Archive for the 'General' Category

HDTV over the air availability

Sunday, October 23rd, 2005

This Site will take your zip code and address and let you know what HDTV signals you can pick up with a simple antenna. They will even tell you what kind of antenna need and list the stations you will be able to tune in.

Got nuthin’

Thursday, October 20th, 2005

Since I have nothing of relevance to relay, here’s a picture of a big chicken burning down Popeye’s:

Rat eludes capture for 4 months

Thursday, October 20th, 2005

One sneaky rat…
Rat eludes capture for 4 months

Excellent online Sodoku game!

Sunday, October 16th, 2005

Great puzzle game to keep those neurons pumping
Sodoku

Ocean Power

Sunday, October 16th, 2005

Wave power does sound like a promising, easy to implement, technology.

Hopefully it will work out better than other green energy sources.

Bush Suspends Pay Act In Areas Hit by Storm

Sunday, October 16th, 2005

Funny, the argument that I hear from an “anti-Bush” friend is that Bush is refusing to pay the “going rate” for labor in post hurricane reconstruction. I believe the going rate he is referring to is actually termed the “prevailing rate” for labor. The “going rate” literally means the current market price for a commodity, the “prevailing rate” appears to be a composite number that is more influenced by negotiated union wages. If people are willing to work for $8 per hour instead of $9 per hour then that is the “going rate” for labor. The labor unions naturally have distaste for government work being handed out at the non-union “going rate” instead of the higher “prevailing rate” (Links here and here).

As far as I can tell the Davis-Bacon act of 1931 was a bit of racist legislation built to prevent black Alabamians from gaining employment on New York construction jobs, protecting the interest of the majority white union workers in the state of New York. (Links here, here, and here).

The statement I most commonly see from the Davis-Bacon supporters if that the additional pay will boost the local economy by boosting income in the area via federal funds (which will be borrowed by the government). Normally I would call this redistribution of wealth (welfare) by creating a higher tier minimum wage. Since we as a nation do not have the money to pay for any of the reconstruction, and will have to borrow all the money to fund it, I think I will call this redistribution of possible wealth, that will hopefully be made (the wealth) in the future by an younger generation which is already over loaded by the debt of their fore-fathers. The jobs themselves, being temporary, would have no long-term effect on area wages, since supply and demand will take over after the government reconstruction efforts end (and please nobody get me started on why our government should not be subsidizing people to live in a bowl by the sea by making the entire country pay for it).

People who wish to boost the local economy in Louisiana should think about the lowering of wealth in the rest of the country that has to support the reconstruction.

Just a special thought: There is a possibility that the construction unions will receive a rude introduction to “going rate”. People in many diverse professions are being introduced to “going rate” on the globalized labor market (doctors, lawyers, technicians, engineers, programmers, accountants, assembly line workers, textile workers, etc..). I’m sure there is a group somewhere on another continent that will figure out a way to compete for construction labor (or the economy might adjust other wages to the point that we can no longer afford to pay for any “prevailing wage” labor). But that’s for a future blog entry…

Modern Americans: A Rude, Boorish Lot?

Sunday, October 16th, 2005

I do not consider myself as bad as many people I know, but sometimes my own compulsion to attend to my mobile electronic devices has put me in a position where I felt my actions were rude and apologies were necessary. I also find myself ranting at people while driving. Fortunately for my ego, the anonymity of living in a big city (coupled with the fact that the object of my rage cannot hear me) precludes the necessity of personal apology for the many times my rage is wrongly applied.

So I can see why the world thinks the modern American is rude and boorish.

Emergency Declared After Anti-Nazi Riots

Sunday, October 16th, 2005

Wow, unrest in the heartland.
I’m a little torn on this one. I’d hoped the Socialist Party, white supremacist movement, and the Klan had dried up and gone away. I’m disappointed to hear that they were feeling their oats enough to organize a march, much the same way I’m disappointed when I hear Farrakhan spouting his own “special” brand of racist diatribe. I am however, happy another opportunity to drive the first amendment home has presented itself. I wonder if the police action against the rioters, which would be required due of the riot, will do anything to cripple/constrain the gangs the Nazi’s were protesting. If so Nazi marches could be considered an effective tactic, and a good use of free speech. This even though I believe free speech is meant to prevent government censorship of ideas, not to specifically effect change via law enforcement measures taken because of a riotous response to free speech.

I did find a funny new English site “The Spoof”. They have a reasonably sardonic summation of the irony.
Photo Gallery

The Microsoft Protection Racket

Friday, October 14th, 2005

A nice little rant from John Dvorak regarding Microsoft charging for Anti-virus and Anti-spyware products to protect you from exploitation of flaws in their Windows operating systems.

Spyware can constitute illegal trespass on home computers

Friday, October 14th, 2005

I hope it’s true.

GPS users must plan for outages

Friday, October 14th, 2005

Ok, it looks like once again the US has not been keeping up it’s infrastructure….

Which really sucks, since I just bought a GPS for my bicycle…

Bush Teleconference With Soldiers Staged

Friday, October 14th, 2005

To anyone who is surprised that the administration staged a press event, sorry… Bush Teleconference With Soldiers Staged

Since being elected president is more a media oriented popularity contest, is it really surprising that being president is more about the appearance than the substance?

Bush To Appoint Someone To Be In Charge Of Country

Thursday, October 13th, 2005

Giggle…

Bush To Appoint Someone To Be In Charge Of Country

BIG AD

Monday, October 10th, 2005

What beauty!!!! Single tear moment….

BIG AD

I said no to the security junk, and selected quicktime and everything worked fine…

Take Back Your Time

Monday, October 10th, 2005

The first cause officially endorsed by the Completely Evil Blog. Get informed, get mad, go home!

Spam Stock Tracker – tracking how much money people can lose with penny stocks from spam.

Monday, October 10th, 2005

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you actually bought stocks recommended on the spam email most people get? Welcome to Spam Stock Tracker.

US scientists resurrect deadly 1918 flu

Monday, October 10th, 2005

Ohhhh look a shiny red button… ;-)

US scientists resurrect deadly 1918 flu

General relativity versus dark matter

Monday, October 10th, 2005

Woo Hoo… In your face invisible morphic blobs of magic (put there to make the math work)…

General relativity versus dark matter

Finding the location, identity, or affiliation of email senders

Monday, October 10th, 2005

Nice little walk-through to locate where an email really comes from.

Please bear in mind that if you are trying to track down spam, much of it is coming from zombie machines that are infected with malware (essentially a virus)…

You need not be paranoid to fear RFID

Monday, October 10th, 2005

You need not be paranoid to fear RFID