Archive: June 2007
- ⇒ Mahna Mahna (link from Jun 4, 2007)
My mother made me a copy of The Muppet Show: Music Mayhem & More, so now I've got "Mahna Mahna" stuck in my head. The link above goes to the version of the song from the Muppet Show on YouTube; here's the Sesame Street version.
- ⇒ Home Goods from Lego (link from Jun 5, 2007)
Deck your home in Lego! Does it get any cooler than Lego ice cube trays? Or, you could buy coasters, a corkscrew, a key rack, and salt and pepper shakers (Greg & Jessica have these, they rock); furthermore, while you're ordering something for yourself, you could order me a chess set, or the Ultimate Collector Series Death Star, Millennium Falcon, or Imperial Star Destroyer.
- ⇒ My new niece Sylvia (link from Jun 5, 2007)
My sister Kristin finally had her daughter this morning, after about a day of on-and-off labor and evidently one hell of a night of it. Sylvia Katharine weighs 7 lbs, 6 oz, and her length was still TBD when we visited this morning.
They had her trapped in the nursery when we saw her, so I was only able to get some photos through the glass. The link above goes to my set on Flickr.
You'll see that Kristin and Joey, two redheads themselves, are doing their part to stop red hair from disappearing from the human race.
- ⇒ Transformers: Battle for the Allspark (link from Jun 5, 2007)
An online turn-based combat game, with a decent variety of attacks, defenses and whatnot. Battle damage seems to be nigh-random, just like any dice game (and just as frustrating as any dice game). Hint: don't pick the red bot. You can't change your bot once you've chosen, and there are at least 3 red bots for any other model.
- ⇒ Did Pirates Really Say Arrrr? (link from Jun 6, 2007)
Probably not. Both that phrase and the accent that goes with it are strictly Hollywood. They originated with Robert Newton, the actor who played Long John Silver in the movies and on TV through much of the 1950s. Newton was from Dorset, in the Cotswolds district of southwest England, and the regional accent he brought to the movies included a rolled "r."
(via kottke.org)
- ⇒ Movable Type 4 Beta: We're On A Mission (link from Jun 6, 2007)
The beta of Movable Type 4 is now available to install and play with. Marvel at:
- A completely reinvented user interface with a dashboard overview of how all of your blogs are doing
- Support for publishing standalone pages and managing file assets and images right within MT
- Brand-new community features like OpenID, and a built-in user registration system
- A completely redesigned component architecture that makes MT faster and more scalable than ever before
- And it’s going to be available in a completely open source version with its home at a completely relaunched community site that revives an old, beloved URL
- ⇒ Custom 'Hearts of Steel' Optimus Prime on eBay (link from Jun 6, 2007)
Holy frijoles. Did you read the 'Hearts of Steel' miniseries? It was okay, but Prime never really appeared in it. Looking at this, I wish he had.
- ⇒ RIAA Accused of Extortion and Conspiracy (link from Jun 6, 2007)
In a new Tampa, Florida, case, UMG v. Del Cid, the defendant has filed the following five (5) counterclaims against the RIAA, under Florida, federal, and California law:
- Trespass
- Computer Fraud and Abuse (18 USC 1030)
- Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices (Fla. Stat. 501.201)
- Civil Extortion (CA Penal Code 519 & 523)
- Civil Conspiracy involving (a) use of private investigators without license in violation of Fla. Stat. Chapter 493; (b) unauthorized access to a protected computer system, in interstate commerce, for the purpose of obtaining information in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1030 (a)(2)©; © extortion in violation of Ca. Penal Code §§ 519 and 523; and (d) knowingly collecting an unlawful consumer debt, and using abus[ive] means to do so, in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1692a et seq. and Fla. Stat. § 559.72 et seq.
- ⇒ Cory Doctorow: In Praise of Fanfic (link from Jun 6, 2007)
Two things are sure about all fanfic, though: first, that people who write and read fanfic are already avid readers of writers whose work they're paying homage to; and second, that the people who write and read fanfic derive fantastic satisfaction from their labors. This is great news for writers.
