despite that i'm no longer at my old job, i still offered to help them out with basic questions and issues. sometimes i question my sanity in that decision. keep in mind while reading this, the scientists know how to backup their data, and they do it on their own with no issues:

From: MANAGER
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 3:59 PM
To: Peter
Subject: Re: server logs

HI Pete:

I have to help SCIENTIST backup her data on the file server.
What is the login info and is there a particular machine I need to use?

MANAGER

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

At 12:12 PM 7/28/2010, Peter wrote:

SCIENTIST already has a backup on the lab's fileshare which it looks like she's used back in April last.

\\SERVER\FILESHARE
username : password

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

HI Pete:

She just told me that she logs into the file server and backs up that way without having to go to the file server machine.
Is that correct?

Also, I accidentally clicked many buttons and restarted the file server machine as once I logged in, I didn't know how to log out.
Is this going to mess anything up?

MANAGER

the funny thing is that this is a CentOS (Linux) server with no GUI, so physically at the machine is just a console. when she said she 'clicked many buttons', turns out by looking at the server logs she meant the power button, reset button, etc...which i am pretty sure was locked up by the case when i left.

Labels: employ

sounddoc

While my manager is out on vacation, I was asked to take a look at her wireless keyboard which had stopped working. for those of you in tech, or who have a basic knowledge of this stuff know that it's going to be either batteries or just a lost connection that's to blame.

enjoy:

Hi Manager,

I couldn't find the Bluetooth adapter that your keyboard uses, so I put in another one from my office, and the keyboard works fine. Did you remove this or misplace it by any chance?

Pete:

the adapter is not bluetooth...it's the thing hanging in the back of my hard drive.
is that adapter no longer working?

manager

I didn't find any adapters hanging from the back of the computer, but I'll take another look tomorrow...if it's not Bluetooth, I'm not sure what else it is!

-Pete

Definitely not bluetooth...it's a usb adapter...

manager

Bluetooth is the wireless technology used to connect, USB is the physical form factor of the adapter.

-Pete

So does this mean my keyboard was bluetooth or usb adapter?

Not sure how this email applies to me?

manager

i ended up just going to her office once she got in and giving her a mini-presentation on the differences between physical connectors and radio signals.

Labels: employ

sounddoc

I received this e-mail from one of the lab workers the other day. It's a forward from our director:

-----Original Forwarded Message-----
From: X
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 9:54 AM
To: me
Subject: Projector

X, could you look into ordering this projector.
Best
Director

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless handheld.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From: * some other guy
*Date: *Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:36:24 -0400
*To: * Director
*Subject: *projector
Hi L, here's the projector we have (~$500 on Amazon):

---link to a projector on Amazon---

So I went ahead to get the OK from my manager to buy it and noted that it was strange that one of the lab workers was ordering IT equipment as it usually goes through me...as per my job description, nonetheless. My manager was confused as expected and questioned the purchase and how it came to be. here's the director's response:

I asked for comparisons to other projectors. What was the outcome, and why?
Director

Here's my response, professional as always :)

Hi Director,
I received the message forwarded from X where you asked her to look into ordering the projector linked below. I verified with Manager as I do with any major purchase and she wanted me to verify which account it should come out of. Also, will this be to replace the one in the conference room? Thanks, sorry for the confusion.

Here is her (always) unprofessional reply:

My request was not to just go ahead and purchase this one, but to do some due diligence to make sure we are getting the best value.  X and Peter, please could you do this.  I think that this was clear from my last email, but perhaps not.
Director

...and my reply:

I understand now. I'll look into a new projector for the conference room. I think the 'ordering' part threw me off a bit.
-Pete

...and the cherry on top:

I am not sure why X would ask you to order it....that's not really your job!
Best
director

...and I'll finish with an excerpt from my job description:

Systems Administrator, ... to provide support, maintenance and general administrative services...This will include...ordering and configuring PCs and Printers, managing equipment property...

ok, a projector is not technically a PC or Printer, but since I'm also troubleshooting laboratory equipment, I think it's fair to say that it is my job to research and order them.

Labels: employ

sounddoc

my manager had asked me how many PC or Mac licenses of Acrobat 9 Professional we should order:

I think if we get one license that should be good as you're the only one requesting it right now. If we need more, we can always order them.

her reply:

is that one for windows and 1 for mac?

my reply:

Your computer is running Windows XP, so I would get the Windows version.

her:

but what about my mac laptop which also has this problem...

me:

You will need to order separate licenses for each computer – is that your question?

her:

So if I order 1 windows and 1 mac, then we should be all set, right?

me:

If you have 1 Windows computer, and 1 Mac, then order 1 Windows license and 1 Mac license.

I'm not sure I can reply to any more questions without being inherently insulting due to the most basic logic that this problem follows...

