I finished a new home video: Emma 3 1/2, and I've added it to my youtube.com videos. Or, if you want a higher quality version, you can download this file (Requires Quicktime 7).

On Brendon's recommendation I've been using QuickSilver, a powerful keyboard-based launcher for the Mac. Once you've programmed some commands, you just hit the hot key to bring up QS, start typing in the command and it will auto-complete you command after a few keystrokes. Hit enter and you launch the app or whatever it is you programmed. You can make it do just about anything. I've set it up to connect to the brendoman.com command line interface so I can start making website changes quickly.

But I still use a PC part of the time, so I went looking for a similar program for Windows. Thanks to Leslie S. Russell, I was able to find PC-Com.

PC-Com was created by Boletrice Software and it works about like QuickSilver. Bring up PC-Com with a hot-key, start typing a command and press enter when the auto-complete is showing the right command. Three steps, your hands never leave the keyboard and you can do just about anything. You can launch programs, open web pages and files and search the web in various ways. It also has something that QS doesn't have: macros. You can record a complex set of mouse and keyboard actions, then play it back at an accelerated speed with a single PC-Com keyword. There is a free version available for download (limited to 100 keywords) and a pro version for $10. The keyboard is still the fasted way to interact with your computer, and PC-Com is the tool you need to be able to more with your keyboard.

Michael D. Brown - Wikipedia

First some disclaimers: Mike Brown didn't cause the hurricane. And no, FEMA is not the only agency responsible for helping disaster victims. (But with a disaster of this size, stat and local resources get tapped pretty quickly.) Ok, no let's look at some interesting facts from the Wikipedia article.

Before joining DHS/FEMA, Brown was Judges and Stewards Commissioner for the International Arabian Horse Association (IAHA) from 1989-2001, a position from which he was forced to resign after an onslaught of lawsuits over disciplinary actions.

The IAHA was in such dire financial straits that they were forced to merge with another horse-type organization.

After President Bush entered office in January 2001, Brown joined FEMA as General Counsel. He was hired by his old friend and college roommate, then-FEMA director Joe Allbaugh[7], who also ran George W Bush's election campaign in 2000.

So Allbaugh got the job because he helped run the 2000 campaign and Brown got hired into FEMA because he was a pal of Allbaugh's.

On September 1, 2005, Mike Brown told Paula Zahn of CNN that he was unaware that New Orleans officials had housed thousands of evacuees in the Convention Center.

From what I understand, the Convention Center and the people housed there had been all over the news for about 24 hours by this point.

In January 2005, U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler publicly urged President Bush to fire Brown, citing reports that FEMA disbursed $30 million in disaster relief funds for Hurricane Frances to residents of Miami, Florida, a city which was not affected by the hurricane. Brown admitted to $12 million in overpayments, but denied any serious mistakes, blaming a computer glitch.

Perhaps the shortfalls in FEMA aid are part of a larger pattern. You know, the kind of pattern that you get when you appoint an incompetent horse judger as the Undersecretary of Homeland Security.

I just finished listening to the latest episode of Le Show with Harry Shearer. He has recorded the show in New Orleans several times over the last year, so I knew he was going to have a lot to say about the hurricane. It wasn't what I expected, though. Railing on the Bush administration is a normal part of the show, but there wasn't one word about that. There was no blame, no outrage, not really even any sadness. It was a whole show celebrating the culture of the city. This was a refreshing surprise. The episode features several songs from the city (which is surprising again, because the podcast edition of the show usually cuts out the music, but not this time). Here's a direct link to the mp3 file, and here's the feed if you want to subscribe to the podcast.

As much as I hate to admit it, I am often a follower. So, as I read Dave and Kyle's posts about the horrible songs in 1998, I felt I just had to reciprocate with a horrible music post of my own, but with a twist: I actually like this artist(s).

The other day, I was watching Behind the Music: George Michael (I know, gag), and it made me remember how much I loved him when I was in Jr. High. I loved WHAM! (where is that other guy, anyway?)and even convinced my parents to listen to "Faith" in the car. (They liked a little known song called "Kissing a Fool" because it had a jazzy feel...OMG, I can't believe I am reviewing a George Michael album. I also can't believe I said OMG.)

Anyway, I downloaded some of my favorite songs and am currently reminiscing about the days before teen angst and Eddie Vedder set in. Times were so much simpler when the hardest question to answer was, "Who is your favorite New Kid?" (Mine was Jordan.)

There you go, boys. Someone with relatively good taste in music extolling the virtues of 80's pop. If you were brave, you'd admit the horrible songs you liked, too.

Try a Mac Mini free for 30 days - If you've been wanting to try a Mac, this might be a good time. Buy a Mac Mini from the Apple Store and use it for 30 days with your monitor, keyboard and mouse. If you decide to go back to your PC, you can send it back and Apple will give you a refund. The only cost you'll have is the return shipping. That's a pretty cheap way to test drive a new computer. The Mini's tiny form factor and pretty design are nice, but the best part of a Mac is the operating system: OS X. It's more secure than Windows. I'm not using anti-virus software, anti-spyware software or anti-adware software. I haven't had one problem. Surfing gunk free with a PC takes a lot more work. It's also nice to buy a computer that actually comes with useful software. The iLife suite, which comes on all new Macs, includes iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD and Garage Band. You can have some fun with that stuff. But you don't have to take my word for it, grab one and try it for 30 days.

(via Digg.com)

Kaleidoscope Painter - For those of you who have run out of interesting ways to waste time.

Sara and I went to see The 40 Year Old Virgin last night. If you're someone who is easily offended, you may not want to see this movie. Ok, let me rephrase that. If you've ever been offended in your life, just steer clear of this movie. It's quite crass. That said, Sara and I laughed through most of the movie. We laughed hard. It's a very fun movie. We're fans of Steve Carell's work on The Daily Show and The Office and I'm glad to see him in the lead of a major motion picture. It looks like he's got a few more projects already under production. And the second season of The Office will begin soon.

Subtly Simpsons is a good collection of quotes from the Simpsons. Here are some of my favorites.

Homer: Trying is the first step towards failure.

Homer: Weasling out of work is important to learn; it is what separates humans from animals. Except for weasels.

Jebediah: [on film] A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.
Edna: Embiggens? I never heard that word before I moved to Springfield
Ms.Hoover: I don't know why. It's a perfectly cromulent word.

Faith: Lisa, I'm Faith Crowley, Patriotism Editor of Reading Digest.
Homer: Oh, I love your magazine. My favourite section is How to increase your word power. That thing is really, really... good.

Milhouse, on falling in love: It was just like Romeo and Juliet, only it ended in tragedy.

Teen1: Oh, here comes that cannonball guy. He's cool.
Teen2: Are you being sarcastic, dude?
Teen1: I don't even know anymore.

Principal Skinner: Mr. Burns, what is the secret to your success?
Mr. Burns: Family, religion, friends... these are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business.

Homer: And what if we picked the wrong religion? Every week, we're just making God madder and madder!

Also, apparently a bunch of the Simpsons writers are Harvard grads, so the show is littered with Harvard references.

I put iTunes on Party Shuffle, and these are the first ten songs that came up.

1. Hithhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Episode 9 - Douglas Adams
2. Women and Men - They Might Be Giants
3. Not Even Jail - Interpol
4. Awake My Soul - Derek Webb
5. Arc of Time(Timecode) - Bright Eyes
6. Beautiful People - Rusted Root
7. Love My Way - The Psychedelic Furs
8. Steve Wozniak, Part 2 - IT Conversations
9. Clementine - Elliot Smith
10. Extra Savoir-Faire - They Might Be Giants

(idea from Brendoman)