Doom 3
I've been saying since before I started a blog that I am not going out
buy a new machine until Doom
3 comes out. Now that the day is ny,
the luster of the moment is
gone. I don't feel the twinge in my trigger finger. I'm just not
excited any more. I would like to be excited about it. The moment has
past. I've grown away from Doom 3.
They say the new game is creepy
and visually stunning. Cool.
The Same
The news sounds the same every day. A bomb
blast
in Baghdad. An "ally" pulls
out. There were no weapons
of mass destruction in the first place. It all sounds the
same these days. How can news from a war be the same every day.
There is no news of the sick children our doctors are helping. There is
no news of the financial support puring into the country. Blah,
blah, blah, it's all the same. I suppose interesting is bad in a war.
SNAFU
I found a collection of WWII era cartoons called SNAFU.
It is about a goofy guy who screws everything up in the army. They were
to teach lessons and make you laugh. They are a bit racist. They are
funny. They are informative. These were made sixty plus years ago.
One of hte cartoons was about keeping secrets. One of the secrets they
SNAFU doesn't keep very well is about a secret weapon that leaves a big
hole on a Japanese island. This cartoon never played because it was too
close to the atom bomb attack scheduled to go off later in the year.
2004-07-15
2004-07-14
Blogger Interface Test
OK. I said I would give the new Blogger interface a shot. Well, here it is. The word "Blogger" was not in the dictionary. No biggy, it has a learn feature. It looks like the spell checker works. It looks like the link thing works too. Bold seems to work. They could use an image link insert. I'm curious how the carriage returns, and blank lines thing works. ... It appears you have to stick in the <br> when you want a line break.
OK. I approve.
OK. I said I would give the new Blogger interface a shot. Well, here it is. The word "Blogger" was not in the dictionary. No biggy, it has a learn feature. It looks like the spell checker works. It looks like the link thing works too. Bold seems to work. They could use an image link insert. I'm curious how the carriage returns, and blank lines thing works. ... It appears you have to stick in the <br> when you want a line break.
OK. I approve.
2004-07-13
Rumor
There is a rumor at my office that we will all have to work from 8 to 5. This may not sound like much. I have been coming in at 6:00 am for years. I've been leaving at 3:00 for about as long. We used to work a 9/80 (every other Friday off). That is the one I miss. The powers that be have been whittling away at the perks of the office.. I'm to the point of not caring. I feel nothing for the office I work at. I feel like it is just a job. I feel like I could leave. I feel like leaving. I feel like I can leave. I feel scared. I feel tired. I feel worn. I feel used.
6% pay cut (permanent.)
No erase last year (on top of the 6% cut)
No 9/80
No chance for advancement.
No chance of getting hired as a direct employee. (no degree)
They keep piling more and more responsibility on me for less money.
I feel like a second class person because of the way I'm treated at the office. I don't really work there. The company believes I and all my kind are expendable. I suppose we are.
What would you do?
Hurt
I hurt.
No career to speak of.
Nothing that begs me to learn it.
I live in a place that is just a place to live.
I hurt.
My time is short.
All our time is short.
Life is short.
I hurt.
If I live a thousand years will I do better?
A thousand years to help me find my way.
Find myself in one right second.
I hurt.
A healthy life so far.
My health a gift for now.
Time a gift for now.
I hurt.
The Sun, the Moon, the Stars, the Earth, the Water, the Trees.
My Mind, my Body, my Beliefs, my Family, my Friends.
No love.
I hurt.
A weak spirit.
A strong spirit.
It doesn't matter.
I hurt
But it's OK. Life is suffering. The root of all suffering is desire. The only thing I have that calms me is writing my whining down in my blog.
I better stop writing now. I feel like my melancholy mood will not go away by writing. The words just keep coming. The night is young and I find myself wishing I were somewhere in the future, or past. Somewhere along the way to happiness .
There is a rumor at my office that we will all have to work from 8 to 5. This may not sound like much. I have been coming in at 6:00 am for years. I've been leaving at 3:00 for about as long. We used to work a 9/80 (every other Friday off). That is the one I miss. The powers that be have been whittling away at the perks of the office.. I'm to the point of not caring. I feel nothing for the office I work at. I feel like it is just a job. I feel like I could leave. I feel like leaving. I feel like I can leave. I feel scared. I feel tired. I feel worn. I feel used.
6% pay cut (permanent.)
No erase last year (on top of the 6% cut)
No 9/80
No chance for advancement.
No chance of getting hired as a direct employee. (no degree)
They keep piling more and more responsibility on me for less money.
I feel like a second class person because of the way I'm treated at the office. I don't really work there. The company believes I and all my kind are expendable. I suppose we are.
What would you do?
Hurt
I hurt.
No career to speak of.
Nothing that begs me to learn it.
I live in a place that is just a place to live.
I hurt.
My time is short.
All our time is short.
Life is short.
I hurt.
If I live a thousand years will I do better?
A thousand years to help me find my way.
Find myself in one right second.
I hurt.
A healthy life so far.
My health a gift for now.
Time a gift for now.
I hurt.
The Sun, the Moon, the Stars, the Earth, the Water, the Trees.
My Mind, my Body, my Beliefs, my Family, my Friends.
No love.
I hurt.
A weak spirit.
A strong spirit.
It doesn't matter.
I hurt
But it's OK. Life is suffering. The root of all suffering is desire. The only thing I have that calms me is writing my whining down in my blog.
I better stop writing now. I feel like my melancholy mood will not go away by writing. The words just keep coming. The night is young and I find myself wishing I were somewhere in the future, or past. Somewhere along the way to happiness .
Cowards
I'm glad I'm not the only one who is ashamed to call the Philippine people cowards. They are giving into terrorists. This is no way to show the world how to get the Philippine people to do what you want them to. The story doesn't use the word coward, but I do. If the victim being held in Iraq were related to me, I might feel different. But, now, every Tom, Dick and Habeeb will nab a truck driver to get the Philippine government to bend over.
Censorship
I hate it when I have to withhold stuff I would have otherwise put on my blog. I don't want to step on people's toes. I will include only the lesson learned part, and not the experience part to prevent hurt feelings. It gets to me though.
Food in the freezer
I went to a buddy's place sometime last Winter. We had these meat pockets that were pretty god. I think it was Bob Marlie's birthday. Anyway, I ended up taking a sack of the pockets home. It's been like 6 months. I just ate them last night. They were good. I remember putting the cooking instructions in the bag with the pockets. That was a great idea because I would have never remembered 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. I just stumbled across the bag in the freezer lat night while grumbling about having to eat the same thing again. They are a bit heavy on the onions, but good.
100,000 cull in Britain Civil Service
(I wrote this on 2004-07-12)
Yee-gads. hey are going to cut 100,000 jobs in The British Civil Service. Where are the Jobs coming from? The BBC radio keeps saying "Why have we been waisting all this money this long?" And "What is going to suffer?" Man, ouch. The BBC plaid some sound bytes from the announcement. The representatives say "ax the bureaucrats." and "redundant offices to close." How do you tell if an office is redundant?
Of course, there are threats of strike and law suites left and right.
Free Kelly Support (FAQ for FTP client)
The following is an email I sent to a friend who complained about not being able to FTP her photos to her website using HomeSite. If it doesn't work with HomeSite, it probably won't work with DreamWeaver either. Those automatic, built in, do it for you features have trouble working all the time. If you know how to do it yourself, you can save yourself some missed deadlines and allot of headaches.
Go to a command prompt (in XP/2K/NT only).
CD to the folder that has your pictures in it.
Type the following command at the command prompt.
FTP ftp.ftpname.com -i
(Note, the -i keeps it from asking "are you sure" on every file.)
Enter user name
Enter Password
Enter the following at the FTP command prompt.
FTP>help (to see list of commands)
FTP>cd <folder name> (to get to the images folder probably) (You may have to use SD instead of CD, check the help above.)
FTP>help command (to see help on the command (help is lame in FTP))
FTP>bin (to set to binary mode for pictures, MASC command for ASCII mode for HTML or TEXT files)
FTP>mput *.PG (to multiple put the pg files)
<long list of files>
FTP>bye (to end your FTP session)
Or, go to www.download.com, search for "FTP client" and hold on.
There must be twenty five million that are free or shareware. FTP has been around
since 1971. It is almost as old as I am.
Look OK > SmartFTP AceFTP
Gracious Guest
Some one was good enough to point out the spell checker on the new Blogger interface. When I originally made the complaint, Blogger was still using the old interface and I believe it had no spell checker. I never found one. Anyway. I haven't used the new interface to edit anything. I use an HTML editor. I promise I'll give the new interface a shot at some point.
Literary definitions
<Censored>
When some one you are talking with is clearly wrong about something you don't press them right then. That is how fights start. You just nod and send them the correct information later. Adopting an "I'm right and your wrong." attitude is not the way to convince some one of anything (destructive). Look it up and you will both be right. (constructive)
No more knighthoods
It is about time. It has gotten ridiculous. What surprises me is the number of actors who turned the title down. It seems lately they have been tossing these things out like candy.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who is ashamed to call the Philippine people cowards. They are giving into terrorists. This is no way to show the world how to get the Philippine people to do what you want them to. The story doesn't use the word coward, but I do. If the victim being held in Iraq were related to me, I might feel different. But, now, every Tom, Dick and Habeeb will nab a truck driver to get the Philippine government to bend over.
Censorship
I hate it when I have to withhold stuff I would have otherwise put on my blog. I don't want to step on people's toes. I will include only the lesson learned part, and not the experience part to prevent hurt feelings. It gets to me though.
Food in the freezer
I went to a buddy's place sometime last Winter. We had these meat pockets that were pretty god. I think it was Bob Marlie's birthday. Anyway, I ended up taking a sack of the pockets home. It's been like 6 months. I just ate them last night. They were good. I remember putting the cooking instructions in the bag with the pockets. That was a great idea because I would have never remembered 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. I just stumbled across the bag in the freezer lat night while grumbling about having to eat the same thing again. They are a bit heavy on the onions, but good.
100,000 cull in Britain Civil Service
(I wrote this on 2004-07-12)
Yee-gads. hey are going to cut 100,000 jobs in The British Civil Service. Where are the Jobs coming from? The BBC radio keeps saying "Why have we been waisting all this money this long?" And "What is going to suffer?" Man, ouch. The BBC plaid some sound bytes from the announcement. The representatives say "ax the bureaucrats." and "redundant offices to close." How do you tell if an office is redundant?
Of course, there are threats of strike and law suites left and right.
Free Kelly Support (FAQ for FTP client)
The following is an email I sent to a friend who complained about not being able to FTP her photos to her website using HomeSite. If it doesn't work with HomeSite, it probably won't work with DreamWeaver either. Those automatic, built in, do it for you features have trouble working all the time. If you know how to do it yourself, you can save yourself some missed deadlines and allot of headaches.
Go to a command prompt (in XP/2K/NT only).
CD to the folder that has your pictures in it.
Type the following command at the command prompt.
FTP ftp.ftpname.com -i
(Note, the -i keeps it from asking "are you sure" on every file.)
Enter user name
Enter Password
Enter the following at the FTP command prompt.
FTP>help (to see list of commands)
FTP>cd <folder name> (to get to the images folder probably) (You may have to use SD instead of CD, check the help above.)
FTP>help command (to see help on the command (help is lame in FTP))
FTP>bin (to set to binary mode for pictures, MASC command for ASCII mode for HTML or TEXT files)
FTP>mput *.PG (to multiple put the pg files)
<long list of files>
FTP>bye (to end your FTP session)
Or, go to www.download.com, search for "FTP client" and hold on.
There must be twenty five million that are free or shareware. FTP has been around
since 1971. It is almost as old as I am.
Look OK > SmartFTP AceFTP
Gracious Guest
Some one was good enough to point out the spell checker on the new Blogger interface. When I originally made the complaint, Blogger was still using the old interface and I believe it had no spell checker. I never found one. Anyway. I haven't used the new interface to edit anything. I use an HTML editor. I promise I'll give the new interface a shot at some point.
Literary definitions
<Censored>
When some one you are talking with is clearly wrong about something you don't press them right then. That is how fights start. You just nod and send them the correct information later. Adopting an "I'm right and your wrong." attitude is not the way to convince some one of anything (destructive). Look it up and you will both be right. (constructive)
No more knighthoods
It is about time. It has gotten ridiculous. What surprises me is the number of actors who turned the title down. It seems lately they have been tossing these things out like candy.
2004-07-11
Rant
I've been informed that my home page looks like shit. I don't really want to fix it. It is a design thing. I'm not a web designer. I don't want it to become any more than what it is. it is a place to stick pictures. I don't care what it looks like.
I got some complements on the look and feel of my blog. I have to give all the design staff at Blogger the credit. I just type in the text and filled in the blanks in a template to get this page the way it looks. I'm going to take the link to my home page off my resume. I apologize if you have any pictures on that ugly site.
I suppose I could have done what every one else in the universe does and used a FrontPage template for my web presents. That would have given it a nice cookie cutter feel. That is what the web is all about, conformity. Forget content. Forget opinion. It is the glitz, animated GIFs, the sounds emitted by the mouse overs that really count.
It was, after all, an experiment to get a web server working on my home network. It is terribly distracting and discouraging when some one says "Man, I like the way your blog looks, but why don't you redo your home page?" When, I never did the blog in the first place. I don't want to put any time in the design of the page. I want to put time in the content of the blog.
I've always been a minimalist. Less is more. Three seconds on my home page and you know where everything is. you know how to get to everything. you don't need any help. There will never be a support call about my home page (that isn't one of my typos or errors)..
I'm not fixing anything or making my home page any more complicated. It is a piece of cake to maintain and I like it that way.
I've been informed that my home page looks like shit. I don't really want to fix it. It is a design thing. I'm not a web designer. I don't want it to become any more than what it is. it is a place to stick pictures. I don't care what it looks like.
I got some complements on the look and feel of my blog. I have to give all the design staff at Blogger the credit. I just type in the text and filled in the blanks in a template to get this page the way it looks. I'm going to take the link to my home page off my resume. I apologize if you have any pictures on that ugly site.
I suppose I could have done what every one else in the universe does and used a FrontPage template for my web presents. That would have given it a nice cookie cutter feel. That is what the web is all about, conformity. Forget content. Forget opinion. It is the glitz, animated GIFs, the sounds emitted by the mouse overs that really count.
It was, after all, an experiment to get a web server working on my home network. It is terribly distracting and discouraging when some one says "Man, I like the way your blog looks, but why don't you redo your home page?" When, I never did the blog in the first place. I don't want to put any time in the design of the page. I want to put time in the content of the blog.
I've always been a minimalist. Less is more. Three seconds on my home page and you know where everything is. you know how to get to everything. you don't need any help. There will never be a support call about my home page (that isn't one of my typos or errors)..
I'm not fixing anything or making my home page any more complicated. It is a piece of cake to maintain and I like it that way.
More on the Browser Woes
There is an article talking about questions MS had to answer online about the latest troubles with IE. MS pulled the IE development team out of mothballs. MS is trying to make this in to a sales opp. "Bazillions of people use our product , that's why it's the target of all these attacks." Why is it taking you so long to get the fix out?" "We want to make it right."
losers.. There is an old saying "When you are on top, there is nowhere to go but down." In big business it is more difficult to tread water than to pull every one else around you down. MS has been so good at sky-rocketing above the competition, and absorbing surrounding technology that they have not defined a good path forward. Their strategy is to stay on top, and not to make good products. Every decision they make is tempered by "Will this keep us on top?" MS is not in th business of making software. They are in the business of making money. The products they produce are a by-product of their true intention. The same is true with GM, Ford and GE. It is different with open source. Their goal is to make software. The only way they can compete with MS is to make it free. Do you think they would make it free if they didn't have to?
Spiderman 2
I saw Spiderman 2 today. It is pretty good. I have to admit I didn't like all the glowing reviews. They scared me. It seems like whatever big blockbuster comes out in the middle of the Summer will get wonderful reviews even if it sucks. I like the fact that he falls down and has to walk home during one of his patrols. There is already a list of screwups in the lists. Apparently a scar flips sides of Peter's face. Why would the villain through a car through the window at Peter if Peter is his link to get Spiderman?
Online Spell Checker
I stumbled across www.spellcheck.net. It actually works. It has a good spelchecker, a calculator, units converter, and a bunch of links to other stuff of use. It smells like a class project gone production. I never want any one to tell me they can't find a spelchecker again. I was complaining about Blogger not having a spell check feature. This is one of those tools that will work from MS/Mac/Linux. I like it.
There is an article talking about questions MS had to answer online about the latest troubles with IE. MS pulled the IE development team out of mothballs. MS is trying to make this in to a sales opp. "Bazillions of people use our product , that's why it's the target of all these attacks." Why is it taking you so long to get the fix out?" "We want to make it right."
losers.. There is an old saying "When you are on top, there is nowhere to go but down." In big business it is more difficult to tread water than to pull every one else around you down. MS has been so good at sky-rocketing above the competition, and absorbing surrounding technology that they have not defined a good path forward. Their strategy is to stay on top, and not to make good products. Every decision they make is tempered by "Will this keep us on top?" MS is not in th business of making software. They are in the business of making money. The products they produce are a by-product of their true intention. The same is true with GM, Ford and GE. It is different with open source. Their goal is to make software. The only way they can compete with MS is to make it free. Do you think they would make it free if they didn't have to?
Spiderman 2
I saw Spiderman 2 today. It is pretty good. I have to admit I didn't like all the glowing reviews. They scared me. It seems like whatever big blockbuster comes out in the middle of the Summer will get wonderful reviews even if it sucks. I like the fact that he falls down and has to walk home during one of his patrols. There is already a list of screwups in the lists. Apparently a scar flips sides of Peter's face. Why would the villain through a car through the window at Peter if Peter is his link to get Spiderman?
Online Spell Checker
I stumbled across www.spellcheck.net. It actually works. It has a good spelchecker, a calculator, units converter, and a bunch of links to other stuff of use. It smells like a class project gone production. I never want any one to tell me they can't find a spelchecker again. I was complaining about Blogger not having a spell check feature. This is one of those tools that will work from MS/Mac/Linux. I like it.
2004-07-10
AH-HA!!!
Some sick freak was busted driving the wrong way on a one way street. When the cops pulled him over he was naked from the waist down watching child-porn on his laptop. He was driving around using open wireless connections to download this crap. I've been warning people for years that they need to encrypt their signal. Don't run an open connection for this very reason. What makes me sick is he was getting away with this until he took a wrong turn. I wish he had been busted for the download itself. That would have sent a nice message to the circle he runs with.
Resume.Woes
I'm figuring out that sending my resume to a bunch of people to review is a mistake. By the time most people get hold of it and take a moment to actually look at it, I've gotten some good feed-back and have completely rewritten the whole document. The changes the late comers tell me about is a waste of time because the document is no longer the same document..
Every one has a wholly different idea of what a resume should look like. I've gotten the following consistent change from every one who has looked at it. "make it third-person." That is it. Well, I'll do it. However, the other nine million changes are all conflicting. It is funny how four people can give me a suggestion and all four be completely opposite from each other.
"I like it when people put a nice professional picture on resumes. It really makes me want to hire that person."
"We automatically throw out every resume with a picture to avoid discrimination issues."
"Your goal statement is going to scare off potential employers."
"Nice goal statement. That is the hardest step."
"I can't open PDF. Is this a Word document?" (Not the person I want reviewing my technical resume.)
"The "Mr." looks pretentious on your name." (Same person who wanted a picture on the resume.)
"I like the "Mr." in front of your name, that is a great way of telling them your are male [Kelly]." (I think I will superscript it or something.)
A couple of people griped over the fact it was in PDF format. They tried to tell me Word is the industry standard. I've heard stories all over the place about people getting their resumes hijacked and used for other stuff. People changing the name and phone number in the resume and using it for their own. If I do send int in Word format I'm going to at least put a save password on it. That will keep out the riff-raff.
More Browser Trouble
Speaking of browser vulnerabilities, Mozilla has an exploit similar to the IE trouble last week. However, There is already a fix for the Mozilla (and FireFox) programs already available. It took less than 24 hours to publish the fix for Mozilla. MS has still not offered a true fix for IE. The download offered by MS is more of a work around and can actually be accidentally undone by the user if they go playing around in the settings. All this bad press is not helping MS in the browser market.
Some sick freak was busted driving the wrong way on a one way street. When the cops pulled him over he was naked from the waist down watching child-porn on his laptop. He was driving around using open wireless connections to download this crap. I've been warning people for years that they need to encrypt their signal. Don't run an open connection for this very reason. What makes me sick is he was getting away with this until he took a wrong turn. I wish he had been busted for the download itself. That would have sent a nice message to the circle he runs with.
Resume.Woes
I'm figuring out that sending my resume to a bunch of people to review is a mistake. By the time most people get hold of it and take a moment to actually look at it, I've gotten some good feed-back and have completely rewritten the whole document. The changes the late comers tell me about is a waste of time because the document is no longer the same document..
Every one has a wholly different idea of what a resume should look like. I've gotten the following consistent change from every one who has looked at it. "make it third-person." That is it. Well, I'll do it. However, the other nine million changes are all conflicting. It is funny how four people can give me a suggestion and all four be completely opposite from each other.
"I like it when people put a nice professional picture on resumes. It really makes me want to hire that person."
"We automatically throw out every resume with a picture to avoid discrimination issues."
"Your goal statement is going to scare off potential employers."
"Nice goal statement. That is the hardest step."
"I can't open PDF. Is this a Word document?" (Not the person I want reviewing my technical resume.)
"The "Mr." looks pretentious on your name." (Same person who wanted a picture on the resume.)
"I like the "Mr." in front of your name, that is a great way of telling them your are male [Kelly]." (I think I will superscript it or something.)
A couple of people griped over the fact it was in PDF format. They tried to tell me Word is the industry standard. I've heard stories all over the place about people getting their resumes hijacked and used for other stuff. People changing the name and phone number in the resume and using it for their own. If I do send int in Word format I'm going to at least put a save password on it. That will keep out the riff-raff.
More Browser Trouble
Speaking of browser vulnerabilities, Mozilla has an exploit similar to the IE trouble last week. However, There is already a fix for the Mozilla (and FireFox) programs already available. It took less than 24 hours to publish the fix for Mozilla. MS has still not offered a true fix for IE. The download offered by MS is more of a work around and can actually be accidentally undone by the user if they go playing around in the settings. All this bad press is not helping MS in the browser market.
2004-07-08
Contact Lenses
I ware soft contacts. I have astigmatism, but I am fortunate enough to get disposable contacts. I heard there is no difference between long term and short term contacts except the manufacturing method. I've also heard the only difference between 24 hour disposable contacts and 30 day contacts is the amount of insurance the distibutions buy to cover liability. I could be wrong. That may be one of those modern urban legends.
This morning I was at work and wanted to pop my contacts in. I have to tell you first that I used to ware hard contacts. They are like little bits of twenty grit sandpaper in your eye. They hurt all the time. You can't fall asleep in them. Sometimes they pop up behind your eyelid and you feel them crawling around the top of your eye every time you look around. Soft contacts are far more comfortable. Hard contacts were easier to get in and out though. I never had a hard contact just pop out. I've never had a soft contact just disappear until this morning. I put in the left contact. Then I popped in the right contact. I tossed out the old fluid. The right contact was bugging me so I did the same thing I always do and used my finger to rotate it. With astigmatism the contacts have to sit a specific way to work properly. The contacts are misshaped so they rotate (hopefully in the right direction) when you blink. Your eyes kind of zipper shut when you blink. Anyway, this time when I pulled my finger away, the contact went with it. The couple of years I've been using soft contacts, this is the first time that happened. Lesson learned. I was due to swap them out for a new pare anyway.
Your Pictures Online
People keep asking me how I put my stuff on the web. I made my own server and use DynDNS. It is a mess, but I wanted to do it to learn how to make it happen. I'm not interested much in teaching others how to do it. Here is a site called SmugMug that is drag and drop. You have all kinds of settings and it looks snazzy. Use it to put your photos on the web. I do it the way I do it because it is to teach myself how to do it the hard way. It is not for every one.
My buddy Wes has a bunch of his photos on this site. He says it is a piece of cake to use. He has a mix of scans and digital snaps. Cool stuff.
I ware soft contacts. I have astigmatism, but I am fortunate enough to get disposable contacts. I heard there is no difference between long term and short term contacts except the manufacturing method. I've also heard the only difference between 24 hour disposable contacts and 30 day contacts is the amount of insurance the distibutions buy to cover liability. I could be wrong. That may be one of those modern urban legends.
This morning I was at work and wanted to pop my contacts in. I have to tell you first that I used to ware hard contacts. They are like little bits of twenty grit sandpaper in your eye. They hurt all the time. You can't fall asleep in them. Sometimes they pop up behind your eyelid and you feel them crawling around the top of your eye every time you look around. Soft contacts are far more comfortable. Hard contacts were easier to get in and out though. I never had a hard contact just pop out. I've never had a soft contact just disappear until this morning. I put in the left contact. Then I popped in the right contact. I tossed out the old fluid. The right contact was bugging me so I did the same thing I always do and used my finger to rotate it. With astigmatism the contacts have to sit a specific way to work properly. The contacts are misshaped so they rotate (hopefully in the right direction) when you blink. Your eyes kind of zipper shut when you blink. Anyway, this time when I pulled my finger away, the contact went with it. The couple of years I've been using soft contacts, this is the first time that happened. Lesson learned. I was due to swap them out for a new pare anyway.
Your Pictures Online
People keep asking me how I put my stuff on the web. I made my own server and use DynDNS. It is a mess, but I wanted to do it to learn how to make it happen. I'm not interested much in teaching others how to do it. Here is a site called SmugMug that is drag and drop. You have all kinds of settings and it looks snazzy. Use it to put your photos on the web. I do it the way I do it because it is to teach myself how to do it the hard way. It is not for every one.
My buddy Wes has a bunch of his photos on this site. He says it is a piece of cake to use. He has a mix of scans and digital snaps. Cool stuff.
2004-07-07
Twelve Step Proof to Love
6 billion people are on Earth at the moment. At least, thats what I heard, somewhere.
3 billion of them are women, roughly.
1 billion are about the right age. 18 to say 45 or so. It's funny that the 18 will never go up. I'm not so sure about the 45.
500 million are healthy. Drug attics, starving, disease, ... I wonder if this number should be much, much smaller. With the international AIDS epidemic, I bet the number is smaller.
250 million are of the right level of looks. Lets face it, I'm week I cannot fool myself into thinking that I will find just any one attractive. Also, a very pretty woman is out of my league. She would just leave me. =[
20 million are not involved at the moment. These are good catches so far. Healthy, cute, of proper age, that's a formula for success.
40 thousand are in the U. S. The U. S. has about 2% of the world's population. Yet, we use 40% of the worlds energy. I bet that is an old number. I've heard China is about to take over as the fastest growing energy consumer.
2 thousand are in the great state of Texas. I'm guessing 5% of the U. S. population live in Texas. I don't care if that pretty far off. It gets the point across.
1 thousand will eventually be in the same city as I. I don't travel much. Hopefully these women do. Optimistically, about half of the women and I will be in the same city at the same time I suppose.
50 of these near perfect matches I will meet. I don't get out much. I suppose I will only actually run into a precious few of the women who have met the above criteria. I define running into as "hi." ... "hi."
10 women will notice me, and I will notice them. Ah, this is the one that almost counts. This is where our eyes meet. Our breath grows short. The world stops just for us. That is not love. There is more to it.
1 woman and I will fall in love.
6 billion people are on Earth at the moment. At least, thats what I heard, somewhere.
3 billion of them are women, roughly.
1 billion are about the right age. 18 to say 45 or so. It's funny that the 18 will never go up. I'm not so sure about the 45.
500 million are healthy. Drug attics, starving, disease, ... I wonder if this number should be much, much smaller. With the international AIDS epidemic, I bet the number is smaller.
250 million are of the right level of looks. Lets face it, I'm week I cannot fool myself into thinking that I will find just any one attractive. Also, a very pretty woman is out of my league. She would just leave me. =[
20 million are not involved at the moment. These are good catches so far. Healthy, cute, of proper age, that's a formula for success.
40 thousand are in the U. S. The U. S. has about 2% of the world's population. Yet, we use 40% of the worlds energy. I bet that is an old number. I've heard China is about to take over as the fastest growing energy consumer.
2 thousand are in the great state of Texas. I'm guessing 5% of the U. S. population live in Texas. I don't care if that pretty far off. It gets the point across.
1 thousand will eventually be in the same city as I. I don't travel much. Hopefully these women do. Optimistically, about half of the women and I will be in the same city at the same time I suppose.
50 of these near perfect matches I will meet. I don't get out much. I suppose I will only actually run into a precious few of the women who have met the above criteria. I define running into as "hi." ... "hi."
10 women will notice me, and I will notice them. Ah, this is the one that almost counts. This is where our eyes meet. Our breath grows short. The world stops just for us. That is not love. There is more to it.
1 woman and I will fall in love.
Office Politics
A buddy of mine sent me a link to a funny article that describes personalities in an office. I fit about three of these at different times. I am so the Expert, and not in a good way. Think Cliff Claven. I've compared myself to him before. I may have mentioned it in my blog at one time.
Service Hold
"Welcome to the support desk. Your call may be monitored for training purposes." Training purposes, right.
"Please listen to all the menu options because they have recently changed."
"Press one for emergencies."
"Press two for standard support." beep <2>.
... click ... beep ...
A new voice says "If your issue is not business critical or a password issue, please use the service web page to log a ticket."
... do do do do ...
"The service desk is experiencing high call volume and will take 5 to 10 minutes."
... do do do do ...
A different voice says "Is your problem business critical? Can you describe your problem in writing? if you answer yes, please use the service web page"
... do do do do ...
A third voice says "Save time by clicking on manage password while logging on to your workstation. Change your Oracle, mainframe and NT passwords at login."
... do do do do ...
A fourth voice says "Your call is important to us. Please stay on the line. Your call will be answered in the order in which it was received."
Then, it just seems to repeat, and repeat, and repeat. It does say the above stuff in seemingly random order.
Then they close my priority 1 ticket and open a priority 2 ticket. That looks really good on their system that the priority 1 ticket was closed so quickly. They didn't put my name on the ticket. Thus, I'm not getting information any more. Fortunately, I can bring up the new ticket in the support software. Sometimes I don't understand what these people are thinking. They know I have users to communicate with. It is like I don't exist.
Cheap Drugs
They are talking discount prescriptions to poor people. Thing is, I'm in the amount they list as poor. $45,000 a year. I am well under that. The are talking a family. I live alone. That should count. I want cheap drugs.
A buddy of mine sent me a link to a funny article that describes personalities in an office. I fit about three of these at different times. I am so the Expert, and not in a good way. Think Cliff Claven. I've compared myself to him before. I may have mentioned it in my blog at one time.
Service Hold
"Welcome to the support desk. Your call may be monitored for training purposes." Training purposes, right.
"Please listen to all the menu options because they have recently changed."
"Press one for emergencies."
"Press two for standard support." beep <2>.
... click ... beep ...
A new voice says "If your issue is not business critical or a password issue, please use the service web page to log a ticket."
... do do do do ...
"The service desk is experiencing high call volume and will take 5 to 10 minutes."
... do do do do ...
A different voice says "Is your problem business critical? Can you describe your problem in writing? if you answer yes, please use the service web page"
... do do do do ...
A third voice says "Save time by clicking on manage password while logging on to your workstation. Change your Oracle, mainframe and NT passwords at login."
