November 2002 Archives

Apple - Switch - Ads - Holiday Fun Apple aired a parody switch ad he did during MWNY, so they've gone with the funniness and run with it - with good results.

Zap2it reports... 'Firefly' to go on hiatus as FOX shuffles midseason FOX President of Entertainment Gail Berman calls it a "transitional year." I call it a bunch of bullsh*t. FOX is notorious for taking potentially great sci-fi shows (Futurama, Space: Above and Beyond, Alien Nation, and Millenium, for example) and shafting them with: a) bad time slots b) time slots affected by their beloved sports c) no advertising d) all of the above So they're putting 'Firefly' on hiatus, which everyone knows really means it's cancelled. They refer to possibly putting the show back into production, but who knows if that'll happen - if the show is taken out of production, then the folks involved need to find new jobs, and if they get a call-back from FOX, they may not actually come back - they're not all as dumb/desperate as I was when I got canned the first time...

I had my webcam on a window today, so everyone could share the joy of the snow. While I was outside, it fell over - so that's why it looks like I'm in the middle of a blizzard in this photo. Fun with the kids, and we even made a snow-person. Wearing a sombrero. I'll post a photo when I take one...

I have an earthlink dial up account that I use in two situations: when the cable modem is down (so far, rarely) and when I travel (see previous). Since I rarely use it, I didn't want to pay a lot - so when I signed up for it (back when it was a "sprintmail.com" account via Sprint), I liked the fact that I had nationwide access for free (via local dial-ups) and only paid when I actually used it - unlike, say, AOL, where you have to pay no matter what. I used it a few months ago when we spent the night at my in-laws, and apparently it was just after my credit card expired - they were auto-billing to my card (it's MUCH easier that way). I probably checked my email, so the call was about 10 minutes - meaning it was less than a couple of bucks for the call. I didn't think about it, until I checked that accounts email (something I only do once a month, since it's 99% spam - despite earthlinks "spam-inator," which allegedly would prevent this from happening. Whatever.) and saw a couple of official looking emails about my account. It seems that Earthlink is a little irritated that they couldn't bill my credit card for $0.89, so they were letting me know they were gonna cancel my account for me (they gave me a months notice, but it's still a bit shocking). They've also sent me two letters so far. The postage for the letters alone is $0.60, so they've spent almost as much money on me (assuming email is free, which it basically is) trying to get the amount due as what is actually due. How freaky is that?

I have a subscription to MacWorld magazine that I've had since, well, forever. It started many moons ago, and it's now paid for until January of 2006. That's right, 2006. How did this happen? Well, for a while, there was another magazine called MacUser magazine, but then it wasn't making as much money as it used to, so Ziff-Davis (or whoever owned MacWorld at the time) decided to buy it and roll it into MacWorld - or something along those lines. The upshot of which was that my recently renewed subscription for both was combined. Since this all happened about three or four years ago, that's clearly a lot of magazines coming my way. And why do I even mention this right now? I just got a renewal notice. Of course, it's for the holidays, so if I renew my subscription I can get someone else a subscript at the same time - but do I really need to renew this far in advance?

A thrilling time is in your immediate future.

Yes, I know it's way out of date, but here it is anyway - a "Bloggy Opinions View" on my website: You can find the Bloggy Opinions View on "a life less interesting" here. (Archived version.) They seem to have gotten some of the details wrong (like I wasn't laid off from Apple, my internship ended - in 1995) but that's ok.

a small victory - the gentle art of making enemies Amish Tech Support Michael Jackson is a freak who must be stopped. At all costs. Amish Tech Support has some VERY funny things to say about the issue. Go read them!

Those who discern when to use many or few troops are victorious. Chapter 3: "Planning the Attack"

What causes opponents to come of their own accord is the prospect of gain. Chapter 6: "Emptinness and Fullness"

Amazon.com is now taking advanced orders for the Segway. What is it? It's "Ginger," or "IT," or the personal transport system that they featured on just about ever morning show when it was finally announced. It's only $5000, so if you buy one via the link above, then I will get a commission off of your purchase. All I need is about, say, 100 or so people to buy one and I'll have made a decent living for the year. GO BUY ONE!!! My children thank you :)

The only thing cooler than posting to my blog from the Apple Store in the West Farms Mall is doing the same thing from my own laptop. Too bad I didn't bring it with me.

When there are murmurings, lapses in duties, and extended conversations, the loyalty of the group has been lost. Chapter 9: "Maneuvering Armites"

FOX Broadcasting Company: Firefly Normally, a blog associated with a TV show just sucks. This one doesn't. I've been holding off on a review of Firefly, but one is coming real soon now. In the mean time, check it out (on your local FOX affiliate) and check out their site - it's pretty cool.

