Keeping Score

Nerd Photography

I promised myself I wasn't going to buy any more action figures, ever.
But then I saw the new Mace Windu Unleashed figure, and realized that he and Morpheus, well, they've got a score to settle.

And who am I to get in the way of that epic showdown?

Get Your _____ On

Advertisers: Stop it.

"Get Your Smile On" and "Get Your Snack On?" No, seriously, stop.

In my film class, we learned this term called "The Parody." You see, once something has been parodied, that means that it shouldn't actually be used in a serious fashion. The genre is "dead," and either needs to be left alone or re-invented.

I submit to you The Delta Ad. Advertising Executives, this came out on this thing called the internets about six freakin' years ago. The phrase has been mocked and in the grave that long, and you're just now catching on? Please, the only things we "get on" are our shirts in the morning.

When Good Artists Go Bored

Yes, I did another one.

No, I'm not proud of it.

Well, maybe, just a little.

Micro Machines

Something Awful just hosted their weekly Photoshop Phriday, and this time, it was all about the Micro Machines. I don't subscribe to their forums, although I probably should, so I could get in on these things when they happen, but just out of curiosity, I wanted to see if I had what it takes to make my own Micro Machine.

I was worried I couldn't figure this one out. Turns out I still got it. (It was a lot simpler than I originally thought).

Remote Access

Had a revelation while looking for OEM instructions on how to remove my in-dash CD-player to install my iPod cable correctly (no, I haven't ordered it, and yes, I warned you I'm not done talking about the iPod-In-My-Car-Thing yet).

I started browsing stuff on the site for '99 Honda Civic HX's, and lookee there! Keyless remotes! Hey, why would they only sell the remote without the transponder thingie that talks to the car to unlock the doors? Because the transponder is already...get this...BUILT INTO THE FACTORY RADIO ALREADY.

People, I say this in bold and in caps because there is no way to express the volume I need to release when I say this: >I COULD HAVE HAD A KEYLESS REMOTE FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS AND NOBODY, INCLUDING THE DEALER, TOLD ME??!?!??!

No, seriously, the dealer wanted to charge me something like $300-500 to "install the keyless remote system" when I bought my car originally. If they had told me all I had to do was pay $80 in shipping, and turn my ignition on and off 4 times while holding lock down on the remote I would have already owned it. (Have I mentioned before the dealer raped me on my first car?)

So, while I am excited beyond words that I now have a keyless remote for my car, I have to say it's down right FUCKING CREEPY that my car just responds to a keyless remote without installing anything. We're talking flashing parking lights and everything.

I'm sitting here staring at my car wondering, what else can you do that I don't know about?

The New Spam

Got this as a body of email today:

831y 20 hq4300 7g e6 01 0yzl7l b7 0d 23s46g2013 x5xe 88 4t00 06 21 z0 d2 7g 4r 29 8s 26n7r3 8i1v 8542 87qst0 9a e5960i qr9lz1 gz 3n hb 2wq209 6q09 39 ge p1 9z nf 4i zh my 46 d5 u8 94 t7 w0 b3 77 79 25 0g 8p ff u0 3t tx ui uz p1 01 fp cz 83u4 23 r5 6a 26 27576lmn 8g1z9tmx3073 4d t4 od ut1v5i 30 5i 2t o5 z5 a9 r1 9132m35e4tl088 8k mq 5c 2e 24 01 tg i4 tq a8 3l s6 7w 9v ii cf 0e v8 9e 63 b1 v4 12 8q 52 5m q9 4o 33 q6 6e nb 5w 20 n1 s9 6zt6 5x 35 t7 l1 rd 05 p8mt77 bysloy ra 19 66 kgm52o f497veve 80 gg q3 6nwn 782352 9x v09a05537l329z ob54 2q2g1961v4 1s qmwk 2v q6 bi on bxuu g1 07 9n 98 47u8 v5 pl ml 72 9p o5 1q 8e 8s 32 0m h98v ugo6 qq 8p 6wq8 9z 6o12kg n93mv5 8kzgl1 r755 86 18 x2 928b20 81 np 0xi3 02 ub 48 dr 40 366q 19 2x 47 gd 5z p8 qi 03 gg 7u 8o n1 21 05 51 50 nq lw 80 nm b3ls70z7 qt8p24 u1 32 4l 7z 4g y8 5a 4d xs ix 61 pe 34 o9 v4 18 65 72 5e lb 61 dp dg 6d pm 9y yr 3v 8n 0p 73 ee pt 10 y2 6p u178 ed6h y2 72x5u6 eas6 u0 q56ofe l1690h h4 3qs4 3o 05wq08 3lef6f mn i6 6805 52 03 6f740m k2 z8 8g

When formatted correctly (6 pt font size, adjusted margins), it looks like this:

As you can see I'm thrilled by the new efforts to defeat spam filters. This one got right through. Evidently I'm going to have to have it filter the letters "q" and the number "3."

