MONEY: Perhaps the gubamint has their proverbial “thumb” on the SSI “scale”

Saturday, September 30, 2006

http://www.bc.edu/centers/crr/facts/jtf_11.pdf

How Can the Actuarial Reduction for Social Security Early Retirement Be Right?
Natalia A. Jivan, July 2004
JTF# 11

***Begin Quote***

Traditionally Social Security’s Normal Retirement Age has been 65, but for the last 45 years both men and women have had the option to claim benefits at the Early Eligibility Age (EEA) of 62. In exchange for claiming early, individuals receive a smaller monthly benefit. The legislation that established the EEA reduced benefits by 5/9 of 1 percent for each month before age 65, so that a person claiming at age 62 would face a 20 percent [(5/9)*36] reduction. This publication explains the factor of 5/9 and why it has remained constant since the establishment of the EEA.

***End Quote***

Now we know the gubamint has a motivation to have a low inflation rate. It keeps the SSI COLA low. That means that it artificially makes a sick system look healthier.

It’s also, like inflation, a hidden tax on the fixed income elderly.

So if they haven’t reexamined the discount rate in light of interest rates, then we have discovered another proverbial “thumb” on the “butcher’s scale” when servicing the old people’s “guaranteed” program.

As I always say, if insurance company executives did what the gubamint as the social security administration does, then they’d all be in jail faster than the Road Runner.

<beep beep>

I does make you wonder how to play the “62.5” versus “65” versus the “full retirement age” versus the “wait til your older and hope you don’t get hit by a bus”?

Beats me!?!


TECH: A quick look at the new Google Reader (GoogRead 2.0)

Saturday, September 30, 2006

http://www.micropersuasion.com/2006/09/google_unveils_.html

Thursday, September 28, 2006
Google Unveils Big RSS Reader Upgrade

***Begin Quote***

Google today dropped a big update to its feed reader. They’re characterizing their RSS reader as “your inbox for the Web,” which I kinda like. One of the big new features is that each user now gets their own public page where they can share feed items. It’s similar to Bloglines’ clip blogs. Another feature is feed discovery tool.

***End Quote***

Now I’m not a bonafide guru with a big following, just a plodding injineer. I tried the google reader that everyone seems so hopped up about. I found two things that seem to need some fixin.

(1) It doesn’t suck up the entire blog. I pointed it at mine that has about 800 entries. [Nothing as erudite as yours, which I enjoy reading. I ramble about anything that piques my interest.] And the new Google Reader, as well as the old one, knocks off at about 564. Seems like an “interesting feature” fmpov. [I’m an old mainframe guy and I like to see control total balance.] If it doesn’t read it all, then how do we know it didn’t drop one in the middle. Smarter people than I may find this behavior explainable. I bet not many people checked.

(2) I have about 12 categories defined in WordPress for the various topics I ramble on about. It’s interesting that the new Google Reader things all posting belong to category #1. Now one would think that it would know about those things. Doesn’t matter much to me because I put the category in the beginning of every title. It would seem that a shiny new reader would know all about categories and translate them into tags automagically.

Just from a quick look, I’m not overly impressed with Google Reader 2.0.

(What’s wrong with giving things version numbers? It’s seems so “orderly” to me.)

BTW what do you do when there is not inet connectivity? I’m of mixed emotion about web based stuff. If you don’t have the net, all you have is a glorified game boy. I sort of like FEEDBLITZing RSS feeds into my email box so I have them offline to read. imho!

But thanks for an interesting blog.


TECH: MIXROSOFT WORD exhibits a new behavior

Saturday, September 30, 2006

I’ve been doing my alumni ezine in Microsoft Word for several years. I write it in WORD. Then save it as a web page that I post on my site.

All of a sudden, in the last week or two, long urls in a table cell are no longer wrapping. They are shoving the table right edge to infinity.

Arghhh!

Manually going thru, putting a line break in the url, allows the page to resume the expected boundries.

