Because I'm reading instead of writing. Sigh. Will get this one day. Also one of the reasons I've thought of taking a hiatus.
If you're in the NY area, and are looking for some part time work, Tor.com is looking for a "Community Aggregator." Why this job requires coming into the office seems a little beyond me (except, I think one of those lines translates to, "and sell the social media thing internally"). And I'm not one to trash another's opportunity, but this strikes me vaguely of being a professional video game player. I understand the need, and the business model behind it (except for the "in their offices" part), but haven't we gotten to the point where this is just part and parcel of the business? (Disclosure, yes, the day thing is struggling with its own "social media" presence so I may have had more connection to this than most)
Another example of a separate legal system working in tandem with our civil law. In this case it's Jewish law and orthodox members (one of whom happens to be working within government) and how they perceive things compared to our secular law. It's a divorce case and the tension is between both how divorce is done within Jewish Law, and how it's done in our secular law. Also notice how the "shared custody" issue would be perfectly reasonable within the secular law, but is prohibitive when you consider Orthodox Jewish Law. I wonder why we don't hear those people who scream about sharia also scream about the beit din? (Grokked from Jay Lake, who had a different interest in it)
Well, here's hoping the Tea Party holds to their expectations. Why do I wish that? Because of the ramifications. 1) I expect most TP members to become disillusioned in the reality of actual governance and 2) many of those they "helped" elect will be gone in two years as the TP throws their weight behind someone else. Also, it seems the TP doesn't want to expand the debt ceiling. So when government shuts down and we have trouble paying our warfighters, keep federal office lights on, and in general, make a hash of the place, I expect the blowback will be something they're not prepared for (having told themselves the myth they are the silent majority and the rest of the country holds to their ideals). While it may sound nice to shut down the IRS, the department we all love to hate, (or pick your favorite department to hate; Education, CDC, FCC, Energy, National Weather Bureau and Hurricane Forecast Center, whatever) when our warfighters are stranded in foreign countries trying to buy their ammo on the black market (or worse, behave like the Russians in Georgia, which I severely hope not, but it's hard to tell what someone will do when faced with starvation and working for no pay), National Parks and Monuments close, and your refund, social security, medicare, unemployment checks fail to arrive, or a hurricane slams into Florida with little warning, you think the TP were loud last year? You might want to invest in ear plugs for that avalanche. Okay, well, I'll use the euphemism of "social unrest."
And thinking of such, that is holding the new congress to their higher standard, I guess it doesn't include being consistent when it comes to rhetoric. Yes, all those "tricks and underhanded tactics" are back in vogue and perfectly acceptable when it's conservatives doing them. Or, you know, you could just exempt your priorities from being held to the same rules regarding the deficit. But then, they can also grand stand so they look good in their newsletters back home all the while saying, "Well, I tried, but you know Washington." Proud of your accomplishments yet? I guess when they toss out all those freshman conservatives, they can always get jobs on K Street. You know, like they've done since '94.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
A New Year Arrived, a New Year to Live
Another long weekend shot and not much in the way of progress. I've accomplished exactly one tenth of what I had hoped to accomplish over the holidays. But then, there were external circumstances that took more time than expected and then the day job, trying to be helpful, filled up a few days that I expected to have vacation, and entertaining house guests also soaked up a good deal of time. So, less than a third of the time I expected actually was available.
And now we're into the long slog form New Year's to Memorial Day. Class begins in two weeks, one week will be taken up by travel, which I have no idea what will entail in the way of time sink. A weekend at the end of the month is going to be gone.
Several friends have taken hiatus from the internets when they've had to focus on their writing. I would be lying if I hadn't considered the same strategy. It wouldn't be soon, I have plenty of other things to distract me for the foreseeable future that any hiatus would not be profitable. However I expect that sometime this year it will happen.
Every year I've made some sort of prognostication on where I would focus my time, either writing or freelance. And each year, it's always turned out to be 100% the opposite. This year I think I'll refrain. I need to focus on both this year. Things are going well enough right now, but I expect some rockier road ahead.
