In that I'm too lazy today to come up with a quiz question, there will be none.
The answer to the last question was: Thomas Jefferson
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Spring....When An Old Man's Fancy Turns To...Fishing
Time marches (slogs) on. Easter is behind us; the eggs (and hands) were dyed, and the bunny's hiding places found (I hope). As predicted, there was too much frost on the cotton tail to have an outdoor egg hunt, but fun was had by all. Something I did during the weekend rendered me a semi-invalid, but that's a story for another time. By 2 p.m. on Sunday, everyone had packed their goodies and headed for home. Dog and I were left to return to our hermit ways.
There is bright news on the horizon. The temperature today made it into the upper 60's under sunny skies. I went out for a while to clean up what I hope will be a garden this year, but my back doth protest too much and forced me to retire earlier than I would have liked. I therefore fired up the old computer and purchased a fishing license for 2005. Ah....hope springs eternal.
Dog and I drove down to the Lake to check its condition. No ice in the river or the Lake and the South Pier is clear.....the North Pier still has a few tons of ice on it, but my guess is it should be gone by the end of the week (I become optomistic on sunny days).
If all goes well, you will soon be able to read my rants about how lousy the fishing is and how I rue the day I ever bought a fishing license.
There is bright news on the horizon. The temperature today made it into the upper 60's under sunny skies. I went out for a while to clean up what I hope will be a garden this year, but my back doth protest too much and forced me to retire earlier than I would have liked. I therefore fired up the old computer and purchased a fishing license for 2005. Ah....hope springs eternal.
Dog and I drove down to the Lake to check its condition. No ice in the river or the Lake and the South Pier is clear.....the North Pier still has a few tons of ice on it, but my guess is it should be gone by the end of the week (I become optomistic on sunny days).
If all goes well, you will soon be able to read my rants about how lousy the fishing is and how I rue the day I ever bought a fishing license.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Pop Quiz
Who Said: "The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
Answer to the Pop Quiz of March 11 is Hillary Clinton
Answer to the Pop Quiz of March 11 is Hillary Clinton
Sunday, March 13, 2005
What, Me Worry?
I have never hesitated to buy things on the internet. Thus far I’ve been quite satisfied with the experiences. My last purchase, however, came close to souring me on shopping on the www. Oh, I know the potential for disaster is there, but I haven’t been bit in the butt hard enough yet to change my ways. But let me tell you about my last purchase; there may be lessons to be learned……..
I wanted a piece of software that would allow me to organize my paper documents into something that could be stored and managed on the computer. Adobe Capture 3 seemed like a possible solution, but quite expensive. Lo and behold I received an email from a company offering that very product at a quarter of the price for which it sold retail. Ah, that’s for me.
On February 4, I ordered the piece on line and was assured that I would receive an email confirmation shortly. No confirmation. I had given them my credit card number and wanted assurance that the order was being processed and that the company was what it claimed to be. So, I thought communicating with them might be appropriate. No phone number. There was an email system in place for questions, so I wrote them a note requesting the status of the order. It was answered, assuring me that everything was on track….. “don’t worry” was their advice. Do I look like Alfred E. Newman….I don’t think so. I wasn’t comforted by the ticket system that said the order was processed on the 14th and mailed on the 12th. “Don’t worry” they said. They told me delivery would take 4 weeks and the product was shipped by standard air…..where to these people live…..the Ukraine?
To make a long story less long, the disk arrived on March 11. It was shipped in a bubble wrap envelope from the Ukraine.
The directions said don’t register this program because it was supposed to be bundled with a computer sale. I installed the program, and it won’t allow me to scan; no tech. support without registration. My next step is to email these people again to see if they can help, but my hopes are not high.
As C. Brown would say, “Aaarrrggghhh”. Now there’s a boy who has obviously made purchases on the internet.
I wanted a piece of software that would allow me to organize my paper documents into something that could be stored and managed on the computer. Adobe Capture 3 seemed like a possible solution, but quite expensive. Lo and behold I received an email from a company offering that very product at a quarter of the price for which it sold retail. Ah, that’s for me.
On February 4, I ordered the piece on line and was assured that I would receive an email confirmation shortly. No confirmation. I had given them my credit card number and wanted assurance that the order was being processed and that the company was what it claimed to be. So, I thought communicating with them might be appropriate. No phone number. There was an email system in place for questions, so I wrote them a note requesting the status of the order. It was answered, assuring me that everything was on track….. “don’t worry” was their advice. Do I look like Alfred E. Newman….I don’t think so. I wasn’t comforted by the ticket system that said the order was processed on the 14th and mailed on the 12th. “Don’t worry” they said. They told me delivery would take 4 weeks and the product was shipped by standard air…..where to these people live…..the Ukraine?
