So a lot has been going on, but very little of it has made it to the web site as I have hardly had time to write about anything. I've been working to downsize my technology portfolio, since I had a glut of computers sitting around, so I've replaced a number of my old, secondary computers with a single Asus Eee PC 4G Surf. It's a pretty spiffy little machine that's small enough for use pretty much everywhere. I'm writing this entry on it right now. I'll write a more thorough review of the machine sooner or later.

First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the shootings at Northern Illinois University in the midst of unspeakable tragedy.  But, every time I hear of one of these incidents, I am reminded of how flawed the idea of 'gun control' is.  The campus of Northern Illinois University, like Virginia Tech's and many other campuses across the country, is a 'gun-free zone'.  This simply meants that law abiding gun owners leave their weapons at home (weapons that might have been used to cut short these massacres with return-fire) while the criminals, who care little for laws, continue to carry and use their weapons.  We see the same pattern in Washington, DC, where guns are essentially illegal so only the gang members and criminals carry while the law-abiding citizens go unarmed (and are 688% more likely to be murdered than citizens of neighboring Virginia [US Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2004]).

Just outside of Charlottesville, VA heading north on Route 29 there is a notorious stretch of road.  There are two lanes of traffic, lots of volume coming out of Charlottesville, a series of badly-timed traffic lights, and rolling hills that limit forward visibility.  Often, as I pass through that area, a leisurely 30-45 mph drive turns to a sudden stop and a few heart-wrenching seconds where you wonder if the drivers of the cars behind you have been as alert as you have been.

A curious thing happened on the way to extending MetroRail to Dulles: The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA, 'Metro') unmitigated incompetence at running the existing system got noticed, and the Federal Transit Administration started asking why they should help fund an addition to a disintegrating system.  Now, as a direct result of Metro's spectacular inability to manage itself, a twenty-year overdue addition to our regional transportation system probably won't happen.  This, combined with the state government's continuing redirection of Northern Virginia transportation money to Southern Virginia Rest Stop Renovations, has lined us up for a future of ever-worsening gridlock.

There are more big changes on this year's list of the ugliest cars.  Two models featured on last year's list (Chevrolet Malibu Maxx, Scion xA) have been discontinued, two have undergone major appearance changes or redesigns (Scion xB, Subaru Tribeca), and another (Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible) is available for 2008 but has already had its demise announced by Chrysler's new management.  The Subaru Tribeca (formerly the 'B9 Tribeca') underwent a radical improvement (after only one year on the market), eliminating many of its worst visual characteristics and resulting in a stellar climb—from last year's ugliest car to not even appearing on this year's list.

When I was a high school journalist, I raised the ire of an assistant principal at my school (John Eggleston) and managed to get myself muzzled—so this op-ed by Richard Just in the Washington Post caught my attention.  Unfortunately, I do have to agree with the Supreme Court's ruling in 1988.  Since school papers are published by the school, the school has the right to control what is printed.  They own it, they publish it, they have a right to control it—just as News Corp. has a right to control the New York Post, which they publish.  But, legal or not, schools should use discretion.  They are, after all, supposed to teach.  How can a student learn to be a journalist if they are not allowed to act like journalists and ask tough questions?

• Unmuzzling High School Journalists (Washington Post, free registration may be required).
  

After fixing the Civic's deficiency back in August, it was time to fix the Tribute's.  Our Mazda Tribute compact SUV—despite some early mechanical problems right after we bought it—has been serving us quite well.  But its factory stereo was pretty bad.  First off, it was in bad condition.  It was missing a button and the LCD would intermittently go all garbled on me.  Secondly, it was a factory stereo—it had no audio-in or iPod connection and put out medocre sound.  Since I'm now playing around with car repair on my own, I figured that replacing the stereo would be another fun project.