My first exposure to your music was seeing the video for "Don't Lets Start" on a Dr. Demento video countdown on MTV in the mid to late 80s. Looking back, I don't really find that song all that weird, but then again I have spent all of that time being influenced by your music.

Were you always out to hit that weird nerve? Where you surprised to be picked up by the Good Doctor, who is perhaps best known for promoting parodies and songs that are humorous and/or ridiculous? Did this influence the evolution of your sound at all?

Thanks,
Matt

By that definition, we have only had maybe 3 or 4 winters in the 20+ years I have lived in Western Washington.

I would say something about fall in the Evergreen state, but my next door neighbor has an enormous maple tree, so that would simply be hyperbole. :-)

RM,

It seems like I have been doing this whole nerd thing forever. Occasionally, I am reminded that people have been doing it better and longer than I have. Thanks, jerk!

I thank you for helping to foster in me a love of open source software which has opened a number of doors for me, both professionally and personally. Though I have not been reading or contributing much lately do to other concerns (these kids ain't gonna raise themselves), I continue to hold you and this site in high regard.

Best of luck in whatever you decide to do. May there be many Tacos.
Matt

Pretending my previous experience doesn't exist is a futile experiment.

Unless I can be reinfected with the excitement I previously had I will most likely not change my habits. For something like Wave to be successful it needs to change your behavior and it missed its opportunity to do that easily with me.

To address, the demand issue, there WAS demand for it back when invites were difficult to get. Had they thrown open the flood gates then they would have had a better chance of being successful. The only time the invite only Beta has been exceptionally successful for Google has been with Gmail and Gmail wasn't really changing a behavior for most people.

I started using Wave in the Beta. At first my level of excitement was very high as I figured out ways that technology could be useful.

Unfortunately that excitement waned as I discovered I had very few people to share it with as invites were scarce and not many people I wanted to communicate with regularly had one.

Now the product is free and open but it has missed its opportunity to integrate itself into my routine. I think that Google might have lost a lot of community Evangelists on this one.

Your pants were totally asking for it, you felt the fabric they were made out of...

"We look at beastiality taboos as protecting animals"

YOU look at bestiality as a taboo for protecting animals. It is a taboo because most people would find the notion of it repulsive and they find anyone who "gets off" on that sort of thing to be disturbed.

There is very little taboo for killing creatures and eating their flesh, so long as those creatures aren't particularly useful to us is some other way (Dogs, Cats, Horses) or repugnant to us (bugs, rodents). It is what all animals do.

You don't see a tiger having sex with a monkey in the wild, but I suppose if you did you would let him/her finish.

You got me beat, I am only 2,294,752.65 me's away from my place of birth.