JetCityOrange now has a feed!!!

Using my new RSS feed, you can keep up with this blog and the associated website (JetCityOrange.com). Not only that, I'm going to be pushing more and more stuff into the feed. Snippets that don't fit in anywhere else and/or stuff that really timely.

The raw feed is: http://www.JetCityOrange.com/feed.xml

You'll probably want it in some other form:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Dems in Denver

Sorry I missed Ted. Michelle is a Queen. What an amazing woman.

Chelsea looks uncannily like her mom in her youth. Hillary impressed me with her Saturday speech when she suspended her campaign. Last night she wow'ed me yet again. How forceful and elegant, on point and sincere. Her Warholian 15 minutes.

Didn't see the actual nomination but I'm sitting her waiting for Billy boy. Will he speak or will he preach?

Pass the popcorn...

Seattle Dharma Punx website

The Seattle Dharma Punx website is up and running.

The Seattle Dharma Punx (SDPx) Sis a self-led meditation group that meets Sundays on Capitol Hill. And as the name suggests, SDPx is inspired by Noah Levine's book "Dharma Punx"

Tibet? Olympics? Tibet???

NYC Chinese Consulate Projection Action 08.07.08 from Students for a Free Tibet on Vimeo.

Why Gmail is still in beta.

My Smart Car 3

My Smart Car 3: performance. Watch me drive onto I-5 and more!

3 Jewels & how life works

I go downtown to order custom license plates for my new Smart Car. The clerk glances at my application and says "Three jewels. Isn't that something to do with Tibetan Buddhism?" Turns out her sister was an organizer for Seeds of Compassion when His Holiness the Dalai Lama was in town.

When I walk back to the my car, what do I see on the south side of Smith Tower? Our favorite mantra!

My Smart Car & Jones Soda

Click here to vote for this photo on Jones Soda's site. Please...

George Carlin

Thanks for all you gave us, including but not limited to The Seven Words: shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits.

My Smart Car 2

Just what is my Smart Car's mileage? Let's see as I fill it for the first time.

My Smart Car

My Smart Car: how small is it?



visit: MySpace.com/MySmartCar

I got a Smart Car! I got a Smart Car!

My new Smart Car ForTwo! Black on black on black on Friday the 13th no less!!

Fill 'er up? Git out yer wallet!

Thanks for nothing George. And your stupid war too. How about an energy policy that works? Oh, I forgot. You're from Texas, an oil producing state. You hang with the Saudis. You're not on our side. That's why I didn't vote for you. Asshole...

Then there's hypermilers. If they can get 40, 50, 60 mpg, why can't Detroit make cars that do right off the lot?

Where do I sign up for a iPhone 3G?

Do I have to camp out in front of the Apple store in order to get an iPhone 3G? I want the 16GB and I'm willing to drop T-Mobile to get it.

Big Man (Elbert Howard) & new Black Panther website

Big Man has his own website now! Read about the history of the Black Panthers as told by one of it's elders.

Elbert Howard is one of the six original Black Panthers, was Deputy Minister of Information, a member of the Central Committee and the International Solidarity Committee, and the BPP newspaper's first editor.

Fasion Minivan Sited!

Power to the People!

Every time I see this billboard it makes me mad. Honda co-opting the Black Panther Party.

Huey must be turning over in his grave.

Scientology is still a dangerous cult!

There, I said it. Scientology is a cult.

Damn Brits...

"Fortune Cookie Oracle part 2' now on YouTub

"Fortune Cookie Oracle" YouTube video

"Fortune Cookie Oracle", a message to our sisters & brothers in China about Tibet.

I finally got a MySpace page I'm not ashamed of

A MySpace page. Everyone has one. I did too but it was lame. L-A-M-E lame. That is until I bribed my 13 yr old son to spiff it up. And he did.

Behold!

Barcode Tattoos (in context)

Barcode tattoos are perhaps better left unseen. At least in this case. You can still get 3 barcode tattoos for a dollar. Not to mention all the other stuff that gets thrown in the envelope too!

