Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid

Missing 1st Snow

2011-10-27T11:57:00.001-04:00

I'm depressed to be missing the first snow in New England for the first time in 3 years. All this weather channel coverage has me aching for the ski slopes.

McDonalds Rant

2011-09-21T19:07:00.000-04:00

I ordered a large iced coffee along with oatmeal at the drive through this morning. I was not prompted to tell the server what I wanted in my coffee, but I made sure to tell her milk and 3 spenda after she asked if my order was complete.

When I received my order at the window, I asked the server if there was milk in my coffee. It was almost white in color. She did not speak English fluently and had to ask her manager to clarify. When I asked her manager if there was milk and splenda in my coffee, as I had done previously, she seemed puzzled. It was not until I rephrased my question, "Does this have cream in it" that I was told yes. I again asked for Milk and was told, "You need to order milk 'back there' and pay a dollah." When I tried to explain to her that I only needed a splash of milk in my coffee she picked up a kids milk and shook it at me in the window saying "you need to order and pay for that".

There are two things wrong with this. First, for those of us who are lactose intolerant/reactive and who do not like black coffee, a splash of soy, or skim, or the most readily available option, milk, is preferred. Generally milk is a standard option, not to mention favored by the millions of Americans who are trying to watch their caloric intake and diet. The Second issue I have with this experience is the customer service. I understand that the drive through is fast paced, especially in the morning. However, make an attempt to help the customer. Don't make the only option driving around the building and ordering a separate milk for the same price!

I'm not loving it!

Everyday Time

2010-11-05T16:39:00.008-04:00

I know its basic to most system administrators, but if your clock is always wrong, or your just fastidious about accuracy, you may appreciate this. The previous IT provider missed these simple steps. Follow the link after the quote for the original article.

Synching to an External Time Source
If you want to ensure that the clocks on your machines are more accurate in terms of absolute (and not just relative) time, you can sync the PDC Emulator in your forest root domain to one of the reliable time servers available on the Internet. This is a good idea if your company is a large enterprise with sites spanning several countries, or if your organization has two or more forests linked by forest trusts. The procedure for doing this on a PDC Emulator running Windows Server 2003 in the forest root domain is as follows. Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and configure the following registry entries:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters\Type

This registry entry determines which peers W32Time will accept synchronization from. Change this REG_SZ value from NT5DS to NTP so the PDC Emulator synchronizes from the list of reliable time servers specified in the NtpServer registry entry described below.
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config\AnnounceFlags

This registry entry controls whether the local computer is marked as a reliable time server (which is only possible if the previous registry entry is set to NTP as described above). Change this REG_DWORD value from 10 to 5 here.
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters\NtpServer

This registry entry specifies a space-delimited list of stratum 1 time servers from which the local computer can obtain reliable time stamps. The list may consist of one or more DNS names or IP addresses (if DNS names are used then you must append ,0x1 to the end of each DNS name). For example, to synchronize the PDC Emulator in your forest root domain with tock.usno.navy.mil, an open-access SNTP time server run by the United States Naval Observatory, change the value of the NtpServer registry entry from time.windows.com,0x1 to tock.usno.navy.mil,0x1 here. Alternatively, you can specify the IP address of this time server, which is 192.5.41.209 instead.

Now stop and restart the Windows Time service using the following commands:
net stop w32time
net start w32time

It may take an hour or so for the PDC Emulator to fully synchronize with the external time server because of the nature of the polling method W32Time uses. Depending on the latency of your Internet connection, the accuracy of the CMOS clock on your forest root PDC Emulator may be within a second or two of UTC. If you need more accurate time however, you can purchase a hardware time source like an atomic clock and connect it to your PDC emulator.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to wait for time convergence to occur between your stratum 2 time server (your forest root PDC Emulator) and the external stratum 1 time server, you can run the following command on your PDC Emulator:
w32tm /resync /rediscover

Tip
There are additional registry settings you can configure to ensure external time synchronization operates effectively, see this article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base for details.

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Configuring-Windows-Time-Service.html

Cisco VLANs

2010-09-16T12:44:00.004-04:00

I had a customer who was confused on what constituted tagged and untagged on a Cisco switch. I tried to explain it to him, but I could see that he was not quite grasping it. After doing some research, I found this great description and thought I would re-post Cisco Home Community user gv's post for anyone else that is fuzzy on Cisco nomenclature.

Generally, do not use General mode. In most cases it is not necessary. Use access mode and trunk mode and nothing else. If you think you must use General mode you probably have an issue with your network design. For instance, you can configure a port to be untagged member of multiple VLANs although this is in most cases not what you want and will create very confusing situations.
Access mode is for client devices, like normal desktops, printers, etc, An access mode port only sends and accepts untagged frames. The association of the traffic on this port to a VLAN happens through configuration on the switch. An access mode port in VLAN 5 belongs to VLAN 5 and no other VLAN. It will only send and receive traffic on VLAN 5.
Trunk mode uses tagged and untagged frames. The fact that it uses 802.1q tagged frames implies that it is connected to a device which is capable of dealing with 802.1q frames. Managed VLAN switches are one example. But very often Ethernet cards in server machines can be configured for 802.1q as well, i.e. you can run a trunk mode port to a server connecting it directly into multiple VLANs.
You can specify which VLANs are carried on a trunk mode port and which not. Thus you are also able to exclude some VLANs from a trunk port. Using tagging the switch sends 802.1q tagged frames for all VLANs on which it is tagged member. The "tag" contains the number of the VLAN to which this particular frame belongs to. Due to that, the receiving side is able to correctly assign each received frame to the correct VLAN. If the switch send a VLAN 5 tagged frame through a trunk port the receiving side knows that this frame belongs to VLAN 5 and thus can forward it correctly to the next hop maintaining separation of VLANs etc.
The untagged VLAN on a trunk port is the "default" native VLAN for all frames on a trunk port which are send or received untagged. All untagged frames only belong to this native VLAN. If you configured both ends of the trunk connection identically that both ends use the same VLAN for each frame received and send, tagged or untagged. It is highly recommended that the configuration on both ends of a trunk connection is identical, i.e. the native VLAN is the same and both ends use the same set of tagged VLANs or accept any possible tagged VLAN.
As mentioned before, General mode is more flexible in that you can choose any native VLAN you want or even multiple untagged VLANs. However, this is usually not what you want. For instance, if you configure a general mode port to be untagged member of VLANs 2 and 3 the switch will send any frame from VLAN 2 or VLAN 3 untagged through the general mode port. The receiver on the other side is not able to distinguish which VLAN the frame belongs to: it could be VLAN 2 or VLAN 3.
Some people think they could use general mode to connect a "shared" device to multiple VLANs. This again, is not true. The problem is the reverse direction, i.e. untagged frames received on the general mode port. You have to configure a single VLAN on the general port for all untagged frames. Otherwise the switch would not know exactly to which VLAN it should assign an untagged frame received. Thus, although you can send the frames for multiple VLANs untagged through a general mode port you can only receive untagged frames for a single VLAN on that same port.

Just another reason why I like Extreme Networks gear better.

Good luck to everyone out there.

Loon Mtn

2010-01-14T00:28:00.002-05:00

Skiing was AMAZING last weekend! Can't wait to go again this weekend, Still undecided on where to go. Currently in the running are Sunday River (178 miles), Mad River Glen (158 miles) or Sunapee (102 miles).

Post up reviews if you have any.

I'll try and get some pictures up from last weeks trip ASAP.

Classic Mashup

2010-01-09T22:56:00.003-05:00

Ok, I found this randomly and loved it! Check it out.

Great tunes, classic video.

Taken down as of 9/21/2011 but here it is elsewhere:
http://youtu.be/XtE-xnPKj28

To live in LAla land...

2009-05-16T02:14:00.005-04:00

Ok, so while seeing BioDiesel was great last night (live Drum & Bass), it did not quite live up to the T-Mobile party that was put on out at Paramount studios. Yes, I think that BioDiesel was more musically adept at a live performance than either of these bands (crazy to think), it still would have been amazing to see Weezer and Blink live. Check out the vids while you still can:

5th BC

2009-03-31T01:36:00.000-04:00

What is it that makes society great? What makes a place somewhere you want to aspire to or choose to live? How do the people guide your decision and what makes that such an important factor.

Cambridge. Our fair city. Or as some would call it the people’s republic of Cambridge. The closest thing to a liberal utopia that is to be found in this the most successful democracy to date. And yet those of us that interact with it, and strive for that progressive ideal, still see it as a flawed system. A flawed construct that does not mirror reality. If we were to give it us so easily because we thought it pretentious, or uninspired. Lacking the angst of a survivalist. I mean do we really think that our Prozac filled world, the industrialized, fiber connected information age first world America, that there is any true struggle left?

The third world survival as existence, mentality is much better suited to our genetic makeup. For all perspectives, they seem happier than I would ever be. They just want food, not the latest LCD. Something satisfying about that.

But then let us look at this liberal utopia. What makes it so appealing? Why, hold the fact that most residents are well adjusted successful upstanding members of society. Why look down upon this place not for lack of diversity of faces but diversity of classes.

What lends this place to complex conversations, and enlightening discussions from varied points of view? The answer is the difference between survival and plenty. Not that this class is aloof or above. Most here could have had the house on the hill. The dog, the picket fence, the 3 car garage. But they chose to live in a place where they could practice what they preach. Walk to work, live in a community. Be together. Not having to struggle for our daily bread made this possible.

Pick any point in our history. Not US history from sophomore year in high school. Yet civilization, and the history of man. Where were we? What took us from caves to the information age? Survival as a daily human condition.

Look at our major periods of growth in hindsight. Greeks.

That society had the ability to ponder art, spirituality, math, and science. You could never have a philosopher or astronomer without the ability to live life above subsistence. Think of all the advances made by that generation and group of people.

