The Last Highway

The Road to Hell

noreply@blogger.com (Hob Quimby) — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 02:21:00 +0000

Thank you, Chris Rea

If something isn't done to stop the madness, King George will be carting this country, all it's citizens (THAT'S YOU AND I, PEOPLE!) and the Constitution, into Hell with Cheney and Karl Rove carrying the damn hand basket. I used to be fairly confident in this country surviving for quite a while longer, quite a while. I survived the Sixties, REALLY enjoyed the Seventies, and muddled through the Eighties and Nineties with 2 divorces. I'm proud to claim 2 grown children and 3 grandchildren along the way. However, things aren't quite as simple or as innocent as they used to be, and I am now officially worried about all of them. Someone's President -(I'm sure as hell not claiming him) with his cabal of evil cronies is in the process of making a mockery of the Constitution, Bill of Rights and pretty much every civil liberty you and your neighbors take for granted. What I find scary, also, is that I actually feel concern while typing this that someone in some cubicle in some Federal Organization for the Security of the Fatherland...oops-Homeland, will deem that I'm an Enemy of the State and come knocking. Ahh, screw it-let 'em come. Bush, Cheney & Rove, Inc. are systematically dismantling everything our forefathers stood for. Interesting bit HERE:

And about this Executive Order..."...due to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security.." Hell! HE is the threat to the nation's security! It also seems King George is actually losing the war on terror, in regards to Al Qa'ida, if anyone takes the time to peruse some text of the latest National Security Estimate.
This is in spite of the roughly $400 BILLION spent in Iraq and the 3,000+ American lives lost there. My solution would entail letting the Iraqi "government" know that we are going to be out in, say, 18 months, and they better be prepared for it. Then I'd send most folks home, but keep some mobile forces and those spendy new MQ-9 drones for rooting out the terrorists on the Afghani-Pakistani border. (Sorry-not much oil there, George). Get the good 'ol B-52's involved too-they scare the hell out of everybody, still. We would then NOT be an army of occupation, mired in some unwinable nightmare, but actually burning the nasties (and don't get me wrong, they ARE out there) out of their holes where they live and train.
As for Iran, unless they do something REALLY stupid-I say leave them the hell alone. If they get froggy, though, stomp them one or two good ones then we will have a REAL a mess. I really don't think the Iranians want to screw with us on that level, though. The poor folks there seem to have more than their share of difficulties.

So...Do we wait till Next year to vote in a new administration? Hint:NO
Write to your Senators (everyone has 2, remember) AND your Representatve (one of those too) and let them know that you're "mad as hell and not going to take it any more!" (Thank you Peter Finch). It's going to be an interesting year and a half-that's for sure. Nancy Pelosi as President? ummm...ummm-no other option, huh? Oh well, I'm really looking forward to the Democratic Primaries and the general election next year. It's shaping up to be a history making election unless Bush pulls some REAL magic out of his, uh, hat, and saves the seemingly doomed GOP.( OR the Dem's manage to screw up a perfect chance for us to get either a black or female president).
In related news, Bush is going to have a colonoscopy Saturday. Hmmm-wonder what they're looking for......?

On the up side- The improper politicizing of wildlife and land use decisions by the Interior Department has been severely hampered by the resignation of appointee Deputy Assistant Secretary of Fish and Wildlife and Parks , Julie A. McDonald. Several cases are to be reviewed and likely overturned. (Score one for the people vs Big Business).

Ok...some other stuff:
Is Google going to revolutionize wireless next year?

Cool Paint-On solar panels

Saturn's sixtieth (yes-sixtieth) moon!

Landing a proper human craft on Mars seems to be tougher than most expected-

Microsoft won't make quite the gazillion dollars for the quarter that they wanted/expected due to a $1 BILLION charge for xbox 360 failures and consequent repairs.

For the soccer fans, David Beckham debuts with the L.A. Galaxy tomorrow vs. Chelsea FC ..ESPN @ 5:30 PDT

Register, Register, Register- then VOTE

noreply@blogger.com (Hob Quimby) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:51:00 +0000

You almost have to feel sorry for dear old George (yeah,right). I said ALMOST. The Republicans are drifting away from his dreadful Iraq "war" strategy in what is turning into a constant stream. The latest count is what..11? Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, Pete Domenici of New Mexico, George Voinovich-Ohio, Richard Lugar-Indiana, John Warner -Virginia, Chuck Hagel- Nebraska, Gordon Smith-Oregon, Olympia Snowe-Maine, Susan Collins-Maine. By and large these are respected and powerful members of the Senate too.

