Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):
[Editor's note: there were 15 suspicious items this week.]

Holden

Monday, Match 19

6:04 a.m. Child's bicycle on sidewalk, Bullard St.
1:03 p.m. Person turned in small dog at station, Main St.
1:33 p.m. Caller concerned that person in large white truck is dumping furniture at end of Fisher Rd.

Tuesday, March 20

3:20 p.m. Police check on suspicious incident, Shrewsbury St.
5:24 p.m. Police out with three youths walking across traffic, Main St.
6:40 p.m. Police out with group of kids. All set, fishing, Quinapoxet St.
10:13 p.m. Police out with two kids in parking lot, Reservoir St.

Wednesday, March 21

12:15 a.m. Caller reports beeping noise, Rondeau Rd., Jefferson
11:47 a.m. Suspicious vehicle at different houses with driver taking pictures and writing notes, Jennifer Dr.

Thursday, March 22

3:59 p.m. Police check on male on railroad tracks behind business, Main St.

Friday, March23

12:49 p.m. Suspicious incident, neighbor calling in alarm, Basswood Cir.
6:11 p.m. Caller reports hawk in middle of Main St., obstructing traffic
8:08 p.m. Female, appears to be runner, limping and carrying shoe, Main/Salisbury Sts.
9:38 p.m. Caller reports group of teens appear to be intoxicated, Britney Dr.

Saturday, March 24

12:16 a.m. Police out with four individuals, Shrewsbury St.
10:06 a.m. Missing manhole cover, Reservoir St.
1:46 p.m. Advise kids of no-trespassing sign and skateboarding near Dumpsters, Jamieson Rd.
5:54 p.m. Group of 15 kids entering woods, Nichols St. Arrest three juveniles on disturbing the peace and assault charges
8:29 p.m. Two suspicious vehicles, Holden Hills Country Club
9:09 p.m. Caller reports female left vehicle and urinated, Main St.

Sunday, March 25

9:52 a.m. Person at station with emails saying he won a large sum of money, Main St.
3:39 p.m. Youths gathering in area of Nichols St.

Paxton

Monday, March19

5:17 p.m. Large bear on property, Suomi St.
6:50 p.m. Vehicles parked on access road where fire dept. is conducting training, Illigs Pond, West St.
8:38 p.m. Suspicious male on Pleasant St.; he's walking to a Camp St. residence

Tuesday, March 20

3:07 p.m. Television dumped on side of Suomi St. near Marshall St.

Wednesday, March 21

11:30 a.m. Black Lab loose near Crowningshield Dr.
6:07 p.m. General contractor in lobby requesting police escort to retrieve his tools at residence where he was fired by homeowner
8:27 p.m. Large black bear in yard, Holden Rd.

Thursday, March 22

7:44 p.m. Bear in backyard, Marshall St.

Saturday, March 24

8:43 a.m. Black and chocolate Labradors missing, Sanford Rd.
2:34 p.m. Officer requested to Pleasant St. residence. Neighbor cut down trees and homeowner wants to file charges

Sunday, March25

8:32 p.m. Suspicious vehicle with lights on in front of Paxton Market

Princeton

Monday, March 19

12:18 p.m. Complaint about barking dog, Worcester Rd.
4:33 p.m. Kids in canoe on private pond, Bullard Rd.
5:15 p.m. Caller wants to speak to animal control officer regarding neighbor's dog, Dowds Ln.

Tuesday, March 20

4:28 p.m. Person locked behind gate, Mountain Rd.

Wednesday, March 21

4:50 p.m. Person locked behind gate, Mountain Rd.

Thursday, March 22

6:16 p.m. Two dogs in yard, Worcester Rd.
7:20 p.m. Police assist person hitchhiking to business in Sterling

Friday, March 23

10:55 a.m. Police assist person locked out of vehicle, Mountain Rd.
2:14 p.m. Suspicious male came to door investigating voices from building, Brooks Station Rd.
6:00 p.m. Boy Scouts touring station, Town Hall Dr.

Saturday, March 24

10:37 a.m. Turkey struck and in roadway, Rte. 140 N
1:22 p.m. Eight chickens missing, Rocky Pond Rd.
6:21 p.m. Suspicious vehicle parked in driveway, Coal Kiln Rd.
10:48 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Worcester Rd.

Sunday, March 25

11:39 p.m. Two suspicious vehicles in parking lot, Brooks Station Rd.

Rutland

Monday, March 19

10:52 a.m. White dog running loose in traffic, Edson Ave.
5:57 p.m. Three male juveniles walking down River Rd., smashing bottles
6:47 p.m. Person wants to speak with officer regarding kids shooting compound bows close to his home, Watson Ln.
8:38 p.m. Female reports being attacked by family member, Skyline Dr. Arrest: B

Tuesday, March 20

6:43 a.m. Suspicious van parked on Watson Ln.
6:25 p.m. Young male running out of house, Sassawanna Rd, heading to Pommogussett

Wednesday, March 21

10:55 a.m. Suspicious vehicle in neighborhood, Sycamore Dr.
3:15 p.m. Suspicious vehicle in area, Britney Dr.
4:27 p.m. Report of horse and buggy on roadway dropping feces, Lowry Ln.
7:11 p.m. Elderly male, possibly intoxicated, walking on Juniper Ln.
8:40 p.m. Suspicious male standing in front of Community Center, Glenwood Rd.

Thursday, March 22

7:32 p.m. Request for animal control officer for dog in accident vehicle
7:57 p.m. Paxton PD reports unknown disturbance, Miles Rd. Arrst: ---

Friday, March 23

7:52 a.m. Person wants to pick up dog held after accident, Main St.
9:20 a.m. People dumping Christmas tree and other yard waste in open space, Central Tree Estates
9:40 a.m. Live ammunition found, Miles Rd.

Saturday, March 24

7:36 p.m. Two young males on side of road trying to flag people down, E. County Rd.

Sunday, March 25

4:41 p.m. Complaint about horse wagon obstructing traffic, Glenwood Rd.

Sterling

Monday, March 19

10:54 a.m. Stray dog at house all morning, Crowley Rd.
1:32 p.m. Suspicious activity, Pikes Hill Rd.

Tuesday, March 20

11:25 a.m. Caller reports receiving recorded message saying he could win $1,000, Pineview Rd.
11:32 a.m. Complaint about barking dogs, Redstone Pl.
2:31 p.m. Animal control officer to check on raccoon, on roof and attempting to climb tree, Campground Rd.
3:54 p.m. Caller reports someone brought a yellow Lab to her house, thinking it was her dog, Greenland Rd.
6:44 p.m. Male at station with mail believed to be fraudulent, regarding airline tickets won in exchange for small payment, Kendall Hill Rd.

Wednesday, March 21

3:26 p.m. Police off with giant snapping turtle in middle of Worcester Rd.
3:50 p.m. Caller found leg bone that could be human, Waushacum Ave.

Thursday, March 22

3:11 p.m. Vehicles parked in no-parking zone, kids walking away wearing bathing suits, Heywood Rd.

Friday, March 23

3:32 p.m. Woman called a number of times by person who says she owes him $1,200 for magazines she never ordered, Fox Run Rd.
4:38 p.m. Caller reports septic seepage, Campground Rd.

Saturday, March 24

7:40 a.m. Person slumped over the wheel in parking lot, Leominster Rd.
11:55 p.m. Full-grown black bear by back door, Still River Rd. Dog barked, yelped, then silent – unknown if dog attacked by the bear

Sunday, March 25

2:22 a.m. Suspicious vehicle. Person vomiting out rear door, Waushacum Ave.
12:32 p.m. Report that person drives down culde sac, lets dog out to leave fecal matter in area, then leaves, Mellon Hollow Rd.

Wither the funnies of Sunday

Most of the time, I favor the present and future over the past. I think that, overall, we are making things better for ourselves and for the next generations. You can call me naïve, but I won't answer. We've eradicated diseases, brought freedom to more people in more places, and even reduced the amount of violence in the world. In spite of what you might hear from political campaigns or from the pulpit, life is getting much better for many more.

So, why, for all of our great wisdom and talent, have the Sunday funny pages become a cruel mockery of past glories?

Here's what you get now:

[caption id="attachment_3368" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Boston Sunday Globe - 1 Apr 2012 (click to enbiggen)"][/caption]

Here's what you got in April 1970 (via Whirled of Kelly - Play Ball!)

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="220" caption="Pogo full-page Sunday comic - 5 Apr 1970 (click to enbiggen)"][/caption]

It wasn't just Walt Kelly's great talent for writing and drawing that made these strips so stunning. The newspapers published them, giving over a whole page to a single comic. The papers had to pay good money to do this. The papers of old made money by believing that the public were worthy of this rich nectar. The papers of new are surprised that modern readers don't savor comics made of high-fructose corn syrup.

More on recycling

Last year, the  Freakonomics guys were on Marketplace to talk about a phenomenon called conspicuous conservation. Basically, it means keeping up with the Jones by showing off the great ways that you are kind to the environment, leave no footprints, and all that. Good on you if you do that.

Sometimes, they're called Super Greenies. They're wealthy, drive Prii, and use rechargeable batteries in their whatevers.

