Sending out well-wishes to my doppelganger.

“He will be leaving hospital imminently,” Robson said. “He is looking forward to getting back to teaching his young singing pupils as soon as he is out of hospital and next month plans to get back into his Modena recording studio to resume work on his new album of sacred songs.”

You’d have to read some of the comments to understand the in-joke but, nonetheless sending out get-well wishes to the man.

Smut dressed up as art.

So, I came across this item while I was looking around for the Phil Rizzuto stuff:

Zoo Weekly, a magazine which regularly features pictures of skimpily-dressed women, offered readers A$10,000 ($8,400) for “a boob job for your girlfriend.”

But the competition drew the ire of New South Wales state Gaming and Racing Minister Graham West, who ordered an investigation into whether the magazine had broken Lotteries laws forbidding the offer of cosmetic surgery as a prize.

So, I went around to the website and they had this little jewel posted (NSFW!):


http://view.break.com/346896 - Watch more free videos
Now, from the title of this entry, you would think I have a problem with Smut.

Surprisingly enough, that’s not at all the case, I don’t have a problem with naked pics or naked pics that are meant to arouse. I don’t have a problem with art (except I wasn’t crazy about that poop Virgin Mary thing a few years back). Everything has its place in the world, certainly there is a discussion to be made about objectification, I seem to remember having a talk along those lines with a good friend recently.

I know there are groups of people in this world who simply don’t want to acknowledge that each of us has our own hard wiring when it comes to these things but, I figure if no one is getting hurt its okay - you can play dress up, pretend or what have you as long as all parties are agreeable to the situation.

What I really hate though is cheese.

Poorly executed, poorly done, unimaginative work done behind a veneer of high-mindedness. Plopping a guy down in a strange surrounding with a sketch pad and playing classical music underneath a running monologue does not elevate something to the level of ‘art.’ The only thing the video above made me do was go WTF?! But then, you can take a look for yourself and make your own decision.

Talk about your bad weeks.

He played for the New York Yankees for his entire 13-year career, one of the team’s most famous shortstops. His tenure with the Yankees was interrupted after 11 seasons, when he left to serve in World War II. His next career was a long and memorable one. From the Yankees broadcast booth, he called games on radio and television for the next 40 years.

I don’t like to make the blog into one of those things where I just talk about people who died, I like to think that every day brings into the world another person who will have great impact and make our planet a better place. It isn’t about being disrespectful or not missing people after their gone, as much as it is about looking towards a better future and keeping a more hopeful outlook on the world.

I loved Phil Rizzuto though.

I cannot tell you how many fond memories I have of listening to The Scooter broadcast Yankee games. He was so familiar, his humor and quirks so very endearing. Maybe he didn’t always get a player’s name right, maybe he flubbed on calling a play but, he always had a good humor about him and could manage to laugh at his own mistakes.

I’m really spoiled, I got to grow up listening to Phil Rizzuto, Bill White and Frank Messer broadcast the Yankees and Bob Murphy, Lindsay Nelson and Ralph Kiner broadcast Mets games. I can’t tell you what a treat that was.

Even in later years when the Yankees paired Phil Rizzuto with Tom Seaver, you could always hear the reverance and respect Seaver had for Rizzuto during the broadcast, Seaver playfully ribbing Rizzuto like an much beloved elder uncle. Whether it was the signature Holy Cow call, Phil’s mysterious 7th inning trips for coffee (to take him over the GW bridge to beat the traffic), his stories about his beloved Cora or even the way he managed to slip in the names of people and places that treated him well in his broadcasts - Phil was a special treasure to Yankee fans.

My cousin met him many years ago at a function and still talks about that day, a highpoint in his life. He said Phil Rizzuto was every bit as charming, every bit as gracious as the man we all got to know through his radio and TV broadcasts.

I’m not at all surprised and he’s another good soul who’ll I’ll miss.

Awwww... CRAP!

