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This morning traffic in downtown San Diego was brought to a standstill. A woman (yet unnamed) was threatening to throw herself from a freeway overpass, onto the traffic below. As far as I know, the traffic is still stopped all the way to the horizon. The only thing this woman has accomplished is making a raging mess for anyone that needs to go anywhere in San Diego. Read the news here: 10 News Coverage

This brings me to my point, suicide is a selfish act. People that commit suicide are doing it because they have decided to stop facing the problems in their life right now. It leaves a huge mess behind for their loved ones, and the people who cared about said suicidal mess are often left as broken shells. Those people who commit suicide are doing little more than saying “I don’t care enough about the people around me to take responsibility for my life and LIVE.” Read more »

It seems, lately, that every time a new system is released by Microsoft or Apple, people exclaim the same thing again and again. “Fine, if you are going to make me pay for an operating system, I’ll just go to Linux.” I am a fan of Linux, myself, but I don’t know if there is much difference between saying you will switch to Linux and a child threatening to hold their breath until they turn blue.

For the most part, people that are Windows people are religious and those that are Apple people are the same. They believe that their way is right. Microsoft is the only way! Apple is the only way! They both run many of the same applications or some reasonable analog. Mac is the platform for non-gamers, in general. Windows is the gamer platform. Now we have a third competitor. Read more »

Lately I have been getting ever more frustrated and irritated with Apple. They can’t seem to do anything without looking for some way to monetize it. Granted, they are a company looking to do business and make money, but I have so been yearning for a time when things are not only made for the sake of making money. May I please have something that doesn’t turn me into a walking billboard?

So, people have been calling for an integrated FM radio function on iPods for quite some time. Apparently us ‘regular’ iPod owners aren’t worthy, but the spiffy iPhones and iTouches had this function built in and ready to go. This is the current rumor, at least. Read more »

Here’s the deal, Monster Energy drinks. I really dislike the flavor and generally don’t buy them. Up to this point, I stayed out of the way if someone else wanted to buy it, but I don’t. My tune has changed. I am sick of Corporate America taking advantage of the people in this country because they have more money. I dislike the RIAA. I dislike Microsoft. I’m no big Apple fan either. Now Monster is on my list.

So, there is this little company in Vermont. I had never heard of them before today, which is kind of the point. Monster Energy HAS heard of them. The company is called Rock Art Brewery and they produce a beer called “The Vermonster.” Clever play on Vermont or full frontal assault on Monster Energy?

I say clever word-play, Monster says trademark infringement. A cease and desist order has been sent to this tiny company. Threats of lawsuit are imminent. This is clear abuse of US law. Normally I don’t do this, but I am calling you to arms. Vote with your dollar. Quit buying Monster Energy drinks. Give their competitor your hard earned money and let them know that they have crossed the line.

Please visit the Rock Art Brewery website and watch the video below. It’s past time to take action against these new mobsters that hijack language and then sell it back at a premium.

Rock Art Brewery: http://rockartbrewery.com/

I am not about to tear into a rant of epic proportion about Nietzsche and his yes-saying positive life approach, though I think the worst thing you can do is lie to yourself. I am, however, in a bit of a quandary. I just read this article (click) and I’m not quite sure how I should feel about it. On the one hand, I am a supporter of same-sex marriage, but on the other hand, his assumptions fly in the face of everything I hold dear about the human condition as it relates to societal norms.

Here’s the setup: So, the argument is that marriage is a right, therefore it is granted outside of the realm of public opinion. Anyone that wishes to call a vote to disallow specifics within marriage is fighting against right. This means that the natural order would disallow the vote that occurred in California (where I live). Read more »

Actually, that’s not true. The CLOUD is falling. People keep talking about the cloud this and the cloud that. Right, let’s talk about the cloud for a moment. I’m not about to say that I am the foremost expert on cloud technology and I couldn’t give you all of the technical details as to how to arrange a cloud architecture. What I do know is that the cloud scares me a little.

This is not the kind of scared that I get walking down an alley at night with no streetlights. This is the kind of scared that I get when I think about losing every last shred of data that I ever owned because either a) I lost my password or b) someone crashed a box. Read more »

Over the past weekend, I finished work on a new web look and feel for a project I have maintained for years.  Gothic Angst Webzine is dead. Long live Gothic Angst! The new site is called Althaus Magazine.  I had plans to integrate a forum, but I lost time and ended up putting that function on the back burner.  This morning, thinking about my plan of attack, I started to formulate a question: why am I doing this?

There’s more to this question, of course.  It’s not the existentialist “why am I here?” It’s the more prudent, “does this make sense?” Ultimately, it occurred to me that forums don’t make sense any more when paired with an informational website. Forums are, for the most part, dinosaurs. Relics of a time when user interaction on the Internet was limited to MUDs, IRC and Bulletin Boards. Read more »

I was pointed to an article stating that an artist should only be compensated for art created under commission.  You can read the entire argument here. I would argue that she is correct. Artists should be compensated for a commission as detailed in the contract made. I disagree that artists should NOT be compensated for their art.

The Muse is proposed as being the client for art created outside of commission. This poses a problem. How do we define art? Do we simply say that anything created on inspiration is art? I feel inspired at least once a day to make a deposit in the nearest toilet. Is that art? Are my bodily urges my Muse? Read more »