Fine. Good. But there's a limit for all of us. Amazon showed me that limit.

Bump Installation Crew gets a new tool

With a hat tip to Jeff Barnard's Bump Installation Crew series, we have this new feature:

The Ohio Department of Transportation has completed a year-long trial of the DuraPatcher. A Mississippi company has created the device that lets a trained worker clean the pothole and install the bump. “The advantage of this is we get a clean, dry hole," said a  a Ohio highway management administrator. The unit can operate year-round.

Barnes and Noble and the Case of The Missing Missing Manual

I wanted a book. I went to a book store. I came home without a book. If only it was that simple.

We were looking for some clear guidance about QuickBooks 2012.  The Missing Manuals series has been a good source of guidance on a number of topics. I had some errands to run and so added a stop at Barnes and Noble to my itinerary. I double-checked on my phone to make sure that they had a copy. They thought that they did.



They have a lot of books in the store. I wasn't looking for a lot of books. I was looking for one. Because the taxonomy put books of this type in the Microsoft Office shelf, rather than under business or finance, I had to wander a bit to find the right section, let alone the book. So, somewhat surprisingly, I asked for help. I went to the desk, explained my mission, and followed the clerk to the aforementioned section where we found no such book.



The clerk asked if I wanted to have him order it. I declined. The Barnes and Noble website didn't let me see the contents or index to make sure that it had the information that I needed. (I'd already checked the official Intuit manual on the B&N shelves. That book didn't address the topic at hand.) I ordered the book from Amazon after confirming that it had the information I needed.

 

Congress shall make no law ...

In the news, we learn that there are a bunch of laws managed by private firms, for which we'd have to pay to see because, well, that's what Boing-Boing is trying to figure out in Liberating America's secret, for-pay laws. These laws relate to areas as diverse as building codes, motor vehicle standards, and workplace safety. Because the laws are written by private, albeit nonprofit, organizations, the companies are asserting their copyright on the material. Courts have made it abundantly clear that the laws of the nation are in the public domain. Nonetheless, the companies are charging big bucks to have the documents printed and are still claiming their rights to restrict distribution.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Times is reporting that the Justice Department is trying to keep another category of information out of the reach of Freedom of Information Act requests.

Digital nomads

Recently we had dinner with some long-time friends. One couple is retired. The other couple is getting ready for retirement, but they aren't quite sure if they ready yet. It's more about what they'd do than about finances. He's an electrician. After a tough slog through the recession, he's found good work that will last a couple more months. After that, there may be other jobs opening up. She's a preschool teacher. She started to retire, but returned a few months later.

They asked what we're doing these days. Sandra, we said, is working part-time at son Mike's business and having a very good time. When it was my turn, I mentioned that I was writing for a few tech websites, teaching a bit, and picking up IT and web support work as it came along. It sounds like a lot, but added it still doesn't reach half-time.

How I do this work, it turned out, was more interesting. I mentioned that I'd never met my bosses and likely never would. I've known nne of my colleagues, an editor for one of the sites, for 30 years. I last saw him last summer at his mother's funeral in Maine. The previous time was two or so years before that and then several years beyond. It's doubtful that I'll meet the other writers in person, except by chance. For another project in Worcester, I see the project manager perhaps once every two months.

I do leave the house a few times a week. Rocco starts to get excited when I put on my going-out-of-the-house pants because it means a) he'd going for a ride or b) he's going to be left alone for a while. If I take my brief case, his spirit dims because it's much more likely that I'll be out for a while and he won't be going.

When I am away from the house, my office is wherever I am. On Friday, I met a friend and former co-worker at Panera Bread in Leominster. Another friend and former co-worker claims that this Panera is like 5th Avenue and 57th Street in New York -- spend any time there and you'll see someone you know. She told me this when I saw her by chance at this Panera on Friday where she was having coffee with another friend from Holden. A half hour later, our next-door neighbor came in for lunch with her co-workers.

 

Job of the day

Get your passport and visa, Kevlar vest, and brown pants.

[caption id="attachment_3321" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="LinkedIn for Journalists"][/caption]

Crime in suburbia - Hat Tip edition

[caption id="attachment_3312" align="alignleft" width="187" caption="Telegram and Gazette Policing the logs"].
Click image to enbiggen.[/caption]

The Telegram and Gazette has run an excellent series of articles about public access to police logs, including a helpful video narrative and details about how area police departments responded to requests.

Holden did well. My regular Crime in Suburbia series, by way of The Landmark's police report, depends on the good work of our local police departments.

The response by the local state police was discouraging. The paper noted that Lt. Col. Tim Alben, commander of the agency's Division of Field Services, has followed up with a directive to troopers in his command, reminding them of the very clear state laws regarding police logs.

These stories are a part of the paper's participation in Sunshine Week.

Kudos to Thomas Caywood, Gerard F. Russell, Noah R. Bombard and Scott J. Croteau.

---

Disclaimer: I write a blog on Telegram Towns and have written stories for the Telegram, but had no involvement in these stories.

Why are we reading about this in the Wall Street Journal

In Massachusetts Takes Aim at Red Tape, the WSJ tells us about Gov. Deval Patrick's plan to simplify the ways in which businesses do business. Under the cleanup project, announced to state workers on Friday, the state will eliminate 150 admittedly silly regulations that get in the way. Review of another 800 regulations is continuing. For example, if the owner of a hair salon wants to transfer ownership to an employee , the salon would have to close while the transfer paperwork was being processed. It's a good story about the state and the governor.

There is no story about this project  in the Worcester Telegram, Boston Globe, or Boston Herald. But, Saturday's Telegram had two (1,2)stories about Cee Lo Green set up shop in Las Vegas.

What the GOP Can Learn From Greek Yogurt

For all the money and social media hoopla, the 2012 Republican field has failed to bring voters to the polls. Super Tuesday puts up half of the delegates needed to win. The nominee may take the top share of a shrinking market

Read the rest on my blog, What the GOP Can Learn From Greek Yogurt, at TheCMOSite.com.

Mr. Hakkarainen goes to Helsinki

[This post is one of a series about Teuvo Hakkarainen, the newly elected True Finns Party MP from Viitasaari. For the record, my grandfather was born in Viitasaari.]

The Helsingin Sanomat  is reporting that our man in Helsinki was out drinking with a biker gang and did not pay a woman for sex. (He did say that he gave the woman €100 "out of pity." The biker gang, Bandidos, are listed as an organized crime organization in Finland.

Here's Mr. Hakkarainen's  contrite explanation (in Finnish) of what happened.

[caption id="attachment_3298" align="aligncenter" width="269" caption="Channel 4 also has the story"][/caption]

Sysco Puts Organic, Local Food on the Marketing Menu

Sysco, the nation's largest food distributor, recognized that its success was becoming a problem. It dominated its market with its efficient order management and distribution of low-cost food products.

Read the rest on my blog, Sysco Puts Organic, Local Food on the Marketing Menu, at TheCMOSite.com.

Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):
[Editor's note: there were 16 suspicious items this week.]

508-829-5981. After verification, news of acquittals will be published.

Holden

Monday -- February 20

2:20 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle parked at old police station, Main St.
7:00 a.m. Party at station with dog found on Quinapoxet Rd.
7:06 a.m. Caller with question regarding door-to-door sales
9:33 a.m. Caller with question regarding license to carry
10:37 a.m. Car parked in bad location, Brentwood Dr.
11:56 a.m. Molly Velasco into station to apply for solicitor's permit
1:42 p.m. Party in lobby to donate stuffed animals
4:54 p.m. PandW Railroad calling regarding five kids playing chicken on the tracks at Bailey Rd.
5:21 p.m. Big Y calling regarding birds in store, referred to animal control officer
6:20 p.m. Female called about kids yelling at her in car, General Hobbs Rd.
8:37 p.m. Neighbor's dog barking for hours, Park Ave.
10:48 p.m. Officer at Mobil Station, checking on beer purchase

Tuesday -- February 21

1:05 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle parked on Jennifer Dr. all day
9:51 a.m. Out with male running on Brattle St. Student from Holy Cross
10:03 a.m. Advised person walking behind radio towers that owners don't want people there, Shrewsbury St.
10:43 a.m. Lyndon LaRouche PAC supporters call to say they will be on sidewalk in front of Post Office, Main St.
5:52 p.m. Teacher set off alarm, Dawson School

Wednesday -- February 22

1:35 a.m. Suspicious white truck with black flatbed driving up and down Country Hill Rd and Main St. Driver is looking for directions
11:38 a.m. Multiple calls for Town Hall and town clerk's office, may be phone line problem
12:24 p.m. Multiple phone calls for various town departments, 'very annoying'
1:14 p.m. Multiple calls for wrong numbers for town offices and senior center
5:55 p.m. Kids loitering, senior center, Main St.

Thursday -- February 23

12:16 a.m. Caller's house hit with eggs within the last five minutes, Wachusett St. Would like area checked overnight
10:25 a.m. White pick-up in caller's driveway last night around
10 p.m., Anderson Ave. When dog barked, driver left quickly
1:53 p.m. Person sitting in vehicle at Jefferson Post Office screaming on cellphone. Officer reports party is having a loud conversation
3:30 p.m. Young male asked for directions to Holden center, seemed dazed and went in opposite direction

Friday -- February 24

9:28 p.m. Neighbors are out for evening and there are people in their driveway, Parker Ave.

