LBY3
The continuing adventures of Beau Yarbrough

I edited my first Wikipedia entry!

Wednesday, January 11, 2006, 14:50
Section: Geek

I feel so very 2004. I just updated the Wikipedia entry for the Women in Refrigerators concept. I added the new URL (the old one now belongs to someone in Estonia who has the strange sense of irony to put porno on a site discussing the brutal exploitation of female characters for a quick kick of drama) and changed the name away from “Girlfriends-in-Refrigerators,” which is a baffling change that seems to have come from the misremembering of whoever posted the original entry.

I’m not a huge fan of Wikipedia in general — I think it represents itself as being far too authoritative despite being open to a whole lot of monkeying around (I didn’t have to register to make any of the changes to Wikipedia, despite their announcement that would be required) — but it’s useful for quick and dirty info, or informal distribution of information, so long as you go into it knowing that they’re possibly full of crap. If they’d move their disclaimer link up from being the very last word on the entire page up to near the top, I’d be a lot happier with it, since people might click it and realize why there has to be a disclaimer there at all.

I also notice that Gail herself has a Wikipedia entry. Damn it, I want to be interesting enough to merit one.

  • Update: Fred has stepped in, fixed the name of the WiR entry, greatly expanded it, and put in an homage to the late, great Rob Harris, whom I think all of us who knew him still miss regularly and terribly.


Josh’s cancer

Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 18:24
Section: Life

Given how this blog began, it seems appropriate to eavesdrop again on Josh Friedman’s great blog, which had been about anything but cancer, but life tossed the screenwriter a major plot-twist, unbidden:

I do not believe in God, and I do not believe in fate. The last two months have been tough on this particular atheist, but as an infinite monkey I have little choice but to bow down to the powers of natural selection and mutation, even when it’s happening inside my own body. There are those who suggest a greater power must be looking out for me. But the greatest power I know was doing last minute post-production on Munich so I didn’t bother calling on him, either.

I do believe in poker. I was addicted to cards, and so I quit. But they converted me to their ways. I believe in math, random chance, probability, and mostly, luck. Professional card players understand that poker is short-term luck (good and bad) eventually balanced out by long-term skill. Living, more likely, is long-term luck balanced out with occasional bouts of short-term skill. In this case, the luck is all mine and the skill belongs to those who found my tumor and took it out.

I did not fight cancer and I certainly did not beat cancer. One night cancer came and grabbed me hard by the arm, yanked me down the stairs and stood over me on the landing while I begged for mercy and waited for the rain of blows to come. Some did, enough for me to know I couldn’t have withstood the whole barrage.

And then without explanation it disappeared. And let me live. Like some monsters do.

Incidentally, if you don’t normally read I find your lack of faith disturbing, it’s probably the most interesting blog out there, for my money. Other than, you know, mine, which is riveting.



Surprise! New Lost podcast

Monday, January 9, 2006, 17:39
Section: Arts & Entertainment,Geek

This was a nice surprise when I got home from work: A new Lost podcast waiting for me in iTunes (via Juice, of course).

Executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse share exclusive clues and preview upcoming episode “The 23rd Psalm.” Also, composer Michael Giacchino talks about the behind-the-scenes scoring of Lost.

Bitchin’.

  • In other geek news, Wired has posted their Game Year in Review: 2010 article, including summaries of important moments like this:

    Speaking of Mario, Nintendo and LucasArts are still locked in competition to bring their aging iconic characters to every genre ever invented. The year 2010 saw the release of Darth Maul’s Star Wars Tennis, Mario MMORPG, Clone Trooper Golf, Mario’s Dating Sim, Jar-Jar’s Dating Sim and Mario Storms the Beach at Normandy. Plus, handheld versions of all those.

    The mainstream gaming public finally started to go online in droves this year, motivated by increasing ease of use, fatter broadband pipes and more sophisticated online experiences, but mostly by the Xbox’s revolutionary Verified Gender technology. By guaranteeing that the hot, busty elf chick next to you is biologically female — if not actually hot, busty or an elf — Microsoft attracted millions of horny consumers looking for awkward, semi-anonymous online avatar sex. Microsoft is looking to expand this previously untapped market further by introducing cybersex ranking ladders.

    It made me laugh, anyway.

  • Less happy geek news: Josh Friedman apparently has cancer.


The F-16 and the C-130 pilots

Monday, January 9, 2006, 8:55
Section: Miscellany

A joke from my father-in-law:

A C-130 was en route to a mission when a cocky F-16 pilot flew up next to him.

The fighter jock told the C-130 pilot, “watch this!” He went into a barrel roll, followed by a steep climb, then finished with a sonic boom when he reached the speed of sound.

The F-16 pilot asked the C-130 pilot what he thought.

The C-130 pilot responded “that was impressive, but watch this.”

The C-130 droned along for about 15 minutes then the 130 pilot came back on and said, “what did you think about that?”

The 16 pilot asked, “what did you do?”

The C-130 pilot responded, “I got up, stretched my legs, went to the back, poured a cup of coffee and took a piss. Any questions?”



Postmus eyes county assessor position

Saturday, January 7, 2006, 8:48
Section: Journalism

Tracie Troha has a much bigger story than it might appear to be in Saturday’s Daily Press.

Those who know Postmus best say they were not surprised by his decision.

“I always knew he wanted to move to a more administrative office,” said Hesperia Councilman Jim Lindley. “I think he can do some real justice for taxpayers in the office.”

Lindley said as supervisor, Postmus’ job was to make policy and let county staff execute it. If elected to county assessor, Postmus will have an opportunity to actually work on some of the policies he created.

Victorville Mayor Mike Rothschild, who has made no secret about his interest in being on the Board of Supervisors, said if Postmus was elected assessor he would consider running for the First District seat.

“I haven’t made any decision,” Rothschild said. “I wouldn’t run unless (Postmus) is definitely out of the picture. I’ll have to wait to know for sure.”

If he lost the election, however, Postmus said he would continue to serve his two remaining years on the board.

I think Rothschild is only one of a handful of possible candidates, and I think Postmus’ position potentially opening up could lead to some very interesting moves among High Desert power blocs and casts a very interesting light over this year’s city council election. We’ll be reading more about this in the months to come, I’m sure, and sometimes from unexpected angles.


 








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Veritas odit moras.