Too Absent Herald

From SNL. November 7, 1998:
Mack North (Will Ferrell) berates Fred Peete(Chris Parnell) AFTER Peete lost the election. Mr. North, the winner of the “District 8 seat” wants Peete to admit that he is a “loser.”
——-Announcer: Fred Peete lost the election to Mack North, but Mack has got more to say about Fred Peete.
——-Mack North: What are you running from, Fred? A little thing called the truth? You’re afraid people might find out you’re an idiot? I think the word is out!
——-Announcer: Fred Peete won’t respond to the most recent charges. Why? He says the election is “over”. He says Mack North is “wasting money”. He says he’s “out of money”. Yet, Fred Peete’s kids go to private school, and Fred Peete goes to a chiropractor.
——-Mack North: A chiropractor? No money? Yeah, right. What about the facts? Like the fact that you lost! Like the fact that you’re kids are that extra kind of chubby that you just know they’re gonna grow up fat!
—
And in the “real world” of 2006: Here is an ad being run in Idaho FOR Larry Grant (D), or perhaps AGAINST Bill Sali(R). The only thing separating this form a Skit is a laugh-trac.
In case you think that there is any hyperbole involved, keep in mind that Sali once declared on the floor of the Idaho Legislature that abortion causes breast cancer.

Sali ad on Youtube (still?)
Outstanding.
Speaker of the Idaho House Bruce Newcomb(R): You, sir, have my promise of a donation whenever you run for re-election.

No, I didn’t listen in on Apple’s Quarterly Financial Report Conference Call, but the results are impressive.
Most bandied about on the web is that Market Share seems to have increased to 5.9%. Is this necessarily a good thing?

As a semi-registered, semi-GenXer, I’ve made a number of relocations in the last decade. However, it was only during the most recent that I made the jump to a true apartment building. This is the first time I am not sharing a DSL or Cable line with housemates.

During the often laborious work of setting up with Verizon, I discovered the curious Mac-only benefit of not having a big market share.

First, there is the knowledge that I probably didn’t need to use Verizon’s “set-up wizard” cd that came with my DSL modem. But factor in my set-up (two machines in an ancient brick building), and using both Linksys and Apple wireless nodes, and I did have to make a call or two to Verizon.

I dial support, and am asked whether I use Mac or Windows. Blissfully, I answer “Mac” and get help (actual, technical support) from someone who has an Aqua interface in front of them. I probably know more about what I’m working with, but it is so nice to hear someone say “System Preferences” (and not have to translate terms like “control panel” and “properties”). I was once on the phone with Linksys support for 8 hours over two days, having to translate every Windows move.

I have tested the time lag. The three times I had to call (when bringing my work PC home) each took longer than when I’ve had to call and say “Mac.” In a further test, I even took the risky step of allowing my (non-technically minded) parents to call Verizon during a DSL set-up all by themselves. The guy they spoke to even went so far as to tell them that “first of all, you can just throw the Set-up CD away”!

With Apple getting bigger before our eyes, all Mac users (especially from System 7 days) have had to adjust to some new difficulties (iTunes support, anyone?). And this sort of directed help is a rarity, (one credit card company still doesn’t recognize Safari or Firefox; suggests I install Netscape 4.xx). But I have applauded it to Verizon. Now if I could just make sense of the bill.

I’ve been saying nothing, not wanting to jinx things, but this I must share, and point you to MSNBC.com, and Crooks and Liars to see the whole thing.

Keith Olbermann on “The Beginning of the End of America”:
Click to play.

I have a question.

While getting mesmerized by a DQ commercial which advertised their new “chicken Tenders basket” (of course, “Basket” is probably trademarked, so we’ll call it a “Chicken Mitt”) – it includes fries AND two triangular pieces of Texas Toast (is that a deal?)

Anyway, I was drawn in by the follow-up ad that reminded/cajoled the viewer into having a Blizzard (to wash it all down).

Here’s the question: Am I incorrect in announcing that a Blizzard is only ice-cream with something thrown into the blender?

I’m right, aren’t I?

If that’s the case, then I officially have a new (the first in a while) idea for a party theme: Make your own Blizzard.

I got this throw-back blender with a glass top that weighs about 35 lbs. So …
Everyone that comes to the party has to bring their own Blizzard ingredients and then consume AT LEAST 4/5 of their concoction.*

Here’s my blizzard (what this, I just threw this together!):

3 Scoops of French Vanilla (the good kind).
2 now un-usable 256mb RAM chips from my old iBook
1 Maria Mancini cigar (for age)
7 or 8 non-edible non-pareils

garnish with an Atomic Hot Wing.

*People will have to bring their own decanting device or suffer the consequences.

I’ll be damned. It took about three hours, and missing a lot of quality time (and about half of the snappy Sorkin dialogue), but I got things working. Now all I need is a camera.

Using a couple great plug-ins, I got this great shading and photogallery action happening ovah heah… Try it.

Due thanks to Rupert Morris

The plug-ins are made for this theme (Hemingway), but I have hopes of getting it to work with The Common Appendix.