... do do do do ...
A fourth voice says "Your call is important to us. Please stay on the line. Your call will be answered in the order in which it was received."
Then, it just seems to repeat, and repeat, and repeat. It does say the above stuff in seemingly random order.
Then they close my priority 1 ticket and open a priority 2 ticket. That looks really good on their system that the priority 1 ticket was closed so quickly. They didn't put my name on the ticket. Thus, I'm not getting information any more. Fortunately, I can bring up the new ticket in the support software. Sometimes I don't understand what these people are thinking. They know I have users to communicate with. It is like I don't exist.
Cheap Drugs
They are talking discount prescriptions to poor people. Thing is, I'm in the amount they list as poor. $45,000 a year. I am well under that. The are talking a family. I live alone. That should count. I want cheap drugs.
2004-07-06
"I'm not telling him..."
This story says the CIA withheld info on WMD from Iraq before the war. I'm tired of hearing it. Go away. I understand the whole "freedom of speech" and "informed public", but I'm tired of hearing about it.
Dueling Movies
Another thing I'm tired of hearing about is Michael Moore's movie and this one by Disney too. Michael says to download his film if you can. It upsets me when the movie industry complains constantly about downloading, then they try to use it to their advantage. If only the understood this could be a boon for their distribution. It costs nothing to distribute something important. People generate their own distribution systems/networks. You have to take the good with the bad.
More baned technology
Well, first it was cameras, then picture phones.Then, coke cans. Now, it is iPods and storage devices. Next, we won't be able to bring pace makers into work. There needs to be more generalized rules. The executives at the top are going to get blisters on their mouse fingers clicking on all the individual pieces of technology to ban. I bet the only reason they won't let me work from home is because they can't watch me with a camera. They don't want to see me in my jammies anyway.
Work Phone
My phone did not ring all day. I had a script I needed to complete so I would not have answered it anyway. It never ceases to amaze me how much work I get done when no one calls. I only got a couple of emails. They were easy to answer. I still didn't finish. it isn't the script's fault. The application I'm trying to package is acting freaky. It is one of those time suck applications by a small company. It would be faster to just run around and install the frigging software on people's machines. There are only about twenty or thirty people who need it. Maybe I'll have a better time with it tomorrow.
This story says the CIA withheld info on WMD from Iraq before the war. I'm tired of hearing it. Go away. I understand the whole "freedom of speech" and "informed public", but I'm tired of hearing about it.
Dueling Movies
Another thing I'm tired of hearing about is Michael Moore's movie and this one by Disney too. Michael says to download his film if you can. It upsets me when the movie industry complains constantly about downloading, then they try to use it to their advantage. If only the understood this could be a boon for their distribution. It costs nothing to distribute something important. People generate their own distribution systems/networks. You have to take the good with the bad.
More baned technology
Well, first it was cameras, then picture phones.Then, coke cans. Now, it is iPods and storage devices. Next, we won't be able to bring pace makers into work. There needs to be more generalized rules. The executives at the top are going to get blisters on their mouse fingers clicking on all the individual pieces of technology to ban. I bet the only reason they won't let me work from home is because they can't watch me with a camera. They don't want to see me in my jammies anyway.
Work Phone
My phone did not ring all day. I had a script I needed to complete so I would not have answered it anyway. It never ceases to amaze me how much work I get done when no one calls. I only got a couple of emails. They were easy to answer. I still didn't finish. it isn't the script's fault. The application I'm trying to package is acting freaky. It is one of those time suck applications by a small company. It would be faster to just run around and install the frigging software on people's machines. There are only about twenty or thirty people who need it. Maybe I'll have a better time with it tomorrow.
2004-07-05
Company (Government) security
Ok, they have gone too far. The minute the ban Coke (or eventually Dr Pepper) I am living in a cave in Montana.
I remember when the company I work for first mentioned picture phones, they said something like "They are not baned yet, but ..." A couple of months later they were band.
Sake or steak
A steak is tastes like a steak no matter how you spell it. (thanks for the correction though.) I'm not going to fix it in the earlier posts. It just gives me something new to talk about now.
Geeks!
I've said it before. Don't listen to the scientists. They are just a bunch of geeks who have nothing better to do than make up stuff about stuff that they think they should know stuff about. They were wrong about Titan, and they are wrong about dark matter or dark energy. "Dark energy!?!? Give me a break. They call it dark, because they can't find it. BAH!!!.
Fake Degree
I remember asking about fake degrees. It is too bad I'm not British. I'm not serious. I would feel terrible if I tried to fool someone into thinking I had done something I had not. Those morals again.
IE problems
Did I say it was not necessary yet to dump IE for other browsers? I was wrong. It turns out MS has not permanently fixed the trouble. It has only implemented a work around. So, go FireFox. I highly recommend it. I'm using it right now.
Ok, they have gone too far. The minute the ban Coke (or eventually Dr Pepper) I am living in a cave in Montana.
I remember when the company I work for first mentioned picture phones, they said something like "They are not baned yet, but ..." A couple of months later they were band.
Sake or steak
A steak is tastes like a steak no matter how you spell it. (thanks for the correction though.) I'm not going to fix it in the earlier posts. It just gives me something new to talk about now.
Geeks!
I've said it before. Don't listen to the scientists. They are just a bunch of geeks who have nothing better to do than make up stuff about stuff that they think they should know stuff about. They were wrong about Titan, and they are wrong about dark matter or dark energy. "Dark energy!?!? Give me a break. They call it dark, because they can't find it. BAH!!!.
Fake Degree
I remember asking about fake degrees. It is too bad I'm not British. I'm not serious. I would feel terrible if I tried to fool someone into thinking I had done something I had not. Those morals again.
IE problems
Did I say it was not necessary yet to dump IE for other browsers? I was wrong. It turns out MS has not permanently fixed the trouble. It has only implemented a work around. So, go FireFox. I highly recommend it. I'm using it right now.
Move, Degree, Girlfriend, Change
I've lived in the same town most of my life. I get that feeling that if I had gotten my degree I would have so many more options. If you stay and work at your degree, you will get the option of doing a job where you fill the niche. People with degrees make jobs to fill with people with degrees. It is a vicious circle. This town makes me sick. I wonder if there are any places where this situation will still let me through the cracks. There is a time coming where there are two kinds of people in the country. Those with higher education, and those without. The laws are to favor those with money right now. If you have money, you get a different ride, and many more options. If you are poor, you are a number. Well, those with degrees in the great land make more money. You have to have some one with a degree defend you when you are in trouble. You have another person with a degree trying to convict you. I'm not 100% sure, but I bet all judges in Texas have a law degree, or some other applicable degree. They are elected here after all. The vast majority of Congressman and Senators are lawyers. I bet there are less than two representatives without degrees. All the Supreme Court justices have degrees. The president has a degree. They represent less than 1/5th of the nation's population. One in five adults have a degree in the U. S.
I need to get over it. I need to either go get a degree, or get on with my life and stop blaming. Moving won't solve anything. A girlfriend won't solve anything. a degree won't solve anything. I need to solve it. I wish I could heed my own advice.
At points like this in peoples lives, they are vulnerable. When some one is ready for change to happen, sometimes they will take any change. They might take the first change that comes along. I have to be careful in this vulnerable time in my life. I might cause myself to loose my job (God forbid). This is the time people tend to break up with their loved ones. Some call it a mid-life crisis. I'm 35. I bet I'll hit the mid-life crisis at about 45 or so.
I've lived in the same town most of my life. I get that feeling that if I had gotten my degree I would have so many more options. If you stay and work at your degree, you will get the option of doing a job where you fill the niche. People with degrees make jobs to fill with people with degrees. It is a vicious circle. This town makes me sick. I wonder if there are any places where this situation will still let me through the cracks. There is a time coming where there are two kinds of people in the country. Those with higher education, and those without. The laws are to favor those with money right now. If you have money, you get a different ride, and many more options. If you are poor, you are a number. Well, those with degrees in the great land make more money. You have to have some one with a degree defend you when you are in trouble. You have another person with a degree trying to convict you. I'm not 100% sure, but I bet all judges in Texas have a law degree, or some other applicable degree. They are elected here after all. The vast majority of Congressman and Senators are lawyers. I bet there are less than two representatives without degrees. All the Supreme Court justices have degrees. The president has a degree. They represent less than 1/5th of the nation's population. One in five adults have a degree in the U. S.
I need to get over it. I need to either go get a degree, or get on with my life and stop blaming. Moving won't solve anything. A girlfriend won't solve anything. a degree won't solve anything. I need to solve it. I wish I could heed my own advice.
At points like this in peoples lives, they are vulnerable. When some one is ready for change to happen, sometimes they will take any change. They might take the first change that comes along. I have to be careful in this vulnerable time in my life. I might cause myself to loose my job (God forbid). This is the time people tend to break up with their loved ones. Some call it a mid-life crisis. I'm 35. I bet I'll hit the mid-life crisis at about 45 or so.
2004-07-04
Good Day
It's good to be an American. Yesterday I had stake. Today I have stake. I'm starting to understand why so many people around the world hate us. Yesterday I had cobbler and ice-cream. Today I have root-beer floats. Yesterday I spent time with my friends. Today I spend time with my family. Yesterday I watched movies on my friend's TiVo. Today I watch the Cartoon Network on my parent's cable. Today (and yesterday) life is good. Heck, it is even nice outside.
Cable
I would get cable except, I'm too cheap. If I could get about 10 key channels for $20 a month, I'd pull the trigger. I would need the Sci-Fi channel, Cartoon Network, CNN, some local channels to square the deal.
It's good to be an American. Yesterday I had stake. Today I have stake. I'm starting to understand why so many people around the world hate us. Yesterday I had cobbler and ice-cream. Today I have root-beer floats. Yesterday I spent time with my friends. Today I spend time with my family. Yesterday I watched movies on my friend's TiVo. Today I watch the Cartoon Network on my parent's cable. Today (and yesterday) life is good. Heck, it is even nice outside.
Cable
I would get cable except, I'm too cheap. If I could get about 10 key channels for $20 a month, I'd pull the trigger. I would need the Sci-Fi channel, Cartoon Network, CNN, some local channels to square the deal.
Glutton
I ate a 20 oz stake today. We had bread and salad first. I finished most of that too. After downing the 20 oz stake and mashed potatoes, I polished off an apple cobbler with ice-cream. Oh, dear. What have I done. That was good. I'm off to the parent's place tomorrow (the fourth) and guess what we are going to have. Yup, stake.
Far Cry
I'm installing Far Cry. I have a bad feeling it won't last long. It is six CDs. I have to mount the images instead of using actual CDs. It is a long story. I use a software package called Daemon Tools.to mount the images on the hard drive.
I just went through the configuration wizard thing. Everything is set to low. I can't wait to upgrade my machine. Dell has some good deals. I want to get a flat panel this time. I'm looking at just under $1800 or so drive out.
It looks like I'm going to have to wait on Far Cry. As I walk around, there is nothing. The graphics keep jumping around and turning off as I go. I can see through some walls and the textures keep disappearing. Let me try a reboot. Nope. Uninstall and remove from my presence. Drat. it looked like a good bit of fun.
I ate a 20 oz stake today. We had bread and salad first. I finished most of that too. After downing the 20 oz stake and mashed potatoes, I polished off an apple cobbler with ice-cream. Oh, dear. What have I done. That was good. I'm off to the parent's place tomorrow (the fourth) and guess what we are going to have. Yup, stake.
Far Cry
I'm installing Far Cry. I have a bad feeling it won't last long. It is six CDs. I have to mount the images instead of using actual CDs. It is a long story. I use a software package called Daemon Tools.to mount the images on the hard drive.
I just went through the configuration wizard thing. Everything is set to low. I can't wait to upgrade my machine. Dell has some good deals. I want to get a flat panel this time. I'm looking at just under $1800 or so drive out.
It looks like I'm going to have to wait on Far Cry. As I walk around, there is nothing. The graphics keep jumping around and turning off as I go. I can see through some walls and the textures keep disappearing. Let me try a reboot. Nope. Uninstall and remove from my presence. Drat. it looked like a good bit of fun.
2004-07-02
MS IE vulnerabilities
First, here is a link to fix at least one of those nasty problems Internet Explorer had recently. Click on the Download link in the upper right hand corner somewhere. I have to say, this is not really MS's fault. They are just the most common software. The reason people write virus programs that affect IE and other MS software is the same reason most people write any kind of software for the operating system. It is the most common browser. It seems like every one uses it. I use FireFox and Mozilla. I have used Opera, bu not much. Netscape is really an older version of Mozilla. There has been some recommendations to stop using IE. I don't know if that is warranted in this case, but it might pay to use one of the other browsers until the security issues are worked out by MS. I got my mom on FireFox. She seems to like it.
Stick Figure Fighting
This is proof that some one out there has time to not only learn Flash, but to do something so very cool with it that I cannot resist placing a link to it on my blog. There is a funny AVI on their site too. It is not as involved as the above link, but worth a view. They even have a little interactive 3d shooter, but it is far too much. It approaches the sell-out point.
This is almost as cool as badger, but the badger site burned out very fast. You can still get a T-shirt though.
First, here is a link to fix at least one of those nasty problems Internet Explorer had recently. Click on the Download link in the upper right hand corner somewhere. I have to say, this is not really MS's fault. They are just the most common software. The reason people write virus programs that affect IE and other MS software is the same reason most people write any kind of software for the operating system. It is the most common browser. It seems like every one uses it. I use FireFox and Mozilla. I have used Opera, bu not much. Netscape is really an older version of Mozilla. There has been some recommendations to stop using IE. I don't know if that is warranted in this case, but it might pay to use one of the other browsers until the security issues are worked out by MS. I got my mom on FireFox. She seems to like it.
Stick Figure Fighting
This is proof that some one out there has time to not only learn Flash, but to do something so very cool with it that I cannot resist placing a link to it on my blog. There is a funny AVI on their site too. It is not as involved as the above link, but worth a view. They even have a little interactive 3d shooter, but it is far too much. It approaches the sell-out point.
This is almost as cool as badger, but the badger site burned out very fast. You can still get a T-shirt though.
2004-07-01
Google Math
Do the following searches in Google. (I could do this crap all day.)
1 cubic mile in cubic km > 1 (cubic mile) = 4.16818183 cubic kilometers
1 mile per gallon in km per liter > 1 mile per gallon = 0.425143706 kilometers per liter
1 square mile in acres > 1 (square mile) = 640 acres
400 feet + 100 meters in inches > (400 feet) + (100 meters) = 8 737.00787 inches
1 hectare in acres > 1 hectare = 2.47105381 acres
40 acres + 19 hectares - 500 square meters in square feet > (40 acres) + (19 hectares) - (500 (square meters)) = 3 782 161.02 square feet
OK, I'll stop.
Two steps forward, three steps back
I'm sure you have had days like this. Lately, it seems to have gotten worse. Everything I do at work seems to require me fixing something wrong with the very fabric of the system before I can proceed. That, or I have to re-write the documentation to reflect the broken parts of the system. That is one of my favorites. "Is that in the documentation?" Answer, "There is documentation for this?" Before this company outsourced everything, there was pretty well done documentation for processes. Now, the employees of the company don't seem to care if the outsourced people flounder, as long as they meet budget and deadlines. It is no way to run a company. It isn't unique to this company. I hear people elsewhere say the exact same thing. It is a symptom of having people outside the root organization responsible for things that people with a real stake in the company should do.
Saddam and Milosevic
Milosevic has been on trial for a long time. He just keeps trying to call Clinton and Tony Blare to the stand. Now he is getting ill and unable to stand trial continually. I hope Saddam gets a fair trial, but I hope it does not drag on for years. I can so envision the witnesses and the evidence taking for ever to drag in front of a panel or jury. It sounds like Saddam is going to pull some similar stunts as Milosevic and use the trial as a political soap-box. I heard some one say the Iraqis wanted to bring back the death penalty just for Saddam. Is that some shit? How would you like to be that guy? The Provisional Authority had to outlaw the death penalty and most likely get a promise that the Iraqi government would not kill Saddam. Ironic, coming from a nation that has the death penalty all over the place.
