My "Taste" in music. Courtesy of blogthings

Your Taste in Music:

Alternative Rock: Highest Influence

Heavy Metal: Highest Influence

Progressive Rock: Highest Influence

Punk: Highest Influence

80's Alternative: High Influence

80's Rock: High Influence

90's Alternative: High Influence

Classic Rock: High Influence

90's Hip Hop: Medium Influence

Adult Alternative: Medium Influence

Dance: Medium Influence

Gangsta Rap: Low Influence

Hair Bands: Low Influence

Old School Hip Hop: Low Influence

Ska: Low Influence

How's Your Taste in Music?

Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger : Page 1

John Siracusa has another excellent review and indepth discussion of Mac OS X Tiger, which was released today. Head over to the equally excellent Ars Technica to read.

Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger Reviewed

Pop Culturecrash

Sigh...

On Kitty Psychology

Cats are crazy.

Let me rephrase; Cats make me crazy.

Last night was the Splicehold's first real evening together. Mr & Mrs Splice, Musik the Kat and new arrival Noiche the Kitty (Noiche is "Night" in Portuguese), spent the hours in an elaborate dance designed to introduce the cats to each other and avoid such bad things as hissing, clawing, and for the humans in the house, stay up all nighters.

We were mildly successful.

I do believe that having one cat or dog is the standard "Pet" situation. But having two is rehearsing for children. Mrs. Splice and I would alternate - I play with Noiche in the bedroom, she plays with Musik on the balcony. 20min rolls around, DING, tag team switch. Repeat, rinse, lather etc....

The good news is that Musik hissed only rarely. The bad news is Noiche whined every time we left him alone. This was also emotional loneliness , as he would whine if I did something that did not involve staring at his little kitty body while in the same room.

Mrs. Splice says 'A little time this week will pay off big later on'.

I agreed with her.....



But Noiche still walked on my head at 5am this morning.

On Negative Ebay Feedback

Ever take a glance at the feedback forums on eBay? Feedback provides both buyers and sellers a chance to comment on the way a transaction went down on the virtual auction house of eBay. If everything went well, then a positive feedback tells other potential partners that the person in question is trustworthy and good. The opposite holds also true, in what sometimes is the only way to warn fellow eBayers of a bad apple in the bunch.

What is interesting is how the feedback forums have become the online equivalent of grade-school playgrounds. eBay restricts comments to 80 characters or less, presumably to save on space and force users to be succinct, what results is often a succinct example of name calling and one-upmanship. For example,

"NEG: SELLER ALERT! DID NOT SHIP ON TIME!!
Reply: DUMBASS ALERT-5 DAYS SHIPPING FROM US TO YOU ,STUPID"

And so on.... Now I understand that negative feedback can effect a bottom line, but wouldn't answering in such an immature manner only serve to turn more people away? I certainly thought twice about doing business with sellers that treated criticism in such a way.

This topic came to my attention because I recently placed, and received, negative feedback on an auction.

I recently purchased a Toshiba Libretto 50 from an eBayer who claimed to service and sell many such models. The tiny computer was shipped to me US Mail, and was expertly packed in layer upon layer of bubble wrap. All the parts were in order and after plugging in, the toshiba started up to Windows 98 perfectly.

But the keyboard wasn't working right. The the space bar would not space unless another key was pressed. This was odd to me, as the computer was packed very tightly and well near the center of the box, why would shipping hurt it? Also, after extensive cleaning and retesting of the keyboard, I determined that it would space if ANY key was pressed, and would not change it's behavior under any other wire configuration . I guessed that a short was present in the keyboard preventing it's use. Now, if a keyboard cannot space, I consider it unusable. That, and the expert packing job led me to believe that the unit was shipped this way, and thus was DOA (dead on arrival).

The shipper and I exchanged numerous friendly emails as I tried to troubleshoot the problem to no avail. When I said that I was giving up, and requested a refund, I received no further emails. None whatsoever. I offered to pay shipping back, taking the $50 combined hit, and offering the seller a chance to fix the problem from his 'extensive experience and supply' and resell again. I would be out $50, he would have the chance to sell it again.