And now we're into the long slog form New Year's to Memorial Day. Class begins in two weeks, one week will be taken up by travel, which I have no idea what will entail in the way of time sink. A weekend at the end of the month is going to be gone.
Several friends have taken hiatus from the internets when they've had to focus on their writing. I would be lying if I hadn't considered the same strategy. It wouldn't be soon, I have plenty of other things to distract me for the foreseeable future that any hiatus would not be profitable. However I expect that sometime this year it will happen.
Every year I've made some sort of prognostication on where I would focus my time, either writing or freelance. And each year, it's always turned out to be 100% the opposite. This year I think I'll refrain. I need to focus on both this year. Things are going well enough right now, but I expect some rockier road ahead.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Slow Motion Sunday
It seems the heat wave is over now that most of the snow has melted. The ice damn on the back of the roof is now gone, thank Brid. Unfortunately there's a remnant on the front. Fortunately it is much less than before (we had kept the house warm for a bit, hopefully we can go back to 68 now). It's supposed to snow again, soon.
I've spent the day trying to be offline and working like a good boy, but that hasn't happened. Maybe I could use a few more days off to get nice and bored. That'll get me working on this novel, by Jove. Well, I have been working on it a little. But I find the littlest thing now stops me in my tracks. Then I need to work through that. Suddenly something shiny goes floating past.
And now "Forbidden Planet" is on TCM. Leslie Nielsen looks so young. He's dead now, you know.
I've spent the day trying to be offline and working like a good boy, but that hasn't happened. Maybe I could use a few more days off to get nice and bored. That'll get me working on this novel, by Jove. Well, I have been working on it a little. But I find the littlest thing now stops me in my tracks. Then I need to work through that. Suddenly something shiny goes floating past.
And now "Forbidden Planet" is on TCM. Leslie Nielsen looks so young. He's dead now, you know.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
A Year of Magical Thinking
So, in a few days we begin the new political year. I'll be involved, again, with council. It'll be my last year (unless something VERY strange happens) as my tenure runs out 12-31-2011. With our own local budget, we have been lucky. Last year tax revenues came in higher than expected (not by much, but at least more than we originally budgeted). While it was a rough year, and we are severely ignoring some long term issues, we ended in the black. I'm saying this so you know I have some experience with budget austerity.
Then we look at the national issues. In a few days a new congress will be sworn in. A congress that has already shaped the national dialog. And here's where the magic comes in.
There was a lot of breast beating about the deficit and debt the past two years. And activists on the "ZOMG We're Going to Hell in a Handbasket" side made a change in the political landscape and helped usher in a new Freshman Congressional Class that leans heavily toward the Conservative end of the political spectrum. So you'd think things would get better, wouldn't you.
But what's the major victory so far? Extension of all the budget busting Bush-era tax cuts. You know, the ones that took us from budget surpluses (that were being used to reduce the long term debt) to record deficits. And now those same conservatives are running the line about how tax cuts don't have to be offset in the budget. As Paul Krugman opined, "Then why not just cut all taxes?"
Now, somehow, with lowered revenues, we're going to budget cut our way to fiscal prosperity but without having defense or medicare on the table. Yeah, almost forgot, we're also going to roll-back (or at least defund) the Obama HCR Act. You know, the legislation that will actually reduce our deficit in the long run. It's what's known as magical thinking. There's this mindset that there's a whole army of federal employees that can be cut from the rolls, we can outsource some functions, and other nonsense that has no basis in reality.
Obama announced a pay freeze for all federal employees in the coming year. It will save use $35 billion for the next ten years. With annual budgets over $1.3 Trillion, that's almost a magnitude of a rounding error. Also, we now have over a decade and a half's experience with outsourcing government functions (Medicare Advantage, IRS Debt Collections and Processing, Federal Student Loans, etc.). None (absolutely none) of those have saved us money. In fact, they have cost us on average 14% more than if we had kept those functions within the Federal Government (including all the new employees, buildings, and capital expenditures that would entail). In fact, the Medicare Advantage overpayments were enshrined in law by those same conservatives who talk about how much we can save by outsourcing (and it's where the majority of medicare savings will come from in the new HCR Act, by changing those mandated overpayments).
