Fabulous Harry, I love the feathers.

It's that time again!

Pillow Fight (formerly known as Valentine's) Day is here again!!!
Where: Justin Herman Plaza (Market & Embarcadero), San Francisco, CA.
When: February 14th, when the Ferry Building clock strikes 6pm.
What: PILLOW FIGHT!!!

How:
1) Tell everyone you know about Pillow Fight!
2) Tell EVERYONE YOU KNOW about Pillow Fight!!!
3) Nothing in your pillow but pillow.
4) Don't hit anyone with out a pillow.
5) Don't hit anyone operating a camera.

The Food Bank and Coalition on Homelessness will be collecting donations this year. Help the less fortunate with pillows, blankets, clothing and non-perishable food items and don't forget a few trash bags to help clean up.

MacBook Air released, Apple TV update just air.

The super thin MacBook Air ships today and should hit shelves tomorrow. Eh, only the technoratti fashionistas really care.

(My favorite response: Apple's MacBook Air starts shipping today, which means that it's only a matter of days until we see a grinning, smug-like man stroking the Air and showing it off in the middle of the subway commute. Then, Mr. Dumas will put the notebook away in an office envelope, after which everyone in the train will slowly roll their eyes.)

The all new Apple TVs however (due yesterday), have been delayed for several more weeks, as has the promised upgrade for existing owners/early adopters (i.e. me). That's much more annoying.

see spot run.

Taking the "spot" out of the "Wi-Fi hotspot."

AutoNet mobile. For only $11 a day added to your Avis rental car, get a wireless router that makes your car a personal hotspot, open to sharing and closed for security, and can even be taken into your hotel room, or whatever. Seamless highspeed wifi access for laptops, iPhones, or anything else, speeding down the highway, sitting in a café within 100 feet, or in your bedroom.

From Michael S. Lasky at Wired:
Autonet Mobile: Your Own Personal Hotspot, Everywhere You Go

The device that transforms this humdrum domestic into a shining example of go-anywhere, do-anything internet is the Autonet Mobile Wi-Fi router. Currently available only through Avis for $11 per day, the paperback-sized gadget plugs directly into an AC power adapter. Once a security ID number is punched in, the router blazes to life and delivers encrypted Wi-Fi within a 100-foot radius. Suddenly, actions unheard of in an automobile are possible: surfing the internet, syncing GPS or just looking for directions on an iPhone.

Once behind the wheel of the Pontiac, I plug the Autonet into the cigarette lighter and within seconds (seconds, not minutes) my PC picks up a full Wi-Fi signal. In a blink I’m checking gmail, and not long after that I download directions to my hotel. Then I look at my watch. The entire process, from initial plug-in to receiving route info, is done in under a minute. I can’t match this performance -- even with my iPhone. But the best part? Well, I haven’t even arrived at the best part yet.

The sweetest bonus that the little black box has in store for me occurs when I roll into my hotel. What? Ten bucks a day for internet service? I don’t think so. I head to my room, unpack the router and, using the supplied AC power cord, turn my boudoir into a firewalled hotspot voluptuary.

But how is true mobile Wi-Fi possible? Autonet has made it happen through a unique wireless internet service that interfaces with preexisting 3-G and 2.5-G (EVDO, 1xRTT) cellular data networks that cover 95 percent of the United States. High-speed access ranges from 600 to 800 Kbps while integrated WEP encryption, MAC address restriction and WAN port restriction offers Zen-inducing amounts of security. True, it’s not as fast as a direct cable or DSL connection but the company’s proprietary technology works transparently while a car is in motion, seamlessly stitching together signals from one cell tower to the next.

102 Damnations

Highway 101 to be closed, again.

Read this.

Public libraries are essential to communities. And yet public libraries are always woefully underfunded, and the first program to suffer municipal budget cuts.

Everyone knows, in theory, that libraries are important to the very communities who limit or cut their funding. It may be because it is so difficult to empirically or quantifiably measure the impact a library system has on a city or community.

The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library thought about that, and engaged a Seattle firm to investigate and quantify some of the benefits of the SFPL system. Without including the immeasurable and intangible benefits of the libraries on their communities, the firm found that from what it could quantify, the San Francisco Public Library returns to the City an astounding $3.34 on the dollar for the money invested.

