let my madness know no end

go here

2008-12-17T23:12:00.000-08:00

I don't update this anymore. Go here instead.

Credit Default Swaps explained

2008-10-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

Untangling credit default swaps from Marketplace on Vimeo.

Name droppin

2008-08-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

You know that guy who came from behind in the 4x100 freestyle relay to put in the best split ever and secure the gold medal for the USA-- link? Well, he and I were classmates back at UCSB in Dramatic Arts 5. We both signed up for the class because it was easy and fun. He went on to win a few Olympic swimming medals including the above-mentioned gold. I went on to own a ten-dollar pair of aviator sunglasses. Congratulations, Jason! You've made your fellow Gauchos and Americans extremely proud.

Pacific Arms recording

2008-08-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

I wrote and recorded a song on my old cassette four-track about a year ago. Check it.

http://coimk.com/2008/08/07/a-new-pa-track/

His Words - Not Mine

2008-06-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take the time to draw your attention to a little project the Famous M and I are involved in. We're taking turns writing chapters of a novel. Chapter one from M and chapter two from me are already up. Your guess is as good as mine as to what M has in store for chapter three.

His Words - Not Mine

i know this is difficult to do in a blog format, but make sure to read it chronologically, or you'll feel like you're watching Memento.

Severance

2008-04-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

The call finally came. Ned was casual about it. "Can you cruise by for a sec? We need to talk about this whole merger thing."

Morgan already knew that being part of the acquired company meant that his department would be decimated. Morgan's department was the current poster child for redundancy. As an ace analyst Morgan felt confident the new company would want to keep him around. Yet he longed for the possibility of receiving a lucrative severance package about which he had heard many of his colleagues in similar situations rave.

"How's it going, Morgan?"

"Um. Not totally sure yet. It could go either way I guess."

"Well, to get right into it, you're actually in a really good spot right now. I've been given the authority to hand-pick the people I want to stay. And, of course, you're number one on my keeper list."

"Well, I guess I'm doing all right then."

"You'd ultimately have to prove yourself to the new regime, but I don't think that will problem for you. You got my vote."

"Excellent."

"I also wanted to throw something out there for you if you're interested. I hate to do this, but I'm required by the new regime to make this offer to all of our people. You see, a lot of what we do, they already do. And it's kind of pointless to have two people performing the same job. They bought us, and they want to keep their people. With the expanded market, of course, they're going to need some bodies-- but only a few. And that's why I want you to stick around. But I'm required to give you the opportunity to take their deal if you decide to leave voluntarily."

"So what's the deal?"

"Six month's salary. If you decide to stick around, and they let you go, it's only three month's."

"Fuck yeah! I'll take the deal."

"Damn it. I knew you'd take the deal. I begged those guys, 'Just let me keep a few. Do I have to tell them all about the deal?' They're stupid for letting good people go."

"Well, tell 'em thanks for me. What about you?"

"I don't know. They haven't offered me a deal yet. Well, we're going to get a big going-away party together in couple weeks, so don't run off too quick."

The remainder of the conversation between Ned and Morgan consisted of small talk. Ned excelled at small talk. Morgan couldn't wait to get on with the rest of his life.

Morgan had big ideas. And they came cascading in giant waves to him as he drove home. He always toyed with the idea of starting his own consulting firm, and now he could actually do something about it. He just had to get home. And then the bomb went off.

If felt like an earthquake or a giant gust of wind blowing from behind him. Morgan heard a thunder strike without a cloud in the sky. No, it was bigger than thunder. The bowel-jiggling rumble was unmistakable. When Morgan looked in his rear-view mirror, the horror overwhelmed him. From the downtown area he left minutes ago arose the largest and blackest plume of smoke he had seen that wasn't computer-generated or from an old newsreel. This was real. And his dreams that seemed so real a few seconds ago were just dreams.

Was it Al-Qaeda or some homegrown McVeigh-like motherfucker? Was it one of our own godfathers terrorizing his own people to force them into his "protective" arms? The blood spilled on September 11 and all the previous and subsequent wars were never enough to quench the thirst of those wanting or wanting to hold on to power. It didn't matter. Morgan just had to get home.

