Living with Linux Part 2--The Advantages

This is the second part of my "Living with Linux" series of posts dealing with...what else, living and loving la vida Linux. This post will deal with some of the advantages of running Linux. Despite what the Windows and Mac pundits say, there are advantages to running Linux on your computer. Like all operating systems, Linux does have a learning curve and at times it can be a steep one, but for those users who are willing to learn and put up with the quirks and vagaries of Linux, they may find that Linux can be a decent alternative to Windows and Mac OS.

I'm not a Linux fanboy. I'm not one of the open-source crazies that insist that my computer be running 100% free/open source software and insists on recording my music files in Ogg Vorbis, or recording videos in Ogg Theora which are the open-source alternatives to the mp3 audio standard and mp4 video standard, respectively simply because neither the Ogg Vorbis or Theora standards are not widely supported. There are media players that support that format, but you have to look for them. I'm lazy, I like my iPods just fine, thank you.

One of the great things about the current Linux distros is that the companies that maintain them have also done licensing deals with those companies that license the most popular technologies used in todays electronic equipment. Linux users can rip CDs to the mp3 file format and play them. They can use and view Flash movies on Linux boxes. They can create and read .pdf files. There are Linux music players that actually will work with iPods. Amarok is one of them. The open source purists may howl, but I believe that Linux has to be able to embrace those proprietary standards if it wants to be more than a bit player in the PC operating systems market. There are Linux distros that are 100% free, open source software available for those who are true open source believers, and want to completely cut the chain to Microsoft and Apple, and I have no problem with that. Go with my blessing. To go that route requires a level of dedication to free and open source that I and many other Linux users are not willing to take. And a lot of the hard core open source types need to learn that if they want the world to embrace Linux, it's a lot better to meet users halfway and teach them the rest than to expect them to come all the way into the geekiverse and seek wisdom from the Linux gurus. I'm off my soapbox now.

One of the advantages of Linux is that it is free. No charge, zip, nada, zilch, gratis. If you have a computer with a CD/DVD burner, a good broadband internet connection and an hour or so, you can get a copy of the latest Linux distro of your choice for only the time it takes to download an image and burn it to a CD. Some of the companies that maintain Linux distros may charge for tech support, or for versions to be used in business settings, but the average individual can get a copy of Linux for free. Have you ever seen the system that Microsoft has in place for the pricing of Windows 7? Starter, Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate?? Upgrade editions? All-in-one upgrade disks? Student Editions? Some will allow you to upgrade directly from Vista in-line, but not from XP. You can upgrade from Starter to Home Premium to Professional to Ultimate, but you can't downgrade or sidegrade. Too complicated. Too many exceptions and confusing details and prices. Even most Windows gurus have a hard time trying to figure out all the various permutations. And if you think Windows 7's SKU structure is confusing, it's a great improvement from the Vista setup which made people want to beat their heads against the closest wall. Linux distros are simple. In all cases, there's a version that is 100% free/open source, with no proprietary software included and there's a version with code for the most popular proprietary software available. And its free. Just pick your poison, download and burn, and you're ready to go. And even if you don't have a computer with a burner (and who doesn't?), you can get a copy of your fav Linux distro sent to you through the regular postal mail.

Also, the current Linux distros have all the software you need to get online and productive right out of the box. The major distros have at least two web browsers, one of them being Firefox. They also include an excellent free open-source office suite called Open Office, media players, IM clients, photo managers, graphics programs, and even some games. Need to burn discs, check. Need to read email and check your calendar, check. Need to organize photos and send them to Grandma? check.

