From the local Fox affiliate this morning,”The Metroplex has become the Mess-O-Plex.”
Month: January 2007
Winter Blast Hits Ellis County
A severe winter blast cripples Ellis county bringing life as we know it to a pre-historic –like situation. Do not venture into this environment as roaming Mastodons have been spotted terrorizing the countryside.
Gimp vs. Photoshop

Blogger and commercial-prepress worker Philip McClure runs Photoshop by day and Gimp by night. Which is better? Read his comparison to find out.
McClure comes to the main conclusion that because of its press capabilities (specifically CMYK and Pantone modes) Photoshop is a must for any professional printers/designers.
But Gimp is the better choice for home users instead of pirating a copy of Photoshop.
I’ve been using Gimp for my graphics program since my hard drive crashed in December and while it’s taken some getting used to I’ve enjoyed it. Yes, it’s not Photoshop which I have become extremely dependent upon over the years for countless applications and would love to be able to afford for my home computer – but I can still do good/decent work with it and its way better than Microsoft Paint.
Here’s a few banners I put together in a couple minutes with Gimp. I could have done more but I just needed a couple quickies to advertise OrangeNoiseRadio:

Via Lifehacker
Perry looking for VPOTUS?
According to a very reliable source, Perry has said quite profanely that he is not interested in the VP job in 2008. The AP also ran a story last week confirming that.
But Vince over at Capital Annex is pretty certain Perry is thinking otherwise with his inauguration speech today.
Pop Quiz time!
Who said the following:
Our greatest threat is no longer a Cold War enemy that advances a Godless ideology, but fanatics that kill the innocent and themselves in the name of a Higher Power. Rogue states and terror cells have made nuclear proliferation a greater threat, and leaders in Europe and Latin America have risen to power and popularity based on anti-American appeals.
Was it: A. President Bush, B. Condoleeza Rice, C. Rick Perry, or D. John McCain?
If you answered “A†you’re wrong. If you answered any letter other than “C†you are wrong.
Yep, those words escaped the lips of Texas Governor Rick Perry today during his inauguration.
The governor also addressed Sudan and AIDS in Africa and Asia. For that I applaud him for thinking globally. Not sure what the Governor of Texas can do other than raise awareness – but I’m all for anyone that wants to help the cause. Maybe he’ll surprise us with a very bold initiative in the coming months.
Vince continues:
Even though he’s evidently actively campaigning for a Veep spot (wouldn’t Texas bloggers love that?), he evidently didn’t get the memo that Republicans don’t talk about the genocide in Sudan.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Republican say that we ought to do something about genocide in Sudan. It’s interesting, because it shows that Perry is trying to (a) show people that, in spite of being an Aggie and former Agriculture Commissioner, he can think globally; and (b) he’s evidently advocating a—hold onto your chairs for this one—less isolationist foreign policy!
You can bet Perry just got a big “check plus plus†on Rudy G’s “Possible Veep Candidates†scorecard, and a big red “x†on Senator McCain’s “Monitoring Sheet Of Conservative Tendencies Of Potential Vice Presidential Nominees.â€
It will be interesting to see what happens over the next several months. I heard on NPR today that Barak Obama plans to officially announce his campaign for POTUS in mid-February and it’s almost a given that Hillary will announce very soon as well.
You know it’s cold when…
5. You can see your breath while sitting at your office cubicle.
4. Your money really is burning a whole in your pockets to keep you warm.
3. The television meteorologists have been predicting the end of mankind for the last six nights.
2. Republicans and Democrats are holding hands and gathering in small huddles with each other just to stay warm.
1. You put your coat on at 7:55 a.m. before you leave for work and don’t take it off again until you climb into bed at 11:30 p.m.
Ice storms?
One bloggers opinion: Don’t get me started on how the “It’s Gonna Freeze! Get your portable radio and flashlights†mentality of television newscasts in markets where it rarely snows/sleets is nothing more than a conspiracy to drive people to the grocery stores to ramp up their profit margins so they can buy more TV commercials.
– Vince Leibowitz