Might as well join every other blog on the web and link to Google Pack. May DL it after I remove half the software. I do need a good AV package on here--the updates have expired on both my machines. Re pics as screensavers--WinXP will make a screensaver of your My Pictures folder out of the box, and WebShots has been doing this forever. Maybe Pack will hasten the takeover of the web by FireFox (and end the designing of bad webpages through proprietary MS programs that make sure the new web "standard" is one only understood by IE--guess what, Microsoft, we already bought your friggin' OS, you're not making more money off us being forced to use IE over the next (more functional) web browser).

Today I got an email with no text, message, or sender. I can't help but find that a message from the Universe, though it's more likely a tech glitch (message ID in the full headers resolves to a contest/sweeps site).

TV just needs to stream over the internet cable. Wow. Trio has taken the first steps. Not very functional yet, but if they improve their brilliant-but-cancelled lineup alone (Thanks to Trio, I got to see all the episodes of God, the Devil and Bob that were made, despite the first-episode cancellation of the series due to extreme negative response from fundamentalists who need to learn to just change the channel--the local NBC station aired the one episode with a crawl containing phone and email information on where to send complaints to have the show removed from the air--I sent a comment that I was glad a major network dared to air something funny and hoped they wouldn't cave to the ridiculous Fundamentalist form of social control--Brilliant but Cancelled was a staple in my household, and I miss the network), I'll watch even if I have to pay for content (fortunately, the affordability of small runs of DVDs also makes it more and more likely that we'll see any given show made available for any-time viewing if only through purchase, anyway).

Please tell me this is the future of the live dungeon events at cons.

Good deals--Spirit, did you get a 4Gb drive (office supplies, my ass), or is that $30 1G tempting? Still $60 right now but even that's after a massive rebate (online only).

Pepsi can stove. No word on why Pepsi specifically.

Oh. My. God. I'm linking to the Digg story and the site on this one. Basically, it lets you design your own lego creations online brick-by-brick and then order the kits so you have all the pieces to build for real. The first Digg comment is along the lines of "no one would actually buy this." I am not sure who they know in the geek world, but I have a five-year-old who happily designs his own robots and spaceships--often ones that I find innovative compared to some of the kits, if smaller--and friends who spend time on their legos and on the internet when stationed far from friends and family. Before the military friends most of my friends were students at a top geek engineering school, who also would spend hours on such trivial pursuits. I'm not great with legos, myself--building things is not intuitive to me. But when I have some money I'm going to let the sprog design himself a couple personal Lego kits. I don't think I've seen anything this cool in a while. The Digg comments at the end suggest that you're actually buying a lot of small kits to get the pieces and end up spending a lot because you have extraneous pieces, so I might be wrong on how good this is--but if as the site suggests you can order an actual single custom kit per design, I'm in.

Bitter Waitress is always interesting. What I hate are server comments like "why can't this couple who's got their baby in a $400 stroller and buying a $200 dinner leave the kid home?" I believe in attachment parenting and the idea that you should fit kids into your life as much as possible, lifelong. Yeah, they should know enough to take a crying/inconsolable/tantrum-throwing/wild/out-of-control child outside to the car and deal as appropriate, so as not to destroy the evenings of others, but simply having a kid with you doesn't make you a bad parent or a bad patron. Sometimes it's not even the fine-dining servers bitching about kids but the family- or chain-restaurant servers. WHAT?? Yeah, my co-workers and I might whine some about a "Romper Room" party--who the hell takes 9 kids to Outback for a party anyway?--but that's a matter of two adults and 9-12 kids being hell to wait on with little reward (since even with the autograt, everyone's either sharing entrees or eating kids' meals, so the drinks are free--and the kids drink like fish and want colored things with grenadine and blue curacao--and your other tables suffer for it), not a matter of disliking kids or waiting on families. Even the most masculine of male servers have been heard to say things like "That is the cutest kid at 64!" And the kids of the staff are known and loved by all.

I think I'm in love with Mim RedBeard. I have to wonder where in the Bible Belt she is. I think we could have fun together. What say, hon, you need a sub who's another kinky Pagan chick on the thick side and stuck in the land of Fundamentalists?

Oolsi doesn't update much any more, but it's usually good when it does.

Meaningoflife.tv appears to have a lot of deep thoughts on spirituality and religion. Too sleepy to look tonight, but I'll definitely save it.

Yeah, I get this a lot.

This is why being an adult is awesome.

PostSecret is disturbing and enlightening in the same way as Group Hug.

Computer cases are getting so much more interesting than they used to be.

Note to me: Don't look at food blogs at 2:30 AM when I'm tired and haven't eaten much and am under the influence of painkillers. Mmmmm, brownies... And this is beyond words. Yum.

This is sorta trippy. Hate it for locals who have trouble whistling (I found it very difficult to learn and sometimes still have a great deal of trouble whistling clearly).

Being made into a gem after death is sort of a sweet thought, though I liked my friend's idea of being turned into dice a little better. Still, a gem from the ashes of a dead loved one would be one hell of a meditation focus.

Life savers skee ball. Brilliant!

G'night!