NYTimes: Jailbird Kitten
Gizmo the six week old kitten who is was already in jail.
2:29:44 PM  #     comment []  trackback []

Donna's computer has arrived
The PC I ordered for my sister has arrived at home. Next step is to set it up so that it will be difficult to break. It'll be running windows xp home. This translates into setting it up with an administrative account and adding a regular user for Donna. Also need to be very selective on software loaded and updated. Guess it'll be time to read up on XP security. Donna wants to be able to edit pictures (probably buy her Photoshop Elements), burn CDs (details missing on what she wants to burn) and use the internet. I'm planning on disabling explorer as much as possible and installing a current Firebird browser along with a program to kill spybots. If it's easy and she can't do anything dangerous as a regular user, there is a chance that I won't get lots of phone calls. Here's hoping it'll go well during the next week or two.
11:14:20 AM  #     comment []  trackback []

NYTimes: Wireless surround speakers
Setting up a home theater is a pain in the neck. You need to run wires all over the place to get to the rear speakers... Pioneer solves this problem with wireless rear speakers.
8:56:04 AM  #     comment []  trackback []

Ever feel like a complete idiot?
Today started just like any other day - get up, get ready for work, walk dogs, get stuff for work and leave... drive thirty five minutes (ten minutes from work) and notice that I don't have my badge to get into the office. Rats - it's 6:30am and I know that no one else will be in until after 8:00am. Turn the car around and go home to pickup my badge. At least I got to drive over a hundred miles before getting to work today. Dumb dumb dumb.
8:21:26 AM  #     comment []  trackback []

Are you better off... postcards
These are entertaining postcards. Their description is: Politicians lie, numbers don't. However a corolary is that statistics are wonderful - you can prove anything with them. I suspect that these postcards happen to fall into that category. I believe that there is real data behind these graphs... but there is a bias also. It makes me wonder what the graphs would look like for other presidents or if other categories were included (like number of lawsuits filed).

The marketting world seems to think that the average person can't figure out that $19,999.95 is just 5 cents short of $20,000. It's all about perception - how you see what is presented. Most folks don't realize much work is put into creating the presentation so that you jump to their obvious conclusions.

The graphs are an example - they show you that Clinton had four good categories which happen to align with four bad categories of the Bush's. Even the coloring is interesting - red or close to red (purple) for the Bush's and blue for the Clinton graphs with the rest just happening to be white. The political message from these graphs is that Bush is leading the wrong way.
8:02:04 AM  #     comment []  trackback []