As covered elsewhere in the blogosphere, it was initially difficult to download, as all of the servers were getting slammed simultaneously, as the entire internet was waiting for 10:00 AM Pacific to hit Captain Feathersword’s magic [download] button.

I finally managed to connect around 1:30 after a conference call wrapped up. Installation was indeed seamless, but I wasn’t so wild about some of the features I initially encountered. I had already “starred” the Lifehacker article for Firefox power users, so I referred to that and made some adjustments. A few of my plugins weren’t compatible, but they were nothing that I use regularly. After using FF3 for a few minutes, I got a popup to check for Add-On updates (I should have done that in the first place), and most of my non-conforming plugins were updated.

Things started to get dicey about a half-hour later, when checking my Gmail account led to the browser suddenly closing all on it’s own, followed by a nifty “Mozilla Crash” alert, and options for sending the notification to Mozilla. Then it started going downhill from there.

My heavily-used web apps - namely Gmail and Google Reader, kept crashing. I would get the message to either restore the session or start fresh, and usually Crash alerts would come up again unless I started fresh.

I had been interested in trying out the new Feedly application in Firefox, but I wanted to view their guided tour video, which was Quicktime. FF3 was not able to play the video - never getting past the :26 second mark. I was able to play it on another machine with the same QT and FF2.x, so I’m blaming FF3 on that one.

Just tonight, there was a CrunchGear post regarding a newly-found (obviously) security vulnerability in FF3, and that was the proverbial last straw. [Update: Though now it's reported that it also affects FF2.x, so you can remove one straw from the camel's back]. Not that I’m worried about security so much, but I think the whole FF3 release is a bit half-baked. I’m not upset, nor disappointed, but that may teach me to be one of the 8.2 million lemmings trying to set a “download record”.

Sure, it might be a smaller footprint in system resources. Sure, FF2 is prone to freezing on occasion. Sure, I have to turn in my “early adopter” cape and boots, but consider this:

• I received 14 “Mozilla Crash” alerts in 24 hour
• I experienced 19 instances of the browser just up and closing on it’s own. I’m on a Thinkpad T-60 with XP Pro, so it’s not like I’m using anything exotic.
• It killed Google Reader, even with disabling all plugins.
• It killed Google Mail (though less frequently)
• There’s no FireBug support (yet)

AND, I had to un-learn the simple act of typing in URLs.

I’m no dinosaur, but for someone that habitually types “http://www” as I have automatically from 12 years of experience, it’s disorienting to have the “Awesome Bar” pop up with every site I’ve visited - and be not even close to what I was going for. During the day job, we’ve been spec’ing out the auto-suggest feature in a “Find” portlet, and this type of behavior from the interface would fail a lot of usability labs. I was able to hack the about:config file down to two (the default is twelve), but it was still disorienting.

I left these comments on the FF3 Uninstall survey, and I am looking forward to a fast, stable incremental update around 3.0.0.3 or so, but for now I’m not believing (or at least participating in) the hype.

Your remarkable talent for procrastination will result in your winning the Nobel Prize for Literature Thrown Together at the Very Last Possible Minute.

This was from late 1999 or so.  I’m sure many would agree this is extremely applicable.

First from Wisconsin Curiosities, 2nd: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff.  I don’t have the first edition, and the reason it was on my desk is that the book previously was in the guest bathroom for reading enjoyment, but got packed away with various Arizona Highways and Sunset magazines prior to an actual guest’s arrival, and was just recently liberated by my wife, who plunked it directly in front of my keyboard (which is where she places everything of mine (non-clothing division) that is incorrectly occupying space in the rest of the house), which is how it was stacked on my desk 10 inches away from the left monitor, next to the phone. </run-on sentence>

“An especially impressive non sequitur is a model of the world’s first Ferris wheel, which debuted at the Exposition. It was 250 feet high (nearly as high as the capitol in Madison), and its brave passengers rode in thirty-six enclosed cars, sixty in each, for a total of 2,160 people, many more than the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria combined. An exhibit in the quincentenary department tells the story of a man who drove 30,000 miles photographing every community in the United States that was ever named Columbus, even if a tree out in the middle of a field was all that was left of it.”

