The Religion of Fear

Europe is doomed. I fear for the U. S.

This guy gets it. Where the fuck are all the other Europeans who get it? There have got to be more out there. Hello!!!? Maybe they are all buying tickets to Barkley California.

Can you say "Hero"?

That is a baby seat he is carrying. The description says there was indeed a baby in it. He singed his hat. May have some first degree burns. Good on you mate.

Poor Elle

Elle had a minor disaster while sleeping last night. Nat knew it was coming because Elle is lactose intolerant. When we asked her what she had to eat this past weekend, Elle answered "pizza and ice-cream." Nat was like "Greaaaate."

It was a bit worse than we expected. Elle didn't get hit until about 4:00 am Monday morning. I can hear what is going on from the bedroom. I buried my head deeper in the pillow and said a prayer for them both. Nat was a trooper. She gave Elle a shower and got her back to bed. At one point Nat came in to the bedroom looking for some medicine. She was calm and all mom-saves-the-day. I was quite proud of her.

It seems Elle survived. She is a tough kid.

Factory

There is this thing I do at work. It is a factory of sorts. I make nightly builds for software development. It takes hours to build on several servers. I have scripts that do the builds unattended. If they work over night. It takes me a half hour or so to make sure things worked and check around on the boxes. If something doesn't work, it takes all day to get back to where I wanted to be that morning. All day.

Friday it didn't work. It took all day to get things right. Today, it worked. It took about a half hour to get things ready to install.

It turned out that there was  a bug in the software (no one's fault, these things happen) and no one wanted it installed. Hey, that's what development is all about.

So, I took some time to set up the factory to kick off the evening tests. Ran the first set this evening along side the nightly builds. It is so nice having scripts to do this diabolically tedious stuff. It is nice when it works.

I have it running vncserver and sending the tests to the vnc without actually logging in to each box and kicking things off by hand. Massive time saver and it means I can sit at my own workstation when gathering data from all the boxes. The only trouble is older versions of vnc on some of the boxes. It may not support copying and pasting text. That will slow things down a bit, but not too bad. At least we don't have a bunch of RH9 boxes any more.Red Hat 9 came out in 2003 or so. That is still much newer than Windows 2000 that a bunch of people still use.

Sunday!

What happened to Saturday? Nat is still passed out. At 03:00 or so, I went to bed. Nat was still up reading her book. Elle is still with her grandfather for the moment. I expect a call any minute. I look forward to her running around, playing with the cats, and telling me she is hungry every five minutes. That girl could have a piece of pizza in her hands and want a fruit cup. Growing. I remember my dad saying the same kinds of things about me.

Maybe I should have mowed today. It is about that time of year where the yard needs attention every weekend. I got paid so it is time to pay the bills. I swear, I like to let the money sit in the account for a day or two just to have the number there. This month will be a good one for money. Between a modest bonus from work, tax refund and a tax rebate, April is going to be a boom. I fully intend to use the money to pay things down and revamp the savings account. Then it is back to noodles and canned beats.

I'm reading blogs and I can tell it is a slow news weekend. The number of posts on the blogs I frequent seem to decrease during the normal news cycle. Very few people make a living just blogging. They tend to have day jobs. Many in academia. So, when most people are watching TV and bitching to the cat, these folks hop on the laptop and plunk their complaints down on a blog. I just spew a bunch of stuff that happens. Oh, I complain. Don't get me wrong.

Some of the things people are blogging include:

• Obama is loosing steam.
• Once people get past the race thing and look at his credentials, he looks like a poor bet.
• The tactics he takes in the race for president make him look just like every other politician in the world. He was supposed to be different.
  
• Hillery is a lier
• No snipers at the airport.
  
• McCain is old.
• but 70 is the new 50.
  
• No choice for a conservative this time round. What else is new?
  
• Hollywood can't make a movie about the Iraq war that makes money.
• That's because people still want soldiers to be heroes, not rapists or thieves.
• It is too current. The war is one of the things people are trying to escape by going to the movies. Dumbass (Hollywood).
  
• Freedom os speech is anti Islam.
• The only speech that needs protection is the speech that people find offensive.
• The UN and EU make rules against religious condemnation that only mention Islam an never seem to apply to other religions.
• The success in Iraq of late is as much due to the bribing of militias as it is to any surge in the number of troops.

Meanwhile, I put up posts of car wrecks and cab rides from hell. I guess it all pans out.

Some Sunday Videos

Today's theme, Asshole drivers

Idiots

I guess there are asshole drivers all over the world.

Speaking of asshole drivers, here is an asshole passenger

First some background from LiveLeak site. Link

The aging Nissan 4x4 is racing and rattling through the potholed roads of the Mansour district of Baghdad. The young driver, his hand glued to the horn, is taking instructions from his \u201cboss\u201d in the front passenger seat. Frantic exchanges of Arab male voices fill the car. As we screech around a bend opposite the remains of one of Saddam\u2019s palaces, the road ahead is gridlocked with three lanes of morning rush-hour traffic. The boss (who wishes to remain anonymous) takes immediate action: he pulls out his Heckler & Koch 9mm pistol and squeezes his upper body through the window. With the gun in his hand we hurtle towards the oncoming traffic. Welcome to minicab's, Baghdad style, or as close as you can get to them in a war-torn city. As a photographer, I have made thousands of car journeys in Iraq over the past five years, which can by turns be boring, frustrating or terrifying, but even by Baghdad\u2019s standards this one stands out. The dangers are well known for journalists operating in this city. Before you even get in a car the journey must be meticulously mapped out - every potential threat has to be taken into account, and this takes time. You must find out which roads are hot, or \u201cred routes\u201d as the military call them, because of recent IEDs (improvised explosive devices, or roadside bombs), suicide bombings (by car or on foot) and kidnappings and attacks by militia gunmen. The list is long and sobering. Even when you do get in a car, it will always be partially armour-plated and driven by a trusted aide. But on this occasion none of these things had happened. In the time-honoured tradition of Iraq, somewhere there had been a cockup. Earlier in the day I should have left the relatively secure compound where I was staying with my wife Hala Jaber, the Sunday Times foreign correspondent. We were spending a few days on assignment with a well known politician, who had offered to take us on a couple of trips outside the city with his armoured convoy. That day he was heading to Abu Ghraib, the rural area infamous for its prison. I would be taking photographs and videoing the trip. But the convoy had left without us. Under normal circumstances that would have been irritating but nothing more: we would have sat it out in the compound and waited for another convoy. However, when the politician realised we were not with his group, he ordered his people to make sure we join him. The problem was that they would not be able to wait long for us to catch up: they were at Assassins\u2019 Gate, the entrance to the \u201csafe\u201d green zone, so called because it is where suicide bombers strike at workers queuing up to enter. At that time of day, the journey of about four miles from our compound to Assassins\u2019 Gate would take 30-40 minutes. And so the order came down to get us there in 10 minutes flat. We are back in the car, with two wheels on the central reservation and the boss, an aide to the politician, threatening to shoot any driver too slow to pull over. I have decided that if I am going to die in a crash then at least I am going to record it on video. I look at Hala \u2013 her nails are embedded in the imitation leather of the driver\u2019s headrest. Then, just as I think things can\u2019t get any worse, they do. Out of the cracked windscreen I spot a roadblock ahead. It is not just roadside bombs and the threat of random attack that make driving in Iraq perilous. You must also contend with the numerous checkpoints that line most main thoroughfares. These may be manned by the Iraqi police or army, a ragtag collection of militia or US marines. In many ways the checkpoints are most dangerous for westerners: the minute the car stops you are vulnerable, but if you don\u2019t stop you run the risk of the soldiers opening fire on your car. It is the ultimate Catch22. At this point the boss went into meltdown. As we passed a bus, I could see an old Honda in front of us whose driver had clearly not seen or heard us approaching his rear. I caught the sound of the boss pulling back the slide mechanism of his pistol. A gunshot rang out and the Honda swiftly swerved to the right as we powered on. There are many things that it is inadvisable to do when approaching a checkpoint manned by heavily armed personnel, especially at speed in an unmarked car. But firing a pistol out of the window probably comes top. We passed the first soldier about 50 yards from the main checkpoint. He was Iraqi army. This was a welcome sign; if he had been American there is a good chance we wouldn\u2019t have made it this far: \u201cOfficial press release: at 08.54 US marines at checkpoint 711 observed a rusting, white, unmarked 4x4 heading towards them at speed. On the passenger side a male of Arab appearance in civilian clothes was hanging out of the window pointing a pistol and shouting threats in Arabic. After warning shots and appeals for the vehicle to stop were ignored, the order was given to open fire. All four occupants of the vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene. We would advise all journalists in Baghdad, for their own safety, not to travel in local, unlicensed minicabs.\u201d By now, though, we were close to the main checkpoint. \u201cYalla, yalla,\u201d (\u201cHurry, hurry\u201d) the boss was still shouting at the driver. Outside, soldiers began shouting, \u201cStop!\u201d in Arabic. Mercifully we did. The soldiers wanted to know why the boss had fired his gun. The boss gave his answer: \u201cWe had been stuck behind him for a f****** hour! What else do you want me to do?\u201d There was a pause. The soldier shrugged and, as if it was a perfectly reasonable answer, waved us through. On the other side, the rear of the armoured convoy comes into sight a couple of hundred yards later and we slowly come to a stop in between the sixth and seventh vehicles. Hala and I look at each other and laugh nervously. The boss stares impassively at us through his Gucci shades: we had made it. The next time I am in a minicab in London and the driver gets lost or we are stuck in heavy congestion, I will think of that recent journey in Baghdad. And I won\u2019t think how lucky I am. I will think how useful it would be to have that boss sitting in the front seat

