Desire

In general I only desire things for what they can actually do for me. It's unusual that I want something purely for aesthetic reasons. Please bear in mind I am talking about THINGS. Not another subject, which is another subject.

The exceptions to this rule are motorcycles and cameras. I love retro cameras and I want to own them all. I love them for how they look AND what they can do. I don't want an old Leica Rangefinder. I used to have a Postwar 3C and while it was cool I didn't find it particularly useful and sold it at a camera show. This is exactly what it looked like:

What I love is the new Leica M9 or the Fuji X100. They look like old 35mm Rangefinder cameras, but they are actually very modern sophisticated digital cameras.

This Fuji looks cool right? It's actually a pretty decent 10MP digital camera. No way on earth it's worth $1200 but that's what lusting after something is all about right? They have to be somewhat out of reach. The Leica M9 is even more so, retailing for around $9000. Very awesome, very not what I want to spend for a digital camera.











I do have the same preoccupation with motorcycles. I love new bikes with old styling. I appreciate the looks of the actual old bikes, but just like with digital cameras the technology just makes so much better.

This 2011 Honda Shadow is a beautiful bike to me. It looks like it could have been made in 1976 with the bicentennial colors and the spoke wheels. But it will run like a 2011 fuel injected Honda.

I also really like Royal Enfield. These are 2011 motorcycles made in India.  Modern bikes with modern technology, but with a look borrowed from the past. It's like someone opened a box of WWII surplus that traveled through time and had a modern engine installed in it.















Car manufacturers have been trying this trick lately too, with the Camaros and Mustangs, Minis and Fiat 500s. Some people would say they do it because they've run out of new ideas. I don't know if I'd agree with that. I just think they're recognizing that some ideas that have happened before were really good ideas.

Reruns

I was reading through my own blog looking for something when I stumbled upon this post from 2004(!):

...I was playing at an Intertops Freeroll around 10:00 and I thought about the blogger table. I knew SirFWALman always played at these things and always with his actual name, so I searched for him. Sure enough, he was at a table full of bloggers. When otis took off it opened up a spot for me.

How was the table? BRUTAL with a capital BRUTAL. 98% of hands were raised pre-flop. Even more flops were bet. A huge number of bluffs, and an even larger number of suck-outs. AA was garbage (except when I raise into it with my 72.)...

...I do not reccomend the blogger table, unless you just want to show off and have fun. The blogger tourneys are a better idea. I'm not sure why they don't play a weekly league or something, if all of them show up so regularly every night. There was Iggy, Pauly, Otis, Poker Prof, Maudie, the aforementioned SirF, and a bunch of others I can't remember. All funny guys, but playing at these small stakes makes them pretty crazy.

Wow what a blast from the past. That's some serious old-school shit right there, we weren't even calling Waffles Waffles yet. Good thing we started because I misspelled his name there. I'm amazed that I can read entire posts and have no idea what or whom I was writing about. It's like it was written by a stranger, but definitely in my voice. Very unsettling.

Long Night, Work Early

Scooterific

I've been trying to move the content direction of this site from Online Poker more towards my other interests, which are Video Games and Scooters.

So here's some scooter content, courtesy an ad from Zappos.

Coq au Vin

When on vacation, I like to cook. I like to try at least one new thing. This time it was Coq Au Vin, which is French for "Rooster with Wine." I definitely strayed from the recipe and made it my own. It was very easy and it turned out very well. The folks I was serving raved about it. I thought it was very good, but not incredible. I may try it again with a different wine.

Surf's Up

Oh yeah...

I must have been very busy vacationing because I didn't notice that the seventh anniversary of this blog went by. Woosh!

Not a very happy anniversary with online poker being all but dead in the US. This blog hasn't been about poker in a long time anyway, it's just an artifact of what originally brought a lot of us together. I might could have kept poker alive for myself if there was any place to play it near where I live, but Tennessee, while being fantastic for other reasons, really sucks on the poker front.

Don't expect this blog to go away though. I've always considered it my online journal, not just for poker nonsense. I'm trying to make an effort to take more pictures and post them, and hopefully I will come up with a new hobby that's blog friendly. I never thought World of Warcraft was a blog compatible hobby. While very entertaining, it just wasn't an original kind of experience I felt the need to blog about very often.

What's Going On

I still read blogs, but I have no idea what's going on. People used to talk about what was happening with them, but now I'm just getting cryptic messages that bring up more questions than they answer.

Apparently someone is going to prison? And someone that used to be linked to him is getting a new apartment but hasn't said anything about getting a job to pay for it? Weirdness. Nobody has ever offered to pay me to not live with them anymore.

Things with me are pretty much the same. I'm on vacation for a week in Florida and it has been very relaxing. It started out rough. For the first few days all I could think about was things going on at work and what I was going to have to do when I got back. But eventually all that melted away and I can enjoy the sunshine and water. I'm very lucky to have a completely stress free place to come and get away from all that hassle.

I did get one work call from someone who was on a work site and didn't know I was on vacation. I guess if you give someone your cell phone number you run that risk. I was happy to help him though because he's helped me out multiple times.

I have to go back on the fifth, which means driving on Independence Day. At least it was an extra vacation day without using more precious "Paid Time Off" days.

My company did a thing where they consolidated sick days with vacation days and call it "PTO." I don't know if people were abusing the unlimited sick day policy or what. I never took a sick day so it didn't really affect me. Especially since I work on projects, so if you take a day off that's just another day of work you have to make up later. It's not like the deadline changes because you take a sick day. We are allowed to work from home occasionally so if I actually did get sick I'd probably just do that. I should work from home more often just in general to save a few bucks on gas occasionally.

And here I am talking about work again, when I should only be concerned with enjoying my vacation. I'll probably go out on the boat or go swimming in a little bit. I need to return some movies to redbox and come up with something to create for dinner. Earlier I made my Lasagne Bolognese that was a huge hit, I don't want a let down after that performance.

Poker Is Happening In India & Fundoo Poker Is There

Guest post by Dawn

At the end of April, 2011, Card Player India released the names of its 49 top poker players from India for the year 2010, and FundooPoker was there with the story, posting the entire list of names from Card Player India Player of the Year Award winner Abhishek Goindi on down.

Fundoo Poker provides an updated list of all the upcoming poker tournaments taking place in India, such as last month's India Poker Series - Chapter 6, India Poker Open and Aces Unlimited tournaments, all of which, by the way, took place in Goa. When their times come round, the India Poker Championship, IPRT, Raining Aces and The Shark events will all be featured on Fundoo Poker.

Goa is the seat of live poker in India and on Fundoo Poker you can learn everything you ever wanted to know about this poker capital, including how it got that way, how to get there, where to play poker there and what else to do while you're there. Fundoo Poker is was also covering the Grand Opening Event of the India Poker Pros at the Casino Royale in Goa, last June 23 - 26, 2011. We offered a link to a special satellite tournament series into the India Poker Pros Grand Opening Event at 888 Poker, one of the poker rooms endorsed by Fundoo Poker for Indian players.

