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The Cody Blog: March 2005

Thursday, March 31, 2005

Mayonnaise Sucks, BTW

I had a roast beef sandwich from this fantastic French place (I'll grab the name and cite it later) for lunch today. The sammich had mayo on it. I got to thinking -- how amazing is it that mayo is the staple it is?

I mean it's not very tasty, it's not good for us, it's just sorta icky when you think about it:

Ingredients: Soybean oil, whole eggs, vinegar, water, egg yolks, salt, sugar, lemon juice, natural flavors, calcium disodium EDTA (used to protect quality).

How cool is it that there's actually a website all about mayo?

Finally -- the only thing worse than mayo? Fake mayo!:

Ingredients: Water, soybean oil, modified food starch, vinegar*, corn syrup, egg whites, salt, sugar, lemon juice, mustard flour, potassium sorbate, cellulose gel, cellulose gum, natural flavors, D, L, Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), beta carotene (color), and calcium disodium EDTA added to protect flavor.

Getting the word out, baby!

The Cody News (March 31, 2005)

Zimbabweans Vote in Parliamentary Elections
What a wonderful surprise it would be if Democracy and quasi-capitalism including property laws and enforcement of law were to take hold in Africa and the Middle East in the 21 century. Let that be one of our goals.

US Soldier Convicted in Court-Martial
Makes me so sad. I wish there were more headlines about the great things that those fighting for us do everyday -- but those things always go unnoticed by the press .

'Black holes' in US spy knowledge
I always find it curious that it's assumed the US spy knowledge should be all-knowing.

Pope now being fed with a tube
I won't say it.

Microsoft continues push for video on the go
The tech revolution in motion -- literally "motion".

Windows Server gets security boost with Service Pack
That's fine and all, but per my posts below -- the war is just getting started.

I hate facing press, says Charles
Oh, the poor baby! He lives a billionaire's life on the backs of taxpaying workers and he doesn't like to face the press. Oh, poor baby.

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Calling All Bright Ideas in the War Against Spyware

Hey, I'm open to suggestions for more ways to engage in this war against the spyware evildoers. One thing I'm wondering about is the logistics behind enforcing the laws if/when they're passed.

And also -- come on now, send this link out to get this movement going. I know a few hundred links have been forwarded thus far, but let's do much better. If it's easier for you, just cut and paste the hyperlink below into your email program and forward it on. Word of mouth, and grassroot movement and all that -- it's up to us to get this war going full-scale.

http://thecodyblog.blogspot.com/2005/03/lets-do-something-about-spyware-adware.html

The Cody News (March 30, 2005)

I love Blogger and all (and I own GOOG stock in size), but I'm about sick of the problems with posting to this site. The number of blogs are increasing faster than Google can handle right now. Fix it or risk losing it, Google.

Boy Scouts Official Guilty in Porn Case
Make your skin crawl? "Smith, who worked for the Boy Scouts 39 years, was a national program director and led a task force protecting youth from sexual abuse."
It reminds me of this teacher who used to work at the high school in my hometown who was a hyper christian and would go in and remove the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue when it'd get delivered -- in the name of morality of course. He later got busted being naked in the school's jacuzzi with a 16 year old student. Fuckin pig.

A Decision of Supreme Importance
Yeah, I wrote this one. I think this P2P ruling at the Supreme Court is very important to our economy and the future of the Internet.

Attorney Johnnie Cochran, 67, dies
Tasteless, I know -- but does this mean that he won't be bailing Jackson out of his hole?

Earth has suffered irreversible damage: study
Put bluntly: what a crock of shit. I love the irony (or is it hypocrisy?) in the fact that this report is a 2,500-page assessment.

Women steal preserved fetus from exhibition
WTF? WTF?

Bloglines: May we track that package for you?
The future before you eyes.

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Let's Do Something About Spyware, Adware and More

A vicious spyware program has taken over my main PC, and has cost me thousands of dollars in time and expense as well as opening my personal and professional data up to evil doers. I've also spent a lot of words whining about it, and the feedback from readers has been astonishing. I've received hundreds upon hundreds of emails from readers who have had similar nightmare-ish experiences.

The worst part is that we all know who is doing it -- they direct us to their own and their partners' websites using these nefarious programs. But we consumers have been all but powerless to do anything about this -- until now.

I want to start a movement to fight this evil. There's a bill before our legislators called the "Spy Act HR 2929" and in Chapter 47 of that bill there is legislation that will make spyware, adware and other malicious code illegal.

The bill seems to be floundering -- so let's do something about it, in three easy steps:

1. Find and then contact your congressman in the link below. Tell him/her to get this bill passed and to make sure the punishment is $1-3 million per violation and that jail time is included:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/


2. Find and then contact your senator in the link below. Tell him/her to get this bill passed and to make sure the punishment is $1-3 million per violation and that jail time is included:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

3. Finally, click here to send this link to everyone you think might want to join in this fight.


PS. I'm just getting started on this battle. We're gonna get these bad guys.

The Cody News (March 29, 2005)

Suspect Arrested in Minnesota Shootings
If guilty, hang 'm.

Annan may be down, but he's not out, says UN Oh, is there any worse bureacracy than the UN? Let's dole out billions in subsidies that help hold people down and pay well-connected people too much money and put them up in the poshest places with their own multiple Mercedes to drive around in, while the people in the developing world that they're supposed to be helping starve and scrounge. Meanwhile, we better make sure Nike doesn't build a factory to create upward mobility and access to health care and technology in cultures where brushing teeth is a luxury. Sigh.

On a related note:
Second civil trial begins in church sex abuse cases
Just sick.

High Court to settle big file-sharing suit
As I've written many, many times, enabling technology is not illegal. It's the criminals who use the technology in criminal ways that should be punished and curbed.

Bogut eyes NBA success
Remember when people used to say stuff like, "Athletes should finish their education before going pro"? What a crock that idea is. Make that money while you can, brutha.

Greenberg out; Buffett to be questioned I hold Buffett in perhaps unrealistic esteem. I sure hope he's not going to end up another fallen idol.

ISPs share hacker info
Ahh, yeah, boyeeee. Go get those mofo's!

Monday, March 28, 2005

Cody Jams on Friday (March 28, 2005)

Rather than grabbing ten random tunes from the 1,065 in the “Purchased” play list in my iTunes (see Ten Random Cody Jams Volumes I, II, III), I’m going with more structured platform for this week’s Cody Jams on Friday (and, yes, I’m aware it’s Monday – I was in DC for a day off last Friday). Anyway, this week’s songs are some of my favorite Pearl Jam songs. Pearl Jam is a great “jam band” and you’ll notice that a lot of my favorites below are covers of other great band’s songs. Other than Eddie’s terribly disappointing covers of the Beatles’ “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”, Pearl Jam usually takes a classic tune and makes it their own and the resulting music just oozes intense feelings.

Alive (Pearl Jam) - The original and one of PJ’s best. Such a bad ass guitar riff and you gotta love Eddie’s angst which was particularly raw when this song first came out.

Yellow Ledbetter (Pearl Jam) - Doesn’t the rhythm guitar (forgive me, for I know not who actually plays which guitar when) in this song basically talk on its own?

