Me 1, Deer 0, Cop 4?

So I'm driving home from work last night taking the route I've driven hundreds of times and out of nowhere comes a deer from the right side of the road. I hit its head with the corner of my Blazer. It happened so fast that there was no time to react.

Oddly, (at least to me) it's in a residential area. Woodsy, yes, but still residential. There is a forest preserve of some sort with deer warning signs a couple of miles up the road but according to the newspaper this morning, it's mating season and this happens all the time.

Anyway...

I continued to drive to the next street and pulled over to see the damage.

There wasn't that much... overall I considered myself lucky. I texted (that a word?) my wife at work telling her "I hit a deer!"

For a second I considered just continuing the remaining 15 minute drive home but I wanted to see if the deer was still there. I decided to turn around and go back the few hundred feet to see the aftermath (if any).

I flipped another u-turn so I was basically in the same place I hit the deer and pulled off into the grass on the side of the road with the deer right in front of me...

I pulled up on the deer and noticed it was still breathing. As this this was a new experience to me I didn't know what to do so I called my Dad. He suggested I call the police so at the very least I get a police report. I called 911.

"911 Emergency"

"Yeah Hi, I just hit a deer and having never done this before I'm not sure what the protocol is."

"Are you injured, do you need an ambulance?"

"No, I'm fine but the deer is not"

[personal info & location given]

"An officer is on the way to take the report"

"Thank you"

I sat there for about 5 minutes on the side of the road with my hazard lights on watching the deer on the ground breath in and out. I called home to let my kids know I'd be a bit late.

Soon a Lake County Sheriff pulled up behind me with his lights on. He got out of his squad car and walked up to my blazer. He asked me if I was okay. I explained that I was fine but the deer was hit by my blazer directly in the head at 30 something miles per hour and he was still alive.

"Looks like a young buck.", he said.

Then I must describe the following as surreal as it gets...

Without warning, the cop walked in front my car, pulled his .40 S&W Sig Sauer out of his duty rig and shot the deer right in front of me!

He came back to the car and said... "Not anymore."

I'm not sure what I expected. Maybe I expected he'd call animal control and they'd dart him or something, I don't know... but he did it in such a nonchalant way I was in a bit of shock. Not in shock as some may be at the firing of a gun 10 feet in front of your car with no warning... Hell I'm a NRA Certified Pistol Instructor, I'm on the instructor team at my gun club and have fired 100,000+ round in my day... I've got NO fear of guns. Perhaps I was expecting a "You might want to look away." or "You might want to cover your ears." or "I'm going to put it out of its misery." or something.

I didn't get that.

The officer went back to his vehicle to write up a report. I stayed in my car for a few minutes before I got out to see if the light was better to assess the damage to the blazer. It was when I got out of the car that I shot the picture above with my iPhone. Click it to see a larger version and you will see a white circular spot on his backside/hip area. That is where it was shot. When I was looking at the damage on the passenger side door the officer called to me on his intercom system. I walked back to his car.

He asked me to describe what exactly happened. I did. He asked me how much I'd estimate the damage as. I said I couldn't really see and was going to ask him to borrow a flashlight to see the side of my car. He handed me a flashlight and I headed back to my car to help illuminate the side. The damage concerned me mainly for 2 reasons. 1. We just switched our insurance last week to Liability only (the Blazer is a 1999) and 2. If I had to pump any real money into a repair I could kiss the new TV I've been planning to buy goodbye.

There's a dent in the corner of the hood and a dent in the corner of the passenger quarter panel. There are also some antler scrapes on the quarter panel, the passenger side front and rear doors. With another small dent where those doors meet. I'm sure over $1000 worth of damage but all cosmetic. Not a big deal for a car I'd like to get rid of next year anyway... (good gas mileage, here I come!)

I headed back to his car and we talked for a few minutes... apparently a lady just 2 days prior hit a deer in the SAME spot with a BRAND NEW CAR that was 3 days old. It rolled up her hood and smashed her windshield. I was lucky by comparison.

I asked him what happens to the deer. He asked me if I wanted it. What the hell would I do with the deer? Shocked at the offer, I said NO but I will take another picture of it before I leave. He then stated that he would make a phone call and it would be picked up and disposed of.

He explained the police report to me and explained what I had to send the Secretary of State (for statistical purposes).

I thanked him for the report and started walking back up towards the deer to take one last pic before I left. He got out of his squad and followed. Very much to my surprise, the deer was still breathing.

Let me also note that if I ever wished that the iPhone could record video, this would have been the time!

"Looks like I got it in the hip, I need to get it in the chest area." he said.

Standing less than 10 feet away from me, again with no real warning, he pulled out his service pistol and shot the deer a second time. Very surprising to me, it started moving and flailing. My mind was blown! He stopped traffic on the road by holding his hand out and waving his flashlight... then he shot it again! THEN IT GOT UP!!! I could NOT believe what I was seeing! It was standing again!! And he shot it for a FOURTH TIME!!!!!

I couldn't believe my fucking eyes! As you can tell... I'm NOT a hunter and have NEVER hunted... perhaps this happens all the time.. but there was no fucking way in hell that I would have EVER expected the buck to actually stand up and try to run away!!!

I snapped this image right after the 4th shot and the deer stopped running. (but continued to stand)... zoom in and look to the right of the sign... also note the stopped traffic.
Then this surreal experience kicked into overdrive while minute after minute ticked by and the deer still stood it's ground. Not just on display for the cop and I but to every car stopped in traffic!

With the lighting I was able to see saliva/blood leak from it's mouth and after about minute #4 I watched as it urinated. Shortly thereafter its legs buckled and it fell on its side. It turned its head looking back (towards me) was gasping for air for about 20 seconds and finally went limp. The deer was dead.

The officer got the traffic moving again and walked back towards me. I was again, in shock.

"Holy Shit!" I exclaimed! I asked him if he's ever seen that before. (Deer getting back up after a car hitting it and after getting shot. He said yes... sometimes it can take over 20 minutes for a deer to bleed out and die.

Throughly shocked from the entire experience it was time for me to leave. Part of me wanted to walk up to the deer and take a few close up pictures... but I guess the more sane (less sick) part of me decided against that and drove home.

After telling this story several times already my mom brought up an interesting question. What would have happened if I had my kids in the car? Would the cop have still have done the same thing?

According to our local newspaper...

Last year deer-vehicle collisions accounted for more than 1.5 million accidents nationwide, with the Illinois Department of Transportation reporting 25,491 incidents. Collisions resulted in thousands of injuries, hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance claims and about 150 fatalities, one in Illinois.

I guess it's a larger problem than I ever thought!

A Blessing in Disguise?

As some of you know... my PowerBook's hard drive died back in late July.

Let me back up a bit... Last October the original 40GB drive began to fail. Thankfully, I was able to retrieve ALL of the info on the drive by using some strange rhythmic light banging on the powerbook while copying the files to an external drive. Not sure how it worked but it stopped the driving from slipping and I was able to save all of my data!

I sent my powerbook to iResQ to pop in a new 80GB drive and to swap out the combo drive with a super drive. The powerbook worked like new.

Fast forward to July. Hard drive died again. No warning. There were important files on that drive. I didn't know how much of it was not backed up but at the very least there were files on it that would take many Many MANY hours to reconstruct (iView data file, iPhoto data files, iTunes data files, etc.) and a bunch that could not be recreated ever. (pics, a years worth of e-mail, raw life poster files, etc.)

I procrastinated on getting it dealt with but after getting my iPhone the urgency to get a working Mac again surfaced. I sent the powerbook to iResQ again. A few days later they told me my hard drive was dead and gave me 2 choices...

1. Replace it under warranty but the dead drive would have to go back to the manufacturer to make it work.

2. Buy a new drive (at the slightly reduced price of $175) and they would send the dead drive back with the powerbook so if I want to send it to a data recovery company, I could.

Since I lost a bunch of data, I obviously chose #2.

A few days later I e-mailed to get a tracking number... a couple of hours later, I got this reply...