This is one where the background enhances an already exciting video. A professional photographer is noted. Aim the camera at the action and zoom out until you have something to zoom in on.

Earth Hour

Who thinks this crap up? Google looked like blackel for a day. 

The most noteworthy thing to do with energy I experienced today was the power flickering. The weather was beautiful. The bill was paid. Still got a blip.

I say we have a give Kelly ten bucks day. Take the ten bucks you were going to spend on something stupid like drugs or those two cups of coffee that you don't need and send it to me. That will make you feel better about yourself and you will not even have to turn out the lights.

Fun in a war zone

Who cays you can't go 4x4ing in a war zone. Just a couple of red necks having some fun.

Death of the Freedom of Speech

Following threats to our staff of a very serious nature, and some ill informed reports from certain corners of the British media that could directly lead to the harm of some of our staff, Liveleak.com has been left with no other choice but to remove Fitna from our servers. This is a sad day for freedom of speech on the net but we have to place the safety and well being of our staff above all else. We would like to thank the thousands of people, from all backgrounds and religions, who gave us their support. They realized LiveLeak.com is a vehicle for many opinions and not just for the support of one. Perhaps there is still hope that this situation may produce a discussion that could benefit and educate all of us as to how we can accept one another's culture. We stood for what we believe in, the ability to be heard, but in the end the price was too high. LiveLeak.com

This is how it works. If you want to take over the world, and you do not have the army to do it, you silent your critics and only need to kill the people who speak out against you. Thank you Jihadi for world dominance.

This is but one step in the plan to take over the world. They are winning.

Link

Politics of Sink Cleaning

Nat and I went out last night to a movie and dinner at Alamo. I forget what we watched, but it was tired and predictable. Something about pictures. I would rather have been out somewhere taking pictures of night scenes. The most interesting thing was the parking lot lights were out around our car. Not the other sections. Just the section for the theater.

We get home and the first thing I have to do is hit the rest room. I notice the slow draining sink has black stuff trying to climb out of the drain. I walked back in to Nat in the living room to convince her to go to Wal-Mart. She wants to talk about the books she found today (Friday) at the library. I interrupted her and asked to go to Wal-Mart for some drain stuff. She got hugely pissed and stomped out to the car.

Went to Wal-Mart last night and got some Draino for clearing out the bathroom sink. I should have gotten three bottles. Used it on the sink. It still drains a bit slow, but the black stuff is not climbing out the top.

Nat is still upset this morning. I guess I'm not aloud to get upset about anything.

Rally Crashes

Rally is not as easy as it looks. Considering it looks damned difficult from the outset, it has nowhere to go but off the frigging cliff into "Oh Shit!" land.

Bus Pas

So, I got the new buss pas. It is an RFID card so you just wave it in front of the receiver on the dash of the bus and it beeps to let you on. You can still pay cash. Those cash readers go down pretty often. I would be upset if the cash reader went down and the bus driver was not charging people paying cash, but was charging people using the RFID system. There are few moving parts in the RFID so it will be more rugged over the long haul I bet. Bastards.

I would be impressed with the technology of the whole RFID thing, but it has been used widely in Japan for like fifteen years. They use it for everything from retail to vending machines. No reason we couldn't do that here. Just don't.

Very Local News

• Nat came up to work today with a big pot of rice and beans loaded with sausage. She is a keeper.
• People are already preaching gloom and doom on the economy. Some say we are just going to have to get used to the idea of a static (or stagnant) economy for decades to come. I doubt it.
  There is a backlash of people pissed at billion dollar CEOs and banks that take themselves very seriously. People are sick of being taken for granted as customers.
  
• Weather has been nice lately. It is getting more and more humid. Another year in the swamp that is Houston begins. Bet the mosquitoes are bad this year.
  
• I remember when the big buzz word was 'blade server". Everywhere you looked you saw "Check out our new BLADE blah-blah". I'm just not impressed.
• I need to trade contact lenses. The one's I've been waring for the past while are shot I think. They start feeling funny and then start looking funny when they have had it. It's time.
• Nat called me at work and said she convinced Elle to go outside and play in the back yard. Elle is outside for like a minute. She says "Look at all the purple flowers." Then she says "Hi bee. ... Hi bee ... Hi bee." Nat decided the more prudent option was to retreat back inside, Spring and all. Nature happening all over the place. Could be dangerous.
• Gas has gone up like a dime in the last week. In the UK, food prices have gone up 30 percent in like a month. I bet they are not far off that number here. It is too depressing to continue that thought.
• Videos on LiveLeak and other sites suck lately. It is all:
• People getting hit by cars.
• Bombs blowing up U. S. soldiers or Jihadies.
• Some cops/security taking swipes at kids on skateboards.
• CC footage of people robbing gas stations.
• Road rage incidents.
  
• Buildings failing to fall over on queue.
• Old Ladies falling down.
  
• A bunch of crap about politicians lying. There's some news.
  
• Nat helped me get the library books for the blind thing going again. It's been years since I've done that. They will send along the catalog. I bet there are some good books to try. They have popular books too. There are some services like ebooks, but Windows only, and a phone service that will read the paper or magazines aloud. It is a pretty cool deal. I just wonder when the hell I have time to listen to the books.
  Most all the books are unabridged. That's the cool part. I hate audio books that are cut to pieces to give something to illiterate preteens who are too lazy read the frigging book.
  
• I plaid a bit of solo musical chairs at work recently. The chair I had was nice, but didn't go up high enough. I tried to use some really ugly pillows to rise myself up an inch or so, but that didn't work. I think I went through four chairs. The crappy one put my family jewels to sleep. A couple of other ones were just plane rickety or uncomfortable. I finally found a chair in someone else's office that worked great. They were happy to trade for a different "guest chair". This may not be the top of the line leather executive, but it rolls easy, sits well, goes up hight enough and has no stains. I'm sold.
  Sitting up high was not a problem until I got the new monitors. What a wonderful problem to have.
  
