Insignifica

o'reilly a tool

Bill O'Reilly is a fucking tool. From yesterday's Talking Points on Schwarzenegger winning in California next week:

In the beginning of this country, the press was set up to look out for you, to keep an honest eye on the powerful. But now the media in America has largely become ideologically driven. It's more important to many newspapers and TV news operations to push a certain philosophy rather than to honestly evaluate performance.

In the end, the people still hold the power in this country, as the recall shows. But it's not easy to know the truth these days because it's hidden in a fog of partisanship.

The "tool" part of all of this? He's talking about the "liberal" media, and appearently thinks Fox News is the beacon of truth shining for the everyman. Is he really that stupid as to think his own news organization isn't just as he described? Does he know, but lie about it on the air? Is he insane? Perhaps blinded by hatred of liberals that he's unwilling to see his own bias? Is there another option?

I just think it's both amusing and sad that he can't see the absurdity of his statements, and that his viewers/listeners/readers honestly think Fox News is the truth and all other major media is lying.

teeth and poker

Another trip to the dentist, another day of numbness and unfinished root canals. This tooth will hopefully be finished Tuesday, but it might have to be refered to a specialist or extracted instead. I'm almost considering extraction for my other bad teeth, it seems like it'd be so much easier than the root canals.

In happier news, tomorrow is the first Poker Tournament. We have 11 players confirmed and everything set out. Wil, if you'd like to play, feel free to drop me a line.

You may have noticed I've installed a right hand list of links. The idea is gaining popularity as a "side blog" style where it's not things you're going devote an entire entry to, but want to catalogue for you and your readers. I've always admired Anil's list, and mine is modeled after that. It'll contain things I want to link to, with hopefully humorous "title" attributes in the links (mouseover the links to see them). It's for me as much as it is for you, so enjoy, and I will.

May your weekend be fruitful, free of pain, and may you live in peace with all human beings. Today's quote from the Dalai Lama:

The realization that we are all basically the same human beings, who seek happiness and try to avoid suffering is very helpful in developing a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood; a warm feeling of love and compassion for others. This, in turn, is essential if we are to survive in the ever-shrinking world we live in. For if we each selfishly pursue only what we believe to be in our own interest, without caring about the needs of others, we not only may end up harming others but also ourselves.

Remember that, especially when you're considering who to vote for in California. We're all human beings, and we should all be treated as such.

Looking to gain weight? You may need some cheeseburger fries.

The best quotes from the article are "The challenge is getting people to think of other ways to eat beef" and "You just don't see beef-based appetizers".

braindead monkeys

Garote let me know yesterday that the new Braindead Monkeys album, Weenie Roast, is now available for download - 20 tracks, all new stuff. Get yours today!

dentist!

I have survived this trip to the dentist. I had most of a root canal this time around (they didn't put a permanant cap on, I'm hoping there's not too much more drilling/digging/poking involved). While it didn't hurt like a broken bone or hard hit, it was very uncomfortable keeping my mouth open and being drilled and dug into. I also was unaware of the long pins used to clean out the roots - those didn't tickle. I'm just hoping the long term benefits of fixing my teeth now are worth it in the long run in terms of visits, pain and cash. At the moment, I'm suffering from a simple, dull, persistant ache, which doesn't suprize me from the carving I got. The pain from that should disappear about the time I go back on Friday.

another monday

Welcome to another beautiful Monday. I did a whole lot of nothing this weekend, including relaxing, taking a walk to the local park, playing Strato, and interneting. It's nice to have weekends like that.

Next weekend, however, is the first of hopefully many poker tournaments - we have 9 confirmed playing, and I'm guessing we'll be up around 12 by Saturday. There's still room to play, let me know by Thursday.

In other poker news, Wil is all about the game. I don't know him, he doesn't know me (we've met once), but he seems like an awesome guy to have at your game.

In horrible dental news, I'm all about the root canal tomorrow. That should be a good time. This will be followed by several other appointments in the coming weeks for cleanings, caps, fillings, and wisdom teeth removals. I'm glad I'm finally getting to my teeth after years of non-existant or poor dental coverage, but damn, I'm not really looking forward to it.