Saturday -- February 25

12:39 p.m. Four-wheeler driving around Eagle Lake
5:18 p.m. Male, 6'6', black jacket, reported near Mobil Station buying alcohol and cigarettes for minors. No contact

Sunday -- February 26

4:48 p.m. Missing stop sign at Quinapoxet Rd.

Paxton

Monday -- February 20

12:23 p.m. Loose terrier, Highland St.

Tuesday -- February 21

3:23 p.m. Officer spoke with young children playing hockey in Grove St., moving them along
8:25 p.m. Suspicious auto parked across from caller's residence; belongs to neighbor's visitor
11:51 p.m. Caller advising her neighbors downstairs have been loud and slamming doors all night, both parties spoken to, Pleasant St.

Wednesday -- February 22

9:56 a.m. Caller reporting male in woods behind her residence, workers repairing dam on reservoir property, Crowningshield Dr.

Thursday -- February 23

12:25 p.m. Caller saw males on her neighbor's property drinking alcohol, notified homeowner who yelled at them, one is running, Pleasant St.,
4:08 p.m. Two people on ATVs riding on Holden Rd., officer spoke with father who will locate his son and address the issue
9:27 p.m. Officer flagged down by several students in regard to issue with taxi, Anna Maria College. Officer transported one intoxicated female student to residence hall, cab fare collected

Friday -- February 24

2:23 p.m. Caller saw a group of teens walking, may be intoxicated, Asnebumskit Rd.; officer reports everything appears OK
2:58 p.m. Caller says two youths were walking, breaking plow markers, Grove St.; negative contact

Saturday -- February 25

2:48 p.m. Cow wandering on Grove St.

Sunday -- February 26

12:36 p.m. Dog wandering in South St.

Princeton

Monday -- February 20

1:36 a.m. Officer found vehicle running with no one in it, Main St.; owner contacted and advised that the remote starter must have activated it

Tuesday -- February 21

1:01 p.m. Three kids with three unleashed dogs hanging around guardrail south of Krashes field, E. Princeton Rd.; officer unable to locate
10:28 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, investigated, E. Princeton Rd.

Wednesday -- February 22

9:25 a.m. Party reports her mailbox stolen overnight, Coal Kiln Rd.; officer unable to locate

Saturday -- February 25

2:45 p.m. Caller reports a suspicious vehicle with two males driving around neighborhood for five minutes, Clearings Way; officer did not observe any suspicious vehicle in area

Sunday -- February 26

8:34 p.m. Party reports her horse is missing; animal control officer called and paged; caller found horse PM

Rutland

Monday -- February 20

8:35 a.m. Dog call, Clealand Cir.

Tuesday -- February 21

10:10 a.m. Dog call, Kenwood Dr.
12:58 p.m. Dog call, Pleasantdale Rd.
4:08 p.m. Suspicious person, Main St.
5:50 p.m. Suspicious person, Maple Ave.

Wednesday -- February 22

6:42 p.m. Dog call, Kenwood Dr.
9:14 a.m. Suspicious auto, Lord Ln.
1:08 p.m. Dog call, Pommogussett Rd.

Thursday -- February 23

9:23 a.m. Dog call, Kenwood Dr.
5:52 p.m. Dog calls, Maggie's Way
6:54 p.m. Dog calls, Pleasantdale Rd.

Friday -- February 24

2:30 a.m. Suspicious person, E. County Rd.
Sunday, February 26

5:35 p.m. Suspicious activity, Marjorie Ln.
6:44 p.m. Suspicious activity, Anthony Dr.
7:28 p.m. Suspicious activity, Main St.
7:44 p.m. Suspicious activity, Prescott St.

Sterling

Monday -- February 20

7:52 a.m. Small Boston terrier loose in yard, Redstone Hill Rd.

Tuesday -- February 21

8:21 a.m. Caller reports trucks idling for a long time at business next to her house, and someone is hitting hockey pucks into her fence, Redemption rock Trl. Unhappy with response from Town Hall. Business owner says he is zoned and licensed for a gas station, has had no contact with neighbor who is complaining.
10:22 a.m. Possible Jehovah's Witnesses approached kids playing in yard, Blueberry Ln.
3:16 p.m. Walk-in reporting lost check has been cashed, Albright Rd.
4:07 p.m. Abandoned 911 call. On callback, female reports only a verbal argument. Officer investigating reports couple fighting over federal income tax check, School St.

Wednesday -- February 22

8:33 a.m. Two dogs in roadway heading toward country club, Albright Rd.
9:03 a.m. Escort services requested, Stephanie Anne Ln.
3:41 p.m. Someone vomited in mail box, Griffin Rd.
9:46 p.m. Suspicious male walking down Chase Hill Rd.

Thursday -- February 23

7:00 a.m. Several piles of animal excrement found on furniture in house. Can hear animal moving around. Animal control officer removed two raccoons, Worcester Rd.
11:01 a.m. Caller advises husky has just taken off through woods, has been found in Sterling in the past. Has tags and two shock collars.
1:21 a.m. Young male sitting on wall near cemetery, appears to be ill

Friday -- February 24

10:20 a.m. English pointer missing, Barry Ln.

Saturday -- February 25

9:40 a.m. Two horses with blankets on, running down road, Osgood Rd.
10:59 a.m. Walk-in has images of a male walking through his back yard to and from power lines, Albright Rd. Leaving memory card for detective.
5:14 p.m. Two horses running loose in traffic, Rt. 140

Sunday -- February 26

4:28 p.m. Caller found a 6-8 inch arrow in his yard. Also found one a few months back, Hilltop Dr.

Two news stories divided by a common language

The Obama administration has release a white paper outlining online privacy goals. The 60page  report, Consumer Data Privacy in a Networked World, is available here  (PDF).

Here's how the New York Times Bits blog reports it:

Meanwhile, the Register, a UK tech site, brings us the story in proper English:

A quiet visit with a LaRouche supporter

"It's all about the British financial institutions," said the female Lyndon LaRouche supporter. She was talking with a woman in front of the Holden post  office.

Read the rest of A quiet visit with a LaRouche supporter on my TelegramTowns.com blog.

Obama, Romney Go Mobile for Money

The Obama and Romney campaigns are using mobile technologies to collect political donations.

Both campaigns will use Square. Additionally, Romney supporters can download a copy of the candidate's Believe in America jobs plan by tweeting about the book via Pay with a Tweet. The book is No. 9 on the Amazon Kindle best-seller list.

Read the rest of  my blog post,  Obama, Romney Go Mobile for Money,  at The CMO Site.

Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):
[Editor's note: there were 25 suspicious items this week.]

Holden

Monday, February 6

5:36 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, running unattended, Main St.

Tuesday, February 7

4:07 a.m. Disturbance with prisoner, covering camera with toilet paper, spitting and banging on floor
10:43 a.m. Police out with loose dog, Malden St.
4:28 p.m. Police out with two skateboarders, Princeton St.
5:13 p.m. Skateboarders on Princeton St. refuse to leave property
10:01 p.m. Suspicious vehicles in lot, Holden St.

Wednesday, February 8

12:58 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Main/Reservoir Sts.
2:30 a.m. Suspicious vehicle sitting outside house on Oakwood St.
6:32 a.m. Police check on individual wanted by Boston PD, Princeton St.
10:14 a.m. Loose dog complaint, Highland St., library
1:06 p.m. Persons report they paid for tree service that wasn’t rendered, Main St.
1:51 p.m. Sex offender registration renewal, Main St.
4:06 p.m. Caller reporting dispute with employee, Boyden Rd.
8:26 p.m. Teens smashing bottles on the side of Princeton St.

Thursday, February 9

9:22 a.m. Narcotics violation, high school, Main St.
9:24 a.m. Narcotics violation, high school, Main St.
1:30 p.m. Two kids on ice, Main St.
4:13 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, person videotaping neighborhood, Brentwood Dr.
5:10 p.m. Chainsaw left beside Malden St.
6:04 p.m. Person took bottle out of pile of rubbish and began walking around, Reservoir St.
7:34 p.m. Young female walking down Dogwood Cir. with no coat on, picked up by brown van
9:37 p.m. Police check on suspicious vehicles in parking lot, Highland Ave.
11:23 p.m. Suspicious vehicle parked behind business, Wachusett/Manning Sts.
11:34 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Manning St.

Friday, February 10

7:59 a.m. Small gray dog running loose, Causeway St.
9:13 a.m. Checking on vehicle regarding road rage incident, Industrial Dr.
12:08 p.m. Downed line repaired without detail officer, Pleasant St.
1:44 p.m. Police assist person locked out of home, Malden St.
7:21 p.m. Group of youths walking through neighborhood, causing disturbance, General Hobbs Rd.
7:32 p.m. Caller reports youths back, causing disturbance, Nichols St.
10:07 p.m. Large animal in Cranbrook Dr.
10:25 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Main St.
10:32 p.m. Police check suspicious person, Main St.
11:53 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, police move people along, Old South Rd.

