So I took my phone into the T-Mobile store and asked them what was wrong. They couldn’t figure it out. The nice lady behind the counter told me that she’d just gotten back from Graceland, I think she was trying to flirt with me, but I couldn’t have cared less. I wanted my phone fixed, damn it! So she attempts a Master Reset. The Master Reset code, for those of you with Moronola phones, is 000000. Very clever, Moronola.

Well, that didn’t work, and I guess my piece of shit phone is still under warranty, so they’re sending me a new one, which should be here in a week. We’ll see if it works any better.

Bob Cringely finally correctly diagnoses what’s wrong in the American economy for once. I still have major gripes with the way the FCC allocates spectrum and regulates telecom, but Cringely’s point is one I’ve been trying to explain to people for two years now:

Venture capitalists aren?t my favorite people. I see them as generally greedy and self-important, and not nearly as smart as they think they are. And right now they are very nervous about making new investments. What if the next wave they pick isn?t the right one? Another part of the problem is that venture funds have grown too large, pushing up the average deal size required for funds to think of themselves as being efficient. Yes, that makes no sense, but I told you these people aren?t very smart. Several big venture funds have actually been giving money back to their investors lately in an effort to allow smaller investments. But billions of dollars ?- tens of billions of dollars — are still in those funds, waiting to be invested. And eventually the pressure of all that money is going to start a new investment cycle. Some people think it has already begun but I don?t.

I told this to a friend, who blew up laughing, saying, “Man, that must really make you crazy!!!” And it does. The funds have grown too big, and VC’s are so insistent on getting a slam sunk every time that they wind up investing in nothing. Unfortunately, I doubt that Cringely’s clarion call will be heeded.

Read Cringely here.

It’s the old favorite, replete with a spiked bat, land mines and lots of blood.

Enjoy.

I wonder how this will taste:

Scientists in Japan say they have successfully implanted vegetable genes in a living animal for the first time.

Researchers at Kinki University near Osaka inserted genetic material from spinach into a pig, which they say will produce healthier pork.

The experiment, which began several years ago, has yielded two generations of pigs with the spinach gene known as FAD2.

Research team leader Akira Iritani said the pigs with the spinach gene had produced less fat than normal.

I don’t know how I like the “low fat” aspects. But if it combines the taste of spinach and pork, that’d be nice. Like a stuffed pork chop.

Read the story here.

SO as you know, I have a Motorola v300 camera phone. I took the three pictures below with it when I was in New York City. However, midway through the night, the camera refused to take more pictures, saying “Picture Capture Failed” with no further explanation. This happened once before, and I found that dumping out of memory all my previous pictures seemed to do the trick, even though the phone said it had over half of its memory free. Now, nothing seems to work. What good is this phone really, other than for just making calls? Had I wanted a phone with no PC connectivity and no camera I could have opted for the cheapest thing on the market. This phone is a piece of shit, and Moronola will never count me as one of their customers again.

Now let’s see if the T-Mobile store can be of any help. I’ll head on over there tomorrow.

Who would have guessed that the Michelin star system isn’t as objective as it claims to be? A new kiss and tell book being published explains:

He said that the Michelin star system has created extremely media-savvy chefs who wage a major campaign against Michelin if they lose one of their stars. Referring to Alain Ducasse, probably the best-known French chef in the world, Mr. Remy said that when he lost a star at his restaurant Louis XV in Monaco, “he shook heaven and earth and in two years, he got it back.”

I remember when the Iron Chefs went to France, and the French judges low-balled all the Iron Chef’s scores to unreal levels, giving the French chefs nearly perfect scores. These people are just a bunch of assholes.

Read the whole thing here.

This looks completely disgusting:

Boba, also known as black pearls or tapioca balls, is derived from the starch of the cassava root. When cooked perfectly, the Boba becomes a sweet, chewy ball with a jelly-like texture about 6mm in diameter. At first glance, you see a layer of dark, round balls at the bottom of your cup. As you sip your drink, these “mysterious marbles” travel up the specially wide straw. The texture, taste and chewy sensation makes you want more!

Sure it does. Sounds like glorified poo to me. You can read more and even see these “mysterious marbles” in various drinks here.

A rather libertarian view:

Cheney stopped a little short. How about government simply getting out of the marriage-license-granting business? (Ditto for government licenses necessary to cut hair, drive a taxi, open a business or enter a profession.) Leave marriage to non-governmental institutions, like churches, synagogues, mosques, and other houses of worship or private institutions. Adultery, although legal, remains a sin subject to societal condemnation. It’s tough to legislate away condemnation or legislate in approval. Those who view same-sex marriage as sinful will continue to do so, no matter what the government, the courts or their neighbors say.

I think we should put a referendum on the ballot here in Massachusetts to that effect, and put an end to all this silliness.

Read the article here.

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