I am (sometimes)

In light of this being the first real post in a long time, you may want to brace yourself with a large steal girder in anticipation of the length of this.

So, it was a very short summer. As most of you know, I spent the summer living with Jo. It was quite relaxing. Granted, it was a twenty-five minute walk to work every day at 8.30 in the morning. But the walk was pleasent, and work was enjoyable. I think I very much appreciate the monthly paycheck. It makes it feel like I'm not working for the money, but just to have something to do. Then every now and then, <poof> I have money. Fun stuff.

I've spent a lot of time on my "Episode Guider" program this summer. A little bit ago, amongst knowledge of the horrendousness of that name, and a desire to expand it, I renamed it. It's now called "Universe Manager." Still an uncreative name, but much better than before. Anyway, planned functionality includes:

Anyway, I hope to have all of this interlink - Characters with Issues (Comics or Episodes or Movies) and events, and make it really easy to build a coherent model of a fictional (or, real, if you wanted to, I guess) universe. If any of you have any more ideas, please let me know.

So, yeah. This summer has been work and programming. It's been awesome fun. Lets see. Recently what I have I done? I moved twice in the first two weeks of Septmeber. That was so fun. Sigh, I finally get used to living on my own, and then it's taken away from me. The place I was at for ten days was actually pretty nice, though it lacked a kitchen, save the communal one down the hall. Not that I cook much, but it made it feel more like a hotel room. Only without a TV.

I went to my first concert at Bumbershoot with Zach. Saw some regge guy I didn't like, then Zach dragged me to his bluegrass freaks. Then we missed some people in favor of food. Then I came back to see The Killers, but came back a little too late. I missed half their show, waiting for them to let us overflow people in. Sad. But it was a really fun show - the twenty/thirty minutes I saw anyway. Then we saw the Pixies, which was pretty cool, albeit cold. All-in-all a good day.

Before I had moved to this in-between place, I had found a papason chair on the street. The cussions were pretty gross, but I figured I could clean them up. So I got a bunch of cleaning supplies and went out on my balcony (yes, temp place had a balcony. cool, huh?) to clean it. Nothing really helped until I got to the bleach. But that took a lot of bleach. I didn't really think about it, so I didn't bother with gloves. After a while I notice my right hand's finger tips seem to have little needle cuts and hurt a lot. So I switch hands. That was Saturday. On Sunday, I try it again, this time with my left hand and the same thing happens. I should have figured out sooner that you should not expose your bare skin to a strong base for so long. So I got gloves to finish it. I burned off my fingertips - second degree burn, I think. I didn't have full-tactile respons until about ten days later. But it never really got clean to my satisfaction. So I went downtown and bought a papason pad myself. Sigh, burned fingers for nothing. How lame. Well, I guess I got the story from that, but is it really any good?

After much ordeal Zach and I finally made it to the Weird Al concert at the Puyallup Fair last week. That was fun. We went on lots of rides - they even had one ride that was just the loop from a roller-coaster, that ride was so perfect. Oh, and we won little bears playing skeeball.

I finally got the internet back to myself after a fornight of loss in mid-September. Moving makes it much harder. If I didn't work for a software company and have internet at work, I don't know what I would have done. Anyway, now it's back, and I'm all caught up on my Stargate and Andromeda. Hooray! Nice and fast connection too. Go Qwest! Fuck you Comcast!
Okay, for those of you who don't know why Comcast is a bitch, let me tell you. We tried their "high-speed" internet last year and it wasn't so high-speed. Not only that, but it dropped us a lot. I don't know, maybe it was my router firmware - when I upgraded that with Qwest it worked a lot better. Anyway, when I called them up to switch my account over to Bethany, who is the current resident of my residence and services from last year, they were stupid. Not only does their website provide no simple listing of their phone number (which is 1-800-COMCAST), but it took ten minutes to find just any one. The genius who developed their answering system really sucks ass. They have this beep that is really loud, hoarse, and irritating, that sounds just after you've turned up your volume so you can hear the fucking hold music that is playing just soft enough you think they hung up on you. So after several menus they ask for my telephone number, so they know about which account I'm calling. Then they replay those same menus and ask again. After giving it to them again, and waiting some more, I'm finally connected to someone, in Hollywood who tells me I need to call 1-800-COMCAST to get to the Seattle people so they can deal with me. So after calling 1-800-COMCAST, and being on hold for some time again, and giving me phone number and menu options several times, I'm transfered to Hollywood again. This time some other guy says he'll transfer me. But he transfers me to the same idiotic message system which routed me to him in the first place. So I hang up, and it occurs to me that the sick fuck who asked for my number DIDN'T ACTUALLY USE IT! They sent me to Hollywood because my cell phone has a So-Cal area code. What a bitch. So I had Bethany use her landline and of course they answer her call immediately. But that's not the end of it. I tell them what I want to do, and they say I have to take a 60 minute bus ride to sign a paper that says Bethany is taking over the use of this "$300" digital cable box which we weren't even using. Give me a break. I could probably build a home theater pc pvr with that kind of money. Or even mod an xbox. Finally, after demanding to speak to a supervisor, and being on hold again, they arrange to pick up the box.

