Stole this pic from a Facebook friend. Let's see if Cliff Mass can shed some light on them:
Thursday, July 22, 2010
What about these wavy clouds
Stole this pic from a Facebook friend. Let's see if Cliff Mass can shed some light on them:
Monday, July 5, 2010
Micro-managing failure in the Declaration of Independence.
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!
"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!
Monday, June 28, 2010
iPhone after blackberry: what I miss
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.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Cats and malls
So I was up until 2:30 this morning working (and watching TV) and decided I was not going to get up until I had 8 hrs of sleep. Woke up at 9:30 and forced myself back to bed. Had this interesting dream.
Fran (my wife) and I were down in Burien, or thereabouts, and had gone to a car dealer. We had given them our car and taken their loaner car. While driving it in the dark down a bad part of town, I nearly ran over some large rocks. I had to get out of the car to move a few, and then decided we could just drive down a one foot dropoff that had been paved, quite steep but we made it. We wound up at a mall. We stopped at a house outside the mall, where I picked up a cat, then Fran and I got separated. This guy said to me "follow me, I see her" and he climbed through a two foot square hole in the wall. It wound up being the backroom of one of the stores. I followed him for a bit, up the back stairs that looked like they had made this mall from an old building, and then wound up in another back room for Home Depot, where there were two guards who questioned me, and then told me I could get to the mall by going outside, which I did, after passing a forklift that had driven in front of me and parked very close to another forklift.
When I got outside, I went into another house (now I have my cat again) that had a funny two part door, like leaning pieces of plywood over a hole, and they had about a dozen cats. My cat got a bit upset once but calmed down. I chatted with them for a minute or two and then said I needed to get going. Closing the door without letting any of the cats out was tricky, some were as small as mice. They helped me close the door. Then my phone rang, it was the car company wondering when I was going to bring the loaner car back. Yeah, well as soon as I find my wife, get rid of this cat, find the car. I decided it was all too much hassle at this point and waking up would be much easier, and I did.
Fran (my wife) and I were down in Burien, or thereabouts, and had gone to a car dealer. We had given them our car and taken their loaner car. While driving it in the dark down a bad part of town, I nearly ran over some large rocks. I had to get out of the car to move a few, and then decided we could just drive down a one foot dropoff that had been paved, quite steep but we made it. We wound up at a mall. We stopped at a house outside the mall, where I picked up a cat, then Fran and I got separated. This guy said to me "follow me, I see her" and he climbed through a two foot square hole in the wall. It wound up being the backroom of one of the stores. I followed him for a bit, up the back stairs that looked like they had made this mall from an old building, and then wound up in another back room for Home Depot, where there were two guards who questioned me, and then told me I could get to the mall by going outside, which I did, after passing a forklift that had driven in front of me and parked very close to another forklift.
When I got outside, I went into another house (now I have my cat again) that had a funny two part door, like leaning pieces of plywood over a hole, and they had about a dozen cats. My cat got a bit upset once but calmed down. I chatted with them for a minute or two and then said I needed to get going. Closing the door without letting any of the cats out was tricky, some were as small as mice. They helped me close the door. Then my phone rang, it was the car company wondering when I was going to bring the loaner car back. Yeah, well as soon as I find my wife, get rid of this cat, find the car. I decided it was all too much hassle at this point and waking up would be much easier, and I did.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Haiti and the problem of suffering
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
How Obama can save healthcare
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:
Ignorant and arrogant. You got that exactly right Tony.
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.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Senate to debate "Cash for Couches" to help furniture industry
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.
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.
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