idea graciously lifted from nerdygirl and hereby imposed upon heather, who must impose it upon someone else, ad infinitum.

I did it. I gave in to the iPower of Apple and bought an iPod Nano. I even sprung for the four gig model. Yeah, I’m am iLoser now like the rest of Americans between the ages of zero and 35. So it was only a few weeks ago that I was lambasting Apple for all the iThis and iThat. What can I say. I’m fickle. The nano has a lot more space than my old iRiver 256 MB mp3 player (strange, notice they also adopt the “i,” and they’re not even Apple…)

The nano also has other cool features that I’ll probably never use. But I tell you what. It’s packed full of questionably-obtained at antitrust-violating-prices memory! Four gigs is a lot for this small a device. I remember when four MBs (not GBs) of memory took up a whole room. Just kidding, I’m not that old. But some readers out there are. I am old enough, however, to remember when a 500 MB hard drive was the bomb, if that makes you age-advanced folks feel any better.

So, off I go to install iTunes and let Apple finally take hold of my life, like Google did a few years ago. They’ll just have to share.
addendum: though i may have bought the iPod, i will not be using the cheesy white earphones, which coincidentally do not satisfy my music-snob ears. i didn't completely sell out, only partially.

addendum to the addendum: damn, these earphones are actually pretty good. they sound much fuller then my old ones. freaking steve jobs with his black turtleneck and excellent R&D department.

I went to see Flogging Molly last night with some friends and had a blast. We had to wade through an hour and a half of lame opening acts, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

I haven’t had that much fun at a show since I was in college and I saw The Donnas and broke my glasses. We started out near the back of the crowd but John weaseled his way up front for one song and came back grinning from ear to ear. There was a throng of not-quite-moshers up front bouncing around and generally having a jolly old time. So when the right song came up, John and I went up front and took part in the festivities. It’s probably the friendliest moshing there is. No real sensation of violence or angst in the air, just running around, singing along, pumping your fist. It was a good time. I also know that I’m really out of shape because I was gasping for air after only one song.

They played two of their most intense songs back to back so that was a little more than I could handle, and I found myself with – lo and behold – a crooked pair of glasses after getting shoved into someone. No worries though, I got them straightened out today.

What most impressed me was the instrumentation and the musicianship. That is, they had a bassist, accordion player, violinist / some kind of flute thing, acoustic guitar, banjo / mandolin, electric guitar, and drums. That is a lot of people to have on stage at one time and getting them to all sound good in a large-scale sound system is no easy task. Somehow, the band sounded tight and unified even when they were at full throttle. A lot of practicing must go into sounding that good.

Many songs found some of the members hanging back while other members took the spotlight. I though that was a good idea because it allowed specific instruments to shine that would normally get buried beneath bass, drums, and guitar. For example, some songs called for only acoustic guitar, mandolin, and violin, and the other musicians literally stood back away from their mics, out of the light, and either played nothing or played minimally. In a band of that size, I think this is a necessity because it underscores the band’s variety and gives the audience something besides a guitar-bass-drums rock show.

Be sure to go if they come by your town. Even if it’s on a school night. I did. And I only went to one (of four) classes today. I know. Shame on me.

I only have one of their albums so I’ll use John’s approximation of the setlist:

album: swagger
-Salty Dog
-Selfish Man
-The Likes of You Again
-Devil's Dance Floor
-Sentimental Johnny

album: drunken lullabies
-Drunken Lullabies
-What's Left of the Flag
-If I Ever Leave this World Alive
-The Kilburn High Road
-Rebels of the Sacred Heart
-The Rare Ould Times
-The Son Never Shines (on Closed Doors)

album: within a mile of home
-Screaming at the Wailing Wall
-Seven Deadly Sins
-Factory Girls
-Whistles The Wind
-Light of a Fading Star
-Queen Anne's Revenge
-The Wanderlust
-Within a Mile of Home

One last note – the show was at a new venue, Warehouse Live. It’s much better than The Meridian (which a support beam in the middle of the stage). The sound was pretty good and there was a big, open bar, but they really could have used an ATM in that place.