- ⇒ The Daring Book for Girls (link from Jun 6, 2007)
A counterpart for The Dangerous Book for Boys is being released from Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz this November.
- ⇒ That's tricky: A Leader for the Ages Optimus Prime (link from Jun 7, 2007)
This is just tricky. The promotional text on the Hasbro page reads:
This special two-pack contains G1-inspired OPTIMUS PRIME—perfect for the Dad who played with OPTIMUS PRIME as a child. The kid today can enjoy the new movie version of OPTIMUS PRIME.
But the box art doesn't say anything about "G1-inspired"; the labels under the figures read '2007 Optimus Prime' and '1984 Optimus Prime'. But it's not Prime from 1984, it's instead the most horrible G1 style Prime to be released in years, the one from the Classics two-pack with tank Megatron. I can imagine guys my age, walking through the toy aisle with their kids, thinking to themselves, "Damn, I remember that guy being so much cooler."
- ⇒ Thundercats, He-Man to be made into live-action films (link from Jun 7, 2007)
Transformers hasn't even been released yet, and already the movie studios are mining my childhood for other properties they can make into films. Warner Brothers is working on not one, but two cartoon-to-live-action projects: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Thundercats.
I am all for a live action version of Thundercats, but only if it strictly follows the first episode of the cartoon. The first time Cheetara walks onscreen, she had better damn well be naked, and played by Scarlett Johansson.
- ⇒ iSquint - iPod video converter for Mac (link from Jun 8, 2007)
I spent about half an hour looking for a free Mac app I could use to get my avi files of Heroes onto Lori's iPod. This tiny app did a wonderful job.
Disney followup: Aladdin - June 8, 2007 10:24 PM
When we're in the car, and Veronica gets fussy, we put on movies. Listening to these (mostly Disney) films gives me kind of a unique perspective: without the amazing animation to dazzle me, the holes in the story and possibilities...
- ⇒ Wal-Mart Exclusive Robot Heroes Decepticon Sneak Attack (link from Jun 8, 2007)
No wonder I can't find it - it's apparently an online exclusive! You'd think if they're only going to sell it online, they'd at least spell the name of the item correctly.
- ⇒ AnnualCreditReport (link from Jun 9, 2007)
Most people know that you can get a free copy of your credit report once a year, but do you know how to get it? You go here, not to that website with the fancy jingle we've all heard on the radio. That site, while not a scam per-se, is just out to get your money. The site linked above is the one you want.
- ⇒ How to take in a shirt (link from Jun 10, 2007)
Pinch and pin, pinch and pin, pinch and pin. How many shirts will I ruin before I get this right, I wonder?
- ⇒ Creation of Adam (link from Jun 10, 2007)
I'd go to the Creation Museum if it was filled with exhibits like this. Humans and dinosaurs living together? Stupid and silly. Humans and Transformers? That's a different story.
- ⇒ Goodbye, Sopranos (link from Jun 11, 2007)
The last episode of Sopranos ended nigh-perfectly, in my opinion. While the non-ending for TV series has nearly become the standard, I thought that Tony's saga was well-ended here (because, of course, it never really ends, does it).
It still has nothing on the last episode of Quantum Leap, though.
- ⇒ Eli's Amazon Link Generator (link from Jun 11, 2007)
This one's been around a while, but I use it all the time. Plug in an ASIN and your Associate ID, and this little widget will spit out Amazon links in every flavor, including the locations of the thumbnail images. Awesomely handy.
- ⇒ #TV-Nihon (link from Jun 11, 2007)
A site specializing in excellently-done, high-quality fansubs of shows that have NOT been legitimately imported to the US. Unfortunately, their bittorrent tracker is currently down, but once it's back up, you'll find complete runs of almost every Japanese Transformer series, and all kinds of other anime and sentai shows. In the meantime, they're offering direct downloads of their new releases.