• Does any one actually read these very local news posts?
  

MS Windows still Sucks

I tried to update Red Hat Linux 4.4 to Red Hat Linux 4.6. It turns out you have to take the intermediate step of Red Hat Linux 4.5. That kind of killed my update. I have two other machines that are Red Hat 9 (this is way behind Red Hat 4.4, not newer (I know, I know)) So, I'm going to need the CDs for Red Hat Linux 5.1 which is the latest non-beta Red Hat for the moment. I track down the CDs we already have and it turns out that there is a separate boot CD and then there are 5 CDs with all the data on them. I tried five different ways to boot off that boot CD and then either use the data CDs or our internal FTP site. They all gave me errors. So, I need to download Red Hat 5.1 from Red Hat for my own use.

What does this have to do with the suckyness of Windows?

I have a Windows XP box at work that I tried the following process on.

• Download 5 CD images.
• Save the 5 CD images to a flash drive.

It took over four hours. It was all the box could do to download a couple files and copy them to a flash drive. The machine was at 100% the whole time. The screen would not rebuild properly because the box was so busy copying files. What the hell? At no time, on a computer made in the last ten years, should downloading and copying files eat a machine's lunch.

KFC Sucks

I'm not the only one who thinks so. Where are all these white people working at KFC?

Sick day

I bad pretty bad early morning so I stayed home today. That's two days this month with the day I took for Metro stuff. I'm getting old I suppose. Much less turmoil at work this time. Well, none really. Haven't heard a peep out of them. Is that good or bad?

Nat went over to Chuck's for lunch again today.

I still feel a bit sluggish. I'm listening to online radio and trying to stay awake. I feel like I have no motivation to get better.  I'm never eating at KFC again in my life.

The new glasses came in. They work well and I think they look pretty good.

I hate cats

Nat loves cats but refuses to do the cat box. I did the cat box this evening. It was seven minutes before one of the cats took a dump in it. The house smells like cat shit 24/7. From the moment I wake to the moment I put my head on the pillow, I smell cat shit. I fucking hate it. It is justifiable extermination. I'm going nuts from the stink. The sprays don't even cover it up. It smells like cat shit covered in flowers.

I hate cats

NHS vs What We Have Now

National Health Service. That is what Briton calls their health care system. There are private systems that compete with the NHS. The NHS is taxpayer supported. It is cheep for people to use when they are sick. It sounds like a great idea. It is not too bad an idea, but All people ever do on the BBC is bitch about the NHS.

I've tried to tell people that the U. S. should have something akin to the NHS or Canada's system. Someone has to get it right, somewhere. Right? Well, maybe not. Health care is fundamentally failed. People are going to die eventually. NHS and other health care systems simply delay the inevitable.

When someone is about to die or about to go blind or about to loose mobility or have some major life change due to an illness, their priorities alter. The NHS policy is go blind in one eye and we will treat the other. Literally. It has to boil down to that because of resources. People already pay exorbitant taxes in the U. K.. Society simply can't support every one who needs health care to get everything they need all the time. Healthy people have lives too.

An example would be someone standing in line at Starbuck's, stops and puts the money into an envelope and donates it to some form  of health care. If every one who goes to Starbuck's does that, then all the people who work for Starbuck's and their supplies will take the hit. Those employees will now be out of work and still need the health care the company no longer provides.  They will need the donated money themselves.

Hillery Clinton has an idea, along with many experts. Most people in the U. S. have a job. Most employed people have access to some kind of health care plan. Not all. Hillery wants to force people who are employed to either get health care that their employer offers, find it themselves or pay a fine straight to the government to make up the difference. The only way a national health care system will work is if every one participates. The word socialist means every one for every one else basically.

Health Care is why I took the job I have now. Nat and Elle are on the policy with me. Elle also is covered through the Military based on her Father's enrollment. If Nat gets a job, hopefully she will still be on my insurance.

My God! what a mess. I just want a heart scan when I have chest pain. I just want right pill to cure my cold. I just want the best care available to mankind when someone half my age tells me I'm going to die of cancer regardless of what I do. Is that too much to ask?

So, is the NHS or other social system any better than what we have now? I say it will all be a wash in the end. Some will get better. Some will get sicker. All will die. The only difference is the bottom line.

Election News

The news from me is that I'm sick of the election.  There is a presumption that liberals have a real fight on their hands there for they will be motivated to get out and vote.  Not just for who runs as a Democrat in Fall, but for the presidential election as well. Let's face it, if people think they are going to loose, they get out and do something about it.

Michigan and Florida are probably pissed that they went threw all the trouble to be an early stat in the selection process. It is going to come down to the later states this time. They missed out on voting and I believe it is their own fault.  Who the hell wants to be first when it comes down to the wire?

Meanwhile, McCain is running around the world making nice with allies and trying very hard to look like a president. I was once a Republican and would be laughing all the way to the conventions  at the race as it has come down today. If I were McCain I would be worried that Reagan Democrats are now Obama Republicans.

Can you tell how tired of the whole mess I am?

Commute

I'm trying to remember a news story I heard on my way in to work this morning. I'm failing miserably. I was so excited to use my new RFID card that it pushed everything else out. That and the sun in my eyes. I travel west to east in the morning and east to west in the evening. I always have the sun in my eyes. It is good to have the RFID card because I can keep it in my wallet and use it without removing it from the wallet. Less ware and tare that way.

When I got to work, the contacts had to come out. They were just not cooperating. Glasses on. Boots are clean enough to keep waring. Move the podcasts to my work box. Cup of coffee. Yay!! There are some muffins available for grabbing. Sit down and completely forgot what I wanted to tell myself. It is just gone. I cannot blame dementia. I've always been like this.

Gimme gimme gimme

The speech I would like Obama to give would sound something like this. "No one in the U. S. is owed a living. This goes for people who are black, or a Muslim, or an American Indian, or disabled, or a woman, or stupid, or broke, or gay, or a mixed race female, disabled broke ex-Muslim witch lesbian who is just not that bright. No one owes you a living or a life. The only thing the rest of the country owes you is the same opportunity to get your own shit together and make your own life that every one else gets. Don't stand there with your hand out, bitching that one of your great grandparents was oppressed. Don't stand there with your hand out asking for something extra. You are not a victim. You are not a victim. You are not a victim. You are a person. You are a citizen. You have those rights and those rights only. Go forth and bust your ass to make the bread for the table and the roof over your head just like every one else. ... Just like I did."

A speech along those lines would calm my fears that Obama is just a puppet of the Democratic party. He is the next shill for the left that will answer the call of the strings tied to his limbs and jaw at every opportunity.

Nice Day

Nat and I went over to Ken and Johny ; Heath and Nikki's place. I spell out all their names because they live next door to each other. Ken was doing a bit of spring cleaning. The boys were mowing the yard.Nikki made lunch. We all sat out on the swing for a couple of hours with the snake talking about .. well, gossip for hours. It was fun. Then we came home.

It was beautiful outside. I'm so glad Nat and I had a chance to sit outside and hang out with friends. Today was that Chamber of Commerce day that we get once per year. Nice that it fell on a weekend this time round. Lucky.

Lets see, What did I learn today? I learned that many people have problems letting their kids on the internet. Well, I already knew that, but I learned it about some close friends. I learned that some people leave their laptops on all day and night in case someone sends them a message on one of the IM services.

Nat is watching Ghost hunter. I'm watching Torchwood

SPLC

Single Plot Line Complex. This is where fictional characters who have limited flex ability snap and go rogue.

I've always wondered how Aquaman felt about being a second rate hero. Let's face it, he has like five plot point, then he runs out of material. Fucking Superman could do his job in a single paragraph. What does Aquaman do the rest of the time he is not playing second fiddle to The Tick?

It turns out there is now evidence that the Easter Bunny suffers from the same one plot line complex.

