Dante should have created a separated level of Hell for comment spammers. I got hit with over 400 spams yesterday. I’m seriously contemplating taking out a contract to find these scumsacks and introduce them to the joys of ventilator-assisted breathing. I saw that the creator of MT-Blacklist won the award for best plug-in for Moveable Type 3.0, which gives me hope that better protection may soon be available to ward off the evildoers of capitalism.
Seth Shostak at the SETI Institute thinks that we will discover a radio signal from another intelligent civilization within the next 25 years. And with any luck, my computer will be the one to find it. It’s fun to contemplate the effects of such a discovery on society. After the initial freak-out, I wonder if it would be kind of anti-climactic. After all, any response we sent would take decades, if not centuries, to get there. And that’s assuming we would even be able to decipher their message. Still, a lot of organized religions would have to seriously reevaluate their cosmologies. But I bet a lot of adherents would simply refuse to believe such a discovery, no matter how much evidence you shoved in their faces. It would be Evolution vs. Creationism, Part Deux.

For those of you who have requested Kerry buttons and stickers, they are coming. This week has been tremendously busy and I haven’t been able to sit down and stuff envelopes. But I should be able to get them out next week.
Yesterday was a lot of fun. Saw The Bourne Supremacy, a good old-fashioned spy movie. I don’t think I saw one CGI shot in the whole film. Some may find the plot a bit labyrinthine, but I enjoy movies that require the audience to pay attention. Then we had dinner at The Local, an Irish pub on Nicollet Mall. The weather has been unseasonably dry and pleasant over the last few days, which meant that we could eat outside in comfort.
The Minneapolis City Council has passed a smoking ban for bars and restaurants that takes effect next March. And it’s about time. I’m looking forward to going out and not coming home smelling like an ashtray. The smokers will probably whine some nonsense about their civil rights, but I am of the opinion that public health trumps anyone’s right to suck on a noxious mixture of tar and tobacco and exhale the fumes in my vicinity.

Ah, Dennis, we knew ye too well. The Kissing Bandit has decided to give up the ghost and endorse Kerry. It’s nice of him to concede before the convention, giving his two (or is it three?) delegates the opportunity to quietly switch their Kucinich pins for Kerry pins. And they did manage to get a few words changed in the party platform regarding the war. I might even watch his speech at the convention. But I still want some written assurances from the guy that he won’t accost any more people with disabilities without their express written permission.
I’m waiting for the wheelchair guy to come fix my chair. He said he would be here in fifteen minutes. That was an hour ago. And I still need to take a shower, but I can’t because the guy might show up any second. I’m not a morning person to begin with and this isn’t improving my mood.

Maybe I can talk Charles into flying back next month when Doom III is released. I’m curious to see whether it will live up to the hype, but I think I’ll survive even if I don’t get to play it. I’m probably fulfilling my annual quota of computer-game-playing during this week. It’s so much nicer to sit back and order someone else around: “Go left! No, right! Shoot!” Much less strain on the neck. But I find that I still get bored with multi-player options in games. My friend has been playing a lot of multi-player Halo and it just seems repetitive. I guess I prefer games that are driven by a cohesive storyline. And in single-player games, you don’t have annoying 14-year-olds with monikers like “Fartmonkey” and “Butt Pirate” running around and calling everyone “faggot.” There’s something about on-line games that brings out a homoerotic streak in young men.

Anybody want some really cool Kerry 2004 disability-themed campaign buttons? It has the universal wheelchair icon with “John Kerry” spelled out in American Sign Language. I’m selling them for $2 apiece as part of fundraising efforts for the local Kerry/Edwards Disability Steering Committee. If you would like one, send me $2 via PayPal to msiegel1@mn.rr.com. I’ll cover postage and I’ll even throw in a free bumper sticker with the same design. All the cool gimps will be accessorizing with them this fall. And if you can’t afford the $2, let me know and I’ll still send you stuff. I’m all about spreading the meme.