Happy merry end-of-year time, OK!

Hello everyone - it's that time of year again. Time to vegetate, not go to work, overeat, and tolerate your families for a while. It's also the end of 2007, which kind of snuck up on me. It was a pretty good year overall, though I was only tangentially involved with most major events in my sphere this year (other people's weddings and babies, etc.).

I've started thinking a little about whether to come up with some kind of "Best of Somethingorother 2007" list, but I really can't come up with anything good.

Movies: I keep reading reviews of all these great movies that have come out this year, but it seems like most of them have either come out recently or have only been screened for critics. So I don't have a favorite movie of 2007. Also, my tolerance for cinematic violence has dramatically diminished in recent years, so I should probably just go watch "Superbad" again.

Music: it turns out that I didn't get into a tremendous amount of new music this year. Not that it was a bad year or anything. What does it say that the CD purchase I enjoyed most this year was "Highway 61 Revisited," which was released a full 11 years before I was even born?

I guess the best thing about this year was getting to see so many good friends. I appreciated the chances I got to hang out with many of you, and if I missed out on seeing you this year, I hope it didn't get you down. I've also noticed that I've only averaged about 3 posts a month on this site in '07, down from last year - but still, keeping up with me by seeing me in person is probably preferable to keeping up with my silly writings online. I do look forward to spending quality time with friends in 2008. All my best wishes.

The best elf since that punk Legolas

Rejoice! James Kochalka's super awesome diary comic American Elf is now free! Everyone can peruse the entire archives! Some stuff is still subscribers-only, but still, this is a great ongoing project and it gets my big thumbs up.

A fortuitous time

Well, it's happened again. I've successfully made it to yet another birthday. This one is hardly a milestone (age: 31? Who cares?). However, it seems to me that so many more people remembered my birthday this year than in the past. Maybe it's because I wasn't off on Thanksgiving break - in other words, today was a normal work day. Well, my sincerest thanks to everyone who wished me well today. Thank you all so much. I will surely remember your birthdays in turn.*


*this statement is not legally binding - seriously, I got lawyers to back me up

They're at it again

You know what to do.

It's the new drive-in

I know, I know - two posts in one day - try to contain your excitement. But the topics are sufficiently different to merit separate headings.

Yesterday I went to Blockbuster Video - the first time I have gone to a video rental store in almost two years. Since I subscribed to Netflix, I really haven't rented any videos that weren't mailed to me. Besides the fact that they completely changed their rate structure, I was really taken by the fact that they were now renting a ton of DVDs of films that never saw a theatrical release. And not just a few sprinkled in here and there. I mean a large percentage of their titles were direct to video - mostly cheaply made horror and action films. Wow. I had no idea such idea such fine films even existed. I'm blanking on most of the titles, unfortunately. People must rent them, though.

The thing is, some of these films really do make it to the theaters. Like "The Condemned" (an adrenaline charged action-thriller!). Or who could forget "DOA: Dead or Alive" (it's based on a video game AND it's got chicks with swords - how can you go wrong?). Seriously, though, for each of this type of movie there were probably two that had never made it to the multiplex. It's like a whole new world of schlok I was unaware of.

Number What?

I don't usually follow college football too closely, but my grad alma mater Illinois upset the number one team in the country (Ohio State) yesterday afternoon. Which is pretty awesome. But apparently the Illini quarterback is a guy with the name Juice Williams. Uh oh. We all know what happened to the last football star named Juice.

Hooray for OCA!

The Open Content Alliance is getting some ink in the New York Times. Score one for actual open access to information!

Head made of Radios

I'm currently downloading the pay-what-you-want new album from Radiohead. I think their decision to distribute their album themselves, on their own website, for a user-chosen price is a fascinating idea. There have been complaints about the less-than-CD-quality audio compression of the download. I'm not sure this will make a difference. There is as yet no perfect solution for digital music distribution, where everyone walks away happy - and I mean everyone. A model where bands and labels make some money, and consumers don't feel ripped off? Pie in the sky, at this point. Labels aren't (and probably won't be) content with making just some money, and as for us consumers, well...

I can only speak for myself. I'm still willing to pay for music, but only up to a point. If you must know, I chose to pay four pounds for the album download. A fee of 45 pence was tacked on (credit card companies have to take their cut, of course) - that converts to just over $9 total. Which is about as much as new CDs should cost. I think $8-10 for a new CD is ideal. Why is the actual cost twice that much?

Of course, there's the question of whether the music is any good in the first place. I'll know in about 10 more minutes.

