If it ain't broke....

I was driving a colleague and friend of mine home today and he noticed that my car makes a rattling noise in the passenger side door when the car is idling. He started pulling and pushing the door lock up and down to see if it would make the noise stop.

Me: That won't help.

Him: Well it was worth a try.

Me: I have a "work around" though if it is really bugging you.

Him: Oh yeah? And what is this "work around"?

.

.

.

I reached over and cranked up the radio!

Holding Pattern

Things are up in the air right now. The good news is my old client and former full-time employer called me back to do some work for them last week. The company is being sold, and as a result, their software needs to be tweaked to reflect the company's new name. The tough part is trying to gauge how long they will need me.

In actual fact the company is going to go through two name changes as they emerge from bankruptcy protection. That means some of the programs will need to be visited twice.

The deal has not been "officially" signed. The bankruptcy judge was to have finalized the deal this morning but it has all been pushed back to Wednesday. Of course that starts a round of speculation. Some are saying that the outgoing regime are dragging their feet. A sort of parting shot to those that have made it clear they couldn't wait to see the back of them. Others are blaming the union. Apparently, they have to have a vote to ratify the new deal negotiated prior to the buy offer.

Personally, I am optimistic that everything is going to work out. The company has been profitable for decades and only in the last seven or eight years fell under a management team that were, shall we say, "creatively incompetent"? They pumped money into divisions that were very poor performers and neglected the divisions that were fueling their creative stupidity. As a result the poor performers were destroyed and the good divisions have been sold off. Or at least most of them. I predict the new company has a huge potential to thrive under new management. Without the distractions from an out of touch head office, this company will flourish.

Brain Freeze

Q: How does assassinating the leader of a radical group of zealots bring you closer to your stated goal of peace?

A: It doesn't .

Firefox vs IE

I decided to download Firefox to see just how different things can look depending on the browser you use. I almost wish I hadn't. Now I can never be satisfied with anything I put up on the web without looking at it through the eyes of all the different browsers. I won't bother with earlier versions of any browser. I guess I will take the hard line and say that if you haven't upgraded to whatever the latest version of whatever browser you use then you deserve to see things "differently".

The bottom line is that the different browsers do show you things differently. Oh well, I guess the browsers are imitating life. After all, so much of what we see and how we interpret things is all a matter of perspective. The different browsers are just giving us different perspectives on what we see on the web.

Mother Nature is a biatch...

She's waving her arms and causing all kinds of snowy, blustery havoc in this neck of the woods. She's a little early in the "out like a lion" thingy, in my estimation. But I guess when I control nature I can make the rules. Until then, I have some snow to shovel.

My eyes are dim...

I hope this layout is easier to read. Shoot me an email if you have suggestions. I can't promise anything but I know I have a lot to learn.

Quick Hitters

Just play the game

The Bertuzzi suspension and fine to the Canucks is warranted and fair. The league needed to not only send a message to players but also coaches and management. There is no place in hockey for Hatfield and McCoy type feuds. The only place to resolve things is on the SCOREBOARD.

Extra crispy, please

This just makes me say, "Ewwww!!"

Red or white with your cheese...

Proof that politicians are some of the biggest babies in the world. Shiela's whining is becoming so tedious, but if any of the allegations are true, then it shows there are some real issues with the integrity of the politicians and the supporters of the politicians. Hmmm. "Integrity" and "Politician" in the same sentence. Do I win a prize?

Juiced

Evidence that the Player's Union just doesn't get it. Fans do not want to see their sports heroes juiced up on chemicals. It is hard enough to identify with these players (hard to call them athlete's anymore) due to the money they make but I think a good number of fans still can identify with them on the basis that they are playing a game that they, the fan, once played. But add to the money the fact that they are "enhanced" beyond what hard work and dedication brings and I think people loose the ability to connect. Remove the connection between fan and player and you basically kill a professional sport. The Players Union needs to get their collective heads out of the sand and allow random testing at anytime. Unless they want to change their name to Cheaters Union.

Grammar Quiz

Thanks to one of my regular reads, Japhthor al Chil, for this.

You are the grammar Fuhrer. All bow to your
authority. You will crush all the inferior
people under the soles of your jackboots, and
any who question your motives will be
eliminated. Your punishment is being the bane
of every other person's existence, because
you're constantly contradicting stupidity.
Everyone will be gunning for you. Your dreams
of a master race of spellers and grammarians
frighten the masses. You must always watch your
back. If only your power could be used for good
instead of evil.