From the press release:

A study released today by the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library describes the diverse contributions and quantifies the substantial value that the San Francisco Public Library provides to San Francisco. Through an examination of an array of library benefits, the study reveals that the SFPL generates an impressive return of $3.34 for every dollar spent on its operations and services.

Time flies like an arrow.

Fruit flies like a banana.

Yeah they do.






Update: And by "Fruit flies" I mean "fag hags," and by "banana" I mean "cock."

The way to a gay man's heart

is through his hag fruit fly.

Shilpa has been getting some particular attention, and she is convinced this guy is just working her to get to me.

All the fags want my fly.

Although said, that way, it sounds as if they want into my pants.

If only.

e-mail from Jacqueline Daniels

Subject: Where's Coco tonight?
I'll be at Frat Night, if anyone wants to party on a school night! Should be at 440 by 10:30pm!!!

Re: Where's Coco tonight?
I'll be at the 77 El Deora show at 12 Galaxies.

I'll try to stop by 440 later when everyone is smashed and I am pretty.

retail therapy

Shopping should be fun.

Sometimes, shopping is emotionally necessary.

Sometimes, Baby just needs a new pair of shoes.

And then, sometimes, you buy something that just makes you feel really, really happy.

Or maybe that just happens to Chris.

The Jacket of Life:



That was some serious retail therapy.

Check out the video response while you're at it.
Update: What prompted this video.

101 damnations

The South Bay commute is going to suuuuuuck tonight. Even in the cold and the rain, I am glad I walk to work.

Highway 101 on Peninsula shut down in both directions after crash

Highway 101 on the mid-Peninsula has been closed in both directions because of an accident in Redwood City involving a gasoline tanker truck, and authorities are warning that no one will be able to get through in either direction until at least 6 p.m.

Gasoline from one of the truck's two tankers spilled across the freeway and may have spilled into storm drains leading to the bay, authorities said.

from sfgate.com

Are you hungry?

for a great big mo?

No more cruising bars or paying for "memberships" to certain "clubs." (NSFW).

From Alert Reader Paul Day, news from NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Announces New Candy Bar: The Big Mo.

Really.


There are surprisingly few comments on the AutoBlog expressing that perhaps not as much thought went into the name as should have--but because being called a big mo is short for being called a moron. Only one or two have suggested that a 'mo might be a homosexual.

Anyone? Anyone?

Yeah. All Big Mo's here.

Another site goes on to say he worked carefully with the confectioner to get the taste "just right" (What do you think a big mo should taste like? Anyone?). It also appears that the name is short for the town where he grew up: Mooresville, NC.

Now I went to college just down the road from Mooresville, and they have their share of big mo's. Both local morons (hardly the norm, but it's on the same educational level as Mayberry I imagine), and local homosexuals (even fewer). One of my fraternity brothers was from Mooresville, and I think he's finally out now (of the closet that is). Lord knows if he ever got the gumption to tell his mamma though. Old Mooresville widow and all.

But as for the Big Mo's, I'm totally ordering a case.

You never when when you'll get a late night hankering for a big mo.

Flickr tracking

I've been getting lots of Flickr views since the Post Holiday Blues party and Castro Milk retro-fit
photos went up and I thought it would be interesting to track Flickr views like web site hits. I remembered Keith said something about a Flickr statistics tracking add-on over Christmas (his traffic went insane after his and Sparkle Josh's Christmas party).

I don't remember which one he recommended, but I found this one and thought I'd try it. It will only count stats from this point forward, so right now there is nothing to report. I'm pasting the html code it gave me here and we can check back later.

Statr for Flickr-

Retro-fitting

After brunch at Harvey's yesterday (appropriately enough), I spent some time checking out the cosmetic changes to Castro Street for the filming of the Harvey Milk biopic Milk. (Note that I did not say shooting.)

As it has been for far too many days, it was ass cold and pouring down rain. I took a lot of shots yesterday, both to share memorialize this experience, and to share with those of you who remember when— or remember what SF is like now, and want to see what they have done with it for the purposes of period filming.

Unfortunately, with all the rain the shots aren't as bright as one would like. However, I did duck out to the post office during lunch today and the sun was shining and the crew was filming and I managed to get some more, better-lit shots.

