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

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

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

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

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

Boots
I got four positive comments on my boots today. They are almost worth the too much money I spent on them. Well, no. I paid more than I should have. The break in period is nearly over. I only have the slightest warm spot between my toes now. It won't be long before they ware like moccasins.

Oh, MY GOD!!!
If I were in charge, which I'm not, I would give this bitch the death penalty for being stupid and reckless.  She adopts seven kids. She dumps them in Africa. She was on her way to Iraq when some guy from San Antonio found the kids by accident. The kids are bound to be all messed up. They were abandoned in another country.

Trailer Parts and Axles
My mobile phone number is similar to a the phone of a place called Trailer Parts and Axles. I get these random phone calls from dyslexic hillbillies. "I need to order some parts ..." I'm telling you, one of these days I'm going to just say "sure, what's your credit card number?" and just move on with my life. They all sound like that guy on the Simpsons Kletis, the slack-jawed yokel.

Wheel of Time (continued)
I completed book six this past weekend. I have become addicted to the series. A friend tells me the current story line (involving a bowl) takes entirely too long. He also mentioned the Amazon comments seem to tern against the author and the series around book seven. I read the first couple of chapters of book seven. So far, so good.
I have to say, this story is unique in my experience. I've never followed a story of such detail over so much story time. I can't think of another story that has spread out like this one. The author does a great job of keeping focus even though the story seems to go all over the place. The weave really does have many intertwining threads. I hope I can stick with it to the bitter end. I hope the author doesn't die any time soon..

My Readers
I've gotten some feedback on my blog. Adam skips the news and loves the geek stuff. Cynthia skips the geek stuff and loves the news. It seems every one likes, or endures, the personal experiences. The anecdotes are a hit. It's just too bad that  I don't get out more.

Gmail
Gmail is starting to piss me off. I know it is a beta, but damn-it, I would like it to work. I'm in the middle of typing an email. When I'm ready to click send, it just sits there. I don't know if it sends or if it does nothing. Even if I go look in sent items I cannot tel for sure if the email went out. So, I have to send it again. Then people complain they got it twice. This kind of thing only seems to happen at high load times. That scares me. What is going to happen when they go live? Generally it clears up quickly. That doesn't help me really. It needs to work all the time to be frank.
Failed sends.
They still do not support HTML tags.
It is hard to select more than one address from the contacts list. (you have to type them in)
No fixed width font.
No way to list conversations that have no category.
No way to get emails out of Gmail in mass. (in case I need to change my address someday)

Post Office
A friend of mine had a little story about the Post Office. I remember a time when I was a kid where people said the Post Office was a job for life. I don't think it is quite that any more. I have to tell you, there are some losers working for the Post Office.
My friend found she had no mail for three days.  A sign showed up on the community box saying "Go get your mail at the Post Office."  She made a trip to the Post Office. She waited in line for a half hour to get her mail. The person who was helping here disappeared behind the scenes and came back to say "You have to call your carrier." Great. The next day she calls her carrier the next day only to sit on the phone for ever. She hears from the carrier "Your mail is at the Post Office." She goes back to the post office. A half hour in line gets her the information "Your mailbox has been fixed. Go away." OK. They didn't say go away, but that is how my friend felt. If she had just waited another day, she would have had all the mail in her mailbox.
Is it me, or does this sound like incompetence? Do they do this on purpose? Do they know how stupid they look? Are these people behind the door smoking a multi-pipe-gas-fired-crack-hookah?

Evening
Before I get to the evening, let me go over my day. I worked. Then I came home. That sounds like a Monday. I wrote some code, I asked some questions of support people at another company. I told a person his project was ready for testing. I can't wait to get his comments back. It amazes me how you can hand someone exactly what they asked for and they have changes. Tomorrow is another day. The same. Hopefully with less trouble and more answers.
Now., my evening. in an hour or so a buddy of mine will call me and we will go over colors for a support page for my evening job. It is one of those pages you have probably used to get an answer over some computer question. We are going to attempt to get the colors on the page to match some other products we have. Our over all page will change as well. We will go to a tabbed design. I'm sure they will change other look and feel stuff. I want allot more content out there.
I cannot be trusted to design anything for looks. Everything would be white text in Ariel on a black background. I took some classes in desktop publishing many moons ago. The most important thing I learned is that I have no taste. I cannot tell blue from green or red from brown. Cynthia can testify that  I cannot tell beige  from pink. If it were not for the description, I would not know one from the other.

DnD Character
In life, I'm a computer jockey. I spend my time making computers do what they said on the side of the box. I use the things I've learned from day to day to perform my job(s). I did not make it through university. I never did well in school. I believe in my heart that if I had perfect vision my whole life I would not have done much better in school. I have not found love in my life. I have not found anything that makes me embrace life for more than an evening's good time.
In the world of fantasy I insist on playing simple shallow characters. They all have well defined rules. Even if the rules are those of chaoss. My characters are usually true to themselves. I have the hardest time with magic users. I like playing dwarf fighters. I like playing  strong, easy going characters who do not have to lead. The waking world seems to take enough from me that I have little to spare for the fantasy. It seems I am challenged just staying here. Like something is pulling me elsewhere in the ether. Anyway, My choice of character is mine and I made it. I will  be a fighter. Just a plane fighter. Wait, "just"? No. I will be the only fighter. I will be the only player who plays fighters. I will be the best fighter.
When it comes to the world of fantasy, there are no shortage of exceptional characters. Superman is a super hero. The Flash is a super hero. Spiderman is a super hero (or, the spider that bit him is the hero). The Hulk is a mistake that kind of works out for the side of good. There are a million more, but there is one who stands out in my mind.
Batman is just a guy who lived through his parents being murdered and through force of his own will made himself a super hero. He is not a super hero. "Some day a punk will get lucky. I accept that." He is a man. He is a wise fighter. He learns as he goes and remembers everything. He remembers how things connect. He reasons them out. He fights. He is not complex. His toys are complex. He fights.
I play with a bunch of engineers. They like playing complex characters and then not doing much more than fighting the bad guys. Our plots are sometimes twisted, but simple. I don't know what the other players' motivations are. An engineer playing a gadgeteer is like a shoe salesman playing a cobbler. I don't get it. It is not mine to get. Let them enjoy themselves.

Friday the Thirteenth
I went out back for lunch today. Every one seemed to bale on me for lunch. I went to the cafeteria. I don't mind. The food is OK. They have pick-nick tables out amongst the trees. One of these days I'll publish some pictures, but I'll have to wait until the company moves, because they are touchy about pictures. It was wonderful. The weather is really nice lately because there are two hurricanes slamming the East coast. I have to say this feels like un-August. While I was sitting out there, I noticed the Sun light filtering down through the dense trees. The ground hardly shown any light. As I looked up from the ground to the top of the trees, the speckles of light seem to float. The light changes every few moments as the Sun crosses above. The leaves blow gently and change the light. It makes me think of chaoss theory. Chaoss theory makes me think of the stock market. We might as well bet on the sun shining one the leaves. You cannot judge the future of the whole based on the part, or vise versa. The stock market moves just as mysteriously. You think "I can watch the trees and predict where they will grow and how they will filter the light." Well, you can study the companies and predict how they will grow and make money. So, why doesn't every one win with the stock market? Because it is gambling.

From Iraq
I don't know exactly where the person found this.

