What do Ian Anderson, Ronnie Montrose, Tommy Shaw, Billy Sherwood and Malcolm McDowell have in common? "Stand still Laddie!" We'll take questions at the end. You know what I mean.
Next.
Am I getting too old? No, I don't think so. No. But - I need to wear my glasses more and more. For the close work, reading. OK that's normal. But - it's hard to read a menu in a restaurant. The lighting is a little low. So, what's the big deal?
Its these websites. Some are a pain to read? Does no one else see this? Seems to be mostly bands' websites. Of all the websites I tend to visit, the rockers seem to be the hardest to read. A tiny font size, and the text and background colors don't contrast enough, and I'm like blind by then.
Speaking of bands, same thing with the CD covers, lyrics, production notes. Too small! Too hard to read. Change the colors. Hey you groovy young musicians, psst...Some of your listening demographic is a bit -- more mature. Actually we probably take up more of your pie chart than you realize. Bigger font please!
Other than that it's all fine. It's good. I guess.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Friday, September 23, 2005
An excerpt from my forthcoming CD review of The Dropkick Murphys' The Warrior Code.
" “Your Spirit’s Alive”, the first track, is a bit of a tease. It starts out sweet and slow, just pipes and piano. Someone like me, who loves all that folk Celtic stuff will smile and say, “Ahh.” After 20 seconds though, the rest of the instruments come in and the beat just about triples, with the Murphys shouting the lyrics, “We are the ones who will never be broken, we are the ones who survive…” And someone like me, who loves the punk likes of Green Day, Quiet Riot metal, or Sublime ska will smile and say, “Ahh”, again."
I sure wish I could get the whole damn thing done. But life is interrupting. : )
Monday, September 19, 2005
Something to consider:
Here is another article by Annie Jacobsen; following up on her Terror in the Skies series. I've not read every part of the series, but I have read enough to know that the public (and no, not just the American public) needs to be more aware of what is going on around them.
Awareness, not just of fellow flight passengers, but of our political leaders' actions as well.
Can we be aware without profiling? Probably not. It stinks, but I think we need to be a little less politically correct.
Can we be aware without questioning what the government does? NO. Iraq, oil, FEMA, 9/11, WMD's, contrails/chemtrails -- look around, read, research, ask questions. Some things are whack, some are real, it won't be easy to gauge the truth, but asking questions is the start.
Is this all exhausting? Yes.
Should that stop us? No.
Here is another article by Annie Jacobsen; following up on her Terror in the Skies series. I've not read every part of the series, but I have read enough to know that the public (and no, not just the American public) needs to be more aware of what is going on around them.
Awareness, not just of fellow flight passengers, but of our political leaders' actions as well.
Can we be aware without profiling? Probably not. It stinks, but I think we need to be a little less politically correct.
Can we be aware without questioning what the government does? NO. Iraq, oil, FEMA, 9/11, WMD's, contrails/chemtrails -- look around, read, research, ask questions. Some things are whack, some are real, it won't be easy to gauge the truth, but asking questions is the start.
Is this all exhausting? Yes.
Should that stop us? No.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Is it me? Or is Man on Fire really kind of sucky? I actually tried to change the channel, and I think the batteries are worn down in the remote - so now I'm looking for new batteries.
Anyway, I have only seen parts of it, I can't really sit down yet and give undivided attention to it - so, to be fair, maybe it's OK. I don't know though, so far, it's just not that great. So, someone tell me, should I bother trying to see the whole thing?
Anyway, I have only seen parts of it, I can't really sit down yet and give undivided attention to it - so, to be fair, maybe it's OK. I don't know though, so far, it's just not that great. So, someone tell me, should I bother trying to see the whole thing?
Something that my writing group and I will be investing in, or better yet, starting a grown up version of these. For when those good ideas strike!
Sunday, September 11, 2005
OK - I know y'all waiting for answers, here you go.
"I get compliments on the hyphen." Unlce Buck
"Because we are still alive." The Matrix Reloaded
"It was a good death." The Last Samurai
"Life moves pretty fast, if you don't slow down
and look once in a while, you could miss it." Ferris Bueller's Day Off
"Dooodie!" Caddyshack
"I'm sorry John, but you're going to have to run
again...Ruuuuuuuuuuuun!" The Minority Report
"I get compliments on the hyphen." Unlce Buck
"Because we are still alive." The Matrix Reloaded
"It was a good death." The Last Samurai
"Life moves pretty fast, if you don't slow down
and look once in a while, you could miss it." Ferris Bueller's Day Off
"Dooodie!" Caddyshack
"I'm sorry John, but you're going to have to run
again...Ruuuuuuuuuuuun!" The Minority Report
Saturday, September 10, 2005
In Good Company: A Review of Company Man.