What about security? Is Linux susceptible to viruses, malware and all of the other crud that is clogging teh interwebs?? For the most part, the answer is no. One of the advantages of having the small market share that Linux has is that most malicious hackers and bad guys won't attack it because it's not a big enough target. Not when you have Microsoft Windows which is being run on over 90% of the world's computers. Also remember, most hackers black hat or white hat run Linux as their main operating system. As soon as the bad guys come up with an exploit to penetrate the Linux system, the open source community has a patch up and available in short order. Also unlike Windows which allows users to run in Administrator mode (never a good idea), Linux will not allow this. All Linux users run in a limited- access mode that shuts off the ability to alter crucial files in the operating system unless they consciously submit the root password. Root access is to Linux what an administrator account is to Windows. In either case, you are God on your computer. You can change any setting in the operating system, install software, alter important files, add, subtract and change user accounts, and totally control how your computer operates. And as God can create, he can also destroy. That saying, you can completely render your computer inoperable if you monkey around with the wrong files. Linux will only allow you root access to the whole operating system if you give the root password and will only allow you access for as long as it takes to do what you have to do, and once you're done, the systems sends you back to your regular level of system access. Any nasties that are infesting the Internet are written mostly for Windows, and won't run on a Linux system, and if they did land on your system, they'd need root access in order to get to the important bits of the OS. The average user will only need root access very sparingly. Linux works pretty well right out of the box, and unless you're installing software updates or new software, you won't need to go to root all that often. There are Linux viruses, but they are very few and very far between. However, it's always good to practice secure computing techniques, no matter what OS you run. Strong passwords, don't open attachments in emails, watch which websites you go to, and generally being aware of your surroundings.

Linux is also a very stable operating system. Accounts of Linux machines going months without rebooting are commonplace. Most software upgrades and OS upgrades can be done without rebooting. The majority of web servers that power the Internet run on some version of Linux.

I have laid out some of the advantages of Linux. Cost, security, stability, the wide range of software available immdiately before even going online. Part 3 will go into some of the disadvantages of Linux. And there are more than a few.

The Muppets do Bohemian Rhapsody.

I don't normally post YouTube videos on the Scribbler, but considering I love the Muppets and the seminal Queen hit "Bohemian Rhapsody", this was too irresistible.

Thanksgiving 2009.

Thanksgiving is coming up this Thursday, and with it, the celebration of food, family, and football. Rather than coming up with a new post to commemorate the holiday, I'm exercising the blogger's perogative to recycle old material and re-posting the contents of my 2007 Thanksgiving post on the Moonlight Scribbler. This post is simply entitled "Thanksgiving." and it ranks as probably one of the top five posts on this blog.

Some of the circumstances mentioned in this post have changed. My brother passed away a month after the original post was written, and because Thanskgiving falls after payday I will have money in my wallet, but not much. But much still stays the same. I have no girlfriend by my own choosing, my church is still losing parishioners, but we're getting the roof fixed and it looks like I'm not getting invited anywhere on Thanksgiving Day because I work the graveyard. But despite all the crap that I deal with, once again, by my own neglect and/or design, I still try to find something to be thankful for. I still live in my house and not under the Sixth St. Bridge. I still have food to eat, a bed to sleep in, friends that I can enjoy and respect and I still have the Denise. I can pay the bills and still enjoy pretty good health. God has been very good to me. But the 2007 post does serve to remind me and the teeming masses that read this blog, to find the silver lining in the cloud, to smile even when your heart is breaking and above all, in all things, give thanks. Now I give you "Thanksgiving"

"Thanksgiving"

I look in my wallet and there's no money...
But I'm thankful I have a wallet.

My house is old, in need of repair, in a crime-ridden neighborhood. I can barely afford to keep it up.
But I'm thankful I have a house.

Last week, a few of the neighborhood kids, with nothing better to do, kicked in my door,
But I'm thankful they didn't take anything.

My job is chimp work. The pay stinks, the benefits are a joke, I work on holidays and I hate what I do.
But I'm thankful to have a job.

I received an invitation by a good friend to have Thanksgiving at her place, I couldn't go because I had to work.
But I'm thankful that she thought highly enough of me to invite me.

My church is poor, the building is not in good shape, we're losing parishioners every year.
But I'm thankful that while we are poor in finances, we are rich in spirit.

My sole remaining brother is not well, he could go at anytime.
But I'm thankful he's still around for now.

I have made bad decisions all my life, They are my own and I blame no one for them. My life could be much better had I made better choices,
But I'm thankful that thus far, I'm still alive, I have had the chance to make any decisions at all, and have the guts to admit when I've screwed up.

I don't have a lot of friends, no girlfriend or lover.
But I'm thankful for the friends I have.

There are times I think that I'm the biggest failure.
But I'm thankful those times made me appreciate the successes I've had.

I have failed God more than a few times.
But I'm thankful that he has not failed me.

I didn't want to go to church this morning. Last thing I wanted to do was to give thanks about anything.
But I'm thankful I did, otherwise, this post would have never been written.


Happy Thanksgiving.