Newsday.com - White House Wages Stealth War on Condoms White House Wages Stealth War on Condoms The government is waging a covert war on condoms. Ok, so it's not really that simple. It seems like the bigger problem is a lack of monogamy in relationships. They're using the AIDS spectre to push abstinence and monogamy. Not that it's a bad thing, but that doesn't mean they should remove or "revise" statistics about condom effectiveness - unless, of course, the actual effectiveness is in question.

fortune cookie project: Your life will be happy and peaceful.

Discipline means organization, chain of command, and logistics. Chapter 1: "On Assessments"

Your life will be happy and peaceful.

What is it, exactly, that our thumbs are so opposable to? And why?

The following magazines are up for auction right now: Maxim Magazine #49 - Jessica Simpson Maxim Magazine - March 2000, Jenny McCarthy Maxim Magazine - 11/99, Jennifer Love Hewitt Maxim Magazine - 02/01 - Denise Richards I have many more issues of Maxim magazine that I'm going to list at some point, but since these are among the most desirable issues (based on my research on eBay, anyway) I figured it wouldn't hurt to let a few more people know that I'm selling them. Sometime this weekend, I hope to list some stuff for a friend - including some stereo equipment and some golf clubs. I'll try to link to them from here too - there's no such thing as too much exposure.... in most cases, anyway :).

Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate. Chapter 6: "Emptieness and Fullness"

Apple - Discussions - Ants! Glad it's never happened to me - but with the way our ants are, I'm sorta surprised....

We too, are stardust. :..:Empty Dot v1.2:..:

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Jolly good, wot! Anyone for tennis? That'll be ten ponies, guv. You're the epitome of everything that is english. Yey :) Hoist that Union Jack!

How British are you?
this quiz was made by alanna

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Considering me mums British, it's not surprising, but 100%? Wow!

There's a reason I haven't been around much: our upstairs bathroom. I put more primer down on the concrete floor of my office on Monday night. It had been raining all day, and continued to the next day. Why do I mention this? Well the floor only just finished drying tonight. So, in the meantime, to make an even bigger mess of the house, I decided to do the bathroom. Paint the ceiling, walls and trim, and then replace the vent/light. Only, when I went to buy the fan, it was too small - but that was good. Turns out, all I really needed was a new heating element and a new exhaust fan motor, and all was right in the world again. I painted the enclosure for that too, just so it would match. Then the wife decided that we should get new cabinets. She didn't like the 1950's style medicine cabinets, so we went back to the shrine of the contractor and bought the stuff. Now I have an almost finished office and a mostly finished bathroom. A little more pain, some cabinet hanging, and then I have to re-caulk the bath tub. Oh joy. But that's the reason I haven't been around much - otherwise, all I do all day is try to find a job, take care of the kids, and check my email*. Oh, and try not to eat everything in the house. (*Usually in that order, but sometimes the email comes first. Or even the kids. Hey, what can I say - I'm super-dad ;)).

If you calculate your power to be less than that of the opponent, then strengthen your defense, do not go out and get your edge snapped. Chapter 3: "Planning the Attack"

a small victory - the gentle art of making enemies I haven't seen Tora! Tora! Tora! yet, but it's on my list - I've heard good things about it. But when you cancel the showing of this movie - which was "a joint American and Japanese production" - to be sensitve to the Japanese-American community, then I don't think you really know what you're doing. Sure, I wasn't involved (or even born) in WW II, but it seems to me that the men and women who were at Pearl Harbor, and who fought in the Asian theatre during the war, just might find this showing helpful. If you're going to do anything on December 7, it should be to pay some sort of tribute to the people that died that day - not to be sensitive to the people who are alive today. The men and women who died during the attacks, and the men who fought during the war lived through something that will hopefully never again be experienced, and that needs to be remembered. ALWAYS.

You achieve great peace of mind when you talk with an old friend.

Everyone likes security and dislikes danger. Chapter 7: "Armed Contest"

Guardian Unlimited Observer | International | Sun's rays to roast Earth as poles flip Kinda interesting - and apparently it's not the first time this has happened.

Sonoma artist claims 'Monsters, Inc.' a rip-off / Suit says eyeball character Mike was based on his own creation If you try to send a manuscript to a movie studio, they'll send it back unopened - because they know if they open it, read it, tell you no and then produce a movie even remotely similar, then they're screwed. Should be an interesting court case.

