March 2005 Archives

31 March 2005

Moving Day

Moving day comes bright and early Friday morning.

Actually, some moving of small stuff has already started, but the movers come in the morning to do the big stuff.

I'm likely to be without internet until Saturday, which is when Time Warner is scheduled. We'll see how that goes.

See ya'll on the other side!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/31/05 23:16 | Other | Technorati | Comments (3)

28 March 2005

Moving Countdown

The weekend packing got slowed down a bit by Kiwi's trip to the vet (she seems fine now), so what's the solution?

That's right -- move up the movers to Friday instead of Saturday!

Nothing like a little deadline to keep things hopping.

I don't think Callie believes it, but there IS a method to the madness. Really....

Just not much blogging to be done between now and the move, most likely.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/28/05 21:57 | Other | Technorati | Comments (7)

26 March 2005

Once The Mis-Leader, Always The Mis-Leader

Back in the day, some college friends and I regularly took blasts at the Springfield, MO newspaper (which we called the Mis-Leader back then) in a little underground student paper.

Somewhere between 15 and 20 years later, I have a Houston-centric weblog that has managed to crack on the Mis-Leader.

Three or four readers here ought to be amused by that.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/26/05 21:49 | Other | Technorati | Comments (2)

Packing Time

So, the big move is supposed to take place next weekend.

Amount of stuff packed at the moment?

Nothing.

Amount of stuff intended to be packed by the end of the weekend?

About 90% of it.

I just made a trip to Anchor Box to get geared up for it. That place just rocks. If you ever need to pack anything -- for moving, shipping, whatever -- that's the place to go in Houston. Awesome service, good prices, amazing inventory.

If they could just send a crew to pack and move all this crap....

Anyway, this blog is likely to be a little quieter than usual over the next week. But, feel free to continue to tell me how the next iteration of the joint should look. The suggestions are much appreciated!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/26/05 10:49 | Other | Technorati | Comments (4)

23 March 2005

Reader Participation Time

I'm getting tired of this little blog in its current configuration.

I'm not sure any more if it's a personal blog, or a sports blog, or a media blog, or a Danger Train blog or what.

Margaritas with Laurence last week got me thinking that maybe it's time to think about a new domain name and a redesign and who knows what -- maybe even a domain with room for some other bloggers or just plain goofy content.

Honestly, I don't know. But it may be time to shake things up a bit.

So, it's reader participation time -- any suggestions of fun domain names that I should think about?

Have at it in the comments, but beware that the comment spam filter may well eat the really entertaining ones. :)

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/23/05 20:50 | Other | Technorati | Comments (24)

22 March 2005

Danger Train: Collision #81 (9)

Friend Steve Casburn emails that he was on the Danger Train at Main and Capitol about 12:20 pm today when it suffered a collision.

From Steve's email:

The car that was hit was a red subcompact. It appeared to have been travelling perpendicular to the train when it was hit. The train hit it in its driver's-side rear-quarter panel, and spun the car about 90 degrees.

I didn't see the accident as it happened, so I couldn't say who was at fault.

Steve reports that he is fine, and the person hit appeared to be fine.

I don't see any reports of this collision on the new sites yet, but I'll link them when/if they appear.

(Update) KTRK-13 reports on the accident. As they say, "accidents do happen."

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/22/05 13:06 | Danger Train | Technorati | Comments (0)

Score!

Mark Steyn scores on lefty hyperventilating over John Bolton:

But he does do shtick. I happen to agree with all the above statements, but I can see why the international community might be minded to throw its hands up and shriek, ‘Quelle horreur!’ It’s not just the rest of the world. Most of the American media are equally stunned. The New York Times wondered what Mr Bush’s next appointment would be:

‘Donald Rumsfeld to negotiate a new set of Geneva conventions? Martha Stewart to run the Securities and Exchange Commission?’

