Next Archive - August 2004

New Blog Features

Busy boy that I am, I've been adding features to this blog, mostly in the sidebars.

There's a blog search, courtesy of Atomz, which will search the entire site, or you can constrain it to just the blog by adding "title:emusings" like this: title:emusings yoursearchterm.

I've also added skin selection. Right now we have two glorious skins: Pumpkin (the orange one I've had a while now), and China, which is white on black with red borders.

You may also notice a calendar, allowing you to view my posts for a particular day, and little calendar icons in the date header above posts that will jump to the calendar.

And, and, and... a mood indicator (well, not really). Click on Mr. Chimp and you'll see what I mean.

I start my new job Monday, so this is probably the last of the new features for a while, but I'll continue to post, keeping you up to date with how work is going and anything else that strikes my fancy. Just what part of the body is the fancy, anyway?


Blog Tag: Announcements

Where Art Thou, WeatherPixie?

Where have you gone, my little WeatherPixie?

I miss your cute little face on my weather page, the outfits you change to suit the climate, the way you look in the dark. Did you run off to Las Vegas with some mood icon? Did you check yourself into the Betty Ford clinic to beat your addiction to walking in the rain?

I know I said some things I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have blamed you for the blazing heat and suffocating humidity when I went to my last job interview. You've always been there for me, and I took you for granted. Please come home, little Pixie. All is forgiven.


Blog Tag: Links   Blog Tag: Humor?   Blog Tag: WeatherPixie

I Left My Heart...

Here are a couple more pics from yesterday's San Fran sojourn:

   


I left my heart in San Francisco. Which one was it?


Blog Tag: Images   Blog Tag: San Francisco

Dry Run on the Ferry

I start work on Monday, and I thought I'd be a good citizen and take the ferry instead of driving the whole way. What I do is drive to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, take the ferry to the Port of San Francisco, walk to the Muni station, then take the Muni Metro train to my stop, then walk a block and a half to work. Lots of work to get to work.

Today I did a dry run, doing the whole process of getting there and back to make sure I know where everything is, what it costs and how long it takes, so I can get there on time on Monday.

There were Kerry volunteers at the port and other spots where people congregate, asking people to get Bush out of office. Seems to me San Francisco is the last place they need to be. Kerry voters signicantly outnumber Bush voters in California, and the ratio is even higher in San Francisco. I'm surprised they haven't torn down all the signs on Bush Street.

Today was my first time on the ferry and the train, but I managed to get to the office and back, so I'm good to go on Monday.

P.S. Nobody fondled me.


Blog Tag: Chatter   Blog Tag: Kerry   Blog Tag: Ferry   Blog Tag: Images

Software Is Not Like Cheese

I just read in a friend's blog that a programmer once said, "Software is not like cheese."

I'm a programmer. I've been a programmer for almost thirty years. In all that time, I've never heard anyone compare software to cheese. It's mind-boggling. This warrants further consideration.

First, I consulted SpellWeb, one of the prophets of the god Google:


9,460,000 votes for software
2,510,000 votes for cheese

The Web decides (courtesy of Google) that software is more popular.


Well, sure, I could have told you that. But it's not enough. A few minutes of meditation, fortified with Cherry Coke, yields the following thoughts:

Ways software is like cheese:

• They can both have bugs.
  
• They can both stink, though in different ways.
  
• They can both have holes.
  
• You wouldn't want your sister to marry one. (Unless it's a big one?)
  
• There are many different kinds.
  
• People like to share them.
  
• The French think they do it better, but they're wrong.
  
• The more quality control, the better.
  
• You don't want it if you don't know where it's been.
  
• They are often associated with crackers. If you know what I mean.
  

Ways software is NOT like cheese:

• Cheese and Spam is good, software and spam is bad.
  
• You can cut the cheese, you can't cut the software.
  
• Cheese doesn't have tech support. Software does, but it's overseas.
  
• There's no such thing as American processed software-food.
  
• Software ends with a blue screen of death, cheese with a bleu scream of death.
  
• If the cheese is bad, you can't patch it.
  
• Cheese comes from milk, software comes from caffeine.
  
• You don't go to Wisconsin for the software.
  
• You don't want to back up your cheese.
  
• There's no such thing as fumunda software.
  

So there you have it.


Blog Tag: Opinion   Blog Tag: Software   Blog Tag: Humor?

Label Maker

I found a cool web site called Acme Laboratories that has some free online tools to put text on dymo labels, license plates, and candy hearts.



Blog Tag: Links   Blog Tag: Images

You Can Quote Me On This:

"The number of humans who qualify to be so designated is lower than one would wish." - David K Goodman

Sometimes I think I should stop watching the news.


Blog Tag: Opinion

Off the Dole

I'm pleased to report that I am no longer a drain on the economy of the great state of California. I've been hired as a Senior Game Developer by a company in San Francisco. Guess I'll have to scrap my plans to rob local banks. Yay, me.


