In a statement regarding new sanctions against Zimbabwe today, President Bush declares that "No regime should ignore the will of its own people and calls from the international community without consequences." That quote is from whitehouse.gov so there's no media slant at all. Apparently he doesn't realize his own words apply to him as well. Thick with irony to say the least.
Can we, the people, impose sanctions against this asshole who claims to be our president? Please? Although many people (myself included) have made fun of Dennis Kucinich in the past, and probably will in the future, I respect his desire to impeach the president. Rep. Conyers has recently had a hearing but the impeachment was withdrawn to my dismay. I still support bringing charges of High Treason against our "commander-in-chief" -- see my previous post for my case. Why do I support this instead of impeachment? Simply put: High Treason carries the death penalty.
The Law of the Land (18 U.S.C. § 2381): "whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States."
In other news, I was in pain today from said accident and made a rare Saturday visit to the Chiropractor for an emergency adjustment. Yesterday the Progressive adjuster called me wanting to settle. First he bad mouthed chiropractors in general, then he wanted to know why I wasn't better, after which he seemed dismayed than an independent medical exam (commissioned by State Farm) found that I wasn't faking. He also didn't seemed thrilled that I am seeing a spinal specialist on the 6th. He kept insisting I give him "a number" so the case would go away and I said if I have to sign a total release, I won't do that. I repeated my demand that all medical bills related to this case be covered in perpetuity and that would guarantee there wouldn't be a lawyer involved. He insisted again I give him a number to which I replied "seven figures." He indicated he'd lose his job over that and somehow he thought that I would care. I don't expect seven figures, but if, as expected and indicated by two doctors so far, I have suffered permanent damage to my vertebrae (c4 through c6) there will be lawyers and there will be demands of seven figures AND medical bills. He doesn't know me very well and he thinks I'm easy and stupid. Progressive's actions so far have all indicated they think I'm an idiot. They have insulted me and antagonized me. Every time they contact me, my level of irritation increases. The medical bills are going to be well into the five figures and their driver rear-ended us, so how they think a $1250 settlement would make me happy is insulting, condescending, and shows they have no care for my well being. The feeling, after the fact, is mutual. If anyone knows a very good personal injury lawyer, I think it will be time for me to start looking. Since most of my friends and co-workers have all seen my discomfort and misery these past months, there are a slew of witnesses. Progressive seems to think there is a negotiating process -- there isn't. They get to pay the doctor. The end. I don't negotiate. Putting money in my pocket isn't what I want. I want to be better. If they feel the only way to make that happen, then the answer WILL be seven figures, guaranteeing enough to cover my medical bills related to this incident. (I will be sending a second formal complaint to the State of Florida about Progressive and the way I've been treated. They've already lied to me once.)
I also have an appointment to take Scooter to the vet today because I am greatly concerned about her. She's eating almost nothing and not dumping any more (probably 'cause she's not eating much). She seems a bit lighter too, obviously but we're trying to get her to gain weight and it's failing. Her back legs are obviously bothering her a bit more because she is starting to be a bit shaky when she walks. I just raised her food bowl too see if that makes her a bit happier.
Mom's visit today was cancelled, so I'm going to go out with Erin tonight. My aunt is in town but it doesn't appear I will see her this trip due to scheduling conflicts. Grandma had a tooth pulled yesterday and isn't feeling well over that.
Reminder: everyone must join The Umbrella Hat Society. It's completely free. All you need is an Umbrella Hat and a digital camera. There's a Facebook group too. Join up.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Today's Update Of Random Stuff
I am in pain. Excruciating pain. My whiplash (or maybe something related) came back in full force this morning, though I had warning signs yesterday. I had no neck rotation to the left more than an inch or so. Totally crippled due to pain. My chiropractor saw me and made it a bit better, however I called my orthopaedic guy and he won't work on necks, and instead referred me to a spinal specialist. I can't sleep at night because whenever my neck moves, I get a sharp, stabbing pain between my neck and shoulder that wakes me up. Really, really, no reason. (And the idiot Progressive adjuster obviously doesn't follow instructions well because he keeps leaving me messages at home despite the fact I've returned every call and left my WORK number.) I am really starting to get the feeling this is going to go to a lawyer -- my chiropractor says now he'll likely never get me fully back to normal* and he'll be putting a report in my record that I am permanently afflicted with a partial disability. In short, I am in the worst shape I've been in since that stupid bitch rear-ended Thomas's car.
More on my Led Zeppelin Sucks posts: Many of the comments have made accusations of plagiarism. I found a site which presents audio evidence and is quite convincing. I find this fascinating.
In other news, my Matias Tactile Pro Keyboard has been possessed by the devil. The space bar and Q keys have decided to work intermittently. The Q and N keys also, randomly, produce 2 results instead of one. The right shift key also has decided to get stuck randomly in the down position. And due to use, some of the letters are no longer visible. I love this keyboard and have written tech support for help. This keyboard is the best $100 I ever spent.
The Linksys router at work is behaving very oddly. It's BEFSR81. On the Windows XP and Vista machines hooked up to it, you can login with our password. But once you do, clicking on anything asks for the password again. No password works: regular or default. Fails in all browsers and with Norton on and off. Not a browser or Norton issue. It works FINE on the one remaining NT box with Norton running. Linksys has thrown in the towel. Most Google results blame the BellSouth PPPoE connection software: a great theory only it's not even installed on our machines. Anyone have a clue on this one? (More details on request.)
The partial rebuild of the wall (mentioned previously) is complete. The inside drywall had lots of holes put in it so air would help dry and cure the concrete so they can start the shutter work next week (again). Once this is all done, the drywall needs to be redone and the exterior repainted. Then I've got some other minor interior work to be done. Then my house will (barring some new disaster) finally be guest safe again. My guest room shower is now working except you can't close the drain unless I pay a plumber to fix that-- though it looks like I may need to replace that wall soon as the tiles are starting to bow.
* Shut Up :)
More on my Led Zeppelin Sucks posts: Many of the comments have made accusations of plagiarism. I found a site which presents audio evidence and is quite convincing. I find this fascinating.
In other news, my Matias Tactile Pro Keyboard has been possessed by the devil. The space bar and Q keys have decided to work intermittently. The Q and N keys also, randomly, produce 2 results instead of one. The right shift key also has decided to get stuck randomly in the down position. And due to use, some of the letters are no longer visible. I love this keyboard and have written tech support for help. This keyboard is the best $100 I ever spent.
The Linksys router at work is behaving very oddly. It's BEFSR81. On the Windows XP and Vista machines hooked up to it, you can login with our password. But once you do, clicking on anything asks for the password again. No password works: regular or default. Fails in all browsers and with Norton on and off. Not a browser or Norton issue. It works FINE on the one remaining NT box with Norton running. Linksys has thrown in the towel. Most Google results blame the BellSouth PPPoE connection software: a great theory only it's not even installed on our machines. Anyone have a clue on this one? (More details on request.)
The partial rebuild of the wall (mentioned previously) is complete. The inside drywall had lots of holes put in it so air would help dry and cure the concrete so they can start the shutter work next week (again). Once this is all done, the drywall needs to be redone and the exterior repainted. Then I've got some other minor interior work to be done. Then my house will (barring some new disaster) finally be guest safe again. My guest room shower is now working except you can't close the drain unless I pay a plumber to fix that-- though it looks like I may need to replace that wall soon as the tiles are starting to bow.
* Shut Up :)
Monday, July 21, 2008
Western Digital Makes Good
First I refer you to a previous post about Western Digital. I don't want to go over all that again. I believe I also mentioned in a follow up post that I had sent a missive by certified mail to John Coyne, the CEO of Western Digital. The day I sent that letter, or maybe the next day, I finally got my replacement drive -- it's still not hooked up, though. I am lazy about some things.
This past Thursday, I received an email from Mr. Coyne's office. (I will admit great amusement to the use of the appropriate TM symbol after the drive name.) In said email he said Gary Meister the senior VP would call me and said "I am confident that we will shortly restore your confidence in WD as the premier source for all your storage needs." I will admit great scepticism -- as well as amusement because nobody actually talks like that -- when I read it, but I was optimistic enough to say nothing in my blog. After all, I always feel talking about it in advance jinxes you.
Today, I received a very nice and apologetic phone call from Gary Meister which I will detail. We spoke for about twenty minutes. So now, I can clear up a few things.
1. We all agree that most of the aggravation was caused by the fact that the serial number on the drive was incorrectly keyed to the wrong region. That caused the whole process and my available options to be handled incorrectly. They said they are taking steps to correct this so future customers do not have to go through this sort of thing.