Veterans Day

I marched in the Veteran's Day Parade in Pittsburgh, and 1) I was surprised at how lightly attended the parade was. Time was, the sidewalks would be lined with people the entire parade route showing their appreciation, but this year, there were whole city blocks that didn't have anyone watching. and 2) I always feel good marching in the parade and having everyone clap and say "Thanks for my service", but sometimes I feel a little guilty that people are clapping for me even though I didn't see combat.
I sometimes wonder if I'm taking thanks that aren't really deserved. Too young for Vietnam and too old for the Gulf War. I'm purely a peacetime vet. I was marching with guys that saw combat and had stories that would straighten my hair, if I let it grow. I sometimes feel that I'm basking in reflected glory, that I don't deserve to be thanked for my service, when I consider what those guys went through. I don't envy the guys who saw combat, I would like to think that I would have volunteered or stepped forward should I have faced that situation. But I would never compare my tour of duty to those who really earned the title "veteran".

I'm glad I did what I did. Partially because coming out of high school, I didn't have very many options. I didn't have the grades or the maturity for college, and the parents didn't have the money. Had I gone to college right out of high school, I wouldn't have lasted one semester. So other than a dead end job or the streets, I joined the Navy. It did change my life. And I'm damn proud to say that I'm a squid, a galleyrat and a trusty shellback. But it still probes at the back of mind as to whether I really should be marching in the Veteran's Day parade when I barely consider myself a veteran.

That being said, thanks to all those who put on the uniform of their country and answered the call. Thanks to those who served before me, with me, and after me. And mostly, thanks to those who are serving now. Whether they do it because they truly feel that the country needs their service, or that they want to get money for college, and knock off a few rough edges. Their service is valued and needed, especially with the war in Afghanistan going as it is. Let's not get me started on that whole mess.

The Massacre at Fort Hood.

As many of you know, An Army officer, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, an Army psychiatrist who specialized in helping those soldiers deal with high-stress situations walked into a facility at the Fort Hood Army Base in Texas that prepared soldiers for deployment over to Afghanistan and Iraq with guns blazing and killed at least 12 military and 1 civilian personnel.

Witnesses say that Maj. Hasan was shouting "Allahu Akbar", which is Arabic for "God is Great" while he was shooting his victims. Here is a link to a CNN background story of Maj. Hasan. He was taken down by a courageous female police officer who shot the gunman four times with no concern for her own well-being. President Obama has already called the shootings 'horrific' and has pledged to get to the bottom of this.

There is still much, much more that is to be sussed out in this case. I don't claim to be a news source. It's not my place to dig and dig for every scrap of news whether relevant or irrelevant. I'm just a personal blogger who has a bad obsession with podcasts and Oh My Goddess. But a story like this would be important enough for someone like me who rarely blogs on current events of the day to offer up his two cents on the matter, which is about what my opinion is worth.

Here was a man, who was responsible for aiding others who had problems coping with the high-stress life of soldiers at war, who himself, became a casualty of those same demons. Here was a man, who had probably heard more horror stories about the death and killing that is part and parcel of war, than most of us would ever want to hear. Most people who hear these stories as a part of their profession, learn to cope with the constant exposure in a variety of ways. Some may go through periods of depression or "take their job home with them", but its highly unlikely that they will resort to measures such as shooting up a building full of soldiers. There are bound to be other factors that will be unearthed as the investigation of this incident proceeds.

But it is important for all involved to NOT jump to conclusions. The leading Muslim advocacy groups have already denounced this attack and have come out in support of the families affected as well as the country as a whole. There are thousands of Muslims serving in our military that are doing so honorably, and commendably. It's too easy to lash out at them because they are Muslims, and that somehow their peaceful, more tolerant strain of Islam has been confused with its radical violent cousin subscribed to by Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

The sad thing about all this is, this could be the tip of the iceberg. Soldiers are being forced into multiple combat tours without adequate down time to recover. The military is sending guys back over there that had problems on their previous tours, and should not be cleared to go back. Recruiting is in a downturn, the services are having a hard time replenishing the ranks after soldiers are either too messed up physically or emotionally to go back over there. Of course there will be the wackjobs who will claim that the shooter, because he was a Muslim was somehow a sleeper operative that was activated by Al Qaeda, and will advocate violence against all Muslims and those who are suspected of being or even looking like a Muslim. The wackjobs on the left will say that our military is out of control, and that our soldiers are psychotic killers. Of course some of the wackjobs on the right will figure out a way to blame Obama for the whole mess, claiming that he's a closet Muslim, and that he secretly supported the killings.