Okay, I get the hang of this game. Sending John Bolton to be UN ambassador is like ...putting Sudan and Zimbabwe on the Human Rights Commission. Or letting Saddam’s Iraq chair the UN conference on disarmament. Or sending a bunch of child-sex fiends to man UN operations in the Congo. And the Central African Republic. And Sierra Leone, and Burundi, Liberia, Haiti, Kosovo, and pretty much everywhere else. All of which happened without the UN fetishists running around shrieking hysterically. Why should America be the only country not to enjoy an uproarious joke at the UN’s expense?

Steyn's just getting warmed up.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/22/05 08:24 | American Politics | Technorati | Comments (0)

21 March 2005

Okay, Maybe I Do Have Something

How about this news regarding Philip Anschutz's little San Francisco newspaper:

Today's Ex has fewer typos, cleaner copy, even a snappy, almost elegant, new design. Other than the fact that the paper's Web site is frequently not updated until the afternoon, there's little evidence that this is, by regular newspaper standards, a very bare-bones operation. Most people are shocked to learn that the paper has been getting by with only six reporters.

Adriel Hampton, who's been at the Ex since its early Fang days – and who just announced he's leaving to take a City Hall job – has consistently provided serious and timely political coverage. He has gotten stories the Chron missed and has also been attuned to trends the larger paper failed to notice, like former supervisor Matt Gonzalez's rising popularity before he announced his mayoral run. Other Ex writers have bolstered the paper's reputation with on-the-ground local coverage that captures community sentiment in a way the Chronicle rarely does. Ex reporter Bonnie Eslinger has kept pace with the Chron's schools coverage and at times has beaten the giant daily – for example, with the January story that school district bond money was unaccounted for.

During the week of Feb. 14 alone, the Examiner scooped the Chronicle on at least three significant local stories: the possibility of a downtown congestion toll in San Francisco, discussion of a transbay cable that would bring more electricity to the city, and proposed legislation to limit evictions. The Chron reported on the possible toll the following day but failed to mention either of the other issues.

But the Chronicle – which severely curtailed coverage of city news once Hearst Corp. took it over in 2000 – suddenly seems to be taking notice. On March 4 the paper launched a remade Friday section that focuses exclusively on city and neighborhood news. Although the first two weeks were pretty dull, it's a direct acknowledgment that even the Chron realizes it has some real daily competition.

SIX reporters are scooping the bigger Hearst newspaper? Outstanding.

And they're doing it with LOCAL news, not with insipid editorializing aimed at the Pacifica crowd or some hack like Rick Casey writing local "news" stories that only further the editor's political agenda. People CARE about local news. They can get the other garbage anywhere.

Gee, I wonder if anyone at our local Hearst newspaper is paying any attention.

They better be. Because Anschutz has enough money to knock some heads in about any market he decides to enter, and this market is fairly CRYING for a conservative-leaning daily.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/21/05 22:53 | Media Matters | Technorati | Comments (3)

I Got Nothing

I'm in a bit of a funk blogging here at the moment.

Until the funk clears, why not go treat yourself to a new dose of Kofi and Yassir?

This series is just TOO funny.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/21/05 22:28 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)

19 March 2005

Cougar Baseball Takes Memphis In Opener

It's always fun with a young college baseball team to see what guys with live arms emerge as stud pitchers.

In past years, we've seen pitchers like Brad Sulliven and Kyle Crowell just bust out.

Last year, nobody really did.

This year, it looks like Matt Farrington might be that guy.

This team has some other guys with live arms, but now that conference play has started, they really need to start stringing wins together.

(03-21-2005 Update) So, the Coogs took two out of three this weekend, and Kevin Roberts pitched well in his outing. Starting 2-1 in conference is better than getting swept like the more celebrated team in town, I guess, but starting 7-11 before conference including two close losses to more celebrated team is tough. Baseball against the Farmers on Tuesday!

