Venice is flooded! Well, flooded more than usual.

I've already preordered the Nintendo DS but if the North American launch of the Playstation Portable is anything like this price, I may get it as well... maybe even import it... we'll see. It's still a lot of money, even if it is, like, half the price everyone thought it was going to be. Plus, I'll already have the DS, so they'll still have to impress me with some kick-ass game that I ind myself unable to live without - Need For Speed, Ridge Racer, and Metal Gear can't cut it.

So, my Grandmother's moving to a retirement home in St. Catharines. It's apparently a nice place, and not too far from my parents. It comes as a relief to my family, who are acutely aware she is an 80-something year old woman who lives on her own a fair ways away from a hospital. It's wonderful that she's been so independent at her age, and I hope she can keep it up; but it is calming to know that there's someone around to help her if anything happens.

And if my grandkids are somehow reading this, some unknown nuimber of decades into the future, give me a call, I'm sure I'd love to hear your voice.

Finally, I'm soliciting opinions: considering my flight is supposed to land in Buffalo with about an hour before it becomes December 25, how should I deal with Christmas presents? Buy them online and have them shipped there? Hope no one minds getting Christmas presents a week late? Buy them here and hope I don't hit any luggage weight limits?

Brain in a dish! Next up: brain in a jar, which will CONQUER THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look over there on the right! Sneaky...

Get this: Hunter S. Thompson would prefer Richard Nixon(!!!) to George W. Bush, because he looks like more honest in comparison to Bush. In the interests of balancing opinions, (since I'm not of the opinion that foreigners shouldn't really comment on not-their-own national elections and I'm violating that) here's an article about John Kerry being an asshat over Cheney getting a flu shot, since the young and healthy should skip it to allow others. Last I checked, Cheney was an old guy with a bad heart.

I can't remember where I saw the link to the Rolling Stone article. The second story is off the Drudge Report.

Hurray US politics. Bring on Nixon.

Red Sox win!

You can never have too many blogs. It probably won't be too interesting to you, just a place for me to write things down. Only I'm writing things down on the internet.

Raymond: No, that's right. But I may only be saying that because I'm a jerk. Here, this is me:

Which File Extension are You?

Someone obviously doesn't know how it's supposed to work: Ladies' Night has been ruled discriminatory in New Jersey. Really, the complainant is ruining things for everyone in New Jersey - women won't get cheap drinks and men won't get cheap women.

Sorry, that line just HAD to be said.

My review of Team America: Fuck yeah!

That is all.

A wise man told me to read the Earth Charter. I'm not going to claim implementing it is possible or even the right thing to do. But it makes a good discussion point.

So here's something Crazy Mark did: I put some gummy bears in my coffee to add a little flavour. Alas, they melted and did not mix in with the coffee, leaving red, horrible-tasting goop at the bottom. So don't try it. Unless you stir as they're going in, because that might distribute the goop around the entirety of the coffee isntead of it settling at the bottom.

Plans for the weekend: Team America: World Police tonight. Tomorrow: repairing a tear in the spacetime continuum. It can wait, since it's not there yet. But it will be.

In other news, a new species of ape has been discovered. They should call them chimpillas. Or goranzees.

I just found out - Christopher Reeve has passed away. He was my hero. He was Superman when I was a kid, and then he showed he was a super man by not allowing his paralysis following a riding accident from holding him back. He continued to act, and became an activist for spinal cord research. He will be missed.

Read this about the Google Irish offices opening, noticed with glee the reported media speculation about what will happen when GMail launches officially all of which sounded VERY ominous and when speculating about a GMail Notifier is wrong.

Because you can download the GMail Notifier here. It only works for Windows. Blame Justin if you don't like it.

Course Schedule as of right now for Winter term 2005:
CO 487 (Applied Cryptography) 11:30 MWF
CS 442 (Principles of Programming Languages) 11:30 TR
ENGL 208H (Arthurian Legend) 2:30 TR
PMATH 330 (Intro to Mathematical Logic) 10:30 MWF
PSYCH 101 (Introductory Psychology) 6:30 T

That's right, I've never taken Psych 101 before. I'm on the waiting list for CS 454 (Distributed Systems) 11:30 TR, which would obviously replace CS 442, seeing as how they're at the same time.

I don't care if you don't normally read comics, you need to go to a comic book store and buy Adam Strange #1. Here's a preview. IMPORTANT: Not this or this, I like them but I LOVE the new Adam Strange series. It is exactly what I love about comic books. There are plenty of good books (and even better stories in comics) out there but none that so perfectly capture what a comic should be like. And Adam Strange isn't a comic superhero but a classic sci-fi hero, a man who is quick with a raygun and has a solid right hook. Get it. If you don't like it, tell me the next time I see you and I will pay you back.

edited to add some info: Adam Strange #1 is the first part of an 8-issue limited series published by DC Comics written by Andy Diggle and art by Pascal Ferry.

San Francisco was entertaining. A lot of walking. Tired. Pictures to come later. The ones from last week will probably have to come down so I have room.

An addendum to the previous post here.

Maybe it IS warmer here on the west coast, but at least the very land beneath you doesn't act up with annoying regularity.

Although no, this one didn't affect me either. THAT'S NOT THE POINT!

San Francisco tomorrow. Should be fun. Sunday...

On Sunday, the New England Patriots attempt to tie the unofficial NFL record for games won in a row. They will do this against my beleaguered but beloved Buffalo Bills. Buffalo is in a unique position - they are built well to beat the Patriots. The defense is excellent, with defensive backs that should be able to nullify New England's decent-but-ordinary receivers and a d-line that is capable of stopping Corey Dillon. The Bills offense has underperformed, but they have two great running backs and New England isn't so hot at stopping the run this year. They have a chance. BUT!

The Oakland Raiders visit the Houston Texans and play at the same time. Thus I will not be able to watch the game I want to watch, which was SO EASY for me back home.

I miss my NFL Sunday Ticket.