Here’s a reason averyone should get behind stem cell research: Breast implants.. (You know, because there aren’t already enough actual good reasons to back stem cell research…)

So, tonight while watching 24 I fast forwarded through some commercials
(as one often does while anxiously waiting to see how Jack Bauer gets
out of whatever current FUBAR situation he’s in) and I noticed
something strange. In the middle of the screen there was a small square
ad (maybe 25% of the size of the screen) for a new movie with Nicole
Kidman. As I sped through the other commericials, this small ad stayed
in the middle of the screen.

I immediately recognized this as Tivo’s new ad system for displaying ads
while fastforwarding through the other commercials. (Never heard of
this? href="http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Tivo+banner+ads&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8"
target="_blank">Google to the rescue.) In theory, I’m fine with
this, really. I don’t care if there’s an ad there or not, if I can
still get to the content as quickly as I could before.

The second thing I noticed, after playing around a bit, is that the ad
is not only displayed during fastforwarding over commercials. It’s
displayed when fastforwarding or rewinding (er, that doesn’t
sound right w.r.t. Tivo) during the show content as well. That’s a
little less pleasant.

The third thing that came to mind was that if all the ads were to
feature Nicole Kidman, I probably won’t mind this feature. Here’s to
hoping…

I’m hardly an animal rights activist (or even PETA supporter)… but this sort of thing irks me. I mean, not in a big major way or anything, but it’s just kinda stupid.

Here’s the news story. (Short version: Snorkler torn in half by big ass shark in Australia.)

So, now they are hunting for this shark to “safeguard the public”. Hrm. That’s kinda odd. I mean, had he somehow sprouted legs, come up on land, knocked over a 7-11 and killed the shop owner, then I might understand. Call Bruce Campbell or some other fearless asskicker and go get the motherfucker. But they guy that got killed wasn’t in a 7-11. He was in the ocean. Like, where the shark goes to eat. Cuz, you know.. that’s where it does everything. It kinda lives there.

So, essentially they’re gonna kill the shark for not being a vegetarian or something.

Not that it’s not a bummer that a guy got bit in half, and I don’t want to sound too callous but… um… he knew there were sharks in the there, right? (By “there”, I of course mean that big body of water called the ocean that has all the sharks in it.) Don’t you sort of have to accept the risk?

On my way home from work this evening, I saw what appeared to be a Vanagon on the side of the road (Highway 85), completely engulfed in flames. I’ve never seen a real car fire before. It was really kind of surreal, since the emergency vehicles hadn’t showed up yet.

Jef Raskin, one of the greatest in the pantheon of Macintosh Gods, passed away on February 27th. Rest in peace, Mr. Raskin.

(Press Release,
User Friendly tribute,
Wikipedia Entry,
News)

I just saw the big version of the Sin City trailer. It looks incredibly fucking good. It’s spinning my fanboy gears at high speed. (Explanation.)

I don’t WANNA wait till April!

So, I sent this email to netflix on 15FEB05. It wasn’t read. Well, someone might have read, but it surely caused no discernable action on there part. (I’ve received two more emails since then.) So, I’m posting it as an open letter to them, maybe someday some netflix employee will be bored and googling and find this. (Open Letter to Netflix.)

Dear NetFlix,

On Wednesday, 07th: March 2001,

Oh. My. God. This was almost four years ago.

you notified us that Stir of Echoes was damaged in transit.

Actually, I notified you that I sent it back. I used the “report a problem” function to report that “I returned the DVD but Netflix hasn’t received it”.

Additionally, in email, I noted that it was a *very* stormy day when it was mailed. It’s a logical conclusion that it was damaged in transit by the rain, but really… it’s only a hypothesis. I have no knowledge of what actually happens to items once they leave my possession and are in the hands of the U.S. Postal Service.

I’d also like to point out that somehow, over the past 4 years, the category of this problem seems to have migrated from “returned, but not recieved” to “damaged in transit”. Much like my knowledge of the Postal Service, I don’t really know what’s going on behind the scenes over there… but maybe this category transition occurred during a site redesign? I don’t know.

As of February 15, 2005, we have not yet received the damaged disc.

You know, I think that sucks. However, maybe logic can prevail and we can agree on the possibility that you are never going to get this disc from the U.S. Postal Service? Or, maybe that you could start emailing them instead of me? We could gang up on them. Please?

If you have already mailed it, it is probably still in transit, and we should receive it shortly.

It’s been four bloody years. You think the postman that’s carrying that DVD is rounding the corner headed towards your mailbox “shortly”? As in any minute now? Really?

You want to know the REAL kicker? I haven’t even SEEN “Stir of Echoes”. I rented it it, and it was too scary for my girlfriend at the time and so we returned it without finishing it. Gah! I’m sure the lads down at the post office have seen it about a gazillion times by now though.

A Satisfied, Long Term Customer (Just Sick Of These Mails),
-cls