=====
You know you've been in Baghdad too long if:

GENERAL
You start to think "it's not so bad here"
You say "this place sort of grows on you"
You say "it's not the humidity, it's the heat" (Houston residents only)
You say, "it feels cooler today" and find out that the temperature is 105.
The term "trailer trash" is a term of endearment
You think "DVD Mista" is a friendly greeting
You call your tent (trailer if you're lucky) 'home'
A "weekend" lasts from 0730 to 1200 on Friday (What about 0730 to 1000)
You get excited at the idea of ICE

You don't jump when a door slams or someone drops something
You aren't alarmed when every second person you see has a gun . . . or two . . . or three
You kick the M-16 on the floor aside without a second thought when you sit down to eat in the Dining Facility.
A Gloc or 9 mm on a lady's hip is considered sexy
Mortars and rockets sounds are "okay" compared to Vehicle bombs (IED's)
You can measure distances based on explosion sounds
"Scoring" means you acquired a new weapon

TRAVEL
You go to Fallujah and Mosul for R&R
You are soothed by the sounds of helicopters flying six feet over your trailer
You automatically get down on your hands and knees in the dirt to inspect the underside of your car, even when you are wearing a suit or skirt
Bullet holes in cars are no longer alarming
Car selections consist of "hard" or "soft", not Cadillac or Mercedes
Road trips consist of 6 vehicles and large caliber weapons
Driving on the sidewalk is normal.
Driving on the wrong side of a divided four lane street is normal
Driving 60 mph through a bustling street market is considered prudent
Hit-and-run fender benders are treated as mere warnings
Riding in a hot Humvee is preferred to an air-conditioned soft car
You get upset that you don't get C-130 Frequent Flyer Miles
Your carry-on luggage includes a flack jacket and helmet

HYGIENE
You enjoy waiting 45 minutes for the toilets to refill
You start believing that Deodorant should be a personal choice
KBR buzz cuts begin to look stylish

SURROUNDINGS
 "Texas Barriers" are something other than a device to keep Texans out
"Jersey Barriers" are something other than fences to keep Holsteins away from Jerseys
You begin to believe that project construction being blown up only twice a week is progress

You get excited with the presence of clouds
You know ten times as many South Africans as you've ever known before
The security guards are Ghurka or South African and you know them
Afrikaans at the pool is normal

DINING
You look forward to Mohammad's Mango ice cream as the treat for the day
Powdered eggs taste ok
You consider plastic ware the Palace China
You can distinguish inherent qualities of various plastic utensils
The quality of the plastics utensils becomes a hot dinner topic
Having to separate plastic plates causes you undue stress
Lettuce for your salad becomes a luxury
Scamming a 3rd can of soda makes you feel like you got even with someone
You are putting on weight because the Saddam's Revenge Diet no longer works
Going to another mess hall is an adventure

FASHION
You think desert combat boots look great with a dark blue suit or shorts
Sand between your thong sandals actually feels good
The color white is no longer an option
Speedos for security guards seem right
You can recognize 12 different camouflage patterns
You've given up on shoe polish

LIVING CONDITIONS
You get a big smile when you see your pressed clothes at the KBR laundry
You get a bigger smile knowing they didn't lose your laundry
You think the bullet holes in the roof of your trailer is just another form of ventilation.
You get upset because the post office won't ship your looted artifacts
You haven't had water from anything other than a bottle for months on end
You consider broken sandbags just a new beach expansion
The idea of a double wide is only for the fortunate
Forgetting your badge makes you feel naked...but pants are optional
A bootleg of the new stateside release is not available at the PX 2 days later
"Only one rocket has hit the Palace" is excellent news
Cardboard boxes have become substantial pieces of furniture

COMMUNICATION
Stars & Stripes seems to be a liberal newspaper
Acronyms become the acceptable language
It feels normal to have to run outside to make a cell phone call
You call your coworkers on a cell phone as soon as new T-shirt patterns arrive at the PX
"Can you hear me" takes up 50% of your cellular telephone conversations
You realize it is Saturday or Sunday because no one from DC phones

Baghdad
August, 2004
=====

Wednesday
Yesterday was so busy at work I didn't have time to look up. I got home and did some cleaning. Before I knew it, I had to run over to a friend's place to do some research for my return to DnD. More to come on that later. I was supposed to check out some evening work pages. I was supposed to read another chapter in my cousin's book. It felt good to have a full day. I have a pile left over for this morning and this evening. That's OK. I feel needed. Oh, I forgot to write anything for the blog. That's a shame.

Blue-Ray
Twenty five gigabytes on a "DVD" disk fro the same cost. That sounds better than it really is. The next version of Windows (Longhorn) will support some versions of high definition DVD formats. I've heard that the storage requirements for HDTV are vast. I bet a twenty five gigabyte disk may not cut it for true high quality HDTV. The Japanese have had HDTV for decades and the means of recording shows (TiVo esque) for years as well. I don't remember if I mentioned the trouble DVD/audio CD (dual Disks) problems the movie and music industry have at the moment. It reminds me of the audio book conundrum I went over earlier.
Music people want their money.
Movie people want their money.
Producers want EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW!!!!
Every one has an agent, a service, and an assistant.
Agents have agents.
They all own different cars for different occasions.
The U. S. is New Saddam. We are headed for a fall of biblical proportions. It will not be terrorists, or a big rock from space. Our own decadence and excess will simply collapse under its own mass.

Creepy
Go to Google and search for "Different Cars for Different Occasions" including the quotes. Normally, long search phrases like that severely shorten your list of hits. When I got to the bottom of the list, my heart skipped a beat.

Paranoid Kelly
1)  Project Tasks
There is a particular project I perform a particular task for at my day job. I just got a note saying IS will perform that particular task for the particular project. The reason I got is dubious. I think they don't like the job I did, or the flack I give them for wanting a one day turn around (hence the quality). Let them deal with IS. IS has a two week turn around, and a turn over that makes call centers look like a career choice..
2)  Moving Office
Speaking of the above project, my department is splitting down the middle. The people who work on the magic project are staying here and the rest of us are headed up to a cave on the third floor. I ran through the list of people staying and those moving. I don't like what I get. It seems to me, one or the other will disappear or get melded into another group.
Conclusion
I don't mind change, as long as I understand it. The reasons for the move are quite obvious and were there years ago. The high-ups want to get out of cubicals and go back to offices. Go figure.
Why am I so paranoid? Maybe it is because I don't work for the company. Maybe it is because I have been a temporary worker for seven years. But I'm not bitter.

Keyboard
Well, I'm not the only one who is dissatisfied with keyboard design. What did I say about layout changes? This is a new one. This keyboard is designed to be held and looks a bit like a game controller. The mouse joystick is right handed only. Not only that, but it is a joystick design. I bet I'd have a hard time with it. That's too bad. I wonder how stout the space bar is.

Chernobyl
They are filming a zombie movie inside Chernobyl. I can hear the set now "I didn't say action yet ... Hey .. Cut . . . CUTaargh!!!" I like zombie movies. Most of the time, they don't pretend to be anything more than a zombie movie. Those are the good ones. The only exception is 28 days later. It had a plot and pulled it off. That is quite a feat.

Generic Computer Fix
I'm getting crotchety and impatient with computer problems these days. People come to me with an old busted-ass machine and want me to make it run like new. What they forget is it ran lick shit the day they bought it. It just ran slow as all the other computers sold in the world on the same day. The first thing out of my mouth these days is "Buy a new hard drive, they are cheap. Take the old hard drive out and put it on a shelf for later reference. Format the new hard drive. Install the operating system. Install only the minimum software you need (no themes, screen savers, games) and configure as needed." There, I'm done. I'm sick of helping people just call me wanting to use my knowledge for free. It has taken me a lifetime to learn this stuff. I get paid for what I know and can make computers do. I have one friend who asks me questions and to fix her computer, but invites me over for dinner in the process. I don't get too many home cooked meals. That is a nice trade. I have another buddy at my day job who offers me rides home when it rains in an exchange for some advice. That's a good exchange too. My mom (can get whatever she wants out of me with no exchange) actually cleans my apartment occasionally  Tat almost makes up for the four trips the roll-top desk made up and down the stairs..As for the rest of you, I accept cash, PayPal and exchange of favors (of a non-sexual nature) for my knowledge and time.
I've gotten fed up enough over the past couple of years to tell people who I haven't spoken to in weeks to go to Dell when they ask "Hey Kelly, what computer should i get?" When people ask what camera they should get, I send them to Digital Photography Review. They only cover high-end cameras and equipment, but what do I care. I'm only interested in high-end stuff. They asked me, I told them.

