I like to balance controversial posts with relatively innocuous ones, so here we are.

I know that I said I was going to go wild like a lumberjack but unfortunately I hate how my beard is shaping up, so I'm very tempted to shave it. I'd take a picture but I broke Jason's camera and have yet to replace it. At least my lumberjack hair is still going well - I told my grandmother what I was doing and she almost teared up right on the phone. I said, "Don't worry grandma - if it looks bad I'll cut it, but if I let it grow out and it looks good you'll like it!"

All of this talk about iPod deaths is really scaring me. Seriously... if I lost my iPod I would just about die. Its amazing how companies can essentially create a need for something that people will eventually not want to let go. If I lost my iPod and were broke, I'd seriously eat rice and beans for a month if it meant that I could replace my iPod.

What do people put on their iPods? For me its about 16GB of music and podcasts. I generally subscribe to the following podcasts - Chelsea FC, The Beautiful Game, From Our Own Correspondant (BBC), 606 (BBC), This American Life (Chicago Public Radio, very highly rated and the way they tell stories is intriguing), Left, Right and Center (KCRW Santa Monica, one of the better political debate shows), Meet the Press, some kind of Buddhist podcast and a cast about the rulers of the Byzantine Empire. I feel like I'm forgetting some, but I am definitely a podcast enthusiast. If anybody knows some good ones let me know!

The title of this journal entry may be confusing to some, since I actually haven't mentioned my father yet, but the phrase is a bit of an inside joke between my brother and I. Dad absolutely hates getting his picture taken.

Nevertheless, my dad is the coolest mofo alive - at least in my eyes. Here is what happens when you mix my father and a Mac at his friends house. Here he is, the Big Kahuna, the hardcore liberal, El Rey, El Matador -



As far as I'm concerned this is the greatest picture of him in existence, possibly with the runner up being -



Dad is a fairly indimidating guy, which unfortunately casts a shadow on his very keen but very dry sense of humor. He insists he's funny, and if you disagree he'll roll you up, light up and smoke you!

In other news of the type that I never really talk about -

Thomas Pynchon, an author who some of you may be familiar with through novels such as The Crying of Lot 49, has released a new novel titled Against The Day. It is nearly 1,100 pages long and supposedly sports around 100 characters. Anybody for winter reading with a flowchart and many annotations? Haha.

I do my best to keep the cynical side of me at bay, but reading some of the reviews of the book just killed me.

Example 1: Thanks to the army of Pynchonites who maintain the "Against the Day" wiki on wikipedia the reader has a wealth of information and reviews available to help in gauging and appreciating this book. However, and I doubt whether this is any coincidence, Pynchon has written the kind of book that leaves every reader out there alone in the middle of the desert, ocean, or sky to make up her or his own mind.

Darn those books that leave you hanging and force you to think!

Example 2: I can't give this book five stars. It does seem that the author has taken on too much, at least for my Updike-trained sensibilities.

What a fucking literary nerd thing to say - I sincerely dislike these kinds of people. Lets name drop another author to make myself look well read - after all, you know, if you think this book is difficult you CLEARLY should have tried Joyce's Finnegan's Wake! I can't help myself guys, these sort of people kill me.

In all seriousness, I look at my bookshelf every day and feel as if I've been ignoring it. I stopped reading Brian Greene's The Fabric of the Cosmos about a third of the way through and essentially I have stopped reading any books since then. I recently got some unsolicited mail from a conservative book club but I have no inclination to read 90% of it - for somebody that is supposedly a neocon sympathizer I have a very low tolerance for Ann Coulter, or for that matter David Corn on the other side. In other words, I'm on a search for something new, maybe something that isn't to pretentious that has won an NBA or a Nobel. Hard task, that.

Speaking of the neocon thing, I recently heard of some kind of "neocon meter" where you can take a test and be evaluated on how much of a neocon you are. I'm a little curious so if I can find the test I'll link it - I wonder exactly how far into the negative some people might be.

EDIT: I took the test here - - the page is extremely jacked up and the programmers will hate it.

Here are my results - apparently I'm not a neocon but in truth two of the questions didn't really suit me - my likely answer would have been a combination of a couple of the answers.

Realist
Realists…

• Are guided more by practical considerations than ideological vision
  
• Believe US power is crucial to successful diplomacy - and vice versa
  
• Don't want US policy options unduly limited by world opinion or ethical considerations
  
• Believe strong alliances are important to US interests
  
• Weigh the political costs of foreign action
  
• Believe foreign intervention must be dictated by compelling national interest

Historical realist: President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Modern realist: Secretary of State Colin Powell

Before I get into the subject matter - Barbaro is off to the glue factory. Apparently they euthanized him today.

Yep - a 12-year old in Germany got a sex change. The only thing preventing him/her from getting the phallus removed is that by law one must be 18 years of age to undergo the procedure.

There are a number of disturbing elements to this story, none of which involve the complicated psychological issues that this young fella has had growing up.

So then, (e:josh), what is bothering you about this topic?

1. This is being paid for by taxpayers through their national health service because "the condition qualifies as an illness." If this is true, then why does the doctor who is treating the teenager state that the patient is not suffering from an illness? At best, the science at hand has no answer to this question because countries such as Germany are so consumed by political correctness that they are frozen from debate. Regardless, this is something that taxpayers should never have to foot the bill for.

2. To undergo such a thing, two independent psychiatrists have to "confirm that the child is indeed transsexual" before approving a sex change. By what method could anybody realistically prove such a thing? At some point science and medicine is getting thrown out the window in exchange for sociopolitical dogma.

3. Doctors simultaneously claim that treatment should be pursued as soon as possible in cases such as Tim/Kim (the patients names), yet they also admit that the long-term ramifications of such therapy on a 12-year old is not well understood. This qualifies as medicine in Europe?

4. 12-year olds lack the maturity and sophistication to make decisions on a multitude of things, the least of which are more sobering and final than a sex change. How on earth could doctors have allowed such a thing to occur, particularly with a pre-pubescent? This constitutes an egregious failure on the part of the doctors. What was the reasoning behind the doctors insistence on pursuing a sex change? That to let the patient reach puberty in his state would permanently damage his personality. Excuse me while I smoke enough dope to trick myself into believing such rubbish.

I'm generally a "live and let live" kind of guy - I'm not particularly interested in the sexual diversity of the world outside of the thought that people should be allowed to pursue whatever they like. 12-year olds getting sex changes, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.

(e:imk2) - were those tickets yours or someone elses?

(e:paul) - how much testing have you had to do for multiple browsers in the past for work-related projects? If you are frustrated about that kind of thing, my brother could deluge you with stories. I can understand the frustration but ultimately if you elminate browser choices, that would be to the detriment of the site. In any case, next time you feel this frustration break out the sticky green and then proceed to log on to (e:terry)'s WoW character and delete all his gear.

Only kidding (e:terry)! Speaking of which, our 60 paladin with MC/BWL gear is rotting.

Per the Linux/Apple discussion in my previous journal - VERY intriguing idea (e:ajay), concerning the possibility of expanding into Apple clones. Steve Jobs is utterly reluctant to separate hardware and software, but seriously, OSX is a better OS than XP and if he were supremely confident about his software he would try to strike out and make deals for clones. I have to admit that it would be intriguing to see what would happen. Server side, when you look at these massive datacenters that costs hundreds of thousands if not millions, specifically the ones that are marketed on TV by the likes of HP, Dell, IBM, etc. - what OS do these usually have installed on them upon receipt? Is it relatively common if servers come with Windows pre-installed that they simply wipe the disks and start over with the OS that they want?

(e:ajay) - as per AG Gonzales. My god, a Baltimore paper that is more left wing than the Sun - bravo! I am with the wackos on this one. Habeas corpus has a 200-year established legal precedence and will likely not have its meaning changed because of clever wording. If you can suspend a right, there must be an implication that there is a right in the first place. I'm actually insulted by the suggestion, so imagine how Arlen Specter felt having been face to face with the guy.

Where the rest of the article goes horribly wrong, and of course you know I cannot let this stuff go, are in the following -

1) The Constitution does grant the executive branch broad war powers, but IMO anyway neoconservatives are reaching too far at times with respect to interpretation of law. I find the complaints by the author a tad funny considering that he likely supported the legal Twister game that morphed into Roe vs. Wade.

2) The incessant attempts at bringing non-citizens into the American legal fold are absolutely frightening, and thanks to Speaker Pelosi, who knows that such a thing would result in no less than the guillotine for Demos in '08, this will never happen.

3) The problem with guys like the one who wrote this article is that there is absolutely no understanding of the fact that military courts or tribunals meant to handle suspected terrorists' cases are NOTHING LIKE civilian courts. They aren't meant to be, they shouldn't be and they never will be.

I have some things that I wanted to say to you guys, and I didn't want to create a post that was twice the length of my usually very long journal entries.

I would apologize for the length of my journals but I'm not sorry!

Music

For fun the other night I checked out New World Record on the web to see what their staff picks have been. I know, incredibly lazy considering that literally could spit on NWR from my porch, but hey - leave me alone. Anyway, after sampling dozens of albums I came away with a half dozen that I thought would suit me. One of the bands that did not come from a NWR recommendation is called Stars of Track and Field - I know I've mentioned them in my journal before. If you like (or love!) The Postal Service then I would highly, highly recommend this band. You can enjoy Centuries Before Love and War for the time being until The Postal Service releases their new album, which is due out this year.

Passports

Do it now if you don't have a passport. If my some miracle you don't already know, the Depts. of State and Homeland Security have implemented new rules for air travel if you are entering the United States from anywhere in the western hemisphere. Canadian citizens - this is true for you as well so be prepared. You can read more about it here -

What is particularly relevent are the requirements that will be implemented next year - if you want to cross the border and return you will be REQUIRED to have a passport. While this isn't finalized yet, you don't want to be the guy or gal that waits last minute and gets royally shafted. I've gone through this process before, and for those of you who are a little unsure about what to do or are intimidated by the process, here is what you do -

1) Get informed - - this site will detail any and all questions about what you need.
2) Complete the application either by traditional methods or by using the Dept. of State online form then printing it out.
3) Collect your birth certificate, photo ID, $92, passport photos (I did mine at Wal-Mart for $10 when I got an oil change once) and the application and bring it to a local passport acceptance facility. Aka the Post Office. A note about the pictures and identification - there are specific rules for the photos and additional information for those who were not born in the United States so be sure to have everything in proper order before you go to the Post Office.
4) Submit your cash and the other stuff for review. They will mail your birth certificate back to you, if I remember correctly.
5) Wait between 4-8 weeks for your passport to arrive by mail

The US government is now issuing e-passports, which look identical to the other tourist passports with one major exception - there is a microchip implanted into the cover that holds a digital photograph that can be compared with your actual face at immigration with the use of facial recognition technology, as well as other things. For more information, check out this link - - the new passport pages are actually really cool looking.

You can expedite your application, like I had to do because of a pressing need to go overseas for work, but generally its going to end up costing you nearly twice as much. If you aren't in a hurry then don't bother with the expedited service.

Cool Web Sites

I have to share some interesting sites with you, if you haven't seen or heard of them yet.

First on the list - Wii Have A Problem - - this site actually has a damage counter that lists various reported personal injuries and/or destruction to property as a result of playing games on a Nintendo Wii. If you haven't played on a Wii before - let me just say that it requires the use of a "wiimote" that must be tethered to your wrist, for the butterfingered fools out there. Some of the personal injury entries are gruesome and amazing - one guy broke his clavicle playing Home Run Derby, another popped his knee, and the absolute best - one guy reached back violently and accidentally punched his girlfriend in the face. What did she do? She posed with her shiner, a big smile and a "thumbs up" - if this were a Foster's commercial, I'd be saying "KEEPAH!" Shattered TVs, broken glass, broken lamps, obviously fake (coughpatheticattemptstogetnoticedonawebsitecough) submissions - its all chronicled here.

Secondly. SongMeanings - - this is a site that I occasionally use to read what some peoples' collective takes on what song lyrics actually mean. This is a virtual treasure trove of verbal cockfights between people who consider themselves superfans of one band or another, and as a result the arguments and the "I know more than you about this band" approach some of these pathetic nerds are guilty of perpetrating are nothing short of explosive and very comedic. You'll no doubt run into one of these kinds of scenarios if you search long enough, but the site is useful if you've ever wanted insight into a set of lyrics. Over 26,000 artists are catalogued.

I'm growing my hair out and I haven't shaved. The beauty, and perhaps irony, of the fact that a guy like myself is tightly involved in such a liberal industry such as mine (social responsibility, social accountability, corporate responsibility, ethical standards, anti-sweatshop activism, whatever you'd like to call it) is that appearance is completely unimportant. In the summers I walk around my office barefoot - how many people get to do that? In any case, with the possible exception of having the sides thinned out (my hair gets bushy) I think that I'm going to het it hang until I absolutely have to cut and shave. Mountain man, here I come!



Something (e:ajay) wrote as a comment in (e:paul)'s latest journal - - startled me.

The days of Windows are numbered? I'm not an IT guy, but I can't help but think that Windows will never go away. It has a ridiculously large marketshare that, IMO anyway, will take longer than 10 years to whittle away. Business applications are one thing, but home use is another problem entirely.

I would love to instigate (in a good way) some chit chat about Windows vs. Linux.

Linux has a number of hurdles to clear before it will ever be used as a replacement for Windows. Firstly, the stigma that Linux is a "geeks only" type of OS that is difficult to use has to be cleared away. If it doesn't install software, run and is as easy to use as Windows is, Linux will never catch the attention of average computer users, and I question the ability of hardcore Linux advocates to be able to see the issue from the side of the people who are not at all technically savvy. Even the most user-friendly Linux distro is going to have components that even average Windows users, who feel that they know what they are doing around a PC, are going to cause confusion. No command lines, period, under any circumstances, for any reason. Any frustration experienced, any little thing that made life easier but doesn't work exactly the same as Windows did, etc. - these are factors that will eliminate the opportunity for Linux to gain market share.

Secondly, the graphics capabilities for Linux are extremely poor - if gamers cannot play the most popular PC games through a Linux platform that gamer will *always* have a Windows partition, even if they are the most enthusiastic Linux user. Thirdly - plug and play. I find it ironic that Linuxheads refer to Windows PnP as "plug and pray." Fourthly - comfort level - this cannot be understated. Abandoning Windows for Linux is a huge step for a lot of people, and Linux has to generate enough of an appeal to encourage Windows users to take the leap. All the free software in the world isn't going to mean anything to somebody who is experiencing trouble with Linux and has an XP install disk in the other hand.

IT people that know what they are doing should be running Linux anyway... its a more secure OS and for that reason alone businesses should consider using a flavor of Linux on servers. I actually quite like Linux - for everyday use, as far as I'm concerned, its a superior product to Windows... if you know what you are doing. Linux is not ready to be mass marketed to the general public quite yet. Sure, many Linux distros have made fantastic leaps in the past 5 or 6 years and many of the problems that I'm highlighting are being worked out, but since Linux is not perfect it will not eclipse Windows and its massive market share. Nothing short of an OS that operates exactly, precisely like Windows (gaming and ease of use/installation included) and adds the appeals of free software that is 110% compatible with Microsoft products will create a wave large enough to make a dent in home usage share. Server side - IT people know what they are doing and therefore do not have much of an excuse.

If I'm wrong, and in 10 years Microsoft is out of the OS business, I'll buy steak dinners (or if you are not a meat eater, whatever you like).

Apple - never have been a particularly big fan of Apple products outside of the iPod. For years they were generally inferior to IBM clones (theres an old term for you!) and Apple's only great and consistant calling card has been the appeal from artist types, who have always been loyal to Apple. I was impressed with their latest offerings though. I am 75/25 on making a MacBook my next computing purchase... such an amazing product! For home computing purposes, if I were getting into computers now rather than 20 years ago I would strongly consider an Apple product. Without a doubt they are the innovators at the moment and their products are the slickest.