ain't technology grand?

this weekend i bought me a new TV. it's been in my budget for a while now and on saturday afternoon, i bit and bought a nice little 46" sony LCD. now i'm in the midst of trying to figure it out.

upgraded my cable service and swapped my cable box for an HD cable box (there was a difference) and i can say that the channels that are in HD, look pretty good. but i've discovered that it really depends on what is airing at any given moment in time varies in what i see. with the HD channels, i get a full 16:9 picture. some commercials are in 4:3 ratio (standard non-widescreen tv) so i'll see the black bars on the left/right sides. then some commercials (watchmen trailer just aired and did this) and it is widescreen, but scaled to fit within the 4:3 ratio, not my full 16:9.

now, my new cable box will switch between various settings depending on the channel (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i) but my tv doesn't seem to understand when to use what scaling. typically, both 720p & 1080i (tv supports 1080p, so i'm good there) will display in widescreen. but if i goto a SD (480i/480p) channel, the tv will stretch the 4:3 screen to 16:9. so, with a few quick flips of a button on the TV remote, i can put it back into 4:3, but i haven't figured out yet how to tell the TV to use the proper aspect ratio depending on the channel.

ooo...lobotomies

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parking

back on the 19th of december, i posted a series of pictures of our first snow storm that fell upon us on the previous day. well, according to one of the local weather people (i forget who) made the comment that in the boston area, we are on track to surpass last years total which was over 100" of the fluffy white shit that is the bane of us all. currently, we are just over 70" total snowfall, so there is a good chance as the metorological 'winter' season ends at the end of february this will come true. so as a matter of curiosity, i present the following:

taken on 12/19/08, ~700am



taken on 1/29/09, ~715am


you can clearly see where i was parked in december vs. where i am now parked (assuming i pull forward) in january, 5 weeks later.

we've had a fair amount of snow. and stinky's daughter (and sperm donor) seem to be upset by this. so to the two of you, i have the following to say:

FUCK YOU

look at stinky's renter agreement which i'm sure looks like mine and you'll discover that you don't have a legal leg to stand on. our landlord has to provide written consent (which i have in my renters agreement) to parking, so if stinky doesn't have it (which would delight me to no end), you have no legal recourse.

i, as a renter, have no right unless defined by the landlord to parking. your tirade the other day where you thought (being the operative word) that stinky was legally entitled to parking is in a single word, wrong.

so, i shall repeat because you may not have understood what i said a moment ago.

FUCK YOU

if you don't like it, talk to our landlord.

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the glasses situation

not that anyone cares, but here's what happened - tuesday night M&i were at the gym. i was on the treadmill listening to music, and rather than stare eyelessly at the tv, i'll sometimes take my glasses off and put them in the little holder thing. this way i can stare eyelessly at pretty much anything and it will be a pleasant blur.

while i have shitty eyesight, i can make out shapes and recognize people if i know what blurred colors to look for. i spotted M moving across the gym and decided to see what machine she was headed for to determine how soon she would finish relative to how much time i had left on the treadmill. so i grab my glasses and flip open the right temple (as i have done countless times in my life) and *pop* goes my temple. thankfully i didn't drop my glasses out of surprise and promptly step on them.

so a quick stop the treadmill, survey the situation, recover the temple and off to find M i go. we wrap things up and head home. thankfully, i had suggested she pick me up rather than meeting her at the gym, so after dropping me off, quick shower, in go my contacts and out the door i go.

fortunately, 13 minutes later i pull into the parking lot of the pearle express i had bought them from originally and i walk in. there isn't anything they can do at that time and i discover (to my dismay) that the maker of my frames last year made some changes to the way the sunglasses connect magnetically which means they may not have the parts to fix mine. so i leave them for someone to look at the following day and after lunch i call to find out what the skinny is.

he had just been called and told that parts for my frames were not in the warehouse (somewhere in the west coast time zone - he couldn't call until 11a as they weren't open) which left me with a single option. fortunately, the lenses i have will fit into the 2008 model of my frames (that wasn't redesigned - just the temples/magnet bits) so the only thing i could do was order a set of replacement frames. i was hoping that they would come in yesterday, but no call was made to me, so i have to wait until next week.

the upside is that my eyes have adjusted to full time contact wearing (which is a good thing) so i'll actually wear my contacts more now. usually in the winter i'll back off wearing them as it is really dry, but the last few days haven't been as bad as i had expected. today could be interesting as it started out at 39 degrees (according to my little weather station) and is expected to fall into the teens with wind. recipe for eye clawing.

and the other week when i flipped rooms in my apartment, i found my previous pair of glasses and last night i figured i would see how they work, knowing they aren't my current prescription, but they seem to do ok. they work better if they are on the end of my nose which isn't comfortable, and i won't drive with them (unless absolute emergency and no time to put my contacts in) but for the moment, i can actually see. closer is easier, farther away isn't as good, but for milling about w/o my contacts in, they help.

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tv shows

right now my two favorite tv shows are:

Battlestar Galactica
Burn Notice

thankfully, new episodes are on tv right now.

w00t!

