So I give them money for "premium" service and one of the 'features' seems to be mis-reporting the # of comments.
Some posts have comments but claim not to, some have more comments than they're given credit for...wtf?
When I was still leeching off them for free the comments were slow, but accurate.
Now that I've paid them off the comments are fast and innacurate?
Maybe there's a super-exclusive Platinum Diamond Service that delivers fast AND accurate comments. >:(
so, those who like comments click on the link even if it looks like there are no comments, or no new ones- I missed a couple from Anner due to misplaced trust in the accuracy of Haloscan.
3.06.2006
more Oscar: McMurtry gives used book shout-out
Not many people outside the business know it, but he owns a vast used book store in the town he used as the setting for Last Picture Show.
That article articulates some of the things I like about the business....it really is like panning for gold, you sift through an incredible load of shite to get a couple of decent books, you sift through an incredible load of decent books to get a couple of really nice once, and you sift an incredible load of really nice books to get one FANTASTIC book.
That article articulates some of the things I like about the business....it really is like panning for gold, you sift through an incredible load of shite to get a couple of decent books, you sift through an incredible load of decent books to get a couple of really nice once, and you sift an incredible load of really nice books to get one FANTASTIC book.
film: Crash redux
I stole this from Atrios's comments because it seemed like it would be really funny to anyone who actually saw Crash:
I am happy that Crash won because it said some very important things we should all know:
1.) When crazy Muslims come to kill your kids, Jesus will protect you.
2.) The best hope in life for batshit crazy upper class white women is to have a faithful servent who will listen to their abuse and not quit their jobs.
3.) Racist cops are all really good people underneath.
4.) Liberals are all really potential murderers.
5.) Black hoodlums do in fact carjack. But they draw the line at participating in the slave trade. That's best left to elderly Asian men.
Oscars
Well, the 'party' portion of my Oscar night didn't pan out, since all my guests were deathly ill. Next time I'll diversify my guest list outside immediate family.
On to the awards:
First, what the fuck with all the mic-hogging assholes burning through their 30 seconds or whatever and not letting their co-winners get a word in edgewise? That fat makeup prick with the huge nose and the biker moustache who won for Narnia yammered on about nothing for so long the gal who was with him didn't even get a whiff of the mic. And it happened a few more times- usually a guy hogging the mic from a woman, but one woman hogged the mic from a man.
Kudoes to Peter Jackson's sound crew for having a plan- all four of them got their mic time with no incident.
What the fuck was that thing on the shoulder of Charlize Theron's dress?
It looked like a satin tribble.
Enough with the fucking montages, already! I like Chuck Workman as much as anyone, but if you dump a few montages maybe mic-hogging between multiple winners wouldn't be such a problem.
I crashed and burned in the Oscar pool, but took solace in calling Reese Witherspoon for best actress.
I have a feeling the only thing future generations will remember about these Oscars will be the last 15 seconds of this.
PIMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMP!!!!!
And it set up the joke of the night from John Stewart:
The best picture winner is a film described as "unwatchable" by my brother in law and as "a Tuesday After School Special about race" by the closest thing to a Hollywood insider I know, the Pelf.
I haven't seen it, but after one clip they showed (the excellent Terrence Howard and his movie wife referencing the Cosby Show during an argument about which one of them was blacker) the wife commented "that sounded rich suburban white people trying to imagine what a black couple would say" and I could but agree.
Glad to see Altman get an Oscar. Hard to imagine a more hit-or-miss director, but when he's on he's on, and he's the only one of the surviving 70's mavericks who still makes interesting movies.
On to the awards:
First, what the fuck with all the mic-hogging assholes burning through their 30 seconds or whatever and not letting their co-winners get a word in edgewise? That fat makeup prick with the huge nose and the biker moustache who won for Narnia yammered on about nothing for so long the gal who was with him didn't even get a whiff of the mic. And it happened a few more times- usually a guy hogging the mic from a woman, but one woman hogged the mic from a man.
Kudoes to Peter Jackson's sound crew for having a plan- all four of them got their mic time with no incident.
What the fuck was that thing on the shoulder of Charlize Theron's dress?
It looked like a satin tribble.
Enough with the fucking montages, already! I like Chuck Workman as much as anyone, but if you dump a few montages maybe mic-hogging between multiple winners wouldn't be such a problem.
I crashed and burned in the Oscar pool, but took solace in calling Reese Witherspoon for best actress.
I have a feeling the only thing future generations will remember about these Oscars will be the last 15 seconds of this.
PIMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMP!!!!!
