A colleague of mine had an interesting ‘run in’ with a Google Street View car this morning on his way to work and the Iranians apparently have discovered Photoshop, but don’t actually have anyone who can use it well.

Here is a photo and a link to my coworkers web site.  As you can see from the sequence of events, Google isn’t too keen on anyone noticing their nondescript Chevy with the big freaking mast on the roof.

Maxabee.com

And finally, pictures released by the Iran’s state-run media agency have been identified as being heavily Photoshopped.  It looks like the Iranians do have missiles, but just how many they have or how many they can get to launch at the same time is up for debate.  The article on boingboing is aptly titled Iran: You Suck At Photoshop.  Donnie Hoyle would be appalled at the amateurishness of this ‘effort’.

boingboing.net

From Boston.com, more reasons to dislike the current administration and call for impeachment.

Bush won’t yield on Justice choice

January 24, 2008

President Bush renominated Steven G. Bradbury as assistant attorney general yesterday, refusing to yield to Democrats who oppose a permanent job for the official who signed legal memos authorizing harsh interrogations for suspected terrorists. Bradbury has been the acting chief of the Justice Department’s Office of Legislative Counsel. Bush wants the Senate to confirm Bradbury as permanent head of the office. Senate Democrats complain that two secret memos from Bradbury in 2005 authorized the CIA to use head slaps, freezing temperatures, and waterboarding – a practice that invokes drowning fears – when questioning terrorism detainees. (AP)

[Thanks, Boston.com]

So I guess there’s been a lot of talk on the ’net about the new Amazon Service, Amazon Fresh. I wasn’t able to get a picture of one of the trucks like TechCrunch asked for, but I was able to get a picture of one of the bags filled with Fresh Goodness. Brooke was given an invite at work and ordered a couple of things this morning at about 10 am. The were delivered to a room one floor down from her office. Once she got them home I figured I’d take a pic of the bag and get it posted on my site.

Amazon Fresh Grocery Bag

Many people may not know this, but I’m a closet Grand Theft Auto fan. I discovered it for the PC and have played that version of Vice City as well as the PS2 version. I’ve also purchased a Sony PSP just to play Vice City Stories and Liberty City Stories.

I saw this article today and started re-thinking my decision about owning an XBOX 360.

Take Two Gets $50 Million For Exclusive Grand Theft Auto Downloads

Take Two will receive a whopping $50 million in exchange for exclusive downloadable “episodes” for the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV, the game publisher confirmed in a recent financial conference call.

The revenue will come in two installments — $25 million when the first “episodic content package” launches on Microsoft’s Xbox Live Marketplace digital delivery service in March 2008, and $25 million when the second download goes live later that year.

The highly anticipated entry in the infamous go-anywhere, shoot-anything urban crime series — the first on next-generation game hardware — is slated for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 16. GTAIV will retail for $60, with a special edition package released on the same day for $90.

Take Two confirmed last week that, at least for the time being, they only have plans to release the downloadable content — which will likely include new missions for Grand Theft Auto’s main character as he rampages through the streets of a fictionalized New York City — on Microsoft’s machine.

Whatever way you slice it, $50 million is a huge amount of money. That’s five times what it cost to make Gears of War. It’s not entirely clear what the specific terms of this deal are, but Microsoft apparently feels that having exclusive GTA content is crucial to getting players to buy Xbox 360 instead of PS3 — and to get them ponying up for microtransactions.

[Thanks, Wired]

Rent-A-Goat

I think it was my sister Erin who mentioned to me a couple of years ago that she wanted to start (or maybe just find) a rent-a-goat business. The idea was that since they’ll eat just about anything you could use them for brush clearing, lawn mowing, etc. It appears that someone here in Seattle has beat her to the punch! Check out this Seattle P.I. article:

Rent-a-goats gain foothold

Critters grow popular in city as cheap, chemical-free way to clear vegetation

In 24 hours, the goats reduced a bed of ivy to a mat of bare vines. They riddled the once-imposing blackberry thicket with tunnels.

In less than four days, the invasive plants would be vanquished, allowing sunlight to stream through the vacant lot next to the King County Metro bus depot in Bellevue.

With their four-chambered stomachs and insatiable desire to nibble on anything even resembling a plant, goats have gained credibility as land clearers among Seattle-area government agencies and private developers.

