Thursday, April 17, 2008
Takin' it to Intertubes
The fight has been the talk of Holden (and, I presume, other towns in the Wachusett district). We don't get on the Boston TV news very often, so this was a big deal. Fight posted on Internet fast: “Fox News had it before we did,” (Holden Police) Chief Sherrill said. “It just goes to show you how instantaneous the Web is. It just spread like wildfire.”
The Wetware Crisis: the Dead Sea effect : Bruce F. Webster
Regressing to the mean - organizations, IT or otherwise, tend to drift toward mediocrity: The Wetware Crisis: the Dead Sea effect : Bruce F. Webster
IBM and the Art of Acquisitions | Xconomy
There's no way that an acquisition can be done without challenges. (Having my job go away when IBM acquired Rational, for example, hit a nerve.) Nevertheless, IBM is one of the few companies that does a good job with acquisitions. The Rational acquisition, I believe, was helped by the experience that Rational had in the past. It had done several acquisitions in a few short years and built a successful company and brand.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
CSM - A downside to bird feeders
A downside to bird feeders (from Christian Science Monitor)
Backyard bird feeders have become almost as ubiquitous as garden hoses. One result: the northern cardinal's range has grown significantly since the early 1960s. Yet scientists know little about the long-term effect the explosion in feeders is having on bird populations.
So a group of biologists in Britain has pulled together a look at what is known. They find that most of the effects from supplemental feeding seem to be positive. But seed-laden feeders have the potential to trigger long-term changes in species' range and breeding patterns.
In reviewing studies from the past 30 years, the team finds that supplemental feeding led female birds to lay eggs significantly earlier than is typical for their species. For some birds, such as Florida scrub jays, this put the young out of sync with the natural food sources they needed at that stage of their development. For one species of flightless parrot in New Zealand, a feeding campaign to increase the birds' population actually led to the birds hatching more males over time than females.
The biologists add that some of the less desirable effects of supplemental feeding could be reduced if more people follow best-feeding practices, such as those outlined by Project Feeder Watch, led by researchers as Cornell University. The results appear in the current issue of Frontiers in Ecology.– Peter N. Spotts
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Friendship 2.0
I'm very fortunate to be able to keep in touch with real friends via email, blogging, and Twitter.
This week's RoasterBoy playlist
Alabama 3 - Woke Up This Morning (remixes) |
| Their Remix Bonus CD includes several different flavors of their classic (also known as the theme from The Sopranos). 04/15/2008 03:08 PM |
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Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited |
This album is pretty consistently #2 on my favorite Dylan album list. (Blood on the Tracks is always #1.) From the time I first heard it on an old record player at the camp (the album owned by my mother's college friend, Joe C.) until listening on my iPod on this morning's walk, the music always delights and challenges. Although most of the tunes rock out with an all-star band, the album's anchor is the acoustic Desolation Row. 04/1 |
Jacketless journey
The temperature is leaning on 60 so it was nice to go out without a jacket. Marley walked slowly today. I couldn't tell if he was tired or if his feet were sore. We finally found a pace that was good for the both of us as we walked to Worcester on this fine day.
Lots of people have been working hard on their yards, cleaning up the winter debris, spreading the lime and fresh grass seed, and laying in new plants. The tulips in our yard are showing their greenery, but no blooms yet.
Several people let their dogs off-leash, including one just around the corner. Marley and this beagle got into a brief tangle as the beagle took exception to Marley being anywhere near her property.
Marley is respectful of other dogs on their own property. When they bark to say, "This is my home," we won't even turn his head. Occasionally, they'll challenge him, saying, "This is my home and, if I wasn't tied up, I'd beat the kibbles out of you." In those cases, Marley wants to answer the call and I have to work hard to pull him along. There are a couple of small dogs who particularly aggressive. They look like bowls of spaghetti with legs and Marley would dispatch them with the same vigor that he would take care of the same amount of pasta. Their yard has one of those electronic fences, so the pasta pups run right up to the side of the driveway and stop, yelling their epithets as we walk away.
We assume that this sign at the town line means that Holden cares in a good way. The sign in the background introduces the first of many rules for our fair town - no overnight parking on any streets any time of the year. The town is known for its fussiness on matters great and small.
Lots of people have been working hard on their yards, cleaning up the winter debris, spreading the lime and fresh grass seed, and laying in new plants. The tulips in our yard are showing their greenery, but no blooms yet.
