i m N s h o

You know, it's kind of gratifying to hear the President say the same things you've been thinking (and saying) for years. Obama vs. Cheney: Contrasting views on the war on terrorism President Obama: Brutal methods like waterboarding… undermine the rule of law. They alienate us in the world. They serve as a recruitment tool for terrorists and increase the will of our enemies to fight us. As for Cheney's comments, while I make it a rule never to agree with our former VP, I can make an exception in this case. Former VP Cheney: …when the moral reckoning turns to the men known as high-value terrorists, I can assure you they were neither innocent nor victims. The fact that I don't support the use of waterboarding, "enhanced interrogation" or torture doesn't leave me thinking terrorists are victims of anything but the consequences of their own agendas.

Now, before you go organizing that lynch mob, bear with me while I explain my theory. As any of the Mac faithful will (vehemently) inform you, Apple makes some great technology. The Mac is an excellent computer with a stable, impeccably user-friendly operating system (as a PC user, trust me, I recognize the value of that statement). It loves video, photographs and audio and Apple's brought a sense of style and design to personal computing which makes a Mac an attractive addition to your office, as opposed to the boring beige boxes that were the norm for so many years. The iPod and iTunes have revolutionized the way people listen to music. (Yes, there were other MP3 players before the advent of the iPod, but Apple's the 800 lb. gorilla in this space.) I'm a convert and will no longer even consider listening to CDs in my car. The iPod is an elegant piece of tech, and the iPhone has, seemingly single-handedly, transformed touch-screen technology into something organic, intui...

I just saw that S. Darko , a direct-to-DVD release sequel to Donnie Darko is coming out this week. I have to ask, "How?" And, perhaps more to the point, "Why?" Without having seen the movie, I can hardly speak to its quality (or lack thereof — though its direct-to-DVD status should say something), but it seems like the first movie pretty much covered that particular story, and any sequel has got to be stretching it to make a connection to the previous one. Maybe it's just me looking for logic where commerce is involved. But did Donnie Darko really do that well (cult status notwithstanding) to justify the "cashing in on the DVD market" approach? One has to wonder. (Although, judging by the prominently displayed "Donnie Darko 2-Packs" I guess we must assume "yes".) Reading the IMDB synopsis, I can get an idea of the "how," though that certainly doesn't address the "why." And it doesn't leave me with any g...