Google Vanity

Google Vanity -- I've been tops on the search for "Frank Patrick" for a while, but I've just noticed I'm bouncing between page 3 and 4 (at 10/page) for "Frank" and for "Patrick," and somehow, 5 of the top ten entries for "Frank Patrick" refer to me today. Vanity, thy name is Frank. (Now if we could just get rid of those architects Lloyd Wright and Gehry, that little girl Anne, and the cartoon strip with Ernest, not to mention those other New Jerseyans Sinatra and Lautenberg, and that St. Patrick guy...)

Computer Transplant Surgery

Computer Transplant Surgery -- I'm familiar with overclockers and modders from watching The ScreenSavers on TechTV. Some are pretty cool, with high geek-quotient both aesthetically and technically (and well beyond the unfortunately proven limits of my own technical skills), but this one is just sick...

I got a shiny new Apple G5 for Christmas. I loved the case, but I’m no Mac user. So I....
- Get a brand new dual processor G5, then
- Rip out everything,
- Cut out the back of the case so I can use a PC motherboard, and
- Install an Athlon motherboard.

[...] When I showed my friend, who happens to love Apple, he looked sick. He did not say anything to me. He just put his hands on his head and was in shock. I wish I had a picture of that.

[...] It’s a good thing my parents don’t know anything about computers, because I’m sure they would be really angry if they knew what I did. I have to say that I'm happy - I can keep on using XP.

The link includes pictures of the deed in progress. As a voluntary Mac user for almost 20 years now and occasional forced Windows user, all I can say is that this must be the kind of thing that happens when you go off your meds.

Burglary, Republicans, and Democrats

Burglary, Republicans, and Democrats --

"From the spring of 2002 until at least April 2003, members of the GOP committee staff exploited a computer glitch that allowed them to access restricted Democratic communications without a password. Trolling through hundreds of memos, they were able to read talking points and accounts of private meetings discussing which judicial nominees Democrats would fight -- and with what tactics."

Bet you thought the headline was from a story on some anniversary from about 30 years ago. Nah.

A Walk on the Wild Side

A Walk on the Wild Side -- I wonder if anyone has considered that Governor Dean might have taken the wrong lesson from the Steve Ballmer school of motivation. The post-caucus rant in Iowa, combined with his campaign's turn to the negative (interesting that the down the stretch Gephardt/Dean slugfest slipped them both from top two to also ran categories) in the last few weeks have given me, probably along with many others, pause regarding the viability of his candidacy. I still like his positions on things other than the over-emphasized anti-war stance, but as Tom Robbins wrote, "...the mere presence of content is not enough. It is style that gives content the capacity to absorb us, to move us; it is style that makes us care. Or run away.

[Later...] Among the comments for Jeff Jarvis' Buzzmachine..."...is this his Muskie Moment?"

At the risk of exposing myself as a fair-weather supporter, maybe it's time to take a closer look at Edwards...just in case.

[Even later...] From Value Judgment (via Backup Brain): "Last night I was hoping for rather more of the Determined, Plain-Speaking Statesman (a la the Announcement and Common Sense speeches) and rather less of the Pumped-Up Wrestling Coach. In fact, if the Coach never shows up again, you've got a better chance. I'm a committed supporter of yours and I was taken aback." Yup. Well said. Sack the coach, if you can.

N.J. Grants Same-Sex Benefits

N.J. Grants Same-Sex Benefits -- Nice to see we in the Garden State are moving in the right direction, and, for a change, near the front of the "pack."

Music???

Music??? -- From Wired News: Ring Tones Bringing in Big Bucks:

"The worldwide sale of ring tones, which started as a marketing gimmick for music labels and mobile phone companies, is roughly equivalent to 10 percent of the $32.2 billion global music market."

Someone needs a new definition of music.

Marvin

Marvin

Back to Texas

Back to Texas -- Refering to the recent Club for Growth ad, I've wasted entirely too much time today looking for a web reference to a "letter to the editor" featured on one of the cable news networks last night -- I could have sworn it was CNN -- asking George Bush to take something like his "deficit-hiking, government-crippling(?), beer(?)-drinking, (?)-eating, SUV(?)-driving, Limbaugh-listening(?), big business-loving(?), right-wing freak show back to Texas."

Life on Mars

Life on Mars -- As someone who came of age in the Apollo era, the current fascination with and exploration of Mars is an exciting situation. As someone who cares about the [far] future of the human race, the need to understand other worlds (and eventually other solar systems) is clear and compelling. It really should have become a real world-wide effort. Hopefully, someday it will.

One of the things that have bugged me about the current exploration is the goal of looking for whether Mars might have been able to support life at some time in the [distant] past. Rather than obsess over water under the bridge or over the dam, we should be looking to the future and determining what kind of life it can support today and what we need to do to help that life. Nava Spivack agrees, in Minding the Planet: Humans Should Intentionally Seed Life on Mars. Why We Must Start Now., and makes a compelling argument for proactive action on this front.

