tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50415752012-01-22T03:19:18.440-08:00sergeantdilbertDispatches from the 909Robnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2001100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-50702807226463642822008-09-11T16:39:00.000-07:002008-09-11T16:40:27.741-07:00Webcams of CERNI love me some webcams!Robnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-83259216725908667492008-09-11T09:02:00.000-07:002008-09-11T09:08:21.783-07:00Politics/rant onI hate politics. And I especially hate the landscape of the current campaigns. There is no discussion among the candidates about real issues that affect my daily life, rather they snipe at each other or tell each other to stop sniping. Enough!I want to know:Who is going to raise my taxes less? I think both of them will end up taxing me more, but I want to know who is going to affect Robnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-42868710376342312662008-09-10T14:09:00.000-07:002008-09-10T14:35:37.292-07:00Reaching Geek LimitsToday has just been a fantastic day for all things geek. We’ve got coding, smashing particles and a trip down gaming memory lane.First off, I've been coding away at some logging bugs that my current project has experienced. The great thing about java is you’re really not constricted by much as there’s certain to be a library written by someone more competent than myself that I can exploit at Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-68778718482852308932008-05-07T11:08:00.000-07:002008-05-07T11:12:45.975-07:00Refreshing an imported table in Microsoft AccessAnother fun problem I ran into recently and couldn't find an answer to using Google: You have a table that you've imported, and you want to refresh the contents of that table. The main problem is that if you simply delete the table and then re-import, you will lose all of the information about that table in your queries. If it's a complex query, then that could be problematic. Here's the Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-69540569210416701452008-04-24T14:05:00.000-07:002008-04-24T14:09:41.842-07:00Formatting a Date in Microsoft AccessMore for my future reference, than your edification:For some unknown reason, I had a reasonably difficult time formatting a date within Microsoft Access. The format of the date was to be in YYYY-MM-DD format, and while searching for assistance, I stumbled upon this solution:Format([DATE], 'yyyy-mm-dd')This worked when querying against a table, but if you wanted to use this in a query of a query,Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-69744932078605254832008-04-22T12:10:00.001-07:002008-04-22T12:10:29.011-07:00FlickrThis is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.Robnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-85533697846399853962008-04-03T06:29:00.000-07:002008-04-03T06:30:01.839-07:00We're hitched!I’ve been really busy with work and getting to and from work, so just a quick post to announce that Petrea and I married on March 26 in Negril, Jamaica. It was a wonderful trip and I’m the luckiest man alive!Back to work…Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-3278744916889821752008-02-22T13:53:00.000-08:002008-02-22T14:01:37.617-08:00My Life by LocationI enjoy visiting the Google Sightseeing site every once in awhile. Generally, I end up looking at all sorts of things other than the original topic. This spurred an idea; catalog how my life has played out by location.I created a Google map of my own and placed pointers around the country to various places I have lived, worked, or had something to point out. There really isn’t a point to this Robnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-25572843863523805312008-02-14T08:56:00.001-08:002008-02-14T09:00:45.834-08:00TwitterI'm playing with Twitter again (see the twitter updates in the column to the right on my blog). I'm not sure why, other than they have a handy little gadget that plugs into the Google desktop (which I recently started using again). If you're asking "what the hell is Twitter?", then you're probably as old as I am (or older) and you can read this to learn more.Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-16065269211366630392007-11-15T08:42:00.000-08:002007-11-15T08:45:18.660-08:00Interesting ReadingA real person, a real deathIn perhaps the greatest scientific discovery of all time, the nitrates in bacon have been found to minimize the damage caused by heart attacks. Bonus: they don't cause cancer eitherWorld Sunlight MapAlcohol Consumption per CapitaRobnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-76911807076946307252007-11-06T07:24:00.000-08:002007-11-06T07:26:44.058-08:00Interesting ReadingTop 15 Celebrity Transformations Suicide Bombing Makes Sick Sense in Halo 3 11 Phenomenal Images of Earth Earth ClockRobnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-6724110463826412022007-11-05T09:23:00.000-08:002007-11-05T09:25:02.492-08:00Interesting ReadingWhy We Should All Become MuslimsWhy It Was a Good Idea to Attack IraqROYGBIV-nessTop 10 Most Expensive LibationsRobnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-33167950764290554862007-11-01T08:45:00.000-07:002007-11-01T08:49:04.617-07:00Welcome to Christmas!I love it when I'm right. Or in this case, I'm pretty much smug knowing that I was right and miserable that I know I'm going to be tortured with non-stop Christmas advertising for 55 days.I submit to you the proof: Star 102 FM in Kansas City. Now an all Christmas all the time format! You can even stream it now! Merry Christmas!Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-30422605687279977722007-10-31T09:36:00.000-07:002007-10-31T09:39:20.878-07:00The Christmas ConspiracyHappy Halloween! Enjoy it while you can, because it's already gone. And it won't be back either.My fiancée and I have been commiserating on the sad state of Halloween at our places of work. She, an elementary school teacher, has been told to not to wear any Halloween related clothing or costumes and to prepare a lesson plan to celebrate "Multicultural Day." I don't Robnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-60188952991450090782007-08-07T09:01:00.000-07:002007-08-07T09:04:44.394-07:00Wish You Were HereRobnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-14966093344282689192007-05-14T16:46:00.000-07:002007-05-14T16:52:50.710-07:00TasteI had the good fortune to attend the Taste event at Disney's California Adventure on Saturday evening. The event was billed as a food and wine tasting evening, hosted in Studio 17 where the former Who Wants to be a Millionaire--Play It attraction was housed. The only requirements to attend was a Disneyland Annual Pass and a tribute to be paid to The Mouse.I really didn't know what to expect Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-81873219594338364272007-04-27T08:07:00.000-07:002007-04-27T08:08:39.891-07:00Californians This is why I hate Californians (full disclosure: I'm a life long Californian). I'm at the gym this morning and as I'm preparing to brush my teeth and shave, the gentleman next to me, whom I've never met or said word one too, says, "I can tell you're not from California."Long dramatic pause. Okay, I'll bite. I say, "Why is that?""You're letting the water run, so you probably don'tRobnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-53107102495432415762007-04-26T13:21:00.000-07:002007-04-26T13:23:01.862-07:00Passcodes I was reading an article yesterday about how people, who are oblivious to security, have placed their private corporate information onto Google Calendar. Google Calendar is secure, if you want it to be, but these folks have decided to make a variety of things public, that shouldn't be.Here's an example. I typed "passcode" in the search box, and clicked Search Public Events. I was then Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1177016232697174352007-04-19T13:55:00.000-07:002007-04-19T13:57:12.696-07:00Sharing NewsfeedOver the on the right side of the page is a new element for my blog. Basically, as I read news items in my nifty Google newsreader, I can tag those that I find interesting and they'll appear right here in that little window. Spiffy.Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1175790058730825292007-04-05T09:18:00.000-07:002007-04-05T09:21:23.386-07:00Happy to HelpIt seems the folks over at ComputerWorld have compiled a list of the Top 21 Biggest Technology Flops. Among those that received the honor of being on this list is "Push Technology," most notably by PointCast.Remember PointCast? I certainly do. Sometime in 1997, I decided to leave another technology company in Sunnyvale after focusing largely on expanding my management skills. I Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1171039895717925032007-02-09T08:49:00.000-08:002007-02-09T08:51:53.823-08:00Who knew?And what exactly does "You're always on the hunt." mean? Hmmmmm...Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1165941663886671182006-12-12T08:39:00.000-08:002006-12-12T08:41:03.906-08:00Wish ListOkay, dokey, my Amazon Wish List has been updated! Feel free to buy everything for me; it's okay. I won't mind!Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1164821307637985862006-11-29T09:27:00.000-08:002006-11-29T09:28:27.646-08:00How to Fold a ShirtHow cool is this?Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1164764373037703532006-11-28T17:38:00.000-08:002006-11-28T17:45:48.536-08:00Hey Ya!This cartoon fits disturbingly well.Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1163731153426448182006-11-16T18:38:00.000-08:002006-11-16T18:39:13.440-08:00Why do I have to listen to this daily?I'm sick. Help me. And of course, the hoody is calling my name.Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1158333357360513392006-09-15T08:15:00.000-07:002006-09-15T11:38:55.620-07:00Best AdviceBest advice ever.Robnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1157911709626221962006-09-10T11:07:00.000-07:002006-09-10T11:08:29.636-07:00The Priest's AnthemOh my, I haven't laughed this hard at a song in a very long time.Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1157559896480306362006-09-06T09:24:00.000-07:002006-09-06T09:24:56.496-07:00How to Survive a Long FallWho comes up with this?Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1146710031599860452006-05-03T19:32:00.000-07:002006-06-03T12:14:01.003-07:00FixedOkay dokey. So, that Flickr strip over there on the right side of my blog was just randomly selecting any of my photos and displaying them which kind of defeated the purpose of me taking photos while I'm out and about. So, I've now fixed it so that it only shows the photos of my recent whereabouts. Enjoy!Robnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1146450690905876462006-04-30T19:30:00.000-07:002006-08-03T21:42:41.376-07:00Long time no blogThe last 2 months have been a whirlwind. I have many stories to tell, but I’m finding myself with little energy at the end of the day, which doesn’t lend itself to good blogging (this of course assumes that anything I’ve ever written here can be considered “good blogging").I do have somewhat of a solution for my faithful readers. Both of you.I have my cell phone setup to send Robnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1141220265988882282006-03-01T05:36:00.000-08:002006-03-01T05:37:46.000-08:004th and inchesThis is a interesting article about how most football coaches make the wrong call on 4th down. Leave it to the math geeks to pick a fight with the jocks. ;)Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1141179149150104102006-02-28T18:09:00.000-08:002006-02-28T18:12:29.163-08:00The Worst Is OverI hope. This has probably been one of the roughest rollouts I’ve been involved with. Mainly, it’s been related around system security and what I consider a bug in the vendor’s software. Of course, when asking for support, the advice I got was to reinstall the web server software which is a major undertaking in this day and age of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. After struggling withRobnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1141006608132292462006-02-26T18:16:00.000-08:002006-02-26T18:16:48.146-08:00Launch EveI’ve diligently been working on a project for the last 9 months and tomorrow morning it will be unveiled and be put to the test. I can’t count how many times I’ve been through this before and it is always nerve wracking. Despite constant checking, rechecking and then checking again, sometimes something can slip through the cracks which will cause a crisis. The good news is that Robnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1140310019375852042006-02-18T16:38:00.000-08:002006-02-18T16:46:59.386-08:00Snow?Last weekend when I went hiking the temperature topped out around 90 degrees. In contrast, it's been downright cold the past couple of days with today being really chilly (and yes, I'm talking about 'really chilly' with a Southern California scale). Taking a quick glance at weather.com confirms my hopes: we may wake up tomorrow with a blanket of snow around the house. Last year's snow Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1139842167302914572006-02-13T06:49:00.000-08:002006-02-13T06:49:27.646-08:00Lost Palms IMG_2544 Originally uploaded by Rob Thomas. I went on a 7 1/2 mile hike on Sunday in Joshua Tree (although it felt like 10 miles, at least).There isn't much to say about the hike since I took a bunch of photos along the way. So, go look at 'em.This is the first post that I've created where you actually post from a flickr photo. I'm interested in seeing how this actually looks when it Robnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1138806302849974412006-02-01T07:02:00.000-08:002006-02-01T07:05:02.863-08:00The Bad PlaceI’ve gone to the Bad Place. I’ve really tried to avoid The Bad Place but it doesn’t seem possible anymore. One of my good friends is Mayor of The Bad Place, as demonstrated by his constant pecking at his Blackberry while we were on vacation at Disney World in December. I even made fun of him. Now I’m being punished.We’re entering the final stretch of a project that I’ve been working Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1138716942121620712006-01-31T06:04:00.000-08:002006-01-31T06:15:42.206-08:00Chez ThomasOffering the finest fair in all of Beaumont isn’t exactly a difficult achievement, but we here at Chez Thomas are proud of our creations none the less. Last night, I invited my very best friends (also known as guinea pigs) over for a dinner party to try out a couple of new dishes I had been itching to try.I’ve been holding off on buying a Dutch Oven for years. The good ones are just soRobnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1137687386272374292006-01-19T08:15:00.000-08:002006-01-19T08:16:26.286-08:00Living a MovieI am literally living "Office Space" at the moment. That's why there hasn't been any posts recently. Perhaps when things calm down, but that doesn't seem to be in the near future.Robnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1133282219835226732005-11-29T08:34:00.000-08:002005-11-29T08:36:59.850-08:00I’m a going to Disney World!It’s been a long year with some difficult stretches. I booked a trip to Disney World for myself, my children and my sister almost a year ago and I’ve been looking forward to it for months. In addition, I’m lucky enough to be spending next week with one of my best childhood friends, Dave, and his family.We’re staying at The Beach Club Villas which is a 5 minute walk Robnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1131658415969204112005-11-10T13:30:00.000-08:002005-11-10T13:33:35.980-08:00Happy 230th Birthday Marines!In honor of the Marine Corps 230th birthday, I thought I'd share one of my favorite stories. I performed the colors ceremony at Camp Pendleton more times than I could possibly remember, so I'm always touched by this story whenever I read it.A foreign diplomat who often criticized American policy once observed a United States Marine perform the evening colors ceremony.Robnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1130940093847415572005-11-02T05:56:00.000-08:002005-11-02T06:01:46.693-08:00iPod VideoRecently, I’ve been spending a lot of time at the gym on the elliptical machine. I really enjoy running outside, but I’ve found that the wear and tear on my knees after I run about 5 miles keeps me from exercising for several days afterward. That’s been self defeating. So, the elliptical machine has been my best friend and I spend time with it for an hour each day, six days a week. The Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1130855831890168902005-11-01T06:35:00.000-08:002005-11-01T06:37:11.903-08:00Undead Starbucks EmployeesNow this is funny. Employees of an independent coffee house in San Francisco dressed up as Starbucks Employee Zombies for Halloween. Classic!Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1129730770771397552005-10-19T06:58:00.000-07:002005-10-19T07:06:10.776-07:00 PushThere’s a great post over on this blog regarding “Push,” the talking, walking garbage can at Disneyland. I visit Disneyland often and have only ever seen him one time, and I was absolutely memorized by the entire interaction. He’s apparently been around since 1997, so catching Push in action is a bit of a challenge.Gee, I wonder why they call him "Push." ;)It’s not that a talking garbage Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1129564582163996972005-10-17T08:51:00.000-07:002005-10-17T08:56:22.170-07:00There’s always next year!Those Rat Bastard Chicago White Sox™. They completely outplayed the Angels and the Red Sox, there’s no denying that, and now they can enjoy a 6 day rest before the World Series begins.So let me say it here (begin mumbling) congratulations to the White Sox (end mumbling) (begin screaming) Rat Bastards! (end screaming).And I just got my new HDTV to watch the Angels play in Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1129214417206735792005-10-13T07:37:00.000-07:002005-10-13T07:44:46.476-07:00Trap ShootingI joined up with my good friend Rick last night for something I had never done before. Trap shooting. Rick provided the shotguns, and I provided the shells. I think I got the better end of that deal.I had never fired a shotgun, and really my only experience with a weapon is qualifying Expert with the M-16 rifle while a Marine. Apparently, the Marine Corps training does translate to Robnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1129125786521416262005-10-12T07:02:00.000-07:002005-10-12T07:03:06.526-07:00Thank you Letterman!Classic, just classic. :)Top Ten New York Yankees Excuses10. "The Angels have developed a secret pitch that curves"9. "Players left logy by clubhouse paella"8. "Aren't used to rat-free outfield"7. "Average player age is 52"6. "Didn't know if they were playing California Angels, Anaheim Angels, or Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim"5. "Acid reflux"4. "How are you supposed to field Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1129123226608835132005-10-12T06:18:00.000-07:002005-10-12T06:20:26.616-07:00Mad MagazineA kind soul has scanned in every Mad Magazine cover. It’s a fun exercise to go back and try to see what the earliest one that you can remember. For me, it’s January 1982, when I was 11 years old.Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1128965368138959402005-10-10T10:27:00.000-07:002005-10-17T06:50:17.823-07:00You Get What You Pay ForMy work life can be stale at times, so I’m always looking forward to spicing up the day with a little humor.Earlier, my boss asked me if I brought my digital camera. “No, why?” I responded. “Because the other office that is sharing our server hardware and paying a bundle for it wants to see what they’re paying for.”Insert maniacal laughter here.The server farm that we do Robnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1128948682915506332005-10-10T05:49:00.000-07:002005-10-10T05:53:46.203-07:00FirefliesI had never seen a firefly until just this past summer when I visited Ohio. The residents there don't even notice them much, but I found them to be fascinating and beautiful. My favorite viewing was watching the fireflies dance at the edge of a wooded area next to my hotel. I could watch that all night long!Now there's a perfect way to bring fireflies to my own back yard! An Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1128431896734744972005-10-04T06:13:00.000-07:002005-10-04T06:18:16.743-07:00Welcome to October'sniff'Smell that? That’s called baseball, and the air is thick with playoff anticipation. The Los Angeles Anaheim Angels are back in the hunt after winning the American League Western Division title and clinching a playoff berth much earlier than other teams. I think this will be a real key to their success, as they’ve had plenty of time to get their pitchers rested and the Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1127138814042016092005-09-19T07:04:00.000-07:002005-09-19T07:06:54.050-07:00Turtle TalkSometimes it just comes down to someone’s sheer creativity to really impress you. Lately, to make up for Disney’s California Adventure’s many shortcomings, many millions have been literally thrown at the park.One gem, which I suspect didn’t cost a huge amount of cash, is Turtle Talk with Crush the turtle from Finding Nemo. We went in and visited Crush and were pleasantly surprised. YouRobnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1125495321701231622005-08-31T06:26:00.000-07:002005-08-31T06:35:21.706-07:00Up The Hill!I recently discovered that there is a fairly large public park very close to my home. What’s more important is that this park is located in the foothills which means it’s time to get on the mountain bike again! :)It’s a good 3 mile ride up hill to the back entrance of the park. I made the trip and explored a few horse trails, but didn’t want to push myself much further since