Jack Mangan’s Deadpan #108: The Horror, The Horror

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258 Responses to “Jack Mangan’s Deadpan #108: The Horror, The Horror”

  1. Vanamonde Says:

    oh for an anti acid

  2. Vanamonde Says:

    Morning Pan, the Sun is shining, and it appears that Dubai is not the place to get frisky in public:

    http://tinyurl.com/44luwq

  3. jackmangan Says:

    Yikes.

    Hey Van, I thought of you when I spotted this link on Rudy Rucker’s site:
    http://www.cs.sjsu.edu/faculty/rucker/#Softwaredownloads

  4. Vanamonde Says:

    I’ll checkout the asteroids clone later Jack…no java on the phone.

  5. Ed from Texas Says:

    Hang on…

    FILE > SAVE AS > JackMangan23

    I had to go save Jack. He was stuck in an infinite loop on the last comment page.

  6. justa J0e Says:

    Good thinking Ed.

    I need to check my own code for a “do loop” as I seem to be going nowhere fast.

    Oh, and might I add -
    Six is natural
    Six is fun
    Six is best when it’s one on one … plus 4

  7. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Morning Deadpan!

    I’ve been without internet for several days now, I’m going into withdrawal.

    my story: They are doing construction in the lane behind my house. The stupid construction people cut my internet line. Now nobody wants to take responsibility for fixing it. so all I’ve been getting is, “it’ll be fixed tomorrow” for the last few days.

    I tried taking my laptop to a friends house and hooking into his wifi, but it turns out, he didn’ set up his connection and didn’t even know you needed a password, let alone what it was (at least it was a secure network :) )

    right now, I’m at my downtown office. I’ve overridden the security proticols on the internet so I can get some WF and personal work done, but will have to put them back on and get off the line soon to do real work as, without internet, I’ve been unable to connect to the office and get anything done from home.

    It’s quite the sob story.

  8. Vanamonde Says:

    I’ll just play the violin for you TEB.

  9. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    If I don’t get it up by lunch time today, I think I’ll hit the mall with my laptop. They’re supposed to have open WiFi

  10. Vanamonde Says:

    So now I know I know the name of the waitress at the coffee shop I offended saying she didn’t need an iPod. But only cos a pensioner asked her directly and I overheard.

    Am I a man or a mouse?

    Squeak!

  11. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    I don’t know Van. Is she cute? I suppose you can use it as an in as getting to know her ;) Maybe you can make up for offending her.

  12. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Just got a call from my hubby. It seems the hot water tap in the bathroom doesn’t want to shut off. I guess I’m going to my local Revy from here to get a new set of taps.

    oh joy.

  13. marlodianne Says:

    My current Gutenberg project, James De Mille – The Dodge Club, is really
    fighting me on the html version.

    Normally, I wouldn’t bother, but this book has 92 beautiful illustrations that deserve to be preserved, and html is the only way Gutenberg lets you do that.

  14. Vanamonde Says:

    Yes she is cute TEB, but I’m not. A much more fundemental problem
    … LOL

  15. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Well Pan. It’s been a slice. I’m not sure when I’ll have internet again, so maybe you’ll hear from me in the near future, and maybe you won’t.

    Ta

  16. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Quick note:

    that doesn’t always matter, Van

  17. justa J0e Says:

    TEB – you might check that faucet. Given the construction foul-ups, perhaps that is actually raw Interweb that is pouring out of that pipe!

    BTM – any chick that can over-ride security proticols is aces with me! :)

  18. justa J0e Says:

    Van – why am I reminded of Sting’s “7 Days”

  19. ditto Says:

    19thies!

  20. Rhettro Says:

    Twenty! Super busy today at work for a change.

  21. Vanamonde Says:

    Sad to say jj that sting reference passed over my head.

  22. Ed from Texas Says:

    Joe, I’m afraid that one also bounced off my shoulder and kept going. I just can’t quite catch it either.

  23. justa J0e Says:

    from “Ten Summoner’s Tales”

    “Seven Days” – http://tinyurl.com/4gcrqx

    complete with the lyrics
    “Ask if I am mouse or man
    The mirror squeaked, away I ran ”

    good song really. If you like clever lyric and melodic music.

  24. Rhettro Says:

    It went over my head as well, but perhaps by viewing:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RbOFm8W5Wk

    it will become clear.

  25. justa J0e Says:

    I swooon for singer/song writers.

    If they ever want ME to watch “American Idol” they’ll have to make the contestants perform at least 1 ORIGINAL song.

  26. justa J0e Says:

    This is a quote from Sting about “7 Days”

    “On ‘Seven Days’, we wanted to do something in 5/4 time with a kind of reggae beat and chords that come out of a Broadway show. It was a hybrid and the fun was in trying to make sense of this three-legged animal with two heads. I’m working with musicians I have to keep challenging and make demands on them by asking them to do things that aren’t natural.”

    5/4 time! Take that you damn pop idol wanna be’s.

  27. jackmangan Says:

    I recall the lyric, now that you quote it. J0e. But I couldn’t remember the song without Rhett’s link.

    Decent album. “Shape of My Heart” just might be the absolute best of Sting’s ouvre.

  28. Rhettro Says:

    I think “Sensual World” speaks highly of Kate Bush’s uvula.

  29. Vanamonde Says:

    So after listening to DP 108, I suspect Essbee is covering up that she really worked for Mossad…

  30. justa J0e Says:

    Rhettro – really? Somehow I can’t picture her in a Swedish made car.

  31. Rhettro Says:

    Oh I can JOe, I can.

  32. ditto Says:

    CP: You’re Pitiful — Weird Al

  33. Rhettro Says:

    Wow. $69 a barrel oil. Whodathukit?

