Absolute Total Hell:
A little while back, I wrote about a condition in which my computer was randomly locking up. I thought it might be a virus, or a damaged hard drive, or something else. So, when Suzanne and I ordered our videocamera as an early X-Mas present to ourselves, I decided to upgrade: Got a 120 GB hard drive, planning to use it as the new base drive.

After a tortuously long attempt at installing said hard drive, which wasn't helped by a manual for another hard drive that turned out not to be my old one, we finally got the jumpers set right and the master/slave thing worked out and the whole thing up and running. Except: It still locked up at random moments.

Oh, how I miss the halcyon days when that was my computer's only problem.

Through a series of misadventures involving reinstalling Windows XP, changing display drivers and other such things, I eventually found myself with a computer that wasn't even remotely working. Desperate, I called Computer Nerdz here in Austin, they sent someone out, he gave me peace of mind by assuring me that he would have done the same types of things I was trying but much less peace of mind when he couldn't fix the computer any better than I could, at least not without a big huge tech support bill that I couldn't afford.

So it was decided that I would do a clean install of Windows XP on my old hard drive, use the new one as a slave. Except that now the computer was locking up every time I tried to load up Windows, such that it took over two hours just to get it started on the installation. I went to work, hoping Suzanne would be able to keep resetting until eventually the computer would fail to lock up and Windows XP would install.

It did, but then Suzanne ran a virus scan (understand, I'd had McAfee for as long as I'd had this computer) and found a virus. Which might also be the cause of the random lockups. Long story short, my computer is now practically useless. It has Windows XP on it, but it goes about 5-15 minutes between locking up. It has either: A) a virus B) bad memory C) a bad motherboard or D) all of the above. Frankly, I'm at a complete loss. And speaking of loss, somehow the computer managed to lose all of my saved email and my copious address book, neither of which was backed up as most of my data (which it *can* still find) was.

Now I'm working on my (much slower) laptop until I can figure out what to do. One thing's for sure... I'm looking much more seriously at getting a Mac the next time I buy a computer.

The Many Sins of ABC Chapter Six-Hundred and Twelve

Everything that is wrong with television is encapsulated in this story about ABC and Karen Sisco. They plan to change up a critically-acclaimed show by changing one of the very things that made it so interesting (they're going to ditch the hapless, Elmore Leonard style bad guys for something more "dangerous" i.e. "ripped from the headlines?"). I want to give them credit for not giving up on the show, but when the article ends with "We don't want to do anything without everyone being enthusiastic about it" it's hard not to be a bit cynical.

Really? Anything? Yeah, that's definitely the way to create edgy, must-watch television, by making sure that everyone is enthusiastic about every single thing you do.

Karen Sisco:
So AICN is reporting that Karen Sisco has been yanked by ABC. Supposedly, they're going to "relaunch" in March in a new timeslot. Which will no doubt conflict with something else I'm watching.

The only good show to come out of the new season is now gone, 24 is hugely disappointing in Season Three, no new Shield until January... man, it's a good thing I don't have enough free time to watch much TV anyway.

Although I am still *loving* Alias. Wish it wasn't on ABC, given that they've killed so many good shows before their time. And the last two episodes of Angel (the Mexican wrestling episode and Wes's dad) have been pretty good, with my biggest complaint being that I still hate Spike and don't want him on the show.

Las Vegas:
So I went to the Las Vegas Comicon and Diamond/Alliance Retailer summit last weekend. The Con was a bit of a bust, and I would have been pretty pissed if I'd spent my own money on the plane (as opposed to just blowing the cash for the hotel.) It was a good effort, but the organizers wanted to be too big too fast, and it felt very much like one of those "done in 10 minute" small Cons. Still, I got to see a lot of folks who I might not have seen if I went to just the retailer summit, including Bendis, Eric Shanower, Alex Robinson and Kristen Siebecker (of BOP fame), Chris Staros (of Top Shelf), and the Diamond/Alliance summit itself was really well done, even if you did have to walk an enormous distance to get from registration to the events themselves for no readily apparent reason.

Oh, and I got to see several of the water shows at the Bellagio, which were pretty impressive.

