Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):

Holden

Monday, May 4

12:01 a.m. Loud music reported from residence on Dorothy Ave.; party turning radio down
12:17 a.m. Assist Paxton with lookout for individual
5:39 a.m. Security guard at high school reports large excavation there will likely cause traffic problems this morning
8:25 a.m. Large tree reported sticking out into road on South Rd.
9:11 a.m. Stone wall damage at business on Main St., possibly from skateboarders
2:44 p.m. Dump truck and trailer blocking Highland St.
3:12 p.m. Truck knocked down wires on Mason Rd.
3:27 p.m. Escaped dog seen walking with leash but no owner
7:05 p.m. 911 Kids reported driving around behind Davis Hill School

Tuesday, May 5

8:10 p.m. Son reported not home after school
10:00 p.m. Request for officer to speak with son who was missing and brought home after school

Wednesday, May 6

11:57 a.m. Report of snake in the kitchen of elderly woman's home on Kendall Rd.
2:01 p.m. Pastor requesting police drive through lot while individual who is causing trouble is there
5:00 p.m. Neighbor dispute on Quail Run; message with profanities left on answering machine
6:10 p.m. Group of youths loitering at Dunkin' Donuts
8:28 p.m. 911 Report of three young females walking in potentially hazardous area on Reservoir St.

Thursday, May 7

7:26 a.m. Caller venting about traffic in area of WRHS
8:16 a.m. Resident reports neighbor piling brush in his second driveway where he needs space for Dumpster
8:40 a.m. Caller reports having words with attendant at gas station
8:51 a.m. Missing dog reported
11:37 a.m. Child locked himself in parents' car and is refusing to go into Mountview School
1:43 p.m. Suspicious incident on Highland St.
2:41 p.m. Teenage boys reported asking around on Cranbrook Drive about trampolines; told to get lost
3:19 p.m. 911 Report of driver dumping two older cats in carrier on side of road; unable to locate cats
4:32 p.m. Child reported wandering on Glenwood St.

Friday, May 8

3:50 a.m. Large branch in road on Wachusett St.
4:11 a.m. Caller reports dog barking in manner that suggests intruder on Wachusett St.
4:52 a.m. Report of car parked on Princeton St. near railroad tracks
9:55 a.m. Report of possible scam, caller to come to someone's home for hearing test
10:12 a.m. 911 Caller lost in Trout Brook; later found
12:13 p.m. Suspicious incident on Salisbury St.
1:01 p.m. No water at residence on Main St.
1:28 p.m. Report of motor vehicle turning in and out of driveways on Manning St.
4:34 p.m. 911 Bank reports elderly man looking for fruit, may be confused
7:00 p.m. 911 from residence that is vacant
8:32 p.m. Young teen concerned about coyote circling home and howling
8:33 p.m. Caller reports vehicle cut him off
9:46 p.m. Group of teens at playground off Shrewsbury St.; last week condoms were found there

Saturday, May 9

10:41 a.m. 911 Dirt bike being driven around new development on Steppingstone Dr.
12:15 p.m. Dead fox on Princeton St.
12:30 p.m. Worcester PD requests making contact with resident regarding illegal dumping
3:16 p.m. 911 Chestnut Hill Dr. resident reports broken faucet in bathroom and shutoff valve broken
5:00 p.m. Cat hit by car on Reservoir St.
8:24 p.m. Individual hit by paint ball from passing car while working in yard on Winter Hill Rd.
8:55 p.m. Barking dog complaint on Glenwood St.; dog "freaking out" because of storm
9:06 p.m. Vehicle went wrong way up jug handle at Shrewsbury St.

Sunday, May 10

10:06 a.m. Black pug dog found on Manning St.
10:30 a.m. Damage to lamppost reported during night on Stoneleigh Road
10:41 a.m. Two large pots of pansies stolen from Princeton St. residence during the night
10:55 a.m. Power outage reported on Mason Rd.
6:52 p.m. 911 from Kendall Rd.; problem with phone lines
11:12 p.m. Caller inquiring about music noise levels
11:32 p.m. Report of loud music on Dorothy Ave.