Honk

2008-04-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

I woke up. The sun had yet to return. I'm not a big fan of waking up. And I really hate to wake up before it is absolutely necessary. With no birds chirping in the dawn, I was afraid to look at the clock. The only sound was a distant car horn. It wasn't the typical car alarm with the repeating BEEP BEEP BEEP. This was one continuous BEEEEEEEEEEE... It was there when I awoke, and it continued.

I asked, "Do you hear that?"

Michelle was in deep REM. I would get no answer from her.

I waited for the sound to stop. I didn't want to look at the clock, and I fought the urge to raise my head to take a peak. What seemed like a couple more minutes passed. The sound continued. I used my pillow as a tortilla for a taco de cabeza, but the sound burned right through the thick shell and into my ear canals. The only drug that was going to knock out this nuisance was TV, I figured. Some late night cartoons ought to do the trick nicely. The brilliant thing with most cartoons is they disengage your brain from critical thought. They're usually quite effective at turning off my brain so I can get back to sleep. After almost a half hour of some violent Anime designed for twelve-year-olds, that fucking sound was still there. I could feel it growing inside my head like a rapidly developing alien embryo.

It was time for action. I laced up my sneakers and threw on a sweater. Someone's car was about to get keyed. The cool night air solidified my resolve. The sound seemed to come from all angles. The houses and alleys of the suburb reflected the sound in such a way, it was hard to tell where it was coming from. I began to jog in one direction, gaging the strength of the sound. Was it getting weaker? No. It was definitely getting stronger. I was on the right track. The sound grew louder as I navigated the streets. House after house passed all with similarly manicured lawns. I remembered I needed to mow my own lawn, but not before I killed the car that was creating that infernal sound. Thinking about the sound of a lawn mower swallowing that giant beep was soothing.

And there it was before me. It was a mid-size sedan very similar to my car, parked in front of a house very similar to my own. I approached the driveway slowly. The sound was almost deafening now. It appeared someone was slumped over the steering wheel. This was going to be fun. I should have brought my camera. As I moved closer I noticed the body rested in an awkward position. Comfort was not a priority for this sleeping driver. Was he asleep? He didn't appear to be breathing. He almost didn't seem real-- more like a crash test dummy. Yet there was an air of familiarity about him. I moved closer to the driver's side window and then stopped cold. My lifeless face stared back at me from inside the car.

I awoke with a start. I felt I had flexed every fucking muscle in my body. Honestly it was just like in the movies when someone wakes up from a nightmare. I looked over at Michelle. She was still asleep. And there it was in the air and in my head-- the sound. Without hesitation I laced up my sneakers and threw on a sweater. I flew out the door and began sprinting down the street. Then it stopped.

What I do while my wife studies for her exams

2008-02-22T16:39:00.000-08:00

I could do more productive things, but that's what work is for, right? So here are a few things that have been helping me unwind lately.

National Geographic

I have a subscription. My grandpa had a subscription, and I've always been fascinated by the golden rectangle. The problem is they don't come often enough-- only once a month. It doesn't even take a couple nights to get through. If you can limit yourself to one article a night, you can stretch it out. Sometimes I skip articles though. Philippine eagles just don't capture my attention. Maybe I'll go back and read it some day.

Zeta Gundam

I pretty much love anything Gundam.

Tape Op

My other subscription. This one is actually free. If you're into recording, this publication is indispensable.

Flight of the Conchords

My sister got me the first season for my birthday, so I felt obligated to watch it. It was kinda funny actually. It's the Kiwi version of Tenacious D back when they were on HBO.

Extras

I bought season one and two as a gift for my family's Dirty Santa gift exchange. My poor grandma picked it. I could tell she wasn't pleased for some reason. She was stuck with it for a while until Michelle swooped in to save her. So I got to watch season two, which I hadn't seen yet. There are only six episodes though, so it's not enough to cover months of lonely nights unless you watch it over and over again.

Casio PX-200 Digital Piano

I picked up one of these for my birthday. Lately I've been teaching myself Satie's Three Gymnopedies. Not being a pianist, prior to this, the only thing I could really play on the piano was "Hey Jude". I figured the Gymnopedies would be good pieces to work on for someone who doesn't really play before I start diving into some crazy Chopin preludes.

Netvibes

I keep all my RSS feeds organized on Netvibes. I can go deep, or I can graze depending on my mood.

The Daily Show and The Colbert Report

I get my national and world news and laugh a little at the same time-- what a combo.

