There's been a flurry of long distance calls made around here lately. I'm dreading next month's phone bill. I've got a cell phone, but it was mainly to keep in touch with home when I go out and emergencies. Since I don't use it that much there's a lot of minutes that go unused each month. It'd be great if it could be used instead of paying long distance charges on the landline (I have a low long distance rate, but still...) Unfortunately, it goes into digital roam here at home, so using it isn't an option at this time. That's why something like this mobile cell phone booster would be very handy here around the house. If the signal got boosted enough to get into the service area it could save us money on making phone calls. Not only that, but it serves other uses such as extending the life of the cell phone battery and improves voice and data service quality. Remember when I said I got my cell phone for emergencies? Hopefully it won't come to that, but if I were in dire straits it'd be good to have this mobile cell phone booster to use. It could literally be a life saver.
Note: I only have photo capabilities, not video.

Update from earlier today: satellite came back on, still have a creek in the backyard and basement. The former should take care of my imaginary OCD for now. Just as well since I can't find out who has the cable franchise in my area. Insight says it's Comcast, they'll take the information to order, but it's them. And Comcast says nuh-uh, we don't offer anything in your area. The only reason I was interested was that Insight offered some Anime Network programming (with some free on demand episodes) Hopefully the digital airwaves are so good I can get an antenna for them next year.

Actor Barry Morse has died at 89. He was best known as Lt. Gerard in the original television verision of The Fugitive, but others may know him for his appearance in the first season of Space: 1999. I wish to note this, and offer condolences.
And I am sorry I didn't offer condolences earlier on the passing of Allan Melvin and Suzanne Pleshette. I had thought I noted Ms. Pleshette's passing earlier, but it was for treatment of cancer that I am sorry wasn't successful. Here's a rememberance at Jim Hill Media that's also a sad story of the last time she saw Walt Disney alive.
As for Mr. Melvin, he was always known for a lot more than Sam the butcher on Brady Bunch and Barney Hefner on All In The Family here at Casa Collett. He was a go-to guy for a lot of sitcoms including a few different roles in the Andy Griffith Show and Dick Van Dyke Show, and Mark Evanier has more information about him, including an inside joke I didn't catch on Dick Van Dyke.

Note: The following post is sponsored.
One option people are exploring in these trying times is to refinance their loans. Dollar Blvd offers California Refinance to help in that regard. They can give you 5 free quotes on your refinance and offer special deals for California residents. With the rates low, now is the time to check into this option and get the best deal you can.

We got a lot of rain yesterday, so much so that the backyard is flooded again, so's the front of the liquor store/tavern across the street, and the basement. Our power went out this morning and it was totally dark. It's amazing how much light there is at night, even in this little town. I just marvelled and amazed at the phenomenon. Kathy had to get ready for work in the dark and I took her in. Although we have a gas furnace, it has an electric starter, so it was chilly until the power finally came on.
And the satellite's still out. This is the longest it's been out. It's unable to get a signal from the satellite. I thought the wind and weather finally knocked the dish out of sync, but I checked and didn't see any real change. I can get signal on some of the satellites, and it wasn't as strong when I checked again, so I suspect the weather's to blame. I don't see any clouds, but I don't see the sun, either; so I suspect the weather is the culprit. But with Indiana weather, who knows when it'll clear up again. But compared to the standard of living some have adjusted to, it's paradise. But I'm the type where everything has to be right before resting, or I'll worry. But something makes me wanna call BS on this report that the middle class isn't disappearing, it's actually doing better. Yeah, cell phones are smaller and cheaper than when Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen had them in Wall Street, but it doesn't get me work. And forget about having health coverage where I don't have to ask how much it'll cost me when we go to the doctor, I'll settle for any coverage. As Harvey Pekar says "I know I've got my health, so what?"

Note: The following post is sponsored.
Ain't no doubt about it, if you're doing anything online you need protection against what's out there. That's not even Internet Surfing 101, it's even too evident to rate a "duh!" in response. When I got this new laptop a while back, one of the first things I did before I even got online was to sign up for the Norton free trial to make sure I was protected. When it comes to internet security, Norton is the name that comes up the most. And their site has all sorts of features, including norton 360 review, security programs available for download, and more. If you're in the market for security for your computer, why not try Norton Internet Security?

