Orb Home
Site Map
Current Week
Orb Designs Grafitti
September 10 through September 16, 2001
Last Week <-- * --> Next Week
--> Link to Current Week <--
Email Brian Bilbrey |
Orb Home
|
Orb Designs Grafitti
|
Email Brian Bilbrey |
Orb Grafitti is sometimes a conversation, sometimes a soapbox. I use Linux most often, and I write about that and related software frequently. I also have a day job working as a dogsbody for a small manufacturing firm here in the SF Bay Area. Tom Syroid and I have co-authored a Linux Book. It was cancelled by $LARGE_PUBLISHER, so we're posting it online, here and here. Have a looksee! I'm glad you've come to visit, and always happy to hear from you.
EMAIL - I publish email sometimes. If you send me an email and you want privacy or anonymity, please say so, I'll pay attention to your wishes.
First, a big, big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ole' whatsisname that hates birthdays and anything to do with them, so we won't mention any names, OK?
Good morning. Well it's going to be another frantic day for me. The bosses are still out of town, I've got a doozy of a sunburn from my yardwork over the weekend, and our plumbing problems have cropped up again, this time in a different spot. I think we made a mistake depending on so-called professionals to do a complete and correct job. There are two main sewer lines that join just before exiting the house, one from the bathroom, the other from the kitchen/Garage side. It's the latter that's plugged now, been running slow since they did their work last week, and while you'd never prove it by them, ah well... So I am going by the local rent-a-center place on my way home, and pick up a 50 foot snake. I'll bring a pipe wrench and the baby sledge home from work, and attack the problem from the cleanout under the work sink in the garage. Should be a winner.
For a bit more on this SSSCA travesty-in-the-making, check out the letter that Rod Smith (technical author and columnist) has his own take on the matter, and has posted his letter to Fritz Hollings. Check it out here.
Finally for the moment, I spent much of yesterday glued to this spot, as I worked over the proposal for the possible book project. I am fairly happy with the result of my labors, and have it out for review with several trusted souls. Then I'll do a review and revise, and submit the beast to the Acquisitions Editor at the publisher on Wednesday, as requested. [Note to self - need to drop AE a line and let her know that the timeline has changed from possible to certainly] Now to head into work. Have a lovely day.
Top / Site Map / Orb Home / Email to Bilbrey
Find out where these fuckers set up and trained, saddle up and FLATTEN the place, boys. Make it into a real nice parking lot. OK, but first, a moment of silence to honor the memory of the non-combatants killed in the beginning moves of this war, for war it certainly looks like to me. I'm headed to work. Be good, be strong.
1700 - Well. Close family is all OK, although everyone's rattled, and a couple are stranded at the far end of a plane flight that isn't going to come off today... But that's OK. Everyone in my immediate family is alive and well.
This is not true of my larger, American family. Sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, friends and lovers are weeping in anguish, and in rage at the acts of terror perpetrated on our family this day. Hundreds of military lives, thousands of civilian lives have been blown out, cut off by the nutcases who claim that terror is a means to an end.
Fine. Let them feel terror then, for a change. Let us cast down their houses, sow their fields with salt, and leave none living who will take up their cause and bring us harm in the future. A dead enemy is no danger except to my conscience, and I can live with that.
We have the means to both start and finish the job, and our government doesn't need me to point a rifle, fly a plane or sail a ship, although if they call, I stand ready to do my best. But our government needs to know our will in this matter, for it is our government. Without us, they have no backbone to do what needs doing. Contact your representatives - mine are Sentators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Representative Anna Eshoo, VP Dick Cheney, and the President. I have told them just what I tell you.
Use your words, your heart, that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach to tell your elected officials, those politicians who work for us, our employees in a very real sense, what you want them to do. That's part of what democracy is good for - having a voice and using it. If they don't do what you want, then DON'T FORGET, and throw the bastards out.
Grieve while you can, we're going to war, boys. It may be a bad decision, but it's the best of a bad lot, and a hell of a lot better than choosing to live in fear, at the whim of maniacs here and there throughout the world. Arm the citizens. Arm everyone. Sure, a few people will die that shouldn't, but there wouldn't be ANY possibility of today happening if there were armed passengers on every airplane. We have had the rights - why did we give them away? It sure hasn't made us any safer, has it?
Bah. I could rant until I foam, and I am as angry as ever I've been about something that wasn't done directly to or by me. But, hurt my brother and you hurt me. George, show me that that dog can hunt!
Top / Site Map / Orb Home / Email to Bilbrey
Top / Site Map / Orb Home / Email to Bilbrey
Fortunately, as Jerry has been known to comment from time to time, I do not ask that my friends like each other. This is a good thing when people start calling each other names. Of course, the stress caused by the events of recent days has affected everyone differently. Personally, I see the point of view held by the turn-the-other-cheek crowd. I firmly and politely disagree, however, and would still see all those who had a hand in the barbarics ground into the dust and their names forgotten, unto the seventh generation.
Not only them. I forgot to mention yesterday, spammers can join them now, today, up against the wall. It wasn't six hours - six hours - before I received the first spam message desirous of selling me a commemorative thingy in memory of the New Yorker's killed in the terrorist acts. I would happily at that moment strapped the clue-free butthead to the top of a thermonuclear weapon and dropped him/her and the weapon over Baghdad. Extra points only if they did the Slim Pickens "Yeeee-Haaaaah" on the way down. </gratuitous Dr. Strangelove reference>
It's a given that people's opinions are going to vary on the right way to deal with the perps in this heinous act. More than one person I know (and yes, I do count the one in the mirror) is sick and bloody tired of the talking heads yacking and yacking without getting anything done. I want stinking action, I want guilty people lying in shreds in front of their homes, their heads on the spikes of the fence surrounding 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I am not entirely HAPPY with myself that I want this, but be realistic here - the fuckers who planned this would happily do me, you and everyone else they don't personally know and like on the face of this planet. And they'd sleep well tonight.
