God Hates Shrimp

Why stop at protesting gay marriage? Bring all of God's law unto the heathens and the sodomites

Ralph Nader to run for president

Now this makes things interesting. This is supposed to be a Democracy, not a country run by the duopoly that is the American political system. Not a country run by two parties, both funded, and in the pockets of the same corporate interests. Nader's voice in the debate can only be good for the country. Let's bring into the debate a voice for REAL election reform. Let's bring into the debate the issue of a bloated pentagon budget. Let's bring into the debate the issue of Corporate welfare. I am not saying I will vote Nader at this point in time... but let us begin to put a third party, a political outsider, an anti-politician into the equation. It can only be healthy for our political system.

I say to the Democrats... stop whining about Nader being a spoiler. The Dems have been wimps for too long. Put up a candidate that can attract the disenchanted, that can have the same kind of passion and conviction that we have seen with Dean and Nader. Don't nominate another tired old mainstream Politician, propped up by corporate contributitors. Don't nominate a candidate that has a voting record contrary to the issues that he is now campaigning on.

Democrats should welcome Nader into the debate. Be secure enough about your candidate and your message to say you are not afraid of openning the debate to all voices that desire to be heard. I don't recall ever hearing the Republicans complain that Buchanan or Libertarians or Pat Robertson was stealing their votes! To Kerry and the Democratic leadership... STOP BEING WIMPS and put up or shut up!

Dean is done

Damn. Once again, the Dems best candidate, Howard Dean falls victim to the candy-ass democrats that shun their liberal convictions for a middle of the road, seemingly more 'electable' candidate like John Kerry. At least, we can give Dean credit for changing the tone of the presidential debate. If it were not for Dean's rants, calling the Pres to task on WMD's and the war in Iraq, and showing that you can be MAD AS HELL at this administration, and still raise money and become the frontrunner... Kerry and Edwards would still be tiptoeing around the issues and trying to appeal to the center.

Kerry still will have to reconcile his voting record with his rhetoric. He states he is pro-union and anti-NAFTA, yet voted for NAFTA. He says we should not have gone into Iraq, yet voted for the war. He is against 'No Child Left Behind', yet voted for it. He says he is for Election Reform, yet has taken more money from special interest groups than anyone in congress.

Well, Dean may be out of the race, but the election is still a ways off. Who knows what may happen between now and the Democratic Convention. Oh yeah... that endorsement from Al Gore really helped Dean! And, damn, the media sure had a field day with that scream speach. Incredible how one little pep-rally can be turned around into a public relations disaster when the media smells a little blood.

Biggest trade since the Babe?

This is getting rediculous! Can the Yankees be allowed to buy up all of the best talent in baseball? Look at this team! Except for the 2nd base slot, this team is an entire all-star squad. Next they are going to get Barry Bonds, for Christ sakes. Ya got Posada, Giambi, Jeter, ARod, Matsui, Williams, Sheffield, Lofton. YIKES. No other team can stand a chance. This is NOT good for baseball, IMHO.

Hey... first baseball post of the season! Spring must be near.

The Grammy Awards - Back to the Future

Woa! Grammy Awards were actually watchable this year! Things are looking up in the music biz. Didn't see much Hip-Hop. Not much baggy pants, crotch grabbin', foul talkin', ghetto gestures, bling-bling, floppy crooked hat wearin', gangsta, simulated sex on stage. What we saw was some great hard rockin', funkified, R&B, psychedelic, talented singers and musicians... just like the old days! I heard some real creative acts like Outkast and White Stripes, Black Eyed Peas, and more.

Wasn't all good though. Who's idea was it to pair up jazz great Chick Corea with Foo Fighters? Both can play, but not on the same stage, please. And that Suit from the RIAA talking about downloading. Really, give it up. Just put out a good alternative, at a REASONABLE PRICE (much less than $.99/song), and illegal downloads will go away. Meanwhile, stop whining about it. You just piss off the kids.

See George Squirm

On Meet the Press this morning, we got to see President Bush really squirm... as well he should. The truth is about to be revealed like Janet Jackson's... well you get the picture. There were no WMD's, there was no imminent threat, Iraq was not the source of 9/11 terrorists. UN sanctions and weapon inspections were working. Saddam did not even have the fire power to launch a single ground to air missile against our planes, let alone launch chemical or nuclear weapons against its neighbors or the US forces. Bush was determined to go to war, for his own reasons (US expansion, oil, revenge?), and would say and do anything to get his way, including invent evidence of WMD's. The tragic cost is hundreds of US deaths, thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians deaths, destruction of cities, property, etc. Is the world safer because of our actions in Iraq? I see US interests under attack, more suicide bombings, terror alerts increasing, commercial flights grounded, and the World's distrust of America's intentions.

