Underforty

The Little Carrot

2011-12-07T01:38:00.000-08:00

The Little Carrot

by Geoff Hazel

The clock struck 4:00 and the sun was going down in the west on that cold December Seattle day. Rumor had it that soup was to be made today, and the items in the refrigerator were buzzing with anticipation.

The leftover turkey in the freezer knew his time had some, but the vegetables were in hot dispute as to who was going to contribute to the dinner.

The carrots, of course, knew they would be involved, but there were two bags: the old whole carrots, of which just a few were left, and the new finger size snack carrots. “We are always in the soup” said the whole carrots. “Yes, to be sure you are, but there are only a few of you, and we are confident that some of us will be used also,” said the finger carrots.

There were two celery bunches, each uncut and unused since they had been bought a week before for the Thanksgiving stuffing. While they had a reasonable expectation of being soup, they each acknowledged that if they were used at all, only one of them would get out of the drawer.

A half-bag of whole green beans kept silent, secretly hoping that some of them, if not all, might become tonight’s dinner. There was no point in being vocal if, in the end, not being chosen resulted in scorn or humiliation.

Sure enough, as 4:30 rolled around, the chef started taking items out of the refrigerator and cupboard. Cans of beans, chicken broth and tomatoes were put on the counter. The refrigerator door was opened and all the carrots, some green beans, and the turkey were removed from the refrigerator and set on the counter. The celeries were surprised and saddened as the door closed that NEITHER of them would be chosen. Each took quiet consolation that at least, if he had not been picked, the other had not either.

The canned kidney beans and red beans were the first to get opened. Dumped unceremoniously into a colander and rinsed, they splashed into the waiting chicken broth. Then quickly followed the frozen turkey scraps and a can of tomatoes.

The carrots, both whole and snack size, were set on the counter. In the bag of whole carrots were three thin crisp carrots and a small broken carrot tip. It was just a few inches long, about the size of your little finger – hardly worth mentioning, really. And yet it had sat in the cold, dark vegetable drawer just as long as the other carrots, and had managed to keep his crispness, too. All it had ever wanted was to be made into soup – or possibly carrot salad, but being so small it knew the odds of THAT ever happening were miniscule. Set next to those was one limp carrot that had escaped from the bag and spent the last two weeks in the drawer with no protection from the elements. While wholesome, it had grown limp. None of the other carrots liked to talk about it, or to it. Each had heard stories of what happens to a carrot in the bottom of the vegetable drawer, out of the bag – growing limp, then drying out and shrinking. The only consolation to that fate was that it was better than unused cucumbers which turned to disgusting goo in their plastic bags in just a few weeks. Carrots, properly stored, could last for months, and they were proud of it.

With all the canned and frozen ingredients in the pot, it was time for the vegetables, and the little carrot watched the activity with eagerness and fascination.

It saw the hand reach into the bag and grab the three other carrots. It watched as they were peeled, and then sliced and put into the pot. Then it watched as some green beans were trimmed and divided. And it started to wonder, “Am I so small that, now that the bag is empty, I will get thrown away into the trash and never made into soup?”. It saw the three good carrots go into the pot. Then it saw a handful of the snack size carrots go into the pot. With each addition, the odds of getting picked dropped. And then it saw the lid opened as the chef reached for the limp carrot, peeled and sliced it and put IT into the soup. That was it! There was no way the soup needed any more carrots, much less a little one like itself. Despair washed over the little carrot.

What possible chance would it have now? It wasn’t needed, and furthermore the chef didn’t even know it was THERE. It couldn’t move, it couldn’t make a sound or call attention to itself. It just lay there, and fighting the rising fear, it hoped against hope that it might yet find its way into the soup.

Then it appeared that preparation was truly over. The chef starting to clean up, rinsing out empty cans and putting them in the recycle bin, picking up empty bags, putting the leftover green beans back in the vegetable drawer, and with each movement the little carrot alternated between despair and hope. “Here comes the hand again, perhaps now it will see me. Oh, no, it’s just throwing a paper towel into the compost bin” or “Oh, here comes the hand again. Oh, no, it’s just putting the spices away.”

The hand reached over, lifted the carrot bag and the little carrot thought, “oh, this is the end for sure. I’m off to the garbage can inside this bag. I won’t even get to be compost. What a sad and sorry end for me.” But all of a sudden, it felt the probing fingers of the chef’s hand. He had found the little carrot! The carrot swelled with happiness and pride as the hand took it out of the bag and laid it on the cutting board. “Oh, joy! I will be soup tonight after all!” the carrot exulted.

And an hour later, that’s exactly what it was.

Pointless net-chat with Clear person about service outage

2010-10-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

I had a service outage for about a half hour at 12:30 AM last night. This happens once or twice a month, and since I have an odd schedule and am often working at that time via my Internet, it's a problem for me. I started a chat session with the Clear customer service person, and here's how it went. Apparently any outage less than 24 hours isn't even reimbursable, and if they DO give you a credit, it's prorated, so you might get a whopping $2.00 credit.