Next up was Swing: A Mystery by Rupert Holmes - an Edgar Award winner. This book is about a murder mystery with espionage and jazz overtones, set in the San Francisco Bay area just prior to WWII. My mom had bought me this two years ago, and when I had the flu and couldn’t sleep last Friday night, I read this cover-to-cover in about six hours. It comes with a CD of music composed by the author to purportedly be the music played by the main character. Unfortunately, this page 123 is in the middle of a flashback/dream, so it’s not as relevant:

“I’ll fetch Linney after all. It’s so rare the three of us have the evening together. We can get in a game of Uncle Wiggily before she goes to bed.”

Apparently, this is a tagging meme referring to instant bibliomancy, which Alex Halavais calls “the art of foretelling the future by reading random passages from books”

So it looks like we’ll be getting a game of Uncle Wiggily before bedtime. And I guess it works, as the morning I completed Swing: A Mystery, I was able to secure tickets to The Wiggles, which went on sale 5 hours after the book was set down on my desk.

The problem is two-fold. Due to the changing nature of my projects, and general reductions in T&E by my company (which is a smart thing, with all of our collaborative technologies), I haven’t flown in over six months, and I’m starting to look for a smaller bag.

I acquired the Ogio Metro backpack at the company store, nicely embroidered with the company logo, for $64. It was great, as my previous bag, a Tumi T-Tech Laptop Brief was too small to hold travel items, such as a mouse and power supply brick. Now, eleven months later, the Ogio backpack has lost some of its luster. One of the zippers has lost a tooth and is sticky. The iPod media pocket keeps getting caught in the innards of the main pocket. And the entire form has collapsed, and is unable to hold its form unless the laptop is actually in the sleeve. And let’s face it, the laptop is usually docked, either at the office or at home.

Additionally, many of the “essential” items that I routinely carried have fallen by the wayside. The manicure kit, collapsing valet, sleep mask, travel neck pillow, and lint roller were all last used in another piece of luggage, where they remain. The ballcap has been relegated to the garage due to its function, dirt (and smell). The Leatherman tool, folding frisbee, and digital camera battery charger are all scattered on my home office credenza. And the breakfast bars were consumed long ago.

After analyzing it a bit, I’ve determined the essential list of what I need to carry:

• Laptop and accessories
  • Thinkpad T60 Laptop
  • Charger brick
  • USB stick
  • USB wireless mouse (a new Logitech VX Revolution - woo!),
  • RJ-45 cable if wireless is weak
• Audio Accessories:
  • iPod - 80Gb video version 5
  • Charger/USB cable
  • Earbuds
  • Foam earplugs
• Office/Paper:
  • Notebook
  • Pencils and Pens
• Other:
  • Olympus digital recorder
  • Motorola cell phone charger
  • Business Card holder
  • Spare change (coins)
  • Checkbook
  • Pills and mints
  • Someplace to put my keys when I’m not driving

So I guess I’m just looking for something to accommodate everything above, plus be expandable for travel. Too bad I’m down on the Ogio Metro, as that holds it all. But really, for commuting to and from the office, where the majority of the office/paper items are, and there’s no need for AC adapters or extra cables, we could reduce the list to this:

• Thinkpad T60 Laptop
• Logitech VX Mouse - I won’t leave it at the office, so it comes with me
• iPod and earbuds
• Olympus digital recorder
• Small stuff:
  • USB thumb drive
  • A pen, and a slim notebook or even index cards
  • A few business cards
  • Some mints, some coins
  • A place to put my keys

My coworker comes and goes with a simple laptop sleeve. Of course, she lives a six-minute walk from the office. Perhaps I could get some sort of sleeve with two pockets, and put that in the Ogio when traveling. Thus starts the quest. Suggestions welcome.

Apparently, nearly anyone can qualify for the presidential election ballot simply by filling out a form and meeting a few basic requirements - at least in Arizona. Many of these candidates are sponsored by Project White House, started by Tucson Weekly.

From the site: “Project White House is a bold new experiment in Reality Journalism brought to you by the Tucson Weekly. At least 14 of the Democrats on Arizona’s Feb. 5 presidential primary ballot, as well as 10 of the GOP candidates, are participating in Project White House. These courageous men and women are putting forward their vision to lead our great nation. The candidates will compete in a variety of campaign challenges, with the ultimate winner in both parties capturing the coveted Tucson Weekly endorsement.”

Some of these guys are well known, so I provided a one-liner.

Here goes, in the order in which they are listed, due to a random drawing:

James Creighton Mitchell, Jr.

