Today I nerded out from dawn to dusk, with no time for anything else; between various meetings and demos, predicting bugs, and working on code I didn't eat, ride, or do anything...  by 7:30 I was toast.  Driving home from Vista I stopped in Dana Point and had dinner at the Charthouse, which revived me wonderfully; nothing like a rare prime rib and a nice Pinot to recharge the batteries.  Still pretty wiped out though...  so what's happening?  Well...

So are times really that bad?  My personal theory is that yes, there are problems, but nothing out of the ordinary.  However the media companies are experiencing huge challenges (newspapers and television networks), and therefore the people who work there tend to think everyone is having the same challenges.  For example, check this out: down economy spares no one, including the rich.  "It may have taken longer and it may not be as acute, but there are early hints that the economic slump is crimping the lifestyles of the wealthy."  Note the careful language, a telltale sign the reporter is manufacturing a story to fit a theory.  And sure enough this story has zero facts, just statements from individuals using words like "suggest".  

My own view is that the mainstream media are doomed, especially since they've stopped running factual stories and have resorted to this sort of piffle.

BTW as a counterpoint, here's an interesting factual article on CNN about married women who choose not to work.  Apparently the economy is sparing them :)

And perhaps related, here's a cool review of the first class cabin in an Emirates A380 airplane.  This seems to be designed for rich people; apparently the economy is sparing some of them :) 

Times really are that bad for Obama, however; he is sinking in the polls, which now have him tied with McCain.  I'm actually surprised, but maybe I should give the American people more credit. 

Obama's supporters are starting to worry; check out why Obama can't win, posted on the Huffington Post, a typically liberal group blog, and Pundits beginning to worry about Obama.

Blogging.LA helpfully reminds everyone to register to vote.  Wait, stop the presses!  Don't do it!  I am a contrarian on this, if people don't want to vote, let them.  Why have people who are not motivated to vote dilute the votes of those who are? 

Gerard Vanderleun links the great Paris Hilton "response" to McCain's ad which featured her; looks like he's planning to vote!  You know, despite all the bad press and weird behavior, I like Paris, she seems smart and she has her head screwed on the right way (as opposed to, say, Britney Spears, also featured in the McCain ad, who doesn't).  View this video and listen to her describe her "energy platform", and tell me you don't agree... 

BTW her thoughts on energy seem to make more sense than Obama's plan to inflate everyone's tires.

This is pretty amazing, check out this chart, showing the T-shirt size distribution at Linux Symposium.  Wonder if the same thing is happening at JavaOne, or Microsoft's PDC?  Is there a correlation between the size of the programmers and the size of their code?  Inquiring minds want to know :) 

Timing is everything - as noted the other day SpaceX flight 3 failed to reach orbit, and they've posted a detailed explanation of what happened.  I find it extraordinary how transparent they're being about their issues and what they're doing about them.  Good for them! 

Finally, I love this; an article from the early 60s about the 505 class.  The boat is completely recognizable, despite all the high-tech innovation which has occurred in the intervening 50 years... 
Check out the crew's hat!