Ontario Empoblog

Progress (Not the Manhole-Advertising RDBMS) Well, if anyone performs a Google search for "casino-bound girlie terrorists," I'm there .... Speaking of the title, Progress Software is still around. It's been over a decade since I worked with the Progress RDBMS.

Six Degrees of Confusion This blog is now featured in the Canadian Directory of Computer Consulting . This is wrong on so many levels: (1) Needless to say, they got the wrong Ontario. (2) I am not a computer consultant. (3) Zurich is in Switzerland. Well, I have to come up with three more. These will be stretches. (4) I don't speak French. (5) I don't speak COBOL. (6) All Your Base Are Belong To Us

SEIU vs. Kerry Well, now that I've blasted the baby seal clubbers , it's time to blast the Marxist murderers. Yes, the Democrats are more united than usual, but unity isn't universal : SEIU CHIEF NOT THRILLED WITH IDEA OF KERRY VICTORY DAVID S. BRODER, WASHINGTON POST - Breaking sharply with the enforced harmony of the Democratic National Convention, the president of the largest AFL-CIO union said Monday that both organized labor and the Democratic Party might be better off in the long run if Sen. John F. Kerry loses the election. Andrew Stern, the head of the 1.6 million-member Service Employees International Union....argued that another four years of Bush policies might be less damaging than the stifling of needed reform within the party and the labor movement that he said would occur if Kerry became president. Stern's dissatisfaction with the AFL-CIO and the Democratic Party is not new, but his decision to voice his frustration on the opening day of a careful...

Ellie Nesler Revisited My fellow baby seal clubbers argue that the near-deification of beating victim Rodney King is terrible, considering all of the crimes that King has committed and continues to commit. Which brings us to Ellie Nesler. In case you don't recall the name: [Ellie Nesler] was convicted of manslaughter in the April 1993 Jamestown courtroom slaying of a man accused of molesting children at a church camp. William Nesler had been named as one of the accused molester's victims. Ellie Nesler was sentenced to 10 years in prison on the manslaughter conviction, but served less than four years. The state Supreme Court threw out part of the jury's verdict; Nesler then pleaded guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence. She was released in 1997. While Nesler has not received universal adultation, she does have some supporters: Every day there are examples of people defending their very lives because of unrighteous actions. One news story related a...

Wil-bur, that's COLD As mentioned on Tony Bruno's show and reported at Ananova and the Mainichi Daily News , among other places. File under "Those Wacky Japanese": (Ananova) Japanese ice-cream lovers have swapped traditional flavours such as raspberry ripple for something a little more exotic - horse-flesh....Garlic, potato and lettuce, and cactus and seaweed along with raw horse-flesh are now available in Japan's shops. Adventurous ice cream lovers not tempted by those flavours could try soybean and kelp or strawberry and spinach.... (Mainichi) We're not horsing around with this one. There mere thought of putting raw horseflesh into ice cream may be enough to produce plenty of neigh ... er, naysayers. And, rightfully so. You can get it straight from the horse's mouth, this would have to vie for the vilest ice cream ever created. The chunks of meat inside it offer ample proof of why horseflesh is usually used in dog food. Not wanting to be a nag, ...

Arlonet Comments For some reason I thought there would be higher traffic on Arlonet (Arlo Guthrie's message board) regarding the JibJab issue. As of now, I've found three comments on JibJab. gbullough notes the following: Why don't they do something like sue everyone who fails to perform the last verses of the song. That does one helluva lot more damage to the song than any parody ever could. If you don't sing the song about the relief office and the 'no trespassing' sign, you transform 'This Land is Your Land' into not much more than 'God Bless America.' As I previously mentioned, Bad Culture reproduced those last verses (taking them from Arlo's website). gbullough continues: And Ludlow knows good and well that this would be nothing but a SLAPP suit anyway...parody is protected under copyright law, and this is ESPECIALLY so when the parody is political commentary. I was going to post a response on Arlonet...