I know that soldiers from previous wars had meltdowns just like this, back in WW2, Korea, and Vietnam, but the difference between then and today is the pervasive media and the 24 hour news cycle. This is nothing new. It just seems like it. No one truly wins in war. All involved lose to one degree or another. And the tragic results of man's inhumanity to man may not be seen immediately or under the harsh glare of spotlights and TV cameras. It could happen years down the road, with no one around as a witness. The government, as well as the military have an obligation to these soldiers and veterans to insure that they get the care they deserve. If the government sends our men and women into harm's way to advance their agenda and/or interests, then it has made an implicit covenant with those people to care for them and to make them as whole as possible when they come back.

Prayers go out to the families of those who were killed. Also prayers go out to the killer and his family. Most of all prayers go out to the men and women who serve this country in the military as they continue to represent us in battle. I hope and pray that this is not the tip of the iceberg, but I have a strange feeling that there may be other meltdowns like this down the road.

Living with Linux part 1

As the teeming masses who read this pimple on the ass end of the blogiverse know, I have had an on-again, off-again relationship with the Linux operating system. You know the story, I would decide to get my geek on by installing the open source OS on Allegra and constantly vowing that this would be the one time that I'd finally cut the ties to Redmond and totally embrace life with the Penguin.
And then inevitably, I'd chicken out because my various handheld devices would not work with Linux or something would happen with my system that would piss me off enough to scurry back to the buggy, yet familiar world of Windows.
But now that I have a netbook that runs Windows XP and iTunes and the Blackberry Desktop Manager and all the other Windows software that keeps my various handhelds happy as well as insures that I no longer have to learn and live with Linux without a safety net, I went ahead and installed Mandriva Linux on Allegra and I swear on a stack on "Oh My Goddess" unflopped manga volumes that I will not reinstall Windows on Allegra again.

Really!!
I'm not kidding this time!
I am really, really, really serious!
Trust me!!!

Hey, I'm swearing on a stack of Oh My Goddess unflopped manga volumes, which means that if i renege on this, Belldandy, Urd and Skuld will come down to earth and slap me around like a bastard stepchild. Which may not be a bad way to go, but...
With all that out of the way, I'm writing this piece to expound on my ongoing experiences living, learning and ultimately loving this geek-friendly operating system known as Linux.
First, I can see that some of yinz need a little education as to what Linux is and what the term open-source means. You can get the detailed information about Linux here But for those who don't want to slog through the geek-speak that Wikipedia article contains, suffice it to say that Linux is an operating system much like Microsoft Windows and the Mac OS put out by Apple.
The major difference between Linux and those other two OS's is that Linux is open-source and Windows and Mac OS aren't. Now what pray-tell yea, verily does the term open-source mean? Well grab your propeller beanies and sit down because Uncle Pee is going to expound from his vast knowledge of geekery and break it down to you in a way that even a past Phi Theta Kappa chapter President can understand it.

Open Source 101. The heart of any computer program, whether an operating system, an office suite, or even a Twitter client is its code. Code is the instructions that tell a computer what to do in order to perform a certain function. There are two types of code: object code and source code. Source code are the human-readable instructions that programmers write in a particular language to create a program. Here is an example of source code:
This is a simple BASIC program which asks for two numbers, adds them together, displays the sum and then asks the user if they want to continue. BASIC is an old computer programming language that many programmers learned as a first coding language back in the day.

10 input a
15 input b
20 let c=a+b
25 print c
30 input"Again?", a$
35 if a$="y" then 10
40 end.

