I’m going to have to agree with Isaac that the Little League World Series is pretty good fun as far as watching baseball goes, although it’s a little alarming how huge some of these twelve year olds are. I don’t remember anyone in my sixth or seventh grade class being six feet and two hundred pounds, but I could be mistaken.

MrTails, Meg, Spencer, and myself hit the Jaguar release event at the Apple store last night. We grabbed some Mexican food and wandered over around 9:30 or 9:45, expecting nobody to be there yet as it didn’t start until 10:20. In fact, there was already a line around the block that persisted until well after midnight (when we left). Apparently the staff hadn’t expected such a crowd either - employees kept coming out to check out the line and document the scene with digital cameras and camcorders. When we finally got in just after 10:20, it was packed to the brim and everyone seemed to be having a ball. 10.2 was installed on all the store’s Macs, so many people were checking out the new stuff and talking to friends elsewhere via iChat. We all picked up some Jaguar swag - mousepads, stickers, t-shirts, etc - and grabbed seats upstairs for the presentation in the theatre on the second floor. Although I was the only diehard Mac user present among the four of us, I think we all had a pretty good time. As for Jaguar itself - favorite features for me are the new version of Sherlock (and the fact that it’s now separate from the standard Find command), rotating background effects, and the remarkable speed increase. 10.1 doesn’t feel slow to me - it’s definitely faster than was OS 9 on my g4, perhaps because under OS X almost everything takes advantage of multiple processors, rather than just a few selected applications. Compared to 10.1, however, 10.2 is faster still. I can’t wait to play around with it even more.

I caught up a little on some of Tim O’Reilly’s weblog entries this afternoon over some mightily tasty bagel pizza. I found interesting his comment on the sales of Mac OS X: The Missing Manual. Apparently quite a large majority of OS X users have picked up that specific book, which is surprising - as he points out, "The "attach rate" of books to software is normally pretty low–1% is great." It’s definitely a great book, but I had no idea it was that popular.

As a result of a typo of mine this morning, #caoine folks decided to take a peek at who owns some of the possible Amazon typo domains. Here’s a sampling of what we found:

Domains either owned by or redirecting to Amazon include amaozn.com, amazno.com, amzoan.com, aamzon.com, maazon.com, amaxon.com, and amozan.com.

Domains neither owned by nor redirecting to Amazon include amzon.com (”Under Construction”), amazo.com (domain vendor), and azamon.com (online casino). Then there’s azoman.com (another domain vendor), amzaon.com (yet another domain vendor), amazoon.com (you guessed it: domain vendor), amazonn.com (an Amazon Associates member), and anazon.com (anti-Verizon site). We were also somewhat surprised to find that Amazon owns neither amazon.net (an ISP) nor amazon.org (a resource for lesbian and bisexual women).

Surprisingly enough, Drugstore.com has really good customer service. Friendly, fast responses from actual humans. Who knew?

In other news, I’m thinking I want one more piercing in my right ear - and then I’m done, I swear. No, really. This time I mean it. I know I said that last time, but this is the real last time! Honest! For those keeping track, that will bring the total to a decidedly non-outrageous six (three in each ear).

Thanks for the watch responses yesterday; I ended up taking my old watch in to get fixed which was pretty darn cheap. Maybe I’ll start saving for a Swiss Army one now for when this one does eventually die forever. Interesting to note however was the fact that many of you seem to have very strongly held and widely varying opinions on Fossil. And here’s another question for you: who’s actually used Apple’s iPhoto book printing service? I’m looking to get an estimate on how long the entire process takes, from order to arrival. How do they ship, UPS or USPS or friendly pack-laden donkey? I’ve seen a couple sample copies of finished books and they look pretty fantastic, but I’m curious for more details.

Rands noted it as well, but it bears repeating: there’s an interesting article in this month’s Wired on a group of card counters from MIT - Hacking Las Vegas.

Also, I’ve been corrected by the fine folks at Audion - the latest version (which I didn’t have until today) is scriptable to a certain extent. I’m currently playing with it to see if it can do what I want it to, but it’s looking promising.

With various things for which I ought not to be late rapidly approaching, it’s definitely time for me to replace my watch (which finally died at the ripe old age of three last year). I used to have a Swiss Army watch, which I loved dearly - but I think they might be a little on the pricey side for my current watch budget. Anyone have any recommendations?

I have to say, I’ve sort of enjoyed the past couple of watch-free weeks. Even Spencer noted I seem more relaxed when I don’t have any idea what time it is - because after all, I haven’t really needed to know what time it is, not for the past couple weeks. It’s summer vacation. But alas, a watch I must acquire.

I’m currently switching between two OS X mp3 players because I can’t decide which to stick with. iTunes 3 has several features I’m really fond of, but there’s also Audion, which I’ve used for years.

iTunes 3 is usable with Applescript, which is a huge plus. That’s what powers Kung Tunes, the script I’m using to display the last track played on iTunes in my sidebar. There are heaps and piles of other iTunes scripts, too, for just about everything else you could think of. It’s also got smart playlists, which let you dictate the contents of any given list based on factors like the filename, tags, or rating you’ve given the song. I’ve currently set up my Rasputina playlist, for example, such that it contains all songs whose filenames begin with “rasputina” or who have Rasputina as their artist tag. I like smart playlists a lot.

