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Going to the R.E.M. concert tonight. Given their recent "Bush sucks" tour, I'm hoping the rhetoric is kept to a minimum, but I've always respected R.E.M. for voicing their political concerns while keeping their personal lives relatively to themselves. It's well known that front man Michael Stipe is, uhh, of "alternate" sexual orientations, but they make great music and are my favorite band. While others use Stipe as a reason to dislike R.E.M., I really couldn't care less. Others use their political voice as a reason to dislike R.E.M., but I see that as "a good thing™."

Unfortunately, their last album, Around The Sun, was pretty lame: they're getting entirely too far into the land of froo froo music. They need a solid drummer, and one who can push them to having a bit of a harder edge. Even their first albums, soft by modern standards, featured more of a driving drumline than current songs.

R.E.M. has never been a singles band, and I admire them for that. However, as a fan, some catchy tunes now and then would be nice. "Bad Day" was good. A few songs from Reveal were good. Up was okay… I just don't know.

I do know that R.E.M. puts on a good show. They're usually on stage for nearly three hours, play a good mix of old and new songs, and are not too far into the tour that it should be boring or old hat. They give their all and it comes across. Carey and I will be in the fifth row, so it should be quite incredible.

Question: Why do so many women get boob jobs?

My Answer: One of two reasons: to feel better about themselves, or to make others feel better about them (i.e. to impress men). I don't particularly feel that either is a healthy mindset, but I'm also a realist, and one who appreciates confidence. If spending $8,000 on a boob job lands you a better career (see yesterday's QotD), then they pay for themselves.

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

Question: If you were to name the greatest sexual advantage that women have over men, what would it be?

My Answer: Their lack of a "refractory period." If we're just talking about gender, I'd probably say their disposition for cooking. Just kidding! Carey never cooks! 🙂 Okay, seriously now, women sure can use their gender for promotions, favors, free drinks, and more. I'm not saying it's bad, just that it is an advantage. More power to 'em!

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

I ran the 10.3.6 update and everything seems to be working nicely, except for one silly thing... what's up with my copy of Safari? Not sure what to make of the contextual menu I see now… other than to suggest that I'm missing some localized strings. I've run both the Software Update update and the full 10.3.6 update to no avail. My permissions are fine. Dum dee doo… I doubt this is a widespread issue, but it's certainly one I'll be looking to fix.

Question: Should someone who began life as a man be allowed to compete in sports as a woman?

My Answer: I vote no. I don't think that a person undergoing such an operation should have to give up much at all, but the privilege of competing against natural women (for lack of a better phrase) is one of them. Men, or people born as men, are typically stronger, have better hand-eye coordination, etc. Here's a shot of the individual responsible for this question, Mianne Bagger.

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

The Aztek is no longer being produced. No big deal: I love mine, it runs great, and I'll have it for years. I've taken the rear seats out so many times, thrown golf, shooting, fishing, and travelling equipment and goodies in it so many times, and travelled about nearly 50,000 miles since purchasing it in August 2001.

Pontiac's ad campaign touted the Aztek as the "most versatile vehicle on the planet" and to speak to those that own an Aztek, the slogan fits perfectly. Did you know that the Aztek took home the JD Power and Associates "APEAL" award in 2001? The APEAL study rates how happy the owners are with their purchase and how thoughtful an automotive design is. The Aztek rated high for powertrain, sound system and interior comfort features. This truck rewarded those that were taken in by its quirky, non-conformist look.

Style was a big knock against the Aztek, but it's one of the reasons I bought it. The Aztek is pure form follows function. Bash it all you want (though you're encouraged not to): until you've tried it, and used it, you can't appreciate it. And heck, if you're gonna bash the Aztek for its looks, I don't wanna hear how much you think the Element and many of today's cars are so much better. Besides, the Aztek is a working man's Rendezvous. And a working man's SRV that gets over 30 MPG at that.

Read a tad more at the autoblog. Personally, I'm fine seeing the car move out of production. It merely guarantees that I'll have one of the more unique automobiles on the road for the next few years.

