Allen October 31st, 2005
Work has been crazy busy again and personal life has had more Eagle Scout Courts of Honor. I’ve about decided I’m not going to do NaNoWriMo this year, but hope to concentrate on more weblog postings.
Listening to Live at Whiskey River Landing by Balfa Toujours (via MusicMatch On Demand) while I’m coding. They’re probably singing about those stupid English-only listeners and making fun of me. But boy is it a good CD.
Hope to see you on the other side some day.
Allen October 26th, 2005
Jake Hilton has audio/videos online for the Utah State Fair.
Gosh! They sure are good.
Allen October 21st, 2005
I read where the House wants to divert $2M to a Michigan environmental technology firm that markets itself as the "world leader for waterfree urinals.
Quoting from the article:
The initiative, which could help Falcon Waterfree Technologies expand its budding military contracting business, was added by appropriators even as they cut $2.9 billion from operations and maintenance accounts across the military services in an attempt to focus more spending on the global war on terrorism.
The budgetary add-on is illustrative of an increasing tendency in Congress to tack earmarks onto operations budgets, the accounts that typically pay for ammunition, depot repair work and other short-term military needs.
While the total dollars allocated for these projects out of the operations and maintenance budget has not grown in recent years, the number of earmarks has, as lawmakers maneuver to slip funding for a broad swath of pet projects into all areas of the budget.
So who asked for the "waterfree urinal study"?
The main congressional backer for the urinal earmark is Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich., a self-described environmentalist who wrote a letter to Young in March, requesting $2 million to pay for the study.
Falcon is located in Ehlers’ Grand Rapids district, but the seven-term congressman said he did not specify Falcon’s technologies in his request, nor did he direct that the money be used to pay for any of the company’s products.
…
Ehlers, who said he has used waterfree urinals "six or seven times" in the last several months, said he became interested in the issue after learning that the military plans to install new bathrooms at several installations.
I too have used "waterfree urinals" many times over the years. I will be willing to perform the study for half the price of the current study.
Here is the preliminary plans. We can flush out the details (all puns intended) after I get my funding.
Image from: http://www.earlham.edu/~biol/brents/field_botany/sedgwicks1.htm
Allen October 19th, 2005
I note that the D*I*Y Planner (I use the HipsterPDA pack from them) has a new website — no longer directly affiliated with a million monkeys typing.
All of the above said to point to a rather "neat" site that explains Ben Franklin’s 13 virtues: Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Chastity, Tranqulity and Humility.
Starting at age 20, Ben would note when he failed to perform a task as he lived his life — stressing one virture each week. After 13 weeks, we would start the process over. As he grew older, he went through the series only once a year and then once every several years. I don’t know if this is because of boredom or because older age brings with it its own temperance.
Be that as it may, hPDA may now print out their own sheet for scoring your life.
Allen October 17th, 2005
Iowahawk has a guest blogger who had to endure a mandatory weekend retreat. (language warning)
Looks to me like they need to shorten up their strategy plan — more in line with the Underpants Gnomes.
On a blogging note, work has been very busy with lots of interviews with the user community on a new tool I’m designing. Also had a busy weekend the previous weekend with visiting my birth mother and this weekend with Boy Scout projects. Hope to clear up some draft posts soon.
Allen October 7th, 2005
I’m sorry to report that the Internet Zoning Commission has sent Iowahawk a notice.
Notice Dear Internet Citizen:
As an active member of the online community, you have likely noted with concern the decay that has plagued many of our once-thriving neighborhoods. URL domains that once hosted multi-million dollar e-commerce sites have become dilapidated pop-up ad districts; where once frollicked delightful dancing cyber-babies and hamsters, we now confront the disgusting violent squalor of L33T HaXoR ‘Flame War’ gangs. Not only does this decay reflect badly on our community, it creates a dangerous environment for our children and our browser caches. Worst of all, it has really bitten into our potential tax revenue.
Over and over again, we at the Internet Zoning Commission have heard your concerns. Now, thanks to the US Supreme Court’s landmark Kelo decision, we finally have the legal tools to reclaim our community from the sleaze merchants and MySpace punks. Starting today, we have earmarked the worst of these squalid areas — like the site previously occupied at this address — for immediate condemnation and demolition. The previous owners have been compensated fairly, receiving several 6-packs of Hamms above their site’s assessed market value.
As a private citizen, I’m outraged that I would like to applaud the civic-mindedness of our Internet Overlords and ask, upon bended knee, that they refrain from designating my site as one of the blighted zones. If they would simply let me know a convenient dropsite, amount and their favorite denomination, I’m sure we can arrange some sort of agreement.
Allen October 6th, 2005
I stopped by the site of the Hinrichs’ explosion site. As noted in an earlier post:
Tapscott’s Copy Desk has also learned that a tree near where Hinrichs’
bomb detonated displays a number of small round holes and some areas of
a metallic substance. The holes and substance are only on the side
facing the bench on which Hinrichs was seated when the bomb detonated.
The holes appear to be about the size of the head of 16 penny nail.
Now understand that I am not any sort of forensic geek, but rather a computer geek. I was not able to detect any evidence of shrapnel in the area.
Enclosed are some photos that I took of the structures near the bench where Hinrichs last sat. Click on the photos to see the full-sized version of the photos.
Overview of the tree nearest the bench. I was not able to find any sort of shrapnel damage to the tree.
Closeup of the tree showing a hole, but it appears to me to be a hole created by an insect. There is only two or three of these holes on the tree, some even on the opposite side of the blast.
Closeup of a lamp post near the bench. No indications of metal-on-metal markings or "pings" on the lamp post. There are some flakes of paint that are peeling off, but they seem old to me. (Gurk: The auto-focus thought I was going for the sidewalk rather than the pole).
Closeup of the monkey grass on a wall behind the bench. No indications of markings on the wall nor any sign of metal in the monkey grass.
So again, in conclusion, I (as definitely a non-forensic-science-type-guy) was not able to see any evidence of shrapnel or anything that would make the bomb explosive device more lethal.
Allen October 6th, 2005
See update.
Tapscott’s Copy Desk is reporting that there may have been shrapnel in the Hinrich’s bomb explosive device.
Tapscott’s Copy Desk has also learned that a tree near where Hinrichs’ bomb detonated displays a number of small round holes and some areas of a metallic substance. The holes and substance are only on the side facing the bench on which Hinrichs was seated when the bomb detonated. The holes appear to be about the size of the head of 16 penny nail.
If true, this points more to a mass murderer rather than a suicide bomber.
I may try to drop by the stadium tonight and see if I can take some pictures.
[Via Michelle Malkin]
Allen October 6th, 2005
Michelle Malkin is reporting on another possible Kelo-type land-grab. What’s interesting about this one is that the grabbers and the grabbee have the same plan for the land.
This isn’t a Republican thing or a Democratic thing or a Conservative Thing or a Progressive Thing. This is an American thing.
Remember the whole "No Taxation Without Representation" idea? Kind of what kicked off the whole American experiment? That’s what we’re talking about.
As a reminder, the Kelo decision is the one of the recent (poor) rulings of the US Supreme Court that allowed private property to be seized for use by another private individual. While this is allowed for public use, this expansion of the idea is a prime example of legislating from the bench.
Allen October 6th, 2005
I read where Sandy Berger is back in the news by driving 88 in a 55 MPH zone.
I understand the judge in the case has asked Sandy to bring all defending documentation in a briefcase.
