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Interesting history
LJ just posted about their Email Manager tool because some accounts have had hotmail email address recycles that allowed them to steal the account. And I was reminded of the incident where ashmckena @ 2003-07-22 14:40:11 had stolen my blog. Ah, the joys of stupidity and criminal acts. My life is so much better since I am removed from the inane drama of that time in my life. That's all... back to work I go. |
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Christmas is expensive....
Why, it can cost between $21K and $90K, depending on how many pear trees you want to give out. Yes, PNC Bank has published their annual Christmas Price list, based on the 12 Days of Christmas. Find out how much your true love spent on those gifts. |
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History
11th Hour We often speak of the 11th hour as being at the last minute. It can be traced as far back as the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard by Jesus 200 years ago, it can be traced back to any governor choosing to commute a death sentence at the last minute, or it can be traced back to the early part of the 20th Century. The centuries leading up to the 20th were brutal. It was common for wars between countries to break out. England and France had centuries of history fighting one another, it was just the way things were done. Russia and Japan mixed it up in 1904 over expansion. Wars were fought between European nations over territory a world away. But there was always a hope that life would get better. And then, on June 28, 1914, assassins killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. But, truth be told, his death was simply an excuse. The entire continent had been setting itself up, maneuvering for power and a better position on the chessboard. But his death was the excuse used for toppling the precarious house of cards that was Europe in 1914. And, like a pattern of dominoes, one event led to another that led to another until there was WAR like Man had not seen before. It's safe to say that the slaughter, the tedium, the new and improved methods of death, all could have come straight out of the book of Revelations or Nostradamus' more apocalyptic prophecy. The second decade of the 20th Century saw the introduction of a new breed of weapons, the penultimate of weapons. A brief look at the history of weapons shows that Man started with little more than his body, which can be an efficient killing machine. But, add a basic lever and you get a club that makes it more so, at least against an individual. Add a sword for slashing or a spear for attacking from a distance. And, as Man matured, science made all of these more efficient. Add a little gunpowder and compress the point of the spear and you get a gun, still a weapon for killing one person at a time. The 19th Century took this a step further, first with the Gatling Gun, which enabled a man to shoot rapidly and kill more; then with the Maxim Machine Gun, which no longer required a crank, just pull the trigger and hold. Lord Tennyson captured the horrors of this new gun well in The Charge of the Light Brigade:
Yes, 600 men on horseback armed with swords, proof conclusive that you shouldn't carry a knife to a gun fight. But the Great War made even that horror seem like child's play as science took us one step higher, with Mustard Gas being used to not just shoot at and wound but actually kill many people with one blow. Yes, effective Weapons of Mass Destruction first came on the scene in 1917. And the world wasn't watching, the world was involved, because this war wasn't between a couple of nations, or even a few, but a majority of the Western World and all of their territories were dragged into this mess. Yes, Archduke Ferdinand's assassination may have been the spark that lit the powder keg of Europe, but the eleventh hour had already passed and any spark would have ignited that same explosion. 11th DayBy the Judeo-Christian story of Creation, this would have been a Wednesday (the original Sabbath would have been Saturday). Wednesday, from the Old Norse Oðinsdagr, Odin's Day. An appropriate day, Wednesday, for Odin was a very interesting God. Leader of the Norse Gods, he wasn't above trickery to get his way. Odin was also the god of War, both instigating wars and brining victory. And, while 11-Nov-1918 may have been a Monday, I think it was far more of a Wednesday with a touch of Odin's hand. This eleventh day was not an end, and historians already call the intervening years between what I was taught in History as WWI and WWII as nothing but a temporary truce occurring in one large war. We had such hopes, this had been the war to end all wars. And yet, as Odin's own tradition shows, it was not Ragnorak any more than it was Armageddon. And the conclusion of this war and the heavy penalties laid upon the losers did little more than fertilize well the ground from which the simmering hate would grow until it exploded out again. 11th MonthNovember. How ironic that the 11th month, forever now associated with the great war, has topaz as its birthstone, a yellow stone for month associate with the war that introduced mustard gas. But November is also when we celebrate the changing of seasons, whether Fall in the northern hemisphere or Spring in the southern. We prepare to settle in to enjoying the fruits of our harvests. We take stock of what we have to get us through the long winter. The 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th MonthPut all of them together and we have Armistice Day, Veterans Day, Remembrance Day. A time when we can visit Bill Mauldin, quaff root beer and tell war stories, at least if we're a certain beagle we can. A day when we and find a veteran and thank them for all they have done for us. Or for the parents of one. And, if you remember, at the 11th hour of this, the 11th day of the 11th month, take two minutes to silently thank all of those who have fought to allow us our freedom.
