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Friday, September 30, 2005
I got sucked in.
How's your day?
Ever had one of those days where a lobotomy just seems like it would feel so good?
I understand Craftsman has a do-it-yourself kit!
Of Grasshoppers
Student: I want help but I don't know who to ask.
Master: Ask yourself. Only you can solve your problems.
Master: Ask yourself. Only you can solve your problems.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
FOUND - AMBER ALERT! Help find this child!
Help find this child! He is in danger. They won't issue an amber alert on a technicality. Read the details. Study the picture!
Taken from the city of Strongsville, Ohio. Last seen in Lakewood, Ohio on Clifton Blvd. 9-28-05 at 10:00 a.m. We suspect that she will be trying to make her way either towards Mexico, or Florida.
...
Nancy Rolfe may be driving a White Chevy conversion van with light blue or green pin stripes. She may also be with a friend who drives a white Honda with black trim.
He'll be coming through Tennessee folks! Spread the word!
(Click here to quickly cut and paste the source of this message into your post)
Of Grasshoppers
Student: Is it possible to be married and happy?
Master: Is it possible to get a job with lots of travel that pays well?
Master: Is it possible to get a job with lots of travel that pays well?
save $19.95 - DivX is free!
For their 5th anniversary DivX is offering their full software package for free.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Serenity Preview / Spoiler-Free Review
That Strange Feeling
First I'd like to comment on the social experience. Have you ever one of those awkward moments like meeting your doctor at the kid's soccer field? You want to make small talk but this guy knows things about you and has been places that no one else ever will. The doctor is this mythological character that you share your most intimate experiences with and he's never supposed to leave his office. This was similar because these people are just screen names that never leave their keyboards. Suddenly I'm looking at 45 strangers that potentially know me better than some of my close friends and family. Of course, I've shared their secrets too! Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be an ice breaking moment to really strike up a conversation with anyone other than the news paper's official reviewer. Perhaps another social gathering sometime soon.
Many thanks!
My thanks and appreciation go out to Glenn Reynolds (Instapundit) for arranging this special viewing!
Previews
We had a single preview forDoom which is totally targeted at computer geeks. The movie is shot in first person shooter style. It will get its revenues purely from the novelty of seeing our greatest time waster on the big screen!
Serenity
In theaters September 30th - Official Site
Technical
Fantastic! I felt like we'd taken cinematography to another level. I had to check myself to make sure I wasn't simply being woo'd when my wife commented on one scene as "a bad set." I couldn't disagree but the computer enhanced effects greatly overshadowed such scenes. At points the scenes felt almost three dimensional. Serenity certainly keeps the bar high for special effects.
Character Development
In any movie time constraints lead to tough choices. More action? More character development? More plot history? Serenity creates a decent balance with plenty of opportunity for further character development in any potential sequels. We learn just enough about the main characters to complement the story and build affection or distaste for them. I would have enjoyed more background on the supplementary characters but that would have added nothing to the story. Some of the characters backgrounds were presented subtly which I missed but my wife and son picked right up.
Plot/Story
The story was well conceived with a very interesting presentation in the beginning. I felt like the middle and end of the story could have benefitted by some of the qualities of the beginning presentation. Our protagonist has his epiphany a little too quickly and too strongly for my taste which broke the realism of his character briefly for me. They did a great job tying all the elements of the movie together. I felt nothing presented was frivolous. Overall I saw very few holes, nice twists and a captivating concept. There are certainly many angles that can be exploited for sequels.
Conclusion
I'm going to watch it again. I want more. I may even have to tune in for Firefly. I give this a high recommendation for sci-fi fans!
Oh, yes, we were the people with the infant in theatre. Evan thought the movie was great and only one scene scared him. He says, "coo coooo coo *giggle* burp."
Blogger's reviewing:
- GA Mongrel
- "As a fan of the TV series, I loved the movie."
- Misplaced Keys
- The power of a good story is that the audience can place the story into its own context. This is where, I believe, Joss Whedon's wild west space adventure shine, it is a great story. And Joss Whendon is a great story teller....
- AlphaPatriot
- Early reviews of the movie Serenity are in: eight liked the show (nine if you count me) and one didn't. The Conservative Zone:It exceeded my expectations in every way. There were places for you to laugh, a couple for you to get mad in, and...
- Stackable Bards
- Many bloggers (but not me, alas) have been able to score early tickets to see Joss Whedon's Serenity, a movie followup to his excellent but short-lived, Fox TV show called Firefly (DVD available here). Here is a roundup of reviews. Note: Great minds think a like. Stackable Bards has a head start on this roundup and I recommend reading on from there.
- The Primary Main Objective
- The blogger preview was also a radio station preview. The it was sponsored by two clear channel stations, one country, and one urban.
- Domestic Psychology (with picture)
- It felt like watching television on a monster screen, but it was fun television and as socially unpopular as it is to admit, I like television.
- G. Bob's House O' Blog
- Either you get why cowboys in space are cool or you don’t. It’s just that simple.
