Archive for July, 2010


Admittedly, I enjoy my techno-stuff. I enjoy listening to music on my iPod, talking on my iPhone, and dreaming about the iPad I’ll own one day.

But apparently, some teens have taken this to a whole new level.

Remember that the job of every new generation is to make the one before it seem sane. Compared to I-Dosing, sniffing glue might not seem so bad, I guess, but not to me. Seems like every few years, a new “high” has to be found.

Here’s an article on the phenomenon from The Daily Mail:

>>I-Dosing: How teenagers are getting ‘digitally high’ from music they download from internet

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I love mysteries. I love the character of Batman. (Hey, I just talked about him yesterday. And he gets the most entries I publish!) So it wasn’t a surprise when, about a year ago, I came across the story of a well-to-do collector of all things Batman who was found murdered in his hotel room, and I was gripped by it.  This guy had warehouses–you read that right, warehouses–full of Batman stuff, including a life-size replica of the 1960’s Batmobile.

Now, if you’ve ever watched the CBS show 48 Hours Mystery, you know that the person you should be looking at, and investigating hard, should be the spouse. I mean, it is almost always the husband or wife. But I read a story some time ago that this collector’s wife had been cleared of not only her husband’s obvious murder, but his mother’s “accidental” death as well.

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As a long-time Batman fan, it does this heart good to see The Dark Knight doing well. His comics are selling, his movies draw big crowds … and he gets to participate in great stories!

Michael Keaton, who played Batman for a time, ought to know what makes the character tick. And he had some interesting things to say about Christopher Nolan, the man who helped return Batman to his rightful place and also has the number one movie at the theaters this week, Inception.

Here’s the article from Access Hollywood:

>>LOS ANGELES, Calif. —

A former Batman has some high praise for the franchise’s current director.

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Way To Go, Joe!

It’s been a while since I’ve highlighted my joys in music. Since I’ve just discovered a great musician who has a very interesting story, I thought I’d point him and his music out today.

I’ve mentioned previously how much I love piano music. There’s something very special about a person and an instrument making gorgeous music together. That’s not to say I don’t like bands or orchestras–I do! But in the last few years, I’ve come to appreciate music that has an “earnestness” to it. By that I mean, it isn’t just elevator music that trundles along with no purpose but to provide a background noise. No, this music has real feeling to it–it can make me swoon or dance or reflect on life in general.

Of course, the musicians I’ve listed previously include Jim Brickman, Jim Chappell and Bryce Miller, among others. But today, thanks to the Internet, I discovered a new favorite–Joe Bongiorno.

Now where I come from, in Northeastern Pennsylvania, a guy with that name would have to run a pizza parlor. And the pizza would taste great, too, by the way. Then, too, to look at a photo of Joe, one might think he resembles a fullback more than a musician, like he ought to tackle the piano instead of play it. But things don’t just end there. (And his story reminds me of my experience with my father as well.)

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Yesterday was a very rare day in the Washington, D.C., area.  We had an earthquake!  It wasn’t a big, destructive one. Instead, it was more of a, “Did you feel the earthquake?” kind of one, making everyone ask each other if anyone had felt it happen.

I didn’t. At the time it took place, I was in my gastrointestinal doctor’s center, being put under so I could enjoy both an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. The lower levels turned out great, but there’s some slight problem in the upper area that is being biopsied. I’ll get the results in two weeks, which tells me it isn’t something dreadful that needs attention “stat,” as they like the say in the medical profession.

Anyway, here’s a story about the quake that appeared on the website for the local news station, WTOP:

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I had a big memory flash when I read this. Back in the day, startrek.com was THE place to go for news about my favorite TV franchise. That it is back and ready to challenge trekmovie.com is good news!  Here’s the report from ontheredcarpet.com:

>>The official Star Trek website has been relaunched “with newcomers and longtime fans alike in mind” following the 2009 movie reboot and Leonard Nimoy, who played the half-Vulcan Spock in the original 1960s series as well as the film, welcomes fans to boldly go where millions are set to go.

“I couldn’t have imagined–no one could have, really–that the TV shows we did so long ago would find a new audience today, that the films would continue, and that there would be so many spin-offs,” Nimoy, 79, says in a posted message.

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One of my favorite kinds of stories to read has to do with stupid criminals, folks who seem to have lost all common sense in their attempt to commit crimes. So, this will be the first in this occasional series. (Some day, I’ll go back and review previous Darwin Awards, which are just impossible to make up on our own.)

>>Man posts bail with counterfeit bills

By Peter Mucha, Inquirer Staff Writer

Most people post bail to stay out of jail, not to risk a lot more time there.

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Don’t have enough Star Trek apps (applications) for your iPhone? Well, iTunes has just the answer—the new Star Trek Original Series Communicator is officially available for you to buy and download, according to iPhone Savior.

It was about a year ago that the unofficial Star Radio Communicator app was pulled from the App Store by a cease and desist letter that cited copyright infringement by CBS. This time, however, the app is back for good.

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Since I lived in Florida for several years, I’m always fascinated by sharks and manatee, the “sea cows.” I happened across a recent news story that, sadly, can be a common occurrence in the Sunshine State:

>>NAPLES, Fla. (AP) – Florida wildlife officials say a 10-foot alligator bit off a man’s hand while he was swimming in a canal with friends.

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AP – Colton Harris-Moore exits a plane handcuffed as he is escorted by police upon arrival to Nassau, Bahamas

I’m always intrigued by criminals who seem to put themselves and others in danger, and yet gain folk hero status somehow. Here’s a good recent case as reported by Yahoo:

>>NASSAU, Bahamas – For two years he stayed a step ahead of the law—stealing cars, powerboats and even airplanes, police say, while building a reputation as a 21st-century folk hero. On Sunday, Colton Harris-Moore’s celebrity became his downfall.

Witnesses on the Bahamian island of Eleuthera recognized the 19-year-old dubbed the “Barefoot Bandit” and called police, who captured him after a high-speed boat chase, Bahamas Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade said at a celebratory news conference in Nassau, the capital.

Greenslade said shots were fired during the water chase but he did not say who fired them. He also said Harris-Moore was carrying a handgun that he tried to throw away.

Another senior police official, however, said police fired to disable the motor on the suspect’s stolen boat, and that Harris-Moore threw his gun in the water. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case, also said that police recovered a laptop and a GPS locator from the suspect.

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