2. We discussed the "mystery files" on my hard drive that did not belong to me. They obviously read my blog as I did not include that in my letter. When I sent the letter to WD, CBL had indicated further investigation had indicated that those files may have been artefacts from either Time Machine's backup process and/or Retrospect's backup process as opposed to someone else's files. Since I wasn't sure what the real answer was, I didn't put it in the letter nor did I post a retraction here. As it turns out, and was confirmed just recently by CBL, they are indeed artefact files of some sort. It was just an unfortunate set of circumstances with the mis-coded serial number that caused a red flag to be raised about this data. Basically the thought was the drive was in the USA, it wasn't supposed to be, it was full of mystery files, and that caused a logical conclusion based on an initial bit of misinformation. So, the phantom files weren't mine -- that is still true. However they weren't someone else's either which makes me feel much better about this whole thing. When backing up, all software leaves little footprints that appear to be directory structures to Data Recovery software (which is fundamentally what backup/restore software is). So in the recovery process, it appeared there were files that weren't mine. And since I gave them the expected directory structure in advance they were looking for, thus it appeared those files were from a previous user installation. When they called me and I had no idea what the files were, that clinched it. This was just a set of a bunch very valid conclusions adding together and getting another valid conclusion: only sometimes 1 and 1 don't always add up to two because sometimes the initial "1" is really not a "1" but some other number.
3. And, for the record, there are other processes for WD drives besides what I went through. The reason I wasn't offered those was, again, because of that miscoded serial number. I explained clearly that I was very happy with the tech's performance -- I really don't have anything against competent outsourced tech support. He did everything he could to help and directed me to resources that were available to my circumstances. It's just that my circumstances were not what his computer thought they were. My initial call was on a Sunday morning and because of that, there was no back-up for that tech ("level two" I think they called it). Had I known that, I'd have called back.
4. I explained all of that in details because I want you to know WD really, really did care. They called. They were concerned, and they told me what they're doing to correct and fix the situation so future people don't suffer. I want to say, a simple e-mail from them would have made me happy and solved this: they didn't have to call and explain everything in detail but I love that they did. They could have blown me off, too. Honestly, WD is a very large company and that's what I was expecting to happen. I didn't think my letter would get past the legendary "CEO's office" (which is where your letters to most companies go to die -- except Dell where your letters are used as toilet paper. I really hate Dell. Still.) WD e-mailed and said they'd contact me, then they called and explained without any BS what happened and why it happened. That alone gives them very, very, very high marks.
5. They have indicated they will refund my money for the drive recovery costs because of the multiple problems I had due to the serial number issues. That thrills me. I'll be honest, I was expecting them to refuse or offer to split it 50/50 when they called. And I was willing to half-heartedly accept that, but they offered a full refund right away. So, here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to keep half and the other half is going to be donated, in their name, to two of my favourite charities: the Robin Hood Foundation and Habitat for Humanity. BTW, I always encourage everyone to visit and donate to these charitable organizations.
6. So I will move WD back to my "happy" list again. I do have to get around to actually installing this drive.
7. 7-25-08 They called and let me know it's all in the works and, as always allow 2 to 4 weeks for delivery. Your mileage may vary :)
In unrelated news, the BBC has a great video on how to speak like an American. The Dolphins traded Jason Taylor, in a move that surprised nobody. And I have a huge, expensive, house crisis that I won't even begin to discuss in detail now: my simple Hurricane Shutter repair for my Wilma damaged shutters, will now be many thousands of dollars (5 to 7) because the wood framing in the wall is water damaged and the entire rear wall of the house has to be replaced -- that curvey part that juts out from my kitchen to be exact. I want to cry. Scooter ate today (YAY!) but her bathroom habits are now becoming a concern. Tomorrow, I go for my driver's license. Ugh.
This past Thursday, I received an email from Mr. Coyne's office. (I will admit great amusement to the use of the appropriate TM symbol after the drive name.) In said email he said Gary Meister the senior VP would call me and said "I am confident that we will shortly restore your confidence in WD as the premier source for all your storage needs." I will admit great scepticism -- as well as amusement because nobody actually talks like that -- when I read it, but I was optimistic enough to say nothing in my blog. After all, I always feel talking about it in advance jinxes you.
Today, I received a very nice and apologetic phone call from Gary Meister which I will detail. We spoke for about twenty minutes. So now, I can clear up a few things.
1. We all agree that most of the aggravation was caused by the fact that the serial number on the drive was incorrectly keyed to the wrong region. That caused the whole process and my available options to be handled incorrectly. They said they are taking steps to correct this so future customers do not have to go through this sort of thing.
2. We discussed the "mystery files" on my hard drive that did not belong to me. They obviously read my blog as I did not include that in my letter. When I sent the letter to WD, CBL had indicated further investigation had indicated that those files may have been artefacts from either Time Machine's backup process and/or Retrospect's backup process as opposed to someone else's files. Since I wasn't sure what the real answer was, I didn't put it in the letter nor did I post a retraction here. As it turns out, and was confirmed just recently by CBL, they are indeed artefact files of some sort. It was just an unfortunate set of circumstances with the mis-coded serial number that caused a red flag to be raised about this data. Basically the thought was the drive was in the USA, it wasn't supposed to be, it was full of mystery files, and that caused a logical conclusion based on an initial bit of misinformation. So, the phantom files weren't mine -- that is still true. However they weren't someone else's either which makes me feel much better about this whole thing. When backing up, all software leaves little footprints that appear to be directory structures to Data Recovery software (which is fundamentally what backup/restore software is). So in the recovery process, it appeared there were files that weren't mine. And since I gave them the expected directory structure in advance they were looking for, thus it appeared those files were from a previous user installation. When they called me and I had no idea what the files were, that clinched it. This was just a set of a bunch very valid conclusions adding together and getting another valid conclusion: only sometimes 1 and 1 don't always add up to two because sometimes the initial "1" is really not a "1" but some other number.
3. And, for the record, there are other processes for WD drives besides what I went through. The reason I wasn't offered those was, again, because of that miscoded serial number. I explained clearly that I was very happy with the tech's performance -- I really don't have anything against competent outsourced tech support. He did everything he could to help and directed me to resources that were available to my circumstances. It's just that my circumstances were not what his computer thought they were. My initial call was on a Sunday morning and because of that, there was no back-up for that tech ("level two" I think they called it). Had I known that, I'd have called back.
4. I explained all of that in details because I want you to know WD really, really did care. They called. They were concerned, and they told me what they're doing to correct and fix the situation so future people don't suffer. I want to say, a simple e-mail from them would have made me happy and solved this: they didn't have to call and explain everything in detail but I love that they did. They could have blown me off, too. Honestly, WD is a very large company and that's what I was expecting to happen. I didn't think my letter would get past the legendary "CEO's office" (which is where your letters to most companies go to die -- except Dell where your letters are used as toilet paper. I really hate Dell. Still.) WD e-mailed and said they'd contact me, then they called and explained without any BS what happened and why it happened. That alone gives them very, very, very high marks.
5. They have indicated they will refund my money for the drive recovery costs because of the multiple problems I had due to the serial number issues. That thrills me. I'll be honest, I was expecting them to refuse or offer to split it 50/50 when they called. And I was willing to half-heartedly accept that, but they offered a full refund right away. So, here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to keep half and the other half is going to be donated, in their name, to two of my favourite charities: the Robin Hood Foundation and Habitat for Humanity. BTW, I always encourage everyone to visit and donate to these charitable organizations.
6. So I will move WD back to my "happy" list again. I do have to get around to actually installing this drive.
7. 7-25-08 They called and let me know it's all in the works and, as always allow 2 to 4 weeks for delivery. Your mileage may vary :)
In unrelated news, the BBC has a great video on how to speak like an American. The Dolphins traded Jason Taylor, in a move that surprised nobody. And I have a huge, expensive, house crisis that I won't even begin to discuss in detail now: my simple Hurricane Shutter repair for my Wilma damaged shutters, will now be many thousands of dollars (5 to 7) because the wood framing in the wall is water damaged and the entire rear wall of the house has to be replaced -- that curvey part that juts out from my kitchen to be exact. I want to cry. Scooter ate today (YAY!) but her bathroom habits are now becoming a concern. Tomorrow, I go for my driver's license. Ugh.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
A Very Movie Weekend: Mamma Mia and The Dark Knight.
The concept of a film called "Mamma Mia and the Dark Knight" amuses me greatly. I wouldn't see it, but it amuses me. So on to the reviews of both.
Mamma Mia (the film)
Since the play and the movie have no substantial plot, I'm not much worried about giving it away. The goal is to wrap a bit of a story around some great music. I will start by saying that I love the play. I've seen it in London, Charlotte, and Las Vegas. It's not a good play by any stretch of the imagination but it's fun. So from the movie I was expecting good music and fun. The play is better than the movie, so I'll have to be up front about that. Merryl Streep is a surprisingly good singer and I was blown away by her voice. She was also miscast because I never saw Donna: only Merryl Streep. Nothing is worse than when you only see an actor/actress and not the character they were playing. She over powered the role. Pierce Brosnan can act, but I finally found someone who, when digitally and studio enhanced, STILL doesn't sing much better than me.
As Maury said, "The two hour movie seemed much longer than the three hour play." Sure they did some nice things such as the initial boat ride, and cutting some of the long songs down a bit to improve the flow, but mostly part of the magic of the play -- your imagination of everything -- is ruined by the film. It was okay. But I wouldn't see it again.