Wow! This list goes on and on and on...
Because there is more than one way
I had to call my grandmother yesterday. She is 86 and stronger and more mentally stable than most I people I know. Anyhow, I'd been working a problem and was stuck when it suddenly occurred to me that "there's more than one way to skin a cat" and I came up with a different solution rapidly.
Now, I've been skinning cats since I was about five but I have never questioned exact why we skin cats. So I went to the source. See, when we'd get a bath at my grandmother's apartment as the kids were stripped down, she'd say "there's more than one way to skin a cat." Her answer? She chuckled and said, "I don't know."
So what does Blingo say?
- World Wide Words
- Points out that it dates back to 1678 as a common proverbial phrase but gives no real origin other than conjecture. Relates it to the Southern US states to skinning a catfish.
- bartleby.com
- "Many tasks can be accomplished in several ways." but we know that already.
- Phrase Finder
- "a boy's gymnastic trick" with a description of the trick and a note "Mr. Funk doesn't say WHY anyone would actually skin a cat" A reply to the post claims "People used to skin cats to use the fur" but gives no citations
- TakeOurWord.com
- Cheapness
- AOL Member
- Another catfish reference
- EZBoard forum
- "boys (and adults too) did torture cats in the 16th-18th centuries" but refers to harvesting the fur
- Messy Beast
- catfish and fur references. Perhaps the best description thus far.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Seeking extra hardware
Does anyone in Knoxville have a spare DSL modem (preferrably westel) lying around? I know someone that needs to run a test to confirm that their modem is bad. If their modem is bad and you want to sell yours they will probably be willing to buy it. Just let me know in comment or email. Thanks.
MMMmmmm Coffee!
I want to thank Julie for bringing me coffee. It was 20 times better than I ever would have expected!
Quote of the Day
I want to thank Jude for providing Tim with this Rwandan Proverb:
"You can outdistance that which is running after you but not what is running inside you."
I so needed that!
Monday, September 26, 2005
Task Completion
A computer hath been repaired! The symptoms on this one: It would boot to the user login prompt for Windows XP, wait 20 seconds, then reboot. The cure: virus cleaning, adware/malware removal, operating system updates, driver updates, software conflict removal, outdated software removal and live linux boot cds to be able to apply the fixes.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
He'll never hear the end of this!
We as guys make mistakes. Sometimes they are big and we hear about them from our wives far longer than we feel we deserve. However sorry I feel for Hulk Hogan, I think he will take this one (WARNING! NWS! Privates shown.) to his grave! If I'm not mistaken though, despite her dark roots Mrs. Hulkster is a natural blonde!
I can hear her now. "You want it? Go look at the picture because that's the only time you'll ever see it again!"
As for the rest of us, we guys wish to thank Mr. Hogan for making our errors in judgement so insignificant in comparison.
Hurricane Trackers
I remember when I lived in Kenner, Lousiana (4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th grades) that we had charts and would track the hurricanes. The feeling that a hurricane was coming was not one of fear but of joy that school would be cancelled but sadness that for every inch of water I had in my street a friend of mine had an inch in their house. The rains would come and they would stack their furniture on bricks. Neighbors would chain off roads or sit on porches with shotguns to remind people not to create wakes while driving past their houses.
Well now that everyone has become hurricane watchers, The Severe Weather Information Center is a website that should be part of your weather bookmarks.
Odd Vending Machines
Boing Boing has been featuring strange vending machines from Japan including a vending machine that distributes eggs, one that distributes beer, and my favorite one that delivers live lobsters.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
New Orleans Blogs
Katrinacane Friends continue to update on their trials and tribulations.
Of course, the best New Orleans stories have come from The Interdictor who reported the levee leaks nearly 12 hours before CNN.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Good Use of Google Maps
This site does an excellent job of combining data on hurricane Rita with Google Maps. Boing boing pointed the site out and notes that the change from Category 4 to Category 5 and back corresponds with ocean depth.
Phallus seen in storm!
This picture from the National Hurricane Center reveals Rita to be male not female! For those virgin minds out there that evade potty humor and just can't see it imagine the Atlantic as a female with Florida and Cuba as...well...enough said.
Of course, this could be similar to the Phallus on the cover of The Little Mermaid.
Man Made Storms
On September 9 I reported "Katrina was man made" with Russian technology from 1976. Looking at the track of Rita and how cleanly it missed Cuba it is clear that the equipment must reside on Cuba. Considering Cuba and Russia's past it would be easy to assume a collaboration. Turns out though that "Japanese Mafia Behind Hurricane Katrina" and probably Rita.
The generators emit a soundwave between three and 30 megahertz and Stevens claims the Russians invented the storm-creating technology back in 1976 and sold it to others in the late 1980s.
...
At least ten nations and organizations possess the technology but Stevens suspects the Japanese Yakuza created Katrina in order to make a fortune in the futures market and to get even with the U.S. for the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima.
