TV-B-Gone

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Number one with a bullet on my Christmas wish list this year: TV-B-Gone, a universal remote control with one button, and one function — to turn off any television.

From Wired’s writeup:

Altman’s key-chain fob was a TV-B-Gone, a new universal remote that turns off almost any television. The device, which looks like an automobile remote, has just one button. When activated, it spends over a minute flashing out 209 different codes to turn off televisions, the most popular brands first.

For Altman, founder of Silicon Valley data-storage maker 3ware, the TV-B-Gone is all about freeing people from the attention-sapping hold of omnipresent television programming. The device is also providing hours of entertainment for its inventor.

[…]

Responding to the accusation that it sounded like unaccountable power, Burke said, “You’ve heard about the battle for eyeballs. They’re your eyeballs. You should not have your consciousness constantly invaded. Television people are getting better and better at finding ways of roping us into TV where we can’t get away.”

With the spread of TiVo and downloadable movies, he said, the traditional 30-second spot is dying. Now, advertisers want waiting rooms, elevators and urinals — and they don’t want anyone to be able to turn the screens off.

I am so in favor of anything that works on breaking the stranglehold TV has on most people. I’m not militantly anti-TV — of late, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying watching Buffy, Angel, and (thanks to my parents) the West Wing thanks to the DVD releases of each of those shows.

But for too many people, TV takes over their lives. I can fall prey to this too — when I’m in an environment where a TV is on and in my line of vision, it’s difficult not to get sucked in. I’ve often been out with friends to grab a bite at some restaurant that feels the need to scatter TVs around the building, and it always makes it more difficult to carry on a converstion, as there is the constant background distraction.

One of these little gizmos in my pocket would make me a much happier person.

Top GOP pollster says Bush is in trouble

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Frank Luntz, one of the country’s top Republican pollsters, is saying that Bush is in serious trouble.

If John Kerry is elected the 44th president, it will be because of a single night in Miami, Florida, when he came to debate and Mr. Bush came to – well, no one is quite sure. The double-digit lead that Gallup polls, long considered an authority for presidential polling, gave Mr. Bush after the Republican convention was fully erased by that fateful 90-minute confrontation. 

Step by step, debate-by-debate, John Kerry has addressed and removed many remaining doubts among uncommitted voters. My own polling research after each debate suggests a rather bleak outlook for the Bush candidacy: many who still claim to be “undecided” are in fact leaning to Mr. Kerry and are about ready to commit.

Sounds like good news to me.

(via the Current Electoral Vote Predictor)

iTunes “Train” by Pigface from the album A New High In Low (1997, 24:18).

LotR:TRotKEE

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The Official Lord of the Rings website has posted a trailer for the upcoming Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Extended Edition DVD, to be released on Dec. 14^th^!

Over fifty new minutes of footage, including the Mouth of Sauron, the taking of the Black Ships, Saruman’s demise, Gandalf confronting the Witch King…and, as they say, much, much more.

I’m so jazzed about this.

The weekend it comes out, Prairie and I are planning on taking a full day to kick back and watch the entire Extended Edition trilogy from beginning to end. Somewhere around 12 or 13 hours all told, I think.

And, if you haven’t bothered to pick up the Extended Edition versions of the first two films in the trilogy, instead waiting for the inevitable box set release — wait no longer! All three Extended Edition releases in a single box set, and it’s only \$80 from Amazon. Not bad at all, really.

If I didn’t already have the first two, I’d snap it up. As it is, though, I’ll be quite happy just to get the third and see all the new goodies. The hard part will be waiting to watch it until Prairie’s here on the weekend!

iTunes “Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You) (12” Dance)” by Pet Shop Boys from the album Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You) (1991, 7:36).

Constitutional rights trump terror fears

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Finally, some good news — for once, a court has upheld our Constitutional rights over the current wave of paranoia over terrorism.

Fears of a terrorist attack are not sufficient reason for authorities to search people at a protest, a federal appeals court has ruled, saying September 11, 2001, “cannot be the day liberty perished.”

A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously Friday that protesters may not be required to pass through metal detectors when they gather next month for a rally against a U.S. training academy for Latin American soldiers.

Authorities began using the metal detectors at the annual School of the Americas protest after the terrorist attacks, but the court found that practice to be unconstitutional.

“We cannot simply suspend or restrict civil liberties until the War of Terror is over, because the War on Terror is unlikely ever to be truly over,” Judge Gerald Tjoflat wrote for the three-member court. “September 11, 2001, already a day of immeasurable tragedy, cannot be the day liberty perished in this country.”

(via Boing Boing)

Government Benefits

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Interesting — according to this questionnaire, I am or may be eligible for the following government programs:

  • Byrd Honors Scholarships
  • Community Food and Nutrition Program
  • Community Services Block Grant
  • EMI Independent Study Program
  • Emergency Food Assistance Program (Food Commodities)
  • Federal Direct Student Loans
  • Federal Work-Study
  • Grants for Public Works and Economic Development Facilities
  • Immigration and Naturalization Service
  • International: Overseas Group Projects Abroad
  • National Ocean Service Intern Program
  • Perkins Student Loans
  • Preventative Health and Health Services Block Grant
  • Property Improvement Loan Insurance (HUD/FHA)
  • Social Services Block Grant
  • Stafford Loans for Students

Now to just investigate these and see what all that actually means.

iTunes “Urbal Beats Vol. 2: The Classics (full mix)” by Various Artists from the album Urbal Beats Vol. 2: The Classics (full mix) (1998, 52:53).

Jon Stewart on Crossfire

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I was going to put up a lot of links to discussion about Jon Stewart’s recent appearance on Crossfire — but then Safari crashed (it’s rare, but not unheard of) and I lost all the tabs I had open.

However, on the off chance you haven’t heard about or seen this yet, you really should watch the video.

We need more people like Stewart on the airwaves.

iTunes “Urbal Beats Vol. 2: The Classics (full mix)” by Various Artists from the album Urbal Beats Vol. 2: The Classics (full mix) (1998, 52:53).

Seattle Storm victory rally

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Seattle Storm victory rally, Westlake Plaza, Seattle, WAAs I walked out of the building for lunch today, I heard some sort of big ruckus going on down towards Westlake Center. Being fond of ruckuses (ruckusi?) in general, I made a quick run back to the apartment to grab my camera, and then went back towards Westlake.

Turns out that there was a rally going on celebrating the Seattle Storm‘s recent WNBA championship win.

Now, I’m no big fan of sports in general, but it was fun to wander around the rally for a while. Local cover band The Hit Explosion was playing a surprisingly good set of 70’s disco and funk (amusingly, I think they played just about the entire Muppets From Space soundtrack), so the background music was quite bearable, and it was a fairly welcome break from the usual day-to-day routine.

Some photos from the day are in this flickr photoset, as usual.