Still not conviced?

Scanning Miranda

West Seattle Junction graffiti

Grand Theft Auto IV. What else is there today?

Today is April 29, 2008 and that means only one thing: Grand Theft Auto IV.

New Free Ringtones & Cell Phone Wallpaper

So which do you want? Free cell phone wallpaper photos you can download or lots of custom Windows sounds you can download for free?

The best part is you don't have to choose, you can have both!

Mosquito Ringtone on CNN.com

Looks like CNN discovered the mosquito ringtone. Or at least a device called "The Mosquito".

You know, kids find the high pitch sound annoying and adults can't hear high frequencies. Me? I make Mosquito Ringtone available as a free MP3 download.

Download free custom Windows sounds

Tired of your current Windows startup sound? Want a better default beep than what Redmond gives you? Is there someone you want to play a prank or two on? What you need are free Windows sound files.

That's right. Free WAV files to replace the lame-o sh*t Microsoft ships. Listen to them all and download the ones you want. There's plenty for everyone so no pushing or shoving.

DIY Altoids Prayer Wheels

DIY Tibetan prayer wheel made from an Altoids tin. Hey, I'm a Buddhist and a nerd. Put the two together and you get...

Fitting that I finished this today: I heard HHDL as part of Seeds of Compassion. Secular but still the Dalai Lama.

Some day.

Woke up to a 7 am "I'm moving out" phone call.

My office building had a fire this afternoon.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived in Seattle today for a 5 day event.

I got my lowest solitaire hand ever.

Milk Crate Studio & Branded Sock videos

The Dalai Lama's message to Tibetans

His Holiness the Dalai Lama issued this: Statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to All Tibetans

HHDL's message couldn't be clearer. It is complete honest, open, transparent, and unambiguous. He does not want a Tibet separate from China. He is not behind the recent protests nor does he advocate violence. Yes, he wants to sit down with Beijing and talk.

PRC, ball's in your court. BTW, did you hear about the London protests surrounding the Olympic torch?

Ringtones, have we got free ringtones!

If you have a cell phone you're probably on the prowl for free ringtones. Where does one find free ringtones? On JetCityOrange, where else.

These aren't your regular free ringtones. Oh no. Don't take my word for it, listen for yourself.

tastes like chicken: all these need are some grits





sci fi ringtones: Sun Ra would be proud

Rick Rolling

I know April Fool's Day is over but confess: were you Rick Rolled?

Compassion in Tibet video

The recent protests in Tibet were met with a violent and repressive response from the Chinese government. Beijing refuses to open a dialog with the Dalai Lama. The 2008 Olympics has the world watching China, the same China that so desperately wants to be a full member of the international community. Well, there are no internal issues in a global marketplace.

We're all watching. The Olympics are a long way away.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Tibet

His Holiness the Dalai Lama issued a statement today about the recent protests in Tibet and the violent reaction by the Chinese government. Beijing continues to falsely accuse HHDL of conspiring against the PRC and being the mastermind behind the worst riots in 20 years.

No, China is lying. China wants "the Tibet problem" to go away, preferably before the 2008 Olympics. Native Tibetans want freedom and control over their own lives. The current protests arise from years of oppression by a facsist regime, one who claims to be "communist" but is anything but. The Chinese government is as imperialistic and feudal as any on Earth. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Please sign this online petition. Contact the Chinese embassy via email: chinaembassy_us@fmprc.gov.cn or give 'em a shoutout: 1.202.328.2500 Want to lodge a protest with China's UN mission? chinamission_un@fmprc.gov.cn 1.212.655.6100 Let them know how you feel!

Meanwhile here's an article with lots of links to help you keep up with events in Tibet.

Barack on Tibet

Seems like I'm not the only upset with China's crackdown on the recent protests in and around Tibet. Barack supports the Tibetan protesters and has issued a warning to Beijing.

