The all-night quorum of the Tipple Congress produced many pleasant results, such as this impressive architectural wonder and short-lived public work.
A towering event
Die Bierstube
Tonight, I will attend a meeting of the Tipple Congress at Die Bierstube, courtesy of the insistence and instigation of a gentleman of Polish extraction.
Los San Patricios
During the Mexican-American War of the 1840s, a battalion of Irish emigrants to North America fought on the Mexican side of the war. They are known, and remembered in Mexico, as Los San Patricios (30-second RA sample of The Fenians’ “The San Patricios”).
Despite an obscure movie, a documentary, and another song or two (Why are all these songs by Irish-American bands? Why no mariachi bands or full-on traditional numbers?), the Patricios are little known in the U.S. This might well be due to the fact that many of the Irish fighting with the Mexicans were deserters from the U.S. military. I find it interesting that the San Patricios are credited wih having played a key role in the defense of Monterrey, one of the two Mexican citites where I spent significant time as a child.
I stumbled across this site years ago while in the Bare Knuckle Boxers. We played a tune called “The Gallowglass,” which years later I learned was an Hibernian Anglicization of a Scots Gaelic word, “Gall Oglaighs,” which was applied as a class to Scots fighters, of Viking heritage, who came to Ireland to fight as mercenaries but became a recognized element of Irish society.
May I suggest you listen to our version of the tune and think, for a moment, about the role of war and violence in Irish history. Then, shake it off and hoist a few.
Retraction
My Treo has a silver stylus built into the body, which i rarely use, although I am happy that it’s there.
Many of the flip-style phones feature a short, retractable antenna.
Honestly, I’m no special genius, and am sure that I can’t be the only person who has wondered why cell phones don’t come with a retractable earbud and throat mike by default. I mean really!
It wouldn’t add appreciable bulk or cost to nearly any phone.
The hordes of one-handed drivers we share the roads with would vanish overnight. You, of course, would never, ever speak into your handset while driving, gentle reader.
And me? I wouldn’t have a new rat’s nest of cable in my pocket to thumbwrestle with daily.
Cell phones: evil or loathsome? Tune in tonight!
Bleeding Gums Murphy
OK, the second dentist in two years is telling me I have Oscar-quality gingivitis, which results in the scurvy-like loss of teeth due to bone loss.
The first place suggested using a flouride rinse, but the new place stressed the importance of punishing, De-Sade-esque flossing and the patience of Job, in order to actually wait out the interminable 30-seconds-per-quad that the horrible instrument of entrapment known as a Sonicare requires.
The upshot of all this is incredible gum pain shortly after dinner, and consequent crankiness and pain-related personality deformations. Too much gum, indeed.
Zdoomz
Quake, Doom, and Hexen.
For Palm OS 5. Ported by Yohann Magnien. Found via PDArcade.
This amuses me by making me wonder if Marathon might ever be Palm ported.
tinny
A forum poster at Agoraquest notes that the STR-DE597 only supports active subwoofers. As the receiver/amplifier is built for multi-channel setups, this also explains the profoundly tinny sound we have through our 1970’s homemade PA speakers. To think I once put a cherry-cabinet all-tube Fisher into the trash.
Gmail POP on Treo
This forum posting, “TreoCentral.com – Gmail DOES work with Versamail…here’s how,” details the settings necessary to utilize Versamail to access one’s Gmail account via POP.
Unfortunately, since you must leave “leave on server” set in order to preserve the state of the gmail account for browser access, it’s nearly impossible to use effectively; when you delete old messages, the application re-downloads them.
Scratchy, yet pleasing
tinfoil.com – Early Recorded Sounds and Wax Cylinders, via MonkeyFilter. Did I link to this already? Very well, then, I repeat myself.
Repeat myself.
Where's the Fire?
Dan once pointed out the City of Seattle real time emergency dispatch list. I’ve found myself rooting around his site for it more than once of late as sirens spiraled off into the night. Early this evening there was a long-repeating distant lowing noise, the sort I associate with air-horns for air-raids and tornado alerts. It was to the north and west of here. It repeated an insistent pattern for several minutes, nearly inspiring me to leave the couch.
A few minutes later, as bellowing firetrucks barrelled through the intersection, the shaking of my house inspired me to the action of linking to that list. In future when idly curious about events of human disaster, I can consult my own site archives rather than Dan’s.
Moments later, another siren. “Motor Vehicle Accident,” I read, as the police car roughly shouldered through the crowd of gawking SUVs and Smarte Cars, rubber whip antenna flailing authoritatively. “10th Av E / E Roanoke St.”
I fell back against the cushions. My work for the night was done.