Another bad sign...

The Americorps' Inspector General is supposed to be independent, so that he/she can investigate government waste and misconduct. The most recent Inspector General, Gerald Walpin, was just fired by President Obama because he was investigating a friend of Obama's, Kevin Johnson. See the the following:

http://www.google.com/search?q=fired+Inspector+General&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090612/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_national_service_inspector_general

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1151ap_us_national_service_inspector_general.html

Why is this not on the mainstream (non-cable) TV news?

Chastity Bono -- Becoming a Man

Chastity Bono -- Becoming a Man

Yeah, yeah... Empathy, tolerance, yada yada yada...

I just can't wrap my head around this sort of thing.

If I was with a "woman" who told me that she had been born a man, I'd be very upset about what I consider false advertising.

One of the articles on TMZ mentions that Chastity Bono has been in a committed relationship for several years. This relationship is with a LESBIAN woman. So when she changes to LOOK MORE LIKE A MAN (because she's still got female chromosomes) will her partner suddenly be "going straight?"

Or will she be like that "pregnant man" who has a beard and KEPT THE VAGINA AND OVARIES???

Burkah wearing teacher at a Christian school?!?!?!

This may seem a little "out there" now, but in this PC world nothing surprises me. She'll probably not only keep her job, but receive some sort of financial settlement.

Society, here's your handbasket. Enjoy the trip.

Just watched Star Trek

...and I was astounded. It was nearly perfect -- respectful to canon, but fresh and innovative in just the right ways to bring in a new generation of fans.

-- Post From My iPhone

"Outrage" over "Police Brutality"

Some idiots decided to run from police and engage in a high-speed car chase. After one of the guys got out and ran, then laid down because he realized it was hopeless, the police kicked him. I say BIG DEAL. Wanna know why? First, take a look at this scumbag:

Yes - the name of his gang is TATTOOED ON HIS UPPER LIP. One of his buddies in the car has the gang's initials TATTOOED ON HIS CHIN - in thick block letters.

Why we let these sons-of-bitches drain our police resources is beyond me.

Of course, what makes this worse is that he'll probably sue and receive millions of taxpayer dollars.

More pictures and the full story here:

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/ci_12361988

Jeanene Garofalo is out of her mind

Recently there were protests across the country that were billed as "Tea Parties", to conjure up images of the original "Boston Tea Party". The idea apparently was to protest taxes and spending by the government. Whatever.

Most media outlets were at best skeptical of the protests, and many refused to refer to them as legitimate protests, choosing rather to refer to them as "teabagging parties" and calling the participants "teabaggers." (Yes - on national news) Many of the anchors on these news channels dove right in with double entendre, saying things like "licking their lips for teabagging" and "it's hard to talk (coherently) when you're teabagging." Seriously. I'm not making this up.

Well, once the demonstrations were over, I thought the story was over too. Not for Jeanene Garofalo, who not only dismisses the protests completely, but labels them as RACIST. I've always known that Jeanene Garofalo "leaned left", and ignored that fact due to her comedic talent. She refers to the protesters as "teabagging rednecks." Again - seriously, I'm not making this up.

Watch the clip below (replayed on Fox News' "Red Eye")

Halo Wars - I love it, but I'm disappointed

I'm not disappointed in the game. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love Halo Wars.

What disappoints me is that Ensemble Studios, the developer of the game, has apparently disbanded - shut down.

What that means is that while other games get updates to fix various issues, Halo Wars likely will not. And in this case that's a real shame, since some of the AI decisions clearly could use some tweaking. For example, if a tank can't get through a narrow area, like between a turret and a mountain, it doesn't turn around and go the other way. It just sits there waiting for the mountain to move. Similarly, if AI-controlled units aren't specifically told to target things like turrets or shield generators, they'll often target far less strategic targets, like infantry or resource generators.

Also, while games like Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto 4, and the entire Call of Duty series have benefited from various add-ons and downloadable extras like maps, they were only able to offer such things because their developers were still alive.