By Mary K. Williams
(cross posted to www.blogcritics.org)
Company Man by Joseph Finder: New York, St. Martin’s Press. 2005. 215 pgs.
You know a book is good when it gets inside you. When you think about what is going on with the characters when the pages are closed and wonder how any one of them might handle a certain situation. In Company Man, Joseph Finder has created such characters. He's also created a tensely paced believable thriller.
Nick Conover is a recently widowed CEO of a large office-furniture plant in Fenwick, MI. When we meet Nick, he’s trying to deal with his two children, 16 year old Lucas and 10-year-old Julia in the aftermath of losing their mother, Laura. Aside from family sorrows, Nick has to continually please the corporate owners.
Because of pressure from the home office in Boston, he’s had to lay off about five thousand employees resulting in nearly the whole town hating him. On top of everything else, a shadowy stalker has been breaking into his family’s home to vandalize it with frightening graffiti. Before long, his worlds collide and in uncontrollable circumstances, there’s also now a dead body and a cover-up to contend with. Business deals begin to collapse, and Nick’s life becomes even more strained as homicide detectives begin to investigate the case.
Joseph Finder isn’t a stranger to the corporate thriller. His 2004 novel, Paranoia, was on the New York Times Bestseller list, as well as High Crimes, the 1998 legal thriller turned major film (Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Jim Caviezel).
A former Yale Russian Studies student and Harvard instructor, Finder started his literary career with a book called, Red Carpet: The Connection Between the Kremlin and America’s Most Powerful Businessmen. This book, an account of Dr. Armand Hammer’s connections to Soviet intelligence, nearly led to a libel suit by Dr. Hammer against Finder. Soon enough though, the facts against Hammer were verified when the walls of the Soviet Union began to crumble and archived intelligence surfaced.
Because perhaps of Finder’s connections in the intelligence world (he’s a member of the AFIO, the Association of Former Intelligence Officers), he seems to have excellent instincts and timing regarding his espionage subject matter. In his first fiction novel, The Moscow Club, he told the story of a KGB driven coup against leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. The book was published in 1991, six months before the real event.
In 1994, Finder published his second novel, Extraordinary Powers, about the discovery of a Soviet mole positioned in the upper echelon of the CIA. Just days after this book came out; Aldrich Ames was named as one of the most notorious CIA moles in history.
When the subject matter is the corporate world, Joseph Finder still on top of his game. Company Man gives us all the shades of big business life, from cube farms to outsourcing to a Warren Buffet / Berkshire Hathaway type ownership. Finder does thorough research for his stories, and it shows in Nick Conover’s on target interactions with his teenage son, as well as his thoughts about his dead wife, Laura. Finder shows us the human failings in Nick, guiltily finding fault with Laura’s decorating choices --
“The first graffiti had appeared on the heavy, ornate ash-wood front door, which Laura had deliberated over for weeks with the architect, a door that had cost a ridiculous three thousand dollars, a fucking door, for God’s sake”
-- instead of simply elevating her to sainthood, just because she’s deceased.
The author still keeps things real, as homicide detective Audrey Rhimes enters the scene. Company Man’s book jacket and other PR blurbs mention this character as having “her own, very personal, reason for pursuing Nick Conover.” However, as the story unfolds, I didn’t view Rhimes this way. It’s no secret that her husband has been laid off from Stratton, and his subsequent drinking and general surliness provide tension and a nice secondary plot line. But Finder’s depiction of this woman is not of someone who is itching to get the guy who soured her marriage, instead she almost reminds you of Tommy Lee Jones’s “Sam Gerard”, the U.S. Marshall in The Fugitive. Gerard just wanted to do his job, and get the bad guy. The Rhimes character is just as single minded as Gerard. And in both cases, as the investigation process widens to include other possibilities, Finder makes Audrey Rhimes is smart enough to follow every lead.
The bottom line on Company Man? A very enjoyable read.
By Mary K. Williams
(cross posted to www.blogcritics.org)
Company Man by Joseph Finder: New York, St. Martin’s Press. 2005. 215 pgs.
You know a book is good when it gets inside you. When you think about what is going on with the characters when the pages are closed and wonder how any one of them might handle a certain situation. In Company Man, Joseph Finder has created such characters. He's also created a tensely paced believable thriller.
Nick Conover is a recently widowed CEO of a large office-furniture plant in Fenwick, MI. When we meet Nick, he’s trying to deal with his two children, 16 year old Lucas and 10-year-old Julia in the aftermath of losing their mother, Laura. Aside from family sorrows, Nick has to continually please the corporate owners.
Because of pressure from the home office in Boston, he’s had to lay off about five thousand employees resulting in nearly the whole town hating him. On top of everything else, a shadowy stalker has been breaking into his family’s home to vandalize it with frightening graffiti. Before long, his worlds collide and in uncontrollable circumstances, there’s also now a dead body and a cover-up to contend with. Business deals begin to collapse, and Nick’s life becomes even more strained as homicide detectives begin to investigate the case.