- ⇒ Dave's Long Box (link from Jun 11, 2007)
David Campbell writes the best comic blog on the internet. There are a number of close seconds, but Dave's Long Box is the best. Dave's blog is so good, he was invited to write the series recap for the recent Invincible #42.
Dave (if only we were on first-name familiarity!) also used to write my favorite blog in the entire world, The Velvet Marauder, a (supposedly) fictional account of the superhero life of the Velvet Marauder, who is almost certainly not gay. Be careful when you read it, you have to start at the bottom of the page and read up to get the entries chronologically.
- ⇒ Snitchtown, by Cory Doctorow (link from Jun 12, 2007)
When you watch everyone, you watch no one.
This seems to have escaped the operators of the digital surveillance technologies that are taking over our cities. In the brave new world of doorbell cams, wi-fi sniffers, RFID passes, bag searches at the subway and photo lookups at office security desks, universal surveillance is seen as the universal solution to all urban ills. But the truth is that ubiquitous cameras only serve to violate the social contract that makes cities work.
- ⇒ Binary Bonsai on WWDC '07 announcements (link from Jun 12, 2007)
I have to agree with his assessment of Spaces, because I work the same way.
- ⇒ Daring Fireball on WWDC '07 Keynote announcements (link from Jun 12, 2007)
WWDC 2007 feels more like ““WWDC 2006 2.0” - the same news, now less vague.
John also has an interesting (and to my mind, probably 100% accurate) take on Safari for Windows.
- ⇒ Safari 3 Public Beta (link from Jun 12, 2007)
Safari, the native Mac OS web browser, is now available for Windows users. Safari is a nice enough browser, but I'm too hooked on my Firefox extensions to really switch.
- ⇒ Taking a Bugatti Veyron to 253 MPH (link from Jun 12, 2007)
Holy frijoles!
“Getting close to the maximum [speed], which means the tires will only last for about fifty minutes. But it's okay, because the fuel runs out in twelve minutes!”
- ⇒ My avatar collection on Flickr (link from Jun 12, 2007)
I've started collecting avatar shots from my favorite toys, which you have my permission to use anywhere you might need a pretty headshot to go with your online identity. I'm at 19 right now, but I'm trying to add one for nigh-every toy I shoot from here on out.
- ⇒ Safari for Windows, 0day exploit in 2 hours (link from Jun 13, 2007)
Ouch.
I downloaded and installed Safari for Windows 2 hours ago, when I started writing this, and I now have a fully functional command execution vulnerability, triggered without user interaction simply by visiting a web site.
I have a very hard time understanding how Apple didn't anticipate something like this. One would think that the kind of people who would be excited to download and install Safari on their PCs are the same kind of people who will be instantly turned off by talk of security exploits and other problems with the browser.
Transformer Movie Toy Roundup: Ironhide - June 14, 2007 3:27 PM
When I got my first batch of movie figures in the wee hours of the morning on June 2, I hadn't planned for Ironhide to be among them. I wasn't a fan of the photos I'd seen thus far, and...
- ⇒ TV Links - Transformers G1 Archive (link from Jun 14, 2007)
For as long as it lasts, this site has every episode of Transformers Generation One available for online viewing. They've also got a metric ton of other television faire. How is this site still open? It's amazing!
- ⇒ Transformers Movie voice actor list revealed (link from Jun 14, 2007)
So I'm watching the G1 episode The Key to Vector Sigma, and I realize who's missing from this list. There are two more Transformers movies coming after this one, so I hope the producers realize that to miss the opportunity to have comedian Steven Wright play Dirge, the depressed seeker jet, would be nigh-criminal.
- ⇒ Batman's new suit (link from Jun 15, 2007)
It looks like Batman will finally be able to turn his head. Awesome.