Microsoft once owned the developer of the original Halo games - Bungie Studios. After Halo 3 was released, Bungie, broke away from Microsoft and became an independent company. Despite their independence, they continue to fully support Halo 3. Microsoft also owned Ensemble Studios from 2001 to 2009. It's a real shame that they couldn't just spin it off and allow it to run independently.

(5/20/2009) UPDATE: Thankfully I was wrong. There is an update and DLC for Halo Wars. Whoo hoo!! :) http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/19606/Halo-Wars-Gets-Title-Update/

I owe Adam Lambert an apology...

Holy crap.

I just got to catch Adam Lambert's recent performance of Tears For Fears' "Mad World" on American Idol.

I loved the original version, and really loved Gary Jules' 2003 cover, which has appeared in the film "Donnie Darko" and in commercials for "Gears of War".

Adam's version was more similar to Gary Jules' version, but yet again, he made it his own. He no doubt had a hand in the staging and lighting for his performance, which he has done before, and no other competitor has done to date.

I can no longer deny his extraordinary talent. I know I made a big deal about his "effeminate" style, but the more I consider it, I no longer give a crap about that.

He is an AMAZING talent, and deserves all the recognition he's receiving, and will surely continue to get.

As a side note, I really like Danny Gokey, and initially had picked him to win it all, but I must concede that American Idol Season 8 winner is already clear.

So Adam, if you or one of your friends reads this - I am sorry. I was wrong.

UPDATE - I bought the "studio version" on iTunes, and it's even better than the live version. It sounds great in the car, and yes - the Sync system recognizes when I say "play artist, ADAM LAMBERT" and goes straight to the correct track.

Blogging from 38,000 feet

As I write this, I'm on Alaska Airlines flight 520. Flying. At 38,000 feet. Going about 350 miles-per-hour. Pretty freakin' cool if you ask me...

Apparently this is the first time Alaska has offered such a service - as in this specific flight.

Since it's so new, it's free. I don't know what they'll charge for it, but I just wanted to mark the occasion. One day it (WiFi in flight) will be as commonplace as microwave ovens and cell phones...

American Idol... WTF?!?

I've been watching American Idol lately, and while I think all of the current contestants are very talented, there's one that just irritates me - Adam Lambert. Every week, he gets more and more effeminate. I don't care what his orientation is, nor do I care if he wears "guyliner". I just wonder about the state of our society if this guy ends up winning. He's very talented, but I can't stand to watch him writhe around as he sings in an increasingly feminine falsetto.

Apparently TMZ has noticed too, as they put together a comparison of Adam Lambert and former American Idol contestant Kimberly Caldwell...



http://www.tmz.com/2009/03/19/adam-lambert-david-cooks-ex/

Terrorism = "Man-Caused Disaster"???

Janet Napolitano, the new Homeland Security Secretary, apparently has a policy of avoiding use of the words "terrorism" and "terrorist". She prefers the poorly-crafted phrase "man-caused disasters."

Yeah, right... This kinda reminds me of the news anchors describing a guy with a bomb strapped to his chest as a "homicide bomber" instead of "suicide bomber." You know you've heard them do it. Did you notice it?

Is this political correctness or just stupidity?

Here's an interview with Mrs. Napolitano in Germany's "Der Spiegel":

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,613330,00.html

iomega's customer support is CRAP

A client of mine has an iomega NAS 150d RAID box. He bought it to use as a network storage device, and since it was advertised as a redundant RAID, he felt that it was a sort of "built-in" backup. I questioned the strategy, and suggested that a different approach might be better, as well as provide faster access to his files. He rebuffed my suggestion, probably because he paid nearly $1,000 for the device, and truly believed that it was adequate for his needs. I didn't push the issue further, and figured I'd address it again at a later time.

A few months later, he moved his office, which necessitated a change the IP addressing of his network. Since it's configured using a built-in webserver, the directions clearly say the device must be reset to factory settings. Okay...

