This was a fun one. Kevin Olson and Chris Abad invited Irina and I to stop by the 20 goto 10 gallery for the opening of their ANSI art show.

My good friend Sparky Rose has just launched ClubFed, his live “call-in” Internet show and vlog. For those that don’t know, Sparky got busted by the DEA for running one of the largest medical marijuana operations in California. What he was doing was legal under state and local laws, but of course the feds have their own ideas about medical pot. Sparky’s currently awaiting sentencing and it’s looking likely he’ll do time in federal prison. Until then, he’s hosting a weekly live show on Ustream.tv where he will talk about his case, medical marijuana legal issues, and answer your questions. Tune in on Saturday and Sunday nights at 8PM (PST). Archives of previous shows are also on his Ustream page. Every Thursday, Sparky will publish an edited video combining highlights from the live show and his own opinions. Here’s his primer.

Sparky is one of my closest friends and it sucks to see him caught up in the government’s ridiculously hypocritical war against medical marijuana. The federal government is at odds with at least 12 states who have legalized marijuana for medical use in some form or another. Consider making a donation to the Marijuana Policy Project or Drug Policy Alliance to help bring the federal government in line with reality. Or consider donating to Sparky directly. He still has legal costs and has set up a fund for his dog Oscar’s care, in the event he does do time.

My new roommates are maniacs. They’ve acquired this device. Anyone wanna take a guess as to what it does when not spinning cats right round like a record, baby?

It’s bewildering watching everyone freak out about the TV-B-Gone prank at CES this year. A bunch of TVs got turned off and apparently someone forgot to dig the remote out of the couch. Have we become so accustomed to TV & screens being on that we don’t recognize when their not?

People are livid all over the net. Up in arms! This is absolutely horrible for CES! Business is denied! The A/V guy might get fired! Motorola is fucked! Bloggers will PAY!! The porn stars might leave! It was mean and not cool! Puhl-leeze. Put down the pitchforks, hit the saloon and keep those dollar bills ready. No one is losing their job, the billions of dollars invested in consumer electronics will not disappear, Motorola will do just fine. That A/V guy has more than enough work that he could care for. You will still get your lap dance.

Understand that this is a simple prank. It’s a one-off that will easily be remedied by small pieces of electrical tape next year. Or maybe TV manufacturers will finally wake up to the threat of open, unencrypted television remotes everywhere. Seriously, what if Al Qaeda got the TV Remote Control Bomb and managed to turn off every single television, plasma screen and theater projection system in America AT THE SAME TIME?

I know, heavy. We are so fucked.

Comcast, when I ordered service from you, you were there for me. When the big faceless phone company said it would take 2 weeks to get DSL, you were there for me with broadband Internet cable access the very next morning. I was very impressed.

A couple months later and we have a fairly nasty storm here in Northern California. My cable service went out immediately and it has now been 3 days. I understand nature is unpredictable and service is subject to whims of things beyond your control. But it has been 3 days and I live in a densely urban area in San Francisco. I know I’m not the only one that wants to know two basic things that your customer service reps can’t seem to give me.

1. What is the nature of the problem exactly, how widespread is it?

2. When will service be restored?

Pretty much any solid company that deals with customers will tell you that a little information goes along way. Just knowing the extent of a service problem and what’s needed to get it resolved is usually enough to keep most people from the storming the gates of your business.

So Comcast, why can’t you give me this information? Each time I have contacted you, all I get from you is: There is an outage in your area. Our technicians are aware of the problem and are working on it. We don’t know when it will be fixed.

In other words, piss off, we’re busy, don’t bother us. That’s the message I’m getting from you.

If your technicians know what the problem is, why can’t they tell you so you can tell me? When my phone service goes out, ATT will tell me if there is downed telephone line and will give me a rough estimate of when service is restored. When my power goes out, PG&E will tell me if a transformer blew up and how long it will take to replace. Comcast, you have smart technicians, they know what’s going on. Why can’t you get your act together internally so customers like me have a little more information? All I’m asking for is a little transparency. Give me the illusion that you care about me and my $70 a month.

UPDATE: Comcast, please tell me this isn’t really you. Now I find out that not only you hate me, but you’ve been lying to me too! Are you sleeping with someone else? I just spoke to one of your customer rep supervisors who tells me that this outage is bay area wide (her words) and that EVERYONE is affected (her words). I just polled my friends on Twitter and found this to be completely untrue. Come on Comcast, I know you can do much much better.