This is the coolest computer I’ve ever known.
##Where to Begin
I’ve been the proud owner of [[Apple]] computers since 1978.
I’ve owned the following:
* Apple II
* Apple II+
* Apple IIe
* Mac Plus
* Mac SE
* Mac Centris 475
* iMac DV Special Edition
But they all pale in comparison to this one.
What does George have to say about how the country is right now.
Well, it’s been a year since the last State of the Union address. It’s been quite a year for me personally, and for the country as a whole. What does President Bush have to say about it?
I’ll be commenting on this as he speaks.
###Preliminaries
Everyone is giving George a standing ovation. According to Coakie, this is for the office, not for George.
Lady’s and gentlemen… the President of the United States.
###Welcome
Things are changing… we have decisions to make as a country. We’re going to be ready for anybody that threatens us. I’m glad that got a universal standing ovation.
We’re going to deal with our problems now, not leave them for the future. Nice thought George.
###Recap
* Education: It’s interesting that he starts off the speech with education.
* Homeland Security
* Tax Relief
* Dealing with corporate fraud
###It’s the economy stupid
It’s good to hear George acknowledge the problems with the economy and vow to make an effort to fix the problem. It’s interesting that he thinks that a miniscule tax break for average people will fix the problem. It really has to be corporate.
And what about revenue?
* Get rid of the marriage penalty
* Child tax credit increase
* Small business tax breaks
###I hate partisan standing ovations… just sit down already!!!!
* Dividend tax elimination… yeah, it’s unfair, but it won’t help now.
* Deal with the deficit by growing the economy and increasing revenue, not by raising taxes… I like that.
* Federal spending shoulddn’t increase faster than the cost of live… YES!
* Partial privatization of social security… YES!!!
* Affordable health care… that got everyone standing. But HOW??? Certainly not with a centralized federal health care system.
* Federal subsidies for low income families to get health care.
* It’s timee to put the people back in charge of their own medical care. YES!
* Medicare needs a lot of help.
* I’m getting really sick of HEARING about a prescription drug programs… let’s get it done!!!
* Get rid of bad lawsuits… YES!!!! This is the whole problem and the main reason that costs are skyrocketing.
###Energy and the Environment
* conservation, clean energy… is it enough?
* Innovation is the key to environmental protection.
* We’re going to lead the way to hydrogen powered automobiles… $2 billion… YEAH. You gotta love that!
* This will lower our oil dependence. Wow, I just wonder if it’s as good as it sounds.
###Faith based initiative
* I don’t like this at all… it’s not the place of the federal government to fund work done by religious institutes.
* Mentors are good… he’s gonna fund mentorship programs.
###Drugs
* Drug addiction is bad… DUH!
* We’re going to start treating drug addiction as a medical problem… well, he got that right.
###Now, we go to abortion
* End partial birth abortion… I think that all reasonable people agree that this is horrifying and should stop. Will everyone stand up and be counted? Not likely.
* No human cloning
###Now we’re to it… the War on terrorism
* We’re going to invest in Afganistan and educate the children
* Support Israel
* Support Palestine… whatever.
* Let’s help aids victims in Africa… YES!!! Do we really have the will to do the right thing here? If we do, it’ll help our standing around the world.
* $15 billion for aids relief… WOW!!!!
###We’re winning the war on terrorism
* OK… but how?
* We’ve caught a bunch of Al Queda leaders
* 3000 suspected terrorists arrested
* many more have met another fate and are no longer a problem. YEAH! Go get ’em george!!!
* We’ve shut them down in many places around the world
* They’re learning the meaning of American Justice.
* Balistic Missile defense? Are we finally getting there?
###Free People will set the course of history
* Nice quote.
* Here comes the link to Iraq…
* We’ve kicked ass for the last hundred years against wanabes, and we’re gonna do it again. YEAH!
###America’s purpose is more than to follow a process, it’s to achieve a result
* The course of this nation does not depend on the decision of others
* The US supports the rights of Iranians to live free and choose their own government
* North Korea sucks
* America will not be blackmailed
* Saddam Hussein has never listened to the UN and disarmed.