This is source code. It can be read by human beings that are familiar with the BASIC language. This simple program can be written in hundreds of other programming languages, but I chose BASIC because even the most ungeeky person can figure out what this program will do. While humans can read this code with ease, a computer can only understand 1 and 0. So this program has to be converted into a form that a computer can understand and carry out. In the case, of this BASIC program, I have to run this program within a BASIC interpreter which will convert each line of the program as it is run into object code that the computer will understand. Other languages like C or C++ use what is called a compiler that take the program as a whole and create a file out it that can run on its own with out needing another program to run it.
Now because I wrote this program, I own it. It is my intellectual property to do with it what I see fit. I can either compile the source code into object code, sell that code, and keep the source code for myself and alter it and expand on it as I wish and issue updates. Or I can choose to give the source and object code away to anyone who wants it, and also give them the ownership rights to that code, so that they can expand on it, add new features and so on. Microsoft and Apple subscribe to the former model. If the code I wrote belonged to Microsoft or Apple, you would not see it on this blog. It would considered a crime for me to possess that source code because they maintain that it is their code and they have not released it in source form. What you get when you buy either a computer with Windows or Mac OS preinstalled, or a DVD with those operating systems burned onto it is the object code. The millions of 1's and 0's that a PC or Mac can understand that make up the operating system. Microsoft and Apple maintain a tight control over the source code or the human readable instructions that make up the OS and their other programs. They make their money by selling the object code and maintaining ownership of the source code.
Linux is the opposite. The various companies that make Linux distributions like Mandriva, Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian and so on, make the source code available to anyone who wants it. You may have to jump through some hoops to get it, and obviously, you have to have knowledge about programming in order to update or improve on it, but it is available to the public. Unlike Microsoft and Apple who own the entirety of their operating systems, Linux has no central owner. The companies I mentioned, all have the same basic underpinnings of Linux as the foundations of their particular distribution, but they are free to add their particular features on top of that foundation to create a distro that is unique to them.
The central foundation of Linux is maintained by an immense community of very talented programmers who give of their time and expertise to update and upgrade the thousands of programs and utilities and such that make up the Linux operating system. It is a programming team that numbers in the millions. And any programmer that has the chops can contribute code to the community.
Now that code has to pass muster, and it is reviewed by the gatekeepers who maintain the various parts of the OS, but this is the concept of free, open source software. The source code is not locked away in a vault in Cupertino or Redmond, but is on the internet available to all. And just because it's open source does not mean that it cannot be sold. The companies I mentioned sell versions of their Linux based operating systems to individuals and businesses, the difference is that ownership of the source code and object code transfers to the person or business buying the code, and if they have the programmers that can upgrade that code to make it work for their particular need, they can do so.
Now this is just the basic premise behind open-source software, more detailed explanations of the various licensing schemes and their rules and limitations are available at sites like www.linux.org, which is the main Linux site. That site contains all the really geeky syuff about Linux.

I've decided to mak this blog post into a multi-part deal, so as not to overwhelm the readers. The discussion of Linux can't be contained in one post. There's just too much content to be covered. And I've barely scratched the surface, so stay tuned for the next installment of "Living with Linux".

Unhip, Uncool and Totally Out of Touch.

I admit it, I'm not cool. I'm not trendy, I'm not "with it." I have no clue about the white hot pulse of pop culture, or the latest fad or dalliance that gets people tweeting and yapping on Facebook. Ask me which celebrity is pregnant, gay, or either caught leaving a limo in a miniskirt and no undies, or found facedown on a Beverly Hills street in a pool of their own vomit, and I'll shrug my shoulders cluelessly. I don't even know what TMZ stands for. Although in a weak attempt to answer the previous question, I'll punt and say "Britney Spears!!" That's usually the stock answer to such a question, right??

I don't know about the hot new eateries that the foodies go apeshit over. My tastes run towards food that looks like food and not something I'd see at a juried exhibit at the Three Rivers Art Festival. I don't read the City Paper or Pittsburgh magazine. Partially because in the case of the City Paper, I'm not some angst-ridden twenty-something hipster trying desperately to be pissed off about everything and anything, and in the case of Pittsburgh Magazine, I don't live in any of the 5 'S' neighborhoods that publication insists are the center of the universe.

Wha??? You don't know the 5 'S' neighborhoods?? Namely, Sewickley, Shadyside, South Side, Squirrel Hill, and the Strip. If you're not from those places, as far as Pittsburgh Magazine is concerned, you might as well be from Uranus.

But anyway, if you ask me whether I've had any of the latest offerings from the local microbrews, something along the lines of a triple bock, chocolate malt, dry hopped chipotle spiced porter made from an original recipe found in an Alpine monastery from the 1400's, I'll smile, quietly decline and ask for an Iron City. I'll admit to going to Starbucks, but I will shave my head, climb the nearest building carrying a high-powered rifle and 1000 hollow-point bullets and start shooting any and everything in sight, all the while cackling like a madman, the next time I get behind some coffee snob who orders a half soy, half goat's milk, extra hot, extra foam latte with jimmies and whipped cream that had to be just hand-whipped in front of that person five minutes ago. Just gimme a venti Pike Place and get me the hell out of here, I gotta bus to catch!

