Hi,

Stephen Fry has a delightful blog of no particular subject, but the man loves to chat about his gizmo obsession. In his latest piece he references Umberto Eco's little ditty on Mac's vs. MS-DOS (think proto-windows) and how both are like Catholics and Protestants.

I would send you to read it, but here it is in its entirty.

The fact is that the world is divided between users of the Macintosh computer and users of MS-DOS compatible computers. I am firmly of the opinion that the Macintosh is Catholic and that DOS is Protestant. Indeed, the Macintosh is counterreformist and has been influenced by the "ratio studiorum" of the Jesuits. It is cheerful, friendly, conciliatory, it tells the faithful how they must proceed step by step to reach - if not the Kingdom of Heaven - the moment in which their document is printed. It is catechistic: the essence of revelation is dealt with via simple formulae and sumptuous icons. Everyone has a right to salvation.

DOS is Protestant, or even Calvinistic. It allows free interpretation of scripture, demands difficult personal decisions, imposes a subtle hermeneutics upon the user, and takes for granted the idea that not all can reach salvation. To make the system work you need to interpret the program yourself: a long way from the baroque community of revelers, the user is closed within the loneliness of his own inner torment.

You may object that, with the passage to Windows, the DOS universe has come to resemble more closely the counterreformist tolerance of the Macintosh. It's true: Windows represents an Anglican-style schism, big ceremonies in the cathedral, but there is always the possibility of a return to DOS to change things in accordance with bizarre decisions.....

And machine code, which lies beneath both systems (or environments, if you prefer)? Ah, that is to do with the Old Testament, and is Talmudic and cabalistic.




And it struck me that this seems a little out dated. Windows does not have a likeness to the Anglican Church. And certainly much less likeness to a John Hodgman character.

You nerdy-nerds can pick that apart if you like. The rest can have fun reading Fry's blog.

What happened to Barack Obama?

The 2004 superstar, who had commentators calling for a presidential campaign just as he was elected a senator, is now limp and useless. Like other superstars, Menundo, Men at Work, Leif Garret, the Obama campaign has drunkenly crashed into a disappointing post-career of candidacy.

I liked Barack at first. He was everything Chriss Dodd wasn't. He was no washington insider, he did not seem partisan, and he took hope out of the pre-9/11 world and put it where it belongs in the future. But now...

Obama has had a confusing record with Iran, not bothering to show up to vote whether or not the Revolutionary Guard was a terrorist group. He sort of waited it out to test the waters of public opinion.

Then this whole South Carolina thing...

You may have heard a bit of controversy over anti-gay gospel singer Donnie McClurkin making a performance at an Obama rally. McClurkin has also become a member of the SC Obama team.

SC is a critical state for Obama who is trailing in Iowa and New Hampshire. If he can't get SC Obama is a non-entity. SC has a giant black population. In essence, to win SC is to win the black vote. McClurkin is supposed to supposed to be the feel good American Idol to win over the black vote.

So, the gospel singer had a little concert. Instead of diffusing the situation or simply not talking about it McClurking stopped the concert mid-way to slam homosexuals... and not in the hot way. Way to use someone else's forum to spread the love.

Well, this did not go over well with Obama supporters or sensible people. There have been protestors. Obama has been trying to have it both ways, saying he absolutely supports gay rights while having a very anti-gay person as a very visible member of his campaign. Just like Obama has been trying to have it both ways, saying marriage inequality needs to end but not supporting gay marriage. Is Obama giving a wink and a nod to the more socially conservative SC voter saying "don't worry, I really don't support gays"?

Maybe I would like to see him in eight more years, but right now Chriss Dodd sounds better and better as the candidate with both integrity and a set of balls.

My weekend has been awesome, though I feel like I am going to have a hangover on Monday despite complete sobriety today.

Friday I drove to Albany to go to a party my college friends were having. Oddly, I didn't go to college with any of them but met them through a high school friend who was dating one of them for a while. Additionally odd since non of them have every lived in Albany until after I had moved out of that town.