Then ponder what the support structure was.

Millions of people were slaves, peasants supporting the great minds that shaped the time and those to follow. These people made it possible to better understand the stars and our place in them. How different were these slaves from today’s white collar workers. Who work endlessly and think non stop about what they have to do for work. For a job. For the ability to spend time with the ones we love. We give up that time so that we may have it later. Or at least we think. So again I ask what makes those slaves different. Are we propping up the great minds so that they can discover the new world and invent the language of the future just as the Greeks invented math and algebra that took us into the 5th century BC? What about all of us overwhelmed with stress about work, and the bottom line. Are we supporting the next innovations in society and democracy?

What is our place as these slaves of the modern world? And how does this relate to good old Cambridge?

Because some people are hard working and yes sometimes lucky enough to find themselves in a place where they can ponder art and politic. They can try and improve our system and our society. This is only possible through something above subsistence. So if I have to choose where to lay my head at night, even if it’s only a few hours before it rises again for the next 8-10 hour fight. I choose to be as close to utopia as possible. Yes it may not be as inspiring, intriguing or interesting as struggling to get by, it is worth it. For those rare moments where you find yourself debating ancient history, and our purpose in the universe. They make it all worth it. And while you can find them else where, sometimes it just easier to create a beautiful painting when the sky is blue and the earth is red.

New music month

2008-07-24T03:25:00.002-04:00

I just came across some new rips I needed to share. Check out People in Planes. Amazing stuff here.

Website: http://www.peopleinplanes.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/peopleinplanes
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/People-In-Planes/5758096519

Think Muse but with some more melodic panache'. This one comes in under Highly Recommended. Just take a few minutes and listen to the main cut off of Beyond the Horizon called Pretty Buildings. You don't even have to search for it, just go to their website and listen to the flash version.

In other news, I have some cuts from another left field source. Good Weather For Airstrikes has come through again. This time with artist Gotye (pronounced [goːtijeː]) approximately "gore-ti-yeah" in Australian English. Raised in Melbourne, AU but born in Beligum this artist has risen completely without the involvement of any record labels to produce something haunting and moving at the same time in Hearts a Mess. Check out the links here, and be sure to read the excerpt from Airstrikes to see why it is my main source for new music reviews.

Website: Gotye
Myspace: teh myspace
Remix of many Remixes: Youtube mix

“Hearts A Mess” is a pastiche of borrowed sounds and samples culled from record store bargain bins and passed-down vinyl heirlooms, yet the result is a remarkably unified sonic vision: swirling strings, atmospheric percussion and a heartwrenching chorus for the ages all converging to result in the most majestic single you’ll hear all year. A cinematic pop masterpiece just begging to be plugged into any number of primetime network dramas (you feeling me, Alexandra Patsavas?), the track soars and swells into an orchestral gem the likes of which haven’t been heard in pop music since Sebastien Tellier made eyes water across Europe with the stirring beauty of “La Ritournelle”. Similarly, “Hearts A Mess” sounds like nothing else out there right now, a timeless pop classic unrestrained by genre or critical expectations, and it’s the kind of special, once-in-a-lifetime single that rarely comes along in this increasingly homogenized indie scene.

As if the track itself weren’t enough to send you scrambling down to the record shops, the single comes backed with some top-notch remixes as well. Lull continues to establish himself as one of the most underrated talents in the remix game here, adding some glitch, crackle and ice-cool pop to the original and placing it in an even more otherworldly sonic context than before. A pulsing, throbbing bassline gives the song a solid backbone, but it’s the impeccable synth line that squiggles back and forth across the mix starting at the 1:31 mark that really takes the track to a whole new level of ethereal beauty and emotion. Melodramatic sonic textures and feelings not so much your thing? Then try the Ocelot remix of the track on for size. It’s the kind of thing that comes on as your leaving the club at dawn and forces you to race back inside and rage for three more hours, and the half-Texan/half-British duo drop the beat so hard this might not be legal in some midwestern states. Seriously.
Link: Good Weather For Airstrikes

Anyone want to jump ship?

2008-03-18T14:57:00.000-04:00

Federal Reserve slashes US rates
The Federal Reserve has cut US interest rates sharply in a bid to restore confidence to nervous financial markets and boost the ailing economy.
The central bank lowered rates to 2.25% from 3%, but the cut was smaller than financial markets had been expecting.
The Fed has taken strong action this week to avert a financial panic after investment bank Bear Stearns was forced into a fire sale to avoid collapse.
Many economists believe the US economy is already in a recession.

US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson admitted earlier on Wednesday that the US economy was facing a "sharp decline" at the moment, but hoped for a recovery later in the year.
The Fed has lowered rates five times since mid-September in a bid to boost the economy, which is reeling from credit crisis that was triggered by a slump in the US housing market.
"Today's policy action, combined with those taken earlier, including measures to foster market liquidity, should help to promote moderate growth over time and to mitigate the risks to economic activity," the Federal Reserve said.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/business/7303404.stm

Published: 2008/03/18 18:24:36 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

We are so fucked. Anyone want to move to New Zealand with me?

Club Wars Track Day!

2007-10-25T01:41:00.000-04:00

This is by far the most fun I have had in recent memory! Next time I will have better brake pads and hopefully more power. The race tires were amazing. Here is a vid of a S2000 passing me.

It has been a while my dear friend...

2007-08-13T01:40:00.001-04:00

Okay; so living in the south with a nice car can be dangerous... I thought the creepy feeling while driving though the rural south was only the humor on the BBC motoring show Top Gear. Article here on Digg, and Video when I can find it... ok that took two seconds (including the link). Wow media is so quick these days. I digress.

What must we look like to others? From the point of view of another country's media, the British Broadcasting System of all people, we are so backwards its funny. It is just amazing. I know this vid is old and we have all laughed at it already. This clip was recovered from my memory because of two random videos I came across tonight. As Hamster and May discuss, getting shot, and how the three most important things in the south are, God, George W. Bush and Country Music it all seems to fall into place. The first vid was a nuts turn of events. Watch the video here. Be sure to wait for the surprise ending, who would have thought.

Mind you this vid was a random hit on a google search for something completely unrelated. A guy on the scifi channel, Derren Brown. Like I said, unrelated. Anyways, When I went to link to this movie, I came across Vewgle, an amazing web forum for viral media.

On their main page they have the video of the day. This is an amazing thing, I will be sure to be visiting this site on a daily basis now. And there I found this clip on YouTube, you know the same forum that was asking questions at presidential debates that no one on earth is paying attention to because the damn election is not until next November as in over a year away! A snow man, I mean really? (I know old news there as well) Anyways, the Zombies are coming to get us, so just be glad that we have bush for another year.

Well at least I am protected from the undead. Good to know. And for all you guys in the south careful on those mountain runs.

Technorati Tags: crazy, hillbillies, george, w, bush, topgear, top, gear, bmw, subaru, zombies, november

New Scion xB

2007-06-08T00:09:00.000-04:00

Some interesting observations about the new toyota. I think if American car companies want to thrive again they need to look at bringing in ideas from overseas. The new ('08) Ford Mondeo in Europe is an amazing new vehicle. GM bring over the Vauxhaul VXR and Monaro.

By Paul Niedermeyer
May 14, 2007

Having wrested the title “world’s largest car manufacturer” from General Motors, Toyota’s already committing some of the same mistakes that brought GM down. The all-new 2008 Scion xB is a blot on Toyota’s relatively unblemished copybook. It bristles with classic GM-think: dumb it down, fatten it up and cheapen it out.

The original xB was a brilliant design, an instant cult-classic, as iconic as the first VW Beetle. The box fresh box elicited the same emotional responses as the old bug: children, freshly-minted motorists and the young at heart all loved it. The xB was barely longer than a MINI and almost as much fun to drive, with the accommodations of a Tahoe and 30-plus mpg.

If the last gen xB evoked images of a laquered bento box lunch, the new xB evokes a big, sloppy hamburger wrapped in greasy paper. Toyota’s drive to assimilate into the American heartland is relentless; its Texas Tundra brand BBQ sauce-stained fingerprints are all over this little porker.

The xB has gained 650 pounds, a foot in length, and three inches in width. Obviously, there’s a price to pay at the gas pump for that corn-fed heft. EPA numbers are down almost 25 percent for the city cycle (’06 adjusted), from 28 to 22 mpg.

That xB’s extra 12 inches are totally wasted; it all goes to making the hood longer. More room to mount a set of Texas steer horns? And since height is reduced, the XB actually loses usable passenger space.

The throne-like seating position has lost four inches of leg room. Headroom has also diminished. Ditto the back seat, where my 6’4” frame once sat in limo-comfort, with a good four inches of clearance to the front back-rest. Now my knees graze the horrendously cheap-feeling fabric of the front seats.

The xB’s front seats might as well have been lifted straight out of a 1971 Chevy Vega. Where the old thrones were nicely bolstered and contoured, with a nubby textural two-tone fabric, the new ones are molded blobs covered in a dreary monolithic black fabric. The Chevy Aveo’s seats put these to shame.

Toyota must have scored a volume deal from GM for vintage interior molds; the door panels are now harder than a trigonometry quiz. The xB’s lamentable polymerization also includes the upper arm-rest surface where my elbow likes to rest. At least the Vega had a little cushion there.

The xB’s interior package suffers mightily from the reshaped dimensions, the new seating position and the new model's higher belt-line. The xB’s superb view– favored by many of its elderly patrons– has been cruelly reduced. Now one sits deep and low, Hummer style, peering out gun-slit windows. And less of them: the rear three-quarter windows have disappeared.

The cute, perfectly positioned, oval-shaped analog instrument cluster that once perched atop the xB’s artistically shaped and textured dash has been replaced by four small oval, orange-lit displays. They're buried low and deep in the middle of the ponderous dash. The nervously-flashing digital speedometer is yet another 1980’s GM throw-back.

The new XB has the Camry’s 2.4-liter 158hp engine. It’s a competent and smooth mill that makes the new xB a faster vehicle, but a less engaging one. The old XB’s little 1.5-liter engine had an eager willingness and mechanical presence that made every trip to the pizzeria fun, especially with the stick.

In another GM-esque move, the Camry’s five-speed automatic didn’t make the bean-counter’s cut; the xB’s old four-speed slushbox soldiers on. Buyers opting for the manual tranny now row their boat with a shifter that protrudes from a large extension from the bottom of the dash– which enhances the perception of lost interior real estate. Equally annoying, the vague-acting clutch pedal sticks up higher than the brake pedal.

The new XB is faster, but the fun (and challenge) is gone. The new-found heft and softer ride takes XB handling from MINI territory right to into Camry Land. And we all now how engaging and exciting THAT is.

The xB’s electrically-assisted steering lacks the crispness and linearity of the former hydraulic unit. There were times I swear I could feel the electric motor on the other end of the steering column muttering at me under its breath– in a way that reminded me of my fifteen year old son.

Is there anything good to say about the new, ostensibly improved Scion XB? Yes. It now comes with cruise control and more air bags.

In short, the xB has become nothing more than a low-content five-door Camry. It’s Toyota’s el-cheapo ($16,230) version of the Chevrolet Malibu Maxx.

In fact, the new xB doesn’t deserve the Scion moniker, which established the brand's U.S. reputation as a provider of affordable automobiles with style, efficiency, quality, innovation and fun. Maybe Toyota could get a deal on the Oldsmobile name from GM.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=3729

2007-06-06T13:43:00.000-04:00

I am frustrated at the fact that election campaigning has started so early. However that seems to be the way it goes in this modern media age. So here are some thoughts from Bob, an op-ed writer for the Times.

The Passion of Al Gore
By Bob Herbert
The New York Times

Tuesday 05 June 2007

Al Gore is earnestly talking about the long-term implications of the energy and climate crises, and how the Arctic ice cap is receding much faster than computer models had predicted, and how difficult and delicate a task it will be to try and set things straight in Iraq.

You look at him and you can't help thinking how bizarre it is that this particular political figure, perhaps the most qualified person in the country to be president, is sitting in a wing chair in a hotel room in Manhattan rather than in the White House.

He's pushing his book "The Assault on Reason." I find myself speculating on what might have been if the man who got the most votes in 2000 had actually become president. It's like imagining an alternate universe.

The war in Iraq would never have occurred. Support and respect for the U.S. around the globe would not have plummeted to levels that are both embarrassing and dangerous. The surpluses of the Clinton years would not have been squandered like casino chips in the hands of a compulsive gambler on a monumental losing streak.

Mr. Gore takes a blowtorch to the Bush administration in his book. He argues that the free and open democratic processes that have made the United States such a special place have been undermined by the administration's cynicism and excessive secrecy, and by its shameless and relentless exploitation of the public's fear of terror.

The Bush crowd, he said, has jettisoned logic, reason and reflective thought in favor of wishful thinking in the service of an extreme political ideology. It has turned its back on reality, with tragic results.

So where does that leave Mr. Gore? If the republic is in such deep trouble and the former vice president knows what to do about it, why doesn't he have an obligation to run for president? I asked him if he didn't owe that to his fellow citizens.

If the country needs you, how can you not answer the call?

He seemed taken aback. "Well, I respect the logic behind that question," he said. "I also am under no illusion that there is any position that even approaches that of president in terms of an inherent ability to affect the course of events."

But while leaving the door to a possible run carefully ajar, he candidly mentioned a couple of personal reasons why he is disinclined to seek the presidency again.

"You know," he said, "I don't really think I'm that good at politics, to tell you the truth." He smiled. "Some people find out important things about themselves early in life. Others take a long time."

He burst into a loud laugh as he added, "I think I'm breaking through my denial."

I noted that he had at least been good enough to attract more votes than George W. Bush.

"Well, there was that," he said, laughing again. "But what politics has become requires a level of tolerance for triviality and artifice and nonsense that I find I have in short supply."

Mr. Gore is passionate about the issues he is focused on - global warming, the decline of rational discourse in American public life, the damage done to the nation over the past several years. And he has contempt for the notion that such important and complex matters can be seriously addressed in sound-bite sentences or 30-second television ads, which is how presidential campaigns are conducted.

He pressed this point when he talked about Iraq.

"One of the hallmarks of a strategic catastrophe," he said, "is that it creates a cul-de-sac from which there are no good avenues of easy departure. Taking charge of the war policy and extricating our troops as quickly as possible without making a horrible situation even worse is a little like grabbing a steering wheel in the middle of a skid."

There is no quick and easy formula, he said. A new leader implementing a new policy on Iraq would have to get a feel for the overall situation. The objective, however, should be clear: "To get our troops out of there as soon as possible while simultaneously observing the moral duty that all of us share - including those of us who opposed this war in the first instance - to remove our troops in a way that doesn't do further avoidable damage to the people who live there."

I asked if he meant that all U.S. troops should ultimately be removed from Iraq.

"Yes," he said.

Then he was off to talk more about his book.

$82 Buys E-Voting Secrets, anyone else scared?

2007-02-19T11:23:00.000-05:00

It has been quite a while since my last post, however I assure you life has been anything but boring. Anyways, Check out these snippets from a wired article about voting machine hacking. I'm glad to see someone in academia is testing these things and not the companies themselves. Its about time, took long enough! Still a very scary thought however.

Till next time, hope it won't be so long!

By Kim Zetter, Wired News

02:00 AM Feb, 16, 2007

"For a mere $82 a computer scientist and electronic voting critic managed to purchase five $5,000 Sequoia electronic voting machines over the internet last month from a government auction site. And now he's taking them apart.

Princeton computer science professor Andrew Appel and his students have begun reverse-engineering the software embedded in the machines' ROM chips to determine if it has any security holes. But Appel says the ease with which he and his students opened the machines and removed the chips already demonstrates that the voting machines are vulnerable to unauthorized modification."

He then goes on to compare his testing with that of a fellow Princeton prof who has done work on the Diebold machines.

"Appel said the Sequoia machines he bought so far seem to be more secure than a Diebold voting machine that Princeton colleague Ed Felten and others examined last year. Felton discovered that he could inject subversive software into the Diebold machine through the removable memory cards on which it stores votes. He could even produce a virus that would spread automatically from one Diebold machine to another."

Check out the full article here at wired.com

Technorati Tags: Voting, Diebold, wired, fraud, hacking

2006-12-18T15:08:00.000-05:00

Dog Beer Commercial

Ah yes Sweetwater, nectar of the gods. I guess someone likes them as much as I do because here is a youtube commercial for the beer. Anyone want to go on the brew tour this week? I was thinking Wednesday or Thursday after work.

A Season for Peace of Mind - Ben Stein

2006-12-11T13:50:00.000-05:00

I randomly found this article while on Yahoo Finance checking out my very, very small stock portfolio. I found it interesting and poignant at this time of year, especially for my generation. Ipods and Razrs not withstanding. Anyways check it out.

A Season for Peace of Mind: How Not to Ruin Your Life - Yahoo! Finance

How Not to Ruin Your Life
A Season for Peace of Mind by Ben Stein

Monday, December 11, 2006
[Ben Stein]
I was going to write about the falling dollar and why it's happening.

Basically, it has to do with the truth that U.S. interest rates are falling or not rising while European interest rates are rising or not falling. Money tends to flow to high-inflation-adjusted-rate countries.

It has nothing to do with the possibility that the U.S. may be entering a recession or a slowdown in growth. In fact, historically, as nations fall into slowdowns, the real interest rate -- nominal rates minus inflation rates -- rise and their currencies rise.

This means the dollar would normally rise in a recession. There are a lot of other factors at work in currency fluctuations, too. But I'll write about this and what it means to us as investors and consumers another time.

A Friend in Need
For now, I want to write about something a lot more important and personal to me. If I may say so, it's especially apt at this major consuming time of year.

When I was a child, I went to junior high school with a fellow I'll call Marcus. He was a likeable guy, a great musician, and a prodigious joke-teller. Although he was not poor by any means, he was terribly broke on a regular basis.

He just liked to show off with money and he gambled. He was constantly asking to borrow money from me, and I often obliged. As far as I can recall, he never once, not even once, repaid me.

Time passed. I went off to college in New York City. Marcus went off to college in California and I rarely heard from him. But every once in a while he would write an affectionate note, always ending with a plea that I lend him money.

Usually I obliged, but still, he never paid me back. I heard from various friends that he had dropped out of school, was chronically broke, had been married and divorced repeatedly, and was living a marginal existence. (This story is somewhat fictionalized.)

Ups and Downs
Then, in the early 1970s, something happened to Marcus. He got into real estate syndications that threw off a huge tax shelter for affluent buyers. He was a born salesman with a powerful gift of gab, and he had found his career.

He sold and sold and sold, made money, bought real estate, appeared in California newspapers, dated movie stars, and drove Ferraris. He still never paid me back a cent.

Then Congress ended the real estate tax shelters sometime in the early ‘80s. Marcus' business fell apart. But he still owned some real estate and still had the salesman's gift. So he still lived fairly well.

Then came the real estate crash of the early ‘90s, and he was genuinely down and out for awhile. He still pretended, though. He couldn't give up the pretense that he was rich and he didn't want anyone to know he wasn't.

He mortgaged his real estate. He remortgaged it. He had it repossessed. He lost it all. Then came the residential boom of the late ‘90s and 2000-2005, and he still lived like a king with a rented home at the beach and another in Beverly Hills.

