GT Bullet

Here's the latest fixer-upper:



This is after a great deal of polishing on the chrome, mind you. I dipped a bit of steel wool in degreaser and went to work on the surface rust. I got most of it off, too. The frame looks pretty good, except for the two places where water must've pooled; the weld junctures where the bottom bracket meets up with the down tube and the seat tube, and the junction between the top tube, seat tube, and seat stays all have a bit of rust I'm having trouble getting at. Maybe if I had a dremel I could get at it with a buffing wheel or something.



It's a weird little bike. I think this was GT's answer to a child's mountain bike. It's got 24 inch wheels with a six speed cassette and some lightly treaded tires. The frame measures 10 inches center to center and 12 inches center to top. It's got Shimano SLR center-pull cantilever brakes and an 18 speed Shimano drivetrain complete with over-the-bar thumb shifters. The cranks are a one-piece BMX style set, but with three chainrings and a plastic guard. The drop-outs are horizontal, so it's single-speed friendly, but the drivetrains kind of nice. The stem is high and steep, with the front brake cable running through and the housing stop built-in. The handlebar still has a bit of surface rust, but straight bars are easy to come by.
I had to bend the brake levers a bit to get them straight (straighter, anyway). Once I open up the hubs and bottom bracket and add fresh grease and adjust them, I'll be running all new cables and housing. There's plenty of clearance to run thick little tires; the straddle wires are high. I might shorten them up, actually, to get a little better response out of the brakes. I resurfaced the brake pads already and degreased the chain; it's ready to go back on.



Kids bike or no, it's going to be a fun little cruiser; the kind of little bike you can throw around like a bmx, but slightly bigger and fearing no hills. I'm excited to see how it comes out.

Ultraviolet... a sci fi movie.

I like sci-fi movies. There aren't enough good ones.

Ultraviolet isn't going to change that.

When I say there aren't enough good sci-fi movies, I mean it. I've seen plenty of them, and I still want more. There are so few decent sci-fi movies that we watch the sucky ones and say, "Hey, that wasn't so bad."
"Hey, Resident Evil 2 wasn't that bad."
"Hey, Episode 1 wasn't that bad."
"Hey, Matrix Reloaded wasn't that bad."
"Hey, Wing Commander wasn't that bad."
I think Wing Commander might be a better movie than Episode 1. Honestly. Both seem written for ages 7 and under, but watch them both back-to-back. Huh? See what I mean?

Between the time that Blade Runner came out and the time The Matrix came out, sci-fi fans all had to watch an awful lot of crap.

Which is why we watch stuff like Resident Evil and I, Robot. Sure, they could've been better, but at least we got our sci-fi dose. Hell, I really enjoy stuff like Pitch Black, I, Robot and Minority Report. If they're not perfect, well, they're what we've got.

Sadly, Ultraviolet seeks to embellish on the edgy style and sweet combat of Equilibrium, apparently forgetting that Equilibrium had a kick-ass Fahrenheit 451 / Harrison Bergeron- story- thing going for it. Ultraviolet brings a good dose of Matrix-wanna-be style and choreographed combat without the underlying story verve to justify the violence. I'm barbaric enough to thoroughly enjoy the ass-kicking, but I'm civilized enough that there has to be a good reason.

...and while I'm a huge fan of Milla Jovovich, I don't understand how she can keep making these things and still expect to garner any respect in the acting profession.

Where's the ray of hope, here? V for Vendetta is coming soon, but I don't know if I'm holding my breath. And god help us, they're making a Terminator 4.

(Terminator 4 isn't entirely a bad idea. A few years ago someone published a few half-way decent novels based on the Terminator series, before T3 came out; they had Arnie playing the human being Cyberdyne had based their Terminators on. The story was interesting, but they chose to go a different route with T3. After all, how could Arnold convincingly play a human being?)

I've said it before and I've said it again; Hollywood needs to take a look at some of the "golden-age" sci-fi writing of the 70s and 80s. How about a science fiction movie that takes place in outer freaking space, already? There's great material by writers like Harry Harrison, Orson Scott Card, and David Brin that hasn't yet been mined for the silver screen, and the best part is that the technology exists to realize the work these imaginations have bestowed upon us. I would definitely go to a Startide Rising, Uplift War, Stainless Steel Rat, or Ender's Game movie. Definitely. The fact that no one's made an Ender's Game movie yet, particularly with the success of the subsequent Ender's Shadow novels, is honestly baffling. What's the holdup? Am I going to have to rent freaking Chronicles of Riddick again? C'mon, get to it.

Geez. Hey, I guess it wasn't that bad...

When Celebrities Attack!

So Michael Douglas has a problem with the way that Brad left Jennifer Aniston? That's right, kettle, you tell that pot!

Michael Douglas has slammed Brad Pitt for leaving ex-wife Jennifer Aniston for Angelina Jolie. The actor - who was once treated for sex addiction - has questioned Brad's decision and mocked the couple's adopted children.

He said in an interview with America's GQ magazine: "I don't know about Brad Pitt leaving that beautiful woman to go hold orphans for Angelina Jolie. I mean, how long is that going to last?"

The 62-year-old star - who is married to Catherine Zeta-Jones - also attacked Renee Zellweger over her four-month marriage to Kenny Chesney and Julia Roberts for splitting from Lyle Lovett after 21 months.

He said: "Don't ask me what happened with Renee Zellweger and her ex-husband Kenny Chesney. I don't know how you can be married for four months.

"And what about Julia with Lyle. There must be some incredible things you find out one night."

Michael Douglas sounds as though he's trying to be some kind of role model in his old age. Nice. Those of us who have not yet roped a trophy wife should take note. So you married Catherine for her personality, right Mikey? Her SAT scores? It certainly wasn't because she's half your age and has a ripe ass, was it? It's not even as though he's been married for that long, but it is Hollywood: "We've been married for fourteen days." "Really? What's your secret?"

It is weird though, seeing a Celebrity turn on it's own kind, like a hyena suddenly attacking another hyena. The point is, Hollywood celebrities are pretty much going to do the same stupid stuff that we do, only when they do it, the whole world finds out, not just the whole high school or workplace or zip code. And as for the question of Aniston or Angelina: apparently Brad slept with both of them, and he settled on Angelina. You can't exactly juggle the two.

Some people like chocolate, some people like vanilla. Get over it.

Honestly, it sounds like sour grapes. Look at that photograph of Douglas up there. He looks like he's about to make a speech, then take a nap. Here's how the speech would sound:

"Four score and seven years ago, back when I was a young pup coming up in the game, I could have hit that shit. Brad thinks he's the man, but I coulda' banged Jolie and Aniston both in the same decade. I had it like that, boy, until these young studs came sniffing around after all the hotties. It's getting to be slim pickings for real gentlemen like me and Jack Nicholson."

"They just don't appreciate the hardship I had to endure. When I look back on the incredibly challenging and character- building experience of riding my wealthy actor- father's coat-tails to fame, I just don't have any respect for philandering trolls like Brad Pitt and that whore, Julia whats-her-name. Where's their self-respect?"

That's how it is in life. We feel free to make our own self-destructive mistakes in life, then to point out similar shortcomings in others. I don't know if we really grow out of our self-destrutive vices or if we simply grow too old to indulge them.

By the way, why does everyone have to talk smack about Jolie's kids? Geez. If you want to feel bad for someone, feel bad for Francis Bean Cobain.

Wafa Sultan

Cribbed from Armed and Gregarious, this link to an interview on Al Jazeera featuring Wafa Sultan. Here is the video link.

Wow.

Your thoughts?

Minnesota "Nice"

So, I was turning my car around in the parking lot yesterday and this guy gave me the finger.

He was in a red Pontiac with his significant other. She had a bandage across her face; I don't know if he's been punching her or if she had rhinoplasty.

I had backed my car up a little bit into the corner and then pulled forward to my left. At no time did I exceed a very low speed. I had my neck craned all the way around so I had a full range of view through my rear window. At no time did his shiny red Pontiac enter into my field of vision.

The only explanation I can come up with is that this fat idiot came flying into the parking lot and intended to make a wide, sweeping turn through the space my car occupied, and that somehow this was my fault.

I was curious about this person's problem, so I carefully walked up to his car. When he rolled down the window I asked him, "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, fucking learn how to drive."

"What are you talking about?"

The conversation degraded from there. The guy stepped out of his car and loomed over me, six feet four or so and about twice my weight. The gist of the conversation was him asking me if I "wanted some."

Well, obviously I wanted some. Why on earth would I have approached him if I didn't want some? I informed him that, in the future, he should be more careful who he flicked off for no reason. Then I told him it was a good thing his fat ass wouldn't fit into my trunk.

Today, I was walking upstairs with a load of laundry and was accosted in the stairwell by one of my new neighbors, a short young Asian man with a shaved head wearing baggy clothes. Rather than allowing me to pass with my laundry basket, he took up the hallway, so I waited at the bottom of the stairs for him to pass.

"What's up?" he asked in an aggressive manner, catching me off guard. He said it in the same tone of voice one might ask, "Do you want to fight?" It took me a moment to reply with a noncommital "hey." Which apparently didn't satisfy the guy, because once I'd passed him in the hallway I heard him remark, "...Stuck-up motherfucker."

Which leads me to ask, is all this my fault? Am I somehow inviting aggression in a way that I'm not conscious of?

Is this the face of an aggressor or a "stuck-up motherfucker"?



What the hell happened to "Minnesota Nice"?

In the Future, there will be Robots...

Dude, who knew we'd live to see the day? And this is only the beginning. They're going to make them bigger and cooler... it's the Japanese, of course.

As a child, robots were easily in the top ten Cool Things. The droids in Star Wars were only the beginning. There were the Robotech and Transformers cartoons, Mechwarrior, Tranzor Z, Voltron, Robotix... robots are Cool.

This is a link to Honda's new "humanoid" robot project, the ASIMO. The little guy is amazing. Check him out!

Fast Freddy's Custom Top caps for Mountain Bikes

Check this guy out: Fast Freddy has top caps for $5.50 (plus shipping, I assume) in an assortment of cool styles and colors. I personally like the fuel gauge and the temp gauge, in case anyone wants to get me one for my birthday. Hell, for that kind of dough, you can customize your whole fleet.

How cool is that?

Blue collar smoking

In a report on NPR today, it was revealed that smoking has come down in the last ten years and in fact, dramatically in the last three years. Then an expert came on and explained that smoking is mostly down among white collar, well-to-do individuals.

Ouch!! Smoking has become a blue collar, white trash habit! Talk about the kiss of death! The tobacco industry has always marketed smoking as sophisticated and stylish. This news could be more damaging than the Joe Camel child molestation scandal. If smoking isn't sexy anymore, what's to keep people doing it (apart from the incredibly addictive substances in cigarettes)?

Partly, this has to be a result of the increased price of cigarettes, which has sky-rocketed. The increased availability of nicotine products to help people to quit also has contributed to this. To extrapolate this further: lower income persons are perhaps less likely to be making good financial decisions. Persons who handle problems in a short-term way are less likely to comprehend the long- term financial burden of smoking, or to recognize the benefits of quitting. We're talking health and financial concerns. They may also be more susceptible to denial, ie convincing themself that 'they can quit whenever they like'.

But getting back to the demographics, there was a great swell in the early nineties of smoking among teenagers; that gen- x group still makes up a large portion of smokers. I guess Kurt Cobain and his ilk made smoking sexy for a while.

Is it still hip to smoke? Leave your feedback.

Cheney vs Chappaquidick

In a follow-up to the Dick Cheney shooting, I wanted to post a few things I cribbed from Chris Byrne's Anarchangel page. While he's far from the most unbiased source in the world, he sometimes manages to produce a set of valid arguments, and I think he's done so in this case. I keep hearing this question:

"Would you rather go hunting with Dick Cheney, or drive over a bridge with Ted Kennedy". This of course is a reference to Teds apparent drunk driving and negligent homicide of MaryJo Kopechne in 1969 on chappaquidick island off of Marthas Vineyard.

Let's break down Cheney's so- called "crime" :

Cheney was following a rising bird with the muzzle, ignored his surroundings, didnt clear his front arc, and fired too closely to his friend Harry Whittington, who was standing about 30 yards away. The cone of shot spread out far enough that Whittington was struck by several pellets of birdshot.

No crime was commited under any penal law in Texas, or most any other state

No serious injury resulted from the shot itself. The pellets barely broke the skin. In fact the guy was hurt worse than almost everyone ever shot with birdshot from 30 yards away has been, because 1 #8 pellet (which is 1/16th of an inch across and weighs less than a grain of rice) managed worked its way under a rib, he's 78, and he suffers from arrythmia. It was more the shock of being shot than anything else.


I do just wish someone would get these "Cheneys tried to kill a man" idiots to understand that getting hit with a few birdshot pellets from 30 yards away while wearing heavy clothing, is generally a lot like having sand thrown at you when a car speeds off (yes I’ve had it happen).There are people who do stupid shit like this for FUN, getting dressed up in heavy leather clothing, and shooting at each other with very light bird shot, or rock salt. Some people used to train dogs with a light load of birdshot even; shooting them in the ass with it as negative reinforcement.Is it painful, sure; but it's not usually life threatening.

This guy was spectacularly unlucky to be at exactly the wrong spot (probably just off the bore axis), and Cheney was an idiot for focusing on the bird to the exclusion of everything else.

Now let us compare and contrast.

Cheney is one man ignoring safety rules while shooting, and a few pellets of birdshot hit his friend accidentally.

Chappaquidick was a drunken overgrown fratboy who just happened to be a senator leaving the scene of a fatality accident, not reporting it for hours, then using family influence and money to avoid jail time.Let's leave aside theory and speculation, and not even consider what we can prove (which is pretty damning); let's just consider what Kennedy admitted to:Kennedy pleaded to, and was convicted of leaving the scene of an accident after causing injury, normally a felony charge. As part of his plea he admitted to responsibility for the accident; that he had been drinking, he left the scene knowing that the girl was drowning, and he then waited several hours before notifying police; contacting his lawyer in the mean time.In exchange for this plea, Kennedy recieved a two month suspended sentence for an offense would normally carry a minimum two year sentence (though all but 180 days would normally have been suspended).This would normally mean his censure and expulsion from the senate as a convicted felon, however there is an interesting technicality of Massachusetts law, in that misdemeanors and felonies are not directly counted as such. In Massachusetts, for most crimes, if you recieve a sentence of greater than two years, you are accorded felon status; if less than two years you are simply a misdemeanant (yes, we have had misdemeanor murders before).This technicality LEGALLY allowed Kennedy to remain in the senate. His extreme popularity in the state, and the recent asassination of his other brother allowed him to do so politically.

Kennedy should have been removed from the senate for his negligence; and really he should have been charged with, and convicted of, negligent homicide in the death of MaryJo Kopechne. He didnt because of money and politics.

Shooting someone by accident isn't a crime, and it isn't an ethics violation, its a stupidity violation.Unfortunately, stupidity does not disqualify one for office.

Cartoons are Sometimes Offensive

Cartoons are sometimes offensive. That's been the Western tradition for a long time: we have been saying some off-color stuff in cartoons since before we kicked the British out. Yes, even before South Park. Sometimes it's intended to make you laugh, and sometimes it's to upset you, and sometimes it's intended to make you think.

What was the intent of those infamous comics critical of Islam and printed first by the Danish and later reprinted all over the globe?

I'm pretty sure the cartoonists didn't intend scores of deaths, property damage, and a more defined division between peoples of differing faiths. For sure not those first two, anyway.

I was in line to pay for some pasta salad and a blueberry turnover at the Student Union last night.

The cashier asked, "Is that a danish?"

Another employee overheard and said, "Who's Danish?"

This second employee is a jovial guy, I think his name is Ahmed. He's always working down there, he's very friendly and courteous, and he's a Muslim.

I jokingly said something like, "You don't want to be Danish this month. Things are hot for the Danish right now."

Ahmed agreed, nodding. "They went too far, man. They went too far."

I guess Ahmed is one of those 'conservative' Muslims we keep hearing about. He lives in the United States, has a job and is enjoying all of the rights and priveleges that US citizens are privy to. I guess he also happens to think that the tenets of the Prophet Mohammed are a good guideline for life.

I don't think that a few cartoons are any excuse for the violence that is taking place worldwide. Likely, neither does Ahmed. But there it is: dozens of people have died and likely many more will before this blows over. Not to mention the property destruction and an even deeper chasm between those who follow this faith and those who don't. And that's the real problem with what's happening here; people are picking sides, even if they have nothing invested in either side.

I think that I want what most people want: to coexist with people of all races, colors, belief structures, etc. as long as they don't interfere in my own. That's what this melting pot is all about. I don't want to throw anything into Ahmed's face about the violence that ignorant people are perpetuating world-wide in the name of his chosen faith. I like the guy; he sells me delicious pastries and pasta salads, and we chat while I wait in line. It is my belief that he wishes me no harm.

At the same time, I don't think that violent factions deserve a pass. If you think that it's okay to kill over differences in religious belief, you're wrong. Factions world-wide have given Islam a real black eye with terrorism and violent protest in the Middle East, Europe, and many parts of Africa. Terrorists like Hamas and Al Quaida use Islam as a rallying point. Is it really a religion of peace? Or a breeding ground for violent terrorist sects?

I think this is why the Western world works so hard to keep religion out of government; yet the Middle East has been mixing those two up like chocolate and peanut butter, which is what makes it so damned hard for us Westerners to keep score. It's not like we want to blame the whole religion, but every time something blows up, someone invokes Allah's will; which is, I'm sorry, confusing.

Muslims are boycotting Danish products, much the way some Americans did with the French and their "Freedom Fries". Does that mean that somewhere, a devout Muslim is enjoying his breakfast coffee or tea with an "Infidel pastry" instead of a danish?

Now this just doesn't seem fair, does it?!?

Porn Debate

Thursday, February 23, 2006
Jesse Auditorium 8:00 p.m.

Come and see Ron Jeremy, Porn Star debate the issue of porn with Susan G. Cole, the writer of Pornography and the Sex Crisis.

$3 for Students, $7 For the General Public
Tickets Available at all Ticketmaster locations MU Student Charge available only at the MSA/GPC Box Office inside of Brady Commons.

Greeting ladies and gentlemen! We would like to direct your attention to the center ring for tonights main event. In the red corner we have Ron Jeremy. Ron's career began in 1978 when a girlfriend of his sent his nude photo to "Playgirl" magazine for its "Boy Next Door" feature. The photo was published, garnering the attention of both adoring female fans and adult film producers. Ron left his job as a special education teacher (for which he holds a master's degree), launching a career in pornography which encompasses over 1600 films and directing over 100 others.

And in the blue corner we have Susan G. Cole. Susan, a Toronto native, is an author, a playwright, and the senior entertainment and books editor at NOW Magazine, Canada's premier news and entertainment weekly. Susan earned her bachelor's degree at Harvard University. She's written about everything from lesbo-punks Tribad 8 to Pulitzer Prizewinning author Toni Morrison, with the likes of Ellen Degeneres and Margaret Atwood in between. Additionally, Ms. Cole has written countless essays and articles in the area of violence against women; many of them are collected in Power Surge: Sex, Violence and Pornography. Her first book, Pornography and the Sex Crisis, is required reading in Women Studies courses across the country.

Not exactly what we would call a fair fight, intellectually speaking.. But since this is a touring event, I am sure the producers have him well prepared.

Dick Cheney Accident

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, spraying the fellow hunter in the face and chest with shotgun pellets.

In other news, comedians and comic strip writers nationwide took the week off. "Are you kidding? This shit writes itself!"

I imagine it may be hundreds of years before any president or vice president is allowed to hunt again. Maybe next time Cheney is inspecting one of those military installations, the Marines can give him a little firearams safety training. Just imagine if he'd killed the guy-- we'd have a president facing charges of manslaughter. It makes that whole 'Clinton indiscretion' thing seem kind of petty, doesn't it?

I'll admit that I feel sorry for both of them. Whittington, because he got shot in the face at the age of 78 years, which sounds like a shitty time, and Cheney, because he accidentally caused grave injury to a close friend. I can't imagine going through that, but people do every day; they have car accidents, work accidents, etc. Tragedy can strike anyone, and if Cheney didn't kill the guy, well... I'm pretty sure it took a few years off his life. Both of their lives, probably.

I don't think anyone's asked the really interesting question: what would've happened if Wittington had died? I don't see Cheney going up the river for it, which is a little upsetting. I know any of us average citizens would be looking at prison time if we unintentionally killed someone, especially with a gun. I don't know if Cheney would even face charges, and if he did he'd surely be pardoned... it makes you think about culpability in the world. No one wants to be held responsible for things they do unintentionally, but there it is: you are responsible for your actions. Everything you do has consequences. Scary.

"I'd like to buy the world a..." (scratch)... uh, something else I guess.

In even graver news of corporate abuse ...

University of Michigan suspends Coke contracts


University of Michigan’s Coalition to Cut the Contract with Coca-Cola, a student-run activist group, has convinced the University of Michigan to suspend contracts with Coca-Cola after allegations of abuse in the company’s foreign plants.

The coalition claims Coca-Cola is polluting groundwater in India and that Coca-Cola partnered with paramilitary forces to cause the death of eight union members in Colombia.

“Coke likes to say that they’re not responsible for the action in their bottling camps, but somehow when paramilitary forces blockade the roads, they find a way to get through,” Lindsey Rogers, Michigan sophomore and member of the coalition said.

Twelve universities have suspended contracts with Coca-Cola based on the allegations.

Coca-Cola spokeswoman Kerry Kerr said the company would hire an impartial, independent third party to investigate.

“We are committed to work with all those schools so they have the facts and we can continue to have a partnership with them in the future,” she said.


— Michigan Daily (U. Michigan)

Miss Patch Bags by Tiffany

Just in time to completely miss Valentines Day, I'm plugging Miss Patch Bags by Tiffany. Tiffany is a fellow graduate of Bensalem High Detention Center. Her prowess as a fashion visionary can be viewed at www.misspatch.com. The site is awesome, so check her out; she's a starving artist (and I mean starving, look at the girl!) and extremely talented, so please support her!!

I began about seven years ago making handbags and backpacks for friends. This grew into a business traveling to Rices Flea Market in New Hope, PA as well as other craft shows and festivals in the area.

I currently sell some of my pieces on ebay® and decided to create a website with a collection of my personal favorites. I have designed and created all of my bags with selected fabrics such as faux fur, denim, corduroy, cotton, velvet, silk, satin and some vintage fabrics. Since all my bags are handmade originals, no two are identical. To place special orders please contact me at mailto:misstiff273@entermail.net.

Tiffany was voted Craziest Hair in her graduating class. She rocks hard and probably has better taste in music than you do, so do yourself a favor: check out one of her bags for yourself or someone you want to please.

Damn! Who knew?

I came across this article today while perusing in the university's independent student newspaper and thought I would share it with all of our loyal readers so you might make intellegent buying decisions. I doubt it will curb the purchase of said "unmentionables" but maybe it might convince a few people to cancel delivery of the catalogue...

For Valentine's Day gifts, don't visit Victoria's Secret
By Sarah Cochran, President, Animal Liberation League.

This Valentine’s Day, choose a store other than Victoria’s Secret for your last-minute shopping.

Victoria’s Secret publishes 395 million catalogs a year, many of which are never read and are thrown away. The company receives 25 percent of their paper from the endangered Boreal Forest in Canada, one of the world’s largest remaining ecosystems. The woodland caribou population has declined 20 percent over the past 20 years due to continuous logging, and an estimated 85,000 migratory bird nests have been destroyed in Ontario in just one year. The Boreal is one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems remaining in North America and is home to thousands of animal species, including wolves, cougars and wolverines.

Monday at Speaker’s Circle, Forest Ethics and the Animal Liberation League held a demonstration against Victoria’s Secret’s harmful practices toward the environment.

Forest Ethics, an international environment group, initiated the Victoria’s Dirty Secret campaign (www.victoriasdirtysecret.net). The campaign encourages Victoria’s Secret to end logging from Canada’s Boreal Forest and other endangered habitats. The campaign also encourages the company to maximize its catalog’s recycled content. Victoria’s Secret catalogs contain little post-consumer recycled content. If you are a fan of the company’s clothing, help us let them know their cataloging practices are unacceptable.

-Reprinted from the Maneater: MU's Independent Student Newspaper.

Ruth Ruth and CD Baby

I finally got around to ordering the latest Ruth Ruth cd, "Right About Now." I say 'the latest' and not 'new' because it's been out for a while, and I knew this; I don't know why I've been putting it off. Maybe I thought it might appear in my stocking or something.

Ruth Ruth is best described as neuroses rock; they follow the classic guitar rock sensibilities and simple chord schemes one might expect from Green Day, but Chris Kennedy accompanies this with a nervous vocal style that's tormented; the lyrics are completely unhinged, the ravings of the improperly medicated.

Imagine the neuroses of the modern age including issues of displacement, mommy and daddy issues, sexual inhibition, violence, stalking, and every other type of narcotics- fueled mania and you'll start getting the idea.

"Are you My Friend" is still one of my favorite albums and would be even if he music wasn't great; Chris Kennedy really knows how to tell bizarre noir- fetish stories lyrically. What other band writes about alien invasion ("Her from Planet Fur"), erectile dysfunction ( Think! Anatomic), and good old-fashioned stalking (If I Can't Have You), all on the same album?

I'm also very fond of the EP "The Little Death," appropriately named because it may be the darkest, weirdest thing I've listened to since Nine Inch Nails' "Pretty Hate Machine" (still a staple where I come from). The whole album is pretty nuts, and I seriously dig it.

If any of this sounds like your cup of tea, check them out.

With any luck, the new(er) album will be more of the same. Their webpage referred me to a site called CD Baby, where I plunked down my hard earned moola. Interestingly, you're able to pay for your loot with Paypal if you so choose, which may be of interest to those of you who make your paper selling bootleg DVDs and Grandma's knicknacks on ebay.

I couldn't help but be amused when, the day after I made my purchase, I received this follow- up email:

Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.

A team of 50 employees inspected your CD and polished it to make sure it was in the best possible condition before mailing.

Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CD into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy.

We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved 'Bon Voyage!' to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, Tuesday, February 14th.

I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did. Your picture is on our wall as 'Customer of the Year'. We're all exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!

Blue October: Foiled

Texas 'depression rock' band Blue October is releasing their new cd "Foiled" next month, with a tour to follow. Their new website went up yesterday, featuring some interview links, media, photos, etc. If you haven't heard these guys yet, shame on you. Click on the media link, lauch their player and catch up with your more cultured betters.


They're also offering "Hate Me" t-shirts plugging their new single, which is reportedly doing extremely well, for the low price of $3 each (shipping kicks that up a bit, but c'mon; $3? Go buy one). I think I ordered nine of them or something; who knows. They're that cheap because there's some Texas music festival they're trying to flood with their fans for visibility. Crassly commercial? Sure. Look, I'm okay with them taking over the world; they're my friends.


I'm looking forward to the tour and the new album with a fervor many reserve for the Second Coming of the Big Guy. If you've never seen these guys play live, then be assured that you've never really heard them; Blue October's live show is a visceral, nerve- blistering sound experience likely on par with sexual release.

These boys play for keeps. If you've ever really loved or really hated someone (or maybe both), if you've ever felt unsure about yourself, if you've ever been hurt or pissed-off, if you've ever been outraged, or if you're just sick of cookie- cutter bands, go and see them play.

A close second- place experience would be to check out their live DVD "Argue With A Tree", available at their on-line store. You can get the 2 disc CD and the DVD for $30, which definitely worked for me.

By the way, they are playing in St Louis on the 25th of March, ahem, at some place called Mississippi Nights.

Bike Co-Op

So much for the warm front . The sign at the bank up the street says '9 degrees'. Clearly I did something horrific in a past life.

Or maybe it was in this one...

New project going, so I thought I'd share. A nearby apartment complex has been confiscating and storing improperly parked and abandoned bicycles from their property. They currently have around 25 or so in storage. After a ninety day period during which the owner can choose to retrieve their steed, they ordinarily make them into dumpster food. However, recently I was approached by one of their groundskeepers and my services as a 'wrenchman' were engaged thusly: if I fix up a few of these clunkers for their apartment staff to use to get around the complex on (it's the biggest apartment complex in Minnesota), something like five or six of them I think, I get to keep the rest.

Of course, there's not much to keep here. I checked them out and it's largely a collection of old Murrays, Huffys, a few department store Schwinns, Pacifics, one or two ancient, rusty road bikes, and maybe two or three base model mountain bikes or hybrids. Not exactly a treasure trove, but thats how it is with abandoned stuff. I think the best I can hope for are the sad leftovers of decent bikes which have been stripped of parts in the night and abandoned.

So, why would I want to do this? Because I enjoy the work, actually. Call me crazy, but I like working on bikes. I like turning wrenches. Weird but true. If anything, I'll probably lose money, because I don't like to do stuff half-assed and the apartment complex has expressed a desire not to spend any money on this. That means that fresh grease and clean new cables and housings will be paid for out of my pocket. Of course, thats about all I plan to spend on this little gig. Some of the bikes will end up being picked for parts, but with what I cobble together I should be able to build a few halfway decent bikes to donate to a charity such as PACT or maybe the Salvation Army.

I've actually been wondering for a while if this might be a good town to start a bicycle co-op in. The business model has been very successful in a few cities, particularly on the west coast, and it seems like a good thing. Cheap bikes would be made available for those who couldn't otherwise afford transportation and for those who want to do their part for the planet and save a little on gas money. Clinics could be offered for anyone who wants to learn simple bike maintenance and repair, or even just about the ins and outs of riding a bike to work or school once in a while. Perhaps workstands and basic tools could be open for rent by the hour.

I had jotted down some notes detailing such a plan last semester, the nexus of it being that these apartment complexes dispose of tons of these old bikes every year, as does MSU. I was told that the college donates most of their bikes to PACT; I asked if they were interested in diverting some of these for auction or to be donated to the university cycling club for fund- raising purposes, but the campus office handling this stuff was profoundly uninterested in this. I guess thats why I thought it was cool when this guy asked me if I wanted to do this work.

Anyway, it's just an idea, you know... in embryo still, but I have three of these old bikes at home now that I'm going to fix up for the apartments. I guess we'll see what happens next.

Sony Playstation 2: Class Action Suit-- Feb. 16th Deadline!

Sony is facing a class action lawsuit over the performance of the Playstation 2 game system, and I couldn't be happier. If you are one of the poor, pathetic sons of bitches who still have one of the older systems, including models 30001, 30001R, 35001, 39001, 39010, 50001 and 50010, you should immediately copy down your serial number and get a piece of this shit, and fast.

Stay tuned for the story on why I want Sony to get fucked hard and fast by this lawsuit:

I bought one of these machines on the launch date and was incensed beyond belief at the atavistic state of their quality control and customer service (see also 'Convenient Fuck you in the Ass service'), which I had to send in for repair twice at great cost to me and which I finally traded at a Game Crazy before it finally died. I feel for the poor hapless son of a bitch who wound up with that lemon.

I actually contacted Sony to get the serial number from my origninal ill-fated machine so I could get in on the action, but the bastards wouldn't release the information to me, despite an hour and a half battle over the phone. I wonder why not? Could it be that they don't want to face up to the consequences of their shitty manufacturing? The representative, a slippery shit named Seyi, Employee number 47052, explained how this was for my protection; a lie akin to saying that the lock on my door is for the protection of burglars who might accidentally stumble in.

The sad thing is that I used to love things Sony. My first tape player was a Sony, I had an incredible little Sony Walkman which lasted me for years and was barely larger than a cassette, and I have several Sony Discmans which by and large are terrific little machines. But I have some deeply ingrained issues with the Sony Playstation 2.

This is not because I hate the system, the games or the controllers. No, what I hate is the manufacturer and its hopelessly inept quality control. If you want to play PS2 games, you must have a Playstation 2; they have a monopoly on the manufacturing of this particular machine. I have loved many Playstation and PS2 games, including the Metal Gear franchise, all things Tenchu, Syphon Filter 1 and 2, Onimusha, and definitely Socom. I even bought Ghost Recon 2 for PS2 because it's different from the Xbox version. But the damn things are fragile and everyone knows it.

I bought a PS2 on the day it came out. I picked it up at Game Stop back when it was a Software Etc. (I think?) at their dippy little midnight PS2 launch extravaganza ('extravaganza' is retail speak for waiting in line with a host of members of the same sex in a bizarre recreation of a sci-fi convention line). The launch price, as you may recall, was a whopping $300.

The machine was trouble from the very start. I had a major compatibility issue with my television set, an aging Zenith (Peenith?) . This resulted in the famous 'bouncing screen' problem, which set the picture on my television to pronging up and down rythmically like kangaroos in the mating season any time I tried to play a PS1 game on it. Backwards- compatibility was a major selling point back then, and I'd planned to give my PS1 to my little brother. The more pressing problem was that it tended to freeze up at inopportune times, particularly if you tried to watch DVD movies on it. At the time the DVD playback feature was a big deal; I'd bought the machine with the intention of using it for movies and games. DVD players were a lot more expensive then, and I used it for both. (No one would dream of this now.)