Saturday, February 11

12:00 a.m. Suspicious person dressed in black walking, Main St./Park Ave.
10:11 a.m. Dog ran away, Main St.
3:41 p.m. Vehicle lockout, Reservoir St.
5:31 p.m. Large group of kids harassing caller, Nichols St.
11:29 p.m. Suspicious white van in Union St.

Sunday, February 12

6:38 a.m. Private investigator in area of Colonial and Edgewood
7:29 a.m. Male in woods raking, Paugus Rd.

Paxton

Monday, February 6

9:46 a.m. Caller reports large box in travel lane of Pleasant St.
10:17 a.m. Person at station to speak with officer about a collection box for the Heart Association, Pleasant St.
6:54 p.m. Assist person locked out of vehicle, Tanglewood Rd.

Wednesday, February 8

10:12 a.m. Person at station reporting suspicious activity on his property, Pleasant St.
12:30 p.m. Police go to business on Maple Ave. to speak to person about suspicious activity

Thursday, February 9

11:40 a.m. Person at station for car seat inspection, Pleasant St.

Friday, February 10

10:28 a.m. Suspicious vehicle parked in driveway, Pleasant St.
3:59 p.m. Police assist person locked out of vehicle, Pleasant St.
6:13 p.m. Two suspicious vehicles in area of Richards Ave.
Princeton

Monday, February 6

2:24 p.m. Two men approached caller’s house and tried to get information from her neighbors, Esty Rd.

Tuesday, February 7

11:09 a.m. Two loose boxer dogs, Main St.
10:23 p.m. Caller reports “very strange sound” similar to jet engine, Willson Rd.
11:02 p.m. Caller reports loud “jet engine” sounds, can’t sleep, Gregory Rd. Found to be mechanical issue with ski area snow guns

Thursday, February 9

4:04 p.m. Hubbardston PD reports car into guardrail, Rte.
62. Found to be in Hubbardston
6:45 p.m. Caller hit coyote, Goodnow Rd.

Saturday, February 11

2:27 p.m. Horse caught up in rope, Wheeler Rd.

Rutland

Monday, February 6

7:36 a.m. Loose dog, Carly Cir.
9:53 a.m. Person at station to speak with officer regarding the Internet, Main St.
11:25 a.m. Caller reports someone in business parking lot is doing drugs, Maple Ave.
12:51 p.m. Caller’s neighbor is burning trash in fireplace, Kosta Ave. Referred to fire dept.
2:48 p.m. Dead cat on Rte. 68
5:20 p.m. Suspicious white pickup truck in area all day, Birchwood Rd.

Tuesday, February 7

2:20 a.m. Assist Barre PD with Breathalyzer during booking, Main St.
8:29 a.m. Male sitting in silver pickup parked on sidewalk, John Robert Dr.
5:27 p.m. Suspicious vehicle parked at end of driveway for long time, Barre Paxton Rd.
9:22 p.m. Suspicious vehicle pulled onto property, Glenwood Rd.

Wednesday, February 8

3:36 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer about phone she received, Main St.
11:32 p.m. Black Lab tangled up in bushes behind house, Mary Way

Thursday, February 9

7:13 a.m. Suspicious van parked in front of residence, Forbes Rd.
11:51 a.m. Person at station to return GPS that does not belong to her, Main St.

Friday, February 10

8:32 p.m. Suspicious vehicle following female, Central Tree Rd./Naquag St.
9:51 p.m. Police assist person looking for lost dog, Glenwood Rd.

Saturday, February 11

3:27 p.m. Three dogs running in caller’s yard, Campbell St.
4:06 p.m. People yelling and screaming for two hours, Main St.; officer wanted
8:58 p.m. Snowmobiles and four-wheelers on lake causing lot of noise, Pommogussett Rd.
11:18 p.m. Report of gunshots, Rolling Ridge Rd.

Sunday, February 12

10:55 a.m. Suspicious pickup truck parked on Maple Ave.

Sterling

Monday, February 6

12:51 p.m. Caller reports receiving a call from a person from Las Vegas. Person bringing money and carrying a gun. Advised possible prank call, Rowley Hill Rd. Known scam call

Tuesday, February 7

7:56 a.m. Animal complaint. Summons served, School St.
7:58 a.m. Animal complaint. Summons served, Cole Rd.
4:50 p.m. Noise complaint, chain saws used for three hours, Flanagan Hill Rd.

Wednesday, February 8

8:03 a.m. Car “stalking” neighborhood.
Found to be private investigator, Bean Rd.
9:29 a.m. Person found tool box/tools all over Justice Hill/Upper N. Row Rds. Appears to be electricians tools

Thursday, February 9

7:26 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Clinton Rd.
4:52 p.m. Person arrived home to find back door kicked in, property missing, John Dee Rd.
9:12 p.m. Truck went down Colby Rd. and knocked over people’s lawn markers
9:53 p.m. Vehicle drove up road toward cell tower, Pine Wood Ln.

Friday, February 10

8:05 a.m. Report of dead dog beside Redemption Rock Trl./John Dee Rd. Found to be fox
9:02 a.m. Report of female looking for address, confirmed home health aide, Clemence Ave.
12:59 p.m. Scam call from person claiming family member needed money in Mexico, Worcester Rd.
1:28 p.m. Scam caller advised person she had won $5 million and only needed $250 for delivery of money, Birch Dr.
3:58 p.m. Moped and helmet inside fenced area Heywood/North Row Rds.

Saturday, February 11

8:08 a.m. Suspicious male, Princeton Rd.
8:46 a.m. State police report male went to side of building with pipe or object in his hands, Chocksett Rd.; all set, worker shutting off trucks
12:36 p.m. Person found stray dog, Laurelwood Rd.

Problems of a first-world suburban shopper

Signs in the store are informing customers that the Greendale Sam's Club will close and the new club off of Route 146 will open this spring (no date specified).

For most folks in the city, this is a good move. The store is easier to reach once you figure out the on/off ramps. For folks in the northern 'burbs, though, it doubles the distance one has to drive to pick up a year's emergency food supply.

From Holden, it's about equidistant to the B.J.'s in Leominster. Market Basket is in nearby Searstown Plaza, in the case that I'm buying less than a year's worth of something. Of course, there's a B.J.'s near the new Wegmans in Northborough.

But,  Bill Randell has been reporting that Market Basket may be coming to the former Diamond Chevrolet in Worcester, which makes in-city shopping viable again.

All this is necessary, of course, until robots are ready to do our bidding:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="469" caption="Kroger debuts kiosk concept at area college campus"][/caption]

Page left blank

I thought that we were done with this.

For years, in technical manuals, we'd left a blank to make the pagination work out properly. Standards and conventions dictated that the first page of a chapter or section should be on a right-read page (recto). If the previous chapter ended on a right page, we'd need a filler.

Somewhere along the line, people got worried that someone would think that something had been left out of the manual. To make sure that we dealt with that hypothetical catastrophe, we started putting "This page intentionally left blank." on blank pages that were, thus, no longer blank.

Fast forward a couple of decades. Few people care that technical manuals have chapters starting on a right-read page.  We're also more conscious of dead trees.

I was wrong. Google Ngram, which scans books for occurrences of pa phrase or keywords, shows that we've been increasing our usage of this tree-killing practice.

So, I guess I should be surprised to find that UBS sent us a four-page Form 1099 with printing one side and this on the back:

Laptops, the next generation

We've heard that tablet computers may overtake laptops in sales by 2015, plus or minus a year. I mentioned this in a conversation the other evening. Everyone over the age of 15 said that they'd have a difficult time working without a regular keyboard.

Fortunately, this be the era of technological bedazzlement, there is no need for which a silly product cannot be invented.

Therefore,  we have jeans with a keyboard woven in the fabric and a USB wireless connection. (Tablet users may need a special adapter. At this point, however, an extra dongle should be the least of your concerns.)

The designers have yet to make manufacturing deals that would allow for mass production.
Let the "mouse in your pocket" jokes begin.

Did Linux miss its moment again?

This morning's news includes a note that preorders are available for Spark, the open KDE tablet. To which the tech press, behaving like political reporters responding to the next not-Mitt,  proclaims that ebruary seems to be shaping up to be the month of Linux tablets.

Um, no.

Unless you think that two Linux tablet announcement is a big deal.

Linux users have been saying for years that this is the year that companies and civilians will adopt Linux for desktop systems.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Google Trends for Linux desktop"][/caption]

Even with new, slick renditions of Linux from Ubuntu, Mint, and others, it just never got the respect or traction that Linux advocates sought. It's too bad. Linux is a very good, solid, secure desktop operating system. It runs well on older, less powerful systems. It just never made it to your aunt's computer.

And, then came the iPad. The tablet runs a deeply proprietary operating system from Apple. It owns the mind share, even if its market share is slipping. Some forecasts suggest that tablet sales will pass desktop/laptop sales within three or so years.

Android, Google's tablet and phone operating system, is Linux-based and open source, but the interface is defined by Google and the hardware manufacturers. There are options to load various custom ROMs on tablets, of course. All the same, it's all still the province of hackers and hobbyists.