Stevens presents his argument in a radio show at http://www.thesciencedetective.com/.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Only 1 minimac per household
I just noticed that the free minimac website is putting an emphasis that they can only accept one account per household. So my wife (and anyone that wants to help me) needs to use the referral code http://minimacs.freepay.com/?r=14217121.
I should point out that you have to sign-up for 1 service which is significantly less than the cost of a minimac. The service that I am going to use is the printer ink. Since we all need to periodically buy printer ink it only makes sense to me to use that as the promotion to qualify for the minimac.
Lost Observation
Early on in the series Lost (good read) I noticed that in all the flash scenes other survivors on the island were noticed. It might be Hurley in a television set in the background or a direct interaction between two characters at the airport (like Hurley and the science teacher).
I began to think that they tired of continuing such a game as it became harder to link people in the flashbacks to people on the island. Last night with the appearance of Desmond as the only person in the stadium I knew my theory and fallen apart. Perhaps I was wrong!
Topless, the way to be!
Structrual Integrity Failure! Yesterday I had multiple failures on the Jeep top. Granted, it's 2 months shy of being 11 years old. I kept forgetting that all but 4 of the screws that held the metal strip which holds the top to the window frame had come out. When driving I have to help hold it down which kills my fingers. As I neared Interstate speeds, the top which had been held together for years with brown duct tape physically ripped last night and started peeling away like a bad Heidenburg movie. Then two of the screws popped on one side. Seemed like the dominoes had begun falling.
So, until I can budget $400-600 for a new roof, I am driving topless rain, shine, sleet or snow.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
If it can, it will
Ok. The picture didn't come out but someone should let the people of Eyeglass World by West Town Mall know that their G and L are burned out. Perhaps they should have been on separate ballasts. Tommy's keen eye quickly picked up on this hilarious signage.
Listening for Productivity
Big focus problems today! Maybe Garden State
Truck Or Treat Theme
I wonder if the church would be upset with a doctor's theme for Trunk or Treat. Hehe. Since this picture has a birth theme I should use it as an opportunity to wish my little brother a big Happy Birthday!
In the woods by the church
If your porn collection requires a crate that could hold two coffins seek help
Oh those silly Baptist and their moonshine!
Great Work I Can't Show
I spent about 12 hours straight yesterday developing a framework of an application in PHP. I wrote it with well documented, sematically correct HTML along with elegant CSS and not a single table. It works beautifully in Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari. My custom authentication script secures the application against unauthorized access but also makes it impractical to show off my work.
Sometimes it is frustrating to write beautiful code or elegantly designed databases and because the work is proprietary or has company mission critical data I am unable to demonstrate my skills. For a long time I have tried to budget a couple of days at the end of each project to update my resume and create a static presentation of the site but with projects running on top of other projects such luxury of time is not available.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
You can sell it on the Internet
This guy is selling pixels in blocks of 100 with a minimum purchase of 100 for $100. His website has made him £32k! And still I work my tail off and struggle to make ends meet.
Of course, I find this an interesting one time fund raiser: "Last year Bristol University student Rosie Reid raised £8,400 by auctioning her virginity online to help fund her education."
Of Grasshoppers
Student: What's the difference between a prostitute and a computer consultant?
Master: A prostitute knows when the job is done.
Master: A prostitute knows when the job is done.
Why do we remember bad so good?
I understand. Let's not forget the bad experiences so that we don't repeat them. Amy this morning explained that the boo boo on her leg came from when she fell off "your stage" (the one I juggled on in May). She has also been talking about Lucy biting her eye. I hope she cherishes the good moments as much as she ponders these more tramatic incidents.
Amy is in a great mood this morning. She's been participating with the television shows answering their prompts and singing loudly.
Monday, September 19, 2005
So, is blogging bad?
Many times I've visited the concept of "airing dirty laundry" and pondered how appalled my grandparents would be knowing I have not kept our stories in the family and been so casual in my publishings to the world. I wonder if the blog had something to do with the job rejection I recently received.
So we've been brazen and as an outlet, document trail, journal, for others to learn, and just for fun, we publish our trials and tribulations with Aspergers Syndrome. The ever positive people of alt.support.childfree have labeled us as bad parents and beggers and hinted that we are scammers. The attitudes depicted in their dialog are rather common amongst the more naive when first confronted with a special needs child. None-the-less, their discussion is exactly the sort of outlandishness that makes me question the sanity or rationale behind this blog or Tommy's blog.
I need only return to the comments we have received which have expressed thanks for the blog, shared common ground, provided insight and suggestions, or otherwise built a bond to remind me that there are more positive good people in the world than the occasional bad apple.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
That server is going to take off!
So I've begun the installation of Windows 2003 on a Compaq ProLiant DL590/64. First off, just turning the machine on makes my office sound like the tarmack of the airport. This thing has enough high speed fans that it could have cooled the house when the a/c went out. Then this happens:
“Load of Auxiliary Floating Point Driver failed: Unsupported”
– press any key to continue -
Deterred? Not at all. Challenged!