I recently commited my first act of political participation (besides voting on local reforms and municipal offices I couldn't care less about). I participated in the call-in day for save betamax. I called a bunch of senators and my local reps too. Then I drafted a letter to Orin Hatch, the main guy pushing the INDUCE Act (it's at the end of the post if you want to read it - please feel free to sign it and send it to your people). For those of you who don't know, the INDUCE Act makes companies responsible for the actions (copyright infringement) of their customers if they "induce" them to commit that action. Even though recent versions have provisions in place that no longer make things like the iPod and VCRs illegal like the original draft did, it's still pretty bad. These provisions will not extend to future developments, and reverse the twenty-year history of the Betamax decision that spawned a lot of innovation. I encourage all of you to sign up with save betamax in case they have more work ahead of them, which they will if it makes it out of the Sentate Judiciary Committee. I've already followed up once.

Classes started on Wednesday. I'm taking Phil 347 - Personal Values, CSE 370 - Digital Design (computer hardware), and Scand 330 - Scandinavian (Norse) Mythology. Laura is in my personal values class. I got a bad vibe from the teacher on Wednesday. I hope it doesn't last. CSE is looking like it's going to be more interesting than I thought it would be. I've already found myself enjoying it. I think it's stuff I really need to know, and want to know. Hopefully, if we get through everything, we'll build a small processor at the end of the quarter. My mythology prof seems to know what she's talking about, which is good. Unfortunately, she also seems to think we're fifth graders. She spent seven minutes or so telling us we needed to get a book on how to write term papers because we don't know punctuation or composition or anything. I'm sorry, but we're NOT IN FUCKING GRADE SCHOOL ANYMORE! <remembers Marla from Fight Club> Anyway. The texts in that class should be fun to read. I love mythology. I only have thirteen credits this quarter and I feel really guilty about it. I went to another class on Thursday that I thought I might be interested in, but I'm not. It's about Hegel - apparently he's a very influential philosopher for Marx and everyone else. But he did stupid things like insist "A is A, and not A. At the same time." So I won't be taking that class. Though Zach did have a suggestion. He's taking a History of Canada course from the Canadian department here. I know, I'm shocked too. A Canadian departement? Besides, I didn't even think Canadia had a history. They were there, then Britain realized they didn't want them. Then they were on their own. End of story.

Speaking of mythology, on December 7th guess what comes out on DVD? No, it's not Your Face. Gargoyles Season One. Woot! I'm so excited. I really want to rewatch the whole series, but I'm restraining myself until I'm done with my Universe Manager enough to fill it up with the Gargoyles info.


Anyway. Oleg (my boss) got a resume today (Friday) from some girl who's first name is Phuc. Wow, that was a good laugh. Yay for Friday.

"A romantic comedy. With Zombies" - Tag line for Shaun of the Dead

<Letter to Senators>

Dear Senator,

I am contacting you to express my concern about the Inducing Copyright Infringement Act of 2004 (the INDUCE Act). I fear that this bill may have very grave consequences if passed. Not only does this undermine the Betamax Case of 1984, but I fear it may limit fair use capabilities to an even greater extent. A company, developer, or producer is not at fault for the abuse of his products.

Banning a certain device or software for its ability to commit a crime is akin to banning firearms. Requiring the approval of a new technology to the entertainment industry because someone may use it in a way it was not intended, is like giving the banks in America the right to make certain cars illegal because they could be too fast and encourage a fast get-away from a bank robbery.

The movie industry was very vehemently against the VCR, but now home videos and rentals make up the bulk of their revenue. Just because they have not yet figured out how to use a new technology does not mean that it cannot be done, or that it that technology is a threat to their existence. Even if it were, copyright law has historically always favored new technologies over the industries they �threatened.� Times change, and there is no guarantee to anyone what a current or past business model will remain the same. It is only rights which are insured. That why intellectual property laws were created. Copyright law is to encourage innovation, like patent law, by granting exclusive rights of new developments for a limited time. The banning of any goods and services is not innovative. It goes against the purpose of the rights which this law proposes would enable it.

The solution to the current crisis of copyrights and all intellectual property that has recently arisen is not going to be found by living in the past. Only a serious look at current copyright law and the internet will even provide a glimpse at a solution. The DMCA was a first attempt at this, but has proven too vague (consider that both peer-to-peer copyright infringers and those whose copyrights are being infringed use it as a defense). The DMCA must at the very least be reexamined and clarified, if not rewritten all together. Industry experts, not of the recording or movie studios, but of the internet � its effects on people, how people will react to it, and its consequences for the entertainment industry as well, must be consulted. Please consider clarifications to existing laws before creating a new law to temporarily protect the corporations which claim to be losing their livelihood.

Allowing the movie and music industries to decide the future of technological progress is bad for everyone. People should be responsible their own decisions. Responsibility of an illegal act falls on the individual who commits it; not on the food industry who fed him nor on the hospital which saved his life after a serious illness. To punish a company for providing a good or service which is subsequently abused releases all individuals of all responsibility for whatever actions they may commit. America has stood for individual responsibility � the right to make or break your own life. Please do not destroy this.

Thank you,
Alden King
<contact info withheld>

</Letter to Senators>