June 2004 Archives
Extreme busy-ness is nothing new and it is certainly no excuse for the significant lack of content here at Alt Text. I have been making changes to the site and reorganizing stuff.
I have also been busy on my yard, what with retaining walls, railings, and columns to build and plants, trees, and grass to grow.
Finally, I have changed jobs — today is actually my first day in my new role as Information Architect for small but rapidly growing online application company aimed at improving the people and companies who use their products.
I will post more soon (and more about the upcoming site changes) and I vow to post more consistently and make better quality posts that contribute to the general public discourse. Thanks for visiting Alt text.
Though I have not upgraded to Firefox 0.9 yet (actually I have but have found it very buggy and less stable) I do want to take some time to sing the praises of 0.8 and some if the great features of this browser.
First off let me start by saying that I am not a Microsoft basher by any means and have never had problems with Internet Explorer since version 4.x except of course for the security issues (which I believe have less to do with inferior code than with the desire by many to "take Microsoft down" and of course Microsoft's insistence that the browser is integral to every aspect of their OS — but that is another post).
I have used IE exclusively (except for testing) for several years now as both Netscape and Mozilla (and Gecko) all proved to have issues and problems that IE did not have. Furthermore IE was fast AND (not to be too hypocritical) I liked the seeming "integration" IE enjoys with Windows and how many of my web-based tools (Movable Type as the most notable, used the DOM of IE and Windows to provide additional control over things, such as allowing me to highlight a word and add a link to it or format it how I see fit.
A couple things have changed in the browser world however — the biggest of those changes are tabbed browsing as I have become sick of window pollution for various browser windows. A natural progression for me was to try a IE based browser variant with tabbed browsing. I chose Avant Browser and thought I had found the solution. Well, Avant proved too buggy for me and soon outlived its welcome on my desktop.
Just about this time a nice little browser called Firebird. I had heard some about it but after having tried Mozilla, the new Netscape and Gecko I was not impressed — at least on a PC. In addition, I did not (nor do now) understand the convoluted development roadmap at Mozilla and how every initiative fits together. But I like to try new things and Firebird (previously Phoenix and now Firefox due to legal issues) sound like just the thing.
Continue reading "Of Fires and Foxes"
I have just returned from watching Fahrenheit 9/11 and I must ask every American to see this film. It would be civically negligent to not see it. I particularly encourage anyone who is uncertain as to who they are voting for as well as anyone who plans on voting for George W. Bush, because it is likely that you, too may not know for whom you would be voting.
Not seeing this film before you vote is like not knowing if your parachute is strapped to your back before jumping from a plane — it would be irresponsible, dangerous, and above all, extremely stupid.
You may not find the way the facts presented in Fahrenheit 9/11 provide a fair portrayal of President Bush and Moore freely admits that he does have an opinion — that Bush is a bad president and worse leader for our nation — and would like to see the American people show him the door on election day, however, Moore's opinions can readily be separated from fact in the film and the facts still remain true for all the world to check and recheck (as Moore and his team have done).
Related:
The Pledge of Democratic Allegiance
Other ways to get involved.
New York Times is first major news outlet to admit to inaccurate and lazy reporting after 9/11.
I never really watched much of the practice, maybe two episodes, and so now that the series is coming to a close I am not too disappointed. Out of its ashes is arising a new Practice: Fleet Street. This new spin off is starring none other than William Shatner, yes that's right, that overacting, Rocket Man singing, tub of a man we all love is starring opposite James Spader as he did in the episode of the Practice from this season that the new show is based upon.
The documentary Super Size Me has sufficiently persuaded me to severely reduce my already limited consumption of fast food. What's more it has opened my eyes to something I had never really thought about before in regards to the largest fast food chain, McDonald's — that they are, in fact, evil.
McDonald's most likely did not start out with evil intentions, nor do many of the people making the decisions, probably even realize the dastardly deeds they perform each day but I am here to tell you that McDonald's tactics for creating and retaining customers (children) are only marginally less despicable than using Joe Camel and candy cigarettes to create new smokers (also children).
