Author: Moby

I’m Legal (Again)

With Amazon’s addition of DRM-free mp3’s for download, I’ve once again joined the ranks of people who purchase music.  When the RIAA went ballistic over downloadable content, I stopped buying music.  That was 7 years ago.  I stopped mainly out of principle as I’ll be damned if I’m gonna give someone my hard-earned cash and have them tell me when, where, and how I can play my music.  No thank you. [1]I found it very ironic I could legally copy digital content off the radio for free but downloading it directly was illegal.

The turn around regarding DRM music supports what I’ve said all along.  If you give people an easy and convenient way to do the right thing, they will.  Most of us have no desire to steal from record labels or artists.  There will always be those who feel the need to "stick it to the man" and get around paying for stuff.  Get over it already.  The majority has spoken and the record labels, it seems, are finally listening.  For those that continue to favor old distribution methods and ignore emergent technology out of greed, shame on ya.  I’ll see ya in the poor house.  /rant

I just downloaded both albums from the Scissor Sisters.  I saw them perform here in SF back before they made it big.  If you’ve never seen them, they are very over the top. lol  However, the music is pretty damn good as well.  Now I guess I have to install one of those little programs that displays what I’m listening to at the moment or what I’m downloading.  Naaaaah.

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↑1 I found it very ironic I could legally copy digital content off the radio for free but downloading it directly was illegal.

Onward

The holiday is fast approaching an end.  I spent most of my weekend w/my friend Bobby.  I tried to take his mind off his mom passing.  It worked overall.  He is taking it pretty hard naturally.  Anyway, we have just the dreaded New Year’s Eve coming up [1]NYE is the busiest night of the year for us at work. and that is it for awhile. 

My Christmas was uneventful.  I didn’t receive many gifts other than what I bought for myself.  However, that doesn’t bother me at all.  I much prefer to give than receive.  I am happy to be able to give gifts over the holiday.  I have never had a lot of money.  And while I still don’t, I’m in a much better place now financially than I’ve ever been. 

The roomie’s boyfriend arrived tonight from New Orleans.  We exchanged pressies when I got home.  Knowing my roomie got laid off I didn’t expect much from him.  Especially since he had his boyfriend to buy for.  I was extremely flattered by the small gift he did get me.

TFA is back from Beijing and sick as a dog apparently.  Poor thing.  He got the flu and it hit him hard on his last international flight.  We chatted briefly tonight and he does seem to be feeling better. 

Overall, it has been a good holiday for me.  Definitely better than some from my past.  Many of my friends aren’t having it so good though.  I hope I could bring them some joy or at the very least a little distraction this season.  That to me is the real meaning of Christmas. 

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↑1 NYE is the busiest night of the year for us at work.

Bloody Christmas

(full story) A tiger escaped from the zoo today and attacked 3 people.  One person died, 2 others were injured.  I was on the channel when it happened and lord did the quiet evening take off. [1]Actually, it was the only excitement in the day.

I can’t say much more out of confidentiality rules however, it is still unknown how the tigers got loose.  I feel sorry for the victims but also the poor animal.  The officers had to shoot one and kill it after it attacked another person.  It was probably scared and just reacting to its natural instincts.  Frak, they are predatory animals after all. 

I love zoos but it gives me pause to wonder if caging wild animals is such a good idea.  Most zoos tend to hold animals in tight quarters.  And while they do make a very good effort of maintaining animals physical and mental health, it is not the same as being loose in the wild.  Animals like tigers need room to range and exercise their skills.  In this latest caper, I’m sure it had more to do with the animal being scared and threatened than anything else.  I’m guessing of course.  I can’t shake the feeling that we hold some responsibility though.  We take these animals, who were never meant to be tamed, and introduce them to an environment of confinement and denial of their basic instincts.

It is worth mentioning this particular tiger was the very same tiger from last year this time that attacked a trainer.  Some would say maybe the animal deserved it.  I’m not so sure. 

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↑1 Actually, it was the only excitement in the day.

High Priced Soda

I happen to overhear recently that SF is proposing a tax on businesses that carry and sell sodas.  More precisely, Mayor Newsom has proposed the tax and hoping the Board of Sups. will run with it.

On the surface, I don’t really agree with it but after further thought, I’m not so sure.  Soda (made w/corn syrup, the high fructose kind) is one of the top contributors to obesity in this country.  I challenge you to find a person severely obese who doesn’t drink sugared sodas.  [1]I know I’ve never found one   High Fructose Corn Syrup or HFCS as a simple sugar that is absorbed very easily by the body.  What many people don’t know is that it actually reduces the insulin receptors response.  Translated, it means a person is more prone to developing diabetes.  HFCS has also been shown to interfere with the hearts ability to process vital minerals.  I could go on and on but you get the point. [2]I actually stopped drinking sugared sodas during my EMT training.  We got the full laundry list of damages.  The irony is HFCS is much more expensive to make however, because of government contracts and subsidies on corn in the US it becomes more profitable than regular cane sugar.

Soda is also NOT a necessity.  It is a luxury item.  I have no problem with SF taxing luxury items to help offset the growing medical burdens of society. I can’t really see equating corn syrup to carcinogens in cigarettes however, the mounting evidence against HFCS doesn’t lie.  I guess here I’d fall back on the old adage, "everything in moderation."  The problem is we have become a society of excess.  We do almost nothing in moderation. 

