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« November 2005 | January 2006 »

Dear Comedy Central

Posted by spblat on December 30, 2005 11:06 PM

Dear Comedy Central:

Those who are easily offended should know after NINE YEARS that they shouldn't be watching South Park. Now that you have caved on one particularly nasty episode, how many other South Park episodes will be judged too objectional to be permitted? How much of your intellectual property will be left when you let others tell you what is sufficiently decent for you to create and share with your viewers?

I have two kids, four and seven. Neither has seen one single frame of South Park, because they're not old enough. Keep warning your viewers that some of your content is not for kids or Christians; this is good. But by letting extremists control your output, you are placing your whole business at risk by alienating both your viewers and your artists.

As for me and anyone else interested in this particular episode, we get to see it regardless--commercial free, over the Internet. Better luck next time.

(1 comments) | Category: Rants

More From The White House

Posted by spblat on December 19, 2005 10:00 AM

Whenever I hear something alarming about our President, I consult the White House Press Briefings. The transcript from Friday caught my attention regarding the President's secret orders to the NSA to spy on Americans without a court order:

MR. McCLELLAN: I just told you why I'm not going to get into discussing ongoing intelligence activities.

Q You mean you cannot say whether it's lawful to spy on Americans or not?

MR. McCLELLAN: We have a Constitution and we have laws.

Q We're not asking for any details. We're asking you --

MR. McCLELLAN: That's why I'm making a broad statement to let you know that we --

Q It is broad. Is it legal to spy on Americans?

MR. McCLELLAN: We have a Constitution and we have laws in place, and we follow those --

Q You say you are abiding by the law?

MR. McCLELLAN: Absolutely. And there's congressional oversight of intelligence activities, there's other oversight of intelligence activities.

Q Why do you have to have secret orders then?

MR. McCLELLAN: Does anybody have a question? Go ahead.

Q And how many secret orders have been issued by this President?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think the American people appreciate what we do to work within the law to prevent attacks from happening. The Patriot Act is being debated right now.

Q It's never been within the law to spy on Americans.

MR. McCLELLAN: The Patriot Act is something that members of the Senate are debating right now.

(1 comments) | Category: Rants

Snow!

Posted by spblat on December 18, 2005 09:56 PM

Got our first snow today!

This afternoon we visited our new friends Truman and Carrie for their six-year-old's birthday party. It started to ice over on the way there, and by the evening the whole region was caked with ice, the freeway at a standstill.

We stopped for a burger and took side streets home nice and slow. I got to be the big man installing chains and and driving on the snow and ice. Unstoppable 4Runner!

(0 comments) | Category: Family

Dear NPR

Posted by spblat on December 5, 2005 04:07 PM

Dear NPR:

The saying goes, "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Your story on the death of Richard Rust reminds me that this is why we need true journalism. On behalf of the least powerful everywhere, thank you for investigating and reporting this story; please don't stop.

(1 comments) | Category: Rants

MAME Madness

Posted by spblat on December 4, 2005 12:57 AM

I've been a busy boy.

Bought an old Tempest that had been converted into a Mat Mania. MAME conversion in progress. Click the first pile for photos.

In the final shot in the above set you'll see my carefully designed control panel (here's the drawing itself, 150dpi, visio available upon request). Once I'm done installing the control panel and other hardware, it'll be time to get Laura to help design the cabinet. I'd like to use some or most of these classic images as part of the design. Click below for more--how many of the games do you recognize?

Future updates on this project won't be posted here. Look at http://irace.net/mame for more details.

(1 comments) | Category: Geek!! , Stuff I Made