Dead Parrot Sketch Greek Style

It would appear that the famous Python sketch about the Dead Parrot may have an earlier ancestor.

QOTD

Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.

-- Ronald Wilson Reagan

QOTD

"Democracy is the worst form of government,
except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."

               --Winston Churchill (1880-1952)

Political Advertisement

Below the cut is a political ad, don't blame me if you don't want to see it.  I warned you.

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I See Dead People Voting

Ok, Illinois is notorious for having the dead and even the fictional vote in elections, especially within the confines of Chicago.  Today however I would say that a new high/low in political corruption has been achieved.  Someone actually registered a gold fish, a dead one at that, to vote.

First Legos... now Models?

Ok so awhile back I lamented the fact that our local Walmart "Super"store was no longer carrying Legos.  Now today I went shopping for model kits to build space vehicles like the shuttle and Saturn V for my fiance's science classroom.  I went first to a model store that carried a very rudimentary stock, mainly cars.  Then I went to ShopKo that had nothing.  Figuring I had nothing to lose and that they would have SOMETHING I went to Wal-Mart and they too had nothing.  The store is twice as big as the old one, but I'm beginning to feel like the straight man in the old Boy Scout skit about the candy store that seem to have no candy until at the end the straight man asks "What do you have?" and the clerk replies two suckers on a stick referring to the two audience members holding a stick as a prop counter.

So Wal-Mart... What do you have?

Common Sense for the Financial Mess We're In...

Dave Ramsey has what I think is a much better plan than putting us $700B further into debt.  Take a read at his site.

Food for Thought

October

Well it's official, the regular season has ended with a dramatic tie breaker game for the AL Central championship.  Normally October  in Chicago is about the Bears, but this year it's the Cubs and the White Sox.  Fasten your seatbelts, here we go!

QOTD

I thought that in light of current events that this is quite an appropriate quote.

“In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.”
- John Adams

Lyrical Thought #59

Overkill

by Colin Hay

I can't get to sleep
I think about the implications
Of diving in too deep
And possibly the complications

Especially at night
I worry over situations
I know I'll be alright
Perhaps it's just imagination

Day after day it reappears
Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear
Ghosts appear and fade away

Alone between the sheets
Only brings exasperation
It's time to walk the streets
Smell the desperation

At least there's pretty lights
And though there's little variation
It nullifies the night from overkill

Day after day it reappears
Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear
Ghosts appear and fade away
Come back another day

I can't get to sleep
I think about the implications
Of diving in too deep
And possibly the complications

Especially at night
I worry over situations
I know I'll be alright
It's just overkill

Day after day it reappears
Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear
Ghosts appear and fade away
Ghosts appear and fade away
Ghosts appear and fade away

2008 National League Central Division Champions!!!

Go Cubs Go!!!   Anyone with connections willing to help me get NLDS tickets, please get ahold of me. :-)

Legos

Of all toys that are all but ubiquitous you would think that the venerable Lego block would be one of them.  Last night I went looking for a small box of Legos to put with a care package for my fiance knowing that she likes Legos and likes to be kid-like as much as possible.  I was at Wal-Mart, and not just any Wal-Mart, I was at one of the largest Super Wal-Marts in the area.  Figuring to find an entire aisle of blocks and such I was amazed when I couldn't find any blocks at all, not just Legos but any!  I finally went and asked a clerk for help thinking that maybe just maybe they had misfiled blocks under automotive or something.  He told me that they DON'T CARRY LEGOS!!!  He actually told me to go across the street to ShopKo. 

Magic Number is 2

That's right folks, the Cubs could clinch the division this weekend at Wrigley against the St. Louis Cardinals.  Sweet irony.

Better Late than Never Right?

Ok so I have announced this on facebook and twitter, but I neglected my blog for some reason.

Saturday evening I proposed to my girlfriend Emily and she accepted so I'm now officially engaged.  You can find out more at our new website http://www.storywedding.info

Go Cubs Go!

Magic Number is now...



4

Magic Number is now...

6

Go Big Z!

Carlos Zambrano just completed a complete game no hitter.  First for the Cubbies since 1972.  Wow!

Magic Number


7

QOTD

The various religions are like different roads converging on the same point. What difference does it make if we follow different routes, provided we arrive at the same destination.

-- Mahatma Gandhi

New Blog

For those of you interested in my thoughts on the Catholic Church and in particular Liturgy should visit my new blog at http://liturgyforall.blogspot.com

Cold Air Funnels...

Now the following alert is something new for me... I've heard of cold air funnels before, but never seen a weather alert for them before.

ILZ036-040-041-047>052-142300-
FULTON-SCHUYLER-MASON-CASS-MENARD-SCOTT-MORGAN-SANGAMON-CHRISTIAN-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...HAVANA...JACKSONVILLE...SPRINGFIELD...
TAYLORVILLE
328 PM CDT THU AUG 14 2008

...COLD AIR FUNNELS SIGHTED OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS EXIST NEAR A BOUNDARY THAT EXTENDS FROM
AROUND JACKSONVILLE TO RUSHVILLE...THAT FAVOR THE FORMATION OF THE
PHENOMENON CALLED COLD AIR FUNNELS. COLD AIR FUNNELS ARE NORMALLY
NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS. THEY FORM OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF
CLOUDS...SPIN...AND DIP DOWN TO WITHIN SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET OF THE
GROUND.

THE COLD AIR FUNNELS MAY LAST FOR SEVERAL MINUTES...OCCUR A NUMBER OF
TIMES DURING THE AFTERNOON...AND REMAIN IN THE SAME GENERAL AREA. THEY
NORMALLY DISSIPATE COMPLETELY TOWARD SUNSET.

IN RARE INSTANCES THESE FUNNELS MAY BRIEFLY TOUCHDOWN. STAY ALERT AND
BE PREPARED TO MOVE QUICKLY TO A SAFE SHELTER IF A FUNNEL CLOUD
APPROACHES THE GROUND.

Font Humor

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NLDS Tickets... HUH?

I was browsing StubHub to see about getting some tickets to see a Cubs game this season and came across posts for NLDS tickets for the Cubs.  I am a die hard, lifelong Cubs fan, but even I'm not fool hardy enough to buy NLDS tickets for a series that potentially the Cubs still could NOT be in. 

Wargames

So tonight I watched Wargames on the big screen.  They had a special showing for the 25th anniversary and to promote a new "sequel" that is going straight to DVD.  Apparently the guys running the distribution of the film (Fathom Events) must have barely left the 80s as the movie died with about 20 minutes left and revealed a Windows 98 machine on the screen that apparently had been running the movie.  They did finally get things working again, but overall the presentation was lacking.  They didn't even have the aspect ratio correct so the sides of the movie were chopped off.

Common Sense

I saw this and had to pass it on.

Death of Common Sense

Today, we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
Why the early bird gets the worm;
Life isn’t always fair;
Maybe it was my fault.

Common sense lived by simple, sound financial policies:

Don’t spend more than you earn;

And reliable strategies:

Adults, not children, are in charge.

His health began to deteriorate when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Tylenol, sun-tan lotion or a band-aid to a student, but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when it became punishable for you to defend yourself from a burglar in your own home, and the burglar could sue you for assault.

He began to lose ground rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set into place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.

He is survived by 3 step-brothers: I Know My Rights; Someone Else Is To Blame; and I’m a Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on.

If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Networkers at Cisco Live! Day 3

Well yesterday was a long day.  Had the normal training and speakers during the day and did some exploring of the trade show floor.  There are some neat applications that leverage Cisco's IP Telephony equipment in health care environments.

After class Emily and I went to a Brazilian steak house for dinner.  It was ok, but not worth the bill at all.  Oh well, live and learn.  Later in the evening was the Cisco customer appreciation at Universal Studios.  I was really looking forward to this because I figured with that big of a venue it would not be as crowded as normal.  Unfortunately Cisco only reserved a small subset of the park so it was still crowded and many of the fun rides were not available.  It was still fun, but a let down.

Networkers at Cisco Live! Day 2

Yesterday was the official first day of the conference.  As such Cisco CEO John Chambers gave his annual keynote.  He's a very good speaker and as usual had lots of insights as to where technology is headed.  His Chief Demonstration Officer (CDO) always makes an appearance as well with a demo of some new product or technology.  Unfortunately this year's was rather low key compared to past demos.

After my classes were over, Emily and I decided to have a lower key night and went to the Florida Mall which is a rather large mall nearby.  We went to Bucca di Beppo for dinner and then walked around the mall.

Tonight is the big customer appreciation event at Universal so I'll probably need a nap this afternoon between class and the party. :-)

Networkers at Cisco Live! Day 1

Ok so I need to recap yesterday.  Yesterday for me was an all day Techtorial on Enterprise deployment of IP Telephony.  It was a fairly good overview, but not as in depth as I had hoped for.

The really good news was that Disney was able to replace our tickets based on the ticket numbers provided by the Orlando Visitors Bureau that I had ordered the tickets from online.   As such Emily and I spent most of the evening at the Magic Kingdom.  We had a lot of fun and going at night meant the lines were fairly short for the most part.  I can now finally say that I've been to Disney. :-)

Networkers at Cisco Live! Day 0

Today started in Bloomington, IL getting up at 04:00 CDT to get to the airport for a 06:00 CDT flight to Atlanta and then on to Orlando.  Unfortunately we started off with a whimper as I discovered that I had left the folder with the Disney tickets at home.  We're still debating on how to rectify that either with new tickets or doing something different.  The flights were uneventful and Emily made it through even though she's not big on flying.  Once in Orlando we checked in to our hotel and she napped while I crammed for my Cisco Exam.

Unfortunately my studying was for naught as I had not realized that I was studying for an older version of the exam.  I didn't do too poorly, but I didn't get enough points to pass the exam so I'll have to regroup and try again later this summer back at home.  After the exam, we went to dinner and then Wonder Works, which is an upside down (or appears so) building that houses many science experimental stations.  We had a lot of fun inside.  We thought of it as research since Emily's new job has a science specialization.

By the time we hit the hotel (after walking the 2 mile round trip from the hotel to Wonder Works), we were exhausted between the early start and the walking in the heat and humidity of central Florida.  This led to a very sound night of sleep with the A/C cranked to high.

More on Networkers as the week progresses.

Almost... But Not Quite

This morning the local radio station was running a contest for a $300 Gas Card.  The game was they had had a DJ hide out in the listening area.  Well as the yes or no clue questions were asked and answered I began to suspect that she was in my company (Passavant Hospital) parking lot.  After a little bit of circling I did find her, but didn't get through on the lines before another employee got through and got the prize.  It was kind of fun finding her and almost getting it.  Reminds me of the days that another station used to do "the little black box" contest where they would hide a box with a code somewhere in the area and give clues daily to find it.  The person that called in with the code won some money.  It was always fun to see everyone swarming the back roads to find it. :-)

Books

These are the 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing's users. As in, they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded. Bold the ones you've read, underline the ones you read for school, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish.

Here's the twist: add (*) beside the ones you liked and would (or did) read again or recommend. Even if you read them for school in the first place.


Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Anna Karennena
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi : a novel
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
A Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales
The Historian : a novel
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Love in the Time of Cholera
Brave New World
The Fountainhead
Foucault's Pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath*
The Poisonwood Bible : a novel
1984*
Angels & Demons
The Inferno
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver's Travels
Les Miserables
The Corrections
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela's Ashes : a memoir
The God of Small Things
A People's History of the United States : 1492-present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake : a novel
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an inquiry into values
The Aeneid (& translated in part from the Latin)
Watership Down
Gravity's Rainbow
The Hobbit
In Cold Blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences
White Teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The Three Musketeers

10,000

Earlier this season, the Phillies became the first team to have 10,000 franchise losses.  Last night the second team in history reached the 10,000 franchise win mark.  The first was the San Francisco/New York Giants.  Last night's entrant was ... the CHICAGO CUBS!!!  So apparently we have a better winning tradition than some team in St. Louis.  Unfortunately the right combination of wins for a World Series has just not happened since 1907 and 1908.

Hey Hey

buildRows(standings_rs_nlc);

TEAM	W	L	%	GB
Chicago	12	6	.667	-
St. Louis	12	7	.632	0.5
Milwaukee	11	7	.611	1.0
Cincinnati	8	11	.421	4.5
Pittsburgh	7	11	.389	5.0
Houston	7	12	.368	5.5

My Not so Perfect Game

Last night I went to my first Passavant (new employer) employee outing.  Last night's event was bowling at the local alley.  It was a really fun time, but I definitely need to get to bowling more often again.  I'm a long ways from my mediocrity of High School and Junior High bowling league. 

It was really neat though to get to know other people from work in a non-work setting.  Everyone seemed to be having a good time and I think that's carry over from the good morale it work which is a definite shift from my last job.  I think I'm going to fit in very well here.

Earthquake... in Illinois?

So I went to bed last night expecting the weather front off to the west to be rumbling through last night with thunderstorms that might wake me up... what did wake me up?  Yes an EARTHQUAKE!  It went on for probably 30 seconds and I really did feel things shake, not like the earthquake when I was younger and got yelled at for kicking the table.  Apparently a 5.4 (preliminary report) magnitude quake hit somewhere in the south east part of Illinois near the Indiana border between Mt. Vernon, IL and Vincennes, IN.  You can see the details from the USGS here.

It might be, it could be, ... IT IS! CUBS WIN!

After having nightmares of the potential of starting the season as badly as 1997 when the Cubs went 0-14 I'm glad to see that the bats and pitching came together today for a win to prevent the sweep.  So far I've been fairly impressed with the Cubs starting pitching.  If the bats come alive, this will be a very good year.        

Thank God for a Short Commute

As most of you know, I switched jobs about 3 weeks ago.  My previous job was 35 miles away and my new one is about half a mile.  Thankfully I switched because this morning I woke up about 25 minutes before work.  I managed to get up, shower, get dressed, drive to work and even grab breakfast at the cafeteria and still make it in on time.  Gotta love it!

TV Shows

Empire Magazine has revealed its list of the "50 Greatest TV Shows" ever. Below is the list and here be the rules.

1. Bold the shows you've watched every episode of
2. Italic the shows you've seen at least one episode of
3. Post your answers

50. Quantum Leap
49. Prison Break
48. Veronica Mars
47. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
46. Sex & The City

45. Farscape
44. Cracker
43. Star Trek
42. Only Fools and Horses
41. Band of Brothers

40. Life on Mars
39. Monty Python's Flying Circus
38. Curb Your Enthusiasm
37. Star Trek: The Next Generation
36. Father Ted

35. Alias
34. Frasier
33. CSI: Las Vegas
32. Babylon 5
31. Deadwood

30. Dexter
29. ER
28. Fawlty Towers
27. Six Feet Under
26. Red Dwarf

25. Futurama
24. Twin Peaks
23. The Office UK
22. The Shield
21. Angel

20. Blackadder
19. Scrubs
18. Arrested Development
17. South Park
16. Doctor Who

15. Heroes
14. Firefly
13. Battlestar Galactica
12. Family Guy
11. Seinfeld

10. Spaced
09. The X-Files
08. The Wire
07. Friends
06. 24

05. Lost
04. The West Wing
03. The Sopranos
02. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
01. The Simpsons

QOTD

"It's easier to think you're in love than it is to accept that you're alone." -- Constable Fraser Due South

I'm Dreaming...

of a white EASTER???  What the heck?

Zell NO!

As some of you may know, and probably less care (yeah I know you're all Cardinals fans), the new owner of the Chicago Cubs is Zell Miller and he wants to sell the naming rights for Wrigley Field.  Here is the response some creative Cub fans came up with.

Lyrical Thought #58

Movin' Right Along
Muppets
 
Movin' right along in search of good times and good news,
With good friends, you can't lose,
This could become a habit.
Opportunity knocked once, let's reach out and grab it,
Together we'll nab it.
We'll hitch-hike, bus, or yellow cab it.

Movin' right along, foot-loose and fancy free.
Gettin' there is half the fun; come share it with me.
Movin' right along (doog-a-doon, doog-a-doon)
We'll learn to share the load.
We don't need a map to keep this show on the road.

Movin' right along we found a life on the highway,
And your way is my way, so trust my navigation.
California here we come, that pie-in-the-sky land.
Palm trees and warm sand, though sadly we just left Rhode Island.

Movin' right along, hey, L.A., where've you gone?
Send someone to fetch us, we're in Saskatchewan.
Movin' right along (doog-a-doon, doog-a-doon)
You take it, you know best.
Hey, I've never seen the sun come up in the West.

Movin' right along, we're truly birds of a feather,
We're in this together, and you know where you're goin'.
Movie stars with flashy cars and life with the top down.
We're stormin' the big town.
Yeah! Storm is right, should it be snowin'?

Movin' right along, do I see signs of men?
Yeah, "welcome" on the same post that says "come back again."
Movin' right along, foot-loose and fancy free.
You're ready for the big time, is it ready for me?

Movin' right along
Movin' right along
(repeat to fade)

Lyrical Thought #57

I'm So Tired
Beatles

I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink
I'm so tired, my mind is on the blink
I wonder should I get up and fix myself a drink
No,no,no.

I'm so tired I don't know what to do
I'm so tired my mind is set on you
I wonder should I call you but I know what you would do

You'd say I'm putting you on
But it's no joke, it's doing me harm
You know I can't sleep, I can't stop my brain
You know it's three weeks, I'm going insane
You know I'd give you everything I've got
for a little peace of mind

I'm so tired, I'm feeling so upset
Although I'm so tired I'll have another cigarette
And curse Sir Walter Raleigh
He was such a stupid get.

You'd say I'm putting you on
But it's no joke, it's doing me harm
You know I can't sleep, I can't stop my brain
You know it's three weeks, I'm going insane
You know I'd give you everything I've got
for a little peace of mind
I'd give you everything I've got for a little peace of mind
I'd give you everything I've got for a little peace of mind
(mumbling)

Change of Venue

Well, it's now official.  I have accepted a new job with Passavant Area Hospital in Jacksonville, IL.  I will be transitioning from my current job at Dot Foods over the next two weeks with my last day being March 7th.  Dot Foods has been a good employer for me since graduating from Truman back in May of 2002, but I felt that the time was right to make a change.  I had been looking at potential employers off and on for the last year and a half or so, but more actively in the last 3 months.  When this position at Passavant was posted, I really got excited about it.  My commute will be going from 50 minutes down to 90 seconds (if I hit the traffic light).  Also I'll be eventually moving into management which is both exciting and scary.