Labels: employ

sounddoc

boss: i'm having problems with the e-mail list website. i'm getting that error

me: which error?

b: this one.

m: let me see...oh, yeah, (404 - not found) I was getting that too. start at the main site, and navigate through so you authenticate with your certificate again, then save the bookmark again and it'll work.

b: huh?

m: i can do it for you. [click click save] there you go, all better.

b: no, but i'm still getting the error...

m: where? the page is up...right here...[point to screen]

b: no, i'm still getting the error, see? [points to address bar, 'http://webmoira.mit.edu:444'] see? that 4 something error.



m: *facepalm*

Labels: employ

sounddoc

In case anybody else has this - date and time were set properly, works fine in firefox, tried disabling the toolbar, sidebar, pretty much any good addon from IE8, also disabled all the google labs stuff through firefox.

unchecking "Protected Mode" under Security settings in IE fixed it. Setting them back doesn't seem to have any negative effect. Hope this helps.

sounddoc

I just recieved the following e-mail at my work:

From: affectionate@guberti.it
Subject: Send emails directly to dentists

Dear Orlando

RE: Your request for information about our contact lists

The following are a few of the popular lists we have for the USA:

Physicians (34 specialties) - 788k records, 17k emails, 200k fax numbers
Chiropractors - 108,421 total records * 3,414 emails * 6,553 fax numbers
Alternative Medicine - 1,141,602 total records with 36,320 emails and 38.935 fax numbers
Dentists - 164k records, 45k emails, 77k fax numbers
Veterinarians - 78,986 total records with 1,438 emails and 1,050 fax numbers
Hospitals - 23,747 Hospital Administrators in over 7,145 Hospitals (full contact info no emails)
National Health Service Corp Clinics - 1,300 total records with emails for government run free clinics
Nursing Homes - 31,589 Senior Administrators, 11,288 Nursing Directors in over 14,706 Nursing Homes (full contact info no emails)
Pharmaceutical Companies - Email only list 47,000 emails of pharma company employees
Physical Therapists - 125,460 total records with 5,483 emails and 4,405 fax numbers
Acupuncturists - 23,988 records 1,826 emails
Hotels - 34,815 total records * 1,642 emails
Criminal Attorneys - 142,906 total records, 99,857 emails
Real Estate Agents - 1 million records with emails
Massage Therapists - 76,701 records and 8,305 emails
Medical Equipment Suppliers - 167,425 total records with 6,940 emails and 5,812 fax numbers
Mental Health Counselors - 283,184 records 7,206 emails
Visiting Nurses & RN's - 91,386 total records with 2,788 emails and 2,390 fax numbers
Optometrists - 63,837 records 2,015 emails
Psychologists - 63,837 records 2,015 emails
Police and Sheriff Services - 42,987 records and 114 emails
American Business Email List - 2 million emails various businesses

Some of these are very detailed lists with many different fields. Anyway, if you will be ordering this week I can do this pricing:

Any 3 lists : $299
Any 4 lists: $349
Any 5 lists: $425

Let me know if you're interested an I will send additional information and samples. Please reply at my other email address instead: rch2870@furtherquicker.info
Don't forget to include this email in your reply so that I will know about the discounted pricing.

Best Regards,

Chauncey Cramer

PS: If you preferred not to receive my emails you can take action by simply sending an email to this address: rembox@furtherquicker.info

spam on, you crazy diamond.

sounddoc

phone rings - boss on the other end;

b: hey, that DVD...CD you just burnt for me? how do i change the name of it?
m: what do you mean? the filenames on the disc? I closed the disc after burning it.
b: no, the name of the whole disc. it's like blank volume or something.
m: the quickest way would just be to write a whole new disc, and just set the volume name this time around.
b: that might take a while. when i give it to steve, i just don't want him to think it's a blank disc.
m: do you have a sharpie? because you could just write the title on the disc itself.
b: oh yeah...i guess i'll try that.

Labels: employ

sounddoc

about 13 years ago or so i decided to start my first website. at the time, geocities was all the rage, and offered free web hosting. the site still stands after all these years here. what i'm finding happening though is that every few years a linked picture disappears, and sometimes others come back. tables and whatnot don't look the same (maybe a result of different browser / versions - i haven't really looked into it, nor do i care to) and it got me thinking that these old abandoned websites are going through a sort of digital rot. they're discernible, but time has altered them. i'm having a hard time finding any other information on abandoned websites, as it seems mostly security related these days, and not related to the subject of one post blogs which say things like 'I'll try to update this blog as often as i can.' I seem to remember seeing a site about 10 years ago that was about abandoned websites...wish I could find that again.

sounddoc

in browsing around for nutrition facts on ramen noodles (i'm a soon to be aficionado) i came across this ad:



my money's on the watered down soy sauce with ice, because that glass of lard on the rocks can't be good for you.

sounddoc

after all the comments regarding this post, the author decided to write this one. below is my comment on it - putting it up here for prosperity, and because i'm still trying to find the best way to describe why i'm doing this.

Thanks for this post, Sam. Fortunately I'm already doing most, if not all, of what you suggest. ever since i was old enough to read I sponged up anything aviation related. As for goals, mine is simple - fly without having to pay for it and if possible, have flying be my major source of income. whether that's as FO on an RJ, dropping meat bombs on the weekend, or pulling ads through the sky, it is what it is. my love for flying goes well beyond money, and as far as a comfortable lifestyle...let's just say i don't go to bed at night with a smile on my face because I had a really productive day in the cubicle / computer lab / what-have-you, it's usually because i learned something new with my cfi, or demonstrated something in the air that i've only read about in the text books. when I fly I still get the same feeling everytime - *everytime* - that this is the best thing ever, and this is after 12 years of being a professional student. the mix of physics, radios, structure, adventure, whim, and serenity of being up there will never get old. it might get clouded by company politics, low pay, and god forbid, other's cynicism, but it will always be there to find again. call that sentiment naive, but the grass is always greener. luckily i have a fallback career...but frankly, i'm sick of doing it!

becoming a private pilot made me a better person. it effected everything i do, adding structure, analytical thinking and a calm under pressure - things i don't think i'd ever have uncovered in myself. so that, mixed with what i wrote above, tells me there's nothing else i should be doing except to continue...IR, CPL, CFI, MEI...and on and on.

oh, and I guess ATP now as well :P

sounddoc

early saturday morning - 8am - i departed in N3572M, type PA28-161, from KBED and tuned in the concord vor, setting my heading to match it's 359 course. half way to manchester, boston approach verifies that i'm direct to lebanon. "via concord" i reply, "...but i'll take it directly there at this point." as i glanced at my watch, the thought of my mother waiting in that terminal in lebanon, wondering why her newly minted private pilot son is 15 minutes late. "roger" back from approach. i can pick up the lebanon vor at this point, so it's direct there, with route 89 in sight, following me along on the right - a nice would-be curvy emergency runway, should i need it. my co-pilot is claire, she's probably logged about 20 hours passenger time at this point. she's good at finding us on the map, great at spotting gliders and other intruders, and is a fantastic companion to have up in the air. about 10 miles out and 5 minutes late already, i ask lebanon tower to call the fbo and tell them i'm 15 minutes out...my mother doesn't need more to worry about. the very chipper controller gladly agrees and i wonder if everyone is like this at this hour of saturday morning...should i start drinking less on fridays?

my mother is elated. it's her first time up with me, and i can only wonder at what it's like to have the toddler who once flew little metal jets around the living room now be piloting a full size airplane with her in it. she's amazed that i instruct her to keep the warrior's only door open until we are ready to lift off. it's hot out, and once the door closes, the tempurature rises sharply in the little greenhouse cockpit. runway 18 is long at KLEB, but one notch of flaps, just to be on the safe side, as the sun is now fully risen and the days heat is upon new england. as we are about 300 feet above the ground, my mother is glued to the window. claire casually explains where the air vents are. i'm trying to ignore that i have the two most important women in my life at the mercy of my flying skill, and doing my best to excersize that skill. i always hate climbout with rising terrain - this departure is one, not as bad as 14 at fitchburg, but close. the warrior lumbers up to 5500, and we are playing with the clouds. along the way i'm pointing out various towns and landmarks, and over KMHT an ERJ-135, the same as my childhood friend flies, passes 300 feet under us "...traffic in sight," the weary and underpaid FO says concerning us over the radio. at KBED i do a touch and go, and a landing, the 3rd of 3 great landings. it's only 11am.

we met up with dad, headed to the country club in new bedford where my sister in law's baby shower was being held. on the way i finished my logbook entry, made a new page, and realized that my total time had passed 150 hours somewhere over new hampshire. dad and i were tipsy by 2pm, and jon drove us to eat downtown. after that, we headed over to someone's friend's house and had a few more. by midnight, i had been home, eaten, sobered up and was back out with claire at the lodge, barely able to stand being so tired after such a long day. i had a couple greyhounds and headed to bed.

sounddoc

boss: hey, can you find out what mailbox server j is on?
me: sure, what's up?
b: well, some people are on 10, others on 12, they're, some on 8, you know, its all done alphabetically.

I should pause here and note that it is not alphabetical (can you imagine the data shuffling that would have to happen everytime someone was hired / fired?) Yet, she's convinced in her mind that this is the way. this is very typical of her. i was only few weeks in at the time, so i shut up about that...

m: yeah, i'm on 10, right...
b: well, 9 and 10 are down right now so some people aren't getting mail.
m: right...
b: but j says she's on 12 and she's getting mail.
m: that's because 12's not down.
b: but j's last name begins with c, so she should be on 10.
m: but she's getting mail, and she knows she's on 12, and 12 is up.
b: well i think she's supposed to be on 10.
m: um...ok...
b: it's no big rush, but can you just let me know which server she's on?
m: ....

Labels: employ

sounddoc

from them:

I am Barrister Grey Williams. I have been waiting for you to contact me for your conformable Bank Draft of $780.000.00 United States Dollars. Contact me for more details. Contact E-mail:bargreywilliams@gmail.com

reply from me:

you've been waiting? I'm not sure why, I haven't been told to contact you...at least not that I know of. I apologize because I suffer from acute and sporadic synaptical homo-amnesiatic terror syndrome, or A.S.S.H.A.T. syndrome as it's call here in the great Godly and Righteous country of America. The disease is horrible and causes huge lapses in memory. Just the other day I forgot the face of my own child!

What do you want first, my bank account number, or my social security number? I apologize as I have neither, because I am not a citizen and I don't have a bank account, just lots of cash lying around. so let me know what else I can give you to help out with this conformable transfer of funds.

thank you, and may God never strike you with ASSHAT syndrome as he has with me.

-Lawrence

sounddoc

lucky me - i get my very own scammer to play with. here is the correspondence so far - hopefully he writes back:

On Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 10:48 AM, frank rebery wrote:

Thanks so much for the update.The price is not the problem but i think i have to be very careful this time when am transacting on the internet. I had fallen into the hands of some fradulent seller that,collected my money and ver ships out my item. I hope i can trust you? Anyway, i intend to make fast payment as soon as i can before i travel to Bahamas in 2 weeks time. I will making my payment through US Certified check and i will wait till you receive and cash it before i arrange for the shipping.

Shipping will be solely funded by me without you paying a dime, if you are okay with this, let me have your full name and address plus your reachable telephone number as it will be written on the check so that,i can forward it to my finance house to prepare your check immediately for you to receive it on time. Do get back to me

On Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 6:34 PM, Pete Kemble wrote:

Wow! this almost sounds too good to be true! you'll pay shipping?! that's great.

Something has come up, though. another suitor for my guitar has written and is interested in buying the guitar. However, he is not going to pay shipping, but is going to pick up the guitar as the ad said, since he lives close by. fortunately though, frank rebery, not all hope is lost. he has graciously agreed to have a contest with you so that i may judge who is most worthy of purchasing the guitar from me. He is currently preparing a video of himself playing the guitar, just a brief few minutes, and wishes you to do the same so that i can judge who deserves the guitar more. please let me know which song you will be performing in the video, and get it to me as soon as possible as you only have two weeks before moving to the bahamas where there is no mail to ship things. thank you, and god bless.

-p

On Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 2:04 PM, frank rebery wrote:

hello are you selling this to me or not..

On Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 2:34 PM, Pete Kemble wrote:

I hope so! you offered free (paid for shipping) which I cannot turn down! Are you going to send me a video of you playing guitar so I can decide who gets it or not?

sounddoc

forgive me for using vb.net, but here's a quick and dirty way to get a nice login with password masking (the latter being the point of this post)

Sub Main()

Dim strU As String
Dim strP As String
Console.Write("Username: ")
strU = Console.ReadLine()
Console.Write("Password: ")
Dim strPkey As ConsoleKeyInfo
Do
strPkey = Console.ReadKey(True)
If strPkey.Key <> ConsoleKey.Enter Then
strP = strP & strPkey.KeyChar.ToString
Console.Write("*")
Else
Exit Do
End If
Loop

End Sub

sounddoc

verizon's not happy with me, but that's fine. while they were reliable and low maintenance, they were also pretty vapid and flashy. too much makeup, and not enough substance, if you will. i'm speaking about my now dormant samsung u740. at first i was seduced by it's confusing keypad and ability to go both ways. in fact, the keypad alone brought back fond memories of the motorola timeport i had in the earlier part of this decade. (i still say that screen is the best to date for a lowend clamshell.) it also got me out of a long term contracted commitment with sprint, the crazy company that sends you feces in the mail, surprises you one day by doing all your laundry and then sleeps with your friend because the birthday present you stole for it wasn't expensive enough. verizon was good, and fair. the u740 did it's job and was a breath of fresh air after my sprint razr. (btw, sprint puts their own UI /over/ the existing motorola one. it was like running doom II on a 386 with 4mb ram. some of you know what i'm talking about.) but after a while, i became a little frustrated. you pay for a piece of solid state, it has an OS, it has removable storage, some of them have wifi, gps and a keyboard...but you're not allowed to access all these things. you want to connect your phone to the computer? that propreitary cable costs money, my friend. you want to import a ringtone of circuit bent malaise you created yourself? no, i don't think so. here, have this kanye west ringtone from the verizon store. only $0.99. my xv8600 at work has gps, but verizon blocks it...yet it's running wm6. not even a registry hack will enable it. wtf, verizon? do you want to read my mail before i open it, and perhaps it'd be ok if i spend some time with my guy friends? oh no, of course...i forgot you need someone to help you blow-dry your hair and scrapbook, and yes of course i like this sweater you bought me and are making me wear. when some of my friends started getting iphones, i should have been jealous, but meh. it was only until android actually became a reality that i could be swayed to grow dual nuts and leave the stalwart vzw controlling ice-queen.

here's my take on the g1 THUS FAR;

cons:

camera: completely useless. 0 settings, no flash, has the exposure capabilities of a flashless holga. at night. in a cave. with the lens cap on.

UI: i'm 'clicking' a little longer than i'd like to (more like a brief touch) to activate things. it occasionally will be a little sluggish, but i would like to attribute this to the few custom apps i have running.

battery life: like driving a hummer with the gas tank of a moped.

customization: a few things could improve here. i'm finding that some things that should be obvious aren't available. such as, i would like a vibrate when i receive a notification; new e-mail, new text, new g-talk message (oh yes. FUCKING AWESOME.) you can't edit desktop shortcuts (maybe getting ahead of myself there...it is still just a phone) and the trackball is too slow in regular menus (great in the browser, though.)

durability: eh...i guess it could be worse, a little on the flimsy side but i don't really care. nice looking phones get stolen.

which brings me to the pros:

HOLY CRAP MY PHONE IS RUNNING LINUX! OH MY FUCKING GOD! everything besides what's listed above is so totally worth the some $400 this whole conversion has cost me. it's beautiful, the 3g is fine (although i'm sure there are people who will debate this) it has the full size web, the sound quality is great, and getting around the phone is intuitive and easy. the keyboard is nice (i still say the rubbery XV8600 keypad is the best) and the trackball is a nice addition. overall, i'm pretty psyched to have this phone.

sounddoc

well according to this picture from ryanair's website, the emergency landing described here shouldn't happen for a good ten years. however, i'm still wondering how the gear collapsed...both engines out?

sounddoc

...right here:

sounddoc

after the bird strike as outlined in my previous post, the following day i went to get a bird feeder and some seed to even out my place in the world, and pay my debt to bird society. i feel somewhat better...

sounddoc

in what was supposed to be my solo sign-off unfortunately became my first bird-strike while flying on saturday. on my 3rd (and what was going to be the last) dual pattern on downwind for runway 29 at hanscom, a large seagull / bird met it's fate with my right wing. for a split second i saw the flash of feathers and bird-ass about 20 feet ahead. i was traveling at roughly 100mph, and it seemed the bird about 25mph. as close calls with birds are not uncommon, they usually will dive off to a side and avoid the plane. we were about 5 feet underneath it, so it basically dove right into the wing. with a sound that was very similar to a "GORPH" the bird literally exploded and left a sizable dent in the wing. fortunately i never lost control of the plane (the strike itself was more like a tap on the shoulder) and bog-bless the designers at Piper, because the plane flew without a problem back to the ramp. below are the pictures of the plane.

as a side-note, i'm bummed not just because i have to wait 3 weeks to fly again (being signed off to solo would be great because i could work off just my schedule) but also being a vegetarian; i'm not supposed to kill things!

sounddoc

sounddoc

well, hallelujah, you can see an un-pixelated hanscom field now on google maps. the two blue planes are the tomahawks i usually train in. here!

sounddoc

hangover categories:

sounddoc

sounddoc

sounddoc

it's like Tim and Eric, only....

aw....i was kind of hoping it was real: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zladko_Vladcik

sounddoc

there are so many things wrong with this. being a vegetarian, i'm not only grossed out by the main course, but mostly by the total lack of respect. "squirrels like nuts..."

sounddoc

today house robot cleaning unit ran amok. i came home to find the mail in disarray (see below), the cat's food and water pushed into a corner, and her bathroom box pushed to the side so she couldn't get in. tsk, tsk...

sounddoc

got this from a staffing agency today:

Our client, a leader in the legal services industry is currently seeking document coders or non-traditional data entry candidates in the Burlington MA area. We state non-traditional because no mouse will be utilized and you must have a working knowledge of keyboard shortcuts i.e. CTRL+C (Copy)CTRL+X (Cut)CTRL+V (Paste)! Candidates will be working within our client’s cutting edge proprietary software which is very similar to Excel. We are seeking numerous candidates/coders for 9am-5pm shifts M-F + some evening shifts, 5pm-10pm! Must be able to work with highly confidential information; qualified candidates should have a strong knowledge of Excel and be able to type a minimum of 25wpm. This is long term temporary/ temporary-to-permanent work! Reliable transportation required. 10.00/hr

some things jumped out at me; cutting-edge, no mouse, data entry coders...

well, gosh, if it were $10.50/hr i'd consider it...

sounddoc

i am typing to you from my virtually indestructible keyboard. this is going to take a lot of getting used to.

sounddoc

from the FAA advisory circular "Aviation Weather" published in 1975 - the title picture for the chapter on "Pressure..."

sounddoc

it's the symbol for well being....on my noodles.

sounddoc

i'm not the only one who insists on using the old school manual E6-B! huzzah!

sounddoc

found a picture of one of the tomahawks i used to fly out of north hampton airport.



currently i'm flying this guy a lot:

sounddoc

about 10 years ago in college i was talking to an old high school friend over the phone. the topic came to some of my gay friends and she muttered something along the lines of "they'll burn in hell". confused (yet sensing where the conversation was going) i asked her why, and she went on about how she had really connected with her inner methodist in college. i hung up, and had no desire to ever speak with her again. i had lost a friend not to religion, but to prejudice (and general retardation, if you ask me.)

well, she found me on facebook a couple weeks ago, and sent a friend request. i was ignoring it, hoping it would go away, until i got a message. here's how that went (she's in red, i'm in blue):

You must not check facebook very often. Log-on when you can - I'm dying to catch up!

August 13 at 10:34am
Hey,

Good to hear from you. I'm a little apprehensive to get back in touch with you after the last time we talked about 10 years back. I remember you saying some pretty offensive things concerning religion and homosexuality that I have great issue with and cannot forget. I have several gay friends and seeing the prejudices that they have to go through can be heartbreaking at times, especially when the core of them are based in religion, an institution that is supposed to promote love, compassion, and relief for oppressed people. I understand that it might be unfair for me to put this on you, and I want to give you the benefit of the doubt and hope that your views on other people's lifestyles from a decade ago has taken a more positive route. But please understand that I have no room in my life for any forms of hatred or prejudice, even when it's veiled behind a mask of religion.

August 13 at 11:37am

Wow, well that's quite a "hi, and how are you". I guess I would answer you like this. I'm still a christian, and I still feel that homosexuality is a sin. However, that doesn't mean that I hate people - nor do I treat people unkindly. I wish I knew what I said ten years ago to give you that impression. I don't know about other "organized religions", but my faith calls me to follow the bible - which tells me to love all people. It's not my place to judge. Like anyone else's sin, it's between them and God. I do feel strongly about that. But I don't hate people. I do my best to treat all people the same.
I'm sorry if my views on the bible will keep us from catching up. I do hope that isn't the case. I would really like to know what you've done with your life.

August 20 at 9:22pm

Hi again,
I am going to presume that you read my last message, and have decided that you will not or cannot write me back. I just find it interesting that what you seem to be most upset with me about is intolerence of a different lifestyle - when you are unwilling to speak to me due to my choice of lifestyle(Christian). Isn't that, in itself, intolerant as well? I can't pretend to be something I'm not - or that I agree with a lifestyle choice that I do not. At the same time, I'll reiterate that I don't hate people - reguardless of their sexuality.
I had hoped we could reconnect, as we were such good friends in highschool. I'm here if you change your mind.
God Bless,

Today at 12:00pm

I don't really know how to respond to any of what you wrote, but i'll try to be more clear: homosexuality isn't a choice. a christian lifestyle is. but that's not what i'm intolerant of - i am intolerant of anyone who is judgemental of people without knowing them personally, there's a word for it - prejudice - and it's a problem i have with you, regardless of religion or choice of lifestyle. in your last message to me you claimed that it's "not your place to judge", yet a few sentences back you call homosexuality a sin...am i starting to make sense here? again, it has nothing to do with your religion, more your choice of intolerance, prejudice, and no doubt a little ignorance of homosexuality on the side. you're a very minor example of this - an extreme example of this would be the 'god-hates-fags' cult - but the same mindset is there. don't kid yourself.

that being said, there are many churches in new england that celebrate gay marriage (equal rights made this country great, right?) have gay priests, fly rainbow flags, and are generally just nice people because as religion should be, they believe in loving your fellow man, and being tolerant of 'all of god's children' regardless their walk in life. again, your prejudice has nothing to do with religion. don't let them tell you that it does.

for a while i was volunteering at a homeless shelter, and a fair amount of young, gay teenage boys would come through from time to time. they weren't on drugs, and they weren't committing any crimes. they had simply been thrown out or had run away from abusive parents and family who, (no surprise here) were hiding behind the angelic veil of untouchable religion and rejected their own children, instead of loving and accepting who they are, as i thought religion existed to do. until you experience this with your own eyes, and feel their pain and suffering firsthand, don't you dare call homosexuality a 'sin'.

yes we were good friends in high school, but somewhere along the line either you stopped thinking for yourself and let someone else do it for you, or you really did develop a prejudice intolerance for something you know so little about. i hope one day you look beyond the bible and start thinking for yourself. afterall that book was written thousands of years ago when slavery and genocide were common practice, has been translated countless times from forgotten languages, and has been misinterpreted over centuries.

because of all this, i have no desire to reconnect with you, the same as finding out that an old friend has become racist, or blindly extremist. i'm sorry, and i wish you could understand.

I'm hoping there won't be any replies (arguing with prejudice, especially when it's masked by religion is usually pretty pointless) but should there be, i'll be sure to post them!

sounddoc

If anyone would like the original windows 95 screen savers, they can be downloaded here. If this is a violation of M$, or if they would like them taken down, I'd be happy to oblige. Enjoy!

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1. start a cup of basmati in your new $100 rice cooker
2. start preparing a bunch of kale, chop it up
3. slice some fresh shitaki mushrooms up
4. slice off about 6-7 pieces of ginger root
5. start steaming the kale
6. start sauteeing the ginger in whatever oil you have
7. start sauteeing the shitake in the ginger laden oil
8. wait for the rice to be done
9. put the finished rice on the plate, followed but the steamed kale, and then the mushrooms
10. put soy sauce all over it if you want
11. you should be here now:

12. put on the latest DVR'd episode of mad men, and pour yourself a drink.

sounddoc

i'm back in my room after experiencing a thunderstorm in midtown manhatten. the thunder doesn't bang as it does back in the sticks, that is to say, boston, but rather rumbles and reverberates through the tall buildings, creating a jetliner type roar, rising than falling with each fashion-shoot photo-like flash of lightening.

the acela train was shit. uncomfortable church pew like posture seating with 30 minutes waiting in line in the dining car for a couple of beers served with the zeal of a ticket-taker. in fact i wish the woman who gave me my ticket in south station served my train beers. she at least had an ounce of life in her, and was aware of the huge line waiting.

as i left penn station and grabbed a cab outside of madison sq. garden i was reminded of flying through madison, ct, my hometown at 150mph, passing over the bridge which as a teenager greg and i staked out sitting stoned beneath the railroad ties as trains zoomed over us. this was before the acela tracks were built. these were old school new haven metro trains that burst our brains and ears.

the chic shoreham hotel bar staffed with hip lighting and super skinny gay boys was no comfort. the woman who flirted with me in the elevator for about 3.5 seconds on the way up to my penthouse suite before she got out at the 6th floor was none either. 'huh, there are 6 rooms on my floor too' was all she ended with after answering her question of how many penthouse suites there were on my floor. and now i'm about to oversee a software deployment. a bit drunk, tired at 1055pm, there's 5 minutes left of decision time. 630am will be a bitch to arrive at the office on 53rd.

sounddoc

I can’t believe it was so simple, and I missed it for so long.

After referencing and importing mpsLLC71.dll into the namespace, you add:

Shell("C:\Program Files\MPS\Prolog Manager 7\Program\mpsRbl71.exe -q -u", , True)
Dim reg As New CLicV3Com()
reg.SitePath = "C:\Program Files\MPS\Prolog Manager 7\Program\"
reg.RegisterToServer("\\your-license/app-server-UNC-name\MPS\Prolog Manager 7\Program\")

completely silent and working Prolog license registrations!

sounddoc

set the publicDelegates field in AD using dsquery to have something first. In this example, my mail server is "mailserver" and the address to get reviewer rights is all allusers and is a distribution list:

Private Sub SetCalendarPerms()
Dim sMailServ = "mailserver"
Dim oSession As New MAPI.Session()
Dim strMBX = Replace(g_cn, "\", "")
Dim oStore As MAPI.InfoStore
Dim oRootFolder As MAPI.Folder
Dim oFolders As MAPI.Folders
Dim oFolder As MAPI.Folder
Dim oACLs As New ACLObject
Dim oFolderACEs As IACEs
Dim oNewACE As New ACE
Dim oAddrBook As MAPI.AddressList
Dim oDelegate As MAPI.AddressEntries
Dim oAllSDC As MAPI.AddressEntry
Dim i As Integer

Try
oSession.Logon(, , , , , , sMailServ & vbLf & strMBX) '("", "", True, True, 0, True, sMailServ & vbLf & strMBX)
oStore = CType(oSession.GetInfoStore, MAPI.InfoStore)
oRootFolder = CType(oStore.RootFolder, MAPI.Folder)
oFolders = CType(oRootFolder.Folders, MAPI.Folders)
oFolderACEs = CType(oACLs.ACEs, IACEs)
oAddrBook = oSession.AddressLists("Global Address List")
oDelegate = oAddrBook.AddressEntries
For i = 1 To oDelegate.Count
oAllSDC = oDelegate.Item(i)
'If oAllSDC.DisplayType = 1 Then
If oAllSDC.Name = "AllUsers" Then
Exit For
End If
' End If
Next

For i = 0 To CInt(oFolders.Count)
oFolder = CType(oFolders.GetNext, MAPI.Folder)
If CStr(oFolder.Name) = "Calendar" Then
Exit For
End If
Next

oACLs.CDOItem = oFolder
oNewACE.ID = oAllSDC.ID
oNewACE.Rights = ACLRIGHTS.ROLE_REVIEWER
oFolderACEs.Add(oNewACE)
oACLs.Update()
oSession.Logoff()

Catch ex As Exception
MsgBox(ex.Message & " --error setting delegates")
End Try
End Sub

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Worked on airworks again yesterday in the practice area with my instructor. Trying to do turns around a point using this baseball field as a point with about 13kts of wind. brought back memories of flying around southern connecticut in a 152 with my first instructor about 12 years ago. managed to snap a few pictures during the pre-flight.

sounddoc

In trying to find a way to enable the quicklaunch toolbar automatically during WDS, BDD, MDT, MDS or whatever you want to call it this week deployment, I've created the following:

Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices

Public Class Form1
Private Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" (ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal lpWindowName As String) As Integer
Private Declare Function SendMessage Lib "user32" Alias "SendMessageA" (ByVal hWnd As Integer, ByVal nCmdShow As Integer, ByVal wParam As Integer, ByVal lparam As Integer) As Integer
Const WM_USER As Int32 = &H400

Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
SendMessage(FindWindow("Shell_TrayWnd", vbNullString), WM_USER + 237, 0, 1)
End Sub
End Class

Just create a basic form with one button (button1 as above) and that'll do it. Customize it all you want, make it automatic, but that's the "root veggies" (as a vegetarian, i feel weird saying that that's the meat of the program :) )

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well, look who's all of a sudden afraid of thunderstorms...

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finished "restoring" the phantom teardrop (made by phantom guitar works). at the time i got this guitar back in september 2002 it was the nicest thing i owned as far as instruments. the original pickups broke where the screws mount them, so i just bought some stratocaster replacements - they are mightymites (their website has a picture of a very angry looking woman on it) and they sound great.

in addition, my yamaha fx500 also arrived today...now the question is, do i play the strat, or the teardrop...

sounddoc

yesterday i got off the silver line bus at temple place, downtown boston as i do everyday to walk right into a blood trail. the trail lasted about 40 yards before disappearing down a wet washington street. it started on the manhole on the right of this street view, and lasted well down the street, and out of site where it seemed to have originated. around the fire hydrant was a dropped / broken cell phone. a guy getting off the bus picked up the phone and put it in his pocket, i'm guessing to return to a vendor or something. i suppose he didn't realize that he could be holding evidence. the trail itself was easily a full pint. a co-worker of mine suggested it might be a leaky something or other, and i suppose it might have been, but there was a definite creepiness to all of it, and given the area, it wouldn't surprise me. later on the subway, a crackhead sat next my co-worker and stared at him the entire ride (ironically?) eating a bag of cracker jacks, and chuckling to himself. he finally got off one stop before us. my co-worker was the real winner in the end though, as the crackerjack-head left the prize behind for my co-worker to reap the reward...the reward of discarded cracker jack prizes. here's some inconspicuous cellphone shots of the trail:

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after 18 years of crappy second hand guitars and asian knock-offs, i finally have an american made standard stratocaster.

