Andrew Busey: My Musings

I think shock jocks are kind of dumb.  I can’t say I’ve every been into any of them.  I would generally prefer it if the radio just played music I like.  But then I don’t really listen to the radio that much at all so they, rightfully so, shouldn’t care much about what I think. 

This article from CNN/Money:  XM suspends Opie and Anthony is interesting.

In light of the Imus stuff (I mean he really seems like he’s just a racist idiot), this doesn’t surprise me at all. 

But, let’s evaluate this:

WHY SHOULD ANYONE BE SHOCKED THAT A SHOCK JOCK SAYS SOMETHING SHOCKING!

I mean these guys are getting paid millions of dollars a year to be jackass and push the edge of acceptable content.  And they attract very large audiences because of this.

There is bad taste on every one of these shows.  It appears the Opie and Andy thing is all about bad taste.  I don’t see how they can be punished for doing what they are paid to do.  But hey polictical correctness and whiners define common sense every day.

BTW, I think being a racist idiot is different from being a jackass with bad taste.  I think racist idiots should get some sense smacked into them. 

 

Story:  Judge’s missing pants lead to big suit

So the dry cleaner loses this guy’s (who happens to be a judge) favorite pair of pants.  That sucks.  He asks for $1,000 (the whole price of the suit).  They find the pants.  He says, “Nope, not my pants!”  (Paraphrased.)   He sues.  The dry cleaner has offered to settle for $3k, $4.6k, and $12k.   So he says no and comes up with some crap about not being able to use that dry cleaner, having to rent a car to drive to another one, etc.  [NOTE:  WTF planet does this guy live on?]

Anyway, this guy should be stripped of his judgeship and disbarred.  We have huge problems with frivolous lawsuits and a judge shouldn’t be setting this kind of example. 

/rant

 

Trainwreck is one of my favorite terms.  You know its horrible and you are appalled that you are watching it, but you can’t look away - that’s a trainwreck.

Paris Hilton is a good example of trainwreck.  I don’t really care about some crazy heiress, but I just can’t look away.  I’m pretty sure that is somehow the case with much of America.

CNN has plasted this article:  Paris Hilton sentenced to 45 days in jail as the home page feature with a big picture for the last six hours or so and I, of course, eventually had to read it.  It made me laugh.  What a broken family.  What delusional lawyers.  Some of the shit these people say is disturbing.  Let me highlight the facts (plucked from the article.

The facts:

• September 7, 2006:  Arrested for reckless driving.  Police report she appeared intoxicated and failed a field sobriety test.  She had 0.08 blood alcohol, which is against the law (to be fair, I think this is on the nose for the level that is illegal…. and she probably has a really high tolerance LOL.)
• January 2007 (no specific date in the article):  She pleads no contest and gets some fines, alcohol education, and 36 months of probation.  It doesn’t say it in the article, but it appears her license was suspended at this time.
• January 15, 2007 (after the no contest):  She is pulled over, informed she is driving on a suspended license, singens some that acknowledging she was not to drive.
• February 27, 2007:  She is pull over again because she is speeding with no headlights on.  (Nice!)
• As of April 17, 2007:  She has not enrolled in the alcohol education program she was required to enroll in as of February 12.
• Today (May 4):  She shows up ten minutes late for her court appearance.

During the hearing (all quotes are from the CNN article):

As a city prosecutor said during closing arguments that Hilton deserved jail time, Hilton’s mother, Kathy, laughed. When the judge ruled, Kathy Hilton then blurted out: “May I have your autograph?”

That cracks me up.   As I’m reading this I’m thinking, “At least her mom knows she’s out of control and needs some sense knocked into her.”  But alas, the indignation of it all:

When a reporter asked what she thought of the judge’s decision, a visibly angry Kathy Hilton responded: “What do you think? This is pathetic and disgusting, a waste of taxpayer money with all this nonsense. This is a joke.”

Yes!  Ms. Hilton it is a joke!  If anyone else had gotten pulled over (for speeding with their lights off) on a suspended license after a DUI.  Oh wait, I mean pulled over twice.  And ignored the court by not going to the required alcohol education and further taunted the court by showing up late….. well I think they would have gotten much worse punishment all around.  Paris is out of control, everyone who reads the news knows it, and now she knows she is not above the law.

