Originally, I considered “satellite radio”(XM and Sirius) to be only a minor step in entertainment over a regular radio since the invention of CDs and MP3s had eliminated as much of the AM/FM crowd as regular radio would ever lose. Then, I found out the only way I would get to hear live daily rants from Al Franken and Janeane Garofolo would be through satellite radio (or a move to a “big” city). When I got the unit home, I flipped through the sations and thought things like “Yep, that’s non-stop 70’s music” or “yep, that’s non-stop soft jazz” or “now, I know why electronic dance clubs aren’t open 24/7”. During the next few days, though, I discovered Deep Tracks — which plays classic rock the classic way, where all the songs on an album get airplay not just the hits (it’s called “album” rock for a reason!) — and my wife found Fred — which plays the music of Dallas’s the Edge from back in the 80’s and early 90’s, like The Cure, The Buzzcocks, Bauhaus, etc. So, as you can read, I am now an XM junkie, so I had to mount it like a true geek.
I monunted the antenna thourgh the weather stripping of my old-school antenna. (I thought it was only appropriate.)
Then I put the “car kit’s” base on the ceiling just behind the map-lights.
…and thanks to the included mount’s swivel-motion the passenger can play along, too!
Next Up: mounting a full-fledged iPod cradle on the dash so I can play my iPod without multiple cables and a big hassle.
On our honeymoon two years ago, we spent a day at the Whitney Museum of American Art for their 2002 Biennial at the urging of an architect friend/font> who lives in The City now. It was so best, we decided to drop the cash (or credit as the case may be) to return to NYC for the 2004 Biennial. Additionaly some good friends from DC will be dropping in to see and hear the current face of American Art with us.
While I was making plans for this trip, I thought how great it would be to see one of them fancy big city television shows. Out first preference would be to catch that short and sassy John Stewart doing his “Daily Show” thing but since we arrive late on Thursday and leave early on Sunday we’ll miss his taping schedule. My next thought was to catch Saturday Night Live — even though the show isn’t what it used to be, Jimmy and Tina rock plus the guests have been more willing to take on personal jokes the last couple of seasons — but the ticket process scared me away. In the newsgroups, some fans suggest getting in line at 5am for the standby tickets — ouch!
Then I noticed that Nummer & H-Bomb over at Whatevs.org had a listing for the SNL of that weekend: Ep 20 – Olson Twins / TBD (5/15/04).
I may have to go by myself (to the ticket line and the show), but I can’t miss a chance at seeing the Olsen Twins hosting Saturday Night Live, can I?
* You know who you are.
Today’s reason: his personal ties to Saudis.
It may be more conspiracy theory (see the old insanity) but Bush was undeniably raised in a house where the Saudi princes were patting him on the head as a young boy. It’s hard not to believe that Bush would use his Saudi friendships to drop gas prices just days before the election. This conspiracy theory is courtesy of Bob Woodward’s new book which is rumored to be kindled by Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Just had the following IM with a friend:
k_mac: u would be proud of me – i got a urinating in public ticket in nyc last night. gotta come back here to go to court in like 1 month.
k_mac: sometimes u gotta go
jank: I got that e-mail. Made my morning.
jank: the second part of the ticket?
k_mac: it was for littering because when the cop caught me he said show me some id, i said u a cop?, he said yes, i said show me a badge, he said put your **** away first. so i through my cigarette down and he gave me a littering ticket
k_mac: freakin bloomberg
k_mac: $500 each
jank: Wow. A grand for littering and peeing? The dude’s outta control. At least Rudy would have just thrown you in jail for the night.
k_mac: true dat
…
Note: IM names have been changed.
So I’ve been a little out of the loop trying to get everyone moved into the new house, but Doc should have been on top of this. I went to check the results for the Amstel Gold race, which was held in Holland last weekend. Lance Armstrong usually uses Amstel Gold as one of his big tune-up races for le Tour. Plus, it’s a good lead into the Giro; kind of a transition into the big name races of the summer after the spring Classics, which are full of mud, cold, suffering, and the domestiques and rising stars who either get ignored during the rest of the year, or won’t make a big impact for a couple of years.
Anyhow, Armstrong wasn’t racing the Amstel Gold. Looks like he’s rearranged his schedule to race in Georgia, as in “the tour de”. My impression is that he kind of puts the race on the map, and may be sparking a resurgence in pro cycling in the US.
And it’s not just LA coming to the Peach State. Bobby Julich, the American with the German name who rides for CSC (Tyler Hamilton’s team) is coming. What would have me in the car tonight (were it not for the wife, kids, and the real-world), though, is Mario Cipollini’s appearance. My guess is his pre-race training is happening at Atlanta’s Gold Club.
Read more!None of you will be surprised that I only scored “50% Stickler” on the flash game hosted at the Eats, Shoots and Leaves web site. This site is pushing a British book about punctuation. (Be sure to follow the game cloesly. I was tricked by misdirection on at least two questions.)
(Heh – theme for this week is badly mixed metaphors)
Seriously, though, the title refers to my new respect for leftist’s deep-seated fiscal conservatism, highlighted in the WashPost’s expose on the most recent episode of fraud, waste, and abuse to come out of the nation’s Capitol. Namely, an effort to repeal a $5 Billion subsidy and replace it with, brace yourselves, and I kid you not, $170 Billion in targeted tax cuts.
950 pages, 246 provisions, and another twoscore and ten waiting to be added. In the interest of disclosure, there’s a provision that would benefit me personally: To put off corporate income taxation, insurers for years have accumulated large cash surpluses in policyholders’ accounts, which would be taxed when distributed to the policyholders. Clinton administration officials tried, but failed, in the 1990s to begin taxing those surpluses. Now insurance lobbyists have won a $482 million provision allowing them to distribute the surpluses totally tax-free. “That was a good trick,” the lobbyist said.
To heck with it, though: this thing’s a crock of poo. And y’all wonder why I long for the late ’90s and years of gridlock.
This is a long, but interesting article, about G-men lawyers using the “state secrets” card to hide malfeasance and negligence that contributed to a B-29 plane crash.
Suing beer makers over drunk driving accidents: (A mom) contends Coors has failed in its duty to protect the country’s youth from drinking. Her son, Ryan, was killed in 2002 after he drank Coors at a party and drove his girlfriend’s car into a light pole at 90 mph, the lawsuit says.
So let me get this straight: An underage kid bears no responsibility for breakin’ the law (Full disclousure: As many of y’all know, I was/am a lush from my senior year of high school on. However, every time I tied one on, I expected terrible things to happen, and have ended up in jail and paid a public intoxication fine with no-one ever to blame but myself.) Someone provides said underage kid with beer and bears no responsibility for the kid getting liquored up. The kid drives WAY over the speed limit (My guess is that even in Colorado, 90 is over the line), and isn’t at fault. While I can understand the pain for her loss, the kid’s mom ought to be laughed out of town.
Wait, it gets better: Also named in the suit were Ryan(‘s)… girlfriend and her mother. The lawsuit alleges the girlfriend allowed (Ryan), who lacked a valid driver’s license, to drive off in her car, which had been given to her by her mother. Great. So, it’s not Ryan’s fault that he got loopy, and it’s not his fault he was driving without a license. Nope. Granted, the girlfriend shouldn’t have given her drunk boyfriend keys, but I don’t think that’s something she should get sued over.
One of the interesting tidbits up here in the thawing Northeast is Massachusettessses’ observance of Patriots’ Day. It’s the day on which the Boston Marathon is run. From the BAA’s website:
Patriots’ Day remains the quintessential observance: the anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolutionary War with skirmishes between British troops and the Minute Men of Concord and Lexington, Massachusetts, and preceded by Paul Revere’s famous Midnight Ride. For runners, Patriots’ Day has become synonymous with the Boston Marathon or, as locals often refer to the day, Marathon Monday.
The events of more than two centuries ago in April 1775, now commemorated as the Patriots’ Day holiday in Massachusetts and Maine, marked a turning point in the long struggle between England and her American colonies. In a march of protest and petition, which turned into revolution and independence, the fighting on April 19, 1775 foreshadowed the rebellious action of the American colonies in ultimately creating a new nation, the United States of America. Originally celebrated on April 19, Patriots’ Day was moved to the third Monday of April in 1969.
For Jank… Helicopter to the top of a Swiss Alp? For wussies! Nuclear sub to the North Pole to play soccer!