Fitting In
Be yourself, not what's cool. Be yourself. Don't try to fit in. Leave
that to the people who have a chance at fitting in. Not every one can
fit in, so be one of the people who doesn't fit in so those who do fit
in will feel better about themselves. You may be miserable, but those
who fit in will feel great. You can live vicariously through those who
fit in. Ignore the fact that 95% of people do not fit in at least some
of the time.
I remember as a child floating from one group of friends to the other
in a school yard, or at social gatherings. I was a social butterfly.
The trouble is, I didn't fit into any of the groups.
Groups:
* Fashionable group.
* Goth group.
* Future Business/Republican group.
* Hippy Wannabe group.
* Band group.
* Football/Athletic group.
* Science/Math (Future Engineers) group.
The last group was the closest I came to finding a group of my own. I
was never any good at math or science, but those people seemed to be
the one's I had the most in common with. It is true to this day.
2005-03-06
DnD
While we were out eating there was a fender bender. It sounded like a bad crash, but it wasn't. The birds took off like the movies. It sparked a conversation about past wrecks people had over the years.
Our group is pretty light this time. A bunch of people couldn't make it.
I didn't bring my laptop, so I'm writing this out longhand. I hope I can read it later.
Ethan starts out with a request about a bunch of items we were supposed to have had since the last adventure. We did a favor for a high level mage. When you buy magic items it isn't always money that limits the items you can get. The items take quite a bit of game time to complete. I have no idea what to get.
It is a-la-cart today. we get to choose our adventure.
* Diplomatic Kidnapping
* monk Raids.
* Nesman - 100 person caravan destroyed.
* Another caravan problem.
Ethan helped me figure out what to get. I am never able to plan in advance. I pick skills and items to help me in combat.
It is funny the stuff we get on a tangent with. We cover some Belgium Beer and private importing in peoples suit cases.
There is a group of traders in trouble. Random encounters are kind of a drag when you are over tenth level.
There is nothing like the first box text of a new module. We approach a burned caravan. Many dead. CSI DnD style. We determine it is fireballs, not dragons. The caravan still has the cargo on board. It doesn't appear that any one is missing. Some one came in after the initial blast and killed the remaining survivors. We find some tracks headed north. Some of them were manacled. We are a good party, but we still loot the caravan members for magic. "There is no reason to leave it to the elements." We divvy up the loot. The randomly rolled stuff is oddly handy. Normally, all the items you role are crap. For example, wand of endless feathers or something on that par.
Ethan keeps complaining that the random monsters suck. He is scrapping for a fight. The DM makes us all role a spot check. We all fail. That must be what it means when you get the hair standing up on the back of your neck. It takes us fifteen minutes to figure out how much damage we take because of the special abilities of the enemy caster and our resistances. The DM had to use a calculator to tally a bunch of arrows to on of our guys. One trouble with hight level mages is they kick ass. We are up against a couple of demons that are fire based. They were summoned by the high level magic user. Again, it takes for ever to calculate everything.
The girls are working on a puzzle in the living room.
One of the demons died and the other bailed. The wizard surrendered. Our pet Sladd has him pinned. We nearly lost him. We need him for information.
I loath leveling my characters. It is allot of work. If I enjoyed working on this stuff, it would not be so bad. I read too slowly to keep up.
We map by laying a white board flat on a table. We use miniatures at a one inch equal five feet scale. I could go on for hours describing the miniatures and the rules that apply. There are books dedicated to moving the miniatures around how things interact.
Lucky me, I get attacked while doing a fly by over an ancient wizard's tower. I hate how the surprise rules work. It never fails, I'm the one who gets screwed. This time is not different. Our wizard cast protection from normal missiles to give me a chance. We are up against rogues who are hight level or something with a good hide ability.I hate strange battles like this. We are up against gargoyles. I prefer straight on army encounters or mono a mono. We spend five minutes to draw the area of effect for a fireball. Something about how thick some bronze doors are. Brian can sneak. Bryan (different person) can do 100 points of damage in a round. with his six attacks. I managed to do 52 points on a critical hit. Not too shabby. That just isn't good enough for a twelfth level fighter though. By this time you should be dishing out massive hurt on just about anything that stumbles into your path.
Once inside the tower we find a dungeon. We find some spell books. We get attacked by a beholder. Those are annoying. One of our party is charmed. Normally that is the worst. The beholder is to lazy to go kill a cult that we are out to kill ourselves.
The bad guys are always taking over Dwarf strongholds. I mean, why do the dwarfs abandon all these strongholds. As much as the dwarves put into these places, you would think they would hold on to them. Now we have to assault the barracks. The cult has taken up residence there in. We should probably be careful of the prisoners. We take our time setting up for the battle. There are only four of us. We need to take out the big guys quickly. Our wizard is going to cloud kill one large mass of the lower level bad guys. (I should have brought my notebook.)
I'm taking on some guards. We have a five minute discussion on the rules of move vs. move equivalent action. I'm not much in to the higher level characters. Everything has funky abilities and too many of the rules conflict.
We loose the Wizard on our side. The bad guys surrender. That always makes things more complicated. It is easier when the enemy fights to the death.
While we were out eating there was a fender bender. It sounded like a bad crash, but it wasn't. The birds took off like the movies. It sparked a conversation about past wrecks people had over the years.
Our group is pretty light this time. A bunch of people couldn't make it.
I didn't bring my laptop, so I'm writing this out longhand. I hope I can read it later.
Ethan starts out with a request about a bunch of items we were supposed to have had since the last adventure. We did a favor for a high level mage. When you buy magic items it isn't always money that limits the items you can get. The items take quite a bit of game time to complete. I have no idea what to get.
It is a-la-cart today. we get to choose our adventure.
* Diplomatic Kidnapping
* monk Raids.
* Nesman - 100 person caravan destroyed.
* Another caravan problem.
Ethan helped me figure out what to get. I am never able to plan in advance. I pick skills and items to help me in combat.
It is funny the stuff we get on a tangent with. We cover some Belgium Beer and private importing in peoples suit cases.
There is a group of traders in trouble. Random encounters are kind of a drag when you are over tenth level.
There is nothing like the first box text of a new module. We approach a burned caravan. Many dead. CSI DnD style. We determine it is fireballs, not dragons. The caravan still has the cargo on board. It doesn't appear that any one is missing. Some one came in after the initial blast and killed the remaining survivors. We find some tracks headed north. Some of them were manacled. We are a good party, but we still loot the caravan members for magic. "There is no reason to leave it to the elements." We divvy up the loot. The randomly rolled stuff is oddly handy. Normally, all the items you role are crap. For example, wand of endless feathers or something on that par.
Ethan keeps complaining that the random monsters suck. He is scrapping for a fight. The DM makes us all role a spot check. We all fail. That must be what it means when you get the hair standing up on the back of your neck. It takes us fifteen minutes to figure out how much damage we take because of the special abilities of the enemy caster and our resistances. The DM had to use a calculator to tally a bunch of arrows to on of our guys. One trouble with hight level mages is they kick ass. We are up against a couple of demons that are fire based. They were summoned by the high level magic user. Again, it takes for ever to calculate everything.
The girls are working on a puzzle in the living room.