India Poker series is also one of the tournaments that Indian players are excited about, Chapter six of this series has just ended and next one will start on July 2011. Rest assured that Fundoo Poker being one of the few poker portal in india that gives you everything when it comes to poker, will keep you bits of news and updates on what’ s happening, where it is happening and hot it happened.

Whether the news is local to India, such as Mubina Rattonsey becoming the first woman to win the India Poker Championship earlier this month or the announcement that the next Aces Unlimited tournament in Goa was just scheduled for August 25 - 28, 2011, or it's general world poker news, such as the results of the currently-running World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the best poker rooms in India that offers freerolls and the poker promotions, Fundoo Poker is there with the story and with the information needed.

Toby Maguire Sued Over Poker Winnings

I think he cheated. His Spider-sense told him I had a full house.

Toby Maguire sued over poker winnings.

Maguire is being sued for $311,000 plus interest that the lawsuit says was won by the actor in the poker matches.

No relation to Dr. Pauly, I assume. I think they spell it differently. Or at least capitalize differently.

Oldies and Shoes

I prefer the old songs. They were just more from the heart. Like the old Elvis/Carl Perkins song "Blue Suede Shoes."

Now that song had really deep meaning. It tells the story...well, the feelings of a fellow that really loves his shoes. He loves the HELL out of his shoes. He even says "You can burn my house, steal my car, even drink my liquor from an old fruit jar," rather than mess up his shoes. Are those three things really equivalent? Felony arson, grand theft auto, and drinking cocktails from non-approved drinking vessels? You may also knock him to the ground and step on his face. Assault? Check. Slander is also preferable to harming his favorite footwear.



I happen to be wearing Vans today. I like them an awful lot. They are also made out of leather, and that particular variety of cow skin happens to be suede which is dyed blue. I am quite fond of them. You cannot, however, do any of those aforementioned things to me instead of stepping on my Vans. If the choice is between arson, assault, theft, slander and stepping on my shoes, scuff these suckers up. Stomp away.

I have had shoes I really loved before. I once got a pair so comfortable I almost immediately started looking online for a location to buy another pair when those wore out. They were THAT comfy. I couldn't find them, so those shoes became "special." Not worn on days when rain is predicted. Not for motorcycle riding. Those shoes remind me of a story someone told me about a time he went to the dentist and got prescribed some pills. After he took one he immediately counted them. Yeah, he wanted to know how many times he was gonna get THAT feeling. He was gonna savor those pills. He NEEDED to know EXACTLY how many he had, and he needed to know right away. I sorta felt that way about the shoes. As you get older how shoes feel begins being more and more important than how they look.

Yet even those shoes can take a stomping before you burn down my home. Or make off with my Mini. Carl Perkins wrote the song in 1955. That dude must have known a seriously good cobbler.

Scenic

I had a nice scenic ride home today. It was a bit warm but you didn't notice if you kept moving. I stopped long enough to grab a couple of pics.



This is pretty typical of my view on the way home. I could take interstates all the way, but I think I'd crash from the boredom.

I took this one because it reminds me of a joke:


"Jesus loves you, but everyone else thinks you're a cunt."

Wrong Move

I decided to try a totally different way home yesterday. A little out of the way, but I was on the scoot so more riding is sometimes better. When I hit this I realized this may not be the best route.



That's not even construction traffic or anything. It's about three miles of everyday rush hour backup at one intersection.

Back

The Scooter is back, and it's better than ever.

New belt, new tires, new pulleys and new CVT cover mean it's like having a whole new transmission. The old one had some flaps and vibration in it, but now it's very smooth and much more comfortable. The ride home from the shop last night was very pleasant and the ride into work this morning was even better.

Protection

In my job we work around a lot of electricity. It can be dangerous, so there's a policy that every employee must carry "personal protection equipment" with them at all times. We carry them around in these big Pelican camera cases. Here's mine:



I don't carry the full set since I'm just a software engineer. They originally wanted me to carry the full set and it was a fight to get the policy changed, but with airline baggage fees and the cost of most of the equipment, it just made more sense to give us software guys a smaller, far cheaper set of PPE.

Anyway, all the cases start to look alike so to make mine stand out from the crowd, I applied stickers. Here's my favorite:

Ugly One

Today's pic is one I took of a missing bolt from my cheap chinese scooter. I've been using it since my big scoot is in the shop and it's becoming apparent that there are some important parts missing. Amazingly it still goes down the street pretty good, but I'm not sure if these things were missing all along or they've been falling out as I go.

Happy Clean Car

Those "do-it-yourself" car washes only do an adequate job getting your car clean, but they're fast and convenient.

New Froot!

This sign tells me one of three things:
1. People who shop at this store are too nice to tell the people that work there that the word "cantaloupe" has been misspelled on their sign for an entire week.
2. People who shop at this store are too stupid to know that the word "cantaloupe" is misspelled on the sign.
3. There's a new fruit I've never heard of called a "cantouple."

In Tennessee...

In Tennessee, this doesn't necessarily mean the store owner's name is "White."

But I did make a purchase:

Repairs

Friday started out as a beautiful day.

My first day of work at the new job was one year ago. The company sponsors a big picnic in the spring with softball and other games, free lunch and the entire day outdoors. My first day last year was picnic day. Friday was picnic day number two for me. A personal milestone. I survived some rough times and have started to flourish, mostly because I am working alone on projects instead of relying on others.

The idea was to meet some fellow cyclists at work at 7:30 am and head out for breakfast. After breakfast we'd ride to the park and arrive as a big group of two-wheeled fury. Only five showed up, so much for the fury.

I watched a softball game, played some bocce ball, ate my free lunch (very sub-par and they ran out of food so some went hungry) and hopped back on the scooter to head for the office. There were some important emails I was expecting.

On the bridge spanning Percy Priest Lake I heard a high pitched noise coming from behind me. At first I thought a police car had pulled very close and turned on his siren, it was so loud and so close. But there was nothing in my mirrors. The sound was almost deafeningly loud, and it was coming from my rear wheel. As soon as I was across the bridge I pulled over and checked things out. The bike would still move, but just barely, and the noise was horrifying.

I called AAA for a tow but it turns out I had forgotten to add the $35 Motorcycle coverage to my account, so I had to pay $125 for the tow. The tow was for 22 miles because two closer motorcycle repair shops had gone out of business. The truck that showed up after three hours was big enough to haul a tractor trailer. It looked pretty silly with my little scooter perched up there. I was tempted to flag down one of the fifty lawn mower trailers that cruised by and offer them $50 to take me to the shop.

Today I am lobster red from sitting in the sun waiting for the tow-truck to show up. I tend to break out in hives when I get sun burned. Today is no exception. I did get the pleasure of watching the rehearsals for Saturday's Air Show at the Smyrna Airport. I got to see some pretty cool stunts as I sat there and wondered if I would die from exposure before the truck showed up. My skin looks pretty gross, unless you are WAY into connect-the-dots.