  34. Jeremy from Seattle Says:

    Deadpan, I bring dire warnings!!

    Watch out for Space People!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZKGgo5JMRo

  35. justa J0e Says:

    Snap to that dude!

    He obviously has waaay too much time and his hands … and some talent.

    http://tinyurl.com/3nlb4n

  36. Vanamonde Says:

    Not sure if Rhettro has posted this link before, but if you have the PC version of portal check out:

    http://tinyurl.com/4g5yvo

    for some nifty extra levels.

  37. Vanamonde Says:

    That asteroids clone was a bit weird, the rocks running away from the spaceship’s missiles was a bit surreal.

  38. Vanamonde Says:

    far too much use of bit in that previous post

  39. jackmangan Says:

    Well fuck.

    “Your music was great, but we’re really cutting costs, so we’re not going to be paying for any more live music at this time.” WTF — I was guaranteed every weekend in October, otherwise, I wouldn’t have promoted it so heavily. Oh well. Apologies if you’d been making plans to go.

  40. justa J0e Says:

    I would so be there if I was even within an hours drive!!!!

    There is no getting around the dissapointment here. If you want to try and put a shine on it though … maybe you can invite your pals to come and hang with you for the next two Fridays … but instead of meeting at your place you just move it to the pizza place. Visit with your buds, drink a beer and play when you feel like it. What … are they going to fire you?

    I’m just saying.
    Dissapointing to be sure but you’re Jack Mangon … I know you’ll make the best of it. :)

  41. justa J0e Says:

    … wait, am I confused ???

  42. jackmangan Says:

    Are you confused? Thanks for the words of encouragement, J0e. There will be other gigs.

  43. Vanamonde Says:

    Morning Pan, sorry to hear about the gig cancellations Jack, bloody chilly this morning.

    Listening to an old Coverville with a cover partly performed by Nina of 99 red balloons fame. She has a voice with the power to move….

  44. marlodianne Says:

    Jack, you know if you keep teasing the deadpanites who can’t get to you, we’re all going to rise up and demand a virtual concert. Just sayin’.

    Sorry about the gig death. *hug*

  45. marlodianne Says:

    I found out last week I missed Trevor Boris. He was twenty minutes away from me, and the tickets were $6. Six bucks!! Megaouchies.

    I need more shows for the bed-ridden. Of course, it’d be uber creepy to have a bunch of strangers in my room, watching me ill…

    Okay, I need more streaming content.

  46. marlodianne Says:

    CP: David Bowie – Seven

  47. marlodianne Says:

    CP: David Bowie – Survive

  48. marlodianne Says:

    CP: David Bowie – Slow Burn

  49. ditto Says:

    Jack: Sorry to hear that. That totally bites.

  50. marlodianne Says:

    Gutenberg project, James De Mille – The Dodge Club, uploading now. 100 hrs of volunteering well spent? Or horribly wasted? You can decide when it goes live :)

    It usually takes a couple of days.

  51. marlodianne Says:

    CP: David Bowie – A Better Future

  52. justa J0e Says:

    My Grandmother died last night.

    She was 95 and has been telling me for at least 2 years now that she was ready to go. Not whining but just very mater of fact. She couldn’t quite get around as well as she used to and really, she thought she had pretty much done all she wanted to do.

    I drove to see her this summer (she lived a good 13hrs drive from me) and we had a good visit. She was clear and alert and could still get around under her own power. We went out to lunch and to a park.

    The last 5 or so years I had really connected to her. I made a point of calling her regularly and found that I could talk to her about my own father as a youth or even about current events. She had a pretty good sense of humor too and while other folks might “dance around” normally sensitive topics with her, I could joke with her about that stuff and she would just laugh.

    Given her age, she had a pretty interesting prospective on life. War, political scandals, natural disasters, pre-occupation with celebrities … she had seen it all at least once (if not twice) before . She also let her age give her permission to say what was on her mind. She didn’t offer her opinion un-solicited but if you ask her she would tell you, direct and to the point.

    I’m not sad for her but certainly for my Dad and for myself.

    Okay, I didn’t mean to bring the room down with this but I needed to talk with someone about her.
    Thanks Deadpan.

    Please resume all irregularly unscheduled activities.

  53. marlodianne Says:

    Joe…*hug*

    When you lose someone who you could reasonably say had a good run, it still sucks. It sucks harder. The longer someone awesome is in our lives, the more it only seems fair that they should be there forever.

    The greatest gift we give each other is time.

  54. ditto Says:

    Joe: sorry to hear that. It sounds like she lead a good life.

  55. ditto Says:

    CP: Have You Ever — Incubus

  56. justa J0e Says:

    Thanks marlodianne.

  57. Amy Bowen Says:

    J0e: *hug* I’m sorry to hear that.

    Jack: That’s too bad, too. I agree with you and J0e, though: There will be other gigs.

  58. Vanamonde Says:

    Condolences on your loss jj.

  59. Rhettro Says:

    My condolences too JOe. It’s never a good time when your grandparents pass away. She sounds like a remarkable lady.

    Jack, sorry about getting cut on your gigs, but as you say there are other gigs out there. I look forward to you performing at one soon.

  60. jackmangan Says:

    I greatly appreciate the kind words from everyone about my gigs. But yeah, that’s trivial, compared to what J0e is feeling.

    Sorry for your loss, J0e. There are a lot of positives there about her life, but that still doesn’t lessen the grief and pain. I’m here for you as a sounding board, amigo, as is the Deadpan.

  61. justa J0e Says:

    Thanks everyone.

  62. jackmangan Says:

    Holy crap, we are quiet lately.

