This is why the US will always lag behind other uncivilized nations.

Antidepressants ‘work instantly’

And I am the Pope.

Escaped Circus Elephant Sideswipes Car

There’s one insurance claim that will result in a DUI charge…

Democrats Don’t Have the Votes to Pass Healthcare Reform

Bless their pointy little heads….

Rumsfeld’s New Shoulder and Hips

They should have given him some humanity instead…

Health Insurers Must Cover Prayer Under Democrats’ Bill

We are truly a nation of morons, led by the brain-dead.

Goldman Sachs Received H1N1 Vaccine Before Several Hospitals

How do you suppose that happened?

Auto Execs Urge Government to Tax Fuel up to $8/Gallon to Increase Fuel Efficiency

That should send sales through the ceiling…

Pelosi Breaks Pledge to Put Final Health Care Bill Online for 72 Hours Before Vote

That’s because she’s a lying sack of excrement, like the current and past presidents.

Mission accomplished! ExxonMobil-led consortium nets ’supergiant’ Iraq oil field

The relatives of our dead servicepeople must be so proud…

ONE LINERS

The Real Psychic Soldier Behind The Men Who Stare at Goats

Forget the Audit: Just Go Ahead & Abolish the Federal Reserve

This event was yet another study in press coverage.  It is said that one needs to note everything that first appears in the press because after that, the spin gets applied.

The reason I bring this up is because I have heard and read several conflicting reports:

• there was one shooter
• there were three shooters
• the shooter was dead
• the shooter was alive

Now, it should be fairly obvious to most people that there is rather a large difference between one and three shooters.  Likewise, there is a huge rift between dead and alive.  These aren’t the kind of mistakes a trained reporter should make.  These aren’t the kind of mistakes a five year old would make.

I wasn’t there so I don’t know what happened but I can assure you that my forensically untrained eye can spot the numerical as well as respirational discrepancies.  I am not even making any claims - just wondering about the slight differences in facts reported.

The first thing I noticed is that my Dell laptop (Latitude D531) was more difficult to see.  It looked as if the laptop thought it was on battery and had dimmed the display, but worse.  Last night I tried to live with it, hoping a reboot would cure the issue (have I been using Windows too long?).  Tonight it appeared even more dim (kinda like some of my coworkers).

I recently went from Xubuntu 9.04 to 9.10 but did a fresh install to take advantage of the 64 bit version (you can’t upgrade from 32 to 64 bit).  I wondered if the distro had sprung a leak or something.

Time for detective work.

I checked every setting I could find but nothing affected the brightness.  I had been thinking of checking to see if there were any BIOS updates anyway so I went to Dell and found it was past time (A05 to A08).  Hoping this would be my cure, I downloaded the file.

Naturally the file exists only for Windows users (.EXE).  Although WINE might run it, this was a bit too important for testing purposes.  Screw up a BIOS upgrade and you can potentially brick the box.

I remember when I first got the laptop, I located some utility or process that Dell unofficially offered that would upgrade the BIOS without running Windows.  A bit of searching turned up one method, which involved downloading a file and compiling it, which would add the BIOS upgrade to the startup.  This failed immediately, with the choice never even appearing.

These utilities were largely set up to produce a boot floppy.  Go ahead - ask me where my laptop floppy drive is. How the *$&# should I know?  I haven’t seen it since I unpacked it two years or so ago.

The next step was downloading a RPM version and converting it (using alien -d).  That also failed, with all sorts of interesting errors I didn’t understand and was not in any mood to research.

DOGGUS INTERRUPTUS

It was at precisely this point that my wife came down the steps.  It seems she had her forty five minutes of sleep and was headed down to say hello.  She fed Satan (the cat) and on her way out front for a smoke, told Marshall (the dog) not to go in the kitchen.

As soon as the door shut, Marshall ran right into the kitchen (to eat Satan’s food).

I yelled, the house vibrated, and Marshall left the kitchen.  He headed straight for the bathroom, whereupon he started drinking from the toilet (which my wife leaves up, not me).

I yelled again, the house vibrated again, the neighbors groaned, and the dog left the bathroom.

MEANWHILE BACK AT THE LAPTOP

I continued, even more agitated than when I started.

All had failed thus far, so I went back to searching.  There was a community-supported method, which started to resemble a bad Polish joke: first follow the directions HERE.  Click.  Go back to the other page and follow the directions.  Click.

Finally I discovered another Dell utility that not only installed, but told me where to get the correct BIOS header (ambiguous directions) and how to run it.  So run it I did (by rebooting).

POOF

What should appear but the Dell BIOS screen.   It sat there.

After a while, I started to wonder if it was doing anything more than sitting there, mocking me.  There were no progress bars or any indication it was doing anything at all (other than the snickering I knew it was doing at my expense).

