Smoke Rings, Coffee Stains

Teen Drivers Finally Get My Attention

@Leslie — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 10:55:47 +0000

I usually discuss my true pet peeve – elderly drivers and the need for national yearly testing – and tell my readers to blog about teen drivers on their own blogs and let me link to them, since I don’t have kids and don’t know many teens. I just think I can’t really comment.

That said, today this article on teen drivers got my complete and undivided attention, and not in a good way. From the “are you fucking kidding me?” files, I present these excerpts:

NEW YORK, June 6 (Reuters Life!) – The majority of young U.S. drivers admit they chat on their cell phones and text message while driving — and almost a half of them see no reason to stop.
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A survey by the Zogby International polling firm released on Wednesday found 66 percent of U.S. drivers aged between 18 and 24 send text messages while driving and 93 percent talk on their cell phone behind the wheel.

Yes, you read that right. TEXTING. Not just talking, which is unsafe enough… TEXTING. Ugh.

Someone send out the LOLCats since the parents obviously can’t be trusted NOT to monitor teen cell use and driving: “I’M IN UR ENGINE BLOCK, DISCONNECTIN UR DISTRIBUTOR”.
Source: Yahoo News

Now Listening: Nirvana Smells Like Teen Spirit

Tags: teen drivers, cell phone in car, text message, teen texting, lolcats

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Take A Stand Against Shock Media

@Leslie — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 10:50:55 +0000

And if you are in the vicinity of Channel 4, currently of Diana Accident Documentary scandal, boycott the show about Diana. Better yet, write to get the show pulled.

Psssst! New Contest!

@Leslie — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 09:47:27 +0000

Over on my Apple Reporter site, I’m running another contest. This time I’m looking for a logo design for the blog. Read more here.

Now Listening: Neighbor’s Lawnmower, Pounding Gnomes From Allergy Sinus Headache

Tags: apple reporter, apple contest, logo contest, apple logo, mac contest

“There’s A Problem. It’s Called Net Neutrality.”

@Leslie — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 15:43:25 +0000

Via Digg: Full Satirical Article Here

[Tongue In Cheek] AT&T chief Ed Whitacre handed the keys over to his replacement Randall Stephenson yesterday, but not before giving a rousing pep talk to fellow executives in the company’s San Antonio board room.

Excerpt:

“There’s a problem. It’s called Net Neutrality,” Whitacre told the heirs to AT&T’s telecommunications empire. “Well, frankly, we say to hell with that. We’re gonna put up some toll booths and start charging admission.”This statement echoes those made in the press by Whitacre and Stephenson over the last two years.

(note: video removed due to messing up my blog design. why, oh why does word press not just ACCEPT you tube, already???)

Go to Save The Internet for more information on how you can join the fight for Network Neutrality.

See my past posts on Network Neutrality here.

Now Listening: Amy Winehouse Back To Black

Tags: Net Neutrality, NEtwork Neutrality, Save The Internet, AT&T, Cingular, ASsshattery

Technorati Tags: Net Neutrality, NEtwork Neutrality, Save The Internet, AT&T, Cingular, ASsshattery

Speaking of Reality Television…

@Leslie — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 20:19:58 +0000

Save us from this potential alternate television universe, and work to prevent a strike:

Indeed, if the “good new ideas” include punking weddings, famous people driving fast, and giant bingo drums, the “bunch of crap” produced out of work-stoppage desperation should be truly breathtaking, with poorly thought out offerings like Are You Man Enough To Shave This Homeless Man’s Genitals? rushed onto the schedule by evil Fox altenative-programming mastermind Mike Darnell. It would undoubtedly be less painful just to drown yourself in a bathroom sink full of bleach now than to endure the aftermath of a prolonged strike.

Holy horrors, Batman, say it won’t be so!

Democrats, You Just Didn’t Close The Deal

@Leslie — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 09:47:47 +0000

Each Presidential primary debate is a chance for the candidates to rise above the petty politics that has become standard fare. After watching both the Republican debate, where I was completely wowed by Ron Paul, and the Democratic debate, where I was completely wowed by no one in particular, I have to say many politicians continue to fall short of the mark. Slinging mud at each other instead of debating issues and letting us know who would best represent us on the issues is just so yesterday, especially in this day and age of the Internet.

Television reshaped politics once before, creating an arena where appearances became important, and facial gestures and mannerisms became tells, alerting the public to insincerity and deceit. It also made politics an arena where looks mattered, as Nixon and Kennedy found out in that first televised debate so long ago. America: we are a deeply shallow people. Now the Internet is reshaping politics again, allowing us to receive minute by minute fact checking and public opinion on each candidate. If the Internet keeps chugging along like this, we may be able to end up with the most informed voting public we’ve ever had this election.

Last night’s debate in New Hampshire did more to cement my Libertarian support for Ron Paul than anything else could have done. I truly hope he wins the nomination. Even though I am a registered Libertarian, I may go re-register as a Republican just so I can cast my vote for him. I dislike the Republicans intensely, but he has a Libertarian voting record, and is running under the Republican ticket where he can get support. If he keeps up his Libertarian roots in the face of what will be the Republican special interest onslaught if he wins, he has my vote.

The most likely to get my vote on the Democratic side, assuming Ron Paul’s immense grass roots support isn’t enough to carry him? Mike Gravel. He did not shine like I’d hoped he would in last night’s debate, but he remains the candidate most like me on the issues, at least on the democratic side. Not as like me as Ron Paul, but close. If he could just stop falling for the mud slinging, cat fighting, crap that goes on in the debates!

I wonder if we could get Ron Paul and Mike Gravel to run together on a Paul / Gravel ticket? I think Gravel would make an excellent Vice President, and I’d love to see a first-ever two party ticket. They probably wouldn’t do it, but wouldn’t it be history making if they did? I’d certainly vote for that!

