Bent Corner

If there is one thing I hope 2008 brings is an end to comment moderation. You read an interesting blog post and you decide to leave a comment. You put your thoughts down in the most coherent way that you can, making sure your grammar is correct and your spelling is right. You then type in the series of fuzzy letters and numbers appearing on the screen to prove that you are not a robot. Why is it that a robot can be programed to drive around on the surface of Mars and send back photos but it can’t be programed to type “er57z” when it appears on the screen?

You then press Enter and wait for your comment to appear. Instead of seeing the comment you just posted, you see a message that says something like this:

Your comment has been submitted and will be viewable once it is approved

Why must my comment be approved? I typed in the short string of fuzzy numbers and letters proving that I was not a robot. Why then do I have to have my comment approved?

I just don’t see the point. Why do some bloggers do this? What are they afraid people are going to say? Are they worried that they are going to be called a derogatory name or that a disparaging thing is going to be said about their blog? If so, it’s time to grow up. Stop being such a pussy. Either let people leave comments or don’t. Don’t insist on micromanaging each little thing someone has to say. It’s pathetic.

The thing I hate the most about bloggers that insist on approving comments is that they never inform you ahead of time that they will need to approve your comment. They could save everyone a whole bunch of time by letting that fact be known ahead of time. Not only do I not what to leave a comment if it must first be approved, I don’t want to read comments left by other readers. If the comment section doesn’t truly reflect what other readers are thinking, I don’t want to waste my time reading it.

I found this photo on flickr. It’s of the Arc Light memorial located at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam. The photographer, flicker user harogi, writes:

This is a 3 Exposure hand held HDR of the B-52 Bomber Stratofortress at the Arc Light Memorial on Andersen Air Force Base Guam, USA. I just had to stop by here before leaving back to Hawaii. Oversaturated.

I know this memorial quite well. I was stationed on Andersen Air Force Base. I used to run a lot back then and I had a route that took me around this memorial. I also spent a couple of days scrapping rust off it when it was being refurbished. At one time it was in very bad shape. The wet, salty air isn’t very kind to a B-52. For that reason planes were always swapped out after 12 months with a B-52 from the states. Maine to be exact.

This old D model sat in the corrosive Guam air for decades.

I love this photo. Click on the above photo to go to the flickr page where it’s located. Also check out the photographer’s other similarly stunning photos.

To read about what Arc Light was, you can check out this Wikipedia article.

Ron Paul claims that he’s been excluded from a New Hampshire January 6 Republican debate being organized by Fox News. This is the weekend before the New Hampshire Primary. Ron Paul says he is being excluded because Fox News is scared of him. Why is Doctor Paul constantly questioning everyone’s bravery? First a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor and now a cable news network.

Ron Paul’s Internet fans aren’t taking this exclusion sitting down. They are organizing a boycott against any company that advertises on Fox News. They have a list. They are getting the word out to all followers of Ron Paul to not to buy products from these companies.

One of these companies is Gold Bond. That means if a Ron Paul fan were to get a rash in an embarrassing place, they would have to turn elsewhere to get some instant relief. Let’s just hope that they go rash-free.

What’s even funnier is that some Ron Paul supporters are also advising fellow Ron Paul supporters to contact the FCC and complain. This is from a post on a Ron Paul message board:

I’m actually surprised that I haven’t seen this tactic posted yet. Along with advertisers, this is the other major weakness of broadcasters/networks.

The other critical items we can influence directly are the FCC broadcast license for each affiliate, AND FCC approval for station purchases/mergers/trades. By specifically targeting FCC approvals, your comments will have a LOT more long-term weight. Endangering the local affiliate’s license with enough negative comments in the right way will change their attitude from “It’s the network, nothing we can do” and largely ignoring you to actually calling the NewsCorp on your behalf saying “OMG, fix this NOW!”

Remember, the FCC threatened to hit EACH broadcast station with a 6-figure fine for the half-second “wardrobe malfunction” at the SuperBowl*.

