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."