William F*cking Shatner

Has a blog.

[Edited to add:] Found on WWdN

Sadly, though, it's evidently the output of PR people, c.f. the last 6 entries' headings:

"I am excited to announce the launch of my very own DVD Club."

"I’m thrilled to have won the Emmy..."

"I have to admit that I’m nervous about the upcoming Emmys."

"Being nominated and winning once was a thrill. But the second nomination is even more thrilling."

"I’ve begun filming on “Boston Legal” and I’m having a great experience developing the character of Denny Crane even further than last year."

"TV shows usually take a break during the summer. I, on the other hand, do not. Elizabeth and I took a week to drive down the Italian coast looking for a great plate of spaghetti."

Yawn

Sigh

Post Scriptum: Even the comments read artificial:

"The storyline you describe as an example recalls, for me, your moving performance in Denny's closing for the doctor accused of prescribing non-FDA approved medication..."

Complete with pictures from the film.

Gnnaaah.

I heard this one once too often.

"He loves his country and tries to do what he thinks is best" [1]

I think this should be a label on the suit of an asylum inmate. It should not be used to excuse the insane things politicians do.

The resoning behind the sentence seems to go like this: What can you do, he does what he thinks is best. Well, maybe he thought wrong once or twice, but hey, he thought it was best. He loves his country. So he can't be a bad guy. Can he? Did Hitler love his country? I certainly think so.

This statement might actually apply to some, but to whom it is applied to by supporters, or (god help us) by himself should be locked away.

Another quote comes to mind

God protect us from people with good intentions.

[1] The Daily Show, 8 Nov 05, Senator John McCain about Vice President Richard Bruce Cheney

Creative Commons

If I haven't told you yet, I run a photo series called (increasingly inaccurately) "The Daily Loki", where I publish pictures of my cat. I'm not going to make excuses.

Somebody has to do it.

Anyway, the other day, a friend asked me when I was going to make them Creative Commons - licensed. I replied "when I reach a hundred pictures". Now that has happened, and I'm having second thoughts. I think about the uses the pictures could be put to, and I start to wonder if I want to allow such a thing. I wouldn't want pictures that depict, or promote, cruelty to animals. Or pictures that show his head mounted on a goat having sex with... no wait, that would actually be funny.

I'll release them, but only if someone makes the picture with goat and the sex and...

*slaps wrist*
*takes medication*

Ahh.

I am still dithering about the license. I would actually like people to use the pictures, because I'd be interested to see that (and, actually, interested if anyone gives a shit - I have about five readers (of Daily Loki), and I doubt whether CC would make any difference to them). Still, I don't want cruelty to animals, I don't want goat sex (well actually... *gulps more pills*), I don't want to give away my control over my pictures. I'm a bit of a control freak.

Not that I actually have control over my pictures. I only have the right to complain when I find out someone is violating my copyright, and enter protracted legal complications that cost tons and probably won't help.

Additionally, normal copyright provides everything I need. Anybody can copy, reuse, or do anything with my pictures, if I give my permission. It's not as if it's hard to contact the owner of a flickr photoset. But still, CC is hot right now, and I like jumping on bandwagons. Also, I feel disturbed by the fact that I consider it a good thing for other people, but when it comes to my own photos, it's suddelny not that great an idea anymore.

So, against all common sense, here it is. I release all Loki pictures under the least restrictive Creative Commons license. The photographer kindly asks to be notified of any use his or her photos are put to. Bye now, I'm off to the release party.

PS. Nobody do the goat thing! (please do the goat thing)

The Pope is Under Siege

Sine I switched the comments from "Members Only" to "Anyone", my pope post has been getting an extraordinary amount of comment spam, compared to the rest of the blog.

I wonder why.

Anyway, when posting comments, you will henceforth have to do one of these word recognition thingys. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Systems 2005

My company was represented on the Systems 2005, a Munich IT exhibition.

It's a nice enough job, manning the booth. You don't have to use your brain all the time, you just have to repeat basically the same thing with varying listeners all day long. At five-thirty, the boss puts a Queen DVD on the big big screen and we break out the beers, feeling like rock stars because our feet hurt and we've been talking for eight hours straight.

You soon pick up the most common phrases, "The first of its kind", "Currently, only we can do this", and it's great getting to know the product portfolio. Especially if you're a developer, like me, and aren't required to know anything. You just ask any of the salesmen when you get stuck.

Sometimes, you get really interesting requests, like the hungarian guy who wanted to know if we could do a 150km fiber optics IP extension without anything in between. No repeaters, on amplifiers. When I asked him where was, he replied "out at sea". Wow. They'll drop a tube on the ocean floor, and pave it over with a foot of concrete, so any accidentally dropped anchors don't rip it up. Amazing.

It's also a grueling job, because most nights you get to go out with a business partner, but still have to crawl out of bed every day in the morning.

But I wouldn't miss it for anything.