Monday - 10 April 2000
Gas Relief. Gas prices here have held steady this week at about USD $1.77/gal. (4.546 litres) for regular unleaded self-serve. According to the Lundberg Survey, the average price across the U.S. of $1.57 actually went down 2.49 cents from the previous week. Lundberg is saying they see continuing falling prices in the near term.
Smart Networks. Realnetworks, maker of the most popular software for playing audio and video over the Internet, announced today it will use the Akamai (Hawai'ian for "smart") Technologies network to speed delivery of their files. Akamai uses over 2,700 high speed servers located in 45 countries to intelligently move streaming data around the 'net. See the press release here.
----- BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK ----- ver 3.12 www.geekcode.com/geek.html GG/GSS d+ s+:+ a+ C++ L U P+ L+ E-- W+++ N+ o-- K- w+ O M-- V PS++ PE Y+ PGP t+ 5++ X-- R-- tv+ b+ DI++ D- G e+++ H-- r+++ y? ----- END GEEK CODE BLOCK -----
***** Noon Update *****
Switching Switches. I know I'll probably regret this. But I decided to get a KVM switch. Actually, I don't regret getting the switch, what I regret is having only one brand (Belkin) to choose from at buy.com. I think it was one of the UK chaps who said Belkin was not up to snuff. But as I had only one choice, that's the one I went with. I also noticed that Robert Bruce Thompson will be taking a look at KVM switches so we'll see what information he can find.
I also wanted to add my two cents in what he had to say about getting a quality switch and cables. Cables. It's always the cables. So get good ones. As Robert says better than I can, the amount of data that is flowing through your average video cable is higher than anything else in your PC. So, it's vitally important to have quality materials all the way along the path. If you don't, what you'll see is double-image ghosting similar to what you see on TV when you are getting multi-path interference.
Also, when you order your switch, remember to order the cables also. They don't usually come with the switch and you will need them...I let you know how things work out as soon as the switch arrives and I get it installed at home.
Package Status: In Transit
Last Scanned on: Apr 10, 2000 4:54 A.M.
Last Scanned at: HONOLULU HI
Sent on: Apr 7, 2000
Shipped to: HONOLULU, HI US
Tracking Number: 1Z8957050204495266
UPS Service Type: SECOND DAY AIR
Package Weight: 5 Lbs
Package Progress
Date Time Location Activity
Apr 10, 2000 4:54 A.M. HONOLULU, HI DESTINATION
Apr 9, 2000 6:35 P.M. HONOLULU-METRO, HI US LOCATION SCAN
Apr 7, 2000 8:37 A.M. HONOLULU, HI ARRIVAL
5:45 A.M. ONTARIO INTL, CA DEPARTURE SCAN
3:45 A.M. SHIPMENT DATA RECEIVED
1:11 A.M. ONTARIO HUB, CA US LOCATION SCAN
Tracking results provided by UPS: Apr 10, 2000 3:01 P.M. Eastern Time (USA)
The More Things Change. One of the reasons for changing over to Pair.com was its reputation for up-time. Well, nothing is perfect. And neither is Pair. I've had problems getting access to my site for the last hour. By that I mean, web access, ftp, email, and telnet. Nothing works. For that matter, trying to access Dr. Pournelle's site fails also. And Robert Bruce Thompson (both of which are also on Pair). Sigh.
OK. Access is back (for now). A quick check of support.pair.com (which was also missing in action) indicates problems with Sprint. Which may be true. But even so, what happened to redundant lines to other providers? Why does Sprint going down take everything else with it? Operators are standing by.
Taxing Times. The US Taxman is rapidly approaching. We met with our accountant over the weekend and wrote out a five figure check to settle last years income. This, in addition to having tax deductions from my paycheck in five figures also.
Our accountant suggested buying another house as the interest paid is tax deductible. When we asked her how we could afford the mortgage payments, given that the average house sells here for between USD $500,000 to 600,000 she said just put 50% down and finance the balance. Wait. Let me check my pocket for a spare $250,000. Nope. Not there. Sigh. At least it's done. I can't wait 'til next year. Not.
Car Walking. So, we went to the Motor Trend Intention Car Show at the Waikiki Convention Center, oops. I should say, Hawai'i Convention Center. Located in Waikiki. You know. The one that doesn't have enough parking because the facility is for visitors. Not residents. So it don't need no stinkin' parking. So they used parking located in a shopping center that was three blocks away and across the street. If I wanted to do that much walking I wouldn't have a car.