The device was configured by the client to have four named folders, each with their own permissions. Again, according to iomega, when you reset such a device to the factory settings, all you have to do is "re-create" the folders and you'll be able to access them.

Unfortunately, the firmware on the device was 4x.xx, and the current firmware is somewhere around 8X.XX. This is significant. With the older firmware, when you try to "re-create" the folders, you have to click "browse" to get to them. When you click browse, the subsequent window never populates. So normally, the answer would be to update the firmware so that it functions properly. However, to go from 4X.XX to 8X.XX would erase all data on the device. In order to keep your data when doing a fimware update, iomega recommends using the device's built-in backup function. You hook up an external USB hard disk to the box, and use another "browse" button to tell the box what folders you wish to back up. That function doesn't work either.

Iomega's telephone support took days before even getting a return phone call to me, and by that point they told me there was nothing that their tech support could do. However, they also were quick to inform me that they have their own in-house DATA RECOVERY SERVICE. Hmmm... Let's build a device that's horribly flawed and overpriced considering those flaws. We can then charge THOUSANDS of dollars to recover data from a device we built - data that is only inaccessible due to OUR OWN DESIGN FLAWS.

During the whole process of contacting iomega for the client, I gave one of the phone reps my email address. I got various boilerplate/automated messages from the support department, but none of them were helpful. The client also mentioned that he dutifully registered the device, but never heard anything from iomega about updating the firmware. He and I both, however, have been receiving plenty of advertising emails from iomega.

In the end, rather than sending the box via fedex to iomega and spending at least $3,000 to have the data retrieved, I personally took the device to a local data recovery service that I had used in the past. The owner of the lab (with over 30 years experience in the field) described NAS devices in general as a "bad idea". He and his staff spent several days hacking into the Linux-based device, and eventually were able to recover the client's data. The final cost for that service was $1,000. It's a significant discount over iomega's data recovery service, but it's still a bitter pill to swallow.

What's worse from my perspective is that because it happened on "my watch", I felt partially responsible, despite the fact that I followed iomega's instructions and did nothing wrong. I "ate" a significant portion of my fees, and did a lot for the client without charging him. I also believe the client feels that it's my fault that he had to spend $1,000 to recover his data.

In short, I will never buy or recommend another iomega device. Their device (and apparently all similar iomega NAS devices in the product line) shipped with such serious flaws, and rather than HELPING me, they added my email to their marketing list.

Can you tell I'm upset by this??? ;)

Idiot sighting

I went to dinner with my Dad & Stepmom on Sunday. My Stepmom whispered to me: "Don't look now, but why is that guy wearing his hood inside the restaurant?"

I waited a moment, then looked over to see this idiot:
(It may be a little tough to see, since it was dark, and the iPhone camera doesn't do too well in dim lighting...)



Of course, at some point I had to ask why that young lady was having dinner with the Unabomber... ;)

Octomom IDIOT

TMZ has published a photo of the OCTOMOM IDIOT'S Minivan with a "Denver boot" on it.

As far as I'm concerned, the boot isn't the interesting part.

It's the fact that she left her children UNATTENDED in a CAR.


http://www.tmz.com/2009/02/13/octuplet-mom-odyssey-interrupted/

WARNING - They also have a picture of her showing off her HUGE belly. Be warned.

Octuplets Mom Has 6 Other Kids

Apparently the CA woman who recently gave birth to OCTUPLETS already has 6 kids.

She also lives with her parents in a small house.

The "father" of the children, at least the most recent 8, is apparently not in the country.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/29/earlyshow/health/main4761676.shtml

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7860041.stm

Of course, she took fertility drugs had 8 embryos implanted - which often leads to twins/triplets/etc.

I've heard reports in the media that her parents had to file for bankruptcy recently.

The babies were born several weeks premature, and are all around 2-3 pounds each.

Who do you think will pay for the extended stay and special care these children will receive in the hospital. Hmmm... I wonder...

