Today's Sweet Link:
If this doesn't cheer up the emo kids... nothing will. (suddenly Google Video doesn't seem so stupid and pointless.)
This Week (last week?) in Poker:
I've been working all weekend and playing Magic all week, so I haven't had the opportunity to play as much poker as I would like, save for a set of 12 pokerstars 6.50s where I picked up one third place... in the 12th game. I am, however, much luckier than ZeeJustin; then again, I wasn't cheating.
Derek posts on 2+2. In other news, meteors strike and buttered toast now lands butter-side-up.
My goal is to play 72 1- and 2-table tournaments this week. I'll be playing the cash game at Seven Clans in Thief River Falls on Friday night, to celebrate the 18th anniversary of my brother's birth. I hear their poker room is nicer than Shooting Star, and also that they have a waterpark. First I splash my chips, and then I splash small children. Perhaps the other way round.
I Like Movies!:
March of the Penguins: B+ / Penguins are cute, and make cute noises. Their mating/cute-baby-penguin-rearing ritual is long, deeply involved, and remarkably unpleasant (reminiscent of me walking to campus in the wintertime, except ^10). I was skeptical, fearing a long episode of a Discovery Channel show, but it turned out to be the show I never knew I really liked.
Broken Flowers: C / Bill Murray was freakin' sweet in Lost in Translation. The same character (well, equally minimalist) doesn't play so well in Broken Flowers, a Jim Jarmusch joint *snicker* about a man's discovery that he may have a 19-year-old son, and his quest to determine who the boy is and where he may be. The writing is alternately boring and clever, and the cinematography is ... well, somnambulant. Jarmusch loves to give us reaction shots of Murray's character, whereupon Murray does his best to conjure up an image of a still, landlocked water hazard with just the slightest breeze blowing over it. The resulting effect is as easily digestible as the excessively saccharine and grandiose language used in this review, with about as much charm and entertainment value.
The Aristocrats: B-* / I haven't seen the special features yet, and I hear they are the highlight of the film, so I'll hold off final judgement until then. I was a little surprised at how seriously the film took itself; it's an actual documentary, and tries to give itself some credibility despite the depravity of the subject matter. Bob Saget is a highlight, as is Sarah Silverman, and I was extremely disturbed to find out that I actually sort of liked Dana Gould. (Gould, along with Ian Haxtone--- uh, Maxtone-Graham, was a writer for The Simpsons during their four- or five-year slump between seasons 9 and 13/14. The highlight of his tenure was an angry Gould telling angry fans that they didn't know what they wanted, and that their opinions mattered little because "none of them could ever write for The Simpsons." Maybe not, but they can sure watch the ads that provide for your paycheck, you ungrateful.... uh... never mind.)
That's all for this time, kids; I have to get re-medicated in the morning, and it's already ten past two.
February 27, 2006
February 16, 2006
100th post EXXXTRAVAGANZA!!!!
That's right, ladies and gentlemen... we have reached our 100th post.
ACT I: Hopes and Dreams
It's been about 9 months since this blog first appeared in the 'sphere (as we blognoscenti are wont to refer to the blogosphere), and it's undergone a few revisions and trivializations since then. My initial purpose was to write up a trip report for last spring's trip to San Francisco; that, however, was predicated on the belief that I would be attending the Electronic Entertainment Expo, otherwise known as E3. (you shouldn't lie to your friends like that... you know who you are)
Since then, I've masqueraded as a site offering pointless minutiae of my daily life, and by turns, a place to read some thoughtful analysis of political or technology news. Mostly, though, it's pointless minutiae, and it remains my goal over the next 100 posts to eliminate the boring and replace it with the thoughtful and/or creative. (I have a couple of good ideas in the works, both of which I think all four of my readers will enjoy.)
The appearance of the site has been changed a couple of times in pursuit of that perfect balance between elegance and readability; the latest change was today, in honor of our first milestone, and any comments on the latest redesign are welcome. My goal for next time is to invent my own stylesheet instead of using the pre-brewed templates here on blogger.
I believe that the measure of a blog is not its frequency, but its content. This is why I chose to make a big exxxtravaganza out of my 100th post, instead of a 1-year anniversary or something, because being around for a year isn't anything special. All it proves is that you managed to not die or get locked up, and post at least twice. On the flip side, 11 posts a month indicates true commitment to myself, my faithful readers, and those who would jeer the 'sphere. I will not make any "daily post" promises or anything like that, because posting a link with a snide sentence at the end isn't much of a post, and really just clogs up the internet. So keep checking back for random updates, and stop hassling me about not updating my blog (you still know who you are).