When I put the laptop down to get Marshall some water, it seemed to spontaneously reboot.  I chose to take this as a sign that the BIOS had been upgraded.  I still haven’t confirmed it and might not do it for another year, for fear of discovering it hasn’t.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

Unfortunately the BIOS upgrade did not fix the dimness of the display.  I got into the BIOS before the (alleged) update and discovered that the default for AC display brightness was almost all the way down, as opposed to all the way up, where it should have been.

I did not alter that setting but something sure did.

KARMIC KINKAJOU

After about a week of running 9.10, I have to say I like it.  Aside from the aforementioned Software Center, the boot and shutdown times have shortened noticeably.

It’s difficult to make scientific observations because I went from 32 to 64 bit.  I can heartily recommend 64 bit Ubuntu to anyone with a processor that will run it.  The difference is night and day.  The computer sped up like mad.  I don’t see this much improvement from hardware upgrades, no less free operating system upgrades.

I have read a few articles about people getting burned by 9.10 but I honestly haven’t had any issues.  The only weirdness I noticed was some audio stuttering on a work box and that when I shut down an audio player, the display disappears a bit before the sound stops.   Not what I’d call show stoppers.

Until next time.

With Mr. Zamora’s passing, ufology has lost one of its most solid members.  Lonnie was a witness in a 1964 ufo case that ranks among the most reliable and well-documented cases on record.

While chasing a speeder, Zamora felt a tremendous roar and saw flames overhead.  Concerned that this was in the vicinity of a dynamite repository, he broke off the chase and went to investigate.

He came across an egg-shaped craft on the ground, with what appeared to be two ten-year olds in uniforms/overalls walking around.  When they noticed Zamora, they got back into the craft.  The roar started again and the craft ascended a bit, producing smoke and flame.  Then everything got silent and the craft took off, apparently switching propulsion modes.

The event has been investigated by the Air Force, CIA, DIA, local and state police, and countless ufo organizations.  It was even pronounced a hoax by a college professor, who refused to provide any further information.

Sand samples were taken.  The sand was fused.  Metallic pieces were discovered and found to be a zinc compound that was not produced on the planet at the time.  Landing marks were present and an estimate of weight of the craft was made.

Ray Stanford wrote Socorro Saucer in a Pentagon Pantry in 1976, which stands as the most exhaustive investigation of the event.  This was echoed by Zamora himself, when speaking to his daughter about the incident.  A very recent interview with Stanford is available at The Paracast as an audio download.

Further Reading

UFO Casebook

YouTube

The Black Vault

If that were true, I’d be the healthiest person on the planet!

A younger, smarter wife is the secret of a happy marriage, say experts

Cool - where do I get one? Can I keep both?

NRA Official: People Arming In Case Politicians ‘Attack’

Lock and load, baby!

Why do Animals Have so Many Different Colors?

How many shades of black do you need?

Boulder Cops Smash Naked Pumpkin Run

They brought out a SWAT team… hmmm… maybe they were terrorists.

Your Medical Records Are Stored Online and Sold in the Open Market

Yeah, we need to put them all online… yup.

Saudi Court Upholds Child Rapist Crucifixion Ruling

Crucifixion after beheading.  Those Saudis know how to throw a party!

GOP health bill would allow insurers to ignore consumer protection laws

Well.  That’s helpful.

Congresswoman Fears Health Care Bill More Dangerous Than Any Terrorist

Signs of brain activity from Congress?

The Tech Aboard the International Space Station

Windows virus magnets.

LINUX

5 Reasons why Ubuntu 9.10 is better than Windows 7

Allmyapps – Your Linux Application Store

3 free Linux alternatives for your netbook

The Perfect Desktop - Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala)

Verizon has been crippled (in my opinion and that of others) by the lack of a decent phone.  They have the Crackberries and other generics but that’s it.  For reasons outlined earlier, I won’t use a Crackberry, iPhone, or Pre (not to mention that Verizon doesn’t offer them).

Out of nowhere I started hearing about the Android.  Being a linux and open source kinda guy, this looked interesting.  While the Nokia N900 looks more interesting, I’m seriously investigating the Android for my next phone.  This will replace my Treo 700p (`p’ for pissing me off).  The Treo has served me well over many versions but it’s a bit long in the tooth, as well as a tad unstable.

The Android is by Motorola.  Per the fact sheet:

• largest high-res display (3.7″)
• heavily Google-integrated
• free spoken directions with Google maps
• not completely locked down by Verizon
• 10,000 apps and widgets from Android Market
• MS Exchange and Gmail integration
• will multitask up to six apps
• full qwerty slide-out keyboard
• 5MP camera, DVD quality camcorder
• 16g SD card, can upgrade to 32g
• Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP (?)
• 3.5mm headset jack
• GPS
• IMAP, POP, Gmail, Macmail, Hotmail, AOL email support
• Webkit browser
• voice-activated search
• combine multiple account information in one list

Looks pretty interesting to me.  I understand it does wi-fi.  Verizon will offer the phone for $199 with two year agreement.  I know it’s not $500 like the iPhone and on a superior network, but we all do what we have to do.

