So here it is, another year-end. And I'm at work. Again. Along with about 2% of the company. What a waste. And once again, productivity will be 0% today. In any event, this was different than last. Not better. Just different. Maybe a little worse. Why?...

• We DID go to war with Iraq over oil. Don't believe me? Just ask Haliburton. But, soldiers keep dying, and my tax money is now building another country, not my own. Nice.
• Microsoft has set some records (or all records) for having the buggiest, most insecure software in the history of the planet. While most knew this already, this year was full of viruses and hard facts to prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
• Microsoft has officially become another IBM. They're big. They're not going away, but the innovation is over.
• The IT industry still sucks. Record layoffs continue. Glad I'm going for that Masters in Software Engineering right now.
• GW Bush still has no respect domestically or internationally. His administration keeps moving more and more to the right. Will we become a fascist nation before the end of 2004? We'll see.
• We are on 'Orange' alert right now. Does anyone care? If they did, is there anything they can do about it? Instead of the Office of Homeland Security, it should be called the Office of CYA, because if something happens, all an 'Orange' alert will do is allow the government to say "See? We were on top of things. We knew what was going on THIS TIME... unlike September 11th. We're not liable." Trust me on this one.
• Donald Rumsfeld seems to have disappeared for now. Thank God. I think he is actually Lucifer. I'm having people check on that.
• Bush may have had more of his administration quit over his policies than any other president in recent history (EPA, Economy, countless ambassadors).
• GW Bush has won the 2004 election already. Howard Dean is pissing too many people off, including his own party. Wes Clark joined too late. The rest never got the memo to attack Bush on the economy, not f'ing Iraq. Nobody cares about Iraq and Bush's and Rumsfeld's phantom WMD's.

Well, that's all for now. I must say that 2004 will be an interesting year. Four more years of Bush and his economic policies. My career can't take that kind of abuse.

So, I am @ work right now... on New Year's Eve. Out of an estimated 100 employees in my department, I think me and 2 others are the only ones in today. Lovely. I get to spend 8 hours reading websites about how this year will end. If you are too busy to investigate this yourself, here's the summary:

• North Korea is willing to start a nuclear war over nothing.
• We are going to go to war next year with Iraq over oil.
• If Iraq is tied to al Queda, then invade Iraq.
• The American economy sucks ass. Forget the news shows that depict a 1.0009485% rise in the [name your economist here] Index. The economy SUCKS. Especially in IT. Especially in Chicago (although I have heard N.C. might be worse).
• A bunch of freaks who think humans were created by aliens may have cloned a human.
• A bunch of freaks who call themselves "priests" keep molesting little boys but are not getting away with it.
• Hailstorm is dead. .Net Server is still not out. The XBox is losing ground to competition daily. Winodws OS's and IE break records for having phenominal numbers of security holes. Windows now must have a current JVM. Overall, a good year.
• IBM bought Rational Software. Now they can begin executing the ClearCase team for developing the worst source code versioning software ever.
• Enron, Worldcom, Tyco, Adelphia, ad nauseum continue...
• Trent Lott is no longer Republican Party leader in Senate. Just as long as he is not replaced with another Senator from the South... oh wait, he was. Well, same shit, different face then. No changes in the Senate to report.
• Michael Jackson is still a freakin' lunatic who has a negative cash flow to the tune of $200,000,000+.
• Ashley Judd is still HOT.
• The US Health Care system is more messed up than ever, but did not collapse this year. Maybe next year.
• Bin Laden is still alive. al Queda sucks.

Well, that pretty much wraps up 2002. True, a lot more happened, but most of it was boring or expected (Like Two Towers cleaning up at the box office). Until next year.......