"Murphy was an optimist!"
Problogger’s 2nd giveaway is up October 2, 2007 4:51 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Contest, Of InterestDarren Rowse is giving away $54,000 in prizes. The 2nd giveaway has been posted.
add a commentThe first 500 people to go to SeekZap at this special ProBlogger submission link will receive a free premium directory listing ($50 value) for their site/blog! [Source]
Wait for it! October 2, 2007 2:05 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Humor, Philosophy, Politics, Touchy Subjectsadd a comment“Why does a dog wag its tail? Because a dog is smarter than its tail. If the tail was smarter, the tail would wag the dog.”
Get a piece of $54,000 this week! October 2, 2007 9:57 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Contest, Of InterestDarren Rowse of Prologger fame is giving away USD$54,000 in celebration of Prologger’s birthday. Subscribe to the feed to be informed. The first giveaway was posted an hour ago. It is 12 copies (to 12 people) of Aaron Wall’s SEO Book ($79 value). Simply comment "I love SEO!""I LOVE SEO!" on Lara Kulpa‘s post The First Giveaway Begins within the next 6 hours.
UPDATE: Laura points out that case is important. Pay attention to the details and follow instructions to a T bloggers!
3commentsWhy I could never work in an office again #6243 October 2, 2007 9:20 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, ProgrammingI am most productive when burning some Sandlewood.
1 comment so farConsultants – Warranties October 2, 2007 8:52 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, ProgrammingEvery now and then you get a phone call that goes something like this "That code you wrote for us a year (or more) ago doesn’t work anymore. We were thinking of doing more work with you but if we can’t get this fixed we may have to go with someone else." The proper answer is "No problem. That will be $x per hour to troubleshoot since we do not currently have a contract." The real answer is usually "ok. I’ll look into that real quick." because a) you know darn well the real answer will send them packing b) you are a nice guy and like them and c) you haven’t yet reached a level of financial stability to be blowing off customers (note: you’ll fix c if you use the real answer more often).
When your code doesn’t change and after a length of time it suddenly doesn’t work, the problem is almost always with the web host or the client. Sometimes they have discovered a very well hidden bug but rarely. In my case, the permissions on the directory which the application used to upload files had changed to not allow for uploading. How do permissions magically change? They don’t.
add a commentHOAX Your next battery might last 30 years! October 2, 2007 6:52 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Gadgets, TechnologyThe US Air Force Research Laboratory has invented an environmentally sound battery that can last 30 years and it could be available in the next 2-3 years.
The breakthrough betavoltaic power cells are constructed from semiconductors and use radioisotopes as the energy source. … Although betavoltaic batteries sound Nuclear they’re not, they’re neither use fission/fusion or chemical processes to produce energy and so (do not produce any radioactive or hazardous waste). … The best part about these cells are when they eventually run out of power they are totally inert and non-toxic, so environmentalists need not fear these high tech scientific wonder batteries. If all goes well plans are for these cells to reach store shelves in about 2 to 3 years. [Source]
Ooops. Remember, even if you are busy, check your sources! BoingBoing Gadgets explains. Until I can find something more redeemable than this, I’ll assume that Next Energy News is a farce.
1 comment so farToday’s Computer Utility Recommendation October 1, 2007 10:04 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Security, Software, TechnologyHave you ever unexpectedly been unable to move, delete or rename a file because of a "file sharing violation?" Perhaps you have been frustrated by one of these messages:
Cannot delete file: Access is denied
There has been a sharing violation.
The source or destination file may be in use.
The file is in use by another program or user.
Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.
Cedrick ‘Nitch’ Collomb has written a fantastic program to deal with these annoying situations without even having to reboot the computer! It is called Unlocker 1.8.5 and I highly recommend adding this to your toolkit! I also encourage giving Cedrick Collomb a paypal donation. It’s worth it!
add a commentMy poor daughter October 1, 2007 6:54 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Daily Life, Family, Of Being DadDad needs to hang out with a hairdresser for a couple of days.
add a commentOf Grasshoppers September 30, 2007 8:22 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Of Grasshoppers, PhilosophyStudent: Am I nothing but good intentions?
Master: You are nothing if you do not communicate your good intentions.
Keep on swimming keep on swimming September 30, 2007 11:22 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Philosophy, Quoteadd a commentI saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac. A little voice inside my head said, "Don’t look back. You can never look back."
Everyone needs a talking rabbit on their desk September 29, 2007 10:11 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Communications, Daily Life, TechnologyI think perhaps I enjoy Phillip‘s Nabaztag a bit too much!
add a commentBRAINS! Braaaainnns! September 29, 2007 9:54 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Health, Of Interest, ScienceSince you do not have enough to worry about, I suppose you probably want to hear about the Zombie Amoeba. That’s right. There is an amoeba that wants to eat your brains! If I recall my science lessons correctly, an amoeba is a single celled organism. This simple thing is taking people down.
According to the CDC, the amoeba called Naegleria fowleri (nuh-GLEER-ee-uh FOWL’-erh-eye) killed 23 people in the United States, from 1995 to 2004. This year health officials noticed a spike with six cases — three in Florida, two in Texas and one in Arizona. The CDC knows of only several hundred cases worldwide since its discovery in Australia in the 1960s. [Source]
Where does it thrive? Heat and stagnant water. So as global warming worsens and people flock to the lakes to cool themselves, the Naegleria is going to eat their brains.
Though infections tend to be found in southern states, Naegleria lives almost everywhere in lakes, hot springs, even dirty swimming pools, grazing off algae and bacteria in the sediment. [Source]
How do you know your brain is being eaten? Basically you have the same symptoms as everything else.
People who are infected tend to complain of a stiff neck, headaches and fevers. In the later stages, they’ll show signs of brain damage such as hallucinations and behavioral changes… [Source]
And how does it eat your brain? Through your nose!
Beach said people become infected when they wade through shallow water and stir up the bottom. If someone allows water to shoot up the nose — say, by doing a somersault in chest-deep water — the amoeba can latch onto the olfactory nerve. … Beach said people become infected when they wade through shallow water and stir up the bottom. If someone allows water to shoot up the nose — say, by doing a somersault in chest-deep water — the amoeba can latch onto the olfactory nerve. … "Usually, from initial exposure it’s fatal within two weeks," [Source]
Can this be prevented?
"You’d have to have water going way up in your nose to begin with" to be infected … The easiest way to prevent infection … is to use nose clips when swimming or diving in fresh water. [Source]
Thanks to BoingBoing, my wife will never let the children near water again.
add a commentToday’s linkbait September 28, 2007 1:35 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Blog, Daily Life, MusicHow to tell your friends have quit reading your blog. Ahem. And Knoxville’s Youngest Blogger (personally I think he had a better time than his post implies).
1 comment so farIt hurts to sleep in September 28, 2007 9:02 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Of Being DadI failed to get up at 3:30am this morning. I allowed myself until 5:30am. I cannot believe the difference those 2 hours make! I feel like I’ve lost the day. Of course, I feel rested so I suppose that counts for something.
add a commentI want to work for iRobot! September 28, 2007 8:02 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, House, Of Interest, Robotics, TechnologySince a child, I’ve had a fascination with lasers and robots. My path steered away from those. iRobot rocks! iRobot will bring us closer to the Jetsons much sooner than I could have hoped. They have now introduced the Looj gutter-cleaning robot! What a great reason to put guttering on the house!
Makezine explains that iRobot is also accepting applications to beta test their next robot which will have a web camera built into it allowing people on the Internet to control your robot and speak to you. It’s iRobot meets Nabaztag meets Childrenview meets Camstreams.
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