Finally, real estate really collapsed in residential in Southern California. (Marcus had somehow burned his bridges in commercial real estate long ago. I don't know how.) He simply had no money coming in for about 10 months straight.

Down and Out in Dreamland
Yesterday, I got a call and an e-mail from Marcus. "I desperately need to borrow $100,000 from you. I'll pay you back in a year or so. I could borrow it from a bank, but I don't want to be in the newspapers." Plus, he might have added, the bank would make him pay it back and would demand collateral. (Again, I have fictionalized a number of these details to protect the privacy of this man.)

This time was too much. I told him that I couldn't afford to "lend" (really "give") him that huge sum, and he had better go to the bank.

The whole episode sent a chill down my spine. This is a man who's made millions, probably tens of millions, over his lifetime. Had he invested even a little bit of what he made 30-some years ago in a broadly based mutual fund, he would be rich now.

Not just safe -- rich. Had he done what my pal and ace financial advisor, Raymond J. Lucia, recommends -- match foreseeable liabilities with assets, instead of living in dreamland -- Marcus would be comfortable for life.

Showing Off, Going Broke
His is a sad story, and a lesson in what happens when a man (or woman) has to show off, has to put on an act about what his life is like to make himself feel big. It's a story of what happens when human beings try to pretend that life is not ruled -- at least in large part -- by arithmetic.

Marcus tried to show that he was more powerful than the gravity of money. But he wasn't, and now he's facing an IRS lien on his car and his furniture and whatever else he owns. He's facing intense embarrassment and aggravation all because he refused to admit reality and lived in a fantasy world.

As I ponder his story, I mostly think, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." I'm wildly extravagant about money. But I also earn a halfway decent living and always save. Or at least I almost always save.

However, as we enter this gift-giving time of year, I know that many of my closest friends are in true disarray about money. Invariably, they're men and women who try to live like people in magazines, who try to put on false airs about money, who try to live -- simply put -- beyond their means.

Usually, they're men and women who are -- in the words of a classic big book -- constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. ("They are not at fault," says the book. "They seem to have been born that way.") They are also usually men and women without steady habits or steady work.

A Peaceful Season
My point here is simple: If you're not rich, please don't show off at this time of year by spending money you don't have.

Not one relative or friend who genuinely cares about you wants you to put yourself in extremis by spending too much on him or her. No one who really wishes you well wants you to overspend on him or her.

If you know anyone like that, he or she is not a real or close friend. Any real friend wants an expression of remembrance and affection from you -- not an encumbrance upon you. Every person who cares about you still cares just as much if you send them a heartfelt card as if you spent real money.

It's Madison Ave.'s task to make you think you can spend your way into someone's heart at Christmas. That's fine, but it's not true. No one who can be bought is worth buying. That's especially true where romantic love is concerned. Besides, this is the season of peace. For any real friend or lover or relative, your peace of mind comes first.

This is easy to forget at this time of year, but it's truer than ever now. To be broke and scared about money is not what "Merry Christmas" means. Give love, not heartache, this time of year -- and all year, every year.

Technorati Tags: Economics, Christmas, Holiday, Spending, saving, money

Linux about to leap forward

2006-11-29T23:03:00.000-05:00

I have not used Linux on a regular basis for about 6 years now. I know there must have been many leaps and bounds between what I used in high school and freshman year. It is no longer a operating system that is only used for programmers and checking code. I recently have been liking more and more OS X architecture and design. It has gotten me anxious to explore other operating system options. So I figured it was time to do some research. I found this blog post at Linuxbloggers.com. I think I might test out a few of the more "windows like" Linux distributions at the office.

But I wanted to tell you about Xandros and SLED, because I think these two distributions are the closest anyone has ever come in the Linux camp to providing a plug it in and go system that office workers in the enterprise could actually use. For SLED especially, it even looks somewhat like Windows. Linux purists hate it when a Linux distro looks like Windows, but frankly, it is bridge products like these two that help fuel the migration from one system to another.

I am beginning to wonder if Linux will ever take a dominant place in desktop computing. If desktops do move from 32 bit to 64 bit environments, that might be one opportunity for Linux to attack the status quo. When people are replacing massive numbers of systems, that is the best time to look at alternatives. If Linux hs a great 64 bit solution, provides a really easy migration path with many programs that look and feel similar to Windows, yet also starts to offer other compelling alternatives and new solutions, it could happen. In order for such a thing to happen, Linux would have to run great on 64 bit systems, the hardware vendors would have to cooperate, and Linux would have to have a very good multimedia and gaming answer - and communicate effortlessly with iPod systems and other MP3 players, or it just won't happen, period.

Technorati Tags: linux blogs useable distro

Voting

2006-11-19T01:26:00.000-05:00

I voted this November because I was disturbed by the incompetence of our current leadership. I researched all the candidates online. I even included the local regional ones and Judges. Yeah, I know, even I can't believe it. I actually sifted through tons of news related to the election. I read policies. I read transcripts of speeches. So much information.

What did I find election day? I went and voted here in Atlanta, Georgia on a Diebold electronic voting machine. As I walked into the public housing complex common room to vote, I started a small conversation with one of the polling people. Telling her how I read up on this and that, and how I had moved and my address was different.

"Don't tell me too much information" she said as a warning. This still puzzles me today. Was she trying to save me from loosing my vote because I was at my old polling station? I thought my vote would be provisional because of my move so close to the election. Would it not be counted? Could it have been that because she was a poller she was forbidden from getting that information verbally from me?

I will never know. However her image stuck with me.

Here I was voting in Midtown Atlanta. Probably one of the most Democratic regions in the state of Georgia. There was no line. There were no pollsters taking exit polls as I left. The only thing in the room was 3 women who passed out paperwork, someone to give me a SIM card the size of a VISA. And 10 electronic voting machines.

If they could give you less information they would. There were state resolutions with 4 lines. A sizable group of local positions were uncontested.

Lets say that electronic voting machines are not killing democracy for a minute. Lets give the politicians and the corporations the benefit of the doubt. If you are going to use something electronic to vote, why not give the voter more information if they want it. Why not give an executive summary of referendums to be passed if the voter wants to see it. I am not saying force people to read through legalese legislation. Just some cliff notes on what the bill is about.

Also why are we voting for judges? They have no political affiliation. They were nominated for their position, we just say yes or no. Does anyone ever hear about specific cases of judicial decisions that create precedent in the media? No, all we hear about is OJ Simpson's new book.

Voting was pushed to the back of my head since then. However weeks later, post referendum, I figure that Coach Pelosi is going to make some changes. I have slowly come to realize that this will not be the case. Nothing will be accomplished because our nation is so polarized that compromise is out of the question for the politik.

What we need is a Progressive party. We need a Christian Party. We need a Libertarian party. A Green party. Not only Dems and Repugs. A multi-party system is the only thing that will force our politicians to compromise. In a multi-party system even a small minority has power because they need to be brought on board to get legislation through. They must work together to pass anything with a majority.

I am truly not sure what this all means for our everyday lives. The only actual thing that I know for a fact is that Gas was cheap in October. The price of fuel was high before and it is steadily increasing now. This is one commodity that the whole country watches on a daily basis. The rest of the economy is only monitored closely by our stock brokers and traders. Think of what they must be seeing during these elections.

Something must change soon. We must always strive to improve upon our imperfect democracy. What have we done lately? What has evolved in our system? I hope that more people are asking these questions. I hope they are searching for answers themselves. Knowledge is our only option.

New Blog

2006-11-15T13:43:00.000-05:00

I just discovered a new blog called Get Untracked. First off, I love the name. It is based off of stupid ex-pro sports casters screwing with the English language. Anyways, this guy's got great links and two great posts so far and it looks like he is going to have a great blog. Here is a link to the BEST sports/automotive analogy ever! I recommend you check out his blog. Thats all for now, you can go back to your rainy, gloomy (if your in Atlanta) work day.

New Defense Secretary Gates Was Director Of e-Voting Company

2006-11-10T11:34:00.000-05:00

Gates was on the board of directors of VoteHere, a strange little company that was the biggest elections industry lobbyist for the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). VoteHere spent more money than ES&S, Diebold, and Sequoia combined to help ram HAVA through. And HAVA, of course, was the bill sponsored by Bob Ney that put e-voting on steroids. Anyone think this smells a little?

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2006-11-03T11:32:00.000-05:00

Daily Show - lampoons White House political attack tactics

The last point by Stewart is the best. Why are we more concerned with someone hurting some feelings, and less concerned with the people who are letting our troops die?

2006-11-02T16:06:00.000-05:00

I can't stand Rush Dumbass so I thought I would post this vid.

Link

Kauai

2006-10-20T20:34:00.000-04:00

This is paradise. As Bueller says, "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend [coming here]" I will post lots of pictues when I get home but for now, here are a few.

2006-10-06T15:45:00.000-04:00

President Bill Clinton On The Daily Show (2006)

Just for a comparison...

2006-10-06T15:32:00.000-04:00

Daily Show: What Exactly Is President Bush's Job?

My Mom sent me this video on youtube. With low presidential job approvial ratings what does W think is the problem?

2006-10-05T02:48:00.000-04:00

Musharraf on the Daily Show

John Stewart interviews Pakistan's Pres. Musharraf about his visit to the US and fighting the new emergance of the Taliban. Daily show has had some amazing guests lately,

2006-10-05T02:41:00.001-04:00

John Stewart Kills CNN/Fox News

2006-10-05T02:41:00.000-04:00

DailyShowFoxClinton

I actually watched the interview (even though I can't stand Fox) and I thought that Clinton handled himself quite well. It is just like the media to ask a loaded question and then act surprised when they got a real response!

"Hotel Minibar" Keys Open Diebold Voting Machines

2006-09-18T16:10:00.000-04:00

The access panel door on a Diebold AccuVote-TS voting machine, the door that protects the memory card that stores the votes, and is the main barrier to the injection of a virus, can be opened with a standard key that is widely available on the Internet... or to anyone who forgot to give their key back upon check-out. This is not the first article about the weak security that our democracy is now counting on. Does this have anyone else worried? I sure am!

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2006-09-15T19:33:00.000-04:00

Desperate Soundbites - The Daily Show

Bush at his best.

2006-09-13T00:09:00.000-04:00

X1 Electric Car

2006-09-13T00:08:00.000-04:00

Electric car beats Ferrari and Porsche

Watch this incredible video of an electric car that can do 0 to 60 in only 3 seconds, and has a top speed in excess of 112 miles per hour, as it beats both a Ferrari 360 Modena, and a Porche Carrera GT

The Daily Show: We Are Safe! (9/11/06)

2006-09-12T23:35:00.000-04:00

Jon Stewart and Senior White House Correspondent John Oliver examine President Bush's methods of coping with the grief of 9/11 and the lessons he's learned from Hurricane Katrina.
Another classic Daily Show clip, check it out!

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Voting Machines Wreak Havoc in Maryland Elections

2006-09-12T23:33:00.000-04:00

"So many of these races are so close. . . . Voters are yelling at us and yelling at the election judges" It would seem that the Diebold machines are going to be giving us problems this November as well. Anyone else looking forward to cheap November gas prices and raised terror alerts just in time for the elections?

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Angryshuna!

2006-08-31T00:15:00.000-04:00

I just found out that a buddy of mine has a blog. Interesting topics. Check out the site! AngryShuna.org

The next site I came across that sparked my interest was Apartment Therapy. It is a design website with great photography. I think I might take a few tips from the 8 step home cure book.

On a more manly subject, I found some awesome offroad tires that fit JS's truck. Very cool tires, continous treadblocks in the center of the tire, it looks like it can really handle on the road too. Plus they just have an amazing tread pattern. And lets face it if you are going to own a Ranger with a FX4 Off-Road package you need Bridgestone Dueler A/T REVO with UNI-T AQII Technology.

2006-08-13T01:24:00.000-04:00

Best of Moto GP

Check out this bad ass video I found on Youtube! Great music vid from MotoGP

Illustration of feeling

2006-08-04T12:17:00.000-04:00

Why must we always be at odds, glass full and glass empty. Someday our footsteps will sync and the tear will mend. Hope eternal.

I think of you thinking.
More Amazing pictures here

Civil engineer, Paul Pedini built his home from salvaged Big Dig scraps.

2006-08-01T18:29:00.000-04:00

He spent a decade working on the the Big Dig and found it illogical that his company was being paid to junk high quality materials. So built a home out of them. Some people are resentful that he got the materials for free, but it saved money and he paid to haul it away. He is now pushing for more construction recycling.

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Dvorak: The Politics of Piracy Emerge in Sweden

2006-08-01T18:28:00.000-04:00

Today's youth internationally are not like anything we've seen before. Their view of the world is skewed by the media and new realities. When they see all these restrictions, they see them done on behalf of fat guys who are flying around in private jets with a cabin full of high-class hookers while lighting cigars with hundred-dollar bills.

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Joe Lieberman road to defeat

2006-07-28T11:30:00.000-04:00

Here is a vid that I found on Youtube. My family still lives in northern Connecticut and this is a big race up there. Something that started as a small grassroots state race has garnered national attention. Last night Ned Lamont visited my home town, Suffield, to speak at the local high school. (Review here) This was in part due to the effort of passionate democratic locals like my Mom. I am so proud of her and her efforts. Every day she is spreading the word that there is a better choice for CT than Lieberman. It is in part due to her that one pundit said "If this boils down to a competition over the most lawn signs, it'll be Ned vs. Coldwell Banker." Thanks to the internet and people in small towns debating real issues the future does not look so bleak as it once did. Democracy will survive. Go Lamont!

And Now For Something Completely Different

2006-07-13T01:54:00.000-04:00

There is this new movie coming out that visually makes the original 1977 Sci-fi / Drug novel come to life. The book and movie both take place in the near future. The time has come. A Scanner Darkly comes out Friday here in Atlanta. It was shown to great acclaim at the Canne Film Festival. It is directed by Richard Linklater, the same guy who did School of Rock and who wrote and directed the cult classic Dazed and Confused. The film uses the technique of rotoscoping, live action is filmed then animated over. I think that this will lend itself perfectly to A Scanner Darkly and it looks to be amazing. If anyone wants to go, the movie will be premiering Friday, July 14th, here in Atlanta. It is playing at the Tara movie theater on the corner of Lavista and Cheshire Bridge at these times (2:00), (2:30), (4:30), (5:00), 7:15, 7:45, 9:45, 10.15. Whomever reads this blog, I invite you check this Indy film out.

Here is the website for the movie. Hopefully a review will follow.

On the Road Again, Where Biodiesel Is a Rising Star

2006-07-05T22:54:00.000-04:00

Soaring fuel costs have many consumers curtailing needless driving trips. But not Mike Frybarger. Last summer, the 49-year-old independent trucker got in his Volvo 770 tractor-trailer, drove for 2½ days and logged more than 1,200 miles. He passed hundreds of service stations, without stopping at any of them.

Read the full New York Times story here.

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John C. Dvorak on Net Neutrality and Senator Ted Stevens's idiocy

2006-07-05T22:37:00.001-04:00

The Net neutrality bill took kind of a weird turn despite its defeat, when the public got to hear the mouthpiece for the telecom industry, Senator Ted Stevens. It seems like a miracle that he can even find the crapper.

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Voice Over IP : 5 Things You Must Know

2006-07-04T00:15:00.000-04:00

Here's our five-point take on the state of the technology.

I am interested in VOIP because I work for a company that deploys VOIP. I think that it will revolutionize the telecomunications industry if people start using it in any great quantitiy.

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2006-06-30T00:18:00.000-04:00

President Al Gore

What if? Check it out. Thanks SNL.

The Environmental New Deal

2006-06-27T23:52:00.000-04:00

The Environmental New Deal: Let me preface this by saying that I hope any new legislation will push current biodiesel technology as well as the ideas outlined here.

Three Big New Ideas to Achieve Energy Independence and Combat Global Climate Change

America's oil dependence and contributions to global climate change are endangering our national security, our economy, and our environment. America consumes one-quarter of the world's total oil, but has less than 3 percent of its known reserves. Currently, we import about 60 percent of our oil, making us dangerously dependent on a precarious energy source which is vital to our economy and way of life. According to the Energy Information Administration, US oil consumption is projected to grow significantly over the next two decades, forcing us to rely on imports for nearly 70 percent of our oil by 2025, and increasing our dependence on some of the most unstable regions in the world. America also contributes about 30 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions but comprises only 5 percent of the world's population.

Senator Kerry knows we cannot win the war on terror and get serious about global climate change and energy security, if we do not take bold steps to actually break our oil addiction. Talk is not enough. A safer, more secure energy future is well within our reach. The imperative has never been greater to reshape the future of our energy supply and energy use. First, Kerry will establish an oil savings goal and implement an aggressive set of policies to reach it. Second, he believes we must immediately expand the availability of renewable fuels to run our cars. And third, he believes we need to get serious about climate change and take measures to freeze and reverse our greenhouse gas emissions.

(1) Reverse and Stop Emissions that Cause Global Warming

Climate change is caused by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that trap the sun's heat and cause the planet to heat up. Climate change poses a growing threat to our national and economic security - and to the planet our children and grandchildren will inherit. Last week, the National Academy of Science concluded that the Northern Hemisphere was the warmest it has been in 2,000 years and that "human activities are responsible for much of the recent warming."

Kerry Plan: Science tells us that we face a grave risk of potentially devastating impacts if global temperatures increase by even more than a few degrees. Senator Kerry will introduce the most comprehensive legislation yet put before Congress to slow, stop and reverse greenhouse gas emissions. His plan sets greenhouse gas emissions targets that science suggests will keep temperatures below the danger point. The level of emissions is frozen in 2010 and then gradually declines each year to 65 percent below 2000 emissions levels by 2050. The bill achieves these targets through a flexible, economy-wide cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas emissions. It includes measures to advance technology and reduce emissions through clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency in the transportation, industrial and residential sectors.

The US is the world's single largest emitter of greenhouse gases, but the US alone cannot solve the challenge of global climate change. It is going to take action from other countries - - both developed and developing. The Kerry proposal includes a resolution expressing the urgent need for President Bush to re-engage in international climate negotiations.

(2) Mandates for Reducing Oil Consumption

The United States is saddled with rising prices for gasoline, escalating uncertainty in energy markets, and increasing oil imports in the foreseeable future. These stubborn facts will not change without an aggressive policy response that promotes both radically increased energy efficiency in our vehicle fleet and a rapid shift to greater use of alternative renewable fuels. The imperative - and the opportunity - has never been greater to reshape the future of our energy supply .

Setting Oil Savings as an Urgent Priority

The biggest flaw with the energy bill the president signed into law last summer, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, is that it does virtually nothing to reduce US oil use, despite the fact that about 60 percent of oil is now imported and the percentage is projected to steadily rise.

Senator Kerry's plan will set mandatory targets for reducing US oil use by 2.5 million barrels of oil a day by 2015.

A. Transportation: Transitioning from Oil Dependence to Renewable Fuels

The transportation sector consumes more than two-thirds of the oil we use, accounting for 13 million barrels of oil per day, and roughly a third of our greenhouse gas emissions. We can reduce our oil dependence by transforming our transportation sector: improving the efficiency of our vehicles, making more clean and super-efficient vehicles that are affordable, and that can run on renewable fuels.