And yes, this is kind of a lame update, but my prepping for moving has left this blog in a neglected state, I'm afraid.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/19/05 10:20 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (2)

18 March 2005

No Camping

We entertained thoughts of going camping at TFG's place this weekend, BUT Callie seems to think that we ought to spend some time preparing for the move to the different place....

So, I think margaritas and a couple of chicken tacos are just the preparation for such nonsense.

(03-19-2005 Update) The chicken tacos were splendid as usual, and we enjoyed finally meeting up with Laurence. And, there's nothing like a first introduction that includes calling out "Vermont by three" and getting it right.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/18/05 15:59 | Other | Technorati | Comments (1)

In The Womb

The National Geographic Channel is running its two-hour documentary, In The Womb, again today at 2pm.

I caught part of the premiere, and the imagery was just stunning.

I have the ReplayTV set to get the whole thing this afternoon.

(Update) Whoops, I had the time wrong. It's on at 2pm. Everything's updated now. Sorry about that!

(03-19-2005 Update) I successfully recorded the show on the ReplayTV, downloaded it to a machine using DVarchive, and am able to view it (after installing the proper codec) in Windows Media Player. Too cool. I might actually have to invest in a DVD burner at some point since that was so easy.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/18/05 07:49 | Other | Technorati | Comments (5)

16 March 2005

Danger Train: Collision #80 (8)

The Danger Train suffered another collision today:

A vehicle collided with a METRORail train Wednesday afternoon in the Texas Medical Center, officials told Local 2.

Witnesses said that the car's driver turned in front of the light-rail train on Fannin at Dryden at about 3:25 p.m.

No one inside the train was injured. One person inside the vehicle received minor injuries.

The accident is under investigation.

We are world class!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/16/05 19:23 | Danger Train | Technorati | Comments (3)

15 March 2005

Houston Bloggers "Eat An Animal For PETA Day"

Local bloggers may be interested in Laurence Simon's "Eat An Animal for PETA Day" extravaganza planned for the Rajun Cajun on Richmond near the Galleria area later.

Not sure if I'm going to make it to this fine gathering, but I'll be a supporter in spirit regardless.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/15/05 10:31 | Other | Technorati | Comments (3)

14 March 2005

Culberson For Congress

Well, how about that?

My Congressman's campaign arm has a spiffy, Nucleus-powered blog/info site.

That should come in useful when the Chronicle editorial board engages in its usual shenanigans.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/14/05 22:28 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (4)

13 March 2005

ReplayTV Geekery

After reading Dwight Silverman's recent column on moving TiVo files from the DVR to computers that share the same network (for eventual DVD burning or other manipulation), I started wondering if my wonderful ReplayTV could do the same thing.

The answer: Hell yeah, and it's been able to do so for quite a bit longer.

It just requires this java-based software, which I just downloaded and installed. It found the ReplayTV unit and downloaded program information from it with no problems.

I haven't tried to download from the unit yet, as I don't have a dvd burner and it seems kind of pointless at the moment, but it looks relatively straightforward.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/13/05 16:26 | Other | Technorati | Comments (0)

Crossing of Death

I frequently make fun of our little Danger Train (although I did ride the thing yesterday, along with at least a dozen homeless people it seemed).

However, South Africa's Death Train seems to outperform our own Danger Train:

Accidents at Jan van Riebeeck Street railway line crossing:

February 3 2005: Lizel Fourie, 25, of Sinoville crushed to death;

February 1 2005: Ferdie Steenkamp of Montana seriously injured and employee Frederich Snyman of Centurion slightly injured;

March 30 2003: Warren Jones, 40, his son Jarryd, 10,, and employee Victor O'Moor, 44, killed;

March 17 2003: Pretoria woman seriously injured when car crushed;

January 15 2003: Two Pretoria businessmen killed after their car stalled;

November 2002: Pretoria businessman seriously injured.

