Tickets...and not the good kind

If you are the one person who follows my going ons through Twitter you may have noticed an early morning post about a ticket. That's right, I haven't purchased anything for Brewfest yet but instead was handed a citation from the Hoover PD. I have to say, the officer who stopped me was VERY kind. I wont go into details but he showed extreme compassion to this poor dolt who was running very late to work this morning. I am cleaning up my act and am reminded to obey all driving laws. I have noticed that while living here I have started to drive like THEM.

By THEM, I mean the locals of course. I wrote something here about how bad the drivers are in Birmingham and now I've noticed that I am picking up some of those bad habits. That is not good news. So I am really going to shape up and stop being a dope.

Otherwise nothing new to report. I can only say that this weekend is going to be low key. Next post will be about the vacation ramp up! Tennessee, here we come!

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Brian

Magic City Brewfest...here I come!

I have stumbled upon a wonderful thing. Someone has organized an event that pulls hundreds of different beers under one roof and allows me to partake in the festivities! I think I found my weekend destination. Now I just need to convince the wife to come...

Magic City Brewfest 2008

With any luck I will actually remember the camera this time and get some decent photos of this event. Otherwise we are stuck with the awesomeness of 1.3 mega pixel's the Krazer puts out. Anyone else planning on attending? Let me know!

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Brian

Memorial Day

I don't know what you have done for your veteran's today but I hope you at least took the time to remember their service to this wonderful country. For all the turmoil we are in now, for all the craziness here and abroad, this is still the best country to live in, period. No where else do you have free rein to say almost anything you want and not get shot for it. No where can you argue or disagree with the leaders of your country and continue a normal life. No where can you live with the liberty we offer here. I served for four years in the best Navy in the world. I may not agree with everything that our leaders say (or any of it) but I am grateful for the freedom to speak my mind and face no recourse.

Enjoy your liberty today. Exercise it. Remember that the only one's we have to blame for the current events unfolding around the world is mother nature and ourselves.

If you would like to help out our troops around the world, consider donating a cellphone so that a trooper, airman, sailor, or Marine can phone home. Or just hug a service member or veteran. It will make a difference.

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Brian

Tough Week

So it's been a week. As I stated before, Samantha's Opa (grandpa in German) has died and we will be attending the funeral this Sunday. We appreciate everyone's concern.

I have been trying to keep a good mood but it's been tough. Harlen was such an important part of this family and he will be sorely missed.

Opa with his two grand-daughters, great-grand-sons, and his son Terry in the back

Hopefully there will be more post's when things settle down. Until then I'll be posting on Twitter (as long as they keep it up...they may have found a fix finally) throughout the week.

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Brian

Sam pic

Opa

At 5:39 am this morning we got the phone call we had been dreading for the past two days. Samantha's grandfather, Harlen, had died. He was 81 years old.

He had been struggling with cancer and was in the hospital with pneumonia the last week or so.

I'll post a little more later.

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Brian

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IJ:KCS

Due to a death in the family the usual suspects will not be previewing Indiana Jones this weekend. We appreciate everyone's love and support and hope to make it out for the next showing.

Hopefully I will post with next weeks movie's up here as soon as I find the time. Check my personal blog for more information on what is going on, as long as I can post. My DSL is off at home and so far Bellsouth hasn't turned that on, either. It's been a week.

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Brian

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Untitled

So I'm at Work...

And there is not a lot going on. So I thought about writing an entry. I haven't had a rant in a while. So, let's begin.

Today we start in on my apartment complex. They have not fixed the toilet. Grande at the Galleria, expect to hear from me. Why does it take a week to have someone come out and just look at it. Why can't you call or email? I left both. I don't understand. What happened to customer service? I love the location but it's not worth the effort anymore. I'm done. We will be moving. Thank you for the learning experience. Never rent from Engel...check.

Over the weekend we may have discovered the new location of this clan in Birmingham. Off of Highland street there was a huge festival called Do Dah Day going on. It' was a blast. I don't have a whole lot of pictures from the event so text and imagination will have to fill in the gaps. It took place in the South side of Birmingham and this was my first time in that area. I was pleasantly surprised by the whole area. It was the first time I strolled through an area in Birmingham city limits that I didn't fear for my life. The wife, my nephew, and our puppy all loved the experience. The park was overflowing with people and their pets (mostly dog's but we saw a parrot!) and some cool tunes from the local bands. There were a lot of exhibitors on display, hawking there wares to the pet friendly crowd and everyone was showing off their furry companions. The critters were dressed (or died, like one dog who was purple with a mohawk from nose to tail was from Doggie Styles) to impress and we enjoyed the whole spectacle.

