Either television and film composer John Williams or regular project partner, director Steven Spielberg has a special place in their heart for late nineteenth century classical composer Antonín Dvorák (1841 — 1904).

As I was laying down to go to sleep, I was listening to local NPR affiliate, WMFE 90.7 FM, noted for their concentration and dedication to not only classical, but also international, new age and other non-mainstream forms of music. The announcer stated they were going to play the rather famous "New World" symphonies by Dvorák and so it began with Symphony Number 7 in D minor, Op. 70. As it played on, I was stirred from my impending sleep by it sounding familiar to me. Not because I own copies of Dvorák's best known pieces, but because it sounded similar to something it should not have: a mainstream recording.

I picked it out immediately. The theme, rhythm and possibly even the notes themselves were remarkably similar to portions of the John Williams soundtrack to film Catch Me If You Can. A second portion of Symphony Number 7 (or perhaps 8, because I was not entirely sure where one stopped and the other began) sounded like one of the other themes in Catch Me If You Can.

I am not placing blame or making accusations as far as a lack of originality on behalf of Williams, but the similarity was enough to draw my attention to it whilst attempting to sleep. What really got me on this tangent was when during a movement of Symphony Number 9 I heard what could only be a precursor to the Jaws theme.

Of course, Williams scored the Jaws film soundtrack as well. And lest I forget the fact that Spielberg directed both films. If I am crazy and am simply drawing patterns where none intentionally exists, so be it; there are only so many notes, patterns and ways to perform music. But, if I am correct in my conclusion that there was some inspiration here, I cannot think of a classical composer I would rather see receive a modern-day nod.

In a shocking amount of time, not only did I get a reply from Gateway regarding my BIOS issue, but it was not complete bullshit, either, as Matt suggested and I expected it would be.

Hello David,

Thank you for your e-mail. From what you have described, I see that you need the BIOS upgrade for Windows XP.

Gateway has started shipping systems which are Windows XP ready or have Microsoft Windows XP pre-installed. At this time, Gateway is still in the process of testing and certifying existing Gateway hardware device drivers and BIOS upgrades to make them Windows XP compatible. These drivers and BIOS revisions will be posted to the Gateway Web site as soon as they are available. Please watch gateway.com for the latest Gateway-related Windows XP announcements.

I have documented this correspondence in Service Request Number ***** in our contact tracking database. Please use this number in the future if you need to contact us again regarding this issue.

Please reply to this message if you require further assistance with this issue.

Thank you,

Maggie (Badge *****)
Gateway Online Customer Support Team

No, not the answer that would help me, but certainly better than what I expected. Maybe this sort of service and support is a result of their having ditched local Lake Mary outfit Convergys as their outsourced global support provider.

After just becoming aware of his existence through a friend of Mount Sutro, I thought it would be nice to share the artwork of New York native, Spencer Tunick.

If you check out his site, which maintains a collection of all his photography, you will soon see a template to his work: public nudity. However, it is the manner in which each photograph is taken, with careful consideration given to all of the surroundings in question, that make these photographs really amazing to me.

Further, the lengths Tunick has gone through in order to make his art, which he proclaims is "not good art, not bad art; just art," are extraordinary. His "about" page fully details his trials and tribulations which included several arrests, his suing the City of New York and his eventual win on the basis of his First Amendment Constitutional rights in the Supreme Court of the United States.

A particular news article discusses how the residents of the City of Montreal, who did not file a protest against the outdoor photo session, flocked in great number to participate in what many called an energizing and freeing experience.

I am not suggesting I am going to be the first in line to participate in this art should the opportunity present itself, but I am glad to see nudity becoming less and less of a faux pas in modern society, especially for the sake of irrefutably non-indecent acts.

Sent via the Gateway online "E-Mail a Tech" form:

I have experienced several instances of system crashes as a result of a known incompatibility between BIOS, ACPI and Windows XP. This is a documented issue and according to Microsoft, is to be fixed at the BIOS manufacturer level.

The following linked article explains the issue, the reasoning behind it and the solutions recommended by Microsoft.

http://microsoft.com/hwdev/tech/onnow/BIOSAMLP.asp

My question is whether Gateway has any plans to offer BIOS upgrades that support the modifications discussed in order to increase system stability for older computers running Windows XP, or if backward compatibility was not to be extended to systems as old as mine (purchased in mid-1999).

Thank you,
David July

Why is it that I already think I know the response from Gateway regarding the above?

So you are saying to yourself, "I thought he said the other day he was going to replace that malfunctioning headlamp. In fact, I know he did. It was on his list of Things To Do. So, uh, WTF?"

Yes, it is true: I was pulled over by the police — again, but this time by the Casselberry Police Department. Same as before, the officer was very polite, simply pointed out my defunct equipment, checked my driver's license status and sent me on my way. "Probably just needs a new bulb; no big deal," he says. Actually, no.

See, the reason I was still driving with the bunk lamp was that just hours before it had been working perfectly. I decided my very dirty car needed a good washing, so I drove up in the grass and washed it front to back. Afterwards, I opened the hood to investigate the light and discovered it was still working after I hit the bracket that holds the lamp cover. Problem solved, or so I thought. Apparently, the wires and/or plug that provide power to the lamp are in need of some attention, because as soon as I head out to meet some people for a chat and a beverage, out goes the lamp.

As much as I love having these little friendly chats with the men and women of law enforcement, my new list of things to do today includes doing whatever it takes to make that lamp come on, stay on and let the police get back to the real work to be done.

You know, like catching murderers and rapists and all that small stuff.