The Dark Knight
Holy shit, this film rocks. I shan't mince words. This is the best film you will see this summer. It's over and everything else loses. This isn't a comic book movie either, and almost everyone will like this. The biggest problem is this movie is not for kids. That's right. I do not recommend you take your children (under 13) to this film. Heath Ledger's Joker is a sociopath and insane. And he's not fun insane like Nicholson's version, or even wicked like Hopkins' portrayal of Lechter. This is just creepy. Almost like he wasn't acting. He should win an Oscar for this. The buzz is accurate and it's not because he died. He earned it and owned this role.
Christian Bale's Batman echoes the previous film, with Michael Caine doing a nice job on his scenes as does Morgan Freeman (who is apparently in every movie made now). And if Heath wasn't here, they would be standouts. But they're not. This movie is owned by one performance and that performance sucks you up. When he's not on screen all you do is wonder when he's coming back.
I wasn't a fan of Two Face and if you took all of his scenes out of the movie, it would have played just as well. I'd see this again without hesitation. And I'll buy this on Blu-Ray because I want to see the outtakes. This film is phenomenal. Really.
In other news, Steven Brust's new Vlad Taltos novel is out as is Eion Colfer's new Artemis Fowl. I bought both but am currently in the midst of Glen Cook's new Garrett novel. My unread book pile is obscene -- nearly 20 books. I am so far behind. (And go read Little Brother if you haven't. I am serious.)
Mamma Mia (the film)
Since the play and the movie have no substantial plot, I'm not much worried about giving it away. The goal is to wrap a bit of a story around some great music. I will start by saying that I love the play. I've seen it in London, Charlotte, and Las Vegas. It's not a good play by any stretch of the imagination but it's fun. So from the movie I was expecting good music and fun. The play is better than the movie, so I'll have to be up front about that. Merryl Streep is a surprisingly good singer and I was blown away by her voice. She was also miscast because I never saw Donna: only Merryl Streep. Nothing is worse than when you only see an actor/actress and not the character they were playing. She over powered the role. Pierce Brosnan can act, but I finally found someone who, when digitally and studio enhanced, STILL doesn't sing much better than me.
As Maury said, "The two hour movie seemed much longer than the three hour play." Sure they did some nice things such as the initial boat ride, and cutting some of the long songs down a bit to improve the flow, but mostly part of the magic of the play -- your imagination of everything -- is ruined by the film. It was okay. But I wouldn't see it again.
The Dark Knight
Holy shit, this film rocks. I shan't mince words. This is the best film you will see this summer. It's over and everything else loses. This isn't a comic book movie either, and almost everyone will like this. The biggest problem is this movie is not for kids. That's right. I do not recommend you take your children (under 13) to this film. Heath Ledger's Joker is a sociopath and insane. And he's not fun insane like Nicholson's version, or even wicked like Hopkins' portrayal of Lechter. This is just creepy. Almost like he wasn't acting. He should win an Oscar for this. The buzz is accurate and it's not because he died. He earned it and owned this role.
Christian Bale's Batman echoes the previous film, with Michael Caine doing a nice job on his scenes as does Morgan Freeman (who is apparently in every movie made now). And if Heath wasn't here, they would be standouts. But they're not. This movie is owned by one performance and that performance sucks you up. When he's not on screen all you do is wonder when he's coming back.
I wasn't a fan of Two Face and if you took all of his scenes out of the movie, it would have played just as well. I'd see this again without hesitation. And I'll buy this on Blu-Ray because I want to see the outtakes. This film is phenomenal. Really.
In other news, Steven Brust's new Vlad Taltos novel is out as is Eion Colfer's new Artemis Fowl. I bought both but am currently in the midst of Glen Cook's new Garrett novel. My unread book pile is obscene -- nearly 20 books. I am so far behind. (And go read Little Brother if you haven't. I am serious.)
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Art, Drives, and Stuff you don't care about
Platform For Art: it's one of the many things to love about the Tube (or the London Underground, or even subway for you leftpondians.) Every now and again I just have to throw in a plug for my favourite transit system of all time -- BART comes in second for inquiring minds. When I go to London, I often check out Platform For Art. I would encourage those of you who visit London to check the referenced URL and see if there's something that interest you.
I got a form e-mail from the president of Western Digital today. It was clearly a form letter and said he was concerned and was sending it to a vice-President and hopes they will make me a happy customer again. I am not holding my breath, mind you, but it was at least a reply. Hopefully it won't be like Tony Roma's where I got an auto-reply and never heard back again. (For more see Western Digital tags below). Speaking of Western Digital, I got a refurbished replacement drive today. I haven't installed it yet, but I will within the week. I resent getting a refurbished drive to replace something new. Legal but not right.
My shutter company came yesterday to replace the damaged shutters. They had all sorts of problem so now the half-working shutter is removed permanently but no new shutter has taken its place. A real problem. More on this next week.
Next week I'm also going to try to get a real driver's license as opposed to my current one. Nothing wrong with it except it's the old kind (3 iterations ago) and the picture looks like I was still a freshman in college. That's probably because I was still in college when it was taken. One day I'll have a real airport hassle. It's time.
I am concerned about Scooter because she's not eating enough. I'll give it a few more days because maybe she's going through a phase. A shout-out to Adrian who had his wisdom teeth removed, making him less wise I suppose :)
I stopped liking Jimmy Carter after some things he said last year. I won't go into that. I still admire his work as a humanitarian, but I no longer contribute to his foundation. He's free to mouth off and piss me off, and I am free to cut his funds off. It works well -- and after my missive to the Carter foundation, they don't even ASK me for money anymore. I mention him only because I read a good article about his energy policy where tried to wean us off foreign oil. The Reagan administration killed it and every Republican since has done their damnedest to sell our country's soul to offshore interests.
Lastly, some ass stole parts of my blog post about Tom Petty. I know this because they were kind enough to copy the typo I had in the post too. I'd like there so you could bash him, but I won't bother. It's one of those SEO sites that thrives on links so I won't support them.
I fixed the one of my outside lights today which involved turning off the power and sitcking a pair of pliers into the socket to remove a broken bulb.
At work we upgraded FASPAC to version six. I volunteered us to be a Beta site. They probably aren't happy they chose me. I submitted eight bug reports today including one three minutes into my first attempt to use a new feature. They've fixed two of the bugs I've reported and in doing so broke something else. I enjoy this stuff. They took quite a few of my suggestions from the previous versions over the past ten years and finally USED them. Woo-Hoo. FASPAC is awesome, it runs under UNIX and is relatively stable.
I itch. Everywhere. Damn it, man.
I miss some people today and am thinking of them. I hate this part.
I got a form e-mail from the president of Western Digital today. It was clearly a form letter and said he was concerned and was sending it to a vice-President and hopes they will make me a happy customer again. I am not holding my breath, mind you, but it was at least a reply. Hopefully it won't be like Tony Roma's where I got an auto-reply and never heard back again. (For more see Western Digital tags below). Speaking of Western Digital, I got a refurbished replacement drive today. I haven't installed it yet, but I will within the week. I resent getting a refurbished drive to replace something new. Legal but not right.
My shutter company came yesterday to replace the damaged shutters. They had all sorts of problem so now the half-working shutter is removed permanently but no new shutter has taken its place. A real problem. More on this next week.
Next week I'm also going to try to get a real driver's license as opposed to my current one. Nothing wrong with it except it's the old kind (3 iterations ago) and the picture looks like I was still a freshman in college. That's probably because I was still in college when it was taken. One day I'll have a real airport hassle. It's time.
I am concerned about Scooter because she's not eating enough. I'll give it a few more days because maybe she's going through a phase. A shout-out to Adrian who had his wisdom teeth removed, making him less wise I suppose :)
I stopped liking Jimmy Carter after some things he said last year. I won't go into that. I still admire his work as a humanitarian, but I no longer contribute to his foundation. He's free to mouth off and piss me off, and I am free to cut his funds off. It works well -- and after my missive to the Carter foundation, they don't even ASK me for money anymore. I mention him only because I read a good article about his energy policy where tried to wean us off foreign oil. The Reagan administration killed it and every Republican since has done their damnedest to sell our country's soul to offshore interests.
Lastly, some ass stole parts of my blog post about Tom Petty. I know this because they were kind enough to copy the typo I had in the post too. I'd like there so you could bash him, but I won't bother. It's one of those SEO sites that thrives on links so I won't support them.
I fixed the one of my outside lights today which involved turning off the power and sitcking a pair of pliers into the socket to remove a broken bulb.
At work we upgraded FASPAC to version six. I volunteered us to be a Beta site. They probably aren't happy they chose me. I submitted eight bug reports today including one three minutes into my first attempt to use a new feature. They've fixed two of the bugs I've reported and in doing so broke something else. I enjoy this stuff. They took quite a few of my suggestions from the previous versions over the past ten years and finally USED them. Woo-Hoo. FASPAC is awesome, it runs under UNIX and is relatively stable.
I itch. Everywhere. Damn it, man.
I miss some people today and am thinking of them. I hate this part.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tom Petty And The Heatbreakers 7-15-08 Sunrise (With Steve Winwood)
First, a special thank you to Mary and Stephanie for arranging the tickets for last night's Tom Petty show at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida (aka Fort Lauderdale). The seats were spectacular (134, Row 11) right near the front of the stage. No need for the video screens or binoculars. This was my first live Tom Petty show and it was memorable. I picked up the seats at Will-Call without any hassle, though due to the weather they managed to hide the Will-Call both inside :) Karen and Greg went with me.
