I saw this on Pesky’Apostrophe and just had to do one for myself. So in lieu of the usual random ten, you are getting an unusual random 15.

You put your music player of choice on random, and use the songs to answer the questions. Not all of them will make sense, of course. But as you will see, some of them are damn funny. Some are even a little spooky.

1) How does the world see you?
Early Morning - A-Ha

Well that’s impossible. No one ever sees me in the early morning and lives to tell the tale.

2) Will I have a happy life?
Lullaby of London - The Pogues*

This is sort of a sad song, but it’s pretty (and I guess the haunted grave thing sort of fits me).
May the wind that blows from haunted graves
Never bring you misery
May the angels bright
Watch you tonight
And keep you while you sleep

*By the way, you can actually listen to this one on the radio blog right now.

3) What do my friends really think of me?
Why Can’t I Be You? - The Cure

Well now that’s just freaking hilarious. And I think I’ll leave it at that.

4) Do people secretly lust after me?
Over and Over Again (Lost and Found) - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Oh yeah. Just call me your lusty blogging goddess.

5) How can I make myself happy?
Let It Be - The Beatles

There are many ways I could interpret this. Be less picky. Be more lazy. Be less stubborn. I think I’ll just assume it means I don’t have to clean this weekend.

6) What should I do with my life?
Numb - U2

So, I should start self-medicating then? Or maybe just become a drunk.

7) Will I ever have children?
Endless Vacation - The Ramones

Vacations with kids suck. So no kids. There. That was easy.

8) What is some good advice for me?
There Is No Greater Love - Billie Holiday

That’s corny. Guess I can only interpret that as “Don’t take your lover for granted” or some bullshit like that.

9) How will I be remembered?
Stay (Faraway So Close) - U2

Dressed up like a car crash
The wheels are turning but you’re upside down

10) What is my signature song?
Bullet the Blue Sky

Not sure if this fits me, but at least it’s U2. There are moments though, like in Death Valley, when this song is on full blast inside my brain. And I can see those fighter planes…

11) What do I think my current theme song is?
Lyin’ Eyes - The Eagles

The question is, who am I fooling?

12) What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
Over the Hills and Far Away - Led Zeppelin

Many times I’ve lied - Many times I’ve listened
Many times I’ve wondered how much there is to know.

13) What song will play at my funeral?
Other Voices - The Cure

Spooooooky.

14) What type of men/women do I like?
Charmless Man - Blur

Alright, I’m not touching that one. (See #8.)

15) What is my day going to be like?
Don’t Worry About The Government - The Talking Heads

So… I guess I’ll have to do my taxes tomorrow. Oh shit! I still have to do my taxes!!

The 2006 Philadelphia Film Festival starts today. It runs through April 11th, so I’m hoping to catch a few movies in the coming days. Every year we say we’re going to do this… and we never do.

But this year, it’s happening! First up is Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man tomorrow night at the Bridge.

I won’t get to see all of them, but here’s a shortlist of the other films that grabbed my attention:
-Sir! No Sir!
-This Film is Not Yet Rated
-Fuck
-American Dreamz
-Evil Aliens
-Hell
-Tokyo Zombie
-Little Athens

I have a new favorite news anchor. Well, I guess this isn’t really new anymore, but it’s the first time I’ve mentioned it. Keith Olbermann. I just love his irreverent, sardonic way of delivering the news. And his feud with Bill O’Reilly is good fun, too.

That said, I must give credit to CNN for actually engaging my interest for the first time in months. Anderson Cooper 360 just spent the whole program covering illegal immigration and border control.

They presented almost every aspect of the issue from both sides of the border and political spectrum. They talked about a lot of the gray areas and economic implications. I’m sure there’s still much more to learn about this mushrooming problem, but I think I absorbed about all I could handle for one night. Gave me a lot to think about.

Anyone else care to weigh in on this?

Further Reading:
-Latest immigration ‘crisis’ defies simplistic solutions [USA Today]
-Senate begins key immigration debate [WaPost]
-Frist fires opening shot on immigration [CNN]
-Student Immigration Protests Continue [CBS]
-The real battle of the border [Anderson Cooper Blog]

Attention all personnel:

I would just like to take this opportunity to profess my utter and undying love for M*A*S*H.

On that note, tell me some of your all time favorite television shows.

That is all.

I’ll have to finish watching this later, but what I have seen is just awesome:

Disney’s VD Attack Plan

It’s an authentic educational cartoon from the 70s about venereal disease. [via Boing Boing]

Come back later for my latest rantings, but for now, check out this awful Jack in the Box commercial. Philly, we really need to work on our national image if we have any chance at becoming the Sixth Borough or landing the 2016 Olympics! Sheesh.

Authentic Philly, as Depicted by Californians [Philadelphia Will Do]

1) Let’s Go - The Ramones
2) He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother - The Hollies (gotta be my least favorite Hollies song ever…)
3) I’ll Believe in Anything - Wolf Parade
4) Black Country Woman - Led Zeppelin
5) Wake Up - The Walkmen
6) Thousands are Sailing - The Pogues
7) Wild Wild Life - Talking Heads
8) Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye - Leonard Cohen
9) Rag Mama Rag - The Band
10) Up All Night - The Boomtown Rats

BONUS: King of Pain - The Police (Live in Atlanta, 1983)

Check out this weird and wonderful photographic art: Stephen Berkman.

