It is understood he was killed by a sting-ray barb that went through his chest.
He was swimming off the Low Isles at Port Douglas filming an underwater documentary and that's when it occurred.

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Okay, so I'm totally stoked about this Friday night! Anyone ever heard of the Minibosses??? No? Well, they're a local band that has made it "big" by doing covers of old NES game music. Does that sound a bit geeky? Yeah, well...so what! Check out their site: www.minibosses.com. There are a couple mp3s that you can download.

Also, this guy that I work with, James, he does a lot of experimental "music" and has played with the Minibosses in the past. I'm gonna see if he's hitting up that show tomorrow...maybe I can hang out with the band!

The Daily Show revisits the issue of network neutrality. Featuring John "Im a PC" Hodgman, who explains the issue for us.

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Okay, so we never ended up getting that green Scion xB...and that's a good thing. Within a month, my poor Cavalier has been rear-ended, sideswiped, and backed into! I'm just glad that, on ALL of those occassions, it wasn't our new car...the xA. Here are some pictures for everyone's enjoyment!

End of April:




This happened in stop/go traffic on the 101. I was stopped, the guy in the blue Kia didn't. I finally got a check in the mail a couple days ago to take care of the damages. It's not too severe, so I may just keep the $$$.

A few weeks later:
Jill had the car parked at her work. Someone sideswiped her and didn't leave a note or anything! I don't have a picture of that one, but the passenger side rear fender was dented a little and there was some red paint transfered. I pulled the dent out with a plunger and we were able to wash to paint off with a little scrubbing. There's still a little crease and a scuff, but no big deal.

Yesterday:




My car was the only one in the parking lot since I lock up at the end of the day. Still, some guy was able to back up into. At least he left a note and I'm already talking with his insurance company. The worst part is that the door latched got jacked up, so the door is a pain in the ass to open! From the outside I have to hold the handle open with my left hand, grab the edge of the door that's sticking out with my right hand, and yank! From inside the car it's even worse: hold the handle open, lean to the right, throw body against door...repeat as necessary.

*sigh*
If the damage wasn't so bad, maybe I would have been able to get a HDTV out of it instead of having to fix it.

It's a little more complicated than just dancing your troubles away. The program starts at high intensity, and then has the children listening and mimicking before moving to slow controlled moves. It has been shown to help boys with school work and playing better with others. It also helps curb self-destructive behavior in girls.

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I missed this hit the first time around, but I found it on youtube. Even if you don't like hockey, you have GOT to watch this clip...fricken awesome!

Brian Campbell's hit on RJ Umberger (aka "The Hit")

Okay, so this is starting my weekend in Reno. Those  who know who Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht are, they do a weekly podcast called Diggnation(which "covers some of the top stories on the social news site digg.com, that's D...I...G...G...dot...com").  They did a live taping last night at Rum Bullions Bar in the Silver Legacy hotel/casino. They are also goin snowboarding today and tomorrow at Mt. Rose in Tahoe.  I, being the total geek that I am, decided to make the trip to Reno to meet the guys and go snowboarding!

Anyway, last last was fricken' AWESOME! Here are some pics:

Ahh...Reno


The Captiain was there too!


The view was...eh.


Kevin and Alex before the show.


Being show hosts = lots of free shots! Oh, and what's that big tropical looking bowl I see?!?!


Alex - "Need water!"
Kevin - "Need alcohol!"


Alex and me after the show. I have NO idea what I'm doing! Why are we giving the "horns" to the camera???


Well, that's it for my first day in Reno. There was much drinking to be had throughout the night.
More pics later today or tomorrow,

Happy Pi day! "Written in the USA date format, March 14 is an unofficial celebration for Pi Day derived from the common three-digit approximation for the number �: 3.14."

Also...for the guys...it's Steak & BJ Day too!!!

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Take a 60" subwoofer, place it inside a bread truck, add 1 million watts and what do you get? a VERY LOUD bread truck!