As to the show itself. We were sorely disappointed. While we did not expect a show on par with the major ones on the mainland or in Europe, we were led to believe that this years show would be much larger than in years past. This did not turn out to be true. At least, not in the sense that there were more vehicles to see.
And I also expected to see "show cars." That is, concept cars designed by the major design studios and manufacturers to show the direction they may be taking in the future. Not one was shown. You would have thought that our proximity to Japan would have made it easy for them to show at least one. But noooooo.
On the other hand. I did get to see the Ferrari 360 Modena. And, by the way, a big well done to Michael Schumacher of Germany for his F1 victory in the San Marino Grand Prix (see the story here ).
I also drooled over the Sport Utility Vehicle of all SUVs. The Humvee. I think Bob's M-2HB Browning .50 cal will fit into the mount quite nicely.
And finally, the Bimmer of all current BMWs, the 5.4 litre, V-12 750iL. Of course, with 13/20 mile per gallon (city/freeway respectively), the greenies will have you drawn and quartered. YMMV.
Aloha!
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Tuesday - 11 April 2000
Browser Wars, Episode IV. The Webstandards Project yesterday blasted Microsoft's IE 5.5 beta for not adhering to the W3C HTML standards (see the press release here).
"We are incensed by Microsoft's arrogance, and perplexed by its schizophrenic decision to support standards on one platform while undercutting them on another," said Web Standards Project group leader Jeffrey Zeldman.<snip>
"The Web community has waited for more than four years for Microsoft to fulfill their long-standing pledge to fully adhere to W3C-issued Recommendations," said WaSP Steering Committee member Sally Khudairi. "The collective patience of both users and developers is running out: why should anyone settle for Web pages that work on only one browser, on one platform and on a limited set of devices?"
Yeehaw! Ridem' cowboy! I couldn't have said it better myself.
Tree Stump Pulling Torque. Or something like that. I've spent all of the time that I usually use in the morning to write my posting to search for one bit of information. Just what exactly is the mileage of a Hummer? I checked their web site. And I checked the EPA web site. Neither has anything on mileage for this vehicle. Surely there must be something somewhere? But so far, I'm stumped. I guess I'll just have to turn in my red cape.
Tora! Tora! Tora! The sights and sounds of real Rei Shiki Sento Ki were seen and heard in the skies over Pearl Harbor yesterday for the first time since December 7, 1941. They may be the wrong model year. And they may be painted incorrectly, but they are the real thing (as opposed to US planes painted to look like Japanese ones in Tora 3X). Oh. WHAT are they you say? Perhaps this hint: they were also called the Zero. See the story here (note that this link will probably expire by noon HST today).
Mail Call.
This in from last week's post about the new Navy Submarine Hawaii. Sorry for not putting this up earlier but I had to forward it from home to work first. As always, the standard disclaimers apply.
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark K. Smith [mksmith@aroundthelake.com] To: Dan Seto
Sent: Friday, April 07, 2000 5:05 PM
Subject: Re: SubsThe very first were three minelaying subs from WWII. Instead of using them for minelaying, they were used for the marine radiers(sp). The others were just mods done to noraml ones, I think. Form one of the exseals books out there. The main problem is that the navy retired the old before the new ones were ready. This retired with no operational replacement is becoming too much in use from the military. My old postmaster was in the UDT, and told me of a climb in the 1950's to leave some gifts from the old Russian radar stations. But the way some of the operations have been done in the last actions, have been stupid. Way too much of the right hand not telling the left what is going on! Oh, by the way, did you know that at one point, there were over 60 groups or operations going on, without the joint chiefs of staff knowing that they had them. At the time, all special groups were under the joint chiefs of staff. A total of $300,000 on record was found to have been spent in the total black. More was spent, but a number of general offiers didn't let anyone in until the paper shardders(sp?) were done. The most current reading on the seals is that too many of the people in the groups now worry too much about getting their general stars, instead of doing what needs to be done for the mission. They have gotton more toys to play with, but will the officiers let the job get done ver worring about there review latter. Overall the main problem is information. You have heard about the NSA trying to record everything it can. But the last I heard was that the deptartment had only even people to read about 10% of what the computers were flagging. Since that report, the volume of info to be look at has done nothing but go WAY up. You have heard about the FSB in russia having a direct line into the internet. Good luck, it's like a 5 year old boy, with a toy bucket, trying to get all of the next wave coming in at the ocean!
Mark
From: Jan Swijsen [qjsw@oce.nl]
To: Dan Seto
Reply-To: sjon@svenson.com
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 10:47:14 +0100>And finally, the Bimmer of all current BMWs, the 5.4 litre, V-12 750iL. Of course, with 13/20 mile per gallon (city/freeway respectively), the greenies will have you drawn and quartered. YMMV.
I don't think the greens would appreciate the HumVee more. (why are there no consumption figures on the amgmil site, I wonder.)
--
Svenson.Mail at work : qjsw@oce.nl, or call : (Oce HQ)-4727 Mail at home : sjon@svenson.com----- Original Message -----
From: Dan Seto
To: Sjon Svenson
Subject: Re: cars
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 07:48:52 -1000As you found out, there does not appear to be a mileage rating for the Hummer. I checked their site and the US Environmental Protection Agency and did not find anything. Perhaps there is an European equivalent to EPA mileage ratings? If so, perhaps they have something. But so far, I'm stumped. I can't find anything. I realize they have several models with several different engines (including a diesel), but there should be a mileage rating SOMEWHERE!
It must get truly awful mileage...
From: Dan Bowman [dbowman@americanambulance.net]
To: Dan Seto
Subject: Happy to help
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 08:51:06 -0700Dear Uncle Dan,
I noticed your dilemma with the US tax code on your site last night. To ease your burden, you may be want to avail yourself of recourse through 'gifting' monies to relatives. To this end, I'd like to offer the services of at least one subset of your extended family (God Bless Great Uncle Edward, known as "The Prolific").
Shelley, the boys, and I would graciously accept any monies you care to send our way; I believe I can also speak for your second cousins twice removed, RunTunTun, Soda and Mischief. While we cannot generate as much interest as a 401(k), you would be guaranteed greeting cards on your birthday and most holidays. An alternative would be to buy that house your spoke of and move us to Hawai'i. We would be very content to be dependent on you. Perhaps that would be better; I defer to your judgment.
Your devoted nephew,
Dan
Please note: some of the other relatives are available at http://www.daynotes.com.
----- Original Message -----
From: Dan Seto
To: Dan Bowman
Subject: Re: Happy to help
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 06:40:20 -1000Dear Nephew,
The offer is most kind and generous of you (and the gang). I understand that I can give up to $10,000 per person per year. Hmm. So if we give away all of our money, we won't have to pay any taxes!
Of course, this being cyperspace, I will have to transmit the funds in the form of monopoly money. Which of course can only be used at a certain company in Redmond, Washington who's initials are MS.
Thanks again for your kind offer. I will ponder it with Deep Thoughts and get back to you Real Soon Now.
Aloha - Dan
***** Noon Update *****
Win2000 Tip of the Day. From the Windows 2000 Platform Newsletter comes this tip on how to change the default location for installing applications. Note that it requires editing your Registry so all the standard warnings apply (1. back up, 2. back up, and 3. back up). I also don't know if it works on Win9X or not. YMMV.
Most programs install in C:\Program Files by default. You can change this default by editing the registry. Open the Registry Editor by selecting Start | Run | Regedt32. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version. In the right pane, double-click ProgramFilesDir and change the path in the String Editor to the drive and folder you want (i.e. D:\Program Files). You must also modify the entry for ProgramFilesPath.Exit the Registry Editor and restart your computer. Be aware that some programs still require installation in the C:\Program Files folder.
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Hump Day Wednesday - 12 April 2000
"There's this underlying belief that progress in America means that things get better for you, and people don't think their health care is getting better." - Professor Robert Blendon, Harvard University School of Public Health
The quarterly Journal of Futures Research: Futurics, vol. 24 has an interesting article entitled - "Automatic Doctor Machine" (ADM). The author, S. M. Collins of Metropolitan State University notes that the level of customer service in the doctor's office is bad and getting worse. Waits are getting longer. Including that of urgent care.
The Collin's solution is what the author calls "freedom." Or more precisely, Tele-Medical Services. Collins envisions a day in which you could walk into a booth, not unlike a tele-phone booth, and get expert medical care in two minutes. Via high-speed communications networks. You would sit in a chair that is wired with sensors for monitoring blood pressure, temperature, and pulse. There would also be a TV screen that is connected to a registered nurse. And the booth would also have the capability to do simple blood tests, vital signs, and respiratory tests.
If the RN should determine a doctor's visit is required, an appointment could be made right then. But in the majority of cases, it is envisioned that this would not be required. Thus freeing up the physician to deal with the cases that require face-to-face, hands-on contact.
