old thepete.com blog
moral compass online since 1998
Sunday, August 31, 2008
I think I over-did it today wi...
I think I over-did it today with all the walking around down in mid-town w/a few thousand other New Yorkers. Feeling pretty bleh right now.
thepete.com: Rockefeller Plaza...
thepete.com: Rockefeller Plaza and Me (kinda):
TheWife snapped this at my request this even.. http://tinyurl.com/6jg5uz
TheWife snapped this at my request this even.. http://tinyurl.com/6jg5uz
Rockefeller Plaza and Me (kinda)
TheWife snapped this at my request this evening as proof I went out of the apartment. :)
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. 
Replies.12seconds - Qik for iPhone suc...
12seconds - Qik for iPhone sucks :( http://12seconds.tv/channel/ThePete/22111
Just finished enjoying a hot d...
Just finished enjoying a hot dog & pretzel outside Radio City Music Hall. Yum (kinda). Now head for the subway & home.
Damn, finally found the Ninten...
Damn, finally found the Nintendo World Store and it's closed already. Must find food now...
Wandering around Rockefeller P...
Wandering around Rockefeller Plaza w/TheWife wondering if my immune system can take this so soon after my cold :(
At the 1 train ready to head d...
At the 1 train ready to head down to meet up with TheWife in HK. Glad this station gives good bars.
Damn, A-train went out of serv...
Damn, A-train went out of service while I was on it and go kicked off at 103rd. Too bad I was aiming for 42nd. >_<
Suucks--If I hurry, I can make...
Suucks--If I hurry, I can make it out to the last hour of a flea market down in Hell's Kitchen OR I can stay home and do dishes. SIGH.
@plagiarismtoday No worries! J...
@plagiarismtoday No worries! Just concentrate on what you need to. As always, good luck!
@infomaniac Thanks for the inf...
@infomaniac Thanks for the info! I love UKTV--my wife and I met because of "Red Dwarf". Have you seen "Life on Mars"? Really enjoyed it.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
BTW @knatchwa I'll be visualiz...
BTW @knatchwa I'll be visualizing hurricane Gustav deflating tonight for sure. It really really needs to dissipate and go away. Definitely.
Once again, it's 3am & I'm wid...
Once again, it's 3am & I'm wide awake. Guess it's time to let bad anime wear me down. Good night and see you all in the morning(ish).
@plagiarismtoday I just meant ...
@plagiarismtoday I just meant the concept of something new. Nothing literal, there. "TheNew" is just me being "cute." Please note the quotes
Watching old Mythbusters episo...
Watching old Mythbusters episodes while working on custom toys. Ahhh, I love customs!! Watch TheTwitterstream for a video link. ^_^
About to watch the last 2 part...
About to watch the last 2 parts of the UKTV miniseries "The Second Coming" written by Russel T. Davis of Doctor Who fame. Pretty fun so far.
Got an email today letting me ...
Got an email today letting me know that @cashnow1 is following me on Twitter. I'm going to guess he's a spammer. What do you think?
@plagiarismtoday Ah, OK, you'r...
@plagiarismtoday Ah, OK, you're covered. Good deal! Haven't heard of filedropper--I'll check it out though. I'm also interested in TheNew.:)
@infomaniac Oo, gotta differ w...
@infomaniac Oo, gotta differ with ya on the Primeval--Enjoyable, but I only watched because I was out of Doctor Whos ;)
@infomaniac Not familiar with ...
@infomaniac Not familiar with Blue Murder or Bonekickers--what are they about?
Wow, ears just popped for the ...
Wow, ears just popped for the first time since I got sick. I think I might be getting better! Of to Trader Joe's for food.
@infomaniac I don't think I've...
@infomaniac I don't think I've ever eat bangers and mash--must try that sometime. Totally understand the BBC-watching urge, too. :)
@gabey8 I wiped out my scooter...
@gabey8 I wiped out my scooter a few years back & limped for a couple of weeks. Bright side? I got out of dancing at my bro's wedding. :D
@gabey8 Awww, sorry, didn't me...
@gabey8 Awww, sorry, didn't mean to touch a sore spot--doh! Did it again! ;) But yeah, ya gotta look at the bright side of these things :)
@plagiarismtoday Ah, I see--we...
@plagiarismtoday Ah, I see--well, I'd suggest dumping them onto a couple different thumb drives--or whatever you've got.
@plagiarismtoday Once you've g...
@plagiarismtoday Once you've got stable 'net again, let me know and I'll send you an invite to Dropbox a great online backup service.
Sony's ODO wind-up camera stea...
Sony's ODO wind-up camera steals XO's Color Scheme (but works!) (http://ping.fm/AFt6a)
@BloodyLaughter That's awesome...
@BloodyLaughter That's awesome! Gotta love the Internet. No, really, YOU HAVE TO. But that's cool--all the way from Sydney to New Jersey :)
AT&T sent me an email that my ...
AT&T sent me an email that my 2nd iPhone bill is "ready". I don't have to pay it until 9/17--that gives me 3 weeks to forget all about it!
@richpav retweet: Powers & dut...
@richpav retweet: Powers & duties for mayor of Wasilla: Be present at council meetings, vote in case of tie; act as ceremonial head of city.
@richpav I hear ya. Everyone e...
@richpav I hear ya. Everyone else: our potential VP in a lighter moment: http://is.gd/235L
@plagiarismtoday Oh and make s...
@plagiarismtoday Oh and make sure to back up those insurance photos (maybe put them online?)--a lot can happen while evacuating.
@plagiarismtoday Looking at th...
@plagiarismtoday Looking at the cone last night makes me hope for the best even more for you guys down there. Stay safe and good luck!
@gabey8 You're welcome! Sorry ...
@gabey8 You're welcome! Sorry about long term maintenance. Does this mean your knee might function as a Bad Weather Early Warning System? :)
thepete.com: Police Raid RNC P...
thepete.com: Police Raid RNC Protesters HQ Arrest Nobody:
Capped this on my iPhone just a f.. http://tinyurl.com/6fcqcn
Capped this on my iPhone just a f.. http://tinyurl.com/6fcqcn
@knatchwa I have WinXP on my e...
@knatchwa I have WinXP on my eee pc, but Xubuntu on an SD card, too--can't get the Xubuntu to save anything to the SD. Leaving me puzzled.
Now I know why iPhone can use ...
Now I know why iPhone can use 3 different networks--you never know when it will suddenly be unable to connect to one. Apple, whahappa?
Worst. Night. Of. Sleep. Ever....
Worst. Night. Of. Sleep. Ever. I literally tossed and turned all night, finally getting to sleep sometime after 6am. Coffee, please?
Police Raid RNC Protesters HQ Arrest Nobody
Capped this on my iPhone just a few minutes ago. I guess I'm not surprised this kind of thing still happens. In fact, I'm a little surprised I didn't hear about anything like this happening to DNC protesters last week. Then again, I was sick all week so I might have missed it. I'm going to have to catch up on my DemocracyNow.org broadcasts.
Anyway, so let this be a lesson to you! Don't even think about speaking out unless you don't mind cops with guns ransacking your headquarters, detaining and photographing you before you do it.
Funny how they claimed there was a search warrant but said the cause wasn't public "at this time."
Big brother can be kind of dickish, can't he?
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Anyway, so let this be a lesson to you! Don't even think about speaking out unless you don't mind cops with guns ransacking your headquarters, detaining and photographing you before you do it.
Funny how they claimed there was a search warrant but said the cause wasn't public "at this time."
Big brother can be kind of dickish, can't he?
Replies.thepete.com: Hurricane Gustav ...
thepete.com: Hurricane Gustav Heading Right for…New Orleans:
The above is a screencap of th.. http://tinyurl.com/6apthn
The above is a screencap of th.. http://tinyurl.com/6apthn
Hurricane Gustav Heading Right for...New Orleans
The above is a screencap of the cone of uncertainty for Hurricane Gustav taken on my iPhone. Now, please tell me it doesn't look like that son of a bitch is heading right towards... New Orleans!
I'm always talking about being an Atheist, but if you're not, please start praying for those folks, just in case I'm wrong about the whole "no god" thing. In the meantime I hope all of us non-believers will start sending positive thoughts toward the Gulf in hopes that Gustav runs out of gusto long before landfall.
Scary stuff for sure...
If you're down there and you're reading this, good luck to you!
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. I'm always talking about being an Atheist, but if you're not, please start praying for those folks, just in case I'm wrong about the whole "no god" thing. In the meantime I hope all of us non-believers will start sending positive thoughts toward the Gulf in hopes that Gustav runs out of gusto long before landfall.
Scary stuff for sure...
If you're down there and you're reading this, good luck to you!
Replies.Friday, August 29, 2008
@knatchwa could be--thing is, ...
@knatchwa could be--thing is, I use a Java app to manage music on a Win-only mp3 player, so unless they want me to go back to Windows... :)
Wow, suddenly Apple's not lett...
Wow, suddenly Apple's not letting us have easy control over the version of Java we have on our machine. Be a little more like M$ why dontcha
@richpav Great catch on the Pa...
@richpav Great catch on the Palin Wikipedia article. For anyone who missed it: http://tinyurl.com/5kj7sv
thepete.com: Sarah Palin Game ...
thepete.com: Sarah Palin Game Changer or Scandal Bringer?: I’m a little confused about .. http://tinyurl.com/5ngsfn
Sarah Palin Game Changer or Scandal Bringer? UPDATED
I'm a little confused about this blurb CNN put on their main page tonight about Sarah Palin, John McCain's choice for his VP running mate. CNN makes it sound like this woman is pristine and amazing--the only thing the Obama camp can say that is bad about her is that she's got no foreign policy experience--which is kind of a useless criticism since Obama doesn't have much more and McCain has scads more than either of them.This might put the idea in people's heads that she really is, as the blurb suggests, a "game changer."
The truth seems to be that she's just like a lot of politicians--in trouble for ethics violations. I know--someone in politics under investigation? Incredible!
Well, it's true, and she is. Simply News-Googling for "Sarah Palin ethics investigation" led me to a bunch of articles about Palin's recent problems. The following tidbits about Sarah Palin's ethics investigation were reported at NYTimes.com:
A state ethics probe that was launched just a few weeks ago is already drawing attention in the opening moments of her debut as the Republican vice presidential pick is Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
An independent investigator appointed by a panel of state legislators earlier this month is looking into whether Ms. Palin dismissed a top law enforcement official in her administration because he failed to fire a state trooper, Mike Wooten, who went through a messy divorce with Ms. Palin’s sister
Whoopsie.
Now, granted, to a campaign like McCain's, lying and firing for political or personal reasons is no big thing, but for those of us who still have morals, an investigation is an investigation. Sarah Palin may be adorable, but if she's being investigated she's probably not a good bet for a VP candidate right now. However, she's young--just 44 there's always 2012 if she's innocent of these charges.
Personally, I don't think this is a huge deal and while I do admit we don't live in an ideal world, surely, we can expect our potential leaders to not be under ethics investigations while running for one of the highest offices in the land.
Given McCain's habit of looking like he's copying the Bush Administration's behavior, he might try a little harder to find a running mate that has a spotless record, regardless of gender or ethnicity. Then again, this is the world of politics so maybe I am asking too much.
Still, I don't think it's right for CNN to completely ignore this investigation on it's home page--after all, most people probably aren't going to bother reading past the main page, so they'll never know the truth.
Hell, to me, McCain picking a woman is such an obvious stunt, anyway. It's like the Obama/Biden ticket has an old white guy and a minority, and now, so does the McCain/Palin ticket. By mirroring the demographics of his opponent, McCain is forcing people to make a gut decision based on race and/or gender. Now, the entire country will have to make the decision the Democrats just finished making:
Do I want a black guy or a woman in the White House?
I mean, come on, you don't really expect the majority of the American people to look past the surface issues, do you? If they did that, they'd realize how incredibly similar the two tickets are to each other. Then they might demand actual candidates that could deliver actual change.
Nobody wants that! Come on, John! What are you thinking?? You're going to ruin it for everyone!
Well, "everyone" except for the American People. We might have a chance to elect leaders who want to solve the actual problems we're facing.
UPDATE 8/30/08 1:50am: Seems someone feels the same way as me about Palin not being as pristine as she should be to run for VP--only this someone is on her side. According to an NPR report, it looks like the day before Palin was announced as McCain's VP pick, Palin's Wikipedia entry got whitewashed, making her look better than the previous article. Specifically, references to a beauty pageant and the above mentioned scandal were edited to be less prominent. Check out the story for more at NPR's website here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94118849
Hell, I didn't even know about the beauty pageant--I guess that's what that this picture was about.
Praise be to RichPav who Twittered about this the NPR story.
@plagiarismtoday Good luck to ...
@plagiarismtoday Good luck to you and yours. Hopefully we won't have to find out if the Bush administration will let you down.
@strictly Aw, thanks! :) She'...
@strictly Aw, thanks! :) She's just brought home some more chicken soup and OJ, too. Yeah, I think I'll keep her! :P Hope you're writing!
@MariAdkins Good luck with the...
@MariAdkins Good luck with the move! Positive thoughts winging your way straight from my brain!! I know that probably doesn't sound great.
Random question: what the heck...
Random question: what the heck is the song "Bulls on Parade" about? "Rally 'round the family with a pocket full of shells." Whaaaa?
The Library of Congress' Photo...
The Library of Congress' Photostream: Best Flickrstream ever! (IMHO) (http://ping.fm/72TAL)
@gabey8 Yeesh--does that mean ...
@gabey8 Yeesh--does that mean the operation didn't improve things? Or will you just have to have aspirin handy at all times?
@kevinthompson happy birthday,...
@kevinthompson happy birthday, Mr. Syndiqik.com ! I hope it's a good day for ya!
Why do electronics companies u...
Why do electronics companies unveil stuff at trade shows but then fail to mention them on their own websites?? Do they WANT free publicity?
UK yanks an Apple ad for lying...
UK yanks an Apple ad for lying--spot on, you lot! (http://ping.fm/y2ZLA)
@lisarein best new iPhone slog...
@lisarein best new iPhone slogan: "The new iPhone! Just try to keep it in your pants!" well done! I'm not the only writer in the family!!
12seconds - DISTRACTION! http:...
12seconds - DISTRACTION! http://embed.12seconds.tv/channel/ThePete/21361
@jpgardner politics has always...