And it set up the joke of the night from John Stewart:
Martin Scorsese: zero Oscars.
Three Six Mafia: one Oscar.
The best picture winner is a film described as "unwatchable" by my brother in law and as "a Tuesday After School Special about race" by the closest thing to a Hollywood insider I know, the Pelf.
I haven't seen it, but after one clip they showed (the excellent Terrence Howard and his movie wife referencing the Cosby Show during an argument about which one of them was blacker) the wife commented "that sounded rich suburban white people trying to imagine what a black couple would say" and I could but agree.
Glad to see Altman get an Oscar. Hard to imagine a more hit-or-miss director, but when he's on he's on, and he's the only one of the surviving 70's mavericks who still makes interesting movies.
3.04.2006
Food: frozen pizza
A public service announcement relayed from my pal Zim:
Beware DiGiorno Harvest Wheat Crust frozen pizzas.
He declares them practically inedible.
And honestly, what's the point of a wheat crust frozen pizza?
It's nothing but a sop to your conscience, like the gluttons at the Italian place I used to work who would march through the complimentary basket of grease-soaked bread, an appetizer of fried mozzarella and an eggplant Parmesan entree like the Nazis through Poland.....and wash it all down with a large diet soda.
And lest you write Zim off as some sort of prima donna food purist akin to your humble narrator, this is the same man who openly bragged of "eating like a king" for a month after finding a stack of Brand X frozen pizzas for a buck each on clearance at the local convenience store. And who, in his youth, would use the same water to boil his nightly hot dogs for weeks on end, deigning to add fresh only when the level dipped to the point where the dogs were beached on the bottom of the pot, half exposed like sea lions at ebb tide.
The Harvest Wheat Crust defeated even the leathery tastebuds and cast-iron stomach of this much-decorated triathelete of nutritional misery.
You have been warned!
Beware DiGiorno Harvest Wheat Crust frozen pizzas.
He declares them practically inedible.
And honestly, what's the point of a wheat crust frozen pizza?
It's nothing but a sop to your conscience, like the gluttons at the Italian place I used to work who would march through the complimentary basket of grease-soaked bread, an appetizer of fried mozzarella and an eggplant Parmesan entree like the Nazis through Poland.....and wash it all down with a large diet soda.
And lest you write Zim off as some sort of prima donna food purist akin to your humble narrator, this is the same man who openly bragged of "eating like a king" for a month after finding a stack of Brand X frozen pizzas for a buck each on clearance at the local convenience store. And who, in his youth, would use the same water to boil his nightly hot dogs for weeks on end, deigning to add fresh only when the level dipped to the point where the dogs were beached on the bottom of the pot, half exposed like sea lions at ebb tide.
The Harvest Wheat Crust defeated even the leathery tastebuds and cast-iron stomach of this much-decorated triathelete of nutritional misery.
You have been warned!
another corpse in the creek
Another dead homeless guy.
Nobody in the press is saying anything, but with three dead homeless people in the last 6 months, all longtime downtown regulars, all of who died near creeks, I smell serial killer.
New Times sucks, but they're the only ones doing more than a blurb on the obit pages for the victims.
Nobody in the press is saying anything, but with three dead homeless people in the last 6 months, all longtime downtown regulars, all of who died near creeks, I smell serial killer.
New Times sucks, but they're the only ones doing more than a blurb on the obit pages for the victims.
when privacy advocates and fundies collide!
RFID tags are the Mark of the Beast!
Wait a second....didn't they say the same thing about bar codes?
I object to the tags for commonsense reasons, but if the fundies End Times are Nigh! fixation can be put to work in a good cause for once I'm not gonna complain.
A potential practical dilemma for conspiracy minded fundies:
The entire Wal*Mart business model is built around RFID tags.
Quel Horreur!
Wait a second....didn't they say the same thing about bar codes?
I object to the tags for commonsense reasons, but if the fundies End Times are Nigh! fixation can be put to work in a good cause for once I'm not gonna complain.
A potential practical dilemma for conspiracy minded fundies:
The entire Wal*Mart business model is built around RFID tags.
Quel Horreur!
Oscar Party
If anyone of my loyal readers is gonna be in town for the Oscars, you're invited.
There'll be a cheese board, bread and crackers and snacks.
BYO wine.
Gimme a call for location and time.
There'll be a cheese board, bread and crackers and snacks.
BYO wine.
Gimme a call for location and time.
did they try this on you, Ivan?
gulf war vets fed placebo.
I mean, I'm sure it saved them a bundle in the face of continued government gutting of the VA, but you think they'd have some shame.