They were having a big weekend long bash, so everyone kept their drinking down to a lovely buzz. I, however, was only in town for the evening and drank myself into oblivion. Fantastic.

Around 3 in the morning I got up to get a cup of water. I brought it back to bed with me and fell asleep with it in my arms. I didn't spill a drop it looked like for a few hours. Well done me. How responsible are you? Not spilling alcohol at a party but instead spilling water.

And then Saturday. Oh man! If you were there, you knew how much fun it was. If you weren't... don't believe the hype. It wasn't that great. (ha, ha, suckers).

(e:Drew) had the most pleasing costume. It wasn't as flashy as those unicorn hunters, but the chuckles I got from it were more satisfying.

Felly makes the best Jell-o shots in the universe. When I die I would like my remains entombed in a batch of those jell-o shots and then have a large party fueled by them. But maybe they should be told about the secret ingredient afterwards?

It was a pleasure seeing everyone again and great to meet some new folks. (e:PMT), thank you so much for hosting.

Ahoi!

Good news kidos, NY is one green state. Well, not #1, #9 actually, but that is a mighty fine showing. (e:Cjamgeisgood)'s latest post about commuters sucking certainly can be heard in this report which credits the independence from the automobile in NYC as the largest contributor to our greenness. Sweet.

But what about those green loving hippie Californians? YA! #14! Eat it California! For those of you who live in or have visited California, you know that driving is insane. Cities like LA and San Diego aren't built up but out. Sprawling homes and lowrises as far as the eye can see. That makes for a lot of driving.

You can read the full report here

So,

President Bush tonight is supposed to give a big ol' speech tonight in which he says that America will not accept a power transition in Cuba between Fidel and Raul Castro.

Oh shit! The gloves are off now!

Let's see, what are we going to do to teach Cuba a lesson. Um..YA! Let's cut off all trade and diplomatic relations! Oh... crap.

I can't believe we still have this silly trade embargo with Cuba. I mean, sure, Cuba isn't so hot on civil rights. But they have a lower infant mortality rate and a higher literacy rate that the US of A has. And it isn't even like they are as horribly repressive as, say, the military Junta rulling Myanmar or the dictatorship in Bangladesh or the oppressive regime in Nepal... and that is just South Asia. With whom, by the by, we have pretty good relations.

So, I don't know what Bushy plans to accomplish with this. Maybe he figures that at the very least he could win the cold war... again. All wet and no boner.

I know this is my second post for the day but....

Breasts shooting sparkles

Jiggly Booty

And a Pickle Fucks a Teddy Bear

Welcome to Hell!

Howdy,

You may remember a recent post where I complained about what American's know about Asia. Well, the saga continues in a very embarrassing and oddly amusing way!

This terrible professor whom I have complained about before started class a little differently today, and I really appreciated it. We got into little groups and we had to talk discuss what we knew about Thailand. We would right down our little factoids and share them with the class.

Well, the groups didn't know much about Thailand at all. A few knew that Bangkok is the capital and a few more knew that it was in South Eat Asia. But man, did I have a fact to send shivers down their spine!

"Thailand performs the most sex-change operations in the world!" I said aloud with an enthusiasm for trivia that was interpreted as creepy beyond words. The pleasant 'pleased to meet ch'ya" smiles altered with eyes widening. But the creepiness had just begun!

"And do you know which country performs the second most?" I added with crescendoing enthusiasm. I turned and looked into the eyes of some poor group-mate and in terror she shook her head to my rhetorical question.

"Iran! Can you believe it!" Their smiles resembled an evicerated gut, all smiles, all terror. But I was too excited that I got to share this piece of information which I believe proves how contradictory and surreal existence upon this dog earth is.

I was only too excited to share this with the rest of the class. A little part of me is glad I also didn't get to talk about the under-age sex trade in Thailand which the class was woefully ignorant.

Trivia isn't just for Jeopardy, it is also a loaded gun with which to shoot yourself.

