Alienware pressuring reviewers for good reviews?

Hoo boy... Michael Dell (as new owner of Alienware) can’t be happy about this. I used to think Alienware PCs were pretty cool, if overpriced. Now it seems that they’ve been engaging in some pretty nasty tactics of “review us well, we send you more, review us bad, no more samples for you.” Here’s the good part. The idiot made these threats to Hexus.net via email! Maybe the moron at Alienware thinks his job is somehow more secure, since Dell gobbled them up? Maybe he’s just a moron. I think it’s that latter. So much for superior alien intelligence. (Via Slashdot.) Update: Yeah, I know, so much for practicing loving-kindness. *sigh*

Shall they come with years and honour to the grave?

President George, you need to read this. Mesopotamia Rudyard Kipling, 1917 I would suggest that someone just paste this into George’s PDB, but I don’t think he reads it.

The End of Politics as Usual

I was checking my newsreader, seeing what was going on in the world. As the days wind down to the 2006 mid-term elections, it’s getting nasty — and funny — out there. Loretta Nall, according to ABC News, is using her feminine features as, uhh, a campaign platform of sorts. ABC News says, ‘Her campaign is offering T-shirts and marijuana stash boxes adorned with a photo of her with a plunging neckline and the words: ‘More of these boobs.’ Below that are pictures of other candidates for governor including Republican incumbent Bob Riley and Democratic Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley and the words: ‘And less of these boobs.’” I tried to check her site, but it looks to have been slammed by people hearing about it. Could it be just the novelty, or is something bigger going on? I think, in this case, it’s just the novelty. But it got me to wondering. There are a lot of bloggers with some really important things to say, people who don’t toe any party’s line, who think independently, and who could truly bring about a revolution in American democracy. (Note, I do not consider myself one of those bloggers.) If I were a member of the Democratic or Republican party elite, I’d be getting really worried about now. That sinking-feeling-in-the-pit-of-your-stomach worried. It won’t happen this election season, and probably not in the 2008 elections, but the days of the traditional parties are numbered. A reader of Andrew Sullivan’s blog wrote in to say, “I say thank you for pointing out that real conservatives have been pushed out of the Republican Party. We can't be Democrats, but we can't be Republicans anymore either. Sometimes we feel like we have been dumped onto another planet.” It ain’t just conservatives, whatever that means anymore, who feel that way. The two major parties in America seem so out of touch with what happens in the daily lives of the people they represent, and what those people think, that they have become ineffectual to the point of appearing to be bumbling fools. I also wonder if the minor parties have ever connected with what real-life Americans think to begin with. So where does that leave us? Who will represent us? Who can we elect that understands us? The bloggers. Well, not all of them, because there are some nut-jobs out there that make Mark Foley look like a school marm. But maybe some of those like the afore-mentioned Sullivan. I wonder what kind of party it would be. Does there even need to be a “party?” All the campaign financing and stuff that parties do is good for the candidates, but the Internet, as has been said ad infinitum, has given voice to every American. Proof? Loretta Nall’s cleavage being noted on the ABC News website. The point is that any American can have their say on blogs, with podcasts, and even with their own campaign ads that they can post on YouTube. What does this confluence of technology bode for the big parties? It’s not looking good to me. As Americans begin to understand how to make the most of these tools, both as people who post on the internet, and as people who read what’s posted, the public will find themselves with more subtle and complex opinions that don’t fit party platforms. And they’ll find people with similar views who just happen to have blogs. Then, one day not to far off, a blogger will run for office, without party affiliation. And win.