Now the question is how did this change happen?

I don’t do automagic updates? So, did Microsoft slide a change in unbeknownst to me. I’m getting suspicious of the whole platform.


JOBSEARCH: OpenBC, in the LinkedIn genre, will morph into XING

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Lars Hinrichs
Open Business Club GmbH, openBC, Xing openBC to become XING 28/09/2006, 3:42 pm

Dear member,

I would like to personally inform you about major changes to the openBC brand in the near future. The openBC platform will be re-launched by the end of the year with a new design and a new brand name:

XING

Why XING?
Our community has evolved immensely since it was first formed and has expanded well beyond the realms of a “Business Club”. Whilst entrepreneurs and business people still make up a valuable and valued part of the network, they have been joined by a diverse spectrum of professionals from all industries and backgrounds – from scientists and creatives through to academics.

Members also network on the platform in 16 languages, so we needed a brand image that carries meaning in different cultures around the globe. XING meets this requirement. The name XING is cosmopolitan, innovative and unique – all qualities that reflect our community.

What will change on the platform?
The Website has been re-designed with maximum user-friendliness in mind, making it simpler for you to navigate and use the interface. And I can assure you: All of your openBC personal data will remain secure and unaltered, and all the networking features you have come to value on openBC will be part of XING – with many new features ahead!

The XING Website will be launched in the fourth quarter. You can already visit www.xing.com to gain an impression of the new brand and preview the new, improved interface.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for being a part of the community and wish you continued success and enjoyment from your network on XING.

Best Wishes,

Lars Hinrichs
Founder and CEO, Open Business Club GmbH


LIBERTY: The youngsters read my email; here’s my thoughts of their reading

Saturday, September 30, 2006

http://www.freetalklive.com

Mark,

Here’s my notes from the FTL youngster’s rendition of my email:

“poddie” is my affectionate term for podcast listener.

“womyn” is how the women’s liberation movement wanted the word spelled; not a sexual joke.

“kill alternative” should have been better written “to kill all competing alternatives”.

“gubamint” is what the militia movement calls that gang in DC who has grown outside of its Constitutional bounds. The gubamint at Waco, Ruby Ridge, and the Japanese Internment camps are frequent uses of the word in militia literature. I think they are correct to assigned it a special name. Government is what the Constitution provides for; gubamint is what we have now.

We have to guard our words carefully. Orwell’s double speak is upon us. Let’s take back our language.

For example, the gubamint does NOT “invest”. So any time I read a news story where the write refers to “government investment”, I fire off an email or a letter. I don’t know if it makes a difference, but, I know, for example, none of my friends mention “government investing” around me. ;-)

affirmative action = initially applied to gubamint and all the contracted with or WERE REGULATED by gubamint AT ANY LEVEL! (In effect, de facto regulation of the entire economy. Note the Hooter’s sex discrimination case as a classic. The fellow actually got some Hooter’s boy “waitresses” just to make the EEOC look foolish. The EEOC caved.

Let’s go back a little further in history, the tyranny (English and French) Kings were counterbalanced by the Catholic Church. Run it forward to 60s America, the Churches were a counter weight to the tyranny of the Central Government. Note that the opposition to racism originated in the black Churches. MLK was minister before he became a Gandhi-like leader. Note that opposition to the undeclared VietNam war was originated in the convents and churches of the Catholic Church following its doctrine of “a just war”. Clearly, for gubamint to grow in power and influence it must destroy, marginalize, or it some way oppress competition for the spotlight. I think that the Churches were very powerful and influential. AND, they were the voluntary associations. (Tell Ian not let his personal atheism block the view that a church is a good alternative to a gubamint.) So, the gubamint, like their can only be one queen bee in hive, must NUKE the churches.

So to, it must NUKE the family so it can assume the role of child care provider. Remember the communists want the children so that they can mold them to worship the gubamint, see it as the solution to all their problems, and warp them to the needs of the state as cannon fodder, good little voters who select on of the two meaningless choices, and pay their taxes without question.