Joseph Finder isn’t a stranger to the corporate thriller. His 2004 novel, Paranoia, was on the New York Times Bestseller list, as well as High Crimes, the 1998 legal thriller turned major film (Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Jim Caviezel).
A former Yale Russian Studies student and Harvard instructor, Finder started his literary career with a book called, Red Carpet: The Connection Between the Kremlin and America’s Most Powerful Businessmen. This book, an account of Dr. Armand Hammer’s connections to Soviet intelligence, nearly led to a libel suit by Dr. Hammer against Finder. Soon enough though, the facts against Hammer were verified when the walls of the Soviet Union began to crumble and archived intelligence surfaced.
Because perhaps of Finder’s connections in the intelligence world (he’s a member of the AFIO, the Association of Former Intelligence Officers), he seems to have excellent instincts and timing regarding his espionage subject matter. In his first fiction novel, The Moscow Club, he told the story of a KGB driven coup against leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. The book was published in 1991, six months before the real event.
In 1994, Finder published his second novel, Extraordinary Powers, about the discovery of a Soviet mole positioned in the upper echelon of the CIA. Just days after this book came out; Aldrich Ames was named as one of the most notorious CIA moles in history.
When the subject matter is the corporate world, Joseph Finder still on top of his game. Company Man gives us all the shades of big business life, from cube farms to outsourcing to a Warren Buffet / Berkshire Hathaway type ownership. Finder does thorough research for his stories, and it shows in Nick Conover’s on target interactions with his teenage son, as well as his thoughts about his dead wife, Laura. Finder shows us the human failings in Nick, guiltily finding fault with Laura’s decorating choices --
“The first graffiti had appeared on the heavy, ornate ash-wood front door, which Laura had deliberated over for weeks with the architect, a door that had cost a ridiculous three thousand dollars, a fucking door, for God’s sake”
-- instead of simply elevating her to sainthood, just because she’s deceased.
The author still keeps things real, as homicide detective Audrey Rhimes enters the scene. Company Man’s book jacket and other PR blurbs mention this character as having “her own, very personal, reason for pursuing Nick Conover.” However, as the story unfolds, I didn’t view Rhimes this way. It’s no secret that her husband has been laid off from Stratton, and his subsequent drinking and general surliness provide tension and a nice secondary plot line. But Finder’s depiction of this woman is not of someone who is itching to get the guy who soured her marriage, instead she almost reminds you of Tommy Lee Jones’s “Sam Gerard”, the U.S. Marshall in The Fugitive. Gerard just wanted to do his job, and get the bad guy. The Rhimes character is just as single minded as Gerard. And in both cases, as the investigation process widens to include other possibilities, Finder makes Audrey Rhimes is smart enough to follow every lead.
The bottom line on Company Man? A very enjoyable read.
Friday, September 09, 2005
I came across this report today, and found it very interesting. The author, Annie Jacobsen, has been also doing an ongoing investigative series related to airline safety post 9-11. She found enough information to publish a book, Terror in the Skies: Why 9-11 Could Happen Again.
However, this particular news report is about the work that a group of Federal Air Marshalls performed in the most dreadful of situations during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
This is just one report of one group of heroes. There are many many more who have been doing necessary work in the Gulf States. One is a young man from my town, and dojo.
Will Minior was to start his freshman year at Loyola University, and instead he learned how to run a shelter. Minior has since returned to Massachusetts to attend Stonehill College, but no book learning will compare to some of the tough lessons he learned those days in New Orleans.
(cross posted to www.blogcritics.org)
However, this particular news report is about the work that a group of Federal Air Marshalls performed in the most dreadful of situations during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
This is just one report of one group of heroes. There are many many more who have been doing necessary work in the Gulf States. One is a young man from my town, and dojo.
Will Minior was to start his freshman year at Loyola University, and instead he learned how to run a shelter. Minior has since returned to Massachusetts to attend Stonehill College, but no book learning will compare to some of the tough lessons he learned those days in New Orleans.
(cross posted to www.blogcritics.org)
Something I should have done last week, when my musician friend sent me this, another good cause...
"Greetings,
This morning I signed a deal with my distribution company that all proceeds from album sales will go directly to the American Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund. So, please Buy My Album and support the victims of Hurricane Katrina!My album can be purchased from the following link"
By the way, this is a good CD.
"Greetings,
This morning I signed a deal with my distribution company that all proceeds from album sales will go directly to the American Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund. So, please Buy My Album and support the victims of Hurricane Katrina!My album can be purchased from the following link"
By the way, this is a good CD.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
For your consideration: Two good causes.
Another charity ride for my husband, takes place this Saturday, September 10th.
Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
Another charity ride for my husband, takes place this Saturday, September 10th.
Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Waiting for Katrina.
(cross posted to Blogcritics.org)
It wasn't meant to put me to sleep. The Duke's saga of his Dublin trip is anything but numbing. His (and Sir Fleming's) quest for jazz, love, and God knows what else is a ride through a talent I am astounded to witness, yet I got sleepy, and it was good. Maybe I was hypnotized, and awoke groggy. I don't know. But I knew I needed the sleep.
I had been watching TV earlier, vacillating between Ron White's, They Call me Tater Salad on Comedy Central, Foxy Brown on Sundance, and Meet Joe Black. I started analyzing the acting of Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, and Claire Forlani, and wondered if it was their best work. I would still be ruminating about that if I hadn't remembered my son's request for me to monitor the Weather Channel's coverage of Hurricane Katrina while he slept.
Shit that's right, I had managed to forget for a little while. In the late afternoon/early evening I was glued to the Weather Channel, and thought I was doing my son a favor by pointing out how extrodinary this was going to be, this massive storm about to hit the South. As we both watched, I stopped playing instructor and was open-mouthed -- listening, watching.
Holy crap! This wasn't going to be good. Gulping and squirming in my chair, I thought that perhaps I was really watching a documentary on the filming of The Day After Tomorrow, a movie that I have been addicted to lately. The whole scenario seemed too improbable.
I go online and watch the ABC coverage for a while, then go back to watch The Weather Channel. Finally I take a break for The Duke's posts. A few weeks ago, we were sharing weekend plans, his weekend in Dublin was probably going to be a little more lively than mine in Old Orchard Beach, ME. (Though mine was lovely, thankyou), though both were intended to be for resting and recharging. I think I did more resting and The Duke did more recharging. So, I am all relaxed, after my visit to Dublin, via his Dukeness, and I get ready for bed.
I wake up about an hour later, and in pain. Somehow I blew out my knee during this past weekend. (Family camping reunion - great, great stuff) I don't know if it was the relay, or the three-legged race, but I've been limping since this morning. Then it dawns on me as I go downstairs for Advil, "What the heck is your problem, girl? You saw those people in the shelter, in the Superdome, for God's sake. Will they sleep at all tonight? Will they have a house to come home to? Will they have a city?"
So, Advil is working, and I am grateful.
I have electricity to type this -- and I am grateful.
The family is home, all asleep, all safe.
Yup, you got it.
Grateful.
(cross posted to Blogcritics.org)
It wasn't meant to put me to sleep. The Duke's saga of his Dublin trip is anything but numbing. His (and Sir Fleming's) quest for jazz, love, and God knows what else is a ride through a talent I am astounded to witness, yet I got sleepy, and it was good. Maybe I was hypnotized, and awoke groggy. I don't know. But I knew I needed the sleep.
I had been watching TV earlier, vacillating between Ron White's, They Call me Tater Salad on Comedy Central, Foxy Brown on Sundance, and Meet Joe Black. I started analyzing the acting of Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, and Claire Forlani, and wondered if it was their best work. I would still be ruminating about that if I hadn't remembered my son's request for me to monitor the Weather Channel's coverage of Hurricane Katrina while he slept.
Shit that's right, I had managed to forget for a little while. In the late afternoon/early evening I was glued to the Weather Channel, and thought I was doing my son a favor by pointing out how extrodinary this was going to be, this massive storm about to hit the South. As we both watched, I stopped playing instructor and was open-mouthed -- listening, watching.
Holy crap! This wasn't going to be good. Gulping and squirming in my chair, I thought that perhaps I was really watching a documentary on the filming of The Day After Tomorrow, a movie that I have been addicted to lately. The whole scenario seemed too improbable.
I go online and watch the ABC coverage for a while, then go back to watch The Weather Channel. Finally I take a break for The Duke's posts. A few weeks ago, we were sharing weekend plans, his weekend in Dublin was probably going to be a little more lively than mine in Old Orchard Beach, ME. (Though mine was lovely, thankyou), though both were intended to be for resting and recharging. I think I did more resting and The Duke did more recharging. So, I am all relaxed, after my visit to Dublin, via his Dukeness, and I get ready for bed.
I wake up about an hour later, and in pain. Somehow I blew out my knee during this past weekend. (Family camping reunion - great, great stuff) I don't know if it was the relay, or the three-legged race, but I've been limping since this morning. Then it dawns on me as I go downstairs for Advil, "What the heck is your problem, girl? You saw those people in the shelter, in the Superdome, for God's sake. Will they sleep at all tonight? Will they have a house to come home to? Will they have a city?"
So, Advil is working, and I am grateful.
I have electricity to type this -- and I am grateful.
The family is home, all asleep, all safe.
Yup, you got it.
Grateful.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
I survived Summer Slam.