I Am a Patriot (Pearl Jam) - Written by Steven Van Zandt, some awesome lyrics that are reflective of the exploding non-partisan movement in this country right now. Love it when Eddie screams “I am a patriot! And I ain’t no communist, and I ain’t no socialist, and I ain’t democrat, and I ain’t no capitalist, and I ain’t imperialist, and I ain’t democrat and I never been a republican either – I only know one party and that is FREEDOM --- I am a patriot.” And I get the chills when they chant “And the river shall open for the righteous”. Good stuff.

Baba O’riley (Pearl Jam) - Written by the Who’s Pete Townshend, it’s one of the greatest rock songs ever, performed here by one of the greatest rock bands ever.

Driven to Tears (Pearl Jam) - Written by the Police’s Sting, this version by Pearl Jam is simply interesting enough that I like to listen to it sometimes. I can’t stand Sting nor much of his music though you can’t fault his writing skills in songs like “King of Pain” and “Don’t Stand Too Close to Me”.

Daughter (Pearl Jam) - Beautiful and haunting with its unique guitar tuning and Eddie’s disturbing lyrics.

Corduroy (Pearl Jam) - One of the only non-Cody-original songs I can play from beginning to end on my Les Paul. Such a bitchen guitar riff.

Rearviewmirror (Pearl Jam) - As I before: Some very personal lyrics to me in this song. Things weren't always calm at my house growing up. Cried when I heard Pearl Jam sing this song the first time live.

Chloe Dancer / Crown of Thorns (Pearl Jam) - Andy Wood’s beautiful tune, originally by Mother Love Bone.

Not for You (Pearl Jam) - Wanna go kick someone’s ass? Listen to this before you enter the ring. “This is not for you! Fuck you!”

Glorified G (Pearl Jam) - Ah, yeah. Just a great jam. And I’d note that I literally had a “glorified version of a pellet gun” that I used to shoot bottles, cans and sometimes mettlesome birds at the farm as a kid.

I Won’t Back Down (Pearl Jam) - Tom Petty’s instant classic. So cool.

Gimme Some Truth (Pearl Jam) - Written John Lennon, of course, Pearl Jam’s version somehow makes it feel inspirational or something entirely away from the rant that Lennon’s version entailed.

Click here to download this iTunes (and even if you don't download it, rate it!)

The Cody News (March 28, 2005)

Marburg virus causing chaos in rural Angola
Sorta gives some perspective on the spyware virus problems I'm having. Certainly, I'm going to continue railing against these spyware and spam criminals -- and in deed, such a battle will help create a platform for wealth creation that will help us avoid and end deadly viruses such as the Marburg.

Sharon Defeats Effort to Require Vote on Gaza Pullout (Update1)
"Get back -- get back to where you once belonged" -- The Beatles

Mugabe calls archbishop a "half-wit"
Would be humorous if there weren't so much opression and death on the line.

Russian, US Astronauts Complete Swift Spacewalk
Such a great use of our money.

New Hope for Cat Allergy Sufferers
Note the irony that mice were instrumental in the protein's development by Dr. Andrew Saxon of UCLA.

Escape from New York

I remember watching Escape from New York with my brother on our VCR back 20 years ago or so. My brother sure did love that movie -- I don't think I cared much for it. Bet I'd hate it if I watched it again these days.

DC was beautiful -- and clean. Much cleaner and with much nicer roads and public facilities than NYC. NYC itself is world's cleaner and nicer than it was when I moved here 9 years ago, but this city has got to do something about the road systems. I don't know, maybe the first step would be to kill the cronyism and rampant mafia-dominated contractor system in New York. Maybe find some companies who actually build and maintain good road ways or something. Sigh.

The Cody News coming up next.

Thursday, March 24, 2005

DC Here I Come

I'm meeting my parents in DC tomorrow. I haven't seen my father in over a year. Very excited.

I'm beat from dealing with this virus (couldn't boot up for a couple hours this morning) and writing and trading and working and playing all week. Bru-TAL.

As for The Pillowman, I'll just say that Peter North was great -- er, I mean, Billy Crudup was good. Seriously, the acting was pretty damn good. Michael Stuhlbarg was sweet and innocent and forced you to sympathize with him. Jeff Goldblum (who's quite tall -- I could dunk on him though) was funny and harsh at the same time -- not easy to do. He started off a little clunky, but caught his stride quickly. Zeljko Ivanek is one of those actors whom you always recognize but can't remember from what. He was solid as the violent, vstupid cop character. I swear that I think he was smoking a joint instead of a cigarrette in the first scene. Sure did smell like Mary Jane.

The play itself was deep and thought-inspiring. Had nightmares from it last night even.

Have a great weekend if I don't post again. I'll do this week's iMix on Monday if I don't get it up here tomorrow. Peace.

KISS Meets the Twenty



Nothing can stop the KISS revolution.

The Cody News (March 24, 2005)

Bobby Fischer on new tack
I do get a kick outta the fact that he was "
cursing the leaders of the United States and Japan and bound for self-exile in Iceland."

Congeniality 2 is a drag!
Confessional: I saw the first one. I don't remember where or when. But I saw it. I pledge to you -- I will not see the second.

Sleep apnea linked to night deaths
Is it me -- or is that one of the worst written articles of all time? The lede kicks it off: "Many people long to die peacefully in their sleep, their heart stopping while they dream and snore." Ah, yes, I often actually "long" to die.

PM signs co-operation deal
Please, someone explain to me again, why we want to curb any trade ever. We know since the beginning of time that all societies in which trade reigned were the healthiest and wealthiest. How hard is it to apply? It is what it is.

Spitzer sees far-off planet light
Amazing how this guy has taken on the establishment from outer space.

Whitney Houston Returns To Rehab
Shocking, just shocking.

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

The Pillowman Cometh

I'm going to see a new play called The Pillowman starring...wait a minute, I thought it was starring Billy Crudup and Jeff Goldblum. Who are these Bella Donna and Brittany Morgan folk? Oh, wrong theme and plot entirely. (Hey, Unknown Broker -- how about that dude's hair?)

Here, I'm going to see a new played called The Pillowman. There. Let you know how it is manana. Peace.

The Cody News (March 23, 2005)

Deliberations to Resume in Smuggling Case
Another tragic story. What a country and time we live in that people are willing to risk their lives like those immigrants to be here.

Astronomers See Light from Extrasolar Planets
You just have to wonder how much more we'd know and see in the universe if the government would get out of the biz and allow the private market to explode.

Sony PSP Great For Games, Not Much Else
I guess I'll go buy one for myself -- it's research for work, all right?

EU retreats on deregulation
The deregulation they retreated on was, surprisingly, actually deregulatory (as opposed to say, the deregulation of the US telecom networks, which wasn't really deregulatory at all).
How disturbing is this quote, if truly from Chirac? "Ultraliberalism is the new Communism of our age," one source reported Chirac as saying. "Ultraliberalism" in this case, doesn't refer to cold-hearted socialism (er, what's the proper phrase -- oh yeah, bleeding heart liberal -- I always get those two terms mixed up....that whole desire to call it like it is thing, I guess). Anyway, ultraliberalism isn't referring to the US-meaning of liberalism. It's referring to letting free markets play a part in the economy. And a movement towards letting capitalism reign is certainly not "the new communism of our age".