Promoting the Development of Super-Efficient Vehicles

Over the past 20 years, automakers have used advancements in technology to add more than 800 pounds to the average vehicle and to nearly double horsepower, while fuel economy has slipped. Today we have the technology to preserve or improve the current size, utility, performance, and safety characteristics of our vehicles, while at the same time increasing fuel economy. And over the next 20 years, hybrid technology - including hybrids that run on clean, alternative fuels - and plug-in hybrids, can deliver even greater gains in fuel economy. In the short-term, we need to take steps to ensure that there are more of all of these types of vehicles on the road.

Strengthen CAFE. We must raise our federal fuel economy standards. America has already proven that such strides are possible. Fuel economy for new passenger cars nearly doubled between 1975 - when standards were first adopted - and their peak in 1988, while fuel economy for new light trucks increased by 50 percent. But the rules for passenger cars haven't changed since 1985, and the average mileage of our new cars and trucks today is at its lowest level in 20 years. Increased fuel economy standards would also bring significant reductions in global warming pollution.

Accelerate the Conversion of American Vehicles to Flexible Fuel Technology. Flexible fuel vehicles can run on higher blends of ethanol, which helps displace petroleum. The Kerry plan mandates that by 2020, 100% of cars can run on flex fuels.

Tax Credits to Convert Factories to Build the Cars of the Future. A recent study by the University of Michigan found that unless US automakers move faster to build hybrids, thousands of jobs could be lost. Producing fuel-efficient, advanced-technology vehicles will require automakers and their suppliers to retool their factories. Hybrid vehicles rely on advanced equipment such as battery packs, electric motors and generators, and electronic power controllers - components that currently come from factories in Japan and Europe. Tax credits will help manufacturers make capital investments necessary to retool their factories, increase the cost-effectiveness of advanced technologies, and stimulate job growth in the production of cleaner, more efficient vehicles. Senator Kerry's plan will provide a total of $3 billion over the next five years in consumer and manufacturer tax credits to spur these changes.

Close the SUV Loophole. Under current tax policy, the government grants massive tax breaks to purchasers of SUVs. The original intent of the provision was to increase capital investments by farmers and other small business owners who rely on light-trucks or vans. When this provision was added to the tax code, luxury passenger SUVs were not the market force they have become, and it appeared a good way to help small businesses. Over time, however, this provision has developed into a loophole big enough to drive a 6,000-pound SUV through. The Kerry proposal will eliminate the loophole that allows the law to be misused by more accurately defining "passenger vehicles" and "work vehicles."

Promoting Biofuels and Infrastructure

To reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we must ensure an adequate supply of advanced technology vehicles and an adequate supply of fuel to power them. Recently-passed energy legislation included a number of provisions that should be rapidly implemented and fully funded to expand investment in alternative fuels. There are more vehicles on the road that can run on biofuels. Now we must remove the barriers to ethanol and other biofuels at fueling stations across the country. And, we need to build facilities to make ethanol from switchgrass and other waste products, in addition to corn, so we can ensure that 30 percent of our fuels are biofuels by 2020.

Mandate Ethanol Pumps at Gas Stations. Today, there are 6 million flex fuel vehicles on the road, but less than one percent of the nation's fueling stations have E85 pumps. Kerry will ensure that 18,000 gas stations owned or branded by a major oil company offer at least one ethanol pump by 2010. And he plans to offer an amendment to the energy spending bill later this year to help us move towards that goal. The Kerry plan will also provide incentives to independent and retail chain owners to install clean alternative fueling pumps.

Keep Ethanol Competitive with Oil. Kerry believes that we should take steps to ensure that there is a market for ethanol, even if the price of oil falls dramatically. The Kerry plan would make the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax credit (VEETC) variable with the price of oil to ensure that if oil prices drop, investment in ethanol does not. Kerry's proposal would vary the credit from $0.40 at current prices up to $0.80, instead of the current $0.51 credit as oil prices fluctuate from $70 to $30 per gallon.

Invest in Cellulosic Ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol has the potential to substantially reduce our consumption of gasoline. Unlike traditional ethanol, which is made from grains such as corn, wheat or soybeans, cellulosic ethanol can be produced from a great diversity of biomass, and a technological breakthrough could lead to widespread use of cellulosic ethanol to fuel our vehicles. The Kerry plan will increase the cellulosic ethanol production incentives to $2 billion over 10 years.

B. Enhancing Domestic Energy Supply

Promoting Renewable Energy

Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have implemented market-based Renewable Energy Portfolio programs that require utilities to gradually increase the portion of electricity produced from renewable resources such as wind, biomass, geothermal, and solar energy. A study by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that under the Energy Information Administration's 2004 gas price forecast, a renewable standard of 20 percent by 2020 would save $26.6 billion and that commercial and industrial customers would be the biggest winners.

National Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard. Kerry's proposal will direct the Department of Energy to seek an aggressive federal renewable energy purchase requirement and to establish a national Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard of 20 percent by 2020.

C. Increasing Energy Efficiency

In addition to developing new sources of energy, we must make better use of available energy. New technological advances in appliances, energy grid systems, and buildings can boost productivity, create jobs, improve the reliability and safety of the energy infrastructure, and make dramatic inroads in reducing air pollution. Energy efficiency investments are crucial for meeting both our near-term and long-term energy needs.

Setting Stronger Efficiency Standards for Buildings and Appliances

Increase Federal Government Energy Efficiency. The Kerry plan will mandate that the government decrease energy usage through efficiency and conservation measures to achieve a reduction in federal energy consumption of 25% by 2025.

New 'Model' Efficiency Standards. The Kerry plan will require the Department of Energy to develop national "model standards" to make new buildings at least 30 percent more energy efficient and update appliance efficiency standards and standards for manufactured homes, which account for almost one-third of new housing construction. The Kerry plan will also require that updated standards be reevaluated every five years for most appliances to determine whether the standards need to be strengthened.

National Standards for Utilities. The Kerry plan will direct the Department of Energy to establish national standards requiring utilities to obtain, each year, one percent of their energy supplies through energy efficiency improvements at customer facilities. These savings would accumulate each year through 2025.

(3) Developing Energy Technologies for the Future

Senator Kerry will double federal government funding for energy research and development; increase incentives for private sector energy research, development, demonstration, and early deployment (ERD); expand investment in cooperative international ERD initiatives and facilitate greater coordination among relevant federal agencies.

Establish a new Energy Security and Conservation Trust Fund. Reducing our dependence on oil and building a future of clean and abundant energy are urgent national priorities. Our political system, however, does not treat them that way. To assure that the nation is on a track to reduce oil dependence, Kerry is once again calling for the creation of an Energy Security and Conservation Trust Fund capitalized by rolling back tax breaks for big oil. The revenues will be dedicated to accelerating the commercialization of technologies that will reduce America's dangerous dependence on oil. The Trust Fund will allocate $20 billion over the next decade to reduce oil dependence and create a cleaner and more reliable energy future.

Are the Terrorists using BF2 against us? Congress thinks so...

2006-06-25T11:30:00.000-04:00

ABC News have posted a news story about Battlefield 2 and Congress. Of course the good ole Congressmen's have no idea what they're talking about saying that Terrorists are modifying Battlefield 2 to their needs. They also talk about the famous video made by Sonic Jihad who the CIA/Pentagon thought was a training video for Terrorists.

Why are we paying these "experts" to talk to congress? It seems that all they are doing is misleading them. It is a good thing that this hearing was open to the public. I think that more of these should be open to the public so that we can see where our tax dollars are going. You can tell that congress was just itching to go after EA for their terrorist video game. Oh yeah, did anyone else find it funny their gaming expert was using a Mac?

read more | digg story

2006-06-24T13:35:00.000-04:00

Ask A Ninja: Question 10

Ninja Metal! Gotta love 80s refrences.

I want one: Prodrive P2

2006-06-20T04:52:00.000-04:00

Why, oh why, can't Prodrive put the P2 into production? Hmm? I would sell a kidney to get it! Oh well, I will just have to make my WRX drive like it. Watch the vid, you will be drooling too. As always Top Gear brings you the latest, baddest cars. Yes I know, it is the best show ever.

IBM gets processor to run at 500GHz!!!!

2006-06-20T02:01:00.000-04:00

IBM and Georgia Tech have coaxed a chip to run at 500GHz, a record for a silicon-based device, by dropping the temperature to minus 451 degrees Fahrenheit.

read more | digg story

Dragon

2006-06-01T15:39:00.000-04:00

The dragon was awesome! I will post some pictures soon. If you have no idea what I am talking about then check out this website.

Glad to hear a Democrat finally step up

2006-05-21T21:47:00.000-04:00

May 20, 2006
Clinton Says Must "Get Off Our Butts" to Stop Warming
By REUTERS

Filed at 4:09 p.m. ET

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Former President Bill Clinton said on Saturday global warming is a greater threat to the future than terrorism and that the United States and other countries must "get off our butts'' and do something about it.

Clinton, speaking to the graduating class at University of Texas' Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, said the United States must pursue policies that make "more partners and fewer enemies'' and use "institutionalized cooperation'' before there is catastrophic damage from global warming.

"Climate change is more remote than terror but a more profound threat to the future of the children and the grandchildren and the great-grandchildren I hope all of you have,'' Clinton said.

"It's the only thing we face today that has the power to remove the preconditions of civilized society,'' he said.

"I am not one of those who is pessimistic about the future of the world, assuming we get off our butts and do something about climate change in a timely fashion.''

During Clinton's administration, the global Kyoto Protocol to curb the release of greenhouse gases was created but the Bush administration has rejected it on grounds it will hurt the U.S. economy.

"I think we should be in the Kyoto climate change system,'' Clinton said. "We can't solve global warming or any other problem in the world you can mention that amounts to a hill of beans by ourselves.''

The United States is considered the largest emitter of the ''greenhouse gases'' blamed for global warming. President George W. Bush has said that global warming may be occurring but its cause is not clear. Generally, it is believed that the burning of fossil fuels is the primary cause of climate change.

