I am annoyed with the tax system. Like the rest of the States, I realize. But consider the following:

1. Though I pay for my own tuition, I am still technically a dependent of my parents. I therefore cannot submit this expense when filing for a return.
2. I had a europacific fund for a while. Like a month. (I know, sucky investment tactics.) I nonetheless paid foreign taxes. Which is another slew of paperwork. Even though the dividends were all of 49 cents. And the taxes on that were $2.25. (Though they were nice enough to give me a foreign tax break of $2.00 on the return. That was pleasant.)

In other news, to convert more or less any video file to a Zune-friendly format, one can use the following mencoder command:

mencoder [input] -o [output.mp4] -oac lavc -ovc lavc -of lavf -lavcopts aglobal=1:vglobal=1:vcodec=mpeg4:acodec=aac -af lavcresample=24000 -vf harddup -lavfopts format=psp:i_certify_that_my_video_stream_does_not_use_b_frames -ofps 30000/1001 -vf scale=720:480

The result is an mp4 file, it’s true, but the file in question is mux’d just so that the Zune can handle it without any further work by the Zune software. It’s a beautiful thing. (Thanks Niedermayer and jsd.)

Also in the works, a hack gateway between sms and Grandcentral. (Grandcentral being sort of a personal switchboard for all of your phones. Handles incoming calls and reroutes them based on your rules, plus a broad set of what Kranky called ‘stupid phone tricks’ back in 2006. But it’s pretty awesome, where ‘awesome’ means ‘cool enough to warrant acquisition by Google’.)

The only issue with the system is that one has to initiate outgoing calls from their website – this allows them to call you, then connect you to your target, making available such features as call logging and call recording. I don’t have an internet package for my phone, but I can now send a text to emo (‘call [name]’) and it’ll set up the call serverside. Many frustrations with cURL and… and stuff. I’ll post the code when it’s more stable.

Linkin Park on Wednesday. Driving up to St Paul around 11, grab food, rock out for a couple hours, start packing caffeine and head home. Should make it back by 5am Thursday.

My family’s in Italy, as it turns out. Pray for them, if you’re so inclined. (The rest of you can think happy thoughts in their direction.) Sister’s mostly recovered from mono; heading back home from her time-of-healing with the cousins.

And me… I’m filing taxes and wanting the snow to end. Zoning to Royksopp. Much Ado seems like it’s going to be canceled, which sucks. A lot. We’ve put so much time into that play. But one of the guys nearly went off to be part of Beauty And The Geek, another one dropped last night (for reasons reasonable and understandable), and… yeah. Sigh.

Also, I don’t want to be in love. Again. Still. Pretty sure.