You are currently located at another pointless dotcom, the personal website of Jonathan Horak. Enjoy.

pointless feeds

RSS 1.0 | RSS 2.0

shameless plug

The Writings on the Stall

Tuesday, 2003-12-30

if it weren't for my dear

I would've possibly missed it. The Holiday Bowl that is. One that now I'm not so sure I'd want to watch. Washington State 28, Texas 20. Recap.

hey, i'm no scientist

This should've been a given:

USDA Bans Downer Cattle from Human Food
Reuters

The U.S. government is banning downer cattle — animals unable to walk on their own at the slaughter plant — from being used as food for humans, Agriculture Secretary Ann Venman said on Tuesday.

One of the fundamental aspects of being an animal ("capacity for locomotion") hasn't always been a factor of edibility?

Monday, 2003-12-29

my shoes'll kick your shoes' ass

Kenneth Cole: Grate y Bunch

Bring it on Pinder.

Sunday, 2003-12-28

sexism is alive and well

Read the following and let us know if anything snags your attention.

'Eight Is Enough' actor out as 'Bibleman'
Associated Press article via The Boston Globe

A California pastor will replace "Eight is Enough" television actor Willie Aames as the next "Bibleman," a comic book-style action hero who quotes Scripture to children in a touring ministry.

Aames is stepping down after eight years in the role.

Robert T. Schlipp will assume the role next spring. He'll be joined by his wife, Anayansi Schlipp, who will portray Biblegirl.

Hint: "Bibleman" vs "Biblegirl" (or why is the preacher's wife not a woman?).

Update 2004-11-08 00:24: fixed article link.

finally

A shoe store that caters to "bigfoots" like me: the Oddball Shoe Company. Now I can forever avoid dealing with Nordstrom personnel. What is it with these people, by the way? No, I don't care for your overpriced neutral shoe polish. Or a wide assortment of shoes when I'm already happy with one.

And fuck you Mr. Hipster Diesel "Sales Associate" for telling me your employer doesn't even make 15's (US) when it actually does. Thanks again Oddball.

Yes, you may have noticed a bit of cynicism above. Blame it on all the pent up frustration of stores hardly ever carrying my size — for shoes I'm actually interested in — here and abroad.

Saturday, 2003-12-27

speaking of ben stiller

I'd wondered what had happened to the flick Envy (starring Ben Stiller and Jack Black) on at least a subconscious level. It's due in April 2004.

What I want to know is whether it was always due after Along Came Polly (in theaters January 2004) as I saw the latter's trailer well after that of the former.

sending bits and bytes

Dropload is a brand new and (importantly) free service that allows you to upload files to the site, so that they can be "picked up by someone else at a later time."

Very cool. Especially because most folks have a problem sending me files over instant messenger — as I use Gaim — and via email, since nearly all only have free and size-limited webmail accounts. 'Twill definitely come in handy.

[Link via Lawrence Lessig.]

Friday, 2003-12-26

belated christmas gift (for myself)

Just bought The Ben Stiller Show on DVD over at Amazon. Having never seen the series I'm hoping I'll like it.

Pretty sure I will though, as Ben Stiller always gets a laugh — out of me. Maybe this has to do with his self-effacing attitude/humor (and my similarities to this trait). One will never know. Will one?

lost in aggieland

On the way from Celeste (cousin, mom's side) and Tom's house in College Station to Giddings, where I was to get picked up by Gemma, my family managed to lose its bearings. In Aggieland no less. Needless to say, myself and Olivia couldn't help but crack jokes, all the meanwhile feeling out of our respective element.

Having not been inside the Texas A&M campus since I was a little kid, I was a bit shocked to notice the ubiquitousness of the Maroon and White A&M logo. It was everywhere. Company signs, gas stations, clubs, restaurants, sporting goods stores, you name it. There it'd be found. Even on the roof of a Whataburger; a fast food chain defined by the colors orange and white. But maybe this is the reason for such an eyesore (sorry, had to say it) of a logo placement. The colors orange and white are simply too much of a threat to the Ags.

