A couple of days ago I saw a bumper sticker that said "Annoy a Liberal: Live - Succeed - Be Happy." I couldn't agree more. Actually, it's the same thing liberals tend to do. Does that mean we annoy the shit out of ourselves? No. It means that this bumper sticker is incomplete. So I'll let you in on how to really annoy a liberal:
1. Be selfish. "God bless America, and no place else." What? They just blew up a power plant that will ultimately lead to the death of many innocent people? Oh, never mind. It wasn't here, so fuck 'em. I can still turn off the TV, climb into my 2-ton commuter, and stop by Starbucks on the way to work this morning.
2. Succeed by fucking other people out of what they earned. I'm not saying that liberals don't cheat, but when they do, I don't think so many people are affected. I'm not talking about sharing mp3 files and screwing the music industry - that doesn't heavily affect our quality of life. I'm talking about squeezing everything you can out of your customers when selling cars, movie tickets, oil, and even razors. Stop making so much money and keeping it. Oh, and did I mention easy credit?
3. Waste resources. See 2-ton commuter mentioned above.
4. Support any type of war. That speaks for itself. Apparently, war kills people and doesn't really solve anything. It creates more hate. I'm for the death of certain leaders, but not for the death of the innocent people under their rule.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Online Sickness
I'm trying to think of some pointers to mention, but I can't even think of a subject that I actually have some pointers on. I'm really just bored, and I've seen nearly everything on the Internet this week that I could think of looking up. I wanted to know more about Assembler, the most basic programming language for microprocessors. In my studies, I discovered that I need to know more about computer and processor architectures, and ended up winning a book on eBay for 99¢. While I'm waiting on this book, I'll research the best book for learning about computer architecture overall, and maybe pick one of those up. I'm kinda worried about starting college and stumbling through a Computer Science degree without learning anything. Studying ahead may help.
I also want to build my own controllers for different projects like home automation and robotics. I believe I can build a Linux system that can monitor things like the temperature and human presence in the house. I've found Single-Board Computers (SBCs) that can run Linux for about $100. However, those systems are far more advanced than what I'd like to have, so I may have to build one. I've seen this done before by Computer Engineering students, and I'm sure I can find what I need in a book at the university.
Shopping online has become very fun these days. With places like pricegrabber.com and resellerratings.com, one can complete a quick investigation on a store or a product very quickly. A lot of the early adopters to a new product (like the Bluetooth headphones I want) will post very helpful reviews of it. These are very helpful (one lady with a fat head didn't like the way the headphones fit). It's great. Price shopping is fun, too, because you can see what most retailers are charging for the item. Amazon.com lists these headphones at about $127 (a fair price if they sound good), and some other place is selling them for $189! The same thing! Ha!
If it isn't apparent in this post, I am very bored and really need something to passionately write about. Although it is raining, and I've been meaning to look for a rainsuit...
I also want to build my own controllers for different projects like home automation and robotics. I believe I can build a Linux system that can monitor things like the temperature and human presence in the house. I've found Single-Board Computers (SBCs) that can run Linux for about $100. However, those systems are far more advanced than what I'd like to have, so I may have to build one. I've seen this done before by Computer Engineering students, and I'm sure I can find what I need in a book at the university.
Shopping online has become very fun these days. With places like pricegrabber.com and resellerratings.com, one can complete a quick investigation on a store or a product very quickly. A lot of the early adopters to a new product (like the Bluetooth headphones I want) will post very helpful reviews of it. These are very helpful (one lady with a fat head didn't like the way the headphones fit). It's great. Price shopping is fun, too, because you can see what most retailers are charging for the item. Amazon.com lists these headphones at about $127 (a fair price if they sound good), and some other place is selling them for $189! The same thing! Ha!
If it isn't apparent in this post, I am very bored and really need something to passionately write about. Although it is raining, and I've been meaning to look for a rainsuit...
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Summer Cleaning
Even though it's something of an Autumn theme, I decided it was time to change the layout again. To all the readers I lost whilst on furlough, welcome back, and I hope you like it.
I recently turned on the FM radio again and listened to NPR yesterday. They were talking about Warren Buffet's gargantuan gift to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Now if you haven't been following this, Bill Gates will step down as Chief Software Architect of Microsoft Corporation, supposedly in 2008. He will stay on as Chairman, but that's about all he'll have to do with the company he co-founded. Gates wants to concentrate his efforts toward his charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Good job, Bill.