I know. Most of you are saying, “Cry me a river.” But it really is sad. I liked my long weekends. I had big plans to take 4-day trips to see friends. Now they will be 2-day trips. Phooey.

The job is with a tax attorney who works solo. He’s also a CPA, so he’s basically a tax badass. Since tax seems interesting hopefully this will tell me if I’m really cut out for tax law. The best part is that his office is one exit from my house, so the commute is basically nonexistent. Tomorrow is my first day. Wish me luck...

Linux will become the new Mac (as far as operating systems are concerned). Allow me to analogize. You know that feeling you get when you discover a new band that has yet to make it big? You’re all excited about them and try to get your friends to listen to them? Consider what happens when they show up on MTV and your local obnoxious radio station. Their luster is gone. Sure, you’re a fan, and you eagerly await their next release, but you’re already on the look out for the next underground act that you can ‘discover.’

Even if you don’t feel that way, that’s basically how the music industry works. No artist is really expected to last anymore. Macs may face the same fate. They’ve been built up on the strength of the iPod but I don’t think their golden era will last much longer. The iPod doesn’t seem to be stimulating sales of Apple computers the way they were expected to.

Linux and Mac are both known for their stability and immunity to viruses. Or rather, no viruses for them existed. Now things are changing. Three Mac viruses have come out in recent weeks. I foresee more of this happening as Apple increases in popularity as the computer of choice for the hip and trendy. Granted, Macs are basically Linux machines, but Mac is owned by someone. Linux is not, so the software is open and can be fixed by anyone. Mac will eventually outgrow its iPod-carrying market and a new ‘indie’ computer system will occupy the fascination of these buyers.

I’ll go out on a limb and claim that most Mac buyers don’t really need a Mac. A Windows machine would do everything they do on the Mac for a fraction of the price. They’re attracted to the chic of the Mac and are willing to pay premium for it.

The new Apple marketing campaign for the Intel Mac is that the Intel chip is finally being set free in a Mac. No more dull tasks in a grey box. The flaw here, of course, is that PCs and Macs can do the same things. Macs may be more well-known for graphical work and whatnot, but you can do the same work on a PC. Now that Macs are facing viruses as well, Apple’s only other claims to fame are stability and style.

But what if Microsoft finally makes a stable operating system? What if you could get it in a pretty silver case with a single-button mouse? What if PC manufacturers sell computers that come equipped with Linux and every piece of software that would have come on a Windows machine? Mac, the classic Windows alternative, suddenly seems less justifiable.

Instead of seeing apple bumper stickers, you’ll start seeing penguins. Linux will replace Mac as the stable and user-friendly operating system. Windows will continue to be used by accountants and CEOs who obviously have no style. And probably lawyers too.

Yoni died on Friday, February 17. My dad took him to the vet for a teeth-cleaning and they put him under. Yoni had a heart condition and his heart failed while he was anesthetized. The poor little guy never woke up. At least he went painlessly and no longer has to suffer.

Yoni was a world traveler. He went with us to Moscow. He’s flown through many of the world’s largest airports and has taken many a road trip. Yoni was a good dog. He was a compulsive sleeper and lounger. He excelled at making your problems disappear with a smile and a wag of the tail. We miss him and hope he’s in a better place.

Dear Steve,

You seem to be the man when it comes to good ideas lately. Case in point - the nano. The mac mini. That airport thingie. If I may, I’d like to make a suggestion for your next iPod, and it has nothing to do with capacity or features.

The iPod needs an endless power source. It needs to draw its energy from the hydrogen in the air. I think you can do it. I mean, you oversaw the nano, which is pretty freaking amazing. With all that brain power at Apple, I’m sure you guys could whip something up. If necessary, maybe you could team up with someone else for some help. Maybe the kids at MIT might have some ideas. Or NASA.

