Reality Me

Blog

  • Terrorists on American Soil!

    Domestic terrorism is prevented by improving the quality of life in America not by bombing Iraq, Iran or anywhere. To have Congress take on the credit card companies that hold so many of the American people hostage would be a good place to begin the Domestic War On Terror. I missed a payment on a closed credit card and they charged me $165 per month in fees and penalties until I got caught up. That should be illegal!

    The letter demanded a large sum of money and set a deadline for its delivery.

    “The letter did communicate that if the city did not comply, Las Cruces residents will be shot at random,” Lara said.
    [Source]

    If I had to guess, these extortionists are on their last nickel and feel this is their only option. If people actually start getting shot, I will change that opinion to these extortionists not being extortists but sick cold blooded killers. More information.

  • Why document?

    Because I have just spent 20 minutes trying to figure out what 1, 3, 5, and 6 mean in regard to access levels. Had the previous developer added a single comment to the database design to say 1=guest, 3=admin, 5=customer service, 6=suspended or the like my job would be more manageable.

    Developers should document at a minimum within the code and in an external document. Further documentation can be injected into many other places such as the database table design via Enterprise Manager. Once you make commenting a habit, the pain goes away and it almost becomes fun.

  • Cathy to the rescue!

    Cathy, despite not feeling well, has risen and I am working undisturbed! I owe her.

  • Where did the morning people go?!

    Noah asleep on the couch.
    Amy asleep in a sleeping bag on the floor.
    Tommy asleep in his bed.
    Sarah asleep in her bed.
    Cathy asleep in her bed.
    Evan wrecking havoc.
    It’s 10am and my deadline is noon! Calgon!

  • The Sound of Silence – Riiiiight

    Programming is an art. Basically programming is mathematically solving complex logic problems that start out as word problems. That is why lateral thinkers make good programmers.

    I have heard it stated that programming is 90% thinking and 10% coding. I am not sure if 90/10 is accurate but the concept is correct. To get your head around the problem, you have to be able to concentrate and sometimes for a long time. One disadvantage of working from home is finding long blocks of undisturbed time to concentrate and focus.

    I used to have a Sony Discman (minidisc player) that was great for helping me block out ambiant noise (white noise drives me nuts) but it is gone or misplaced. I have often used ear plugs that cut noise down by about 20 decibals but I have lost ever single set. I would kill for a nice pair of noise reducing headphones. Of course, having a music source to plug those into would be even nicer.

    In leu of all that, I will let Evan climb in my lap, listen to Amy’s shrill demands and shreaks, monitor the fights between the older children to decide when to intervene, listen to the dogs bark at unseen foes, hear the whine of the television and the hum of the refrigerator, heed my wife’s requests and listen closely to the words she does not speak, and between chaotic outbreaks I will slip in some coding enjoying the chaos and the logic.

  • More 9/11 cover up?

    9/11 hero raided by SWAT.

    Major Mike McCormack is a hospital technician and civil air patrol pilot who worked the ground zero site for eight days after the collapse of the twin towers. He is one of the real heroes of 9/11 and was the man who found the American flag that was later displayed as a token of unity atop the rubble.
    [Source]

    "Numerous firemen were telling me that they heard numerous secondary explosions all over the building – these guys are seasoned firefighting professionals – a lot of them have military backgrounds and they’re not stupid." [Source]

  • Excited Over High Gas Prices!

    Yesterday I paid $2.199 per gallon of gas! I never thought I’d see the day that I got excited over $2.199. When I first started pumping gas into cars and using my own money to buy it, I think gas was either $0.58 or $0.68 per gallon. The guy sharing my pump last night said he remembered gas being 20 cents a gallon but also that his wage was $1.60 per hour.

    I am still confused as to why we never saw $4 or $5 per gallon like “the they” claimed would happen with the pipeline shutdown.

  • I have lost my wife to steve jobs

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  • Virgin airlines says no to laptops

    Saw this one coming! Think of the money the airlines will save by not having to install wireless access in the planes now.

    Dell and Apple notebooks, according to a posted statement on Virgin Atlantic’s site, may only be carried on Virgin Atlantic flights if the battery has been removed and stored in carry-on luggage. Users lucky enough to sit in seats with power supplies may use the laptops via that external source, and Virgin will even provide plug adapters for them. Otherwise, the use of Dell and Apple laptops is prohibited. [Source]

  • YouTube – good amateur film

    This reminds me of Sesame Street. I’d forgotten about the clunky toggle switches on the Atari 2600.

  • YouTube – sued for videos

    Does this mean that the 80s videos on YouTube are doomed?

    YouTube representatives have said that they are in talks with record labels about distributing official music videos online. But it’s the long-running trend of unofficial distribution that’s got Universal Music Group chief Doug Morris upset. Morris said at a conference this week that sites like YouTube and MySpace “are copyright infringers and owe us tens of millions of dollars,” according to an Associated Press report. [Source]

    I do think Morris is missing the big picture here. Let the videos be freely distributed on YouTube and watch the DVD and record sales. Maybe they simply require an ad at the end of the video promoting a Universal distributor. If they force the removal of the videos, I know I’d have no reason to seek them out but because someone linked to the video, I have a reason to watch it. To watch the video is a reminder that I liked the song. To be reminded that I like the song is an opportunity for me to consider purchasing the song.

  • Schedule does not permit self-flagellations

    I would really like to take some time to beat myself up today but I am having difficulty working it into the schedule.

  • What Features Would You Want in a Job Site

    If you were going to see another job site, like Monster.com, what features would attract you to the new site? What features would you expect for free and what features would you pay for? How much? Think about the questions from the employer as well as the employee point of view. Thank you for your input!

  • Of Grasshoppers

    Student: Could I have botched things beyond repair?
    Master: Try using the correct tools.

  • Flickr Free Limitations

    Doug circa 1973

    So, what happens when you are using flickr free instead of flickr pro?

    Hey djuggler! About your photos…

    You’ve run into one of the limits of a free account. Your free account will only display the most recent 200 photos you’ve uploaded. All of your photos beyond 200 will remain hidden from view until you either delete newer photos, or upgrade to a Pro account.

    None of your photos have been deleted, and if you upgrade, they’ll all come back unharmed.

    Flickr free limits.

    Cool! You can buy Pro accounts for friends.