Prepare for Another Regeneration


David Tennant has announced that he will no longer play Dr. Who starting with, what I am assuming is, the next full season of episodes (scheduled to run in 2010). This makes me very sad, as I have fully enjoyed his portrayal of The Doctor.

I did have the same reaction when it was announced that Christopher Eccleston would be leaving the part, so I hope that they (the BBC) can find someone just as good as these two to take over the role.

Oh, since they say "You never forget your first Doctor", I must confess that mine is Tom Baker. And, yes, I had a scarf that dragged the floor when I was a kid.

And I should leave you with this, an 8-minute mini-episode of Doctor Who produced for the charity Children in Need. In this episode, the 10th Doctor meets the 5th Doctor. Enjoy!

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The Weirdest Thing I Saw Today

Doing the laundry. Checking pants pockets (already learned that lesson the hard way). What do I find in 6 year old Stewie's pants?

Duck sauce.

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National Debt Too Large To Display

How pathetic is this?

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Sarah Palin Remixed

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Don't Vote

Don't Vote:



From Craig Ferguson: If you don't vote, you're a moron.

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Another Runway Cop-out

In Season 3 of Project Runway, the judges couldn't decide who would be eliminated from the final challenge, so they sent all 4 designers to Fashion Week. A cheap ploy maybe, but I did like what all four of the designers were doing, and it seemed like a pretty fair solution.

In Season 4 of Project Runway, the judges couldn't decide who would be eliminated from the final challenge, so they had all the designers create a full line, then had a runoff between the two lower scoring designers to decide who would go to Bryant Park. I had a few choice words about that. In a nutshell, I didn't think Rami's collection was as strong as Chris' (or Jillian's or Christian's), and that he should have been eliminated weeks earlier.

So, Season 5 final challenge is on last night. I figure this should be easy because I've never seen a bigger bunch of "all-over the place" designers. I'm not seeing consistency (except with Jerell, and we'll address that in a minute), I'm not seeing risk-taking, I'm not seeing quality. In fact, Tim and Heidi keep stressing that this is the most talented group of designers they've seen. Hmm...saying it ain't gonna make it so.

The final comes down to Jerell, Leanne, Korto, and Kenley. Kenley??!! Please. She needs to get over herself and realize that Tim is on her side. Totally ignoring his advice keeps landing her in the bottom of the group. Well, they did their runway show and Jerell and Leanne have the top scores. Naturally, one would think that either Korto or Kenley would be out. But in another cop-out, the judges "can't decide" (hint: get rid of Kenley. It's a no-brainer.), so they decide once again that no one is eliminated.

Okay, I figure we're in for a "design-off" between Kenley and Korto. At least there is precedent for it. But no, we're now going to have a four way runoff. Which means that Jerell - who won the challenge and has been pretty consistent is his designs throughout the competition - is now competing again for a spot at Bryant Park. So totally not fair.

Do I care who wins? No. Not with this group. Although I predict that it will be Jerell.

The real winner in all this? The PR producers. They've messed with it enough that I'm talking about it. And isn't that the real goal?

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The decision that was 3 years in the making

I have officially switched from Nikon to Canon.


I bought me a Canon Digital Rebel Xsi.


I love Nikon. I've had a Nikon SLR in one version or another for the last 24 years. I think the optical quality is amazing, and I've made some really nice photographs with Nikon. My only complaint with Nikon had been the cost. Outside of a Hasselblad (which would make a great Christmas or birthday gift, hint, hint) they are the most expensive gear I have envied.

A couple of years back I picked up a digital point and shoot to learn what I could about digital photography. The more I learned about it, the more I liked it, and I started thinking about purchasing a digital SLR. I began researching Nikons and, just for the heck of it, Canons. In the camera wars, it seems that these two are running neck and neck. In all the forums the suggestion is to pick one or the other, you can't go wrong. The only concern would be if you had a bunch of equipment (read lenses) from either system. Then you would want to stick with that one.

Here's where it gets dicey. I've got a couple of lenses that are Nikon mounts. But, they aren't anything special, pretty much just kit lenses. Back in the day, Nikon's autofocus feature was controlled by the camera, so while these lenses do autofocus, they don't have the internal mechanism to do so.

Now Nikon has changed the way their digital cameras do autofocus. It's all in the lenses. (This is the way Canon has been doing it for years.) There are probably advantages to that, but what it means for me is that, while my lenses will work with the new Nikon bodies, they won't autofocus. So, basically, I'm in the position of if I make the jump to digital SLR, I would have to start with a whole new system. This put Nikon and Canon on a level playing field.