To make a long story less long, the disk arrived on March 11. It was shipped in a bubble wrap envelope from the Ukraine.
The directions said don’t register this program because it was supposed to be bundled with a computer sale. I installed the program, and it won’t allow me to scan; no tech. support without registration. My next step is to email these people again to see if they can help, but my hopes are not high.
As C. Brown would say, “Aaarrrggghhh”. Now there’s a boy who has obviously made purchases on the internet.
Friday, March 11, 2005
Pop Quiz
Who said:
"I am particularly horrified by the use of propaganda and the manipulation of the truth and the revision of history "....
Answer to the Pop Quiz on March 7...
Dan Rather while being interviewed on the Letterman Show
"I am particularly horrified by the use of propaganda and the manipulation of the truth and the revision of history "....
Answer to the Pop Quiz on March 7...
Dan Rather while being interviewed on the Letterman Show
It's Not Nice To Fool Mother Nature
This week I had TiVo installed on my DirectTV system. I haven't figured out all of it's capabilities yet, but I'm fascinated by the fact that it allows us to replay, or play in slow motion, live TV. I can, in a vague way, understand how this is done, but it occurred to me that if Einstein were to see this for the first time, it may have made him think twice about his theory of relativity and the whole space time continuum thing. Part of the definition of this theory apparently involves the concept of time....."As three-dimensional beings, we perceive time only as a result of memory. We remember what was as a variable interval from what is now. If we had zero memory, we could not detect time - we would exist only for the moment." This makes sense to me. TiVo contorts the "variable" to the extent that the concept of time becomes blurred. Farewell to the days when if you missed the name of the actor at the beginning of the program his name was gone forever in the vastness of the time continuum. If we could only fast forward to the end of a live program .... now that would be something to install on your home entertainment center.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Pop Quiz (Current Events)
Who Said:
"...nobody broke the law, nobody lied. Depending on your point of view, it was a mistake."
Hint: No, it wasn't Richard Nixon
Answer to Pop Quiz from March 1: John F. Kennedy
"...nobody broke the law, nobody lied. Depending on your point of view, it was a mistake."
Hint: No, it wasn't Richard Nixon
Answer to Pop Quiz from March 1: John F. Kennedy
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Got Gas?
I was talking to Larry tonight and it reminded me that it’s time to talk about gas. No; I’m referring to fuel. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t understand the economics of oil, but I do understand the economics of getting in the car to take a drive. Today the price of regular gas is about $2.15 a gallon (yesterday I filled up for $1.99 a gallon). The talking heads tell us that these prices are due to two things: 1) $60 for a barrel of imported oil, and 2) refineries “retooling” (my word) to produce a summer blend of gas.
The gasoline industry is the only one I’m aware of that charges for a product based on anticipated shortages. If a freeze creates an orange shortage, we don’t pay higher prices for orange juice in the grocery store until the effect of the shortage becomes a reality. Not so at the pump. In my mind, this comes very close to gouging. We shouldn’t have to pay higher prices until the local distributor has to pay higher prices to fill his holding tanks.
Regarding imported crude, the only way to avoid being jerked around by foreign oil cartels is to rely on them less. This means developing alternative energy (a noble goal) and, at least in the short haul, acquiring more domestic crude. The latter would require drilling in ecologically sensitive areas; off shore and in parts of Alaska. When one weighs the risk against the gains, I believe it makes sense to tap our own natural resources responsibly. It can be done and should be done in order for us to remain competitive in the global community. As a bonus, it may even result in reducing some of the wealth currently being funneled in to terrorist organizations.
The gasoline industry is the only one I’m aware of that charges for a product based on anticipated shortages. If a freeze creates an orange shortage, we don’t pay higher prices for orange juice in the grocery store until the effect of the shortage becomes a reality. Not so at the pump. In my mind, this comes very close to gouging. We shouldn’t have to pay higher prices until the local distributor has to pay higher prices to fill his holding tanks.
Regarding imported crude, the only way to avoid being jerked around by foreign oil cartels is to rely on them less. This means developing alternative energy (a noble goal) and, at least in the short haul, acquiring more domestic crude. The latter would require drilling in ecologically sensitive areas; off shore and in parts of Alaska. When one weighs the risk against the gains, I believe it makes sense to tap our own natural resources responsibly. It can be done and should be done in order for us to remain competitive in the global community. As a bonus, it may even result in reducing some of the wealth currently being funneled in to terrorist organizations.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Pop Quiz
Some things die hard. Therefore, from time to time I will offer a pop quiz question. Fear not... no grading, just the opportunity to dust off some of the old grey matter. If you'd like to venture a guess, leave it as a comment.
Question: who said, "There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction."
Question: who said, "There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction."
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