The longer term problem is that in combatting this terrorism, you can only win by being right, and effective every time. The bad guys only have to get through every once in a very long while, to negate all of our efforts. Yet any truly effective action we take will make us the pariahs of the galaxy. Is that acceptable? Hey, you, yeah you! What would you do, how would you feel if it was the financial center of YOUR country, thousands upon thousands of YOUR countrymen lying dead in the streets, in the rubble? Would you still counsel patience, and not over-react? Fine, fine. Then you're a better man than I, Gunga Din. I'll repeat this one more time: A dead enemy is no danger except to my conscience, and I can live with that.
On the lighter side of the news, I still did manage to put my proposal in for a Linux book today. I received largely positive feedback from my reviewers, and did just a little final tweaking and twitting with it this morning. Then I composed the accompanying email message and pressed send ... without attaching the document. Aaaaergh!!! As my finger pressed 'y' (the send button for Mutt), I knew what I had done. Sigh. I wrote back, noting that if that was the worst thing that happened to me today, I'd count myself lucky.
Jenny (the Acquisitions Editor at $PUBLISHER) came back with a positive initial response, and a few more questions. I answered those at some length. Now, I presume that the next step is that I wait, bite my knuckles, hoping her bout with the editorial board goes well. I wonder when I'll hear. One thing that makes this biz interesting. If the economy sucks, does that help Linux sell into organizations that don't want to pay the Redmond tax?
I'll keep you posted as the days pass. Meanwhile, let me head into work. Keep the people who suffer the loss of their loved ones in mind, and help where you can. Take care of each other.
Top / Site Map / Orb Home / Email to Bilbrey
Remember them. Remember these victims of the acts of war committed on United States soil on September 11, 2001. Also remember that there are our countrymen still walking, shocked and damaged by the sights and sounds. Also remember that there are rescue workers struggling on through each day and night, sifting through the rubble hoping to find even one more miraculous survivor. Give these souls, give these people your heart, your love, your prayers if you pray, your money if you have a bit extra, your blood when your local bloodbank is in need. Remember them.
I, too, understand that the whole world is not our enemy. If we head out half-cocked, we will earn that regard. Yet I am frustrated - I want to see positive action towards taking out these people who were responsible, and taking out their safe harbors, their sources of supply and finance.
Yes, I am frustrated, and there are Americans who in their frustration are taking out their rage and fear on Arab-Americans. This must stop. This is fear acting through us at our fellow citizens. Knock it off!
We had supper last night here with Joyce, who works with Marcia, a little further up the corporate food chain. We had a nice evening of conversation and good food. Then late into the evening, I read the Clancy novel I've been working through - The Bear and the Dragon. I'm down to the last hundred pages, but put it down in exhaustion around 11:30
Wow, I sure am glad it's Friday. I think I'll sleep in tomorrow, until, like, Sunday or something. Heh heh. Now I need to head to work. Y'all take care - remember those who died, help those who are wounded, and share what strength you have with those around you. This is a hard and nasty time.
Top / Site Map / Orb Home / Email to Bilbrey
Good morning. We put a candle out in front for the evening, in memory of the lives lost this week to the ... evil terrorist bastards. I wish George and his crew would get up off their keisters and take some positive action. Of course, they might have sent in 1st SOG to extract bin Laden already, in which case I'll be happy to hear the results of their interrogation. Get all the info and roll up the whole organization. Put them all to work cleaning up Chernobyl, inside the containment dome.
I've got a massive, crashing headache, and not sure what, if anything I am going to accomplish today. I may be back later, when I feel a bit more chipper (I know, that's a bit of an assumption, but what the heck...). TTFN
Top / Site Map / Orb Home / Email to Bilbrey
Well, have I mentioned lately that I *HATE* the QoS provided by AT&T@Home? I was down for the better part of all day yesterday, with a bare 20 minute break in the non-connectivity early in the afternoon (which was when I put up the minimal post I'd written early in the day).
I had a successful Slackware install yesterday, although I've got some testing yet to do with it., and then two other distros to complete the workstation part of Install-O-Rama. Also on tap for today, I've got to pull lawn pictures out of the camera and post them, make a Costco run, and several other chores. See you later.
Noon - Thought I'd share a couple of plant snaps with you. The lawn is beginning to come up nicely, although these pics are a day old, and it's filling in more every day! The cactus is a gift from William and Angela next door - Thanks! And see you, gentle reader, yet again later...
 |
 |
 |
Top / Site Map / Orb Home / Email to Bilbrey
Visit the rest of the DAYNOTES GANG, a collection of bright minds and sharp wits. Really, I don't know why they tolerate me <grin>. My personal inspiration for these pages is Dr. Jerry Pournelle. I am also indebted to Bob Thompson and Tom Syroid for their patience, guidance and feedback. Of course, I am sustained by and beholden to my lovely wife, Marcia. You can find her online too, at http://www.dutchgirl.net/. Thanks for dropping by.
All Content Copyright © 1999-2001 Brian P. Bilbrey.