Random Mondays

In case you've ever wondered if the broadcast music system (ie. commercial radio) in this country was an attempt at subtle mind control, I'll just point out that in the past three weeks on the few times I've listened to commercial radio, I heard Styx's "These Are the Best of Times" like four or five times. This is more than I've heard 1) Styx and 2) this song in the past decade and a half. I wonder what they're trying to say? And could they be a little less blatant about it? I think it's that they aren't even being somewhat circumspect that is the most disturbing.

Gas prices are expected to continue upward at the rate of $.03 a day until we reach the magical Memorial Day Holiday Season. You know, even though oil on the world market continues to fall on increased reserves and the continuing world-wide recession. Okay, so summer gas needs to be refined in different ways to meet the EPA regulations in different markets. But, you know, this hasn't changed for the past 12 years, don't we have the process down yet?

With the demise of printed newspapers around the country, and (continual blathering about) the move toward e-publishing, just what are we going to use to hit our dog's noses with in the future? What will all those housewives in their housecoats shamble out to the mailbox to get at 6:30am in the morning? What will we line our birdcages with, or wrap fish in to send as a warning? What will children in kindergarden use to make their papier-mache object de art with? And what will kids make pirate hats out of (you know, I used to know how to make a square hat out of paper, but I can't remember now)? What will we use to wrap grandma's china in when we move? How will we show intensive background searches when our hero can't scroll through microfiches on those huge honking machines only to stumble upon the front page headline (that really would have been a page 3 story) that helps them solve their cases? What about the microfiche industry? OMG! It's the end of civilization!

And just how many weeks will the stock market have to grow (and how high) until the idiot financial analysts on Fox News can no longer say "Bear Rally" without the rest of us falling over laughing? And thinking about Fox, just how many more times can Krauthammer and Hannity say "socialism" before all the angels get their wings? Or does that only happen when they say both "socialism" and "fascism" when referring to the same thing?

Lightning Strikes Twice

So, a little while back I did a post on the F-22 and I said there wasn't anything ready on the horizon. Well, I was wrong. Here's the F32 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. Now I'm really jonesing for a Janes report. Now, to be fair, I think we have less than three prototypes flying around out there. Not exactly a big program (hell, I think the Osprey had 8 prototypes and it was only a Marine acquisition program). And it's heavy. Did we forget everything we learned about the F16 and F18 programs? Apparently.

Kind of a beigey rider on a light-chestnut horse then

Tomorrow is zero hour. Well, actually, because of vacation scheduling, it's been pushed back, but tomorrow was intended to be the final hour. Two people from my department were on the chopping block, and I have lowest seniority. (insert ominous music here).

We had a meeting with the Union where we discussed various plans and we all got a print out of our retirement plans (I'm one year away from vestment in our National Plan, so I only qualify for the Inter-local Plan). All the options were laid out on the table. I had hoped a few people might see that their plans were much better than they thought. I think there was some of that, but do you know what the major factor was in their decision not to go?

The cost of health care. Once again, we're back to the cost of health care in the US. If we had actual national coverage, I think they would have had more volunteers than they would know what to do with. So not only have I had my wages stifled by heath care costs, I'm now boned in a whole new way.

Now the good news. One, several vacations had already been scheduled around the department, and we're a little short handed at the moment. So our deadline has been pushed back to the 24th, right before I turn 43. I have severance pay that I qualify for and the unemployment would probably be the best I could hope for. Ohio looks back past the just previous quarter calendar, and then averages your wages over the four quarters before that. So for me, until July, that would mean all of 2008, which wasn't my best year, but picks up all the time before 4 day weeks, and the first part of the year had some good overtime.

The second piece of good news is that we did have one volunteer. It was someone I had never even thought of as a possibility, but they're taking the opportunity to refocus. I wish them the best of luck.

The third piece of good news is that there have been (as I am lead to believe) several long conversations about my employment (I've heard this from several sources within the building, the first time I heard I was asked not to say anything, but now I think it's somewhat general knowledge in the plant). That the department is now down to one involuntary layoff gives the company options (because of Union Rules). Now, I'm sure they also didn't want to lose the person next up the chain of seniority, so I think they're pretty glad about dogging that bullet. But if they have a position open in the department in the next year, that would mean I would be the first to be called back (Right of Return).

Here's where the advice I've given everybody who has asked for it comes into play. In business, your reputation is the most important thing. I have a reputation for being a productive hard worker who picks up new things quickly, can work with minimum oversight, and produces quality work. All things that are valuable in the current work environment.

