Thought for the day:

"Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war
in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic
fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged
sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it
narrows the mind...And when the drums of war have
reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate
and the mind has closed, the leader will have no
need in seizing the rights of the citizenry.
Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded
with patriotism, will offer up all of their rights
unto the leader, and gladly so. How do I know?
For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar"
- William Shakespeare

Busy week! I can't believe it's Thursday already.

I discovered last week that I've actually had visitors to this blog! I don't think they've ever come back...

Off to Vancouver tomorrow for the day. I'm going for a course and it's in Richmond. That means I may make the trip all the way to Vancouver and not smell or see the ocean. That'll be a bummer, but I'm going to try to get to the water for at least a few minutes.

I'm now working from home 3 mornings a week. It's to enable me to take my daughter to preschool. It's working out pretty well (and that reminds me of a topic for another post!) and I like it for the most part. I haven't even been tempted to slack off yet. We'll see though.

There I've updated, bye for now.

I'm not quite getting this blog everyday thing done, but I'm doing it a lot more frequently than before.

I noticed the other day that there's going to be an American Idol 2-hour special where everyone gets back together for one last show (bilk the advertisers out of more stupidly spent money). It started me thinking (again) about this whole show. I'm not one for reality shows so I'm probably biased on this anyway, but I have a couple of big questions regarding this show.

1. Who thought up the idea that an idol could be produced in this manner?
2. Why does the idol have to be a pop star?

I've just rewritten a huge chunk of this because I just looked up the definition of idol. You really do learn something new every day. What I learned today is that this show fits the definition of idol perfectly. Dictionary.com includes as one possible definiton "One that is adored, often blindly or excessively" and "Something visible but without substance". What could be a better definition of this show's product than this?

That still leaves the pop star part. Although I guess if there's anything that could be defined as "Something visible but without substance" it's many of today's pop stars. Maybe they'll have an athletic one next where they try to prove who can jump highest, swim farthest, and lift the most weight.

This was a pretty pointless post, although that's the point isn't it? Just write down my thoughts. Oh well, I still don't like reality TV, so I guess I'm not destined to buy into any of these things anyway.

Frost on the roofs of houses this morning. Yikes! Fall is really just around the corner isn't it?

Oops missed a day or two there...

When I started to wirte this post, it was going to be about how much I love fall. That changed as I love all the season's (I think that's why I love living here, where we actually get 4 different seasons, sometimes all in one day, but those are the risks. Anyway...), but I think what it is is that I love the transistions more than anything. September is the month where you can have a hot day where you're in shorts working in the yard. The next day might be chilly, but fresh. The grass is still green but the leaves are starting to change and so the contrast between the green grass and the yellow and red leaves is very striking. You can still have your window open at night, but by the morning, you'll be burried under the covers to ward off the early morning chill. It stays light late enough that you can still go for a daylight walk after dinner.

I don't understand how poeple can live in climates where nothing ever changes, it seems like it would become very monotonous after a while. To each his own.

I love this time of year.

Played flag football last night for the corporate challenge. What a blast! Played at the stadium on artificial turf. Ouch, that hurts! Won one, lost one, no finals for us. But it was a perfect night for football, tonight - not so much. It's going to take me a few days to recover, I feel a bit like I've been run over by a truck (I think one of the guys that I ran into was that big). Sunday is the goofy obstacle course. I'm glad I was able to prove to people that I have some athletic ability prior to making a fool of myslef in flippers sifting through a pile of sand.

Do you say Pop or Soda? Apparently this is a large enough debate that a guy from CalTech is doing a mapping study. He's doing an online survey of what term people use to describe carbonated beverages (non-alchoholic of course). Go here to add your self to the map. It's quite interesting how regional it is, who knew people referred to them as "coke"?

After seeing the effect of the Sept. 11 attacks on the WTC on the North American (and world I suppose) population, I have to wonder about countires where this happens all the time.

Obviously you would get somewhat desensitised to it, but it must be an awful stress in people's lives. Somewhere like Isreal or India (just 2 of many possible examples), at least once a week, sometimes much more often, there is a tragedy where innocent people have lost their lives because of someone elses narrow-minded hatred towards them.

How do these people deal with this? They go back to their "normal" lives within days of these kind of events. Maybe part of the reason for ongoing fights like these are that people become unaffected by the events, so the memories of particular tragedies don't stay in their minds. It's easy for me to say I remember many details of my day on Sept. 11, 2001, but how many Palestinians can say the same thing of attacks on them a year ago? I guess it could be a coping mechanism too, if they don't hang on to the memories their lives are less tragic.

I'm sure it's one of those things that you can't understand until you are in the situation. I hope I will never fully understand.

A few days ago, James Lileks talked about what it was that he liked about blogs versus the general media. One of those things was that he felt most bloggers write just for the sake of writing, where columninsts must satisfy many people and come up with topical things to write about. It's this slice-of-life sort of banality that he felt really set blogs apart from other forms of media. At least, I think I paraphrased well enough, you'll have to read it.

Anyway, my resaon for the long intro is that it made me realize that I don't write unless I have something really inportant to say. I should just write for the sake of writing. So from now on I resolve to write at least once a day whether I have anything brilliant to say or not (of course you're probably saying "He hasn't written anything brilliant yet...").

WIll I do it? We'll see.

When I awoke this morning to the unending drivel on the radio marking the 1 year anniversary of the "attacks", I was more determined than ever to criticize the way this anniversary is being handled by people. Really, how many times to we have to hear "Imagine" edited to include news clips of the latest disaster.

I still feel that way, however after reading a number of blogs and news sites, I've decided that this isn't really the time to do that. Mostly it's just the media choosing to do what they think will boost their ratings and get more people to watch them rebroadcast the images of planes flying into the WTC than the other network.

I guess in some ways I should feel relieved with that. What's more American than replaying tragedy over and over and over again until you are completely sick and tired of it. It's good to see that this tragedy hasn't changed the American media.

On a more personal and sympathetic note; I always remember people talking about where they were the day that... As a kid I could never understand how something could affect you so deeply that you would remember not only the event, but where you were on when it happened. It wasn't until the Challenger disaster that I realized how this happens. Now as a 30-something adult, I can also say the same thing about when Princess Diana died, probably because we'd just finished watching the movie Evita. We couldn't understand what people must have felt for that lady that her death would affect them so deeply. Turned off the movie and there was the news showing people's reactions to Diana's death. I didn't feel that way, but it's something I 'll never forget.

Now I add the WTC disaster to that (unfortunately) growing list. And maybe that's why I tire of the never ending tributes etc that have been shown over the last week. I will never forget that day, ever. I remember hearing the first news report about a plane crashing into the WTC like it was yesterday. I remember thinking of Tom Clancy's Debt of Honor when I heard that a second jet had flown into the towers and that they were passenger jets, not private small planes. I remember everyone being in a daze at work and that all we did was surf news sites (when they weren't down) and watch TV. I remember getting a call from my wife saying that a friend of ours was in the WTC but had gotten out safely. I remember trying to avoid it while watching TV with my daughter so that she didn't have to see all the footage of buildings collapsing and people screaming and crying.

I remember all this and more so vividly. I will never forget that day, or where I was, or how it made me feel. So please media, don't bombard me with your memories; I have more than enough of my own.

Boy, that's a little disgusting, almost a month between posts. I know from all of the feedback (LOL) that you have all missed me terribly. I'll try to think up something usefull to say.

Summer colds are another reminder of what's in store when summer's over. It's kind of like snow in August (see my post from 8/6/2002), and yes they are once again forcasting snow tonight.

A summer cold is more than just a warning though. It is also a reminder of days gone by. Ahhh... Oh yeah. Remember when you were a kid and you got sick in the summer? There really was nothing worse. You couldn't go outside and play with your friends, you felt crappy, and it was probably 150 degrees in your room. At least as an adult (apparently I am) you are old enough to make the choice as to whether you can still go outside and play, even if you're sick.

Oh well, thank-you whomever, I'm remembering that in a few months I'll probably get the flu. I'm also remembering that just as I dislike being sick now, I disliked it when I was a kid.

Maybe I'm supposed to look on the bright side, I don't get to sleep all day in the summer anymore either.

This is very cool, I think I'm going to make it permanent.



Click on it to go get your own.

Anyone who comes in here now after I've replaced the template, will think that my last two template comments are a little bizzarre. What was I thinking? Oh well, no one is reading anyway, so who cares?

