I watched with interest when Sci-Fi brought Amanda Tapping's character to Atlantis, hoping they would develop a character even half as interesting as Dr. Elizabeth Weir (who I found very attractive mostly for her strength, but also for Torri's great looks).

Instead, and much to my chagrin, Sam was left to languish. Everytime she crossed the line to in-charge she was undercut by Sheppard, McKay, or even Teyla. Having Sam as "commander" of Atlantis became a joke.

As a woman, she occasionally would appear fetching in black pleather and sporting a ponytail, but in the very next scene she becomes officious and gets undermined again. Rinse and repeat.

The sad part is that Amanda is a very beautiful and sexy woman, plays an established character (at least on SG-1), and has established semi-romantic ties on Atlantis. With all the existing fluff on Atlantis I didn't want anything over the top, just a solid slot for Sam.

Shame on you Sci Fi.

This new version has a promising cast, with the likes of Jason Statham and Joan Allen, but bringing 70's genre pieces into the 2000's doesn't bode well for any movie. Still, with vehicular manslaughter always popular, I'm sure it will at least have a great opening weekend.

I'll be there.

The XBox 360 game, Mass Effect, was released to critical acclaim on 11/20/2007. Shortly thereafter rumors and then videos of a sex cut scene surfaced. Of course, it didn't take long for journalists to descend on the feeding frenzy. Some of the claims included:

• Video game has sex simulator!
• Sexual content marketed to and made available to children!
• New game is chock-full of sex!

One of the worst pieces written was The "Sex-Box" Race for President by Townhall.com's  "columnist" Kevin McCullough. "Mr." McCullough, who obviously had never seen the game let alone played it, basically alleged that the entire game was one big sex simulator, allowing the player to pick races, genders, physical attributes, sexual positions, setting, and mood of various encounters. Sodomizing rape is not only possible, but encouraged.  Uh, okay. But, no.

I think Kev is getting Mass Effect confused with Sex Villa. (Link not safe for work, kids, spouse...)

Note(s):  Today, McCullough's article is all but impossible to find on Townhall. Although it may be due to editorial archive policy, I'm betting the negative press associated with said article led to its removal from the site. Although why his follow up article is allowed to persist is beyond me. Also, although the worst of the bunch, McCullough's article wasn't too far afield of other journalist's reports, even on my local news in February.

None of the journalists reporting on the game kept these facts in mind:

• The game is rated M by the ESRB, targeted at players 17 and older (and generally as inaccessible as pornography to minors--it can be had but then why buy a $59 game with one dodgy sex scene if you can get real porn?)
• The scene in question shows only partial nudity and is barely 30 seconds in length (compared to the 20-50 hours of gameplay)
• The scene is part of a mini-game, only accessible if you talk to the right characters at the right time

I'm sick of the gaming industry being fair game. IMO, hacks like McCullough should have their journalistic license revoked and be banned from any journalistic pursuits. Too harsh? Ask yourself if McCullough fabricated something this simple to check facts on, what else has he fabricated? I'm betting lots of articles and topics, sparking to mind Stephen Glass, who did pay the price for his lack of integrity. Oh, and I pick on McCullough because he's an easy target, but I'd also yank the local reporters off the air for riding the wave and not checking their facts.

But, that's just me.

The idea for the restaurants was more business. I imagine that some bean counter determined that the cost of soda that an average consumer could drink during a visit would not be substantial when compared to the amount of business a free refill policy would generate. However, I  believe, the policy was designed to accompany a purchased meal, as referenced by signs in the restaurant when the policy first started.

Okay, so where's my pet peeve come in?

Well, my peeve is the customer that "gets a lunch refill to take back to the office to sip on all afternoon." This customer usually gets the jumbo soda in the first place, just to ensure that they get the maximum amount of liquid back at their desk for the afternoon. Okay, so no big deal, right? The restaurant does offer free, unconditional refills, right? Well yes, but I don't think this arrangement is what they have in mind.

Let's examine this from a non-restaurant perspective:

Suppose that you have a friend over, say to watch a game, movie, or something. As your friend arrives you mention that "their's refreshment in the fridge."  This is an open invitation to your friend to grab something to drink, "help yourself!" So, the visit progresses and your friend goes to leave. As your friend leaves, he stops by the fridge one more time and grabs one "for the road."