Evil Turtle & Nuts
Hilarious. Be sure to read the comments about the post too.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Boggle Your Mind

The last time I saw my grandma, I had flown to Kansas for a surprise visit to her old folks home. She subsequently killed me in both Boggle and in Scrabble. Always struck me as ironic that it's hilariously cute and perfectly acceptable for an old lady to talk to trash in ways that would get a hoopster's ass kicked on the courts.

Warning: Addictive
http://weboggle.shackworks.com/4x4/

This one's a strange, but fascinating one.
http://www.vidlit.com/craziest/craziest.html

Of Andy Warhol and Forensic Science


Researchers develop fingerprint detection technology

Cool pic -- is it just me, or would Warhol be proud? Hope the technology, called micro-X-ray fluorescence or MXRF, helps catch some bad guys.

Photo credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory

The Cody News (March 22, 2005)

Gunman Kills 10 in Minnesota Rampage
What a tragedy. And what the hell is going on with these folks lately? Now we'll have to hear about how banning guns would solve these problems.

Kyrgyz leader defiant after unrest
Getting uglier.

US Supreme Court Rejects Appeal from Sept. 11 Terror Suspect
So much for due process.

Murder charge in girl's death
If guilty, hang the muthafucka.

On a related note:
Church seeks end to death penalty

I say, if you kill someone or put your penis where it's not wanted -- and it's a clear, clean WAAAY beyond a doubt conviction -- you get hanged.

American Thom Mayne Wins Pritzker Architect Prize
Wonder if Howard Roark would have won. Speaking of which, Ayn Rand (an objectivist, I'm not) turned 100 last month.

Bobby Fischer granted Icelandic citizenship
What the hell is going on with this guy?

Website phishing up 366 percent
You don't say?

Hackers steal California students' IDs
Get 'em!

Monday, March 21, 2005

The Schiavo Conundrum and the Blogosphere

The blogosphere is up in arms over this Schiavo tragedy. It's a terrible, heartbreaking situation -- but one thing that's driving me crazy as I read through some random blog comments on the situation is the unfounded blasting and desperate reach for ever-worse unproven insinuations about this Michael Schiavo character.

Why go there? There's plenty of factual ammunition for those who want to blast this husband guy.

Light 'em Up

Cool store:
Generate Design Inc

I think maybe I'll buy a new lamp for my bedroom. Any suggestions, Mom? Or anyone?

'Roid Rage

This farce of a steroid movement by our politcal jackasses is such a killer. I mean, aside from the obvious waste of time and money that a Federal investigation into a private matter entails, it's also scarily invading our privacy. If the Feds have the rights to Sammy Sosa's urine -- why? just because they demanded it, dammit! -- what's to stop them from coming after yours?

Most provoking line from this article by Matt Welch (you have to sign up to read it) out of ReasonOnline is:

Among the items successfully subpoenaed by the committee were "the names, disciplinary action taken and reason for suspension for all drug-related violations since 1990." An estimated half of all the nation's workplaces conduct drug tests, producing approximately 50 million urine samples.

Not only did Congress assert its right to see the names of those disciplined under tests that were conducted under the condition of confidentiality, committee members also loudly encouraged baseball to share that data with the FBI.

These political jackasses have no time to go after the criminals who have illegally appropriated my desktop and now have access to hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of data, analysis and monetary info -- not to mention the private materials on my computer. I can think of hundreds of more important issues that should be prosecuted than whether or not someone in the private sector is juicing himself up (let baseball and the public take care of this -- we most assuredly would): From tossing cigarette butts on the street (hey, it's rightly illegal to litter for crying out loud) to, oh, I don't know, say the cronyism running rampant within and outside the bounds of so-called legal campaign finance laws. But this latest spyware infection has just got me more up in arms (in case you didn't notice) about this privacy invasion than I was already.

Look, our mission is to change this system (which is, to be sure, the best system on the plant -- but not good enough) and evict those wasting our time and money on fruitless and aimless and private matters. Let's get on it.

You Cody News (March 21, 2005)

This spyware infection in my PC is killing my life. I can't believe the hit to my productivity level that it has entailed. What pisses me off the most about this is that all these pop up windows and incessant bubbles are trying to guide me to the culprit's websites!

In other words, there's no question who the actual criminal is -- why can't I call the cops and have them go get these bastards? I know who has infiltrated my life, but I am powerless to stop them. It'd be like someone breaking into your house, moving in, and controlling where you go and when -- and even though you know who it is, and even though you could notify the authorities -- the authorities look the other way. Flatly, this is criminal activity and the so-called leaders need to be doing something about it. Of course, that assumes the finish up solving the rampant and private steriod non-problem in the country. Sigh.

To the news then.

Kyrgyzstan Orders Probe Into Elections
Quick, name the capital of Kygyzstan. I didn't know it either. Yet again, I'll just note how headlines like this underscore the remarkable political system in place in the US -- despite all its faults.

Rice Urges China to Allow More Political Openness
Pot calling kettle black?

Profile: Narendra Modi
Interesting write up.

Yahoo Buys Flickr
A few months ago, Altucher sent me a link to this photoblog by Caterina. She's an owner in Flickr. Rock on.

PSP no one-trick pony
iPod killer? It's great, but no.

Virginity pledge looks good, but does no good, according to a ...
Victorianist hypocrisy is dying a slow death -- though that death is accelerating.

Friday, March 18, 2005

Cody Meets the KISS Phantom

Ever see the movie "KISS Meets the Phantom"? Glad Gene didn't use his superpowers on me.

Cody Jams on Friday (Volume III)

Another random selection of songs from my iTunes playlist.

Don't Dream It's Over (Crowded House) -- One of the members from a band I was in during college lent me a Crowded House CD. Great melodies, smooth grooves. Our band had two guys and a girl who could sing wonderful medleys. I played rhythm guitar and wrote some of the songs for the band. We might have had some minor success but our front man had no balls and was too scared to let us pick up any gigs for want of more rehearsal. That punk, Damon, still owes me $100 too -- which was a helluva lot of money that I could have used when I moved to NYC in 1996. What a punk.

If You Want Me to Stay (Sly & The Family Stone) -- Revolutionary shit back in the day. Of course, I was one year old when this jam hit. Funky, baby.

25 or 6 to 4 (Chicago) -- From the opening riff to the trumpets blaring, this is one catchy song. My father had this record and my brother used to sneak it out when Pop was working and put it on the turntable. It was this or our own "Up with People" (just kidding, we had KISS albums galore of our own -- I realize now why my parents were so disturbed by our incessant KISS obsession at the ages of 4 to 9).

A Dios le Pido (Juanes) -- Wonderful poppy latin groove. I gotta start working on my Spanish again some day.

Emerge (Fischerspooner) -- Dance jam that rocks.

Sample in a Jar (Phish) -- I know lots of Phish freaks who think this was their sell out song. I don't care, it's a great song. On a related note, gawd those spoiled ass rich white kids who follow Phish around are almost as annoying as those hippies who did the same with Grateful Dead. Get a life.

Kool Thing (Sonic Youth) -- I always feel like Sonic Youth is flipping the listener off.

Smile Like You Mean It (The Killers) -- Better than Duran Duran. Yeah, I said it.

Pure Morning (Placebo) -- "A friend who'll tease is better." Some great lines in this one.

