Republican pot meet republican kettle

Barack Obama is still 16 days away from his inauguration but the Republican smear machine is in full gear. Today's NY Times--that tool of the liberal media, no less--carries an Op-Ed piece from two key members of the outgoing Bush crew, John Bolton and John Yoo, full of worry that Obama will try to sidestep the Senate's proper role in foreign policy.

Is that a laugh or what? Bush may have followed the proper form in some instances but only superficially and only when his people recognized they had no alternative. And even then they used half-truths, outright lies and evasions so that Senate Democrats had no chance of the meaningful oversight Bolton and Yoo insist is so important.

Yoo, according to Wikipedia, "wrote memos in which he advocated the possible legality of torture and that enemy combatants could be denied protection under the Geneva Conventions."

Bolton has a long record of working in Republican administrations. Under Reagan, for example, he was the point man for the administration's effort to deny Japanese-Americans reparations for their WWII internment and a bill that claimed immigration control is an essential tool for the war on drugs.

GWB tried to appoint him as the US representative to the United Nations, a joke in itself, but the Senate blocked him. This was a guy, after all, who had so little self-control he was booted from the US delegation to the North Korean disarmament talks for calling Kim Jon-Il a tyrannical dictator. Not that Kim isn't, but a diplomat is supposed to know better than to shoot his mouth off.

Back to the point at hand. In the opening paragraph Yoo and Bolton claim that Obama and Hillary Clinton are likely to "lock the United States into unwise foreign commitments" by bypassing the Constitution's requirements that such initiatives receive supermajority approval from the Senate. What a freaking laugh coming from the assclowns who mad secret deals with countries like Syria and Jordan and lied their way to a pointless, terrible war in Iraq.

Scum of the Year Candidate: Corporate Compliance Recorder

We recently incorporated JHTC (now formally Jewish High Tech Community Inc.) and have already received a number of pieces of business junk mail. Actually physical, paper mail. Today, though, we received one that really takes the cake.

And by cake I mean the people who run or work for this company should be forced to listen to a mix tape of Bjork, Barry Manilow and Mongolian throat singing played backwards at earblasting volume. Continuously. For two weeks.

Even the Better Business Bureau says that the company known as Corporate Compliance Recorder is a scam intended to trick businesses into paying $150 (the price is higher now) by making us think their notice comes from a government agency.

The thing looked hinky to me but never having been the president of a corporation before I was unsure. This is a great thing about the web, if other people have run into similar crap you can usually find them out.

I thought the return envelope they included was postage paid, so I could at least cost them 40 cents or whatever to send them a piece of my mind, but sure enough their was no postage on the envelope, damn it.

2009 is only two days old but these assclowns are already in the running for Scum of the Year.

A Machine was the Wisest Man I Knew

[Continuing my New Year's Day tradition...]

A wise machine once said
When asked why it did not
Zoom off for its own singularity
That life just has too much fun left

Even as so many dark clouds form
Think of this sage advice at length
Before getting stuck in with gloom
As doom is no boon companion

This is no Pollyana-ish admonition
For naive Candide aspect on the world
Life is a complex set of needs, wants
Ranging randomly along the walk from 1 to 2

Do you want to be happy, the machine asked?
Then be happy, or at least permit yourself
The prospect of happiness as just reward for
Handling the twists a life throws up

Whatever's going on in the world at large
You can give yourself space to enjoy the
Passage of time, to savor the joy of
The few or many friends and family you have.

TV 2008

Due to the writer's strike and ever-increasing intrusion of reality TV this was a less than banner year for American TV viewers. Here are some of my personal highlights:

