http://www.peoplesregime.com/ Back and to the left... you can almost see the clown's head exploding. The People's Regime The People's Regime <mictator@peoplesregime.com> http://www.peoplesregime.com/column.php?id=495 The past has no hold on you These words burned across the page of my latest Modesitt paperback, read cover to cover from the moment I awoke in Cancun, Mexico until I arrived on my couch later that night. The phrase resonated so clearly with my life, where it had been, where it was now, and where it was heading. There are ... gaps ... in my memory. There are holes left unfilled, discernible blanks where there should be images and pictures and memories. I have been rightfully accused from time to time of focusing my will with laser like precision upon a goal either distant or near but always ahead. In truth, I rarely reflect on the past. It is full of emotional moments, pain, humiliation, failures, shortcomings, bro... http://www.peoplesregime.com/column.php?id=494 As it is summer for me, I've been doing a lot of car work (for myself and others) and doing logs for gas mileage improvements in this day of spiking gasoline/petrol/diesel pricing. Here, I will entail both simple, and complicated methods that which you can apply to increase gas mileage on an existing car with both cheap + something that will pay for itself over time assuming that you'll own the car for more than a year. Mechanical Simple: -Take out the crap in your car that you don't need! Extra weight costs you mileage! The lighter the car is, the better the gas mileage. Note that I am not suggesting that you strip out things, just removing things out of the trunk that you don't necessarily need on a ... http://www.peoplesregime.com/column.php?id=493 This was my very first batch of pickles. It was much easier than I'd expected. These were "half sour" pickles. It took 6 days to age. Here are the instructions, in case you want some. For supplies, you will need: A 1-gallon jug A stock pot 3-4 smaller, heat-resistant containers for storage. Make sure they're good for more than 220 degrees (as we'll be pouring boiling water into them.) Old pickle jars are great. Tupperware's usually great too. PET bottles -- say, a former peanut butter jar -- is no good, it can't take the heat. Sharp knife Your ingredients: 20 pickling cucumbers 6 cloves of garlic 1 cup kosher salt or pickling salt 1 bay ... http://www.peoplesregime.com/column.php?id=492 So, I signed up for Twitter a bit back. If you're unfamiliar with Twitter, it's either an up-and-coming phenomenom (if you're like me) or a Holy-crap-do-you-live-in-a-cave thing (many who already use it). In essence, you answer the question of, "What are you doing?" with a post that cannot exceed 140 characters. A lot of people - myself included - panned the hell out of this concept when we heard of it. It seemed to me a wildy stupid way to waste time - "Watching TV" and "pooping" seem like status updates I can do without. I ended up signing up because I saw Jeph Jaques, the creator of the webcomic ... http://www.peoplesregime.com/column.php?id=491 I have battled with myself for years over my weight and my apparent inability to maintain a proper aura of concern. By that I mean I attack the problem and then give up, over and over. Last year was a little different. Depressingly challenged at the end of a failing relationship in 2006 by reliving and reviewing conversation after conversation in that constant struggle to figure out what went wrong, what was the root cause, and where did I screw up I called forth to that evil portion of my mind filled with self ridicule the following statement: "If you lost 30 pounds, you would look amazing." Now, granted, this statement is taken *completely* out of context, was a reply to something I said, and is probably unfair to both myself and her ... http://www.peoplesregime.com/column.php?id=490 The Mist, originally published in the short story collection Skeleton Crew by Stephen King, has recently been made into a major motion picture. A major motion picture that I majorly watched last night... after Major Dad.. Yea... Anyway, for those of you that haven't seen it and want to I just want to warn you THERE ARE SOME SPOILERS IN THESE THAR WEB POSTINGS! NO MAJOR SPOILERS THOUGH, PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK! ... Ok that being said, onto the review. ... Stephen King was obviously reading some HP Lovecraft when he was writing the Mist, and probably eating some squid sushi. Like most of his stories, this takes place in a small rural Maine town. After an impressive thunderstorm the night befor... http://www.peoplesregime.com/column.php?id=489 Attention, pop-culture critics: you are no longer allowed to refer to Philip K. Dick as a "cult author." You use this label for anybody halfway decent from the world of science fiction who achieves any bit of popularity, as if SF readers consist of an exceptionally small group of nerds. Do you really think that more people actually read David Foster Wallace? They don't. I'm not saying PKD is a better writer than DFW -- he isn't, not by a long shot -- but literary-darling fiction is essentially a self-contained genre, too. I see you don't try to use the term "cult writer" with Salman Rushdie, whose popularity has a lot more to do with things other than writing. He is also a better writer than PKD, but, hate to break it to you, he's ... http://www.peoplesregime.com/column.php?id=488 Bioshock has to be one of the more unique games I've played in some time. For those of you that are unaware, Bioshock is a game from 2kGames, formerly Irrational Studios, based right here in Boston. It's available for the PC and the Xbox360. The basic premise of this game is that it takes place in the 1950's. After a plane crash, you are brought to an underwater city called Rapture. In it are a host of strange and bizarre inhabitants. All is not what it seems in this city, as you will find out while exploring this. The story is very pulp, with almost a James Bond feel, but twisted in a very sci-fi Lovecraftian fashion. The first thing to reel me in was the game trailer. <pa... http://www.peoplesregime.com/column.php?id=487 SPOILER WARNING: Just skip this if you have any desire to see The Golden Compass without any advance knowledge. REALITY CHECK: Seriously? If you are going to see this movie without reading the book, just unplug your mind and enjoy the pretty pictures. Or, barring that...overlay the movie with that December treat from years gone by: The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Rings. Here is a slightly adulterated plot synopsis (thank you SparkNotes) The Fellowship of the Ring Golden Compass is the first of three volumes... http://www.peoplesregime.com/column.php?id=343 In one week's time it will be 10 years to the day since I returned home from my travels in Japan. I started this project a few years ago (the retelling) to impress a girl who could have not possibly cared less. Since then I have dated another girl who did not really take any interest in my stories. One of these days, I am going to find someone who is interested. In the meantime, I should endeavor to finish this project or at least get to a halfway point. It seems the urge to write only hits when I am feeling exceptionally low, and although the current weather is 70 and sunny, the weather in my mind and the weather in my journal match. And so, harken back to the past, to the previous century, to a t...