All photos, with annotations, are in a set over at Flickr.

Necessarily, they have to obscure "Harvey Milk Plaza" (also the entrance to the Castro MUNI station)

Some folks are likely to be confused, or even lost, by the alterations. But everyone is open for business.

Bar 440/Daddy's returns to the splendor that was Toad Hall. Which makes the odd stone/shingled façade make more sense. And am I the only one finding a gay bar named Toad Hall creepy? Who wants to pick up a toad? And are those 'shrooms psychedelic?


US Bank becomes Eureka Federal Savings (on the outside)

The Castro Theater is getting a major facelift.

The Castro Theater, now in COLOR.

Long-time Castro resident Bobby Waymack remarked that it is the first time since he's lived in the neighborhood that all of the neon on the Castro Theater sign worked.

This is not for trash. This is for show.
(God. In the Castro even the trash is posing.)

Hot Cookie has changed back to local ice cream maker Double Rainbow.

An awning covers the Wells Fargo signage. The downhill side of the upper sign is unaltered. The reverse has been covered with a retro-looking "Castro Flowers" sign. Note the added foliage to hide the ATMs, and the period cars on the street. And the parking. Available parking spots in the Castro is so 1970s.

view from uphill-- Wells Fargo becomes Castro Flowers

The pet accessories store gets a vintage shoe repair sign.

This is Harvey Milk's camera shop (usually the high-end gift shop Given). The security guy tried to shoo me away saying that "they" won't allow any photographs. I made the argument that it's a public street and "they" do not have that authority. Apparently "they" had already "chewed" him "out" for "letting" people take pictures. It was fine by him if I took the photos from across the street. This sort of crap is common downtown and really annoys me. I said thank you, and said that "they" were welcome to discuss their position with me if "they" liked, but I'll just be exercising my rights and taking my photo now.

I also went across the street.

Here is the same shop on the next day (today). Window dressing has been replaced with a "for rent" sign.

Swirl, the chic wine shop across the street has been remodeled for some liquor store scenes (they were fliming inside/outside today)

Swirl's new look

Eye Gotcha is entirely glass-fronted, now obscured by a garage façade.

There was a scene earlier of people selling things in the street. A sort of flea market Castro Street Fair. These are the left over props. I loved the 8-track tapes.

New look for Castro and 19th.

Aquarius Records, before my time.

And the Thai place is back to a Chinese restaurant.

More vintage cars.

Look out! It's a Gremlin!
Love it.

the fun Jim's not having

Last weekend, unable to make happy hour, Jimbo proposed a Sunday of catch-up cocktails and mani/pedis with Coco. We wasted most of the day while Coco waited for delivery, and ultimately Jimbo bailed in favor of hot yoga. Coco took me to their nail place in Noe Valley anyway.

We waited long enough for me to need another shave, and then I waited in the tub long enough for the water to turn ice cold. There were, painfully, no roadies. The Castro Nails (in Noe Valley) still used those all-in-one spa machines. Most places have gotten rid of theirs (or have had to) as they were identified as the source of a nasty bacterial outbreak in the South Bay last year.

I was a bit apprehensive. I mentioned this to Coco, who had never heard of the disfiguring grossness that was a mani-pedi at Fancy Nails.

"Pretty much, now we're going to die."
"But our toes will look fabulous."
"Yes, yours will be an open-toe casket funeral. Duly noted."


Yesterday, Jim proposed mass in the Castro followed by brunch at Harvey's. I spent all Saturday in the Haight with Alert Readers, then had to maintain my buzz long enough to support Javits in his backup drag debut at Harvey's/Cookie Dough show late night. So no morning mass for me. That and the whole, "no mass for me" thing.

I waited for the holy rollers down the street at Harvey's at 11:00 (before most of the neighborhood is out of bed), but there was no Jim. He spent the bulk of the night turning his stomach inside-out with his head buried in the toilet. No brunch for Jimbo.

So again: Jim's plan, Wilson and Coco's execution. We, of course, had a ball. We can't wait to see what Jim wants us to do next. I think I'll ask what movie he wants to see then we'll go without him.

