Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Oooooo...Fliptop Lens Cover Action

I just got a new lens cover for my soon-to-be-fading-into-obsolescence camera. My other cover had broken, so I opted for the mighty Olycap. It's pretty sweet, as it just swings open. No more fiddling with dangling lens covers or accidentally popping it off. The only thing I have to make sure is to open the cap before turning on the camera. The cap will get in the way of the extending lens and probably not feel to good to the internal mechanisms. And if it breaks the camera, well, I guess I'll just have to get a new one :)

Monday, December 04, 2006

To Reiterate, I Love Macs


Remember that Macintosh font issue a couple posts back? Looks like it's not limited to iChat.


I guess that doesn't matter. I mean, the fact that OS X is so sleek and cool and swooshy makes up for the fact that I can't read a darn thing I type.

This Is Pretty Fun



Care for a minor diversion? Check out Vectorball. It gets cool after the first few levels. Admittedly, I haven't played enough to get more than a mediocre score.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

My Wife


06-11-30--001
Originally uploaded by Senor Velasco.
My wife as depicted by our three-year-old girl. Notice the blond hair, eye lashes, smile, three shirt buttons, and tree in the background. Voila!

Thursday, November 30, 2006

A Quantum Leap in Lowering Standards

Normally, when people talk about the way things "used to be," it's in reference to something at least 10 years in the past. "In my day, we wouldn't dream of showing our midriff." Or, "Twenty years ago, we hadn't even heard of those things."

Today, we may speak in those same terms. Except that now, we're referring to the last 2-5 years. I think we're witnessing a quantum leap downward in standards of decency.

What got me thinking about this is the whole Britney Spears thing. I'm not one to peddle prurience, but if you're in any way connected to any media outlet, you know that Britney has been photographed multiple times sans underwear.

That in itself, in my opinion, is far from newsworthy. In fact, have deep disrespect for those who produce and distribute such pathetic gossip. But several factors reveal that this is more than a story. It's a symptom of an even steeper slide into the moral morass.

1) Britney isn't the first celebrity to be photographed going commando, though she's likely the most famous – claiming legions of millennials who see her actions and accept them as a new standard.

2) If you and I are at least minimally aware of her knickerless notoriety, then surely the pop princess is informed of her exposure. Heck, Rosie O'Donnell made an appeal on the View to please cover up. Does that matter to Britney? Apparently not, which implies a conscious decision to let it "air out" in full view of the world.

3) The nature of the blogosphere exalts this behavior, giving it voice where even five years ago it wouldn't be seen by more than a handful of perverts. Thanks to today's instantly available celebrity gossip, depravity is given coverage, discussion and, ultimately, acceptance.

I'm sure that going commando is nothing new. But broadcasting it is. Britney is a pioneer of sorts. She's blazing new trails into the jungles of depravity. And likely starting a fashion trend in the process. I predict that five years from now, panties will be passe. And in the warmer climates (which, as everyone knows, will be everywhere), there will be new trendsetters getting chewed out by Rosie for not wearing pants. Just you wait and see.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Get Thee Hence, Blackheads!

Now You Can Encrypt Like the Pros!

I stumbled across a cool little encryption applet that scrambles messages using a keyword. As long as you know the key, you can unscramble the message. Great for telling secrets!

Give it a try.

Decrypt this!

qcurlaeehjkmlbspvidhwltzum

key:
homestar