Bond Rumors Continue

"Casino Royale" has been said to be the darkest of the Bond novels penned by Ian Fleming. That might explain some of the recent rumors that Q will not be on board for the newest installment of the Bond movies.

The writers have said they want this one to be "a grittier, tougher and more realistic Bond movie." Maybe they are taking a cue from "Batman Begins."

Who will play Bond? That seems to be the big question. Supposedly Goran Visnjic, of ER fame, is on the short list as was Hugh Jackman (he's rumored to have turned it down). While Visnjic is a good actor, I just can't imagine him with an English accent. How about Dominic West (The Wire, The Forgotten) or Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica). Both are English and have done great jobs with the American accent.

But now there's word that Pierc Brosnan has been asked by Sony Pictures to come back to the fold. As the title of the "rogue" Bond flick goes, "Never Say Never Again."

Stevie Nicks, Music Pirate?

Stevie Nicks, of Fleetwood Macm showed up at Walter Reed Medical Center (on the list of recommended base closings) to visit with soldiers. Her appearance on July 8 was unannounced and paparazzi free. She handed out t-shirts and Apple iPods to those she visited with. One USO official noted that Nicks downloaded tunes to the iPods herself.

I certainly hope the songs are legal. Probably Fleetwood Mac and solo tunes.

On a similar note, President Bush isn't the only person in the White House who jams out with an iPod. Margaret Spellings, Education Secretary, two daughters gave her a gift for Mother's Day, an iPod mini (recently replaced by the iPod nano)

The iPod mini is jammed with songs from the Police, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, and the Carpenters. "She loves it," says a pal, "for her power walks and spinning class." Not at work, we hope, especially since many schools ban them.

Again, I hope the songs are all legal. It's not difficult to stay legal, You can buy songs from the iTunes Music Store for .99¢.

The .99¢ pricetag may change soon though as the recording industry is starting to get greedy again and talking about raising prices to $2 per tune.

Steve Jobs, of Apple Computer, Inc., recently spoke out against the idea of raising song prices saying that it is just the recording industry getting greedy and that higher prices will encourage piracy.

For the longest time, the RIAA claimed the reason record companies were losing money (if in fact they really really were) was because of piracy. A funny thing happened though after they lowered prices of CDs, people bought them.

JFK Dirty Laundry For Sale

The watch Marilyn Monroe gave to President Kennedy the night she famously sang "Happy Birthday Mr. President" will go on the auction block in October. The inscription on the back reads, "Jack, With love as always from Marilyn May 29th, 1962."

To be sure, that's an incredible conversation piece to own, but wait! There's more! Check out the case the watch came in.

Loosely placed in the bottom of the case is a circular paper disk with a red hand-colored border with black-printing, with a poem titled "A HEARTFELT PLEA ON YOUR BIRTHDAY" and ending "Let me love or let me die!"

Yeah, I can see the watch going for a couple million dollars. Think it will ever make an appearance at the Kennedy Library?

According to U.S. News & World Report's Washington Whispers section for September 19, 2005,

Auctioneer Bill Panagopulos , president of Alexander Autographs, calls it "undoubtedly the most controversial presidential relic ever offered." To call the watch a scandal is an understatement. Panagopulos says that after first confirming the history of the watch, family members of the JFK aide who kept relics like the outfit Jackie wore the day Kennedy was murdered have clammed up.

[...]

The live and online auction slated for October 15-16 at alexautographs.com looks to be a mother lode of JFK dirty laundry. Also on the block: letters from Kennedy filled with sexual innuendo and competitive talk about dating, catty remarks about unattractive women, and an uncharacteristic four-letter word.

Understatement indeed. You can see photos of the watch and other JFK artifacts soon to be on the auction block at Alexander Autographs.

The Oldest Buffalo Soldier Stands Down

The 9th and 10th Calvary regiments were given the nickname of "The Buffalo Soldiers" by the Native Americans they fought during the late 1800s. These all-black units were given the name, according to CNN, "because the Indians thought the soldiers' hair resembled a buffalo's mane or that the Indians respected the soldiers for their courage and fearlessness, qualities they found in the buffalo."

