brad rhine's personal weblog
No, I haven’t. This greeting card spam is really getting annoying. I’m getting bombarded with this stuff.
That is all.
PostgreSQL first real benchmark has been published:
This publication shows that a properly tuned PostgreSQL is not only as fast or faster than MySQL, but almost as fast as Oracle (since the hardware platforms are different, it’s hard to compare directly). This is something we’ve been saying for the last 2 years, and now we can prove it.
For open source database nuts, this is awesome news. PostgreSQL has had a more mature feature set than MySQL for years, and now they have a faster database to boot. Throw in the far less restrictive BSD license, and I see no reason whatsoever to use MySQL for any serious application.
The fine folks at ars technica report on a survey that says folksonomy is the most hated word on the internet. The rest of the list:
Blogosphere
Blog
Netiquette
Blook
Webinar
Vlog
Social Networking
Cookie
Wiki
Obviously I was not consulted. I would have blogosphere at the top of the list, surrounded by BLINK tags. Don’t get me wrong. Folksonomy is a decidedly stupid word, but not nearly as bad as blogosphere.
As for the others, well, blog isn’t so bad. I initially preferred weblog, but I’ve caught myself saying blog more than a few times now. Netiquette I can deal with. At least it’s been around for a while. I don’t know what a blook is. A book written in a blog? No idea. Webinar is completely moronic. Just utterly and completely moronic. Nothing redeeming about it whatsoever. Social Networking I can deal with. Sure, it’s overrated and overblown, but at least it’s not a made up word. On the other hand, I always thought cookie was a stupid word, at least as it applies to web technology. As for wiki, well, don’t get me started.
If you question my authority in judging these words, know that I am a technology professional and a certified English teacher.
From the article:
Over the weekend, 7-Eleven Inc. turned a dozen stores into Kwik-E-Marts, the fictional convenience stores of “The Simpsons” fame, in the latest example of marketers making life imitate art. Those stores and most of the 6,000-plus other 7-Elevens in North America will sell items that until now existed only on television: Buzz Cola, KrustyO’s cereal and Squishees, the slushy drink knockoff of Slurpees.
Found link via Slashdot.
I wonder if they have any sugar-free Squishees…
I’ve never been much of a cat person.
Not to mention that Grace and I are both allergic.
So why did I let Grace get one?
Because Grace needs something to take care of, something that she can be responsible for.
And because I’m a pushover. You can see how the cat walks all over me already.
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I do have to admit that she’s pretty cute. Fiesty, though. She keeps hunting my feet, and she’s a pretty good hunter.
Her name? Well, since we already have Jack, we decided to call her Jill. I also suggested Diane, as well as The Beanstalk, but nobody liked those ideas.
Tomorrow will be one week since she arrived and I have to say, so far, so good. My allergies are under control (thank you, Zyrtec) and Grace’s seem to be okay as well. Jen, of course, loves having a cat; she’s been pestering me to get one for years.
In the end, I’m still a dog person. Why? Let me put it this way. I remember watching a show on PBS a year or so in which some guy was showing people how to train their dogs. None of his techniques worked on my mutt, of course, but it was still interesting. He summed up how I feel about dogs by saying that dogs are the only animals that always choose to be with people. He also pointed out that you never hear of a cat spending the night with a lost child to keep it warm, but you do hear that kind of thing about dogs sometimes.
He also referred to a Native American legend about dogs:
Native American spirituality has an honored place for our canine companions. One legend says that Dog made a conscious choice to link their lives to humankind. The legend says that as the ‘door’ to the spirit realm began to close to humankind, Dog lept through to live alongside humans. And because of this singular devotion and sacrifice, Native American spirituality has since revered the dog.
I recently acquired a free exercise bike, so I’ve been working out a couple times a week lately. It’s really helping me feel better, not to mention helping me get into better shape.
Of course, the most important component of the workout is the workout mix. If you’re doing a 30 minute workout, don’t worry. I’ve got you covered
Rock on.
On Sunday my next door neighbor ended her months-long battle with Leukemia. May she rest in peace. If you have a spare moment, please pray for her husband and their three children. Some help is already lined up for them, but they’ll all they can get.
Everybody’s buzzing about the iPhone. I read last night that in Manhattan, lines are already forming at the AT&T store, four days ahead of the iPhone’s launch.
It does seem pretty cool. I’m very happy with my RAZR, but I could definitely see taking advantage of some features the iPhone offers, like real Internet and email. Even Jen was wowed when she watched the Calamari iPhone commercial: “OK, that was cool. That’s the way things are supposed to work.” Indeed.
But, as cool as it is, I can’t justify the price tag. Sure, the iPhone itself is a couple hundred bucks, which is a one-time purchase. But I figured there was no way I could afford the plan to support the data costs.
Until Apple posted this. I gotta say, those are some pretty tempting plans.
Sample:
1. Be clear when you direct your subordinates. Yell in a really deep, powerful voice to drive it home. (A New Hope, boarding the rebel ship at the beginning of the film.)
From the very start of Episode IV, Vader is a man who is direct about what he wants. When he tells his commander to tear the rebel ship apart to find the plans, there is no mistaking what he wants. It’s a pattern he continues throughout the saga. Nebulous, vague, non-committal; these words do not describe Vader.
Moderately amusing. Full article here.