Warren Buffett is the world's richest stock trader. He apparently knows his shit. From what I heard from a caller on Talk of the Nation, he had plans for his wife to distribute his wealth after he died. That didn't work out too well, because his wife died a couple of years ago. They say he did a lot of thinking and finally decided to give (at today's price) over 31 billion dollars to the Gates Foundation. I think it's so many billion every year for a number of years, but it's still a great gift. I haven't done all of my homework on the foundation, but I volunteered at a YMCA in Colorado Springs that had a computer lab worth $10,000+ all furnished by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. I think they're probably doing a lot for people who can't afford these things, and with Buffet's gift they'll have a lot more to do.
Another caller complained that if Microsoft hadn't overcharged us in the first place, their money wouldn't have to be put back into society. I've got an answer or two for that one:
1. If you got to keep your filthy money, sir, you would have spent it on gas or candy bars, and it wouldn't, sir, help society for you to have a fatter ass or go on vacation. Your money would have never left the country to help those in need.
2. You bought a product that you use every single day and now would have trouble living without. IM me on Windows Messenger and we'll talk about it. Switch to Linux, sir, and do without a tech support number and have fun configuring your printer and synching your PDA all by yourself.
That's all I really have. I'm certainly not a Windows fanatic, but many people would be completely lost without this OS. It's all they know due to its fantastic success with the PC over the years. I could get into that later, I guess. I love Linux as much as the next guy, but it's certainly not for the masses just yet. Whatever you think about Gates or Buffet, kudos to them anyway.
I recently turned on the FM radio again and listened to NPR yesterday. They were talking about Warren Buffet's gargantuan gift to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Now if you haven't been following this, Bill Gates will step down as Chief Software Architect of Microsoft Corporation, supposedly in 2008. He will stay on as Chairman, but that's about all he'll have to do with the company he co-founded. Gates wants to concentrate his efforts toward his charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Good job, Bill.
Warren Buffett is the world's richest stock trader. He apparently knows his shit. From what I heard from a caller on Talk of the Nation, he had plans for his wife to distribute his wealth after he died. That didn't work out too well, because his wife died a couple of years ago. They say he did a lot of thinking and finally decided to give (at today's price) over 31 billion dollars to the Gates Foundation. I think it's so many billion every year for a number of years, but it's still a great gift. I haven't done all of my homework on the foundation, but I volunteered at a YMCA in Colorado Springs that had a computer lab worth $10,000+ all furnished by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. I think they're probably doing a lot for people who can't afford these things, and with Buffet's gift they'll have a lot more to do.
Another caller complained that if Microsoft hadn't overcharged us in the first place, their money wouldn't have to be put back into society. I've got an answer or two for that one:
1. If you got to keep your filthy money, sir, you would have spent it on gas or candy bars, and it wouldn't, sir, help society for you to have a fatter ass or go on vacation. Your money would have never left the country to help those in need.
2. You bought a product that you use every single day and now would have trouble living without. IM me on Windows Messenger and we'll talk about it. Switch to Linux, sir, and do without a tech support number and have fun configuring your printer and synching your PDA all by yourself.
That's all I really have. I'm certainly not a Windows fanatic, but many people would be completely lost without this OS. It's all they know due to its fantastic success with the PC over the years. I could get into that later, I guess. I love Linux as much as the next guy, but it's certainly not for the masses just yet. Whatever you think about Gates or Buffet, kudos to them anyway.
Monday, June 26, 2006
As I Stumble About my Imagination
I've been confronted with an issue that hasn't even come up yet, and I can't stop thinking about it. I've been asked how interested I am in a position in Atlanta. I really want to go up there because of the city life, but at the same time, Beth and I have become rather settled in South Georgia.
Given the perfect situation, I would jump at the chance. I love the city, though it is an expensive and sometimes dangerous place. I just don't think it would be a smart choice right now. Beth and I are already accepted in our academic programs, and are set to begin study this fall. On top of that, we've got day care lined up for Anika, and we are almost settled in our new house.
Having gone to Atlanta, I know nothing of the school systems there, day care facilities, or even where to live. A lot would have to be worked out in order to make it, and I would have to have a significant raise. All of this thought and bumbling and I haven't even been offered a position. All I know is that I'm favored to be offered it if it comes up.
I love the thought of it, though: the possibility of working from home, the visibility I may get as a result of working in the area and with certain people it's good to be seen by, and actually having something to do every day. The more actual consulting I can do, the better and more enjoyable my job will be. Don't get me wrong - the people in South Georgia definitely need help, but with the resources I could have in Atlanta, I could certainly get more done and inflict more positive change in how our infrastructure benefits the organization.