Craig,

Sorry for the delay, but it seems there are other issues going on
with the machine. Your hard drive and data are actually fine;
however, the ATA controller on the main logic board has failed,
making it impossible to read a hard drive. If you want to replace the
board, I can do so for just the cost of the part and drop the labor
charge, but it will still be $549.99. This should also resolve the
Bluetooth issue. If you would prefer, I can also return the machine
with the hard drive removed so you can get the data that is on it.
Sorry to have to bear the bad news- let me know how you'd like to
proceed. Thanks.

Eric
Apple Certified Portable Technician

There's no way I could justify spending $549.99 on fixing my almost 5 year old G4 Powerbook. So... my Powerbook is officially dead... yet I'm actually rejoiced by the fact that I didn't lose any data!

So they refunded my $175 and for a reasonable fee, they sent me back the laptop with the hard drive taken out and put into an external case.

What am I going to do with out a laptop? I don't know yet... I'm not even sure I'd buy another Mac Laptop... but I've had a laptop for over 10 years and I've gotten used to owning one. And with Dell's deals I could easily buy a brand new one for the price of the would be $549.99 repair.

A Dell while certainly not as stylish or as thin as an Apple, in the event I want to add more memory, a new hard drive or swap out a dead one, I could do it myself and not have to send it away.

The Golden Compass

I got a 'forwarded' e-mail from an acquaintance the other day...

Dear Friends, (PASS THIS ALONG TO EVEN GRANDPARENTS AND THOSE WHO DON'T HAVE KIDS!!! LET'S PULL TOGETHER AND PRAY GOD GETS THE GLORY THROUGH THIS EVIL ACT!! Satan will use your children to do evil in this world. Pray for them!!! DAILY!!!

You may already know about the kids movie coming out in December starring Nicole Kidman. It's called The Golden Compass, and while it will be a watered down version, it is based on a series of children's books about killing God. (It is the anti-Narnia.) Please follow this link and t hen pass it on. From what I understand, the hope is to get a lot of kids to see the movie - which won't seem too bad - and then get the parents to buy the books for their kids for Christmas. The quotes from the author sum it all up. I hope it totally bombs because we were all paying attention!

i checked out the snopes site, and it confirmed the facts in the email below.

PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW AND READ THE ARTICLE....IF YOU HAVE A HEART FOR GOD YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO IGNORE THIS EMAIL.
I read the snopes article and this is definitely worth passing around. It’s very disturbing. I think it is well worth spreading. Read the link below
http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

Fuck those fucking fuckers! :)

Anyone who really knows me knows that I'm of the mind... "If it pisses off the Church, I've gotta check it out!"

I loved Dogma, I love Harry Potter and I love South Park... the three most recent things that pissed off the church that come to my mind without having to do any research to find more.

It was inevitable that I was going to give "The Golden Compass" a try. I purchased this book from audible.com today and I'm a 1/2 hour into it. (I didn't buy books 2 & 3 till I see if I like book 1.) I'll be sure to let you know what I think of it.

In the meantime, I went to the movies website and answered the 20 questions honestly and this is what it came up with...

Third Party Applications on the iPhone Coming Soon!!

http://www.apple.com/hotnews/

Third Party Applications on the iPhone

Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers’ hands in February. We are excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users. With our revolutionary multi-touch interface, powerful hardware and advanced software architecture, we believe we have created the best mobile platform ever for developers.

It will take until February to release an SDK because we’re trying to do two diametrically opposed things at once—provide an advanced and open platform to developers while at the same time protect iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks, etc. This is no easy task. Some claim that viruses and malware are not a problem on mobile phones—this is simply not true. There have been serious viruses on other mobile phones already, including some that silently spread from phone to phone over the cell network. As our phones become more powerful, these malicious programs will become more dangerous. And since the iPhone is the most advanced phone ever, it will be a highly visible target.

Some companies are already taking action. Nokia, for example, is not allowing any applications to be loaded onto some of their newest phones unless they have a digital signature that can be traced back to a known developer. While this makes such a phone less than “totally open,” we believe it is a step in the right direction. We are working on an advanced system which will offer developers broad access to natively program the iPhone’s amazing software platform while at the same time protecting users from malicious programs.

We think a few months of patience now will be rewarded by many years of great third party applications running on safe and reliable iPhones.

Steve

P.S.: The SDK will also allow developers to create applications for iPod touch. [Oct 17, 2007]

This is GREAT news... but only time will tell how "open" it will be and how Apple will support installing the apps on the phone. Will all software be forced to be distributed via iTunes? Will Apple charge developers a fee to have their software "approved" for iPhone use? How will free software be affected?

Again, time will tell but it certainly seems to be a step in the right direction!

4th wave of HD on DirecTV...

6 more national channels, plus 4 RSNs and 6 PPV channels added!

* Cartoon Network (Channel 296)
* Fox Business (Channel 359) (Also now available in SD)
* Fuel TV (Channel 612)
* FX (Channel 248)
* HGTV (Channel 229-1)
* Speed (Channel 607)

Regional Sports Networks:

* FSN Detroit (Channel 636)
* FSN Southwest (Channel 643)
* FSN West (Channel 652)
* FSN Prime Ticket (Channel 653)

Plus six PPV Channels: 135, 136, 137, 145, 146, 147

I can't wait to watch the upcoming season of Nip/Tuck in HD!!!

Keep 'em coming DirecTV!!!

DirecTV launches yet another 5 HD channels

1. Food Network (Channel 231-1)
2. MGM (Channel 255)
3. National Geographic (Channel 276)
4. CNBC (Channel 355)
5. MHD (Channel 332)

That brings the total of Nationals (not including the sportsnet crap) to 41 I think.

Link here.

We're still pretty far from the "Up To 100" by the end of the year but if they include the sports crap (which I'm sure they will) it looks like it may be possible.

DirecTV adds 11 more HD Channels...

Cinemax East (Channel 512)
Cinemax West (Channel 514)
HBO West (Channel 504)
Bravo (Channel 273)
SciFi Channel (Channel 244)
USA Network (Channel 242)

Plus 5 Sports channels I will never watch...

Comcast SportsNet Chicago HD (Channel 640)
Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic HD (Channel 629)
New England Sports Network/NESN HD(Channel 623)
SportsNet New York HD (Channel 625)
YES HD (Channel 622)

That brings the total of Nationals (not including the sportsnet crap) to 36 I think.

Bravo & Sci-Fi will be nice but I'm still looking forward to National Geographic and FX

iPhone Update...

As some of you already know, I bought an iPhone after the price drop to $399. I had originally planned on buying the AppleTV this month since I had to use a $50 certificate that I received from the iPod Battery Issue Class Action from a couple of years ago by October 7th or it would expire.

Once Steve made the announcement that the price was dropping $200 after only 2 months since its debut, after being absolutely shocked for a while, I knew this was a sign so I decided to use my $50 cert on the iPhone instead. We were already AT&T customers so replacing my Motorola L2 with the iPhone couldn't have been easier.

The iPhone absolutely kicks ass but is by no means a perfect device. It IS better than anything else I've used, including the the Palms & the Blackberry Curve.

I've compiled a list of improvements I (and MANY other iPhone owners) want... All of the following can be improved via a firmware update or support from other software companies... (In a loose order of importance to me)

• Open up the system so users can use their OWN ringtones (from MP3, CDs they own etc.)
• Safari needs to run FLASH and JAVA
• 3rd Party App Support
• Gmail Push
• .Mac Push (why this wasn't already included in the first place, I will never understand)
• SlingBox app
• COPY/CUT/PASTE
• "Reply to" in e-mail so I can reply to a pushed yahoo message and reply with a gmail reply address
• Sync "Notes" back to iTunes or something to save them off phone (cause it's completely worthless to me otherwise)
• Ability to "Mark all as read" in E-Mail
• Ability to "Delete All" in E-Mail
• Turn keyboard sideways in any mode that requires a lot of typing... (E-MAIL)
• Ability to save pics in e-mail to my "Photos"
• MMS messages
• Ability to change the "alert" sounds for incoming E-Mail
• Ability to place a point anywhere on the google maps
• "Attach" option in the New Message window
• Ability to send pics from camera at FULL res!
• Ability to tether as a modem via bluetooth and/or USB
• PDF viewer needs bookmarks + searching
• Contacts to use "Categories" in Outlook 2003
• Keyboard search in contacts
• IM Clients (iChat?)
• Mail count indicator for multiple email accounts
• Voice dialing
• To Do list/task display
• Added after 1.1.1 update: Allow iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store use via EDGE

And a couple of things for version 2 of the iPhone...

