I'm turning into one of THOSE geeks

I've been using Ubuntu for a year now and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! Uh...90% of the time.

The fact that the coloring for videos is all wrong on my laptop is frustrating, but not a big deal. After discovering this weekend that my favorite radio station in the US (WRLT/Lightning 100) in Nashville is streaming, I became giddy with the thought of listening to the station while working. Alas, while the site has suggestions on how it is supposed to work with Linux machines, I've had no luck getting the feed to work for me.

I'm still learning the OS and how to do various things, but I do hit the wall where the open-source community comes up with a solution that requires code/programming knowledge I have yet to acquire. One day, I will live a fairly annoyance-free existence on Ubuntu. Hopefully that day will come sooner.

Inspiring Corporate Decay

The nation is covered with thousands of radio stations. Once upon a time, while some of the larger cities might have had stations owned by a network or a pairing of AM/FM stations, most stations were locally-owned businesses. One of the big criteria for FCC licenses for frequencies was that the station address local concerns.

Then deregulation came along in the late 80's. Companies started the accumulation of stations across the nation. Since these companies went into debt to purchase these stations, budget cuts were the first course of action at the new station. As time progressed, the people/things in a newly purchased station that could be considered "redundant" or unnecessary grew. Along with the ownership deregulation, the FCC also started rubberstamping station licenses without full reviews. The past ability of communities to have licenses pulled from stations has ended.

Like a red giant star, Clear Channel has found itself stretched too big. This monster of a company has swallowed the largest percentage of the stations in the US. But what will happen to the stations when Clear Channel is no more? Alas, I was reading recently about a group of investors and banks that are looking to buy Clear Channel for $1.2 billion.

I'm all for the American Dream of someone making something of themselves. But how big is too big? Must the company stay how it is or can we blow the damned thing to bits?

How delusional am I to hope for Clear Channel, Cumulus, and the like to find themselves broken apart instead of perpetuating the beast (or even increasing it - I shudder to think of a world where Clear Channel or Cumulus acquire the other)?

I am libertarian, but I have lots of problems with the shifting of financial risk with corporations.

As convenient for the public as viewing the plans to demolish Earth

I found out what I'm supposed to do with my old mercury-containing thermostat. According to the Solid Waste Disposal Authority, I'm supposed to bring it by the landfill. But not just any old time...

"The Collection Center accepts waste on the first Saturday of each month from 8:00 a.m. until Noon. If a Holiday falls on the Friday before or Monday following that Saturday, the collection will be on the second Saturday of the month."

Prepare for 80's Flashbacks

Justice - "DVNO"