Paxton

Monday, May 4

6:59 a.m. 911 hang-up; child playing with phone
8:15 p.m. Suspicious auto in Market Place parking lot; car broken down, waiting for tow

Tuesday, May 5

3:20 p.m. Burglar alarm set off by door opened by wind, Black Hill Rd.
3:30 p.m. Burglar alarm set off by visitor entering house through unlocked door, West St.; homeowner arrived and identified party

Friday, May 8

6:17 a.m. Suspicious auto, Howe's Farm Stand, Pleasant St.
5:35 p.m. Tree company taking up travel lane, Holden Rd.; told to move off road

Saturday, May 9

1:17 a.m. Suspicious auto, Paxton Market Place
4:00 p.m. Caller reporting his brown Dachshund ran away, no tag or collar

Sunday, May 10

11:52 a.m. Motor vehicle lock-out, Paxton House of Pizza

Princeton

Monday, May 4

7:31 a.m. Traffic control duty, Rte. 140 N.
3:08 p.m. Assist fire department, Sterling Rd.
7:00 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Sterling Rd.

Tuesday, May 5

7:35 a.m. Traffic control duty, Sterling Rd.
9:10 p.m. Public service, Main St.

Wednesday, May 6

9:05 a.m. Assist fire dept., Worcester Rd.
3:15 p.m. Disabled motor vehicle, Worcester Rd.
9:24 p.m. Suspicious person, Allen Hill Rd.

Thursday, May 7

10:23 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Coal Kiln Rd.

Friday, May 8

5:55 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Allen Hill Rd.

Saturday, May 9

11:52 a.m. Traffic safety hazard, Radford Rd.
3:05 p.m. Property found, Westminster Rd.

Sunday, May 10

2:20 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Brooks Station Rd.
3:50 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Brooks Station Rd.

Rutland

Monday, May 4

12:23 p.m. Trucks parked obstructing view on Main St., Honey Farms parking lot
5:52 p.m. Loose cows in roadway, Pommogussett Rd.
6:30 p.m. Person at station to discuss relative's arrest, Main St.

Tuesday, May 5

3:45 p.m. Person reporting farm tractors driving on Main St.
11:16 p.m. Low hanging wire and debris in roadway, Pommogussett Rd.

Wednesday, May 6

8:49 a.m. Person to speak with officer about having guns returned to him, Main St.
9:30 a.m. Person locked herself out of her vehicle, Glenwood Rd.
10:33 a.m. Person to speak with officer about Internet scam, Main St.
5:41 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.

Thursday, May 6

9:11 p.m. General police, Prouty Ln.

Friday, May 8

12:58 a.m. Report of vehicle in driveway with radio blaring, Kenwood Dr.
2:52 a.m. Dead beaver in road, Fisherman's Rd.
10:40 a.m. Black bear running across Rte. 68 near Abbott Rd.
12:28 p.m. Trash truck took down some wires, Birchwood Rd.
12:29 p.m. Person wants to retrieve property, Main St.

Saturday, May 9

12:20 a.m. Disabled camper, Maple Ave.
5:55 a.m. Two deer in back yard, Maple Ave.; one injured, hit by car. Environmental Police notified

Sunday, May 10

1:15 p.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Main St.
6:18 p.m. People arguing about loose dog, Philips Ave.

Sterling

Monday, May 4

8:15 a.m. Caller says foxes are killing her chickens, wants to know what to do, Princeton Rd.
10:11 a.m. Caller reports his for-sale sign stolen, Redemption Rock Trl.
2:37 p.m. Caller reporting damage to sliding doors over the weekend, appears to be BB gun, Leominster Rd.

Tuesday, May 5

11:04 a.m. Suspicious male in driveway, wondering if census taker, Pamela Ln.
1:54 p.m. Suspicious male walking in neighborhood, Cole Rd.
6:35 p.m. Goats on side of road, wandering free, Redemption Rock Trl.

Wednesday, May 6

12:13 p.m. Suspicious male wearing orange shirt in area of John Dee Rd.
3:27 p.m. Very large turtle trying to cross Worcester Rd.

Thursday, May 7

9:00 a.m. Male in black Tahoe taking pictures of houses, Rowley Hill Rd.
4:03 p.m. Ongoing problem with neighbors' two large dogs, Meetinghouse Hill Rd.
4:51 p.m. Large turtle in middle of road, traffic problem, Muddy Pond/John Dee Rds.
7:00 p.m. Window damaged from BB gunshot, Heywood Rd.
7:16 p.m. Large older black dog in yard, Clemence Ave.

Friday, May 8

3:45 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer about motor vehicle accident in Boston

Saturday, May 9

2:15 p.m. Teenagers sitting on trailers at Davis Orchard on Redstone Hill
4:54 p.m. Suspicious male going door-to-door trying to sell something, Rugg Rd.
8:03 p.m. Tree in road, N. Row Rd.

Sunday, May 10

7:46 p.m. 911 hang-up call. Yelling in background, James Rd.

Reinventing relevance

Friend Liz recently wrote a piece, called what it's like now, in which she describes the difficulties that friends and former co-workers are encountering as their jobs go away. It shouldn't be a surprise to learn that companies generally don't care about workers as people, but we continue to be surprised. The managers, directors, VPs, and others with whom we worked had to see us as numbers on a payroll sheet a) to keep their own jobs and b) to keep their sanity. "It's just business."
But, to those who lose their jobs, it's oh, so personal. There are few things more personal than one's job. Yossarian, in Catch-22, observed that, just because they're shooting at everyone doesn't mean that they're not shooting at me.
No, it's very personal, even in the middle of a major societal event. September 11^th was a traumatic, milestone event for our nation. A former co-worker, Doug Gowell, was on the American Airlines flight out of Boston. He died in a public event, but he was also (and even more importantly) a husband, father, and friend who died. He was a fun and smart guy. I first learned about Gigabit Ethernet from a conversation with him.
These things are personal - job loss, death, breakups of relationships.
Job losses at this time are even more disorienting. Organizations are jettisoning employees, sometimes to shift workers overseas, sometimes just doing without, sometimes changing the very nature of the work. All this Web 2.0, virtual teaming, cloud computing, Buzzword Bingo scares the yogurt out of folks with even a few years of work experience.
For the graybeards among us, our sudden irrelevance feels like a deep betrayal. What got us here - our knowledge and talents - won't get us any further. Even if we pick up a contract gig, we're seen pretty much as a bag of keywords on resume, not a a person.

Recently, I had an email exchange with a former co-worker who landed a short-term contract assignment at a company that used an old hardware and software configuration (VAX/VMS) as a core part of its financial services computing environment. This guy was so happy. It was as though he'd wandered back in time to his grandmother's kitchen, sitting down to eat some of grandma's apple pie.
My reasons for being out of work are esoteric, discussed in this journal and elsewhere a few years back. Nevertheless, the effect is the same. I miss work. I miss the people, the smart, funny, full-tilt-Bozo-weird people who'd do hexadecimal multiplication in their heads. I miss the opportunity to work hard on hard stuff.
I hear the word 'reinvention' a lot. This is a time for me to reinvent myself. Yup, they're probably right. Invention, re- or first-time, is, by definition, a risky venture. For every innovation that makes a difference in our lives and the lives of those around us - sliced bread, the Les Paul guitar, Bunn coffee makers - there are lots of ideas and ambitions best left on the side of the road.
A couple of current best-sellers, Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Story of Success and Nassim Nicholas Taleb's The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, make the point that success in the information economy (jobs where we don't make physical things such as cheeseburgers, brick walkways, or turbines) is far more random than we can comfortably accept. Tom Johnson offers a good analysis of Outliers and his own experience as a successful technical writer.
In sum, our chances for success, even modest ones, are unfair and random. We can do a lot to 'make our own luck' and still miss out. I've gone to the funerals of plenty of my contemporaries who were smarter, kinder, braver, and, well, better than me. It's unfair, deeply, profoundly, unfathomably, unspeakably unfair, and yet we keep going.

I burn down your cities--how blind you must be
I take from you your children and you say how blessed are we
You must all be crazy to put your faith in me
That's why i love mankind
You really need me
That's why i love mankind

God's Song, by Randy Newman

This just in: Pope admits that he's Catholic

Unitil: We were not prepared - Sentinel & Enterprise:

"Unitil Corp. executives testified yesterday that prior to the December ice storm, the company had not prepared for a worst-case scenario in which its electrical systems in all three territories in Massachusetts and New Hampshire were impacted.

Officials also told the Department of Public Utilities that it had never performed so-called 'tabletop exercises' or real-time drills to test the company's ability to respond to an emergency power outage -- even though almost every other major utility company in the state goes through such exercises."

Communicating with Franklin Street

There have been frequent blog posts about the Telegram.com web site troubles -telegram.com: "Reported attack site", T&G Website Problems Today, and, of course, this bit of sweetness from Firefox's security system:
.
Yesterday, I had to call the T&G subscription department to make a change to our home delivery service. Our account is a bit tricky, so the automated phone service tried valiantly but, after a few minutes, needed to enlist the help of a human being. The nice robo-operator said that my call would be transfered to the next available customer service representative.
I heard a click, followed by some silence, and then, another robo-operator came on the line and said,

We're. sorry. We cannot continue processing your call. Please hang up.

There was silence on both ends of line, theirs by design, mine by bewilderment.

(I called back, quickly said, "Agent" at the first prompt, and was delivered to a personable rep who took care of my request easily.)

Hey, buddy, can you get me a real job?

So my IBM Thinkpad, the one that I bought on my way out the door from IBM in 2004, turned into a Brickpad. I suspect, but can't readily prove, that a replacement battery that I'd installed over the weekend toasted the innards. The laptop ran fine for a day and then started crashing intermittently and finally wouldn't boot, read a CD, or so anything other than complain that various components were inaccessible. I brought it to our local fix-it guys; their diagnostics and tinkering confirmed that it was game over.
A bit of research with Consumer Reports and online price comparisons brought me to Best Buy, where I picked up a Dell Studio model something-or-other with a lot of screen, disk, and memory. The salesguy was a pleasant, easy-going young man who listened well and answered my questions clearly and without hype. He did a very good job.
Of course, part of his job is in selling extras, which includes an online backup/recovery plan for your data. I mentioned that my wife works for EMC and so we use their Mozy online service.
"EMC, huh?" he asked. "Is their IT department hiring?"
I explained what I knew, that salaried employees were being asked to take a 5% pay cut for the rest of this year. (This is public information, reported here in the Boston Globe.) I had seen some very specific sales and sales engineering positions available, jobs where you worked for EMC but were on-site at customer locations almost full-time.
The salesguy said that he wished he'd applied to EMC before graduation rather than afterwards and now, well, now he has this job. As I said, he did a very good job. I'll fill out the customer survey and let them know that I was treated well. Nevertheless, a job at Best Buy is still just a job at Best Buy.

It's a lovely spring morning. Be sure to take time ...

via CIDU.

Vote early

Holden is, um, holdin' its town elections today, with races for selectman and school committee. This was, at least to my distracted attention, a quiet election season. Usually, there are a few neighbors who whose political sentiments are pretty much opposite of mine. If I'm in doubt about a candidate or issue, I just vote the opposite of what their lawn signs says.
This year, we didn't get that much help, so we had to make our own choices. Ken Lipka made it a bit easier. He (or his campaign crew) put notes in our mailboxes, urging us to vote, along with two pens that said Kenneth Lipak for Holden Selectman. That's illegal, putting putting into people's mailboxes without postage, and making my decision a bit easier.

We were so poor that ...

The release candidate of the next  version of Microsoft Windows, called Windows 7, is now available for evaluation. You'll be able to install and run it for about year without purchasing an upgrade license. Starting in March of next year, the early release version of Windows 7 will shift into nag mode, meaning that it will put up warning messages to remind you to purchase a license. It will also start to reboot, automatically and without warning, a rather annoying feature if you're trying to get real work done.  Of course, you shouldn't be trying to do real work with evaluation software.
A dozen or so years ago, I worked for a start-up computer company (long since unstarted-up). We had very little money, in part because we used precious cash to open an office in Japan, do a major trade show in Germany, and maintain an office in San Diego whle our headquarters were in Massachusetts. (We had some very smart people in the San Diego office, including the VP of engineering, who was my boss for the first year.)
The misguided expenditures left us with precious little cash for our regular operations. We got by as best we could.

• We had an evaluation version of Windows NT 4 running on our server. As with Windows 7, the NT server started rebooting at random intervals after the evaluation period expired. We worked around it until a licensed copy came our way.
  
• Our external server was a reliable little box running BSD (a free UNIX system package). Our network connection to the outside world, however, was first an oddball dialup connection to some other company. Later, we got our own direct connection, a 56K modem that was shared by the 30 or so people in the office. 
• We used whatever software we could find. Our chief financial officer said that it was cheaper to pay the fines for using unlicensed software than to pay for the software itself. (Those rules have since changed, makng the penalties much steeper for pirated software.)
  So, we'd have one licensed copy of most programs and everyone would use them. Where evaluation copies were available, such as FrameMaker that we used for our manuals, well, even better. 
• Our CFO was able to get evaluation units of photocopiers. We try them out for a month or two and then return them, saying that we needed this feature or that feature. We'd then get another eval unit or another brand from another supplier.
  

The company's product was a network file server, primarily for MacIntosh systems. It had 100GB of storage and sold for $100,000 in 1996-98. I recently saw a special deal for a 1TB (10 times the size of our server) for $79.

For those whose mothers are near, far, or gone

Props to ... and in Laurel and Gloria's "secret garden" ...