Evil Killer of Spare Time

Popomundo

It's every kid's dream - to grow up to be a rich-and-famous musician. But very few kids have ever become the pop superstars they hoped to be.

Until now.


Welcome to the world of Popomundo.

This is the online reflection of the real world in which everyone is a potential rock god, star record producer, or millionaire media mogul. One of a growing list of browser-based, multi-player games, Popomundo is a little bit like The Sims without the graphic interface. But not really.

Players choose a single character (only one account is permitted per person) and then use that character to start or join a band, write songs, play concerts, and interact with other players. Of course, to get a career going you also have to have a little income to pay for music lessons and equipment, so you also have to get a job... maybe as a clerk in a recording studio, maybe as a bricklayer, maybe as a lawyer.

And what rock career would be complete without the endless string of romances, one-night-stands, and other random snuggles? Yes - there is sexual content to this game. All very circumspect of course. I wouldn't let a 12-year-old play, but I think anyone over 15 or 16 will be perfectly fine in here. Nobody in the game knows your real name, location or contact information unless you choose to share it with them. And the game snuggling is all in good fun if sometimes questionable taste.

Amazingly, this complex and addictive game is free to play - with one catch. To gain access to the best jobs and a few select special functions, you must become a VIP. VIP membership allows you to start a business, work as a CEO, and create special bookmarks, character blogs, and personal notes within the game. The site owners have kept the price of VIP memberships at a very reasonable $9 (US) for 3 months, or $29 (US) for a full year. All payments must currently be made through PayPal, though I think they're working on creating other payment methods.

And lest one protest that it's 'unfair' to charge people to play a free game, it's entirely possible for the average player to play indefinitely, have a gob of fun, and become a virtual Supahstah!! for no charge at all. Besides, I doubt the developers are making any money on Popomundo - the modest fees likely go simply to pay for server space and development costs (they are constantly tweaking and updating the game world).

One word of warning though - Popomundo can be highly addictive. Handle with care. Use extreme caution. Pay a friend to watch for signs that you're becoming a serious Popohead and need a Popointervention. Of course, your friend might join... just to see what the fuss is about. And who's going to keep an eye on him?

Don't say I didn't warn you.

LunaNiña.com | Unconscious Mutterings

LunaNiña.com | Unconscious Mutterings: "

1. Amazing::Grace
   
2. Delights::Turkish
   
3. Inspired::To write
   
4. Disgusted::Dismayed
   
5. You::Me
   
6. Vagina::Penis
   
7. Palm::Hand
   
8. Sweetheart::Lover
   
9. Guilt::By association
   
10. More to come::First to go
    

"

Making the Switch

I think I'm finally ready to make that big life change. The one that seems so daunting. The one that I've agonized over for ages.

I'm switching to Firefox as my default browser.

There are things that I like about Internet Explorer. Most notable is the native ability to customize and combine the toolbars. That ability is, in fact, the primary reason it has taken me so long to make the switch.

Generally, I've used the two standard toolbars plus Google, Yahoo, Dictionary.com, and a long host of direct links. In IE I can put all those things into 2 lines of toolbars, leaving me maximum space in my actual browser window. Unfortunately, Firefox doesn't allow you to put multiple toolbars on one line so including all my standard toolbars would cost me a full 6 lines and irritatingly shrink my browser window to an annoyingly small size. Actually, that reduces to 5 lines since Dictionary.com is included in the google search bar add-on that I've got. But some of google's toolbar functions were previously unavailable without using the entire googlebar. Things like the Blogger button which I've grown to love.

But today, while discussing with a friend the advantages and disadvantages of Firefox (he's a dedicated Firefox user) I started playing with the browser again. Lo and behold! I discoverd that you could drag individual buttons and functions to whichever toolbar you wish. Yahoo's functions are not currently draggable so that toolbar still has to stay, but I put all my searchbar functions as well as my favorite Google/Blogger functions into my bookmark bar. So, having eliminated the need for the search toolbar and the Google toolbar, I'm left with only 3 - main/search/google, bookmarks/links, and Yahoo (which I've also customized by adding a couple of programmable buttons).