Your question is: had an outage last night at midnight. was this maintenance?
You have been connected to Angel Jewel.
geoff: Hi
Angel Jewel: Hi geoff! I’m sorry to hear you’re having issues, but I'll be happy to help you today.
Angel Jewel: Geoff I would like to review your account and provide you with connection information.
geoff: yes please do

geoff: are you still there?
Angel Jewel: Yes.
Angel Jewel: May I have the phone number associated with your account, please?
geoff: 425-401-6554
Angel Jewel: thank you Geoff one moment as I locate your account.
Angel Jewel: Geoff are you able to connect to the interent with your clear device.
geoff: I am now
Angel Jewel: Around mid-night the towers do get updated this could of caused your internet connection to be lost.
geoff: it was out for about a half hour
geoff: I work at night and uptime at that time is important to me
geoff: my connection to my work was interrupted
Angel Jewel: I do apologize that this has happened. I would recommend if this does happen again contact us via the phone to trouble shoot to see if we can get you to by pass the outage.
geoff: your phone support is not open at midnight
Angel Jewel: Geoff even rotating your device and moving it to another location can help.
geoff: or did that change recently? I've called in the past and wound up wasting my time getting a recording
geoff: I've experimented moving the device around, and the location it is in now has very good reception 99.9% of the time.
geoff: but last night it just went to chasing lights with no connection for a half hour
Angel Jewel: Okay, moving your device and powercycling can help.
geoff: is there a way for you to search and see if there was any scheduled maintenance last night that was affecting my area?
Angel Jewel: I would not be able to see that information now.
geoff: what does Clear consider acceptable downtime ?
Angel Jewel: During this time it can take usually 2 to 24 hours.
geoff: so it's OK if my service is down for 2 hours?
Angel Jewel: If your service is out for that period of time we will credit your account for time with out service.
geoff: what about 30 minutes?
Angel Jewel: Geoff if i gave you a prorated credit for 30 mintues with out service it would only be a couple of cents.
geoff: so you're saying that Clear considers a 30 minute outage that interrupts my work essentially worth pennies.
Angel Jewel: The credit is prorated.
geoff: what incentive is there for Clear to keep their network up ?
Angel Jewel: What do you mean Geoff.
geoff: I mean, it seems like Clear doesn't really care if their network goes down for a few hours because if anyone notices and complains, they can send them a credit for 50 cents.
Angel Jewel: Geoff in our terms of service is it states we only apply credit to account that had no service for 24 hours or more. If there is an issue with our end.
geoff: so the answer to the former question is: Clear considers outages of up to 24 hours acceptable service.
Angel Jewel: It is not because we do not care for our customers. I do understand the fraustrations, but i this is company policy.
Angel Jewel: It is not our intention to not have service. However, being that we are a wireless internet provider sometimes occasional updates to our towers are necessary which may interfere temporarily with your ability to get online. Also, we do perform routine maintenance to ensure that our service operates to the best of our ability. I do apologize for any period of time in which you were unable to use your service.
geoff: Ok, I think we've talked around this issue enough today.
Angel Jewel: Is there anything else I can assist you with today?
geoff: No.

Smithfield Corp and their new CEO

2010-08-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

Story is told of the Smithfield Corporation, Akron, Ohio, manufacturer of auto parts. The auto industry decline had left Smithfield on the ropes. They had lost money for the first time in 20 years, and gross sales were down by 50%. If that wasn't bad enough, foreign companies were taking their market share, and their immediate competitors had moved their factories to Mexico to cut labor costs. The situation was dire. Consequently, the board was considering a change of CEO.

They interviewed one candidate who looked promising. Although he had little prior experience, he said he understood their situation, and convinced them that he was capable of solving the problems, putting the company back on track, and painted a vision of their restored success. He was hired.

After a year and a half, the company was still struggling, with the outcome in doubt. When the CEO gave his appraisal of the progress made so far, he was not shy to point out what a mess he had inherited, and that the present mess hadn't been made in a day, and it wouldn't be fixed in a day either.

INSERT SOUND OF SKIDDING NEEDLE ON RECORD

No! He said no such thing. No CEO worth his millions would complain about how bad things were when he was hired, call his problems "inherited" and blame the former CEO. Those were facts that were clearly understood when he "took office" and solicited for the position, and were willingly accepted. The promise he made was to own the problems and FIX them, not keep blaming his failure on his predecessor.

At least, that's how it would work in the REAL WORLD of commerce. Apparently things work a bit differently in the private sector of Politics. In Politics, if you succeed in your turnaround, you can take the credit. If you fail, well, look at this mess you inherited -- who could possibly be expected to fix it?

Am I being unfair here? Have I taken liberties, or constructed an inaccurate analogy? My purpose is not to say that progress has not been made (although what progress has been made is up for discussion) but rather that even now, the administration is still to this very day over 18 months later still blaming the current situation on the past administration. It's far past time to keep blaming things on the last guys, and in any event no problem was "inherited"' when you run for office you accept it as it is, with all the benefits and problems. They are your problems on day 1, and it is your responsibility to solve them, not complain about them.

What about these wavy clouds

2010-07-22T22:59:00.001-07:00

Stole this pic from a Facebook friend. Let's see if Cliff Mass can shed some light on them:

Micro-managing failure in the Declaration of Independence.

2010-07-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

From the Declaration of Independence:

"He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them."

You know what they say: Employee hate a micro-managing boss, but if you're GOING to micro-manage, at least do it WELL. You have refused to let the managers that report to you make any decisions, reserving all authority for yourself, but then you let things sit on your desk for weeks without any comment -- and your managers wonder why they are even working for you!

iPhone after blackberry: what I miss

2010-06-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, first off, I don't miss the blackberry browser. Horrible web experience. I don't miss the tiny keys either.

That said, why couldn't Apple put a few features on the iPhone like:

Use any .mp3 file as a ringtone. Yeah, you want to sell me a ringtone. Thanks, but I like my snipped of the song I ripped just fine.

Use any .mp3 file as a message or other event notification tone. This should be a no-brainer. Every phone can do this! Well, almost every phone.

Sound profiles: loud, normal, and quiet come to mind. (And why won't anyone do "timed" like I had on my ancient Nokia -- goes quiet for a period of time and then auto-reverts to normal -- is that a patented concept or something?). All we get is "vibrate" and "non-vibrate" unless you like fiddling with settings.

Seriously Apple, this stuff isn't rocket science, and nearly every phone nowadays -- and many phones year old -- can do it. Not quite a deal breaker, but it doesn't make me love you. I think I'm gonna peel my "Apple" logo sticker off the bumper of my truck now.

Haiti and the problem of suffering

2010-01-24T12:44:00.000-08:00

I've seen many quotes recently about "Why did this disaster strike Haiti." You've probably seen some of them too. Many of us recoil at them, knowing instinctively that they are a poor attempt at explaining something that boggles the mind. One self-proclaimed Athiest put up a Youtube video claiming that the earthquake was proof to bible believing Christians that their faith was self contradictory. Either the loving God allowed the quake and disaster, or he caused it, or could have prevented it and did not. Either way, he was to blame for it, so there's no God, and you are all deluded.

I just finished reading the book of Job. Job, by all accounts a good, righteous man, is afflicted as a result of what could only be called a bar bet between God and Satan. The bet is that man worships God only when he is blessed, and a man in poverty and sickness will turn against God. Job loses his family, his wealth, his reputation, his social standing, and his health. His four "friends" tell him to find what he's done wrong, and confess it to get his state restored, but he refuses to plead guilty to something he did not do.

Finally, God shows up to answer Job's questions -- and what is the answer? God says "Where were you when created the world, the stars, the crocodile? " It's not much of an answer, yet Job says "I had heard of you, but now that I see you, I repent". Just seeing God was the answer to suffering for Job.

Interestingly, just today I ran across this quote from CS Lewis that echoes, I believe, the same sentiment:

"I ended my first book with the words 'no answer.' I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice? Only words, words; to be led out to battle against other words."
— C.S. Lewis

Haiti is tragic, but is just a macrocosm of what happens to people around the world every hour of every day: accident, disease, and death do not take a holiday, they are part of our lives. This is just what happens all the time, except a lot of it at once. For those who seek an answer to "why" I would say, seek the face of God. And while you're at it, pray for the people of Haiti.

How Obama can save healthcare

2010-01-19T23:51:00.000-08:00

This is how Obama should address the Joint Session of Congress if he wants to save healthcare:

Senators, Representatives, and the people of America: I am not one to give up a fight easily, but even I can see that the recent Republican victory in the state of Massachusetts was more than just an interim election, it was a message by the voters of that state that we are going the wrong direction on healthcare. And I believe that these voters are representative of what the rest of Americans feel.

During my campaign, I promised healthcare reform. There were to be no more back room deals. I promised open negotiations on C-SPAN. I promised no special favors. Well, I get the message. I know a lot of work has gone into the bills we have now, and as reluctant as I am to say this, as of today, I am instructing the Senate majority leader, and the House majority leader, to discard their bills and start over.

This time, we will truly work across the aisle, in open negotiations that WILL be on C-SPAN, to craft a bill that has the support of both Republicans AND Democrats. Healthcare reform is too important to ignore, and too important to divide our country on the basis of party affiliation. I ask the support of every Senator, every Representative, to bring your best ideas to the table, and together help to fashion a bill that we can ALL support -- one that doesn't depend on a filibuster-proof majority to pass. It will take time -- a year, even two years, but healthcare reform is something worth working for, not only to have quality healthcare for our nation today, but also to ensure that our system can stand the test of time for our children and their children."

SPEECH END

Oh, and in case you think this is just one lone voice:

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), one of the leading advocates for health reform in the House, said, "I don't think it would be the worst thing to take a step back and say we are going to pivot to do a jobs thing" and include elements of health care reform in it.

"If there isn't any recognition that we got the message and we are trying to recalibrate and do things differently, we are not only going to risk looking ignorant but arrogant,” he said.

Ignorant and arrogant. You got that exactly right Tony.

Senate to debate "Cash for Couches" to help furniture industry

2009-08-03T16:41:00.001-07:00

Aug 3, Washington DC

The US Senate today debated a new stimulus proposal dubbed "Cash for Couches" designed to lift the depressed domestic furniture industry. While the US auto market is only 50% domestic production, the Upholstered furniture market is over 90% produced in the United States, predominately in the North Carolina region.
"We would welcome the chance to put our laid off employees back to work," said Jim Leviton, CEO of Heritage Furniture. Heritage makes a furniture sold under a varitety of store brand names, and employs 350 people in its Winston-Salem plant. Earlier this year, 75 employees were laid off due to lack of demand.

The new "Cash for Couches" program would provide up to $500.00 trade-in for any couch or upholstered chair, regardless of condition. Like the "Cash for Clunkers" program, the couches would have to be destroyed to eliminate the possiblity of insect infestations from spreading. Unlike the car program, however, people trading in the couches would not have to provide any documentation of prior ownership for 6 months. Also, the dealer paperwork would be reduced to a single page.

Sen. Barney Frank (D) of Massachusetts said "This program will help get new couches in the hands of people who have been putting off purchases, and also get the furniture industry moving again." The program is proposed to be initially funded with just $200,000,000, which will allow 400,000 families to replace their couches at a reduced price.

Republicans initially indicated their opposition to the bill, but later agreed that nearly 100% of the money would be going to American companies, it was one way they could help stimulate the economy and show some bi-partisan support to be used as a bargaining chip in future health-care debates.

The Senate is expected to vote on the proposal shortly after coming back into session from their Summer recess. The House has not yet taken up a similar measure.

Do bikes even GO this fast?

2009-07-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

This is a real sign. Found today 7/20/09 on the Sammamish River Trail at the south end by Marymoor park. Yes, there is some construction going on. NO, it wasn't going on when I rode by today. Unless you have to walk your bike over a 20 foot deep chasm on a 2x12 plank, I think we might be able to go through at least at WALKING speed, don't you think?

This way that way any way you want

2009-07-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

You can get to 520 any way you turn. It's practically unavoidable!

Contractor awards, for doing what was in the plans even if it didn't make any sense.

2009-05-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

Obama's science guy admits the sun causes global warming

2009-04-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

In a recent article President Obama's science adviser John Holdren said that we might need to consider seeding the atmosphere with pollution to cut the solar gain from the sun, if global warming gets too severe. This, to my mind, admits that the sun is contributing to global warming right now. I have a few questions and commens for Mr.Holdren, and am awaiting his replies:

I heard about the plan to “research” what it would take to cut sunlight and curb warming by shooting pollution into the upper atmosphere, simulating a volcano eruption.

First off, I work in computers and we never do anything to a running system to improve it that we can’t reverse in case we don’t get the results we expect. In this case, please be sure that any such plans you have to tinker with the atmosphere include methods to completely UNDO your changes, should we decide that is advised.

Second, can you tell me of any experiment or project that has attempted to engineer weather or climate in such a scale that has been proven successful?

Third, your analogy of being in a car, heading toward a cliff, without brakes, in the fog is clever: we are headed for disaster, but we lack control of the rate of our movement, and in fact, we don’t even know how far away the disaster is; even if we try steering the car away from the disaster, since we lack visibility we don’t know if we will point ourselves toward or away from the cliff; our actions may actually hasten our demise. Although we can see the earth warming in places, we don’t yet know why it is warming; and in fact doesn’t shooting particles into the atmosphere admit that the SUN is one of the main causes of global warming, not human activity? If the sun is at fault here, it's not getting it's due. Most if not all of the current global warming solutions attempt to control CO2 production. What proportion of global warming is due to the sun?

I look forward to your answers to these questions.

Cars: never all that easy to do even the easy stuff

2009-03-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

We are going to sell the Kia Sephia we bought for Krissy a year ago. Before I sell it, though, I need to change out the alternator. The one in there now has a bad bearing and sounds like a cement truck when the car is running.

OK, not too hard. Upper bolt. Lower bolt. Two wires.

Not so fast.

First off, need to jack up the car to get underneath. Then take off the front wheel for more room to move.

Now there's stuff in the way. Some funny little box with wires and cables coming out. Three bolts and it's loose.

Dang. I need all my metric sockets. They're over here.. rusty...can't read the numbers...

Loosen up the top bolt, no problem. Oh, right, remove the battery ground. Moving on, remove one cable. Now what about the bottom bolt?

Way under here...14mm... no 14mm socket. Have an open end wrench that'll fit.

Pull, pull harder... No go. Gotta get a socket. Oh, here's one. Good. Bottom bolt is loose now.

But this other wire -- it won't come out. It's a plug, must have a lock or something. But it won't come out. After about 20 min of fiddling, I manage to bust off the lock tab and it comes out.

Well now we're getting really close. The bolts are finally out, the wires are off. Just need to pull... wait, it's stuck. Pull it out ... no.. twist it.... nearly out but this fuel tubing is in the way.... how is this supposed to come out?

Hop on Chiltons' online.. no help.

Try again. Still stuck. Could I take the tubing off the injector manifold? I'd really rather not...

Ok, one more time. Pull this way, shove that way, and apply more force!

It's out! At last! And sure as shootin, that bearing sounds horrible.

zzyzx road

2009-03-22T23:25:00.001-07:00

Phishing emails still can't spell -- thank goodness

2009-03-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

I'm glad phishing isn't getting too horribly sophisticated. Hopefully people reading this will realize that when there are spelling or grammar errors in an official email, it's a phishing ploy.

And that email address looks REALLY official, doesn't it?

The shrinking 1 x 2 has shrunk even further.

2009-03-01T17:49:00.001-08:00

The "grocery shrink ray" strikes grade stakes.

On a recent trip to Home Depot, I noticed these grade stakes, clearly marked '1x2' -- I guess they are thinking that would be 1" x 2". But careful measurement shows they are 1/2" x 1 1/2". Now I suppose you could say "well, they were 1 x 2 before they went through the planer" but I sincerely doubt that. In MY day a 1x2 was at least 3/4 x 1 1/2. These are 33% less wood than THAT, and 37% less wood than what a 1x2 would be if it was full size. You can get nearly 3 of these out of a full size 1x2.

Quiznos makes promises they can't keep

2009-02-28T19:27:00.000-08:00

Cheapskate Quiznos Corporate gave away a million subs. Except, apparently, they made their franchisees give away a million subs, without reimbursement, and the franchisees decided they didn't want to participate. So yours truly got to make a trip to Quiznos for nothing.

The sign above first blames "Customer Abuses" but later admits that they are not getting reimbursed.

Cheapskate Corporate! Shame on you.

Chimp cartoon critics miss the point in two ways

2009-02-19T22:22:00.000-08:00

First off, the "controversial cartoon" which has people up in arms. Imagine the outrage that some one would compare a a chip to our President (who happens to be African-American.) Uhhh... listen up people: it compares a monkey to CONGRESS. President Obama didn't write the stimulus bill, Congress did. Strike one.

And second, if it WAS comparing the chip to Obama, certainly there is plenty of precedent for comparing presidents to chimps and that raised little protest. Comparing chimps to Presidents is the American way!

Strike two.

So, people, all I have to say is "get over it and let's move on, nothing to see here folks."

Al Gore compares himself to Galileo

2009-02-06T23:32:00.000-08:00

Al Gore gave a speech to schoolchildren just before the Inauguration of Barak Obama. He compares his claims regarding global warming and it's rejection to why "older people" rejected Galileo's claims.

He compares the certainty of global warming with the certainty of astronomy.

"When I was your age and the civil rights revolution was unfolding, and we kids asked our parents and their generation, 'Explain to me again why it's okay for the law to officially discriminate against people because of their skin color?'

"And when our parents' generation couldn't answer that question, that's when the law started to change. There are some things about our world that you know that older people don't know," he continued. "Why would that be? Well in a period of rapid change, the old assumptions sometimes just don’t work anymore because they're out of date," Gore said.

tranlation: Your parents don't get it. You do. You're smarter than your parents! They think it's OK to dump tons of pollution into the atmosphere. You know better. Global warming is as certain and as sure as the earth rotating around the sun, and anyone who disagrees is as dumb as the people who rejected Galileo.

A very clever speech, given to young people not quite educated enough to dunk it. The indoctrination of our youth continues. Who will call Al Gore to account?

Listen to a recording of the speech here

King 5 - in the tank for Obama

2009-01-20T22:50:00.000-08:00

How much is King 5 TV "in the tank" for Obama? Well, it's hard to prove without a way-back machine. Their Web article Puget Sound residents react to inauguration

had some comments posted -- not outrageous, just two people who were less than totally enthralled with their new president. And now those comments are gone. And the comments button doesn't work. No comments being accepted.

Too bad they couldn't stand to actually have dissenting views publicly posted. At least they're fair. Now NOBODY can comment on the story.

Why getting out of the current economic downturn isn't as easy as saying "spend"

2008-12-29T13:11:00.001-08:00

The recent economic problems, their source and interrelation seem to be so obviously connected, yet so far I haven't seen any pundits make the connections.

Fact: over the last few years, house prices have risen, and people have been capitalizing on the increase in value with second mortgages, or refinancing entirely and pulling out some cash. That money was used to purchase all kinds of goods, including cars, vacations, horse-back riding lessons, and, of course, 50" Plasma TVs.

People were also expanding their other lines of credit: VISA, MasterCard, and store lines.

Now that the house price bubble has burst, and the ARM loans have adjusted, people have no more source of ready capital to borrow, and must live within their means. Some people, saddled with debt they cannot re-finance, must live below their means as they attempt to service that debt.

The past economic boom was all financed with debt. And that game is over. Telling people to "spend" is not going to solve the problem, they have no money to spend, and they can't even dip into their "debt reserve" to refill their wallets, because nobody is willing to loan them one more dime. Their cards are maxed out, and as they pay them down, the credit companies are going to lower the limits on those cards to reward them.

Winter babies are dumber because... well we don't really know

2008-12-23T14:53:00.001-08:00

USA today features a story regarding why babies born in winter show less education, and earnings and generally are losers. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-12-22-winter-babies_N.htm

A large body of research suggests that, on average, winter babies grow up to be less educated, less intelligent, less healthy and lower paid than people born in the spring, summer or fall. Scientists have blamed the winter babies' woes on everything from the weather to age cutoffs for school.

And now, a pair of University of Notre Dame economists have come up with an explanation they say could account for half of the discrepancy observed between winter babies and babies born during the rest of the year: Mom.

Then they go on to try to guess why... and guess and guess. Prom babies. Sperm counts. Poor peple don't have air conditioning, that's what it is!

Studies like this give me fits. I guess social researchers have to do something to earn their pay, but I just call bullshit on this. Get your story straight before coming out in public, OK?

Oh, in case you were wondering. I'm a winter baby. And a number of other people I know are winter babies too, and only one of them is really somewhat questionable. The rest are smart, upscale and "normal" people.

Leaning tower of snow

2008-12-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

We had lots of snow here recently. And then it snowed again. And then it snowed some more. I made a big pile on the deck and then started adding to it until it was a big snow column. Very boring.
It started leaning over due to some weak snow layers, and I got the idea of making the "Leaning tower of Pisa" in snow. It should be taller or thinner but it's got the lean down pretty well. I don't expect it to last much longer, the lean rate is accelerating.