I’ve Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1125449287135264792005-08-30T17:40:00.000-07:002005-08-30T17:48:07.146-07:00Pool BloggingSo I get this idea that I should take my tablet out to the pool and see if I can pick up my wireless network. Bingo! Next idea: put a towel underneath the tablet so I can wipe my hands and keep the keyboard from getting wet. Works like a charm.So here I sit on my pool barstools and typing away. Why, oh why you ask? Because I can. So there. :)Actually, I've been in the pool a Robnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1125330790722792502005-08-29T08:52:00.000-07:002005-08-29T08:53:10.730-07:00eBay SearchesI’m sure the functionality I just stumbled upon on eBay has been around for quite some time. It just makes sense. Currently, I’m improving my wardrobe, for a variety of reasons. Not least of which is that my career may be moving in a direction that requires me to be in front of clients on a regular basis. I’m beginning by wardrobe empire building by collecting Allen Edmonds shoes.Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1124799822840562022005-08-23T05:22:00.000-07:002005-08-23T05:23:42.846-07:00Adventures in Cooking: Wild Mushroom and Asparagus RisottoThe one word to describe preparing this dish: deceptive. Risotto is one of those foods I’ve always enjoyed at a nice restaurant but had never tried to at home. I was perusing Alton Brown’s recipes on Food Network, and ran into this recipe.The deceptive part comes into play in the preparation. It’s very simple to make; or so it would Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1124284123559656302005-08-17T06:08:00.000-07:002005-08-25T05:41:26.843-07:00Memories of RunningFor me, life has a way of being dormant for long periods of time, followed by short periods of high stress. A volcano if you will. It’s at these times that I turn to running.During Marine Corps boot camp, there were 2 things that I always looked forward to: church and our daily run. Church was always a pleasant experience, because the Drill Instructors didn’t attend. It did notRobnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1123162870429952022005-08-04T06:26:00.000-07:002005-08-04T06:41:10.436-07:00Adventures in Cooking: Sweet & Sour PorkWell, I'm back. Sort of. Work is still busy, but I also wanted to chronicle some of the cooking I'm trying out right now. I figured the blog would be the perfect place to review the dishes that I'm making, so that if I want to refresh my memory on how well or badly a receipt went, I can just search here.Today's Adventure in Cooking is Alton Brown's Sweet & Robnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1114436574224060732005-04-25T06:42:00.000-07:002005-04-25T06:42:54.226-07:00Busier Than a One Armed Paper HangerI have a new admiration for some of the bloggers out there. There are several that I read where I know the authors are ridiculously busy. Somehow, they still manage to get entries posted to their blogs, and insightful ones at that.For the two people that read my blog (and I am exaggerating the readership), please know that work is absolutely over the top busyRobnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1111677130532261672005-03-24T07:09:00.000-08:002005-03-24T07:12:10.536-08:00Vertical CoffinThis book was penned by the legendary Stephen J. Cannell. I think everyone is familiar with his writing for television shows, but this is the first time I’ve run across a novel of his, although he’s written many.Vertical coffin is the term police officers use to describe doorways. Doorways are often one of the most dangerous places for a cop, because they often don’t know what theyRobnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1111415231849733142005-03-21T06:17:00.000-08:002005-03-21T06:29:31.083-08:00The Memory of RunningI just finished up listening to the unabridged audio book of “The Memory of Running” by Ron McLarty.At the end of the audio book, there is a lengthy interview with the author (pretty cool feature of an audio book). He mentions that since he is an actor and playwright, he often reads his writing aloud after he completes part of it to make sure it’s moving along as he intends. Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1111156105486353592005-03-18T06:23:00.000-08:002005-03-18T06:28:25.486-08:00Los Angeles AngelsOkay, I think that changing the name of the Angels to the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" was a "whatever" moment for me. In any event, the owner of the Angels has gotten his wish and all of the media has started referring to the Angles as the "Los Angeles Angels".It's just really, really weird looking at the scores and just seeing "Los Angeles". I've never liked the Dodgers Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1110984203918713392005-03-16T06:38:00.000-08:002005-03-16T06:43:23.920-08:00HappinessOne of my favorite radio personalities is April Winchell. She's definitely one of the funniest people on the radio. Unfortunately, she doesn't do much radio at the moment, so I like reading her blog.Yesterday she posted about happiness, and I think she's more right than wrong in her assessment.Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1109869504848057532005-03-03T08:47:00.000-08:002005-03-03T09:35:10.356-08:00Plane CrashA plane crashed last Monday in the next city over from where I live. In reading the accounts from the local newspaper, I get the sense that this accident was entirely avoidable.According to weather.com, sunset was 5:42 p.m. In the newspaper article, they reported the following; my comments below each bullet:1. That the instructor was planning on practicing takeoffs/landings from Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1108577112777799512005-02-16T10:02:00.000-08:002005-02-16T10:05:12.776-08:00Sand Interesting use of sand as art. The artist turns the composition of his art into the focal point of the performance. Fascinating.Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1108562751656503982005-02-16T06:00:00.000-08:002005-02-16T06:05:51.656-08:00Jungle Cruise JokesThe Jungle Cruise at Disneyland is truly a relic. What keeps it entertaining is the myriad of jokes that the boat captains have at their disposal to use throughout the ride.Someone has done an outstanding job of cataloging them here. Enjoy!Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1108490575361499562005-02-15T09:57:00.000-08:002005-02-15T10:02:55.370-08:00Taxing CommutersNot just no. Hell no. Let me get this straight. I'll have to pay additional tax because I get the pleasure of living in this nightmare of urban sprawl called Los Angeles? You've got to be kidding. So my $10,000 a year to the People's Republic of California isn't enough? You need more? Because you can't manage a surplus, it's my problem?Robnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1108473973208664412005-02-15T05:17:00.000-08:002005-02-15T05:26:13.210-08:00Tivo To GoOver the weekend, my Tivo finally received the software update so that I can now transfer television programs to my PC. My first reaction to this was, um, okay neat. Then I realized I could archive as many Good Eats shows as possible!For example, we tried to make fudge over the Christmas holiday this year using Alton Brown's recipe from Food Network. Well, the recipe is just not enough.Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1108413254191619462005-02-14T12:33:00.000-08:002005-02-14T12:34:14.193-08:00Best Translator EverI'm simply at a loss for words for this use of technology. Enjoy!Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1108392360367530752005-02-14T06:42:00.000-08:002005-02-14T06:46:00.366-08:00Dancing with the DevilGood capitalist that I am, I'm giving Google AdSense a try. That's those links over to the right. I'd like to say that the motivation for this is pure geek, but hey, if someone throws some cash my way then all the better.I will have to say that it's fairly interesting seeing which ads are run on the site. Right now, it seems that ads for Disney World are getting the most Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1108338986168521852005-02-13T15:52:00.000-08:002005-02-13T15:56:26.170-08:00Guilty PleasuresiTunes is probably one of the most evil creations ever. Why? Because by browsing their store, I happened across a lot of music that I absolutlely loved while in high school. And with one click, it was sitting on my hard drive and playing loudly through my speakers. Loudly.I doubt I would have made a purchase like this browsing my local music store, or even Amazon.com. The Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1108131937325423412005-02-11T06:03:00.000-08:002005-02-11T06:58:58.523-08:00FirefoxAfter originally working with the beta version of Firefox, I went back to Internet Explorer because of various formatting issues that I encountered with Gmail. I figured they'd figure out the problem for the final release, so I'm finally back to Firefox, and they have fixed those problems.I'm glad I went back, because they have an Extension for the browser called Flashblock. Normally, I Robnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1107313204347878292005-02-01T18:54:00.000-08:002005-02-01T19:00:04.346-08:00 Image Two weeks and two extremes. Last week, I was at Walt Disney World for Lotusphere. Not only am I a certified Disney geek, but am also a real geek, so I felt right at home in this atmosphere. Fast forward to this week, and I’m smack dab in the middle of probably the trendiest area of Hollywood: The Sunset Strip. My hotel is flanked by the House of Blues and The Comedy Store. Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1107124572798967462005-01-30T14:27:00.000-08:002005-01-30T14:37:44.433-08:00Hollyweird
After arriving home very, very, very early on Saturday morning from Florida, I'll be out of the office for yet another week. While at the conference last week, the folks back home were busy trying to get a recently approved project up and running. They weren't kidding and I'm finding myself hopping in the car this evening and heading to Hollywood. Since the training is during regular Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1106323225484023812005-01-21T08:00:00.000-08:002005-01-21T08:06:05.803-08:00Home
I recently moved to a new house that is within a few miles of the city that I grew up in. It’s great being around old friends again, and quite frankly, feeling “home.” I’ve been a bit of a nomad for the past 10 years, so I’ve had a hard time considering anywhere “home.” From the Marine Corps to the Silicon Valley to Los Angeles and finally back home, in a desert community outside of Palm Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1106235770490454202005-01-20T07:20:00.000-08:002005-01-20T07:52:53.356-08:00Lotusphere 2005
It's that time of year again; the annual pilgrimage to Walt Disney World to geek out with 8,000 complete strangers for Lotusphere. This year, my plan is to take photos each day and make my best effort to have them online the same day. We’ll see how well that works out.
