AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Meet the Flintstones BASENAME: meet_the_flintstones STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Weather CATEGORY: Weather DATE: 10/20/2005 02:17:27 PM TAGS: biketoberfest,Florida,harley,Hurricane,wilma ----- BODY: I've spent my entire life in Florida, but this is the first time I can recall the need to prepare for the destructive arrival of a Flintstone. Hurricane Wilma is on the way. Wilma. That just ain't right. For now, it seems I'm mostly outside the danger zone. I'm north of Orlando, and this sucker should hit somewhere below Tampa. Still, it's going to screw up my weekend. This isn't just any weekend. It's Biketoberfest. Do you know how much it sucks to ride a motorcycle in the rain? On top of that, we'll still have tropical force winds from the outer bands of Wilma. Try keeping your Harley on the road in winds of 35-40 mph. My big worry is the dead pine tree in my back yard. It's straight-up tall and not a bit of green pine needles on it. That sucker is dead and a good wind could blow it over on my house or the backyard fence. I also have an oak tree that's partially blown to the side from last year's hurricanes. I'd like to have these things cut down. In fact, I have a bid of $1100 to cut down three pines and one oak, remove the stumps, and hall away the debris. What I don't have is time to do it before the storm or $1100 cash to give the tree man. With all due respect to Hannah-Barbera, I'd rather not meet the Flintstones right now. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: So long, Wilma BASENAME: so_long_wilma STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Weather CATEGORY: Weather DATE: 10/28/2005 02:39:20 PM TAGS: evacuation,Florida,Hurricane,weather,wilma ----- BODY: It's a few days after the hurricane, and I'm astounded by the news reports. People affected by hurricanes these days have unrealistic expecations. They think the government should appear like Elfin Magic and wisk all their problems away expeditiously and instantaneously. It just doesn't work like that. You got hit by a hurricane. It's one of the most destructive natural forces outside of a volcano eruption. Mankind, even those in the U.S. government, can't undo that destruction in the blink of an eye. Even so, people are busting their humps to restore electricity, telephone, gas, and food services. Stop complaining that you're living like a caveman. That goes with the territory of being HIT BY A HURRICANE! Furthermore, do you know the definition of a mandatory evacuation? Well, neither does the government. The government can't force you to leave your home in the event of a natural disaster, even if it means we have to spend more tax dollars to reclaim your body. It also means that stubborn idiots who decide to ride out the storm haven't got the common sense to get out of the way of a hurricane. One particular idiot on CNN proudly proclaimed he was going to ride out the storm on his boat. Showing the luck of fools, he was still alive to get interviewed after the storm. His pride was gone, along with most of his lunch. At least the experience restored his respect for the awesome power of nature. Hurricanes happen. Your willpower will not save you from the devestating after-effects of those storms. That's ok if you're dumb enough to stay in it's path. Just don't whine about it later on the evening news. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: ...And It's Deep Too! BASENAME: and_its_deep_too STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: People CATEGORY: People DATE: 12/10/2005 10:10:38 PM TAGS: death,funny,"Richard Pryor",sirius ----- BODY: Richard Pryor died today at age 65. I hate to see him go, but I'm also glad he doesn't have to suffer with multiple sclerosis anymore. The guy was masterfully funny. Like every other kid, I hid his albums and tapes from my parents, and then snuck them out for a listen when they weren't around. I remember taking those tapes everywhere. He was just so damn funny that your gut would hurt from laughing. I can't think of anyone else who could consistently provoke that kind of reaction from people. Pryor broke down a lot of doors. People accused him of being the most foul-mouthed comedian of his time. So what? He recognized that words really aren't that dangerous if you don't hide them away. People were shocked by the things he said, but he said them to break down the power of those words and find humor in truth. No one else found a way to take their own tragedies and turn them into humor. Whether it was drug abuse, shooting his car with a magnum, or getting burned alive, Pryor made his audiences laugh with him without feeling pity. Tonight, Sirius Radio channel 104 is playing a tribute to Richard Pryor. I decided it'd been long enough since I heard his voice. Despite having bought all of those old albums and tapes before, I went out to Best Buy and bought the last box set of "Richard Pryor: ...And It's Deep Too!" tonight. I'm sitting here loading them onto my iPod as I write. At least Richard knew people truly cared about him, saying "I live in racist America and I'm uneducated, yet a lot of people love me and like what I do, and I can make a living from it. You can't do much better than that." ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Another Christmas Trip BASENAME: i_got_back_into_my STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Travel CATEGORY: Travel DATE: 12/29/2005 04:40:41 PM TAGS: AirTran,AMEX,Christmas,"costa rica","Gold Coast","Hard Rock","Las Vegas",Travel,trip ----- BODY: I got back into my habit of taking a Christmas trip this year. The original plan was to visit Costa Rica. Actually, the plan before that was to visit the San Francisco bay area with a friend of mine, but our plans never really came about. I talked to some people about Costa Rica and the idea kind of grew on me as a good place for some active stuff and photography. The part that didn't grow on me was the cost. It seems that Christmas is the most expensive time of year to visit Costa Rica. The cheapest airfare was over $800 and the tour company arranging my hotel and activities wanted $2000. I told them my budget was only $1500, so they ignored that completely and I decided to do a cheapo Vegas trip. By the time I used my American Express Rewards points, I only paid $153 for airfare and three nights at the Hard Rock Hotel. Of course, that left me with one night in Las Vegas without a hotel room, since Hard Rock wouldn't accept arrivals on December 24th - the night I flew into town. I ended up getting a room at the Gold Coast. Blech. Overall, it was a good trip. The report may seem a bit negative because I originally posted this on the Las Vegas Advisor forum as a trip report, and I did that shortly after a miserable flight home on Air Tran. Don't get the idea that it was a bad trip. Likewise, there's no such thing as a perfect trip. Life gives you good and bad, so expect the same from your vacations. Photos ----- EXTENDED BODY: For the first time, I flew AirTran. I'm not fond of budget airlines because I'm not fond of traveling with budget travelers. However, I needed to make this trip reasonably inexpensively and I could trade in the flight for AMEX points. As it turned out, I ended up sitting in the kiddie seat section. A family of four occupied the three seats across the aisle from me, and an Asian family was right behind me. Another kid was on there, and all four of these filther booger machines screamed through much of the flight. It seems the family of four next to me was a right-proper Christian family. They whipped out a Christian propaganda DVD and started brain-washing their kids on the trip. The woman in the DVD wore extremly ugly green overalls with a Red Star on the front (Christian Commies?) and a variety of BRIGHT shirts underneath. Her face was as pale as the Joker on any deck of cards. Although I coiuldn't hear it (which makes me so happy), I could read the subtitles. Lots of songs about God loves me, God loves you, yada yada yada. She also sang "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." When she sang "whole", she raised her arms from the sides up to the top. When she sang "hands", she cupped them together and extended them forwards, as if offering a small puppy to a Viet Namese chef asking if he could prepare this for a family of 27. During all of this, I was listening to Otis Redding and some Motown hits on my iPod. The father, obviously a technology fan, noticied my iPod and admired it. He spoke, "Hey, that's really nice. I've always wanted an iPod. What are you listening to?" I told him, "The Devil's Music." We didn't speak for the rest of my flight. Of course, the screaming snot-makers were not the only downside to flying on AirTran. The flight attendents themselves bothered me. AirTran must have the UGLIEST flight attendants in the industry. One of them was so fat (how fat was she?) that the sides of her ass smacked every aisle passenger on both sides as she walked back and forth. I was starting to get really pissed every time she passed me, especially when she forgot something and had to go back. After a four hour layover in Dallas, I noticed the Asian family was right beside me again. As expected, their kid started screaming right before take-off. They say that getting there is half the fun. I arrive about a half-hour early at 8:30 local time. Since I only did carry-on, I get to ignore the baggage stuff and grab a cab for the Gold Coast. I ask the cabbie which way he plans to take me. He pauses and asks, "Which way do you want to go?" I don't want to go out the tunnel and tell him so. We get there in one piece and I have no idea if he screwed me over or not, but we didn't go out the tunnel. For those of you who've never been to the Gold Coast - don't go. It's a freakin' dump. It's your grandmother's casino, if your grandmother is a chain-smoker living on a fixed income but damnit she likes bingo and slot machines. The carpet is ugly, there's a few spots that smell like fresh vomit, and every patron appears to be going into or recovering from some type of pulmonary disease. The rooms are small and arranged in the typical decorator's nightmare color schemes of the 1960's. The bathtub shower head came all the way up to my chin. There's a small window in the tub, which I presume is to vent the steam that has no other route of escape. Someone kindly left it open before I got to my room, so my nipples perked up when I walked in there. I won't tell you what happened when I sat on that cold toilet seat. Before going to bed, I decided to venture over to The Palms. Stupid idea. 9:00 their time was already midnight by my body clock. However, I wanted to play some VP and I found a 9/6 JoB machine with little searching. What I also noticed was that the payscale for 2 pair was 1, not 2. It sucked down $60 in a few minutes. To be honest, I didn't like the Palms. Not only was I bothered by the payscale, but I just didn't like the vibe in there. For a place that's supposed to be filled with hot women, I wasn't finding them. I ventured over to the 24/7 Cafe and tested two different subjects brought up on the forums - pizza in LV and the food at the 24/7. Well, both suck. My original plan was to do a good amount of play at the Palms, but that changed. Lousy pay scales, lousy pizza, and ugly women. Three strikes and I'm back to my lousy hotel bed at the Gold Coast across the street. Next morning, Merry Christmas! I awoke to realize I was still in this shithole. After a greasy breakfast with poor service in the Gold Coast, I decided to head for the Hard Rock Hotel. I thought I wouldn't be able to get a room, so I'd hang around on this side of town. That was before I decided I didn't like those places. Much to my pleasant surprise, I got in my room at Hard Rock right away. Before I get to the Hard Rock, I'm a little apprehensive. Lots of people on this board told me the place was filled with rude people and poor service. As it turns out, my experience had absolutely no such problems. Everyone was friendly, starting with the nice girl who checked me into my room. No problems with her, the waitresses, the bartenders, the restaurant staff, the gift shop, the cage, security, dealers, or even the host. Everyone was outstandingly nice, polite, considerate, and friendly. Even the Mexican maid smiled at me. My feeling is that you get what you give. I went in displaying a nice attitude and that's exactly what I received. For those of you who had a bad time, it sucks to be you. Next time, smile more. Ok, the room at the Hard Rock is a LOT better than at the Gold Coast. It isn't particularly big or decked out, but it has some very important things going for it. It's clean, the colors aren't bland, there's a large plasma TV right there. One of the channels played the same music as in the casino, so I left that on all the time. The shower head is big enough to bathe elephants and it feels great to take a shower. The most important thing is the water pressure when you flush the toilet. Wow. This is no low-flo toilet. It'll suck anything stupid enough to get caught in the vortex when you hit the handle. I made the mistake of flushing while I was still sitting down and I felt a vacuum sucking my ass-cheeks down for a few seconds. That's a man's toilet. That's the true rock star experience. If you need to dispose of your drugs before the cops break down the door, flush them at the Hard Rock. It's Christmas Day, and I have nothing else to do but start exploring and taking pictures. I brought my Nikon D70 with me. Now my photographic skills really suck, but part of the reason for this trip is to take pictures, experiment, and learn. If nothing else, I accomplished that task. I clicked off 120 pics on the first day. I wouldn't call any of them art, but I'm analyzing them now and re-thinking what I should've done, other approaches to those shots, etc. This is also the first time it strikes me. There are no black or white people in Las Vegas. I see tons of Asians and Arabs. I see Mexicans, but only bussing tables other otherwise cleaning. This isn't a dead time at all. It's packed wall to wall with people who don't speak English. Maybe they do, but they choose not to use it during my trip. At first, this is a novelty to me. After a while, it gets annoying. I don't know if it's their culture or just a tourist in Vegas thing, but almost everyone is rude, selfish, and doesn't give a rat's ass for common courtesy. People walk diaganolly in front of you, stop dead in their tracks, point their fingers while nearly poking out my eye, etc. Still, it's my first day and I have a good attitude. I hold open doors for people and say "excuse me" when I need to get past some of these slow-moving idiots. By the end of the week, I say "Excuse me. That's English for get the fuck out of my way." One of the places I wanted to eat was Mesa Grill at Caesars Palace. I couldn't get reservations for Monday night after my Seinfeld show until 11:00 pm, so I thought I'd check it out for lunch. Since this was Sunday, they don't serve a regular lunch menu. It's a brunch day. Hell, I don't want brunch. I figure I'll come back the next day for lunch. I ended up eating at the Grand Lux Cafe over at the Venetian. Although I liked it on the last trip, I wasn't really enthused about it this time. That's not to say it was bad - it just wasn't all that outstanding. Christmas Dinner is at 7:00 pm at Simon in the Hard Rock. It's damn dark in there, but the two cute reception hostess thingies are very nice. They realize I'm alone with a book and seat me where there's the most light. That suits me fine, because it gives me a great view of a damn fine blonde with a tight belly sweater and a totally undeserving date. At the end of their meal, she pays. I have got to get me one of those. Besides cute blondes, Simon has the best bread basket I've ever seen at any restaurant. Lots of things I don't recognize, but two really wonderful southern biscuits that I do recognize. I had one of everything in there and it was all good. At any rate, I ordered the fliet mignon with asparagus and a couple glasses of a nice cabernet. I didn't see anything on the desert menu for me, but I was amused that they offered cotton candy for those who wanted it. I saw that go across to various tables during the night. After dinner, I hit the casino. One of the things I'm waiting to see is a Vegas hooker. None at the Gold Coast. None at the Palms. None at the Hard Rock. What the hell, it's Christmas. Maybe the hookers have the night off. At least I found a few full pay VP machines at Hard Rock and I'm happily playing. After practicing my strategy from the Wizard of Odds website, it appears to have the desired results. I'm not breaking the bank, but I have a few good runs and I'm playing a respectable strategy. Also, I just feel comfortable there. Unlike the other casinos, I "get" this place. I like the music, I like the vibe. This really is where I want to be and I'm comfortable there. Next day, I'm up and have breakfast at Mr. Lucky's. It was damn better than that Gold Coast slop, and I had a cute waitress (Royce) with a pleasant personality. The only thing she had that I didn't like was a wedding ring. I catch a cab with an extremely bigoted, fat driver. He makes a number of loud racial slurs about the Arabs and Asians in town. We're heading down to the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign so I can take some pictures. He tells me about the hookers available at the Klondike. He offers to set me up with various escorts that he personally approves. I decide not to take sexual tips from a 350 pound cabbie and we proceed to the sign. As it turns out, he's also into photography (I assume with the afore-mentioned sluts). I take some shots, and then he takes some shots of me with the sign. I look at the shots and notice a few things. I should've gotten even closer, or put on the bigger lens. He takes worse pictures than I do. From there, I have him drop me off at MGM. I figured I'd go see the lions. It's 10:00 am. Sign says the lions don't come out until 11:00 am. OK, so I start investigating the various public restrooms in Las Vegas cainos. The MGM restrooms aren't really impressive. I leave and start taking shots over at NYNY and work my way up to Paris. I've never been up on the Eiffel Tower before. Along the way, I stop into the Aladdin Desert Passage. Within about 25 feet, I'm bored and turn around. I can barely open the door because the wind kicked up something fierce. As I exit, a sandstorm whirls around and I expect an attack from the Mummy. It's really nasty outside from that moment until around sunset. It seems I won't be going up the Eiffel Tower today - closed due to weather. I ponder this for a moment. Just how flimsy is this damn tower? The top is caged in, so it's not like you're going to get blown off the edge. Doesn't matter, I'm not getting up there today. It's about lunch time and I figure I'll consider a buffet on this trip. I hate buffets, but everyone raves about them. Do they rave in that mile-long line? I didn't notice them raving, and I wasn't about to join them in that line. What a bunch of idiots. The water on the Bellagio Lake is choppy enough that they don't do the fountains. I suppose it's not as much fun when all the water sprays left. Then I figure I'll hit Mesa Grill at Caesars. Upon arriving, I check out the menu before entering. Truthfully, it's a little too frilly for me. Damn chefs. I worked with over 50 of them for a couple years when I was a director at a culinary academy. They screw up everything that should be simple, and Bobby Flay is no exception. I end up having a nice lunch at Cheesecake Factory for half the price. Since I'm alone, there's no wait. Next, I move on up to see the new Wynn place. I decide to sit down for a nice drink and there's a decent bar in the middle of the place. Nice hostess, but what POOR, RUDE service from the waitress. Man, she was just a bitch. So, I enjoyed my glass of wine, flrted with some Asian wife who enjoyed the attention before leaving with her family, and left an appropriate tip for the RUDE BITCH waitress with the bad attitude. Despite the fact that I don't like to let the attitude of others change my own demeanor, I have to say that the only rude and poor service I experienced was at the Wynn. There was really only one thing I liked at that place - the men's room. I vote the Wynn as the best place to take a dump. Wow. Nice marble floors, solid stall walls that come all the way down. Excellent fixtures, no cramped feeling. I could've stayed in that stall for a lot longer. I wouldn't recommend the Wynn for service, but I do suggest you go shit at the Wynn, especially if you also received rude service. It's therapeutic. Lunch was late, and I had the Seinfeld show at 7:30 - doors open at 6:30. So, I don't want a full dinner, but I'm gonna starve if I wait until after the show. What to do? Why, have dessert. After looking around, I ended up at CPK in the Mirage. Got me the brownie with a scoop of ice cream on top. DAMN! That was good. It was just the right size, right flavor, right texture, and it hit the spot. I never would've expected it there, but that was an outstanding brownie. I go back to the Hard Rock to drop off my camera, plus I meet with Eric Eisenberg. He's a host at Hard Rock and we e-mailed a bit before my trip. He was really a nice guy and explained to me how things work. I particularly liked the look in his eyes when I answered his question about how much I'd bring to play. When I mentioned $2000-$3000 per trip, his eyes suddenly told me that I don't qualify to get a comp on a book of matches. Then he recovered and politely told me the way the world works in Las Vegas, and I realized that I was right all along - there's no need for me to have a casino host. I'm sure there are other places, places like the Gold Coast or Orleans, where I could get more for my money. However, I don't want to stay at those dumps. I'm not going to Las Vegas for the comps. I don't really even go for the gambling. I go to have fun and an experience that I enjoy. Any place with a bowling alley is not included in my list of fun spots. I'm back at Caesars before the show and hit the men's room there. It's about as exciting as the MGM. On my way out, I finally get the true Las Vegas experience that I've been waiting to see. An absolutely stunning black girl walks by and smiles. "Hi." I smile back and say hello. She asks if I'm enjoying myself, if I'm here alone or with friends. I tell her I'm alone. "Want some company?" I tell her I'm going to Seinfeld. She smiles and says goodbye before she walks off. Finally, I get me a hooker to approach me. I feel like I'm part of the team now. After many conferences and business trips, I've never had a hooker come up to me. It's like a bit of vindication. Too bad I didn't have my camera still with me. I'd ask her to pose for pictures with me so I could show everyone that, not only did a hooker approach me, but a DAMN fine hooker, too. Seinfeld's show was pretty good. His opening act was a guy who also used to write for his TV show. He had some cute lines, but wasn't a polished performer. Seinfeld delivered with great timing, good observations, and generally what you expect from him. If you like his stuff, you would've enjoyed this show. Of course, I could barely see him from ROW J SEAT 510 on the SECOND MEZZANINE level. This was my first time there. For those of you who have never been to Caesar's Colusseum, there is only one row higher with a worse view. Then you get up to the sky boxes. I could make out his head, but couldn't see his face. Based upon the voice, I presume that I saw Seinfeld. I go back to the Hard Rock for a little more casino play and also check out the center bar. Met a cute strawberry blonde named Maggie. I also met a blonde named Bev with tattoos all over her arms and no bra. I know this because Bev was yelling at some guy who asked her what her tattoos mean. She didn't like that question. "They don't mean shit! Just once, I would like to meet a guy who never asked me about my tattoos!" I looked over my shoulder and told her that I've never asked her. That's when she smiled, came over, and started rubbing my chest. As she did that, I could feel very clearly the lack of her bra rubbing against my back. However, I hate tattoos and ended up with Maggie for the night. No tattoos. I'm amazed how easy it is to hook up with girls in a hotel bar. It's not just the alcohol. It's the quick access to a room and no lasting connections. Men, women...we're all sluts. Tuesday morning - blueberry pancakes at Mr. Lucky's. Damn good, but I should've gotten the short stack. I decide that today is when I tackle downtown. I've never been there. Hard Rock doesn't have a shuttle to downtown and I decide to take the CAT bus instead of a cab. You know, I didn't realize that I had so much alcohol the night before as to impair my transportation selection skills that much. What the hell was I thinking? I felt more comfortable taking the city bus in Barbados sitting next to an Obeah woman holding a chicken than I did traveling with the dreggs of Las Vegas lower class bus riders. If these people weren't already horrible fashion examples, they also had some smells that would scare that old Obeah women in Barbados. I started thinking about that Richard Pryor bit where Mudbone goes to see Miss Rudolph. If you don't know it, you'll just have to wonder. Finally, we get to downtown about an hour after I first left Hard Rock. Another dump. Not just a dump, but this is worse than the Gold Coast. Still, I start taking pictures all up and down. I particularly wanted to get pictures of the signs for deep fried twinkies and oreos. My personal trainer refused to believe that anyone would do such a thing, so I needed the proof. From there, I took another chance and caught the Deuce back to the strip. I'm seated upstairs next to a moron. He insists on taking to me and I was dumb enough, polite enough, to initially respond. This guy hasn't shaved in days or had a haircut since the sixth grade. He proceeds to tell me that he's figured out Las Vegas. He went into the casino with $30, and he came out with $35. Now that he knows how to beat the system, it won't be long before he's playing with $500 chips. Then he tells me that he's figured out how to make a $200K salary per year while only working part time, about 4 hours per day. He's going to get a license to be one of the guys who passes out flyers on the strip. They pay about $7-$10 per hour to those guys. He figures he'll sign up with 10 of them so each one will pay him at the same time. He'll just stuff all the flyers into manilla envelopes and pass them out in bulk. Then he goes on to tell me about his trip to Hawaii where he saw scooter rentals for $70 per day. He figures this is a great idea for Las Vegas, and people there will pay $90 or $100 to rent them. I asked how he was going to get the scooters in the first place. Investors. A little while later, we pass a place renting scooters. I tell him it must be a good idea, since others area already doing it. He seems bothered by this fact. The guy continues talking to me. Strip traffic is bumper to bumper, and he talks to me ALL THE WAY TO CAESARS. I stopped talking to him back at the Riviera. He seemed not to notice. Time for another lunch. These throngs of Asians are really getting difficult on the foot traffic. I wish for Godzilla to appear just to see if they'd scream and run, but nothing happens. Another coin wasted in a fountain. As this was my last lunch in Las Vegas, I again decided to check out a buffet. The Bellagio buffet line was long. Then I realized it snaked around before going around a corner. I walked up there, and it snaked more around the corner and continued on past another corner. The line that I thought I was in wasn't even HALF of the length of the line there. Screw the buffet. I went back to Cheesecake Factory and ordered something else. Another satisfying meal, even if there are two Cheesecake Factory's here in Orlando. About 3:30, my feet hurt from walking this week. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind walking a bit. It's just that I brought the wrong shoes and they were too tight. Feet expand and these shoes didn't. I had blisters on my toes, but my legs and everything else felt fine. With the right shoes, I could've walked many more miles. So, I found my little oasis in Las Vegas - The Bacarrat Bar in the Bellagio. I love this place. It's just a little island of peace and ample-breasted cocktail waitresses. The ladies who work there are always polite and treat me with respect, and they've got the best cocktail waitress cleavage in town. I relaxed with a good pinot noir and waited for twilight. I needed that light for my next set of strip pictures. The light was good, but most of my pictures sucked. I didn't have a tripod with me. Still, I finally got up to the top of the Eiffel tower and snapped away. When the Bellagio fountains came on, all of the good spots were taken. An Asian lady in front of me, with a 2 year old riding her shoulders, was aiming her sissy little digital camera at the fountains. However, I could see the display on the back. Her battery icon was flashing death and a line across the middle said NO MEMORY SPACE. I politely asked if I could take some pictures from the camera opening in the cage before the show ended. She said, "You can see from there." True, but I can't take pictures clearly from here. "I'm taking pictures." No, you're not. Your battery is dead and you don't have any memory card space left. "That's none of your business." You're just going to be a bitch about this, aren't you? "I'm not moving." The show ended and I was still standing behind her. She turned around and tried to get out. I didn't move. "Are you going to let me out?" No, but you can go around. With some difficulty, she finally clambered out of her precious spot. Another show started and I took my pictures. I made my way back to Caeasars to pick up the Hard Rock shuttle. On the ride, I met a local redhead named Kim. I thought this was cute, because one of my friends is a redhead named Kim. We had a nice conversation on the way back and I invited her to dinner after I cleaned up. She agreed and we met at the bar in 30 minutes. Dinner was over at Mr. Lucky's. One of the things I wanted to try was another Vegas experience - the Steak and Shrimp special that's not on the menu. So I ordered it. BIG FUCKING MISTAKE! If anyone ever tells you where you can get a good steak for a low price, that person is either a liar or an idiot. This was the Chicken McNugget of steaks. It wasn't any identifiable cut of meat. Instead, cow parts is parts and they FUSE them together to create this monstrosity of meat and lousy mashed potatoes. I couldn't finish eating this nastiness. I suspect my waiter laughed when I ordered it, knowing that another tourist fell for that trick. BLECH! The conversation with Kim continued, she spent the night, and I got up at 6:30 am to boot her out and start packing for the trip home. My only real meal of the day was breakfast at Mr. Lucky's. I said goodbye to Royce, checked out, and headed for the airport. I wanted to upgrade to business class, but the flight was full. Again, I sat in the same row as the Asian couple on my previous flights. Again, their toddler screamed. My flight attendants - all male of less then manly persuasion - seemed incompetent and one of them was downright surly. There's no food on AirTran flights, but I bought a bag of trail mix in the airport. Little did I know that would be my only source of food for the rest of the night. We landed late in Atlanta due to weather. If you haven't been to a terminal in Atlanta, it's much like a Panamanian bus depot (without the chickens or pigs). There aren't enough seats for everyone, it's full of more losers than the Las Vegas bus system, and there isn't an edible meal to be found. Twice, I got in the line for Popeye's fried chicken. I got out each time. I just can't do that to my body. That was the LEAST disgusting option there. So I continued to snack on my trail mix with the help of a Diet Coke. We got on the last plane of my trip, the one heading to Orlando. As always, flights to Orlando are full and they're full of screaming kids. The Asians are next to me again. A single dad has two kids in front of me. We board the plane, but there's a problem - no flight crew and no air conditioning. Planes don't go very far without pilots or flight attendants. We sit on that motionless plan and don't push back until 2 minutes AFTER the time we were supposed to land in Orlando. 45 minutes after that, we finally take off. Of course, the airline folks told us very little about the cause of the delays, and everything they did tell us was a lie. During all the time at the gate, the kids from single dad are RUNNING UP AND DOWN THE AISLE. The guy behind me is bitching and moaning about what a terrible airline this is and how this happens to him on every flight. I ask him if he ever considered flying another airline. No, because this one is always the cheapest. So I told him to shut up and deal with it. His whining wasn't changing anything. If he can't man-up then SHUT-UP. As you can tell, I've had all my buttons pushed by this time. I finally get home at 11:00 pm Eastern Time. I still have to take a cab to Mom's house, get my dogs, drive home 35 miles to my house, and set the alarm because I have an oil change scheduled at 10:30. My vacation was mostly good, but I'm always glad to come home. ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Time for a new Mac BASENAME: time_for_a_new_mac STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Apple CATEGORY: Apple DATE: 05/16/2006 08:26:02 PM TAGS: Apple,ilife,isight,"MacBook Pro" ----- BODY: Apple introduced its new MacBook today. Essentially, this is a replacement for the old iBook and the 12" PowerMac. On first glance, the MacBook looks pretty cool. You get a choice between white or black, and I like the black better than the current aluminum shell of the MacBook Pro. The battery life for the new model is 6 hours instead of 4.5 on the Pro model. Hmm. The price for a MacBook is much lower than a MacBook Pro, but you still get a lot of decent features. The CPU is the same, it has built-in iSight camera, bluetooth and wireless networking. Off the shelf, it has less ram and a smaller hard drive than the MacBook Pro, but it looked pretty comparable. Then I started looking in a bit more detail. There's a serious discrepancy between the video systems. The MacBook uses an Intel video system that uses shared RAM from your computer's memory, where the MacBook Pro has an separate ATI system with its own RAM. If you just want to surf the web and run the iLife applications, the MacBook is fine. If you're going to delve into graphic intensive programs, the video system just won't cut it. The MacBook also lacks the ambient keyboard lighting, Express Card slot, and video resolution. It's not a bad machine, but it's not going to do things that I want to do. For example, I've been considering an EDGE adapter so I can have broadband wireless all over the place. Can't do that with a MacBook because it has no card slots. I want to run PhotoShop and other graphics programs. While they'll run on the MacBook, they'll run better on the MacBook Pro. Apple also raised the CPU capacity for the MacBook Pro models, and gave it another choice. Now you can have either a matte finish or a glossy finish on your MacBook Pro screen. The concept is that colors are brighter on the glossy screen. However, so are thumbprints, scratches, and glare from light sources. The MacBook is only available in glossy - no choice there. For me, I've decided on the 15" MacBook Pro. I'm not getting the top of the line model, as the only real difference is a slight bump in CPU clock speed and more RAM in the base model. I can buy some extra ram for less money than Apple sells it, and that'll make up for the performance difference between a 2.0 and 2.16 CPU clock speed. Besides, that'll save me about $300. Damn, that's almost enough for a new iPod. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Evolution of Dance BASENAME: evolution_of_dance STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Humor CATEGORY: Humor DATE: 05/17/2006 02:08:03 PM TAGS: "evolution of dance",video,youtube ----- BODY: Nothing I write can prepare you for this historical retrospective. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Zach BASENAME: zach STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Animals CATEGORY: Animals DATE: 05/20/2006 09:23:05 PM TAGS: destroyer,"Golden Retriever",Photo,zach ----- BODY:

Zach - 33
Originally uploaded by wbeem.
This used to be Zach, my Golden Retriever. I should've known then that he'd be trouble. Since chewing up this stupid toy fllp-flop (Shannon bought it, not me), he's proceeded to destroy other things. He's eaten holes right into the drywall in my bedroom hallway. He's eaten the bottom part of my wooden fence to escape the tyranny of the back yard. He's eaten bathroom rugs, and even the bricks of my fireplace.

Meet Zach, the Destroyer.
----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Apple Store 5th Avenue BASENAME: apple_store_5th_avenue STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Apple CATEGORY: Apple DATE: 05/20/2006 10:53:06 PM TAGS: "5th avenue",Apple,NYC,Photo ----- BODY:

Apple Store 5th Avenue
Originally uploaded by Steve Jobs .
Apple opened a new store on 5th Avenue in New York. This is the first Apple store to stay open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The store is underground, but there's a three-story glass cube on the surface to help you find it.

This is more than just an architectural statement. It's a statement of audacity and success by Apple. Other computer manufacturers are still producing commodity boxes. Apple found a way to get fans lining up a day before the grand opening just to see a retail store. Now that's power.
----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: iPod Dilemma BASENAME: post_1 STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Apple CATEGORY: Apple DATE: 05/21/2006 07:14:55 PM TAGS: Apple,iPod,video ----- BODY: George Bush doesn't like black iPods. As if I haven't donated enough money to Apple lately, I've been jonesing for a new iPod lately. There's no logical reason for it. My current 60gb iPod Photo is sufficient to play my music. It sounds great, and I take it in the car with me all the time. However, it's not new. Think of the joy I could bring to others by playing video on my iPod. After all, look at my collection. I have video from The Man Show of girls jumping on trampolines - arguably the finest concept ever produced on television. I have video podcasts, like Strong Bad's Email or Ask a Ninja. Some of these are classics. Today, I actually drove the 30 miles to the closest Apple Store and wandered inside. Although I coveted the iPods on display, I did not buy one. You see, a strange part of my brain put forth a thought. Are you really going to spend about $400 just to carry video clips with you? That summed it up nicely. I already have my music and photos. This new iPod wouldn't improve upon those things. Battery life isn't a problem for me. If all I wanted was something lighter, I'd just get the Nano. So, the question had power. $400 is a lot to spend just to carry pictures of girls jumping on trampolines. I came home slightly dejected. The younger guys in my office have new iPods that play video. Granted, they have the 30 gb models, but I already have that much music. I definitely need 60 gb. Still, I feel like I have the "old man" iPod compared to their sleek, shiny, black iPods that play video. This is iPod envy. For most of this year, I kept waiting for yet another version of the iPod. The one, true video iPod. The internet buzzed with faked photos and even a video of this mysteriously unreleased product in action. Analyst reports seemed to confirm that it was only a matter of days. Still, the elusive product never made it. Then the rumor sites claimed it wouldn't come until late this year, citing battery power problems, and a lack of iTunes deals with major motion picture studios. I may as well get the current one, as I will surely bust before the true video iPod sees the light of day. Then, it hit me. If I order online, I get free engraving. Now I have a new dilemma. What to engrave on my iPod? Those are a few ideas. Let me know if you like one of them, or tell me what's engraved on your iPod. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Cattyann Campbell EMAIL: cattyann@gmail.com IP: 71.127.166.210 URL: http://deepink.wordpress.com DATE: 05/22/2006 10:12:38 PM Hey William as my grandma would say "cool you foot..." I'm sort of stuck in a similar situation except that my trusted 20 gig 4th Gen iPod crashed on me and after trying to get it repaired by Apple it was easier to get a brand new one. I've downloaded quite the video collecton and have been thinking that a video iPod makes more sense at this point you see I'm thinking about those long trips I will have to make in the near future to places like S. Africa to visit friends. Anyway what I did was got a Nano to tie me over until the next waves of goodies come out of Apple which will be here in August or so. Whether it looks like the stuff on the mock ups or not they will release something with more bang for your $400 bucks than the current offereings. So I say wait until the fall and "cool you foot" in the meantime. ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Zach Attacks BASENAME: zach_attacks STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Animals CATEGORY: Animals DATE: 05/22/2006 12:55:57 PM TAGS: destroyer,"Golden Retriever",Zach ----- BODY: Zach is the youngest of my three dogs, so it's no surprise that he's the most curious. You can't blame him for instincts bred into his pedigree. He's a retriever. He brings things back. When Zach is outside, he brings things back to my patio. It's covered with palm fronds that he's ripped off my sable palm. He's brought branches twice his size into the patio. Sometimes he digs things up and brings them to the patio. There's half of a rusty barbell weight that some previous owner left outside. I've been hear seven years and never noticed it, but Zach found it and brought it to the patio. In addition to digging and retrieving, Zach likes to chew. He's previously chewed through the power cable leading to my air conditioner. It's low voltage, but even that would be enough to zap his tongue. He didn't stop chewing that until he finished. So I shouldn't be surprised that Zach dug until he found my telephone cable buried underground in my back yard. Zach chewed off the exposed cable until it broke. He selected an end of it, and started tugging to unearth the rest. He got about 20 feet of it free when it wouldn't give up any more (probably stuck under some roots). Being the genius he is, it became apparent that he'd need to chew this side off if he were to succeed in bringing the cable back to the patio. Zach succeeded. Right now, I don't have a working phone in my house. Instead, I have an appointment to wait for a repairman on Tuesday. Good boy, Zach. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Do you live in a Bright House? BASENAME: do_you_live_in_a_bright_house STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Customer Service CATEGORY: Customer Service DATE: 05/25/2006 08:05:32 PM TAGS: "Bright House",cable,dogs,Photo,VOIP ----- BODY:

Backyard Boys - 2
Originally uploaded by wbeem.
Tuesday came, and so did the Bright House guy. We found that the cable Zach destroyed was the old telephone line that I no longer use. However, he still managed to chew pieces of the Bright House cable that serves my VOIP, TV, and Internet.

Surprisingly, the phone started working late Monday afternoon. More surprisingly, Bright House called me on that phone line to confirm my appointment. Odd. I gave them my cell phone number, because my whole problem was a dead phone line.

What would've happened if the phone were still dead and I couldn't answer? Would they cancel the appointment because it wasn't confirmed? Probably.

Of course, the guy didn't come out with the intention of fixing my problem. Even though I told them that a cable was cut, that's not his job. He's a Bright House employee. Only contractors get to dig the tiny ditch across my back yard to bury a new cable.

Instead, he just dragged a temporary cable across my lawn and planted a row of little flags along side of it. I presume this was to help the contractor find the cable he'd be replacing. Bright Boy told me the contractor would confirm my appointment on Wednesday, and be out on Thursday.

Well, he lied. After a day of waiting, I called Bright House to inquire about my appointment. The phone goober told me it was never put into the system, so he could do that and have a contractor come here on Friday.

In the mean time, this means I have to work from home on the two days that I'm scheduled to be in the office. That's because I can't trust Zach the Destroyer with such an obvious temptation. If he'll dig in the ground to eat a cable, I'm sure he'll eat one on the surface.

It turns out that Zach found something he likes eating better than the cable. Those orange flags seem very tasty. He's uprooted half a dozen of them, brought them to the patio, and chewed the flags into little orange bits.

Tomorrow, the contractor should be here between 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm. Cable companies really suck about giving such large windows. Of course, he'll wish he were here today. Tomorrow, we should have thunderstorms passing in the afternoon.
----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: I guess they aren't so Bright after all BASENAME: i_guess_they_arent_so_bright_a STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Customer Service CATEGORY: Customer Service DATE: 05/26/2006 07:19:11 PM TAGS: "Bright House",cable,Photo,service,VOIP ----- BODY: Bright or Blight House?. First they told me they'd be here Tuesday, but the Bright House tech didn't put in the order. So I called back and they scheduled a contractor to visit on Friday between 1:00 and 6:00 pm. Today, I called at 3:00 pm to confirm my appointment. The guy on the phone said traffic was bad, but they would be here today. At 7:00 pm, a thunderstorm started rolling through and the sun is going down. I called back to find out what happened. Also, to get my credit. Bright House promises a $20 credit if they miss an appointment. The lady who answered told me my appointment was scheduled for May 27, Saturday. What? That's not true. Their automated voice system confirmed my appointment for Friday when I called at 3:00 pm. The guy gave me an excuse about traffic. Neither of those things happen if your scheduled date is for tomorrow. So now I've wasted a day at home. I also have to waste another couple of hours on Saturday, from Noon until 2:00 pm, to wait for these idiots. This isn't just incompetency, though. They lied to me. They changed records to cover up the lie. It also means I don't get the $20 credit for their screw-up. Although Bright House has great technology, the customer service is wretchedly poor. Bright House sucks. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Blight House misses again BASENAME: blight_house_misses_again STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Customer Service CATEGORY: Customer Service DATE: 05/27/2006 05:42:03 PM TAGS: "Bright House",cable,service,VOIP ----- BODY: It's hard to believe that one organization can suck so much, but Blight House [sic] is proving its ability to suck knows no boundaries. I wasted my Saturday again sitting at home for my 12:00 - 2:00 pm appointment. Once again, no show and no call from Blight House. I called up to ensure I got my $20 credit for the last miss and then another one for today's missed appointment. Unlike yesterday, they told me the record now shows that it was re-scheduled from Friday. So, someone definitely was telling lies yesterday. When I called after 2:00 pm, the service rep said a supervisor would call me back on my cell phone within a few minutes. Sure. I called back at 4:40 today and let them know I hadn't heard from any supervisor. This rep told me they were still scheduled to come out today, but didn't know when. Three hours of running late is kind of hard to believe, and the crew isn't answering its phone. The guys must be out having a beer someplace. My problem still exists and I have no idea when Blight House intends to fix it. Cable companies really do suck. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Finally! BASENAME: finally STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Customer Service CATEGORY: Customer Service DATE: 05/27/2006 11:33:32 PM TAGS: "Bright House",cable,VOIP ----- BODY: About 6:15 pm, the Blight House Boys finally knocked on my door. No, they didn't call in advance as per my instructions. About half a dozen guys crammed into a crappy white van showed up, dug the ditch, stuffed in the cable, and left after 45 minutes worth of work. Of course, I still have problems with my digital phone. It has static and drops the line. I guess I'll call back tomorrow and make another appointment for next Tuesday. For now, I guess I get to relax and enjoy my holiday weekend. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Auditors lose credit card data BASENAME: auditors_lose_credit_card_data STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Identity CATEGORY: Identity DATE: 06/04/2006 12:52:59 AM TAGS: fraud,Identity,security ----- BODY: I just read a news article warning that thousands of Hotels.com customers from 2004 may be subject to identity fraud because their information was on a laptop stolen from an auditor's car. Ernst & Young is the outside auditor. The laptop contained names, addresses, and credit card numbers for 243,000 customers. Sadly, the auditor didn't take the simple security precaution of encrypting the data or his hard drive. Even if you only have one transaction with a vendor, they keep your name, address, and credit card number for years. Is that ethical? What use does a vendor have to keep my credit card information if I don't authorize another transaction? The sad truth is that you do not own your identity. The attributes that identify you are there for other people to use. What's the value of your own name? Most people don't speak in the third person, they refer to "myself" or some other personal pronoun. Your name belongs to everyone but you. It seems that your credit card number belongs to everyone else, too. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: The Da Vinci Ban BASENAME: the_da_vinci_ban STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Fear CATEGORY: Fear DATE: 06/04/2006 10:55:29 AM ----- BODY: Most parts of India already banned the motion picture release of The Da Vinci Code. Next, Pakistan banned the film. I just read that Egyptian authorities seized 2,000 illegal DVD's of the film, and that Coptic Pope Shenouda III, the head of Egypt's largest church, praised the police action and urged the government to bar the film, saying it could spread misinformation about Christianity. Egypt's censorship bureau stated that the film hasn't arrived yet, so they can't decide to ban it before viewing it. According to their rules, they will decide whether to ban it or merely cut some scenes. I suspect that a movie that doesn't offend their rules may get released in Egypt without any changes. Consider this: How weak is your faith if you have to ban a movie to preserve your faith? Are you telling me that Christianity lasted for 2,000 years and now it's in jeopardy because of a single story? If so, then it deserves to die. Personally, I don't think that's going to happen. How many people remember The Last Temptation of Christ these days? It world didn't end with that movie, either. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Revisiting Immigration in the U.S.A. BASENAME: revisiting_immigration_in_thhe STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Government CATEGORY: Government DATE: 06/10/2006 05:32:22 PM TAGS: immigration,Photo ----- BODY: I gotta say, this one makes me re-think my position on illegal immigration. Could America survive without tasty vegetables and animal parts wrapped up in a flour tortilla? No burritos for YOU! ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Unwanted Guests BASENAME: unwanted_guests STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Animals CATEGORY: Animals DATE: 06/18/2006 12:13:21 AM TAGS: dogs,pest,possum,"Xbox 360" ----- BODY: Every once in a great while, some unwanted animal sneaks into my house. I'm not sure how they get in here. There are no obvious holes in the walls and I don't recall seeing them sneak through a door that I left open. Then again, maybe I'm not that observant. Tonight, I kept hearing strange, subtle sounds in my office. At first, it sounded like something was inside my guitar amp. I thought maybe a lizard got in here, so I tested his hearing by cranking up the amp with some distorted effects and blasting away for a while. The sounds seemed to subside. I must've stunned the reptile into submission, so I celebrated by playing Call of Duty 2 on my XBox 360 and shooting Nazis. After a while of that, I came back in and noticed subtle sounds coming from the other side of the room where I have a small closet. This closet holds the discarded remnants of my computer life, including a few old laptop bags. Slowly, the intruder creeped out of the largest bag. Either he's a very big mouse or a small possum. At this point, I'm less surprised that he's in my laptop bag than I am disappointed that none - NOT A SINGLE ONE - of my dogs detected this intruder or did a damn thing about it. These guys are completely useless if they can't at least bark at some rodent in the house. I headed into the garage to look for some implement of destruction for the intruder. Hammers, clippers, shovels, and other deadly looking tools hang on the wall. However, I don't want possum blood to stain the carpet. There are no useful tools of a non-lethal variety, either. What I want is some kind of noose on the end of a stick so I can string his neck and cart him outside. Even a pool net would be useful, but I don't have a pool. Chances of finding a net in my garage are slim. I end up with a broom. Creeping back into the office, I turn on every light so I can see the unwanted varmint. He's not showing himself, so I do the only thing that comes to mind. Bravely, I poke the large laptop bag with the end of the broom stick. Nothing. No sound, no running rodent crosses the floor. My guess is that they just play dead when frightened, or else we wouldn't have the phrase "playing possum." I'll grant you it's not that useful as phrases go, but I've surmised the possum is in the bag. Therefore, I scoop up the handles with the broom stick. I don't want some frightened possum coming to the decision to leave the bag and run up my arm while I'm carrying it. The bag goes outside, and I return to the scene of the crime. About this time, my dog Humphrey starts barking loudly. Finally! He's staring at the sliding glass door where I set out the laptop bag. I figure the beast within must've made a run for it, and my dog wants to rip him a new asshole. More likely, Humphrey was started to notice a black bag outside on the patio after all of my movements woke him up from his evening nap on the floor. All I know is that I don't hear any little feets in my office, so I'm claiming victory until proven wrong. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: Bravely, I poke the large laptop bag with the end of the broom stick. Nothing. No sound, no running rodent crosses the floor. ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Stewie the Possum BASENAME: stewie_the_possum STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Animals CATEGORY: Animals DATE: 06/22/2006 03:12:20 PM TAGS: Photo,possum,stewie ----- BODY:

DSC_0007.JPG
Originally uploaded by wbeem.
A few nights ago, I learned that my previous attempt to expel this little home invader was unsuccessful. I never actually saw him leave the laptop bag. It also proves to me that my dog, Humphrey, really was stupid enough to just bark at an empty black bag out on the patio.

Still, I hadn't seen any possum in the house or any visible signs of his existence. I naturally assumed he was gone. Then, one horrifying night, I learned I was wrong.

Tuesday night, I was in bed when I heard a loud cracking sound. My three dogs sleep in the bedroom with me and the door was closed, so they weren't out there. What, or who, could be out there causing cracking noises? It must be some home invador.

I got dressed and bravely ventured out to face the intruder. All three dogs remained sound asleep. The cracking sound came from my kitchen. I picked up my big MagLight and headed that way. MagLight's are great. Not only do they cast a bright beam, but you can crack someone's skull with one of these babies.

I thumbed the button and there he was. That damned possum was eating the dog food. I looked away to turn on a light switch, and he was gone. It took a little while, but I found him in the living room. He perched himself on the sill of my bay window. I grabbed a broom and decided I was going to sweep him into a box. That wasn't my brightest idea, but it seemed plausible.

Again, I turned my back to get a box and he was gone. How? Where? I looked under the chair, the couch, the ottoman. I checked for holes in the wall. This little guy simply vanished. I picked up the dogs bowls to get the food & water away from this guy. About midnight, after moving all of my furniture and conducting an exhaustive search, I went back to bed. What the hell, he's been in here for days.

Wednesday, I went over to Tractor Supply on my lunch break and bought a trap. The sales guy tried to get me to buy a bigger one, since that one said "opossum" on the label, but the smaller one said "rabbits." I assured him I knew the size of my intruder and the rabbit trap would work fine for me.

I set the trap in the kitchen where I normally keep the dog food, thinking the criminal will return here. I put the dogs outside and left for dinner at Sam Snead's. I hoped to come home to find a jailed critter, but the trap wasn't sprung.

Later in the evening, I was in the computer room and the dogs slept in various parts of the house. The cracking sound started about 11:00 pm. My intruder was taking the bait, but I never heard the sound of the trap. Not wanting to frighten him off without the trap door shut, I sneaked across the floor with a broom in my right hand. This is where my karate training became valueable. They taught me the art of moving silently. I felt like a ninja as I approached my prey, broom poised above my head like a katana ready to strike.

There he was. I peered around the wall to see my prey in the trap, gladly feasting on the free bait. The broomstick flew down with the weight of a mountain, snapping the trap shut. The possum exploded with rage, knocking dog kibble around and bouncing off the cage. I didn't care! I screamed with joy. "Yeah, you'r MY bitch now, possum. Kiss my ass!"

I left him scattering in the cage while I fetched my camera. This little guy was really pissed. I'm not sure if it was terror of being trapped or the prospect of having his photo taken on an obviously bad hair day. He did the only thing he could do, which was poop on my cage.

Eventually, I took him outside to let him spend the night on my driveway. I thought about releasing him, but who wants to open a cage of a pissed-off possum close to midnight? Not me.

This morning, I opened the garage door and found him still there. Yeah, that's right. You spent a night in jail like Otis the Drunk. I grabbed his cage and drove him to a local park. After I opened the cage, I backed off and let him explore his surroundings. He was slow to leavem, but eventually trotted off toward the trees.

Although I was going to call him Dietrich, after a co-worker, I decided to name him Stewie - as in Possum Stew. Hey, I grew up watching The Beverly Hillbillies.

