Saturday, December 20, 2003

That picture is one from the archives, a JB post actually...
posted by Irdial , 8:38 PM Þ 

posted by Irdial , 8:26 PM Þ 

Nice new design, though it may be useful to have people's names posted as well.

You mean youhaven't picked up on how each of us write?
posted by meau meau , 6:14 PM Þ 


My christmas gift to my self.
posted by Claus Eggers , 6:01 PM Þ 

Do you want to know what IT is? Blogdial is everywhere. It is all around us, even now in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. The Truth that we are all slaves.
posted by Claus Eggers , 5:57 PM Þ 

Nice new design, though it may be useful to have people's names posted as well.

but it's possible to be artful in one's marketing
Very very true, I was referring mainly to that bland dreck that is all money and shows no creative spark whatsoever, is vapid and empty of any sort of soul except for that quest for monetary gratification. I guess I was rather vague with my initial statement.
_Barrie
posted by Barrie , 5:28 PM Þ 

I like that Blogdial is going in a new design direction. Perhaps we should all come up with our ouwn Style Sheet that can be randomly selected just like the header image. And the CSS shoul be linked externally rather than embedded into the page.

And all of the archives so easily accessible!!!

this is Josh, by the by.
posted by Josh Carr , 4:05 PM Þ 

A BILL

To amend section 1464 of title 18, United States Code, to provide for the punishment of certain profane broadcasts, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 1464 of title 18, United States Code, is amended--

(1) by inserting `(a)' before `Whoever'; and

(2) by adding at the end the following:

`(b) As used in this section, the term `profane', used with respect to language, includes the words `shit', `piss', `fuck', `cunt', `asshole', and the phrases `cock sucker', `mother fucker', and `ass hole', compound use (including hyphenated compounds) of such words and phrases with each other or with other words or phrases, and other grammatical forms of such words and phrases (including verb, adjective, gerund, participle, and infinitive forms).'. [...]

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:h.r.3687:
posted by Irdial , 1:26 PM Þ 

I watched it as I was really into old instruments at the time and wanted to see the viols. The depiction of old life was interesting too.

It always fascinates me that the only remaining branch of the viol family is the double bass. I saw a bass shaped like a cello/violin in a big museum in Boston once.
posted by captain davros , 1:07 PM Þ 

That's marketing, not art
but it's possible to be artful in one's marketing ... it doesn't all have to be about exploitation ... 'art' is one of those words, like 'quality', whose meaning becomes distorted by becoming attached to one particular definition too regularly

my pocket english dictionary in part defines it as being "... associated with imaginative and creative skill as distinct from technical skills of science ...", which i'm sure AK would have something to say about; in fact, i think that's what was at the heart of what you said about reducing inquiry to the level of commerce ... we all bring 'art' to bear to a certain degree on the way in which we lead our lives; there are all manner of ways of describing a person who brings none to bear

Scrabble and beg, plead and schmooze ... doesn't feel right for me
i sympathise alun, for i too am afflicted with the insidious rot that is an over-abundance of naive idealism, and can assure you that it will never leave you and that you will be glad it doesn't, for that's what makes for the little glow that, when it comes down to it, reinforces your belief in the fact that all is not lost ... ......... i speak from experience of many different jobs .... many, many, many, and all, without fail, have brought me into contact with the fact that the little shits inhabit every corner, that they must be combated wherever you find yourself

i wish you luck in your search, but (and i'm sure you know this already, have no desire to insult your intelligence, just have to say it though to complete a thought) can't stress enough the fact that there is no such thing as freedom .... but there is such a thing as having a sense of being in greater control of your own destiny, and working for yourself can certainly bring you that; the scrabbling will continue, and will require even greater amounts of energy, but at least you'll be dealing with the artless ones on your own terms ... i can't recommend it enough
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 10:10 AM Þ 

Alun, I hope you find something fulfilling. It seems many jobs these days, you see the good side, you see the bad side. You have to weigh it. But as many have said to me in the past, you close one door, another one opens. Cliche! Twing! I am sure with your beautiful shiny spirit, the right one will fall in your lap. Hopefully after a month of bumming out and enjoying your home.

Hmmm. We are post-christmas party buzz, it was an amazing time, 20th floor, we see mountains, ocean, city. Everyone brought food, lovely drinks, music. Of course, the magnetic children running about, who made them so cute? And I am having 40+ to my home tomorrow for another Christmas swing. The first time for a large gathering here, it is my turn. Will they all come? How many finger sandwiches should I make? How many tarts? My biggest regret is that I cannot have all of you here. That would be my greatest joy.
posted by mary13 , 5:57 AM Þ 

Depardieu and son!

What did it do to you?
posted by Irdial , 12:30 AM Þ 
Friday, December 19, 2003

I have seen it. Depardieu and son!
posted by captain davros , 11:27 PM Þ 

You need to see this:

"All the Mornings of the World"
posted by Irdial , 9:52 PM Þ 

Shouldn't this be on GroupHug, along with your Darkness admissions?

Et tu casse. Brilliant.


Bothers me not.
posted by captain davros , 9:45 PM Þ 
posted by Barrie , 9:35 PM Þ 

whatacrappypresent.com

My 12 year old cousin to a T. You have to love her!

I better find the receipt for the dvd I bought her. Pronto.
posted by mary13 , 9:12 PM Þ 

"My Milkshake brings all the boys to the Yard and theyre like, its better than yours"

You don’t know what this means, and you don’t know if they know what it means, but you’re pretty sure it’s dirty (and it is). You’re never going to stop your kids from hearing this stuff, but that doesn’t mean you have to pay record companies to make more of it. [...]

http://www.whatacrappypresent.com/
posted by Irdial , 9:02 PM Þ 

Barrie, I grew up in Fort St. John, and it sounds exactly the same as Fort McMurray. Oil town. Harsh. A man's town. A bully town. Very hard. But the countryside is quite incredible, long long blue skies with ice crystals and sun dogs, Northern Lights that move when you call to them. The dusk that lasts forever in the summer. Fields of saskatoon berries and wild strawberries. Moose and grizzly bears and pheasants and grouse! I have experienced -70 (-40 + wind chill -30). And it is exactly as you said. You know you are alive.
posted by mary13 , 8:50 PM Þ 

MUTE protects your privacy by avoiding direct connections with your sharing partners in the network. Most other file sharing programs use direct connections to download or upload, making your identity available to spies from the RIAA and other unscrupulous organizations.

Read more... [...]

http://mute-net.sourceforge.net/

One to install and leave running over the holidays!

DownloadGNU/Linux Intel X862.5 MiBversion 0.1
DownloadGNU/Linux PPC1.9 MiBversion 0.1
DownloadMac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar)2.4 MiBversion 0.1
DownloadWindows 95/98/NT/2000/XP4.0 MiBversion 0.1
DownloadUnix Source (notes)400 KiBversion 0.1
posted by Irdial , 8:40 PM Þ 

the art of pulling the wool over the idiot's eyes.
That's marketing, not art. Big difference. Marketing only works with idiots. Art works with idiots only sometimes.
posted by Barrie , 8:17 PM Þ 

Hunt for money? Scrabble and beg, plead and schmooze, network with The Right Names to ensure funding?

Sounds like being a freelance designer, although I expect what you do is a million times harder, better and more rewarding. Science is vital for the evolution of the intellect. Design is merely a distraction. Although design can and does serve some social function, you couldn't live without design in a modern society, but science saves lives. ANyway///

we're intrigued by long dark days ( because we may be forced to just curl up in cafes & restaurants drinking & eating )
I would recommend Iceland, but it's very expensive and at the weekend it's full of drunken revelers, which is fine (I have been among themself) but it's hardly honeymoon material.

I saw "Love Actually" last night and it was really good.
Everytime someone I know sees that I get a text message saying "Wow! You look exactly like the 12 year old in Love, Actually!" or "I didn't know you were in Love, Actually". Therefore I plan never to see this film.

Oslo is FUCKING BORING.
Your description sounds just like Singapore if you change the cold and sludge for Sweaty humidity. Except Singapore wasn't that boring, and there's an all night seafood market which is great. Actually, I think the clubs are open quite late in Singapore. But you'll get executed if you're gay, or if you cross the road badly or drop litter or chew gum. NO FUN. Which leads me on to...

Blogdialers, do you have capital punishment in your respective countries?
Not that I am from Singapore, and neither is my girlfriend (she's French), but her parents live there. She's gone to Burma for Christmas as well. This disturbs me quite a lot on many levels, the first, selfish one being that as there are no mobile phones in Burma I can't speak to her for 2 weeks.

Shouldn't this be on GroupHug, along with your Darkness admissions?
Et tu casse. Brilliant.

Two tickets to France, then...
Vive la france. Beautiful women, fine wines, cheese and bread.

Talking to a friend on iChat, she seems overly interested in the Christmas number one. I am arguing about the complete irrelevance of the charts.

pop music, of its highest form is an art in itself. the art of pulling the wool over peoples eyes. sexualising and transforming mostly gullible idiots. thats why there are so many preteen pop stars these days. theyr'e the only ones gullible enough to be molded.

Hang on, maybe that should be chARTs.

Straight to your hearts, not to the charts&tm;.
posted by alex_tea , 8:02 PM Þ 

Not a lot of good news here about people's jobs. Good luck to y'all. AK, I would reccommend Canada for research but the sad fact is all of our research is for private corporations. Most of our university budget goes into engineering and medical research... some of it is world class though (our diabetes team, water electric generation team). Others... well... we have a lecture hall sponsored by fucking DeBeers for chrissakes (and another by Shell, how humanitarian of us).

-30 in Montreal.
I grew up in Ft McMurray Alberta, about 550km north of where I am right now. It is an amazing place. Quite a depressing community, full of addiction and suffering, which is reflected in the landscape scarred from years of oil sands digging. Remarkable. Back in "the day" before climate change kicked it, it would get down past -40 C in winter. It is truly incredible cold that makes you feel so alive because it is so easy to die in those conditions. It's a rare day now in Edmonton when it gets past -30 C... pity.
yrgeyrergeyrgeyrgeyrgeyrgeyrgeyrgeyrge
I have a thing for grey landscapes full of despair. Probably because I grew up in Ft. McMurray.

Talking Heads - Born Under Punches. Fuck yeah. "Remain in Light" should be a required accompaniment for "My Life In The Bush of Ghosts."
posted by Barrie , 7:59 PM Þ 

In France, it is ILLEGAL to fire people before Christmas.

I just got back from lunch with my girlfriend. She told me that she got fired this morning.

Two tickets to France, then...
posted by Josh Carr , 7:21 PM Þ 

It's not hate.

I thought it was witty.
posted by Irdial , 6:03 PM Þ 

Check Norway out for ur self
i'll post feedback ...
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 5:56 PM Þ 

It's not hate. Check Norway out for ur self.
Alun let's see your work, it's very hard to recommend what to do without having seen your portfolio.
posted by Claus Eggers , 5:33 PM Þ 



http://990000.com/photo/

There are lots of photographers online, many of them selling prints, many of them professional art photographers. I saw some beautiful autumn shots by some american shooter, but lost the url...
posted by Irdial , 5:02 PM Þ 

editorial positions
Nah...thanks for the idea... but it's the thrill of finding new things that flicks my scientific switch.
And thanks for the alamy link. I was mostly thinking of retail, but I guess image libraries are worth a punt too.

Cold places in Sweden I recommend Ostersund (there's not much there though) and Stockholm (stunning when iced over, but still a bit warm there at the mo). I also recommend Poland - snow, mountains and very cold... Zakopane as a resort. Krakow as a kick-off point. The Dolomites in Italy are also jaw-droppingly beautiful.

I saw "Love Actually" last night and it was really good.
Shouldn't this be on GroupHug, along with your Darkness admissions?

Claus, do the Danes hate the Norwegians as much as the Swedes do? (Not hate so much as consider the dullest, stupidest people ever). Isn't Norwegian for banana 'yellow bend'?
posted by Alun , 4:47 PM Þ 

Anthony, we managed it and we were there for 2.5 days!

Alison, I do really mean that. It *was* really great.

Beneath my feet was good. Reminds me of Lunchtime Adventures, which I should reignite.
posted by captain davros , 1:47 PM Þ 

Norway in a Nutshell
it looks fantastic, captain, we'll decide once we're out there i reckon; we'll be out there for only 4 days, so will maybe not have time, but it would be a shame not to see the surrounding area ...
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 1:45 PM Þ 

Shoegazing gets a new twist.
posted by Irdial , 1:24 PM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 1:23 PM Þ 

did a search on my name in a danish article database - showed that I am a feminist...
Hey Mess - Have a meey X-mas qnd enjoy Finland!
posted by Alison , 1:20 PM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 1:19 PM Þ 

posted by Irdial , 1:16 PM Þ 

I fly to Finland tomorrow. Merry Xmas everyone!
posted by Mess Noone , 1:10 PM Þ 

grey grey grey grey grey grey greyg yrgeyrergeyrgeyrgeyrgeyrgeyrgeyrgeyrgeyrgeyrgeyrgeygreygreyrgeygreyrgeygreygreygryegreygr
posted by Alison , 1:08 PM Þ 

Blogdialers, do you have capital punishment in your respective countries?
No, not in Denmark - yet, just wait 50 years and see...

