenty minutes to spend $11.25 on a (unappetizing) personal pizza and a Snapple, then took my seat for the panels.

One nice thing about how Friday's schedule worked out, almost everything I wanted to see that afternoon was in the same room. So while I was able to get a pretty good seat for the first panel, I was able to get a prime spot for the following panels (though I left to get some dinner and only had an okay seat for that evening's panel with Robert Smigel and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog).

The first panel was a conversation with low-budget filmmaking pioneer Roger Corman. It was fun to hear Corman talk about his experiences and the various filmmakers, and the discussion of Death Race 2000 was especially entertaining, but some of the discussion of his more recent work for the Sci-Fi channel bored me. He was also hurt a bit by the act following him: It's hard to take his B-movie work too seriously when you're waiting to hear from the cast of the first real A-grade sci-fi motion picture, Forbidden Planet. Richard Anderson, Warren Stevens, and Earl Holliman were in attendance, as was Robbie the Robot, or at least a replica of recent vintage. They were at the Con to promote the upcoming DVD release for the film's 50th anniversary. The discussion was not terribly informative, but they all shared their fondness for the film, and also spoke about their career in general (I was happy to hear Holliman menion his role in the very first episode of The Twilight Zone as a moment of his career he was most fond of. They had Robbie the Robot do his sassy robot schtick, which was cute at times, and fortunately they gave it a rest before it got too old. It was more exciting just to see this eight-foot robot up close (there was no one in this suit, they just wheeled it out on a platform). And they positioned it right in front of me, so I got some good shots of it, and of the cast posing with it. I will definately get the DVD when it comes out. I saw Forbidden Planet as a double-feature with 2001: A Space Oddysey some years back, and I thought that Planet was quite easily the better film.

I had dinner at Trophy's, and then came back for the Smigel panel. During Smigel's introduction, the emcee got interupted by Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, who got lots of laughs ripping on the various events at Comic-Con, explaining that these nerds don't need to sit through boring introductions, because these are "nerds with options". When he learned that this panel was next door to a presentation on "Klingon Lifestyles," he insisted on crashing that panel, and ran off, out of camera and microphone range. I can imagine Triumph the Insult Comic Dog at a Klingon Lifestyles Presentation would be something to see, but sadly, as the Smigel panel had started a bit late, the Klingons were already gone. So we got a little more of Triumph, then Smigel moved on to his T.V. Funhouse work for SNL, which is why he was at Comic-Con. I was concerned the panel would be little more then him showing clips from the DVD, but he actually showed a lot from his archives, including stuff I doubt the lawyers will let him put on the DVD. I especially enjoyed a Christmas T.V. Funhouse he did, using real audio from various preachers perverting the Christmas message, as Jesus looks on in the background, getting pissed off. Finally, Jesus is channel-surfing, disgusted by everything he sees, until he ends up watching Linus on A Charlie Brown Christmas, getting teary-eyed before dancing like Snoopy (I would assume this is available via the tubes of the internet, but I can't seem to find a link that works). He discussed how touching he finds the Peanuts special, adding that he wondered if the image of Jesus moved to tears by a cartoon would get a laugh, but explained that it never does, as most others feel the same about the special as he does. Then he noted that Jeannie Schultz, Charles' widow, was in the audience, and she got a nice round of applause. I was surprised she was attending this panel, and wondered what she thought of some of the more risque cartoons.

In addition to T.V. Funhouse, Smigel went into his archives, showing stuff from pilots he's worked on, and from The Dana Carvey Show, amongst other things. I tend to find Smigel's stuff somewhat hit-or-miss, but I got quite a few laughs from what he showed here, and was very excited to see Triumph the Insult Comic Dog in person.

I intended to attend a screening of some of the worst cartoons ever made, but Smigel ran a bit long, and the line to get in to that screening was quite long by the time I arrived, which meant that this screening would probably start late, and I'd get home quite late as well. I was rather wore out, so I decided not to try to get in to see the cartoons, and went home instead.

Overall, I had a pretty good time at Comic-Con this year, on Friday. Had I known it was the only day I would attend, I would have used my time a bit more wisely. But I saw most of what I wanted to see. As to the panels on Saturday, I regret missing out on the opportunity to see Art Clokey, creator of Gumby. I also was looking forward to confronting the current illustrator of The Family Circus, asking him how he sleeps at night. But there was nothing on Saturday I couldn't live without seeing. I just wish I had brought my Nintendo DS on Friday, so I could have gotten the demos from their download station.