No emails. Not even a 'No".
I did not purchase insurance, which was my bad. Since I did not have insurance, I attempted to settle with the seller instead of filing with the US Post Office. What was at stake was what I felt was a dishonest shipment, and I was proposing a chance to do right by everybody.

And being ignored was pissing me off.

After waiting for a good time, I sent a final email expressing that if I did not receive a reply, I would be forced to leave negative feedback, a step I did not want to do. In my original request for refund, I stated that I would leave glowing feedback, as the seller's demeanor was superb, up to that point.
Alas, nothing again.

So with regret, I posted my first negative feedback to the eBay feedback forum.

"Caveat Emptor. Shipped a defective item. No replies after return asked for."

And that was that. Simple, to the point. I explained what was wrong: the item was defective, and I received no more replies. Caveat Emptor means "Buyer Beware", and is a much-used term to tell they buyer to be sharp and aware when they deal with this seller. Whenever I go to a farmers market, a haggling bazaar, or anyplace NOT governed by your usual WTO rules, it's Caveat Emptor. You should be a 'smart' shopper, because this person is a 'smart' seller. Simple and businesslike.
I knew I would be receiving a reply, and in time, I did.

"Item shipped PERFECT! Didn't file w/shipper! No ins! Read the terms- NO REFUNDS!"

My word against his. And I just don't like CAPS LOCK text. Who likes being yelled at? Also, even if you say no refunds, that does not give someone the right to ship shoddy merchandise. I give him the right to abide by his policy, but my right is to warn others that he could be selling cracked unusable goods and then brook no complaints by pointing to his no refund policy. Good business? No.

My reply was also succinct:

Reply by dloyd76: Good businesses don't drop conversations. That's why neg posted. It's too bad...

And it really is. I like the guy up until the point where he ignored me. The lesson I learned here is to always, always buy insurance. And before you buy, read the Feedback forums. If I had, I would have read this:

• WANTED REFUND ON AS/IS SALE BECAUSE WIFE GOT MAD? HE OVER BID AND THATS MY FAULT
• Reply: Nice bid retraction # LOSER! CLEARLY misrepresented! Check your old email ass!
• DID NOT READ AUCTION !! / WAITED 45 DAYS 2 CONTACT ME BY LEAVING NEG FEEDBACK !!
• Reply: I can read Jerk! You lie! What, cant find the reply button on your email? LOSER!

"Jerk", "LOSER!", ""ass!", and another "LOSER!". Ahh, feels like 5th grade all over again. Would you do business with that?

SouthernAngel's Ode to Bacon Grease

The part of me that is intrigued wars with the part of me that is horrified.


SouthernAngel's Ode to Bacon Grease:
Ode to Bacon Grease

By: Angela Gillaspie Copyright (c) 1998, 2000

Ham hocks just don't do justice to my home cooking, and salt pork doesn't either. The only seasoning to give that delicious, salty, sultry, wonderful, smoky flavor is bacon grease.

Off to San Fran...

Leaving after the traffic....and in the rain. Joyous.

Well, SF should be cool. Samba, and drums, and a new cat for the Splicehold.

See you next week!

On Long Distance Relationships

It's truly a hallmark of our modern world when the trappings of business can happen in so many disparate places. In the last century, we mastered the art of the deal in far away lands. Air travel and telephone had become cheap enough to allow people to make the deal and keep contacts through well-meaning correspondence and frequent travel.

Today, we can do that without leaving home.

Yes, yes, telecommuting has been 'about to explode' for years. But in many cases, it already has. I offer myself as example.

I have my day job, which we'll talk about later. In addition to that, I'm editing a feature film for my friends Counselor and Alistair. Alistair lives 5 hours north of me in San Francisco, and Counselor resides in Beaumont, Texas. We email discussion as well as entire cuts across the wires.