[via Boing Boing]

Sorry for the downtime today, guys. They were upgrading the servers and broke SQL for a while there. Looks like we’re back in business now.

Okay, this is going to sound a little weird, but bear with me.

A few nights ago, I caught a snippet of Forrest Gump on tv. It was the part where Lieutenant Dan says something like “The day you become a shrimp boat captain is the day I become an astronaut.”

I mused that it was sort of funny that Gary Sinise later played an astronaut in Apollo 13 (albeit, a grounded astronaut) along side Tom Hanks.

Then I started thinking: would zero gravity help to narrow the playing field for people who have lost their legs or the use of their legs? In other words, would a life in space be an equalizer for people with certain types of disabilities?

I haven’t thought this through in the slightest—just thought it might make for an interesting discussion.

I’m in the market for a decent blog aggregator. I’ve tried using them in the past, and never found anything I really liked. It’s been a while, and I keep hearing that they have gotten much better. Any recommendations?

It’s a going to be a little slow around the Landslide in my Ego this week. I have meetings every morning this week (most of them off-site), and they just kill the rest of my day, leaving very little time for much else.

Anyway, I’ll try to grace you with my presence at least once a day (probably later in the afternoon or evening).

In the mean time, tell me (and everybody else) something that most people don’t know about you.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I give you my favorite Pogues album. Enjoy.

Oh my god. I think the SEPTA monkeys may have actually done something right! Their webmonkeys, that is.

I was checking out a transit schedule today, and I noticed they made some changes to their online content:

-Html schedules that don’t take five years to load, even on a broadband connection (but still the option to download the pdf if you want it).

-A clickable rail system map, that tells you the exact location, hours, and fares for each station.

I’m not sure when these upgrades happened (could have been a while ago), but I’m just tickled. I realize this may not seem like a big deal to some of you, but holy crap if this isn’t a huge improvement!

Baby steps, you know?

So, SEPTA webmonkeys, keep up the good work! Definitely fix the Center City street and transit map next.

Oh, and just get rid of the trip planner. I mean, who the hell uses that thing anyway?

Update: Thanks to Blinq, and Philadelphia Will Do, and Akkam’s Razor for mentioning this post.

I know it’s evil of me, but I can’t help it. I thought this was freaking hilarious!!

Basketball Prank [Schneier on Security]

[via Boing Boing]

If you are going out of town for a couple days? And your significant other leaves work a little early, makes a special stop for groceries, then rushes home to make you a nice meal and actually suggests you eat at the table? Then it’s definitely NOT okay to put on Family Guy during dinner.

Lots of cities have crazy weather. I know that we’re not alone in that. Still, I think it’s got to be uniquely Philadelphian to have 80 degree weather on Monday, then snow flurries on Wednesday, during which there are half frozen sprinklers attempting to water the soggy grass.

I love overcast days like today. A lot of people see that as gloomy, but I think the sky has more character when it’s covered in a blanket of clouds. Everything this morning was in gorgeous shades of grays and purples and blues, all of it reflected in the skyscrapers downtown. And the city noise was softer, muffled.

It won’t last. The temperature is already dropping, and at some point today, rain will start pouring down from those clouds. But for a few moments this morning, the city seemed so peaceful.

Sort of forgot about this…

March Open Thread

Dear NASA,

Congratulations on managing to have several successes in a row!!

I kid, I kid. But in all seriousness, this is a pretty cool month for astronomy and space exploration.

First, your Cassini probe finds water on Saturn’s moon Enceladus.

And now, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has managed to plop itself into orbit around the Red Planet.

Not to mention the Stardust mission that ended smoothly back in January.

My heart is brimming with joy. Keep up the good work!

Love,
Kate

See Also:
-Google Mars
-NASA

1) Dead Kennedys - Moral Majority
2) Zombies - Gotaa Get a Hold of Myself
3) Beatles - Why Don’t We Do it in the Road
4) Jimi Hendrix - Foxy Lady
5) The Walkmen - They’re Winning
6) Fats Domino - I’m in Love Again
7) The Kinks - Victoria
8) Outkast - Behold a Lady
9) Cream - Those Were the Days
10) Kenn Kweder - January February

Bonus: AC/DC - Hells Bells

It would appear that I’m stuck watching a five-year-old here at work today. It was sprung on me at the last minute, and as you may know, I’m NOT very fond of kids.

That said, she’s a good kid, and very smart. And I have an extra computer where she is currently watching a DVD. But when Mickey and the Beanstalk is over, I have no idea what to do with her.

I’m looking for suggestions, here. Any good kids’ websites that won’t lure her into a life of porn and gambling?

HELP!!

Update: There’s an added challenge. My freaking internet at work is filtered by Websense, which blocks anything it categorizes as “Games.” Bastards.