Instapundit creation Ann Althouse
So sez Mithras.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Apple - Mighty Mouse
Just got an Apple Mighty Mouse (multi-button Apple mouse aka fourth sign of the apocolypse) and all I can say is...
meh.
Before I had this mouse hooked up I had two different mice for my G5. I started with the standard Bluetooth one button mouse. Playing WoW with a one button is untenable so I procured a two button M$ scroll mouse. Both of those optical mice tracked on the table my Mac sits on. The Mighty Mouse doesn't. I need a mouse pad under it. Blech... so 1997.
Second the buttons... or actually lack thereof. This is a "two button mouse" but Apple outcuted themselves and the mouse appears to have only one button and a scroll doohickee (had to lookup the technical term for that one... it's not a wheel but it does scroll... it's more like the "eraser mouse" on some laptops). The trick is the surface of the mouse is touch sensitive. Click on the left hand side of the button you get a left click. Click on the right hand side of the mouse and you get a right click... in theory. The problem here is that when I mouse, I leave my pointer finger permanently on the left button and my middle and ring fingers on the right. I click the right button with my ring finger and use the middle for scrolling. Being touch sensitive with my big paw all over it the Mighty Mouse interprets my right clicks as "all button mash" which it helpfully defaults to... a left click. To get a right click I actually have to lift pointer finger off the left side of the mouse. I know that sounds a lot like George Jetson complaining about how many times he had to push the button that day, but it is incredibly annoying and after an hour of mousing I have a sore pointer from lifting it awkwardly off the mouse.
The side buttons are nice. OS X has a kick ass window manager feature called Expose. By default if you drag your mouse outside the top left corner of the screen the "All Windows" feature of Expose activates and the desktop "zooms out" and all your open windows are tiled on the screen. Left click on the one you want and it zooms (literally) to the front. It's the only app-switcher faster than "alt-tab" (ok openapple-tab) I've seen. By default the side buttons activated this feature. That's cool. What's not so cool is there are "two" side buttons, but there really aren't. There's a button on each side of the mouse, but they both do the same thing. It's one button, and there's no way to make the left side button do something different than the right.
The scroll doohickey works pretty. My complaint here is more form the function. Normally I scroll with my middle finger, but this doohickey works more like a laptop eraser mouse and I need to use my pointer finger as my middle is not dextrous enough to control the pointer. Once you actually get scrolling, it's sweet. I can see real uses for this thing for graphics people. To quote Eazy-E "I got front and back and side to side." You really can scroll around in circles, diagonally, whatevs, so for working with large images I can see some potential for this scroller. Now if they'd just put it in a better mouse.
So the final verdict is ick. Cool scroll thingee and it nice to have Expose available from anywhere on the screen, but go get a $29 M$ five button jobby for your Mac if you need a multi-button mouse (and you do).
meh.
Before I had this mouse hooked up I had two different mice for my G5. I started with the standard Bluetooth one button mouse. Playing WoW with a one button is untenable so I procured a two button M$ scroll mouse. Both of those optical mice tracked on the table my Mac sits on. The Mighty Mouse doesn't. I need a mouse pad under it. Blech... so 1997.
Second the buttons... or actually lack thereof. This is a "two button mouse" but Apple outcuted themselves and the mouse appears to have only one button and a scroll doohickee (had to lookup the technical term for that one... it's not a wheel but it does scroll... it's more like the "eraser mouse" on some laptops). The trick is the surface of the mouse is touch sensitive. Click on the left hand side of the button you get a left click. Click on the right hand side of the mouse and you get a right click... in theory. The problem here is that when I mouse, I leave my pointer finger permanently on the left button and my middle and ring fingers on the right. I click the right button with my ring finger and use the middle for scrolling. Being touch sensitive with my big paw all over it the Mighty Mouse interprets my right clicks as "all button mash" which it helpfully defaults to... a left click. To get a right click I actually have to lift pointer finger off the left side of the mouse. I know that sounds a lot like George Jetson complaining about how many times he had to push the button that day, but it is incredibly annoying and after an hour of mousing I have a sore pointer from lifting it awkwardly off the mouse.
The side buttons are nice. OS X has a kick ass window manager feature called Expose. By default if you drag your mouse outside the top left corner of the screen the "All Windows" feature of Expose activates and the desktop "zooms out" and all your open windows are tiled on the screen. Left click on the one you want and it zooms (literally) to the front. It's the only app-switcher faster than "alt-tab" (ok openapple-tab) I've seen. By default the side buttons activated this feature. That's cool. What's not so cool is there are "two" side buttons, but there really aren't. There's a button on each side of the mouse, but they both do the same thing. It's one button, and there's no way to make the left side button do something different than the right.
The scroll doohickey works pretty. My complaint here is more form the function. Normally I scroll with my middle finger, but this doohickey works more like a laptop eraser mouse and I need to use my pointer finger as my middle is not dextrous enough to control the pointer. Once you actually get scrolling, it's sweet. I can see real uses for this thing for graphics people. To quote Eazy-E "I got front and back and side to side." You really can scroll around in circles, diagonally, whatevs, so for working with large images I can see some potential for this scroller. Now if they'd just put it in a better mouse.