• Stats: Widowed, 4 kids, Lindenhurst, Illinois, Episcopalian, goes by “Mitch”, Northeastern Illinois University
• Experience: Chicago-area city employee, municipal gigs (Water Plant Operator, Facilities Manager) and boards (school board, forest preserve board, drainage district, and the Highland Park Mosquito Abatement District), Youth soccer and hockey coach, Boy Scout leader, Navy Officer during Vietnam
• Recommendation: Pass. Good for him for running. Seems like a good citizen in his hometown, which is better than some of these guys. Here’s his blurb from Project White House: “I decided to run for President in 2008 because I believe my generation of WWII babies needs to provide a better legacy for our children and the future for our grand children.”
• Official Site: www.mitchell4president08.com

Frank McEnulty

• Stats: Wife Cheryl, 2 kids, Long Beach, California, Catholic, New American Independent Party, MBA from USC, BA Accounting Cal-State Long Beach
• Experience: President/Chief Financial Officer, Meghan Matthews Incorporated, Chief Operations Officer, Tri Five Property Management Incorporated
• Recommendation: Pass. “Look, guys - first guy in my class to run for president!” Actually has some interesting ideas as an independent, but I would like to see him go a more traditional route - local, then regional, then national - he has zero political experience whatsoever. Has a widely spidered website - he keeps appearing in searches for other candidates. Here’s his blurb from Project White House: “My name is Frank McEnulty and I am running as an independent candidate for President of the United States in 2008. Crazy right? Well maybe, but I am just way too fed up with how the two major parties are running (or should I say ruining) politics in this country and I feel the need to try and do something about it.”
• Official Site: www.frankforpresident.org

Mitt Romney

As Paul Lukas has pointed out, a “mitt” is short for mitten, and is thus only referring to the catcher’s or first-basemen’s fielding gloves. Not this. Also, who knew his first name was Willard? Best Presidential Candidate hair since JFK.

Fred Thompson

Legendary lines in The Hunt for Red October and Days of Thunder - the “Japanese Inspection” scene gave me chills. At least he was a Senator for 1-1/2 terms.

Hugh Cort

• Stats: Wife Deborah, Birmingham, Alabama, Born Again Christian, Dr. of Psychiatry, UAB,
• Experience: Ran and lost for an Alabama House seat in 2006.
• Recommendation: Umm, no, thanks. From Wikipedia: “He stands out for several controversial views including the belief that Sadaam Hussein was responsible for the September 11th attacks, and that Osama bin Laden has an “American Hiroshima plan” to blow up 10 American cities with suitcase-sized nuclear bombs.”
• Official Site: www.hughcort2008.com

Michael P. Shaw

My favorite candidate.

Well, his www.michaelpshaw.com website is listed as “available” by GoDaddy. This guy is apparently also a local Arizona candidate from Glendale, AZ. Only grainy MySpace video coverage (opening with the unforgettable lyric “Start Recording!”) seems to be available. From the December 19th, Arizona Daily Star: Shaw says he’s “running to represent the hood and the God of Israel.” I wish I were making this up. This is turning into one of those early American Idol shows, where everyone wants their three minutes. Umm, pass.

UPDATE: Read this article - some excerpts:

The best political speech I’ve heard in some time was delivered by Republican presidential candidate Michael P. Shaw, who wore sunglasses and a T-shirt that read “Geek Squad” to a public event at the State Capitol.

• “I have a question: How much experience do you think the Congress and President Bush have? They have a lot of experience and they’ve ran the country into the ground.
• “Why am I here? I’m here to represent the ’hood, because nobody else is representing the ’hood. And Bush and everyone else who’s got all the experience – all the experience – have run the country into the ground! It’s like the Valdez oil spill. And that’s what the country’s turning into.
• “That’s why I’m here, sir, because I can do a better job than what’s being done right now, sir! So that question you had asked, sir, was to me, sir! And I’m here because I am a registered voter, sir. I voted for Bush two times in the past eight years. I’ve been a Republican for 10 years, 17 years in Homeland Security, 10 years as a truck driver. Street credibility is insurmountable, sir!”
• At that point, Shaw pushed his chair away from a table in the crowded conference room, striking the knees of a man sitting behind him. “Hey man, you just lost my vote!” the other man said. “I didn’t know I had votes,” Shaw responded. “I didn’t come here for votes. I came here represent the hood.” He apologized to the other man and left the room.