Days just pass by sometimes and I have been so busy today running around. It wasn’t until a short time ago I finally got around to checking out those places I usually surf over to on a daily basis. One such place is Mike Wieringo’s blog (you’ll see it in the sidebar). He’s a guy whose art I’ve loved for years and I haunt the blog regularly posting comments and such. A genuinely nice guy from all I hear and read, I was both shocked and very saddened to hear he died on Sunday of a heart attack at the age of 44! As a vegetarian and a man that took good care of himself it’s just shocking news. I guess it proves just how precious each and every day is. All I know though is I will miss a guy I never met, a person who bought a little brightness into my days with his artwork and who was taken from us way too soon. My prayers go out to his family, it is just sad news.

The parade begins!

Well, this week the first in a series of people coming to visit the Fortress of Solitude is about to arrive. Between people visiting and trips scheduled the next few months promise to be busy to say the least. The first guest up though is the lovely Alix who will be modeling for me and as a bit of a treat sent along the shot below guaranteed to make the heads of geeks everywhere explode with envy.


I thought it was funny as hell when I got it!

Cheapest iPhone ever?

Apple iPhones will be sold for only 99 cents to the first nine customers at the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the first 99 Cents Only Stores® on Thursday, August 9th, 2007. That's right, an Apple iPhone - $500 value - will be sold for only 99 cents, to emphasize that for twenty-five years, 99 Cents Only Stores® has never sold anything for more than 99 cents or raised its price! There is a limit of one iPhone per family/household and this special sale will only occur at the first 99 Cents Only Stores® located in Westchester, CA at 6854 La Tijera Boulevard.

The shape of things to come?

“While Wasp III weighs only 1 pound, it provides many advanced technologies proven to be of extraordinary value across U.S. military services. The Wasp III system can be operated with the same common ground control and user interface as AV’s Raven and Puma small UAS. This IDIQ is designed to enable other U.S. armed services to order these systems through the BLOS program, in addition to facilitating the procurement of BATMAV systems by the Air Force.”

I saw something of this on one of the History Channel shows (Mail Call I think) and have been tracking the company. Seems like an interesting solution but at the same time I wonder how long it will be before something like this is put into use by the police and organizations like the CIA.

No new tale to tell.

I’ve been so busy of late there hasn’t been so much time to post.

Generally it’s just added up to being too stressed out or too tired to get around to completing the big entries.

I could talk about the many houseguests scheduled to make their way to what has been characterized as the Fortress of Solitude and my frantic attempts to get at least a semblance of order around here in preparation for visitors. I could spend more time commenting on the lurker who still hasn’t taken the hint and haunts these environs from time to time (of course there are a few big guns in that regard, waiting for use). I could talk about the very serious prospect of going on staff at either of the places who seem very serious about coming to some kind of arrangement. I might even talk about the few freelance writing gigs I have to get moving on and get out the door but, right now just thinking about all these things makes me want to do one thing and that’s just take a nap.

One last one!



Mr. Green, he’s so serene, he’s got a TV in every room!

Another old favorite.



That still sounds pretty good!

PLAY! MAGIC FINGERS!


Purchased a bunch of Monkees songs through iTunes and just have to admit to loving this song. A little bit of fun for a Friday afternoon.

More about printers.

Did you know that many (in fact, most) color laser printers are spying on you whenever you print a document? Though you may not have heard the news, the discovery was announced in late 2005. Manufacturers embed a pattern of tiny yellow dots on printed pages. The dots are too small to be seen with the naked eye (especially since they’re yellow, see the above photo to see what they actually look like), but under a microscope and blue light they’re revealed.

All you would be counterfeiters should take pause or at the very least check out the list.

Makes a lot of sense.

I was reading this article today and if you are regularly in and around computers and printers you should check it out:

The upshot is that printer emissions should potentially be regulated much the way that auto emissions are, but even in the absence of government intervention, use common sense around your printer: Limit use when possible (tell the guy that prints out every single email to cut it out), sequester printers in their own rooms and away from workers, ventilate offices appropriately, and have your own air and printer tested before it becomes a serious health problem.