What to do, at an individual level?

Hunt for money? Scrabble and beg, plead and schmooze, network with The Right Names to ensure funding? That's how it works. And it doesn't feel right for me.


I know the feeling, it is depressing....Be true to yourself, it makes you most happy in the end...

I saw "Love Actually" last night and it was really good.
I really dont belive you Captain D!

We have absolutly NO snow at all in Denmark, it is extreemly depressing, just grey grey grey grey.....grey grey grey grey....
posted by Alison , 1:06 PM Þ 

Okay, here's the deal: Oslo is FUCKING BORING. And not cold at all. Perhaps the most boring 'city' in the world. So boring that even the mountains are bored to death. Don't go there, as you will be an explosion af excitement compared to Oslo. The most fun you will have will be looking at your self in the mirror. Not one stripbar in all of Oslo. Not that that matters on a honeymoon, but it say everything that needs saying about Oslo. So excuse me for carrying on. Drinks are a bloody fortune, and no there will be no snow. Only grey slush and The Salvation Army strumming their guitars though their fingerless gloves. And the darkness. Oh, the darkness which isn't all that dark after all. But hey knock you selfes out, but don't say I didn't warn you. Oh, and everything closes at 1.
posted by Claus Eggers , 12:47 PM Þ 

I saw "Love Actually" last night and it was really good.
posted by captain davros , 12:45 PM Þ 

Anthony, if you can spare the time and afford it then try the Norway in a Nutshell tour - we went on a 1 day fjord cruise and mountain trip from Bergen and it was amazing. Pricey, but worth it. You can find the details in the tourist info section.

Norway is fab.
posted by captain davros , 12:39 PM Þ 

The coldest Ive ever experienced was -30 in Montreal. Everything, and I MEAN everything and anytyhing was available underground. You can walk for miles underground, from shopping mall to shopping mall, and never see sunlight. The changes in smell as you go from one building to another are amazing; first Cinnabon, then some Chinese food....astonishing. The feeling was rather like the domed city of Logans Run or the underground hives of THX1138. After many days of these tunnels and malls, I longed for the surface.

It was so cold "up on top" that we had to take breaks in stores, pretending to shop while we warmed up. The wind bites into your skin; the moist air quitting from your nostrils deposits droplets that freeze on the end of your nose. It hurts. Its fresh. Its dangerous.

What a city!
posted by Irdial , 12:36 PM Þ 

AK, if you haven't seen this yet, it might be a good place to start for your image ideas...

http://www.alamy.com/stock-photography-faqs-why-alamy.asp

There looked to be interesting advice in there about scanning and so on too.
posted by captain davros , 12:30 PM Þ 

it isn't really cold cold
ohhh ... so we won't need to buy silly reindeer boots ???
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 12:18 PM Þ 

Oh dear why?
we like interesting environments, and the exteme cold is something we've not really experienced (although Vienna reached -20 when we were out there ) ... we're intrigued by long dark days ( because we may be forced to just curl up in cafes & restaurants drinking & eating ) .... we were initially thinking of going right up to the north, for complete lack of sun, but the train journey is too long & expensive for this trip ... there is something magical about mountains & big snow ...
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 12:16 PM Þ 

I went to Finland in february a while back, it was great. -15°C at midday - eyeball hardening temperatures - and sunny (too cold for any moisture) except for one blizzard. not much daylight though but that's what the bars are for:
posted by meau meau , 12:14 PM Þ 

I HATE the cold. By the way, it isn't really cold cold, just cold and dark i Oslo. Not my idea of a honeymoon. If you want cold cold, go to Finland or further north.
posted by Claus Eggers , 12:09 PM Þ 

miss january colleen shannon
Check out the turn-ons and turn-offs!
posted by Claus Eggers , 12:06 PM Þ 

Dont you like the cold? I long for snowdrifts...
posted by Irdial , 12:06 PM Þ 

Oslo at this time of the year? Oh dear why?
posted by Claus Eggers , 12:04 PM Þ 

oh ... has anyone here been to oslo and can recommend a good hotel ? ( a few days honeymoon break ) ... the one we wanted to go to is being renovated ... we've heard good things about Hotel Bondeheimen ... don't mind a tram ride out of the city ... personality and friendly staff, good food essential
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 11:56 AM Þ 

President George Bush appeared to deny there was a distinction between his pre-war claims that Saddam had an arsenal of non-conventional weapons, and his administration's current argument that the regime was planning to restart its weapons programmes.

When an interviewer for ABC television, Diane Sawyer, reminded him of claims of the "hard fact that there were weapons of mass destruction, as opposed to the possibility that he could move to acquire those weapons", Mr Bush asked: "What's the difference?"

He added: "If he were to acquire weapons, he would be the danger."

Asked what it would take to convince him that Saddam did not have weapons of mass destruction, the president said: "Saddam Hussein was a threat. The fact that he is gone means America is a safer country."

"It's unbelievable to me," David Albright, another former UN inspector and a Washington expert on nuclear arms.

"He can't possibly have meant it. Because it means we can hit you if we don't like you.



Donald Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary, has continued to insist that weapons will be found, pointing out that quantities could be hidden in tiny bunkers around the country the same size as the pit where Saddam was found.

!!!!!!!!!

I can't find a list, but 'they' claimed SH had hundreds or thousands of tonnes of materials... That's a good few pits. And a good few peole digging. Surely somebody would have tipped off the Yanks to one of them...

posted by Alun , 11:50 AM Þ 

court & spark
of course ...
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 11:49 AM Þ 

I would have entered the milkshake competition but never got to see it. However, my review, regardless of not seeing it anyway, is

Teach Yourself.

How does that sound to those who have seen it?!?

AK - lots of scientists wind up in editorial positions. Is that your bag at all?
posted by captain davros , 11:40 AM Þ 

I remembered to upgrade PGP to 8.0.3 yesterday and I take back my comment about functionality, everything seems to be back in place.

-

Aren't whitehouse evil®?
posted by meau meau , 10:52 AM Þ 

simply wanting to change jobs
If only it were simple....

My contract is up in July. And I am sick and tired of the method of employment for researchers. I'm 34, a good record, 6 years of post-doctoral experience, and there is almost zero chance of getting a permanent job in basic research. It shouldn't be this way. I am expected to write grants to provide another 2 or 3 years of funding, after which I am expected to write grants to provide another 2 or 3 years of funding, after which... There is no observed value of basic research by the public, and the government know we have no choice but to put up with the system as it stands simply because they will not provide backing for permanent jobs. In fact, they are being cut.

It depresses me, truly it does, and not just on a personal level. It is exploitation of the nature of scientists (those who I work with, at any rate); we want to do science, we want to do good science very very much, it is in our hearts. And it is this 'weakness' that means we can be exploited.

So. I am fed up with it. I need some security, or at least a sense of worth, some feeling of support by those that hold the readies. And these things are lacking - note the substantial reliance of British science on charitable donations. This is not The Way It Should Be.

[I understand that other professions can also make worthy cases... but I am putting forward that of scientific research]

What to do, at an individual level?

Hunt for money? Scrabble and beg, plead and schmooze, network with The Right Names to ensure funding? That's how it works. And it doesn't feel right for me.

I am investing, after the hols, in web space and a Nikon film scanner, with the aim of trying to sell images. I don't claim to be the world's best photographer, but it's something I enjoy very much and I have a certain 'style'... I think... (kind of simplistic, naive and, when it really works, heartfelt).

So until my contract is up I'll be testing the waters, as it were. If it works, freedom. If it doesn't... that's why I'm also 'looking for work'. Anything that feels right. That's the most important thing. For me.
posted by Alun , 10:49 AM Þ 

In order of reception:

over easy
posted by Josh Carr , 9:56 PM

Suck it.
Hit it.
posted by Alun Kirby , 11:23 PM

"fresh cheeks"
"total 5|-|17"
posted by mary 13 , 6:15 AM

rotten fruits
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 2:00 PM

No Depth
posted by meau meau , 2:09 PM


I think Mr Carr gets it, but seeing as its the holiday, EVERYONE gets a prize!!!!!
Eash (yes EASH) winner please email me with your preferred snail maill address!
posted by Irdial , 10:41 AM Þ 

"Help Me" And you should hear "Sex Kills", if you get the chance...the "anti-matter-milkshake".
posted by Irdial , 10:28 AM Þ 

"mystery song" experience?
most of them were during a period of extensive clubbing ... going into a record shop, asking to listen to something along the lines of 'x' and being handed an immediate transport back into the foggy world of early morning sweat, strobes and joyous confusion ... you are suddenly given a key with which to unlock very precious memories at will ...

also, after many years listening to Prince's Dorothy Parker from Sign of The Times, i was given a recording of the Joni Mitchell album that contains the song that contains the line "help me, I think I'm falling in love" and it all became clear ... it's my shame to admit that i can't quite remember the name of album or track ... the tape has disappeared ... the words 'summer', 'lawns', 'hissing' are floating suggestively, but could have no relevance whatsoever
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 7:32 AM Þ 

never try to blame poor quality on the instrumental skill of the musicians

i'm in complete agreement generally; however, your examples of dodgy technical skill, in line with all the major examples that all of of us could think of, are more than compensated for by an overwhelming wealth of passion ... my dismay stems from a combination of sloppy everything

posted by a hymn in g to nann , 7:21 AM Þ 

Carrion Sound - Check out the INZANE modular synth.
posted by Barrie , 6:04 AM Þ 

A number of questions are raised by the incredibly bedraggled, tired and crushed condition of this once savage, dapper and pampered ruler who was discovered in a hole in the ground on Saturday, December 13:

1. The length and state of his hair indicated he had not seen a barber or even had a shampoo for several weeks.

2. The wild state of his beard indicated he had not shaved for the same period

3. The hole dug in the floor of a cellar in a farm compound near Tikrit was primitive indeed – 6ft across and 8ft across with minimal sanitary arrangements - a far cry from his opulent palaces.

4. Saddam looked beaten and hungry.

5. Detained trying to escape were two unidentified men. Left with him were two AK-47 assault guns and a pistol, none of which were used.

6. The hole had only one opening. It was not only camouflaged with mud and bricks – it was blocked. He could not have climbed out without someone on the outside removing the covering.

7. And most important, $750,000 in 100-dollar notes were found with him (a pittance for his captors who expected a $25m reward)– but no communications equipment of any kind, whether cell phone or even a carrier pigeon for contacting the outside world.

According to DEBKAfile analysts, these seven anomalies point to one conclusion: Saddam Hussein was not in hiding; he was a prisoner. [...]

They captured him ages ago. They kept him buried alive until Christmas, so that they could unearth him as a present to the American people, assuring that GWB would be re-elected on the back of a tidal wave of approval. No wonder "the lion of the desert" looked so docile and broken, he was DRUGGED, underfed and kept horizontal, in the dark, for MONTHS. Sinister.

http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=743
posted by Irdial , 1:28 AM Þ 
Thursday, December 18, 2003

posted by mary13 , 11:03 PM Þ 

I am looking for work.

Alun, I hope that you are simply wanting to change jobs, and have not been let go. In France, it is ILLEGAL to fire people before Christmas. Vive Le France; they really have got some things right.
posted by Irdial , 9:13 PM Þ 
posted by Ken , 7:56 PM Þ 

a very public execution

I was thinking about this the other day. If they DO decide to execute him, it will, for sure, be on TV. No one in the west will see this event, because they are all lilly livered pantywaists. EVERYONE in the "middle east" however, will see it. Live.

They will probably hang him, Iran style, from a crane in one of the famous Bagdahd landmarks. It will be the first great spectacle of the 21st century.

Another humiliation without precedent. It would have been much better if none of this had ever happened...thats very clear.
posted by Irdial , 7:50 PM Þ 

what ??? ... you think she sings flat on purpose, that mr bongo's fingers miss the beat intentionally, that the lazy bass
This is sort of off-topic, but the discussion reminded me of this argument: When I do a critique of music (or... whatever else) I never try to blame poor quality on the instrumental skill of the musicians. There have been thousands of great recordings by people who barely have a clue how to play their instruments. It's not about the skill, it's about the song and the passion. It's like an early critic fumbling for reasons to hate Claude Monet, for example, and ending up on a lazy conclusion of "oh, he can't paint!!!!11" (not that I am comparing anything here to Monet, it should be obvious this is just a point of example). Technical skill to a point is relative and subjective, submissive to the message. Collectively Yes was an incredible instrumental section, but the vast majority of their output is pretentious hogwash. Bob Dylan can't sing but what a voice, with such depth and emotion!
So as soon as I think of criticizing someone's technical skill as the reason for a work's failure, I will catch myself and chide myself for sloppy thinking. There are of course limits... someone who is trying to do something very technically demanding must practice until they are capable of it...

get hip
Whitehouse makes me hot. It's almost impossible to find a WH album over here.
posted by Barrie , 7:46 PM Þ 

And as for needing your name and address to facilitate refunds, that is total hogwash. A simple pin number is all that is needed to establish that you are who you say you are, issue you with a replacement card or refund you...
posted by Irdial , 7:46 PM Þ 

pancakes, now wouldn't we?