That's where I want to go in the next 100 posts or so. May they find us all in good health and good spirits, with the wind at our backs and the sun on our faces.
::: applause, cheers :::
ACT II: Lucky Day
(my PokerStars handle is 'hakatak,' just fyi)
PokerStars Game #3982295131: Tournament #19788312, Hold'em No Limit - Level V (75/150) - 2006/02/15 - 16:26:59 (ET)
Table '19788312 1' Seat #7 is the button
Seat 1: hakatak (2745 in chips)
Seat 2: Hayseed1979 (775 in chips)
Seat 3: wildkaz (1585 in chips)
Seat 4: slsdesign (1315 in chips)
Seat 5: Moonburn (345 in chips)
Seat 6: golbetkey (5500 in chips)
Seat 7: Nati-Natural (1235 in chips)
hakatak: posts small blind 75
Hayseed1979: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to hakatak [Ah Js]
wildkaz: calls 150
slsdesign: folds
Moonburn: folds
golbetkey: raises 300 to 450
Nati-Natural: folds
hakatak: calls 375
Hayseed1979: folds
wildkaz: folds
*** FLOP *** [Th Jh Kh]
hakatak: checks
golbetkey: bets 900
hakatak: raises 1395 to 2295 and is all-in
golbetkey: calls 1395
*** TURN *** [Th Jh Kh] [6d]
*** RIVER *** [Th Jh Kh 6d] [Qh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
hakatak: shows [Ah Js] (a Royal Flush)
golbetkey: shows [Kd Ks] (three of a kind, Kings)
hakatak said, "AWESOME"
hakatak collected 5790 from pot
::: more cheers, applause :::
ACT III: The Acceptance Speech
Nobody likes a glory hog, so I'll keep this short.
"When you're in a town like this all covered with smoke, you forget that there's a world outside. Nothing amazing happens here. And you get used to that, used to a world where everything is ordinary. Every day we spend here is like a whole lifetime of dying slowly. But now Haruko is here. That's how I know there really is a world outside." - Naota Nandaba
Thanks to modern communications, I am able to partially lift the veil of smoke on a daily basis. This space is (and shall remain) dedicated to everyone that keeps me from imploding under the crushing weight of the ordinary.
Here's to many 100s more....
(^_^) dusty
ACT I: Hopes and Dreams
It's been about 9 months since this blog first appeared in the 'sphere (as we blognoscenti are wont to refer to the blogosphere), and it's undergone a few revisions and trivializations since then. My initial purpose was to write up a trip report for last spring's trip to San Francisco; that, however, was predicated on the belief that I would be attending the Electronic Entertainment Expo, otherwise known as E3. (you shouldn't lie to your friends like that... you know who you are)
Since then, I've masqueraded as a site offering pointless minutiae of my daily life, and by turns, a place to read some thoughtful analysis of political or technology news. Mostly, though, it's pointless minutiae, and it remains my goal over the next 100 posts to eliminate the boring and replace it with the thoughtful and/or creative. (I have a couple of good ideas in the works, both of which I think all four of my readers will enjoy.)
The appearance of the site has been changed a couple of times in pursuit of that perfect balance between elegance and readability; the latest change was today, in honor of our first milestone, and any comments on the latest redesign are welcome. My goal for next time is to invent my own stylesheet instead of using the pre-brewed templates here on blogger.
I believe that the measure of a blog is not its frequency, but its content. This is why I chose to make a big exxxtravaganza out of my 100th post, instead of a 1-year anniversary or something, because being around for a year isn't anything special. All it proves is that you managed to not die or get locked up, and post at least twice. On the flip side, 11 posts a month indicates true commitment to myself, my faithful readers, and those who would jeer the 'sphere. I will not make any "daily post" promises or anything like that, because posting a link with a snide sentence at the end isn't much of a post, and really just clogs up the internet. So keep checking back for random updates, and stop hassling me about not updating my blog (you still know who you are).
That's where I want to go in the next 100 posts or so. May they find us all in good health and good spirits, with the wind at our backs and the sun on our faces.
