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Randomness

Just another rainy Saturday ... and naturally I've left laundry on the line.

Oh, by the way, Jack Chick thinks you are going to hell for playing D&D.

I've been redecorating, see the Weekly Packet for more 'information.'

Hunter S. Thompson

Somehow it seems like time for an extended quote from one of my favorite authors, Hunter S. Thompson.

(Tell us Mr. Thompson, what's so funny about peace love and understanding?)

This was the fatal flaw in Tim Leary's trip. He crashed around America selling "consciousness expansion" without ever giving a thought to the grim meat-hook realities that were lying in wait for all the people who took him too seriously. After West Point and the Priesthood, LSD must have seemed entirely logical to him ... but there is not much satisfaction in knowing that he blew it badly for himself, because he took too many others down with him.

Not that they didn't deserve it: No doubt they all Got What Was Coming To Them. All those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy Peace and Understanding for three bucks a hit. But their loss and failure is ours, too. What Leary took down with him was the central illusion of a whole life-style that he helped create ... a generation of permanent cripples, failed seekers, who never understood the essential old-mystic fallacy of the Acid Culture: the desperate assumption that someone — or at least some force — is tending that Light at the end of the tunnel.

-- Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1971

Ah, but don't worry Dr. Thompson, quite a few people have made this same mistake.

Randomness

The MRTG is a useful piece of software, but this is cool. Did you know that grap is grape in French (or something that looks like French)? Trivia question — what company is the first ISP? Oh, are you a small?

Yes, I've been entering random terms into the address window of my browser again.

On a less random note (?), the new worry dolls are just about the most disturbing thing I've heard of in a long time. But are they really any more disturbing than Battle Bots? I guess it depends on what you find most troubling in this modern era — art or entertainment.

Willie Ray

Connect with Willie Ray, an old-school computer guy, now running for the District 11 NC House seat.

Randomness

Live from Applebee's — it's RouseWorld. Yeah, I've settled in here at my favorite franchised bar to whip up another 'exciting' issue of everyone's favorite web site. I missed posting on Friday — I stayed up watching Eyes Wide Shut — so here are a few pages that have caught my eye lately:

Remember being scared of nuclear weapons — BOOM! And so long Durham, NC. Speaking of archaic fears (okay, you come up with a better transition) check this mix of strategy and booze. And while not as fun as blowing cities to bits, I've never gotten over the weird exploratory thrill of pulling up random domain names.

Don't forget the Weekly Packet!

Randomness

I've been busy lately, so not many updates. But I did want to pass along two sites that seem to have made everyone's 'cool' lists.

• GlobeXplorer: Where you can see satellite photography of your house. Look up and wave!
  
• In Passing: One woman's notes on the world around her. This can be very funny.
  

Randomness

Well, it turns out that calling stuff 'gay' is in fact, um, gay. I hope everyone is happy now.

And now for something completely different...

How fast does it take you to complete all the levels of standard Quake? On the Nightmare setting? It took one group 12 minutes and 23 seconds. Whoa.

The Olympics

I had the not-so-fun experience of working at least part of every day of last week, thus not many updates and no Packet. Bummer.

But I can't let things get me down — it's the Olympics! Let's celebrate the Olympics with some negativity, why don't we? Because if it is on the web, it has got to be negative!

• Feed.com has an interesting article about the 'secret history' of the Olympics.
  
• Suck.com thinks the IOC is a bunch of fascists.
  
• And of course we have Salon.com to give us 10 reasons to hate the Olympics.
  

The Duke

I've followed this guy's career for a long time, and I really do think he's got what it takes to be president. I mean, Bush may talk tough about the Baldwins — but the Duke has made getting rid of them part of his platform:

"I believe the government should regulate only where there's a legitimate impediment to creativity and innovation, and where the consumer is clearly harmed. For example, the Baldwin brothers..."

— Duke

Good luck you drunken freak!

Cable modem?

Time Warner has finally given me a date for cable modem installation. Ironically my dialup ISP has finally sorted most of the connection problems I had been having. Well, too late for them and the phone company. I'll probably have my phone line and dial-up ISP over the next billing cycle, but that will be it.