Now I am waiting for the repair shop to call me with the damage. If it is indeed the variator belt like I am hoping it will probably cost around $200. If it is something else we'll see. Since they appear to be the only local shop that can help me, I suppose I am at their mercy.

The Oatmeal

Click pic to check out The Oatmeal. Very funny stuff.

Certifiable

I am now certified in CPR and First Aid. Well, technically I was already certified because I took the training last year. My company requires it. I guess because of all the high voltage we work with they want us to be able to perform CPR on our coworkers if they receive a shock. Even though most of the levels we work with will vaporize a person instantly. I've seen pictures, we have to take Safety Training too and they have a film that's just like the "Blood On The Streets" one you had to take in Driver's Ed, only for electricity. It's very gross. Electrical wounds are disgusting because they burn you from the inside.

By "we" I mean people who work at my company. If I actually thought I had to work with electricity like someone folks here do or the utility people do, I'd quit in a second. I'm a software engineer. The five volts that power this keyboard I'm typing on makes me nervous. My boss hates it when I tell people I'm not qualified or experienced with electrical issues. He knows it's true, he just wants me to keep it to myself whenever possible. I don't want any misunderstanding...I work with bits and bytes, not volts and amps.

The most interesting thing to me about the CPR and First Aid training is how it changes every year. One year you give breaths first, next year you give chest compressions first. Unless it's a child. They keep making changes so there's no possible way I will remember after a few days. The CPR success rate is amazingly poor anyway. It's better than zero, but not a lot. Maybe it also keeps people from feeling useless around someone having cardiac arrest.

The little defibrillator machines are very cool though. First they have an analysis mode where they determine if your heart is in ventricular fibrillation, where your heart is beating out of synch so it won't pump blood through the ventricles properly, or if you are in ventricular tachycardia where your heart is beating too fast too pump anything. Then it performs the heart equivalent of a reboot. It shocks you and stops your heart, which then hopefully restarts correctly. The success rates of these things are amazingly high, something like 70% of people who get one when having a cardiac arrest survive. Makes me want to carry one with me everywhere. Maybe someday they will build them into cell phones.

So if your heart attacks you and I'm around, you can accept a big smooch from me.

Geek Excitement

When I moved to Tennessee in 2006 I chose a rural area to live in. I don't regret that decision because I love my house, I think it was a bargain and perfect for what I wanted. Lots of land, very private.

One obstacle to overcome was broadband internet. In the backwoods of Tennessee there are some innovative solutions to the lack of internet problem. Cable TV was available, but no internet. Satellite internet wouldn't work, too much latency. My range to the wireless towers wasn't quite "line of sight" enough for those solutions. My only choice was DSL through the small and very old fashioned telephone carrier for my area. That meant getting a phone I did not want and paying nearly $100 per month for very slow, very spotty performing broadband internet.

My previous experience with DSL was not bad. I had it in Kansas City when the house I was renting was less than a hundred yards from the nearest switch. The downloads speeds were lightning fast, there was virtually no latency and I don't remember it ever going down.

When I called Mom and Pop's Olde Telephone Company here, they said "we're not sure you're in range, but we'll send Bill out with his truck and see if it will work." I appreciated the effort and the home grown service, but since DSL is dependent on proximity I was not anticipating incredible speeds.

And I got what I expected. Poor download rates and nearly non-existent upload speeds. But it was a connection to the series of tubes, even if it was barely better than dial-up.

I called the local cable company and asked when cable internet would be available at my address. "Next summer," they said. I was calling in October, so I thought, I can put up with this horrible service for 10 months if I have to.

Four season changes later and "next summer" turned into "maybe next summer" and then "maybe the one after that." I even had to endure advertising cards in my mailbox promising fast speeds and cheap prices, only to learn that it didn't include my rural country road.

On Saturday I received another teaser of fast cheap internet, and on a whim I followed up and GLORY BE! It is now actually available at my address! I made the appointment for the next earliest time, which is between 1-3 today. In as soon as 10 minutes from now, I could actually have the connection of my dreams!

Wanna Home TheATER?

I rode my scoot to work yesterday for the first time since last year. It was 41 degrees when I left the house for the 46 mile trek and it was a little too cold for it. The ride would have been a bit more comfortable if I had some better leg protection than my jeans. I couldn't stop shivering for about an hour after I got to work.

The ride home was perfect, temps in the high 50s and sun just barely setting when I got to the supermarket to pick up some pasta. I blame Drizz for mentioning the FSM on twitter yesterday. You can't resist the spaghetti goodness when the master beckons.

As I was packing up my groceries in my scoot's trunk a guy drove by in a big black pickup truck and yelled to this nearby black dude "You want a home theATER?" He really emphasized the "ATER" when he yelled it, about five times. "We got an extra one in the back!." The black dude started walking toward the redneck, past three women who were standing in the lot talking. One of the women yelled to the redneck "I just saw you guys on the news on Channel 2! They said you were running a scam!"

The black dude laughed and turned around to go into the store. The redneck yelled some southern profanity at the woman that I'm not familiar with and drove off, deeper into the supermarket parking lot. I put on my helmet and gloves and got ready to drive away.

The redneck yelled his White Van Scam Details to some other victim who walked over to his truck, unaware of what just happened at the front of the store. The woman yelled in his direction but I guess he was too far to hear. She gave up but I drove that direction and stopped behind the guy and said "This is a scam man, don't fall for it." The redneck looked at me with hatred as I sped off.

States Visited

I made this map at http://www.epgsoft.com/VisitedStatesMap/ and it really struck me as odd. Obviously I've not spent time in the Northwest but how the hell have I not been to Iowa? Maybe I have and I can't remember, but I lived in Kansas City for three years and never went that direction.

I didn't just list states that I've driven through or flown over, I only listed states that I went to a specific destination there. For example I've been to Washington State, the airport I spent two hours in was beautiful. That doesn't count, I didn't go to Washington on purpose. I counted Maine though, because I was in New Hampshire and I said "I want to go to Maine" so I crossed the state line just so I could say I've been to Maine. I really can't think of another reason to go there. Which also explains why I've never been to Iowa.

Infographics are cool

I Told You I Was a High Stakes Player...

Baltimore Co. police bust illegal poker game in Edgemere
Undercover officer participated in game before raid
February 16, 2011|By Justin Fenton, The Baltimore Sun

Baltimore County police arrested five men after an undercover detective infiltrated an illegal high-stakes poker game in Edgemere, records show.

Police say "Texas Hold 'Em" games were held regularly at the Lynch Point Social Club in the 3100 block of Roger Road, where organizers were making as much as $1,500 in profit a night, according to charging documents.

After receiving a tip, officers conducted surveillance at the club and later sent an undercover detective inside, who participated in a game with a $65 buy-in. The detective played for hours — leaving after he lost all his chips, records show.