I'll try to get my Comic-Con pictures up tomorrow.

Ken Jennings insists his snarky comments were actually a joke. It's rather amusing to read Jenning's original post and then the news coverage of the post. Apparently the ability to read, or rather to comprehend, is no longer a prerequisite to a career in journalism. Or maybe I'm just out of touch, and unaware that The Colbert Report is in fact deadly serious.

Top poker players suing the World Poker Tour over IP, anti-trust concerns. I think they might have a case on the anti-trust aspect, but it seems to me the image concerns are a stretch. The WPT might want to make a deal with these big players, since I'm sure their presence helps with the ratings, but it seems like the agreement they sign is pretty standard, and certainly less onerous than what you sign to be on American Idol and such shows (until I read the American Idol contract, I didn't realize that the phrase "in perpetuity throughout the universe" is actually a term found in legal documents).

I just wrote a nice long post about Comic-Con, and then my browser crashed (thanks again, Adobe Acrobat), so so much for that post. I won't try to recreate it, I was just discussing some of the things I'm most looking forward to seeing. So I suppose you'll have to hear about them after the fact. Anyway, should be an exciting couple of days. I'll be sure to put up a full report, eventually. Maybe even save it a time or two as I proceed (Blogger offers a handy "Recover Post" option that never seems to work).

Doctor and two nurses arrested for euthanizing patients in New Orlean's Memorial Medical Center after Hurricane Katrina. Some months back, NPR ran a facinating and disturbing story about the investigation. Are the arrested medical personnel guilty? I don't know. But what disturbed me about the NPR story was the fixation on whether a lethal cocktail of drugs was administered to the patients. The implication being, that abandoning these patients to die of "natural" causes in the evacuated hospital would have been perfectly legal and ethical. To quote from the NPR article:

According to court documents reviewed by NPR, a key discussion took place on Thursday, Sept. 1, during an incident-command meeting held on the hospital's emergency ramp. A nurse told LifeCare's pharmacy director that the hospital's seventh-floor LifeCare patients were critical and not expected to be evacuated with the rest of the hospital. According to statements given to an investigator in the attorney general's office, LifeCare's pharmacy director, the director of physical medicine and an assistant administrator say they were told that the evacuation plan for the seventh floor was to "not leave any living patients behind," and that "a lethal dose would be administered," according to their statements in court documents.

Now, as I understand this passage and the rest of the article, my understanding of the timeline seems to be that it was concluded, with evacuation efforts faltering, that the patients were to be abandoned, and then some staff members concluded that those to be abandoned should, out of human decency, be euthanized. If there is criminal conduct here, it is in abandoning these patients, not in giving them morphine. In discussing the difficulty of conducting forensic analysis on the deceased, the NPR piece notes that "the bodies were not retrieved from the hospital until two weeks after the storm and were in advanced stages of decomposition." So the patients were abandoned for two weeks without food or water, in a hospital with no electricity where temperatures were well above 100 degrees. Yeah, giving morphine to someone in that position is clearly immoral.

Again, I really don't know what happend in that hospital, and I can't say for sure whether those arrested today are guilty. But to me, guilt or innocence should not come down to who gave morphine to whom. If the people arrested made the decision to abandon the patients (i.e., they concluded that euthanizing them would be easier than moving them), they deserve their present fate. But if they were merely responding to the failure of someone (the hospital? FEMA?) to evacuate the most vulnerable patients of Memorial Medical Center, then I believe a grave miscarriage of justice is in the works.

Home of the Groove discusses Fat Domino's cover of Randy Newman's "Have You Seen My Baby." I never realized Fats does not play piano on the Fats is Back album, let alone that Newman himself played on the album (I knew he arranged some material, but not that he performed).

Incidentally, if you enjoy the song posted on the blog above, you'll love Sweet Patootie, from Rhino Homemade, which includes material from Fats is Back and other ancillary recordings.

