End Point blog: Git push: know your refspecs
I think this blog post about an embarrassing technical faux pas was inspired by something I did ;)
Friday, August 1, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
All thingies are precious
Tonight I was cleaning up after tonight's fish taco dinner, and I was trying to secure the corn tortillas for re-storage in the freezer.
"Sweetie, have you seen the twist-tie for these?"
Jessica turns. "Oh, I've just been using this metal thingie to clip it with."
I look at the thingie in question, and I did my all-too-well-practiced facepalm.
There is a moment of quiet. "Oh, was that thingie important?"
Once words returned to me, I replied, "All of my thingies are important!"
I described the thingie in question, the clip for my anti-static wrist strap:
I went on to explain the two hours I'd spent a couple of weeks back looking for said thingie all over the house. In fact I remembered very specifically its approximate location because, compulsive chewer that I am, I had been biting on it and using it as a whistle while working. Okay, that is probably more strange than using it to clip a bag of frozen tortillas.
Side note: detachable clip for frozen tortillas also makes a fine dog whistle.
"Sweetie, have you seen the twist-tie for these?"
Jessica turns. "Oh, I've just been using this metal thingie to clip it with."
I look at the thingie in question, and I did my all-too-well-practiced facepalm.
There is a moment of quiet. "Oh, was that thingie important?"
Once words returned to me, I replied, "All of my thingies are important!"
I described the thingie in question, the clip for my anti-static wrist strap:
I went on to explain the two hours I'd spent a couple of weeks back looking for said thingie all over the house. In fact I remembered very specifically its approximate location because, compulsive chewer that I am, I had been biting on it and using it as a whistle while working. Okay, that is probably more strange than using it to clip a bag of frozen tortillas.
Side note: detachable clip for frozen tortillas also makes a fine dog whistle.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Well seasoned
I just watched finale to the first season of Battlestar Galactica. I suddenly understand why everyone was so upset when it seemed like it wasn't going to come back.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Pandora
Well lots of more important stuff to blog about... my new job, Theo turning two, buying a house, etc... but all that makes me too busy.
I just had a fun moment and wanted to share it. I just listened to Roger Waters (of Pink Floyd fame) singing Knockin on Heaven's Door. A song I've always sort of liked; GNR 'Appetite for Destruction' lived in my walkman for some time back in the 90s. I had no idea until just now that it was written by Bob Dylan. But this is a nice version.
Anyway, thank you Pandora, and thank you Eli for introducing me to it!
I just had a fun moment and wanted to share it. I just listened to Roger Waters (of Pink Floyd fame) singing Knockin on Heaven's Door. A song I've always sort of liked; GNR 'Appetite for Destruction' lived in my walkman for some time back in the 90s. I had no idea until just now that it was written by Bob Dylan. But this is a nice version.
Anyway, thank you Pandora, and thank you Eli for introducing me to it!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Theo thinks of the computer as a tool with which to look at trucks
For some time we have had a routine where he will come to the computer and make a sound - for a dog, cat, truck, etc. - and I will run a Google Image Search, for hours of enjoyment. Well prompted by my sister-in-law's comment about letting her daughter watch clips from kids' shows on YouTube, for today's session I decided to see what kind of truck videos we could find. I had no idea what we were getting in to.
The Internet is awesome.
And now I will let Theo finish this post.
05258-
*+
The Internet is awesome.
And now I will let Theo finish this post.
05258-
*+
Gah!
So someone has acquired my debit card number, and used it to buy and subscribe to some product through Sony Online Entertainment, the operators of several MMOGs. Needless to say the card has been canceled and fraud report entered. Significantly annoying. I'm curious whether this person is trying to play for his own enjoyment, or if there is some way for him to sell the account? I've been thinking back at whoever has handled my card lately, to see if anything suspicious pops up, but nothing comes to mind.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
$500 well invested
There was a story recently circulating the wires about a ten-year-old Oregon boy who built his own snow machine from $500 worth of supplies.
First of all, I love that someone bought him an air compressor for Christmas. Now THERE is a present that is both productive and fun! I wanted toys like that starting around that age. I think I was ten in fact when I got a miter saw, and used $20 of birthday money to buy a tool belt to make my backyard fort-building easier.
Second of all, I love what a great example of real education this is. This kid (and his parents) took what could almost be considered an idle interest - snowboarding - and turned it in to an amazing lesson in science and engineering that will inspire him for the rest of his life. I can tell you that my humble achievements around that age played a major part in my confidence with computers. For me, the equivalent experience was probably running my own BBS around age 11. Or perhaps being on the cover of the Metro section of the Sacramento Union with my trusty SLR, taking a picture of a news reporter with a camera identical to mine.
Third of all, I love that his parents had the wherewithal to make him work for the money. That's great.
Here's what occurred to me though: how much education can one buy for $500 in a government school? To guess at my bias is simple. However as I type this I have not yet done the research. So I will head over to OpenBooksProject, a non-profit organization which performs studies on Oregon school spending, among other things.
Per student spending: $8,072
School days: 180 (est)
Cost per day: $44.84
In Oregon, $500 buys you just over 11 days of school for a youngster. If you pick the right 11 days you'll get to bring home a nice valentine to mom. But this kid got a snow machine, got to be on the news, and got a nice boost for the rest of his life.
Which is the better spent $500?
Okay, so that's a bit factitious. Suffice it to say that I long to share in that moment in Theo's life, when he suddenly realizes that he really CAN do anything he puts his mind to. Actually, it may have happened already.
