Just some quick thoughts here.

• If you’re a fan of Girl Talk, the latest album dropped a while back and it’s a free download here.
• I had my checkup for the BAHA implants last week. It went fine. The medical resident said she thought maybe they should scrape some of the surrounding skin away. When the surgeon came in, he just blew it off as residual swelling and prescribed some steroid cream. The cream seems to be working. I’m just not sure if it’s working to the degree that doesn’t interfere with the sound processor. I go back on the 28th to get that checked out. Still scheduled for sound processor fitting on Feb. 1.
• The Giffords shooting in Arizona is horrible. However, I’ve appreciated the backlash against using violence as a metaphor, at least in the political arena. The cynic in me doubts that the outrage will last, but my inner optimist hopes it will. The peace churches have much to contribute here, though few are listening.
• This post on Metafilter is about a friend of a friend who recently killed himself. I’m not posting the link here as some kind of macabre gawking, but rather to encourage you to read Bill’s suicide note. Suicides are tragic and preventable, but Bill’s lucid reasoning in his note is utterly chilling and heartbreaking. I don’t know how many other suffer as he did, and I don’t know how to respond. Reading and acknowledging is a start, I guess.
• And speaking of death, this article in the NYT is a good one. It talks about who takes care of your digital detritus when you’re gone. Yet another thing to think about with estate planning.