A tactical unit conducted a raid on the club Feb. 11, seizing poker chips, electronic gambling machines and a surveillance system, among other items. Forty-one people were inside at the time of the raid.

Michael Benton Gilbert, 35, of the 3100 block of Lynch Road admitted to running the poker games and was given money by the club to pay off winners, police wrote in charging documents. He is charged with several counts related to organizing an illegal gambling operation, as well unlawfully possessing a slot machine, and was released from jail on his own recognizance, records show.

Others charged were: Brian Stitt, 40; Neil Sung-Jin Yi, 27; Jeffrey Cho Lee, 25; and Theodore Raymond Boccia, 50. Police say they acted as card dealers.

"These are financial crimes, and while it might appear on the surface that it's harmless, it festers into other crimes," said Lt. Robert McCullough, a county police spokesman.

Reached for comment, Gilbert referred questions to his attorney, Andrew Alperstein, who said Gilbert had no criminal record and "looks forward to resolving the case."

"In some of these types of cases, police have found other things, like drugs, or things of that nature, but there's none of that in this case," Alperstein said. "This is a wholesome group of working people playing poker. [Gilbert] is just a regular guy, has no record and supports his family."

From The Baltimore Sun

I had no earthly idea the playing poker led to illegal drug use and "other things." Had I known, I never would have started playing.

Eight Ways to get Free Poker Money

No Instant Bankroll Since August?

If you haven't taken advantage of Instant Bankroll since August, now is your time. Remember, you can sign up for an Instant Bankroll every six months through PokerSource. And if you reside in the USA, don't worry. There are plenty of options for you too. Boost your bankroll now.

This month, PokerStars is the Room of the Month. Just sign up for a PokerStars Free Gift and complete it within 60 days to get 3000 extra PokerSource Points. Plus, you can qualify for an exclusive $2500 freeroll. PokerStars accepts USA players and is the largest poker room on the planet.

Goodbye

Goodbye Dervish. You were a great dog. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to spoil you one last time. I wanted to really badly.

I miss you like crazy.

Will the crosshairs be over you next?

Sarah Palin, always the victim, is now claiming she has been slapped with a "blood libel." She claims that the "mainstream media" is accusing her of "accessory to murder" in the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords and others. She claims her comments had "no connection" to the shooter and any connection between her violent imagery and the shootings is "impossible." It's all a "blood libel" by her opponents to "shut her up."

Look, I understand why Sarah Palin uses tough-guy violent imagery in her campaigns. She's a woman, and she's afraid that some people will think she's not tough. Especially within her constituency where gun laws, hunting and national defense are outright obsessions.

But how can you say that the use of violent imagery and rhetoric had zero influence on the shooting? I could agree if you said it probably didn't, you could go so far as to say it almost certainly didn't. But zero? That's impossible to prove.

Violent imagery has been used in politics forever. States in question are "battleground" states. Campaigns are often called "fights." But using actual crosshairs? Saying things like "Don't retreat. Reload?" Those probably go a little bit farther than she intended when trying to sound tough. They could be confused by some people to mean "if we can't beat them at the polls, don't let that stop you." It's probably harmless. But why take the chance?

Nobody is trying to shut Sarah Palin up. Again, she's misinterpreting the First Amendment that protects her freedom of speech. She thinks it protects her from criticism.

No rational person thinks she should be stopped from saying whatever she wants. Nobody is saying she shouldn't be able to use whatever imagery she wants to create whatever public persona she desires. Short of saying "Please go out and kill anyone that disagrees with me," she can say whatever she wants. The First Amendment actually does protect that.

But in her over-the-top violent imagery and her absolute unwillingness to back down from it one bit, she's displaying the worst possible character trait for someone in her profession. Poor judgment. Judgment is all we elect people for. It's the only real qualification a politician can have. And this woman continues to show poor judgment over and over and over again.

Congrats to Change100

I always thought that Change100 had the best online/blogger name of all time.

Now she also has the 2011 PCA Ladies Event Championship!

Congrats!

Craziness

Things are absolutely crazy here lately. As I predicted my two projects are coming to a head at the same time, so before the end of the month I have to commission projects in Kalamazoo Michigan and Conway Arkansas. I'll be spending a week in Michigan for sure, hopefully I can get Arkansas done much quicker because I have remote access and can get some stuff done from here.

I'm definitely not complaining. Being busy is sure better than being unemployed. I'm really getting a good handle on this product and I'm the first one from the group that got hired when I did so I'm getting the bulk of the work while the others catch up. The only reason I'm ahead is I was willing to put myself out there. When they asked for volunteers to go on that first trip everyone else ducked their heads and I said "I'll go." The best way to learn this stuff is to do it, and even though I was almost entirely clueless, I jumped in with both feet. Luckily I didn't sink.

This work gives me a pretty good feeling actually. Before I was in an industry that I didn't especially like, mostly because it always felt like it was headed straight down the toilet. The new job is actually helping places manage their energy better, mostly by monitoring their electricity usage. It's a growth industry, and it's actually green.

Hurray for me. Now back to work. I'm supposed to be working remotely on a server in Arkansas, but I got cut off and the guy who needs to reconnect me had to run an errand. So I thought I'd pop a quick post to let everyone know where I went.

Casino Resources

Checkout www.Casino.com, "The Only Place To Play" Online Casino for a 150 Euro bonus! Play Online slots as well as other Casino Games such as Blackjack, Roulette, Craps and Mahjong.

All in a very easy to remember spot at www.Casino.com.

www.Casino.com is the world's premiere site for online Casino Games. They offer over 100 of the finest casino games in a tested and regulated environment to ensure fair play. Available for Download or Flash games, both giving the same jackpot bonuses. There is a  loyalty/rewards program and they offer 24/7 support for an unbeatable experience.

Make sure you check out the Promotions section for often updated offers. Fun Mode is available instantly and can be played with no time limit. There are dozens of deposit methods so you can start earning Loyalty Points which you earn with all real money play.

Point your browser at www.Casino.com for Fun Mode or Real Money gaming action.

Merry Whatever

Whatever it is you're celebrating this time of year, I hope it is a great one!

Offensive

"Also, back to the Ferrari for a minute, there was that brief controversy about people who I thought were friends getting offended when they felt the wife and I were either bragging or ungrateful for the success we've had in life. That bothered me a lot more than it should. I had these brief fantasies about totally shutting down, but I like too many of you to let a few naysayers get to me. I once heard that successful people could only have successful friends because everyone else just ends up being a drag (actually, it was that rich people could only have rich friends, but if I imply we're rich I'll get more detractors and the wife will scream, "No we're not!")." - Dr Chako

I'm guilty. I'm one of the people who said mean things about Dr. Chako. I throw myself on the mercy of the court.

I'm not one of Dr Chako's friends, however. I'm definitely not one of the people "he thought were friends" whatever that means. I don't know him. People I do know say he's a wonderful person, and I have no reason to doubt that. If they say he's good people, that's good enough for me.