• LARGER STORAGE
• 3G support
• Memory card support (SD?)
• User-replaceable battery
• Video recording (I don't know if this can be done via firmware update)

Right after buying it, thanks to many of the hackers out there, I found a hack (not really a hack at all) that allowed me to trick iTunes into thinking that any ringtone I wanted to add was a "purchased ringtone" so I had over 30 extra ringtones added to my phone. I'm a big fan of custom ringtones for individual contacts. When I updated to the new firmware yesterday I lost that "loophole" and the ability to add all of my custom ringtones.

There is good with the bad though... Not that I've had a lot of time to test it in the last 20 hours but Safari & Google Maps haven't crashed on me once and the Wi-Fi Music store is cool and super easy to use.

In closing... after 12 days of use... I gotta say that this phone absolutely kicks ass! This is the product I've been waiting for for years! This is coming from someone who paid $399 for the Palm i705 + $36 a month for the data connectivity to be able to e-mail and surf the WAP 4-5 years ago. While this is my first "Smart Phone" it's my 4th "PDA". Even after I lost my ringtones (I'm confident a hack will be available at some point) it's still a $349 well spent.

Come on Apple... get working on my wish list!

And So It Begins...

DirecTV FINALLY launched some more HD! We've got 21 more to choose from...

1. A&E (Channel 265)
2. Animal Planet (Channel 282)
3. Big Ten Network (Channel 220)
4. CNN (Channel 202)
5. The Discovery Channel (Channel 278)
6. The History Channel (Channel 269)
7. The Movie Channel East (Channel 544)
8. NFL Network (Channel 212)
9. Showtime West (Channel 540)
10. Showtime too (Channel 538)
11. The Smithsonian Channel (Channel 267)
12. The Science Channel (Channel 284)
13. Starz Comedy (Channel 519)
14. Starz East (Channel 522)
15. Starz West (Channel 540)
16. Starz Edge (Channel 520)
17. Starz Kids and Family (Channel 518)
18. TBS (Channel 247)
19. TLC (Channel 280)
20. Versus / The Golf Channel (Channel 604)
21. The Weather Channel (Channel 362)

Though I was really hoping for National Geographic HD, this is an excellent start and according to DirecTV we should have about 70 HD Channels to choose from by the end of October and up to 100 by the end of the year!

I think we had around 9 HD Nationals before so that brings the total to 30. That doesn't include my locals in HD.

Do you use 800-goog-411?

After dinner drinks...

Yummy!

Sent from my iPhone

Getting closer to more HD goodness!

Soon, DirecTV will flip a switch and subscribers will get access to all of the new HD channels they've been testing since the "DirecTV 10" satellite was launched.

Rumors suggest we'll have 57 national HD channels THIS WEEKEND! That will be a nice addition to the 10 or so nationals we have now.

Like a message from God himself....

... Apple lowered the price of the 8GB iPhone today from $599 to $399 even though it's only been on the market for a touch over 2 months!! This is EXCELLENT news for me... but the people who just paid $600 for one in the last 66 or so days must be PISSED!

They dumped the 4GB version all together.

They also refreshed the iPod line but I'll post more on that later.

Gun Control Question...

The Truth about Right-to-Carry

Funny Slingbox Commercial...

Slingbox Demo at CES 2007

More on the Slingbox

In short, Slingbox lets you watch and watch & control your TV from anywhere with an Internet connection (or compatible cell phone)

Watch the 40 second explanation video here or see it on their website...
http://us.slingmedia.com/page/home The link is on the lower right.

A couple of years ago when it first came out I was intrigued by the concept but at the $250 asking price, I wasn't intrigued enough.

Let me explain what I do at lunch at work. For the past couple of years I've been watching DVDs on this small TV in the kitchen/break room in our office. Work bought the TV but I had to buy my own cheap DVD player to have something "good" to watch. I've spent many a lunch hour watching not just seasons of TV but entire series of TV. That's pretty much come to an end. I've watched all of my 24, X-Files, DS9, Sopranos, The Shield, Nip/Tuck, West Wing and even some movies split across a couple of days. That has come to an end since I've pretty much watched everything DVD-wise.

But, Craig, don't you have DirecTV in the office? We used to... now it's cable ready Comcast (We lost about 40 channels in the switch too) and I did try to watch a few things but I just can't stand commercials (blame 7 years of TiVo) and there's no point in watching something if I miss the 1st 10 minutes or have to get back to work with 15 minutes to go before the show ends, so I looked for other options to keep myself occupied during lunch...

I turned to NetFlix's "Watch Now" On Demand movies & TV. Let me tell ya, that kicks ass! At 4500+ Movies & TV Shows there's plenty to watch (I've been watching the original Battlestar Galactica) but now I have to eat at my desk to watch it. Which actually looks better since I got my new 19" Widescreen LG on my desk. That got me thinking... I seem to remember this thing called Slingbox... I wonder if they're still in business.

They are. Not only that but now they have 3 slinging options at a substantially reduced cost from its debut.

I had to stop at Circuit City to pick up Nick his Guitar Hero 80s PS2 game for his B-day and while I was there...

The combination of a falling price (since it's intro in 2005), a Circuit City sale ($20 off) and a $50 Circuit City Visa Rewards gift card (thank you National City!) that was burning a hole in my pocket led me to finally buy a Slingbox. If I didn't end up liking it, it would be an easy return.

Once home, it was super easy to hook up the unit (especially since I already have 2 data ports behind my entertainment center) and since I'm network savvy, it was easy to configure my router.

I spent about an hour screwing with it on my local machine before the big test the next day (yesterday) at work.

Since I found a way to run my Slingbox from anywhere via a USB thumb drive (nothing to install now), I inserted it into my work pc and checked it out. It was pretty cool to control my TiVo from 18 miles away.

My speed was dancing around 350kbps and while the picture quality was certainly watchable, I knew that Comcast had a better plan for $10 a month which would double my upstream. Last night I upgraded my plan and today at work tested it again.

There is a definite quality difference and I'm glad I did it. I watched an episode of Mythbusters during lunch and actually kept running in the corner of my screen for the rest of the day at work... some People's Court, Judge Judy, etc. It was more background noise than anything else but it's very cool to have that ability... from pretty much anywhere.

Will I keep it?

Yes.

The ability to remotely schedule what I need to record on my Series 1 DirecTiVo is worth the investment by itself. But add that to being able to watch pretty much whatever I want while at work makes it a no-brainer.

By the way... if the iPhone ever gets upgraded with a SlingPlayer client... the UMF may be too strong to resist! I mean come one... DirecTV's full line up + my TiVo in my pocket? That'd be HARD to resist!!

I've been slinging...

The combination of a falling price (since it's intro in 2005), a Circuit City sale ($20 off) and a $50 Circuit City Visa Rewards gift card (thank you National City!) that was burning a hole in my pocket led me to finally buy a Slingbox. More on that tomorrow. An astute observer will also notice that I upgraded my Comcast High-speed internet. I'll explain that too.

Signed up with Audible again...

... This is either time #3 or 4.

1st time (many moons ago... I've been a customer of Audible's since 1999) I got a free Diamond Rio 500 (MP3 Player)
Last time, (Jan '06) I got a free iPod Shuffle for Nick.
This time, I got a $100 Gift Cert. for Amazon.com

I'm gonna use it for a Garmin Nuvi GPS.

I'm committed to a year. I did the 2 books per month plan for $22.99 so that's 24 more books I'll add to my already vast collection of audible audiobooks.

Comcast After...

Comcast Before...

Know your target and what is beyond...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/06/boy.killed.ap/index.html

NOBLE, Oklahoma (AP) -- A police officer shooting at a snake apparently killed a 5-year-old boy who was fishing at a nearby pond, officials said.