For the record
If you go into the command prompt (start->run->cmd) and run ipconfig and it reports "Media disconnected" it means "the ethernet cable is disconnected dufus!" and dufus is important.
Oral Fixations - Kiss me and we'll wait
I don't think any parent wants to truly deal with the subject of sex and their kids. There is morality versus missed opportunities. It feels good but don't do it. They are going to do it anyway but they need to save themselves. The church says you are going to hell and it is very disconcerning to shake hands with someone with such hairy palms. You want to teach them safety but not encourage or plant suggestions. And the last thing you want is for them to experience the heartbreaks after being used or thinking they found deep love only to be stone cold dumped. Of course, you have to deal with that double standard that boys are supposed to hunt while girls are supposed to wear chastity belts. Do you want your boys labeled "studs" while trying to keep your girls from being labeled "sluts?" And I'm not ready to be a grandparent!
Now enter the studies. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells us teenagers that have oral sex delay vaginal intercourse.
By the time they are 22 to 24 -- when most individuals have already had intercourse -- those having only oral sex drops to 3 percent, suggesting to experts that young people are using oral sex to postpone vaginal sex.
So whatcha talkin' about Willis?! Here's a twisted interpretation: Is the CDC implying that as a parent I should encourage my kids to engage in oral sex in order to keep them from having intercourse? Could you see the new sex education classes? "Ok ladies, this is called the "to the moon" technique. Guys, remember, slow is good too and circles, I say, small circles."
As a guy, I have a hard time believing that their study holds up. I would think oral sex more of a "gateway drug" to intercourse. In high school, boys talk. I remember conversations with my friends: "I got to third!" "3rd base?! I only got to first with her." And thus she becomes hunted because now everyone knows she puts out.
I like Dr. James Allen's statement on the study:
It confirms the fact that, despite what our Washington leaders think and want, our youth are sexually active, and adults are sexually active and a lot of it appears not to be within a marital setting.
This country's leadership is stuck in a timewarp, out of touch and trying to rein us back into bygone times.
The highlights from the study:
- Ninety-seven percent of men and 98 percent of women aged 25 to 44 have had vaginal intercourse.
- Ninety percent of men and 88 percent of women reported having had oral sex with an opposite-sex partner.
- Forty percent of men and 35 percent of women have had anal sex with an opposite-sex partner.
- Men aged 30 to 44 reported an average of six to eight female sexual partners so far while women reported about four. This is similar to studies conducted in the early 1990s.
- About 6.5 percent of men aged 25 to 44 have had oral or anal sex with another man. Three percent of males 15 to 44 years have had oral or anal sex with another male in the last 12 months (1.8 million people).
- Eleven percent of women aged 25 to 44 reported having had a sexual experience with another woman. Four percent of females reporting having a sexual experience with another female in the last 12 months.
- Six percent of males and 11 percent of females had had same-sex contact in their lifetimes. While this percentage remains relatively unchanged for men since the early 1990s, the proportion of women has soared unexpectedly from 4 or 5 percent to 14 percent among women aged 18 to 29. "We may want to consider the possibility that women are trying to reduce their risk of STDs," Mosher said.
- Ninety percent of men aged 18 to 44 thought of themselves as heterosexual, 2.3 percent as homosexual. 1.8 percent bisexual and 3.9 percent "something else" while the rest did not answer the question. The numbers were almost exactly the same for women.
- Twenty-nine percent of men who had ever had sexual contact with another man were tested for HIV in the past year compared with 14 percent of men with no same-sex contact.
- Seventeen percent of men who had ever had sexual contact with another male had been treated for a non-HIV STD, compared with 7 percent of those who had never had male-on-male sexual contact.
- Among men 15 to 44 who had at least one sexual partner in the last 12 months, 39 percent used a condom at their most recent encounter. The figure was 65 percent among never-married males and 24 percent among married males. Ninety-one percent of males who had ever had sexual contact with another male used a condom the last time they had sex, compared with 36 percent of men who never had sex with another male.
My concluding thoughts? Sure sounds like being a teen now-a-days would be a lot of fun! Oh, what am I going to tell my kids? My statement is basically "please wait but if you are going to anyway here's your parental lesson on STDs, HIV, babies and safe sex..." As for oral sex, it's still sex.
What goes today?
- Virus Removal, hard drive repair and updates on machine 1
- OS installation on a Compaq ProLiant DL590/64
- Updates to website 1
- Planning for the week
- Something around the house
- D&D
- All the things I've overlooked or couldn't possibly plan on
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Something came to completion!
Hurray! A computer repair that I was making on a Windows 98 machine has finally come together. It was riddled with viruses, bad drivers and spyware. Now its a very well functioning machine.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Can't be real!
What were they thinking?! My image of him shall forever be crushed. Eyes are kinda heavy don't you think. Nudge nudge
2nd Amenders Put Up The Bucks
To all you Second Amendment people out there, only three days left to bid!