1. The Wire: The final season of an awesome show was 10 episodes that layered on the death of the American big city newspaper to a stack of stories that were already deeper than the aggregate total of the 500+ episodes of the three editions of CSI. If you've not seen this just get the DVDs and thank me later.
2. Sons of Anarchy: A new show on FX about an aging Northern California motorcycle club, I was reminded of the The Shield by its visual language and of Deadwood by its take on the changes engendered by time and the encroachment of others.
3. Burn Notice: Funny, smart and pacey. A cross of The A Team and James Bond. The new episodes start in three weeks and I will be looking to see how well the writers do with the continuing mythology back story, three seasons is a long time for that kind of thing.
4. In Plain Sight: Nothing like the short-lived Karen Cisco except also featuring a female US Marshal as the lead (Mary McCormack is totally whacky, Carla Guigino was simply strong but sad at the core), this series is much funnier, has better designed characters (her partner is a man named Marshall Mann, for example) and strong supporting cast (Leslie Ann Warren and Paul Ben-Victor, to name two).
5. True Blood: Intriguing and different, this 'vampires are real' show is from Alan Ball, his follow up to Six Feet Under. Like that series, True Blood is largely about sex, family and friendship under strained conditions. Season one was pretty good though I remain unconvinced this concept will last six or seven seasons.
6. Dexter: Brrrr! Despite the hot Miami setting, this show takes me back to the New Jersey winters of my childhood, but in a good way. Michael C. Hall (who was the second lead in Six Feet Under) is one of the best good bad guys in TV history--he's a freaking serial killer who not only has run rampant in South Florida for over a decade, he works for the cops! This season his character was brilliantly paired with Jimmy Smits and the movement of their relationship through friendship, deception and death was outstanding.
7. Brotherhood: American politics has a much closer relationship with American crime than any politician will publicly admit but to have a show where one brother is Speaker of the state assembly and the other is captain of a crew in the same city is a seriously good setup.
8. Chuck: Another take on the James Bond out of water theme, also funny and smart but much sweeter than Burn Notice. I love the way Chuck's family and day job are always an integral part of the story. Plus Adam Baldwin, he is terrific with this type of character.
9. Life: Another quirky detective show (Monk, Pysch, the Vincent D'Onofrio half of Law and Order: Criminal Intent) I watch this mainly for the hands-down brilliant Damian Lewis.
10. Eureka: Another quirky detective comedy but set in a semi-secret town where America's most brilliant scientists live and work. Sheriff Jack Carter solves those human kind of problems that geeks never can and the writers give the show a very light touch, the polar opposite of, say, channel mate Battlestar Galactica.
11. House: Speaking of polar opposites, try Gregory House and Marcus Welby. Two more different TV doctors you will be hardpressed to find. Every week House, his team of starstruck residents, buddy Wilson and frenemy/boss Cuddy stumble through several wrong answers to a new life threatening malady before (usually) saving the day.
12. Numb3rs: Geeks rule, how can I not enjoy this FBI + math wiz smoothie? Rob Morrow may be playing the tough bro here but his years as a New York Jew in the Alaskan wilderness are too firmly fixed in my mind to not get overlaid on this performance.
13. Barclays Premier League: The day we get Fox Soccer Channel in HD I will be so happy I will schvitz in my living room (don't worry, TS1 will clean it up). I watch more soccer than any other sport, and I'd watch more if they had more good matches. That damned sub-rights deal Fox did with Setanta massively sucks Rupert Murdoch's posterior and you can quote me.

Honorable mentions to Family Guy, The Simpsons, Fringe, Terminator, Heroes, The Shield, Battlestar Galactica, The L Word and Entourage.

Superb Liverpool move three points clear at top

That's not my headline, it's from Reuters' match report, though I agree wholeheartedly. Five goals on the road today against a Newcastle side that's begin climbing back from a horrid start pairs nicely with Friday's 3-0 slam of Bolton, a +7 on goal difference tally.

First place after 20 games, three points clear of Chelsea and top of the table as 2008 comes to end. For the first season in many we aren't sitting third, fourth or fifth looking up at Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal and happy to have a firm grasp on a Champions League slot--this season is our opportunity to win the Premier League for the first time and add back a cushion to our lead over United for all time top flight titles.

Steven Gerrard lead the way today with two goals and an assist, showing why he wears the armband by captaining a lineup with five subs in the starting XI. A lineup with none of the normal strikers up front either, a reward to Dirk Kuyt for all his hard work as right winger.

Sami Hyypia recalled his thrilling partnership with Jamie Carragher in central defense, putting one in with his head too. Emiliano Insua, our Argentine fullback who turns 20 in 10 days, made another strong appearance covering for the injured Alvaro Arbeloa. Yossi Benayoun was creative, setting up Gerrard on the first goal, and Ryan Babel celebrated a rare start with the third goal.

The game was also good news because Javier Mascherano started on his return from an injury layoff and Martin Skrtel got on for the last few minutes, his first appearance since tearing a knee ligament at Manchester City October 5th.

Liverpool's Challengers

Number two Chelsea were dominant at Craven Cottage this morning but the match ended 2-2 as American international Clint Dempsey got free twice in the six yard box and put set piece kicks from Simon Davies in the net both times. His second, in the 90th minute, was a real spirit killer. The Blues had to overcome tough first half hamstring injuries to Alex and Florent Maluda but credit Fullham with strong defense that mostly shut down both of Chelsea's speedy, aggressive fullbacks.