SEMA Show

2006-05-16T01:47:00.000-04:00

Can ya really blame me for wanting to be part of the automotive aftermarket industry? I mean really, cool cars is only half of it.

Satellite radio at it’s best.

2006-05-11T00:40:00.000-04:00

I am riding out to disk golf one day in the GLI and on Sirrus comes a new song. Eric tells me how great it is. I take a listen while thinking of how to improve my short game. Later on the next week, while tossing around an unidentified flying object, Matt is raving about this new song that he has heard on Sirrus at work. Some underground joint venture between Dangermouse and Cee-lo. Ok, I am intrigued. That following Friday while celebrating the battle of Puebla, Mexico and watching Rob fall out of his sandals the mysterious underground song came on again. I could not take anymore. I had to have it. After a little google here and there I came across this vid on the blog-o-sphere. It's slowed down a bit, with some strings added. Very cool. So a big thank you to Eric, Matt and Satellite radio for Gnarls Barkley. For the rest of you out there here is Gnarls Barkley live on Top of the Pops.

Oh yeah and a shout out to the Blog I found the video on ...good weather for air strikes

Audi R10 TDi delivers glowing plug for diesel power

2006-03-19T14:07:00.000-05:00

This weekend Audi scored a historic victory for diesel power at the 12 hours of Sebring race in Florida. The diesel powered R10 drove 349 laps around the 3.7-mile World War II airport course in 12 hours, 12 seconds in the American Le Mans Series opener. With gas prices continuing to increase this could be the first step towards selling diesel and eventually renewable Bio-Diesel technology to the American public.

Hopefully this will encourage auto manufactures, especially Audi, to import more vehicles with diesel power plants. Who wouldn't want to drive a plush A8 800 miles on one tank of diesel?

read more | digg story

Bill Moyers | Restoring the Public Trust

2006-02-25T17:35:00.000-05:00

Here is an article I found on Truthout.org. It is a very interesting read with many insights about the state of American Politik currently.

I will leave to Jon Stewart the rich threads of humor to pluck from the hunting incident in Texas. All of us are relieved that the Vice President's friend has survived. I can accept Dick Cheney's word that the accident was one of the worst moments of his life. What intrigues me as a journalist now is the rare glimpse we have serendipitously been offered into the tightly knit world of the elites who govern today.
~ Bill Moyers

Bill Moyers | Restoring the Public Trust (Full Text)
PBS | NOW

Looking for a worthy cause

2006-02-20T14:22:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I've got this idea. I want to build a car for the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) trade show to raise money for a good cause. Something that will give back to the community and earth that we as gearheads sometimes take for granted. I know what car I want to use and who I want to design it. A new Ford Fusion would make a great base and I happen to have a friend who works in their design studio. Also I think it would be great to focus on the strengths of the vehicle, its driving dynamics. It will never be a Lotus but for a family sedan it is the best America has put forward in a while. According to Motor Trend it has the best tactile feel of any of the big family sedan contenders, i.e. Camry. So here is the conundrum, how to build a car worthy of SEMA and one that promotes not only the brands used but raises money and awareness of some worthy charity. So now I am in the process of trying to come up with an organization that this might benefit. I am looking for ideas. Please if you happen to stumble across this post, drop a note and add your thoughts. At the end of this whole process I would like to auction the car and use the money for charity, or donate it to someone who really needs it. As of right now this is just a brainstorm.

So far:
Children's Cancer Research
Handicap High School Students
Environmental Charity
Police + Fireman
AIDS research

As you all see I could use some help.

NASA Science Under Attack

2006-02-06T22:00:00.000-05:00

Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters: "'The New York Times is reporting that NASA science is being harassed and even sometimes suppressed by presidential political appointees. The article details how NASA scientists dealing with such topics as global warming and the Big Bang are under attack for ideological and religious reasons.' The submitter also has a running commentary summarizing a bit of the background of the story on his blog."

Slashdot | HOWTO, Cook an Egg With Your Cell Phone

2006-02-06T21:55:00.000-05:00

Slashdot | HOWTO, Cook an Egg With Your Cell Phone: "'Suzzanna Decantworthy published an article in her Wymsey Weekend column that described how to cook an egg with two cell phones. From the article: 'Many students, and other young people, have little in the way of cooking skills but can usually get their hands on a couple of mobile phones. So, this week, we show you how to use two mobile phones to cook an egg which will make a change from phoning out for a pizza.''"

NPR reviews under-the-radar fuel source that may be ideal for US

2006-02-02T20:53:00.000-05:00

Switch grass can produce 1000 gallons of fuel per acre. At even $1.50/gallon, that's a gross of $1500/acre. No other crop we grow has that potential.

If you have a spare second at work take a listen to these reports and those related to them on NPR. The Fact Checking of the State of the Union is a good listen as are the others. I still wonder why nothing was said about BioDiesel. It is an option that is available today and works in current cars and trucks with little or no modification. Plus you can use recycled cooking oil! Your car now runs on McDonalds. I think it is an idea that is much more current and accessible than any ethanol option. It is also a completely renewable resource. Talk about dependences on foreign oil, we could literally grow our way out of this problem, and possibly even export.

read more | digg story

30 Boxes, Best... Calender... EVER

2006-02-02T20:31:00.000-05:00

Well earlier last week Om Malik said that 30 Boxes would be to calendaring what gmail was to email and I can't agree more. It's this and so much more. I had a chance to demo the software and have written a review. The public beta launches on Sunday and you will definitely want to check this one out.

Ok everyone, if this turns out as good as the billing is, we should all sign up for it. Great way to plan parties and such.

read more | digg story

Update: Keyboard Revolution

2006-01-31T23:05:00.000-05:00

Optimus MINI 3 Keyboard w LED Released!

The keyboard we've been waiting for, just smaller. Much smaller. In fact, a new concept altogether! They'll be available May 15 for $100. Only 3 buttons.

read more | digg story

Stolen Powerbook appears on eBay with a difference

2006-01-27T01:34:00.000-05:00

What happen if your Powerbook got stolen? Why not post it onto eBay before the thieves do.

read more | digg story

DESYN MASIELLO|BALANCE 008

2006-01-26T22:57:00.000-05:00

Stomp - VARIOUS - MIXED BY DESYN MASIELLO|BALANCE 008: ~BALANCE 008|MIXED BY DESYN MASIELLO~

With its already impressive list of DJs such as Chris Fortier, Phil K & James Holden , the Balance series continues to evolve and surprise with each new release, and the latest installment from UK rising star DESYN MASIELLO is no exception.Incorporating classic, deep, tech, funky and progressive house in his sets, Desyn's unique musical taste and boundless enthusiasm is captured in all its groovy glory across two discs in what may be the most awe-inspiring volume of the acclaimed mix series so far: Balance 008. Features tracks and remixes from Orbital, Francois K, Moloko, Joey Negro, Soulsearcher, Killing Joke, Will Saul, Coburn, Ellen Allien, and more.
Desyn Masiello is one of the very few DJ’s in recent years that has stood out and caught the ear of some of the worlds largest DJs ( with Deep Dish, Sander K and Danny Howells nominating him as their 'future DJ Hero' in DJ Magazine's Top 100 poll). With many established DJs and newcomer DJs leaning towards a particular style and musical range many are pigeon holed into a 'genre' of music. Desyn, however, has managed to establish his own sound that crosses boundaries and makes difficult to categorize.

Amazing two disk set that I can not remove from my changer. Disk two opens full of memories with Orbital's - Halcyon On + On. The building sound and club feel of Disk one is a sharp and welcome contrast. I highly recommend listening if, like me, you are searching for an exciting new, yet nostalgic, sound.

The Socratic Method used on 3rd graders to teach them binary arithmatic

2006-01-21T17:44:00.000-05:00

"The experiment was to see whether I could teach these students binary arithmetic (arithmetic using only two numbers, 0 and 1) only by asking them questions." Very good read. This is a great teaching method and it has been around for centuries.

read more | digg story

Plasma thruster tested for Mars mission

2006-01-05T01:35:00.000-05:00

The technology was recently verified at the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris...The HDLT uses solar electricity from the sun to create a magnetic field through which hydrogen is passed to make a beam of plasma, powering ships through space

read more | digg story

High Speed Photography Flickr Group

2006-01-04T02:31:00.000-05:00

Just some cool pictures that I came across this one is from the Flickr group noted in the digg story. This group contains high speed captures of extremely fast events which cannot be seen by the naked eye.

read more | digg story

AllPeers Is The FireFox "Killer App"

2006-01-04T02:16:00.000-05:00

I found this article about the new AllPeers extension for Mozilla FireFox on digg and thought it was cool. It basically turns your web browser into a file sharing app through the use of RSS and Bittorrent technology. Very cool idea that makes sharing media like pictures and movies across a multi-computer household network a cinch. Just think: your in your living room on your multimedia PC and you want to show everyone the latest pictures off of your home office computer. Now all you need to do is open your web browser. Check out techcrunch's take on the new FireFox extension.

read more | digg story

Introspective look through another's eyes

2005-12-31T03:30:00.000-05:00

I used to regret a lot of experiences, mistakes, choices I have made. I used to pine for the past, all the time wishing, desperately, that I could once again attain and maintain what I once had. I no longer have regrets. I no longer want the present to be an incarnate of the past. The present is far too precious, preferred above the past, to give it up readily. ~ thisexit

I found this entry while surfing through the blogs. The above excerpt is brilliantly written and is expressive of many thoughts at this time of retrospective on the eve of the New Year. I also credit the photo to another blogger Brittany Benson whom I stumbled across tonight. Both are beautiful expressions that deserve recognition.