Newsbits and Opinion

Spooky: I love Halloween. I have ever since I was a kid. What other holiday is expressly not about warm fuzzy feelings, but about getting your pants scared off? Well, yeah, scared out of your wits in a safe way — but that’s what so great about Halloween. Spooky, creepy, scary, but ultimately safe. Here’s something fun and different for the spookfest: a 10-room, 10,000 square foot haunted house made of... balloons! I usually abhor cutsy Halloween kitsch, because its supposed to be scary, but sheer scale and creativity trumps traditionalism in this case. [via ABCNews] Geeky: Readers (hello? anyone out there?) may know I like environmentalism. Here’s a guy who put $150,000 of his money where his mouth is: solar panels, a hydrogen-powered car, and the hydrogen even comes from his own electrolyzer. He has his setup powering a hot-tub and a big TV, and all the other goodies. Who says off-grid living has to be spartan? Heartbreaking: Regarding the discovery this week of more remains at the World Trade Center, and that “The discovery of bones angered family members, who want answers about why remains are still turning up five years after the attacks.” I know the grief of these families is real, and to say that they miss their loved ones is a gross understatement, but why is this a surprise? Like everyone else on the planet with access to a TV that day, I watched the collapse over and over, and I’m surprised that people aren’t still discovering remains in Brooklyn, let alone the WTC site. To the grieving families: The rescue and recovery workers at the WTC site can’t be both heroes and incompetent at the same time. They risked their lives and their health to find your loved ones. They are human, and should be forgiven for not finding every single particle of remains. Please don’t validate Ann Coulter’s hateful opinion.

Remodeling Complete!

You want before and after pictures? You got it!

Study

Before — After

Yeah, I know, I need to hide the cables and cords, and yes, there’s some finish work to do with the floor at the closet door.

More pics:

Bedroom

Before — After

More pics:

Needless to say, I’m pooped! We do have some work to do before the holidays, like some simple re-working of the living room. We’ll just be rearranging the furniture, nothing major like these rooms. Then, after the holidays, we’ll be starting on the larger of the two baths. The smaller was remodeled a couple of years ago and really doesn’t need any work. Just some accessories maybe.

Zen and the Art of Room Remodeling

The past couple of weeks have been filled with the joys of remodeling two rooms. September came to a close, and I terminated the lease on my beloved apartment to return home. In the last 10 days I’ve all but finished one room (still need curtains, a rug, and some flooring bits that are out of stock at Lowes), my office. I love the room. It’s warm and relaxing. The new wood floors are wonderful. My artwork brought from the apartment looks great on the warm golden brown color (officially American Tradition “Antelope Hide”) of the walls. I’ve discovered that I’m amazingly relaxed most by the actual process of painting the walls. I seem to go into a “zone” and I feel so serene. I don’t feel so rushed, I enjoy taking the time to make it look as good as possible — a bit of a challenge, since the walls are less than perfect, but that’s another story. Today I painted the room that will become my bedroom. It’s a serene blue called “Tropical Bay.” More of my artwork will be going in there, and the pieces I’ve tested look fantastic. A piece I purchased from a local artist is just made for those walls. Tomorrow I finish painting the window trim, put up the crown moulding I took down to paint. (It is easier for me to take it down and paint the moulding with a roller than try not to get paint on the ceiling — you can’t tape it, since it’s a popcorn ceiling.) By this weekend, I should have more snap-down wood flooring replacing carpet that has been in that room since 1976. Well, that old carpet does have some sentimental value, since it was what Mom and Dad put in the room for us kids. So, I cut out a big 4-foot by 4-foot section so my brothers and I could have souvenirs. The next couple of days should offer more relaxing room remodeling meditation. I then get to move the last of my things into that room and set up Dad’s old cast iron bed that I refinished about six years ago for the apartment. I’ll hang my pictures, order some curtains from JCPenney or someplace, and I’ll be set. That won’t be the end of my remodeling meditation practice, though. The holidays are coming, and though I consider myself a Buddhist, the holiday season is a time I always look forward too. I love getting the house ready for visiting family. Every single year for as long as I remember, I’ve been responsible for the decorations and the tree (except that one year I couldn’t get home before Christmas to put up the tree, and my non-creative twin brother surprised everyone by doing a fantastic job with the decorations). I’ve got windows to clean, rooms to re-arrange, and decorations to hang. Then, after the holidays, more rooms! Mom and I have decided to redo a bathroom, and maybe we’ll tile the dining room floor, too. The kitchen is in desperate need of new cabinets, and have some ideas for the family room. Outdoors, Mom has turned over to me the front foundation plantings, so in spring I’ll be starting that — but I’ll be planning long before then. My brother and I want to run power out to one of the out-buildings, and maybe I can make some headway on ideas for a back deck. Lots of ideas, and plenty of time for remodeling meditation.