Austin Haley was fishing with his grandfather, Jack Tracy, when Tracy said he heard a shot and saw something hit the water just a few feet in front of the boat dock where he was standing.

Moments later, a second shot hit Austin in the head.

A Noble police officer who had responded to a report of a snake in a tree apparently fired the deadly shot while trying to kill the snake on Friday, City Manager Bob Wade said.

"I was told that they tried several ways to get the snake down, but it was still hissing at them and firmly lodged," Wade said. "What I was told is that the owner of the home either suggested or agreed that they should go ahead and shoot the snake, and then everything happened from there."

Tracy thought someone must be trying to kill him and his grandson, so he put the child on the back of a 4-wheeler and drove to his daughter's house about 200 yards away.

"Then two officers came out of the brush over there," he told The Oklahoman. "They didn't tell us they were the ones who had been shooting or that they had shot him. They didn't admit a doggone thing."

The boy was pronounced dead at an Oklahoma City hospital, about 25 miles north of Noble.

Wade refused to identify the officer but said the person had been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

"This is so bizarre it has to be fully investigated," he said. "We're pretty sure circumstantially that it is the bullet from the police officer's gun, but it might be a bullet from someone else."

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown said a state investigation was under way, though it appeared the fatal shot had been fired by the officer.

Tracy has little doubt. "I'm not saying the cop shot him on purpose," he said. "But let me tell you -- if I had a kid and put him in this car and didn't put him in a car seat and he got killed on the way to town, they'd charge me with murder ... and what this cop did is a lot worse than that."

This could have been completely avoided if the officer followed one of the basic safety rules... Know your target and what is beyond

What the hell?

Done!

Finished HP 7 about 10 minutes ago. Excellent read! Still gathering my thoughts for a later post.

Side Note: At the HP Party at Barnes & Noble there was a flier in the bag they handed out that read...

"3,440 pages read, only 784 more to go!"

That was incorrect. The official page count for the US Hardcover is 759

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone had 309 pages and the audiobook was 8h 17m 25s long
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets had 341 pages and the audiobook was 9h 1m 53s long
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban had 435 pages and the audiobook was 11h 48m long
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire had 734 pages and the audiobook was 20h 36m 13s long
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix had 870 pages and the audiobook was 26h 29m 19s long
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince had 652 pages and the audiobook was 18h 33m 9s long
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows had 759 pages and the audiobook was 21h 38m 25s long

Bringing the entire saga to 4,100 pages and 116h 24m 24s of audio. Or as iTunes likes to put it... 4.8 days of audio.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

Publisher Summary:

It all comes down to this - a final faceoff between good and evil. You plan to pull out all the stops, but every time you solve one mystery, three more evolve. Do you stay the course you started, despite your lack of progress? Do you detour and follow a new lead that may not help? Do you listen to your instincts, or your friends?

Lord Voldemort is preparing for battle and so must Harry. With Ron and Hermione at his side, he's trying to hunt down Voldemort's Horcruxes, escape danger at every turn, and find a way to defeat evil once and for all. How does it all end? Find out in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Simply put... This book rocked my world!

Author: J.K. Rowling
Narrator: Jim Dale
Running Time: 21h 38m
Book Rating: *****
Production: *****
(out of 5 stars)

Audiobook
Hard Cover

My brief thoughts before HP 7....

I'm not going to be on the internet tomorrow... in fact after tonight I won't be back online until AFTER I finish Harry Potter 7 which I expect to finish on Sunday.

I'm cutting myself off from the world. No Internet, No TV, No phone, No radio, for the most part, no wife, no kids.

The book has already been online for a few days in one form (digital pics) or another (scanned in OCR).

I've resisted any temptation in downloading these, even though oddly enough, CNN provided links to both in an article yesterday.

It has been my contention for years now that this will be the most spoiled book release in history. If some of things that happened at the HP6 launch are any indicators, odds are you will be spoiled by Monday morning if you don't finish the book by Sunday night.

That's ain't gonna happen to me! I was SUPER close from having major events in book 6 spoiled. I've been waiting for 7 years for this book and I'm going to do whatever I can to limit the possibility of being spoiled.

Here's the plan. Tomorrow morning I'm driving to my local Barnes & Noble to get in line for the wristband that will guarantee me a copy of the book... but more importantly, one of the audiobooks on CD. (I will be able to pick up the book anywhere... even some gas stations!) but there are FAR less audiobooks printed and my local B&N will have less than 50 copies on Friday night.

After that I will head to work. Once the struggle of being at work without surfing the web has ended, I will head home, pick up my kids, grab a bite to eat and then head back to Barnes and Noble a bit early for the Midnight Magic Party.

I will most likely have a VERY low wristband number so I will be able to get out of there around 12:05-12:10am I imagine.

After that I will head home, import a couple of the CDs and depending on how I feel, start the first few chapters. If I'm too tired, I will begin when I'm all fresh and awake on Saturday morning.

Craig's meager predictions... (Don't read anymore if you haven't read 1-6)
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.Spoilers from books 1 - 6 below.
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Spoilers from books 1 - 6 below.
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I fully expect this book to absolutely excellent and I'm greatly looking forward to Voldemort getting his ass kicked!

I'm also hoping that none of the trio (+ Ginny) die but I suspect that Ron may.

I expect Grawp will play some important part (get the Giants to stand with them?) in 7 since he's been pretty worthless since his introduction in book 5.

I can see by the end of book 7 that Draco and Harry will be fighting on the same side.

Snape is good and killed Dumbledore on Dumbledore's orders because having someone on the inside of Voldemort's circle was more important than Dumbledore living. And if Snape didn't help Draco finish his plan, he would have died due to the unbreakable vow.

Won't happen but I'd like to see Umbridge die.

I'm looking very forward to the wedding.

School WILL be in session at Hogwarts.

Wormtail will repay his life debt to Harry.

Let's see how I do.

Harry Potter Audiobook Samples

Wonder what all the fuss is about? Check out a few of these samples!

Harry Potter Audiobook Samples

Wonder what all the fuss is about? Check out a few of these samples!

Breaking News: All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash

FUNNY STUFF!!

Wow! This is seriously disturbing!

That hurts! :)

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Publisher Summary:

The war against Voldemort is not going well; even Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses.

And yet . . .

As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate – and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

So it’s the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort – and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.

A wonderful ride. A pleasure to spend 18 1/2 hours with Jim Dale on the mundane commute. If you're not into Harry Potter, I feel sorry for you since events in this book and in book 7 will likely be spoiled for you before you even pick up book 1.

Author: J.K. Rowling
Narrator: Jim Dale
Running Time: 18 hours 33 min.
Book Rating: *****
Production: *****
(out of 5 stars)

Audiobook
Hard Cover

The day of the iPhone...

8:10am: On my way to work. 3 People setup outside the AT&T Store in Arlington Heights. Just under 10 hours to go. (fuckin' A! this ain't PS3!)

2:40pm: After lunch at Panera with Valerie, I took the long way back to the office. 18 people in line. 3h 20m to go.

7:40pm: iPhone +1h 40m, 28 people in line (outside the store) no idea how many inside.

9:55pm: Phone call to Apple store in Woodfield (open till midnight)...

Apple: "I can't tell you how many there are in stock."

Me: "Well if I leave now it will take me 40 minutes to get there. Will there be an iPhone left for me?"

Apple: "Let me put it this way... there's NO ONE IN THE STORE right now!

Seems they have plenty in stock!

Do I want an iPhone?

After watching this, this, this, this, and these, I really can't see how ANYONE wouldn't want one!

Hopefully I can resist temptation till version 2 (3G, flash, java, 40+GB) but the UMF is strong with this one and I've been drinking deeply of the kool-aid.

Update: Saturday 4pm... Woodfield still has 'em. It's been reported that most Apple stores got well over 1,000 of them for Friday's launch and flagship stores over 5,000, with the "Cube" (5th Ave, NYC) store having between 7,000-8,000!! So much for a shortage!

iPhone line...

...so with 10 hours to go, my local (to work) AT&T store already had 3 people in line.