Ostien on Guthrie Kathryn Ostien (of JibJab fame) was a major contributor to the Songwriters Hall of Fame website. As Jim Steinblatt states: The aim of the Songwriters Hall of Fame has always been the establishment of a first-class museum facility where visitors could learn about the men and women who create the songs loved all over the world. As the SHOF Board and staff continue to work and plan for that goal, the wonders of digital technology have permitted the establishment of an imaginative and rapidly growing virtual museum, which everyone can access at the SHOF website: www.shof.org. Responsible for the vast content is Kathryn Ostien, the SHOF Website Director, whose other full-time job is Director of Copyright, Licensing & Royalties for music publisher The Richmond Organization (TRO) and its foreign affiliate the Essex Music Group....As time went on, Ostien devoted more and more time to formulating what the site's architecture and content should be. "I tried t...

These Damages Are My Damages Update on This Land from CNN : The bit is hilarious. Unless you are The Richmond Organization, a music publisher that owns the copyright to Guthrie's tune through its Ludlow Music unit. "This puts a completely different spin on the song," said Kathryn Ostien, director of copyright licensing for the publisher. "The damage to the song is huge." TRO believes that the Jibjab creation threatens to corrupt Guthrie's classic -- an icon of Americana -- by tying it to a political joke; upon hearing the music people would think about the yucks, not Guthrie's unifying message. The publisher wants Jibjab to stop distribution of the flash movie. Of course the creators behind Jibjab don't agree. "We consider it a case of political satire and parody and therefore entitled to the fair use exemption of the copyright act," said Jibjab attorney Ken Hertz. So, let's look at this completely different s...

Tortoise-Like Musings I'm slow at things...but that fits in with the topic of this entry. This morning I was driving to work, listening to all of the potheads calling Tony Bruno to tell him how much it will cost recently-retired Ricky Williams to purchase his smokes, and my mind wandered. (Perhaps because of a brief mention of Kareem Abdul Jabbar.) First, I thought: If the new Bryant/Odom/etc. Lakers is being called Showtime, would the Shaq era Lakers be called Slowtime? Second, I thought: I can't be the first person who has thought of that. Well, I obviously wasn't . The following is excerpted from a Paul Stanford Madera Tribune article written on June 12: While the Lakers players have been as visible as Jack and the other Hollywood stars who frequent the Staples Center, the Pistons have been flying low under the radar. Until Game 3 when Detroit turned Showtime into Slowtime. In the 1980s with Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar an...

OK, here's what I know about Foothill Blvd. grocery stores For the second time in the last few months, I found myself making an online post about the history of grocery stores on Foothill Blvd. in Upland, California (north of Ontario). Let's start with Vons. When I moved to California in 1983, there was a Vons on the southwest corner of Euclid Avenue and Foothill Blvd. Several years later, this Vons was closed, as Vons restrategized and opened a Pavilions down on Mountain Avenue near Interstate 10 (wiping out an Ole's, a DMV, and a Chevron in the process). I believe that the theory was that the yuppies would drive home from Pasadena or whatever and stop at Pavilions on the way up the hill to San Antonio Heights. Well, something happened between theory and reality, because Vons decided to open a Vons again. However, the old site was apparently too small, so they opened one on the northwest corner of Euclid & Foothill. Both the Vons and Pavilions still exist as of to...

Where There's An Emperor... Over the last few years, I've been asked several times: "Why do you use the handle 'Ontario Emperor'?" I partially answered that question several years ago in my biography (as posted on Tripod): The Inland Empire needs an emperor. The "Inland Emperors" are a band signed to a Seattle label. Hence, I am the Ontario Emperor. This is my virtual domain. In other words, if I hadn't performed due diligence and conducted a web search, you'd be reading the words of the "Inland Emperor" right now. (Makes more sense...sort of.) Well, the restriction against naming oneself after a Pacific Northwest band does not apply to women. There is an Inland Empress , whom I've never met. So, just to avoid confusion in the blogosphere, I will offer you a handy-dandy guide so that you can tell the difference between the Ontario Emperor and the Inland Empress: The Ontario Emperor lives in Ontario. The Inl...