One of the demons died and the other bailed. The wizard surrendered. Our pet Sladd has him pinned. We nearly lost him. We need him for information.
I loath leveling my characters. It is allot of work. If I enjoyed working on this stuff, it would not be so bad. I read too slowly to keep up.
We map by laying a white board flat on a table. We use miniatures at a one inch equal five feet scale. I could go on for hours describing the miniatures and the rules that apply. There are books dedicated to moving the miniatures around how things interact.
Lucky me, I get attacked while doing a fly by over an ancient wizard's tower. I hate how the surprise rules work. It never fails, I'm the one who gets screwed. This time is not different. Our wizard cast protection from normal missiles to give me a chance. We are up against rogues who are hight level or something with a good hide ability.I hate strange battles like this. We are up against gargoyles. I prefer straight on army encounters or mono a mono. We spend five minutes to draw the area of effect for a fireball. Something about how thick some bronze doors are. Brian can sneak. Bryan (different person) can do 100 points of damage in a round. with his six attacks. I managed to do 52 points on a critical hit. Not too shabby. That just isn't good enough for a twelfth level fighter though. By this time you should be dishing out massive hurt on just about anything that stumbles into your path.
Once inside the tower we find a dungeon. We find some spell books. We get attacked by a beholder. Those are annoying. One of our party is charmed. Normally that is the worst. The beholder is to lazy to go kill a cult that we are out to kill ourselves.
The bad guys are always taking over Dwarf strongholds. I mean, why do the dwarfs abandon all these strongholds. As much as the dwarves put into these places, you would think they would hold on to them. Now we have to assault the barracks. The cult has taken up residence there in. We should probably be careful of the prisoners. We take our time setting up for the battle. There are only four of us. We need to take out the big guys quickly. Our wizard is going to cloud kill one large mass of the lower level bad guys. (I should have brought my notebook.)
I'm taking on some guards. We have a five minute discussion on the rules of move vs. move equivalent action. I'm not much in to the higher level characters. Everything has funky abilities and too many of the rules conflict.
We loose the Wizard on our side. The bad guys surrender. That always makes things more complicated. It is easier when the enemy fights to the death.
2005-03-04
Martha Stewart
There was a headline on Google news that read "Can Martha Stewart Turn Her Businesses Around?" Now, why would she want to do that? Her stocks are through the roof. It appears to me the people who watched her before have forgiven her and many other people respect her more now that she has been convicted of grownup business offense and done a stint in the joint.
She has some beautiful horses on her ranch. There were some pictures on the news pages.
(maybe I spoke too soon)
Day
I walked from the bus stop int to work this morning like I do nearly every morning. Like I have for years now. The place I walk is through a neighborhood. The sidewalks are dangerous. The ground in Houston is mobile and the sidewalks are lumpy and full of potholes. It is the highlight of my day. I get to listen to the news or my MP3s while walking down a dark residential street. There are street lights, but they suck. This is the same street where the paper guy hit me. I've learned to avoid his lackadaisical approach to driving.
When I walked in this morning my boss was already in. Well, one of my bosses. He works off site most often. I sit down and get to work in my office. By the time lunch roles around, the day has warmed to a very nice sunny spring feel. I ate outside behind the office. The pick nick tables are just about to give out in the far back. The only other place to sit down is right in the line of traffic to and from the office. The tables in the back are out of the way and quiet. A great way to spend a few minutes before hitting it again.
Toward the end of the day I was expecting an email from a vendor that contained information to download and install some software. I caught myself hoping that beep was not the email. I was out of gas by the end of the day. It wasn't even all that eventful. There should be a different set of rules for Fridays.
A buddy gave me a ride home just for the heck of it.
DnD
We play again tomorrow. We are going to use the same set of characters. That should save some time. there will be several people missing from this group. There is a combination of politics and poor timing affecting our group. I'll try to write something creative Sunday regarding the adventure.
Chair
My computer chair broke at home. I got a new one. It is a piece of crap from Office Depot. I thought I was getting a bargain, but it turns out not to be worth the money I paid. The very first set of instructions says insert the pole part of the chair (the spine support) into the back (cushion) part. Then screw this knob into the slot provided. Wait a minute. There is nothing to screw the bolt into. The slot is not threaded. The slot is too wide for the bolt to grab. Everything else is plastic. Well, the back support cushion is just sitting on the post right now. I'm going over to my father's shop and "fixing" this brand new chair Sunday. I mean, come on. Why do I have to fix a brand new item. Well, it is built in China. They hate Americans. I am going to have to find a nut to fit the bolt that sticks out of the knob. I'm then going to have to drill a hole in the back of the support so the bolt will go all the way through. Then, bolt all three pieces together. I hope I remember to remove the post from the bottom of the chair before attempting this mess.
So, Why don't I take it back to Office Depot and tell them to shove it? There are no better choices of chair there than the one I got. The only chair there that I like is $230. My father said "Why don't you just bite the bullet and get an expensive chair that you like. You spend enough time in front of the computer to justify it." You know, he has a point. Where did I put that receipt?
Future Prosthetics
The exoskeletons of Ghost in the Shell vs those of Gundam Wing makes for a difference in more than which show you like. They take slightly different philosophies on the same theme.
In Gundam Wing the bodies used to fight and adventure are true exoskeletons. They wrap around the existing human body. This is great if you are pretty much healthy already.
Ghost in the shell takes the approach of replacing the existing human body with a replica made of technology. Some look like human bodies and some do not. The main character (I cannot remember her name) had a disease as a child and has had several bodies over the years as she matured.
The difference between these two approaches is both obvious and subtle. The obvious difference, I've just explained. The more subtle difference is the attitude of the writers who created the fictitious worlds. One writer subconsciously likes their existing body. The other either doesn't like their body, or has issues with loosing health or aging. I tend to lean toward the Ghost in the Shell model. My reasoning is clear to those who know me. I have poor vision. I would love to take on a replacement body. One that did not get fat or go blind. They constantly gripe about the high maintenance costs in Ghost in the Shell. It's always something.
What brought this up in my head was a friend asking me about my weekend. Dig this progression.
She tells me about her weekend.
I tell her about my weekend.
She makes a comment on how busy I am. Normally I have nothing going on. This weekend is basically full. Full for me anyway.
I say to her "I'm evolving".
She cracks back that by the time I'm on Medicaid I will be a party animal.
I answer back that I will finally have time to party by them.
She mentions seeing an EZ-cruiser (wheel chair) on the way back from lunch and thought it was pretty cool.
I said "By the time I get that old they will have some sort of iPod/Segway/Gundam Wing contraption for me to run around in."
How is that for a progression?
There was a headline on Google news that read "Can Martha Stewart Turn Her Businesses Around?" Now, why would she want to do that? Her stocks are through the roof. It appears to me the people who watched her before have forgiven her and many other people respect her more now that she has been convicted of grownup business offense and done a stint in the joint.
She has some beautiful horses on her ranch. There were some pictures on the news pages.
(maybe I spoke too soon)
Day
I walked from the bus stop int to work this morning like I do nearly every morning. Like I have for years now. The place I walk is through a neighborhood. The sidewalks are dangerous. The ground in Houston is mobile and the sidewalks are lumpy and full of potholes. It is the highlight of my day. I get to listen to the news or my MP3s while walking down a dark residential street. There are street lights, but they suck. This is the same street where the paper guy hit me. I've learned to avoid his lackadaisical approach to driving.
