SPORK SPORK SPORK!!!

Those of you practicing due diligence in healing the earth are invited to:
1. Watch this video (thank you and thank you).

2. "Be saddened" and "regret" the harsh climate effects of personal aircraft. Propose Gen-Con 2009 legislation mandating that all private aircraft owned or hired by TEC serve comestibles that can be sporked. Mandate said aircraft offer sporks as the only choice of eating utensil.

3. Get sporked.
3a. I wonder if I'll ever merit a spork on my coat of arms?
3b. "Spork" is almost as fun to say as Plump Pea Dumplings, especially if you eat spam with a spork.
3c. Buy reusable titanium sporks at Amazon, there are LOTS to choose from.
3d. Find anyone who can take you seriously when you take sporks seriously.
3e. Product brand a spork. Years ago I discovered the pun "Ang'lican Good". The time has come to trademark and sell the lickable, re-lickable Ang'lickin' Good Spork. I am "saddened" and "regret" the unfortunate necessity of the term "Anglican" for said pun.

4. Don't poke fun at such serious subjects.

Plump Pea Dumplings

Google ads suggests I try cooking Plump Pea Dumplings.

I'm not tempted as they look just like I imagine Plump Pea Dumplings would look, but I have NEVER come across a dish that is more fun to say than Plump Pea Dumplings.

"Tonight, live on stage, Plump Pea Dumplings, and the orchestra!"

"It came from the bottom of the sea to seek its ancient revenge on Plump Pea Dumplings!"

"I have a black belt in Plump Pea Dumplings!"

"Yes, yes, take the Waterloo line to the Plump Pea Dumplings Station and we're across from the pub." (n.b. I never met a pea in England that wasn't mushy (pronounced "mooshy", and they sure are).)

PLUMP PEA DUMPLINGS is an anagram for
MALIGNED PLUMP PUP
SIGNALED PLUMP PUMP
MANGLED PUPIL PUMPS
SLAMMED UPPING PULP
PALMED PLUMPING PUS

Plump Pea Dumplings Plump Pea Dumplings Plump Pea Dumplings!!! I just can't get enough.

Oxford Pub a Dub Dub

Again courtesty of Blogless Phil (who apparently reads better source material than I do): NYT on Oxford Pubs!

Add this to the list of reasons why Oxford is a good place to study whether or not you care about academics.

NCAA Hoops Post Mortem

Perhaps it's painfully obvious that having picked the Final Four (just like everyone else lame enough to pick the #1 seeds) I picked neither semi final outcome correctly.

The moral: Buying into a Tournament Pool is gambling. I lost no money. Let's hear it for UCLA in the F4 next year.

Dawkins Dig

Pip-pip to my friend blogless Phil and Vox Populi.

Caveat videor, mildly gratuitous and profane:

Dawkins - Beware The Believers- [Dicky D Rap]
Uploaded by randomslice

Dawkins official web site declares itself an oasis of clear thought and unable to comprehend this video. Dicky D's garnering a response from Richard "ecce the mindless progress" Dawkins means that, regardless of what the vid means, Dicky D wins.

Bruisin' Bruins

As I daftly predicted (or is that deftly?) the Bruins secure a F4 slot. And look rather balanced against Xavier the Deposed.

In other really important updates I picked 10 of the S16 and 5 of the E8. My F4 picks are all still viable and favored. And the #1 seeds (I know, not very creative). And short of Davidson making things exciting the #1 seeds appear entirely worthy of the F4.

Being a guessing man, I'll sugguesst that Memphis is the 1-seed most vulnerable. Sharpen them 'horns, Texas.

Money or Quicken? cuz I want money quick.

Owing to the millions of expert readers who peruse this space I hereby offer a query: Which is better Microsoft Money or Intuit Quicken?

I'm considering an upgrade to current banking software, and my version of MS Money is so old I don't mind starting over.

I've spent the afternoon perusing the respective products on Amazon and all I can really tell is that all reviewers of Money are upset about Money just like all reviewers of Quicken are upset about Quicken. Both products appear overzealous about trying to do too many foofy things that I don't care about.

Here is what I care about:

1. I want to aggregate and manage at a glance multiple accounts.
2. I want to keep tabs on very small scale investment accounts.
3. I want to budget and generate reports suitable for general and tax purposes.
4. I want something relatively intuitive to use.
5. I DO NOT want software that installs irritating tray icons that slow down my system and offers me services I cannot turn off. I'm typically looking at YOU Microsoft.
6. I DO NOT want to be overanalyzed by a fancy program and told every 3 seconds a bill is due, a budget is compromised, a star is born.
7. I don't want freeware, a spreadsheet, or the kind of program that I have to constantly tinker with. All the Linux types I know swear this is never an issue for anything they run, which doesn't quite explain why they keep a special computer just for their Linux stuff (usually at a wife's insistence) which never seems to be working right.
8. Ideally said software would accurately predict stocks and the end times, but I'll settle for 1-7.

Both products seem to meet my desires. They both do online banking and blah blah blah. I'm slightly intimidated to unleash either beast on my computer and finances though. Surely someone out there has the answer?