I'm also working on a recording project with my friends Señor Frog, Galante, and The Duncan. The Duncan is in Illinois, Galante in Maryland and the Frog is in Austin, Texas. We each record ideas on our nefarious computers and post them to Frog's website. We're trying to give The Postal Service a run for their money. I'd call the project "The Internet" if that didn't sound so 1991. As it is, we're calling it Radiophonic, and we expect to start recording in Dallas (yes, ANOTHER city) sometime in August 2005.

(Though now that i've said it, we'll see. Isn't that how it works?)

And for the day job, even though I'm staying in LA, my director is flying on monday to London to do re-shoots with the star of the film.

It truly is getting international around here.


let's hope in 10 years I can phone in my cuts from Bahia brazil, meet the band for rehearsals in Dubai, and pay my taxes in China.

Fun, huh?

On New Beginnings...and shorter hair.

I've done it. I've sliced the hair again. This time I went from bushy to Bruce Campbell as the former: hair to the shoulder and beard all around, to the current. hair ala Vig and a goatee sculpted like Bruce in Hercules.

i'm not jiving the goat so much, but heck. Beards grow back and it's good to experiment.

On writing and writers...

Writing is hard.

Well obviously for many, writing is easy. But for me it is hard to do. Specifically fiction writing. I've spent the majority of the last 15 years engaged in two types of creative wordsmithing: Poetry, including song lyrics, and screenwriting. Both forms strongly suggest brevity and economy as the rules of the day. Poetry almost seems a contest as to how vivid a scene you can paint with a little words as possible. While there are poets whose lines overflow with every adjective and noun in the Oxford Dic, by and large I find it to be a lesson in word economy.

Screenwriting is power of suggestion encapsulated. Every word will eventually be translated into a visual scene. Since so much information will be carried by the camera and performances, economy again is the key.

Hence when I write out the 'treatment' for my full-length fiction novel. I tell the whole story in less than 20 pages. My first chapter clocks in at a page and a half. I'm learning that you have to describe your description, but the initial attempts are clunky at best.

But like all things, try and try again....

On Pope Benedict XVI

Well, Ratzinger won it. He was the early favorite and that has borne out. I for one, am wary. I am sure he is a pious man, but for his career he has represented the most conservative policies of Catholicism. While I do not count myself among those 'dedicated to a doctrine of ego and relativism', I do think the church is behind on many matters that do not concern God, but concern Humanity. I do not believe that contraception, if used correctly, is a barrier to the will of God. I believe that it is an effective tool against the spread of infection and unwanted children in a world fast becoming overcrowded. I also believe it to be a valuable tool in expressing love between married couples who know they cannot raise another child with the proper amount of care, attention and expense. I do not believe that the bible clearly states that women cannot partake in the priesthood. I also believe that celibacy of priests was ordained by a pope in the middle ages, and was NOT required in the original testament.

Thus, I guess I am a protestant. We'll see if Benedict follows in the footsteps of John of Vatican II or John Paul II of recent times.

God Bless.

On Golf and stretching

How do you know when you are 'getting old'? When you really have to stretch. No really, you HAVE to stretch. Now I know many people in the world have ingrained in them a physical education regimen that dictates proper posture and muscle pulls on a daily basis. Heck, I was awake during that Phys Ed class, but for reasons futile, it never became a daily fact of life for me. So for most of my twenties, I would get up, get in the shower, and just go. Stretching only after such strenous activities as sitting in a chair watching a movie, or napping. (Hey, I DO work in the film industry...)

But recently I took up the game of Golf. It was largley on the spurring of my friend Jones, who had noticed a flyer for monthly golf lessons at an affordable price. What followed has been a deepening appreciation of the sport and a genuine enjoyment. For someone who spends his working life in small rooms staring at computer screens (very similar to what you're doing now, only for hours on end), the concept of walking 5 to 7 miles on pristine grounds, enjoying the sun and air with fellow human beings - some of them friends even - is grand indeed. As my addiction deepens, I've been surprised to find how many people I know who also play. And I've since enjoyed many a game with friends I have not seen regularly in over a year.