Street credibility is insurmountable, sir!

Charles Skelley

Here’s another PWH guy. Apparently he’s a retired Army military intelligence officer and aerospace engineer living in Tucson. At least he’s got a blog. Pass. Here’s his Project White House blurb: “[Skelley] offers “real solutions (that can get real results) by confronting problems which are really serious.” His “new square deal” has a dozen basic points to reduce the federal debt, clean up campaign fundraising, save Social Security, provide affordable health care, reverse the trade deficit, simplify income taxes and solve the energy crisis.”

Ron Paul

As the signs say, just “Google Ron Paul“. Recommended by David Letterman as far back as 1988. Middle name of “Ernest”, Duke MD, was a obstetrician/gynecologist for 30 years, and was also in the Air Force. US Rep for Texas for 12 years.

John Michael Fitzpatrick

I like this guy. He attended both Portland CC and Portland State, and ran for President in 2000 and the Senate in 1998, finishing second. Another GoDaddy free starter webpage user, he advocates US “statehood for neighboring and impoverished countries to franchise the world into our successful form of economic development.” He also refused to demean his campaign by throwing in with the Project White House folks.

Bob Forthan

Graduating with a 2.5 GPA from Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon, here’s “Bob, Bobby, Robert!” Forthan. Was an Oregon state employee for 31 years and in the National Guard for six, Forthan ran for Governor of Oregon and also Mayor of Portland. Decent WordPress site (in comparison to say, Jack Shepard (below). Here’s a nugget from the Project White House site: “I’m under educated, but I read well, I’m poor only because it’s a state of mine [sic], meaning I’m rich depending on who I’m talking to, but I have high hopes.”

Mike Huckabee

He doesn’t believe in Evolution. I don’t believe he should be taken seriously. Governor of Arkansas for 11 years (basically post-Clinton).

John R. McGrath

Another PWH guy from Tucson. This is getting old, fast. Here’s his blurb: ““If honesty is the best policy, then we should replace the present-day politicians, because they are living in a fantasy world and can not recognize the truth from a lie.” Word. Or something.

Rick Outzen

Host of “IN Your Head Radio” afternoon radio show in Pensacola, Florida. Here’s his announcement. Some other blurbs: Outzen has had a multifaceted career as a publisher, blogger, radio and television host, post hole digger and city councilman of Gulf Breeze is angling for a conservative base that has yet to coalesce around a favorite. Killer quote: “People think Fred Thompson is lazy and talks slow. I will show the voters what lazy and slow really are. People think Ron Paul is crazy and unbalanced. Well, I invented crazy and unbalanced.” Attaboy, Rick.

Michael Burzynski

All I can find on this guy is that he lives in Vail, Arizona (southeast of Tucson), and filed for the primary on December 17th. He’s not one of the these Project White House yahoos. Just a guy with a handy Notary Public.

Sean “CF” Murphy

Another PWH knob. The “CF” stands for “Cosmic Farsightedness” - no, really. This ass-hat sports an eye patch. Unless it’s real, of course - that would suck. But if it’s fake, the ass-hatted-ness stands. Maybe he’s a Pastafarian in disguise. He’s at least merchandising on CafePress.

John McCain

Our local candidate. As Howard Stern said in 2000, anyone who was a prisoner in a cage poked with sticks has his vote. War hero, Air Force, Vietnam, military family. Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. 21 years as Senator, 4 as a Representative. Middle name: Sidney.

Duncan Hunter

• Stats: Wife Lynne and two sons. Alpine, California, Western State University. Attorney. Vietnam vet (with a Bronze Star for service in 24 helicopter combat assaults).
• Experience: US Representative for California for 28 years. He’s head of the Armed Services committee
• Recommendation: An actual real candidate - bona fide. Plus he has two labs and drives a Chevy Suburban with 274,000 miles on it. There’s just no “buzz” on him. I would have expected someone in the House for the past three decades to have a recognizable name outside the Beltway.
• Official Site: www.gohunter08.com

David Ruben

From Tucson, another PWH candidate, this time with a PHD. He advocates “a strong economy, which is dependent on access to necessary resources and markets abroad. This means continuing, for the present, to be a colonial power and an international police force with our own best interest at heart.” Don’t pull any punches, there Dave.