I’m leaving late Friday night and arriving Saturday morning, where I’ll meet up with a long time friend to soakRobnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1106059383814367162005-01-18T06:39:00.000-08:002005-01-18T06:43:03.813-08:00What the?
Okay, I'm back to blogging, but maybe I shouldn't be about this! I was wandering over at Rocky Oliver's weblog, and noticed he took one of those incredibly stupid time wasting irrelevant personality tests. I just couldn't resist!
What Famous Leader Are You?personality tests by similarminds.com
After looking at the results, I should have resisted. As I've said in the past, I'm Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1103213014728444142004-12-16T08:00:00.000-08:002004-12-16T08:03:34.726-08:00Merry Christmas
I'm done. Super duper done with "Happy Holidays." I'm so very tired of all of the political correctness now a days. It's completely out of hand, and I have zero desire to live in a country like France that doesn't allow any religous expression.
So I'm officially announcing that "Happy Holidays" has left my vocabulary and will be replaced with "Merry Christmas." If you have aRobnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1103211715005063892004-12-16T07:35:00.000-08:002004-12-16T07:41:55.006-08:00You Don't Know Jack
We live in a world where seemingly everything is known. That’s how I saw the world until the wonderful audio book, “A Short History of Nearly Everything” entered my life. I’m halfway through the audio book, and I can confidently say that we know jack. That’s being generous.
It’s probably because I’m not as educated as most, but I just didn’t understand the level of Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1102439653465219982004-12-07T09:10:00.000-08:002004-12-07T09:14:13.466-08:00This blog now has an RSS feed. Schweet!
Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1101825282642609712004-11-30T06:32:00.000-08:002004-11-30T06:34:42.653-08:00In Car Traffic Reports
Hi. It's 2004. Why in the heck aren't devices like this already built into the GPS navigation systems on new cars? Yeah, I know they are coming, but you'd think they'd be here by now. Anyway, I ordered one of these and I'll let you know how it works out. I just wish it extended into Riverside.
Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1101134296046859082004-11-22T06:33:00.000-08:002004-11-22T06:38:16.073-08:00Let It Snow!
We awoke Sunday morning to a white blanket of snow in the yard. In Southern California. Where it never snows. Never. Ever. Did I say never?
Here's some more photos.
Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1100788452413366582004-11-18T06:22:00.000-08:002004-11-18T06:34:12.413-08:00Figuring the Mass of the Earth
This morning's commute centered on how scientists were able to compute the mass of the Earth, without ever leaving the planet. One of Newton's laws was that every object exerts a force on every other object, proportionate to it's mass and distance from the other object. Although I'd never know, when I walk into my living room, my cat is drawn towards me and I'm Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1100787689878929882004-11-18T06:16:00.000-08:002004-11-18T06:21:29.876-08:00CPU Idle Time
How about dumping that really cool screen saver, and donating your idle CPU cycles toward a worthy cause. It comes with a neat-o screen saver as well!
Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1100700659557318202004-11-17T05:56:00.000-08:002004-11-17T06:10:59.556-08:00A Short History of Nearly Everything
After finishing the most excellent Ender's Game (how in the heck did I miss this book growing up?), I've downloaded and burned all 18 hours of my next audio book, A Short History of Nearly Everything.
I'm only about 45 minutes into the first disc, and I can tell you that I'm absolutely enthralled with the material. The book is actually more of a source of Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1100193390972284802004-11-11T09:13:00.000-08:002004-11-11T09:16:30.973-08:00Something made my day today. A co-worker approached me and thanked me for my service to my country. That has never happened before, and I just wanted to tell everyone how that simple gesture has completely made my day. If you happen to know any veterans, give them a "thanks" and you too can feel great about having made someone's day! (No, don't thank me, I already feel great, thank someone Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1100133749788567772004-11-10T16:40:00.000-08:002004-11-10T16:42:29.786-08:00Happy Birthday Marine Corps! And God speed to those of you in harms way, Marine or otherwise.
Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1099576388382916592004-11-04T05:49:00.000-08:002004-11-04T05:53:08.383-08:00I ran across this really interesting graphic of how counties are broken down in the presidential election. I was actually surprised to see so much red. Granted, there's less people in a majority of these parts. I did find it interesting how the entire State of California votes Democrat mainly because of the San Francisco Bay Area, while most of the state (location wise) votes Republican.
Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1099496493544209732004-11-03T07:37:00.000-08:002004-11-03T07:41:33.543-08:00I've finally figured out how to incorporate a moblog into my blog. I've had a camera phone for about 1 1/2 years; it's about time I figured this out.
