The NY Times seems to have suffered an epiphany of sorts.  Long have they derided any calls to change Social Security, they now are basically taking up the banner of others when they report: By the same token, the ratio of workers to retired people will decline from about six to one now to about two to one by 2040. Breaking a lifelong promise and abruptly extending the retirement age would create another large class of malcontents. As a result, the government has been unable to re...

You have to love the person who created this. Some say Hillary. Some say Obama. Others say a warped blogger with talent. Like me! Except the last part.

"Experts: Safeguards Lacking on Cadavers"--headline, Associated Press, March 8 Can't have that!  They might hurt themselves. "Property Casualty Insurers Association Tells New Jersey Senate That Boats Are Not Automobiles"--headline, SNLi.com, March 8 Next lesson?  "Dick and Jane". "Harvey Milk Sculpture Planned for SF"--headline, Associated Press, March 9 Is that the whey to create a sculpture? "Report: Mayo in Car Stopped by Police"--headline, Charleston (W.Va...

"Experts: Safeguards Lacking on Cadavers"--headline, Associated Press, March 8 Can't have that!  They might hurt themselves. "Property Casualty Insurers Association Tells New Jersey Senate That Boats Are Not Automobiles"--headline, SNLi.com, March 8 Next lesson?  "Dick and Jane". "Harvey Milk Sculpture Planned for SF"--headline, Associated Press, March 9 Is that the whey to create a sculpture? "Report: Mayo in Car Stopped by Police"--headline, Charleston (W.Va...

This weekend I had the enormous joy of doing my taxes.  I still lack one form, but have a good handle on the amount on it.  Still, there was not a lot of surprises this year on my taxes.  Until I got to the end.  Remember that "tax Credit" that we got for our children (only under 16)? (A euphemistic way of saying that you actually get to keep some money to assist in the cost of raising children.) Well, the clowns in DC have decided I don't get all of that credit.  Why...

I use to pull all nighters with regularity back in the day.  My first was in high school for a lock in, and then many during college.  Once I put away my irresponsible days, I put away all nighters as well.....NOT. For several reasons, I have done all nighters from the time I graduated from College, to but a handful of years ago (the former being BC - before personal Computers - the latter being APP - After Prom Parties).  But in all cases, either due to lack of access or the f...

"That's a bad habit!  Eww!" "What is?" he asked, not bothering turning to his wife when he spoke. "Not looking at someone when they are talking!  You never look at me!  Why dont you look at me when I am talking.  It is called being polite!  You use to look at me all the time.  You use to look at me with stars in your eyes!  Now, you dont look at me, and you dont talk to me!" "I am talking to you now.  What do you want me to say?" he replied while ...

Somethings are absolute.  In that no amount of pontificating, politicizing, or lying, can change them.  One is the law of Supply and Demand.  You can deny it, but it will prove you wrong every time. Another is the law of conservation of matter.  In other words, matter changes form, but the sum total (with minor exceptions) is not changed.  And so the supply of water - whether salt or fresh - is a constant. But now, We are supposed to believe that if global warming ...

A man lives in a moderate sized city.  Not big, but with plenty of options for buying his necessities. One of them is gas.  The place around the corner is advertising $2.30 a gallon.  WOW!  He says.  And he aims to go there.  But then a place 5 miles away advertises $2.25 a gallon.  Wow!  Save 5 cents a gallon!  So he drives 10 miles (5 up and back) to save 5 cents a gallon)!  He fills his 20 gallon tank and saves a buck.  The extra ...

"Frank Snowden, Former Howard Dean, Dies"--headline, United Press International, Feb. 28 Howard Dean is not an original? "Honey, Root May Help Staph Infection"--headline, Arizona Republic, Feb. 27 So much for healthy honey! "Snails Save Energy by Re-Using Mucus Trails"--headline, LiveScience.com, March 1 Snail powered Houses next? "Inspector General Says School That Uses Shock Therapy Overcharged"--headline, Associated Press, March 1 "Crank the volts down to just ...

"Frank Snowden, Former Howard Dean, Dies"--headline, United Press International, Feb. 28 Howard Dean is not an original? "Honey, Root May Help Staph Infection"--headline, Arizona Republic, Feb. 27 So much for healthy honey! "Snails Save Energy by Re-Using Mucus Trails"--headline, LiveScience.com, March 1 Snail powered Houses next? "Inspector General Says School That Uses Shock Therapy Overcharged"--headline, Associated Press, March 1 "Crank the volts down to just ...

Well, as Gideon says, Y2Kv7 has come and gone.  ANd it was not without pain.  From Solaris boxes that needed a lib-c and kernel patch, to firewalls that did not like a manual work around.  it has been an interesting 2 weeks.  2 weeks to the day I returned. Cisco was the easiest.  Just a one line configuration change, and voila!  200+ routers and a bunch of switches were patched. Ditto NetApp boxes (running a modified Unix core).  Microsoft?  Well, if yo...

I know a man.  Man.  Kind of funny to refer to a person whose diapers I changed, but then he is a man.  Now almost 36.  A father - a good father to a wonderful little girl.  Whose name, like so many in his family, bears the surname of his grandfather.  Who had no sons.  So his name could not be brought forward under his lineage.  Yet of his grandchildren, and children, at least 5 bear his surname now.  Girls and boys.  It is like Chris.  In ...

Yep!  Not since the early 80s has the Commonwealth of Virginia been so endowed in the sport of hoops!  This year, barring an injustice on the order of the Immaculate reception, Virginia should have 3, maybe 4, teams in the big dance! Virginia Commonwealth University (the only school that gets the name right) qualified last night.  UVA and Va. Tech should be in by virtue of beating every top tier team in the ACC (they just could not figure out how to beat the also rans).  O...

"Giants Meet to Counter US Power"--headline, Times (London), Feb. 15 What are the Cowboys going to do about it? "Colorado Man Places 3rd in Sled Dog Race"--headline, Rocky Mountain News, Feb. 14 He would probably have done better if he had used dogs. "Monster Exec Wants to Plead Guilty"--headline, Associated Press, Feb. 15 I had one of those.  A shame he was not convicted too. "Dole Recalls Cantaloupes"--headline, Associated Press, Feb. 16 Did the viagra help...