The view from MY right

Back to blogging

2009-03-11T15:25:00.002-05:00

Frankly, I haven't blogged since August for one reason - I was just not motivated. The GOP candidate was crap, Obama winning was a fait accompli, and I was just too depressed to get wound up and blog.

With all the stuff that has been going on since the Big O was inaugurated, I'm motivated again. Look for more.

Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska

2008-08-29T11:29:00.009-05:00

It's a striking image. Striking enough to bring me out of blogging malaise.

Right now I am looking at Senator McCain and Governor Palin speaking in Dayton and it's compelling. The more I learn about her and her background the more appealing she is. Her story is compelling, if a little short for now. The more she speaks the more I like her.

11:37- She speaks strongly on ethics and energy. Two good topics for this campaign.

11:39- I think this is good for McCain. It's certainly bringing this member of the base into line with the campaign.

11:41- She's a forceful speaker but not overwhelming. Not the brow-beating harshness of Hillary, but a good strong voice. I really want to see more from her next week at the convention.

11:42- I hope they drop the "commander of Alaska's National Guard" line. I know it's true, and probably a lot more applicable than most of us know, but it just reminds me of how lame I thought that line was when Bill Clinton's campaign used it.

11:45- I think she is going to play very, very well in middle America.

I know, I have not posted in FOREVER

2008-07-16T15:00:00.002-05:00

I promise I am trying to get back into posting, but I am so down on both political candidate's that I am just not excited. Maybe I can broaden my horizons....

We'll see, I really will try to start posting more.

Gorbachev is a Christian

2008-03-20T09:55:00.000-05:00

He has publicly said so. I truly feel like this explains so much about about how the Soviet Union was brought down. Very, Very interesting.

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Communist leader of the Soviet Union, has acknowledged his Christian faith for the first time, paying a surprise visit to pray at the tomb of St Francis of Assisi.
Accompanied by his daughter Irina, Mr Gorbachev spent half an hour on his knees in silent prayer at the tomb.

His arrival in Assisi was described as "spiritual perestroika" by La Stampa, the Italian newspaper.

"St Francis is, for me, the alter Christus, the other Christ," said Mr Gorbachev. "His story fascinates me and has played a fundamental role in my life," he added.

Mr Gorbachev's surprise visit confirmed decades of rumours that, although he was forced to publicly pronounce himself an atheist, he was in fact a Christian, and casts a meeting with Pope John Paul II in 1989 in a new light.

Is this what modern American society is becoming?

2008-03-15T19:51:00.002-05:00

Or is the NY Times ridiculously out of touch?

You can take this statement from an article on trans-gender college students one of two ways... which way do you take it?

Then he took a typical step for someone going to high school in the first years of this century. He went home and typed “transgender” into Google.

John McCain Speaks at Dell - LIVE BLOG

2008-02-29T10:26:00.017-06:00

10:25 - a few minutes late due to webcast issues...

10:27 - follow Osama "to the gates of hell" - good applause line

10:28 - He reiterates his support of NAFTA - countering the Obama story yesterday. He promises to Canada and Mexico that we will not back out...

10:29 - "The surge is working. It is succeding". Applause "We are blessed to have General Petraus" More applause.

10:30 - Specific goods words about the Texas National Guard. Crowd likes it.

10:32 - Jokes about the status of his campaign a few months ago - "It's always blackest before it gets totally dark - Chairman Mao"

10:33 - "I'd rather lose a campaign than lose this war" - good line

10:34 - Good short comments, proceeding to open questions

10:35 - Question from a Iraqi Freedom veteran asking about treatment for new veterans - "we have passed legislation, but we have got to do a lot more" "we have got to expand the VA system"

10:36 - "The only way that the price of gas will go down is if we become energy independent"

10:37 - He let's Kaye Bailey Hutchison address a question about AmTrak - huh.

