XBox

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I've finally given up, thrown in the towel, signed up for my regular fix.

I bought a console.

Why is this important? Well, tech-geek that I am, the only video game console I ever personally owned was an Atari 2600. Not the height of home gaming tech,( and arguably the first example of home gaming tech.) All through childhood, if I played Super Mario Bros, or Metroid or Lara Croft or Resident Evil, etc. It was on someone else's system. (The fact that I beat Legend of Zelda on someone else's system is a testament to how compassionate their parents were!).

But I finally bought one. And I bought...

An Xbox.

Not a Playstation 2, not a Gamecube, not even a PS one, but Microsoft's next attempt at world domination. Why?

An Xbox alone is a fairly capable machine. Play cool games, watch DVD's, even play High Def 5.1 Sound DVD's with the right attachment (19.95, tax-free third-party - Thank you Hong Kong!).

There is more I can do with it too.

Back!

Whew! To my loyal readers, I apologize for the incredible silence between postings. I've been all sorts of busy, and now I shall tell you of them.

First off, the show has been going swimmingly. As i mentioned earlier, the ratings are high, and getting higher all the time. Today I heard we are the highest rated show on Basic Cable. Take that Discovery Wings! The edit has been swell as well. In fact it's been going too smoothly as I expected more work out of it! By all accounts we finish on Friday, which would leave me 4 weeks to fill until I depart for China. Not much room to book something long term, but hopefully I can return for more fixes on the show, or book a commercial. Else, I'll pull some time on America the Beautiful.

Secondly, there's been China looming. More seasoned international travelers than I will chime in that preparation for the trip can be daunting. Especially if it's the first time to leave your home shores. I've successfully applied for my expedited passport, acquired tickets, arranged for vaccinations, and have shopped more than I probably should. My arms hurt today, but I'm the proud vaccinated carrier of Typhoid, Tetanus, Diptheria, Hepatitus A and B. Typhoid Loyd! Take that Mary!

So next up is the itinerary. Current plans are Shanghai, Bejing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Three Gorges and back in Shanghai. Side trips to Hanzou and another small town between B and S. Hmm, lots of hopping, should I pack malaria pills? Or should I brave the skeeters?

And Molly, I'll wave as I pass over, but Nippon requires all new vaccinations, and my arms hurt too much! Wah!

Finis for now

Ahh. Rough cut turned in. Good feeling. Now I have about a week for notes from Court TV, and their writer to do his pass on the narration. So I have time off. Granted, in the big leagues, this would be looked down upon, but the odd thing is everytime I've had hiatus from this show, I've needed it. Take some time to myself, get my passport done, heck even work on America the Beautiful again, though I'm awaiting Darryl's direction - and that is coming on his schedule.

So I have time. What will I do with it? Well, if it's regular habit, I'll fill half of it with working for free on another project, and the 2nd half bitching about how I never get on my bike.

Whine Whine Whine. This is the era of Whining.

Maybe I'll actually get on the bike this time. I need to get in shape. I'm going to China.

1.12 SHARE!!!!!

Whoo Hoo! My episode of "Trace Evidence", "Trumbull" pulled a 1.12 ratings share during it's slot Wednesday night. Each point is 1,008,000 so an estimated 1,214,080 households watched the show. We were the highest rated show that evening for CourtTV, and we beat out many other shows, including the A&E Network. As it's been explained to me, pulling a 1 share on basic cable is very rare, with CNN pulling around that much usually. So a 1.12 is pretty sweet.

Very Very Very Happy!!!

Internet Archive: Wayback Machine

Internet Archive: Wayback Machine

Browse through 30 billion web pages archived from 1996 to a few months ago.

Political Fact-Checking

From tech:knowledge

Checking out the accuracy of political e-mails and Web sites can be daunting. Here are some online resources that may help clear up the confusion:

Who's speaking? Knowing who owns a Web site can be a big help in gauging credibility. I like the site DNS Stuff. Use the "WHOIS Lookup" feature to check who owns a URL. Once you determine a site's registration, you can search for information about the group, company or individual through Google or another search engine.


Really? Many e-mails and political claims are misleading or outright false. The Urban Legends Resource Page debunks online hoaxes. Search under topics like "politics" or by the subject of the e-mail to check out its credibility. If an e-mail has been circulating for any length of time, chances are this site has checked it out.

Is that a fact? The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania has a Web site called FactCheck.org that monitors ads of the Bush and Kerry campaigns and researches the claims for accuracy.

What's the connection? OpenSecrets.org keeps track of which special interests are supporting the candidates. You can even find out who the big donors are in your ZIP code.

Premiered!

Well, there it was! "Trumbull", my episode of "Trace Evidence" premiered last night at 10pm on CourtTV. Felt good. For those who missed it, it will repeat this Saturday. Thanks for watching!

Marco!.......Polo!.....

Well, it looks as though my trip to China might actually occur! Our good friend Rick spent many months in Shanghai editing "Flatland" with Dennis Hopper and was itching to return again. The great thing about this is with Rick as our guide, we have someone with relationships to China and its people. Very preferable to going it alone and unprepared.

The plan is to spend 2 weeks, visiting Shanghai, Bejing, a few points between and finally Tibet. (No, I will not be giving a Lama my glasses.) Tentative departure is the 2nd week of August, which means I may spend my birthday in another country. As we're preparing, I'm realizing that traveling to a foreign country is not something you do a mere 5 weeks in advance, but more along the lines of 5 months. But, as I do live in the capitalist country, I know that extra money can get you what you need.

As some of my readership are currently Auslanders or have experience being Aus'd, tell me: What should I not forget in going abroad? What can you tell me that I'd not glean from Colin Powell?

We are MOVING

We are moving soon to

Http://daniel.loyd.com/blog/

update accordingly!! The move will occur on August 7th, 2004.

Gosh. Can't think of anything.

too tired I think

Delayed Camryn / Duel Post

Please visit Camryn's website at http://www.camrynmanheim.com.

And check the DUEL website again for video clips of this outstanding short film.
Michelle | Email | Homepage | 06.23.04 - 1:42 pm | #

Farenheit 9/09

I have yet to see the film, have yet to read the criticisms. EVERYONE at work, both mine and my wife's, are talking about it. In Pasadena, it sold out 13 showings with a line around the block on opening night. Most people have reported difficulty obtaining a ticket. A phenomenon.

At least here in Los Angeles, California. California: The 'Hell-in-a-Handbasket' State. The state constantly vilified by many Ri-Publicans as the 'proof' that The USA is going the wrong way.

Never mind that Republicans have held the Governor's office longer than Democrats, never mind that REAGAN HIMSELF (pause, as I genuflect) started his career here and that many vestiges of the state today are a result of his term (most things taking 30 years to truly manifest).

But I digress. I ask this, in my comments sections, tell me how F 9/11 is being received in the rest of the country. What's the reaction? What are the sales? I fully understand that between NY and LA is an entire country. Tell me what it is.

Deadbeat Blogging?

Alas, it's been many days since the usually superflous postings of Counselor has ceased. Is this a sign of things to come? Alas, perhaps he can pull it together before being assigned deadbeat bloggerdom. (Insert Randy Tjahjono line here)