“Getting them to accept it is always the hardest part,” said Craig Madsen, an Eastern Washington rancher who’s part of the urban trend. His rentable herd of 270 Boer and Spanish goats has never been more in demand.

Skeptics, he’s found, quickly become converts. Once the hooves hit the ground, few can question the tenacity of these ruminants to devour unwanted foliage.

[Thanks, Seattle P.I.]

Great Customer Service from an Oral Surgeon

I hate the dentist. Well, it’s really that I’m afraid of them rather than hating them. When I was in the military I had a really bad experience with a young dentist. The end result of that experience being that I almost got arrested, I broke a $5000 dental chair and I have this deep seated phobia of professional oral care.

Last week I had decided that ignoring the aches and throbs in my mouth had gone on long enough. While walking back towards my office from the Post Office I saw a Dental Clinic so I stopped in and made an appointment. I won’t bore you with all of the details, but the result was that I had to go to an Oral Surgeon Friday morning to have a tooth removed.

I was referred to the office of William Colwell, DDS. He has an office just minutes from my house in the Northgate Dental Building. I had been put on the cancellation list (my real appointment was for the 25th) and got a call Friday morning at 8:30 asking if I could come in at 9:30. With little time to worry about the procedure I headed to his office.

When I got there I was asked to fill out the hillock high mound of paperwork that everyone needs to access any kind of health care today. I had barely filled out the last sheet when Dr Colwell’s assistant came for me. I got settled in a dental chair and was hooked up to a heart-rate monitor, EKG machine, and blood pressure monitor.

About 40 minutes later I got up from the chair with one less molar. I can’t say I enjoyed the process, but at least I didn’t break his chair. Both Dr. Colwell and his assistant made every effort to keep me engaged and calm throughout the procedure. And to be truthful, the process didn’t hurt nearly as much as I feared.

By this time you must be asking yourself if the title of this post is a non-sequitur. It is not, I assure you.

Yesterday, the Saturday following the procedure, I got a call at about 1:30pm from none other than Dr. Colwell himself! He wanted to know how I was feeling, if the bleeding had stopped, and if there was any excessive swelling. Can you believe that??

When was the last time ANYONE in the health care profession gave you a call to find out how you were, let alone on a Saturday! I am so impressed I can’t begin to say. One thing I can do however is to list Dr. Colwell’s contact information. If anyone in the greater Seattle area needs a Oral Surgeon, please give this gentleman a call.

Dr. William Colwell
11066 5th Ave NE # 106
Seattle, Washington 98125
Phone: (206) 365-6860

Goodbye Sonics

The Seattle Supersonics have finally come up with a plan to get the quality arena they think they deserve. And all they expect is for everyone OTHER then themselves to pay for it.

I think it’s time for us in Seattle to STOP getting screwed by this kind of corporate welfare. It’s time to START saying NO! No to adding tax burden to an already weary public. No to allowing this kind of ‘good ol’ boy’, back room decision making without a public vote. JUST Say No!

Read the text of the Seattle PI story and start contacting your elected officials and SAY NO!

Sonics: Renton, here we come
But first, team wants $400 million from taxpayers

By CHRIS McGANN AND CRAIG HARRIS
P-I REPORTERS

OLYMPIA — The Seattle Sonics want the public to pay for most of a new $500 million multipurpose arena in Renton, they want most of the proceeds from that facility and they want the money without a public vote, owner Clay Bennett told lawmakers Tuesday.

The NBA team will face a fight on every front.

Aside from support from Renton and King County, Bennett is dealing with taxpayers who still are paying for four major stadiums and who have grown weary of subsidies for millionaires and sports teams.

And there are many other formidable obstacles:

 

It would be nearly impossible to pass the tax package without support from Speaker of the House Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, who has said his caucus isn’t interested and that the money should go to education and health care.

If the Legislature authorizes a tax package that does not include a public vote, opponents say they’ll file an initiative to block the deal and King County Council Chairman Larry Phillips has told state leaders he’ll block the necessary county tax increases.

The land Bennett said he wants to build is apparently not for sale.The Boeing Co. owns the roughly 22 acres that the Sonics want, but a Dallas-based developer, Harvest Partners, has the first right of refusal to buy the property.And Harvest Partners on Tuesday gave no indication it was willing to sell.

“We are moving forward to build a shopping center on that land. That is our intent and that is the direction we will pursue,” said Natalie Quick, a Harvest Partners spokeswoman. “We have no formal agreement nor have we had discussions with anyone. Our plan remains the same.”

Bennett told the Senate Ways and Means Committee that he expects the public to provide most of the financing — $300 million from the state, about $100 million from the city of Renton — and that most of the money from the facility should go to the team.

Bennett said his time and the $350 million the Oklahoma City ownership group spent buying the Sonics last year is a substantial part of the team’s investment. He also said he expects to take responsibility for about $100 million in private investments.

Ways and Means Chairwoman Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, said the public would benefit from new jobs and tax revenue generated by sales at and around the arena.

“With each transaction, you get a new tax,” she said.

But Chris Van Dyk, founder of Citizens for More Important Things, blasted the proposal.

“For them to say they are doing a big community service by buying the team is preposterous,” he said. “The former Sonics owners bought the team, held it for five years and made $80 million profit.”

Van Dyk said the Sonics should pay for their own arena.

“This is a private enterprise, we are not a socialist state, let the private market take care of those problems.”

Bennett said the hostility in some quarters to public sports stadium funding surprised him.

“I underestimated that part of the deal,” he said, adding he hopes the region will rally to keep professional basketball. Bennett has said he may move the team if the Sonics don’t get a new arena.

Asked why he didn’t try to build the stadium with private money, Bennett said the “model has changed” because the facility will be much more than a venue for sports. “This will be the most expensive building ever built (for an NBA team),” he said.

King County Executive Ron Sims testified in support of Senate Bill 5986, which would allow the county to extend taxes on things such as restaurants, rental cars and hotels worth $423 million. He said the plan would provide sustained money for the arts and ball fields that is not available today.

Renton Mayor Kathy Keolker said the facility would help create a vibrant community.

“We see the potential of this arena as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said.

But one of Renton’s biggest investors said the area’s economy could bloom without a new multipurpose stadium and pro basketball.

Harvest Partners is now building on 46 acres of the first phase of the Landing, a proposed 68-acre urban village just off Interstate 405 near the south end of Lake Washington. The land the Sonics want is directly south of phase one, which Quick said is 70 percent leased.

“People continue to see the value of doing business in Renton and we don’t see that changing,” Quick said. “When we think of that second 22 acres, we are looking at it as viable property for retail.”

Peter Conte, a Boeing spokesman, said the company was very excited about possibly having an arena in Renton, but “significant issues” such as security and traffic flow must be worked out because the nearby Boeing plant is the final assembly site for Boeing 737s.

“Boeing needs to make sure its manufacturing operations are not impacted and we continue to meet our obligations to our customers,” Conte said.

Larry Warren, Renton’s attorney, said the city has not made any financial promises to the Sonics regarding infrastructure or parking amenities.

“There is no deal,” Warren said. “We have a pretty strong message we try to follow and that is the revenues brought in by any new endeavor have to cover what we will invest. We would have to do an economic analysis.”

Meanwhile, Renton’s gain is a loss for Bellevue, which also had been in discussions with the Sonics about having an arena.

“I wish them well,” Bellevue Mayor Grant Degginger said. “If they continue to look, I’m sure we will talk to them again.”

Back in Renton, Jay Fisher, who owns the Dog and Pony Ale House and Grill, is optimistic about the proposed move.

“This is going to impact us, and it can only be positive. … Sonics fans are not just in Seattle; they’re from all over Washington. I think for many Sonics fans it wouldn’t be much harder to make the drive here.”

AT A GLANCE: SONICS’ PLAN FOR NEW ARENA

What the Sonics want:

 

A new $500 million multipurpose arena in Renton, with $400 million coming from public funds.Obstacles they face:

Angry taxpayers weary of subsidizing sports teams.

Strong opposition from leading state lawmakers.

Calls for a public vote on the plan.

The land in Renton they want may not be for sale.What could happen next:

Team owners have said they may move the team out of state if they don’t get what they want.

P-I reporter Casey McNerthney contributed to this report.

[Thanks, Seattle PI]