It's a Van Thing!

I posted a photo of a well-stickered van a few weeks ago and I snapped this even more garishly decorated van this morning. It must be some kind of a van-owner thing I don't get.



Somebody should introduce these people to Twitter or Facebook.

Sign for the Times

I spotted this realtor's sign lying at the bottom of a small stream near my home. It appears that it was a victim of a recent wind storm. It seemed, however, a timely and poignant indicator of the times.

Villanova vs Pittsburgh - A Classic

Image via Wikipedia

Last night I had the opportunity to enjoy one of the most intensely exciting college basketball games of all time. East region top-seed Pittsburgh and three-seed Villanova squared off in Boston for a berth in the 2009 NCAA® Final Four.

I've seen thousands of games in my lifetime and this is without question one of the best ever. Being from western Pennsylvania and having chosen Pitt as one of the final teams in my bracket, I was cheering on the Panthers. From that perspective, unfortunately, the last second heroics of 'Nova's Scottie Reynolds sent the Panthers home on the short end of a 78-67 score.

It is one of those games about which you'll hear the cliche, "It's too bad somebody had to lose." That, however, is truly the case here. I have seldom seen both teams in any contest play with such intensity and with such abandon. Bodies soared through the air, crashed to the floor, collided with each other. The pace of the game was exhausting just to watch. Neither team left anything on the court.

I want to thank all those players, coaches, and officials for staging a contest that will long be remembered by those of us lucky enough to have seen it.

Oh, 'Nova you didn't! This was an ending for the ages
By Mike Freeman, CBSSports.com National Columnist

Image via Wikipedia

I saw on the news this morning that AIG was insisting they still needed to pay their executive bonuses for a variety of reasons. One was that the bonuses were parts of previously negotiated contracts. If they were not paid, they might be sued and the legal expenses would exceed the bonus amounts. I can sort of give them that.

But, another was that they might lose these executives to competitors if the bonuses were not honored. I suppose it would be tragic to lose the executives responsible for guiding your firm to financial catastrophe to your competition. To use a sports analogy, you would really hate to lose the coach who led your team to a 2-28 record to another team in your conference.

Related articles by Zemanta

• AIG still paying bonuses. Oh wells. (dailykos.com)
• Bailed-out AIG doles out $165 million in bonuses. (thinkprogress.org)
• Basket Case Insurer Gets $170 Billion from Taxpayers, Still Pays Huge Bonuses (boingboing.net)

Lost Generation - YouTube Video

This video came to me in my iLearn Technology RSS feed. I very much want to share it. The message of the piece is fantastic and the clever presentation is stunning.

Tweet, Twit, Twitter

I've finally gotten Twitter to the point where it has become a useful tool and not simply a recreational social network. It took a while to find the people I wanted to follow, but I have garnered so much good stuff from those people that the development process has been decidedly worth it.

During that process, I've drawn some conclusions about what constitutes a good member of the Twitter community.

• You should bring something to the party which adds value to the network. Share. If you've found a good web site or interesting video, share a link to it.
• Provide a little description of what you are linking to. Tweets like this, "Take a look at this http://www.####.com" are often going to be ignored.
• If you get something good from a post, don't tweet it as if you found it yourself, retweet (RT) the original post. Give credit where it's due.
  
• Avoid serial tweets. If you need more than two or three tweets to get your message across, use something like TinyPaste to enclose your message in a single post.
• Don't carry on protracted personal conversations as if Twitter were an IM service. There are better, more appropriate tools for this.
• Use direct messages (DM) for personal posts (using d + username + message).
• Thank people for following you. They don't have to you know.
• Please don't be a persistent whiner or complainer. If 2 out of every 3 tweets you post is a complaint, you won't stay on follow lists too long.
• If you post a tweet that solicits responses, acknowledge those responses with a DM.

I know I've broken every one of these rules at least once, but by trying to follow these principles as much as possible, I hope to be good, valued member of my Twitter community.

One final thought, beware of people whose number of followers is far greater than the number they follow.