But it gets worse.  Her lawyer says:

Defense attorney Howard Weitzman said he would appeal.

“I’m shocked, I’m surprised and really disheartened in the system that I’ve worked in for close to 40 years,” Weitzman said.

He said the sentence was “uncalled for, inappropriate and bordered on the ludicrous.”

Let’s address these one at a time:

• Appeal.  Oh good let’s waste more taxpayer money!  WTF is he appealing on?  “Your honor my client is rich, thinks she can ignore the court, and can throw a lot of money at this.  On those ground’s I would like to appeal.”
• Wow 40 years as a lawyer and this disheartens him?   Maybe he hasn’t seen the chonology of this in bullet format for easy digestion.  WTF is up with this guy, he needs to get a grip or maybe he’s so disheartened he’ll resign.  We can only hope.
• OMG I don’t even know what to say on the last one.  45 days in jail for a reckless driving (DUI), two driving on a suspended license, ignoring court orders, showing up late, etc.  If anyone else had done that they’d be in jail a lot longer.

Oh and to cap it all of he says:

“I think she’s singled out because of who she is,” Weitzman said.

Yeah for special treatment! 

Wow, anyway she needs better lawyers that say things like:  “YOU CAN’T DRIVE UNTIL THE SUSPENSION IS UP!” and sign her up and force her to go the court order alcohol education program.  I mean she’s freaking super rich, how hard is it to get a freaking driver!

Gah.

/rant

This is the kind of crap that goes beyond frivolous lawsuits into something totally different:

Sarcastically, judge tosses KFC trans fat lawsuit

In my opinion, if you bring a stupid lawsuit like this - one so laughable that the judge just tosses it out - here is what should happen:

• You pay all the legal fees of the defendant.
• You are billed by the court for the cost of the courtroom, the judge, the bailiff, and anything else.

This decision would be up to the judge.  We don’t want every failed case to be penalized like this, but for unreasonable crap that wastes the time of the legal system and a lot of taxpayer money there should be a penalty.  Further, not everyone has the money to defend themselves from this kind of bullshit so there should definitely be a path to get your money back if you are a defendent in this type of crap.

Wow, this is the kind of stuff that scares the crap out of me:

Schumer calls for subprime bailout (New York Democrat wants funds to help subprime borrowers.)

What we should be doing:

• Borrowers:  If someone took one of these loans and they can’t pay, there should be a foreclosure.  However, I’m all for allowing them some kind of class action against the shaded mortgage brokers and banks who gave them the loans.  But really it should just make them whole and it shouldn’t come from other tax payers.   The mechanisms for this already exist and I am sure there is no shortage of shady class action lawyers looking to jump on this bandwagon.
• Lenders:  The government should crack down on these clowns. 

There are two principles near and dear to me at play:

• Responsibility:  If people are too stupid to read their loans or do some simple calculations they probably shouldn’t be buying a house.  This country already lets people abdicate personal responsibility way too much.  Buying a house is a big responsibility, people shouldn’t be rewarded for being stupid in the way they do it.  It’s not fair to all the people who were.  The problem is politician’s love to position themselves as “helping the little guy” when in fact they are just letting people shirk responsibility for being stupid.
• Wasting Money:  Anytime my tax dollars go to fix someone elses mistake IT PISSES ME OFF.  What a waste, I don’t pay taxes to fix other people’s mistakes - I pay them for infrastructure, security, and advancement (ie: science, research, etc.).   Of course our government pisses away a lot of money on stupid stuff.  But this is really stupid.  Let the system sort it out.

Schumer and everyone else behind this:  Stop grandstanding and shut the fuck up unless you are going to actually do something reasonable to fix it.

/rant

So people have been talking a lot about “game addiction recently.  This Blogma post (from C|Net):  Subliminal rescue for game addicts? kind of scared me.  Two things about this scare me:

1. Subliminal shit that makes you not want to play games… Seems like it could make you not want to do anything.  Mind control stuff is just creepy.  I mean who verifies that all it is doing is making you not want to play games?  Soon we’ll need a “subliminal verification agency” that makes sure all this crap is only doing what it says it’s doing.  And can we really trust the agency?
2. Games addiction…. uhm yeah.  I wish people would get their heads around “personal responsibility.”  Sigh.  I’m not going to get started on this.