Well, I'll be damned. Aquaman gets his due.

Board Pilots

The title of this is "Apaches show off." Sometimes it is a good moral boost to remind the grunts on the ground that the pilots are people. Sometimes it is a good thing to shoe the enemy you can do some really cool stuff even when you are just messing around.

Ah ...

Timelaps.

What Love Is

This movie is all about the thing I try to avoid every day of my life. Talking about love. I prefer to do it, not talk about it. Just ask Nat. She will say that I do neither. That I only love my computer. That's because I'm desperately trying to avoid social uncomfortable situations.

What Love Is talks about love. There is no love in the movie what so ever. Actually, there is some hate. There is some ugliness. There is little or no love.

The movie should have been titled "Bitching About Love, or lack there of". I like that title much better.

Friday

I'm trying to think what I learned. I learned that getting a  source RPM to build something is easy, but getting it to put information in the correct place to build new binary RPMs is a pain in the ass. I really thought I had a problem fixed like four times in a row. The source RPM still doesn't do what it is supposed to do. It is a matter of copying the one binary file to the correct place after it is built.

Work is nuts. That is about normal. The elections are still annoying. The middle east is still a drag. Islamic Supremacists are still trying to take over the world. TV still sucks, mostly. My blog is still rambling. Give me a while and I'll get back to interesting posts. Promise.

Nat had Elle all week. Elle had spring break. Nat asked me yesterday If I could call my parents to find out if they want to watch Elle. I do not like calling to ask for stuff constantly. She asked again today so I did it. Elle is over at my parent's place. I'm sure she is having fun. I got off work at 6:30. Nat picked me up at 7:40. I sat out front of my office for that time in with my ass hanging out. If I had taken the bus, I would have made it home before 8:08. When I got home, I went straight to bed. Nat said she was going to get something to eat with the $40 my parents gave her. That's another thing I would like to stop. I went to bed and woke up at 4:00 in the morning from the alarm beep. Nat was just coming in. She had gone to hang out with an ex-boyfriend, Chuck.

What is a boy to do? Am I aloud to get upset? Am I a raciest? (everything is raciest these days)

T-Shirt

"I only tolerate tolerant religions."

I'm going to ware this and when someone asks me what religion it specifies, I'm going to say "All of them." The whole concept of religion is control people and to self propagate. I know and accept that people need something to believe in. It is a huge chunk of our psyche.

Religion is going to be the downfall of humanity. The world is going to end when we, humans, blow up the entire surface of the Earth. Everybody dies. Well, except the gathering mutants, but are those humans? I think not. ... I wonder what they will warship.

Learned Today

What did I learn today? I learned something, I'm sure. I learned I'm OK at HTML. I learned that I'm not the only one who has trouble getting RPM mechanisms to work. I learned that there have been a lot of bad movies lately.

I learned again that liberals like to think they are better than the average American because people are still prejudice or sexist. They are just as bad. They are just delusional and self centered. Conservatives want to hide in the root cellar and wait for the storm to pass. It won't pass. Conservatives don't want to fight any more than the liberals. They let others fight. Every one talks. No one gets their hands dirty. Hell, look at me.

I learned that I'm not the only one who thinks it is impossible to win a war against an idea. I learned that what someone else believes in will get me killed as fast as them. I learned that the first thing I think of when I wake up is my day ahead, not taking over the world. I learned I will never take over the world with that attitude.

The world ticks another day spent. Another day we survived our own belligerence.

I learned that I will not go quietly. I learned that there will come a day when when the boots come knocking in the middle of the night. There will come a day when figures move in silence, in the dark to take what I earned because they think they are right. They think they are better. They think they will win. They are willing to win. When they get up in the morning, they hone their plan to win.

I learned that I do not remember one day's walk to the bus stop from another. They all run together.

I learned that It is going to be nice weather through Saturday. We have to go to the tax guy this weekend. It's Easter and we have no real plans.

I hear people in the news say the right things. they never get the right things done. All the wrong people are being killed.

I learned that when I do not have a specific purpose when sitting down to write a blog, I should strongly consider not writing an entry. These sound so very depressing.

Ammo

Best ammo comparasson I've seen. Someone did the homework. Losts of pictures comparing ammo.

Got Me!

Pocket UAV

The artist conseption above is of a pocket sized UAV being developed by the U. S. military. The idea is to have something a soldier can toss in the air and have it report back from around the next bend or building. Hell, this one could be used inside a building. I want one for private use. I want to fly it around my house parimeter several times at random intervals through the night to make sure my family is OK. I want it to fallow me to the bus stop and record me getting run over or stuck up. I want it to follow Elle around school and shove a microphone in other kids faces when they look like they are about to mouth off to her. I want one on my side.

I picture myself using one of these things for spying on the racers It has listening capabilities so I could fly low and snoop on their doings. I would like to fly it over the resevwar to our north just to keep an eye on the local animals. I would like to fly it over my neighbor's back yards just because I'm a nosy bastard.

Source Defence Tech

Oh, I might like to do some cools stuff with it too. Ya.

Nice attempt

These people get it

About as close to a privately built UAV as I can find

I know one thing all of these systems need. Image stabilization. These are the good ones. I went through a hundred videos on the subject. Well, IS and you have to be able to fly an RC aircraft. I have one friend with experience and it looks difficult. I do not have a prayer of it. I need one that takes orders and just sends the video back.

Newt Gingrich claims we are sleepwalking through history

Most people I know wake up every day and worry about the weather or who won on celebrity dancing last night. There are people who wake up with the sole purpose, focus, guidance, existence to end every way of life on the planet that is not compatible with their religion. They mean it. They live it.

I believe Newt. I know there is a day coming when America either puts up or shuts up. We don't have the will to win. We do not have the will to let any one else loose because of us. It is going to come down to another Pearl Harbor. That is what it takes to wake this country from it's stupor.

What is it going to take to save the United States? Teaching our children that there may be things wrong with this country, but the country is worth saving is priority number one. If it is broken, fix it. If it is wrong, right it. When something is working, praise it. When people are doing what is right, tell them.

Not all ideas, nations, people, religions, causes are worth saving or protecting. The United States is a great nation worth saving. She is worth letting someone else loose for her survival. She is worth winning.

Video shamelessly lifted from The Belmont Club

To Metro and Back Again

That wasn't so bad. I'll remember to take the whole family next time. Every time I've gone in the past it has been a situation of hurry up and wait. This time they ran us straight through. I think Elle was the hero here.

We got up. drove all the way to Metro's new headquarters at 1900 Main. Got to see the new rail. Nice day. Bit windy. We got to the parking lot. We didn't have change for a ten. Nat went to McDonald's with Elle to get some change. I forged ahead. Crossed the street downtown. Found my way to the MetroLift office. Registered at the door. Then I sat and waited.

I spoke with work a couple of times. I have to say that hearing "This is hard." when describing one of the things I do on a daily basis sounds pretty good. Now I just need to make sure someone kicks off my script this evening.

The moment my family showed up, we were whisked to the interview and were out of the place inside of ten minutes. I'm still grandfathered in to free bus trips. Thank goodness. New people to the system have to pay half price. I heard that change was coming. I wouldn't mind if I had the money. Getting bus rides for free right now is a godsend.

I didn't take a single picture. Never even crossed my mind. Such a pretty day too.

To Metro and Back Again

That wasn't so bad. I'll remember to take the whole family next time. Every time I've gone in the past it has been a situation of hurry up and wait. This time they ran us straight through. I think Elle was the hero here.

We got up. drove all the way to Metro's new headquarters at 1900 Main. Got to see the new rail. Nice day. Bit windy. We got to the parking lot. We didn't have change for a ten. Nat went to McDonald's with Elle to get some change. I forged ahead. Crossed the street downtown. Found my way to the MetroLift office. Registered at the door. Then I sat and waited.