Viruses, Data Miners, Malware, and Spyware
One of the things I'm becoming very skilled and called upon more often is to clean viruses and other bad things from people's computers. One of the most nightmarish of these is "MediaMotor" which is like a cancer in an operating system. But I can get it! Today's nasties include:
- e2give
- IBIS Toolbar
- ImlServer IEPlugin
- MediaMotor
- WindUpdates
- Alexa
- ClickSpring
- PromulGate
- Roings
- CoolWebSearch
- an updefined browser hijacker
Of course, the bulk of the work is always getting a machine functioning enough just to be able to address these issues. I do enjoy it because its a challenge.
Nightmare Problem = Safari
I wish I could buy a Macintosh! I've written a rather elegant web application with valid html, valid css, no tables and well thought out. However, when the client tries to upload a file to the server using the webbased form through Safari it fails. The application works fine in Mac IE5, PC IE6, PC FF. This problem has set me back two days on my development schedule!
You can help me do my testing by helping me get a Free MiniMac. Just go here, sign up, and complete one offer. If only 10 people do this they will send a MiniMac my way and make my development efforts smoother. You can encourage 10 people to sign up under you to get the same deal. The offers are credit cards applications, blockbuster memberships, etc. One offer used to be an online ordering of printer ink which is something we all need to do anyway.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
If you aren't joking, would you like to pay for placement?
haha! I was just phone solicited from someone wanting to SEO colknox.com. He guaranteed the top 10 of the major search engines but wanted to know if colknox.com was a joke.
Need to see your doctor? Lie!
A study has shown that people with private insurance get appointments faster than people on Medicaid or cash pay. The closing advice is to lie to get your appointment.
We have personally experienced this very frustrating bias. I love the crazy look people give you when you explain that you don't have insurance.
Getting Hot
The air conditioner died. The repairman will be by this morning. I'd like to be cleaning the house but I have several projects I need to be simultaneously working. I will maintain my cool in this heat but its going to take effort.
Oh Mistakes!
I let 3 domains expire by accident last night. I could have renewed all 3 for $27 but now that they are in the redemption phase I have to pay $99.95 per domain to get them out of redemption then pay the $8.95 per domain for renewal. OR I wait 36 and gamble that I can register the domains before a robot harvester/squatter grabs them and then I pay $14.95 per domain. Oh, I went into the bedroom last night to get my wallet and forgot that I wasn't there to lie down. I was only in love with one of the domains.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
When we go
On our death throes
Will we commemorate our angry moments
And the times we sat silent
Hoping someone would read our mind.
Will we cheerish our passive aggressive behaviors
And long to relive the hostilites.
Will my hand to my face recognize the wrinkles
As descendants of frowns.
There is enough evil without to help us grow old
Altogether too soon.
No need for the evil within to speed the process
So quash all ill thought and live without regret.
Choose to be happy
And those around you will bask in your joy.
Choose to smile and be open
And there will be no reason to frown.
-DM
And I call myself technical! Bah!
So I'm trying to repair this Windows 98 SE machine and the nic needs a new driver. So I put everything on my Lexar Jumpdrive but it needs a special driver for Windows 98 SE. So I download the driver to a floppy disk.. yes, remember those things? And I put it in the drive but the machine won't recognize the disk. I format a new one and it doesn't recognize that. So I decide I'll burn a cd and I go to get the usb drive from the back of the machine only to find that the machine I've been putting the floppy into doesn't have the usb drive plugged in. Matter of fact, no cables or anything is plugged in because that machine is in line for repair when I'm done with this. Aye!
Dr Math On Percentages
Today I discovered Dr Math while trying to confirm a programming calculation on percentage increase. I am certain that I will visit Dr Math frequently as my children ask for help throughout the school years.
Oh please
"Roberts Says He'll Decide Cases by Law [not his own personal views]" Umm.. Isn't that the job description? Was there ever a question?
The Laugh I Needed
With the a/c on the fritz and time apparently moving at double speed, I needed this joke sent from my brother-in-law:
Q: What's George Bush's position on Roe v. Wade?
A: He really doesn't care how people get out of New Orleans ...
Feeling Healthy!
Yes! I woke many times in the night but at 4am I decided to rise. I flossed and freshed up and feel great. The whole "early bird gets the worm" is about me. I love the quiet. I love the productivity. I love the birds.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
What can we do to beat up on the improverished people today?
Oh! I know! Let's make the a/c unit die.
Proposals - Love 'em / Hate 'em
Whoopie! Just sent off another proposal. I fear it will be rejected purely on sticker shock but the price is right. I hate sending a proposal that my gut feeling says is going to get rejected. I want to please and I want to do the job. But I also have to feed my family.
Proposals are fun to write. I could spend a week drawing diagrams and making plans but when you realize that you aren't being paid for this preliminary work and that you may not get the job it begins to feel like salt being poured into a wound.
Well. One down. One to go.
