thirtysomething...

The Beastie Boys are part of a select few on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shortlist!!

Wanna know why I feel old??

From Josh Grossberg @ E! Online
"An act becomes eligible for induction 25 years after its first release, be it single, EP or album. That means the current contenders had to have issued their inaugural record no later than 1982."

That's why. They've been around for 25 years! :eek:

If you've been following...


From Valleywag

NBC tries to makeup with Apple

NBC is hurt, stunned and confused by Apple's recent bitchslap. Apparently the broadcaster didn't think Apple would call its bluff, and refuse to sell its new fall season on the iTunes Store. Initially balking at iTunes's rigid pricing structure -- NBC executives have deluded themselves into thinking consumers will pay up to $5 per episode -- and allowing its contract to expire, NBC is now "hopeful that we can reach a resolution before the existing contract expires," says spokesperson Cory Shields. Is that like trying to make up with your girlfriend before she moves out?


Makes me wonder if execs at NBC have been reading all the different blog comments that people are leaving around the net. Looks like absolutely NO one would pay the $4.99 fee per episode, much less paying for bundled shows at a probably higher rate. What's real surprising to me is that NBC thought they could strong arm Apple. Did they not watch what happened with the Verizon/iPhone deal?

If you want to play with Apple & make a bit of cash, You've got to play by their rules. No exception. Apple has ALWAYS been this way. Don't see any Apple clones out there anymore, do ya.

I'll admit, I buy Heroes on iTMS. I'd definitely wait on the DVD release before paying 5 Bucks per DRM'd episode. And I only want Heroes when I buy Heroes. I don't need, nor do I want, an episode of Saturday Night Live attached to my purchase. Eating up all my valuable HD space...

Sounds like the dim GE bulb over some NBC exec's head has been changed to a brighter wattage.

One of the tech blogs I read occasionally posts something from the steampunk scene and I've grown quite fond of the stuff. "Jake" von Slatt over at SteampunkWorkshop.com has done some really cool modifications to his computer to make it look like the thing is from the Victorian Age. He also etches Victorian scenes onto Altoids tins. Very Cool. So I'm reading his pages on what he's done in that area and think to myself, "Hey, all that stuff came from a True Value. I work at a True Value. I must be able to do that!"


So, I bought supplies.


I etched my pirate flag onto a brass sheet that was .032 x 4 x 10. Not bad for my first attempt. The brass was a little thick so it took around 20 minutes in the salt solution to get close to what I was shooting for.

The Pirate Flag


Here's my first attempt:
The Nikon is waiting to be sent out for repairs (Don't Ask...). In the scanned image the black bits are the un-etched part. Those areas like polished brass, you can kind of see the shine in the iSight shot.

SCAN




iSight

at 9:58pm...

"This is Best Buy calling to confirm your delivery tomorrow between 8:30am and 11am. If you have any questions please call the Cary (NC) store at 919-xxx-xxxx."



Uh. I don't shop at Best Buy. Especially one that's 290 miles away, when there's one 5 miles from here...

Strange.


Oh. And when the hell am I supposed to call back to re-confirm?

From the "Houston Trip" with Heather's parents & Chris

Graceland


Johnson Space Center

Updates...

I am finally getting pictures back online since the move back to the US. Right now I'm using Google's Picasaweb to share the photos with you guys. Eventually I'll set up a server to host them with real HTML goodness. Eventually. Click one of the links on the left to see what I've added so far. I've also given the links a bit more categorization than before.

Getting tired of the stock Blogger layout. Maybe something custom (again) in the future. I'm also not real set on the blog name... Suggestions?

Know what the hardest part about drinking Single Malt Scotch is for me?


Having to choose between a 16-year-old Lagavulin Special Release, of which the bottle is nearly empty and a brand new bottle of 10-year-old Talisker.

If it's not Scottish, it's Crrrrap!

Decisions, decisions...

So today on one of my "smoke-breaks" I'm sitting outside on the patio at work surrounded by PVC pipes. I start thinking to myself, "Ya know, it would be cool if you could make an organ out of PVC."

Yeah, it would.

So I googled to see if anyone else shared my thoughts. Possibly while outside smoking. It could happen.

Well I came across this. Not really what I want to build, I'm thinking more Pipe Organ than xylophoney thingy, but way cool none-the-less.


Pretty damn good. And I've seen the Blue Man Group here in Charleston. Not a bad cover.

Still Searching.

BTW, If you're not familiar with the Blue Man group, here's how the song goes/looks:

Little Boxes made of Ticky Tacky...

Ok, I had this long piece written out about the Showtime Production shows "Weeds", "Dexter", and "Californication", but it was SHIT. So I deleted it.

Here are the Cliff Notes: They are all Brilliant shows!

SHO Productions > HBO Productions. Period.


I can't believe I'm JUST NOW seeing Dexter. Season 2 starts mid September. Caught an episode last night from last season. Like it so much I ordered the book(s) the show is based on. I can't wait. Serial Killer works for the Police in Forensics trying to arrest other serial killers. If you don't like blood pooled on the ground, don't watch this show.


Weeds is just, well... Weeds. Writing is good. The show is fun. Mary Louise Parker is HOT. Newly widowed (Season 1) Suburbanite mom with no descernable work skills starts selling weed to other suburbanites to make ends meet. If you don't like seeing drugs being grown, don't watch this show.


Californication. David Duchovny is back on the tiny tube. He's playing Hank Moody, a published writer from NYC now living in LA. His bestseller novel has been turned into a crappy movie, he's got writer's block because of this, and he's also separated from his long time girlfriend & mother of his 12-year-old daughter. So he's trying to cope. Sex, Drugs, and rock & roll. Ok, not so much rock and roll. Duchovney's character reminds me alot of Dr Gregory House in the FOX show "House". No Brain to Mouth filter. :rock: Oh yeah, Natasha McElhone is HOT. Even with an american accent. If you don't approve of constant inebriation or bare breasts (no, sadly not Natasha's) then don't watch this show.

Oh yeah, it's cable/satellite. If you don't like cursing, well then you probably aren't reading this blog on a regular basis anyway so you won't see this...

And I'm as surprised as you are that I spelled inebriation correctly without spell-check.

Reading through a couple of blogs on my day off and came across this:

Space Mountain 2 at Disneyworld Paris

Done in Roller Coaster Tycoon:


I've ridden it IRL more than a few times. The RCT version is VERY close to the actual ride. The initial lift is an induction type launch. Not unlike the Aerosmith coaster @ MGM, but on an incline, and being in France it's all done in a Jules Verne theme.


The actual ride: