The Time Sink

Yep, a late page flip here in the land of the time sunk... Sunk without a trace. Ah well, late nights lead to late mornings, especially when it's a holiday (as it is here in the States).

The goals today are of the simple sort: breakfast in a bit, blade after a bit, and maybe, just maybe clean some in the library. One thing I found over the last week or so (as I try to transition into the school schedule): I came to depend on the wireless linkage much more than I'd thought. Hmmm... That needs to be fixed soonest. ...and that needs a bench.

Oh, yeah: John, the ribs turned out okay. Maybe an eight... A rub and low heat for the first several hours, mopped with Tony Roma's and low heat for another few. Verdict: tasty enough, but perhaps a little too hot a rub. ...and not falling off the bone. The plan: next time my own rub and a try with a suggestion from Cecil of We're Hosed. Details on that when it happens...

A full stomach and an empty brain... Yeah, a late post today. ...later than even I planned. My brain is drained... I spent much of Monday working with (I'd say learning, but that's a little optimistic) some JavaScript.

I'm trying to finish the Bonfante Gardens page and I'm dinking around with using popups instead of an HTML page to show the full-sized pictures.

As usual, I'm playing the role of Sisyphus on the learning curve. There're actually two different implementations on the test page (as best I recall<g>). ...and another ten iterations to try. Life would be simpler if the pics were all the same size.

Ah, well; "Knowledge is Good..."

Quick, for twenty points and a free link to Daynotes: That's the motto for which college???

...and I did pick up a thing or two while I was frying my brain: this page will sometimes fix those times when IE gets stuck and opens new windows in the last size some bit of script opened one. I say sometimes, as I seem to need to run it every time I reboot. ...and even then results aren't consistent.

Hooohaahaaahaahaaa... Oh, dear. Ha! I can't believe it. Ooffff. Bwahhahahahahahahhh. I can't breath. Someone call 119 (that's the one when you really don't want help...). Hehehehehehe... Heh! Oh, I can't take it... No, there's no way on this earth.. Ah, heck. Chortle, laugh, guffaw:

My gosh. Hhahahahhahah. I just can't stand it. Hey, thanks garret; I needed that. If I can catch my breath. Hooohee hahahah...

Ack... I can see how this semester's homework load is going to have an effect here: last night got sucked into the 'special report' hole and I never quite recovered. Heck, I didn't even try; I gave up and went to bed around 2200. 'Course that meant wakie-wakie at 0400... Sheesh.

Ummm, let's see... The college was Faber College. If you don't know or care, you're in good company; if you knew the answer and the movie reference, you're in good company<g>.

In other news, Maximum Linux is no more; I found out when a copy of Wired showed up in the mail as the consolation prize... I guess the penguinistas only want hardcopy from their printers. Yeah, that may be a little harsh; but as I was talking to a support staffer from CoffeeCup Software, the outfit whose software I use to generate my sites, she mentioned they'd stopped work on their Linux product. Yep, mostly due to lack of product interest. Now, some of that may be due to marketing. ...and a lot may be due to the penetration Bluefish has with the open source crowd.

...and Friday it is! Yeah. ...and another data point or two on the learning curve! I've definitely figured out I'm less of a stress case so far this semester since I'm not teaching. If I was doing class prep tonight, I think I'd be a wreck, especially after the last two weeks. ...and I'd miss the game with the Badgers tomorrow morning! Yeah, the local team is heading into Wisconsin with a national ranking. It should be a good game.

...and I probably will be playing the teaching game again later this semester. The guy coordinating the program rejuvenated a class we haven't taught for years: a First Responder course. "First Responders" locally are defined as any unit assigned a non-transport function in the emergency services, generally fire department equipment and some law enforcement personnel. With my time in the field as a medic, my years as an engineer in the fire service, and with a degree in Fire Science, I'm considered a good fit for this sort of thing... Ah, well. So much for the break<g>...

...but the current mini-break may be enough to let me get some work done on computers. I'm going to just put the pen tablet stuff on hold and get going on Wolf's rebuild. I keep needing the mid-range image-massaging software I have on that machine. That, and I find I'm paranoid about running a Win95 box as the primary Win32 platform rather than as the backup.

The other item that's stayed on the top of the list is a wireless link to the laptop. Wolf's reincarnation may solve that problem, but I want that solution as it lets me work in the kitchen while the guys are doing homework. Lots of plans; not so much time...

Ah, heck: Another one bites the dust. NetObjects is no more. They were still trying up until mid-week, but the California support crowd is gone and the fulfillment service is just passing along rumors after corporate shut down earlier this week. Darn... They had one of the better site management tools. NetObjects 4 was okay; 5 was a disaster; but 6, aka "MX", was a viable candidate for revitalizing the line. Ah, well...

...and for anyone looking to update/upgrade/replace their aged version of Colorado Backup Exec (stand alone for Win9x/NT workstation), and who remembers the migration to Seagate and maybe even the soft landing at Veritas, that product is still available; but only though Stomp, the outfit that sells the CD burning software and supplies. Not to fear; it's the same old Backup Exec. ...not even on steroids, just a reasonable update to recognize burners and such.

Well, at least my part of the homework for the weekend is done: The template for this semester's book reports is set up and ready for end-user testing. At least this semester we've found a teacher who wants 'book reports' rather than 'arts and crafts projects based around a book'!

...and just so you can dive into one of those time sinks I specialize in, the other day Scripting News linked to an article from CFO.com that discusses the "Free, as in Free Beer" aspects of Linux in the corporate environment. It's a pretty good read, mentioning how Linux ends up as an installed base without a business case ever being presented (hint: at zero cost for a download, IT doesn't need to prepare one!) and ending with a short review of how Linux is used in application environments. ...and hey, they mention Winnebago:

MAINFRAME: Yes, the mainframe is back, and it's running Linux--an increasingly popular method of eliminating servers and lowering the total cost of ownership. That's what Winnebago Industries Inc. is doing now as it experiments with moving its mail server back onto the mainframe, an approach that may help it reduce the $100,000 annual expense by 30 percent.

...and if that sets off a memory chain, it might be you're recalling my piece from a few months back referencing Winnebago's adventures in Linux-based email on Big Iron.