Category: Uncategorized

Remember the old Berenstein Bears Book, the Gimmies..

Boy oh boy do I feel like that tonight.. I just got a fairly nice haul of fairly nice stuff on Chrostmas morning, and I thought I’d share some of my favorite gifts I got, gave, and see what everyone else got or gave for Christmas or Hanukkah, or What not..

GAVE: Top 5. 1) A new car stereo for Kelly’s long commute. Plays MP3 CDs!! 2) A “Buffy pack” With the “Once More With Feeling” Musical episode cast album, “Tales of the Slayers” and “Fray”, 2 Slayer related graphic novels 3) A Keyboard for my little Sis. Just something small for her (shes 12). She take svoice lessons and is interested in learning piano basics. 4) Simpson Pants. I gave all 3 of my brothers unbelievably loud Homer Simpson pajama pants. 5) A silver Cross for Mom. Spent a LONG time looking for the right one… she really liked it.

GOT: Not top 4.. (cuz I don’t want to hurt feelings) 1) A Hat… with the words “TECH Entertainment” imprinted on it. That’s my company that I copyrighted back in middle school. 2) My Grandfather’s old surgical bag. It has a bunch of ancient medical supplies. I won’t ever use them, but its so cool to have them. Something I’ll show my kids one day. 3) DVDs!! I’m just gonna bunch them all together.. LOTR, Schindler’s list, Nosferatu, The Rock, Young Frankenstein.. fun fun fun!! 4) CDs – Just 2, but 2 good ones.. Elton’s Greatest hits and the score for “The Two Towers”.

So, did anyone else get anything good?

JT

The Google Zeitgeist for 2004 is out. This tracks the most popular people, places, trends, etc. according to search terms typed in by individuals throughout the year. Very interesting peek into popular culture and what people are most curious about.

It's an interesting thought.  Last night, I spent several hours playing

a computer game.  Around 11:30 PM, my wife pulled a chair up next to

			

I recently had an online discussion with some friends, and mentioned I’d been feeling a little blue lately. Thought I’d share.

On Fri, 24 Dec 2004 12:22:57 -0500, PGO <nnobrien@PROTECTED> wrote:
> Matthew Barnson said: > << … Yet I’m cheerless.>>
< Me (Pat): Did anyone yet think Matt might be still in a stage of grief
> over losing the realness of God, Jesus, and all the afterlife he had
> truly believed in before?

It's an interesting thought. Last night, I spent several hours playing a computer game. Around 11:30 PM, my wife pulled a chair up next to mine, grabbed a pillow, leaned back, put one foot up on the bookshelf next to the PC and said, "So, Matt, what's up?"

"Not much," I replied distractedly as I blasted more bad guys. "Guess I've played a bit long tonight, huh?"

"I'm not worried about that," she responded, "I want to know why you're depressed."

I quit the game and turned to face her. "I'm feeling pretty up today," I replied quietly.

"I'm not buying," she said. "You've spent the last week and a half cooped up with your computer when you come home. You're spending longer hours at work, and you're not spending the time you usually do with the kids. You've been like this before, and I recognize the symptoms. Why are you so down lately?"

I thought for a moment, and replied, "Well, it's the season, I guess. I find myself thinking of Christmasses past, and how joyful they are, and this year, I kind of feel... I don't know. Outside looking in. It just doesn't have the magic like it used to."

"Is it because you no longer believe?" she asked, chewing her bottom lip and gazing pointedly at the bookshelf so as not to appear confrontational.

"I don't think so," replied half-heartedly, "it's more other things than that."

But there was a kernel of truth to what she had to say. Everything I do, I do with gusto. I go all the way, or very little of the way. I used to throw myself into church callings with all the energy I could muster. I used to throw myself into the Holiday Season, being the loudest singer as we happily tossed tinsel and decorations onto the tree.

But this year, for the first time really in the two-and-a-half years I've been a nonbeliever, it hit me: I'm not celebrating the same thing as other people around me are. I'm going through the motions, but this year I finally ponder the meaning of what it is I'm doing, and find that my existing motivations are not enough.

This year, I choose to find my own meaning in the Holidays. It's a harder, but more rewarding, road than choosing to celebrate for the same reason everyone else is. I think the road less travelled by is where I need to focus my eyes and heart, and find my own cheer rather than imbibe of the ready-made, pre-packed cheeriness offered by religious celebration.

-- Matthew P. Barnson 

Merry Christmas.. or Hannukah, or Kwanza, or Winter Solstice, or Secular Winter Holiday, or whatever..

Peace on Earth to y’all and what not..

I was in the library this afternoon when I ran across a copy of Wil Wheaton’s “Just A Geek” sitting on the shelf. I wasn’t interested in reading at Star Trek memoir, but instead, I wanted to get a glimpse into the guy who brought semi-celebrity blogging to the forefront of online geek culture.

In keeping with typical Sammy G behavior, I flipped through the first couple of pages, to make sure that the book would make a worthwhile checkout. The “Forward” section of books is usually something to skip over. But Neil Gaman wrote the best “Forward” for any book I have read.

Ever.

I took the book home as a direct result of the power of Gaman’s writing. I think all editors and publishers across the country should herald this as the new standard for Forwards. Typically long, and off-topic, and self-serving, Forwards bore me and don’t pack a punch. But Gaman took it to the next level.

