Awesome, Indeed

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Latest CD Round-up

There's nothing like getting a tax return to spur me onto purchase more CD's. Here's the latest batch.

From Disc Replay, Bloomingdale location:

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Honey's Dead
The Be Good Tanyas - Chinatown (I've had another album of theirs on my eMusic Save For Later, come March I'll pick it up)
Hem - Funnel Cloud (another eMusic Save For Later)
Evanescence - The Open Door (Yes, I'm a trifle embarrassed to own both albums, but "Call Me When You're Sober was on q101 as I was headed to the store, and I said "Self, if that album's there for less than $7, buy it." It was $4.99. Also, well, Amy Lee.)

Downers Grove:

Cat Stevens - Matthew & Son
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (Dude, I'm so cool now. Wait. Damnit, I'm not in eight grade anymore.)
The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
ABBA - Gold Greatest Hits (Who doesn't need more uptempo Swedes in there life?)

From Reckless Records in Wicker Park:

Charcoal - Flowers in the Cement (Bands like Radiohead and Interpol were referenced on the Reckless sleeve. Names like that are catnip.)
Old 97's - Fight Songs
Robbie Fulks - Country Love Songs (Along with the Old 97's [for whom I have a deep and abiding love] in the "Insurgent Country" section and marked as "funny." Funny is why I listen to Alt Insurgent Country, so insta-buy.
Matthew Sweet - 100% Fun (I almost bought this at Downers Grove on Friday, but didn't want to pay seven bucks for it. Three dollars was paid instead, tonight. Awesome.

An interesting remix

You know you've been reading too much BoingBoing when: you wake up from a slightly charged dream involving Creative Commons licensing and boobs.

An Open Letter to Mouse Manufacturers

Hi.

Let me take a moment of your time by listing what I want out of your products.

First, I want a wireless mouse, and y'all seem to be doing a bang-up job of that with the four types of wireless Newegg.com has available to sell to me. Good job.

It also needs to be optical at a minimum. My needs aren't yet sufficiently advanced to require the dpi offered by the higher end laser mice, but it's nice to see that you're ready for me when I want it. So again, good show; you're on a roll.

I only need three buttons: right, middle (mouse wheel) and left. If your contract with the Mice Button Producers of America, Canada and Dubai require you to add more than those that I need, please, for the love of apple pie, strippers and Tiger Woods, only add one more. When it's late, I'm drunk and playing games online, I really don't need to be confused by lots of Pressing Options. Really. Honest.

Lastly, and a far larger deal breaker than buttons, make the damn thing rechargable. In. Your. Own. Cradle. I do not want rechargable AA batteries; I could use those in my current mouse. I bought it about 5 years ago.

I'd like a new mouse. Mine's a bit aged and I'm a bit tired of having to pop in new batteries or to make sure I have some rechargables all charged up and ready to direct the Night Elves to victory or make a chicken do my bidding. Or whatever. The future is now, and I can't let dead mouse batteries keep me from seeing if someone's put bacon on a cat lately.

I'd like to give some company money for a new mouse, but not one company that I can find puts my four criteria to work in one simple package. I know it wouldn't be leetz0rs, but neither are most computer users. Screw flying cars, I want my damn dream mouse.