Blade Runner

I got the four-disc set for Xmas. As to be expected, it's loaded with making-of documentary footage to help you literally pick up the craft of film making.

Books

I've actually had time to finish the book my buddy at work lent me like a year ago. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon is an epic story of two Jewish cousins in WWII New York who take on the Nazis through their popular superhero comic, The Escapist. As a work of fiction, it's meticulously researched and feels more like a true stylized biography of these characters as they interact with real people and events of the time. It was little too tidy and straight-forward for me, but I was still able to enjoy many sections.

So that's what I've been up to. Now you can go off and be me. I'll try to be more exciting for the next time.

EO

2007-10-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

Sunday

2007-09-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

Let's all work together to get this film a distribution deal.

Sunday

Ryan, you've made us proud.

I'm acceptable for all audiences

2007-07-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

Full-size Gundam created for GUNDAM CRISIS attraction - Engadget

2007-05-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

Full-size Gundam created for GUNDAM CRISIS attraction - Engadget

Video podcasters on youtube, please start using blip.tv

2007-04-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

I have a simple request to all video podcasters who upload their videos exclusively to youtube: upload 'em to blip.tv as well. I'm asking you to do this so I can subscribe to your feed outside of the youtube domain using whatever viewing mechanism pleases me. I happen to have a Windows media center rig plugged into my TV with TV Tonic installed, but I'm sure my request applies to owners of the new iTV thing as well since one can use iTunes to subscribe to podcasts. Thanks.

Oh, and youtube, I realize you like to keep people hanging out on your site, but I bet I'm not the only one who would really dig it if you offered RSS feeds for your channels. Millions read my blog, and by tomorrow, every serial video poster will abandon your site in favor of blip.tv unless you do something now. (blip.tv, get ready for the huge bandwidth increase.)

Movin' time

2007-04-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

The Magnificent M has new digs. Go there.

http://iovuf.blogspot.com/index.html

mp3's of me

2007-04-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

http://pacificarms.magnaband.com/mp3/

I just realized my host allows me an insane amount of storage and bandwidth. So here are a bunch of original songs I've recorded throughout the years.

'Bout time

2007-04-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

The Famous (and mysterious) M has finally stepped up to the blogosphere. What's up with the anonymity? He used to put together a much-loved 'zine every quarter for his friends and family, culling together rare tidbits from around the funnyspace. It is sorely missed. Hopefully Living-to-die will fill that void. Perhaps, it can fill some of your voids as well.

LA Movie

2007-03-30T15:32:00.000-07:00

Mike D. is a movie-making machine. Check out the first video episode from Cloak and Dagger Media.

Gundam greets the new year

2007-03-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

Gundam Lantern

Anyone want to help me build one? Thanks for the link, Dan.

time-lapse overload

2007-02-26T22:47:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine volunteered her time schlepping chunks of concrete to help get Malibu Creek back to where she once belonged. This is the incredible time-lapse video of the monumental task.

she speaks in tongues

2007-02-26T11:41:00.000-08:00

Click To Play

dan, thanks for posting this. i can't stop watching this. my kid is awesome.

Sunshine is not free

2007-02-21T12:38:00.000-08:00

Selling Homeowners a Solar Dream

I totally dreamed this up ages ago. And I had the same conversation in my own head. When everyone shows up for their free solar panels, how am I going to pay for them all? We're talking enormous up front costs. Am I willing to wait a long time to get my money back and make a profit? What will Edison do to try to stop me?

It's a great idea, but it doesn't look like these are the guys to get it done. Yeah, the more you make, the cheaper they get. But pyramid scheme? Come on. This thing will sell itself once it gets rolling. Why bog it down. Someone else with a little more legitimacy please step up to the plate.

I say we look at these homeowner contracts as securities. Bundle 'em up and securitize. They're essentially low-yield, low-risk bonds. They already do this with home loans. Environmentally-conscious investors could jump all over these. Et voila! There's your financing. Maybe your local bank or lender will be where you go to get your free solar panel.

War

2007-02-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

The rawest depiction ever digitized.

Dude Shoes 0001

2007-01-09T00:17:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. Be on the look-out for episode 0003 when I attempt to use Youtube's direct record thing as DL suggested.

I'm now able to more effectively manipulate minds through face-to-face contact.