Related articles by Zemanta

• My Top 5 Twitter Tips (newcommbiz.com)
• TinyChat Makes Creating Disposable Chat Rooms A Breeze (techcrunch.com)
• Jumping Into Social Media (jonggunlee.tistory.com)
• Does Twitter give you cancer? (guardian.co.uk)

I am Being Screwed by WESTINGHOUSE DIGITAL

I bought a Westinghouse LCD HDTV from Buy.com in late November. It proved to be defective and it was necessary to return it to WESTINGHOUSE DIGITAL for exchange.
I shipped it by UPS back to WESTINGHOUSE DIGITAL on Dec 22, at MY OWN EXPENSE. It was signed for at WESTINGHOUSE DIGITAL's El Paso facility just before 11 am, Dec 30. I have called WESTINGHOUSE DIGITAL "customer service" at least three times since for a status report, most recently this afternoon. I CANNOT get ANY information as to what's going on. WESTINGHOUSE DIGITAL doesn't even acknowledge that they have received the TV.

I told WESTINGHOUSE DIGITAL that I would call back in a day or two and if I was not satisfied with the situation I wanted my money back. WESTINGHOUSE DIGITAL said they couldn't do that since I purchased from Buy.com, not directly from WESTINGHOUSE DIGITAL. I will contact Buy.com and if they're no help, I will try working through my credit card company.

I will NEVER buy another WESTINGHOUSE DIGITAL product. I will NEVER recommend a WESTINGHOUSE DIGITAL product to anyone I know.

Track the Polls

As the campaign winds down and election day nears, here are some tools you can use to track opinion poll results ...

• USAToday Presidential Poll Tracker - good trendline representation
• ABC News Poll Tracker - shows poll results with demographic breakdowns you choose
• Pollster.com - numerous results for a variety of races
• TPM Election Central Poll Tracker - non-graphical presentation of results from numerous polls
• Electoral-vote.com - downloadable poll results

Sarah Palin, My Humble Opinion

People who believe Sarah Palin did well in last night's vice-presidential debate think that because their expectations of her performance had been so low to begin with.

You could compare her to your local high school football team playing Rutgers and managing to score a few points and not lose by 75. Nobody expected them to have a great game, anyway. She succeed in the sense that she didn't thoroughly embarrass herself, but she didn't display any depth of understanding or insight. She adhered faithfully to the party line.

As for her folksiness, we've had eight years of a good old boy presidency. We don't need a Joe Sixpack or a Hockey Mom as a leader of the nation. We should want a smart, articulate, insightful leadership.

Joe Biden exhibited so much more comprehension and understanding of the critical issues facing America. He appeared confident, knowledgable, and poised leaving no doubt which of these two people I would want in the White House should the need ever arise.

Why Do I Pay My Taxes and My Bills?

Why do I bother to pay my taxes? Why do I get my bills paid on time?

I ask myself these questions every time I hear or see one of those ads that purport to be able to settle your IRS or creditor debts for pennies on the dollar. If these ads are to be believed, I should just ignore my taxes and max-out all my credit cards, then get these guys to settle my accounts for a fraction of what I owe.

The Integrity of the 162-game Schedule

Last week, while I was watching part of the Olympic baseball coverage, I listened to the broadcasters talking about the possibility of representing the US with major league players, our best players, as we do in basketball and hockey.

I had previously thought about this point myself. Sending NBA players to the Olympics doesn't really conflict with the NBA regular season, but the NHL season must take a two-week hiatus to allow their players to compete in the Olympics. Such would be the case with major league baseball.

The broadcasters considered this point and agreed that "the integrity of the 162-game schedule must be protected." What the heck is that supposed to mean? Might it destroy MLB if once every four years the schedule were to be adjusted to accommodate Olympic participation by the best baseball players in the world, not only for the US but other nations as well?

The face of our next President?

The face of our next President?

About Off-shore Oil Drilling

A Department of Energy report issued last year predicted that it would take two decades for drilling in restricted areas to have a noticeable effect on domestic production, and that, even then, “because oil prices are determined on the international market,” the impact on fuel costs would be “insignificant.”