@jpgardner politics has always been the art of the possible, not the ideal--too true. That's why I'm a scifi writer & not a politician. :P
Yeah, I'm with @simedia on thi...
Yeah, I'm with @simedia on this one, Palin's hot or at least, she was :P (http://ping.fm/e2v7n)
Hilarious post on "Wonder Woma...
Hilarious post on "Wonder Woman" Palin at Kilroy Report (http://ping.fm/gohgf)
@knatchwa Gah! Food--you're r...
@knatchwa Gah! Food--you're right. I actually have paid work to do today, too. Must get back to that. Damn real world is fun sometimes!
Huh, can't seem to pull up Ala...
Huh, can't seem to pull up Alaska's website. I wonder why that is... ;) (http://gov.state.ak.us/)
@splitdocDOTcom Ah sweet! She'...
@splitdocDOTcom Ah sweet! She's one of my heroes in life. Don't always agree with her, but she's gut more guts than most reporters out there
@simedia Haha, I gotcha. Would...
@simedia Haha, I gotcha. Wouldn't want her in the Oval Office either but a few other places? Maybe ;) but we're both married men, so nuf sed
@jpgardner and nothing says "c...
@jpgardner and nothing says "change" for the White House, than a black man in the oval office. Would prefer more isolationist prez, tho'.
@jpgardner though "evil" might...
@jpgardner though "evil" might be too strong a word. I'm just going for the most change I can see at this point.
@jpgardner Well, let's hope th...
@jpgardner Well, let's hope that's enough for voters. Too bad for me beating McCain isn't ideally enough for me. Tired of lesser of 2 evils.
@splitdocDOTcom My favorite in...
@splitdocDOTcom My favorite indy news source is probably DemocracyNow, tho' they're not indy when it comes to ideology. They still beat CNN.
@simedia Wow! OK, dude--I can...
@simedia Wow! OK, dude--I can see the hot--Sarah Palin is adorable. Tho' there are a lot of hot women I wouldn't want in the White House.
@simedia Haha, it's certainly ...
@simedia Haha, it's certainly not an unattractive face for such a close-up, but "hot" didn't come to mind. But I'll Google her and see...
@simedia Are you referring to ...
@simedia Are you referring to Palin being hot? Got some photographic evidence? I've only seen her HUGE face on CNN.com.
@jpgardner You're right--it's ...
@jpgardner You're right--it's a little baffling from that POV. I mean, what kind of choice is he giving us? We'll have to vote on issues!
@splitdocDOTcom Actually, a wo...
@splitdocDOTcom Actually, a woman VP nom isn't historical, the Dems beat them to the punch--remember Geraldine? 1984, I think it was.
@kellysue AWESOME! Good for y...
@kellysue AWESOME! Good for you and thanks for Twittering about it--that's hilarious!
@knatchwa yeah, like @splitdoc...
@knatchwa yeah, like @splitdocDOTcom said, it's a pretty amazing time to be paying attention to all this.
Thanks to Palin voters will ha...
Thanks to Palin voters will have to look at the issues, think for themselves, vote on principle. So, EVERY vote will (need to be) count(ed).
If McCain had just stuck to hi...
If McCain had just stuck to his guns and his gender, it'd be easy for voters to decide--a clear, gut-based choice would be easy. Not now.
I feel like it'll muddy the wa...
I feel like it'll muddy the waters and make it harder for Americans to decide, thus making the whole "faulty election system" an issue again
I should be honest and say tha...
I should be honest and say that I do think Palin is bad news for Obama--not terrible news, but not good news, either.
@lesliecarbone I'd like a bit ...
@lesliecarbone I'd like a bit of both. Principles are good, but one size doesn't always fit all. But I'd rather the former than the latter.
@splitdocDOTcom To a certain d...
@splitdocDOTcom To a certain degree, yeah--I feel like there's a lot of emphasis on a B&W kind of argument, so I was curious.
@knatchwa Haha, I'm just calli...
@knatchwa Haha, I'm just calling it like I see it & from the folks that brought us "you're either with us or against us" this fits them fine
@splitdocDOTcom does your movi...
@splitdocDOTcom does your movie take into consideration indy voters? It seems, so far, like you're about red & blue & not the colorless.
@tehkenny Haha, uhhh, maybe sh...
@tehkenny Haha, uhhh, maybe she keeps the streets plowed? I don't know what kind of duties the governor of Alaska would have! Good question!
@strictly Thanks :) I am feeli...
@strictly Thanks :) I am feeling better this morning. And TheWife has supplied me with some of that tea and the honey, too. And both helped.
@sidehike Haha, I don't know h...
@sidehike Haha, I don't know how to say "ex-step-mom" in Latin. I never asked her since was my ex-step-mom. :) Good question, though!
Not sure how this can be anyth...
Not sure how this can be anything but a Republican tactic of demographically mirroring the Dems--it's typical of their B&W thinking.
@knatchwa Rough terrain? I don...
@knatchwa Rough terrain? I don't see it. To me it's like the Dems have a minority & a white guy, the Repubs pull the same.
@knatchwa I can't imagine McCa...
@knatchwa I can't imagine McCain picking a woman if Obama wasn't black. The Repub's tactic is to match the Dems demographically.
Actually, economically, a Repu...
Actually, economically, a Republican woman VP does make more sense since we can pay her less for the same job and she won't complain.
HA! McCain picks a woman!! Wha...
HA! McCain picks a woman!! What a laugh. As if there wasn't a more obvious example of pandering he could have provided.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wow, even though I slept until...
Wow, even though I slept until 4pm (I'm still sick) it felt like a long day. I'm tired and going to bed. I hope to wake up feeling healthy.
@sidehike Sorry, I think I mis...
@sidehike Sorry, I think I misread your double negative. My ex-step-mom teaches Latin so picked up a few tricks from her, but I'm no expert.
@sidehike Wow, well, maybe if ...
@sidehike Wow, well, maybe if you had taken 3 years you'd have gotten to the weird stuff! ;) I did say I wasn't normal. Also: sarcastic.
@knatchwa #RNC08 will be infin...
@knatchwa #RNC08 will be infinitely more quipable. I mean, how can you keep a straight face while they try to praise what they've done.
@GraceMcDunnough Yeah, apparen...
@GraceMcDunnough Yeah, apparently, Global Warming is something you can "believe in" or not. Here I thought it was all about facts n' junk.
#RNC08 Ah, dude--C-SPAN just a...
#RNC08 Ah, dude--C-SPAN just announced the big names that will speak at the RNC--I CAN'T WAIT! George Bush will open!! Christmas in August!
#DNC08 Some dipthong on C-SPAN...
#DNC08 Some dipthong on C-SPAN just called Obama a "Black Socialist". Is that even possible? A black Nazi? Whaaaaa?
#DNC08 Hey! Just saw one of my...
#DNC08 Hey! Just saw one of my Twitters show up on the C-SPAN website. At least I know this hashtag thing works! :)
#DNC08 YAY C-SPAN has tech-cut...
#DNC08 YAY C-SPAN has tech-cutie Leslie Bradshaw back quoting from the Internet! Now, if she'd only quote ME. :(
@kevinthompson That's what I d...
@kevinthompson That's what I didn't get about live streaming anyway. Seems like only a huge advertising budget can take adequate advantage.
@sidehike sorry I missed your ...
@sidehike sorry I missed your reply. That's how it's translated, normally. But I'm not normal. ;) But seriously, Latin is funky that way.
#DNC08 It's kind of a shame th...
#DNC08 It's kind of a shame that people cheer like mad at BHO's line: "Patriotism has no party." I mean, shouldn't that be obvious?
#DNC08 Now, if the Secret Serv...
#DNC08 Now, if the Secret Service can just keep Obama ALIVE. I have faith in humanity, but not in ALL humanity. A few of us are crazy! :P
#DNC08 I'm SO kidding. I just ...
#DNC08 I'm SO kidding. I just don't pray. Positive thoughts and belief in humanity are what do it for me. I kid God, but I love him! er Him.
#DNC08 God clearly doesn't ble...
#DNC08 God clearly doesn't bless America. Look what's happened to it the last 8 years! < rim-shot >
#DNC08 Ooo, I'm an Atheist, s...
#DNC08 Ooo, I'm an Atheist, so I'll end this prayer my way: "God, F-off!" ;P
#DNC08 Are they going to annou...
#DNC08 Are they going to announce when "OBAMA HAS LEFT THE BUILDING"?
#DNC08 Been listening to R&B a...
#DNC08 Been listening to R&B almost all day and now we get the rejected score from the last Tom Clancy movie.
#DNC08 This was NOT the music ...
#DNC08 This was NOT the music I expected them to be playing after Obama's acceptance speech. Could they not find an R&B cover, at least?
@lesliecarbone I disagree. See...
@lesliecarbone I disagree. Seems Congress has survived just fine while voting themselves benefits earned by others & we keep voting for 'em!
#DNC08 Why not just get rid of...
#DNC08 Why not just get rid of nukes all together? That'd make it real easy to keep nukes out of bad guys' hands--by not making them at all
#DNC08 Did he just NOT endorse...
#DNC08 Did he just NOT endorse gay marriage? Come on, man--you're black--what do you have to lose?
@lesliecarbone Obama has nothi...
@lesliecarbone Obama has nothing to do with Democracy dying. Democracy dies when every vote isn't counted. Has zip to do w/who's running.
#DNC08 Wait, members of Congre...
#DNC08 Wait, members of Congress get health benefits? So, I pay taxes and have no benefits but they get them? That's volume buying, I guess.
#DNC08 Tax cuts to 95% of us? ...
#DNC08 Tax cuts to 95% of us? But, Barack, who's going to pay for the war on terror? Big business? ...actually, that's a good idea!
#DNC08 So did McCain vote with...
#DNC08 So did McCain vote with Bush 90 or 95% of the time? The number keeps... FLIP-FLOPPING!!
#DNC08 DICK VAN PATTEN DICK VA...
#DNC08 DICK VAN PATTEN DICK VAN PATTEN! What? He said "8 is Enough".
#DNC08 Damn, I'm watching a bl...
#DNC08 Damn, I'm watching a black man give his acceptance speech for the Democrat nomination for President. History, folks.
#DNC08 I love the way Biden re...
#DNC08 I love the way Biden reacted to Obama thanking him as if to say: "Aw, YOU REMEMBERED ME! Thanks, buddy!"
#DNC08 Wouldn't it have been a...
#DNC08 Wouldn't it have been amazing if he had turned down the nomination? The place would FLIP out. :P
#DNC08 Nice words, but will he...
#DNC08 Nice words, but will he stick with it after inauguration day?
#DNC08 YES, I KNOW OBAMA'S GRA...
#DNC08 YES, I KNOW OBAMA'S GRANDFATHER SERVED WITH PATTON'S ARMY! I'd just like to know why this helps Obama be a better leader.
#DNC08 GAH! ANOTHER video! Dav...
#DNC08 GAH! ANOTHER video! David Strathairn! Whyyyy? Oh, fine, you can narrate Democratic propaganda if you want. You're still a good actor.
@knatchwa my understanding is ...
@knatchwa my understanding is that it gives something universal for search engines to grab onto--we all agree to use the same key word.
#DNC08 I think it's musical in...
#DNC08 I think it's musical interludes like these that make me miss CNN. However, CNN makes me miss certain speakers, so, it evens out.
@knatchwa Here's a site that w...
@knatchwa Here's a site that will probably help with the hashtags thing more than I'll be able to. http://hashtags.org/
#DNC08 I get what this is now-...
#DNC08 I get what this is now--it's the ex-Republican walk of shame. I wonder if they'll try the same thing at the RNC. That'd be a laugh.
@knatchwa you just add a speci...
@knatchwa you just add a specific tag like "#DNC08" and then your post should pop up in searches. So, it's not about discussion, I guess.
#DNC08 Wow, so Obama wants to ...
#DNC08 Wow, so Obama wants to give a $4000 tax credit to kids wanting to go to college? Does he know how much college costs?
#DNC08 Wow, Monica Early is a ...
#DNC08 Wow, Monica Early is a pretty good speaker--she just needs to chill out on the nervousness. Not that I blame her. Could never do that
@knatchwa the "#" thing is so ...
@knatchwa the "#" thing is so search engines can search Twitter via topic. It's called a hashtag and I'm not so sure how they work, either.
@knatchwa Actually, I just mov...
@knatchwa Actually, I just moved to NYC from LA. Yes, I was an LA bus rider and compared to NYC, they sucked! But at least I saved green.
#DNC08 Why am I not surprised ...
#DNC08 Why am I not surprised Joe Biden has a friend called "Floyd"?
#DNC08 As an Atheist I want to...
#DNC08 As an Atheist I want to be annoyed every time someone says "God Bless America" but really, it's their own breath they're wasting.
#DNC08 "I stand before you not...
#DNC08 "I stand before you not as a Democrat or a Republican, but as an American." ARG! NO ONE gets to say this ANYMORE.
#DNC08 Wow, 50 minutes until D...
#DNC08 Wow, 50 minutes until Durbin comes out. What do we do until then? Anyone know any good campfire songs?
@knatchwa Thanks for the add, ...
@knatchwa Thanks for the add, man! I hope my DNC posts aren't too annoying. Oh and FYI, I've been car-free since 2003. I'm right with ya!
#DNC08 I got nothing on this M...
#DNC08 I got nothing on this Michael McDonald guy. Is he the "Like a Rock" guy? Or maybe: his hamburgers are good? :\
#DNC08 Wow, the natives are ge...
#DNC08 Wow, the natives are getting restless! (Is that racist?) :P
@lesliecarbone "What is unique...
@lesliecarbone "What is unique about BHO's alleged "leadership experience"?" He doesn't have any? THANK YOU, GOOD NIGHT! ;)
#DNC08 Did he just quote "e pl...
#DNC08 Did he just quote "e pluribus unum"? I always thought that translated from Latin into: "From Many to One" kinda makes sense, sadly.
#DNC08 You know, his Powerpoin...
#DNC08 You know, his Powerpoint presentation of this speech is much better. It's all multimediaish.
#DNC08 How will notice change ...
#DNC08 How will notice change in America? I'm thinking when there's a black man in the White House. I'm gonna call America changed then.
#DNC08 It's hard dealing with ...
#DNC08 It's hard dealing with Al's pomposity knowing that he's probably right... :P
#DNC08 Hey, it's the Asian dud...
