Random Access

Thursday – 21 July 2011
This NBN Technical Friday is a bright, sunny day with blue skies and no clouds.

Last night, SaraRules! and I went to a screening of Captain America: The First Avenger, thanks to Jeff and Jimmy at Big Movie Mouth-Off and about 20 of my friends, who helped me win tickets.

Where some directors might have a problem making a solid comic book adaptation or a period piece, Joe Johnston has successfully crafted a movie that works not only as a big-screen comic book movie AND a period piece, but also as a lighter World War II fare. The only thing that our screening didn’t have was the post-movie teaser clip for The Avengers. (Thank God for YouTube…)

Sidenote: I just noted that Mr. Johnston also directed a few other movies of which I am fond:

• October Sky,
• Hidalgo, and
• The Rocketeer (which I’ve only seen in bits and pieces, but is also a comic book adaptation and period piece)

I also find it somewhat amusing that it’s been 20 years between his forays into comics-related fare.

Chris Evans did a fine job as Steve Rogers, a young man looking for a chance to serve his country, but unable to do so because of his frail constitution. When given a chance to join the military, he finds that it’s not the role he wanted or expected… but that doesn’t stop him. Nor does it keep him from becoming the soldier — not just “super-soldier” — that he hoped to be.  Stanley Tucci‘s turn as Dr. Erskine – who developed the super-soldier formula – was also quite good. He came across as a man who, like Steve Rogers, understood the difference between doing something because you can and doing something because it’s right. Hayley Atwell was a good choice for Agent Peggy Carter, the romantic interest. Most importantly, she wasn’t relegated to a “damsel in distress” role; Agent Carter was as much in the thick of things as any of her male counterparts. In a bit of a surprise to me, Tommy Lee Jones‘ Colonel Phillips was in more of the film than I expected. And I enjoyed every bit of screen time that he had. And Hugo Weaving was an excellent choice as Johann Schmidt/The Red Skull. He made a believable adversary, mixing the right amounts of ego and megalomania.

This is a fun bit of summer cinema, with a little something for everyone. The movie apparently earned its PG-13 rating for one scene —  an action/violence issue, rather than a language or nudity issue. With this movie, Marvel Entertainment – and Disney, by extension – has hit the proverbial trifecta, with respect to comic book movies this summer, in the releases of Thor, X-Men: First Class and Captain America.

(Yeah, I could have used LEGO bricks for this, but… I liked this better.)

See Also: Captain America’s cinematic comeback, from USA Today and Comics, Everybody: The History of Captain America Explained, from Comics Alliance.

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
Today’s musical oleo has included:

• US3 – Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)
• Annie Lennox- Walking on Broken Glass
• Santana (ft. Rob Thomas) – Smooth
• Led Zeppelin – Heartbreaker
• LL Cool J – Mama Said Knock You Out

Stray Toasters

• Marvel Entertainment and the LEGO Group announce strategic relationship in construction toy category
• Tax Bill Imperils Slavery Museum
• Apple does away with the MacBook
• Apple Tops Nokia to Become Worlds’ Top Smartphone Vendor
• 
• Space shuttle Atlantis lands, ending NASA’s shuttle program
• Last Space Shuttle Lands, Ending 30 Year Era
• Spaceflight Is Getting Cheaper. But It’s Still Not Cheap Enough.
• To Nullify Lead, Add a Bunch of Fish Bones
• MarknTyme sent me a link to a trailer for the upcoming Conan the Barbarian. I’ve been somewhat ambivalent about the movie, but the trailer has piqued my curiosity…

• Computer theft impacts 400K South Carolina patients
• Social Media History Becomes a New Job Hurdle

Namaste.

Wednesday – 20 July 2011
Today marks the 42nd anniversary of the first time that a man set foot on the moon (1, 2) .

As taken from the Purdue University Facebook page:

Today in history: On July 20, 1969, Purdue graduate and astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. That one small step has been inspiring Boilermakers and the rest of the world ever since!

That’s right, a Boilermaker did that.

Last night was D&D 3.5 game night with and company. It was a good session. We encountered an odd group of people at a desert oasis. They were – or at least seemed – friendly enough. And they were… helpful… in that they helped us find a city that we were seeking. And by “helped us find” I mean,”they gated us to the city, which turned out to be of the ‘long-lost’ and ‘floating-in-the-air’ variety. And that’s where we’re picking up next time.