Poler Bear
Baby poler bear walks up to his mom and says "Am I a full blooded poler bear?"
His mom says "Yes, you are a full blooded poler bear. Go ask you father."
The young bear runs to his pop and says "Dad, am I real poler bear?"
His dad looks down at him and says "Yes son, I'm full blooded poler bear. Your mother is full blooded poler bear. All your grandparents are full blooded poler bear. You are a real poller bear. Why do you ask."
The young poler bear looks his dad in the eye and says "Because I'm freezing!"

Well Duh
I wonder how many Israeli tax dollars are going for this study. I could have told them weed helps wane stress. They intend to give marijuana to stressed out soldiers to help with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Blogging is hard on the old keyboard
Well, I would not have guessed it, but I must be typing quite a bit on this blog. My cheep keyboard is about to loose its space bar. The left side anyway. It turns out I use my left thumb almost exclusively to hit the space bar. I had to switch to an old USB keyboard I originally bought for testing OS/X beta a million years ago. It is the most awesome keyboard. It clacks like an old IBM or TRS80 terminal. I learned to type on a manual typewriter. That is why I pound the keys. I should invent a computer keyboard made from a manual typewriter (drat).  I own about half a dozen keyboards. You would think I would have found one I like. Either they change the key-layout, connector, or design (flexible/wireless/split/silent) so often that I cannot just have a favorite keyboard it seems. I'll live.

The X-Box Murders (The X-Box Massacre)

Here is what I've gathered from the news stories I've heard. A girl let some people stay at house owned by her grandparents. Somehow some cloths and an X-Box ended up in her possession. The people staying in her grandparents house killed her, and every one else in the house, to get the cloths and the X-Box, allegedly.   Here is how I infer events. The girl let some people stay at her grandparent's place. She expected something in return. When the four men, who had all lost their jobs recently, could not produce, she obtains the X-Box and some cloths as collateral. The four guys show up with baseball bats and kill the woman and every one else in the house. One of the stories suggested that at least some people were killed in their sleep and that no one put up a fight. The girl was beaten so severally, the authorities could not use dental records to identify her.    I would like it noted for the record that no firearms were used in the execution of this crime. It was just that much more horrible because baseball bats were used.    Certainly the X-Box had little to do with it. The X-Box only plaid  the part of a commodity. Anything these people considered valuable would have sufficed  It may as well have been a TV, a car or a ring. .

Short Day
I was so busy today that I didn't have time to think outside the box. I often wonder if people do nothing in their off time to make it seem longer. I don't think that is a good idea. I bet, if people got off their butts, myself included, they would find themselves fulfilled.
On the other side. I know some busy people who fill their days and evenings from one end to the other, solid, with every moment accounted for, some times more than once. They need to relax and take a moment to smell the flowers.
Balance is the secret. I bet it is different for each of us.

Cool Site of the Day

Movies
I found a new outlet for movies. I suppose it is an inlet. Anyway. horror movies. They have all the classics. I can't wait to get some in. I can't say horror is my favorite genera. I may have been over heard saying SciFi is my favorite. Lately, I just can't say. There have been so many bad SciFi movies out. <cough>Riddick</cough>.  The cartoon was better. Honestly, I don't know where they went wrong with that one. It sounded like a good idea. Vin Diesel is a DND nut (like myself) and may have liked the idea of playing a comic book hero. The two Star Wars pictures made me yawn. The last couple in the Alien series didn't get my hackles up. I can't wait for Alien vs. Predator. I may have to break down and catch that one in a theater. Their site looks like they put more time into it than the movie.
There have been a number of series I liked lately. Firefly was canceled before I started to really watch it. I hate that. I don't have cable, so I miss most of the good series. I hate that too. They are making a movie from that series. They are digging up Battlestar Galactica. Looking at SciFi.com, I should not complain until I get cable. I have nothing against cable. I watch too much TV with five channels.

Too Far
Have you heard about this? It is a TV show like Fear Factor for Mexican immigrants. The prize is a law firm helping with your green card application. Mexican people are being exploited. There is not much a lawyer can do, except throw their name behind your paper work. Mexicans will humiliate themselves for little more than a promis to look into it.

Prozac in the Water Supply
Britain found Prozac in the water supply. I know some people who swore fluoride was a mind control method. They would not let their kids drink city water because the florid was going to rot their brain, or make them mindless all-consuming zombies, who eat too much, and buy all shinny things they find, hmmm. maybe I should look further on that one. Wait, wasn't that the flu shots?

Wheel of Time (continued)
I'm on book five. I half way through and I don't understand why every one complained about this book. The first half has been full of intrigue. It doesn't seem slow to me. The chapters are a bit shorter.
. . .
I tried taking notes for a minute. It would be excruciating to keep it up for any length of time. Int 5 paragraphs there were about 10 new names of people or places. Give me a break.  I just had to give up.
. . .
Almost done now. It looks like the climax was several chapters back. More one politics and the game of houses.
. . .
The fight at the end of this book is more personal. The other books are grand at the end.
Book five, done.

P2P
I user a program called eDonkey. This software has gone through many changes. Lately they have gone back to an old name. The company moved from eDonkey 2000 to Overnet back to eDonkey. The network used by this software has been taken up by several other software. When you download something on one, it may come from another.
* It has taken a while, but I've just about got this thing figured out.
* Stick to common files. Use the web pages that have file links. Try to stay away from searches in the software itself. Every file has an ID. The IDs on the web pages are fare more common and usually they are more complete.
* Make sure you have the right ports routed. They change sometimes. There are two ports this software uses. Incoming and outgoing. You have to configure them in the software and in your router.
* Keep your DL list full. At any time, I have about 35 files trying to download. The computer tries to get the one's it can and leave those it must for later.
* Make sure you stifle all incoming messages. There are nothing but jerks on the network. It is best to ignore them.
Following these rules will not guarantee any good results. A download of 30 (Kb/sec) is usually considered good. I can achieve 150 on occasion, but it does not last. The problem with P2P is it is unreliable. You cannot always get what you want, when you want. However, if you are patient, and you don't let the red progress bar make you mad, you may have some fun watching  Don't depend on it. Just let it happen. Trying to get a specific file on a P2P network is like throwing a live bee at a loose paper target in a hurricane.

3D screens
I fear advances in visual technology for consumer electronics. I can't always use the latest thing. I can barely read the screen on new phones. I envision some advance in computer monitors or mobile phones that will prevent me from getting full use from the new devices. I do hate being left out of new technology because I cannot see as well as others. Of course, with the aging of America, there may come a backlash to manufacturers forcing recognition that God did not create us all the same. We shall "see".
There was a story at some point talking about top executives who demanded some high-end camera phones have the ability of removing the camera as an option. This comes about because most companies ban camera phones. If you want email and chat, goodness knows what else, you were stuck with a camera too. No more. Now some phone manufacturers have removed the cameras. I've heard rumors that some phone manufacturers have banned camera phones too. I cannot prove it.
Didn't they know this was coming? Couldn't they have asked some one? I could have told you that my company would eventually ban these things. My day job has a strict policy against cameras anywhere on the site. I know several people with camera phones. Not one of them uses the camera feature for more than a couple of days before it becomes old.

Sudan
I'm not the only one who feels Sudan is just an excuse to focus away from Iraq and other areas. These articles say it is a conflict between farmers and nomads. The real trouble is not so much ethnic as economic. I wonder if it is the neighbors of this area who want military action. One problem with nomads is your cant draw a line around them on a map. The stuff happening here is scary and should be dealt with, but I don't want to use U. S. troops to do it.

Question
Why are audio books so expensive?
A) Writers want to make novel money off the sale.
B) Audio producers want to make CD money off the sale.
C) Publishers want to make book money and CD money off the sale.
D) Producers want everything RIGHT NOW!! AND LOTS OF MONEY!! BWAA-AAh-AAh!!!
E) Distributors want to make book money and CD money off the sale.
F) All of the above, plus they all think they are gigging extra from lazy people, while forgetting that blind people might enjoy an audio book as well.
I have the strange feeling The Wheel of Time would break me.

Curmudgeon
I'm a curmudgeon on my blog. So says a couple of people. (only one used the word curmudgeon) I suppose I am. Well, <in a Cartmen voice> "Screw you guys. I'm going home!"

Happy Place
Why do people do drugs, or drink alcohol for an entire lifetime? I had a friend, many years ago, ask me why people keep doing things that hurt them so? Well, It is to escape themselves. I think most people have some kind of escape. Something that helps them think or focus on everything else. I know a guy who goes on vacations and hates it. He wants the vacation to be the escape, but it is his TV shows he watchs that make him relax. I told this friend to take a week off and watch TV. Kind of like Al Bundy did in "Married With Children". I seem to enjoy reading current events and writing garbage like this in my blog. My escape is in my head. People have said heroin is like a vacation from yourself. Not every one has an escape I suppose. Some people are either well centered or just too oblivious to need one. Another friend got married and had kids. She didn't realize until too late that was not what she wanted. She used college for her escape. She said "I screwed up and graduated." Then, she had to get a job.

Freaky
I read that book. Why did i read that book. It has really made me think about strange stuff. I'm referring to "A Brief History Of Almost Everything"of course. That Ax factory I mentioned before made me think about other inventions that human kind did not come up with. We were not the first to invent the ax. We did not start the whole cloths thing. I heard somewhere that neanderthals used crude boles dug out of wood. It struck me that neanderthals are not considered our true relative, more of a genetic cousin. That thought humbled me. suddenly I realized that some one else  walked the Earth and created things before us. What happened? What finished off the dim neanderthal?

Meetings
At work today I had three meetings. That in itself is not unusual. However, all three meetings were scheduled at the exact same time and I had no meetings longer than a half hour at any other time during the whole week. Something strange happened from 8:00 to 10:00 this morning.

Email
It seems email is the vulnerability of choice for hackers these days. I understand MS and some game companies both lost their source code because hackers got in through some one opening up an email attachment. Some malicious programs will capture your keystrokes and send user names and passwords to the bad guys. Some hackers have figured out ways to get around needing the user to click on an attachment. Just surfing the web is dangerous these days.
At my day job, so many emails come in the system that it can take twenty four hours or more for an email with a zip file attached to make it through the scanners. At home, I notice a lesser delay, but just as much annoyance. I wish someone would implement a good fix for this. I hear there are a bunch of options. I don't know which one(s) will work. I know it costs the company (both) I work for money and time dealing with email hassles.

Wednesday Evening
I got off work at 3:00. I went straight home. I should have stopped for groceries. It is so damn hot. I have to wait for the bus in beside a busy road. The heat from the cars and the road is harsh. I got home by my normal time. It was about 4:20 or so. It is nearly 6:00 and it feels like I just stepped through the door.I'm watching a movie. Every one gets phone calls. I can't remember the last time I got a phone call. Just some one calling out of the blue to go do something. They don't want a computer question answered. They don't need help moving. They just want to spend some time with me. Bryan called a couple of weeks ago. Adam and Laurie called to go to lunch a bit back. My mom calls every now and then. (not what I'm talking about)  It's better this way.

I never wanted to sweep Scarlet O'Hara off her feet. I never wanted to save Marilyn Monroe. I wish they left Pretty Woman a drug addict.

The Wheel of Time (Continued)
Book four, done. People keep saying it is one of the best books. I think it was the best so far. I hope there is not too much of a down hill slide. I've herd book five is the most difficult to get through. I've noticed I don't always get the people right. Sometimes I cross who did what. I can hardly blame myself. I should have taken notes. Min did this, Rand did that. Something else I noticed about the fourth book was a touch of comedy. "Don't call me that."

Austin
My evening job is talking about moving to Austin. I would love that. Not only is it a more pleasant climate,but the transportation is by far better. Austin just feels more like home. There are hills and trees. I like the layout of the city. There is this thing called zoning that was intelligently applied decades ago, so it kind of works now. I hear driving in Austin can be a chore, but I will be on public transit, or in a cab, so that isn't too much of a concern. My parents might freak. I don't have a girlfriend or career to hold me back.
Houston is ugly. It is built on a grassy swamp. It floods. It is humid. The mosquitoes will carry off small children. It is a nightmare to get around. The air is nasty. There are hurricanes. Can I move today?

War
How well we kill ourselves. We get better at it every day. So prowed we are of ourselves. We keep track in the news papers. We watch it on TV. The deadly in pools of their own will, just  out of camera shot.

Sudan
Here is what  I bet is going on in Sudan. You have nomads and you have farmers. The nomads want to roam around living off the land and having a few laughs. The farmers want to fence off all the land and water, thus keeping the nomads from their rounds. I imagine this has been going for quite some time. I bet it has been going since before people called themselves Christin or Muslim. I bet stuff like this has been going on for thousands of years.

More on Boots
They are cool. They weigh about 35 pounds a piece. They are black, steel toe biker kind of boots. I complained about the new boots hurting my feet until they get broken in. A female friend of mine asked me why I don't have more "practical" shoes. It took me a minute, but I thought "A woman giving me advice about buying practical shoes that don't hurt my feet?" Give me a break. I can't remember the last time I noticed a woman waring shoes that didn't look like they were taken from a torture chamber. Anyway, my old steel toe work boots should feel like moccasins tomorrow.

Lamp
Buffy season 5 episode 2 has a lamp in the first screen that I have on my shelf. The lamp on the series is in a character's room named Dawn. The girl who gave me the lamp is named Dawn. Mildly interesting.

Sunday
Lunch
I went out with some friends to lunch. Normally, this would be a complete Sunday.
Benefit concert
Tom and Jen asked me over to a benefit concert at a local bar, Big John's Ice House (down the page a bit). it was hot. The food looked good, but I was stuffed from lunch. It was pretty cool.
Open Mic Night
We went to a bar over on Highway 6. They have an open mic from 6 to whenever. It was pretty cool. There was a twelve year old kid who did a great job playing some classical keyboard.  Jen Kicked ass. I like her new stuff.

The Wheel of Time.
My buddy had the following to say about The Wheel of Time series.
--- Email from 2004-07-21 ---
I think that people that want the story to end get a little grumpy.  It seems that at book 9, where I'm at, that the final fight between Rand and the Dark One is no closer to happening than in Book 3.  There is a certain amount of "lets get on with it" that sets in around book 6 -- but if you make it through that and just accept that the story will never, ever end until the author dies (and then, of course, it will be incomplete) I think Book 9 is just as good, if not better, than book 3.  Book ranks from myself:

 Book 4 - Cool middle part, Perrin becomes cool
 Book 7 - Cool ending, Nynaeve becomes cool
 Book 5 - Mat becomes cool
 Book 8 - Rand becomes cool
 Book 6 - Egwene becomes cool
 Book 9 - Elayne becomes cool -- haven't finished reading it yet
 Book 3 - The Stone is taken, cool-ass sword
 Book 2 - Padin Fain is tres-creepy
 Book 1 - Gearing up the world -- slowest of all books

From Amazon, I think the books are ranked as so:

 Book 4
 Book 3
 Book 2
 Book 5
 Book 1
 All the rest

In all the reviews of Book 1, several people didn't like Jorden's style and bitched about it mightily.  Those that liked it kept reading, so the first book weeded out a lot of grumps.  People that were looking for the series to be a new "Lord of the Rings" started to get pretty tired of the meandering story line around book 5, and the numbers of people put off by the length grow with each book released.  So the last books are panned by a large segment of the reviewers.  There has only been one story arc that I thought went on too long (and did it go on and on).  But other than that, as long as you accept that the story will not end, the later books just get better.
--- End email ---

Irony
How frigging ironic is this. I heard a lyric in a song saying "there are no cows in Texas .. if I don't love you." Suddenly, I had to know how many cows there are in Texas. I clicked over to Google and did a search for -"cows in Texas" many- and got the following answer, 13,900,000. The funny thing is, it is a bitch session from some nut job wining about Semantic Web searches, or, the lack there of. Seems to me the current system doesn't suck too bad. That is a big buzz these days. People say "Why can't I just get the answer I'm looking for instead of a web page that may or may not contain related information?" Well, because the web is a gigantic database contained on a billion servers all over the world, being maintained by nearly half as many people. It would take a single database at one point almost as big and complex to contain that data. I know all about complicated databases, I'm reading the Wheel of Time series. Trust me, MS is trying to provide this very service. One of the VPs at MS said he wanted people to experience the entire Internet without leaving MS sites. That doesn't make any sense to me, but he seemed please with himself after saying it. I don't know if you may remember the AOL experience from the early nineties. AOL tried to provide the "Internet" before there was an Internet. They stuck everything including the kitchen sink on their service. They ended up with a slow kick-you-off service that made promises and then dashed dreams. I fear that no matter who tries to take control of the world, some one will provided niche services better and be pushed out of the system by the conglomerates.
There is a term for one company trying to provide every service and sell you everything you will ever need without leaving their site. This term is sand-boxing. It is a kin to putting a child in a play-pen so mom can sip her margarita and play bridge without you wandering off a cliff. It is also a great way for MS or AOL or whomever to make sure you only get options they want you to see.
OK, it is not very ironic. It just pisses me off.

Sunday
I have a friend supporting a comrade who's wife has cancer. They support their friend by having music and merriment at an Ice house near my home. I intend on going. I worry only that they will not let me in with my backpack. I will go without it. No pictures. I need to make an inventory of my backpack for the blog sometime.

Another Time Absorbing Survey

37.5 %

My weblog owns 37.5 % of me. Does your weblog own you?

Boots
Today was a good day. It was hot, but beautiful outside. I read some information about a software package my second job wishes to use for support. I am reading my book. I received my new boots that I ordered over the net. That is dangerous. I simply requested 11 D and they fit. I'm very happy about that. They are pull on boots called "Engineer Boots." I don't get the name. I just walked up to the Quick-Mart and my feet strain a bit under the strain of slip on boots. If I don't ware the thick hiking socks the boots are a quarter size too big. I order boots that way by choice. There is a big difference in lace-up boots and pull-on or slip-on boots when walking.  If you had asked me years ago, I would not have know the difference. It's funny the things age brings to your knowing.  Wisdom is not a number, or a length of time. Think of all the things I know I Have no knowledge of. Think of all the things I have no idea about.

Book
A couple of things I learned from the book "A Brief History of Almost Everything" that I forgot to mention.
* The Moon's orbit really is deteriorating. It will one day float away.
* The last Dodo was stuffed and kept in a museum. It was burned because it was "musty" and lost.
* A single lighthouse keeper's cat ate the entire species of the last ground roosting, perching, flightless bird ever.
* Neanderthals had a hand-ax factory that was in business, that showed signs of division of labor,  for a million years. Some of the axes were so large they were completely useless for anything except to be worshiped.

DNA, Black Holes, Nuclear Bombs, blah blah blah
One of the guys who worked on the double helix of DNA died Wednesday. One of the guys was famous for saying something like "I wanted to discover the secret to DNA without learning any biology." He was a character.
I learned that from my new book "A Brief History On Almost Everything".
Izak Newton married his first cousin. (so did Louis Carrol, not in this book)
* A mars sized planet hit the Earth and formed the moon. (I speculate that the moon, covered in rocks from earth, is, at it's core, the other celestial body still.)
* An earthquake in Alaska sloshed water out of swimming pools in Texas.
*  Yellowstone has erupted twice in the past and is slowly moving east (not the park, the lava under it.)
* Science: "First they say it isn't true, then they say it isn't important, then they credit the wrong person."
* Earth and our moon are considered by many as a twin planet. This may be why we still have a molten core, and why there is still life on Earth. Apparently we need the gravitational "friction" or something. They didn't go in to it in the book.
* There has never been a time before where both poles were frozen soled. (I infer this means we are in a time of transition.)
This book is hard to read. It just drones on and on with a bunch of facts that are loosely tied together through history. It reads like a well written text book, without the details. Engineers must love it. .

Watching
I'm obtained the original Star Trek series, all 64 or so episodes I have the first 6 seasons of SG1 (Stargate). Those are the seasons on regular TV. I'm almost done with the Simpsons, seasons 1 through 15. I'm about half way through Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Muppet Show is next..

IM
This is a conversation I had with a friend today on Yahoo IM.

James: bug
James: bug bug
James: bug bug bug bug bug
zhsy00001: **** SMACK!!! ****
James: hahahhahaa

This is a good use for IM.

Sorry I have not been writing much. I'm reading A Brief History of Nearly Everything in between some other projects. It isn't everything, it is science. There is more to everything.

Dog Bit
I got bit by a dog this morning on my way into work. I didn't realize it got more than a stitch of pant leg until I got to work. There is just a scratch, but that is enough to get an infection. Now, I have to go to the doctor. I have to find out which apartment it was. The dog was tied to a front door. I walked along from the bus stop like I do every day. The dog had just enough leach to run after me (after I passed it) and nip me on the left leg. I only heard it growl at the last second. I intend on sending the resident a bill for a pair of pants and the doctor. I didn't even think to snap a picture this morning. Man that would have been a good idea. I had the stinking camera. More later.
More on dog
I've noticed I'm very distracted at work. It is funny how much I have to focus to do my jog. It is a good feeling really that I have to concentrate on my work. I feel a bit more like an artisan because of that. Any distraction, like being hit by a car or bit by a dog on the way in to work, will through off my game all day. I suppose it is natural.
. . .
I got back from the doctor and I'm fine. I am looking at pepper spray online. I think the pills I have to take (antibiotics) are bigger than the dog that bit me.


Hit by cars
I've been hit by four cars on the way to work in the last seven or so years I've been here. I walk about a mile from the bus stop to the front door. I used to walk down the belt way, but now I walk through a neighborhood behind the building.
1. I got off the bus and as I was crossing the street, in the crosswalk, a car just pulled up too far and bumped me. I screamed at him and kept going. They just didn't stop at the line. The rolled forward into me at a slow speed.
2. While walking down the belt way a pickup pulled out of a driveway and as the driver looked left and turned right he just ran into me at a slow speed. I went up on the hood of that vehicle. I screamed at them and kept going. They just were not looking where they were going. 3. I was walking down the belt way. There is this corner at Brier Forest and the belt way when you are headed South and make a right on Brier Forest. The landscaping of the building will not allow you to turn the corner on the curb without plowing through the foliage. While stepping off the curb to round the corner I was clipped by a person turning right. I doubt they even know they hit a pedestrian. They were looking left and turning right.
4. The paper guy in the neighborhood behind the building, never stops at the corners. They do only have yield signs. He creeps along and concentrates on throwing papers. One morning he was well back from the intersection as I approached on foot. I stepped into the street thinking he was far enough off. I crossed more than half way across the street when I realized he was right on top of me. I was on the left side of the street. He was so busy messing with his papers he didn't notice he was making a left from the left side of the street without stopping. (cutting the corner)
All of these have things in common. They were at intersections. They were at slow speeds. They were distracted (as best as I could tell), and they all hit a pedestrian following the rules as best as he could. I've had people tell me not to walk in the street. I've never been hit by a car while walking in the street. It is always while following the rules as best as I can that I have been hit. I need to move to a city with good public transportation. I need to find a city where pedestrians have some rights. I'm told Texas laws dictate that any one in the street, not in a crosswalk, who is hit is at fault. I feel oppressed.
Funny thing is, the dog did more damage than the cars.

Damn It
Here we go again. Now it looks like Egypt is paying off the bad guys. I bet the U. S. has paid for bad guys to go away. It upsets me when leaders of nations just don't get it. They take the easy way out. This is not why I pay taxes.

White Trash Test
I like this one. I stole It from Cynthia. My results are below. I still like the evil genius test. I had that one on my blog a long while back. Feel free to comment like mad below.