This needs to stop now. China needs to keeps its warlord, anti-nationalist hands off of Tibet. Tibet needs to be free. We all support His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The Communists are wrong, not to mention running dogs and pitiful lackeys. That said, the PRC needs love and compassion too. No, really. They do.

Tibet & China

Bless the Tibetans. Their persistance and dedication to freeing themselves from Beijing is wonderful. In preparation for the farce that is the 2008 Olympics, Tibetans are protesting and marching.

Hello? PRC are you listening? We're all watching...

Mrs. Spitzer

So what's up with Silda Wall Spitzer, that is Mrs. Eliot Spitzer? What went through her mind as she stood there next to him as he stated "I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family"?

2/29/08 is Leap Day.

This Friday, February 29 2008, is a Leap Day. Get the candles out. 4 million worldwide will get to celebrate a birthday for the first time in 4 years.

Barack in Ohio

I'm from Ohio. Cleveland to be exact. Ohio's primary election is an important milestone for Barack Obama. Well, I guess it is for Hillary too.

Ohio voters, support Obama. I'm counting on Ohio voters to do the right thing. Yes you can. If fact, you must. We're all counting on you.

John McCain: No, You Can't

Bulldog for President!

john.he.is

This is one scary m*therf*cker. Please, no.

Microsoft Buys Danger

Steve, you can have Yahoo. I don't really care. But the Sidekick, now that's another story. I'm a big Sidekick fan; Microsquish...

So news comes today that Microsoft is buying Danger, the makers of the Sidekick. Bummer dewd. The party's over now.

Online Date Conversion widget

Sometime, just sometimes, you need to convert date formats. Now there's an online date conversion web site.

Go for it!

Yes We Can

The choice is quite simple. Very clear.

Microsoft & Yahoo

I can hear it now: "OK. We cry 'Uncle'. MSN and Live together ain't worth sh*t. We'll just buy our way into the internet and be done with it."

Scientology is a dangerous cult!

The Church of Scientology isn't a church nor a religon. It's a dangerous cult. They're a brainwashing cult.

Are you listening Tom? Don't fall for it Will!

Dear Santa...

I know, I know. Every year I pester you with promises of vastly improved behavior in exchange for yet-another-too-good-be-true gift (that I really don't need, yet alone deserve). And every demand, errr, "request", is more undeserving, selfish, and flagrant than the last. Insult to injury, I hate Xmas, ain't a Christian, and misbehave no matter what I say or unwrap 25dec.

That said, let me state here and now, before man and beast, "I'm a new person." And I really, REALLY mean it this time. From the bottom of my heart. I do.

"Why this sudden epithany?" you ask. "Has Little Elmer seen the error of his ways and truly reformed? Have my prayers finally been answered? Has the little m'fucker finally matured and grown up?"

Nah. But I found this totally kewl toy I want someone else to buy me. I'm broke cuz this new mortgage is breakin' my back. Come on Nick, help a brotha out: http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/audio/a02a/?cpg=67H

Watch the video. Groove to the soundz. Imagine the delight it will bring to me and all those within earshot. The hits, the radio play, going platinum, the adoring fans 'round the world, the freaky groupies waiting backstage, ...

Whadda ya say? Can I, can I? P-L-E-A-S-E...

Web site tips & tricks: SEO, page rank, et al.

For the last year or so I've been helping friends tweak their web sites. Cleaning up HTML, developing templates & boilerplate, renaming things; all with high page rank in mind. It's something I affectionately call "godfathering".

I just wrote several web pages on web site design., translating pages into other languages for free, and using Blogger to host photos. It's not an exhaustive tell-all by any means but a concise intro to the subject. Heck, if I tell too much I'll lose my advantage!

I trust that there's something of interest to most.

I wish my web site was this kewl!

This is what I call a really neat site. Doesn't do anything but waste time, bandwidth, and brain cells!

What time is it? 666!