Say hello to Stewie, and let's hope I never see him again.
----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Pioneer Woman EMAIL: reedrummond@yahoo.com IP: 66.82.9.70 URL: http://pioneerwoman.blogspot.com DATE: 06/23/2006 03:09:51 PM Oh, this hits soooo close to home. On 5 different occasions, I've had to release a possum from my dogs' bulk feeder outside. They crawl inside, then can't get out. I loathe, hate, abhor possums. I hate their tails. I hate their mouths. I hate them. I only wish you would have tortured it a little more before releasing it. ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: A computer, beer, and an explosion BASENAME: a_computer_beer_and_an_explosi STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Humor CATEGORY: Humor DATE: 07/04/2006 04:32:27 PM TAGS: Apple,explosion,G5,tannerite ----- BODY: Have you ever wondered how to get rid of an old computer? There are a number of recycling options, but none of them are as interesting, fun, and potentially dangerous as the method used in this video. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Be a Barenaked Lady BASENAME: be_a_barenaked_ladie STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Entertainment CATEGORY: Entertainment DATE: 07/12/2006 04:29:50 PM TAGS: "barenaked ladies",bnl,entertainment,mixing,mp3 ----- BODY: I think this is incredibly cool, even though it's a simple idea. Barenaked Ladies spent the last couple of months recording a new album. They have about 29 songs mixed up and ready to go for a release in September. That's nice, but here's the cool part. One of the tracks - Easy - is available in a multi-track downloadable format on their web site for $2.95. It gives fans a chance to take the component sound tracks and make their own remix, mash-ups, whatever. After that, you can upload your new mix and listen to other people's remix versions of the song. If you have something like GarageBand, Acid, Fruity Loops, etc. It's pretty simple and fun to do. Check it out. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: WWDC Tomorrow BASENAME: wwdc_tomorrow STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Apple CATEGORY: Apple DATE: 08/06/2006 11:38:34 AM TAGS: Apple,"OS X",PowerPage,"Steve Jobs",WWDC ----- BODY: Tomorrow, we get some news. Apple's World Wide Developer Conference, which oddly enough is only in one place, convenes. Steve Jobs gets to jump on stage and tell us all the good stuff Apple's been doing.

A number of people expect an Intel replacement for the PowerMac, new monitors with iSight cameras built-in, and maybe a few more hardware goodies. That's cute, but the real meat is in the software. What's going to happen with the OS X upgrade? Apple users are rife with speculation.

Of course, that's what makes product leaks so much fun. As leaks go, O'Grady's Power Page has a pretty good one here. It details new features for multiple applications, complete with screen shots. If this list turns out to be true, it should be a nice incremental change to OS X. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Movable Type now free for personal bloggers BASENAME: movable_type_now_free_for_pers STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Blogging DATE: 08/06/2006 01:17:38 PM TAGS: blogging,"Movable Type","Six Apart" ----- BODY: I just noticed that Movable Type, the software I use to host this website, is now free for personal use. That's a pretty damn generous offer from Six Apart. It's also pretty smart.

Six Apart wants business blogging business. It's a lucrative market. So how do you get into the business market? One way is to seed the field with grass roots support. Get more people to use your software, and they may recommend it as a platform for their employers to use for marketing and other professional needs.

I can't say it's wrong, because I made that proposal in my office just last week. Whether we go with Movable Type or not is undetermined. I haven't yet convinced anyone that a blogging tool has benefit for our internal communication. If that message succeeds, then Six Apart may have an opportunity to get into the evaluation process - all because I chose Movable Type a few years ago to host my site. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Apple's OS X Announcement BASENAME: apples_os_x_announcement STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Apple CATEGORY: Apple DATE: 08/07/2006 04:05:06 PM TAGS: Apple,Backup,"Core Animation",Dashboard,DashCode,features,iCal,iChat,iWeb,Leopard,Mail,"OS X",Restore,Spaces,Spotlight,Stationary,"Steve Jobs","Time Machine",Widgets,WWDC ----- BODY: Let's get the bad news out of the way first. Although developers at WWDC got a preview copy of OSX Leopard today, the retail version doesn't ship until Spring '07. Apple promised for Fall '06, but it's slipping like a Microsoft product. Now the good news. The feature set for Leopard looks like it includes some useful new tools and updates to some existing tools. For example: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Time Machine - This new feature allows you to go back in time and retrieve deleted files, photos, address entries, etc. It sounds an awful lot like Shadow File Copying implemented on Microsoft Windows Server 2003. This implementation of a versioning file system keeps copies of files that you delete in a hidden, protected area or on another drive. When you realize you need to restore the file, the operating system displays a GUI to let you view previous versions until you find the file you wish to restore. Essentially, it's an easy backup & restore system. Of course, you need to provide space for all of those versions. Mail - Mail finally comes a little closer to Outlook functions by adding Notes, To-Do Lists, and Stationary. The key to some of the new features in Mail is support for HTML. Stationary allows you to choose from various templates. A media browser lets you find your photos and drag them onto the templates, similar to the iWeb templates. Notes may include text, graphics, and URL's. As for the to-do's...what can I say. It's a to-do list. Check the box when you're done. iChat - This version adds some great collaborative features. Again, it's nothing you couldn't previously do with Microsoft tools like NetMeeting, but it's nice that Apple is finally putting remote desktop sharing and presentation features into the OS. Some of the cute enhancements allow you to put video backdrops on your iChat video conversations. Instead of seeing your cluttered office, why not let your iChat video partners think you're in Times Square or on a Caribbean beach? iChat also includes some of the bizarre PhotoBooth distortions on live video. Spaces - Let's call this feature what it is; virtual desktops. Instead of having all of your applications share the same desktop, Spaces allows you to create a virtual desktop for specific purposes. For example, keep Mail open in one Space, iTunes in another, iWeb in a third, etc. You can switch between these desktop views with the tab key, or by using an Expose-esque feature that shows all of them simultaneously and selecting the Space you want. I think of some apps, like Mail or iTunes, as background apps. In the example I gave, let's say I'm working with iWeb on a project. When I hear a mail arrive, I just hit the tab key and I have a different desktop view with just Mail on it - no clutter. Of course, you aren't limited to only one application per view. If I get tired of the songs I hear on iTunes, I can tab over and switch to another playlist. Keep in mind that this may be another resource hog. You may have more desktops, but you still have the same amount of RAM. Dashboard - As you would expect, Dashboard includes some new Widgets. One of the interesting new Widgets allows you to take portions of a web page you like and create a Widget from it. For example, you can create a Dilbert Widget to show the cartoon of the day. DashCode is a new tool that allows you to create your own Widgets with drag-and-drop ease. A plethora of templates give you options like CountDown, PhotoCast, RSS, and others. Taking a cue from the social sites on the Web, Apple provides a space to upload your new Widgets and share with other users. This could be good or scary. Probably both. Dashboard also syncs with .Mac so you can keep your Dashboard choices in sync with all of your Macs. Spotlight - Already a useful search tool, Spotlight gets better by allowing you to search other Macs or servers running OS X Leopard. It also expands your search abilities with logical operates like AND, OR, etc. Finally, sometimes you don't want to launch an application just to see what's inside your results. Spotlight now includes a preview feature to display the contents. iCal - iCal seemed to work OK by yourself, but what if you want to share calendar info with a group? The new features address that problem using the CalDAV standard to let others (with your permission) manage your calendar. I know, that's something you could do for years with Outlook and MS Exchange. Well, now Apple caught up to another useful office function. iCal now lets you reserve resources, such as a conference room, for a group. You can also create a dropbox for sharing files among a group. Accessibility - VoiceOver get a new voice named Alex. This new voice actually sounds much more human than any of the previous options. You can still spot tell-tale imperfections, but it's a huge improvement over previous synthetic voices. Leopard now translates VoiceOver output into standard, Grade 2 contracted Braille. You can attach any supported device and start using it right away. QuickTime now supports Closed Captioning, too. 64 Bit - Leopard now supports one universal 64 bit system, including Cocoa and Carbon application frameworks. This doesn't do much for your desktop user, but now Pro and XServe machines can work completely in 64 bit systems. XCode 3.0 development tools make it happen for you. Core Animation - If you thought existing Mac graphics were stunning, get ready for another leap forward. Core Animation provides new features to combine different media types together. Remember the iPod nano commercial with a city magically built out of album covers? That's the kind of stuff you can do with Core Animation. So those are the big features. Will anything else pop up before Spring? Maybe, but I wouldn't bet money on it. It's most likely that the feature set is frozen. Missing the ship date by two quarters is bad enough, so let's not encourage Apple to slip more by trying to squeeze in extra stuff. You can view the WWDC keynote here. ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Know someone with road rage? BASENAME: know_someone_with_road_rage STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Travel CATEGORY: Travel DATE: 08/09/2006 08:11:39 PM TAGS: "Land Walker",paintball,"road rage",Transportation ----- BODY: I would love to take this thing out on the road. Sure, it's slow. Let someone honk their horn. Go ahead, make my day. The Land Walker, made by Masaaki Nagumo, measures 11 feet tall, weighs one ton, and sprays bullets from air guns mounted outside the cockpit. Ok, the bullets are foam. It's the thought that counts. I could imagine replacing them with paintballs. It's really for sale in Japan. Only $315,000 (plus tax, tag, and title). If I put this on my wish list, will you buy me one? ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Security by Obscurity BASENAME: security_by_obscurity STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Identity CATEGORY: Identity DATE: 08/10/2006 04:53:12 PM ----- BODY: A lot of people are afraid of identity theft or fraud. Others are afraid of having their true identity known when they engage in behavior that some may find objectionable, embarrassing, or shameful. For a plethora of reasons, people choose to hide their identity online; either by anonymity or using pseudonymous names. This is security by obscurity. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. The entire concept of security by obscurity is that people can't break through your security if they don't know where to look, or it's not worth their time to look for something. That's a false sense of security because there is always someone with the time, desire, and means to locate something you value - including your identity. I found three articles online today dealing with this concept. First, Pamela Dingle wrote this article on her blog about how modern Internet tools make it not only easy, but likely, to correlate disparate data about a person's online habits. As if to prove her point, Wired News posted this article today about pulling articles from an author who faked sources. The source existed, but told fact checkers he never spoke to the author. Upon investigation, Wired News learned that the author faked identities for use as a source and as a supporter on a Usenet group. Unfortunately, he wasn't smart enough to use different IP addresses. A senior editor at Wired correlated all these disparate sources to the same IP used by the author and came to the obvious conclusion. If that wasn't enough of a coincidence, I found this on ZD's Digital Identity blog:

Anonymity and identity by ZDNet's Eric Norlin -- In the very near wake of a foiled terrorist plot, I find myself waking up, planning to write about the topic of anonymity and identity.

Eric Norlin makes the point that our identity exists in multiple states. You have a choice with regard to the way you present yourself, either online or in person. If we cross paths on a sidewalk, what is the state of our identity? It's no longer anonymous. Now I know you exist and I can identity certain attributes about you (approximate height, weight, age, hair color, gender, etc.). Perhaps I don't know your name, but you are no longer anonymous to me. Unless I have some interest in you based upon these attributes, I may not give you another thought. However, what if I do have an interest? Suppose I meet an attractive girl at a social situation. What's the first thing I'm going to do? Say hello and ask for her name. Depending upon her interest (or lack thereof), she may respond with her name, a pseudonym, or decline the conversation entirely. Now I have more information about this person and her identity. People online leave a trail of attributes all over the place; some willingly and some without even knowing it. The person who collects and correlates your attributes may discover your identity without even knowing he's looking for you. Call it data mining or data sifting, the intention is to take massive amounts of attributes and correlate common elements - like an IP address - until you find enough information to identify an individual. Hiding your identity is a fool's option. Personally, I believe the best way to protect your identity is to assert it. Think of your identity like a car. Some of the most stolen vehicles are also the most common. They look alike and don't stand out. Fitting in with the crowd is a type of security by obscurity, or hiding in plain site. On the other hand, exotic cars are much more difficult for thieves. These high profile machines are instantly recognized and there's a limited market. Asserting your identity serves the same purpose. If people know who you are, then your identity is more difficult for an impostor to use. This is why we need an identity infrastructure in common use. Digital certificates for signature and encryption are a reality, but few people use them to assert their identity. Few business web sites recognize and accept an individual's certificate to authenticate and authorize their access, despite the fact that it's in best interest of both sides. It's time for that to change. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: sassen EMAIL: sassen@thinsia.com IP: 84.132.35.45 URL: http://www.thinsia.com DATE: 09/04/2006 02:36:21 PM I agree with you William, there is no real reason to hide your name. Last week there was a comment on something I wrote from somebody calling herself philipp. I told miss phillip that for me he was a ghost. Most people do not know that they do not have a reason to not tell their full name. To be able to pronounce your name you can have a unique HEARTBEAT-ID number. www.heartbeat-id.com/15 that is me, Roland Sassen ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Ouch! BASENAME: ouch STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Customer Service CATEGORY: Customer Service DATE: 08/12/2006 10:21:47 PM TAGS: accident,Florida,Harley,Harley-Davidson,mechanic,Orlando,Photo ----- BODY:

Bike Week 2006 - 77
Originally uploaded by wbeem.
I love this bike. This morning, I rode it down to Orlando Harley-Davidson for its 25,000 mile service. The brakes need adjusting, it needs a new rear tire, and I told them I wanted synthetic oil. Who knows what else they do for this service mark?

Fortunately, it doesn't cost me much. I already have a four-year prepaid service plan for this maintenance, including oil & tires. Sure, I pay a little bit to upgrade the oil to synthetic, and I still have to pay labor to mount the tire. Overall, it's not so bad. On top of all that, they give me a free rental so I can ride home. That beats hanging around the dealership from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm.

About 4:00 pm, I got a call from Kim in the service department. I figured my bike was ready to pickup, but something in her voice sounded hesitant. The thought running through my head was, "What have you done to my bike?"

Well, they wrecked it. Not terribly, and the mechanic is OK. After doing all the work, they take the bikes out for a short ride to make sure everything feels right. He didn't get far when a car pulled out in front of him while he was making a left-hand turn.

Lucky for him (and my bike) that this happened at a slow speed; he figures about 5 mph. Still, it messed up a fork, bent the brake roter, and dented my front fender.

Orlando Harley-Davidson is taking care of all the damage. I would expect that much, but it's nice to hear them offer it on the phone without being prodded.

I can pick up my bike tomorrow morning about 10:00 am, but it'll still have a dent in the fender. They have to order a new fender and have it painted to match my bike's color. That takes about two weeks, and then I bring the bike over to have the fender replaced. I'd feel kind of dorky riding around with a dented fender. Maybe I'll put a band-aid on it.

Part of me wondered if the mechanic was a bit careless, but it doesn't matter. The damage isn't that bad, the dealer will take care of it, and there's not a damn thing I could change. It just sucks to have someone bang up your ride.
----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Hit me, baby BASENAME: hit_me_baby STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Blogging DATE: 08/15/2006 01:46:13 PM TAGS: blogging,Mena,"Movable Type",Scoble,Technorati,Vox ----- BODY: I found this post on Scoble's blog today. It's a link to another article about how to raise traffic on your weblog by getting (begging) top Technorati rated bloggers to link to your site. How pathetic. It brings up a couple of issues. Why do people want more traffic? If they're using advertisements to monetize their sites, then they're just money whores. I'm not against that, but let's call it what it is. Either that, or they're just really lonely people who thrive on plenty of attention from strangers on the internet. (I'm not lonely, I just like writing to strangers on the internet.) The other issue came up when Scoble mentioned how Mena wants people to stop making lists? Why? He didn't put the reason in the article, but supplied this in the comments later:
She hates them because they reinforce a hierarchical view of blogs and puts some blogs on a pedestal. I tend to agree with that view, but it’s human behavior. I can only read a few hundred blogs on a regular basis. So, a hierarchy needs to exist for each reader. It’s just that a pre-defined list makes it a lot harder for new bloggers to get noticed.
Mena is the co-founder of Six Apart; the company that makes the Movable Type software I use to host this web site. Interesting thing. The co-founder of a large blog software development company, a person speaking at a blogging conference, hasn't been blogging herself since March. Isn't her company posting notes about how corporate blogging can lead to fortune and new markets? Then why isn't she corporate blogging herself? After an absence since January, she posted on her personal blog why she's been missing. It seems she's been over here at the new product site - Vox. Anyway, Mena thinks that lists make it harder for new bloggers to get noticed. There are thousands of blogs out there. Many of them don't deserve to get noticed. Perhaps some do, but that's life. You can't tell people how to regulate their content just because someone else may not get noticed. It's up to those folks to make their own claim on the Internet, if that's what they want. Life is full of those who have and those who have-not. Therefore, I propose a list: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: On Writing BASENAME: on_writing STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: On Writing CATEGORY: On Writing DATE: 08/17/2006 08:12:40 PM TAGS: book,Borland,business,IBM,magazine,Microsoft,"On Writing",publication,writer,Ziff-Davis ----- BODY: One of the reasons I started this site was just to keep myself writing. Years ago, I made my living as a freelance writer. I wrote for PC Magazine and some other Ziff-Davis publications. I also had some corporate jobs working for Borland, IBM, and Microsoft. The job had a lot of appeal, but I was young and stupid. As a writer, I felt comfortable. As a businessman, I was an idiot. My lack of experience let me consolidate clients to only those who paid the best. Ultimately, I ended up working only for Microsoft. They paid the best, right up until they didn't need me anymore. By the time I realized my mistake, it seemed impossible to get more business in time to pay my bills. Freelance writing - whether for publishers or corporate clients - takes lead time. It takes marketing. I failed to pay attention to marketing because work was just falling into my lap. That happens when you do a good job, make your deadlines, and keep a good disposition when dealing with your editor. Of course, lack of diversification is what ultimately killed me. Even an editor who loves your work doesn't always need you. Had I kept my client portfolio diversified, some of the lower paying jobs would've sufficed to keep my debts paid. Part of me misses writing for deadlines. I presume that I could start querying editors to work my way back into the life. Rather than toss my hat fully into that ring, I think it's something I may enjoy for a little sideline income. One of the things I missed as a freelance writer was a good retirement and insurance benefits package. My current employer does that for me nicely, so now I'm mostly looking for creative opportunities. In order to hone my craft, I thought about checking the net for other writers. Certainly there are plenty out there. I don't agree with the advice offered by some. Some sites offer writing exercises as a means to improvement. Ultimately, I think I lean towards blogs written from the perspective of life as a writer. I don't need quick fixes or exercises. I just want to know how others deal with the same affliction. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Writely - Open for Business BASENAME: writely_open_for_business STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: On Writing CATEGORY: On Writing DATE: 08/18/2006 12:47:37 PM TAGS: collaboration,Google,"On Writing",online,"word processor",Writely,Writing ----- BODY: I just learned that Google's online word processor, Writely, is now open for business. It looks interesting, and I'm curious to see how well it works to post items to my blog. It was pretty simple to sign up. Just give your e-mail address to serve as your user ID and select a password. You'll receive an e-mail with a confirmation code to use services, such as a Blog Post. I haven't put it through it's paces yet, but I can see some advantages to an online word processor. My files are in a central source that I can access from work or either of my home computers. It provides a rich text editor for creating web pages or blog entries. It also easily allows collaborative writing projects. How well it does any of these things is still unknown to me. If you're curious, there's also a Writely Blog. Happy writing. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Testing Writely BASENAME: testing_writely STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: On Writing CATEGORY: On Writing DATE: 08/18/2006 08:42:42 PM TAGS: blogging,editor,GMail,Google,Help,Mac,"Movable Type",Safari,"word processor",Writely ----- BODY:
One of the first things I've noticed about this little web-based word processor is that it doesn't work with Safari on my Mac .  That's unfortunately, particularly since the Help files show Safari as a supported web browser .  I guess the documentation folks didn't tell that to the developers.  Then again, the documentation folks are self-confused.  Another link in the Help shows why Writely doesn't work with Safari.   When I tried to use the confirmation URL from my GMail account, I received the following URL re-direct:

http://www.writely.com/?action=unsupported_browser

My next issue deals with Writely's ability to post your documents directly to your blog.  Actually, my issue is that it doesn't seem to work with Movable Type - the software I use to host my blog.  At least, it doesn't do it by default.  You can configure the system to work with Movable Type or many other blog software programs.  It just takes a little tweaking.  When you click on the Blog menu drop-down and select Publish post to my blog, it offers a menu of a few blog programs.  If your program isn't there, you have to select another radio button to configure the path to your blog's API command.  Another link shows you the common commands to multiple program.

This little configuration bit wasn't immediately obvious to me, but perhaps I wasn't paying close enough attention to the radio button options on the first try. I checked the help file, which contained no help other than to suggest that I send a note to the support team.  After I sent the note, an automated system replied telling me that they were too busy to respond to requests for help; please check the help system.  Google seems caught in an infinite support loop.  What a wonderful way to save money on support costs.

Despite those niggling issues, I still think the idea has promise.  The editor allows me to tag items just as I would inside Movable Type.  This is my first post using Writely, but probably not my last.

