Obama Starred on Star Trek

Here, a photo of our current president, Barack Obama.

Here, a photo of a minor, and unnamed character from the Star Trek animated series episode "The Time Trap."

Though he's dressed in red, he was not the traditional Star Trek sacrificial lamb. You can watch the episode here:

Frankly, I think it's kinda cool that Obama starred in that old TAS episode. If he's a loyal Starfleet officer, he's certainly worthy of the presidency of the United States of America. And if you're going to tell me it's not possible that he and this cartoon character are the same person, then explain to me all the time traps and wormholes and time traveling the Star Trek folks are known for. Huh? Huh? See, you can't explain it away.

If you think this is weird, there's another episode with another minor character who bears a striking resemblance to John Kerry. I'll try to dig that one up.

Tinkering With the Minimum Wage

You'd think the owners of Yellowstone Bear World might learn something from this. But You'd also think that wearing a tinfoil hat will protect yourself from the invisible rays the commies are shooting at your medulla oblongota as well, so I can't put too much stock in what you believe.

This Madison County landmark, which I've blogged about before, is urgently working with the state legislature to make it legal for them to pay their part-time employees less than the minimum wage because they're only open part of the year. They've got lobbyists working the state legislature to this effect, and have had enough success to get their bill approved by the House.

Why is this a good idea? Because a business is seasonal they should be exempted from minimum wage laws? I've worked in seasonal businesses myself, you know, and I would not have worked there if they could jack with the minimum wage just because we didn't work twelve months out of the year. Yeah, I guess these seasonal businesses don't make as much money as they could if they could be opened year-round, but that doesn't mean their employees don't eat or need shelter for part of the year.

Idaho Reporter has something telling about the situation. Yellowstone Bear World's labor costs are up because of the new federal minimum wage, which Idaho adheres to – which they should. But with the sour economy, the park's overall revenues are down 40 percent.

Why not reduce park entry fees and try to make up in volume what you lack with the higher-priced admission? Getting more people through your gates – and into the interminable gift shop and such – might make you more money than paying your part-timers less than the minimum wage might save you in labor costs, don't you think? And it would certainly go further in addressing community good will. But I'm no businessman, of course.

To Sen. Brent Hill of Rexburg, I've gotta agree with Corey Taule of the Post Register in saying this is a bad idea.

You'd also think a reducing in the entry price would go further in good will than cutting the jobs of the high school students you want to protect. But I guess those deceptive radio ads have got to be paid for somehow.

Most ludicrous is the claim that YBW would have to close this summer if the wage concession isn't made. You're telling me your who business model hinges on being able to pay your part-time help less this summer than federal law says you should? For shame. You sound just as desperate at the movie theater in Rexburg that wanted property tax breaks else they'd have to shut down. They didn't get the breaks last year. They're still in business.

No iPod Touch Upgrade for You

This is definitely something I'd been hoping to hear: According to the folks at PC Magazine, owners of the 2nd generation iPod Touch (like me) needn't bother upgrading to the 3.0 OS.

I admit that I'm thrilled with my iPod Touch. It's a great piece of equipment, works wonderfully as a personal digital assistant (of course, I may be jaded there; I'm using it to replace a truly ancient Palm IIIc) and, at best, mediocre as a music player. But I like the wi-fi and the unit's overall portability and performance. So I was a bit angry when I found out that the OS update, free to iPhone users, would cost iPod users $9.99; that's a bit of Apple logic I have yet to fathom.

True, I'll be missing out on the ability to cut and paste. Cutting and pasting is an absolute necessity on any platform, which is why it's mystifying that the ability wasn't included in the original OS. But, as with any shortcut, there are workarounds that I find work tolerably well, so I can't ustify the expense to update the OS. I know there are other upgrades and refinements, but until Apple comes out with one that's actually going to get me excited, I don't feel the need to shell out just because the folks at Apple tell me it's time to upgrade. Besides, they may give in to pressure and offer the subsequent OS update for free, and those who pay for 3.0 will lookk just as foolish as those six or seven idiots who bought the $999 "I Am Rich" app from the app store.

I know all of this makes me sound incredibly cheap. I yam what I yam.

So Long, Mr. Jackson

So now begin the interminable radio-music tributes to Michael Jackson. Time for me to fake a power outage at home so the radios stay off.

Not that I'm happy that he died -- I just don't particularly care for his music, that's all.

Two Michael Jackson memories:

Funniest is when Joel Glicker enters the Harmony Hut in Addams Family Values as punishment and starts screaming when he sees a Michael Jackson "Heal the World" poster on the wall.

Then there was the time I was living in Toulouse when he was there for a concert. Town went completely ape, with fans gaggling outside his supposed hotel on la Place du Capitole, screaming "Michael! Michael!" A friend and I rode our bikes past the stadium where he had his concert that night. Lots of music and screaming and folderol. From a distance.