• The Cure - Join The Dots . Back in the day when cassettes ruled the world, you could get The Cure's greatest hits collection (79-86), Standing On a Beach, with a great collection of B-sides on the flip side. And, over the years, I've come to like the B-sides just a little bit better than the singles themselves. But, they never released the B-sides on CD... until now. Join The Dots is a collection of all The Cure's B-sides, from the late 70's through today. And, the first disc, to me, is reason enough to have the whole 4-CD set; it contains all the Standing On a Beach B's, most of the Japanese Whispers EP, and some really early stuff that you can't find anywhere else. The second disc has a bunch of really good Disintegration B's, some Kiss Me alternate versions, etc.. There are also a lot of covers and goofy remixes that I don't care much for. But just having the Standing On a Beach B's fills a huge hole in my must-have collection.
• Jekyll and Hyde, live. My wife likes musicals, and she likes Sebastian Bach from Skid Row. So, when Jekyll and Hyde, starring Sebastian Bach, came to town, we had to go. Now, I don't much care for musicals, so I was skeptical about the whole thing. And, there were parts that grated on me: especially that too many of the songs tried to make emotional home-runs out of well-hit doubles. But, overall it was much better than I'd expected. The sets were pretty cool - they managed to accomplish a lot with simple black and white photographs of the late 1800's and some colored lighting. I thought Sebastian Bach started out sounding weak, thin and nasally, especially when singing conversational songs to other people. But when left to himself he loosened up; and when he did the Hyde parts, he was, actually, awesome. His voice is much better at the growling, shouting and screaming My Hyde, than the proper Dr Jekyll; and the songs where he did both Jekyll and Hyde at the same time were sometimes amazing - as when he switched from one character (and voice) to the other for alternating couplets. Definitely the best live musical I've ever seen.
• Robyn Hitchcock, live at the Cat's Cradle. We saw him many years ago at a sports bar in Colonie NY; about 30 people showed up, but he still put on a great show. Then we saw him in 1999 at the Cat's Cradle with ICQ, Cornelius and the Flaming Lips (we left before the Lips). He sucked - he looked drunk and was totally out of sync with the audience who wanted to rock and jump around. But, this time he was right on. The crowd was full of aging hipsters who were ready for him and his strangely poignant songs about fish, bugs and ghosts. Interesting cover of "Love don't live here anymore". Lotta fun, if you like that kinda thing.
• Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights. It's impossible to hear this and not think about Joy Division... unless you've never heard Joy Division, I guess. Still, I like it a lot. They grabbed a discarded style and ran with it, and it works.

This is floating around the net right now - author unknown (author = Jim Hightower. Maybe you'll be able to say you saw it here first...

Dear President Bush:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from you and understand why you would propose and support a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. As you said "in the eyes of God marriage is based between a man a woman." I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination... End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her? (I'm pretty sure she's a virgin).

3. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is, my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

4. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2. clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it? How can I help you here?

5. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Aren't there 'degrees' of abomination?

6. Lev.21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?

7. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

8. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

9. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14) I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging. It must be really great to be on such close terms with God and his son, ... even better than you and your own Dad, eh?

Fafnir explains gravity, and some other theories:

General relativity says gravity is caused by the 'curvature of space' which is crazy. Space isn't curved! It's big an black an empty an fulla spaceships! If it was curved how would spaceships fly in it? They would crash into the curves an blow up an stuff! Gravity isn't caused by any crazy 'curved space'! It is caused by scientifical processes such as leprechauns.

Leprechauns are all over the universe grabbin onto matter with their tiny leprechaun hands an holdin it together. hen you walk down the street insteada plummeting into pace it is because leprechauns are holdin you down onto the earth. Of course leprechauns are pretty small so when you jump you break free for a little while until the leprechauns grab you again!

And in the comments, we find facts that support this theory. Such as:

...leprechauns don't swim well, and that's why you feel lighter in water.

Who can dispute it?

So, my brother invited me to put together my own personal list of the 50,75 or 100 top albums of all time. Someone he knows is going to compile lists from a bunch of people and then the lists will be compiled, ranked, weighted and otherwise munged into a final definitive list, or something. Being a total sucker for rankings and lists and ranked lists of albums, I jumped at the chance.

So, here they are:

