February 27, 2003
See my Dead Fish

Found an old DV tape from 1999. It had a clip of my now dead fish, Ariel. She was a Long Finned Albino Oscar. If you like fish, and have Quicktime installed, check out this 5MB clip

Posted by danisaacs at 12:10 AM
February 26, 2003
War Talk

Having a gay old time over at Derek's discussing current geopolitical topics. It's as fun to read as it is to write. You may want to read this first.

C'mon over and join in.

Posted by danisaacs at 11:03 PM
Joining the Tivolution

I've placed my porder for a Sony SVR-3000 80hr Tivo unit. Going through a friend that works @ Sony Ericsson. Retail is $449. Getting it for $323.95. Not bad. There is also a $50 MIB from Tivo which will cover a few months of service.

Should be here in a few weeks. As I recall, my receiver took about 10 days, which was impressive.

I'm anxious to see if it really does have a substantial impact on our TV-centric home life. I need to start compiling that Season Pass list.

Posted by danisaacs at 03:11 PM
February 25, 2003
Bad Mood

I'm in a really bad mood this morning.

Posted by danisaacs at 09:59 AM
February 24, 2003
Cultural References

Derek wrote a good coupla paragraphs about the importance popular culture plays in providing people of our time a shared cultural reference point. I run into this all the time. More so when I was younge. I spent a lot of time with Gramps, and knew all his music (Big Band Glen Miller stuff). I watched Carson since I was like 7. And by 14 I'd read all of Doonesbury's comics. So I was hip to many cultural events people of my age aren't suppossed to be. How many HS freshman in the late 80's hated Nixon?

But now, I see some woman I've never seen or heard of won the Grammy for Best Something or Other. And it really doesn't bother me. Until it comes up on Jeopardy.

Posted by danisaacs at 10:57 AM
Note to Self

When putting pictures of baby in bathtub up on website, first inspect to verify that your penis is not in the picture.

Posted by danisaacs at 10:40 AM
February 20, 2003
Upgrade goes Bad. Dan Sad.

Upgraded the PDC at work to Win2k. We are migrating from NT to 2K. This was the first big step. Everything went OK, the OS installed with no problem. The AD migration reprted no errors.

But on the reboot following the AD migration, the security database was hosed. It knew my name, but not my password. :(

More testing confirmed: It was fucked.

I do a few things to try to fix it, but there isn't much you can do when the AD migration corrupts the database. So on to emergency backup.

I should have pulled the mirrored disk out before upgrading. That would have been the smart thing to do. It was something I planned on doing, but I read so many stories of everything going smoothly that I was overconfident. It's a rookie mistake that every vet has to make sometime or other.

So with the PDC gone, I promote the BDC. That goes well, logins work. Permissions are kosher. But there were some files (tnsnames.ora) on the PDC shared out to everyone. Since %80 of my users need that to do their jobs, I had to build another machine, give it the PDC's name, and create the share with the files. So everything will be transparent in the morning.

PITA.

The upshot is that the PDC had a stupid fucking name, and now I at least get to pick a new one.

On top of the awful night at work, Trevor was uncharcteristically fussy, crying for over an hour. And Mommy didn't appreciate that Daddy was not there. Not when it was an hour after he said he'd be home. At least the dogs still love me.

I should have stayed home today.

Posted by danisaacs at 10:43 PM
The Genie Cut my Weenie

It's bad enough that people in the US still allow their children's genitals to be mutilated. But now we have Genies running around Jakarta filleting foreskin.

And on a more serious note:

If you are having (or thinking about having) a penis-having baby, please make an informed decision about circumcision. It really is a barbaric procedure rooted in the most idiotic motivations. If you are going to allow your child to be hurt, at least know what's going on. Hopefully you'll choose not to do it, and we can put an end to this tragic tradition.

Posted by danisaacs at 12:40 PM
Kidnap/Rape Fantasy goes poorly

Heh. Some young people up in Canada were doing a little role playing. He pretended to break into her house and abduct her. The neighbor was on the phone with her when the "break-in" occured. When the phone went dead, he called 911. Hilarity ensued.

Don't be suprised if this guy has performance anxiety from now on.

Posted by danisaacs at 12:22 PM
February 14, 2003
The Pain Train

From the Super Bowl commercial. Terry Tate: Office Linebacker. Hilarious. Three clips in all, Quicktime or WMP:

http://www.thepaintrain.com/
http://www.cakeprojects.com/thepaintrain/archive.html

And you must, if you care, join the "Hit Squad". Gotta register, but it doesn't check email, so fake it. http://terrytate.reebok.com/

There are more clips there. Hilarious. Especially if you are going through football withdrawl.


Posted by danisaacs at 10:29 AM
February 13, 2003
Trackback enabled

I finally got around to checking a few boxes in my MT config. Trackback should be enabled on all the posts from now on. Not that anyone ever has a need to link back to me, but JIC, use it.

Posted by danisaacs at 01:56 PM
I'm not Dead. Just Lifeless.