This I can live with - especially with the advantages of tabbed browsing.

So today I officially become a Firefox. Bye bye IE.

Get your own Firefox

After

Turkey Day has come and gone. We all feel our waistbands a little more accutely than we did a week ago. Homemade turkey soup, turkey sandwiches spread with cranberry sauce, and leftover stuffing with gravy are the menu in many a household accross America.

Sadly, to many people the idea of actually giving thanks has been lost in the event we call Thanksgiving.

Rather than spending quality time with our loved ones and relatives (sometimes those are actually the same thing even); we dovote our energies to turning on the Thanksgiving Parade (now shown on about 7 different networks simultaneously) and watching endless hours of college football. Rather than remembering the good things we have, and sharing with those who have less; we spend our time squabbling over who gets the drumstick and debating whether the stuffing or greenbean casserole is the best side dish. Rather than planning ways to make our world a better place; we plan which shopping mall we're going to hit first at the 'black friday' sales events.

Thanksgiving has become a holiday that is not so much about giving thanks, but is more just a turning point into the frenzy of conspicuous consumption that Christmas has become.

The origin of the word holiday (or 'holy day') lies in the idea that we should set aside time to remember or give reverence. Holidays were meant for God and family. What holidays have become is a reflection of the gods we have all chosen for ourselves... gluttony, greed, envy, sloth.... A generation ago - maybe less - those were things to be avoided. Now everyone knows that 'greed is good,' and envy is justified as just setting goals. Gluttony is acceptable as long as it's confined to designated dates and times... or the next trip through McDonald's drive thru. People take pride in putting in minimal effort - sloth has become a respectable work ethic. Pride, lust and anger have also taken up residence in our hearts, minds, and lifestyles.

During the next month or so, I think it would be fabulous if every person took some time - a day, a weekend, whatever - to reflect on their own priorities, their own values, and their own beliefs. Check in with yourself and see if your living up to your own expectations. If you are, fabulous!! But if you find yourself reveling in what you consider wrong thinking, wrong acting, and generally wrong attitudes, find a way to change course and put yourself back on the right track. And be thankful that you still have time to be the person you meant to be all along.

Unconscious Mutterings

LunaNina.com | Unconscious Mutterings: "

1. Stuffed:: Turkey
   
2. Armstrong:: Stretch
   
3. Bruise:: Blue
   
4. Content:: Happy
   
5. Musical:: Broadway
   
6. Assistance:: Help
   
7. Scrambling:: Up a hill
   
8. Battle:: Of the Bulge
   
9. Extended:: Stay
   
10. Discount:: Store
    

"

Unconscious Mutterings

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Mighty:: Mouse
   
2. Gotta find time to ....:: Fly
   
3. Statistic:: Analysis
   
4. Midnight:: Cowboy
   
5. Thaw:: Freeae
   
6. Hips:: Sway
   
7. Reader:: Writer
   
8. Related:: Alike
   
9. Brilliant:: Genius
   
10. Posture:: Perfect
    

It has begun

My third Epinions Meet & Greet has (un)officially started. We had a handful of folks over to our house for a pre-meet meet. Garrett was here and it was great meeting Brian (pyfr), Abraham (openroad) and Matt (hardcoreham). Some other members were going to try to make it, but weren't able to be here for one reason or another. Oh well.

Anyway, looking forward to more good times tomorrow afternoon at the actual M&G - probably to be followed by an outing involving some sweet Karaoke action. Yay.

The Novel Pear

The Novel Pear

Just randomly wondering if it's kosher to blog your own blog.

Answers to that question are welcome, but not really expected.

Unconscious Mutterings

LunaNi'a.com | Unconscious Mutterings: "

1. Deeper and deeper:: into the dark
   
2. Can't help .... :: thinking about it
   
3. Devil's advocate:: Satan's lawyer?
   
4. Superpower:: no such thing
   
5. Threatening:: violence
   
6. Played:: a game
   
7. War:: peace
   
8. Violate:: my perimiter
   
9. Invest:: in the future
   
10. Choke:: the chicken (oops - did I really say that?
    

"

I'm a Michael Jackson song? Weird.