I survived the volume, the boys' yelling, and the late hour. Honestly it wasn't all that hard, hiding in the other room watching the Sin City DVD. I was looking forward to watching the Six Feet Under series finale, but wrestling pinned my choice. Ha Ha. Anyway I can catch SFU anytime.
Evidently Hulk Hogan won his match against Shawn Michaels, though when I saw him, he looked awful bloodied.
Eddie Guerrero lost his chance for legal custody of Dominick, his supposed son. Dom really is the son of Rey Mysterio, but to make things more exciting, the WWE concocted this 'lil story to keep everyone enthralled. At least that's my take on it. I don't have the DNA reports. I'm just guessing. Go check the link and read up on it.
That's it for now.
I survived the volume, the boys' yelling, and the late hour. Honestly it wasn't all that hard, hiding in the other room watching the Sin City DVD. I was looking forward to watching the Six Feet Under series finale, but wrestling pinned my choice. Ha Ha. Anyway I can catch SFU anytime.
Evidently Hulk Hogan won his match against Shawn Michaels, though when I saw him, he looked awful bloodied.
Eddie Guerrero lost his chance for legal custody of Dominick, his supposed son. Dom really is the son of Rey Mysterio, but to make things more exciting, the WWE concocted this 'lil story to keep everyone enthralled. At least that's my take on it. I don't have the DNA reports. I'm just guessing. Go check the link and read up on it.
That's it for now.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
It's not red, but I love my Swingline Stapler. It's there whenever I need it. Actually, I don't think I'd like red anyway, prefer the black.
So, there's that.
In other news, you can't, never ever, not even a hint of it -- fraternize with a co-worker, outside of work. Well you can unless your boss could legally tell you not to. Dumb.
Is it the mining industry in general? Or is it just China - having a bad run of luck in that area.
Watched part of The Matrix tonight on TNT. It was good on the HD channel, and it was good with the surround sound, but, something was not good with the color. The wonderful "matrix green" that is part of the film's flavor was messed up. Sheesh, talk about a green screen; Agent Smith had green teeth, Tank had green skin tones, oh it was bad. It could have ruined my night if I let it. But then afterwards, TNT ran "Last Flight of the Osiris", from The Animatrix. That more than made up for the color situation. I hadn't seen it in maybe two years, and forgot how good it was. Very good.
Must be a Keanu night, cuz now Johnny Mnemonic has been on. I bought that a few years ago, and it's a nutty film. It is fun though. No, not nutty like say, Austin Powers. Just, weird. Like most of the stuff I like.
Did I say that the reason why "Osiris" reminded me of Final Fanasy: Spirits Within? Because Andy Jones directed both. Now I can sleep.
Not quite yet.
"...Call me sometime when you have no class". I love that line, You can be the first one to write in and tell me where it comes from! "Johnny Mnemonic, what will they win?"
Door #1 - A big 'ole Hummer H20 - no redeeming value nor parking space included
Door #2 - A baby's arm, holding an apple
Door #3 - A date with Tad Hamilton
Call before midnight -- oops too late. No Ginsu knives for you. Two weeks!
I love Bob. Bob the Enzyte guy. He doth crack me up. Just think of his smile. Is that not funny, or what?
Done.
So, there's that.
In other news, you can't, never ever, not even a hint of it -- fraternize with a co-worker, outside of work. Well you can unless your boss could legally tell you not to. Dumb.
Is it the mining industry in general? Or is it just China - having a bad run of luck in that area.
Watched part of The Matrix tonight on TNT. It was good on the HD channel, and it was good with the surround sound, but, something was not good with the color. The wonderful "matrix green" that is part of the film's flavor was messed up. Sheesh, talk about a green screen; Agent Smith had green teeth, Tank had green skin tones, oh it was bad. It could have ruined my night if I let it. But then afterwards, TNT ran "Last Flight of the Osiris", from The Animatrix. That more than made up for the color situation. I hadn't seen it in maybe two years, and forgot how good it was. Very good.
Must be a Keanu night, cuz now Johnny Mnemonic has been on. I bought that a few years ago, and it's a nutty film. It is fun though. No, not nutty like say, Austin Powers. Just, weird. Like most of the stuff I like.
Did I say that the reason why "Osiris" reminded me of Final Fanasy: Spirits Within? Because Andy Jones directed both. Now I can sleep.
Not quite yet.
"...Call me sometime when you have no class". I love that line, You can be the first one to write in and tell me where it comes from! "Johnny Mnemonic, what will they win?"
Door #1 - A big 'ole Hummer H20 - no redeeming value nor parking space included
Door #2 - A baby's arm, holding an apple
Door #3 - A date with Tad Hamilton
Call before midnight -- oops too late. No Ginsu knives for you. Two weeks!
I love Bob. Bob the Enzyte guy. He doth crack me up. Just think of his smile. Is that not funny, or what?