Sincerely,
Particleman

and i'm tired of looking at that confession post. you'll occasionally find some drama here at particleman.org, but it doesn't last long.

waco was interesting. different. and a tad frightening. more details to come. for right now, i must read all about Payment Systems and Professional Responsibility. joy.

i'm meeting up with some Danish exchange students for some beer tonight. i've found that people from northern europe tend to be skilled drinkers, so i will probably be hungover tomorrow. just some fair warning for you.

the other bit of international fun will come from my trip to College Station. let's just say that College Station is in Texas, but the people there aren't from around here. at least not the here that i call here. i'm meeting up with my buddy and his girlfriend at College Station because girlfriend wants to look at grad school programs there. after we have lunch, we're heading back up to their place in Waco, where my buddy goes to law school. Waco, as it turns out, could also be considered "international." you might remember Waco for this reason.

Not that there's anything wrong with College Station. Or Waco (We Ain't Comin' Out).

addendum: change of plans. there will be no trip to college station. instead, i'm going up to waco tomorrow and staying till monday (i don't have class monday).

Particleman is currently in Little Rock visiting Particlesister and her fam.

The weather is supposed to get really bad tomorrow and stay that way till at least Monday, so for all I know, I may be here till Tuesday or Wednesday though my flight is Monday afternoon. I might miss class. What a shame.

You might remember that I took a copyright class last semester and really liked it – so much so that I wanted to practice it after graduation. Well, after talking to someone who’s been practicing copyright for 20 years, I decided it’s not the best idea. Turns out most of the work in copyright is in NY and LA, two places I have no desire to live in. Also, the brother to copyright, patent law, is apparently where the business is. Copyright is a much more narrow field. So looks like I might have to be a tax attorney, which probably means another year of school after law school to specialize in tax. On the bright side, i can help you guys out when the Taxman comes a-knockin.

There was a time in my life when I did not know of Slashdot’s existence. I now divide my life into two periods: pre-Slashdot and post-Slashdot.

There are handful of websites out there that every self-respecting nerd/geek/whatever has to know about. Slashdot is one of them. Digg is another.

The point of this nerdy link-o-rama is that Roommate read about this thing called Pandora on Digg. Pandora is a user-customized radio. Yes, I know Yahoo has a user-customizable radio, but if you’re a real nerd, you’ll always do everything you can to try new technologies. Pandora works by asking you for one band you like, and then it builds off of that one band. For example, to keep things easy, I started with Nirvana. But then it started playing all sorts of crappy, sludge rock bands I don’t like, so I had to temper the Nirvana with Bloc Party, and then Self, and then The Skatalites, and then NoFX. And then the radio started playing music more to my actual tastes.

Moral of the story? Be a nerd. Go to Digg. Listen to Pandora. Find out about new bands.

is an amazing movie. so amazing, that i can't figure out how he took the other painting at the end of the movie. i can see how he dropped the pencils in the steel rails - probably earlier that day or week when no one was paying attention. but i can't figure out how he stole that painting for Rene Russo. the entire exhibit was closed off with metal grates.

also, the iPod is a blessing in airports.

I missed class last week and emailed my buddy for notes. This was his response.

Umm, I don't take notes in payment systems, I wrote some stuff down so [the professor] thinks I was listening, but I was actually writing my grocery list.

Sorry for being worthless,
[buddy]

I got some new headphones. I decided I’ve had enough of the inner-ear type headphones for now. Most of what I listen to is bathed in distortion anyway or housed in a less-than-stellar mp3 file so I can’t really justify hi-dollar earphones. These Sennheisers were rated as very good for the price (cheap!) so I got a set. Performance is consistent with the review. Highs aren’t as good as they could be, but the sound is full and the over-ear design blocks out most other stuff around you so you don’t need to turn up the volume as much. As long as you don't max out the bass on your music player, I don't think they'll distort.

