So some dumb-ass grandmother is suing Rockstar Games and Take Two Interactive because she bought GTA: San Andreas for her 14-year-old grandson. Why is she suing? False advertising, consumer deception and unfair business practices (how does that make any sense?). Why is she really suing? Because it’s possible to use a third-party hack to unlock code for a secret, sexually explicit mini-game. That’s right, because it’s possible her grandson might be exposed to sexually graphic images. Can I countersue her for being a dumb cunt, disregarding the “Rated M for Mature - 17+” label on the game and buying it for her FOURTEEN YEAR OLD grandson? (more…)

I have a certain fondness for radio, having spent several years working in the trenches at a local station. Of course, the station where I was working was a Classic Rock format, so there was no pressure from the record labels to promote a specific artist or song. Hell, we only played what tested well (in other words: what songs a bunch of random people being paid for their time enjoyed hearing while sitting in an auditorium), which amounted to the same couple-of-hundred songs every day, played in different order. For more current formats where the “no repeat” gimmick is not employed, the record labels have always sought ways to boost the rotation of their current artists’ tracks (in other words: get their artists’ songs played more often). How better to have songs played than to offer up a few “incentives” to DJs and Program Directors? Much like lobbyists spend lots of money bribing politicians via “gifts”, record labels get their artists played in the increasingly few slots available on commercial radio using “payola“. (more…)

Maybe I’m getting old, but I’m discovering that I have less and less patience for working maintenance windows. For those of you not living la vida IT, a maintenance window is a scheduled window of time wherein usually-available bits of hardware are worked upon by a staff of IT monkeys. This generally means that a server or a network or an application is unavailable to end-users, which is why most maintenance windows get scheduled in the wee hours of the morning, so as to avoid needlessly complicating end-users lives. (more…)

Say you’re on a vacation on an island off the coast of Massachusetts, hanging with a few friends and having a real good time. Unfortunately, as with everything, the good times must end. Say you’re a young fella who has to leave the island for an SAT camp, which is probably going to be about as much fun as ritual flogging. You don’t want to go, and your friends, dedicated as they are to you, don’t want you to leave. What do you do?

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There are a lot of negative stories about how our soldiers are conducting themselves over in Iraq. These stories always make the news because they are sensationalistic and serve a bigger purpose (inflaming sentiment against the war). What we need to remember is that, despite whether we agree with our “representatives” decision to go to war in Iraq, we’ve asked our soldiers to risk life and limb to serve our country. I am wholly against the war in Iraq, but I’ve got nothing but respect for those who serve. There are plenty of stories of heroism and sacrifice that don’t make the mainstream news, but the one I read today was really inspiring. Brief synopsis: an Army medic gets shot in the chest by a sniper, survives (thanks to the armor he was wearing, which is something all our troops need in their standard-issue equipment), takes cover and, after receiving support from fellow troops, tracks down and captures the now-injured sniper who tried to kill him. Not only that, but he treats the sniper’s wounds and saves his life. So remember: for every negative story you read about our troops, there are probably three positive stories that never make it to the news.

I know she’s probably grandstanding a bit in preparation for her potential run for President, but doesn’t Senator Clinton have anything better to do with her time than to worry about video games? Why is she making an issue out of a non-issue? I know that this is what politicians enjoy doing, but it’s just ridiculous.

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Answer: You will. The Supreme Court recently ruled that neither the Police nor the State are obligated to protect citizens. This is not the first time decisions like this have been made. The fact is the police have no obligation and, indeed, are ill-equipped to protect citizens. Their job is to investigate and solve crimes as well as provide assistance to victims of crime. They are civilians, but have a few more rights than the average person (I won’t get into the argument for or against more police power: suffice it to say I don’t want to live in a police state). (more…)

Democratic conspiracy theories are being left at the door of this post. Democrats and Republicans are both equally as at fault for lying to and misleading the American public (who should take some friggin’ responsibility and stop voting for the bastards and start looking for truthful candidates…if there are any left). However, I find it interesting that during the Clinton presidency, the Republicans focused a great deal of mudslinging on the lies of Slick Willy. So my question is: now that it appears that members of the Bush administration have been caught lying, will Bush take responsibility and do as he promised?

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I took my newly acquired Mauser Modelo Argentino 1891 (mine looks different than the standard, as pictured on this site) rifle out to the range on Sunday and fired off a few rounds to sight her in a bit. This sucker has got a heck of a kick, but was a blast to fire. An expensive blast, however. Those 7.65 rounds don’t come cheap. As I squeezed off each round, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the scene in Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man where Don Johnson’s Marlboro Man berates Mickey Rourke’s Harley Davidson for his poor shooting and the fact that he’s spending about $2 a bullet in his modified Ruger 454 Super Blackhawk custom. I was spending about the same for each round I put through the rifle. If only I had a workbench where I could do some reloading. I saved the brass anywho, just in case (I may get lucky and run into someone nice enough to do some reloading for me, if I supply the bits and pieces).

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Actually, being organized generally makes my work-life that much better. What’s tough is dealing with those who aren’t organized. What’s even tougher is letting go of tasks that you know are important, require attention to detail and demand that, if problems arise, they must be resolved even if the resolution has to take place days after the fact. This is why I use a planner, even if I don’t follow some of the more radical and bizarre angles of this particular system of planning. I don’t give two shits what planner a person uses, but it’s gotten to the point where I’ve had to insist that some of my coworkers get some sort of system going. Downoad Sunbird, fer crissakes!

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