I've begun reading Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right (by Al Franken) - good stuff so far. I really like his format of quoting someone in context, then showing where and how they lied, then lied about lying. I also purchased and read most of Endless Nights, the new Neil Gaiman Sandman graphic novel. Some great stories. I wish it was a bit longer. I was spoiled by coming into Sandman after all 10 of the graphic novels (all 75 comic books) were released, giving me many weeks of reading enjoyment. So far, it's very good - a very entertaining Morpheus story set millions of years ago, and a little more insight into Delight/Delerium and an interesting modern day tale with Destruction.

In politics news, I'm sure I'll think of something. Here's a starter: why is public nudity illegal?

TLAPD

Man, it seems like EVERYONE is talking about Talk Like A Pirate Day today (Sept. 19). My boss made mention, it's all over the radio, Barnes and Noble had a display in their store, Wil's on it, and no doubt there'll be more before day's end.

(Click here for a larger image.)

But get this: I was on the Talk Like A Pirate Day tip a year early, celebrating it last Sept. 19th, before most of the rest of the world. I'm the trend setter and ahead of the curve. Come to me for your advice, because I can't be wrong. When you need to know, you know you need me.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Yar!

assorted news

Some short pieces of news:

The poker tournament is shaping up nicely - our roster is up to 7, with strong interest from some other people. Should be a good time. If Wil Wheaton or James Garner are reading this and interested in playing, let me know.

I'm rearranging the sidebars on the page to make room for my new links section, which will contain links worth noting but not necessarly worth writing about. It'll be a place for me to keep notes to myself on sites to visit or revisit, as well as some entertaining sites. Watch for it. The idea is borrowed from sites like Anil's and Ernie's.

I love going through my archives. I had forgotten about so many of the thing I'd posted about. Be aware that while everything from 2001 and 2002 lists Michael Doss as the author, some are actually written by Chris Stankevitz.

Controversial topic of the day: The United States needs to get rid of the penny.

bush nazi

Doesn't he wish...

This picture from Reuters is brought to you by Yahoo.

poker tournament

First Annual Michael Doss Texas Hold 'Em invitational poker tournament

Game: Texas Hold 'Em Poker
Date/Time: September 27, 2003, 5:00pm
Buy-in: $12 for $500 in chips
Limit: $10/$20
Blinds: $5/$10
Players: 8
Prizes: $50 first place, $20 second place, $12 third place, $6 forth place.

Interested in playing? If I know you, you're invited. Email for an invitation.

fuck you racists

Hey, racists: Fuck you.

hax0r

I'm a l33t haX0r.

My laptop's NTFS.sys file became corrupt and was causing blue screens about 6 seconds into boot, even when trying to do it in safe mode. Following the advice I found here, I used my knoppix CD (which I knew I could read from the HD with), booted into linux, ran the ntfsfix, and then tried rebooting into Windows. It got past the initial problem, ran it's scandisk, then rebooted. Amazing stuff, using a free linux install to fix a windows problem that even Microsoft said required a reformat.

died

Johnny Cash died today. That's sad, but's been sick for a long time.

But fucking John Ritter died today too! He was only 54, and we don't know if he even knew he was sick. This is the first celebrity death that's struck me in a long time.

tommy chong

MSNBC (among others) is reporting that Tommy Chong (of Cheech and Chong) has been sentanced to pay $20,000 and serve 9 months in federal prison for selling bongs and other paraphernalia on a website.

He didn't sell any drugs, mind you, just pipes and bongs.

What the hell is wrong with everyone in this country? Why is selling/possessing paraphernalia a crime? Who is it hurting? What good does it do for the public interest? How many millions of dollars were spent to investigate and convict Chong and others?

Most importantly, who, of the public, wants these laws? Liberals tend to be on the forefront of the legalization/end the drug war causes. Conservtives want government out of our personal lives. Libertarians say it's our own business what we do at home. Moralists, perhaps? Show me in the bible where it says we shouldn't sell/use drugs or drug paraphernalia.

This is a fight I really should be getting into, both because I think it's infringing on the rights of Americans, and because I don't smoke marijuana. Causes like this tend to suffer when opponants see 20,000 "potheads" marching on Washington - lawmakers need to see that non-drug users, as well as the people who like an occasional toke as much as they enjoy an occasional drink, support ending drug laws like this one. It serves none of us to put someone like Tommy Chong in federal prison.

monday afternoon

Another Monday, another very cool weekend. Went to the wedding of good friends Ken and Christine, who were joined in full ren faire fashion (as were guests, myself included), followed by merriment and seeing more of the Santa Cruz group in one place than we have in years. Ken's friend Hunter, our friend Garrett, and Garrett's girlfriend all stayed with us at our new place, and we had a good time entertaining. We learned our place is perfectly set up for 1 guest or couple, or more than good enough for 2 guests or couples. There's probably room enough for 3 or 4, even. It's a big place and we have a lot of extra room.