Overheard at work (I've stopped counting)

That guy needs a butt muzzle to keep him from talking out of his ass.

bon marché

The Milk March has had an overwhelming response and is taking no more volunteers. I had put off e-mailing my participation as I had other commitments those nights, so no February March for me.

Google stalking

Okay, when I said I felt stalker-ish for Googling a new friend last night, I had no idea it could go this far.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.



Via Neatorama.

seriously, let it go

Wow. And I felt stalker-ish just because I Googled somebody last night.

Taking batshit crazy to a whole new level.

whatever blows your kilt up

Alert Reader RMJ has reminded me that it is Robert Burns Day!

He has suggested Burnsing the town tonight, and knowing how I loves me Scotsmen, has kindly offered to "search out fiddle & bagpipe with you (and/or red heads & tartan love!)".

Best laid plans indeed.

Blue Men Group

Mark Casey held his annual and fabulous Post Holiday Blue Party last weekend.

This year, appropriate attire was strictly enforced. Blue jeans and a blue shirt wouldn't cut it, and under dressed party goers had to dive into a box of accessories, or just go in blue speedos-- as so many of Mark's friends can pull that off quite, shall we say, handily.

I opened a flickr pool for patrons to share their photos. So far it's just shots from me and BJ.

As always, so much fun.

Blue Nuns

Blue Hawaiians

Blue Balls

And by "bionic," I mean she goes both ways.

I and many of the Alert Readers here at IJS are big fans of the "...and by X, I mean Y" aside (another vulgar yet funny example).

I think my new favorite is in this post about new human eye-implantable digital cameras:

Most of the bionic eye systems we've seen involve clunky glasses-cam headgear, but the implantable camera now being developed at UCLA does it straight Terminator-style and keeps your face unemcumbered. The camera, which researcher Michelle Hauer and her team recently filed a patent for, is small enough to be implanted directly on the eye's lens, and feeds image data to a chip at the back of the eye, where it can either be fed into the optic nerve to aid the blind, or just into a portable hard drive to aid the creepy. Hauer says power will come from on an onboard battery, but we're more interested in the mention of "optical control signals" in the patent application -- and by "interested" we mean "terrified of a zombie android army."

Time Machine backups via AirDisk

May yet appear in the next Leopard update. Would be nice for those of use who already bought an AirportExtreme and external drives.

Milk March

From Alert Reader John Miller.

Milk March

BE IN A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE AND HELP RE-CREATE A PART OF SAN FRANCISCO HISTORY
On Monday night, February 4th and Friday night, February 8th, the feature film MILK (directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Sean Penn as Harvey Milk) will be re-creating three 1970's marches through the Castro.

We are looking for volunteers to appear in the these marches in the film. THERE ARE NO AUDITIONS. IF YOU SIGN-UP ON THIS SITE AND SHOW UP, YOU WILL BE USED. All ages, races and genders are welcome. But, you MUST be 18 or over to participate.

Filming will take place from 7pm - midnight on Monday night at Castro & Market and from 9pm - 3am on Friday night at Market & Franklin. Come either or both nights.

As a thank you for participating, we will host a screening for the marchers of the documentary THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK on Monday, February 4th at the Castro Theater at 4:30pm, with introductions by the filmmaker, Rob Epstein, Cleve Jones, Gus Van Sant, and members of the cast. The filming will begin immediately after the screening.

pending

MacWorld wrap up, final X-mas updates, and of course pics from the Post Holiday Blues party.

Hopefully tonight.

Feel the Flove.

(That's not a typo, well it was, but not here. We're just calling it that now.)

update: apparently that's "f'cking love" in txt speak. I am so old new school.

grammargasm

and patriotic too.

Diagram of the Preamble.

From the Bitter Learning Series....

Yesterday at MacWorld I learned of a wonderful web-based application training service that is just exceptional for individuals or groups. Lynda.com features really engaging, high end video that takes its time in training for really complex apps like FileMaker or PhotoShop. It's really well done and I am hoping I can get my office to subscribe.

Not that we have any free time to actually pay attention to something else or learn something new. But I have had to deal with one coworker who has spent days and still can't figure out how to run a simple install CD, and I need someone else to train her as I have neither the time nor the patience. And it is so not my job.

From Laughing Squid today, some clips from Donnie Hoyle's series: You Suck at Photoshop. Awesome.