But last week we hit Rancho Park. Rancho Park is the premier public course in LA, once the busiest in the nation, and is a beautiful and challenging course. Many hills and valleys combine with the pristine fairways and sloping greens-forcing you to think about where you're going to put that ball. And last week, I tried too hard.

Yep, too hard. Evidently, the secret to golf - how all those grandparents in their seventies can play perfect games without collapsing into a heap of calcium and fibertabs on the fairways- is to do nothing at all. At least it feels that way. The golf swing explained to me is like a pendulum. Staying on the correct path, you move the clubhead up, and then in the same manner, you move it back down again. No strain, no "pushing", no trying to hit the ball. And that's where I'd go wrong. Faced with a 548 yard hole, I'd try to hit that damn ball as hard as I can. And when you strain like that, you lose control. And when you lose control, you do either of two things. You either swing up and miss the ball entirely - providing a satisfying "swiiish" sound for your chums to chuckle at. Or you swing down and hit the ground. You hit the ground.....with a steel pole....as hard as you can.

Now repeat 80 times.


Oh, and carry a bag of similar steel poles on your right shoulder.

Oh, and walk 7 miles up and down hills, wearing cleats.


When I finally entered my living room, a full six and one half hours later, my wife remarked that I looked like a train ran over me. I didn't immediately reply, I was too wrapped up in sucking 32 oz. of Gatorade as fast as I could. The next day the back pains began in earnest, and two weeks and two chiropractic appointments later, I am somewhat back in the saddle. Though I can't golf or even start something vital like yoga or pilates for a few days more.

How embarrassing; I'm an invalid because I twisted wrong.

I have learned lessons from this. Golf is athletic, no matter what others want you to believe, and you need to prepare for it before you tee off. Stretching is good for the body. And I need to take care of myself better. I'm not 21 anymore, and I can't 'bounce back' the way I did in college. I'm signing up for a Yoga course soon, as I need to work out the 'core muscles' (the ones that actually hold the bones together. I never knew that was an issue!). And I will practice better body management on the course.

So hopefully, by the time I turn thirty, I won't walk up to the tee, hit a grand 320 yard driver, and then promptly collapse into a pile of calcium and fibertabs.

Yuck, right?

Sideways, eh?

I finally saw "Sideways" this weekend. And yes, I did enjoy it. But not as much as I thought I would. It was neat to see our favorite wine trip played out on the big screen, but something kept me from being truly involved with the story. After thought, I decided it was the characters. Though I eventually rooted for the Paul Giamatti character, both of them were so deeply flawed that I had difficulty caring. Thomas Haden Church did a great job with a character who is basically a fraud. He's only pursuing the instant gratification in front of him, and does not care what his actions do to those around him. Not his wife, his best friend, or the woman and child he is romancing. Giamatti's character is also wonderfully played, but is a man so deep in his negativity that half the time you WANT him to hit bottom and go home. Yes, I caught that he's distraught at his friend for basically fucking up what Giamatti desperately desires, i.e. family. But the movie also quickly mentions that Giamatti HAD that, and lost it by cheating on his allegedly verbally abusive wife. These are two tough characters to love.

I wanted more of the wine tour, more of the quirks of those truly devoted to wine, and more of the romance between giamatti and Mya. I didn't get that, and so was disappointed even if the ride was fun.

And heck, I live in California, so I can go to Santa Barbara County anytime.

Insane Gas Prices

I saw this at my local 76 station. Why why why?!

Bloggle: The Coffee Odyssey

Bloggle: The Coffee Odyssey:

Put in your Zipcode and find an independent Coffee shop to cater your un-corporate taste.

"Cafe's are vital social outposts that have historically provided subjective, social, local, and at times, irrational interaction, inspiration, and nourishment to artists, hipsters, musicians, activists, intellectuals, radicals, and others alike. Currently, independently owned cafe's around the world are under aggressive attack; and their numbers have been sharply decreasing for many years. delocator.net is a means to preserve these local businesses."