  63. justa J0e Says:

    I think I brought the room down.
    QUICK! Someone give us a link to some silly kittens!!!!

  64. Vanamonde Says:

    Morning Pan, todays not so inexplicable event:

    three pints of milk put in the fridge door, all in a row, the middle one had a large chunk of ice at the top (enough to push the top off) the other two were still totally liquid.

    Off to work, but just for jj:

    http://blogs.westword.com/demver/kitten.JPG

  65. Vanamonde Says:

    Oh silly rather than cute…doh!

  66. jackmangan Says:

    Sounds like fridge contents that need to be called in, Van.

    Yes, I’m up at 3:46am. Goodnight Goon

  67. Amy Bowen Says:

    Holy cow, I’ve been living in this apartment for over a month and a half, and it hadn’t even occurred to me to call in the contents of my fridge until you mentioned it just now! I’d been so focused on Questors and on real life that I’d totally forgotten about that. I’ll have to record what’s in my fridge soon.

  68. Amy Bowen Says:

    By the way, Eastern time (which I’m on) is 4 hours ahead of Deadpan Time.

  69. EssBee Says:

    Hi Deadpan! Long time, no nipple.

    JOe – I’m sorry for your sadness, brother.

    Jack – I want to open a bar so you can play in it.

    Van – I could obviously tell you about the Mossad, but then I’d have to kill you. I think I’ll keep that one to myself . . .

    I’m in and out this morning. I was missing you all and just had to say hi. Life is kicking my ass at the moment, but I think I’m winning.

  70. justa J0e Says:

    (cheerleader mode)

    Go EssBee Go!
    Go EssBee Go!
    Go EssBee Go!
    Gooooooooo EssBee !!!!

    (/cheerleader mode)

  71. justa J0e Says:

    btw: haven’t had my coffee yet and so I didn’t feel qualified to make the appropriate, inappropriate comment about “I’m in and out this morning.” …

    … so, I will just have to trust each of you to silently make your own comments at home.

  72. Vanamonde Says:

    If you are feeling starved of conversation:

    http://www.elbot.com/

    Just ignore the advice about not pressing the red button.

  73. Vanamonde Says:

    Well I didn’t want to bring up the Hokey Cokey again jj.

  74. JohnBoze Says:

    JaJ, condolences, buddy.

    It’s been the week of chaos around us this week. Darcy’s show went into the first couple days of Tech, so work on finishing that has been rough, especially the day her serger broke down. At least this was a good excuse to buy a $150 used one along with getting the other one fixed (not that we could really afford either, but she gets paid for using them so…)

    They bumped our work move from 45-60 days to thiscoming Monday, but then the sales/CS folks never built in a “Moving Day” into the sched, so it has been chaos at work all week. Just have to remind myself that the 42 miles daily reduction on my commute will be oh so nice…

    And coming into Friday, Fox and Darcy picked up the latest cold making the rounds too.

  75. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Morning Deadpan!

    Guess what! I have internet again. Woo Hoo!

  76. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Just read the comments. Hugs to Joe and Jack.

  77. Vanamonde Says:

    I thought this weeks Podcastle story was rather fun:

    http://tinyurl.com/5npydz

  78. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    I am waaaay behind in my podcasts (no internet, unable to download :( )

    Well Pan, I’m off to kick some butt. Talk to you later!

  79. Vanamonde Says:

    Ah the Amazon bunny has left the stage..

  80. jackmangan Says:

    Did someone request silly kittens?

    http://icanhascheezburger.com/2008/07/19/funny-pictures-couch-must-die/

  81. marlodianne Says:

    I have lolcats and loldogs on my rss feeds. I need them.

    They’re as essential to my continuing existence as the Daily Show streaming and Video On Trial on youtube…

  82. marlodianne Says:

    *crawls out of the way of lurching tumbleweed*

  83. marlodianne Says:

    That’s it. I am not trying any more random podcasts. Why was I so stupid as to try. Grrrrrr….

  84. marlodianne Says:

    *whaps another tumbleweed, goes back to scanning*

  85. jackmangan Says:

    Yeah – as with any media – random sampling will generally turn up crap.

    I hear that Wander Radio is a good one. You can probably get lots of good recommendations from the guys around here, actually.

  86. Vanamonde Says:

    Just back from seeing this guy:

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SfkBbSnwigY

    Hopefully the tumbleweeds will enjoy it…

  87. Vanamonde Says:

    Warnings are almost as good as recommendations MD, what horrror of podcasting did you discover?

  88. WNDRWolf aka Master of Patience Says:

    Maybe it was Wander Radio that she is talking about…oh my nerves…
    ;)

  89. Ed from Texas Says:

    Late greetings all. I’ve been somewhat out of pocket working on something I’ll share tomorrow.

    Joe – condolences on your grandmother. Sounds like she was a special one.

    Jack – definitely unfortunate about the gig cancellation.

    I know almost nothing about what’s been going on in the world since Thursday. Have I missed much?

  90. justa J0e Says:

    Most of the world has gone dark.
    Europe, Asia, the middle east, Africa.
    Reports are sketchy.

    Satalite communication went first. Then land lines.

    Our government is working on some sort of emergency package that involves giving Haliburton executives our space shuttle fleet and the remaining inventory of Fort Knox.

    … they’ve also inexplicably started issuing life jackets.

    I’ll type more as it bec

  91. Vanamonde Says:

    US Life on Mars..Harvey Keitel..WTF!

    Today’s moral, watch screeners with caution.

  92. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Morning Pan!

    plus two right now, making it a beautiful autumn day.

    Am being bad. Have decided to ditch a WF meeting today so we can go see Max Paine this afternoon :evil:

  93. ditto Says:

    My, how things have changed…
    “We cannot continue along the same lines because the same problems will trigger the same disasters.”