Democratic Party Nomination Process
Why is the press and the Dems trying to treat this process as if it were all over? Only a small handful of states have had their caucuses and primaries! Don't we all get to have our votes count? I am standing firm in the Howard Dean camp. The Dems best chance for real change is to have a political outsider, a maverick, run and beat George Bush. Kerry voted for this War. Kerry voted for the Patriot Act and he voted for Bush programs like No Child Left Behind. Dean stood against all these policies when others were politically afraid to do so. We need and Anti-Politician nominee. One who does not have a history of being beholden to special interests. One that can garner the support and raise money from the grass roots. Come'on... Lets keep the debate alive. For once, I see a great field of candidates. This thing can't be over till the fat lady sings at the Democratic Convention!!

Dude Where's My Country?

Just finished an incredible book by Michael Moore. A surprising expose about what Dubya has done to this country, and why Regime Change in Washington must happen. The book details the WMD lies, fear mongering, and usurping of civil rights that have been written about here and elsewhere. The book also has chapters on the following subjects:

• Bush's close family ties with Saudi Prince Bandar and other Saudi's in high places. These connections and Saudi oil money has enabled Saudi Arabia to gain influence and favor from this Administration despite many years supporting terrorst organizations and activities worldwide. In fact James Baker (close Bush family friend, ex-Secretary of State, and council to GWB during Florida recounts) is now defending the Saudi Government in a law suit filed by the families of 9/11 victims!
• In the days following 9/11, the FBI went to extrordinary measures to assist the Bin Laden family in fleeing the country, even though they may have had valuable information that could lead to Osama and other Al Qaeda operatives.
• Democrats are wimps. We have been afraid to speak out in an environment where questioning the governments actions is treated as unpatriotic. We have been consumed with political correctness which detracts from effectively communicating our message.
• An entire chapter on how to win over that mis-informed right-wing conservative brother-in-law!

... and much much more. Required reading for all Americans.

Wardrobe Malfunction?

As for last nights Superbowl... a great game but...anyone who believes that this was a wardrobe malfunction should get their head examined. This thing was definitely planned and choreographed. These pop-superstars have no limits when it comes to self promotion. Between that and all the erectile dysfunction ads, it was pretty bad to watch the Super-Bowl in a room full of kids. When will the madness end... when will the entertainers, marketers and the media learn to exercise some self-control.

And to think that CBS refused to air this political ad by moveon.org protesting Bush's deficit spending because they felt it was too controversial... WTF??

Lasternet search

Discovered neat code to add Google search to Lasternet. Try it out above! I added it to several Lasternet pages.

Happy 20th Birthday Apple Macintosh

20 years ago, my life was profoundly impacted by this technology. Happy Birthday Mac... its been a wild ride.

Steve Jobs on the Mac's 20th anniversary - Macworld

Celebrating 20 Years of the Mac - NPR

The Mac that roared - San Jose Mercury News

Looking Back on the Mac - Macworld

We're All Mac Users Now - Wired

20 crazy years later, a new direction for Apple - CBS Marketwatch

Apple's core: The Mac turns 20 - CNN

The machine that changed the world - San Francisco Chronicle

The Mac Turns 20 - PC World

Apple bytes: The Mac at 20 - Silicon.com

Apple's groundbreaking computer marks 20th anniversary - Seattle Times

These links shamelessly copied from MacMinute... hope they don't mind! ;-}

Lies, lies, lies

Bush, in his State of the Union speech continues to lie and mislead the American people, in order to promote his right wing agenda, snuggle up to the religious right, and continue his imperialistic expansion of American interests in the Middle East. Unfortunately, most Americans will swallow this crap... hook, line and sinker. Do people forget last years State of the Union, where Bush lied about Iraqs purchasing of nuclear material from an African nation? Do people forget Colin Powell's lies to the UN by showing bogus satelite imagery of supposed stockpiles, research facilities and deployment capabilities of chemical weapons? Yet Bush continued to perpetuate the myth with misleading statements like, we have "identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities.". What crap! He continues to try to convince us that Sadam Hussein was a terrorist threat to the US, despite this administrations admission that their was no link between Iraq and Al Qida or 9/11. More crap!