Had a great weekend. I missed the snow that everyone (well not quite) is bitching and complaining about. It's just snow, it's not the end of the world. I think it's just Mother Nature's way of telling us not to take the nice warm weather for granted. "Fall's just around the corner, and don't you forget it Sonny!"

Okay, that wasn't quite as painful as I had expected.

This template is a little more me.

I hope you're taking note of how cool this new template is...
I'll get to it eventually.

James Lileks mentions something in his blog today that is a big pet peeve of mine too. The whole seasonal stock thing in stores. Why is it that they can't have the current season's stuff in the store during the season?
We encountered a really typical example of this a couple of summers ago. We're visiting relatives at a lake in B.C. and while we're out on the water, my daughter's hat blows off and disappears into the lake. No problem we thought, we'll just go to the Wal-Mart in town and buy a new one. Well, apparently at Wal-Mart (and every other store) the end of July is fall not summer. They don't have any summer hats! They've got all their fall merchandise in stock, summer merchandise is gone.
Yeah, well I think you see where I'm going. The only exception seems to be Christmas stuff. They start putting it out in October and it stays in the stores until after Christmas. Why can't they figure out that this would work well all the time? Is it because people would never go back if they stopped carrying Christmas stuff at the end of November? Probably, but no one seems to care that all the other seasons are screwed.
Oh well. It's cold here today, maybe I'll go buy some new fall clothes 'cause that what it feels like. They say it might even SNOW!!!!! tonight! Welcome to August.
At least it's a long weekend.

Well, today is World System Administrator Appreciation Day. Don't believe me? Go here. So hooray for me and the others like me. For me I get to realize how lucky I am to work someplace where people voice their appreciation all the time.
Enough of that stuff. I'm thinking about changing the template, I think I need something a little less stark. What do you think? Hello...? Hmmm, I guess it doesn't matter anyway 'cause I'm just talking to myself.
Me: You should really do something with this template.
Me: Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.
Me: Whoa, cool.
Happy Friday!

Have you ever had one of those days when you realize just how messy your desk is? Today's my day. Yikes!

OK, this is the last of the WorldCom whining, honest.
Hello, investors! Did you not think they would file for chapter 11?!
What's with all the panic now that they have? This has got to have been the worst case of lemmings I've ever seen. These people really need to get away from the office and check back into reality. Get it together people, I'd like to retire before I'm 150 and with the way you're killing my mutual funds it doesn't look likely.

Oh well, slow and steady wins the race right? At least I can say I'm enjoying my life no matter what the stupid markets are doing.

I received today what has to be one of the most bogus marketing attempts ever. In the mail I received a thing from Microsoft. On the front it says: "Nobody told me there was a virus attached to that email" and below it - Solutions to this and other IT challenges inside.
I open it up and what is inside? Demo versions of Windows XP and Office XP. Most people (myself included) would consider these products to be the beginning of IT challenges, not the end.
Um, thanks but no thanks Microsoft.

Ah, it's working again!
I'm quite fascinated by this whole Northern Snakehead situation in Maryland. The whole issue surrounding non-native species introduction is interesting to me. I remember when I was in Australia a number of years ago, they were having (and continue to have) problems with Cane Toads. These are poisonous frogs that kill a lot of native animals. The whole problem with non-native species is that native species haven't built-up any defenses against them and therefore get whiped-out quickly.
Apparently this fish not only eats almost any other fish, but can actually breath out of water and can travel on it's front fins accross land. How cool is that? They say that some guy had a couple and decided that he didn't want them anymore, so he dumped them in this pond. Now the pond is under guard so that no fish will escape to the Petuxtent where it will kill all the native fish. If this happens it'll be a really visible lesson about how careless people can be when the choose and then dispose of a "pet".

There seems to be posting problems with blogger these days. I'm just writing this to see if it's fixed.

So we're driving in the car the other day and my daughter says, "Why don't you smoke?". My wife, seeing the opportunity to pounce on this issue early in our child's life, says "Because it's dirty, ugly and makes you sick." The reply is "But Uncle Don smokes." Ah yes, throw it back in our faces. Mom says, "Yes but Uncle Don is old enough to decide whether he wants to stink of smoke and get sick and maybe die from it." "When I get bigger I'm going to smoke."
At least it'll be 12 years or so before the neighbor's oldest kid can buy her smokes. We've got time to fine-tune our spiel.