So y'all know how I feel about 666 and barcodes, right?

Well someone commented:

"Everyone focuses on the number 666. The logic goes that when the shit hits the fan (Book of Revelation) no one will be able to do commerce without the mark of the beast on one's right hand or forehead. Error one: barcodes are on boxes of corn flakes, bottles of shampoo, and six-packs of beer, not on people. I can buy any of these items with a twenty dollar bill, no UPC tattoo required. Not that barcode tattoos aren't popular"
This made me laugh.......mainly because you said also "Nut jobs who don't know jackshit about barcodes"
Well in this sense, you are a "nutjob" who doesnt know jackstuff about the Bible
Its not "no one in the world" will be able to do commerce.....its "no one in that area" which will be made up of 10 nations total
The mark in the forehead is NOT a barcode or chip or anything like that.....it the surrender of ones MIND and WILL to the allegiance to the antichrist
The Mark in the hand could VERY WELL be like the verichip, it does not have to contain the numbers 666 in it.....666 is the number of the name of either the antichrist or the false religious leader who is also mentioned in revelation 13
And though it would not be hard to have an entire area convert to digital currency as opposed to paper currency, this will probably not be the case.......it says all must have the mark OR the name of the antichrist OR the number of his name......in this light, all one would have to do is Swear Allegiance to this nation and its king/leader, and they are marked in their forehead
So is it gonna be a barcode? probably NOT......but dont talk down on the Truth of the Bible when you dont even know what it says
Have a great day,
Teejae

And s/he calls me a nutjob...

The good ol' FBI. J. Edgar must be so proud!

Mr. Hoover, your old running buddies are doing their awful best to make you proud. Problem is, their best just ain't good enough.

Want proof? This story about how agents can setup a wiretap but they can't pay their damn phone bill! Who needs a lawyer with bozos like this on the job?

G1G1 didn't cut it!

The G1G1 program sends XO computers overseas. How? You buy one and another gets sent overseas. Rich Americans subsidize donations internationally. Sounds good, right?

I thought so. It sounded so good, Azalea Software got two and two were to be donated. Would have been great if the bozos at XO spent the extra couple of dollars and had FedEx require a signature.

Read the rest of the story here.

If you design microwaves...

Call me late to the party. Heck, I'll even confess to being a Luddite when it comes to microwave ovens. But the last place I rented and my new condo both suffer from the same fundamental design flaw.

When I walk into the kitchen I shouldn't have to hunt and search for the "Clear" button. And when I walk into a dark kitchen the light should be obvious and easy to find.

It's not Christmas without a brawl, ehhh?

Christmas in Jerusalem. What could be more serene and festive, ehhh? How about priests fighting?

Brilliant! (or should I say "tnaillirB")

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Tibet is a thorn in Beijing's side. A noble cause celebre headed by a guy the world just loves. The Dalai Lama arm wrestles with the Communists. The Party wants to control HHDL's reincarnation. The whole world's watching.

This piece is a good overview. To know the man is to laugh about PRC's arrogance while crying over the distraction.

Om mani padme hum.

What I woke to this morning

Let's see: I'm buying a condo, my Mom is coming tomorrow, Lisa's leaving tomorrow, Azalea is an S Corp. and it's the end of the year, and I'm buying a condo.

And this is what greets me when I go out to my car today. Fortunately I spotted it before it became an all out flat. At the most inopportune time. On the way to signing the papers. In the rain. Late.

One Laptop Per Child now shipping!

I order not one but two One Laptop Per Child computers through the Give One Get One program.

Why two? Well, four actually. Because the XO computer has built-in mesh networking and what I call social computing tools. You need two to talk to each other. It's like Santa bringing you one walkie-talkie or even a pair if you're an only child in the middle of nowhere.

Rumor has it they're shipping today. I can't wait! And this is my birthday week too!

No more Dalai Lamas?

