Sunday, May 30, 2004
Lightning is not a friend of TiVo - But there is help
I weathered a pretty violent storm last week only to find that my TiVo's modem was damaged. It could call but it didn't like letting go of the phone line, so no one else could call in. I know some people think this is a new phone feature, but it was a problem at the Wizard's nest.
Once I diagnosed the problem and one of the TiVo and not the phone jack, with the help of the nice person from bullshit. I was in for another shock. That lifetime service for my TIVO is for the life of the unit, not my life. What to do?
Well TIVO was less than helpful. They said to call Phillips. Phillips wanted $19.95 before they would help me diagnose my problem. I already know what the problem is. The modem has been shorted.
Well, I thought I was all out of options. Then I remember these nuts on the web who will sell you an upgrade to your TIVO. Guess what? They sell external modems for when you lose your modem to lightning. Of course you have to upgrade you hard drive... but all in all giving them $200 and having a better TIVO is cheaper than Buying a new one for $150 and then spending another $300 on a new "lifetime" subscription.
Hope this goes well.
Once I diagnosed the problem and one of the TiVo and not the phone jack, with the help of the nice person from bullshit. I was in for another shock. That lifetime service for my TIVO is for the life of the unit, not my life. What to do?
Well TIVO was less than helpful. They said to call Phillips. Phillips wanted $19.95 before they would help me diagnose my problem. I already know what the problem is. The modem has been shorted.
Well, I thought I was all out of options. Then I remember these nuts on the web who will sell you an upgrade to your TIVO. Guess what? They sell external modems for when you lose your modem to lightning. Of course you have to upgrade you hard drive... but all in all giving them $200 and having a better TIVO is cheaper than Buying a new one for $150 and then spending another $300 on a new "lifetime" subscription.
Hope this goes well.
Friday, May 28, 2004
Atlanta Traffic - Don't jump --- well maybe you should.
This is a tired subject, but Traffic is hell. I know from friends from LA and DC that we are far from having the worst traffic. They always laugh and say, "Hey it is moving." That doesn't make me feel better.
We don't have the problems of daily high speed chases like LA, but we have a new participatory sport, Jumping off over-passes.
One person with a mental problem has the ability to cause people to be born on interstates, miss the last minutes of dying loved ones lives, and generally screw up lives.
A local radio personality thinks a sniper is the answer. I think this only make things worse, They would have to keep the area clear even longer while they take pictures of the body. Not to mention the paperwork and lawsuits.
The jumper yesterday managed to hold up traffic for 3 hours and cause backups that lasted past the rush hour. He fell and broke both legs. Police said they moved in when he became even more incoherent. Since they were trying to grab him when he fell the Cobb police are reassessing their procedures. They think it might be a good idea to put airbags down on the road.
I like the idea of being somewhere between the talk show host, and the new police policies. Try and grab the idiot and if they fall, it will probably be broken legs. They will have time to get therapy while they are healing from broken legs.
We will be paying for this persons treatment any way, let's reduce the impact on the economy.
We don't have the problems of daily high speed chases like LA, but we have a new participatory sport, Jumping off over-passes.
One person with a mental problem has the ability to cause people to be born on interstates, miss the last minutes of dying loved ones lives, and generally screw up lives.
A local radio personality thinks a sniper is the answer. I think this only make things worse, They would have to keep the area clear even longer while they take pictures of the body. Not to mention the paperwork and lawsuits.
The jumper yesterday managed to hold up traffic for 3 hours and cause backups that lasted past the rush hour. He fell and broke both legs. Police said they moved in when he became even more incoherent. Since they were trying to grab him when he fell the Cobb police are reassessing their procedures. They think it might be a good idea to put airbags down on the road.
I like the idea of being somewhere between the talk show host, and the new police policies. Try and grab the idiot and if they fall, it will probably be broken legs. They will have time to get therapy while they are healing from broken legs.
We will be paying for this persons treatment any way, let's reduce the impact on the economy.
Monday, May 24, 2004
Lectures
How come the phrase, "This is the end of the lecture" rarely is?
Even worse, why do I now have to give the lectures. It is easier to be a friend than a father. You can't always be Daddy. Sometimes you have to be the Father.
Even worse, why do I now have to give the lectures. It is easier to be a friend than a father. You can't always be Daddy. Sometimes you have to be the Father.
Don't Remember anyone making fun Kerry.
Maybe I am wrong. There might be evidence to the contrary, but I couldn't find it. Neither President Bush or anyone from his re-election campaign made fun of John Kerry when he feel off his back when hitting a patch of sand, or when he ran into a secret service agent while skiing.
Given the opportunity to make fun of Bush, Kerry couldn't wait to pounce. I want to say typical liberal, but it isn't. Most people who are of the liberal bent are not vicious, driven by emotion, but not mean spirited.
Leftists are mean spirited and driven by an agenda.
Yea, yea, yea people on the right are driven by an agenda. I don't like all the things they do either, they just tend to do more things that I think are correct.
Given the opportunity to make fun of Bush, Kerry couldn't wait to pounce. I want to say typical liberal, but it isn't. Most people who are of the liberal bent are not vicious, driven by emotion, but not mean spirited.
Leftists are mean spirited and driven by an agenda.
Yea, yea, yea people on the right are driven by an agenda. I don't like all the things they do either, they just tend to do more things that I think are correct.
Friday, May 21, 2004
Schools administrators are not kings, though they seem to think otherwise.
The young man wins a contest and gets to throw a pie in his principal's face. The principal felt it was too rough. Honor student is expelled until next December. A child with a 3.4 GPA did was he was told and the adults with custody of him decided he did it wrong. What a country.
My main complaint is that this is a non-issue. If they school officials don't want this to happen again, then they can simply stop the pie thing and go with "kissing a pig." But that is not the point. The principal wants to punish the child for doing it wrong.
School administrators are not kings, though it would be hard to tell a difference these days. I would like to think this won't happen in my child's school, but the middle school next to us expelled a girl for saying her juice was wine. Simple speech of words that were not profane caused that expulsion. Imagine if actual wine had been involved.
My main complaint is that this is a non-issue. If they school officials don't want this to happen again, then they can simply stop the pie thing and go with "kissing a pig." But that is not the point. The principal wants to punish the child for doing it wrong.
School administrators are not kings, though it would be hard to tell a difference these days. I would like to think this won't happen in my child's school, but the middle school next to us expelled a girl for saying her juice was wine. Simple speech of words that were not profane caused that expulsion. Imagine if actual wine had been involved.
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Finally some good points about the world from an opinion other than mine. I don't agree with them, but they aren't ranting.
This well written and well thought out. I disagree with the conclusion, but at least it isn't ranting. There were no, "Bush is an idiot rants."
I have my issues, with trusting the UN. I believe they are more corrupt than we could ever be as a nation. But the author makes his point. We don't have to like it, history shows that we will need the UN later. Best argument I have read for why we can't act unilaterally.
I have my issues, with trusting the UN. I believe they are more corrupt than we could ever be as a nation. But the author makes his point. We don't have to like it, history shows that we will need the UN later. Best argument I have read for why we can't act unilaterally.
Perfect, Just Perfect
It's not bad seeing the Braves lose like this. Now they are 3 games under 500. Bet it won't happen tonight.
Don't worry, that was a training rocket launcher.
We don't have anything to worry about. The Rocket launcher left near a commuter train was for training. So says the FBI.
Has anyone asked who was training? If left by the police of military while training that is fine, but no one said that. Guess terrorists need training too. I sincerely hope it was left by a swat team or someone similar.
Has anyone asked who was training? If left by the police of military while training that is fine, but no one said that. Guess terrorists need training too. I sincerely hope it was left by a swat team or someone similar.
Sunday, May 16, 2004
I felt like I was reading a Gibson Novel
Having a friend who lost money to a European scammer this was especially funny. However, I could not stop thinking about the book, Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson.
Friday, May 14, 2004
Isn't it cool when science is misused
Inevitably when something is encountered in the world of science that does not fit the mold, the nutballs cling to it and begin using it to describe their crackpot theory.
I have read about this same experiment being used to demonstrate cause preceding effect. The bottom line is that no one has an explanation for this yet. They could all be wrong or all be right, just don't jump to any conclusions. Oh, forget that. Jump to any conclusion you want as long as you don't use it to justify the murder of other beings. Wait for conclusive proof before using conclusions to justify murder.
I have read about this same experiment being used to demonstrate cause preceding effect. The bottom line is that no one has an explanation for this yet. They could all be wrong or all be right, just don't jump to any conclusions. Oh, forget that. Jump to any conclusion you want as long as you don't use it to justify the murder of other beings. Wait for conclusive proof before using conclusions to justify murder.
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
First Penguin - From the Best of SpellBook Series
Heard a great thing on G4 the other day. A group was giving the first penguin award to some developers.
The concept of the First Penguin is quite funny. Apparently penguins will walk around a hole in the ice until one knocks the first penguin in the icy water. If they penguin is not eaten by a shark or other predator then they know it is safe and the rest of the penguins dive in the water.
What a great award. I will have to start giving those awards out.
The concept of the First Penguin is quite funny. Apparently penguins will walk around a hole in the ice until one knocks the first penguin in the icy water. If they penguin is not eaten by a shark or other predator then they know it is safe and the rest of the penguins dive in the water.
What a great award. I will have to start giving those awards out.
Intellectual Bullies - From the best of SpellBook Series
A conversation the other night about a recent caller to the Neal Boortz show got me thinking. I know, Boortz making me think can be a dangerous thing, but this seems to make sense.
People who identify themselves as Liberals or as I like to call them, Leftists, amount to nothing more than intellectual bullies. These are the smart kids who discovered that they were not strong enough or smart enough or good looking to be the natural leaders or their cliques growing up.
They are the ones who have dedicated their lives to making everyone else into their image.
If you make too much money that is wrong. Think taxes.
If you are to successful you need to be put in your place. Think world politics. The US is wrong and the UN is right, all the time.
If you use natural resources you are stealing from mother nature. You must be stopped. They want you to leave the wood for them to run around in while you are at work.
The list goes on. I am a busy man.
These people are the same as the big kid who wanted your lunch money in grade school. They aren't happy with their lives and they plan to make everyone else unhappy.
Ponder this. Perhaps these bullies are just as bad as the physically violent. These are intellectually violent. It isn't time for laws to protect us, we have to fight intellectual violence with Intellectual violence. Expose the lies and the agenda behind the lies.
When faced with an intellectual bully don't fear calling "bullshit" on them. They will do it to you behind your back.
People who identify themselves as Liberals or as I like to call them, Leftists, amount to nothing more than intellectual bullies. These are the smart kids who discovered that they were not strong enough or smart enough or good looking to be the natural leaders or their cliques growing up.
They are the ones who have dedicated their lives to making everyone else into their image.
If you make too much money that is wrong. Think taxes.
If you are to successful you need to be put in your place. Think world politics. The US is wrong and the UN is right, all the time.
If you use natural resources you are stealing from mother nature. You must be stopped. They want you to leave the wood for them to run around in while you are at work.
The list goes on. I am a busy man.
These people are the same as the big kid who wanted your lunch money in grade school. They aren't happy with their lives and they plan to make everyone else unhappy.
Ponder this. Perhaps these bullies are just as bad as the physically violent. These are intellectually violent. It isn't time for laws to protect us, we have to fight intellectual violence with Intellectual violence. Expose the lies and the agenda behind the lies.
When faced with an intellectual bully don't fear calling "bullshit" on them. They will do it to you behind your back.
Why SpellBook and Code Wizard
Simple,
I was a pencil and paper AD&D Nerd way back and studied Computer Science. In the real world what could be more like a wizard than an Application Developer. If you need more explanation than that, the geek in you needs some nurturing.
I was a pencil and paper AD&D Nerd way back and studied Computer Science. In the real world what could be more like a wizard than an Application Developer. If you need more explanation than that, the geek in you needs some nurturing.