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Voting 2008
This morning, I woke up, hugged Nae, went to Caribou Coffee to get her a pumpkin spiced latte to make sure she was awake then checked email while she showered. Then I showered and we hopped in the car to head over to our voting location. vote! vote! vote! vote! vote! We got there about 15 minutes after the polls opened and there were about 50 people in line outside the door and probably another 20 inside who were voting and/or signing and getting their stuff from poll workers. vote! vote! vote! vote! vote! One of the helpful poll workers was telling asking if folks lived in either that complex or the complex next to it (which would be ours) because that was a different precinct and had no line, so we got to cut ahead of a dozen people. Also, to speed things up, we could vote electronically or via paper ballots (which were basically the absentee ballots that were used for early voting). Both Nae and I decided to go electronic. vote! vote! vote! vote! vote! On the plus side, the touch screens were the same ones I've used before, fairly reliable and they provide a paper ballot that you review before actually casting your ballot. On the negative, there's always that niggling doubt that the machine will electronically record votes for whomever it wants and the paper trail will only get used in contested votes. But one has to choose one's battles and I am willing to trust that my vote was properly recorded and will be properly counted. vote! vote! vote! vote! vote! In addition to the Presidential ballot, I voted against John Boehner (whom I have called W's hand puppet before). I have no idea who the Democratic nominee running against him was and, the district must seem fairly safe because Boehner wasn't even running ads, but I voted against him on principle that any man who spouts W's words is nothing more than a puppet and we could use anyone else in Congress representing us. vote! vote! vote! vote! vote! There were also 5 state wide ballots, with the two most contentious being the Payday lending and the casino. All 5 state wide issues would change the Ohio Constitution, but these two were as bad as Prop 8 in California. The first, the pay day lending issue, that was the most difficult to understand if all you did was listen to the ads. The legislation passed a law that limited the lenders. They fought to put it on the ballot and have the law temporarily suspended. Then they began to promote it. vote! vote! vote! vote! vote! If you voted Yes on the issue, then you were approving the already passed legislation (details). Payday lenders used the scare of 6000 jobs lost and the fact that one had to vote Yes to support the passed legislation where Yes usually means adding something new caused a lot of confusion that was capitalized upon by the commercials the lenders put out. vote! vote! vote! vote! vote! Then there was Issue 6, a Casino in a state that has failed to allow gambling. That was another dirty campaign. Given that DHL is going to be putting a lot of people out of work in the same area that the Casino wanted to go in, there were plenty of heartstring tugging ads about people who work at DHL wanting it to pass so they could have a job. vote! vote! vote! vote! vote! I voted no. For many reasons, take your pick:
Anyway, if you are a registered voter and haven't done so yet, vote. vote! vote! vote! vote! vote! If you are eligible to vote and didn't register, I won't listen to you whine about government and how it operates. Get involved and vote next time. I have scattered subliminal messages throughout this post to help convince you of that. And if you have voted, I top my hat to you.