Rumors are just rumors until they come true though I do wonder if Scolari will want to stick out the season at Stamford Bridge if he gets no spending cash in January except what he takes in by selling. Alex and Malouda are the two most frequently touted to leave but their prices will certainly be impacted by the second injury each has had in the half season.

Arsenal scraped out a 1-0 victory today over a Portmouth side which has struggled seriously since former Gunner captain Tony Adams took over from Harry Redknapp but Arsene Wenger is another manager getting an unacustomed level of negative press. Aston Villa is getting results and Friday's clawback for a 2-2 draw between the two teams was rough but earned.

His very young team has suffered from internal dissent epitomized by the stripping of the captaincy from William Gallas, injuries to key contributors Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky and an abundance of red cards and yet is still sitting fourth--for the moment, with Villa not playing until Tuesday.

The critics, though, say Wenger should have used the club's strong finances to add veteran depth as he looks for trophies at home and in Europe and that after 12 years in charge his arrogance is getting the better of his judgment. Luckily for him this is the off year for the biannual African Nations' Cup or he'd be digging deep into the reserve squad for bench bodies next month.

Sir Alex is probably sitting happy at home today after Manchester United shook off the transcontinental jet lag Friday to beat Stoke with a late goal and an extra day's rest before hosting strugglers Middlesboro tomorrow. Assuming the Red Devils win tomorrow, which is no sure thing this season for any of the Big Four, he gets two weeks with only Cup ties against Championship sides to rest up and prepare for the Jan. 11 collision with Scolari and Chelsea.

The club's two games in hand (against Wigan and Fulham) mean that a victory in that match leaves Ferguson's men sitting pretty to move up to second, a position he'll take any year when all his remaining games against the other teams in the top five places are at Old Trafford. Inter Milan in the first knockout stage are a big obstacle to a second consecutive Premier League/Champions League double but the gaffer was able to drive Jose Mourinho out of England.

The Reds will hope history is on their side as they hold on to their league lead going into 2009, with the top team as the calendar changes finishing top three of the last four years. For my dollars/pounds/Euros, Manchester United are the biggest threat to a Liverpool title but if Fernando Torres can stay healthy, Steven Gerrard stays strong and Rafa Benitez has his usual strong results in the winter transfer window I believe the Reds will rule.

Scoble shoots Aptana, we score

I earned my paycheck for yesterday by inviting the web's greatest connector, Robert Scoble, to our office to shoot video about Aptana Cloud and Aptana Studio. His blog post about the visit is titled The best 2009 web development tool?, which gives you guidance on his reaction. Thanks Robert!

Shunning the spotlight myself, instead the stars are Kevin Hakman, our Director of Evangelism, and Kris Rassmussen, Cloud lead.

Kris on Cloud:


Kevin on Studio and Ajax:


Note: Titles at Aptana are a bit different. For instance, I'm the only person with the word Manager--and Kevin is the only one with Director--in his or her title. Kris, as an engineering lead, is theoretically the equivalent of a senior manager or possibly director. I just felt more comfortable with the more traditional title since the rest of it, the team name portion, is very non-standard: Customer Success.

The Disturbing: 1 - Camera Angles

A sunny January day at the big mall in Costa Mesa
Jenny is looking for a new pair of black pumps
Trying on spangly dangling earrings and Ray-Bans
Seeing who there is to see on the stroll.

Mackenzie is at the same mall, checking out the
Talent on display--this is a place you go
Because you know you the goods for the show
Because you want people to see your strut.

Very few people notice Mackenzie at the mall today,
Noticed him yesterday or last month or last year
You might think he's accustomed to social invisibility
But down inside he wants to be seen as much as Jenny.

He sees Jenny, in fact he likes the way she struts
Trying on those black pumps and would gladly
Buy them for her, or the jewelry or sunglasses
If Jenny would only look on him kindly.

Mac--he like to call himself Mac, nobody else
Thinks of him as a Mac kind of guy, not too many
People think of him too often as any kind of guy
People hardly look at him unless he spills coffee on them.

Mac thinks his hobby makes up for the dateless
Saturday nights, painful family holiday dinners where
He has no answer for his mother's withering looks
At the empty chair where his wife would sit.

Mom and Dad try to hide their sadness and
Growing disdain at Mac's continuing failure, his
Once promising but now dimming prospects,
See their bright and happy boy turn hollow and grey.