#DNC08 Hey, it's the Asian dude from Lost! OMG! I'm TOTALLY VOTING OBAMA NOW!
#DNC08 Oh, pleeeease talk abou...
#DNC08 Oh, pleeeease talk about how OPEC only sells oil to buyers with USD and that our economy will suffer seriously if we get off oil!
#DNC08 Trusts the market, Gore...
#DNC08 Trusts the market, Gore says? Sheesh. The market created the whole crisis-thing! Sheesh.
#DNC08 I'll refrain from sayin...
#DNC08 I'll refrain from saying: "Hey! There's the guy America wanted as president back in 2000!" Oops! I said it.
#DNC08 Oh, THIS guy... watch h...
#DNC08 Oh, THIS guy... watch him play the "Global Warming" card! TYPICAL! ;)
#DNC08 Is it me or are the vid...
#DNC08 Is it me or are the videos seeming shorter tonight? Or even cut-off?
@strictly Yay! Glad to hear i...
@strictly Yay! Glad to hear it! I hope you write a lot! Thanks for Twittering about it--reminds me of what I should be doing. :)
#DNC08 I can't believe I misse...
#DNC08 I can't believe I missed Richardson! C-SPAN lied!! They said he was coming on at 8:30--I climb out of the shower and he's talking!
#DNC08 Huh, C-SPAN says nobody...
#DNC08 Huh, C-SPAN says nobody's speaking until 8:30pm. I think I'll go hop in the shower and let Bowie play me out.
#DNC08 Ah, here's the black mu...
#DNC08 Ah, here's the black music again. Something tells me we won't be hearing anything from Niggy Tardust tonight.
#DNC08 Wait, are the folks at ...
#DNC08 Wait, are the folks at home supposed to be doing this? Texting in our messages of support for Obama so he can add my # to his lists?
#DNC08 What the *hell* is this...
#DNC08 What the *hell* is this texting thing? Haven't the delegates given enough? Does the DNC know how much AT&T charges for texts??
#DNC08 Looks like Obama's spee...
#DNC08 Looks like Obama's speech has been "leaked" to the press. Read it here: http://is.gd/21ku or do like me and stay spoiler-free. :)
#DNC08 So, they got the MLK tr...
#DNC08 So, they got the MLK tribute out of the way, now it's time for WHITE MUSIC! Yay!! (please note the sarcasm.)
#DNC08 And it only took *45* y...
#DNC08 And it only took *45* years for a black man to be nominated as a Democratic *candidate* for president. Go America! o_O
#DNC08 It's a shame that MLK J...
#DNC08 It's a shame that MLK Jr. is rarely remembered for everything he did--just the racial stuff. He actually did anti-war stuff & more.
#DNC08 Uh-oh, just got the fir...
#DNC08 Uh-oh, just got the first Fail Whale of the night. I hope it's the last--we've got three hours to go before Obama's speech. .shudder.
#DNC08 Apparently, Obama will ...
#DNC08 Apparently, Obama will be bagging on Bush during his speech tonight. Wow, gutsy move! Kudos to Obama for pointing out the obvious.
@jpgardner I hope it's Lieberm...
@jpgardner I hope it's Lieberman just so it'll shake everyone up and toss the whole race into uncertainty--well, *interesting* uncertainty.
#DNC08 I'm ready for some chan...
#DNC08 I'm ready for some change... in SPEAKERS!! Dude, your voice has a serrated edge! Finish up! Can someone start beeping this guy off?
#DNC08 Ahhh, now THIS woman kn...
#DNC08 Ahhh, now THIS woman knows how to deliver a speech with a MICROPHONE. Thank you, Lottie Shackelford! All others: STOP YELLING!
#DNC08 They get some little bl...
#DNC08 They get some little blonde in a denim mini to deliver the Pledge during the presentation of the colors?? Seems a tad disrespectful.
@BloodyLaughter I'll be livebl...
@BloodyLaughter I'll be liveblogging the final night of the DNC, too--I hope I can stay entertaining :)
@BloodyLaughter Yep--just move...
@BloodyLaughter Yep--just moved here a few months ago but I grew up in Jersey, so I'm not a total newbie. Glad you liked my liveblogging. :)
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
All of my LiveBlogging from DNC08
Want to read everything I've posted while live-blogging the Democratic National Convention 2008? Go here:
http://thepete.com/tag/DNC08
I'll be live-blogging the final night of the DNC08 (well, the interesting bits, anyway) and will do the same for the RNC next week. Can you feel the excitement????
http://thepete.com/tag/DNC08
I'll be live-blogging the final night of the DNC08 (well, the interesting bits, anyway) and will do the same for the RNC next week. Can you feel the excitement????
@LTC_Kilgore Uh, I like to thi...
@LTC_Kilgore Uh, I like to think that's a good thing ^_^ but thanks for reading.
Wow--how can anyone think a la...
Wow--how can anyone think a lack of experience in Washington is a bad thing? Look at what experience gets us! It's a little crazy, but NEW.
Came across a couple cool blog...
Came across a couple cool blogs for folks interested in black issues: http://blackperspective.net & http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com
thepete.com: Barack Obama Kiss...
thepete.com: Barack Obama Kissed Mrs. Biden on the Lips!:
And if that wasn’t enough, .. http://tinyurl.com/5jwdbu
And if that wasn’t enough, .. http://tinyurl.com/5jwdbu
Damn, I guess we should all be...
Damn, I guess we should all be using the "#DNC08" hashtag in order to get on TV? :( Guess we know for tomorrow.
YAY, C-SPAN's Leslie Bradshaw ...
YAY, C-SPAN's Leslie Bradshaw (cute beglassesed blonde) is back to quote stuff from the Internet "blogs" and something called "Twitter".
@dankeldsen Yeah, I tried watc...
@dankeldsen Yeah, I tried watching PBS the 1st nite, but I was just falling asleep while missing people give speeches I'd rather listen to.
Barack Obama Kissed Mrs. Biden on the Lips!
And if that wasn't enough, he then invited all these lovely young ladies on stage and proceeded to kiss them! Man, I wanna be president now!!!
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. 
Replies.http://twitpic.com/99wj - Bara...
http://twitpic.com/99wj - Barack Obama Kissed Mrs. Biden on the Lips!
@jpgardner I definitely agree-...
@jpgardner I definitely agree--none of these guys have crappy speech writers. It just depends on how they perform post-election.
@zillz did you see it too? I'...
@zillz did you see it too? I'm going to have to check the DVR to see if Obama really did kiss Mrs. Biden straight on the lips.
@jpgardner Aw, thanks for the ...
@jpgardner Aw, thanks for the retweet! I did think Biden's riff was getting a bit old.
GOD BLESS C-SPAN for not decid...
GOD BLESS C-SPAN for not deciding what we should and shouldn't see and for not forcing idiotic talking heads down our throats. C-SPAN &g ...
Sister Catherine Pinkerton. A ...
Sister Catherine Pinkerton. A lovely lady, but based on the name, I expected a black woman. :\ Turns out she's a nun. Ah well.
Who the hell are all these... ...
Who the hell are all these... really attractive young women on the stage? That's right, Barack, don't stop kissin' now, my friend!
Yeah, but Biden, will we help ...
Yeah, but Biden, will we help the people of S. Ossetia rebuild after Georgia blew them up? Georgia did kinda start it. :\
When I asked John McCain for c...
When I asked John McCain for change for a dollar, he handed me a dollar bill back! That's not change! That's more of the same!
@jpgardner Haha--you could be ...
@jpgardner Haha--you could be right! We'll see though--there are no filibusters in the Senate, so he might take the mic and run.
Rich white guy says it "seems"...
Rich white guy says it "seems" that the American Dream is slipping away? WOW. I'd have NEVER KNOWN, living in Washington Hgts., NYC. NEVER.
@jpgardner Yeah, they did it t...
@jpgardner Yeah, they did it to Joe's kid, too. Must be the hurry-up-beep.
Have they ALL been paid off? ...
Have they ALL been paid off? Can they all think this guy is (vice)presidential? Sheesh.
Wait--his dad said he couldn't...
Wait--his dad said he couldn't get a new dad, but when his mom died they now call her mom and call their family "re-built"? Whaaaa?
@jpgardner Ah, OK, glad it was...
@jpgardner Ah, OK, glad it wasn't just in my head. I thought I heard it last night, too. Do you think it's them getting played off stage?
YAY! I'm so glad we won't have...
YAY! I'm so glad we won't have any icky women running for president. That would be lame having to put up with all their make-up and periods.
Wow. This woman's sister was m...
Wow. This woman's sister was murdered by an ex-boyfriend--way to start with a joke.
The whole phrase "homeless vet...
The whole phrase "homeless veterans" pisses me off. How it can possibly exist in the real world offends me to no end.
Am I on crack or is there a be...
Am I on crack or is there a beeping that is trying to play Duckworth of the stage?
@film_girl So, not only did To...
@film_girl So, not only did Tom Hanks host that video, but the video was shot by Spielberg? No wonder I hated it. ;)
Tammy Duckworth was a female h...
Tammy Duckworth was a female helicopter pilot in the military? But as a *female* helicopter pilot, how did she know how to work her stick?
Once again, I hope the DNC isn...
Once again, I hope the DNC isn't trying to tell us they did all they could do to stop Bush from taking us to war. I reeeeally hope...
Uh, thanks DNC, we know war is...
Uh, thanks DNC, we know war is bad. Maybe your guys in Congress shouldn't have given Bush the power to go it alone.
Chet Edwards, denture wearer.....
Chet Edwards, denture wearer... I mean, look at those pearly whites! No one smiles that proudly unless they've paid for 'em.
My last resort is Club Med. I...
My last resort is Club Med. I hate that place. Went there once, never again.
Wow, he's a lawyer AND a Repub...
Wow, he's a lawyer AND a Republican! OH wait, he's just become a Democrat, I get it. Still a lawyer though.
Didn't Bill Clinton say that h...
Didn't Bill Clinton say that he was the warm-up act for Biden? Who are all these small fries??
Wow, why'd Claudia Kennedy sto...
Wow, why'd Claudia Kennedy stop at just Lieutenant General? DAMN GLASS CEILING!!
Hey, did you know that Barack ...
Hey, did you know that Barack Obama's grandfather marched with Patton's army? I DID NOT KNOW THAT.
Sorry for anyone who follows m...
Sorry for anyone who follows me but is bored by my incessant DNC quipping. I'm just lucky my wife isn't home.
Is Stephen Colbert in the audi...
Is Stephen Colbert in the audience? They were cheering "U-S-A! U-S-A!" for a while.
Ah, that's low, Kerry--playing...
Ah, that's low, Kerry--playing the "White Shriveled-Up Uncle" card. How could you???
Thanks for the follow @IPPNW !...
Thanks for the follow @IPPNW ! I don't like nuclear weapons either!
What a speech--so, why isn't J...
What a speech--so, why isn't John Kerry running? Just kidding!! ;)
Uh, John, there was a bit of e...
Uh, John, there was a bit of evidence that you DID win the last time. Just sayin'.
Does this very beautiful young...
Does this very beautiful young woman know she's actually got a mic in front of her?
"Addicted to Love" probably no...
"Addicted to Love" probably not the most appropriate song to follow Bill Clinton's speech. Or maybe it's too appropriate?
Wow--Bill just dissed his wife...
Wow--Bill just dissed his wife on national TV--well, wouldn't be the first time.
@lesliecarbone I think you're ...
@lesliecarbone I think you're right about WJC loving McCain more than BHO :)
All right, hunker down--we all...
All right, hunker down--we all remember how long this guy spoke in '88!
I think Bill Clinton loves Joe...
I think Bill Clinton loves Joe Biden more than he loves Barack Obama.
"I cheated on my wife, THANK Y...
"I cheated on my wife, THANK YOU, GOOD NIGHT!" Bill Clinton's entire speech at the DNC.
@MariAdkins ...instead of list...
@MariAdkins ...instead of listening to people who helped build Utterz up. All we can do now, I think, is hope that it gets better.
@MariAdkins Not sure there's m...
@MariAdkins Not sure there's much to say--contrary to what they said, they're listening to focus groups & women who don't like cow imagery.
Nothing says "Military Superio...
Nothing says "Military Superiority" than the Democrats playing a crappy 1980s rock song. "The Eye of the Tiger"? Seriously Dems?
Say it with me: "EE-ROCK" Aga...
Say it with me: "EE-ROCK" Again: "EE-ROCK" That's how the locals pronounce it. Not "EYE-RACK". Just sayin'.
To sum up Reid's speech: "Oil ...
To sum up Reid's speech: "Oil is bad, vote Barack Obama." Do any of these speech-writers know what a segue is?
Let's see if Reid talks about ...
Let's see if Reid talks about petrodollars or the fact that our economy is wicked-tied up in oil sales. Oil sales drop, so does our economy.
Wow--fear-mongering from Harry...
Wow--fear-mongering from Harry Reid! And to think my nickname for this guy used to be "Mr. Spine".
Well, if acoustic guitar music...
Well, if acoustic guitar music and great vocals could make the terrorists like us, my iPod would be packed with every Etheridge album.
Ah, thank you, Melissa Etherid...
Ah, thank you, Melissa Etheridge for the argument against war that never fails! "Give peace a chance!" That really puts them in their place.
So, Iran can't have nuke-power...
So, Iran can't have nuke-power *now* but back in the 1970s it was OK? http://tinyurl.com/6j777x
See? Fear-mongering re: unnam...
See? Fear-mongering re: unnamed "enemies" a "growing" threat to us? He's no Democrat! Come on Jay! Just admit it!
Oh, yeah, like anyone from Spa...
Oh, yeah, like anyone from Spain is watching the DNC!! Stupid Spanish speaker!
@MariAdkins I think I see why ...
@MariAdkins I think I see why Sim left when he did. I hope the best for Utterz--or whatever they'll be called--but worry just the same.
Thanks for the update, @MariAd...
Thanks for the update, @MariAdkins --pretty depressed about these changes. I didn't know things were that bad for them.
Thank God, there's a man talki...
Thank God, there's a man talking. I could barely pay attention to what anyone was saying with all those boobs on the screen. >_<
Typical Democrats! Playing the...
Typical Democrats! Playing the "Woman" card. "Ohhh! I want equal pay! OH! Don't look up my skirt!! Oh!! Don't go to war!" *women* FEH!
