Aug 2008
Deals at the OWC
August 30, 2008 | 17:13 Filed in: Tech
Other World Computing is having some clearance specials, and one that caught my eye was an Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station 802.11 b/g (UFO) for $50. You can never have too many of these things. I already grabbed one, so it's ok if I let the cat out of the bag.
They also have a couple El Gato items that if I had any use for, I'd be all over. The Turbo.264 stick and an El Gato EyeTV 250 plus. I have an EyeTV EZ hooked to my Mac Mini hooked to my HDTV. It's fantastic, but it's also all that I need so I don't really have any excuse to spend money even though I'd love to have these toys.
Hopefully somebody will see this and go and grab them. Good gadgets need good homes.
They also have a couple El Gato items that if I had any use for, I'd be all over. The Turbo.264 stick and an El Gato EyeTV 250 plus. I have an EyeTV EZ hooked to my Mac Mini hooked to my HDTV. It's fantastic, but it's also all that I need so I don't really have any excuse to spend money even though I'd love to have these toys.
Hopefully somebody will see this and go and grab them. Good gadgets need good homes.
Coverage of Obama's Acceptance Speech at the DNC.
August 28, 2008 | 22:49 Filed in: Politics
I'm watching this time-shifted so I can skip the commercials, but I'm starting at the beginning as Will-I-Am is singing "Yes we can." It's beautiful and makes me tear up (1 hankie). It's amazing that an artist can make a moving song using a campaign speech. Says something about the campaigner, if you ask me.
I'm watching MSNBC's coverage, so there's lots of skipping around to avoid Chris Matthews and Pat Buchannan commentaries... (this isn't the "angry-yelling-at-the-TV-diary") I'm catching as much Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow as I can.
Hee hee... I wonder if Rachel Maddow knows that they're broadcasting her, Nora O'Donnell and Eugene Robinson dancing to Stevie Wonder? For all of her brilliance, she seems kind of shy and self-conscious.
Al Gore is beginning to speak. Just thinking about what the country would be like now if he'd been allowed to take his rightful office back in 2000... Good lord, this man should have been running this country. 1 hankie
Tom Brokaw of all people is making weird comments about the setting being "empirical." The other MSNBC commentators are sort of taking him to task for it.
Joe Biden is speaking. This is the first speech I've heard by him. Not bad...
This is crazy. MSNBC has a transcript of Obama's speech before he makes it, and Olbermann is reading parts of it? Don't spoil it for me! Holy crap!
MSNBC has got to be kicking themselves for putting their set outside. Earlier there was a guy with a bullhorn behind "Race for the Whitehouse" who was drowning out the pundits by screaming "911 was an inside job!" over and over, and now as Rachel Maddow and the others are trying to discuss the upcoming speech, the crowd noise - even without bullhorns - is making it hard to understand them.
That stadium is crammed full of people...
Dick Durban is taking the stage to introduce Obama.
I have to say, I've been hearing a lot of good speeches in the last few days, and very few speakers can move me the way Obama can. The man is a brilliant orator.
They're showing a video about Obama's biography. I have to say, he was not the prettiest of babies...
This video is very touching. Now he's talking about his mother's passing. 1 hankie
"One person's struggle is all of our struggles. We recognize ourselves in each other." 2 hankies
Is it just a trick of fate? The fact that I was born in '74 and Nixon and his successors are all I have to compare with? Barack Obama strikes me as potentially the most amazing leader our country has ever seen. Is it just because I was born so late in our country's history and don't remember anything better? Or is it the stark comparison of 8 disastrous years of Bush? This man seems so amazing to me. I want him to lead this country. 2 hankies
He's coming onstage, now, and people are weeping. 1 hankie
He accepts the nomination! 4 hankies
"Enough!" 4 hankies
"We love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight." 4 hankies
"They work hard, and they give back, and they keep going without complaint. These are the Americans I know." 3 hankies
"It's time for them to own their faliure." 3 angry hankies
"These are my heroes." 3 hankies
"I will restore our moral standing so that America is once again that last best hope for all that are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future." 2 hankies
"This election has never been about me. It's about you." 3 hankies
"...to hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dreams..." 2 hankies
Biden and his wife walking on stage to join the Obamas and embracing them really struck me, somehow. 3 hankies
Biden was a young widower, as well. Knowing that draws me to him all the more. Bringing a family through that trauma is difficult and he seems to done it exceptionally well.
"They're going to criticize me for saying that he inspires me, and to hell with my critics." Chris Matthews. That took me by surprise...
Well, they've left the stage. I guess that's a good enough place to stop. What an amazing speech.
