Okay, so no one reads this but ranting is good for the soul. My complaint is picky and stupid, but I've had an experience like the situation that's bothering me so.... I've also had the kind of week that makes a person cranky.

In a recent Ask Slashdot, the questioner asked for recommendations on a scifi-geek-hacker novel for a bit of summer reading. In no time at all there are all these damned comments that get modded up as insightful because someone felt elitist and used the old line about "expanding horizons."

Damnit, no one SAID it was all he ever read. He said it was what he was looking for. I've had more people do this to me before and I really just can't stand it. The genre I read depends on the mood I'm in and when I feel like reading science fiction and I ask for recommendations in that vein, I don't appreciate getting a lecture on broadening my horizons. If I were to ask for science fiction/hacker recommendations, I would consider asking Slashdot. There is an audience here that would seem to be receptive to that genre and therefore be a place to get a few ideas of what might be worth my time. This is no way, shape, form or fashion means that it's all I ever read. It's just that if I want recommendations on a random "classic" or NYT bestseller, I've got other places I can look for reviews and suggestions.

Like I said, I've had this happen to me, including a fairly recent encounter. Late night in the CS lab near the end of the semester, I start chatting with a few people and ask for some recommendations for some science fiction summer reading and some holier-than-thou person gives me a lecture about narrow minded tastes. It was annoying as hell and would have been insulting if I hadn't shrugged the person off for being the ignorant elitist she was. I had a list of books I was already planning to read for that summer (I always have a list of books lined up to read, when it gets too short, I usually ask people I know for suggestions to add to it). As I recall it included some biographies (mostly political figures), some Molly Ivins (politics/humor), a lot of children's literature, a Spanish play (untranslated), a Garrison Keillor novel, a novel by a Croation writer (Slavenka Drakulic) and Austen's Mansfield Park. There might have been a fantasy novel in with the children's lit, but I'm not sure.

In reality, I've read less science fiction than most other genres. If you want to lump all children's literature into one genre, then that's where I've done the most reading since I still head for the juvenile section even now (not just Harry Potter--I'm a fan of a lot of kids lit. Some of the Newberry winners and medalists are among the best books I've ever read).

So there's my rant. Obviously, this is less about the Slashdot posting and more about the event in my own past that it dredged up. If I hadn't dealt with this before, then I think I would have shrugged off those highly moderated comments like I do those comments about how "much better my life has been since I sold my television" when there's an article about cable/a tv program/Tivo/whatever. Those used to bother me as well, until I realized that they must have been more addicted to TV before they quit than I am. My TV broke and I experienced no change--good or bad--in the quality of my life during the time it was down. Likewise I experienced no change when I got it back. Okay, so I'll admit it, I did kinda missed Farscape when the TV was out, but I wasn't in panic mode.

All these people that talk about how much more they get done and how they spend all this wonderful time outside, or started spending time with their families--like it's all new to them. Just because they got rid of their TV. Well, duh, it's not like the TV kept you in the house like a captive. Somebody just didn't have the will power to turn it off and do something else. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that people can find a way to get more out of their lives. Just don't try to sell us all this load of shit that our lives won't ever be as good until we get rid of the one eyed monster. Some of us understand moderation. I can have my TV and a real life, too.

Okay, so maybe I still get a little peeved over the TV postings :)

But seriously, it's all inane bullshit and the fact that I've just wasted 15 minutes bitching about it in an online journal to an audience that doesn't exist is probably fodder that some of those elitist book and TV people could use against me.

Anyhow, my mythical readers, if you actually exist and you have a book you think I should add to my list, the comment lines are open here. Since I'm not in any particular genre "mood" at the moment, hit me with whatever you've got.

And Jorge, everyone's favorite Mexican Elf of Quotational Doom has another tidbit to share from his collection:

"There are things that are so serious that you can only joke about them." -- Werner Karl Heisenberg

D'oh. Posted a story I found over at Findlaw. Ended my summary with a crack about the author (Marci Hamilton) having an AOL e-mail with the article. Totally pissed off some people. Feel like an ass.

Seriously. It was a joke, and not a good one. And in reality, Marci Hamilton is awesome. One of my favorite commentators on FindLaw's Writ. But I don't always agree with her. No, I'm not an expert, but there are other "experts" who disagree with her too, so my opinions aren't totally baseless.

That said, my AOL crack really was dumb. Grr. I hate it when my alligator mouth overloads my mockingbird ass--especially when I get it pointed out to me that I'm using a hotmail account.

I'm a living example of the pot calling the reefer hash.

And on that note, let's have another comment from Jorge, The Mexican Elf of Quotational Doom:
"We're going to need another Timmy." ~ Mr. Lizard

On 9 October I posted my second Slashdot journal entry. At the time I had spent the day combing for news of the oral arguments for Eldred vs. Ashcroft in between dealing with the effects of a massive user id crisis. At the time I was concerned we wouldn't make it. It looked grim. But in the weeks that followed, I found some renewed faith and decided that argument be damned, the brief was sheer genius and they couldn't possibly go against us.