Update:  The blog publishing isn't so impressive yet.  Although I specified which blog to post, Writely posted to a different blog.  Oh well, it's beta.  Just like everything else from Google. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Digital Music BASENAME: digital_music STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Entertainment CATEGORY: Entertainment DATE: 08/20/2006 08:38:17 PM TAGS: albums,Apple,"Bob Seger","Digital Music",download,iPod,iTunes,Metallica ----- BODY: I've become a big fan of digital music. Carrying around my iPod for the gym, the car, or at work is almost a necessity for me. I'm even downloading music from iTunes as I write. From consumer point of view, it's great. Some would argue that you're tied into Apple's platform. Well, that's fine. I've had other MP3 players and they sucked. Tie me down, Apple. Apparently, I'm not the only one. Otherwise, Apple wouldn't have such a commanding presence in the digital music arena. It seems some of the old guard musicians who avoided downloads in the past are coming around, too. Metallica was one of the groups dead-set against downloading music, but they're on iTunes now. So was Bob Seger. He's put a new single on iTunes, but hasn't loaded his catalog yet. That's a damn shame, too. I really like Bob Seger's music. If I have it on my iPod, it's because I loaded a couple of CD's that I bought. However, I don't want to buy another CD. I want my albums legally downloaded. Here's why: Of course, this battle goes in both directions. Apple made a big announcement when Frank Zappa's catalog got loaded on iTunes. That was great, and I bought a couple of albums on the spot. Funny thing, though. Those albums aren't on iTunes anymore. Where did all the Frank Zappa catalog go? If you search for "Frank Zappa," you'll find the page with his photo and the text announcing all the great albums that are no longer there. Where'd you go, Frank? So why are some musicians still holding out? I think this quote from the article linked above says it all:
"We've always thought certain artists put out albums that aren't meant to be compilations with 50 other artists," said Ed "Punch" Andrews, manager for both Seger and Kid Rock. "We're hoping at some point albums become important again like they were in the past 30 years."
The fools are living in the past. "We're hoping..." Get a clue, Punch. Albums are dead. CD sales are dead. Consumers are telling you how they want to listen to your music, and it's not like it used to be. Sure, we still buy entire albums online. I just bought John Coltrane's "Blue Train" while writing this article. Many times, I buy the entire album online. Smart bands also through in a couple of extra tracks. That's because distribution is cheaper and it's ultimately more profitable for the record company. Ah, but that's another problem. The record companies changed the agreements and lowered the payment to the musicians for downloaded music. Well, that sucks. Shame on the musicians for signing a contract that allows such behavior from a record label. However, there's another way to look at it: Pull your head out of the sand, digital music holdouts. It's a new day. You can profit by it, or you can remember your glory album days. It's your choice. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Yet Another Identity Precaution BASENAME: yet_another_identity_precautio STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Identity CATEGORY: Identity DATE: 08/22/2006 10:12:21 AM TAGS: "data protection",fraud,"hard drive",Identity,Nigerians,PC,theft ----- BODY: It doesn't seem that long ago when we learned of dumpster divers - people who sift through trash looking for identity information from discarded bills, credit card offers, and other scraps containing your identity information. Leave it to some Nigerians, the current leaders of the fraud industry, to bring the same technique to used hard drives. The BBC reports that bank details on thousands of Britons were sold in West Africa for less than £20 each. How did they get the information? It was left on used PC's sent for recycling. Some of us know that merely deleting files is insufficient. You can find free programs on the Internet to undelete files. That's because deleted files aren't removed from the disk. Instead, deleting a file merely removes an entry in the disk's catalog claiming the space necessary to store it. When you delete a file and remove the catalog entry, another file may, or may not, overwrite the previous one. The old suggestion was to wipe the disk clean - essentially, overwrite existing files with a series of 0's and 1's to ensure the old information is gone. However, there's a new suggestion in the data protection game. Smash the hard drive with a hammer. That's right, just beat the snot out of it. Make sure you crash the case and damage the platters containing the data. Hard drives are now one of the cheapest components on a personal computer. If you're sending a PC off to get recycled, chances are good that your old drive is too slow and too small for modern needs. Let the next guy buy his own hard drive. Your identity data and bank records may prove too valuable to risk on some unknown recipient of your old trash. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Does the U.S. government need to know your hotel reservation? BASENAME: does_the_us_government_need_to STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Identity CATEGORY: Identity DATE: 08/25/2006 10:13:26 PM TAGS: Identity,"Michael Chertoff","NY Times",Privacy,security,TSA ----- BODY: The latest attack on your personal data may come from Uncle Sam. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff wants access to personal information about airline passengers such as names, addresses, credit card information and associated hotel or rental car reservations. It may not end with Uncle Sam, though. European governments want the same information. An article in the New York Times mentions two databases. The first, the Advance Passenger Information System contains basic passenger information commonly found in a passport, like name, nationality and date of birth. The second database, Passenger Name Record, comes from global travel reservation companies.
Each time someone makes a reservation, a file is created, including the name of the person who reserved the flight and any others traveling in the party. The electronic file often also contains details on rental cars or hotels, credit card information relating to travel, contact information for the passenger and next of kin, and at times even personal preferences, like a request for a king-size bed in a hotel.
The reasoning behind it is the same - counter-terrorism. While I applaud the mental wizardry of those who would like to prevent future attacks from compelled idiots bearing explosives, I fear the feeble security of those already assigned to protect us at the airports. If some idiot can lose a laptop full of personal data in one government agency, how long will it be until another loses this database? ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: How much does EA Games need to know about you? BASENAME: how_much_does_ea_games_need_to STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Identity CATEGORY: Identity DATE: 08/27/2006 08:30:10 PM TAGS: "EA Games",Identity,Madden,Microsoft,Policy,Privacy,Tiburon ----- BODY: It's almost automatic. When you install software, there's a point where you have to accept the user license agreement before you can continue. If you don't click a button to agree, the installation ceases. Have you ever tried to return opened software or a game with the excuse "I don't agree to the license?" Chances are that it won't work. Once you break the shrinkwrap, you're chances of a refund decreased almost 100%. Do we even look at the user license agreement anymore, even on video games? Fortunately, someone did. That's why there's a buzz now about EA Games license agreement for XBox Live games.
If you sign up to play EA games through Microsoft’s Xbox Live Service, Microsoft will provide your Xbox Live user account information to EA so that we can establish an EA Online account for you. You need an EA Online account to play EA’s Xbox Live titles. By signing up to play EA's Xbox Live titles, you agree that Microsoft can transfer your user account information to EA. Information collected will vary depending upon the activity and may include your name, e-mail address, phone number, mobile number, home address, birth date and credit card information. In addition, we may collect demographic information such as gender, zip code, information about your computer, hardware, software, platform, media, Internet IP address and connection, information about online activity such as feature usage, game play statistics and scores, user rankings and click paths and other data that you may provide in surveys or online profiles, for instance. We may combine demographic information with personal information.
That content comes from EA's Privacy Policy web site. For its part, Microsoft has two privacy policy sites. The first one mentions the following about Personal Information: Ok, the second bullet states that information may be combined with infomation obtained from other sources. What does that mean? Combining information from multiple sources does not indicate distribution, as I understand the statement. Now let's look at the next set of bullets about Uses of User Information: The third bullet states that Microsoft does not sell, rent, or lease customer lists to third parties. That would seem to indicate that they do not distrubute (although there's no mention of freely giving away your private information). However, the second sentence in the third bullet does seem to indicate that Microsoft does distribute your private information to companies that work on Microsoft's behalf. Does EA Games work on behalf of Microsoft? If you buy a copy of Madden NFL '07, does EA work for Microsoft? I doubt it. Maybe I'll have to ask some of the guys at my gym who work for EA - they make Madden right across the street. Of course, I mentioned that Microsoft has another privacy policy statement. This is Microsoft's full disclosure for online privacy. I think the pertinent statement in the full disclosure is this line:
Except as described in this statement, we will not disclose your personal information outside of Microsoft and its controlled subsidiaries and affiliates without your consent.
So what exception described in this statement is the one that allows Microsoft and EA Games to pass your private data around like a beach ball at an outdoor concert? Why, I think it's this one:
Some Microsoft services may be co-branded and offered in conjunction with another company. If you register for or use such services, both Microsoft and the other company may receive information collected in conjunction with the co-branded services.
EA Games and Microsoft's XBox Live must come under the "co-branded" loophole. That means neither of them will make it obviously clear where your information is going. Once EA Games has your information how does it protect you?
We will only collect and use personal information in accordance with this privacy policy to the extent deemed reasonably necessary to serve our legitimate business purposes, and we will maintain appropriate safeguards to ensure the security, integrity, accuracy and privacy of the information you have provided. In addition, we will take reasonable steps to assure that third parties to whom we transfer any personal information will provide sufficient protection of that information.
In other words, "Trust us. We know what's best for you." Who knows where your information will end up? Congratulations to the co-branded offerings from Microsoft and EA Games. You've developed identity transivity. If only your customers knew. SlashDot article ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Do I Really Exist? BASENAME: do_i_really_exist STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Identity CATEGORY: Identity DATE: 08/30/2006 08:44:46 PM TAGS: Beem,"Bill Beem",fraud,Identity,theft,"William Beem" ----- BODY: A while ago, I found something that disturbs me. There's another website out there with my name on it - www.billbeem.com. My name isn't a common one, but I do know there are other William Beem's out there. We're a small, select group of humanity. I can only hope the others are as charming and attractive as I am. The problem is that this web site doesn't belong to anyone named William (Bill) Beem. It belongs to a guy named John Davies. Who the hell is he, and why does he have a web site with my name on it? It turns out that someone came up with a show about a fictional chef who thinks his life is "the stuff of legend." Hmm, perhaps they heard about my stint at Orlando Culinary Academy. Of course, I was the Director of IT there, not a chef. From the site:
BEEM! is Bill Beem's life story, from soup to nuts (as they say in the kitchen trade). Or it would be if Bill was a real person. But Bill doesn't know he's made up. As far as he's concerned, his life is the stuff of legend. You may see it differently.
I have to say that I'm pretty sure that I'm a real person. I don't particularly care for the idea that someone I've never met is telling people that I don't exist. With that in mind, I wrote to the contact listed on the site - bill@billbeem.com. No response. Do I have any rights to defend my legal name as would a corporation would defend its brand name? I honestly don't know. Does a total stranger have any right to use my legal name without my consent? Can I assert my identity and force him to stop using my name? Is this a form of identity theft? It looks like I'm going to find out. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Apple iMac goes 24" BASENAME: apple_imac_goes_24 STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Apple CATEGORY: Apple DATE: 09/06/2006 08:54:57 PM TAGS: 20",24",Apple,"Cinema Display",computer,iMac,"Mac Pro","MacBook Pro" ----- BODY: imac_24.jpg The rumor was that Apple would release a 23" iMac on September 12th. It looks like Apple surprised us by introducing a 24" iMac today, instead. This may be my next computer. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been jonesing for a 30" Apple Cinema display. I've made a few trips into one of the local Apple stores and that monitor is just good enough to lick. At first, I thought I'd have to buy a Mac Pro to go with it, but the folks tell me I can use my MacBook Pro with that 30" screen. Sure enough, Apple's specs confirm that it will work. I just want to make sure the MacBook Pro will put out the high resolution at 2560 x 1600 pixels. However, I keep most of my desktop work on my current 20" iMac G5. It's still useful, but I like the idea of getting more screen space and a bump up to the Intel Core 2 Duo processor for my desktop machine. Here's the dilemma. Both the new 24" iMac and the 30" Cinema display cost about two grand. I'm not going to pop for both of them, unless I win the lottery. So which one will win my cash? It's a stumper for me right now. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Microsoft - One of the reasons I use a Mac BASENAME: microsoft_one_of_the_reasons_i STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Customer Service CATEGORY: Customer Service DATE: 09/07/2006 07:36:55 PM TAGS: "Active Directory","Customer Service",Mac,Microsoft,OneNote,Windows ----- BODY: Although I prefer a Mac for home use, I use Windows at the office. That's fine with me. I'll use whatever tools my employer provides because it's only there to do the job the company wants me to do. I don't use a company computer for personal stuff, except maybe reading some news websites. There are a lot of valid reasons for choosing a Microsoft platform in business. It's compatible with most other business partners, and Active Directory provides a robust directory service environment. Of course, things don't always work perfectly in a Microsoft world. A recent problem required the support guy to rebuild my machine. He reloaded all of my software, except for one piece that I ordered as an exception to the standard programs - Microsoft OneNote. I really like this program. It's a simple and effective place to organize notes. I'd really like something like this on my Mac at home. When we placed the purchase order for OneNote last year, all I received was a product key. I downloaded the trial version from Microsoft and upgraded it to a fully licensed product version. Nifty. That was a year ago. When I tried to upgrade a new trial version on my rebuilt computer, OneNote tells me that my product key is invalid. WTF? Why did it work on the trial version last year, but it won't work now? I decided to call Microsoft and find out. Here's the first thing you need to know. I don't believe anyone at Microsoft speaks English as a primary language. I heard a plethora of accents, but none of them were either English or an American accent. That's not to say they weren't curteous, friendly, or professional. They were just a little difficult for me to understand, so I often had to request them to repeat what they just said. Next, I don't believe anyone at Microsoft is sincere. They often apologized for my inconvenience, but I don't believe they really meant it. You know when someone offers a sincere apology, or just recites something programmed into their heads. Everyone who apologized to me definitely sounded as if they were programmed robots (or as Disney would call them, audio-animatronics). After the first person took my name and problem information, he transferred me to a technician to diagnose my problem. I explained that I'd purchased a license key. He corrected me to say "product key." Ok, I have a product key and a product that won't accept it. I read the product key to him. This took a while, as we had very different ways of understanding the pronounciation of letters in the alphabet. Once we agreed on the correct sequence, he confirmed it was a valid, retail product key. If it's valid, why isn't it working. Then he requested I install again from my product CD instead of using the Trial version download. I explained that I never received a product CD, only the product key.
THIS DOES NOT COMPUTE
It seems that my audio-animatronic support technician wasn't programmed with sufficient information to handle this scenario. I explained that my company purchased the license, so what difference does the media of distribution make? He didn't respond. Instead, he told me that he was unable to generate another product key for me, and that I should contact my vendor. In other words, he refused to help me. Now I'm going through the rigamarole of getting in touch with the software vendor about a purchase order from over a year ago. You can imagine how fast that's going to go for me. The next day, I received a call from Microsoft support. He asked if my problem was resolved to my satisfaction. I told him it wasn't, since Microsoft refused to support me.
THIS DOES NOT COMPUTE
Once again, Microsoft hasn't programmed its robot to deal with this scenario. He asked for more information, so I recounted the entire transaction for him. He apologized. He asked if I would like to speak with a technician. I asked if that person would help me get a new product key. No. Well, then I don't want to speak with another technician. So, is your problem resolved to your satisfaction? Another person called today and wanted to repeat the same nonsense. He's going to call tomorrow at 1:30 pm, since I told him that today wasn't convenient to discuss the issue. I have no idea how I'll torture this minion tomorrow, but I'll think of something. If he can't resolve my problem, perhaps he can provide some entertainment value for me. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Spies in the Valley BASENAME: spies_in_the_valley STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Identity CATEGORY: Identity DATE: 09/11/2006 08:15:09 PM TAGS: fraud,HP,Identity,Pretexting ----- BODY: Thanks to HP, another catch phrase enters the public consciousness. Pretexting. It's a technique of social engineering, or gaining access to systems by manipulating people into divulging information that should remain confidential. Many people never heard of the phrase "pretexting" before private investigators, hired by HP's top manageent, collected the private phone records of its directors and a CNet reporter. Why? Someone on the board of directors leaked information to the reporter and, damn it, HP was going to find out who did it. I won't go into further details here because you can read about the story elsewhere. The part that interests me is how easily the investigators collected private information. Pretexting is a means of deceiving someone with an untruth. In this case, the investigators pretended to be the people whose records they wanted to retrieve from the phone company. In short, they lied. They also broke the law. Under federal law — the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act — it’s illegal for anyone to: The Federal Trade Commission Act also generally prohibits pretexting for sensitive consumer information. According to that third bullet, the HP management who ordered this theft of information may also be at fault under the law. I'm sure they'll claim they never knew the investigators would use illegal means, but I wouldn't buy that if I were sitting in a jury. Think of the confidential information companies collect about you. They know your name and where you live. Some have your credit card data, and part or all of your Social Security Number. Stores know what you're buying, and when you're likely to buy a product again. Think of your medical records or credit card transactions getting into the wrong hands. Your search engine queries may reveal things that you have a right, and a wish, to keep private. The problem with raw data is that it provides no context. The records don't say why you purchased a banana and a jar of vaseline at the grocery store last Tuesday. If you were running for election this year, imagine the uncomfortable suggestions that an opposing political rival could make those that tidbit. We hear about invasions of other people's privacy almost daily, but how often do we make changes to protect ourselves? For example, do you have a GMail or Yahoo Mail account? If so, all of your searches while logged into those accounts trace back to your identity. Even if you don't login with an account, the search engine records the IP address you use for your query. In real world encounters, how much information do you give to an unknown source when you register to win that "free" car sitting in the mall, or answer a telephone survey? There is always someone who can use your private infomation to their benefit. Only you control how much information you give. Once that information is out of your hands, you have no control over it. We trust certain organizations - banks, insurance companies, phone companies, utilities, blood banks, schools, employers, physicians and hospitals - to keep our information safe and confidential. Some succeed. Some fail. It's up to you to understand the privacy policies of an organization when you provide your information. There are laws to protect us, but laws won't stop criminals. I believe that the inherent weaknesses of organizations that are vulnerable to pretexting are exactly why we need secure credentials. When you vote or conduct some financial transactions in person, you have to show a photo identification to authorize your access. Why do we not demand authentication for more transactions to retrieve confidential data? It's time for greater use of fully proofed and vetted identification systems to become the standard for personal and electronic interactions. It's too easy to fake your way through an informal interrogation or compromise a password. Identity requires something you know and something you have. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: iPod Transfer BASENAME: ipod_transfer STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Apple CATEGORY: Apple DATE: 09/13/2006 09:41:16 PM TAGS: Apple,Backup,iPod,iTunes,transfer ----- BODY: One of the cool new features of iTunes, announced on Tuesday, is the ability to transfer your iTunes purchases from one computer to another. Hey, this sounds great to me. I do all of my purchasing on my iMac G5, but I'd also like to have my iTunes library on my MacBook Pro. Not only is it nice to have the music there when I'm away from home, it also acts as a backup of my purchases. Of course, it didn't work for me. iTunes complained that my MacBook Pro wasn't authorized for those purchased songs. Well, no kidding. How can it be authorized until you load the files onto the computer? There was no other help or assistance to make it easy for me. Is everyone having this experience on their first backup, or am I just missing something blatantly obvious to the universe as it exists outside of my house? UPDATE: Ok, maybe I am stupid. After digging into the Help file, I see that I have to authorize (menu Store | Authorize Computer...) my other iTunes before I can copy the files. Not sure why it wasn't authorized in the first place. Also, I'm not sure why iTunes didn't check for this authorization before telling me that 1801 files couldn't be transfered. I mean, why waste time trying to transfer a file if you can make a simple check that tells you all of the attempts are going to fail? This may not be a bug, but it could be slightly more intuitive. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: iTunes 7 BASENAME: itunes_7 STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Apple CATEGORY: Apple DATE: 09/14/2006 10:03:31 PM TAGS: Apple,Backup,iPod,iTunes,MyBook,transfer,"Western Digital" ----- BODY: I continue to learn little bits about Apple's new version of iTunes. It took me a couple of moments to figure out how to transfer files from my iPod to another Mac, but I'm happy that the feature exists. The other new feature that sounds good is the Backup to Disk... item now under the File menu. Unfortunately, it doesn't work quite the way I'd like to backup my files. When you choose this menu option, you can only backup your library to CD or DVD. My preferences is to backup to another file path, like my 500 GB Western Digital MyBook USB drive. With this much storage capacity, it should be easy to regularly backup my music. It just isn't going to happen through iTunes if the program insists on only burning files to disk. I still have the Backup program, but it has a few annoyances. First, it copies files into an archive file. I can only restore them from Backup, not by simply dragging a song back to the library. Backup performs a full backup the first time you save a set, and it will automatically schedule additional backups. The problem is that you can't schedule another Full backup. It just keeps doing Incremental backups forever. Maybe I'm spoiled. I'm used to professional enterprise tools in my career. Why can't home user tools have the same intelligence to schedule a weekly full backup with daily incremental backups in between? At least I shouldn't lose my songs, as I have them on two Macs, two iPods, and the MyBook drive. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Hello, World BASENAME: hello_world STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: People CATEGORY: People DATE: 09/18/2006 06:51:01 PM TAGS: baby,Birthday,Cole,Niki,Zoli ----- BODY: My friends Niki and Zoli welcomed their second child into the world today at 10:07 am, a 6 lb, 1 oz boy named Cole. I guess this tops the new iPod Nano that I bought this weekend. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: iPod Nano 8gb BASENAME: ipod_nano_8gb STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Apple CATEGORY: Apple DATE: 09/18/2006 07:33:51 PM TAGS: Apple,iPod,Nano,Photo,video ----- BODY:

iPod
Originally uploaded by beckykho.
On Saturday, I broke down and bought a new iPod Nano. This is the fourth iPod I've bought in as many years. You could honestly make the argument that I don't need another iPod, but let me tell you how I rationalize this for myself.

Currently, I have my 60gb iPod Photo and a 60 gb iPod Video. I use the older one as my exercise iPod. The newer, video iPod goes with my in the car (who listens to radio?), to work, or anywhere else.

Both of them are a bit bulky for exercising, though. I don't run much, but it's distracting to run with this bulky thing sliding around the waistband of my shorts. Besides, all of that pounding up and down can't be good for the hard drive. Obviously, I need a flash-based iPod that's lighter and doesn't have any moving parts to damage.

That's my excuse, and I'm sticking with it.

I knew that I wanted to wait for a larger capacity before buying, but I had no idea that Apple would change the exterior to anodized aluminum. This thing is pretty slick, and doesn't get scratched like the previous generation.

Sunday was the maiden trip to the gym. I just put the Nano in my (new) Nike armband and it's ready to go. After the gym, it worked nicely while mowing the lawn. The old iPod on my waistband used to get the headphone cables caught up with the mower handle on occasion, but there were no snags with this puppy in my armband.

People at work were surprised today that I had two iPods in my briefcase, but then they realized the truth. I don't have a wife and kids, so I substitute by giving myself toys.
----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Tomorrow be Talk Like a Pirate Day! BASENAME: tomorrow_be_talk_like_a_pirate STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Humor CATEGORY: Humor DATE: 09/18/2006 09:38:56 PM TAGS: "Dave Barry","Johhny Depp","Keith Richards",Pirate,"Robert Newton",talk,"Talk Like a Pirate","Treasure Island" ----- BODY: Be prepared to hear people say "yarr" a lot tomorrow, for September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. We don't mean that you should talk like Johhny Depp impersonating a drunken (is there any other kind?) Keith Richards. No, this is about the traditional campy pirate talk from old 50's movies. That's why Robert Newton, the man who portrayed Long John Silver in Treasure Island, is the patron saint of this day. Lest ye go into this day unprepared, make sure you know your true pirate name. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Another Laptop Stolen - More Personal Data At Risk BASENAME: another_laptop_stolen_more_per STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Identity CATEGORY: Customer Service CATEGORY: Identity DATE: 09/25/2006 08:04:01 PM TAGS: "credit card",data,"data protection","driver's license number","hard drive",Harley,Harley-Davidson,Identity,laptop,Privacy,security,theft ----- BODY: I checked the mail after getting home from work and found an envelope from th Harley Owner's Group (HOG). That got my attention, since Biketoberfest is around the corner in Daytona. Could it be an interesting offer coming to town during that event? No, it was a Personal Information Advisery. It seems that a Harley-Davidson employee reported a missing laptop on Monday, August 14, 2006. The laptop contained HOG member data to facilitate registration at HOG events. The letter claims that Harley-Davidson conducted an extensive investigation, notified law enforcement, and still want to retrieve the laptop. I'm sure that's true, though the word "extensive" means different things to different people. There are no circumstances provided regarding how the laptop disappeared, whether it was stolen or misplaced. Harley-Davidson sent a letter to 60,000 people (including me) because the file contained either a credit card number and/or driver's license number. I know that HOG has both pieces of information from me, since I had to provide that information for a Fly & Ride rental during a trip to Salt Lake City in April this year. Additionally, Harley-Davidson provided me with a free one-year account with ConsumerInfo.com to provide credit monitoring. There's a forum on the HOG members web site, and a promise to mail any pertinent information to me about the case. This is a case where I understand why an employee had customer data on a laptop. Event registrations happen in the field without network access to a corporate database. Also, you never know who may attend an event. Harley owners frequently travel to HOG events out of their own state, so it makes sense to keep information on hand to accommodate those travelers. However, I do not see any mention of security measures taken to protect data on the laptop. Theft or loss in the field is a reasonably high probability risk. Is the information password protected? Was the disk encrypted? I tend to doubt it, or the letter would probably try to assure me that my identity information was reasonably secure. How can a major corporation allow sensitive customer information outside of its walls without taking these reasonable precautions to protect it? These days, it's inexcusable to let a laptop with sensitive information go without disk encryption. I appreciate the notification and apology from Mike Keefe, Vice President and Director of Harley Owner's Group. To Mike, I strongly recommend that you take my advice. Encrypt the hard drive on all of your remaining laptops. Customers like me depend upon your precautions. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Windows Live Writer Test BASENAME: windows_live_writer_test STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: On Writing DATE: 09/28/2006 02:13:09 PM TAGS: blogging,trackbacks,Windows,"Windows Live Writer" ----- BODY:

Since I wasn't very impressed with Google's Writely product, I thought I'd try the beta for Microsoft's new blogging tool - Windows Live Writer. The first key difference is that Writely is a web app and Windows Live Writer is an offline tool. 

Writely left me with a few complaints.  It never seemed to post a title to my blog entries.  Nor did it seem to work well with multiple blogs (I also post to www.orlandolocal.com).  Right off the bat, Windows Live Writer seems to easily support both of these issues.

 Since Windows Live Writer is a blogging tool, rather than an online word processor, it beats Writely in a few other areas.  For example, it knows how to communicate with multiple types of blogs.  That means it supports Trackbacks, whether my comments are open or not, and MT's keywords.  The dialog box to create hyperlinks provides fields for Link Text, Link URL, a drop-down box for Rel: attributes, and a checkbox to open the link in a new window.  Nice touches.

The editor makes it easy to strikethrough, change font color, 

Position a line as a block quote

  1. Numbers
  2. Are
  3. Easy

 

  Windows Live Writer gives options for posting images, either from your files or from a URL.  Unfortunately, it doesn't have integration with photo sites like Flickr, Zooomer, or WebShots. The image below is a URL link from my Flickr account.  The toll allows me to resize it, change the alignment toleft, center, or right.  I can also choose to link the image to a URL.  However, that's all I can do with a photo from a URL.

 

Now I can post the same photo from a file. Notice a few differences.  First, I can change the border to look like photo paper, and include a drop shadow at the bottom & right edges.  Also, there are a variety of effects to add.  I signed my name in the lower right corner as a watermark. Finally, I've changed it to a sepia tone.  All of these effects, and others, are right inside of Windows Live Writer.

I must be crazy

 

There's another cheap feature to exploit - maps.  Say hello to Apple.  They had nothing to do with this initial product evaluation, but it doesn't matter.  I'm still a Mac guy at home.


My first look at Windows Live Writer is pretty pleasant.  I'm sure, with more use, I'll find missing features that I'd like to have implemented.  Let's hope Microsoft is willing to listen to suggestions.  The product is in beta, but it looks like a good start.  Too bad there isn't a Mac version.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: blogging trackbacks Windows Live Writer ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Time to Think BASENAME: time_to_think STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Identity CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Identity CATEGORY: On Writing DATE: 10/06/2006 10:34:53 AM ----- BODY:

One of the things that I enjoy about writing here is that it gives me time to think for myself.  I don't have anyone else telling me what to think about.  I'm not forced to pay attention to anything except what I want.  It's a good time to let me mind roam.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do that for the past few weeks.  Instead, I've been locked inside a conference room all day, almost every day, for about a month now.  No windows.  No going out for lunch.  We imported food I'd rather not eat.  I've consumed gallons of caffeinated beverages.

That's because we had an executive presentation to make and we spent all of that time preparing for it.  We finally got to make our presentation yesterday - all day long in another conference room.  Now it's over - done - finito.  I can return to my normal work that's been left nearly stagnant while I remained locked in the conference room.

So that's my explanation for not posting much lately.  There's been no time to think.  At least, not in the places where I'd like to let me mind roam.