Before you knock them... Think Different...

Finally saw "Shooter"

While predictable, the movie was a lot of fun in spite of Marky Mark in the lead role. As a firearms instructor I still have major issues with the casting of Walhberg in this movie since he is a convicted felon. Mark can't own a gun and even him picking up a gun is a federal felony. The extras show him shooting real guns with real ammo at Front Sight Firearms Training Institute to train for this movie. Yet another case proving celebrities follow different rules than the rest of us. Back to the movie... It was nice to see the lovely Kate Mara in another flick and If this is Lane Garrison's final acting job, he won't really be missed. I would have given it 5 stars if another actor took on the lead.

The larger question is... will Netflix post this review?

A rare & interesting conversation at work....

I'm not sure how but Brandon Lee came into conversation today, as did his death. I remembered vaguely that he died during production but didn't know much about the details.

As a firearms instructor, I was fascinated to learn that it wasn't just a live ammo vs. dummy ammo mistake...

From Wiki...

...a cartridge with only a primer and a bullet was fired in a pistol; this caused a squib load, in which the primer provided enough force to push the bullet out of the cartridge and into the barrel of the revolver, where it became stuck. The malfunction went unnoticed by the crew, and the same gun was used again later to shoot the death scene, having been re-loaded with blanks. However, the squib load was still lodged in the barrel, and was propelled by the blank cartridge's explosion out of the barrel and into Lee's body. Although the bullet was traveling much slower than a normally fired bullet would be, the bullet's large size and the nearly point-blank firing distance made it powerful enough to severely wound Lee as cameras were rolling at the Carolco Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina.

A textbook case for using a blank firing gun. Prop guns like that are not able to fire real cartridges.

An interesting footnote to that story, the actor who shot and killed Brandon Lee, Michael Massee, played Ira Gaines in 24.

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" by J.K. Rowling

Publisher Summary:

There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it's haunting Harry Potter's dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror?

Harry has a lot on his mind for this, his fifth year at Hogwarts: a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey; a big surprise on the Gryffindor Quidditch team; and the looming terror of the Ordinary Wizarding Level exams. But all these things pale next to the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named - a threat that neither the magical government nor the authorities at Hogwarts can stop.

As the grasp of darkness tightens, Harry must discover the true depth and strength of his friends, the importance of boundless loyalty, and the shocking price of unbearable sacrifice.

His fate depends on them all.

I'm getting far behind on Harry Potter. At the start of book 5 on June 6th, I was 12 hours behind for making my goal of finishing before the final book is released. As it is right now, I've been able to make up 4 hours on my last two drives to Pine Tree and back. Hopefully I'll get another 2 hour boost this weekend while driving for the next reloading class. I'm on disc 10 of 23. (as of 6/14/07)

Update 7/1/07: I'm done and on to book 6. Book 5 is simply wonderful. It's a shame that the movie doesn't do it justice.

Author: J.K. Rowling
Narrator: Jim Dale
Running Time: 26 hours 30 min.
Book Rating: *****
Production: *****
(out of 5 stars)

Audiobook
Hard Cover

"Gravedancers"

A heartfelt Irish wake for an old friend accidentally awakens three ghosts -- a rapist, an ax murderer and a pint-sized pyromaniac -- who wreak havoc on the drunken revelers who danced on their graves (Dominic Purcell, Josie Maran, Marcus Thomas and Clare Kramer). Tchéky Karyo and Megahn Perry co-star in this horrific tale of cause and effect from director Mike Mendez (The Convent).


The 3rd of the 8 Films to Die For I've seen and my favorite so far. It was nice to see Clare Kramer in something other than Buffy (I didn't even recognize her at first) and of course Dominic Purcell (Prison Break) is excellent as usual. I went into this (and all 8) knowing very little. I hadn't watched previews and I didn't read the Netflix description of the movie so I had no expectations other than the general "8 to Die For" hype. While I loved the movie, I don't see why it was "too graphic" or "too scary" for a general release.

Buy it here.

"Penny Dreadful"

After surviving an automobile accident that killed both of her parents, Penny Dearborn (Rachel Miner) has an understandable fear of cars. But her therapist's (Mimi Rogers) suggestion that they confront it together head-on turns out to have deadly consequences. Horror icon Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes, Weird Science) co-stars in this heart-pounding psychological thriller from director Richard Brandes.


The 2nd of the 8 Films to Die For I've seen. I really liked this movie. Some are correct that this is more of a thriller type than horror but going into the "8 Films" with very little expectations, I was pleasantly surprised by its end. Rachel Miner did an excellent job and it was nice to see Mickey Jones & Michael Berryman. The premise is just another reason why you should have a firearm in the car if you're going to drive in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! But then it would have been a different movie all together!

Buy it here.

"Unrest"

Medical student Alison Blanchard (Corri English) has no choice but to confront her fear of mortality when she and her classmates are ordered to dissect cadavers for their gross anatomy class. But Alison gets the fright of her life when she begins to suspect the corpse she's working on isn't truly dead. The only way Alison can help this cadaver's restless spirit find peace is to investigate the authorities' claim that it died from natural causes.


The 1st of the "8 Films to Die For" I've seen. The concept was pretty cool but there were certainly some issues with the script. You will get a chuckle when you see the solution for breaking off a padlock. At the very least... Corri is certainly cute enough to watch for 90 minutes. I didn't know Jessica Alba had a brother or that he acted.

Buy it here.

Sopranos Finale...

FUCK YOU DAVID CHASE!! I can't believe that HBO allowed that piece of shit finale to air!

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" by J.K. Rowling

Publisher Summary:

It's the pivotal fourth novel in the seven-part tale of Harry Potter's training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys. He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. Unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal — even by wizarding standards.

And in his case, different can be deadly.

Any doubts that the Harry Potter series has gone from a kids book to Adult Fiction have now been crushed. This is an excellent book! Though you'd never tell by watching the movie since SOOO much had to be cut out of it.

Dumbledore is MUCH more of a class act than portrayed in the movie, the 3rd Task was actually more difficult than it was shown, and who knew that there were house elves in the book! You can tell... I really didn't like the 4th movie. But I give high marks on the book. Do yourself a favor and READ IT!


Author: J.K. Rowling
Narrator: Jim Dale
Running Time: 20 hours 36 min.
Book Rating: *****
Production: *****
(out of 5 stars)

Audiobook
Hard Cover

Random Ramblings...

Lower back pain sucks.

Another meeting and I'm still not on the Board of Directors.

My Blazer actually made it to Rockford and back without incident. An arm and a leg in fuel cost though.

Bowling Pin Shooting Match OR Valerie's co-worker's Wedding? Decisions, Decisions.

The Shield Season finale was anti-climatic though still great.

Oddly, On Saturday, I'm going to be a student in a class that I'm already certified to teach.

I hate cars.

Praising for hard work done is good.

back pain sucks.

2 more weeks for Darren.

Netflix now has season 1 of "Airline" on demand.

I'm going to shoot this golfball on my desk after the reloading class on Saturday.

No Father's Day for Chris.

"One Step Forward, Two Steps Back"

The dog puked on the floor. (thankfully tile)

"Saw III" was much better than I expected.

I need something stronger than ibuprofen.

I have more in common with the UPS guy than I do my co-workers.

My lawn needs mowing... I'm not gonna do it.

Sleeping with an AR-10 is probably dangerous.

I could use a stog and a beer right now.

Using a marker on a couch is not smart.

"The Return" could have been better.

Netflix needs MORE on demand!

I'm on Harry Potter 5 (for the 3rd time) now... (though I haven't updated the audiobook section yet)

More money would make Craig happy.

I think I'll make the kids watch another "From the Earth to the Moon" tonight.

I need corn on the cob.

The next thing that breaks down in the house or in the cars will result in my suicide... still working on ways to do it.

I'm in the mood for Nick's and a LOT of BEER.

I need Season 6 & 7 of DS9 still... finished the season 5 finale during lunch yesterday.

Valerie got screwed by Sam Adam's & Wildfire.

Bobby didn't need to die... but A.J. DOES need to die!!

Albus Dumbledore is a class act.