National Vasectomy Awareness Week ( Sept 12-18 )
That's right! It's National Vasectomy Awareness Week ( Sept 12-18 ) and IF I had $600 to spare and IF I had scheduled it 3 months ago (yes, that coincides with Evan's entrance into this world) I would be participating this week. Instead I'm watching this video (link will resize your browser!) closely to see if my trusty Swiss Army knive and I can manage the operation in house.
Here's another Dr. Snip reference. Dr. Wilson's picture is just a little creepy. Someone should animate his lips and add the "we've got a bleeder!" soundclip from There's Something About Mary
Monday, September 12, 2005
To drink or not drink and so forth
I hold in my hand a Guinness Extra Stout glass 12 fl. oz. bottle batch number BL059/A 795060 FL. It must be five years old at least. The layer of dust on the bottle looks like something out of a haunted mansion movie. I suppose I could stay up all night working as usual, or tonight I could relax while thinking about all the reasons I should stay up all night working...
Update: There she sits upon my shelf. To be opened on a better occasion. It is 3:30am and I work.
Live in a ditch; work at Sotheby's
Here's a blog about a guy that gave up all his worldly possessions to live in a ditch.
When he gets to work in the bids department of Sotheby's he is always spotlessly turned out in a Gieves & Hawkes suit, a stylish tie and polished shoes.
New Orleans strip joint wants to get back to work
Big Daddy's general manager, Saint Jones, and a band of helpers defied an evacuation order by arriving to clean up their premises in the historic French Quarter, which escaped largely unscathed from the floods.
There you go! That's the New Orleans I know! Not saying I know the strip club side because I don't. Saying, New Orleans doesn't quit.
He was already had electricity from a generator, which was moving a pair of robotic woman's legs, in stockings and pink high heels, waving invitingly on the street by the sign for Big Daddy's.
Those used to be real legs until one day the girl accidentally fell off the swing onto the sidewalk. I recall walking past the joint one day in my early teens. My brother, a friend of mine and my father walked with me. As you came in line with the door you could see a mirror hanging from the ceiling at a 45 degree angle so that you could clearly see the backside of a fully naked woman. As we all stared my father deterred our interest by asking, "Boys. Did it ever occur to you that that might not be a woman?" We quickly turned our heads.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Kids...Mess with their heads
So we rearranged on room of the house in accidental Feng-shui. The kids returned home with the following responses:
Tommy: "I like it. I can sit on the couch and see my bus in the morning." Note. He always sits on the couch and watches for the bus.
Noah: "I like it. There are many paths around the house now."
Sarah: Stepped in the house. Spun around like she was in the wrong place. And stepped out without a word.
Amy: Slight concern in her voice. "Dad. Whatcha doing?"
I haven't even run out of weed yet
Jacob Sullum sums up a New York Times article on New Orleans residents that do not want to leave.
Frankly I'm appauled that they are confiscating weapons from people that have the legal right to bear those arms. I also recognize with what ease the military could eliminate these people.
"oh, we found his body in the backyard. Looks like a looter shot him."
"She drowned."
"Sorry, the body has not been recovered."
"You know. There were 4 of us with M16s and he went berzerk and started firing on us. We had to defend ourselves."
Still, to confiscate someone's grandfathers side arm that he had in WWII or something similar ... well, it doesn't even have to have a history..this is just wrong.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Mayor Nagin advises on the extent of the damage 08/29/05
I've been keeping this video open in a browser since the 29th because to hear Mayor Nagin speak of the damage awes me every time I hear it. Time to close that browser window and let it rest.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Katrina Timeline
For those still following Katrina, I found an excellent summary of the timeline of events.
Katrina was man made
According to this evidence Katrina was sent by the Russians (yes, yes...I know) and we should expect another man made weather attack soon.
It has been established that the former Soviet Union (fSU) developed and boasted of weather modification technology during the 1960's and 70's with deployment against the United States coming in 1976 with the audible arrival of the woodpecker grid. These weather operations continue to this day.
See the film
Cathy thinks that today is a good day for all your RSS readers to slip over to the site and see the webcam.
Well that explains it!
I'm PD'd. I interviewed for a job at a family oriented company that I would have loved at a salary range that was exactly what I want complete with great benefits and flexible hours. Although I overtalked (I was nervous as all get out), the interview went well and everyone thought I'd be great to work with. My technical skills were without question. My experience perfect. Then they dropped Caliper on me. With a deadline to pick a child up from school I had to answer 145 questions to reveal my innermost secrets of which I'll never learn myself. As the clock ticked and I deeply pondered each question I felt the urge to just mark C for every answer.
In the end, they were disappointed to decline me the position. "Had it not been for the test, you would have had an offer already." They were unable to tell me about the test other than "your analytical skills are without question."