  94. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    some people have way too much talent

    http://toysrevil.blogspot.com/2008/10/exclusive-peek-at-wooden-wall-e-by.html

  95. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Have you seen the trailer for the movie Push? It looks a little bit like Heroes

    http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/push/

  96. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Ahh, the Ed Wood of our Time

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Tunnel_Rats

  97. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Jack, why does WP hate me today?

    Twice now, it’s sent stuff to moderation hell.

    Well, I’ll show you.

    I repeat: The Ed Wood of our time

    http://tinyurl.com/3gx7rw

  98. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Just in case you need help formulating that master plan:

    http://www.darksites.com/evilplan.php

  99. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    finally, for those into D&D. you just can’t beat FFN

    http://tinyurl.com/2l9497

  100. The Smarty Hotties® Says:

    100ties!!

    skimming over the comments:

    j0e- I am so sorry for your loss

    I hope everyone is good.

    Bunny is your internet back yet?

    Ed- whats this bif project?

    Jack- sorry about the cancellations.. Glad I saw this before I asked you how your shows were this weekend :)

    jB- hope things get less hectic

    as for us.. this is my only stop by and we will continue to be MIA for the next couple weeks.
    Going to Houston next week where maybe we will get a chance to hang with Ed *swooooooon* :)

  101. Vanamonde Says:

    So how was the movie TEB? MP has been slagged off by the reviews I’ve seen.

  102. Ed from Texas Says:

    At last I can share what I’ve been up to the last few days. Even though the 401k has taken a big hit this year, my job looks solid, even with the unfortunate likelihood of an Obama presidency. For 12 years, my 1996 Accord has been a workhorse and was the first new car that my wife and I purchased when we graduated from college. A few weeks back, it crossed 200,000 miles.

    But, especially over this last year, it’s been having little failures along they way that have been putting it in the shop more often. The most recent forced some appointments to be canceled while we juggled getting the kids to school and me to work. We were going to hold off and replace the car next year. But, the weak auto market lead us to see if we could get a good deal now.

    And get a good deal we did. I hate buying cars and dealing with the “stealerships”, which is one reason I make my vehicles last as long as I do. This time proved a pleasant exception. For the first time, I walked out knowing that I got a really really good deal on my purchase.

    Some of you probably won’t be surprised at my choice. The wife and I tested out several cars, and while there were some serious contenders, we ultimately both agreed that we had found our car:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/ultimate_ed/2957054372/

    This thing is amazing inside and out. I had done a lot of research and thought I knew a lot about this car. Even I was surprised at the amount of thought, detail, and creative gadgetry that have gone into this car.

    The whole experience with this particular dealer was actually pleasant. I’m actually looking forward to the next time I’ll be in the market for a purchase.

    I could have bought a Benz, BMW, or Lexus. But, I would have been buying something to impress other people. I don’t really like any of those cars, for a variety of reasons. This car is a reward for me and I’m now looking forward to the work commute each day.

  103. Ed from Texas Says:

    You know, one thing that has always bugged me about Gmail is the inability to put pictures in the message and have them display directly. Well, looks like there’s a way around it, using Google Docs to compose the message.

    http://groups.google.com/group/Gmail-Help-Composing-Messages-en/browse_thread/thread/24217ecbb63ee5ae?pli=1

    In case the video isn’t clear, you basically build your message as a Google Doc, then click SHARE and Email as attachment. You’ll get a mail dialog to put in recipients and title. Choose the “Paste the document itself into the email message” option and your recipients will get the message with the inline pictures.

    Enjoy!

  104. Jack Mangan Says:

    Wow Ed! That’s like the Cadillac of family vehicles! Congrats on the sweet new ride.

    And with all the extra money you have during an Obama presidency, plus the lower gas prices we’ll have, you’ll be able to drive it a lot more often! ;)

    I kid, Ed. I still don’t fully believe that anything is settled.

    I hope you get to take the Smarty Hotties for a ride in that thing.

  105. justa J0e Says:

    THAT is a pretty sweet looking ride Ed. I’m under the impression that it has a few horses under the hood to!

    zoom zoom ! :)

  106. Vanamonde Says:

    Morning Pan, nice looking car Ed, rain again here, but at least no soggy feet.

  107. Vanamonde Says:

    I need to get out more. Watching the latest Family Guy, looking at the Me109Gs and Lancaster bombers depicted in the episode, and thinking “Hang on, those weren’t around in 1939..”

    cough

  108. marlodianne Says:

    CP: A-Ha – Take On Me

  109. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Morning Pan!

    In answer to your earlier question, Van. I enjoyed Max Payne. You have to go in with no expectations. I never played the games, though my husband has. The trailers are a little deceiving, so you have to also ignore those. It’s a pretty good cop type movie following the formula of: “Cop loses wife in horrible crime. Spends the last three years as desk cop, but searches for wife’s killer during off hours.” (that’s all I’m going to say or I’ll start to get into spoiler territory). If you like those kinds of movies, it wasn’t too bad.

  110. marlodianne Says:

    The problem I’m having with podcasts is they all think they’re being cute by overlaying music with dialogue. I don’t care what dick tells you that is ‘professional’; it’s not. What it *is* is creating a a situation where all I hear is painful noise.

    So, content totally aside, since I can’t get enough to rate that fairly, the problem I have is the same one that smacks me down in every aspect of the universe in general: it’s not disabled accessible, and it’s proud of it.

  111. marlodianne Says:

    Bunny, the Max Payne games have some of the best story writing anywhere, in any medium. So I so not touching that movie, because it’s doomed to suck. They blow ‘game movies’ anyway, but this one will be more embarrassing because of how far they will make it fall.

