Remembering "Herman's Head"

Herman's Head was, without a doubt, one of the quirkiest and most original sitcoms of the 1990s. Too bad it wasn't one of the funniest as well.

The premise was certainly offbeat. The show centered on its protagonist, Herman, and the voices in his head (so to speak). That is, it allowed the audience to glimpse the thought processes within Herman's cranium, as represented by four different aspects: intellect, fear, love, and lust. These four aspects were depicted by four different characters with suitable nicknames: Genius, Wimp, Angel, and Pig.

There were definitely times when I would bust a gut laughing. On the whole though, it just wasn't that funny.

Dang it! Windows Vista should rot in heck!

Okay, that does it. I am sick and tired of Windows Vista. Windows in general sucks quite a bit, but Windows Vista in particular stinks. It's a horrible piece of bloatware, and whoever conceived it must have been pretty clueless. This has all the earmarks of some corporate bigwig saying "Hey, here are a whole bunch of nifty features that'd be nice to have. Let's use them!" without much regard for performance.

I'm oversimplifying a little, I'll admit. For example, the Windows Aero interface prudently foists a lot of graphics processing off onto the graphics card, as it should. Some of the UI annoyances have been improved as well. There's just way too much bloatware though, and I can't stand using a resource hog.

I dread booting my computer nowadays. The wait is agonizing. It especially stinks that Internet Explorer remains unresponsive for a minute or two after it starts. I can type a URL into its address bar, but because Vista takes forever to connect to a network, IE simply returns an error message instead of doing as it's told. Blast it.

Get rid of Vista. It's a piece of junk.

More on "The Brave and The Bold"

In my previous posting, I raved about Mark Waid's writing on the first twelve issues of "The Brave and the Bold." Now I want to talk about the artwork.

George Perez did his usual amazing job with the first few issues. If you need someone who can depict a wide array of comic book characters, while simultaneously giving them dynamism and expression, then George is your man. That's why it was so unfortunate when he had to stop doing the interior art.

Having said that, Jerry Ordway was a worthy and logical successor. He's one of the few guys who can even come close to touching Perez's work. Like Perez, he injects realism and dynamis into his art, which is one reason why I loved his old work on "The Power of Shazam" so much.

Great job, gents. Great job.

Just finished the latest "Brave and the Bold"

I just finished reading the latest issue of "The Brave and The Bold," written by Mark Waid. This is wonderful stuff! Waid has done a much better job in twelve issues than was covered in decades of the old Batman-centric B&B series.

Having this story arc center on the Challenges of the Unknown was a brilliant touch. What's more, the final scenes were absolutely touching. Waid has this uncanny ability to ask logical questions, such as "How does June Robbins fit into the Challengers, as the only member who has not miraculously cheated death?" The characterization that he provides is absolutely spot on, and the way he resolves this storyline is positively poetic.

As a testimony to Waid's genius, I never realized that the artifacts which Megistus had been creating all had transformative properties (well, except for the power battery, but that was clearly necessary for other reasons). I also loved how he worked in the likes of Firestorm and Metamorpho, both of whom were transmuters. If he could only have included Element Lad somehow...

Mark Waid, you're amazing.

More on Asians as leading men

Western society -- and the USA in particular -- isn't generally receptive to the notion of an Asian leading man. That's why in those rare instances where an Asian fella is the leading man, he still maintains a distant and chaste relationship with the female lead. (The King and I, anyone?) Asian male actors usually get portrayed as either chaste action heroes (Jackie Chan), nerds (Hiro!), or (more recently, as on 24) shadowy agents of various Asian countries.

Then there's Jet Li in Unleashed. They hint around at him and the female lead (I'm forgetting her name) having feelings for each other, but nothing happens. Jet Li is considered to be one of the more physically attractive of the Asian leading men, but even he is treated like a eunuch. Ditto for Chow Yun Fat. And of course, neither one is regarded as a Hollywood heartthrob of any sort.

Asians as leading men

Some people point to Dean Cain and Keanu Reeves as "proof" that Asian men are in demand as romantic leads. However, these guys are actually Eurasian, and their Caucasian features clearly dominate. In fact, a lot of people are surprised to learn that they do have some Asian blood in them.

Unlike, say, Tia Carrere, whose part-Asian origins are fairly obvious.

Financial planning

I'm looking for a new financial advisor.

Here's the story. I signed up with Ameriprise a while back; however, I became dissatisfied with their responsiveness after my advisor left their company. (I suspect that he was laid off, but I'm not sure.) I think I'd like to find another company to help with my financial planning.

I'll be meeting with two financial advisors at the end of the month, and maybe even a third. Wachovia handles my company Simple IRA, and our contact person there has always been pretty responsive. I like they way they handle my accounts.

As an aside, one of my colleagues found out about some guy named Keith whose credentials she liked. She was trying to pressure me to switch to this fella, as our financial officer only wants to have one person handling all the CTL retirement accounts at each investment firm. I thought this was kinda silly, of course, especially for something as simple as a retirement account. Naturally, I refused. :)

Besides, she had panicked when she found out that her retirement account lost money this year. That was just foolish.

Rancic's Lemonade Stand

I just checked out a cop of Bill Rancic's book, Beyond the Lemonade Stad, from the public library. I was disappointed to find out that it's actually a children's book. Still well-written (at least, based on some cursory skimming), but not quite what I was looking for.

Wish I had read a book like this when I was seven years old. I was much more into science than finance or business, but still... it's the sort of thing that would have helped broaden my horizons.

Do women prefer tall murderers to short, educated professionals?

I found this story from ABC news on the web. Let's just say that I found the results to be disturbing, disappointing, and unsurprising. Here's a quick excerpt.

To see if the women would go for short guys who were successful, ABCNEWS' Lynn Sherr created extraordinary résumés for the shorter men. She told the women that the shorter men included a doctor, a best-selling author, a champion skier, a venture capitalist who'd made millions by the age of 25.

Nothing worked. The women always chose the tall men. Sherr asked whether there'd be anything she could say that would make the shortest of the men, who was 5 feet, irresistible. One of the women replied, "Maybe the only thing you could say is that the other four are murderers." Another backed her up, saying that had the taller men had a criminal record she might have been swayed to choose a shorter man. Another said she'd have considered the shorter men, if the taller men had been described as "child molesters."

Wow. And people say that men are shallow. Wow.

Electronic frustrations

I'm looking for a power adapter that can provide at least 1.5A at 13.5VDC. It should also be capable of running at 240VAC. So far... nothing.

It's darned frustrating. I've spent hours looking and exploring possibilities. Nothing. Nothing. Darn.

I want to find something soon.

A FANUC employee trying to cheat his employer

I remember taken a training class in the KAREL robot programming language at FANUC Robotics. One of the other people in that class was a guy named Greg, who I knew from my grad school days. Even back in grad school, he often rubbed me the wrong way. He was coarse, vulgar, and always kinda rude.

Anyway, the class consisted mostly of visitors to the company who had paid for the class. Greg was one of the few exceptions. He was taking the class as part of his initiation as a new employee.

So anyway, the paying visitors were given free lunches -- or rather, lunch was part of what they had paid for. So what did Greg do? Every day, he would surreptiously remove his employee badge and pass himself off as a visitor.

I didn't like him back in our student days, and I especially didn't like him after that.

Creativity

Look around you, right now, wherever you are. Maybe a schoolroom or a library, maybe at home, maybe somewhere else. Take a good long look. Now as yourself, "How can this room be improved?" Are there one or two changes that you can make right now that would markedly improve the space? Why not make them? New lamps, new colors on the walls? Murals? Opening the windows, changing the seating?

Anything is fair game. There are questions and possibilities every time you turn around. You're biking home, maybe? OK, that uncomfortable little bike-helmet strap under your chin--there as got to be a better way. Figure it out. The bumper stickers on passing cars: could bikes have them too? (Where would they go? What shape would they have?) On a larger scale, how can your city be made more bikeable? (Dedicated bike trails, distinct from roads? Bike hours, when cars aren't allowed? What else?)

- Anthony West, Creativity for Critical Thinkers

Jungle Girl Bindi

So I'm watching an episode of "Bindi the Jungle Girl" on The Learning Channel. This show stars the daughter of the late, lamented Steve Irwin, and it also features his American wife Terri.

I have to commend this little girl for deciding to follow in her father's footsteps, as well as for having the stage presence to host her own show. Cynics might say that this opportunity was simply handed to her. I suppose that if she hadn't been born into the Irwin family, she wouldn't have had this opportunity. I refuse to think in such terms though, especially since it seems to me that Bindi genuinely enjoys this work and handles herself well in front of the camera. No surprise there, since both of her parents were exceptionally well-composed afront the camera as well.

Boy, I miss Steve Irwin.

A dollar store closed down

Today I found out that a dollar store near my place of employment closed down. Now that's kinda sad. I still remember when they opened their doors, as that was only a few months ago. (Two months ago, maybe?)

I feel really bad for these small business owners when things don't work out. All along that strip mall, I saw several stores (typically small restaurants) that were no longer occupied.

That stinks. I know what it's like to face an uncertain future, which is why my heart breaks over these things.

I do remember wondering if that store would manage to stay open. They had a meager amount of merchandise, and I didn't notice a lot of traffic. I really started to wonder when they disconnected the small fridge in which they kept a variety of soda cans and bottles. Hoo-boy.