When I walked in this morning my boss was already in. Well, one of my bosses. He works off site most often. I sit down and get to work in my office. By the time lunch roles around, the day has warmed to a very nice sunny spring feel. I ate outside behind the office. The pick nick tables are just about to give out in the far back. The only other place to sit down is right in the line of traffic to and from the office. The tables in the back are out of the way and quiet. A great way to spend a few minutes before hitting it again.
Toward the end of the day I was expecting an email from a vendor that contained information to download and install some software. I caught myself hoping that beep was not the email. I was out of gas by the end of the day. It wasn't even all that eventful. There should be a different set of rules for Fridays.
A buddy gave me a ride home just for the heck of it.
DnD
We play again tomorrow. We are going to use the same set of characters. That should save some time. there will be several people missing from this group. There is a combination of politics and poor timing affecting our group. I'll try to write something creative Sunday regarding the adventure.
Chair
My computer chair broke at home. I got a new one. It is a piece of crap from Office Depot. I thought I was getting a bargain, but it turns out not to be worth the money I paid. The very first set of instructions says insert the pole part of the chair (the spine support) into the back (cushion) part. Then screw this knob into the slot provided. Wait a minute. There is nothing to screw the bolt into. The slot is not threaded. The slot is too wide for the bolt to grab. Everything else is plastic. Well, the back support cushion is just sitting on the post right now. I'm going over to my father's shop and "fixing" this brand new chair Sunday. I mean, come on. Why do I have to fix a brand new item. Well, it is built in China. They hate Americans. I am going to have to find a nut to fit the bolt that sticks out of the knob. I'm then going to have to drill a hole in the back of the support so the bolt will go all the way through. Then, bolt all three pieces together. I hope I remember to remove the post from the bottom of the chair before attempting this mess.
So, Why don't I take it back to Office Depot and tell them to shove it? There are no better choices of chair there than the one I got. The only chair there that I like is $230. My father said "Why don't you just bite the bullet and get an expensive chair that you like. You spend enough time in front of the computer to justify it." You know, he has a point. Where did I put that receipt?
Future Prosthetics
The exoskeletons of Ghost in the Shell vs those of Gundam Wing makes for a difference in more than which show you like. They take slightly different philosophies on the same theme.
In Gundam Wing the bodies used to fight and adventure are true exoskeletons. They wrap around the existing human body. This is great if you are pretty much healthy already.
Ghost in the shell takes the approach of replacing the existing human body with a replica made of technology. Some look like human bodies and some do not. The main character (I cannot remember her name) had a disease as a child and has had several bodies over the years as she matured.
The difference between these two approaches is both obvious and subtle. The obvious difference, I've just explained. The more subtle difference is the attitude of the writers who created the fictitious worlds. One writer subconsciously likes their existing body. The other either doesn't like their body, or has issues with loosing health or aging. I tend to lean toward the Ghost in the Shell model. My reasoning is clear to those who know me. I have poor vision. I would love to take on a replacement body. One that did not get fat or go blind. They constantly gripe about the high maintenance costs in Ghost in the Shell. It's always something.
What brought this up in my head was a friend asking me about my weekend. Dig this progression.
She tells me about her weekend.
I tell her about my weekend.
She makes a comment on how busy I am. Normally I have nothing going on. This weekend is basically full. Full for me anyway.
I say to her "I'm evolving".
She cracks back that by the time I'm on Medicaid I will be a party animal.
I answer back that I will finally have time to party by them.
She mentions seeing an EZ-cruiser (wheel chair) on the way back from lunch and thought it was pretty cool.
I said "By the time I get that old they will have some sort of iPod/Segway/Gundam Wing contraption for me to run around in."
How is that for a progression?
2005-03-03
I Stand Corrected
OK, CNN is not liberal, this guy is. Have mercy. He is a deep seeded pain behind the eyes liberal.
Search
I moved the search to the upper right. Not too shabby. I removed the Google logo only for the sake of making this fit. I wanted the search at the top of the page. It just looked goofy until the logo went. I've noticed it like that several times on other pages. Man, I remember trying to get some search algorithms to work on web pages a couple of years ago. You had to have access to the server, modify the code and go through nine yards of shit to get anything to come up. It was a pain. But, not anymore. Now, you too can have a premo search engine for your specific sight search.
Elephants and Camels
I road on an elephant once. They used to have elephant rides at the Renaissance Festival. I had a camel stick its face in my soda at the zoo. Camels and elephants really do stink to high heaven. And, all without leaving my home town.
Blog Surfing
I've been hitting a bunch of blogs from all over the place. It is very informative. I'm not nearly the best amateur writer. Nor am I the worse by a damn sight. There is every band of the spectrum. There are people out there have taken the most beautiful pictures of the most ordinary things.
* Do not use justified text on the internet. Kerning just doesn't work out here.
* Do not use blue text on blue background.
* Do not use a full picture background that drowns out your text.
* Use a clean template. Don't make too many changes.
* Do not use a template that has lots of Java script.
* Avoid sound at all cost. (not including audio blogging)
* Do not allow anonymous comments. (I need to turn mine off.)
* Pictures are usually good, even if they are not really that good.
There are people out there full of love for their children. There are people who are full to the top with hate, and they don't even know it.
OK, CNN is not liberal, this guy is. Have mercy. He is a deep seeded pain behind the eyes liberal.
Search
I moved the search to the upper right. Not too shabby. I removed the Google logo only for the sake of making this fit. I wanted the search at the top of the page. It just looked goofy until the logo went. I've noticed it like that several times on other pages. Man, I remember trying to get some search algorithms to work on web pages a couple of years ago. You had to have access to the server, modify the code and go through nine yards of shit to get anything to come up. It was a pain. But, not anymore. Now, you too can have a premo search engine for your specific sight search.
Elephants and Camels
I road on an elephant once. They used to have elephant rides at the Renaissance Festival. I had a camel stick its face in my soda at the zoo. Camels and elephants really do stink to high heaven. And, all without leaving my home town.
Blog Surfing
I've been hitting a bunch of blogs from all over the place. It is very informative. I'm not nearly the best amateur writer. Nor am I the worse by a damn sight. There is every band of the spectrum. There are people out there have taken the most beautiful pictures of the most ordinary things.
* Do not use justified text on the internet. Kerning just doesn't work out here.
* Do not use blue text on blue background.
* Do not use a full picture background that drowns out your text.
* Use a clean template. Don't make too many changes.
* Do not use a template that has lots of Java script.
* Avoid sound at all cost. (not including audio blogging)
* Do not allow anonymous comments. (I need to turn mine off.)
* Pictures are usually good, even if they are not really that good.
There are people out there full of love for their children. There are people who are full to the top with hate, and they don't even know it.
CNN Makes Me Sick
I am really getting to the point where I don't want to read CNN's web page any more. They are so goddamn liberal that I feel ill.