Again, back to the internet, and to the reviews for each system. I can't afford (nor do I need) the full-figure (and price) pro level body. But, I also do more than just entry level. So, I'm looking at the Nikon D-60, and the Canon Digital Rebel Xti. I like the features, and the price, of the Xti. I like the features of the D-60. Then Canon comes out with the Xsi. It has the same sensor as it's pro-level body, and the reviews on it are great! So, I bit.

All this took about 3 years, and several camera body releases for each company. I just got stuck on not wanting to make the wrong decision, and "should I settle for non-autofocus on my old Nikon lenses", and "do I want to spend that kind of money".

Lo, and behold, B&H is running a great deal on a body with kit lens, and another longer zoom, and I decide it's time to cash in all those gift certificates!! It arrived yesterday. I'll post some pictures when I get a chance - once I work my way through the instruction book! And, I'll probably have some over on my Flickr photostream, too.

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And you thought you were having a bad day...

Man claims penis amputated without consent

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This is my computer...

This is my computer on crack...


So, I'm sitting on the porch Tuesday. The window is open. I hear a dull thud from inside the house. I go in and find my computer lying open and flat on the floor. The dog is running circles around the table. I look at the computer and it appears that the screen is shattered. F-ing dog.

Note that I say this now calmly. I was not calm at the time.

I was, in fact, a half hour from leaving the house to deliver web conferencing equipment to a church. A church that that particular evening, did not have access to a computer. I had volunteered to bring mine, so we could get everything set up.

Great.

I did quickly discover that I could plug in an external monitor and the hard drive appeared to be working just fine. That helped for the delivery. One of the things I was delivering was a projector. I could plug that in and see what was happening on the computer.

I called Dell the next morning, and was told that it would cost $350 to fix. While that was about half the price of the computer when I bought it, it didn't seem unreasonable. I had done some research and learned that replacement lcd screens were in the $150-250 range. The Dell deal started to fall apart when "Rock" (I don't know where these technicians in Delhi come up with their "American" names- and yes, he spelled it to me R-o-c-k) said that it would take 8 business days from the time they received it before they would ship it back.

I balked. Rock said that he could "expedite" it (but never 'splained what that meant), and that he talked to his manager, and they could knock $50 off the price. (What is this, Priceline?) And, oh, by the way, have you noticed a problem with your battery? The batteries are only designed to be good for a year, and it could fry your motherboard.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Next day, went down to the local computer store. They had the lcd panel that I needed sitting on a shelf. An hour later, and $270 on my credit card, I was back in business. Sweet. (And they've never heard of a battery frying a motherboard.)

The moral here: don't get a dog.

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The Lion King

Eric works on The Lion King. Currently his tour is in Columbus.

Getting a call from Eric is not unusual, as we always try to get together whenever the show is within a couple of hours of where we are. We've met up in Cleveland, Toledo, and Boston. We had, in fact, been trying to set up a good time to meet for the Columbus show.

So, when Eric said, "What are you doing tomorrow?", it didn't phase me. Except that he has two shows on Sunday, then Monday off, but I figured maybe he had time off on Sunday. He then said, "How would you like to bring the family down to see the show?"

What!?!?

Yep, Eric had 6 extra tickets, so we went to Columbus yesterday, and saw The Lion King.

It was great! Ellen and Munchkin sat right up front (Row J) center, and the rest of us sat in the rear orchestra, on the aisle. It was a blast, especially watching the reaction of the kids. Keke wasn't too happy when the hyenas came down the aisle, but Stewie loved watching the singers at the beginning of Act Two.

After the show, Eric took us all on a tour backstage. I was a little nervous about taking the kids backstage after their first theatre experience. I wanted the magic to stay there for a while. Still, Beenie was fascinated to find out/figure out how things worked. Munchkin loved the puppets and didn't seem at all phased to see them just sitting there. Because it's a Disney production, we weren't allowed to take pictures backstage, but I managed to sneak a quick one of the kids on the stage.Even from a grown up perspective, it's really fascinating to see how the show is put together - how the puppets work, and the complexity of the costumes.

We finally got to meet Todd. Every time Eric and I try to get together, something happens and I miss Todd. (And they've been together for 6 years, so it's been almost a comedy of errors!) He was working concessions, and made sure that the kids all got a stuffed buddy of their choice.

Hopefully they will be coming up to our place on one of their (few) days off, and we'll burn some meat over an open fire and drink some malt beverages. Hakuna Matata!

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