Rockstars of the future, volume 1.



My friend has two boys and the last time I was over the house, the boys came out and showed off their bass and guitar looking for all the world like up and coming rock stars. Thing is, they are both at that perfect age just on the precipice of junior high/high school and playing an instrument and being in a band just seems to me like it will wind up being so much fun for them! And the rub is that they’re good too! So this is the younger boy Nick and he’s now learning the drums as well. His older brother Chris plays bass among other instruments and I can’t help but think they will soon be awash in groupies, I am a bit envious! I told them I fully expect them to get me passes to their show once they make the big time!

Have you always been this cute, or did you have to work at it?

So, someone asked me for the cheesiest pickup line I had ever heard/used. I don’t use pickup lines but, I’ve heard some clinkers. Thing is, since I don’t really use them it’s difficult to remember the exact wording of these things. Fortunately, we live in a day and age when there’s a thing like Wikipedia to point one in the right direction:

A pick-up line is intended to be short and easy method of “picking up” (i.e., engaging) another person for sex, romance,or dating. They are usually used to initiate a conversation (an opener). The line is usually brief, and is intended to display wit and arousal to its targeted listener. However, the very nature of pick-up lines, short and often crude, means that there is a low chance of success when they are used.

It was through Wikipedia that I came across The worst pick-up lines, if you have a few moments you’ll want to check it out. If you’re a guy just to see if you’ve used any of these in your arsenal and if your a gal if you’ve been subjected to these clunkers.

Seen recently, highly recommended.


Yes, it was termed a ‘chick flick’ but, it’s the kind of character driven movie Hollywood doesn’t seem to make much today and it’s a highly enjoyable watch.

There’s no getting around it: In Her Shoes is a “chick flick” — a term that even women use, if less pejoratively than men. Three top-billed actresses dominate, several early scenes are spent rooting around in clothes closets, and the key words in the movie's title are “her” and “shoes.” But even for the disinclined of the opposite sex, this is the most enjoyable film of its type in recent memory.

You don’t mess with Oscar.



“He doesn’t make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die,” said Dr. David Dosa in an interview. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

More fodder for the eternal argument as to which domesticated creature is smarter, the cat or the dog.

Speaking of...



Well, I was going to use a certain word as a double entendre but, I’ll leave it up to the imagination. In the meantime, I’ll just open up a fresh box of kitty goodness! There is no escaping the gleeful enjoyment of the furry beast!

On a somewhat related note.

Before giving too much attention over to the stalker, I recently came across an article. It wasn’t altogether that surprising outside of the fact that it took as long as it did to come to light. You can only watch so many ‘To Catch A Predator’ segments on Dateline before being forced to acknowledge there is some kind of problem.

I had a discussion with a friend a short time ago. The mother of three kids - a teenage boy, a teenage girl and a young boy - she was talking about the plans the teenage daughter had for the summer. The plans included a trip to Paris and a prolonged stay out in the Hamptons serving as a babysitter. While my friend was more concerned about the Paris trip, specifically the plane ride, I was a bit surprised she hadn’t given much thought to the time spent by the girl unsupervised out in the Hamptons.

The discussion wound it’s way around to things like MySpace. I have to admit to being a bit amazed at the kind of things you will find on MySpace. This was more a confirmation of what I suspected and it should serve as a bit of a warning for any parent.

MySpace.com has found more than 29,000 registered sex offenders with profiles on the popular social networking Web site — more than four times the number cited by the company two months ago...

Get a life.

Date & Time: Jul/25 3:23 AM – Jul/24 11:01 PM – Jul/24 8:44 PM – Jul/24 6:55 PM – Jul/24 5:14 PM – Jul/24 5:04 PM

I mean honestly? Are you that needy? Do you really crave my attention so much? Don’t you think it’s time you sought out some kind of professional help?