- ⇒ TSA detains woman over infant's sippy cup (link from Jun 15, 2007)
So this woman is humiliated by inept TSA personnel, then misses her flight, because she didn't use brand-name nursery water in her child's sippy cup. People keep asking me why, when we go to Washington DC next week, we aren't flying - this is exactly why.
Sunstreaker and Cyclonus - restored and restickered - June 15, 2007 9:00 AM
I recently purchased two of my long-term dream hunt Transformers G1 figures, Sunstreaker and Cyclonus. I got them for a very, very good price from a fellow Transformer Flickr poster (who still has a number of G1 items for sale)....
- ⇒ Aishwarya Rai to appear in Heroes, Season 2 (link from Jun 15, 2007)
Heroes Season Two begins filming soon, and a few casting notes have leaked out, including this happy tidbit. Aishwarya Rai, one of the most beautiful women in the world, will appear as Shanti Suresh, Mohinder's (dead) older sister. These episodes just can't start airing fast enough.
- ⇒ dreamonix' DC Universe set on Flickr (link from Jun 16, 2007)
DC Universe action figures with backdrops and ever so slight photoshopping. Extremely cinematic renderings of your favorite DC characters! This shot of the Atom is my favorite.
- ⇒ How GM scored a two-hour ad (link from Jun 17, 2007)
From Forbes.com:
And remarkably, GM didn't have to pay Paramount to get the product placement--at least not with checks payable to Paramount. The car company contributed $1 million worth of cars and will pay for loads of ads that will showcase its vehicles and the movie.
- ⇒ Just completed my first SuperDuper! backup (link from Jun 18, 2007)
After 36 hours and three failed attempts, I finally finished my first SuperDuper! backup. The first attempt, at work, threw an error after a few hours while I was trying to backup to our main network data drive. The second was at home, trying to backup over the network to the USB drive linked to my Windows PC, which threw an error at about 3.9 GB. For the third attempt, I brought the USB drive downstairs and hooked it directly to my machine. It stalled, throwing no error, at about 4GB. I assumed at this point that the troll stopping my backup was the ~ 4 GB file size limit on FAT32 drives, so I moved everything off the USB drive, repartitioned and reformatted it into HFS+, and it finally worked like a charm.
Was I doing anything obviously wrong, other than trying to break the rules of the FAT32 file system (and is that really where the problem was)? If you know anything about it, leave me a comment. Thanks!
- ⇒ Opera Mini 4 Beta (link from Jun 19, 2007)
The newest version of Opera Mini (the best browser for your non-Apple phone) has been released in Beta, and holy moly, its new feature set is amazing. You know those iPhone commercials that talk about the 'just internet'? This new Opera kinda does that, for $0.
- ⇒ Fun and Easy How to Guide to Binding Your Own Paperback Books At Home...FAST (link from Jun 19, 2007)
I have a lot of binders, particularly at work, full of books and manuals that I've printed for reference rather than read online. I may set this up to use at work, or to make a permanent copy of Transformers Version 2.0 when it's finally complete.
- ⇒ DC Direct's next Superman-Batman line (link from Jun 19, 2007)
Yet more Ed McGuinness styled action figures; unfortunately for me, this lineup includes a Supergirl, which I'm more or less obligated to buy, and a Power Girl that doesn't look half bad. At least the figures made from McGuinness' art are thick enough to stand up.
- ⇒ It'll be time to get an iPhone when... (link from Jun 20, 2007)
...when AT&T Wireless finally brings 3G data access to Lexington. The link goes to the AT&T Wireless coverage map. Once you've entered a city or ZIP code, you can click the checkbox under the map to show 3G coverage in that area. According to the map, Louisville and Frankfort both have coverage, but Lexington does not. Yet. Does anyone know of anywhere online that I might find a 3g rollout schedule?