I considered hitting the gym after gaming, but as it was late (after 2300) and I had an early – and long – day on the agenda for today, I opted out. Today is rather full with: A doctor’s appointment (for the twins) this morning and a screening of Captain America this evening… oh, yeah, there’s work on both sides of that doctor’s appointment, too.

::: break for appointment :::

Post-appointment update: SaraRules! and both kids are fine. (And her doctor won’t let her go past 38 weeks.)

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
This morning’s music selection has been varied and quite good:

• Rush – Limelight (which, to be honest, wasn’t so random a selection…)
• Shirley Bassey – Goldfinger
• Tony! Toni! Tone’! – Born Not to Know
• Robbie Williams – Rock DJ
• En Vogue – You Don’t Have to Worry
• Snoop Dogg (ft. Pharell) – Drop It Like It’s Hot
• Liz Phair – Supernova

Not a bad way to kick off a Wednesday, at all.

Stray Toasters

• Farewell, MacBook. It appears as though Apple has consolidated the line to MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, only.
• Utah Liquor Laws, as Mixed Up as Some Drinks
• QR codes everywhere — even on grave markers
• 
• 14 Navy commanders relieved of duty, prompting conduct memo
• With N.F.L. Deal in Sight, Both Sides Can Claim Gains
• Curtis Granderson: Where are all the black fans?
• 
• Why Borders Failed While Barnes & Noble Survived
• While I’d seen the first video done for the X-Men parody of Born This Way, I hadn’t seen this version.  Thanks to for pointing it out:

• And that, naturally, leads to this:

  

• Why Did They Put Cargo Netting on Combat Helmets?
• U.S. to Close 800 Computer Data Centers

Namaste.

Tuesday – 19 July 2011
Day Two of Four… fortunately, there’s coffee.

And it’s game night. And, there may even be a trip to the gym on this evening’s agenda.

Last night, Operation: Paint Guest Room went into effect. Ms. and Logan came over to lend a hand. We banged out the whole thing – from taping to finishing (minus door trim) – in under two hours. There are a couple of small areas that need a slight touch-up, but the proverbial “heavy lifting” is done. And, with the painting out of the way, the guest room furniture can now be moved so that the cribs and other baby furniture can go into the nursery.

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
The Tuesday morning music mix started slow, but geared up fairly quickly:

• Poe – Angry Johnny
• Sublime – Santeria
• DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince – I’m Looking for the One (To Be With Me)
• Janet Jackson – The Pleasure Principle
• Ben Folds Five – Underground

Stray Toasters

• Celebrate Women and Railroad Heritage at Train Festival 2011
• Ready for Retirement, Shuttles Get a Deep Clean
• First-Place Sweep by American Girls at First Google Science Fair

  

• Cities Report Surge in Graffiti
• Death Star PR
• Birth Control Without Copays Could Become Mandatory
• Longtime book retailer Borders heading toward liquidation
• 24 Small Towns May Lose Air Service

Thursday – 14 July 2011
Today is Bastille Day.

Last night was the release event for WizKids!’ Captain America HeroClix set. One of the nice things about release nights: I don’t have to judge the events, so I just get to play. (This isn’t to say that I don’t get asked rules questions, however… but I’m not the event judge, so I’m not constantly doing my best impression of the Shell Answer Man.) It was a 300-point sealed draft: Pick your team, up to 300 points, from two (2) booster boxes. I got obliterated in the first round, only picking off one of my opponent’s figures… for a whopping 57 points. The second round, my dice apparently woke up; I cleared my opponent’s team and didn’t lose anyone. In the third round, it came down to one figure for each of us… and I wound up on the losing side of the beatdown.  (Although, I was apparently “only” one click away from taking out Nick Fury.) All-in-all, I had a good time.

Today, as SaraRules! just pointed out to me, is going to be a long day: I was up and out of the house before 0700 this morning… and I won’t be done with the day until 2100 or so tonight, thanks to our childbirthing class. Good thing I stopped for a cup of frozen mocha motivation on the way in.