But let's face it. Some of the things he has posted are a tiny bit offensive. Not huge sins. Absolutely not "HOLY SHIT WHAT AN ASSHOLE" offensive. Just a tiny bit of "that's just not quite right" offensive.

Examples? Hmm. Posts about his "Ferrari fetish." Saying things like "The least expensive house on my block is worth $1.5 Million." The drama about his wife's job.  Trouble with the live-in servants. His job search and his lengthy commute. Everybody's life has shit, but for some reason a lot of his seems very shallow to me.

Nobody thinks he's "bragging" or "ungrateful." Nobody wishes any ill for him or his family. Nobody resents him for what he has. The bad news is that he is rich, no matter what his Vice President at HP wife says. (HP is a completely evil corporation btw, but that's beside the point. Maybe she's trying to remove the evil from the inside. I don't know.)

But why can't people who find things he says occasionally offensive be his friends? Why should he care if anyone's offended by how he talks about his life? His life is what it is. His troubles are absolutely as important to him as yours are to you and mine are to me. I write offensive things all the time. Everybody doesn't like me, and I can live with that. If I have ever written anything that's offensive to you, rest assured you are still allowed to be my friend, if you want. (I've no idea why you would, but that's your prerogative.)

Look, people are struggling out there. A person I know has been unemployed for two years with no unemployment benefits because he was a contract employee. He's 60 years old and all alone. He's losing his house and trying to sell his vehicle to pay for food. Trouble with the Au Pair just doesn't seem like a crisis to me by comparison. And I know, if you have an Au Pair and there's trouble, it probably sucks. But maybe you should keep some of those troubles to yourself?

I understand it's an online journal and you write about what's happening to you. But there's a fine line between talking about your life and whining about trivial things. Of course he's free to write about whatever he wants and if anyone doesn't like it they don't have to read it. Part of that freedom means others are equally free to criticize him. You take the bad with the good.

I'm sorry if I'm "a drag" because I'm not rich. I actually think I'm a moderately successful person. It was touch-and-go for me for a while, but I got lucky and caught a break. I had a very close look at a future that wasn't very bright, and I sympathize with the people who are facing that themselves. I don't resent anything Doc has. I'm not jealous of his life at all. I wouldn't trade places with him for a second. I have friends that are far more successful than me. I also have friends that are not. I don't think all rich people can only hang out with other rich people. But certain ones probably should.

I'm sure if I actually met the Doc I would like him. I'm almost positive he doesn't come across in his blog like he is in real life, at least not all the time. I'm sure that after what I've written he wouldn't like me. I'm sure he'll be offended by this. I'm offensive. It's what I do.

All I'm asking is, try to think about the people out there who are struggling and aren't sure where they're going to live next month before talking about how unhappy you are that your Ferrari is in the shop again. Is that too much to ask?

Everybody loves a Ferrari. Show off your Ferrari. Don't talk about Ferrari problems. Your Ferrari is in the shop? I know almost nothing about them but I thought that's what they did.

I have a ton of trivial problems in my life. Little shit that someone who is really struggling would find shallow and offensive. But I don't blog about them.

That's what twitter is for.

P.S. I know I'm an asshole for saying these things, but it's really what I think. Everybody out there that loves Doc and hates me, you're absolutely right, he's a better person than me. You don't have to tell me in comments, I already know.

NetBookery

Over a year ago I bought a Netbook, kind of on a whim. It's a fun little toy, good for browsing the internet and other minor tasks. It didn't quite have the horsepower to play streaming video, but it was good for listening to music and playing online poker.

When Windows 7 came out I decided to give it a shot on the netbook. The install wasn't unpleasant, it seemed to run alright. As time went on it seemed to grow less and less stable, at first browsers would crash, then the whole OS would blue screen. I never really did any serious computing on it, just looking things up on Wikipedia or IMDB, so random crashes didn't bother me too much.

One day I got a wild hair and decided to load Ubuntu on it. If you don't already know, Ubuntu is a Linux distribution that installs like Windows on computers and has a nice pretty interface that's fairly intuitive. I really liked the change of pace and I especially liked how stable it was. They make a build specifically for Netbooks and it seemed to install seamlessly and run much faster and smoother than Windows ever did. Even streaming video was tolerable. This came in very handy for things like YouTube videos demonstrating how to do a valve adjustment on Scooter #2. When you can carry the wireless computer right into the garage and watch the video while you're looking right at the parts that need adjusting, it's a whole new world.

Ubuntu can even run some Windows applications through an emulator called WINE. (I believe it's short for WINdows Emulator. They're creative like that.) Alas, poker software would not run on Wine for more than a few minutes before it crashed.

I was pretty happy with Ubuntu otherwise, and rarely booted into Windows. Which meant no poker. Everytime I loaded up Windows 7 I would poke around for a little while and if I left the netbook to go do something else, I would come back and it was booted into Linux. Ubuntu was the default OS selection and that meant Windows had crashed again and the computer had reset itself. I couldn't even trust it enough to play poker on it.

Poking around on it last weekend I discovered the partition on the hard drive that held the original install files. I experimented with it and discovered I could run the install without disturbing my Ubuntu install. Off I went, back to Windows XP.

For some reason it ran much smoother than I remember. Maybe I had adjusted to the crashes so much that I forgot how solid XP ran on the machine. Since it was running smoother I decided to play some online poker again. I tried some Rush Poker on Full Tilt, and it worked flawlessly. I even dragged a few pots. I fired up some O8 ring games on PokerStars and again it was crash free, and I managed to find the same old fire-on-every-street-with-nothing donkeys that inhabit the low limit O8 games.

The true test came last night, I actually entered a Tournament. It wasn't a huge deal because if the netbook became crashy I could switch to my desktop to finish. But the little-computer-that-could didn't even flicker as I played the Mookie for 3 hours and split first place. Fifty-two bucks (minus the 11 entry) in my pocket, this netbook is finally paying for itself!

The Mookie is still a fun tournament with enjoyable people just playing poker to have a good time. I recognized a couple of names from the old times, amazing since I haven't played a Mook in eons. I even won some pots with the hammer, once when I was the smallest stack out of three remainders.

Next week I'm on vacation for Thanksgiving, and it will be really nice to have the old netbook running right as rain again.

Failbook - consistently funny

see more Failbook

Eight False Things The Public “Knows” Prior To Election Day

From Campaign for America's Future

By Dave Johnson

There are a number things the public "knows" as we head into the election that are just false. If people elect leaders based on false information, the things those leaders do in office will not be what the public expects or needs.

Here are eight of the biggest myths that are out there:

1) President Obama tripled the deficit.

Reality: Bush's last budget had a $1.416 trillion deficit. Obama's first budget reduced that to $1.29 trillion.

2) President Obama raised taxes, which hurt the economy.

Reality: Obama cut taxes. 40% of the "stimulus" was wasted on tax cuts which only create debt, which is why it was so much less effective than it could have been.

3) President Obama bailed out the banks.

