Hope
I've been told all my life that the retina is not fixable. I had some retinal tears several years ago and I had laser and cryo (freezing) surgery to prevent the tares from worsening. There are new things created by science every day in the field. A couple of  years ago the odds of getting any amount of help were zero in five billion. Now, it is a couple in six billion. Still, much better odds.

Last hold out
OK, this is not the last group holding out in Iraq. Najaf has a famous mosque and a pissed off cleric running things. With every story I read about these guys, I get the idea the only real gripe they have with the Iraqi government is that the group in Najaf is not the one in charge. Iraq will not be an Islamic state, there for, it is unacceptable. They really are making a nuisance of themselves. I'm not sure why they intend to fight to the death. Do they want to rule the city like a mini-kingdom? Do they think the country will lean toward an Islamic state if they are all wiped out? I get the distinct feeling I'm not getting the whole story.
I'm sure this Moqtada al-Sadr character has his reasons.  The guy sounds like he is after political power to me.

Conversation on YIM today at work
James: I wanna go home
zhsy00001: Me too, Wait. No I don't. I just have more work to do there.
James: but it is there and not here...
zhsy00001: After a while, it is all bad.
zhsy00001: Don't ever work at home.
Actually, it is much worse than going home.to work. I have to give a presentation this evening that I'm really not prepared for. I tried. I messed with what i was supposed to. It is jut going to get much more involved than I expected. It is too the point now, I go home, I eat something, I sit down and try to figure stuff out for my evening job. I don't want to go home any more. I'm taking tomorrow off from day job. I have a tone of crap to get done, but I'm going to sleep in and try to relax a bit. Wish me luck.
I had an invite to GenCon. I don't think I would have had the energy to enjoy it. Money is waisted on the rich.

Joke
How many Microsoft Software Engineers does it take to change a light bulb?
None, Microsoft changes the standard to darkness.
How many support desk people does it take to change a light bulb?
The lights work fine in every one else's office. They must be fine in yours too.

Lots-o-dots
There is about to be a price war on digital cameras. Sony has a 7 megapixel for under $500. Others are not far behind.That is great news, since I jut bought a 5 megapixel camera a couple of months ago. This kind of reminds me of walking through the park looking for good places to take some shots. A guy was walking in front of us with an expensive camera dangling from a strap just a few millimeters from the ground as he walked. I was with Bryan (a fellow shutter-bug) and he assured me that camera was worth around a grand. We both stood there wishing we could afford a camera that nice to toss around.