If that is not enough, we had to listen to to Bush's plans to outlaw gay spousal rights, propose government funding of religious programs, extend the so-called Patriot Act (taking away civil rights), and extend tax cuts that benefit the rich and run up the deficits. This guy has got to go.

We will have to see if Howard Dean has completely blown his chances of coming up with the nomination by going ballistic after coming in third in Iowa. How many times did that have to be shown on TV? I still think that Dean is best suited to going toe-to-toe with Bush. I WANT to see an angry democrat. Hell, I am angry over what Bush has done to this country. I will be disapointed to see a man like Kerry get the nomination. He has voted for the war, for the so-called Patriot Act, and for additional $87 billion in Iraq... basically a play-it-safe middle-of-the-road Washington bred politician. Dean is still The Man in my book.

Common Sense

Recommended reading - Common sense for a New Century. Finally, a Democrat that can bring back idealism to the party... and hopefully the Presidency. Howard Dean has what it takes to take this country back for the people. George Bush has sold out this country to the corporate elite, special interests and his cronies. Dean is able to communicate a strong populist message. He is willing to take chances, and not play the safe, centrist politics of Democrats of recent elections. I just listened to stump speeches on C-Span from several Democratic candidates. Dean distinguished himself heads and shoulders above the others, giving a strong, clear, liberal and passionate message. Take back the country from Cheney's Haliburton, the drug and insurance companies, the oil industry. Internationalize the Iraq situation and develop an exit strategy. Make the large corporations and those with the highest income pay their fair share of the tax burden. Dean is the man. Check out Howard Dean's website.

Happy New Year

Just got back home after a great vacation at Sanibel Island. Wish I could say it's good to be back home... but I think I rather just hang out on the beach every day for the rest of my life.

Real Media alleges monopoly abuse

Yes, I know I sound like a broken record but this is an important issue that those concerned with protecting freedom and openness on the Internet need to be aware of.

From a statement by RealNetworks: "We're accusing Microsoft of engaging in a broad range of predatory practices to protect their operating system monopoly and to try to create a new monopoly in the digital media space," said David Stewart, deputy general counsel for RealNetworks, in an interview. Full story....

Combined with this information from the newly re-designed MSNBC website:

"To use MSNBC Video, your computer must have Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or later on a Windows operating system," the site now says. "The Netscape internet browser is not sufficiently compatible with Windows Media Player 9 to play MSNBC Video content and no plug-in software is available. MSNBC video is unable to support the Macintosh or other operation systems." ref: MacMinute

It is apparent that Micro$oft is trying to control how you will receive your news, how you will view video and listen to music. Once they have control of the software, it is easy to see how they can control the commerce (where and how you purchase music and video) and even the content.

The Federal Courts let Microshorts off the hook with an Anti-Trust settlement that has no teeth, and M$ is taking full advantage of that. Support Alternative OS's and Software... it is important to our future as more of our information, news and entertainment is derived from computer driven sources!

Farewell to a legend of the Internet

At the end of the year JenniCam will be shutting down. Those who haven't been long-time enthusiasts of the Internet probably cannot appreciate the impact of JenniCam on the history of the Internet. She is indeed a Legend. The first famous webcam was the 'FishCam', than there were others. The Webcam trend, as one might expect, became exploited for sexual purposes. But JenniCam was different. Jennifer Ringley created a visual live artform. This was LIFE ONLINE. Yeah... OK, once in a while you caught her nekkid... but 99 out of 100 times you would see her watching TV, chatting on the computer, eating take-out chinese, sitting around with friends... or mostly, nothing at all. Yet you were compelled to check in on Jenni, read her journal (the original Blog), find out what was going on in her life; her interests, lovers, jobs, apartments. I actually learned a lot from Jenni, much of which influenced this website. Some of the things I can thank Jenni for are:
-got a webcam going on my personal web site
-Blogger and this weblog
-a Photo Gallery
-an appreciation of Peter Gabriels music
-I have my own little life-online... though no one is really interested in an old man computer geek with no life.

Jenni-cam got an incredible amount of notoriety. There were articles in several major publications, webby awards, Internet conventions, interviews on radio and TV. It was an incredible ride. Jenni, you are a Legend.