The former Surgeon General Richard Carmona had a few words
regarding our erstwhile Executive Branch too. Seems the man was
constantly pressured to put politics ahead of science fact pretty much across the board.

Is there anything this administration does that isn't underhanded, immoral or downright illegal? Let me know,OK? (I'm not holding my breath). I am constantly amazed that people can pull this crap off and still sleep at night. I assume its pretty much like any self-delusional syndrome. If you feel you are doing what's right, no problem.

To add a bit of fuel to this never-ending story...Virginia Democratic Representative Jim Moran is co-sponsoring a Cheney impeachment bill with Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) which brings the co-sponsor total to somewhere between 10 and 12 depending on your sources. The move continues to kill the Veeps funding.
(After all, he isn't part of the Executive Branch, right?)
And everyone does know that Dick is the former C.E.O of Halliburton, the Huston-based energy services and construction giant. (read: Iraq occupation profiteer) The stock has gone from roughly $5 per share in early 2002 To $35 per share today.

OK-so much for the collapsing Bush/Cheney regime...
Oh....3609 +/- The American war deaths in the occupation of
Iraq so far.
and...with the Iraq war costs (in dollars) approaching 450
billion, we could have sent 3 or 4 missions to Mars. (at least)

Now for something different:

>Speaking of Mars...The 'little rovers that could' are in serious trouble from a nasty Martian storm.

>Giant badgers terrorize Basra. (I don't have to make this stuff up)

>It's Less than two weeks after release and various groups/individuals are feverishly working on hacking the hell out of the iPhone. That would be DVD Jon (Jon Lech Johansen), along with others:
LINK

LINK

>The "mastermind" of the foiled bombings in London on July 21
2005 wasn't too good at math, it seems.

>American science and medicine is waaaay behind the curve
compared to the Brits in some areas.

November '08 is SOOOO far away!

noreply@blogger.com (Hob Quimby) — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 23:18:00 +0000

OK, it’s time for a HUGE rant(s) about the state of affairs in Washington D.C. and the U.S in general

……cue the patriotic music, boys

Who the HELL does George think he is? (I’ll get to Dick in a minute)

We have the 8 fired U.S. attorneys issue, the Val Plame/Libby mess (Yeah-I know that’s kinda a Dick Cheney deal, but look who commuted the snake’s sentence.) There’s those Quasi (NOT) legal wiretaps. There's the outright lying about anything to the public and his old-school oilman stand on global warming. Don’t get me started on that 4 year long quagmire in the Middle East (speaking of oil).
The only reason the Prez is going to get anything accomplished with Congress from now on is if the Democrats want something (read pork) in exchange. Remember the push to tie a war funding bill to a pull-out date? Well, until the Dems got a little in return, that is. Sheesh! I don’t know what irks me more, the Corrupt Big Business- Cronie Luvin Bastiges that infest the White House or the smarmy Speaker and her hench(men?).
The bright spot in this horrific mess seems to be a kind of a patriotic backlash against the agenda that Bush has been trying to shove down our throats for the last 5 years. It’s beginning to look (and rightly so) that the biggest boogie-men we need to fear don’t wear funny things on their heads and talk like Apu. They’re comfy-cozy in limos and hang out in big echoy (is that a word?) buildings. Not a few of those structures are located in the U.S. northeast.

Bush's popularity is the worst (consistently low) since Harry Truman's slide from the end of WWII till he left office.

For a funny/scary peek at Dubya, check the 'Scary Stuff' link to the right.

For a refreshing view on current events, try Keith Olberman’s ‘Countdown’ on MSNBC (link to right)

Life in the 21st Century

noreply@blogger.com (Hob Quimby) — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 21:10:00 +0000