On the other hand, I've delved much deeper into Kerberos, Federation, and a plethora of other Identity and Access Management topics.  Maybe my mind will roam somewhere alongs those lines when I get a chance to think for myself.  Next time.  For now, I'm just basking in the glow of being done with something.  I don't want to spoil it by overthinking.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Think Identity Access Management Blogging ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Write To My Blog BASENAME: write_to_my_blog STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: On Writing DATE: 10/08/2006 06:49:47 PM TAGS: blogging,browser,editor,Firefox,"Movable Type",Safari ----- BODY: There's another blog posting tool on the net. It's called WriteToMyBlog, and it looks like it has a nice feature set. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble getting it to accept my Movable Type configuration. That's unfortunately, but the thing that bothers me more than that is the utter lack of troubleshooting help on the site. This is a new, beta Web 2.0 product. It needs users. Specifically, it needs blogging users. People who can talk about the product. My problem is that I can't say anything positive about it, other than I wish I could get it working so I could try it out. Movable Type is a very flexible blog platform, but the editor leaves a lot to be desired. During the last update, they included an optional editor with more features. It's slow and nearly unusable for me, though. That's why I've been interested in testing other editors for making blog posts. So far, I'm most impressed with Microsoft's Live Writer. It sucks for me, since I use a Mac. One potentially annoying aspect of using WriteToMyBlog is that it wants FireFox for your browser. I tried it with Safari, and the site told me my browser wasn't supported. I used IE from my work Windows computer. It could function, but it still referred me to use FireFox. I finally loaded FireFox 2 RC on my MacBook Pro, but the errors I'm getting aren't related to the browser. I'll keep playing to see if I can get this working. If so, I'll post a report. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: ContentSpring EMAIL: mark@contentspring.com IP: 124.191.133.120 URL: http://writetomyblog.com DATE: 10/09/2006 12:44:07 AM Hi William, Please feel free to send me an email and I'll try and get it working with your Movable Type account. It works with my one. Kind regards, Mark ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: New Mac Ads BASENAME: new_mac_ads STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Apple CATEGORY: Apple DATE: 10/09/2006 04:22:40 PM TAGS: Ads,Apple,"Gisele Bundchen","John Hodgman","Justin Long",Mac ----- BODY: For those of you who like this series - Apple has three more ads in the Get a Mac campaign with John Hodgman (PC) and Justin Long (Mac). This set also includes the rumored ad with Gisele Bundchen. It's worth a peek. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Response from Write To My Blog BASENAME: response_from_write_to_my_blog STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Customer Service CATEGORY: Customer Service DATE: 10/10/2006 03:59:48 PM TAGS: blogging,editor,Firefox,"Movable Type",Safari,"word processor","Write To My Blog" ----- BODY: I thought this was a case of pretty good customer service, and I'm not even a customer yet. Within 24 hours of my post about WriteToMyBlog.com, I received a comment from Mark Ashcroft at the site.
The reason it's not working for you is your using your xmlrpc access address when it should be the Atom one. For MT it should be: http://YOURBLOG/PATH/TO/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/. I've had a couple people ask this question, I probably should have explained it better. There are two things MT Atom can't do which are: save in draft and add a Trackback. I just got an email today from Six Apart responding to my request to resolve these and they have informed me that they won't anytime soon be supporting these features in Atom (ahh!). So I'm going to re-write it for XMLRPC. This will hopefully be completed this week (fingers crossed). I'll send you an email when it's up and running. You can in the meantime still use MT with WTMB through the Atom protocol (without support for draft/trackback).
It looks like the folks are paying attention to what people say about the site, which is a good thing. Following up to help me get it working, as well as providing some insight to the issues, is a great thing. Of course, I still couldn't get it to work. I'm not sure how the mt-atom.cgi script works, but I know that I don't have a path like that to my blog. It doesn't work without specifying a blog, either. Also, I have a host site which supports multiple blogs. I couldn't get any of them recognized by this call. I still can't tell you anything about how well the site works or not, but I'm pleased with the customer service response to my problem. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Indian Call Centers Selling Private Data BASENAME: indian_call_centers_selling_pr STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Identity CATEGORY: Customer Service CATEGORY: Identity DATE: 10/11/2006 08:23:15 PM TAGS: "credit card",Identity,Privacy ----- BODY: A year ago, Britons learned that Indian call centers were selling their private identity information. It sems there's nothing new. SC Magazine reports that Indian call centers are still selling private credit card data on the black market. According to the article:
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) - adopted by the major credit card brands - requires organisations to monitor outsourcing service providers and states they are liable for fines if that provider compromises their data.
Good job, guys. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Geeks Don't Get It BASENAME: geeks_dont_get_it STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Customer Service CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Customer Service DATE: 10/28/2006 04:38:55 PM TAGS: CloudNine,documentation,"Movable Type","Plugin Manager",plugins,"Six Apart","tag cloud","user experience" ----- BODY: I'm frustrated right now. My blog software, Movable Type, has an open architecture for developers to add features. That's a good idea. In fact, there are a plethora of these plugins available for MT right now. Many of them seem quite useful, others really don't give a clue as to what you're supposed to do with them. Unfortunately, I can barely get any of them to work. That's because the people who develop these plugins spend barely any effort on documentation, support, or just clearly helping a potential user understand how to make things work. There are few tutorials to demonstrate the initial use of a plugin. If there are any screenshots, it's generally of the administrative side. I haven't seen a screenshot yet to demonstrate how the finished product will appear to a web viewer. It's not only frustrating, but it's bad business. The support options for these plugins are as disparate as the developers. Some put a product out there and then never respond to the cries for help on their own forum software. Others implement a trouble-ticket system, and then you wait. I presume part of the problem is that these are individuals who do this in their spare time. You get help when, or if, they get around to it. I installed one called Plugin Manager. The idea is great. It defines a common method for the successful installation of plugins into your Movable Type installation. Rather than deal with all of these different methods, this system allows plugin developers to write a little script that Plugin Manager uses to automate installation. Of course, I've never been able to get it to successfully install ANY plugin. I was going to inquire for help on their support forums, but it's clear from the existing and unanswered posts there that this isn't a path to success. One of the plugins I would love to get working is CloudNine, a plugin to create a weighted tag cloud in Movable Type. I'm actually more than a little disappointed that Six Apart didn't make this part of the product when it introduced Tags as part of MT 3.3. Six Apart does provide this feature in its other products, like TypePad or Vox. Clearly, the developers know how to do it. Why introduce tags in MT and then NOT include a weighted tag cloud? It baffles me. Back to CloudNine. The product downloads without any installation information. According to the home site, it works with the above mentioned Plugin Manager - except, that it doesn't work. I could never get Plugin Manager to install CloudNine. So I reverted to an old post on the home site. Basically, it said to FTP the CloudNine directory into your MovableType plugins directory. That seems simple. The good news is that I can see an entry in the MT Plugins page for CloudNine. The bad news is that it's unreadable. It's like having graphic text pasted over other graphic text. Any links inside that text fail to work. I guess it's just as well. This is one of the products that FAILS to show any working version as a web reader would see it, so who knows what I'd actually get? Here's the message, plugin developers (Six Apart should also listen). Make your products work. Give them good documentation. Make sure potential users can see how it works, inside and out. I'm willing to pay for good products that are easy to use. Why don't you try developing something like that? ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Byrne Reese EMAIL: byrne@majordojo.com IP: 63.193.114.118 URL: DATE: 10/29/2006 10:26:16 AM I sincerest apologies for not providing adequate documentation for some of my plugins. I also recognize that my help ticket system and support forums can also be a dead end. I am in the process of redesigning and re-documenting these products and plugins, but it is slow going. What specific problem did you experience with my plugins? I would be happy to try and help. ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Jesus Christ is angry BASENAME: jesus_christ_is_angry_1 STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 10/31/2006 07:14:54 PM TAGS: Downtown,Jesus,"Las Vegas" ----- BODY:

jesus christ is angry, originally uploaded by hex..

How does he know that the wicked are in Downtown Las Vegas?

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Why Dogs Attack Their Masters BASENAME: why_dogs_attack_their_masters STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Animals CATEGORY: Animals CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Humor CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 11/02/2006 09:41:40 AM TAGS: Chuck,Dooce,Halloween,Photo ----- BODY:

, originally uploaded by dooce.

I've always been impressed by Heather Armstrong's ability to put objects on her dog's head while he remains perfectly still. This time, she's gone too far. Chuck can now go on disability due to emotional castration.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Apple Aperture Free Trial BASENAME: apple_aperture_free_trial STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Apple CATEGORY: Apple CATEGORY: Customer Service DATE: 11/04/2006 02:56:39 PM TAGS: Aperture,Apple,Elements,"free trial",iPhoto,upgrade ----- BODY: Apple has a free trial on its Aperture software. For 30 days, you get to use the software and evaluate whether or not you want to make the stiff purchase of $299.00. Honestly, I think this is a great idea. I'm curious about the product. What can it do for me that I can't do with iPhoto or Photoshop Elements? Will I actually use the features of this application? Maybe it's too high end for me. A free trial is a good way for products to sell themselves. Apple requires that you register to receive a serial number by e-mail. You need to use that serial number during the installation. This is the serial number I received from Apple:
D-341-HZP-151-QHI-315-NVJ-170-RED-WDH
I didn't start the application immediately after installing it, though. It was late at night and I didn't have time to get into a new application. Today, the OS X software update facility noticed there was an update for Aperture and other programs. As usual, I clicked the button to let it install. Since I had time, I ran Aperture. Immediately, a dialog box queried me for my First Name, Last Name, Organization, and serial number. I entered my name and the serial number provided by Apple's e-mail. Unfortunately, it didn't like the serial number this time. It claimed that I only provided an upgrade serial number, not the one I needed for a new product installation. Since I didn't have the correct serial number, Aperture quit. That's my experience with Apple's free trial of Aperture. I won't be buying it. Now how do I get this crap off my computer? ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Only in Las Vegas BASENAME: only_in_las_vegas STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 DATE: 11/12/2006 12:27:28 AM ----- BODY:

Prostitution is illegal, originally uploaded by crookback.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: The Secret Life of Dogs BASENAME: the_secret_life_of_dogs STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Animals CATEGORY: Animals DATE: 11/20/2006 01:31:46 PM TAGS: "animal control",digging,dogs,escape ----- BODY: I honestly don't venture out into my back yard very often. When I bought the house, I decided that the back yard was for the dogs. It's fenced and that should keep them safely contained. That was before I brought in Zach, the Destroyer. Zach is my Golden Retriever. Zach has lots of energy. Zach eats everything. Zach likes to dig. Zach has completely destroyed my back yard. For a while, Zach liked to dig under the fence to escape into my neighbor's yard, which is also fenced. I put some stones in the hole so he couldn't dig there anymore. He didn't. Instead, he moved three feet to the left and started digging there. Once he tasted the fresh air of freedom, Zach was no longer content to reside in my back yard while I left for work. If a root or something prevented him from digging deeper, he chewed off part of my wooden fence so he had room to slide under. Eventually, I had to line that entire section of fence with chicken wire covered with stones to keep him from digging. It took a lot of trial and error, as Zach learned how to push the chicken wire aside and continue digging. My other two dogs weren't instigators like Zach, but they also liked the fresh air of freedom. My neighbor didn't like it, though. Twice, he called Animal Control to come take my dogs away (although I wish he would've called me). Each time, Zach managed to elude capture. The fines for the other two dogs set me back $300. The county apparently thinks they could use this money. I would've rather put it into better repairs to keep my dogs from digging out. So I spent more money to make the repairs, and the dogs remained in my back yard for a month or so. This morning, I'm working from home because I have a nasty sore throat that's part of a lovely cold. I put the dogs outside for a while. When I opened the back door to call them inside, no dogs. Eventually, I see Zach's nose. He's inching his way back from the other side of the fence. This isn't part of the fence where he previously had any interest in digging. Humphrey came inching along behind him, but Max did not. I called. I yelled. I repeated his name many times. The furry little bugger didn't appear. After locking the other dogs inside, I got in my car to drive around the neighborhood in search of this wayward ball of fur. If he gets caught on a third strike, it'll be even more expensive. Of course, I don't see him anywhere. When I finally get home, he's in the front yard right by the garage door. So, it's cold. I'm sick, and my dogs have a new escape path. The only thing for me to do is put down more chicken wire and top it off with some stones. This is exactly what I wanted to do while suffering from a lovely cold. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Vegas215.com EMAIL: x@uniqon.com IP: 68.224.137.27 URL: http://vegas215.com DATE: 11/21/2006 05:26:51 PM Your blog has been added to the new LOCAL BLOGS section of Vegas215.com - Las Vegas Information Center. http://vegas215.com ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Clever Europeans BASENAME: clever_europeans STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Travel CATEGORY: Government CATEGORY: Humor CATEGORY: People CATEGORY: Travel DATE: 11/23/2006 03:09:17 PM TAGS: Denmark,Europe,Safety,topless,traffic,Transportation ----- BODY: This is an idea that screams for adoption in the United States. Clearly, Europe leads the way to innovative traffic safety ideas. Note: Do not view if offended by partial nudity. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Bagging It BASENAME: bagging_it STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Travel CATEGORY: Travel DATE: 11/30/2006 12:56:27 PM TAGS: bags,Camera,Crumpler,D70,Kata,Nikon,Oakley,Timbuk2 ----- BODY: No matter how many bags I have, I always seem to want more. There's a never ending exercise to find the perfect bag to carry whatever junk I've bought. Laptop bags. Camera bags. Book bags. Travel luggage. I think it's becoming a fetish for me. I have a couple of laptop bags from Microsoft TechEd conferences, a backpack from a Remedy conference, and assorted totes & gym bags from previous employers. Of course, each bag must have a purpose and style of its own. It must also surpass its predecessor. It's frustrating to buy a replacement bag and then find you like the old one better. That recently happened with a camera bag. I had a cheap little Samsonite sling bag that I bought at Target a year or more ago. It's just a nylon bag with some partitions in the bottom for lenses and the camera. Truly, it's nothing. Even so, it's comfortable and it just works. I'd like to find a similar bag with better quality construction. So far, I've checked with Crumpler, Timbuk2, Tom Bihn, Kata, and Waterfield. All of these manufacturers make excellent bags, and all of them provide models for laptop computers. I already have that covered with my Oakley bag, though. I need a bag for my Nikon D70 and gear. Only Crumpler and Kata seem to have dedicated bags, and the Kata ones just don't fit my wants & needs. That leaves me with the Crumpler. I've read some reviews over at CamBags. People generally seem to like their Crumplers, but there are always a few nits. I think I'll probably go with the 6 Million Dollar Home for my needs. If it doesn't suit me, I'll end up sending it back. Let's hope for success, though. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: I love Las Vegas BASENAME: i_love_las_vegas STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 DATE: 12/18/2006 07:56:23 PM ----- BODY:

, originally uploaded by neon salt mine.

I'm leaving for Las Vegas on Wednesday. I can't wait to find this captivating woman.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: The Adventure Begins BASENAME: the_adventure_begins STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Travel CATEGORY: Travel DATE: 12/20/2006 06:05:41 AM TAGS: Florida,McDonald's,OIA,Orlando,Transportation,Travel,WiFi ----- BODY: McDonald's OIA.jpg My alarm went off at 3:30 am. Some people call that "Oh-Dark-Thirty." I substitute a different word in place of "dark." That's mostly because I was still up at 10:45 packing and preparing for my trip, when I planned to be in bed by 9:00 pm. Such is my way. I did one smart thing. Yesterday, I took my dogs over to my mother's house so they'd already be out of my way for the final packing frenzy. They're staying at her house while I travel to Las Vegas & Zion National Park. This morning, all I had to do was clean up, get out to her place, and hitch a ride to the airport. Once there, I checked my luggage and suffered the indignity, and much of the stupidity, of the TSA security check. Now, I bask in the glow of the only WiFi in this terminal of Orlando International Airport, McDonald's. Technically, there are two other networks here. They're secure, so I don't count them as available. From here, it's off to Atlanta (home of unfree WiFi), and then into Las Vegas. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Racing the Sun BASENAME: racing_the_sun STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Travel CATEGORY: Travel DATE: 12/20/2006 05:10:54 PM TAGS: airport,"Las Vegas",Travel ----- BODY: Christmas Flight - 9.jpg The sun was barely rising when my plane departed Orlando International Airport. I had a greasy McDonald's breakfast in my belly and not enough sleep for my head. The glamour of air travel is long behind us. Now it's just a fight for the lowest rate we can find, and that translates into off-hours, uncomfortable seating, and in-air meals of the following variety: Christmas Flight - 13.jpg My plan was pretty simple. Try to sleep on the flight, but prepare with diversions. I had a book, my iPod, and a freshly downloaded movie (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest) on my MacBook Pro. Throughout the flight, I ended up using all of them. Apple may advertise a 3 hour battery life on the MacBook Pro, but they obviously weren't testing that life while watching a movie. It crapped out after an hour or so, which left me without finishing the movie. There really wasn't much to this flight. Hop from Orando to Atlanta. Wait. Fly from Atlanta to Las Vegas. Bored. The only break from boredom was a brief encounter with the Grand Canyon. Yay. Now I can claim that I've seen part of it: Christmas Flight - 26.jpg After another hour of being bored, we finally made our approach. Of course, I was on the wrong side of the plane to see much of The Strip or anything interesting. This was also a rare daytime landing for me. Usually, I end up flying into town after darkness falls. The lights make it one of the most enjoyable night landings in the country - if you're on the right side of the plane. When we finally landed, the Sun was already there and flying high at Noon. Welcome to Las Vegas. Christmas Flight - 36.jpg ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Downtown Orlando BASENAME: downtown_orlando STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 02/23/2007 04:19:26 PM TAGS: Downtown,Florida,Orlando,Photo,Pizza ----- BODY: _DSC0094 If you've ever wondered where the pizza goes, just look at the reflection in the window. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Adults Only! BASENAME: adults_only STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 DATE: 03/02/2007 09:07:25 PM ----- BODY:

Adults Only!, originally uploaded by nWevurski.

Sometimes I wish I could put a sign like this on the entrance to my office.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: My Day at Jury Duty BASENAME: my_day_at_jury_duty STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Government CATEGORY: Government DATE: 03/26/2007 09:35:10 AM TAGS: Florida,"jury duty",Sanford,"Seminole County" ----- BODY: If it's Monday, it must be time for Jury Duty. In Seminole County, they select all of the jurors on Monday. You may come and sit here for a day without ever getting selected. If selected, you may have a trial today, or later on sometime in the week. I think it'll suck if I get selected for a different day, but I have no problem if I get on a trial today. My assignment is in the Criminal Justice building, so it's a safe bet that I won't be hearing any lawsuits today. At least they have free WiFi in this building. I got here around 7:45 am, which wasn't as early as I would've liked. The first thing I noticed was the line going out the door. It takes time for the security check. It's just like the airport. Put your keys and coins in the plastic bucket, your bags go through the scanner, and if you're lucky, you don't have to take off your shoes. Remember, this is a government operation. As soon as you get out of that line, the next thing you do is get into another, longer line. You don't know why you're there, but that's the direction you're supposed to go. While I'm waiting in line, I look around at the other prospective jurors waiting with me. If you're arrested and tried for a crime in Seminole County, it looks like a jury of your peers is predominantly white. I count only a handful of Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, or other ethnicities. Most of the folks are average looking citizens, but I'm most impressed with the attractive woman behind me displaying ample cleavage. It's an interesting choice for jury duty. At the head of the line is a row of four clerks behind a desk. They perform a simple proofing operation by checking your juror notice with your driver's license. Once they verify you are who you're supposed to be and your address matches, you get to pick a spot in the jury room. It's been a while since I served as a juror. The last time I did was in Orange County when they still used the old courthouse. Even with the asbestos, that facility was far more comfortable than this one. The Seminole County jury room is a fairly large room with lines of chairs all facing forward. You'd think we were waiting for a high school musical. If you get here soon enough, there are some tables along the walls for people with laptops. At least, that's why I think they're here. The tables are next to power outlets and some data ports. Naturally, a few people without laptops are sitting there with newspapers spread out and coffee cups in hand. I'm lucky enough to snag a table by the front of the room. The free WiFi in the jury room is highly overrated. Sure, you get a very strong signal. That's misleading, though. The network path getting out to the Internet is excruciatingly sluggish. I don't know if they're sharing this path with others in the building, but it's almost pointless. Trying to load the Orlando Sentinel web page takes minutes. If that weren't bad enough, several of my favorite sites are blocked. I can't get to Flickr or NikonCafe. I guess this is part of the government's belief that photographers are all terrorists. What is it with jury duty and coughing? If you get a collection of people in a government building, there's always someone who starts coughing uncontrollably. When one person stops, another one starts up moments later. I'll be lucky to escape without some new plague attacking my system. There are four state of the art TV's hanging from the ceiling. Of course, they were state of the art about a decade or two ago. It looks like a collection of Yugo's hanging from up there. One is right over my head and it reminds me of driving behind a car-carrier trailer. You just know that one of those things is going to pop loose and come right at you. These TV's are here for a purpose. There's a video that supposedly tells you how to be a juror. What it really does is try to give a little pep rally on what a wonderful place America is to allow you to participate in the privilege of jury duty. While part of me agrees, I have to say that the video is unconvincing and insulting. We know why we're here. I don't mind the change of pace. If you prepare for spending a day here, it's not so bad. I have my laptop loaded with five movies. My iPod is with me. There's a break room with a selection of unhealthy snacks and plenty of soda. The restrooms are close. The woman with ample cleavage is walking around. She looks good from the other side, too. We'll have to see how the day goes from here. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Happy Easter BASENAME: happy_easter STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 DATE: 04/04/2007 02:34:11 PM ----- BODY:

Happy Easter (not my photo), originally uploaded by beeez.

Things aren't going so well for the Easter Bunny these days. Everywhere you look, there's competition for attention. This weekend, the City of Sanford, FL has two events. One is an Easter Egg hunt for the kids. The other is a birthday celebration for Paw Park - the city's off-leash park for dogs.

Both kids and dogs will invade Historic Downtown Sanford this Saturday, April 7th. The kids get to hunt for Easter Eggs and assorted prizes. The dogs get their own "pawrade" (I didn't make that up, they did) through Downtown.

However, the dogs get a bit more attention. They also have a plethora of vendors lined up, obedience demonstrations and something call Flyball demos. I think that's something like acrobatic frisbee catching, but who really knows except the dogs?

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Warranty Repair? Unlikely BASENAME: warranty_repair_unlikely STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Customer Service CATEGORY: Customer Service DATE: 04/14/2007 05:28:04 PM TAGS: Contractor,Fence,Florida,"Florida Custom Fence",Sanford ----- BODY: Consider this a warning from one home-owner to another. If you hire a contractor or service to do some improvement around your property, resist the urge to give them the final payment until everything is absolutely complete and you've inspected to your satisfaction. The only incentive contractors have to do any work is to get that paycheck. Once they have it, don't count on seeing them again for any warranty repair. I posted a while back about some home repairs I was doing, including tree trimming and putting up a new fence. In both cases, I made the mistake of giving final payment when they were almost finished. The tree trimmer left before clearing out some remaining branches. More disappointing was the fence contractor - Florida Custom Fence. When I first contacted Jay York, president of the Florida Custom Fence, he impressed me with his professionalism. Then again, so did another company with a better rate. When I called Jay back to tell him that he came in second, he worked hard to get the bid. He matched the other company's rate and was able to start sooner. I liked his attitude and gave him the job. Most of the work seemed pretty solid. They didn't bring in pre-fab segments, they built the fence board by board. It looked pretty solid, though there were a couple of errors (including a sprinkler head that was now on the wrong side of the fence. However, they really screwed up the gate. I gave clear instructions that I wanted the gate to open into the fenced area, and I wanted to lock it from that side. The previous fence worked that way. However, this seemed to confuse the fence builders a bit. They ended up putting the hinges on a different side, and it had a hard time closing flush to the fence. They also had a problem installing the latch, and there was no way to lock it because the latch was up against a 4x4 post. When I called about it, they came out a couple days later with a circular saw and cut a notch into the post. A few weeks later, the wood on the gate started warping and it certainly wasn't flush. The top leans back and the bottom extends forward from the rest of the fence by several inches - enough for my smallest dog to wiggle out. That sort of defeats the purpose of spending a few thousand dollars on a new fence. When I called back, there was a new voice on the phone. Someone named Hunter took over the customer service. Ok, it took several calls before Hunter managed to come out to inspect the fence. Several calls and a couple of weeks, and at least one missed appointment. When he finally arrived, Hunter was friendly enough. He agreed the fence wasn't up to their standards and they needed to fix it. That was the last I ever saw or heard from Hunter. I called Hunter several more times, another week or so passed. Finally, I e-mailed Jay York. A few days later, he e-mailed back to agree that the problem was covered under warranty. Someone would be out within a week to fix it. That was a two weeks ago, and it was the last I've heard from Jay York, president of Florida Custom Fence. The professional attitude I admired so much when he was trying to earn my business was completely gone now. There's no profit in warranty work. It's an expense that a small business just doesn't want to make. For all I know, the time it takes to do it right for the second time may eliminate whatever profit margin he made from me. I already gave him a concession by allowing him to bill me for a check instead of using my AMEX card so he could save the percentage he'd have to pay to the card company. Now I'm getting ready to search for another set of contractors. One to do some drywall repair and paint inside the house, and another to fix the gate that Florida Custom Fence botched. Learn from my mistakes. That final payment is your final leverage. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: New Species: American Homeless Eagle BASENAME: new_species_american_homeless STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 CATEGORY: Animals CATEGORY: Government CATEGORY: People DATE: 04/18/2007 02:27:13 PM TAGS: Airport,"American Eagle","Bald Eagle",Eagle,Florida,"Larry Dale",Sanford ----- BODY:

Homeless, originally uploaded by Doug Lloyd.

Larry Dale and his minions from the Orlando Sanford International Airport continue to destroy eagle nests, thereby creating a new species of American Homeless Eagles.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a permit to the airport to kill nuisance birds, though Eagles are excluded and are not being killed.

However, the nest destruction has another by-product - orphaned eaglets. Audubon Society workers took the eaglets to the Birds of Prey center, and will try to find other eagle nests to act as foster homes.