Dueling Banjos (Eric Weissberg & Deliverance) -- Simply one of the catchiest, greatest songs ever. I actually get pumped up when I listen to it...better than a Metallica pump up song in some ways.

Click here to download this iTunes (and even if you don't download it, rate it!)

You Cody News (March 18, 2005)

Oracle's Back to It's Bidding WaysGotta admire their moxie in screwing with the other software companies.

Gas follows oil to new highs
Seriously -- I'm so sick of oil.

Samsung Introduces Six New Models of MP3 Players
iPod killers? Nope.

Climate Models Reveal Inevitability of Global Warming
No, surely you don't mean that the climate cycles that have always been a part of the planet are still in effect. No, really? You mean, climates change? Wow.

Last-ditch bid in right-to-die case
"Those who live at the mercy of others deserve our special care and concern. It should be our goal as a nation to build a culture of life, where all Americans are valued, welcomed and protected -- and that culture of life must extend to individuals with disabilities," Bush said in a written statement.
Being in a vegetative state for more than a decade is, I guess, a "disability". What a messy situation. Listen, here in public, I'm stating for the record -- I don't ever want to be kept alive if I'm incapacited for more than two months. Period. On a related topic, just donate my damn body to science when I die. Don't waste time and money on a burial or cremation. And no flowers or anything. Send the money to Red Cross instead.

Quarter of Cell Customers Use Messaging
The communications revolution is in full effect. Little Brother is watching you Big Brother!

Blog Posts Redux

Traffic's building here, so by request -- a few links to some recent popular blog posts:

60, Going on 42

Pump Up the Juice

Fight Your Mind

No Tears for College Coaches

Confessional: P Diddy Isn't the Anti-Christ

Goth Revival and Coming Meatpacking Decline

And of course, you can surf around the archives using the links on the right side of the site.

Finally, don't forget -- Cody Jams on Friday (Vol I or Vol II), so come back later for today's iMix.

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Squawking Manana

I'll be on CNBC's SquawkBox tomorrow morning at 7:40am EST. Now you might think I'd be going on there to talk stocks, tech strategies and network effects. But you'd be wro-ong.

I'm going on there to talk college hoops, baby! Bring it! Who wants a piece of me?

Here's hoping I get to talk about more than just trying to handicap this year's tourney.

Save Toby (or Set The Table)

Have to wonder if this guy's serious or not:
http://www.savetoby.com/
If he is, I guess all we can say is, "Bon apetit!"

In Your Face, In Deed

Can't add much to this one:
In Your Face

Blowing Up the Past

I love to remember the past -- the good times, the bad times...sports, friends, fights, toys...you name it.

But man, last night when I laid in bed staring at the ceiling from about midnight til 1 or 2 am, I was thinking about the house I grew up in and all the memories -- good and bad -- that I have in that house. I finally fell into my usual light sleep for a few hours.

This morning as the sun started bouncing off the buildings that my bedroom window looks out onto, I awoke out of a terrible nightmare. I'd been dreaming that I had become a suicide bomber and I was trying to blow up my parents house. Somehow I'd convinced my dreaming self that the world was coming to an end and I might as well be a part of it or something. So anyway, as the last bomb went off in parents living room, I found I was still alive.

And then I woke up. In the world's worst mood. So my awake self has now been affected by my sleeping self? I'm on my second cup of coffee trying to shake it off.

I remember when I was a kid I could control my dreams. Never had a nightmare and I was always a hero. And then once after my brother ran away from home, I told a therapist that I could control my dreams. She was shocked. And for whatever reason, I've never had the ability to control my dreams since. I didn't use to wake up in a bad mood ever either.

Sigh.

You Cody News (March 17, 2005)

Oh, man, a virus has taken over my entire PC. As if it wasn't bad enough that these evil doers force their way into my life by sending me unsolicited graphic nastiness, now my entire desktop and Explorer are owned by them. The government has to do something about this viciously criminal behavior. I digress though.

On a related topic:
WebTV Hacker Sent To Prison
Burn, baby, burn.

Alaskans Wary of Vote on Oil Drilling
Tough topic.

How Toronto grabbed the Rings
Not my cup of tea, personally, but fascinating that they're plowing that kind of money into it.

Russian CEO Chubais Attacked; Manhunt Under Way
Russia -- communist or not?

Will Obesity Shorten Life Expectancy?
Surely not. Really.

Oil And Gas Prices Hit New Highs
I am so sick of oil. At least it's not freezing outside in NYC anymore, so I can't bitch about the weather anymore.

ISS gyroscope problems could delay shuttle launch
Per my notes yesterday on the topic -- please privatize space programs. They'll be so much more efficient, better -- and that way we're forcing the rest of us to pay for it either.

Frozen sea gives hope of finding life on Mars
You just know there was.

On a related note:
Photo in the News: Fairy Shrimp Species Discovered
They ate their relatives? Sounds like some families I know.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

You Cody News (March 16, 2005)

An enthusiasm for remaking Iraq
Fingers crossed....

Republicans 'Must Reject Criminality' to Join Government
Makes sense, no? Better headline than "Repbulicans Must Embrace Criminiality to Join Government.

BlackBerry gets two IM services
The IM wars are hugely important and widely overlooked.

all 498 related »
Heard of this band?

And on a related topic:
Bush to pick Wolfowitz for World Bank
You mean the man who has refused to do photo shoots unless his own hair stylist is there, but who apparently is some great humanitarian -- at least with other people's money..."Damn you, developed country tax payers, forgive those loans!" --- you mean, he didn't get the job? I like U2 (you like me first, right?), but I'm no fan of Bono (he he, he said, "bone".)

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Why The Gubt is in Your Marriage Mix To Begin With

Got a debate going on down below about gay marriage. But let's step it back first.

Look, marriage shouldn't have anything to do with the state to begin with. But because they've fucked up the tax code so badly they're in the business of sanctioning marriages. That is, sanctioning some marriages and not others.

You people do realize the whole legalization of marriage (or lack thereof) debate stems from the socialistic setup that the bureaucrats continue to perpetuate and further. It's all yet another unintended consequence of socialist society.

Can you think of another reason why the government is involved in this private/personal issue at all? It's because they've got to draw lines when they make up laws to dole out money.

All of which is yet another example of how stupid it is to vote democratic or republican if you want privacy rights. Which begs the question -- why are the majority of gays democrats? The two-party political system's end is nigh.

Another novel concept -- let private institutions deal with marriage...or lack thereof.

You Cody News (March 15, 2005)

Russia paid $10 mln for information on Maskhadov
Take these murderers out. Even if it comes across like Darth Vader hiring Boba Fett.

Calif. Ruling Sets Up Gay Marriage Fight
Seriously, get over it, people. Who, outside of a vocal religious followers of someone who preached tolerance and non-judgment, cares if gays marry?

Atlanta shootings suspect to appear in court
I know this is bad taste -- but could you imagine if he got out again? Think there might be some tight security around this guy this time?

U2, Guy Rock the Hall
U2 gets as much meaningless press as does Apple. Guess that's why they teamed up.

FCC Rules 'MNF' Intro Wasn't Indecent
Is this really something the government should even be dealing with?

Colleagues: Griffin can 'get the job done' for NASA
What so-called "job"? Could you imagine how wondrous space travel would be in the govenment got the hell out of the way and quit bureacrating money and time away on their antiquated programs?