This morning I popped over to the CNN web page and the headline on the main page and the U. S. section was a running tally of the number of dead in the Iraq war. It makes me sick. How about the running number of people who have died in the war on terror on U. S. soil. Just plunking a number up on the page and bitching that the world is not a perfect place while not offering any ideas for better alternatives (emphasis on "better") to me is disrespectful of those who have laid their lives on the line. I appreciate what the front and back line folks are doing. The front line is all of Iraq. he back line is here in the States and on our bases in Europe and around the world.
According to the blogsphere, I'm not supposed to be angered by bias reporting. I am, after all, bias myself. I'm conservative on most issues. Mainstream Media is mostly liberal.
Fox News ran basically the same story. They, however, did not try to overwhelm readers with a massive number in the headline. All the same facts without the shock value of the stupid headline.
Three Years
This guy plans the Bali bombing and gets three years. Over two hundred Australians and others were killed. The entire West wishes the sentence was longer. The crimes were horrendous. The officials say he has health problems and that may have contributed to the light sentence. This is what Bashir had to say on the way out of the court room. (The picture showed a BIG smile on his face too, smug bastard.)
From now on when someone asks me what I think of Muslims or Islam I'm
going to say "May god convert them to Christianity or kill them all."
What do you think of that Bashir?
Here They Come
It was only a matter of time. Now, every phone will have a camera,
music player, PDA, and wireless Internet. Who needs a computer any
more? You can already blog from your phone.
I am really getting to the point where I don't want to read CNN's web page any more. They are so goddamn liberal that I feel ill.
This morning I popped over to the CNN web page and the headline on the main page and the U. S. section was a running tally of the number of dead in the Iraq war. It makes me sick. How about the running number of people who have died in the war on terror on U. S. soil. Just plunking a number up on the page and bitching that the world is not a perfect place while not offering any ideas for better alternatives (emphasis on "better") to me is disrespectful of those who have laid their lives on the line. I appreciate what the front and back line folks are doing. The front line is all of Iraq. he back line is here in the States and on our bases in Europe and around the world.
According to the blogsphere, I'm not supposed to be angered by bias reporting. I am, after all, bias myself. I'm conservative on most issues. Mainstream Media is mostly liberal.
Fox News ran basically the same story. They, however, did not try to overwhelm readers with a massive number in the headline. All the same facts without the shock value of the stupid headline.
Three Years
This guy plans the Bali bombing and gets three years. Over two hundred Australians and others were killed. The entire West wishes the sentence was longer. The crimes were horrendous. The officials say he has health problems and that may have contributed to the light sentence. This is what Bashir had to say on the way out of the court room. (The picture showed a BIG smile on his face too, smug bastard.)
| "I'm
being oppressed by people from abroad and at home," Bashir said after
the verdict, surrounded by hundreds of cheering supporters. "They
consider Islamic law to be a shackle and are slaves to immoral
behavior. Allah, open their hearts or destroy them." |
Here They Come
| "Sony Erickson has announced the first in a new line of self-described "Walkman phones" that specialize in playing music. The W800i features a 512MB memory card to store tunes and up to 30 hours of playback (if you keep the phone off, otherwise about half that). We should see a Motorola phone with iTunes inboard within the next two weeks, making March the month of music phones." |
2005-03-02
Day
Not much going on. It was raining this morning when I went in to work. It is raining outside right now in the evening. I'm sitting in front of the computer in my nice warm apartment. I thought some one was honking their horn out side. It turns out it was a rent truck making some noise when they hit the gas. I'm pretty sure it was the transmission. That can't be good. There is a bunch of high water. They should rename Houston to Highwater. I can hear people driving through the puddle down the middle of the parking lot.
Almost Around the World
This kind of thing really makes me mad. The Global Flyer is attempting to fly around the world nonstop. The trouble is, they have "lost" 2500 lb of fuel. What? "Lost"? They speculate that it is either evaporation (unlikely), a messed up pressure hose (would have seen it in testing), or, and this is the one that is A) most likely and B) the one that chaps my ass, they forgot to top off the tank before they left. Is the guy flying that thing a woman? Come on. They say they may fall short of Hawaii. You guys suck.
Not much going on. It was raining this morning when I went in to work. It is raining outside right now in the evening. I'm sitting in front of the computer in my nice warm apartment. I thought some one was honking their horn out side. It turns out it was a rent truck making some noise when they hit the gas. I'm pretty sure it was the transmission. That can't be good. There is a bunch of high water. They should rename Houston to Highwater. I can hear people driving through the puddle down the middle of the parking lot.
Almost Around the World
This kind of thing really makes me mad. The Global Flyer is attempting to fly around the world nonstop. The trouble is, they have "lost" 2500 lb of fuel. What? "Lost"? They speculate that it is either evaporation (unlikely), a messed up pressure hose (would have seen it in testing), or, and this is the one that is A) most likely and B) the one that chaps my ass, they forgot to top off the tank before they left. Is the guy flying that thing a woman? Come on. They say they may fall short of Hawaii. You guys suck.
2005-03-01
Balance
Intelligence, creativity and drive.
Definitions
Drive: The sheer force with one's self to make what one wants to happen, happen.
I want to include faith, but I believe that falls under drive. Some might replace drive with will. There is a subtle difference between the two.
Creativity: The ability to do more that stir other's ideas. The ability to generate original thought. The ability to know what is there, even when no one else can conceive of it.
Intelligence: The ability to take known information and generate something new. The ability to apply knowledge to new, unknown situations and get the desired result.
Balance: This is the hard one. This is the one that ties all three together. Some call it thinking on your feet. Some call it horse sense.
Thoughts
I believe in my heart that if you have a good balance between Intelligence, creativity and drive you will excel far beyond most other humans. This thought came to me while reading some dribble from Bill Gates about High School problems. He talks about "We need a new design that realizes that all students can do rigorous work." I'm sorry Bill, but there is a left half to the bell curve. There are stupid people who must be taught to survive, not excel. Gates knows this. He has a staff of genuine geniuses who write software for his company.
Let's call this balance Application.
Please notice, I do not include leadership. That is because I don't believe those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can do neither, lead. That is not true, of course. The best leaders are those who can teach, do, and lead. That is a different set of items to have in balance.
Let's call this balance Guidance.
Out there, somewhere, are the precious few who have balance among balance. I would very much like to meet one of these rare accomplishments. They cannot be wrought by the society to which I participate. There must be divine intervention to create these gems.
For examples of those with Application, I turn to Nobel Prize winners. Certainly not all. Only a few of these creative individuals have Application. One must have effected contribution.
For examples of those with Guidance, I turn to history's great leaders. Whether evil, righteous, right or wrong leaders must do more than simply make a difference to their subjects. Those with Guidance take a nation or many nations down a different path. The only example I can think of is Churchill.
Then there are people who have both Guidance and Application. When I picture myself as one of these beings, I feel a rush of endorphins. How magnificent it would be to have what it takes to be that man. (I'm a man, so that being would be a man, I'm not saying it couldn't be a woman.)
Intelligence, creativity and drive.
Definitions
Drive: The sheer force with one's self to make what one wants to happen, happen.
I want to include faith, but I believe that falls under drive. Some might replace drive with will. There is a subtle difference between the two.
Creativity: The ability to do more that stir other's ideas. The ability to generate original thought. The ability to know what is there, even when no one else can conceive of it.
