One guy wrote that he quit for 190 days and then restarted, first with a single cigarette, then a pack, and then cartons. For me, nine days into it, I feel like I'm dancing with a 7-foot cigarette who is always saying -- Just Smoke Me. The dreams have been super-vivid and frightening. My sense of smell is also that way. Everything in my indoor environment smells of cigarettes. Outdoors is much nicer. Thanks for the 802.11b. [Scripting News]

My Grandfather died, slowly and pretty horribly, from emphasema. What helped me quit was everytime I reached for a cigarette, I'd remember him, sitting there in the hospital, with tons of wires and tubes sticking out of him, oxygen being fed to him via a mask. To this day I hate hospitals, and don't smoke.

Some thoughts on easing the quitting process:

1. Get rid of the smell by having all fabric cleaned: Steam clean carpets and furniture, wash then paint the walls, replace ceiling tiles. You'll be amazed just how much stuff you'll get up by doing this.
2. Ionizing air cleaners. These things (in my experience) work great, and also KO allergens.
3. Get a pipe. but no tobacco. I found that having something to gnaw on while I was thinking made it a lot easier to both think, and not crave a cigarette. Plus whenever I'd start to crave one, it was something to chew on that wasn't going to get me fat.

Hang in there and you'll get through it. You're doing great, and (somewhat selfishly) I'd like to see you around for a long time to come.

11:11:01 AM    

Goodmorning, a fresh new week and nothing like a bit of comedy to get things kick-started! [Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]

1. This is hilarious
2. I'd never seen the little speaker icon next to the "post" button. Way cool!

10:54:08 AM    

Evidence Found of Lake, Catastrophic Flood on Mars [Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters]

So where did it all go? Is it trapped beneath the surface? Has there been enough strikes from meteors to bury all that water? Did a huge passing comet (or series thereof) skim the upper atmosphere, wicking away moisture before tearing off into space? We'll never know.

10:44:54 AM    

Government agency considering asking for changes in 5 GHz band rules.

Government agency considering asking for changes in 5 GHz band rules: in a transparent move by the executive branch's spectrum policy stalking horse, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration is considering asking the FCC for rule changes in the 5 GHz band in which 802.11a operates. The rule changes might restrict use to indoors only and significantly decrease range by limiting power. (A couple of the changes they ask for are already required in Europe, and manufacturers actually believe they're useful to begin with.) The reasons cited are vague, and in an era of increased government secrecy, may remain so.

... [Meerkat: An Open Wire Service]

The petition would articulate some government agencies' concerns that such radios could interfere with essential services such as radar. The NTIA is readying the proposal on behalf of the Department of Defense and NASA.

So wouldn't it be better to test and see if there is interference rather than simply wipe out a potentially huge market by crippling what it can do?

10:31:19 AM