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GRAFFITI -- February 21, 2005 thru February 27, 2005>> Link to the Current Week <<Last Week << Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun >> Next Week Welcome to Orb Graffiti, a place for me to write daily about life and computers. Contrary to popular belief, the two are not interchangeable. About eMail - I publish email sometimes. If you send me an email and you want privacy or anonymity, please say so clearly at the beginning of your message. |
 
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February 21, 2005
0900 - Good morning. I'm slowly working through my first cup of coffee, and finishing up with reading the various list emails that landed over the last 48 hours. misc/openbsd.com is the highest volume list I monitor right now, because there's so bloody much to learn. Oh, right, I'm not "working" today, it's the President's Day holiday here in the States. Perhaps I'll post something more later, depending upon mood and topic. Have a great day!
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February 22, 2005
0701 - Good bye, Hunter Thompson. He was that odd combination of impressario, journalist, genius and all-around nutcase that's so hard to quantify, much less eulogize. I didn't know HST, execpt through his writing, and through the barest caricaturisation of him as Zonker's Uncle Duke through all these years in the Doonesbury comic strip. Duke got up to things that even Hunter didn't. But there's precious little that the former Rolling Stone writer didn't get up, down, or into, at one time or another. But when it comes down to brass tacks, Hunter did for himself, and honestly, I'm not too surprised. That sort of lifestyle either indicates, creates or exacerbates severe internal damage in the relating-to-reality cortex. I've been there, have the merit badge, and got out the other side before it was too late (at least by some definitions ... I'm doing pretty good these days, but this isn't about me). So, rest in peace, ye shade of Hunter Stockton Thompson, or at least find yourself in some really gonzo Valhalla!
I missed that news yesterday until late in the day, as the Monday holiday was full of chores and staving off the onslaught of some bug or another. I got three loads of laundry done, the bed flipped and bedding changed, a bit of kitchen cleanup, and a major cleanup downstairs in the workshop. I've started (but not finished) prepping the floor of the main shop for paint. Then I can set up the surface planer/jointer. But my energy was pretty low and I'm a bit ache-y this AM. That's not stellar news by my lights. But today should be less physical, and I'll up my dosage of Eccinacia and Zinc.
Have a great day. I'll do my best to do the same. Ciao!
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February 23, 2005
0702 - Good morning. Okay. Yesterday really sucked. Some sleepy old waste of skin in a nice suit and a Lexus SUV fell asleep at the wheel behind me on the Beltway yesterday morning. Fortunately he didn't have a whole lot of time to build up steam, or things would be worse. As it is, the pilot's saying is best, "Any landing you walk away from is a good landing." He whacked the rear end (at left) three times before he got off the gas, pushing me into the 325i in front of me. The BMW took no damage other than dirt rearranged on the bumper. But as his bumper rode up over mine, it pushed the hood in, and got into the unibody a little bit (shown at right). We expect the adjuster from the insurance company here sometime today. In the interim, we've rented a car so that Marcia can make her appointments and such while I trundle to work in the Santa Fe. I think, if they declare it a total, that I might just go pick up an old Silverado or F150. Screw the gas mileage - I want to be the clear winner in any future confrontations. Hey, how about a Bradley Commuting Vehicle?
Molly Sue had a rougher day than I, though. While both dogs were in the vets and under anesthesia yesterday for dental cleaning, we had Molly's session extended to remove a fatty nodular growth of some kind removed. 
It wasn't really a problem for her except that her harness rides right over the top of it, which could cause considerable problems down the road if she pulled hard and burst whatever it was under her skin. So that's gone and done. We'll get the pathology when we take her back in 10 days to have the stitches out. Meantime Lucy pretty much velcro'd herself to Marcia when we got home last night. She *hates* going to the vets and being left there.
And I was right about the cold thing, too. I've got a ripper of a good headcold going - I'm working at keeping it from descending into my chest. It doesn't rain - it pours. Sigh. I've got a busy day ahead, have a great day (or at least a day better than my yesterday was...).
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February 24, 2005
0702 - Hullo. Horrible bloody headcold. Biohazard, for sure. In other news, car isn't currently declared totalled. From the damage the adjuster could see, the repairs will run $6.5k and the car's market value today is ~$10.5k, however, he couldn't get the back hatch open at all. When it hits the repair shop and they open it, then there may be a re-assessment. That's all the news fit to know, unless you're a closet phlegm freak... Oh. And it's snowing: 3 to 6 inches expected by midnight. Lovely. Have a great day!
