All posts from March, 2006

I have a confession to make: even though it says “for external use only” on the Q-Tips box, and even though doctors are always telling you *never* to stick anything in your ears, if I don’t clean my ear canals out once a month or so, it gets kind of, uhm, gross. Well, here I thought us greasy Hi-talians were the only ones with earwax problems. It turns out that Asians and Blacks are similarly afflicted:

“It’s not just an Eastern thing. I’m Black and my parents are from the South (Mom St. Louis; Dad, Alabama); they taught all of us kids how to clean our ears from the time we were toddlers.” Boing Boing: How to clean your ear with a bobby pin

I have to say, though… I’m kinda scared of the bobby pin thing. Think I’ll stick to Q-Tips.

Things are not good for Microsoft right now– they just delayed the launch of their next version of Windows, named “Vista,” which promises an improved graphics engine, integrated desktop search, retractable cupholders, anti-lock breaks, and the ability to send you mother flowers if you forget her birthday. The new launch date is February 2007, fully a year six months later than expected. Poor Microsoft, chinks are really starting to appear in their armor.

Now apparently it turns out that they’re planning on rewriting vast parts of what already is done. This is exactly the sort of opportunity that competitors like Novell and Apple have been praying for– it’ll be fun to see if they manage to sieze the day, as it were. Novell in particular will soon release an updated OS with a graphics engine called XGL– very similar to the “Aero Glass” interface that Vista will have (and of course Apple’s Quartz Extreme which has been around for several years now.)

Hey, it looks like Morrissey finally came out of the closet!

Decided to resurrect a project a friend of mine and I used to work on (a blog of sorts, with reviews of bad and cult movies) because we’ve been wanting to write new reviews, but now that it’s back online neither of us is sure what to write about. So, for now, it’s just the archives, until we get inspired again.

Also, I’ve been listening to an internet radio station called Luxuria all the time lately. It’s full of all sorts of loungey, groovy goodness.

Just something I uhm, learned recently:

1. Soak the stain in 3% hydrogen peroxide from the drug store. (Do a spot test first to make sure it doesn’t bleach the fabric.)
2. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
3. Rinse it out with cold water.
4. Hang the shirt in a sunny window for a day.
5. Launder it.

Amazing! I thought that shirt was a goner for sure.

Here’s an amazing bit of information: you can tell whether a fruit is organic or GMO by looking at the number on the little sticker:

• Conventionally grown fruit has four digits
• Genetically modified fruit has five digits, beginning with 8
• Organically grown fruit has five digits, beginning with 9

Unfortunately, Bush changed the USDA guidelines for organic growers to allow certain pesticides, so “organic” doesn’t always mean organic (unless it’s certified by California or another state.) But, it’s great to be able to avoid genetically-modified foods if you so wish.

UPDATE: Apparently there’s only one genetically-modified fruit currently being sold.

I just saw an amazing documentary movie last night, The Corporation. I remember when this film came out in 2003, and I remember dismissing it as just another preachy and hysterical rant. Well, I was very wrong.

The movie’s rather sensational “hook” is that if you observe the behavior of modern-day corporations in the context of an individual (since corporations are, in a certain legal sense, people) you get a personality profile not unlike criminal sociopathy. What’s great about the film, though, is that they let the Captains of Industry speak out in their own words. These guys are really deluded– one exec (sorry, I can’t remember from which company because I am a flake) waxes rhapsodic about a world in which every natural resource, from the air we breathe to rainwater from the sky, is bought and sold in a global marketplace. Basically, these guys tell themselves that they are protecting the environment by attempting to own every molecule of it. (This is the basic idea behind the “emissions credits” that Bush has been yakking about.)

On the other hand, there’s also an interview with Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface, one of the world’s largest carpet manufacturers, who’s on a personal mission to bring “100% sustainability” to his industry. He’s actually been fairly successful in the past ten years reducing things like oil consumption and water use in his own company, while increasing profits. This guy is leading the good fight– but all of this is just a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the marketplace.

Anyway, none of these issues is in and of itself new to me, but this is the first time I’d seen it all brought together in such an entertaining whole. Depressing, but entertaining. Rent it!

Tom Managhan, co-director of Domino’s Pizza, is trying to build a Catholic paradise in the Florida swamps:

“‘We’ve already had about 3500 people inquire on our Web site about buying a home there — you know, they’re all Catholic,’ Monaghan says excitedly. ‘We’re going to control all the commercial real estate, so there’s not going to be any pornography sold in this town. We’re controlling the cable system. The pharmacies are not going to be able to sell condoms or dispense contraceptives.’ A private chapel will be located within walking distance of each home. At the stunning church in the center of town, Mass will be said hourly, seven days a week, from 6 a.m. on. ‘So,’ Monaghan concludes, with just a hint of understatement, ‘it’ll be a unique town.’”

…the same way that Nazi Germany was a “unique” nation, I suppose.

WorkingForChange-Mr. Monaghan builds his dream town