The physical keyboard (there is an onscreen keyboard too) looks a bit right-handed.  This isn’t a deal breaker but could be significant.

I haven’t seen any Android demos yet, so I have to do some more research. I also need to look into the privacy implications.  Since it’s open source, it’s considerably less frightening to me.  If it’s compromised out of the box, someone will un-compromise it.  This will not happen on a closed source phone (just about every other phone on the market).

• PC World article
• Boygenius report
• DSL Reports - don’t break out the punch and cookies just yet….

Maybe I’m not as screwed as I thought I was… (hopefully)

————————–

Update 11/5/09

Perhaps I spoke too soon…

A gmail account is required before you can even use the phone.  Regardless of whether you plan to read gmail messages.

This is complete nonsense.  Yes, it may seem a bit silly to purchase a phone and not use its major feature but I am not interested in gmail: I want POP/IMAP/Exchange support.  What is this mad obsession with the cloud?

My Treo manages to ring when someone calls it and gets all the email I want (and more), all without having an online mail account.  Why, on an open source phone, does one need the cloud?

I have a feeling the Treo is going to stay with me until it stops functioning entirely.  Nice going, Verizon/Motorola/Google.

Only 16 weeks, eh?

DOD To Partner With Taser To Develop Electric Shock Device To Be Used At A Distance

More to look forward to!

British Man Allergic To His Own Wife

Or so he claims….

Actor Ewan McGregor Shares Magical Connection With Goat During Filming

Ok, that’s enough Hollywood news for today.

Eighth Foot Washes Up On Canadian Shores

Canadians Get Eight Feet!

Car bomb kills 90 in Pakistan as Hillary Clinton visits

talk about bad timing….

House Healthcare Bill Longer Than ‘War and Peace’

And no one is going to read it - they’ll just vote yes.

FLU NEWS YOU CAN USE

Switzerland Forbids “Swine Flu” Vaccine For Pregnant Women, Young And Old!

Government Appoints Task Force To Handle H1N1 Vaccine Propaganda

Public school nurses give swine flu vaccine to kids without parents’ OK, sends child to hospital

——————————-

Pakistanis to Clinton: War on terror is not our war

Then give us back our billions of dollars, rat bastards.

Sorry for Iraq invasion, had no option: Bush

Lying. Sack. Of. Shit.

——————————–

CHANGE AND TRANSPARENCY MY ASS

White House Releases (Some) Visitor Logs

Obama’s latest use of “secrecy” to shield presidential lawbreaking

Govt Report: Swine Flu Will Crush The Internet [Swine Flu]

———————————

LBJ Hid in Bathroom, Cried After JFK Assassination

Interesting revelation.

Ron Paul: Be Prepared for the Worst

More wisdom.

Congressman Watt Guts Bill to Audit the Fed

Throw them ALL out.

Soon After His Brother is Revealed to be a CIA Drug Runner, Look Who is Handed a Second Term

Hint: rhymes with Hamid Karzai

Why Wasn’t Military Notified When Northwest Flight Went Missing?

Hmmmm…. good question.

I had a rare opportunity to see Stevie Wonder live Saturday, at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  It was an extremely pleasant surprise.

I haven’t been to a casino in years.  The Borgata was an interesting place.  There were more stunningly attractive women there than I have ever seen in one place before, employee and guest.  Suffice it to say there were very few in the casino with jeans and t-shirts. The only place we could find to eat quickly was the Bobby Flay Steak restaurant.  One look at the menu told me I had no business being there.   I have never seen a ten dollar side dish before (yeah, I don’t get out much).

——————-

Side note: one of the reasons I don’t get out much, finances aside, is that we tend to cook our own food.  After a many years of eating out, we realized that we like our cooking a whole lot better than that which we pay for on the outside.  We have a certain style: it has no name so we can just refer to it as American Murder.  It tends to be spicy; loaded with garlic and hot stuff.

——————

So off we went to the show area.  It was surprisingly small - appearing roughly the size of a small local theater.  I had figured Stevie Wonder for stadiums, but I don’t get out much (nor does Stevie).

The first thing that bit me was the friendliness of the audience.  Everybody seemed to be turning around and talking to everybody else.  If you ever wonder about race relations, come to a Stevie Wonder concert. Some folks in our area were interested in my buddy’s iPhone, as they wanted to know how the Phillies were doing.