I am fortunate enough to have many different pockets of friends from the various lives I live or have lived. They are all amazing people. But when I get some of them together, I find it hard to play the host – especially when they’re meeting for the first time. I worry (a trait I got from my mom) that they aren’t having fun or the conversation bores them. I worry that I’m neglecting some while talking to others.

This is all made more complex because I tend to thrive in smaller social settings with two or three people. Any more than that and I feel overwhelmed. But I like getting lots of them together because I think they will get along, find things they have in common, and perhaps become friends themselves. So what I do in larger social setting is make my own mini-parties of two or three people. Usually it works. Occasionally it doesn’t.

This is also made more complex because I over-analyze everything (see every post on this website).

In the end, though, I think people have a good time whether or not I try to be the perfect host, and they don’t expect me to be everywhere at once. But sometimes, I do.

And that’s when I say to myself: “fuggit.”

Waco, TX is essentially BFE with a Wal-Mart. And a highway. According to my tour guides, there are a couple bars. There is a university. And there is crime. Not just any crime, but really stupid crime. My friend’s girlfriend had her car stolen from her old apartment complex. The car was later recovered with various drugs and drug paraphernalia strewn about the interior. An extra special bonus party favor with the items recovered was a picture of the thieves posing with the car. The full extent of the thieves’ stupidity became apparent upon arrest. The story goes that the car was stolen and sold to a drug dealer for $20 in cocaine. TWENTY DOLLARS. IN COCAINE. A CAR. SOLD. $20.

Kee-riste.

Otherwise, the place is not all-together offensive or anything. Yeah, every other car has a Bush or “W” sticker on the bumper. But they still have NPR radio (to which my friend’s girlfriend is an avid listener). And apparently Baylor is crawling with hot Baptist blond girls with rich dads. I oughtta move to Baylor and set up a net to catch all the hotties. Hey mom and dad, look what I found in Waco! Her name is Whitney! Or Britney. I mean Tiffany. Shit.

My buddy and I made fajitas and watched the superbowl while his girlfriend went to a prep class to learn how to kick the crap out of the GRE. She came home and schooled us on fractions. Did you know that to divide fractions, you flip them and multiply? It’s the damndest thing.

I saw the Baylor law school and realized how lame my school is. Our classroom chairs are hard plastic contraptions bolted to long desks on a swiveling hinge. At Baylor, each seat has its own independent office chair. You know, like the kind you get at Office Max or something. On the other hand, Baylor makes their students stand up for recitation… for every teacher. I’ve only had three teachers do that in four semesters. I think the Baylor administration has issues.

Buddy’s girlfriend and I spent a couple hours studying in the library (which was beautiful) while buddy went to class and slept through his Business Organizations course. Yeah, I know he slept because that’s what I did in my Biz Org class last semester.

One thing I envy about my buddy and his girlfriend living in Waco is that they can see stars. The night sky is full of them. Here in Houston, our glorious pollution (chemical, light, and otherwise) drains out all starlight.

When it comes down to it though, Waco is still BFE with a Wal-Mart. And an HEB.

Thanks again to buddy and his girlfriend for hosting me. Next time I come visit, we gotta see about setting up that net.

but this guy can PLAY. and it's an 11-string bass! and he's playing mario brothers!

there i was, happily snoozing away wednesday night, until 12:15 am arrived and the lady upstairs decided to sing like a canary. again.

it took me two more hours to fall asleep after that earful.

Ok, I’ll admit it. Tax isn’t the sexiest legal field to go into, but please keep in mind who you’re dealing with here. The only legal fields i would want to practice are copyright and tax, and there are apparently no copyright gigs outside LA and NY, so looks like tax may be it.

Which is why I have this to say. If you’re a programmer, you should go to law school. After that, you should be a tax attorney. Why? Because you already know how to do it. Don’t agree? Here you go: