From August 18, 2010

I Said Hey Man Nice Shot!

I've never been prouder to be from Sacramento...

From August 18, 2010

Sometimes Even a Blind Pig Finds an Acorn

One of the great delights that I enjoy is stumbling across a musical performance that I've never heard before and like...saw this video by a group from Southern California called Dawes, and thought the song had a great sound to it, so I thought I'd post it and let you hear it for yerself!!

From May 19, 2010

Thinking About Using Lifelock?

From www.techdirt.com

Ah, Lifelock. The company, which was recently fined $12 million for bogus advertising and absolutely dreadful security practices (the private data that Lifelock claimed it was helping you protect was not encrypted and was available to more than just authorized employees). Of course, the most amusing thing of all was how the CEO of the company, Todd Davis, plastered his Social Security Number everywhere to show how "safe" he felt with the company's service. In the past, we had noted that this didn't actually stop him from from being a victim of identity fraud -- when someone used his well publicized SSN to get a $500 loan in his name. Oh, and then there was the story about how the CEO then personally went to the home of the guy who did this, and "coerced" a confession out of him. In doing so, it ruined the police investigation and tainted the case.

Thankfully, it now turns out that there were twelve other opportunities to taint evidence. Yes, it's now come out that the CEO who proudly gave away his SSN because his own company would protect him has been a victim of identity fraud at least 13 times. And they say 13 is an unlucky number...

The stories go on and on, with lots of people using his Social Security Number to open up various accounts -- many of which it appears he didn't find out about until collections agencies came calling. Could there be any worse advertising for Lifelock than this? It's even pissing off the police

"It's unfortunate he chose to conduct business in that way," [Albany police] spokeswoman Phyllis Banks said. "It's not fair to [AT&T] because they're losing a pretty substantial amount of money."

From May 19, 2010

You CAN Make A Difference!

To make a difference in a starving child's life, go towww.freerice.com.  Answer the trivia questions there-you don't have to register or give them a credit card number or anything...for every correct answer, 10 grains of rice will be donated to the United Nations World Hunger Project.  It takes as little as 100 grains of rice to feed a starving child, so spend a few minutes there and fill some bellies. If you do decide to register, look me up as Mr Bad Example, join my team, and we'll add things up even quicker!

From May 19, 2010

R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio

Do not make the symbol lightly. Do not make the symbol in haste. Do not toss up this eternal gesture at a Miley Cyrus concert lest you be instantly struck down by demonflame and cursed to walk the planet in shame forevermore. Only make the gesture if, and only if, you wish to thoroughly and totally rock. That is all.

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

I'm copping this directly from Mark Morford at www.sfgate.com  If you hyaven't read Mark's writings, please go there and do so-he's been writing for them for several years, and I'm sure you'll find something to either piss you off or amuse you...


Ronnie James Dio died the other day, quietly succumbed to a relatively sudden onset of stomach cancer and up and left the planet in a blaze of stage fire, dragonsmoke and general metal awesomeness. Maybe you heard.

It was an abrupt end to a sort of stunning, nearly unprecedented35-year career in hard rock megastardom, a shock that sent all flags of classic campy Bic-lighter rock n' roll greatness to half mast for at least a solid year, or until Ozzy Osbourne spontaneously combusts, whichever comes first.

It is quite possible you have no idea who Dio was, or you don't really care, or you think he and his various multiplatinum bands -- Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio -- were a bit of a long-haired crotch-rock musical circuslike joke. Or maybe you were all aswoon for Rick Springfield or the Go-Go's at the time when a post-Ozzy Sabbath 2.0 was cranking out some of the best hard-rock songs of all time ("Heaven & Hell," "Mob Rules," "Voodoo," "Die Young") circa 1980ish.

It's also possible you know just enough to know RJD was pretty much heavy metal personified, a tiny 5-foot-4-inch sorcerer with a mangy mane, demonic eyes and sly grin, all coupled to a simply huge, operatic voice, a diminutive powerhouse who prowled the stage like a feline elf and who was, it turns out, also finely intelligent and well spoken, an actual gentleman in a genre known all too well for its bombastic, monosyllabic doltbuckets. A rare thing indeed.

Metal is made up of many silly cliches, and Dio's songs rarely shied away from a good cheeseball lyric about medieval knights and crystal balls. But the amazing thing is, Dio the man never succumbed to the typical ravages of drugs, booze or hideous all-body tattoos. He never gained 75 pounds later in life or lost most of his voice through merciless shredding and ended it all playing county fairs for 19 drunk dudes in a barn before collapsing in a heap in a motel room in Jersey. There's a lesson in there somewhere. Or everywhere.

Hence, it is time for respect. It is time to raise the fist and light the lighter and, of course, make the sign. Oh, the sign. It is formidable indeed. It is the thing that will last forever. It has the power.

Of the myriad impressive notables related to Dio's passing, perhaps foremost is the fact the man was 67 years old and was still making quality hard rock records, still touring with a new (old) version of Black Sabbath, still singing his absolute heart out about dragons and rainbows, making the infamous devil horns hand gesture he swiped from his Italian grandmother and which has since became the universal, undeniable, completely badass symbol for true metal across all galaxies everywhere, and for which Dio deserves to be ensconced in the heavens forevermore.