The family farm is a great metaphor for the American family. (We didn’t have farm, but the nuclear family I grew up in all lived in the same tenement.) Social Security Insurance gave the old folks the cash flow to leave the family, which they did. Leaving the gubamint to fill their shoes. The motivation might have been warmth but the SSI make it possible. The motivation might have been warmth, but the SSI make it possible. It put a check in their hands, with their name on it, and made it possible for them to kid themselves into thinking it would be OK! It may have started in the 30’s but I saw it happen in the late 50’s.

Don’t forget that insurance (i.e., life, accident, and disability) for the poor folks ORIGINATED with the Knights of Columbus (Catholic Church). It spread like wildfire to the Masons, the Italian clubs, the Unions, and all manner of fraternal organizations.
Here’s another threat to the power of the gubamint. Social Security was government’s response to another powerful (voluntary) force in people’s lives. I don’t need the gubamint to insure my life when I can get a better deal from my Local Order of Hibernians.

Catholic schools, Catholic Hospitals, Catholic Charities all led the way. And good for them, the Baptists didn’t want medical care from those vial Papists so they created their own like Baylor, the various things with Baptist in their name, and so on and so on.

Credit Unions also have to die.

Basically anything that obviates the need for gubamint has to be killed.

It does it through regulation! And offering a competing alternative or free!

Parochial schools killed by “free” gubamint skools! Sectarian hospitals by Medicare.
Fraternal Insurance by regulation. And, if there is any hint of wrong doing, they get right on that. Pedophile priests were (rightly) excoriated; pedophile politicians or any misconduct by a politician gets a free pass.

The leftist big-government media, which depends upon the gubamint, led the cheer leading.

You did correctly chastise me for not providing solutions. (In my defense, I was focused on defending the caller on his point that the gubamint needs to be the queen bee.)

I think that Free State Project is an idea. (I’m tied down by familial obligations, but I’d be there in a heartbeat if things were different.)

Here are the things I’m doing:

* prepare for the revolution.

Save your “money” (not those trashy worthless furbies aka FRBNs) Be debt free, so when the furbie goes to zero like all fiat currencies do, me and mine will be ok.

* educate

Make sure that everyone “knows” that gubamint isn’t the answer. For example, my nephews in law know that a dollar isn’t the same as an ounce of gold. But then they were easily impressed with a sleeve of american eagle bullion coins. Or is that medallions!

* laugh

Try to make the gubamint look silly. People can’t respect or be in awe when they are laughing at stupidity. The cell phone tax was repealed when everyone started talking about the Spanish American Was Phone Tax. The gubamint can afford to be laughed at!

* personalize

Find out what each person’s hot button is and point out how the government is screwing them on that point.

* sand in the machinery

Muck it up. Send in forms. Make calls. Bury the call centers. For example, when I get junk mail. I stuff it all in the business reply envelope, with the envelope they sent it in, and return it to them. I get a lot less junk mail. Some people send the empty envelope back. That’s too easy.

That’s my plan. A lot of jokes about jumbo shrimp and honest politicians. If we can get people laughing at the clown car we call gubamint, then we can shrink them down to size. Perception is reality! Let’s have more TSA horror stories — put more old nuns on the no fly list — molest more pregger moms dragging infants — make business men wait in the longest lines you have ever seen — and longer lines, much longer. Maybe I’ll go stand in one and move real slow. Nah, I have given up flying and tell everyone I know they should too. More people are beginning to agree with me on that one!

Thanks for reading my email,
REINKE

p.s., I’m impressed. You even pronounce my name right. How did you do that?


WRITING: Advice to new bloggers

Saturday, September 30, 2006

http://wheredidfreedomgo.blogspot.com/

***Begin Quote***

I have been thinking about starting a blog for a long, long time now and I have finally started one. It’s only been up for about a week and it is my first blog, I don’t know if for sure if I will keep it or not yet. I would like to know what you folks think of it, it is a libertarian blog, so I thought there would be no better place to introduce it and get some feedback. Feel free to post comments on the blog and in the thread to let me know what you think, I would appreciate it.