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changing of the guard

well, tomorrow comes one of the most anticipated changing of the guards in a long time. i can't say that i'm sad to see our Monkey Führer departing, but i can't say that i quite knew how to describe what my thoughts were on the incoming administration. i've made now real bones about how i'm not thrilled with the incoming, and how a lot of it has to do with the cult of personality (i do believe he is a charismatic person, but he is a politician) so i've been trying to find the words to describe what my thoughts are on the subject.

thankfully, someone i respect has the answer.

"I haven't had this kind of hope, bliss, and anticipation for change since . . . New Coke."
- Penn Jillette (on twitter)

bravo. that sums up my feelings quite nicely. i tip my hat to you sir. thank you.

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the half-assed molius 2008 year in review

huh. after looking at the first post that TK had for the year, i thought i'd see what i said and realized that i had actually done some sort of half-assed wrap up. so, as 2009 is now nearly 2 days old, i figure i'll rip the basis of my 2007 year in review and see what i could cobble together.

so, here is my half-assed 2008 year in review.

molius musical find of the 2008: none really. musically, there wasn't a whole lot that caught my attention. the last few years i've found some great music, but 2008 was pretty sad. sure some good stuff came out, but it was all stuff from bands i already was familiar with. i suppose the closest i get to musical finds are more the rediscovery of songs i like. Ghost Riders In the Sky and Where Did You Sleep Last Night? (a.k.a. In The Pines & Black Girl) being the two most recent re-discoveries. House of the Rising Sun is another that is on the list. (past winners: 2007 - Porcupine Tree, 2006 - Tom Waits, 2005 - The Residents)

runner up: none

molius album of 2008: none really. some really strong efforts, some really good discs, but nothing that truly stood out. i think the closest i get would be The Residents - Bunny Boy.

molius concert of 2008: a toss up. i'm not one for going to concerts, but i saw two significant ones and i loved each for different reasons. and the best part is i saw them within a month of each other.

The Residents - Bunny Boy (Foxboro, 10/12/08)
one of the most cryptic bands in the world unleashed The Bunny Boy and decided that they would tour. so much to the delight of TK & i, we had a chance to witness an incredible concert only feet away. The Residents put together one hell of a show that really did take you on an emotional trip. and in the end, we were left walking away thrilled, sad, elated, frustrated. it truly was an incredible experience.

Nine Inch Nails - Lights In the Sky (Manchester 11/08/08)
a band i have loved for years, and the chance to see what Trent Reznor put together and it was well worth it. a show that was well worth the price of admission. the band, the lights, the effects, the songs, the flow, everything was well done. after the show, i walked back to my car wondering why i hadn't bought a ticket for the following night.

molius movie of 2008: The Dark Knight. i'm sure that it is a semi-hacky selection, but i really did love it, even if my ass hurt when we left the theater. my favorite scene by far was the disappearing pencil trick. The Joker summed up in a single moment.

runner up: i'll pick two - Iron Man which was just pure fun from the beginning. my second choice is In Bruges. a very funny movie that was enhanced by the simple fact that M&i had visited the lovely town only 6 months before we saw the movie. a dark comedy, that was very funny created around an unfortunate happening.

molius (over)hype of the year: election 2008

it never ended. and when it did, it was rather anticlimactic.

molius disappointment of the year: the lack of financial vision. i have been saying for some time that we were long overdue for a correction, but when it finally happened, everyone was saying "I NEVER SAW IT COMING!"

bullshit - you were blinded by greed and you knew damn well that you were fucked. who the fuck thinks that just because i say i make minimum wage i can afford a $500k mortgage? banks are fucking stupid and people are fucking stupid. and now i get penalized for your stupidity. so now we have this umpteen billion dollar bailout plan, the housing market fucked, the big 3 american automakers crying for help and who gets to pay for it? thanks a lot you assholes.

molius personal discovery of 2008: cute kids aren't all that scary. in fact, they can be kind of fun.

to my small circle of friends: i said it last year and i think it sums up my thoughts.

thank you. thank you for your friendship. thank you for your support. and you need only to ask.

happy 2009.

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what a pain in my ass

the other day i got an email that i thought was spam (and it was to a degree, but now it really is) from redboxdvd. as i wanted to make sure it wasn't anything dangerous, i read the message on my phone and then marked it as spam.

then i received 3 messages today and now i realize that some asshole fucked up their email address and i get the benefit of that typo.

so this is what i received:

Dear NOT_YOUR_FUCKING_EMAIL_ADDRESS_ASSHOLE

Your copy of "Wanted" was successfully returned on 1/2/2009 7:35 PM.

Your return was on time. You will receive a receipt via email when we process your account.

Thanks for using Redbox!

Return Details
Barcode: 008404269
Transaction ID: 215776023

Return location: McDonalds (view inventory here)
501 Frederick Rd
Catonsville, MD 21228-4624

Rent date/time: 1/1/2009 3:38 PM
Due date/time: 1/2/2009 9:00 PM
Return date/time: 1/2/2009 7:35 PM


Questions? Comments? Contact Redbox Customer Service
Phone: 1-866-REDBOX3
Email: questions@redbox.com
FAQ: http://www.redbox.com/Help/Faq.aspx



DVD rentals cost only $1.00 + tax until 9:00 PM the next evening, then $1.00 + tax for each night thereafter. After 25 days, rental charges will cease and the DVD is yours to keep.

they also rented Tropic Thunder and The House Bunny (what the fuck is that one?)

so because some asshole plugged in the wrong email address, i now get their dvd rental information.

i'll try and remember to post what rent just for shits and giggles.

oh yeah.

happy new year.