As if the idea the Chinese can dictate and regulate one's reincarnation isn't outlandish enough comes word that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is talking about redefining the succession of Dalai Lamas and perhaps ending the chain with him. His recent remarks reported here are cause for pause.

I for one always thought HHDL would be with us. I selfishly assumed that I would be able to study with him whenever I wanted, now or in the future.

Don't Forget Burma.

Gotta love the web. I just submitted a photo to Don't Forget Burma. Let's hope the military dictators use the web and listen to our pleas.

Vatican Snubs His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Well. The Pope is a coward. Bowing to pressure from Beijing, he won't meet with HHDL. when he's in Italy. Seems kissing China's butt is more important than doing the right thing.

So much for "liberation theology" ehhh?

The *Best* craigslist W4M Ad Ever!

This may well be the best craigslist W4M ad ever. Witty as all get out!

Thanksgiving Day

T'giving is one of my favorite holidays. Family-oriented, breaks the week up nicely, inclusive and feel good, and with food at its center. Spiritual if one wants but not overtly Christian. Nowadays being vegan/vegetarian doesn't even raise eyebrows. What more could you ask?

Well, how about a recipe for turkey stuffing? I did this PDF for an employee who found herself home for the holidays without a clue in the world as to how to cook a turkey. Meanwhile my kids have informed me that they are only interested in a Betty Crocker, Norman Rockwell, mainstream, non-nouvelle dinner. "No wild mushrooms" seems to be their battle cry. The good news is that my estranged 18 yr old son is schedule to grace us with his presence. Now if he'd only cop to enlisting in the Marines before he reports 08dec.

Meanwhile I did a little audio poem for the holiday season. Cute yet disturbing.

Free cellphone ringtones!

Like I don't have enough to do, I've been making free cellphone ringtones. Putting my iPod Belkin microphone to good use. That and WavePad.

Time? I ain't got no time. We're gearing up for Crystal Reports 2008 which features our barcode software bundled in with the upsale coming to us. And the news of the week is me buying a condo. Or as Marci said, "I guess Hell froze over." Not just any condo but one around the corner, one that's the whole top floor of a building, one with a full-on view of the city, a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, formal dining room, 2 balconies and a private deck, big ass, one owner condo.

But meanwhile, there's them ringtones...

Vows Taken

The part of my trip to Bloomington I haven't talked about was taking refuge. Sorta like getting baptised by the Pope. The funny thing is that I've watched the video a couple of times and I swear I hear something else. Guess that's what they mean by direct transmission.

Ben says I'm a card carrying Buddhist now.

Crystal Reports 2008 now does barcodes!

Crystal Reports 2008 supports barcodes. The Crystal Reports 2008 press release doesn't come out and say it but we all know that Crystal 2008 uses Azalea Software's barcode fonts.

Azalea has shipped a User Function Library (UFL) for Crystal Reports for many years, but now our barcode fonts are now tightly woven into the fabric of Crystal.

Tell me; does it get any better than this? I don't think so!

FM3 in today's NY Times

Shout out to FM3 who made today's NY Times article on the avant-garde music scene in China.

I'm a big fan of their Buddha Machine and was glad to see a sample on the site.

[note: the management is not responsible for any correlations between the Times coverage of the Buddha Machine and recent events in Bloomington IN.]

Pilgrimage to India(na)

This is my third time hearing His Holiness the Dalai Lama speak (Vancouver & San Francisco, now Bloomington) and the second teaching. This one is on The Lamp For the Path to Enlightenment. First time I'm seeing him w/o Lisa.

I quickly realized that the two previous trips were easy. This one has been a true pilgrimage, not a vacation. How so?

For starters I had a list of work and domestic things I really wanted to get done before I left. Oh I got the list done and then some. Missed my flight thanks to a security checker who thought she was a docent. Chatty don't cut it when you're trying to make a plane. The happy ending was an American Airlines staff member who got me on a redeye without a change fee (as in one hundred dollars plus the difference in airfare). She'd read about the Dalai Lama's visit and cut me major slack.