10:40 - We have to modernize the air traffic control system

10:41 - Answers a question on international highway system by blatantly dismissing the notion of a "North American Federation" or anything like it

10:42 - "I'm totally in favor of it" - on tax breaks to help companies globalize without layoffs

10:45 - Long question about relations w/ Latin America, Cuba, and immigration
- Reiterates support for free trade in Latin America
- 70% of Latin America votes in his Arizona reelection
- Cuba: "state sponsors of terrorism" "gulags that would make Stalin blush" - Does not accept comparison to China
- Raul was Fidel's hitman
- We should send a clear message on how we can re-establish relations now that Fidel is no longer in control

10:50 - Hits (convincingly) Obama on his "al Qaeda in Iraq" gaffe - draws distinctions on Iraq between himself and the two Dems

10:52 - Very good answer on vaccine-induced autism. Congress needs to act and he admits it.

10:55 - He is pretty funny and disarming. Much better than he tends to come off on TV.

11:00 - He did well - lots for me to think about going into Tuesday...

John McCain to visit Dell's Round Rock Campus

2008-02-28T12:07:00.005-06:00

As sharp readers of this blog can probably assume from many of my posts, I work for Dell in Austin. I love my job and am proud of the company I work for, but I have never brought up my employment before and I don't intend to much in the future.

Here is why it is relevant today: tomorrow morning, not more than 100 yards from my desk, John McCain will have a town hall meeting for Dell employees. Due to the complicated and confusing registration procedure I am not sure if I will be able to attend in person, but at a minimum I will be watching the internal webcast of it.

So what am I looking for from him? Well, I am an undecided Republican primary voter and while the race for the nominee has all but been decided by now I always take voting seriously and I have to vote my conscience. That being said, he has an opportunity to win my vote tomorrow if he can demonstrate most, if not all, of the things below. I have to say, I do not think he will do this even though my expectations are somewhat lowered at this point.

Show that he can be the conservative standard-bearer in the fall campaign. Let's face it, he is saying the right things now except on a few points - but its the primary season of course he is running to the right. When the fall comes, what is going to keep him from running right to the center, or even the left? I don't expect closure on this tomorrow - I simply would like to see an indication based on the strength of his statements
Taxes. Bush tax cuts permanent? Will he resist calls to raise the capital gains tax? How strong will he emphasize supply-side economics in his policies? This is key for me
Health care reform - sure I think our system sucks. But does that mean I want our government providing it for me through a socialist system? HELL NO! So, our task as Republicans will be to fight this issue on tow fronts. Number one we need to effectively articulate our own solution to the current mess - we certainly do not need to ignore the situation. The vast middle of American political opinion will not consider listening to us without a substantial plan of our own. Second, point out the many, many flaws of a government administered, mandated system that the Dems are hawking. Americans will lose their rights and freedoms in such a system, and we need to point that out!
Show no fear. He will have to take on a historical first regardless of who wins the Dems beauty pageant, and he cannot be scared of that. Sure, run a clean campaign and stick to the issues - but do not back down or concede anything to them out of fear for the game of identity politics.

If Johnny boy can show me those things tomorrow he will have my support on Tuesday. If not, I'll be voting for Huckabee before jumping on the McCain bandwagon for the fall.

I believe the strongest chance the GOP has this year (or any year for that matter) is to stand up and state why we are right and they are wrong. In a strong war of ideas we will win - I just hope the Senator from Arizona gets this too...

Larry Kudlow endorses McCain

2008-02-11T14:14:00.000-06:00

Larry Kudlow is a smart, smart guy that I respect a lot. He has endorsed McCain in the general and made some good points:

McCain is also good news for business and the stock market. He wants to cut the corporate tax and keep dividend and cap-gains tax rates low. He’s tough as nails on restraining government spending and blowing up earmarks. On top of all this, he’s a very strong free trader who knows America can compete with the rest of the world.

...

This also happens to be a good time for the GOP to nominate someone who served bravely and courageously in the military. McCain is much more than a POW who somehow survived the Hanoi Hilton. He is a true military man. It flows through his veins, posing a whopper of a problem for Hillary or Obama. Guaranteed, there will be no chicken-hawk taunts.