Done.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Playboy Logo in the Wrong Places
A story from The Guardian , focuses on marketing an adult brand to children. The brand is the Playboy Logo, the famous bunny ears that have been around as long as, well -- Heff -- just about.
WHSmith, the retailer that was targeted for protest by some London schoolgirls this summer, has been selling stationary supplies with the Playboy logo. Not that the Playboy brand is a bad thing, the bunny ears are not offensive, on their own. But to sell this brand to pre-teens, is ridiculous. This isn't a question of some young thing, giving a nod and knowing glance to a clerk, asking for a condom or pack of cigarettes (or a magazine in a brown wrapper). This is merchandising a whole line right along with the Poohs, Bratz, or Hello Kittys. WHSmith or the other retailers who have similar practices know damn well what they are doing. There's a world of difference between bunny ears on Dodge Ram's mudflaps, and those same ears on a glittery pink pencil case.
I suppose the whole logo thing has been diluted somewhat. To me personally, Playboy (and the bunny ears) represent more or less, a non-stop party. I don't automatically think 'porn'. Obviously the magazine at the heart of Heffner's empire is exactly that, though I've heard there are some good articles? Anyway, I'd be the last to criticize a non-stop party, maybe I'm jealous. But porn, partying, whatever Playboy means to us, it is intended for adults and those cute little ears have absolutely no place in children's lives.
A story from The Guardian , focuses on marketing an adult brand to children. The brand is the Playboy Logo, the famous bunny ears that have been around as long as, well -- Heff -- just about.
WHSmith, the retailer that was targeted for protest by some London schoolgirls this summer, has been selling stationary supplies with the Playboy logo. Not that the Playboy brand is a bad thing, the bunny ears are not offensive, on their own. But to sell this brand to pre-teens, is ridiculous. This isn't a question of some young thing, giving a nod and knowing glance to a clerk, asking for a condom or pack of cigarettes (or a magazine in a brown wrapper). This is merchandising a whole line right along with the Poohs, Bratz, or Hello Kittys. WHSmith or the other retailers who have similar practices know damn well what they are doing. There's a world of difference between bunny ears on Dodge Ram's mudflaps, and those same ears on a glittery pink pencil case.
I suppose the whole logo thing has been diluted somewhat. To me personally, Playboy (and the bunny ears) represent more or less, a non-stop party. I don't automatically think 'porn'. Obviously the magazine at the heart of Heffner's empire is exactly that, though I've heard there are some good articles? Anyway, I'd be the last to criticize a non-stop party, maybe I'm jealous. But porn, partying, whatever Playboy means to us, it is intended for adults and those cute little ears have absolutely no place in children's lives.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Sometimes we're better off not knowing ---
Take hot dogs for example. Or frankfurters, not sure what the diff is anyway, but here's the point. We've all head the murmurings, urban myths if you will, that hot dogs are filled with rats toenails or puppydog tails, or other icky things. (Never sugar and spice and everything nice). But unless we're very squeamish, we keep eating our dogs with relish, no pun intended. Unless we get violently ill or turn colors, we keep buying our BallParks, Nathan's, Pearls, or Kayems, and cooking 'em up. Yum! Don't Ask - Don't Tell.
Now, consider the VERY BIG number of bugs that live in our yards, houses and, well -- face it -- our innards, and for the most part, we co-exist in blissful ignorance (or denial). Lately though, I have been dealing with spiders, especially with the rennovations in our basement.
We vacuumed up as many as we could, and used a *bomb* for the rest. All good. Then the workers did their magic. New laundry closet, game area, entertainment area, and still some decent storage space. Just as good as Ty Pennington, but with less hair product.
Anyway, in the last month or so, we've noticed a few more spiders setting up shop in our new rooms. This weekend, we've been trying to organize all of our stuff, the stuff that's been in storage for a couple months, to fit it into the new areas. Today, as I'm vacuuming up more spiders, I'm feeling rather brave, patting myself on the back for not freaking out that I could even have a spider in my hair, and just as long as it left within a reasonable amount of time, I could care less. Of course, that amount of time could really not exceed, like two or three seconds. (Not that brave) Anyway, with all the back patting, it took me a minute or two longer to register that something wispy and alien was on my person. But when I did feel it, I ran upstairs, stripping off my shirt as I went, yelling for my husband to check me for bugs. Nothing. I beg him to brush me off anyway, and finally I was satisfied and got dressed and returned to my chore.
I still looked out for the critters but tried to resume the brave act again. Worked ok until I accidentally knocked over a fluorescent light tube and when it popped, I freaked! Now I'm on a self-imposed *break* from work, but here's the weird thing. My writing work area has just become invaded with yellow jackets. We're not sure how they got in, perhaps through the AC? It looks like the cold is killing them though, but there are still a good dozen hearty souls left to organize fly-bys around me as I type. Crazy.
