Tweets for Today

• 09:19 Checkit: the XBox360 wireless controller draws as much power as *a flashlight*. When I swapped the batteries, it barely warmed the filament. #
• 15:02 I talked about "Planned Obsolescence" by 10000 Maniacs earlier, but *d-mn!* - the harmony on "with wealth and prominence" is just ... *mmm!* #

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Former 1960s radical Bill Ayers appeared (as himself) in the 2002 documentary The Weather Underground, which was narrated by Lili Taylor.

Taylor was in High Fidelity with Tim Robbins who was in The Hudsucker Proxy with Steve Buscemi.

And Steve Buscemi was in Tanner on Tanner with, yes, Barack Obama.

That's only four degrees of separation -- a closer connection than either The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times was able to establish in their exhaustive attempts to find any links between the former '60s radical and the current Democratic nominee for president.

Fred 'slacktivist' Clark on connections and what they really imply.

If I Were A...

Original to me, for once:

Most people have the same religion (or lack of religion) as their parents. That something this large in the life of an individual should even appear to be so much up to chance invites the question: what would you be like if you changed that one variable? And how would you interact if you met?

If I were a Christian:

• I would play Christian rock. (But possibly good Christian rock, if my church were liberal enough to give me my Joni Mitchell et al.)
  
• I would go on missions to third-world countries and donate generously to charity.
  
• I would play by the rules with a passion, and deplore the hypocrisy I see in others, also with a passion. (Probably to excess on both counts - I would still cross at the crosswalk were I the last person on earth.)
  
• I would debate theology for fun - possibly even go to seminary.
  
• The Man Who Was Thursday would still drive me nuts.

If real-me met Christian-me:

• We'd get in long arguments about the justifications of belief and foundations of morality.
  
• We'd exchange mixtape-CDs. I would be very nervous about putting anything anti-religion or anti-Christianity on them.
  
• He'd badger me to take up playing the piano again. I would promise, and then forget.
  
• He would be appalled that I could lose my Eagle Scout for being an atheist.

God bless, as he would say, and wind to thy wings, as I would reply.