 

I hate stupid lawsuits.  What a waste of society’s time and energy.  But to the point:

Man sues IBM over adult chat room firing

I’ve been pretty involved in the evolution of chat on the Internet (I founded ichat back in 1995) and I find this particularly amusing.  The article opens with this:

A man who was fired by IBM for visiting an adult chat room at work is suing the company for $5 million, claiming he is an Internet addict who deserves treatment and sympathy rather than dismissal.

So let’s dismantle this real quick:

1. The guy makes $65,000 a year - what possible basis does he have for a $5 million claim?  Ludicrous.
2. And then there is:

“Plaintiff was discharged by IBM because he visited an Internet chat room for a sexual experience during work after he had been previously warned,” the company said.

Ridiculous claim.  Previously warned.  STFU.

Anyway, moving on.  This scares me:

If it goes to trial, the case could affect how employers regulate Internet use that is not work-related, or how Internet overuse is categorized medically. Stanford University issued a nationwide study last year that found that up to 14 percent of computer users reported neglecting work, school, families, food and sleep to use the Internet.

So I have some other behavior disorders we should tolerate in the workplace:

• Laziness.   I know a lot of people that have this affliction.  Especially with periodic, but extreme bouts.
• Apathy.  (Also malaise, ennui.)   Similar to laziness, this can have a visible impact on workplace productivity.

You know, I thought about making a long list, but you probably get the picture.  Business exist to do business, not to entertain their employees.  Certainly companies that keep their employees happy, motivated, and energized, are going to be more successful in most cases.  But employees that don’t do their job or take advantage of the trust their employers deserver to be fired.

One more thing.  Imagine if TVs were required for work in a modern office environment (as, I’m sure you’ve noticed, are computers).  This article would read:

John Doe sued IBM today for $5 million dollars because he was terminated for watching 3 hours a day of the Yound and the Restless at work.  He claimed a television addiction and that he should be given treatment options rather than fired.

People would laugh at that.  It’s not like people have the right to smoke in the office any more and that’s an actual addiction.  No one is suing about that…. because they would get laughed out of court.

/rant

 

This is definitely entertaining:  Get a First Life!

Previously by the same guy:  Apple Dei

This guy is clever and funny.  Definitely geek entertainment.

I’ll admit two things up front:

1. I don’t use Second Life.  (I would say play, but IMO Second Life is a social experience and not a game.)
2. I’ve really resisted writing about anything Second Life related.  (Although I did briefly mention it and Anshe Chung once.)

Now, on to the good stuff.  There have been a ton of recent articles about Second Life, largely started by a set of articles / press releases about an avatar named Anshe Chung (in real life she is Ailin Graef) becoming the first real world millionaire from Second Life.  Uhm, I’m not sure I said that right, but you get the point.  If not, well you can find it.

So this spat of Second Life press took a turn for the worse (well from Second Life’s perspective anyway) a week or so ago when Clay Shirky questioned their numbers.   That’s an interesting story and relevant to any high profile web company - numbers are important.  Anyway, I don’t want to talk about that either, I’m just catching you up in case you haven’t read the billion Second Life stories that are all over the place.

In Second Life users can own property.  This is different from other MMORPGs where the game company claims ownership of everything (which creates a ton of issues, but again that’s another story).   So Anshe Chung owns property in Second Life and, in a sense, has become something of a celebrity.  Possibly the first real celebrity avatar….

So, she has some press conference in a digital theater in Second Life.  I don’t know what it was about.  (But I’m going to guess she was talking about how rich she has become or how great she is based on all the stories I’ve seen.  Oh wait, disregard that.  I’m a respectable blogger and I’m not supposed to start rumors.)   During this event a group “sabotaged” the even with giant animated penises.  LOL.  She didn’t like this.   I say, hey if you want to be famous, well you can’t expect everyone to love you.

So this really isn’t that interesting.  Celebrities and politicians face protests, hecklers, etc. all the time.  Right?   Right.   How is this any different.