This is funny for two different reasons. First, Ron Paul represents a political philosophy that believes a big federal government is bad. If he had his way, not only would the FCC cease to exist, so would the IRS, the Department of Education, the CIA, the FBI, and a whole host of other federal agencies. What do Ron Paul supporters do when they think their man has been slighted? They whine about it to a government agency.

It makes you wonder why they are Ron Paul supporters in the first place.

Secondly, the FCC doesn’t have any jurisdiction over Fox News. It’s a cable network, not a broadcast network. Whining to the FCC about something a cable network is a waste of time. Then again, why should that stop a Ron Paul supporter?

And why is Fox News excluding Ron Paul from the debate? Because there is no debate. It was canceled three weeks ago because of it’s close proximity with another similar event. Ron Paul had been invited to attend, but reportedly his staff never got back with the event organizers to confirm that he would attend.

Why would Fox News exclude someone like Ron Paul from the debate? Including Ron Paul ensures more people will watch. Not only his rabid die hard fan base, but people like me that think he’s a loon. I would watch just for the entertainment value. Who knows what he would say.

Video of some brat getting what’s coming to him. I love the fact that there are two adults just watching as a kid attempts to engage in some animal cruelty. I also assume that there is another adult holding the camera. By the looks of the video, it was probably a super 8 movie camera.

Karma’s a bitch.

When Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul proclaimed that Abraham Lincoln started the American Civil War, maybe he wasn’t talking about the same Abraham Lincoln everyone assumed he was talking about.

Maybe he was talking about Star Trek Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln is one of our most beloved presidents. Star Trek Abraham Lincoln on the other hand can be a real asshole. I wouldn’t put it past Star Trek Abraham Lincoln to start a war. Can you say with unwaivering certainty that Star Trek Abraham Lincoln did not cause the American Civil War?

I didn’t think so.

I don’t trust Star Trek Abraham Lincoln. I never have. There is a reason the Red Shirts in the above photo have their phasers aimed squarely on Star Trek Abraham Lincoln. If there is one thing Red Shirts know is taking the proper precautions to be safe and secure. If you ever find yourself in an Away Team to some strange alien planet, stick close to the guys in the red shirts. They will keep you safe. At least the ones assigned to the U.S.S. Enterprise.

I have no doubt those phasers are set to Kill and not Stun. You cannot mess around when it comes to Star Trek Abraham Lincoln.

I may have to rethink my opinion on Ron Paul. If he is against Star Trek Abraham Lincoln, he can’t be all that bad. That doesn’t mean I would vote for him or put one of his stupid signs in my yard. One would have to be nutty as a suger-free fruitcake to do something like that.

Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul did a phone interview this morning on MSNBC to respond to being called a “crackpot” by correspondent David Shuster. This was in response to Ron Paul’s factually incorrect and totally asinine assertion that Abraham Lincoln “started” the Civil War. Ron Paul went on to claim that the hosts of the morning show had simply not read the right history books concerning the Civil War. He even went on to tell host Jack Jacobs that he was not “brave enough” to read the right American history books.

Not brave enough?

Jack Jacobs is a retired Army Colonel and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. He also holds three Bronze Stars, two Silver Stars, and two Purple Heart Medals.

Being that Ron Paul is a member of Congress, perhaps he has heard of the Congressional Medal of Honor. It’s the most revered and respected honor in the entire military. Not only is any recipient of the Medal of Honor brave, they are the epitome of bravery. If there is one thing a person who holds the Congressional Medal of Honor should never have to worry about is having their bravery called into question on national TV by a member of Congress. Even if that member of Congress is a whack-job.

When will Ron Paul’s followers realize their idol doesn’t deserve their unwaivering worship?

First Ron Paul said that Abraham Lincoln started the Civil War. Now he claims a distinguished war hero isn’t brave enough to read a certain history book. What will Ron Paul say next? Whatever it is, it’s sure to be entertaining.

Update: Video from Ron Paul’s interview is now up on YouTube, but the first part where he claims Col. Jack Jacobs is not brave enough to read a book that says Lincoln started the Civil War is missing from the video. I was able to find an audio only version that includes the statement by Ron Paul. It’s right about at the 6:40 mark.

