American Idol's William Hung Found Dead of Heroin Overdose
Las Vegas, NV - Kitschy American Idol Star William Hung, famous for his botching of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" was found dead yesterday, apparently of an intentional heroin overdose. The announcement of his death sent shockwaves to the tens of people who still found him funny.
Why oh why can't stories like this be true?
Are there real fireworks displays every night in Boston this week? Otherwise, I think a small war may have broken out downtown Boston. Is this information posted anywhere? Freaked me out a bit last night, bothering me again tonight. I'd just like to know that the constant booms at midnight are part of the fun.
In the last hour I heard a barrage of about 10-15 bangs which were either M80s or gun shots and then a load of whistler bottle rockets going off. Is it me or is this possibly the dumbest thing you can do while the city is on super high alert with the DNC in town?
Technorati launched their new look today. Looks real nice. Also the BETA tag is finally gone. Congrats folks!
Also, they have launched politics.technorati.com to kick off political coverage starting with the DNC.
Google sets its IPO price range | CNET News.com
God damn! $108-$135 per share. Guess I won't be buying 100 shares (or even one).
Check out our new header graphic on Bostom Metroblogging!
Welcome DC.Metroblogging!
I'm headed to San Francisco again. I'll be there the first week of August. Sunday through either Thursday or Friday. Anything fun going on that week???
I was reading the article, Security Holes Sinking IE, in hardcopy last night and had to laugh at some of the comments from Microsoft:
Gary Schare, director of Windows security product management at Microsoft:
"In the end, it's up to the customer to not install any ActiveX control that they come across. [IE] does a good job of warning users,"
If it does such a good job, why do people end up with all this spyware on their machine? I recently saw a laptop with over 900 hits on a spyware/adware removal program. These did not come from software they just installed. Come on now.
Also from Mr. Schare:
"Where you run into problems is with sites accessing controls and using them in ways they weren't designed to be used."
I almost fell off my bed laughing at that one. Well, DUH! That is why when you write code, you put in checks to make sure that the functions ARE being used for what they are supposed to be being used for.
It's funny. In my previous job, I wrote ALOT of code. Mostly web applications with database backends, etc. Well, I never did checks on the data coming in and it caused all sorts of issues. Finally, we got a QA team (this was all internal apps, not something we were selling, so we didn't need a QA team at first). And the QA folks started doing things they weren't supposed to and would put in bugs. I would say, you aren't supposed to do that, so it's not a bug. But really, it is. If you aren't doing checks on the data coming in and how things are being used, you never know what can happen. So, I started putting checks on data. And have ever since. It makes programming much less of a nightmare.
So, why am I saying this? Well, at the time I was doing all that bad programming, I was about a year past my first program. And once I learned my lesson, I stuck to it ever since. Well, don't you think pretty much EVERY programmer at MS has more than a year of coding experience? If so, shouldn't they have figured this out by now?
I noticed yesterday that Slashdot's RSS feed was no longer truncating entires. I thought this was great. But, they still didn't get it right. So, even though the full entry is there, none of the links in the body are. So, if I wanted to see what they were linking to, I still need to go to their site. Fix this please :)
I want want want on of the new Apple iPods. Someone buy me a 40G one for my bday!
SITE SPECIFIC www.metroblogging.com
Metroblogging.com got some press! I write for the Boston version of this site. Lots of good stuff being posted by a bunch of locals. I'm even learning some cool stuff about the city I've dwelled in for 11 years. Check us out!
Yes, I am on a bit of an old school metal kick lately. Hearing all the reports from Ozzfest yesterday got me thinking about Slayer, so I threw some in my bag last night.
Cops: Stoned Student Steals Car From LGA, Gets Lost In Conn.
