da_craw

News from Texas

2009-08-05T22:27:49Z

So - a couple of y'all know this already, but I figured I'd share the news. I am, in fact, going to be a Crawdaddy. The wife and I are expecting our little bundle of joy/trouble in late January or early Feb. It's Shake and Bake, and I helped!!

Screw you, AT&T!!!

2009-04-15T13:30:42Z

So I've been an AT&T/Cingular customer ever since I got a cell phone, lo these 9 years ago or so. I patiently waited for my upgrades, and until the last couple of years, wasn't even interested in a phone with bells and whistles (or more specifically, Internet and email). The past 2 1/2 years, though, I've had a PDA for work, first provided for me by work, and then, when my boss got his iPhone (right when it came out), on my own account (the joy of being "contract" labor).

Even though I definitely could use the higher web functionality of an iPhone (or G1), I waited until my eligibility date, so I didn't have to pay an extra $200. Which was April 8, 2009. Or so I thought. My wife switched her phone from our family plan to a work plan to get a new PDA herself, and the AT&T phone associate helping her, when setting up my interim plan, assured me that I could get an iPhone at that $199 level on April 8. Until I checked on April 1, and it said that I wasn't eligible until September 8, 2009, though I could pay $18 for the right to pay full price for an iPhone.

So now, after 2 weeks and about 3 hours on the phone with AT&T, and their utter inability to fix the problem, I got a G1 and am now a T-Mobile customer. About 30 minutes after I made the switch, I got a call back from AT&T (a call that was promised 2 hours earlier), saying they still hadn't fixed the problem, and asking me to be patient. The big problem here is, while everyone at AT&T I spoke to was friendly and tried to be helpful, I was never able to directly speak to someone who could fix my problem. So after two weeks of other people trying to convince the people in "critical care" to stop screwing me, I screwed back.

So far -love the new phone, love the new company. My new phone wasn't working this morning, but one 15 minute phone call got it all fixed, plus other helpful, friendly tips. So, my new phone is cheaper, my new plan is cheaper, and I get good customer service. AT&T, you're fired.

Outer space imitates art

2009-04-14T17:20:28Z

Anybody remember DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths, or the story of Krona and the multiverse from Green Lantern? About how Krona saw the hand at the dawn of time?

Yeah - so let the multiversal splitting begin -

HAND. IN. SPACE.

Funniest. Webcomic. Ever.

2009-04-06T20:39:11Z

http://www.viruscomix.com/page382.html

Austin - It Hates African Americans, Apparently

2009-04-03T20:20:11Z

Businesses closing during Texas Relays

My favorite part - that there's no difference in crime during this weekend than any other big Austin weekend. I love my adopted hometown, but anyone who thinks Austin is color blind or cosmopolitan is misled by it being the blue heart of a red Texas. Austin is very segregated, and while it's as much economic as it is racial, the fact remains that most minorities in Austin live in the east and south parts of town, while whiteness and income increase as you move westward and, to a lesser extent, northward. And, much as Avenue Q says, we're obviously all a little bit racist.

Go Iowa!!

2009-04-03T18:12:04Z

So, there are a variety of news reports about the Iowa Supreme Court striking down the gay marriage ban in that state. I use Mother Jones's, mostly because of the extensive quote from the opinion.

Mother Jones article on Iowa and gay marriage

Without going into the merits of whether any particular faith should recognize gay marriage (which should be up to each individual institution to determine for itself), I have always thought that legally, under the concept and Constitutional right of equal protection under the law, there was no justification to prevent gay marriage.

Strangely, this is one area where my father and I have agreed, while coming at it from two different rationales. To him, the answer is to get government out of marriage altogether, and leave it entirely to religious (or analogous institutions, for those who aren't theists of any stripe) to work out marriage. I even managed to convince him that there would have to be some sort of civil situation that would be the same as civil marriage now, but open to any two consenting adults (he thought that powers of attorneys and other things would be able to take care of it, but my experience in the legal profession has shown me that it's not really a workable solution). Either solution works for me - both result in fully equal standings, regardless of sexual orientation.

To be honest, I might even prefer my father's solution, as I've often had trouble with the conflict between the First Amendment right to free exercise of religion and the civil marriage rules that have conflicted, most notably, with the polygamy allowed within both the Islamic faith and the first few years of the Mormon faith. Again, I understand the many arguments from a sociological standpoint about the potential of abuse in plural marriages, but I still remain troubled by First Amendment conflicts regarding free exercise and other laws. (By the by, I have the same problem with the conflict between drug laws and some faiths, as well - yes, I'm a libertarian in a liberal's body.)