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As most people know, the best car that I've had since high school is a Chevy Cavalier. The first one was the nice blue 2-door. It was a pleasant upgrade from the Ford Banana Boat, that ship had sailed. Next came the green 2-door. Also a nice car, and I can't complain too much considering that it got me from IL to AZ...a few times. Then there was the silver 2-door that I purchased from my dad. It's still a good car, and I still have it, for now. The red 4-door was short lived, but reliable as always.

Well, the red one is sold and here's the replacement:


2006 Scion xA
This isn't a picture of "my" car, but I'm at work and can't just go outside and take pictures. It's the same color though. I got a lot of cool upgrades, like LEDs under the dash and iPod connctivity.

The replacement for the silver Cavalier is on it's way. Here's a picture of someone else's, but the color's the same:

2006 Scion xB RS 3.0
There are only 2200 of these being made. Each one has an emblem on the inside with the # of 2200. Included is the unique "Envy Green" color, Alpine stereo system w/ DVD playback, iPod connectivity, 7" LCDs in the headrests, and wireless headphones. The dealer that we're getting it from already sold one during the first 10 min that it was on the lot! Since we just bought the xA, they were kind enough to let us reserve this one. Also, the other one was left as-is with the RS3 features listed above, the one we're getting is going to used as the showroom model for a week before we get it so they're decking it out with all sorts of sweet upgrades. They already mentioned adding some cool rims(though I'm not sure of the color yet) and a ragtop sunroof. I'm not sure what else they're adding but I'm soooooo fricken excited!

Okay, so that's me bragging/being happy about not having a Cavalier anymore. I must say, however, that having those cars for so long has made me an absolute EXPERT at loading them up to their fullest. I can't even remember how many beds, desks, shelves, book cases, and boxes from Ikea that I've strapped to the top of and packed inside of those cars. Ahh...the memories...

This project consists of a "box" 17"X17"X 47" OD. Three Shiva's are mounted on each of the four sides, all fire inward in phase. The "box" is suspended from the ceiling of my basement, and exits through the floor into the HT above. The "enclosure" is the entire 1500 sq ft, of the basement, in other words, a true infinite baffle.

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Okay, so I'm stealing this from Nikki's LJ. Anyway, fill this out if you have time, but be honest with what you choose. Thanks everyone, and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

http://kevan.org/johari?name=iblaine

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Our Favorite 80's super geek of all things non-techno is back. Check out the Super Bowl Ad early!

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Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt wrote an article about fascism ("Fascism Anyone?," Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, page 20). Studying the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile), Dr. Britt found they all had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The excerpt is in accordance with the magazine's policy.

The 14 characteristics are:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
   Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
   
   
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
   Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
   
   
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
   The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
   
   
4. Supremacy of the Military
   Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
   
   
5. Rampant Sexism
   The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
   
   
6. Controlled Mass Media
   Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
   
   
7. Obsession with National Security
   Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
   
   
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined
   Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
   
   
9. Corporate Power is Protected
   The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
   
   
10. Labor Power is Suppressed
    Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .
    
    
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
    Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
    
    
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment
    Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
    
    
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
    Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
    
    
14. Fraudulent Elections
    Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

Copyright © 2003 Free Inquiry magazine
Reprinted for Fair Use Only.

"..I became aware of the new developments in the area of home theaters and digital video that would finally allow me to indulge my love of the big screen and science fiction, in particular."

Direct Link to the photo gallery is: http://www.reighn.com/theaterphoto.html

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This is an EXCELLENT story from CNN that covers a speach given by Alberto Gonzales at Georgetown Law School. I also like the coverage given to this story at Hammer of Truth. The links and couple pictures are listed below. Hopefully this is a sign that we're "turning a corner" and going to impeach Bush.



CNN: Gonzales defends wiretaps amid protest
Hammer of Truth: Men (and Women) in Black Defend the Constitution

You've heard the Diggnation demo of surround sound through regular headphones. Just wait until you hear true three-dimensional sound that even lets you hear above and below you!

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