Rhett R. Smith

Another of the PWH Posse - though at least he seems to have some credentials. Divorced Texan from San Antonio, career accountant, UT-Austin, was an auditor for the Texas Department of Human Services, did a stint in the Navy, and for the past 24 years has been Security Officer (huh?). Ran for Texas Governor in 2006 and for a House seat in 2004. Or at least he ran before this PWH nonsense.

Alan Keyes

• Stats: Married, 3 kids, Baltimore, Illinois. Smart guy - Harvard undergrad and Doctorate.
• Experience: Has run for President in 1996 and 2000, and for Illinois Senate in 2004 (lost to Obama). Also ran for Senate for Maryland in 1988 and 1992 - that’s a 5-time loser, no matter how smart you are. Did some State Department work, including Ambassador, U.N. Economic & Social Council, but nothing recent. Now is a radio guy, author, and former columnist.
• Recommendation: Pass. I guess he’s a smart guy and a good guy to have in your corner. He was the Featured Speaker, Republican National Convention in 1992
• Official Site: www.alankeyes.com - good thing that URL is not election-year dependent, so he can run again in 2012

Jerry Curry

• Stats: Was originally a welder. Is of African, Irish, Native American, French, and Scottish descent. Enlisted in Army for Korea, decorated combat veteran, Army Aviator, Paratrooper and Ranger. In 34 years rose from Private to Major General. Also recorded an opera album: Generally Singing
• Experience: Candidate for Congress in Virginia in 1988, Three-time Presidential appointee: former Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in GHW Bush’s administration, Military Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Carter Administration, and Press Secretary to the Secretary of Defense in the Reagan Administration
• Recommendation: Wow - great story. Most of this is clipped from his bio: Via night school, got a Bachelor’s from Nebraska-Omaha, an M.A. in International Relations from Boston University, and a Doctorate from Luther Rice University. has served on the Board of Directors of the Greater Washington DC Board of Trade, the USO, the American Red Cross, was a Trustee of the Federal City Council, and an ex-officio member of the National Research Counsel’s Executive Committee, Transportation Research Board. In 1982 he was named Washingtonian of the Year. Why haven’t we heard more from this guy, or is he another Wesley Clark? Fortunately for us, and unfortunately for Jerry, there are probably several handfuls of great Americans like this that will remain on the periphery of the mainstream.
• Official Site: www.curryforamerica.com

Daniel Gilbert

• Stats: Wife, 2 kids, Asheville, North Carolina. Civil Engineering degree from Virginia Tech.
• Experience: City Supervisor, Winston-Salem, North Carolina for 25 years. CEO of two tech firms for the past 20 years. 2 years as Army officer in Vietnam.
• Recommendation: A little flimsy - long streaks at positions - good for a job candidate, but not this job.
• Official Site: www.wethepeopleforpresident.com

Jack Shepard

• Stats: Divorced, 2 kids. U of Minnesota undergrad, U of Minnesota Dentistry. Lives in St. Paul.
• Experience: Air Force Captain and private practice dentist for 38 years.
• Recommendation: Pass. May be a flip-flopper, as he participated in both Republicans Abroad 2000-present, and Democrats Abroad in 2000. Or maybe he just wanted the trip to Paris. Ran for 2 Minnesota US Senate seats in 2002 and 2004, and ran for a House seat in 2006. He has six dogs, two fish, and a rabbit. Would make Rev. Jesse Jackson his U.N. Ambassador.
• Official Site: www.jackshepardforpresident.com - this guy could be the best candidate (he’s not), but his website will cost him the election - quite possibly the worst thing out there - ever. It challenges the worst MySpace pages.

Rudy Giuliani

Famous NYC Mayor, walk-on cameo on episode of Seinfeld. Oversaw the New York Yankees losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series. Yankees haven’t won a title since. NYU Law, the prosecutor that “got Gotti”.

And that’s the ballgame. 24 candidates, 12 seemingly legit, 6 mainstream candidates, and of course, Michael P. Shaw, representing the ‘hood.

“Street credibility is insurmountable, sir!”

In Like My Surname . . .

