QUESTION: At a friendly get together, what is more annoying than having a guy who acts like he can kick everybody’s ass in the room, as well a girl acting like the head cheerleader at high school? ANSWER: Having the same as above arrive as a couple and then getting sucked into their wine snob conversation. SUPPLEMENT #1: And then finding out they get off on kissing in front of other people. SUPPLEMENT #2: And wondering how they can act like this well into their fifties. Wrinkles and liver spots, baby.

Some people have recently asked why I don’t use a webcam and enable video messenging. Some possible replies: – Do you really want to see me picking my nose and flipping off the screen that badly? – I’m not that vain – I’m a leper – It feels too much like work (we have videoconferences all the time) – It would impede my “walk around the house naked” lifestyle – It makes me feel powerful to be able to watch you when you can’t watch me – What is this, 1998?

– There is no such thing as a movie being better than the book. And the screen version of Where the the Wild Things Are directed by Spike Lee Jonze will probably prove this beyond a doubt (if it’s an exception to the rule, however, excellent!). – Hollywood is poison to successful Hong Kong talent. Case in point #1: Chow Yun Fat, #2 John Woo, #3 Michelle Yeoh (also read: The law of diminishing returns) – Amazingly, Japanese TV manages to suck even harder than American TV – Even more amazingly, Japanese MTV sucks even harder than American MTV (see also: Japanese rappers, J-Pop) – The only thing more annoying…

Will anyone stand up to the Chinese government? Skype caves in to Chinese censors I’m sick of those commie bastards dictating morally wrong terms of business to Western companies. And will said companies please grow some fucking balls already? Jeez. Hope you feel proud participating in the censorship of, say, the Dalai Lama… Well, you just wait. Karma’s a fucking bitch, you nutless cowards. The thing is, I’d have figured a righteous company like Skype would somehow act better than those pussies over at , say, Yahoo (oooops there goes my del.ico.us and flickr accounts)… Guess I’ll see you guys again when I need to ask someone what Beijing dick…

My official resolution for the new year: I Shall Not Get In Your Way If You Want to Suck Several people, coworkers and distant net acquaintances alike have contacted me with obviously doomed-for-failure-and-not-even-worth-trying-for-the-sake-of-trying ideas they have for the new year. I feel this is all a natural part of the new years spirit. I also feel guilty for shooting down people so obviously infected with post-holiday infused joy every year, so I’ll shut up in person and simply state here: An idea that is obviously sucky even now will probably not thaw out and bloom in the spring. And to the WordPress evangelists spamming my blog about the newly-released version…

Fure, fure, Yoshida! Fure, fure, Yoshidaaaaaaa! Sauce maker big in Japan I’m all for the rags-to-riches aspect, but those chop-socky Yoshida Sauce ads just scream Japsploitation. (Yes, Master!)

Go and read a heartwarming story about the Katrina relief efforts: Herc Driver’s Report on Katrina Rescue Ops