Orb Designs Graffiti, a Daily Blog - September 17, 2007 thru September 23, 2007

GRAFFITI -- September 17, 2007 thru September 23, 2007

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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.

MONDAY Tues Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
September 17, 2007

2209 - Good evening. Here's an interlaced interchange that I had today with one of this site's fine readers:

On Mon, Sep 17, 2007 at 11:32:00AM -0400, Dave wrote:
>    Hello Brian,
>    I enjoy your blog.  I especially enjoy forward temporal order.

Thanks, yah. I just don't enjoy push-down posting for anything but
technical logging. 

>
>    It is time I had my own domain name, for email if for nothing else.  I
>    tried very hard to find if you and Greg host peons on mazin.  My lack of
>    success causes me to suspect the answer is no.  Too bad; I trust you
>    guys.  Do you have any recommendations for an ISP?  I found godaddy, but I
>    am suspicious.

Do you *really* want to manage a mailserver? Hmmm. Anyway, a couple of 
points, excuse me if I seem a bit pedantic - terminology is everything...

Go Daddy is primarily a registrar. They'll do "hosting", that is manage
your email and web pages for you, for a fee. I don't really have anything
bad to say about Go Daddy. That they advertise using pretty girls seems to
unnerve liberals, but that's just icing on the cake, 's far as I'm 
concerned.

Now, to me, an ISP provides Internet Connectivity. Comcast, Verizon, etc.
The absolute best folks I've ever worked with as an ISP are Speakeasy, 
hands down. They also do service hosting, email and web, etc.

If you're not up to managing your own server, then use someone's service,
and you could do much worse than Speakeasy. And they TRUST their users, 
and they have intelligent Seattle-based life forms that answer the phone
and help, when help is needed. I haven't used them in a couple of years,
but my old boss is getting some Speakeasy service right now, and is
finding them the same pleasure to deal with that I found.

However, for all we know, they might burn down your house and eat your
first born, so don't blame me for anything if it all ends in tears.

>
>    Keep up the good work.
>

I'll do my best, thanks for writing.

>    Thanks,
>    Dave

And of course, there's seven million ways to skin that cat. My advice is worth the electrons it's printed on, plus a few years experience dealing with such things. Oh, in case I'd not said so recently, I do use Go Daddy for registration services, the price is right and the advertising is generally easy on the eyes. I don't use a hosting service because I am one, but we're not in the market for more paying customers.

Meantime, I'm waiting for a Mailbag to format. If not tonight, then tomorrow, probably with the column as well. So, another week begun. Be well...

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Mon TUESDAY Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
September 18, 2007

2014 - Good evening. Column and mailbag are up on CMR. And Happy Birthday, KFOG!

And tomorrow, it's Talk Like A Pirate Day! More that that I have not. Happy Tuesday!

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Mon Tues WEDNESDAY Thu Fri Sat Sun
September 19, 2007

Cute Lucy

2104 - Yarrrrrrrr! Okay, there, it's out of my system. Lucy went to the doggy day spa today. If her hair gets too long, she gets far too overheated. And she looks so durned cute when her hair is puppy short. It helps, too, when the staff give her some jester's clothing as a goodbye present. Heh. And now, short takes...

Save Ellis Island? A bunch of rich and famous celebrities are touting some effort to "save Ellis Island." Hmmm. I've got an idea: Set a goal, and get each of those rich and famous celebrities to fork over their share of the money we've given them to be rich and famous with. There's a recession, or worse, coming one day or another, folks. Save your money for when you need it ... and you will need it.

Darl McBride blames Linux for the downfall of the Linux company that he took over and ground into the dust. I thought about asking Jerry if he'd given Darl his own special circle of Hell, but I realize that there's already a place for pathological liars, and one day we may find out how much Darl has done to qualify for admission. I also see that the lawyers (that is, "professionals") get to petition the court each month for their fees, drawing down on the kitty, until such time as the well is dry, one presumes.

Speaking of Inferno 2, I've seen some of the Manuscript. You'll be wanting to get Inferno 2 when it comes out. I'll be buying Inferno and Inferno 2 sets to give as gifts - this is Pournelle and Niven at their finest. I wish we had a publish date...

Does buying American require an affirmation of Union support? I was wandering around the assorted Buy American sites (like this one), and find lots of pro-union stuff in among the Amish sites and the knitting and granola sites. Now, I admit that I don't know enough about today's unions. I've never worked in a unionized industry, and I don't want to just have a knee-jerk reaction. What does a union buy us, today? Other than highly paid union officials? Strikes? A pension fund that gets stolen from, then slaughtered in a market downturn? I just don't know enough. I do know that I used to be able to count on puchasing American-manufactured goods when I bought Saucony. Not anymore, I think...

Enough poking and prodding. I'll find something else to do, like watch some of the Babylon 5 discs that we're getting in from Netflix at the moment. See y'all later.

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Mon Tues Wed THURSDAY Fri Sat Sun
September 20, 2007

2030 - Good evening. Ooooh, look at the time. After work, I just settled in downstairs and watched some TV with Marcia. She's not feeling too chipper - a flu-like bug is afflicting her. However, as it's end-of-quarter month, she's doing her best to get her work done, and take a micro-nap or two, then bail out a little earlier in the day than is usual for this stage of the game. I've got loads of reading to catch up on, so I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, today? Kickstarting a Dell into RHEL4, and other fun stuff like iSCSI and friends. I like staying busy, but then, you knew that, right?