Meanwhile, the evicted adult eagles wander the streets like drug addicts kicked out of a crack house scheduled for demolition. Congratulations to Larry Dale and the Orlando Sanford International Airport for re-defining our national emblem for the modern age.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Eye on you BASENAME: eye_on_you STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Animals CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 04/21/2007 10:52:34 PM TAGS: "Animal Kingdom",Disney,Florida,"Komodo Dragon",Orlando,Photo,WDW ----- BODY: Eye on you ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Diane EMAIL: FLkrakr@yahoo.com IP: 65.35.224.40 URL: DATE: 03/30/2008 03:30:09 PM Enjoyed your story about the possum. You write very well...I'm looking forward to reading more of you stories. If you ever need a second career I think you could have one as a writer. P.S. Found this from your profile on FLickr..enjoy your pbotos there too. You're a man of many talents! FLkrakr ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Vegas Vaction BASENAME: vegas_vaction STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Travel DATE: 05/11/2007 10:11:08 AM TAGS: Audition,"Beacher's Madhouse","Caesars Palace",Casino,"Coyote Ugly","Hard Rock","Las Vegas",Nevada,NYNY ----- BODY: Las Vegas Sign 16 NYNY at Night 6 Coyote Ugly Caesars Palace Statues 3 IMG_0297.JPG Beacher's Madhouse Audition 107 Beacher's Madhouse Audition 36 Las Vegas Sign 13 ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: The Itch BASENAME: the_itch STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 05/18/2007 04:43:54 PM TAGS: "Animal Kingdom",Cat,Itch,Photo,Tiger ----- BODY: The Itch Every once in a while, you just have to scratch your itch. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: iTunes Plus (or not) BASENAME: itunes_plus_or_not STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Apple CATEGORY: Apple DATE: 06/01/2007 04:13:35 PM TAGS: Apple,"Dark Side of the Moon","Digital Music",DRM,iPod,iTunes,"Pink Floyd" ----- BODY: I know that Apple promised to deliver DRM-free content, and that it would provide an opportunity to upgrade your previous purchases to higher quality (256 bit instead of 128 bit audio). It's a good move for Apple. They, and EMI, essentially get more money for selling the same content. For those of us who upgrade, we pay for the privilege at $.30 per song or $3.00 per album (with some exceptions. It's not all sunshine, though. There doesn't appear to be a way to upgrade just one song or album. Instead, you have to upgrade your entire purchase history from iTunes or not at all. Also, downloads for some songs are pathetically slow. This could be from a crush of customers flooding the iTunes servers. Maybe not. Some songs download in seconds while others still haven't completed downloading for two days. The one that really kills me is the story behind Pink Floyd's album, Dark Side of the Moon. It's the number one iTunes+ song on Apple's charts. I bought it on November 1, 2006 from iTunes. Nevertheless, it wasn't upgraded. I went into my account history to report the problem, but my purchase wasn't listed there. I'm one of those anal-retentive types who keeps everything (which leads to clutter), so I still have my e-mail receipt from iTunes Store. I got the order number and submitted a problem report to Apple. They promise a response within 24 hours, and I got one. Here it is:
Dear William, I will first say thank you for your interest in iTunes Plus music. I understand that you have been unable to upgrade one of your purchased albums "Dark Side of the Moon". I did some research and see that this particular album has been modified by Apple engineers since you last purchased it, therefore it is not eligible for the upgrade. When you click the Upgrade button, you will replace only the eligible music and music videos you've bought previously on iTunes with available iTunes Plus versions of the same content. The upgrade price is calculated based on all of your eligible content at 30¢ per song, 60¢ per video, and 30 percent of each album's purchase price. iTunes Store Customer Support is happy to help you resolve issues with iTunes and its existing features and services. If you would like to submit feedback about iTunes Plus, please visit this page: iTunes Feedback http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html As part of submitting feedback, please read the Unsolicited Idea Submission Policy linked to the feedback page. I apologize for any inconvenience in not being able to upgrade your purchased album. Thank you for being an iTunes Store customer and have a wonderful weekend. Sincerely, Doug iTunes Store Customer Support http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/ww
Modified? Of course it was modified. It was upgraded from 128-bit to 256-bit audio. Otherwise, how was it modified? This album has been around for years. It has the same nine songs. Why deprive me of an opportunity to give you MORE money for something I already bought? I guess now that Apple is in the Fortune 100, it has to start working on screwing the little guy. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Tech-Ed 2007 Begins BASENAME: tech_ed_2007_begins STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Events CATEGORY: Events DATE: 06/04/2007 12:43:06 PM TAGS: Convention,Florida,Microsoft,"Orange County Convention Center",Orlando,Tech-Ed,Windows ----- BODY: It's hard to believe that it took me seven years to get back to Microsoft Tech-Ed. It's not for a lack of interest on my part, but a lack of vision (and funds) among some of my former employers. At any rate, I'm back. Since it's in my hometown, there are definitely some advantages. First, I get to sleep in my own bed. The hotels may be closer to the conference center, but there's something to be said for climbing into your own sheets at the end of the day. Next, I know how to get around. Screw the shuttle buses, I'd rather drive. Perhaps most important, no airport. I love travel once I get somewhere, but we've turned the airline industry into little more than airborne cattle cars. So I don't have to worry about getting out of here on time, missing a flight, or taking off my shoes for a complete stranger. Things started off yesterday with early check-in, and I'm glad I did it. Trying to drive down I-4 to get here in the morning to register with the masses would've deprived me of another hour and a half of sleep. That means I got here, parked, and worked my way over to the keynote address. This year, we got Bob Muglia. I guess it's not like years past when Bill Gates or Steve Ballmer would show up. Don't get me wrong, Bob's a nice guy and he's high up on the totem pole. However, he's just no Bill Gates. Most of these keynotes start off with a video of some kind, and this was no different. In a play on Universal Studios Orlando, they managed to talk (er...buy) Christopher LLoyd into reprising his role as Doc Brown with a Delorean time machine. The script was cheesy, but it filled time. It starts off with Bob coming backstage after having been pelted with tomatoes for delivering yet another Microsoft Vision strategy discussion. Doc Brown assures him that the audience is sick and tired of failed Microsoft strategies that never happened. and uses the time machine to show him the details of those failures. After a few trips, including a harrowing view of the future ruled by Microsoft Bob and Clippy, we return to the present where Bob Muglia vows never to present a vision in his speech. Then he begins to do so. Christopher Lloyd appeared briefly on stage, but seemed to have trouble with his lines. It reminds me of Peter O'Toole in the movie My Favorite Year - "I'm not an actor, I'm a movie star!" Bob brought out a few other speakers and some demos to show how Microsoft acts upon the strategy it proposed. By the time we got to the second demo, people were walking out. By the third, it was a full hemorrhage of evacuation. By the fourth...I don't know. I left during the third demo. Still, I'm happy to be here. I've had my first session, lunch, and started collecting some SWAG. Doesn't everyone need a Magic Eight Ball that always says "Yes"? ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: The Scene at MS Tech-Ed BASENAME: the_scene_at_ms_teched STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Events CATEGORY: Events CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 06/04/2007 04:17:38 PM TAGS: Convention,Florida,Microsoft,"Orange County Convention Center",Orlando,Tech-Ed,Windows ----- BODY:
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Welcome to Tech-Ed 2007 There are a couple of  things you expect from a Microsoft conference.  Big banners are definitely on the expected list and we have them.  Probably not as many as I would've thought, though.

There's no shortage of PC's available for use to check the schedule and, presumably, do a little Internet surfing. Having already used the web site to build my schedule, I signed on one here long enough to print it off.  Otherwise, I haven't bothered, since I dragged along my own laptop.  However, there are promises of more prizes to win if you fill out a session evaluation one one of the kiosk PC's.

 

Kiosk PC's

Microsoft opted for something that is either cheesy or creepy (you decide) with some Office characters during lunch.  Fortunately, I didn't see them until after I'd eaten.  The food was standard convention fare - vegetable lasagna, Florentine chicken,  or Yankee Pot Roast..  There was a special diet area for those who didn't want to eat this stuff.  When you hit the tables, there were a couple little bits of swag - a tiny fan blower that worked surprisingly well, and some MS Tech-Ed temporary tattoos.  Yeah, rock your world.

 

MS takes over for Barney

 

There are snacks in the morning and afternoon.  Unlike previous GeekFests (which sadly no longer seem to exist as a GeekFest party), there are some healthy options.  I just munched on some apple slices and a banana, in addition to the usual fried carb fest known as potato chips.

If there's a disappointment, it's the bathrooms.  Women in technology, rejoice!  This is the only place where men stand in line while you breeze in and out with ease.

 

No waiting for women.

The state of affairs sunk lower for men after we got inside.  Let's just say that the Orange County Taxpayers are NOT spending enough on toilet paper.  Imagine the thinnest one-ply you've ever seen, and then subtract half the paper mass from it,.  Enough said.  At least the stalls have some local gang artwork.

 

Gang Break in the Men's Room

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Getting Online Gets Tougher BASENAME: getting_online_gets_tougher STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Events CATEGORY: Events DATE: 06/05/2007 02:24:09 PM TAGS: Access,Convention,Florida,Internet,Microsoft,"Orange County Convention Center",Orlando,Tech-Ed,Windows ----- BODY: By now, people are figuring out where to get online at Tech-Ed. Yesterday, the wireless service was crapping out because it got overloaded (according to the girl at the wireless support booth). I learned early yesterday that there were a plethora of tables with both power and wired 1Gb Ethernet cords, and they were relatively empty. Not so today. The tables are full at lunch and between breaks. I saw one guy just sitting there talking to a friend, so I asked if he was going to plug-in or not. Given the choice between getting up or plugging in, he opted for the latter and just kept talking. Lousy bastard. I found a break at another table, but the Ethernet connection was practically dead. It seems there were some multimedia downloads going on at the table. Finally, they left and I could get a brief bit of time online. I have a feeling the battle for online access and electricity reloads is going to get tougher as the week progresses. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Disturbing Trend Against Photographers BASENAME: tonight_i_went_out_to STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Fear CATEGORY: Customer Service CATEGORY: Events CATEGORY: Fear CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 06/05/2007 11:22:54 PM TAGS: Abuse,CityWalk,Discrimination,Florida,Orlando,Photography,"Universal Studios" ----- BODY: Tonight, I went out to CityWalk as part of the Microsoft Tech-Ed conference in town this week. They reserved The Groove for jam sessions. I decided this year I'd rather shoot than play, so I packed up my D200 and a couple of lenses. Universal Studios Orlando has a bag check before you enter CityWalk, and I have no problem with that. Disney does the same thing. However, I was particularly disturbed when the security guards held me aside and said, "We've got another one." I looked over and there was another man with a Nikon around his neck. I tried to ask the guard what she was talking about, but she kept putting me off with "one second" as she talked to someone on her radio. It had something to do with the fact that I had a professional camera. I explained to her that I wasn't working on an assignment - this is my hobby. My photos are no more professional than the hundreds of people she let enter with a point and shoot camera. No response. Finally, the voice on the other side of the radio had her tell me that I could take photos inside The Groove for my event, but nowhere else in the park. First, that was my intention all along. However, why the hell do they discriminate against a bigger camera? They aren't prohibiting all photography (which is their right), just those of us with nice gear. I explained that I'd been there with my camera many times before without this kind of incident. Brick wall. She doesn't care or respond. I truly hate that kind of mentality and rudeness It's their property, and they do have the right to say what you can and can't bring. However, I have the right to vote with my money. Goodbye, Universal Studios and CityWalk. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Tech-Ed 2007 on Flickr BASENAME: teched_2007_on_flickr STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Events CATEGORY: Events CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 06/06/2007 12:10:48 AM TAGS: Convention,Flickr,Florida,Microsoft,"Orange County Convention Center",Orlando,Photo,Tech-Ed ----- BODY: There's a group now on Flickr for Tech-Ed 2007 to share your photos, or just watch the goofiness from afar. Actually, there are two groups. However, I decided to join and promote the group wit 140 photos instead of the lonely group with only one photo. Sorry, pal. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Tech-Ed Jam Sessions BASENAME: teched_jam_sessions STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Entertainment CATEGORY: Entertainment CATEGORY: Events CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 06/06/2007 03:09:50 PM TAGS: CityWalk,Florida,"Jam Sessions",Microsoft,Orlando,Tech-Ed,"The Groove" ----- BODY: Once I got past the photo Nazi security force at the entry to CityWalk, the evening went on without any further problems. I found my way to The Groove and went inside. They were checking for Tech-Ed badges outside and had a nice little patio cordoned off for the party guests. It was a bit too muggy for my taste (and I live here), so the blast of air conditioning in the door was a relief. Upon entering, you received a ticket for a give-away later on at 11:15 - either an XBox360 Elite or Guitar Hero 2. You also got a guitar pin for the event; sort of a less expensive facsimile of a Hard Rock guitar pin. The Groove has a pretty nice lay out. Plenty of room on the main floor, good sized stage, and a balcony upstairs with some very comfortable lounge chairs. There were also different private rooms off to either side. MS Tech-Ed 2007 Jams 14 The first thing that really caught my attention was the music, though. God, it was awful. Someone was playing a poorly tuned guitar that sounded like a cat being gutted alive. Any concerns I had about getting on stage and embarrassing myself with my guitar playing went right out the window. I suck because I haven't played much in the last year, but I was as good as any of these guys. When it comes to music, I'm too much of an elitist. Not because of my own playing, but because of my brother. He's a phenomenal musician with high standards. Growing up learning from him really shaped my understanding and appreciation for what it takes to delivery great music. That said, the Jam Sessions aren't about being professional musicians putting on a show. It's more like fantasy camp baseball for the kids who never got picked for a team in little league. It's white boys playing with borrowed toys. These are the guys who sit at home alone and plod along, where things like timing, passion, and attack don't really matter. It's meant to be fun, and I think most people there really did have fun with it. MS Tech-Ed 2007 Jams 4 The performances lacked soul and passion. They hit the right notes (or at least most of them), but the performance didn't attack the music. It was more of a recital than a performance. It's one thing to hit a note on a guitar, and something else to hit it with feeling. The singers were much the same. Words came clattering out of their mouths, but without any particular emphasis or feeling. Quite literally, they read the lyrics from sheets of paper on stage. MS Tech-Ed 2007 Jams 52 The guy who keeps the whole thing pretty sane is Deems. I met him at the Jam Sessions for Tech-Ed 1998. I think he was doing these sessions before then, and I'm glad to see he's still there. The man is a great pianist, but what really impresses me is his personality. Much as I love my brother, I know he could never fill this role in the Jam Sessions because he's used to working with established, proficient players. The fact that Deems not only works with these God-Awful players, and does so with a smile on his face, tells me a lot about his character. He knows that it's a treat for some of these people to get up on a stage and perform, quite possibly for the only time in their lives. If I've been critical and rough when discussing the jammers, I do recognize that it's done for the experience and love of being a performing musician. MS Tech-Ed 2007 Jams 34 Truth be told, some people up there were pretty solid. A drummer rocked out on a Led Zepplin tune to keep everything together, and held pretty solid time for the other songs. Sam Rucker brought his sax and did an excellent job. My brother is a sax player, so my elitist attitude really appreciated Sam's playing. He's good. MS Tech-Ed 2007 Jams 126 Not everyone on stage needed experience with a guitar, drums, or keyboard. Some guys had a blast just banging on a tambourine or a cowbell. Others came up just to sing. At least one guy seemed only to drink a longneck beer, but I'm sure he had fun. MS Tech-Ed 2007 Jams 55 The place got packed as the evening went on into the night. People were lining up on the stairs looking for a place to check out the stage. The bars had lines that never ended, despite the drink tickets running out too early. The sponsors from CommvVault had 1000 tickets and were told by Microsoft to only expect 300 or 400 people a night. Clearly, they under-estimated. Oh, and the sound system for Microsoft's Jam Sessions? Brought to you by a Mac. MS Tech-Ed 2007 Jams 59 Jam Sessions are a big hit for Tech-Ed, and the tradition needs to continue - even if the music sometimes sucks. That's not really the point of the night, is it? ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Welcome LVA BASENAME: welcome_lva STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Humor CATEGORY: Humor DATE: 06/25/2007 06:21:32 PM TAGS: "Las Vegas",LVA,Welcome ----- BODY: I'm grateful that yet another Las Vegas related site linked to my blog. Look all you want. NYNY at Night 6 ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Six Apart's Broken Promise BASENAME: six_aparts_broken_promise STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Customer Service DATE: 08/15/2007 03:40:28 PM TAGS: blogging,License,"Movable Type","Six Apart",Support ----- BODY: Although I'm not a daily blogger, I've run this site in one fashion or another about five years now, and it's always been on Six Apart's Movable Type software. The company was much smaller then. The support was immediate and the community seemed very tight. They focused on bloggers. Some of us even paid for the software and some upgrades. As a thank you for helping them get started, Six Apart promised free lifetime support and upgrades for those who helped them established their business. Times have changed. Six Apart is much larger and has a diverse platform of blogging products. It's launched TypePad & Vox, and successfully bought out competitor LiveJournal. Six Apart has excellent entree into the commercial and business blogging market. Oh, and they've expired my lifetime support after two years. I learned this today as I inquired why their new version of MovableType doesn't appear on my TypeKey customer login. There's no explanation. You can download the existing new version for personal use free of charge, but support costs are $49.95. To be honest, I think the pricing is fair. What bugs me is the way the company has changed its focus and reneged on it's promise. I never asked for a free, lifetime, unlimited version of MovableType. It was a gift. Apparently, I'm dead now. My life is over. Either that, or Six Apart decided that the promise it made to some personal bloggers who helped them launch their business is not binding. So, anyone want to tell me about the pros and cons of WordPress? Six Apart just left a very bad taste in my mouth. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Anil Dash EMAIL: anil@dashes.com IP: 24.199.114.63 URL: http://www.anildash.com/ DATE: 08/15/2007 07:37:14 PM Hi William, I work with the MT team and I'm sorry you're upset or that we've miscommunicated with you. I'm not sure what concern you've got -- are you looking to get access to MT4? If so, the free version should be available for you to download easily. Are you looking for support for MT4? I'm certain we can address whatever mixup has happened to your satisfaction. My email address is anil@sixapart.com, and my personal mobile phone is 646-541-5843. You can also IM me at anildash -- please do get in touch and we'll make things right. ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Making Changes BASENAME: making_changes STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Blogging DATE: 10/27/2007 11:15:58 PM TAGS: blogging,documentation,"Movable Type","MT 4","Six Apart",Styles,Template,upgrade ----- BODY: I upgraded the software that runs my blog - Movable Type - to version 4 this weekend. The new version brings a lot of useful and necessary changes with it, and I think the folks at Six Apart have a right to be proud of their effort. Unfortunately, the upgrade process itself wasn't completely painless. As soon as I installed the new software, the style format for all of my blogs hosted under this software got screwed up. The headers were gone, as were my sidebars. Fortunately, all of my content was still in place. I had a backup just in case something went wrong there. That's when I embarked on the painful mission of trying to figure out just what went wrong. Six Apart seems very proud with the amount of documentation it provided with this release. One of my complaints with previous versions was the documentation. The good news is that the documentation is better. The bad news is that it's still not good enough. Since one of the major changes to the product involved the template tags (essentially, building blocks that tell the software how to construct a web page for display), it was understandable why my old templates didn't work. I thought this would be a quick fix because of the built-in system to apply standard styles to a blog. You just go out, select a style you like, and apply it to your blog. Would that it were so simple. While this feature does let you apply a style, it does NOT update the templates automatically. A style changes your colors, typeface, and items like that. The templates are still necessary to construct the elements of a web page. So instead of having a white mess of a page, I now had a purple mess of a page. Now it's late at night, all of my blogs look like crap, and I have no idea what's wrong. I try using the option to Rebuild my site, and I get an error message. This at least tells me that the issue is with my templates. In a brief moment of relief, I figure I'll just go to the Movable Type page and download the current templates for MT 4. The documentation for MT 4 includes an Upgrade page. Almost as an afterthought there's a section at the bottom called "See Also." This section leads to other pages that tell you about the template issues. In my opinion, this should've been a highlighted warning to understand BEFORE performing the upgrade process. This page doesn't really alert you to the fact that all of your blogs are about to get screwed up. That's a major mistake. This upgrade page spends the bulk of its time telling you how to upgrade your existing templates from Version 3, but then tells you that upgrading templates really isn't the bright way to work with the new product. You should bite the bullet and use MT 4 templates. OK, I agree with that idea. I'm all for it. Where the hell are they? One would think that such a recommendation would provide a link to the current templates to work with the current styles. This is a perfect example of my complaints about Six Apart documentation. It seems they never give it to someone completely outside their usual group to look for problems like this one. It took a bit of digging, and more frustration, but I finally found a page with the MT 4 Default Templates. One by one, I cut & pasted the templates from the web page into my blog templates. It was a bit tedious and took a few minutes to do, as there are more than a couple dozen templates on that page. When it was over, I started to rebuild my site. It failed. Here's the error message:
Publish error in template 'Main Index': Error in tag: error in module Header: Error in tag: Can't find included template identifier 'styles'
Cryptic, isn't it? I figured that the Header template was complaining that it couldn't find 'styles', so I searched and found this line:
<$MTInclude identifier="styles" trim_to="0"$>
Great. I've used every template list on the MT 4 Templates page, and those templates have errors. My blogs still look like purple crap. What the hell am I supposed to do now? I tried checking the Movable Type Forums for answers. It was clear that I wasn't the only one having this problem. It was equally clear that there were no answers forthcoming on the forums. I shared my problems and as much as I had deduced so far, but there's still no response as I write this 24 hours later. I also sent an e-mail to Anil Dash pointing out what I thought was an error on the MT 4 default templates page. When you get stuck like this and don't have a support plan, you're essentially on your own. You have to think along different paths than the one you're on, or else you'll never get anywhere. I decided to create an entirely new blog to see if it exhibited the same errors. Fortunately, it didn't have any problems. I was able to apply a few different styles and everything appeared just as it should. This also meant I now had access to the correct templates. It was time to tediously cut & paste templates again for EACH of my blogs. I couldn't help but notice that several of the shipping templates differed somewhat from the templates posted on the MT 4 default template page. Six Apart documentation strikes again. This is my first post since upgrading to MT 4. I'm a bit disappointed that the Preview option touted as a feature doesn't seem to be working, but I'm sure that's my fault. It's not like you should just be able to push the button titled Preview and see how your post will appear. I actually get a nice preview of the template, but just not the content that I've been typing here for the past few minutes. I guess I'll have to wait and see what happens when I change the status to Published and click Save. Here goes nothing. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Get Well, Colleen BASENAME: get_well_colleen STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 DATE: 10/31/2007 01:40:59 PM TAGS: Colleen,"Empire State Building",Flickr,Friends,Photo,"Rubber Duck" ----- BODY: Get Well Soon, Colleen My friend, Colleen, had surgery yesterday. Anyone going under the knife has good reason to be nervous, but all of her friends wish her well and a speedy recovery. I met Colleen online at Flickr. At the time, she was living in Las Vegas and I vacation there a few times each year. We both posted to the same group on Flickr, and found some common interest. One of the things that I appreciated about Colleen right away is her creativity. Colleen collects rubber ducks. Lots of rubber ducks. She uses these ducks in her Flickr photos, and some of them are downright hilarious. I've enjoyed watching her take the ducks to different locations, landmarks, and create stories around their adventures (particularly the Zorro duck). Beyond that, she's just a nice person who always has a smile. New York Summer 136 So get well soon, Colleen. I know it sucks to go under the knife. Well, I don't know first hand. I imagine it sucks. Then again, you're going to feel much better once it's over and you get some recovery time behind you. Then get back to your photos. We need to see their next adventure. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Flickr ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Fear & Ignorance BASENAME: i_originally_posted_article_th STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Fear CATEGORY: Fear CATEGORY: Government CATEGORY: Identity DATE: 11/09/2007 03:33:25 PM TAGS: Biometrics,Education,Fear,Fingerprints,Florida,Ignorance,Photo,Sanford,Scanner,School,"Seminole County" ----- BODY: I originally posted article this on the Orlando Sentinel's Sanford Community blog: fingerprints.jpg Fear and ignorance. If you don't understand something, it must be evil and sinister. Fear and ignorance. What better place to teach this system than in Seminole County Schools? The problem was clear. Kids only have a limited amount of time to go through the lunch line and eat before they get back to class. The line sometimes takes too long as kids fiddle around punching in their PIN number to draw payment access for lunch. Sometimes a kid forgets his PIN, so the line slows down. The intended solution was to use a fingerprint scanning device. No memory required, just bring your finger. It would be a perfect solution, if not for the fear and ignorance of the parents of these kids. To many minds, fingerprints have a negative stigma because they've been used so long by law enforcement to identify criminals. They also fear the theft of their child's identity by use of these systems. Their fears wouldn't be so bad if they weren't so ignorant of the way biometric systems actually worked. Law enforcement agencies have used fingerprints to successfully identify people for more than a century. Let's face it, police wouldn't still use fingerprints if they weren't more than reasonably accurate at identifying an individual. Law enforcement isn't the only use of fingerprinting, but it's prominent enough that people still feel a stigma when asked to submit their fingerprints. Biometric systems like the fingerprint readers use in schools, or at Walt Disney World, don't keep an image of a subject's fingerprints on record. There's no way for someone to steal your fingerprint from the system and use it elsewhere to impersonate you. Instead, the biometric systems only store a pattern known as minutiae - the specific points on a fingerprint where the lines diverge or converge. When fingerprint scanners look at your fingerprint, it's only searching to see if those points on your fingerprint match an existing record. No other fingerprint will match the same set of minutiae, and you cannot use minutiae to build an image of a fingerprint. While the parent's fear of identity theft from a collection of minutiae are unfounded. Their fear is from ignorance. That's where our Seminole County Schools truly failed. In order to implement this system, the school system should have educated the parents to alleviate their fear. Now the parents may rightly feel distrustful of a school system that didn't communicate details about a sensitive topic. As a result, the lunch lines will still move slower than necessary. Equipment and systems procured by the school system for fingerprint scanners will probably sit unused as a minor monument to tax dollar waste, all because of a failure to alleviate fear and ignorance. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: The Identity of an Infamous Scribbler BASENAME: there_are_a_lot_of STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Fear CATEGORY: Fear CATEGORY: Identity CATEGORY: People DATE: 11/19/2007 01:09:30 PM TAGS: "Board of Health","Buick Riviera",Chairman,"Civil Service Commission",Coward,Forum,Google,Greyhound,Identity,"Johnson and Helmuth","Las Vegas","Las Vegas Advisor","Law Firm",Ohio,Orrville,Pseudonym,"R. J. Helmuth","Rick Helmuth","Rick J. Helmuth","Ricky Jay Helmuth","RJ Helmuth","Senior Partner",Tormentor,"Wayne County" ----- BODY: There are a lot of things to love about the Internet. You can find people with similar interests and shrink the geographic boundaries between you, allowing people from around the world to communicate. On the other hand, you can also find an amazing amount of information about people if you give it a thought. That's why many people fear providing their real name online. Some worry about identity theft, others worry about protecting secrets. A select few like to use pseudonymity in order to attack others. This tactic was fairly common in the founding days of the United States. Publishers would print scathing attacks on politicians hidden behind pseudonyms. Some of our founding fathers engaged in the practice, from Ben Franklin to John Adams. George Washington lamented the lies printed by these "infamous scribblers." I'm no George Washington, but for about the past two years, I've had my own little online nemesis who's delighted in provoking and stalking me while hiding behind a veil of pseudonymity. He's gone so far as to post satellite images of my house on web forums, offered my home address to anyone who requested it, and gleefully posted about invading my privacy. I was annoyed more by his mocking and provocative attitude than by the information he offered. After all, everything he found was publicly available. I'm not afraid to share my identity on the Internet for a few reasons. First, I believe that the best way to protect your identity is to assert it. Second, obscurity is not security. There's no point in feeling a sense of comfort from hiding your identity with the assumption that it's impossible for anyone to find out the secret of your true identity. Google follows you everywhere. Even if you're very careful, you're bound to leave clues. That's how I discovered that my tormenter, a person who posts online under the alias Buick Riviera, was actually a 58 year-old husband, father, grandfather, senior partner in a law firm, chairman of a Civil Service Commission,and member of his county's Board of Health. His name is Ricky Jay Helmuth of Orrville, OH. We met on the Las Vegas Advisor forums. Rick Helmuth had been there for a while as Buick Riviera, and already had a reputation for stirring up some heated discussions. His political views lean strongly to the left and he doesn't hide his hatred for George W. Bush at all. I think of myself as a moderate Republican, so we clashed on political issues. Helmuth likes Downtown Las Vegas instead of the Strip or other areas. I actually visited downtown for the first time based upon recommendations from folks on the forum. Unfortunately, I found next to nothing charming about it. The place stunk of smoke and urine, and that was inside the casinos there. The folks who visit Downtown just aren't on the same wavelength as I am. It seems that Helmuth also took this as a personal insult. Due to our disagreements, Rick Helmuth decided to start off with insults. He called me "lowbeem", "beemshit", "beemslime", and probably others that I've since forgotten. I have to admit, he pissed me off and I most certainly said some unkind things in response. I've never had anyone speak to me in person the way Rick Helmuth did online behind his persona, Buick Riviera. It bugged me. Should someone ever insult me in person, I'd look them straight in the eye and confront them. That's not possible online with a person hiding behind a pseudonym. The fact that I couldn't reach a person who was blatantly mocking me had a tremendous impact, and I just got more upset. That played right into Helmuth's joy and he continued to do everything he could to push my buttons. For example, when he learned that I hated tattoos, he posted photos of some (I thought) really gross examples of body art. I was more upset by the notion of being mocked by a coward than the actual content he used. However, that wasn't enough for Helmuth. He decided to escalate things by invading my privacy. He looked up my home address and offered it to anyone who wanted it, kicking things off with this post on the Las Vegas Advisor:
Last night I found out how unsafe the internet can be. After a little exchange with lowbeem (you'll have to read the last page or so of the Ellis Island thread) I set out to learn the address of our Resident Pontificator to take him up on his invitation to "sue me". Anyhow, thanks to his big mouth and inability to use one word when 125 will do, I now know his address, what his house looks like, that his avatar is a fraud, that he does not live in a water front property, that behind his house is a dry pond (in Ohio we would call it a big mud puddle), what certifications he holds, what his training is in, the name of his former employer (he was "let go"), what technical papers he has written (he mentioned on here he is in the area of IT), how many dogs he has, I know that 7 is two of the digits of his address and the names of his neighbors. I'm pretty sure I know the name and address of his parents (but I got tired and went to bed). If I was a thief, I'd also know when to ransack his house because he has told us all when he is going on vacation, where he will be, how far he will be from home, the dates of deparature and that he will be 442 miles from LV coming and going with his visit sandwiched in between. Of course this all took about 30 minutes because I didn't know what I was doing and I was unwilling to pay $20 to the various vendors out there who would do it for me. My point is simply this. You aren't safe, your families are not safe and your possessions aren't safe when you decide to be an egotist on the internet. You open yourself up to the whole world, including the fruits and nuts. What befalls lowbeem, I could care less. But for the rest of you (as they used to say on Hill Street Blues) be careful out there. Your resident nut, Buick
Of course, it didn't stop there. He decided to post a satellite photo of my house with a diagonal slash through it on the site, and as part of his signature line on every post (since removed by LVA moderators). As he stated, his purpose was to violate my privacy as much as possible:
Cool site [referencing Zillow.com]. It was a lot faster than my gumshoe tactics. I got lowbeem's house (the correct one, not the one Google Earth gives you) in 6 seconds. All you need is the address (which you can easily find) to invade his privacy and peel away the fraud. Buick
Helmuth continued to taunt and insult for nearly two years. The only interruptions occurred when he was occasionally banned from the Las Vegas Advisor forum by its moderators. Not once, not twice, but three times. After each of his first two times being banned from the forum, Helmuth changed his attitude when allowed to return. He seemed more humble and less troublesome to me. Unfortunately, it never lasted. He received his third (and permanent) ban from Las Vegas Advisor a few weeks ago when he was once again displaying a satellite photo of my house in his signature line. I thought it would be over by that time. Helmuth couldn't post on that forum and I didn't visit the other Las Vegas message boards where he was still posting. At least, that's what I thought until I joined some friends and former members of Las Vegas Advisor on a forum at the VegasRex.com site. Once again, Helmuth started taunting folks on the forum, including myself and others, starting posts like this one:
Ohio State Kicks Michigan's Ass Again! by Buick Riviera on Sat Nov 17, 2007 3:25 pm So fuck you LIR. You too Nesalk. Wise decision Big. Buick
..and this one:
Here's What's Really Cool About This Forum by Buick Riviera on Sat Nov 17, 2007 8:15 am You can see how ugly the beautiful people really are. Buick
...or adding this video (which I presume he intended as a snipe against me) to an existing thread:
Re: Funny Video's Thread by Buick Riviera on Fri Nov 16, 2007 8:40 pm One of our own? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEWcGHvGi1c
I finally had enough. This person I only knew as Buick Riviera simply didn't seem to have anything better to do with his life than toss insults from behind a shield of obscurity. I was determined to put us on equal footing. He knew who I was, and I intended to find out who he was. Over the past couple of years, Helmuth left clues that I fed into Google. His avatar was always a graphic encouraging others to adopt greyhounds. He'd mentioned that his dogs were named Jake and Abby. He stated that he lived in Northeast Ohio. He is a big supporter of Ohio State sports. He loves fishing, and even posted photographs of his gear to make fishing rods in his home. He previously mentioned that he was a senior partner in his business. Helmuth uses a Photobucket.com account with the user name JakeGrey; something easily discovered by right-clicking on one of the photos he posted on the Las Vegas Advisor forum and examining the properties. That added another clue to my search. All of this was good enough for a start. Using Google, I searched for "Buick Riviera" + Ohio, "Buick Riviera"+fishing, "Buick Riviera"+greyhound, and "jakegrey" in my queries. I found a few hits. For example, "jakegrey" hit on Half.com for a user selling books, which shipped from Orrville, OH. A quick check of the map confirmed that Orrville was in the right region to be "Buick's" home, and gave me a bit more fuel for my searches. Another hit was on a forum for OhioGameFishing.com. I got a hit on a thread about members posting pictures of their boats, and there was this entry from a user named Buick Riviera: Ranger Rick.png Not only did this poster have the same Adopt a Greyhound avatar, but the man in the photo was the same person who I'd seen in photographs posted on the Las Vegas Advisor of Buick Riviera. It was the same guy. View image While I knew his face and his home town, I still didn't know his true name. I scanned every post Helmuth made on OhioGameFishing.com as Buick Riviera until I came across a thread discussing some engine problems he had with the Evinrude engine on his 2004 Ranger 175 VS bass boat. Someone referred him to another forum - BassBoat Central - to discuss his problem. Helmuth signed up on that forum and dutifully hid his e-mail address. However, location or age. Once again, I saw the familiar greyhound avatar, his location was in Ohio, and his age of 58 matched information he previously posted on Las Vegas Advisor. He also failed to conceal his Full Name: Buick's Real Name.png From here, everything clicked. My tormentor was actually Rick Helmuth of Orrville, Ohio. More quick searches revealed his full name was Ricky Jay Helmuth. He is a senior partner in the law firm of Johnson and Helmuth: View image Rick Helmuth is a member of the Wayne County, OH Board of Health: View image Rick Helmuth is a the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission for the City of Orrville, OH: Civil Service Commission.png There's more information, such as his e-mail address, his 1300 square foot home from an aerial point of view, and even photographs of his dogs. Now I know the same things about the man who so happily tormented me for about two years as he knows about me. All it took was some searches on Google and other public databases to bring it all out. I haven't uncovered anything that wasn't already provided by Helmuth. I simply used the power of search engines to correlate the information that he laid out in public. My recommendation for Rick Helmuth is simple. Behave online as you would in person. Perhaps he thought he could taunt and tease people on the Internet behind your pseudonym and no one would ever connect it to you. If that's the case, he was wrong. From what I've gathered, Helmuth behaved this way simply because he didn't like me. It's fine if someone doesn't like another person. How one behaves is the issue. Mr. Helmuth's behavior was quite simply appalling and inappropriate. You would think a 58 year-old man could find better ways to deal with his personal issues than to become an infamous scribbler. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Rick Helmuth ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: dari EMAIL: dari.romero@yahoo.com IP: 208.54.86.65 URL: DATE: 01/08/2010 05:17:27 PM Anything further on or from rick helmuth aka Buick Riviera? He's representing my soon to be daughter in law in a divorce/custody case funded by her daddy. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: William EMAIL: william@beem.us IP: 68.205.7.126 URL: DATE: 01/10/2010 04:04:05 PM Nothing further from Ricky Jay. He disappeared the day I wrote this post and hasn't bothered me since. I'm happy with the result. ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Vacation Photos BASENAME: vacation_photos STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Travel CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Travel DATE: 01/04/2008 02:26:31 PM TAGS: "Las Vegas",Photo,Photography,Travel,Vacation ----- BODY: Another year, another Christmas in Las Vegas. I think I stayed just a couple of days too long this time (9 nights). Just the same, it was nice to have a change of pace and get out of town for a few days. Foundation Room View - 10 Twilight Strip Splash A Million Reasons Ray of Light Angels Up High ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: Vacation ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: harleysocial EMAIL: IP: 72.229.137.222 URL: http://www.harleysocial.com DATE: 01/05/2008 12:59:13 PM Hi William: I thought I'd give you a heads up to a site I recently built called Harley Social (http://www.harleysocial.com). Definitely head on over when you've got some time. Would be great to have a fellow blogger on-board. Oh, in addition, I'm hoping to get a link exchange going with bloggers. In exchange I'll post a link to your blog in the footer of every Harley Social page. Love the Flickr photos! Best, David ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: I Want a New Web Design BASENAME: i_want_a_new_web_design STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Customer Service DATE: 02/23/2008 05:24:17 PM TAGS: Blogging,Consultant,CSS,Designer,"Movable Type",Template,"Web Design" ----- BODY: For the past couple of weeks, I've been trying to hire a web/blog designer. My writing here is kind of hit and miss, but I've decided that's mostly because I haven't really focused my topic that much. I've had a few niches with identity (because that's my field at work), with customer service (because lousy customer service pisses me off) and even fitness (when I was going through a fitness challenge). The topic that really seems to be the mainstay of my life right now is photography. I enjoy it and I want to share it. I want to spend more time delving into it. So my goal is to reshape this blog into a photography blog. I don't want to make it a news site about the industry; there are others who can do that far better than I ever could. I simply want to share some of my interest and passion for photography. With that in mind, there are some design changes I'd like to make here to accommodate a larger display for photographs. Then I started thinking about adding some elements I've found on other blogs. I need a change in color, typeface, and layout. That's just outside of my own sphere right now. Maybe I could work with someone experience and come up with a design that I like, but I'd just get frustrated and quit if I tried to do it myself. So where do you find a good web designer who knows Movable Type, the CMS software I use to host this site? As luck would have it, there's a nice Wiki with a list of folks who do just this kind of work. I started reading through the entries and contacting folks who seemed like they could do the job for me. Results? Not a fucking one of them responded to me. Damn if I know why, either. I'm sitting here on my tax refund with money to spend and none of these folks have the business acumen to respond and inquire how they could earn that money. Idiots. So I've decided to do something that I saw a little league team doing in front of my local supermarket earlier today. Begging. Those guys were begging for donations to go to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Maybe it'll work for them. So I'm going to sit here and beg for an experience web designer who can help me shape my blog design and create the necessary templates & CSS to put it out there. Feel free to write me: william at beem dawt us. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Alcohol May Impair Fashion Sense BASENAME: alcohol_may_impair_fashion_sen STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Events CATEGORY: Events CATEGORY: Humor CATEGORY: People CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 03/08/2008 06:30:56 PM TAGS: 2008,"Bike Week",Biker,Florida,"Iron Horse Saloon","Ormond Beach",USA ----- BODY:

Alcohol May Impair Fashion Sense, originally uploaded by wbeem.

Bike Week is almost over. I can't help but wonder what she'll wear to work on Monday.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: SCAM: Winter Park Dodge BASENAME: scam_winter_park_dodge STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Customer Service CATEGORY: Customer Service DATE: 03/21/2008 07:12:48 PM TAGS: Cheat,Contract,"Customer Service",Dealership,Florida,Scam,Service,Tires,"Winter Park","Winter Park Dodge" ----- BODY: About two and a half years ago, I bought a new Dodge Durango from Winter Park Dodge. My old Ford Explorer had about 200,000 miles on it and I'd sunk about $2600 worth of repairs into it the previous month, and then the damn thing started acting up with another problem. Having decided what I wanted, I made an Internet purchase from Winter Park Dodge. One of the things I liked was that they offered oil changes and tires for the life of the vehicle as part of the deal. Seemed pretty sweet. For the past two and a half years, I've been visiting the service department to get my free oil changes. It's by no means a fast service. Despite getting their before opening time at 8:00 am on Saturday, I've generally had to wait anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours for them to perform a simple oil change. It's annoying, but I put up with it because it's part of my deal. As far as I'm concerned, I've already paid for this oil when I bought the car. A couple of times, the service agent would come up to the lobby and told me I needed to rotate my tires, etc. Fine, do it. I have a Gold Amex and I'm not afraid to use it. Besides, I'm already there. Now I have a little over 46,000 miles and my tires are ready for replacement. I called up the service department today to ask how it works. The guy told me that the service manager has to approve it, so I'd need to come in for a tire inspection. Also, there's no such thing as a free lunch. As part of the change, I had to pay $80 for the balance & mount and another $89 for an alignment. Since the service manager wouldn't be working on Saturday, he asked if I could drive down after work for the inspection and then I'd be good to come back for the tire replacement on Saturday. All the techs would leave the shop before I got there after 5:00 pm. I drive down, get my inspection, and then the service manager checks my work history. She comes back and tells me, "Mr. Beem, I can't replace your tires for free." Why not? "You haven't performed the required maintenance. You're supposed to rotate your tires and have alignments according to the schedule. It's on the back of your contract." Well, fuck me. Shame on me. It's all my fault. After all, doesn't everyone turn over the BACK of their contract to see what kind of restrictions weren't printed on the front of it? Her refusal to honor the "tires for life" deal kind of pissed me off. I looked at her service printout and noted that I've been coming here for oil changes and I've performed the recommended service whenever it's been brought up. Why the hell wouldn't the service staff mention these requirements when I'm in there just about every 3,000 miles? Why wait two and a half years and more than 46,000 miles later to point out a clause on the BACK of a contract that's been sitting in my glove box? She didn't answer. So shame on me for not living up to my part of the contract. Nevertheless, this is sheer stupidity on the part of Winter Park Dodge. They've essentially structured this program to make profit for the service department with a plethora of tire rotations, alignments, and then mounting & balancing fees so I could get my tires. Then they didn't follow through with it. There's another part of this whole thing that pisses me off. What was the point of having me drive down there before they checked my service history? These fuckers could've denied me over the phone and saved me a 30 mile round-trip in rush hour traffic. Instead of making that money, all they've done is piss me off and ensure that I'm going to buy my tires somewhere else. I was also set to buy an updated DVD for my navigation system (about $200), but I'll toss that business to a competing dealer, too. Now that I've had time to think it over, I see this for what it is. It's a scam. Winter Park Dodge tries to make you think that you're getting something, but the truth is that they've structured so many service requirements into the deal that you're not really getting anything. I suppose that I should almost be happy that their incompetence means I can go get the tires that I want instead of whatever low-end crap they would've "given" to me. At least the oil changes are real, even if they take two hours to perform. I'll make sure to get every one of them at 3,000 miles, too, even though the manual says I only need to change the oil every 7,500 miles. After all, it's part of the deal. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Flickr Has Video Now BASENAME: flickr_has_video_now STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Social Networking CATEGORY: Photography CATEGORY: Social Networking DATE: 04/09/2008 04:11:01 PM TAGS: Flickr,"Social Networks",video ----- BODY:

New Dance
Originally uploaded by KaatiiieBoBaatiiie
Expect lots of stuff like this.
----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Getting Social BASENAME: getting_social STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Social Networking DATE: 05/01/2008 07:54:17 PM TAGS: Blogging,Flickr,FriendFeed,Internet,MySpace,Photography,RSS,"Social Networks","Thomas Hawk" ----- BODY: There must be a social network on the Internet for most every conceivable affinity. Some of them I like, others I've tried and they just don't do anything for me. While I may not write here on a set basis, I'm an avid reader of blogs using Google Reader. Since I'm interested in photography, I'm on Flickr every day. MySpace, on the other hand, just really hasn't captured my soul. I set up a profile on it because I could and thought it would be a good way to network with people interested in modeling and photography. It hasn't worked out that way for me, probably due to my lack of interest and ability to weed my way through countless pink & black member pages. The downside to having a plethora of social networking sites is that you have to check each one of them individually. RSS is a fantastic way to keep up with the blogs I want to read, but I haven't found a way to really make it jive with social networking sites in a manner that works for me. FriendFeed is supposed to do all of that for me. I just signed up today, though I was initially skeptical. The last thing I wanted was to invest more time in yet another diversion. However, the service has some possibilities and it's already growing on me. Thomas Hawk blogged about it and seemed pleased. After a day or so of mulling it over, I jumped in today. By default, FriendFeed provides easy integration with 35 different social networks. Some sites I expected to see, like Flickr, YouTube, Digg, and Twitter. Others surprised me, such as NetFlix queue, Amazon Wishlist and Disqus. There were categories that I didn't even know about, including social network sites for music and books. I may end up checking into more ways to waste my time as a result. You can also add any RSS feed to your page and decide what you'd like to share. How much you share is up to you. You decide which feeds and interfaces to share. You decide whether the content you share is open to the public or privately protected. However, it's probably a good idea subscribe to a few friends and watch their feeds before you create your own list of sharing. I say that because I was surprised to learn how much of your activity suddenly gets put out there for others to view. For example, I totally expected to see the photos I posted to my Flickr account to show up as an item shared. What I didn't expect was to see that the photos of other people that you select as a Favorite also show up on your feed. So I saw my latest three images I posted from Las Vegas...and then I saw the image of a scantily clad woman pulling down provocatively on her underwear; the image I'd selected as a favorite. Hey, I like attractive women. I suppose it makes sense to share it on FriendFeed, as my favorites are there for anyone to view if they visit my Flickr page - tits and all. Somehow, it just knocked me back a step - this difference between someone coming to my page to view the favorites vs. me proudly broadcasting those selections to anyone who may have subscribed to my feed. It's something I may keep in mind as I make new Favorite selections on Flickr in the future. There are some aspects that I'll have to work out in my head. You can leave comments on FriendFeed regarding an item that someone just posted. I'm already watching little conversations develop there. Those conversations are on FriendFeed, though, and not the source of the post (e.g., Flickr comments). Potentially, you could miss out on a conversation on the source site, or end up following two different streams of conversation about a single item. Watching the feeds also gives me some insight to other social networks where I haven't participated - like Twitter. For the life of me, I've despised people's fascination with Twitter as I read about it in blogs. It just seems like such a phenomenal waste of time. There are enough distractions in my life without getting into following micro-conversations of who had what for lunch. Nevertheless, here I am on FriendFeed reading Twitter and Pownce conversations between people that I don't really know. This thing could seriously suck the life out of me if I don't develop some personal ground rules. One thing I haven't found yet is how to discover people I don't know based upon an affinity or interest. For example, who else on FriendFeed has an avid interest in photography? I'd like to find them and subscribe to their feed. So far, I haven't really found any listing of groups or a refined search function. The few folks i've subscribed to thus far are folks I know about from Flickr or their blogs. I think FriendFeed definitely has potential. One can only hope that there's a way to discover people with similar interests. If it doesn't exist, then let's hope the folks who run the site have that kind of search on their list of enhancements. Come to think of it, where's the feedback function for FriendFeed? Time to explore. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Going to California BASENAME: going_to_california STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Social Networking CATEGORY: Photography CATEGORY: Social Networking CATEGORY: Travel DATE: 05/02/2008 09:49:53 AM TAGS: California,Google,Map,Photography,"San Francisco","Social Networks",Travel ----- BODY: I'm heading off to San Francisco next week for a business trip. It's been ten years since I was last in town and I didn't have a camera with me on that trip (also for business). This time, I'm hoping to steal a few hours to make some shots around town. I'll be honest, I'm going for some of the cliche shots that most everyone else has made. There may be a million photos of the Golden Gate Bridge, but none of them are mine. Coming into a strange town and not knowing where things are can sometimes make it difficult to find the great shots. Fortunately, I have an advantage for this trip. Thomas Hawk wrote a blog post about his Top 10 Places for Photography in San Francisco. Complete with sample images from his Flickr and Zooomr pages, it's an illustrated guide to some excellent scenic photography for the San Francisco area. Honestly, I'm not going to have much time to shoot. I have about a half a day when I arrive and then the evening after work before I depart the next day. There's no way to truly do all of the city justice on such a short trip. Using Hawk's post and photos as a guide, I narrowed down my selections and marked them on a Google Map.
View Larger Map Even these selections may turn out to be more than I can fit into such a short space of time, but at least I'll have some points of reference. Using the map also helps me determine which sites are close enough together that I can fit in a few spots in a relatively short location space. Close together or not, there are some shots that I'm reasonably determined to get - views of the Golden Gate Bridge, from Twin Peaks, the seal rocks by Sutro Baths, and the catwalk view from the Mandarin Oriental. This really demonstrates the power of social networks and sharing. Thomas wrote this excellent guide to help answer folks who typically e-mail him for tips about where to shoot in San Francisco. He and others shared some outstanding photos of San Francisco and the surrounding area on Flickr & Zooomr that are easily searchable. Google Maps gives me a tool to pinpoint my own interests and then add it to my blog to share with others. The tools work fine separately, but the real power comes from combination and sharing. When I get back, I'll share my shots and maybe it'll help someone else decide how to approach their photos in San Francisco. Maybe it'll show them what they don't want to do. Either way, this is pretty cool. My trip will turn out better because of the social technology and sharing of people I've never met. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Layers BASENAME: layers STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Travel DATE: 05/03/2008 08:47:21 AM TAGS: "Las Vegas",Nature,Nevada,Photo,Travel,"Valley of Fire" ----- BODY:

Layers, originally uploaded by wbeem.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Should I Stay or Should I Go BASENAME: should_i_stay_or_should_i_go STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Travel CATEGORY: Weather DATE: 05/04/2008 10:55:01 AM TAGS: B&W,"Black & White",Bridge,Duotone,Photo,Snow,Springdale,Travel,USA,Utah,Weather,Winter,"Zion National Park" ----- BODY:

Should I Stay or Should I Go, originally uploaded by wbeem.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: City by the Bay BASENAME: city_by_the_bay STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Photography CATEGORY: Photography CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Travel DATE: 05/08/2008 08:16:52 PM TAGS: "Baker Beach",California,"Golden Gate Bridge",Photo,Photography,Police,"San Francisco",Travel ----- BODY: Baker Beach I spent the early part of this week on a business trip in San Francisco. It's been ten years since my last visit and I didn't take any photos on previous visits. Although I had very limited time, I marked up a bunch of potential locations to shoot if the opportunity presented itself. I made a few, but missed most of them. One thing I'd forgotten was just how confusing it is for a stranger to navigate in San Francisco. If I made this comment to the locals, they'd invariably blame it on the one-way streets. That wasn't my problem, though. I can deal with one-way streets. What confuses me is when a street isn't where I think it's supposed to be. Here's an example. My hotel was on 8th Street. The first issue is not to confuse the numbered streets with the numbered avenues. As they seem to be in different parts of the city, that wasn't too much of a problem. I could find 9th street. I could find 7th Street. There just didn't seem to be an 8th street between them. It turns out that 8th Street only runs for a short distance at the end of Hyde. I was literally missing my street because I was crossing about a block or two away from it. San Francisco City Hall One of the first places I stopped just to shoot a little bit was City Hall. It's a beautiful building filled with (seemingly) homeless people sleeping on the front lawn. Hey, it was a nice day for a nap in the sun. I nearly had a run-in with one of those folks. He seemed to be extremely angry and yelling at no one in particular as he walked toward me. Mentally unstable is the phrase that comes to mind. He really didn't like all of us purple-skinned people. Rather than debate the issue with him, I decided to get the hell out of there. Little did I know at that time, but I would spend the next three hours driving around town only to discover that my hotel was about two blocks from City Hall. Sutro Baths The shot above is from the Sutro Baths / Seal Rocks / Cliff House area. It was actually a dreary night, filled with misty rain, high winds, and cold temps. I'd like to think this image actually captures some of that dreariness, but yet somehow makes it appealing. Then again, that's just what I think. The truth is that this isn't quite the image I originally had in mind. That's because the front element of my 18-200mm VR lens FELL OUT and cracked on the floor just a few minutes before I setup for this shot. I was having dinner at the Cliff House and splat. It's a sickening feeling when you lose a lens. Fortunately, I had my wide angle and a fisheye with me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have a single picture to share. There are three things that really struck me about the people of San Francisco: 1: They are the slowest pedestrians in the world when crossing the street. 2: These folks are bag people. Nearly everyone has a backpack or messenger bag. 3: Bicycles are everywhere and they defy death by running red lights without care. After the first day in town, I smacked myself upside the head and realized that the solution to my navigation problems was right inside my pocket. My iPhone has Google Maps. I could easily use it to navigate the streets from source to destination. Once I started using it, the various confusing streets no longer mattered. All I had to do was follow directions and that was easy enough. A built-in Nav system is better, but my iPhone was a saving grace in town. Presidio Glow My other crisis in town happened on Baker Beach. Apparently, this beach is part of the park system and it closes at 7:00 pm. Well, it's supposed to close at 7:00 pm, but I got there after 8:00 and access to the parking was wide open. The sign with information about closing time isn't by the entrance, so I didn't notice it at all. I parked my car and blissfully hiked about a half-mile to a spot on the beach where I shot time exposures (like the one above and the Golden Gate Bridge photo at the top) until 9:00 pm. When I tried to leave, there was the barricade in front of the road locking me inside the park. I didn't panic. I figured there had to be a way out of there. Maybe there was enough room on either side of the barricade to squeeze through. After all, I'm driving a rental car. You can drive a rental car anywhere. Maybe you can't get it back, but that's the rental car company's problem. Let's just say that my efforts failed. In fact, I got stuck in some sand and also nearly rolled it down a steep hill. Since I got out of the sand and didn't actually roll it over the hill, the rental car company doesn't know about those events and we'll assume it never really happened. Finally, I just called 911 to explain that I'm an embarrassed tourist who got himself locked in the park. A couple of transfers later and I'm told that the Park Police know I'm in there and is already on the way. My guess is that he came by way of Oakland, possibly because he didn't want to quickly accommodate me. Once he arrived, he taunted me with his loudspeaker telling me that the parks close at 7:00 and it's clearly after sunset, so what's my problem? I didn't care. Truly, I really didn't care. As far as I'm concerned, he's my bitch. That's right. I made a phone call and he came to do my bidding. Once he opened the gate, I waved and left with a smile on my face. My original intent was to apologize to him for not paying close enough attention, but screw it. I don't particularly care for public servants who get their ego stroked by trying to insult people they've never met. After my two days in town, I developed a love/hate relationship with the city. Parts of it are stunningly beautiful. I could take photos there for a lifetime. Other parts were not so hot. It's an old city and quite a bit of it looks decrepit and decayed. If I had the financial freedom to live there (and I don't), I think I'd rather live across the Bay in Marin County and commute to the city when I felt like it. The food certainly wasn't a hit for me. No doubt there are many fine restaurants in town, but I just kept picking the wrong places. In the end, I was happy to leave. San Francisco is charming in a way and I'd love to spend more time there, but it's not home to me. I think I'll always be a Florida man at heart. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Old Skool Nymph BASENAME: old_skool_nymph STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Photography CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 05/27/2008 08:53:04 PM TAGS: "Abby Trent","Black & White",FABAIC,Florida,Model,Orlando,Photo,Photography,USA ----- BODY:

Old Skool Nymph, originally uploaded by wbeem.

Sometimes you see an image in color and it just screams out for black and white. That was the case, for me anyway, with this image I shot of Abby Trent at the Face and Body Art International Conference this past week in Orlando.

In most cases, body art is so vibrant in color that it's a shame to either desaturate it or change to black and white. To be fair, I thought the original color image was charming. However, I began to feel more inclined to show the lines here instead of the colors.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Koi Toy BASENAME: koi_toy STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Photography CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 05/28/2008 02:18:00 PM TAGS: Art,"Ashley Simone","Body Art","Body Paint","Carolyn Roper",FABAIC,Florida,Orlando,Photo,Photography,USA ----- BODY: Koi Toy Model Ashley Simone displays the art of 2007 World Body Painting Champion Carolyn Roper during the FABAIC in Orlando. I wanted to post this as a contrast to yesterday's black and white image. Most body art that I've viewed seem to use similarly vibrant colors. In my opinion, this piece was one of the stand-out works during the show. That's not to say that other artists didn't create jaw dropping work; they did. This one just happens to be my favorite. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Flickr Video Continues to Amaze BASENAME: flickr_video_continues_to_amaz STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 DATE: 06/28/2008 09:29:47 PM ----- BODY:

drivinburptease, originally uploaded by becky_gurlnextdoor.

I was afraid that the 90 second videos on Flickr would be rather lame, but it's clearly become a format as important as Haiku.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: DJ Moo Moo EMAIL: charleston-sc-dj@gmail.com IP: 68.58.179.107 URL: http://www.djmoomoo.com DATE: 10/07/2008 11:30:25 PM She was a very cute girl - a hot chick even...if that weren't so darn nasty. geesh. She can belt em out like a man. Here's the thing. In a very short period of time, this young lady might be going up for a great job interview. The first thing a Company is going to do is "Google" her name. The 1st thing! They can find out more about you in 30 seconds online than in any resume. I hope they have a sense of humor. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Becky Lesabre EMAIL: admin@touchysubject.com IP: 67.8.151.19 URL: http://www.beckygurlnextdoor.com DATE: 11/20/2008 01:23:08 AM Love it... lol, I hope every one googles me, not just for my porn auditions lol ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Update: Winter Park Dodge Still Sucks BASENAME: update_winter_park_dodge_still STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Customer Service CATEGORY: Customer Service DATE: 07/09/2008 07:55:21 PM TAGS: Dodge,Durango,Florida,Service,"Winter Park","Winter Park Dodge" ----- BODY: As I posted previously, I'm more than a bit ticked off that Winter Park Dodge isn't honoring its marketing enticement to provide free tires for life along with the Dodge Durango that I bought in 2005. They have an excuse, as a pre-requisite is that I was supposed to let them do all sorts of maintenance on my Durango. I always accepted whenever they told me I needed something done, but apparently they didn't tell me every time and I just didn't think about it. Shame on me for that. However, doesn't this seem pretty stupid from a business point of view? I went in there every 3,000 miles for my free oil change. Each vehicle has the same schedule, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist or elaborate computer tracking program to say:
"Mr. Beem, I see you're here for your 6,000 mile oil change. I'd like to remind you that you need to rotate your tires in order to qualify for a free tire exchange later. The fee for the rotation is $xx.xx."
That seems like good business. It not only offers the customer a choice, but it's a good way to increase your earnings. As long as the prices are reasonable per the market, I imagine most folks would accept. What the hell, you're already there and they have the car up on the jack. Why not rotate the tires while the oil drains? The service department at Winter Park Dodge doesn't do that for its customers, though. I tried going through my sales rep, since she sent me a post card reminding me of an upcoming oil change. Cool. I figured if they could spend the money to mail a postcard about a service item, maybe they could also just tell a customer about other pending service. I also asked her how they expect to earn a customer's future service business once they miss a required service item. She didn't know, but was willing to query the manager. She also thought that, although I may not qualify for free tires, perhaps they'd be willing to sell them to me at cost or discount them so I could get back to my maintenance schedule for future free tires. That was a month ago. Earlier today, I e-mailed her back to inquire about the result. Her response came and simply said that the manager doesn't see it my way. That's it. That's the big customer service response from the manager at Winter Park Dodge. The manager didn't take any time to contact me, hear my side of the situation, or even explain why the decision was made. The manager just doesn't see it my way. Well, that saves me a bit of decision making. For example, I know that there's no point in driving all the way down to Winter Park Dodge for service when I can get it from another dealer closer to home. I know there's no way in hell I'll be buying tires from Winter Park Dodge. In fact, they gave me a pretty good indication that Winter Park Dodge does not want to lift a finger for my business. It's a shame, because I really would like to have a service department that I can trust to ensure that this vehicle has proper maintenance and runs well. I'm happy to pay for that service. However, I don't like to pay anyone who doesn't honestly value my business enough to show a little courtesy. I guess that leaves out the service department at Winter Park Dodge. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Why Does Six Apart Treat Movable Type Like A Second Class Citizen? BASENAME: why_does_six_apart_treat_movab STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Blogging DATE: 07/10/2008 07:28:38 PM TAGS: Blogging,iPhone,"Movable Type","Six Apart",Tools,TypePad ----- BODY: The iPhone App store is open now. As expected, Six Apart has a native iPhone application there for TypePad users. It's a really cool idea. Although Six Apart has written some web apps in the past to support blogging on the various platforms provided by the company, this one is a bit different. One of the most notable features, to me, is the ability to use a picker and select photos from your iPhone to include in your blog post. That opens up the world of being out there, grabbing a quick photo, and immediately sharing it with the world via your blog. Well, at least if you use TypePad. Those of us who bought Movable Type early in Six Apart's life are still feeling a bit left out of the cool stuff. It seems pretty clear that Six Apart favors its TypePad base, and probably Vox right after that. My guess is that those users are a larger market. However, I'm still not sure if I understand why this new iPhone app doesn't work with Movable Type. After all, Six Apart went through some effort a while ago to make sure the code base between TypePad and Movable Type were the same. The only real difference is that you'd need to have a very small section of the program to point the program to your Movable Type host - something that seems really, really trivial. Apparently that was still too much. Six Apart does some really cool stuff, but I'm getting tired of them ignoring the platform that got them started. I'm getting tired of whining about features that they provide to TypePad, but not Movable Type. I'm getting tired of being a second class citizen. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Anil Dash EMAIL: anil@dashes.com IP: 69.86.83.9 URL: http://www.anildash.com/ DATE: 07/10/2008 08:30:58 PM Hey William, I saw this post (and your comment on TUAW), and I wanted to get a chance to respond. First; Thanks for using MT, and for being so passionate about it. We appreciate that you've been part of the community for so long. And just as importantly, we try to honor that investment you've made in us by continuously improving and updating MT and its features. MT4 was the biggest leap forward the platform's ever taken, and MT 4.2, which is already in the release candidate stage, is going to be just as big a leap forward. It'll also be a free upgrade for you, including many of the most-requested features, from massive performance improvements to much simpler templates and better spam fighting. We absolutely do not play favorites with our platforms. We released the very first iPhone interfaces on any blogging platforms anywhere, and the iPhone interface on TypePad and the iMT plugin for MT (available in the plugin directory, completely free, and works with your version of MT) at the same time. When we created Blog It, powered by TypePad, we made it free and easy to post to your MT blog from an iPhone or from within Facebook. When we made TypePad AntiSpam for TypePad, we made it available for free as a plugin for all MT users. That's not to say that some capabilties don't come to some platforms first. In general, it's easier for us to do centralized features on TypePad first, and decentralized ones on MT first. It's easier to ship some complicated features as MT plugins first and then deploy them over time to TypePad. So, things like OpenID sign-in have come to MT first, and things like the native iPhone app have come to TypePad first. Perhaps just as importantly, new inventions like Action Streams, come first and exclusively to Movable Type. But in short, we're investing massive amounts in making Movable Type the best platform it's ever been, with more developers (both inside and outside Six Apart) working than at any time in the 7 years in its history. We've invested in keeping MT's track record as the most secure popular blogging platform, so you don't have to worry about constant security threats and updates. We're putting resources into fixing past shortcomings, like performance and speed, or template complexity, or lack of documentation. Most importantly, we're listening to what you're saying. I can't stress enough: This is the best MT as a platform has ever been in its entire nearly-seven-year history. From success in the market, to the number of new customers coming to (or coming back to, or switching to) the platform, to new plugins popping up, everyone both inside and outside Six Apart is working very hard to make sure this platform is vibrant and exciting. But my goal is to show you, not tell you. We haven't made any public announcements of a timeframe for posting to Movable Type with a native application on the iPhone, but I hear you loud and clear that you want us to prioritize that. In the meantime, I'd be happy to show you dozens more ways to take advantage of MT's unique new capabilties, and you always have our ear if you want to give us feedback. My personal mobile phone number is 646-541-5843 and my email is anil@dashes.com -- drop me a line if there's more we need to hear. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: GTFsr EMAIL: gtfsr@yahoo.com IP: 65.33.85.52 URL: DATE: 08/24/2009 10:38:30 PM Hello William, When we first moved to Florida, Sanford actually we looked extensively for a place to live HE Thomas Hwy. We wound up for a very short time instead on International Pkwy instead. We visit Seaworld very often and they never brother me about my Nikon until one of their free concerts. I'm still hot under the collar about that so I keep my mouth shut keep going back. I have to do Kraken and Manta even though I can't figure out how to sneak my camera along for the ride. Nice site BTW. I'll stop by some more to look around. George ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: A Day at the Beach BASENAME: a_day_at_the_beach STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Travel DATE: 09/24/2008 08:17:30 PM TAGS: Beach,"Black & White",Daytona,"Daytona Beach",Duotone,Florida,Ocean,Photo,Pier,Water ----- BODY:

A Day at the Beach, originally uploaded by wbeem.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Don't Bring Me Down BASENAME: dont_bring_me_down STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 10/08/2008 11:30:01 AM TAGS: Flamingo,Landscape,"Las Vegas",Nevada,Photo,USA,Water,Waterfall ----- BODY:

Don't Bring Me Down, originally uploaded by wbeem.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Happy Thanksgiving BASENAME: happy_thanksgiving STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Animals CATEGORY: Animals CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 11/26/2008 09:23:08 PM TAGS: Bird,Holiday,Photo,Thanksgiving,Turkey ----- BODY:

Happy Thanksgiving, originally uploaded by wbeem.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: The Spirit of Christmas BASENAME: the_spirit_of_christmas STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 12/21/2008 08:25:07 PM TAGS: Alcohol,Bottles,"Las Vegas",Liquor,Nevada,Photo,Rum,Tequila,USA,Vodka ----- BODY:

The Spirit of Christmas, originally uploaded by wbeem.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Obligatory New Year Post BASENAME: obligatory_new_year_post STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Events CATEGORY: Events DATE: 01/01/2009 11:26:20 AM TAGS: 2009,Holiday,"New Year" ----- BODY: I'm going through my Google Reader, checking out my subscribed blogs, and it's no surprise that most of them are wishing their readers to have a happy new year. It's more than a wish, it's almost a command. "Happy New Year" just shouts out at you, doesn't it? People said the same thing a year ago, and look how that turned out. I could join and wish you a happy new year, but I wonder if that carries any legal obligation. Suppose you don't have a happy new year at all. Can you sue me? Have I become responsible for your happiness during the year? As much as I may want you all to have a happy new year, I'm afraid I don't have enough power to ensure that it actually happens. It's one of those things where you need to take responsibility for your own actions and hope that's sufficient. Let's face it, the new year is really a contrived celebration. Many years ago, some old men decided to start counting the days until the Earth made enough revolutions around the Sun to get back to the same place. These old men didn't even know the Earth was moving around the Sun at the time, but all the pieces fit and they could count so many days until we got back where we started. Oh, it took a while before they had the calendar figured out completely. Someone had to add the leap year. Let's not forget that a lot of birthdays at the end of February got screwed when Roman Emperors decided to steal some days to make months named after them a day longer. People are always picking on February, so I presume that's why we put the extra day in the Leap Year there. So even though it was arbitrarily considered the start of a New Year, January 1st has some real psychological impact on people. For instance, it's when they start their Resolutions for the new year. That means parking at my gym is going to be rough for the next month. Fortunately, most of those people burn out and leave by February. I don't really think it's the new year that inspires some attention to physical fitness, at least not by itself. Rather, it's probably due to all the food & drink consumed from Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve, and maybe also during football games and parades on New Year's Day. Once they get past that point, it seems like a good time to start working off that holiday fat. You can call it a resolution if you want, but I call it a lot of people who are too cheap or broke to buy new pants. Either that, or their vanity won't allow them to admit they went up a size or more. When you sit and think about it, there's really nothing that's changed as a result of the new year. The holiday season would be over even if we started the new year in March. People would feel just as much need to drop a few pounds or at least stop living to such excess. The New Year is a contrived holiday. What are we really celebrating, after all? Maybe that's why the climax of the celebration is really so short. I once spent New Year's Eve in Times Square with some friends. Basically, that entails going down there 12 hours before midnight so the cops can put you in a pen without food, water, shelter, or any toilet facilities. You can get out if you want, but then you can't get back in your same pen. You have to go further back down the street to get in another pen if you still want to celebrate. Of course, that means you're separated from your friends if they don't all go pee with you. The street party is for the cheap folks, though. The real party happens in the Marriott Marquis on Times Square, but it's not cheap at all. People spend BIG bucks for a room with a view, and then more money for the party happening inside the hotel. I suppose it's worth it, though. For a fee, you don't freeze to death, you get food, drink, and access to bathrooms without losing your place. All of this is just a prelude to the big moment, though. You know, where a big ball of flashing lights gradually lowers itself down a poll. Really, I'm not kidding. That's it. A million people gather to watch that damn ball lower itself, a bunch of confetti shoots all over the crowd and THEN...nothing happens. It's the new year. Whatever was happening before is still happening, except mail delivery stops and banks close for a day. So it's 2009. I don't want to be a social outcast for not going along with the party spirit. Therefore, I wish you a Happy New Year*. [* - This statement is in no way a binding agreement or guarantee that you will actually have a happy new year.] ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Tangy BASENAME: tangy STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Photos CATEGORY: Travel DATE: 01/05/2009 11:49:14 AM TAGS: Chihuly,"Fiori de Como",Glass,"Las Vegas",Nevada,Photo,Sculpture,"The Bellagio",USA ----- BODY:

Tangy, originally uploaded by wbeem.

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Dumb Dogs BASENAME: dumb_dogs STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Animals CATEGORY: Animals DATE: 01/29/2009 09:29:37 AM TAGS: dogs,Florida,Max,Sanford ----- BODY: Max.jpg I'm not sure which of my three dogs is the dumbest. Today it's the little one, Max. A few months ago he seemed to be at death's door and could barely move. The vet wanted to operate on him, but his blood test revealed a liver problem. We figured he'd be dead in a month. I started giving him some wet food as a treat in the morning, and he recovered. It's not like he was starving, he always ate his food the same as the other two dogs. It's just that this food seems to excite him. What dog doesn't like wet food over dry? Keep in mind this dog is about 17 years old, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he were ready to pass away. He's old, can't see for cataracts, has cysts all around his body, and generally doesn't have much of anything to do; except eat that wet food every morning. Now it's something he demands. I get home from the gym about 9:00 am and let all the dogs inside. He immediately starts running into me, stepping on me, and doing everything he can to get his daily wet food treat. I can't give it to him in front of the bigger dogs, since they'd just nudge him away and eat it. I have to get them back outside and then Max starts prancing. You'd almost think he was a 2 year-old dog again. He literally stands up on his hind legs, paddles his front paws, and then BOUNCES his way into the kitchen to eat. That's what he was doing this morning, bouncing along and looking over his shoulder, when he bounced his furry ass into the water bowl for the big dogs. It's almost big enough for him to sleep in it, but he doesn't because, you know, it's full of water. Anyway, he hops full body into the bowl, jumps out, and splashes water all over my kitchen floor. It doesn't matter to him, since he still wants that wet food, but you know he's not going to clean up the mess he made. Max earns the award for Dumbest Dog of the Day. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: The Path to Zion BASENAME: the_path_to_zion STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Photography CATEGORY: Photography CATEGORY: Photos DATE: 05/11/2009 08:49:12 PM TAGS: Nature,Photo,Photography,Snow,Springdale,Utah,Winter,"Zion National Park" ----- BODY:

The Path to Zion, originally uploaded by wbeem.

I'm taking a moment to brag. It's not a huge thing, but this photo was selected as the Image of the Week at the NAPP Member Portfolio site. At least it was enough to make me smile.

http://www.photoshopuser.com/members/portfolios/

----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: Hunter EMAIL: hunter@ratevegas.com IP: 24.254.82.210 URL: http://www.ratevegas.com/blog/ DATE: 06/27/2009 01:23:52 AM Wow, this show is amazing! I love it. ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: A Slight Diversion and a New Blog BASENAME: a_slight_diversion_and_a_new_b STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Photography CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: On Writing CATEGORY: Photography CATEGORY: Social Networking DATE: 10/13/2009 04:47:21 PM TAGS: blogging,"Movable Type",Photography,WordPress ----- BODY: I recently created another blog specific to my interest in Photography. While I haven't exactly been burning up the Internet with posts on this one, I think I'm about to make some changes. Part of the reason I've not written here quite so often is my frustration with Movable Type - just signing in pisses me off. The new blog is under Word Press and I'm thinking it's time to change everything to that platform. While MT is fine for corporate accounts & Britney Spears, who can hire developers to tinker around with it, it's just a giant pain in the ass for a guy like me who only wants a decent configuration tool so he can get to the business of writing. MT's online configuration tool is laughable. Until I can make some changes here, please feel free to join me at http://williambeem.com if you have an interest in photography. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- -------- AUTHOR: wbeem TITLE: Open Question for Six Apart BASENAME: open_question_for_six_apart STATUS: Publish ALLOW COMMENTS: 1 CONVERT BREAKS: __default__ ALLOW PINGS: 1 PRIMARY CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Blogging CATEGORY: Social Networking DATE: 10/18/2009 09:16:37 PM TAGS: blogging,"Movable Type","Six Apart",WordPress ----- BODY: Dear Six Apart people, Why do your themes for Movable Type still suck so much? Mostly, you have variations on a theme created years ago. Stylecatcher came out in 2005 as a potential solution and it quickly went nowhere. I can't speak for all of your users, but I'm guessing there's a pretty significant contingent of folks like me; people who lack design skills or otherwise don't want to spend time delving into code to tweak CSS settings. We want visual choices. Wordpress has several, including some great options for purchase. They're easy to implement, often requiring little more than clicking a link for automatic download and activation. Within seconds, you can re-skin your Wordpress blog with some really cool themes. Why the fuck can't you do that with Movable Type? Take a look at a package I bought from Pro Photo Blogs. It's awesome and reasonably priced. It offered configurable options that allowed me to create my photo blog on Word Press in a way that I could NEVER do using Movable Type, unless I spent thousands of dollars on a custom template. As a non-profit hobbyist, the economics just don't work for me to spend that kind of money on my blog. So am I, and other MT users, doomed to ugliness or time consuming code-wrenching, or are you going to do something about it? Will you create a configurable design tool that isn't laughable? There is a market opportunity for you to explore. It doesn't matter to me if Six Apart addresses this market itself or successfully encourages third party designers to create visually stimulating themes for Movable Type without requiring coding. It's time that Movable Type stepped up to the plate and met this challenge. Wordpress has a community of blog themes that is far and away superior to Movable Type. It's time that you closed the gap. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- EXCERPT: ----- KEYWORDS: ----- --------