Yankee$ $uck

2005-12-30T03:53:00.000-05:00

Ok, So why is it the only people who talk to you if you have a Red Sox Hat on are Yankees fans? And to all Yankees fans in the greater Atlanta area: Yes I know Johnny Damon was traded, is a trator and that goes for every member of the Red Sox nation. You really don't need to ask. Oh and I am actually from New England, so all of you posers who have never even been to New York, yet claim to be fans, can piss off!

New battery puts power plant in your pocket

2005-12-26T01:56:00.000-05:00

Japanese electronics maker Toshiba launched two MP3 players in October that run on DMFC fuel cells, using methanol as fuel. The smaller device is no larger than a pack of gum, offers Flash storage, and holds 3.5 millilitres of fuel - good for 35 hours of musical enjoyment.

read more | digg story

Happy Turkey Day

2005-11-25T15:07:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all three of you who read this blog. I hope that you enjoyed the turkey and stuffing. I am in beautiful sunny Naples, Florida for the holiday. I plan on spending the afternoon on the beach with no thoughts other than the sun and the waves. Today the fam and I worked on replacing all the screens on the porch here at the condo. The hurricane that swept through here this summer mostly just got everything dirty. Sand all over the place. even inside of the washer and drier. Everything is tip top now though and thus it is time for sitting on the sand. I hope everyone at home in the ATL and in New England is keeping warm. This year fellas I don't envy you. Snow and now rain it says, sounds like a fun commute.

One last thing, To hell with GEORGIA! Come on Tech, if we can beat Miami we sure as hell can beat those 'Dawgs!!!

Quote of the day

2005-11-18T18:12:00.000-05:00

Thanks to TV and for the convenience of TV, you can only be one of two kinds of human beings, either a liberal or a conservative.
- Kurt Vonnegut

Does the Mayor have to do homework?

2005-11-10T14:23:00.000-05:00

An 18 year old high school student became mayor of a town this election day. I wonder, the Mayor is in charge of the educational system right? Does that mean that he can get out of doing his homework? This is the first time I have ever read about someone winning as a write in vote. Check out the article on channel 6 news.

Teen now Mayor in Hillsdale

Maybe I need to start looking into politics....

Clarkson Races Tanks

2005-11-08T00:23:00.000-05:00

Check out a different perspective of reporting on the Iraq war. Car Critic goes to Bagdad

London Times - Jermey Clarkson

London Times - Playing with Fire

Both a good read.

Well, thats one way to get caught

2005-11-07T14:33:00.000-05:00

Understandable mistake of the week

A police officer was hit on the head by a marijuana plant as he chased a 300lb black bear through the US town of Clarkston, Washington. A woman had tossed the plant over a high fence after mistaking the bear-chasing police team for a drugs raid. A couple have been arrested and accused of growing marijuana.

Found this in the London Times and thought it was funny.

New Room

2005-10-24T22:43:00.000-04:00

IKEA - Amazing. After having lunch for three for 16 bucks I went shopping with the 'rents for three hours wandering around the massive IKEA store in Atlanta. I know for a fact that it is the largest such store in North America and it could be the biggest in the world. The best thing about IKEA is the use of space. They take a tiny space and fill it with a huge amount of storage and everything you could want. Want to live in 350 square feet? They've got you covered, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen all included. I found a great cubic bookshelf 4x4 1.5 feet each. Now I no longer have boxes stacked in my room from the move in August. Much better situation let me tell ya.

If anyone has bothered to read from the beginning my neck is slowly getting better with the help of Physical Therapy. Damn this is taking a long time. Turns out it was not just a muscle pull but either an inflamed disk or something along those lines. Either way I can't wait for it to get better. Anyways I am contemplating setting up another blog for pictures only; I just need to get a digi-cam first.

Archaeology at your desk

2005-09-15T02:16:00.000-04:00

I just read the most interesting story on DIGG about a man who discovered an ancient roman villa in his home town in Italy. He was just board at work and playing around with Google Earth and he stumbled upon it. After doing some more research online and with Google maps he decided to call a museum and find out if they knew anything about this site. They then confirmed that this was a new find and it is thought to be from ancient Roman times. So next time your bored, do some archaeology at your computer. Here is a link to the story about him at Nature.com.

Also for those of you who are good 'ol Tech TV fans, check out This Week in Tech. It is a weekly podcast from the screen savers crew. I have to say, its better than what comes through my radio while I am stuck in Atlanta traffic.

Oh and an update on the horrible pain I was in... It still hurts, just not debilitating. Meaning, whomever wants to play some disk golf/regular golf let me know. That one is for you Foster.

I think I am going to start posting more links I find interesting here. If you think they are cool, let me know, if they suck, oh well.

Damn this hurts

2005-09-09T01:27:00.000-04:00

I don't know how I did it but I managed to inflame a nerve in my neck. After the party(had a blast and thanks to all that came) I worked the next day building a deck up at the lake. All went well, I left with all fingers still intacked. Woke up the next day a little sore in the neck but no big deal. Then I the next couple of days I spent on the PS2 and studying for an accounting test without much sleep. Then Tuesday, the night before the test, my neck is really killing me.

I woke up at midnight with a stabbing pain. Ok, slept on it wrong, so I took some Advil and hit the sac. Only to find out that I couldn't move after I had laid down. Can't sit up, can't roll over, and now my left arm is in pain too. Ok now I'm here in the dark thinking, how can I only be 23 and having a heart attack? No more fries for me. That can't be it, maybe its hepatitis, they say you get a stiff neck from that, but I don't live in the dorms anymore, and thats a college freshman thing anyways. So I can't move and I am going crazy too. I try to fall back to sleep, I figure I'm stuck maybe it will go away when I wake up. I try my best not to move, even breathing hurts.

After some fitful sleep I fall out of bed, in more pain than before and I can not even hold my head up, My good arm now has to do that, and I can't feel my left. I wander the house and find Bobby at his computer letting his new bot cheat for him in WOW and watching Veronica Mars on his laptop. I tell him I am dying and that he can have my speakers when I'm gone. He calms me down tells me to take more Advil and go to sleep.

That does not work. By 8:30 I am calling my doctor. The phones are down, what the hell? I call bell south, they know there is a problem at the doctors office, but they are not authorized to tell me when it will be fixed or any other way I can get in contact with my DOCTOR! Gee thanks.

Next its time to call the family, Mother knows best and all. Call the insurance and go to a clinic. Like any good son, I listen to Mom when I'm in pain. Come to find out that even though I have the best damn PPO that blue cross blue shield offers that they will not cover walking into an emergency room unless there was an accident or it was proven to be an emergency. So I ask where I can go that is covered?
The response from the operator "you have the freedom of choice plan you can go where ever you want."
Great I say, so I am going to Emory right down the street and you will take care of it?
"No we will only cover you for doctors that are in network."
I am in alot of pain right now, and you have the nerve to try this bull on me??? I wanted to rip her head off. I hang up, that was a dead end.

Now I need to get to my doctor, I can't drive, Bobby doesn't have a license. Its time to wake up James.
Hey, can you drive me to the doctor? I'm dying.
James "What?"
Yeah I pinched a nerve in my neck or something and I can't move my head. Just let me know when you've got some pants on.
James still half asleep "ok"
What a trooper, so he gets up, checks his email, puts on some pants, downloads his work for the day and takes me to funwoody.

I get to the docs and tell them that they have no phone service. I have no appointment, I need to see someone. Ok go talk to so-and-so. I go talk to this woman, I tell her I need to see a doctor and that I am a walk in.
She says that only one doctor is in and that she doesn't have anything until around 1 in the afternoon.
I tell her thats fine as she leaves the room, and I ask if she could get me something for the pain in the meantime.
At that she turns around and says, He will see you in 15 minutes. Go fill out some paperwork.

I hobble my way to the waiting room. Mind you I look like a cross between frankenstine and the hunchback of notre dame because my head doesn't move and its cocked at a bit of an angle.

I tell James they are gonna see me. He's cool with it. He then informs me that there are fire ants where the male and female genders are different species. I have a feeling that he is enjoying his time in the waiting room reading Scientific American.

I get called, they take me in and weigh me. Why I do not know. Yes I'm 265; what does that have to do with the fact I can't turn my head or move my arm? Finally the doc comes in, he asks whats wrong. I tell him I have no idea how it happened but I can't move my head, and my arm is numb.
He pokes around my neck and back. "Ok, you have an pulled muscle, it has tightened around the nerve and thats why you can't feel your arm. This means that the nerve is inflamed, and that is causing more muscle spasms and thus is putting more pressure on the nerve." (you see the vicious cycle?)
Great.. now what? I wonder.
"Take some pills, you might be better in a week, if not call me back."
So I leave there with cortisone pills, muscle relaxers and pain pills. Time to call the fam back and let them know I'm ok. No heart attack or infectious disease, just too much playstation. In 30 minutes I will be in a doctor prescribed drug haze and all the pain will be gone. Hydrocodone can do that for ya.

Now it is Friday, and I just realized that. For some reason, I still thought it was Wednesday. Amazing what modern medicine can do. I'm still hurting and I can't really look around. However in 5 minutes when that pain killer I just took kicks in, I will be back to thinking its Wednesday, and when I wake up from this daze it will be the weekend. Yay for that.

Party at Lavista!

2005-09-02T19:05:00.000-04:00

Its Labor day weekend, you all know what that means. Beer, friends and fun. Friday night at 8ish, my place. White house with white mailbox with a big green plant under it. Here are Directions. Google is your friend. I hope to see you all. Bring folding chairs if you have 'em.

Now I have a blog

2005-08-29T02:29:00.000-04:00

Now I feel important, well, guess not. I figured its time for me to have a blog, so here goes. I am planning on putting pictures here, crazy links that I find, and any rants I feel worthy of publication. If you know me, great. If not, eh who cares about you anyways!