I have terrible luck driving.
It has to be luck, because it couldn't be MY fault.
Over the past year or so I've gotten several speeding tickets, the gas pedal connection broke, and I've just had a flat tire from running into a curb. Looking at that list it seems the only one I couldn't have avoided was the gas pedal, that just failed because it was it's time to go.
But I swear it wasn't my fault. It's all just bad luck.
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Now playing: Jonathan Coulton - I Crush Everything (Demo)
via FoxyTunes
Friday, April 22, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Vision
Recently there has been some speculation on how I might spend my tax return money.
Well, unless I successfully get some or all of it back from my insurance provider, much of it will have gone toward a new pair of glasses!
And, for those of you who feel the need for more fodder with which to ridicule me, they have bi-focal lenses.
They are taking some getting used to.
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Now playing: Devo - Planet Earth
via FoxyTunes
Well, unless I successfully get some or all of it back from my insurance provider, much of it will have gone toward a new pair of glasses!
And, for those of you who feel the need for more fodder with which to ridicule me, they have bi-focal lenses.
They are taking some getting used to.
----------------
Now playing: Devo - Planet Earth
via FoxyTunes
Friday, April 8, 2011
Tax Season
Did you know it was tax season?
I finally did my taxes last week. This year, for the first time, I went to a storefront tax service. I usually do my taxes online. It turns out that I would probably be better off continuing that practice.
It cost me nearly one hundred and eighty dollars! Some of that was a processing fee for them to take all the other fees out of my refund. Most of it was because I had a single extra piece of paper other than my W-2 form. I understand that these are tax professionals and its a VERY seasonal business, but damn!
Next year I think I'll stick to e-file.
(I did get my refund today. I think I'll buy some more Girl Scout cookies.)
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Now playing: The Beatles - Taxman
via FoxyTunes
I finally did my taxes last week. This year, for the first time, I went to a storefront tax service. I usually do my taxes online. It turns out that I would probably be better off continuing that practice.
It cost me nearly one hundred and eighty dollars! Some of that was a processing fee for them to take all the other fees out of my refund. Most of it was because I had a single extra piece of paper other than my W-2 form. I understand that these are tax professionals and its a VERY seasonal business, but damn!
Next year I think I'll stick to e-file.
(I did get my refund today. I think I'll buy some more Girl Scout cookies.)
----------------
Now playing: The Beatles - Taxman
via FoxyTunes
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Source Code
Saw a movie last night.
It was called 'Source Code'.
It was okay.
Fine, I'll elaborate a little.
Spoilers!
Scientists think they are projecting a mostly dead soldier into a quantum echo of a terrorist attack. They do this over and over again so that he can find the terrorist and prevent future attacks. He decides this is no way to live and convinces himself that he can save the victims. He succeeds because it turns out he's not being projected into an echo of the same event but into the same event in a series of alternate universes. Then he goes off to live his new life with a girl he met on the train.
Although I liked this film, there are two problems I find. How could a scientist who actually uses the words 'alternate reality' in the film not realize he is sending our hero to alternate realities? And how am I supposed to feel about our hero permanently erasing the guy he jumps into and living out his life?
Well, I did enjoy the film. Even though it turns out it's about emotional conection and freedom of choice and 'doing the right thing' instead of Action Man Fights Bad Guys! Why doesn't anybody make those kinds of films anymore?
----------------
Now playing: Dance of the Dream Man [Instrumental]
via FoxyTunes
It was called 'Source Code'.
It was okay.
Fine, I'll elaborate a little.
Spoilers!
Scientists think they are projecting a mostly dead soldier into a quantum echo of a terrorist attack. They do this over and over again so that he can find the terrorist and prevent future attacks. He decides this is no way to live and convinces himself that he can save the victims. He succeeds because it turns out he's not being projected into an echo of the same event but into the same event in a series of alternate universes. Then he goes off to live his new life with a girl he met on the train.
Although I liked this film, there are two problems I find. How could a scientist who actually uses the words 'alternate reality' in the film not realize he is sending our hero to alternate realities? And how am I supposed to feel about our hero permanently erasing the guy he jumps into and living out his life?