Finally being able to say definitively what I'm doing and where I'm going has been a big relief.  Thankfully I've had Emily to lean on during this process.  She's definitely been good for keeping me sane.  Also I'm thankful for all of those who have been praying for my job hunt. 

QOTD

Harboring resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for
the other to die. It is you who suffers, the other does not.

Lyrical Thought #56

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
Green Day




Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

Who Lit the Bridge?

Ok so you know how everyone always tells you not to burn bridges? Well lately I've been doing a lot of fancy footwork to avoid exactly that as I search for a new job. Recently I got very excited about the potential of an opportunity at a large employer in Springfield. Unfortunately yesterday's interview for that job has pretty much made me decide that no matter what their decision is I won't be taking that job. In this process I have apparently mentally already crossed the Rubicon and decided that it's not if, but when I leave my current job. I sort of feel like as I stand on the shore of the new land looking back at the bridge that someone else has lit the bridge afire before I was ready. I really hope that something comes up soon because right now its like I can barely plan a few weeks out due to the uncertainty.

QOTD

Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born.
- Ronald Reagan

Certifiable... Again

I passed the last of 5 tests today for my Cisco Certified Security Professional certification (aka CCSP). :-) Finally!!!

Juxtaposition

Ok when I saw this at the local video store, I had to take a picture and share. I mean come on, the Golden Girls next to a reality show about Playboy models? What wonderful coincidence!

Geek Consumer

Apparently I haven't been in the market for much gadgetry lately. I went to browse at Best Buy today because I have money from Christmas and well you know how much fire that can create in one's pocket. I do need a new wireless router for home so I started looking at them. Boy am I glad that I'm a networking geek. The marketing departments for the major brands like Linksys (Cisco), Netgear and D-Link work overtime on those packages. Faster, better, new!!! They're selling 802.11n gear as if it's a standard already and don't even look for a cheap 802.11b router, they no longer exist. What is really interesting to me is that the biggest broadband pipe that I've seen in most markets is 10Mbps down (not including FiOS since that's still a pipe dream for most people), but people are being sold into buying equipment that can run at 54Mbps or even >100Mbps. What's this for? I mean really even in the enterprise space where I work, we have 100Mbps ethernet everywhere, but the average desktop user is lucky to peak above 128Kbps sustained bandwidth for any length of time.

After deciding to wait on my router, I continued browsing and got to the home theater area of the store. While I've got a decent 5.1 Dolby/DTS system now, it doesn't support high definition video or audio and well ever since I got my HD TV I've wanted to actually see something HD. One thing that I noticed is that most of the systems at Best Buy have DVD players built into the receivers, while I'm all for saving space, I'm not sure I want to have my DVD player built into my receiver. I've had my current receiver for almost 6 years and in that time I've had at least 4 DVD players come and go due to failure. I guess it's like back in college when I refused to buy a TV with a built in VCR (man so old tech now).

Well that's my two cents... oh and as for my pocket, it's still on fire. Maybe after my tax refund I'll splurge. :-)

Disappointment, Yet Hope

Well the Illini's great season has come to a disappointing end. There were a lot of silly turnovers and a disappointingly flat offense, but there were signs of hope for next season. Mendenhall will be back as will the Juice. Illinois wasn't picked to be a big player in the bowls this year, but not only did they earn a bowl appearance, thanks to their upset of Ohio they made it to the BCS Rose Bowl. What an accomplishment for a team that in the previous two seasons had only won 4 games. Hopefully next fall we will see an experience Illinois team take the Big Ten by storm!

Hello 2008

"Here's to the new year. May she be a damn sight better than the old one, and may we may we all be home before she's over." -- Col. Sherman T. Potter (M*A*S*H)

Ok so this year wasn't as bad as being in a war zone over seas like the characters in M*A*S*H, but for me it has been a rather long year of waiting for things to change. Thankfully things are starting to change and as 2008 dawns things are looking very promising. I met a wonderful woman named Emily about a month ago and things seem to be going very well. Also I'm making moves that seem to be starting to pay off in terms of moving forward with my career and where I want to be professionally and in life in general. Here's to the new year, may it continue to evolve as it appears now. :-)

QOTD

The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them away.
- Ronald Reagan