Let's not even start on the insanity of the new budgeting rules. You know, how tax cuts don't have to be offset, but any other spending increases need to be offset by cuts elsewhere (not by revenue increases - ie. tax increases or in reality, closing tax loops holes). But then, this is also by the party that likes to say we have the highest taxes in the world when even if you look at our nominal rates, we're in the lowest 15 (depending on your income) and for effective rates (after all the deductions, etc, and including all the taxes other countries collect, like VAT) we're the third lowest in the world. Because it's not about reality, it's about feeding on the fears and disgruntled (such as the new tax service who's commercial talks about how the IRS will take advantage of you for not knowing the rules, which they're forbidden by law for doing - okay, well, it's one of those complaints against the private contractor the IRS was forced to use, by the conservatives again, and has lead to record findings against the IRS because of the contractor's incompetence, which leads to their 22% higher cost of operation).
So all the ideas they're floating have been shown, with historical data, to do absolutely nothing to reduce the deficit. Including the canards of "reduce tax levels increase tax revenues" and "giving tax breaks to the top 1% increases employment" have been shown to be false.
But, I'm sure, if we just try one more time and really believe, this time it will work. We just need to clap harder and faster to bring Tinkerbell back.
And have I mentioned I've already heard the argument of how the new congress won't be able to do anything, so no changes will get done, and how that's a good thing. Coming from the same people who last year complained about how nothing was being done to increase employment and the government's/Obama's main focus should be that. (However, all that's a smoke screen and is basically saying "We don't want the current administration to roll back any of our Social Conservative advances")
So, welcome to the year of magical thinking. Thank Brid that the economy has actually been on the mend this past year (again, disproving the whole argument about how the Stimulus and Bailouts did nothing). Hopefully the new Congress won't screw it up too much.
Then we look at the national issues. In a few days a new congress will be sworn in. A congress that has already shaped the national dialog. And here's where the magic comes in.
There was a lot of breast beating about the deficit and debt the past two years. And activists on the "ZOMG We're Going to Hell in a Handbasket" side made a change in the political landscape and helped usher in a new Freshman Congressional Class that leans heavily toward the Conservative end of the political spectrum. So you'd think things would get better, wouldn't you.
But what's the major victory so far? Extension of all the budget busting Bush-era tax cuts. You know, the ones that took us from budget surpluses (that were being used to reduce the long term debt) to record deficits. And now those same conservatives are running the line about how tax cuts don't have to be offset in the budget. As Paul Krugman opined, "Then why not just cut all taxes?"
Now, somehow, with lowered revenues, we're going to budget cut our way to fiscal prosperity but without having defense or medicare on the table. Yeah, almost forgot, we're also going to roll-back (or at least defund) the Obama HCR Act. You know, the legislation that will actually reduce our deficit in the long run. It's what's known as magical thinking. There's this mindset that there's a whole army of federal employees that can be cut from the rolls, we can outsource some functions, and other nonsense that has no basis in reality.
Obama announced a pay freeze for all federal employees in the coming year. It will save use $35 billion for the next ten years. With annual budgets over $1.3 Trillion, that's almost a magnitude of a rounding error. Also, we now have over a decade and a half's experience with outsourcing government functions (Medicare Advantage, IRS Debt Collections and Processing, Federal Student Loans, etc.). None (absolutely none) of those have saved us money. In fact, they have cost us on average 14% more than if we had kept those functions within the Federal Government (including all the new employees, buildings, and capital expenditures that would entail). In fact, the Medicare Advantage overpayments were enshrined in law by those same conservatives who talk about how much we can save by outsourcing (and it's where the majority of medicare savings will come from in the new HCR Act, by changing those mandated overpayments).
Let's not even start on the insanity of the new budgeting rules. You know, how tax cuts don't have to be offset, but any other spending increases need to be offset by cuts elsewhere (not by revenue increases - ie. tax increases or in reality, closing tax loops holes). But then, this is also by the party that likes to say we have the highest taxes in the world when even if you look at our nominal rates, we're in the lowest 15 (depending on your income) and for effective rates (after all the deductions, etc, and including all the taxes other countries collect, like VAT) we're the third lowest in the world. Because it's not about reality, it's about feeding on the fears and disgruntled (such as the new tax service who's commercial talks about how the IRS will take advantage of you for not knowing the rules, which they're forbidden by law for doing - okay, well, it's one of those complaints against the private contractor the IRS was forced to use, by the conservatives again, and has lead to record findings against the IRS because of the contractor's incompetence, which leads to their 22% higher cost of operation).