Linux still owns the server environment, including pretty much everything that makes the web the web. The story remains, however, is that not only did Linux miss the chance to claim the desktop, the desktop computer itself may be moving to the back of the pack.

Miss a minute, miss a lot.

More on law schools and job prospects

The latest in the War on Law Schools comes in the form of a Tennessee student who said that her law school was negligent because they admitted her to the school. Because she hadn't completed her undergraduate work, she won't be eligible to take the bar exam, get a job as a lawyer, and eventually shed nearly $80K in student loans.

A few thoughts on this:

• Law students have been suing their schools for misrepresenting career prospects. Simply put, there are too many law school graduates chasing too few jobs.


• As we see in ‘Students Employed As Strippers’ Should Be Part Of A Law School’s Ranking, jobs for law school students aren't always what you'd expect.


• Many of jobs available for lawyers (URL may be NSFW)  not only won't pay for a three-piece suit; you might not even be able to pay for a three-piece KFC dinner.

Further, claiming that you aren't qualified and that it's your school's fault may not be a great career-building strategy. 

I wonder why Huck didn't have one of these

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Car Stove, via bookofjoe"][/caption]

Happy Birthday, Michael

[caption id="attachment_3226" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Mike, Lindsey, and The Count"][/caption]

One of Mike's favorite Sesame Street characters was The Count. We'd had this jack-in-the-box Count for a long time and gave it to him for this birthday. Within a few minutes, the littler kids in the party had grabbed the toy and were using it to scare young Billy (age 18 months).

About the political friends of Tim Murray and Deval Patrick

It's pretty rare for the Globe editorial team to deliver such a devastating takedown of a Democrat. In Lt. Gov. Tim Murray’s patronage politics show deeper problem in Mass., the Globe not only slams Murray, but also reminds us that Gov. Deval Patrick's continued support of Murray is bad for government in general.

Tim Murray earned this long before his early morning car crash. His aspirations to make it outside of Worcester brought him to people who, legally or ethically, should never be near a political campaign.

The Globe editorial concludes:

Tim Murray has shown, through his relationship with McLaughlin, that he lacks the judgment and character to make these decisions. And Patrick, who controls all the levers of the executive branch, still sees fit to keep Murray as his personal liaison to municipal government.

Long-time students of Massachusetts politics and government shouldn't be surprised by any of this. All the same, we had hoped that we were better than this.

The Obama and Romney campaigns have announced that they will be using Square to collect political donations. Romney's Believe in America jobs plan is #9 on the Amazon Kindle best-seller list; supporters can download a copy by tweeting about the book via Pay with a Tweet.  These moves signal an embrace of new technologies and new social ways of engaging with the electorate.

Simplifying donations Obama campaign volunteers have started to receive Square readers for use on iOS and Android devices. Campaign spokeswoman, Katie Hogan, said that the Obama team is developing a branded app that will send funds directly to campaign headquarters, eliminating the need for the volunteer to collect and record donor information. With the  donor information, campaign headquarters can make follow-up solicitations in the succeeding weeks and months. Zac Moffatt, digital director for the Romney campaign, planned a few tests of Square in Florida this week. Moffatt hasn't yet reported on the results of those tests.

Neither Google Wallet nor other NFC solutions from major credit cards are in play. The only candidate to accept PayPal is Ron Paul. In what might be a related story, PayPal founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel gave $900K to Ron Paul SuperPAC.

Targeting local users Moffat tells Fast Company that geo-targeting makes the messages more effective, bringing endorsements by local politicians into Google ads. Mobile users in the same area receive an ad that directs them to a local campaign contact or event.

It is always about money  Small donations are the still the base of the Obama campaign, with 71% of the contributions at $200 or less. Donations in this amount could fit well with the Square deployment. Sixty-percent of Romney's donations are at the $2500 per-person maximum, more likely to be checks. The other three Republican candidates are raising money in small, medium, and large amounts in roughly the same proportion. In order to collect the money, in whatever denomination, you need to know who your supporters are.

It's not just the money in hand  Using Square or other mobile payment options are less about being able to generate large amounts of money in the field and more  a means to help with paperwork that generates mailing lists. Clay Johnson, who set up the Obama fund-raising mechanism for the 2008 election, reminds us that donor contact information is nearly as valuable as the currency itself. He reports on some of his experiences in his new book, The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption. Online petitions, he notes, are a familiar way to rally supporters to a cause. "[O]nline petitions that you sign are not meant, primarily, to cause change. They’re meant to get your email address so that you can later be bombarded by emails asking for money."

Square eliminates paperwork and generates cash. A Twitter promotion can put a political tract at the top of the Kindle best-sellers.   The few sparks in social media political advertising and solicitations are bringing fresh perspectives to political operations. These changes aren't as dramatic as we saw in 2004 with MoveOn.org or 2008 with Facebook and YouTube, but they're very real in an election that is likely to exceed $6B in spending.

The continued Awful Awful saga

We learn from today's Boston Globe that Harsha Agadi, CEO of Friendly's, is, um, stepping down.  Just a few weeks ago, Agadi was featured in the Globe's Sunday business section, where he outlined the ice cream and restaurant chain's path to something like success. The company is, or was, developing a new concept for its stores, as well as improving its french fries.

Read the rest of the blog at my TelegramTowns.com blog, The continued Awful Awful saga.

The challenges of a site editor

There are a couple of good stories out on the Fast Company website.  One profiles Nancy Lee Gioia, Ford's director of Global Electrification and her views on leadership in an business  that is in an innovate-or-die mode.

The other story shows how a young British bartender is financing a startup from his own earnings.

Good stories that, when placed on the same page, remind us that many bloggers never quite outgrow their smirking adolescence.

[caption id="attachment_3193" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="via Fast Company on Leadership"][/caption]

Problems copying and pasting HTML links in Chrome browser

The release of Chrome beta for Android has led to, once again, try to use Google Chrome as my preferred web browser. It's fast, secure, and has a number of slick features that make it an enjoyable resource.

The biggest problem that I've had, and one that continues, is the way in which it handles copying and/or pasting of HTML and other rich text elements. Lemme explain:

When I am writing a blog post, I often need to link to other stories or sites. The Make Link extension for Firefox allows me to copy the page address and either selected text or the page's title. I can then paste it into my blog editor.

For example, if I want to include a link to a story on The Onion, I go to the page, use Make Link to grab the title and URL, come back to this window, and paste it so it looks like this: New Biography Reveals Einstein Devised Theory Of Relativity On Paper Because He Wasn't Smart Enough To Invent Microsoft Word | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Doing the same thing  with a comparable extension, such as Create Link, in Chrome results in this:  

<a href="http://www.theonion.com/articles/new-biography-reveals-einstein-devised-theory-of-r,27313/">New Biography Reveals Einstein Devised Theory Of Relativity On Paper Because He Wasn&apos;t Smart Enough To Invent Microsoft Word | The Onion - America&apos;s Finest News Source</a>

When I use a clipboard viewer, I can see that sometimes the info is created as an HTML fragment and, other times, it's just text. I'm not sure why Create Link or similar extensions aren't creating true HTML links.

Chrome on Android, I should note, is an excellent replacement for the stock browser on my phone.

Whelmed is an archaic word

A VP at a former company used to say, "The easy stuff should be easy." The idea was that our energies, time, and money should flow toward the hard problems. Sandra has another way of phrasing it, creating a Jetsons type of life. The ordinary things can be automatic. Sounds great, until we remember how the show ended, with George shouting, "Jane, stop this crazy thing."
This, as you might have guessed by now, has been an odd week. Some things have gone quiet well. My course on social networking started yesterday. The class is interested, engaged, and fun. (Reminder: if you are going to do a live demo of your Facebook page, expect the unexpected. The people in the class were good-humored about the picture of the swearing cat that showed up in one FB post.)
Other work has been a struggle. A couple of writing assignments stumbled and needed rewrites. A web project is stalled. I'm overdue on a couple of reports for another project. Stuff like that. Nothing really bad in and of itself, but, the whole is more than the sum of the parts.


So, today I'm feeling whelmed, which, I've learned, is a word we don't use unless we need it.

Cloud Solutions Help Third-World Banks

Coupled with local mobile systems, cloud services are bringing innovative banking to the most underserved markets of the world.
Read the rest on Cloud Solutions Help Third-World Banks at Better Bank Systems - The Community for News and Analysis about Banks' Core Systems

Bad Usability, Bad Customer Attitude

Usability studies of banking kiosks and interactive displays revealed some tough news. Customers may believe that automated services are more for the bank's convenience than for the customer's.

You can read the rest in Digital Draw blog -  Bad Usability, Bad Customer Attitude

GOP Fumbles Social Media

Through inattention and tone-deafness, the GOP has failed to capitalize on a good start using social media for political campaigning, ignored an essential constituency in Florida, and missed chances to address local issues.

Read the read on The CMO Site - Karl Hakkarainen - GOP Fumbles Social Media

Hello world again!

Because I have several projects due and overdue, I thought it would be a great time to move RoasterBoy again. Because the blog is now on my own host, I have access to many more work-avoidance features and widgets.