- ⇒ Is that [action figure] gonna kill me? (link from Jun 21, 2007)
Neat little article about toy safety testing from Slate's Explainer. I didn't know that the vast majority of testing was voluntary, but I should have realized it would be so. One of the tests they didn't mention is the bane of all Transformers collectors: the Drop Test (where they drop a toy from X height to see what breaks off) is what stopped Hasbro from re-releasing Fortress Maximus in the R.I.D. era.
A question about uninstalls on a Mac - June 22, 2007 7:55 AM
I've been cleaning up my MacBook Pro recently, and I've had to re-download the DMGs for a number of programs that used the installer, because the uninstaller is included in the DMG, but doesn't actually get copied to my system...
Veronica goes to Washington, part 1 - June 22, 2007 12:53 PM
Veronica and I spent our morning in Washington D.C. while Lori was doing her ALA pre-conference stuff. Since nothing in DC opens before 10 am, we spent our morning touring monuments. We went to the convention center to register for...
Veronica goes to Washington, part 2 - June 22, 2007 11:14 PM
We went back to our hotel from our morning of monument hopping, and watched from our window as Lori walked back to the hotel from the convention center. We flashed the camera so she could see which window was ours,...
Veronica goes to Washington, part 3 - June 23, 2007 10:41 PM
This morning, the ALA stacks opened. This is the giant vendor area that looks almost exactly like the San Diego Comic Con. In fact, the first place we went when they let us in was the 'graphic novel pavilion'...
Veronica goes to Washington, part 4 - June 24, 2007 10:05 PM
Tired. But today was an easier day, so it worked out okay. We went back to The Stacks this morning, to see if there was new free stuff available. We picked up a Harry Potter bag from the Scholastic booth,...
Veronica goes to Washington, part 5 - June 26, 2007 11:12 PM
(I wrote most of this last night, but our paid internet connection ran out like a 1-cent pony ride before I could post it. I add this note because I don't feel like going back through to change all the...
- ⇒ Advantages to dating librarians (link from Jun 27, 2007)
xkcd must have gone to Washington DC this past weekend, too.
- ⇒ The Washington DC photos (link from Jun 27, 2007)
All the photos we took in Washington DC are on Flickr in this set. Oy, it's good to be home.
- ⇒ It's not too late to get me something nice for my birthday (link from Jun 27, 2007)
Yeah, I was on the road all day yesterday, so I forgot to post this on my actual 29th birthday. I'm so damned old.
On a related note, since Lori and Veronica will both be gone on the 29th, I'm going to have a particularly hard time not driving straight from work to a Cingular store to get an iPhone.
- ⇒ Disney to scrap direct-to-DVD sequels (link from Jun 27, 2007)
Oh, dear God, thank you for granting my prayer. Now, since I know you're listening, can I have a mysterious windfall that's enough to buy an iPhone?
Veronica goes to Washington, part 6 - June 27, 2007 9:55 AM
Yesterday morning was our last in Washington, DC. We had originally intended to be on the road by 7, but instead, decided to have breakfast with Alexander Stadler. He visited Lori's school two years ago, and they've kept in touch...
Today's run - June 27, 2007 - June 27, 2007 2:52 PM
I'm tracking my runs via the gmaps-pedometer. For some reason, the version of the Google Map of Masterson Station this app uses isn't the same, updated, more robust version you get from maps.google.com....
Oh, my poor brethren! - June 27, 2007 10:19 PM
I just realized something horrible for my fellow geeks of similar alignment. There is a cosmic conflagration in the works, my friends! Do you realize it? How will you handle the choice laid out before you? Will you go to...
I'm a bad person. So I created this. - June 27, 2007 10:29 PM
This statue at the National Cathedral looked so sad and scared, I was forced to mock it. Does anyone have a collection of LOLStatues that I can add this to?...
Botcon, here I come! - June 28, 2007 9:51 PM
As I was driving Lori to the airport, I had an epiphany. Lori will be gone all weekend. Veronica will be gone all weekend. I have a lot of Delta SkyMiles. That's right, I'm going to Botcon. In Providence, Rhode...