Yeah - so usually these things are ridiculous, but I took it so here it is....




"You've been struck by a smooth criminal"

You are the song SMOOTH CRIMINAL from Michael
Jackson's 'Bad' album. You are a highly
intelligent person, who is interested in
finding out new things. You are also
particularly drawn to mysteries. If a problem
arises, you are there in a heartbeat to solve
it as quickly and as fearlessly as possible.
You are either a smooth talker, or a cool
introvert. Either way, youre tougher than most
people and can handle yourself in tricky
situations. You never loose an argument; you
always know the right thing to say. You have a
roundabout, sarcastic sense of humour, but you
are not emotionless and many people look up to
you.



Which Michael Jackson song are you? (with pictures)
brought to you by Quizilla

Nobody loves me...

Well, Ok. I suppose somebody loves me...

Andrew

My kids

My dog

But nobody loves my blog.

It could have something to do with the fact that I never actually put anything here. I'm not sure I'm really even cut out to be a blogger. But I gotta do it... really... If I don't do it, it will only serve to prove that I am terribly boring.

So boring that I don't even have a blog.

Try, for a moment, to forget that a boring blog is equally proof that I'm boring as having no blog whatsoever. I'll forget too. And then I can pretend that I have a life and the proof that it's interesting is that I have a blog.

This is my personal fairytale... join me, won't you?

Wright is Wrong! Set Love Free!

Wright is Wrong! Set Love Free!

The Wright amendment has been around since 1979 and exists solely for the purpose of stifling competition. Any commercial airliner flying out of regional airports close to DFW are limited to flying only to states that immediatly border Texas (New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't our country have laws against blocking free competition of businesses? Don't anti-trust and anti-monopoly laws protect businesses from unfair assaults on their ability to do business? Why, then, is our government keeping their fingers in north Texas' transportation pie?

It's not about partisanship - both Republicans and Democrats have looked the other way on this one. It's not about supporting the area's economy - planes flying out of Love Field will generate just as much in taxes and other revenues as planes flying out of DFW. This is about nothing more than American Airlines, a bloated, ill-managed, poorly run, bad customer service airline, having local representatives by the balls. It's about American airlines being more interested in having political influence than happy customers. It's an ugly example of government of the corporation, by the corporation and for the corporation.

Somebody needs to put a stop to it.

I'm not holding my breath.

Who Links To Me - for the ultimate narcissist in you

Who Links To Me - for the ultimate narcissist in you

I just came across this interesting little link... it gives you stats and sites in regards to who links to your page.

Unfortunately, it seems that it only looks at the top-level domain is pointed to. In other words, it doesn't tell me how many links there are to my user page at Epinions... just links to the main Epinions site.

Still, it's pretty interesting that this is even possible and it could be fun for anyone who has their own domain.

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Home Page

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Home Page

It's new, it's nifty, and I have it on my computer.

Yay me.

We're off... almost

I can't wait...

Well, actually, I guess I can. In fact, I'll have to.

We were scheduled to leave this morining for a trip to Chicago. So, being prudent, Andrew decides to verify that the flight is on time. A few paniced minutes later he makes a strangled noise and runs into the bedroom...

"It's cancelled!"

"What is?"

"Our flight. It's cancelled. Now what?"

"Call the airline... we have a confirmed reservation. They have to put us on a flight."

Well, yes. They have to put us on a flight. And they did. Unfortunately our 10:00 AM flight turned into a 5:00 PM flight. That's essentially a whole day lost from our long weekend and that sucks.

Thanks United.
Thanks Travelocity.

Much appreciated... no really.

Welcome to the world, baby girl...

I've taken the plunge.

I've decided to start a blog.

I'm suddenly re-born into the world of internet communication in a way that is totally new and foreign to me. Yikes!

I'm not entirely sure why I've done it...

• Perhaps it the desire to impart wisdom to the masses...
• Perhaps it's my search for relevance in a world that is passing me by...
• Perhaps it's merely 'egoboo'... Yeah, that's probably it...

But anyway, for better or for worse, here I am. Deal with it.