curtis's blog

I've recently been re-ripping my entire CD collection to FLAC. It's been kind of a pain in the ass, but I will be glad to have everything in a lossless format. It also untethers me from keeping my music collection in iTunes, which is kinda nice. I plan to jailbreak my iTouch and install vlc4iphone – which can read FLAC as well as many other formats – once the conversion is done.

It's a sad day. Another Joss Whedon show is canceled. And while it's not surprising, considering Fox put it in time out during November sweeps, it sure is upsetting.

There are a slough of commenters on various blogs saying things like, "At least they are going to air the whole second season." Yes, there is that, at the very least. Which is to say, at least Fox isn't being a complete and utter bastard, again. Not completely and utterly.

Hulu, the really nifty Flash-based online media site, is considering charging for content starting in 2010. The company hasn't disclosed details yet about when it'll start charging or what type(s) of content it'll charge for, but it's clear that charging of some kind is going to happen.

So, many fellow libertarians probably will be upset with me when they hear that I don't give a rabbit's left toenail about the whole "net neutrality" regulations being considered by the FCC. Even the ever-stunning Shelly Roche hasn't managed to convince me that I should care – and her video updates typically convince me plenty.

From the notebooks of Heinlein's Time Enough for Love:

Do not confuse "duty" with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect.

Eugene Volokh at The Volokh Conspiracy has some problems with a recent U.S. District Court decision that ruled a teacher's comments about creationism violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

I just found out that my youngest brother is back in the country. He's been serving on the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) for the last seven months or so. My mom just got a call from him saying he's here and will be back home for Mother's Day weekend. Looking forward to seeing him.

I just finished watching the first two seasons of the FX situation comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and I have to say it's absolutely fantastic. Quirky and irreverent, it's what you'd taste if you took the banter of Ed, the setting of Cheers, the pointlessness of Seinfeld, the offensiveness of The Family Guy, and the camaraderie of every Judd Apatow production, tossed 'em all into an apple cider press, and then ate the leftover pulp – you know, the part that most people throw away.

Note: This is a cross-post of a review I posted at Goodreads.com

I picked this book up as part of a bargain deal at B&N on a bit of a whim. It's been awhile since I've sat down and read a book of essays, and I wanted to see what was up with the modern world of science.

Back in November, my good friend Dave and I started a new company: MadAnt LLC. We now have a web presence over at MadAnt.net – nothing spectacular, but it's a start.

For anyone who is interested, we have three primary sites in the MadAnt-iverse. Take a gander and let me know what you think.