*
Notice that it didn’t affect MySQL!
Known as “SQL Slammer,” the malicious program targets a previously identified weakness in Microsoft’s software to shut down powerful server computers.
When are people going to learn that there are far better solutions than [[M$]].
What would you be named if you live in the Shire?
Hi there. It’s been a while since I’ve last posted here. Oh well… onward and upward.
Just to start with, here’s something that’s kinda fun: the Hobbit Name Generator. Put your name in, and see what pops out. Mine is: Berilac Gamgee Whitfurrows. [[:-)]].
Proponents of MPEG-4 are decrying Microsoft’s new licensing fees for rival technology, saying that the pricing poses unfair competition and threatens consumer choice.
By undercutting the price, critics say, Microsoft is threatening the industry’s natural tendency to migrate to open standards that allow many companies to work together seamlessly to service mass media with better choice.
And as we know from an [[Abuse of Power by M$]], [[M$]] is only making money on its Windows and Office products… all other products are loosing money, including this one now.
Remember:
It can afford to shoulder big losses in the areas where it wishes to be the dominant force for a very long time.
When will the government learn?
Just to make sure you remember which one of these is evil:
Companies, including Microsoft, RealNetworks and Apple Computer, have developed advanced codecs… and all the companies are jockeying for dominance in PC and non-PC markets. But while Microsoft is pushing for adoption of its proprietary technology by consumer-electronics manufacturers and content owners, [[Apple]] and RealNetworks have turned to support of MPEG-4.
‘Nuff said.
Some economists thing that the job market is just getting ready to take off.
It may be hard to find a bright spot for battered and beleaguered workers in today’s job market, but if you can look beyond current woes, you may see rays of light in the not-so-distant future.
I sure hope they’re right. Maybe I’ll have a job fairly soon!!!
This is perhaps the most complete and best review of the best movie of the year.
The fact that the relative economy of his budget (and when the average action movie costs nearly $100 million, $270 million for three three-hour movies is bupkiss) compelled him to keep focused. But I think something else is at work, not only Jackson’s sense of duty to the legions of Tolkien admirers but his own love for the material. It may even be that the story of heroes who have put themselves at the service of a cause has inspired him to put himself at the service of the material.
I couldn’t have said it better.
Stay tuned for my review.
Peter Jackson has done it again. Step aside George Lucas. Steven Spielberg, your time has past. There’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s not taking any prisoners.
I sat in the theater in London wondering if the magic could continue. [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]] was one of the purest joys I’ve experienced while watching a movie. Could part two possibly keep that feeling alive?
The answer is a resounding **yes**!
I’ve been [[Let’s Party]] the progress of this little project for over four years now. Like many other fans of the books, I had some serious trepidation about the possibility of the saga being turned into a series of movies. Thank goodness the task fell to the super genius Peter Jackson.
There’s one perfect sequence after another in this movie:
And just like the previous movie, there are some large departures from the text. The amazing thing that PJ has done (along with his entire writing team) is keep the spirit and themes of the books in tact.
[[Roger Ebert]] said in his review that he wishes that the whimsey of the books could have been represented instead of turning the story into an action movie. I have to respectfully, but strongly, disagree. I think he’s confusing **The Hobbit*’ with ‘*The Lord of the Rings**. Also, most of the movie is dedicated to character develpment. There’s very little action until the climax, and even then, the movie ends on a character note, not action.
He cites as an example the big battle at the end of the movie, **Helm’s Deep**, lasts for a huge portion of the movie while it’s only a very short portion of the book. I went back and looked at my copy, and in a sense he’s right. It’s only 26 pages in a 400 page book. However, if you look at the timeline in the appendices, the whole book covers only 6 days, and Helm’s Deep takes 3 of them!
Also, there’s some confusion about the length of the battle. It’s only 15 minutes of screen time.
This is for those of you thank think you should be watching movies on DVD that fill up your entire TV screen.
All that you’re doing is missing up to 33% of your favorite movies. Here, finally, is a description of why this is a very bad idea (complete with animations to help you understand).
Stay tuned for a full report.
I have a bunch of great pictures!
CarneyWeb 