Intelligence: The ability to take known information and generate something new. The ability to apply knowledge to new, unknown situations and get the desired result.
Balance: This is the hard one. This is the one that ties all three together. Some call it thinking on your feet. Some call it horse sense.
Thoughts
I believe in my heart that if you have a good balance between Intelligence, creativity and drive you will excel far beyond most other humans. This thought came to me while reading some dribble from Bill Gates about High School problems. He talks about "We need a new design that realizes that all students can do rigorous work." I'm sorry Bill, but there is a left half to the bell curve. There are stupid people who must be taught to survive, not excel. Gates knows this. He has a staff of genuine geniuses who write software for his company.
Let's call this balance Application.
Please notice, I do not include leadership. That is because I don't believe those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can do neither, lead. That is not true, of course. The best leaders are those who can teach, do, and lead. That is a different set of items to have in balance.
Let's call this balance Guidance.
Out there, somewhere, are the precious few who have balance among balance. I would very much like to meet one of these rare accomplishments. They cannot be wrought by the society to which I participate. There must be divine intervention to create these gems.
For examples of those with Application, I turn to Nobel Prize winners. Certainly not all. Only a few of these creative individuals have Application. One must have effected contribution.
For examples of those with Guidance, I turn to history's great leaders. Whether evil, righteous, right or wrong leaders must do more than simply make a difference to their subjects. Those with Guidance take a nation or many nations down a different path. The only example I can think of is Churchill.
Then there are people who have both Guidance and Application. When I picture myself as one of these beings, I feel a rush of endorphins. How magnificent it would be to have what it takes to be that man. (I'm a man, so that being would be a man, I'm not saying it couldn't be a woman.)
2005-02-28
Oscars
Million Dollar Baby deserved the Oscars. I still can't recommend the film. It is just too depressing.
I've read some blogs from Australia and England that complain about the time of the broadcast. In England it was in the middle of the night. In parts of Australia it was at a funny time on Monday night. Now, England has its (hey, I used it correctly) own Oscars type show that I cannot remember the name of at the moment. I bet if the U. S. Oscars broadcast at a friendlier time, they wouldn't feel the need.
BTK
I was born in Wichita Kansas. Now this guy has been grabbed in a town just north of Wichita. Either his daughter's DNA helped capture him or not. Some of the details are sketchy right now. I hope justice is served in this case. Kansas has a death penalty, but it doesn't apply because the last killing took place before it was reinstated. I find that disappointing.
I feel like I lost my home town. Now when you mention Wichita, I think of this prick instead of the place where I was born. Hopefully, that will wain.
Syria and Lebanon
They are right about someone needing to stick around to keep the place
from boiling over. It would, ironically, have to be a similar situation
to the one in Iraq. Hopefully, the number of terrorist attacks would
not be as high in Lebanon.
I'm reading on blogs and hearing hints in the MSM that people in the Middle East really like the idea of Democracy. a blogger in Iran actually said some of the students say they want the U. S. to invade. They are exaggerating, I'm sure. Egypt is making some election reforms. I'm not sure what they really mean to the electorate. Time will tell. They might be the start to something good though. I say the best way to export Democracy is "Bay Watch".
One of the blogs had a photo posted from Beirut. It was a protester with a small sign that read "Hey Syria, who's next?" Nice.
Word of the day
matrilinear (matrilineal): Man takes woman's name upon matrimony. (roughly)
Million Dollar Baby deserved the Oscars. I still can't recommend the film. It is just too depressing.
I've read some blogs from Australia and England that complain about the time of the broadcast. In England it was in the middle of the night. In parts of Australia it was at a funny time on Monday night. Now, England has its (hey, I used it correctly) own Oscars type show that I cannot remember the name of at the moment. I bet if the U. S. Oscars broadcast at a friendlier time, they wouldn't feel the need.
BTK
I was born in Wichita Kansas. Now this guy has been grabbed in a town just north of Wichita. Either his daughter's DNA helped capture him or not. Some of the details are sketchy right now. I hope justice is served in this case. Kansas has a death penalty, but it doesn't apply because the last killing took place before it was reinstated. I find that disappointing.
I feel like I lost my home town. Now when you mention Wichita, I think of this prick instead of the place where I was born. Hopefully, that will wain.
Syria and Lebanon
| At
intervals throughout the evening fresh groups of demonstrators, wrapped
in the red, white and green colours of Lebanon's flag, marched into the
square chanting slogans accusing Syria of murdering Mr Hariri, who died
with 16 others in a massive bomb attack outside a nearby hotel. As the
crowd swelled, impromptu debates broke out beneath the statue's
uplifted torch of freedom. ... Syria maintains that its presence is still necessary to prevent renewed civil war and that it will withdraw when asked to do so by the Lebanese Government - an unlikely request considering that Lebanese governments are traditionally reliant on Syria. |
I'm reading on blogs and hearing hints in the MSM that people in the Middle East really like the idea of Democracy. a blogger in Iran actually said some of the students say they want the U. S. to invade. They are exaggerating, I'm sure. Egypt is making some election reforms. I'm not sure what they really mean to the electorate. Time will tell. They might be the start to something good though. I say the best way to export Democracy is "Bay Watch".
One of the blogs had a photo posted from Beirut. It was a protester with a small sign that read "Hey Syria, who's next?" Nice.
Word of the day
matrilinear (matrilineal): Man takes woman's name upon matrimony. (roughly)
2005-02-27
Day
It is pretty outside. I have no intention of sucking it up. I'm tired of giving in to the whole "enjoy a nice day" cartel. I just made the worst cup of coffee ever. I really should alert the media. Instant coffee, powdered milk, you get the idea. I'm watching South Park and Lexx reruns. My office chair broke. The bolts that hold the back on snapped. (No chubby comments please.) Not only are the pointy end of the bolts still stuck in the bolt holes, the brackets are bent. This chair was only like $25 when I bought it several years ago. I need to just get another one. Any one headed to Office Depot?
It is pretty outside. I have no intention of sucking it up. I'm tired of giving in to the whole "enjoy a nice day" cartel. I just made the worst cup of coffee ever. I really should alert the media. Instant coffee, powdered milk, you get the idea. I'm watching South Park and Lexx reruns. My office chair broke. The bolts that hold the back on snapped. (No chubby comments please.) Not only are the pointy end of the bolts still stuck in the bolt holes, the brackets are bent. This chair was only like $25 when I bought it several years ago. I need to just get another one. Any one headed to Office Depot?
Yoga
Cynthia's Comments
I know that pose that Anna was doing. Hey, I have tons of Yoga DVDs you can borrow and copy. You'll just loooooove Denise Austin. And you don't have to wear tights. Get yourself into shorts and a t-shirt and you'll be fine. And no shoes. I can just picture you in a hunting shirt, jeans, steel toed boots and a hat, wondering why it's hard to do the poses in that gear.
My Response
Wow, I don't own a pare of shorts. =\ That's impressive. To live in the South and not own a pare of shorts, and not even know it until you go looking.
Cynthia's Comments
I know that pose that Anna was doing. Hey, I have tons of Yoga DVDs you can borrow and copy. You'll just loooooove Denise Austin. And you don't have to wear tights. Get yourself into shorts and a t-shirt and you'll be fine. And no shoes. I can just picture you in a hunting shirt, jeans, steel toed boots and a hat, wondering why it's hard to do the poses in that gear.