So the final verdict is ick. Cool scroll thingee and it nice to have Expose available from anywhere on the screen, but go get a $29 M$ five button jobby for your Mac if you need a multi-button mouse (and you do).
Daily Kos: Ahh, the good ol' days
Daily Kos: Ahh, the good ol' days
Republicans on committing troops to Bosnia in the '90's. Zero US troops died in combat in Bosnia.
"You can support the troops but not the president."
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)
"Well, I just think it's a bad idea. What's going to happen is they're going to be over there for 10, 15, maybe 20 years."
--Joe Scarborough (R-FL)
"Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?"
--Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/6/99
"[The] President . . . is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nation's armed forces about how long they will be away from home. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy."
--Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)
"American foreign policy is now one huge big mystery. Simply put, the administration is trying to lead the world with a feel-good foreign policy."
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)
"If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain they have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy."
--Karen Hughes, speaking on behalf of George W Bush
"I had doubts about the bombing campaign from the beginning . . I didn't think we had done enough in the diplomatic area."
--Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)
"I cannot support a failed foreign policy. History teaches us that it is often easier to make war than peace. This administration is just learning that lesson right now. The President began this mission with very vague objectives and lots of unanswered questions. A month later, these questions are still unanswered. There are no clarified rules of engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our over-extended military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President started this thing, and there still is no plan today"
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)
"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is."
--Governor George W. Bush (R-TX)
Republicans on committing troops to Bosnia in the '90's. Zero US troops died in combat in Bosnia.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
If Fox News had covered Rosa Parks
The Huffington Post -- Cenk Uygur
Cindy Sheehan – in case you’ve been living in a box or you only watch the mainstream media – is the mom of slain Iraq War veteran Casey Sheehan. She is protesting in front of George Bush’s Crawford ranch this month. This grieving mom has been characterized as a flip-flopper, accused of putting on a public circus, lambasted as a publicity seeking grandstander and criticized for not truly speaking for her family since an aunt and a godmother Matt Drudge found somewhere in the Sheehan family disagrees with her. The conservative attack machine is in high gear in the efforts to tear this woman down.
That made me think of how it would have been in the Civil Rights era if Fox News Channel, Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge and the rest of the gang were around back then.
O’Reilly: “Rosa Parks claims she speaks for all of the African-Americans in the South, but in fact, we have found two African-Americans who say they disagree with her. They say she’s just trying to gain publicity and doesn’t speak for anyone in her race. They would know, they’re black.”
Hannity: “Could Rosa Parks be angling for a Senate run? What does she have to gain from her public stand? Coming up next, the incredible story of how this woman might be deceiving the whole country!”
10.8 Million???
Newsday.com: Report: Crowe reaches phone-hurling settlement
Remember when Russell Crowe threw a phone at that hotel clerk a while back? "Sources" say he's dropping 10.8 Million on the problem to make it go away.
Russell -- next time you need to throw a phone at somebody I'm available for 1% of that amount... a mere 108K to bounce a phone off my noggin. I'll knock it down to 50K if you say, "May I trouble you for the salt?" afterward.
Remember when Russell Crowe threw a phone at that hotel clerk a while back? "Sources" say he's dropping 10.8 Million on the problem to make it go away.
Russell -- next time you need to throw a phone at somebody I'm available for 1% of that amount... a mere 108K to bounce a phone off my noggin. I'll knock it down to 50K if you say, "May I trouble you for the salt?" afterward.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Why America must be destroyed*
New York Daily News - Daily Dish & Gossip - Rush & Molloy: For Trump, tacky is Koz for concern:
*Because there are people in America who can shop at a store where two bags and a sweater cost $15K, and I know school teachers who are on food stamps.
"Some of Jessica Simpson's fans weren't content with an autograph when they saw the 'Dukes of Hazzard' star walking down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills on Wednesday. Her more rabid admirers actually began ripping pieces of her clothing, our spy reports.
As paparazzi snapped, Simpson began pounding on the door of Valentino's boutique, seeking sanctuary.
'Let me in, let me in!' she pleaded.
Store security kept the lensmen at bay. Simpson showed her gratitude by spending nearly $15,000 on a gray cable-knit sweater with a faux-fur collar and two bags."
*Because there are people in America who can shop at a store where two bags and a sweater cost $15K, and I know school teachers who are on food stamps.
The NCAA is staffed by morons
Hit and Run
You read that right. Georgia fans wanted to fly a dad from Iraq to Georgia to root /against/ Georgia and for his son. The NCAA said, "No dice."
A group of Georgia football fans took up a collection to pay for a Boise State player's father to fly from Baghdad to see his son play against the Bulldogs in Athens.
But the NCAA rule book got in the way.
You read that right. Georgia fans wanted to fly a dad from Iraq to Georgia to root /against/ Georgia and for his son. The NCAA said, "No dice."
