TECHNOLOGY: Another wiki appears

Sunday, November 5, 2006

http://www.resourceshelf.com/

A Brief Intro to Congresspedia
By Shirl Kennedy, Senior Editor

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http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Congresspedia

Congresspedia is part of SourceWatch, a wiki-based project of the Center for Media and Democracy, which defines itself as “a directory of the people, organizations and issues shaping the public agenda.” If you’re one of those people for whom the word “wiki” is synonymous with “chaos,” you need to know that there are real, live human editors behind Congresspedia — experienced investigative journalists, researchers who verify contributions and sources. A powerful concept. In true wiki style, anyone is welcome to register and contribute; you don’t have to use your real name.

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An interesting resource!

We need more ways to keep track of the criminals in Washington DC.


RANT: WalMart’s plan versus the Gubamint’s Medicare Durg Benefit?

Sunday, November 5, 2006

Referencing:

https://reinkefj.wordpress.com/2006/09/23/
money-wal-mart-to-offer-4-generic-prescription-drugs

I found one comment this morning which, of course, “spun up my ire”.

***Begin Quote***

From: Bill
Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2006 6:50 AM
To:
Subject: [Reinke Faces Life] Comment: “MONEY: Wal-Mart to offer $4 generic prescription drugs”
New comment on your post #780 “MONEY: Wal-Mart to offer $4 generic prescription drugs”
Author : Bill (IP: 24.48.51.63 , 24-48-51-63.ashbva.adelphia.net)

This is only for a thirty pill supply

***End Quote***

OK, that’s a fair enough comment.

So I shot back the following:

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Bill: You have to admit regardless if 30 pills or 30 days for some body’s four bucks, it’s a hell of a deal. Certainly better than for example the gubamint’s Medicare Drug Benefit with the crazy rules and the “doughnut hole”. Fjohn

***End Quote***

Nothing like starting off the morning with thinking about gubamint!

I have some other RANTs to pass out this morning in no particular order.

(1) I have some old folks that I poa for. Why do the docs insist on:

(a) prescribing expensive drugs in large batches that the old folks won’t take? Those old codgers are too polite to tell the good doc that. They yes the doc to death, go home, and do what they want. I know there are several hundred dollars in their various apartments sitting on the top of the counter that will never be taken. Wasting money, and these ain’t rich people.

(b) prescribing complicated dosing regimes to old folks, who while not doddering idiots, have a hard time remember stuff. Take this pill at 11am, that pill at 4pm, except on alternate Thursdays, unless the month begins with a vowel. Hey dummy doc do you realize that it has to be sesame street simple. Even for me, when I was taking lost of meds, it got confusing. And, I was a doddering idiot! DO they think that these people live in a nursing home with 24 hour nursing care? Heck, even hospitals make drug erros if it gets more than one a day!

(2) The Gubamint’s Medicare Benefit, with the stupid doughnut hole, is a joke. Despite having 4 old folks, on the gubamint plan, taking lots of stuff, I have yet to have one qualify for something. When I talk to the various druggists involved, they universally and uniformly describe it as a “scam to fool the old voters”! That’s their words, not mine. They also tell me that the BIG WINNERS in this were CORPORATIONS. Huh, yup, you got it, they were allowed to dump their retiree drug plans cause the government let them. Argh!

(3) Those corporations that drop their retirees either thru bankruptcy or shenanigans. A special curse on you! May your balance sheets get Cloroxed to the “holy land”, and may your bedsheets get starched! And, you better hope you don’t need me to buy something from you.

(Ahh that feels much better!)

(4) The Gubamint for getting the WW2 wage and price controls that allowed businesses to get into the “benefit business” in order to avoid those controls. This hid the true cost of stuff, got people used to getting free stuff, and tied people to their jobs to keep their benefits. Can we ever roll it back? From my consulting business I still carry my own benefits. It’s not that much, about 4k / year. But, I am not an indentured servant to any corporation, beholding to them for protection from outrageous medical expenses.

(5) How dumb are we, the American people, for allowing this to go on? Welcome to the new fascist Amerika, home of the stupid, land of the handout, and cesspool of corrupt politics.

How’s that for a morning rant?!

P.S.: Bill left a fake email address. I wonder why? A drive by commenting?


JOBSEARCH: Certain “job” email is spam

Sunday, November 5, 2006

METHODOLOGY: Plan to deal with the “noise” … …

… … take out the “trash”!

Here’s a classic example of non-traditional spam. I received three of these. So to me, that makes it spam. If I had only gotten one, I’d have been duped. SO here’s some points:

(1) It’s non-specific. It alludes to a “great job”, but doesn’t personalize what it is.

(2) It came in on the “right” email address. Addressed as “Ferdinand” *a sure tip off that the person has NEVER interacted with me.

(3) Taking the link brings you to a general jobsearch site with all the typical tools and advertisements and popups. So, the “jobs” are probably scraped off other sites.

Like with most spam, unsubscribe is a joke. Outlook’s spam filter is my choice.

That’s my take. YMMV FWIW
Fjohn
The Big Turkey

===
From: Andrea Tucker [mailto:Andrea@amazingcareer2006.com]
Sent: Friday, October 27, 2006 12:50 PM
To:
Subject: job of interest

Dear Ferdinand,

Based on your background and experience, we believe that you may be interested in one or more positions recently posted by our corporate clients. Please take a look at these recently posted opportunities. You can view the jobs in detail and submit your resume by clicking the links below. Our client is currently hiring for several positions across the country.