So all the ideas they're floating have been shown, with historical data, to do absolutely nothing to reduce the deficit. Including the canards of "reduce tax levels increase tax revenues" and "giving tax breaks to the top 1% increases employment" have been shown to be false.
But, I'm sure, if we just try one more time and really believe, this time it will work. We just need to clap harder and faster to bring Tinkerbell back.
And have I mentioned I've already heard the argument of how the new congress won't be able to do anything, so no changes will get done, and how that's a good thing. Coming from the same people who last year complained about how nothing was being done to increase employment and the government's/Obama's main focus should be that. (However, all that's a smoke screen and is basically saying "We don't want the current administration to roll back any of our Social Conservative advances")
So, welcome to the year of magical thinking. Thank Brid that the economy has actually been on the mend this past year (again, disproving the whole argument about how the Stimulus and Bailouts did nothing). Hopefully the new Congress won't screw it up too much.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Ten Things I've Done That You Haven't
Because it's a meme.
1.) Had drinks with an officer that served in the German, Soviet, and US Armies (and in that order). He faced one of the first usages of ski troops, and helped create them for the USSR. Fought in more wars than I remember, and knew how to down Scotch and beer with great skill.
2.) Gave back talk to West German Border Guards who were carrying submachine guns while I was unarmed.
3.) Marched in the (Football) Hall of Fame Parade, 2 miles, in August, with a 60lb silver tuba, wearing a wool uniform and no people with water or towels marched with us.
4.) Played guitar in a rock and roll garage band, an award winning rhythm section for a jazz band, and for a record on vinyl, played tuba for orchestra, marching band, symphonic band, as well as playing euphonium and trumpet.
5.) Broke into every single building on the U of A Campus in one night (1am - 6am)
6.) Had a glass of hundred year-old port with $25 cigars on the Whitney Estate (as a make good for some conference problems we were having). As a side, the lunch buffet included lobster tail. Best food I've ever had.
7.) For a week we bathed in creeks because we had no showers available.
8.) Been at the controls of a helicopter.
9.) Saw a man in front of me die of a massive myocardial infarction.
10.) Looked up into the center of a tornado.
1.) Had drinks with an officer that served in the German, Soviet, and US Armies (and in that order). He faced one of the first usages of ski troops, and helped create them for the USSR. Fought in more wars than I remember, and knew how to down Scotch and beer with great skill.
2.) Gave back talk to West German Border Guards who were carrying submachine guns while I was unarmed.
3.) Marched in the (Football) Hall of Fame Parade, 2 miles, in August, with a 60lb silver tuba, wearing a wool uniform and no people with water or towels marched with us.
4.) Played guitar in a rock and roll garage band, an award winning rhythm section for a jazz band, and for a record on vinyl, played tuba for orchestra, marching band, symphonic band, as well as playing euphonium and trumpet.
5.) Broke into every single building on the U of A Campus in one night (1am - 6am)
6.) Had a glass of hundred year-old port with $25 cigars on the Whitney Estate (as a make good for some conference problems we were having). As a side, the lunch buffet included lobster tail. Best food I've ever had.
7.) For a week we bathed in creeks because we had no showers available.
8.) Been at the controls of a helicopter.
9.) Saw a man in front of me die of a massive myocardial infarction.
10.) Looked up into the center of a tornado.
The Year of WTF
Just to recap, last year I saw my job prospects brighten, finished my first novel and got a pinched nerve as a going away present, had the bank take my job away, increased my freelance design work by an order of magnitude, relearned how to find a job, worked for the US Census as a midline manager, had my full novel critiqued, found a full time job that pays better than my old job (base salary, before OT), started retraining for a new career (and kept an A average), lost any free-time I had to edit the first novel, basically worked my little nubbies off, and have been dazed and confused ever since, lost and gained 30 pounds, been so tired I can barely see straight.