Last iPod Post

I swear, at least until I make my next iPod post.

I found this site while desperately researching how BMW got their radios to play nice with the iPod, and lo, and behold, I find the guys who made the damn connecters that BMW made for the iPod. Only now they make them for all cars. Well, almost all cars. The irony here is that you can probably connect your iPod to the entire line of say, Honda, than the entire line of BMW, and BMW is adverfreakingtising this concept.

Sure, $189 seems a bit pricey, but I figure that's not an awful price to pay to have my iPod play through my existing car stereo. My friend Linda suggested the Alpine stereo, but I have a feeling that unit costs hundreds of dollars (I get lost when Alpine's site transfers me to retailers sites and I lose track of which model supports the iPods), and involves installation fees. This is a do-it-yourself project, which means I save tons of money but lose tons of patience and respect from my neighbors when random swear words come flying out of the garage.

My buddy Phil suggested that I remove my old Honda CD player (which lives in the bay beneath the Honda Stereo), get the faceplate off of it and on hinges, and then put the hinged CD faceplate back on the front of the now empty bay beneath my stereo bay, which will now hold my iPod. It's very James Bondish, which makes me squeal with delight, so I might just take him up on the suggestion.

I'll post more about it when I get around to the conversion process, probably late February, early March-ish.

Darth [Insert Evil Sounding Word Here]

From a conversation I just had at work:

[10:24] Seret: Count Dukoo = Darth Tyrannus
[10:24] Bowler: That's what I figured.
[10:25] Bowler: He should have been called Darth Tyrannus Aurus Ex.
[10:25] Bowler: That would have been even MORE clever
[10:27] Seret: or Darth Stupdenous. No thats my name when Seret becomes Sith.
[10:28] Bowler: What?
[10:28] Bowler: You should totally have been Darth Funkotronic.
[10:28] Seret: No way thats silly
[10:29] Bowler: Well, then I'm going to be Darth Serious.
[10:29] Seret: too much like Yahoo Serious
[10:29] Bowler: Well then, how 'bout Darth No, Really, I'm Serious?
[10:29] Bowler: Oooh! I know!
[10:29] Bowler: Darth Doom
[10:29] Bowler: or Darth Armaggedon.
[10:29] Bowler: Darth Catastrophe!
[10:30] Bowler: Darth Cunning
[10:30] Seret: How about Darth Bignuts, show them Jedi you mean business
[10:30] Bowler: lol
[10:31] Bowler: Darth Viking Horde
[10:31] Bowler: Oh wait, even better...
[10:31] Bowler: Darth Vader Zim

Podcasting

Well, this was supposed to be a comments entry, but it got so long I figured it could just be its own post. Ellewiz asks just what kind of FM transmitter I'm using, as her Monster Cable one doesn't work so hot.

I'm using the Belkin one. I can't remember which one it is exactly, but it's the cheapest Belkin one you can get, for about $35 that only broadcasts on 88.1 - 88.7.

It's not that hot, either, and it runs on its own batteries, which is less than desireable because they can die on you and leave you stranded with just the radio and the one CD left in your car on your hour commute home. But the one nice thing about it is that it's on a bit of a cable (like 5 inches or so), so I can stick it under my leg while I drive. It isn't powerful enough on its own to beat the Chicago area radio chatter (I probably drive through about 5 low-band radio station broadcast areas on my way to work alone, each one competing with my little FM transmitter), and all the power lines I drive under wreak havoc with the signal. But the human body makes an awesome radio conductor, just like it aids reception (y'know how you get stations in better when you make contact with the antenna to adjust it?), so it also conducts as well. So, basically, if I kinda sit on the transmitter (since I can't hold it in my hand for an hour while I drive), I get way better reception. It's starting to make my leg a bit sore though.

My buddy has the iTrip, which is nice in that it can choose any channel (even though the higher you go in the band, the stronger the radio channel's signal is, so it's kinda self-defeating), but it also draws from the iPod's battery power, so if your iPod is running, so is your transmitter, which is nice.

Another buddy of mine uses yet another brand of transmitter, but I forget which one it is. Basically, we're all trying to overcome the spottiness that we get in the reception due to the Chicago radio traffic.

Tonight I'm going to look for a new car stereo that has a headphone IN jack so I can try just connecting my iPod that way, so I get perfect reception.

In the future, I would recommend never spending another dime on a Monster cable, as not only are their products just as bad (or worse) as everyone else's, they charge too much money, and they're litigious as hell (suing everyone and their Mom, including clothing stores, that use the name "Monster" in their company name).