Job Match 1

More Jobs

Best Regards,

Andrea Tucker

 

To unsubscribe from further emails please select this link. 2981 Ford St Oburg, Ny 13669


ALUMNI: Fixed up the jasper jottings front lot

Saturday, November 4, 2006

Have to nuke the stuff left hanging around.


LIBERTY: Permission to exit the amerika

Saturday, November 4, 2006

http://liberalcandy.blogspot.com/2006/11/
us-citizens-to-be-required-clearance-to.html

http://tinyurl.com/yjylqc

Friday, November 03, 2006
U.S. citizens to be required ”clearance” to leave the United States

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HSA) has proposed that all airlines and cruise lines be required to obtain clearance for each passenger they propose taking into or out of the United States.

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What is this nonsense?

Someone needs to take these tyrants to the woodshed!


ALUMNI: Another week; another issue of Jasper Jottings

Saturday, November 4, 2006

Shipped! Time to start next week’s.


WRITING: What my blog’s voice … …

Saturday, November 4, 2006

http://www.webpronews.com/blogtalk/blogtalk/
wpn-58-20061103TheSoundOfYour
BloggingVoice.html

http://tinyurl.com/ykeq5e

The Sound Of Your Blogging Voice
Steven Bradley
Expert Author
Published: 2006-11-03

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“To gain your own voice, forget about having it heard. Become a saint of your own province and your own consciousness.”

-Allen Ginsberg

A good writing voice can carry most any idea for a blog post. And a poor writing voice can ruin even the best of ideas. So what sound does your writing voice make?

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… … it has to be a whine! ;-)


JOBSEARCH: JIBBERJOBBER needs to take input

Saturday, November 4, 2006

For example, I went to my Job Seeker’s PIM and said hmmm, let me toss in some VCFs and some text files

For example:

==> “Reinke, F. John”.vcf

==> Some alumni htm files

==> some linked in files

A room for improvement here.


TECHNOLOGY: Microsoft and Novell in a desperate partnership to … …

Saturday, November 4, 2006

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2006/
110206-reports-microsoft-novell-to-strike.
html?page=3

http://tinyurl.com/yg7mzg

Microsoft, Novell partner on historic Windows, Linux interoperability deal

***Begin Quote***

Microsoft and Novell Thursday announced a wide ranging business and technology partnership designed to make it easier for companies to run, integrate and manage Linux and Windows in their environments while steering clear of patent and intellectual property concerns.

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Sorry, but I don’t trust either corporation to do what’s best for me. Whatever that is. Let’s look at some motivations.

Microsoft is in a dying desktop monopoly position. And, there server position isn’t so hot either.

They have just shot themselves in the foot with Vista; does any one really expect consumers to buy new hardware with Vista and consign what is working to the trash heap? Or, go thru the techie high jumps trying to “upgrade”? Or, invest money for Vista and the try to make Vista run on old hardware. Don’t forget “You’re a thief” WGA! And you’ve bought into “Only One Activation”! And, those are the swords behind the matador’s cape we know about. What don’t we know?

No, I expect Microsoft’s consumer market to fragment into three distinct parts:

(1) Users got to the web to sites like Google to replace fat client desktop software. Office replaced by Writely. Project by Basecamp. MSNIM by MEEBO. Outlook by Gmail. Any desktop will do for web users. Ubuntu Linux for them. No dollars to MSFT any more ever again.

(2) Users go to Linux like Ubuntu, but don’t trust the web. SO they deploy Firefox, OpenOffice, Thunderbird, and other Linux Open Source stuff as needed. A little bumpy but no dollars to MSFT either.

(3) Users, who can afford to, may need a new platform because hardware breaks or winrot becomes so bad. For most people a bare metal restore is undoable, unthinkable, or just too much work. So they drink the Microsoft KoolAid and get Vista as part of a hardware deal. An ugly migration but it’ll work. But very few new dollars to MSFT either.

SO I expect MSFT wants to FUD Linux and mess up the works.

NOVELL is acting as if they were LINUX! They have A distribution. But they are by no means the MSFT of LINUX. I’m sure of that based on their past history of shooting themselves in the foot. (Remember at one time they OWNED the word LAN in the world’s mind! MSFT edged them out of that position.) SO they are probably looking an the “declining mountain range” (business profitability chart used in all the cartoons) and saying “help!” or worse.

SO here we have two sinking ships, one the Titanic, and one the SS Minow, trying to stay afloat making a “historic” deal. I’d call it histrionic!

And, you think this is good for the industry, or you in particular?

No, I think the partnership is to try and allow them stay afloat. To do that, they have to FUD the Lunux space, and convince the public (mostly CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, and the ultimately important CFOs) that their “Edsel” is the best.

I don’t trust ’em and I ain’t buyin’ that particular load of barbara striesand!


JOBSEARCH: “findability” is a key element for passive seekers.

Saturday, November 4, 2006

STRATEGY: “findability” is a key element …

… for passive seekers.

There’s a pretty good dialog going on over at [LinkedInnovators] a Yahoo Group I belong to. See “Digest Number 503” Over the value of LInkedIn in a job search.

One of my favorite topics!

LINKEDIN is a cross between the yellow pages for professionals and an ersatz networking tool.

I haven’t figured out the value for me yet. If there is any?

But two things I took out of the discussion:

(1) Get your linkedin profile on your resume with a substantive number of contacts and some endorsements. Thinking outside the box on your profile is more acceptable than on your resume (i.e., pity plays well — my dog died AND hobbies count towards the value proposition).

(2) Participate in the inet groups as a passive strategy to get recognition.

FWIW
Fjohn