Thanks to all who've stayed with me for all these years. I hope that I continue to be worthy of your time and attention.

Google thinks that I'm between 35-44

According to Google, Mashable blogger Sarah Kessler is a Middle-Aged Man. If you have a Google account, your Ads Preferences page will show you how Google presents you to its advertisers.

When I was that age, Google didn't exist.

Happy Birthday, Mike

[caption id="attachment_3159" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Sandra and Mike at the camp. (h/t Chris Daniel for the photo)"][/caption]

This week in chutzpah

While we might have thought that Newt Gingrich would have retired the trophy by now, there are a few candidates who might yet be players:

• As bad as the behavior of the Costa Cordia captain was, including reportedly ordering dinner from the ship's galley while the ship was foundering on the shoal, Carnival, the cruise line, takes it up a notch. They're offering stranded customers a 30% discount on future cruises.


• GoDaddy manages to go back to the Well of Tastelessness with a Super Bowl ad that has Danica Patrick and health guru Jillian Michaels painting a naked model like a race car. Among other things, GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons got a lot of unfavorable press for his Elephant-Killing "Safari".


• A convicted drunk driver sues the relatives of the people he killed for his "pain and suffering."

Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):
[Editor's note: there were 15 suspicious items this week.]

Holden

Monday -- January 9

2:10 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, dome light on, Chapel St.
4:09 a.m. Lights on in Town Hall, Main St.
12:48 p.m. Person at station with suspicious package and report of strange phone calls, Main St.
2:08 p.m. Transport female from high school to E. County Rd., Rutland

Tuesday -- January 10

12:37 a.m. Suspicious vehicle in business parking lot, Main St.

Wednesday -- January 11

12:06 a.m. Loose cows, Bond Rd.
11:49 a.m. Possible bobcat, Woodridge Rd.
2:08 p.m. Person at station regarding over charging of gas product, Main St.
4:33 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Mill St.
5:04 p.m. Police tell people at library to move along, Highland St.

Thursday -- January 12

12:09 a.m. Caller advising “the DPW needs to get their [____] together” because they are making noise outside her house and she needs to get up in two hours. Advised police have no way of controlling the situation
7:11 a.m. Suspicious vehicle parked on Mill St. for 24 hours
88:13 a.m. Truck stuck, Shrewsbury St.
8:45 a.m. Officer assists person stuck on Main St.
9:01 a.m. Report of vehicle in parking lot for three days, Reservoir St.

Friday -- January 13

2:11 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Main St.
8:53 p.m. Possible large party involving youths, General Hobbs Rd.

Saturday -- January 14

12:02 p.m. Report of open door, Main St.
1:36 p.m. Assist person locked out of vehicle, Rondeau Rd.

Sunday -- January 15

5:46 p.m. Police check on bale of hay in Main St.
6:47 p.m. Dog left outside has been barking and crying for several hours, Park Ave.

Paxton

Monday -- January 9

7:23 a.m. Vehicle in church parking lot may be in the way of a funeral, Richards Ave.
11:02 a.m. Report of lost beagle near Paxton/ Spencer town line

Wednesday -- January 11

5:40 p.m. Vehicle parked in driveway of vacant home, Ridgewood Rd. Male walking around property

Thursday -- January 12

10:24 a.m. Items held at station for safe keeping, Pleasant St.

Saturday -- January 14

1:08 a.m. Suspicious vehicle near woods for long time, Holbrook Ln.
10:17 a.m. Male sitting in vehicle for long period of time, Pleasant St.
4:17 p.m. Female locked out of home, Grove St.

Sunday -- January 15

7:04 a.m. Elderly male running down Suomi St.

Princeton

Monday -- January 9

1:28 p.m. Police assist person locked out of vehicle, Wheeler Rd.

Tuesday -- January 10

2:15 p.m. Person reports her car was chased by small white dog on Thompson Rd.

Wednesday -- January 11

1:52 a.m. Police transport person to station to wait for ride, Town Hall Dr.
10:06 a.m. Assist elderly person, Mirick Rd.
4:32 p.m. Police transport person back to home on Mirick Rd.

Friday -- January 13

8:52 a.m. Assist Holden PD with large party in woods, Manning St./General Hobbs Rd.

Saturday -- January 14

3:55 p.m. Road hazard caused by hayrides in Dowds Ln.

Sunday -- January 15

6:41 p.m. Police transport two people to station from Rte. 140N to secure a ride

Rutland

Monday -- January 9

10:06 a.m. Report of person walking around, looking in window, Main St.
12:12 p.m. Report of suspicious trailer parked in cul de sac, Lizzy Ln. Belongs to plumber doing work in area
5:14 p.m. Caller requesting police check on young female new driver. Concerned there is something wrong with vehicle, Main St.
9:04 p.m. Vehicle driven around and around the circle and now stopped with headlights facing a house, Nick Alan Cir.
9:24 p.m. Suspicious person walking around vehicle with flashlight, Birchwood Dr. Homeowner replacing brake lights on rental van

Tuesday -- January 10

3:43 p.m. Officer drops off paperwork, Main St.
7:21 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Barre Paxton Rd.

Wednesday -- January 11

12:00 a.m. Loose cows, Bond Rd., Holden
12:49 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Wachusett St.
9:20 a.m. Report of strange vehicle driving up and down Bushy Ln.
12:58 p.m. Vehicle parked on rail trail, Pommogussett Rd. People clearing the trail
8:36 p.m. Caller found stray fawn-colored boxer at his house, Edson Ave. Animal control officer took dog to the pound

Thursday -- January 12

9:04 a.m. Loose dog, Peters Ave.
11:00 a.m. Caller reports missing boxer, Inwood Rd.

Friday -- January 13

8:45 a.m. Suspicious male smoking cigar hanging around the bottom of driveway when children get on bus, E. County Rd.
11:55 p.m. Repo company taking possession of vehicle, Pommogussett Rd.

Saturday -- January 14

2:24 p.m. Holden PD reports suspicious vehicle and people inquiring whether anyone needed help with a deaf person, N. Main St., Holden
6:14 p.m. Five snowmobiles on rail trail, Miles Rd.

Sunday -- January 15

3:53 p.m. Caller has no water, Cheryl Ann Dr.

Sterling

Monday -- January 9

7:44 a.m. Report of suspicious male walking near cell tower access road, Pine Woods Ln.
10:45 a.m. Golden retriever limping behind station, George Peeso Ln.
6:37 p.m. Caller reports hitting a deer on Rte. 12

Tuesday -- January 10

2:10 p.m.. Stray cat, Worcester Rd.
2:45 p.m. Student on bus unruly and punching the driver, Clinton Rd.

Friday -- January 13

10:23 p.m. Vehicle going up and down the street, things thrown at house, Maple St.

Saturday -- January 14

11:10 a.m. Call from Leominster PD regarding female operating under the influence who was stopped, put in taxi and sent home. She returned and drove off, last seen leaving pizza shop, Leominster Rd.
9:27 p.m. Suspicious vehicle in parking lot of business, Leominster Rd. Arrest...

Sunday -- January 15

7:21 p.m. Report of wheelchair on Rte. 12

Boston Globe discovers Worcester twice in one day

Nicole Apostola noted the Globe story about the Blackstone River's status as the nation’s most polluted river and Worcester's fight to keep it that way.
The Globe also carried a follow-up about Tim Murray's, um, complicated relationship with former Chelsea housing chief Michael McLaughlin.
More on my Telegram Towns blog

More on Mitt Romney and historic events

When Mitt Romney 60% of the voters in  New Hampshire's primary didn't vote for Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor declared, “Tonight we made history.” History, in this context, was manufactured because political wonks discovered that Romney is the first Republican non-incumbent presidential candidate to win nominating contests in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

No, my friends,  last Tuesday's "historic" moment is as historic as Al Bundy's four touchdowns in a high school football game. It's the worst kind of political geekery that passes for analysis, made even worse when raised up by a candidate on a national stage.

No, my friends, history was made with:

• the march on Selma to Montgomery in 1965


• the march on Washington in 1963


• the march on the Pentagon in 1968


• Juneteenth in 1865


• Nelson Mandela's walk from prison in 1990


• the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791


• the election of a black president in 2008

This history-is-waiting tidbit started showing up a couple of months ago. I haven't verified that Jim Geraghty's column in NRO, War-Gaming the GOP Early Contests, Six Weeks Out, is the very first mention, but it's among the earliest. The factoid gained momentum after Mitt's presumed eight-vote triumph in Iowa. It was held high by the candidate, much as a fifth-grader would raise a blue ribbon for the best bug collection.

All around the world, people are fighting and dying for the right to have a government of their choosing. Should we warn them that it's is what their future could be?

We, for varying values of we, are idiots.^™

R.I.P., Huck

Five years ago tonight, we had an ice storm. In the powerless quiet, my father sailed away.

Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):
[Editor's note: there were 19 suspicious items this week.]

Holden

Monday -- January 2

3:52 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Wachusett St.
1:52 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Newell Rd./Main St.
4:05 p.m. Caller reports leaving tools at home on Main St., Jefferson
11:54 p.m. Report of drug transaction in parking lot of business, Main St.