Groove. Boogie. Sway.
This morning’s iTunes bit o’ random play included:

• Blackstreet (ft. Mya and Ma$e) – Take Me There
• Rush – The Big Money
• Cruxshadows – Winter Born (This Sacrifice)
• Smashing Pumpkins – The End Is the Beginning Is the End
• Pink Floyd – Learning to Fly
• Gwen Stefani – Hollaback Girl

Stray Toasters

• For SaraRules!: Cuba’s first-ever zombie/horror film: “Juan of the Dead”
• A Message from NASA Astronauts to the Space Shuttle Workforce
  NOTE: This video starts as soon as the page finishes loading.
• Zeus for Android steals one-time banking passwords
• By way of MarknTyme comes this dice stacking video. Bizarre.
• 
• USA tops France 3-1 to advance to World Cup title game
• A couple of comics-related items:
• The Dwayne McDuffie tribute Comic-Con International wouldn’t print
• On Gender & Race in “Fear Itself” #4 and “Flashpoint” #3 – Don’t Say That’s Just for White Boys”
• Borders Faces Liquidation After Takeover Bid’s Rejection
• New Music Service Offers Music in Quantity, Not by Song
• Got Spotify? Here’s How to Use It
• Banks will no longer sell Savings Bonds
• 
• For a Night Each Year, the Airwaves Buzz with Morse Code
• GQ: Street Style
• Steelers’ Harrison blasts Goodell, Roethlisberger and Patriots
• Pop’s Punching Bag: Hating the Black Eyed Peas

Namaste.

Monday – 04 July 2011
Happy Fourth of July to all!

Please take some time to remember that the day isn’t just about sales and fireworks and barbecues. It’s a commemoration of the struggle that the colonists went through to win their freedom from England.

I don’t think that a five-day work week ever seemed quite as long as last week did, but this has been a good weekend. To hit the highlights:

• SaraRules! (and the kids) had another check-up. Everything’s five by five.
• SaraRules!’ sister, Melissa, came to town Friday because…
• Saturday was my mother-in-law’s birthday.
• We picked up the first crib. (Second one should follow this afternoon…)
• We took family pictures, courtesy of Amanda Nelson Photography & Design
• I played with my trains a bit.
• SaraRules! wanted to see Green Lantern and I was up for seeing it again… so we did. She liked it and didn’t grok why critics were so down on it. (Whew!)
• We hung out with the in-laws.
• We did some work around the house and lawn.
• Had lots of good food.

…and we still have nearly half the day left! I don’t consider that a bad weekend at all.

And, this week is an abbreviated work week, as I’m off today and Friday is my 9/80 day off.

Stray Toasters

• From National Geographic: 9 Fourth of July Myths Debunked
  • And, as a semi-related aside: Spirit of 76 – Bicentennial Locomotives
    (As if I’d pass up an opportunity to find/use a train tie-in…)
• 
• 10 Trends to Steal from Fashion Week… Right Now
• There is a bird that roosts somewhere outside our bedroom window. It chirps/sings/whatever LOUDLY in the mornings, usually before my alarm goes off. I’m ready for it to find a new place to sing.
• Whither the Astronauts Without a Shuttle?
  • With the Shuttle Program Ending, Fears of Decline at NASA
• Make a Fire Tornado Out of Household Items

  

• Tools of Entry, No Need for a Key Chain

Namaste.

…and don’t forget to keep an eye out for The Fresh Prince and The Fly.

Wednesday – 29 June 2011
It’s midweek, and I don’t think that I’ve been so happy to see a Wednesday roll around in a long time. It’s not that this has been a bad one. It just feels like it’s been exceptionally long. On the “plus” side, it’s new comics day and game night, so there are a couple of things to which I can look forward.

Last night was Guys’ Night Out. , , , Corey, Steve (the father-in-law) and I headed up to MacCool’s Public House for beer, food and shooting the bull. It was a very good way to spend the evening.

After I got home, I watched The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson for the first time in… longer than I care to admit. One of his guests was Neil Gaiman. The interview was fun, as the two went on and on about Doctor Who — Gaiman wrote an episode for the show this season; Ferguson was a big fan of the show in his youth. Later in the interview, Gaiman also made an amusing comment in which he posited that Mythbusters‘ Jamie Hyneman might be Cthulhu.

This morning, not long before the alarm went off, I had a dream in which Neil Gaiman appeared: He was in town for a book signing and we hung out. I met him once, very briefly, at a signing nearly ten years ago…

…he was quite pleasant. And, I would most definitely hang out and have a pint or two with him, but I don’t think that we necessarily run in the same circles.