Anyway, the photos section located on the right of this page should be updated much more frequently now. I have it set so that I can take pictures throughout the day with my camera phone, and they will appear almost instantly on the blog.
Q: Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1098798704888141272004-10-26T06:44:00.000-07:002004-10-26T06:57:02.623-07:00I'm studying to obtain my Sun Java Programmer's certification. The exam is apparently much more difficult than the IBM or Microsoft exams, so I've been hitting the books pretty hard as of late.
The main book I've been using was written by the same people that penned Sun's exam. What's odd is that these people have a sense of humor, which is rare. Here's a passage that's made my studying time a Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1098369678655488142004-10-21T07:35:00.000-07:002004-10-21T07:41:18.656-07:00When I got home yesterday, I was treated to the sight of our pool crumbling. There's a whole lot of money in that hole in the backyard, and this is really not something you'd like to see.
As you can see, the back wall of the pool is coming apart and falling into the muddy waters below. My foot sinks 6 inches for every step I take in the backyard, so I can't really see the damage for any other Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1098307492963575042004-10-20T14:23:00.000-07:002004-10-20T14:28:44.760-07:00Some of my compatriots asked to see my "sweet office setup" that I reference when musing the purchase of an Aeron chair a few posts back.
Here it is!
Robnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1098284331393108302004-10-20T07:55:00.000-07:002004-10-20T07:58:51.403-07:00It's raining in Los Angeles, and we're proving once again that we have no idea how to drive in any kind of wheather other than sunny.
Maybe on this afternoon's drive home, I'll finish all 9 of those CD's I talked about in today's earlier post. Yee-haw.Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1098281885549720462004-10-20T07:09:00.000-07:002004-10-20T07:19:45.876-07:00I recently moved to a very nice home in a very nice area. At the same time, I inherited a commute to work that some have commented as “insane.” The bastards; they’re right.
After listening to talk radio for the past 3 months, I can tell you that I have heard more about politics than any person should consume. I’m also convinced that both presidential candidates are complete dolts. Worse than theRobnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1098107740823625282004-10-18T06:54:00.000-07:002004-10-18T06:55:40.823-07:00To believe the lunacy of both presidential campaigns currently being fought, you might think that everyone is completely focused on becoming as politically correct as possible. Thankfully, Mr. Matt Ouimet, President of Disneyland, has made some command decisions to move away from his predecessors focus on not offending anyone.
The change I’m most excited about is the return of the pistols to Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1097176371068117792004-10-07T11:54:00.000-07:002004-10-07T12:15:37.250-07:00Angels vs. Red SoxLast night, I had the opportunity to take in Game 2 of the American League Division Series between the Anaheim Angels and the Boston Red Sox. I went with my colleague, John, and we headed down to the ballpark a bit early to avoid the heavy traffic that was prevalent at Game 1.
While we sat in our seats and enjoyed a few drinks, the Red Sox were taking batting practice. Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1097096198339439202004-10-06T13:24:00.000-07:002004-10-06T13:56:38.340-07:00I'm in the market for a home office chair, now that I've furnished my home office with a sweet setup from workspaces.com. Of course, I have to at least consider an Areon chair, but they're just so damn expensive (e.g. $600). While poking around on the web, I found this site that points out the pitfalls of the Areon chair. You need to take a look at the movies though. They're classic!
Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1097072653832087072004-10-06T07:18:00.000-07:002004-10-06T07:42:09.363-07:00I have been eagerly awaiting this November since I spent some time at e3 this year. If you’ve ever been to this amazing conference, you’ll find at least 10 different games that are coming the future that will have you salivating. Well, it happens that most of those games that I am eagerly awaiting are all coming out in November. What are they?
Rollercoaster Tycoon 3
Rollercoaster Tycoon 3—I’m Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1091451826499968502004-08-02T06:01:00.000-07:002004-08-02T06:03:46.500-07:00This article is a must read for anyone in the software development world. My favorite quote: "If there is a Michael Jordan of hacking, no one knows, including him."Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1090871243594335172004-07-26T12:45:00.000-07:002004-07-26T12:49:44.146-07:00My post from a few days ago regarding that woman's trip on a passenger plane that was fraught with danger is apparently a complete overreaction on her part. I feel pretty foolish for just accepting a report like that as fact. Snopes has more on the truth of the matter. And check out this article with a great composite photo.
Robnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041575.post-1090846700224346162004-07-26T05:57:00.000-07:002004-07-26T05:58:20.223-07:00Want a Gmail account? I have 3 invites for the first 3 comments of this post.
Robnoreply@blogger.com6