Ok, I’m getting really tired of these screwy commercials where the advertisers show their product doing something completely improbable or impossible (or REALLY stupid). Then …zip…along the lower part of your screen blasts a “disclaimer” so fast and with type so small, you need a dvr with slo-mo to read the bloody thing. I mean, PLEASE! You can’t show a Range Rover driving around underwater and shoot by a 4 second message that a speed reader would find impossible to catch, to try and explain that “This is a dramatization and should not be taken seriously, never mind attempted”. I pride myself in the fact that I’m no idiot, but they’re out there, believe me. If a manufacturer or retailer is going to display their product within a false, improbable or impossible scenario, at least leave the “disclaimer” up long enough for the “reality challenged” of the viewing public to figure out that this ain’t such a great idea. Better yet, quit portraying products in such a light. If your auto is weatherproof to the extreme-create a monsoon, don’t drive the damn thing underwater and then try to explain in 4 seconds that anyone in their right mind should never try such a foolish stunt. At least Jose Cuervo, when their actress’ hair flies out with the claim that their product is “electric”, they slap a simple explanation large and long enough for all to understand “Not true, but sparks may fly anyway”. Now THAT’S a disclaimer!
It seems that Sony’s latest “fix” for the MediaMax portion of their DRM software causes just as much trouble as it “cures”. Patch one security hole-open another! Sheesh! Are these people really that incompetent when it comes to technology? As a former bench tech working on numerous consumer electronics products, including MANY by the illustrious afore-mentioned corporation, I can say that my days of referring to their products as “high quality” and “right up there with the best” are over. How can I support products from a corporation whose ineptitude (purposefully or inadvertently) has led them down this nightmare road?

Tidbits:

Remember Pearl Harbor!
Asteroid heading toward earth!
Flying Rodents?
One review of Peter Jackson’s latest jewel
Man’s corpse mistaken for dead deer
Microsoft being fined $32 M by South Korean anti-trust folks
Woman steals parrot by stuffing her bra

Too Much Caffeine

noreply@blogger.com (Hob Quimby) — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 19:48:00 +0000

I grew up in California in the 60’s and spent a big part of my spare time in high school and college participating in all those “groovy” things youngsters did in those days. Lately I’ve begun to wonder what the hell happened to everything we had planned. Go to a mall or department store and spend a bit of time looking around. There are countless examples of people of reason and sufficient age that are short on numerous skills that used to be taken for granted. I’m speaking here of common respect for others, the ability to tell a child when he/she is being unruly and rude and make it stick, a decent grasp of grammar, punctuation and sentence structure, just to name a few.

When did we stop challenging our children when we knew they were wrong? When did we forget how to use spell/grammar check in a word processor? (Hell, I can’t type, but can limp through a Word document). When did we stop saying please or thank you? When did we start believing that lunch or dinner should only take 3.5 minutes? When did we stop questioning OUR government’s right to start and continue a WAR without declaring one, or its right to chop up our civil rights in the name of “national security”?

To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin and Edmund Burke; “Those who give up liberty for the sake of security, deserve neither”, And "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

It seems like Americans are in the habit of doing a lot of nothing lately while their children wreak havoc on store shelves, freedoms erode and their government and rights are hijacked by those who lust for control and power. Not a small bit of this is so you and I can feel a little safer. (At least that’s the reason given). I don’t think I feel a whole lot safer with the Patriot Act in place, and I know I’ve taken a hit to the rights that our forefathers fought and died for 250 years ago.

Well, we can all relax and take a deep breath, ‘cause good ole Saddam Hussein says he’s not afraid of execution. So I say we get with it and save a lot of money somewhere. (Who’s paying for this “trial” anyway?)

Tidbits:

NY Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer may have a go at Sony in the rootkit debacle.
Big quake near the Congo-Tanzania border.
Meteorite display over Western Australia.
Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodruff to replace Peter Jennings on CBS’ “World News Tonight”.
“The Triangle” premiers on the Sci-Fi channel tonight.
Tyra Banks retires from modeling.
My older sis has a birthday today. Hi Marlene!

Slow News Day

noreply@blogger.com (Hob Quimby) — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 00:01:00 +0000

Squirrell eating a mouse-Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon

Thanks to the Washington Post for providing us with the Idiot idea of the week. The award goes to Bell South officer William L. Smith, who believes an ISP should be able to strike deals with various cyber sites to allow for them (the customers) to have “priority” in reaching the public. Sounds like a Jim Dandy idea, Bill. CRIPES! What’s with some corporate boneheads anyway? Anything to increase revenues while squeezing out the ass-busting little guys. Hey, let’s not make quality or service a factor, lets use good ole fashioned greed! So the biggies G R O W and the small fry get pushed to the back of the bus.

Tidbits:

Skype beta 2.0 with video (for Windows) is out.
Gmail has started virus scanning.
Microsoft has its WindowsOneCare AV Beta out now.
.XXX domain implementation by ICANN on hold for now.
Cablevision likes a-la-carte programming.
A pack (heh) of squirrels in Eastern Russia attacked and killed a dog.
A young Canadian girl died of anaphylactic shock after being kissed by her boyfriend

Rumor of the week:

Use of cell phones near your head can lead to mood disorders. (So what was her excuse BEFORE she got the phone?)