The courage and fearlessness was undeniable. 20 of those "Buffalo Soldiers" were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

One of those men who wore the nickname with pride, Mark Matthews, passed away September 6, 2005 at the age of 111. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetary, as the oldest surviving member of the Buffalo Soldiers.

Matthews joined the unit at the age of 16 in 1910. While stationed in Arizona, he learned how to ride, shoot and survive. Several years later, he served under General John "Blackjack" Pershing in the pursuit of Pancho Villa.

George S. Patton and Dwight David Eisenhower would go on to become generals themselves. Matthews rose to the rank of First Sergeant and served in WWII in the Pacific Theatre of War.

Matthews retired shortly before President Truman desegregated the unit. The Washington Post reported that,

In retirement, he liked to fish. He also enjoyed sitting on the front porch and telling tales about the old days out West and the not-quite-so-old days in the Pacific during World War II, often to neighborhood kids who came around and sat at the knee of a man who had experienced an adventure-novel's worth of stirring chapters in U.S. history.

I know I would have loved to have been one of those sitting on the front porch listening to those adventures.

"I did it all," Sgt. Matthews told The Washington Post a few years ago. "Yes, I was there."

More Info:

Buffalo Soldiers website

Mark Matthews Washington Post Obituary

In-depth story on Matthews

Me Too!

A new feature was added to Mac OS X with the release of version 10.4, "Widgets." These are tiny applications that perform one task very well. Press F12 and a translucent window appears, showing all the widgets you have open.

Widgets can do anything. The best example is the one provided by Apple to display current weather conditions as well as a forecast from Accuweather, based here in State College. Other widgets can provide a television schedule, calendar, a list of entries at a blog, etc.

Microsoft recently announced a new concept for the next version of Windows, known as "Vista," which was formerly known by it's development name, "Longhorn."

I like to think the name was changed from "Longhorn" to "Vista" because some concerned Texas Aggies on the marketing team forced a change. Could explain the silly and blah name, "Vista." Or maybe Microsoft didn't want "Windows Longhorn" to be confused with Longhorn cheese. All kidding aside, I liked the name "Longhorn" and the logos they were using. Then again, I lived in Austin TX and the "Longhorn" logo reminded me very much of the University of Texas Longhorns.

But back to Gadgets. Just when you think that there's something original going on here, look back at the history of Apple's widgets. At one point, they were called gadgets. No idea why the name was changed to widgets.

Of course, Widgets aren't entirely original either. Widgets are very much akin to another product, Konfabulator, which was recently purchased by Yahoo. Apple probably should have bought Konfabulator.

To be even more fair and concentric, Widgets and Konfabulator are descendants of Desk Accessories from the original Mac OS.

If that doesn't sound crazy enough, there's the whole thing about Apple's original internal online service known as AppleLink. At one point, they thought of having a external version called AppleLink Personal Edition. The software was then sold to a guy named Steve Case who had his own online service for the Commodore computers. Case renamed and retooled the software into America Online, AOL.

Apple then decided they really did want to build an online service for Apple fans and borrowed/rented/whatever the AOL engine and slapped their own front end and name on it, eWorld. I worked at eWorld in their customer technical support department.

Ahhh, Mr. Bond! We've Been Expecting You

Rumor has it that Daniel Craig has been named the next Bond. An English actor, Americans have probably seen him in "I Dreamed of Africa," "Road to Perdition," "Tomb Raider," and "Elizabeth."

Even so, Craig is a relative unknown compared to Ewan McGregor. Then again, Sean Connery was very much an unkown outside bodybuilding circles before he became the first and arguably best Bond.

The rumor has sprung because Craig was seen shopping for a mint condition copy of the first Bond book by Ian Fleming, "Casino Royale." That book title is set to be the title for the next movie.

Annanova reported, "Clive Owen and Hugh Jackman reportedly turned the role down while ER's Goran Visnjic is said to have auditioned for the producers in July."

Hugh Jackman would have been great in the role.

Bush Helps Out Quietly

While I haven't been able to confirm it yet, I've read that George H. Bush and his wife Barbara have opened their home in Kennebunkport Maine to some who have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Same goes for their son. President Bush has allowed some folks to stay on his ranch in Crawford, TX.