Make Sure You Go Before You Leave

Make Sure You Go Before You Leave -- And just how long are those flights from Oz to US? I like what someone on mefi said..."When did America become one big Onion article?"

Jen Chung: The Hottest Pot

Jen Chung: The Hottest Pot -- Yum.

Bush in 30 Seconds

Bush in 30 Seconds -- Whoa. This nails it. (Quicktime video.)

First a Garage Computer, Now a Garageband

First a Garage Computer, Now a Garageband -- Watched the annual Macworld Keynote via streaming video yesterday. Somewhat disappointing. A lot of others have commented on the pricing of the iPod Mini, so I won't go there, although it is a cute little machine with almost as much capacity as my ancient first generation 5-gigger.

I'm sure that the Xserve G5 stuff that kicked off the keynote is interesting and important to the IT infrastructure stuff, but as an old clarinet/sax player, Garageband (in the updated iLife '04) was the highlight for coolness. Not insane greatness, but definitely major coolness. My only concern is that it makes the music creation and recording process so simple, that music-reading and -writing could suffer. Someone will need to transcribe all these masterpieces for others to play. Doc looks at the Apple's musical leadership a bit more deeply...

"A sub-par Steve Jobs keynote for product announcements, I thought. Not that it mattered. My main take-away was that Apple is doing a great job of hacking the music industry, and is playing a significant role (how intentionally it's not clear) in the mass market shift from a consumer to a producer culture."

I wonder what the other Apple thinks about this. Maybe it's this.

Vote By Issue Quiz

Vote By Issue Quiz -- A fascinating exercise from the Online News Hour and WBUR. I say fascinating because my candidate of choice is Howard Dean, but I chose only one of his responses (civil unions) in this issue-by-issue "pop quiz."

More interesting was the fact that the by-far biggest agreement I had, issue-by-issue as presented, was with Carol Moseley Braun, with 7 of the 14 listed issues, with the rest spread across Kerry (trade and poverty), Gephardt (terrorism and economy), Sharpton (gun control), and Edwards (Social Security). I consciously knew I really liked Moseley Braun's stance on universal health care, but given her clear non-electability, I probably haven't paid enough attention to other issues of hers. It's probably a shame that too few others have as well. I'd like to see her in a major cabinet position.

That said, all of the choices in the quiz had several acceptable approaches described, and most of those I chose were near indistinguishable from Dean's, who I'm sticking with on the strength of personality, character, outspokenness, energy, common sense, and what his transformative campaign/dialogue is doing to help the people take back the political process. I also happen to think that of the others, he has the best chance of clearly differentiating himself from, and therefore beating, Bush. Far better than the other front-running beltway boys. (I must also admit a fairly consistent appreciation on my part for "outsider" candidates.)

What the quiz did help me with was to realize that, while a campaign is about differences, there are in this field so many so close to my positions, that I know I'm comfortable with all but one or two of the party's candidates. When compared to Bush (the ousting of whom is important to me), I'll be OK with voting for all but one, who just turns me off at a visceral level as much as Dean turns me on. I guess if it turns out to be Lieberman, I'll just have to hold my nose as I pull the lever.

I hope I don't have to just vote against Bush, and odds are good that I won't have to.

(Interestingly, Joho the Blog, through which I found the quiz, but whose full posting I didn't read until finishing the writing of this one, had similar results and similar conclusions, even about the same candidate that would dampen his ardor.)

THE WORLD QUESTION CENTER 2004

Edge's World Question Center -- Sometimes questions matter more than answers, but fortunately, here, they're both interesting.

Jeremy Zawodny's Not Mainstream

Jeremy Zawodny's Not Mainstream -- And apparently neither am I.

Apple iBox

Apple iBox -- I WANT THIS!!!

And on the Other Side of the World...

And on the Other Side of the World . . . BWG reports that while New York is making orange hatted statements about carrying on with life during the terror war...

"Approximately 20,000 people marched in Hong Kong on New Year's Day, demanding full democracy."

The New York Times also points out that...

"Tung Chee-hwa, the current chief executive, was re-elected without opposition last year by an 800-member Election Committee loyal to Beijing. Various business and professional groups, along with the Election Committee, also select 36 of the 60 members of the legislature, while the public elects the rest."

hmmm...Thats one way to save money on lobbying and to avoid dealing with soft money rules for campaign financing.

Happy 2004!!!

Happy 2004!!! -- A panoramic view of Times Square last night -- the newest addition to the amazing Panoramas.dk collection. (A great excuse to make sure you have a Quicktime plugin.)

[Later...] I guess when you don't actually watch the revels on TV, you miss things like Orange Alert Hats (in the background here, too). Hopefully we won't need them to say F-U to those who would try to throw a damper on next year's party.