Is this legal? I guess so......

So last night as I was leaving my condo, my nose was assaulted by the smell of something burning. At first I was like, is someones condo on fire in our building? As I walked toward the front lobby the smell got worse and worse to the point that I honestly thought something in the building was on fire.  Then I opened the front door and BAM, the smell was overwhelming. I walked out into the street to see if  I could spot fire from our building, nothing.  So I walked down Magnolia a bit and there it was, a bonfire off to the side of the building next to mine. There were 2 guys standing around this fire, which was about 5 feet high and a couple of feet wide.  The fire was in the back about 200 ft from the front gate. I was on my way to a friends CD release show and I was video recording it so I didn't have time to figure out why these guys have a raging fire going. So, on my way to the show I called 911 and reported what I thought was a fire violation. 

When I got home, around 1am, the fire was out so I thought hey my 911 call made a difference.  I was so wrong. 

Before heading out to Target today I got online and saw on Uptown Crime Blotter that last night someone had called about the fire an hour before I did and another over an hour after. This is strange I thought. As I headed out the door today, WHAM, again the smell of something burning. This time I went over to the fire pit to see what the hell is going on.  Get this, no one was even there.  There was a piece of smelly burning plywood on the fire and no one was in sight.  That is when I took this picture. Looks like whomever was burning wood had plenty more to burn. After I took the picture I got into my car and called 911 again and they connected me to the Fire Dept. They told me they would send someone out. 

Jump ahead 5 hours later and I return home. Guess what, the fire is still going but this time 3 people are standing around it.  After I get all my crap inside I head back out for a talk with these people. I get up to the fire and there are 2 guys in their early 20's and a kid who looked around 13 just hanging out. After expressing my concerns about the fire one of the guys told me, yes we have had several police and fire teams out here since last night but they all told us as long as we are keeping an eye on  it we are allowed to continue our business. Then he told me that he works for the police which I thought was a bit strange. Anyway, I told them that as legal as this might be I would appreciate it if they would stop since the smoke is penetrating my building and the smell is horrible. Well, I guess that is that.  Hopefully this is not going to be a regular thing. It is a shame that some people just don't think about how their actions are affecting others. Unfortunately, some people just don't care.

UPDATE: Comment 9 is a recap of the topic at the last 2311 C.A.P.S. meeting. 

Gangs and Games, GTA IV

So after mailing off my bills at the Post Office today, I decided to hit up the local Gamestop and reserve myself a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360, available on 4/29/08. I have to say I am pretty exited to play this latest version of the series, but I have to admit, I wonder if a game like this will actually instigate more violence with local Gangs.

Now I see myself as a pretty decent citizen who can tell right from wrong, unfortunately there are individuals out there who just don't care about either. First off, I don't think that violent games alone are to blame for increases in violence, it is the job of the Parent to explain to their kids the difference between entertainment and reality, right and wrong. 

What makes me scratch my head is this, does playing a violent videogame like GTA IV make someone who is already violent more so?  Does it get their blood flowing in a negative way? Uptown is home to 5 or so Gangs that claim turf.  One of the goals in GTA is to claim and reclaim Gang turf.  Many of the "Gangs" in the GTA series are modeled after real gangs from real cities. If a P-Stone is at home playing GTA and "Killing off" Vice Lords, will this electronic experience actually help instigate a real life act? 

Unfortunately I don't think we will ever know the true effects of violence in games and other media on Americas youth. I just wish I could understand why as Americans we are so over exposed to violence yet we freak out about nudity. I think about this every time I watch CSI and they cover up a nipple shot, yet we get a close up of a slashed throat with blood shooting out. Boggles my mind!

Nerd test "iPhone"

This post was created with my iPhone. Pretty sweet, and pretty slow.

Funny Juno Spoof

I started watching "Attack of the Show" on G4TV about a month ago. As a fan of games, technology, and all things funny, this show is a perfect fit. Every now and then they have a pretty clever skit/spoof on the show, this is one of them. Oh, and the fact that Olivia Munn is smokin hot doesn't hurt.

Who is this, Butternut?

Q: Why on earth would you call yourself Butternut?

A: I thought it was funny.

Butternut is my online persona, which can be traced back to the early 90’s with my unhealthy obsession for video games and technology.

This blog is a collection of anything I find fascinating, as well as an opportunity to talk about where I live, Uptown Chicago.

I embrace technology, music, videogames, petting small animals, and videos of people proving Darwinism exists. I can't spell, my punctuation sucks, and though my birth certificate claims I'm 31, my maturity level often proves otherwise.  ENJOY!