***End Quote***

I’m blogging also.

I’d suggest that you put up a FEEDBURNER and FEEDBLITZ for your blog. FEEDBURNER creates, and for free, gives you some insight into your readership. Then stuff that rss feed into FEEDBLITZ that gives you, also for free, a once a day email off all your posts that day. I have some other things I’ve tried, but those are the two things I tell new bloggers to do before they create to much content.

I use WORDPRESS; it’s free. And, have a had two burps that cost me some pearls. I understand that it’s not uncommon occurrence.

SO, I try to create my post in a text editor, save it locally, and then cut’n’paste it over. The posting online is seductive but you can lose stuff.


TECH: FEEDBLITZ creates one email

Saturday, September 30, 2006

FEEDBLITZ allows you to turn an RSS feed into emails. Neat. One email per day. It’s a perfect way for me to capture my rantings. AND! My one Luddite friend using it can read all my meanderings from my blog in one email. Perfect.

Then, I explored what else can I do with it. I read two other blogs of people I know personally. They focus on quality; some stuff is quite profound. (I OTOH focus on stream of consciousness rambling; that is no focus at all; quality you can determine; certainly quantity; DIKW all jumbled together!) SO I feedbliz them. And, today, for the first time, I saw the flaw in my logic. The both produced something on the same day and FEEDBLITZ put them in the same email. ARGHHH!

I think I have a fix. GMail help me! I can use the + feature of a gmail address. FEEDBLITZ if it takes it will think they are unique addresses giving me one email per author per day. I’ll lose the complete look at my subscription list. But I could keep two addresses active and throw the merged one away. Hmmm?


TECH: TECHNORATTI not without flaws

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Technoratti came up with a new way to claim your blog , as you might deduce from the last post, you have to put a message to them in it. Well that’s better than the old method that required some javascript. Since this is a free blog, WORDPRESS doesn’t allow javascript. So when I heard about the TECHNORATTI change I went and completed my change.

GRIPES:

(1) It thinks it was last updated 148 days ago. Not that I much care; I’m doing this for fun and to learn. But if this is the gold standard of technology, it has a long way to go. If my data is wrong, then which other sites are wrong.

(2) It takes an OPML file and then you can’t scroll down thru ones favorite. Clearly not a well thought out “feature”.

OK now I am bored with that. Let’s move on to something more interesting.


TECH: Technorati

Friday, September 29, 2006

<a href=”http://www.technorati.com/claim/v3br36nwn7” rel=”me”>Technorati Profile</a>


RANT: Religion and gubamint … dangerous together

Friday, September 29, 2006

http://michellemalkin.com/

The forbidden op-eds
By Michelle Malkin · September 29, 2006 01:09 PM

***Begin Quote***

I asked yesterday for translations of the op-eds criticizing Islam that have been banned in Egypt and that have forced one of the authors, Robert Redeker, into hiding in France.

***End Quote***

Interesting. The texts of the three articles are here. An hard, but engrossing, read. Clearly, the lesson that was learned from the thirteen original colonies (i.e., “we don’t want those <insert religious slur> from <insert their state> imposing their religion on us good people here in <insert our state>”) demanding freedom of religion. What was “freedom of religion” has today become the religion of political correctness. It demands “freedom from Christian religions” while teaching secular humanism or, even worse, Islam under the guise of religious tolerance. The gubamint should have ZERO role in education. And, here’s the reason why! The government’s only role is to preserve the peace. Nothing more. The dead old white guys were pretty sharp. Unfortunately, they couldn’t predict how dumb we would become and give us a lifeboat. If they could see the mess we have made, they’d be very sad. But they did know what third rail religion could be.