Digital Entertainment Center Part 3

2007-01-02T17:45:00.000-08:00

I got an Xbox 360 for Christmas. I'm always a little late to the party. In addition to being a powerful gaming platform, the Xbox 360 can also perform as a Windows Media Center extender. After updating my OS, and getting a unique code from the Xbox, I was able to install the media center extender interface on my recently acquired 255z. It's pretty amazing. Once you fire up the media center on the Xbox, it's nearly indiscernible from the original media center interface. I could watch TV live or recorded, watch video, listen to music, and look at pictures just like on my media center. I'm not sure how well the live TV thing will work over wi-fi though. This is a great option for folks with multiple big-ass TV's. I only have one big-ass TV though, so it's kinda pointless for me. But I'm loving the Xbox no less. I held my own against some pre-pubes in a Call of Duty deathmatch. And I'm racking up the points in Need for Speed. Pretty soon, with those points, I'll be renting some high-def movies from the Xbox marketplace. Or I could get that episode of South Park I've always wanted. I'll have to take the 360 with me if I want to watch it on the go. With those points I could finally get past the second level of Frogger and pay for the full version.

A little update on the media center itself: dvd surround sound audio does indeed work and cd/dvd burning works. I was enjoying the Beatles/Gearge Martin's Love in 5.1 just the other day. And a little movie I edited in Windows Movie Maker and then authored into a dvd with Nero turned out great. My masterpiece has been likened to watching ice melt by more than one person.

Another media center update: for the paranoid and the packrats, the 255z (z552) comes with a slot for an HP personal media drive. I got one of these to back up my valuables. It's pretty handy-- slides right in. I'm using Allway Sync to automatically back stuff up. Thanks again for the idea, Dan. As always, you are the tech man.

Rotted Brain

2006-12-28T19:58:00.000-08:00

A couple of my good buddies have been diligently producing a tech-focused podcast every weekday for a couple months now. Being on vacation, I had the opportunity to sit in on the last two episodes to demonstrate my complete ignorance. Check them out at rottedbrain.com. In the latest episode we discussed a painstakingly crafted "top ten websites of 2006" list.

Digital Entertainment Center Part 2

2006-10-12T14:36:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I installed Windows XP MCE on my new HP debranded digital entertainment center. It definitely was the right call. The remote control started working instantly with no fuss. Once you get that remote in your hand, you want to avoid the trackball at all costs. It prompted me to do some things I hadn't originally planned on doing like tweaking MCE to support OGM and AAC files.

Drivers

Again I was clueless. I thought all the device drivers would somehow be included with the OEM version of MCE that I had purchased. I'm an unrealistic optimist I guess. Again none of the custom devices, except for the remote and the wireless keyboard, worked. But fortunately since I had a legitimate copy of MCE installed, I was able to go to HP, and get pretty much everything I needed. This of course was after I got the network card working. It was nice to see the led display tell me something other than the default welcome message. In addition to the drivers at the HP site, I went ahead and got the latest Catalyst driver from ATI.

DVD decoder

Yep. I needed on of these. Couldn't play DVD's or watch TV without it. I got the bronze level NVIDIA PureVideo Decoder for $19.99. That did the trick. I also got a coax splitter to take advantage of the dual tuners.

Windows Media Center

Dang! The green button rocks. I was so impressed with this interface, I wanted to be able to access all my video, music, and pictures using it. Like I mentioned earlier, it's all about the remote control. For those of you with TiVo's and the like, you know the feeling. You get big friendly menus browseable from your couch with the click of a remote. It's like the DVD menu of your life. And underneath it all, I still have a PC that does everything a PC does. I don't have to be stuck in the world of big menus. I can run uTorrent while I'm recording Oprah and flipping through pictures of my vacation and listening to ABBA.

Do you need MCE? No. But the interface is worth the extra bucks in my opinion. Running the latest Nero or Beyond TV are viable alternatives. I've tried Nero, and it does the trick. Its friendly interface is even skinnable. MCE probably has both alternatives beat on website integration though. A lot of sites have content accessible through MCE. Through the MTV and VH1 links, I can click through a treasure trove of videos new and old. This was an unexpected surprise.

I could've saved a little money using Linux and some open source Linux media center app. (Google "Linux media center." There's a lot out there.) But I really wanted to replicate what you get with the HP branded z552. I'm borderline OCD and 100% lazy.