Making learning personal...

Apparently, where we're going, we will need "roads."

[Follow up to my frustration with flying Time Machine]

The topic of "screwing everyone who bought and AirPort Extreme and USB external drive
for Time Machine" was very much abuzzz in the conference attendees lounge post keynote. And the resellers, who have set up this for thousands of clients, are pissed.

Those that aren't pissed are in denial that such is truly the case.

Infinite Loop over at ArsTechnica has this:

...But there are plenty of users who dropped $180 on a current AirPort Extreme 802.11n station and bought a USB hard drive in anticipation of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard's Time Machine. The Extreme station's wireless AirPort Disk feature was originally touted to work with Time Machine, but as far as we can tell, Apple has disabled the feature in Leopard's shipping version.

Though Apple has officially listed this issue as a bug and a workaround exists, many AirPort Extreme owners are left wondering whether their investment has largely been for naught. We spoke with a few Apple reps on the floor and, unfortunately, none of them have heard of any plans to update current AirPort Extreme stations. Now it is entirely possible that Apple is simply staying quiet about bringing this update with 10.5.2. But the current word is that AirPort Extreme owners are out of luck when it comes to turning their AirPort Disk into a Time Capsule.

laptop dismorphia

MacBook Air so thin it inspires laptop anorexia.



I can't believe some one made a video already. It was just announced this morning.

Via Cult of Mac.

Once I got past the coal,

the toys in the stocking weren't so bad.

Wilson's report from MacWorld—

MacWorld certainly has a vibe. I'll tell tales with photos after I download the pics from my camera.

I am just out of the KeyNote and will either take in a lecture/conference or head down to the exhibits. Right now, baby needs some coffee.

Here's my first report.

Other folks live blogged and you can read that online. All the new toys and such are also live at Apple.com. I pretty much "live blogged" by texting back and forth with James, which was perhaps more entertaining than the keynote.

I must first thank Bryan for making it all possible.

And say it wasn't his fault that the Stevenote experience was rather annoying. The guy next to me kept answering his phone during the presentation and talking loudly in a foreign language. There was a kid with a media badge, like 10 years old, who sat in front of me and stood up and took flash photos, in a very dark room, every few seconds, and of every slide, for the entire presentation. My eyes kept having to adjust back and forth from the flash to the darkness. The level of obstruction and distraction was painfully annoying. And no fault of the producers or Apple. But the 20-something guy who brought the little kid to the show should have exerted some behavioral control. At least turned off the flash, which was useless in this setting.

However, Steve's "first thing I want to talk about" pissed me off so much I was seething in bile for the first half hour. And then some. I'm still pretty pissed off.

Last year at this thing Steve announced Airport Extreme, the new N-standard wireless router with USB ports for wireless printing and shared access to wireless hard drives (AirDisk)— Steve also announced Time Machine (in Leopard) which would back up wireless laptops to AirDisks mounted on the AirPort Extreme.

I really needed this backup feature, and when the time came to replace my wireless router, I dutifully bought the expensive new AirPort Extreme and a new external drive for backing up. AirDisk worked great, and then I waited for Leopard and Time Machine to appear— which were delayed six months so they could get the iPhone out (also delayed).

Then Leopard and Time Machine were released and I upgraded. Not only do AirDisks no longer automatically appear on the desktop (as designed under the previous OS version), but all mention of using Time Machine with an AirDisk were redacted from the Apple web pages.

User discussion and the support areas of Apple are full of many pissed off people. Apple informally promises to fix this glitch. Sometime. Don't call us we'll call you.

Many users have found work-arounds, but the discussion boards all agree that these work-arounds are unstable and can screw up pretty badly. I spent over half an hour on this very topic last night with LittleBigChris, who has the same setup I do and wants to backup using Time Machine to an external drive attached to the AirPort Extreme. Luckily for Chris, he is working on a desktop machine and can directly connect if if absolutely has to. (Which he does.)

Steve Jobs opened the keynote with this very issue. "How great is Time Machine?!" "It works great! It is so simple!" "You just connect an external drive to your computer and that's it. But what about laptop users? You really want to get rid of that cord don't you?"

Uh, yes. That's what you advertised last year. Are you announcing a fix? Will it work now? This is a great update to the software that they finally got this bug fixed.

