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GRAFFITI -- August 08, 2005 thru August 14, 2005 >> Link to the Current Week << Last Week << Mon   Tues   Wed   Thu   Fri   Sat   Sun >> Next Week Search this site : 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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August 8, 2005

0922 - Good morning. It's Monday. Peter Jennings went quickly, which is a blessing, I think. The pesto was good, for supper last night, and I've got a very busy week ahead, so let me get to it. More here as time and events allow. Ciao!

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August 9, 2005

No Post.

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August 10, 2005

0622 - Good morning. Yesterday was eventful. I've been gunning for a new position at work, and yesterday was the gauntlet interview with the CxO's. One way or another, I should have an answer shortly. Then you'll know more. Meantime, the Treo-cam has been busy...

I was especially proud of yesterday's White Mercedes (second from right). In the rain, stop and go Beltway traffic, kid in the front seat next to her. She was putting on makeup, eyeliner, eyebrows, hair styling, back to makeup, diving into the purse between each operation. Over the span of about 10 miles, she covered two lanes: half to the left, half to the right, and transitioning through the lane we were in. I stayed behind, mostly because she wouldn't step on the gas until she noticed that traffic was flowing. Oh, and it was probably safer behind, although quite frustrating. When she finally bailed off the road in a 4 lane dive, a truck moved in one car up. That 18' delivery vehicle followed the same driving pattern as the Mercedes, only with a much more erratic style. I suspect drugs over makeup, in that case.

Today I'm going to finish configuring the hardware router that we're going to use to replace the PCI-based card that currently terminates our primary T1. There's a bit more we can do in protecting our site by having a hardware router out front. Defense in depth is a good thing.

Now I should drive. Have a great day!

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August 11, 2005

2047 - Good evening. Given the position in question and the amount of learning on the job I'd have to do, I wasn't the strongest candidate for the position I'd been in the hunt for. But if the person they're bringing on board makes the job sparkle, then we'll all win, and there'll be other opportunities for growth down the road. See you tomorrow.

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August 12, 2005

1304 - Good afternoon. Hmmm, disturbing: Squirrel v. Bird. Even PETA can't complain, it's the way the world works. Now back to the router hardening process...

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August 13, 2005

1747- Good afternoon. Shortly after breakfast I tackled the mowing/edging chores in the front and back yards. Then I sat in the sprinkler out front for a while, until I cooled down enough to come back inside. Given the strenuous start to the day, I figured I could just lounge about for a while, so that's what I did. Coming up, I'm going to spend some time working on the PVR project: I'm rebuilding with Debian and kernel 2.6.12.4.

In other news, David wrote to ask if I'd heard back from either Leah or Tom, following up on this week's call. Unfortunately, I can only report that I did not. For whatever reason, they've not returned calls in a good long while, and I can't begin to understand why. I sure hope they're doing okay, and look forward to hearing so from them one day...

In between that paragraph and this, I realized that part of my lethargy could doubtless be attributed to my failing to have had either coffee or my morning pills. So I took a break. I grabbed a cup of mud from this morning's brew, and consumed that along with half a bag of tortilla chips and the rest of the salsa that I made last weekend. While so doing, I managed to open and read about the first third of September's Scientific American, an exercise that I commonly don't undertake near bedtime because I usually find much to be annoyed about, from bad eco-crap-psuedo-science to "social science" articles ... I did learn more today about California's Prop. 71 from last year's election, funding a new institute in stem cell research. Yay! Then I read this line in the article, "Orkin ... also notes that federal standards for quality, peer review, conflict of interest, and ethics have been honed over many years at the NIH." Yeah, it's good to be at NIH, and know that the results you obtain through painstaking truly scientific research can be watered down, modified or discarded if they don't support the political agenda of a President who (I must believe) has disregarded what he must know of science in favor of political gain. Witness "Creation Science" and other mental gymnastics necessary to the climate that breeds us a real "Nehemiah Scudder". Another comentator, a bloke named Keller (who happens to be Director of the Stem Cell Institute at Mount Sinai) was paraphrased thusly: "Keller worries about the public's moral qualms, as well as what he sees as unrealistically high expectations from stem cell enthusiasts..." The general public doesn't have the education necessary to evaluate either the risks or the benefits of stem cell research, so the sheep react according to how ecumenical and political advertising guides them. Bah!

Meantime, former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson has gone and gotten himself chipped. I meant to go berserk over this a while back, but events overtook me. Now I can rant: Has he lost his freaking mind? Is there any world in which an educated and informed populous would consent to the invasions of privacy and personal sovereignty that individual radio tracking chips would create? Is it time, yet? I've got an idea. Let's get rid of all the gun laws. A few hundred thousand hotheads (swimmers in the shallow end of Darwin's pool) will die in gun battles over stupid shit, people will become much more respectful of each other, and crime rates will plummet. Betcha.

I would like to believe that an evolving human species is capable of just about any achievement. However, I find it much more likely that (to steal a meme from the blogosphere) that the long tail on the left side of the Bell Curve is going to wag the dog, and drag us all down with it. I wonder if there are options? The FSP? Well, anyway, I should work on something else for a while, or it'll be evening before I get this afternoon post up. Ciao!

