missing server > Server 54, Where Are You? > April 9, 2001

This server is legendary: missing server > Server 54, Where Are You? > April 9, 2001

Of music and work

On my way to White Plains, I pass through Hartford. A bit more than 10 years ago, I worked as a contract system manager (VAX/VMS with some early Windows 95 PCs) at a company near Hartford. On my first day of work, I brought my portable CD player, a stack of CDs, and headphones so I could listen to music while working. Mid-morning, the supervisor stopped by my office and told me that there was a company policy against listening to music during work hours. I didn't ask him to explain, figuring that such a silly rule would have an even sillier explanation. So, for the next four months, instead of listening to Van Halen, Bach, or Miles Davis, I got to hear, in rather extraordinarily intimate detail, how the young people in the office were spending their weeknights and weekends.

Of course, technology would eventually win out. These folks have been able to convert the activity of their systems and networks into something that approximates music. If something goes wrong with the systems, then something will go wrong with the music.

When Scottish bureaucracy meets blogging, (PDF) both will emerge bloodied, but not bowed.

The Four Horsemen seen gathering their saddles and riding gear.

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of being sensible

One has modest expectations for a day when the National Weather Service includes something such as this in its forecast discussion: "Not expecting much in the way of sensible weather through the short term...."

When traveling, I become increasingly aware of the weight and bulk of each item that I carry. Where possible, I find smaller versions of most anything. The retractable network cable and the USB mini-mouse are the size of a package of Tic-Tacs. And, yet, there's still a lot of stuff in my pockets, in my briefcase, in my suitcase, on my belt. George Carlin has done a classic riff on our attachment to our stuff. An article in the Washington Post, discussed here, says that, and I'm oversimplifying here, we're carrying so much stuff because we'd rather deal with our stuff than with other people.

It's been so warm this winter ...
How warm is it?
It's been so warm that the Canada geese stayed in Canada.

Who says romance is dead? A guy in England eats a can of 50-year-old chicken to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary. Note to Sandra - I'm sure that there's something old enough in the cupboard downstairs.

If your life is improved by receiving your vitamins through your underwear, you have more problems than not getting enough vitamins.

Without the Internet, we might think that we're sane.

I'm spending time, a lot of time, in meetings and on conference calls these days. It's not surprising that my attention might wander. Heck, my attention wanders even on the best days. So, using some nifty new technology called RSS and an RSS reader (Bloglines), I can monitor more than 100 web sites for new stories all in an instant. (I'll write more about RSS another time.) Most of them are related to technology. If I find an item of particular interest or importance, I'll send it along to our work team.

Then there are the others:

• Certainly bringing credence to John Paul II's fast track to sainthood, Michael Jackson might sing some of the Pope's prayers. (Or might not.) When driving down here yesterday, I heard MJ's Beat It on the radio. Eddie Van Halen gave a ripping guitar solo. Let us all give a collective shiver at the thought of MJ singing Young People, Christ Calls You, whomever plays the guitar.
• From the Science of the Flippin' Obvious Department, we learn that people's brains change after they're 18 and again in middle age. (See the aforementioned attention drift.)
• The communists in Nepal will agree to a monarchy, but only if the people vote for it. As best as I can tell, if the idea of a monarchy isn't improved, then the Maoist will continue their battles with whomever is in power.
• The American Decency Association didn't think much of the Super Bowl, but not because of anything related to football.
• Just in time for Valentine's Day: the Army will teach you how to pick a spouse.
  
• Mike Lazaridis, co-CEO of RIM, will receive the highest Canadian honor, the Order of Canada. Judge in Blackberry patent trials seen jumping up and down like Yosemite Sam.
• Herbal medicines can be healthy, safe, and inexpensive alternatives to traditional medicines, as long as your health care provider isn't faxing your confidential information to a small, house-run business in Canada.
• I think that this looks more like one of the Baldwin brothers, but the makers claim that it's Brad Pitt. Insert your own Angelina Jolie/Jennifer Aniston/Who is Brad Pitt and why does he keep calling me? joke here.
  

Valleywag: The San Francisco to Cupertino commute, in under two minutes

Valleywag: The San Francisco to Cupertino commute, in under two minutes

Eu desejo que eu tive um título

The Brits call today, the first Monday in February, National Sickie Day. Not a bad idea. Much of America is still stupified by the pre-game, intra-game, and post-game Super Bowl babbling, not to mention the massive quantities of calories and beer in many households. At our house, Sandra and I had our regular Skinny Cow snacks and, later, Marley and I shared an apple. We went to sleep sometime in the fourth quarter. I'm glad that Pittsburgh won, but I would have appreciated a better game. There were some impressive individual performances. The teams, however, never quite clicked. The Diet Pepsi ad with Diddy and the Hummer ads were the best of a lame lot. The Stones can still rock, even if Keith Richards looks like he's thinking about what color to paint his house.

Another trip to New York this morning. As always, I know that I work hard, but what I do isn't hard work. This story has been repeated several times in the past few years - foreign workers collecting cockles go out on a sand bar and then are trapped by the returning high tide and often swept out to sea.

A single serving of Snickers pie comes in at 1250 calories, with untold grams of fat and sugar.

I've had a long-running email thread with a friend from the Great White North on the topic of "Canadians are not like the rest of us." To that point, I offer Synchronized Steamshovels. Real Player or equivalent required. (Yes, I know that they're powered by diesel, not steam. The piece needed the alliteration.)

Over the weekend, I received a CD with about 40 minutes of music by friend Don. It was recorded eight or 10 years ago, just Don and his guitar in front of a tape recorder. He was a wonderful performer - good tunes, good music. A few times, Don got somewhat formal in his singing and I could hear, oddly enough, his father's voice. This was music of a special person but also music from a special time (60s into early 70s). He sang Draft Dodger Rag by Phil Ochs, a funny and yet desperate song. And, like Don, Phil Ochs got away from us too soon.