I am still pondering my reaction to this. Of course, that action is likely to validate the results. For instance, one thought: grab my camping gear, a bottle of scotch and head of the backcountry for a weekend of introspection. But goodness no, to verbalize such a thought is certainly to draw out the innermost psychologist in everyone. Fire away! :)
Cathy prompted with a human metrics test producing these results:
Your Type is
ENTJ
Extroverted Intuitive Thinking Judging
Strength of the preferences %
56 75 1 11
And 4degreez pd test producing:
Paranoid: Low
Schizoid: Low
Schizotypal: Moderate
Antisocial: Low
Borderline: Moderate
Histrionic: High
Narcissistic: Moderate
Avoidant: Low
Dependent: Moderate
Obsessive-Compulsive: High
There you have it. Histrionic, Obsessive-Compulsive. I guess that means I have to become hyperfocused on this as an issue and tell everyone I see about it.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Of Grasshoppers
Student: I am so weak.
Master: Strength grows through regular trials not haphazard exertions.
Master: Strength grows through regular trials not haphazard exertions.
Monday, September 05, 2005
Thanks I needed that!
Today an old friend gave a heartfelt and genuine thank you to me for teaching him to juggle so many years ago. His words renewed my spirit and reminded me that I have made a difference in people's lives.
Next disaster? Earthquake? Are we ready?
This is a reprint of my comment under Glen Reynolds' post on No Silence today.
It's the New Madrid Fault Zone in Memphis that Knoxville (and everyone else) should be watching. In 1811, a major earthquake caused the Mississippi River to flow backwards and created Reelfoot Lake and rang church bells in Richmond, Virginia.
"The probability for an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 or greater is significant in the near future, with a 50% chance by the year 2000 and a 90% chance by the year 2040. A quake with a magnitude equal to that of the 1811- 1812 quakes could result in great loss of life and property damage in the billions of dollars."
With 10,000 New Orleans refugees in Memphis, it would not be without irony if Mother Nature decided now was the time.
"The next time the New Madrid Fault produces such a quake, it is estimated 60 percent of Memphis will be devastated, leaving $50 Billion in damage and thousands of dead in its wake."
Knoxvillians should find this image of quakes between 1800 and 1983 intersesting. A Californian that I worked with once commented how lovely our brick structures were and what a shame it will be if an earthquake ever hits here implying that our fair city will be flattened.
It should be noted that good things come of bad. Reelfoot Lake is now habit to many bald eagles and a bird's paradise.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Of Grasshoppers
Student: What is the most valuable knowledge you have gained?
Master: Speak only when spoken to.
Master: Speak only when spoken to.
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Just how big is the devastation?
I read something today that really puts things into prespective. Katrina's devastation is the size of Great Britain.
Zipfizz No More
I had the last of my Zipfizz today. I want to thank Shae for introducing me to the product. Yes, it gave me an energy boost without the lack of concentration that other products induce. I liked knowing I was getting vitamins back into my diet.
Unfortunately, I am just far too broke right now to be a regular customer. I could easily go through 60 tubes a month. Once finances have become more stable I'm sure Zipfizz will be a regular item at my desk.
I really like this picture!
Donate to the RedCross at the Grocery
Busy Mom points out that you can donate spare change to the American Red Cross at the Coinstar machines in the grocery store.
Approximately 130 million Americans live within 2 miles of a Coinstar machine. If even half of those American donated just $1 in spare change to the Red Cross, it would raise more than $65 million to support American Red Cross lifesaving services in communities nationwide!
There is a caveat:
note that some Coinstar machines are not yet equipped with the donation option. To confirm that your grocery store can accept donations to the American Red Cross, please call 1-800-928-CASH.
Find the Coinstar machine nearest you.
Ugh, I'm plagiarizing the ARC page but the information is just too good.
How Can $1 Make a Difference?
66 pennies: Allows us to give a child any one of 11 "after the disaster" coloring books and a box of crayons.
$1: Buys one family expert safety information.
$3: Buys a comfort kit with toiletries for one disaster victim.
$6: Buys one blanket for a disaster shelter.
Quarters: Add up to dollars and $ 30 buys a pair of shoes for a disaster victim.
Dimes: Add up to dollars $ 65 buys a winter coat for a disaster victim.
$10: Buys one day of groceries for a family affected by a disaster.
$20: Buys a home clean-up kit for a family affected by a disaster.
My wife is amazing!
I'm so impressed by my wife. She has worked very hard to help a family from New Orleans. She does this frequently making a call to someone she knows, writing an anonymous letter here or there, or pulling off some small miracle and always without seeking credit, thanks or reward. She is a really good person! I'm lucky and honored to have her for my wife.
Can you imagine running out of food?
What would you do if you were faced with running out of food for your family with no source of replacement food around? Sounds like a New Orleans question but it happens in other places. What would you do as you got in the tub and realized that there was no more shampoo. Then as you soaked you thought about your phones being shutdown. You pondered the refrigerator dwindling down to its last scrap and the dog's bowl becoming empty. You realized that when the gas tank hit empty your travel would end. At sometime electricity would drop and you would be without means of recovery.
From the mouths of babes
Yesterday, or the day before--they all blend now--someone even said this is a weekend and that its got 3 days in it--who would know, Amy sits in my lap and has these words:
Amy climbing into my lap: I'm going to disappeared your computer.