Reality: While many people conflate the "stimulus" with the bank bailouts, the bank bailouts were requested by President Bush and his Treasury Secretary, former Goldman Sachs CEO Henry Paulson. (Paulson also wanted the bailouts to be "non-reviewable by any court or any agency.") The bailouts passed and began before the 2008 election of President Obama.

4) The stimulus didn't work.

Reality: The stimulus worked, but was not enough. In fact, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the stimulus raised employment by between 1.4 million and 3.3 million jobs.

5) Businesses will hire if they get tax cuts.

Reality: A business hires the right number of employees to meet demand. Having extra cash does not cause a business to hire, but a business that has a demand for what it does will find the money to hire. Businesses want customers, not tax cuts.

6) Health care reform costs $1 trillion.

Reality: The health care reform reduces government deficits by $138 billion.

7) Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, is "going broke," people live longer, fewer workers per retiree, etc.

Reality: Social Security has run a surplus since it began, has a trust fund in the trillions, is completely sound for at least 25 more years and cannot legally borrow so cannot contribute to the deficit (compare that to the military budget!) Life expectancy is only longer because fewer babies die; people who reach 65 live about the same number of years as they used to.

8) Government spending takes money out of the economy.

Reality: Government is We, the People and the money it spends is on We, the People. Many people do not know that it is government that builds the roads, airports, ports, courts, schools and other things that are the soil in which business thrives. Many people think that all government spending is on "welfare" and "foreign aid" when that is only a small part of the government's budget.

This stuff really matters.

If the public votes in a new Congress because a majority of voters think this one tripled the deficit, and as a result the new people follow the policies that actually tripled the deficit, the country could go broke.

If the public votes in a new Congress that rejects the idea of helping to create demand in the economy because they think it didn't work, then the new Congress could do things that cause a depression.

If the public votes in a new Congress because they think the health care reform will increase the deficit when it is actually projected to reduce the deficit, then the new Congress could repeal health care reform and thereby make the deficit worse. And on it goes.

Unconditional Love

Unconditional love is an amazing and wonderful thing. It's also very dangerous, and if you ever have to prove it, something horrible must have happened.

I have experience with unconditional love. I have unconditional love for my family, and for my dogs. It doesn't matter what they do, I will love them. No matter how horrible.

What I don't have is unconditional love for a sports team and the players on that team. It scares me that other people do. There was a startling display of unconditional love this weekend among sports fans. Pittsburgh Steelers fans seem to have unconditional love of the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger.

Big Ben had one hell of an off-season. He was accused of "sexual assualt" for the second time in eight months. He wasn't charged with a crime, mostly because he's Ben Roethlisberger, but even so he admitted to some pretty scary things.

Yet he was welcomed with open arms back to the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend, because the team was badly in need of a player to fill the quarterback position. The substitute players were horrendous, and the fans were eager to have a better player in that spot.

I understand that. If you are a fan of a team, you want that team to be successful. I expected most fans to look past the horrible reprehensible things that Big Ben has done. It's just the way people and their attitudes to sports are. Many people can overlook a lot of misdeeds if a person can help their team on the field.

What shocked me was the totality. I know quite a few Steelers fans. Unsurprising since they are the most successful NFL franchise ever. They have fans everywhere, not just in Pennsylvania.

I could not find one single Steelers fan that said "I don't care how good he is or how much the team needs him. What the guy did was horrible and I don't want him on my favorite team."

Among every Steelers fan I know, and even ones I searched out on the internet it's consistent. How can this be? I could easily believe that most fans would give him the "benefit of doubt." But 100%? How is it possible that not one person is so offended that they want to be rid of the guy? Every single person is okay with the "he wasn't found guilty of a crime so I'm going to ignore the incidents completely" rationalization?

Mike Vick killed and mistreated dogs. He was vilified, run out of town and sent to prison. Mistreating animals is horrible and a particular behavior that I personally find reprehensible. Roethlisberger was accused of SEXUAL ASSAULT....TWICE! And somehow 100% of the people, even women, look the other way.

Lets face it. Sexual assault is the worst thing you can do in this country. I know most people think it's murder, but they're wrong. If you look at parole statistics you'll find that murderers will generally get paroled from prison after serving significant time. If you are found guilty of sexual assault, you are doing the whole time. Nobody gets parole for sexual assault. NOBODY.

The only explanation I can come up with other than unconditional love is mass hysteria. Maybe because so many people are okay with it, those who really have a problem with it are keeping it to themselves? Or does the subject matter make them so uncomfortable it is just easier to pretend it didn't happen?

It can't possibly be that he's "paid his debt" and "learned his lesson." This guy got a four-game suspension for getting away with the most reprehensible crime our society has. TWICE. His penalty is not even close to "payment" for anything.

Again, I do not expect the sports world to shun Ben Roethlisberger and toss him out of football forever. I'm not talking about any one particular fan I know or any person who should feel a certain way about what happened. How you feel is how you feel. I'm not judging anyone.

I am just astounded that NOBODY seems to feel the way I thought some should. Are they out there and I just can't see them? Maybe the outrage happened months ago and it all just faded away, wounds healed by time and five weeks of an NFL season?

And what if it was me? What if it were the quarterback of my favorite team? Or the center fielder? How would I feel? I think I know, but do you really know until you are tested? Would I be the one making excuses and lame rationalizations? Would I be looking the other way?

Tea Party?

Vast forests have already been sacrificed to the public debate about the Tea Party: what it is, what it means, where it's going. But after lengthy study of the phenomenon, I've concluded that the whole miserable narrative boils down to one stark fact: They're full of shit. All of them. At the voter level, the Tea Party is a movement that purports to be furious about government spending — only the reality is that the vast majority of its members are former Bush supporters who yawned through two terms of record deficits and spent the past two electoral cycles frothing not about spending but about John Kerry's medals and Barack Obama's Sixties associations. The average Tea Partier is sincerely against government spending — with the exception of the money spent on them. In fact, their lack of embarrassment when it comes to collecting government largesse is key to understanding what this movement is all about...

Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone

Keeping DVDs Durable

In order to maintain the durability of DVDs, you must store them in a case that is specifically designed for DVD storage, handle DVDs properly, clean DVDs regularly and with care, avoid exposure to direct light and heat, label them using appropriate materials, and regularly clean and maintain your DVD player.
The thought of being able to save and preserve memories, music, images and other important data files on something envisioned to last virtually forever is quite tempting. DVDs are known for being a practical choice for storing data because of their storage capacity. They are also popular for their archival longevity. In fact, experts have said that with proper handling and treatment, DVDs may last up to 50 years. Unfortunately, many of us may just think that using plastic sleeves for archiving or stacks of DVDs is sufficient in keeping them durable. Actually, there are several basic things that we tend to forget but are actually very important in order to maintain the durability and lifespan of our DVDs. Here are some of them.
Store in a case that is specifically designed for DVD storage
Most of us think that jewel cases or video cases for CDs will serve the same purpose of keeping our DVDs safe. Actually, there is a big difference between CD cases and cases that are meant for DVD media. Basically, DVDs are 2 discs chemically attached together, which makes it the exact opposite of a CD. DVD cases are designed in such a way that only a sufficient amount of pressure is applied on the surface of the DVD when taking it out and putting it back to its case. It is good to remember to use jewel cases that are meant specifically for DVD media and not CDs. Jewel cases are also more effective at keeping dust away and preventing damage compared to paper or plastic sleeves.
Handle DVDs properly
When handling your DVDs, remember to use the hole in the middle of the DVD when holding it instead of touching other parts of the DVD surface or even the edges. Holding DVDs by their edges might cause it to bend.
Clean DVDs regularly and with care
Dust and lint are common enemies of DVDs. Clean your DVDs regularly using lint-free material or liquid DVD cleaners. Clean the surface of the DVD by following outward strokes, and start from the inside and proceed outside the disc. Do not use rags, tissue or a random piece of cloth when cleaning.
Avoid exposure to direct light and heat
The dye layer of DVDs is susceptible to extreme heat and light, and these external elements can render the data stored on the DVD unreadable. It is more advisable to store DVDs in an attic, closet or dry space where it is not exposed to extreme light and heat.
Regularly clean and maintain your DVD player
It is important to remember that dust and other harmful particles can accumulate inside your DVD players or drivers, and these can transfer onto your DVDs when played. Regularly clean your DVD players by dusting them. It is also a good idea to use a lens cleaner disc on the drive once every 6 months.
Label using appropriate materials
When labeling your disc, use the full-size circle-shaped label, and attach it carefully and smoothly onto the DVD surface using a label applicator. If you intend to hand-write the label on the disc, make sure that you are using a water-based marker, since regular pens contain alcohol that may leak into the dye layer of the DVD and cause damage.
DVDs have provided us with an effective way of preserving and saving important data for a longer span of time. In order to get the most of this type of archiving material, we must take care of our DVDs properly.

Beware

They're Multiplying!

Work Work Work

Today at work I was helping to configure the lighting system here:

Run Monument Run!

I drive right by this on my way home.

Student Loan Scheme

Helmets

Played around with painting motorcycle helmets this weekend, and I kinda like how this one turned out:



Hopefully I don't mess it up too much when I try to clear coat it this afternoon.

P.S. NO! I HATE the Dallas Cowboys! I fail!

Drain a Flooded Basement in 6 Easy Steps

Draining a flooded basement isn’t so hard as long as you follow these steps: check flood water status, examine the home’s exterior, conduct precautionary measures, ventilate the house, pump the water out, and clean up.

When the rainy season comes, a break in the sewer lines, or after a terrible storm, the most common problem that home owners with basements will face is flooding. Flood water can be damaging and, if left unsolved, can cause major and irreversible deterioration to your infrastructures, which may result in pricey repairs. Though you can drain the water yourself, sometimes you also need the help of professionals like Orange County water damage to do the job for you.

When trying to drain your flooded basement, here is a safe guide to follow:

Step 1: Check flood water status

The first thing that you need to do is check the status of the flood water. Determine its cause and see if the flood has receded. If the water is caused by a storm, ask your local officials if the calamity is over and if it is already safe to start cleaning up. If the flood is caused by a break in the sewer lines, report the problem to your officials to immediately fix the problem before it causes more damage to your property.

Step 2: Examine the home’s exterior

The first thing that you have to find out is if there is still standing flood water outside the house. There is no use draining the basement if there is still water that will seep back in. You may also need to check for downed power lines or trees. If there are existing problems, call the appropriate authorities to handle them. The last and most important thing that you will have to check is the foundation of the structure of your house. Look for cracks or any other signs of damage. If there are any, don’t attempt to start draining until reputable personnel, like a building inspector, tells you that it’s safe to do so.

Step 3: Conduct precautionary measures

After attending to possible hazards outside the house, you will need to check if the inside of the house is safe. See to it that the main floor water has receded. Make sure you turn off the electrical main switch and gas valves. These are just precautionary measures to ensure your safety.

Step 4: Ventilate the house

Open up windows and doors to ventilate the house. This will release the fumes inside the house and help everything dry out completely.

Step 5: Pump the water out

After completing steps 1 to 4, you are now ready to pump out the water in your basement. You may need to gather necessary equipment for the process, like a high powered flashlight, waterproof boots, a dust mask, work or rubber gloves, a hammer, screw drivers, a pipe wrench or pliers. Manually putting out the water can consume a lot of time and needs manpower, so you will likely need to use a powered pump. The pump should be gas-powered and not electric-powered. Working with electricity in water is very dangerous and poses a high risk of electrocution. Remember to gradually pump out the water 2 to 3 feet at a time and not all at once to prevent the walls from caving in.

Step 6: Clean up

Clean up all the mess after draining the basement. You might have to remove mud, silt, and debris on the floor and walls while it is wet before they harden. Sanitize the basement to prevent mildew and odor.

Always remember to deal with any flooding problems safely. There is no harm in asking for help if you don’t have any clue about what to do to solve your flooding problem.

Feel the Hate

This guy needs to let it out and not keep things all bottled up or he's going to hurt himself.

Obama Bin Laden? Pictures of Obama and Osama Bin Laden with the phrase "what's the difference?"

I think the Jesus fish and the Texas stickers are totally unnecessary, don't you? Isn't that implied?

Where do you buy these stickers? Klan meeting?

Great Election Sign

I have no idea why, but I'm not going to vote for this guy.

Hot Ride

Lich King Dead

Been playin' for a long time to get to this point.

Record Hail Storm in SD

My parents were visiting relatives in South Dakota when a record hail storm hit the area. My cousin was trying to get to the fire hall during the storm when this happened:



He's okay, the hail stone just cut his arm and bruised his thigh. My folks RV was pretty smashed up but they were out of the area with their car. Insurance should repair or replace the holes that were cut through the roof of the RV and the other parts that were damaged.

Some of the largest hail stones ever recorded hit the area. I've been through bad hail storms that damaged cars and houses, but nothing like this. The record hail stones look about like rugby balls.

The South

Yep.

In the south there's a Cracker Barrel every three miles.

I Write Like

I write like
Kurt Vonnegut

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

I tried two different posts and it came up the same, so it must be true.

World Cup

I was sitting at a restaurant today and someone asked me "do you like soccer?" I said "No."

Here's my problem with soccer and the world cup.

I'll describe how soccer works, and you tell me if I'm right.

Soccer consists of a team of a bunch of guys, but the total number doesn't matter. All that matters is one guy who stands alone and kicks the ball towards a goal. One guy from the other team of guys stands in that goal and tries to stop it. If the goal tender doesn't stop the ball, the first team wins the soccer game.

If you knew soccer and heard me describe it that way, you'd say "that's not soccer!"

But that's the exact method that decides which team is the best soccer team in the world. Not ACTUALLY PLAYING THE GAME OF SOCCER. Spain is the "World Champion Soccer Team" and they got that award by playing some other type of "kick the ball in the net" game than soccer.