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Appearances
If you want to hear me speaking about Caching as a rung on the scalability ladder and haven't registered yet, you can know save $300 using Priority Code SPFIN. VSLive! Dallas – The Adolphus Hotel, Dallas, TX – www.vslive.com/dallas December 8-11, 2008 Register online or call 800-280-6218 using Priority Code SPFIN and receive $300 off the package of your choice. VSLive! Dallas For 15 years, VSLive Events have led the ranks as the trusted independent conference for .NET professionals. No other conference, no corporate trainers, no one else will compare to VSLive's standard of editorial excellence and commitment to real-world, practical information designed to take your skills to the next level. Join me and other professional developers, Microsoft product teams and executives at VSLive Dallas, December 8-11, 2008. At VSLive! Dallas, the old Windows/Web/SQL delineations are gone and we have 50% more breakout sessions to choose from. This improved format allows us to offer a huge range of topics, including cloud computing, WPF, ASP.NET ALM, and SQL Server Data Services. Deep material on mainstream Web development, Architecture, and Data Management honor our tradition of supporting your production needs with today’s technology. If you’ve only one opportunity to attend a conference this Fall or Winter: VSLive! Dallas is it! |
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If the child gives the effect another turn of the screw, what do you say to TWO children—?
A review of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company's The Turn of the Screw. Read More »
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Koalas? What does this mean?
I had a strange dream last night. It was made stranger by the fact that it had tactile portions to it. In the dream, I actually petted a koala and could feel it. When I woke up this morning, I realized it was probably Sheba's fur. But I posted the first part on my finsel.com blog, which, if you want to post comments, does support OpenID so you can use your LJ id to post. In the meantime, as a teaser: It all began with the koalas. They weren’t really koalas, at least I don’t think they were, but they were the one consistency across everything. I suppose that doesn’t make a great deal of sense but then, none of this really does. And I can’t really share it with anyone without being labeled as mad but the knowledge weighs upon me like weight of the Ouranos must have weighed upon Atlas. So I shall commit my tale to paper in hopes that the purging of the memories will lessen both my load and thus my chances of being named crazy and committed.
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McCain Campaign "out of control" admits Palin!
In an interview with Fox's Greta von Susteren, Governor Palin had the following to say: PALIN: Yes. Like Mario Andretti said, though, if everything's under control, you're going too slow. And we're not going too slow and all is well. No, it's been energizing.Which implies that, since they aren't going "too slow" then things must not be under control. If things are not under control, that makes them out of control, doesn't it? And the fact that Governor Palin believes that all is well when things are out of control says a lot about her.
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Palin meets Lear
From Edward Nilges ENGLISH 101 TERM PAPER
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A trip to the Zoo
Yesterday, with the weather being very nice, Nae and I went to the Zoo. Now, unlike many zoos, the Cincinnati Zoological and Botanical Gardens is in the middle of the city and land-locked. No real room for growth. But it is the home of CREW and is focused on Endangered Wildlife. For a good example of what I mean, most zoos have lions and tigers, right? But the Cincinnati Zoo made a big deal when it got Lions several years ago. In part because they are White Lions, though not albino. And they aren't exactly pure white:  Unfortunately, the sun wasn't totally cooperating with giving me great conditions for my camera but we did happen to catch the Cheetahs at feeding time: Here they are, pacing as they wait for their food. There were birds:  A Curtiousity filled elephant and, of course, the class clowns: He's actually drinking water, letting it trickle down his fingers into his mouth, but doesn't it look like he's responding to someone saying something stupid? Ah well, more pics if you click on the pictures. But now tis time for work. Peace, gentle readers.
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I got my popcorn today!
(Click for larger pictures) As the title says, I got my popcorn today. The tin of caramel corn:  And my 5 boxes of microwave popcorn: However, Sheba got a present too:
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It's an election year
And, while I am not shy about where this country has been nor am I shy about where I think it should go, I've decided to take a more active role in helping elect Barack Obama. In 2000, I voted against Al Gore. In 2004, I voted against George W. Bush. In 2008, I am voting for a candidate, for Barack Obama. Are you willing to contribute not just your votes but your dollars as well? The link below will take you to the Barack Obama site where you can make a contribution to the campaign. Graphic updated every 5 minutes
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Nucular...