The Apple bloggers must name their moles
Damn straight. I can't wait to read all these bloggers defend their intellectual property theft and attack Apple for this. Hey, let's go download some music for free and then be upset when the recording industry fights back. To be clear -- the Internet is wondrous and will continue to revolutionize the world, but it doesn't mean that property rights and other laws are meaningless.

Monday, March 14, 2005

60, Going on 42

It’s better to rust than it is to fade away – Neil Young

My father turned sixty on Sunday. Sixty – wow. Ever notice how we sorta just get stuck in a particular age at some point in our lives? My father – he’s actually 42. I don’t care what the official number is.

When I was probably four or five (and my older brother seven or eight), my father told us that if we could ever beat him in a game of one on one in hoops before we graduated high school, he’d give us $100 on the spot (we counted all things in best-2-out-of-3 in my house – so as to keep the fluke aspect in check). Well, my brother was never much of a hoopster, but when I was thirteen my pops and I were in a heavy duty game of one-on-one when I got hot. He was up 9 to 4, but I ran off 7 points in a row to win. He wasted me in the next game and was up a quick 9 to 3 in the rubber match.

Alas, I got hot again, baby and rallied to tie the game. He score and I scored and we kept trading baskets to the point until I finally took the lead 23 to 22 – my first lead of the game. Oh, boy, my dad was sweating!

He tried to D me up like Moses Malone – which given the fact that I was like 5’3” and 75 pounds vs. his 6’1” and 180 pounds is not too much of a stretch. Alas, I made a move to the right and then crossed over to the left and, as I fell off the side of the court into the rocks and grass in our backyard, I launched the ball with my best fadeaway jumper.

I didn’t even need to look up. The feelings in my arms and hands told me that I’d nailed it. And I heard the swish through the net and the groan from my father. I’d gotten him.

He paid up too, and that $100 went straight into a new pair of the first red and black Air Jordans that I wore on the 8th grade basketball team (they’d asked me to skip my final year of Little League to play on the middle school team). I loved those shoes! And I love my father!

There are many more reasons to the 42 year old age that I consider my father is now and probably will consider him to be forever – working at the farm, riding horses (over my protests), putting up US flags around the city for the Lion’s Club at 6am on holidays, watching Hill Street Blues, playing nerf catch in the living room (oh, you shoulda heard my mom holler), getting the business for losing my jacket, and another jacket, and another jacket and my wallet and…you get the point, winning the Super Bowl and the Little League Basketball championships with my father coaching, playing on the same teams in tournaments in Mescalero, watching him win and win and win Softball championships (did you actually finally retire from that game at some point, Pop – when was that…when it went slow pitch?), driving on his lap in the car and in the van, opening fences for on ranches and chasing the behind the truck to see “how fast can I run, Dad?” on the way to large animal house calls….

I guess you’d take the sum of most of my experiences when I lived at home until I was eighteen, and you end up with an average age of my father of about 42. So, Dad, maybe your driver’s license says that you’re 60. But you’ll always be 42 to me.

Happy Birthday, Dad.

Man Up

I played hoops this weekend for the first time in probably a year, I'd guess. I was quickly reminded as to why I don't play very often anymore -- I don't dominate like I used to. It's frustrating to go out there and compete but not to kick ass and take names.

Speaking of taking names, at one point during the game two guys on my team got confused as to who was covering whom and the opposing team had a lay up off the play. The problem was simply that one of the two confused culprits on my team didn't hollar out at the other guy about a pick and rotation through the lane. I guess he didn't realize he needed to, as he just assumed the other guy would see it and realize it too.

Sorta' like how in a relationship, we so often fight when one party just doesn't realize that the it needs to communicate its feelings about a topic -- usually when there's been a change in those feelings -- to the other party. The resulting confusion ends up in a fight over who shoulda been covering that dude who just threw it down for two -- if you stretch the analogy.

Prob is that it takes work to communicate things. You have to open up those topics and sometimes that's not fun and sometimes feelings get hurt just by bringing up the topics.

Anyway, I'm sore as hell today, courtesy of the hoops.

You Cody News (March 14, 2005)

Venezuela says US lacks moral authority in human rights
and...
Belarus supports China's anti-secession law
Oh, China, what will you do as the forces of communcations and the Internet democratize the media despite your best efforts. It won't be pretty near term when Communism falls in China, but oh, power to the people is coming.

Atlanta hostage: 'I wanted to gain his trust'
Wow, what a story of courage.

Rice denies any plans to run for presidency
How fucking cool a time do we live in that a black woman's denials of Presidential plans are headline news! Rock on, and let's keep the revolution going.

Seven countries to investigate Marbella money laundering scheme
Great -- next thing you know they'll be telling me that all these emailers from Nigeria who are going to be wiring me $24 million sometime soon are liars too.

Friday, March 11, 2005

The Secret Is Out

Fascinating stuff, some of which brought tears to my eyes.
http://www.postsecret.blogspot.com/

Cody Jams on Friday (March 11, 2005)

How I Could Just Kill a Man (Cypress Hill) - This song reminds me of when I was playing hoops at Blinn JuCo in Brenham, Texas, a racist-ass backward small town between Houston and Austin. I was one of three white guys on the team, and our white coach once pulled us three aside and explained to us (picture shrill, whiny old man Texan accent voice here): "Now you guys need to step it up. You're smarter than the....er, other fellas. But you're not playing that way. You're not as athletic as them, but you've got to use the gifts that god gave you." Ah, Coach Dalchau another leader of young men making his mark on the world. Anyway, we used to kick it in the commons area of our segregated dorm (no whites and blacks roomed together) jamming to Cypress.


At the River (Groove Armada) - Smooth, cool jam.

These Dreams (Nancy Wilson) - Eighth grade crush song. No names named this time. :)

Rearviewmirror (Pearl Jam) - Some very personal lyrics to me in this song. Things weren't always calm at my house growing up. Cried when I heard Pearl Jam sing this song the first time live.

Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot) - A staple on the easy listening station always on when I was cleaning cages at my father's vet office in the 70s. Hard work, not always fun, but I learned the value of work, and my parents made me save half of each paycheck. Along with money from my parents, I later used those savings to buy a Nissan truck in high school. Thank you, Mom and Dad!

Do It Again (The Kinks) - Not their most popular, but my favorite tune of theirs.

Act a Fool (Master P) - One of my idols.

Twice as Hard (The Black Crowes) - Damn, these guys are a great band.

Cruz (Christina Aguilera) - Great song to open up the sun roof, put it in overdrive and lose yourself on the highway.

Against the 70s (Mike Watt) - Pearl Jam intro'd me to this song via a cover of theirs a few years ago, if I'm not mistaken. The original by Mike Watt rocks too.

Click here to download the iMix from iTunes.

You Cody News (March 11, 2005)

Trade Like Warren Buffett
Fantastic insights, as usual, from my good friend, James. Read his new book, btw!

It’s Time to Legalize Drugs
Some good points in there, no?

Five Years After The Bubble
Mankind builds, learns, creates and stands on the shoulders of giants. But some aspects of human nature never change.