Jenny is still full of promise, just out of college,
Working for smart people at an exciting startup
More beautiful than as a high school cheerleader
Looking at her future reaching out to hold her.

Ten years from now people will start to call her
Jennifer but now, sweet, friendly, open
That's too formal to occur to the people she knows
She looks like Jenny to everyone.

Mac knows Jenny, he sees her at the mall on weekends
Grabbing coffee at lunch with girlfriends
Working out at the gym. The gym Mac joined to
See more of Jenny, and be seen by her.

Today is the day, Mac says. To himself, he has
No buddies to brag to or work up lines with
He's going to have a conversation with Jenny
See if she will spark to his flame.

Just in case she doesn't, Mac has a plan B.
Smart guys work up their options, he knows.
Mac's plan B is unconventional, 9mm's of hard steel,
Surely he won't need it, Jenny will see his love.

Dell needs a spellchecker

Adamo? Shouldn't that be Adama?

Tell Aptana where to go (in a nice way)

We're asking the developer community for their input on the Aptana Studio... what you like, what you hate, and do you want. Per the survey page:

We want to make Aptana Studio better for YOU. To do that, we need to understand what you do, how you work, what you like about Studio, and what drives you nuts. Whether you're a regular Studio user or you've only tried it once or twice, we want to know what's working for you and what's not, what features you can't find, and what features you can't live without.

From now until January 10, you can help us determine our direction for the next year and beyond by taking a few minutes to give us your thoughts.

Please take a few minutes and give us your thoughts!

It's a disease, I think: Aurumitis

Corruption has been with us as long as there have been individuals able to exert control over desirable things. Some cultures even today, from what I understand, simply accept this as a reality of life and behave accordingly.

In the US, though, we claim not to accept it. We have laws against such actions!

When I read the story two days ago about federal agents walking into the Illinois governor's home and arresting him I laughed until I cried. Then I started thinking about how widespread this mentality is among our so-called corporate and political leaders today, and the connection I made was to alcoholism and drug addiction.

These are men (almost exclusively) who have about as much money and/or power as one could make use of in several lifetimes but still crave more. So much so that they risk losing everything to get it. Kind of like Sylar on Heroes, to draw a pop culture analogy.

Sylar is as powerful as any of the superempowered characters on that show yet despite a substantial urge to throw off his murderous behavior, the hunger that drives him to acquire more is simply too strong (or so the writers are having it for now).

Rod Blagojevich was arrogant and stupid enough that he actually talked on a telephone line about wanting to get paid for naming someone to replace Barack Obama in the Senate despite being the target of a years-long federal investigation!

I'm also thinking of the executives at Enron, Worldcom and Conrad Black and former Congressman Randy Cunningham (R, CA), all sitting in prison cells today when they could have been lazing on the beach in Ibiza under fluffy umbrellas, surrounded by barely dressed woman and fawning servants instead of large, vicious men, industrial food on plastic trays and steel bars blocking the sunlight.

What is the compulsion that drives such men? The only answer is addiction, but in our culture the desire for more money is viewed as an undiluted good thing. Can't be too thin or have too much money only you can be too thin and want more money so much the desire can destroy you the same way anorexia or cirrhosis will.

We need a name for this disease, I suggest Aurumitis. Aurum is Latin for gold, which should appeal to the oversized ego that is one symptom of the affliction. And the first step is admitting you have a problem.

Aptana Holiday 2008 Party

Once again Paul shows he knows how to run a company where people enjoy their days. I did mention the XBox 360 LAN here in the office before, right?

Today he brought in a sushi chef who made us a literal boatload of good eats at lunch time. For dessert everybody got an Aptana orange 8GB iPod Nano. A few snaps:

I appreciate 1Password

Every Thanksgiving the team at Agile Web Solutions give a present to their customers. This year the present was up to three licenses of 1Password to give away to family or friends. Not cut down, limited or expiring after one update licenses but regular, same as paid licenses. I love this application, it's a huge time saver, and so I found three Mac users who somehow hadn't even heard of this great tool and gave them the licenses.

For those of you who don't know about it, 1P "is a Password Manager that uniquely brings you both Security and Convenience. It is the only program that provides Anti-Phishing protection and goes beyond password management by adding Web Form Filling and Automatic Strong Password Generation. All your confidential information, including passwords, identities, and credit cards, is kept in one secure place provided by Apple's OS X Keychain."

Comes with an iPhone app too, which is especially handy for quick logins on the small screen.

How will they top this next year?