So, to sum up Wexler's speech:...
So, to sum up Wexler's speech: Israel is good, vote Barack Obama. Not disagreeing with either, just saying that's all I got from his speech.
That was some guitar riff for ...
That was some guitar riff for Pelosi--I didn't know she rocked it.... like, at all.
Wow, I had no idea Wexler was ...
Wow, I had no idea Wexler was such a pro-Israel guy. So, Jerusalem for the Jews only, by the sound of it? There are 3 religions that dig it.
Hey! It's Robert Wexler at the...
Hey! It's Robert Wexler at the DNC! How's impeaching Bush going, Wexy-poo? Still trying to do your job, right? RIGHT? sigh...
@kevinthompson It also looks s...
@kevinthompson It also looks slick as hell, so nice work all around, I'd say.
@kevinthompson Haha, I underst...
@kevinthompson Haha, I understand completely. And I'm sure I speak for all four of us that aren't you when I say thanks for the effort!
@kevinthompson BTW, I think th...
@kevinthompson BTW, I think the simplicity of the design of Syndiqik.com is excellent. Does exactly what it needs to and that's that.
@kevinthompson Will do! Did an...
@kevinthompson Will do! Did anything ever come of a script for Utterz?
@kevinthompson It seems to hav...
@kevinthompson It seems to have worked! Good deal! Thanks for your hard work, man!
12seconds - I\'m still sick :(...
12seconds - I\'m still sick :( http://12seconds.tv/channel/ThePete/20605
@kevinthompson and the iPhone ...
@kevinthompson and the iPhone is still displaying "Flushing Buffer: 24kB". This isn't on your end--just me complaining, here. :)
@kevinthompson Whoops--no, I w...
@kevinthompson Whoops--no, I wanted to shoot a fresh video on my iphone and it's stuck. Qik is only playing 2 seconds of it.
@kevinthompson Yeah, that's a ...
@kevinthompson Yeah, that's a good point. 1-time=no big deal. Still flushing buffer--stuck at 24kB. Clip only showing up as 2s video on Qik.
@kevinthompson "Flushing Buffe...
@kevinthompson "Flushing Buffer" now. Sorry I haven't gotten to testing this earlier but my iPhone is giving me a LOT of trouble connecting.
@kevinthompson so far my only ...
@kevinthompson so far my only thought is that it's kind of a pain to get the 12s email from the site while on the iPhone. Not impossible.
@kevinthompson In the process ...
@kevinthompson In the process of trying Syndiqik.com (wow you're fast!)
@gabey8 besides, if the sympto...
@gabey8 besides, if the symptoms go away, I'll have one less thing to bitch about on Twitter! :P
@gabey8 You're welcome! I hope...
@gabey8 You're welcome! I hope everything goes smoothly! Thanks for the advice on the Zicam, but I like to just let the cold run it's course
@MichaelBayer hey, maybe you c...
@MichaelBayer hey, maybe you can answer this: what happened to Bessie?
@kevinthompson seriously? Righ...
@kevinthompson seriously? Right on! Thanks! Your interface for Syndiqik looks great btw. Looking forward to trying it. Thanks!
@kevinthompson thanks for tryi...
@kevinthompson thanks for trying with Utterz. Hopefully they'll get back to you tho' I doubt they will--not as responsive as they used to be
@gabey8 good luck with the kne...
@gabey8 good luck with the knee! My positive thoughts are with you!
Awake, but still feeling lousy...
Awake, but still feeling lousy. Spirits low. REALLY ready to be healthy again and it's only been 2 days. I'm such a puss! :)
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
12seconds - Mobile/E-Mail Post...
12seconds - Mobile/E-Mail Post http://12seconds.tv/channel/ThePete/20270
@lesliecarbone ...but as an in...
@lesliecarbone ...but as an indy voter I just hope you'll fairly call the RNCers out for being deceitful, too.
I hope you're just as antagoni...
I hope you're just as antagonistic for the RNC when they pull the exact same lies and deception @lesliecarbone. I agree w/most of your pnts.
Whoa hot blonde on C-SPAN read...
Whoa hot blonde on C-SPAN reading chat quotes from blogher WHAT ABOUT TWITTERERS??
Still wondering why 2nd best f...
Still wondering why 2nd best for the Dems wasn't good enough for Barack. He had to go w/Biden. Didn't Biden quit cuz he was a last placer?
This is a benediction of extra...
This is a benediction of extraordinary magnitude. They have our gratitude.
Damn, I actually found the las...
Damn, I actually found the last chunk of that Hillary video to be pretty damn inspirational. Who ever cut that thing did a good job.
Wow! At the DNC they played a ...
Wow! At the DNC they played a song from Back to the Future & then introduced a guy called Strickland! Had to be on purpose! Had to be!!
12seconds - Mobile/E-Mail Post...
12seconds - Mobile/E-Mail Post http://12seconds.tv/channel/ThePete/20221
TheWife doesn't appreciate me ...
TheWife doesn't appreciate me quipping to the DNC--but how can I not? It's like MST3K with politics!
Did I miss Kucinich? Damn, I l...
Did I miss Kucinich? Damn, I love that guy's fire and brimstone stuff. Seriously, it's a shame America refuses to vote for a short man.
@kevinthompson I'm fighting a ...
@kevinthompson I'm fighting a cold so I have to go lie down but I look forward to anything you might come up with. Good luck!
@kevinthompson Aw, sweet! Tha...
@kevinthompson Aw, sweet! Thanks, man! I wish I knew more about this stuff so I could help.
Whoa--Pink Lady at the DNC! M...
Whoa--Pink Lady at the DNC! Ma'am, can you please turn down your jacket? Thanks.
@stephthegeek With all these a...
@stephthegeek With all these airport/plane problems lately, I'm not sure complaining is going to do much good.
I tried it once but Utterz thr...
I tried it once but Utterz threw an error saying they got my file but had trouble processing the audio. Not sure exactly what that means.
12seconds - Mobile/E-Mail Post...
12seconds - Mobile/E-Mail Post http://12seconds.tv/channel/ThePete/20172
@kevinthompson Hosting it migh...
@kevinthompson Hosting it might get messy, but if you can make it work easily and so it doesn't tax your server, then go 4 it. Good luck!
@kevinthompson once at Utterz,...
@kevinthompson once at Utterz, it can then cross post to a bunch of other sites. But I'd settle for just 12s. :)
@kevinthompson The only sugges...
@kevinthompson The only suggestion I would have would be rather a pain to do, I'd imagine--& that's cross post to Utterz, as well.
12seconds - Mobile/E-Mail Post...
12seconds - Mobile/E-Mail Post http://12seconds.tv/channel/ThePete/20170
thepete.com: : Mobile post sen...
thepete.com: : Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Replies. http://thepete.com/9349/
12seconds - Mobile/E-Mail Post...
12seconds - Mobile/E-Mail Post http://12seconds.tv/channel/ThePete/20166
12seconds - Mobile/E-Mail Post...
12seconds - Mobile/E-Mail Post http://12seconds.tv/channel/ThePete/20160
@kevinthompson I don't care ab...
@kevinthompson I don't care about the error, just wanted you to be aware that's what it was doing. I'm just happy it works. Thanks again!
@kevinthompson your script wor...
@kevinthompson your script works! Thank you!! However, I am getting "supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource" for line 22.
@siskita Monkey suit?? But I w...
@siskita Monkey suit?? But I wanted to go as a goth lolita maaaaid!
@hodgman cosplay contest? Is i...
@hodgman cosplay contest? Is it too late to put on my goth lolita maid costume and come over?
thepete.com: What the FAA Fail...
thepete.com: What the FAA Fail Whale Looks Like:
Still sick in bed, but not quite back in t.. http://tinyurl.com/5w2zrq
Still sick in bed, but not quite back in t.. http://tinyurl.com/5w2zrq
What the FAA Fail Whale Looks Like
Still sick in bed, but not quite back in that cold-coma yet when I saw this on my iPhone's browser (note the battery sucking 3G network is engaged and already sucking juice). The first thing I thought when seeing the picture CNN put on their website was:
"So, that's what an FAA Fail Whale looks like."
Then after reading a bit of the article I thought:
"I didn't know the FAA sent ALL of their communications through the Twitter server!"
But seriously, shouldn't the FAA have reduntant back-ups? I mean, what if a single computer glitch hit that one system and... OH, WAIT.
Is it me, or have there been a LOT of airplane problems lately? TheWife mentioned this recently about just the past few days, but if you look at the past few months you can see there have been quite a few emergency landings and crashes around the world.
Is it the aeronautics gods that are angry or the computer gods (since most of the bigger planes use computers)?
Just tell me which to sacrifice a chicken to so the scary stuff can stop.
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. "So, that's what an FAA Fail Whale looks like."
Then after reading a bit of the article I thought:
"I didn't know the FAA sent ALL of their communications through the Twitter server!"
But seriously, shouldn't the FAA have reduntant back-ups? I mean, what if a single computer glitch hit that one system and... OH, WAIT.
Is it me, or have there been a LOT of airplane problems lately? TheWife mentioned this recently about just the past few days, but if you look at the past few months you can see there have been quite a few emergency landings and crashes around the world.
Is it the aeronautics gods that are angry or the computer gods (since most of the bigger planes use computers)?
Just tell me which to sacrifice a chicken to so the scary stuff can stop.
Replies.kellysue I know what you mean....
kellysue I know what you mean. I got of sweets in 2003 but the taste/urge for chocolate eventually came back. :( or :) really.
thepete.com: Cancer Vs. Al Qae...
thepete.com: Cancer Vs. Al Qaeda:
While sick in bed, I was browsing through my iPhone’.. http://tinyurl.com/6cn44t
While sick in bed, I was browsing through my iPhone’.. http://tinyurl.com/6cn44t
Cancer Vs. Al Qaeda
While sick in bed, I was browsing through my iPhone's photos and I came across this screencap from TheUSA Today's website that I capped last week. Since I'm down with a cold, I figured now would be the perfect time to post it along with just a few words before my cold-coma envelops me once again in its embrace.
So, here we go:
Which kills more people each year worldwide, cancer or terrorism?
I'm betting that you know more people who have been harmed by cancer than by terrorism. Yet does the USG spend a trillion dollars on cancer?
Nope.
Yet here's another young woman who has had both breasts removed due to cancer.
For me, a week rarely goes by without hearing reports of another person getting or dying of cancer. Celebrities, politicians, friends and/or family, I hear MUCH more about cancer victims than I hear about terrorist victims.
Yet all the money goes to protect us from something that has no odds of harming most of us. Good plan, America! Makes alotta sense.
Just my two yen.
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. So, here we go:
Which kills more people each year worldwide, cancer or terrorism?
I'm betting that you know more people who have been harmed by cancer than by terrorism. Yet does the USG spend a trillion dollars on cancer?
Nope.
Yet here's another young woman who has had both breasts removed due to cancer.
For me, a week rarely goes by without hearing reports of another person getting or dying of cancer. Celebrities, politicians, friends and/or family, I hear MUCH more about cancer victims than I hear about terrorist victims.
Yet all the money goes to protect us from something that has no odds of harming most of us. Good plan, America! Makes alotta sense.
Just my two yen.
Replies.@siskita be sureto check your ...
@siskita be sureto check your voice mail before getting on the subway to come home. Thanks!
@siskita looks like youcan't a...
@siskita looks like youcan't access job listings on Idealist w/o logging in. :(
@kevinthompson thanks for link...
@kevinthompson thanks for linking to those scripts! Will try when feeling less sickly.
@kevinthompson might you be wi...
@kevinthompson might you be willing to share that script you wrote to post Qik clips on 12s? :)
Don't think it's just Pownce.c...
Don't think it's just Pownce.com--Safari for iPhone is VERY crashy today.
@freepress to an indy voter li...
@freepress to an indy voter like me both conventions just seem like overt propaganda--I no sooner trust them than I would an ad for cereal.
@freepress do you really think...
@freepress do you really think the DNC & RNC equate to democracy? Seems they treat us like consumers, too.
Watch my Live broadcast at htt...
Watch my Live broadcast at http://www.flixwagon.com/watch/614211 ,and lets chat.
@siskita thanks for the sympat...
@siskita thanks for the sympathy, honey! I still feel lousy, so, sympathy still welcome. _
Just thought it was odd that a...
Just thought it was odd that a business person in 2008 would go 4 hours w/o checking email. Esp since I applied for the gig @ their website.
Sent email @ 2am to reschedule...
Sent email @ 2am to reschedule phone interview today @12 but interviewer didn't check her email all morning & just called so reskedded then.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Yep, I've got a cold all right...
Yep, I've got a cold all right! Wide awake at 2:30am but feeling too lousy to be productive. I HATE being sick!! ARG! Sympathy, please!! :P
@Fricka Thanks! Alas, I've jus...
@Fricka Thanks! Alas, I've just emailed to reschedule the interview. I'm feeling very lousy right now-got a cold. I hate to reschedule, but!
Hearing Mrs. Obama's speech fr...
Hearing Mrs. Obama's speech from bed and finding her words perfectly reasonable. Too bad I never trust what anyone at a podium ever says.
OK, really must go lie down. W...
OK, really must go lie down. With any luck the iPhone will let me on the 'net from bed. Fingers crossed!
Damn--can't forget that I have...
Damn--can't forget that I have a phone-based job interview at noon tomorrow, though. Must set alarm to wake up!! Wish me luck!!
@mixwit I'm curious--how can y...
@mixwit I'm curious--how can you work on something like that? I thought the beauty of your model was that you don't host the songs.
@strictly My book 1st self-pub...
@strictly My book 1st self-published book TheKey is available through Lulu, actually. :) I'm fairly happy with them. http://is.gd/1ULc
Home but definitely feeling th...
Home but definitely feeling that cold coming on. Don't expect much from me in the next day or two.
ah well, the focus group didn'...
ah well, the focus group didn't need me but I got paid anyway! Sweet!
Funny how as soon as the music...
Funny how as soon as the music stops at the DNC the black people vanish from the TV screen.
Don't black folks feel a littl...
Don't black folks feel a little patronized by all this "black" music playing at the DNC? @zillasays care to opine?
also frustrated because neithe...
also frustrated because neither Ping nor SocThing will come up on my iPhone. So tonite it's all about Twitter. Whoopdie-do.