Palin is Bush 2 far more than McCain is... At least he understands how to pronounce nuclear.
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Humor
Dear Tech Support, Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0. In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as: Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as:
Also, Conversation 8.0 no longer runs and Housecleaning 2. 6 simply crashes the system. Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail. What can I do? Signed, DEAR DESPERATE , First, keep in mind, Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html and try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update. If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5. However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5 , Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1. Please note that Beer 6. 1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta. Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.) In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program, These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0. In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Cooking 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7. Good Luck! Dear Customer Support, I am writing to you regarding your recommended upgrade from Girlfriend 9.0 to Wife 1.0 which I implemented, per your instructions, at the beginning of the year. As you promised, the upgrade provided a number of new features which the old program did not offer. However, unlike what you promotional brochure suggested, I am not convinced that I am happy about these features. For example, unlike Girlfriend 9.0, Wife 1.0 features much more comprehensive schedule monitoring. That in itself is an interesting option, but I do not understand why it beeps insistently if it is not continually updated. Wife 1.0 also provides a remarkably consistent workplace calling feature. I have searched through the online help, but still have been unable to locate how to turn this feature off. A number of other programs which I often ran on my computer in the past with no problems have begun to behave erratically since the installation of Wife 1.0. In fact, some of my favorite applications, such as Poker Night 5.2, Sunday Football 16.1, and Boys Night Out 2.5, no longer run, crashing the system whenever selected. Moreover, the Wife 1.0 toolbar seems to have installed itself onto every application on my computer and I have no idea how to get it out. In some cases, the Wife 1.0 toolbar has actually replaced the original options provided by the application, irrevocably altering that application’s feature set, usually by eliminating critical options. When I try to play one of my favorite video games, Wife 1.0 causes the screen to freeze. The strangest part is that this happens even when I am playing on my PS2 rather than the computer. Worst of all, despite selecting the “minimize” option, I cannot seem to keep Wife 1.0 in the background when trying to run my favorite application: Porn 6.9. I am strongly considering going back to Girlfriend 9.0, but the Uninstall does not appear to work on Wife 1.0. You are my last hope. Please let me know how to uninstall or deactivate this program or, at the very least, how to regain functionality in some of my other applications. Sincerely, Joe Smith Dear Mr. Smith, We received your inquiry regarding your unhappiness with certain features associated with the Wife 1.0 software. We regret that this software has not lived up to your expectations. Fortunately, we have a solution which you can implement immediately to rectify this problem. This solution may best be described as follows: Adjust your expectations. The problem is not with the Wife 1.0 software, but with you, Mr. Smith. When you purchased the Wife 1.0 upgrade, you did not just buy a piece of software, but rather an entire artificial intelligence system. The sole purpose of this system is to enhance all facets of your life. Frankly, Mr. Smith you should be grateful. Typically, artificial intelligence systems work by adapting themselves over time. What sets Wife 1.0 apart is that rather than adapt itself, it adapts its user. In other words, this unique program improves you as a human being, Mr. Smith, addressing and systematically rectifying all of your flaws. Although you may not realize it at this moment, the upgrade to Wife 1.0 will prove to be the best decision which you have ever made. It will also prove to be the last decision which you have ever made, as now Wife 1.0 will take over the decision making process, allowing you to fill your time with more productive activities, such as career enhancement, pious thoughts, and gratitude. As you have by now discovered, it is impossible to uninstall Wife 1.0. Instead, please consider adjusting your attitude toward this valuable program. Control your destructive tendencies and try to learn about Wife 1.0’s unique and wonderful feature set. As you get to know Wife 1.0 and become adept at adjusting your behavior to suit the program’s needs, we are confident that you will find inner tranquility. It is important that you do so because the next upgrade, Child 1.0, is coming next year. Regards, Customer Service
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A musical Interlude before tonight's debate
(with apologies to the Cast of Wicked) PALIN: (Spoken) Johnnie, now that we're friends, I've decided to make you my new project! MCCAIN: GALINDA: (Sung) And even in your case, POPULAR! you're gonna be popular! POPULAR! I'll help you be popular! Don't be offended by my frank analysis, POPULAR! I know about popular. la la, la la! When i see depressing creatures, They were POPULAR! (Spoken) MCCAIN: GALINDA: (Sung) La la, la la!