I spoke with work a couple of times. I have to say that hearing "This is hard." when describing one of the things I do on a daily basis sounds pretty good. Now I just need to make sure someone kicks off my script this evening.

The moment my family showed up, we were whisked to the interview and were out of the place inside of ten minutes. I'm still grandfathered in to free bus trips. Thank goodness. New people to the system have to pay half price. I heard that change was coming. I wouldn't mind if I had the money. Getting bus rides for free right now is a godsend.

I didn't take a single picture. Never even crossed my mind. Such a pretty day too.

Close your doors when pumping gas

Someone hit the fire button at a gas station by mistake. That powder ends up in everything. It can ruin electronics and air filters. I wonder if there is any liability involved. I wonder if insurance covers it. I have no idea where this is.

Money

Got our tax stuff done. We are getting just enough back to cover the higher property taxes and pay off the credit card. That's nice. That includes the stimulus money The President is so proud of. So, we are treading water. I haven't had a raise in four years. Inflation is like 12% over that period. Food and energy are through the roof. We may have to look for a cheaper place to live, but we will never sell the house. We are upside down. It would cost us about ten grand to walk away from this pit.

Morgen buys Sterns. The American tax payers, like myself, are footing the bill for Sterns' meltdown.  Why are Sterns' assets crumbling from under it? Because investing in people's willingness to pay their mortgage used to be considered a rock solid place to put your money. Every one pays their mortgage. Even before they pay other bills. Right? ... Right?

At any time in the past, say, 3% of homes were in some sort of foreclosure. Right now it is more like 9%.  Which 9%? No one really knows. These things are so mixed up in to bundles and split up that you can't sit down and say "This one is good and that one is bad." This means that they are all worthless until people who are going to go broke and not pay their mortgage are either bailed out or bite the bullet and crash. The bad debt that all these high dollar investors took on bought needs to be shaken out so that only the good loans are left before the asset will be worth anything at all.That will take five to ten years I've heard. Investors want liquidity right goddamn now.

What wold make me feel better about the economy? If some very rich people spent about twenty years of their lives in prison with the general population busting some fucking rocks next to liquor store stickup crack-heads only to go back to their insomniac cell mate Bubba who has a tonsil fetish. That would make me feel better about the economy.

The fed lowers interest rates. That's great if people are willing to both lend and barrow more money to fix things.  The stock market rallies. I'm still broke. I'm not buying anything that is not absolutely life support right now.

I'm not looking forward to a time in the foreseeable future where I'm in a comfortable position to buy anything that isn't a necessity.Some say we are only about a quarter in to the recession. Some compare what is happening now to what happened in the great depression of 29. Ah, what interesting times we live in.

Lehman Brothers could be next.

Another sign our little girl is growing up

Elle got in trouble for something last night. Nat told her to go to bed. In the past this lead to a bout of crying and "You're not my friend any more.". Last night, an hour later. I tippy toed in to Elle's room to make sure she was covered up. She had just gone to bed. This morning I noticed that Elle had moved from her room to Nat's room. We haven't slept in the same room for over a year. I may never know the circumstances of Elle's move from one room to the other. Still, a sign of growing up again.

Its every day now. Something happens that shows what a person Elle is. I love that. It makes all the diapers worth while. I'll let you know if the college tuition seems worth it in fourteen years.

Elle on line 1

So, I'm at  work close to the end of the day and my mobile rings. It is Nat. Elle is on Spring Break this week. I answer the phone. Nat says "Guess what?". This is a bad sign. I can tell I'm on speaker phone on the other end. "Elle does not want to go pick you up. She doesn't care that she gets a new monitor." My boss made some old flat panels available for free. Elle gets a non-whining monitor. Yay!! Well, she  might get one, if Nat is not too upset with her.

We go back and forth on the phone for a minute. I can't even remember Julie's name for a minute. Honestly, I block her out.  That is another blog entry.

I ask "Why don't you want to come get me?" That is, Nat asked because Elle wasn't paying attention.

Elle responds in a teary voice "I don't want to go pick up Kelly." "I don't want to talk to Kelly."

Nat says "I'm just going to throw her over my shoulder." I believe her. I could hear Elle hollering from my office.

I'm a dad. Hoe freaky. I refuse to let my five year old daughter dominate me or my wife. Elle does not run things. I hate it when parents let their kids run the show. Nat and I are the adults. We have been down these roads once each, at least. Elle will have her chance to screw up her life. Not until Nat and I have our chance to mold her in to a strong woman. A child must be told no when it is appropriate. They mus be encouraged when that is appropriate. The trick is to know which to do when.

Too bad kids do not come with a manual. Then again, every book ever written about child rearing is discredited before it hits the presses. Who is the authority on raising children? I'll let you know when I figure that out.

When I get home its "Will you put my computer together?" "Will you put my computer together?" "Will you put my computer together?" "Will you put my computer together?".

Then it's "Will you hook up her monitor?"

I tried to get a video of her saying think you, but it didn't come out very good. I have no idea what I'm doing. All that cute and I can't even get a three second video to work. Some guru am I.

Play! Play! Play!

The happiest dog in the history of dogs. This dog is just happy to be alive. I could learn something from this dog. Somtimes, Its good to be a dog. This dog knows it.

What's in a Title

The term engineer has been bastardized to the point that any function that leads to the creation of something is called engineering. Hell, garbage collectors or janitors might be called sanitation engineers to give them a title with some flare. This has lead to the lack of respect for engineering that has pushed the career to foreign shores.

Texas is the only place I know that has rules about someone being called an engineer.  I have no idea how it is enforced. I'm not an engineer, so I cannot say what the rules are. I only know you cannot put engineer on your business card in Texas without a certification or you can get in trouble with the state government.

I'm not certified, but I am certifiable. That counts. Right?

What's on the Internet

The Internet is for porn.

Thanks to Ken and Chris, Nat had this song stuck in her head for a couple days. She took it out on her blog.

Enjoy.

Happy St. Patric's Day

"Oh Danny Boy" Is not even Irish. It was written by a Brit who never set foot in Ireland.

I wonder if they had to pay rights on that song. It doesn't even sound like the song. It does sound about right for St. Patrick's day though.

The last Consummate American?

McCain has a history of being a hot head. McCain reminds me a lot of my boss (Not you Adam). I've heard some Democrats say they might vote for him because they don't like Hillery and they fear Barack is just very good con artist.

Me, I'm starting to think Mickey Mouse would make a pretty good president. I still like the idea of writing in John Robert Bolton.

The Command Line is Fun

We use Linux because it's fun! It's fun to tinker with your system. It's fun to change all the settings, break the system, then have to go to recovery mode to repair it. It's fun to have over a hundred distros to choose from. It's fun to use the command line. Let me say that again. It's fun to use the command line. No wonder non-Linuxers wouldn't understand. An Amazing Mind

It's true. It's true. I feel free because I use an OS that I can tinker with. I like breaking the system just so I can learn how to fix it. It is like a gear-head/petrel-head with a car. They just can't leave a working vehicles alone.

It's fun to wirte a script that does the work it would take you five or six hours to complete. Then, you kick it off right before you leave for home and leave six or eight computers pounding away for hours. I will be long asleep before they complete the tasks I've handed them. That's fun to me. That thought puts a smile on my face.

I'm a Linuxer. And I'm proud of it.

Disclaimer - No Microsoft products are used in the generation of content for this blog. At least, not when I can help it.

oop .. oop .. oop .. Watch it!!

"That's dangerous." Thank you Captain No-Shit. I'm sure I said the exact same line after a similar situation. Don't feel too bad.

This is what happens when you toe too much behind a truck. A centerload hitch would have absorbed some of the motion only because it is mounted directly above the rear axle of the towing vehicle. Don't give people crap about getting a centerload hitch or towing something that seems small using the centerload hitch.