I'm watching MSNBC's coverage, so there's lots of skipping around to avoid Chris Matthews and Pat Buchannan commentaries... (this isn't the "angry-yelling-at-the-TV-diary") I'm catching as much Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow as I can.
Hee hee... I wonder if Rachel Maddow knows that they're broadcasting her, Nora O'Donnell and Eugene Robinson dancing to Stevie Wonder? For all of her brilliance, she seems kind of shy and self-conscious.
Al Gore is beginning to speak. Just thinking about what the country would be like now if he'd been allowed to take his rightful office back in 2000... Good lord, this man should have been running this country. 1 hankie
Tom Brokaw of all people is making weird comments about the setting being "empirical." The other MSNBC commentators are sort of taking him to task for it.
Joe Biden is speaking. This is the first speech I've heard by him. Not bad...
This is crazy. MSNBC has a transcript of Obama's speech before he makes it, and Olbermann is reading parts of it? Don't spoil it for me! Holy crap!
MSNBC has got to be kicking themselves for putting their set outside. Earlier there was a guy with a bullhorn behind "Race for the Whitehouse" who was drowning out the pundits by screaming "911 was an inside job!" over and over, and now as Rachel Maddow and the others are trying to discuss the upcoming speech, the crowd noise - even without bullhorns - is making it hard to understand them.
That stadium is crammed full of people...
Dick Durban is taking the stage to introduce Obama.
I have to say, I've been hearing a lot of good speeches in the last few days, and very few speakers can move me the way Obama can. The man is a brilliant orator.
They're showing a video about Obama's biography. I have to say, he was not the prettiest of babies...
This video is very touching. Now he's talking about his mother's passing. 1 hankie
"One person's struggle is all of our struggles. We recognize ourselves in each other." 2 hankies
Is it just a trick of fate? The fact that I was born in '74 and Nixon and his successors are all I have to compare with? Barack Obama strikes me as potentially the most amazing leader our country has ever seen. Is it just because I was born so late in our country's history and don't remember anything better? Or is it the stark comparison of 8 disastrous years of Bush? This man seems so amazing to me. I want him to lead this country. 2 hankies
He's coming onstage, now, and people are weeping. 1 hankie
He accepts the nomination! 4 hankies
"Enough!" 4 hankies
"We love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight." 4 hankies
"They work hard, and they give back, and they keep going without complaint. These are the Americans I know." 3 hankies
"It's time for them to own their faliure." 3 angry hankies
"These are my heroes." 3 hankies
"I will restore our moral standing so that America is once again that last best hope for all that are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future." 2 hankies
"This election has never been about me. It's about you." 3 hankies
"...to hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dreams..." 2 hankies
Biden and his wife walking on stage to join the Obamas and embracing them really struck me, somehow. 3 hankies
Biden was a young widower, as well. Knowing that draws me to him all the more. Bringing a family through that trauma is difficult and he seems to done it exceptionally well.
"They're going to criticize me for saying that he inspires me, and to hell with my critics." Chris Matthews. That took me by surprise...
Well, they've left the stage. I guess that's a good enough place to stop. What an amazing speech.
Invesco Field National Anthem
August 28, 2008 | 16:00 Filed in: Politics
(doing this from my iPhone so it might be sloppier than normal.)
I'm like Rachel Maddow, the national anthem always makes me cry. Tonight, though, as I'm fully prepared to cry buckets as I listen to Obama's acceptance speech, it's really flooring me. 4 hankies
I'm like Rachel Maddow, the national anthem always makes me cry. Tonight, though, as I'm fully prepared to cry buckets as I listen to Obama's acceptance speech, it's really flooring me. 4 hankies
Hillary Clinton Moves to Nominate Barack Obama by Acclimation
August 27, 2008 | 19:53 Filed in: Politics
I just watched the roll-call vote of the Democratic National Convention, and I watched as Senator Hillary Clinton moved to suspend the roll-call and in a show of unity move to nominate Barack Obama as the Democratic Nominee.
I have to tell you, this was a very emotional moment for me. Tears were pouring out as I watched the Democratic Party come together and nominate their candidate. I wasn't the only one, either. There were a lot of tear-streaked faces in that crowd. 4 hankies
I have to tell you, this was a very emotional moment for me. Tears were pouring out as I watched the Democratic Party come together and nominate their candidate. I wasn't the only one, either. There were a lot of tear-streaked faces in that crowd. 4 hankies
Oregon Democratic Party Ad
August 26, 2008 | 16:15 Filed in: Politics
Michelle Obama's Speech at the DNC
August 26, 2008 | 02:56 Filed in: Politics
My daughter had another white night, tonight. She does this quite often. I understand it perfectly, too, because I'm the same way. I just would rather be doing just about anything else but sleeping. She needs the sleep, though, since school has started back up, so I sit on the floor by her bed, keeping her from getting up and going back out to the family room to play. With me there she knows it's bed time and she'll stay in bed even if she's not particularly sleepy. I'm not so durable. A lot of nights I'll fall asleep leaning against her bedroom wall, and wake up a couple hours later, hopefully with her asleep in her bed.