EPA cuts power plant smog
And I quote: The long-awaited Clean Air Interstate Rule...is expected to save thousands of lives each year and prevent the loss of millions of workdays annually because of pollution-related heart attacks, asthma and other health problems.
Oh, come on already! People live longer, healthier lives than ever, yet we're going to pretend we can measure some thousands of lives being saved by this smog bill? Yes, it'll help clean up the air in some ways, but let's not ruin the credible positives of it with such refutable nonsense.

On a related note:
all 373 related »
Why can't I find a single reference to what the punishment would be for those utilities that don't meet the requirements and don't pay up for the credits?

Trade Deficit Hits 2nd Highest Level Ever
Flip it, baby. The capital surplus in the US hit its 2nd highest level ever!

Star Wars dark side not for kids "Scare them it will"
Oh, I can't wait! I can't wait!! (Please don't blow as bad as the previous two episodes.)

hedge fund trader seeks strap on mistress
I have to admit, I can relate, my fellow hedgie, I can relate.

Thursday, March 10, 2005

You Cody News (March 10, 2005)

Russia Lashes out at Poland Over Maskhadov Comments
Yeah, how dare someone speak their mind and question Russian authority?

LexisNexis personal data hacked
Hang 'em.

Next generation mobiles unveiled
I want my iPod phone from Apple....two years away, I'd guess

Death rate of middle-age black men double the rate for white men
Like I wrote the other day, it's a wondrous time to be alive, but we've got a lot of work still to do.

Sperm Protein Seals the Deal
I've tried that line too....

Pump Up the Juice

As if economists don't have a bad enough rap already -- this goose egg wastes space in the NYTimes defending MLB's slowpoke approach to the steroids issue. A couple Andrew Zibalist 's points are too easy points to blast:

An F.B.I. special agent, Greg Stejskal, told the news media last month that he had notified Major League Baseball about 10 years ago that steroid use was a developing problem. Indeed, it was probably around 10 years ago that some people in baseball became aware that anabolic steroids were being used by some players. At the time, many anabolic steroids were illegal if purchased without a prescription.
But as baseball became more aware of this as a growing issue, the commissioner's office did, in fact, act.
In 1998, Selig convened a group at his Milwaukee office, including team physicians, trainers and outside medical experts, and they decided to begin an investigation and to gather as much information about steroid use and its effects as possible.


So, three years after the FBI notified MLB, they "acted" by convening a group and "deciding" to begin an investigation that would entail gathering as much information about steroid use and its effects as possible. Now that's what I call action.

In June 2001, Major League Baseball published a pamphlet in English and in Spanish and distributed it to major league and minor league players. It laid out in considerable detail the known effects of various classes of performance-enhancing drugs. It also hired a new medical staff to advise it on drug policy.

Three years later, they distribute a pamphlet? Wow, hard core "action" there.

Andrew, the entire article and defense you provide is, simply put, insulting to our intelligence. What a crock.

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

The Weather Outside Is Frightful

As Joe Walsh once sang, "I can't complain...but sometimes I still do." I've had a rough couple of days -- market-wise, sleep-wise, stress-wise, etc. On top of it all, it's freezing outside and a snowstorm hits NYC in the middle of March. I really can't decide if I'm more sick of oil (see my commentary at RealMoney.com) or of snow. Enough of both already.

In Here, It's so...Frightful

And you know things aren't going well, when the snowstorm figures out a way to blow through some cracks in the seals around the window and leaves with you with two inches of snow -- inside your apartment entryway!

Eat Your Cake

I love this news item being passed around by socialists everywhere, originally from The Telegraph:


A 25-year-old waitress who turned down a job providing "sexual services'' at a brothel in Berlin faces possible cuts to her unemployment benefit under laws introduced this year.

Prostitution was legalised in Germany just over two years ago and brothel owners - who must pay tax and employee health insurance - were granted access to official databases of jobseekers.
The waitress, an unemployed information technology professional, had said that she was willing to work in a bar at night and had worked in a cafe.


She received a letter from the job centre telling her that an employer was interested in her "profile'' and that she should ring them. Only on doing so did the woman, who has not been identified for legal reasons, realise that she was calling a brothel.

Under Germany's welfare reforms, any woman under 55 who has been out of work for more than a year can be forced to take an available job - including in the sex industry - or lose her unemployment benefit. Last month German unemployment rose for the 11th consecutive month to 4.5 million, taking the number out of work to its highest since reunification in 1990.

The government had considered making brothels an exception on moral grounds, but decided that it would be too difficult to distinguish them from bars. As a result, job centres must treat employers looking for a prostitute in the same way as those looking for a dental nurse.

When the waitress looked into suing the job centre, she found out that it had not broken the law. Job centres that refuse to penalise people who turn down a job by cutting their benefits face legal action from the potential employer.

"There is now nothing in the law to stop women from being sent into the sex industry," said Merchthild Garweg, a lawyer from Hamburg who specialises in such cases. "The new regulations say that working in the sex industry is not immoral any more, and so jobs cannot be turned down without a risk to benefits."

Miss Garweg said that women who had worked in call centres had been offered jobs on telephone sex lines. At one job centre in the city of Gotha, a 23-year-old woman was told that she had to attend an interview as a "nude model", and should report back on the meeting.

Employers in the sex industry can also advertise in job centres, a move that came into force this month. A job centre that refuses to accept the advertisement can be sued.

Tatiana Ulyanova, who owns a brothel in central Berlin, has been searching the online database of her local job centre for recruits.

"Why shouldn't I look for employees through the job centre when I pay my taxes just like anybody else?" said Miss Ulyanova.

Ulrich Kueperkoch wanted to open a brothel in Goerlitz, in former East Germany, but his local job centre withdrew his advertisement for 12 prostitutes, saying it would be impossible to find them.

Mr Kueperkoch said that he was confident of demand for a brothel in the area and planned to take a claim for compensation to the highest court. Prostitution was legalised in Germany in 2002 because the government believed that this would help to combat trafficking in women and cut links to organised crime.

Miss Garweg believes that pressure on job centres to meet employment targets will soon result in them using their powers to cut the benefits of women who refuse jobs providing sexual services.

"They are already prepared to push women into jobs related to sexual services, but which don't count as prostitution,'' she said. "Now that prostitution is no longer considered by the law to be immoral, there is really nothing but the goodwill of the job centres to stop them from pushing women into jobs they don't want to do."

The italics there, are of course, mine.

Okay, first of all, it's idiotic situations like that that arise from socialist and overly intrusive govenmental policies. Second of all, what the hell does legalization have to do with morality? Adultery is legal in most states -- does that make it moral now too? Gimme a break!

Finally, let me get this straight. The socialists are upset that some woman can't keep living off the state for free, but are confused about the unemployment situation? They call pulling the money she gets for existing "forcing" her to become a hooker? Uh, that's just bullshit.

The convolutions of the premise of that entire story are so fucked up, I can't even figure out where to start.

Pay people for existing in your state, but only if they meet certain requirements, but change those requirements randomly and often -- sort de-incentivizes someone from looking for work, no?

Force companies to keep employees they don't want or need -- would you want to hire someone you couldn't get rid of later if you needed to?

Let the state dictate what's a moral business and what's not -- ever notice how gambling in the US is only legal if it's the state operating it? In other words, blow your money on lottery tickets, no problem...but have a poker party at your house -- you're busted! Oh, man, what a system we've got to clean up.

