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OK, For the LAST TIME, Israel Needs to CHILL.


by ThePete 1:14 am 2009-01-06
Categories In TheNews, ThePete.Com, TheWars | Tags , , , , , | $ |
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Read the latest as of this blog post at CNN.com here.

So, here’s the deal.

I’ve been writing about this shit going on in Israelistine, or Palestisrael (which ever you prefer), for many, many years. So, let me break it down to the simplest terms I can think of:

Israel can bring peace if they want to.

That’s it. Now, please, consider the following:

1) Is Hamas, or anyone in the occupied territories a real threat to Israel? Or are they just a bunch of pissed off people with crappy, unreliable weapons.

No and yes.

2) Did Hamas even exist before Israel occupied the occupied territories?

No.

So, doesn’t that mean Israel is the root cause of this strife?

Let’s keep going:

3) No one ever asks the question: What does Israel want by occupying these chunks of land?

Jerusalem? They have it. Now what are they doing with all of those Palestinians?

3) Does anyone really think pounding a house, a mosque, or even a neighborhood with weapons like the kinds Israel can afford will do anything but make people hate them more?

Terrorism is the result (generally) of a person or people feeling they have no other options–they have no voice, no control and think hurting people or destroying things is the only thing they can do. Keep reacting that way and you’ll never stamp out terrorists–but you will create dozens more.

In fact, some might see the Israeli government’s actions as part of a terrorist-making machine. In fact, if I were a corrupt leader who was more interested in keeping my citizens rallied behind me and less with their well-being, I’d say “kudos” to the Israeli government for doing what the Nazis did by giving the citizenry a unified enemy to always be afraid of. Well done!

So, in the end, who has the real power to create peace here?

The Palestinian terrorists who keep shooting their useless little rockets into Israel killing almost no one? Or the big guys with the undisclosed nuke program?

Israel can take her lumps–that’s all they’ll ever be. Hamas and anyone else in the occupied territories have limited resources. They’ll never be a formidable foe or threat to Israel. So, the violence stops when the government of Israel stops acting like an abusive parent and starts acting like a civilized governing body. They need to treat the handful of terrorists in the territories as criminals because that’s what they are.

When hundreds are killed in the name of stopping a handful, you have to wonder: who is worse?

by ThePete 1:14 am 2009-01-06 Categories In TheNews, ThePete.Com, TheWars | Tags , , , , , | $ |

FAO Schwartz Needs Help With Their Website


by ThePete 1:36 pm 2009-01-05
Categories ThePete.Com | $ |
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First, they leave up a price for their DIY Muppets that is fully $50 cheaper than it is in the store (it's still at the wrong price, see for yourself: http://is.gd/eClY ) and now, when I log into the FAO Schwartz website to check on the status of my own Muppet order I see that they think my name is "null".  "Welcome back, null!" the site tells me.  Clearly, the system is not able to pull my name from the order I placed a couple weeks back.  When I check my account profile it's completely blank, despite all of my shipping and billing address info being accurate on the recent orders page.  Ah well. I guess even incompetent people need jobs.

Posted via email from thepete’s posterous

by ThePete 1:36 pm 2009-01-05 Categories ThePete.Com | $ |

The 14st Apple Store


by ThePete 6:16 pm 2009-01-04
Categories ThePete.Com | $ |
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The 14st Apple Store, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Of COURSE, it has to look like that on the outside. They couldn’t just
rely on a *sign*.

by ThePete 6:16 pm 2009-01-04 Categories ThePete.Com | $ |

ThePete’s iPhone Suggestions


by ThePete 4:32 am 2009-01-04
Categories TheTech.ThePete.Com | $ |
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So, TheWife and my friend Tim both picked up new iPhones this holiday season and both asked me what apps I recommended.  Well, to be specific, TheWife asked me first, then Tim asked me, so when I typed up the reply email to Tim, I was already prepared with a few suggestions. So, here is the reply email I sent Tim when he asked me which App Store apps I recommend, short of jailbreaking:

No.

There are none.

Jailbreaking is the only way to go.

Hell awaits if you do not.

:P

Uhhhhhhhmmmmmm….

iTalk for recording, though you can't get the recordings off without buying the full version.

Pandora

Evernote

NYTimes

BBCReader

Mobile News

Wikiamo

Shakespeare

Currently using both Nimbuzz and Fring for Skype/IM stuff, can't decide which is better.