And let’s not forget that military leaders who know all about war, security, and defense are exactly the people who cherish peace the most. When John McCain talks about the global terror war and how to deal with it, and how to protect this country, and how to move toward peace, voters will listen. So will folks around the world. This is all part of McCain’s character.

Read the whole thing.

Well, we're stuck with McCain

2008-02-06T15:13:00.000-06:00

Yep, I said it. Stuck.

I have a list a mile long of why I do not like Sen. McCain. That is precisely why I will not be voting for him in the Texas Primary come March 4th. I will even vote for Mike Huckabee before I vote for "Straight Talking" John. I could sit here and catalog my disagreements with him over immigration, taxes, and his absolute disregard for the First Amendment - but I won't. There is simply no point in it anymore.

When he wins the nomination, which he will, I will support him. But only by default. I can't in good conscience vote for one of the two socialists the Dems will put up, and my sense of duty compels me to vote, so there you go.

To all of you real conservatives out there in my shoes I beg you, please consider your votes this fall very carefully. Sure McCain is a bad choice - but can you imagine the alternative?

Crunchy Con: A New Addition to the Blogroll

2008-01-21T13:31:00.000-06:00

I am very happy to announce an addition to my blogroll. I have been reading Crunchy Con by Rod Dreher daily since finishing his book by the same name.

I do not agree with everything Rod professes, but I do believe the worldview that is laid out in his book is great and certainly truly conservative. His criticisms of the Republican party and its blind loyalty to economic libertarianism is very thought provoking and hits home with me.

Hit up his blog, I'm sure you'll find something interesting.

2008 GOP Presidential Candidates Breakdown

2008-01-21T12:06:00.001-06:00

Well, I mentioned here earlier today that I am throughly unimpressed with the lackluster field we have in the GOP primaries. So, here I am to present my breakdown of the candidates. Admittedly these are short and shallow, but I will certainly be discussing them more as we head to the Texas primary.

Romney - The Robot:
I don't get much from him when I watch him speak. Don't get me wrong, in many ways he is the leading guy for me at this point in time - but I can't connect with him. This certainly does not disqualify him in my mind, but I think it does hurt his electability. Policy-wise he is solid for me, and his experience as an executive, his turnaround of the Salt Lake City Olympics, and his performance running the bluest state in the country all make him attractive to me. I just hope that Rod Dreher and Dan Larison are not right - he does come off a bit like Algore.

Huckabee - Snake Oil Salesman:
This one is tough for me - Huckabee is the guy I want to like, but just cannot. I do like his method of blending faith and politics for me personally, but I really dislike two effects it has. First, he comes off sounding like a "big government conservative", which is such an oxymoron that anyone with that label should have everything else about them as a candidate questioned. He should be focusing on personal responsibility, community and faith-based groups helping out socially, and focus on the fight for life. Second, his record is not consistent economically and his foreign policy experience leaves A LOT to be desired. He's just not ready to go for the big time, and even if he was I have serious policy concerns.

McCain - Open Borders:
While he is certainly the best man when it comes to foreign policy - by far - I just cannot get over McCain-Feingold and his stance on illegal immigration. I just can't see giving him my primary vote.

Giuliani - The Question Mark:
Seriously, where did he go? I don't think his strategy of waiting until Florida to get started will work. I think he is very electable, but I don't know if he is really a serious candidate now.

Thompson - Crash and Burn:
OK, he had great buzz going into his candidacy announcement and did nothing with it. Again, I just don't think he is a serious candidate now. I would wager that he drops out fairly soon.

I'm Back, Again

2008-01-21T11:32:00.000-06:00

Well, I am sure by now any readers out there have left me - so I guess its a fresh start! Anyone seeing this because you have not cleaned out your RSS reader, thanks for hanging on! ;)

Truthfully, there are many reasons why I have not been blogging lately - major (but good) changes at work, buying a home, OSU football season, and a general malaise about the elections this year. Don't get me wrong, I am certainly interested in what is going on, and I have been following the news just as much as ever, but I just don't care yet. Here's why: I could never vote for any of the Dems, and the Republican field is just so lackluster. I'll address the GOP field in a follow up post, but suffice it to say that I am throughly unimpressed.