Even more important to point out, they did this without issuing any sort of press release, statement or photos of the whole thing. They just quietly opened their hearts to Americans affected by the storm.

I'm still trying to track down news sources to confirm this tidbit.

Testing Blog 123

I've looked at blog sites by several companies, including Yahoo's new 360 but I keep returning to Blogger. Thus far, until I can set up my own domain with a service that will allow me to have CGI scripts and other requirements, this is the best for me. Are you listening Apple? I love my .mac account but if add the ability for me to use WordPress, BlosXom or Movable Type, I'll be a seriously happy camper.

I have found a cool blog editing tool, Ecto, for Mac OS X and Windows, that can allow me to edit my Blogger website offline. Makes up for the sometimes turtle-like pace of their admin tools.
Testing continues. I might have to bite the bullet and set up my own domain. Then I have to figure out a name. I've always wanted to do something along the lines of song and album titles R.E.M. came up with:

- Murmur (album)
- Reckoning (album)
- Fables of the Reconstruction of the Fables (album)
- so. central rain (tried to use South Central Rain but it's taken)
- King of Birds
- Moral Kiosk
- Pilgrimage
- Harbour Coat

Can you tell I like the first bunch of albums by R.E.M.?


[Posted with ecto]

Give Us Condi And We'll Give You The Boat

North Korea has offered to return the U.S.S. Pueblo spy boat if we send eithe Condoleezza Rice or a different high-level official for a visit.

One reader at outsidethebeltway.com suggested the following:

1. Secretary of Agriculture. (Given all the food aid we’ve given them, and their everlasting famine)
2. Secretary of Energy. (Another major need of NK, plus controls the US nuclear labs)
3. Dick Cheney. (why not? And he could be more stoic than the NK)

Regarding the notion of potentially sending Dick Cheney, another reader asked, "He wouldn't be coming back, would he?"

Probably the best reader suggestion was to "Send Alec Baldwin over to represent the Film Actors Guild."

Only Three Remain on Gilligan's Island

Bob Denver died last Friday. He played therugby shirt and sailor hat wearing Gilligan on Gilligan's Island.

Now, the remaining survivors on Gilligan's Island are The Professor, The Movie Star and Mary Ann.

Personally, I think Mary Ann will win this oldest version of Survivor.

As a side note, of all the main actors on Bewitched, another television series that had its start in 1964, only the twins who played Tabitha , Diane and Erin Murphy, remain.

What If?

That classic historical question will be the title of a new SciFi Channel series in the works.

One blogger suggested several what ifs that could be asked for episodes including "What if the Germans won WWII?" or what if John F. Kennedy hadn't been murdered.

I am currently reading a book about the Battle of Britain by one of the British fighter pilots who fought in it, "Duel of Eagles" by Peter Townsend. This Townsend should not be confused with the guitar smashing Peter Townshend of The Who. For one thing, The Who's Pete would probably never have dated Princess Margaret.

After much of the reading I've done and documentaries of WWII I've seen this Summer, as well as reading "Why The Allies Won," I am of the conclusion that there was no way the Germans would have been the victors. Granted, this is all in hindsight. During 1939 to probably 1943, the Allies were indeed losing but there were so many variables that worked in the favor if The Allies that the outcome was pretty much certain.

Better what if questions would be:

- What if Great Britain decided to side with Germany against France and Russia (something Hitler and others on his staff hoped for and were surprised didn't happen)?

- What if Hitler had committed suicide before he was arrested and thrown in jail (where he wrote Mein Kampf)? Germany's rebuilding of its military was going on before Hitler started the Nazi party, he just ensured the build up went through.

- What if Hitler didn't survive the attempt to kill him by some other German generals in 1944?

The better What if is that one about John F. Kennedy. If he survived or the bullets missed, he probably would have been reelected, forcing Johnson not to run because he was too old and, provided things went well in the second term, Robert F. Kennedy would have run and potentially cancel out a Nixon presidency.

What if the Wright brothers failed at Kitty Hawk and we only started to fly many, many years later?