I Hate My Computer:
For a while now, my computer has been locking up in miduse. Locks up, won't respond to anything from the keyboard (not even control-alt-delete) and has to be rebooted using the reset button. Which, at least twice, has wiped out information on programs I was running at the time, most notably erasing the contents of my Inbox twice. Pretty annoying, especially this last time, when I had about a dozen messages saved that I needed and hadn't responded to yet.

So the long and short of it is... if you emailed me in the past four or five days and didn't get a response, I might have lost the email, so send it again. And if anyone out there has any ideas how to fix this (I'm running Windows XP, updated regularly, and I have McAfee anti-virus software, also updated regularly, but I'm beginning to suspect it's a virus) I'd appreciate a hint or two.

Just a little housecleaning...
Huh, been a while since I updated, huh? Well, it's either this or Fourth Rail, and I think most folks would rather I put the time into doing reviews.

To update, though... downloaded iTunes for Windows last week, and I *love* it. I've converted all my MP3s into AAC, which saved me quite a bit of space, and have already bought half a dozen tunes in two weeks (most of them from bands I'd never even heard of before). It's not likely to replace CDs for me, because I still want albums, and if I'm going to buy them, I'd rather have hardcopy as well, but it's really cool. And it has me wanting an iPod, even though I really don't need one. Now if I had a car stereo that took an audio input, I'd be much more anxious to get one, but every report I've read indicates that the iPod FM tuners don't work so well for car audio, and that's mostly what I'd want to use it for.

TV... really enjoying Karen Sisco, and otherwise the new season is a complete waste. The stuff I'd been enjoying is still great (I'm *loving* Alias and it's never status-quo status quo, and Nip/Tuck ended very well), good (Smallville is fun, although I could turn it off in a second and never miss it, which I couldn't say for Buffy or Angel at heart) or worrisome (I can't stand that Angel has become Angel & Spike, since I liked Spike as a villain and have hated the character (but not the actor, I should note) for about three seasons of Buffy). Looking forward to 24 (it's beckoning from the Tivo now, but I have made a pact with some friends to only watch it on Friday nights when we're together for gaming) and The Shield (January?! Ah, the downside of 13 episode seasons).

Movies... Saw Kill Bill and enjoyed it. Enjoyed it even more on second viewing. It sits below Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and True Romance in my personal ranking of Tarantino, but if volume two can deliver, I think it will rest just above Jackie Brown. And who knows... for sheer re-watchability, it may exceed Reservoir Dogs as well.

DVDs... Let's see. Caught Dark Blue the other night, which was solid but not exceptional. Before that, I saw Confidence (which I *loved*), Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (Lukewarm, and I was disappointed), Bend It Like Beckham (as much fun as everyone said it was), Identity (predictable, but a good way to kill a couple hours), The Italian Job (fun popcorn heist movie, went on my Amazon wish list), Fast Times at Ridgemont High (I think you had to see it when you were in high school to really dig it) and Undercover Brother (stupid but fun).

Music... Just bought Office Space soundtrack and the latest Smash Mouth used (and cheap) from Amazon. My iTunes purchases have been Fountains of Wayne, Beck, Big Audio Dynamite II, Sinead O'Connor (thanks to Alias), Kinky (thanks to Karen Sisco and Nip/Tuck) and The Forces of Evil. Looking forward (probably at Christmas) to the new Barenaked Ladies, the 70's Punk compliation No Thanks!, The Best of R.E.M. and the Alias soundtrack (which I hope has pop songs as well as score type stuff).

Gaming... Just restarted our Spycraft game (I love that system), and the first session went well, if a little long on the "gearing up" phase of things. And still running the Champions game on occasional Sundays, somewhere between 1-2 times a month.

Wow. I bet nobody reading this actually cared about all of that stuff. Wonder if anyone but me cares about any of it?

Movies:
In the past few weeks, I've been to one movie in the theatre (Once Upon a Time in Mexico, which I quite enjoyed, although Desperado remains my favorite of the trilogy) and seen lots more on DVD. I watched Chicago last night, and while I expected to like it, I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed it. So much, in fact, that it graduated from Netflix rental to a place on my Amazon wish list, because I can definitely see re-watching it several times. Not as re-watchable to me, but also entertaining, was Catch Me If You Can, and I'm looking forward to diving into Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (the third in my recent rentals) soon.

Comic Book Idol - Round Five:
The final entries in Comic Book Idol, a three-page sequential sequence plotted by J. Torres, are in, and wow... they look really good. Both Hickman and Scherberger did a great job, and if there's any justice, we'll see both of them (as well as L. Frank Weber, and maybe some of the other contenders) doing work in comics soon. I'm honestly not sure who I'll wind up voting for.

Comic Book Idol - Round Four:
Well, with L. Frank Weber eliminated (and Flores remains in?), my enthusiasm for the contest has dampened considerably, as I thought Weber was easily the best of the bunch. I even voted for him instead of Hickman, who was probably my favorite cover of the last round, because I thought Hickman relied a little too much on his beautiful color work and because it looked like he was going to make it through OK without my vote. This week is a bit disappointing, actually... none of the pieces really blow me away. Even Scherberger, who I really like, has some inconsistency and the "raccoon eyes," which I could have written off as a stylistic quirk for Queen & Country, indicating black marks for cover work, have gotten a bit annoying. Still, I'd vote for Scherberger if it wasn't for Hickman. His work has a couple minor flaws, and again it feels like his work relies as much on a great color sense as it does on actual pencilling/inking (or painting, as it were) skills, but it's a strong piece. I could easily see Hickman on a Vertigo book with this style, or doing something really different with some of the Marvel and DC characters. Hell, if this were the art style on Iron Man, and he were matched with a good enough writer, I think I'd be pretty interested.

Comic Book Idol - Round Three:
I had an easy time voting last week, because there were really only two pieces that impressed me in the Queen & Country round, but I'm going to have a lot tougher time voting for Comic Book Idol this time out. All six entries are now up, and I'm leaning toward Jonathan Hickman as my favorite, but L. Frank Weber and Patrick Scherberger have done it again as well, and while Martin Redmond's cover looks a little too busy for me, I really do love his style.

Same Difference and Other Stories:
There's never enough time to review everything I want to. Right now, I've got stacks of comics and graphic novels to review on The Fourth Rail, and sometimes in order to keep going, I have to let something slip by that I just don't have time to review. Same Difference and Other Stories, by Derek Kim, is one of those things. I picked this up after getting recommendations from Chris Butcher at Previewsreview and my friend Dave, and I loved it. I agree with pretty much everything in Greg McElhatton's review, which was posted on Friday.

SoBig... SoGoddamBig...
I'm not certain, because I haven't really been counting every time, but I think I'm receiving in the neighborhood of a 1,000 messages a day courtesy of our good friend the SoBig virus. Even with spam-killing filters, this thing is an enormous pain in the ass. It is my hope that they will catch whoever created this pox on our modern society and send them to (in the parlance of Mike Judge's Office Space) "federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison."

Comic Book Idol: Round Two
All of the contenders for Round Two of Comic Book Idol are in now. To me, it looks like a race between Patrick Scherberger and L. Frank Weber, and I'm not sure where my vote in the poll is going to go. I do know that I've finally signed up on the CBR forums as a member specifically so I can vote in these polls. I'm hooked!

Dead Like Me:
Though I don't have any pay channels, it's hard to resist when they keep coming up with such great original series. A friend recently loaned me the first eight episodes of Dead Like Me, Showtime's new comedy/drama about "Reapers," undead folks who take the souls of the living right before they die. I had caught episodes two and three a little while back when staying with my in-laws in Dallas, and was intrigued, and by the end of episode four on the tapes I was completely hooked. It's just gotten better from there, and while I'm not yet sold on new character Daisy Adair (loved the actress in 24, though, and her character here is starting to grow on me) I *love* the work that Mandy Patinkin and star Ellen Muth are doing, not to mention all the work of the mom and sister of lead character George. I've missed Jasmine Guy's wonderfully acerbic Roxy in the last couple episodes, but the show is really sweet and growing funnier. I'll definitely be picking this one up on DVD.

If you haven't checked out J. Torres's Comic Book Idol over at CBR, you're missing some interesting artwork and fun commentary, and just a well-executed neat idea. I wasn't so sure at first, given my absolute hatred for American Idol, but I'm digging Comic Book Idol so far.