LIBERTY: MY Greatest Figures In American History

Friday, September 29, 2006

http://www.rightwingnews.com/archives/week_2006_09_24.PHP

Bloggers Select The Greatest Figures In American History (Version 2)

***Begin Quote***

Out of all the titans in American history — Presidents and generals, inventors and entrepreneurs, reformers and revolutionaries — have you ever wondered who the best of the best were? Well, RWN decided, for the first time in more than 3 years, to email more than 225 right-of-center bloggers to get their opinions. Representatives from the following 41 blogs responded…

Honorable Mentions:
(HM) John F. Kennedy (4)
(HM) Lewis And Clark (4)
(HM) William Tecumseh Sherman (5)
(HM) Jonas Salk (5)
(HM) John Marshall (5)
(HM) Milton Friedman (5)
(HM) George Washington Carver (5)
(HM) Susan B. Anthony (5)
(HM) Audie Murphy (6)
(HM) Douglas MacArthur (6)
(HM) Patrick Henry (6)
(HM) Andrew Carnegie (6)
(25) Alexander Graham Bell (7)
(23) Thomas Paine (8)
(23) Frederick Douglass (8)
(22) George W. Bush (9)
(18) Wright Brothers (10)
(18) Mark Twain (10)
(18) Harry Truman (10)
(18) Bill Gates (10)
(17) Dwight D. Eisenhower (12)
(15) George Patton (13)
(15) Albert Einstein (13)
(12) Teddy Roosevelt (14)
(12) Franklin D. Roosevelt (14)
(12) Ulysses S. Grant (14)
(11) Alexander Hamilton (15)
(10) Henry Ford (16)
(09) John Adams (17)
(08) Thomas Edison (21)
(07) James Madison (22)
(06) Thomas Jefferson (29)
(05) Martin Luther King Jr. (30)
(04) Ben Franklin (32)
(03) George Washington (35)
(02) Abraham Lincoln (37)
(01) Ronald Reagan (39)

***End Quote***

At first blush, I disagree. Washington clearly has to be #1. I wish I had a pair wise comparison tool to use.


RANT: Hey Governor Corzine! still wanna hear about state cars? … (continued) … (version who knows)

Friday, September 29, 2006

You don’t? TOO BAD!

This morning 29 September at 0715 edst on 295 South around Exit 43… …

… … a white dot truck sg 465 (I think. It went by so fast it was hard to tell.) … …

… (Your speed limit for us “serfs” is 65) …

… in lots of traffic …

… tailgating the poor peon in his way …

… never left the left lane (The only lane for the state of nujerzee “worker” with a state car!?)

Any way I am sure that he was hurrying to get somewhere to protect and serve me. Why don’t I feel SAFE as this bozo shot by me?

Arghhh!

P.S.: Dear reader, I don’t write these every day. Probably could! Just when I ARRIVE early for work, particularly agitated aggravated, aggrieved, and have to wait for my employer workstation to get online.


WRITING: Blog 2 Book

Friday, September 29, 2006

Since I always wanted to be a published author. (My mom will get a kick out of it.) I’m looking into the Blog 2 Book options. None of the advertised sites make it as easy as it sounds. I was really hoping for “here’s my blog. here’s my credit card” and “thank you for your order. here’s your book.” Not that I am too lazy, but who needs to add another “spinning plate” to the ones I am already trying to keep spinning? Suggestions welcome.


LIBERTY: Another achievement for women in the military

Friday, September 29, 2006

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003188197

Louisville Paper Gets Disc With 232 Photos of Nude National Guard Women
By E&P Staff and The Associated Press
Published: September 28, 2006 1:55 PM ET updated 4:20 PM ET

***Begin Quote***

LOUISVILLE, KY. — U.S. Army officials are taking a close look at whether women in a Kentucky National Guard unit posed nude for pictures with their M-16s and other military equipment, authorities said.

A local newspaper reported that it had a disc containing 232 of the photos, which they did not publish, and do not plan to publish, E&P has learned.