Amy extends those cute little arms and holds her fingers up so that her hand is 90 degrees to her arms and palms are parallel to the monitor. She then using her whole arm moves her hands in concentric circles: woo woo woo wooo.
Amy: There, I disappeared your computer. It's gone.
With a laugh and a tear in my eye I wrapped up what I was doing and spent some time with Amy.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Terror is on American Soil Again
Hello George! It's back. You have terrorism on American soil during your watch again. The terrorists are in New Orleans blowing up the chemical factories. Your inability to bring order to the city is exponentiating the disaster. Please quit playing president and actually try to be a president for a few days. Sincerely, a voter.
Something Going on at the State Trooper's Office
There is a podium and camera crew set up in the parking lot of the State Trooper's Office near West Town Mall.
What Could Happen Paper
Here's an article that was written in response to Ivan. "What if Hurricane Ivan Had Not Missed New Orleans?"
New Orleans Scanners
If you want to read or listen to the radio chatter in New Orleans then the following links might be useful to you. You will need a program like mIrc or Chatzilla or Trillian to participate in irc:// but just a browser for http://. I will make this a more meaningful post later.
http://216.22.26.45:8002 | http://ods.org:8001/scan | http://tinyurl.com/dc4tx | http://64.202.112.69:8080/scanner | http://www.goodphuck.com:8088/listen.pls | http://us3.comclub.org:8000/no_scanner | http://stream.etherkiller.de:8000/no.mp3
http://nola-intel.org/
irc://irc.freenode.net/%23-scanner
http://216.14.30.229:8001/
irc://irc.freenode.net/%23interdictor-chat
irc://irc.freenode.net/%23interdictor
http://wiki.nola-intel.org/index.php/Radio_Info
http://wiki.nola-intel.org/index.php/Radio_Codes
You are now on irc.freenode.net #interdictor | http://www.nola-intel.org | This channel is for news and information submission only. We have set up #interdictor-chat as a place for chat. | #interdictor-digest | #interdictor-scanner -scanner2 | #interdictor-tech | #interdictor-relief | Media members, please send a message to a Channel Operator | http://www.nola-intel.org/pictures/ , http://ods.org:8001/scan feed 1, http://ods.org:8003/fema feed 2
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Satellite Picture With Meaning - Help!
Look closely at this satellite picture. People have used debris to spell out "help."
Blame Bush Game
This says it all and it would be an injustice to even attempt to summarize his great writeup. But I will include his closing paragraphs:
So: A crony with no relevant experience was installed as head of FEMA. Mitigation budgets for New Orleans were slashed even though it was known to be one of the top three risks in the country. FEMA was deliberately downsized as part of the Bush administration's conservative agenda to reduce the role of government. After DHS was created, FEMA's preparation and planning functions were taken away.
Actions have consequences. No one could predict that a hurricane the size of Katrina would hit this year, but the slow federal response when it did happen was no accident. It was the result of four years of deliberate Republican policy and budget choices that favor ideology and partisan loyalty at the expense of operational competence. It's the Bush administration in a nutshell.
Please go read the details. I didn't vote for him.
Programming tidbit
It's http_referer not http_referrer. From dictionary.com:
- referer
-
A misspelling of "referrer" which somehow
made it into the HTTP standard. A given web page's
referer (sic) is the URL of whatever web page contains the
link that the user followed to the current page. Most
browsers pass this information as part of a request.
Encourage Cash Donations
Wish I had the link for an article I read. It made a lot of sense. Discussed why now is not the time to rush to New Orleans to lead your skills and why we should donate money instead of water or food or equipment. Basically, if you take goods to the American Red Cross then they have to pay to ship them to the disaster area. The ARC has buying leverage that we don't. They can get the water wholesale closer to the scene thereby saving money by not shipping and also getting more bang for the buck.
So you have skills? Unless you have been trained by the ARC then your skills may not yet be valuable and your presence could actually be hinderance. If you have the skills then the Red Cross has probably already contacted you. You can also contact your local ARC to see if they need you now.
Help prepare for future disasters by becoming trained by the American Red Cross today! Encourage cash donations.
Blame Bush Game
"Bush administration cut New Orleans flood control funding by 44 percent to pay for the Iraq war." So that does that give us grounds to blame Bush for the destruction of New Orleans? Would the funding have provided maintenance to help the levees hold? Would the funding have provided for the backup levee system discussed? Or the redistribution of silt to start repairing the man made damage?
I doubt it. But it is still fun to Blame Bush! So what major city or US landmark do you think GW will strike next? I'm betting Los Angeles or the Hoover Dam.
Went do you wake?
I woke last night at 12:34. Not twelve thrity-four but one two three four. Then I woke again at 2:11. That would be 2 and 1+1 = 2. Pretty neat!
Of Grasshoppers
Student: I'm a dead man.
Master: Death asks nothing and comes without effort; Life asks everything and requires participation.
Master: Death asks nothing and comes without effort; Life asks everything and requires participation.
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