Sony, Lawyers, and the FCC

noreply@blogger.com (Hob Quimby) — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 23:13:00 +0000

The London Tower Bridge from the Wesminster side ~ 6/04

Well, it looks as though Sony has succeeded where many have failed. In their greed and ineptitude, installing their DRM software on unsuspecting customer’s pc’s, and in the process, leaving said computers open to infiltration by the nefarious in cyberspace, they have unleashed the inevitable backlash of consumers against any cd bearing a DRM notice. I can’t say I blame the buyers, and it’s about time the public woke up. Dear Sony, you have accomplished in one grand stupid stroke, what no one else could. Until the great DRM fiasco surfaced, not one in thousands were aware of the current state of “copy protection” schemes being used and contemplated by the music industry. THANK YOU SONY!

Now hopefully there will be a growing segment of the worldwide music listening population which just says NO to cockamamie DRM crap being foisted on us by the major labels.

Anyway, it seems that Texas’s Attorney General Greg Abbott, is pursuing legal options against Sony. The EFF has filed a class-action lawsuit against them in California Superior Court (L.A. County) alleging, among other things, that Sony has: (and I’m accurately paraphrasing here) engaged in deceptive practices, intentionally and unlawfully perpetrated harm, misrepresented characteristics or benefits of its cd’s, inserted unconscionable provisions into its EULA, concealed XCP and MediaMax related information. According to the EFF complaint, these practices are unlawful, unethical, oppressive, fraudulent, and malicious. AND an Italian organization, ALCEI, may be getting on the bandwagon with a complaint filed against the media giant. There also seems to be a NY attorney, Scott Kamber who has filed a class-action suit recently.

I guess we shouldn’t kill ALL the lawyers, eh, Will?

OK, enough of the Sony saga.

It also appears that the head of the FCC, Kevin Martin, today, apparently in his efforts to allow for easier control of “offensive” programming, has suggested that cable and satellite providers allow for more flexible choices in purchasing programming. It seems to me like this has been a long time coming. I for one, as a DirecTV subscriber have roughly 145 channels from which to pick (at $45 per month) and find myself watching maybe 10-20 max on a regular basis. I would be tickled to be able to select those channels without being forced to pay for a package which includes QVC, HSN, etc. At say, fifty cents to a dollar per channel for an a-la-carte menu with maybe a minimum of 10 or 20, I could get all I normally watch AND save a few dollars each month. There could be a huge side benefit for those marketing geeks that are crawling out of the corporate woodwork these days, too. Data regarding viewing habits should be much more precise and would allow for more accurate ad targeting, maybe?

Ramblings

noreply@blogger.com (Hob Quimby) — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 08:09:00 +0000

This is what happens when you are unemployed (on purpose) and the weather is really sucking. If I learned to type, that would make my life quite a bit easier, eh? I have come to the realization that our current president is an idiot. That revelation, coupled with the problems in the Florida balloting , makes me a tad bit worried about the current state of our leadership. (and WHO was/is governor of Florida?...)
I see that the Chinese Government is saying they will have a man on the moon by 2020. I guess they could use the room. Besides living space, they'll need the extra area for the factories producing all that WalMart crap plus the next couple of generations of video game consoles.
If you are a 49er's or Sacramento Kings fan, I feel your pain. The 49er's have to get better to get to suck, however they have won twice as many games as all of last season. . And the Kings...well,the worst start in 8 years...at least the NBA season is Looong.
Speaking of China...is anyone else suspecting the figures that its govt. is releasing about this bird flu thing might be under-reported a wee bit. That to me, is the scary thought-not the disease itself, but that a repressive regime would hide vital stats relating to a potential plague.
A little hello to Virg and Dave, my sis and brother-in-law outside Birmingham, England. Hi guys! I heard you got snow...eek!
I am patiently waiting the release of "Serenity" on dvd soon-an excellent movie. Also on my need-to-see list are "Aeon Flux " and "Pride and Prejudice" . One of my favorite actors-Matthew MacFayden from the British show "Spooks" (on A&E as MI-5) plays Mr. Darcy opposite Keira Knightly. A job any sane man would leave a tv series for. One of the nice things about being sans job-you can go to the movies when the crumb-snatchers are all in school!