Now sitting in a waiting room ...
Now sitting in a waiting room watching the DNC on a TV they have on. Look at all those white people trying tolook hip!
Made it to the focus group way...
Made it to the focus group way early. Killed 20 mins walking around Soho.
OK, about to head out to my pa...
OK, about to head out to my paid focus group. Gotta get down to Soho before 7:40 or I don't get my money :(
Whoops--mixwit moved my mix, I...
Whoops--mixwit moved my mix, I think--just go to http://ping.fm/JsHJo cool service, but still missing Muxtape. It was so simple.
http://is.gd/1Up7 <--my fir...
http://is.gd/1Up7 <--my first mix at mixwit.com a little geeky, but fun. Hopefully all the tracks will play. Mouseover to skip tracks.
Trying out Mixwit.com as an al...
Trying out Mixwit.com as an alt to Muxtape but finding it VERY frustrating watching the tracks become unavailable just after I add them. :
@strictly You're right about t...
@strictly You're right about the waiting. To help the time pass, I plan to both submit some of my stuff and self-publish other work.
@MariAdkins Haha--wait--was th...
@MariAdkins Haha--wait--was that a truck rumbling by, or... OH NO!! ;)
@MariAdkins I'm a jealous! :) ...
@MariAdkins I'm a jealous! :) Just moved to NYC and expected a lot more precip. Got some, but I remembered so much more growing up here.
Feel just slightly worse than ...
Feel just slightly worse than when I went to bed last night--like a cold is coming on. I swear--if it's not one distraction, it's another.
iPhone still giving me hella t...
iPhone still giving me hella trouble getting online. Limited surfing at best. 3G, Edge, WiFi, doesn't matter. Flaky as hell. Feeling bad too
Yeesh--Iraq says US completely...
Yeesh--Iraq says US completely out by 2012? I'm sure no one else will die in the meantime. o_O Sorry, I'd like to see us out of there now.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Think I might be coming down w...
Think I might be coming down with something, too. Got the vague feeling in my nasal passages of a cold. Bleh. Better not be. Best to sleep.
Had wanted to be online more t...
Had wanted to be online more today but even for this post, I'm at my laptop instead of using the iPhone in bed where I was just moments ago.
Been having serious issues get...
Been having serious issues getting the iPhone online. 3G, Edge & WiFi have all let me down today--at 1 point all failed at once. LOVELY.
Watch my Live broadcast at htt...
Watch my Live broadcast at http://www.flixwagon.com/watch/598031 ,and lets chat.
UK wants knives off the street...
UK wants knives off the street as well as guns... and batleths. (http://ping.fm/5cDa9)
@strictly good point! I need t...
@strictly good point! I need to submit to agents and publishers, too, though. I think it's more important for me to get submissions out. :(
Saturday, August 23, 2008
OK, time for sleep--not even t...
OK, time for sleep--not even that late by my standards, but it's strangely too hot to do much at this point. Sleep well.
Watched the 3rd ever Doctor Wh...
Watched the 3rd ever Doctor Who story arc tonight. It was not good. :( But the DVD had a bunch of cool docus that came with. Gave me ideas.
@philiphodgen you don't want t...
@philiphodgen you don't want to wait for the 3g unlock? I know there's absolutely no guarantee it'll even come, but I'm hoping on it.
@strictly Yay chapter nine! I'...
@strictly Yay chapter nine! I'm glad you're keeping up with the writing. I really need to do the same...
Fox News Praises Biden for Decency
As if I didn't already have enough reasons to be unhappy about Obama's choice for VP, Fox News has to come out and praise him for his rare political trait of "decency."
I think it was back in 1988--when Biden was running for president he got in trouble for lifting bits of his various speeches and addresses from other people's various speeches and addresses. I don't remember the specifics, but I remember him being all but drummed out of the race for borrowing from JFK and MLK.
Yeah, smart move, dippy. We didn't have Google back then, but we did have RECORDINGS.
More recently, he got in trouble for referring to Obama, himself, as being "clean" as though a black person running for president might forget to bathe on occasion.
In general, Biden is good at, not just sounding like a fool (like the current White House occupant), but completely putting his foot in his mouth.
Is Biden a bad guy? I don't think so. However, he is stricken with the same virus everyone else in Congress has--the urge to keep their jobs--as opposed to the urge to risk their jobs by, you know, actually doing their jobs.
Did Biden vote for the war? Did Biden speak up when voters' rights were getting mashed? Is Biden someone we can trust to bring actual change to government?
Or is he just more of the same white-manism that has favored big business at the expense of we citizens since almost the beginning of our country?
Obama wants to stave off the accusations of not having experience. The thing is, he doesn't need some old white guy for that. He just needs to say: "You want what passes for experience in this country? Vote McCain. You want some innovation? You want something new to be brought to Washington? Vote Obama. Guaranteed fresh ideas, every day."
Seriously--the LAST person I want to see in the White House is someone who looks and sounds like someone who's been in government for thirty years. Sure, many of Obama's policies are pretty damn (sometimes neo)conservative-sounding, but at least he LOOKS different. It's a step in the right direction. Maybe next time we can get someone who is ACTUALLY going to bring difference to the White House.
Is an Obama/Biden ticket better than A McCain/Anyone ticket?
In my opinion, hell yes.
But I don't think I want to vote for someone who represents an awful lot of the same old crap.
Then again, maybe I should vote Obama since this country moves with baby steps.
I guess I just feel like quoting that old saying: When you vote for the lesser of two evils, you still get evil.
I reeeeally wish we could have a "none of the above" circle to fill in with our Ink-a-vote pens.
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. I think it was back in 1988--when Biden was running for president he got in trouble for lifting bits of his various speeches and addresses from other people's various speeches and addresses. I don't remember the specifics, but I remember him being all but drummed out of the race for borrowing from JFK and MLK.
Yeah, smart move, dippy. We didn't have Google back then, but we did have RECORDINGS.
More recently, he got in trouble for referring to Obama, himself, as being "clean" as though a black person running for president might forget to bathe on occasion.
In general, Biden is good at, not just sounding like a fool (like the current White House occupant), but completely putting his foot in his mouth.
Is Biden a bad guy? I don't think so. However, he is stricken with the same virus everyone else in Congress has--the urge to keep their jobs--as opposed to the urge to risk their jobs by, you know, actually doing their jobs.
Did Biden vote for the war? Did Biden speak up when voters' rights were getting mashed? Is Biden someone we can trust to bring actual change to government?
Or is he just more of the same white-manism that has favored big business at the expense of we citizens since almost the beginning of our country?
Obama wants to stave off the accusations of not having experience. The thing is, he doesn't need some old white guy for that. He just needs to say: "You want what passes for experience in this country? Vote McCain. You want some innovation? You want something new to be brought to Washington? Vote Obama. Guaranteed fresh ideas, every day."
Seriously--the LAST person I want to see in the White House is someone who looks and sounds like someone who's been in government for thirty years. Sure, many of Obama's policies are pretty damn (sometimes neo)conservative-sounding, but at least he LOOKS different. It's a step in the right direction. Maybe next time we can get someone who is ACTUALLY going to bring difference to the White House.
Is an Obama/Biden ticket better than A McCain/Anyone ticket?
In my opinion, hell yes.
But I don't think I want to vote for someone who represents an awful lot of the same old crap.
Then again, maybe I should vote Obama since this country moves with baby steps.
I guess I just feel like quoting that old saying: When you vote for the lesser of two evils, you still get evil.
I reeeeally wish we could have a "none of the above" circle to fill in with our Ink-a-vote pens.
Replies.More from Monday nite's yet un...
More from Monday nite's yet unwritten Daily Show: Biden, who was accused of plagiarism in 1988, promises us that we are all Berliners.
Can hear Jon Stewart on Monday...
Can hear Jon Stewart on Monday night already: "Sensing he couldn't beat the crotchety old man, Obama got his own!"
@jquig99 My hope is that they'...
@jquig99 My hope is that they'll do something with Grand Central next. I'm a big fan of GC, but there are some basic problems with it, IMO.
@jquig99 We can only hope that...
@jquig99 We can only hope that Google is actually paying attention to one of it's babies. They don't seem to do this very often.
@whitneymcn I hope it's b. Dem...
@whitneymcn I hope it's b. Demons living there means the structure is sound.
I'm pretty sure Obama just los...
I'm pretty sure Obama just lost my vote. I won't vote for McCain, but picking Biden makes Obama seem MUCH less interested in change.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Meh, both new iPhone video app...
Meh, both new iPhone video apps save locally, which I like, but neither lets me email, which is what I need. So, IMHO, neither is ready yet.
And I'm also checking out Neta...
And I'm also checking out Netatalk to make my iPhone accessible by my Mac. The thing is, Cydia is crashy as hell tonight. Driving me crazy.
iPhone Video Recorder (excitin...
iPhone Video Recorder (exciting name) works very well, but so far can only share with YouTube. OH and the app costs $20. >_< Not cool.
Cycorder (iPhone video recorder...
Cycorder (iPhone video recorder #1) Works great but audio has yet to be added (it may cost) and it's a pain to get the clips off the iPhone.
Found two new iPhone video rec...
Found two new iPhone video recording apps on Cydia tonight, so I've climbed out of bed to try 'em out. Emailing clips is what I'm after...
@lisarein Would you prefer som...
@lisarein Would you prefer someone be watching you right now? That'd kinda creepy!
@strictly I hope your bday was...
@strictly I hope your bday was special in some way :) As for presidential race coverage Down Under, I think your heads are in the rt place.
thepete.com: CNN.com: Obama Ch...
thepete.com: CNN.com: Obama Chooses Biden!:
What an incredibly bad idea! Biden got in troub.. http://tinyurl.com/5ovd5w
What an incredibly bad idea! Biden got in troub.. http://tinyurl.com/5ovd5w
CNN.com: Obama Chooses Biden!
What an incredibly bad idea! Biden got in trouble back in the day for plagerizing bits of his speeches during a previous presidential run. He's also really good at saying stuff that makes him look dumb.
Plus, his energy policy is way less comprehensive than mine. I mean, come on Barack! Did you forget my stance on troop withdrawal from Iraq? Don't get me wrong, Biden's an ok guy, but I'd make a MUCH better running mate, man!
If you change your mind (and I hope you do) I'm here, my friend! Just waiting for your phone call!
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Plus, his energy policy is way less comprehensive than mine. I mean, come on Barack! Did you forget my stance on troop withdrawal from Iraq? Don't get me wrong, Biden's an ok guy, but I'd make a MUCH better running mate, man!
If you change your mind (and I hope you do) I'm here, my friend! Just waiting for your phone call!
Replies.Made it to the staged reading ...
Made it to the staged reading on time--turns out the You're Getting a Dell dude is in it. Sadly that's all I can think about.
Trying to make it to 43rd & 8t...
Trying to make it to 43rd & 8th for a staged reading that's supposed to start @ 7:30. I'm @ 54th & 6th. I'll make it but I'll be sweaty.
Freezing my ass off in a Starb...
Freezing my ass off in a Starbucks by 57th & Lexington, trying to get some actual paid work done by my 7pm deadline. Wahooo!
Wow, iPhone just crashed when ...
Wow, iPhone just crashed when I opened Palringo IM client while playing a song at the same time. Sheesh.
Just had a great cheese burger...
Just had a great cheese burger with my brother. We must do that again soon, man!
DAMN IT! I just got off the ph...
DAMN IT! I just got off the phone with Barack Obama--he told me he DIDN'T choose me as his VP!! SUCKS!! It was nice of him to call, tho' :)
Thursday, August 21, 2008
12seconds - Time for bed... ht...
12seconds - Time for bed... http://12seconds.tv/channel/ThePete/17793
12seconds - My suggestion: 12s...
12seconds - My suggestion: 12seconds.FM http://12seconds.tv/channel/ThePete/17792
OK, MacBook is entirely too ho...
OK, MacBook is entirely too hot, even with a throw pillow in between it and my lap. This is New York, where's the cold??
Democracy Now: Texas to execut...
Democracy Now: Texas to execute guy who killed no one. (http://ping.fm/mXAFa)
thepete.com: George W. Bush Wa...
thepete.com: George W. Bush Wants WW3 or Does He?:
The above screencap comes from an articl.. http://tinyurl.com/6qextb
The above screencap comes from an articl.. http://tinyurl.com/6qextb
For anyone who missed it, go h...
For anyone who missed it, go here: http://ping.fm/ioTc8 and watch the video. It's long but worth it. All about carbon offsetting.
@jo thanks for the http://www....
@jo thanks for the http://www.cheatneutral.com/ link! Tho' I had to unpack their joke a bit. I agree whole-heartedly ANY cheating=bad.
George W. Bush Wants WW3 or Does He?
The above screencap comes from an article at Canada.com (here: http://www.canada.com/…story.html ) and after getting a paragraph into it, I was reminded of a blog post I wrote waaaay back in July of 2002 (here: http://thepete.com/…w3-clearly ). It was a post about how Bush was saber-rattling, saying that the world had become more dangerous, post-911 and that Iraq was the number one threat to America.
Would he invade Iraq? It sure looked like it to me and a lot of other folks at the time. This was despite the complete lack of any persuasive evidence that Saddam actually *was* a threat.
At the time, Bush had said, “We are going to respond in a determined, focused, effective way by defending freedom no matter what the cost, and that includes understanding we cannot let the world’s worst leaders blackmail the United States or our friends and allies with the world’s worst weapons."
This inspired me to write in a post dated July 29, 2002: "What is the proof of this ‘blackmail?’ Who has publicly threatened the use of ‘the world’s worst weapons’ against America and her friends? I challenge anyone to quote one leader who has publicly said ‘America? She’s a bitch and we’re gonna put her down,’"
"Okay, so they don’t need to have used those exact words, but even Saddam hasn’t said ‘We plan to nuke the USA.’"
Since then, he's stuck to that general plan of throwing American weight around. Sure, the packaging has changed, but his behavior has not. Anything to escalate. Anything to keep hostilities going.
Now that Iraq wants us out and the threat of Iran can't be trumped-up (though I don't think Bush has completely given up on that possibility), here comes the Georgian Invasion of Russia.
Bush and Pals have jumped on this opportunity to sell a missile defense system to Poland. A move that Russia does not appreciate and feels will escalate things into another cold war. The catch with Cold War II is the same catch that existed with Cold War I: the chances of a cold war turning into a World War rise dramatically.