Anyway, I am back and will be posting alot more. I'm even going to try some new things this year, so let's see how it goes!

Blankley to social conservatives: "It would be an act of historic ingratitude to sabotage the GOP candidate at this point"

2007-10-05T10:14:00.000-05:00

Tony Blankley hits the nail on the head with this piece on social conservatives and the GO P:

The GOP is now less trusted than the Democrats on every issue except terrorism -- and even on that issue, they are a point or two down. But on that most vital issue of supreme national interest, the GOP has the good fortune to be not only instinctively in the right, but to have the one presidential candidate in either party who genuinely is seen as the nation's leader on the issue. That would be Rudy Giuliani. He is the one candidate who the Democratic operatives privately fear. Moreover, as a social liberal, he would be competitive in such usually reliable Democratic states as New York, New Jersey, California, Oregon, Washington, Pennsylvania and others.

...

They also would be walking away from a coalition that, since 1981 (and particularly since 2001), has delivered a higher percentage of their agenda than it has to any other part of the conservative coalition. Fiscal conservatives received tax cuts but not spending cuts. Hawk conservatives received assertive foreign policy but bad management of it and a dangerous running down of the Army. But social conservatives received first-rate Supreme Court justices, a real effort at faith-based initiatives, constant rhetorical support for biblical values, and in fact, they have been denied nothing of consequence that brought them into politics. It would be an act of historic ingratitude to sabotage the GOP candidate at this point. It also would be a short path to undermining everything they have gained in national politics in the past quarter century.

He is dead on. There is nothing good for any conservative if Hillary wins the White House - how could anyone think there would be? We need to get our house in order... quick.

myLeaderbaord: sometimes it's the little things...

2007-08-13T16:14:00.000-05:00

Sometimes technology makes your life better and sometimes it goes the other way. For me at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills on Sunday, it was a bit of both. One of my frustrations with attending golf tournaments is the no cell phone rule. Now, let me be very clear, I think it is a good rule as most people are not responsible with their phones - but it still bugs me. That being said I had an experience with a device that helped - but not relieved - my iPhone withdrawals.

I knew not being able to use the internet on the phone to keep track of what was going on everywhere else on the course - enter myLeaderboard. myLeaderboard is a device (and company) that debuted at the PGA Championship last year, and I had my first run-in with it this past weekend.

First the good:

The first 1000 American Express cardholders got them free this past weekend
The system is incredibly easy to use - intuitive, simple, and efficient in locating information
Good integration with the entire tournament experience - directions, locations of critical facilities, and other content made this very useful
Fantastic idea considering the cell phone rule

Now the bad, and some of it is very bad:

For a system named "myLeaderboard" one would expect timely updates on the, you know, leaderboard. I could not get updates late in the afternoon to save my life - for example when Tiger was on 15, his score on the device showed his score through 4 only. No error message, no updates, nothing except for a spinning refresh indicator. As someone who manages software development projects for a living I can tell you, this is a poor user experience that should be remedied ASAP. Don't add a single new feature or update until the system can be made more reliable, and give the user appropriate error information
The UI design is simple, but it is not graceful - it looks like a web page circa 1999
Also, update the technology. A 'web 2.0' technology upgraded could really improve the user-friendliness and usability

All in all it was an OK experience - for free. This system was not ready to be sold for $25 a day at a major championship. But to you guys at myLeaderbaord keep it up, this is a great idea - you just need to step up your execution on it.

Obama vs. Rudy on Judicial Decision Making

2007-07-18T16:29:00.000-05:00

From TheHill.com:

After a speech heavily critical of the new Supreme Court in front of a Planned Parenthood Action Fund conference in Washington, the presidential candidate said he would look into potential nominees’ hearts when deciding whom to select for vacancies in the country’s highest court.

“[Chief] Justice Roberts said he saw himself just as an umpire,” Obama said. “But the issues that come before the court are not sports; they’re life and death. We need somebody who’s got the empathy to recognize what it’s like to be a young teenage mom.”