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February 25, 2005
0656 - Good morning. And in the first piece of really good news this week, it's Friday! I called up last night early evening to see how Duncan was doing. Bob and Barbara had just returned from the vets, and Duncan was a little to groggy yet to come to the phone, but they tell me he's doing fine - that's excellent news, too.
Going through the snail mail bag last night, I found that Earthlink wants to sign me up for dialup access for the super-low price of $19.95/month (for the first 6 months). Without opening it, I'll assume that it goes up to the stock $26 per month thereafter. Wow. I haven't had dialup at home for ... um, over 7 years now. I think that I'd rather put out my eyes and chop my arms off at the shoulders than do Internet at dialup speeds, now. I'm spoiled beyond all recognition, no doubt about it. Back in the slag pile, there were seven credit card offers, four refinance offers, one savings account ad for Ing Direct, and a couple of bills. Boring, boring, boring. No timeshares in the Poconos, no Victoria's Secret Catalogs, oh ... wait. The March issue of Linux Magazine arrived. That's some consolation at least.
Finally for now, you must read Burning Tower, by Niven and Pournelle. I'd been working my way into it at bedtime for the last few days. What with colds and work and chores and whatnot, there just hasn't been time to do it justice. But two nights ago, though I was bone tired and sick, I read until I dropped. The story had reeled me in. Last night I finished up the tale of Lord Sandry and Burning Tower. The book stands on it's own as a novel, but it would help if you read The Burning City first; those events serve as a backdrop to the latest action and set up many of the characters and action. In addition, there's enough back-reference to Niven's The Magic Goes Away to make me want to read that again with new eyes. It's been in a new release now, too. Anyway, it's a well written book, with that rare blending of styles that only Pournelle and Niven together bring to a tale. There are battles and wizardry and romance and sacrifce, jealous unicorns and vicious hummingbirds. Go read Burning Tower, you'll like it. Go read Burning Tower, you'll like it. Go read Burning Tower, you'll like it. What I tell you three times is true, now go.
The ground was warm enough that only about half the snow that fell accumulated. And today we're due to be back above freezing, so it should melt off before Monday's possible snow. And the headcold is lessening its grip on my life, too. So good Friday to you all. Ciao!
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February 26, 2005
1352 - Good afternoon. After a calm day of rest and relaxation (for my headcold, that is), it is back in action, whacking my sinuses and trying to move down into my chest. Still I was up and about by around 0800, and out the door a shade after 0900 to sign some paperwork to allow the shop to do the work needed to *really* determine if the car is repairable or not. Hopefully we'll know by late Monday.
The Smithsonian is one of the great resources around here, and we're finally going to start taking advantage of our Resident Associate status - we're going to start attending a number of interesting events over the coming months. More about those as they come to pass. To see what's going on you can look at the Resident Associates website: It's really quite amazing, the number of events available.
This funny missive arrived from Mike Mills the other day:
Notes From An Inexperienced Chili Taster Named Frank "Recently I was honored to be selected as an Outstanding Famous Celebrity in Texas, to be a judge at a chili cook-off because no one else wanted to do it. Also the original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking directions to the beer wagon when the call came. I was assured by the other two judges that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy, and besides they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted this as being one of those burdens you endure when you're an internet writer and therefore known and adored by all." Here are the scorecards from the event: * Chili # 1: Mike's Maniac Mobster Monster Chili JUDGE ONE: A little too heavy on tomato. Amusing kick. JUDGE TWO: Nice, smooth tomato flavor Very mild. FRANK: Holy smokes, what is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway with it. Took me two beers to put the flames out. Hope that's the worst one. These people are crazy. * Chili # 2: Arthur's Afterburner Chili JUDGE ONE: Smoky (barbecue?) with a hint of oak. Slight Jalapeno tang. JUDGE TWO: Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously. FRANK: Keep this out of reach of children! I'm not sure what I am supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. Shoved my way to the front of the beer line. The barmaid looks like a professional wrestler after a bad night. She was so irritated over my gagging sounds that the snake tattoo under her eye started to twitch. She has arms like Popeye and a face like Winston Churchill. I will NOT pick a fight with her. * Chili # 3: Fred's Famous Burn Down the Barn Chili JUDGE ONE: Excellent firehouse chili! Great kick. Needs more beans. JUDGE TWO: A beanless chili, a bit salty, good use of red peppers. FRANK: This has got to be a joke. Call the EPA, I've located a !?##?!?%?