National exposure in Playboy casts Milford in a seedy light MILFORD - You could say Milford got caught with its pants down.While still basking in the glow of a recent write-up in another national publication, the city this week is gaining notoriety through a brief but, ahem ... graphic, mention in December's issue of Playboy magazine. Page 64 of the nation's leading gentleman's publication features a "cartoon" and caption about a 25-foot phallic symbol that was created in the grass at Joseph A. Foran High School this summer. Under the subheading of "Newsfront what's happening in the sexual and social arenas," the magazine boasts, "Earlier this year, pranksters used weed killer to carve a 25-foot penis and testicles onto a hillside behind Foran High." Now, I never managed to see this for myself (Foran is on the other side of the city), but I understood that it was quite large, and that no matter what the grounds staff tried, they couldn't get rid of it. Today, of course, the local paper carried a letter from an environmentalist who didn't care about the penis or the write-up in Playboy, but was concerned about the health of those who did it and any possible consequences from the chemicals that they may have used. That's one way of looking at it. Another one is to wonder why they choose a giant penis. The world may never know.....

Yes, that person could be me - or it could be the damn fool who started a crusade to change a naval tradition, or it could be the (Milford, CT) Aldermen who have taken on this fools errand. Read on for more info.

Wired News: No Fish Tale: Swimming in Macs I have 3 or 4 of the Mac SE and SE/30 series in my basement. If I ever get time.... I'll have some MacQuariums on my hands!

A golden egg of opportunity falls into your lap this month.

SPACE.com -- Leonid Meteor Shower Special Report Coming in November. I'm determined to actually see them this year!

Voting here in CT is done via voting machines. Not punch cards, not barcodes, or any of those other willy-nilly make shift systems. It's a simple system, and it works - but it could be better. How? What about computers? What about letting people vote over the internet? No more absentee ballots. It's simple. It's secure. And it would probably make everyones life easier. But how could it be done? Well, the technology to do most of it is already out there. SSL certificates to make sure that the data sent to and from the server is encrypted and safe. Databases to handle the actual data processing. High-speed internet to make the process fairly quick. But there's too many other things - and the fact that people don't trust the internet doesn't help any. But here's my plan.....

About Daylight Saving Time - History, rationale, laws & dates An interesting look at the why of Daylight Savings time. Worth a look...

anil dash - New York New Media New Funk Take solace in the fact that poorly-prepared marathoners will have bleeding nipples, due to the chafing of their shirt against their chest. Not only does that indicate their membership in the group of People Who Are Poorly Prepared, they are participating in a hobby which causes their nipples to bleed. Chalk one up for the lazy slobs and their intact, unendangered nipples. I never knew that chafed nipples could even be a problem....

a day late and a :: dollarshort.org Mena's going through a bit of what I did when I first started dieting - trying to figure out the real reason for the desire to lose weight. I'm sure that part of my reason was societal - I'm not all that comfortable at the beach/pool or, when employed, in the locker room at the gym - but a large part of it was coming to the realization that I have 3 munchkins to chase around, and if I didn't change my ways I might not be able to do much more than just watch. I have a very sedentary lifestyle, even when I'm just at home with the kids. I hope like hell they don't pick up on all of my habits, especially the bad ones like being a couch-potato, so if I make an effort now, maybe it won't be so hard to break them of it later. Which is not, it should be pointed out, any way of saying my folks are couch-spuds. My father is always puttering around the house, fixing this or that, or off at a tag sale/flea market/running errands/whatever. My mother has 2 jobs that I am aware of (there was a third, but the boss moved, so I don't think she's replaced it yet - well mom?) and is also very involved in her bowling and bingo games. I wish I had that motivation. I also wish I had the time.... But it all comes down (let's get back to the point!) to my desire to just feel better about myself. I knew if I lost some weight, I'd feel better about myself - and I was right. I think I'd feel better if I lost a little more, so I'm working on that, but I know that I'd feel better if I had a job again too - and I'm working on that too. One of the things that I didn't consider with regards to this whole unemployment thing is that I've got a ton more stress in my life. I'm trying to get free-lance work, and that puts pressure and fear in me. I manage to get a project, and then it's pressure to do it, finish it in time, and make sure that I get the money (what little there is) in a timely manner. I need a vacation from my forced vacation. But I'll look good in my swim suit, so I guess that's all that matters!

Just finished watching The Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror XII" and damn if it wasn't good. Multiple Homer's, time travel, and the afore-mentioned Manimals and Invertibroads.... Mmmmm, donuts!

Star Telegram | 03/07/2002 | Bizarre details of man's death revealed CSI recently had an episode about this (I think it was a re-run, but it was this year), with the usual changes to the facts to make it just "ripped from the headlines" and not "we're stealing the stories from peoples actual lives." Oh wait, that's NBC. Whatever. Anyway, the episode was pretty gruesome, and to think that it happened in real life is just amazing - especially when you think about the fact that the person charged with the murder is a nurse's aide - thus implying she has at least some understanding about general first aid and would maybe realize that the guy hanging through her windshield might possibly need some help or something.