Real or Fake?

This looks fake, like a setup. Then again it looks real. I wonder which it is. It has to be real. No one would spend that kind of money on a set of glass doors just for a staged video. Why did they need the roll on the second floor? That much wire weighs several tons. The staircase might have given out.

Comely Liaisons

If you are a married man in the public eye and you are going to cheat on your wife, do it with a chick that is pretty. When you get busted, focus will fall to her. Lewinsky was a cow. Marilin Monro was hot.

Spitzer was busted because of money laundering issues. PEPs (politically exposed person)s are watched more closely than every one else. Every one is watched. Every transaction is watched to a point. The fact that Spitzer was buying the services of a hooker didn't factor in to the issue.

Lesson learned?

I'll bet Spitzer is more than happy to let Ashly take the stage. "And .. here's the looker what done him in." Bloggers are talking about news organizations using photos off her myspace page without paying for the privilege. Go get them RIAA. She is 32, not 22. Spitzer should nab her for fraud. Nerds.

Day after Sam's

Nat and I went to Sam's last night. We bought the place out. I wish I had taken a picture of the Corolla on the ride home. Nat is a great packer. She got all this and just a bit more in the cart. The cashier took two carts. We got all of it in the Corolla. She was riding a bit low.

Nat is off to the rodeo. I'm doing laundry and knocking around the house. Elle is off with grandpa Bill. I have the house to myself. Well, me, the fish, cats and the racers zipping up and down the street. Every time I hear an engine rip by, I wish it harm. It happens now without even thinking about it. They peal out and i think "God, isn't it a good day for a multiple racer pile up?" It is bad, but I do it anyway.

Today I fully plan on getting very little accomplished. Last night Nat got us some spicy food. I'll be paying for that most of the afternoon. No biggy. It isn't like I have to mow the yard or anything. The weed-beds are feral. They take care of themselves.

Maybe I'll go learn something. Maybe I'll just sit here listening to blogs while typing nonsense between loads of laundry.

Fantastic DJ

I'm impressed. Not only is he good for a DJ with no arms, he is jut plane good. I particularly like the cigarette action. Unnecessary, but cool in a no arms kind of way.

Frigging Cats

I hate cats. Yes, I pick one of them up and pet him.  Yes, I play with him and all that. I still would rather not have cats. I would rather not have animals myself. That isn't going to be a reality with Nat. I accept that. Cats are especially unacceptable because they:

• Smell
  
• Are too independent to control.
• Smell
• Destructive
• Smell
• Eat better than me
• Smell
• Puke all over the place.
• Smell
  

 ... did I mention they smell?

The other day a friend of mine informed me that his cat died. I had to feign sympathy because I really hate cats to the point that I wish they had never been domesticated. I wouldn't have a problem with outside cats.  They would keep the vermin down.  Hopefully, I would not have to smell them then. The only place for the cat box that makes any sense at our place is right next to the front door. It never  fails that one of the cats has just taken a huge dump when company comes over. The front haul is constantly a mess, peppered with dirty cat litter kicked out of the box. The cats insist on looking out the window when they poo so the blinds are all chewed up.

I love my wife. I endure the cats.

Contractor

For years I called myself a contractor. I worked in a safe environment, except for the commute, no one ever pulled a gun on me. These guys are called contractors. They get to shoot back. Those vehicles don't even look armored.

Geraldine's Freedom of Speech

Geraldine Ferraro screwed up. Or, did she speak her opinion and now she is being punished. Geraldine resigned her unofficial spot on Clinton's campaign. People are fighting over whether it is more politically correct to vote for a black man or a white woman. Democrats have a dilemma of the highest order and the deepest fundamental root of their reason for being. Liberals like Geraldine are big on PC behavior and the freedom of speech. The two have officially clashed and Geraldine is the one who got bit in the ass.

Welcome to the PC world you helped create Geraldine. I hope you understand and enjoy your plummet from fame to infamy.

I've heard interviews with Geraldine before this scandal. She struck me as someone who spewed the party line at will and had not much new to say. She also struck me as someone who spoke faster than she thought. I suppose that was an accurate assessment.

After the resignation she sounded a bit subdued. That makes perfect sense. It also sounded as though she was resigned to her fate. The plan may be to duck and weather the storm. I cannot blame her for that.

Listening to the people talking on the call in shows tells me that people who have a race, that is people who don't consider themselves a mutt like myself, are sick of hearing the race issue

What border?

We draw lines in the sand in distant countries and line them with our soldiers. Yet we are afraid it will look bad to our neighbors if we decide to enforce our own laws here at home. I'm sick of it. It is going to take a U. S. City disappearing in a blinding light and hundreds of thousands dying of radiation sickness to snap us to reality. I hope this is false, but it is the most likely possibility with the current crop of ignorance spewing from our leaders.

link

Bad idea

I've always thought cruse control on motorcycles was a bad idea. There should be a kill switch. Then again, dumb asses would just bypass it or ... Idiot.

Watch the car

Keep watching...

Calendar

Microsoft just added a bit of programming to Outlook that lets you sync your Outlook calendar to Google Calendar. I use Google Calendar, not Outlook. I do not keep it updated. At first this pissed me off only because I like that feature and any time Microsoft comes out with a feature I like, I get mad.

At my old job it would have been very nice to have a way to get hold of what you were supposed to do in the next five minutes without logging on to the network. Many times I had someone call me from another country to log in and check their calendar for some piece of information they forgot to take with them.

Some problems I've found with calendars is that you A) You have to put data in to them before they are useful and B) you have to check them regularly before they are useful. These are flaws in the design of the calendar concept of the calendar. I do not have a portable device that will work with google calendar.

I know you can print out of Outlook with all kinds of templates. I haven't tried to print out of Google Calendar. There has to be a way to get your information in and out. I would have to sync with Thunderbird or Palm software. I haven't used the palm in so long I don't know if it still works. It is not on the mobile network, so what the hell good is it?  I cannot find Linux software for my phone. I'm screwed.

News Rants

Things that piss me off in the news of late.

Al Quida is decentralizing

NPR news stories inspired this list.

• Al Quida is using the internet for distance learning. This decentralizes the organization and any one across the planet could be a bad guy with a couple of creative searches.
• Al Quida has it's own media company producing videos.
• People are getting pissed at Al Quida because Al Quida is so willing to attack other Muslims, not because they kill the infidel.
• Al Quida is not loosing a country (Afghanistan and Pakistan) they are simply evolving in to an entity that does not need a base. Rather, it exists only in the hearts of angry, armed individuals.

Free Trade has failed

I'm hearing stories of people in South America who complain that the whole Free Trade things is just plane not working. They are dissatisfied with the results. I know I'm dissatisfied with the results. I hear that Mexican truckers like making money in the States. American truckers are not very happy about it. Not many of them want to work in Mexico. I think it is time that the whole idea of Free Trade be reexamined. Maybe competition amongst countries works better for all involved. That is what seemed to have worked for centuries.

Day Old News

Most of the time, listening to yesterday's news via podcasts is no big deal. Heck, some of it is twelve hours old when I listen to it. Today (last night), however, the big story is about Spitzer. The big question is "Will he resign?" Well, before I listened to one podcast, I knew he had indeed stepped down. That is kind of a drag.

Reporters are talking about the Democrats vs Republicans on the issue of the New York Governor. How will this affect all the elections? The ink is not dry and it sounds like this guy has been out of office for a month.

Hard Times for Buglers

• People don't keep cash at home.
  It Is hard to fence goods these days apparently.
  
• Private security (police) for neighborhoods with the ability to arrest people.
  They have time and resources the regular cops just don't have. Great. I want my taxes paying the private cops to watch over my house and family dammit.
  
• Home alarms are more prevalent.
• Better locks, more burger-bars, fewer sliding glass doors.
  