End of Line.

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling

Publisher Summary:

For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort.

Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts... he's at Hogwarts."

Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.

The 3rd book in the Harry Potter universe. This book is a turning point for the trio & for Jo. The Trio are now teenagers & Jo is pretty much leaving the "kids book" crap behind (In my opinion) because the book is a lot more grown up than the previous two. An excellent read!

Author: J.K. Rowling
Narrator: Jim Dale
Running Time: 11 hours 48 min.
Book Rating: *****
Production: *****
(out of 5 stars)

Audiobook
Hard Cover

I've actually heard this story 1st hand...

Article here.

Blind man says Utah gun permit does not make him dangerous
By Dave Kolpack
The Associated Press

FARGO, N.D. - A blind man who has concealed weapons permits from North Dakota and Utah says he's not a danger to society, even though he can't see the gun he's shooting.

Carey McWilliams, 33, says he has followed all rules, and he wants Minnesota to join other states that have granted him a concealed weapons permit. He says he was rejected by a Minnesota county sheriff and a judge in that state.

"I'm trying to prove a point that people without sight still can carry (a gun) because brains are more important than eyesight in securing public safety," McWilliams said. "The shooter at Virginia Tech had really good eyesight and he killed 32 people."

Sheriff Bill Bergquist of Clay County, Minn., said he felt bad about denying a permit for McWilliams.

"He's a super nice guy," Bergquist said. "But the application states that a person should be able to show proficiency on the firing range and a proficiency of the weapons. That's the issue.

"Sometimes I have to ask myself, what is right in this case? I felt when I denied it, he could have his day in court," the sheriff said.

McWilliams said he completed the required class and shooting exercise by Paul Horvick, a National Rifle Association instructor. Horvick said he believes gun rights are private and would not comment on anyone he has taught or tested. Documents on Minnesota weapons hearings are sealed.

McWilliams said he uses special low-range, hollow-point bullets that are effective only in tight quarters.

"If I use a gun it will be at point-blank range, period," he said. "A sighted shooter is probably more dangerous because they can see something scary and pull their gun in haste."

Under Minnesota law, an applicant must be issued a license for a gun or a concealed weapon if he or she completes the class and shooting exercise and passes a background check - unless "there exists a substantial likelihood that the applicant is a danger to self or the public if authorized to carry a pistol under permit."

McWilliams believes Minnesota officials have violated his constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

"It's nobody business that I'm blind," he said.

McWilliams lives in a Fargo trailer park with his wife, Victoria. A neighbor, Jon Storley, accompanied McWilliams during his appeal to the Minnesota District Court.

"He's not a nut, he's not a weirdo, he's not a freak," said Storley, a cab driver and rock musician. "I'm not a lawyer, but in this case I believe the judge was legislating from the bench."

Storley also said he doesn't blame Bergquist and Kirk for their decisions, calling the case "a kettle of worms."

The permit obtained from Utah is recognized in 30 other states, including Minnesota. McWilliams said he had to complete a "firearms familiarity course" before receiving the Utah license.

"Basically they just passed around a couple of guns," McWilliams said.

McWilliams, who got his North Dakota permit in 2001, testified during the 2005 North Dakota legislative session against a proposal to drop the written part of the concealed weapons test. He told lawmakers it would allow people who are ignorant about firearm regulations to get permits. The test was eliminated.

The Legislature also decided to keep individual information about weapons permits confidential, said Liz Brocker, spokeswoman for the attorney general's office.

"All I can tell you is the total number of permits that have been issued" - 8,030, she said.

McWilliams lost his eyesight when he was 10 years old, after a series of headaches and gradual deterioration. It was a mystery to doctors.

He said he was a victim of domestic violence growing up and was stalked by gang members.

"I've had situations where I would have felt threatened if I hadn't been carrying," he said.

McWilliams has written two books, including an autobiography published earlier this year that talks about his experiences in sky diving, scuba diving and deep sea fishing. He was in two segments of Michael Moore's antigun movie, "Bowling for Columbine," including a scene showing him cradling an AK-47 assault rifle.

Much of his autobiography is about his weapons training and testing.

"My permits together allow me, with reciprocity, to carry my gun in 30 states, one of which could be yours," he writes. "But never fear, with my extensive experience in firearms, I have take all reasonable measures to ensure the safety of others."

I only post this because I've taken Paul Horvick's class for the Utah Permit and he spoke to us about this issue. I didn't realize it was still on-going.

Why is this national news?

I found this a bit ago on CNN.com....

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/15/baby.gun.ap/index.html
==================================================================
Baby 'Bubba' gets a gun permit

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- "Bubba" Ludwig can't walk, talk or open the refrigerator door -- but he does have his very own Illinois gun permit.

The 10-month-old, whose given name is Howard David Ludwig, was issued a firearm owner's identification card after his father, Howard Ludwig, paid the $5 fee and filled out the application, not expecting to actually get one.

The card lists the baby's height (2 feet, 3 inches), weight (20 pounds) and has a scribble where the signature should be.

With some exceptions, the cards are required of any Illinois residents purchasing or possessing firearms or ammunition within the state. There are no age restrictions on the cards, an official said.

Illinois State Police oversee the application process. Their purpose, said Lt. Scott Compton, is to keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons, those under an order of protection and those convicted of domestic violence.

"Does a 10-month-old need a FOID card? No, but there are no restrictions under the act regarding age of applicants," he said.

Ludwig, 30, of Chicago, applied for the card after his own father bought Bubba a 12-gauge Beretta shotgun as a gift. The weapon will probably be kept at Ludwig's father's house until the boy is at least 14.
==================================================================

While it looks like the Illinois FOID application has no age limit...

http://www.isp.state.il.us/media/docdetails.cfm?DocID=38

...I'm not sure if the father, Mr. Ludwig, helped or hurt our cause.

Pro: The kid is starting to exercise his rights at an early age. He already has a nicer shotgun than I do!

Con: The anti-gunners can use this to show how the system needs even MORE restrictions because "if a 10 month old can get a FOID... anyone can!"

Mixed feelings... what do you think?

Netflix again...

... so back in late Winter I put my Netflix subscription on hold because I wasn't going to watch any movies until I got a high-def TV in the living room. I had forgotten that the subscription would automatically restart.

I didn't get that TV yet... (but I did get a rebuilt transmission for my Blazer... but that's another story)

After my daily ritual of checking my bank account online, I noticed that it restarted today. Not a big deal since Valerie has been asking me to renew it anyway because we've missed a lot of movies in the past several months. Here's what's on the way...

The Departed
Eragon
Snakes on a Plane
Clerks 2

I'm also checking out their "Watch Now" feature. Certainly not the best selection of movies but a GREAT feature nonetheless. Though the quality is excellent, I'd never do this for an A-List movie... I'd rather get the surround sound and larger screen... but with lesser movies, it's a great idea! They've got over 2000 movies & TV shows available for instant viewing. Since I'm on the 4 movies out plan... I have access to 24 hours of "Watch Now" movies a month and I'm pissing away 1:43 with Tremors 3.

2 More days of "24"

Excellent news! The world needs MORE Jack Bauer!

Article Here.

Kick ass Dirt Devil!

Cool "Gravity Wave" Video

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling

Publisher Summary:

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone — or something — starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects...Harry Potter himself!


The next chapter in the Harry Potter saga. Harry's a year older and the writing is getting more mature. That trend will continue to at least book 6 (and I'm sure 7) It is said that things that happen in this book will play heavily into events in book 7.

Author: J.K. Rowling
Narrator: Jim Dale
Running Time: 9 hours 2 min.
Book Rating: *****
Production: *****
(out of 5 stars)

Audiobook
Hard Cover

ABC details 'Lost's' final years

LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- ABC has set an end date for "Lost."

The Emmy-winning adventure series will run for 48 more episodes over three seasons. Each season will consist of 16 episodes, which will air uninterrupted.

"Lost" executive producers/showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, who have been vocal about setting up an endgame for the show, have signed on to stay for the remainder of the series' run. Their separate new eight-figure deals with "Lost" producer ABC TV Studio include their services on the show as well as multiyear development pacts set to kick in when "Lost" bows out during the 2009-10 season.