The same may be true of The University of Texas and the Austin community it is in. However, it just doesn't appear to be of the same extent. Then again, I might not be able to see the forest through the trees.

Thursday, 2003-12-25

hot and spiffy

Gemmathan

She's hot. I'm spiffy.

Picture taken by Gemma's dad, David, for our "prom" night. We'd gotten all dressed up to go somewhere nice to eat which would then be followed by a viewing of Ballet Austin's "The Nutcracker."

For a short while luck wasn't on our side — or mine at least, as it went with dress-up — because Jester was closed for winter break and that's where my suits were. It all worked out in the end, as David wears nearly the exact same size clothes as I do.

Sunday, 2003-12-21

dial-up

Argh!

Friday, 2003-12-19

amazon oops, take two

Look Inside! Good in Bed

Incoming Signals has found yet another Amazon "bulk formatting" mistake (more to come, I'm sure). This one's a bit more obvious than the last one recently pointed out.

Actually, wow. This one has so many layers of perversion — or maybe it's just me — that it'd be easier to just leave it all to your imagination, instead of spelling it out using mine.

Thanks to both Jennifer Weiner's Good in Bed and Amazon for the (many) laughs. And Jeffrey Zeldman for the all too kind words.

Wednesday, 2003-12-17

you. yeah you

With the gas guzzling SUV: Fuck You and Your H2. I'll have a submission very soon for the project, as my digital camera is now usually in hand. And it just so happens that I throw a piss-fit every time I see one.

Tuesday, 2003-12-16

uh-huh

Patriot Americans Boycotting Anti-American Hollywood a.k.a. PABAAH. If that site were a parody (and not actually real) it'd be the funniest thing I've ever seen.

Sadly it's not. They're dead serious — and yet surprisingly still laughable.

Monday, 2003-12-15

look or search? what'll it be, amazon?

Look Inside! LolitaSearch Inside! LolitaLooking through directories on my hard drive and webserver always turns out a treat. Yesterday's wanderings produced the image on the left and was snagged from Amazon's listing of Vladimir Nabokov's 'Lolita'.

Funny, eh?

Well, guess what? I recently found another gem (once again at the same place, Amazon). It's currently featured to your right. Which is funnier? And if you're not catching the humor, I'm a pervert.

Update: More of the same.

Saturday, 2003-12-13

xmas on soma fm

For Gemma (and all other Christmas-freaks out there): Xmas on Soma FM. 'Tis the season to listen to themed internet radio.

Friday, 2003-12-12

woohoo! someone else like me

My girlfriend has told me recently that I should stop buying school books, as I never seem to open/use them. There's a lot of reasoning and truth behind her sentiment. Over the course of the past couple semesters, my college career has turned into a downward spiral.

That said, it's comforting to know that there is at least another out there like me:

A Confession
Anonymous, Group Hug

I have a final exam tomorrow at 1pm, I have not attended a complete class, one of the two books we use is still wrapped in plastic, I think it's some sort of subconscious academic suicide. I feel bad and good at the same time, bad because I'm an idiot for not taking it seriously, good because it feels damn great to let go.

Don't feel too bad for me, friend; I'm making changes (for the better). Here's to a 4.0 next semester! Don't laugh. It could happen.

Tuesday, 2003-12-09

damn dyslexia!

Bought the domain psuedodictionary.com yesterday. My recent (on top of all my all too frequent) misspelling of pseudo was the final straw. Now I'll be redirected to the proper domain — pseudodictionary.com — instead of getting yet another "page not found" error.

Monday, 2003-12-08

and ou still sucks

I truly believe OU lost to spite us.

Sunday, 2003-12-07

haha

What does a Google search for "Miserable Failure" get you? Dubya. More.

