Offbeat

I've read quite a lot about Eric Schmidt's visit to North Korea, from the US State Dept. calling it "unhelpful" to John McCain referring to Eric Schmidt and Gov. Bill Richardson as "useful idiots." I'm not so sure. I don't want to support repressive governments, but how much harm could the trip cause?

Confession: I HATE going shopping over the Thanksgiving holiday, and Black Friday is the worst of the worst. Unfortunately for me, my mom loves it and somehow has determined that it is a family tradition. She has also determined that my part of the tradition includes being the poor sucker that has to drive.

The past 10 days or so has been a particularly interesting time for releases of new consumer technology. Which of the "big three" for the week will matter the most in a month or two: the new iPhone 5, Nintendo WiiU or Kindle Fire HD?

If I ever doubted that my friends and I were a little odd, it was confirmed when I found out that not one, not two, but three of us had independently made plans to stream E3 at work next week.

Thusday nights I get together with the other local members of DOC (Ducati Owners Club), and while talking about things over a cold one last night, the conversation turned to design and designers.

I've been listening to music from the South by Southwest festival in Austin. Lot's of it for free - thanks Google!