Stray Toasters

• Gibbs’ Rules
• I find “victuals” to be a weird word. I find it even more odd/amusing because its pronunciation is “vittles.”  (like “Tender Vittles,” for the cat owners out there.)Given that, maybe I should cut some slack for the people who pronounce “nuclear” as “nu-cu-lar.”  Or not.
• 
• When Fashion Meets Fishing, the Feathers Fly
• Everything You Need to Know About Coffee in Less Than Five Minutes

• No More Silent Summers
• Black unemployment at Depression-era levels
• Debris Gives Space Station Crew Members a 29,000 MPH Close Call
• 
• USA beats North Korea 2-0 behind Lauren Cheney’s goal
• Gas Card — With a ‘G’ as in Gimmick

Namaste.

Thursday – 23 June 2011
It’s another bright and sunny No Bad News “Technical Friday.” Amen.

Yesterday, SaraRules! and I had another prenatal appointment — another ultrasound. Baby A was in photogenic mode, while Baby B was a bit camera shy. Both babies are doing well and are growing nicely.

Last night was game night with and the usual suspects. We had a HUGE fight on our hands: Five of us (plus five NPCs) versus a small horde of villagers. And we couldn’t kill them. Not that we weren’t capable of killing ’em – morality aside – but they were possessed, and killing the hosts would have caused us to face the entities possessing them. And they, combined, would have kicked our collective recta eight ways from Sunday. So, it was a long fight:

Knock out villager.
Exorcise villager.
Trap exorcised spirit in vessel.
Lather.
Rinse.
Repeat.

But, we managed to pull it off. And… we did it without anyone dying. (Well, no one in our group died; a couple of the villagers wound up as ‘collateral damage.’ Oops.)

Stray Toasters

• Burn Notice returns tonight!
• In North Dakota City, River’s Threat Renewed
  My brother (and sister-in-law and nephew and one of my nieces) live in this town, but I spoke with my brother last night and he said that their house isn’t threatened by the flooding.
• The Magnetic Dead – 3D Zombie Magnets
• A Brief History of the Corporation: 1600 to 2100
• Pulitzer Prize winner reveals he’s an illegal immigrant
• 
• Movie Legends Revealed: A White Shaft? Elm Street’s Happy Ending?
• As Start-Up Matures, Working with Amex
  • American Express Specials — now for everyone, nationwide
• Postal Service suspends retirement plan contributions
• Abandoned 1940s Power Station

Namaste.

Tuesday – 21 June 2011
Today is the Summer Solstice, marking both the longest day of the year and the first day of Summer.

Last night, SaraRules and I went for a post-dinner walk. We headed to the neighborhood 7-11 for Slurpees. Rather than double back, we took the long way home, making a rather large (1.5 mile) loop home. It was a good walk and the weather was perfect for an evening stroll. Back at home, we rounded out the evening with Top Gear… and a bedtime story for the proto-twins. Last night’s story: Seven Little Postmen…

… which actually does a fair job of explaining how mail gets through the USPS mailstream.  (Of course, the book was written decades before REC sites came online, so there are a couple of differences, especially with reference to sorting technology.)

Stray Toasters

• I should have my review of Green Lantern ready for tomorrow’s post.
• SaraRules! and I watched “33,” an episode of Battlestar Galactica, last night. In many ways, it reminded me of “Year of Hell,” from ST: Voyager.
• Report cards, grades get worse during recession
• From NPR Music: What Are Your Sounds of Summer?
  • Utah Symphony presents: Summer Community Concerts
    
• The Mix: Jazz in the Present Tense
• Despite the loss of a leg, Army Ranger is back in the fight
• Upending Anonymity, These Days the Web Unmasks Everyone
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Rob Zombie’s Woolite Commercial
• Good Humor Ice Cream Truck, 1938

And that’s a wrap.

Namaste.

Saturday – 18 June 2011
I’m in Denver, Colorado.  More or less. Actually, I’m in Parker. But, it’s part of the Denver Metro Area… so, like I said: “I’m in Denver.”