HOT IRONS!!!!
posted by Irdial , 7:42 PM Þ 

Serious hat on now.

1. What information is collected and stored every time I use my Oyster Card?

Thats an interesting question. It could work one of two ways. It could store nothing but your number and each time you access one of the terminals, a communication is made that lets you through or barrs access. The second way is that its a stored value card, that is decremented every time you use it. If I were to get one, I would use a false name and address. Since every access point on the underground and busses is under surveilance, "they" can easily tie the time of use of your card to a frame from a camera to pin you down. Even if you get an anonymous card, once they know who you are, they can track your movements every time you use public transport.

Some people will say that this will make alibis easy to coroborate. Of course, it could also be used to frame someone; a little photoshop on a freeze frame and an s/loozer/criminal/ is all you would need to do.

2. For how long is it stored and for what purpose?

For certain, it will be held indefinetly. Police will have real time access to the data, just as they do with the Congestion Charge data. They dont appear to have a written policy on this until you try and buy a card.

These are the worrying parts of that document:

Direct marketing

The messages that we send to you may contain material advertising our products and services. Alternatively London Underground Limited may contact you separately with information and details of those products and services.

If you decide, now or in the future, that you do not wish to receive any of this information you may "opt-out" by:

* amending your preferences on the 'View or edit your profile' page
* calling us on 0845 330 9876

If you choose to opt-out of receiving this information we may not be able to provide you with the services that you have chosen to receive at registration.

Who does London Underground Limited disclose your information to?

We do not sell, trade or rent your personal information to third parties.

Occasionally, London Underground Limited will hire a reputable third party to undertake projects on its behalf, for example market research surveys and mailings. London Underground Limited will provide information to those parties specifically for use in connection with those projects. The information that London Underground Limited provides to such third parties is protected by a confidentiality agreement and is to be used solely for completing the project. Those third parties are required to process the data in accordance with the Data Protection legislation.

London Underground Limited will not disclose any of your personal information to any other third party without your consent, unless obliged to do so by law.


3. Who owns that information and is any part of it being shared, sold or in
any other way divulged to any other parties?
Thanks very much.


Or presumably, law enforcement.

London Underground Limited owns your data, or so it appears

They lend your data to other people, who they expect to abide by the law. There is absolutely no reason for Transport for London to collect all of this information. They could easily sell rechargable, anonymous value storing cards over the counter, and still do the statisical analysis that they need to do to make the system more effiicient.

This is pure big brother, pure and simple.
posted by Irdial , 7:41 PM Þ 

I am not bragging. If I was, we would talk pancakes, now wouldn't we? And the snowy mountains I see outside my window right now.

Seriously though, it's a difficult thing to explain, the day they found Saddam, I was so upset. We could possibly be subject to an execution, a very public execution, and it is not something I am used to. I don't believe in an eye for an eye.
posted by mary13 , 7:26 PM Þ 

Israel warns of unilateral action

Israel is ready to take unilateral action to separate itself from the Palestinian areas, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said.

Google News feeds
posted by alex_tea , 7:21 PM Þ 

Like the Darkness of course too.

You will be soundly
HORSEWHIPPED!!
posted by Irdial , 7:15 PM Þ 

We don't in Canada.

STOP BRAGGING!
posted by Irdial , 7:13 PM Þ 

Blogdialers, do you have capital punishment in your respective countries? We don't in Canada.
posted by mary13 , 5:41 PM Þ 

Teenage Pregnancy

You said it. I watch that video and all I can think of is my 10 and 12 year old cousins. They watch Much Music constantly (just like I did at that age). Does Kelis realize she's shaking it for kids??? How disgusting.
posted by mary13 , 5:27 PM Þ 

I am looking for work.
All offers carefully considered.
CV on request.
posted by Alun , 5:25 PM Þ 

For Londoners, in particular;

Hello, can you provide the following information, or at least tell me where
I can find
it....
1. What information is collected and stored every time I use my Oyster Card?
2. For how long is it stored and for what purpose?
3. Who owns that information and is any part of it being shared, sold or in
any other way divulged to any other parties?
Thanks very much.

Thank you for your email concerning the data we hold in connection with the
new Oyster cards. We are sorry for the delay in responding to your query.
We will hold the information that you give us when you complete one of our
forms - in this case, the Oyster registration form. This will comprise your name,
address, postcode, telephone number and email where you've given it, security code
and marketing preferences. Also dynamic data for the ongoing usage of the card
e.g. ticket purchases and journeys.

We will use this information for purposes of after-sales service, marketing
(where you have opted to participate), research and statistical analysis including
travel patterns and conducting surveys. Only where you have opted to be contacted by third
parties will we share your details with other reputable companies, other than the state.
All information will be handled in accordance with the terms of existing dataprotection
legislation.
No personal information is held on the card itself.
We may retain journey data and ticket purchase data and our staff may use
this to help resolve ticketing and refund issues with customers.
We will, where necessary, use the information for the prevention and
detection of crime and fare evasion.

Please note that the terms that the state sets itself for gaining access to
any computerised information are not something that Transport for London has any
control over. We would only disclose personal information requested by organs of
the state where we were legally obliged to do so and in accordance with the provisions
of the Data Protection Act, 1998

Yours sincerely
posted by Alun , 5:20 PM Þ 

cd, that's just inexcusable ... you cannot say something like that in the hope that, because we are supposedly in the season of goodwill, you will be forgiven
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 5:01 PM Þ 

has that something that makes it rock, its in that zone, the door to which is elusive and ever moving...

Like the Darkness of course too.
posted by captain davros , 4:57 PM Þ 

flexible working hypothesis
ready cash cow
posted by meau meau , 4:31 PM Þ 

Cish Cash had a similar doomph doomph vocal didn't it?
thatt was okay

thatt

as in jaxx
posted by meau meau , 3:11 PM Þ 

umm errr..

There is something about Britney ("oops", "Slave for U", Kelis's Milkshake and some others...do I have to list them?) that is simply irresistable. I cant deny it, Im not trying to hide it. I love that stuff, like I enjoy chocolate. It gives you a rush, a buzz...I love how they are crafted; in the case of Kelis, its clearly a one off serendipidous spunk off of magic judging by the rest of the tracks recorded in the session. But no matter. This track has that something that makes it rock, its in that zone, the door to which is elusive and ever moving...its a hit record.
posted by Irdial , 2:55 PM Þ 

hot cut!
what ??? ... you think she sings flat on purpose, that mr bongo's fingers miss the beat intentionally, that the lazy bass wasn't really produced by some stoner accidentally tripping over the keyboard, knocking a couple of filters & exclaming "whoa dude, awsome ba.." before hitting the carpet ?
really ?
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 2:45 PM Þ 

lazy fadeout

It was shitty wasnt it? Like a 7" fadeout. Its still a hot cut!
posted by Irdial , 2:25 PM Þ 

Can youse hear timing errors likes I can?

No but I did notice a lazy fadeout

-

No Depth

-

As in compression beyond necessity
posted by meau meau , 2:09 PM Þ 

I'm not able to win my o\/\/n competiton, sadly:

"Teenage Pregnancy"
posted by Irdial , 2:07 PM Þ 

kellis
rotten fruits

GUI-lag
more like sampled lagging, dribbling retard ... "ok patients, today we're going to forget the basket weaving; we've got a couple of lovely men from the record company visiting who'd like to listen to you slap some boxes and sing through your nose ... now one, two, three, ROCK ! ..."
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 2:00 PM Þ 

The Newscientist article just shows that men are biologically superficial, when it comes to women and Vagina Power should be renamed to Beauty Power...

Congratulations Anthony. 10 years of top-notch work.
Yes congratulations from here as well, but I have only known your music for 2-3 years - I am ashamed of so much crapp-music I have wasted my time on...

Give me some more hours, and I'll give you a Kelis review, cant watch it at work...
posted by Alison , 1:58 PM Þ 

Though lumped in with the rest of the Brit-tronica crowd - thanks to a handful of 12? releases on the Irdial label in the mid 1990?s

Any lumping was and is ALWAYS done by journalist scumbags.

Anthony Manning?s take was always closer to the organic warmth of Basil Kirchin and The Peter Thomas Soundorchestra (responsible for the key horn riff of Pulp?s ?This Is Hardcore?)

And now you are lumping him with Basil Kirchin and The Peter Thomas Soundorchestra.

OLOSHI you motherfucker. If you cant deal with the sound of what you are dealing with, simply STFU and hands off the qwerty.

and BTW thats not another geeky acronym! :]
posted by Irdial , 1:56 PM Þ 
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 1:35 PM Þ 

If you manage to track down the instrumental version of "Milkshake" you can hear very clearly that the timing is all over the place, with GUI-lag all over the congas and the SH101-ish bassline. Can youse hear timing errors likes I can? I wonder!
posted by Irdial , 12:43 PM Þ 

I am sorry to report that the Kelis "Taste" CD is total GARBAGE, except the Milkshake track. This CD is a perfect example of what music users complain about when they talk about having to buy a CD of shizzite just to "get" the one good track.

Apalling set of sub-demo quality turgid fluff.

Hmmmm Fluffy AND Turgid at the same time....a record!
posted by Irdial , 12:39 PM Þ 

"Anthony Manning got total sweepstakes in the record reviews
years back and was like a serious player. " [...]

ooohhhhh!
posted by Irdial , 12:17 PM Þ 

10 years ...
ta alun ... there's more to come hopefully ... i bought a yamaha vl1 a few months ago, am still trying to find the time to explore it properly, but once i have some new stuff should be appearing
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 12:08 PM Þ 

Which one of you is responsible for this:

http://username.blogspot.com/

???!!!
posted by Irdial , 12:08 PM Þ 

"Given the heinous nature of Saddam Hussein's crimes, I firmly believe that the death penalty should be on the table as a possible punishment."

Clark offered a four-point concrete plan to bring Saddam Hussein to justice.

Location: The trial against Saddam should be held where the atrocities were committed - in Iraq.

Legal Procedures: To lay out the appropriate procedures and charges, we should work with the Iraqi people and experts from the international community, including representatives from the United Nations, the Arab League, and the European Union.

Prosecuting for International Crimes: Compile evidence and conduct hearings in Iraq on issues of concern to the international community, including violations of international law.

Punishment: Given the heinous nature of Saddam's crimes, the death penalty should be on the table as a possible punishment.

"It is vital that this process be done right," Clark concluded. "Doing it right will help us bring peace to the region, rebuild our relations with the world community and, ultimately, win the war on terrorism." [...]

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! Wrong answer!

From Herr General's website. So much for THAT candidate!
posted by Irdial , 11:24 AM Þ 

Eliminate Corporate Personhood: Legislation or constitutional amendment to end the legal fiction of corporate personhood.

That is from the green party manifesto.

Corporate personhood is not a "legal fiction", any more than any other legally enshrined status is a fiction. It was created, rather brilliantly I might add, to protect the ability of people to collaborate and make progress with reduced risk.

If you stand to loose your original stake up to and including everything you have ever made in a venture, you are going to be far less likely to enter into a venture with other people. This is why the incorporated person was conceived. Through an incorporated person, with all the legal rights and privileges of a flesh person, individuals who own that person can take risk without the possibility that they loose everything they have ever earned/built over decades, perhaps generations.

Incorporated persons are good for progress, and make you more free; free to take risks through limited liability. Just because some of these corporations are evil doesn’t mean that all corporations should be outlawed or abolished. That’s like saying that because there are criminals who end up being jailed, all human beings should be locked in jails from the start.

Anyone can form a corporation; their formation and ownership is not the sole preserve of the rich elite. Once you form a corporation, you have (theoretically) access to and protection via all the laws written to govern corporations.