Several people let their dogs off-leash, including one just around the corner. Marley and this beagle got into a brief tangle as the beagle took exception to Marley being anywhere near her property.
Marley is respectful of other dogs on their own property. When they bark to say, "This is my home," we won't even turn his head. Occasionally, they'll challenge him, saying, "This is my home and, if I wasn't tied up, I'd beat the kibbles out of you." In those cases, Marley wants to answer the call and I have to work hard to pull him along. There are a couple of small dogs who particularly aggressive. They look like bowls of spaghetti with legs and Marley would dispatch them with the same vigor that he would take care of the same amount of pasta. Their yard has one of those electronic fences, so the pasta pups run right up to the side of the driveway and stop, yelling their epithets as we walk away.
We assume that this sign at the town line means that Holden cares in a good way. The sign in the background introduces the first of many rules for our fair town - no overnight parking on any streets any time of the year. The town is known for its fussiness on matters great and small.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Nerdful co-existence - An Engineer's Guide to Cats
This is making the rounds on the Intertubes, so you may have already seen it. If not, here's An Engineer's Guide to Cats
Man not best friend to black dogs
We've adopted three adult black labs over the years. It was shocking, then, to read this article:
Worcester Telegram & Gazette News: According to animal shelter officials, big, black dogs like Gozer have more trouble finding a happy home than do other dogs. Some shelters even have a name for it: “Big black dog syndrome.”
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Spring. We haz it.
I babysat for Cassie for a couple of hours today while Lynn sang at a funeral. She wasn't too keen on seeing me at first, because it meant that her mother was going out. C. stayed in her room and watched a video (Jungle Book). By the end of the video, she wanted me to meet her new cat, Tigger. (I'd met the Tigster a couple of days ago, but C.'d forgotten that.) So, the three of us played outside in the sun. C. can grab Tiggs by the haunches and carry him around like a sack of cooked pasta. He doesn't mind a bit.
At one point, the Tiggman went under the snowmobile trailer. "Iso," she said, "I need some help here." I crawled under the trailer and brought him back into the sunshine.
When Lynn returned, she and Cassie went out to a lunch gathering along with mothers and other three-year-olds. I stayed at the house and worked on their computer, ridding it of a couple of nasty bits of spyware and a couple of rootkits. It took a long time to run the scans, so I was still there when Lynn and Cassie returned. At that point, C. didn't think that I belonged there anymore. "Please don't come to my house anymore," she said. She went to the door and held it open until I left.
At one point, the Tiggman went under the snowmobile trailer. "Iso," she said, "I need some help here." I crawled under the trailer and brought him back into the sunshine.
When Lynn returned, she and Cassie went out to a lunch gathering along with mothers and other three-year-olds. I stayed at the house and worked on their computer, ridding it of a couple of nasty bits of spyware and a couple of rootkits. It took a long time to run the scans, so I was still there when Lynn and Cassie returned. At that point, C. didn't think that I belonged there anymore. "Please don't come to my house anymore," she said. She went to the door and held it open until I left.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
RB-3, Home Network-2
We now have three computers connected to our home wireless network, one each of Win2k, XP, and Vista. For all the troubles that people have reported, the Vista system was the best behaved when it came to connecting to the new configuration. The Win2k system was the most trouble, starting with lack of support for the higher encryption services available on the router and for later operating systems.
One of the things about working in a corporate IT environment is that, for the most, 'things just work.' You connect a new system to the network and both the system and the network know what to do; in a matter of moments, you're working. At home, particularly when you get a message like this, it can be a long day.
One of the things about working in a corporate IT environment is that, for the most, 'things just work.' You connect a new system to the network and both the system and the network know what to do; in a matter of moments, you're working. At home, particularly when you get a message like this, it can be a long day.
Why people hate computer networks
One of the first rules of being a TV meteorologist is to look out the window before you go on the air. That way, you're less likely to say that it's a nice day if it's snowing outside.
There ought to be a similar rule for computer messages: look at the condition before saying what the condition is. In this case, I was trying to set up our laptop with our new modem/router. I had some trouble configuring the security settings. As a result, the system was telling that I was both already connected and not connected (the latter was true).
There ought to be a similar rule for computer messages: look at the condition before saying what the condition is. In this case, I was trying to set up our laptop with our new modem/router. I had some trouble configuring the security settings. As a result, the system was telling that I was both already connected and not connected (the latter was true).
And, by the way, ...
Not only are some of us in the Boomer generation, but "Between the ages of 25 and 60, people's ability to use websites declines by 0.8% per year — mostly because they spend more time per page, but also because of navigation difficulties."
