My Left Hand is Numb

So, it's no secret that I'm a huge Aerosmith fan, so of course I was going to go out and buy Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.  Now, of course, my first complaint is that there's not enough Aerosmith in the game (each "level" has two songs by other bands before you get to unlock the three Aerosmith songs in that level).  All told there's 24 Aerosmith songs (plus an additional three from Joe Perry's 2005 solo album).  I will say that they have a pretty good collection of songs though.  Most of the songs (thankfully) come from Toys in the Attic (1975), and Rocks (1976).  There are four tracks from the first (self-titled) Aerosmith (1973) album, but they've all been re-recorded.  I like the new versions, but having spent the last 18 years or so having listened to the original, it's a surprising (but not unpleasant) change.

A good number of the songs that come from other artists are songs that I know pretty well, or have at least heard more than a few times, including Lenny Kravitz's Always on the Run, and Cheap Trick's Dream Police.

What really makes the game fun to play (and most especially watch) is how accurately they've modeled the movements of each of the members of Aerosmith.  I've seen them in concert a number of times, as well as seen numerous shows on TV, DVD or whatever, and I swear it's almost creepy how they've replicated the way the band moves and performs on stage.  Great examples include watching Joe Perry with his Voice Box while playing Sweet Emotion, and the way Steve and Joe sing together during Toys in the Attic.

Alright, so I'm biased, but damn this is a fun game.

In DC

I got into Reagan airport last night, at about 10:00, but we didn't get to the hotel until about 11:30. And somehow, we managed to get charged $50 for a cab ride that should have been about 8 miles.
Now trying to find a place to eat that late at night was no small feat, either. The hotel desk clerk told us about a 24-hour diner that was about 4 blocks away.
We ate there, and got back to the hotel at about 12:30. I didn't get to bed until after 1:00, and didn't actually fall asleep until almost 3:00. Needless to say, I was up at 6, and in the lobby before 7.
Man I'm tired.

To the skies

I just got my marching orders for next week, and it looks like I'm headed to Southern California to sit in on a SQL Server 2005 Analysis Class that will be taught by Paul Turley.  This is pretty exciting.  I've already booked my flight, and I have a lot to do before I go, including buying some new clothes and shoes.

First Real Day of Unemployment

So for those of you that don't know, I left my job at Sagem Morpho last week.  I will be starting at Hitachi Consulting next week, effectively being unemployed for a week.  Fortunately, I had more than a week of vacation time saved up, so I'm still getting paid for this week.

It's hardly a vacation, though.  There's a lot going on this week, including getting new bedroom furniture and new mattresses.  Bridget and I moved our bed into one of the guest bedrooms last night, and slept in there.  I don't know how she handled it, but I was a little disoriented when I woke up.

I also had a weird dream about shaving my head, despite my hair continuing to grow in the process.

More as the mood strikes me.

Stupidity on teh intrawebs

You know what really grinds my gears?

Lately, there's been a lot of fallout surrounding Apple and AT&T regarding some of the features (included and lacking) in the iPhone. That's fine, consumers have a right to complain about the mistakes they made due to lack of research, or whatever. But here's the thing people. Apple is the device maker. AT&T is the service provider. I don't know how many blog posts or comments I've read that is blaming Apple for outrageous roaming charges; or AT&T for a firmware update that bricks their phones.

What sparked this is a recent post on TUAW, where the poster wrote about her experience trying to have her phone legally unlocked by her service provider. Sure enough, someone in the comments section makes reference to "something that an Apple employee told him [sic]."

I don't know if it's because people don't know the difference between a hardware manufacturer and a service provider, or they don't bother to read before they react. 90% of the time, I would have to assume the latter.

My latest obsession

I found www.otr.net through a link on digg. They host a whole bunch of classic radio shows made available through streaming real media. My new favorite is I Was A Communist for the FBI. It's a fictionalized re-telling of the true story of an FBI undercover agent by the name of Matt Cvetic. It's excellent radio.

Have I mentioned that I hate wikipedia? I decided to see if there was any information on Mr. Cvetic, or the various media produced about his adventures. The wikipedia entries on these topics, though, have apparently been hijacked by someone with an agenda, referring to Mr. Cvetic as a "fictional character."

There's also reference to McArthy-ism, the Red Scare, and all that jazz. The irony behind it, of course, is that 60 years after the events depicted in the radio show have occured, is that we've become a nation that's much more friendly to the ideas and beliefs of communism and socialism.

The beauty of the program is that it's horribly over-acted, and filled with the cheesiest dialogue ever. It's awesomely bad. Like Snakes on a Plane awesome. Even if you're not interested in I Was A Communist for the FBI, you're sure to find something else on the Old Time Radio library you might like.

Intellevolution (Repost)

I'm reposting this from like, two years ago, because I got splogged. I've changed the comment system to a moderated one, so hopefully it won'y happen again. Here's the orginal post, with some minor clarifications

So there's this fanatical debate going on between the religious right and the lunatic left, which completely boggles my mind. It's over the theory of Intelligent Design. Now I don't know the specifics behind Intelligent Design, but I'm too lazy to even do a google search on the topic.

Here's what I understand the basic premise to be. Something, somewhere, somehow had a plan for life on earth, the universe, or a portion thereof. The theory of ID, as I understand it, does not attempt to explain who or what was responsible for the creation of, or at the very least the catalyst behind, life as we know it; but most people with religious leanings will assume that it's God.

ID, as I understand it, makes no such supposition, however. It is simply a theory that puts forth the idea that life was planned by an entity more intelligent than we know. This is a viable theory. As viable as evolution, anyway. And yet somehow, the two are perceived to be mutually exclusive.
But guess what? They're not!

Intelligent Design is a theory that attempts to uncover the origins of life, while Evolutionary Theory is based on the adaptations that a species may go through based on environmental changes and such. Intelligent Design is not a pseudo-scientific way of trying to sneak the book of Genesis in the public school arena; but since the dawn of civilization, mankind has always looked to the heavens, and tried to explain the unexplainable with the concept of all-powerful creator beings.

From where was this seed planted?

Some would argue that religion was a tool used by the upper class to control the lower classes. While there have been religious leaders who have abused their positions and title, religion is about faith. It's about belief. And why do some say that the beliefs about the creation of the known universe, and the adaptation of life are contradictory?