Volvo Excitement

I GOT A CAR!!! I'll put up actual pictures of it in the near future, but until then you'll have to just settle for that one I found online. It's that exact color, but the tires are brand new and the rims are alloy. It's a 1996 Volvo 850 Turbo! I know that it sounds old, but it purrs like a kitty and it's a real smooth ride. It has 98,000 miles on it, but the owner took real good care of it and did all the necessary maintenance. Plus, it's full loaded! It has a black leather interior, bucket seats, power seats, power doors, power windows, alloy wheels, a sunroof, a computer system (that tells MPG and such), climate control (for the driver and the passenger), a seat that remembers all my settings (including side view mirrors), and a 5-disc CD changer in the trunk (though I have to get the magazine cartridge for it). Coming from a '90 Maxima, the alignment and braking is awesome and the way it hugs turns is unbelievable. On top of all that, it's a turbo! It redlines at like 6000 RPM, and the engine is real pretty (I'll snap a picture of that as well). I'm totally excited and feel really blessed to finally have my own vehicle (almost as if I was on 'Pimp My Ride'). If you want to do some driving of your own from the comfort of your home you should check out Drivey to get an idea of how smart computer simulation can be.

The actual tech news today isn't too bad. In this article, Google almost gives its own personal endorsement of Linux as it claims how much easier it was to get along with than a proprietary platform. Apparently, they'd have to ask Microsoft when they wanted to make changes to a Windows-based system and so using Linux just makes good sense. If you're interested in building a business of your own on open source software then all the information you need is right here. If you need to download a distro, you can find the right torrent over at ibiblio. Back to Microsoft though, they're going to squeeze all the cash they can out of the Xbox by requiring accessory makers to pay them royalties and become authorized. I think the amount may change depending on whether they want to display the Xbox logo, but the article is a bit vague. Either way, I'm not sure I agree with their logic. Lastly, the government is now pouring money into biometric technology to help control the borders, and it could also help fight fraud elsewhere. I wonder how soon it will be for this technology to mainstream.

I found the best movie news today to be the new trailer for Domino, which I'll remind you is directed by Tony Scott and written by the incomparable Richard Kelly. It even features a few actors I didn't know were in it. You can also catch some new pictures here. Another trailer worth looking at is the upcoming Asian flick Duelist, and while the trailer is in Chinese it doesn't require words to looks aesthetically pleasing. If you really want more videos to look at, iFilm has some footage from Comic-Con, which is of course over now. SIGGRAPH is now going on though and Disney is showing off what they have to offer in the near future, and it would appear for the most part that they're expanding their horizons. If you're wondering what happened with The Island, there's an analysis of its failure here. I think it was partially lukewarm reviews coupled with a weak box office and marketing campaign. AICN has some reviews for Wes Craven's Red Eye, and unfortunately it doesn't sound like the great horror film I was expecting; just more of the same. Lastly, pre-production has begun on a movie called Hereafter centering on the tsunami disaster from last year. Am I the only person who thinks that it's a little too soon?

Before I get to the meme I just want to mention that the Fed has once again raised the federal funds rate by 25 basis points. Why? Because of increases in spending, a strengthening labor market, and a core inflation rate that looks like it will go forward. If you plan on taking out a loan I'd do it now before it goes up (which it will continue to do).

Now for my favorite meme, the Wednesday Mind Hump:

Say What? is a "complete this sentence" challenge. The challenge? Below is a list of common cliches and/or some lesser known sayings. Your mission should you decide to accept it is complete the sentence with your own crazy ending.

On your marks, get set, HUMP!

01. Friends are lost by ... getting too involved with a girl.
02. Better to bend than ... try squating and risk falling down.
03. The man who can smile when things go wrong ... probably laughs at himself in the mirror a lot.
04. Commit a sin twice and ... you're probably not too afraid of the wrath of God.
05. A society grows great when old men become self-dependent rather than destroy the Social Security system and become a drain on society. (Note: I'm just kidding!)
06. A woman has the form of an angel, the heart of a serpent, and the eyes of a tiger!