So, a brief flashback: I want to let everyone know I have Damn The Torpedoes on vinyl from when it was originally released. So I come by my affection for the band honestly. The disc was given to me by my Auntie Jimmy who got some promo albums from a friend: this was one of those. I still have it along with the gold "not for resale" on the cover. In absence of a record player, I'm now listening to CDs.
My friend Cathy Buffington for many years was the president of Mr. Petty's fan club. He thanks her inside the box set even. Yep, in the album credits. How cool is that? Although Tom's come to Florida before, he rarely comes south. And when he does it's usually way the hell up in West Palm. It's just never worked out. So when he announced this latest tour, I was stoked. Cathy had offered in the past to hook me up with tickets, and since I've known her for over 24 years, I finally asked her if she might arrange it. She put me in touch with Mary.
I'll be honest there was some despair when I didn't hear back from Mary for over a month. But then the e-mail came with a form to fill out (name, credit card, combination to your safe deposit box, the usual stuff). I sent it in and two days before the show the e-mail with the "pick up your tickets" note came and I was happy. I called Cathy to thank her. We now return to the present.
We met at 6:30Pm, ate some food, and then settled in to watch the opening act Steve Winwood. I happen to like him and have two of his CDs as well. I'm not a real fan, liking the hits that we all know such as Higher Love. Most opening acts run 30 to 40 minutes. Steve started just about five minutes late and went on for over one full hour. That alone was surprising and welcome -- except for the stupid blabbering women behind us who wouldn't shut their traps.
The stage cleared, and the roadies commenced setting up for Tom and the Heartbreakers. He started at around 910 and played until about 1110 without intermission. And he played non-stop except to talk to the audience a few words here and there. As loud as he was, he couldn't drown out those skanky hos behind us who wouldn't shut up about their hair, boyfriends, food, traffic, and everything else except the music. All efforts to shut them up were met with rude comments and ill-mannered behaviour. Enough about them.
Tom played hit after hit after hit. His band was in FINE form, especially Mr. Campbell who tore through the songs with a vengeance. It was like listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Greatest Hits. He also played an obligatory Travelling Wilburys' tune which was a rocking, fun experience. There was a brief shunt off stage for "the encore game" wherein he returned to the solo spotlight aiming at the mike. The concert ended with an extended rendition of American Girl.
I'd love to give you the set list, but I was too busy having fun to write it down: there was Mary Jane, You Don't Know How It Feels, American Girl, Refugee, Learning To Fly, Don't Come Around Here No More, Running Down a Dream, I Won't Back Down, and so much more. It was just amazing to hear how fresh even the old songs sounded. As baked as Tom looked -- and everyone was commenting on it -- he was fantastic from the first note to the last. And speaking of baked, this concert had the second most pot smoke of any concert I've ever been to, only the Eagles beat this one out. This isn't a complaint, but an observation. I think if you were there you got a buzz just from being there. Pretty impressive that the cops didn't drag people out because it was obvious.
The staging was cool too. How could I forget? The top of the stage had a semi-circle of white translucent panels that looked like kitchen tiles. But they were video screens. There were also metal cages reminiscent of the Borg Cube all over which were also video and light display units. Behind the stage were light bulbs that glowed in various colours. It was visually appealing and added the enjoyment.
And again, one last statement. They sounded really good. I mean REALLY good. It's hard for a band to sound better than their albums. They're one of the few that pulls it off. Even Steve Winwood sounded better when he was up there with Tom and the Heartbreakers instead of his own band :)
So, a brief flashback: I want to let everyone know I have Damn The Torpedoes on vinyl from when it was originally released. So I come by my affection for the band honestly. The disc was given to me by my Auntie Jimmy who got some promo albums from a friend: this was one of those. I still have it along with the gold "not for resale" on the cover. In absence of a record player, I'm now listening to CDs.
My friend Cathy Buffington for many years was the president of Mr. Petty's fan club. He thanks her inside the box set even. Yep, in the album credits. How cool is that? Although Tom's come to Florida before, he rarely comes south. And when he does it's usually way the hell up in West Palm. It's just never worked out. So when he announced this latest tour, I was stoked. Cathy had offered in the past to hook me up with tickets, and since I've known her for over 24 years, I finally asked her if she might arrange it. She put me in touch with Mary.
I'll be honest there was some despair when I didn't hear back from Mary for over a month. But then the e-mail came with a form to fill out (name, credit card, combination to your safe deposit box, the usual stuff). I sent it in and two days before the show the e-mail with the "pick up your tickets" note came and I was happy. I called Cathy to thank her. We now return to the present.
We met at 6:30Pm, ate some food, and then settled in to watch the opening act Steve Winwood. I happen to like him and have two of his CDs as well. I'm not a real fan, liking the hits that we all know such as Higher Love. Most opening acts run 30 to 40 minutes. Steve started just about five minutes late and went on for over one full hour. That alone was surprising and welcome -- except for the stupid blabbering women behind us who wouldn't shut their traps.
The stage cleared, and the roadies commenced setting up for Tom and the Heartbreakers. He started at around 910 and played until about 1110 without intermission. And he played non-stop except to talk to the audience a few words here and there. As loud as he was, he couldn't drown out those skanky hos behind us who wouldn't shut up about their hair, boyfriends, food, traffic, and everything else except the music. All efforts to shut them up were met with rude comments and ill-mannered behaviour. Enough about them.
Tom played hit after hit after hit. His band was in FINE form, especially Mr. Campbell who tore through the songs with a vengeance. It was like listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Greatest Hits. He also played an obligatory Travelling Wilburys' tune which was a rocking, fun experience. There was a brief shunt off stage for "the encore game" wherein he returned to the solo spotlight aiming at the mike. The concert ended with an extended rendition of American Girl.
I'd love to give you the set list, but I was too busy having fun to write it down: there was Mary Jane, You Don't Know How It Feels, American Girl, Refugee, Learning To Fly, Don't Come Around Here No More, Running Down a Dream, I Won't Back Down, and so much more. It was just amazing to hear how fresh even the old songs sounded. As baked as Tom looked -- and everyone was commenting on it -- he was fantastic from the first note to the last. And speaking of baked, this concert had the second most pot smoke of any concert I've ever been to, only the Eagles beat this one out. This isn't a complaint, but an observation. I think if you were there you got a buzz just from being there. Pretty impressive that the cops didn't drag people out because it was obvious.
The staging was cool too. How could I forget? The top of the stage had a semi-circle of white translucent panels that looked like kitchen tiles. But they were video screens. There were also metal cages reminiscent of the Borg Cube all over which were also video and light display units. Behind the stage were light bulbs that glowed in various colours. It was visually appealing and added the enjoyment.
And again, one last statement. They sounded really good. I mean REALLY good. It's hard for a band to sound better than their albums. They're one of the few that pulls it off. Even Steve Winwood sounded better when he was up there with Tom and the Heartbreakers instead of his own band :)
Tom Petty 2008 Tour Set List:This is from memory and I'm sure it's not perfect, especially the second song of the encore And no promises on the song order, but I tried. (Set list order and content corrected 6-18-08 with assistance via e-mail and comment.)
You Wreck Me
Listen to Her Heart
Breakdown
Mary Jane's Last Dance
I Wont Back Down
Even The Losers
Free Fallin'
Honey Bee
End Of Line (sounded just like the Wilburys too.)
Can't Find My Way Home (w/Steve Winwood)
Gimme Some Lovin' (w/Steve Winwood)
Saving Grace
You Don't Know How It Feels
Learning To Fly
Don't Come Around Here No More
Refugee
Encore:
Runnin' Down A Dream
Mystic Eyes
American Girl
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Double Rocky Frisco
I thought I'd give a little shout-out to my bud Rocky Frisco. I accidentally stumbled upon one of his videos that's over on YouTube and then found there was a second.
Rocky's a famous musician, and if you haven't heard of him, it's your loss. He's played with some of the greats and regularly tours with JJ Cale. He's played Carnegie Hall. He also is one hell of a writer, a political activist, and he collects Mini-Coopers.
Video #1 Pursuit Of Happiness
Video #2 The Blues For You
Anyway, I thought this might entertain you. There are quite a few videos on YouTube with the Rockster. He's got a cool, eclectic home page as well. His home page links to many other pages of his -- and you'll see his very wide level of interests. Rocky's a character and I'm glad he's my friend because a weird guy like me needs weird guys like him. There's a brief bit on WikiPedia and also his IMDB page. Oh, yeah, he acts too -- was even in a Disney film.
Some of my favourite Rocky works are on his very short-lived band's eponymous and only album Whirligig. Rocky gave me a copy before it was released (or maybe it was never released) -- but it's mighty good. He's got both a personal MySpace page and his Music one. Feel the love and buy some of his music.