If history books are to be believed we came insanely close to wiping out planet Earth during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Do we need a Poland Missile Crisis?
It might distract us from our shitty economy. It might actually help our economy. It might cripple our economy further, as our last two wars have.
Of course, any kind of military build-up at all causes deaths. But that's all beside the point for a person like Bush who is acting like a spokesperson for the American Military-Industrial Complex.
Think about it:
Saddam never did threaten us. Neither did the Taliban. Nor is Russia threatening us, today. So, why does Poland need a missile "shield"? I can understand why Poland might want a missile shield, but in the great scheme of things Russia invading Poland would be such a serious instigation that would *definitely* provoke World War III. Russia couldn't manage to take down Afghanistan in all of those years--how can they expect to fight a World War?
With nukes is the only answer I can think of. But I don't think the Russians want to nuke anyone. They just want the race back, which seems to be what Bush wants, too. However, I don't think Putin's Russia wants WW3. That's George W. Bush's interest and it has been since before I wrote that post back in 2002.
If you recall, in the months before 911, an American spy plane crashed in China (jog your memory here: http://archives.cnn.com/…ina.plane/ ). Bush was freaking out--making all sorts of demands and I was pretty sure back then that he wanted things to escalate. The irony for us, today, was that while the mainstream news was covering the China Spy Plane story, China was also annoyed at the Bush Administration for their talk of a nuclear missile shield (and possibly putting one in Taiwan). They were afraid that America was becoming too bold, like they might just start bombing any place they feel like bombing (source: http://is.gd/1O5y ).
No seriously. They said that back in 2001. Here's a quote from the New York Times: "Once the United States believes it has both a strong spear and a strong shield, it could lead them to conclude that nobody can harm the United States and they can harm anyone they like anywhere in the world."
Of course, seven years later, Bush goes to China and enjoys the Olympics. Seven years later, there's no talk of a missile shield in Taiwan, but there is about one in Poland.
And now Russia doesn't like it.
So, let's look at Bush's track record.
He was all fire and brimstone about China giving back the American crew of that spy plane.
After 911 (which he allowed to let happen) Bush said he'd get Bin Laden, dead or alive.
He invaded Afghanistan because they wouldn't give up bin Laden. The catch was that the Taliban barely had control over their almost non-existent country after years of a devastating war with the Soviets.
Then Bush invaded Iraq because it was a threat to us (somehow). While Saddam is dead, no WMD were found, and bin Laden has gotten away with 911.
Finally, using Russia's invasion of Georgia (after Georgia invaded their own version of Kuwait), the US convinces Poland to pick up one of our cool missile defense shields. This is a move that Russia has already said will cause a new nuclear arms race--a new cold war, much the same way the Chinese complained back in 2001 when Bush was first blabbing about a missile shield.
Personally, I think it's obvious that at every point above, Bush could have made different, more peaceful choices to reach the same (or better) results, without using military force or threats. Yet here he is, in 2008, still saber-rattling, still trying to trump-up threats that don't exist.
The world can't just be at general peace. We can't just force the Military-Industrial Complex to scale back and make a reasonable living, instead of making a HUGE one.
While websites propagating art and music (like Pandora.com) suffer for lack of funding, the companies that make bombs and bullets are making bank. While people are sick and dying from diseases like AIDS and cancer, the folks that make you die much faster are making much more money.
So, it all goes on. What's also interesting is in that NYTimes.com article I linked to above (here again: http://is.gd/1O5y ), they actually referred to things Clinton's administration did--like, bombing Kosova and Yugoslavia.
So, maybe it's not even Bush who wants World War III. Maybe it's just all of us, who would generally prefer to live in fear, with the threat of World War III hanging over our heads.
Like the German citizens who elected Hitler, having someone to fear gives us focus, drive, purpose and maybe even a sense of satisfaction. You feel superior to those nasty Jews/Muslims.
Maybe that's why aliens don't visit us. We're a planet full of yappy little lapdogs. Barking like mad at any perceived threat, but quietly, secretly enjoying the drama.
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Would he invade Iraq? It sure looked like it to me and a lot of other folks at the time. This was despite the complete lack of any persuasive evidence that Saddam actually *was* a threat.
At the time, Bush had said, “We are going to respond in a determined, focused, effective way by defending freedom no matter what the cost, and that includes understanding we cannot let the world’s worst leaders blackmail the United States or our friends and allies with the world’s worst weapons."
This inspired me to write in a post dated July 29, 2002: "What is the proof of this ‘blackmail?’ Who has publicly threatened the use of ‘the world’s worst weapons’ against America and her friends? I challenge anyone to quote one leader who has publicly said ‘America? She’s a bitch and we’re gonna put her down,’"
"Okay, so they don’t need to have used those exact words, but even Saddam hasn’t said ‘We plan to nuke the USA.’"
Since then, he's stuck to that general plan of throwing American weight around. Sure, the packaging has changed, but his behavior has not. Anything to escalate. Anything to keep hostilities going.
Now that Iraq wants us out and the threat of Iran can't be trumped-up (though I don't think Bush has completely given up on that possibility), here comes the Georgian Invasion of Russia.
Bush and Pals have jumped on this opportunity to sell a missile defense system to Poland. A move that Russia does not appreciate and feels will escalate things into another cold war. The catch with Cold War II is the same catch that existed with Cold War I: the chances of a cold war turning into a World War rise dramatically.
If history books are to be believed we came insanely close to wiping out planet Earth during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Do we need a Poland Missile Crisis?
It might distract us from our shitty economy. It might actually help our economy. It might cripple our economy further, as our last two wars have.
Of course, any kind of military build-up at all causes deaths. But that's all beside the point for a person like Bush who is acting like a spokesperson for the American Military-Industrial Complex.
Think about it:
Saddam never did threaten us. Neither did the Taliban. Nor is Russia threatening us, today. So, why does Poland need a missile "shield"? I can understand why Poland might want a missile shield, but in the great scheme of things Russia invading Poland would be such a serious instigation that would *definitely* provoke World War III. Russia couldn't manage to take down Afghanistan in all of those years--how can they expect to fight a World War?
With nukes is the only answer I can think of. But I don't think the Russians want to nuke anyone. They just want the race back, which seems to be what Bush wants, too. However, I don't think Putin's Russia wants WW3. That's George W. Bush's interest and it has been since before I wrote that post back in 2002.
If you recall, in the months before 911, an American spy plane crashed in China (jog your memory here: http://archives.cnn.com/…ina.plane/ ). Bush was freaking out--making all sorts of demands and I was pretty sure back then that he wanted things to escalate. The irony for us, today, was that while the mainstream news was covering the China Spy Plane story, China was also annoyed at the Bush Administration for their talk of a nuclear missile shield (and possibly putting one in Taiwan). They were afraid that America was becoming too bold, like they might just start bombing any place they feel like bombing (source: http://is.gd/1O5y ).
No seriously. They said that back in 2001. Here's a quote from the New York Times: "Once the United States believes it has both a strong spear and a strong shield, it could lead them to conclude that nobody can harm the United States and they can harm anyone they like anywhere in the world."
Of course, seven years later, Bush goes to China and enjoys the Olympics. Seven years later, there's no talk of a missile shield in Taiwan, but there is about one in Poland.
And now Russia doesn't like it.
So, let's look at Bush's track record.
He was all fire and brimstone about China giving back the American crew of that spy plane.
After 911 (which he allowed to let happen) Bush said he'd get Bin Laden, dead or alive.
He invaded Afghanistan because they wouldn't give up bin Laden. The catch was that the Taliban barely had control over their almost non-existent country after years of a devastating war with the Soviets.
Then Bush invaded Iraq because it was a threat to us (somehow). While Saddam is dead, no WMD were found, and bin Laden has gotten away with 911.
Finally, using Russia's invasion of Georgia (after Georgia invaded their own version of Kuwait), the US convinces Poland to pick up one of our cool missile defense shields. This is a move that Russia has already said will cause a new nuclear arms race--a new cold war, much the same way the Chinese complained back in 2001 when Bush was first blabbing about a missile shield.
Personally, I think it's obvious that at every point above, Bush could have made different, more peaceful choices to reach the same (or better) results, without using military force or threats. Yet here he is, in 2008, still saber-rattling, still trying to trump-up threats that don't exist.
The world can't just be at general peace. We can't just force the Military-Industrial Complex to scale back and make a reasonable living, instead of making a HUGE one.
While websites propagating art and music (like Pandora.com) suffer for lack of funding, the companies that make bombs and bullets are making bank. While people are sick and dying from diseases like AIDS and cancer, the folks that make you die much faster are making much more money.
So, it all goes on. What's also interesting is in that NYTimes.com article I linked to above (here again: http://is.gd/1O5y ), they actually referred to things Clinton's administration did--like, bombing Kosova and Yugoslavia.
So, maybe it's not even Bush who wants World War III. Maybe it's just all of us, who would generally prefer to live in fear, with the threat of World War III hanging over our heads.
Like the German citizens who elected Hitler, having someone to fear gives us focus, drive, purpose and maybe even a sense of satisfaction. You feel superior to those nasty Jews/Muslims.
Maybe that's why aliens don't visit us. We're a planet full of yappy little lapdogs. Barking like mad at any perceived threat, but quietly, secretly enjoying the drama.
Replies.So, 12seconds.tv is in alpha, ...
So, 12seconds.tv is in alpha, but what about something like 12seconds.fm? You know, for 12 second audio blurbs? Just a random thought...
@acetone42 Sleep-depravity (!)...
@acetone42 Sleep-depravity (!) is the best way to enjoy a vacation--it means you're putting the experience first! Very cool. :)
Very proud of TheWife who sang...
Very proud of TheWife who sang & placed in the final 5 of 1930s Idol last night at the Broadway Baby Bistro http://is.gd/1NPo pics/vids soon
9/11 Killed Bryan Singer's Bat...
9/11 Killed Bryan Singer's Battlestar Galactica (http://ping.fm/gqMe5)
@jakemarsh I'm likely going to...
@jakemarsh I'm likely going to vote Obama because he's black. Us white folks have spent enough time screwing things up! + McCain is Bush II.
@bbittner Brolin wasn't one of...
@bbittner Brolin wasn't one of the little kids in "Goonies" he was the lead's older brother. He still played the "good looking guy" role.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Gah! I don't know which was mo...
Gah! I don't know which was more frustrating that Flixwagon streamed 52 seconds of my wife's song or Qik streaming 1 second!
Watch my Live broadcast at htt...
Watch my Live broadcast at http://www.flixwagon.com/watch/554791 ,and lets chat.
Down near Hell's Kitchen, goin...
Down near Hell's Kitchen, going to see TheWife sing at 1930s Idol at 10pm--watch my Twitter for a link to an attempted live video stream!
thepete.com: Conservatives Con...
thepete.com: Conservatives Consider Waterboarding Cool?:
I saw the above image just moments.. http://tinyurl.com/5sk3ux
I saw the above image just moments.. http://tinyurl.com/5sk3ux
Conservatives Consider Waterboarding Cool?
I saw the above image just moments ago at the top of DrudgeReport.com and found myself a bit offended. While I definitely lean liberal, I did four years in ROTC and got as close as my pilot physical to joining the military, so I feel like I have a fair-sized conservative streak in me. The thing is, who ever thought that the phrase "I'd Rather be Waterboarding" would be great on a T-shirt aimed at conservatives really needs to study his history--or at the very least his dictionary.
Waterboarding has been defined as torture for centuries. I believe we tried and executed Japanese soldiers who had waterboarded US soldiers, so I don't understand how anyone could think joking about waterboarding or seeming to endorse it could POSSIBLY be a conservative value.
There is precisely ONE kind of person who thinks waterboarding is cool and that's an asshole.
A selfish, shortsighted, hypocritical asshole who wants one set of laws for himself and another for everyone else.
A person like this does not deserve to be in control of a salt shaker, let alone anything substantive.
Here's a great test if you're not sure if what you're doing to a suspected criminal and/or terrorist is torture (or even right):
Ask yourself if you'd want what you're doing to them to be done to you, *even if you were innocent*.
See, because that's the risk we run as imperfect humans--we get things wrong all the time. Real conservatives know this--it's why our government was designed the way it was--to move very, very slowly. Change things, like Congress did by handing over power to Bush to wage war on Iraq, and you end up going against all of the values the Founding Fathers had in mind. This sounds like the very opposite of conservative, to me.
So, conservatives need to speak up and say what they're for and against--I know it's against a conservative's nature, generally, to be loud with their opinions, but their views are being misrepresented. ANY kind of torture is NOT a conservative value, or else this country would never have been founded.
Just my 2 yen, of course. I could be wrong.
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Waterboarding has been defined as torture for centuries. I believe we tried and executed Japanese soldiers who had waterboarded US soldiers, so I don't understand how anyone could think joking about waterboarding or seeming to endorse it could POSSIBLY be a conservative value.
There is precisely ONE kind of person who thinks waterboarding is cool and that's an asshole.
A selfish, shortsighted, hypocritical asshole who wants one set of laws for himself and another for everyone else.
A person like this does not deserve to be in control of a salt shaker, let alone anything substantive.
Here's a great test if you're not sure if what you're doing to a suspected criminal and/or terrorist is torture (or even right):
Ask yourself if you'd want what you're doing to them to be done to you, *even if you were innocent*.
See, because that's the risk we run as imperfect humans--we get things wrong all the time. Real conservatives know this--it's why our government was designed the way it was--to move very, very slowly. Change things, like Congress did by handing over power to Bush to wage war on Iraq, and you end up going against all of the values the Founding Fathers had in mind. This sounds like the very opposite of conservative, to me.
So, conservatives need to speak up and say what they're for and against--I know it's against a conservative's nature, generally, to be loud with their opinions, but their views are being misrepresented. ANY kind of torture is NOT a conservative value, or else this country would never have been founded.
Just my 2 yen, of course. I could be wrong.
Replies.@HaggisMac Good luck to both y...
@HaggisMac Good luck to both you, man! I hope things work out quickly and, uh, cleanly! Might you have a tent? :\
Just sent off two emails prodd...
Just sent off two emails prodding potential employers for a yay or nay. Fingers crossed!! (Tho' I'm trying not to think about it, canUtell.)
@strictly It's your birthday? ...