Blog Tag: Announcements

Cogito Ergo Cogito!

I was just reading a mini-essay by an old high school buddy in which he describes some scientific research on the nature of consciousness. The scientists quoted in the essay claim that we cannot consciously control our bodies. The theory as stated is that all decisions are made subconsciously, and that our consciousness is informed about it as a courtesy. Something like a state legislature passing a bill and then the governor taking all the credit when he signs it.

Now, I'm not a scientist, nor do I play one on TV, but I've been pondering and studying the subject of consciousness for quite a few decades, and I have to disagree. I do believe that we have subconscious minds, and that the subconscious is responsible for a majority of the decisions made during our daily lives, with the conscious mind blithely going along. In fact, I'm sure that many creatures have no consciousness at all, and go about their tasks in a reactive, unreasoning manner. However, there are problems too ponderous for the subconscious to handle, and for that, I believe, we have this thing called consciousness.

Think about it. :) Most of the time you devote no effort at all to eating, walking, or buttoning a shirt. It's all habit and muscle memory. But what about the big decisions, like whether to order cheesecake or jello? That's not something you tend to leave to your subconscious minions. Instead, you ponder the calories of both items, the extent of your waistband and budget, the disapproval of your wife and the anticipated pleasure of the selected dessert. You consciously weigh the pros and cons, and consciously arrive at a decision, at which point the aforementioned minions carry out your orders and make the appropriate sounds to your server.

In my opinion, consciousness is like the conductor of an orchestra. He chooses what to play, monitors the performance, makes adjustments and directs individual actions. The musicians don't choose what to play and then inform the conductor, they take direction and make the appropriate music. The conductor is in charge, even if he's not playing the notes himself. At least... that's what I think.


Blog Tag: Opinion   Blog Tag: Consciousness   Blog Tag: Images

Great Violin Piece

Visit Bobby Yang's web site and click one of the links to his video at the bottom right. He plays violin like he's lighting a fire, a frenetic blend of rock and classical. I love a hot violin. (Warning: resizes browser and has a popup form)


Blog Tag: Links   Blog Tag: Violin

The Word for the Day is...

The word for the day is chillax. A word my daughter picked up in Europe, meaning to chill and relax.
 
Visitors to this page, all one of me, will notice that I'm in the midst of changing its look. Please bear with me as I continue to futz with it until either it looks better or I get bored. Oddsmakers are standing by. I know the blog header looks cheesy. I'm working on it.


Blog Tag: Announcements

Fondled by a Strange Woman

Yesterday I flew to Las Vegas for a job interview. Hopefully by Friday I'll be employed, one place or another. Anyway, I was at one of those snack kiosks at Oakland Airport, standing near the cashier so I could peer closer at the offerings. Have I mentioned my bad vision? Suddenly, and without provocation, she's got my earlobe between her thumb and forefinger and she's rubbing it.
 
I've always found earlobes to be quite sensual, and this was no exception, but at the same time, it was such an unusual event that it stopped me in my tracks. After a few moments she smiled and said, "Women like to cop a feel too, sometimes." And then she tried to sell me a newspaper.
 
How do you react to something like this? I'm not male model material, things like this just don't happen to me. I'm sure my wedding ring may account for that in some regard, but still... I wondered if maybe it was some kind of spy signal. "If a man stands next to you, fondle his earlobe and if he says the right passphrase, give him this package." Good thing I just wanted a Coke. Maybe she's with Homeland Security and she was swabbing my ear for explosive residues.
 
Anyone?


Blog Tag: Images   Blog Tag: Fondled   Blog Tag: Chatter

The Sundial Bridge

My wife and I went to see the new Sundial Bridge in Redding, California. What a masterpiece of architecture! It's a truly beautiful work and highly photogenic. I've posted a Photo Gallery of some of the better pics we took.


Blog Tag: Images   Blog Tag: Sundial Bridge

Coke is It

Without my contact lenses, vision is like looking at the world through a shower door. I seem to have compensated for this misfortune with excellent hearing and smell. (It's not that I smell good, it's that I smell well, got it?) So what's this got to do with the adjacent picture? Sit tight, I'm getting there.

So one day, long ago, my wife says she's going to the kitchen, would I like a Coke? Well, sure. Twist my arm. Twist anything you want. She comes back, I go to take a gulp, and my nose stops me. Sniff. Sniff-sniff. Scowl. Sip. "This ain't Coke! This is Pepsi!" My wife shakes her head and rolls her eyes, and never again doubts that I know the difference between Coke and Pepsi. And I owe it all to my mother, pictured here treating me to the joys of hitting a bottle of Coke in my high-chair. I'm what, about two here?


Blog Tag: Images   Blog Tag: Coke   Blot Tag: Chatter

More Canada Pics

A nice sunset Strange advice (and spelling) in a chiropractor's window

Shots taken with a Canon Elph S230 digital


Blog Tag: Images   Blog Tag: Canada   Blot Tag: Humor

Previous Archive - June 2004