This past weekend we also screened the latest from Disney, Price Caspian, which was an OK flick. Not as good as the first one but worth the time. Look for a write up at the HMC blog shortly.

That's the latest from me. The world seems to be falling apart. With cyclones, oil, and earthquakes (in China and here in Alabama, although ours was nothing compared to what has happened there) it's getting bad. Ethanol is in news as these natural disasters are affecting the cost's there and the government looks to it as the next big fuel source. This will cause movie tickets to increase in price even more. New Yorkers are paying in the excess of $30 for a popcorn, drinks, and tickets. Ouch. But the good 'ole US of A is donating there hearts out for these devastated area's. Even as the Junta in Burma pockets the proceeds (note: my speculation). Lets hope the best for the common man everywhere.

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Brian

Movie Night May 17

The last votes are in. I am casting an absentee ballot for someone special to me for Chronicle's of Narnia's latest flick which will tie up the vote. And since I don't want to see Harold and Kumar's flick, we are going to Narnia. Right now the plan is to hit the 8:30 show. Unless we get any major objections to the time (please comment below), I will see you all at Narnia!

Thank's for the reminder Joel!

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Brian M. Bufalo

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Twitter...not again

Just when I thought this was going to be the begining of a beautifle friendship, Twitter goes down again.

Thank you Robert Scoble for keeping us in the loop...

And I was just talking about signing up for a text message plan just so I could use Twitter on the go.

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This is an advance warning for Grand at Galleria

Engel Residential:

I have had horrible service from your company from day one.  This is the beginning of what I hope to be a very lengthy discussion on why no one should ever rent a property at the Grand at Galleria.  I can only speak for what I myself have experienced but I'm sure there are other horror stories. 

I will scan it in for all to see when I have a chance but our original lease packet included a sheet to fill out with any damage incurred prior to moving in.  We did the walk around and noted all the existing problems.  I had to use another sheet.  That right there should have told me not to move in but we were in a bit of a bind (and still are) for housing so we didn't contest that.  Now, after two years of living at this apartment, we still have 90% of the issues on the list that have never been addressed even after we were assured that they would be within the first few months of us living there.

What prompted me to publish this aspect of my life is that Monday I placed a maintenance request with the front office and assured a "twenty-four to forty-eight hour response" time to my claim.  So on Wednesday I came home to discover that my toilet still leaks all over the bathroom floor.  The hose that refills the tank has come loose and is waving about after each flush.  It really is not major.  But I have stopped cleaning it up.  The mold that accumulates in the bathroom and eventually condemns my building will be my final word.  I don't care any more. 

Like I said, this is just the beginning.  Do not rent an apartment at Grand at Galleria.  You will regret it.  Is there anyone else who has a sob story?  Post in the comments.  Your shoulder is waiting.

http://engelresidential.com/
http://www.thegrandatgalleria.com/

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Brian

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Twitter Outage

Twitter is down! According to the story (link below) I found on Google News the outage has been for at least an hour.

My new addiction is letting me down. I guess this is what everyone was talking about outages. And I laughed at those poor fools who were so dependant on some crazy fad. Now I guess I have no room to talk.

The weirdest part about this whole thing...I want to keep this post less than 140 characters...odd.

Original story I found on Google News:

Twitter is Down; I Blame the Democrats

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How It Does It: The RIAA Explains How It Catches Alleged Music Pirates - Chronicle.com

How It Does It: The RIAA Explains How It Catches Alleged Music Pirates - Chronicle.com

This is very interesting stuff. Follow the link above for a detailed explanation
of how the RIAA is hunting YOU for pirated material. The key part of
this topic to me is loud and clear and is yet another reason not to use
the software: Do not use LimeWire!

Something else to consider: while working at a now defunct national computer retailer as a technician, if a computer had LimeWire installed and children were living in the house we formatted the hard drive. I know that sounds lazy but 9 out of 10 times they were infected.

I wonder how they track you over BitTorrent? For those who are concerned about this issue check out Lifehacker's info on limiting your exposure online to the tracking efforts of the man.

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Nothing exciting...

Happy Mothers Day!