In unrelated news, I sent off a mound of certified letters to (A) all the credit bureaus with my affidavit on the Identity Theft issue and (B) to Western Digital's CEO with my thoughts on his company and (C) to Apple letting them know why I suggest they stop selling Western Digital products. In absence of a letter from CBL I am not making further noise about the fact the drive was "previously owned" and sold to me as new. I have no proof without a letter.
Rocky's a famous musician, and if you haven't heard of him, it's your loss. He's played with some of the greats and regularly tours with JJ Cale. He's played Carnegie Hall. He also is one hell of a writer, a political activist, and he collects Mini-Coopers.
Video #1 Pursuit Of Happiness
Video #2 The Blues For You
Anyway, I thought this might entertain you. There are quite a few videos on YouTube with the Rockster. He's got a cool, eclectic home page as well. His home page links to many other pages of his -- and you'll see his very wide level of interests. Rocky's a character and I'm glad he's my friend because a weird guy like me needs weird guys like him. There's a brief bit on WikiPedia and also his IMDB page. Oh, yeah, he acts too -- was even in a Disney film.
Some of my favourite Rocky works are on his very short-lived band's eponymous and only album Whirligig. Rocky gave me a copy before it was released (or maybe it was never released) -- but it's mighty good. He's got both a personal MySpace page and his Music one. Feel the love and buy some of his music.
In unrelated news, I sent off a mound of certified letters to (A) all the credit bureaus with my affidavit on the Identity Theft issue and (B) to Western Digital's CEO with my thoughts on his company and (C) to Apple letting them know why I suggest they stop selling Western Digital products. In absence of a letter from CBL I am not making further noise about the fact the drive was "previously owned" and sold to me as new. I have no proof without a letter.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
A Lazy Sunday
First, Robert Lynn Asprin, author of the Myth series of novels as well as the Phule's Company series of novels is dead from natural causes in New Orleans. He died in May in bed whilst reading a Terry Pratchett novel. I just found out when I got my new issue of Locus Magazine.
Second, Adrian is in the doghouse today. After skating it seems his new shoes picked up a large quantity of dog shit. This, alone, is not news. The fact he didn't notice and got in my new car with it, is news. I have used massive amounts of carpet chemicals and,in a few hours, we'll see if you can tell or not, happily you can barely tell there was ever a problem. He's my friend, so murder is probably out of the question. But I figured a little public humiliation will at least make me feel better about cutting the day short to go home and clean up shit stains. However skating and breakfast were fun. And I hope Adrian feels better. I'd hate to kill a sick man.
Third, Erin visited yesterday -- an always fun event. I have given Erin dishes and silverware from my overstock. Yay. If anyone's moving I still have overstock available for a new abode, just ask. I also took her to the office to get hurricane supplies such as lights, batteries, and whatnot. Today she's home awaiting a matters for her new bed which, as of yet, is unused. We also passed a gas station where diesel was $5.39 a gallon -- near the airport of course.
Fourth, I filled out Identity Theft Affidavits for all the credit bureaus today. They'll go out certified return receipt tomorrow.
Fifth,I also have to write I've written my flame of Western Digital and will send that off to them. I am still hating them greatly over my hard drive. Also, I am sending a copy to Apple Computer so they know what kind of shite they sell in their stores. CBL has declined to write a letter indicating what files were on the drive, and I respect their desire. However, a quick perusal of Google has shown me there are massive failures of this drive. They have some sort of QC or design flaw.
Sixth, a special shout-out to Maury who sent me this link about the Room 8 School Cat. I can't tell you why I liked it so much, but I did.
Seventh, I got a copy of my "independent medical evaluation" which is basically accurate but there are some errors. Iwill be writing have written a correction letter and sending that in as well.
PS: iDrive still sucks ass. I haven't yet written a missive, but I will. Soon. I just have to stop finding new stuff to hate about it. I may never finish. I support the execution of the person who invented it.
Second, Adrian is in the doghouse today. After skating it seems his new shoes picked up a large quantity of dog shit. This, alone, is not news. The fact he didn't notice and got in my new car with it, is news. I have used massive amounts of carpet chemicals and,
Third, Erin visited yesterday -- an always fun event. I have given Erin dishes and silverware from my overstock. Yay. If anyone's moving I still have overstock available for a new abode, just ask. I also took her to the office to get hurricane supplies such as lights, batteries, and whatnot. Today she's home awaiting a matters for her new bed which, as of yet, is unused. We also passed a gas station where diesel was $5.39 a gallon -- near the airport of course.
Fourth, I filled out Identity Theft Affidavits for all the credit bureaus today. They'll go out certified return receipt tomorrow.
Fifth,
Sixth, a special shout-out to Maury who sent me this link about the Room 8 School Cat. I can't tell you why I liked it so much, but I did.
Seventh, I got a copy of my "independent medical evaluation" which is basically accurate but there are some errors. I
PS: iDrive still sucks ass. I haven't yet written a missive, but I will. Soon. I just have to stop finding new stuff to hate about it. I may never finish. I support the execution of the person who invented it.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Amusing and Bemused Post
1. I had previously mentioned that my friend Paul wrote a post on the $5.50 Per gallon gas scam in Orlando. Because Paul is different, he decided to interview people at the station with his video camera. Here's the video or shoot to YouTube directly to view it. Leave kudos.
2. Today I went to Google Earth for the first time in Quite Some Time and looked at home, work, and other random places. I was impressed, took a screen shot of our office, and I put it up on the company website of work from the air. It's a nice shot. I'm including it in my blog for ha-has. For the full size one, go to our company website and it's all the way at the bottom of my page. The yellow outline in the photo shows the approximate lot line. In the upper left hand corner of our lot, you can see a silver box. That's the corrugated metal roof of the car port I park under.
3. I don't normally post lots of photos in my blog, but here's another one. I must thank David Higgins for this masterpiece. I got this in my e-mail today at work and disrupted the office with my laughter.
Michelangelo's famous statue The David returns to Italy this week after a successful 12 week, 20 city tour of the USA ...
2. Today I went to Google Earth for the first time in Quite Some Time and looked at home, work, and other random places. I was impressed, took a screen shot of our office, and I put it up on the company website of work from the air. It's a nice shot. I'm including it in my blog for ha-has. For the full size one, go to our company website and it's all the way at the bottom of my page. The yellow outline in the photo shows the approximate lot line. In the upper left hand corner of our lot, you can see a silver box. That's the corrugated metal roof of the car port I park under.
3. I don't normally post lots of photos in my blog, but here's another one. I must thank David Higgins for this masterpiece. I got this in my e-mail today at work and disrupted the office with my laughter.
Michelangelo's famous statue The David returns to Italy this week after a successful 12 week, 20 city tour of the USA ...
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Today's Post Of Little Value
Adrian is coming over and we're going to dinner. Yay. It's good because I have no food in the house. I must remedy that. Tomorrow I am supposed to go on a business dinner to Renegade at the Hard Rock. Double Yay.
I still wish there would be a T-Mobile iPhone but not yet, I suppose. I just took an interesting survey. It may be coming next year. I hope.
AOL has ditched the $4.99 plan and now only has the $9.99 and higher plans. I have switched to the free account. Yay again. I should give it up but everyone has that e-mail an ditching it would be terribly inconvenient.
And another "fuck you" to the Department of Homeland Security which recently decided it can seize your laptop for any reason. I am not making this up. And worse, (same post), they are lobbying to have all air passengers wear a special bracelet that is basically a Taser-like unit so they can subdue you. I'm sure it sounds like a good idea to someone, but not to me. They're so busy trying to "make us safe" they've done nothing but inconvenience us without actually making us safer. Be nice to the TSA people, though, it's not their fault they're employed by bumberclods.
And don't forget the Umbrella Hat Society. Really.
I still wish there would be a T-Mobile iPhone but not yet, I suppose. I just took an interesting survey. It may be coming next year. I hope.
AOL has ditched the $4.99 plan and now only has the $9.99 and higher plans. I have switched to the free account. Yay again. I should give it up but everyone has that e-mail an ditching it would be terribly inconvenient.
And another "fuck you" to the Department of Homeland Security which recently decided it can seize your laptop for any reason. I am not making this up. And worse, (same post), they are lobbying to have all air passengers wear a special bracelet that is basically a Taser-like unit so they can subdue you. I'm sure it sounds like a good idea to someone, but not to me. They're so busy trying to "make us safe" they've done nothing but inconvenience us without actually making us safer. Be nice to the TSA people, though, it's not their fault they're employed by bumberclods.
And don't forget the Umbrella Hat Society. Really.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Good Service Is Hard To Find. But not at CBL.
I am famous (infamous?) for my diatribes against companies that provide lousy service, poor attempts at customer service, as well indifferent, incompetent, and unknowledgeable staff. It is rare that I can write something good about a company. I wish I could, but it is a sadly rare event. People have come to expect the average and I don't feel average is worth commenting on.
In the past I've said nice things about my pharmacist at Walgreens, Pixmonix (if you ever need your old photos and negatives digitized, they are the ones), and even American Express. I am about to add one more to that list. CBL Data Recovery did a fine job. I am furious that my drive broke and furious that Western Digital has screwed me over. WD referred me to CBL and CBL did their part well. CBL has multiple locations and I picked Atlanta because it was the nearest office.