It was this summer, when Theo was perhaps 14 months old. I had acquired, in a typical moment of false confidence, not one but two broken lawn mowers. That's right, the old 'make one working one out of two broken ones' routine. Well after they'd sat for a couple of months, one day I decided to finally roll them out and see what I could do with them. As soon as Theo saw what I was doing, he came right over to investigate. He made for the pile of bolts that I had removed. Seeking to distract him, I reached in to the toolbox and grabbed the least dangerous tool I could find - a large spark plug socket. He was looking for someplace to put it, so I directed him to tighten the wheels.
I watched with interest as he put the socket to each of the bolts on the two wheels to his side in turn. He experimented for a few moments how the socket fit. He became fascinated at the smaller bolts I was removing. As I put down the ratchet, he picked it up and tried to put it to the next bolt in turn. With a bit of guidance from me, he successfully mimicked the back and forth motion needed to work the ratchet. Watching him 'help' me take that mower apart was like watching the lights turn on.
To this day Theo (now almost Two) loves to 'fix' things. I will hand him a tool - toy or real - and indicate a toy or household object that needs repair, and he will attempt to repair it. Perhaps it's this way with all boys - but I expect to take it as far as it is within my ability to do so.
With his level of enthusiasm, and my level of passion for helping him develop as a young man, I fully expect that if I were to show Theo young Forest Pearson's snow machine - or 'no ball' machine, to use Theo's language - we'd be building one in time for next winter.
First of all, I love that someone bought him an air compressor for Christmas. Now THERE is a present that is both productive and fun! I wanted toys like that starting around that age. I think I was ten in fact when I got a miter saw, and used $20 of birthday money to buy a tool belt to make my backyard fort-building easier.
Second of all, I love what a great example of real education this is. This kid (and his parents) took what could almost be considered an idle interest - snowboarding - and turned it in to an amazing lesson in science and engineering that will inspire him for the rest of his life. I can tell you that my humble achievements around that age played a major part in my confidence with computers. For me, the equivalent experience was probably running my own BBS around age 11. Or perhaps being on the cover of the Metro section of the Sacramento Union with my trusty SLR, taking a picture of a news reporter with a camera identical to mine.
Third of all, I love that his parents had the wherewithal to make him work for the money. That's great.
Here's what occurred to me though: how much education can one buy for $500 in a government school? To guess at my bias is simple. However as I type this I have not yet done the research. So I will head over to OpenBooksProject, a non-profit organization which performs studies on Oregon school spending, among other things.
Per student spending: $8,072
School days: 180 (est)
Cost per day: $44.84
In Oregon, $500 buys you just over 11 days of school for a youngster. If you pick the right 11 days you'll get to bring home a nice valentine to mom. But this kid got a snow machine, got to be on the news, and got a nice boost for the rest of his life.
Which is the better spent $500?
Okay, so that's a bit factitious. Suffice it to say that I long to share in that moment in Theo's life, when he suddenly realizes that he really CAN do anything he puts his mind to. Actually, it may have happened already.
It was this summer, when Theo was perhaps 14 months old. I had acquired, in a typical moment of false confidence, not one but two broken lawn mowers. That's right, the old 'make one working one out of two broken ones' routine. Well after they'd sat for a couple of months, one day I decided to finally roll them out and see what I could do with them. As soon as Theo saw what I was doing, he came right over to investigate. He made for the pile of bolts that I had removed. Seeking to distract him, I reached in to the toolbox and grabbed the least dangerous tool I could find - a large spark plug socket. He was looking for someplace to put it, so I directed him to tighten the wheels.
I watched with interest as he put the socket to each of the bolts on the two wheels to his side in turn. He experimented for a few moments how the socket fit. He became fascinated at the smaller bolts I was removing. As I put down the ratchet, he picked it up and tried to put it to the next bolt in turn. With a bit of guidance from me, he successfully mimicked the back and forth motion needed to work the ratchet. Watching him 'help' me take that mower apart was like watching the lights turn on.
To this day Theo (now almost Two) loves to 'fix' things. I will hand him a tool - toy or real - and indicate a toy or household object that needs repair, and he will attempt to repair it. Perhaps it's this way with all boys - but I expect to take it as far as it is within my ability to do so.
With his level of enthusiasm, and my level of passion for helping him develop as a young man, I fully expect that if I were to show Theo young Forest Pearson's snow machine - or 'no ball' machine, to use Theo's language - we'd be building one in time for next winter.
Simpliphones Follow-up
Just a quick note regarding SimpliPhones.
A week after I installed it I had to drive to the site on a Sunday to investigate complete system failure. The issue turned out to be a loose hard drive power cable, probably a delayed effect of transit.
I mentioned the system runs on Windows XP. Well, it is no more stable than your average Windows XP PC. Even optimistically this is not enough for a business phone system. The client decided to return it (through Costco) and went with a Toshiba PBX which has gone swimmingly, and for about the same cost, with more features and perfect stability.
A week after I installed it I had to drive to the site on a Sunday to investigate complete system failure. The issue turned out to be a loose hard drive power cable, probably a delayed effect of transit.
I mentioned the system runs on Windows XP. Well, it is no more stable than your average Windows XP PC. Even optimistically this is not enough for a business phone system. The client decided to return it (through Costco) and went with a Toshiba PBX which has gone swimmingly, and for about the same cost, with more features and perfect stability.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