Not long ago, a friend of mine was asked to compile a list of her job duties. This was on a Friday. On the following Monday, she was dismissed from her position. Yikes.

Job security is a thing of the past.

A geeky limerick

A Unix saleslady, Lenore
Liked her work, but she liked the beach more
She found a good way
To combine work and play
She sells C shells by the seashore

Ambulatory?

Okay, I'm watching an episode of the old Space Ghost cartoon series from the 60s, and I just heard the lead character use the word "ambulatory."

That was a bit of a surprise -- a pleasant one, mind you. Kiddie cartoons from the 60s aren't exactly know for sophistication or logical storytelling. That certainly wasn't true for most of the old Hanna-Barbera productions, many of which were absolutely cringeworthy. (Birdman? The Galaxy Trio? Those were utter dreck.) I'm pleased to see that the writers of this particular episode weren't afraid to use a fancy word this time around.

I just wish that Jan, the female member of his twin sidekick pair, had a bit more personality to her. As far as I can tell, she pretty much followed the lead of her brother Jace. I guess that was typical of the times. I do recall that in the brief 80s revival of this cartoon saga, both Jan and Jace had more personality. Jace was a bit naive and overly headstrong, whereas Jan was more sensible and level-headed. This was doubtlessly in keeping with the 80s trend toward more characterization, not to mention an attempt to avoid old-fashioned depictions of women on TV.

A Wendy's slogan

Saw this on a paper bag from Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers:

"For Wendy's, square isn't so much a shape as a promise to not cut corners."

Clever! Witty! Now that's a clever marketing slogan. (Of course, if you're not familiar with their hamburgers, this slogan won't make any sense.)

How gullible is that?

Sometimes I can't believe how gullible people can be.

For example, there's this guy I know who repeatedly forwards every interesting story that he gets via e-mail. Time and time again, I've pointed out the inconsistencies and implausibilities in these stories as documented on Snopes.com. His reply? "Well, how do I know that Snopes.com is accurate? Anybody can come up with a website."

See the inconsistency there? He says that anybody can write something on a website, and so he dismisses Snopes in that regard. Yet he's perfectly willing to believe whatever he receives via e-mail, even though it's much easier for some malicious or uninformed hack to shoot of an e-mail hoax or other piece of misinformation.

BTW, I've given up on trying to convince people that the daddy longlegs is NOT the most poisonous spider in the world, or that its fangs are incapable of puncturing human skin.

Dang, it's cold.

Baby, it's cold outside.

With the price of gas nowadays though, I don't want to turn the heat up any further. I've already done plenty to control drafts and insulate the home. There's more that I could do, but I've resorted to darned near heroic measures already.

Typing is getting to be kinda tough in this cold. Sheesh. I wish I could build a bonfire in the kitchen, but of course, that would be bad.

Reconnecting

Hey! I tracked down someone that I knew from my grad school days. I found her name on the web -- or more accurately, her new, hyphenated name. That's right; she's married now.

Good for her! I always knew that she was a real treasure. She had a bit of a weight problem, but she was very appealing nonetheless. I'm really thrilled that she found someone.

(Why didn't I pursue her? Because we weren't compatible, that's why. Still, I always knew that she was a quality person.)

Yay! I'm happy for her.

Colds are not cool

Am on the tail end of a nasty cold. I felt like cutting off all the parts that hurt, but scarcely anything would have been left.

I even wound up taking two days off of work. This is atypical of me, as my manly ego normally compels me to show up for work anyway. We're really busy at work though, and I know that I can't risk infecting any of my co-workers.

Just spent a few hours looking for affordable motel accommodations for a business trip. Most of the affordable hotels would have required a few expensive cab rides, which made this search particularly challenging. Ugh.

Now I have yet another big pile of reading material to contend with. Boy. I could really use some sleep. That, and some time to catch up on household chores.

Somebody please give me a sabbatical.

More quotes on creativity

Here is a quote from business writer Elliott Carlisle in his book, Mac:

[I]t's almost impossible to get any real thinking done at work. Not just because of interruptions, but almost more importantly, the whole psychological and physical environment in which managers work tends to discourage contemplation and encourage activity. The higher the level in an organization, the more critical is the role of reflection and the less important that of activity, but so often we've become conditioned on the way up through the organizational ranks. How many bosses would give a word of encouragement to a subordinate if they were to come upon him sitting at his desk, chair tipped back, foot resting on an open drawer, and staring into space with an abstract expression on his face? They'd be far more likely to ask him what the hell he's doing, and if the unfortunate replied, "Thinking," he'd probably be advised to stop thinking and get back to work.

I'd also like to recommend this article on implementing creative though in the workplace.

Finally, I'd like to quote the following from Jack Foster's book, How to Get Ideas:

It is the child in you who is creative, not the adult. The adult in you wears a belt and suspenders and looks both ways before crossing the street. The child in you goes barefoot and plays in the street.

I'm no Lord of the Dance

I've been taking lindy hop dance lessons. I'm not doing too badly, but I'm not great either... and it'll take a while before I develop the confidenced that I need to really do this well. What a bummer.

I really, really wish that I was more of a natural dancer. I also wish that I had a more natural sense of rhythm, and that I could feel the beat of the music accurately. This is very frustrating indeed.

I've got the body strength needed to perform some fancy dance moves, and I've got plenty of stamina. I can engage in energetic moves all night long without tiring. Having said that, I wish I had more style and grace.

Maybe there's some hope. I remember when this one nice nurse gal attended a swing dance for the first time. Toward the end of the night, I asked her to dance, and after a few steps, she asked me if I was an instructor. She also said that I was the best dancer she had met that night, and asked if I could teach her more. Having said that, I do know that I'm not that great. I realize that the really good dancers must not have gotten around to inviting her to dance -- or perhaps they were so caught up amongst themselves that they failed to make her feel welcome. That happens now and then.

Dang, I wish I was better. I'd so love to master balboa, charleston, lindy, and a variety of ballroom styles. And I'll confess... I would appreciate the admiration that comes with being a great dancer. It'd make me more popular with a lot of these social dancers, for example. (Some of them think I'm very good, but I can tell that others think I'm pretty much a big goof.)

Fostering creativity

I've been reading this book, The Manager's Pocket Guide to Creativity. Among other things, this little tome discusses various factors that can hinder creativity in the workplace. Here is one of the factors that he mentioned:

"Supervisors discourage individual contemplation and creative thinking because they are not 'physical activities' (people who do them look like they are goofing off)."

Ain't that the truth! My current employer values and fosters creativity, but not all companies do the same. It's important to engage in contemplation and let ideas percolate; however, based on past experiences, I've learned that this can easily be misconstrued. Some managers just don't like that sort of thing, as it can look too much like goofing off.

My current boss knows better, of course. He knows that I'm his go-to guy for a lot of tasks, thag I work hard, and that I often step in to revitalize projects that have crawled to a standstill. Nevertheless, I also believe that it's important to avoid giving the illusion of mere goofing off, lest anybody misconstrue such behavior.

The H-1B controversy

Time and time again, I hear people complaining about how H-1B work visa applicants are stealing jobs away from hardworking Americans. They say that there are plenty of programmers and engineers who can do the job, so we don't need to be importing all these foreigners.

I think that's a naive view, though. There are plenty of programmers to go around, but there is a lack of good progammers. The problem is probably less severe in engineering, but I'm sure that it's there as well. (Why is this a problem in programming? Because people can easily convince themselves that they know how to program without realizing the need for proper software design and coding elegance. I don't have time to discuss this in great detail, but suffice to say that it's harder to develop that kind of overconfidence when it comes to circuit design or mechanical construction.)

Many also say that H-1B workers drag wage levels down. I think there's some truth to that, but that these claims are also vastly overblown. Moreover, these claims treat jobs and wage levels as though they were part of a zero sum game, which they aren't. No economist would claim that they are.

The stock market and other stuff

Man, I wish the stock market was doing better right now. Some of my investments have taken a hit, and I really wish that they were doing better.

A friend of mine invested a lot of money in a mortgage firm, and that decision proved to be overly risky. Her reasoning seemed to make sense, as it looked like this company would weather the mortgage crisis -- but it looks like that prediction will be wrong. I feel so bad for her.

I also wish that I had invested in my 401(k) account back at my old job in California. I was very much worried about my future there though, and so I held off on that. I knew that if I had to tap into those savings prematurely, I'd be taking a big hit. As it turns out though, I should have probably invested a bit more at the time.

I'd like to get more reading done. To cut a long story short though, I'm getting pressure from someone to get certain marginally productive things done. I'll spare you the details; suffice to say that it's a frustrating situation.

I'm also trying to master lindy. I'm having a hard time with this, though. I was really off my game tonight.

I got to learn more about this illumination system recently. Very slick.

Oh, and I got to meet some really nifty people tonight. That was a pleasure.

So I've got to get up really early in a couple of days. I'm already quite sleep-deprived. How am I supposed to manage this?

I wish I had a laboratory of my own. That'd be really nice. There are so many ideas that I'd like to work on. Oh, and I'd like to teach a bunch of ex-coworkers about creativity. These were the types of people who simply suppressed innovation on the grounds that it's not how they were used to doing things. Sigh.