Talk about throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Whilst there are many things in that manifesto that are agreeable, things like this and other items in there are death blows. It reads like it was written by a HUGE committee.....interesting however.
posted by Irdial , 11:21 AM Þ 

Time to take a close look at these:

http://www.greenparty.org/

http://www.clark04.com/
posted by Irdial , 10:36 AM Þ 

2. Green Party Candidate   (90%)
3. Dean, Gov. Howard, VT - Democrat   (76%)
4. Socialist Candidate   (75%)
5. Kucinich, Rep. Dennis, OH - Democrat   (75%)
...
13. Lieberman, Senator Joe, CT - Democrat   (40%)
...
15. Hagelin, Dr. John - Natural Law   (9%)
16. Bush, President George W. - Republican   (2%)
17. Phillips, Howard - Constitution   (0%) - 0!!
posted by meau meau , 10:23 AM Þ 

When I think of Milkshake Lady, two words come to mind:

"fresh cheeks"

or

"total 5|-|17"


posted by mary13 , 6:15 AM Þ 

Your Results:

1. Your ideal theoretical candidate. (100%) Click here for info
2. Kucinich, Rep. Dennis, OH - Democrat (76%) Click here for info
3. Socialist Candidate (76%) Click here for info
4. Sharpton, Reverend Al - Democrat (69%) Click here for info
5. Dean, Gov. Howard, VT - Democrat (69%) Click here for info
6. Moseley-Braun, Former Senator Carol, IL - Democrat (66%) Click here for info
7. Clark, Retired General Wesley K., AR - Democrat (65%) Click here for info
8. Gephardt, Rep. Dick, MO - Democrat (62%) Click here for info
9. Edwards, Senator John, NC - Democrat (56%) Click here for info
10. Kerry, Senator John, MA - Democrat (54%) Click here for info
11. LaRouche, Lyndon H. Jr. - Democrat (37%) Click here for info
12. Lieberman, Senator Joe, CT - Democrat (31%) Click here for info
13. Libertarian Candidate (24%) Click here for info
14. Bush, President George W. - Republican (9%) Click here for info
15. Phillips, Howard - Constitution (0%) Click here for info
posted by Ken , 3:00 AM Þ 

posted by captain davros , 12:44 AM Þ 
Wednesday, December 17, 2003

I amend my Kelis review: Suck it.
posted by Alun , 11:23 PM Þ 

Two words: Hit it.

Review:

Anthony Manning
A Manning Compendium
Unbearable Recordings UNBCIDD004 CD

Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Anthony Manning was - like his erstwhile record label Irdial - an eccentric treasure of the mid-90s, and it's refreshing to be able to report that the compositions that make up A Manning Compendium (and they comprise a good percentage of his total output) sound as clear, compelling and distinctive as they did when they were first released. Manning's debut - Elastic Variations (1994) - was the product of an intuitive talent mucking around in serendipitous fashion with a Roland drum machine; and although Manning's music developed quickly from these sparse experiments, he never felt the need (like many of his contemporaries) to dabble in modish drum 'n' bass or relax in the vapidities of Ambient electronica. As a result, releases like Islets In Pink Polypropylene and Chromium Nebulae combined the timeless clarity of Detroit Techno with a welcome, Eno-like quirkiness of approach. A piece like the 10-minute "Chromium Nebulae III", included here, is a poised miracle of astringent evolution, and an eloquent argument for Manning's continued significance.

The WIRE 239, Jan 2004, by Chris Sharp.



End.

I'd take that as a compliment...
Congratulations Anthony. 10 years of top-notch work.
posted by Alun , 11:15 PM Þ 

I saw Return of the King at midnight this morning. AMAZING. Many asses were kicked. It was preceded by a painful ten minutes of previews, all of which (spare Spider Man 2) raped my soul. Much like any experience involving "pop radio" over here - we are subjected to endless bombardment of "nu metal" terror that is as bland as a rice cracker (actually moreso). Death to it all!
I just completely re-installed OS X.2 on my computer (completely phasing out "Classic"), on a beautiful new 80 gig hard drive. Now we're cooking with gas. Too bad I forgot to back up my PGPKeys file. That's the second time I've done that!

Robert Johnsons' recordings
I have yet to hear anything as hardcore as those recordings. There is a great two-cd set of them all. Not even the loudest, grittiest thrash music is as hardcore as Robert Johnson. Hits you like a brick wrapped in a lemon rind. Beefheart's "Clear Spot" was close. So was "Loveless."
waiting for an ebay-bought original mint copy of supertramp's Breakfast in America to arrive
I remember for years listening to "Crime of the Century" on the radio but never knowing what it was. So frustrating. It was a wonderful revelation to actually know it and buy it. Now if only the song was like 20 minutes longer... anyone else have a similar "mystery song" experience?
ear-diarrhea
Best. Description. Ever. I'm totally stealing that, man.
posted by Barrie , 10:08 PM Þ 

Islamic head scarves, Jewish yarmulkes or outsized Christian crosses ``have no place'' in public schools, Chirac said, and called on parliament, where his conservative government has a majority, to pass a law banning them ahead of the school year that starts in September 2004. [...]

He rejected the Anglo-Saxon model of integration - admired by some French Muslims - where ethnic communities guard their customs and separateness.

"I refuse to let France take that path. It would sacrifice its heritage. It would compromise its future. It would lose its soul,'' Chirac said. [...]

Chirac said a law also is needed to stop patients from refusing treatment by doctors of the opposite sex. Doctors say there have been cases of Muslim women or their husbands rebuffing male doctors. [...]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3518736,00.html
posted by Irdial , 10:07 PM Þ 

Pretty women scramble men's ability to assess the future

Both male and female students at McMaster University were shown pictures of the opposite sex of varying attractiveness taken from the website 'Hot or Not'. The 209 students were then offered the chance to win a reward. They could either accept a cheque for between $15 and $35 tomorrow or one for $50-$75 at a variable point in the future.

Wilson and Daly found that male students shown the pictures of averagely attractive women showed exponential discounting of the future value of the reward. This indicated that they had made a rational decision. When male students were shown pictures of pretty women, they discounted the future value of the reward in an "irrational" way - they would opt for the smaller amount of money available the next day rather than wait for a much bigger reward.

Women, by contrast, made equally rational decisions whether they had been shown pictures of handsome men or those of average attractiveness. [...]

"Thats right; its better than yours"!!!!!!!

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994469
posted by Irdial , 10:01 PM Þ 

sum it up in TWO WORDS.

over easy
posted by Josh Carr , 9:56 PM Þ 

Your Results:

1. Your ideal theoretical candidate. (100%) Click here for info
2. Green Party Candidate (73%) Click here for info
3. Socialist Candidate (72%) Click here for info
4. Clark, Retired General Wesley K., AR - Democrat (61%) Click here for info
5. Dean, Gov. Howard, VT - Democrat (59%) Click here for info
6. Sharpton, Reverend Al - Democrat (58%) Click here for info
7. Kucinich, Rep. Dennis, OH - Democrat (55%) Click here for info
8. Moseley-Braun, Former Senator Carol, IL - Democrat (55%) Click here for info
9. Edwards, Senator John, NC - Democrat (47%) Click here for info
10. Gephardt, Rep. Dick, MO - Democrat (47%) Click here for info
11. Kerry, Senator John, MA - Democrat (44%) Click here for info
12. LaRouche, Lyndon H. Jr. - Democrat (42%) Click here for info
13. Libertarian Candidate (41%) Click here for info
14. Lieberman, Senator Joe, CT - Democrat (27%) Click here for info
15. Bush, President George W. - Republican (20%) Click here for info
16. Phillips, Howard - Constitution (16%) Click here for info
17. Hagelin, Dr. John - Natural Law (6%) Click here for info

http://www.selectsmart.com/PRESIDENT/
posted by Irdial , 9:54 PM Þ 

"Classic Unix documentation is written to be telegraphic but complete... The style assumes an active reader, one who is able to deduce obvious unsaid consequences of what is said, and who has the self-confidence to trust those deductions. Read every word carefully, because you will seldom be told anything twice." [...]

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/Biculturalism.html
posted by Irdial , 9:42 PM Þ 

Your new assignment:

Go watch that Kelis video, and sum it up in TWO WORDS.

In a Dav stylee, best one wins a prize from Yours Truely. Yes TRUELY.
posted by Irdial , 9:24 PM Þ 

start typing...
posted by Irdial , 9:13 PM Þ 

Today' Wire mag has a very positive review of Anthony's 'Compendium'.
If anyone wants me to type it out... just ask.

My milkshake comes with pictures.
posted by Alun , 9:00 PM Þ 


the muppets
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 7:47 PM Þ 

I have a Windows98 question if anyone here could help me...

I tinkered around in the Folder Options > File Types display box and I changed around the settings of the File Folder extension. And now I can't set it back to the default of exploring the folder in Windows Explorer.


Click: Tools > Folder options > File > View > Hide Extentions of known file types.


That should work. If not then "Format /U" should!

posted by chriszanf , 7:41 PM Þ 

the defaults somehow

reinstall windoze? (in a new location of course)
posted by Irdial , 7:35 PM Þ 
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 7:33 PM Þ 

Dump windoze 98. NOW!

This is my work machine. I finally convinced them to order me a new computer which will come with XP (or maybe 2004?), but this machine will go to someone else. So I need to get it back to the defaults somehow...
posted by Josh Carr , 7:32 PM Þ 

Josh, even Big Bad Bill says windoze98 sucks the big one...


I'm not really listening, am I?
posted by Alun , 7:31 PM Þ 
posted by Josh Carr , 7:26 PM Þ 

is worth taking?

that reminds me of a Vandamme movie, where the android, after asking "why do you want it", says:

"I wanna own it"

OR

If you are edumacated, King Lear has a top line:

"Oh, reason not the need"

See? works both ways!
posted by Irdial , 7:23 PM Þ 

I can't tell if you are complaining because I listen to it, or because I don't listen to the lyrics properly...

Im complaining cause you didnt say, YOU FOOLS THIS SHIZZITE IS DA BAWMB GO LEECH IT RYTE NOW L()()z4z!!!!


And, excuse me, but weren't you comparing Kelis with Dido yesterday?

My bad.
posted by Irdial , 7:20 PM Þ 

What's the use of robbery, when nothing is worth taking?
posted by captain davros , 7:17 PM Þ 

My god, dont you LISTEN to that music?????
I can't tell if you are complaining because I listen to it, or because I don't listen to the lyrics properly...

BAWMB, as in AIGHT DAWG, SUP, $ebonic_slangterm
The penny drops. I immediately thought it was another geeky acronym. And then I was being all dyslexic and saying Bwam in head. Of course, the BAWMB, drop it.

And, excuse me, but weren't you comparing Kelis with Dido yesterday?
posted by alex_tea , 7:12 PM Þ 

My god, dont you LISTEN to that music?????

BAWMB, as in AIGHT DAWG, SUP, $ebonic_slangterm

COME ON!
posted by Irdial , 7:07 PM Þ 

Windows 98 Users Face Increased Security Risk, Says Study
By Peter Galli, eWEEK
A new research paper to be released on Thursday is warning those companies still running Microsoft Windows 98 that they face an increased risk of a network security breach when Microsoft retires the product at the end of this year. [...]

http://channelzone.ziffdavis.com/article2/0,3973,1410151,00.asp
posted by Irdial , 7:05 PM Þ 

And they're right 'It's better than yours'
Isn't that: And their lives are better than yours? I can never work it out.

BAWMB
WTFDTM?
posted by alex_tea , 7:03 PM Þ 

I don't care what you say either

im afraid that this record simply is the BAWMB, no doubt about it, hands down, fresh...

infecrtious!!!!

old timberlake

yes, and he sounds old compared to this; he is to Michael Jackson as Jamais Rock I is to Stevie Wonder. Sorry, but this cleans up that mess.
posted by Irdial , 6:58 PM Þ 

Oh dear, how infecrtious is that!!
best popsong ever. or, of this year maybe. knocks old timberlake off the top spot.

I don't care what you say either, I love my jiggy pop records. It's like sweet saccharin candy. Probably laced with aspartame,
posted by alex_tea , 6:55 PM Þ 

Help?

Dump windoze 98. NOW!

You will be 0wn3d if you keep using it.

and yes, I know that is not in any way helpful, and in fact i HATE it when people simply dont answer the question that was asked. I would GLADLY answer your quesiton if I had windoze 98 running on any of my boxen, but I dont cuz I not |nS4N3!!!
posted by Irdial , 6:54 PM Þ 

posted by Irdial , 6:51 PM Þ 

I have a Windows98 question if anyone here could help me...

I tinkered around in the Folder Options > File Types display box and I changed around the settings of the File Folder extension. And now I can't set it back to the default of exploring the folder in Windows Explorer.

Does this make sense to anyone?

What I never realized before was that there is a Folder extension and a File Folder extension. I seem to have messed up my File Folder extension and I just want to set it back to the defaults. I've tried setting it to "Classic Style." I've tried under Custom > Settings to change "Browse folders as follows" and I am at a bit of a loss.

Help?
posted by Josh Carr , 6:45 PM Þ 

Milkshake by Kelis

My Milkshake brings all the boys to the yard,
And they're right "It's better than yours"
Damn right, It's better than yours,
I can teach you, but I have to charge (2x) [...]

Oh dear, how infecrtious is that!!

YES "infecrtious"!
posted by Irdial , 5:35 PM Þ 

This is a deconstructed Nintendo emulator that shows how sprites and sprite memory are handled while a game is being played. The intent is to show insight for how software and hardware work, given the relatively simple example of a minimal architecture from an old game console system.