That train is DEFINITELY a world class killer.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/13/05 12:15 | Danger Train | Technorati | Comments (1)

I Flirted With Becoming An Apple Person

This will no doubt inspire commentary from Scott Chaffin, but when I saw this in the latest Micro Center ad, I briefly flirted with becoming an Apple person, for no other reason than the portability.

However, that particular model doesn't have built-in wifi. That's probably not a deal killer for someone who's already an Apple person, but it was for me when this little lightweight puppy weighs less and is powered by my favored Athlon.

I don't especially NEED either ultraportable machine, but it's always kind of fun obsessing over such toys.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/13/05 10:14 | Other | Technorati | Comments (22)

12 March 2005

Rice-UH NIT Rematch?

UH stumbled in the first round of the C-USA tourney this week, unable to beat South Florida for the third time this season.

UTEP did not stumble similarly in the WAC tourney, beating Rice for the third time this season (both teams will join C-USA next season).

That sets up an interesting possibility for first round NIT action -- Rice v. UH in a rematch if both teams should make the tourney.

Texas A&M's early loss in the Big 12 tourney may well screw things up, though, if the NIT decides to make UH or Rice travel to College Station for a game against the Aggies.

Personally, I'd rather see the Rice-UH rematch.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/12/05 09:29 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)

An Update On Humvee Adoption

Apparently, some donators to Dan Patrick's big "Adopt a Humvee" fund have been pestering the crew over at Lone Star Times about what's happened to their donations.

Yesterday, Patrick's website posted an update:

11 March 2005

How To Spend My Talk Radio Listening Time?

Hmm, should I go with a Chris who's funny, articulate, conservative AND has really great taste in weblogs?

Or should I go with a Chris who's a calculating political opportunist and partisan hack?

Yeah, that was pretty easy.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/11/05 15:37 | Media Matters | Technorati | Comments (6)

10 March 2005

Comical

Yes, Mack Brown is a goof, and I'm not exactly a fan of UT sports.

But unlike the local newspaper, I would never claim that UT women are anything but lovely. :)

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/10/05 23:19 | Media Matters | Technorati | Comments (0)

Seafood Gluttony

Every once in a while, I have to head WAY out to west Houston for the freshest seafood in town, at Denis' Seafood.

Tonight, it was blackened amberjack with ponchartrain topping, and seafood gumbo to start.

I had to bring half the entree home, it was such a huge amount of food.

And FRESH. My gawd. Well worth the trip.

Any Houstonian who loves fresh seafood and hasn't experienced Denis' is missing out.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/10/05 21:59 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (6)

09 March 2005

Penders Calls Out CUSA Commissioner

UH basketball coach Tom Penders has an interesting quote in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article about Conference USA:

However, some of the teams that are staying have made strides. UAB went to the Sweet 16 last year, and Houston, Texas Christian and Memphis all figure to at least land in the National Invitation Tournament. That said, Penders already has encountered some things he believes the conference could be doing better as it looks to the future.

"It does frost me a bit that I don't think we promote our league at all, and we have to do a better job," he said. "On TV they're talking about next year's Big East and Atlantic 10. On the A-10 game of the week they're talking about how great the league is. Watching Memphis and Cincinnati, they're talking about DePaul being on the bubble. Someone is feeding them that information. Hello. We're not promoting our teams. Someone has dropped the ball big time."

That would be the idiotic commissioner of the league, one Britton Banowsky.

I can see how Tom Penders rubs people the wrong way. Too frequently, he says things that ought to be said, but aren't for political reasons.

(Update) Tough loss for the Coogs in the tourney tonight, but still a fine turnaround season, and without the sorts of shooters that a Tom Penders team usually has. Three losses in a row to close the season may cost them an NIT bid that seemed likely at the end of February. We'll see.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/09/05 22:14 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)

08 March 2005

Can I Become World Class?

Callie and I just checked out a potential rental over in midtown.

It's within a relatively short walk of the light rail line, which means Callie would use the Danger Train a lot (most of her accounts are downtown) and I would probably use it some.

Will that make me world class? It is even possible for me to be world class?