I AM 40% WHITE TRASH! The white trash in my blood will not keep me from becoming a doctor or a lawyer, but it will keep me from a good haircut and any sort of fashion sense. Take the WHITE TRASH test at Fuali.com

The Wheel of Time
Man, this is a long set of books. I've found people who have read this series who I would have never expected. Most people say they like the books. I'm terrified. I'm about to start book four and I hear it is one of the best. Book five, however, is the most wordy and difficult to read. Most people I talk to about the series are upset it has taken so long to get the books out. They have been reading since the mid nineties and hate the book-every-two-years thing the author has going on. Some say they have to re-read the books to keep up. I'm running through the first ten books, if I can make it all the way through. I bet I remember as much at the end as any one else who read them as they came out.
I have to say, I have never read two books in one weekend. I've never completed 600 pages in a day. Sunday I got up at 8:00 and completed the book (three) around 9:30 or so. I only stopped for a couple of phone calls. I have an odd feeling of accomplishment. So far, the wordiness of the book hasn't bothered me. It is interesting to have the multiple plot lines. I can sympathize with those who have to wait a long time for the books to come out. The plots are complex and interwoven (like the fabric of our lives). The series lives up to it's name.
I believe the saying is "The wheel weaves as the weave wills." I might not have that right. I'll have to check. I just did a search on Google for the saying to verify it and I got a  server error. creepy.

The Wheel of Time
Book three, done.

Tools
People tend to do what works. They are like water. Water finds it's path by flowing passively in the path of least resistance. The path that gets it to where it wants to go with the least amount of trouble. Now, some very bad people have found a tool to bend nations to their will. All it took was one week people to give in and the flood gates open. What are the rest of us to do? We must fight. All of us. I fear the change coming to our land. I fear the loss more of troops and support personnel without reason.

Banner

I bought this wall hanging a couple of years ago. They had dozens of wall hangings. It seems these are far more popular with Anime fans than posters. The place I bought this escapes me. i do like the art. This is Cowboy Bebop. This particular scene is Fred (The girl in the picture) leaving the rest of the crew to find her father. I liked Fred, she was very intelligent and nuts. There is a series and a movie. They are both excellent.

Books

I've gathered some books recently. They are not for entertainment. With the second company duties I needed a library of reference books. I only use about 5 of them on a regular basis. I have not cracked the two C++ books. Two of them are nearly identical.  One of them is actually Josh's book. If I truly understood the knowledge in these twenty books I would be a very smart programmer, and maybe some one who knows a little Spanish.

Kill Bill 2
I watched Kill Bill 2 last night. I have to say I liked it much better than the first one. Something about the first one just drove me nuts. I liked the fight scenes, most of the movie, but the animated part of the film reminded me far too much of Anime. That just made me want to watch a different movie. I want to watch both movies front to back. I bet that will answer some questions.

Cool Site
I found a col site on the subject of the Wheel of Time. Actually, WOT is just one subject on the page. This is a brilliant, artistic person who deserves a brows. She has a blog, but it looks like it hasn't been updated in a month.

Observation Concerning My Microwave
A couple of weeks ago there was a power outage in my apartment. It took a while, but I noticed my microwave oven stopped giving a beep when it was done.  Normally I have no time set on the microwave. When the power goes out, the display shows a bunch of dashed lines. The power goes out far too often to keep the dozen clocks set that go dead with every flicker, particularly the ones with no battery backup. It took a while to realize  Last night there was another power outage. Just for a moment, some lights didn't even fade all the way out. The next morning I warmed my coffee and the "I'm done." beep had returned. Visions of the ghost in the machine popped in my head. I know the only thing in my microwave I that moves are cockroaches. I don't like to think about it. A friend of mine who repaired electronics including microwaves said "I've never opened up a microwave that had been in a house for more than a year without finding a nest of cockroaches. Every one says 'Not my microwave.', but every single one." I don't like to think about it.

Armestrong
Lance Armstrong won  <yawn> again. That's nice. Yay us.

The Wheel of Time
I just completed book two.

Wow
There are these random waves the size of buildings just rolling around the open seas. I can't imagine running across the ocean in my small sail boat in a calm ocean, then a 25 m high wave simply appears and roles over me. It is funny, the things you learn rolling around the Internet.

Personal Page
I'm trying to think of something cool to do with my web page. I has to be simple. It has to be something that doesn't require much maintenance. Evey time I find a page I want to call "cool" I realize it is not the page itself, but the content that I like. Sometimes Flash pages a fun.  Some only work in IE and they can be over complex. Some pages have little to do with fancy, yet I visit them a couple times ever day. Even on days when I visit few other sites.
I would like to take a few centuries off and make a photo essay of beautiful landscapes around the world. I don't care if no one ever visits the site.  I don't care if no one ever comments or notices. I just want to go. There is nothing holding me here. Nothing that would not survive a while gone.

&#151;
The M dash is driving me nuts. The Wheel of Time is lousy with M-dashes. It is also way over ellipses pointed.. Every paragraph has five attempts to dictate where the pauses should be. I'm searching through the frigging files and removing ellipses points and M-dashes. The HTML code &#151; causes an M-dash to appear in the final document.

Donation
CNN reports a sperm donor must pay child support. There was no written contract. This was a donation between friends. It kind of reminds me of Will and Grace. I've had a friend suggest donating sperm. In the UK they have made it necessary for sperm donors to identify themselves. No anonymity. Soon the same will happen in the states. There is a trend lately to identify every one for everything they do. Some people still think they are anonymous online. They forget the IP they use even for a moment is tracked and kept for the authorities by their ISP. I have some friends who block any non -identified call. I don't know what the answer is. Soon though, I predict you will not be able to walk down the street without being tracked in the name of security. I don't feel secure letting an anonymous law enforcement agent track me. Every one says "I don't have anything to hide." until it is their 13 year old daughter on the video.

MS XP SP2
People have been waiting for a long time. to get the fixes and security updates in XP SP2 (Service Pack number 2). Now it looks like there are some serious questions to be answered before it comes to the public. MS is having some long term problems keeping up with their empire. The hackers are at the gates, attacking at every stone in the wall, creeping through places where water could not  flow. Other kingdoms gain influence seemingly at the grace of MS's enemies. It seems the whole world gathers just beyond the tree line. The port is busy. The crops yield well. The larder over flows. But the wind tells of a war to be lost.

Bullets
When I was a bit younger, a friend and I were walking through a parking lot near our homes. We were just messing around wasting time. There was three story office building that is gone now. A hospital took over the entire site. This site is at the corner of Highway 6 and Wilcrest in Missouri City Texas. That area is all built up now, but in 1990 or so there were still open undeveloped areas just across the highway.
As we sat there on the curb chatting, this sound came from just above us. It was a sound much like an insect whizzing past your ear. It was much further away. It was funny, but I could tel it was moving. The sound only lasted a fraction of a second. It was too fast to react, but I could kind of tell it had come from across the highway, at our backs, and traveled straight at the building in front of us. We didn't notice then, but a day later, one of the windows on the third floor, right in front of where we were sitting, was all taped up and cracked. That was my first real experience with the sound of a bullet. We never heard any pop. I figure that bullet was fired well away and may have been on it's way down when it hit the window.  I imagine it had slowed greatly. Hence the fact  I could tell from which way it came.

Firefly the Movie
I can't wait until this movie comes out. I nearly balled when the series was canceled. "Serenity", the name of the movie and the name of the ship, sounds like a cool concept. I didn't fall in love with the series until after it was canceled..I watched a couple of episodes and I was hooked. I need to find the DVD box set.

Dress for Success
I'm looking in to finding a new job at some point in the future. A friend of mine sent me a cool link that I need to read in depth. This place has always seemed like a mystery to me. I know nothing about cloths. I've seen their commercials on TV. To tell you the truth, I've had people tell me I look good when I dress up. I do not dress up often. Weddings and funerals. My wedding was the last one I dressed up for. My uncle Bobert's funeral was the last one I attended. I was four. I decided then, that I do not like funerals. I haven't been to one since. Hopefully, when I do buy a suit, I will not need it for any funerals.