Tuesday -- January 3

10:03 a.m. Suspicious vehicle stopping at houses, taking pictures. Centerwood Dr.
2:04 p.m. Narcotics violation, Main St.
2:14 p.m. Narcotics violation, Main St.
2:16 p.m. Narcotics violation, Main St.
2:20 p.m. Narcotics violation, high school, Main St.
9:11 p.m. Female reports harassing voice mails from blocked phone, soliciting prostitution, Greenwood Pkwy.
9:30 p.m. Police check on vehicle with flashers activated, party reading a text, Bailey Rd.

Wednesday -- January 4

5:18 a.m. Water in street is freezing, S. Wachusett St.
6:27 a.m. Backyard skating rink broke and water is leaking into road, Birchwood Dr./Plymouth Rd.

Thursday -- January 5

8:41 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, open garage door, Gallair Cir. All set, contractors doing work
12:55 p.m. Suspicious incident, Jefferson Mill, Main St.
9:30 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Manning St.

Friday -- January 6

10:20 a.m. Concerned citizen calling about male fishing on Unionville Pond. Caller doesn’t believe ice is safe
10:25 a.m. Person at station to advise they will be taking pictures of signs in town over the next few weeks
1:00 p.m. Narcotics violation, high school, Main St.
3:57 p.m. Caller hit a dog, Main/Broad Sts.
9:48 p.m. Group of kids standing around ice rink near senior center; appears the ice has been smashed

Saturday -- January 7

2:22 a.m. Suspicious vehicle, Surrey Ln.
12:22 p.m. Report of dog falling into water off the White Trail at Trout Brook, Manning St. Dog removed itself from water
2:47 p.m. Men with two trucks behind building, Princeton St.
5:11 p.m. Suspicious vehicle, Reservoir St.
9:53 p.m. Man dressed in black standing in travel lane, Main St.

Sunday -- January 8

12:20 a.m. Female locked herself out of bedroom, needs assistance with straightening coat hanger to pop the lock, Bull Run. Neighbor assisted
7:31 p.m. Suspicious vehicle parked at gate to Trout Brook, Manning St.
8:30 p.m. Report of five trucks drag racing up Main St.
9:03 p.m. Police check parking lot for kids hanging around, Main St.

Paxton

Thursday -- January 5

2:00 a.m. Rutland PD requests courtesy transport of male trying to get to Northbridge, Richards Ave.

Saturday -- January 7

3:53 p.m. Suspicious vehicle with hazard lights flashing, Marshall/Laurel Sts.
7:27 p.m. Caller reports gun fire in woods across from home, Suomi St.

Sunday -- January 8

12:11 p.m. Black and white dog in Grove St./Holden Rd. area
9:05 p.m. Suspicious vehicle in soccer field parking lot, Grove St.

Princeton

Monday -- January 2

11:55 a.m. Officer found cardboard box in roadway and removed it, Hubbardston Rd.

Thursday -- January 5

2:41 p.m. Report of loose chickens in road near Thomas Prince School, Sterling Rd.

Rutland

Monday -- January 2

11:07 a.m. Small dog loose and headed toward Rte. 68
12:03 p.m. Person out running was followed home by a chocolate Labrador, E. County Rd.

Tuesday -- January 3

9:12 a.m. Dead cat beside road, Main St.
4:05 p.m. Caller reports black bear in back yard, Main St.
6:56 p.m. Caller requesting assistance with vehicle lockout, Kalloch Dr.

Wednesday -- January 4

12:37 p.m. Dog running around the neighborhood, Peters Ave.

Thursday -- January 5

8:51 a.m. Suspicious white van and black car parked on Lowry Ln.
3:39 p.m. Request for police to check home foreclosed on where people are present, Winifreds Way
8:00 p.m. Officer enroute to Oakham to assist Oakham PD looking for a suspicious male, Forest Hill Dr., Oakham

Friday -- January 6

10:45 a.m. Person at station to file a complaint of a man sitting in a vehicle adjacent to his residence. When questioned, he started swearing at person, Maple Ave.

Saturday -- January 7

9:30 a.m. Caller reporting on an incident that occurred two weeks ago, Main St.
1:08 p.m. Officer assists person locked out of vehicle, Main St.
5:46 p.m. Caller reports looking at old house foundations and finding a pit with approximately a dozen animal remains in it, Ware Rd.
8:25 p.m. Caller wants to speak with officer about a call she made to police, Main St.
9:59 p.m. Complaint about loud music, Kosta Ave.

Sunday -- January 8

8:42 a.m. Person concerned about people walking on pond on Fisherman’s Rd., concerned they may fall through ice
4:00 p.m. Suspicious pickup in neighborhood going from driveway to driveway, two males inside, Clearview Rd.
4:00 p.m. Animal control officer located spot where animal remains found, Ware Rd. Environmental Police contacted

Sterling

Monday -- January 2

11:12 p.m. Vehicle hit deer on Princeton Rd. by tree farm. Front-end damage to vehicle.

Wednesday -- January 4

1:38 p.m. Caller observed man standing outside car two days in a row, Mellon Hollow/Leominster Rds.
7:16 p.m. Advised business owner of suspicious motor vehicle parked near building. Spoke with occupant; he is picking his wife up at work, Northeast Blvd.
9:43 p.m. Motorist reporting figure in long black coat, white hat, standing by building at Maple/Pine Sts. Could not determine gender

Thursday -- January 5

10:29 a.m. Walk-in to give larceny report regarding recovered jewelry. Victim was unaware that jewelry had been stolen.

Friday -- January 6

10:19 a.m. Black pickup truck observed driving onto posted “no hunting” property, Redstone Hill Rd. Party says he is there with permission to remove a felled tree
10:41 a.m. Two swans on lake, vicinity of Hall Ave. Appears one is deceased
10:50 a.m. Motor vehicle accident, Justice Hill Rd. Unoccupied vehicle stuck on wall, may have run over female’s foot
11:12 a.m. Wild animal in distress, S. Nelson Rd.
4:24 p.m. Caller reporting unfamiliar car in neighbor’s driveway. It is new home health aide

Saturday -- January 7

10:49 a.m. Walk-in reports gray cat missing overnight
11:54 p.m. Person lying on grass at end of Olde Parich Ln. Friend will pick up

Sunday -- January 8

7:05 a.m. Two beagles reported in yard, Matthew Ln.
11:46 a.m. Multiple reports of cows loose in Clinton Rd.
12:16 p.m. Raccoon on deck, Belmont Dr. Caller told to stay inside until animal control officer arrives
9:14 p.m. Caller hears loud noise in house, Olde Parish Ln. Noise was from sister

Want some free points? Nah, I'd rather make the highlight film.

For as long as I can remember, I've told every player, coach, and fan that high school coaches must do a better job of teaching kids how to shoot free throws. They nod politely and move away from me. At the next practice, I see kids working on fast breaks, three-pointers, and the muscle show. Each game, they'll leave 10, 12, 15 points on the floor as a pile of bricks.

Great coaches and players at all levels lose games for their teams because they will not work on free throws. According to most statistics, free-throw percentages improved in the last 50 years. In every sport, records have fallen in successive generations, but not here. A baseball equivalent might be the hitter who swings at each pitch outside the strike zone in the hope taking one yard. Rather than accepting a walk, the hitter strikes out or hits a weak grounder to second.

One coach, Cob  Carlson, profiled in today's Globe, has developed a program called Automatic Free Throws. Carlson would love to work with Rajon Rondo to help the Celtics' All-Star point guard improve his clang-worthy 59% free-throw percentage. (Ray Allen has a career 91%. Two former Celtics, Larry Bird and Bill Sharman, shot better than 88%.) So far, however, the Celtics have not responded to Carlson's offer to help, nor has any other NBA team.

Use averages to make a bad choice of a college major

Lily Tomlin used to say that if we could grow up to have the jobs of our dreams, we'd have a world filled with cowboys and ballerinas.

There's no shortage of studies showing the relative economic value of various college degrees. This morning's Boston Globe carries a Washington Post story that asks and answers this question again. What’s a college degree worth? Depends on your major.The story points out the average starting salary for graduates in selected fields.

Yup, it does. What's never mentioned in these articles is anything about the student's aptitude or abilities or credentials. The articles suggest that young people should do the research and make the best decision about lifetime incomes. It's simple math.

Average salaries give you just enough information to make a bad choice of college major decision or career. Dan Ariely noted, "Everyone, except for the very depressed, overestimates their chances when it comes to good things..." Further, as the number of people obtain degrees in these desired fields, the market can saturate and salaries can plummet. Take a look at what's going on with the number of law school graduates, as seen in Students Employed As Strippers’ Should Be Part Of A Law School’s Ranking.

I've seen plenty of artists who are working in technical or scientific professions. A few can blend these skills and build creative solutions. I've seen just as many who are terribly mismatched. They bring glory to neither their skills nor their profession. They can be a danger to others.