Click on the picture for a better view.

Snow day in Bellevue Dec 18 2008

2008-12-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

Woke up to some snow today. This was about 11:00 AM and it was still coming down. They had tried to forecast snow for the past couple of days and had a really hard time predicting how much, where and when. We finally got ours.

GE quality appliances -- NOT

2008-12-06T23:37:00.000-08:00

We really are not all that hard on our appliances, but somehow our GE Profile refrigerator of just 30 months has acquired a number of broken and dented parts.

Dented top on the freezer door. We went away on vacation and came back to the dent. There were house sitters and pet feeders. Nobody knows how it happened, but it's impossible to repair.

The pull out wire tray in the freezer cracked.

Clear plastic panel in the door cracked. Repaired with clear packing tape. Very classy.

The most annoying of all, the front of the guide for the left side vegetable crisper drawer broke off. This causes the drawer to flop around, fall out of the guides entirely, and come all the way out without a stop.

This unit is just 30 months old, and I swear we are not guilty of appliance abuse. I would have thought for a "Profile" appliance, an upscale line, that they would have built it to be more durable than a "normal" cheap-o model, but apparently not.

And I was glad I bought a service contract because in that 30 months we've had the ice maker replaced, and the computer board that controls the fan replaced.

I have contacted GE appliances to see if they have any comments or can help me get some of these "cosmetic" items fixed or repaired.

Spotted on Bainbridge Island

2008-12-06T21:52:00.001-08:00

What is this thing? I saw it today on the Chilly Hilly route and can't remember what it's called.

Click on the image for a larger view.

Where are the Holiday Shoppers?

2008-12-06T20:07:00.001-08:00

Recently not spotted in the mall: customers. Check out this image taken in a large well known Department Store in Bellevue WA on a Friday night, about 7:30 PM, at what SHOULD be a pretty busy holiday shopping season.

I'm not gonna mention the "R" word but it's pretty deserted out there.

Click on the picture for a larger image.

Chromed twisted steel low-rider bike

2008-12-06T19:48:00.000-08:00

Check out this sweet ride! The whole bike is twisted, chromed steel. Even the spokes! And it has dual controls, handlebars AND a steering wheel. (Not quite sure how roadworthy it would be even if you inflated the tires).

Yeah, and I think it even has a muffler in the back.

Spotted at a display in the Bellevue Square Nordstrom

Click on the images for a larger view, it's worth it!

Frontyard remodel progress report

2008-12-05T15:59:00.000-08:00

We've been remodeling the front yard, and are filing a photo-progress report. We've cut out sod, tilled, planted lots of new (and very young plants, formed up a new walkway (just need some concrete) and added a dry streambed type rockery made up of rocks found IN our yard.

Spotted another Phishing scammer

2008-12-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

They start out pretty well, but by the end of the email, punctuation and syntax trip them up badly.

I spotted 4 errors:
safety. :
process. Please (should be , please)
Sincerely (2x)
temporal hold

Iris tubers for free BAG COUNTER

2008-10-11T20:29:00.001-07:00

Please note the current total and subtract the bags you are going to take OR took. We are starting with 30 bags of tubers.

Recumbent cycling vs upright

2008-09-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

My buddy has been riding a Bacchetta Giro 20 for the past few years and kept bugging me to give it a try. I found one locally for a decent price and bought it. After riding it 700 miles, I had a financial need and I sold the Giro for what I bought it for, and went back to riding my Fuji Touring.

Now that I've been on the Fuji for a few weeks, these are my reflections on the difference between riding an upright bike vs. riding a recumbent.

Benefits of the 'bent:
relaxed seating position
Comfortable on longer rides.
A bit more aero in headwinds.
Upright head position gives a better view of the scenery.
Better use of gear combinations -- the longer chain line eliminates cross-chain issues.
And it was kinda cool getting "noticed" by bystanders.

But... the drawbacks for me outweighed those benfits.

No ventilation on the back.
Sun in your eyes.
Rain in your face.
Only one riding position.
No riding no-hands.
No opportunity to stand up for extra power.
Difficult to hold a line on steep hills.
Always have to get into the right gear before stopping at lights.
Tight turns require dropping inside foot off the pedal to avoid leg/handlebar and foot/wheel interference.
Longer bike is harder to transport.
No bunny hopping curbs.
On the DF, stopping is easy: swing leg over, coast in on the other foot, and then hop off.
And one of the biggest things was no contribution of upper body muscles, which are very useful on hills or accelleration.

Regarding comfort, sure DF bikes can cause discomfort in the perineal area, but one of the less discussed issues in the bent world is recum-butt, which is caused by sitting on the muscles you are using. It can be reduced by reclining the seat more and better weight distribution, but it's always a threat.

Some people think 'bents are lots slower on hills, and I didn't find that to be the case. I ride some very steep hills, 10-11% grade, and my speed on either bike isn't much different. The difference on steep hills is that you can stand or lean forward on a DF and put more weight on the front wheel. On the 'bent, you're pretty much screwed and unweighting the front wheel makes it much tricker to hold a straight line.

Anyway, I know there's lots of people who love their 'bents -- including my friend -- and I suppose if I had a long tour I might consider one, but for day to day riding, I'll take my DF.

Beat the ticket with Rule 2.2d

2008-09-18T13:39:00.001-07:00

What's rule 2.2d you ask? I didn't know until today. I had to go to traffic court with my 19 year old to fight her ticket on "Following too closely." While we were waiting for our turn, a young man and his father had their turn, and pled "discharge" because rule 2.2d was violated. Sure enough, the judge and prosecuting atty looked at the paperwork and agreed, and "case dismissed." Wow! I want some of that action! So I followed them outside into the hall and asked what was "magic 2.2d ". The father handed me a copied page of Infraction Rules, and section 2.2d says that infractions have to be filed with the court within 5 business days, and theirs was filed in 7. Case dismissed. I asked how they knew the dates, and they said they had "done discovery" and gotten the filed documents. Well, I didn't have that, or the time to do it, but figured it was worth a shot.
When it was our turn, we sat down and the daughter asked "I was wondering if rule 2.2d applies in my case?" The prosecuting atty and judge look at their paperwork, and the atty gets quiet. A good sign, in my estimation. Then the judge asks the clerk to print out a copy of the paperwork for us. He then says "Look at the box below the fine, where it says "Date issued". We look. It is blank. And as it turns out, section 2.1b says that the ticket is SUPPOSED to contain this date.
Well the prosecuting atty makes a try going back to rule 2.1a which says "minor mistakes on the form don't invalidate it." Dang, I guess we're dead. But no, the judge says "I belive that section 1.9 refers to the printed form itself, not the information that is supposed to be filled in ON it." And at that, we are "case dismissed."
Thanks to the dad who tipped me off on rule 2.2d. Thanks to the office who failed to fill in the date. And thanks to the judge whose interpretation got us a dismissal.

NASA warming scientist: 'This is the last chance' - Yahoo! News

2008-06-25T00:26:00.000-07:00

I can only hope that this means he's going to shut up now.

NASA warming scientist: 'This is the last chance' - Yahoo! News

How NOT to use numbers

2008-05-11T19:47:00.001-07:00

This article shows how NOT to use numbers.

This Reuters Article regarding the number of dead in the Burma cyclone, said:

"Given the gravity of the situation including the lack of food and water, some partners have reported fears for security, and violent behavior in the most severely afflicted areas," the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. It said "the number of deaths could range from 63,290 to 101,682"

This is like saying "82,486 plus or minus 19,196". With a margin of error that large, there's no way to support 5 significant digits of accuracy!

82486

Let's Play Jeopardy! (College edition)

2008-05-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

In a recent (May 8, 2008) Jeopardy game, between College students, the following answer was used. None of the contestants even attempted an answer. Will you know it?

The category is "B.A" - and as a hint, since they knew it, that means the answer is two words that start with the letters B and A.

The clue:

"Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Unless you become THIS you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven."

Got it?

No?

Believe it or not, not one contestant, (and these are "smart" college students) even attempted an answer to this one.

OK, just scroll on down for the answer.

farther

farther

farther

It's "Born Again".

As a commentary, I'm really shocked that none of them even had a clue. I thought everyone knew this! I hope you knew it.

Welcome to Kirkland. Prepare to get run over.

2008-05-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

Too bad Kirkland hasn't yet installed bike lanes on 116th Ave NE. There are nice bike lanes on this road on the Bellevue section, but once you get across the city limit and enter Kirkland, the bike lane is over. You get a bit of shoulder here and there, separated by sections of road with just a fog line at the edge of the pavement.

Apparently this section of road has been identified to the Transportation Commission as needing bike lanes, but so far emails to the City as to dates for actual lanes have gone unanswered.

Verizon takes "Pigeon holed" to a new level

2008-04-09T15:09:00.000-07:00

We all know that big companies tend to treat their employees like interchangable cogs, but Verizon takes the cake today for putting it right out there for all to see.

You see, I keep getting recruitment emails from Verizon. Mostly, it sounds like an OK place to work, I guess. That is, except for this little blurb at the bottom of each email:

Current Affiliate Employees - (excluding Verizon Connected Solutions (VCS) employees) If you are currently an employee of a Verizon Affiliate company, we can not consider you for a position at this time due to a corporate-wide policy that restricts movement of employees between Verizon companies. The purpose of this policy is to allow Verizon to manage its workforce and ensure the overall success of the business.

Former Employees - If you are a former Verizon or a former employee of a Verizon Affiliate/predecessor company, you must apply on-line. Please note that the company has limited opportunities to rehire former employees into positions. In the event there is a job opening for which you can be considered, you will be contacted for further action. You will not be contacted unless you are being considered for a position.

What was that again? It sounds like once you work at Verizon, upward or sideways mobility is OUT OF THE QUESTION! The job we hire you into is the job you are stuck with forever and ever. Even if you hate it. Even if you'd be great at the new job. We don't want to have to replace YOU, we just want to hire some people for this other job. Oh, yeah, and if you quit, or get laid off, you can apply on-line but you're at a distinct disadvantage getting hired back.

Harsh, very harsh. Verizon, putting these two rules on the table, up front and for all to see, is sending a clear message that "Whatever the company needs is always number one, and what you as an employee need will forever be number two."

People willing to put up with that kind of attitude remind me of women on Oprah or Dr. Phil who get married to guys who treated them poorly even before they got married.