The post by the lovely (e:twisted) reminded me of some hip and happening changes to the craigslist personal ads. Check out their Misc. Romance section.

That is right, craigslist is no longer limited to a two man party. M4W W4W M4M is yesterday's flavor. Now you can search for WW4M WW4W MW4MW, or my personal favorite M4MM. Someday they will have M4M^9. That will be a horrific mess to mop up.

So, if you ever are looking for multiple lovin', Craigslist is the place to go. Sadly, like most parts of our participation in Craigslist, Buffalo does not seem to have caught on yet. The new categories are mostly empty and the original categories are still littered with the same "hey, I am at the airport hotel, want a blow job" that has been posted every three days for a year and a half.

The machine is much better, but the product is still lame.

Anyway, I hope this new feature makes someone's evening eventually. Now, if you will excuse me, my domestic activities require me to do something unspeakable to (e:Jim).

Welcome to the Golden Age of Men's magazines!



Sometime during the 50's and 60's, before the sexual revolution, sexual desire was that secret thing inside of you: somewhere in between sin and scat was the horrible inirtia of sex in the masculine mind. And where did this energy go? Why, into the exciting world of Men's magazines!

Why just look at this.



Ms. Johnson, take a note wont you.

Man, I can't even sleep with socks on let alone a buttoned to the neck three piece suit.
What kept men up late at night? Taking phone calls and dictating notes?



Yes, the silent scourge of drink. After a long day of being cooped up in the house with no TV worth watching and not being able to read (I think it was illegal for women to learn how to read in the 50's) that liquor cabinet would look damn good to me to.



Ah yes, that familiar release. One could fully explore their fetish for wide hipped, no intestined, dismembered women in the guise of sexy negligé adverts. It is tough for a guy who fawns over idealized body shapes a women could only possess with the aid of a colostomy bag.

But then, when we make cages/receptacles for other people, don't we also make them for ourselves?



Man, this is hot! A better chastity belt couldn't have been fashioned from iron. Ladies, make sure your man doesn't have the sexual freedom to talk to his secretary in bed or whack off to limbless gals again! Inflatable butt plug not included.

Hi,

I am in two classes that deal with Asia this semester. They are both my least favorite classes too. Not because I don't like Asia. Nope, I really like Chinese history, Japanese lit. and Korean pet-names for children: Dun Teggie (which translates to 'shit pig'). But man, these classes are bad.

I have noticed over the semester that American's love two things about Asia: 1) The Dalai Lama 2) Singapore. These are two things I don't much care for.

Free Tibet bumper stickers litter the cars of every university parking lot. Americans love Tibet, though they don't know very much about it. We imagine a peaceful land that finds injustice and disparity abhorrent. We ignore that it is a brutal, feudal society which exists to support their god-emperor. Peasants are horribly oppressed, they are Serfs.

The Dalai Lama has raised thousands of dollars for Tibetan seperatists. Ya, that means guns and bombs and stuff. He gives men like Richard Gere and Stephen Segal titles of spiritual nobility because they give lots of money.

Man, can't wait to go back to that in a free Tibet (which, by the way, has been a part of China for hundreds of years). I mean, ya, they have a right to self-determination and all. But an independent Quebec should be higher on our list than a backwards and violent Tibet.

Then there is Singapore. It is so CLEAN! Have you seen how clean it is? Singapore is one clean city! You would think these people have never been to Canada or Sweden by the way they gawk at Singapore's cleanliness.

Did you know that you can spend time in jail for possessing gum in Singapore? Did you know that poppy seeds are illegal? Did you know that the government recently made it illegal to rent apartments to same sex couples?

Singapore has the highest per capita rate of capital punishment in the world. Ya, they leave China and Iran in the dust. The murder rate is relativly low. Most executions are given to drug offenders. 22 grams of coke will get you murdered by the state.

Singapore is a police state. But it is so CLEAN!

AH! I mean, look this shit up on a wiki. It's not like the information is hard to find people.