We’re here for the wedding of one of SaraRules!’ cousins. We drove in yesterday, with her folks. After we got to town and settled into the hotel, we found a place to eat – Johnny’s Asian Bistro – which wasn’t half bad. Then, we headed up to the Hannah’s (the bride-to-be) and hung out with the family for a while. I got in some kid-time, as a couple of the hatchlings decided to hang out and play with me.

We got made it back to the hotel and pretty much crashed. Nine-plus hours in a car makes for a LONG day.

Today, we’re off to gallivant a bit before the reception; it’s a temple wedding (1, 2, 3) , so we’re just going to the ‘after-party,’ so to speak. I think that today’s excursion will include a trip to the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Black American West Museum, and maybe (HOPEFULLY) a trip to Caboose Hobbies, if time permits.

Stray Toasters

• My review of Green Lantern will most likely have to wait until I get back home. As a tide-me-over, here’s this from my very early Friday morning Facebook post:
  

  Just got home from seeing Green Lantern and REALLY should be putting more effort into getting to bed.

  I enjoyed the movie, not just as a GL fan, but as a comics-based movie fan. I would say that it leaned more towards “Fantastic Four” than “Superman: the Movie” or “Batman Begins/The Dark Knight,” but it was still fun.

  Would I pay to see it in a theatre again? Sure.
  Will I buy the DVD when it comes out? Yep.

• Chalk Art Festival brings artists together for a good cause
  If you’re in the Salt Lake City area and looking for a fun family event, go check it out!
• American Star Shines in House of Mirrors

Short and sweet… but we’re about to go attack the day.

Namaste.

Thursday – 16 June 2011
Another NBN Thursday is upon us.
Today is also an unofficial “Technical Friday,” as I’m taking tomorrow off.

I didn’t get to see yesterday’s Green Lantern screening. (By the same token, neither did about a hundred other people who were also in line.) That’s cool on a couple of counts:

1. I got to play D&D (4.0) with and company, which was a rather fun time. It turns out that we hadn’t played in nearly a month!
2. I’m going to the screening that Dr. Volt’s is co-hosting — tonight at The Gateway.

Win-Win.

Stray Toasters

• It’s another “chock full o’ meetings” day.  Yay.
• Optimism over new deal emerging from latest round of talks
• Energy Plant, Left for Dead, Shows a Pulse
  • Nuclear Plant Safety Rules Inadequate, Group Says
• 
• Abandoned Skyscraper – Fifty Level Abandoned Building
• New York Public Library Buys Timothy Leary’s Papers
• Song “Covers” Uploaded to YouTube Could Land You in Jail for Five Years
• 
• iCufflinks
• Comics, Everybody: The History of Green Lantern Explained

  

• Dear Photograph

Namaste.

Tuesday – 14 June 2011
Today is Flag Day.

And, even though it’s Tuesday, it’s another day chock full o’ meetings. Whoop-de-damn-doo!

Last night, I attempted to conquer the front lawn… as a thunderstorm loomed in the not-to-distant sky. (I managed to finish before it became a torrential downpour.) After that, I deemed that it was going to be a lazy night in. SaraRules! and I spent the evening watching Top Gear (UK) and the various versions of House Hunters.

Sidenote: Apparently House Hunters, like Law & Order before it, has enough spin-offs for me to start tagging them like Star Trek series:

• House Hunters: TOS
• House Hunters International: TNG
• House Hunters on Vacation: DS9

Just saying…

And, I read a bit more of Sixkill, which has been quite good.

Stray Toasters

• An Effort to Foster Tolerance in Religion
• Heart with No Beat Offers Hope of New Lease on Life
• On College Forms, A Question of Race, or Races, Can Perplex
• 
• Army soldiers ditch hated berets, in favor of caps
  This would have made Jess happy, I think.  As I recall, she was a little… irritated… when it was announced that all Army troops were making the switch to berets, as prior to that, berets signified special forces and/or special assignment troops.
• IMF latest victim of “major” cyberattack, breach
• Is it bad that this is how I picture Sarah Palin’s Paul Revere snafu from a couple of weeks ago:

  

• I came across a couple of interesting articles related to this summer’s comic book movies:
  • Green Lantern: The Truth About Black and Green
  • Genocide and bubblegum – X-Men: First Class review
• Superstars Never Guessed the Size of ‘Spider-Man’ Challenges

Saturday – 11 June 2011
Yesterday was my youngest sister’s birthday:

Yesterday was also my 9/80 day off. And it was a good day. I started with a short trip to the gym. (This is almost getting to be a habit…)

• Elliptical: 15 minutes, ~5.75 MPH pace
• Bench press: 3 sets/8 reps — 2 sets @ 135, 1 set @ 155
• Curls (dumbbells, seated): 3 sets/10 reps, 25 lbs
• Shoulder Press (dumbbells, seated): 3 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs
• Compound Row: 3 sets/10 reps, 125 lbs.