Comment in a singles profile

I once read an online singles profile which said the following:

"I have friends of all types, but I'm not looking for another "just friend" on here, and I don't have time for world-wide pen-pals -- even with otherwise great people. I promise I'm not a negative person, but because I am in the similars-attract camp rather than the opposites-attract camp and because there's no point wasting anyone's time by lack of full disclosure, things which are deal-breakers and complete turn-offs for me include the following: beer, liquor, smoking, chewing tobacco, gambling, lying, manipulation, cheating (on taxes, girlfriend, timecard, etc.), meanness, perversion, less-than-full-time employment or income of less than 80% of mine, long-distance (anything greater than 25 miles; Garland is on the NE edge of Dallas, TX in the USA), IQ less than 135, history of promiscuity/STDs, history of gay/bi, divorced (more than once, with kids, in the past five years, or for any reason other than her adultery or abandonment of you), shorter than 5'11", fat, under 30 or over 45, less than a full set of teeth, poor personal hygeine, not white/Caucasian, not a U.S. citizen from birth, lack of at least a bachelor's degree, poor grammar, poor spelling, living with parents/family, history of or current psychiatric meds or need thereof (that is if your psychiatrist, doctor, family, friends, coworkers, ex-girlfriends, ex-friends, or ex-coworkers think you need meds -- whether or not YOU think you do), criminal history (whether convicted or not), overall negative attitudes, lack of proven leadership experience, lack of real Christian faith, and lack of regular church involvement. That is not an exhaustive list, but is a good start. If ANY of those describe you, please do NOT write me... especially just to tell me that what is important to me shouldn't be important to me simply because it isn't important to you. You may like crawfish, caviar, or sushi, but I don't; likewise, the above are matters of personal preference to me. You've got your personal list of deal-breakers, too, even if you didn't post it. I'm just saving you time and energy if the above descibe you. Also, I'm going to let my subscription lapse, and will only renew it if I get mail; I will be very disappointed if I then spend (God's) money to renew it only to find mail which starts with, "I know I don't meet your requirements, but...." If you aren't the type of guy I'm looking for, please don't write me. There is somebody ELSE out there for you; may God bless you in your continued search for her."

Freedoms that I cherish

Somebody once asked me what I appreciate having as an adult that I didn't have as a child. Various freedoms come to mind.

For example, growing up, our family was not allowed to set our Betamax player. Why? Because our mother was deathly afraid that it would catch fire. Shortly after we first got the VCR, I progammed it to record one of my favorite shows. When my mother found out, she went ballistic! I was thoroughly castigated for my stupidity; after all, did I not realize how dangerous this was? She insisted that we should never set the timer -- indeed, that we should never even leave the VCR plugged in when it was not in use.

Yes, it was pretty absurd.

Now, please don't get me wrong -- I know that she meant well, and that she had the family's welfare in mind. Still, it was a pretty silly thing to be afraid of, and it was a source of frustration for me. Here we had this wonderful piece of technology that was designed to record programs for our convenience, yet we were not allowed to use that feature, lest the house burn down.

Rats.

Likes and dislikes

A few semi-random rantings here.

Stuff I like:

James Herriott Strawberry-banana yogurt Kendra Todd Mark Waid Peter David's humor Peter Falk

Stuff I dislike:

Profanity Crude comments about women Drug abuse Lester, Farley, and Rodney "Sarge" Peter David's political views Richard Dawkins and his attempts at pop philosophy Adam Sandler Adam Carolla Guys who don't treat the women in their life right

Stuff I've read

A few things that I've read recently:

• Parts of Showcase Presents: Batgirl, Volume 1
  
• Type & layout : how typography and design can get your message across, or get in the way by Colin Wheildon
  
• Advertising for Dummies
  
• A stack of articles from various trade publications on electronics and machine design
  
• This boring book on ad campaigns. I can't even remember the title.
  
• Various articles on intellectual property law
  

I also read this first-hand account regarding scammer E. Sharvit, who attempted to use his moving company to bilk a bunch of people. His name comes up in several online news accounts, all pertaining to his multiple cases of fraud. These shenanigans caused him to be kicked out of the country. I guess this goes to show what greed will do to somebody.

Recently read books

Here is a partial list of books that I've read recently:

Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear by Frank Luntz
Advertising for Dummies by Gary R. Dahl
Small Business Marketing for Dummies by Barbara Findlay Schenck
Jump Start Your Business Brain by Doug Hall
Showcase Presents: Batman and the Outsiders by Mike W. Barr et al

Another 'streak' of arrogance

Three years ago, I commented on a certain message board poster. She was arrogant and intolerant beyond belief of differing opinions. She also attempted to shut down anybody who disagreed with her, and she appeared to be immune to civil discourse. Yeah, she was a real piece of work.

For a while, she appeared to have simmered down. In recent months though, I've seen her old persona slip through again. I wonder if she ever truly changed at all.

It looks like she's really hit the fan again. In a current discussion, she's been hurling considerable vitriol at anybody who deigned to voice criticism -- even polite, civil criticism -- of a certain amateur TV script. People tried to explain that dissecting a writer's work is simply part of the normal editorial review process. Frankly though, such explanations should not have been necessary; after all, this is common knowledge.

I really liked what one of the more civil participants in this discussion said. Here is a sampling:

"Ruby, before I do the point by point thing, a serious question: has it
ever occurred to you that anyone, ever, might know more about literally anything
that you do? Because the breadth of subjects on which you claim expertise is
astounding."

"It is not the fact that you disagree with me that brands you an inadequate
judge. It is the fact that you can brook no disagreement with your opinion, and
have no ability to incorporate the knowledge of those with experience in the
field in question. An adequate judge would consider experienced and trained
opinions, give them weight, use them to add nuance and color to the opinions
they already have. You read a line of Dio's dialogue and say, "I think that's
great," and someone else - someone who evaluates scripts for a living (once
again, I'm referring to others in this thread) - comes in and says that X, Y,
and Z are problematic, and your response is to stick your fingers in your ears
and attack him for daring to speak. Thus does your arrogance make you an
inadequate critic, because a decent critic is capable of learning from others;
you're too certain that you know more about everyf***ingthing than everyone else
in the world to be in any danger of learning from anyone."

"And what you're refusing to address is that the people who've posted
opinions closer to mine than to yours - ie, relatively critical opinions - have
been reasonably nice about it, within the limits of how nice it's possible to be
when submitting criticism. You, on the other hand, blasted the living fuck out
of Pochacco for having the temerity to do something other than tell Diogenes how
wonderful his script is."

I get the feeling that Rubystreak can be a pretty decent person in some respects. She needs to learn how to tolerate differences in viewpoint though, and to avoid shouting down the people who disagree with her. I voiced the same observation in a previous blog posting, and so I don't think this is an unfair evaluation.

A membrane mounting system

This product announcement discusses a rather nifty system for mounting, sealing, and preserving microtiter plate membranes. I'm familiar with the hardware and techniques used, and trust me, it's a thing of beauty. It's a terrific example of finding an elegant solution that solves multiple problems at once. It provides a terrific way to protect optical patterns formed within the membranes, seal them from the elements, mount them on a flat and optically clear surface, and store them in a highly compact manner.

The way this system works with its matching plate reader is also truly magnificent.

The best engineering solutions solve multiple problems using minimal cost and a minimal number of steps and components. I daresay that it would be nigh impossible to develop a better solution that the system described in this article. I can't divulge the technical details, but trust me -- to anyone who's knowledgeable in this field, it just overflows with elegance.

I know that one other company developed a different technique for solving this problem. Suffice to say that it's a clumsy approach, and one that's practically doomed to fail, thanks to the laws of physics. Knowing something about material properties and material compliance can be truly helpful.

The old SuperFriends

I've been on a nostalgia kick, catching old episodes of the original SuperFriends show on Boomerang. A lot of people disparage the show, due to its annoying powerless junior SuperFriends (Wendy, Marvin, Wonderdog). I think that's an unfair assessment though, due to the reasons given in this article on the SuperFriends.

I was impressed at the way Aquaman was depicted as a thinking man's hero. In one episode, he was the one who figured out that a certain famous scientist/engineer had most likely faked his own death. He often used his brains to solve problems, rather than simply using his marine telepathy to call for help. And of course, his vast knowledge of marine phenomena was also of immense help.

Robin was likewise shown to be a thinking hero. He worked his way into Dr. Shamon's hideout, for example, and demonstrated his own deductive abilities. He was not just some kid who took orders from the Bat, whipping out whatever Bat-gadget would help save the day. (I hated that!)

Now that's a clever name

I came across the following name for a chimney sweep company recently: Chimney Cricket. Now that's a clever name. Dick van Dyke would have been proud.

Personally though, I wouldn't use their services unless I had some quotations which showed that their prices were comparable to those of other companies. A clever name can be attention-getting, but one should avoid making it the primary factor in choosing a company.

Ten Secrets of a Master Networker

These are from an article by Keith Ferrazzi:

Rule 1: Don't network just to network.

Rule 2: Take names.

Rule 3: Build it before you need it.

Rule 4: Never eat alone.

Rule 5: Be interesting.

Rule 6: Manage the gatekeeper. Artfully.

Rule 7: Always ask.

Rule 8: Don't keep score.

Rule 9: Ping constantly.

Rule 10: Find anchor tenants. Feed them.

Snowblower and other stuff

Up until today, I had been hunting around for a strong but affordable snowblower. The driveway in my new home is mighty long, and so it would take an awfully long time for me to dig my way out. I needed a snowblower badly.