All I know for sure is that Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney and Rudy Guiliani? Do not have my vote.

Tags: democratic debate, republican debate, new hampshire primary, ron paul, mike gravel, hilary clinton, barack obama, rudy giuliani, mitt romney

Technorati Tags: democratic debate, republican debate, new hampshire primary, ron paul, mike gravel, hilary clinton, barack obama, rudy giuliani, mitt romney

It’s Remodeling Day!

@Leslie — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 12:50:54 +0000

Bear with me as I play with my site’s CSS and PHP and make the look fresh, new and sleek.

Updated: All done for now. Have a couple of overhangs in the sidebar I’m too lazy to figure out right now. Other than that, what do you think of the new look?

Search String Amusements

@Leslie — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 23:07:39 +0000

My number one search string bringing people to this blog:

if you lead a double life

Number two?

smoking atheist women

i love the interwebospheres.

The John Hughes Generation

@Leslie — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 12:09:19 +0000

Feeling a little “80s” lately? Missing the wild days of your angst-ridden youth? Wondering why your mom/aunt/teacher still “can’t get over how grown up Anthony Michael Hall looks in Dead Zone”? Never fear, I am bringing you your John Hughes, “Me Generation” fix for the day. Check out this batch of linky goodness on your way to Saturday detention, because “we have nothing better to do”, right?

John Hughes Songs: Movie by Movie here

Salon on Hughes here

On Location: Where The Films Were Made here

The 80s Movie Page on Hughes Classics here

The Movie Moments here

Video Highlights here

I’m sure there is more – post your favorite 80s links in the comments!

Now Listening: Echo And The Bunnymen

mog.com

More about this song

Tags: John Hughes, Judd Nelson, Pretty in Pink, Molly Ringwald, Breakfast Club, Bender, Ferris Beuller, 80s Movies, 1980s, Me Generation, Duckie

Dear Reality Show Contestants and Producers

@Leslie — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:04:00 +0000

If you are a contestant on one of the very few reality shows I watch (American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef), please take a note: If you got cut early or voted off late in a prior season? Don’t. Come. Back. You have had your chance. Please let the next group of talented people have a shot. Sometimes? Life sucks like that. Welcome to sucking it up.

If you are a producer of one of these reality shows… stop letting people re-audition! Stop putting through so many no-talent bags of crap!

Oh, and network execs? Enough. Fucking. Reality. Shows. E. NOUGH. Seriously. I don’t mean networks like TLC – we expect “real” television from channels like that. I mean the pseudo “reality” shows like the somehow-still-going Survivor brand and “contest” shows. Let’s take a look at the choking shit storm of “reality” we can look forward to in coming months:

Worth It:

American Idol
So You Think You Can Dance
Top Chef
Extreme Home Makeover
On The Lot

Maybes

Miami Ink

So Not Worth It:

8th & Ocean – MTV
Adventures In Hollywood – MTV
Agency, The- VH1
Airline – A&E
Amazing Race – CBS
American Inventor – ABC
America’s Next Top Model – UPN
America’s Got Talent
Apprentice, The – NBC
Armed And Famous – CBS
Bachelor, The – ABC
Beauty and the Geek – WB
Beyond The Bull – TLC
Black. White – FX
The Block – G4
Big Brother – CBS
Breaking Bonaduce – VH1
Cheerleader Nation – Lifetime
Cheyenne – MTV
Criss Angel Mindfreak – A&E
Celebrity Fit Club – VH1
Cowboy U – CMT
Dancing With The Stars – ABC
Dice Undisputed – VH1
Dinner: Impossible – Food Network
Dr90210 – E!
Ego Trip’s White Rapper Show – VH1
Family Jewels – A&E
Fatty Koo- BET
Fast Inc. – MTV
Flavor Of Love – VH1
Gastineau Girls – E!
High Maintenace 90210 – E!
Hells Kitchen – FOX
House of Carters – E!
Hogan Knows Best – VH1
Inked – A&E
I Love New York – VH1
Intervention – A&E
Kathy Griffin My Life On The D-List- Bravo
King Of Cars- A&E
Knievel’s Wild Ride – A&E
Laguna Beach – MTV
Last Comic Standing – NBC
Little People Big World – TLC
Made – MTV
Making The Band – MTV
Maui Fever- MTV
Miami Ink – TLC
Miss Seventeen – MTV
Nanny 911 – Fox
Nashville Star – CMT
No Opportunity Wasted -Discovery
Pimp My Ride – MTV
Pirate Master
Project Jay – Bravo
Power Girls – MTV
Project Greenlight – Bravo
Punk’d – MTV
Pussycat Dolls- CW
Random 1 – A&E
Real Housewives- Bravo
Reality Racing – Spike
Roller Girls – A&E
Real World Road Rules Challenge – MTV
Rock Star: Supernova – CBS
Real World – MTV
Road Rules – MTV
Run’s House – MTV
Shalom In The Home – TLC
Sons of Hollywood – AandE
Springer Hustle, The – VH1
Starting Over
Style Her Famous – Style Network
Super Nanny – ABC
Surreal Life – VH1
Survivor – CBS
Tiara Girls – MTV
The Hills – MTV
Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search – CMT
Wife Swap – ABC
Work Out – Bravo

I’m sure I forgot to list some of these completely forgettable shows. If you must double check my list of wasted boob tube space, you can click here.

Network Executives! Bring back writing! Scripts! Shows with a point! And a cast! Make up of people who ACT from a story and script in scenes, not yahoos we’d like to run over outside of the mall being “put in situations”. I’m begging you…. seriously. Don’t make me grovel.

Now Listening: The Hives

Tags: Reality Television Shows, Reality TV, Survivor, Pirate Master, On The Lot, american Idol

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