I don’t really know if Newsom’s idea will succeed or not.  I applaud him for attempting to do something rather than nothing.  However, his measure is a tiny band-aid on a sore the size of Texas.  Until we educate our children on the value of good nutrition, [3]when was the last time you saw a school curriculum that included more than a passing stab at nutrition? and the dangers of sugared sodas, the problem will continue to grow. (pun intended)

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↑1 I know I’ve never found one
↑2 I actually stopped drinking sugared sodas during my EMT training.  We got the full laundry list of damages.
↑3 when was the last time you saw a school curriculum that included more than a passing stab at nutrition?

Techno-crap II

So, I’ve finally given up on technorati ever getting their act together and functioning.  If you don’t know, the company uses a system that basically tells who is linking to who.  It also has a ranking system based on how many links a person gets.  The problem is it rarely works.  Or at the very least, it works in spurts.  They seem to be constantly adding more algorithms to their list of links but still nothing.  Of course, I’m also overlooking that the entire system is flawed and easily spoofed.   

Hopefully, someone (are you paying attention Google?) will come along and design a system that actually works.  *le sigh*

Yipeeee!

In really exciting news (well for me anyway), I got Saturday, Sundays, AND Mondays off starting in late January.  I’m switching to a 4/10 shift  (4 days 10 hours).  I almost got Friday, Saturday, Sunday but the person right above me in seniority jumped shifts and took it.  I’m just looking forward to having the whole weekend off for a change.  Color me surprised!

Oh, if you subscribe to my post updates sorry about the odd one.  I just installed Windows Live Writer and am testing it out. [1]It allows me to post directly from my desktop vs opening up a browser window.   Anyway, it posted and then deleted a test post full of gibberish.  Unfortunately, the subscribe plug-in mailed it out to everyone as an update.  Ooops!

I already use Post2blog which is nice if not a bit rough around the edges.  I read my buddy Victor’s post over at v-hold.net and thought I’d give it a whirl.

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↑1 It allows me to post directly from my desktop vs opening up a browser window.

Highs & Lows

Awww, you guys are gonna make me cry. lol First, I have a very thick skin so I am perfectly fine. I wrote the last post after getting a very acidic email filled with some strong language. I almost feel sorry for the poor sap now. Almost! I found it incredibly humorous which is why I shared it.

Oh yes, stupid did send it from his work address. Yes, I did email their IT dept along with a copy of the police report I made. [1]A report that included his email address, IP address and tracking fields from the header. Bless his heart. Yes, the company CEO did email me a personal apology. No, I will not list his name here. I think he learned his lesson. And even if he didn’t, he learned not to be so stupid next time. [2]Moral of the story? It is not nice to fuck with me.

Thank you all for sending me such kind words and support. One person suggested I start posting the IP addresses of people who write me such things. I think I might just do that in the future. I’m always tickled how people think they are being so anonymous on the internet. Well, for 6 of you that get a Xmas card from me. I couldn’t find your address so I did an internet search and got it that way. Happy Kwanza! heeehee

I am a little sad this holiday season though. Several of my friends and family are down. It all started when my roomie lost his job. [3]Well his PRIMARY job. *giggle* Then TFA shared a very personal problem he is battling with. Right after that my old brother [4]4 of 8 is his designation was in a really bad car accident in Wyoming. He got banged up pretty good but will make a full recovery. As if that wasn’t enough I found out this week a close friend’s mom died. He is very upset as he was very close to her. AND, I found out yesterday another close friend and his lover are splitting up. Jesus H Christ Mary Joseph and David! What is up with all the tragedy? I feel almost guilty my life is going rather swimmingly at the moment. I know that’s stupid of course. One of my friends says I’m “too empathic” when it comes to the people I care about. I don’t know about all that but I do admit it is getting to me a little.

In some good news, it looks like I might get some really good days off this time around. [5]I’m on my schedule sign-up at work. We do it every 6 months. I could end up with 3 days off including weekend days or just the weekend off. I’m really quite surprised by that. At the very worst, I’d end up with my same shift of Sunday/Monday’s off. I guess gone are the days of worrying about having enough seniority to pull a weekend slot. *crossed fingers* Of course, I am pushing 7 years come April with the department. I find out today as the just called and it is my turn. Wish me luck?

Oh, a couple more things. Speaking of Christmas cards, with all the drama as of late, I just put them in the mail today. Sorry, you’ll either get it just in time or just too late. lol I also got word that I’ve been nominated for some sort of Gay blog award somewhere. I don’t really care for such things but I’m extremely flattered.

References

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↑1 A report that included his email address, IP address and tracking fields from the header. Bless his heart.
↑2 Moral of the story? It is not nice to fuck with me.
↑3 Well his PRIMARY job. *giggle*
↑4 4 of 8 is his designation
↑5 I’m on my schedule sign-up at work. We do it every 6 months.

Stinker II

A friendly reminder.

If you do decide to send me hate mail, you might consider not sending it from an IP address that resolves to your work address. Apparently, IT dept. heads hate getting a threat of liability for allowing you to send slurs against my orientation thru company servers. And just so you know, threats to do me bodily harm, even open-ended ones, sent across state lines automatically rises to the level of a felony. Just a thought, of course. You are free to do as you like.