Steve: "Well, now you can!"

Me: "Yay!"

Steve: With the new product: Time Capsule: it's an AirPort Extreme base station with a hard drive built-in!"

Me: "Are you fucking shitting me?! "

Steve: "No, I'm not shitting you (just shitting on you). Even though all of you have already shelled out the cash for the AirPort Extreme and external drives we were hawking all of last year, and because we couldn't get that to work like we told you it would, we are selling you yet another product for several hundred dollars that will do what we sold you those other items to do in the first place. Not only are the two expensive machines we sold you last year never going to work together as promised, but you have to buy a replacement machine making what you already invested in useless. Isn't that great?"*

Audience: reluctant applause.

Steve: "Isn't that great?!" (translation: C'mon, I'm your God. Adore me and applause already.)

Audience: "Yay! Now where's that kool aid?"*

*(Items with an asterisk are paraphrased.)

Next Jobs went onto "the second thing I want to talk about." Cue the screen to a big numeral 2. Cue my head to say "you are already gave me a big pile of number two."

Jobs launches into the iPhone improvements of which he is so proud. These are all things already out there for the iPhone but made by other people who have cracked their phones against the will of Jobs. I am the opposite of impressed, as are the iPhone users in the audience. This is a large percentage, and all those I have talked to have cracked theirs. "Why?" Another guy asked. iPhone user: "To make it a real iPhone. Now it's useful."

Then he beams about making the same upgrades (sounding a lot like taking credit for other people's work as Apple has just mimicked or copied the popular illicit third-party apps) for the iPod Touch as for the iPhone (which is just an iPhone without the phone part). The audience is underwhelmed. Most critics and users were annoyed with the intentionally crippled iPod Touch in the first place. Now users are finally getting what they expected. Updates will be available for both the iPhone and the iPod Touch I think today. iPhone users get a free upgrade. iPod Touch users have to pay $20. The audience was not pleased about the $20 fee.

Then number three: no news here if you've been paying attention. Movie rentals on iTunes and AppleTV. Three to four bucks for 24 hours worth of viewing within 30 days of download. So easy to move it to the iPod to watch on the plane—except for that large percentage of iPods we sold that won't work on planes and we won't replace because never claimed they would work above 10,000 feet. iPods like mine.

The AppleTV updates were actually kind of a surprise. I've enjoyed mine, except for the inexplicable inability to play music videos in a row. I like having my entire iTunes library in my stereo. Other stuff is gravy. Now the AppleTV has been redesigned to focus on "movies, movies, movies" and doesn't even need to be paired with a computer. It's all built in, and one can rent movies or buy music directly over the internet from the AppleTV. Another added cool feature: access to Flickr. That'll be cool.

Steve finally redeemed himself and my vinegar over the Time Capsule abated when he announced that existing AppleTV users would be let in on the upgrades as a software update. I'm hoping they also fixed that music video issue.

And of course, the fourth thing is the new MacBook Air. Which is just insanely great and makes total sense for a variety of users. And so wafer thin, it is thinner at its thickest than the thinnest part of the previous smallest notebook on the market. It's bright, fast, full sized screen and keyboard with paper thin design— he pulled the thing out of a standard manila envelope. Gone is the optical drive, and if you ever need one (to install software or rip something), it comes with software to allow you to access the optical drive of any other computer (Mac or PC) wirelessly across the network. That's pretty cool. And only two ports: USB and video out, which is really all a laptop needs. That and a headphone jack, which it has.

Surprisingly, I don't really want one. Mostly because I don't need one, and my major issue these days is drive space as I have filled everything up with music, movies, and photos. The MacBook Air has a necessarily small drive (80GB iPod drive, or alternate 64 GB flash drive).

But damn, it is a beautiful engineering marvel.

And the perfect portable for work or video conferencing— yeah, iSight built in.

I'm still bitter about the Time Capsule solution to their not getting the AirDisk/Time Machine to work the first time, but I am hoping some free crap from the expo floor will be palliative.

He's got the whole MacWorld

in his hands.

Close friend Bryan and new friend/Bryan's boss Rich are pretty much the guys behind MacWorld this year. I was downtown this morning registering for the week and got to sit in on some conference presentations (wishing I had registered early enough for the hands-on workshops).

