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In my continuing struggle to wake up into the current world around me, I stumbled across a little utility called Hymn that strips the draconian DRM from music purchased via iTunes so you can play them on non-authorized computers (you know, the other machines you use in the course of the day).

This is great because now, if I want to, I can play music I purchased on iTunes on my work computer, since I can’t a)download iTunes here and even if I could b) the site is blocked by other draconian measures such as site blocking (*gasp* He wants to look at SPORTS?!?!? On his LUNCH?!? NEVER!).

Link [via Gizmodo]

Do NOT read this if you haven’t seen the movie.

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Ah, I love the web….

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We do have a grave problem in this country, but it is not the plan for Iraq, the neoconservatives, or targeting Saddam. Face it: This present generation of leaders at home would never have made it to Normandy Beach. They would instead have called off the advance to hold hearings on Pearl Harbor, cast around blame for the Japanese internment, sued over the light armor and guns of Sherman tanks, apologized for bombing German civilians, and recalled General Eisenhower to Washington to explain the rough treatment of Axis prisoners.

We are becoming a crazed culture of cheap criticism and pious moralizing, and in our self-absorption may well lose what we inherited from a better generation. Our groaning and hissing elite indulges itself, while better but forgotten folks risk their lives on our behalf in pretty horrible places.

Judging from our newspapers, we seem to care little about the soldiers while they are alive and fighting, but we suddenly put their names on our screens and speak up when a dozen err or die. And, in the latter case, our concern is not out of respect for their sacrifice but more likely a protest against what we don’t like done in our name. So ABC’s Nightline reads the names of the fallen from Iraq, but not those from the less controversial Afghanistan, because ideological purity — not remembering the departed per se — is once again the real aim.

The rest of the article is equally offensive and crass. Awesome stuff.

Link [via r21]

Who knew? So, when is Two-Left Feet Month? Or Bad Taste in Music Month? (Wait, that might be December.)

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Politics aside, Ronald Reagan was the first real politician that I was aware of growing up. I don’t remember his first election well, but I do remember his terms as President. He was, until I was 13, the only President I knew. Someone like that always leaves an impression.

And, while they will miss him, I’m sure his family takes comfort in knowing that his suffering is over and his memories are his again in the Great Beyond.

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Amazon is taking orders for the Simpsons 4th season. We’re finally getting into the good ones: Mr. Plow, The Simpsons Clip Show, and Whacking Day. Must… pre… order…

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Well, that just burns me. I bought one of the lowest performers the lowest performer. Damn it.

Thanks to Ars Technica for, once again, doing all the work none of us can afford to do.

Link (or go to the comparison chart)

Scratch this off the list of things to do.

Link [via kottke.org]

Yeah, I’m a tool whore. I can admit it. I love new, shiney, wonderfully bloated software. Well, maybe not bloated, but shiney and new, definately. It’s even better when it’s free.

Which brings me to the point of this post. I switched blogging tools, again. To Zempt. Yes, Earth-shattering stuff, but this is a pretty cool and free (as in beer). Hell, it’s only at version 0.3 and it’s better than the other blogging tool. Check it out.

Oh, in unrelated news, anchor tags should now display underlines and hover properties. I finally got around to inspecting the style-sheet I downloaded and noticed the evil text-decoration : none line. Why people do that is beyond me. If I were a better person, I’d redo this damn thing on my own. But I’m not, so I won’t.