***End Quote***

Could this be another reason that woman don’t belong in the military?

I have pontificated before that women are too valuable to waste in war. It’s not that they are the “weaker sex”; I know lots of capable strong dangerous women. It’s the survival of the species. In Israel, where these is no safe “rear”, women in the military is a common sense necessity. In the USA, it makes no sense to me.

This particular incident is just embarrassing (i’m bare ass) stupidity. It exemplifies the coarsening of our civil society. And, it just takes private beauty and makes it into public porn.

Sadly shaking my head and wondering what is this world coming to?


MONEY: Buy gold, euro colapse?

Thursday, September 28, 2006

MONEY: Buy gold, euro collapse?

buy gold, euro – Money Week
http://www.moneyweek.com/file/3095/buy-gold-to-cash-in-on-unstable-euro.htm

***Begin Quote***

The euro, like any other paper currency, is an illusion. For a currency to work, people must suspend any belief that notes are worthless pieces of paper and have faith that these pieces of paper can be exchanged for valuable goods and services. That belief in turn rests on the faith that the value of paper money will be upheld by a government.

***End Quote***

And, we have this illusion here as well.

What happens when the nice Japanese workers stop sending us Toyotas for the little green pieces of paper? We really stuck it to them when they bought lots of US landmarks like Rockefeller Plaza (i.e.: home of radio city music all and the rockettes) last time.

We have seen hyper-inflation, stagflation, and the Japanese malaise. These are economic tsunamis destroying individual lives, nation states of varous sizes, and societies.

If it is truly a global economy … and I’m not sure that is so … consider that these economic epidemics often stop at the water’s edge … global outsourcing is coming home to roost as stuff is being brought back … then if the euro fiction falls, will the American version go with it? And, exactly what gets swept away with it?

So, if we are postulating the potential for a financial collapse, then what do we do about it. Like Y2K, it is easy to take some steps to prepare. There are two type of expenses in taking out “insurance”. We can divide the protective actions we are considering into (a) the things that are total losses (i.e., people who planned to hide out in rural retreats losing every thing spent on it) and (b) those things that can have other uses or are recoverable. To what extent the things we do make sense regardless of the financial weather.

What worked in the German hyper-inflation? What worked in the Carter stagflation? What worked in the Japanese malaise?

So we have some homework to do.


JOBSEARCH: Rhonda Britten never received a call from NBC or Bunim-Murray

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Rhonda Britten: ‘I never received a call from NBC or Bunim-Murray regarding its fate’ – TV.com Tracking

http://www.fearlessliving.org/blog/rhonda

***Begin Quote***

I know its been confusing for so many folks, including me, when it comes to the question: Is Starting Over coming back for a fourth season? The answer is no.

***End Quote***

Guess she didn’t get my memo about the rules changing. Nice to see that it can happen to everyone. And, even a trained psych can have feelings about it.

I always needled my wife for watching “whiney womyn”. In actuality, I thought some of the shows were really good. “Fight Fair”, self-sabotage, and self-forgiveness were good life lessons.

But, like anything that might have redeeming value, that just might possibly be a Quadrant One activity, that might actually be usefully entertaining, had to be driven out of the “vast wasteland”.

Jobseekers can empathize with her plight. And, anyone who didn’t read the memo about the rules changing, should.


TECH: BLOGDESK seems to be a nice tool

Thursday, September 28, 2006

I just “threw it up” and it seems to work nicely. I would have liked the install to easily put my working files where I wanted them, without a hassle. And, it would be nice if it would have sucked down my entire blog. And, it would be nice if it queued offline stuff. I understand it is the best one in this category.