Obama said that 95 percent of cases can be judged on intellect, but that the other 5 percent are the most important ones.

Wow, seriously? Is he really advocating that only "95 percent of cases" should be judged based on legal reasoning, jurisprudence, and the Constitution? How in good faith can he have taken an oath to "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" if he believes it should be ignored in 5% of cases decided by the Supreme Court?

He is either lying, or admitting that he does not believe the oath he took, or the one he wants to take. I suspect it is the latter.

Compare that to this from Mr. Giuliani:

Americans are concerned that special interests and partisan politics are compromising the integrity of our legal system. In too many cases, there is no accountability and no evident common sense. That’s why our nation needs to eliminate frivolous lawsuits while ensuring that responsible judges are appointed to our courts.

Some people believe judges should “evolve” the law to reflect short-term political and cultural trends. I disagree. The individuals responsible for updating our laws are our elected representatives. Federal judges – who are appointed for life – are responsible for interpreting our laws. And the Constitution can only be amended by the American people.

I don't think I have to point out which one simply sounds better, and smarter.

Friends point out mistakes and flaws...

2007-07-13T13:34:00.000-05:00

One of the best traits of a good friend is one who is willing to point out mistakes and foibles when necessary. In that spirit, as a Christian and conservative I am embarrassed by this (via Althouse):

This is so wrong, even thought the text of their comments is right. In this country we have freedom of religion, but that does not translate into "Freedom of religion, only if you are Christian". Essentially what these protesters shouted is correct, but I would submit that the actions were not right. If the logic of the protesters was followed to the logical conclusion then there would only be Christian prayers allowed in these situations, and that would make the practice unconstitutional. So, which is the better approach for these guys? To keep their mouths shut and not overrun another person's beliefs when they are being appropriately expressed. There are many, many ways they could have gotten their message across without casting shame onto themselves and their goals.

If this was a church and not the Senate chamber I would probably be taking a much different stance, but in this case you have to respect the rule of law and the constitutional guidelines. I do not think the Christian thing to do is try and humiliate and persecute people of other faiths, but to love them and share the gospel - do you think that this was either loving or a good witness for Christ? I don't think so.

Sony has not learned a lesson from other's woes

2007-07-06T20:40:00.000-05:00

You would think with all of the publicity the PC industry has gotten that companies would be learning a lesson from others' misfortunes. Heck, Dell has been listening, improving, and investing in customer service heavily since the Jeff Jarvis blogswarm, so it should be on the radar for all companies.

Well apparently not Sony, because their VAIO customer service experience sounds like hell.

Sprint: we don't want your money

2007-07-06T15:51:00.000-05:00

Can you be dumped by your wireless carrier? Apparently.

At least not if the squeaky wheel is a Sprint Nextel customer. On June 29,
2007, Sprint sent letters notifying some customers that their service would be
canceled by the end of July due to excessive calls to customer service.

"Our records indicate that over the past year, we have received frequent calls from
you regarding your billing or other general account information," the letter
reads. "While we have worked to resolve your issues and questions to the best of
our ability, the number of inquiries you have made to us during this time has
led us to determine that we are unable to meet your current wireless
needs."

"Therefore after careful consideration, the decision has been made to
terminate your wireless service agreement effective July 30, 2007."

Wow. Of course, as a very displeased former customer of Sprint's I would have danced for joy to have received this letter.

iPhone: My Thoughts - Take 2

2007-07-06T01:31:00.000-05:00

So, I have had the iPhone for 5 days now, and I would like to add to my earlier post.