Nothing has been settled, it's all still up in the air, but I'm feeling a little better. My mood has lifted immensely. I've ordered new glasses and am thinking about other health care things that I was putting off. So not out of the woods yet, but there's daylight. Thanks for everybody who has been concerned and offering prayers and good thoughts. It's working.

The Myths We Tell Ourselves - Markets and Presidents

Okay, so I've been getting tired of some things I keep hearing. And you all know I relax by doing math. The latest is the myth, "Markets love Republican Presidents and do better, and hate Democratic Presidents and do worse." I've heard this bantered several times. So I decided to do some research. I had some difficulty finding specific historical DJI numbers (I did want to go back to 1901), but I did find a list of monthly averages going back to 1945 (the only number that isn't a monthly average is for GW Bush's last day). I figured taking the month they entered and left service was a good overall picture. This, of course, ignores high marks during the presidency, but if "markets love Republicans and hate Democrats" I think a start and end should demonstrate just what the markets actually do like. For the time period we had there were more Republican Presidents (6 to 5) and they were in power longer (36 to 28 years). We start with the death of Roosevelt and we cover an assassination and a resignation, the recovery from WWII (and baby boom), the Cultural Revolution, the 70s, Reaganism, the Internet Boom and Bust, and the Age of Terrorism.

Harry S. Truman-Democratic
Start Apr 45, 206.8 points; End Jan 53, 290 points
+83.2 or 140%

Dwight D. Eisenhower-Republican
Start Jan 53, 290 points; End Jan 61, 648.2 points
+358.2 or 224%

John F. Kennedy-Democratic
Start Jan 61, 648.2 points; End Nov 63, 721.6 points
+73.4 or 111%

Lyndon B. Johnson-Democratic
Start Nov 63, 721.6 points; End Jan 69, 946.1 points
+224.5 or 131%

Richard Nixon-Republican
Start Jan 69, 946.1 points; End Aug 74, 678.6 points
-267.5 or 72%

Gerald Ford-Republican
Start Aug 74, 678.6 points; End Jan 77, 954.4 points
+275.5 or 141%

Jimmy Carter-Democratic
Start Jan 77, 954.4 points; End Jan 81, 947.3 points
-7.1 or 99%

Ronald Reagan-Republican
Start Jan 81, 947.3 points; End Jan 89, 2342.3 points
+1395 or 247%

George H. W. Bush-Republican
Start Jan 89, 2342.3 points; End Jan 93, 3310 points
+967.7 or 141%

Bill Clinton-Democratic
Start Jan 93, 3310 points; End Jan 01, 10940.5 points
+7630.5 or 331%

George W. Bush-Republican
Start Jan 01, 10940.5 points; End Jan 09, 7949 points (Closing January 20 2009)
-2991.5 or 73%

The Democratic Party was in control of the White House for 28 years (5 Presidents), total +8004.5 points. Average percentage increase 162.2%.

The Republican Party was in control of the White House for 36 years (6 Presidents), total -262.6 points. Average percentage increase 149.5%.

So there you have it.

On Keyboards

You all know I'm trying to get the writing thing going, right? Lately I've been wedging in a few words here, a few words there, on a bunch of different machines and places. So I have a some recent experience using several different keyboards.

Now, when I was a student assistant in the Admissions Office of the U of A, I found my first real love. I had a lust after the computer terminal keyboards, the old ones. They had great functionality and feel. Then in the office we had an IBM Selectric. OMG, now that was a keyboard. I had done my first typing on a manual typewriter. If you've never had to use one, count yourself lucky. The Selectric was like honey. Smooth, easy, and those keys with breakaway springs. Oh my.

So ever since then I've had a love of full function keyboards. They just felt right. So when I saw Apple's new keyboard design, I was immediately put off. It reminded me very much of the old TRSII Color Computer Keyboard (the chicklet keyboards). Not very functional, no play, no feel, no depth of stroke. Nothing.

And then it just hit me the other day when I went to use an older style Apple Keyboard, that was based on the full stroke keyboards of old. Holy crap. I've been ruined. And now I'm really thinking about parting with $50 to get one of the new keyboards for home. Especially since I've realized that I type faster and with fewer errors on those keyboards. Whodathunkit. I actually like those little buttons. And it doesn't feel like I'm whacking the keyboard to get the words out.

So yeah, one is on my wish list. And I may get one I can use for my laptop (which feels constrained even though it's supposed to be a full stroke keyboard). It feels like freedom.

Like endless rain into a paper cup

Learning a language changes the structure of humans' brains. Learning an abstract symbolic language (such as a written language which uses a phonetic alphabet) dynamically restructures the brain. It's been a fun thing for me to say all these years. Ever since I learned about brain differences between literate, functionally illiterate, and fully illiterate people, and those who have only a symbolic language compared to those who use abstract symbolism in graphic design (and see, you just thought we all made pretty pictures) and to understand what this allows us (as designers) to get away with.

Such as, did you know that once you learn how to read, you don't read the letters, you read groups of words - unless the shapes of the words are unfamiliar, then you fall back to reading letters - this is why packaging switches from the word "New" (which is a commodity packaging regulated word, something that is 8 months old can't be labeled "New") to the word "Now" - in your brain you can confuse the two, especially when it's a quick glance. Such as browsing shelves with lots of products.

Then there is the common folk knowledge that knowing more than one language opens up a whole new world of opportunity and consciousness. Well, now there's proof of that.

Here's an NPR story about it. The research shows that your language does adjust your perception of the world around you. That other languages assign nouns gender (and in some ways English does the same thing, it's just not as overt as other languages which use gender specific articles) changes the speakers perception of the world.

Sunday Cat Blogging and Random Operatic Observations

Bowing to popular pressure, a few photos of the little kitty, Cleopatra.

Cleo answers the timeless question, "Why don't you see more cats bowling?"

Why, the fall asleep mid-throw.

And then after a long day of bowling napping, you need to nap on the rocking chair.

That knitted wrap used to be on the back of the rocking chair, but after the fourth time of Cleo climbing up and having it all come crashing down on her, we just left it on the seat. She likes to nap wrapped up in it. And yes, it may look like she's playing, but she's fast asleep in that position.

The child ain't right.

And then watching opera on PBS this afternoon it all comes rushing back to me. In opera or the plays of Shakespeare, you just can't trust the clergy. Most people end up dead in one form or another when they take their advice.

Random Saturday

Well, first up, I'm slow getting up to date with my friends blogs, but, uh, all around hoopy frood Mer Haskell can has agent! You go Mer.

The news organizations continue to plumb the depths of stupidity. The latest fun-ness is an intense focus on employment numbers and how that shows the economy is still crappy. Well, it is. But employment is a trailing-indicator. As the economy goes bad, companies hang on to employees hoping either they won't be affected, or that they can make it through the rough patch. Hiring people is damn expensive, as is training them. It's better to loose a little money to keep good employees in place (because you'll probably lose more through lay-offs and rehires). Then, as the economy gets better, it's cheaper to work your existing employees harder than hire in more employees. Because the uptick may also be a temporary phenomenon. So jobs lag behind the actual economy. I don't say this because I like it, hell I'm about to be hurt by it (and I have friends who are being hurt by it, some very badly).

So, for all those "economic experts" certain news organizations like to have on who point to the jobs market and talk about how we're not around the corner and even though all the major numbers they track say the economy has found the bottom (the housing market, not so much, but it's close) and are all doom and gloom because their road-killed ideology is being kicked to the side of the road, you're full of crap. We're before, are now. Now to be clear, even though I think we've found the bottom, the rebound isn't going to be fast.

And thinking of the economy and jobs, the good people over at Energy Tomorrow, that think tank of marketing manipulation (whose message pretty much is "Oh dear God, please don't regulate or tax us or well take you all with us") has a new commercial out about how they're going to put our economy back on track and create all these jobs because they're gonna drill and make us independent. Um, yeah. Money talks, suckers walk, dudes. Have you restarted the fabrication plants to create these off shore oil derricks (that we only need one to exploit what we used to need ten to exploit)? Have you hired these legions of people to start drilling on all those lands you hold leases to? Have you increased domestic production by anything more than 2% in the past decade (and here I'm talking about total output, not new production to replace tapped out fields)? Do you have the capacity to put those people top work now? Yeah, didn't think so.

It appears we're going to go back to a rash of shootings and other bad personal behavior. I've been dreading this. It's a well known canard that crime goes up during recessions (domestic crime does go up, as does white collar crime, but violent crime actually goes down a little as does robberies, however it's mostly amateurs that do the robberies, which leads to higher conviction rates). But spectacular crime goes up. As the amateurs pattern their crimes after TV and movies and try and grab a lot of attention, professionals keep to the shadows and don't go for flash. There's also been a growing trend of wack-a-loon feeding (like feeding the trolls) from those main stream news organizations and talk shows that like to think they aren't main stream press. I expect (although dread) there will be some school shootings. There will be more police shootings because a pattern is being set. The freeze dried wack-a-loons of the world are nothing if they aren't intense media consumers and they're always looking for templates to play out their own twisted fears. It's something that keeps me up at night.

THREE! FOUR!... THREE! FOUR! (Cleveland Rocks!)

Tomorrow we'll have the first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction held in Cleveland in over a decade.

'Bout damn time.

Sure, NYC has the glitz, the night life, the media exposure, but I can tell you with full affirmation that they don't love Rock and Roll as much as Cleveland does. About the only other city that loves rock as much is probably Detroit. There are other music capitals (Austin, Nashville, New Orleans, Chicago), but there's few that specialize in rock.

Really, growing up in NE Ohio, you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a rock musician (myself included, I played guitar in case you're wondering). We used to have several music halls that regularly had rock music featured; Agora, Colosseum and various other places. These weren't your dance halls or clubs, we have plenty of those. These were concert arenas that held thousands of fans. On any weekend night you can find live music, rock and jazz, somewhere in almost every neighborhood (unless you live in the sticks like I do). Rock and roll dreams, baby.

Alice Cooper opened up one of his Coopertowns here. When asked why he choose Cleveland his response basically stated that between Detroit and Cleveland, all other places a pikers when it comes to rock. "(those two cities) are the only two places in the country that you can go to the City Hall and say, 'I want to put on a street concert,' and the only questions they ask are what street, when, and how long do you need it closed." Yeah, we're that way about our rock.

Unfortunately we're going to have crappy weather, which everybody will complain about. And Cleveland is in the middle of an intense depression (it wasn't when we started lobbying to get the induction returned to it's rightful home). People will complain about that. But even with the crappy weather (it's howling windy and going to rain and snow tomorrow), and the depressed economy, the Hall will be packed to the brim tomorrow, you can bet on it. We love our rock.

I got some records from World War Two
I'll play em just like me grand dad do
He was a rocker and I am too
Oh Cleveland rocks, yeah Cleveland rocks
So find a place
Grab a space
And yell and scream for more.

CLEVELAND ROCKS!

Line of the Dead

Well, today is the drop dead posting date for Pointwriters and I've managed to get 14,827 words done by now. That puts me midway through the seventh chapter. Far short of the goal. Sigh.

The good news is that I'm really liking this story. Some of the writing is the snappiest I've ever done on a first draft (or draft zero). And I'm sharing this work far earlier in the process than I've ever shared any other piece, even with my first reader (my wife in case you were wondering).

What have I learned? Well, the world changes when you're not expecting it, which I really knew a long time ago but had high hopes (I still do) that things would get better soon rather than later. Writing can be done in short bursts. Leaving off the text when you're in the middle of the action actually works to get you restarted the next writing session. Balancing home life and writing is getting more difficult.

Well, I've submitted for most of the positions I've seen open (some of them are very surprising). There's only a few second choice prospects that I need to submit, but then tomorrow is Thursday. Postings tend to follow the old newspaper schedule so maybe there will be new ones tomorrow.

Now it's time to go to bed before these black circles around my eyes start looking like make-up. When I was younger I never did have black circles around my eyes, no matter how tired I drove myself to. They still aren't all that noticeable, although they're getting there fast.

World Ends, News at 11

That's it for the world. In a stunning move today, God decided to pull the plug on the whole of creation. While the world took six days to create the Creator pulled out the demolition miracles and finished the job in a few hours, even stopping in the middle to have a sandwich. The carpet has been rolled up and He was reported to have said, "Let there be light, not," as he went out.

Random Novel Sampling

Cell phone conversation from the book. Heck, you over hear this stuff in the streets, why not here online?

(our main character has broken into an apartment of a computer hacker for various reasons, is on his cell phone talking with a handler)

"You sure this kid isn't working with the magician?" I asked (Baron).

"I'm positive. You had your doubts. Why?"

"Cause the magician could be hiding in here and I probably wouldn't notice him."

"That bad, huh," Baron said.

"You know how three-day old wet socks smell?"

"Yeah," he said chuckling.

"A candle with that scent would freshen up this place."