Oldbie.org

A really interesting post at the Supersonicsoul blog about the predicament with the 'Sonics, specifically in reference to team being, more or less, extorted into renovating KeyArena. Pete Nussbaum writes:

The argument these stadiums/teams produce economic benefits is provably false, so the only argument can be that we as fans want others to pay for our fun. Sorry, folks, but I won’t play that game, because that makes us no better than Bennett, Schultz, Stern, and all of their ilk – and, in fact, makes us co-conspirators in an extortion scheme. Thanks, but I’ll pass.

I spent a few years living in nearby Greensboro, and managed to catch the minor league baseball team in action a few times. The Grasshoppers (previously the Bats, a much cleverer name, if you ask me) played at the World War Memorial Stadium, which was built in 1926. It was a grand old ball park, and I loved the ambience.

The team didn't dig their duds, though, and in a bid to qualify for double-A status, they pushed for a new stadium. And Greensboro gave it to them. At a cost of around $21.5 million. A downtown ballpark would boost foot traffic, revitalize the city center, etc.

The KeyArena is unique in that it is one of the few publicly funded sports venues that actually supports itself with revenue. If the NBA gets its way, however, the city of Seattle will need to pony up about $180 million in renovations or they'll lose their basketball team. There's no way that a sports arena can recoup those costs.

That is, of course, where the Seattle and Washington taxpayers will come in. If, like Greensboro decided, they vote to foot the bill, then their tax money will be funnelled into a stadium that has no chance of ever returning their investment.

Sports investors have really discovered a fine racket here, don't you think? Maybe one day people will realize it. I love sports as much as the next guy, but I'll be rooting for my childrens' school systems and new sidewalks and whatnot over wireless internet for Ray Allen. He's got an $80 million contract. He can foot the fucking bill.

Posted by Michael Harrison at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I opened Gmail this morning and before purging my spam folder, I somehow noticed, amongst the fluff, a name that I recognized.

Seems that Australian YA author Garth Nix is now in the spamming business... or spammers are using unique author names to get people to click on their crud.

Click here for the full-size.

Posted by Michael Harrison at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love the iPod. Its sleek design, its shiny and unbelievably vivid color display. Just looking at the marvel of consumer technology sends me into daydreams: caressing the clickwheel, my thumb ever-so-gently navigating through 30 gigabytes of music and movies and photographs, rocking out to Belle and Sebastian, showing off home movies and snapshots of our vacation to England...

Such a shame, then, that I'm afraid to actually touch the thing.

My first iPod, a 20-gigabyte 4G, didn't get iSkinned for about three months. By the time I covered it in a warm and protective silicon womb, it was battered and dented. The metal back was scratched beyond recognition.

When that iPod died, about eleven months later, I got a replacement, and was waiting at the mailbox with a protective case. As soon as the package arrived, I opened it, and, carefully, without touching the iPod, slid it into its new home. I didn't want to mar it with the oils from my own skin; fingerprints make both the plastic and metal casings look like crap.

Now, I've got a 5G. It's beautiful and black and has 10 extra gigabytes, can play video, display photos, etc. And, yes, Jonathan Ive's gorgeous industrial design is pleasant on the eyes. But it really inspires a sense of despair and panic whenever you want to actually use the thing. I mean, what if you scratched it? What if your carefully-chosen personalized inscription chipped off? So many things running through my head, I'm afraid to skip a song or turn up the volume, lest I damage the clickwheel.

Apple has a great image. Sometimes I wish they'd sacrifice a teeny-weeny bit of it, though, for some workhorse function. It doesn't have to be coated in yellow-and-black protective rubber or anything. I'd like to be able to put it in my damned pocket, though, without fear that it will be scratched by the lint therein.

That's all.

Posted by Michael Harrison at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As a follow-up to my heartwarming tale of the $500 MacBook, I am sad to say that the online Apple Store has failed me.

I mentioned in that post that the MacBook was slated to arrive a few days after we left for vacation. So, as I hinted, I was toying with the idea of upgrading the shipping so I could have it in my hands before then, and take it with me to the beach. So I did this, with relative ease. I tried to cancel the order and just pick it up, in-store, but that would have nullified the iPod rebate.

So, this morning, I get a lovely little note in my inbox about how the drop date has been pushed back a week. The MacBook-That-Will-Be-Mine is now leaving Shanghai or wherever next Monday, the 17th, and won't arrive 'til next Wednesday or Thursday.

Ugh. So, again, I called around, trying to figure out how the hell I can get my damned computer before we head out for a week. No dice. They'll still trash the rebate if the notebook and iPod aren't on the same ticket, and I found out today that the Apple Store at Southpoint Mall charges about $100 more for RAM upgrades than they do online (makes sense; they custom-built them in China, whereas they'll have to pay the entire Genius Bar at the Apple Store here an actual living wage to install new RAM).

Anyway, I just called and changed the shipping address. The MacBook, disasters and hurricanes and the like not withstanding, will arrive on Topsail Island some time during vacation next week. I suppose that will do.

Posted by Michael Harrison at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I had a dream that Liam came early, and I wasn't witness to the birth. The murky quality of my dreams tends to obscure specifics, and last night was no exception. For some inexplicable reason, I was stuck visiting a friend (who, in real life, is one of my most vile enemies, which is odd) and Natania had to phone me from the hospital and tell me that everything was fine.

This is so antithetical to my vision of the birth that I woke feeling somewhat glum. I had missed the arrival of my firstborn, an event that would only occur once in any man's life.

Luckily (though the primigravida herself may disagree) Natania was beside me, and her belly was proof that, at 34 weeks, our son is still nestled snug in his womb.

Next Sunday, we're leaving for a week, heading to the coast. I'm hoping we aren't forced to deliver in a foreign hospital, without our midwife. I have to remind myself that we'll be in Wilmington, and not Timbuktu; the medical facilities aren't third world, just somewhat alien.

I predict that we'll meet Liam a week earlier than predicted, sometime around the first week of August. Currently we're taking bets. Any takers?

Posted by Michael Harrison at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm very excited about my new toy, which we ordered online last night after a failed attempt at reaching the Apple Store before closing. Here's how it works: Natania's dad needs a notebook, so we're selling him my G4 iBook for $800. I'm taking that money and putting it toward the MacBook, and then giving my folks my PC. Everyone wins. I even got a free iPod rebate out of the deal, so now I guess I can watch videos on a fancy new gadget. Sometimes I'm ashamed at how much I love new gadgets, but to be honest, we're doing really well, we're putting money away at a nice rate, and thanks to the high resell value of the iBooks, I'm only spending about $500. Easy peasy.

The MacBook is slated to arrive on the 17th, which is two days after we leave for our annual beach vacation at Topsail Island. So much for 5 day shipping. I'm tempted to upgrade the shipping, just so I can have it in my hands before we leave Chapel Hill.

(Warning: To my LiveJournal friends, I'm testing a new method of updating the blog which should echo content from the oldbie site straight into LJ. Feel free to jettison one or the other feeds if you're getting doubles. I realized I missed LJ comments, and it's worth the extra effort. Plus I can lock some posts here every now and again if I feel the need.)

Posted by Michael Harrison at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)