What generation are you?
You Belong in the Baby Boomer Generation |
 You fit in best with people born between 1943 and 1960. You are optimistic, rebellious, and even a little self centered. You still believe that you will change the world. You detest authority and rules. Deep down, you're a non conformist. |
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
This week's RoasterBoy playlist
B-52s - Funplex |
| Their first album in 15 or so years. While there's nothing that's terribly new in here (includes live versions of Planet Claire and Private Idaho), it's good, solid danceable music with their particular style of charming naughtiness. 04/08/2008 04:07 PM |
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Monday, April 07, 2008
Ten Commandments Weekend
Senators Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) and Joe Lieberman (J-oementum) have introduced a bill in the Senate that would designate the first weekend in May 2008 as Ten Commandments Weekend. Nice idea, if we could agree on what the commandments are and, within that, how they should be observed.
There are two versions, in Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21, of the statements that we commonly regard as commandments. They aren't numbered. The specifics differ, depending on the translation and the sectarian history. Furthermore, even if we try to observe the fourth (or third) commandment, remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, we can't agree on the day of the week that we should remember.
So, maybe we should think again about designating creating a holiday based on such uncertainty. Besides, when asked which commandment was the most important, Jesus replied:
There are two versions, in Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21, of the statements that we commonly regard as commandments. They aren't numbered. The specifics differ, depending on the translation and the sectarian history. Furthermore, even if we try to observe the fourth (or third) commandment, remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, we can't agree on the day of the week that we should remember.
So, maybe we should think again about designating creating a holiday based on such uncertainty. Besides, when asked which commandment was the most important, Jesus replied:
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”
A great answer to a great question: accept the Lord our God is One, love Him, and worship Him to the best of your ability.
Jesus was not finished. He had more to teach. Obviously Jesus was teaching the man everything he needed to get into the Kingdom of God. Jesus added:
“…The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
The Great Teacher further clarified:
“There is no commandment greater than these.”
A year of traveling from the world of work
It's been a year since I left my job, a string of days that got us from there to here. There's no doubt in my mind (and reported by those around me) that I'm doing a lot better now. The improvements come from many channels - love and support of my family, aggressive medical treatments (ECT, meds, and a hospital stay), therapy, and lifestyle changes. 
The numbers tell an interesting story. As they tell you in business presentations, good charts move up and to the right. Up and to the right it goes, but with sharp peaks and valleys, each with a story.
What's ahead? Dunno. Living a day at a time is a wonderful way to live. Often, though, it narrows the focus to just that block of 24 hours, making it to envision life beyond the day. The Red Sox have their home opener tomorrow. The guy from Sears will be coming here to fix our refrigerator's freezer (again). That's plenty of future thinking for me for now.
About 10 years, I worked for a small group that had produced the company's new flagship product in a year. As we reviewed the year, the development director asked us to describe our major accomplishments. "We're still standing," I said.
The numbers tell an interesting story. As they tell you in business presentations, good charts move up and to the right. Up and to the right it goes, but with sharp peaks and valleys, each with a story.What's ahead? Dunno. Living a day at a time is a wonderful way to live. Often, though, it narrows the focus to just that block of 24 hours, making it to envision life beyond the day. The Red Sox have their home opener tomorrow. The guy from Sears will be coming here to fix our refrigerator's freezer (again). That's plenty of future thinking for me for now.
About 10 years, I worked for a small group that had produced the company's new flagship product in a year. As we reviewed the year, the development director asked us to describe our major accomplishments. "We're still standing," I said.
Is that Forwarded Email Fact or Fiction?
I've used Snopes.com for a long time. It's one of the best reference sites on the Internet, particularly for determining if Uncle Louie's latest email that proclaims that reusing water bottles will give you a horrible disease. This page, Is that Forwarded Email Fact or Fiction?, from CyberNet, provides good guidance on how to use Snopes.
Video Games Versus Violence
Now, here's something that we wouldn't have expected. In the years that video games have become increasingly popular and, as most of us would think, delivering increasingly violent content, the incidence of violent crime has dropped(from Frostfirezoo.com). Here are the statistics from the Justice Department:
Bureau of Justice Statistics Violent Crime Rate Trends.
Bureau of Justice Statistics Violent Crime Rate Trends.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
set mode=vulture
This coming weekend, you can take a bus tour with a local real estate agent to look at foreclosed properties in the Worcester area.
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