If we call it a year, will it go away.
Hopefully the new year will treat us all better.
If we call it a year, will it go away.
Hopefully the new year will treat us all better.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Linkee-poo of One, because it's made of awesome
And most of the political stuff is depressing (in a "laughing our way to the grave" kind of way). Time to either stop the meds, get on the meds, or increase the dosage, people. And personally the "we're the victim here" persona of the Tea Party and their nominal leaders/stars is growing exceptionally tiring (and borderline paranoidal).
But to the awesome link.
As proof that there is a God and it loves us, unconditionally, the good people over at Monotype are releasing back issues of U&lc (Upper and Lower Case) as scanned PDFs (hey, this magazine predates the computer revolution, so no electric files are available, at least for the first twenty years of it's publication). There are links to the volumes on their blog. If you're an oldie like me, you remember U&lc. If not, and you love type, go and read. They are a mix of "what's happening in type", advertisement for monotype fonts, and a master's course in visual design (for both application and history).
Those of you who know just had a geekgasm. The rest of you are probably just scratching your heads.
But to the awesome link.
As proof that there is a God and it loves us, unconditionally, the good people over at Monotype are releasing back issues of U&lc (Upper and Lower Case) as scanned PDFs (hey, this magazine predates the computer revolution, so no electric files are available, at least for the first twenty years of it's publication). There are links to the volumes on their blog. If you're an oldie like me, you remember U&lc. If not, and you love type, go and read. They are a mix of "what's happening in type", advertisement for monotype fonts, and a master's course in visual design (for both application and history).
Those of you who know just had a geekgasm. The rest of you are probably just scratching your heads.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Pre-New Year Rambles
Okay, during the process of getting ready this morning, brushing my hair and combing my teeth, I kept telling myself to stick that little USB drive, with the backup of all my writing, in my pocket. Yeah, just take it with you today (as you normally did, before all this holiday nonsense).
Only I forgot. Not so bad, there's been plenty of times I've left it at home. Except that today I did have time for a regular lunch and really wanted to work on stuff. But did I put it in my pocket before leaving home? No. That would have been simple.
Yeah, I know, one of the argument for GoogleWorks or Dropbox. Except for not having broadband before, which made those solutions less attractive. And now for my dropbox account I have too many people linked to it (although it should only be to single folders, but I can't find the tool that would tell me who has access to what there so I'm loath to upload my writing there). And I like to be able to work on my stuff where ever without leaving log in notifications everywhere.
Sigh.
And I guess I can let the cat out of the bag here, I've restarted the rewriting and editing of "Bladesman." Like Inigo, I went back to the beginning. First three chapters, except for inserting four lines into Chapter 2, I didn't touch much. Which has me worried (although it shouldn't, the first 5 chapters are the most heavily worked on).
My friend Steve, has some thoughts about priorities this way. And it's true. It's also one of the reasons the majority of my blog posts since mid-summer have been linkee-poos. There hasn't been much time to do anything deeper (although I do try to add some of my perspective to the links).
Wanted to get through a few more chapters last night, but we're hosting the sister-in-law and she wanted to play video games. Sigh. Also fighting the urge to get World of Warcraft. Now I have broadband, playing it would be easy. Fortunately I'm a notorious cheapskate, so the idea of continuing to pay for a video game month by month that drags against my nerves. Maybe I'll be spared there.
This past weekend I think I watched as much TV as I have the whole past fall combined. At that point, where things lay with home life I didn't really have chunks o' time to devote to any one thing in particular, being on call to help. But now that those duties are settling down into both routine and with lesser urgency and need, I finally have some time to get back to the writing. Unfortunately the sister-in-law doesn't understand the "new can sit at home without anything on and without talking to each other and be pleasantly happy" routine. So I had to help with the video games (Lego Star Wars on the Wii if you must know).
Everybody I know on the East Coast seems to have made it through the Snowpocalypse okay. Glad to see that. Hope the rest of you had a great holiday so far. And here's to a more productive and less painful New Year to come. May it see us all to better things and outcomes than the previous year.