The gesture, it shall not be denied. The gesture is all. The gesture is made to this day by any true fan of rock 'n' roll, even punk or glam or Goth. Thus spaketh the gods: If you do not know the gesture, you simply do not know how to rock. Perhaps you should try it now. Thumb in, middle and ring finger down, index and pinkie finger up, raised in defiance, awesomeness, true devotion to all that is heavy and pulsing and 4/4. See? The symbol makes almost anything better. It also makes it more metal.

Ronnie James Dio was even older than Mick Jagger. This is sort of amazing, doubly so because Mick Jagger's band hasn't written a good song since the Carter administration. Dio, in some ways, remained more true to his origins and his passion than Jagger & Co. Deny it at your peril.

It's also worth noting because, as far as I can tell, Dio is officially the first of metal's genuine elder statesmen to exit this planet, the first of its true legends to have contributed a lifetime of songcraft to the genre. Sure, you had your Jimi Hendrix and Bon Scott and John Bonham, guys who all died lifetimes ago and who didn't even make it into their 30s. No one of Dio's stature has made the move to the great throne room in the sky. Until now.

It's a little disquieting. The lions of hard rock, guys like Robert Plant, Roger Daltry, Brian Johnson, Rob Halford, these monsters feel completely timeless, iconic, eternal. They simply shall not, will not, do not die. It's almost impossible to imagine a musical world without Robert Plant. No metal fan of any stripe can imagine a day when, say, Iron Maiden shuts it all down because Bruce Dickinson turned 85 and suddenly can't remember the lyrics to "Hallowed Be Thy Name." Metal revels in the raw energy and unchecked phantasmagorical ridiculousness of youth. It is all fire and testosterone and rebellious fantasy. It doesn't go well with reality.

So it is for hard rock and a guy like Dio, an elfin titan with an undying love for lasers and sorcery, dragons and kings. The man wrote some terribly corny metal songs, but he sang every one with a ferocity and love and total honesty. He also wrote some of the finest hard rock melodies of all time, sang them with a precision and love unmatched by any hard rock singer since. It's a rare thing to give metal some heartfelt props. It is time. Raise your devil horns and salute.

From Mar. 26, 2010

But Hey, I Was Thinking Green...

From www.slashdot.com

A Gasoline-Powered Alarm Clock was among 15 bogus products granted the coveted Energy Star seal of approval by the US Environmental Protection Agency during a secret evaluation conducted by the Government Accountability Office. In addition, four fictional manufacturers run by fake people and marketed with crummy websites — Cool Rapport (HVAC equipment), Futurizon Solar Innovations (lighting), Spartan Digital Electronics, and Tropical Thunder Appliances — were granted Energy Star partnerships. The root of the problem: Manufacturers need only submit photos and not actual examples of their products, and they submit their own efficiency ratings, which are not independently verified by the EPA.

Damn, I was looking to add those way-cool Cool Rapport Air Conditioning Units and Futurizon Lighting Fixtures to my apartment...especially since they claimed to only use 1/1000th of the energy of regular systems....

From Mar. 24, 2010

Urban Renewal-Sacramento and P.B.S. Style

Sounds like beautiful downtown Sacramento, but here, it's blamed on unsolved arson committed by "homeless people living under the city streets".  Strange how the trolls under the streets always seem to hit the blocks where developers and/or officials most want to redevelop, especially if there's one property owner on the block who doesn't want to sell...

From Mar. 23, 2010

Wow!  Great Picture!

From NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive

Zodiacal Light Vs. Milky Way 
Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel López
 

Explanation: Ghostly Zodiacal light, featured near the center of this remarkable panorama, is produced as sunlight is scattered by dust in the Solar System's ecliptic plane. In the weeks surrounding the March equinox (today at 1732 UT) Zodiacal light is more prominent after sunset in the northern hemisphere, and before sunrise in the south, when the ecliptic makes a steep angle with the horizon. In the picture, the narrow triangle of Zodiacal light extends above the western horizon and seems to end at the lovelyPleiades star cluster. Arcing above the Pleiades are stars and nebulae along the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy. Recorded on March 10 from Teide National Park on the island of Tenerife, the vista is composed of 4 separate pictures spanning over 180 degrees.

                                                                     

From Mar. 23, 2010

Yes, Mr. Biden, It Sure As Hell Is..

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Listen closely for Biden's whispered comment to the President...

From March 22, 2010

Confused Wool*

*with apologies to the great sportswriter Dan Jenkins, this pretty much describes the term Confused Wool, even if they're both guys...

From www.boingboing.net

In the past two days, two idiots tweeted that President Barack Obama should be assassinated, apparently incensed over the health care reform vote. @THHEE_JAY, identified as Jay Martin, tweeted just that, and followed up with "If I lived in DC. I'd shoot him myself. Dead f***ing serious." A day earlier, one Solly Forell tweeted, "ASSASSINATION! America, we survived the Assassinations and Lincoln & Kennedy. We'll surely get over a bullet to Barrack Obama's head." Incidentally, both people happened to be black, and both self-identify as conservatives. They've both been paid visits by their new pals at the Secret Service.

As well they should...then, they should be committed to our nation's barbaric mental health system-I'd be willing to bet that their opinions on oh, let's say..." socialized medicine" (to use their term) would change considerably...most people are unaware of the fact that even the most extensive private health care plans in America generally will pay for no more than 2 weeks of inpatient mental health care, despite the fact that EVERYONE will suffer from some type of mental health problems in their lifetime.