Well, I did enjoy the film. Even though it turns out it's about emotional conection and freedom of choice and 'doing the right thing' instead of Action Man Fights Bad Guys! Why doesn't anybody make those kinds of films anymore?
----------------
Now playing: Dance of the Dream Man [Instrumental]
via FoxyTunes
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Dreams
I don't often remember my dreams. So it's particularly strange that I've remembered two over the last couple of nights.
1) I am at work trying to finish some very important task on our system, each time I try to log in to a position it locks up and reboots. For some reason I always move on to another position never checking back to see if any of the previous ones have finished their reboot. (in the dream this is normal) Meanwhile Leonard Nimoy is behind me talking to some of my co-workers and loudly impugning my ability to take out the trash. I proclaim that I take out the trash just fine.
Then it's time to wake up.
2) I am waiting in a gym with many other people, we are all military and are there to begin testing for some special forces type training. For some reason the first test is to run to the top of the bleachers without setting off a motion sensor hidden there. We never actually do this test. While we wait I amuse myself by sliding around on one foot without kicking off anything but by force of will. No one seems impressed. Then I step out of the room for a second and when I return everyone is eating. Then suddenly they are all outside running and I am left with the instructors. I privately talk to one of them and resign from the program as I'm getting out of the military in a few days...
Then it's time to wake up.
There is some pretty freaky stuff going on in my head. Anybody into dream interpretation?
----------------
Now playing: Trevor Jones - Dark City
via FoxyTunes
1) I am at work trying to finish some very important task on our system, each time I try to log in to a position it locks up and reboots. For some reason I always move on to another position never checking back to see if any of the previous ones have finished their reboot. (in the dream this is normal) Meanwhile Leonard Nimoy is behind me talking to some of my co-workers and loudly impugning my ability to take out the trash. I proclaim that I take out the trash just fine.
Then it's time to wake up.
2) I am waiting in a gym with many other people, we are all military and are there to begin testing for some special forces type training. For some reason the first test is to run to the top of the bleachers without setting off a motion sensor hidden there. We never actually do this test. While we wait I amuse myself by sliding around on one foot without kicking off anything but by force of will. No one seems impressed. Then I step out of the room for a second and when I return everyone is eating. Then suddenly they are all outside running and I am left with the instructors. I privately talk to one of them and resign from the program as I'm getting out of the military in a few days...
Then it's time to wake up.
There is some pretty freaky stuff going on in my head. Anybody into dream interpretation?
----------------
Now playing: Trevor Jones - Dark City
via FoxyTunes
Monday, April 4, 2011
Someone mentioned content?
It has been brought to my attention that the lack of content on this blog has become cause for concern.
Whatever.
Anyway, Copyright!
It's a complicated issue, but the original intent of copyright was to protect a creative person from having their work stolen, re-purposed, or diluted by the actions of others. Now we have corporations as the 'legal' originators of artwork. Be it movies, music, illustration, writing or whatever. I think this is wrong.
I'm all for business' being allowed to make a profit and if a creative person wishes to collaborate with such an organization so be it. But the idea that a work and derivations of it can be held by the organization, esentially in perpetuity, just doesn't sit well with me.
I think there should be a moaratorium on copyright in the neighborhood of the date of publication +50 years. That way the actual originator as well as any partners or distributors he chooses to collaborate with can make their profit but after that others can distribute the work without being labeled 'Pirate'!
I don't know if this would solve any problems, but it would make me feel better.
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Now playing: Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains
via FoxyTunes
Whatever.
Anyway, Copyright!
It's a complicated issue, but the original intent of copyright was to protect a creative person from having their work stolen, re-purposed, or diluted by the actions of others. Now we have corporations as the 'legal' originators of artwork. Be it movies, music, illustration, writing or whatever. I think this is wrong.
I'm all for business' being allowed to make a profit and if a creative person wishes to collaborate with such an organization so be it. But the idea that a work and derivations of it can be held by the organization, esentially in perpetuity, just doesn't sit well with me.
I think there should be a moaratorium on copyright in the neighborhood of the date of publication +50 years. That way the actual originator as well as any partners or distributors he chooses to collaborate with can make their profit but after that others can distribute the work without being labeled 'Pirate'!
I don't know if this would solve any problems, but it would make me feel better.
----------------
Now playing: Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains
via FoxyTunes
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