TECH: PRINTERANYWHERE has added encryption

Thursday, September 28, 2006

It’s interesting. I kvetched that why should one trust an unknown third party to handle my data in route. I’m not sure that they solved my concern. It very nicely looks to windoze as a printer. It fools windoze into thinking its a printer. That seems to work correctly. On the other end, it does allow a printer to be defined.  And, it works nicely. Encryption does require the entry of a key value (password?) at the printing end. Man-in-the-middle is still possible. I’m not sure how you overcome that. Thinking about symmetric and asymmetric methods, I can’t think of how they over come it. But, they did do something.


LIBERTY: Credit the citizenry, not the police, for law ‘n’ order

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52158

WorldNetDaily: People power, not police power
between the lines Joseph Farah WND Exclusive Commentary
Posted: September 27, 2006 1:00 a.m. Eastern

***Begin Quote***

The biggest manhunt I ever saw – the one for “Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez in California in 1985 – quickly came to an end, too, when police allowed those of us in the press to publish a sketch. The mass murderer was nearly lynched by civilians the morning the paper came out. The police had to rescue the killer of 13 who had terrorized the entire state for more than a year.

It’s people power – and we need more of it in the U.S. today. We don’t need a Department of Homeland Security – we need an army of responsible, motivated, vigilant, self-governing people entrusted by their government officials with their inalienable right to bear arms. And we need a government that recognizes it is not all-knowing and all-powerful and stops treating its citizens like helpless children.

***End Quote***

We learned in Katrina, that when the good citizens of NOLA left, law and order left with them.

So why do we credit the police with an orderly law-abiding society?

It is the people, using:

(a) their willingness to follow a law;

(b) their moral authority of a group agreement,

(c) their willingness to police themselves, and others,

(d) their willingness to support the police (remember how many people will help their police when the situation warrants),

(e) their willingness to convict the guilty (remember that juries have had, since the pre-Revolutionary War Zenger trial, the right to judge the Constitutionality of any law under which the government seeks to use to gain a conviction), AND

(f) their willingness not to protest over an issue thru their elected representatives.

The people ARE the police. (Remember the old westerns when the sheriff swears in deputies for a posse?)

Peace, law, and order are due to us!


TECH: Not visually impaired but feel like I am

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Vol. 6, #39 – Sep 26, 2006 – Issue #246
WXPnews
Sunbelt Software
Clearwater, Florida USA 33755

***Begin Quote***

Do you use accessibility programs, or know someone who does? What additional accessibility options would you like to see built into Windows, or made available as freeware/shareware? Do you have favorite accessibility programs you’d like to recommend? Let us know at feedback@wxpnews.com.

***End Quote***

Arghhh. I’m not visually impaired … yet. But, I, and all the optometrists I’ve ever spoken to about the topic have agreed, the visual geometry and and capabilities of the personal computer stink.

Web browsers and email clients and most software don’t allow one to adjust the display as needed.

Don’t give me a machine capable of lots of resolutions from 800×600, to my current 1280×800, and up to a 1900×1200, that either requires the use a of a magnifying glass or won’t fit a normal group of icons.

It stinks!

Tuning all this is an art form. Change one setting or run certain programs and you’re either blind or down in the weeds.

Every program has it’s own settings and does displays differently.

For example, LookOut does it’s own things (sometimes) and shares some settings with Windoze. It’s very frustrating; has been; and I expect will be in the future.

Arghhh!


TECH: WORDPRESS appears to have lost my morning’s posts

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

TECH: WORDPRESS appears to have lost my morning’s posts

Argh!

I wrote a few pearls this morning. As is my usual practice, I looked to see then in the routine display. Once I saw them in the main page, I moved along to other things.

When I looked at the site this evening, they were AWOL. I don’t know what happened, but I have to move on. I thought they were pretty good, but there’s no copy I can find.

Argh!

I’ll be kvetching, and looking, and trying to recover. But I’m moving on. I’ll have to figure out a better process to avoid it on my side of the glass!

Argh!


