Nowadays, security guys break the Mac every single day. Every single day, they come out with a total exploit, your machine can be taken over totally. I dare anybody to do that once a month on the Windows machine.
--Bill Gates in Newsweek

First of all, why is the world's richest man talking like a jr. high student? Like, I, like totally dare you to buy Vista, totally. Second, you couldn't do it once a month on a Windows machine because after the first month the computer has been crippled by spyware and can't connect to the web.

I'll admit that there are exploits for OS X and I'll admit that Vista is probably going to be more secure than Windows XP (it couldn't be much less secure). But come on! I've been running my Mac for 1.5 years with no antivirus program, no spyware remover and no problems. How many Windows users can say all three of those things? I hope that Vista turns out to be bulletproof and people can run it for more than a few months without feeling like they need to reinstall or toss their computer. But I'm not holding my breath. I'm not running out and buying Vista, either.

Does this make me a Mac bigot? I hope not. People should use whatever works best for them. But don't believe this crap about Windows being more secure than the Mac. In my experience it's just not true.

Just thought I'd post some random goings on. Many props and thanks to Danny for fixing the problem we were having with the comments where it would go back to the main page when someone posted a comment. I coudln't figure it out for the life of me. Some day, I will have the skills, but until then, it's nice to have Danny around.

Once I get paid on Thursday I definitely need to pre-order Buffy #1. I've only heard good things. I can't freaking wait. Also on Thursday Greg and I are going to see Pan's Labrynth at the Dome at the Arclight so that should be pretty freaking cool. We're also going to hit up The Secret Stash since Greg has never been there and I need to get a late birthday gift for my roommate Chris (sorry dude). Should be a great day of wandering around Hollywood. Friday Phil and I are going to DIY Convention, which is also in Hollywood. Should be an excellent networking and learning opportunity for us and pop.vox.music. Thanks to CD Baby, our tickets our only 10 bucks. Can't go wrong with that. So that's what my week looks like. I've also got the regular work and school stuff thrown in the mix. It definitely keeps me busy. What is new and exciting with you guys?

For those of you who don't know, there are tons of awesome pop-culture references in World of Warcraft. Blizzard is always adding new ones into the game. Here's one I haven't had the chance to see, but found via Metroblogging Azeroth:

Pretty awesome if you ask me.

Kevin Smith has started podcast with his producing partner, Scott Mosier. Here is the announcement from his blog:

If you wanna listen to a pair of guys with dull voices puzzle over when “Oriental” became a derogatory term, the very tall, “Pump Up the Volume”, parental groping, the detritus that gets washed off a newborn, the notion of a Birth-Day celebration, mobile units, and bear bars, you must download this shit now.

Get the file here. The only problem is that they don't have a feed right now. If you're subscribed to our podcast feed it should pop up in there.

I'm glad I decided to TiVo this one at the last minute--it was simple and beautiful. Nominated in 1959 for Best Screenplay at the Oscars, this is the story of a Russian soldier, a 19-year-old named Alyosha, who almost accidentally becomes a war hero and is rewarded with a chance to go home and see his mother. On the way, he meets and helps fellow comrades, and also falls for a fellow stowaway in a box car. The movie is short, sweet, and moving.

I really enjoyed the bookend opening and closing shots of the long road out of Alyosha's home town. The first sequence is a wonderful pan from his mother in the fields, across the fields and down the road, and back to the mother. And at the end of the film, that road and the events that take place on it mean even more because of what we are told by the narrator at the beginning. Writer-director Grigori Chukhrai takes these common events and makes them feel epic, even the small scenes of tenderness in the box car.

The music is beautiful as well, and aids the story in suspension of disbelief, as we quickly forget that it all takes place in 24 hours while the young couple quickly falls in love. Also adding greatly to the simple story are the performances by Vladimir Ivashov and Zhanna Prokhorenko. They are both perfectly young, stubborn, emotional, and likeable, and the audience falls for them as quickly as they fall for each other. Ivashov, especially, is so admirable, because he is the epitome of a perfect young soldier, dedicated not only to his country, but to his family back home. His quest to see his mother is earnest and touching.

I don't want to spoil any of the movie, otherwise I might go into more detail, but if you ever see that this one's playing on TV, make sure and catch it. It's short at a mere hour and a half, but the final act of the movie makes a big impact. I loved it.

This weekend was a good one! I say that mostly because I went to see Morrissey.

Friday, Ric and I kept it low-key and went to Best Buy and hung around home.

Saturday, my sister and I went to Pasadena in the afternoon and went shopping. Let me tell you, a trip to H&M is worth it. They sell items of clothing for half (or even less) the price of similar items I've seen in places like Banana Republic. I got a couple of cute tops and a black pencil skirt. We shopped all around downtown and then met up with Yo and his older brother at Buca di Bepo, where we had a good meal and talked about all the shows we've been to. I've still got some catching up to do, but only because I'm younger. After dinner, we all headed down to the Pasadena Civic Auditorium for the show, which was great. I'll post more about that later. We were home by midnight, but felt like it was a very full, fun day.

Sunday, Ric and I accidentally slept in. We called the Andersons to see if it was a boy or girl, and found that the child is still in "the hatchery", as Liz called it. Dang. That's gonna be a huge baby. We went out to eat at Ruby's and did some shopping at Target. I finally bought a copy of Groundhog Day, which is funny to me, since I've never owned it but somehow have it practically memorized. The rest of the night I tried to be slightly productive and did a bunch of dishes and cleaning, as well as entering in all my receipts for the past month.

Today at work, we're assigning Secret Sweeties. Our usual coordinator is stepping down, so I and a couple of other ladies have stepped in to coordinate the whole thing. We give away gifts every day for a week and then have a lunch where we reveal who was who's sweetie. I think it's a lot of fun, especially when people get creative. Tomorrow, the gift-giving begins. I've got a good person, who's easy to shop for! I'll post pictures of stuff I get, like I did last year. Who knows, though? I could have a weird one. Last year, Ruth got some pretty ugly socks from her sweetie. :)