Do the following searches in Google. (I could do this crap all day.)
1 cubic mile in cubic km > 1 (cubic mile) = 4.16818183 cubic kilometers
1 mile per gallon in km per liter > 1 mile per gallon = 0.425143706 kilometers per liter
1 square mile in acres > 1 (square mile) = 640 acres
400 feet + 100 meters in inches > (400 feet) + (100 meters) = 8 737.00787 inches
1 hectare in acres > 1 hectare = 2.47105381 acres
40 acres + 19 hectares - 500 square meters in square feet > (40 acres) + (19 hectares) - (500 (square meters)) = 3 782 161.02 square feet
OK, I'll stop.
Two steps forward, three steps back
I'm sure you have had days like this. Lately, it seems to have gotten worse. Everything I do at work seems to require me fixing something wrong with the very fabric of the system before I can proceed. That, or I have to re-write the documentation to reflect the broken parts of the system. That is one of my favorites. "Is that in the documentation?" Answer, "There is documentation for this?" Before this company outsourced everything, there was pretty well done documentation for processes. Now, the employees of the company don't seem to care if the outsourced people flounder, as long as they meet budget and deadlines. It is no way to run a company. It isn't unique to this company. I hear people elsewhere say the exact same thing. It is a symptom of having people outside the root organization responsible for things that people with a real stake in the company should do.
Saddam and Milosevic
Milosevic has been on trial for a long time. He just keeps trying to call Clinton and Tony Blare to the stand. Now he is getting ill and unable to stand trial continually. I hope Saddam gets a fair trial, but I hope it does not drag on for years. I can so envision the witnesses and the evidence taking for ever to drag in front of a panel or jury. It sounds like Saddam is going to pull some similar stunts as Milosevic and use the trial as a political soap-box. I heard some one say the Iraqis wanted to bring back the death penalty just for Saddam. Is that some shit? How would you like to be that guy? The Provisional Authority had to outlaw the death penalty and most likely get a promise that the Iraqi government would not kill Saddam. Ironic, coming from a nation that has the death penalty all over the place.
2004-06-30
User 2.0
As an IS guy, I complain constantly about users who have no clue. I know in my heart, they are why I have a job. To tell you the truth, the users who have an idea are worse then the ones who know nothing. Those who know enough to get into trouble typically cost more time than the clueless. Then, there are the truly knowledgeable users. Yes, there are people out there who get it, and use it to their advantage. These are the worse of all. I can't snow them. They only need me because the company mandates some one in IS do the dirty work. They only need me because they want some one to blame when it all burns down.
Engineers make me sick sometimes. You never know what you are going to get when you get a question from an engineer. I had an engineer who didn't know you could drag and drop shortcuts on the start menu in XP. I had another who refused to understand why he didn't have rights to part of a database. "You are an electrical engineer. Why do you want to change steel?" They put rights in the database for a reason. "What idiot put this explosion fence in the way of my conduit?!? <delete>!"
Explosion radius diagrams are funny. Funny in that "Oh my God!" kind of way. They will have a print of a plant with these circles all over the place. Some overlap. Then, in some rare cases, there is a tinny print of a plant in the middle of the page with this biiiiiig circle expanding in all directions. "hmmm. Check out the highway running through the middle of the circle."
Pretty Day
It is a beautiful day outside. It is a bit humid, but it would be great to sit under an awning at a small restaurant sipping a beer, instead of sitting in a dingy office taping these damn keys over and over, dealing with people, dealing with computers, dealing with the phone. It is a beautiful day outside. It would be great if I could go out and play. God save me. Can I be productive and still enjoy myself? Am I not to enjoy myself? Am I to toil for eternity? Have I lived this day over and over again? Did I do something to offend? I'm sorry.
Work Email
With all these email viruses and worms my day job is freaking out. It takes ten hours to get an external email to a vendor. I have had to use my gmail account a couple of times to get license codes and information in a timely manor. It is hurting business.
As an IS guy, I complain constantly about users who have no clue. I know in my heart, they are why I have a job. To tell you the truth, the users who have an idea are worse then the ones who know nothing. Those who know enough to get into trouble typically cost more time than the clueless. Then, there are the truly knowledgeable users. Yes, there are people out there who get it, and use it to their advantage. These are the worse of all. I can't snow them. They only need me because the company mandates some one in IS do the dirty work. They only need me because they want some one to blame when it all burns down.
Engineers make me sick sometimes. You never know what you are going to get when you get a question from an engineer. I had an engineer who didn't know you could drag and drop shortcuts on the start menu in XP. I had another who refused to understand why he didn't have rights to part of a database. "You are an electrical engineer. Why do you want to change steel?" They put rights in the database for a reason. "What idiot put this explosion fence in the way of my conduit?!? <delete>!"
Explosion radius diagrams are funny. Funny in that "Oh my God!" kind of way. They will have a print of a plant with these circles all over the place. Some overlap. Then, in some rare cases, there is a tinny print of a plant in the middle of the page with this biiiiiig circle expanding in all directions. "hmmm. Check out the highway running through the middle of the circle."
Pretty Day
It is a beautiful day outside. It is a bit humid, but it would be great to sit under an awning at a small restaurant sipping a beer, instead of sitting in a dingy office taping these damn keys over and over, dealing with people, dealing with computers, dealing with the phone. It is a beautiful day outside. It would be great if I could go out and play. God save me. Can I be productive and still enjoy myself? Am I not to enjoy myself? Am I to toil for eternity? Have I lived this day over and over again? Did I do something to offend? I'm sorry.
Work Email
With all these email viruses and worms my day job is freaking out. It takes ten hours to get an external email to a vendor. I have had to use my gmail account a couple of times to get license codes and information in a timely manor. It is hurting business.
Best Dollar Spent
I've said before that the best way to spend a dollar for the Republican party was to donate it to Nader. Well, some one picked up on it. That is how Bush won Florida. If it hadn't been for the independent taking something like 10,000 votes away from the democrat, we would have a different president. Think of all the things that would be different now if that had happened. We would not have invaded Iraq. We would probably not done what we did in Afghanistan. .
The Register
You have got to read this if you have ever done any IT or support work. The Register has a couple of columns they run. This one is just for fun.
Balls
Have you heard about the two guys on the International Space Station? These guys had to go outside to repair a malfunctioning piece of equipment. That may sound like a day in the office for and astronaut, but they are the only two people on the station. They are the only living entities for hundreds of miles. The first time they tried it, one of the suits failed in mid walk. They had to run back inside. They are using the same suit that had the problem. They had to communicate in Russian while they were over That part of the world and English over Houston. If there was a problem with communications, ground control was going to wave the mechanical arm to get their attention. There are supposed to be three people on the station when it is in use, but there is only enough life support for two. Is it me, or is this multi-billion dollar pile of lowest bids starting to sound like a hoopty?
The Chronicles of Riddick (spoiler)
This movie was exactly what it said on the side of the box. Rock. I hope they do some more on this theme. There is another Riddick movie out now called Dar Fury. It is good too. I recommend them both for those like minded individuals who like a tender boy meets girl, girl gets killed, boy takes over universe by accident type flicks.
I've said before that the best way to spend a dollar for the Republican party was to donate it to Nader. Well, some one picked up on it. That is how Bush won Florida. If it hadn't been for the independent taking something like 10,000 votes away from the democrat, we would have a different president. Think of all the things that would be different now if that had happened. We would not have invaded Iraq. We would probably not done what we did in Afghanistan. .
The Register
You have got to read this if you have ever done any IT or support work. The Register has a couple of columns they run. This one is just for fun.
Balls
Have you heard about the two guys on the International Space Station? These guys had to go outside to repair a malfunctioning piece of equipment. That may sound like a day in the office for and astronaut, but they are the only two people on the station. They are the only living entities for hundreds of miles. The first time they tried it, one of the suits failed in mid walk. They had to run back inside. They are using the same suit that had the problem. They had to communicate in Russian while they were over That part of the world and English over Houston. If there was a problem with communications, ground control was going to wave the mechanical arm to get their attention. There are supposed to be three people on the station when it is in use, but there is only enough life support for two. Is it me, or is this multi-billion dollar pile of lowest bids starting to sound like a hoopty?
The Chronicles of Riddick (spoiler)
This movie was exactly what it said on the side of the box. Rock. I hope they do some more on this theme. There is another Riddick movie out now called Dar Fury. It is good too. I recommend them both for those like minded individuals who like a tender boy meets girl, girl gets killed, boy takes over universe by accident type flicks.
2004-06-29
Email
User Friendly has a good cartoon that explains why competition among "free" email systems is not really helping the end user. The cartoon has an interesting opinion of spam filters too. (blech!)
I change email addresses of the. Too often for some people. I it cleansing to not give the new email to some. The only email address I cannot change is the primary email on my ISP. It gets nothing but junk email. I have never given it out to any one. My ISP must have sold it at some point. Trouble is, I have to clean it out or it will fill up all the space on my mail account. The secondary emails will stop working at that point. I have Outlook set to just blow everything away from that account. It is like ten or twenty emails a day. I used to have an old Hotmail account that got dozens of junk mail a day. I just abandon it one day. Now, I have a personal email account that I use for humans and a different one for business. The funny thing is, the personal one fills up with spam faster. It is from cards, greetings and the like. "Free movie tickets." BAH!!
Work
Something interesting happened at work. They laid off the guy who does the paperwork part of the packaging task I perform. This means I get to do his job on top of mine. This means twice the responsibility while still feeling the affects of a 6% pay cut. Have I mentioned the 6% pay cut before? Now, not only do I have three times as many applications as any one else, but I have to follow up on all the questions and paperwork as well. No one else working for this company is responsible for as many applications as I am except the group that runs the IS portion of the process. They have dozens of people working for them. I am, now, alone. (well, Scott helps out.)
Resume
Well crud. I actually have to produce a resume. I had hopped to fake it and make myself feel better. Unfortunately, I have some people asking me for a resume. It isn't really unfortunate, I'm just trying not to get my hopes up. Say a prayer for me.
Career
I consider myself one of the most successful people I know. I had a very hard time in school. From kindergarten through college, I was the one who was lost more often than not. I could not read the board. I could not read those damn ditto copies they used to use. I am to this day one of the slowest readers in the world. I don't think I would do much better now. I could definitely use the Internet for research. I could definitely use the computer to read to me. Between the nightmares about having to go back to school and the lack of drive, I would probably use my unfair knowledge to sail through school. The best education I have had has been working in the real world. They should make people work for a couple of years between middle school and high school. When i was a kid people were worried I would be a burden on society. My parents tell me they never thought of college as a viable option. That is probably why I ended up paying most of my own way. The fact that I am not living off Uncle Sucker, or living at home (God forbid) tells me I'm doing alright.
<How much of this have I written before?>
People seem to think the legally blind thing will help me in school or business. I don't get it. I did use SSI during college. I did get some extra time on the SAT. The teachers did help me out when I asked. I don't think any doors have been opened specifically because of my condition. I have used it as an excuse all my life. I've seen totally blind golfers. I've seen people ski blind. I've even seen a person sky-dive blind. My ex-boyscout leader was a blind lawyer. He said to us "I've never driven a car, but I have bought my wife several new cars.".
User Friendly has a good cartoon that explains why competition among "free" email systems is not really helping the end user. The cartoon has an interesting opinion of spam filters too. (blech!)
I change email addresses of the. Too often for some people. I it cleansing to not give the new email to some. The only email address I cannot change is the primary email on my ISP. It gets nothing but junk email. I have never given it out to any one. My ISP must have sold it at some point. Trouble is, I have to clean it out or it will fill up all the space on my mail account. The secondary emails will stop working at that point. I have Outlook set to just blow everything away from that account. It is like ten or twenty emails a day. I used to have an old Hotmail account that got dozens of junk mail a day. I just abandon it one day. Now, I have a personal email account that I use for humans and a different one for business. The funny thing is, the personal one fills up with spam faster. It is from cards, greetings and the like. "Free movie tickets." BAH!!
Work
Something interesting happened at work. They laid off the guy who does the paperwork part of the packaging task I perform. This means I get to do his job on top of mine. This means twice the responsibility while still feeling the affects of a 6% pay cut. Have I mentioned the 6% pay cut before? Now, not only do I have three times as many applications as any one else, but I have to follow up on all the questions and paperwork as well. No one else working for this company is responsible for as many applications as I am except the group that runs the IS portion of the process. They have dozens of people working for them. I am, now, alone. (well, Scott helps out.)
Resume
Well crud. I actually have to produce a resume. I had hopped to fake it and make myself feel better. Unfortunately, I have some people asking me for a resume. It isn't really unfortunate, I'm just trying not to get my hopes up. Say a prayer for me.
Career
I consider myself one of the most successful people I know. I had a very hard time in school. From kindergarten through college, I was the one who was lost more often than not. I could not read the board. I could not read those damn ditto copies they used to use. I am to this day one of the slowest readers in the world. I don't think I would do much better now. I could definitely use the Internet for research. I could definitely use the computer to read to me. Between the nightmares about having to go back to school and the lack of drive, I would probably use my unfair knowledge to sail through school. The best education I have had has been working in the real world. They should make people work for a couple of years between middle school and high school. When i was a kid people were worried I would be a burden on society. My parents tell me they never thought of college as a viable option. That is probably why I ended up paying most of my own way. The fact that I am not living off Uncle Sucker, or living at home (God forbid) tells me I'm doing alright.
<How much of this have I written before?>
People seem to think the legally blind thing will help me in school or business. I don't get it. I did use SSI during college. I did get some extra time on the SAT. The teachers did help me out when I asked. I don't think any doors have been opened specifically because of my condition. I have used it as an excuse all my life. I've seen totally blind golfers. I've seen people ski blind. I've even seen a person sky-dive blind. My ex-boyscout leader was a blind lawyer. He said to us "I've never driven a car, but I have bought my wife several new cars.".
2004-06-28
Fucking Atheists
Will these guys stop beating a dead horse. This guy's ex-wife wants her daughter to recite the pledge. The father does not want her to recite the pledge. I wonder what the kid wants. She is mentioned only in passing. Bunch of winy little twits.
Degree
I don't have a degree. That is killing my job prospects. Everywhere I look, the first thing people ask for is your transcript. There is going to come a time in the U. S. pretty soon where those without a degree will not be able to afford to get one for themselves or their children. This will bring on a society separated into the educated and the unwashed. About one in five adults have a degree in the U. S.. Right now this country is separated by economic methods. It may not matter in the future how much you make, but where you went to school, and how far you went.
My day job will not hire you without a degree. I don't think any one outside of hands-on construction has been hired as a direct employee in a long time.
It isn't that I feel empty or unfulfilled without a degree. I just don't think I'm ever going to make it anywhere in today's society without one. I will always be a tech. I will always be underpaid. I will always do the work while some one with a degree tells me to do it. All the while dangling a 3% a year carrot in front of me, then hit me with a 6% pay cut so they can make their bonus.
I can fake it. Where can I pay $5000 and get a degree from fly-by-night U? I need to go back to school. I need to get a degree. I need to find the strength. I need to make myself focus. I want to be that guy who gets it done, makes it right.
Will these guys stop beating a dead horse. This guy's ex-wife wants her daughter to recite the pledge. The father does not want her to recite the pledge. I wonder what the kid wants. She is mentioned only in passing. Bunch of winy little twits.
Degree
I don't have a degree. That is killing my job prospects. Everywhere I look, the first thing people ask for is your transcript. There is going to come a time in the U. S. pretty soon where those without a degree will not be able to afford to get one for themselves or their children. This will bring on a society separated into the educated and the unwashed. About one in five adults have a degree in the U. S.. Right now this country is separated by economic methods. It may not matter in the future how much you make, but where you went to school, and how far you went.