I mean, I'm sure it saved them a bundle in the face of continued government gutting of the VA, but you think they'd have some shame.
3.03.2006
50 best web sites
according to a Chicago Tribune writer.
Looks good on cursory examination, I recognize several from my own bookmarks (Pitchfork, Metacritic, crooks and liars, some others).
Good stuff.
Looks good on cursory examination, I recognize several from my own bookmarks (Pitchfork, Metacritic, crooks and liars, some others).
Good stuff.
what d&d character are you (stolen from Ivan)
I tried to steal some content from Bobo, but he refuses to update. =/
better than the usual 'what _____ are you' tests.
I'm a Chaotic Good Elf Bard.
In my youth I was a prototypical Chaotic Good Elf Thief, proof that therapy and meditation are good for your soul!
better than the usual 'what _____ are you' tests.
I'm a Chaotic Good Elf Bard.
In my youth I was a prototypical Chaotic Good Elf Thief, proof that therapy and meditation are good for your soul!
ok this one's better
Riyadh International Book Fair
A clever reader (or even a semi-conscious one) might draw paralells between extremist fundie ranting about the arts in Saudi Arabia and extremist fundie ranting about the arts in the good ol' US of A.
A clever reader (or even a semi-conscious one) might draw paralells between extremist fundie ranting about the arts in Saudi Arabia and extremist fundie ranting about the arts in the good ol' US of A.
Bike Furniture Design
what'll they think of next.
ok, ok, it isn't that great, but I'm making an effort to increase my 'weekend' (for me) updating so cut me some slack.
ok, ok, it isn't that great, but I'm making an effort to increase my 'weekend' (for me) updating so cut me some slack.
3.01.2006
Attn Ahggg
a baxblog housewarming gift just for you.
and no I do not have an e-crush on ahggg, he's just new and I'm trying to make him feel at home!
and no I do not have an e-crush on ahggg, he's just new and I'm trying to make him feel at home!
comments updated
since you generally silent fekkers are commenting occasionally now, I threw Haloscan a couple of bucks for "premium service".
Not sure what that gets us, but it looks like the ads in the comment popup are gone...yay!
Not sure what that gets us, but it looks like the ads in the comment popup are gone...yay!
work: customer relations
there's a subset of the book buying public that comes in, gets the title wrong and then fights to the death over it.
A hefty fellow with bad teeth and an American flag ballcap was in yesterday looking for that crypto-commie bashing classic None Dare Call it Treason, a perrenial seller to wannabe militiamen and basementdwellers of all stripes.
He thought the title was None Dare Call it Conspiracy (a book of more recent vintage, a conventional NWO/Illuminati/Gnomes of Zurich deal, no commies involved), and I couldn't talk him out of it.
Are you going to argue with a doctor over a diagnoses (well, unless you're like Bobo)?
Are you going to argue with a plumber about the toilet?
Then why argue with the bookseller about books?
I think they've been conditioned by burger-flippers at chain stores like B&N, who constantly confuse 'out of stock' with 'out of print' (proving the limits of the inventory database).
Just now a young gal came in looking for Midsummer Dream Night. I didn't say a word, just took her to drama and handed her a copy of Midsummer Night's Dream which she happily bought.
I think I'll make that my default position from now on...give them the book they want and let them argue with the cover if they still feel obstreperous.
A hefty fellow with bad teeth and an American flag ballcap was in yesterday looking for that crypto-commie bashing classic None Dare Call it Treason, a perrenial seller to wannabe militiamen and basementdwellers of all stripes.
He thought the title was None Dare Call it Conspiracy (a book of more recent vintage, a conventional NWO/Illuminati/Gnomes of Zurich deal, no commies involved), and I couldn't talk him out of it.
Are you going to argue with a doctor over a diagnoses (well, unless you're like Bobo)?
Are you going to argue with a plumber about the toilet?
Then why argue with the bookseller about books?
I think they've been conditioned by burger-flippers at chain stores like B&N, who constantly confuse 'out of stock' with 'out of print' (proving the limits of the inventory database).
Just now a young gal came in looking for Midsummer Dream Night. I didn't say a word, just took her to drama and handed her a copy of Midsummer Night's Dream which she happily bought.
I think I'll make that my default position from now on...give them the book they want and let them argue with the cover if they still feel obstreperous.
welcome aboard, Ahggg
In honor of NYC laywer-guy and boxing afficianado Ahggg joining the baxblog role of honor here's something I found stapled inside the front cover of a 1989 California Penal Code a while back:
Words of wisdom in retail as well as law enforcement....
Words of wisdom in retail as well as law enforcement....
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