Thursday, February 28, 2008

Dentyne Field?

Apparently the CEO of the Tribune Company is thinking of selling the naming rights to Wrigley Field.

What a boneheaded move. It would be colossally stupid for any company to buy those rights. Cubs fans - and a lot of baseball fans in general - would hate you for it.

So in an attempt to market yourself, you'd actually hurt your marketing and PR. Talk about "perversity in Chicago..."

One exception: I think The Wrigley Company could get away with it. :-)



Think Positive!

It may be only 22 degrees this morning, but I just put away my space heater till next winter.

It's almost March, dammit!

In the interest of positive thinking, I am also posting a photo of spring flowers.

Warm weather will eventually come!

Arrrr.....




Tuesday, February 26, 2008

I'm Against Pollution! (A Rant by India)

I think pollution stinks!

Man is going to pollute himself right out of existence!

Pollution kills animals and plants!

If we keep polluting the earth, pretty soon there will be so much trash on the Earth that the plants will die out and the animals will die out, and then we will run out of oxygen!

My pollution solution is to pick up trash and find the nearest trash can!

We are our own enemy!


Tuesday, February 19, 2008

A New Great Song

"Breath Thin" by Tulsa

I swear they stole that guitar riff from an old REM song, but I can't figure out which one.



Band Name of the Day

A Gun That Shoots Knives

That would be pretty cool, wouldn't it?


Monday, February 18, 2008

A Nice Piece of Writing

From today's Writer's Almanac, an excerpt of:

Leaving Kansas City
by George Bradley

Kansas City depends a lot on the way
You look at it. If you approach from the West,
It takes on a certain weary beauty:
Misguided, uninspired, familiar.
But driving through from the East,
It's just another group of grubby people
After you thought you'd passed all that. ...

On the only radio station, a voice explains,
In an accent you wouldn't have thought possible,
The most practical way of doing something
It would never have occurred to you to do.
The voice is distant and doesn't seem aimed at you. ...

There is a place called Colorado where you will,
Of course, be very glad to arrive, where the others
Wanted to go; and you will sit smug in the shade
High up on a mountain, feeling the wind
Send shivers over your body, looking back
At the great sickening swoop of the plain
And think it part of a grand design:
Satisfying, necessary, even beautiful.



What Spam Does to My Mood

Does anybody else have the same reaction to spam as I do?

Ideally I like to start my day with a nice clean desk and a nice clean slate. But because of spammers, every morning I start my day the exact opposite way. My inbox is flooded with a huge mountain of garbage, and my first task is to sift through it to find the few nuggets that are worthwhile.

It's just a depressing and altogether wrong way to start each day's work. It has a negative psychological effect on me. It makes me grumpy.


Monday Fun

It's impossible to watch this without laughing. (Make sure sound is on.)


Friday, February 15, 2008

How Old Is YouTube?

Believe it or not, it's just three years old, and today is its birthday:

It is the birthday of the popular web site YouTube. The domain name was registered on February 15, 2005.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

The Weather Two Blocks From My House

One of the joys of the Internets:

Anytime I want, I can check the weather two blocks from my house.

It's 22.5 degrees right now, with south winds at 5 mph and humidity of 75%. (I thought it was supposed to be warmer today?)



Wednesday, February 13, 2008

w00f!

The beagle that won "best in show" at the Westminster Dog Show is from Belleville!

Uno, the champion beagle bred and born in Belleville, was top dog after he made history Tuesday night — becoming the first beagle to win Best in Show title at the 132nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York.

Tuesday night, Uno was clearly the crowd favorite, and drew a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden when he was picked.

The only dog consistently listed among America's most popular breeds for nearly 100 years, a beagle had never won in the 100 times Westminster picked a winner.

Uno was born and bred in Belleville by Kathy Weichert, but a team of co-owners and handlers show him.

"We're known as Team Uno," Weichert said. "You have to have a team when you want to campaign a dog like this. Dog showing is very, very expensive. There is no money in dog shows, none to be made. It's an expensive hobby and we do it for the love of the dogs. It's for the betterment of the breed, and that's why we do it."
It's sort of weird there's no money in it, what with dog shows being on teevee and all. You'd think the owners would get a cut.

But still ... good boy, Uno!

(BTW, the Jennifer Bowen who wrote the article is no relation.)

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

This Post Is For Shane Only

Listen to Ramsay Midwood today. You may find this a challenge, as his website says:

There is almost no usable information about him available, not even on this site.
Howsoever, his MySpace page says:
I am concentrating on creating a device that can manipulate electron holes. This will allow me to create a spin-based transistor.
This is your mission.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Magic Mirror

Wondering something:

All three of our girls have the habit of talking into mirrors. I don't mean they go off by themselves and do goofy stuff in front of the mirror - everybody does that.

I mean, you're having a conversation with one of them, and instead of looking at you when she's talking, she's looking at herself in a mirror (e.g., a dresser mirror in the bedroom or the door mirror in the bathroom).

I can't count how many times I've said to them, "Talk to me, not the mirror." India seems to be growing out of it, but Anya and Quinn do it all the time.

What I'm wondering is, is this normal? Do other kids do this, or is this just another data point for the weirdness of our family?

Thursday, February 07, 2008

They Sound A Bit Like DEVO...

playing at a small-town summer festival in a moon colony.

Estocar


Thought for the Day

Still working through Confucius. Reading the book backwards, for reasons unclear even to myself. Anyway, this is Book 14, Chapter 28:

The Master said: 'One does not worry about the fact that other people do not appreciate one. One worries about the fact that one is incapable.'
I'm forever worried about whether other people appreciate me. Someday I'll eventually figure out that, in reality, they hardly ever think about me at all.

The Songs, They Are Funny

Songs to Wear Pants To

Favorites: "It's Too Loud" and "I Am Bjork."




Wednesday, February 06, 2008

I Am An Ass

I spent some of this morning clearing out some e-mails from my inbox. It's been a couple of years since I did this - seriously.

I noticed a definite and upsetting trend - a couple of years ago, I used e-mail a lot more to stay in touch with friends. (Isn't that the whole idea of the Internets - to be able to stay in touch with people better?)

Lately, I never write or call or anything.

I am an ass.

Please feel free to comment to this posting, telling me just exactly how much of an ass I am.

You can expect a call or e-mail from me.



Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Today

If you're in a Super Tuesday state, remember to vote today.

I did this morning, on the way to work.
For Obama, who shouldn't have any problem winning here in his home state. It was nice to vote in a primary that actually mattered.

Also remember to celebrate Mardi Gras! Before voting, after voting ... doesn't matter!


Song Title of the Day

"Death to Los Campesinos!" by Los Campesinos!

Very much fun is this music.


Monday, February 04, 2008