I sent the drive in and in the promised time, my data was returned to me. They kept me informed and did what they could to recover my data. Was it overpriced? Of course, I think so. But they gave me the price going in, I agreed to it, and they did the work. No headaches, no attempt to extort additional funds, and so forth. They kept me informed. I was basically satisfied because the important data (photos and videos) were fully recovered except for one file. The music files (wherein if you recollect I ripped my entire CD library over the course of 65 days) were mostly recovered, or so it appeared. I had to recreate the index files of course which was to be expected because iTunes is funny like that.
So, imagine my surprise when nearly 350 files were missing. Now this wasn't the end of the world because I have most of the CDs here and one or two in my Safe Deposit Box (like the original master pressing of Abbey Road by EMI Japan -- the rarest CD of all). In theory, I could recover all that data by figuring out which songs were on which CDs and trying to figure out which ones were missing. iTunes is stupid that you cannot sort on the "!" icon that lists missing songs. While doing it manually, I noticed an odd quirk. All the missing files were ones that had accent marks, umlauts, characters with set high bits, foreign characters including Japanese. (Only 14 files plus two albums didn't fall into this).
Keep in mind CBL already had my money, had done their job, and was under no obligation to do anything else at this point.
I wrote them a nice letter explaining that I had observed an unusual anomaly with their recovery algorithm. Robert Dwyer answered quickly and said he would consult with his tech Joel Barker who did the original recovery. Robert was the guy who called me during the recovery and asked me what all the files were on my hard drive that weren't mine (which will result in a scathing letter to WD, Apple Store where I bought the drive, and the FTC). Anyway, some 10 days later I received by FedEx two DVDs which had almost all the missing files. Yep. They did the recovery a second time. I got everything except those 14 songs and two album. And I was able to recover most of the 14 songs easily and I re-ripped those two albums.
So, if you ever need data recovery services, I will gladly recommend CBL! Good work guys! I hope all of you loyal readers (187,000 visits and counting) use them when you need their services.
(I'm still hoping CBL will write that letter explaining that the drive I sent them was clearly used because it had data on it from another recovery attempt from a previous owner. That means the drive was USED and sold to me as NEW. That's illegal. It would also explain why WD showed the drive wasn't a valid drive in the USA. It will make my fight to recover my money easier.)
In the past I've said nice things about my pharmacist at Walgreens, Pixmonix (if you ever need your old photos and negatives digitized, they are the ones), and even American Express. I am about to add one more to that list. CBL Data Recovery did a fine job. I am furious that my drive broke and furious that Western Digital has screwed me over. WD referred me to CBL and CBL did their part well. CBL has multiple locations and I picked Atlanta because it was the nearest office.
I sent the drive in and in the promised time, my data was returned to me. They kept me informed and did what they could to recover my data. Was it overpriced? Of course, I think so. But they gave me the price going in, I agreed to it, and they did the work. No headaches, no attempt to extort additional funds, and so forth. They kept me informed. I was basically satisfied because the important data (photos and videos) were fully recovered except for one file. The music files (wherein if you recollect I ripped my entire CD library over the course of 65 days) were mostly recovered, or so it appeared. I had to recreate the index files of course which was to be expected because iTunes is funny like that.
So, imagine my surprise when nearly 350 files were missing. Now this wasn't the end of the world because I have most of the CDs here and one or two in my Safe Deposit Box (like the original master pressing of Abbey Road by EMI Japan -- the rarest CD of all). In theory, I could recover all that data by figuring out which songs were on which CDs and trying to figure out which ones were missing. iTunes is stupid that you cannot sort on the "!" icon that lists missing songs. While doing it manually, I noticed an odd quirk. All the missing files were ones that had accent marks, umlauts, characters with set high bits, foreign characters including Japanese. (Only 14 files plus two albums didn't fall into this).
Keep in mind CBL already had my money, had done their job, and was under no obligation to do anything else at this point.
I wrote them a nice letter explaining that I had observed an unusual anomaly with their recovery algorithm. Robert Dwyer answered quickly and said he would consult with his tech Joel Barker who did the original recovery. Robert was the guy who called me during the recovery and asked me what all the files were on my hard drive that weren't mine (which will result in a scathing letter to WD, Apple Store where I bought the drive, and the FTC). Anyway, some 10 days later I received by FedEx two DVDs which had almost all the missing files. Yep. They did the recovery a second time. I got everything except those 14 songs and two album. And I was able to recover most of the 14 songs easily and I re-ripped those two albums.
So, if you ever need data recovery services, I will gladly recommend CBL! Good work guys! I hope all of you loyal readers (187,000 visits and counting) use them when you need their services.
(I'm still hoping CBL will write that letter explaining that the drive I sent them was clearly used because it had data on it from another recovery attempt from a previous owner. That means the drive was USED and sold to me as NEW. That's illegal. It would also explain why WD showed the drive wasn't a valid drive in the USA. It will make my fight to recover my money easier.)
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Randomness Part Huit
I found a bug in Firefox version 3, which I reported at Bugzilla. Really muffs up the visuals when you try to change text size on one page and it changes the text size on ALL pages. Horrific planning to implement a "new feature" at the expense of useability. Sad because it worked fine.
Adrian was sick today so we did not go skating or eat breakfast or any of the stuff. Instead, I was bored all day. That boy has more excuses than a politician in an election campaign. Still, I hope he feels better.
I went to Pep Boys and bought a steering wheel cover for my BMW X5 and also a registration and insurance card holder. Did I mention iDrive is from hell? I suppose, soon, I'll write a detailed missive as to why.
I printed out some pictures for Grandma from Flickr. I bought an Ecko shirt at the mall for a whopping $9.95 on sale. Disney Character Premier has jerseys on sale again -- Pluto IceHounds and Mickeys Marauders hockey jerseys and Stitch Invaders football jerseys all at $24.99 each but I didn't buy them. I might get the MM jersey because they had one in XL and XXL (both of which fit me in a hockey jersey) but the IceHounds were all size "M" and "L" -- didn't really pay much attention to the football jersey, though I do love Stitch.
I bought Maury a cool Wall*E present today. She doesn't like the movie, or even much animation. No accounting for taste, but since her nickname is "Mo" there was no choice but to acquire the Mo Robot Toy for her. Everyone should have a toy named after them. Even if they won't appreciate it.
I did laundry today. Walked around Office Depot where I bought one box of paper clips (vinyl coated) for my office.
If you're into Seti@Home or astronomy, please help save the Arecibo Observatory. If you enter your details you'll get a PDF with a letter all ready to sign and mail. Do it. I did.
Scooter didn't eat much yesterday or today. And she's having more trouble walking. I will keep a close eye on her. Poor kitty.
One thing I've always hated is DVD drives that adhere to the "region" code. You know where you can only play certain DVDs. Why do I care? I have a large collection of subway geek videos from the UK. I bought 'em and I want to watch them on my computer as opposed to my old LaserDisc player which doesn't check region codes. I've always flashed the firmware on my DVD drives on previous computers. Never was able to figure out on the Intel Mac. Until today. On this thread, you can read all about it. I want to give a special shout-out to Puma and the other great folks at RPC1.org who helped me figure out why I was not able to do it. Now it's done.
Adrian was sick today so we did not go skating or eat breakfast or any of the stuff. Instead, I was bored all day. That boy has more excuses than a politician in an election campaign. Still, I hope he feels better.
I went to Pep Boys and bought a steering wheel cover for my BMW X5 and also a registration and insurance card holder. Did I mention iDrive is from hell? I suppose, soon, I'll write a detailed missive as to why.
I printed out some pictures for Grandma from Flickr. I bought an Ecko shirt at the mall for a whopping $9.95 on sale. Disney Character Premier has jerseys on sale again -- Pluto IceHounds and Mickeys Marauders hockey jerseys and Stitch Invaders football jerseys all at $24.99 each but I didn't buy them. I might get the MM jersey because they had one in XL and XXL (both of which fit me in a hockey jersey) but the IceHounds were all size "M" and "L" -- didn't really pay much attention to the football jersey, though I do love Stitch.
I bought Maury a cool Wall*E present today. She doesn't like the movie, or even much animation. No accounting for taste, but since her nickname is "Mo" there was no choice but to acquire the Mo Robot Toy for her. Everyone should have a toy named after them. Even if they won't appreciate it.
I did laundry today. Walked around Office Depot where I bought one box of paper clips (vinyl coated) for my office.
If you're into Seti@Home or astronomy, please help save the Arecibo Observatory. If you enter your details you'll get a PDF with a letter all ready to sign and mail. Do it. I did.
Scooter didn't eat much yesterday or today. And she's having more trouble walking. I will keep a close eye on her. Poor kitty.