Only I forgot. Not so bad, there's been plenty of times I've left it at home. Except that today I did have time for a regular lunch and really wanted to work on stuff. But did I put it in my pocket before leaving home? No. That would have been simple.
Yeah, I know, one of the argument for GoogleWorks or Dropbox. Except for not having broadband before, which made those solutions less attractive. And now for my dropbox account I have too many people linked to it (although it should only be to single folders, but I can't find the tool that would tell me who has access to what there so I'm loath to upload my writing there). And I like to be able to work on my stuff where ever without leaving log in notifications everywhere.
Sigh.
And I guess I can let the cat out of the bag here, I've restarted the rewriting and editing of "Bladesman." Like Inigo, I went back to the beginning. First three chapters, except for inserting four lines into Chapter 2, I didn't touch much. Which has me worried (although it shouldn't, the first 5 chapters are the most heavily worked on).
My friend Steve, has some thoughts about priorities this way. And it's true. It's also one of the reasons the majority of my blog posts since mid-summer have been linkee-poos. There hasn't been much time to do anything deeper (although I do try to add some of my perspective to the links).
Wanted to get through a few more chapters last night, but we're hosting the sister-in-law and she wanted to play video games. Sigh. Also fighting the urge to get World of Warcraft. Now I have broadband, playing it would be easy. Fortunately I'm a notorious cheapskate, so the idea of continuing to pay for a video game month by month that drags against my nerves. Maybe I'll be spared there.
This past weekend I think I watched as much TV as I have the whole past fall combined. At that point, where things lay with home life I didn't really have chunks o' time to devote to any one thing in particular, being on call to help. But now that those duties are settling down into both routine and with lesser urgency and need, I finally have some time to get back to the writing. Unfortunately the sister-in-law doesn't understand the "new can sit at home without anything on and without talking to each other and be pleasantly happy" routine. So I had to help with the video games (Lego Star Wars on the Wii if you must know).
Everybody I know on the East Coast seems to have made it through the Snowpocalypse okay. Glad to see that. Hope the rest of you had a great holiday so far. And here's to a more productive and less painful New Year to come. May it see us all to better things and outcomes than the previous year.
Story Bones - Two for the price of one
From Dan we have "A long range, cross-country skitter."
And then we also have, "Selling light, that's what I do, young man. I sell light to customers who are in desperate need. I capture the day, distill its essence into quiet bottles, and peddle the packages to those who no longer have time."
And then we also have, "Selling light, that's what I do, young man. I sell light to customers who are in desperate need. I capture the day, distill its essence into quiet bottles, and peddle the packages to those who no longer have time."
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Linkee-poo is back to work but dreaming of eggnog
Writer Unboxed with just how bad is the publishing industry. Interesting take, along with some good links.
Jim Hines has a post up a the SFWA blog on his experiment with e-books. Pretty much bears out what I've seen elsewhere. For a flip side to this, my friend Ken McConnell has been self/e-publishing for a while now (including a recent short story collection). Ken has some success, but he's also poured a ton of work into his books. Even as a pro-graphic designer, it's more work that I would want to do for my own books (although I've been toying with doing a limited hard copy run of my early short stories, but only as an ego stroking gesture on my part). Just as a reminder, for the last numbers I could find from the recording industry, after a decade of e-sales of music, hard copy CDs still make up 60+% of unit sales. And listening to music is much different than reading a book (and easier to translate into e-sales).
Because who doesn't love a Rube Goldberg Machine and beer. Thanks, Vince.
And now, without preamble, DamnYouAutoCorrect. (sent from Dan)
Now that the cycle of the year is drawing to a close, there's plenty of looking back. TPM looks back at the year at Fox News. To reiterate, it's no wonder Fox News watchers are the most ill-informed viewers out there. "Won't hear this anywhere else," indeed. Because when you make shit up, you can't expect others to repeat it.
And, well, we knew this was coming. Didn't we? See, tax cuts are fine. No need to balance those in the budget, no matter how they explode the deficit. And it seems the conservatives want to make us like Greece, without really needing to. But hey, it's worked so well for Greece so far. Okay, not really. But since when has reality had anything to do with conservatives. They abandoned it long ago.