I was balking at the expense, though. A new snowblower would cost about $349--closer to $376, with taxes. I really wasn't looking forward to that, since I've had a lot of unusual expenses lately. I had to get vinyl siding installed on my garage, and I also had my driveway resealed. On top of that, I had to get part of my flooring replaced, and my sunroom will need some foundation repair in the spring. Add to that some outrageous automotive repair costs, and these expenses really hurt.

Thankfully though, I found a functional snowblower at a second-hand store today. It only cost me $78 plus change, which means that I've saved nearly $300. Thank you, God!

As an aside, somebody gave me an old snowblower last week. I was really hoping that it would work; unfortunately, it was in horribly bad condition. I pretty much gave up on it after my best efforts at getting it to work. At least the expenses that I incurred were pretty minimal.

What else can I ruminate about? Well, I wish that I could attend this conference, as it would be nice to visit Switzerland for a while. Oh, and I borrowed some obscure CDs from the public library. Why? Because the dear, departed Laurie Beechman performed on them. What a voice! What a treasure! What a shame that she's gone.

Things I'd like to learn

There are an awful lot of things that I'd like to learn about... things that I'd like to master. Here are just a few.

Balboa, lindyu hop, mechanical design, machining, how things work, cryopreservation, Japanese, German, kanji, hiragana, katakana, Latin, microbiology, cellular biology, string theory, M-theory, existentialism, codebreaking, detective work, copywriting, copyrights, intellectual property law, Don Quixote, The Canterbury Tales, Gargantua and Pantagruel, Arthurian legend, Beowulf, combat techniques, archery, fiction writing, theatre, impressionism.

Dreamcoat comparisons

I recently rewatched the DVD recording of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat which had Donny Osmond in the title role. It was pretty good, and it had numerous nice touches, such as dressing Potiphar up as though he were a modern corporate bigwig. Still, I can't help but think that it could have had a better cast. Donny was very good, but he wouldn't have been my first choice. Sam Harris might have done a better job, for example.

I also listened to the original London, Broadway, and Canadian cast recordings. It quickly became clear that the narrator, more than any other character, sets the tone and potentially steals the show. I was disappointed in the Canadian version, but I thought that the London recording was pretty good, and I think that Laurie Beechman did an excellent job in the original Broadway version. Her rendition of Pharaoh's Song was positively mesmerizing.

I hear that Jodi Benson once played the part of the narrator as well. That must have been incredible! The Dreamcoat storyline is highly secularized though, which is disappointing. It fails to mention God at all, and it ascribes Joseph's success to "a lucky break." This must not have sat well with both Jodi Benson and Donny Osmond, both of whom are known for their religious convictions. (I have real issues with Mormonism, BTW, so I'm not praising Mr. Osmond's beliefs. However, I do commend him for the parts of his convictions that I do agree with.)

Laurie Beechman

I just learned that Laurie Beechman passed away about ten years ago. What a shock. What a shame. Her cast recording of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" was the very first Broadway cast recording that I ever purchased, and it was worth it. I could listen to her sing over and over again.

I liked Kelli Rabke, and I though that Kristine Fraelich was quite fine as well. Both did a wonderful job as the Narrator in this play. Laurie was quite special though, and her voice is completely unforgettable. I wasn't thrilled with her CD of Andrew Lloyd Webber songs, but her performance in "Joseph" was absolutely incredible.

Here's hoping that she's in heaven somewhere. Here's wishing that we could hear her sing one more time. Sigh.

A new set of angels?

A friend and I were discussing costume ideas recently. We talked about the kinds of creative outfits that we'd like to wear at a costume party. She has a twisted sense of humor, so she prefers to add some gory details, whereas I prefer to use costumes that are understated but clever.

She belongs to a trio of friends, and we got to talking about a costume for one of her pals. Her pal is a trim blonde gal, and I suggested that she could go as Cheryl Ladd. There's nothing distinctive about a Cheryl Ladd costume though, so to make this work, we'd need to dress up the entire trio as Charlie's Angels.

Which is a bit of a problem, since the third member of their trifecta is black. Oh, well.

Helping the Third World

This is nice. A biotech company is offering to help past customers donate their used analyzers to deserving laboratories in underprivileged nations. This is contingent on upgrading to a newer model, of course, but that's reasonable. After all, it costs time and money to place these units in laboratories that are worthy of these goods.

I think about how much faster science could progress if we could get more scientific research going in the Third World. This would ultimately benefit everyone, especially as scientific progress becomes more equitable.

Weird Al comments on Paris Hilton

One of Weird Al Yankovic's lesser-known classics, Headline News, provided humorous commentary on some of the more popular (yet relatively unimportant) news stories of the mid-1990s. These were: The Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding conflict, the caning of US delinquent Michale Fay, and Lorena Bobbitt's impromptu act of surgery on her husband.

During his 1997 Straight out of Lynwood tour, Al had initially modified the lyrics to describe Brittany Spear's flashing and head-shaving episodes. Midway through the tour though, he rewrote them to say:

“Once, there was this girl who got herself a DUI and wound up in jail
And when she finally got out, she did an interview with Larry King on TV
Would someone please tell me, why we give a crap about her”

Preach it, Al!

I like Al because his humor is mostly clean. On occasion, he does touch on more mature topics, but at least his language is never foul. Also, his humor is much more clean that what you'll typically hear in a primetime sitcom. (Good clean jokes can be a bit of a rarity nowadays.)

Linkdumping and random thoughts

Just a bunch of links and stream-of-consciousness blatherings here.

First, I just have to rave about this video here. The choreography is funny and absolutely clever. I positively love the interplay between the actors/dancers in this little production.

I also adore this little musical number. Boy, this 17-year-old gal has some real vocal chops. Absolutely enchanting.

Argh! For some reason, my Internet connection is aggravatingly slow today. Is somebody hogging the cable trunkline in my area? If so, then log off already, please!

Oh, and I'm buying a house. I like the place, but the seller (or rather, the seller's accountant, who's representing him) has resorted to some unethical tactics in his negotiations. What a rat! You can be sure that I'll never use this guy's services. Ever.

More Microsoft aggravations

Okay, I just have to rant and rail about Microsoft again. I've been trying to send a document via e-mail, which requires navigating to its location to load it. Once again, Windows XP slows down to an agonizing crawl. And why? Because it insists on doing so much stupidity in the background -- unnecessary operations that Microsoft feels would be "kewl." Nevermind that it sacrifices performance greatly.

The same thing often happens when you attempt to right-click on a file or a folder. In principle, there's no reason why the right-click menu should not pop up right away; however, XP uses this opportunity to say "Oooh! Oooh! There's a whole bunch of other kewl stuff I can do at this point! Let's squeeze that in!"

To some extent, this depends on the various software options and handlers that have been added to the system. This is one reason why a fresh XP installation will perform better than a three-year-old one. It's ultimately no excuse, though; calling up a right-click menu is such a simple operation that it shouldn't require massive amounts of computing time. The same holds true for calling up Windows Explorer. Microsoft simply made a whole bunch of foolish design calls in their efforts to make things look nifty.

And it's bloody aggravating.

Apprentice candidate Jessie

Earlier, I raved about the talented Ms. Kendra Todd. Well, I've been watching the first season of The Apprentice on a set of badly beaten-up library DVDs. I remember feeling that Jessie Connors had a lot to offer. After watching the early episodes again, I find that I still feel that way.

Jessie was a bit green, and she wasn't as well seasoned as Kendra. She was highly accomplished though, and a very impressive individual indeed. I don't know much about her, but she seems like the kind of person that I would choose to hire for my sales force (if I had one, that is).

Oh, and executive assistant Robin was quite delightful as well. I was sorry to hear that she was dismissed from the Trump organization. According to one alleged insider's report that I read though, she wasn't dismissed by Trump; rather, this was the doing of some new manager gal. Take that for what it's worth.

I'd love to see her return to the show... and I'd love to see her get more lines.

Engineering revisited

Earlier, I talked about this mighty fine piece of engineering design work. Way cool. That's what happens when people understand engineering design principles.

Not everybody does, though. Not everybody understands the principles of sound engineering. Consider the following encounter I once had.

I was telling somebody about this interesting diode-based device that I had received. Like a curious layperson, he said, "Can I see it?" I replied, "No, I'd rather not. It's a static-sensitive device; that's why it's enclosed in an anti-static bag. I'd rather wait until I have it under controlled conditions before opening it up."

He shot back, "That's nonsense! You can handle electronic devices all the time, and they're not going to get fried from a little static electricity. Not unless you have nanometer-sized transistors in their."

"It's not that simple," I replied. "It's not just a matter of device size. You also have to consider the type of device and the materials used. For example, CMOS devices are notoriously static-sensitive, whereas TTL devices are not."

He said, "You know what? I know people who handle blood samples with a lot of ceremony and ritual, whereas others don't. We just don't need to be that complicated."

"And how is that relevant?" I asked. "Blood and circuits are two different things. Let's say that those people are indeed overly cautious. How does this prove that static electricity is not a problem when handling circuits?"

"Look, our company has built hundreds of computers. We've never had a problem with static electricity."

"So what?" I said. "That's like saying that you've driven thousands of miles without a seatbelt, and so seatbelts are unnecessary. All it takes is one accident. Every competent technician knows that certain electronic devices are very much static sensitive."