I read somewhere that you can tell a lot about a person by the music they listen to. If that’s true, then I guess you can also tell something about a person by the music they don’t want to listen to any longer. Music that for whatever reason they enjoyed at one time in their life, but no longer feel the same way about today. Music they don’t want even sitting in their hard drive taking up ones and zeros. There’s only so much room in a hard drive.

So here goes. Here is the music I will no longer have in my music library:

• Good Charlotte - I’ve been to Charlotte. It ain’t that good.
• Jem - I don’t even know who or what this is.
• Jewel - Didn’t she marry a rodeo clown or something?
• Keith and The Girl -Technically, this isn’t music, it’s a podcast. It’s taking up a massive amount of space on my hard drive.
• Metallica - This is one of those bands I look back at and wonder why I ever liked their music.
• Mike + The Mechanics - I haven’t listened to them ever since they were the butt of a joke on the UK version of The Office.
• Simple Plan - I have no memory of ever listening to a single song of theirs.
• Soul Asylum - I think I downloaded a few of their songs after somebody in the band died. That’s how I show my respects. I got to the iTunes store and spend two bucks.
• Velvet Revolver - What can I say? I love Guns N’ Roses. I love Stone Temple Pilots. I just don’t care for blend of the two.

So there you have it. The music I will no longer be listening to. I honestly thought there would be a lot more I was getting rid of. I should really do this more often if for no other reason to remind myself just what I have. For instance, I forgot that I had acquired a massive collection of music from the Stray Cats. At one time I owned everything they ever put out on cassette tape. Even the stuff released in Europe.

Republican presidential hopeful and all around crackpot Ron Paul was on Meet The Press this past weekend and capitalized on the opportunity by showing America just how kooky he is. He blamed Abraham Lincoln, arguably our most beloved president of starting the Civil War. This from MSNBC:

Paul repeated his claim that Abraham Lincoln should not have started the Civil War to get rid of slavery. “Six-hundred-thousand Americans died in the senseless Civil War,” he said. “No, he should not have gone to war. He did this just to enhance and get rid of the original tenet of the Republic,” he told NBC’s Tim Russert.

“Slavery was phased out in every other country in the world,” Paul continued, responding to the question if America would still have slavery had there not been the Civil War. “The way I’m proposing that it should have been done is do it like the British Empire did — you buy the slaves and release them. How much would that cost compared to killing 600,000 Americans?… I mean, that doesn’t sound too radical to me. That sounds like a pretty reasonable approach.”

Except “buying the slaves” would give credence to the idea that humans can be bought and sold like farm animals. That was kind of the whole point in abolishing slavery.

People are not livestock.

Lincoln did not choose to go to war. The war came to him. The United States did not declare war against the Confederacy. The Confederacy declared war against the United States. The southern states illegally seceded from the United States one by one in reaction to Lincoln winning the election. They feared that Lincoln would abolish slavery. Lincoln only called from states to provide troops to assist retaking U.S. forts in southern states after the Battle of Fort Sumter.

A part of me feels sorry for Ron Paul supporters. I understand why they gravitate towards him and his candidacy. Ron Paul is the only anti-Iraq war candidate on the Republican side. Unlike most candidates in either party, Paul comes out and clearly says what he believes. It’s refreshing. The problem is that some of the stuff he comes out and says that he believes in is just plain wrong. Not philosophically wrong, but factually wrong. Like that Lincoln stated the Civil War or that a fertilized egg is a human being. To be a Ron Paul supporter, you have to chose to ignore an awful lot.

Through some loophole in the rules that govern the holiday known as Christmas, agreeing with your spouse that you will not exchange gifts this year does not include one person giving the other an XBox 360. Sheri surprised me this year by giving my an XBox 360 system. It includes the the game console, a 20 gig hard drive, two (2) wireless controllers, a headset, and a cool looking messenger bag. It also came with some games - Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Forza 2 Motorsport, and Halo 3.

She told me she bought it a month ago from Wal-Mart Online. She said it doesn’t break our no-gift agreement because she plans on using it as much as me. She has a point. It also technically isn’t a Christmas gift because she gave it to me two days ago. Who am I to question it?