• More people lock their doors these days.
  I've always locked doors. My parents drilled it in my head and I think them for it. If someone is not walking threw the door, it should be shut and locked.

Dominoes

Coolest domino trick I've seen today.

Time Change

I woke up this morning to my phone alarm going off at 6:00. That was awesome because I forgot that this past weekend was the time change. Ten people and the news all warned me and I still forgot. I couldn't sleep right all night so I constantly looked at my giant clock that last read 5:02 when the alarm went off. .. Oh, ya. I'm so very glad that my phone automatically updates itself. My old phone took a day or two to do it. This one is pretty quick about it. I would have been dragging in an hour late. There are a couple red folks (late) this morning. I wonder if some others got caught.

The only thing I really noticed this morning that was different is the sun was not in my eyes as I sat on the bus. I did notice there were a few less people on the bus.  Why are we still doing daylight savings time? I it is a waist of resources and I will devote my life to fighting it. Well, I'll bitch a lot, promise.

Fortunately, modern technology is saving me from having to remember or even deal with it. Yay technology. Loosing that hour sucks. Gaining it back in the Fall does not make up for it.

I felt like I had been beet up most of today. That had about as much to do with the hot wings I had last night as the time change Oh, and the lack of sleep over the weekend. And the weather. That doesn't help much either.

PC Speaker on Linux

The PC Speaker is really annoying. It had it's day and it still has it's place. When you turn on a computer and the video card is not working or the memory is not accessible, you get a series of long and short beeps. Once in a working OS, the PC Speaker is an annoying blemish. To turn it off in Linux you have to unload the pcspkr service. They have a service just for the PC Speaker.

> sudo vi /etc/rc.local

Add the last line (before exit 0 if present)

modprobe -r pcspkr

Very Local news

• Nat has found the library. It's awesome because she can rent movies, read books, learn all kids of things and all for basically nothing. She is really good about getting the most out of the library. I think she was motivated because she wants to make sure she knows what is out there for Elle as she goes through school. Sounds good to me.
• 8% of homes in the U. S. are at some stage of foreclosure.
• "New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has told senior advisers that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, The New York Times reports. " [from Click2Houston] What the hell are you thinking?!? I listened to some podcasts today from Friday or so that had Spitzer about education. All I heard was "educate the whores. ... "
• The nineteenth time you swing a golf club in a day does not mean you failed.

Road Rage

"He's getting his gun." This is why you don't bring it unless you are ready to bring it all. Do all women revert to valley girls when it hits the fan?

Elle, her Dad and computer

Nat and Elle sent Ted an e-card while Nat was trying to set up Windows Live For Elle to be able to surf the net inside a sand box. She told him "I love you." Then she said "That will make him happy." I'm sure it will. She is so happy to please. Except when it comes to chores. Then it's "I don't wanna!!" She is five going on sixteen after all.

Elle is over there overlooking Nat's shoulder supervising. They are sitting on the floor in front of the TV (using it like a computer monitor) setting up the WL settings. I sneezed, loudly. She jumped and in the middle of the jump she said "bless you!" with a smile. The kid is precious.

Soon Elle will have all her favorite games. We will have something worth a pot of gold too. We will have them to hold over her head if when she gets ornery. Oh, and she will learn valuable lessons in how to get around on a computer. why will have a reason to learn to read because you just can't get much done on the internet without reading the instructions. She may even learn how to research things. I bet there is a kid search engine out there.

Elle is both a child and a genius. She grasps complex emotional questions like "Why do people hurt each other?" and "Why do people do things that are wrong?" It is beautiful. She is beautiful.

Sometimes I stop myself from blogging about Elle because I don't want to hurt Ted's feelings. I just can't help it.

UPDATE: Changed IM to ecard.

Why people steel information

"If you are outside the UK you will not be able to use bbc.co.uk/torchwood for rights reasons"

UPDATE: Adding a link.

Bowing to Islam: one man's opinion

Here is the movie he speaks of. The guy who did it is called ultra right. That sounds like an attempt to vilify someone speaking their mind to me.

Europeans are not stupid. They are not ignorant. They are oppressed by a regime they voted in to power; a politically correct regime. The Europeans have a history of voting in people who oppress the people they represent. All in the name of something good and proper. The term Islamification of Europe has been kicked around in the past few yers. France has been called an Arabic nation more than once. Parts of these statments are true. Where are the rest of the Europeans? Where are the people who do not burn cars and torch buildings in the name of a religion? Are they really going to serenader their entire culture and way of life without so much as a whimper of discontent?

I don't know what to add.

Live TV

It has got to be a hassle working live TV. These videos pop up all the times about bad things happening. There have been several that show live video of some road and -wham- there is an accident while it's on people's screens. It is still one of those notworthy things that happens all the time I suppose.

This reminds me of putting on a play. It is live and thins happen. It is a real challenge to keep the show rolling wile juggling flaming monkey's back stage. I cannot imagine dealing with several people in the studio like the anchors, weather, traffic reporters, story of the day people and any number of remote hookups with people in the field and 'experts' on the phone waiting to do an interview and sponsors, concerned citizens, activist groups, God knows what else. It boggles my mind how anything ever gets done.

One String Willyx

I suck at guitar. I've heard folks say their music teachers made them compose or learn a whole song on one string during class. This must not be something entirely new. There was also this buy who played two guitars at the same time and sounded like a frigging orchestra. I can't get Twinkle Twinkle Little Start to sound right.

Why I cannot vote for McCain

How is he going to act when someone presents him with a real problem like middle east peace? He will not win. The day is coming when we say we dodged a bullet.

Very Local New

• So, I was put on hold today and there was no music. I caught myself looking at the front of the handset of my old land line phone to see if the connection was still made. Some land line phones have displays. It just struck me as funny that I've gotten that used to my phone having a display that has some kind of useful data displayed.
• The amount people owe on homes in the U. S. exceeds the equity built up for the first time since WWII. The U. S. just broke the record for foreclosures at about the same time.
• I called Metro and have an appointment in a week or two. I'm worried they will tell me to go jump in a lake because now that I live in the county, and more than three quarters of a mile from a bus stop, I do not qualify for Metro lift or other services any more. Wish me luck.
• Went on a the night with Nat. Had a great time. Saw 10000 BC. Worst movie I've ever seen. Nat loved it. Something about the hotty running around without a shirt the length of the movie. The only character I liked was the tiger. I wish he had eaten the guy when he had the chance. I could have gotten home earlier.
• The glasses I ordered are the wrong prescription. I can't really return them because I typed in the numbers wrong. I threw them at the cat. I can't afford new ones. Life sucks.
• Elle is at Bill's. She has a ball over there. It sounds like she will have a ball this weekend. Nat is off to the Rodeo tomorrow. I'm working some overtime to pay for it. At least I'm good for keeping things working at work.
• This weekend is the time change. I really wish we would just abandon daylight savings time. It is more of a pain in the ass than it is worth. I suppose I should write my representative.

Throw The Bastards Out

Careful asking for change when times are bad. The Nazis won power during the 1929 depression. His first acts as president were to limit individual freedom and limiting privacy due to some problems with some leftists.

Today's BS

I had one of the busiest days of my current job today. I got more done today than I have gotten done in some weeks at other jobs. I have to go in Saturday to make up for stuff that isn't getting done because of all the extra stuff that is getting done. It is interesting being part of the wild end of a software project. It is nice being useful, but shit.

I need to find my old 401-K information. There is bound to be some money still in the account. I want to move it over and we are about to do taxes with the financial planner any way. We are missing a couple pieces of paperwork. The frigging bank is only open on banker's hours. Even the web page can't let me in because I cannot remember what my favorite book is.