1. Sonic Youth : Daydream Nation
2. Pavement : Slanted and Enchanted
3. Joni Mitchell : Blue
4. Liz Phair : Exile In Guyville
5. My Bloody Valentine : Loveless
6. Miles Davis : Kind Of Blue
7. Talking Heads : Remain In Light
8. Neutral Milk Hotel : In An Aeroplane Over The Sea
9. Pixies : Surfer Rosa
10. Pink Floyd : Dark Side Of The Moon
11. Led Zeppelin : II
12. Beatles : Abbey Road
13. Fleetwood Mac : Rumors
14. The Beatles : Revolver
15. Rolling Stones : Let It Bleed
16. AC/DC : Back In Black
17. Pink Floyd : Wish You Were Here
18. The Cure : Disintegration
19. U2 : The Joshua Tree
20. The Beatles : The Beatles (white album)
21. Pavement : Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
22. Big Star : #1 Record
23. The Pretenders : The Pretenders
24. Cowboy Junkies : The Trinity Sessions
25. The Cure : Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
26. Led Zeppelin : Houses Of The Holy
27. Van Morrison : Moondance
28. REM : Reckoning
29. Nirvana : Nevermind
30. Sonic Youth : Sister
31. Sea And Cake : Nassau
32. Yo La Tengo : Electr-O-Pura
33. Violent Femmes : Violent Femmes
34. Elliot Smith : XO
35. A Tribe Called Quest : Midnight Marauders
36. Bauhaus : In The Flat Field
37. Jimi Hendrix : Axis: Bold As Love
38. Stereolab : Emperor Tomato Ketchup
39. Led Zeppelin : Physical Graffiti
40. Black Sabbath : Paranoid
41. The Beastie Boys : Ill Communication
42. Crosby Stills and Nash : Crosby Stills and Nash
43. Robyn Hitchcock : Eye
44. Dave Brubeck : Time Out
45. Pavement : Wowee Zowee
46. Pink Floyd : Animals
47. The Beatles : Rubber Soul
48. Rolling Stones : Exile On Main Street
49. The Doors : The Doors
50. Cream : Disraeli Gears
51. Peter Gabriel : So
52. Fleetwood Mac : Fleetwood Mac
53. The Doors : Strange Days
54. Big Star : Radio City
55. Bob Dylan : Highway 61 Revisited
56. Slint : Spiderland
57. Pixies : Doolittle
58. Jane's Addiction : Nothing's Shocking
59. Nick Drake : Pink Moon
60. King Crimson : Discipline
61. Yes : The Yes Album
62. Rush : Moving Pictures
63. ZZ Top : Tres Hombres
64. Stevie Ray Vaughan : Texas Flood
65. The Cars : The Cars
66. REM : Murmur
67. U2 : War
68. Pixies : Come on Pilgrim
69. Steely Dan : Aja
70. The Cure : Seventeen Seconds
71. The Feelies : Crazy Rhythms
72. Replacements : Let It Be
73. The Police : Zenyatta Mondatta
74. Yo La Tengo : Fakebook
75. Stereolab : Peng
76. Gillian Welch : Time, The Revelator
77. PJ Harvey : Rid Of Me
78. Lilys : A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns
79. Spoon : Girls Can Tell
80. Superchunk : No Pocky For Kitty
81. Dinosaur Jr. : You're Living All Over Me
82. Gillian Welch : Revival
83. Sunny Day Real Estate : Diary
84. The Shins : Chutes Too Narrow
85. Big Black : Songs About Fucking
86. Codeine : Frigid Stars
87. Tortoise : Millions Now Living Will Never Die
88. Wilco : Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
89. The Flaming Lips : The Soft Bulletin
90. Robyn Hitchcock : I Often Dream of Trains
91. Gastr Del Sol : Camofleur
92. A Tribe Called Quest : Low End Theory
93. Son Volt : Trace
94. Grandaddy : The Sophtware Slump
95. Death Cab For Cutie : Transatlanticism
96. Modest Mouse : The Lonesome Crowded West
97. Polvo : Cor-Crane Secret
98. Buena Vista Social Club : Buena Vista Social Club
99. Archers of Loaf : Icky Mettle
100. Beck : Mutations

I made this Friday and Saturday. And looking at it now, while everything's probably within 5 spots of where it oughtta be I can see a few things I'd change; like, I'd probably move Midnight Marauders down a few spots and Pink Moon up a few, and I'm a little ambivalent about some of the lower spots. But I'll just go with this, because I know that overall it's mostly right. I'd probably never be 100% happy with it - it's something I could fine-tune forever. Maybe I'll revisit it in a year.

Britain's Channel Four Recruits Rotting Corpse:

"Which is more entertaining: watching paint dry or watching a human body decompose? Thanks to Channel 4, British audiences may soon get to decide for themselves. The tentatively titled documentary 'Dust to Dust' will tackle the taboo of rotting human flesh and bring those images into British homes.

According to the Guardian newspaper, producers on the show are currently searching for a terminally ill patient whose family is willing to sign off on letting a national television audience watch him rot. After the patient's death, the body will be placed in a private area of London's Science Museum and a number of cameras and scientists will get to watch the body decompose."

I guess it's better than more Absolutely Fabulous reruns.

No ribeye tonight. Instead, I bought myself a nice thick tuna steak, liberally coated it with cajun seasoning, seared it on both sides in a cast-iron skillet - just enough to leave the middle pink, and enough to turn the outside a nice crispy dark brown. Then I plopped it in the middle of a pile of warm Hoppin John that I had left over from a couple of nights ago. Lemme tell ya, this might have been the best thing I've ever made. The taste of New Orleans, at home - but it wasn't $35/plate and my street doesn't smell like vomit, piss and old beer!

I highly recommend this. I'm sure you could use just about any fish.

Next step ... get my wife to like tuna steaks.

Cory Doctorow, at Boing Boing has some interesting things to say about copyright. Among them:

Copyright is a system for regulating technology -- it regulates technologies used to make and distribute copies. We have lots of technology regulation in the world: there are rules that govern the operation of automobiles and rules that govern the marketing of electrical appliances. This isn't per se wrong.

But when the 20 horsepower locomotive was invented, the blacksmiths weren't able to successfully lobby to have 80 horseshoes welded to each engine, despite the rule that said that every 'horse' used for transport needed four shoes. When you invent a railroad, you need railroad-rules for it, not horse-and-buggy rules. The facts that the railroad doesn't need shoes, or oats, or curry-combs don't reflect bugs in railroading: they are the feautres of railroading.

The Internet has one overarching feature that makes it superior to the technologies that preceded it: it can copy arbitrary blobs of data from one place to another at virtually no cost, in virutally no time, with virtually no control. This is not a bug. This is what the Internet is supposed to do.

I should really find a new news site to check; CNN is just too dumb.

Their current survey is "Do you think the job market is improving?" (54% say "No"). Their current "Business" headlines are:

• Is the job market back?
• SBC plans to cut 10,000 jobs