"Due to the unique nature of 'Lost,' we knew it would require an end date to keep the integrity and strength of the show consistent throughout and to give the audience the payoff they deserve," ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson said.

Lindelof said having the end point in sight was "incredibly liberating. Like we've been running a marathon and we actually know where the finish line is for the first time."

Lindelof and Cuse said they've had "a road map for the series with all the major mythological milestones and the ending in place" for awhile.

"What we didn't know was how long we had to play the story out," Cuse said. "By defining the endpoint we can now really map out the rest of the series in confidence."

There will be some puzzle play, too.

"We sort of view 'Lost' as a mosaic," Cuse said. "Now there are only 48 more tiles that go into that mosaic, and we're figuring out, along with all the other writers, exactly where they all go."

In January, Lindelof and Cuse said that they envisioned the endpoint for "Lost" around episode 100. The agreement with ABC will bring the total number of episodes to 120.

Lindelof wrote the pilot for "Lost" with fellow executive producer J.J. Abrams, and Cuse joined the series in October 2004 shortly after the show debuted to big numbers.

In addition to its instant commercial success and large following, "Lost" has enjoyed strong critical acclaim, capped by a best drama series Emmy in 2005 and best drama series Golden Globe in 2006.

While the show's ratings have softened this season -- it is averaging 15.1 million viewers to date -- it is the most recorded show on TV, gaining 18 percent more viewers through DVR viewing. It is also a popular draw for streaming replays on ABC.com, iTunes downloads and DVDs.

Article Here.

This is excellent news. Damon, Carlton & J.J. can create a much tighter tale now that they have an end date. I just hope it'll be better than the majority of this season and that they'll actually answer some questions instead of just creating new ones.

Going too far... (Part 2)

More details about the essay have come out.

Article 1, Article 2

Excerpt:

"Blood, sex and booze," "Drugs, drugs, drugs are fun. Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, s ... t ... a ... b ..., puke."

"So I had this dream last night where I went into a building, pulled out two P 90s and started shooting everyone, then had sex with the dead bodies. Well, not really, but it would be funny if I did."

For those who care... the P90 is a submachine gun made by FN, and is popular in a lot of video games.

Here are the instructions for the “free writing” exercise:

• “Write nonstop for a set period of time.”

• “Do not make corrections as you write.”

• “Keep writing, even if you have to write something like, ‘I don’t know what to write.’ ”

• “Write whatever comes into your mind.”

• “Do not judge or censor what you are writing.”

The assignment included additional guidelines such as, “If your free writing is neat and coherent, you probably haven’t loosened up enough.”

While his writings of sex with dead bodies may offend some... “Write whatever comes into your mind.” and “Do not judge or censor what you are writing.” pretty much explain it all. There ARE some twisted minds out there. Hell look at James Wan... he wrote and directed Saw. It's take a seriously fucked up mind to create that! But that doesn't automatically make him a psycho.

He didn't threaten anyone in his essay so basically he was arrested and charged with Disorderly Conduct for being twisted. That... is going too far!

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling

Publisher Summary:

Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility.

All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley — a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry lives in a cupboard under the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years.

But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry — and anyone who reads about him — will find unforgettable.

For it's there that he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter.

I think this is my 7th time through this book. After over a year gap in Harry (for me) it was like sitting down with an old friend again. My goal is to have all 6 books finished about a week or so before the release of the final book in July. Even in my 7th time through, I can still pick up on little things I didn't remember.

This is where it all starts. You can tell it's more or less geared for kids but it's certainly written well enough that adults will find it entertaining as well.

If you haven't gotten into Harry Potter yet, I strongly urge you to do so!

Author: J.K. Rowling
Narrator: Jim Dale
Running Time: 8 hours 18 min.
Book Rating: *****
Production: *****
(out of 5 stars)

Audiobook
Hard Cover

Going too far...

Before I turned into an asshole, (everyone I know will agree that I am one.) I was a high school freshman.

Turning back the clock a bit... I was a freshman a couple of years after Red Dawn came out on video. (a wonderfully pro-gun movie) This wasn't THAT long ago but it was back when schools actually had bullies. (imagine that)

I didn't get bullied much... Hell by my Junior year I had been suspended from school 3 times for fighting! ...But there were those who did. My buddy Pete for instance. He was your typical comic book geek. Bullies used to give him shit. He didn't grab grandpa's rifle and start blowing people away though. At least for real anyway.

More in a bit... but the reason I bring this up is because of an article I just read on the Northwest Herald's website...

Essay lands Cary teen in hot water

By NICK SWEDBERG

CARY – A Cary-Grove High School senior was arrested Tuesday on a disorderly conduct charge after his English teacher notified police that an essay he wrote contained nonspecific references to violence.

Allen W. Lee, 18, of Cary was charged Tuesday morning after police determined that essay references to shootings were alarming. He posted $75 bond and is set to appear in court June 18.

“The writing assignment depicted violence, was disturbing and inappropriate, but did not contain any specific locations or names,” Cary Police Chief Ron Delelio said.

Allen Lee was unavailable for comment Tuesday. His father, Albert Lee, said his son was a “straight-A” student and likely wrote the essay as a prank.

“I think it’s a high school prank turned sour,” Albert Lee said.

Lee has been removed indefinitely from the school and is facing disciplinary action, District 155 spokesman Jeff Puma said.

Puma declined to elaborate further about what actions might be taken against the student.

Police declined to release a copy of the essay Tuesday. Thomas Carroll, first assistant for the McHenry County state’s attorney’s office, said prosecutors had not yet reviewed the essay.

An English teacher read the essay while grading creative writing assignments at the school after hours Monday, school officials and police said.

“She was concerned based on things that have transpired recently,” Puma said. “It raised some flags. I think, in this case, the teacher chose to err on the side of caution and, I think, rightly so.”

They said it contained no references to any students or the school and did not reference the recent killings at the Virginia Tech campus.

Officials at Crystal Lake Central High School determined last week that threatening graffiti left on a bathroom wall was a prank. Also, rumors of someone planning to bring a gun to South Elgin High School on April 20, the anniversary of the Columbine shooting, were proven untrue.

“You can never be overly cautious with any type of these situations,” Delelio said.

A spokesman for the Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said he was surprised that police would choose to arrest the student despite no direct threats being made against anyone or anything.

“It’s not clear where the threat is here,” Ed Yohnka said, although he said it was difficult to specifically comment without seeing the material.

Disorderly conduct, which is a misdemeanor that carries up to 30 days in jail and a fine, can be charged if someone feels alarmed or disturbed by another’s actions.

Albert Lee said he was not sure what the assignment was but said his son was told by his teacher that he was allowed to use foul language in the essay.

District 155 officials have not released the name of the English teacher. They also have declined to comment on the student’s disciplinary or academic histories.

By the way, read some of the comments users have posted on that article (scroll to the bottom of that article)

I continue...

Pete was much more creative than I was in high school. That combined with his love for comics and a flair for the written word made for an excellent story. I don't recall the name of his story. I think it was something like "Russian Busters" or similar. But I do remember the basic gist of it...

It was very Red Dawn. Russians came down ala Red Dawn and sought to invade the school and the rest of the town. Pete was the hero of the tale and most of his friends ended up helping his cause (and dying).

The story was violent! Real violent! It's no surprise that every student who gave him shit or that he didn't like was killed by the Russians in a most violent (and humorous to me) way. The same went for teachers he didn't like or that didn't like him. They too, met a violent end.

The story used real names, real locations in the school, real cliques, etc.

Granted, he didn't write this for a school assignment but it certainly made the rounds in the school.

I am absolutely convinced that if a high schooler wrote that exact story today not only would he be arrested and expelled from school, it would make the NATIONAL news!

Oh how times have changed.... and not for the better!

I have no idea what the student in that article wrote but it's got to be a far fucking cry from what was written back in my high school days.

"Thought Police" and "Zero Tolerance" come to mind. Give me a fucking break! He made 'references' to violence and he gets arrested? Thank god my kids aren't going that that fucking school!