My day job will not hire you without a degree. I don't think any one outside of hands-on construction has been hired as a direct employee in a long time.
It isn't that I feel empty or unfulfilled without a degree. I just don't think I'm ever going to make it anywhere in today's society without one. I will always be a tech. I will always be underpaid. I will always do the work while some one with a degree tells me to do it. All the while dangling a 3% a year carrot in front of me, then hit me with a 6% pay cut so they can make their bonus.
I can fake it. Where can I pay $5000 and get a degree from fly-by-night U? I need to go back to school. I need to get a degree. I need to find the strength. I need to make myself focus. I want to be that guy who gets it done, makes it right.
It is the first thing on a Monday morning. I'm in to work at 6:00 AM.
I'm dragging ass like some one with job security. I can't get my mind
to work. The coffee does nothing. Hopefully this little bit of typing
will wake me up.
I actually answered some one's question already this morning. Some one asked me about a software package I am no longer responsible for and I directed them to the proper person. I feel like a hero, and I've only been here 45 minutes.
I actually answered some one's question already this morning. Some one asked me about a software package I am no longer responsible for and I directed them to the proper person. I feel like a hero, and I've only been here 45 minutes.
2004-06-27
Sunday Afternoon
I'm listening to blues/jazz on the net. I'm drinking Johny Walker black.
I'm feeling OK.
The sky won't rain. The clouds won't go away. That's OK.
I watched a movie where the guy doesn't get the girl. He wins a kingdom he never wanted in the first place, but that's OK.
No one calls, no one sends an email, no one talks to my face, that's OK.
The world is all out there, waiting to be had. Waiting for my <iron fist?, no,> guidance. that's OK. It does not need me.
The one in charge falls short. The replacement will too. That's OK. We have had a good run.
I will not lead the world today. I will drink my whiskey and listen to the blues. That's OK.
War is not a Soldier.
When you say the word "war", I see a soldier crouching in the mud, dirty, hungry, tired, scared, cold. Gazing through the haze of battle all around, the soldier stands his ground. A battle takes grows and evolves all on it's own. What does a soldier need to know to fight a war? How can the grunt on the ground know what twisted lies creep in the pride of old men. politicians run the world. Lawyers tell soldiers when, where, who to fight. Lawyers make the rules. Lawyers argue the rules. Lawyers judge the rules. Money buys me bread. Lawyers put up the walls I cannot cross in my free society.
I'm listening to blues/jazz on the net. I'm drinking Johny Walker black.
I'm feeling OK.
The sky won't rain. The clouds won't go away. That's OK.
I watched a movie where the guy doesn't get the girl. He wins a kingdom he never wanted in the first place, but that's OK.
No one calls, no one sends an email, no one talks to my face, that's OK.
The world is all out there, waiting to be had. Waiting for my <iron fist?, no,> guidance. that's OK. It does not need me.
The one in charge falls short. The replacement will too. That's OK. We have had a good run.
I will not lead the world today. I will drink my whiskey and listen to the blues. That's OK.
War is not a Soldier.
When you say the word "war", I see a soldier crouching in the mud, dirty, hungry, tired, scared, cold. Gazing through the haze of battle all around, the soldier stands his ground. A battle takes grows and evolves all on it's own. What does a soldier need to know to fight a war? How can the grunt on the ground know what twisted lies creep in the pride of old men. politicians run the world. Lawyers tell soldiers when, where, who to fight. Lawyers make the rules. Lawyers argue the rules. Lawyers judge the rules. Money buys me bread. Lawyers put up the walls I cannot cross in my free society.
2004-06-26
Lock your front door?
I know several people who have unsecure wireless networks. They just don't seem to care that people can walk, fly, drive, float by and hop on the Internet with an IP address that leads back to them. It is right up there with identity theft. Some one can break into your home and steel your old drivers license or your birth certificate and make off with your name. Well, Now people are driving down the street and using your IP address to surf child porn, or extort money from a rival business. You lock your front door, right? Turn on the security features on your wireless network.
Mom
My mom reads my blog. She is debating on starting a blog. That would be a bit much I think. I'm trying to think of a catch to get her on. "Write about Jesus." That should do it.
She is on the mobile walking the dog around the neighborhood. I get the story about the dog next door. Sugar (seven pound ball of fury) scares the German Shepherd next door. He runs and hides when they walk by. She tells me about the Thunderbird parked a couple of houses down. She can hear me type and I tell her I'm typing my blog. She drives a Jeep. She is a tough old gal. She has to yell at the dog for picking up a cigarette. "Drop that!" Sugar will sit there and point like a pointer at bugs crawling across the floor. She will find it and track it until some one comes along and kills it. Kizzy, my mom's other dog. is old and blind. She doesn't go on walks as much any more.
My dad was out mowing the yard the whole time I was on the phone with my mom. He drives a Ford truck.
Maggie
When Maggie is scanned by the Grocery store checker it does not say "NRA Forever" as touted in the 138 episode Extravaganza. It says 847.63 dammit. I know it is hard to read. it is hard to read on the TV screen too.
I know several people who have unsecure wireless networks. They just don't seem to care that people can walk, fly, drive, float by and hop on the Internet with an IP address that leads back to them. It is right up there with identity theft. Some one can break into your home and steel your old drivers license or your birth certificate and make off with your name. Well, Now people are driving down the street and using your IP address to surf child porn, or extort money from a rival business. You lock your front door, right? Turn on the security features on your wireless network.
Mom
My mom reads my blog. She is debating on starting a blog. That would be a bit much I think. I'm trying to think of a catch to get her on. "Write about Jesus." That should do it.
She is on the mobile walking the dog around the neighborhood. I get the story about the dog next door. Sugar (seven pound ball of fury) scares the German Shepherd next door. He runs and hides when they walk by. She tells me about the Thunderbird parked a couple of houses down. She can hear me type and I tell her I'm typing my blog. She drives a Jeep. She is a tough old gal. She has to yell at the dog for picking up a cigarette. "Drop that!" Sugar will sit there and point like a pointer at bugs crawling across the floor. She will find it and track it until some one comes along and kills it. Kizzy, my mom's other dog. is old and blind. She doesn't go on walks as much any more.
My dad was out mowing the yard the whole time I was on the phone with my mom. He drives a Ford truck.
Maggie
When Maggie is scanned by the Grocery store checker it does not say "NRA Forever" as touted in the 138 episode Extravaganza. It says 847.63 dammit. I know it is hard to read. it is hard to read on the TV screen too.
Sick at work
A buddy of mine came by the office this morning and asked if I wanted to grab some breakfast. She looked terrible. I almost said terrible. I, at the last second, said "You look ... tired." It turns out she is under the weather. She came by later looking for a decongestant.
Bush
Bush is in Europe talking to the UN among others about all kinds of political stuff. The big story seems to be all th protesters. If I were in change, besides all the nukes I would through at the piss ant mongrel hoards in our way, I would thank the protesters for exorcising their rights.
I deserve ...
Nearly half of all murders are never solved. That means there are some murderers out there who will never pay for their crimes on Earth What you deserve has nothing to do with it..I think we get lulled into thinking that we deserve, or don't deserver things. A friend of mine says jokingly when he does something stupid or mean "The one's who deserve it never get it.". If you stop and think about it, if you believe that you deserve something, you believe in fate, or karma, Fate and karma go hand in hand. I believe in God. I believe God has a plan. The trouble is, it is Gods plan, not mine. I really should stop complaining.
A buddy of mine came by the office this morning and asked if I wanted to grab some breakfast. She looked terrible. I almost said terrible. I, at the last second, said "You look ... tired." It turns out she is under the weather. She came by later looking for a decongestant.
Bush
Bush is in Europe talking to the UN among others about all kinds of political stuff. The big story seems to be all th protesters. If I were in change, besides all the nukes I would through at the piss ant mongrel hoards in our way, I would thank the protesters for exorcising their rights.
I deserve ...
Nearly half of all murders are never solved. That means there are some murderers out there who will never pay for their crimes on Earth What you deserve has nothing to do with it..I think we get lulled into thinking that we deserve, or don't deserver things. A friend of mine says jokingly when he does something stupid or mean "The one's who deserve it never get it.". If you stop and think about it, if you believe that you deserve something, you believe in fate, or karma, Fate and karma go hand in hand. I believe in God. I believe God has a plan. The trouble is, it is Gods plan, not mine. I really should stop complaining.
2004-06-24
I like the rain
It has been raining like mad for the last several days. The ground is saturated. The water fills up the streets with every cloud that passes over. The little lake behind my work is over it's banks. Everything outside is muddy or, at least, wet through and through. The funny thing is, I love it. I know people who get depressed in a long bout of rain. I don't know. I have an old program for my computer somewhere that generates rain and rainstorm sounds. It does a pretty good job. A buddy of mine is from Oregon. She said once a long bout of rain made her a bit homesick. I suppose if I worked outside I would hate the rain. I work in an office where there is every effort to eliminate any sort of environment. Everything in this office is cold and lifeless. It all smells like disinfectant.
Another buddy said the only wrecks he has ever had were when it just started raining. The oil is picked up by the first rain drops and before it has a chance to run off the road with the water, it is slick as ice in some spots.
Goofy Writers
What is the fascination with Amnesia? I'll bet there are more people in movies and books with amnesia than in real life.
Bastard
This guy is a prick! He stole a bunch of AOL customer information by getting a job with AOL and selling the information to a spammer. He was not authorized to get the data, He stole that too. I've thought about this kind of thing before. Who is stopping MSN from doing the same thing? I think AOL should be held libel for letting the information out somehow. They should be forced to protect their customer's data. When you screw up, you pay. The article said he got $100,000 for one of the chunks of data. If he gets less than two years, others will not be detoured.
It has been raining like mad for the last several days. The ground is saturated. The water fills up the streets with every cloud that passes over. The little lake behind my work is over it's banks. Everything outside is muddy or, at least, wet through and through. The funny thing is, I love it. I know people who get depressed in a long bout of rain. I don't know. I have an old program for my computer somewhere that generates rain and rainstorm sounds. It does a pretty good job. A buddy of mine is from Oregon. She said once a long bout of rain made her a bit homesick. I suppose if I worked outside I would hate the rain. I work in an office where there is every effort to eliminate any sort of environment. Everything in this office is cold and lifeless. It all smells like disinfectant.
Another buddy said the only wrecks he has ever had were when it just started raining. The oil is picked up by the first rain drops and before it has a chance to run off the road with the water, it is slick as ice in some spots.
Goofy Writers
What is the fascination with Amnesia? I'll bet there are more people in movies and books with amnesia than in real life.
Bastard
This guy is a prick! He stole a bunch of AOL customer information by getting a job with AOL and selling the information to a spammer. He was not authorized to get the data, He stole that too. I've thought about this kind of thing before. Who is stopping MSN from doing the same thing? I think AOL should be held libel for letting the information out somehow. They should be forced to protect their customer's data. When you screw up, you pay. The article said he got $100,000 for one of the chunks of data. If he gets less than two years, others will not be detoured.
More on Papa's Burger
Some one commented that they liked Papa's burgers. Well, Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!!
Thank you.
Some one commented that they liked Papa's burgers. Well, Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!! Papa's Burgers SUCKS!!!
Thank you.
SetiHome
Seti has a new client. I installed it. I'm not impressed yet. This is some open source project called BIONIC. I am not in the mood to upgrade. They will faze out the classic client. I just don't want to deal with it. I run SETI only because I need to leave my computers on and I hate waist. This client opens up the ability to run multiple projects. For example, SETI and the the old Genome project at the same time. One funny thing is, I heard about this project a long time ago. I wonder why it is only now going live. I don't understand academia. I don't understand open source projects. I don't understand business. I don't understand women. I don't understand God. I don't understand myself. I am not longed for this world.
I really should not write at night.
Seti has a new client. I installed it. I'm not impressed yet. This is some open source project called BIONIC. I am not in the mood to upgrade. They will faze out the classic client. I just don't want to deal with it. I run SETI only because I need to leave my computers on and I hate waist. This client opens up the ability to run multiple projects. For example, SETI and the the old Genome project at the same time. One funny thing is, I heard about this project a long time ago. I wonder why it is only now going live. I don't understand academia. I don't understand open source projects. I don't understand business. I don't understand women. I don't understand God. I don't understand myself. I am not longed for this world.
I really should not write at night.
2004-06-23
The Command Line
Ah, I've heard the command line praised and cursed, sometimes in the same breath. There are times it is so much easier to just do something at the command line as apposed to finding the correct combination of GUI (Graphical User Interface) check boxes. Some things don't make sense to do at the command line. For example, editing a photo. Though, mass changes to photos are again easier at the command line. I believe there is a balance somewhere. I believe achieving that balance is like trying to catch a puff of smoke in your bare hands.
Today I found out one of the projects I've been working on for six months has a unique attribute that has been causing the trouble we have experienced. In Unix, command line parameters are case sensitive. In Unix, you must use a hyphen and not a slash because Unix (and Linux) use the slash as a path separator. In MS nothing is case sensitive except passwords. In MS, more often than not, hyphens (dashes) and slashes are interchangeable for command line parameters. Well, until now. This time, this project, a -I and a /I have two distinct different actions. The slash causes the system to prompt for a reboot. The hyphen causes the system to reboot without asking. Neither is really acceptable in my case. One causes a registry error and the other causes confusion.
Six months. Six months over a slash vs. a dash. This is one of those times I want to claw some one's heart out while cackling "Give me back six months of my life!!" But, I'm not bitter.
Ah, I've heard the command line praised and cursed, sometimes in the same breath. There are times it is so much easier to just do something at the command line as apposed to finding the correct combination of GUI (Graphical User Interface) check boxes. Some things don't make sense to do at the command line. For example, editing a photo. Though, mass changes to photos are again easier at the command line. I believe there is a balance somewhere. I believe achieving that balance is like trying to catch a puff of smoke in your bare hands.
Today I found out one of the projects I've been working on for six months has a unique attribute that has been causing the trouble we have experienced. In Unix, command line parameters are case sensitive. In Unix, you must use a hyphen and not a slash because Unix (and Linux) use the slash as a path separator. In MS nothing is case sensitive except passwords. In MS, more often than not, hyphens (dashes) and slashes are interchangeable for command line parameters. Well, until now. This time, this project, a -I and a /I have two distinct different actions. The slash causes the system to prompt for a reboot. The hyphen causes the system to reboot without asking. Neither is really acceptable in my case. One causes a registry error and the other causes confusion.
Six months. Six months over a slash vs. a dash. This is one of those times I want to claw some one's heart out while cackling "Give me back six months of my life!!" But, I'm not bitter.
2004-06-21
Sometimes you must just ask God for strength. Sometimes God grants
strength, and sometimes you must walk ahead. This life has tests. I've
failed them all. Then there are some things you find peace in. I find
my balance place while shaving sometimes. I do not understand why. It
is most likely the concentration required. The focus. A sharp blade
against my face, I must pay attention and guide the razer carefully. I
must learn to do the same with my life.
2004-06-20
War Simulator Rant
I had a little rant earlier about the games I'm playing not having hoards of civilians that you are not aloud to shoot. Well, I did a poor job of complaining. This person did a much, much better job. This site hits the nail on the head. Thanks to a fellow gamer for the link. Very nice rant.
I had a little rant earlier about the games I'm playing not having hoards of civilians that you are not aloud to shoot. Well, I did a poor job of complaining. This person did a much, much better job. This site hits the nail on the head. Thanks to a fellow gamer for the link. Very nice rant.
Creepy
A buddy of mine sent me this link. I have to say, this is proof that you can find anything and I mean anything! on the Internet. With any luck, they will have an Olympics contender soon. Go U. S. A.. I've tried to do this myself, but I'm terrible at it. If you try it for the first time, I suggest wearing safety goggles. He also sent me this link a couple of days ago. This guy has too much time on his hands.
My new favorite radio station.