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Mon Tues Wed Thu FRIDAY Sat Sun
September 21, 2007

2040 - Happy Friday and good evening. Another day slipped by while I wasn't looking. Well, I was looking, but was pretty busy, truth be told. I heard from a couple of friends by email, which is always nice. And I stood clear of the swath of destruction from a flame war. And Marcia's bug continues to bedevil her. But she hardly gripes at all...

Speaking of gripes, I've had an O'Reilly Bookshelf subscription for a couple or three years now. I was wondering, last night, how good the book discount was for Bookshelf subscribers. It's not hidden at all, it's a 35% discount. And shipping is free, for orders over one of those magic marketing numbers: $29.95. So I'd have to pay shipping on top of the $22.74 discounted price of Learning Ruby, one of the books in my current shelf. One little problem: The price at Amazon is just $0.35 higher, and I get free shipping. I guess I think that O'Reilly should offer people who pay real money month in and month out a bit deeper discount than they can already get, eh?

One of the pointers I got from Learning Ruby was this hoot of a book: Why's (Poignant) Guide to Ruby. It's probably the strangest technical reference I've ever enjoyed.

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Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri SATURDAY Sun
September 22, 2007

0811 - Good morning. Heh. Seth Green's take on 'Britney Boy'. Now I'm going to go out and work in the yard. Later...

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Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Sat SUNDAY
September 23, 2007

1909 - Good evening. Welcome to the first day of astronomical Fall. The temps are still a bit summer-ish out, but a quick front last night dried us up considerably. In other news, it turns out that Marcia has bronchitis. Since yesterday was the fifth consecutive day of low-grade fever, she called the Nurse Hotline run by the hospital up in Annapolis (not the closest such, but of singular quality). They suggested that she should go to the emergency room, and make sure they do a chest xray to confirm or eliminate pneumonia as a possibility. A couple of hours later she was diagnosed and on her way back home. She'll be fine, now that she's treating what's afflicting her.

I finished closing out the vegetable garden yesterday. In another couple of weeks, it'll be continuously cool enough to shutter the watering system in back for the winter. That involves some disconnections, and using compressed air to blow the pipes out, so that the inevitable freezes don't burst my system - the underground bits especially. Out front, with nothing buried, I'll wait until the first frost before dismantling the hanging baskets, and shutting that system down.

Today, Marcia slept in a bit (a good thing) and was just up when I went off to do the week's shopping. Good news: I didn't forget anything. After that, I mowed in front, de-thatched part of the front yard, and overseeded in front. Next week I'll do the same in back, and a week after that, I'll put down the Fall fertilizer. Then all that's left is trimming down the front growth after the first frost. Then I'm pretty much done in the yard until Spring.

These losses break my heart. I make this time each week for myself to recognize the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. I acknowledge the deaths, because that's all that the DOD releases on an individual basis. For every death, there are nine or ten who are wounded. To all of our fine men and women of the Armed Services: THANK YOU! You're the best! To the rest of America - whether or not you agree with their mission, always honor our serving men and women. They work out at the pointy end of the stick on our behalf, and they keep doing so when their friends get shot, blown up, and killed. Honor them all, take the time to think of their sacrifice, all volunteers in service to our country. Still, these losses break my heart.

Sgt. John Mele, 25, of Bunnell, Fla., died Sept. 14 in Arab Jabour, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations.
Cpl. Terrence P. Allen, 21, of Pennsauken, N.J., died Sept. 15 from a non-hostile incident in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Terry D. Wagoner, 28, of Piedmont, S.C., died Sept. 14 in Mugdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations.
Cpl. Todd A. Motley, 23, of Clare, Mich., died Sept. 14 in Mugdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations.
Cpl. Jonathan Rivadeneira, 22, of Jackson Heights, N.Y., died Sept. 14 in Mugdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations.
Pfc. Christopher M. McCloud, 24, of Malakoff, Texas, died Sept. 14 in Mugdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations.
Staff Sgt. Michael L. Townes, 29, of Las Vegas, died Sept. 16 in Balad, Iraq, from a non-combat related illness.
Spc. Brandon T. Thorsen, 22, of Trenton, Fla., died Sept. 15 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident Sept. 14 in Baghdad.
Spc. Matthew J. Emerson, 20, of Grandview, Wash., died Sept. 18 in Ninewah Province, Iraq, of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident.
Spc. Joseph N. Landry III, 23, of Pensacola, Fla., died Sept. 18 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations.
Spc. Nicholas P. Olson, 22, of Novato, Calif., died Sept. 18 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations.
Spc. Donald E. Valentine III, 21, of Orange Park, Fla., died Sept. 18 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations.
Spc. Aaron J. Walker, 23, of Harker Heights, Texas, died Sept. 18 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire during combat operations.
Pfc. Christian M. Neff, 19, of Lima, Ohio, died Sept. 19 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device.
Sgt. Edmund J. Jeffers, 23, of Daleville, Ala., died Sept. 19 in Taqqadum, Iraq, of injuries suffered from a non-combat related accident.
Cpl. Graham M. McMahon, 22, of Corvallis, Ore., died Sept. 19 in Balad, Iraq, from a non-combat related illness.
Pfc. Luigi Marciante Jr., 25, of Elizabeth, N.J., died Sept. 20 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Spc. John J. Young, 24, of Savannah, Ga., died Sept. 21 in Camp Stryker, Iraq, of injuries suffered from a non-combat related incident.
Capt. (Dr.) Roselle M. Hoffmaster, 32, of Cleveland, Ohio, died Sept. 20 in Kirkuk, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident.

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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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GRAFFITI -- September 17, 2007 thru September 23, 2007

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