I was sick all day but I saw or spoke with my Mom's and suffered through the day. Nothing else really to post but the video below.

http://gameroom.mlgpro.com/v/sVrwsulpz7BwQU

Oh, and go to http://www.hoovermoviecrew.braincase.biz for the update!

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Trailers

It's still 3 votes for Harold and Kumar! Keep voting people! We want to know. Hope to see you next weekend and be ready for Indiana Jones!

Skills for Men - Things Men Should Be Able to Do - Esquire

Skills for Men - Things Men Should Be Able to Do - Esquire

An excellent article. I can't do all of them...yet. But I could tell he was a fellow guido before he said it. Italians rule.

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50 Ways to Save

I found this really awesome website and am featuring it at the top of my site here. If you are interested, click on the picture above or here for more information about this great cause. The best part, they give you tips on how to save money! See how many of the 50 you are doing and keep helping out the cause of saving this planet. It's the only one we have.

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ScooterFlyer.jpg (JPEG Image, 994x768 pixels)

ScooterFlyer.jpg (JPEG Image, 994x768 pixels)

I will have one!

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Brian

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Gas Prices Expected to Peak in June - New York Times

Gas Prices Expected to Peak in June - New York Times

This is about right...

Last time we filled up the Explorer it was $71 from E to F. And it's only going to get worse. I'm buying a scooter.

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Brian

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The Corporate Hack: SMS Apps Roundup - Text Messaging 2.0

The Corporate Hack: SMS Apps Roundup - Text Messaging 2.0

TCH has some great information on how to use your cell phones text messaging to it's fullest to keep you connected to the web, anywhere...that is if you have signal.

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Brian

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The coolest thing since sliced bread...and Firefox

I have fallen head over heals over Flock...no, not Flock of Seagulls, but the latest web browser based off of the all powerful Mozilla platform (i.e. Firefox). There have been many browsers out there, but this one might be the most integrated browser I have ever experienced. It incorporates all of your social sites, email, and online video and pictures into one exciting environment. If you are not an internet hound you may not need this addition to your web experience. But if you are like me and need to be connected to everything online, this is a must download. The fact that I can write and then post this blog entry from the browsers integrated "Blog Post" feature without having visit my Blogger website alone should hook all the bloggers out there. But that is not all.

Facebook, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, YouTube, Flicker, del.icio.us, Twitter, Blogger, Word Press, and more are all integrated in (a total of 18 web services according to their website) for a unified experience that makes interacting with all of your media quick and simple. For most of you it will be simply logging into your preferred service and Flock will ask you if want to remember your account settings. For myself (a noted settings nut) the setup was a bit steeper. Flock also makes discovering services less scary. I have signed up for two (del.icio.us and Twitter...I know, I'm so behind) today since installing Flock.

It's integration with online email is what seperates this browser from most others. It has integrated new mail indicator for Gmail and Yahoo Mail and, like above, setup is as easy as logging in.

The RSS feed hounds will love the integrated feed reader. This is one feature I do not like in a browser. While Flock's solution (a sidebar) is well executed and reminded me of an offline version of what Google Reader offers, I don't think it's enough to make me switch to it. I use too many computers to be tied to subscriptions on one computer. Until there is a simple way to do this (and this is between any computer/browser/RSS combination, not just Flock), then I am online with Google Reader (and offline with Google Gears).

Another area that would be cool to see some integration is with Google Docs and Spreadsheets. How cool would it to have a sidebar with all of your documents on the left and a click would bring them up in the browser window. This kind of integration could very help remove Microsoft from global domination in one blow. Well maybe I took that too far, but it would be something to help the burgeoning cloud computing effort.

One of the absolute coolest tricks is the media bar. It will automatically pull media (video and photos) from your sites (YouTube, Facebook, Flicker, Picasa Web Albums, etc.) and display them above or below the website you are currently viewing. This allows you to scroll through anything. Example: I was looking through my friends in my "People" sidebar and noticed one of my friends "Media" icon was glowing. When I clicked on it Flock displayed the latest pictures of my friend's most recent sky diving adventure. It was incredible. And it will update live as your friends add content. Flock will also pull the Top YouTube video's for you time wasting needs. I think the only thing they could add would be the ability to scroll through the media ala "Cover Flow", like iTunes and my Mac. That would be much quicker than having to use the two scroll bars on the extreme left and right of the Media Bar. That's my only complaint about that.

