Playing in the Shambles

Molly Ivins has died.

One might not have always agreed with her politics (though I usually did), but she always spoke her mind.

R.I.P, Molly.

So it turns out that Bill O’Reilly will send a copy of his book to a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan for every one he sells. Why does he hate our troops? Seriously, though, it does sound like a good way to sell books–on the backs of the troops, to people too stupid to realize he’s using our troops to sell books. Then there will be a few who aren’t that stupid, just too evil to care.

Woot! Okay, it’s really not such a big deal, but in a way it is, to me. I just discovered that Adobe has released Flash Player 9 for Linux. Actually, it was eight days ago, apparently. That’s what I get for using Slackware, I guess. And not communicating with anybody. Anyway, I just got to experience a whole Jon Stewart clip over at Comedy Central without losing a/v synch. That’s practically a new experience for me, even after upgrading Flash the last time. I know that if anyone actually ever read this blog, then I would get lots of mail saying “my Ubuntu system has always worked great with Flash. You suck” or suchlike. I do, I do. But it has been a struggle, and frankly, poor Flash performance in this YouTube world is no fun.

There’s something I’ve kind of wanted to write about, but I never will so I’ll touch on it now. At one time I was a little bit of an HTML snob. I guess the only thing that, well, saved me is that I never got really good at HTML. Still, I don’t care for Flash taking the place of HTML. I don’t like sites that I can’t just read if I don’t have Flash on the system or whatever. But I do love Flash. I love what can be done with it. I love that things like HomeStarRunner, the Quiznos commercials, that great “White Christmas” clip, YouTube & Google Video, and on and on and on can happen. I love animation, and Flash is an animation thing. But it is also more; much more. It really, frankly, kind of blows my mind.

Now if only I can author Flash on a FLOSS system some day. In the meantime, props to Adobe for updating this. I have to admit I was cynical about it, and as I often say, I’m glad to be wrong.

I was reading the comments at Crooks and Liars‘ post on Jim Webb’s response to the SOTU address, when I came across this comment:

I’m Canadian. When I was about 5 or 6, I remember feeling disappointed when I learned that I wasn’t American. When I heard the Star Spangled Banner played on KVOS TV , it put a lump in my throat! I got over it.
I grew up, to my present age of 54.
Like many others throughout the years, I’ve held varying opinions of the USA.
Sadly, a lot of those opinions became profoundly and depressingly negative.
I hadn’t felt that spark for many years now.
Tonight, Mr. Web reminded me of that childhood admiration of your nation, of the feelings that I once had. I like it.
ardyjay | 01.24.07 – 3:05 am | #

As an American, that sort of puts a lump in my own throat. Too much good will has been squandered. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Wesley Autrey jumped onto the subway tracks and saved somebody’s life, at considerable risk to his own.

“I’m still saying I’m not a hero,” says Mr. Autrey. Cool. Do you mind if I call you one anyway?

Says Autrey, “Donald Trump’s got a check waiting on me,” he said. “They offered to mail it; I said no, I’d like to meet the Donald, so I can say: ‘Yo, you’re fired.’”

Yes, I definitely like this guy.

I’m for it.

(Edit: Just to clarify, I’m for the ban, not global execution.)

It’s the new year, and looking back on the old year, a few things stand out.

Three high-profile deaths, in quick succession:

• James Brown
• Gerald Ford
• Saddam Hussein

The number of US troops killed in Iraq reached 3,000.

Three major groups of Iraqis: Shia, Sunni, Kurd.

If you add the digits in “2007″ you get 9, which is three threes.

What’s it all mean? Nothing, I guess, except that numbers can be a little spooky.