Tikkabik

We live about two miles as the crow files from the end of one of the runways used by Otis Air Force Base, home of the 102d Fighter Wing. They fly F-15's out of Otis -- it's quite impressive to see them flying overhead, especially when they're on landing approaches and flying at extremely low altitudes.

The 102d's most visible role in recent years was deploying in the skies over New York on 9/11. Their pilots have routinely been assigned combat roles in the middle east since the war with Iraq started, too.

One thing about F-15's -- they're incredibly loud. It's no wonder: Two huge engines that can propel the things to 30,000 feet inside of a minute. They're considerably louder than anything else that flies out of the base there, including cargo planes like C-130s and the Coast Guard's search and rescue aircraft -- a fleet of Jayhawk helicopters and HU-25 Falcon jets, which from a distance look like business aircraft.

Anyway, every day, at least a few times a day, I get to hear the F-15's throttle up and the end of the runway. It's loud enough to make the windows in the house rattle.

In 2008, the 102d is supposed to move those jets to Westfield, Mass. -- a suburb of Springfield that's a couple of hours' drive from here. The base is staying open, and as I understand it it'll be used for something called "Distributed Common Ground Systems" (DCGS), an intelligence resource gathering program.

And while I'll be sorry not to see the F-15's in the skies anymore, I won't miss the noise.

Posted by flargh at 02:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A long time ago I trained myself to recognize the sound of delivery trucks, and FedEx trucks have a very distinctive engine noise that I can hear as soon as they round the top of the street.

I live on the corner of where two streets meet, and especially now that the weather's warmer and I have the windows open, I can hear that noise. Almost immediately I know from the pitch of the engine if they're going to stop, because they'll let up on the gas almost as soon as they're within hearing range.

The problem is, though, they do the same thing if they're going to take a left onto Briar Patch Road, the road that intersects with ours. So at least four or five times each day for the past few days I've raised my head in anticipation of getting a letter or package from FedEx, only to see the truck slow, turn, and drive away.

It makes me sad.

Posted by flargh at 02:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There are just some problems using computers that don't parse at all for Mac users. Digital cameras are definitely one of those things. Integration is so tight in the operating system, I don't think those of us with digital cameras really give it a second thought. You just plug in the camera, turn it on, and something happens pretty much automatically.

In my case, putting an SD card from my point and shoot into an ExpressCard adapter I have in my MacBook Pro, or connecting a USB cable to my camera, results in the same thing happening: Aperture automatically opens and prepares to import the images into my most recently created project. This is because the Image Capture utility included with Mac OS X has been configured to do just that. After the transfer is done, it asks me if I want to blank the card or just eject it. If I tell it to blank the card, Aperture warns me again that I'm going to delete the contents. That's smart.

I've occasionally seen print and TV ads telling people that they can get help if they need to figure out how to get images off their digital cameras, and I've never understood the point. Not being a regular PC user, I admit, it's a blind spot for me. But after speaking with a few friends who own PCs, have digital cameras, and are stumped, I guess I shouldn't be anymore.

I have one friend who bought a digital camera last year, took a hundred pictures or so, filled up the card she bought with the camera, and couldn't figure out how to make it work on her system -- a fairly latter-day computer running a relatively recent version of Windows. She got scared that the pictures were going to go somewhere on her hard drive she'd never find again, and figured they were safer in the camera. So there it sits -- a significant personal investment, gathering dust. She hasn't found the time to sit down with me so I can show her what to do -- she's resorted to picking up disposable cameras to record memories.

Turns out this is not an uncommon occurrence.

Now, certainly, this isn't standard operating procedure for all PC users, or even most of them. And in all fairness to Microsoft, Windows XP does do a decent job of supporting devices that are recognized as mass storage systems, as most cameras are. And Vista is better still. But few consumers have upgraded to Vista, and many won't until they buy a new computer. Which could be years from now, depending on how much they use the system they have and how long it will take them to grow tired of it or just outgrow it.

Until then, as far as I'm concerned, the advantage stays in the Mac's court.

Posted by flargh at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm writing about Anime Boston 2007 for Macworld and Playlist this week, but I just wanted to post something here about it as well. Once again, Bonnie and I went for all three days of the show (well, about two and a half, since we had to stay home for most of Friday with the kids, who were on their April break, until my mom could come by to watch them).

It was a great time. My only regret is that we really had to do it on the cheap this year, because once again, we were strapped for cash. We almost couldn't stay on Saturday night because I ran into a problem with the credit card I used; thankfully, I worked something out. One of these days I really have to get my shit together about finances.

Getting a press pass was a bigger pain in the ass for me at this show than at any other time in my career. The less I say about it the better. Angry words were exchanged, feeling were probably hurt. Ultimately, it worked out, but it was more effort than it should have been.

Cosplayers are a big part of any con, and this one was by far my favorite. Bonnie is insistent on finding a costume that she thinks will be right for me some day. Ultimately, she's pushing for Chiyo's father from Azumanga Daioh, one of her favorite anime series.

Perhaps the most exciting news for us is that beginning in the fall of 2008, they're planning on doing the Providence Anime Conference, a 21+ anime show. That'll be worth going to, for sure. When Bonnie and I heard that, we got really, really enthusiastic. The word "Conference" in the title suggests something very different than "Convention," and while the New England Anime Society isn't prepared to divulge exactly what's on the roster, I'm guessing it'll be a lot more than the focus of events like Yaoi-con or Tales of Anime.

If you know which panels and events to go to, you can count on getting lots of great free stuff -- we came home with a duffel bag filled with items, only about half of which we paid for (and no, you'll never drag the secret of where to go out of me). My biggest free scores were copies of recent issues of Protoculture Addicts magazines and the complete Limited Edition box set of Bandai's Argento Soma series. Bonnie said her biggest score was a box set (minus one disc) of Full Metal Panic.

Posted by flargh at 09:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

HomeAgain is a pet recovery service that I've been seeing ads for lately. The service reunites lost pets with their owners. If it works, great -- I'm all for it. Losing a pet is an awful, awful thing that no one should have to deal with.

But the TV ad is painful. It shows a bunch suburban families happy to be reunited with their dogs and cats, all of which are wearing HomeAgain tags on their collars. And while the pet owners are in the thrall of reunited joy, they're singing Peaches and Herb's 1980 soft-rock anthem "Reunited."

Now, "Reunited" is not on my list of songs I really care that much about. For Peaches and Herb, I'll take a classic disco anthem like "Shake Your Groove Thing" any day of the week. And soft-rock though it is, "Reunited" has a certain mellow R&B groove to it that's easy on the ears. Even if it is really saccharine.

But hearing these painfully white actors (including kids) singing the song makes me cringe every time I hear it. It's bloody awful. Like, William Hung awful. Please, daddy, make the bad ad go away.

Posted by flargh at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Contrary to the fevered fantasies of Jack Thompson and the rambling prognostication of Dr. Phil, Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung Hui doesn't appear to have been an avid video gamer.

According to GayGamer.net (hey, I read it for the articles), a search warrant of his dorm room showed that the troubled student had the basic accouterments of dorm life -- a computer, some office supplies and various other knick knacks, but no game systems. In fact, his roommate has gone on the record saying that he never remembers seeing Cho play games, either.

Eat it, Jack.

Amazingly, the voice of reason came from Rush Limbaugh, who admonished a listener for jumping to conclusions that Cho must have been "a compulsive video gamer."

"People have a tough time accepting a relatively simple explanation for something of this scale," said Limbaugh. "But how many people are playing video games out there? How many millions of people play video games, and how many millions of people have guns?"

He's a Mac user too. Guess I shouldn't be all *that* surprised. ;)

Posted by flargh at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

James at breakfast:

*munch munch munch*

"My muffin is English."

*munch munch munch*

Posted by flargh at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When we got a new dishwasher a year and a half ago we got a deal for a free three year supply of Cascade dishwashing detergent. A pretty good deal, I must say, and the dishwasher has been excellent -- we're very happy with it, especially compared to the jet turbine-like noise of its predecessor, which, near as we can tell, came with the house when it was first built in the late 1980s.

The free supply of dishwashing detergent came a few weeks after we registered the dishwasher -- a thick book filled with coupons good for one free 42 ounce container of Cascade. Because it's a free coupon instead of just a discount, cashiers need to manually enter the redemption price, and inevitably they stick on it when they're ringing it in and look stunned. I've grown accustomed to shouting out "$4.29" when it happens.

Anyway, no surprise to me, but we used up the coupons much sooner than in three years. We sully a lot of dishes in our house, and often pack the dishwasher full twice a day, using it not only for dishes, silverware and glasses, but also for pots and pans, canisters, pitchers and other large objects that we previously washed by hand. The dishwasher does a great job, so why not let it?

I'm a bit sad to see the free coupons go. That $4.29 I saved with each grocery order was a nice way to trim the bill. Now it's back to the newspaper, clipping coupons and comparing them to the sales of that week.

Posted by flargh at 01:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

They've been showing this ad on cable lately for Newpro windows that totally rubs me the wrong way -- it shows this real-world couple who got Newpro windows for their house over the winter.

The wife lauds the windows, saying that the house was warmer the first night after the windows were installed. The husband mentions that he appreciated the lower heating bill.

"Gerry would notice that," his wife adds.

I guess the message here is that Gerry's wife is a vapid twit who's too much of a bubblehead to concern herself with boring stuff like paying bills.

I dunno if it was scripted or riffed off the cuff, but either way, it strikes me as a) stupid and b) sexist. But that's just me. Maybe everyone loves this ad.

At least they're not shilling using their kids or grandkids, unlike some of these obnoxious local low-class a-holes who sell furniture on TV.

Posted by flargh at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

One thing I've really liked about where we live is that the lot across the street from us -- a rather small, trapezoidally-shaped bit of land -- was undeveloped. It was one of the very few lots in the entire neighborhood that hadn't been built on, and it gave us the illusion of a bit of privacy -- some woods to look at rather than a neighbor's yard or driveway.

Well, all that ended this morning. The lot recently sold, and the new owner has wasted no time in preparing the lot for development. There are construction vehicles parked across the street this morning, including a big Cat wheel dozer with an attachment on its front that grabs the trees and cuts right through them in a matter of moments. The sound of the saw on the front of it woke Bob up this morning -- he was sleeping in because it's vacation week.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of house gets built. My mother bets it'll be on the smaller size because of the shape of the lot.

The dog who lives next door -- a sweet, very protective (and occasionally fierce) German Shepherd named CJ -- wandered out this morning to see what all the ruckus was about. He looked quite disappointed. I've seen him roam and frolick over in those woods, and he has a sad look like someone's just taken something away from him.

On the flip side, some of the neighborhood teenagers and tweens use that lot as an p;ace to congregate in the summertime, and they've occasionally lit little fires. You can find broken beer bottles and other trash over there too. So at least that's a thing of the past now.

Posted by flargh at 09:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

T. rex thigh reveals chicken family ties

Posted by flargh at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A couple of months ago my Xbox started acting up. Inserting game discs, I'd get a message telling me that the Xbox couldn't read it. Cleaning the discs and inserting a cleaner into the DVD drive didn't help.

First it was only with certain games. Gradually it got worse until it was happening with all of them, and I feared the worst -- that the hardware had developed a problem and would need to be replaced.

While I want to get an Xbox 360, I'd just as soon put off the purchase until I'm in better financial shape, and I like to keep my old gear, especially my old game gear, working. Plus the Xbox 360 isn't one hundred percent backward compatible with the Xbox, so it was another incentive to keep the old device alive.

After some quick net research, I discovered that this is a pretty common problem with the original Xbox, especially older ones. The optics on the DVD drive flake out after a while and they're no longer able to function. Fortunately it's a pretty easy fix -- the DVD-ROM drives used in Xboxes are commodity parts, and general wisdom is that the most reliable one out there is a Samsung replacement drive. They are in plentiful supply on eBay, which is where I got mine. I even waited a bit and waited out an auction, and paid a bit less than the "Buy It Now" price.

Actually replacing the drive was trivial -- the easiest teardown I've ever done on a game console. The Xbox is held together using six exceptionally long screws that use a Torx 20 head. They're located underneath each rubber foot and beneath two of the decals on the bottom of the box. Pulling them is a sure sign that you've tampered with the box, but at this point the Xbox is well out of its warranty period so I didn't sweat it.

Once those screws are out the top of the case slides right off. The Xbox's DVD drive is held in place by two Torx 10 screws bolted to a subassembly that also holds the hard disk drive in place. Pop off an IDE cable and power cable and the DVD drive comes right out. Unclip the snazzy irregularly-shaped "Xbox" drive bezel, then pop it onto the replacement Samsung drive, reverse the process and put everything back together again. It was literally five or ten minutes from start to finish. The longest period of time was spent as I tried to find my Torx 10 screwdriver head. It's no wonder there's been such a cottage industry of Xbox hardware hackers over the years -- you can find everything from casemods to system mods online.

The boys were thrilled to discover that the Xbox is pretty much as good as new -- the Samsung drive feels a bit speedier than the Philips (probably because it's not having to re-read stuff it was having trouble with), and we were even able to fire up a game they've *never* been able to play -- King Kong, which one of them got for Christmas and put away after the Xbox decided it didn't like it the first time.

I'm thrilled because fixing the Xbox turned out to be pretty damn cheap -- only about $40 on a console that originally cost me $150 a few years ago. That's compared to almost $500 for one of the new Xbox 360 Elite boxes. Admittedly, those blow my old Xbox away in features and capabilities, but this is good enough to get by with for now.

Posted by flargh at 09:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I sent this letter today to Mass. state representative Matt Patrick, whose name is attached to Mass. HB1423, which proposes restricting the sale of video games to minors. I cc:'d my rep, Jeff Perry, and the state senator responsible for this region, Bob O'Leary (both of whom I have voted for in the past). I'll let you know if anyone responds.

Sir:

I was very disappointed to see your name attached to HB1423, entitled “An act to restrict the sale of video games with violent content to minors.”

As you are fully aware, I am sure, similar legislation has been proposed in many other states, and virtually every bill has failed once it reached the judicial level. As politically appealing as it may be to propose legislation that restricts the sale of violent video games to minors – “Think of the children!” -- it is constitutionally untenable and it is bad public policy.

Those other failed bills ultimately have resulted in costly litigation put forth by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) – litigation that the states end up footing the bill for. At a time when we’re seeing enormous cutbacks as our new governor struggles to balance the budget, the last thing we need is an albatross like this taking up time on Beacon Hill and, inevitably, taking up time in the courts, as well as the state’s money.

It’ll be a financial drain that will ultimately amount to only a pyrrhic victory for the legislators like yourself who have decided to align themselves with this bill.

The adage “If you lie down with dogs you wake up with fleas” also comes to mind, as I understand this bill was drafted with the assistance of Florida attorney Jack Thompson, whose anti-video game industry antics border on the absurd. Aligning yourself with such a demagogue is a horrible strategic mistake. The man is poison.

I’d much rather see you and the other legislators who have attached their name to this bill work to increase public awareness of the existing rating system enforced by the ESRB; one that’s modeled after the motion picture industry’s voluntary system, which has been successful by any measure. The ESRB system is enforced by major national retailers which have a presence here on Cape Cod, including Best Buy and EBGames/GameStop.

In addition to being a 37 year old avid player of video games, I’m the father of three children, as well as a senior editor and “Game Room” columnist for a nationally distributed publication called Macworld magazine, so this is an area of particular interest for me, personally and professionally. If you or anyone else I’ve cc:’d this letter to have any questions or would like to have a dialogue about this, I’d welcome a phone call, letter or e-mail.

Posted by flargh at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

James was running late for school this morning, and how he handled it, versus how his sister or brother handled it, is a prime example of how they're different. Some of it is just the differences in siblings, but I think it also goes to illustrate how James doesn't have the same emotional disabilities his brother and sister do.

James slept until 8 AM this morning. That's a bit unusual for him -- he's usually up an hour or so earlier, in time to see his brother leave for school, but this morning he was tired because he was up late last night. He had less than 15 minutes to get ready for the bus.

When I roused him, he looked at me and said, "You should have woke me up at 7:30."

"I tried," I told him, "But you kept going back to sleep."

He nodded and started getting ready on his own. Bonnie was sleeping in this morning -- she had a long day yesterday -- so he helped himself to clothes and got dressed by himself.

That right there is a key difference between him and his brother. His brother would have gotten angry and resentful, blaming the world for his misfortunes instead of owning up to the problem and just pushing through it. In all likelihood, Robert would have sat down some place and just sulked, giving anyone who came near him the hairy eyeball, face set in a petulant pout and nostrils flaring.

James managed to get ready, though his clothes were a bit askew, and I asked him if he wanted me to heat him up a couple of waffles before he left. I figured he still had about five minutes or so until the bus came down the street -- enough time to toast two Eggos and for him to eat them if he wanted.