My Response
Wow, I don't own a pare of shorts. =\ That's impressive. To live in the South and not own a pare of shorts, and not even know it until you go looking.
Weather
It has been reining all weekend. I remember one of the guys at work wanting good weather so he could take the family out on the boat. No such luck. It is cold. It was so pretty Friday, while I was at work. Isn't that always the way? I suppose It doesn't rain any more statistically on weekends than it does on weekdays. I wonder if the added exhaust of the commuter's cars somehow influence the weather patterns of the city. I remember reading the ambient temperature of cities dropped a degree or two when the flying ban happened just after 9/11. In Summer it really does rain every afternoon at 3:30 near where I live. The weather pattern over Houston sucks gulf coast moisture inland. It just makes my area at about 3:30 pm. I've noticed this only because I'm walking down the road to the bus stop at 3:30 pm. Nearly every typical Summer afternoon I notice thunderheads roaming around. It is nearly 5:00 am. I just looked outside. A happy couple just walked down the parking lot either to a car, or to an apartment. The rain stopped long enough for them.
Normally, I'm up by now. I get up at 4:30 and run off to work. It takes me 40 minutes to get to work. It is a ten minute trip in a car. Less than that if there is not traffic. It is interesting on mornings like this morning. The rain makes the world look different. The ground looks like it is hazy. The street lights look wavy. The trees wiggle around in the breeze like they are trying to dodge the drops. Sometimes the moon shows low. The moon looks lost behind a heavy rain. It is cool when the moon is half hidden behind cloud. On cold days the ring around the moon is massive. The ice in the atmosphere on high makes a one color full circle rainbow.
It has been reining all weekend. I remember one of the guys at work wanting good weather so he could take the family out on the boat. No such luck. It is cold. It was so pretty Friday, while I was at work. Isn't that always the way? I suppose It doesn't rain any more statistically on weekends than it does on weekdays. I wonder if the added exhaust of the commuter's cars somehow influence the weather patterns of the city. I remember reading the ambient temperature of cities dropped a degree or two when the flying ban happened just after 9/11. In Summer it really does rain every afternoon at 3:30 near where I live. The weather pattern over Houston sucks gulf coast moisture inland. It just makes my area at about 3:30 pm. I've noticed this only because I'm walking down the road to the bus stop at 3:30 pm. Nearly every typical Summer afternoon I notice thunderheads roaming around. It is nearly 5:00 am. I just looked outside. A happy couple just walked down the parking lot either to a car, or to an apartment. The rain stopped long enough for them.
Normally, I'm up by now. I get up at 4:30 and run off to work. It takes me 40 minutes to get to work. It is a ten minute trip in a car. Less than that if there is not traffic. It is interesting on mornings like this morning. The rain makes the world look different. The ground looks like it is hazy. The street lights look wavy. The trees wiggle around in the breeze like they are trying to dodge the drops. Sometimes the moon shows low. The moon looks lost behind a heavy rain. It is cool when the moon is half hidden behind cloud. On cold days the ring around the moon is massive. The ice in the atmosphere on high makes a one color full circle rainbow.
2005-02-26
Recorder
I had a dream last night about playing the recorder in elementary school. I still sucked at it. I never understand why they force kids who obviously have no musical talent to try and play an instrument. Sometimes I still don't understand grownups. I'm 36 for God's sake.
Law
I have been wondering this for a long time. States have been abusing the Eminent Domain laws for decades to take land away from lawful owners so they can make more tax revenue from Wall Mart and the like. It is about time they used their powers for good instead of evil.
I've wondered if they could use Eminent Domain to take patents away from software companies that decide to sit on them to prevent competition.
I had a dream last night about playing the recorder in elementary school. I still sucked at it. I never understand why they force kids who obviously have no musical talent to try and play an instrument. Sometimes I still don't understand grownups. I'm 36 for God's sake.
Law
I have been wondering this for a long time. States have been abusing the Eminent Domain laws for decades to take land away from lawful owners so they can make more tax revenue from Wall Mart and the like. It is about time they used their powers for good instead of evil.
I've wondered if they could use Eminent Domain to take patents away from software companies that decide to sit on them to prevent competition.
| "Interesting
take
on the Eminent Domain case now before the Supreme Court. Could the same
logic behind using Eminent Domain to take real property be used to take
a Patent? Apparently some states are contemplating taking drug company
patents to force lower drug prices." From the article: "Patents are the
key to huge drug-company profits. The industry will fight vociferously
to protect them. In West Virginia, where the issue came up last summer,
industry lawyers warned a legislative advisory council away from
proposing such action on patents, claiming it would be
unconstitutional. " SlashDot |
Blog Surfing
The last couple of days I've been surfing. This means hitting the "next blog" button at the top of my blog page. I use my blog page every time because that way people who view their web page tracking information. That way, I get some back hits. Something else I've caught myself doing is leaving comments on people's blogs. When I read a blog entry that isn't half bad, I hate to see "0 Comments" at the bottom. It drives me nuts. They should get some feedback. I like getting feedback (hint).
Things I've noticed
I have noticed a couple of strange things. (based solely on my opinion.)
* Good blogs have more comments.
* Good blogs have pictures people took themselves.
* Good blogs make sense more often than not.
* Bad blogs seem to have plenty of hits regardless of content.
* Bad blogs use too many ellipsis points.
* Bad blogs have lots of pictures of stuff people took off the net.
* Bad blogs have lots of "stuff" all over the place and no content.
There are some really horrible attempts at communication in the blog-sphere. There are some really well composed writings too. Some people have a flair for evil. Some comment on a boring day and make it sound like a feature film.
The last couple of days I've been surfing. This means hitting the "next blog" button at the top of my blog page. I use my blog page every time because that way people who view their web page tracking information. That way, I get some back hits. Something else I've caught myself doing is leaving comments on people's blogs. When I read a blog entry that isn't half bad, I hate to see "0 Comments" at the bottom. It drives me nuts. They should get some feedback. I like getting feedback (hint).
Things I've noticed
I have noticed a couple of strange things. (based solely on my opinion.)
* Good blogs have more comments.
* Good blogs have pictures people took themselves.
* Good blogs make sense more often than not.
* Bad blogs seem to have plenty of hits regardless of content.
* Bad blogs use too many ellipsis points.
* Bad blogs have lots of pictures of stuff people took off the net.
* Bad blogs have lots of "stuff" all over the place and no content.
There are some really horrible attempts at communication in the blog-sphere. There are some really well composed writings too. Some people have a flair for evil. Some comment on a boring day and make it sound like a feature film.
2005-02-25
Note
I can not remember the difference between "its" and "it's".
I can not remember the difference between "its" and "it's".
| "It's"
with an apostrophe stands for "it is." "Its" without the apostrophe
means belonging to someone or thing, ... and yes, differentiating between "its" and "it's" can easily drive one mad. |
2005-02-24
The Publishing Process
I remember taking a publishing class many moons ago. It covered the following.
Creation: Some hack vomits forth dribble and declares it a masterpiece.