For another insight into the whole bug thing, check out what a blogging associate writes. You'll be glad you did.
Take hot dogs for example. Or frankfurters, not sure what the diff is anyway, but here's the point. We've all head the murmurings, urban myths if you will, that hot dogs are filled with rats toenails or puppydog tails, or other icky things. (Never sugar and spice and everything nice). But unless we're very squeamish, we keep eating our dogs with relish, no pun intended. Unless we get violently ill or turn colors, we keep buying our BallParks, Nathan's, Pearls, or Kayems, and cooking 'em up. Yum! Don't Ask - Don't Tell.
Now, consider the VERY BIG number of bugs that live in our yards, houses and, well -- face it -- our innards, and for the most part, we co-exist in blissful ignorance (or denial). Lately though, I have been dealing with spiders, especially with the rennovations in our basement.
We vacuumed up as many as we could, and used a *bomb* for the rest. All good. Then the workers did their magic. New laundry closet, game area, entertainment area, and still some decent storage space. Just as good as Ty Pennington, but with less hair product.
Anyway, in the last month or so, we've noticed a few more spiders setting up shop in our new rooms. This weekend, we've been trying to organize all of our stuff, the stuff that's been in storage for a couple months, to fit it into the new areas. Today, as I'm vacuuming up more spiders, I'm feeling rather brave, patting myself on the back for not freaking out that I could even have a spider in my hair, and just as long as it left within a reasonable amount of time, I could care less. Of course, that amount of time could really not exceed, like two or three seconds. (Not that brave) Anyway, with all the back patting, it took me a minute or two longer to register that something wispy and alien was on my person. But when I did feel it, I ran upstairs, stripping off my shirt as I went, yelling for my husband to check me for bugs. Nothing. I beg him to brush me off anyway, and finally I was satisfied and got dressed and returned to my chore.
I still looked out for the critters but tried to resume the brave act again. Worked ok until I accidentally knocked over a fluorescent light tube and when it popped, I freaked! Now I'm on a self-imposed *break* from work, but here's the weird thing. My writing work area has just become invaded with yellow jackets. We're not sure how they got in, perhaps through the AC? It looks like the cold is killing them though, but there are still a good dozen hearty souls left to organize fly-bys around me as I type. Crazy.
For another insight into the whole bug thing, check out what a blogging associate writes. You'll be glad you did.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
The Number Shall be Ten: The Last Ten Years of Growth on the 'Net
What was that line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "...Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three..." well, right now, maybe for those in Techno World (and our own Blogcritics), the number could be Ten. Besides, those other numbers are a little busy; One is the Loneliest number; Seven is the Perfect number, not going to even touch Triple Six, so how about Ten? It works well in Techno World, a one and a zero, all binary code-ish and cute.
Well on August 3rd, 2005 Blogcritics.org celebrated TEN million site visits. In just three short years. Oh yes, you read right. That's unique visitors. Actually the celebrating started on the 3rd, and I believe there is still some dancing in the streets, if not the Internet, going on. It's amazing what can happen in three years. Or in Ten.
Oh, and speaking of that 'ole Internet, here's the latest thing, Ten years ago this week, Netscape made their IPO, and what a ride it's been ever since. Suddenly, the Internet was more than a tool for scientists; it was a breeding ground for one of the biggest cash "eCows" in history. The Belfast Telegraph has a nice timeline depicting what's changed since then and now.
I know many out there still get kind of get confused with the Internet, the World Wide Web, and so forth. The Web, which made it's first appearance in 1991, was conceived and developed by Tim Berners-Lee while he was working for CERN in Geneva. Sure, it feels like it's been here forever, but remember the early days? There was no online shopping to speak of, and a search engine was almost as unwieldy as it sounded.
Now the Internet on the other hand, has been around for ages:
"A long time ago, somewhere between when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and the emergence of the cell phone, the Internet came into existence. As the 1950's were coming to a close, the United States was becoming quite concerned about the technology possessed by the Soviet Union. The launch of Sputnik and the fear of atomic war sparked the need for the U.S. to be sure they were as technically advanced as the Soviets. Fallout shelters were built, but we needed to be more proactive. In case of some disaster, how would different parts of the country communicate? A Department of Defense organization; the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) set to work on this issue. In the next 10 years or so, with key research being done at MIT, UCLA, and Stanford, something called the ARPANET was developed. Communication technology was moving from circuit to packet switching. Networks sprang from the 1969 original four-host configuration (UCLA, Stanford Research Institute, UC-Santa Barbara, and University of Utah), to a group of 62 hosts in 1974. In another five years that number had jumped to 188, and by 1989 - 80,000 hosts were in place in what had become, the Internet." *
I wrote those words for a publication that might now never see the light of day, and that's another story entirely, but the point is valid. The ideas and even the technology have been around for so long, but the actual revolutionary changes that have only been wrought in just the last ten or so years, are astounding.