Get over it

I don't know if you guys read Tom Friedman's columns in the New York Times. I agree with much of what he has to say, even though a lot of people on the left like to trash him for his allegedly pro-outsourcing, pro-globalization, pro-seal-clubbing book "The World Is Flat" (I haven't read the book, so I can't say for sure what his stance is on seal clubbing). But his latest column really made me want to stand up and cheer. Jeez. Let's not lose sight of what we're all about. Bad stuff happens to good people sometimes. It's no reason to go Rambo.

What are you smiling about?

Tomorrow is allegedly the 25th birthday of the ASCII smiley-face. When I read about this I initially scoffed, but the story of its birth is actually pretty interesting. The idea was to communicate attempted humor/sarcasm to prevent other nerds from responding to your BBS post with diatribes. So the smiley face really did benefit society. And aren't you glad this

:-)

Won out over this?

\__/

That second one just looks like a soup bowl.

I really did learn something there

Did you know that Cornell is one of only about a dozen universities and colleges that still requires students to pass a swimming test? It's true!

I honestly can't remember taking a swim test there, but since it happens during orientation week, I very well may have been pushed or hurled into standing water. Since I got back out, they allowed me to stay and complete my degree.

Spend your hard-earned pesos

It's not often I endorse products. Not after the Roman's Polka-Dancing Shoes debacle of 1999. But I encourage you to check this out: Hip Hop Hoodios has released an EP called "Viva La Guantanamera" - if you plunk down your dough for a download (it's a digital only EP), they'll donate part of the proceeds to Amnesty International's Guantanamo Bay prisoners fund.

You can find this EP available for download at iTunes (boo!), eMusic (yay!), and Rhapsody (huh?). You can also buy it through something called Calabash Music (what the...?)

DO IT!

Making the most of summer vacay

A while back I thought I would put in for three days of vacation in early August. Then I forgot all about it until last week. So I had to find something to do. I spent last weekend visiting my family and my baby niece, who is a little bit bigger and a lot more animated then when I last saw her. I also went down to New York to hang out on Monday and Tuesday of this week. At the Upright Citizens Brigade theater on Monday night, there was a free late stand-up show. The headliner: Demetri Martin, who is great. It was a treat to see him, even if he was just trying out new material at a free late night show, and not clad all in white and playing the guitar.

Nature is way cool

On the drive in to work this morning, I spotted what looked to be a mink hopping around off to the side of the road near a marshy area. At least I think it was a mink - some sort of semiaquatic mustelid, at least. Sadly, I couldn't snap any photos, having only my cameraphone and driving with other cars behind me. RIT's campus is very near the Genesee River, and parts of it used to be wetland. Anyways, I thought it was cool and I'm sharing this mundane detail with you - now he's blogging!

We need to get better

In an attempt to escape the heat last night, I went to see Michael Moore's new movie. OK, so let me start with the usual Moore disclaimers: yes, the end of the film is a big stage-y set piece that's probably the weakest and most egotistical part of the movie, but overall Mike's message is loud and clear. And really, I didn't need much more persuading. Our health care system is tremendously dysfunctional, and we need to do something to bring it in line with that of every other industrialized nation's. Call me a liberal; I don't care. This issue transcends all partisan labels (or ought to), because for the vast majority of us, it's our own personal security and well-being that is on the line.

But I was most struck by something Mike said in the voiceover about 3/4 of the way through the film: what kind of people are we? Obviously he is trying to convince his viewers that we deserve better (not hating on America, as his critics will no doubt claim). Of course, we all can ask ourselves that same question and even answer it, to an extent. Americans are good people, among the best anywhere. We're good people with a bad government. Not a bad system of government, an actual bad, reckless, pathological government - and unfortunately, those assholes represent us to the rest of the world right now. There's a lot of healing, rehabilitation and recovery that needs to happen within our government before anything will change in the health care system. We need to elect a healthy government, for starters.

What have I done?

You know me - I rarely make impulse purchases, being a good practical guy. But today while in Target I bought The Yellow Album, a CD of songs from Spongebob Squarepants cartoons. Yeah. Explain that one. I think the heat and humidity are frying my brain. Target did not have either the new Wilco or the new White Stripes album, so I guess I just didn't want to go home empty-handed (or with something more than dish soap and cat litter, at least).

But it does have the Ripped Pants song on it!

Controlled destruction

How did I spend my mid-week, rainy Independence Day holiday, you ask? Two words:

Mythbusters. Marathon.

My initial plan was to grill up a nice steak, too, but the weather precluded that. Plan B involved going back to Wegmans and purchasing some hot dogs, which can easily be cooked until charred and blistered on the stove top.

Happy 231st birthday, America. You don't look a day over 112 (mostly because we seem to have returned to Gilded Age style politics).

Don't believe the propaganda

We're not all this weak-willed.

One time I broke a book just to hear it snap.