Editing: The process of stabbing the creator and twisting the knife.
Revision: Whipping the creator until they fix the chicken-scratch. Changing it into a work of art.
Marketing: Telling people they need what you have.
Printing: Something about paper and inc and sleeping in the back room of a print house until the middle of the night to make sure they don't mess it up.
I was trying to find some better information on OOP (Object Oriented Programming) for Visual Basic 6 this morning. Of all the things people look for on the net, you would think you could find something helpful on this topic. I ran across all kinds of poorly written forum entries and a ton of listings and reviews for books that are no longer in print. Simply put, no one really knows how to explain this stuff. You have to do it for a while to get it. While reading several unhelpful online instructions, I realized, none of these people were forced to go through the publishing process. The publishers would have told them they were nuts and the useless information would have been, thankfully, lost forever. The Internet is grate if you are just looking. When you are looking for something specific, you have to dig. When you are looking for something useful you have to sift. When you are trying to change things, forget it. No one will listen. Your plea is lost in the universe of babble.
Someone once asked how, in the 1860s, Civil War soldiers could write such brilliant pros on the battlefield. 1) They didn't have cable. 2) Stupid people dropped out and did something else. I bet literacy was only about 20% among working class whites in the South in those days. 3) If they wrote crappy diary entries, they didn't get published.
On a side note, the professor I had in this publishing class went nuts the next semester. She showed up with purple hair, acting very strange. I'm not sure if someone showed up with a big butterfly net, but I understand they had to cancel her classes. I never did hear what became of her.
The Fools!
Talk about putting the fox in charge of the hen house.
I remember taking a publishing class many moons ago. It covered the following.
Creation: Some hack vomits forth dribble and declares it a masterpiece.
Editing: The process of stabbing the creator and twisting the knife.
Revision: Whipping the creator until they fix the chicken-scratch. Changing it into a work of art.
Marketing: Telling people they need what you have.
Printing: Something about paper and inc and sleeping in the back room of a print house until the middle of the night to make sure they don't mess it up.
I was trying to find some better information on OOP (Object Oriented Programming) for Visual Basic 6 this morning. Of all the things people look for on the net, you would think you could find something helpful on this topic. I ran across all kinds of poorly written forum entries and a ton of listings and reviews for books that are no longer in print. Simply put, no one really knows how to explain this stuff. You have to do it for a while to get it. While reading several unhelpful online instructions, I realized, none of these people were forced to go through the publishing process. The publishers would have told them they were nuts and the useless information would have been, thankfully, lost forever. The Internet is grate if you are just looking. When you are looking for something specific, you have to dig. When you are looking for something useful you have to sift. When you are trying to change things, forget it. No one will listen. Your plea is lost in the universe of babble.
Someone once asked how, in the 1860s, Civil War soldiers could write such brilliant pros on the battlefield. 1) They didn't have cable. 2) Stupid people dropped out and did something else. I bet literacy was only about 20% among working class whites in the South in those days. 3) If they wrote crappy diary entries, they didn't get published.
On a side note, the professor I had in this publishing class went nuts the next semester. She showed up with purple hair, acting very strange. I'm not sure if someone showed up with a big butterfly net, but I understand they had to cancel her classes. I never did hear what became of her.
The Fools!
| The
Department of Homeland Security has named Claria, an adware maker that
online publishers once dubbed a "parasite," to a federal privacy
advisory board. An executive from Claria, formerly called Gator, will be one of 20 members of the committee, the department said Wednesday. "This committee will provide the department with important recommendations on how to further the department's mission while protecting the privacy of personally identifiable information of citizens and visitors of the United States," Nuala O'Connor Kelly, the department's chief privacy officer, said in a statement. Claria bundles its pop-up advertising software with ad-supported networks such as Kazaa. Recently, the privately held company has been trying to seek credibility by following stricter privacy guidelines and offering behavioral profiling services to its partners. |
2005-02-23
Floods in California
This is an airport in California that has lost a good portion of it's runway to the flooding. A river washed away the bank and ate the supporting land away.
The photo below is an in flight photo of the airport before the damage. I don't know how long these links will last. If you look closely, the water flow of that river seems to be pointing straight at the spot where the erosion happened. In other words the river just tried to straighten out the curve. I cannot figure out which way the river flows. It looks from the above picture like the water flows from top Right to lower left in the below picture (based on the ripples).
I get a kick out of aerial photography. Below is a 1995 snap of a friend's apartment complex. Click for a larger view. It is a 1995 photo from TerraServer.
Work
I've asked recently to be added to another project at my day job. I'm not giving up the old tasks. This project is one of the big pushes for the future. I feel stuck on a bunch of legacy stuff that is all slated to disappear. Though, they have been pushing back the dates for years. No biggie. That sort of thing happens all the time. I want to be prepared for the next thing. It will be nice getting back into some "real" programming At least, it is more "real" than what I have been doing.
This is in the Engineering field. The trouble is, all of engineering is leaving the U. S. I should have gone into sales, or marketing, or plumbing. I'm not sure who will have a job in this country in 50 years. Doctors are being outsourced to India. Hell, they are experimenting with outsourcing order taking at fast food restaurants. I have to say, I went to Wendie's today and the lady taking my order didn't speak a word of English that wasn't printed on the top of the register. I would welcome someone in India who speaks better English Telecommuting to take my order. I wonder in what country I will have to live in order to find work in the U. S.
Yoga
I've been looking into yoga lately. I've downloaded some example videos. Between that and what is online, I bet I can figure things out. If I do it in my living room, I don't have to ware "tights" in front of anyone. That really is the only thing stopping me from taking a class. If I can't do it in jeans, I don't do it in front of anyone I'm not having sex with.
Here are Anna's comments on a yoga experience.
I need to be careful. Trust me, I'm taking it very slow. I've only
don't that one move where you warm up so far. I know some one who
teaches classes. She says the whole point is not to rush things. Get in
to a rhythm of doing it every day or so before you worry about what
routines you follow.
I know a person who assumed yoga was all a cult thing. Some people call yoga a religion. I call those people misdirected. Yoga makes you feel good. That is allot more than some people get from religion. I have direction, so I do not fear ill guidance.
This is an airport in California that has lost a good portion of it's runway to the flooding. A river washed away the bank and ate the supporting land away.
The photo below is an in flight photo of the airport before the damage. I don't know how long these links will last. If you look closely, the water flow of that river seems to be pointing straight at the spot where the erosion happened. In other words the river just tried to straighten out the curve. I cannot figure out which way the river flows. It looks from the above picture like the water flows from top Right to lower left in the below picture (based on the ripples).
I get a kick out of aerial photography. Below is a 1995 snap of a friend's apartment complex. Click for a larger view. It is a 1995 photo from TerraServer.
Work
I've asked recently to be added to another project at my day job. I'm not giving up the old tasks. This project is one of the big pushes for the future. I feel stuck on a bunch of legacy stuff that is all slated to disappear. Though, they have been pushing back the dates for years. No biggie. That sort of thing happens all the time. I want to be prepared for the next thing. It will be nice getting back into some "real" programming At least, it is more "real" than what I have been doing.