You can't spell Nittany without NIT

2009-04-03T16:00:29Z

WE ARE . . .

PENN STATE

The snub of not being chosen for the NCAA Tournament is diminished by our winning the NIT and winning only our second basketball tournament ever. Sure, it might be the also ran tourney. Sure, it might not mean anything, and it's been years since the NIT was the big deal. But for PSU basketball, it's a big deal. And, it lets me taunt the many more numerous local Baylor fans, so it's all good.

Illegal=Violent

2009-03-24T16:44:01Z

Here's a commentary on drug legalization from CNN.com

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/24/miron.legalization.drugs/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

I tend to agree, even though legalizing drugs isn't actually in my own pecuniary interest. While I think his take may be a little too much through rose colored lenses, at the heart of it, I think he suggests the proper response to this situation. The law isn't going to make drug use go away - and if it's not illegal, many of the illegal acts that currently stem from drug use will wither away as well.

SXSW, Day 2

2009-03-20T17:38:11Z

Back to Stubb's again for Day 2. I actually ran into a classmate of mine from law school, who was opining about how he wanted to try some of the smaller venues but yet was compelled to keep coming back to Stubb's to see the bigger acts. I tend to agree - during the 2 previous occasions I spent much more time at the smaller venues and did some more musical exploration. On the other hand, the acts I actually wanted to see those years (like Kevn Kinney or 1001 Nights Orchestra) were actually playing in the smaller places.

The night started with the Meat Puppets. I didn't know their music, aside from the one single that was big back in the mid-90's ("Backwater") and a couple of them being part of the Nirvana Unplugged live album. They were ok - much like Heartless Bastards the night before, I wouldn't change the radio if they were on, but I wouldn't go looking for them.

Up next was Gomez. I was a fan of theirs back in the late 90's, and burned a couple discs worth of their stuff back then, but I hadn't really followed them or heard any of their newer stuff. While I didn't recognize any of the tunes (probably because they were from their new album coming out at the end of the month), the set did have the same feel as their earlier stuff did. I've found their music kind of dichotomous - either it's get a gentle acoustic feel to it, or it's hard-driving guitar work. Definitely fun, but not anything that's going to make me go grab the new album.

Finally, Andrew Bird, with band. He played in Austin a few weeks ago in a totally solo gig, which was sold out. I didn't get to go, but a friend of mine did, and said it was great. After watching the set with the band, I think I would've preferred the solo gig. His gig was great (especially because apparently the monitors went missing during the set-up after Gomez), but I think the bigger band ended up overwhelming his lyrics and his melodies, which is what I really like about his music. Definitely cool, though, and I'm slowly acquiring his stuff via eMusic, and have liked it so far.

What's on tap for tonight? It depends on how exhausted we are. We're looking at the Scottish group show that includes Camera Obscura and the Proclaimers, and we may venture out from there to go see a new local Austin band in their inaugural gig, My Jerusalem. Tomorrow night is Indigo Girls (and back to Stubb's) and whatever we manage to catch there before them (PJ Harvey is immediately before).

This Isn't News; Also, a SXSW Report

2009-03-19T15:23:36Z

This article was on ESPN.com today. No duh - Bobby Bowden thinks it's too harsh that FSU is being asked to forfeit victories. Really? Why did the AP waste its time on that? Now if Bowden supported it, that would've been news. Hey AP - here's a story idea for you - all coaches polled really want to win all their games every season. That's News!!!!

The snark is full on today because I'm running on about 4 hours of sleep after SXSW. It was much easier when a. I was younger, and b. I was in school in Austin so that 6:30 wake-up call wasn't a necessity. Anyway, this is what I've seen so far (all of which was at Stubb's, which appears to be my destination for 3 out of the 4 nights of SXSW) -

5 minutes of Janelle Monae - it was pretty cool, but having heard only the tail end of a song, I can't tell you how avant or experimental the set was.

30 minutes of stage hands, and then - Ladyhawke - during which I learned that New Zealand is in a time warp 25 years behind the US. Actually, I get the same message from Flight of the Conchords, so maybe it's true. I'm not the hugest fan of synth pop, but I actually liked Ladyhawke, so there you go.

Following them was Heartless Bastards - aside from the first song in their set (which seemed pretty cool, and sadly, different from everything else they played), they really came across as just generic rock to me. Unoffensive, but I wouldn't go out of my way to hear it again.

Then, the Avett Brothers. The best description I have for them - a more yelly version of the Decemberists with far less clever lyrics. My wife pointed out how similar they were, and questioned why the schedulers would do that.