File formats

A while ago when I got my iPod, I ended up ripping my entire cd collection into AAC files. AAC is handled perfectly by iTunes. WMP needs a little tweaking to properly deal with AAC. If WMP can't see them, than MCE can't see them. So I grabbed an AAC codec here and a WMP plugin to display AAC tags here. It took forever for the tags to populate in WMP with my paltry 6,387 songs. The plugin crashed WMP more than once. But I had to have all my music in MCE. I just had to. The only ones that don't show up now are the ones with DRM from the iTunes store. I got a $50 iTunes gift card last Xmas, and I've gotten codes from a few bottle and box tops. I have yet to free these files. But it will happen.

So you already know I have an iPod and a Windows Media Center machine. I might as well spill everything and tell you I'm a fan of mecha anime. A lot of video procured online, especially anime, is encoded as OGM. With the right codec, OGM files play just fine in WMP. But you can't add them to the library. Subsequently, MCE doesn't recognize them. Well, some hotshot at this forum created a .reg file that solves this problem. Thanks guy.

The Future

I still have to test a surround sound DVD. You'd think this would be one of the first things I'd check. But I have a nice DVD player already, so it's not a priority.

I haven't tried to burn a CD or DVD yet.

If I go HD with my cable company, I'll have to upgrade the tuner card and employ the IR blaster, which I'm currently not using, to switch channels on the converter box. HD would mean bigger files. Bigger files would need to be stored on a bigger hard drive. I can't predict who's going to win between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. So I'm hoping online delivery will be perfected sooner rather than later.

Conclusion

I'd have a hard time finding a new HP z552 for under $1,000. This is essentially what I have. I got half off. That's rad.

My digital entertainment center adventure -- Part 1

2006-10-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

I snagged probably the last HP Debranded P4 3.0GHz 200GB Digital Entertainment Center TS-255z from the ComputerGeeks the other day. Just take a look at the specs and then marvel at the $435.50 price. My buddy knew I was in the market for some sort of computer-plugged-into-my-TV thing. It took a while for the awesomeness of this to sink in after he shared the link.

The Mac mini was pretty high on my list once Boot Camp entered the picture. (My lady can't handle the OS X for some reason; she fears change.) But the mini's lack of video capture sort of bothered me. I'm not much for recording, but rewinding makes me feel like God.

The 255z is the HP z552 without the OS, instruction booklet, and support from HP. It's the same exact hardware. I figured I'd just install the XP Home that came with my laptop and be done with it. Yes, laugh at my naivete. I haven't put a system together since I've been on laptops. A hardcore gamer I am not. So I plugged in the serial number to activate Windows-- no dice. I called the 800 number and got an education on the Windows world today. Apparently the Windows installed on my laptop (included in the price of my laptop) is only good for that laptop. "If the laptop dies, the Windows dies with it." Yes, he said that. According to the MS customer service rep, OEM versions are tied to the hardware they're installed on. He mentioned that if I had purchased a standalone version, they could've given me another license. I didn't want to mess around with some workaround, so I started shopping for an OS I already had. I thought about Linux for second, and then moved on. The going rate around town for the full version of XP Home seemed to be around $200. I settled on an OEM version of Windows XP Media Center Edition for $109. The Home OEM was cheaper, but I figured I could exploit the hardware more with the OS it was designed around. The little platter is in transit now. I'll document the post-MCE experience in part 2.

In the meantime, I still had an OS that would work for 30 days, so I started tinkering. The remote keyboard worked immediately. The remote control didn't. The network card driver didn't install automatically, so I was a little stuck. My friend, who lives and breathes the internet, found the Marvell network card driver and sent me the link. I performed a thumb drive transfer and began rocking cyberspace in no time. I found the obvious video and sound drivers from ATI and Realtek. Using a digital coax connection to my surround system, I was able to get stereo sound to work but not 5.1. :(. I'm pretty sure the two video capture devices are from Hauppauge, but exactly which driver to use I wasn't sure about. I'm hoping the XP MCE install will solve these issues. If it has all the plug-and-play drivers, I should be golden.

