Jet - Get Born Sep 8, 2005
I need to say something about this band Jet.  They're awesome.  This CD is so unlike anything I've heard in a while.  Although half the songs are slow, emotional ballads (not a fan), the rest of the CD is hard-hitting and full of energy.  But you wouldn't get that impression if you read some online reviews.  Some say, "Most of the lyrics are so banal..." and mention something about "...the artists they rip off..."  Things like this make it sound like these guys are no-talent [fill in the blank].  Sure, many of their songs sound like classic rock songs.  I can hear influences from the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, the Kinks, and others.  But I use the word "influences" intentionally:  these guys didn't just copy stuff they heard.  They made new songs based on their listening interests.  That's how it works.  You can't become a songwriter without studying songwriting.  So instead of saying these guys just mimicked things they heard on the radio, maybe we can give them credit and say that at least they chose respectable influences, instead of "sampling" a piece of rock history (ahem Puff Daddy, Come with Me) and claiming it as their own new song. 

In closing, I must pay tribute to the nation of Australia.  I can remember two great things coming out of this country in recent years:  one being 1995's critically acclaimed Silverchair and the second being Jet.  Rock on. #entertainment
Dell Sep 8, 2005
I just ordered a laptop from Dell last Thursday.  I just got it yesterday.  That's what's awesome about Dell.  I customized it and selected options that I wanted, they built it in Malaysia, and sent it to me in less than a week for pretty much free.  But, of course, I have a complaint:  Dell loaded the computer with all kinds of junk like AOL, NetZero, EarthLink, Word Perfect, MusicMatch Jukebox, and a bunch of other stupid little picture viewers and media players.  I spent several hours getting all that nonsense off of there.  Dell could do everyone a favor by sending out computers that are pretty much stripped down, although I like the fact that it came with essentials like Acrobat Reader, Quicktime, Real Player, etc.  But all those other nonsense programs are designed to get you hooked into using them because they offer a free trial period.  Even stuff like Norton AntiVirus gives you a 90-day trial period.  But at the end of the 90 days, it warns of impending doom and destruction because your computer is now open to "malicious attackers" and the like. #technology