Now, he's your friend. So grabbing an extra beverage isn't a big deal, but "one's for the road" are generally offered by the host, not assumed by the guest. That's my peeve. The restaurant visitor that makes the same assumption.

Apologies to some of my friends who regularly practice this behavior.

Yeah. Me neither.

• Wasn't obscenely bloated past its useful feature set
• Didn't have a convoluted and downright incomprehensible user interface
• Didn't make me reboot after installation and updates
• Didn't turn off other, useful Windows features, sometimes without telling me first

Case in point: Norton AntiVirus 2007

The original copy, bought in late 2006, sports Internet worm and spyware protection on top of the standard anti-virus functionality. However, it didn't take long to realize that the worm protection blocks a few, necessary, mundane ports like XP's VPN client. With the worm protection enabled I could not connect to any of my usual VPNs--work, home, etc. Thankfully you can configure exceptions, if you know the application that you want allowed. I did not.

A few calls to Symantec and one email later, I had three different executables that were possibilities, including one that was already in the exception list. Deciding to go with overkill, I created exceptions for the other two (none of which were really the VPN dialing client after all). Running out of time and patience, I decided to run with the worm protection disabled, opening my system up to other threats, but enabling my VPN connectivity.

Earlier this week I surfed some forums for an answer to this problem. Here's what I found:

• The executable needing an exception to enable VPN dialing is rasdial.exe
• Creating exceptions in NAV 2007 does not work--the program eliminates allowing outbound connections the minute you create a new exception, despite having "to (only)" and "to and from" other computers options
• A new, Vista-compatible update solves many of these problems

Aha!  Note the last bullet. Anyone with a valid NAV subscription can download and install the update.

(Note: At an animal hospital where I performed as a network support person, I routinely ran into instances of Symantec NAV and Internet security installations that "recommended" to the user that the firewall protection be enabled and maximized. This had the unfortunate side effect of disabling all NetBIOS communication with the machine--severing network and printer shares, etc. Another great feature/recommendation.)

Thankfully it didn't take long to find the update on Symantec's site. I only had to install three ActiveX controls to download it (not an embellishment) and begin the installation. An hour and a half later... I'm not joking here. The update took an hour and a half on my fairly speedy laptop, with the solitary status message of "Norton AntiVirus." How freaking helpful. The "last" dialog said something about "installation is finished, click Next to end the installer." Clicking Next spawned another status window informing me the installation was being "finalized," followed by the ubiquitous Norton/Symantec product "you must reboot now" dialog. After reboot, the installation routine did a few more things and then complained about all the tasks I hadn't completed--full system scan, update virus defs, etc. LiveUpdate was launched and a bevy of things updated--forcing yet another reboot.

The only good news in all of this is that the Microsoft VPN client now works fine with the worm protection enabled.

Again, I have to stress that this type of experience is not unique to Symantec's NAV. They seem to write their own rules for each product, only maintaining one standard--let's make our software confusing, hard to use, and difficult to configure.

The answer, however, to the question posed in the topic of this post is:  They are Symantec, the worlds largest manufacturer of software like NAV, Ghost, Internet Security, etc. Consumers recognize the name and buy religiously (yep, me included), most of which simply install the software and never touch it again (except to respond to LiveUpdate's prompts). So, I guess they don't have to change, despite the fact I wish they would, or at least start being held accountable.

</rant>

Contestants (er "Pancers") "dance," strip, and are judged by the resident "experts."

The Pancers get as naked as they want, but Fuse censors all the naughty bits--even on the PODO website.

The Pracers that are picked are in a class all by themselves. They.Describe.Themselves.And.Their.Dancing.Expertise.Like.You.Are.Reading.This.

I'm not sure what this show is trying to be--probably just "titillating." I'm not sure it succeeds.

(Edit: I wasn't paying enough  attention to realize that the host is the one and only Willa Ford. )

• Moon Called/Mercy Thompson Series
  This series follows Mercedes Thompson("Mercy"), a skin walker (one of Indian descent who can change into animals by using a piece of the animal's skin) who lives amongst weres and vamps. In this alternate universe, there are also Fae (magical, fairy-like folk) and ample magic. The Fae have "come out" to the rest of the modern world, but the weres and the vamps are still in the closet.
  
  Although Mercy's profession--mechanic--should keep her free from the issues and dangers surrounding the other supernatural folk, she is drawn into trouble on several levels and usually must mediate matters between the species.
  