The hype is building all over the Web. The MacBook Air is the leading rumor.

I am sort of reveling in my nerd-dom, and will take in as many classes as I can. And of course tour the exhibits, which is really the most fun.

But this year, thanks to Bryan and Rich, I get to go to the keynote address. I was riveted to the live blogging of the event last year, and am exited to be there for it this year.

However, I will be surprised if there are any surprises (I expect general updates, and announcements of digital movie rentals and iTunes versions bundled on certain physical DVD products). An announcement of iTunes movie rentals is almost a sure thing. NetFlix is poised to allow unlimited streaming of it's limited online content in response. What I would really like to see is Netflix streaming to the AppleTV (for subscribers of course)--especially since NetFlix's streaming feature is Windows-only.

It will be hard to top last year's keynote address announcing the iPhone, but the MacGeek inside me is beginning to feel like it's Christmas Eve.

Favorite rumor so far, and the one that make my geek tits tingle: SlingPlayer for the iPhone (now all we need is higher-speed WiFi and 3G).

don't even have to kiss a frog

to find a handsome prince.

This in from Alert Reader and Totally Hot Dane Klaus Koefoed.

Promo for a 20/20 spot: Denmark, the Happiest Place on Earth.

Klaus also notes: BTW: I love the way ABC mixes up the location of Iceland and Denmark in the beginning of the broadcast :-)

flighty

We are all sick and tired of the TSA/USA's asinine war on moisture. That is, no water, hair gel, lube, toothpaste or malleable solids (how is that a liquid?) on airplane carry-ons, or even the keychain tools that might destroy our freedoms by slightly filing a pilot's nails.

Personally, I'm pissed at digging out lipbalm or tiny tubes of handcream, having to pay $4 for a bottle of water (it's water!), and having no flask to make those long waits/flights more pleasant.

We as a people have reacted to this idiocy in different ways.

Kevin left this morning for 10 days in Colorado. I remember when we went to Tucson for a party weekend before the liquid ban. We had home-made mimosas at the gate and cosmos on the flight. I received this text from him this morning:

Ya know, drinking on a plane makes you sleeeeeeepy-- after it gives you quite a buzz (from the decreased oxygen). Wishing I was having morning cocktails with u.

In this morning's paper, columnist and local hottie Mark Morford shares his recent experience in the high profile terrorist target: the Spokane Regional Airport.

...
I was ready to suggest the security guy take the port home and have a lovely new year, ready to extol the virtues of this particular not-at-all inexpensive Krohn 1991 vintage and say it wasn't no cheap swill, that he should maybe light a fire and sip it carefully after dinner and wouldn't that be nice, when he said the words I didn't expect to hear...

Read How to get drunk at the airport.

Why yes, we have got Milk.

Looks like it will only be a couple of weeks before I need to start dressing like a 70's Levi Clone when I run errands in the Castro. Good thing I grew the beard.

on the topic

Road Safety Ads Kill The Fun of Owning An iPod

the streetcar of the ired

The intersection at Ninth and Judah is dangerous in many ways. Oblivious pedestrians and jay walkers aside, the N-Judah drivers and just reckless. Or rather, wreck-full. I have rarely witnessed an N-Judah driver either (a) obey any traffic laws at this intersection or (b) give noticeable care to those in the crosswalk.

Several neighborhood groups and a coalition of N-Judah riders have been hounding the Mayor and the Muni-wonks to do something about this intersection for years. Incidents at this intersection due to negligent Muni drivers are common.

The N-Judah Chronicles has been on this almost since its inception. They have gotten the brush off from city leaders time and again. They made sure the Mayor and the City knew it was only a matter of time until someone gets killed or severely injured.

And they hate it when they're right.

The N-Judah ran over a 90 year old woman the other night. Commenters on the SFGate story are incredibly cruel. It's one thing to step in front of a train that you see coming-- pedestrian's own fault and all of that. But this woman had the light, was in the crosswalk, and was having trouble crossing the wet streets in the storm. Negligence here is clearly on the part of the bus driver, who by witness accounts didn't even get off the train during the incident.