This is in the Engineering field. The trouble is, all of engineering is leaving the U. S. I should have gone into sales, or marketing, or plumbing. I'm not sure who will have a job in this country in 50 years. Doctors are being outsourced to India. Hell, they are experimenting with outsourcing order taking at fast food restaurants. I have to say, I went to Wendie's today and the lady taking my order didn't speak a word of English that wasn't printed on the top of the register. I would welcome someone in India who speaks better English Telecommuting to take my order. I wonder in what country I will have to live in order to find work in the U. S.
Yoga
I've been looking into yoga lately. I've downloaded some example videos. Between that and what is online, I bet I can figure things out. If I do it in my living room, I don't have to ware "tights" in front of anyone. That really is the only thing stopping me from taking a class. If I can't do it in jeans, I don't do it in front of anyone I'm not having sex with.
Here are Anna's comments on a yoga experience.
| [random
conversation that ends up here] Anna: I herniated my disk in yoga Me: What is the name of that maneuver? Anna: The one where your standing with your feet shoulder distance apart and you bend over and your left hand touches your right foot with your right arm extended straight up to the sky. Me: "pop" ... "ouch" ... "uh-oh" Anna: More like strain, huh, wonder what that was. guess I pulled a muscle. wonder why it still hurts two weeks later. wonder why it's even worse a month after that. huh, now I can't feel my toes. An MRI? Is that where you get shoved into a culvert and x rays are taken? scary. hello Mr. Neurosurgeon. how soon can I get released after surgery? |
I know a person who assumed yoga was all a cult thing. Some people call yoga a religion. I call those people misdirected. Yoga makes you feel good. That is allot more than some people get from religion. I have direction, so I do not fear ill guidance.
2005-02-22
Prick
This guy is accused of plotting to assassinate president Bush. I am a red blooded American. It pisses me off no end when people plot to kill my leaders. True, he has not been convicted of anything yet. The people in the court room don't need to laugh when the proceedings take place. This is a serious even. Do not insult me and my country. If you hate it here so much, put it in a blog!
Cool Forum Names I Want to Use
Some of these would double as good DnD character names.
YoyoGrenade
MartiansShmartians
whatcamaslacker
ugmabald
ScantRant
SirBitchAllot (drat, taken)
Time
I've been debating tracking my every waking moment in a calender for a couple of days or even a week. I mean everything. I might find out why I don't seem to get anything done. If I figure out how many useless hours I spend doing things that don't relax me or accomplish tasks I might straighten out my time line.
What has prompted this is a statistic I heard on BBC radio that 70% of children (asked in the UK) say they need a vacation. I have a theory that humans used to work more hours on a farm for example, but they were not required to perform as many tasks as we are today. Nor, were they asked to comprehend as much as we are today. This little experiment of mine won't prove much. I would, however, like to know where the hours are going.
This guy is accused of plotting to assassinate president Bush. I am a red blooded American. It pisses me off no end when people plot to kill my leaders. True, he has not been convicted of anything yet. The people in the court room don't need to laugh when the proceedings take place. This is a serious even. Do not insult me and my country. If you hate it here so much, put it in a blog!
Cool Forum Names I Want to Use
Some of these would double as good DnD character names.
YoyoGrenade
MartiansShmartians
whatcamaslacker
ugmabald
ScantRant
SirBitchAllot (drat, taken)
Time
I've been debating tracking my every waking moment in a calender for a couple of days or even a week. I mean everything. I might find out why I don't seem to get anything done. If I figure out how many useless hours I spend doing things that don't relax me or accomplish tasks I might straighten out my time line.
What has prompted this is a statistic I heard on BBC radio that 70% of children (asked in the UK) say they need a vacation. I have a theory that humans used to work more hours on a farm for example, but they were not required to perform as many tasks as we are today. Nor, were they asked to comprehend as much as we are today. This little experiment of mine won't prove much. I would, however, like to know where the hours are going.
Metro
Well, Metro was pretty easy this time. The driver was late and the wait at the Metro place was quick because of it. I had to give the same explanation I give every year. I wasn't picked up until 11:55. I could have gone in for a half day and nearly did. However, I wanted to sleep in more. I didn't get home until 4:10. That is about normal actually. All in all it went well. Yes, they were open on President's Day. Technically, they are a private company.
Well, Metro was pretty easy this time. The driver was late and the wait at the Metro place was quick because of it. I had to give the same explanation I give every year. I wasn't picked up until 11:55. I could have gone in for a half day and nearly did. However, I wanted to sleep in more. I didn't get home until 4:10. That is about normal actually. All in all it went well. Yes, they were open on President's Day. Technically, they are a private company.
2005-02-20
Red Hat
I remember saying this three years ago when I learned that Red Hat
wanted to abandon the community that gave them their position in the
market. I stopped using Red Hat when they went to Fedora. They said
"Oh, sure ... we will support Fedora. You bet'cha." I didn't believe
them. It was a good thing I didn't believe them. Fedora isn't the best
distro. I use Mandrake. It was rated the easiest to use not to long
ago. As freaky as companies are getting about their property rights, it
is worth having a good "free" operating system that you can throw on an
old box. Windows just plane doesn't work after a couple of years.
Neither does Linux really. If you have no reason to upgrade anything
you might leave a machine running for a decade without a reboot. That
is not what I mean. Windows falls apart under its own weight. All
operating systems need to be patched for security and virus reasons.
Odds are, the machine you get came with Windows on it. If the people
just reinstalled the operating system, they would probably fix any
problem they had with the machine. People would rather put the old
computer in the closet and let it rot rather than let some one have it
who can get some use out of it. The trouble is, you have to buy a new
copy of Windows in order to upgrade to the latest security stuff. With
Linux, you can get a new copy of the operating system and get some use
out of the old box. I refuse to pay for Windows twice on the same
machine. That is why Linux and alternate OSs exist.
If you hit my web page with all the pictures, that is coming off the Mandrake Linux machine in my apartment. So are most of the pictures on this blog. I use it for a file server as well. Before I stopped running it, that machine also ran SETI.
METRO
Well, It looks like Metro Lift is getting its act together. I have an appointment for tomorrow. They pick me up at 11:54. which means 11:30. I could almost go in to work for a half day. Forget that. I intend to sleep in and tack care of this business with as little fuss as possible. Wish me luck.
| Top
Linux seller Red Hat acknowledged on Friday a misstep in its
relations with technology enthusiasts but said the profit motive is
helping it to mend its ways. The problem came in recent years when Red Hat threw its energies into a stable product called Red Hat Enterprise Linux. RHEL let the company grow from a small market of technically savvy customers to the large market of mainstream customers. But in the process, Red Hat left those "early adopters" behind, said Michael Tiemann, vice president of open-source affairs. That was a problem because Red Hat--a pioneer in the business of open-source software--believes customers should be directly involved in designing and creating products from the earliest stages. |
If you hit my web page with all the pictures, that is coming off the Mandrake Linux machine in my apartment. So are most of the pictures on this blog. I use it for a file server as well. Before I stopped running it, that machine also ran SETI.
METRO
Well, It looks like Metro Lift is getting its act together. I have an appointment for tomorrow. They pick me up at 11:54. which means 11:30. I could almost go in to work for a half day. Forget that. I intend to sleep in and tack care of this business with as little fuss as possible. Wish me luck.
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