New Futurama DVD

Wired.com has reviewed the next Futurama direct-to-DVD movie. Sounds raunchy:

It packs plenty of sharp, punchy one-liners and a plethora of geeky references -- and ups the ante with dirty jokes that wouldn't fly on television. "It's disturbing," said head writer and executive producer David X. Cohen of Beast With a Billion Backs. "There is certainly more of an adult theme in this film than the average Futurama episode."

Before I decide to purchase it, I think I'll check it out on Netflix to see whether Gresham's Law applies to the quality of the show's humor. Network censors were a constant source of gripes in the episode DVD commentaries, but I'll say this for them: they forced the writers to be more creative rather than shooting constantly for the easy, cheap, LCD laugh.

If Google Ruled the World

Good Google-themed photoshop contest.

Changes to eMusic Pricing

Just got this notification:

As eMusic members know, there has never been a better time to be a music fan than right now. So many amazing artists are making vital, inspiring music and it's here for you, at eMusic. In the past four years, eMusic's catalogue has exploded from 250,000 to nearly 4 million tracks covering every genre imaginable. Think of how much music that is—more than we could listen to in a lifetime, and all of it available here for less than you would pay anywhere else. That won't change, but the price of eMusic will. Effective June 17th 2008 for new subscribers the price for eMusic's Monthly Basic Plan will increase from $9.99 to $11.99 for 30 downloads. This increases the price per download to $0.40 for new members—still the best price per song going.

What it Means for You

Your price will also go up, effective July 17th 2008. But because you are a valued eMusic member, you will receive an additional 10 downloads per month. Your new “grandfather” plan means you actually pay less per download. Here's how it breaks out:

	Cost per month	# of Downloads	Cost per Download
Your Current Plan:	$9.99	40	$0.25
Your New Plan:	$11.99	50	$0.24

And on August 17, all active, grandfathered members will receive a one-time, special 10-track booster pack (good for 30 days) as our way of saying thanks for being a loyal subscriber.

Good Things to Come

We're adding thousands of new songs and artists to eMusic every day, and our editorial team will continue to guide you to the best music and audiobooks. And we will be making the eMusic website and experience friendlier, easier and more powerful in the coming months as well, including a new and improved download manager, a site redesign and many more of the features that you have asked for.

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I tried to teach the 4-and-a-half year old some pig latin, but he said:

It makes my head hurt and it makes the things I know go away!

News for the Boy - Major Dino Find

"SALT LAKE CITY - A newly discovered batch of well-preserved dinosaur bones, petrified trees and even freshwater clams in southeastern Utah could provide new clues about life in the region some 150 million years ago.

The Bureau of Land Management announced the find Monday, calling the quarry near Hanksville "a major dinosaur fossil discovery."

An excavation revealed at least four sauropods, which are long-necked, long-tailed plant-eating dinosaurs, and two carnivorous ones, according to the bureau. It may have also uncovered an herbivorous stegosaurus."

Link to rest of story.

Shocking

Dominion Virginia Power wants to hike electricity rates by 18 percent.

That would be the largest one-time rate increase for the utility since the 1970s, although Dominion customers would still pay less, on average, than many electric customers in Maryland.

That last part doesn't make me feel any better. Besides, Viriginia seems headed toward the same sort of burdensome regulatory and taxation policies that make things more expensive in Mary-Land.

In Demand: Google Tasks

Google's Calendar is very handy, I've now got most of the office using it, and the wife, too!

The next thing Google needs to release is a Google Tasks application. Some bloggers think it is already in development but there is no official word yet, that I am aware of.

In the meantime, I think I will set up a Google spreadsheet for my burgeoning task list.

Cool Stuff?

1.New GMail features, and more info.

2.Google Charts.

3. Facebook hacks and tips.

News for the Boy

Last week I read an article to my 4 1/2 year old son about the effect of the China earthquake on a panda conservation facility. Apparently they've since airlifted several pandas to Beijing...
Saw this photo in Yahoo!News earlier:

Daycare Notes

5/23/08

My note to providers:

[Baby Girl] is feeling a bit silly today.

