KAOS and confusion

Rome blogging going on over at the other place.

Posted without comment. Just watch.

Nice to know that there are still people out there more batshit insane than Congress:

http://world-o-crap.com/blog/?p=232

Read the comments, too.

In case the Reznor-meets-slashfic video was a bit too much, who can argue with beer cannons and Tchaikovsky?

Not particularly SFW:

From comments at http://www.long-sunday.net/long_sunday/2005/06/piracy_studies.html

Scholars of Piracy Studies explore and develop theoretical models to analyze, critique, and plunder cultural forms and social relations in order to create geographically transgressive symbolic categories of race, gender, and ethnic identity. The goal of the Piracy Studies Institute is to promote the study of shared assumptions, problems, and commitments of the various piratanical discourses. Begun largely in response to extraordinary changes in the ‘humane sciences,’ both in terms of methodological complexity and interdisciplinary orientation, the PSI seeks to bring about a confrontation among the disciplines with the aim of furthering the figurative and literal rape of all land-locked peoples irrespective of race, class, or gender. The PSI sanctions methodological and murderological diversity in the critical reconsideration of the rearticulations and recombinations of all them put to the knife. The PSI also sponsors two mini-seminars each year, given by scholars from outside the PSI who invite students to participate in their raids-in-progress in a series of a one- to two-week seminars at undisclosed locations up-and-down the Eastern Seaboard.

I guess my reading has been too restricted to politics, technology, and food. I nearly missed the news that we lost a planet and found dark matter this week. That's not right.

Then again, Worldcon is in my backyard this year and I really don't much care, either. I haven't read a good new SF novel in years, and in fact I don't think I've read a good novel in any genre yet in 2006. Is it a bad year, is the medium dying, or am I just not paying attention?

At least I've got a new project to keep me busy. Finally building the HTPC for downstairs, and even through the hand-shredding and Windows-cursing, it's been fun so far. Building a box with enough storage and processor power for gaming and HD video processing that can fit in an A/V rack and put out under 30dBA of noise is an interesting challenge. The family room looks like a Fry's store exploded right now, but most of the hardware assembly should be done tonight, which will clear that up.

And on a complete non-sequitur, my thoughts are with all of you on my flist who are having various family tragedies and joys right now. Seems like a week of extremes for a few folks. Best wishes all around.

I think I can find homes for a few of these.

Fedex has apparently perfected psychic software, as they managed to pick up a package 8 hours before they were told there *was* a package:

May 09, 2006 08:42:00 PM US Carrier notified to pick up package
May 09, 2006 07:14:00 PM PHOENIX AZ US In transit
May 09, 2006 12:23:00 PM PHOENIX AZ US Shipment picked up from seller's facility

It did, however, take nearly 7 hours to make it to the truck in the parking lot, though, so they might need to work on that.