STOP THE PRESSES!

Christopher Walken to play Ozzy Osbourne in upcoming Motley Crue autobiographical movie!

GEEK POST

I took to uninstalling Sage (RSS reader) from my Firefox installation because it gave me to easy an out for switching from productive work mode to wasting my time scanning feed mode. I split my feeds into strictly work related material: and hosted those on my Google Reader account. I imported my leisure feeds into BlogBridge, which I only fire up once or twice a day now. So far, I’ve been more productive and get to really “dogfood” some new RSS apps and get a feel for different aggregation memes to boot. Oh, Google Reader is cool, with lots of neat AJAX tricks, but it seems to have slowed down as of late. BlogBridge is a nice Java-based client app that’s slick, quick and installed via Java Web Start, of which I have a special place in my heart for.

Been messing with Netbeans 5.5 with the Visual Web Pack and deploying test apps to the Glassfish application server. So far, neato, but even with support for EJB 3.0 and slick dependency injection baked in, there’s still no easy way to map Domino’s scheduled agent functionality to the EJB world. Yes, I know there’s the Timer Service, but it’s not easy. Don’t even get me started on full-text indexing. Mad scientist that I am, I continue to plug away at a solution that will make this easy and repeatable to the non-rocket scientist app developers out there (present company included) in need of a Java enterprise development solution. I hope to one day assemble a package of tools into a coherent narrative that I can impart for, ah, compensation.

FRIDAY BRAIN DUMP

Been busy not being busy these last few weeks. I wrapped up my latest client engagement last week and I’m looking forward to a few months’ respite. Professionally, I intend to delve into the pain points faced by the transition between Lotus Domino development and Java Server Faces (JSF/J2EE) development. Hopefully, I can learn something and come up with enough material to create a seminar. Otherwise, I may just throw myself back into the consulting field or cast my net for full-time employment (egads!)

I’m hearing that Microsoft’s next version of Windows (Vista) doesn’t allow you to save to the desktop. This sucks for me as saving my current work to the desktop is a part of my work habit –I “archive” my work to its eventual permanent location when I’m done.

Getting our eldest into a quality playgroup for next fall meant making decisions and placing a deposit this week –a traumatic experience for Casa Del Gimlet as we now have to contemplate sending our little poozle out of the nest and into the world. It’s still the better part of a year away, but sobering, nonetheless.

I still pine for the day Sprint releases the Q on its network.

My friend M runs the marathon for the umpteenth time Sunday, go Bodie!

Do Whiskyfest tickets come with a designated driver? Tune in Tuesday morning for the answer.

Welcome to the right coast, Ellen, Stuart and Judah. We look forward to making introductions all around and catching up. Ellen, for ye uninformed, was with me from the beginning.

Mennu is a mensch. (crazy shades notwithstanding) visit his blog. Heed his advice. Listen to his mix.

ODDS 'N ENDS

Recently, I made the observation that, based upon advertisements, it seems Animal Planet’s core demographic is people with low self-esteem.

The fact that this concept video will be a reality to paying customers (app. $200,000) in about two years is nothing short of amazing.

Star Wars buffs (even those disappointed –deeply disappointed) by the Flannelled One’s abominable latest three chapters will want to check out the Wookiepedia (hat tip: Ned.)

RANGEL AND PELOSI GET IT RIGHT

Credit where credit is due: Rangel blasts Chavez for his insane ranting at the UN yesterday. Nancy Pelosi sticks up for W.as well. (?)