"Well, you and I are both wearing cotton clothing. We're not going to generate static electricity -- not unless we were wearing synthetics."

"That's not true," I said. "Sure, synthetics might increase the amount of static generated -- but that doesn't mean that we won't build up any static charge right now."

"You're just being fearful," he said. "You need to develop some courage."

"You're being reckless," I said. What I really wanted to say, however, was "You're an idiot."

A fine piece of engineering

I've had the pleasure of seeing how this device operates. I'm not allowed to divulge any sensitive details; however, I can say that it is a mighty fine piece of engineering. Talk about an incredibly elegant design solution.

This device was required to scan a variety of visual targets. This presented multiple challenges, due to the differing geometries and optical characteristics of the objects in question. To make matters worse, there was also the problem of mounting some of these targets cheaply, in a manner that preserved them well. It was a thorny set of challenges, and they all had to dovetail together neatly.

Well, they did. To cut a long story short, the device, its accessory hardware and the mounting scheme all had to work together with great simplicity -- and they did. The choice of materials was just perfect. Just about the only thing that would make it better would be to manufacture some of these parts using certain rapid prototyping techniques, but that would not be cost-effective.

What a fine piece of design work.

Lazy writing in e-mails and on the 'net

Okay, I know that this blog has been a bit negative lately. Perhaps it's a sign of the stress that I've been under, and for that, I apologize.

Right now though, I just have to complain about all the sloppy writing that I see all over the 'net. It seems like so many people that I encounter are practically illiterate, if their message board posts are any indication. Ugh.

Now, I realize that some people have genuine difficulties with language. Sometimes, this is through no fault of their own, and I'd like to be tolerant of those people. With many others though, it seems like they just have no discipline... no sense of order. This is especially true of people who post incoherent ramblings in their singles site profiles and online resumes. In this case, I don't think that a lack of personal language skills is a valid excuse; after all, why not have a friend proofread your work? At least get some input, for pity's sake.

As an aside... on one singles site, I opined that people should attempt to provide polished, eye-catching profiles. One fella chewed me out, saying, "We're not applying for jobs here! It's up to you people to find the good in our profiles!" (Actually, what he said was more incoherent annd mighty difficult to decipher. I suspect that he got angry because he felt outraged at the notion of putting more work into his profile.)

I remember one guy on an e-mail distribution list. His signature said, "Don't complaint to me about spelling or grammar. What, do you think I have time to proofread my e-mails?" Notice the egotistical attitude there? He didn't feel that he shoud put any effort into proofreading his messages, but he felt perfectly justified in making others work harder to decipher his ramblings. Ugh.

Some people just revel in laziness and mediocrity, I guess. In the real world though, "good enough" just isn't. (And in most of these situations, their writings aren't even close to "good enough.")

Microsoft is so aggravating

AAARRRGGGHHHH!!! Once again, Windows XP is driving me nuts. Even though I have a pretty fast machine, it still takes forever to boot up and to open an Explorer window. I routinely scan my machine for malware and I have optimized the system as best I could, and yet this still happens. It's all because Microsoft insists on doing all sorts of garbage -- all sorts of unnecessary stuff. And why? Because of their dumb design philosophy, that's why.

Bloody aggravating.

On a more pleasant note, I think that Maylo McCaslin is mighty cute. Too bad she didn't really hit the limelight. I wish she had landed her own show.

Lazy, obnoxious driver

So today, I parked at a spot on the curb. This fella drives past me, then backs up and says to me, "Look, when you see that someone wants to park somewhere..." I tuned him out at that point, as he was obviously a jerk. He obviously wanted the parking spot that I took, and he was upset... upset enough to back up and complain.

I cut him off and said, "I didn't know. If you want it, you can have it." In reality though, I was thinking, "You jerk. I had no way of knowing that you wanted this spot. What am I, a mind reader?"

What a jackass. To top it off, there were plenty of other spots along that curb. In fact, he was practically next to one, but he just had to back up and complain. That's why I chose to drive off. He was obviously a jerk, and there's no reasoning with them. You never know when they might take a tire iron to your car, or to pull a gun on you.

I wish I had taken down his license plate number... not that it would have done any good, of course. At times like this, I wish I could mentally implant some common sense into the brains of other drivers. What a lazy jackass he was.

As an aside... once again, Microsoft Windows is stalling on me. It's bloody annoying. Windows Explorer takes forever to open up. Ugh. No good reason why, mind you. Microsoft produces unbelievable bloatware, thanks to their idiotic design philosophy.

Apprentice Kendra

I remember watching Season Three of Donald Trump's The Apprentice on TV. I remember marveling at some of the business decisions that were made, as well as the class, intelligence and candor displayed by its winner, Kendra Todd. IMO, she was one of the most beautiful women on television. She didn't have the classic TV look, but she was basically nice looking, and her intelligence and charm pretty much pushed her over the top.

I was watching some youtube.com clips of her performance on the show. You go, girl! It was a delight to see the kind of thought that she put into her work, as well as her energy and dedication. She's certainly an inspiration to me.

Right now, I'm working on some tasks that are similar to what she had to deal with in Episode 14. I try to remember her work as I labor on this endeavor. I'd like to blow people away the way she did.

Singles site cheating, revisited

Earlier, I lamented the way some people attempt to cheat the system on online singles sites. I raised this issue on an online forum once, and lamented the lack of honesty and integrity in these actions. I also pointed out that such cheating reflects poorly on someone's character.

I was unprepared for the tremendous backlash that this received. People responded with tremendous venom, saying things like "Who cares? A lot of people do it" or "Why are you making a big deal of this? There are much more important things to discuss!" (As an aside, I responded to the latter by saying, "What a minute. Why are you making such a big deal over my reaction? Aren't there more important things to discuss? By your own logic, should you not abandon this discussion right now?"

One person responded, "You don't even know this person. How dare you say that this is a reflection of someone's character?" I stand by that claim, though. You don't need to know someone personally to understand that every wrongful action is a reflection of that person. It might not provide complete insight into every fiber of that person's being, but it's a reflection nonetheless. Besides, by that logic, we should have no business commenting on the character of, say, Saddam Hussein or O.J. Simpson -- not unless we know those people personally.

(As it turned out, this person was herself one of those singles site cheaters. No wonder she responded with such tremendous outrage. It wasn't a matter of principle; rather, she just didn't want to admit that her actions were dishonest, or that they reflected poorly on her.)

On a (very) tangentially related note, I'd love to meet someone who looks like a young Courtney Thorne-Smith. It's doubtful that any such person would ever require the services of a singles site, though. Besides, a person's character is much more important that one's looks. Much, much more important.

Smallpox and bioterrorism

Apparently, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) embarked a while back on the development of a safer smallpox vaccine. This is part of a preventive campaign against bioterrorism. Smallpox was nominally eradicated in 1979; however, a few samples of the live virus remain in the USA and in Russia. It is currently believed that certain countries -- both hostile and friendly -- may have samples of the virus as well. (North Korea, perhaps? Criminy.)

The classic smallpox vaccine (vaccinia) has some unpleasant side effects, and in rare cases (1 out of 1,000,000), it can even be fatal. For these reasons, its use is currently reserved for health care and emergency workers. The government has embarked on an effort to develop a safer vaccine--just in case it becomes necessary to deploy this vaccine in the populace at large.

Ideas for the next few seasons of "24"

I have a few ideas for upcoming seasons of "24":

Day 7: On December 24th, Jack Bauer has 24 hours to help Santa deliver all of his toys. In the process, he must also teach the people of Fayed's country the real meaning of Christmas... OR MILLIONS WILL DIE!!!

Day 8: On February 2nd, Jack Bauer gets to torture terrorists over and over again. Every time this happens, he gets a little bit better at it.

Day 9: April 1st. Need I say more?

Oh, and Chloe needs to have her own show. (Yes, I did just want to link to that page again. Mary Lynn Rajskub is such a treasure, and an unconventional beauty as well. If you've seen her on the cover of Geek Monthly, you know what I mean.)

Juveniles in their 20s and 30s

A female friend of mine was telling me about how horribly immature these two male friends of hers were. Frankly, I agree.

I went out with their group once, to ensure that they'd have a designated driver. We parked in a garage downtown, and as we made our way out, these two guys started kicking each other all over the place. I can imagine a couple of high school students doing that, but a pair of grown adults? I would have expected better.

We were joined by another one of their friends later. He was a bit more civil, but still not terribly mature. At the end of the night, two of these guys decided to ambush the third, take his shoes off, and thrown them into the street. What a bunch of idiots! It never occured to them that this would be an unsafe thing to do, especially at night. (Yes, they had been drinking. Still, unless you're stinkin' drunk, it should be immediately obvious to anyone that this is a terrible, mind-numbingly stupid idea. Besides, the two bozos who pulled this stunt were the least inebriated of the group, and had been drinking fairly modestly.)

To make matters worse, two of these idiots decided to wrestle on the sidewalk, right when were were downtown. Again, even if you've had something to drink, it should be obvious that that's an incredibly stupid thing to do. This cop drove by, and he agreed with that assessment; he told these bozos to knock it off. "But we're friends!" they protested. "I don't care," the cop said. "Knock it off."

What a bunch of idiots.