Gmail update
The interface is the same as it was when I griped about gmail last time. There have been no real updates. Gmail has messed up a couple of times. I will compose an email and the silly server won't accept the send button. I'll get timeouts and not know if the mail ever sent or not. It usually only lasts for a minute or two, but it has bitten me in the but a couple of times. The conversations will not jive properly from some email clients. Some people send me a reply and Gmail picks it up as part of the same conversation. Others send replys and it looks like sixty different emails. This happens even though the whole body of the email is right there. Gmail still does not support HTML. I have no idea when they will abandon beta. It still rocks compared to the alternatives.

You can't escape
There is a story in the ether touting cruse ships will offer mobile (cellular) phone service. This means you will be able to make mobile phone calls from the ship to land. Charges are a bit high, but it should work. Between this and using mobile phones on planes, you will not be able to get away soon. When asked about people making annoying phone calls on the ship, an exec of one of the companies said "People will just get used to it."
AT&T is about to kick off G3 in the U. S. for the first time. This kind of service has been in Japan and Europe for quite some time. Honestly, it is about time.

Arafat
I remember when I was a kid thinking "There is no way this guy is going to last." Man, was I wrong. Arafat's own people are seriously ticked at him for cronyism  He used to lead a group of militants who killed people to achieve power. Somehow, I don't see him letting one strand of influence go without a fight. He was not elected. He was not appointed. He just clawed his way to the top. He has a degree in civil engineering and a Christian wife. If his own people asked him to step aside, would he?

Hangout
I'm missing a hangout. Every one of these shows on TV and in the movies, every one seems to have a hangout. Buffy and the gang have the Bronz, and the library/magic shop.  Friends have that coffee shop. The folks on Drew Carry have that bar (what was it called?). That Seventies show. has the basement. Homer has Moe's. Bart has the Tree house. Seinfeld has the cafe/restaurant.
Where is your hangout?

Late Evening in Kelly's World.
It's a Wednesday evening. I worked all day. I'll work all day tomorrow. I'm sitting in front of my computer listening to the blues on an online radio station. I'm drinking a glass of scotch. I just watched a movie about a man who died and left his family broke and broken. I cut myself shaving again. This time on the upper lip. I should just keep a bowl of broken glass by the sink. Goddammit! would this station stop skipping. Try to listen to the blues when the audio stream keeps cutting out.
Women will give you Fever. Fever till you sizzle, what a lovely way to burn.
All I need is a waitress and maybe some color lights. Maybe a beer sign on the wall. Something to eat between scotch and soda. The blues and maybe some swing. A dance floor that my shadow will not cross. The smell of cigarettes and spilled boos. The band as drunk as I am. Some one playing a horn like they know what they are doing. Stare at a woman's twirling hair as she dances alone. Sit, by myself, in my home. Drinking scotch, listening to the blues and telling the world all my secrets.

Go Jenna

Jenna Bush stuck her tung out at reporters for a laugh this week. I have to say, it made me smile.

SEE!! SEE!!
Thanks Philippines. I'm sure the rest of the world appreciates your floundering, you cowards! The authorities are finding people's heads in freezers. The fighting continues daily. Law and order are a dream. The areas outside the cities sound like the old west with AK-47s. An you, a nation with an insurgent problem, in your own back yard, give in to the terrorists. I don't care how it looks on TV. I have to say, this did not take long. I know some people from the Philippines and they are not cowards. The leadership of the country appears to me to be giving in to TV ratings.

Simpson's Trivia
I tried to capture a picture of Homer's pay check. It is Season 7, Episode 23, titled "Much_Au_About_Nothing". It is the one where proposition 24 want to throw out all the immigrants in Springfield. it is also one where a bear Tax. The amount of Homer's take home pay is 362.xx.  I don't know why I think that is interesting.

Grant Wood
Yes, you do know who this guy is. I am in a picture mood. These are all other people's pictures. I hope no one gets upset.


Random Simpsons Snaps

Speech
People rate public speaking above death when it comes to their greatest fear in life. Cynthia stood up today in a meeting at work and announced, in front of like 150 people or more, some work related event. She projected a heck of allot better than the people presenting the meeting. The PA was not working for the first half.
One of the gentleman who got up to give a presentation on driving safety (I have to sit through them even though i cannot drive (humph)) kept saying "you know", "um", clear his throat, laughing nervously and the like. All that can be over come. You just paws and try not to fidget. I'm no expert. The one thing that kind of disappointed me is he was not fully prepared for the meeting. I bet this was the first one he gave. If that is the case, then I think he did a good job. Lots of room for improvement.
Another thing they did was show a video file where a pedestrian gets killed. I don't much appreciate snuff films in safety meetings.

Feature Opp for Blogger
A female human being (Cynthia gripes when I call girls buddies) mentioned a new feature. She wants Blogger to remember (probably in a cookie) which entries she has already read. Sounds good to me.

I watched "I, Robot"
"One day they will have dreams." "Three laws safe". Those laws are just lines of code. There are some other laws.
If you ask me, old Calvin forgot a law. This is a Kelly Law. Nothing created by humans will ever qualify as human. No matter how much it looks or acts like a human. No matter how much it is better or superior to humans. It is not human.

Tired
I'm sitting here thinking about vacation stuff. My favorite idea is to take a week off and complete the Wheel of Time series. I bet I could do it in a week. Is that miserable or what? Well, where should I go? What should I do? To be honest, that is the most appealing thing in the list. It is cheap too. God help me, I'm boring. I remind myself of WD. He is a buddy of mine step father. WD has been described as that guy on the Twilight Zone where the world ends and he finds a library and is in heaven. WD likes to read. I'm not a big reader. I hope I can stick with this inertia that I've found with audio books and my computer reading to me. It would be so cool to be well read. Tonight, and the rest of the week I have evening work to do. I'm sure it will take the weekend to get it done too. That was expected. I knew it would do things like this. I am so damn tired though. I can't recharge my batteries. It is like I'm one man paddling a battleship. I need to get to it. Wish me luck.

The Wheel of Time
I found the official web page.

The Wheel of Time
Book one done. It only took a weekend. Only nine books and two prequels to go. I should be done with book two by the time book eleven comes out next year.

Blogger tools
I've noticed the tools such as spell checker and upload and the whole WISIWIG editor don't work in FireFox. Since I don't use IE anymore, I don't have access to these tools. You know, that sounds like discrimination to me. We live in a democracy. You vote for things. Majority rule. What about discrimination? Well there have to be allowances for the minority or the majority will run them off. That sounds great. Trouble is, there is a minority in every decision. I'm tired of being Tuckered..Maybe I should sue. On what grounds?
The only reason these browsers are not supported is because a minority of people use them. Even though the minority is growing, pages don't want to support the new browsers because it costs money. Before the alternate browsers will be supported It must either cost more to not support them, or they become the majority browser. There is a third possibility. If all the browsers used a standard (I'm not talking the IE standard either). This will not happen because whichever browser is in the lead will want to buck the standard and cause the world of script kitties to follow down a proprietary path. This is to keep them in the lead and keep every one else, who follows the "standard" behind. If you follow the standard you will not get any cool features from the leading browser to work.
Why do I let this stuff bug me? Why do I care? Why can't I just conform to the norm and give in? Wouldn't that be easier?  I want ice cream. Ah vanilla, my favorite.

Political cartoon
Linda sent me a hilarious Flash cartoon. It is not really one sided or the other. I tis just plane funny. It is pretty big so dial up folks may want to think twice.

The Wheel of Time
There is one thing about this first book that keeps me reading. It makes me want to be free. Nothing stops me but myself. This book makes me envy sheep herders and the Queens Guards.
I've heard some people who have read this series complain  about how wordy it is. They say "The first couple of books aren't bad." That frightens me because I'm reading this book (1) and I can feel a tendency to leading you down a bunch of dead ends in the middle of stories.