NRA: The Untold Story of Gun Confiscation After Katrina

A video every American should see...

... scary, scary stuff!

I haven't talked about the tragedy at Virginia Tech...

...mainly because this week has been all about catching up. We were in St. Louis at the time and missed all of the 'breaking news' (That may actually be a good thing).

Read this article here... http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/19/commentary.nugent/index.html

Nugent: Gun-free zones are recipe for disaster

By Ted Nugent
Special to CNN

Editor's note: Rock guitarist Ted Nugent has sold more than 30 million albums. He's also a gun rights activist and serves on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association. His program, "Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild," can be seen on the Outdoor Channel.

WACO, Texas (CNN) -- Zero tolerance, huh? Gun-free zones, huh? Try this on for size: Columbine gun-free zone, New York City pizza shop gun-free zone, Luby's Cafeteria gun-free zone, Amish school in Pennsylvania gun-free zone and now Virginia Tech gun-free zone.

Anybody see what the evil Brady Campaign and other anti-gun cults have created? I personally have zero tolerance for evil and denial. And America had best wake up real fast that the brain-dead celebration of unarmed helplessness will get you killed every time, and I've about had enough of it.

Nearly a decade ago, a Springfield, Oregon, high schooler, a hunter familiar with firearms, was able to bring an unfolding rampage to an abrupt end when he identified a gunman attempting to reload his .22-caliber rifle, made the tactical decision to make a move and tackled the shooter.

A few years back, an assistant principal at Pearl High School in Mississippi, which was a gun-free zone, retrieved his legally owned Colt .45 from his car and stopped a Columbine wannabe from continuing his massacre at another school after he had killed two and wounded more at Pearl.

At an eighth-grade school dance in Pennsylvania, a boy fatally shot a teacher and wounded two students before the owner of the dance hall brought the killing to a halt with his own gun.

More recently, just a few miles up the road from Virginia Tech, two law school students ran to fetch their legally owned firearm to stop a madman from slaughtering anybody and everybody he pleased. These brave, average, armed citizens neutralized him pronto.

My hero, Dr. Suzanne Gratia Hupp, was not allowed by Texas law to carry her handgun into Luby's Cafeteria that fateful day in 1991, when due to bureaucrat-forced unarmed helplessness she could do nothing to stop satanic George Hennard from killing 23 people and wounding more than 20 others before he shot himself. Hupp was unarmed for no other reason than denial-ridden "feel good" politics.

She has since led the charge for concealed weapon upgrade in Texas, where we can now stop evil. Yet, there are still the mindless puppets of the Brady Campaign and other anti-gun organizations insisting on continuing the gun-free zone insanity by which innocents are forced into unarmed helplessness. Shame on them. Shame on America. Shame on the anti-gunners all.

No one was foolish enough to debate Ryder truck regulations or ammonia nitrate restrictions or a "cult of agriculture fertilizer" following the unabashed evil of Timothy McVeigh's heinous crime against America on that fateful day in Oklahoma City. No one faulted kitchen utensils or other hardware of choice after Jeffrey Dahmer was caught drugging, mutilating, raping, murdering and cannibalizing his victims. Nobody wanted "steak knife control" as they autopsied the dead nurses in Chicago, Illinois, as Richard Speck went on trial for mass murder.

Evil is as evil does, and laws disarming guaranteed victims make evil people very, very happy. Shame on us.

Already spineless gun control advocates are squawking like chickens with their tiny-brained heads chopped off, making political hay over this most recent, devastating Virginia Tech massacre, when in fact it is their own forced gun-free zone policy that enabled the unchallenged methodical murder of 32 people.

Thirty-two people dead on a U.S. college campus pursuing their American Dream, mowed-down over an extended period of time by a lone, non-American gunman in illegal possession of a firearm on campus in defiance of a zero-tolerance gun law. Feel better yet? Didn't think so.

Who doesn't get this? Who has the audacity to demand unarmed helplessness? Who likes dead good guys?

I'll tell you who. People who tramp on the Second Amendment, that's who. People who refuse to accept the self-evident truth that free people have the God-given right to keep and bear arms, to defend themselves and their loved ones. People who are so desperate in their drive to control others, so mindless in their denial that they pretend access to gas causes arson, Ryder trucks and fertilizer cause terrorism, water causes drowning, forks and spoons cause obesity, dialing 911 will somehow save your life, and that their greedy clamoring to "feel good" is more important than admitting that armed citizens are much better equipped to stop evil than unarmed, helpless ones.

Pray for the families of victims everywhere, America. Study the methodology of evil. It has a profile, a system, a preferred environment where victims cannot fight back. Embrace the facts, demand upgrade and be certain that your children's school has a better plan than Virginia Tech or Columbine. Eliminate the insanity of gun-free zones, which will never, ever be gun-free zones. They will only be good guy gun-free zones, and that is a recipe for disaster written in blood on the altar of denial. I, for one, refuse to genuflect there.

Ted makes some excellent points in this article. What happened was a tragedy but I can't help but think that the outcome could have been different if the professors or students actually had the ability to defend themselves and others if they weren't forced into a state of disarmament by the school.

Borrowing from Tom Gresham's article (link)...

According to the school’s “Campus and Workplace Violence Prevention Policy”:
“The university’s employees, students, and volunteers, or any visitor or other third party attending a sporting, entertainment, or educational event, or visiting an academic or administrative office building or residence hall, are further prohibited from carrying, maintaining, or storing a firearm or weapon on any university facility, even if the owner has a valid permit, when it is not required by the individual’s job, or in accordance with the relevant University Student Life Policies.

Any such individual who is reported or discovered to possess a firearm or weapon on university property will be asked to remove it immediately. Failure to comply may result in a student judicial referral and/or arrest, or an employee disciplinary action and/or arrest.”
(Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Policy 5616, Campus and Workplace Violence Prevention Policy, http://www.policies.vt.edu/5616.pdf)

Now I'm not saying carrying a concealed handgun is right for everybody or even most people, but those who have gone through the process to obtain a concealed carry permit (training, background check, etc.) and would have otherwise been carrying their concealed handguns were prevented in doing so by University Policy and that policy may very well have allowed the killing spree to continue instead of the killer being stopped in his tracks by a law abiding student/teacher.

Far fetched you say? Well it has ALREADY happened! Ted cites a few examples of how that has worked in the past... Pearl High School in Mississippi, the eighth-grade school dance in Pennsylvania, the Appalachian Law School in Virginia.

And a few more where because of the "gun free zone" no one could defend themselves or others... Columbine, New York City pizza shop, Luby's Cafeteria, Amish school in Pennsylvania and now Virginia Tech.

More gun control is NOT the answer! Murder is already illegal and the University policy didn't deter this killer from bringing his gun on campus.

It's no surprise that the cities with the most restrictive gun laws also have the highest crime rates. Washington DC, New York, LA, Chicago.... if you were a criminal, would you rather 'work'... in an area where your potential victims could be carrying a handgun with the potential to defend themselves or in an area where the 'good guys' are legislated out of self-defense. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why the crime rates have dropped in EVERY single area where concealed carry laws have passed.

It amazes me how anyone could think that if someone is determined to murder people (already illegal) that they would even give a shit about breaking gun control laws on their way to the murder. A criminal (by definition) will not follow those laws. All they do is restrict the ability of the law abiding the right to carry a handgun for lawful defense.

I have gone through the process of obtaining a concealed carry permit multiple times. I have a carry permit that allows me to carry concealed in 30 states! But, sadly, while I can carry concealed in over 1/2 of this great Country, in my own State of Illinois, I'd be arrested and charged with a felony if I was caught carrying a concealed firearm.

There are over 250,000,000 guns in America. There are around 300,000,000 people. Do the math... Guns aren't going anywhere in the USA. They banned guns in England and gun crime still exists.. but now knife crime is at an all time high. Now they are passing laws restricting the type of knives they can eat a steak dinner with! Next up will be a spike in blunt instrument crimes.

As I'm typing this CNN is reporting a shooting at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Very little details are available but I should point out that NASA security rules do not allow weapons on the property.

Evil will always find a way.