What if America remained isolationist during WWII?

The list goes on.

Do I Like The Current State Of Music?

So, what is it about the current state of music I don't like besides way, way too many bands cutting CDs that really have no business doing so? Let's take one "musician" as an example...

Snoop-Dog on TV shows, Snoop-Dog during the Super Bowl half time show, Snoop-Dog on Chrysler commercials, Snoop-Dog ring tones, Snoop-Dog cell phone wallpapers, Snoop-Dog screen-savers, etc., ad infinitum.

Then again, the Beatles were pretty well hyped. But was it as bad as we are seeing it today? And at least The Beatles could walk the walk music-wise.

I started thinking about this after seeing a free (!) screensaver for the Mac from the anime band, Gorillaz.

DIY Postage Stamps

Ever wish you could have your mug on a postage stamp like various kings, queens, presidents and rock stars? Well, now you can! Not only can you create a postage stamp with your photo, it's legal to use for postage.

Check it out!

Where In The World Is Ray

While our missing district attorney probably won't make it onto a milk carton, a website has been set up which has information and photos to help find him.

Hopefully he's OK.

Back In Black In The Black

The RIAA announced that AC/DC's 1980 album, Back In Black, has been certified as having sold 21 million copies. This album is now tied for fifth place bestselling album of all time along with Billy Joel's Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2.

I'm not a heavy metal fan but I own this CD and all the songs are on my iPod. I would have to say this is one of those desert island CDs.

Hard to beat this album for absolutely raw, powerful rock n' roll.

Cold Weather Hinders Global Warming Event

Greenpeace announced that they've cancelled a trek to raise awareness of global warming because of bad cold weather.

As the Mastercard commercials would say, "priceless."

What Not To Eat Over Your Keyboard

One ZDnet.com.au writer recently lamented about what he considered to be the worst food to eat over a computer keyboard.

I can definitely feel his pain. There are two people I provide support for that have keyboards which totally gross me out. I turn the keyboard over and bang it on the desk, out falls all matter of food debris.

Twice now, I’ve had to find new keyboards for those who thought it would be OK to drink coffee over the keyboard. Not when they discover the coffee is McDonald’s version of hot: able to melt steel.

Finding things people have under their desks runs a close second for grossness. Old food. Shoes and socks (not clean), staples (Found out the hard way).

Then there’s just the stuff lying around the desk. it’s incredible that people will drink coffee out of a mug that hasn’t been washed since the first Bastille Day (why am I noting a French holiday? Because I can. Thank YOU Mr. Constitution).

Yeah, there’s got to be some truth to the study which showed that an office desk is dirtier than the bathroom.

Microsoft Cares, As Long As You Pay

Microsoft announced a new subscription-based service, Windows OneCare, which will provide security for Windows based PCs. Expected later this year, Microsoft hasn’t announced pricing yet.

Microsoft is going to charge people to help secure their computer against unsecure items in the operating system they develop. Hmmm…is that chutzpah?

Maybe this service should be free. After all, proving their operating system is safe to use. Proving that should sell more copies.

Tommy, Can You Hear Me?

The warning about X causing damage to hearing has been updated to iPods.

Blame the people, not the iPod. Or, in my case, my nieces and nephews. I walk into their homes and the TVs are turned up, the stereo is turned up and the most commonly, faintly heard, phrase is, “What? I can’t hear you!”

At first I thought, great here we go again, iPods cause an increase in crime and now iPods cause deafness. Then I thought that this is a refreshing of an old message updated from 8-Track to iPods.

Tommy…Tommy…Tommy…

And Then There Was One

Victorinox is the original Swiss Army Knife manufacturer and Wenger is an official Swiss Army Knife maker. Confused? I’m not because I own Swiss Army Knives from both companies.

The confusion however is now moot as Victorinox announced acquisition of Wegner.

The news also noted that sales have been hurt in the United States since the new security laws were put in place that doesn’t allow people to carry the very useful pocketknives in their carry-on luggage.

My first was a Victorinox, purchased while I was a sophomore in high school and is still in use. One of the best purchases I’ve ever made.