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August 14, 2005

1453 - Good afternoon. Let's see, what's new? Elvis the damaged cat on his robo-platform (Video/MOV link). Christopher Walken for President? Hmmm. Meantime, troops are dying...

• Pvt. 1st Class Damian J. Garza, 19, of Odessa, Texas died on Aug. 4, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, when his vehicle left the road and went into a river.
• Pvt. John M. Henderson Jr., 21, of Columbus, Ga. died on Aug. 4, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, when his vehicle left the road and went into a river.
• Gunnery Sgt. Terry W. Ball Jr., 36, of East Peoria, Ill., died Aug. 5 from wounds received as a result of an explosion while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Karmah, Iraq, on June 12.
• Sgt. 1st Class Robert V. Derenda, 42, of Ledbetter, Ky. died on August 5, 2005, in Rubiah, Iraq, when a civilian fuel truck collided with his HMMWV while performing a convoy mission.
• Sgt. 1st Class Brett E. Walden, 40, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla. died on August 5, 2005, in Rubiah, Iraq, when a civilian fuel truck collided with his HMMWV while performing a convoy mission.
• Spc. Seferino J. Reyna, 20, of Phoenix, Ariz., died on Aug. 7, 2005, in Taji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his military vehicle.
• Lance Cpl. Chase J. Comley, 21, of Lexington, Ky., died Aug. 6 as a result of an explosion from a suicide, vehicle-borne, improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces near Al Amiriyah, Iraq.
• Sgt. Brahim J. Jeffcoat, 25, of Philadelphia, Pa. died on August 6, 2005, near Balad, Iraq, where he was conducting convoy operations when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV.
• Spc. Kurt E. Krout, 43, of Spinnerstown, Pa. died on August 6, 2005, near Balad, Iraq, where he was conducting convoy operations when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV.
• Sgt. Jonathon C. Haggin, 26, of Kingsland, Ga., died on July 30, 2005 in Baghdad, Iraq, where an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV while he was on patrol.
• Staff Sgt. Ramon E. Gonzales Cordova, 30, of Davie, Fla., died Aug. 8 as a result of enemy small-arms fire while conducting combat operations in Ar Ramadi, Iraq.
• Staff Sgt. Christopher M. Falkel, 22, of Highlands Ranch, Colo., died on Aug. 8, 2005, in Deh Afghan, Afghanistan, when his unit was conducting combat operations and was engaged by enemy forces using small arms fire.
• Sgt. 1st Class Michael A. Benson, 40, of Winona, Minn., died on Aug. 10 at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., of injuries sustained on Aug. 2 in Baghdad, Iraq, where a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device struck his convoy.
• Spc. Christopher M. Katzenberger, 25, of St. Louis, Mo., died on Aug. 9, 2005, in Bagram, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained earlier that day in Ghazni, Afghanistan, where an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during convoy operations.
• Pfc. Nathaniel E. Detample, 19, of Morrisville, Pa. died on Aug. 9, 2005, in Bayji, Iraq, where a mine exploded and enemy forces attacked using small arms fire.
• Spc. John Kulick, 35, of Harleysville, Pa. died on Aug. 9, 2005, in Bayji, Iraq, where a mine exploded and enemy forces attacked using small arms fire.
• Spc. Gennaro Pellegrini Jr., 31, of Philadelphia, Pa. died on Aug. 9, 2005, in Bayji, Iraq, where a mine exploded and enemy forces attacked using small arms fire.
• Sgt. Francis J. Straub Jr., 24, of Philadelphia, Pa. died on Aug. 9, 2005, in Bayji, Iraq, where a mine exploded and enemy forces attacked using small arms fire.
• Lance Cpl. Evenor C. Herrera, 22, of Gypsum, Colo., died Aug. 10 from wounds received from the detonation of an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near Ar Ramadi, Iraq.
• Spc. Miguel Carrasquillo, 25, of River Grove, Ill., died on Aug. 9 in Baghdad, Iraq, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his military vehicle.
• Staff Sgt. Ryan S. Ostrom, 25, of Liberty, Pa., died on Aug. 9 in Taqaddum, Iraq, from injuries sustained from enemy small arms fire earlier in Habbaniya, Iraq.
• Sgt. Edward R. Heselton, 23, of Easley, S.C., died on Aug. 11, in Orgun-E, Afghanistan, when ordnance exploded near the vehicle he was driving as his unit performed a route clearing mission.
• Spc. Anthony N. Kalladeen, 26, of Purchase, N.Y.died on Aug. 8 in Baghdad, Iraq from injuries sustained on Aug. 7, when his HMMWV was struck by two improvised explosive devices and small arms fire.
• Pfc. Hernando Rios, 29, of Queens, N.Y.died on Aug. 8 in Baghdad, Iraq from injuries sustained on Aug. 7, when his HMMWV was struck by two improvised explosive devices and small arms fire.

My heart goes out to their families, my pride and my thanks to the soldiers in the field, following orders and getting the job done.

Okay, on to the next thing. Happy Sunday, see you next week.

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