John McCain noted just a few months ago that offshore resources “would take years to develop.” The Oklahoma oilman T. Boone Pickens has stated, “This is one emergency we can’t drill our way out of.” Pickens is a strong advocate of wind power.

The DOE estimates that there are eighteen billion barrels of technically recoverable oil in offshore areas of the continental United States that are now closed to drilling. This sounds like a lot, until you consider that oil is a globally traded commodity and that, at current rates of consumption, eighteen billion barrels would satisfy less than seven months of global demand.

Note: Estimating the amount of technically recoverable oil takes into account the industry's current state of technology for extracting oil, without accounting for the potential cost to accomplish this. An estimate of economically recoverable oil takes into account the quality and market value of oil, the costs of exploration and drilling, the financial costs of extracting and transporting the oil, and the financial rate of return expected at particular oil prices.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Legendary US Oil Man Wants To Kick Addiction
• World crude production has peaked: Pickens
• US poised to claim global wind title
• Pickens Plan Stirs Debate, and Qualms

Today, I saw the new X-Files movie The X-Files: I Want to Believe starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, stars of the original Fox TV series.

The TV series ended a bit more than six years ago (1993-2002), so I was unsure how it would play after such an extended hiatus. This film did not disappoint in any way. The aura of the original TV shows transitioned seamlessly into this movie. If you are a fan of the X-Files on TV, you're bound to enjoy The X-Files: I Want to Believe.

Related articles by Zemanta

• X-Files creator honoured in Vancouver
• Anderson outside Hollywood universe
• X marks the spot: Mulder and Scully return
• Mulder & Scully's Chemistry Not Paranormal
• Review: The X-Files: I Want to Believe - Jeffrey's Take
• Review: The X-Files: I Want To Believe

Fireworks Rant

The Fourth of July holiday has come and gone, though I'm sure the amateur fireworks shows will still be going on for days to come. I was very annoyed yesterday as the explosions began to reverberate through the neighborhood mid-afternoon and carried on relentlessly until past 11 o'clock.

A few of the blasts were window-rattlers! I don't know what sort of devices were being used. It seems each year more and more powerful fireworks are becoming available to the public. These home-grown pyrotechnic displays aren't something that can be limited to the privacy of one's own backyard or driveway.

If such devices are to continue being widely available, and many of their users are unable or unwilling to exercise good civic responsibility, there may need to be restrictions placed on appropriate times for these events to occur. A few days ago, I awoke to the rumbling of fireworks at 2:30 am!

Plurk Plus One Month

In early June, I began using the micro-blogging site Plurk. I posted previously a few days in. About a month later, though it seems longer, I'm updating my impressions.

First, Plurk is not a Twitter clone or substitute. The principle difference, aside from the obvious cosmetic ones, is the ease with which conversations are carried on. It's easy to follow the evolution of the sometimes lengthy conversations that develop in the drop-down that appears below the original entry. You don't need to scroll through a lengthy list of posts picking out the threads of a discussion.. Plurk verges on being a chatroom, far more immediate and decidedly more social than competing sites.

During the past month, the Plurk development team has been steadily rolling out more features: conversation muting, private messaging to individuals or groups, search, and more. Plurk has bugs, no question. I find it odd that features that function well for some don't work for others. For instance, I have a friend who can't send private plurks though most people can. The conversation mute feature works sporadically for me.

One of the nicest and most used features of Plurk is the ability to link to images and videos with a thumbnail. Clicking that thumbnail will open a Plurk window for inline viewing without opening a new tab or browser window. Not that this is perfect yet. You can't go back to your timeline while continuing to play the video, something that frequently causes me to decline playing an entire video. However, in the Plurk media window is a direct link that will open the item in a new tab/window.