GodSmack, Tool, Kittie, Linkin Park, Rammstein. I've forgotten the feeling of a good metal band.
Living Will
There is some sappy movie on TV (I need cable) about a family's plight to pull the plug on grandma. She is brain dead. Some of the family members are fighting the decision to let her die. Look, if I ever can't go to the bathroom on my own and there is no chance I will ever go to the bathroom on my own again ... pull the plug. Then pick up the machine and bludgeon me to death with it.
Bills
I just found the Master Card bill wedged under a notebook on the floor. This is where i keep my bills while trying to get up the strength to pay them. It was due on the 18th, It is the 20th. Oops. I need to figure out online bill paying. I don't know if I would like to pay my credit card online, but most of my other bills I would just pay without much attention. That sounds like a great way to screw people. I know I will not check every month. I remember an episode of Friends where two of the guys try to cancel their gym membership. They both end up changing banks to get out from under the monthly charge. My parents had a $7 MSN charge on their credit card for about a year without checking closely. It took a couple of months to get the charge off the card. How many billions of dollars are squandered every year by poor soles who don't check the listing on their credit card bills? I was at Sears buying a replacement wrench and the guy had to run my card twice. I found two charges on the bill fir $8.xx. I was mad, because the guy didn't get anything from the transaction. He just messed up and I paid the price. I still wish I had called and contested the $8.xx. It is a small price to pay. My parents got double billed for a $200 jacket once. When we contested the bill, American Express never ended up charging them for the jacket. I'm not sure what happened there.
A buddy of mine sent me this link. I have to say, this is proof that you can find anything and I mean anything! on the Internet. With any luck, they will have an Olympics contender soon. Go U. S. A.. I've tried to do this myself, but I'm terrible at it. If you try it for the first time, I suggest wearing safety goggles. He also sent me this link a couple of days ago. This guy has too much time on his hands.
My new favorite radio station.
GodSmack, Tool, Kittie, Linkin Park, Rammstein. I've forgotten the feeling of a good metal band.
Living Will
There is some sappy movie on TV (I need cable) about a family's plight to pull the plug on grandma. She is brain dead. Some of the family members are fighting the decision to let her die. Look, if I ever can't go to the bathroom on my own and there is no chance I will ever go to the bathroom on my own again ... pull the plug. Then pick up the machine and bludgeon me to death with it.
Bills
I just found the Master Card bill wedged under a notebook on the floor. This is where i keep my bills while trying to get up the strength to pay them. It was due on the 18th, It is the 20th. Oops. I need to figure out online bill paying. I don't know if I would like to pay my credit card online, but most of my other bills I would just pay without much attention. That sounds like a great way to screw people. I know I will not check every month. I remember an episode of Friends where two of the guys try to cancel their gym membership. They both end up changing banks to get out from under the monthly charge. My parents had a $7 MSN charge on their credit card for about a year without checking closely. It took a couple of months to get the charge off the card. How many billions of dollars are squandered every year by poor soles who don't check the listing on their credit card bills? I was at Sears buying a replacement wrench and the guy had to run my card twice. I found two charges on the bill fir $8.xx. I was mad, because the guy didn't get anything from the transaction. He just messed up and I paid the price. I still wish I had called and contested the $8.xx. It is a small price to pay. My parents got double billed for a $200 jacket once. When we contested the bill, American Express never ended up charging them for the jacket. I'm not sure what happened there.
Nightmares
I'm watching an old episode of Buffy (S2 E7) called Nightmares. Cordelia has a nightmare about becoming a nerd. Buffy has a nightmare about being buried alive and becoming a vampire. Zander has a dream about a clown that scared him when he was a kid. Willow is stuck on sage without knowing the words to her song (that is the worse one). Every one has their own nightmare. My worse nightmare is dreaming that I'm back in school. I'm in the classroom and for some reason I have to go through school all over again. There is no test that I didn't study for. There is no uncomfortable social situation. I'm not naked. I'm just there. That is bad enough. School was an absolute nightmare for the outcast kids. People on the inside have no idea how much pain flows through us.
Syria again
Oh, come on. This is a joke right? Basically Syria is getting the same treatment as Cuba from the U. S. at the moment. They are not happy about it and want to hit back at America. I bet if they would stop supporting the people killing our citizens, we would play nice back. What do you think?
Blog Search
I went looking for some search engines for blogs. Searching the Internet is hurt by the number of blogs out there with no real content. Google may take blogs out of the search results. I just got through complaining about the results my blog messed up on Google. It looks like we are not the only ones affected. I've read some of the blogs out there and they are just people mashing the keyboard. Then you run across the lady with two terminally ill children who just trys to make it through another day. I've gotten where I hate reading random blogs.
Reality TV and Reality
I was watching this documentary called "Deadline Iraq - Unseen Footage from War Reporters" and there was an interesting quote. One of the female corespondents said something like "You would get up in the morning and wonder who was getting voted off the island today." One of the other female reporters freaked me out. She made mention of her kids and I looked at her. She looked like the typical mom next door, or a school teacher.
I'm watching an old episode of Buffy (S2 E7) called Nightmares. Cordelia has a nightmare about becoming a nerd. Buffy has a nightmare about being buried alive and becoming a vampire. Zander has a dream about a clown that scared him when he was a kid. Willow is stuck on sage without knowing the words to her song (that is the worse one). Every one has their own nightmare. My worse nightmare is dreaming that I'm back in school. I'm in the classroom and for some reason I have to go through school all over again. There is no test that I didn't study for. There is no uncomfortable social situation. I'm not naked. I'm just there. That is bad enough. School was an absolute nightmare for the outcast kids. People on the inside have no idea how much pain flows through us.
Syria again
Oh, come on. This is a joke right? Basically Syria is getting the same treatment as Cuba from the U. S. at the moment. They are not happy about it and want to hit back at America. I bet if they would stop supporting the people killing our citizens, we would play nice back. What do you think?
Blog Search
I went looking for some search engines for blogs. Searching the Internet is hurt by the number of blogs out there with no real content. Google may take blogs out of the search results. I just got through complaining about the results my blog messed up on Google. It looks like we are not the only ones affected. I've read some of the blogs out there and they are just people mashing the keyboard. Then you run across the lady with two terminally ill children who just trys to make it through another day. I've gotten where I hate reading random blogs.
Reality TV and Reality
I was watching this documentary called "Deadline Iraq - Unseen Footage from War Reporters" and there was an interesting quote. One of the female corespondents said something like "You would get up in the morning and wonder who was getting voted off the island today." One of the other female reporters freaked me out. She made mention of her kids and I looked at her. She looked like the typical mom next door, or a school teacher.
2004-06-19
Two Faced
Powell says Stay, while the department he leads says get out. The American embassy has removed all but the most needed personnel from Saudi Arabia for "safety reasons." It upsets me when my government talks out of both sides of it's mouth. They say "if you leave, the terrorists win." Then they say "We are out of here." Come on guys. Maybe the problem is not that people concerned for the safety of their families are leaving the country. Perhaps it is because we are loosing that part of the war on terror.
The U. S. cannot take on the rest of the world. We just don't have the will or resources. Playing these war simulation games has given me a respect for solders. I a bit less willing to send people into a war zone. One thing that is sharply missing from all these games that I have played, civilians. There are no mobs of chanting protesters. The commuters just trying to get to the store and to work are missing. All the cities are evacuated. This adds to my respect for modern armed forces. maybe they should make senators play BF-V for a while.
Attacks Every Day
Half the news stories in international news are of attacks somewhere or other. Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and others around the world seem to have attacks daily if not hourly. It is depressing. I may forgo my news addiction and skip the international news for a bi. (We all know that will not happen.)
Lets find out who is reading
I now have a couple of friends blogging. A couple of them fear specific people reading the blog. Some fear their boss more than their family. Others fear their parents finding the link. I am willing to let any one read my blog. I refuse to worry about it. Let the chips fall where they may.
That said, I think a coworker who I had no idea was reading my blog found out I can't stand being around her (She is just too nice, It feels like she is hiding something.). It actually kind of worked. I've had a coworker ask me if something I complained about at work was for real. I've had a couple of incidents where my second job complained. They even said I was getting more hits on my blog than the main page for the company. (or something like that) because I had mentioned the company name and linked to the page. I bet they will find the mention of this weekend's plans (to play video games) and that will affect our relationship. Hey, it is the truth. That doesn't make it right.
This morning
I wake up to my down stairs neighbor listening to the news or something at 6:45 AM. I stomp around and take a shower. I play my video game. at 11:00 AM or so I call my buddy Adam to find out if we can go to lunch (we ended up at dinner). He is busy. I go back to the video game. My buddy Bryan calls around 12:20 AM and asks me if I want to go to lunch. I tell him no because I'm too into my video game. He is an avid player and understands.
Now, what have we learned from this?
* Kelly is fickle?
* Kelly likes Adam better than Bryan?
* Kelly was at a stopping point when calling Adam, but in the middle of the game when Bryan called?
I don't know or care. This is just some stuff that happened.
Keyboard
I give up. This is a nice little keyboard, but it is not going to work. I'm coming around to the fact that I am just going to need a full size keyboard. I might be able to use a laptop keyboard for emergencies, but my hands go numb after prolonged use. I will through the little keyboard in my laptop bag and hope I never have to rely on using it.
A buddy gave me a wireless keyboard and mouse combo. It is this funky gyroscopic mouse. I cannot use it. It is too oddly shaped and the gyroscopic part is counter intuitive. The keyboard is really nice though. I'm trying it right now and so far so good. It is just the placement of the backspace key that is killing me. It is little and further away than is appropriate really. There should be a standard for the size and placement of the enter, backspace, and other keys.
Papa's Burgers
This is a restaurant on Westhimer down by 610. They are just a burger joint. My friend Adam summed it up in one quick statement. "There is a lot of eh and too much uh at that place." He was right. First off, you walk in the place to a typical counter and order just like any other burger joint. The funny thing is, you then don't pay, you go straight to your seat and wait for your wait staff to take your ticket. They get your drinks. Anyway the place is too tight. The tables are too close together. It is too noisy. The food was just kind of boring. The best part of the whole evening was the bottle of beer. Even their shakes were just plane boring.
Powell says Stay, while the department he leads says get out. The American embassy has removed all but the most needed personnel from Saudi Arabia for "safety reasons." It upsets me when my government talks out of both sides of it's mouth. They say "if you leave, the terrorists win." Then they say "We are out of here." Come on guys. Maybe the problem is not that people concerned for the safety of their families are leaving the country. Perhaps it is because we are loosing that part of the war on terror.
The U. S. cannot take on the rest of the world. We just don't have the will or resources. Playing these war simulation games has given me a respect for solders. I a bit less willing to send people into a war zone. One thing that is sharply missing from all these games that I have played, civilians. There are no mobs of chanting protesters. The commuters just trying to get to the store and to work are missing. All the cities are evacuated. This adds to my respect for modern armed forces. maybe they should make senators play BF-V for a while.
Attacks Every Day
Half the news stories in international news are of attacks somewhere or other. Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and others around the world seem to have attacks daily if not hourly. It is depressing. I may forgo my news addiction and skip the international news for a bi. (We all know that will not happen.)
Lets find out who is reading
I now have a couple of friends blogging. A couple of them fear specific people reading the blog. Some fear their boss more than their family. Others fear their parents finding the link. I am willing to let any one read my blog. I refuse to worry about it. Let the chips fall where they may.
That said, I think a coworker who I had no idea was reading my blog found out I can't stand being around her (She is just too nice, It feels like she is hiding something.). It actually kind of worked. I've had a coworker ask me if something I complained about at work was for real. I've had a couple of incidents where my second job complained. They even said I was getting more hits on my blog than the main page for the company. (or something like that) because I had mentioned the company name and linked to the page. I bet they will find the mention of this weekend's plans (to play video games) and that will affect our relationship. Hey, it is the truth. That doesn't make it right.
This morning
I wake up to my down stairs neighbor listening to the news or something at 6:45 AM. I stomp around and take a shower. I play my video game. at 11:00 AM or so I call my buddy Adam to find out if we can go to lunch (we ended up at dinner). He is busy. I go back to the video game. My buddy Bryan calls around 12:20 AM and asks me if I want to go to lunch. I tell him no because I'm too into my video game. He is an avid player and understands.
Now, what have we learned from this?
* Kelly is fickle?
* Kelly likes Adam better than Bryan?
* Kelly was at a stopping point when calling Adam, but in the middle of the game when Bryan called?
I don't know or care. This is just some stuff that happened.
Keyboard
I give up. This is a nice little keyboard, but it is not going to work. I'm coming around to the fact that I am just going to need a full size keyboard. I might be able to use a laptop keyboard for emergencies, but my hands go numb after prolonged use. I will through the little keyboard in my laptop bag and hope I never have to rely on using it.
A buddy gave me a wireless keyboard and mouse combo. It is this funky gyroscopic mouse. I cannot use it. It is too oddly shaped and the gyroscopic part is counter intuitive. The keyboard is really nice though. I'm trying it right now and so far so good. It is just the placement of the backspace key that is killing me. It is little and further away than is appropriate really. There should be a standard for the size and placement of the enter, backspace, and other keys.
Papa's Burgers
This is a restaurant on Westhimer down by 610. They are just a burger joint. My friend Adam summed it up in one quick statement. "There is a lot of eh and too much uh at that place." He was right. First off, you walk in the place to a typical counter and order just like any other burger joint. The funny thing is, you then don't pay, you go straight to your seat and wait for your wait staff to take your ticket. They get your drinks. Anyway the place is too tight. The tables are too close together. It is too noisy. The food was just kind of boring. The best part of the whole evening was the bottle of beer. Even their shakes were just plane boring.
2004-06-18
New
video game
I'm liking Battlefield Vietnam. It is a great run. The graphics are not the most wonderful. The action, however, is awesome. The game allows for ducking behind weeds. Vietnam is full of thick undergrowth. You cannot take more than a nick or two before you go down for the count. it is all but impossible to see people at distance. I'm still playing with the gamma and other controls to get my notebook screen to work for me.
My Chosen lifestyle
I am a recluse. I was chatting with a friend over email this afternoon. She gave me her list for the weekend. She had so much to do that she had accidentally double booked her time. I don't have much trouble with that one. I told her that I intend to play my new video game (details above) for the entire weekend. We went back and forth several times. She was trying to convince me to get out and enjoy the day/evening. I told her that if I can tell whether it is day or night, I've failed in my total-immersion into cyber space..
I did make it out most of the afternoon with a friend of mine (Robin) for a late lunch and coffee. We ended up at CompUSA and Wal-Mart.. She got my old digital camera. She got home and had some pictures of her dogs emailed to me in no time. way to go Robin.
Anyway, I don't go out and party. I don't get much time in with other people. Work is the most interaction I have with humans. I'm better at communicating with computers. That is just what is special about me. If it means I'm not happy or that I'm alone, then so be it. I'm tired of complaining.
Outsourcing at home
There is an article on CNN's page that says the fast food market is finally going to automated ordering. It other words, no people. I have to admit, I'm sick of a shit-head behind the counter I wouldn't trust with a dead rat taking my food order. I have to admit, I would love to find robots making the food as well. There are already Mexicans in the back of the local Mcy-Dees. The people placing the order only know enough to barely get by (if that). I welcome the change. I can't wait to try it out. I remember the old skit "I want a cheese burger, large fries, and an orange drink." The answer comes back "moomonefomfoomfofoommofomomomfomoomofm?" Then the guy in the car says "No, an orange drink!!" The answer comes back "moomonefomfoomfofoommofomomomfomoomofm?". Now, you will just get a blue screen of death every time you order no pickles.
I keep reading that the total number of new jobs created in the U. S. includes fast food. Some of those jobs are English speaking American citizens taking the jobs of Mexicans in these kinds of jobs. This will not be an option in the near future. Who will be working in the U. S. in fifty years. I pity the next generation. How do you have a welfare state if no on is working? You don't. You have a revolution. I mean, think about it. Capitalism is equals, work, spend, work, spend, work, spend. Even if you are not the one working, some one has to make the money to keep the economy running No work, no spend. We are talking about the end of capitalism.