Back home to get cleaned up and then I was off to Porcupine Pub and Grille for lunch with my friend, Emily. We’d not seen each other in a couple of years, so there was a fair bit of catching up to do. Next I popped in to say “Hi” to and .

Then… it was off to meet SaraRules! for another appointment with her doctor. Only, the doctor was “out,” as she got called to the hospital to deliver a baby. So, we met with a nurse instead. She checked on the babies and gave us a thumbs-up on their progress.

I made it back home (by way of The Train Shoppe) and played a bit of Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters before we went out to meet the usual suspects for Clitorati.

This morning, following a series of disturbing dreams and fitful sleep, I found myself awake at 0630. Rather than toss and turn in bed, I made my way to the couch and watched TV. I actually got to see The Rifleman (1, 2) for the first time in ages. Then, the TV started watching me, as I nodded in and out of sleep for the next hour-and-a-half.

Stray Toasters

• Gail, Jill and Babs: A Conversation about Oracle and Batgirl
• iCloud’s legal complaint
• Leonard B. Stern, Creator of Mad Libs, Dies at 88
• An A-Z of incredible uses for everyday things
• 
• Legends of the Joystick
• “Vampire” Stars Found in Heart of Our Galaxy
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Contortionist Hides in Suitcase to Steal from Bus Passengers
• Buried in Anonymity, and Ignominy, Too
• Borders tries to avoid closing 51 more stores
• 
• Citi Data Theft Points Up a Nagging Problem

Namaste.

Thursday – 09 June 2011
Another NBN Technical Friday is upon us. Amen. It looks like it’s going to be a clear, sunny day. That doesn’t exactly hurt my feelings.

Last night, SaraRules! and I had dinner with Ron and a couple of his coworkers, Linda and Kathy. We ate at The Pie Pizzeria. I’ve long been of the opinion that pizza from The Pie is “good,” but I’m not as head-over-heels about it as some of my friends. I think that I know at least part of “why” I’ve had a problem in the past: I have most often had their “Mountain of Meat” pizza, which tends to be a bit… messy… and greasy. And, while filling, it sits heavily in your stomach. Last night’s pizza (or, rather, my half of it) had pepperoni, sausage and green peppers. It went down easily and was filling, without being “too heavy.” I’m fairly confident in saying that it was probably my most pleasurable experience eating a pizza there. After dinner, Ron came over and hung out with us for a while. SaraRules!, he and I sat around trading stories until late in the evening. It was a good end to a good day.

Stray Toasters

• Today is the 96th Anniversary of Les Paul‘s birthday.
  Today’s Google doodle (on the “Classic” home page) is an interactive homage to that.

  …and…

• Straight from the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” and the “Good Cause for a Bad Situation” files: Commission a Sketch to Help Pay Legal Fees of Girl Who Refused to Cheer Her Attacker
• Peanutweeter
• After soldiers’ video goes viral, more bags will fly free
  • Delta apologizes after charging soldiers $2,800 for bags
• Drug makes hearts repair themselves
• By way of :

• Homeless Veterans Sue Over Neglected Campus
• New elements added to chemistry’s periodic table
• Soaring inflation? Not with 9% unemployment
• This made me laugh:

  

• The Walking Dead Action Figures
  • Actors Playing With Themselves: Actors With Action Figures
• Sun uncorks a massive solar blast
• Lockdown High: How schools put the emphasis on crime, security and violence instead of freedom and education
• Citigroup FAQ: What we know about the attack

Namaste.

Tuesday – 07 June 2011
It’s my mother’s birthday!

It’s also Prince’s birthday. Under normal circumstances, I’d post a link to a video by Prince here, but he’s pretty tight about rights management – as is his prerogative – so, you’ll just have to hum something to yourself.

On a less-light note, I’m in the south office today. I can’t really complain, though; it’s a nice change of pace.

