Randomness, because serious content requires too much brainpower right now

I hate trying to get together a list of conferences and training classes early in the year; I couldn't make a good case for OSCON last year because the schedule wasn't available by the time I needed to turn in my requests. Got any particularly content-filled conferences you really like? I went to php|tek last year and felt I got a lot out of it, although I don't know if it'll be my first choice again this year. Tangentially related to this whinge, I love that the "stuff to do" page for the MySQL Conference & Expo lists the Apple Store and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum.

From news (Yay!):

New Feature for Paid Members: Mass Privacy Editing Tool

We haven't released many exclusive features for Paid users lately, and we finally found a perfect chance: our new Edit Journal Privacy option. This will allow Paid users to change a bunch of posts in their journal from one basic privacy level to another. We haven't been able to offer it before, because of the load it would put on our servers, but thanks to a lot of hard work from our folks in Operations and Engineering, we can go for it now. So if you're like me and look back at your entries from 2001 and think what was I thinking?, we've got you covered.

We're in the final testing stage of this feature -- so you can't use it quite yet -- but watch for a post in paidusers within the next few days.

Hamlet is Shakespeare's most disappointing Terminator sequel yet. (♥ Dinosaur Comics)

LibriVox, free audiobooks from the public domain. (You can also volunteer to record chapters.)

Genesis (the Tony, Phil and Mike configuration) is touring this fall. My favorite comment on it so far (from Stereogum):

With all this said, I am a big Genesis fan and simply don't believe a word of it. Neither Banks' foray into classical composition, Rutherford's faux Mechanics reunion nor Collins' "Brother Bear" score have set the world ablaze. There is a definite desire to reclaim former glories, to an extent.

HOWEVER, there seems to be a bit more sincerity in their aim than, say, The Police and Sting's assertion that, "I just woke up one morning wondering if the guys were up for it". More likely he woke up screaming, "Jesus merciful Christ, I just made a bleedin' LUTE album!!"

(no subject)

Because I could use the ego-stroking:


Crush this person!
Get your own ThisCrush.com CrushTag!

[Edit: "Crush this person!" Sheesh.]

Posty McPosterson sez:

Man, I wish I could knit. (I've tried, it didn't go well after casting on. My brain knows what I need to do, my fingers don't want to cooperate.) Because, see, if I could knit, I could make Space Invaders socks. (pattern)

My birthday IS coming up soon...

Best freakin' surprise party ever.

If any of you want to book these guys to play my birthday party, I will find some way to make room for it. (Although I also reserve the right to boggle at the sheer expense.)