And people wonder why I despise flying

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So Momma's been up in Minnesota the last couple of weeks working disaster relief after the floods. She's flying home tomorrow, albeit by a rather roundabout route.

When they sent her up, she flew from KC to Chicago, then Chicago to Minneapolis. KC to Minneapolis is 435 miles, give or take. KC to Chicago is almost exactly 500 miles. And Chicago to Minneapolis is a little over 400. So they sent her almost 500 miles east so she could get on another plane, fly 400 miles west, and wind up 400-odd miles from where she started.

But it gets better.

Coming home tomorrow, she's going to leave Minneapolis and fly the 435 miles to KC. But she's not going to stop in KC - she's going to continue on south another 550 miles to Dallas, where she will catch a plane to fly back north 550 miles to KC. Look at the map - the most direct route from Minneapolis to Dallas involves flying right over KC.

The explanation for this lunacy is that while there are indeed flights from KC to Minneapolis, (flights I seem to recall being on sale for $39 some years back) these flights are now prohibitively expensive, forcing the would-be passenger to either cough up big bucks for a ticket or waste most of a day shuttling back and forth across the country.

I didn't exactly endear myself to her when I pointed out she could have driven to Minneapolis in the same amount of time (or less) it took her to fly, particularly on the way up where she experienced the traditional O'Hare delays. What exactly is the advantage to flying anymore, since it seems it's no longer faster (or cheaper, despite the price of gas) than driving?

The only way you can get me on a plane these days is to pay me. I'd much rather drive, particularly someplace relatively close like that.

Microsoft's problem in a nutshell

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When you need a special webpage to show customers how to open the goddamn box your product comes in, you're missing the point of the whole "user friendly" idea.

You know, I really love cool new technology stuff

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But I really hate needless complexity that serves absolutely no purpose. Which brings me to this little goodie, the Logitech MX 3200 Laser wireless keyboard and mouse.

Purty, ain't it? See that little window at the top center? That's a LCD panel. With a clock/calendar. A clock/calendar which has to be SET MANUALLY WITH THE KEYBOARD! It does not pull the time from the system - you have to key it in, same with the date.

Which means if the battery dies, the clock has to be reset. Manually. It's not like it's any big deal, but it's one more goddamn thing you have to remember how to do. And for what? So you can look at the time on your fucking keyboard? THERE'S A GODDAMN CLOCK IN THE CORNER OF YOUR SCREEN - what the FUCK is wrong with THAT clock? You're not supposed to be looking at the keyboard anyway - you're supposed to be looking at the screen. That's why they call it TOUCH typing.

And keep in mind that this is a KEYBOARD. It's in constant communication with the system. So why can't it grab the time and date while it's communicating?

Rudy's certainly stupid enough to be President

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"How is it that we have the best higher education in the world and a weaker K-through-12 system?" Giuliani said. "What's the difference? Why does one operate so well and the other not nearly as well?"

Gee, I dunno, Rudy. Ya think maybe the fact that higher education gets the same kind of government subsidies as public K-through-12 schools AND are allowed to charge students for attending might have something to do with it?

So you're some bored DiscoverCard accounting drone...

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My good friend Anntichrist S. Coulter has temporarily fallen on hard times. If you have any extra, she could surely put it to use. Your charity will be rewarded with this:

This Payment will appear on your credit card statement as "ANNTICHRIST"

Aw, jeez - not again!

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Has anyone else noticed how every time Steve Jobs farts, some idiot writes a column about the Macintosh taking over the computer world?

Apple's Mac Set to Soar

The stars have aligned for Apple's share of the computer market to explode.

Don't get me wrong - the Mac is a fine machine. It ought to be for what you pay for it.

I'm posting this from a Compaq I bought online at BestBuy - discontinued model on closeout for $199 brand new. Tax and shipping brought it to a little over $245. A $25 stick of RAM and a $25 video card from Amazon, along with a used 21" CRT monitor for $30 off Craig's List, and I've got a pretty sweet little system (gig of RAM, 160 gig HD, dual layer DVD burner) for $325.

Know what Steve Jobs will sell you for $325? An iPod.