New Keyboard
I'm trying out a new keyboard It is a flexible type board with very close keys. You really have to pound the keys to get hem to register properly. Getting used to a new keyboard is a challenge. This keyboard has a condensed layout. It is little-bitty. Right now I have to watch every key to make sure it shows up properly. The old flexible keyboard I had hit double keys every couple of strokes. So far the only mess-ups are from me missing or fat-fingering keys. The arrow keys are funny too. I think this just might work.
I'm liking Battlefield Vietnam. It is a great run. The graphics are not the most wonderful. The action, however, is awesome. The game allows for ducking behind weeds. Vietnam is full of thick undergrowth. You cannot take more than a nick or two before you go down for the count. it is all but impossible to see people at distance. I'm still playing with the gamma and other controls to get my notebook screen to work for me.
My Chosen lifestyle
I am a recluse. I was chatting with a friend over email this afternoon. She gave me her list for the weekend. She had so much to do that she had accidentally double booked her time. I don't have much trouble with that one. I told her that I intend to play my new video game (details above) for the entire weekend. We went back and forth several times. She was trying to convince me to get out and enjoy the day/evening. I told her that if I can tell whether it is day or night, I've failed in my total-immersion into cyber space..
I did make it out most of the afternoon with a friend of mine (Robin) for a late lunch and coffee. We ended up at CompUSA and Wal-Mart.. She got my old digital camera. She got home and had some pictures of her dogs emailed to me in no time. way to go Robin.
Anyway, I don't go out and party. I don't get much time in with other people. Work is the most interaction I have with humans. I'm better at communicating with computers. That is just what is special about me. If it means I'm not happy or that I'm alone, then so be it. I'm tired of complaining.
Outsourcing at home
There is an article on CNN's page that says the fast food market is finally going to automated ordering. It other words, no people. I have to admit, I'm sick of a shit-head behind the counter I wouldn't trust with a dead rat taking my food order. I have to admit, I would love to find robots making the food as well. There are already Mexicans in the back of the local Mcy-Dees. The people placing the order only know enough to barely get by (if that). I welcome the change. I can't wait to try it out. I remember the old skit "I want a cheese burger, large fries, and an orange drink." The answer comes back "moomonefomfoomfofoommofomomomfomoomofm?" Then the guy in the car says "No, an orange drink!!" The answer comes back "moomonefomfoomfofoommofomomomfomoomofm?". Now, you will just get a blue screen of death every time you order no pickles.
I keep reading that the total number of new jobs created in the U. S. includes fast food. Some of those jobs are English speaking American citizens taking the jobs of Mexicans in these kinds of jobs. This will not be an option in the near future. Who will be working in the U. S. in fifty years. I pity the next generation. How do you have a welfare state if no on is working? You don't. You have a revolution. I mean, think about it. Capitalism is equals, work, spend, work, spend, work, spend. Even if you are not the one working, some one has to make the money to keep the economy running No work, no spend. We are talking about the end of capitalism.
New Keyboard
I'm trying out a new keyboard It is a flexible type board with very close keys. You really have to pound the keys to get hem to register properly. Getting used to a new keyboard is a challenge. This keyboard has a condensed layout. It is little-bitty. Right now I have to watch every key to make sure it shows up properly. The old flexible keyboard I had hit double keys every couple of strokes. So far the only mess-ups are from me missing or fat-fingering keys. The arrow keys are funny too. I think this just might work.
2004-06-16
Some days there just isn't anything going on. There are a bunch of news
stories, but I get board with just posting news up here. I 'm sure you
can go grab all the news you need, same as me. I'm trying to think if
there is anything in my personal life of interest. The only stuff that
comes to mind is boring stuff.
Productivity Tools
Some one should suggest that the company put in an internal web cam looking at the line in the cafeteria. This would prevent useless trips across the bridge (as we call it in this building) like the one I just took. It is a rainy day and every one eats at the company cafeteria. The lines are nuts. I even waited a half hour or so. I'll have to try again later. The web cam would work great in this situation.
Fight 93
Flight 93 is the one that crashed in Pennsylvania on September 11. The commission running in Washington this past month calls Flight 93 a failed part of the plan. The article says there was a bunch of bickering amongst the terrorists on targets and dates. It turns out the 9/11 plan was basically a SNAFU from the start. The terrorists still managed to kill a bunch of influential people. Those tours were full of very high level insurance and finance executives.
Productivity Tools
Some one should suggest that the company put in an internal web cam looking at the line in the cafeteria. This would prevent useless trips across the bridge (as we call it in this building) like the one I just took. It is a rainy day and every one eats at the company cafeteria. The lines are nuts. I even waited a half hour or so. I'll have to try again later. The web cam would work great in this situation.
Fight 93
Flight 93 is the one that crashed in Pennsylvania on September 11. The commission running in Washington this past month calls Flight 93 a failed part of the plan. The article says there was a bunch of bickering amongst the terrorists on targets and dates. It turns out the 9/11 plan was basically a SNAFU from the start. The terrorists still managed to kill a bunch of influential people. Those tours were full of very high level insurance and finance executives.
Lookout, here comes Iran
It looks like Iran is massing troops and preparing for an invasion of Iraq. I've often suspected that the minute the Iraqi government takes over they will tell the American forces to take a hike. I can only imagine that there will be a power vacuum. I don't know what kind of army the new Iraqi government will have, but they will need one to keep control. I thought for sure it would come from forces inside Iraq. One of those clerics or militants would time a revolution properly. Actually, I envision a mass run for Baghdad by every swinging turban in the country with a donkey and an AK. I suppose I should have seen Iran throw their hat in the ring. (past article on Iran)
It doesn't help that China is helping Iran get nuclear materials.
It looks like Iran is massing troops and preparing for an invasion of Iraq. I've often suspected that the minute the Iraqi government takes over they will tell the American forces to take a hike. I can only imagine that there will be a power vacuum. I don't know what kind of army the new Iraqi government will have, but they will need one to keep control. I thought for sure it would come from forces inside Iraq. One of those clerics or militants would time a revolution properly. Actually, I envision a mass run for Baghdad by every swinging turban in the country with a donkey and an AK. I suppose I should have seen Iran throw their hat in the ring. (past article on Iran)
It doesn't help that China is helping Iran get nuclear materials.
2004-06-15
Links
Here is another reason to get a digital camera. Read close to the bottom on how the British solder was nabbed.
Cool site shows you how to make you PC look like a Mac.
Relationships
My life is a conundrum. I want a relationship, but I don't want the pain of loss when things go wrong. I want sex, but I don't want the relationship around the sex because of the pain of loss. I can't bring myself to sleep around. I don't know why. I'm just old fashioned I suppose. Maybe I'm afraid it will lead to a relationship, and thus the pain of loss. I find myself hanging out with women who are taken. This is a bad, bad thing. If it were to lead to something, that is bad. I won't let it lead to anything because that might tern into a relationship, and I can't allow that because of the pain of loss. It's getting to the point where I don't want to hang out with my friends because they all have some one. All I want to do is go home and sleep or spend hours (and I mean hours) on the computer and disappear from the rest of the universe. When I'm on the computer it is like I don't exist. I become part of the network.
I'd tern queer, except I wouldn't be any better at that.
I would get into drugs or become an alcoholic, but I'm too cheap.
The worse pat is, I don't want to break out. Every time I think about the things that will get me out of this looping rut, I just end up back on the computer or asleep. The thought of using a dating service makes me think less of myself. Dating services are for people with an ear in the middle of their forehead. The 8 minute dating thing stresses me out just thinking about it. That is how brokers and TV personalities find each other.
Please don't send suggestions. I just want to vent.
Here is another reason to get a digital camera. Read close to the bottom on how the British solder was nabbed.
Cool site shows you how to make you PC look like a Mac.
Relationships
My life is a conundrum. I want a relationship, but I don't want the pain of loss when things go wrong. I want sex, but I don't want the relationship around the sex because of the pain of loss. I can't bring myself to sleep around. I don't know why. I'm just old fashioned I suppose. Maybe I'm afraid it will lead to a relationship, and thus the pain of loss. I find myself hanging out with women who are taken. This is a bad, bad thing. If it were to lead to something, that is bad. I won't let it lead to anything because that might tern into a relationship, and I can't allow that because of the pain of loss. It's getting to the point where I don't want to hang out with my friends because they all have some one. All I want to do is go home and sleep or spend hours (and I mean hours) on the computer and disappear from the rest of the universe. When I'm on the computer it is like I don't exist. I become part of the network.
I'd tern queer, except I wouldn't be any better at that.
I would get into drugs or become an alcoholic, but I'm too cheap.
The worse pat is, I don't want to break out. Every time I think about the things that will get me out of this looping rut, I just end up back on the computer or asleep. The thought of using a dating service makes me think less of myself. Dating services are for people with an ear in the middle of their forehead. The 8 minute dating thing stresses me out just thinking about it. That is how brokers and TV personalities find each other.
Please don't send suggestions. I just want to vent.
Software Fix
So there I was, I wrote a small program a million years ago to convert a VAX report (meant for a printer) to an Access database. The software works, but there are always foibles in the prints that make the data look funny. This time, some short tag names caused some dashes to show up funny in the database. I'm ran through the code and found where the problem was. What needed to happen is a re-write of a small section of code that handled the generation of these alleged tag numbers. Too bad, I don't have time for that. I added three lines of code that just fix the problem when it shows up. I bitch constantly when others do this. MS is known for patching output rather than fixing databases. It is just faster, and addresses the specific gripe of the boss looking over your shoulder at the moment.
Speaking of looking over my shoulder. I had both of my bosses come in and ask me how it was going on this one. There are two guys who are responsible for the data I manipulate. They both hung around waiting for the fix. It reminds me of Office Space "I have 8 bosses ..."
Let's see, I have S, my main boss whom I like to work for. Then there is R,S. and sometimes C, They are for packaging. T and J for Intools. I suppose that is about it at the moment. Every one else who gives me orders is either a one time thing, or goes through these people.
Whom to believe
I'm reading a book called The da Vincii code. It talks about how Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and how the Catholic church has covered it all up. It is a story I already heard. The book makes some compelling arguments. Honestly, I've wondered lately if I would see the fall of the Catholic church in my lifetime. It would kind of suck if the Vatican came out and said "We screwed up. We invented a male dominant religion for our own purposes. Everyone go back to Judaism. ... Sorry for the sixteen hundred years of lies." (read the book and you will get why it is sixteen hundred and not two thousand years) I've said many times that I believe in God very much, but I don't put much faith in religion. God made Earth and people. People made religion. That is my two cents anyway.
It all boils down to whom you believe.
Oh My Blog!
Writing
I enjoy writing. I enjoy just hitting the keys and stuff popping up on the screen. It is an instant gratification thing I suppose. The trouble is having something to say. Sometimes I will have an idea in my head screaming to get out and the words just poor out on the page like blood from a wound. You can't stop them .Then there is the blank page. that is more frightening than, dare I say it, public speaking, to a writer. The nice thing about a blog is the bouncing flow. You can jump from one subject to the other without a seg-way and no one seems to mind.
So there I was, I wrote a small program a million years ago to convert a VAX report (meant for a printer) to an Access database. The software works, but there are always foibles in the prints that make the data look funny. This time, some short tag names caused some dashes to show up funny in the database. I'm ran through the code and found where the problem was. What needed to happen is a re-write of a small section of code that handled the generation of these alleged tag numbers. Too bad, I don't have time for that. I added three lines of code that just fix the problem when it shows up. I bitch constantly when others do this. MS is known for patching output rather than fixing databases. It is just faster, and addresses the specific gripe of the boss looking over your shoulder at the moment.
Speaking of looking over my shoulder. I had both of my bosses come in and ask me how it was going on this one. There are two guys who are responsible for the data I manipulate. They both hung around waiting for the fix. It reminds me of Office Space "I have 8 bosses ..."
Let's see, I have S, my main boss whom I like to work for. Then there is R,S. and sometimes C, They are for packaging. T and J for Intools. I suppose that is about it at the moment. Every one else who gives me orders is either a one time thing, or goes through these people.
Whom to believe
I'm reading a book called The da Vincii code. It talks about how Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and how the Catholic church has covered it all up. It is a story I already heard. The book makes some compelling arguments. Honestly, I've wondered lately if I would see the fall of the Catholic church in my lifetime. It would kind of suck if the Vatican came out and said "We screwed up. We invented a male dominant religion for our own purposes. Everyone go back to Judaism. ... Sorry for the sixteen hundred years of lies." (read the book and you will get why it is sixteen hundred and not two thousand years) I've said many times that I believe in God very much, but I don't put much faith in religion. God made Earth and people. People made religion. That is my two cents anyway.
It all boils down to whom you believe.
Oh My Blog!
Writing
I enjoy writing. I enjoy just hitting the keys and stuff popping up on the screen. It is an instant gratification thing I suppose. The trouble is having something to say. Sometimes I will have an idea in my head screaming to get out and the words just poor out on the page like blood from a wound. You can't stop them .Then there is the blank page. that is more frightening than, dare I say it, public speaking, to a writer. The nice thing about a blog is the bouncing flow. You can jump from one subject to the other without a seg-way and no one seems to mind.
2004-06-14
Simpsons
I'm watching the Simpsons. The title of this episode is "Lesa's first word". They flash back to 1983. Bart is alive. and Lisa is about to be born. That would mean Bart is at least 21 now. Sheesh. What a baby-face. I think Bart is supposed to be ten years old. I think he has had about five birthdays though. Oh, well. It is a cartoon after all.
da Vinci Code
One of the things they little details in this book is that da Vinci wrote in reverse script that was indecipherable except in a mirror. I sit here thinking of digital cameras and computer ciphers. I've read about encryption. The math doesn't always make sense.
I'm watching the Simpsons. The title of this episode is "Lesa's first word". They flash back to 1983. Bart is alive. and Lisa is about to be born. That would mean Bart is at least 21 now. Sheesh. What a baby-face. I think Bart is supposed to be ten years old. I think he has had about five birthdays though. Oh, well. It is a cartoon after all.
da Vinci Code
One of the things they little details in this book is that da Vinci wrote in reverse script that was indecipherable except in a mirror. I sit here thinking of digital cameras and computer ciphers. I've read about encryption. The math doesn't always make sense.
2004-06-13
Clouds
and carbon based life forms
A buddy of mine was board on her way back from a family reunion in Louisiana. She decided to call me and get a science lesson. She asked what it meant that humans are carbon based life forms (clearly having herd this from a SciFi show). I explained that all life (possibly with the exception of virus) is made at an atomic level with carbon as a basis of it's chemical reactions. Chemical reactions are what keep us alive. Any imbalance can kill life. That is why cyanide kills with so little a dose, because it stops carbon and carbon based molecules from doing their job. She took this in stride. I left out the fact that at different temperatures carbon will not work. The next element that might support life is silicon. At higher temperatures the loose electrons on silicon will have nearly identical properties as carbon at our living temperature.
Somewhere in there was a discussion of clouds. She asked exactly what clouds are made from. I said water, dust, ice crystals and air. I almost wish I knew where the question came from. The car she was driving had her husband, child and mother in law.
Chemicals
I'm watching a Night Line or 20/20 talking about chemical plant security. I work at a chemical company. I know I cannot enter the office building without going through two card controlled gates and passing at least one guard. Green Peace jumped the back fence and blocked the entrances with a Ryder Truck last year. They had control of the place for an entire day. They showed up in gas masks and were nearly shot by the guard on duty. It was not that far after 9/11. No jury would have convicted him.
Resume
I have a first draft. It is ugly, but has most of the notes i want on it. There is a section at the top telling "my future employer" why I'm thinking of leaving the company I'm currently with, and what I can do for them. I want to expand that small paragraph, but the words don't come. I've sent the resume off to some friends for scrutiny. It is still a rough draft. I'll keep you informed.