And if it works out, will it be world class for Houstonians to be taxed to subsidize my ride or Callie's ride into downtown?

Fire away in the comments if you're so inclined.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/08/05 17:14 | Other | Technorati | Comments (25)

06 March 2005

The New Pepsi One

I've been a Pepsi One addict ever since the stuff came out.

I haven't had a sugared soda in years, and Pepsi One was always (in my view) the best of the sugar-free sodas, with Diet Dr Pepper a close second.

Lately, it's gotten hard to find Pepsi One, as Pepsi apparently has been trying to convince people that its stupid Pepsi Edge product that still has a whole bunch of sugar really doesn't have that much sugar. Goofy marketing? Sure, but that crap's taken over Pepsi One's shelf space.

Tonight, though, I've discovered that Pepsi One has a redesigned label AND it's now made with Splenda instead of Nutrasweet. It tastes about the same, and I prefer Splenda, so this is good news. I was worried they were going to phase out Pepsi One.

What I don't understand is why they have Pepsi One AND the inferior Diet Pepsi. The latter should be phased out. Bleh.

Another thing I don't understand -- why doesn't the Pepsi One website reflect the new design OR the fact that it no longer contains Aspartame? Bizarre.

One last fun fact: Pepsi One is marketed as Pepsi MAX in the UK.

Yes, these must be very exciting thoughts to read. What can I say -- it's a personal weblog.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/06/05 22:00 | Other | Technorati | Comments (27)

Mandate Of The New Mainstream?

Chris Bell

Ah, it's fun to see the latest paean to Chris Bell, man of integrity and reform and part of the new mainstream.

It sounds better than calculating political opportunist and party hack, one supposes.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/06/05 21:43 | Texas | Technorati | Comments (1)

Tough Loss To End Season For Coogs

The basketball Coogs suffered a tough home loss last night that will pretty much end their brief stay on the NCAA bubble.

They played well most of the game against a good UAB team, save for a couple of minutes towards the end of the second half. UAB also seemed to have a sixth man on the court in the second half at times, in the form of the guys in black and white. This Cougar team just isn't talented enough or experienced enough to overcome that sort of thing... yet.

Still, it was a hell of a season, and the time at Hofheinz was time well spent. I didn't expect there to be bubble talk in March, although I did expect Penders at least to claim a winning record. Instead, he won more than the last guy did over two seasons. The foundation is set for good things, I think, and an NIT bid seems quite likely.

Rice, on the other hand, closed their season with a five-game winning streak after a swoon that saw their NCAA at-large chances pop. It seems likely their only way into the big dance is to win the WAC tourney, which is not beyond the realm of possibility for them.

I suspect they'll come up a little short, and I don't envision UH winning the CUSA tourney (unlike the WAC, there's just too many really talented, really good teams that the Coogs would have to beat). So, maybe we get a UH-Rice first-round NIT matchup? That could be kind of fun, with Rice moving into the conference next year and Penders making UH's program respectable again. Get the city/conference rivalry jump started early. I hope the NIT has the good sense to make it happen (assuming neither team wins its conference tourney).

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/06/05 15:40 | Sports | Technorati | Comments (0)

04 March 2005

Ely and TFG

Check out Scott Chaffin, all cool with his buddy Joe Ely (scroll down).

Man, I gotta hang out with the Chaffin guy more. He has all the fun.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/04/05 08:24 | Music | Technorati | Comments (1)

03 March 2005

Work Stupidity

Because my place of employment is a BigCo, we have the full bell curve range of talent, from folks who are really good to folks who wouldn't make a good paper weight.

Unfortunately, we give damn near all of them email access.

That can lead to instances like this one, from earlier today.