Am I happy? Considering I was plugging my laptop into my HDTV via a VGA cable to watch HD files surrounded by black bars, and I was listening to music through an Apple AirPort, I'm more than stoked. I have a powerful computer that is always hooked up to my TV, sound system, and the interweb for a little over $500. I can take advantage of the TV's full resolution. Once I get the DVR cards working, I can rewind again (the Moxi box from Adelphia and all that came with it was getting ridiculously expensive, so we cancelled). I even installed Call of Cthulhu to see how a game would work on the new system. This game used to freeze on my weak laptop at the lowest settings. I used to see floating eyeballs where heads should be. Now on my bigass TV, this game can be enjoyed in all its macabre glory. It was nightmare-inducing.

Hydrogen Power System Unveiled in Maine - New York Times

2006-08-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

Hydrogen Power System Unveiled in Maine - New York Times

Hooray! These guys read my blog (see Energy Freedom). Okay, maybe not. But they think like me.

Welcome to Yacht Rock!

2006-08-27T22:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Yacht Rock!

Break out the sandpaper. We're grinding down all the rough edges with Yacht Rock.

2006-08-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

Metal By Numbers

brian posehn is on track to become a megastar if keeps putting out stuff like this. he's just saying what all us old school metalheads are thinking. he gets a little help from scott ian and bob odenkirk. clay, thanks for sharing.

The Amazing Screw-On Head

2006-08-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

SCIFI.COM | The Amazing Screw-On Head

let them know how much you dig it, so they'll make more.

Gundam has almost arrived

2006-08-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

Wearable Robot Suit Complete With Side Mounted Gun For Sale! - Gizmodo

Let's all get $315k together and buy this thing. It's a little clunky, but it's a step in the right direction.

Parking Hack

2006-06-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

Parking your car in LA is a hellish task. A buddy of mine just moved his art studio to Hollywood where a monthly parking permit can cost around $75. After being ticketed four times, he stumbled upon a novel solution. He got a gym membership at the Bally's by his studio for $35 a month. Parking is included in the membership fee. That's $40 a month in savings, and he can work out if he wants.

my girl

2006-04-26T23:19:00.000-07:00

pink

2006-04-19T00:23:00.000-07:00

pink

I've always been a fan of Charlie White. His photo productions are unsettling. And I like to be unsettled. This little video does not fail to unsettle. Just to get an idea of what goes into a Charlie White production-- the credits take up half the duration. I found this at boingboing.

Faith The 2 Legged Dog

2006-04-04T18:22:00.000-07:00

Faith The 2 Legged Dog

Drawing Restraint 9 Trailer

2006-03-29T10:27:00.000-08:00

Drawing Restraint 9 - Trailer

Hell yes! I am hyping a movie I haven't seen, but based on past works from Matthew Barney, I believe I am justified.

Chris Bliss: Must-See Finale

2006-03-28T10:33:00.000-08:00

Chris Bliss: Must-See Finale

The end of Abbey Road always makes me smile and cry tears of happiness.

zim

2006-03-23T22:20:00.000-08:00

My buddy told me the other day he was really getting into Invader Zim. My buddy is the same age as me-- we're old. Not being a kid, I had no idea what he was talking about. So I set the old DVR to record every episode. For a Y7-rated show, it's surprisingly badass. It's actually quite disturbing. Yeah, it has the boldly-defined lines, which are mandatory for cartoons these days it seems. But it also incorporates some playful Giger-esque/Wachowski-ish future gothic stylings. The action sequences are creative and entertaining. GIR, Zim's sidekick robot is insane to the degree of lovability. Even the diminutive Zim, hell-bent on taking over earth for the Irken empire, endears himself with his genius ineptness and his emphatic references to himself in the third person. From what I've seen so far, the half-hour program is split into two segments to cover both sides of Zim's world-- the alien and the alien disguised as human boy. The human boy, Dib, is on to Zim and works to thwart Zim at every step of the way. Dib's little sister, Gaz, realizes Zim has no chance of success. Gaz, the artsy kid who will grow up to make cartoons like Invader Zim, truly is Zim's guardian angel-- preventing her brother from destroying the poor little alien.

So check it out if you have the time. With The Daily Show and ,The Colbert Report, I don't know how many more half-hour dailies I can take. I'm taking in way too much Viacom. And the podcasts... I'm going to have to cut myself off. Damn you, Television! Damn you, DVR! Damn you, RSS Feed! Damn you, Compelling Novel! Damn you, Addictive Video Game! Damn you, Sudoku!