It would appear that I was more correct in my initial assumption. At about 9:50 this morning I finished up a phone call, turned to my PC and hit refresh to check Slashdot for any new postings since I opened the browser window at 7. I was stunned to see the Eldred decision there. For months I'd been checking each morning for news. I'd begun to expect no word would come until March or April. And then this.

I'm bitterly disappointed in the decision, and Ginsburg's opinion. The case was a constitutional tight rope walk and I felt sure that it would be close. I never expected 7-2. I pegged Rehnquist for the Ashcroft side and with him Thomas. The rest, well, I honestly thought O'Connor would see reason. But then, I usually find myself with opinions that are frighteningly similar to hers, so it was an easy trap to assume she and I would be of the same mind on this one.

But so it goes in the wacky world of constitutional interpretation. Lessig seems to be beating himself up over the loss (go post a nice thanks to the guy--he wrote a fabulous brief, argued a good case and was a credit to the cause at hand), but he also states "We must do more." And he's right. And as I posted there in response, we just have to take this as our Alamo. The battle you lose that empowers you to work that much harder in the next one.

We've got the Creative Commons, we have masses of people who are on our side in this. Two of them are Supreme Court Justices. We've got battles left to fight.

And with any luck, our next one will be a San Jacinto.

Remember Eldred.

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to Me, I have a bad cold and blisters on my feet.

Yeah. Sadly, my count of birthdays I've spent ill vs. birthdays I've spent in good health got tipped back to sick. Had a cold the entire time I was in Virginia with the gang. Still have the cold. Flying with congestion sucks ass.

The blisters were from walking around in the wrong kind of shoes all day on Saturday. So it goes.

Virginia rocked. It was great to see the gang, order the chips at Don Pablo's, get weird looks at the AMC ("are you guys a coven?"), and generally act bizarre. The entire trip has rendered Christmas, and even my own birthday kind of anticlimactic.

Yes, flying to Virginia to dress up like an elf and stand in line to watch Tolkien movies is definitely something I'd recommend. I have got to do this again next year.

Back to work.

Jorge's bit o' entertainment for the day:

"You're going to die, and you're going to die and you're going to die...." ~Mareska tells fortunes for the attacking goblin horde.

Just a quick note: slightly weirded out when I turned on the TV last night and found Tremors on TBS. True to for, I wound up watching the whole damned thing again.

In that vein, Jorge wanted to add this:

"Hey, Melvin, wanna make a buck?" ~Earl

I must say, I love the newest Slashdot poll. The poll choices aren't necessarily all that and a bag of Fritos, but the comments! I swear, all of those tastelessly wonderful flicks that were nominated religiously at Skiffy (my university's Scifi-Fantasy Club) meetings are mentioned at least once. I find myself frightened by this. But it's a nice trip down memory lane (not like it was that long ago, but still).

And of course, I have to raise my glass of Vanilla Coke to the Tremors thread. What a classic. Some people have pointed out that it really wasn't that bad. True. It wasn't like Demonicus (a Tim Sullivan film and quite possibly the most terrible, low-budget film ever made....I don't even know where you can get it, but if you run across it, don't rent it unless you have excess cash, liquor and a group to MST3K with). In reality, on the acting front, Tremors was well done. Kevin Bacon aside, the dude who played Burt was also good. And I'll admit, I've been a Reba McEntire fan since, sometime around the age of 7, so I give it points for that. And it's just funny, and funny is always a good thing.

So on that note, Jorge the Mexican Elf of Quotational Doom would like to leave you with a little bit of Tremors:

"Hungry? EAT THIS." ~Burt

Just a random FYI for anyone who ever stumbles across this journal (because if anyone out there has read it, I don't know about it, so I'm assuming I'm still talking to myself here), steel toed safety shoes are uncomfortable as hell. I swear, they are right up there with Marching Band Uniforms on the Top 10 Things That are Going to Be Uncomfortable No Matter What You Do. Are they engineered this way (as marching band uniforms are engineered to be either too hot or too cold at all times throughout a football season)? I've never put a pair on that didn't suck ass. Which is a pain because, in general, people stuck wearing these things are people who have to spend a lot of time on their feet. To all designers of steel toed safety shoes:

1) I have wide feet. They are wide at the front, not at the back. Please make shoes that have some more space in that steel toed box. Right now, I'd rather have my toes amputated than have them "protected" by these things

2) Is there a rule that says I can't have some cushy-ness in the bottoms of these things? They're supposed to have steel toes, not necessarily steel throughout.

Enough with my bitching. Time to put the damned shoes on.

Oh, and Jorge The Mexican Elf of Quotational Doom would like to offer up another little statement (I claim no responsibility for anything he says):

"...and if they find out you've been to that site, I'm going to shove a motherboard so far up your ass--WHAT?"
"Well, technically I outrank you."
"SO FAR UP YOUR ASS." ~CJ Cregg and Josh Lyman, The West Wing

Aren't we supposed to be able to metamod only once a day? I've been getting prompted to metamod up to three times a day for the past three weeks. Did I miss some change in policy? Not that I mind, but it's just a bit weird.

All copies of Microsoft Project should be destroyed. I've never dealt with a program that was this crappy. Oh, wait, yes I have: Outlook.