That's what happened, tonight. Like most of these nights, the fact that I actually got a little sleep means I won't be able to just move on to my own bed and fall straight asleep. I actually wake up fairly alert and need some time to wind down, again, before I can finally go back to sleep.
Since the Democratic National Convention is currently underway, I decided to channel surf and see if I could catch some highlights of the convention's first night. What I found on CNN (in high definition, no less) was a replay of Michelle Obama's speech to the convention.
It was beautiful. It was moving. It was pitch perfect coming from a woman who I hope with all my heart will be the next First Lady of the United States. In a political season where her husband routinely makes me weep in anger at the injustices of the past 8 years and with hope at the potential for the next 8, her speech really got to me. It was about honoring the hard work of the past and current generations and their struggle to make life better for those who follow them. 4 hankies
Final PvP piece.
August 23, 2008 | 20:42 Filed in: Entertainment
I finally got the PvP shield. It's the only piece (so far) that's from the areana 2 set. The rest is areana 1. Someday, I'll get bored enough to grind out a new set, but for now I'm actually pretty happy with Moofe's gear.
Moofe's Armory
Colin the Whale Euthanized
August 22, 2008 | 09:51 Filed in: Humanity
I know that sometimes there's no choice, but it doesn't make it less painful. It's so easy to empathize with higher mammals because in so many ways they are like us. 3 hankies
Friday Twitter Feed - August 22, 2008
August 22, 2008 | 08:41 Filed in: Blog
Hands down, my favorite tweet, today...
"When one has grown tired of loudly singing The Proclaimers' "500 Miles" in a Groundskeeper Willie voice, one has grown tired of life itself. - Andy Ihnatko 07:11:51
"When one has grown tired of loudly singing The Proclaimers' "500 Miles" in a Groundskeeper Willie voice, one has grown tired of life itself. - Andy Ihnatko 07:11:51
Eye of the Storm
August 19, 2008 | 20:00 Filed in: Entertainment
I'm not a fan of non-Alterac Valley Battlegrounds, but tonight I was in one that was just lovely. Not only did we win, but we just decimated wave after wave of Alliance that tried to storm the node we were defending. You'll notice by the scores that I wasn't the only Elemental Shaman there and that we lead the damage totals (and heals, I think). I love to PvP in BGs, but am often disappointed by PUGs. This EotS group was great, though. We watched each others' backs, and just plowed the allies.
Obama town hall in Raleigh, NC
August 19, 2008 | 17:52 Filed in: Politics
I didn't catch her last name, but there's a local North Carolina woman named Gloria introducing Obama and relating the devastation that 8 years of Republican rule has wrought. 3 hankies
I might embed some video, later, if I can find it. It was really moving.
I might embed some video, later, if I can find it. It was really moving.
Olympics
August 19, 2008 | 07:53 Filed in: Humanity
I just saw the medal ceremony for the 55KG men's freestyle wrestling. Henry Cejudo of the US won gold. My son and I had watched a couple matches while getting ready for school, but I hadn't realized the US had already taken the gold. Hearing the Star Spangled Banner while that young man stood up there, so proud, really moved me. 3 hankies
Freethought Radio 8/15/08
August 17, 2008 | 03:36 Filed in: Politics
This story was inspirational. Julia Cicci is a non-religious ROTC cadet coming into conflict with the very religious culture of the United States Army. I found the part where she invokes the United States Constitution especially moving. 2 hankies
To some of us, the Constitution is our most sacred document and it's great to see it invoked along with the Logic and Reason that inspired it.
(Freethought Radio is on Air America, and is affiliated with the Freedom From Religion Foundation.)
To some of us, the Constitution is our most sacred document and it's great to see it invoked along with the Logic and Reason that inspired it.
(Freethought Radio is on Air America, and is affiliated with the Freedom From Religion Foundation.)
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List
August 15, 2008 | 11:58 Filed in: Entertainment
I heard about this the other day on The Rachel Maddow Show. Kathy did an interview with Rachel about this episode - the season finale - where she went to Walter Reed Army Hospital and visited with injured and recovering troops. So I went ahead and set up the DVR to record it. I knew it'd be rough to watch, and I wasn't disappointed. I used about half a box of tissues watching this show. 4 hankies
On a side note, I've never watched anything on the Bravo network before. Seeing the ads for the vapid and shallow other shows on the network, I doubt I'll be watching much else on there.
