A couple of weeks ago, I read an interesting article in Times Magazine about Joost – a system for distributing video and audio over the Internet using peer-to-peer technology. This weekend I’ve been trying out the beta version of the software, and I have to say I’m highly impressed. With my fairly standard broadband setup (7Mb down/800K up), I’m able to get near TV quality image and high quality sound on my PC – without any stuttering or pausing. The application comes with the usual “social networking” functionality, such as IM, chat rooms where you can discuss whatever you’re watching at the moment, user defined “widgets”, etc, etc – all presented in a simple yet delicate transparent user interface.

For a beta platform, the content isn’t bad at all. Even Aqua Teen Hunger Force is represented, if that’s your thing Hopefully more national channels will be added. I would love to watch Scandinavian television over this system.

Joost – the future of television ?

Joost also comes with a cool Search feature, where you can – wait-for-it – …. search for contents. I did a search for “Norway”, and up came a channel with a live performance of Thomas Dybdahl, a Norwegian singer/song writer performing live with his band at a venue in Amsterdam. I have to admit that I didn’t know of this dude before, and boy have I ever missed out! The live clip on Joost prompted me to snatch his latest album – Science – from iTunes. If you like soulful, mellow, hauntingly beautiful pop music, go ahead and give this guy a try.

Full beard is back, I’m telling ya!

Ohhh Snap! Here we go again. Back in 1974, Rose Mary Woods – president Nixon’s loyal secretary – took the blame for “accidentally” erasing aprox 5 minutes of the famous “18-min-gap on one of Nixon Audio Tapes. These tapes were central to the Watergate Scandal.

Apparently, something similar has occured over at the White House and the RNC lately Only this time around, these busybodies may have “lost” 5 million emails due to a “technical glitch” when they converted from Lotus Notes to Outlook (Exchange Server?) back in 2002-2003.

And parallel to this, Karl Rove and other White House aids has been busy deleting email from their own accounts over at the RNC server – accounts that they probably shouldn’t use for official business in the first place (Presidential Records Act anyone?)

Rose Mary demonstrating how some of the tape was erased while she was talking on the phone – this maneuver has since become to be known as the “Rose Mary Stretch” – nowadays this is called a “technical glitch”

Again, who needs shitty reality TV when we have Dems with subpoena powers and CSPAN ? God, I love American politics

Last night it was time for The State of the Union Address again. In my household, this yearly event is considered high quality entertainment. We (well I) rank it up there with the NFL playoffs. We’re weird, I know. So, last night, we cut the doggie walk short, hurried back home, nuked some popcorn and benched ourselves around the TV eagerly anticipating the “show” to start.

I have to admit that I felt abit disappointed this year. My blood pressure stayed under control during the whole speech, something that hasn’t happened before. Senator Jim Webbs SOTU response was good though. Damn, I’m so happy to see this guy representing Virginia instead of Racist-Allen. Gives one hope.

And I’m pleased to announce that our Loki doesn’t like the Pres’dint or his policies. He was kinda indifferent during the domestic drivel last night – actually, he was happily snoring with his enormous head in my lap during most of it. When King George started his usual “war against terra” mantra, about half way into the address, Loki jumped down from the couch and started tearing apart the Dubya Chew Toy we got him last weekend. Good Boy Loki I gave him a cookie for the effort.

I swear I didn’t have anything to-do with it. I admit I’ve tried to get Barron to growl every time ex Faux News anchor Tony Snow’s lying at WH press conferences, but I wanted Loki to make up his own mind about politics.

More about where to get a Dubya Chew Toy comming up in a later posting.  

Looks like we’re picking up 30 seats in the House.  Unbelievable!  It’s 12:30AM and Webb (D) in Virginia is up by 3000 votes for the first time tonight !!  3000 of over 2 million cast votes in VA …. looks like this one will end up in the courts.  We need 2 more seats to win the Senate.   McCaskill is still behind by 4 points in Missouri, but the chatter out there tells us that this can change (in our favour)…   that leaves us with Tester in Montana …  oooooooohhh …. I need a drink ….

