Free Robby

“To me, a moderate in America is someone who recognizes the validity of liberal ideas but still doesn’t want to pay taxes.”

–Shane Ryan

More photos can be found here!

I’ve never been one to question Jon Brion’s musical prowess. In addition to completing a self-released solo CD, he’s produced such artists as Elliott Smith, Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann and Rufus Wainwright, all of whom asked Jon to make the most of their songs. And if you haven’t heard any of those artists’ work, you’ve likely still heard Brion–at the movie theater. He’s done the soundtracks for Punch-Drunk Love, Magnolia, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and I Heart Huckabees. Hip Hop star Kanye West was so impressed by Jon’s soundtrack work that he sought Jon to produce part of his latest album. And when Jon’s not making music, he’s talking about it. To me it seems as though Jon has always been in a musical bubble, floating high above the pedestals of the other musicians I admire, far, far away from me.

But last night I saw him up close and personal, and with a personality aimed to entertain and a humbleness as if he were one of the audience members, too. When he wasn’t banging on drums or striking keys or programming a synthesizer or strumming a guitar or plucking bass notes or singing, he was cracking jokes, telling stories, impersonating Bruce Springsteen or inviting audience members up on stage–either to sing, play an instrument or request a song. There were moments in which the show seemed a small step away from Open Mic Night with Jon Brion!
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If you’re like I am and just installed WDM Bluetooth drivers, you’ll find a new icon is on your desktop. Unlike the others you’ve got, however, this one won’t allow you to delete it. This definitely gets filed in the “unnecessary annoyance” category. Luckily we can remove it with a bit of subterfuge:

1. Right click anywhere on your desktop (not on an icon), click “Properties”
2. Click the “Desktop” tab.
3. Click the “Customize Desktop…” button.
4. Click the “Clean Desktop Now” button.
5. Click the “Next >” button.
6. Check the “My Bluetooth Places” checkbox if it is not already checked.
7. Click the “Next >” button.
8. Click the “Finish” button.
9. Click the “OK” button.
10. Click the “OK” button.

Wallah!

Update (2/9/2007): User “Oscar” has generously weighed in with these Windows Vista-specific instructions:

1. Run regedit
2. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE
   \Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\desktop\NameSpace
3. Delete 32B4C379-4AC0-45F2-939C-D4E7ADA56DC5 or just check which one is “My Bluetooth Places” and delete it.

I’ve just discovered The Official Eli Manning Sucks Blog, and it’s as funny to read as Eli is painful to watch.

Here are some excerpts:

Week 13: Giants beat Bears 21-16
Stats: 16/27, 195 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Did Eli Manning Suck: Yes

Eli Manning exploited the Vikings’ 32nd ranked pass defense for 65 yards and -2 touchdowns.

Here’s what Eli Manning did right:
* He didn’t throw any interceptions until his 6th pass
* Chris Snee recovered his fumble

Eli got called for three delay of game penalties in the second half. How can you do watch commercials when you can’t even read the game clock?

Three years before he died is the point where I knew… I remember the conversation. I remember his inability to speak coherently. I remember realizing he had gone too far. He had consumed too much. It felt like the person I loved wasn’t home anymore. And the filter that normally exists between the soul and the rest of the world was so mangled…. I knew it, and it hit me hard. That was the day when I cried and cried and cried and cried and was inconsolable.

–Jon Brion, talking about how he reacted to the death of Elliott Smith. Excerpted from Autumn de Wilde’s Elliott Smith. Buy it.

New server is up and running! Pretty fast, eh?

I’m currently in the process of migrating web servers. Any comments you leave between now and the end of the migration may get lost in the transition. I’ll post again as soon as the migration is complete!

If you’re like me, you were disappointed when Google released a mobile Gmail client for PalmOS 5, but did not provide support for Palm TX devices. The TX, after all, is Wi-Fi- and Bluetooth-enabled, and thus an ideal candidate for any mobile application that takes advantage of unfettered wireless internet. Sure, you can access Gmail through the web-based mobile interface using a mobile browser, but that method is slow, menial and inelegant.

But fear not. It turns out that getting Google’s Gmail client up and running on the Palm TX is both quick and easy. And rewarding, too, if you’re on the go as much as I am!

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“The best revenge is living well.”

–Jerry Seinfeld, The Revenge