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HalloweenHave a safe and happy Halloween.
Skip at 5:41 AM
I don't think I will ever understand why Elvis is so popular. I was listening to some of his songs, now that his CD is one of the top selling ones. I never realy liked him that much. Now that I have listened again I haven't changed my mind. He has become a great legend but (please don't send me hate mail!) I can't understand why. He can't sing very well, he became a bloated parody of himself just before he died, and he didn't set a very good example for anyone. I must be missing something.
Skip at 6:31 AM
Another busy day trying to work with Java on a mainframe interacting with CICS. It's a whole different world for me. So far it looks very interesting and speed seems to be ok. I just have to do proof of concept things now so it's kind of fun. Figuring out how it all interacts and how everyone uses the classpaths was very interesting. Now that the first sample app has run the rest are looking easier. That's all for now.
Skip at 11:53 AM
I feel much better, even if it is Monday. An extra day off from work and an extra hour of sleep on Sunday was just the right tonic. I really like getting the extra hour this time but I still wonder why we have to got through this twice a year. I just wish we could set the clocks and be done with it. I don't see why in 2002 we need to play with daylight savings. If it's dark when you want to get up, turn on the lights!
Skip at 4:52 AM
I'm taking the day off with a bad cold. The kleenex is pileing up. Yesterday afternoon I was feeling so low, with a nice headache too. Today I'm going to lie in and just take it easy. A long weekend will do me good. I hope!
Skip at 6:33 AM
Everyday, it seems, that I get more and more convinced that I never want to travel again. The news is just so disturbing. I don't want to go anywhere near Washington/Maryland now. The bombing in Bali, the Chechens in Moscow, and everything you see in the headlines make me want to curl up in bed and never move. It's just silly, because the chance of anything happeing to me is so small. I have more chance to win the lottery. I had better stop reading any local newspapers. If the news is bad I won't want to live here either. Then what would I do?
Skip at 5:13 AM
Missed yesterday, I have no excuse the day just went by so fast. I should have donated the spare time on my PC to doing something constructive. There was a small article in yesterday's papers about how scientists needing to solve the puzzle of how proteins spiral used a program downloaded to PC's and run on spare cycles to solve the question. Just like the SETI group has been looking for intelligent life in outer space. Today in Slashdot.org there is an link to the Edmonton Journal on how University of Alberta scientists are linking up computers across Canada to create one super computer. I'm not sure my PC would be up to that one. It seems a shame to be wasting time by dispalying screen savers!
Skip at 5:35 AM
This weeks Quirks and Quarks, on CBC radio, discussed the idea of downloading the mind to your computer. Seriously dicussed! Ray Kurzweil predicts that this could happen and by 2029 a new industry could starting. Do you want to become immortal by leaving your body for a silicon chip? It's an interesting thought. Listen to the show on MP3 or OGG at CBC Quirks & Quarks archives.
Skip at 5:07 AM
There is a private members bill in the Ontario legislature, that just received second reading. The bill will ban handheld cell phonesfrom being used while driving. I really hope that this will pass. Last year, New York state banned phone use while driving. Everyone has learned to live with it. Let's do the same in Ontario.
Skip at 10:47 AM
It's so frustrating when I visit some site and they re-size my browser window. A while ago I added this as an entry in my browser favorites list:
javascript:resizeTo(640,480)
This is now the first entry in my favorites. It gets used frequently and immediately re-sizes my window to MY desired size and not to some morons who assumes that eveyone will accept their domination of the desk-top. It has really eased the blood pressure.
Skip at 5:36 AM
A really late post today. It was so dark this morning. The days are getting shorter. I have to start pushing myself to remain motivated. I think it's because of the short days. Dark in the morning. Dark so early in the evening. I'm sure I'm not the only one. At least the leaves have started to turn. It's so pretty to see the reds, oranges, and yellows.
Skip at 12:53 PM
Canadian Thanksgiving is over, but I hope everyone continues to live everyday being thankful for all they have. I've always been the optimistic type. I prefer to look for the positive side. I'm seldom depressed and usually very happy with my lot in life. It drives my wife crazy. I guess that opposites do attract. Our problem is the since I can't see why anyone would be depressed I'm not as sympathetic as I should be. I'm just thankful that she puts up with me, even with my faults.
Here in Canada we get to reflect again when the American Thanksgiving rolls around in November and all the media flowing in is full of turkey and canberries.
Skip at 5:37 AM
I have been using w.blogger to update this log. It's very handy to have on the desktop. I like most of the features and can recommend it's functionality, and ease of use. The only thing I really miss (and need) is a spell checker built in. I can't wait for V3.0 to be released. It has a lot of new features but the spell check is the one I want.
It's coming up on Canadian Thanksgiving. I'll be taking a holiday on blogging until next Tuesday. No special plans really, just take some time off and get away from computers. It's probalby the healthy thing to do.
Skip at 5:22 AM
It's fun day. I have been using Google for my searches. It just seems to be better than the competition and now with Usenet groups, image searches, and news they keep on adding value. I always seem to find what I want. It will open PDF files, translate pages in foreign languages, display old pages it has cached. The list goes on. I'm sure I'm preaching to the converted here. If you haven't converted then what are you using?
Now I found this new development in the Google labs. Searching Goolge and looking at the results without your mouse! It's different, kind of cool; a version of Google that allows you to use keyboard shortcuts and not use your mouse at all. It's appropriately named Google Keyboard Shortcuts.
Also, if you just want to have some fun try Googlefight. See what happens when keywords fight.
Skip at 4:35 AM
I had any other of my bills entered into WheresWilly. This one was someone only about 30 miles away. Not like last week's Northwest Territories. I listed below the link for the American site but I wanted to let any Brits know they can have some fun too. Just go to Dosh Tracker and you can have some fun. Just don't vote to join the Euro! I know there are others out there, so I suggest you do a Google Search. I've seen one for Japan, but I'm sure there are more.
Skip at 5:07 AM
Don't Poke the Bunny too many
times. S/he doesn't like it.
Just a little amusement for Monday morning. Depending on how you feel, you can sympathize with the poker or the pokee.
Skip at 4:44 AM
It's Friday!. I'm already thinking about the weekend and I haven't even started the workday. If only we could have 4 day work weeks. Then I could start dreaming on Thursdays. The weekend seems though it might not be good weather wise. The reminants of Lili will be passing through and forecasters are saying Saturdayand Sunday will be wet and windy.
Did eveyone see what is billed as the world's funniest joke? Is it just me that wonders how so much effort could result in this? I always knew I wasn't normal! I don't think it is worth the hype.
Skip at 4:57 AM
I just had a $10 bill entered into Wheres Willy over a year ago (actually 1yr. 5 days, 3 hours) re-entered into the system in Yellowknife, NWT!! I have been having a lot of fun, by entering all the bills that come across my path into Wheres Willy . After registering, you enter the denomination, serial number, and any comments you want. Then I have a stamp I use on all bills. The stamp has "Follow the money, www.whereswilly.com". I have 576 bills entered in the last 2 years but only 11 hits. This by far is the greatest one 3,065 miles away! The others have been re-entered around the Toronto area. Mostly Brampton, for some reason. The hit ratio is low but it is still exciting whenever and wherever a bill is re-entered and Wheres Willy sends me an email reporting it. The email tells you where it was entered and the distance from your postal code and calculates the time from your entering till the re-entry. Now I know a $10 bill I handled has traveled someplace I have never been.
PS for you Americans you can do the same at Wheres George. You can have even more fun since you still have one-dollar bills. Canadians have to start at the $5.
Skip at 5:00 AM
What happened to GnomeRadio? It hasn't been updated for weeks now. The show there was done right after Gnomedex. None have been posted since. I have to go to some other sites to get my webradio fix! I have listened to Geeks on the Radio and Geek Radio from time to time. These shows are not bad and I get some good info from them sometimes. However, in the absence of GnomeRadio I am becoming a great fan of David Lawrence on On-Line Tonight. I have been listening for the last three weeks and may decide not to bother with GnomeRadio. There are only so many hours in a week and David's three hour show takes most of the week to listen to. I like the way I can download it and listen to it, when, and for how long I like.
Skip at 5:38 AM
I survived Monday. After a rocky start, the rest of the day was mostly uneventful. Here in Toronto the weather has been anything but fall like! Record temperature yesterday and another forecast for today. What a weird year for weather. Everything seems to be at least a month out of sync. Everyone says we had a great summer, but they forget that it was so cold and rainy at the start. At least of month late! I remember that the May 24th weekend, where everyone traditionally knows it is ok to plant your garden, was very iffy. Just north of Toronto the threat of frost kept people from planting. Now fall is holding off and I can only hope that winter will not bother to show up early. A month or more late would suit me just fine.
Skip at 5:17 AM
Helping to lower the average quality of Web content almost daily.