We (my coworkers and I) are approaching an entirely new way to do something that our organization holds paramount. A development team has been called in, many meetings have been held, and things are finally beginning to roll with the development process. I have asked the one in charge that my team be fully involved in the development process, from conception to back-end processes, all the way through to the interface design. This is very important to my team for many reasons. We need to be involved to understand the inner workings of this mountain of software, so we are able to test it thouroughly, train the workers effectively, and troubleshoot it with clear confidence.
So I would like to be there while all of this is happening, not down south where we are all left out of the loop as we were in the last roll-out. So I've got some thinking to do.
Given the perfect situation, I would jump at the chance. I love the city, though it is an expensive and sometimes dangerous place. I just don't think it would be a smart choice right now. Beth and I are already accepted in our academic programs, and are set to begin study this fall. On top of that, we've got day care lined up for Anika, and we are almost settled in our new house.
Having gone to Atlanta, I know nothing of the school systems there, day care facilities, or even where to live. A lot would have to be worked out in order to make it, and I would have to have a significant raise. All of this thought and bumbling and I haven't even been offered a position. All I know is that I'm favored to be offered it if it comes up.
I love the thought of it, though: the possibility of working from home, the visibility I may get as a result of working in the area and with certain people it's good to be seen by, and actually having something to do every day. The more actual consulting I can do, the better and more enjoyable my job will be. Don't get me wrong - the people in South Georgia definitely need help, but with the resources I could have in Atlanta, I could certainly get more done and inflict more positive change in how our infrastructure benefits the organization.
We (my coworkers and I) are approaching an entirely new way to do something that our organization holds paramount. A development team has been called in, many meetings have been held, and things are finally beginning to roll with the development process. I have asked the one in charge that my team be fully involved in the development process, from conception to back-end processes, all the way through to the interface design. This is very important to my team for many reasons. We need to be involved to understand the inner workings of this mountain of software, so we are able to test it thouroughly, train the workers effectively, and troubleshoot it with clear confidence.
So I would like to be there while all of this is happening, not down south where we are all left out of the loop as we were in the last roll-out. So I've got some thinking to do.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
I Found my Word
and it is "choleric." It happens to be the word of the day today, and I saw it above my Gmail.
I am easily angered by many things, and my sensitivity to these triggers varies greatly depending on many different factors. I'm like a bomb sometimes, and Beth never really knows how short the fuse is.
I think I'm getting better, though. I'm starting to become more conscious of my patience and releasing my imaginary grip on things over which I have no control. Like this blog. I started the year off right, and blogged every day like a good little blogger, and then nothing. I became too busy and got quite upset with myself for not living up to what I had said.
But I have absolutely no control over how many hours exist in one day, or how much sleep I'm going to need on a regular basis. I also have no idea what to write about every day. Since I don't take the time to read the news, I don't have cable television, and the whole of me doesn't care about celebrity news, I have nothing left to say except that I'm tired and want to go to sleep at the end of a day.
"...and that's all I have to say about that."
I am easily angered by many things, and my sensitivity to these triggers varies greatly depending on many different factors. I'm like a bomb sometimes, and Beth never really knows how short the fuse is.
I think I'm getting better, though. I'm starting to become more conscious of my patience and releasing my imaginary grip on things over which I have no control. Like this blog. I started the year off right, and blogged every day like a good little blogger, and then nothing. I became too busy and got quite upset with myself for not living up to what I had said.
But I have absolutely no control over how many hours exist in one day, or how much sleep I'm going to need on a regular basis. I also have no idea what to write about every day. Since I don't take the time to read the news, I don't have cable television, and the whole of me doesn't care about celebrity news, I have nothing left to say except that I'm tired and want to go to sleep at the end of a day.
"...and that's all I have to say about that."
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Slight Change
As I've been in my car for several weeks, I have proven that it is hard to start a consulting business when you're on the road with your day job 90% of the time. So, I will start targeting small businesses where I can log in remotely and help them over the telephone when I'm away.
That's really all I have for you right now; I'm looking for experiments in hacking wireless networks and wireless equipment. Maybe I'll tell you about it, and maybe I'll just be too busy.
That's really all I have for you right now; I'm looking for experiments in hacking wireless networks and wireless equipment. Maybe I'll tell you about it, and maybe I'll just be too busy.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Soda and Mentos
Who would have thought? Some guys just have all the fun. I was going to make a video myself after I read the reports, but these guys are just way ahead of me.
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