NEWSARAMA - SUPREME COURT REFUSES TO HEAR CASTILLO CASE - There are so many frustrating things about this decision to me. First and foremost is that I can relate very much to Jesus Castillo's position, given my own job and locale, and I can't even imagine what he's been put through. It makes me angry to think that because he did his job, sold adult material to an adult, he suffered financial and legal hardships.

Second is, of course, that this sets a legal precedent whereby "comics are for kids, despite any evidence or testimony you might here." Not only is this stupid and insulting to a medium that I have devoted a lot of my time to, it's chilling and dangerous from a legal standpoint.

Third, I live in Texas (OK, Austin, but still...) and I know that this just reinforces the view that Texans are a bunch of inbred hillbillies with values from the 18th century. Sure, the people who hold this view tend to come off as judgmental idiots who don't know what they're talking about, but when something like this comes down, it's really hard to argue with them, and I *live* in fucking Texas and know better.

Probably most frustrating, though, is that this is a victory for the small-minded. And there have been way too many of those lately, in the world arena, in national politics, everywhere I look, and it's depressing as hell.

Finding Nemo:
Saw this about a week ago and, no surprise, loved it. Pixar Studios gets my money anytime they put a movie out (in theatres or on DVD) and it's always, always worth it. Finding Nemo had a special resonance for me as a new dad, because the notion of being able to protect my daughter from everything is one that weighs on my mind, and I like that Nemo had a message for kids (Your parents may not seem cool, but they'll do *anything* for you) and adults (you can't protect your kids by hiding them from the world). It also had, as always, great actors doing voice work and funny bits (loved Crush, the turtle voiced by director Stanton).

Shadowrun Duels:
This action figure game is completely addictive, just as Wizkids' Heroclix line has been. I swore I was going to avoid taking the budget hit, what with so many good comics coming out in June and DC: Cosmic Justice besides, but I couldn't resist once I saw the figures. Amazing sculpts, pretty solid articulation and nifty gear made them fun for a toy collector, and the game system is simple enough but tailored to the action figure size, not just a retrofit of the Clix rules. I've played but one game so far, but the potential is there for big fun and big multi-player run and gun fests. So far I've picked up half: Kyushi the Yakuza sniper, Lothan the troll mage (by far the best plastic/money ratio of the bunch) and G-Dogg the ork bouncer, and I can easily see buying the other three before Wave 2 hits. Wave 2 and 3, btw, look even better than most of the figures in this first wave. Fun stuff.

The Hulk:
Went and saw this Saturday night with low expectations, and still walked away disappointed. It's not the FX... in fact, the Hulk just rocks, and the best scenes in the movie are the ones where he's fighting tanks, leaping through the desert or tearing up San Francisco. No, it's the fact that the FX crew delivered on the damn-near impossible task of creating the Hulk for live-action and Ang Lee and company dropped the ball with a slow, disjointed, emotionless and dull story. It never comes together, and I'm at a loss as to why it was necessary to spend a good hour or so of the film trying to convince us of the scientific plausibility of the Hulk... it's a guy who turns green and throws tanks around... how plausible can you really get? Throw in other minor-league complaints (would it have killed them to have the Hulk talk, or at least thrown us a "Hulk Smash!") and you've got a comic-book movie that sits right below Daredevil in the disappointing-but-not-really-unexpected failures.

And The Award for Most Colossal Fuck-Up in Comics Management Goes to:
Graphitti Designs Presents... NEWSARAMA: WAID FIRED FROM FF WITH #508 - This rumor surfaced on the Bendis board and seemed completely ridiculous. I mean, under Waid's guidance the Fantastic Four is enjoying a creative resurgence (whether I'm a big fan of his take on Doom or not, the book is still good to great) and a sales resurgence... so they take him off the book? And replace him with President of Marvel Bill Jemas, who has gone to great lengths to prove that he can't write? (Update: Jemas is, according to Marvel, not the new writer on the book. That part may have been Waid repeating the rumors from the Bendis board poster, or (to be less charitable to Marvel) Marvel may have back-tracked on that when they saw how much heat that part of the announcement was stirring up.)

I'm just boggled by this decision. It strikes me as the kind of bone-headed move Marvel would have made during the 90s, right around the period where I (and many others) dropped all of their books in frustration.