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WWCS
Some regard private enterprise as if it were a predatory tiger to be shot. Others look upon it as a cow that they can milk. Only a handful see it for what it really is--the strong horse that pulls the whole cart. I suspect that politicians and their lobbyists in the current crisis believe that the Bailout is a cow to milk, but that just means they'll be pulling the teats of the taxpayers... which, I might add, probably aren't the people who have made millions taking us to this precipice we stand upon. But the question is not, how will your elected representative vote as much as it is How will you vote this election cycle. Not just for Obama or Palin, but for the folks in the Senate, Congress, your local government.
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I doubt Boehner can take time but...
If he could cut W's strings for a bit, he might be interested in reading this letter from 200 economists to Paulson: As economists, we want to express to Congress our great concern for the plan proposed by Treasury Secretary Paulson to deal with the financial crisis. We are well aware of the difficulty of the current financial situation and we agree with the need for bold action to ensure that the financial system continues to function. We see three fatal pitfalls in the currently proposed plan: 1) Its fairness. The plan is a subsidy to investors at taxpayers’ expense. Investors who took risks to earn profits must also bear the losses. Not every business failure carries systemic risk. The government can ensure a well-functioning financial industry, able to make new loans to creditworthy borrowers, without bailing out particular investors and institutions whose choices proved unwise. 2) Its ambiguity. Neither the mission of the new agency nor its oversight are clear. If taxpayers are to buy illiquid and opaque assets from troubled sellers, the terms, occasions, and methods of such purchases must be crystal clear ahead of time and carefully monitored afterwards. 3) Its long-term effects. If the plan is enacted, its effects will be with us for a generation. For all their recent troubles, America's dynamic and innovative private capital markets have brought the nation unparalleled prosperity. Fundamentally weakening those markets in order to calm short-run disruptions is desperately short-sighted. For these reasons we ask Congress not to rush, to hold appropriate hearings, and to carefully consider the right course of action, and to wisely determine the future of the financial industry and the U.S. economy for years to come. Of course, I'm not sure John Boehner has enough time away from listening to W's rambling talking points to be able to read this. And, even if he did, I'm sure his Rebumbling ideology wouldn't let him accept facts (sad but true, see here to understand Palin's appeal.).
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POPCORN!
My son is selling popcorn for Cub Scouts. If you're interested in supporting Scouting, please go here and order some. Or find a local scout and support them. Any orders placed before 10/26/2008 will earn him credit towards prizes. If he gets 10 internet orders, he gets a flying, screaming monkey. He asked if it would be real and was slightly disappointed to find out it probably wouldn't be. I'm looking forward to my Kettle corn!
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An open letter to Rep. John Boehner, from a constituent
Representative Boehner, As one of your constituents who voted last election and will be voting against on Saturday, I want to ask you to take George W. Bush's hand out of your ass and actually think about the Bailout package that you couldn't lead your party to pass earlier this week and vote against it's passage when it comes up again. Yes, something needs to be done, but this package has no oversight and little value, though it has a great price tag. Have the FDIC work on buying out $700 billion dollars worth of loans from banks. That would restore confidence and fix the underlying mortgage crisis that precipitated this mess. I don't expect you to do this. You have so consistently been George W. Bush's man that you are little more than a puppet who cannot speak for yourself and will pass the plan because the man pulling your strings tells you to. Regardless of the facts. Regardless of your constituents. Because you, sir, are proof the problems inherent in a representative democracy. Sincerely, One outraged constituent
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enthralled
contemplative
accomplished
satisfied
creative
shocked
amused
grateful
determined
sad
annoyed
pissed off