@strictly It's your birthday? Then HAPPY BIRTHDAY, fellow writer!! If it's not your birthday, then, HAPPY, uh, DAY! ^_^
OK, Twitter's got to do someth...
OK, Twitter's got to do something about this influx of spammers. I'm tired of getting "xyzguy69 is now following you" email. @biz any ideas?
@MariAdkins I hear ya--TheWife...
@MariAdkins I hear ya--TheWife & I have family on both coasts & most of us are more interested in the spiritual-peace thing than pressies.
Wow! wireless.ATT.com finally ...
Wow! wireless.ATT.com finally let me pay the rest of my bill after they replaced the "$170" with "$1.70" the 1st time I tried to pay them.
@MariAdkins Good point--it's p...
@MariAdkins Good point--it's pretty clear where the religious stuff ends and the heathen sinning begins ;) I prefer the religious, actually.
@bbittner I understand! Howeve...
@bbittner I understand! However, I keep my beat-up, circa 1987 copy of the "Watchmen" graphic novel handy at all times. Can't be too careful
Tell me there's nothing seriou...
Tell me there's nothing seriously wrong with Michael Phelps endorsing a cereal that has both sugar AND high fructose corn syrup in it.
Pixelpipe worked on everything...
Pixelpipe worked on everything I tried but YouTube (threw an error), my WP blog and 12s via email (just didn't post in either place).
1st attempt with Pixelpipe did...
1st attempt with Pixelpipe didn't work--it claims I didn't upload a compatible file--ironic since it was an FLV. :)
Trying out Pixelpipe. Hoping t...
Trying out Pixelpipe. Hoping this "Ping.FM" for media does the job as advertized.
I'm looking for a WordPress pl...
I'm looking for a WordPress plugin that automatically creates a post for every new YouTube video I post. Now, if I could just find one!
Why is it that so many WordPre...
Why is it that so many WordPress plugins for YouTube think pasting that embed code is so hard?
I *think* it might be time for...
I *think* it might be time for some mood-lifting caffeine. Mr. Coffee! Come here, I need you!
@sidpcobain I hear ya. There ...
@sidpcobain I hear ya. There was an old, defunct subway tunnel in Los Angeles I used to fantasize about running off to, but now I'm in NYC.
@bbittner Jealous! I had to bo...
@bbittner Jealous! I had to borrow a friend's copies back in college and that's the only time I've seen them. Excellent stuff!
ThePete's Official Policy on B...
ThePete's Official Policy on Being Followed: if you've got 2 numbers after your username, I won't be following you back. Just too much spam!
iPhone just completely crashed...
iPhone just completely crashed (not just Safari) and restarted while trying to pull up TUAW.com. Good morning, irony. How's your day going?
‘How To Build An Audience - ...
‘How To Build An Audience - And Keep It’ http://tinyurl.com/5lzzk4
Simeon Margolis: Business Plan...
Simeon Margolis: Business Planning without a Plan http://tinyurl.com/6mtjyp
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
@richpav GAH! NO! I CAN'T BELI...
@richpav GAH! NO! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! I won't believe it! THEY LIED! THEY LIED!! I'M SO OFFENDED!! / overdramaticsarcasm http://is.gd/1Ldj
@strictly So, do you guys care...
@strictly So, do you guys care what McCain and Obama are up to in your country? Random question, but I'm really curious...
@MariAdkins Haha, I'm SUCH a s...
@MariAdkins Haha, I'm SUCH a silly Atheist! But hey, if shopping is immoral, why doesn't the church mind it on Christmas, hmmm? ;)
http://twitpic.com/8b78 - Hm.....
http://twitpic.com/8b78 - Hm... I think I'm getting some Twitterspam. What do you think?
So, our government faked all o...
So, our government faked all of these pictures of the moon missions? (http://ping.fm/8X2KH)
Star Wars Fan Film proves Clov...
Star Wars Fan Film proves Cloverfield needed more subtlety. (http://ping.fm/Pr6OQ)
Moron the US Economy--I mean--More On the US Economy
I was inspired to write this post by a combination of things. First, my post on that IMF guy saying another of our banks was going to withdraw itself from existence and then a reply to said post on Utterz by Maharet (listen to it here: http://www.utterz.com/u/utt/u-NTEyNTkzOA#utt-NTEyNTkzOA ).
As I responded to Maharet's post, I realized something about the complexities of what our country is facing. In fact, I recognized that there are NO complexities to these problems at all.
Sure, the news likes to talk about sub-prime mortgages and greedy lenders and people who can't pay their loans back and selling off bad loans as investments and blah, blah, blah, but I think it's much more simple than all of that.
I feel like the strongest, most stable systems are the most simple systems. Our system is not simple.
In a nutshell, though, the problems, themselves do seem very simple. Check it out:
Unending inflation (devaluing of the dollar) combined with unending outsourcing (devaluing of the American worker) equates to an empty country, economically speaking.
Unemployed workers with no money (or money worth very little) to buy with, leaves the United States completely wiped out as any kind of economic power.
It seems to me like that scenario does in our very way of life.
Not that I want this to happen--hell, I don't even want to be right on this. But to me, I feel like a few failed banks should not crush our economy like they seem to be threatening to. If our economy was strong, and hadn't given away most of its jobs and much of the value of it's currency, we'd have, you know, an actual foundation to stand on in case the scaffolding of banking falls on our heads. Since we don't have a solid foundation of value and labor in our country, when our banks fail, there's nothing else left.
PLEASE TELL ME I'M WRONG!!
I really want someone to tell me I'm wrong!!!
Just make sure to include clear explanations a child could understand. I went to film school. ^_^
As I responded to Maharet's post, I realized something about the complexities of what our country is facing. In fact, I recognized that there are NO complexities to these problems at all.
Sure, the news likes to talk about sub-prime mortgages and greedy lenders and people who can't pay their loans back and selling off bad loans as investments and blah, blah, blah, but I think it's much more simple than all of that.
I feel like the strongest, most stable systems are the most simple systems. Our system is not simple.
In a nutshell, though, the problems, themselves do seem very simple. Check it out:
Unending inflation (devaluing of the dollar) combined with unending outsourcing (devaluing of the American worker) equates to an empty country, economically speaking.
Unemployed workers with no money (or money worth very little) to buy with, leaves the United States completely wiped out as any kind of economic power.
It seems to me like that scenario does in our very way of life.
Not that I want this to happen--hell, I don't even want to be right on this. But to me, I feel like a few failed banks should not crush our economy like they seem to be threatening to. If our economy was strong, and hadn't given away most of its jobs and much of the value of it's currency, we'd have, you know, an actual foundation to stand on in case the scaffolding of banking falls on our heads. Since we don't have a solid foundation of value and labor in our country, when our banks fail, there's nothing else left.
PLEASE TELL ME I'M WRONG!!
I really want someone to tell me I'm wrong!!!
Just make sure to include clear explanations a child could understand. I went to film school. ^_^
Another US Bank to Crumble?
Weee! It's so hard to not be cynical when things just keep getting worse.
So, the above is a screencap of an article capped just moments ago at http://timesonline.co.uk/ and it talks about how an ex-IMF guy (that's International Monetary Fund, not Impossible Mission Force) says that another US bank is about to tank and that the US economic crisis is only half over.
The Fed and the USG have been trying for months (years?) to get this thing under control and this guys says it's only half over?
Half over???
All I feel like saying to that is...
Weeeeee!
(You know, it's like that feeling you get when you're on a roller coaster that is hurling toward the ground!)
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. So, the above is a screencap of an article capped just moments ago at http://timesonline.co.uk/ and it talks about how an ex-IMF guy (that's International Monetary Fund, not Impossible Mission Force) says that another US bank is about to tank and that the US economic crisis is only half over.
The Fed and the USG have been trying for months (years?) to get this thing under control and this guys says it's only half over?
Half over???
All I feel like saying to that is...
Weeeeee!
(You know, it's like that feeling you get when you're on a roller coaster that is hurling toward the ground!)
Replies.@CK67 haha, the worst has past...
@CK67 haha, the worst has past, man--but thanks for your concern. :D It'll be at least another month before I do that again. :(
I know I've gone off my whole-...
I know I've gone off my whole-foods-only diet when my flatus smells bad. Last night? Mint chocolate chip! Today? Butt-based cat repellent.
Why Must the RIAA Harm All that is Good?
This morning I saw a Twitter post that said simply "Say it ain't so, Muxtape!"My heart skipped a beat.
Muxtape.com is my favorite site for sharing music. It allows users to upload twelve songs from their computer, then creates a playlist and a URL they can share with their friends. I've been dutifully waiting for their iPhone app to arrive but after seeing the above screencap, can we believe we'll ever see an app or even their website again???
Why must the RIAA be so draconian? I understand protecting copyrights, but I'm not sure how Muxtape makes their money, so I can't imagine what grounds the RIAA has for threatening the site when all it ends up being is a site that allows users to share mixes of their favorite audio tracks--hell, at http://thepete.muxtape.com/ I have a handful of straight audio clips that aren't even music.
And is it me, or does behavior like this from big business just make them look bad? What about the folks that actually buy music that they hear for the first time on Muxtape?
Something similar is happening with Pandora.com. Rather than looking at the site as a massive commercial for music, Sound Exchange (the group in charge of collecting royalties for musicians) is now demanding royalties so high from online music sites that the people behind Pandora are considering shutting down.
Pandora is a site that allows you to create your own custom radio station based on the artist or song name you enter. Essentially, it's exactly like the process you go through when choosing a traditional radio station--you know, you pick the one the plays mostly music that you like (if you can find one). Pandora.com does this all for you--pretty cool, huh? Except the royalties Pandora.com has to pay, I've heard, are twice what traditional radio stations have to pay. I think the excuse is that on the web so many people can listen to the music.
I'm just going to come out and say it: fuck the free market--it is stifling the growth of music and is cutting off innovation.
The system as it is now creates boring, unrisky, music that doesn't push art (and therefore humanity) forward. I gave up on traditional radio over a decade ago and have been getting introduced to new music through movie soundtracks and friends who are musicians. Thanks to sites like Pandora and Muxtape, I'm actually listening to new music again. Well, I WAS.
Who thought greed would be a good business model, anyway?
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz.
Replies.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Yesterday, tried to pay my iPh...
Yesterday, tried to pay my iPhone bill on time but the AT&T site turned "$170" into "$1.70" and now keeps throwing errors when I try to pay.
Interesting take on capitalism...
Interesting take on capitalism and sustainability called Mad Max Syndrome (http://ping.fm/rFNLO)
Newly detected air pollutant m...
Newly detected air pollutant mimics damaging effects of cigarette smoke (http://ping.fm/OrlWU)
@beep love your new avatar--I ...
@beep love your new avatar--I think I'll stop by FaceYourEighteenthCenturyAuthor.com, too. Maybe a nice Bram Stoker for me?
Sunday, August 17, 2008
thepete.com: Killswitch for th...
thepete.com: Killswitch for the Killswitch on the iPhone:
So, I was checking for updates fo.. http://tinyurl.com/5dqp7a
So, I was checking for updates fo.. http://tinyurl.com/5dqp7a
Killswitch for the Killswitch on the iPhone
So, I was checking for updates for my jailbroken iPhone last night and lookie what I found! Boss Prefs v2.12b was available on Cydia (one of the alternative "App Stores" you can use after jailbreaking your iPhone)!
BossPrefs is a cool little utility that allows you more control over settings on your iPhone--and more settings to set, too. This latest version gives users a cool new button to press that claims it can beat the killswitch Steve Jobs says he has at Apple HQ, at the peak of Mt. Doom, in the heart of Mordor.
Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but the gist of it is true--Jobs has admitted to having this killswitch ( http://thepete.com/…-my-iphone ) and therefore I'm mad.
I may not fully own my iPhone outright, yet, but when I forked over my $200 last month, I did not agree to Apple having the ability to reach onto *my* iPhone and turn stuff off. The ability for them to do this is positively anti-American.
Imagine GM being able to reach into your car and change the radio station or turn off the headlights or disengage the seat belts. I could be using my iPhone to call for help after an accident and he could go "hey, you're using Fring, an app that lets you use Skype over the Internet connection on your phone! Not cool!"
He cuts it off and you're left with having to redial the call for help--or worse if you happened to have canceled your voice plan.
Of course, they don't *let* you cancel your voice plan and Fring doesn't work on 3G iPhones yet, but you get my point.
After all, who is Jobs to tell me what I can run on my phone and what I can't? Can I control what he has on his phone?
No, so that's all there is to it. If I had the ability to wirelessly shut down apps on my own phone remotely I might not mind as much that he could do it to me, but, essentially, he has more power over something that sits in my pocket than I do.
Not cool.
Also, if he had only overtly warned us that he had the ability, I could have made the choice of whether to accept the killswitch or not, before I even bought the phone. Instead, it's probably buried in the contract someplace.
Again, not cool.
So, enter the Boss Prefs app for jailbroken iPhones. If it's to be believed, activating it shuts down Jobs' ability to shutdown any app running on your iPhone that he doesn't like.
THANK YOU, BOSS PREFS!!
We, the Jailbreakers, SOLUTE YOU!
OK, well, *I* solute you. I assume other jailbreakers appreciate it, too.
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. BossPrefs is a cool little utility that allows you more control over settings on your iPhone--and more settings to set, too. This latest version gives users a cool new button to press that claims it can beat the killswitch Steve Jobs says he has at Apple HQ, at the peak of Mt. Doom, in the heart of Mordor.
Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but the gist of it is true--Jobs has admitted to having this killswitch ( http://thepete.com/…-my-iphone ) and therefore I'm mad.
I may not fully own my iPhone outright, yet, but when I forked over my $200 last month, I did not agree to Apple having the ability to reach onto *my* iPhone and turn stuff off. The ability for them to do this is positively anti-American.
Imagine GM being able to reach into your car and change the radio station or turn off the headlights or disengage the seat belts. I could be using my iPhone to call for help after an accident and he could go "hey, you're using Fring, an app that lets you use Skype over the Internet connection on your phone! Not cool!"
He cuts it off and you're left with having to redial the call for help--or worse if you happened to have canceled your voice plan.
Of course, they don't *let* you cancel your voice plan and Fring doesn't work on 3G iPhones yet, but you get my point.
After all, who is Jobs to tell me what I can run on my phone and what I can't? Can I control what he has on his phone?