TV, you've got to be kidding. I never got into the Simpsons, and I think Family Guy is a bad knockoff of that venerable series. If you asked me to name the newest prime time shows on the broadcast networks, I'd have to say "M*A*S*H, The Cosby Show, Eight Is Enough, Three's Company, and 21 Jumpstreet. " Cable, forget it, who is Steven Colbert, and why do so many people think he's funny. John and Kate plus Eight??? No!, No!, No! Although I'd love to see the Octomom thrown into that clusterf**k!! Think about it, two wack job mothers trying to ride herd on 16 kids!!! Hilarity will ensue, someone will have a nervous breakdown on national TV and that's a trainwreck I wouldn't mind seeing. I smell Emmy, not to mention a houseful of stinky diapers!!! I love me some Schdenfreude!!!

Even in the area that I do try and keep up with, I'm waaaaay behind the times. Today Microsoft will roll out Windows 7, the latest operating system that is intended to make the personal computing world forget about that botched abortion known as Vista. Windows 7 is supposed to be faster, more stable, boot up quicker, have all sorts of gee-whiz features and enough eye candy to make even the most jaded geek sell his closest female relative into white slavery. Where have we heard that from??? Every OS the kids from Redmond has ever rolled out was introduced with that same marketingspeak.

But is your's truly going to join the Win 7 revolution?? Is the Pope Episcopalian? The computer on which I'm typing this post, Allegra, my faithful vintage 2003 Compaq Evo D500 does not have the horsepower, nor the RAM to run Windows 7. She's had more operating systems hitched to her than Liz Taylor has husbands. I've run at least three versions of Linux and two different versions of Windows on this poor machine. It's my belief that I should run my computers until they die. And try as I might, I can't kill Allegra. She's too damn tough. Then again, she's a business grade desktop that's designed for heavy corporate use. As long as she can still boot up and do the job, I'm not putting her out to pasture.

Besides, it's always best to buy a new computer with the OS pre-installed and it's also better to wait a few months in order to let all the inevitable bugs get fixed. I do have a netbook named Marrina running XP Home, that supposedly will be able to run Win 7, but I'm in no hurry to upgrade.

I do have an iPhone, and while I won't debase myself and act like the typical Apple fanboy and wax superlative about how life changing the phone from SteveCo is, and that it's the greatest invention since um...toilet paper, I will admit that it is one nice piece of technology. Although, now that an uncool, unhip schlub like me has one, it's safe to say that the iPhone is no longer cool.

You see, the issue I have with cool is, that cool is fleeting. I once heard someone say that "cool marches on.", that means that what's cool today is uncool tomorrow. In order to stay cool and up on the latest thing, one has to constantly keep their ear to the ground and suss out that which is cool. Which is an ongoing endeavor, and anyone who knows me knows that I'm a lazy SOB that has more important things to do than chasing after the "with it and hip". Like listening to 5000 podcasts and obsessing over the deeper meaning of Oh, My Goddess.

And the thing is, I would not mind being cool if I didn't have to deal with the people who are either trying to be cool or are cool and total assholes about it. To me, someone who is truly cool is cool naturally. They should not have to work at it. Nor should they have to try and show everyone how cool they are. If you're really cool, it'll come through and people who want to be cool will be naturally drawn to you. And there are waaaaay too many people who fit in that second category.

I'm not interested in the hot little bistro in the 'S' neighborhood that you and your cool friends went to. I'm not interested in going to the slammin' club that City Paper is gushing about where all the bartenders are hot and the drinks are fresh from New York, San Francisco, or any other place where the hip and sexy people go. Those are the places that are oozing with the poseurs who are trying to be cool, and coming across like the dude in the club that took a bath in his cologne and you can smell him from half a city block away. That shit makes me run off. If that is what the pursuit of cool is, then I'll just stay at home and obsess about Belldandy and why she won't appear to me. Remember what I look like people, I'm fat, bald, not particularly good looking, broke and can't dance!!!

I don't do cool, I'm not hip, I'm not trendy, I'm not chasing fads. I guess in some ways, that's cool in and of itself.