Today's the big day when you can let your voice be heard and select the candidate to represent your party for election. No, I'm not talking about Super Tuesday as there's about 30 states not involved (but if you're one of the other 20, please go and vote) but Tony Isabella's poll this week selecting a presidential candidate among Marvel, DC, comic strip, and all other parties. From there finalists will emerge to select for each party, and they'll each run for president in Tony Isabella's neck of the internet tubes. Here's my thoughts on some of the polls:
For the Marvel candidate, I decided to eschew anyone who supported the recent Civil War mess. The way it was presented, all those in favor were already going down that theoretical slippery slope that's raised in topics like this. And while Charles Xavier has a dream of peaceful co-existance between mutants and humans, his activities in the shadow-cabinet-like Illuminati casts a pall over all that. But there's one candidate that stands out among the rest. One who is honorable and the voice of reason. Joseph "Robbie" Robertson. I have maintained that J. Jonah Jameson is a tragic hero in the classic sense, one who is heroic except for one flaw: his hatred of Spider-Man. Whether it is fueled to sell papers, Lee/Ditko's solliloquy that he feels he can never be as good as Spidey so he has to keep tearing him down, or whatever theory you subscribe to, there it is. And Jameson's other actions have been heroic: his unflagging devotion to the First Amendment and his refusal to back down, even literally in the face of super-villain opposition. Sure, there are exceptions, but people are made up of small exceptions, the occasional mis-steps that make up their composition. But we are here to talk of Mr. Robertson's viability. He has been the one to keep Jameson on an even keel, being reasonable and fair. And he is such a fully realized character his African-American lineage is almost an afterthought. He isn't a good African-American editor, he's a fully realized character.
As for the DC candidate, how can you do any better than Uncle Sam? The living symbol of the country (well, Steve Rogers, like Generalissimo Fransisco Franco of Spain, is still dead) especially when one considers the Alex Ross miniseries when Sam confronts the chapters of American history we would just as soon wish weren't there and not taught in the textbooks, and emerges with his character intact. Don't you wish there was a politician who doesn't hide the skeletons in his closet but rather faces them and addresses them? And the ones for the whole country, no less.
For the All Others Party, I'm going to do something a little different: I'm going to endorse a different candidate than whom I voted for. As a Heroes fan I gave into the initial impulse and Vote(d) Petrelli, but there is another candidate on the ballot you should consider. One who has had tragedy in his life, but it became the crucible to bring fairness and justice to a time when there was little of either to be had. One who doesn't believe in killing, who even has a creed that dictates, among other things, that God provided the firewood, but we must gather it. That there should be respect and tolerance for all, not just for your beliefs. That man is John Reid, the Lone Ranger.
Wait a minute, he's not on the ballot? His great-nephew Britt Reid is the one on the ballot? If he's on there, why not John? I demand a write-in candidacy! (Sorry, Tony, if I did think of him last night, I would've suggested him to you before you had the poll up)
BTW, in Mike Uslan's collection "The Best of Archie" Mr. Lodge's first name has been not only Hiram, but Lancelot and John.

Note: The following post is sponsored.
With the election in full swing, there's a lot of information being passed around. And as I've mentioned before, people are interested in having their voices heard and instead of trying to silence them, they should be welcomed into the discourse. That's where ElectionQlips comes in. It allows everyone to post their thoughts, images and videos to add their voice to the discussion. You don't have to feel that you're excluded. You have a computer, so you're almost there. It's just a click away to find out how your voice can be heard.

Press release follows:
QlipMedia (http://www.qlipmedia.com) has just launched the public beta version of ElectionQlips (http://www.electionqlips.com), a new destination to discuss all that is Election 2008. Readers can share their comments with the community and leave comments on Presidential Election themed video posts using their recorded voice, free-hand drawing, and images to let everyone know what they think and how they feel about every point in the posted debates, ads, punditry and stump speeches.
As the nation’s attention increasingly focuses on the outcomes of the ongoing primary elections and the general election to follow this November, viewers of ElectionQlips can stayed tuned to all the exciting action, including voice and video comments of their fellow citizens. And anyone can bring their wit and wisdom to bear on the debate of the moment, commenting to their heart’s content with their own voice and images.
The blogosphere has always been about giving a voice to common ‘netizens’, while democratizing the dissemination of the news and opinion. But heretofore that voice has been confined to the two dimensional world of the written word. The broad appeal of video has added a third dimension, a layer of contextual relevancy just not possible with the written word alone. Blog commenting has been similarly constrained by the same technical barriers. ElectionQlips brings multimedia blogging full circle, giving blog commenters the ability to post live, multimedia comments right on the videos they’re viewing in their own voice, using their own doodles and images.
• 100+ million blogs in existence
• 1.5 million blog posts per day
• 1 blog with multimedia commenting capability
ElectionQlips users can take their election debate with them by sharing the link and embedding the player anywhere. On the video timeline, it’s easy to bring out all the facts with every detail of the debate through point-by-point analysis. The density of comments at every point let’s one see what’s hot and what’s not in every debate. The goal of ElectionQlips is to make it possible for everyone to participate in any debate, discussion and controversy using their own voice. Commenting on blog posts is a common enough, ElectionQlips gives an edge over other contemporary election blogs, especially with respect to sharing your comments and opinions.
About QlipMedia:
QlipMedia makes QlipBoard, a tool that combines videos and images with drawing, highlighting and adds your voice is the easiest way to talk about anything and turn any video into an instant discussion room. ElectionQlips is produced by QlipMedia, Inc. and designed by OuterJoin. For more information, visit www.qlipmedia.com