PERSPECTIVES

Last week my family and I returned from a two week trip to Israel. The pretext for going was my nephew’s Bar Mitzvah in Beit Shemesh, but we stayed for two weeks -which is way longer than the festivities. We started our trip in Jerusalem, moved to Beit Shemesh from Thursday night through the weekend, sojourned to Tel Aviv for two days of R & R and time with my second sister Bena (not as diametrically opposed as some in my family would believe!) on the beach and then returned to Jerusalem. We even decided to cut short our Tel Aviv portion to focus more time on Jerusalem. With two kiddies, it took us a lot of time to get ourselves out the door in unfamiliar territory (especially the first week of jet-lag days) so we gave ourselves an extra day in Jerusalem to accomplish more of what we had originally set out to do. Lots of time was spent at the Kotel (wailing wall) and in the Rova (Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.) We did a lot of shopping in Mea Shearim for Judaica, gifts and art. Exploring the Jewish “shuk” (open air bazaar) of Machane Yehuda, Jerusalem was a blast. We brought back fresh spices, candy and nuts from there. (Unfortunately, we got your message to bring back some of Marzipan bakery’s famous rugelach too late, Mennu –but they were delicious!) Discovering the quaint neighborhood of Nachla’ot behind the “shuk,” exploring it and letting Basya (our twenty month old) frolic in a playground we found was a special treat. So was visiting my step-aunt’s beautiful apartment in Jerusalem’s oldest Jewish neighborhood outside of the old city –Yemin Moshe- basking in the glorious view of the old city from her balcony, and picking out a piece of artwork from her collection as a belated wedding gift to us (a Braque.) (For the record, we turned down a Matisse and two Chagalls in the mix because we thought they were –ah- not to our taste.) Our second Shabbat was spent at my sister’s house in Beit Shemesh, where I finally got to spend some quality time with my eldest sibling and her family and she got to spend some time getting to know my family. (The last time we saw each other prior to this trip was at my wedding.) Too soon, Sunday was upon us and we had to return to the 'States. The weather upon landing was dreary and wet, which pretty much summed our feelings about leaving Israel and returning to our regular workaday lives.

BOMBERS AND BARBEQUE

Today I watched the beautifully restored Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress “Yankee Lady” World War Two era bomber go through preflight, light up its four monstrous Wright Cyclone engines, taxi away and roar off into the blue yonder. We were so close that the propwash blew us back a bit. With me on this adventure was Uncle Robbie and his oldest, Jonathan. The few decent shots I was able to get off through the fence are here. Bonus shot is of a NASA T-38, presumably the steed Astronaut Scott Kelly rode in on.

Came home to a feast of barbequed chicken, (hot) dogs tube steaks and, of course, cow on the bone. Mmm. mmm. good.

Good times, these.

LISTEN UP

The next time the dentist tells you not to eat anything until after the novocaine wears off, listen! I chewed through my lip without realizing it last week and it still hurts like the dickens.

If you ever use PayPal to purchase anything, make sure you click on the tiny "More Funding Options" link before you approve your payment to make sure that the money is being debited from the right account (credit card or bank account.)

R.I.P. Bruno Kirby.

DHS FREEBIES

You get the feeling the latest terrorist plot is really a cover for some people in the airline security industry to get their hands on some free toiletries?

TWO JOOS

Watched Gene Simmons, Family Jewels last night. My impressions? The NYTimes had it right. The show isn’t too compelling and the most interesting characters are clearly the remarkably well adjusted kids – similar to the Osbourne paradox. Of note: I can’t get over how much the aging KISS frontman looks and sounds like Jackie Mason. Well, not exactly, but his overall comportment puts him in the same category mentally for me. I suppose it’s due to their similar background stories. Oh, and his Mom (on the phone with Gene at the end of the episode) sounds like a typical ortho yiddishe mama, which -as I understand it- she is.

Joe Lieberman lost the democratic primary Tuesday. If the margin turns out to be something that could have been bridged by an effective e-campaign, than Lieberman has noone but himself to blame for being hacked on the eve of the election with no backup. That’s unfortunate. I can’t say I know enough about Connecticut politics to add my two cents as to why he lost, although it certainly appears that he was a victim of anti-war backlash and cozying up to a controversial president. If that’s the case, that’s too bad. Too bad for Connecticut, to bad for the Democratic party and too bad for the good ole’ U.S. of A. (Or U.S. and A-ya as Borat would pronounce it.) I sincerely hope this doesn’t portent a slide into irreverence for the Democratic Party as many insinuate. Cheney stating that Lieberman's loss sends a message to terrorists is dubious, though. To think that anything we do sends a message of any consequence to people who sincerely believe that there are seventy-two virgins waiting for them in the great beyond and -worse- that we should predicate our actions in a partcipatory democracy based upon this premise is absurd.