When I contacted Sony for a fix on these two problems five days after purchasing the machine, the representative explained that they had no fix for the bouncing screen problem and that I should just wait until they did and send the machine in to have both problems fixed at one time; no point in my PS2 making two trips. Subsequent calls garnered the same excuse. It turned out that no fix for the bouncing screen problem ever was presented. Finally I decided to send it in anyway, only to learn that in the interim my 90 day warranty had expired. I was asked to pay a $118 service fee to fix a problem that should've been covered by manufaturer's warranty. In the end I agreed to pay $69 and was still incredibly incensed by the overtly deceptive and fraudulent way in which my warranty issue was handled. I can only assume that those cocksuckers hire their customer service representatives straight out of the sex offender ward of prison and that their policies are written by Beelzebub himself. This was only the first of two times my PS2 went back in for repair.

See why I'm still pissed off?

I hope that everyone who can takes advantage of the class action lawsuit. I hope that Sony gets it stuck to them fiercely, because Fuck Them, they fucked me over but good.

Do I hate the PS2? No. I still own one, a new 'slimline' model, although I mostly play Xbox these days. My first Xbox still runs like a champ. Will I ever buy another launch date device that says Sony on it? Don't hold your fucking breath.

A Full and Worthwhile Day

I have so much to say today, I don't know where to begin.

Today has been like Christmas. To start with, the temperature here in Mankato Minnesnowta finally managed to crawl up out of the teens to 38 degrees. I went to school wearing a fleece jacket instead of the usual eight layers; it was nice not to be bundled up like a third grader. I must've looked odd without my Michelin- man- thick array of jackets because three people asked me if I'd had my stomach stapled.

Then there was the mail, or a quick trip to the UPS depot to be precise, where I picked up my copy of Attack of the Bacon Robots, the first treasury of Penny Arcade comic strips. (I wasn't home the three times they tried to deliver.)

Penny Arcade truly is a source of joy and beauty in a world fraught with darkness and lies. To say that I love it like a fat kid loves cake doesn't do it justice. I got back into the car, started it, and then lost all control and opened the package. Then I sat in the UPS parking lot and read the first 1/4 of the book, so great is my self control. I then thought about the gas I was wasting and the rumbling in my stomach and finally set the book aside to drive home, only to stop at a Godfather's Pizza for their lunch buffet, where I sat stuffing my face with supreme slices on thin crust and laughing my ass off. I soon realized that all I needed was a Blue October cd to listen to and Kate Beckinsale to cuddle with in order to achieve a state of bliss no Buddhist would ever know. Penny Arcade is that good. That's how a ten minute drive home became a two and a half hour journey.

Oh, and to anyone who asks, 'Why would you buy the same comic strips you can read on their web archive for free?', I have only this answer for you: Shut your stupid mouth before I come kick you in the balls as hard as I can. There's something special about having the book to hold in your hands, without the necessity of electricity and a 3 meg connection. Penny Arcade enhances the quality of my life by making me laugh and think; the quality of the humor, in all of it's depravity and devilish cleverness, is a beacon in the night. Buying their book is small enough payment for years of enjoyment.


The warm weather also gave me an opportunity to finally install the Yakima Steelhead tray on the roof rack of my little Geo Prism.

I really do prefer fork mount trays, so the Steelhead is a great improvement. To be honest, all I had on there was an upright mount and a 9mm Fork Tandem mount. Both of these mounts date back to when the car belonged to my parents and my father needed a means to convey both his Cannondale mountain tandem (an MT 800, I think) and his Rans Screamer, a recumbent tandem.

The 9mm mount has been unused for so long that the skewer is seized up like the Taliban's global assets, so I finally removed it from my roof rack. It was getting in the way of the Steelhead and interfering with the fairing, and while it can be used to mount a conventional bike, it rides nearly a foot higher in the air and is generally just silly, in addition to which the arm which supports this mount seems to weigh more than one of the axles on my car. The Steelhead tray will be a big improvement, and I finally got to use one of the SKS lock cores that I've been hoarding for literally (yes, that was the correct spelling of 'hoarding') six years. The one thing I will miss about having that ridiculous tandem mount on the roof of my car is how easily visible it was in crowded parking lots.

Now I have an upright mount and a fork mount. I was considering replacing the upright mount with a Viper fork mount in case I have to ferry a bike to the park with a disc brake caliber, but then I remembered that I didn't want to be friends with anyone who rides with disc brakes (I'm half-way kidding). I may pick up a Copperhead fork mount (my lbs has them for $50 right now) and put the upright mount in the middle.