YouTube - Real Life Simpsons Intro

2006-03-04T22:38:00.000-08:00

Pandora

2006-02-28T17:06:00.000-08:00

The box is officially open. Here is my main station-- Danny's Favs. I've cast a pretty wide net, so there's a little garbage that slips through occasionally. (I'm still debating whether or not to remove the Beatles-- they pretty much influenced everyone including a lot of shite.) My friends are slightly more reliable in picking out music I might like. Songs get the thumbs down when they suck. I've also avoided giving anything the thumbs up no matter how much I like it; I don't want the station to become too focused. Does anyone out there know if adding songs to your favorites affects the station? I've been favoriting stuff I like to guide my future musical explorations.

Honda FCX Fuel Cell Vehicle to Go Into Production - Gizmodo

2006-02-07T21:44:00.000-08:00

Honda FCX Fuel Cell Vehicle to Go Into Production - Gizmodo

Kinda what I was thinking of but with natural gas instead of water. Reforming natural gas is the least expensive way to obtain hydrogen currently.

See censorship in action using Google's image search for 'Tiananmen' from Guardian Unlimited: Technology

2006-01-30T22:47:00.000-08:00

See censorship in action using Google's image search for 'Tiananmen' from Guardian Unlimited: Technology

It's funny I'm posting this on Google-owned Blogger.com. This really isn't just a Google problem. (I admit I almost believed the "don't be evil" bullshit for a little bit.) An increasing amount of American companies do gazillions in trade with China. It ain't just hookers and drug dealers compromising/revising their values to make a buck.

IFC snags the US rights to Barney's latest

2006-01-19T14:14:00.000-08:00

Film Article | Reuters.com

My friends and I have been anticipating the domestic bow of Drawing Restraint 9 ever since we knew of its existence. If your life has been touched by Matthew Barney in any way, most likely through his Cremaster Cycle, you probably understand our enthusiasm.

Our first exposure to Barney's work came through an art mag one of my college buddies had. It contained still images from Barney's Cremaster 4. That group of images left a huge impression on us. A few years later when we heard Cremaster 2 was playing at the Nuart, we were compelled to check it out. Our perspectives of reality were forever changed, and we became ardent Matthew Barney admirers/critics.

With his wife Bjork at his side for this latest release, Barney should easily achieve total world domination. (Dancer in the Dark rocked to the earth's core by the way.)

Here's an exciting tidbit of info about the soundtrack: Will Oldham is on it. Hell yes! Oldham's timeless voice helped shape Cremaster 3 into one of the most triumphant cinematic experiences of all time.

Barney, Bjork, and Oldham come together to bring you your new favorite movie. Rejoice!

tortoise adopts orphaned hippo

2005-12-28T21:52:00.000-08:00

this story pulled pretty damn hard on the old heartstrings.

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/12/28/tale_of_the_tortoise.html

election machines easily hacked

2005-12-19T23:46:00.000-08:00

Whoops!

http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-auth.cgi?file=/1954/15595.html

jayzeezer

2005-11-15T13:14:00.000-08:00

99 Problems With Buddy Holly

mildly amusing. thanks marlene.

"Kung Fu Hustle" wins at Chinese Oscars - Yahoo! News

2005-11-14T00:06:00.000-08:00

Kung Fu Hustle is ineffable.

I really loved the hell out of this movie. It's completely insane. I'm stoked to see it's getting its due.

"pivo" is "beer" in croatian

2005-09-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

New concept car: a rotating egg on wheels

Consumerism as Spectator Sport

2005-09-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

If I didn't know the guys at stuffibought.com, I wouldn't believe it. But I do know them, and it's true-- they really do buy that much stuff. If you want to get into the game of oneupsmanship stuffibought.com is sure to inspire, you can register and submit your own purchases complete with written reviews, pictures, and audio commentary to persuade others. And like Digg, Flickr, etc., it has its own little networking system so you can keep track of what your friends are buying and enjoying (or hating). Just don't try to keep up with the Lin brothers. You can't. There is no way. Forget it already.

MP3 blogs

2005-09-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

My friends and I used to make mix tapes. Then we made mix cds. Now you can find out what complete strangers are into with MP3 blogs. And if you're tastes line up, you've found yourself a source for new music.

