What up, yo. I'm officially in 22nd (last) place in my NCAA office pool. Is it possible to be mathematically eliminated after one round? Hell, I guess so; the Royals, Twins, Expos, Devil Rays et al. already are.
But on to bigger and betterer things. Scoop Casey's News Roundup.
<Yesterday's News, Today>
<Scoop Casey's Bonus March Madness Coverage>
So I've been lifting weights pretty intensely for the last coupla months, following an HIT program. That's High Intensity Training, for those of you who care, which is probably none of you. The good news is that I've put on almost 20 pounds of what I hope is mostly muscle; I was 202 lbs. (that's 14.5 stone for you British readers, and 92 kilos for the rest of the world) at last check. The bad news is that none of my clothes fit me anymore. Everything's tight, and provides the uncomfortable sensation of being exposed, not unlike being naked. It's really creepy. Maybe that's why those bodybuilder guys wear retarded-looking M.C. Hammer pants. If you ever see me in anything resembling those, you are hereby ordered to shoot me on sight. Don't ask questions, just start blastin'.
I emailed Dack yesterday in the hopes of enlisting his support in my Anti-Back the Net crusade. He had some kind words for the blawg, which are much appreciated. He said he doesn't watch as much TV as me (but then again, who does?!?), but dug the movie reviews. That was super cool.
I'm actually listening to his Big Chill mix right now, and it ain't half bad. I always thought his chill-out stuff would be too soft for an old punk rocker like me, but I'm feelin' it. It appeals to my dubbed-out side.
Looking forward to a day off tomorrow, and to see what Scoop Casey's gonna come up wit'. Then I'm'a kick back and enjoy the Madness. Peace, y'all. ßßß
Am I alone in being disgusted by Iconocast's Back the Net crusade?? The gist is that the New Economy is tanking and we need to show our support for the Internet by buying stuff online.
Uhhh ... what?
Here are some excerpts from their "manifesto":
Fueled by a "viral lack of confidence," the Internet economy has slipped into a recession. If this trend continues, you might soon lose access to your favorite online store, greeting card site, news source, music site or financial chat group. Imagine the Internet without Yahoo! or Amazon.com.
But you can help the Net regain its respect. We must band together and send the world a loud, clear message that the Net will not only survive, but thrive.
Support the Internet Economy. On April 3, avoid offline retail stores. Instead, visit your favorite online store(s) and make at least one purchase. Or buy 10 shares in a company you admire.
The Internet is very young. Some mistakes have been made. But this budding industry still needs your support. Your participation will send a signal to Wall Street that Netizens will not abandon their favorite medium.
I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that the Internet existed solely for the use of venture capitalists and other speculators.
Note to Iconocast: The Internet doesn't need your help. The Internet is doing just fine, thank you, as are Net businesses that provide products and services that consumers actually want. Businesses run by B-school refugees that provide streaming regatta coverage will not survive, and we're all better off without them. But the Internet will survive and thrive with — or better yet, without — Iconocast and its ilk. The arrogance!
Rest assured that I'll be doing everything in my (limited) power between now and April 3rd to sabotage this VC-centric bullshit revolutionary boondoggle. ßßß
The newspapers finally got to run those stories they've had in the can for ages: How Low Can It Go?, et alia. San Francisco to speculators of all stripes: Can we have our city back now? Thank you.
Although I myself am a dot-commie, I'm enjoying this show as much as anyone else. Here's a novel concept: A company should have a product, or a service, or some fucking offering to justify its existence, not just silver-tongued biz-dev types weaving webs of bullshit around investors eager to throw their money away. I'm looking forward to an exodus of former paper millionaires the hell outta here, and away from the restaurants, nightclubs, and other establishments so I can enjoy them again. What can I say? I'm a townie, and they're in my hood. Even though I'm sorta they, too.
Short list of movies that suck a lot:
Looks like we're gonna enjoy another beautiful day here in NoCal. As mild as the Bay Area winter is, it can still get pretty damn depressing. But Saturday was incredible. Sunny, 70 degrees. Got to partake of one of my few (only?) vices: a fine cigar. Smoked one of the Cuban Cohibas I procured in Mexico a while back, and it knocked me on my ass. But it was worth it.
I also had the pleasure of seeing Jesus' Son this weekend, which was quite possibly the best film I've seen this calendar year. Billy Crudup is just amazing in this movie, striking a balance between worldly and naÏve, innocent but not wide-eyed stupid Hollywood innocent, but Jack Black just about hijacks the whole thing, much as he did in High Fidelity. See this movie as soon as you can. If you've already seen it, see it again. Dammit.
Any misgivings I might have had about Sopranos v.3 were dispelled last night. Seems like my prediction in last Monday's blawg were right: last week's double episode was used mostly to tie up some loose ends so they could get to the good stuff. Which they certainly did last night. ßßß
Don't miss last week's brilliant insight.