I bought a wireless network adapter for it. I wanted to be able to use it online so I could enjoy the pleasure of 14 year old nerd-boys fragging me at Halo 3. Plus, I wanted to be able to stream media files from my PC to my TV. The XBox 360 allows me to do just that. I created a shared video folder on my PC and placed all of my avi videos in it. I then added them to my library in Microsoft Media 11. Now I can watch all of my videos on my 42 inch HD TV in the living room. What surprised me was the picture quality. It’s really quite good. Excellent in fact. Just to have the ability to stream digital media from my PC makes the XBox a worthwhile investment.

We had been talking about getting a Wii. I asked Sheri why she bought an XBox 360 if she wanted a Wii. She told me that she wanted both. That sounds good to me.

There is a feud going on in the podcasting community between singer Brother Love, a superstar in the world of podsafe music and frequent guest of the Keith and The Girl podcast and author Tee Morris, a man who may be best known for writing Podcasting For Dummies. I honestly had never heard of the guy. I’m not a podcaster and I’m not a dummy. At least most of the time.

The two men got into this past summer at the New Media Expo in Ontario California. Being that it transpired at the New Media Expo, the whole exchange was captured on a digital recorder. Imagine that.

The argument stemmed from something that happened prior at this past Dragon*Con. Brother Love was to speak at one of the panels dealing with Creative Commons until he was scratched from the event at the last minute without any prior warning. He didn’t find out until he attempted to go on stage and take his seat. Understandably he was irritated over this. He had spend time promoting his appearance at Dragon*Con and this one panel had been the only panel he had planned on participating in. He voiced his displeasure to Derek and Swoopy, the event organizers and the team that produce the Skepticality Podcast.

How does this involve Tee Morris? Evidently, he is friends with Derek and Swoopy and he didn’t appreciate how Brother Love spoke to his friends.

Not only was the entire argument between Brother Love and Tee Morris recorded, it was played in it’s entirety on The Keith and The Girl podcast (episode 589: A Hero’s Return) the next time Brother Love was a guest. The segment begins at about the 18 minute mark.

Tee Morris might have been irritated with Brother Love over something that happened at Dragon*Con, it’s nothing compared to what he feels about Keith and The Girl playing the audio of the argument on their show. He’s also extremely angry with Brother Love, though I don’t really understand why. The audio wasn’t recorded by Brother Love. It was recorded unbeknown to him by someone who was there. Brother Love said he didn’t know a recorder was going during the argument. Keith and The Girl said they got the audio not from Brother Love, but by the person that recorded it.

Tee Morris is making the claim that recording the argument between Brother Love and his was a crime. He claims that you must have permission to record someone, even if it is in a public place in complete earshot of everyone there. Even if that public place is an event called the New Media Expo. Personally, I would assume everything said in public at the New Media Expo was on MP3 somewhere. I doubt I would be wrong.

If you want to hear exactly what Tee Morris thinks about all this, you can listen to Keith and The Girl, episode 641: Happy Jeremymas. They have the audio of a commentary made by Tee Morris concerning this whole thing. It’s the final seven minutes of the show.

It’s irritating to listen to. Tee Morris refers to Keith and The Girl as “Amateur Hour” and Brother Love as “Dink”. I’m not sure why he feels the need to give them codenames. It seems to me that if you are going to go to the trouble of trashing someone, you might as well make it clear just who you are trashing. There actually is a podcast called The Amateur Hour. Now it seems that Tee Morris has a problem with a podcast he has probably never heard of.

Why is Tee Morris so upset about the audio being made public? I can only imagine it’s because he comes off sounding like a complete douche. Not only when he is discussing his perceived problems with Brother Love/Dink, but what he says afterwards. When he learns that Brother Love is Jewish, he shares that his “first time” was with a “Jewish redhead” and that he has the scars to prove it. I’m not entirely sure I understand what he meant by that. I thought he was talking about the first time he had sex, but why would that leave scars?

I think that if it left scars, he was doing it wrong. I guess he should have read Having Sex With Jewish Redheads For Dummies.