...now i need a better amp than my fender g25r to play it through...

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finally fixed this:

in the GPO, changed the "remote desktop help session manager" service to allow authenticated users read access - adding "NT AUTHORITY\Authenticated Users to the list. Now we longer have the "A program could not start" error message.

Labels: GPO, group policy, microsoft, remote assistance, windows

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Rainn Wilson + Tim and Eric! Worlds collide!!!

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I call it '1984 toast', or 'i was too lazy to go to the store yesterday and buy more soy buttery whatever it is spread and now i have to ration a tiny bit between two slices of victory wheat'.

follow it up with a piece of victory chocolate and a shot of victory gin.

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move over olives, olive oil and feta...

fresh mozarella, fresh basil leaves, and cherry tomatoes halved. drizzle some olive oil and hellz yeah!!!

this is the elaborate version:
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000578heirloom_tomato_basil_mozzarella_salad.php

thanks to the greenlight cafe in the south end for that one. i don't want to really promote though...their vegetarian options as far as variety and availability warrant some serious thought and action.

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i had a thought earlier today. i have probably said the word "saucepan" less than 20 times in my life. adding to this list i believe would be "sconce" and "potpourriffic"

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valentine's day is awful on so many levels for so many differnt reasons. this year i'm going for the awful russell stover's commercials with these beaten sappy sucker husbands talking about how their wives would be nasty bitch-holes if they showed up at home on VD without any chocolate. i'm picking that aspect of the most useless holiday to be most offensive on all five senses;
sight: the fear and hoplessness in the husband's eyes
sound: the sound of desperate pleading in their voice
taste, touch and smell: the bile in my throat that surely ensues

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total bitch.

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and to think my room mate wanted to throw this away...

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there's been a long time that i haven't cooked anything for myself, for reasons far too boring and personal to get into, but last night i slapped myself in the face for being so stupid for so long. i made seitan piccata found here on chow.com. it came about as i was searching for mobile vegetarian recipe sites on the redline on my new work PDA (please follow that link for the awkward picture on the subject of freedom) and I came across this one. stopping at harvest market in central, i grabbed every ingredient i didn't have already. after about 30 minutes of cooking i had by far the best meal i have ever made for myself. ever. now to find less expensive seitan...

accompanied by the last glass of homebrewed amber ale (and some hastily prepared horrible vegetables) I'd say i ate like a king!

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ash wednesday always sneaks up, much like the college NBA playoffs (i said this earlier to a co-regular at the bar, 'i know march madness will be happening soon because march is next month...' thus solidifying my knowledge of sports) but ash wednesday is one of those days that i never know when it happens. if you said to me in june 'next wednesday is ash! wednesday...' i would believe you with no question. usually it has been known to me as 'oh no...not you too!?' day at work. but today i didn't notice the first black forehead smudge until shopping after work. then on the T ride home, two girls were stroking each other's hair, hands on thighs and stuff; one of them turned to look at me, and like children of the damned...a smudged forehead. oh no!! not you too!?!?!?

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From here:

http://www.adriansrojakpot.com/Other_Articles/Win2K_Tips/Explorer_Shortcut/Explorer_Shortcut_08.htm

Fantastic way to not have to always start in My Documents when using Windows Explorer which I do a lot.

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i bought a 30gb zune with a gift certificate the other day. i'd been thinking about it for a while because i need more brown things in my life. they were all out, so i got a black one instead. have used ipods for the last 3 years, i had gotten used to the interface, and the bulky behemoth itunes software. changing to the zune was fun, new exciting and fresh, like a brand new girlfriend. then i found out that my brand new girlfriend weighed twice as much, and didn't know half the tricks that my old girlfriend knew. like shuffle by album? are you kidding me? having a fair amount of radiohead and pink floyd (college days) this is a key function in an mp3 player to me. i want to like the zune. i want to so badly! it has an fm tuner, and a nice big bright screen. fuck the wifi crap, i don't even care about that. but seriously, the lack of being able to shuffle by album, which good old pokey 30gb ipod has, is enough to make me sell the zune off. prognosis....

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you have to appreciate the whiteboard backdrop i made...

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i gave the cat her first bath today:



she eventually calmed down:



never ever again....

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this is me:



the other night i got really drunk and tired and tried to brush my teeth with my cat's brush:



the cat and i usually have a good rapport:



but she wasn't pleased:



here's a closeup. notice the toothpaste and cat hair:



this is the weleda toothpaste i used:



here's a re-enactment:

sounddoc