iPod Vending Machine

Well, I'm in Fredericton, Canada right now. It's very nice and I recommend you all visit someday.

Anyway, on my trip here, I saw a vending machine in either the Atlanta or Boston airport. It dispensed iPods and iPod accessories. When I saw it, two things immediately popped into my head.

1. I know how mad I get when I put 50 cents in and my bag of chips gets hung up in a regular vending machine. I can only imagine how mad I'd get if I plopped down $300 and then my iPod got hung up. Call airport security! LOL.

2. Let's say the machine actually did dispense the iPod. Now, you've just plopped down $300 and the machine is going to drop your iPod the distance of about 2 or 3 feet into the receptacle at the bottom? Update: After looking at the picture, I'm not so sure your item actually gets dropped. Also, maybe you don't have to pay taxes on it at the airport?

No thanks, but it's still a cool idea.

My Grandfather

My grandfather passed away tonight between 6:30pm and 6:45pm. He was 85.

It's not unexpected. He fell and broke his hip a couple weeks ago. Just this week, they discovered he had a staph infection and pneumonia. He also had Parkinson's so there was little they could do for him.

Anyway, an interesting thing happened today. All week, the hospice workers having been telling my family they should tell grandpa it was okay to let go. The dying sometimes need permission. But my family needed some time to prepare itself first. Today my grandmother finally told grandpa it was okay to die, and within a few hours, he was gone.

It is because of him that I enjoy humor that is a little on the irreverent side. He used to say the most shocking things at the most inappropriate moments, but they always made me laugh. My aunt Nikki was telling me tonight about the time that grandma's sister called to say her third husband had died, and grandpa said "Well Goddamn, she's killed another one!"

I'll miss him dearly, but I'm so glad he's not suffering any more.

An Idea Long Overdue

You've heard of speed cameras no doubt. Though not common (I don't even think Oklahoma has any), basically it's a camera that takes your picture when you drive past it, but only if you are speeding. Then you get a ticket in the mail.

Well, someone has invented a camera that does the same thing, only it detects if your car stereo is too loud. I love this idea. I've heard cars drive by my house thumping so loud, you wonder if the pictures are going to fall off the walls. There's no reason anyone should have their stereo that loud. This idea will save their hearing in the long run, too.

GPS Anklets

In a previous post, I jokingly mentioned they should put GPS anklets on sex offenders. Well, I read this morning on Yahoo that the state of California is using this very tactic on known gang members to track their whereabouts, so I guess I wasn't too far off the mark.

89° Today

As I was driving around T-Town today, the temperature sensor in my rearview mirror said the outside temperature was 89°F. It's only March 12th. What's wrong with this picture?

The Circle Cinema

Last night, some friends and I saw Caché(Hidden)at the Circle Cinema. For those of your who don't know, the Circle Cinema is a newly-opened movie theater in Tulsa, specializing in independent and foreign films. I must say, the theater is very classy. You can tell they spent some money turning it into an art house cinema. When the movie started, a Dolby Digital clip played and the sound system in this theater sounds better than any other theater in Tulsa, with the possible exception of the IMAX. I was pleasanly surprised by that. The theater is a single-screen house currently, but it looks like they are working on the finishing touches for a second, bigger screen.

Anyway, you all should check it out.

Good Sex Offender Legislation Considered

Finally, Oklahoma lawmakers are considering some legislation aimed at sex offenders that I think is good. My favorite bill would allow police to seize assets used in sex crimes, especially computers. I'm shocked that the police can't already do this.

I'm not too thrilled about the web registries. They are expensive to maintain, and I feel they lull people into a false sense of security. I'm surprised they haven't inspired a bunch of vigilantes to take the law into their own hands. However, one of the pieces of legislation being considered would at least place some of the upkeep cost on the offenders themselves--they would be required to pay an annual registration fee and a fee every time they change addresses. Another bill would require offenders to renew their drivers license every year instead of every four years.

They need to make an ankle bracelet similar to those house arrest units that would transit GPS coordinates of the offenders so you can see where they are at any given time.