• Bert Blyleven - Quite simply the best player not in the Hall of Fame, and better than many already enshrined. YOU try winning 300 games playing for those teams.
• Goose Gossage - Dominating. His induction is due to the induction of Sutter, whose case is weakened by Gossage’s inclusion. Yes, you can re-read that sentence.
• Tim Raines - Runner up to Ricky Henderson - and then some. Some writers will penalize him for his admitted use of cocaine 25 years ago, but worse has been said of our past two presidents.
• Alan Trammell - A man I’ve met and respect tremendously. His ankle injury in 1992 really lead to a reduction of health over the remainder of his career. I was there. I was working the game for the PASS Sports broadcast and I heard his ankle snap when he landed awkwardly on first base trying to leg out an infield single.

Needs Seasoning . . .

• Mark McGwire - a few more years for everyone to get their minds around the enhanced era.
• Lee Smith - the inclusion of modern-era closers has made his induction a possibility.

At Some Point . . .

• Joe Jackson
• Pete Rose

(Eventually there will be the Asterisk Wing of the HOF)

It’s Just An Honor to Be Eligible . . .

• Brady Anderson
• Harold Baines
• Rod Beck
• Dave Concepcion
• Andre Dawson
• Shawon Dunston
• Steve Finley
• Travis Fryman
• Tommy John
• David Justice
• Chuck Knoblauch
• Don Mattingly
• Jack Morris
• Dale Murphy
• Robb Nen
• Dave Parker
• Jim Rice
• Jose Rijo
• Todd Stottlemyre

In the Hall of Accomplishment, we’ll have Brady Anderson’s 1996 season, Tommy John’s surgery with Dr. Frank Jobe, Knoblauch’s (and Steve Sax’s) accuracy disease, and Jack Morris’ Game 7.

• Chandler, AZ
• San Jose, CA*
• Santa Clara, CA*
• Oakland, CA*
• San Francisco, CA*
• Anaheim, CA
• San Diego, CA
• Chicago, IL
• Holland, MI*
• Hudsonville, MI*
• Las Vegas, NV*
• New York, NY
• Kohler, WI

My Year in Cities, 2007 (kottke.org)

1. The Order of the Phoenix extracts Harry from his uncle’s house using brooms on the eve of his 17th birthday, but Mad Eye Moody and Hedwig the owl are killed in flight and George is wounded in an ambush during the escape.
2. At the wedding of Fleur and Bill Weasley, Death Eaters attack, forcing the trio to go into hiding at 12 Grimmauld Place, which Harry had inherited from Sirius.
3. The trio studies the small items they inherited from Dumbledore, and learn of draconian laws at the ministry, Regulus Black’s locket, and Dumbledore’s questionable past.
4. Using polyjuice potion, the trio enters the ministry, steals Slytherin’s locket (Horcrux) and Mad-Eye’s magical eye from Delores Umbridge, and rescue several wizards, but are forced into hiding when Death Eaters break the charms on 12 Grimmauld Place.
5. Tiring of camping, Ron departs after an argument, and Hermione and Harry visit Godric’s Hollow and escape from Nagini the snake, where Harry’s wand was damaged in the fight.
6. Ron returns to the campsite, rescues Harry, who nearly drowned in a frozen pool that mysteriously contained the sword of Gryffindor, and destroys Slytherin’s locket with the sword.
7. Reunited, the trio visits Xeno Lovegood, learns the legend of the Deathly Hallows, and escapes the Death Eaters Xeno summoned, as they were holding his daughter Luna hostage.
8. On the trail of horcruxes and hostages, the trio is captured at the Malfoy estate, where Hermione is tortured before Dobby the elf rescues them all from the dungeon, summoned by the blue eye in Harry’s mirror.
9. At Fleur and Bill’s cottage, Dobby dies from his wounds, Harry buries him, and the trio hatches a plan with a goblin, against Bill’s advice.
10. Using polyjuice potion, the trio breaks into Bellatrix Lestrange’s vault in Gringotts, steals the Cup of Hufflepuff (Horcrux), and escapes on the back of the freed security dragon.
11. Apparating in Hogsmeade, Aberforth Dumbledore (the blue eye in the mirror) hides the trio in his saloon, and shows them a secret passage into Hogwarts, where Neville and the rest of the exiled students are hiding in the Room of Requirement.
12. As alumni and Order members arrive, Harry, Luna and McGonnagal overpower the Carrows in the Ravenclaw tower, but not before the Carrows signal Voldemort and the Death Eaters that Harry is at Hogwarts.
13. The staff attacks an escaping Snape and prepares the school for battle, while Hermione and Ron destroy the Hufflepuff Cup, and Harry learns the story of the diadem of Ravenclaw (Horcrux).
14. Looking for the diadem in the alternate Room of Requirement, the trio battle Malfoy and friends and escape fiendfyre, which destroys the room, as well as the diadem.
15. Percy is reunited with his family as the battle starts, but Fred is killed in an explosion, and the trio escapes the castle to find Voldemort, Nagini and Snape in the Shrieking Shack.
16. Voldemort kills Snape to attain the Elder Wand, and Harry views Snape’s leaking thoughts in Dumbledore’s penseive to learn that Snape always loved Lily, and Dumbledore had planned his death all along, thus exonerating Snape.
17. Harry faces Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest, and, having reunited the three Deathly Hallows, he is not killed when attacked, but is transported to an alternate reality to discuss matters with Dumbledore.
18. While Harry feigns death, Neville kills Nagini (horcrux) with the Gryffindor sword, and Molly Weasley out-duels Bellatrix, who had been dueling Ginny, Hermione, and Luna.
19. Harry triumphantly returns, throws down some knowledge on Voldemort, who doesn’t believe, and is therefore killed by his own curse that rebounds off Harry.
20. 19 years later, Harry and Ginny’s kids (James, Albus, and Lily) meet up with Ron and Hermione’s kids (Rose and Hugo) at platform 9-3/4 to board the train to Hogwarts.