::: applause, cheers :::
ACT II: Lucky Day
(my PokerStars handle is 'hakatak,' just fyi)
PokerStars Game #3982295131: Tournament #19788312, Hold'em No Limit - Level V (75/150) - 2006/02/15 - 16:26:59 (ET)
Table '19788312 1' Seat #7 is the button
Seat 1: hakatak (2745 in chips)
Seat 2: Hayseed1979 (775 in chips)
Seat 3: wildkaz (1585 in chips)
Seat 4: slsdesign (1315 in chips)
Seat 5: Moonburn (345 in chips)
Seat 6: golbetkey (5500 in chips)
Seat 7: Nati-Natural (1235 in chips)
hakatak: posts small blind 75
Hayseed1979: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to hakatak [Ah Js]
wildkaz: calls 150
slsdesign: folds
Moonburn: folds
golbetkey: raises 300 to 450
Nati-Natural: folds
hakatak: calls 375
Hayseed1979: folds
wildkaz: folds
*** FLOP *** [Th Jh Kh]
hakatak: checks
golbetkey: bets 900
hakatak: raises 1395 to 2295 and is all-in
golbetkey: calls 1395
*** TURN *** [Th Jh Kh] [6d]
*** RIVER *** [Th Jh Kh 6d] [Qh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
hakatak: shows [Ah Js] (a Royal Flush)
golbetkey: shows [Kd Ks] (three of a kind, Kings)
hakatak said, "AWESOME"
hakatak collected 5790 from pot
::: more cheers, applause :::
ACT III: The Acceptance Speech
Nobody likes a glory hog, so I'll keep this short.
"When you're in a town like this all covered with smoke, you forget that there's a world outside. Nothing amazing happens here. And you get used to that, used to a world where everything is ordinary. Every day we spend here is like a whole lifetime of dying slowly. But now Haruko is here. That's how I know there really is a world outside." - Naota Nandaba
Thanks to modern communications, I am able to partially lift the veil of smoke on a daily basis. This space is (and shall remain) dedicated to everyone that keeps me from imploding under the crushing weight of the ordinary.
Here's to many 100s more....
(^_^) dusty
February 14, 2006
they just can't stop lying
come on, now.
it was a shotgun.
not a "pellet gun".
if only the media wasn't so liberal; maybe they could get their facts straight.
it was a shotgun.
not a "pellet gun".
if only the media wasn't so liberal; maybe they could get their facts straight.
February 7, 2006
a better way, part 1
Jim Dobson, famous evangelical and head of Focus on the Family, seems to believe that global warming is less serious than abortion. We'll see what he thinks when the Florida coast is underwater.
Abortion is killing the Democratic party. It's a hugely resonant issue among Red State voters, and (I think, don't quote me on this) carries more single-issue voters to the Republican side than any other. Plus, it pits people of deep faith who have otherwise progressive values against progressives that just don't see what all the fuss is about. None of this is good for the country.
So, in lieu of the failed Democratic establishment having any ideas, I am going to come up with a better way. Here's my idea.
1) Compare outlawing abortion/overturning Roe to Prohibition. Making something illegal doesn't make it go away, it just makes it go underground and fills up our already overcrowded prisons even further. Of course, nobody should have an abortion if they can help it; abortion is gross and unpleasant (not to mention abhorrent, if you fear the wrath of God). So....
2) Just like government is uniquely capable of providing schools and roads and bank insurance, it is equally well-equipped to help stem the bloody tide of baby bits ending up in dumpsters all across America (but not in the Deep South). The federal government should oversee a national network of adoption agencies, providing funding, staffing, and responsible oversight so that babies have a safe place to stay between the time they are born and the time they are adopted. A simultaneous, sustained television/paper/school/church campaign touting the benefits of adoption to both the mother and child would begin, hopefully with the cooperation of the Ad Council (their stuff is always so snappy).
3) In case hearing it from the pastor, the teacher, and the tube wasn't enough, the government (probably on a state level, with some degree of federal reimbursement) can offer financial breaks to women who agree to carry their baby to term and put it up for adoption. Stopping short of paying a woman to have a kid, the government can offer, through Medicaid, to cover all expenses related to pre- and post-natal medical care, ensuring that Mom gives birth to a happy, healthy kid. (Exceptions for special cases; birth defects, situations where the mother refuses to quit smoking/drinking/doing drugs during pregnancy, AIDS babies, etc.)
4) And, to close the loop, the federal (and state) governments can offer refundable tax credits (the best kind) on children adopted through the federal government's program, starting out large enough to help defray the costs of raising a baby, and then slowly being reduced over the first 18 years of life so that the parents can rely on a little help from their fearless leaders in Washington as they care for a child that really just needed a loving mom/mom/dad/dads in the first place.