I saw Strangers With Candy this evening. The film drew a nice crowd out to the Ken Cinema to see it on a sweltering Friday night, and it got pretty hot in the auditorium. But I was laughing so hard I didn't realize I was sweating like a pig (a "pig newton," to quote the film) until the lights came up. I was really looking forward to this movie, as Strangers With Candy is easily in my top five favorite TV shows of all time. And the film pretty much gives fans of the TV show what they want. I must admit, compared to the TV show, the movie isn't as good as half the episodes. And the film recycles a fair number of jokes from the show--but at least they're funny jokes. Still, there's a lot to like here, for fans of the show. I'm not sure what those unfamiliar with the series will think. I think you can appreciate it, generally, but will always feel a few steps behind the movie. The movie is for fans of the series, and I for one really enjoyed it. Good times!

The Daily Show tackles net neutrality and the internet gambling ban. Funny, funny stuff.

House approves online gambling ban. They also put in an exemption for the domestic horseracing industry, exactly what led the WTO to declare the U.S.'s de facto ban illegal.

In any event, the ban seems mostly symbolic. As it is, domestic banks and credit cards will not process gambling transactions, leading to foreign firms like Neteller facilitating such transactions. So even if this bill becomes law, I doubt much will change, though it may encourage the Justice Department to continue going after media companies accepting online gambling ads, including some firms which have made clear their intention to defend themselves vigorously if charged.

Bush extends Geneva Convention protections to Guantanamo Bay prisoners. From the article:

A memo from U.S. deputy defence secretary Gordon England, released Tuesday, instructs U.S. defence officials to ensure all policies and practices comply with Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions. That section prohibits murder, violence, mutilation, torture and humiliating and degrading treatment. It also requires the military take care of sick and wounded prisoners and states everyone should have some judicial guarantees.

Gee, you're right, Alberto Gonzalez, when you actually sit down and read it, that dose sound "quaint"! What's next, are you going to say we can't reopen Saadam's Rape Rooms in Iraq?

Las Vegas has the highest percentage of unlisted numbers in the country.

It's been about a month since I purchased my Nintendo DS Lite, the latest handheld gaming system by the visionary company. I'd decided to pick up a DS some months back, but knowing that the improved Lite model would be coming out, I decided to wait. Which was a wise choice, as the new system costs the same as the old one, and the improved backlit screen makes quite a difference. Now that I've had it for awhile, I figured I'd look back and reflect on my experiences with the systems and its games.

The unit itself works great. The screen is very easy to see with the backlighting, and the touch screen also works well, and I rarely have problems executing even the most precise actions using the stylus. I must admit, when I heard that the replacement of the Game Boy would have two screens, one of them a touch screen, I thought it was a pretty stupid idea. But the system really is ingeneously designed, and allows lots of very innovative styles of game play. And at $129, it seems like a pretty good bargain. I really have no complaints; sometimes the small size of the unit makes long-term play uncomfortable, especially for games that utilize the standard controls rather than the touch screen. And even the more compact Lite unit won't fit easily in any but the largest pockets. But still, it's a great system, especially with the innovative games being made for it.

I picked up a fair number of games when I got the system, and found them all to have some merit. The game I play the most is probably Brain Age. This is a sort of mind-teaser game, which is based on a series of best-selling self-help books in Japan. Basically, the game quizzes you to determine the age of your brain, and then gives you brief exercises, mostly basic math or memorization, along with reading aloud, which will exercise your prefrontal cortex. It's the sort of thing that's perfect for the DS. The touch screen and microphone (for voice recognition) allow for lots of different simple exercises, as well as a bonus Sudoku feature (the best way I've ever seen to play Sudoku), and the game actively encourages you to play in very brief sessions, which is what you want with a portable game system. When you first start, it is actually frustrating how few features are unlocked. You get more exercises as you go along, but still, even after unlocking all the exercises, I could do them all easily in about ten minutes. But since you're encouraged to revisit the exercises every day, the replay value of the game is enormous. The handwriting recognition works very well for numbers, though it isn't completely perfect. Recognizing letters (which only comes up in one test) is more problematic, and the voice recognition is only so-so (it has a hell of a time recognizing the number eight when I say it--I had to resort to substituting "eat" instead, as that seems to work). But still, for $20 (cheaper at Costco), it's a fun game, and the sudoku as an added bonus makes it an even better value.