One last thing I really liked about Flock was it's very simple (and something I'm surprised I haven't seen before) RSS feed indicator. This is on the left hand side of the Firefox bar with the little curved lines indicating you can use your favorite RSS reader to subscribe for the latest updates on the site you are viewing. In Flock this is always displayed on the left hand side. It is squished in between two other icons, on the left of the RSS indicator a Media Stream indicator and on the right a Search Bar indicator. What is inovative of this group of icons is they are always visible and when the various content is available the glow orange. The Search Bar indicator is especially useful. It lets you add your favorite searches to Flock's integrated search bar. When I visited Facebook, Flock's indicator glowed orange begging me to click it and add it to the search bar, allowing me to find all those lost buddies on Facebook. Nice touch.

Now all these features sit on top of the powerful Mozilla engine that Firefox has risen from to become a real contender in the browser market. And most of those hundreds of add-on's that you love for Firefox will work with Flock. After the jump are a few I've used with no problems so far.

All in all, I think Flock is going to become my primary web browser at home and work for it's quick access to all the media I actually use and need at my fingertips. I look forward to more features being added over time and can't wait to see what else these guys come up with.

Flock
http://www.flock.com

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Brian

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Upcoming Events

Right now Harold and Kumar are in the lead with three votes for Movie Night. Keep voting for your choice.

We will be breaking schedule for Indian Jones' latest flick (tentatively) on Thursday around 7:45 PM (according to MovieTickets.com). More information to come as it gets closer. Stay tuned.

--Brian

OS X is better than Windows

An EXCELLENT article about why OS X is better than Windows:
http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/microsoft-learn-from-apple-II.ars

Some cheap entertainment

I didn't even have to wait for a package to come in. This made me so happy today at work.

http://www.therightfoot.net/mystuff/whatever/swf/bubblewrap.swf

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Brian

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Whats Up On YouTube!

Some of the best I found today on YouTube! Hope you enjoy.

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Brian

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Crawfish Boil Saturday

After parking, the wife and I made our way to day two of the festival of boiled mudbugs. We had missed the first act, but got a chance to listen to Carney. They were some younger kids and they rocked out! The crowd wasn't very large but there was a great response to their well sung lyrics and long guitar riffs. They really set a great tempo for everything.

Then Flo Rida came through and I was very disappointed. Every artist played for at least an hour and really made an effort to give us our money's worth. But Flo Rida decided he was going to do maybe three songs and bounce. Guess he had more important places to be. Too bad.

We were pleasantly redeemed by the awesome Corey Smith, whom I had never heard of but is apparently very popular around here. Everyone was singing along with this alternative country artist. I loved his "Fuck the PoPo" song and all in all think I'll be downloading his stuff very soon.

At this point Samantha and I were worn out. We spent both days standing around and our old selves couldn't take it any more. We enjoyed Gavin Degraw from a nice grassy knoll. He had a great performance from behind the piano and guitar. It was the perfect to relax and enjoy the show.

Then the big name of the night, Fergie came out and gave a great show. Lots of energy, great hits (many of them classic rock songs like "Barracuda"), and Lady Lumps.

We had a blast and look forward to next years festival. Next time we are bringing chairs, though. I'll spend today recovering...and on to another week of work.

http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

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Brian

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Crawfish Boil Friday

Without a doubt, last night was a blast at the Crawfish Boil! The wife and I got there right as Candlebox (who are northwesterners like myself it turns out, hailing from Seattle!) finished there first songs! We paid $12 for two beers (16oz) and I felt the pain of going to a concert during a recession. But Candlebox put on an OK show. The crowd's we not very packed and I don't think too many people knew who they were. Needless to say the crowd wasn't very pumped. They have an album which comes out shortly which I think I will pick it up after seeing them perform. After they left the stage we decided to feel the burn of two $12 beers again for the last time. We pushed closer to the center of the stage and waited, and waited, and waited. The setup between the sets would come to be the worst part of this festival. It was about a twenty minute wait between each set and I'm surprised people were that willing to be patient.

By the time they were set up, the sun had pretty much died down and the crowd had thickened up. Seether then took the stage and rocked out! The pumped out a great show, which had everyone pumped. By far the best rock group that performed that night. Some of the younger crowd started getting a little rowdy and started a mash pit just to the left of us. Just as it started to get out of hand some lone ranger, Chuck Norris type, jumped in the middle of it all and broke it up. It was amazing. I don't have any pictures but the guy was defiantly the hero of the night.

