05.29.06

The Unbearable Lightness of New Jersey

Posted in entertainment at 3:14 pm by mridley

OK, I’m going to steal (syndicate) a little of my own thinking here and rip this off from my livejournal, but I doubt there is much cross readership there anyway. Now that that’s out of the way, how many of you watch The Sopranos? It’s OK, just raise your hand right up if you do. OK, good then, and how many saw last weekend’s episode with Carmella in Paris? Mmhmm, good.

And how many people got the feeling that David Chase had just finished re-reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being prior to coming up with that episode? Yeah, me too. Maybe Nietzsche will have a cameo in next week’s season finale.

On Demand

Posted in entertainment, media at 4:29 am by mridley

I have decided I am a fan of the cable “On Demand” service.  I’ve never had it until I upgraded to digital cable at my current place a few months ago.  Prior to that I had basic analog cable, prior to which I had digital cable but no on demand service, and prior to that I had DirecTV which does not have On Demand since I’m not sure how you’d do that with satellite.

I’ve always been a big Tivo fan and customer, and I never felt like I was missing out without On Demand.  But what I’ve realized is they’re totally separate beasts that provide complimentary entertainment functions.  Tivo is great for recording arbitrary programs, pausing live TV, etc.

With On Demand I can create ad hoc TV marathons.  Yesterday’s was an Entourage season two marathon, since I never saw season two and it’s almost time for season three.  Tonight I introduced my roomie to the wonderful world of Deadwood, and in the process got myself all jazzed up for the upcoming new season.

I still have not gotten into watching movies from the On Demand library, so we’ll see if that prospect grows on me or if I am staisfied with simply Tivoing movies I want to watch.

05.22.06

Sorry Chelsea

Posted in life at 10:24 pm by mridley

I made a mistake in my prior entry on the Chelsea Handler Show. I incorrectly said that it’s on VH-1 when in fact it’s on E!. But in my defense, I think this is an easy mistake to make. VH-1 and E1 are locked in a death grip, head to head in a race to the bottom in the culture wars. So who can keep track of who’s ahead at any given point?

Between Celebrity Eye Candy and The Surreal Life it’s really too close to call I’d say. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before we see one of them with a white slavery reality show.

I’m thinking that under age Eastern European prostitutes are probably more at home on E! but I wouldn’t put money on it. Time will tell.

If there’s one thing in my life that these years have taught, it’s that you can always see it coming but you can never stop it

Posted in life at 10:20 pm by mridley

I’ve seen documentaries on the animal channel or whatever where they show animals that are about to die who know it and separate themselves from the pack and go off alone to kick the bucket. My friend that I wrote of seems to be falling all the much farther and faster. She quit her job and canceled her cell phone service so no one can reach her. I don’t think these are good signs.

I am not really an animal person, and watching a dog run off to die doesn’t particularly move me. Seeing it happen to someone I love is making me physically ill.

(while it should not need explaining, my entry title is from Bea’s Song by the Cowboy Junkies and while I’m sure everyone has Lay It Down, I have included a handy link to purchase it if you have lost your copy)

05.20.06

Chelsea Handler

Posted in amuse, entertainment at 11:32 am by mridley

There’s a relatively new show on E!, The Chelsea Handler Show. I hadn’t actually watched it until I just happened to see it come on last night. This show seems to be flying under the radar, as I had no idea what it even was until I watched it. And that’s a tragedy. This chick is the height of comedy.

I’m not sure how to describe what the show is, exactly. It’s sort of a sketch comedy/man on the street type thing. Sort of like a Tom Green Show but with copious amounts of wit. It’s really funny and everyone should watch it starting immediately.

I don’t really have a “type” as far as women go, but if I did I think Ms. Handler would be it. I’ve seen one half hour episode of her show, and yet I feel pretty confident that given the right circumstances I’d propose. A sense of humor like that in a girl is so attractive. Well, plus she’s not unpleasant to look at.

Anyway check out her show. It’s hy-fucking-sterical.

EDIT: corrected improper channel information - the show is on E! not VH-1

05.18.06

Personal Knowledgebase

Posted in tech at 5:13 pm by mridley

A while back I worked with a gentleman who had setup a personal phpBB-based forum on his web site to use as a knowledgebase. Whenever he came across some tricky technical tidbits or arcane syntax, he would make a note of it in the phpBB forum for later use. It had never occured to me to do this, but once he mentioned it I thought it was a great idea and set one up for myself.

I set mine up about 8 months ago, plus or minus. Unfortunately I have not used it nearly as much as I would like to. The main factor holding me back is the structured format of a web forum. phpBB is great free software, but it’s not intended to be used as a knowledgebase. Setting up new forums and topics to keep ideas organized quickly became too much overhead for me to bother with.

Recently I have moved over to a wiki-based knowledge base and I am getting much better productivity out of it. While it’s not exactly a groundbreaking, earth shattering idea, I do think that wikis can be great personal productivity tools for those technically inclined enough not to be intimidated by the prospect of setting one up.

In addition to using the wiki as a repository of technical tidbits, I also use mine for keeping track of projects I’m working on, to-do lists, people I’ve been talking with, etc. Most wikis are based around the concept of easy group collaboration, but the low barrier to entry to adding and linking content also has useful implications even if the wiki is private and only used by a single person.

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05.17.06

J. Press Joins the Internet Age

Posted in attire, life at 10:58 pm by mridley

J. Press is a men’s clothing store along the lines of Brooks Brothers and Jos A. Bank. Unlike those other stores, however, J. Press only has a few retail locations. The closest to me is in downtown D.C., but that’s not all that convenient just to browse around.

J. Press does have a printed catalog, which you can request through their web site, but they are infamous for running out of catalogs about 10 minutes after they print them. Now, however, they have finally made a PDF version of their catalog available. A-Plus!

Speaking of which, I need to do some clothes shopping soon.  My wardrobe is getting a bit stale.

No More Picket Fences?

Posted in entertainment at 10:18 pm by mridley

I’ve been watching Boston Legal fairly regularly lately. The season finale was last night, and it was good. I’m certainly looking forward to next season.

I’ve been an off-and-on fan of David E. Kelly’s legal dramas. I really enjoyed the first season or two of Ally McBeal, but then it lost its novelty. I never really got into The Practice. But Boston Legal I do enjoy.

I’ve noticed something disturbing, though. David E. Kelly has changed his production company credit sequence. It used to be an older woman in a rocking chair watching Picket Fences. Alas that is no more. With Picket Fences not being in syndication any more, that was the only tie to the show we had. So sad to see the memory of such a great show fade into the ether.

05.16.06

New Yahoo Home Page

Posted in tech at 2:29 pm by mridley

Yahoo has unveiled their new look and feel of their home page at www.yahoo.com/preview. Check it out if you’re curious.

05.15.06

Self Destructive Friends

Posted in life at 6:52 pm by mridley

It’s so frustrating to see a friend fall apart in front of you, and know that you can’t really do anything to help. You can try to be there for them, and offer whatever assistance you can provide, but ultimately it’s up to them to choose to accept it or not.

I am very scared that something is going to happen to a close friend of mine. She’s already hurt herself and almost ended up in the hospital, finally refusing to go at the last minute. Yet there’s nothing I can do. Such a horrible feeling of powerlessness.

I suppose there’s no point to this musing. Just wanted to get my frustration off my chest.

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