One thing I've always hated is DVD drives that adhere to the "region" code. You know where you can only play certain DVDs. Why do I care? I have a large collection of subway geek videos from the UK. I bought 'em and I want to watch them on my computer as opposed to my old LaserDisc player which doesn't check region codes. I've always flashed the firmware on my DVD drives on previous computers. Never was able to figure out on the Intel Mac. Until today. On this thread, you can read all about it. I want to give a special shout-out to Puma and the other great folks at RPC1.org who helped me figure out why I was not able to do it. Now it's done.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
What I Believe
(First, congratulations to Erin on her new TV. She saw it yesterday whilst we were browsing various stores, and decided to buy it. So this morning I went with her in my new X5 -- with the skanky iDrive system but otherwise wonderful -- to move it back to her house. I must say, after we set it up, I am insanely jealous. Though 2" smaller than my TV it is way better. WAY better. We then went to CompUSA for an HDMI cable and Ikea for a stand. We built the stand, hooked up her new PS3 for BluRay operation, and had a grand ole' time.)
So, I was thinking these past few days if I would be a good president or not. Mostly not because I don't suffer fools gladly and most politicians are fools. As president you have to be able to work with idiots (or in the case of our current president, he IS the idiot). I suppose being elected dictator for life would have some appeal, though I don't see it happening.
I'd never get elected. Not so much skeletons in my closet, because my life is pretty boring when it comes to stuff like that, but more along the lines of when a reporter asked a question, I'd answer it. You know questions on gun control, immigration, death penalty, abortion, and so on. No proper politician ever actually answers the question with a position. I would.
I thought it would be fun to actually do that here:
Gun Control. The constitution of the USA grants the right to bear arms. I support that right. The constitution was written when there were rifles and small single chamber hand guns. There were no AK-47s. I do not support the right to own an AK-47 or any automatic or semi-automatic gun. I do think you must reach the age of majority to own one. And I think you need a license and to have it registered.
Abortion. I wish Barbara Bush had one. However, I believe that is something for the lady and man involved to discuss. It is not the concern of the government.
Gay Marriage. All for it. Why shouldn't gay people have the right to the same misery straight people have? Who cares? If you love someone and want to ruin it by getting married, why is it the business of the government?
Drinking Age. 18. Voting Age. 18. If you're old enough to die for your country, you are old enough to drink and vote. Preferable you will vote before you drink.
Criminals. Felons should not have the right to vote. In fact, by committing a felony, you lose most of your rights. Why is anyone even discussing this?
Welfare. Welfare is for people who can't work because of a disability. Welfare is not for people with 3 or more kids. I suppose we must grandfather existing people in, but if you have a third child, you are banned from welfare. Unless of course, you work for a year, then you have 120 days to find a new one. Fair is fair. If you pay in, you get out.
Unemployment. If there's a job that meets your skill set and it's listed with the unemployment office, you may not collect. You go get the job. If you're not working, no job is beneath your dignity. (Exceptions for religious reasons are allowed. For example nobody reasonably would expect a Jew or Muslim to work in a pork factory.)
Religion. I am opposed but see no reason other people can't participate. However the constitution requires separation of church and State. It will be reinforced and enforced.
Age of Consent. Eighteen. Go ahead, prove you're an adult. Give us all a good laugh. But really, go on. Once you're sixteen you're on your own. Of course, this is also the age at which your parents can run your ass out on the street if you don't want to follow their rules as stupid as you feel they may be.
Smoking. Banned in public. What you do behind closed doors is up to you. You are also prohibited from Medicare and Medicaid if you smoke. Smoking is a choice. Choices have consequences.
Presidential Veto. Line item veto. This will kill pork-barrel politics. This must be done.
Immigration. If you can support yourself, and can prove it, then you're welcome. If you can't, you're not. Every country requires some basic skills and knowledge such as working understand of the local language and customs and history and heritage. This will be the same for the USA.
Death Penalty. I was for it for many years. Now I am opposed except for an allowance for High Treason (for which, in a previous post, I nominated George Bush). I am opposed because study after study proves it doesn't work. It costs more to kill someone than keep them in jail without parole. Solitary confinement is fine. I also think allowing the victim (or family thereof) thirty minutes alone in a room with the person who wronged them -- at their option of course -- does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment. It's fair play.
I also favour taxing the gas companies for profits in excess of a certain percentage of income. You remember the windfall profit tax? Good idea, but not properly implemented. There's a solution and I'd come up with one.
I'd repeal the Patriot Act. It violates every freedom this country stands for and the fact the people in this country accept it as a good thing proves just how stupid the masses are. Yes, that means you.
Income tax. Yes. Flat taxes are unfair to the poor. However a modified version with certain exemptions would certainly work. If you earn below poverty level, your tax is $1 per year. This means everyone files. If you earn more than that, probably a flat 15% until your income is double the national average when it goes up to 20%. Or some scale like that. Deductions for education and medical expenses allowed. One wishes to encourage those habits because in the long run smart, healthy people cost the government a lot less.
Social Security. Keep it. Can it be fixed? No idea.
National Health Insurance. Yes. The private system will still be available but everyone who is a citizen of the USA will have basic coverage. If you want better coverage, buy your own insurance or pay for it out of your pocket. Not a citizen, that's most unfortunate, but that's not our problem. If you are here on a legal work permit, you may buy insurance as part of the national program. But unless you are paying into the system, you cannot use it.
Education. Our works pretty good. Some states suck, but that's the states' issue. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
National ID card? I'm all for it. Just like a passport, but a card. It's basically a passport card for use within the USA. And it could be a driver's license and voter's ID card. Sure, it's a little big brother-ish but I'd much rather have one card for everything.
I'd fix our money. Every other country has a different colour for each bill. Did you know our money is printed on full colour intaglio printing presses? They just don't use that feature. Really. I'd ban the $1 bill and consider making the bills different sizes like many countries do. Harder to counterfiet, and easier to tell apart.
I'd make the campaigns limited to 90 or 120 days before elections. Everyone would vote on the same day. In alternating years we'd have the democrats on one week and the republicans the following week. We'd switch weeks the following year. This would be for national elections only. States, as always, could do whatever they want.
Speed Limits. That right is returned to the states except on Interstates and US Highways. If the federal government pays, we get to say. If the state pays, they get to say. Federal speed limit in the day 80 and night 65 -- reduced to 60 and 55 if raining or snowing or foggy.
Air Travel. 3 ounces? We'll fix that shit our first day. I'll give you three damned ounces you stupid-ass bureaucrat. There's nothing wrong with profiling to prevent terrorism. That two year old kid isn't a security risk. Send him through the metal detector and worry about the 30 year old guy behind him. Yes, everyone's a threat but some people are a bigger threat than others.
Cars that get less than 15MPG are banned for personal use. For corporate use the reality is there are certain needs and that number will be lower. Every year the minimum will go up 2mpg. Car companies whose fleets do not have an increasing average fuel economy of 10% per year will be subject to DOUBLE income tax. Cars that have 50mpg or better will be exempt from sales tax. This number will also increase every year.
Anyway, that's a start. So you know.
So, I was thinking these past few days if I would be a good president or not. Mostly not because I don't suffer fools gladly and most politicians are fools. As president you have to be able to work with idiots (or in the case of our current president, he IS the idiot). I suppose being elected dictator for life would have some appeal, though I don't see it happening.
I'd never get elected. Not so much skeletons in my closet, because my life is pretty boring when it comes to stuff like that, but more along the lines of when a reporter asked a question, I'd answer it. You know questions on gun control, immigration, death penalty, abortion, and so on. No proper politician ever actually answers the question with a position. I would.
I thought it would be fun to actually do that here:
Gun Control. The constitution of the USA grants the right to bear arms. I support that right. The constitution was written when there were rifles and small single chamber hand guns. There were no AK-47s. I do not support the right to own an AK-47 or any automatic or semi-automatic gun. I do think you must reach the age of majority to own one. And I think you need a license and to have it registered.
Abortion. I wish Barbara Bush had one. However, I believe that is something for the lady and man involved to discuss. It is not the concern of the government.
Gay Marriage. All for it. Why shouldn't gay people have the right to the same misery straight people have? Who cares? If you love someone and want to ruin it by getting married, why is it the business of the government?
Drinking Age. 18. Voting Age. 18. If you're old enough to die for your country, you are old enough to drink and vote. Preferable you will vote before you drink.
Criminals. Felons should not have the right to vote. In fact, by committing a felony, you lose most of your rights. Why is anyone even discussing this?
Welfare. Welfare is for people who can't work because of a disability. Welfare is not for people with 3 or more kids. I suppose we must grandfather existing people in, but if you have a third child, you are banned from welfare. Unless of course, you work for a year, then you have 120 days to find a new one. Fair is fair. If you pay in, you get out.
Unemployment. If there's a job that meets your skill set and it's listed with the unemployment office, you may not collect. You go get the job. If you're not working, no job is beneath your dignity. (Exceptions for religious reasons are allowed. For example nobody reasonably would expect a Jew or Muslim to work in a pork factory.)
Religion. I am opposed but see no reason other people can't participate. However the constitution requires separation of church and State. It will be reinforced and enforced.
Age of Consent. Eighteen. Go ahead, prove you're an adult. Give us all a good laugh. But really, go on. Once you're sixteen you're on your own. Of course, this is also the age at which your parents can run your ass out on the street if you don't want to follow their rules as stupid as you feel they may be.
Smoking. Banned in public. What you do behind closed doors is up to you. You are also prohibited from Medicare and Medicaid if you smoke. Smoking is a choice. Choices have consequences.