Last night, I attended the Justice League Junior League Annual Dinner with SaraRules! As an added bonus, I got to be the proxy date for three other ladies. (Yeah, I know… rough life.) We sat at a table with two other members and one provisional. And a lovely time was had by all.

I was struck, once again, by the fact that of ALL the ladies there, I only saw three (3) other men… and one (pre-)teenager. It seemed odd to me that wives/families are almost expected to attend festivities related to their husbands’ jobs or activities, but when it’s time to support the wives’ activitites…? You can watch the vapor trails form as the men fly out of sight.

Personally, I’m happy to support and attend SaraRules!’ events:

• Opera? Check.
• Symphony? Check.
• Junior League dinners and events?  Check.

Why? Because they’re important to her (and in the case of the symphony and opera, job-related). And, as she’s important to me, so are the things she’s interested in. Besides, I get to go to great symphonic concerts and opera and I get to meet interesting people… and, in the case of last night, I get to dress up and escort a number of lovely ladies to an event. How can that be a bad thing?!

Stray Toasters

• One of my three-year-old niece’s favorite songs – if not her favorite – is Folsom Prison Blues, which she is fond of singing. Loudly and enthusiastically… much to the consternation of my sister.
• Parents, not government, should decide on circumcision
• By way of :

  

• Brilliant Idea for a Wall: LEGO It, courtesy of
  This not only goes down as a great idea, but now I have to find a way to convince SaraRules! that we should keep this in mind for the nursery or, at least, the kids’ playroom in a few years.
• Gmail users targeted by Adobe Flash exploit
  • Google breaks up Gmail spying campaign
• 
• Heroes*
• Batman Relaunch: New #1s for ‘Batgirl,’ ‘Batman,’ ‘Detective,’ ‘Catwoman,’ ‘Birds of Prey’
  • Oracle Is Stronger than Batgirl Will Ever Be
  • Batgirl Triumphant: The Price of DC Comics’ Disabled Heroine
• I need to pick up Green Lantern: Emerald Knights today…

  

• The Truth About Paul Revere’s Ride
• I may actually have a newfound respect for one of my coworkers.
• In State Parks, the Sharpest Ax Is the Budget’s
• BCS strips Southern California of 2004 national championship

And now… lunch!

Namaste.

Wednesday – 01 June 2011
It’s a new month.
It’s new comics day.
It’s D&D (4.0) game night.
And… it may even be Sushi Wednesday, depending on how my morning shapes up.

For reasons that I have yet to discern, I woke up with Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 running through my head.

Last night, , Chris, Dee and I met at MacCool’s for a guys’ night out. Any evening that ends with Guinness can’t be bad. I opted for the Meat Loaf entree – which is prepared with a barbecue sauce, as opposed to a tomato-based sauce; it was very good. In fact, the beer, the food and the company were all good. If I have my druthers, this will become a regular (or at least semi-regular) occurrence.

Stray Toasters

• Endeavour lands safely in Florida
• Pentagon to Consider Cyberattacks Acts of War
• High-tech medical exam cheating alleged
• 
• Today in Geek History: Robert Heinlein coins the word “grok” when Stranger in a Strange Land is published in 1961, courtesy of Thinkgeek
• City of Heroes has just introduced a Steampunk Pack. This amuses me greatly.
• Improv Everywhere: The Mute Button
• DC Comics dropped a not-so-minor bombshell yesterday: A complete reboot of the entire DCU, coming in September.

  

  • A Note from the DC Comics Co-Publishers: We Hate Secrets
  • Our (First) 13 Questions About the DC Universe Reboot
  • DC Comics unleashes a new universe of superhero titles
  • DC Comics ready for a risky yet relevant publishing change
  • DC’s Number One(s), a commentary from Evil, Inc‘s Brad Guigar
  • DC Comics’ Number One Stunna: The Ballsiest Move of the Decade
• Cousins that are siblings, Identical twin sisters and mothers, Alternative (and parallel) universes
• Reconstruction Lifts Economy After Disasters
• 
• Home prices hit 2002 levels
  • Continuing housing crisis: Ghost suburbs and empty real estate
• In Unusual Move, Apple Previews New Software Plans
• Cellphone Radiation May Cause Cancer, Advisory Panel Says

Namaste.