  112. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    That’s probably where I was at an advantage, MD. Not having played the games myself, I took the movie for what it was. My husband, who played the first game, and maybe the second (I can’t remember on that one) said the movie was “ok” but wouldn’t comment to more than that.

  113. marlodianne Says:

    I loved the games so much, I played them multiple times. While I’ve played other good games, I usually don’t give in to the urge to replay them. But Sam Lake wrote such good stuff, I had to.

    I knew the movie was a write-off when there was winged angel / demons in the first trailer.

  114. marlodianne Says:

    And wow, you think fonts are ridiculously tiny now? The new De Mille project I’m working on, it looks like 4pt, tops. Insane.

    Thank all I can work from the scans, or I’d have to bail.

  115. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    As I said, MD. Ignore the trailer. I don’t want to give too many spoilers, but suffice it to say, the winged creatures are not as they are portrayed…. If you don’t mind spoilers you can e-mail me ryahatnucleusdotcom, and I’ll tell you the meaning behind the angel/demons

  116. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Well, the sun is just starting to add a little pink to the horizon. I don’t think I like this getting up before the sun business.

  117. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    So can anyone tell me (not really, I’m not totally serious) why is it, the US economy is dying, yet it’s our dollar that’s dropping. Shouldn’t it be the opposite since our economy is holding fairly steady?

  118. marlodianne Says:

    You have a ways to go before you hit Germany post-war levels and have to take a wheelbarrel of cash to buy a loaf of bread.

    Yes, that was literal.

  119. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    And another thing… (it’s rant time, obviously), if I live in gas-rich Alberta, why is my at pump price higher than Ontario’s?

  120. marlodianne Says:

    Because we’re all Ontario’s bitch.

    Except when we’re Quebec’s bitch, which is worse, because they whine about it.

  121. ditto Says:

    TEB: The dollar’s falling because of falling commodity prices, especially oil.

  122. ditto Says:

    CP: I Flow — Hearts of Palm
    (via IndieFeed)

  123. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    CP: The Hot Spot Podcast

  124. marlodianne Says:

    Doesn’t currency fall for the same reason the stocks do? Twits are panicking.
    They bail like lemmings, and things go bad, so they panic more. It’s vicious cycle 101.

    Maybe we should just be hosing lithium down their throats…

  125. ditto Says:

    MD: Not quite. Someone that understands economics better than I should probably answer this, but as I understand it, the valuation of a country’s monetary unit has a lot to do with government policies, and the country’s economy as a whole, not it’s stock market.

  126. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Here is a video from an old Dream Cast game. If I were a game advertiser, I’d hang my head in shame.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga62uiXbEjI

  127. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    If that’s the case, ditto, as I said, we should be doing better than the US. There’s obviously more to it than that.

  128. marlodianne Says:

    I thought it has to do with investor’s confidence in the currency. People want the dollars they think have value. Although your dollar also goes up and down based on the currency it’s compared with, so it’s not just what they think of you directly…

    It’s all pretend anyway. It’s like someone claiming they know the mechanism of a chemical reaction.

  129. ditto Says:

    MD: Very true.

  130. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    As of this minute our dollar is worth 0.8371 on the US. I hope it goes up again within the next month as we are planning to book a spring trip in November.

  131. Rhettro Says:

    Looks like a busy weekend for everyone. Good to see most of the regulars back. :)

  132. EssBee Says:

    Morning, Deadpan.

  133. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    morning Rhettro, EssBee

  134. marlodianne Says:

    ‘ morning EssBee! :)

  135. Rhettro Says:

    Morning EssBee.
    Morning TEB.
    Morning Marlo.
    Morning John Boy… er.

    Oh, nice Caddie Ed. I bet she drives like a dream.

  136. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    TEB is going to do another rant. I live in Alberta. Cattle and truck country. So why is it, everybody I know, owns small vehicles.

    I rant because I’m leaving in about half an hour to move a bunch of WF08 books from our mailing address to our storage locker. I’m always the one asked to help move, because I have the biggest vehicle of the group. And I just have a Toyota (what is the) Matrix. Tomorrow, I get to pick up the souvenir books. I need to get to know more “Alberta Rednecks”.

  137. Ed from Texas Says:

    The car almost reads my mind. I just hope it doesn’t turn into Christine on me when we do eventually part ways.

  138. ditto Says:

    CP: See The Light — The Jeff Healey Band

  139. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    I’m off to load books. Fun, fun fun.

    talk to you all, later!

  140. ditto Says:

    CP: Just Came Back — Colin James

  141. Ed from Texas Says:

    I expect most probably caught the reference, but just in case

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine

  142. Vanamonde Says:

    Now who remembers Killdozer?

  143. Rhettro Says:

    As long as it doesn’t start playing Enya Ed, you should be okay. ;)

    Killdozer, must update Netflix que.

  144. justa J0e Says:

    me

    never crawl inside a galvanized pipe to get away from a killdozer.

    stupid.

  145. Rhettro Says:

    “Killdozer” and “Killer Klowns” would probably make a good double feature.

  146. marlodianne Says:

    Holy crapmuffins!!! I just got a phone call from the hospital, offering to move my surgery up.

    You probably all heard me yell: “Yes!”

    Of course, now I’m shaking in terror, but reminding myself that this is good thing. An excellent thing. A total awesome.

  147. Rhettro Says:

    Awesome Marlo! My hope is that you won’t be in continuing pain much longer. :)

  148. marlodianne Says:

    Thanks Rhettro :)

    I keep flipping from scared to excited to just plain stunned.

  149. ditto Says:

    Congrats, MD!!!!