What's more, as Super Size Me adequately conveys, fast food may be far more damaging than simply adding pounds to to their patrons and maybe raising their cholesterol. As it turns out that craving you feel for fast food may have been both cultivated over years of happy, comforting experiences carefully orchestrated by Ronald and his henchmen AND a function of the composition of the food itself. Ask any kid if they like going to McDonald's and they will more than likely give you an emphatic, "Yes!". That is because they are bombarded with enough messages from the time they first begin watching TV, that they can nearly universally recognize Ronald McDonald and tell you what toy is in the latest Happy Meal. They will also tell you how fun it is to go to the "Play Land" and that they would love to have a birthday party at Micky D's.
Of course as adults we forget all those warm, fuzzy feeling that we once had for the golden arches and make informed, rational decisions about where we eat and where we take our kids. Right? I mean yeah, we are much more savvy now. Well, as it turns out, we aren't. Because whenever we have a bad day or are feeling down, we turn back to the clown and similar eateries for a fix of good feelings — associations that have never died but still reside in our inner child. Doesn't that taste good, things are looking better already.
Tune in tomorrow Wednesday to compare the toxicity of a Big Mac and a asbestos.
So the, very well spread, rumor is that on Monday Apple is going to hold a press conference to announce iTunes Europe. Where it gets interesting, is that it has also been rumored that Steve Jobs is going to announce that he bought the rights to the Beatles songs and he is going to announce this in London on Monday. I would guess that Apple is really only getting the online distribution rights to the songs, if that. I don't know if Michael Jackson can afford to sell all the rights to the Beatles songs any time soon.
An interesting side note from this Reuters article is that Apple has been embroiled in a legal dispute with management for the Beatles, Apple Corps. since September.
The Beatles, who formed similarly named London-based Apple Corps. in 1968 to manage its business interests and act as its music label, have accused the computer manufacturer of violating a 1991 agreement specifying it could use the Apple trademark for computer products only.
The Beatles management have said Apple Computer broke the agreement when it used the logo and trademark to promote its iTunes online music store, the most popular Internet download service in the world.
You won't have to guess which side of this I am coming down on. Even if its only Paul and Ringo, I'll take it over Steve.
Avenue Q, a great Broadway musical that I was fortunate enough to see when I was last in New York City has just won the 2004 Tony Awards' Best Musical honor. I can't blame whomever got to vote it was a great show and it wasn't just "dirty muppets" as it has been advertised. It was really a social commentary on equality with vignettes thrown in to offend just about every race, denomination, or gender.
Another great ad has come forth and touched me like only a work of art could. The new Lance Armstrong Nike commercial is genius and is advertising at its best. It would be so very sweet to be a part of team that created that.
Rather than focus on Bush's accomplishments (don't laugh) the Bush team has decided to go overwhelmingly negative in its campaign with more than 3/4's of their ads being attacks on Kerry.
That would be ok I guess if what they were alleging was true but... check out this story.
Last Monday in Little Rock, Vice President Cheney said Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry "has questioned whether the war on terror is really a war at all" and said the senator from Massachusetts "promised to repeal most of the Bush tax cuts within his first 100 days in office."
On Tuesday, President Bush (news - web sites)'s campaign began airing an ad saying Kerry would scrap wiretaps that are needed to hunt terrorists.
The same day, the Bush campaign charged in a memo sent to reporters and through surrogates that Kerry wants to raise the gasoline tax by 50 cents.
On Wednesday and Thursday, as Kerry campaigned in Seattle, he was greeted by another Bush ad alleging that Kerry now opposes education changes that he supported in 2001.
The charges were all tough, serious -- and wrong, or at least highly misleading. Kerry did not question the war on terrorism, has proposed repealing tax cuts only for those earning more than $200,000, supports wiretaps, has not endorsed a 50-cent gasoline tax increase in 10 years, and continues to support the education changes, albeit with modifications.
It would seem that the Bush philosophy is to sling the mud regardless of truthfulness. At this point is there anything to suggest we should expect anything different from the man? I long for the days when Presidents only lied about blowjobs.
In the latest from the Mess 'O Potamia (courtesy of The Daily Show and Jon Stewart), the U.S. is not allowing soldiers to leave the military once their volunteer term is up. This action constitutes yet another breach of trust between the U.S. government and the all-volunteer armed forces.
I say we round up all the "chickenhawks" who shirked their own volunteer military responsibilities, suit them up and send them over. At least Bush has practice looking the part.
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds re ceived in battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
The things I didn't know...