Now all you kids out there, learn your lesson here. When you are doing hallucinogenic drugs, sit at home, with some sober friends making sure you don't do anything TOO stupid. Watch Fantasia or something :)
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
United States Senate
July 8, 2004
S7823
TRIBUTE TO PHISH
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, on August 15 in Coventry, VT, a beloved chapter in American music history will come to a close as the jam band Phish holds its final concert for legions of devoted ''phans'' and ''Phish-heads.'' We in Vermont are well known for our superb maple syrup, our wonderful ice cream, our award-winning cheese and our beautiful scenery, but after 21 remarkable years, the jam band Phish has certainly become one of our most famous exports.
The four musicians of Phish-Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Page O'Connell, and Jon Fishman-met and started playing together as undergraduates at the University of Vermont in the early 1980s. The band quickly moved beyond its humble beginnings in a dormitory basement to playing a small nightclub in Burlington called Nectar's. While they toured for 5 years before releasing any commercial albums, the buzz around the band spread as their striking melodies and lively jam sessions endeared them to a growing legion of fans.
Phish released its first commercial album, Junta, in 1989. Since then, the band has put out more than 35 studio and live albums that have sold millions of copies. They have more than 200 original songs, and many of the songs die-hards love most were never recorded in the studio.
But the magic of Phish is not as much in its studio recordings as it is in its live performances. In an era when slick marketing techniques often overshadow the musical accomplishments of the artists themselves, this talented band from Vermont has provided a refreshing contrast by promoting free spiritedness and individuality in their music.
The band has always been unconcerned about releasing catchy singles and making millions of dollars from record sales. Instead they play long jams-oftentimes with songs lasting 30 minutes or longer-and tour year-round. Bucking a trend in the industry, they even encouraged people to
tape their shows for free and trade them on the Internet. For the members of Phish, it really is all about their music and their fans.
Every night on stage is a new and different showcase for the talents of the versatile and endlessly creative band members. Whether they are playing electric guitars, keyboards, drums, or vacuum cleaners, Phish's improvisational talent has never disappointed. Many fans-often referred to as ''Phish-heads''-follow the band from concert to concert living off veggie burritos, grilled cheese sandwiches and the charity of others.
Through it all, Phish has always considered Vermont home. In a tribute to their Burlington roots, the band's first album produced with a major record company was titled A Picture of Nectar. And the band's share of proceeds from sales of the popular ''Phish Food'' Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavor goes directly toward environmental projects in Vermont's Lake Champlain Watershed. Now, as they prepare for their final show in Vermont, it is appropriate that they finish where they started.
Though Phish has sold millions of albums and become a huge success, in spirit they remain a group that is unpretentious and unfailingly loyal to their fans. Their admirable generosity has fostered a sense of community among those who follow the group. The band's break-up is a source of sadness to all of us who know and love them.
I congratulate Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Jon Fishman and Page O'Connell on their remarkable success. I am grateful for all they have done for Vermont, for American music, and for their fans. Most importantly, we sincerely appreciate their authenticity, their enthusiasm and their generosity.
While no one wants to see Phish stop playing after this summer, we can all take some solace that their music will live on, in these words from their song, ''Down With Disease.''
Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way.
But when I think it's time to leave it all behind,
I try to find a way, but there's nothing I can say to make it stop.
I've gotten my coming in before 9 streak up to 7 days. For anyone who knows me, this is close to the level of a miracle. I do have to say, I love getting home early and actualy having an afternoon to deal with the rest of my life.
Jeremy points out that the "Brad Bug" is a known issue over a Yahoo. Good to hear. It freaked me out a bit last night.
The Red Sox would be in first place right now had they swept both the Yankees and the Braves. Instead, they were swept by the Yankees and lost 2 of 3 to the Braves. I'm trying not to post the long bitching post about the Sox, but its getting more and more difficult.
So, I set up a RSS feed for a Yahoo search for Skadberg to see if somehow my name ever gets mentioned in the news. Well, this morning, I found this article saying:
"The Rhythm and Blues Serenade" with Frank Gengaro and Gordon Skadberg, 4-6 p.m. Sundays on WRHU (88.7 FM), marks its 14th anniversary this weekend.
Gordon is my uncle. It amazes me his show has been on the air that long. So, happy anniversary! Very strange seeing your family in the Daily News.