PowerPoint Makes You Dumb

How true...

A defining moment for Iraq

Fantastic, momentous news; The capture of Saddam. Truly a defining moment for our mission. Now, perhaps we will see celebration and appreciation by the Iraqi people for the US actions. I am anxious to see how this will change our mission. Will the US now wind down our presence and turn over security and government back to the Iraqi people? This should be the beginning of the END GAME for our mission in Iraq. (if it is not, it will be an indication of our real intentions are in the region). Congratulations to our troops and to the people of Iraq!

Of great interest will be to follow the blogs coming from Iraq

Benjamin Franklin: Blogger

If Benjamin Franklin was alive today, he most certainly would be a Blogger. Just finished reading the autobiography of Franklin by Walter Isaacson. He was an amazing figure, and had all the makings of a true blogger. He was an opinionated individual with a penchant for publishing. His politics were firmly against the elite establishment. As a printer he believed strongly in a free press. He often wrote under anonymous names, was fond of publishing satire and hoaxes. His roots were that of a populist and a common man who was most proud of being an Artisan and a Printer (I can relate). His philosophy, writing style and politics were often snubbed by many as being common and lacking intellectualism. His biographer at one point even described Franklin as being 'Geeky' in his obsessive attention to detail in many of his writings, which could range from designing a ship's hull, to descriptions of how to reduce the odor of farts (really!). Check out this editorial, Apology For Printers. The writing style of a true Blogger... for sure.

While on the topic, I have to give credit to BF's other contributions to civilization. This was one great man.
Scientist and inventor- He was a practical scientist, not a great mathematician or theorist. Yet his scientific work with electricity was renowned and resulted in practical inventions that tamed the destructive force of lightning (lightning rods). He also invented bifocal lenses, and the Franklin Stove.
Philanthropist and Public Servant- Franklin started or contributed to many great civic institutions. He founded the University of Pennsylvania, hospitals, fire departments, libraries and post-offices. He served two terms as 'President' of Pennsylvania after being nominated by both political factions and nearly unanimously elected into that office. Franklin edited Jefferson's wording on the Declaration of Independence to read 'We hold these truths to be self-evident...', rather than the original text that had religious overtones. As a member of the Constitutional Congress, Franklin's compromise of two houses (senate with equal representation and House of Reps with varied representation based on population) broke a stalemate between large and small states that threatened to break up the convention.
Diplomat - Ben Franklin was among this countries greatest diplomats, negotiating the peace with England and treaties with France and Spain. He tried desperately to avoid war with England, by fighting for American self rule and independence from the British parliament while remaining loyal to the King. It was only after being publicly vilified by the British government as a traitor that he favored the revolution. He forged an alliance with France, without which we may have not won the Revolutionary War. As a diplomat he had the star-power of Henry Kissinger, and the admiration of leaders throughout the world. One of his famous quotes is 'there is no good war and no bad peace'.

BONSAI !

Neat little trip to New England Bonsai Gardens in MA yesterday. Lots of greenhouses with Bonsai of many varieties. They had a Saikai demonstration (bonsai landscapes) and free sushi. Thought I would give it a shot. Bought 2 plants, pots, soil, etc. Here are my first Bonsai creations. Figured I'd put up a pic right away... cause these puppies are likely to be dead in a couple of weeks ;-)

TG, Day after

Great Thanksgiving Day. Yeah, Family, Food... etc. But the thrill for the day was running the 5 mi. Manchester Road Race along with 11,000 other runners, and thousands of spectators. It was a BLAST! The whole scene made it an incredible experience. Top runners from all over the world are there, but the crowds, the cheers, the bands really spurred you on. I felt I could have run another 5 miles, I was so pumped. I didn't even feel the aches and pains that I usually get with a long run like this. What a way to start Thanksgiving Day. WooHoo! Next year I better improve my time by 4-5 minutes.

As for TG dinner. It was great to have the family together. Sorry Barb and family wasn't there.. Then, there was another no show - (wtf?). Anyway, the food came out great, I've got to give the obligatory mention that we have SOOOOO much to be thankful for; Parents can still make the drive, and are relatively healthy, we have a good life, roof over head, food on table... most of all we have happy healthy kids. It was a joy to have the Laster and Gagne children (Teens) all together, and have some Q time with the three generations all together.

But man... we have so many leftovers. Damn, Turkey Dinners every night for the forseeable future.