DILBERT'S GUIDE TO WORLD PEACE

Scott Adams takes a shot at solving the Middle East...

MIDDLE EAST POLITICS

I despair of the worldview coming out of the Middle East these days. Of course, Lebanon is a mess. I really hope that the dogs of war can be leashed again there and soon. There’s definitely something to be said for the military (any military, IMHO) believing that that every problem is a nail that their hammer can fix. I wonder if Israel is at the limits of what military options can achieve. Of course, I’m not suggesting there was any other choice but to raise the stakes in Lebanon. Contrary to what the big fuss is about – rockets- I believe the stakes were raised for one reason alone: kidnapping. If the one-two punch of targeted kidnapping of Israeli soldiers in Gaza and the Lebanese border were tolerated, kidnapping would have become the new normative situation. This is what the state of Israel cannot, under any circumstances, tolerate. The price for such behavior must make this option be removed from the table by Hezbollah and Hamas. The limited rocket attacks could have continued to be tolerated in the interest of allowing the nascent Lebanese democracy to take hold. Pity the war-torn Lebanese normal people; they are hostages to the situation as are the Israelis. Shifting gears slightly, I can’t abide or understand any attempt to equalize Hezbollah, it’s leadership or tactics with that of Israel, a sovereign state with a proper chain of command and a healthy, vibrant public discourse on all aspects of its political actions -healthier even than, say, the U.S. To somehow insinuate that Israel is acting wantonly and immorally regarding her latest actions is to truly believe that Israel and the U.S., with their respective moral compasses, are as bloodthirsty and chauvinistic as the enemies who foisted the fight upon us.

IRAQ is a an unqualified mess. Civil society – in the capital at least- has been completely rendered asunder. Regardless of the outcome, it’s clear to me that the insurgency/terrorists/anarchists have won this battle: the have succeeded in turning Iraqi society against itself. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, the uranium has gone critical on this one, people. Whatever happens next in Baghdad would fall under the category of fixing what’s (very) broken and no longer preventing the fracture in the first place. Even the hawk Ralph Peters ponders whether Pandora can be put back into her box. Unfortunate. Let the blame game begin. While I support our President’s moral compass and feel he got the big picture right, Mr. Bush and his inner circle seems to lack the ability to adjust meaningfully to the situation on the ground. Of course, credit must be given to Iraqi (lack of) leadership as well for this, but the U.S. was in the unique position to recognize the vacuum and do something about it.

DEAN: I'm not neccesarily saying he's wrong, just that he's an idiot (for saying it). In a nutshell, Howard Dean is symptomatic of a Democratic party that can't get it's act together. Troubling. We need a healthy two-party system to survive and the inept Democratic party leadership isn't helping. It sometimes seems the rational wing of the DNC is waiting for Prince Obama to grow up. We can't wait that long, Rome is burning folks!

UPDATE: If you doubt the importance of transparency and healthy political discourse in society, here's an interesting contrast: An Arab "Peace" Demonstration (their left) vs. an Israeli peace demonstration.

THE CLOSER

Watched an episode of “The Closer” last night on TNT. Overall, not a bad cop drama, but no new ground broken over the myriad other cop dramas available. Is the whole show designed to lead up to when Kyra Sedgewick’s character gets her suspects into the interrogation room and games them into giving themselves up? Clever, but not enough to keep me as a return viewer. In sum: good, but doesn’t rise above the crop for me to add it to my DVR program schedule.