~?! uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been sneezing Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now and got out of my way so I could make it to the beer wagon. Barmaid pounded me on the back; now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. She said her friends call her "Sally." Probably behind her back they call her "Forklift." * Chili # 4: Bubba's Black Magic JUDGE ONE: Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing. JUDGE TWO: Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a chili. FRANK: I felt something scraping across my tongue but was unable to taste it. Sally was standing behind me with fresh refills so I wouldn't have to dash over to see her. When she winked at me her snake sort of coiled and uncoiled ... it's kinda cute. * Chili # 5: Linda's Legal Lip Remover JUDGE ONE: Meaty, strong chili. Cayenne peppers freshly ground adding considerable kick. Very impressive. JUDGE TWO: Chili using shredded beef; could use more tomato. Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement. FRANK: My ears are ringing and I can no longer focus my eyes. I belched and four people in front of me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed hurt when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue by pouring beer directly on it from a pitcher. Sort of irritates me that one of the other judges asked me to stop screaming. * Chili # 6: Vera's Very Vegetarian Variety JUDGE ONE: Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spice and peppers. JUDGE TWO: The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic. Superb. FRANK: My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous flames. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except Sally. I asked if she wants to go dancing later. * Chili # 7: Susan's Screaming Sensation Chili JUDGE ONE: A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers. JUDGE TWO: Ho Hum, tastes as if the chef threw in canned chili peppers at the last moment. I should note that I am worried about Judge Number 3, he appears to be in a bit of distress. FRANK: You could put a hand grenade in my mouth and pull the pin and I wouldn't feel it. I've lost the sight in one eye and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My clothes are covered with chili which slid unnoticed out of my mouth at some point. Good, at autopsy they'll know what killed me. Go Sally, save yourself before it's too late. Tell our children I'm sorry I was not there to conceive them. I've decided to stop breathing, it's too painful and I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air I'll just let it in through the hole in my stomach. Call the X-Files people and tell them I've found a super nova on my tongue. * Chili # 8: Helen's Mount Saint Chili JUDGE ONE: This final entry is a good, balanced chili, neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge Number 3 fell and pulled the chili pot on top of himself. JUDGE TWO: A perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili, safe for all, not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence. FRANK: Momma??!! |
Novell, owners of the SUSE Linux distribution, recently put out a Public Service Announcement. You'll need Flash to see it, though. And I've managed to do a bit of serious cleaning out of a couple of mailboxes. Those were just the amusing dross that caught my eye as tens and hundreds of messages went to the bit bucket.
Now I may try to rest. Have a great Saturday.
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February 27, 2005
1053 - Good morning. First off, let me apologize for not actually linking to the Novell PSA yesterday. I fixed it on the server mid-evening, simply by moving the closing tag to its desired location - the link was actually there, just of size zero. Lovely, eh? Meantime the weather's gorgeous today, but I'm not in shape to enjoy it. I "slept" nearly 10 to 10, but restlessly and I'm still fighting the bug. Life is, though. Tomorrow we're due for snow starting overnight and continuing through the day, possibly into Tuesday morning. Yeah, I'll probably go to work anyway.
At FOSDEM on Saturday, RMS presented the 2004 Advancement of Free Software award to Theo De Raadt, leader of the OpenBSD team and primary maintainer of OpenSSH. Here's the FSF Announcement. It's interesting to note that nowhere in his remarks did Stallman mention OpenBSD. He confined his praise to Theo's OpenSSH work and the efforts to get firmware interfaces opened. Theo beat out Andrew Tridgell and Cesar Brod to take top honors this year. On the misc@ mailing list, there was this little side comment:
| "So Theo mainly receive the award for recent free WLAN firmware activism. The award itself wasn't impressive: a sort of flag with a gnu Stallman nitted himself, or that is what it looked like." |
Here are the costs of war as counted in the lives of our young soldiers, announced in the preceding week:
I'm not sure why the Navy managed to miss announcing their loss at Guantanimo Bay of Commander Szwec for the better part of a year. According to one article, "It took the Navy 10 months to make the announcement because the Armed Forces Medical Examiner only recently categorized his death as connected to the war on terror..." although events are still under investigation. Hmmm.
They're closing schools and arresting teens around here for a mercury spill. I don't know what the quantity was ... ah, two ounces of mercury. How in god's name did any of us Boomers survive, what with mercury filled thermometers, no bicycle helmet laws and on and on. Gosh, I hate lawyers and lawmakers for what they do to society. Darwin's got to be spinning in his grave.
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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.
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