Obviously this is quite an oversimplification, having eliminated almost all of the backstory, and several characters and plot devices. The remaining plot points do stand on their own, however, and a similar outline would likely be used in the screen adaptation for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie. The cast is currently filming Book 6. I hope you enjoyed this synopsis - thanks to J.K. Rowling for a very solid final installment, satisfying those that wanted Harry to die and those that wanted Harry to live. He did both.

Re-worked the fonts for the sIFR plug-in. For some reason, certain punctuation was not working in Agency FB font - such as apostrophes, pound signs, and ampersands. The font has those characters, and re-exporting a new .swf didn’t help either.

I reverted back to the Flash MX, and re-swf’ed a few fonts. I also visited some .swf font locales online - notably Fontsmack and Isarie. While the title graphic above (”Agent Flynn”) is in the Armor Piercing font, it doesn’t convert too well to sIFR. I had also liked the looks of BankGothic MD BT (too wide), Dirty Headline, Misproject, and Zalamander, but none worked that well. Headline One also looked promising, but had both spacing and punctuation issues.

And of course the sIFR doesn’t work in IE7, but does in IE6. Arrgh.

• Theme: As you can see, I’ve installed the Vertigo Red three-column theme by Brian Gardner. I think it works pretty well.
• Font: I added the custom font to blank graphics provided in the theme. That’s the “Armor Piercing” freeware font above.
• Plugins: Next I installed the Google XML Sitemap plugin, as well as activated the Askimet Spam plugin, both of which required a few hoops. I then worked on installing a Netflix plugin, so readers can view my queue, but wasn’t thrilled with the end result, so I deactivated. The change font size widget in the footer was then added.My last two plugins work - sort of:
• The FlickrRSS plugin works, but does not display the photo titles or descriptions (even though both are populated in the RSS feed). I posted a question to the developer’s forum, but it may be a week before it’s answered - and the answer may be “it’s not available.” In IE (both 6 and 7) there’s a blue image link border that’s not in Firefox that I know has been solved, so I just need to implement.
• Finally, the sIFR plugin worked very well - although there’s always some tweaking. I tried using the Armor Piercing font for the h2 tags in the sidebar and footer, but some odd spacing and the italicized font kept the left half of the first letter was cut off - similar to the Microsoft Arial capital “W” when starting a line. Adding a space prior to each use of the font wasn’t really practical. So I went with Agency font - an old standby. In fact, sFIR creator Mike Davidson uses Agency on his Mike Industries blog. Howver, and it’s getting late to do an investigation, it does NOT work in IE7. At all. Perhaps that’s because I’m using old Flash MX which outputs Flash 6 files. This was after installing 400MB of the Flash CS3 30-Day trial, and then not getting it to launch. At all. So I went with the old one from 3 PC’s ago - I even had to copy it over from my 2003 laptop. Ugh. Anyway, the plugin uses sFIR 2.x, and 3.x is the new 2.x, and probably handles IE7, but I’m going to bed.

Netflix Update: Grindhouse: Planet Terror arrives tomorrow.