TECH: Sharewood Picnic 71 delivers three maybes

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

http://www.masternewmedia.org/new_media/new_media_tools/best_new_media_tools_of_the_week_20060924.htm

September 24, 2006
New Media Tools Of The Week: Sharewood Picnic 71

1. Voxlib http://www.voxlib.com/ enables you to use Skype from your mobile phone

>>>> Nah, I don’t “do” skype.

2. Flixn http://www.flixn.com you can record from your webcam and post on blogs

>>>> Maybe, but I’m one ugly dude. For the “beautiful people”?

3. CrazyEgg http://crazyegg.com/ enhance your site performances

>>>> Nah, my site’s a monologue.

4. Zoho Projects http://www.zohoprojects.com/ web-based service; teams organize

>>>> Nah! Put my delays and overruns on display?

5. Crickee http://www.crickee.com/ send free SMS from your mobile

>>>> Nah! Don’t “do” sms.

6. FeedShow http://www.feedshow.com/ remunerate publishers

>>>> Nah! Don’t publisher anything much.

7. Tinypic http://tinypic.com/ video and image hosting service

>>>> Maybe, I do create pictures from time to time.

8. ResizR http://resizr.lord-lance.com/ resize your pictures

>>>> Maybe, if I remember it, for the next time I need something like that.

9. Photoblog http://www.photoblog.com/ photo sharing service

>>>> Nah, nothing to be gained by another one.

10. TrendyFriendy http://www.trendyfriendy.com/ publishers sharing Google AdSense

>>>> Nah, see #6, no one cares what I write!

Thanks, Luigi Canali De Rossi, for challenging me to think about what I can use.


TECH: OutLook, aka LookOut, maybe creating lots of hidden files

Monday, September 25, 2006

http://langa.com/newsletters/2006/2006-09-25.htm

The LangaList
Standard Edition
Another Expanded Issue!
2006-09-25

***Begin Quote***

Outlook is designed to open attachments only after copying the file to disk (for security, stability and recovery). Opening attachments prompts Outlook to create a “super hidden” folder (which Microsoft calls an “Outlook Secure Temporary File folder”) with a filename that begins with OLK (apparently an abbreviation for “Outlook”) and ends with a randomly generated string of characters. This is where the copy will be made and stored temporarily. At least that’s the design— these files are not deleted by Outlook right away if the attachment file is still open when you close Outlook.***End Quote***

Argh. A directory structure hidden away and unfindable. Wonder how muck space this crud is occupying?


LIBERTY: Big government harms you, hurts your family, and injures your neighbors

Monday, September 25, 2006

Downsize DC: Big government harms you, hurts your family, and injures your neighbors

http://action.downsizedc.org/wyc.php?cid=53

2006-Jul-21
No Warrant? No Search.

Seems real simple. If you beleive in the Fifth Amendment, then you should tell these politicians.


LIBERTY: Close the “selective service” — save a few bucks!

Sunday, September 24, 2006

http://answers.firstgov.gov/

***Begin Quote***

Who is required to register for the Selective Service?

Federal law states that all men between the ages of 18 to 25 who are living inside the United States, or its Territories, must register with the Selective Service.

This includes young men who have already signed up for military duty, both legal and illegal alien males, dual nationals, and certain classes of disabled, hospitalized, or incarcerated males. Women are not required by federal law to register with the Selective Service.

There are some exceptions and exemptions from this law. We recommend speaking directly with the Selective Service for further information.
***End Quote***

Since there’s no way that the american people will stand for another draft, why not nuke the Selective Service. We have laws against slavery. Why is this any different?


LIBERTY: Schneier on Security: Expensive Cameras in Checked Luggage

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Schneier on Security: Expensive Cameras in Checked Luggage

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/09/expensive_camer.html

September 22, 2006
Expensive Cameras in Checked Luggage

***Begin Quote***

This is a blog post about the problems of being forced to check expensive camera equipment on airplanes:
***End Quote***

I really like the suggestion about packing a starter’s pistol with your expensive camera and declaring it as a firearm!

Typical American solution! Use the “rules” to your benefit! I LUV it.