What is your grammar aptitude?
brought to you by Quizilla

Far Cry 2 Demo

I tried out a second demo for this upcoming game from Crytek and Ubi Soft. My mini-review of the first demo is here (Jan 23).

The second demo, dubbed "Research", is a little tougher than the first and introduces a little more of the plot. As you can guess from the demo's title the baddies in this game are doing some illegal research. It was fun to play through another level of this game. If you enjoyed the first you can get this one from Fileplanet.

Sports Math

Some sports events can be proven through math.

No Hockey Next Season Theory

(Price of Seat X #of Seats X Home Games) + Concession Sales = Gate (in dollars)
Gate - (Facility Expenses + Concession Expenses) = Net Gate (in dollars)
Player Salaries + Coaches Salaries + Front Office Salaries = Employee Expenses (in dollars)

Since Net Gate rises by x% and Player Salaries rises exponentially, it is true to say Net Gate < Employee Expenses
Therefore, 2004-2005= -1 season of hockey

Clamping down on Hockey Thugs Theory

IF Bertuzzi=Thug
and Bertuzzi + Thuggery = Moore's Broken Neck
Then Bertuzzi + Moore's Broken Neck = Bertuzzi Suspended until next season

Stanley Cup Theory

Maple Leafs + Leetch + Francis + Healthy Belfour = Stanley Cup

Dreamland visited...

I had a bizzaro dream last night. It was brief but vivid and so, so weird I just had to write it out here.

I was walking around my yard surveying the post-winter refuse that you notice has accumulated over the winter. I was cleaning up some of the garbage and as I turned into one corner of the yard I could hear the loud buzzing of flies and the higher pitch whine of mosquitoes. As I looked down I noticed a very dead crow looking up at me. As I backed away from it, I remember thinking of West Nile Virus and as I left the yard and looked down on the other side of the gate I noticed another very dead crow peering up at me. Then I woke up.



Usually I can figure out what my brain must have been focused on to come up with any sort of dream images. Normally I would remember seeing a crow or dead animal in the awake world which would explain why I might have such images in my mind. Or perhaps I might have recently watched a documentary on West Nile Virus or something. But nothing I can think of that happened while I was awake connects to these images.

The only thing I can come up with is that, with some of the milder weather and the snow melting, I have had thoughts of the need to clean up around the yard. This is a job I normally do not enjoy and, frankly, dread. I guess my sleeping mind is trying to give my awake mind a really good reason to procrastinate on the clean up. Thanks, Sleeping Mind. But I would really rather you gave me a really good reason to win the lottery or how I am going to become a millionaire.

It's Unreal

Unreal Tournament 2004 has released a demo. This is a First Person Shooter game set in a future-space place. There are several game types to choose from and the game is graphically pleasing. System requirements are reasonable as the recommended system is only a P3 or AMD Athlon 1.5 GHz with a 64MB video card.

I didn't notice any great improvements in the Bot AI but the developers claim it has been improved. One of the best "new" things in this release is the Onslaught game type which forces a team to capture a series of control points in a particular order. The "Assault" mode is also here which times one team to see how long it takes them to complete a mission and then has teams reverse roles and see if the new team is able to beat the first team's time. Another "new" wrinkle for Unreal games is the ability to drive some vehicles. The vehicles have a very "Halo" type of feel to it but this is sure to add a different twist to the game. I also like the fact that the full game, when it is released, will be backward compatible with the 2003 version of Unreal Tournament. This will allow those buying the 2004 version the ability to join any server running the 2003 version and play. You don't see this very often in game releases.

The game is available in Windows, Mac and Linux versions so there aren't any excuses for not giving this one a whirl.

In like a Lamb...

The warmer weather in these parts is most welcome. But Mother Nature will kick our collective asses, I just know it! She's watching and goading us to put away our hats, scarves, and mits. She is smirking as we hang up the snow shovels and take the ice scrapers out of our cars. "Just wait, my pretties", she chortles. "Remember my rule: In like a lamb, out like a lion."

So, I will put the tools that battle winter "out-of-the-way" but not "away". She may get the last laugh, but at least I will be ready, sort of.