First Meta-internet video

2008-03-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

Hey, check it out. You've seen toilet-flushing cats, but you haven't seen anything quite like this:
META INTERNET VIDEO

Workstation ergonomics: give your eyes a break

2008-03-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

Very important to give your eyes a break now and then when working for long periods on the computer.

Go to this page for an eye refresh, especially if you've been staring at a white spreadsheet or word processor screen for a while. The color will do you good.

And be sure to hit the REFRESH button a few times.

Sears in a time-warp moving backwards

2008-03-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

So I bought some stuff at Sears a few weeks ago, that had a 100% rebate. You know me, always in for some free stuff. I actually have used them, though -- two allen wrench sets, one SAE and one metric. Nice. Free.

Anyway, I found that you could submit your rebate form online. Also nice. No hassles with tiny forms, copying receipts, 41 cents to mail, etc. etc. So I did that.

And yesterday, I got an email from Sears:

GEOFF HAZEL,

Thank you for participating in the Sears rebate program! We truly appreciate your business.

Your submission for the Free Companion Socket Set Free after MIR offer has met the requirements as stated on the order form. You should be receiving your request in the mail within the next 2 to 3 weeks. Your tracking id is PKTG-9010-XXXX

Nice. Money is coming.

And then today, one day later, I found another email from Sears:

GEOFF HAZEL,

Thank you for participating in the Sears rebate program! We truly appreciate your business.

Your submission for the Free Companion Socket Set Free after MIR offer has been received and is currently being validated based on the requirements as printed on the rebate form. Your tracking id is PKTG-9010-XXXX

Well it's good to know that they got it, but I'm still wondering what's coming next? It seems like they're in a time warp, moving backwards!

Now you see it now you don't. Your eyes and brain are lying to you!

2008-03-12T00:24:00.000-07:00

OK, this little image is gonna trip you out! Read this below and then click on the image above to open in a new window and start the animation.

First, you see pink dots.

Now, stare at the + in the middle. First you start to see a rotating GREEN dot, and then the pink dots disappear altogether.

But there is no green dot, and the pink dots never disappear. It's all in your head.

Business opportunity: proofreading phishing email

2008-03-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

I wonder if you could make any money proofreading Phishing emails? Don't you suppose these people know at least one person that speaks and writes correct english? Look at this spam I got today. (best to view if you right click and open it in another window or tab).

Sentence fragments. Mis-spelling (Miss-match). Non-standard usage "match your ... Answers rightly".

If it wasn't that these people are trying to steal your money and identity, I think you could make some money proofreading these and editing them to sound a bit more plausible.

Yahoo Answers milestone

2008-03-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

I'm on a roll with Yahoo answers. This week I picked up another "Top Contributor" label in the General Science and Mathematics category, so now that's two "Top Contributor" rankings.
And in addition, I reached level 5 with 5000 points.

When I'm on my game I can pull down 750 points a week, and it's just 5000 more to level 6. Sounds like I'll be there in another couple of months if I keep my interest level up and don't find something more productive to do.

How many peanut M&M's is a handful?

2008-02-29T16:21:00.000-08:00

I say 10, plus or minus 1.

This is how many you get for quarter these days in the vending machines that take a quarter and you turn the knob and open the little flap underneath. I've been keeping an eye on how many come out, and depending on size and random chance you get 9, 10 or 11 90% of the time.

And it turns out this is usually enough to quell the Peanut M&M craving you have.

And furthermore, it's a better deal than the bag in the vending machine down the hall! That bag probably costs you 75 cents, and it has about 26 M&M's in it.

And one more reason to buy 'em by the handful: face facts. If you buy the bag, you'll EAT the whole bag. You've just spent enough to quell three M&M cravings and only taken care of one. Now you're a little bit poorer and a little bit fatter.

The moral of this story:When it comes to Peanut M&M cravings, pass up the bag and go for the handful.

Reasons to hate Gateway

2008-02-28T23:51:00.000-08:00

I have two reasons to regret buying a Gateway Convertable laptop. First, the external video port does not have any screw terminals. If you try (as I did) to put a cable on it and move it, the cable falls out. There is no way to hold a cable securely to the external video port. There's no good reason I can see why they left them off, there's room on the chassis for them. Too cheap?

Second reason: the laptop developed a mysterious blue-screen-reboot problem today. Googling the problem led me to consider and accept restoring from recovery disks. But when I tried to recover from the provided CD, it gives two options: R for recover, Q to boot from hard disk. If you choose R, it tries to access the recovery partition on the hard drive, and then blue-screens and reboots. The solution would be to fdisk or format the hard drive, but how do you do that if you can't boot? Well, what you do is press the hidden option F when given the choices of R or Q. And voila, you can format the hard drive and the recovery from CD commences. Now why, why, why didnt' they just add the F option to the recovery screen? Just to raise revenue when you call support?

Gateway... Gateway... how far you have fallen!!

Yahoo Answers Top Contributor

2008-02-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

I am a Yahoo Answers Top Contributor in the Business and Finance section.

New bike

2008-02-25T10:33:00.001-08:00

Trying out a new bike. Bacchetta recumbent. Now I need to figure out where to put the seat to get comfortable.

And no, I don't ride in jeans and tennis shoes. I'm working with the company to find the best "fit" for me.