At this point in the process James' sister would be in an utter panic. Emmeline would be wailing hysterically, sobbing at being rushed and totally unable to think through what she should do next. In other words, in the midst of a full-blown anxiety attack. We deal with this with her almost every day of the week, by the way. It never gets any easier.

"No," he said, shrugging. "Just give me a couple of Pop-Tarts and a quarter for milk. I'll eat them and have milk at school with the kids who eat breakfast there."

I hadn't even *thought* of breakfast at school. This first-grader was already a step ahead of his dad.

So I handed James his Pop-Tarts and his quarter. He stuffed them in his bag, zipped up his coat, waved goodbye and walked out the door -- in plenty of time for the bus.

Amazing.

Sometimes there's a world of difference between how James handles things and how Robert and Emmeline handle things -- this morning was one of those examples.

Posted by flargh at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Thanks to Dan for pointing out this little gem over at SeriousEats.com.

Posted by flargh at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We're accustomed to having our kids' April vacation happen the same time as Easter weekend, but this year, Easter came a week before the vacation did.

Last year we used it as an excuse to drive down to Florida -- we left the evening before Good Friday and arrived at my in-laws' condo on Easter morning. This year, no such luck. I'm not up for another 3,500 mile round trip excursion, can't really afford the gas and motels or plane fare, and my sister-in-law and her family have booked the week. With the kids' vacation not happening until next week, it's all the more reason not to do the trip.

So this year we'll be staying put for April vacation.

Posted by flargh at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So I've managed to destroy yet another electronic device. Jim tells me I have a real gift.

My cell phone stopped working right about a week and a half ago. Though it operates fine with my Bluetooth headset, I can't use the built-in microphone at all -- no one can hear me speak.

I called Cingular (from a land line, obviously) to diagnose the problem on Friday; after doing both a soft-reset and a hard-reset of the phone, it was still hosed. So they're sending me a repalcement, which I expect to get sometime this week.

Too bad it didn't happen two months from now, when I possibly could have justified an iPhone. *sigh*

Posted by flargh at 08:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Happy Tartan Day!

And remember, if it's not Scottish, it's crap!

Posted by flargh at 09:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cape Cod Today: Any Wampanoag Casino should be on Cape Cod.

For the uniformed, the Wampanoag tribe in Mashpee recently received federal recognition, and they're discussing the possibility of building a casino somewhere in southeastern Mass.

There's been some talk about building it on Cape Cod, and the Wampanoag spokespeople seem anxious to assuage concerns from the local tightasses here on Cape that they're not going to do so. Personally, I think they should -- it'd be a huge shot in the arm, revenue-wise, and help redirect a lot of money that ends up going down to the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos in Connecticut.

As the editorial points out, "That spending could be done here on Cape Cod if we got off our sanctimonious 'high horse' and welcomed any Mashpee Wampanoag casino right here in their ancestral home.

"The perfect casino site is already called a 'reservation.'"

Read on for details.

Posted by flargh at 05:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...suck. Not just a little bit. They Posted by flargh at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I have trouble not believing that this is an April Fool's Day prank, but it appears to be legit: Virtue: "the perfume is designed to be a reminder of God, Christ, spiritual self and soul."

Apparently good Christians are supposed to SMELL like good Christians now.

The press release announcing the nationwide release of this stuff is accompanied by a bunch of commentary from the company's founders about how they did all this biblical research to learn what to use (pomegranates, apricots, figs and other stuff in the Bible -- no smell of the stables in Noah's Ark, apparently), and prayed to come up with a name too.

Apparently the name came to them because "many individuals of high spiritual attainment give off a fragrance attributed to their virtue."

Posted by flargh at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

James recently remarked that the thing he dislikes most about McDonalds is, believe it or not, Ronald.

None of my children has an abject fear of clowns -- we've been to the circus, and they've met the clowns and seen them, so they know what to expect. But there's something about Ronald McDonald that just really gets Robert's gears turning, apparently. Because he and James have spun this elaborate fiction about how Ronald's face is white because he's undead, and the huge red smile pained on his visage is painted in the blood of children that he's eaten.

Ronald, as it turns out, makes Happy Meals to fatten up little boys and girls, and when they're corpulent enough, he drags them off, eats them whole, and cackles maniacally, shouting "I'm lovin' it™!" as he does.

I guess I shouldn't have read them Stephen King novels before bedtime...

Posted by flargh at 01:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)