This funny. Me laugh.

Posted by danisaacs at 01:09 PM
In the Interest of Science

I know a Teacher who's student is conducting an experiment of sorts for a science project. She's trying to see how far her email message gets. She asks only that you send her an email with your city, state, and country. No names required. It's legit, so read below for her message, and spread the word.

====================================

I am Tab (Tabitha) Boehl, a student at Lakota Middle School (West Chester, Ohio). I am working on a project for my 2003 Science Fair to be held February 25th, 2003. I am trying to see where, and how fast e-mail can travel in a period of six weeks. I am keeping track of how many e-mails I get back, and what cities, states, and countries they are coming from.

I am hoping that you will be willing to help me with my project!

There are only 2 simple steps that will help me to track this email:

1. Please send an e-mail to the following address: tabberg[at]aol.com In the  subject of the e-mail please include your city, state, and country. You do not need to include your name. Please respond only one time.

2. Please forward this e-mail to everyone on your mailing list. I will be keeping track of the number of responses, as well as the locations. Therefore, send them even to people in the same town. In my science project, I am trying to demonstrate how fast and how far information can travel on the Internet in a six week period. If you receive this e-mail after February 23, 2003 please
disregard it, since the project will be over. Thank you very much for
your help!...... Tabitha Boehl

Posted by danisaacs at 11:21 AM
Trevor's Blog

I started a blog for Trevor (he's my 4 month old child, in case you didn't know). Just filling in links to the sets of photos ight now. I'm offloading the task onto Kristi (my wife, in case you didn't know) since she generally has more free time, and has done all the html for trevorisaacs.com. This is more or less going to replace that as an interface for his pictures. If it works well, I may make another one for all our pictures.

Posted by danisaacs at 10:59 AM
February 12, 2003
Nap was good

1.75 hours of joyous mid-day slumber. Ahh...

Posted by danisaacs at 05:09 PM
Working Late

The Board Meeting is tomorrow. So tonight they are having a few pre-Board meeting meetings with the Board. expected to last until 9-9:30. Since we have a high-tech AV setup in the board room, and they have some members that are calling in, they wanted me to hang around on-site in case they have problems. Not all that bad, since I do have a lot of work I can get done sans interruptions.

Since I'm salaried and don't get OT anymore, I'm taking the afternoon off and coming back in around 4:30/5. So I plan on going to the store to pick up some duct tape, plastic, and potable water. Then taking a 2-hour nap.

Aside from making sweet love to my wife or holding a giggling Trevor in my arms, taking naps is the most enjoyable thing I can do. More than the drunken parties, what I miss most about college is taking afternoon naps. I can't help but think about the potential I waste by not taking naps every day. It has to be at least as great as the potential I waste by watching TV and playing video games.

Which reminds me, I took NFL2K1 out of the Dreamcast last night and put NHL2K2 in. I last played it during the summer (beat the Red Wings in 4 games using Carolina to win the Cup). I played a few games with the Pens, and fell in love with Kovalev (4 Goals in 2 games). But after a few wins, I missed my Canes. So I quit and started a new season with my boys.

I'm disappointed that there is no Franchise mode for this game. The rosters stay the same, but you don't get to manage the team long-term like NFL2Kx (salary caps, retirements, drafts, etc..). After 4 seasons with the Titans, that's become one of the most interesting aspects of the NFL game.

Posted by danisaacs at 11:11 AM
February 10, 2003
Samuri Jack

I started watching this the other night. It was a Gladiator type episode. It was presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1), which was awesome. The design of the toon is spectacular. Episode #25. Tonight's (Episode #26) wasn't widescreen, so it must not be an every day kinda thing.

It's written by the guy that developed Dexter's Laboratory, a show I don't know that well, save for the PC game my niece plays. It's very Animeish, only without the pr0n and shitty soundtrack.

I really have convinced myself that I need a Tivo. Between the Daily Show, Samuri Jack, Spongebob, West Wing, Boston Public, Insomniac, South Park, The Simpsons, PTI, Chappelle, and the allure of replaying Superbowl commercials as many times as I want is enough content to justify the expense.

Plus all that shit TV my wife watches. :)

Posted by danisaacs at 10:42 PM
End of an Era

My favorite pair of Levis has a hole developing in the knee. It's been almost two years since I lost my last pair of favorite Levis. I hate losing them. It's a sad day. But one I planned for.

I've been breaking in two of the likely candidates to take the throne. And a clear winner has broken away. I need to add a pair into the rotation every quarter or so. Gotta get the second team some PT so they're ready when you need 'em.

Posted by danisaacs at 12:03 PM
Jr. Wins Bud Shootout

In honor of Dale Jr. winning the Bud Shootout, I give you Trevor in his Jr. outfit.

Post redneck comments below.

Posted by danisaacs at 11:50 AM
February 09, 2003
Hockey

My Canuck friend Bob (who often posts comments here) sent me the stats from his local WHL team's last game. His team had over 160 penalty minutes. The other team had over 200. That, my friends, is a LOT of fighting.

