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Wednesday, September 18, 2002

iTunes 3.0.1 releasedWell, In installed iTunes at the same time as the OS update, so who's to know which update fixed the CD burner problem. 9:30:41 PM  Permalink  comment []

Mac OS X 10.2.1 now available. Ha! Fixed my problem burning CDs on my Sony USB CD-R/W. I still can't get Classic going though. Haven't seen release notes, so I don't know what else they fixed. 9:26:54 PM  Permalink  comment []

Africa's deserts are in "spectacular" retreat [New Scientist] Dang, I'm getting a "Document contains no data" error on this link. 8:11:21 PM  Permalink  comment []

Judicial Appointees The Wall Street Journal editorial page stoops to a new low today. They accuse Patrick Leahy of "devise and obstruct" in voting down Bush judicial nominees. Well, liars can use figures. In a table, they show Leahy "leading the pack" of naysayers, showing that Bush nominees have received 8 "no" votes. That's true, but typically it's only part of the story, and a misleading, dishonest part as well. As this editorial in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (yes, that's Texas) points out, that's mostly because the Judiciary committee under Orrin Hatch refused to even give Clinton nominees hearings!  Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, abandoned that historical process. Under Hatch's regime, not one of even President Clinton's 27 judicial nominees got so much as a hearing. It was not until the Democrats regained control of the Senate last summer and Leahy assumed the chair that hearings and confirmations resumed. As of this writing, the Democratic-led Senate Committee had held hearings on 82 Bush nominees, approving 80 of them -- including 16 women. The full Senate had already confirmed 73. At least the Democrats are coming out and giving them a hearing and an honest vote. 7:53:25 PM  Permalink  comment []

Blood On The Tracks Listening to this wonderful cover of Dylan's masterpiece now. It's a faithful version of the album, which is one of its joys. A male heterosexual album, she doesn't try to 'fix' the gender of the songs. She sings them straight and from the heart. It's only marred by a misguided, poor, Dylan impersonation by someone else in the first verse of "Lily Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts." Mary Lee's singing is well matched with the playing all around, which if it doesn't try to mimic the original exactly, echoes it nicely and sometimes improves on it. After a first listening, highly recommended. 4:55:56 PM  Permalink  comment []

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