Dusty Chalk

Agreed. My Microcenter does indeed have about 5 different varieties, but they are the isolated exception, and none out to try. But they're charging $10 more for the Logitech one, so I'm tempted to buy it online...hence why they don't have them in b&m stores.

Swans have a new album? Fucking hell! Me: been listening to Synthetica non-stop in the car, gonna try to see them next month, I think this might be my favourite album of theirs since Old World Underground, Where Are You Now. But I'll be listening to the new Swans as soon as I can find it. Wait, what? They reformed? Fucking hell!

I want to know what she's looking at, but somewhere towards the latter half, I think she's acting. The first half is excellent, however. Anything that can take my eye off those nipples has gotta be good. Artistic interpretation of Alastair Reynolds' "melding plague"?

Had an email argument with my boss. Such a douchebag. I hate him. He expressed to me how unhappy he was that there wasn't movement on a certain front, when in fact he should be happy that my priorities are straight and that I'm concentrating on the front that will allow our company to keep the contract.

Wow, Wayne, you nailed it. Or rather, you nailed the description of -- if you're like me -- not nailing it.

Also, is there such a thing as a decent Bluetooth mouse? Why are there so few? I can't imagine that there aren't more people like me -- who are unwilling to give up their USB ports.

G5's have gone the way of the Trackman, so I got a G400 instead. Should be (does maths) 80 times as good, right?

Nope, he validated with a pic, so he was at least standing nearby.

Fuck all youse academic types with your internet2 and your speedy downloads.

I don't yet have any, but I will be getting that one. Will let you know. Chris (Dreadhead) has one of the older ones, though, the one with the light ring around the trackball. I'm pretty sure he's pretty happy with it, but don't know if it was durable for him.

Pfff. Tyll doesn't do Sony. From the link: 3840 x 2160? Fuck yeah...

Thanks, guys, G5 it is. Ari -- yup, that's the one I have, and that's the one that's been discontinued, and NOS ones sell for over US$100. I have about 5 of them, with varying stages of deterioration. Mostly the buttons, as I am hard on them. I'd love to be able to just fix them, and am saving them on the hopefully probability that that is doable. I suspect it's just a contact switch inside that got bent to the point of no contact or broke off. This appears to be the closest thing they will continue to have. I gotta have that form factor -- I've tried about a brazillion different trackballs, and mostly they like to do the top palm-rolly thing. I much prefer to use my thumb, hence this form factor is a favorite of mine. Microsoft used to have one too, that would have been adequately, were it still available.

Yeah, but then you keep sayin' stuff.

I no longer feel comfortable traveling with my Logitech Trackman, as that is discontinued and sells for > US$100 on Amazon, much less eBay. And I don't seen an equivalent, although I'll be getting the Logitech wireless thingy to try. So...any recommendations on rugged mice? I want something I can throw in my bag that can endure the abuse I plan on giving it. Especially the buttons. Or should I get a hard clamshell or something to protect it? Not that that will save it from the abuse. I tend to press harder on the buttons or downright bang on them when the computer becomes unresponsive or starts doing something I don't want it to do. Optical or laser? Laser, right? Because most surfaces short of flat black work, right? Any advice would be appreciated.

I stand by, 'cranky'. The set was just an example, but I stand by that it was a good example -- he made sure the set was the way it was, because not only did he want continuity, but he wanted the actors to sincerely feel and convey the sense of claustrophobia, lived-in-ness, home-y-ness, AND ETC. that having a life-size set would give. And speaking of continuity -- the reason Whedon's shows were so swarming with continuity was BECAUSE OF HIM -- he's the one who made sure that incidents that happened in season one of Buffy were echoed in season 7. And that contradictions occurred when it was appropriate due to the growth of the character (sleeping with Spike...oops, sorry, SPOILER). One of my absolute favourite moments when it comes to acting (of all time, television or movie) happened towards the end of the episode, "Fool for Love" (of Buffy), right after Buffy tells spike, "it'll never be you. You're beneath me." Spike transitions from shocked, to sad, to angry, in one fell swoop. I can't imagine how many takes it took to get that right, but if Whedon were a hack, he wouldn't have gone through the trouble (and even if he didn't direct the episode, he still oversaw it) to get that performance out of Marsters. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.

Yeah, we need to do that.

That's what you said, that she wrote the best one. Or rather, the best written one. And also: would a "hack" director go through great pains to make a set life-size? That's what Firefly was. It was one set, in two pieces, so that there would be no inconsistencies in terms of multiple levels &c. So yeah, I stand by 'cranky'.

Yes. "bad acting" "bad writing" -- he's like the opposite of those things (well, technically he's not the opposite of bad acting, but you get my meaning). I mean, I realize it's all just opinion, but there's a general consensus of what bad acting is. I mean, even fucking Sara Michelle Gellar -- of whom I'm not the hugest fan -- played at least three different parts in the show (Buffy, Buffy-bot, and, in the final season, The First). At no point does anyone wonder which part she is playing when she appears. And you're making it sound like the entire second half of Dollhouse was badly written, which I know for a fact that you did not feel that way at the time. (Yes, that episode -- the one you said was the best written -- was second season.) And don't even get me started on Firefly/Serenity. Who are you, and what have you done with Dan?

Sweet! Congrats!

Okay, now you're just being cranky.

What?!?!? Name one instance of bad writing.

Oh my.

Grawk be trollin'.

I love the 7 minute version of Ain't No Sunshine by The Temptations from Solid Rock, this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raezCQT0fII I would also recommend listening to the entire Dap Tones record label (yes, really, though you should probably start out with the various artists compilation [surely compilations by now?]), as that would definitely be up your alley.

Bad Salad, Uncivilized -- rawk! Prog metal. Quite possibly album of the year for me. Clean singing (mostly). Long instrumental sections (not all of which are guitar solos). Medigs.