Mind you, I was in a hurry to get home... and what were these guys doing? They were jumping over the patio fences of nearby restaurants (which were thankfully closed), climbing up and down stairs, and so forth. Basically, they were goofing around and wasting time. I understand that they weren't in a hurry to get home, but really! More aggravating is the fact that these were just mindnumbingly stupid things for them to do. I'd expect a nine-year-old to think that was great fun, but not an adult.

How old were these guys? One was 28; the other was 35. I'm not sure how old the third fella was, but he was probably in that ballpark range. The first two guys were the worst offenders anyway, and they were a pair of morons. Grow up, kids!

Techno-whatsis?

So this company goes by the name 'M&S', and yet their website domain is unrelated to their name. In fact, their domain name seems quite unusual indeed. I wish I knew what the backstory was there.

Or maybe it's a cultural thing. The company is Japanese, after all... quite the successful Japanese company, by all indications. I dunno.

Speaking of Japanese culture, I just watch part of the Mazinkaiser saga. The anime feel to this show was quite distracting. Anime has its good points, but so much of the animation tends to be grotesque, overly dramatic, or jus wildly exaggerated. It's like the animation styles often incorporate plenty of detail for adult sensibilities, but add plenty of wild mugging as well, as though it were geared toward elementary school children. I don't get it, and sometimes, I think it's almost insulting to one's intelligence.

Not all of anime is like that, mind you... but a good amount of it is, for whatever reason. Ugh.

24's Chloe is back in form

Yes, she's back in form... and I'm not talking about Mary Lynn Rajskub's trim new look.

Chloe is finally getting more of the spotlight again in tonight's episode. she had been rather badly neglected earlier this season, especially for the last five episodes or so. Now she's finally getting some much-needed face time. She's not laying down as much snark as she used to, which is disappointing, but at least she's back in the game.

What's more, they're finally tying up some old plot lines, such as the deaths that Morris nearly caused. It's good to see that they haven't simply forgotten about all of his remorse.

And guess what? We finally got to see what happens when Chloe comes to her senses after attempting to support some of Jack's rogue operations. It's about bloody time. We all know that Chloe is generally willing to do some shady under-the-table work, almost without question, so seeing another side to her personality is refreshing.

Raving about a few things

I'm really enjoying the TV series Bones on Fox. Very clever and very funny, with some excellent acting. Emily Deschanel, in particular, is a real treasure.

I also started watching Tim Minear's show, Drive -- also on Fox. Very clever, and Nathan Fillion does an excellent job as always.

On a more scholarly note, I've been learning about Plato's classic work, The Republic. I certainly don't agree with everything that Plato seems to be saying, but I do enjoy learning about it. Learning about the pre-Socratic philosophers (Thales, Anaximenes, Anaximander, Democritus and company) has been quite illuminating, and inspiring as well.

I cannot stand Deal or No Deal, though. There's no real intelligence behind this show. One could use a simple formula to produce the most logical decision, which is why they wrap the show in so much useless theatrics and emotionality. Not good.

Rajskub on 24

I noticed that Mary Lynn Rajskub has been given second billing on the hit TV show, 24. For some reason though, they're making very little use of her this season, though. What a shame, as her character is immensely popular amongst fans -- especially among male computer geeks, I daresay.

Ms. Rajskub plays techie whiz Chloe O'Brien, a computer geek with only the most rudimentary of social skills. She does wield a mean M4 carbine assualt rifle though, and she's pretty handy with a taser.

She's kinda pretty this season too, thanks to her new hair color and a more flattering outfit. If only they'd use her more, darn it! She's good for the occasional bit of drama, and she's always good for comic relief.

Publishing papers

An acquaintance of mine was telling me about a certain paper that she found interesting. This got me thinking... I'd really like to publish more papers soon. Various obligations though -- mostly work-related -- have been preventing me from doing so.

It doesn't help that I now have to assume some new marketing-related duties. Ugh. I don't mind doing this, but it's not the sort of work that really helps me in my primary career path. It certainly doesn't help me look like a star.

I do way too much writing nowadays, and way too much documentation work. It's necessary, though -- necessary if I want to help this company succeed and become more regularly profitable. We've had some lean times lately, and I'd like to help us become more stable.

It's gotta be done. It's necessary. It's also frustrating.

If only I didn't have to work so hard at trimming down, or at educating myself on various subjects (philosophy, science, literature, etc). That'd make life so much easier. If I were naturally trim, fit and attractive, then that'd certainly give me a lot more leisure time.

Rats. Double rats.

Jodi Benson -- I want more!

I had read that Jodi Benson performed some voice work, early in her career, for the anime film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds. I was disappointed to find out, however, that she only had a few lines, and that she didn't even get to sing.

Jodi is, of course, the voice of Disney's Princess Ariel, and my favorite singer of all time. I relish every opportunity to hear her sing. She also has an excellent speaking voice though, so I enjoy all of her voice work. I would gladly pay money just to hear her read the telephone book, for pity's sake.

What a talent and a treasure.

Disguised e-mail addresses on singles site profiles

I belong to a few different Christian dating service websites. These sites typically provide both paid membership accounts and free membership services with restricted rights. For example, the free membership agreements typically do not allow their users to send e-mail addresses or other contact info. (The systems automatically block e-mail addresses in such profiles. Dishonest members are thereby forced to use creative techniques for disguising their addresses.)

I noticed that there are a great many profiles that contain these disguised e-mail addresses. This bothers me greatly; after all, Christians are supposed to exemplify honesty and integrity. If Christians choose to deliberately cheat the system, thereby avoiding the need to pay a membership fee, then what does that say about our Christian character?

Just this week, I contacted a woman who seemed like a promising prospect. She immediately wrote back and said, "I'm on an unpaid membership. You can contact me at <>."

My response? "I'm sorry, but I'm really not comfortable with using disguised contact information. I think that as Christians, we need to honor and respect the rules on these sites. I believe that is what Jesus would want us to do."

She wrote back, "I did it because of finances and the lack of great matches. Proceed as you wish." That was her explanation. There was no expression of repentance or regret -- no acknowledgement that she had attempted to cheat the system, and that this was wrong.
I said, "Believe me, I'm sympathetic to your situation. I've gone through some lean times myself. At the same time though, I'm become convinced that I need to honor these rules, as a matter of Christian testimony. I would rather seek ways to exchange contact information legitimately. For example, in this situation, I would have been happy to give you MY e-mail address instead; after all, I'm a paying member, so I have that freedom."

I don't think I'll be contacting her again. It's not simply that she chose to cheat the system, unfortunate as that may be. Rather, the bigger problem was the lack of remorse in her explanation. There was no admission that her actions were dishonest, or that there were other ways that we could have exchanged contact info. Rather, she simply emphasized that it was a financial decision on her part, as though that settled everything.

What a terrible shame.

Things I like

These are a few of my favorite things:

Stephen Hawking's writings, Carl Sagan's writings (except for his pontifications on religion!), some of the old Star Trek stuff, Albert Einstein, Daniella van Graas, grasp theory, C++, object orientation, UML, design patterns, computer programming, Stacey Williams, Traylor Howard, Monk and Psych, Kendra Todd's business savvy, James Herriot, Isaac Asimov, Ernest Hemingway, classical literature, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, electronics, mechanical design, physics, zoology, naturalism, Columbo, Marv Wolfman, George Perez.

Being sensitive to a gift giver

I've been telling people about a nasty incident that I had at a friend's birthday party. Here's what happened:

Just before the party, I gave her a florist-bought floral arrangement with her favorite flowers (roses, and she specified red), with carnations. I know that some people still view red roses as exclusively romantic, but she didn't seem to feel that way.

She thanked me warmly and gave me a hug. That was nice. A couple of hours later though, two dudes showed up with cheap grocery store bouquets that must have cost $4 each. She goes wild and enthuses, "Wow! That is so sweet! I love them! Thank you!"

She then cradles a bouquet in each arm, stands between the two guys and asks me to take a photo. In the meantime, I wasthinking, "Hmm. She didn't ask anyone to take a photo of her with my flowers." I felt that was a bit of a slap in the face to me.

After the party, I let her know that my feelings had been hurt. Some might disapprove, but I felt that as a friend, I had to let her know.She said, "Well, these are different people than you. Of course, I'll relate to them differently. Besides, they normally act like little boys, so I wasn't expecting to get flowers from them."

When I mentioned this on the 'net, I got a variety of responses. Some thought I was being absurd for taking offense. Others understood why this was hurtful though, as it amounts to some severely lopsided treatment. Here is a sampling of what they said:

"But, asking you to hold the camera and take a picture with the other two
unsophisticated boors and their stupid old flowers was definitely tactless,
hurtful and really kind of rude, especially if she didn't ask for a picture with
you. I'd be hurt."

"In my opinion, she should have given you the same attention for your gift as she did the other two guys. I think she's not as interested in gifts from you as she is for gifts from them. Which makes me think she's kind of a mean person (to not care about all her friend's feelings equally). But was it deliberate or was it just an oversight because of her lack of caring? My first reaction was that if she was thinking a little less about herself that night (and possibly flirting with these other two guys) then she would have shown you a bit more respect. I don't think she intentionally did it."

"It does sound to me like she didn't appreciate you. Some times you just have to let a friendship cool and not be as close to certain people as you once were."

"Yes, I would have felt slighted too........"

A job hunter's ordeal

I read this account from a fella who was struggling to find a job. It's kinda sad to read or hear these stories, and I know what it's like to be stressed out over finding a job.