I want to remotely control iTunes through AirPort Express. Maybe soon!

Want to do an icon? We're looking for an icon for MailDrop 2.0, which should be available in public beta tomorrow. We've been through some ups and downs with our icon designer (no comments nor questions about this), and we're simply going to have a contest instead.

The rules are simple. Design one application icon and one document icon for MailDrop 2.0. Send them to us at icons [at] freshsqueeze . com and we'll have a look at them. Submissions must be in by November 18, 2004. We'll respond with our thoughts so that you can make changes if you'd like.

Read on for more.

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CJ, contrary to my guess that they'd surprise everyone and go with Tim Matheson (John Hoynes), will be the next chief of staff on West Wing. As a result, Toby will once again tender his resignation (what a schmuck sometimes) and the writing will undoubtedly continue to decline in quality.

Wouldn't it have been easier simply to not allow ratings of Apple products? Instead, all Apple products get five stars (apples, actually) in the store. Customers can now rate other products - a very nice touch.

This is a tad lame:

We're eagerly awaiting these developers to follow the leading example of ecto that already supports TextMate in their beta version. So if you're impatient, do write the developers of your favorite FTP program and ask them for TextMate support. We'll be cheering for you.

The authors of TextMate, while writing support for the ODB suite, could have easily written to us to let us know that they were planning to support ODB. Instead, they tell their users to tell us. Guys, you could have saved yourself - and your users - a whole lot of trouble if you'd just let us know your plans a few weeks ago.

An upcoming FTPeel update will add support for TextMate and an option to include alternating colors in list view. It should be out on Friday.

Calling anyone who voted for George W. Bush "fucking stupid" is a great way to come together, to compromise. The GOP could do everything in its power to unite the country, as Kerry called for, and it still wouldn't happen because Kerryites, four years from now, will still be calling everyone "fucking stupid."

How mature.

P.S. My friend Seth, on the other hand, is mature.

Apple Design Awards make great coasters. iPods not so much.

Dan has updated the FSS Theme he submitted back in October. The file has been uploaded to the Resources page (under "Themes") but, as of this writing, the updated snapshot has not.

Two big changes include:

1. The thin black outline surrounding the content will change color to match the label that has been applied to the current article. This outline will expand to a thickness of 4 pixels when the label is non-black - but, only if JavaScript is enabled in the 'Web Display' pane of the PulpFiction preferences. Note that if JavaScript is not enabled then the outline will still change color - but thickness will simply remain 1 pixel.
2. The favicon image associated with the website (as seen in the 'Feeds' drawer) will be displayed next to the subscription name (website) under the article title. If no favicon is available then a generic question mark will be displayed.

If you've got a theme of your own (they're surprisingly easy to create!), submit it to us and we'll post it to the site and mention it here.

Question: What do you think of Michael Moore?

My Answer: I think that he does what he wants, which I respect in and of itself. I don't respect the work he produces, however. I've said time and time again: if he had been able to produce an actual documentary that detailed "bad things" about George W. Bush, I may have voted for Kerry^*. Instead, his "documentary" (which was almost nothing like a documentary) swayed me the other way. "If this is all they've got on Bush, this lame made-up bullshit, then fuck 'em."

The Democratic party, the "party of the people" they say, should really distance themselves from the likes of Michael Moore. He isn't helping you folks get elected! Michael Moore is a dingbat, and the more I read and learn about the fellow, the more I dislike him as a person. I respect him for doing what he wants, and I respect him for stirring the pot, but I completely disrespect the way in which he does it. Even he should realize that his efforts are not having the effect he desires. Unless, of course, he simply wishes the effect to be "people give me money."

I think the Oscar he won for a documentary should be rescinded. Bowling for Columbine was no more a documentary than Fahrenheit 9/11. Awarding him any documentary award is a tremendous slap in the face to those who produce actual documentaries and not tabloid-style trash.

^* Moore's documentary accounted for about 20% of my decision to vote for Bush. Comments that don't talk about Michael Moore and instead talk about Bush or Kerry or one party or another (etc.) exclusively will be removed. Stick to the topic.

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.