Just when I thought BitTorrent was a big secret…

www.cnn.com/2004/BUSINESS/12/15/film.piracy/index.html

CNN running a story is the equivalent of the UMBC’s Office of Residential Life showing up at Severn 112 and shutting down the Hard Mic Party.

EDIT by matthew: Linked.

Even though the van missed me by only a couple feet, I walked away from the collision without a scratch. I believe that I now have six lives left.

Minneapolis had around 175 accidents and 3 deaths two days ago in the wake of freezing rain. Between 6 and 8AM the freezing rain put about 1/2 inch of ice on all roads, including highways. You can imagine driving down the road and seeing cars in ditches, trucks jack-knifed, vehicles stuck in medians after 360ing.

My incident occurred on the exit ramp off a main highway going into downtown St. Paul. I was coming around the exit ramp when my Honda CR-V spun out of control. Now, this wasn’t freaking me out, because I have plenty of experience maneuvering cars over ice and snow from my DC days and nights. Sort of. I managed to get the car to careen over the curb and come to a rest just off the exit ramp lane. No big deal, no damage to the car.

About a split-second later I realized that, being a metropolitan area, that other cars may be coming off the highway exit ramp as well.

Sure enough, he comes Mr. Big & Mighty Van, careening directly at me at 25 MPH. Luckily, the broadside collision impacted the rear driver side, missing the driver door by about 3 feet. We both went blasting down the highway exit ramp, which luckily move us to an area that would inevitably render my immovable car out of striking distance from other cars sliding down the exit ramp.

Nothing sucks worse than handling the swap of post-accident consideration and information than doing it in 5 degree weather. Plus, all my musical gear was in the back of the car, and I hauled it a position behind a tree, in the event that other cars ended up slamming into my helpless, smoldering vehicle.

The good news (besides surviving) is that within 3 hours after the accident, the insurance companies determined it wasn’t my fault.

In the “cool gizmos that I like” category today, I bring you self-heating coffee. Yeah, if you’re a Slashdotter, you’ve already seen it, so sue me 🙂 I think this is a very, very cool… erm, warm invention. So much so, I can’t wait for them to do this with other things… apple cider, hot cocoa, etc…

Hey!!

Want to hear some free Christmas tunes (Including some good old Christmas Rap?)

MLC on Timpane.com

For years I’ve been making these silly Christmas CDs with the family. Thought I’d put some of it up to listen. on mp3.

Its just for fun, but its still a hoot.

I regret to inform you that effective immediately, I will no longer be able to serve the Southern United States on Christmas Eve. Due to overwhelming current population of the earth, my contract was renegotiated by North American Fairies and Elves Local 209. I now serve only certain areas of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.

As part of the new and better contract I also get longer breaks for milk and cookies so keep that in mind. However, I’m certain that your children will be in good hands with your local replacement who happens to be my third cousin, Bubba Claus. His side of the family is from the South pole. He shares my goal of delivering toys to all the good boys and girls; however, there are a few differences between us. Differences such as:

1. There is no danger of a Grinch stealing your presents from Bubba Claus. He has a gun rack on his sleigh and a bumper sticker that reads: “These toys insured by Smith & Wesson.”

2. Instead of milk and cookies, Bubba Claus prefers that children leave a RC Cola and pork rinds (or a moon pie) on the fireplace. And Bubba doesn’t smoke a pipe. He dips a little snuff though, so please have an empty spit can handy.

3. Bubba Claus’ sleigh is pulled by floppy-eared, flyin’ coon dogs instead of reindeer. I made the mistake of loaning him a couple of my reindeer one time, and Blitzen’s head now overlooks Bubba’s fireplace.

4. You won’t hear “On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen…” when Bubba Claus arrives. Instead you’ll hear, “On Earnhardt, on Wallace, on Martin and LaBonte. On Rudd, on Jarrett, on Elliot and Petty.”

5. “Ho, ho, ho!” has been replaced by “Yee Haw!” And you also are likely to hear Bubba’s elves reply, “I her’d dat!”

6. As required by Southern highway laws, Bubba Claus’ sleigh does have a Yosemite Sam safety triangle on the back with the words, “Back Off!” The last I heard it also had other decorations on the sleigh back as well. One is Ford or Chevy logo with lights that race through the letters and the other is a caricature of me (Santa Claus) peeing on the Tooth Fairy.

7. The usual Christmas movie classics such as “Miracle on 34th Street” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” will not be shown in your negotiated viewing area. Instead, you will see “Boss Hogg Saves Christmas” and “Smokey and the Bandit IV” featuring Burt Reynolds as Bubba Claus and dozens of State Patrol cars crashing into each other.

8. Bubba Claus doesn’t wear a belt. If I were you, I’d make sure you, the wife, and the kids turn the other way when he bends over to put presents under the tree.

9. And finally, lovely Christmas songs have been sung about me like “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” and Bing Crosby’s “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”. This year, songs about Bubba Claus will be played on all the AM radio stations in the South. These song titles will be Mark Chesnutt’s “Bubba Claus shot the jukebox”; Cledus T. Judd’s, “All I want for Christmas is my Woman and a Six-opack”, and Hank Williams Jr’s “If You Don’t Like Bubba Claus, You Shove It.”

Sincerely Yours, Santa Claus

(Member of North American Fairies and Elves Local 209)