It's good to know that he did find a job. I remember how stressed out I was during my job searches, especially when offers seemed to be dangled right in front of me, only to be yanked away at the last moment. It was always such a huge relief when a job offer finally came through, especially with my current employer.

I know that a lot of guys out there were stressing over employment worries a few years ago. The employment crisis isn't quite so bad nowadays, but I know that for many techies, it's still a problem. I feel for them, and I hope that I never have to go through that problem again.

Craig, Tana, and Kendra

The final three competitors in season three of The Apprentice were Tana, Kendra, and mealy-mouthed Craig. Tana and Craig were a team, but they clearly did not get along well with Kendra. For whatever reason, they simply had very different mindsets.

It's interesting to note, however, that earlier on in the series, they seemed to get along much better. Perhaps this simply shows how stress can bring out tensions between competitors.

It's also worth noting that when Trump first organized a corporate reshuffle -- that is, when he had teams Magna and Net Worth pick out people whom they would send to the other side, Net Worth's Chris Shelton chose to eject both Tana and Craig. I don't know what that means.

Windows aggravations

Microsoft programs can be so aggravating. Windows is a prime example. All of it security failings are a grievous problem, and the persistent need for patches simply illustrates its shortcomings and vulnerabilities.

I also hate the way Windows allows an application window to simply pop up without warning. "Well, what's wrong with that?" one might ask. "After all, if you called up a web browser, then you've got to expect that it'll appear sometime." That's not the point, though; after all, when and where the window pops up is critical as well. If you're typing into a document window, for example, and another document window pops up elsewhere... well, if the focus gets diverted to that window, then it can be most aggravating. And if you're attempting to click on a button in one application just before another dialog window pops up, then the results can be disastrous.

And don't get me started on Word. Sometimes, it's most impressive, but at other times, it's just plain aggravating.

And the way Windows Explorer sometimes takes forever to pop up, simply because it's doing too much stupid, unnecessary stuff in the background.... that's just insanely stupid. It also hogs CPU resources in the process. In fact, my computer practically froze as I was typing the preceding sentences, simply because I was also attempting to start Explorer in the background. Apparently, Explorer feels the need to digest a whole lot of its subdirectory contents, regardless of whether the user ever expects to use that info. It's just mindnumbingly dumb.

Yes, Microsoft products stink.

Still more on singles profiles

Revisiting my last two postings...

When I brought up the subject of people saying "I'd like to start a conversation. Please read my profile," I fully expected that more people would have understood why I find it a bit distasteful. I wasn't prepared for some of the responses.

One fellow said (and I paraphrase), "Why are you being so negative toward women?" Even when I emphasized that my comments were gender-neutral and applied equally well to both sexes, he failed to get it. His response? "Do you really think that men and women need to behave the same?" How do you reason with someone like that? At no point do I deny that the genders need to behave in exactly the same way, but that doesn't mean that certain rules of conduct never apply to both sexes!

More than one person said, "Men need to make the first move! Women shouldn't take the initiative!" One lady even said, "I choose to be a southern lady." They were missing the obvious. If a woman asks a man to read her profile, then she has ALREADY taken the first move! You can't invite a man to read about you, then insist that he should be the aggressor. That ship has sailed, folks!

How hard is it to just start a conversation? The rules of conduct don't change simply because you're online.

More on singles site profiles

I just wanted to revisit my blog posting from yesterday. In that posting, I commented on how some people introduce themselves on singles sites by saying. "Hi. I'd like to get to know you. Please read my profile and tell me what you think." I realize that not everybody will agree with me on this point, but I think that such introductions are ill-advised. Indeed, I think they're kinda rude, as they basically place the recipient in the position of having to figure out what they can talk about.

When I discussed this matter online, one guy said, "I do it to save time. Why should I waste my time on a long response if the other person isn't interested?" I think that's not only foolish, it's also rude. It's foolish because one's introduction doesn't have to be very long -- a short paragraph should suffice. It's rude because the sender wants to save time, but also wants the recipient to put in the time necessary to read his/her profile and compose a response. That's kinda self-cented and inconsiderate.

One person responded to me by saying "I think u r taking this wayyyyyyyy to serious LOL if it bugs u that much, write her back and tell her, thats if..." -- well, you get the picture. I think this illustrates the problem. People who don't communicate well are less likely to understand the importance of actually starting a conversation, as opposed to offering some generic introduction. They fail to grasp why it's important to actually start some sort of discussion if you want to have a conversation.

People like this remind me of people who don't bother to proofread their resumes or supply a personalized cover letter when they apply for a job. They figure that they're just saving time, and that sounds reasonable. Ultimately though, I think it does indicate a tendency to do a minimal amount of work, or close to it. It's saying "Eh. Good enough." And when it comes to asking someone to "review [your] profile then get back to me," it's even more objectionable. Why? Because it's basically asking the other person to pour in work, whereas you opt to take the easy approach.

I know that some people -- perhaps may people -- wouldn't see it that way. They would say, "What's the harm? You want to read singles profiles anyway, right?" While this may sounds reasonable on the surface, I think it overlooks an important principle -- namely, that it's best to avoid needlessly imposing on other people. If you want someone to read your profile, then give them some incentive to do so. It's a lot better than just saying "Please read my profile and tell me what you think." Little niceties like this may seem trivial, but they have their place.

I have profiles on a few singles dating sites. I don't get a lot of responses to them; however, when I do, about half of them say something like the following:

"Hi! I"d like to start a conversation. Please read my profile and tell me what you think."

Now, I understand that these people mean well; however, I don't think I would ever respond to such a message. It indicates a certain level of rudeness and a great deal of laziness. It amounts to saying, "I want us to talk, but I want you to do the hard work of getting the ball rolling. So please read my profile and decide what we should talk about."

Is this making too much of nothing? I don't think so. Common sense and decorum dictate that if you want to start a conversation, you do so in a normal manner. Find something to talk about, instead of expecting the other person to do the work for you.

When I brought this up on a singles discussion board though, half a dozen people responded by saying, "There's nothing rude about it! It's just a way of saying hello!" I find that baffling. Is that how they say hello in the real world? "Hi. I'd like to talk. Why don't you find something that we can discuss?"

A few people said, "I don't want to type out a lengthy message, only to get shot down! It's much simpler to just ask people to read my profile instead." I understand that they don't want to waste time, but really... you don't need a lengthy message. Just get the conversation started, instead of asking the other person to do the work for you.

Yes, I was deeply surprised at these responses. Somehow I suspect that these people wouldn't be saying the same thing if somebody used those tactics in real life. I'm not talking offering a smile or a sly look. I'm talking about asking the other person to review your profile (or whatever passes for it in the real world) and then let you know if she/he is interested.

After all, one can always start by bringing up a topic of common interest. This isn't being aggressive; in fact, it's pretty neutral. People of the same sex do it all the time, even on sites like this, so it's hardly the mark of an overly aggressive woman.

As a few acquiantances of mine said on an Internet message board,

"I delete those messages off the bat. The least they could do is respond to something in my profile. A simple 'I like Regina Spektor too!' would suffice. It doesn't have to be a novel, but any kind of message indicating you've looked beyond my age and my ethnicity would be nice."

"The message should make it clear that they at least read your profile, and it's not a mass message."

"Sounds like a spammed response to anyone who has the genital requirements the sender seeks. I concur... lazy. If there's a hint that the sender actually read the ad and indicated in one sentence why they responded to you, it would be a massive improvement."

On an unrelated note, I was also reading about the shenanigans of scammer Eli Sharvit. Yoiks. What a crook. Elsewhere, I also read that he's continuing to deceive people -- that his company has merely changed names, but basically operates in the same scamming mode. If that's true, then it's a truly despicable situation.

Short men, overweight women

It's common knowledge that men tend to prefer women who are somewhat slender. Before anyone objects, I know that not all men feel that way. I also know that men have different notions of what slender is, and that men don't necessarily prefer the anorexic, waif-like look. We are talking about generalities here, so let's acknowledge that and move on.(And before anyone asks, I myself have been attracted to moderately overweight women before, especially those with pleasing personalities. So I'm not saying that I would never want to date an overweight woman myself; quite the contrary. I want to emphasize this right now, lets anyone put words in my mouth.)

It's also common knowledge that women prefer men who are tall. Again, I know that not all women feel that way, and that there are differing notions of how tall men should be. As a general principle though, this preference is widely acknowledged.

So why is it that society constantly laments the fact that men tend to prefer thinner women, and yet you seldom hear women being criticized for preferring taller men? In fact, I've seen many singles ads wherein women listed the minimum height requirements for the men that they would consider dating. I daresay that if a man were to list a minimum bodyfat requirement for the women he seeks, he would be considered shallow and overly concerned with appearance.

BTW, don't forget that people can at least control their waistlines to some extent. There's virtually nothing that men can do to change their height.

Mind you, I do agree that we need to be willing to look past the physical. I'm not saying we shouldn't. I'm just saying that there appears to be a double standard at play.

A few things I've enjoyed

Just wanted to ruminate about a few things that I've been enjoying.

I've taken up laser tag again. It's pretty good exercise, provided that you don't have obnoxiously long waits in between games. It does get expensive, though.

I've been enjoying the vocal talents of Ms. Michelle Nicastro as well. What a singer!

