According to USA Today, Bill Gates intends to step down from control of Microsoft in order to focus on his philanthropic activities. The question for me isn't "what will Ballmer do without a brain", "how will Microsoft fend off Google and Linux", or "what am I having for lunch today". The question of real importance for us today and future generations is, "What happens to Bill Gate's contract with Satan?".

In 1975 Bill Gates co-founded a software company with an inferior product. This company called 'Microsoft' floundered. it couldn't compete with IBM or the home market computers. Bill did the only thing he could think of to save his dream of ruling the world. He made a contract with the devil. In exchange for his eternal soul, Bill would get more money than most small countries.

The exact nature of the contract has not been disclosed, but it is clear that the very lawyers of hell were unleashed on Bills behalf. The lawyers crushed IBM, aquired and stripped countless companies, and kept Microsoft free of anti-trust litigation. For 25 years everything seemed to be exactly as Bill and Satan had planned. But something changed.

In 2000 Bill gave more money to charities than any single contributer in history. He created a foundation to keep pumping his money into charities. Was this a bid to save his soul?

According to Mike Longenies at Redemptus Legal Services, it was only the first step in a carefully planned anti-foustian ploy. Mike personally advised Bill Gates on a three fold course for not only getting out of his contract with Satan, but doing so while keeping his soul and worldly possessions.

The first step, according to Mike, was charity. "It's easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to get into heaven", Mike asserted. "So we asked Bill to start giving money away. The more the better. Honestly, we were surprised when, Bill took our advice".

Step one was going well, but as Mike knew would be the case, Microsoft was still making obscene amounts of money. "The next step of the Redemptus plan was disassociation. You can't claim you've changed your ways, if you still accept a pay check from Satan".

Mike wasn't at liberty to disclose the final step, but this reporter believes it will be sudden and quite dramatic. Will it work? Only time will tell.

H.P. Lovecraft's works were never renewed. Which was a requirement prior to the Sonny Bono Act.

This means Lovecraft's works should now be in the public domain.

With that in mind, sites like Complete works of H.P. Lovecraft have started making his works available.

The lack of action by Arkham Press seems to further justify the belief that the works have moved into the PD.

The flaw in all of this is that the above statements refer to English and Canadian copyright law (Were H.P. Lovecraft's works are PD). I'm not really sure about the US copyright law, which we all know sucks.

Public domain at wikipedia

update:

This seems to make a very strong legal argument that the bulk of H.P.'s works are indeed PD.
Which may be why Arkham House hasn't sued anyone.

Another list of H.P.'s works which are ready to read (and not in the ever suspicious PDF format).

I have made some resolutions, which follow:

• I will keep my Yes! Japan membership. I am learning, just slowly. There is no harm in that.
• I have my top secret project to work on, and will do at least some work on it every night.
• My writing will be done three times a week.
• I will play only an hour or two of WoW a night. Play should not consume all my time. That's just wrong

This plan should allow me to accomplish all of the things I want to accomplish over the next six months to a year. Its not an aggressive plan, and leaves me plenty of free time for other activities.

Wish me luck.

He is risen!

He is risen, indeed!

Happy Easter, Silcies. I hope you all have fine times with your families, and have time to remember what we really are celebrating. The greatest moment of hope mankind has ever had, and we bury it with bunnies, colored eggs, candy, and marshmallow chicks.

/me wonders what happened to the world.

Anyway. Happy Easter!