Friday, 2003-12-05

at an intersection

As my readers (all couple of you) have probably started to notice, this weblog is beginning to put quite a bit of focus on politics/social issues. This puts me at a crossroads. Where do I go from here? Should I return to the days of pointless yore? Or follow this new path?

A couple of months ago I bought the domain seizethe.net (which I'll title "seize the 'net"). I'd envisioned an outlet for the kind of topics presented over the past week. Should I go that route? And leave personal postings here?

If you are reading this, I need your input, as I truly don't know where to go from here. Any input (constructive of course) will be appreciated.

Thursday, 2003-12-04

a master lock has failed

Sent the following message over to Master Lock just now:

Today I learned that your company caved in (as it goes with pricing) to Walmart. And then turned to labor in Nogales, Mexico to keep costs low. In doing so you've lost a longstanding customer. Me.

Their automated response: "Thank you for contacting Master Lock. We will respond to your comments within 2 business days." I now await a reply.

Oh, and if you're curious why I'd write the company off over transporting labor, it'd be because my gut tells me that working conditions aren't all that great in Nogales, Mexico.

always low wages

Always Low Wages. Always.

My last post focused on an article by the Village Voice. Although the article cited did make points about Walmart's practices, mine, I've since realized, didn't. This may have left some wondering why I'd title the entry "always low prices! i wonder why" without any further explanation as to why such a statement was made.

I do have my reasons.

Today I received (via email) a "Featured Action" from Act For Change. It's purpose it to educate the public to Walmart's low wage/poor benefits practices. Apparently, my post was created with near perfect timing. Below is a snippet of the petition.

Don't Buy Me Wal-Mart for the Holidays
Petition at Act For Change

Sure, it's cheap to shop at Wal-Mart, but at what cost? Wal-Mart brings you its rock bottom prices by underpaying employees and forcing its suppliers to do the same. And when big box Wal-Mart comes to town, local businesses that treat their employees better can't compete and are forced out of business.

That's only a general overview though. Even still, it succinctly explains my reasons for dissatisfaction with the corporation. If you want hard undeniable facts, they can be found at Working For Change.

Wednesday, 2003-12-03

always low prices! i wonder why

Somehow or another — actually, for the purposes of simplicity, blame my Liberal sources — I found and read my first Village Voice article. To say that it impressed me would be a true understatement. Not often do I find myself nodding my head in agreement on every addressed point as it goes with the news.

Here's one that I know I've imagined in some like form in the past:

Attention, Wal-Mart Voters
Rick Perlstein, Village Voice

Here's a riddle: What do shuttered factories manufacture? Democrats. Or at least they might, if the national Democratic Party had the balls to do what needs to be done.

The article presents, as it's underlying theme, the notion that would-be Republicans (especially of the bread and butter, non-urban variety) are now ripe for a Democrat harvest. If only the latter would pursue. If only.

scientific demystification

When I happened upon the style.org article "Estimating the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow" I told myself I wouldn't make a post about it. But after sending the link to David (Gemma's dad, an avid Python fan) and realizing how much I liked the phrase "scientific demystification" — which was the subject of the email — I realized I'd have to fall back on my word.

Well, that and the fact that the time-invested analyzation of the famous nonsense Monty Python and the Holy Grail skit had me in hysterics for an extended period of time.

Tuesday, 2003-12-02

the cost of war?

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron. Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President - April 16, 1953

sacrilegious maybe?

Just read an article from PC World that I consider well worth recommending: The Ten Commandments of PC Security. May be old news though to some.

Monday, 2003-12-01

might get this book

I might purchase Robert Ehrlich's 'Nine Crazy Ideas in Science' to further backlog my "books to read" stack. Therefore making my bookshelf a bit more eclectic (in scope, for I am by no means a scientist or ever have any interest in being). And myself — in appearance only — a bit wiser.

what's sad is that it's true

I'm an "update-aholic" and this is my cry for help.