Things looked like they were about to get even more interesting, as the young lady who sat next to me explained that I had to cut her some slack if she started banging on my leg because she gets very excited.  I asked her if she spanked too, to which she replied, “Whichever you like better.”  Much to my dismay, she kept removing herself from her seat to dance in the aisle.

——————

Only having seen brief clips of Stevie on video, I had no idea what to expect.  Same went for most people in my area.

Let me say right off the top that Stevie started on ten and only went up from there.

—————–

WAY TOO MUCH TALENT

Stevie Wonder is a frightening talent.  He can sing like an angel, with a tremendous range.  He can play piano like no other.  He is a master of the clavinet (the keyboard in Superstition).

In addition to playing all that plus the harmonicas, Stevie played the audience like a master.  You could see him building tension and release in the music and the crowd.  The crowd was like putty in his hands.  Stevie strikes me as a big five year old in an adult body: he’d make a joke then smile like a madman.  It was magical to watch.

There were some huge harmonicas, one with a slider that seemed to bend pitch.  At one point Stevie left the stage and returned with an Obama mask for Halloween.  That was hilarious.

—————–

ISN’T SHE LOVELY

One of the backup singers escorted Stevie out and seemed to fuss over him.  She was later introduced at Aisha.  Wow - Aisha is Stevie’s daughter!  Then it hit me…. `Isn’t She Lovely’ was written at Aisha’s birth.  This grown woman is Aisha.  God, I’m old.

—————–

THE MUSICIANS

There was no sonic territory left untouched, even potentially, with the instrumentation.  At the rear of the stage was a drummer, surrounded by two percussionists.  These guys were almost a band by themselves.

Keeping with the theme of Three, there were three keyboardists - Stevie and two others, one female.  Three vocalists were stage left.  Two horns stage right.  Two guitarists and a bassist were sort of in the midst of things.

Unfortunately the guitarists were also in the midst of the mix, mostly lost.  This was obviously a big disappointment for me, being a guitarist myself.

You have to be top of the line to play with Stevie Wonder and these folks were no exception.  The first thing I noticed was that there was no set list: Stevie would make some sort of noise or play an intro to indicate what was next and the band was expected to MAKE IT HAPPEN.  And they did.

I didn’t know most of the musicians but definitely remembered the bassist - Nathan Watts.  Didn’t catch the drummer’s name but this guy was one of the stars of the show for my money.  He held it together solidly like no other.  It would be a privilege to play with this fellow.

One of the percussionists had a very interesting thing that looked like a cymbal, if it were cut in a strip about two inches wide and hanging down.  Never saw that before.

One guitarist played mostly custom axes.  The other played mostly Strats and a Taylor acoustic or two.  Both used newer Boogie amps.  Both were super competent but this was mostly gleaned by watching them; they were rarely heard.  At the end everyone did some ferocious soloing.

Stevie stuck mainly to a grand piano but to its left were a Motif and a Clavinet.  I couldn’t tell what the other keyboardists were using with the exception of another Clavinet.

IN SHORT

Go see him - you won’t regret it.

But we didn’t send just piles of cash, we backed it up with arms and equipment.

Gee, this puts the healthcare debate into a different light, doesn’t it?

Where is the outrage?

No, seriously.

No money for anything except keeping the time-honored military-industrial complex humming.  Ho hum.  Business as usual.  Nothing to see here.  There are playoff games on tv and we have cheap American beer.  Thank God we haven’t outsourced cheap beer.

————-

Peripherally, what in the world are we getting for our money, aside from demands for more?  We’re like Charlie Brown and Lucy. “Kick the ball, Charlie Brown…”

Pakistan is playing us like a warped violin.

Not tonight.

Tonight is a World Series game.  I have been out-voted by a multiple and a nephew.  No idea what those odds are.

My wife is perfectly sane in most other areas.  I have no idea where this sports thing came from.

It’s ugly.

So here I sit, in my computer room, otherwise known as The Womb.  I’m in here because I can’t stand the noise on the other side of the door.

When we first met, I discovered my wife was a woman of many talents.  One of those is whistling.  Not the Bing Crosby tuneful whistle.  No, this is the `put your fingers in your mouth and blow’ kind of whistle that can shatter eardrums within a half-mile radius.  My guitars don’t make noises this loud.

I politely requested she not do that when we were in the same state (under threat of divorce).  She must have forgotten - yeah, that’s it.

It’s not that I mind the alone time.  Heaven knows the Womb could stand some cleaning (for our tenth year in the house, we celebrated by dusting).  And there are certainly a pile of projects that need attention (that I still won’t get to).

I’m kind of afraid for the pets, though.  They’re used to weird but nothing could prepare them for Sports.  I may not see a new episode of House until next summer.

—————————–

Have I mentioned that I’m the only one who puts the toilet seat down?  If I did not have the correct plumbing, I’d be checking it tonight.

Signed,

the Anti-Sports