I like Palringo for IMing because it has a voice feature that I haven't been able to test with anyone yet.  I've only sent voice messages not received any, so I don't know how practical it is.  Plus, I can't really tell when it logs you off.  That's the problem with IM on the iPhone, in general. You just can't tell when it disconnects you, so you may be offline for a day and not know.  As a result, I am never online.  This is one way I really miss my Sidekick.

Pinger Phone seems interesting, but since I haven't gotten a new data plan on my iPhone it's hard to test it.

If you use Netflix, I recommend PhoneFlix

Joost seems pretty cool for watching TV shows (if you can find any you like in their library)

Google Earth is a blast.

Rulla is a neat little message scroller for, uh, no real practical use that I've found yet.

Brain Lantern is a fun app for ogling chicks (or anything else you want to look at pictures of) on Yahoo Images.

Lightsaber (duh)

GPS Tracker allows you to track your movements–you need an account, which I keep forgetting to get, so I haven't tested it yet.  Sounds cool though.

iWant is great for finding services in your area–like restaurants, cafes, etc.

There are also iPhone versions of websites I recommend–you can create shortcuts to them on your iPhone by clicking the "+" in Safari and then tapping "add to home screen".

I like WeatherUnderground.com's iPhone page at http://i.wund.com

m.cnn.com I prefer over the full CNN.com  getdropbox.com/iphone is great for accessing stuff on your home computer while you're out.  You have to have a dropbox account first, though–which I recommend, too.

krypton.durgle.com is a great free SMS sending service that allows you to text people for free.  Very cool.

Of course, there's a stack more stuff I could suggest if you wanted to jailbreak, but first you should find the limitations of your iPhone on your own.  If you can't find any, you probably don't need to bother jailbreaking.

Personally, shooting video was a must and now I can shoot and even stream video live.  Pretty sweet.  Aside from that, you can skin your UI, add an extra icon to your dock, make apps run in the background that wouldn't normally run in the background, access your SSD from Finder (there's a MobileFinder for the iPhone).  You can also fake Fring into thinking that you're on wifi when you're not so you can make Skype calls without using cell phone minutes.  It's amazing what technology can do when you don't have someone intentionally limiting what it can do. :)  But again, see how it works for you and you may or may not see the need to JB.  Feel free to ask if you have any questions.  I'll try to help if I can.

…

I should also mention that, for the Japan-o-phile (like me), you can check out the following reasonably inexpensive apps:

Hiragana (from Evil Boss)
Katakana (from Evil Boss)
Kanji Flip
Japanese Flip

Also, Tim doesn't Twitter, but to my wife and to anyone who does Twitter, I recommend using both TwitterFon and NatsuLion. Since Twitter's API is annoyingly ungenerous, it's a good idea to have more than one Twitter client on your iPhone.  See, as I understand it, Twitter only allows each client to access it's site 100 times per hour–that's not 100 times for YOUR client, it's 100 times for everyone who uses that client, combined.  Yeah, stupid.  So, having more than one client on your iPhone is a good safeguard.  However, even then sometimes both max out.  Makes you wonder why we put up with it.

I'll have to do another post soon about my jailbreaking exploits on the iPhone 3G, not to mention my "fun" unlocking the iPhone.  It's nice to see that "T-Mobile" up in the corner there, but it'd be even nicer if they had a data-only plan that I could use–but more on that later.

by ThePete 4:32 am 2009-01-04 Categories TheTech.ThePete.Com | $ |

My new look (either I’m a Russian ninja or damn it’s cold!


by ThePete 10:14 pm 2008-12-31
Categories ThePete.Com | $ |
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It’s COLD!

by ThePete 10:14 pm 2008-12-31 Categories ThePete.Com | $ |

Condi sez: soon we’ll thank Bush. She’s right…


by ThePete 7:44 pm 2008-12-29
Categories El Archivos del Arbusto, In TheNews, Politricks, ThePete.Com | Tags , , , , , | $ |
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Oh yeah, soon, we’ll be thanking Bush all right…FOR LEAVING!

DON’T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU ON THE WAY OUT, GEORGIE!

I’ll also be thanking him for not conjuring up some bullshit excuse
for him staying in the White House past Jan. 20. Of course, I would
have thanked Congress for doing their job and impeaching this lying
criminal, too, but they didn’t do that.

Check out the article the above screengrab comes from here:
www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/28/rice.administration/index.html

by ThePete 7:44 pm 2008-12-29 Categories El Archivos del Arbusto, In TheNews, Politricks, ThePete.Com | Tags , , , , , | $ |

@siskita puts the star on the tree!


by ThePete 5:35 pm 2008-12-25
Categories ThePete.Com | $ |
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Our Christmas is tomorrow so today is Christmas eve stuff. Here’s
Sierra putting the star on my mom and step-dad’s tree. My brother and
niece are coming in tonight. It’s TheNiece’s 2nd Christmas ever.
Expect a Flickrset. Maybe two.

by ThePete 5:35 pm 2008-12-25 Categories ThePete.Com | $ |

After the snow had frozen in NYC pt3 (nature is cool edition)


by ThePete 1:21 am 2008-12-25
Categories ThePete.Com | $ |
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This is another shot outside the A train station at 190th street. To me
there is something so cool about how nature works. The snow melting and
dribbling over icicles under the power of gravity is just neat to me.
I’m a nerd, I guess :)

Lame thing about this pic is that you don’t get a sense of scale. Ah
well.

by ThePete 1:21 am 2008-12-25 Categories ThePete.Com | $ |

After the snow had frozen in NYC pt2 (family edition)


by ThePete 1:17 am 2008-12-25
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This is also on the way to the A train last Saturday on our way to
Ikea. If you look closely you can see a dad dragging his kid on a sled
over the snow covering the sidewalk. It was that kind of Saturday
afternoon. :)

by ThePete 1:17 am 2008-12-25 Categories ThePete.Com | $ |

After the snow had frozen in NYC pt1


by ThePete 1:15 am 2008-12-25
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This was the view on our way to the subway. We weren’t thinking about
anything but going to Ikea when we saw how pretty everything looked with
a day-or-two-old blanket of snow on it.

by ThePete 1:15 am 2008-12-25 Categories ThePete.Com | $ |

Sitting at the gate in JFK enjoying a can of Crayons.


by ThePete 5:01 pm 2008-12-24
Categories ThePete.Com | $ |
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Siskita and I just stuffed ourselves with $9 salads (!) and now I’m
drinking "all natural Crayons fruit juice drink". O_O It tastes somehow
both tart and watered down at the same time. Not undrinkable and I
really like tart.

Tastes nothing like Crayons, though…

The salad was surprisingly good.

by ThePete 5:01 pm 2008-12-24 Categories ThePete.Com | $ |

Holy Bad Movie Music! I Have the Sheet Music to “Hooray for Santy Claus”


by ThePete 1:23 am 2008-12-22
Categories ThePete.Com, ThePetePics | Tags , , , , , | $ |
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Believe it or not, a few hours ago I was sitting in the lobby of the famous Algonquin hotel taking part in a sing-a-long of this song with about thirty other adults who had never heard the song before.

For those not in the know, this is the theme song to "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" and it’s one of the cheesier Christmas songs ever. The movie it’s from was featured on MST3K.

Now if I could only get a copy of "Let’s Have a Patrick Swayze Christmas."

by ThePete 1:23 am 2008-12-22 Categories ThePete.Com, ThePetePics | Tags , , , , , | $ |

Pic of My “Chicken Pox” (Thanks, Keith!)


by ThePete 4:23 am 2008-12-21
Categories ThePete.Com | $ |
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Just got back from my friend Keith’s Christmas party where he gave
everyone diseases or viruses–in plush form! There’s a whole line of
stuffed sicknesses. Keith gave me chicken pox! But I’ve already HAD
it! Plus I wanted ebola :( But it’s cool. As you can see, chicken pox
is kind of adorable.

by ThePete 4:23 am 2008-12-21 Categories ThePete.Com | $ |

Finally out of the apartment and it’s all fracking slush.


by ThePete 5:26 pm 2008-12-19
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Ah well, snow is snow, right?

by ThePete 5:26 pm 2008-12-19 Categories ThePete.Com | $ |

ORGUSS (1983) (anime)


by ThePete 1:45 pm 2008-12-19
Categories Anime, PocketReviews.Net, Rare Finds, Reviews | Tags , , , , , , | $ |
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It’s Friday once again and that means a review of some random anime I’ve watched recently. This week is the latest in a loooong line of Macross-related series. It’s full title is Super Dimensional Century Orguss and was the second part of the “Super Dimensional” series released back in the early 1980s, which started with Super Dimensional Fortress MacrossSuper Dimensional Cavalry Southern Cross.


Sadly, Orguss is not available
on DVD in the US.

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Overwhelmingly so! I’ve watched a LOT of anime that has come out of the 1970s and 1980s and Orguss is, by far, the most imaginative and fun of any of the series. In some ways I like it more than my all-time favorite of that time period Gatchaman.

Technically any good? While the animation does look like it came out of the early 1980s, it’s about a thousand times more consistent than it is on Macross and Southern Cross. The character designs are gorgeous and the mecha designs are really great. While I didn’t care for any specific mecha, the sheer number of designs the story required was impressive. What’s even more impressive is that the mecha are so different. You can recognize the style of the design as being from a particular country. It’s really well done.

The acting is fine, though a bit melodramatic in spots. The story is pretty solid and does a nice job of getting you hooked after just the first episode or two. Most importantly, the characters in this story actually evolve. While you may have been rolling your eyes at Minmei’s never-ending selfishness in the original Macross the characters of Orguss grow, change and become new, more interesting characters as the 35 episodes of the series pass by.

The only thing I had trouble with were the cultural issues. Character names and references to gender and sex were a little dated and a little annoying. However, as with most good anime, the series lets men and women occupy interchangeable roles of importance. Orguss doesn’t say women can’t do things. If anything, it says that all humans kind of suck (though the good humans do often do the right thing when it really matters).

How did it leave me feeling? Sadly, the series ends with a semi-classic “What the hell?” ending that is far too common in anime. However, the over all series is an immensely satisfying, well-written, character-driven, scifi epic, space opera set on Earth (sort of).

Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now! Of course, it’s not on DVD. So you can’t. But if you do find a copy, and enjoy great scifi and/or 1980s anime, you really need to see this. It’s really a blast. The sequel series Orguss 02 is available on DVD, but I have yet to watch it. I’d start in order in order since Orguss 02 seems to directly reference events in the original series. :)

SPOILER: Usually I don’t include story descriptions of things I review, in my pocket reviews, but I think since most people have never heard of Orguss before I should. So, if you just don’t want to know what this show is about, don’t read the following:

Premise: On an Earth plagued by spacial and temporal dimensional fractures, Orguss is the god of war in a culture that one of the crew members aboard the Glomar, a caravan of hippie-free-marketeers (!) who take in a human from another reality who may be the key to returning the dimensionally fractured Earth back to normal.

by ThePete 1:45 pm 2008-12-19 Categories Anime, PocketReviews.Net, Rare Finds, Reviews | Tags , , , , , , | $ |

Satellite map over NYC right now


by ThePete 11:57 am 2008-12-19
Categories ThePete.Com | $ |
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Satellite map over NYC right now, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Yikes! Now, I had been planning to go grocery shopping today, but
perhaps I should go shopping for boots, instead.

The forecast says it’s going to snow all weekend. If they’re right
this could be downright insane. Then again I haven’t seen real
snowfall in person since the early 1990s, so the insane-bar is set
fairly low.

Makes me glad I don’t have a driveway, though!

by ThePete 11:57 am 2008-12-19 Categories ThePete.Com | $ |

Holy Crap, What IS That White Stuff??


by ThePete 11:45 am 2008-12-19
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A California cat’s first look at snow. Seconds after this shot he was
ready to leave the sill. Zaphod seemed fascinated for a few seconds
but then started giving me the "Dad, I don’t wanna pose for your
LOLCats pic!" look. Ecks, his older brother, was even less interested.
I guess without birds, window sitting just isn’t as fun!

by ThePete 11:45 am 2008-12-19 Categories ThePete.Com | $ |

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree 2008


by ThePete 4:52 pm 2008-12-18
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This shot is for my mom.

by ThePete 4:52 pm 2008-12-18 Categories ThePete.Com | $ |

Everyone must wash hands


by ThePete 3:30 am 2008-12-18
Categories ThePete.Com | $ |
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Everyone must wash hands, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Too true…

by ThePete 3:30 am 2008-12-18 Categories ThePete.Com | $ |

Radio City in December


by ThePete 9:52 pm 2008-12-17
Categories ThePete.Com | $ |
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Radio City in December, originally uploaded by thepetecom.

Classic image :)

by ThePete 9:52 pm 2008-12-17 Categories ThePete.Com | $ |