I'm changing planes in Dallas-Fort Worth, snag chai at Starbucks, and what's my barista's name? Om. Yep, I asked just to make sure. Land at DFW and the brother at Thrifty and I strike up a conversation and before I know it I have a free upgrade.

Bloomington is in Indiana. And Indiana appears to be white. Quite white. Beautiful campus though. I missed the morning session the first day and found the afternoon session lacking in focus. Or perhaps it was me, having not slept much en route. Then again I heard others mumbling about "not getting it" too. All was saved when Robert Thurmon spoke in the evening. a.) he's Uma's dad b.) he's a reknown Buddhist scholar c.) he's been haning with HHDL for years and d.) he was a wicked sense of humor.

Today's sessions were great. In many ways they picked up where the San Francisco teachings left off (In Praise of Dependent Origination). Did I mention I'm in love with Thupten Jinpa, the Dalai Lama's translator? For many of us he's the voice of His Holiness.

Sidenote: I met the development person from the Tibetan Nun Project here. The funny thing is that I had to come to IN to meet someone who lives and works in Seattle.

One more day and then back to Skeedattle for this one. The good news is that I feel more focused about resuming an active practice than I have in months.

Om mani padme hum.

It's all about MySpace backgrounds

I noticed that an awful lot of people were visiting my wallpaper images page. Not to break my arm patting myself on the back but they are nice pictures. But I began to follow the links in my site's log file and found an awful lot of links to MySpace.

Following these links proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that a buncha folks are using my photos as the background for the MySpace site. The Om image and the Chicago skull seem to be popular ones.

Since there's no way to beat 'em (not that I'd want to), I quickly decided to join 'em. So I did. I put up a page of custom MySpace background images. If you want a photo for MySpace page, here they are.

Thoughts on Burma

Two things I saw that provide insight on events in Burma: one written by U Thant's son and another written by Yale's Buddhist chaplain.

Let's not forget the monks in Burma

This story about how the Burmese military mistreated protesting monks doesn't surprise me. It saddens me deeply but what do you expect from tyrants?

The jailers are more the victim than the monks. They too suffer from fear and ignorance. The absurdity of them insisting that the monks are no longer sangha rivals the Chinese trying to dictate how and when Tibetans reincarnate. Don't these people understand and appreciate the power of the Three Jewels?

Knaves...

Fortune cookies

I read an article in the NY Times about fortune cookies. Seems some folks are uncomfortable when they don't get a cliched, pseudo-Confucian qwip.

I guess the new ones don't lend themselves to putting "...in bed" or "...dot com" at the end to elicit a half-hearted laugh from one's co-diners.

That's why I wrote my own fortune cookie widget. With it, you're guaranteed to get something atypical. OK, weird.

"This government does not torture people."

Oh we don't torture P.O.W.'s ehhh? Let's ask those held against their will in Guantanamo Bay that question. On live TV. In prime time.

I dare ya Dubya.

HHDL in Bloomington

I've never been to Bloomington IN but I have a reason to go now. In fact, I'm excited to go to Bloomington!

Support the Burmese Protesters!

Azalea Software is supporting the protesters in Burma (Myanmar). You should too.

The monks are right. The people united will never be defeated. Clearly a need to smash the state if there ever was one. Put your money where your heart is. Speak out!

Here's another way to support the protesters in Burma.

More About Burma

Again, as I stated in my last post, as a leftist and a Buddhist I'm outraged by what the military rulers are doing in Burma. The monks and nuns (sangha) are the moral voice of Burma and can not be ignored.

For up-to-date news try The Democratic Voice of Burma and this Facebook group about Burma.

I haven't tried to contact the Myanmar embassy in Washington DC but here's their contact info. The principal U.S. Embassy official is Shari Villarosa, the Chargé d'Affaires. The only email I could find is: ConsularRangoo@state.gov and FAX: (95)-(1)-650-306 and (95)-(1)-650-480.