  I've only read the first book, "Moon Called," but picked up the second ("Blood Bound") as well. The books are well written, but the subject matter tends to bore me. There was promise of more action and excitement, but I found mostly dialog about relationships (past and present), negotiations, and wordy explanations about the world the characters inhabit. A good read, but hard pressed to keep my attention.

  (Quick note here:  I don't like a lot of explanatory dialog, lengthy lessons in history and ancestry, and unnecessary/excessive sex in my horror. A lot of these issues are present in every Anne Rice book, which is why I didn't read many of her vamp stories. I originally liked the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter novels by Laurell K. Hamilton, but along about the 4th book Anita started having sex with anything that moved [her Meredith Gentry series is even worse, you'd be hard pressed to find a page without an explicit sex act]. Besides the sex content, Bitchzilla likes the stuff I do not--rich history and ancestry, less action, etc. The short story here is that I might discard a book because I don't find its content appealing, but BZ will enjoy it, read it, and we can compare notes. So I do get to experience the "other side" now and again.)

• The Nobel Dead Series
  This was a real find. On a lark I snatched "Dhampir " off the shelf at Borders and gave it a try. I loved it.
  
  The story follows Magiere and Leesil, two sort of grifters in a medieval/fantasy world (has some elves, etc) who travel from town to town exterminating non-existent vampires for cash. Magiere plays the part of the  hunter and her partner Leesil (who is Elven) plays a vamp when necessary. The two finally decide to retire to Miiska, where they run headlong into a real coven of vampires. During the encounters that follow, Magiere learns that she is a Dhampir--half-human, half-vampire--and uniquely suited to killing vampires.
  
  The series currently has 5 books.
  
  What I really like about the series is that it takes place in a fantasy setting, adding vampires (and I'm supposing) other denizens of the night. The fact that the books are extremely well written--by a husband-wife team yet--also add to the attractiveness of the books for me. Although I've only had time for the first few books, I have the rest of the series in immediate queue. Given the expansive plot, character development, witty dialog, and promises of surprises to come, I know I'll enjoy the rest.

• Dante Valentine
  In this series by Lilith Saintcrow, Dante Valentine is a necromancer. She's a very good necromancer, which makes a lot of people around her nervous, but she's used to a bit of loner mentality. Much to her surprise, one day a demon knocks on her door and presses her into service for the Devil (yeah, the big guy). The Devil is missing something and wants, er, commands, Dante to get it back. Valentine flexes some of her muscles, follows the trail across International borders, and dukes it out with some really bad dudes. She delivers, but loses her new friend (the demon that conscripted her) and ends up a half-demon.
  
  The series is pretty gritty, the characters rich, and the plot full. The second book, Dead Man Rising, is even more dark, but fitting for the characters and series as a whole.

• Riley Jensen, Guardian series (Keri Arthur)
  Full Moon Rising, the first book in the series was another rare find. What made this one rare was that I discovered it in audiobook form. That was a blessing--the setting of the books is Australia, hence the heroine is Australian, as was the narrator of the book. Listening to the book, with the narrator's Aussie accent made it even more enjoyable.
  
  In these books, Riley is a were and works for the "Directorate," a kind of paranormal CIA in Australia. Lots of evil stuff abounds and Riley gets put in the thick of it because of her job and the people she knows (or the people that know her). The setting is near-future, which enables the addition of some cool technology and spy toys.
  
  There is a bit of ancestry and history to consider in each book, given that Riley is part of a pack, has dated a few male weres outside the pack, has a brother that works on the more underground, secret police-side of the organization, etc. There is also ample sex and sexuality, since Keri Arthur's weres go into massive bouts of heat every full moon.
  
  Still, the books read like a James Bond book/movie with a female hero. There's lots of intrigue, a good bit of action, suspense, and page-turning pacing. This series has X books and counting, I'm looking forward to the rest.  (Note: If you are a fan of audio books and this series sounds interesting, see if you can find a copy of the one linked above.)

• Night Rising
  While I was on my "contemporary" kick, I stumbled across this book by Chris Marie Green. It had an interesting premise--Dawn Madison, a stunt woman by trade, goes searching for her missing father and stumbles into the hidden modern Hollywood nightlife of vampires and more. Unfortunately, and this is just my opinion--being an author I don't like to criticize other author's writing--I don't think Ms. Green was ready to be published. The book reads very unpolished, the plot doesn't flow well, the characters project promise but end up two-dimensional, and the ending is written as the perfect setup for "buy my next book."  There are also numerous misspellings and grammatical mistakes throughout.
  