MIT Meida Lab, at it again.
posted by Josh Carr , 5:24 PM Þ 

EU Agrees to Share Airline Passenger Data

By Sara Kehaulani Goo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 17, 2003; Page A13

The European Union has agreed to share information about its airline
passengers with the United States, in a deal announced yesterday that ends
year-long negotiations over a new U.S. law intended to fight terrorism.

International airlines will turn over data about their U.S.-bound
passengers, such as a traveler's name, e-mail address, telephone number and
credit card number to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs
and Border Protection unit. The U.S. agency will then screen the traveler
data and use it for terrorist investigations and other international probes
into crimes such as drug trafficking and money laundering...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6526-2003Dec16.html
posted by Irdial , 5:21 PM Þ 

Miawwww, girls magazine with this article
posted by Alison , 5:13 PM Þ 

Prefab Sprout!!!!!!
Tsk tsk.
Bacharach and David. I was humming the Dionne Warwick version, of course.
Although PS did write the excellent lyric 'Absence makes the heart lose weight, yeah.'

Love, love, love is a verb Although I could take credit, Massive Attack seem to get the royalties on this. Teardrop.
posted by Alun , 4:32 PM Þ 

Matt Busby, and Doris Day... - Ye Beatles, Dig it (Let it Be)
[If the ]mountains crumble to the sea... Led Zeppelin, Thank You (Led Zep 2) - my brackets
Life had just begun, and now... Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody (The Best of Queen)
You get enough germs to catch pneumonia... Prefab Sprout, I'll never fall in love again (????)
Love, love, love is a verb... The Alun Kirby 5, Radio Controlled Toys (Boot Sector Virus)
Ev'rything has got to be just like you want it to Ye Beatles, Dig a Pony (Let it Be)
posted by captain davros , 2:03 PM Þ 

... as long as it doesn't affect our expansion plans into the Asian market.

no doubt they couldn't identify any demand

-

I saw an old lady who looked like she didn't like the cat that licked her leg...

High fives for knowledge.
posted by meau meau , 1:50 PM Þ 

Matt Busby, and Doris Day...
Ev'rything has got to be just like you want it to....
You get enough germs to catch pneumonia...
If the mountains crumble to the sea...
Love, love, love is a verb...
Life had just begun, and now...

On CONSTANT ROTATION in my head today. Thruppence-ha'penny for a full set of IDs.
posted by Alun , 1:25 PM Þ 

A TV campaign to free Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi has been launched by music network MTV.
But it will not be shown in Asia ...

MTV Europe president Brent Hansen said: "MTV is all about providing a platform for the voice of young people, and we vehemently support everyone's right to freedom of expression, no matter who they are or where they live."
... as long as it doesn't affect our expansion plans into the Asian market.
posted by Alun , 12:46 PM Þ 
posted by captain davros , 11:35 AM Þ 


posted by captain davros , 11:18 AM Þ 

listening:-

Sunny Murray - Live at the Vortex 17/04/03 CD-R
Roy Harper - HQ
Pere Ubu - early singles
William Basinski - The Disintegration Loops

posted by Mess Noone , 9:42 AM Þ 
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 8:31 AM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 1:21 AM Þ 

DarwinPorts
The DarwinPorts Project's main goal is to provide an easy way to install various open-source software products on a Darwin, Mac OS X, FreeBSD, or Linux system.
posted by alex_tea , 1:09 AM Þ 

It is a well-known fact that no other section of the population avail themselves more readily and speedily of the latest triumphs of science than the criminal class.

Inspector John Bonfield,
Chicago Police Department, 1888
posted by Irdial , 12:01 AM Þ 
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
posted by Irdial , 9:50 PM Þ 

Lawrence Welk is also doing it for me at the moment.

"A 1 anna 2!"
posted by captain davros , 8:16 PM Þ 

The Digital Imprimatur...CCI net anyone?

http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/digital-imprimatur/
posted by Irdial , 6:53 PM Þ 

some of you will have received an email about this; apologies for the balatant self-interest, but i'm intrigued to know what people think ... it's all in a good cause, of course ... www.germstore.com/questionnaire.php... send the link as far and as wide as you can
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 5:55 PM Þ 

listening:

Hendrix - Electric Ladyland (my girlfriend really put me on to this disc, it was about time)
vert - small pieces loosely joined (on sonig well worth checking out)
MBV - tremolo ep (I have to admit that this CD ends up in my player fairly often)
Franz Schubert - songs (particularly Lied Der Liebe. I could sink into my bed listening to this on repeat for hours)
Dinosaur Jr - You're living All Over Me (the guitar crunch still does it)
Tchaikovsky - Sympony No 4 (mathematics of passion)
posted by Josh Carr , 5:07 PM Þ 
posted by Ken , 4:45 PM Þ 

Willy-B-Kings_Zingen rond de Kerstboom
Kleuter Kerst
Kinder KerstSpecial
Kindekoor -De Waagzangertjes- Vrolijk Kerstfeest

all on CONSTANT ROTATION here.
posted by Irdial , 4:39 PM Þ 

I listened to a terrible combilation of hamonica-lounge-music compiled by Kenneth Bager for a place called Luftcastellet - Awfull! on my way to work... The worst remix of E2-E4...

At the moment I (still) have a thing for my vinyl, Anthoney Mannig and the track HARDHEAD from EEP!
I was standing and washing my dishes, listening to the music, but the hardhead track made me run over and waer headphones, and gave me eargasems... GREAT!
posted by Alison , 1:49 PM Þ 

That version of Mad World is sorely lacking the "prutta-prutta-prutta-prutta" synth brass of the original. There's almost no point in releasing anything, let alone that song, without it.

I discussed this song whilst waking up this morning with my GF, as it was being played on Virgin Radio, my wake-up station of choice. I said "perhaps they sat back as the tape rolled in the studio and said - 'It's finally finished. It sounds just like REM'". And I was asleep.
posted by captain davros , 1:42 PM Þ 

Yes, I luv cocktails. I'm so wasted after the weekend, the legendary k-xmas lunch. This year was unreal. We initiated five old communist architects as honoury commissioners, then I rendered a Danish socialist song accompanied on the piano by one of the commy architects wearing a white tux. This was before I made a special burlesque version of a cigarettrick I know, and failed horrendously. The rest is rather foggy.
posted by Claus Eggers , 1:36 PM Þ 

Nasal crooning and grade 3 piano heartfelt performance of shattering emotional strength
There is a [not equal to] between piano and heartfelt... but I put it in the wrong parentheses so it don't show. Html naivete strikes again.

Donnie Darko struck me as... Twilight Zone With Angst
posted by Alun , 1:28 PM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 1:15 PM Þ 

I feel a song comming on...
posted by Claus Eggers , 1:13 PM Þ 

have you seen that piece of shit?
Yeah, I liked it.


Sometimes I love you, and sometimes....

I HATE YOU!
posted by Irdial , 1:06 PM Þ 

but someone will ask you, and you will know.
You're right! Thank you.

you now have two chances left, think carefully....tick tock tick tock
Can I phone a friend?
posted by alex_tea , 1:03 PM Þ 

One for a_t:
But I don't have a Powerbook, nor a superdrive.


but someone will ask you, and you will know.

Can anyone say Elite: Frontier?

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

you now have two chances left, think carefully....tick tock tick tock
posted by Irdial , 1:01 PM Þ 

have you seen that piece of shit?
Yeah, I liked it.
posted by alex_tea , 1:00 PM Þ 

Donnie Darko

have you seen that piece of shit?
posted by Irdial , 12:57 PM Þ 

is ms minogue in her latest pr incarnation
Oh yeah. I know who wrote this as well. The shame, the shame.

musical genius seems to be piano magic by some tortured american 'artiste' covering Tears For Fears' 'Mad World'.
Gary somebody. From the Soundtrack to Donnie Darko, don't know why it's being released two years after the film came out.

Nasal crooning and grade 3 piano heartfelt performance of shattering emotional strength
Technical skill does not merit value. Nasal crooning can be fun. But it is what you do with it that counts.

this will boot you into open firmware.
How to get rid of a stuck CD in a modern mac (with no secret eject holes). type cd eject and then mac boot. Voila.

One for a_t:
But I don't have a Powerbook, nor a superdrive.

This is a list of the top downloads on iTunes; note which are the FIRST TWO ENTRIES.
Popularity doesn't merit value, but then it doesn't mean it has no value either.

What comes froma a place that begins with "Z" and takes 50 years to be with thee?
Can anyone say Elite: Frontier? That is the same star map!! Bad midi versions of The Blue Danube and Ride of the Valkaries spring to mind. Are there any online space trading games? There must be? I have a suddenly awakened craving.
posted by alex_tea , 12:49 PM Þ 

Robert Johnsons
not yet ... one of those "i really must get round to it" phenomena that are too easy to forget ...
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 12:22 PM Þ 

The industry wants to create a handful of global superstars and foist them on a global teen audience but is not interested in anyone over 30 years old.

But what happens if I hear a song on the radio and I want to own that one song?

Let's say the song is five years old and was never a chart hit and my local record store does not have a copy, or even an album on which it appeared.

The music industry makes it virtually impossible for me to buy that one song, although it is more than happy to charge me £15 for a Beatles album released more than 30 years ago. [...]


Some bod at the BBC poses as an anonymous user to cogently put across some "points"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3022996.stm
posted by Irdial , 12:03 PM Þ 

Hey Ya! - OutKast
Milkshake - Kelis
It's My Life - No Doubt
The Way You Move - OutKast & Sleepy Brown
White Flag - Dido
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan
All I Want for Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne
Big Yellow Taxi - Counting Crows & Vanessa Carlton
Feliz Navidad - Jose Feliciano

This is a list of the top downloads on iTunes; note which are the FIRST TWO ENTRIES.
posted by Irdial , 12:00 PM Þ 

What comes froma a place that begins with "Z" and takes 50 years to be with thee?

http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/50lys.html
posted by Irdial , 11:56 AM Þ 

One for a_t:

Q: So how does all this work? Why makes this firmware special?
A: According to the manufacturer, the superdrive in our Powerbooks is a DVD-Multi drive, which is supposed to support DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, as well as DVD-R.

But the firmware that ships with the UJ-815 drive from Apple, only support DVD-R.

The drive theoretically is also supposed to burn at higher speeds than shipped from Apple.

A lot of people believe this limitation is only in firmware, after all, the 17" PB can burn CD-R's at a max speed of 16x and has a different firmware version (DWCB) than the 12/15" powerbooks (D0CB/D0C4), which only burn CD-R's up to 8x.

But all the pre-sept 2003 powerbook superdrives have the same model drive, the UJ-815.

So basically I needed some way to "install" the firmware on the drive in its uncrippled form. Recently, I obtained a zip file with the PC version of a firmware flasher for our drives. I also got ahold of a Mac OS X updater, and replaced the embedded firmware with the newer firmware and tested it on my own system. It was a success, I tested it over a week before releasing it to a group of people on message boards. [...]

http://superdrive.cynikal.net/
posted by Irdial , 11:43 AM Þ 

posted by Alun , 11:34 AM Þ 

Anthony, have you checked out Robert Johnsons recordings? They are as powerful as led zep but completly acoustic, one-man-and-his-guitar recordings.
posted by Irdial , 11:21 AM Þ 

listened to led zep II for the first time in ages last week ... the pure groove of the lemon song just about enables one to listen past mr plant's eulogies of schoolgirl temptresses, various odes inspired by his genitalia, and inexcusable references to the lord of the rings ... the nme described john bonham's playing as "the sound produced by a herd of wild elephants attacking the bongos ... " ( or something to that effect, anyway ) ... but what elephants ! and when teamed with the fully lucid john paul johns, incomparable ...
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 11:15 AM Þ 

Hold Control-Command-Option-Eject Button; this will shut down your computer. Turn the power on with the power button and hold Command-Option-O-F -- this will boot you into open firmware.
posted by Irdial , 10:50 AM Þ 

Dido's Official Website

I have an aversion to anything that takes over the full screen. I don't think I've heard her songs but I don't remember stepping on wet cardboard in the street, either.

This week I am mainly listening to

The Hafler Trio - how to slice a loaf of bread Pt 1
Superlongevity comp. on perlon
The Fall - Real New Fall LP (Bus Pt1)
Stereolab - Sound Dust (Bus Pt 2)
Diamanda Galas - various songs from the wfmu archive which reminds me I shall have to find the 'giant' song they keep playing as I haven't heard it in a week
Sun Ra - Sound of Joy
posted by meau meau , 10:30 AM Þ 

The Guardian says "59% of voters oppose top-up fees".

Your point, you innefectual bunch habituated to pollstering, brain dead, cattle manaigng bunch of idiots?
posted by Irdial , 10:27 AM Þ 

Thelonius Monk
Oh boy.... I remember being introduced to Monk aged about 8 by my Uncle. My mum said she thought Monk played like Les Dawson's comedy pianist.

Don't forget to skip back in time a little from Monk to Art Tatum as well... divine.

Emotional Magic!® and current flava-of-the-munth (ah'm northern too, tha nose), musical genius seems to be piano magic by some tortured american 'artiste' covering Tears For Fears' 'Mad World'.
Nasal crooning and grade 3 piano heartfelt performance of shattering emotional strength

she is the most middle of the road, straight down the line, bland boring piece of economy brand-x pre-packaged shrink-wrapped homogenised pasteurised passive safe weak bladderless spineless rotten wood soggy tissue cardboard pulp I could ever imagine BINGO! That's exactly why she sells millions, cos that's exactly who she sells to, and exactly what consumers aspire to.

Saw that Iranian film Ten last night. Wonderful!
posted by Alun , 10:13 AM Þ 

Chris J, Propaganda, A Secret Wish - absolutely. I have been zapping that on my minidisc of late, how could I not realise that was part of my sonic landscape. A sublime work.

1!2!3!4!

And now I know what your prize will be - speed forth the address!
posted by captain davros , 9:53 AM Þ 

move ... yeah
is ms minogue in her latest pr incarnation

for some reason i sat through most of a program dedicated to "the best records of 2003" a week or so ago ... must have been drunk ... or too tired even to hit terminate on the remote ... most of the already-mentioned culprits were featured ... i remember thinking as i was enduring the rot "i really shouldn't be doing this ... it will haunt me forever ... i will not be able to look myself in the eye in the morning" but it made no difference ... my excuse is that i was researching what the kids of today dig; no, i don't believe it either ...

waiting for an ebay-bought original mint copy of supertramp's Breakfast in America to arrive
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 9:52 AM Þ 

Dido - Would *you* hit her? I would, with a big fucking trout.

and straight after give her brother a clump with it as well. I can't believe one family has produced two exponents of the dullest music...

Beyonce "your loves got me crazy right now"
Not so bad, but annoying after hearing it about 4 times.


I did like this when I first heard it but then I heard the original record where the break is from.

It's a friends birthday party on Saturday at the dungeons, lea bridge road. [she has a room at a larger party] and I got asked to play some records. It's been about 2 years since I last 'spun on the 1's & 2's' [about 5-6 since I did a 'gig']. I can't be bothered with the whole lugging vinyl about so I'm using a mates laptop, a collection of self-constructed loops, samples and noises and Ableton Live. It will probably get minidisk'd so I'll post it afterwards.

currently listening to:

Propaganda - a secret wish
captain beefheart-i'm going to do what i wanna do-live at my fathers place '78
einoma - milli tonverka
yasume - where we're from the birds sing a pretty song
David Helfgott
and some angelo badalamenti

posted by chriszanf , 5:28 AM Þ 

efnet. #chatdial. any takers?

servers here.

i'm there now. although i'll probably be in bed in a few hours.
posted by Ken , 3:22 AM Þ 

Searching for information on this track (I think it sounds like Lugworm, but can't find much info on either band) I ended up with this:

The Arab Terrorists - ”Were They Homosexuals?

Some people are really sick.
posted by alex_tea , 3:20 AM Þ 

Beyonce "your loves got me crazy right now"
Not so bad, but annoying after hearing it about 4 times.

Dido "Im in love and always will be"
*shudder*

some enlightend rap crap with violins
Where is the Love, Black Eyed Peas. With Justin Timberlake. Worst song of the year? I'd like to give them black eyes. Their new single is even worse.

"sweet dreams my LAX", minogue (or is it Holly Valance?)
Rachel Stevens, ex of S Club 7. Another brainless pop slut for the pre teens to masturbate to.

"move to the bahdee...yeah"
Not sure what this is. Could be that awful Kevin Lytle song that's out at the moment

and a whole host of other total soul-dissolving, heart-slowing ear-diarrhea. That is my excuse. It is a legitimate one. I am the victim.
What's my excuse? How come I remember all this crap?

Oh and when I said hit, I meant punch or something, not that I would of course. I had forgotten about the colloquial meaning. A thoroughly disturbing thought.

Dido is the most souless, sexless person I can think of. She doesn't even try to not be bland, she is the most middle of the road, straight down the line, bland boring piece of economy brand-x pre-packaged shrink-wrapped homogenised pasteurised passive safe weak bladderless spineless rotten wood soggy tissue cardboard pulp I could ever imagine.

She is like a rotten tree stump, one tiny kick would mash her brain to the floor. She has no life or soul, completely devoid of everything and anything that is good.
posted by alex_tea , 2:52 AM Þ 

Quelle Surprise, it's in beige, how suitable.

how close is beige to khaki.....eek!

Akin, how did you know the lyrics?

I was stuck in an internet cafe for a week, listening to the radio, tuned to Heart FM 24/7 playing on hourly rotation Beyonce "your loves got me crazy right now", Dido "Im in love and always will be", some enlightend rap crap with violins talking about "people dying, people crying turn the other cheek", "sweet dreams my LAX", minogue (or is it Holly Valance?) "move to the bahdee...yeah", and a whole host of other total soul-dissolving, heart-slowing ear-diarrhea. That is my excuse. It is a legitimate one. I am the victim.

The dirt wont come off!!!!!

....filthy...dirty....filthy.....

Would *you* hit her? I would, with a big fucking trout. /slap

It would be better if you coaxed her into sleeping with the fishes.

Speaking of "would you hit it?" :

http://invizibletouch.com/hit_it/?hitit=main

http://www.pabuk.com/munity/index.php?showtopic=2692&st=30

http://www.wouldyouhitthis.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=5

http://www.bayou.com/~jebsr/iwould.html
posted by Irdial , 1:49 AM Þ 

By the by, I have no radio or TV anymore, so I don't have to listen to those abominations anymore - I'm out of THAT loop.
posted by Claus Eggers , 1:40 AM Þ 

I would rather have a wank
posted by Claus Eggers , 1:37 AM Þ 

Dido's Official Website

Quelle Surprise, it's in beige, how suitable.

Akin, how did you know the lyrics? Would *you* hit her? I would, with a big fucking trout. /slap
posted by alex_tea , 1:33 AM Þ 

Yes yes yes ClEggSø, but what we ALL want to know is:

Would you hit it?!

posted by Irdial , 1:29 AM Þ 

Dido's Official Website
On a quest to find out what this Dido thing is, I found her (thought it was a guy but surprise) site and with my stopwatch handy endured 7.5s of a Dido song. I'm listening to the Seawolf now to compensate.
posted by Claus Eggers , 1:11 AM Þ 

NOW YOU DIE!
posted by Irdial , 12:01 AM Þ 
Monday, December 15, 2003

If you are into those, I hear the new Dido CD is quite good.

Ho ho ho.

Ladytron. cough cough
posted by alex_tea , 11:59 PM Þ 

Outkast and Kelis.

If you are into those, I hear the new Dido CD is quite good.

"I wont go down with the ship, and I wont throw my hands up... and surrender"

Emotional Magic!®
posted by Irdial , 11:47 PM Þ 

With no chemical or biological weapons yet found in Iraq, the U.S. official in charge of the search for Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction is pursuing the possibility that the Iraqi leader was bluffing, pretending he had distributed them to his most loyal commanders to deter the United States from invading.

Such a possibility is one element in the interim report that David Kay, who heads the 1,200-person, CIA-led team in Iraq, will describe before the House and Senate intelligence committees on Thursday, according to people familiar with his planned testimony. [...]

http://www.washingtonpost.com
posted by Irdial , 11:39 PM Þ 

I'm not listening to much, which is bad. I'm downloading more than I ever possibly, something to do with this nice connection I have now. But I never get round to listening to it, because my computer is up on the mezzanine and the stereo is down below. I want to set up some kind of digital media station, which can play my files over the network (using iTunes if possible)...

I don't have any money to invest in this though, so that'll have to wait for the moment.

After Christmas I am going to buy my usual 2 or 3 cheap pop CDs in the sales. This year I think I will go for Outkast and Kelis.
posted by alex_tea , 11:34 PM Þ 

"These are the Good Times" - Chic Always true. Almost...

hmmmm, Im listening to:

The complete Riverside Thelonius Monk recordings
Captain Beefheart "Grow Fins"
J.S.Bach "Goldberg Variations" Keith Jarrett Harpsichord
Hardcore Devo Vol 1 + 2
King Sunny Ade "Aura" & various others
Sailor Moon OST
Bob Dylan "Nashville Skyline"
Begegnungen II Brian Eno, Roedelius, Dieter Moebius

on heavy rotation.
posted by Irdial , 11:24 PM Þ 

I said a hip hop the hippie the hippie to the hip hip hop, you dont stop ...
posted by Alun , 10:29 PM Þ 

ARRRGH!!!
Download Music on Audiogalaxy Rhapsody
Looking to Download music? Check out Audiogalaxy Rhapsody for unlimited
access to the deepest catalog of legal online music in the world. Listen
to over 400,000 songs on demand.. Burn mixed CDs. Audiogalaxy RHAPSODY is
the one service that does it all. http://www.audiogalaxy.com


but anyway, what are people listening to these days
Lots of Mogwai, Oval's brilliant "diskont," The Mars Volta, Growing - droney slow stuff. Impeccably composed. Neil Young's electric work, too. WORD.
posted by Barrie , 9:55 PM Þ 

Dav's discs.

A Perfect Circle
Tool
Pink Fairies
Nirvana first LP
Kraftwerk
A.R. Kane
Spunkle
Stackridge
The Wiggles
The Darkness
The radio
Sherbert Dib-Dab
The Hot Club of Cowtown
The Three Pickers
OHM compilation
posted by captain davros , 9:45 PM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 9:12 PM Þ 

yo, check it. i hear the fact that it was silly to call attention to the possibility of having illegal music, but since the only 'exceptions' were unreleased music from friends that doesn't exist on cd, i'm not too worried. with over 30 crates of vinyl and thousands of cd's, i have plenty of evidence in my favor. so, bring it.

but anyway, what are people listening to these days? rhythm & sound w/ the artists, the new monolake lp, and the can dvd set are in heavy rotation for me at the moment.
posted by Ken , 8:47 PM Þ 

posted by Alun , 8:38 PM Þ 



America's need has never been so desperate.
Locked in the iron grip of the Bush administration, the United States is crying out for liberation. And who better to fulfill the promise of freedom than the wholesome and resilient lasses our men have fought for? It's mere months until election day - that marvelous occasion when we finally get to send Dubya packing back to his stinking ranch, and return our nation to the greatness that is its rightful destiny. But first, we have to kick the bum out.

Now, you too can strike a blow for freedom...

http://www.orwellmedia.com/main.html
posted by Irdial , 8:11 PM Þ 

"Popular technology commentator and author Richard Forno?s witty but realistic examination of American culture, particularly since September 11. He acknowledges -- and challenges where necessary ? many of the critical issues Americans are afraid (or incapable) of confronting themselves. He concludes that the national emergency facing America today isn?t terrorism or rogue nations, but the daily illusions and mass delusions that make up what passes for reality in American society - in other words, the real danger facing America is what we're allowing ourselves to become."

http://www.infowarrior.org/wmd/
posted by Irdial , 8:09 PM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 7:19 PM Þ 

Novell
The Devil's bitch.
I hate you, Novell.
Groupwise, you shit from Satan's fetid arse, you make my life a misery.
posted by Alun , 6:43 PM Þ 

Gentoo is the distro I want to try next....I need to put aside a weekend to try it out. My best linux experience so far has been Mandrake with Ximian installed over it. Red Carpet is a superb way of managing installed software; takes care of all dependencies, fetches the packages that manque....excellent. I just hope Novell done screw it all up.
posted by Irdial , 4:39 PM Þ 

hate to burst your bubble

Duh.

What you posted was a prima facie list of evidence, and a written admission that you have illegally copied music on your machine.

The only thing that is going to be burst is your ass when the RIAA throws you into jail for p1r8'n mp3z.. Homes!

posted by Irdial , 4:34 PM Þ 

Do Androids Dream?

I gave up on the Darwin install and instead though I'd try Gentoo Linux instead, but even this is giving me gip. I can't get past the emerge sync step, I think it worked last night, but then the bootstrap failed.

Today I have started everything from scratch and during the emerge sync process rsync causes a kernel panic.

Nothing ever works right. Actually it looks OK for the moment, but we'll see...
posted by alex_tea , 4:30 PM Þ 

 We Caught The Wrong Guy
  By William Rivers Pitt
  t r u t h o u t | Perspective



  Monday 15 December 2003

  Saddam Hussein, former employee of the American federal government, was captured near a farmhouse in Tikrit in a raid performed by other employees of the American federal government. That sounds pretty deranged, right? Perhaps, but it is also accurate. The unifying thread binding together everyone assembled at that Tikrit farmhouse is the simple fact that all of them ? the soldiers as well as Hussein ? have received pay from the United States for services rendered.

  It is no small irony that Hussein, the Butcher of Baghdad, the monster under your bed lo these last twelve years, was paid probably ten thousand times more during his time as an American employee than the soldiers who caught him on Saturday night. The boys in the Reagan White House were generous with your tax dollars, and Hussein was a recipient of their largesse for the better part of a decade.

  If this were a Tom Clancy movie, we would be watching the dramatic capture of Hussein somewhere in the last ten minutes of the tale. The bedraggled dictator would be put on public trial for his crimes, sentenced to several thousand concurrent life sentences, and dragged off to prison in chains.  The anti-American insurgents in Iraq, seeing the sudden futility of their fight to place Hussein back into power, would lay down their arms and melt back into the countryside. For dramatic effect, more than a few would be cornered by SEAL teams in black facepaint and discreetly shot in the back of the head. The President would speak with eloquence as the martial score swelled around him. Fade to black, roll credits, get off my plane.

  The real-world version is certainly not lacking in drama. The streets of Baghdad were thronged on Sunday with mobs of Iraqi people celebrating the final removal of a despot who had haunted their lives since 1979. Their joy was utterly unfettered. Images on CNN of Hussein, looking for all the world like a Muslim version of Charles Manson while getting checked for head lice by an American medic, were as surreal as anything one might ever see on a television.

  Unfortunately, the real-world script has a lot of pages left to be turned. Former U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter, reached at his home on Sunday, said, ?It?s great that they caught him. The man was a brutal dictator who committed terrible crimes against his people. But now we come to rest of story. We didn?t go to war to capture Saddam Hussein. We went to war to get rid of weapons of mass destruction. Those weapons have not been found.? Ray McGovern, senior analyst and 27-year veteran of the CIA, echoed Ritter?s perspective on Sunday. ?It?s wonderful that he was captured, because now we?ll find out where the weapons of mass destruction are,? said McGovern with tongue firmly planted in cheek. ?We killed his sons before they could tell us.?

  Indeed, reality intrudes. The push for war before March was based upon Hussein?s possession of 26,000 liters of anthrax, 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin, 1,000,000 pounds of sarin gas, mustard gas, and VX nerve gas, along with 30,000 munitions to deliver these agents, uranium from Niger to be used in nuclear bombs, and let us not forget the al Qaeda terrorists closely associated with Hussein who would take this stuff and use it against us on the main streets and back roads of the United States.

  When they found Hussein hiding in that dirt hole in the ground, none of this stuff was down there with him. The full force of the American military has been likewise unable to locate it anywhere else. There is no evidence of al al Qaeda agents working with Hussein, and Bush was forced some weeks ago to publicly acknowledge that Hussein had nothing to do with September 11. The Niger uranium story was debunked last summer.

  Conventional wisdom now holds that none of this stuff was there to begin with, and all the clear statements from virtually everyone in the Bush administration squatting on the public record describing the existence of this stuff looks now like what it was then: A lot of overblown rhetoric and outright lies, designed to terrify the American people into supporting an unnecessary go-it-alone war. Said war made a few Bush cronies rich beyond the dreams of avarice while allowing some hawks in the Defense Department to play at empire-building, something they have been craving for more than ten years.

  Of course, the rhetoric mutated as the weapons stubbornly refused to be found. By the time Bush did his little ?Mission Accomplished? strut across the aircraft carrier, the occupation was about the removal of Saddam Hussein and the liberation of the Iraqi people. No longer were we informed on a daily basis of the ?sinister nexus between Hussein and al Qaeda,? as described by Colin Powell before the United Nations in February. No longer were we fed the insinuations that Hussein was involved in the attacks of September 11. Certainly, any and all mention of weapons of mass destruction ceased completely. We were, instead, embarking on some noble democratic experiment.

  The capture of Saddam Hussein, and the Iraqis dancing in the streets of Baghdad, feeds nicely into these newly-minted explanations. Mr. Bush and his people will use this as the propaganda coup it is, and to great effect. But a poet once said something about tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow.

  ?We are not fighting for Saddam," said an Iraqi named Kashid Ahmad Saleh in a New York Times report from a week ago. "We are fighting for freedom and because the Americans are Jews. The Governing Council is a bunch of looters and criminals and mercenaries. We cannot expect that stability in this country will ever come from them. The principle is based on religion and tribal loyalties," continued Saleh. "The religious principle is that we cannot accept to live with infidels. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him, said, `Hit the infidels wherever you find them.' We are also a tribal people. We cannot allow strangers to rule over us."

  Welcome to the new Iraq. The theme that the 455 Americans killed there, and the thousands of others who have been wounded, fell at the hands of pro-Hussein loyalists is now gone. The Bush administration celebrations over this capture will appear quite silly and premature when the dying continues. Whatever Hussein bitter-enders there are will be joined by Iraqi nationalists who will now see no good reason for American forces to remain. After all, the new rhetoric highlighted the removal of Hussein as the reason for this invasion, and that task has been completed. Yet American forces are not leaving, and will not leave. The killing of our troops will continue because of people like Kashid Ahmad Saleh. All Hussein?s capture did for Saleh was remove from the table the idea that he was fighting for the dictator. He is free now, and the war will begin in earnest.

  The dying will continue because America?s presence in Iraq is a wonderful opportunity for a man named Osama bin Laden, who was not captured on Saturday. Bin Laden, it has been reported, is thrilled by what is happening in Iraq, and plans to throw as much violence as he can muster at American forces there. The Bush administration spent hundreds of billions of dollars on this Iraq invasion, not one dime of which went towards the capture or death of the fellow who brought down the Towers a couple of years ago. For bin Laden and his devotees, Iraq is better than Disneyland.

  For all the pomp and circumstance that has surrounded the extraction of the former Iraqi dictator from a hole in the ground, the reality is that the United States is not one bit safer now that the man is in chains.

  There will be no trial for Hussein, at least nothing in public, because he might start shouting about the back pay he is owed from his days as an employee of the American government. Because another former employee of the American government named Osama is still alive and free, our troops are still in mortal danger in Iraq.

  Hussein was never a threat to the United States. His capture means nothing to the safety and security of the American people. The money we spent to put the bag on him might have gone towards capturing bin Laden, who is a threat, but that did not happen. We can be happy for the people of Iraq, because their Hussein problem is over. Here in America, our Hussein problem is just beginning. The other problem, that Osama fellow we should have been trying to capture this whole time, remains perched over our door like the raven
posted by meau meau , 4:22 PM Þ 

We Finally Got Our Frankenstein... and He Was In a Spider Hole! -- by Michael Moore

December 14, 2003

Thank God Saddam is finally back in American hands! He must have really missed us. Man, he sure looked bad! But, at least he got a free dental exam today. That's something most Americans can't get.

America used to like Saddam. We LOVED Saddam. We funded him. We armed him. We helped him gas Iranian troops.

But then he screwed up. He invaded the dictatorship of Kuwait and, in doing so, did the worst thing imaginable -- he threatened an even BETTER friend of ours: the dictatorship of Saudi Arabia, and its vast oil reserves.  The Bushes and the Saudi royal family were and are close business partners, and Saddam, back in 1990, committed a royal blunder by getting a little too close to their wealthy holdings. Things went downhill for Saddam from there.

But it wasn't always that way. Saddam was our good friend and ally. We supported his regime. It wasn’t the first time we had helped a murderer. We liked playing Dr. Frankenstein. We created a lot of monsters -- the Shah of Iran, Somoza of Nicaragua, Pinochet of Chile -- and then we expressed ignorance or shock when they ran amok and massacred people. We liked Saddam because he was willing to fight the Ayatollah. So we made sure that he got billions of dollars to purchase weapons. Weapons of mass destruction. That's right, he had them. We should know -- we gave them to him!

We allowed and encouraged American corporations to do business with Saddam in the 1980s. That's how he got chemical and biological agents so he could use them in chemical and biological weapons. Here's the list of some of the stuff we sent him (according to a 1994 U.S. Senate report):

* Bacillus Anthracis, cause of anthrax.

* Clostridium Botulinum, a source of botulinum toxin.

* Histoplasma Capsulatam, cause of a disease attacking lungs, brain, spinal cord, and heart.

* Brucella Melitensis, a bacteria that can damage major organs.

* Clostridium Perfringens, a highly toxic bacteria causing systemic illness.

* Clostridium tetani, a highly toxigenic substance.

And here are some of the American corporations who helped to prop Saddam up by doing business with him: AT&T, Bechtel, Caterpillar, Dow Chemical, Dupont, Kodak, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM (for a full list of companies and descriptions of how they helped Saddam, go here).

We were so cozy with dear old Saddam that we decided to feed him satellite images so he could locate where the Iranian troops were. We pretty much knew how he would use the information, and sure enough, as soon as we sent him the spy photos, he gassed those troops. And we kept quiet. Because he was our friend, and the Iranians were the "enemy." A year after he first gassed the Iranians, we reestablished full diplomatic relations with him!

Later he gassed his own people, the Kurds. You would think that would force us to disassociate ourselves from him. Congress tried to impose economic sanctions on Saddam, but the Reagan White House quickly rejected that idea -- they wouldn’t let anything derail their good buddy Saddam. We had a virtual love fest with this Frankenstein whom we (in part) created.

And, just like the mythical Frankenstein, Saddam eventually spun out of control. He would no longer do what he was told by his master. Saddam had to be caught. And now that he has been brought back from the wilderness, perhaps he will have something to say about his creators. Maybe we can learn something... interesting. Maybe Don Rumsfeld could smile and shake Saddam's hand again. Just like he did when he went to see him in 1983 (see the photo here).

Maybe we never would have been in the situation we're in if Rumsfeld, Bush, Sr., and company hadn't been so excited back in the 80s about their friendly monster in the desert.

Meanwhile, anybody know where the guy is who killed 3,000 people on 9/11? Our other Frankenstein?? Maybe he's in a mouse hole.

So many of our little monsters, so little time before the next election.

Stay strong, Democratic candidates. Quit sounding like a bunch of wusses. These bastards sent us to war on a lie, the killing will not stop, the Arab world hates us with a passion, and we will pay for this out of our pockets for years to come. Nothing that happened today (or in the past 9 months) has made us ONE BIT safer in our post-9/11 world. Saddam was never a threat to our national security.

Only our desire to play Dr. Frankenstein dooms us all.

Yours,

Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com  
www.michaelmoore.com

For a look back to the better times of our relationship with Saddam Hussein, see the following:

Patrick E. Tyler, "Officers say U.S. aided Iraq in war despite use of gas, New York Times, August 18, 2002.

"U.S. Chemical and Biological Warfare-Related Dual Use Exports to Iraq and their possible impact on health consequences of the Gulf War," 1994 Report by the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affiars.

William Blum's cover story in the April 1998 issue of The Progressive, "Anthrax for Export.”

Jim Crogan's April 25-May 1, 2003 report in the LA Weekly, "Made in the USA, Part III: The Dishonor Roll."

"Iraq: U.S. military items exported or transferred to Iraq in the 1980s," United States General Accounting Office, released February 7, 1994.

"U.S. had key role in Iraq buildup; trade in chemical arms allowed despite their use on Iranians and Kurds," Washington Post, December 30, 2002.

"Iraqgate: Saddam Hussein, U.S. policy and the prelude to the Persian Gulf War, 1980-1994," The National Security Archive, 2003
posted by Ken , 4:17 PM Þ 

akin: hate to burst your bubble, homes, but there are no mp3s linked through that page. so, nyah. besides, i don't intend on leaving it up.
posted by Ken , 4:11 PM Þ 

Geneva Convention?

Of course it is, but the violators are CRIMINALS and international GANGSTERS so WTF does the law matter to them?

THINK ABOUT IT.
posted by Irdial , 4:05 PM Þ 

Yess but ass the ssnake on the newss ssaid thiss morning it'ss a ssmall infringement - a minor violation in the overall sscheme of thingss
posted by meau meau , 3:47 PM Þ 

Doesn't showing images of Saddam on TV violate the Geneva Convention?
posted by chriszanf , 3:01 PM Þ 

China is a good economic competitor, where millions of people work for slave wages in sweatshops to make U.S. corporations richer.

Although if those pesky Chinese dare to undermine US jobs or increase US trade deficit then pretty hefty tariffs placed on Chinese products and being The World's Richest Nation ® the US will only 'listen' to the WTO after it has safeguarded it's own interests.
posted by meau meau , 12:16 PM Þ 



...while members of the Iraqi Communist party dance in the street.
[Anticipating a democracy based on theocratic and communist parties!]

BBC
posted by meau meau , 11:07 AM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 9:22 AM Þ 

a few distinct exceptions

each one of which will cost you $150,000. Take it down!
posted by Irdial , 9:11 AM Þ 

posted by Ken , 9:01 AM Þ 

Q+A
You just earned the other mark.
posted by Alun , 8:49 AM Þ 

By MARGARET WENTE
From Monday's Globe and Mail


The humiliation was complete.

They cornered him like a rat, in a vermin-infested dirt hole. He was all alone. He looked as if he'd been hiding in holes for months. The man who styled himself the modern Saladin had turned into an exhausted, disheveled, helpless old bum. The man who vowed he would never be captured alive surrendered without a single shot.

The symbolic impact of this moment could not be more powerful. In the culture of the Middle East, honour matters above all else. And now the tyrant has been exposed as a coward. The people's fear has turned into contempt. "He went like a woman," they said in the streets of Baghdad. [...]

http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031215.wwente1215/BNStory/International/
posted by Irdial , 7:22 AM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 7:14 AM Þ 

Another great story, which stands along side these:

Joshua Coppersmith being arrested in Boston for trying to sell stock in the telephone. "All well-informed people know that it is impossible to transmit the human voice over a wire."

German "experts" proving that if trains went at the frightful speed of 15 miles an hour, blood would spurt from the travelers' noses and passengers would suffocate when going through tunnels.

"Gleanings in Bee Culture, January 1, 1905

This issue of the Medina, Ohio based beekeeping magazine has the distinction of publishing the first eyewitness account of the Wright Brothers' historic manned flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. A. I. Root, the publisher of Gleanings in Bee Culture and a longtime friend of the flight pioneers, was permitted to write this first account and sent it off to "Scientific American." After nearly a year of silence on the part of the magazine, Root wrote its editor, who responded that it was difficult to believe that the event had actually occurred and that even if it had, the airplane would never have any practical application. When Root showed this response to the Wright Brothers, they suggested that he go ahead and publish it in his beekeeping magazine."


http://www.mannlib.cornell.edu/about/exhibit/Beekeeping/atlantic/page4.html
posted by Irdial , 7:08 AM Þ 

While some celebrated in Iraq, initial reactions to Saddam Hussein's arrest in other parts of the Arab world were more subdued, with many reluctant to believe the news.

"Impossible!" said a Syrian shopkeeper, Rami Makhoul, echoing the first thought of millions of Arabs.

Others in Damascus got on the phone to friends and relatives to ask whether it was true. By the time the first pictures of the bearded man with tousled hair appeared on television, many were hastily revising their doubts. But then there was the troubling question of why, if Saddam had really been taken alive, he had not put up the slightest resistance. Surely this could not be the man who had so often urged Iraqis to fight to the death?

As often, when faced with inexplicable situations in the Middle East, some resorted to conspiracy theories. One idea gaining popularity in Jordan was that Saddam must have been secretly "medicated not to resist" before the American forces closed in on him. [...]

The shock, for some, was not Saddam's arrest, but the manner of it: the pathetic, passive figure shown on television revealed the king finally stripped of his clothes.

That has never happened to an Arab leader before in living memory, as several pointed out. The tradition in the Middle East is that leaders stay in office until they die, even if they have become unfit to rule.

People in several Arab countries wondered privately what would be the impact of Saddam's humiliation on their own king or president. From now on, they suggested, he would not sleep easily at night for fear that one day he might be paraded on television in the same bedraggled state. [...]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1107241,00.html
posted by Irdial , 6:46 AM Þ 

..."ClEgSø you will have to translate that letter for uz. Yes "uz" cause Im from up north me.
posted by Irdial Discs , 5:33 PM..."

akin, i think you'll find the korrekt schpelling is "oop nerth"
yer nerth-western-corryspondant
a.these
posted by THESE , 6:20 AM Þ 
Sunday, December 14, 2003

"Today the victorious Iraqi forces stormed the White House and arrested the tyrant war criminal Bush. Now we have apprehended the leader of the international criminal gang of bastards, we will be sure to bring him to trial for his war crimes.

The imperialist U.S. and British forces are like a snake that slithers all over the place but that doesn't control anything! Do not believe the lies, my friend! They are lying every day. They are lying always, and mainly they are lying to their public opinion."
posted by Irdial , 6:36 PM Þ 

Q: Daddy, why did we have to attack Iraq?

A: Because they had weapons of mass destruction.

Q: But the inspectors didn't find any weapons of mass destruction.

A: That's because the Iraqis were hiding them.

Q: And that's why we invaded Iraq?

A: Yep. Invasions always work better than inspections.

Q: But after we invaded them, we STILL didn't find any weapons Of mass destruction, did we?

A: That's because the weapons are so well hidden. Don't worry, we'll find something, probably right before the 2004 election.

Q: Why did Iraq want all those weapons of mass destruction?

A: To use them in a war, silly.

Q: I'm confused. If they had all those weapons that they planned to use in a war, then why didn't they use any of those weapons when we went to war with them?

A: Well, obviously they didn't want anyone to know they had those weapons, so they chose to die by the thousands rather than defend themselves.

Q: That doesn't make sense. Why would they choose to die if They had all those big weapons with which they could have fought back?

A: It's a different culture. It's not supposed to make sense.

Q: I don't know about you, but I don't think they had any of those weapons our government said they did.

A: Well, you know, it doesn't matter whether or not they had those weapons. We had another good reason to invade them anyway.

Q: And what was that?

A: Even if Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein was a cruel dictator, which is another good reason to invade another country.

Q: Why? What does a cruel dictator do that makes it OK to Invade his country?

A: Well, for one thing, he tortured his own people.

Q: Kind of like what they do in China?

A: Don't go comparing China to Iraq. China is a good economic competitor, where millions of people work for slave wages in sweatshops to make U.S. corporations richer.

Q: So if a country lets its people be exploited for American corporate gain, it's a good country, even if that country tortures people?

A: Right.

Q: Why were people in Iraq being tortured?

A: For political crimes, mostly, like criticizing the government. People who criticized the government in Iraq were sent to prison and tortured.

Q: Isn't that exactly what happens in China?

A: I told you, China is different.

Q: What's the difference between China and Iraq?

A: Well, for one thing, Iraq was ruled by the Ba'ath party, while China is Communist.

Q: Didn't you once tell me Communists were bad?

A: No, just Cuban Communists are bad.

Q: How are the Cuban Communists bad?

A: Well, for one thing, people who criticize the government in Cuba are sent to prison and tortured.

Q: Like in Iraq?

A: Exactly.

Q: And like in China, too?

A: I told you, China's a good economic competitor. Cuba, on the other hand, is not.

Q: How come Cuba isn't a good economic competitor?

A: Well, you see, back in the early 1960s, our government Passed some laws that made it illegal for Americans to trade or do any business with Cuba until they stopped being communists and started being capitalists like us.

Q: But if we got rid of those laws, opened up trade with Cuba, and started doing business with them, wouldn't that help the Cubans become capitalists?

A: Don't be a smart-ass.

Q: I didn't think I was being one.

A: Well, anyway, they also don't have freedom of religion in Cuba.

Q: Kind of like China and the Falun Gong movement?

A: I told you, stop saying bad things about China. Anyway, Saddam Hussein came to power through a military coup, so he's not really a Legitimate leader anyway.

Q: What's a military coup?

A: That's when a military general takes over the government of a country by force, instead of holding free elections like we do in the United States.

Q: Didn't the ruler of Pakistan come to power by a military coup?

A: You mean General Pervez Musharraf? Uh, yeah, he did, but Pakistan is our friend.

Q: Why is Pakistan our friend if their leader is illegitimate?

A: I never said Pervez Musharraf was illegitimate.

Q: Didn't you just say a military general who comes to power by Forcibly overthrowing the legitimate government of a nation is an Illegitimate leader?

A: Only Saddam Hussein. Pervez Musharraf is our friend, because he helped us invade Afghanistan.

Q: Why did we invade Afghanistan?

A: Because of what they did to us on September 11th.

Q: What did Afghanistan do to us on September 11th?

A: Well, on September 11th, nineteen men - fifteen of them Saudi Arabians - hijacked four airplanes and flew three of them into buildings, killing over 3,000 Americans.

Q: So how did Afghanistan figure into all that?

A: Afghanistan was where those bad men trained, under the oppressive rule of the Taliban.

Q: Aren't the Taliban those bad radical Islamics who chopped off people's heads and hands?

A: Yes, that's exactly who they were. Not only did they chop off people's heads and hands, but they oppressed women, too.

Q: Didn't the Bush administration give the Taliban 43 million dollars back in May of 2001?

A: Yes, but that money was a reward because they did such a Good job fighting drugs.

Q: Fighting drugs?

A: Yes, the Taliban were very helpful in stopping people from growing opium poppies.

Q: How did they do such a good job?

A: Simple. If people were caught growing opium poppies, the Taliban would have their hands and heads cut off.

Q: So, when the Taliban cut off people's heads and hands for Growing flowers, that was OK, but not if hey cut people's heads and Hands off for other reasons?

A: Yes. It's OK with us if radical Islamic fundamentalists cut off people's hands for growing flowers, but it's cruel if they cut off people's hands for stealing bread.

Q: Don't they also cut off people's hands and heads in Saudi Arabia?

A: That's different. Afghanistan was ruled by a tyrannical patriarchy that oppressed women and forced them to wear burqas whenever they were in public, with death by stoning as the penalty for women who did not comply.

Q: Don't Saudi women have to wear burqas in public, too?

A: No, Saudi women merely wear a traditional Islamic body covering.

Q: What's the difference?

A: The traditional Islamic covering worn by Saudi women is a modest yet fashionable garment that covers all of a woman's body except For her eyes and fingers. The burqa, on the other hand, is an evil tool of Patriarchal oppression that covers all of a woman's body except for her Eyes and fingers.

Q: It sounds like the same thing with a different name.

A: Now, don't go comparing Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are our friends.

Q: But I thought you said 15 of the 19 hijackers on September 11th were from Saudi Arabia.

A: Yes, but they trained in Afghanistan.

Q: Who trained them?

A: A very bad man named Osama bin Laden.

Q: Was he from Afghanistan?

A: Uh, no, he was from Saudi Arabia too. But he was a bad man, a very bad man.

Q: I seem to recall he was our friend once.

A: Only when we helped him and the mujahadeen repel the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan back in the 1980s.

Q: Who are the Soviets? Was that the Evil Communist Empire Ronald Reagan talked about?

A: There are no more Soviets. The Soviet Union broke up in 1990 or thereabouts, and now they have elections and capitalism like us. We call them Russians now.

Q: So the Soviets - I mean, the Russians - are now our friends?

A: Well, not really. You see, they were our friends for many years after they stopped being Soviets, but then they decided not to Support our invasion of Iraq, so we're mad at them now. We're also mad at the French and the Germans because they didn't help us invade Iraq either.

Q: So the French and Germans are evil, too?

A: Not exactly evil, but just bad enough that we had to rename French Fries and French toast to Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast.

Q: Do we always rename foods whenever another country doesn't Do what we want them to do?

A: No, we just do that to our friends. Our enemies, we invade...

Q: But wasn't Iraq one of our friends back in the 1980s?

A: Well, yeah. For a while.

Q: Was Saddam Hussein ruler of Iraq back then?

A: Yes, but at the time he was fighting against Iran, which made him our friend, temporarily.

Q: Why did that make him our friend?

A: Because at that time, Iran was our enemy.

Q: Isn't that when he gassed the Kurds?

A: Yeah, but since he was fighting against Iran at the time, we looked the other way, to show him we were his friend.

Q: So anyone who fights against one of our enemies automatically becomes our friend?

A: Most of the time, yes.

Q: And anyone who fights against one of our friends is automatically an enemy?

A: Sometimes that's true, too. However, if American Corporations can profit by selling weapons to both sides at the same time all the better.

Q: Why?

A: Because war is good for the economy, which means war is good for America. Also, since God is on America's side anyone who opposes war is a godless unAmerican Communist. Do you understand now why we attached Iraq?

Q: I think so. We attacked them because God wanted us to, right?

A: Yes.

Q: But how did we know God wanted us to attack Iraq?

A: Well, you see, God personally speaks to George W. Bush and tells him what to do.

Q: So basically, what you're saying is that we attacked Iraq because George W. Bush hears voices in his head.

A: Yes! You finally understand how the world works, Now close your eyes, make yourself comfortable, and go to sleep. Goodnight.

Goodnight daddy.
posted by Irdial , 6:23 PM Þ 

This of course is NOT Saddam Housein.
Explain your position, please. Where's the image from?
Even al-Jazeera is reporting nothing contrary.
posted by Alun , 5:15 PM Þ 

but is this?

posted by Josh Carr , 5:14 PM Þ 



This of course is NOT Saddam Housein.
posted by Irdial , 3:03 PM Þ 

Number of mails this year: 44225
Amazing, but I did win in the 'Attachments' category this year. Now a Cherry Coke a cig and hibernation.
posted by Claus Eggers , 5:16 AM Þ 
posted by Ken , 12:53 AM Þ 
Home
 
People
 
Services
 
Articles
 
News
 
About


Subscribe to “Irdial-List” Our Mailing List.
The Blarchives are here.
The Blogs on irdial.com are powered by WordPress.
Here is the Blogdial Atom XML feed.
Here is the Blogdial Feedburner XML feed.
Open Content 1995-2005 Irdialani Limited. All Rights Relinquished where applicable.
Links: STAND FIPR PI PF NUFORC M2M SB FTT FFF RMS A-SCROB ONGAKU Blogroll BLOGDIAL WOE CHEZ MANNING