More on template
This one really is easier to read. I just got another comment to the affect. I just can't believe it, how far off my telling of ease to read is. I shouldn't worry about it. I should just move on. This doesn't mean anything. Anything, except that I cannot depend on my opinion of design. Knowing is good though.

DND
My friends who play DND every weekend must schedule the day they play. This may not sound like much, but it is a chore. There is no scheduling program that every one would ever agree on so one person must simply ask every one what day they are free. Then a graph must be made up. Then another mail sent out so the rest may enter their day. Then the one or few people who are left out must be consoled and perhaps, a new day selected.
I quit. So why does this vexed me? because I still get the bloody emails. I'm still in the distribution list, but not in the graph. I feel like I'm being mocked. I know it is absentmindedness.

Light

This is a picture I took at work. I leave things up on my Whiteboard every now and again to lighten the mood.

The Wheel of Time
I just started a book called The Wheel of Time. It is a book with ten tombs. It is a game too. I have to tell you that I have downloaded the text because I need the computer to read it to me. There is no way I could complete such a task without the help of technology. I hope all will forgive my indulgence. I'm on chapter four already.  There are 53 chapters. I'm almost a tenth of the way there.
I imagine starting on a journey from my home in the wood on a long journey. I first pass everything I know as my feet find their way down familiar steps. Then, without notice, I pass a place that is the furthest place I have ever been. Now, I find myself relying on tales of others who have lived near me all my life. The spoke of places not that far away where they found a good fishing hole.  Without a thought, I pass through a place where I have never heard. A place of which I know nothing. Only a few steps and I return to the land of family and friends. On my journey within days of walking I find a new land. One I've read about. One my family tells me good and bad things about. Then in weeks I find my way to a distant land. A land I have only known in tales of war from old men. Beyond this I find myself away from all I know and all I thought I knew.
I've never woken up in a place I did not know. I've never been outside my own country. I have little desire to wander.

My new template
I just noticed that my new template reminds me allot of slashdot. I had no idea until I had both pages open. If I could only round the corners.

Lower Pay
Here is an article about U. S. pay.  It just makes me want to cry. I fear our children will watch our great country fall. Perhaps not disappear. Perhaps not become something else. But fall away from greatness.

New template
Wow, I had no idea people hated my old blot template as much as they did. I've had comments from "It's nice." to "About time you got rid of that crap." To me, the white text on a black background is great and easy to read. I suppose it is a legally blind thing, because I had two people (one before and one after the change) say it was much easier to read after the change to black text on a white background.
I picked this one because it is wider. I got tired of scrolling for miles to get to the bottom of the list. It will support tables and photos better too I bet.
Let me know what you think.

Over a year?
It has been just over a year sins the invasion of Iraq. It seems like we have been at this for ten years. The death tole has gone over one thousand troops. Every day something else bad happens in the middle east. I haven't heard much about local news lately. I bet this kind of stuff has always gone on. I fear the U.S. legitimizes terrorist organizations by declaring war on them. They are like that little snot nosed kid who always drove everybody nuts. Then, one day, that kid gets in trouble for being annoying. This escalates until some one ends up with a bloody nose. That analogy sucks, but you get the idea. The last thing you do is give a kid a lolly-pop (see below) for punching another kid.

Philippines
The Philippine government is giving into the terrorists. I don't want to wish bad things on people. The Philippines have had plenty of trouble with domestic terrorism. There are rumors of al Quida roaming around the hills and jungles outside of the major cities. It would, however, serve them right if some local rebel group nabbed that same guy when he (hopefully) gets back home to his eight kids. (I'd try to get away too) This is no way to run a government. It sounds like the domestic situation teeters near collapse. Had the President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is cratering under domestic demands. The single largest source of income in the Philippines is citizens working abroad. The U. S. and others are not very happy about it. This whole situation set a really lousy president.

DND Chat.
I had a conversation with a guy here at work about DND. I have to be careful talking about DND at work. Not because of geek concerns. I work in a geek-rich environment. I loose track of how much time I'm spending yapping about completely off the wall stuff. We will end up debating the value of magic items or the reliability vs expendablity of hired henchmen. I think we had a hired guide named "Henson Smith" once. He insisted on waring red shirts.
We spoke of alignment. That subject comes up quite a bit at work. We reminisced of our past characters. He usually plays chaotic neutral. That way, he can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. I normally play chaotic good. I did have a halfling thief that the DM made me change the alignment to chaotic chaotic. I miss that little guy. He was nuts, but fun to play. "You have just been teleported to the home of an evil god. You are on his primal plane of existents where his rule is supreme. Do you take a bite of the black apple floating in front of you?" "ok." He was not evil. He was just looking for something interesting to do.
James told me about some characters he played. We agreed, too many people have no clue how to play their character. I've played with people who chose paladins and played them completely greedy or just plane evil.
I think you should play your character for a while and then every one else votes on your alignment. The group of players I game with will never go for it.
That limits the choices I have for making a power character.
Ever hear of life altering events? This is one. You don't have control over everything. Deal with it.
What if I don't qualify for the same class?
Update your resume and sign up for a new class.
I suppose I should remember that it is just a game. I should not take things so seriously. I should lighten up. I should go ahead and play with those stupid game points. God! I miss playing DND. I miss the hours of just sitting there and making things up as I go. I miss arguing over whether a plus one sward can chip a dragon's tooth. I miss arguing for hours over firing an arrow blind through a hedge, while aiming solely by sound and gumption, what are the odds of hitting a man sized creature who is flat footed? How heavy is a sopping wet wizard's cloak?  (Think about a wizard with a four strength.) I have the books on the computer now, so I can get more reading done.
Maybe I'll start the wheel of time series.

There are a couple of disturbing thoughts in the news today.
Palestinian children are being taught to kill Israelis. I keep trying not to just take Israel's side in this conflict. It is the politically correct thing to do. Is this a matter of culture shock? is it considered normal in Muslim cultures to teach children to kill? I know this is not the only place it happens. I've heard stories of young men in Africa roaming around on trucks with mounted machine guns taking what and who they want.
First, there is a note about a sex scandal in Saudi Arabia. A prominent young member of a prominent family quite prominently had his driver sexually assault (rape?) his ex in a car. They filmed the whole thing with a phone and passed it around to a bunch of people. They could face the death penalty for taking part in the assault. That is not the most memorable part of the article to me. Part of it mentions that camera phones are baned in the entire country. Regardless of the ban, they are quite popular.
On a lighter note, too many rules make for people not listening to any of the rules.

Alarms
At work we have alarm tests on the first Monday of every month. They have announcements before and after warning you it is coming. It is annoying, but necessary. Whatever you do, don't get caught in the stair well when the alarm goes off. It will blow your ear drums.
A buddy of mine had an alarm put in with motion detectors. They had several false alarms. When the company narrowed it down to a faulty sensor, he found out a spider had gotten into the sealed unit from the factory. The little creature would pass by the lens occasionally and set off the alarm. This anecdote did make me find out some spiders can live for several years without eating.
A friend of mine just sent me an email. Her parents are going through a divorce and she just activated the alarm for the first time in four years or so. (Why have they been paying the alarm bill for four years?)  She went to let the dog out and of course, set off the alarm. The alarm company called expecting a password. No password means a cop will have to come by and look at her ID. Well, that might cost money, so the alarm company calls her mom on her mobile (I hope it is still the same number after four years.) her mom is at a happy hour. I wish I had a little spider in her phone listening to that conversation.

This is good
I've had respect for Israel and for the Israeli special forces most of my life. Every time I've heard about evil people just disappearing, I think first of the Israeli special forces. Sometime in the 80s Israel sent a crew to Spain and killed a member of Hamas who was staying there in the open. That takes guts because Spain naturally got pissed about the whole thing. Israel said something like "They cant' run, they cant hide. We will find them and get them." It was something cool like that anyway.
Well The Israelis don't have a perfect system. It seems they do stupid stuff too. This should show what an awake bureaucrat can accomplish.