In ancient times, skillful warriors first made themselves invincible, and then watched for vulnerability in their opponents. Chapter 4: "Formation"

Monster Garage

Featuring various teams led by Jesse James (custom-bike builder/designer, West Coast Choppers of Long Beach, Calif), the show gives you a look at what happens when someone decides to turn, say, a new VW Beetle into a swampboat. Or a Ford Mustang into a lawnmower. Or a Limo into a firetruck.

Doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd normally see? Well, you're right - but that's a huge part of the shows appeal. Jesse is the one "sponsoring" each attempt, so he is very involved with the decision making process - including getting into huge arguments with the team and having various folks storming around the shop, throwing things.

The process for each transformation is supposed to take 6 days, so each day is chronicled with things that were supposed to happen, how they happened (or didn't, or did the first, second, third and fourth times they were tried), and parts of the process behind each decision. Everyone on the team gets a chance to throw their idea in, but that doesn't mean that the idea will be used - or even respected.

The next episode involves taking a "short bus" and turning it into a pontoon "party" boat - which should be very interesting to see.

PLEASE NOTE:
This site is not affiliated with Jesse James, Monster Garage or Discovery Channel in any way. If Jesse reads this site, it's news to me - I just put a little review of Monster Garage up, and now all these people are posting comments hoping that Jesse will pick theirs......
PLEASE NOTE:

Is what I said when I first heard the unemployment automated system tell me I couldn't file my claim. Then I discovered it's because they re-opened my original claim when I was laid off last, so it's been over a year since that time. They had to start another claim, which meant more questions, more faxing, more of a pain in the ass.... but not today. Today they just looked at the last claim, moved the data over, and that was that. Why can't everyone be so easy to deal with?

Take care of physical health and stay where there are plenty of resources. When there is no sickness in the army, it is said to be invincible. Chapter 9: "Maneuvering Armies"

Today Date and Time (thanks to Lee over at Neurotwitch...) Pretty cool way to find out the time/date in a very wide variety of formats....

My mother is English and likes the not-heart healthy breakfasts they have. I can't blame her - I grew up on the stuff, and it's good. But after 6 years of not living with my folks, last weekend I had a not-heart healthy breakfast for the first time in a very long time. Eggs - not bad. Bacon - worse, but still ok. Fried bread - ahhh, there's the reason for the clogged arteries! If you don't know what fried bread is, well, you'll probably find it a bit gross. You fry up your bacon, see, and then get the fat all nice and hot. Then, you take a slice of bread and just lay it in the fat. Let it cook for a minute, then flip it over so the other side soaks up even more of the bacony goodness... Then you put that bad boy on your plate, put the eggs on top, put the bacon on the plate too, and you're good to go. Last weekend I made the mistake of having two slices, and my stomach didn't feel right for most of the rest of the day. It's not the food that was a problem, it was all that fat most likely - like I said, fried bread isn't quite good for you. Today I did the same thing, only this time with only one slice of fried bread. No after affects, and I still can taste it. Mmmmmmmmmm. Now all I need is some bangers to go with it all, and I can be happy again. The problem is that this directly contradicts my diet of the last 6 years - especially of the last 26 or so weeks, when I've actually been trying to eat healthy. I figure if I have something this tasty, yet this bad for my body, once every few months, I won't do too much damage. I also figure that since I ate it at least once a week all growing up, I won't have to suffer too badly for it - my cholesterol was never too high, so it wasn't an issue. Not yet, anyway....

Wired News: When the Spam Hits the Blogs and The Laboratorium: Burn Before Reading If someone comes up with a new way to spam, and talks about it on the internet.... Doesn't that mean that someone is likely to come along, read it, and act on it? Guess I may have to consider turning off my comments....

Do something for or against them, making opponents turn their attention to it, so that you can find out their patterns of aggressive and defensive behavior. Chapter 6: "Emptiness and Fullness"

Only when you know every detail of the lay of the land can you maneuver and contend. Chapter 7: "Armed Contest"

The small cannot stand up to the large - this means that if a small country does not assess its power and dares to become the enemy of a large country, no matter how firm its defences be, it will inevitably become a captive nation. Chapter 3: "Planning the Attack"

Wired News: Mac O'Lanterns Light Up Halloween A lot of hard work went into these, so it's a good thing they weren't on my front porch last week - they'd have disappeared!

Just a quick note to say it was cold, but we lived through it. Buzz Lighyear, Jessie and Wheezy all did fine, and I hope to have some photos or something to post soon. Maybe even a video on the family site....