Category Archives: uncategorized

Amazing Analogy

Scheme writes on Slashdot: Let’s say 95% of the population were hopelessly hooked to Coke because of unknown addictive agents within it. It tastes like crap – but everybody uses it cause they’re hooked. Pepsi tastes way better, but it’s not a substitute because you can’t get the same fix that you can from the unique taste of Coke. Also, Coke users become extremely hyper and start babbling in a language (Coke-speak) that only other Coke users can understand. Workplaces decide to standardize on Coke-speak, so you must drink Coke if you want a job and be able to communicate. Read more for an insightful analysis of Microsoft and Netscape. Very well done.

Frequency and Tangelo Update

I’m posting this entry with Frequency 1.6fc3. I’m hoping to release 1.6 final this week or early next week. 1.6 has all sorts of new goodies, especially in terms of adding more HTML tags to your page more easily. There’s now a popup menu on the editing window that offers 13 HTML elements you can add to your posts, in addition to the venerable bold, italic, and underline buttons. 1.6 also introduces the ability to save and retrieve draft posts on your local drive. Pretty sweet. You can also easily tell Frequency to open your links in new windows. Oh, yeah, and you can choose whatever font you want for editing and for previewing your posts.

As for Tangelo… I’m making progress on the interface, and rolling in any changes from Frequency as I go. The post editing window in Tangelo will be very similar to the post editing window in Frequency. I’ve gotten many compliments on it, and I find it very easy to use, so why mess with a good thing? The biggest question now is what database to use for the backend? I figure I have five choices. The first, and cheapest, is to use REALbasic’s built-in database. The downside is that the database files are quite fragile. I’ve learned to handle them gently, but they can only hold 8K per record (yes, Mike, you read that correctly: 8 kilobytes). This makes storing things like web page templates pretty much impossible. Scratch that. The second choice is Valentina. It would be lightning fast, to be sure, but I don’t have that kind of money to plunk down on Tangelo just yet. Scratch that. Then there’s SQLite Plugin. SQLite is quite cool, but I don’t know if I want to deal with its API. I like the RB DB API a lot, a whole lot, and I’d prefer something that works with it. That gives me more flexibility in the future. There’s SQLite Plugin Pro, which uses SQLite and does use the RB DB API. That’s an option, but not a super-cheap one, unless Will wants to cut me a break. ;). The final choice is to upgrade to REALbasic 5.5 when it comes out and use the new database engine it includes (it removes the 8K limit on records). That’ll cost a bit more than SQLite Plugin Pro, though. But it’s something I want to upgrade to anyway. What to do, what to do. I think I’m going to get SQLite Plugin Pro and upgrade later.

Have It Your Way

Ananova: Police believe teenage pranksters are hacking into the wireless frequency of a US Burger King drive-through speaker to tell potential customers they are too fat for fast food. Policeman Gerry Scherlink said the pranksters told one customer who had just placed an order: “You don’t need a couple of Whoppers. You are too fat. Pull ahead.”

The Politics of Middle Earth

Says Lloyd Hart, in the introduction to his article, The Racist Tapestry of Lord of the Rings:

I don’t imagine that it was the intention of the director or the producers of the Lord of the Rings films to paint a racist stereotypical tapestry over what could be described as a basic set of principles of humanity’s behavior in the natural environment and with each other.

Indeed. I can already tell that I’m going to enjoy this article. Racism in The Lord of the Rings, eh? Gee, I wonder what Lloyd’s political leanings are.

In these times when a homicidal maniac from Texas (the Texas capital punishment policy under Bush) has stolen the American throne and called for a “crusade” against the “evil doers” in nations that white people have been invading, terrorizing, raping and pillaging in for 5000 years with zero provocation…

Oh, OK. That answers that. Onto the story. He goes on to point out that all the dark stuff – dark skin, darkness, dark hair, etc. – is associated with Sauron. And then this tidbit jumps out:

Being part of a European family that has lived on the North American continent for 400 years I’ve been lucky enough to gain perspective that when you create an evil character (Uruk-hai) that resembles native Americans as they have done in the Lord of the Rings films a great deal of cultural and racial alienation will occur.

Maybe I’m just naive, but the Uruk-Hai didn’t make me think of Native Americans at all. In fact, I find that suggestion racist. For one thing, I’m fairly certain that Native Americans are born naturally, like other humans, and not bred by evil wizards bent on destroying the world’s natural resources. Secondly… never mind. I’m too tired for this right now. Comments are open everyone. Have at it. I’ll close with Lloyd’s closing thought…

After watching the Lord of the Rings films I thank the universe and Mother Earth for the Rap/hip-hop culture and the counterbalancing influence the Rap/hip-hop culture has on the youth here in America and around the world.

… and refrain from further comment.

You Really Shot Me

Jerome, you really shot me Monday
You shot me so I don’t know what I’m doin’
Yeah, you really shot me now
You shot me in the thigh on my right

Jerome, you really shot me Monday
You shot me so I don’t know what I’m doin’, now
Yeah, you really shot me now
You shot me in the thigh on my right

You really shot me
You really shot me
You really shot me

See, I won a CBE
So I’ll defend the girl at my side
Yeah, you really shot me now
You shot me in the thigh on my right

Yeah, you really shot me now
You shot me so I don’t know what I’m doin’, now
Oh yeah, you really shot me now
You shot me in the thigh on my right

You really shot me
You really shot me
You really shot me
Oh no…

(solo)

See, I won a CBE
So I’ll defend the girl at my side
Yeah, you really shot me now
You shot me in the thigh on my right

Yeah, you really shot me now
You shot me so I don’t know what I’m doin’, now
Oh yeah, you really shot me now
You shot me in the thigh on my right

You really shot me
You really shot me
You really shot me

I almost cried this morning when I saw the headline Kinks’ Ray Davies Shot in Robbery Attempt. For a moment, I thought he was dead, and I realized how David must have felt when John Lennon died. Then I read the article and was tremendously relieved that he wasn’t even seriously hurt.

Then I sat back and smirked at the irony that he finally got himself shot down, four years later than he anticipated, and by someone he didn’t expect.

The music of Ray Davies dominated much of my high school career. So few people truly appreciate the genius of this man, and the wealth of music that he contributed to the world.

Police say he “showed poor judgement in running after the individuals” that stole his girlfriend’s purse and his money. I say he was just being the British gentleman he’s always been. In fact, I’d say he’s a well respected man about town, doing the best things so conservatively.

Here’s to you, Ray. I know tomorrow you’ll find better things.

Atkins Rising

USA TODAY reports that Carb-crazed Atkins dieters’ cutback on starches has taken a bite out of the $6 billion bread business this year, and breadmakers are responding with attempts at low-carb breads.

Score one more for the low carbers. I used to have to go to specialty stores for low-carb food, but I’m seeing more and more low-carb, high-protein foods in grocery stores these days, and I think it’s a great thing. I’m sick and tired of seeing low-fat this and lite that. I tried the low-fat diet for years and only got fatter. Switched to Atkins and lost 55 pounds in the first five months.

There are only two things I don’t like about the Atkins diet. First is that I can’t have as many pretzels as I would like. Now, some people may say that I seem to eat a pretty good amount of pretzels anyway, but they may be surprised to learn that I eat about 10% of the pretzels I crave. I especially miss them around 3:00 in the afternoon, often sitting at my desk, longing for something salty and crunchy.

The other thing I don’t like is all the naysayers. I recently came across a post on Mark Pilgrim’s site about low-carb food. I normally agree with 95% of Mark’s opinions, and I read his site faithfully, but I was disappointed to see him characterize the popularity of the Atkins diet as “based on convincing millions of Americans that the real problem with their daily Ultra-Happy-Double-Cheeseburger habit is the bun. I can certainly see why this would catch on…” Well, yeah, there may be some logic there, but when I switched to Atkins, I was eating very low-fat and only getting fatter. I went from around 200 pounds to 247 pounds by following a low-fat diet, and I was hungry the whole time. And yes, Mike, I was exercising regularly at the time, visiting MU’s new gym three times a week.

I’m rarely hungry, genuinely hungry, when I’m doing full-on Atkins. And I’m hovering between 187 and 192.

It’s funny. When I first started back in 2000, my family went nuts. They warned me that I was killing myself, playing with fire, blah blah blah. I appreciated their concern, but I did it anyway. My grandma was the most vocal opposition, but my most ardent supporter. Sunday dinner usually consisted of a lecture for me, followed by sugar-free Jell-o. Grandma rules. Now, several people in my family are considering the diet for themselves, after seeing that I not only lost the weight, but have kept it off for over three years.

So stories like the one in USA TODAY make me smile. low-fat dieters have plenty to pick from. Let’s give the low-carb folks a choice, too.

And after the holidays, I’m back on Atkins again. I feel lousy after the things I’ve eaten in the past two weeks.

Happy New Year

2003 is almost gone. I say, “Good riddance!”

My predictions for 2004:
1. In a stunning upset, the general election in November will be won by Dave Mancuso. But the election will be taken from him in a legal technicality.
2. Apple will introduce the 20 inch PowerBook, which will double as a lunch tray or boogie board.
3. Nicole will continue to live in poverty, at the sub-$100,000 level.
4. Some things will not change. At all. Ever.
5. Grace will turn five.
6. Tangelo will see the light of day.
7. Dan will get a haircut and get a real job. Hopefully with us.
8. Mike will regrow his Grizzly Adams beard, prompting more people to tell him that he was great in Castaway.
9. Bill will branch out into new franchises, like six word sentences.
10. Jen will turn 31. I’ve decided not to.