Oh, and I have a permanent job now. Good news: benefits. Bad news: benefits take out as much from my pay as out-of-pocket health insurance did before (granted, now some of it's going to a 401k, but still). Good news: no more resumes for a while. Bad news: we're being reviewed for potential outsourcing in the future. Good news: My computer at work doesn't suck. Bad news: Check that, the hardware doesn't suck, but it's running Windoze....which does. Good news: I get to take part in more development. Bad news: It's in Visual Basic.

BUT--it's a damned job. And I'm damned glad to have it.

For the record: I didn't actually think EMI would provide .ogg files. I was being sarcastic....should have left it as I had it orignally (ogg? Really? Shyeah right!). I know they won't give me ogg, and I know a lot of people don't even know what ogg is. I've just been dabbling in it recently. I have no preference in the Holy War. I don't even think the EMI thing is going to be what we really want. I can see outrageous prices and a click through EULA that takes away your right to pee and your dog. And as someone posted in the comments to the story, I definitely think we have a good chance of being stuck with that .WMA shiznit. Hell, with as many restrictions as we'll probably deal with, I'd rather go out and buy the CD to rip and do with as I see fit. But, on the other hand, it's a slight indication that they're waking up to a little more of a digital reality in musicland. Maybe one day they will have good prices, and a more open mind toward format and back up copies. Maybe one day I WILL be able to walk into Best Buy, pickup a blank CD, take it to a kiosk, and create my own CD, song by song, from a huge catalog, and come out with a CD I can rip to ogg or mp3 or whatever and that has all the new stuff I wanted and none of the crappy filler.

Yeah, I know. I'll go wait for the flying pigs :)

And on side note, I would like to make it clear that I've obviously lost my mind. I am using my /. journal, and actually submitted a story to /. (and it was accepted....wtf?). I've got to get my grip on reality back.

Okay, so I wouldn't bother writing anything in here except it's October the 9th of good ol' 02. Eldred vs. Ashcroft had oral arguments before the Big 9 (the Supreme Court, not the Nazgul...although they do both wear a lot of black....), and I got to deal with all users who's logon names started with A-D being blown away off the servers, and the panic that ensued thereafter.

First Eldred.
I don't know. I've hit every source I could think of for information. I have hope, but a lot less than I did prior to this. I was also let down that my gal Sandy-Day seemed to question the Eldred side so much. Maybe I should have expected that, though.

I understand the way the whole First Amendment argument didn't work well. I didn't care for it myself. It seemed less than elegant, and a real stretch. For me, the only argument that needs to be made was there in Article I, Section 8, Clause 8. The "power" Congress was granted was "to promote the Progress of Science and the useful Arts." The whole copyright thing was merely a means to an end. As I understand, the Justices did seem to agree that the CTEA (Sunny Bono Micky Mouse Act) was deeply flawed and did more to restrict that promote. I'm going to go out on a limb and show my ignorance here: isn't that enough? Congress has the power to promote, not destroy. And it doesn't seem "necessary" or "proper" that they act directly against the very thing that the Framers gave them the power to promote.

As for the consequences for previous extensions of the copyright, I don't know there either. I'm not sure of the horrible consequences that would rain down upon us if the court were to say that the CTEA is wrong....and so are all the others. I know it would mean many, many more things would fall into the public domain, but I'm not altogether convinced this would be the end of the Universe. Beyond that, I don't know enough to see the repercussions....the precedents it would set for non-copyright issues. Maybe that's what they fear. But in and of itself? I don't see the big thing. More in the public domain, no chance of Congress pulling this extend-to-no-end shit again, and just admitting "hey, we screwed up before".

But I'm talking out my ass on that. Let's talk blown away user profiles.

Yeah, so when user ids beginning with A through D get obliterated, things get bad. Your phone doesn't stop ringing, every user believes she's got priority, you spend 10 hours running all over hell's half acre, and the most annoying users think this is also the appropriate time to demand you set them up to print on a printer across the plant that they use once every ten years on a Blue Moon. So, after 10 hours of running in shoes I wouldn't have worn if I'd known about all this, through production buildings with crappy floors (hard on the shins), my legs and feet ache like the devil.

And on that exhausted note, I'll leave you with something else from Jorge the Mexican Elf of Quotational Doom:

Binary: Because 01 + 01 doesn't always equal 2

Damn. This feels rather egocentric. "Look at me! Read my journal!" Yeah, because my comings, goings and color commentary are really worthy of someone's time! Of course, that's running on the self-centered view that someone is reading this. I could just be talking to myself here, which is fine. If you can't entertain yourself now and then, you're hopeless anyhow.

That said, let's move on, shall we?

Dude! I have a fan! How the heck did that happen? Anyhow, hi, TheABomb!

Well, since I've given in to actually using this journal, maybe now I'll put something in my user info. Maybe.

And so ends my first Slashdot journal entry. Unenlightening, not very entertaining, but still a nice waste of a few lunch-break minutes.

So until next time, happy slashdotting.

Jorge the Mexican Elf of Quotational Doom's offering of the day: "The fecal material has hit the rotating oscillator." ~A