  150. Vanamonde Says:

    Most murders in horror movies are dumb.

    Congratulations on the medical news MD.

  151. ditto Says:

    CP: The Life — Fisher

  152. ditto Says:

    CP: Welcome Me — Indigo Girls

  153. ditto Says:

    CP: Oculus Ex Inferni — Symphony X

  154. Rhettro Says:

    You bought the Symphony X album? =]

  155. ditto Says:

    Reaction time test: http://www.mathsisfun.com/games/reaction-time.html
    0.263

    My last time was not my fastest.

  156. ditto Says:

    Rhettro: Based on your recommendation, yes.

  157. EssBee Says:

    CP: Rock And Roll – The Velvet Underground

  158. Rhettro Says:

    0.224 and the last dot was my fastest.

  159. Rhettro Says:

    Hope you liked it ditto.

  160. ditto Says:

    Yep.

    CP: You May Be Right — Grapes of Wrath

  161. JohnBoze Says:

    All moved in to new temporary workplace location. Looks like it will be a big improvement, even if it is only until new space is renovated for us. Bright, I can see the outdoors, morale much improved (note this message), and generally happier place…

  162. Vanamonde Says:

    0.321

    Is that a boney hand on my shoulder?

  163. Vanamonde Says:

    No wonder I’m no good at Defender….

  164. Ed from Texas Says:

    Average 0.194 with the last being the fastest at 0.173

    Well, there goes another excuse for why I suck and Call of Duty. I’m fast running out of excuses beyond just generally being a lousy shot.

  165. EssBee Says:

    Great news about the surgery, marlo!

  166. Vanamonde Says:

    What happens when you take a pop video too literally:

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8HE9OQ4FnkQ

  167. Vanamonde Says:

    Remixes of the Thanatos theme tune:

    http://remix.kwed.org/index.php?search=thanatos

  168. jackmangan Says:

    0.366

  169. Vanamonde Says:

    Stiff trackpad buttons can make a big difference..just did the test using a mouse and got it down to 0.258 average.

  170. JohnBoze Says:

    .296, where my first and last tied for fastest at .273, and the middle was next with .279…

  171. jackmangan Says:

    I got a mass e-mail earlier today from the Wine Bar owner. He’s selling the place.

  172. Amy Bowen Says:

    Average time: 0.416.
    Fastest time: 0.253.
    My average is skewed by my time on the last dot, which was 0.97 – my reaction was not to startle, but rather to go, “huh? what’s this? oh, it’s a different color, yeah.”

  173. Amy Bowen Says:

    Tried the reaction-time test again, using the mouse button on my laptop instead of my separate USB mouse. Since I knew what to expect, my average when down to 0.29, and my time on the last dot was my fastest this time (0.234).

    Now let’s try it with the touchpad only!

  174. justa J0e Says:

    .293

    maybe I’ll try again now that I know how the game is played.

  175. Amy Bowen Says:

    Using the touchpad made my time WAY slower, because the motion I made with my finger was much more careful and deliberate. It brought my average time all the way down to 0.421, with 0.336 as my fastest (second to last dot).

  176. justa J0e Says:

    second time around was .273
    meh

    I think Ed does intravenous caffeine

  177. justa J0e Says:

    Re: wine bar
    Woa Jack. So how much would we each have to pitch in to be silent partners ?

    A “brick and mortar” Deadpan. Is it big enough to hold a small Con?

  178. Ed from Texas Says:

    dangerous thoughts, joe…..

    hmmm, a few years ago, I probably coulda used my shiny new car that I have no equity in for collateral. Alas, those days are probably behind us.

  179. Amy Bowen Says:

    Whoa… the Deadpan Bar becomes physical reality… that would be absolutely awesome. I sure wish we could actually make it happen. :-)

  180. ditto Says:

    On my second try, I’m down to .245. My fastest time, from the first test, is still .214. It reminds me a bit of some of the tests in Brain Age.

  181. jackmangan Says:

    So how much cash can we scrape together? I think I have about $1.46 in loose change on my dresser.

  182. Vanamonde Says:

    Well I just found 2p behind the settee…

    Well judging from the reaction tests, todays words of wisdom are:

    Never challenge Ed to a game of ‘Snap’.

    http://tinyurl.com/6pz6p5

  183. Ed from Texas Says:

    Well, I tried it again, just to make sure it wasn’t some sort of fluke.

    Umm, averaged 0.196 again. So, while I still suck at COD, it’s apparently helped my reflexes a good deal.

    I’ll have to pass this on to the game forum to see what the other players manage.

  184. ditto Says:

    Awesome reflexes, Ed!

  185. justa J0e Says:

    I’m thinking Ed plays waaaay to much video games.

    Jack – I’ve found about $3.82 (don’t forget the couch cushions and under your car seats!

    I’ve always thought that the best way to have a successful bar/club type establishment … would be to make money some OTHER way with that same space. For instance, have the back room be full of servers and you actually make money as storage space or web service.
    Or maybe you have some sort of web based design service.
    Or maybe you have a meth lab in the basement.
    The key is NOT to have to turn a profit with the bar itself. This leads to a more relaxed atmosphere and allows you huge flexibility with entertainment should you choose to provide it.

    OK
    So, all we need now is a Deadpanite with sound business experience, a Deadpanite with an upstanding enough “permanent record” to qualify for a business loan and we need an excruciatingly clever plan.
    We are soooo close on this one.

  186. JohnBoze Says:

    Well, which Deadpan Bar do we like better, the hopping and bustling one or the dead quiet one? The various text versions have ranged between the two, and the audio versions have the “Death of Jack Mangan” which was no business, and the Origin Story, with hopping business…

  187. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Morning Pan.