Finally, the Decemberists themselves, playing the entirety of their new album live. I haven't heard anything from the album, but if the live show is any indication, it's their Thick as a Brick. 45 minutes of basically one song with different themes and musical styles (combining the Decemberists usual more quirky acoustic sound with Black Sabbath-esque 70's metal), and returning to themes throughout. It was pretty darn good, though I think some fans will be turned off by the change in style. I liked it, and as did my wife (who has gotten Decemberist-ed out before) and she also pointed out that this album seems to be attracting the attention and good reviews of those who previously thought they were just a little too clever and quirky. Me, I think it's just an excuse for Colin Meloy to rock out all Tommy Iommi style, and I'm cool with that.

Tonight - back to Stubb's for the triple bill of Meat Puppets, Gomez, and Andrew Bird . . .

Nobody Knows the Troubles . . .

2009-03-17T21:01:42Z

I've been fighting the urge all afternoon long to go one of the numerous Irish-ish pubs here today while wearing a big orange T-shirt and carrying a British flag.

Musings on the Watchability of "The Watchmen"

2009-03-10T18:35:45Z

Here are my thoughts are "The Watchmen," after a couple of days of thinking about it.

So, let's start out with the positives. First, this is probably the best film adaptation of any of Alan Moore's works to date. Ok, yes, From Hell and LXG were horrid, but V for Vendetta was pretty good (though it still missed the boat with some decisions and changes made to the story). Second, as Patton Oswalt has said (on his MySpace blog, if anyone is interested), this is about as good a screen version as was going to happen. It will never be the HBO 6 hour miniseries it should be, because it'd be too damn expensive. Thirdly, much like The Dark Knight, the only indication that it was over 2 hours long was that my knees had started hurting from sitting in the cramped theater for too long. I didn't get bored - the story didn't flag, but kept me engaged all the way through.

Now, here comes the negatives. I was partially turned off by the almost fetishist love of violence Zack Snyder has and displays in this movie. Perhaps I should've expected it after 300, but that was a violent graphic novel about a violent battle in a violent war, so the stylized violence seemed to fit both the plot and the overall experience. But in Watchmen, I felt like the long loving slow motion hyper-violent moments were at best superfluous and at worst detracted from my enjoyment of the movie. Similarly, the length and fairly graphic nature of one of the sex scenes had that same jarring effect. In fact, as my wife pointed out, it reminded her of the puppet sex scene from Team America. With so much that ended up on the cutting room floor, it's annoying that we lost story to Snyder basically doing fight porn. Secondly, and this is probably partly due to the change in medium, but much of the subtlety of the graphic novel was completely lost in the movie. I'm not going to belabor the point too much, as I think it's mostly a movie vs graphic novel thing, but some of the movie's simplifications and changes (like the brief origin of the Minutemen as a bunch of cops who decided to wear masks) just didn't seem necessary to me. Third, while most of the music felt fine, there were a couple of pieces (specifically, Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah) that didn't fit, and again, pulled me out of the moment. Finally, I understand the need for change (aside from Jessica Alba not being topless in Sin City - dammit, if you're hired to play a topless dancer, you ought to damn well be topless. Also, the director shouldn't hire someone who WOULDN'T go topless for that role. It's not about the boobies - it's about the only damn scene that deviates from the panel by panel nature of the movie). But when making changes, you need to cut the dialogue that refers to things that have been cut. Two prime examples - the accidental use of the flame thrower makes no sense without Laurie being a smoker, and the reconciliation of Laurie and her mom at the end of the movie. Instead of mistaking the flame thrower for the cigarette lighter, she just pushes the button for some reason. I understand killing the cigarettes, but at least change it so she accidentally hits the button with her elbow or something. Also, without having the strong undercurrent of having a stage mom pushing her into heroics, the dialogue at the end of the movie makes little sense. If there wasn't time to develop certain plot points, Snyder should've cut the word for word dialogue that refers to those points.

Overall, it was a fun movie, and when it comes out on Blu Ray, I'll add it to my collection. I'd give it a 4 out of 5.

Suck It, Bowden!!!

2009-03-10T12:26:18Z

College Football News has this article (spawned no doubt by all the noise that Bowden and FSU may lose up to 14 victories for playing ineligible players) about the difference between Paterno's 383 wins and Bowden's 382 wins.

A New User Pic, or If Shaft and Doctor Who Had a Baby

2009-03-05T21:46:06Z

I found this new user pic at Cracked.com, seen here.

