Jim Roepcke's weblog have browser, will travel (est. 1999)

PMC Software Auctions await your bid!

Seth Dillingham: All PMC Software Auctions Are Live

Seth's sweet software auctions (all really incredibly good deals) are all live on eBay now! Unfortunately I already have licenses for all of the apps there that I want to use, and my discretionary budget went out the window with the table tennis table, so I won't be bidding, but if you'd like to get a bunch of great Mac and/or Windows software at a great price, check it out!

And of course, your winning bid will help fund cancer research, so it's a win-win!

No Nickelback on iTMS Canada

The #1 song on the US iTMS is Photograph by Nickelback. Unfortunately, I can't buy it because it's not available in the Canadian iTMS... which is ironic and stupid since Nickelback is a Canadian band!

I've emailed Apple about this in the past, not that I expected their catalog to appear on iTMS the next day, but just to voice my displeasure.

I just called Roadrunner Records, Nickelback's label, to ask why this is the case. They told me there is a different publisher in Canada for the iTMS than in the US, and the one in Canada doesn't have the rights to the songs yet, or something to that effect, but that they are working on it.

The probability of me downloading Nickelback's songs elsewhere increases with each passing day. It's legal for me to do that in Canada you know, as long as I don't then upload the songs to other computers. I greatly prefer to use the iTMS because it's more convenient, but eventually I'll consider myself more inconvenienced for not being able to listen to the songs I crave.

Ping Pong this winter

Yesterday I went to see my family doctor. My right knee (which has a long and painful history to begin with) has been very sore for a couple months since Xavier jumped off the couch and landed on my right kneecap (I was sitting on the living room floor, legs straight).

My doctor checked it out and told me what's going on, basically the cartilage under the kneecap is .... um, can't remember what he said exactly, but basically it's in bad shape because of the impact, and it's going to take about 6 months before it feels better. Wonderful... so much for playing tennis and squash this winter like I usually do. (He said I'm not to play until my knee feels much better)

So I was thinking, what could I do instead? 9 years ago or so when I was recovering from my original knee injury, my dad bought me a great Kettler table tennis conversion top to put on our (junky) pool table. We played tons of table tennis, and it was great to have a fun activity that approximated the racquet sports I enjoy so much.

Why not do the same this winter? I happened to be driving past the racquet shop I've been doing business with forever, and saw they had a great table tennis table on sale outside.

I pulled over, we went inside, and after some thinking we decided to get it! It's a display model but in perfect condition, so it was on sale (nearly $200 off) + the $75 assembly fee. After taxes that's over $300 in savings!

So, Cheryl and I have our Xmas present a little early this year. Now I have to make space in our basement to set it up.

His Name Is Earl

NBC.com: My Name Is Earl

You know a show is good when the day after seeing the premiere you can't wait until next week so you can see the next show.

I'm a big fan of Jason Lee from his roles in Kevin Smith's movies. He was hilarious. I don't watch any network television whatsoever, so for me to make the effort to remember to watch a show at a particular time and then sit through it was quite the surprise.

If you missed the premiere, find it (somehow) and watch it before next week. I think it's very clever how they've set themselves up for serious longevity by giving Earl such a long quest.

Oh, and the guy they cast for Randy is perfect! It took me a few minutes to remember where I saw him before, but of course, he's the guy that couldn't find the sailboats in the picture in Mallrats! LOL!

Divine Proportions and Rational Trigonometry

N J Wildberger, UNSW: DIVINE PROPORTIONS: Rational Trigonometry to Universal Geometry (via /.)

I downloaded the first chapter and read through most of it. Absolutely amazing stuff. It makes so much sense. Reading it I was reminded of moments from my childhood, looking at triangles in Math class, trying to make sense of the propotions of their sides. I'd play around and then give up, not having any way to (pardon the pun) rationalize what I was looking at. To finally have the beginning of an explanation for what I was looking at is breathtaking.

I'm going to talk to my Math professors about this next week.

Mississippi Sea Wolves unable to play this year

ECHL: Mississippi Sea Wolves Submit Voluntary Suspension Request

Damn, Moose calls it a career

TSN.ca: Messier retires after 25 NHL seasons

I've been hoping for more than a year that Messier would sign with Edmonton for (presumably) his final season. Most of Edmonton was hoping the same. Over the weekend I thought, maybe what Edmonton needs to do is hold a massive public rally to BEG him to sign with the Oilers. I wonder if that would have worked.

At least I was able to snag him as a free agent for the Oilers in the EA NHL 06 dynasty I started last weekend!

Thanks for everything Mess! The changing of the guard is now officially complete, after 21 years. Messier was the last player remaining in the NHL on the 1983-1984 Edmonton Oilers roster, the season they won their first of five Stanley Cups in 7 years.

CBC News: Bush thanks Canada and the world

CBC News: Bush thanks Canada and the world

Kanye West #1 on iTunes US and CAN

Browsing the iTMS a moment ago I noticed Kanye West's new song is Today's Top Song, in Canada and the USA. I had never heard of him until I saw his rant.

It’s a near catastrophic event… take your time!

AP: FEMA Chief Waited Until After Storm Hit

Sorry to state the obvious, but this disaster was imminent at least two days BEFORE Katrina made landfall. Michael Brown should sit in a prison cell for a long time, forced to write "I will not procrastinate" 1,000 times each day on wet paper with a wax crayon.