    Glad you like you’re new work digs, JB.

    For the bar, I have a Toonie – but I think that only works out to $1.70 US.

  188. Vanamonde Says:

    Toonie?

  189. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    That’s what we call our $2 coin, Van.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toonie

  190. JohnBoze Says:

    That’d be a $2 coin, Van. The Canadian $1 coin has a loon on it, and they did away with their paper dollar at the time they introduced it. The $1 got to be called a “Loonie.” Accordingly, when the $2 was issued (a marvelous-looking two-metal coin like a silver coin center with a gold hug) it was pretty easy to go to “Toonie” in the vernacular.

  191. JohnBoze Says:

    Or you could just read the wiki, I guess…

  192. JohnBoze Says:

    D’oh! And I got the metals reversed, too. I haven’t been north of the border since Summer ‘01, sadly…

  193. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Ha, JB! Leave CDN trivia to us Canadians ;)

  194. justa J0e Says:

    perhaps you need to go visit … soonie

  195. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    I have a guest bed-roomie

  196. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    So, in other news, I think one of the Black Belts is hitting on me. It’s very strange.

  197. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    I’ve been asked to stay after class a couple of time to “refine my technique” (this is not as bad as it seems as, whenever a blackbelt stays late, other people stay late to continue practicing so we’re not alone)

    He’s also said when I test for my yellow belt (which would have been on Nov 1st but had to be pushed back a month because I won’t be there for WF), he was going to be my testing partner. Even other belts have commented on how unusual this is because black belts don’t partner with whites, usually it’s greens or even blues. Nobody has ever heard of a black belt being a testing partner for a white.

    He also like to hang around me in class and “give me pointers”

    It’s not uncomfortable, yet. I just think it’s strange because he knows I’m married.

  198. justa J0e Says:

    Perhaps he detects that the Deadpan in you is strong.

  199. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    CP: PC Mag Radio

    CD: A Warm Hug on a Cold Day (AKA hot chocolate)

  200. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Luckily my husband is not the jealous type. I could tell him and he knows I won’t let anything go to far.

  201. Vanamonde Says:

    That’s a shame TEB, maybe he’ll get the hint soon that you aren’t interested in him that way before things get sour.

  202. Vanamonde Says:

    Although I suspose it’s good for the ego that getting ‘hit on’ is still happening.

  203. Ed from Texas Says:

    Getting hit on in Karate class?

  204. Vanamonde Says:

    Yes it was an unfortunate choice of words.

    Insert correct terminology here —->

  205. Nomad Scry Says:

    Playing with Drupal this week. So far I’ve installed the wrong version and then uploaded the correct version to the wrong directory and deleted it before realizing why I couldn’t find it…

    On the up side, I’m having fun playing with the click timer thing. Thanx for posting that one.

    And EB? “I just think it’s strange because he knows I’m married.” In my very limited experience, that’s a warning sign that he doesn’t care. Be careful, okay?

  206. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Scry, if it starts to bug me, I just have to let the teacher know, Master Park, and he’ll put a stop to it very quickly.

    Well Pan, now off to transport more books for WF. It looks like people will be getting well over $200 in books in their membership bags. (extra weight charges on the airplane :) )

    Ta

  207. justa J0e Says:

    TEB -perhaps you should ask him (with a broad smile) to teach you how to kill him.

    Not that I am advocating that … I’m just say’n, is all.

  208. The Energizer Bunny Says:

    Naw, I actually think it’s funny (and, as Van said, a little flattering). the minute he decides to ask me for coffee or anything outside of class, I’ll put an immediate kibosh on it.

    OK, really, really am going.

  209. justa J0e Says:

    “I’ll put an immediate kibosh on it.”

    Wow, I didn’t think they taught that move until like brown or yellow belt!

    ;)

  210. JohnBoze Says:

    Due to a hectic morning, I didn’t have time to put together a lunch, so I’m off to discover what Maple Grove/Osseo has to offer. Sadly, I don’t have the time today for a leisurely lunch, so I’ll have to go with whatever I find first instead of looking for what’s best…

  211. JohnBoze Says:

    While I’m certain Osseo offers a nice Main Street alternative if I look for it, I opted for the regional chain sandwich shop Erbert & Gerbert’s down in Maple Grove. Some lunch hour when I can take my time, I’ll check out Osseo, I promise.

    Of course, I can hardly afford to forget to make lunch at home all that often, so it might take a while.

  212. justa J0e Says:

    At first glance I thought JB wrote “Due to a celtic morning …”

    Also … I hear Siskel and Ebert gave Erbert & Gerbert 2 thumbs up!

  213. JohnBoze Says:

    Heck, they might have, the chain is based out of Madison, WI, or at least started there, so there’s a decent chance they spread down to Chi-town as well as up to the Twin Cities…

    Of course it would have had to been back when Ebert still had a tongue and Siskel still had life…

  214. Vanamonde Says:

    So after watching the lastest Chuck….I have the urge to watch Grosse Point Blank again..

  215. Vanamonde Says:

    snap

  216. Vanamonde Says:

    crackle

  217. Vanamonde Says:

    ….pop!

  218. Vanamonde Says:

    But the cat fight in the shower..errr..ummm..

  219. JohnBoze Says:

    I have chuck in my tivo backlog…

  220. Vanamonde Says:

    Alas BJB is no more:

    http://tinyurl.com/3ojna6

    He did some great short stories as well.

  221. Jack Mangan Says:

    I saw Bruce Sterling tweet about Barrington Bayley the other night. Not familiar with his work, but apparently he had some good stuff. Alas.

  222. Amy Bowen Says:

    I’ve got 79 cents in change in my wallet, and 45 cents on my dresser.