Update:

She's apparently been obsessed with having children for a long time, so much that her mother believes she's got a psychological disorder of some sort:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090131/ap_on_re_us/octuplets_10

Why is it that virtually nowhere in the media is anyone reporting what an irresponsible parasite this woman is?

I just heard a report on NBC that said:
- Implanting eight embryos is NOT a normal medical practice. Typically no more than one or two are implanted. How this woman got a doctor to implant EIGHT is beyond me.
- "Complicated Births" can cost as much as $400,000 per child. That puts this idiot's bill at well over 3 MILLION DOLLARS. WHO DO YOU THINK IS PAYING FOR IT?

Our economy is in deeper trouble than many are aware...

This chart shows the federal supply of money. The steep curve starts in 2008.



Source: http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/fredgraph?chart_type=line&width=1000&height=600&preserve_ratio=true&s[1][id]=AMBNS

Surprised and humbled

My buddy Mike called me today, and asked me to be Godfather to his youngest son.

I didn't expect it, but of course told him I would be honored to do so.

Of course, this makes me feel old (a increasingly common situation.)

However, as John Mayer says, you can't stop this train...

2009 CES

Just got back from the 2009 CES in Las Vegas.

Some cool new stuff, like:
- Windows 7 - running on a large touchscreen
- Upcoming SDXC (super high-capacity SD) cards
with up to 2TB capacity
- Super-thin (less than 1" thick) HDTV's

I also got to play with:
- T-Mobile G1 Smartphone
(feels good in the hand, but still needs some more time)
- Blackberry Storm (I was unimpressed)
- Halo Wars
(interesting - didn't play it too long, but probably will buy it)

Click through to see my pictures from the show.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinlosangeles/sets/72157612445477409/

Idiot Sighting

I went to the grocery store tonight, and saw a woman walking through the grocery store. She was probably in her early 20's. She was talking loudly on her cell phone, and of course oblivious to anyone around her. Of course this happens every day. It's always annoying, but in this case it really irritated me. Why?

1. The conversation was clearly of little importance or substance.
2. A stream of f-bombs was emitted from this idiot's mouth.
3. She was pushing a baby stroller.

I was tempted to say something, but let my better angels win this time.

I curse sometimes; perhaps too much. It's never in public, and never around children.

Morons like this may be common, but the triple-threat combo performed by this idiot makes her extra special.

So pissed...

This is an old problem, but I'm writing about it because I just ran into more gliches... :(

A few months back, I replaced my old XP "work" machine with a very well-equipped Quad-Core machine, with 5GB memory... And Vista 64-Bit.

I have two primary printers in my office. One is a LaserJet 3015, the other is a DeskJet 9650.

HP had Vista-compatible drivers for the LaserJet 3015. Great, right? Well, not so much. The drivers that HP released for Vista treat it like a standard one-function laser printer. Faxing from the computer is gone, and scanning through the document feeder just doesn't work. I told myself I could live without these features, and when I've wanted to use them over the last few months, I argued that the lack of these features wasn't worth replacing the device.

On to the Deskjet 9650. When I bought this printer, I thought I was in heaven. Fast everyday prints, slow-but-amazing LARGE prints (up to 13" x 19", 11" x 17" borderless). When I set up the new computer, I discovered that HP has no Vista-compatible drivers for this printer. That being said, a few points of light on the internetz suggested that using a different driver for a different model would work. To a large extent, this has worked. Of course, the driver doesn't support the borderless printing, and I haven't even tried to print BIG POSTERS. This is the printer I print my business invoices on. I have my logo in color, I put "make payable to" with a highlighted yellow background, etc.

Anyway, this morning it just decided to not work. It did this the other day, and turning it off and on seemed to "fix" the problem then, but not now. I don't have time to connect it to an XP machine this morning.

Looks like today's appointments will be getting black & white invoices...

I think I'm going to have to suck it up and replace both after the holidays...