I'm off to bed early today. I really need to catch up on some sleep. Tomorrow is Friday. It sucks when you have to work on the weekend because, of course, you don't have as much time off. I just thought today that I could use a vacation. Working weekends sucks, but it needs to be done.

Let's see, I need to call my bank, Metro, and the tax people. I haven't gotten a lunch the last couple of days because I've just been too busy. I just plane have to take one tomorrow because I have to make phone calls.

Another Thought

This morning on the bus, I noticed all the people on their way to work. It was one of those moments where you feel like you are noticing something you cross every day for the first time. "Where are all these people going?" I wondered. I thought about all the clerks, tellers, attendants, assistants, cops, cooks, engineers, moms, teachers, pilots, and those people who spend their lottery winnings just driving around.

Most cars that I could tell only had one person inside. Most people weigh say, 175 pounds. Most cars weigh at least 2000 pounds. Some weigh 6000 pounds. The energy it takes to push a vehicle is many times higher than it takes to push a person. I really believe that we could eliminate half the people entering the city and not loose any productivity. I have no idea how, but I believe that for some reason.

There is no promised land or technology. That ship has sailed. People are not going to give up what they have for the promise of giving up even more tomorrow.

In order for people to change their behavior, they must perceive a motivation compelling them. Why get out of a warm bath? That is, until the water goes cold.

So, how do you manipulate people on a mass scale to do what you want? You use fear coming from one side. You stir in loyalty, history, sprinkle in a heavy dose of what-if. You use answers from the other side. surround the populous with a blanket of words.

Beware people with short easy answers. Beware people who roll off their plan in a single sentence. What problems are the salving? What difference will they make? These people can only be politicians. They do not have answers. If they really fixed anything, they would be out of a job.

Thought of the day

I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box. I hate doing the cat box.

I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats. I hate cats.

Sex news everyone!

A federal appeals court has overturned a Texas statute outlawing sex toy sales, essentially leaving Alabama as the only state with such a ban. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Texas law making it illegal to sell or promote obscene devices, punishable by up to two years in jail, violated the Constitution's 14th Amendment on the right to privacy. Companies that own Dreamer's and Le Rouge Boutique, which sell the devices in its Austin, Texas, stores, and the retail distributor Adam & Eve, sued in Austin federal court in 2004 over the constitutionality of the law. They appealed after a federal judge dismissed the suit and said the Constitution did not protect their right to publicly promote such devices. LAW.com

Anna was griping about this law a couple years ago. She mumbled something about "... pry 'em from my cold dead ..." Anyway, I'm glad to say, this was a stupid attempt to impose one person's morals over another.

Gary Gygax, RIP

What a drag. I can't say I ever met him, or even read anything about the person. I enjoyed the fruits of his creativity. Where is that staff of resurrection?

He isn't even cold and the Wikipedia entry is up to date. Sheesh.

TV and Cinelerra

I'm trying to think of the last time I sat down to watch TV. It was only while eating. Oh, and LOST. That's it. Nat watches movies. I watch some movies. Neither of us really just kick back and watch TV any more.

What am I doing tonight? I'm trying to get cinelerra to work on my machine, just for fun. I'm learning something. I'm practicing my trade. I'll never get it to work. It is impossible. Yet, I try. I'm sick. This is what I did most of today at work. I come home and do it some more.

I'll never get it to build. It is one of those projects that will just never work. Hop over to Fresh RPMs. ... I eventually got the source rpm to install. It comes up with an error that makes no sense. Hey, it is an improvement over nothing.

That's it. I'm worn out. I'll try running it tomorrow or something. The rest of tonight is for blogging and goofing off. The Ark of Truth came in. I'll watch that.

One of these days I'm going to blog about how nerve wracking it is to build software. It takes ages. There are a million lines of very technical gobldy-gook scrolling up the screen. the machine is hammered. This might go on for an hour or more while the box tries to put together the organized ramblings of a deranged, I mean programmer's mind in to a program. The program is just a long list of crap for the computer to do. The list must be in the correct order and not riddled with logic errors. Well, it can be riddled with logic errors and still work some times. Any way, more often than not, something goes wrong and you get half an hour of scary crap going by then , you get an error. Once you get an error, you must decipher the garbldy gook in the make fies, scripts, data files, sometimes the c files, some times the libraries ... It is just plane stressful.

It is the only way to get some things to work.

Speaking of work, one of the guys I work with got a chance to mess with RPMs. It was interesting to watch someone else go though the tangled magic that is RPM. I've been busy on complex grunt work. That is a good name for it I think.

Apologies for the rambling.

DnD

I hadn't heard this one before. I'm so ashamed. Who the hell is Stephen Lynch anyway?

Now, that's dust devil

They groes'em bigger in Australia.

This is one of the better videos of a natural occurrence. Most people try to zoom in and loose the majesty of the event. Who ever shot this had some idea not to zoom in too much. I've seed a dust devil or two. That is out of a clear blue sky. The cars in the background just passing by like it's nothing.

B Bunny

How many lumps do you want?

Today was busy and long

I"m sure I learned something today. Let me think. There must be something. It probably isn't interesting to any one but me.

Well, I spent the day building software and making machines work so that other folks could get their work done. We hit some hiccups, but things are coming together. I learned all about making software build on multiple system at the same time. I learned about  GCC versions and libraries.  I learned that two identical machines may have different requirements for the same software depending on who set up the box in the first place. I learned that a day can be busy as a bucket full of ants, and still be long as a giraffe's collar.

People came to me for stuff who had never done so in the past today. Several in fact. Not sure how to feel about that. I suppose on one hand it is a good thing to be needed. It is quite another to be slammed. I think things worked out today.

It was so nice to leave this afternoon. I had a talk with a friend about how harrible his weekend was. it brightened my day. I think it made him feel just a bit better to vent. Not sure.

I'm off to do something entertaining.

Conseal Carry Ideas

Not too shabby. Demonstration that American ingenuity is still cranking out the good ideas.

Modern Romeo and Juliet

A teenage daughter's anger over a forbidden romance may have caused the 16-year-old to kill her mother and two brothers, police said. The killings occurred in the rural East Texas home of Terry and Penny Caffey on Saturday morning, according to a statement released by Rains County Sheriff David Traylor. The home was burned as well as a medical supplies van outside, Traylor said. ... Four suspects are in police custody and have each been charged with three counts of murder. Three suspects were identified as Charlie James Wilkinson, 19; Charles Allen Wade, 20; and Bobbi Gale Johnson, 18, who is female. Police did not release the name or mug shot of the other suspect, the Caffey's daughter, because she is a juvenile. Police believe the motive may have been that the teenage daughter was forbidden to date one of the suspects. "Early on in the investigation it was revealed that the juvenile and one of the suspects were dating and made to break up," Traylor wrote in a release. CNN

I guess it goes the other way round these days. This story almost sounds like the daughter of the local preacher was dating the tough guy from the wrong side of the tracks. One thing led to another. Then comes the gunfire.

On a side note, watch the video. That is East Texas. Every one who tries to emulate the accent gets it wrong. This is the real thing.

TRex Trike

Now, that's my idea of a trike. I've seen some on the road that looked dangerous. This one at least looks like a sports car.

Words

Here are a couple words to help translate from British TV to the way we Americans torture the language of Shakespeare. This list should be miles longer. Maybe I'll make something more comprehensive someday. Don't hold your breath.

Brit word	rough translation
people carrier	minivan
estate car	station wagon
copay (phonetic)	sedan or 4 door
lory (lorry)	truck
tailback	traffic jam
crisp	potato chips
chip	(French) fries
pants	bad
bollix	testicles (usually bad)
dogs ballix	very good
nackered	worn out
nicked	stolen or arrested
doggy	worn out
bin	garbage container
tip	garbage heap
rubbish	junk (bullshit)

Mini Monster Truck

via videosift.com

Some Greek guy built this thing. I spotted it on Fifth Gear.