On a side note, I've never watched anything on the Bravo network before. Seeing the ads for the vapid and shallow other shows on the network, I doubt I'll be watching much else on there.
Women's Fencing
August 15, 2008 | 11:24 Filed in: Humanity
I saw this article linked on Digg. I found the photos (and captions) very moving. The one of the young woman doubled over, crying after her defeat made me teary-eyed. 1 hankie
Book of Love
August 12, 2008 | 15:36 Filed in: Entertainment
This song popped up on my iPod while I was playing World of Warcraft. I've always liked Peter Gabriel. Solsbury Hill is one of my all time favorites. I actually didn't hear Book of Love until fairly recently. It's just a really, really moving and touching song. 2 hankies
Republicans and miltary men on John McCain
August 12, 2008 | 15:34 Filed in: Politics
Equal in strength to my sense of hope at the thought of Barack Obama as President, is my terror at the idea of John McCain as Commander in Chief.
The video mostly just sent chills down my spine, but at the end, during the footage of casualties, I couldn't help but feel sorrow at the needless pain and loss of life. How can people bring themselves to deliberately inflict pain on - or even end the life of - another human? (3 hankies)
McCain wants more wars. McCain shouldn't have a chance of winning, but biased media coverage, the right wing noise machine, voter ignorance, voter suppression, and the heavy support of monied interests mean that there is still the real danger that he could end up in the Oval Office. I hope we can overcome the very real and very difficult hurdles that are in our path back to sanity.
The video mostly just sent chills down my spine, but at the end, during the footage of casualties, I couldn't help but feel sorrow at the needless pain and loss of life. How can people bring themselves to deliberately inflict pain on - or even end the life of - another human? (3 hankies)
McCain wants more wars. McCain shouldn't have a chance of winning, but biased media coverage, the right wing noise machine, voter ignorance, voter suppression, and the heavy support of monied interests mean that there is still the real danger that he could end up in the Oval Office. I hope we can overcome the very real and very difficult hurdles that are in our path back to sanity.
Journey to the Undercity
August 11, 2008 | 21:46 Filed in: Entertainment
This is a quest in World of Warcraft. Players fighting certain mobs in the Ghostlands can get a amulet drop that starts a small quest chain. I know the back story of Sylvanas Windrunner from Warcraft III and The Frozen Throne, and evidently the amulet is a long lost gift to Sylvansas from her sister, Alleria. You take the amulet to Sylvanas and the script has her pretending that it's unimportant and tosses it aside, but as soon as you complete the quest, she does an emote:
"Lady Sylvanas Windrunner looks down at the discarded necklace. In her sadness, the lady incants a glamour, which beckons forth Highborne spirits. The chamber resonates with their ancient song about the Sin'dorei...
Then the game starts playing a rather haunting song in the High Elf language while banshee Highborne Lamenters materialize around her, and glowing effects streak around her chamber.
At the end of the song she kneels back down and picks the amulet back up and whispers, "Belore," which is High Elf for "the Sun."
I found it quite touching. 2 hankies
(As always, if you take the time to look, there's bigger fan out there. I found a write up with lyrics (and translation!) here.)
Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix (DVD) #2
August 09, 2008 | 02:22 Filed in: Entertainment
Wow. I took my son to see this in the Theatre, last year, and watched it with him, again, when the DVD was first released, but either he and my daughter are much more distracting than I realized, or I just wasn't paying attention the first two times I saw this movie. I remember being a little disappointed at the changes that had to be made to accommodate the transition to teleplay, but being pretty happy, over all. Well, finally after watching it the way I really like to watch moves (i.e. totally alone with absolutely no distractions) I have to say this movie is just fantastic. Yeah, there were some harsh cuts and changes, but it still carried the emotional punch of the book. That's saying something. I was a tearful mess pretty much from the point where the Order arrived to fight the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries. At times I found myself almost at 5 hankies. When Sirius was killed, and again when Voldemort possessed Harry and Harry was reliving the loss of all his loved ones. I feel like I've been through a wringer. I enjoyed it, though. I really, really enjoy these stories.
Whew. That was almost cathartic. I feel more calm and relaxed and ready to sleep than I have in months (I'm a bit of an insomniac).
Whew. That was almost cathartic. I feel more calm and relaxed and ready to sleep than I have in months (I'm a bit of an insomniac).
Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix (DVD)
August 09, 2008 | 00:20 Filed in: Entertainment
In the beginning of the movie, when Harry goes to 12 Grimmauld Place and is reunited with the Weasley's and Sirius had me worked up a bit. This is a hard time for the character of Mrs. Weasley. She has so many loved ones basically putting themselves in the line of fire, and knows that it'd be wrong to try to keep them out of the fray. Sirius, as well, is such a tragic figure. Reuniting with Harry makes him the happiest he's been in years, but it's only for fleeting moments. 3 hankies
I knew this was going to be a difficult movie for me to watch.
I knew this was going to be a difficult movie for me to watch.
Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire (DVD) #2
August 08, 2008 | 23:41 Filed in: Entertainment
The duel with Voldemort and the return to the school. You've seen it, and if you haven't you should. The echoes of Harry's parents coming out of Voldemort's wand, Cedric begging that Harry take his body back, Cedric's father wailing over the body of his son. This was the point where the books got really, really good, and really, really sad. One probably has something to do with the other.
Thomas Jefferson (PBS Documentary)
August 08, 2008 | 22:07 Filed in: Entertainment
In the beginning of the documentary, they explained how Thomas Jefferson used to ride to the top of "Tom's Mountain," with his friend, Dabney Carr. They loved the spot so much, that they formed a pact that if one predeceased the other, the survivor would make sure his friend was laid to rest on the mountain. Eventually, Jefferson built Montecello on the mountain.
"In May of 1773, Jefferson's friend, Dabney Carr, died of bilious fever. True to his word, Jefferson saw to it that he was laid to rest at Monticello."
I admire Jefferson a great deal, and I found this gesture for his lost friend very touching. 3 hankies
"In May of 1773, Jefferson's friend, Dabney Carr, died of bilious fever. True to his word, Jefferson saw to it that he was laid to rest at Monticello."
I admire Jefferson a great deal, and I found this gesture for his lost friend very touching. 3 hankies
Grassroots Obama Ad
August 08, 2008 | 15:23 Filed in: Politics
Mostly I was just mad through this. Mad at the completely unfair coverage of the two campaigns and the traditional media allowing McCain to go so negative and to outright lie without being called on it. But the last phrase of the commercial is Senator Obama's voice saying, "Your voice can change the World!" Well, it just struck me and made me surge with emotion. I hope nobody's going to sabotage our chance to elect this man President. (2 hankies)
Discovery Channel Song
August 06, 2008 | 18:54 Filed in: Entertainment | Humanity
I haven't seen this commercial in months, but a short version was just on as I was watching "Dirty Jobs." The first time I saw it I just fell apart. I laughed and cried, and watched it over and over. It still makes me cry. Tears of joy and pride. We are a remarkable species living on a remarkable planet. The very fact that we're capable of realizing this just fills me with hope and happiness. 3 hankies
Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire (DVD)
August 05, 2008 | 22:17 Filed in: Entertainment
I'm watching "Goblet of Fire," and the story just got to the point of Harry and Cedric touching the Triwizard Cup and being transported to the grave of Tom Riddle Sr. Just knowing what's about to happen to Cedric is enough to make me weepy (1 hankie), but the thought that the end of this movie - good as it is - is going to put me through the wringer is enough that I'm actually pausing the movie. I'll finish it, later, but right now it's just more than I want to go through.
I do this a lot. I have a copy of "There Will Be Blood" that I bought a few months ago but still haven't watched. I know it's going to completely derail me so I keep putting it off.
I do this a lot. I have a copy of "There Will Be Blood" that I bought a few months ago but still haven't watched. I know it's going to completely derail me so I keep putting it off.
Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban
August 05, 2008 | 14:34 Filed in: Entertainment
Sirius Black is another of my favorite characters from the Harry Potter stories. His difficult adolescence was made easier by his friends, only to have one friend betray another two to their death and frame him for it. It's a heartrending story. Still, I did OK until the movie got to the point where the group of them were caught off-guard by the full moon outside the Shrieking Shack. The way that Sirius pleads with Lupin to try to focus - to try to retain some part of his humanity - moved me. 2 hankies
Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone (DVD) #2
August 04, 2008 | 13:25 Filed in: Entertainment
"Gryffindor wins the House Cup!"
Good lord, I'm such a pushover. 1 hankie
Good lord, I'm such a pushover. 1 hankie
Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone (DVD)
August 04, 2008 | 00:21 Filed in: Entertainment
I'm such a sucker for this story. I got weepy when Hagrid was confronting the Dersley's at the beginning. Not because of what was going on, in particular, but because I know all the backstory and outcomes, already. 1 hankie