I LOVE the UI. I am so impressed with the intuitiveness and ease of use. I also love to see people's reaction they start to play with it
The recessed headphone jack is a real pain - REALLY. I have a great pair of Etys that I use on my 5G iPod religiously, and now I am going to have to buy a crappy $10 accessory that I will probably lose just to use them. I would like to think Apple would have bee smarter than this - I get the issue with the shape of the edges, but they should have came up w/ something better
Email client is not great - but at least I only use it for personal email. for that functionality it is just fine for me
iPod functionality is awesome, especially Cover Flow!
I'm impressed by the build quality, it just feels solid

The future of transportation in the US

2007-07-05T13:40:00.000-05:00

Contrary to what my views on Algore, global warming, and his movie suggest I am quite concerned about the future of transportation in this country. But it has nothing to do with carbon emissions. Here are my top 3 reasons for worrying about the state of getting around in this country:

Energy independence, and the national security problems it could solve and prevent
Economic waste enabled (or encouraged) by the current system
Personal convenience and economic benefit

First off, I will comment on the energy independence part of this. Being able to sustain your own economy yourself has been a key strategic goal for countries and empires for the length of recorded history. Now, we should certainly not take steps like the Japanese did in their WWII actions, but we must consider the need to sustain ourselves. If we were to be cut off from our foreign sources of oil for any reason our economy would stop in an instant. We need to change the way we acquire, use, and distribute energy. Everything should be on the table solution-wise, and the government should use incentives (tax cuts) as opposed to disincentives (new taxes or hikes) to encourage behavior changes in the citizenry.

Second, the amount of wasted resources is a drag on the economy. Having traveled to many large international cities in the last few years I can attest to the fact that public transportation systems can work, and work beautifully, if they are setup and constructed in line with the public's way of life, transportation needs, and economic situation. Subway systems like NYC's impress me on all these levels. They deliver value and benefit to everyone who uses them - and the same goes for my experiences in Tokyo and London. By contrast, failed efforts like the past ones here in Austin are doomed from the start because they do not match up well to this criteria. For example according to the most recent proposal, the routes and operating times do not match for anything other than workday commuting - ignoring the huge amounts of people traveling downtown for the much touted, and pushed by the city, nightlife and entertainment district. Also, the only route is on the western half of the city and would not service large portions of the suburban population that could be ideally served. In the end, there is no way this is an economically viable option, yet it keeps being pushed. We need to design solutions that work and serve the public, not ones that are designed to appease some environmental agenda and give the city council a warm fuzzy feeling.

But here is the main reason I feel like we need an overhaul of the national transportation systems - my own personal convenience and benefit. I know, I know, that's a selfish reason - but at least it's a real one. I truly think the quality of life in this country can be improved by a shift in the way Americans think about transportation. Now, as I have stated before, I do not believe this is cause for big federal projects and an excuse for more ugly earmarks, but an issue that local and state governments follow market based principles can influence and shape. I have one good example, Austin does need a rail system. "But wait," you cry "you were just complaining about a proposal for one!" Yes, but that was because it was a badly designed idea. Here is what needs to happen:

Recognize that buses cannot serve the full metro area well enough to be viable for the large numbers of riders. Adjust routes and funding from the city accordingly
Resurrect the downtown rail trolleys as a starting point. Many of the tracks still exist and could used with work
Build a line that works well and start small. Maybe only run it out to northwest Austin and out a bit to the south as well to start, then add on as ridership grows
Build a central station - that's actually downtown! The first plan had the hub ridiculously far from downtown. No one would walk or cab it that far
Build your schedule around peak travel hours, and peak downtown use, not just commuting hours

Now, I am no expert but that looks like a much more sensible plan than the one proposed prior. If one that is useful to the people cannot work then one must look for alternatives, not keep trying to shove a square peg into a round hole.

I don't have all the answers obviously, but I do think that a discussion needs to take place at the local and state levels to address our transportation infrastructure and growth. This needs to be a rational discussion that searches for economically viable (not even money making, hot about just not money losing ventures!), beneficial, and energy efficient solutions. In a free market economy to reach those kinds of solutions we need to focus on incentives, research and development, and trust the consumers. Remember, the beauty of the free market is its ability to allocate limited resources more efficiently than any other system, and shouldn't that be our goal as conservationists?

Anger and frustration with the Mainstream Media

2007-07-03T18:47:00.000-05:00

I really hate the state of today's MSM. They take time to report on the tiniest, slightest possibility of scandal in the government, oh wait that's only when it's the Republicans. Anyway, they are so biased that they cannot bring themselves to report anything that may, even slightly, help the GOP and Bush.