Then T-Pain and his crew came out and showed everyone how it was done! This was by far the highest energy performance of the night! These guys absolutely were over the top and the wife and I loved it! We were dancing (or more to the point Samantha was dancing and I was wiggling) and having a blast. And so were T-Pain and company! They looked like they were having more fun than anyone else to had performed so far. They actually had to kick them off of the stage! They were having crowd surfing races and just getting wild. I think a lot of people (mostly guys) got a shock when they came out signing "Ecstasy" with their pants around there ankles. I guess they don't take kindly to that here in Alabama. Oh well. One day this state will grow up. After finally kicking T-Pain off the stage we enjoyed another wait.

Then came the big headliner of the night, Three Doors Down. They opened with Kryptonite and played some of there newer stuff as well. I was actually a little disappointed though. After the last two band who came out and absolutely blew away the night, Three Doors Down was a bit lackluster. But that didn't stop the crowd surfing and a couple of fights/mosh pits from starting. By this time we were both near the center of the crowd and Sam grabbed me and we got the hell out of the center of the riot. We listened to a couple more songs from the outskirts of the crowd until we decided to beat some of the rush and head home.

It was a lot of fun and I can't wait for tonight!

http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf
Sorry about the poor quality of the photo's but that is the best a Motorola Krazer can do!

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Brian

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What I Will be Doing This Weekend

When I can squeeze in the time I have to finish up that computer I promised my mother-in-law. All it needs is updates and since it turns out you can still get SP3 from Microsoft (as long as you are not a business and don't mind downloading and installing it, not from Windows Update, yet) I will have to get busy and start working. Here is a direct link to Service Pack 3 (thanks to Lifehacker)! Check out how you can add SP3 to your current XP installation disc. Also check out Hoover Movie Crew for updates on last nights trip to Iron Man.

I will be at the Crawfish Boil tonight and Saturday...anybody else going? Drop a comment or contact me and we will see you there!

Sunday (if I am up to it) will be going to Celebrate Hoover Day, which has been moved from Saturday due to the bad weather expected that morning.

Is there anything else going on this weekend?

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Brian

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Iron Man Kicks Steel!

Iron Man was everything I ever wanted and more from a comic book based movie! I absolutely loved it! Even my wife who is a pretty harsh critic (of movie's and me) loved it. We had a blast and actually had a much better turn out!

The usual three (Kase, Samantha, and myself) were there as well as Julio who made it to the show. Also we had a surprise run in with Andrew and got a chance to catch up with him. Honorable mention goes to Ben who, as we were leaving the theater after watching the show, called to see if we had bought tickets yet. Folks he tried his best, but could not make it...LOL. Hope to see you next time, Ben! We did not meet for drinks prior to the show at Cajun Steamer as usual. This time we stopped at Qdoba Mexican Grill and tried there awesome burritos! And look back at those photo's I need a haircut!

http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

I highly recommend this flick to anyone who wants a great action packed movie that will make you laugh with Robert Downey Jr. rather than at him for being in jail again!

I am in progress adding features to the website as I come across them. You can now get email updates whenever there is a new post and, as it is RSS appreciation day, use your favorite RSS feed reader to subscribe to the blog. Check it out. I am thinking of looking for sponsors so anyone who could help with this project or has any friends in PR or something who can put me in touch would be greatly appreciated. It would be great to not only review the films and restaurants in the area but to also put out contests and prizes for all you readers...all two of you that is.

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Brian

Iron Man Tonight

I hope everyone purchased advanced tickets for tonights premier of Iron Man! Purchase tickets at Movie Tickets and be prepared to get to the theater early. We will be there at 8 PM and look forward to seeing everyone.

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Brian

May Day

Happy May Day everyone! Today is RSS awareness day. If you have no idea what I am talking about the check out the banner link below to find out more or visit the Wikipedia entry for more. I like this cause because it really does simplify your daily news intake and if you are an avid Internet new junkie like myself, this is an absolute requirement to feed your addiction. But there are many other applications for using RSS feeds, such as downloading torrents of the latest American Idol/Battlestar Galactica episode or getting the latest podcast of your favorite news station. I love Google Reader for my subscriptions. I can check on the news anywhere on any operating system and don't have to update feed information between different programs. By using Google Gears along with Reader you can also read the latest information offline as well. Check it out and spread the word.

Oh yeah, it is also International Worker's Day as well and people are pissed! Read all about it and for your visual needs, here are some pictures from around the world of those angry people protesting...or blowing bubbles.

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Brian

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