Mind the Backyard This one from InfoWorld's current Cringely : You’d think the world’s largest Web registrar might remember when its own domain names were about to expire. But apparently that’s not the case at Network Solutions. Last week tipster Dana F. tried to dial up nsi.com, only to find the site unavailable and its domain registration lapsed. When the company discovered the gaffe, it slapped a quick one-year renewal on the domain; nsi.com has since been converted to Netsol’s new 100 Year Domain Service, says company spokesdude Jeff Grosman. OK, everyone who believes Network Solutions will be around in the year 2104, please raise your hand.

Vulnerabilities in the Browser Interface Model From Chad Dickerson's latest column : At InfoWorld, our SFA, Web analytics, and CM (content management) systems are currently delivered in the browser, and others are moving in that direction. Clearly, the browser as an application delivery mechanism is here to stay. But is the continuing drive toward the browser ultimately a path to trouble? I’m starting to see some disturbing warning signs.... Part of what we are dealing with has very little to do with technology and more to do with exploits that attack the open philosophy behind the browser and the Web itself. And that’s what worries me most. The location window common to all browsers is infinitely malleable. Anyone who has passed a few moments waiting for a meeting to start by checking a sports score or an eBay auction knows the sense of self-determination the browser brings. IT can control where end-users browse, but should IT actively prevent a salesperson who’s just pull...

California Casino Entertainment The whole Annie Jacobsen thingie has resulted in publicity for the Sycuan Casino & Resort - host to Nour Mehana and his bathroom-loving band. As Indian and Asian casinos spring up in Southern California, they find that they have to bring in entertainment to compete with the Vegas casinos. However, the California casinos aren't resorting to man-eating tigers or Canadian singers to bring in the crowds. It's probably accurate to say that California casino entertainment is similar to what the Vegas casinos USED to offer. As an example, here is a list of who has performed and will perform at the Sycuan Casino & Resort's Showcase Theater - courtesy Anthem Artists (for past shows) and the casino itself (for future shows). The list is partial: 01/10/03 Foghat 01/17/03 Rita Coolidge 03/18/03 Alan King 03/27/03 Lou Rawls 04/28-29/03 Paul Rodriguez 06/26/03 Dionne Warwick (did SHE know that all of this would happen?) 08/14/0...

Meanwhile, Let's Get Back to Butt-Burning I meant to cover this but never got around to it. Ironically, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin never covered the story. But Channel 4 did: Teen Burned After Cell Phone Catches Fire Warning Recently Issued About Verizon Phones POSTED: 5:26 pm PDT July 1, 2004 UPDATED: 8:52 am PDT July 2, 2004 ONTARIO, Calif. -- A teenager was treated for minor burns Thursday after the cell phone in her back pocket caught on fire. The girl was on her way into the Ontario Center in Ontario when an individual noticed smoke coming from the girl's phone.... The girl was doused with a bucket of water, then treated for a minor first-degree blister and released.... The phone is a Verison Kyocera. Although its model number was burned off, Verizon said last month recall letters went out saying model 414 had overheating issues, the same as model TM510, a Verizon phone that has been the subject of 18 prior incidents. Verizon is offering to...

Supplemental on the Girlie Men Diners When I re-posted the Annie Jacobsen parody at Head in the Clouds , I posted some explanatory links which I'm reproducing here. Here is the link to Annie Jacobsen's original article . On June 29, 2004, at 12:28 p.m., I flew on Northwest Airlines flight #327 from Detroit to Los Angeles with my husband and our young son. Also on our flight were 14 Middle Eastern men between the ages of approximately 20 and 50 years old. What I experienced during that flight has caused me to question whether the United States of America can realistically uphold the civil liberties of every individual, even non-citizens, and protect its citizens from terrorist threats.... Here is the link to her second article . Here's Clinton W. Taylor's identification of the musicians . Well, I am nominally the "news director" for Stanford University's student radio station, KZSU, and I figured I'd help the Times out. There aren...