Facilities manager starts the fun by sending out an email to the entire Houston office about the rodeo. The Houston office of BigCo is always fired up about the rodeo, so this happens every year:

The following rodeo tickets are available for purchase. Ticket price is $20.00 each plus $10.00 for parking. There are 4 tickets to each of the following performances. Anyone interested please send me an e:mail by noon on Friday - if more than one person requests a performance we will hold a drawing to determine the winner. There are also a few Clint Black tickets still available at a cost of $16.00 per ticket

Tuesday, March 8 Keith Urban
Sunday, March 13 Duelo/Jimmy Gy El Grupo Mazz
Monday, March 14 Robert Earl Keen & Dierks Bentley
Tuesday, March 15 Brad Paisley

These are the only tickets available.

NAME REMOVED
JOB TITLE REMOVED

That prompts this response to everyone in the Houston office from someone whose job title includes "senior" believe it or not:

GOOD GRACIOUS ! Whatever happened to names like Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Johnny Cash, Tex Ritter ? Who in the world are these folks?

Best regards,

NAME REMOVED
JOB TITLE REMOVED

That prompts THIS response to everyone in the Houston office from someone who is apparently too stupid to include his job title in his sig:

Hey NAME REMOVED,

It,s the same as Darrell Royal at UT. But they as he will always be the one,s who started the whole process and they as he are still the best!!!.

Best regards,

NAME REMOVED

That prompts this response to everyone in the Houston office from someone clearly at the other end of the bell curve:

Everyone please quit using "reply to all" with your emails.

NAME REMOVED
JOB TITLE REMOVED

And finally, one of our IT professionals puts an end to the fun with this email to everyone in the Houston office:

Please be advised,

When you send a reply that tags HOU_ Users, you are sending mail to everyone in the Houston Office. There have been several people responding to the Rodeo lineup and your responses are being sent to everyone.

Regards,

NAME REMOVED
JOB TITLE REMOVED

Some people are too stupid to be given email. I say take it away, but of course BigCo is more likely to give the slugs promotions.

I'm starting to think I need a change of scenery.

And no, I don't think I'll be going to hang out with any of 'em out at the Rodeo!

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/03/05 18:20 | Other | Technorati | Comments (16)

CSI: Houston

Laurence Simon imagines what it might be like....

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/03/05 07:41 | Houston | Technorati | Comments (0)

Cowboys' Moves

The Dallas Cowboys made two moves yesterday that they should have made last offseason, signing a nose tackle and a cornerback who should both be upgrades as starters.

That needs only to be the beginning of a busy Cowboys offseason. At least it's nice to see some movement this time.

Oh, and linebacker Dexter Coakley signed with the Rams. I think Parcells is tired of trying to play defense with midget linebackers.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/03/05 07:39 | Dallas Cowboys | Technorati | Comments (2)

01 March 2005

The Public Opinion That Matters

I liked this paragraph from a post by the PowerLine guys on the Supreme Court's juvenile death penalty decision:

The Supreme Court is disdainful of public opinion in the U.S. as expressed by the laws passed by Congress and the state legislatures, but respectful of public opinion in Europe. I can understand the Washington social structure within which this world-view makes sense, but can anyone articulate a philosophy of jurisprudence in which European opinion, however manifested, is given priority over American opinion, as expressed in laws passed by legislators?

Maybe, but it doesn't matter. A coalition of five Supreme Court Justices can pretty much do as it pleases.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/01/05 19:28 | American Politics | Technorati | Comments (13)

Back

Callie and I are back in Houston after a quickie overnight trip to Tulsa to hang with friends and catch some music.

Guy Clark, Joe Ely, John Hiatt, and Lyle Lovett put on one hell of a songwriters' show at the Brady Theater.

I wouldn't take time off and travel to Tulsa for just any show, but that wasn't just any show. And they didn't put together a Houston date. So Tulsa it was.

Big thanks to our friends Dave and Melissa, who grabbed good seats weeks ago and shuttled us around and took us to a really nice restaurant and generally made a good trip into a great trip.

Posted by Kevin Whited @ 03/01/05 13:56 | Music | Technorati | Comments (7)

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