Perfect example, read this story about an atrocity committed by al Qaeda against an entire village in Iraq and ask yourself - have you heard about it anywhere else? If not, why not?

I submit very simply that the media is so biased they will omit, lie, and probably do worse with the news as long as it can advance their anti-Bush agenda. Half of me wants to see the Democrat party win the Presidency next go around, even just so the American people can finally get the real story on the Global War on Terror.

UPDATE: More on this from Instapundit. It's sounds so blunt coming from a member of the media themselves I almost don't believe it. Here is an excerpt:

It is humiliating because it is obvious that we media – and our allies in the state department, the legal trade, the NGOs, the Democratic Party, the UN, etc., - can’t do squat about such determined use of force.
Our words, images, arguments and skills can’t stop the killing. Only the rough soldiers and their guns can solve the problem, and we won’t admit that fact because the admission would weaken our influence and our claim to social status.

Also from Glenn's post, check this out from Hot Air, in their own words:

On May 17, NBC reported a blockbuster exclusive report on the superiority of Dragon Skin body armor over Interceptor, the body armor that the US Army issues to soldiers in combat zones. But NBC’s story has a major flaw: It’s wrong about nearly everything.

Smashing Pumpkins are back!

2007-07-03T01:26:00.000-05:00

I don't do a lot of posts on music, but I am a huge fan of all types and it plays a large role in my life. That being said, the Smashing Pumpkins were my biggest influence in high school and now they are back - and rocking just as hard as ever!

Here is the new video - Tarantula. Enjoy!

My iPhone: Thoughts

2007-07-01T19:39:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it. I got an iPhone this weekend. Now, I did not go stand out in a line for 24 hours or anything, in fact I was planning on waiting for awhile, but that did not last too long.

I went into the new Apple Store here in Austin knowing ahead of time that they had none in stock. I knew this and went because I wanted to get my hands on one and see how they actually performed. I spent 10 minutes waiting for an available demo model to use, and spent ten minutes playing around. I was impressed, the reviews I had seen were all accurate except for the keyboard issues - I really had no major problems and got used to it in a few minutes. After playing around with it for a few minutes, and the hours of review reading I had done in the last 18 hours, led me to decide that I was going to buy one. However I really should wait, I told myself, for more info and reviews - good thing they were out, right?

Then I heard the fateful words from a salesperson, "Guys, we just got some 8GB iPhones in."

So I bought it... and I love it. The positives and negatives are all over the web, so I will not repeat them here. However, here is my list of differences and/or strong observations with the conventional wisdom:

The UI and touchscreen is great. It's so intuitive and easy it deserves the label of revolutionary
The web browser IS awesome, and the EDGE network here in Austin is slow, but certainly not deal-breaking for me
WiFi support is seamless and great
If you customize your phone book, the steps to call your "favorites" are not too many
This is not a phone that does other stuff, it is a consolidated device that makes phone calls
As stated elsewhere, this is not a BlackBerry killer, but then again I'm quite sure it was not designed to be

I really like it so far, and if you are a gadget-head with the money I recommend it, provided you understand and are OK with all the caveats and drawbacks mentioned. It's not the perfect phone, but it IS a game changer.

The people speak...

2007-06-22T00:10:00.000-05:00

According to a new Gallup poll released today, American's confidence in Congress has reached an all-time low. So when are all the stories going to pop up in TIME, Newsweek, and the NYT about the weakening political power of Reid, Pelosi, and Co.? Oh wait...

But here is the real interesting fact: most of the Democrat Party's usual targets rank far above them in this poll. A few examples: #1- the military, #2- small business, #4- organized religion. Even further down the lists the news seems to get worse: the Presidency, big business, and even HMOs rank higher than Congress - in fact Congress is at the bottom of the list!

from gallup.com:

Go take a look at the full info over at gallup.com - it's quite interesting.

Triumph at the Tonys

2007-06-19T14:09:00.001-05:00

Too funny.