No, so that's all there is to it. If I had the ability to wirelessly shut down apps on my own phone remotely I might not mind as much that he could do it to me, but, essentially, he has more power over something that sits in my pocket than I do.
Not cool.
Also, if he had only overtly warned us that he had the ability, I could have made the choice of whether to accept the killswitch or not, before I even bought the phone. Instead, it's probably buried in the contract someplace.
Again, not cool.
So, enter the Boss Prefs app for jailbroken iPhones. If it's to be believed, activating it shuts down Jobs' ability to shutdown any app running on your iPhone that he doesn't like.
THANK YOU, BOSS PREFS!!
We, the Jailbreakers, SOLUTE YOU!
OK, well, *I* solute you. I assume other jailbreakers appreciate it, too.
Replies.@philiphodgen Good for you! I ...
@philiphodgen Good for you! I suggest you get Boss Prefs 2.12b from Cydia so you can shut down Steve Jobs' killswitch. Just a suggestion o/c
Is it me, or is Firefox 3 on O...
Is it me, or is Firefox 3 on OSX almost as much a RAM sucker as Firefox 2 was? I keep getting "unresponsive script" errors & the beachball.
Watch my Live broadcast at htt...
Watch my Live broadcast at http://www.flixwagon.com/watch/502791 ,and lets chat.
Heading down to Trader Joe's t...
Heading down to Trader Joe's to replenish our supplies. Wee! Outside again!
@cascio Wow--nice and depressi...
@cascio Wow--nice and depressing--too bad you didn't have a black power T-shirt on. You could have pissed them off in exchange. :)
@MariAdkins @R71 If Blue Laws ...
@MariAdkins @R71 If Blue Laws were created to help enforce moral standards and they ban shopping on Sunday... then shopping is immoral?
thepete.com: Whole Grain Popco...
thepete.com: Whole Grain Popcorn???:
Saw this at Target a couple weeks back and was very pu.. http://tinyurl.com/6or4dc
Saw this at Target a couple weeks back and was very pu.. http://tinyurl.com/6or4dc
Whole Grain Popcorn???
Saw this at Target a couple weeks back and was very puzzled by the "WHOLE GRAIN" claim on the box.
I guess, based on a technicality, corn is considered a "grain" but is there any real value in calling it "whole grain" since the "grain" part would be the actual corn kernel? Thus making ALL corn "whole grain" since corn isn't usually "bleached" and/or "enriched" like other grains. I'm not a nutritionist, so don't quote me on this.
To top it off, this corn doesn't pop well in our microwave. Stay away from this stuff.
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. I guess, based on a technicality, corn is considered a "grain" but is there any real value in calling it "whole grain" since the "grain" part would be the actual corn kernel? Thus making ALL corn "whole grain" since corn isn't usually "bleached" and/or "enriched" like other grains. I'm not a nutritionist, so don't quote me on this.
To top it off, this corn doesn't pop well in our microwave. Stay away from this stuff.
Replies.Gah, Sunday! Hitting Trader Jo...
Gah, Sunday! Hitting Trader Joe's later today. Just posted my review of crappy cell-bill reducer MyValidas. Too much other stuff on my mind!
thepete.com: MyValidas.com Rev...
thepete.com: MyValidas.com Review: TheVerdict: Useless for Me:
So, the other day, I posted .. http://tinyurl.com/659ufl
So, the other day, I posted .. http://tinyurl.com/659ufl
@andymatic Indeed! Amazing--th...
@andymatic Indeed! Amazing--those people probably voted for white guys without even thinking in the past. Only now do they pay attention...
MyValidas.com Review: TheVerdict: Useless for Me
So, the other day, I posted on my site about my huge-ass iPhone bill and did my best as a vaguely educated (I went to film school) person to decipher what I was being charged for. You can check out this post here: http://thepete.com/…ned-huzzah but only have a look if you feel like reading my confusion as to what the hell's going on with it. It looks like there's both state AND city sales tax assessed on it and I don't understand how that can be legal.
Regardless, a commenter called "lsoc" explained that: "Dude, this website could not be more perfect for your issues. www.myvalidas.com they analyze all these charges and explain them to you. In a lot of cases the charges are wrong and they will even help you get a credit on your account."
Dude, really? That's funny, because when I signed up for their "free trial", their site told me that I could save NOTHING (see above screencap).
I'm just going to guess that "lsoc" is a comment spammer for the MyValidas.com people. Especially considering the site was of ZERO HELP AT ALL.
There's a "free trial" link on their main page, so I signed up, followed the video on how to download my bill from the AT&T site (said video is out of date, BTW--AT&T has changed the layout of their site) and then uploaded the PDF of my bill to the MyValidas.com site. What I then saw, after their "Validas software" was done "analyzing" my bill was the above image.
0% Yearly Savings
$0.00 My Savings Annually
$0.00 Savings With A New Carrier
About the only helpful thing this "free trial" did was show me how much my iPhone will cost me over twelve months. The catch is, THEY'RE WRONG.
This, my first, bill $167.23 multiplied times 12 months works out to $2006.76, right? However, my first bill was prorated 2 extra weeks (who knows why--AT&T is like God, they work in mysterious ways) and there's a $36 "activation fee" added.
So, that means that my next bill will be at least $56 cheaper than it was the this bill and it'll probably be cheaper if the other taxes and fees that we all get stuck with are percentage-based, which I believe they are.
So, in the end, the MyValidas.com service is useless.
Oh and FYI, when you click on "Start Saving" you end up going to a page where you can actually start paying--the cheapest plan with run you $5 and it covers a one-time audit. The cost goes up for more in-depth plans. Check 'em out:
For $24 (adorned with the "Best Value" ribbon) you get, and I quote (comments in bold are mine):
* Includes 24 reports ($120) value [<--Illegal use of parentheses!]
* Entry in the "Worst Cell Phone Bill in Americatm" Why would I want that???
* Monthly Newsletter with $ Saving Tips and industry information you should know. Your service won't save me enough already?
* Audit every line on your bill and continue auditing every month to ensure the highest savings. Wait, so is the $24 a monthly charge or what?
For $20 you get (and, again, I quote):
* Includes 12 reports ($60) value again with the illegal use of parentheses! Is English even your native language??
* Entry in the "Worst Cell Phone Bill in Americatm" Again, WHY WOULD I WANT THIS?
* Monthly Newsletter with $ Saving Tips and industry information you should know. this is just like the $24 plan. BORING.
* Audit every line on your bill and continue auditing every month to ensure the highest savings. Same here, for just $4 more, why WOULDN'T I go with the $24 plan? Ohhhh... that's just what you WANT us to think!!
So basically, you can pay for 12 months of the service for $20 ($1.66666667 per report) and for four bucks more you can get 24 months of the service (for $1 per report). That other crap beyond the reports seems like, well, crap. Who cares about a newsletter? Who's got time for it? And the listing in the "Worst Cell Phone Bill" thing?? Who's idea was this? Why would you be proud of being taken to the cleaners by your cell phone carrier?
But wait--there's still the bargain basement plan:
* One time bill auditing and savings report. Save on average 25% per year with one report.
* Entry in the "Worst Cell Phone Bill in Americatm"
Wow--with one report the average savings is 25%?? I think that must be a LIE or they have precisely ZERO iPhone customers to skew the average.
I can see how over a couple of months, this would be a good idea to do just so their service can get an idea of what your calling habits (and your carrier's charging habits) are like. But one month isn't enough and more than a few months seems like it would be pretty useless, to me.
Considering you can get 12 months for $20 (a ($60) value!) and 24 months for $24 (a ($120) value!) it would seem like these reports cost very little to actually produce--for one report it's $5 and for 24 it's $1 per report. That's 500% mark-up for the low-end plan. Seems like they could probably charge $6 for three months and both make money and be of, you know, actual service to their customers. Right now it seems like a rip-off--especially since their "free trial" told me exactly nada.
What's amusing to me is how overkill this service even is. When I saw Lsoc's comment, I figured it was just somebody linking to a blog post they read someplace. That's all that is really needed here--or at most a wiki that allows you to search your for your state's legal carrier charging practices (ie, what is legal to charge in your area). I'd do something like this, myself, if I had the time or the technical knowledge, or the willingness to keep the thing updated.
For now, it looks like I'll just have to pay this whole damn bill since it's due today. I just reeeally think that there's something wrong with getting charged both city and state sales tax. o_O
Oh and note to anyone considering a new Internet startup company. Try to come up with a name for your company that is both memorable AND has not had it's domain name bought by someone else, already.
For instance, This website "MyValidas.com" is actually for a service called "Validas." It turns out that the founders of this startup used neither of my suggestions.
The only way "Validas" is memorable to me is if I imagine an extra "s" on the end of it making the company name "ValidAss". I just have to remember to remove that extra "s" when going to their website. EXCEPT, they're not at "Validas.com" they're at "MYvalidas.com". How lame since I've never imagined myself having a Validas (maybe a valid ass, but...) so how can I just roll into the concept of wanting to discover "MyValidas"??? It's just bad marketing, in my mind.
OK, enough complaining out of me. Just don't bother with this service, dear readers. It makes more sense to do the research yourself and based on their free trial, I have no proof that your service works at all.
Mobile post sent by thepete using Utterz. Regardless, a commenter called "lsoc" explained that: "Dude, this website could not be more perfect for your issues. www.myvalidas.com they analyze all these charges and explain them to you. In a lot of cases the charges are wrong and they will even help you get a credit on your account."
Dude, really? That's funny, because when I signed up for their "free trial", their site told me that I could save NOTHING (see above screencap).
I'm just going to guess that "lsoc" is a comment spammer for the MyValidas.com people. Especially considering the site was of ZERO HELP AT ALL.
There's a "free trial" link on their main page, so I signed up, followed the video on how to download my bill from the AT&T site (said video is out of date, BTW--AT&T has changed the layout of their site) and then uploaded the PDF of my bill to the MyValidas.com site. What I then saw, after their "Validas software" was done "analyzing" my bill was the above image.
0% Yearly Savings
$0.00 My Savings Annually
$0.00 Savings With A New Carrier
About the only helpful thing this "free trial" did was show me how much my iPhone will cost me over twelve months. The catch is, THEY'RE WRONG.
This, my first, bill $167.23 multiplied times 12 months works out to $2006.76, right? However, my first bill was prorated 2 extra weeks (who knows why--AT&T is like God, they work in mysterious ways) and there's a $36 "activation fee" added.
So, that means that my next bill will be at least $56 cheaper than it was the this bill and it'll probably be cheaper if the other taxes and fees that we all get stuck with are percentage-based, which I believe they are.
So, in the end, the MyValidas.com service is useless.
Oh and FYI, when you click on "Start Saving" you end up going to a page where you can actually start paying--the cheapest plan with run you $5 and it covers a one-time audit. The cost goes up for more in-depth plans. Check 'em out:
For $24 (adorned with the "Best Value" ribbon) you get, and I quote (comments in bold are mine):
* Includes 24 reports ($120) value [<--Illegal use of parentheses!]
* Entry in the "Worst Cell Phone Bill in Americatm" Why would I want that???
* Monthly Newsletter with $ Saving Tips and industry information you should know. Your service won't save me enough already?
* Audit every line on your bill and continue auditing every month to ensure the highest savings. Wait, so is the $24 a monthly charge or what?
For $20 you get (and, again, I quote):
* Includes 12 reports ($60) value again with the illegal use of parentheses! Is English even your native language??
* Entry in the "Worst Cell Phone Bill in Americatm" Again, WHY WOULD I WANT THIS?
* Monthly Newsletter with $ Saving Tips and industry information you should know. this is just like the $24 plan. BORING.
* Audit every line on your bill and continue auditing every month to ensure the highest savings. Same here, for just $4 more, why WOULDN'T I go with the $24 plan? Ohhhh... that's just what you WANT us to think!!
So basically, you can pay for 12 months of the service for $20 ($1.66666667 per report) and for four bucks more you can get 24 months of the service (for $1 per report). That other crap beyond the reports seems like, well, crap. Who cares about a newsletter? Who's got time for it? And the listing in the "Worst Cell Phone Bill" thing?? Who's idea was this? Why would you be proud of being taken to the cleaners by your cell phone carrier?
But wait--there's still the bargain basement plan:
* One time bill auditing and savings report. Save on average 25% per year with one report.
* Entry in the "Worst Cell Phone Bill in Americatm"
Wow--with one report the average savings is 25%?? I think that must be a LIE or they have precisely ZERO iPhone customers to skew the average.
I can see how over a couple of months, this would be a good idea to do just so their service can get an idea of what your calling habits (and your carrier's charging habits) are like. But one month isn't enough and more than a few months seems like it would be pretty useless, to me.
Considering you can get 12 months for $20 (a ($60) value!) and 24 months for $24 (a ($120) value!) it would seem like these reports cost very little to actually produce--for one report it's $5 and for 24 it's $1 per report. That's 500% mark-up for the low-end plan. Seems like they could probably charge $6 for three months and both make money and be of, you know, actual service to their customers. Right now it seems like a rip-off--especially since their "free trial" told me exactly nada.
What's amusing to me is how overkill this service even is. When I saw Lsoc's comment, I figured it was just somebody linking to a blog post they read someplace. That's all that is really needed here--or at most a wiki that allows you to search your for your state's legal carrier charging practices (ie, what is legal to charge in your area). I'd do something like this, myself, if I had the time or the technical knowledge, or the willingness to keep the thing updated.
For now, it looks like I'll just have to pay this whole damn bill since it's due today. I just reeeally think that there's something wrong with getting charged both city and state sales tax. o_O
Oh and note to anyone considering a new Internet startup company. Try to come up with a name for your company that is both memorable AND has not had it's domain name bought by someone else, already.
For instance, This website "MyValidas.com" is actually for a service called "Validas." It turns out that the founders of this startup used neither of my suggestions.
The only way "Validas" is memorable to me is if I imagine an extra "s" on the end of it making the company name "ValidAss". I just have to remember to remove that extra "s" when going to their website. EXCEPT, they're not at "Validas.com" they're at "MYvalidas.com". How lame since I've never imagined myself having a Validas (maybe a valid ass, but...) so how can I just roll into the concept of wanting to discover "MyValidas"??? It's just bad marketing, in my mind.
OK, enough complaining out of me. Just don't bother with this service, dear readers. It makes more sense to do the research yourself and based on their free trial, I have no proof that your service works at all.
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