I also got Big Brain Academy, which is similar to Brain Age, in that it also has tests to measure your brain (weight instead of age, in this case), and various mind-teasers to exercise various aspects of your brain. Comparing it with Brain Age shows something curious: Big Brain Academy has a great deal more variety, with tests that are more complex and interesting, yet Brain Age is easily the superior game. The austerity of Brain Age, and the simplicity of the exercises, helps to give some degree of credence to its claim to be a self-help product. Big Brain Academy doesn't really claim to be a scientifically-rigorous psychological tool, but just a series of games, and the games really aren't that much fun. Like Brain Age, they're over quickly, but still I have the feeling of "Thank God that's over" far more often while playing Big Brain Academy. It's still a decent game for a bargain price, but Brain Age is definately the more engaging of the two.

New Super Mario Bros. is also a pretty cool game. Not too hard to beat, but there's still a lot to go back and discover (I finished the game and never made it to two levels). The best parts are the things that are most faithful to the original Super Mario Bros. Some of the more novel additions, like the mega mushroom which makes Mario huge, or the micro mushroom that shrinks him down, are fun the first time or two, but the novelty wears off quickly. Despite being a new game, nostalgia is what makes this game interesting, but that's fine. It's very well-implemented.

Those are the games I've played the most. I also enjoyed Trama Center: Under the Knife. The touch screen creates some great opportunities for game play in this surgery simulation game. But it's a very difficult game, and can get frustrating. Meteos is a pretty fun puzzle game, though it didn't quite live up to the great things I'd heard about it. Seems like luck comes into play a bit much, but maybe that's because I'm still learning about some of the more subtle aspects of the game. Bust-a-Move DS was a bit of a disappointment, but I have a feeling I might come back to it once I get bored with the games I play more often. And Metroid: Prime Hunters seems fun, but I just can't get the hang of the controls.

Perhaps one month isn't enough time to say for sure that the Nintendo DS was worth purchasing. But so far, I've gotten quite a bit of use out of it, and found some very good games to complement it. I was sceptical of the DS when it was first announced, but now I'm a believer.

American V: A Hundred Highways, the latest Johnny Cash album, was released Tuesday. Circuit City is (was?) selling it for $8.99, which was the best deal I could find. If you don't have the CD, go buy it, now. I'll wait.

. . .

Okay, then. I went and got the CD Tuesday morning, and observed the birth of our nation by listening to the valedictory testament of one of our greatest musicians. From the advanced press the album had received, I thought it might be a bloody depressing way to spend one's holiday, and I envisioned myself shut up in a darkened room sobbing as the fireworks burst outside. But the album turned out to be a bit different than what I'd imagined. Reading early reviews, two key traits of the album had come into focus: The album is mired in songs about death, and Johnny Cash's voice at this point was wrecked by asthma and overall poor health, to the point that he could barely get through a song. But after listening to the album rather compulsively, I'd have to say that, if neither claim is completely false, they don't really capture the essense of what American V is.

Death is a theme in every song, whether explicitly about death or not. This is all but unavoidable in the context of a posthumous release, of songs recorded by Cash after the death of June Carter Cash as a form of therapy. But Cash had clearly made peace with his mortality, and as a result the album may be sad, but Cash's hope and peace mean it never gets to be truly depressing. Even a song like "On the Evening Train," a Hank Williams-penned dead-wife ballad, is made somewhat more bearable by Cash's strong and confident vocals.

So yes, his voice shows considerable wear on the album, and certainly certain tracks show this more than others. On "Rose of My Heart," for instance, or "If You Could Read My Mind," a shockingly powerful Gordon Lightfoot cover. But discussion of how his voice was gone at this point are wildly off-base, and seem to overlook that Cash was not that strong of a singer mechanically, as it is traditionally understood. And while Cash's struggle for breath (which Cash himself addresses in "Like the 309," the last song he ever wrote) lends a fraility to several tracks, it also serves as a counterweight to tracks on which Cash in is fine form. The album closes with "I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now," on which Cash's voice is probably the strongest you'll hear on this album. The lyrics may suggest the song is about literal freedom, but from the conviction in Cash's voice, I'm confident Cash is singing about freedom of a more spiritual sense.

I really don't know what else to say about this amazing album. It's a remarkable coda to an amazing musical career, and a fitting eulogy to a great man. You've got songs about death, about prison, about trains, about love, about God. And even in the last song he wrote, about his casket being transported (by train, of course), his understated wit comes through. How can this not be the best album of 2006?

Ken Lay, dead at 64. Lay was apparently living the traditional life of a convicted felon at the time of his death, experiencing the hard-knock life Aspen, Colorado is so famous for.