If you combine being on the road for a week with a slew of season finales from the biggest shows, you'll realize I have quite the backlog on my TiVo, and we're only now getting the opportunity to make headway. But whose idea is it to make each of these finales two hours each? Are they going to be twice as good, or just twice as long? Law & Order, Law & Order Criminal Intent and Conviction are each two hours apiece, and even with Tivo's patented fast-forward options for commercials, the end isn't exactly in sight yet.

Conviction's season finale was also, as you now know, the surprising series finale as well. That show finished well, and is significantly better than almost every other show out there, so someone should tell Dick Wolf to unwed his series to NBC, and start shopping it around. We still can't figure out the logic.

Listening to ''Safe'', by M83 (Play Count: 5)

Microsoft, the gargantuan software monolith, has long been known for a number of things - aggressive marketing and business practices, a slew of software products, on again off again security, and an OS family that, while long in the tooth, is still the predominant OS for the vast majority of both home and business users. However, one thing the company has not been known for is a big word - layoffs. This all may soon change, if one Microsoft-focused blog is to be believed. Word is, with massive delays plaguing the company's next-generation Windows OS, Vista, heads are about to roll in the company's Windows division, and it could mean hundreds of lost jobs, not all of whom will find new jobs at the Redmond company.

One visitor to the site wrote, "I got wind today that a MASSIVE Windows RIF is in the works. It's real folks. Hundreds and hundreds of jobs. The good news is that other parts of MS will be able to absorb it. But if you want your pick of what's out there, beat the rush and don't wait for review time."

Now, it's one thing to believe anonymous posters on an anonymously-hosted blog, but Mini-Microsoft has had a direct line into the hearts and minds of those slogging away at the software giant, and if Web discussions are to be believed, this author's constant criticism of the company has had direct impact on real-world changes to Microsoft's HR policies.

We don't root for any individuals to find themselves in harm's way as a result of layoffs. I've been laid off once, and that once was enough. I've seen coworkers let go - some because they weren't pulling their weight, and others, because they were caught in the tide on its way out. But if Microsoft is to galvanize the technology industry the way they did in the 1990s, some big changes will have to happen - or companies like Google, Apple, Yahoo! and others we've never heard of will rule the future.

(Previous post on this topic: Microsoft in a Hard Place)

Listening to ''Halcyon + On + On'', by Orbital (Play Count: 3)

We had looked forward to this three-game series against the Giants with great optimism. Not only would we have a chance to see Barry take on the Babe's statistics, but more importantly, our favorite team could obtain bragging rights in what's often a hostile rivalry, one that the Giants seem to have favor in the media race, even when the A's have accomplished much more during their tenure than have the Giants, amassing four World Series titles to the Giants zero, and continually making a run at the playoffs year after year. However, following today's 6-0 defeat, in which the A's could only manage a single hit, and never threatened, we find them losers of two out of three, yet still tied with Texas for first place in the division, who similarly fell against their rival Astros.

What made the day even more difficult was a steady rain that began in the first inning and continued throughout the nine-inning affair. While never truly threatening to stop the contest, we were first dampened, then cooled, then soaked, after hours of getting a wide-scale version of Chinese water torture - even as we watched our team get tortured in their own way, pitch after pitch from Giants hurler Matt Cain.

As we've noted a number of times on Athletics Nation, the A's offense has a special knack for making the opposing team's pitcher rival the memory of Cy Young. It seems even more likely that it's not the opponent's skills, but the A's weaknesses that are showing through. Even as we've seen some regulars shake off early-season doldrums that saw many below the Mendoza line, we're still not confident that they can go toe to toe with the best teams in the game after seeing what we did through this three-game series that had them outscored 10-3, and lucky to pull off the 1-0 victory Friday night.

Listening to ''March 2001'', by DJ Dawn (Play Count: 3)

After today's wet, soggy defeat at the hands of our cross-bay rivals, the A's had dropped two of three to conclude what had otherwise been a strong week, and the team's still tied for first with Texas. But that's not what the baseball media has noticed. Instead it's been all Barry, all the time. We investigated these "3 Games of Shadows", and found the Giants players getting a little inappropriate with our players. No wonder they were afraid to get on base.

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ANtics Archive: 2005/06 ANtics | PDF | Take the Poll