The people who populate Plurk are it's true strength. Most are very friendly and open, interested in the type of social exchange that seems unique to Plurk. I can usually pick out a new plurker who has a hardcore Twitter history. They tend to make announcements and don't get very conversational. Included in a plurk member's stats are two key number: plurks and plurk responses. I generate a sort of social index (plurk responses divided by plurks) that I think somewhat quantifies a plurkers sense of community. A plurker with a small quotient tends to make a lot of announcements with limited engagement in social conversation.

Plurk is not going to be for everybody. I don't think it was ever intended to be. But, for the people who use it regularly, it seems to be a genuinely good experience.

(Notice, a blog post about Plurk with no discussion of karma!)

Related articles by Zemanta

• Plurk Adds Search, Becomes Increasingly Attractive
• Plurk: Twitter meets FriendFeed
• Plurk: Unique or Just Another Twitter Clone?
• Twitter Isn't About Conversation - It's About Forming Groups

Verizon DSL Tech Support - Kudos!

In the past I have not had good experiences with Verizon DSL Tech Support. So when I couldn't get my new MacBook to wirelessly connect to my router, I was not looking gleefully forward to calling that dreaded number again.

Things started in the usual, anticipated way. First call, bad connection, had to hang up and retry. Second call, worked my way through the annoying menu system and finally got directed to Mac DSL support. Held for several minutes before an automated voice announces they are over capacity, please hang up and retry later. Call number 3, the voice recognition suddenly seems to have become hearing-impaired necessitating at least three repetitions of every command. Finally, however, I reach a real live tech support human.

This guy was fantastic! He quickly diagnosed the problem (needed modem/router firmware upgraded) and walked me through the process. Once we got the MacBook online, the iPod Touch went offline. So, he worked to resolve that issue. He was extremely courteous, pleasant and competent. 

This is my first Verizon Tech Support issue that didn't end up with me frustrated, angry and demanding a supervisor. Big props to this individual!!

Plurkerrific!

For the last several days I've been checking out a new social micro-blogging site, Plurk.com. Actually, I'm way past "checking it out," I'm nearing "consumed by" status. I had tried Twitter twice in the past and it just didn't work for me. But Plurk has grabbed me by the *****!

The community is still small but vibrant and enthusiastic, and growing. I think that they, like myself, are excited about being in at the start of something with potentially a great future. Plurkers appear to be a more mature, more sophisticated group. As yet, not a lot of kids appear to be plurkers. I have met a lot of really interesting, wonderful plurkers so far and had a blast!

The quirk of Plurk is the horizontal timeline.Newest items appear at the left and by dragging or using the scroll wheel you can go back in time. It has a bit of a learning curve, but as I got more familiar with it, navigation became relatively simple.

I really like the conversational threads that develop from individual posts and appear in a drop-down window. Sometimes these convos go on for hours with various plurkers jumping in and out as they can.

You can also preface your plurk with a choice of verbs and choose from an assortment of emoticons.

There's a system of karma points with certain plateaus that open new features. For example, when you reach 25 karma points, you're emoticon set increases.

You can group friends into cliques and send private plurks among the members of that group.

Pictures on other image hosting services such as Photobucket, Flickr, and Picasa Web can be linked to as can YouTube videos.

Plurk is not feature-rich. There is no search capability as yet. There isn't a way to ignore a conversation or save one, but it's early days yet.

I'm hooked, as are most of my pleeps. They are the best thing about Plurk ☺.

Related articles

• Plurk: Unique or Just Another Twitter Clone? [via Zemanta]
• Plurk: Twitter meets FriendFeed [via Zemanta]
• I Like Plurk Better Than Twitter, But Should I Even Bother? [via Zemanta]
• Plurk vs Twitter Review [via Zemanta]

Thirst for Bottled Water

This is an issue I've been concerned about for some time. I have gotten reusable bottles that I fill at home. I've tried to convince friends to do the same (success limited). After all, most bottled water is just somebody else's tap water, nothing special.

Thirst for bottled water unleashes flood of environmental concerns - USATODAY.com

Economy in a Nutshell

I found this juxtaposition of headlines in my Google Reader feeds this morning from MSNBC.com constituted a snapshot of the current economic climate.