I got this from News.com:  The legal rights to your ‘Second Life’ avatar

So this is what makes it interesting (from the article):

Afterward, a video of the attack was posted on YouTube. When Anshe Chung Studios filed a complaint with the popular video service claiming that Graef’s copyrights had been infringed because images of her avatar were used without her permission, YouTube promptly removed the video.

A quote from the Guntram Graef (her husband), also from the article:

“I have to point out to you that you, most likely by accident, posted an image that contains artwork copyrighted by my wife Ailin Graef and by Anshe Chung Studios, Ltd. and without obtaining our permission to do so,”

Uhm, well, I disagree.  I’m no lawyer, but if Anshe Chung is famous, well she can be stalked and her unflattering pictures can be posted everywhere.  Or at least that is what my understanding the law through analogy logic says.  I’m sure Britney Spears doesn’t like having all those pictures of her with no panties on floating around either.  (Well maybe she does, but that’s beside the point.)  It’s news.  Just like the “sabotage” was news.   So hey fair use and all.

So I say boycott Anshe Chung for being Second Life’s biggest hypocrite.   Anshe:  You can’t have your cake and eat it too. 

• If you want Second Life to be like reality - which I assume you do since you are bragging about making millions of real dollars in it
• And you want to be famous - which I assume you do with all the heavy self-promotion, even if it is just to drive up virtual real estate prices to make you more money
• Then you have to accept being famous with all the goood and the bad that brings. 

So to Anshe Chung, perhaps the world’s most famous avatar, I say welcome to reality.

Oh, and I respect Linden Lab for saying this (from the News.com article):

“Copyright law is applicable to works created in Second Life. Copyright law includes fair use and it includes provisions regarding infringement,” Linden Lab wrote to CNET News.com in a statement Friday.

So I recommend that everyone that cares about these issue avoid transactions with Anshe Chung and her affiliates.  Let the boycott begin!

From CNN.com:  Pat Robertson: God told me of ‘mass killing’ in 2007

Some fun quotes:

Evangelical broadcaster Pat Robertson said Tuesday that God has told him that a terrorist attack on the United States would cause a “mass killing” late in 2007.

“The Lord didn’t say nuclear. But I do believe it will be something like that.”

It’s good to know that he can fill in the blanks for the “Lord”.   Anyway, the article also discusses his previous predictions, some of which have come true.  However, since most of them are vague it hardly matters.  Anyway, my favorite part is when he says:

“I have a relatively good track record,” he said. “Sometimes I miss.”

So, excuse me Mr. Robertson, but your God is supposed to be omniscient.  So if you “miss” at least one of the following must be true:

1. Your God is lying to you.
2. Your God does not exist.
3. You are making this all up.
4. Your God is not omniscient or makes mistakes.

I’m going to steer clear on 4.  I believe it is either 2 or 3 (or both).  I’m open to being convinced on option 1.  If I were God I don’t think I’d be spending much time chatting with Mr. Robertson.  But that’s just me.

So, uhm, I predict the following for 2007:

• The housing bust will continue.  (So, to be clear, I’m right as long as it doesn’t dramatically improve.)
• There will be a terrorist event against the U.S.  (I hope I’m wrong on this one, but statistically it’s pretty low risk.  However, if there isn’t a major “terrorist attack” I’ll claim that attacks on U.S. troops on Iraq counts.)
• The U.S. will lose more troops in Iraq.   (Free…)
• The U.S. won’t pull out of Iraq in 2007.   (This is the low risk bet too.  See, even if they pull out some, I’ll still be right.)
• The stock market will make a major swing.  (LOL, now I’m being dumb.)
• Amazon will have its BEST CHRISTMAS SEASON EVER.  ( ;-) read this post.)

Ok, enough of this.  Predicting the future makes me ill…. and makes me feel kind of slimy.

Anyway, it’s morons like this that give religions a bad name.  I do, however, love the picture CNN picked for this article.  ROFL.  Nice sleazy smile and all.  Although it makes me sad that this got above the fold coverage on CNN.

Oh and in honor of this, and I’m sure the plethora of articles I will now blog about, I have created a new category:  Religious Nuts.