I see a couple of these MP3 blogs Ben is talking about have RSS feeds. But they don't look like they're set up for podcasting. But then I guess it would be weird to podcast one track at a time.

Download This

Energy Freedom

2005-09-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

Here's my idea. Someone please build this for me. I want solar panels on my roof. That should be easy enough. But here's what I want to do with the excess energy I don't use during the day. Through electrolysis (all I need is running water) I want to create a stockpile of H2. Any power generated from the solar panels over what I can put into my H2 tank would go back into the grid. So when the sun doesn't shine, I can use my home fuel cell for power. If I run out of H2, I can just take back from the grid. So now I'm thinking, since I have this tank of H2 sitting at my house, what's to stop me from using it to fill up my fuel-cell-powered car? Heck, I could even reform the natural gas flowing into my house for H2 if I didn't want to waste water.

solar panels
fuel cells
electrolysis
car

American Red Cross - Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

Give what you can. It's hell over there.

American Red Cross - Credit Card Contribution

When Gundam attacks

2005-08-24T23:42:00.000-07:00

When Gundam attacks
Originally uploaded by mckibillo.

GUNDAM SEED DESTINY

2005-08-24T23:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it has cool mecha animation. Yeah, there's a lot of blowing stuff up. But the Gundam franchise offers so much more. In displaying combat between heavily-armed "mobile suits" piloted by gifted youngsters, it takes us on a journey that explores almost every aspect of war. The kid in me can appreciate it when Kira, one of the protagonists in the Seed series, gets to trade in his beat-up Strike Gundam for the new and improved Freedom Gundam. It looks cooler, and it rocks harder. All the glorious visuals are there to reel you in. And now that you're hooked, they can hit you with the history and political science lessons. At least I can hope that's what's happening for kids that watch the show. It's satisfying to see a cartoon demonstrate how people can be manipulated by their leaders into fighting war after war after war. Exploiting our differences to build up hatred, igniting the spark to fuel that hatred, revenge, profiteering-- it's all there. And it's all packaged in a wonderfully animated and melodramatically scored series. That's anime for you. I'm no anime expert. I just really enjoy this show.

Gundam Seed Destiny
And don't forget the rest of them:
Official Gundam website

More Croatia

2005-08-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

I made more Vis pics available for non-friends and non-family.

Croatia

2005-08-21T01:38:00.000-07:00

P1020024
Originally uploaded by scartoe.

I uploaded a few pics I took in Croatia last year. This is the only one I've made public, so I guess I just got you all excited only to disappoint you.

And here he is

2005-08-19T12:41:00.000-07:00

eSmith12
Originally uploaded by Dan Lin.

Dan L took this one at the Henry Fonda a while back.

New Elliott Smith recordings

2005-08-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

I just read about it at Pitchfork. I like Cat Stevens almost as much as Mr. Smith, so I'm definitely looking forward to hearing his studio version of "Trouble." I'm not too into Big Star, but if you're going to play a BS song, it's gotta be "Thirteen." And Elliott has been known to deliver beautiful solo performances of that one. Let the Tupac-ness continue.

New Elliott Smith Recordings Surface on Soundtrack

MAGNA

2005-08-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

Everybody needs something to do that keeps them from breaking free from society/reality and falling into a realm of psychotic futility. Lucky for me, I have a few friends that know how to make music. We make music together, and we're still here. It's amazing really.

Magna

Experimental Hybrid Cars Get Up to 250 Mpg - Yahoo! News

2005-08-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge energy freak. So I get off on this kind of stuff.

Experimental Hybrid Cars Get Up to 250 Mpg - Yahoo! News

ComeOnInMyKitchen.com

2005-08-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

It's been around for a while now (a week). It's like an on-demand local-access channel. Join the podcast revolution and subscribe.

ComeOnInMyKitchen.com

Dan Lin's Weblog

2005-07-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

Dan Lin's Weblog

it was only a matter of time.

I can't remember

2005-01-20T09:40:00.000-08:00

I can't remember what the future was like. From the bits and pieces I can pull together it was full of technological wonder and great scientific achievement. Perhaps I'm confusing what I have forgotten to some form of heaven. Anyway, I can't remember.

blah

2005-01-15T01:43:00.000-08:00

all i wanted to do was post a comment on http://birdday.blogspot.com.