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Mark Simonson on Typography in the Movies
Typecasting
Simonson grades movies based on their realistic use of fonts. e.g. Why did they use a font created in 1978 for a flier in a movie set in the 50's?
Simonson grades movies based on their realistic use of fonts. e.g. Why did they use a font created in 1978 for a flier in a movie set in the 50's?
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Wow.
Matthew Shepard Online Resources - Religious Right Hate Speech - Nazi Propaganda
vs. Religious Right Anti-gay Rhetoric
Go check that out and see how very very similar the wingnuts rhetoric on gays is Hitler's on Jews.
vs. Religious Right Anti-gay Rhetoric
Go check that out and see how very very similar the wingnuts rhetoric on gays is Hitler's on Jews.
Friday, August 05, 2005
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Casemods Will Not Get You Laid
Motorcycle Case Mod : Gizmodo:
"Dear Friends: Do not think that by creating a case mod that looks like a bike and writing Computer Bike (click link for pic) on the side and then draping your couch with gray fabric will a woman come and sit by you or want to have anything to do with you. The image you see above%u2014of a lovely lady lying next to a case mod so dork-tastic that it kind of goes all the way around the concept of dorkiness and comes out on the other side%u2014was staged by a computer magazine with a huge modeling budget. They%u2019re trying to fool you into think that you will get girls with case mods. This is false. Instead, you will get the satisfaction of building a case mod and then you will look back on the years between your sixteenth and twenty-fifth birthday and wonder why you didn%u2019t get laid more. It happened to me and it happened to everybody at ExtremeTech. Don%u2019t let it happen to you."
"Dear Friends: Do not think that by creating a case mod that looks like a bike and writing Computer Bike (click link for pic) on the side and then draping your couch with gray fabric will a woman come and sit by you or want to have anything to do with you. The image you see above%u2014of a lovely lady lying next to a case mod so dork-tastic that it kind of goes all the way around the concept of dorkiness and comes out on the other side%u2014was staged by a computer magazine with a huge modeling budget. They%u2019re trying to fool you into think that you will get girls with case mods. This is false. Instead, you will get the satisfaction of building a case mod and then you will look back on the years between your sixteenth and twenty-fifth birthday and wonder why you didn%u2019t get laid more. It happened to me and it happened to everybody at ExtremeTech. Don%u2019t let it happen to you."
Cool view of the newspapers
Today's Front Pages - Map View
Flash app the displays the current front pages for 460 newspapers from 45 countries.
Flash app the displays the current front pages for 460 newspapers from 45 countries.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
"Staff Puke"
Daily Kos: OH-02: Limbaugh calls names:
What Rush Limbaugh just called Paul Hackett, Iraq veteran running for Congress from. Support the troops... unless they don't agree with you politically. Then you have to attack their service record. Typical dopehead type move.
I'm glad you lost your hearing Rush... now if you would just lose your voice... and your anal virginity to a guy named Bubba in the Big House.
What Rush Limbaugh just called Paul Hackett, Iraq veteran running for Congress from. Support the troops... unless they don't agree with you politically. Then you have to attack their service record. Typical dopehead type move.
I'm glad you lost your hearing Rush... now if you would just lose your voice... and your anal virginity to a guy named Bubba in the Big House.
Man Dog doesn't like the Declaration of Independence?
Santorum: the pursuit of Happiness harms America - (via) Santorum Exposed: The Blog:
"'It is an entire culture that focus (sic) on immediate gratification and the pursuit of happiness and personal pleasure. And it is harming America.'"
--Rick Man Dog Santorum
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
--Thomas Jefferson et al
Supposedly via a Phish msg board
(via) stereogum: Rolly Polly Phishheads:
"I must say folks last night was the most intense night of my life. I was released from the hospital this morning, the doctor said i was lucky to be alive. With furthur tests i might have suffered slight brain damage, the doctors are at this moment unsure.
Yesterday me and a few buddies decided to drop acid, and during our trip we decide to smoke bowls. We were having a great time up until my friend said 'hey i heard on a phish board that if you put gasoline in the bong it will get you way faded.' So being the stupid ass stonner that i am, i decided to indulge. We went to the local Chevron and put in $1 of premuium with techron into my 3 foot roor. I took the first hit. At first i felt really dizzy, i started vomiting, and then i passed out. That night i woke up in the hospital with the worst headache i have ever had. Needless to say i am luck to be alive.
I must warn everyone to never try anything like this again. I realize i have a slight drug problem and i am now enrolled in a treatment center. If i can give anyone advice it would be to never try anything that is out of the ordinary, no strage drug combos. BE SAFE OUT THERE PEOPLE!"
You oughta filter that George.
Bush: Intelligent Design Should Be Taught
You're asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, the answer is yes
--Dubya 08/01/2005
I glance at the headlines, just to get kind of a flavor. I rarely read the stories.
--Dubya 10/03
Juan Cole on "media bias" in Iraq.
Informed Comment :
"Let me just suggest that if bombs were going off in Republican neighborhoods in the United States, the local mayor couldn't mollify the Republicans by saying, 'But we painted the school! "
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