We'll likely test that this weekend with the Borucki Birthday Bash - we're celebrating for Marek's birthday and the unofficial premier of our new pad. If I know you, you're invited. Just send me a note. There'll be drinking, celebrating, games and quite possibly boobs. You have been warned. And invited.

Looks like a lot of people don't like my stance on lethal weapons. That's fine. I don't think I know anyone who completely agrees with me on it. Other controversial issues on which I'm often disagreed with:

Prostitution: Should be 100% legal and regulated, just like any other business performing a service in the state.

Drugs: Should be 100% legal, highly regulated for safety, and have punishment for illegal, irresponsible use (driving, child care, giving to others).

Death Penalty: The state has a right to punish, but not the right to kill, if for no other reason than all sentences except death are reversible.

I'm working on a section of this site with collected writings highlighting my thoughts on issues such as these. As I write more, that section will develop and will eventually be publically available. Free free to comment and let me know what you think.

police weapons

Alrighty, it seems as though a lot of people didn't understand my statement about police and non-lethal weapons from last Friday:

I don't believe police should carry lethal weapons. The job of law enforcement is protection and carrying out civil order, not enforcing punishment.

I absolutely don't think police should be walking around without protection, I just think guns are they wrong type - it's the old "when all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail" issue. Guns are a poor choice of weapon for the job police have, that of stopping and apprehending suspects.

Police need a tool (be it stun gun, knockout dart, nerve inhibitor or something as yet uninvented) that stops a suspect, not one that kills a suspect. Hundreds of people are killed every year by police officers in this country, when all that really needs to be done is stopping those people the police are arresting.

The arguments I keep hearing are "less lethal weapons aren't effective" or "criminals respond better to lethal weapons". First, there are plenty of effective non-lethal weapons, and they've been used for years. The reason they don't have widespread use, however, is because no one is willing to come out and say "the job of the police is not to kill, but to capture", and therefore the widespread technology hasn't been developed to any sort of potential.

As for the "criminals respond better to lethal weapons" argument, since when was everyone the police arrest a criminal? Try this argument on for size, libertarians: lethal weapons in the hands of law enforcement could be considered unconstitutional because it removes a suspect's right to due process under the law. If a suspect is dead, they can't get a fair trial. This becomes much more relevant if there are, in fact, non-lethal weapons that can effectively stop a criminal.

To put it into perspective: are there any incidents when it's preferable for a police officer to kill a suspect rather than apprehend him? Keep in mind these are not convicted criminals, only suspects who may or may not be guilty. A gun in the hands of a police officer doesn't help to disarm or stop a suspect any better than a variety of other non-lethal weapons would, and an accident with such a weapon doesn't produce the tragic effects often seen with guns. If we have the ability, why not use it?

spears dumb

Britney Spears, from CNN: "I think we should just trust our president in every decision that he makes and we should just support that."

That's the stupidest thing I've read all day. So cute, but so dumb that one is. A shame.

Hollywood elite?

Before and during the war with Iraq, conservative pundits could hardly contain their glee while bashing the "Hollywood Elite", those actors, singers and others in the business who spoke out against the war. They were called pinkos and stupid and put down as uniformly unqualified to speak up and out. At the same time, we were supposed to respect the opinions of the conservative media, although they generally have the same or fewer "qualifications" in speaking on political issues.

Now, we have a bona fide member of the Hollywood Elite running for Governor of California. But where's the conservative media's uproar now? Hollywood isn't just speaking out, they're running for office of the important state of the Union! Sound the alarms! Could be that O'Reilly and company are ignoring Schwarzenegger's run? No...they talk about it. Not all support him (especially in light of more conservative candidates like Tom McClintock), but they're not making any comparison to the "stupid Hollywood actors" who spoke out about the war with this one who could very well win control of one of the largest economies in the world. "Fair and balanced" my ass, guys.

happy september

Hello and welcome to September. Labor day has passed, and summer, holding on for another 3 weeks, as come to an end in terms of white shoes and vacations.

Didn't do any blogging this weekend, was busy having fun in the real world, celebrating birthdays and shopping and gambling. Some updates, links and et cetera: