Thanks to the good graces of the grandparents, Margie and I actually got to go on a date Friday night. Woo-hoo! First off, a visit to an Indian restaurant by…
Thanks to the good graces of the grandparents, Margie and I actually got to go on a date Friday night. Woo-hoo!
First off, a visit to an Indian restaurant by the theater which we’ve been meaning to try. Good choice, with excellent food at a reasonable price (and appropriately snappy service).
Then a stroll across the sidewalk to see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Thoughts (and, likely, spoilers) in no particular order:
… yes, Christmas. After a couple of years of serious slackage regarding Christmas decor, we pulled out all the boxes and went hog-wild yesterday afternoon. All with the aid of…
… yes, Christmas.
After a couple of years of serious slackage regarding Christmas decor, we pulled out all the boxes and went hog-wild yesterday afternoon. All with the aid of …
… our new Christmas tree.
Yes, we have joined the ranks of the Artificially Treed. Given our normal December schedules and time in California, joined with our Twelfth Night party some time in January, having an artificial tree makes a lot of sense. Living trees can only tolerate a brief time indoors here (since they think it’s spring and start in with the new growth, with disastrous results when they are returned outdoors), and cut trees are a fire hazard after a few weeks.
So, Margie and I had been shopping for an artificial tree for a while. On Wednesday, after she picked up her folks, they did some shopping for it, and managed to stumble onto a bargain-fargain at Hobby Lobby on a floor model, 7.5-foot tree with lights and everything.
We put it up yesterday, and decorated it. It took nearly all of our ornaments (something that’s never happened before, but when it was all done …
… it looked fabulous.
I’m sure it’s all part of deep-seated memories of Christmas and all that, but seeing the tree, all lit up and decorated and all, made me feel all mooshy inside. Like Christmas wasn’t a big shopping hassle and travel hassle and gift-opening hassle, but a really special time.
Garsh.
And Kitten liked it, too.
Firefly will be on hiatus in January. Which will probably be okay, since it will likely take us that long to watch our tapes of the December episodes, given our…
Firefly will be on hiatus in January.
Which will probably be okay, since it will likely take us that long to watch our tapes of the December episodes, given our schedules.
Still, it’s annoying. The plan from Fox was to move the show to Wednesday nights. At which point, WB announced that they were moving Angel to the same time slot.
While I’m irked that Fox is putting the show into hiatus while figuring out the schedule change, I am gratified that they didn’t just plop Firefly into that time slot anyway. That would have been … unfortunate.
At the same time, momentum is important for shows. Throwing it off the schedule for a month (after a spotty November/December) isn’t going to help attract viewers. And I really want this show to succeed.
(via Doyce, who has more geeky goodness about the goings-on)
Ah. Yet another of those thoroughly depressing “See How Geographically Illiterate US Young Folk Are?” tests. Still, it was interesting. (I got 20 of 20, natch.) Now, how to work…
Ah. Yet another of those thoroughly depressing “See How Geographically Illiterate US Young Folk Are?” tests. Still, it was interesting.
(I got 20 of 20, natch.)
Now, how to work on Katherine to make sure she’s not one of the ones dragging down the average …
(via Doyce)
A classic activity for visits from the Ks is big household projects. While the projects this time out were not earthshaking, they were all satisfying: First off, Jim and I…
A classic activity for visits from the Ks is big household projects. While the projects this time out were not earthshaking, they were all satisfying:
First off, Jim and I finished off the gates to the new fences. Most excellent. We now have the extended side yard fully secure for Bambina to run free in, not to mention the dogs. The last step will be disassembling the remains of the old gate on the.
Gate hanging was hampered a bit by the, ah, lack of plumbness (along multiple axes) between gate posts. We managed to work around that one, and these things should be solid as a rock.
I do need to figure out the best way to thread the latch pulls through the fence, and I have a couple of pickets on the west side that need to go up next to the old fence, and so forth, but, basically, the project is done. Updated pictures to follow RSN.
The second thing we did was install a new porch light we’d had still in the box from buying it at Restoration Hardware four or five years ago. As part of that, the old porch light was moved to flank its mate on the other side of the garage door. Piece of cake, and it looks great.
Lastly, we put in a doorbell.
When we redid the kitchen four years back or so, part of it involved ripping out the intercom/radio system that was installed in the house when built. Only after that was done did we discover that the doorbell was wired up through it.
Since then, we’ve been using a wireless doorbell of dubious quality and reliability. It got so that Margie put up a “Please Knock” sign at Halloween, and we’d left it up since.
Now we have …
… a really nice doorbell button on the porch (albeit at a different spot that the old one).
… a “hidden” doorbell chime on the ground floor that should be nicely audible throughout the house.
… a doorbell chime in the stairwell down to the basement, which mean (huzzah!) we can hear when the pizza delivery guy arrives during games.
The only problem is that the two chimes are not quite in tune, especially on their second notes. Not much we can do about that, I’m afraid.
All in all, a much more productive weekend of that sort than I’d expected (but certainly one reason why the bloggage was a wee bit light).
Sorry about that — dropped out of Reality (or, perhaps, Virtuality) for a few days to enjoy my in-laws’ visit and associated activities. More on those anon. But just wanted…
Sorry about that — dropped out of Reality (or, perhaps, Virtuality) for a few days to enjoy my in-laws’ visit and associated activities. More on those anon. But just wanted to let everyone know I’m actually alive and back on the air.
I give thanks for the material things I’ve been blessed with. I give thanks for the talents I’ve been given, and the opportunities to use them. I give thanks for…
I give thanks for the material things I’ve been blessed with.
I give thanks for the talents I’ve been given, and the opportunities to use them.
I give thanks for the country I was born into, and the people who have made it all the good things it is.
I give thanks for my friends.
I give thanks for my relatives.
I give thanks for my daughter.
I give thanks for my wife.
Thanks, God.
So today I contacted some of the people now working for me, to let them know about the reorg. One of them was Bob (not his name), who oversees the…
So today I contacted some of the people now working for me, to let them know about the reorg.
One of them was Bob (not his name), who oversees the Frotzing Group (not their name). About two and a half reorgs ago, Bob and the Frotzing Group worked for me, then the group was split out so that Bob was my peer, answering to the Old Old Boss. Then when the Old Old Boss got reorged away, Bob was still my peer under the Old Boss. Then the Old Boss got reorged away, and Bob and I were both working for the New Boss. Now I work for the New Boss, and Bob works for me again.
Got it?
In the meantime, Bob has Jerry (also not his name) working for him. Jerry didn’t work for me when Bob did, but does now.
Anyway, late in the day, having talked with Bob and some of the other leads under me, I sent out an e-mail to the entire group, including Bob and Jerry, letting them know about the new reorg, and how pleased I am, and look forward to yadda-yadda-yadda, etc.
So Jerry sends a reply back to Bob:
So, Frotzing Group now works for Dave again. What do you think of that?
Except, of course, he doesn’t send it to Bob. He just hit Reply and forgot to change the name. So I get it …
Well, what can I do but reply:
Well, I’m pretty excited about it.
Dead silence for the rest of the day.
Today’s Quality Lesson is …
It’s more than a little ironic that, at a time when the US public (let alone government) seems less than enchanted with the UN, the UN is putting the final…
It’s more than a little ironic that, at a time when the US public (let alone government) seems less than enchanted with the UN, the UN is putting the final touches on a plan to rennovate its 1952 headquarters in New York, for a price tag of $1.3b billion.
The ironic part? They plan to hit up the US government for an interest-free loan to pay for the entire project.
Oh, and they expect New York to fork over a nearby park to build a 30-story “temporary” building to house everyone during the project.
Of course, there’s a certain moral suasion they can bring to bear on this, since the US is still some $800 million in arrears on its dues (the proportion of UN dues paid by the US being a different matter).
Still, it makes you wonder, given the current climate, whether Washington will offer them $1.3 billion for free if they just relocate somewhere else. Paris, for example …
Why people don’t trust Homeland Security efforts — or efforts to privatize more work done by the federal government — because you can’t trust them to police themselves, let alone…
Why people don’t trust Homeland Security efforts — or efforts to privatize more work done by the federal government — because you can’t trust them to police themselves, let alone us.
Senior investigators hired to root out fraud and corruption at Los Alamos National Laboratory have been fired — just days after revealing what they knew to officials with the Department of Energy’s inspector general.
Armed guards escorted Glenn Walp and Steven Doran out of their offices on Monday, a half-hour after Stan Busboom, director of security, informed the pair that they were not “suitable fit(s) for the requirements of (their) position(s)” at the lab’s Office of Security Inquiries.
[…] “Instead of being praised for what we did, we were constantly reminded that we were working for UC (University of California, which operates the lab for the Department of Energy) and that our goal should be protecting UC’s (management) contract,” Doran said.
According to Doran, on Sept. 19 he was brought into Busboom’s office and told that his “career would end” if “UC’s relationship with the FBI, inspector general or U.S. attorney suffered in any way.”
(via InstaPundit)
Okay, here’s your official Heartwarming Seasonal Story of the Day. It’s actually pretty cool….
Okay, here’s your official Heartwarming Seasonal Story of the Day. It’s actually pretty cool.
Joseph Campbell was right. Luke Skywalker Harry Potter Frodo Baggins is an orphan living with his uncle and aunt on the remote wilderness of Tatooine suburbia Hobbiton. (via BoingBoing)…
Joseph Campbell was right.
Luke Skywalker Harry Potter Frodo Baggins is an orphan living with his uncle and aunt on the remote wilderness of Tatooine suburbia Hobbiton.
(via BoingBoing)
Check out the South Park Firefly drawings. Heh. I like Wash, though Jayne is kind of cool. (via Doyce)…
Check out the South Park Firefly drawings. Heh. I like Wash, though Jayne is kind of cool.
(via Doyce)
As folks (myself included) consider readability issues in web info, this article on studies that have been done on line length and readability is interesting. The bottom line seems to…
As folks (myself included) consider readability issues in web info, this article on studies that have been done on line length and readability is interesting.
The bottom line seems to depend on whether you want speed or satisfaction. Wide line lengths, of 8 or 9 inches, actually allow faster reading on-line, based on current studies (these contradict some earlier studies on printed pages). But when you ask folks what they find most satisfying, narrower line widths (around 4 inches) get the top ranking. Too narrow (1.5 to 2 inches) doesn’t serve either purpose.
We apply usability engineering to meet specific business objectives. This is a perfect example. You might be creating a site for use by your company’s sales agents. The main objective is speed. In this case we use wider text (about 100 characters wide). If you are creating a site for the general public to read news the objective is satisfaction. We don’t really care how long it takes to read the news. We just want people to enjoy it. In this case we would use a shorter width (about 55 characters wide)
Something to consider on your blog (or novel) template.
Tibetan scholars operating in China have gotten the Chinese government’s support to push for Internationally renaming Mt. Everest as Qomolangma, its Tibetan name. The days of empires and overt colonialism…
Tibetan scholars operating in China have gotten the Chinese government’s support to push for Internationally renaming Mt. Everest as Qomolangma, its Tibetan name.
The days of empires and overt colonialism have long past but the Earth’s highest peak has retained its anglicized name, complained Gelek, an established Tibetan scholar with China’s Tibetology Centre in Beijing.
“It is time for the Western world to respect us Tibetans by recognizing the highest peak on Earth by its Tibetan name, Qomolangma,” he says.
I think that’s fine. As soon as China respects Tibetans by recognizing it once more as an independent nation, I have no problem with respecting them by changing the name.
Well, yeah, I do. Aside from the fact that other Tibetans call it Chomolungma, the Nepalese call it something else, and so forth, there’s no reason to consider the name as any more arbitrary a label on a slab of rock than what the British applied to it.
Certainly, if I were conversing with Tibetans, or visiting their country, I would try to be polite and and use their name for the peak. Just like I might use “Roma” when — well, when in Rome.
But for the Chinese to back such an effort, out of “respect” to Tibet is to conjure up a much larger pile of … material than even the mighty Qomolangma.
“The idea of loosely running around and chasing each other is not safe.”So says Long Hill, NJ, School Superintendent Arthur DiBenedetto. That’s why, of course, one Long Hill School District’s…
“The idea of loosely running around and chasing each other is not safe.”
So says Long Hill, NJ, School Superintendent Arthur DiBenedetto. That’s why, of course, one Long Hill School District’s elementary schools required that students, as part of “code of conduct” they had to sign, agreed to a ban on tag.
Because, of course, the next thing you know, they’re going to be shooting each other, or pushing each other off cliffs, or something.
Dodge ball, meanwhile, is on the outs, because of fears that certain kids will be ganged up on. And, of course, by banning dodge ball, bullies will no longer be able to pick on other kids.
Not, of course, that tag is any better.
“There’s potential for some victimization,” said Mary Beth Klotz, a psychologist with the National Association of School Psychologists. “Tag may look OK socially, but it can be a double standard because kids can use it to bully a certain student.”
Well, thank goodness we’ve put a stop to that.
How do you stay friends with (or married to) someone whose political views are just plain crazy (however you define it)? Some interesting thoughts here. Margie and I aren’t in…
How do you stay friends with (or married to) someone whose political views are just plain crazy (however you define it)? Some interesting thoughts here.
Margie and I aren’t in lockstep in our political and social ideologies — though both of us are close enough, and tolerant enough, that it’s rare that we differ too profoundly). We tend to argue more about how we argue than about what we argue. Which, perhaps, is the point of this essay.
“Keep Big Brother’s Hands Off the Internet” is the title of the 1997 article. In it, one can find such gems as: There is a concern that the Internet could…
“Keep Big Brother’s Hands Off the Internet” is the title of the 1997 article. In it, one can find such gems as:
There is a concern that the Internet could be used to commit crimes and that advanced encryption could disguise such activity. However, we do not provide the government with phone jacks outside our homes for unlimited wiretaps. Why, then, should we grant government the Orwellian capability to listen at will and in real time to our communications across the Web?
The protections of the Fourth Amendment are clear. The right to protection from unlawful searches is an indivisible American value. Two hundred years of court decisions have stood in defense of this fundamental right. The state’s interest in effective crime-fighting should never vitiate the citizens’ Bill of Rights.
The ACLU? The Electronic Frontier Foundation? Some left-wing mush-head?
How about (then-)Senator from Missouri John Ashcroft?
Of course, two things have changed.
1. This was during a Clinton administration, and about their attempt to get the US as broker of all security key info. Clinton and his Demotyrants clearly couldn’t be trusted with this sort of info, right? Now that it’s another Bush in the White House, and Ashcroft running the DoJ, all those silly Fourth Amendment and Orwellian concerns are unneeded, right?
2. This was pre-9/11. And, sure, to some degree that does change things. On the other hand, and not to belittle the tragedy of that date, that was just one set of terrorist incidents, on one day, and it’s not clear that the problem was lack of government monitoring of encrypted info on the Internet as much as lack of effective analysis and management of the info they had. That hasn’t stopped Ashcroft (et al.) from trying to get as much info into the Feds’ hands as possible.
The Irony Gods must be having a ball.
(via BoingBoing)
If you’re the Flesh Public Library (named seventy years ago after local business man Leo Flesh), you shouldn’t be surprised when your (federally mandated) Internet filtering software doesn’t let you…
If you’re the Flesh Public Library (named seventy years ago after local business man Leo Flesh), you shouldn’t be surprised when your (federally mandated) Internet filtering software doesn’t let you pull up your own web site.
Your tax dollars at work …
“Changing the world, one student at a time.” That’s what the marquee in front of Fred A. Anderson Elementary School in North Carolina says. Too bad the changes aren’t for…
“Changing the world, one student at a time.” That’s what the marquee in front of Fred A. Anderson Elementary School in North Carolina says.
Too bad the changes aren’t for the better, as a nine-year-old, dressed up in his duck hunting garb for “Camouflage Day” at school (!) discovered a shotgun shell in his pocket from an outing with his dad and brothers the weekend before. He made the mistake of pulling it out where a teacher could glimpse it and, faster than you could say “Pull!” the straight-A student netted a five day suspension.
Granted, shotgun shells are not exactly what you want kids bringing to school. But there’s no indication (or even accusation) that it was intentionally brought, or that the kid was playing with it or intentionally endangering anyone. His mom admits she should have checked out the clothing (duh), and the school as abruptly realized that maybe “Camouflage Day” is a bad idea.
So why suspend the kid for five days?
Because, school officials say, they have “no choice,” based on county school board regs.
“Changing the world, one student at a time.”
How do you think Jonathan Cross has been changed?