A buddy of mine was board on her way back from a family reunion in Louisiana. She decided to call me and get a science lesson. She asked what it meant that humans are carbon based life forms (clearly having herd this from a SciFi show). I explained that all life (possibly with the exception of virus) is made at an atomic level with carbon as a basis of it's chemical reactions. Chemical reactions are what keep us alive. Any imbalance can kill life. That is why cyanide kills with so little a dose, because it stops carbon and carbon based molecules from doing their job. She took this in stride. I left out the fact that at different temperatures carbon will not work. The next element that might support life is silicon. At higher temperatures the loose electrons on silicon will have nearly identical properties as carbon at our living temperature.
Somewhere in there was a discussion of clouds. She asked exactly what clouds are made from. I said water, dust, ice crystals and air. I almost wish I knew where the question came from. The car she was driving had her husband, child and mother in law.
Chemicals
I'm watching a Night Line or 20/20 talking about chemical plant security. I work at a chemical company. I know I cannot enter the office building without going through two card controlled gates and passing at least one guard. Green Peace jumped the back fence and blocked the entrances with a Ryder Truck last year. They had control of the place for an entire day. They showed up in gas masks and were nearly shot by the guard on duty. It was not that far after 9/11. No jury would have convicted him.
Resume
I have a first draft. It is ugly, but has most of the notes i want on it. There is a section at the top telling "my future employer" why I'm thinking of leaving the company I'm currently with, and what I can do for them. I want to expand that small paragraph, but the words don't come. I've sent the resume off to some friends for scrutiny. It is still a rough draft. I'll keep you informed.
Resume
I'm trying to write my resume. How do you sit down and tell God knows who to hire you over every one else in the world? Every job I've ever gotten has been through networking, not a resume. All the jobs I've gotten, I've interviewed in genes and a t-shirt. They always said "Can you come right now?" I'm typing bits and removing bits. It is kind of fun. If I were writing some one else's resume it would be more fun. I realize how crappy my experience is. I know what I'm doing. I would be a handy addition to an IT or support firm. I'm not sure how to say it.
Overnet
Overnet is the P2P software I use to download stuff. I'm not interested in taking any money out of any one's pocket. I'm just board. You have to be careful if you try the software. You will find many trojan horses and fakes. A trojan horse is a program that inflicts a virus, or hacking software on your computer. A fake is a movie or other data file that is not what it says on the box (file name). Just typing in a search can return some scary results, most of which are false files. There is a better way to look for files. Some kind soles have put together web pages catering to people searching on Overnet. The most popular of all time was ShareReactor. Unfortunately, this page no longer exists. The kid who ran it got in trouble with his mom, and the Swiss authorities. The creator has a new forum page, but I can't get it to come up. There are other sites still running. ShareConnector has a list of files interface. ShareProvider has a list interface as well. FileDonkey has a search interface. The advantage of using these sites over the search in Overnet is the odds that a given file is a fake is pretty rare when obtained from the web pages. Overnet search just searches anything that comes along. The web pages allow for fake blocking.
I've found a couple of good videos on Overnet. Several are from war plane cameras. I keep running searches for war video. I don't know where this stuff comes from, but it it riveting. Pretty scary stuff. One thing that drives me nuts, is how young the solders sound on the videos.
Firearm information.
I stumbled across this site. It is basically everything you ever wanted to know about firearms. I thought I was a knowledgeable gun-nut. I'm learning all kinds of new stuff.
I'm trying to write my resume. How do you sit down and tell God knows who to hire you over every one else in the world? Every job I've ever gotten has been through networking, not a resume. All the jobs I've gotten, I've interviewed in genes and a t-shirt. They always said "Can you come right now?" I'm typing bits and removing bits. It is kind of fun. If I were writing some one else's resume it would be more fun. I realize how crappy my experience is. I know what I'm doing. I would be a handy addition to an IT or support firm. I'm not sure how to say it.
Overnet
Overnet is the P2P software I use to download stuff. I'm not interested in taking any money out of any one's pocket. I'm just board. You have to be careful if you try the software. You will find many trojan horses and fakes. A trojan horse is a program that inflicts a virus, or hacking software on your computer. A fake is a movie or other data file that is not what it says on the box (file name). Just typing in a search can return some scary results, most of which are false files. There is a better way to look for files. Some kind soles have put together web pages catering to people searching on Overnet. The most popular of all time was ShareReactor. Unfortunately, this page no longer exists. The kid who ran it got in trouble with his mom, and the Swiss authorities. The creator has a new forum page, but I can't get it to come up. There are other sites still running. ShareConnector has a list of files interface. ShareProvider has a list interface as well. FileDonkey has a search interface. The advantage of using these sites over the search in Overnet is the odds that a given file is a fake is pretty rare when obtained from the web pages. Overnet search just searches anything that comes along. The web pages allow for fake blocking.
I've found a couple of good videos on Overnet. Several are from war plane cameras. I keep running searches for war video. I don't know where this stuff comes from, but it it riveting. Pretty scary stuff. One thing that drives me nuts, is how young the solders sound on the videos.
Firearm information.
I stumbled across this site. It is basically everything you ever wanted to know about firearms. I thought I was a knowledgeable gun-nut. I'm learning all kinds of new stuff.
2004-06-11
Damn It
Hey Cynthia, I feel your pain. I typed up some entries for the blog on a break at work today. When I got home the file attached to the email was empty. Humph. I hate computers. It was just some rant about work.
Rant
There is a reason I'm not the one in charge. I have conservative views. There are times I want to hose the whole planet except for those parts of it that serve us. Then, I realize how evil that is and I tone it down a bit..There are times when I want to solve the problem. There is no solution to most of the worlds problems. I still say that the world would be better if all the people just dropped dead. Is that depressing or what? That qualifies as world peace. Right?
Bald
I've cut my hair pretty short in the past couple of months, but I just took it to grade. I laid a razer to my scalp for the first time. I always worried that I had a pointy head. It doesn't look that bad. It doesn't feel funny really. That might just be the razer burn though. The razer burn does look pretty bad. I figured there would be first time troubles. I'm worried I'll get those little bumps from ingrown hairs. I'm sure I'll complain about it in due time. I looked at myself in the mirror and I thought "I feel so . . . so . . . clean."
Now, I just need to drop about two inches around the middle.
Gmail
This is freaking me out.I've only had one bite on my Gmail offer. I thought people I knew would jump at the chance for a Gmail account. Perhaps I underestimate the coolness of Gmail. Perhaps I overestimate the geekyness of my friends. Eh.
Accenture
I remember griping that Accenture got the contract for the Homeland Security border tracking thing recently. I was upset because I had worked with Accenture in a lose manor and I was not impressed. Congress has a problem with the choice because Accenture uses a foreign flag to hide behind to avoid taxes. Some one has to do it. I have not made up my mind whether or not I should be afraid of the government holding all the information about me. There are stories about how people get their information messed up by the U. S. Government every day. It looks like things are going the biometric path. It looks like it will all happen in my life time. I've seen the movies. I know the fears. Face recognition does not work. Ires scans can be fooled. People with disabilities are not always considered. I start to feel helpless when I think of the subject.
My vision of the future is not bleak. I do not think we face Brazil, or The Jetsons, or Futurama (thought I think Futurama is the closest believe it or not). I think we will live in a future just like today, only with more contraptions and diseases with new names. I'm far too tired to continue. I need to write my resume tomorrow..
Hey Cynthia, I feel your pain. I typed up some entries for the blog on a break at work today. When I got home the file attached to the email was empty. Humph. I hate computers. It was just some rant about work.
Rant
There is a reason I'm not the one in charge. I have conservative views. There are times I want to hose the whole planet except for those parts of it that serve us. Then, I realize how evil that is and I tone it down a bit..There are times when I want to solve the problem. There is no solution to most of the worlds problems. I still say that the world would be better if all the people just dropped dead. Is that depressing or what? That qualifies as world peace. Right?
Bald
I've cut my hair pretty short in the past couple of months, but I just took it to grade. I laid a razer to my scalp for the first time. I always worried that I had a pointy head. It doesn't look that bad. It doesn't feel funny really. That might just be the razer burn though. The razer burn does look pretty bad. I figured there would be first time troubles. I'm worried I'll get those little bumps from ingrown hairs. I'm sure I'll complain about it in due time. I looked at myself in the mirror and I thought "I feel so . . . so . . . clean."
Now, I just need to drop about two inches around the middle.
Gmail
This is freaking me out.I've only had one bite on my Gmail offer. I thought people I knew would jump at the chance for a Gmail account. Perhaps I underestimate the coolness of Gmail. Perhaps I overestimate the geekyness of my friends. Eh.
Accenture
I remember griping that Accenture got the contract for the Homeland Security border tracking thing recently. I was upset because I had worked with Accenture in a lose manor and I was not impressed. Congress has a problem with the choice because Accenture uses a foreign flag to hide behind to avoid taxes. Some one has to do it. I have not made up my mind whether or not I should be afraid of the government holding all the information about me. There are stories about how people get their information messed up by the U. S. Government every day. It looks like things are going the biometric path. It looks like it will all happen in my life time. I've seen the movies. I know the fears. Face recognition does not work. Ires scans can be fooled. People with disabilities are not always considered. I start to feel helpless when I think of the subject.
My vision of the future is not bleak. I do not think we face Brazil, or The Jetsons, or Futurama (thought I think Futurama is the closest believe it or not). I think we will live in a future just like today, only with more contraptions and diseases with new names. I'm far too tired to continue. I need to write my resume tomorrow..
2004-06-10
Good date
We were heading from West Houston to a friend's house in Galveston. Julie needed to pick up a computer from her friend. We seemed to spend time in the truck quite a bit. We liked the time spent traveling together. We would talk while she drove. I cannot drive, so it is a good thing she enjoyed being the one behind the wheel. it was a beautiful day. The drive was nice. When we got to the friend's house we decided to go for a day at the Aquarium Restaurant. We made it down to the front and waited inside the lobby for a while. We were sitting down on a couch. Julie laid her head on my shoulder and fell asleep. We got that "cute couple" look from just about every one who walked by. When we were seated, we got a table right by the window overlooking the sea. It was a breezy day with a bright sun shining high. I don't remember what we had, but it was good. I remember looking at the stingray (I think it was a stingray) swimming up the glass. I remember looking at Julie and wanting so much to love her. When we left the restaurant, we went to a couple of shops then we went to some one's house and hung out for a while.
Julie and I broke up a couple of years ago. When I think of Julie, I remember her smile that day.
I've been asked to contribute to another blog about dating experience. I'm going to put in the above paragraph. Can you believe I've been asked to contribute to anything?
Something I learned today
The guy who did the voice for miss Piggy also did The Cookie Monster.
Work
I love it when a manager sends down an edict to use a batch file to get something done. This manager hasn't looked at a command prompt since Ronny Ray-Gun was in the white house. I know in my mind that a script works better for the need at hand. Scripts allow access to COM and far better error handling. At my day job they insist on using VB for everything. Some things are just not best solved with VB. Other languages have their place. I've heard it is because they want some one else to pick up where you leave off when you finally come too and get a better job. If I walked into my mechanics garage and said "Something is wrong with my car, but you can't use sockets to fix it, I forbid it!" The mechanic would give me the same look I gave the manager who said to use the batch file.
We were heading from West Houston to a friend's house in Galveston. Julie needed to pick up a computer from her friend. We seemed to spend time in the truck quite a bit. We liked the time spent traveling together. We would talk while she drove. I cannot drive, so it is a good thing she enjoyed being the one behind the wheel. it was a beautiful day. The drive was nice. When we got to the friend's house we decided to go for a day at the Aquarium Restaurant. We made it down to the front and waited inside the lobby for a while. We were sitting down on a couch. Julie laid her head on my shoulder and fell asleep. We got that "cute couple" look from just about every one who walked by. When we were seated, we got a table right by the window overlooking the sea. It was a breezy day with a bright sun shining high. I don't remember what we had, but it was good. I remember looking at the stingray (I think it was a stingray) swimming up the glass. I remember looking at Julie and wanting so much to love her. When we left the restaurant, we went to a couple of shops then we went to some one's house and hung out for a while.
Julie and I broke up a couple of years ago. When I think of Julie, I remember her smile that day.
I've been asked to contribute to another blog about dating experience. I'm going to put in the above paragraph. Can you believe I've been asked to contribute to anything?
Something I learned today
The guy who did the voice for miss Piggy also did The Cookie Monster.
Work
I love it when a manager sends down an edict to use a batch file to get something done. This manager hasn't looked at a command prompt since Ronny Ray-Gun was in the white house. I know in my mind that a script works better for the need at hand. Scripts allow access to COM and far better error handling. At my day job they insist on using VB for everything. Some things are just not best solved with VB. Other languages have their place. I've heard it is because they want some one else to pick up where you leave off when you finally come too and get a better job. If I walked into my mechanics garage and said "Something is wrong with my car, but you can't use sockets to fix it, I forbid it!" The mechanic would give me the same look I gave the manager who said to use the batch file.
2004-06-09
Cynthia's blog
What happened to Cynthia has happened to me, and not just on Blogger. She was typing in a long entry in the Blogger web form when she hit the preview link. The preview came up fine. At this point there is a way back to edit the screen without loosing data. However, she wanted to test out a link she had put on her page. The instant her successful link popped up, all her work was gone. When she tried to go back to the edit screen, her effort had vanished.
This is highly discouraging. I have noticed similar methods all over the web. When entering data into a form on the Internet, it is pot luck whether your data will be there if there is a hiccup in the system. In the past two weeks I have had PayPal fail on me twice when trying to order items from TigerDirect. I ended up having to use a credit card both times.
When she sent me the email, I pulled the male thing and tried to offer her advice instead of sympathy. I just can't take my own advice. I've had this kind of thing happen to me so much, that I use Mozilla Composer to prepare my entries for Blogger before publishing. That and the lack of a spell checker in the Blogger editor make me use an external editor..
Gmail
I have a couple of invites for Gmail. I sent out an email for requests, but I have not received any responses. The first two guys I sent the invite too were obvious choices. I knew they would jump at the opportunity. Now, I'm down the list a bit. I sent out about 10 requests and only one person responded with a "what is Gmail?" email. That's fine. I don't want to send the request out to any one who doesn't want it. If you want it write me at zhsy00001 at Gmail.com. It is first come first serve. I think I have three to give. All I want in return is a promise that you will tell your mother you love her.
What happened to Cynthia has happened to me, and not just on Blogger. She was typing in a long entry in the Blogger web form when she hit the preview link. The preview came up fine. At this point there is a way back to edit the screen without loosing data. However, she wanted to test out a link she had put on her page. The instant her successful link popped up, all her work was gone. When she tried to go back to the edit screen, her effort had vanished.
This is highly discouraging. I have noticed similar methods all over the web. When entering data into a form on the Internet, it is pot luck whether your data will be there if there is a hiccup in the system. In the past two weeks I have had PayPal fail on me twice when trying to order items from TigerDirect. I ended up having to use a credit card both times.
When she sent me the email, I pulled the male thing and tried to offer her advice instead of sympathy. I just can't take my own advice. I've had this kind of thing happen to me so much, that I use Mozilla Composer to prepare my entries for Blogger before publishing. That and the lack of a spell checker in the Blogger editor make me use an external editor..
Gmail
I have a couple of invites for Gmail. I sent out an email for requests, but I have not received any responses. The first two guys I sent the invite too were obvious choices. I knew they would jump at the opportunity. Now, I'm down the list a bit. I sent out about 10 requests and only one person responded with a "what is Gmail?" email. That's fine. I don't want to send the request out to any one who doesn't want it. If you want it write me at zhsy00001 at Gmail.com. It is first come first serve. I think I have three to give. All I want in return is a promise that you will tell your mother you love her.
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