Welcome Hailey

Well, here she is - my niece Hailey was born on Thursday, June 14. I got the chance to drop by and introduce myself a day later. We're all very happy to have a new family member! Babies, cats - what else could I possibly post photos of to cheese up this place even more?

Ugly American alert!

HAY CANADA I'M IN UR BASEBALL STADIUM WATCHIN UR GAMES

I just returned from my lengthy and driving-intensive vacation (want to buy me some carbon offsets?). Here I am in Toronto checking out a Blue Jays game. I also spent time on Memorial Day in Boston, catching up with some friends from library school who promised they would read my blog. I also attended one of three weddings I've been invited to last weekend, so let me issue a blanket statement wishing everyone a life full of happiness and ridiculous friends like me. That should cover all bases - hey, that ties things together nicely.

Happy 300th birthday Linnaeus

From Wired:

"Biological classification may seem like an esoteric problem better left to librarians than field researchers"

Hey, I have training in both areas - pick me! Pick me!

It is a cruel irony

Watch this video (it's also up on YouTube if you don't want to download it) about copyright and fair use. It's brilliant, funny, and sticks it to Disney (who richly deserves it for getting copyright-paranoid in the first place).

Well, that takes some of the sting out of the Sabres' loss.

GAAAHH!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Ah, that clean mountain air

I visited the Adirondacks for hangouts with friends this past weekend, and had a great time. Not least because the weather was near perfect, and I got to snap some purty pictures like the one shown above (that one was taken just west of Saranac Lake).

Incidentally, I've posted this picture not just because it came out rather nice, but because I also wanted to inform you that I've set up a Flickr account, which I've begun to mess around with. I still have the Picasa Web Albums going (see links area to the right), but it's so much easier to link to photos hosted on Flickr. There are good things about Picasa too, though. Hmm, Flickr is run by Yahoo, while Picasa is a Google product. Yahoo vs. Google.

They will fight eternally.

Terrible Twos

I'm still a fan of meaningless anniversaries, and today is probably the most meaningless of them all - it's the second anniversary of my starting this blog! WOW! Let's look back on my intentions from April 29, 2005, and see how I've done:

• I promise not to whine too much
• OK, I guess I've only whined about how I'm not going to whine on my blog
• I'll keep the actual corn discussion to a minimum. It's just a silly name
• Check
• I hope to soon acquire a digital camera, so that I can share photos of my scintillating life with the world. But, until then, there probably won't be much here.
• I think my awesome pictures speak for themselves...
• Corn
• You don't say?

Thanks for reading and commenting - your comments make this a much less one-sided way to keep up with all of you wonderful people.

And here is what I would look like animated

Check out Meez, and you too can make yourself look like a fool!

Also, while I'm here, I have one complaint to make. On Thursday night, my local NBC affiliate, News10NBC, preempted "30 Rock" so they could air a special on how great their crack local investigative reporting team is. Sounds like that episode of "Mr. Show" featuring the Car Wash Change Thief Action Squad, doesn't it? Well, "I-Team 10" probably is pretty much like that, except for the fact that they are responsible for breaking the story that people could get adult web sites unblocked at the Rochester Public Library, which led directly to our charming county executive threatening to pull the plug on library funding. So not only did I have to miss a show I wanted to watch, I was also reminded of that whole wonderful affair.

Jerks. Watch me do my little dance above in defiance.

Chaos, murder, floods, plagues...

Everything in the wide world seems to be going loco lately, doesn't it? Perhaps the solution is chocolate. But wait, not so fast!

Yes, I know, to add to the troubled state of affairs, another long silence on this very forum. Honestly, there hasn't been too much to talk about. I spent some time with my family both last weekend and the weekend before, with much food being consumed and heaps of leftovers being foisted upon me to take home. Speaking of home, I'm now the proud owner (at least temporarily) of a backyard pond, thanks to Ultra Mega Storm '07! When the time comes to sell the place someday, maybe I can convince the real estate agent to add "seasonal water feature" to the listing - think of the inroads I could make into the luxury end of the market!

Am I officially a "Library 2.0" librarian yet?

Hello again - I know it's been quite some time since my last update, but I've recently returned from the ACRL conference, where I was repeatedly reminded that I should participate in blogging. I had a great time visiting Baltimore, hon. I got to meet John Waters and was photographed with him for the conference newsletter. Yet another argument for never talking to the media. I also got to hang out and catch up with some friends from library school, which was great. I saw some fantastic animal sculptures made from logs, bottle caps and other assorted stuff at the AVAM. And, apparently, I learned that R2 D2 is back - in mailbox form, as seen above.

What else have I learned lately? Oh yeah, that punk rawk is officially, totally dead. Or maybe it was a marketing stunt all along. Who really knows?