This happened as I was leaving my office and crossing the N-tracks about seven blocks upstream. Two Muni service trucks RACED around a blind dog-leg curve, not stopping in an intersection and nearly striking several pedestrians in a busy crosswalk. I was astounded at this reckless behavior (who floors it towards a stop sign?) and watched people dodge out of the way, shortly before I had to dodge the second truck myself when it was my turn to cross the street.

It seems they were on their way to the scene of the accident, not caring if they caused another one.

And to all the apparently "entitled" pedestrians I see every day in this City: Seriously, stop when you get to a street, look both ways, and then cross the intersection. You might consider looking up from your cell phone or pausing your iPod too.

SFMetlogs has a blurb too.

truth behind the iPhone

The blogs and tech sites are abuzz today over the in-depth and well written article from Fred Vogelstein at Wired chronicling the behind-the-scenes stories leading up to the iPhone. Pretty dramatic stuff.

And considering the Alert Readers who keep asking me when I am going to get one and why/why not, it should be an interesting read for IJS visitors.

The Untold Story: How the iPhone Blew Up the Wireless Industry

Countdown to MacWorld next week! Considering how long it took them to actually roll our the iPhone and Leopard, both headline announcements at last year's MacWorld, I don't think Apple has had time to come up with anything new to announce this year. Movie rentals via iTunes and possible iTunes movie versions bundled with physical DVD sales don't count.

rocking my MacWorld

Fun Bryan is in town to prep for MacWorld next week. It is a blast having Bryan back in town, but it is only Thursday and he has worn me out.

Also with Bryan is his fun boss Rich, and we had dinner at Cha Cha Cha in the Haight last night with Alert Readers Shilpa Patel and Paul Day. Followed by more drinks at Studio 54-five, a demo of Apple TV, and then a downward spiral into messiness at Sadlands.

Incredibly amusing photos from Shilpa's Flickr set as soon as she posts them.

Welcome back to SF Bryan!

Imelda Marcos eat your heart out.

These shoes rule!

'Shoes' Walks Away With People's Choice Award

So much fun.



Of course, I'm also a big fan of the runner up:

Hey little boy!

Get yer finger out of that dyke.

I'm sure this will be posted all over the place today, but still I have to comment:

We had to waste CA Supreme Court time and resources to rule that Dykes on Bikes can refer to themselves as such.

This little bit of expensive silliness was brought by clearly-can't-get-a-date attorney Michael McDermott, "who challenged the trademark as an individual acting on his own behalf [who] considers the Dykes on Bikes name to be 'hostile to men.'"

Dude, you are so fishing in the wrong pond.

No pun intended.

snow day!

I've been trying to flush out and post the blogger drafts I left here over the holiday vacation before I got back to "live" blogging. I've got a few more old notes to make live before I get up to date, but I thought I should break in with some now notes.

The weather and news people have been going ape shit all week about the rain anticipated to hit the Bay Area today. So much so, that the management in my office told us not to come in to the office today. If in-the-office work could wait until Monday, we were encouraged to let it sit and telecommute for other work.

I thought they were being ridiculous. Not that I couldn't use a day to recuperate, but I had just started making a dent in the pile of work which had accumulated while the office was closed for the holidays. Sure, the forecast was for a big storm, but in SF it's going to be rain.

"So basically, you're telling me tomorrow is a 'snow day'?"

Okay, I can get into that I suppose. Especially since diluvian downpours are really nasty for those of us who walk to work. I stayed late to get as much done as possible before abandoning my desk until Monday.

Wow. I clearly wasn't paying close attention to the forecasts. This storm is INSANE! The rains woke me up last night and have not relented. Towns are flooded, power is out everywhere, some highway and Interstate passes are closed, it's a blizzard above certain elevations, I felt earthquakes throughout the night, and vans, trucks, and especially rigs are being blown over by the 90+ MPH winds across the bridges (closing lanes, roads and bridges around the Bay Area). Some areas will get more than ten inches of rain in a 24-hour period.

Downtown is screwed with falling debris and scaffolding, closing streets and rerouting MUNI. Commuter buses and ferries are out of commission.

Over half a million homes are without power. (Better post while I can.)

The local news has had live coverage since before dawn. So has the paper: Winds, rain wreak havoc.

The mantra: stay home if you can.

No more arguments from me.

On a related note: Umbrella just started playing on the radio.