You Cody News (March 9, 2005)

US: IRA must disband now
Justice must be doled out from central authorities. It's one of the few things the government should be responsible for. Still, the IRA -- what a fascinating group.

Laughter Really is the Best Medicine - all 159 related »
Cliche away, please.

Crowe was 'al-Qaeda target
Russell Crowe? Really? Hmm. On a similar note, Crowe's son sure does a good job in that Fox hit show, "O.C.", huh?

At a Suit's Core: Are Bloggers Reporters, Too?
Not in all cases, but when you're breaking stories like these Apple bloggers have been, you're accountable.

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

You Cody News (March 8, 2005)

Kosovo PM Resigns Amid War Crimes Charges
Like I said the other day, for the probs we have to fix in the US political system, what a miracle that it's as clean as it is.

Brother of Jackson’s accuser describes seeing the pop star ...
I'm no fan of Bush and all that, but why don't the whiners about the US reputation abroad go off on this freak? Talk about damaging. Look at the location of that news outlet.

Chinese authorities set to introduce Taiwan anti-secession law
Chinese Soup Nazi -- "No Freedom for you!" Why is all the world abuzz with the supposed wonders of growth in China. It's still a frickin communist, fascist state?! That is decidedly not a foundation for long term economic health. Gimme a break already.

Mobile Virus Via MMS
Psychos. Damn psychos.

Aspirin: Women's Stroke-Preventer?
Maybe if we all take a bunch of aspirin, combine it with some Vioxx, followed with some Adderall -- who knows then we could finally all be healthy!

Monday, March 07, 2005

Anecdote and a Recipe

First, a funny story. Then, a recipe. Hey, it’s my frickin' blog and I do whatever the hell I please on it.

I’m in the Suburban that CNBC sent for me on the way to the studios in New Jersey for Bullseye when I look down and realize that I've worn a dark brown belt with my black suit and black shoes. Argh!

The driver is this young Sean Penn-looking Turk wearing a black suit. I ask him if he'll be driving me back from the studios too. He says yeah, so I ask him if I can borrow his belt. He's like, say what? And then after I explain to him my conundrum, he says no problem. And I wear his black belt to the show. Stylish too, I might add.

So last night I got back from staying at a cabin upstate for the weekend. I parked my car next to the grocery store and decided to stop in there to grab some ingredients for dinner. Hmmm, spaghetti and meatballs -- codystyle.

Take one or two large can of peeled plum tomatoes. Crush them by hand into smaller pieces. A pinch of garlic salt, a good bit of freshly ground black pepper, a couple pinches of salt, a little parmesan, a couple bay leaves, a pinch of oregeno, a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a couple sprigs of parsley. Cook on low heat for at least an hour, stirring occassionally.

Then dice up an onion and a couple cloves of garlic. In hot sizzling olive oil and butter saute the onion first, adding the garlic after a minute or two. More black pepper and salt.

After a couple minutes pour half the onions and garlic into the sauce. Let the rest cool, adding some butter to it to take the temperature down and keeping the garlic from burning.

Take a pound of ground beef, a handful of bread crumbs, a couple more springs of diced parsley, 2 eggs, a tablespoon of worcestershire sauce and a pinch of salt and pepper and mix together by hand. Pour the rest of the onion and garlic into the mix and work through.

Form 1-2 inch diameter meatballs and brown in olive oil, turning to get all sides. Put meatballs into the sauce. Turn sauce up to medium low and cover loosely for 30 minutes or so, stirring frequently.

Boil spagghetti. Combine. Cover with more freshly ground black pepper and parmesan cheese to taste. Bon appetit, baby!

CNBC Appearance Tonight

I'll be on Bullseye tonight at 6:45pm EST for the "Whine & Cheese" segment.

I'm not taking any NM sparkling again this time. It was hard to see last time on the television, but the corks poppped hard last time and hit the ceiling of the studio, which is like 100 feet high or something. The final one hit me on the leg while we were filming live. Was pretty damn funny.

Anyway, check it out on CNBC tonight.

You Cody News (March 7, 2005)

Dot-con job: How InfoSpace took its investors for a rideLots of truth in the column. But ain't it funny that INSP today trades at a reasonable P/E and has a market cap of over $1 billion?

Shot Italian fuels anti-US feeling
I don't think the anti-US feeling abroad is nearly the prevalent attitude that the media makes it out to be.

Boeing Ousts CEO After 'Relationship'
Don't shit where you eat, is that the saying?

Bono may head World Bank
ROFL

Vin Diesel's 'Pacifier' puts Travolta in cooler
How cool.

Stallone punches up 'Contender'
Confessional later this week: I've loved Rocky since we named our African Gray Parrot after the hero in 1978 or so.

Vietnam Nurse Infected with Bird Flu - Doctor
And this just in -- man struck by lightning! Okay, maybe not quite the same thing, but I'm not sure this is or should be the issue everyone wants to make it out to be.

Friday, March 04, 2005

Judging People's Actions and Beliefs

I'm going to take that racism post a step further and delineate an underlying theme in that write up. That is, there's absolutely nothing wrong -- and in fact, everything right -- with judging someone's actions...or beliefs for that matter.

We can, and should, judge people for things they have control over. We can't, and shouldn't, just people for things they have no control over.

Think about it: if someone chooses to carry a gun down the street -- I'm going to judge them as a suspicious character. Someone uses a payphone at the W -- sure, perhaps they're from out of the country and don't want to pay roaming charges...but there's nothing wrong with wondering if they're up to something no good, given that most crime communication is done over payphones.

Likewise, we judge a person's belief system eight days of the week. I'm not a religious man, and I do judge people who are overly zealous about their religion. And you might judge me for not being religious. Nothing wrong with that, though I think I might surprise you if you asked me about my belief system.

In fact, in a second derivative kind of way -- I pass judgment on people who actually believe and/or act racist. Racists are idiots -- and I base that statement on a judgment of such people's beliefs and acts.

On the other hand, someone's born black, Arab, white, Israeli, whatever-- you can't try to pigeonhole an individual on such a born-with characteristic.

Fight your mind to free your mind.

You Cody News (March 4, 2005)

Key Witness in Ukraine's Gongadze Murder Case Found Dead
For all the problems we'll be fixing in the US political system over the next twenty years, the gangster-laiden and corrupt political systems in places like the Ukraine and Russia are a stark reminder of how wondrous the US political system remains.

New Species of Tiny Humans Were Smart, Brain Study Reveals
Some specious science and stretchy so-called scientific conclusions in there, but fascinating stuff.

Greenspan Calls for Simpler Tax Code
Please! Pretty please with sugar on top! No more subsidies and deductions for boats in the Atlantic and beverage investments gone awry.

all 1,424 related »
Click on it, you'll see. Fine, she's out. Please, media, don't go overboard with exposure. Yeah right. JFK Jr, anyone?

For Cody
I love you too, Mom!

Thursday, March 03, 2005

Cody Jams on Friday

Gonna start publishing an iMix every Friday on this here blog. (This Friday's tunes are hitting ya' a day early):

Down by the River (Neil Young) -- This song spoke to me when I was in college. Dunno why. Just love the guitar I guess.

Concertina (The Mars Volta) -- Deep. Intense. Hard core.

Through the Wire (Kanye West) -- Very cool jam.