Daycare note to us:

Mom/Dad, My world is full of fun, it's all about me : )
Ms. [A.] said I was growing up much too fast. : )
It was a "me me me" day : ) all about me.

5/27/08

My note to providers:

[Baby Girl] ha lots of hugs this morning.

Daycare note to us:

Mom/Dad, my day was full of fun. Playing outside, slide, playing inside the house, cooking : ) my day with lots of love.
[Baby Girl] was very loving all day. Sweet, sweet girl.

5/29/08
[Baby Girl] has been teething so she's been grouchy the last few days. On the 28th, she was having a rough morning and I couldn't pry her precious Pinky away from her when it was time to leave for daycare. Pinky is a plush and soft pink puppy with floppy ears that I got for her in the hospital the day she was born, it has become her favorite stuffed animal. At night when I ask her if she is ready to go lay down, she walks to her crib, points inside it, and says "Pinky!"
Unfortunately, we forgot Pinky when we went home at the end of the day. She asked for it several times at bedtime, but was very, very tired so didn't last too long before fading out.

My note to provider:

She is better this morning than yesterday, but she missed her Pinky last night!

I tried to sneak it out to the car after I dropped her off, but she saw it.

Note from daycare:

Storytime, singing songs, ouside play, writing on blacktop with chalk, play with parachute and ball game and a tent game. She had a very happy day!

Poor Hillary

Questions

Why is that whenever I run a disk cleanup in Windows I have to sit there and wait seemingly forever for it to calculate how much free space I could free up if I zipped files when in fact I don't want to zip files?

I read in a computer column about a way to turn this off, but it didn't work.

With all these gigabyte memory drives why would someone want to zip files (besides prepping for email)? Oh, maybe so that Vista will work, but no Vista for me, thanks.

And, one time when I did try and zip a bunch of big files, the "compressed" file was even larger than what I started with. What's up with that?

Handy Seinfeld Quote

You really need some help. A regular psychiatrist couldn't even help you. You need to go to, like, Vienna or something. You know what I mean? You need to get involved at the university level, like where Freud studied, and have all those people looking at you and checking up on you. That's the kind of help you need. Not the once-a-week for eighty bucks, no. You need a team. A team of psychiatrists working around the clock, thinking about you, having conferences, observing you like the way they did with the elephant man. That's what I'm talking about, because that's the only way you're going to get better.

Source.

My name is Paco. My name is Paco.

Ever since she read this story, my wife has been trying to teach our noisy conure that his name is Paco and he is from Peru!

Seriously?!

I find this very hard to believe.


Shaken Republicans look to McCain as savior

"I think that we're going to do a lot better than people think," Boehner said.

"John McCain appeals to almost all Republicans."

Google thinks I am Indian

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

I keep getting this blogger tip when I post something. I never paid it any attention until just now.

Blog in your native Indic script
Convert English characters to Indic script as you type! Learn more about transliteration on Blogger.

Daycare Notes - Not Ready to Be Back

Our daycare for Baby Girl takes their vacation week in the spring, instead of around Christmas time. Before the vacation, we never had any troubles with the drop off, but afterwards, she had a re-adjustment period.

On the first day back, she walked over to a corner and cried:

I wasn't ready to be back, but after I saw all my friends, and Ms. A. gave me some of her love, I was ok :) We had a wonderful day, sotry time was fun with Ms. S and my friends. :)

Daycare Notes

This was from some day last week:

Dad Mom, Ms. A. said my [favorite] word is "No No" :)
But "Thank you" is also big. :)
I am growing up fast. I like playing with my friends. Outside all day: riding, pushing climbing, running, jumping, that's funny! :)

I am thankful I don't have to ride the Metro everyday

Harris Teeter in Adams Morgan

Wow, it finally opened. This has been a decade in the making and it is good for the neighborhood. I hope the Dorchester Market continues to thrive, the owner and employees were always very friendly and seemed like good people. Love the art deco store logo (see pic in the link above).