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today just sucked.

the only bright spot of the day came tonight when i was invited to dinner tomorrow night. at least i now have something to look forward to tomorrow.

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stupid news

i have the WBZ news on this morning and i was thinking that it's a bit more straight forward news rather than the usual hacky-try-and-crack-a-joke news we usually see.

but then they ran a quick story on the whole digital tv conversion in february. and in typical fashion, they neglect to point out the most important fact.

Does the DTV transition affect TV sets that are connected to cable services?

No. If you subscribe to cable service, the DTV transition should not affect any TV sets that are connected to your cable services. The DTV transition applies only to full-power broadcast television stations – stations that use the public airwaves to transmit their programming to viewers through a broadcast antenna.

and to make this answer even more clear - if you have a cable box (comcast, verizon, roadrunner, direct tv, whatever), then you are FINE.

you do NOT need to buy the converter box.

this only applies to anyone who watches tv using rabbit ears. if you don't use rabbit ears when watching tv, then this will not affect you.

but of course, nearly every single news story i have seen that talks about this neglects to mention this important fact.

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what. the. fuck?

my daily display of human idiocy was in full effect tonight. there was nothing wrong with the road conditions, but for whatever reason, it was a fucking abortion.

i left work around 420 to get to the post office to mail my rens gifts. after being in line for just over 30 mins (expected, didn't bother me) i hit the road. at first i was stuck behind some fuck in a bmw who seemed to think checking his email was more important than rolling his car forward.

then, on the on-ramp to 93 that i use, i was cockblocked and had to take an alternate route. that was nothing short of gridlock. not that 93 was any better. but dealing with traffic that had me crawling wore my patience thin.

then M called and i was curt with her (sorry dear). by this point, i had gone 2 miles in 30 minutes. and then the straw that broke the camel's back fell.

John Denver's 'Please Daddy, Don't Drink on Christmas'

i lost it.

TK made a comment at lunch today about how one day he swore to the point he made jesus weep.

well TK, i made god cry like a little girl.

there was a minor break (FINALLY) but any good will that may have been provided quickly evaporated and it was back to making god cry again.

so, by the time i got home, i was in rare form. ~15 miles in 100+ minutes.

i was pissed when i had a longer commute last year in the storm of 12/13, but compared to what i experienced tonight, that was enjoyable.

so to all you fucknuts who ruined my evening, a hearty fuck you.

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idiot bank

like many people, i've turned to online banking to pay most of my bills and this morning i had an email saying that i hadn't scheduled a payment for my credit card.

uhhh....i scheduled the payment for last week and i know it went through, so why are you telling me that i hadn't scheduled a payment?

so with much annoyance, i logged into my account and it shows me that i still have to schedule a payment. so i check the account that i paid it from and sure enough, there is the completed payment. paid last week.

in typical fashion, the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing and i turn into a frazzeled mess trying to figure this out.

when i look at the bill payment screen, it shows that i haven't scheduled a payment yet.

when i look at the ACTUAL account info, it clearly states that a payment was received last week. MATCHING in both DATE and AMOUNT.

so obviously what this means is online banking doesn't have its act together yet. you would figure if i paid my balance (which i had), the notification system would be pinged to indicate as such. but it doesn't seem to have that link yet. stupid online banking.


Type rest of the post here

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(not quite) random pictures of the moment: snow series (12/19/2008)

we had our first major storm yesterday. unfortunately, there are still people in the middle of the state that are dealing with the ice storm from last week who are now dealing with this shit on top of the lack of power issue.

so at the top of each hour starting at noon, i set up my tripod and took a picture out my window. i'm keeping the bulk of them behind a cut just so it doesn't take forever to load.

12pm - nothing yet



1pm - still nothing



2pm - after ~30 minutes



3pm - not too bad



4pm - getting darker



5pm - darkness fell



6pm - still falling



7pm - the kids next door were clearing their driveway. i like that they look like ghosts.



8pm - KO was clearing the driveway. not as bad as i thought.



9pm - the neighbor kids were clearing the driveway again. the dome light was on in the jeep as their mom had just climbed out of the car.



10pm - still snowing. looks like ~2" fell since KO cleared the driveway



11pm - passing car



12am - the lights belong to the truck that plowed the driveway across the street.



7am - how i woke up this morning. i should dig my car out but it's cold out.

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fail: finally a form of hunting i can get behind

see more pwn and owned pictures

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random picture of the moment: toaster fail

it should be noted that I TOOK AND EDITED THESE TWO PICTURES TOGETHER.

but some asshole friend of mine took it upon himself to usurp my picture for his own use.


moar funny pictures

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public service announcement

for anyone doing online shopping this holiday season, Dealhack has a nice list of deadline dates for shipping stuff.

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