Presidential Veto. Line item veto. This will kill pork-barrel politics. This must be done.
Immigration. If you can support yourself, and can prove it, then you're welcome. If you can't, you're not. Every country requires some basic skills and knowledge such as working understand of the local language and customs and history and heritage. This will be the same for the USA.
Death Penalty. I was for it for many years. Now I am opposed except for an allowance for High Treason (for which, in a previous post, I nominated George Bush). I am opposed because study after study proves it doesn't work. It costs more to kill someone than keep them in jail without parole. Solitary confinement is fine. I also think allowing the victim (or family thereof) thirty minutes alone in a room with the person who wronged them -- at their option of course -- does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment. It's fair play.
I also favour taxing the gas companies for profits in excess of a certain percentage of income. You remember the windfall profit tax? Good idea, but not properly implemented. There's a solution and I'd come up with one.
I'd repeal the Patriot Act. It violates every freedom this country stands for and the fact the people in this country accept it as a good thing proves just how stupid the masses are. Yes, that means you.
Income tax. Yes. Flat taxes are unfair to the poor. However a modified version with certain exemptions would certainly work. If you earn below poverty level, your tax is $1 per year. This means everyone files. If you earn more than that, probably a flat 15% until your income is double the national average when it goes up to 20%. Or some scale like that. Deductions for education and medical expenses allowed. One wishes to encourage those habits because in the long run smart, healthy people cost the government a lot less.
Social Security. Keep it. Can it be fixed? No idea.
National Health Insurance. Yes. The private system will still be available but everyone who is a citizen of the USA will have basic coverage. If you want better coverage, buy your own insurance or pay for it out of your pocket. Not a citizen, that's most unfortunate, but that's not our problem. If you are here on a legal work permit, you may buy insurance as part of the national program. But unless you are paying into the system, you cannot use it.
Education. Our works pretty good. Some states suck, but that's the states' issue. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
National ID card? I'm all for it. Just like a passport, but a card. It's basically a passport card for use within the USA. And it could be a driver's license and voter's ID card. Sure, it's a little big brother-ish but I'd much rather have one card for everything.
I'd fix our money. Every other country has a different colour for each bill. Did you know our money is printed on full colour intaglio printing presses? They just don't use that feature. Really. I'd ban the $1 bill and consider making the bills different sizes like many countries do. Harder to counterfiet, and easier to tell apart.
I'd make the campaigns limited to 90 or 120 days before elections. Everyone would vote on the same day. In alternating years we'd have the democrats on one week and the republicans the following week. We'd switch weeks the following year. This would be for national elections only. States, as always, could do whatever they want.
Speed Limits. That right is returned to the states except on Interstates and US Highways. If the federal government pays, we get to say. If the state pays, they get to say. Federal speed limit in the day 80 and night 65 -- reduced to 60 and 55 if raining or snowing or foggy.
Air Travel. 3 ounces? We'll fix that shit our first day. I'll give you three damned ounces you stupid-ass bureaucrat. There's nothing wrong with profiling to prevent terrorism. That two year old kid isn't a security risk. Send him through the metal detector and worry about the 30 year old guy behind him. Yes, everyone's a threat but some people are a bigger threat than others.
Cars that get less than 15MPG are banned for personal use. For corporate use the reality is there are certain needs and that number will be lower. Every year the minimum will go up 2mpg. Car companies whose fleets do not have an increasing average fuel economy of 10% per year will be subject to DOUBLE income tax. Cars that have 50mpg or better will be exempt from sales tax. This number will also increase every year.
Anyway, that's a start. So you know.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Various Stuff
1. No news on fraud.
2. iDrive sucks. It's the one thing about my new car that sucks ass. I really hate it more with each passing day. I like my car but not the iDrive disaster.
3. Chiropractor visit today was helpful.
4. StateFarm appears to be paying doctor's bills through July so need for lawyer is shrinking. Though someone ought to sue Progressive just 'cause they're lying assholes.
5. The "all business class" airline concept is dead. SilverJet, MaxJet, and Eos have all folded. The last one L'Avion was bought today by British Airways.
6. Continental Airlines and two employees are facing criminal charges in the fatal crash of Concorde in the year 2000. The French claim that a chunk of a Continental DC-10 hit the tyre, which burst and sent shrapnel into the Olympic engines causing the fire that brought the plane down. I really like Continental, but I'm not seeing how they'll be found innocent here. Another article is here in the NY Times (thanks Mr. Rice).
7. Fox News has done something that many other REPUTABLE organizations have fired people for. It has digitally altered photos of people who do not support their views and passed them off as otherwise. The full story on Media Matters. It was done on the decidedly un-fair and un-balanced "Fox and Friends" show. Fox News has sunk to a new low. On Wednesday, the network displayed photos that its editors had doctored of two New York Times employees -- reporter Jacques Steinberg and editor Steven Radcliffe. You can see the before-and-after evidence showing that Fox purposefully yellowed Steinberg's teeth, widened his nose and chin, and photo-shopped his ears stick out further.
8. I am going to switch to FF3 later today because the Noia Theme is finally available.I will, sadly, have to switch from Googlebar to Google Toolbar. And, worse, I will lose PrintImage but I am pleased that I can finally make the switch. Beta versions of Googlebar and Favicon Picker were found making me even happier.
9.I'm really hungry. I am no longer hungry, though what I ate was shite.
10. Good luck to Mom who had an especially bad day.
11. I went to Publix and Walgreens today because they'll be closed today.
12. I will take Grandma to breakfast tomorrow.
(EDIT: Edited 8 and added 10+)
2. iDrive sucks. It's the one thing about my new car that sucks ass. I really hate it more with each passing day. I like my car but not the iDrive disaster.
3. Chiropractor visit today was helpful.
4. StateFarm appears to be paying doctor's bills through July so need for lawyer is shrinking. Though someone ought to sue Progressive just 'cause they're lying assholes.
5. The "all business class" airline concept is dead. SilverJet, MaxJet, and Eos have all folded. The last one L'Avion was bought today by British Airways.
6. Continental Airlines and two employees are facing criminal charges in the fatal crash of Concorde in the year 2000. The French claim that a chunk of a Continental DC-10 hit the tyre, which burst and sent shrapnel into the Olympic engines causing the fire that brought the plane down. I really like Continental, but I'm not seeing how they'll be found innocent here. Another article is here in the NY Times (thanks Mr. Rice).
7. Fox News has done something that many other REPUTABLE organizations have fired people for. It has digitally altered photos of people who do not support their views and passed them off as otherwise. The full story on Media Matters. It was done on the decidedly un-fair and un-balanced "Fox and Friends" show. Fox News has sunk to a new low. On Wednesday, the network displayed photos that its editors had doctored of two New York Times employees -- reporter Jacques Steinberg and editor Steven Radcliffe. You can see the before-and-after evidence showing that Fox purposefully yellowed Steinberg's teeth, widened his nose and chin, and photo-shopped his ears stick out further.
8. I am going to switch to FF3 later today because the Noia Theme is finally available.
9.
10. Good luck to Mom who had an especially bad day.
11. I went to Publix and Walgreens today because they'll be closed today.
12. I will take Grandma to breakfast tomorrow.
(EDIT: Edited 8 and added 10+)
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Stuff. Fraud. Car. Food. Etc.
1. Thanks to Jay for dinner at PrimeBlue this evening. Never heard of it, but it was a fine meal. Too much food was ordered but we're both at fault.
2. I absolutely am learning to loathe iDrive as it sucks ass. It's clearly the "Microsoft" design philosophy: counter-intuitive at every turn. But I mostly like my car, except for iDrive and Sirius.
3. I am, ONCE AGAIN, the victim of identity theft at my new bank. Same Modus Operandi. Same person. I am not at liberty to disclose how I know this, but he made a mistake. Tomorrow I will be speaking with the FBI. My new bank has been far more helpful than BankAtlantic. They gave me resources, numbers to call, and so forth. This time NO MONEY WAS TAKEN. I caught it quickly. There will be no more posted details at this time. But to the guy doing it: watch your back 'cause you ain't as smart as you think you are.
2. I absolutely am learning to loathe iDrive as it sucks ass. It's clearly the "Microsoft" design philosophy: counter-intuitive at every turn. But I mostly like my car, except for iDrive and Sirius.
3. I am, ONCE AGAIN, the victim of identity theft at my new bank. Same Modus Operandi. Same person. I am not at liberty to disclose how I know this, but he made a mistake. Tomorrow I will be speaking with the FBI. My new bank has been far more helpful than BankAtlantic. They gave me resources, numbers to call, and so forth. This time NO MONEY WAS TAKEN. I caught it quickly. There will be no more posted details at this time. But to the guy doing it: watch your back 'cause you ain't as smart as you think you are.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Umbrella Hat Society (UHS)
I am now officially a member of the Umbrella Hat Society. You can see my initiation photo here. I am member number two, and when we're famous those low numbers are going to be legendary*. You can join easily. You just need a digital camera and an umbrella hat. I might even loan you my hat if you ask nicely. Join now. Send in your photo.
* So will member 2038, but that's later.
* So will member 2038, but that's later.
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