"Murphy was an optimist!"
Blogathon is tomorrow! July 28, 2006 12:40 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Announcements, Of Interest
Please help the farmers.
add a commentThe Fish Bowls Are Up July 28, 2006 12:09 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Technology, VideoThe cages have been unveiled at our zoo. See Cathy (and others) on Cam at her blog. This morning before she realized it was up the video may have been, er, revealing. I’ve added a stream here. You can now see frames from the last 10 minutes and if Cathy’s software supports it we will put up her last 10 minutes also. My camera is doubling as a cat cam. Enjoy!
1 comment so farAre you cleaning up with AJAX? July 28, 2006 10:43 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : AJAX, Programming, TechnologyAJAX bugs me because a bunch of developers that used to say "we can’t do that because we would limit our market" jumped on a bandwagon that potentially limits their market (ie. browsers that don’t support javascript or have javascript disabled don’t support AJAX). Try using Google’s calendar with javascript disabled or change your user agent to an unknown browser.
Regardless, all developers worth their salt should do some dabbling in AJAX. Here is a nice list of 126 examples.
5commentsPlease make a sponsorship for Farm Aid! July 27, 2006 2:37 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Daily Life, Of Interest
Blogathon 2006is nearly upon us! I have joined forces with Barry, Jay, and Cathy to help raise a contribution to Farm Aid by blogging every thirty minutes starting at 9am EST on this Saturday July 29 and continuing for 24 hours.
The mission of Farm Aid is to keep family farmers on their land. Family farmers are our only guarantee for fresh, local food. Our goal is to bring together family farmers and citizens to restore family farm-centered agriculture. Family farmers ensure safe, healthful food, protect natural resources, and strengthen local economies. [Source]
All donations/sponsorships help. We are very excited about all commitments! Please don’t skip Blogathon just because you think your donation is too small.
Be sure to visit Fresh Food, Fresh Blog frequently this Saturday.
See also I Need Sponsors.
add a commentPrimetime Parenting July 27, 2006 11:59 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Being DadWhy can’t I be one of those cool tv dads?
2commentsThe mystery of the disappearing West Town – answered July 27, 2006 8:53 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : UncategorizedI got the scoop on why the west town mall information kiosk disappeared. The apple store didn’t want it there.
Sarah and Molly ponder the missing West Town Mall information kiosk
Sarah and Molly want the Apple Camp to begin.
One of my current projects July 27, 2006 5:13 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily LifeThis is the fun work that I like to do!
My client is a reseller for a wholesaler. Currently the client has to manually update the online shopping cart to reflect the inventory available from the wholesaler. The wholesaler provides XML/CVS feeds of Stock Status, Discontinued Products, Full Products List, Images, and New Products behind a secure password protected website meaning you could log in, download the xml files, and run a process to update the database. That still requires human invention (ie. logging in). My job is to automate the entire process.
What challenges have set this one behind schedule? 1) The client had a technical issue arise on a previous project and the support of that set me back days. Ironically, the issue is probably related to the hosting provider’s ISP. 2) The wholesaler gives 404s on a couple of lists so I’m in email volleys with their support staff trying to get it resolved. Meanwhile, my client wants the work done yesterday. But this is what I do and this is what I enjoy! Of course, I’d trade it all in a heartbeat if I could get a grant to teach people how to use computers and how to program.
3commentsReview of yesterday’s show July 27, 2006 3:52 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily LifeReviewing yesterday’s comedy hour(s):
- Woke at 3:30am did pushups and situps. Feeling good about life!
- Worked hard on client’s needs until 6:50am when I donned blue tights and put my underwear on the outside then heard what sounded like a mouse but turned out to be a two inch long beetle (evicted!).
- 7:00am – Mother-in-law shows and I drive her to work and back making good speed and returning ahead of schedule.
- 8:20am – Tommy is at school and the car is loaded with the STAR marketing display, paperwork, and television.
- 8:30am I have purchased a new water pump for the Jeep at Autozone. Upon pulling out of the parking lot I take a small diversion into an autodealer to look at the perfect vehicle ($60k) for us and shed a small tear.
- 8:40am I am 3 minutes away from the house. Cathy calls, "they are here and I am naked!" Lucky hvac guys. In all my days of pizza deliveries and housecalls I never got the naked people.
- 7:43-45ish – I pull up to the house and see the hvac man in the yard. "Did Cathy tell you I was coming?" "No one came to the door. The dog just barked. Sounds mean."
- 9:25am – $110 later, a DIY homework assignment later, and a promise from the hvac man to return when I’ve completed my homework, the leak in the ac is discovered, and unit recharged. It cools until the evening and at 3am we are back at 25.5°C (thanks Onlineconversion.com).
- 9:35am – I’ve had breakfast and am at the high school picking up Tommy exactly when I said I would but can’t speak to the teacher because I am babbling on the phone.
- 10am – we arrive at STAR before the previous class lets out and unload marketing materials into storage room in the barn. Discuss balance due (every half an hour it seemed like I was discussing money or giving someone money) and some paperwork.
- 10:30am – a much needed break in air conditioning at Border’s to look at David Allen’s Getting Things Done
- 10:50am – I am back at STAR mouth agape as I watch Tommy confidentally riding off lead (no volunteer on the ground holding his horse!)
- 11:30am – after a couple of u-turns and a call to the wife, we are in Karns picking up a raffle prize we won.
- 11:35am – stopping for gas. A dad and his daughter walk up on this hot day carrying a gas can. As they purchase gas I ask, "ran out of gas?" They reply, "about a quart mile up the road." I offer to drive them to their car then buy all 4 of us drinks. As we leave them at their car Tommy surprises me by remarking, "it feels good to help people."
- 12:15am – after a small jaunt through BFE we are at Air Filtration (800-745-5811) buying replacement filters for the a/c. Btw, it is now in their computer that we must bring Molly whenever we pickup filters.
- 1pm – back at the house working and dealing with angry client email
- 4:50pm – Since the Jeep has a broken water pump and cannot move, and the station wagon is potentially dead; we have borrow the mother-in-law’s car (see 7am) for a couple of days. The borrowed car has a flat tire. Nail found, removed and patched.
- 5:15pm – Noah at Karate and the rest of the crew invading the local grocery. Did you know that you could get on Homeland Security’s watch list for taking pictures at the grocery? At least the way the managers watched me you would think I was at an airport taking pictures.
- 6:15pm – Pickup Noah from Karate and go to a different grocery that actually has good meat.
- 7-9pm (things run together here). While preparing dinner, Molly barfs on the carpet. We clean the carpet. After dinner I return to working but Amy decides to flood the bathroom. I know this because downstairs I can see the water pouring through the ceiling.
In the end, I worked, napped a few hours, and was at the computer by 3am for the redux.
What this doesn’t convey is that throughout the day Cathy and I communicate via SMS (text messaging) like crazed telegraphers, and I talk on the phone paying bills, negotiating, doing sales, and scheduling appointments like an auctioneer that started the bidding too low.
Update: I forgot in the evening we offline when I rebooted the router and loosened a cable. Took a bit to find that one. Thanks for the reminder wife!
4commentsPowell High School Teacher Screwed July 26, 2006 4:08 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : News, Of InterestI heard it on the radio this morning that a vice principal at a local high school is being investigated for having a sexual relationship with a student. With all these teacher/student sex scandals, I couldn’t help but wonder where were these women when I was coming to age?! Of course, can you really blame them? I mean, wouldn’t a teenage boy be like having a vibrator that never needed the batteries changed? And wouldn’t a school full of teenage boys be like working quality control at the vibrator factory? "Ooop. That one’s a dud."
So did she do it? Doesn’t matter. She cannot continue at Powell High School and who would hire her at this point? One way or another she got screwed. Of course, I’d say the sex part of this is sensationalism while the real investigation probably has more to do with "tampering with several students’ grades."
6commentsJuly 26, 2006 12:26 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : UncategorizedHarry potter’s birthday this saturday afternoon at borders
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Must be hot to be cool July 26, 2006 5:01 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily LifeNo, I’m not talking trends or hipsters. I have to turn off my air conditioning unit so it can defrost before the repairman gets here at 9am. Since it was recharged 3 years ago that implies we have a small leak but probably not worth tracking down at this point.
Today’s schedule? Make miracles before 7am. 7am drive mother-in-law to work so that we can abuse her car today. 8am (having driven across town and back in the morning rush) drive Tommy to school so that he is there by 8:30. 9am Be at house to receive hvac repairman. 9:25am break sound barrier giving check to hvac man and pickup Tommy (15 minute drive reduced to 5 minutes). 10am have Tommy in Lenior City (30-40 minute drive reduced to 20 minutes). 11:30am be in Karns to pickup raffle prize we won. Noon pickup air filters from Air Filtration near what used to be the one red light in Karns. 5:30 have Noah at karate. Between noon and 5 work 10 hours.
Global warming is not being caused by greenhouse gases. I am causing global warming by constantly bending the fabric of time!
5commentsWe are environmentalists! To heck with cars! July 26, 2006 4:21 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily LifeIt’s official. The Jeep has a bad water pump and no roof so it sits on the driveway and if I would fix the water pump it would only move on sunny days and can only hold 4 of our 7. And, the car is going on blocks until I can give her some TLC ($$$). What should have taken 20 minutes last night took 3 hours and we may have damaged the engine in a bad way. The money she needs makes so sense putting into her. It is time for a new car and we just don’t have the means at this time.
Anyone know some ugly junker, fairly mechanically sound, that someone is trying to give away?
add a commentI don’t earn enough for proper telecommunications! July 25, 2006 10:02 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Gadgets, Technology, voipI thought my cell phone addiction would be satiated the day I can upgrade to a Treo 650 but noooo! Some clown has to one up me with a $300,000 cell phone! Guess I’d better get to saving. Sorry about college kids. You know.. the phone.
Thank you blogj!
add a commentLook Ubiquitous or Be Watched July 25, 2006 10:15 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Politics, Touchy Subjects, United StatesTravelling? Think twice about taking a picture out the window at 30,000 feet. Don’t shift those eyes at the security gate! Definitely do not joke with the staff. These are things that could get you on Homeland Security’s watch list! Just like those annoying end of the month traffic violations that aren’t given to you to match a quota, federal air marshals "don’t have quotas."
The air marshals, whose identities are being concealed, told 7NEWS that they’re required to submit at least one report a month. If they don’t, there’s no raise, no bonus, no awards and no special assignments. [Source]
The top dogs deny it of course.
1 comment so farOf Being Poor July 25, 2006 10:05 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Interest, Touchy SubjectsA nice article explaining why our system keeps the poor down.
So, let’s have a little less talk about how the poor should learn to manage their money, and a little more attention to all the ways that money is being systematically siphoned off. Yes, certain kinds of advice would be helpful: skip the pay-day loans and rent-to-pay furniture, for example. But we need laws in more states to stop predatory practices like $50 charges for check cashing. Also, think what some microcredit could do to move families from motels and shelters to apartments. And did I mention a living wage?
If you’re rich, you might want to stay that way. It’s a whole lot cheaper than being poor.
See also (exact same text as the link above).
2comments