Posted by danisaacs at 11:31 PM
Taxes

Turbo Tax tells me I owe the Feds $298. While I'm not all that happy about it, it could be worse. Last year it was. Worse, that is. I was close to even this year.

It got me to thinking, though. When tax planning, do you try to break even? Underpay intentionally? Or overpay intentionally?

Were you disciplined, underpaying, investing and keeping the interest would be the smartest. Were you not so earnest, breaking even would make sense. You keep the money. Don't earn nothing off it, but you don't give it to the feds to use until the next spring. Of course, giving it to Sammy to hold onto for a bit insures you have it. For lower income levels, this makes for a tidy little sum come spring.

Which do you do?

Posted by danisaacs at 06:06 PM
February 07, 2003
Sprite Killed Columbia?

This is why I drink Mountain Dew...

Hypothesis suggests Sprites (upper atmospheric electrical charges) may have hit the shuttle, causing damage. [link] See also the cool graphic.

I have no idea if it is even plausable. But it's cool that a fringe area of atmospheric science is getting press. Maybe enough people will link that they can get some more funding, since the article indicates they don't have much.

Found on MeFi

Posted by danisaacs at 10:31 AM
February 06, 2003
Tennis Boobies

To fill the void left by John's new work-friendly format, I give to you Serena Williams' Breasts.

Posted by danisaacs at 10:55 AM
Catholic Wierdos

Lest anyone get all uppity, I am married to a Catholic, grew up around Catholics, and have a more charitable view of Catholics than I do the Church itself.

But this stuff just kills me. Every time the Virgin Mary appears in mud puddle, thousands of wierdos flock to see it. The Church takes a lot of heat from fundies saying they engage in idol worshipping. And to it's credit, the leadership has made it pretty clear that that is just not the case. But then if you squint at a fencepost in Australia, you can make out the sillouette of Mary. And thousands of wierdos flock to worship it. Insane.

FYI People; you have no idea what Mary looked like. You couldn't pick her out of a lineup. So get over yourselves.

Posted by danisaacs at 10:39 AM
February 04, 2003
Bank Card Stolen

I seem to have lost my my ATM/Debit card two weeks ago when I was up in N. Raleigh for training. I didn't notice it until around the 26th of Jan. gave myself a few days to see if it turned up around the house. It didn't, so on last Friday (31st) I called in and reported it missing. They put a stop or whatever ont he card, and send me a new one.

Then on Monday, Kristi checks the online statement as she does every morning, and finds a ~$30 charge from a Citgo Station on Glenwood on the 29th. Now, I've NEVER (EVER) used this ATM card as a Visa Check Card. Strictly at ATM Machines. So it's clearly someone that found the card and is using it.

So I begin the process of reported this fraud. I call the bank (Credit Union, actually) and tell them I saw an unauthorized charge. They tell me to send a fax to the fraud dept. with all of the info. So I do. Then Pat (who has been delightfully helpful) explains what I need to do:

1. File a Police Report. They just need a case #, it doesn't really matter that anyone gets caught.

2. Take case# to bank branch, and fill out an affadavit swearing that the charges are fraudulent.

3. Money gets put back into my account.

I thought that would be a pain, but it turns out you can file the police report over the phone, so I didn't have to venture to downtown Raleigh. So I called the Raleigh PD, they took some info, and said an officer would call me back in 10 minutes. After about 30 minutes, and officer calls, we fill out the report, she gives me a number. Very simple process. Only it's now past the CU branch's hours. So I have to wait till this afternoon to move onto #2.

Then this AM, Kristi checks, as she does every morning, and sees another charge. This one for ~$20 at an Amoco station practically next door to the Citgo.

There looks to be a third charge was made before the card was cutoff. I'll likely find out how much that was in the morning.

Fraud is fun.

Posted by danisaacs at 11:58 AM
February 02, 2003
Shut up already

Jeremy expresses the sentiments I was going to today. While awful, Columbia is not a tradgedy worthy of ad nauseum coverage.

Now go read Z rant.

Posted by danisaacs at 12:23 PM
February 01, 2003
Tracking the Blogoshpere's reactions

http://radio.weblogs.com/0113212/categories/shuttleLost/

Posted by danisaacs at 07:16 PM
On Columbia

I was born in 1973. I remember several key events from US history that have occurred during my lifetime. But there is only when memory that I share with most everyone my age. Challenger. It was my generation's Kennedy.

So when I saw the pictures of Columbia breaking apart on re-entry, I was immediately transported back to room 212 in the East Toledo Junior High School building. Disbelief. Shock. Sadness.

I'm anxious to read the reports. Columbia was old enough to buy beer. My knee is jerking in the direction of old age contributing to the shuttle not withstanding re-entry.

If nothing else, I'm having fun listening to the increasing redneck quotient from the eye-witness callers on CNN. In the heart of darkness, a kernel of light.

[edit] Quinn has some good comments up. Check em out.

Posted by danisaacs at 10:22 AM