I've seen plenty of people accumulate debt and anxiety while studying for careers for which they are well-suited. Even though we have computers to do our math for us, programmers need to have superior math skills to tell the computers what kind of math to do. It's not simple math

Your poet-programmer who takes two or three times as long to solve a problem will be producing at an hourly rate of a barista. Folks who are that productive don't stay employed for long.

The same, by the way, works in reverse. I speak from experience. In a couple of days, I could learn how to strum a tune on the guitar or plink it out on the piano. Several of my grandchildren could achieve the same in about 20 minutes, having fun in the process.

The American myth is that anyone can be anything. It's a cruel myth. There are so many more factors that go into success and/or happiness.

• You have to choose, but that's not all you have to do.


• You have to work, but that you have to do.


• You have to have skills, opportunity, and good luck,  but that's not all you need.

<mode="obligatory-advice-section">

1. Choose a major based on what you're good at.


2. If you're not particularly skilled in something, pick what excites and throw in a few risky things as well.
   Don't worry about GPA. As a manager, I never ask for or cared about GPA. Some companies might care, but fewer than you think.


3. If you don't have skill or passion, but can afford it, stay in college, hoping that some spark might begin to glow.
   If you can't stay or if nothing happens, maybe it's not time.
   I didn't get my B.A. until my late 20s. I wasn't the oldest in my graduating class.  I had, by then, a definite career goal - a Ph.D. program followed by teaching.
   I crashed and burned two months in.
   I've since had a great life and career in a field for which I was never trained.

</mode>

The social media apocalypse is near

[caption id="attachment_3112" align="aligncenter" width="681" caption="Bieber in your mouth for cheap"][/caption]

Happy 16th Birthday, Krista

[caption id="attachment_3105" align="aligncenter" width="203" caption="Krista (age 3) on tour in Florence (MA)"][/caption]

Republicans Target Marketing Guns on New Hampshire

Republican candidates are using a mix of old and new-media marketing tools to reach state voters for the important New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.
Read the rest of my latest blog on  The CMO Site - Republicans Target Marketing Guns on New Hampshire.

Sheriff's website protecting us against information overload

Read how the Worcester County Sheriff's Department website is showing us life before Google. See Sheriff's website protecting us against information overload on my Telegram Towns blog.

More on politics and news

[Editor's Note: This is the latest installment of the More On series.]

As of December 1, 2011, there were approximately 614,000 registered Republicans in Iowa. Of those, slightly more than 100,000 Republicans attended and voted at the caucuses. The Three Amigos are each getting about one-quarter of the total. The punditocracy is trying to decide which one won with differences measured in the 100s or less.

None of the Iowa Republican delegates selected tonight are bound by the election results. If they were, the state might lose half of their delegates because the Republican National Committee says that we're starting the election season too early.

There were 137M registered voters in 2010, including 1.5M in Iowa.

Every major television, radio, cable, and newspaper service has been running special coverage of the Iowa results. Countless bloggers and twitterers are cloggging the InterTubes with their thoughts about the meaning of this vote that doesn't even rise to the level of a rounding error.

We, for varying values of we, are idiots.

Why the mother of your daughter's friend can't call you

This afternoon I received a call for a member of our extended family. I received the call because my number is still listed as a landline in the online phonebook, even though I switched the number to my cellphone years ago. The member of my extended family lives in a household where there is no landline; the parents and teenaged-children have cellphones.
Unlike most of the rest of the world, U.S. cellphone users have to pay for incoming calls. As a result, it has been nearly impossible to get public listings of cellphone numbers. If they're going to pay for the call, people want to control who calls them.
By some estimates, the number of households using traditional phones that connected by copper wires to the phone grid will fall below 10% in five years. A majority of people under 30 don't have home landlines.
How do I reach people for whom I don't have phone numbers? Often, I have an email address or a Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn connection. In more than a few cases, I have a secondary connection, such as a cousin-in-law, on one of the social networks. It might take a few detective steps, but I think I can make contact with most of my family and friends.
Phonebooks have become urban litter because we have shown that online information is better and more readily available. An interesting unintended consequence of this always-connected world, however, is that we've lost a way to find the phone number of the parents of your daughter's friend.

More on GoDaddy

It took a bit of work, but I've moved my 10 domains and three hosting accounts from GoDaddy to DreamHost Web Hosting. I have some cleanup work, including file uploads, but the basics are in place. It might also take another day for all of the DNS records to propagate around the InterTubes.

This has been a while in coming. GoDaddy is, by most accounts, the largest domain and site hosting on the web. As a service, they've been reliable. I can't recall a time when my sites have been down or even noticeably slow. Prices are comparable to other services, if a bit high, but there are frequent promotional offers.

The account user interface is a bloated mess, particularly for the infrequent user. I have logged in, on average, once every two months and forget where things are. Routine tasks take much longer than needed because the layout is non-intuitive and the screen is constantly refreshing as it generates dynamic views of things that you don't care about it. Lots of flashing, spinning, and needless clutter.

Those attributes aside, GoDaddy, through the persona of its Executive Chairman and Founder, Bob Parsons, has a developed a reputation as being, well, being a guy who introduces his video on hiring great employees like this:

All of which is somewhat easy to ignore.

Until he shot an elephant: Go Daddy CEO Bob Parsons: Africa Elephant Hunt Video 'Nothing to Be Ashamed Of' - ABC News.

Which was less easy to ignore that their recent support of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). This bill, which got caught in the tax standoff at the end of the recent House session, is a particularly odious piece of legislation that could wreck the Internet technically. See An Open Letter From Internet Engineers to the U.S. Congress | Electronic Frontier Foundation for more details.

When GoDaddy appears on a list of SOPA supporters, lots of people, including yours truly, decided that it was time to take our business elsewhere. GoDaddy has since recanted, a cynical gesture at best.



The company's behavior is already showing up as a case study in how not to deal with a customer revolt: Lessons from the GoDaddy Customer Revolt - Scott Kominers and Paul Kominers - Harvard Business Review

At this writing, my 10 domains have been added to some 72,000 others, out of 32 million hosted by GoDaddy. We can barely see over the top of the decimal point. GoDaddy might not notice, but we will.

This morning's retail business news

The T&G has editorialized on the news that Sears will likely be closing more than 100 stores. This is sad news for the chain that had once been the mainstay of American retail business. Sears and the now banished Mr. Roebuck started a catalog company with its beginnings more than 125 years ago.  For many years, they offered young men a first glimpse of women in underwear.

Even into the 1960s, the catalog and, that most odd retail offering, the catalog store, were Sears' mainstay. Sears has managed to update the catalog experience for the 21st century. You can now go to the store, find that they don't have what you want, locate a kiosk where a sales clerk might be helpful, and place an online order that can be shipped to your home or back to the store.

Kohl's, meanwhile, is paying no heed to he coming retail apocalypse, has leased property on Lincoln Street where they may or may not have plans to build a store.

Poetic inspection

Rhyming works for now, but stickers that expire in 2012 are orange.

 

VZW: the iPhone can't do that.

It's getting close to time for a new phone. My HTC Incredible keeps kicking the SD card offline. In a related failure, about half of the time, my phone will crash when I use the camera. The SD is unmounted, so the camera app freaks out and takes down the phone with it. I've missed many good pictures over the holidays while the phone was rebooting. (Yes, I've run error checks on the SD card itself, tried different cards, and reinstalled the phone's operating system. No joy.)

Because I also had a couple of questions regarding my account, I thought it best to go to the local Verizon store in Shrewsbury. The store was moderately busy for a weekday afternoon, attributable to the holidays. I signed in at the unhelpful kiosk and waited for my name to be called.

While waiting, I had a look at the iPhone 4s. I had a question about setting up a hotspot with the phone, a question answered by checking the Settings app. Another question popped up. Is there a way to synchronize my Gmail contacts with the iPhone's address book? The settings didn't offer an obvious path.

I heard a faint voice call my name. I turned and was greeted by a salesperson. I told her that I was interested in the iPhone, but had a question about Gmail contacts. She replied immediately that contacts are stored in iTunes.

I told her that I use Gmail for all of my email and contacts now and that synchronization is essential.

"The contacts are stored in iTunes," she repeated. "But, I can check." She disappeared around the corner for a few minutes and returned to tell me that there was no way to do this.

I shook my head and said I couldn't do without my Gmail contacts. She said that the Android phones would work. I nodded and said that I'd take a look at some of those. On my way across the store, I sent a tweet about my experience.

I was interested in two Android phones, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the RAZR by Motorola. I've heard bad things about battery life with 4G phones, but great things about the power and features of the phones themselves.

A woman was making a call with the one Nexus on display. I wandered around for a bit, waiting but trying not to be creepy about it. On she talked.

The RAZR was a few feet away. It was unavailable for other reasons.The woman was still talking on the Nexus, a good sign, I guess, about battery life.

I left the store to get on with my other errands of the day. Soon, I received a helpful tweet from @vzwsupport:

@RoasterBoy We would love to have you! I hope you haven't completely changed your mind.
I can provide you with instructions. ^CM

A quick check of Google showed several solutions for iPhone/Gmail contact synchronization. I should have thought of that first. (Let me google that for you.)  I might have even asked Siri. But, I'm only interested in buying a phone. I'm not in the business of selling them.