How the hell do you call that a sport? The Spanish team plays for ties and penalty kicks. They scored only eight goals for the entire tournament. Nullification of the actual playing of the soccer is their strategy. So the best team in the world doesn't "play soccer," they try to keep the other team from being able to play.

Congrats to the World Champs of Penalty Kicks. To the rest of the world, practice your penalty kicks and flopping and whatever else it is besides actually playing soccer that is "the world cup."

Molli

Closeups of dogs with low depth of field gives weird results.

Six Years (Three GOOD ones!)

Help me celebrate my Six Year Anniversary of this blog by going to Lulu.com and buying Lost Vegas: The Redneck Riviera, Existentialist Conversations with Strippers, and the World Series of Poker by my friend Paul McGuire. It comes with my highest recommendation.



Congrats to Dr. Pauly!

You Steer With Your Butt

The scooter is working out great so far. It makes the drive to work so much more enjoyable. And since it's getting about 55mpg I'm saving some on gas too. It's kind of nice to pay $8 for a fill up.

I've seen all kinds of stuff on the side streets that I drive on. There's a emu living among a bunch of horses on a ranch, farms with miniature horses and donkeys, lots of cattle and tons and tons of corn.

Owning any kind of bike sparks one thing: the never-ending search for the perfect helmet/headphone combination. I got a new helmet that I like a lot, bringing my total to four. Now to find the perfect set of headphones to go with them.

Back when I used to ride (motorcycles) there weren't MP3 players. (I'm old.) There were walkmans for cassettes and portable CD players, but most motorcycles didn't have them. Nobody I knew that rode a bike listened to music. Now everyone I know does, except one guy who thinks it's too dangerous. Well, he hasn't actually ridden his motorcycle yet. He has his license and has a bike, but he hasn't ridden it outside of the class he took to get his license. I'm sure he will actually get the bike on the street one day.

I've never really liked the "sound isolation" inside-your-ear type headphones, but those are really the only kind that you can hear well while riding. They always make me feel like my ears are full of water for some reason. If I toughed it out I'm sure I could adjust, I just haven't put in the time.

The ipod type that sit against your ear aren't quite loud enough with wind noise, and they are sometimes hard to keep in the right place too. I have some that loop over your ear that are better, but still not quite right.

Right now I'm experimenting with a helmet speaker system. The speakers velcro into a holder that sticks in the ear holes of the helmet. They're also not quite loud enough, but I got an amplifier along with the speakers that helps. Every ride is another experiment. I could probably permanently affect my hearing with this system.

A coworker asked me why I didn't just buy a motorcycle since the cost is basically the same, maybe even less. I'm not really sure why I got set on a scooter instead of a big boy bike. When I began looking I didn't even know they made scooters with bigger than 250cc engines. When I found out about "maxi-scooters" I was fascinated. The difference between motorcycle and scooter gets pretty blurry at that point.

Motorcycles have clutches and manual transmissions you have to shift with your foot. Scooters usually have a CVT (constant variable transmission.) Other than bigger wheels there's not much other difference. Scooters have much more built in storage and attaching extra storage is much easier. My scooter has a trunk under the seat that can hold 2 full face helmets. When I had a motorcycle I was pretty much limited to what I could carry in my backpack, and my back always got sweaty while wearing it. Now everything goes under the seat and the ride is much more comfortable.

Even when I rode motorcycles it wasn't really about speed. You don't have to drive really fast to have fun on a bike. The more curves the better. With a bike you kind of steer with your knees against the gas tank. On the scooter there's no gas tank between your knees, but you still maneuver in the same way. So instead of steering with your knees, you steer with your butt.

Almost every time I stop somewhere someone asks me about the scooter. They want to know how fast it goes or if it can get up to the 120mph that the speedometer dial reads. When I tell them how fast it is they almost always say "wow." When they ask if I like it I tell them "It's so much fun I'm surprised it's not illegal."

Tweet

With my new job, I keep Twitter up all day. I follow a few interesting people who generally have interesting things to say. It doesn't take any significant time to keep up with but it makes the day just slightly more entertaining, which is nice.

It's especially nice if you have a general question that smart people might be able to answer. It helps if smart people follow you, of course. I needed help with a Linux installation I was trying out and shot the question out on Twitter and got 3 separate and helpful answers within minutes. Very cool.

Of course people post pointless crap on there. Pointlessness is kind of the point. It's paradoxical. People don't post their bathroom habits as much as the media would have you believe. People do post their food a lot, which I enjoy. Who doesn't like to see a good looking lunch? It's always cheesy, saucy, greasy and delicious looking. And bacon. There's always bacon.

One thing I don't like is when people post the music they're listening to. I'm cool if they're listening to music and happen to bust out a lyric or something that inspired them. Inspiration is always good. I just hate it when they say "this morning I listened to xxx band." Mostly because "xxx band" is inevitably something pretentious. Nobody ever says "I listened to the Carpenters and ABBA all morning!" It's always some underground bullshit music that they want you to think they listen to because they think it makes them look cool and original. Listening to other people be creative doesn't make you any more original!

As I write this Twitter appears to be down. It's not exactly the most robust application, it crashes fairly frequently. Hopefully nobody counts on it for anything important.

If you want to follow me it's cool. @DuggleBogey. I don't automatically follow everyone who follows me so don't be offended if I don't. So don't try following me just to bump up your follow numbers. It won't work and you're a moron. Anytime you can count something people get competitive about it. But in this case quality beats quantity every time.

My New Baby

 

Some stats:
Model: FSC600
Engine Type: 582cc liquid-cooled four-stroke parallel twin
Bore and Stroke: 72mm x 71.5mm
Compression Ratio: 10.2:1
Valve Train: DOHC four valves per cylinder
Carburetion: PGM-FI with automatic enricher circuit
Ignition: Computer-controlled fully transistorized with electronic advance
Transmission: Automatic V-Matic belt drive
Suspension Front: 41mm hydraulic fork; 4.7 inches travel
Suspension Rear: Swingarm with dual hydraulic shocks with five-position spring preload adjustability; 4.7 inches travel
Brakes Front: Single 256mm disc with CBS three-piston caliper
Brakes Rear: Single 240mm disc with CBS twin-piston caliper
Tires Front: 120/80-14
Tires Rear: 150/70-13
Wheelbase: 62.8 inches
Seat Height: 29.1 inches
Dry Weight: 476 pounds
Fuel Capacity: 4.2 gallons, including 0.9-gallon reserve

Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking. It's a scooter that goes over 100mph.

This Means Nothing Unless You Play WoW

My main is a healer named Grither. The nice part about playing a druid is they are probably the most versatile class, and my guild uses my offspec when don't need three healers. There are two reasons they'd pick one particular person for that. One reason could be that they are the weakest healer so they'd be missed the least. But I don't think that's the reason my guild uses me.

This is the reason:



Not bad for an offspec.