Zip Code Zoomer

This is awesome. You may need some weird java applet stuff to run it, though. It's one of those rare things that runs on my Mac but not my PC. Anyway, if you can get it to run it will zoom into a zipcode for you. Pretty nice stuff.

PM2 News!

A comic about Princess Maker 2! Thanks, Blog!

The Internet: Less Useful Everyday?

A funny thing struck me today as I was trying to find an old copy of Windows 3.1 on the net today. The Internet is now as useless as ever for finding things. Three or four years ago this task would have been fairly innocuous. I did it myself around that time and found at least three or four copies scattered throughout abandonware sites. Now, all of these sites (if they can be found at all) have either been shutdown or have been relegated to museums -- that is, sans the downloads.

What happened here? I used to be able to find a ROM, a piece of software, or whatever I needed with ease. Now, there are tons of useless sites clogging up Google searches and phony porn sites with bad URLs that pop up in my searches. Wasn't the Internet supposed to get better? Where have you gone Batman, ChiChi, Fosi [EDNOTE: No, he's still there! God bless you, Fosi!], VMUEMU, and countless others? The Internet may have gotten a tad better with countless news sites and other ways to suck my time but, Christ. Why the hell did we open up this thing to non-geeks and corporations again?

Posting on a Friday Night? It Must Mean Procrastination Night!

Stay tuned in the near future for a physics assessment on this web log that you can participate in. How will it help you? Not at all. How will it help phooeyhoo? It will give him more accurate data for one of his grad school projects. Everybody wins!

Ichiro Watch Day 2

4-6. 10 hits from the record. 10 games to play.

Alton ... Will You Marry Me?

I love this man! From his web log:

I have decided to move from the planet. I’m sorry but I simply cannot remain on a world where Paris Hilton is allowed to publish “memoirs�. The real clincher is that people will buy it, and read it…and think it wonderful and insightful and that “That poor girl just can’t find…whatever.�

I can only hope that the beams will cross and she’ll end up on Dr. Phil so that my vision of hell can become complete. Actually, for that to happen John Tesh would have to be the musical guest.

Hell ... I'll even forgive him for misspelling "Portland" as "Porland".

Photos and Site Maintenance

Well, I managed to totally screw up the mySQL database. What have we learned from this? Use Berkeley DB whenever possible.

Anyway, I've started posting photos in the brand new Photos! area. I should have Yosemite up by the end of the day with others forthcoming. Enjoy!

Ichiro Watch

Okay. Most of you probably don't give a rat's ass about baseball but I do. And what Ichiro Suzuki is doing in Seattle this year is nothing short of extraordinary. Say what you will about Bonds, but to me, Ichiro is the man.

Tonight, he went 5 for 5 against Anaheim to move within 14 hits of George Sisler's record with 12 games to play. Getting singles may appear to be a small thing, but this guy goes out and gets them night in and night out. It's amazing. The guy can spray the ball anywhere he wants to and, unlike most major leaguers, he runs out every ball. A contact hitter who runs like a madman. What more can you ask for out of a ballplayer?

The Operation Was a Complete Failure

The upgrade to 3.11. She did not go so well. Hence, we are having, what you say, technical difficulties.

OMG ... I have Internet!

The Devas have smiled on me today. Internet is up, copy of the Sims 2 arrived and my bathroom door now shuts. Life is good.

And He Caviled Through the Night

Okay. So hopefully I will have actual internet in my house tomorrow. Until then, I am posting from the worst place imaginable. A coffee house in Ann Arbor. I know. I'm going to hell in a handbasket.

Anyway, until I can post photos and other Ann Arbor observations, please allow me to comment on the state of school. Those of you who are currently in school will probably be wondering "so what?" but I'd like to cavil about certain "trends" that have popped up during the last three years that I've been on educational hiatus. I feel some days as if I've jumped into an alternate universe machine or something. Anyway, just a few things I've noticed.

• Why does everybody suddenly find need to carry their own personal resevoir everywhere they go? When I was in college, every 1 in 100 students had a bottle of Wallgreens water or something innocuous like that. Now, people have these huge jugs of water that wouldn't be inappropriate at the Grand Canyon. Haven't people heard about getting a sip of water before they leave the house? Sure it's a 3 hour class, folks. But there's a break. Use the break to get a drink of water.
• PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR GOD DAMN CELL PHONES! WHY ARE YOU EVEN BRINGING THEM TO CLASS? EITHER LEAVE THEM AT HOME OR HAVE THE HORSE SENSE TO TURN THEM OFF DURING CLASS.
• I seem to have missed the Michigan memo that the standard school uniform consists of either gray or yellow shorts along with a blue shirt. Today I wore all black and got weird looks. What's wrong with this picture?
• Laptops are great devices. They're handy for taking notes. But do you have to setup your entire god damn computing workstation for class? Just the laptop is enough, people. At most you should have a power supply but you should have charged that motherfucker before you left the house this morning. There is no reason you need to disturb the entire class by taking out a keyboard, mouse, extra power supply, projector, rabbit, plasma screen tv, and armadillo. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating but you get my point. And, please. Turn off your god damn speakers. I don't want to hear the stupid midi music on your favorite web site that you're surfing during class. And I don't need to hear the stupid "you've got mail" message either.
• It is absolutely unnecessary to bring a picnic to class.

At any rate, if I'm ever forced to teach at this school the smack is going to be put down.

"Issue ONE: Should the rich eat the poor? I ask you — girl failing this class because she's talking on her fucking cell phone!"

Web Log Spam ... Is there No Shame?

I go on hiatus for just one month and what do I come back to find? Hundreds of web log spam. Yes, if any of you had taken a look at past posts on this web log, you would have found wonderful advertisements for porn and syphilis medication in the comments section. But I've cleansed them. I win again!

Ann Arbor ...

... is a weird little town. Beware, phooeyhoo is back! Well, almost. I won't have a regular in-house internet connection for a month and I'm still trying to scope out the best place on campus to study without any people. Where's the barn when you need it? Anyway, thoughts on this city, the U of M, and holiday photos soon.