Here's the photo, in it's full glory -

SXSW!!

2009-02-19T01:47:20Z

The wife and I are getting wristbands for the SXSW music festival this year. I haven't been in years; my better half has never been.

Here's the link to the list of bands:
http://sxsw.com/music/shows/schedule

Anybody has any suggestions of who we really ought to get out and see?

Thanks.

Happy Darwin's and Lincoln's Birthday!

2009-02-12T13:39:32Z

Umm, that's pretty much it.

The Quest for Less Da_Craw

2009-01-30T18:52:15Z

So, a while back, I'd posted about my efforts to get healthier, i.e. lose some weight primarily (but eat better and exercise more, too).

I'd kind of done nothing about it for a while, until my weight finally crept back above my magic number of disappointment (which, to be clever, has 3 digits, all of which added together equal 3. Yes, there are multiple answers to that one, but the magic number isn't 111 or 210).

That, combined with the example of my father-in-law who has spent the last 6 months successfully losing some weight of his own, I decided to get a bit more serious about it, start counting those calories, and eating smarter (more raw fruits and vegetables, more chicken instead of beef, less eating out, avoiding french fries, etc.). So I've been doing that since the beginning of this year, and as of this morning I've lost about 10 pounds.

Now there's just about 60 more to go before I get to what I consider my ideal weight. (Screw you, BMI charts, I'm big boned!!!!) And 40 to go before I get to buy myself a brand new computer with all the bells and whistles.

It Took Two Years . . .

2009-01-28T03:08:56Z

But I may actually have to use the industrial sized ice scraper given to me by my Minnesotan friends to clear off my car. Icy rain all during the wee hours probably will equal the whole town shutting down, but if not, a-scraping I will go.

The Eyes Have It

2009-01-23T20:28:16Z

Or in this case, not so much.

I just got done looking at something that illustrates the inaccuracy of eyewitness identification. Without going into too much detail, someone is accused of running from the police, based on getting a license plate number, pulling up a driver's license picture, and the officer making a positive id from the photo.

Except - said accused was actually in custody at the time of the incident. The case resulted in a dismissal once it was shown to the prosecutor, but the person has sat in jail for quite a while because of this error.

So even a relatively reliable eyewitness (i.e. a police officer, who supposedly has some training in observation and what not) can't be trusted, due to human fallibility, to make a good eyewitness id. You decide how much you want to trust an eyewitness, if you're ever a juror.

That, or the cop was fudging it all along. You decide . . .

Happy Holiday (of your choice)!!!

2008-12-23T17:15:36Z

Though my choice is Christmas, so Merry Christmas to all.

Near Misses

2008-11-18T15:13:45Z

So I've had two near accidents/incidents with my car within the past 24 hours:

a. Yesterday, at lunch, I was driving near the campus to go get a haircut. I stopped at a stop sign, then started going and almost ran right into some chick on a bicycle who also had a stop sign and just didn't bother to stop. She hadn't even been at the intersection when I started through, and then looked at me and smirked after the near miss.

b. I almost ran over a squirrel on the way to work, as it ran into the street, and then instead running back to the near curb, decided to take the longer route as I slowed down. Couldn't stop, but there was no indication of flat squirrel on the road or on my tires, so I guess it made it.

Guess which one of these I would have actually been more upset about? (Hint: it's not which one where there would have been more legal/monetary ramifications)

The 11th Minute of the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month

2008-11-11T12:39:42Z

Happy Veterans/Armistice Day!

Please take a minute sometime today to think about and thank those who have sacrificed for our freedoms. And try not to dwell on how the vindictive nature of the peace after World War I was a big part of making those further sacrifices necessary.

Priorities

2008-10-29T23:06:32Z

I'm so glad that our Senate finds this a vital issue to be discussing, in these troubling times:

sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/nfl/10/29/nfl.tv.ap/index.html

Wow. At least when we were wasting Congressional time on steroids in baseball, there wasn't an ongoing financial crisis.

Poking the Bear

2008-10-29T21:15:16Z

Here's a well written essay in support of Obama by Tim O'Reilly, who's a big supporter of freeware and the open source movement.

radar.oreilly.com/2008/10/why-i-support-barack-obama.html

If You Can't Start a War with Iran . . .

2008-10-27T18:17:07Z

Apparently, you try to start one with Syria.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7692153.stm

This administration and its mindset can't leave office too soon. You know, the one that involves ignoring international treaties and failing to recognize the sovereignty of other nations. And we wonder why the other two members of the so-called "Axis of Evil" want nuclear weapons?