The progressives get to oversee an expansion of Medicaid to help the truly needy, women in fragile situations receive care worthy of the most advanced nation in the world, the evangelicals get to root for adoption and against abortion while handing out pamphlets printed by the government, and the conservatives get a tax credit. Everyone goes home happy.
Abortion is killing the Democratic party. It's a hugely resonant issue among Red State voters, and (I think, don't quote me on this) carries more single-issue voters to the Republican side than any other. Plus, it pits people of deep faith who have otherwise progressive values against progressives that just don't see what all the fuss is about. None of this is good for the country.
So, in lieu of the failed Democratic establishment having any ideas, I am going to come up with a better way. Here's my idea.
1) Compare outlawing abortion/overturning Roe to Prohibition. Making something illegal doesn't make it go away, it just makes it go underground and fills up our already overcrowded prisons even further. Of course, nobody should have an abortion if they can help it; abortion is gross and unpleasant (not to mention abhorrent, if you fear the wrath of God). So....
2) Just like government is uniquely capable of providing schools and roads and bank insurance, it is equally well-equipped to help stem the bloody tide of baby bits ending up in dumpsters all across America (but not in the Deep South). The federal government should oversee a national network of adoption agencies, providing funding, staffing, and responsible oversight so that babies have a safe place to stay between the time they are born and the time they are adopted. A simultaneous, sustained television/paper/school/church campaign touting the benefits of adoption to both the mother and child would begin, hopefully with the cooperation of the Ad Council (their stuff is always so snappy).
3) In case hearing it from the pastor, the teacher, and the tube wasn't enough, the government (probably on a state level, with some degree of federal reimbursement) can offer financial breaks to women who agree to carry their baby to term and put it up for adoption. Stopping short of paying a woman to have a kid, the government can offer, through Medicaid, to cover all expenses related to pre- and post-natal medical care, ensuring that Mom gives birth to a happy, healthy kid. (Exceptions for special cases; birth defects, situations where the mother refuses to quit smoking/drinking/doing drugs during pregnancy, AIDS babies, etc.)
4) And, to close the loop, the federal (and state) governments can offer refundable tax credits (the best kind) on children adopted through the federal government's program, starting out large enough to help defray the costs of raising a baby, and then slowly being reduced over the first 18 years of life so that the parents can rely on a little help from their fearless leaders in Washington as they care for a child that really just needed a loving mom/mom/dad/dads in the first place.
The progressives get to oversee an expansion of Medicaid to help the truly needy, women in fragile situations receive care worthy of the most advanced nation in the world, the evangelicals get to root for adoption and against abortion while handing out pamphlets printed by the government, and the conservatives get a tax credit. Everyone goes home happy.
February 1, 2006
jes kos i luv yew
To everyone that wants to get up and talk about how dailyKos is crap, I give you this:
The January Straw Poll of likely Democratic presidential candidates in 2008.
(I voted for Mark Warner, governor of Virginia... but only because Al Gore is not on the list. Sen. Feingold (D-WI) seems to be the frontrunner, but I gotta say that our last experience with a sitting senator running for president was, well... senatorial. Sartorial? Laughable? Yes.... laughable.)
Wes Clark interests me... there's a comment under the poll somewhere that talks about how Clark "united 19 famously uncooperative European nations and their militaries to fight a war," which I think would play well against Bush's "Coalition of the Mighty Filipinos and Poles." 'Cause we all know that you've gotta fear the Poles... they'll run away.
Seriously, though, check it out. Although there's a lot of "Feingold can't win because he's a ... you know... j-o-o...?" garbage, there are some clever retorts, and it's a generally interesting and stimulating discussion about who should be the one to lead America in saving itself.
The January Straw Poll of likely Democratic presidential candidates in 2008.
(I voted for Mark Warner, governor of Virginia... but only because Al Gore is not on the list. Sen. Feingold (D-WI) seems to be the frontrunner, but I gotta say that our last experience with a sitting senator running for president was, well... senatorial. Sartorial? Laughable? Yes.... laughable.)
Wes Clark interests me... there's a comment under the poll somewhere that talks about how Clark "united 19 famously uncooperative European nations and their militaries to fight a war," which I think would play well against Bush's "Coalition of the Mighty Filipinos and Poles." 'Cause we all know that you've gotta fear the Poles... they'll run away.
Seriously, though, check it out. Although there's a lot of "Feingold can't win because he's a ... you know... j-o-o...?" garbage, there are some clever retorts, and it's a generally interesting and stimulating discussion about who should be the one to lead America in saving itself.
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