They Weren't Terrorists...They Weren't Desert Casino-Bound Musicians...They Were Girlie Men! Note from the E-ditors: You are about to read an account of what DIDN'T happen during a NON-EXISTENT restaurant visit by one of our writers, Ontario Emperor. The Empoblog Editorial Team debated long and hard about how to handle this information and ultimately we decided it was something that should be shared. What does it have to do with synthetica or NTN trivia? Nothing, and everything. Here is Ontario's story. (P.S. Who is Annie Jacobsen?) On July 21, 2004, at 7:37 p.m., I ate at the Denny's Restaurant in Guasti, California with my wife and our young daughter. Also in our restaurant were 14 Scandinavian men between the ages of approximately 20 and 50 years old. What I experienced during that meal has caused me to question whether the United States of America can realistically uphold the civil liberties of every individual, even non-citizens, and protect its citize...

"This Land" Shockwave Atom Films has published a Woody Guthrie-inspired song duel between George W. Bush and John Kerry entitled "This Land" . JibJab's blog is documenting the sudden popularity of "This Land." From July 12: In all the years we’ve been making these cartoons, we’ve never received a reaction like the one we got for “This Land”. On its first day, it did 3X the traffic we did with “Ahnuld for Governor” – and that one went all the way to Sundance! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. When you pass around these cartoons, you’re not only showing the people you know how cool and hip you are… you are also increasing the odds that our cartoon winds up in the inbox of an advertising executive with a gigantic budget looking to hire an animation studio… and that’s when we get PAID! From July 16: Did you ever see that TV commercial with the people gathered around the computer watching their website traffic go up and up? At fir...

Who Says That Democrats Are Socialists? They're good, honest, hard working capitalists, as you can see from this excerpt from www.sacramentogirliemen.com t-shirt sales site: $24 each. And 20% of proceeds will benefit the California Democratic Party, which as you may have noticed could use the help.

Political Correctness Changes Since 1999   On my recent vacation, I attended the Tournament of Kings show at the Excalibur Casino in Las Vegas. It's basically like any horse show (Dixie Stampede near Dollywood, Medieval Times near Knott's), but with a little more plot. Here's part of a 2001 review of the show: Families should take particular interest, since "Tournament of Kings" basically reverses the demographics of the other shows. The optimum audience for the clashing, bashing knights-in-the-round spectacle are boys ages 5 to 13. After that, you could throw in all males 14 to 50, since this age group possesses a uniform sense of humor and unwavering thirst for staged action in the World Wrestling Federation mold. Next come females ages 8 to 25, since the knights on horseback are certified hotties, some of them throwing around long Fabio-style tresses as easily as they hurl a javelin. Bryan Ludens, the guy who plays Prince Christopher, eve...

Coke Fiends on Military Bases a Security Threat? Perhaps you've heard the commercial in which a guy is building a bonfire in his front yard so that Coke will deliver his SUV to the right place. This commercial is part of Coke's "Unexpected Summer" promotion - and it has the military worried : For the promotion, Coke outfitted 120 random cans with built-in GPS cell phones. Buyers who find one of the cans can use the embedded phone to call and register for prizes....The military reportedly feels threatened by these phones, thinking they could be used as eavesdropping devices. Some military bases are banning Coke. Coke says it is impossible for the can to be an eavesdropping device.

Radio Killed the Luggage Tracking Star According to Slashdot and the New York Times, Delta Airlines will start using dispoable RFID tags to track luggage. This is seen as a cost-saving measure; the estimated $25 million investment may significantly reduce the $100 million per year that Delta spends in handling lost baggage.

You Have to Execute on Your Ideas I once had an idea for a TV show to air on public access cable, or perhaps on an independent TV station such as the ones Poorman (Jim Trenton) uses. In my concept, someone would get in a car and mount a camera on it. As the car drove around, the camera's images would be broadcast on TV. In my vision, the car would drive by burger joints on Friday nights, and Vitamin C fans and similar types would wave to the camera and shout profound thoughts ("Party!"). Well, a guy named Nick has executed on part of my idea. LA Avenue has a live cam which drives through Los Angeles, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and the like while Nick is working. There are slide shows that capture the more memorable moments.