Hurt a Long Time (Jerry Cantrell) -- Jerry's guitars and melodies are simply great.

Revoluton (Blazin' Squad) -- This song is a different version than the one on the Moo LAN Rouge soundtrack. I dig the lyrics.

Baba O'Riley (Pearl Jam) -- One of the greatest rock songs ever. Covered by one of the greatest rock bands ever.

Spit on a Stranger (Pavement) -- One of my college gf's took me to a Pavement concert once. I declined the doobie that was making its way in the crowd. But I sure do like Pavement's music.

Estoy Aqui (Shakira) - Shakira....what a talent. And this one's my favorite of hers.

Winter (Tori Amos) - Haunting, beautiful song.

New Thing (Enuff Z'nuff) -- Great tune from a hair band that went nowhere. But didn't they collaborate with Smashing Pumpkins or something once?

Click here to download the iMix from iTunes.

You Cody News (March 3, 2005)

Minority Report: Jef Raskin and the Mac revolution
Speaking of P Diddy's lessons of knowing history...

AOL Escalates the IM Wars
Never in the history of business has a product reached so many users and such critical mass levering all the Metcalfe Network Effects possible -- and still been such a bust.

Denise Richards, Charlie Sheen to Divorce
I've been debating whether to continue with the "This ain't news" links in The Cody News....I mean, why am I helping fuel the flame of this non-news?

US spies 'cannot sue government'
Haven't finished forming my opinion on this puppy.

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Fight Your Mind

The other day I was having dinner at the W Hotel in midtown (don't eat there -- way over priced and not very good food). I had to go up to the second floor to use the bathroom, and as I came out of the elevator, I encountered two middle Eastern men on the payphone.

My first thought, as it should have been for any good teleconomist, was: who uses payphones at the W any more. I'd guess than 99% of all adults who stay at the W own a cell phone.

My second thought, and this is what the post is about, was: two Middle Eastern men using a payphone -- that can't be good.

That thought is wrongheaded. Granted, I can't not think a thought that my brain thinks, if you know what I mean. But all us non-Arabs have to fight against these racist-ass thoughts. Stereotypes make people miss out on so much good stuff, and they create barriers of communication and barriers of upward mobility for individuals, and they keep us from learning new things from people with a different perspective than one's own.

Any rational, open-minded person accepts that judging any random black dude as more likely to commit a crime is a close-minded ignorant way of thinking. I often rail against people who use any racial slur -- I like to call them out. Sometimes, they'll be like, "What does it matter?"

Let's say you're in a position of power. Looking to hire someone. A black guy comes in the door, and because you've allowed negative racial sentiments -- however minor -- to fester in your mind he doesn't get quite a fair shake. You've allowed a bias towards white people to build up -- and the reason why is because you still allow those age-old ignorant-ass desires to categorize things (people, shows, superstitions, whatever) dominate your fundamental thinking.

Get over it. The world and the events and objects in it don't fit into those comfortable categories you wish they did. Individuals are individuals -- by definition, you know? And just because you happened to notice that the last three times you used a roll-on deodorant that the market went up or the last two times you wore some shirt that you got laid -- doesn't make it cause and effect, bubba.

But back to the Middle Eastern racism thing. Let's all quit trying to rationalize the new accepted racism against Arabs. If I hear another no-sense-making idiot say, "What can I do? If I get on an airplane and there's some young Arab men sitting next to me, I'm going to look them over and think twice."

Here's what you can do. You can accept that your mind wants to project the horrible deeds that some dudes who looked like those guys sitting next to onto those guys sitting next to you. And then you can step back and think that thought through. And realize it's silly. And wrong. That's what I did all in the span of about 15 seconds the other night when I got off the elevator at the W.

But seriously, and this is suspicious -- who the fuck stays at the W and has to use a payphone?

Prosecute Spam, Already!

Why is it that the government's in our faces for all the wrong things -- from drug regulation to seatbelt enforcement to online gambling -- but they can't crack down on the spam thing. Spam itself is quite a horrible epidemic, but lately I've been getting these porn emails with the most graphic, horrid, sickening pictures embedded in them. And since I use the "preview" function on my Outlook, I end up seeing some of these pictures.

Look, regulators -- do something worthwhile for once. Go after these people for invading my privacy and my home with this garbage! Not that I have a problem with porn, mind you, but it's wrong to have people pushing it into my home.

Daily Reading and Ranting (March 2, 2005)

Whether it receives attention elsewhere or not, this is news that matters (updated throughout the day):

British Schoolgirl Wins Right to Wear Muslim Dress
I've been working on a blog post about a related topic. Look for it later today. In the meantime -- you go, girl!

Firefox Gets More Share, IE users less than 90 percent
Microsoft under attack on all fronts.

Walkman Mobile is Out
Looks cool. iPod killer -- not.

The media loves this nonsense, but come on, already:

Steve Fossett Soars Eastward Over Asia
Who cares? He ain't no Lindenberg.

Honorary knighthood for Bill Gates
But I thought he destroyed all those poor Windows users' lives. Punish Microsoft, and knight Bill? Okay.

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

No Tears for College Coaches

Back in the day, I had myself a 42" vertical jump or so, and I could jam like nobody else. I played hoops at the University of New Mexico for one Dave Bliss. Now what I'm about to say, I say having worked around and on Wall Street for nine years -- Dave Bliss was one of the most evil men I've ever been around (let's hope he gets his just deserts and goes to prison for obstruction of justice).

To be clear, I have no first-hand observation of players at UNM on the receiving end of benefits outside the bounds of acceptability. In fact, some of the best players that I played with (and was roomies with) like Charles Smith, are some of the classiest folks I know. But let's just say that the dudes from the boondock ghettos in North Carolina who didn't have a pot to piss in, but were driving around in Eddie Bauer edition Ford Explorers -- well, something fishy was going on.

Anyway, this isn't a post about Dave Bliss specifically. But while I read these headlines and stories about this terrible mistake that some supposed leader of young men made -- John Chaney over at Temple that is (yeah, I'm sure he's really sorry)-- I'm reminded of how morally corupt all of college sports is.

Whether citing the ridiculous subsidies that the sports that nobody cares about gets or the exploitation of the great players who get nothing (legally, at least), while making millions for their coaches (like Bliss and Chaney and, yes, Krzyzewski at Duke who's made tens of millions) and their schools -- well, the whole shebang is wrong.

Here's a novel concept -- privatize that shit.

Words Worth Reading (March 1, 2005)

Whether it receives attention elsewhere or not, this is news that matters (updated throughout the day):

Optimism colours start of Palestinian reform meeting in London
Let's hope there's some substance to the hype. A long road ahead, but what if Israel and Palestine could mend things up?

State Department critiques human rights
Meanwhile....
U.S. judge says Guantanamo suspects have rights

People in U.S. Living Longer
But I thought stress, McDonald's, pollutants, etc etc were supposedly killing us all faster -- isn't that what we read and hear all the time?

Teens Leaping For Thrills In 'Garage Jumping' Trend
So the idiot jumps off a parking garage and sues the city for not having a fence that would stop him from being an idiot. Now I myself broke no fewer than 18 bones before I graduated high school, including an arm or two that were the result of some idiotic moves like jumping off the top of the backstop. And while my pops was always so pissed at me for those things, we didn't sue anybody. Tort reform, anyone?