  I'm still tempted to get the second book when it comes out, but when it comes down to picking it off the shelf, I doubt I will.

Check out i am bored for a massive list of links to pics, videos, surveys, and sites to keep you clicking for days.

(I'm finding the questionnaires the most addictive. I'm a member of the vampire clan "Toreador," and find Japanese women more attractive than Chinese women. I'll let you know about my karma level, but I'm going to keep my score on sex positions to myself...)

That's still not going to stop me from posting...

Personally, I want to like the show. It has an interesting plot and the series has been flowing from one episode to another pretty well. Character development has been decent and fairly consistent--we learn a little bit about every character each week.

However, this is all brought down quickly by the fact that Kristanna cannot act. She has a lot of monologues in the series, and these come across well--mostly because she doesn't have to infuse the words with any emotion. However, given a live scene, her words come out, well, monotonic. I can see why her terminator character in T3 didn't have any speaking scenes (and I'm starting to have sympathy headache flashbacks when I remember watching BloodRayne).

So, if you watch only for the plot, the background (via monologues) of the tortured character that is Jane, and the obvious Kristanna eye candy--it's a good show.  But, if you need solid acting chops from your action heroine, this one's not for you.

(FWIW, Kristanna does have co-executive producer credit on the series, so she is fairly well invested in the show.)

However, I recently learned that XP can be set up to accept VPN connections as well, potentially eliminating an expensive VPN server (Windows Server, hardware device, etc) to accept VPN connections into a network.

I haven't' tried the instructions on Bob Cerelli's page, so I can't report on how it stacks up against a more robust solution (like my Windows 2000 Server VPN). I do suspect there might be some routing problems on the network you VPN into, given XPs more limited routing capabilities, but it's still a damn cool feature (that I'm surprised to just now learn about!).

Almost everyone has seen a WWII movie where the Allies come under attack by enemy dive bombers, typically German Junkers Ju 87s, or Stukas.

Whenever the bombers would attack they would wail as they dove, sounding something like this.

Previously I thought the sound was due to the steep angle of the planes' descent. Hollywood added to my perception by using this sound for any plane in a deep descent, especially one about to crash.

However, I read recently that the Stuka's wail was very deliberate in nature--some of the models had sirens built in to the landing gear to increase the psychological warfare aspect of the attack.

Not all the Stukas had this "feature," as it increased the aircraft's drag and decreased it's maneuverability. It's still interesting stuff.

Read more about the Stuka on Wikipedia.

I'm already too late with my wish. In the days after the terrible VT tragedy, Cho and his multimedia pack were splashed all over the media outlets--print, TV, and online. Suddenly the victims were second fiddle, who and what made this maniac act out was center stage.

I remember being at a conference 7-10 years ago, and sitting with some coworkers in my hotel room. One of my coworkers wanted a quarter and I threw him one, narrowly missing an open window. My boss--also in the room--noted that we were in LA and on the 30-something floor. Had the quarter gone out the window it could have likely killed a passing celebrity down below. I would have gone from being a relative nobody to being a Trivial Pursuit answer.

This is exactly  what Cho wanted. His plan, no doubt, went something like this:

1. I'm a relative nobody
2. I could kill a lot of people for publicity
3. All I need is a plan
4. And guns
5. Oh, and a multimedia pack for the media
6. I have everything above, let's rock

Now, Cho has been immortalized. Sure, he would have been infamous anyway, but with the coverage he got, even for a day or two, has made him immortal. Let's not do this again, please?

This was a great experience, especially for a relatively unknown, third tier network product manufacturer. Most of the big players can't get these basic things right.

Then I tried actually using the equipment. That's where the problems started.

Every few minutes the device would crash or lose one of the printers attached to it. The admin utility refused to see the device--it's unknown whether it was the utility or the fact that the device had crashed.

I can't help but think that I just got a defective unit. However, it still got replaced by a Netgear print server (which didn't install quite as cleanly). All this said, I'd recommend keeping an eye on Hawking equipment for your network needs. It can save you $10-20, and you might end up with a great piece of equipment.

You gotta be frackin' kidding me.

It's going to be a long summer. Maybe the time will be long enough for someone to convince Ronald Moore to drop some of the current plot, including repeating "All Along the Watchtower" over and over. (Still one of the best shows on TV, IMO.)