Jeanene Garofalo is out of her mind

Recently there were protests across the country that were billed as "Tea Parties", to conjure up images of the original "Boston Tea Party". The idea apparently was to protest taxes and spending by the government. Whatever.

Most media outlets were at best skeptical of the protests, and many refused to refer to them as legitimate protests, choosing rather to refer to them as "teabagging parties" and calling the participants "teabaggers." (Yes - on national news) Many of the anchors on these news channels dove right in with double entendre, saying things like "licking their lips for teabagging" and "it's hard to talk (coherently) when you're teabagging." Seriously. I'm not making this up.

Well, once the demonstrations were over, I thought the story was over too. Not for Jeanene Garofalo, who not only dismisses the protests completely, but labels them as RACIST. I've always known that Jeanene Garofalo "leaned left", and ignored that fact due to her comedic talent. She refers to the protesters as "teabagging rednecks." Again - seriously, I'm not making this up.

Watch the clip below (replayed on Fox News' "Red Eye")

Halo Wars - I love it, but I'm disappointed

I'm not disappointed in the game. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love Halo Wars.

What disappoints me is that Ensemble Studios, the developer of the game, has apparently disbanded - shut down.

What that means is that while other games get updates to fix various issues, Halo Wars likely will not. And in this case that's a real shame, since some of the AI decisions clearly could use some tweaking. For example, if a tank can't get through a narrow area, like between a turret and a mountain, it doesn't turn around and go the other way. It just sits there waiting for the mountain to move. Similarly, if AI-controlled units aren't specifically told to target things like turrets or shield generators, they'll often target far less strategic targets, like infantry or resource generators.

Also, while games like Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto 4, and the entire Call of Duty series have benefited from various add-ons and downloadable extras like maps, they were only able to offer such things because their developers were still alive.

Microsoft once owned the developer of the original Halo games - Bungie Studios. After Halo 3 was released, Bungie, broke away from Microsoft and became an independent company. Despite their independence, they continue to fully support Halo 3. Microsoft also owned Ensemble Studios from 2001 to 2009. It's a real shame that they couldn't just spin it off and allow it to run independently.

(5/20/2009) UPDATE: Thankfully I was wrong. There is an update and DLC for Halo Wars. Whoo hoo!! :) http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/19606/Halo-Wars-Gets-Title-Update/

I owe Adam Lambert an apology...

Holy crap.

I just got to catch Adam Lambert's recent performance of Tears For Fears' "Mad World" on American Idol.

I loved the original version, and really loved Gary Jules' 2003 cover, which has appeared in the film "Donnie Darko" and in commercials for "Gears of War".

Adam's version was more similar to Gary Jules' version, but yet again, he made it his own. He no doubt had a hand in the staging and lighting for his performance, which he has done before, and no other competitor has done to date.

I can no longer deny his extraordinary talent. I know I made a big deal about his "effeminate" style, but the more I consider it, I no longer give a crap about that.

He is an AMAZING talent, and deserves all the recognition he's receiving, and will surely continue to get.

As a side note, I really like Danny Gokey, and initially had picked him to win it all, but I must concede that American Idol Season 8 winner is already clear.

So Adam, if you or one of your friends reads this - I am sorry. I was wrong.

UPDATE - I bought the "studio version" on iTunes, and it's even better than the live version. It sounds great in the car, and yes - the Sync system recognizes when I say "play artist, ADAM LAMBERT" and goes straight to the correct track.

Blogging from 38,000 feet

As I write this, I'm on Alaska Airlines flight 520. Flying. At 38,000 feet. Going about 350 miles-per-hour. Pretty freakin' cool if you ask me...

Apparently this is the first time Alaska has offered such a service - as in this specific flight.

Since it's so new, it's free. I don't know what they'll charge for it, but I just wanted to mark the occasion. One day it (WiFi in flight) will be as commonplace as microwave ovens and cell phones...