Speaking of singers, I'll soon be attending a Christmas concert by the delightful Ms. Jodi Benson. It looks like I might also have some equally delightful company. That'll be great.

I also discovered the vocal stylings of Zooey Deschanel recently. Wow. She is absolutely incredible. She could even give Jodi Benson a run for her money.

Should Ph.D.s be referred to as "doctor"?

In recent years, I've frequently heard people claim that individuals who hold PhDs are not "real" doctors. These people assert that only physicians can rightfully claim this title, and that it's inappropriate for PhD-holders to use this term.

Frankly, I'm surprised. I thought it was common knowledge that there are both medical and non-medical doctors, and that this is a legitimate term to use in both situations. Apparently though, common knowledge isn't always as common as one would hope. For this reason, I'd like to take a moment to dispel some of the myths behind this title. (For the sake of brevity, I shall henceforth focus on the PhD degree; however, the same arguments hold for comparable degrees such as the ScD and the ThD).

Can PhDs legitimately claim to be doctors? Absolutely! The term "doctor" is derived from the Latin verb docere, which means "to teach." Historically, it refers to a teacher or, by extension, a scholar. It did not specifically refer to a physician. This title was later co-opted by the medical community though, due to the respect and prestige that it imputes. In one of life's great ironies, many uninformed laypeople now percieve the medical degree to be more prestigious than the lowly PhD, declaring that people who have earned the latter are "not real doctors."

Some people say, "Well, most people only think of physicians as doctors. According to the rules of common usage then, PhD-holders shouldn't use this title." I understand the appeal of this argument, but frankly, I think it's fallacious. There are many individuals that are known to the public as "Doctor"--Dr. Martin Luther King, Dr. Joyce Brothers and Dr. Laura Schlessinger. None of these individuals has a medical degree, and yet they are commonly accorded this title.

Moreover, I think that this argument panders to ignorance, rather than fighting it. If a large portion of the population thinks that (or acts as though) only MD-holders truly merit the title of "doctor," should we bend over backwards and let their misperceptions rule? Would it not be better to educate people on the historical, established usage of this term--usage that persists to this day?

Some say, "If you refer to a PhD-holder as 'Doctor Smith,' then people will assume that he's a physician. So what happens if there's a medical emergency? Do you want people running to Smith for medical help?" Frankly, I think that this argument betrays a low opinion of the public's intelligence; it assumes that people are too dim-witted to learn, and that we may as well accept the inevitable. Personally,I would rather fight ignorance gently than assume such a lowly opinion of the common man's intellience. Would some people continue to think that only physicians merit this title? Probably so--but I suspect that the vast majority of individuals are intelligent enough to learn otherwise.

For some reason, many also think that the MD is much more difficult to attain than a PhD. I can understand why; after all, we've all heard horror stories about medical students working long hours and stayin up all through the night. However, people simply don't realize how laborious a PhD program can be. PhD students often have to engage in long hours of grueling studies and research if they wish to complete their studies in a timely fashion. I'd say that when it comes to years of study, PhD programs are more demanding as well; when starting from a bachelor's degree, a PhD typically takes from six to eight years to complete, as opposed to four years for the medical degree.

When someone declares that physicians are the only real doctors, he is simply mistaken. I'd say that PhDs have every right to this title--and I say that based on the title's etymology, the demands of their programs and the accepted, contemporary usage of this term, even outside of academic circles.

Revisiting the predator complaint

Earlier, I talked about an opportunistic jerk who moved in on a friend of mine right after she broke off her engagement. He was thinking about himself -- his own desires -- with no regard for the hurts in her life.

Some people agreed with my assessment -- most notably, women I've known who had broken off their engagements or who underwent divorce. A few selfish souls, however, said "Yeah, but if he waited, then someone might have beaten him to her." As I said, a selfish approach. A true gentleman would wait.

A couple of people said, "So what? It's her decision to make." That is unbelievably naive. Of course, it's her decision to make. That doesn't mean that we can afford to take advantage of people who are hurting in this fashion. It's just not right. We can choose to exploit their vulnerabilities, but that doesn't mean that it's justified. We can't excuse this by saying, "Well, it was her choice."

Ridiculous.

Being an opportunistic male predator

Last July, one of female friends broke off her engagement, just one week before her wedding. I was relieved to hear this, since I really didn't approve of the guy she was dating. To cut a long story short, I'm pretty sure that he was putting up a false front -- conveniently adopting her religious beliefs so that they could get married. I doubted the sincerity of his conversion and his convictions, as did several others.

So she broke the engagement off. Good for her. With nary a delay, this one fella -- his name is Chris -- moved right in. He made his interest blindingly obvious, even though she was tremendously vulnerable and her wounds were still sore.

He was no gentleman. He knew full well that she was still hurting badly. Instead of letting her wound heal for a while, he moved right in like a cat on the prowl. I don't like it when my friends are treated that way.

I know, some people would disagree with me. Still, I think it's a pretty sleazy thing for a man to do. When a woman has just broken off her engagement -- a few days before the wedding, no less -- then she's in no position to pursue a dating relationship. There has to be a lot of healing involved, first. You might win her heart, but you wouldn't be respectful. You would be acting with your personal desires in mind, rather than thinking about what's best for her.

There's a reason why divorcess are advised to wait at least a year before dating. When that type of commitment is broken, it takes a long time to heal. During that period, you're not in a position to make sound judgments. Certain men like to swoop right in during that time, but that merely shows that they're acting selfishly.

BTW, as I'm typing this, Microsoft Windows keeps stalling on me for a second or two -- sometimes more. It's bloody annoying. I tried opening up Windows Explorer, and the process brought the computer to practically a halt. No good reason why, mind you. Microsoft produces unbelievable bloatware, thanks to their idiotic design philosophy.

Antigravity nonsense

I will never forget Sal, this Mechanical Engineering grad student that I knew way back when. He was a real pain and a bit of a nut.

He was ranting about how he wanted to build an antigravity system and how physicists laughed at him. Me, I wasn't about to laugh, but I did know that he had descended into quackery.

That's what happens when engineers think exclusively as engineers, plugging and chugging their physics equations, without properly understanding the physics principles themselves.

Labor Day was so boring

Yesterday was Labor Day, and it was boring as heck. Boring, lonely and depressing. I basically spent the entire day alone.

Went to the gym, got some household chores done, and got some work-related stuff accomplished. Also watched Carrie on DVD. On the whole though, it was a pretty boring day, and at times, painfully lonely.

Nuts. Drat. Drat. Nuts. Nuts.

Nothing sticks to it!

I have, on occasion, talked about my ex-roommate Mark, and what a difficult individual he was. One of his many problems was that he was incapable of recognizing the limitations of his own knowledge. That is, he frequently assumed himself to be right, even on matters in which he had little expertise.

Case in point: He once asserted that there are no such things as physical "chaotic systems"--that is, physical systems in which the final outcome varies tremendously based on infinitesimal variations in the starting parameters. "Everything runs down!" he said. The guy clearly did not know what chaos theory meant, and yet he deigned to assumed that thousands of chaos theorists across the globe were studying a non-existent phenomenon.

Here's another example. He once claimed that Teflon cannot be used as a structural material. "It's only good for coatings!" he exclaimed. I said, "Mark, it is typically used as a coating. That doesn't mean that it can't be used as a solid block of material."

"But I've never heard of it being used that way!" he objected. "Mark," I said, "Don't assume that it's impossible just because you haven't heard of it being used that way. Teflon is expensive stuff, which is why people prefer to use it as a coating. For structural applications, one can typically get away with using acetal or other low-friction plastics. That doesn't mean that they can't use Teflon; it simply means that the less expensive option is often sufficient."

Besides, Teflon is sometimes used in bearings, due to its low frictional coefficient. Mark didn't know about this, but that should be no surprise. He's an electrical engineer, after all, not a mechanical engineer or materials scientist. Of course, that didn't stop this jerk from making hard and fast pronouncements on matters that he knew little about.

Juanin Clay

Time to sigh over Juanin Clay, a luminously lovely and terribly underrated actress. More of Juanin can be seen here and here.

TV stuff

I've been watching a DVD from the old short-lived Buck Rogers in the 25th Century show. Boy, it was cheesy. It did have some pretty good actors among its guest stars, though. And of course, a great many young lads loved to watch Erin Grey.

On a related matter, this site lists two understatedly lovely TV actresses—Melinda Culea and Nicole DeBoer. It also mentioned Courtney Thorne-Smith, but she gets a lot more mileage out of her looks. I would also mention Allison Bartlett (from Sesame Street), a certain small-time weathergal, and a certain children's TV show producer/actress. Oh, and Jennifer Dempster of BodyShaping, and Robin from The Apprentice. Then there's the obscure (and sadly deceased) actress, Juanin Clay.

Speaking of which, I started reading Bill Rancic's book yesterday. It seems like fairly interesting reading, although I think I like Amy Henry's book more. I wish that Nick Warnock had written something as well, since I would have liked to take a look inside his mind. Sadly, I don't think there's anyone from season two whose writings would be in demand, except maybe for Kelly Perdew. I certainly wouldn't want to ready anything by Jenn Massey, unless I was really, really bored. I'd give very little credence to any book that she'd write.

There are a whole lot of books here that I'm trying to get through, with little success. I've managed to make some headway, but thanks to my exercise program, it's been tough going—and I do think that my exercise program will have to take precedence. Rats.