ANTI-FOLK

This morning I played connect the dots. Follow along: I’m reading about Microsoft’s pending new music arrival “Zune” that will directly target the iPod juggernaut. The article on news.com specifically mentions a whimsical teaser site for Zune, which I dutifully visit. The site is cute, but the tune playing, “Us” by Regina Spektor, is catchy. I’m hooked. Her voice sounds a lot like Bjork’s. I google Regina Spektor. It turns out Ms. Spektor is a Russian-Jewish émigré from New York City. Wikipedia says that she has prodigious songwriting talent and –as is often the case with former Soviets- possesses excellent classical chops and musical parents. I’m listening to the full version of “Us” and “Survival Guide to Soviet Kitsch” on her website now. (Click on the video section of the site.) For some reason (actually, I know the reason, can you guess?) I wonder if Ms. Spektor and Mila Kunis have ever met. Reading her wikipedia page, I see that there’s something called the “New York Anti-folk scene.” There’s an anti folk movement? I need to read more about this! Well, there’s a link to the anti-folk wikipedia page. And, of course, the obligatory antifolk.net. (I suppose antifolk.com would be too deliciously ironic.) This is fascinating. I think I may delve into this musical genre some more. Stay tuned…

BIRD 911

Prompted by this vignette.

Unfortunately, bird rescue never worked for me. When I was nine, I tried to save a baby sparrow that I found. I even called the Bronx Zoo (THE zoo if you live in New York) for tips on how to feed it. When it died I was so devastated that my Dad (OB"M) promised me I could have a parakeet for my tenth birthday if I so wanted one. [Parenting lesson: insist on a cooling off period before pet ownership for a child.] On the day of my birthday (around six months later) I made him take me to the pet store (Erev Shabbos) and we bought Sir Chirpalot. He lived five years and died about a month after my Dad passed away.

WORST PREDICTIONS COME TRUE

When the current crisis in Israel and Gaza erupted, I feared that kidnapping would become the preferred new terror tactic. This morning it appears that the nightmare has become true. My predictions: For Israel to make any impact regarding the Lebanon affair, they'll have to push through the border area which is a no man's land controlled by Hizbullah into the Lebanese heartland, where the government holds sway. That's the only way to pressure Lebanon into reigning in Hezbollah, which by Michael Totten's accounts (if memory serves) most Lebanese regard as the crazy cousin that they let roam free in the border area and try to ignore.

BOOK TITLES

I've had a longstanding fascination with a fictitious book title I made up many years ago: The Rapes of Grath. I haven't been able to come up with a treatment (industry speak for basic script plotline) but I've always been in love with the title. I've just added a new title (sans plot) to my repertoire: Neil Before God. Talk amongst yourselves.

TWO WORDS REDUX

So, this weekend my lower right quadrant (of my mouth) started aching and even I, layman that I am, could clearly see a hole in my molar that I could drive a car through. Sigh, time to visit the dentist again. After much injecting of the novocaine and drilling of the enamel, the verdict was in: yet another root canal -this one even more severe than the first. Apparently, the decay was so bad under an old filling that, when done, the tooth will end below the gumline, neccesitating some reconstructive gum surgery to prepare for an eventual crown after the pulpectomy is done. I feel like the unlucky homeowner that starts having his bathroom replaced only to learn that -natch- the floorbeams are cracked and need to be replaced (true story, that, ask my Mom.) Then the contractor leaves with a gaping hole in the living room ceiling with a beautiful vantage point of porcelain, only to disappear for three weeks without a forwarding number. (Same true story.) When I'm done I at least hope the good doctor has the decency to name a wing in his office after me. Or tell his kids who paid for their fancy tuition.

FUNNYMEN

He's alive, and I chuckle whenever I see his picture. He's dead, and he's missed. (Hat Tip: Digg.)

VERY COOL: NASA footage of shuttle rocketing away from discarded booster from booster POV (point of view)

ZOOTOPIA

Took my family to the Queens Zoo yesterday. Nice little park. The theme for the park seems to be endangered species, which is a bit of a downer. For some reason there seemed to be more going on with the local fauna than the animals on display, which were mostly dozing in the noon heat. Except for the sheep, that is. They were lining up with military precision for some mysterious reason and bleating away. The rabbits and birds hiding in the bushes, though, were far more animated. Behold the amazing Oreo Cow!

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP DEPT.: Brooklyn: Crowd Attacks Driver After Accident (NYTimes, free registration req'd. Article will/may expire.)