godownmatthew: almost every videogame (esp action games) i've played in the last few years contains a macho, 'cool' adoptive father figure...
godownmatthew: fathers: if you raise your kids to be wimpy nerds, they will use technology to replace you in adulthood.

signalstation: @godownmatthew One of the highlights of my childhood was when Pac-Man told me he was proud of me.

godownmatthew: @signalstation i always wondered why q*bert was distant and uncaring growing up, then i found out frogger was my biological father.
godownmatthew: call of duty: daddy issues 2

signalstation: @godownmatthew Batman: Awkward Hug Asylum

Click on over to The Signal weblog to find the latest episode.

chnry: i found the perfect xmas present for you

m.signalstation: A director's cut of Pretty Woman on DVD?

chnry: Goats in Villages Shiraz-Pinotage from South Africa

m.signalstation: Ha! Yeah, I was eye-balling that last time I was at [a nearby Greek restaurant]
m.signalstation: Almost picked it up!

chnry: i remember you eying it, almost bought it for you
chnry: it's twist-off too, so we can drink at work!

m.signalstation: Brilliant.

chnry: WAY too difficult to bring a corkscrew to work

m.signalstation: Bring it in pieces. Just pretend you're visiting a prison. For wine offenders.

There's a storefront in El Cerrito where some online book retailers dump the stock they can't sell. Shelves and shelves of books, and every weekend you can visit and take up to 50 books for free.

I've had good scores from there before, but pickings were slim today. I spotted X-Men writer Chris Claremont's sci-fi book First Flight, which I actually read as an X-Men addicted teenager. His main character is, as an Amazon reviewer notes, "a fire-tempered, cocky redhead. Her team consists of a short, hairy berserker, and a big muscular Russian. Sound familiar?"

So today, unable to think of anyone who would appreciate it as an ironic gift, I left it on the shelf.

I did manage to pick up another copy of Alan Nourse's The Mercy Men because I couldn't remember that I already had a copy. Alan Nourse's one big claim to fame is that he wrote a book called Blade Runner and had the title stolen for the film adaptation of that Dick book about fake pets and religious software. Did you know that William "Naked Lunch" Burroughs wrote a (sort of) film treatment of the original Blade Runner novel? It's true! Interested patrons are free to borrow both Nourse's original and Burroughs' adaptation from The Signal library, presuming their accounts are in good standing.

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flemmily: I'm listening to EP057 [...] I think this episode is my favorite yet [...]

M. SignalStation: Ha! Well, thanks very much.

flemmily: no thank you!

M. SignalStation: No, thank YOU!

flemmily: look this isn't a thanking competition

M. SignalStation: I competed in Helsinki and got the silver in the thanking competition.

flemmily: you must be in high demand at Thanksgiving parades as a medalled thanker

M. SignalStation: I've opened my share of mini malls, standing in front of shiny new nail salons and check cashing places, scissors in hand.

flemmily: I would imagine they might hire you to speak to kindergarten classes as well

M. SignalStation: Absolutely. And commencement speaker for tech colleges. There are literally dozens of VCR repair men and dental assistants who have heard my words of wisdom about the importance of thanking.

flemmily: you are a true public servant