  223. JohnBoze Says:

    Hmm, wonder if WP would have a cow if…

  224. JohnBoze Says:

  225. JohnBoze Says:

    Yup, a total cow, figured as much…

  226. Jack Mangan Says:

    Milk it, JB.

    Can you tell us what you were going for?

  227. EssBee Says:

    Hey guys!

    Wow, it must be good to take the cow metaphor this far. I’m expecting great things, JB!

  228. justa J0e Says:

    I herd the metaphor is worth the weight.

  229. JohnBoze Says:

    Pimpage on behalf of one who helped me out…

    I’ll link to…

    http://tinyurl.com/68u3o6

    Forgot WP doesn’t really use html code in here…

    Plays will get me a t-shirt…

  230. The Smarty Hotties® Says:

    JB – I clicked, hope I helped your t-shirt goal

    Anyone here know how to make this day just completely disappear? Just like it never happened? It would be greatly appreciated.

  231. JohnBoze Says:

    Gimme a few hours, I can make today no longer today.

    “Like it never happened,” …that I’ll have to think on…

  232. Jack Mangan Says:

    Sorry Smarty Hotties :(

    Take the bull by the horns, JB. Good luck.

  233. Jack Mangan Says:

    http://podcampaz.org/top-ten-things-to-bear-in-mind-when-preparing-your-presentation-for-podcamp-az/

  234. Vanamonde Says:

    Morning Pan, Baker Street is playing on the radio, and it’s chilly here.

  235. Vanamonde Says:

    On reflection TEB, you could always use the N word on the guy, amost as effective as kicking a bloke in the balls.

  236. Vanamonde Says:

    +l

  237. Ed from Texas Says:

    You know, with the latest Heroes, things are finally getting interesting. And yet, I cant’ help but get wrapped up in how recursive it all is. If future Peter hadn’t come back and taken today Peter to the future, it seems much of the trouble wouldn’t have happened.

  238. Vanamonde Says:

    Plotonium?

  239. Nomad Scry Says:

    absolutely plotonium.

  240. JohnBoze Says:

    Not that it’s the strangest word in the world, but I listened to two podcasts in a row just now that used the word “ephemeral.”

  241. Vanamonde Says:

    I first encountered that word on a Doctor Who episode in the 80’s.

  242. justa J0e Says:

    That was selected as the podcaster’s “word of the week”.
    You get points for using it. Double points for actually using it in an appropriate manor.

    You must not have gotten the memo.

  243. Vanamonde Says:

    Peter Davidson era, the one with the sailing ship space race.

  244. justa J0e Says:

    I finally got around to watching the “Heroes” season premiere last night.
    Thank heavens for the fast forward capabilities of my TiVo. I wouldn’t have made it through it otherwise. I find I no longer care about most of the characters.

    All in all, I kind of wish I had spent that 1.5 hours doing something else.

  245. Amy Bowen Says:

    JohnBoze: I clicked. The original Descent promo makes me nostalgic for 2006.

  246. Rhettro Says:

    Ah Heroes, while this week’s episode is an improvement, I can’t get over the idea that the characters are just doing a lot of “stuff” without rhyme or reason. It’s getting harder to care what happens to them. It’s still a fun show but it isn’t the “awesome” of first season.

  247. justa J0e Says:

    gotta wonder if the original writers have left. Maybe they had to move onto other projects during the writer’s strike.

  248. Rhettro Says:

    I kinda wonder the same thing. It’s starting to feel more like a soap opera to me now.

  249. Ed from Texas Says:

    Wow, it’s been a quiet day here.

    I posted the reaction time test on the game server forum that I follow. Average response there is looking to be about 0.21 with a couple that were faster than me.

    See, video games are good for something :)

  250. Vanamonde Says:

    The tumbleweed is looking bored and I can’t play the harmonica..darn.

  251. Vanamonde Says:

    Maybe a link youtube link to a Deputy Dawg cartoon would help:

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YuAqF7OAml8

  252. Ed from Texas Says:

    Just saw in the flyers with today’s mail:

    AC/DC – first new album in eight years. Only at Wal-mart.

    WTF?

  253. marlodianne Says:

    Exclusivity contracts promise more profits, Ed. In these cases anyway.

    It can also make for lots of unforgiving rage though, especially when you’re dumb enough to sign an exclusivity deal with a store chain that has locations like 3000 km apart.

    Plus your sales will blow.

  254. justa J0e Says:

    Wal Mart makes some interesting demands. So, if you are just an individual with product (like say, an independent film) it can b very difficult to do business with them. For instance, they agree to put your product on their shelves but you have to be able to deliver a hundred thousand units to them. All well and good except that they don’t pay you must shell out the cash to have these things produced in the first place. Let’s say, oh … $30K out of pocket.

    Gets better though. They pay you for the items BUT you have to sit on that cash because they demand that you must buy back ALL unsold stock after a pre-determined length of time. Will they sell 5 of the items or 50 thousand? No one knows. So you better not spend that money they gave you.

    All of this is “just doing business” if you are Sony or Disney. For the independent artist though … it’s pretty daunting.

  255. justa J0e Says:

    oh … hi Deadpan.

  256. The Smarty Hotties® Says:

    Thank you for trying JB. The new day did come :)

    Hugh and I must rest now. Tomorrow we will leave our liberal safe place to visit the great red state of Texas.

    night pan
    hope you are not up too late with the new pan, Jack
    see you when we return to Chicago

  257. Vanamonde Says:

    Unshow this week?

  258. Vanamonde Says:

    ZP examines the latest Silent Hill game:

    http://tinyurl.com/6e8xsl

    You ain’t seen me right?

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