Update 1:30AM - McCaskill’s leading Talent in MO, Tester’s leading crazy-Burns in MT, Web’s leading Allen in VA …. right now we have both houses !!!  Oh my – oh my …  I’m going to bed … smiling and slightly tipsy (Jim Beam on the Rocks … eh… rocks)  *giggle*

“This is a weird story. President Bush has apologized today for scolding a member of the White House press corps for wearing sunglasses because he found out the reporter is legally blind. … Bush also apologized for telling physicist Stephen Hawking `to get off your lazy ass.’”
—Conan O’Brien

“[President Bush,] you were in Baghdad for six hours. You weren’t even in the real Baghdad. You were in the Green Zone. That’s like going to the Olive Garden and saying you’ve been to Italy.”
—Jon Stewart

“Anybody here from New Zealand? They have a big, new attraction. It’s a live sex show in New Zealand. They have actual bulls mounting a simulated cow. Good to see Ann Coulter getting some work.”
—David Letterman

So, this weekend we finally took the big step:  throwing out the good ol’ and trusty circuit switching marvel (the regular phone service) with the new and up-coming packet switched alternative:  VoIP from Vonage.  Actually, we kept the physical phone – but the paradigm changed , so to speak.  And why did we do this again ?  Why throw out a service that always works, a service that you trust and take for granted ?   

The simple and short answer is:  Price.   There is no way regular phone companies can compete with Vonage’s aggressive pricing.  We already have the infrastructure in place (a 7Mb cable solution), so the descision was a no-brainer … I thought.  Yeah, you also get oodles of neat add-on features (free for now) by switching to a more modern technology like VoIP, but that wasn’t the important factor for us. 

Late Saturday night, I kicked myself for becoming such an integrated part of this country’s Wal-Mart economics  (Get cheap junk for less $$).    After spending over 2 1/2 on my cell phone with Vonage’s international “support” organisation, I started to get a creeping feeling that the switch to VoIP was a bad idea.  First I spent almost two hours with a “support” drone on job training that obviously wasn’t able to help.  Then I was forwarded to a techie that sounded like he knew what he was talking about.  He wasn’t able to help me either, and put me on hold.   After another 30 minutes I gave (and hung) up.   After some trials and errors I was finally able to get the phone adapter working myself.  Well.. kinda working … outgoing voice quallity (upstream) is not too good …

VoIP will take over for traditional landbased telephones down the road.  I think that’s a given.  But,  after experiencing Calcutta HelpDesk Inc’s dreadful “support” efforts,  I’m no longer sure if this was the right move right now.  I’ll give the service a couple of weeks before I conclude.  If – in that timeframe – I have to reboot the phone adapter (router) once,  I’ll send the shit back and keep on supporting/getting ripped off by my local phone company. 

Thought this one was cute

I actually had one of those little Fords some years ago. Great mileage and easy to park. And no, Hairbrush Divas was not stuck in my CD player.

And while we’re at it, let’s quote John Steward from the Daily Show last night:

Stewart: “Donald Rumsfeld: Love him or hate him, you gotta admit…a lot of people hate him.”-

Stewart: Will Rumsfeld resign?
Dan Bakkedahl: No, Jon, no. His family has urged him to stick with it. Right now, they’d still rather have him oversee the biggest fiasco in military history than have him spend more time at home. He’s a bit of a dick.

Just in: Scott “We don’t comment on ongoing investigations” McClellan resigns. My goodness. I guess Scotty finally got tired of lying to a hostile press corp. So who’s next ? There are already rumors saying that someone from Faux News will take over. Unbelievable, but I guess it makes sense. They’re already an integral part of King George’s propaganda machine. I’ll put my hard-earned cents on Karen Hughes – Dubya’s Goebbels. She would make a wonderfull Press Secretary.

Hmf… looks like it works – not bad for an old dude, eh ?  If you’re in the market for a place to host your web site, check out www.openthoughthosting.com  (and tell Eric that I sent you). 

Some numbers from BBC News (a fairly well known, but highly slanted and biased news outlet):

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4699964.stm

2004
Total attacks: 26496
Improvised bombs: 5607
Car bombings: 420
Suicide car bombings: 133
Suicide bombers wearing explosive vests: 7

2005
Total attacks: 34131
Improvised bombs: 10593
Car bombings: 873
Suicide car bombings: 411
Suicide bombers wearing explosive vests: 67

Yup, those numbers looks good to me.  One can almost spot a trend here. Dubya, you do a heckuva good job.  And I’m pleased to see that our fair and balanced, but perhaps not all the way consistent friends over at Faux agree:

Another fine example on how Faux News – our incompetent Administration’s propaganda machine – is working.

1. Deny and/or reframe the issues
2. Blame the Media
3. Blame the Dems
4. Blame the Critics

Rinse, wash and repeat the lies until “the folks get it” as our pres’dint so eloquently put it some time back.

Bah!

First of all, it’s Torino, not Turin. As long as we’re able pronounce the city name without having to spend the night in the ER with a chronic tongue cramp, use the local/native name instead of a shity made-up anglophiled one. C’mon – Torino sounds way better than Turin. Same goes for Venezia, Veneto, Milano, Firenze.