However, iTunes is also a pain in the ass to use. Like the other iApplications, you have to import files into a Library rather than just browsing from directories. If you don’t turn off the Preference to “keep iTunes music folder organized,” it will apply its own naming convention to the contents of your mp3 directory. This was a particular peeve with me; I’m somewhat fanatical about preserving my own naming conventions. Not to mention the fact that it uses the file’s tags to create the new filenames - so if something was ripped badly, it gets renamed “Untitled” or “Unknown Artist” or something equally descriptive. It’s also ugly as sin and only very slightly skinnable.

I switched to Audion a couple of years ago primarily because it’s very skinnable, as their collection of faces shows off. It’s easy to make it as gorgeous or unnoticeable as you want, or both. It’s also a very competent player, prettiness aside. The new version allows for greater flexibility with encoding, crossfades between songs, display, whatever. I’ve used it as my alarm clock for at least a couple years, too. If you like the iTunes library, it’s easy to create something similar with Audion’s linked playlists - you can link a playlist to your top level mp3 directory without even importing everything, and it will never ever touch your filenames.

However, Audion is not scriptable. This never used to bother me until I got used to things like Kung Tunes; now it seems very strange and slightly irritating. It also lacks smart playlists - linked playlists are almost as good in many cases, but I wouldn’t be able to replicate things like my Rasputina list.

So which one should claim its spot as my primary player? Right now, I’m leaning towards Audion. I’d really like to see scriptability and smart playlists in a future version, though. Then I’d run away with it and have ten thousand of its little Audion babies.

<Plaid> why are you sodomizing angry, fat-free cheezits?
<Jimmie> plaid - because I can
<Jimmie> I love the american dream
<Plaid> good enough for me
<emma> cheezits rule
<emma> that is all
<Jimmie> exactly
<Jimmie> emma embodies my life mission - to be surly, superior, and hold love for cheesy little cracker majiggys
<Plaid> emma embodies my life goals: surly, superior, hawt netchix0rs
<emma> i am also prickly, caustic
<Jimmie> as in ‘I want to BE a hawt netchix0r”
<Jimmie> god plaid
Plaid/#penny-arcade prickled
<Plaid> OUCH
<Jimmie> does your WIFE know about your secret vaginal ambition?
<Jimmie> HEY
<Jimmie> that can be the name of a CK perfume
<Jimmie> ‘vaginal ambition’
<emma> haha
<Plaid> truc·u·lent Pronunciation Key (trky-lnt)
<Plaid> adj.
<Plaid> Disposed to fight; pugnacious.
<Plaid> Expressing bitter opposition; scathing: a truculent speech against the new government.
<Plaid> Disposed to or exhibiting violence or destructiveness; fierce.
<Jimmie> damn straight
<Plaid> EMMA TO A T
<emma> look i told you
<emma> i am PRICKLY
<Plaid> YOU ARE TRUCULENT.
<Plaid> T EMMA HOT ABUSIVE NET SEX0R PLZ
<Jimmie> emma i’m a slave 4 u
<Jimmie> i can’t deny it
<Jimmie> i’m not trying to hide it

Although undeniably on the pricey side, I can’t help liking the screenprinted CD-Rs from 5inch. The cases aren’t bad either, but I’ve got my eye on the discs more than anything. I admit I tend to buy black CD-Rs already even though they’re a little more than the regular ones, because they look less goofy and homemade.

A brief look at the trials and tribulations of my hair over the past two years. Oh, the bleach! Oh, the extensions! Images are in chronological order, with the oldest at the upper left and the newest at the bottom right.

I’m sick. Now, me being sick is not all that unusual, but as it happens Spencer and Rich both have the same thing I do. Clearly, since we were all at that party the other night, the only rational explanation is that everyone who attended is suffering from the nefarious machinations of some evil genius. Noxious gas in the ventilation system? Some unholy plague transmitted through vodka? Perhaps the dreaded vinyl virus? In a few days, no doubt, we’ll all know for sure the awful truth - but of course by then it will be much, much too late.

In the meantime, we’re making our last hours comfortable with Dayquil (or Tylenol Cold if you’re a godless heathen like Spencer), preferably in conjunction with hot and sour soup. It’s too late for us, but you - run! Save yourselves!

<Supa> I’m watching the Home Shopping Network.
<emma> really? are you also wearing sweatpants and eating can after can of pringles or do you just have a genuine interest in HIGH QUALITY GEMSTONES AT UNBELIEVABLE PRICES
<Supa> I’m hurt by that.
<Supa> I resent the implication that I cannot watch the Home Shopping Network and yet maintain my chic citygirl Pringle-free image.
<Supa> Just because my mauve sofa is littered with empty Ho-Ho wrappers and I don’t even get up to go to bed anymore
<Supa> It’s a convenience thing, really
<Supa> It’s not like sleeping in a nest of my own filth is so bad
<emma> what do you do when you the ups guy comes with your hsn purchases, though
<emma> does he toss them through the window or what
<Supa> Yes
<Supa> And then I use a stick to slide the box within my sweaty, grasping reach.
<emma> i see.
<Supa> Seriously though, I am actually watching this
<Supa> There’s a certain car accident appeal
<Supa> I can’t take my eyes off it
<emma> you know what we should do
<emma> we should go look at jewelry we cannot afford and have no interest in
<Supa> Like at Tiffany’s or something?
<emma> totally
<emma> wait wait
<emma> we can go to dean and deluca first
<emma> and then
<emma> we’ll have BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S
<Supa> I’M SO THERE
<Supa> As long as I get to be Holly Golightly
<Supa> You can be the gay guy