Roman's Music 2.0

Well, it's finally happened - I've jumped on the social networking bandwagon. Now the internet can see what music I'm listening to while I write my posts! Anyways, check out my Last FM page if you're so inclined, or take a gander at the nifty enhancement I've added to this site, which presents what I've just cued up from my digital music library.

I've also been messing about with Finetune, which allows you to create playlists from their extensive online library. It's like making instant internet mix tapes - pretty cool.

Comic Con was most excellent!

I escaped snowy Rochester last weekend to attend the New York Comic Con. It was well worth the trip, despite the fact that their main sponsor was MySpace. I met animator Bill Plympton, and some of my favorite webcomic artists - Paul Southworth, Rich Stevens, and the incomparable Jeff Rowland. They all get my thumbs up for being super great guys. Also, R Stevens (who said my name was "powerful") was inspired to create the above personalization for me. I picked up some great graphic novels for good prices. I also enjoyed meeting some nice people from an internet messageboard I frequent (don't you judge me) - nice young gents and ladies who are sure to go far in life!

In case you are wondering - yes, there were people there in costume. Mostly Star Wars costumes, with a lot of superheroes thrown in for good measure. There was a very manly Wonder Woman there, which kind of frightened me. At first I thought it was a transvestite superhero, but closer inspection (as much as I could bear it) revealed her to indeed be a female of truly Amazonian proportion. But they were all part of the crowd - quite a crowd, too.

You ever get the feeling?

It's a strange feeling indeed to see an ad posted for your old job. In this case, it's a stranger feeling still that the job has only now been reposted, 3 1/2 years since I vacated it.

It's not a strange feeling to see Chief Illiniwek blow on down the dusty trail. I've claimed for years that a legitimate compromise would be to stop having the Chief do his little dance, but allow the university to keep the name "Fighting Illini." Oh, if you had only listened to me six years ago, U of I...

Front Lawn Art Critic

Greetings, fine art lovers. The proprietor of this aesthetically challenged and, quite frankly, uninspired site has graciously allowed me to pass commentary upon the above artwork, "Snowman." The artist displays a quiet fascination with the misshapen and deformed, perhaps representing the microcephalic as a brave commentary on global warming or as a badge of identification with his own mental illness. This sculpture firmly fits into the category of "art brut," with its mismatched eyes staring blankly upon the street beyond like a comatose, Thorazine-dosed patient. Still, powdery snow being a notoriously ephemeral and difficult medium to work in, perhaps this is the best we can hope for, rising in stark contrast to the doggie-mess splattered snowbanks flanking. The longer I ponder "Snowman," the more impressed I am - however, winter madness may also serve as an explanation for the emotions evoked in this case. At any rate, I remain

Your Front Lawn Art Critic,
A. Rodney Torkelson

Schmalentines

As I sit here riding out the mad snowstorm, I realize that another Valentine's Day is upon us (dammit). I think White Ninja has the right idea. Unique, functional gifts are always the best.

Or, one could always follow the route outlined by Beaver and Steve - monsters and dinosaurs just scream romance, don't they?

Well, at least I still have Katrina around to keep me company.

Like a tightly wound coil

Sorry for the long silence, but wow, have I ever been too tense lately. Don't know whether it's just winter madness or what. Help me out, blog readers - what relaxes you?

Farewell to Satan

This Thursday night marked Powered By Satan's final show in Rochester at the fabulous Bug Jar. Yours truly was in attendance, totally doing the mopey indie rock thing by standing in the back with my arms folded and wearing a black hoodie. Actually it was an official Diesel Sweeties skull hoodie - someone thought the logo was a Pac Man ghost, but I pointed out it was in fact a skull, in honor of the Man In Red!

The show did not disappoint. The mulletastic Worm Quartet warmed up the crowd with an excellent set. Then Powered By Satan took the stage and serenaded us all with tales of scrotum frogs (that link isn't quite safe to click on at work, kids) and Coney Island whitefish (no link provided - if you don't know, ask me some other time). We also pondered the eternally puzzling question, "if God did not want us to eat cows, why did he make them out of beef?" As some of you may know, PBS played Risley Hall's festival of bad music way back in the pre-blog days of late 1994 or early 1995 - not as memorable an evening as his farewell show, but only because it was a long time ago. Back when we flaunted our anti-authority cred, dammit!

The Century Mark

This is my 100th post! And it only took me 22 months. That ought to count for... something. Anyways, I enjoy marking the passing of meaningless milestones, so, well, here you go.

It's 2007

The end of my holiday break passed without much incident. I spent most of New Years' weekend kicking back in my slippers, as demonstrated above. However, it seems my sinus infection started to come back just in time for going back to work. How nice.

It's 2007. Let's be careful out there.