Jim Hines has a post up a the SFWA blog on his experiment with e-books. Pretty much bears out what I've seen elsewhere. For a flip side to this, my friend Ken McConnell has been self/e-publishing for a while now (including a recent short story collection). Ken has some success, but he's also poured a ton of work into his books. Even as a pro-graphic designer, it's more work that I would want to do for my own books (although I've been toying with doing a limited hard copy run of my early short stories, but only as an ego stroking gesture on my part). Just as a reminder, for the last numbers I could find from the recording industry, after a decade of e-sales of music, hard copy CDs still make up 60+% of unit sales. And listening to music is much different than reading a book (and easier to translate into e-sales).
Because who doesn't love a Rube Goldberg Machine and beer. Thanks, Vince.
And now, without preamble, DamnYouAutoCorrect. (sent from Dan)
Now that the cycle of the year is drawing to a close, there's plenty of looking back. TPM looks back at the year at Fox News. To reiterate, it's no wonder Fox News watchers are the most ill-informed viewers out there. "Won't hear this anywhere else," indeed. Because when you make shit up, you can't expect others to repeat it.
And, well, we knew this was coming. Didn't we? See, tax cuts are fine. No need to balance those in the budget, no matter how they explode the deficit. And it seems the conservatives want to make us like Greece, without really needing to. But hey, it's worked so well for Greece so far. Okay, not really. But since when has reality had anything to do with conservatives. They abandoned it long ago.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday at the Races
So, it's been almost a week with broadband at home and how are we doing?
There were several hours of no connection at all. Many times lost packets outnumbering delivered. Some moments of "sweet," but really not enough. Having troubles tonight. So I decided to do some checking.
Out of five traceroutes to high bandwidth sites (like CNN, Apple, Blogger, Amazon, etc) the earliest I hit a backbone router was 10 hops (to be fair, the first two are my wireless node and DSL modem). So, eight hops. With a lot of lag time (like 32ms). Three out of five crapped out after 15-18 hops (that is, the trace never reached the destination). Shortest distance was 12 hops.
Now for some big downloads I've hit the max speed of 150k/sec, although normally am running at 100k/sec. On Speedtest.net we were rated at 1.18mb/sec download, 0.24mb/sec upstream (which is normal that upstream is choked down on a home connection), ping was 119ms, servers were 150 miles apart.
I haven't had the heart to try hulu, or anything of a real heavy usage. Not like this would be the computer to run them on (being a ten year old laptop).
And now you know why I wasn't all that hot to upgrade.
There were several hours of no connection at all. Many times lost packets outnumbering delivered. Some moments of "sweet," but really not enough. Having troubles tonight. So I decided to do some checking.
Out of five traceroutes to high bandwidth sites (like CNN, Apple, Blogger, Amazon, etc) the earliest I hit a backbone router was 10 hops (to be fair, the first two are my wireless node and DSL modem). So, eight hops. With a lot of lag time (like 32ms). Three out of five crapped out after 15-18 hops (that is, the trace never reached the destination). Shortest distance was 12 hops.
Now for some big downloads I've hit the max speed of 150k/sec, although normally am running at 100k/sec. On Speedtest.net we were rated at 1.18mb/sec download, 0.24mb/sec upstream (which is normal that upstream is choked down on a home connection), ping was 119ms, servers were 150 miles apart.
I haven't had the heart to try hulu, or anything of a real heavy usage. Not like this would be the computer to run them on (being a ten year old laptop).
And now you know why I wasn't all that hot to upgrade.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Thinking About the Old Town
It's snowing in Southern Jersey (where I grew up, well, at least until 6th grade, which, as some of you know, is as far as I got). So not exactly a white Christmas, but good enough for that part of the country. See, it's about a rare as hens teeth to get a good snow there (we used to have school cancelled on account of a quarter inch of snow, nowadays I don't even get my snowblower out for such a small amount). So, to all my friends back in South Jersey, Happy Belated White Christmas. I hope you all are safe, warm, dry, and out of harms way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)