For me, a stay-at-home Mom, my use of the Internet, or rather the World Wide Web (which is only one portion of the Internet) is almost non-stop. It's enabled me to pursue a real career in freelance writing, but even if that weren't the case, it's very hard to conceive of life without Moviefone, the RMV online WebMD, Google, and on and on. This kind of dependence on anything is a little nerve-wracking (like foreign oil), because when you suddenly don't have the product, well - it gets ugly.
The Internet is fire, it is the wheel, it is the turbine engine, it is penicillin. But fire burns, wheels run you down, and penicillin can close your throat. We don't take away the tools, just because we might get hurt. We proceed with caution. Again, I'll borrow from the same writings:
"...The accessibility of the Internet is both appealing and appalling. There are a myriad of websites devoted to the silly, the macabre, the spiritual, the mind-boggling, and the just plain scary. The fact that terrorists use the Internet so skillfully is horrifying - yet like anything else we must balance that horror with knowledge that we can stand up to terror by uniting, and the Internet is a great medium for that kind of unity." *
*How to Use the Internet to Your Advantage - Mary K. Williams, 2004
What was that line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "...Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three..." well, right now, maybe for those in Techno World (and our own Blogcritics), the number could be Ten. Besides, those other numbers are a little busy; One is the Loneliest number; Seven is the Perfect number, not going to even touch Triple Six, so how about Ten? It works well in Techno World, a one and a zero, all binary code-ish and cute.
Well on August 3rd, 2005 Blogcritics.org celebrated TEN million site visits. In just three short years. Oh yes, you read right. That's unique visitors. Actually the celebrating started on the 3rd, and I believe there is still some dancing in the streets, if not the Internet, going on. It's amazing what can happen in three years. Or in Ten.
Oh, and speaking of that 'ole Internet, here's the latest thing, Ten years ago this week, Netscape made their IPO, and what a ride it's been ever since. Suddenly, the Internet was more than a tool for scientists; it was a breeding ground for one of the biggest cash "eCows" in history. The Belfast Telegraph has a nice timeline depicting what's changed since then and now.
I know many out there still get kind of get confused with the Internet, the World Wide Web, and so forth. The Web, which made it's first appearance in 1991, was conceived and developed by Tim Berners-Lee while he was working for CERN in Geneva. Sure, it feels like it's been here forever, but remember the early days? There was no online shopping to speak of, and a search engine was almost as unwieldy as it sounded.
Now the Internet on the other hand, has been around for ages:
"A long time ago, somewhere between when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and the emergence of the cell phone, the Internet came into existence. As the 1950's were coming to a close, the United States was becoming quite concerned about the technology possessed by the Soviet Union. The launch of Sputnik and the fear of atomic war sparked the need for the U.S. to be sure they were as technically advanced as the Soviets. Fallout shelters were built, but we needed to be more proactive. In case of some disaster, how would different parts of the country communicate? A Department of Defense organization; the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) set to work on this issue. In the next 10 years or so, with key research being done at MIT, UCLA, and Stanford, something called the ARPANET was developed. Communication technology was moving from circuit to packet switching. Networks sprang from the 1969 original four-host configuration (UCLA, Stanford Research Institute, UC-Santa Barbara, and University of Utah), to a group of 62 hosts in 1974. In another five years that number had jumped to 188, and by 1989 - 80,000 hosts were in place in what had become, the Internet." *
I wrote those words for a publication that might now never see the light of day, and that's another story entirely, but the point is valid. The ideas and even the technology have been around for so long, but the actual revolutionary changes that have only been wrought in just the last ten or so years, are astounding.
For me, a stay-at-home Mom, my use of the Internet, or rather the World Wide Web (which is only one portion of the Internet) is almost non-stop. It's enabled me to pursue a real career in freelance writing, but even if that weren't the case, it's very hard to conceive of life without Moviefone, the RMV online WebMD, Google, and on and on. This kind of dependence on anything is a little nerve-wracking (like foreign oil), because when you suddenly don't have the product, well - it gets ugly.
The Internet is fire, it is the wheel, it is the turbine engine, it is penicillin. But fire burns, wheels run you down, and penicillin can close your throat. We don't take away the tools, just because we might get hurt. We proceed with caution. Again, I'll borrow from the same writings:
"...The accessibility of the Internet is both appealing and appalling. There are a myriad of websites devoted to the silly, the macabre, the spiritual, the mind-boggling, and the just plain scary. The fact that terrorists use the Internet so skillfully is horrifying - yet like anything else we must balance that horror with knowledge that we can stand up to terror by uniting, and the Internet is a great medium for that kind of unity." *
*How to Use the Internet to Your Advantage - Mary K. Williams, 2004
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