Collins further sees the day in which everyone carries with them their medical history. In the form a Health Smart Card. The credit card sized computer on a chip would contain the person's personal, medical, and insurance information. Having the person responsible for carrying and securing the card solves the problems of creating a centralized database that would be vulnerable to attack. It would also allow the information to be available anywhere. Not just where there is a telephone line to call a central database from a foreign country.
The neatest thing about Collin's vision is that it could be done today. All of the technology exists and is being used, in a fragmented way, all over the world. Could there come a day in which an ADM is as popular as an ATM? Think about it the next time you've waited over half-an-hour for a doctor who will see you for 10 minutes. And then tell you to take two Tylenol and call his nurse practioner in the morning.
PS This is in no way, shape, or form is aimed at our own Dr. Jim. If you read his posts, it is clear that he cares very much for his patients, as I'm sure most M.D.s do. It is also clear that he hates to keep people waiting. But I can't speak for other doctors. The kind that Collin's is talking about. Or a system that creates such situations all too often.
Mail Call
From: PAUL DOMBROSKY
To: Dan Seto
Subject: Netscape 6
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 12:58:43 -1000CNN - in the computing section has a piece on the product and side articles berating IE5. I've tried 6 and continue to like it more each day - by next week I'll use it regularly.
----- Original Message -----
From: Dan Seto
To: PAUL DOMBROSKY
Subject: Re: Netscape 6
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 13:36:09 -1000I kind of like Netscape 6 also. But I wish it were a lot faster. On the other hand, it appears to adhere to the W3C better than IE 5.5 (or so the press release from the standards group says). But some of the people in the daynotes.com gang say they still prefer IE because they use FrontPage to create their pages and only IE displays them like FP creates them. Hmmm. Do you see a connection here?
From: John Doucette [John.Doucette@telus.com]
To: Dan Seto
Subject: Hummer Specifications
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 10:52:33 -0600I found this in approx. 1 minute, so pass over that red cape my friend, or try using google.com for your searches ( highly recommended ). Alternately I as your Daynotes cousin would gladly take cash which would help you with your taxes and help me pay mine.
Price: $45,000 - 75,000 U.S. Body Style/Seats: 2-Dr, 4-Dr, 6,8 Brakes, f/r: Inboard Disc/Inboard Disc Engine: 170 hp/290 ft-lb 6.5-liter diesel V8 Opt: 195 hp/430 ft-lb 6.5-liter ohv Tires: 37x12.5R16.5 Drive/Trans: Awd/4A Min. Ground Clearance: 16.0in Suspension, f/r: A-Arm/A-Arm Min Curb Weight: 6290 lb Wheelbase: 130.0 in Max Cargo Capacity: 58.3 cu ft Length/Width/Ht: 184.5/86.5/75.0in Max Towing Range: 8510 lb Track, f/r: 71.6/71.6 in Restraints: Active Belts Fuel Economy, City/Hwy: 13/17 mpg Basic Warranty, Months/Miles: 36/36,000Cousin John
----- Original Message -----
From: Dan Seto
To: John Doucette
Subject: Re: Hummer Specifications
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 06:55:41 -1000Alright Cousin John! I'll have to add google to my list of places to try. I am still curious as to why I couldn't find anything on their home page nor at the EPA...On the other hand, I'm not sure if I should be happy the Hummer get's mileage as good as a BMW, or angry at BMW for having mileage as bad as a Hummer <g>. YMMV (sorry about that).
As far as the cash. Sorry, I'm fresh out. Nephew Dan ("The Other") has it all.
Thanks.
Aloha - Dan ("The First")
ps The cape is in the mail...<g>
***** Noon Update *****
This Day in History. In 1597, Sir John Harrington, Queen Elizabeth's godson, describes and illustrates the workings of the first flushing toilet. The inventor is not, as widely believed, Sir Thomas Crapper. (Nevertheless, the expression "Someone's on the Harrington" has never caught on.)
Aloha!
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Thursday - 13 April 2000
SSM. Sorry. But this morning and tomorrow morning will be in Short Shrift Mode. Perhaps more so tomorrow than today. Some things are going on that I can't mention (gee, seems like a lot of the daynotes gang are in the same boat) yet so you will have to wait a little while longer.
As for today, I will try to post something more interesting at the noon break. Bye for now.
Top / Home / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday
Aloha Friday - 14 April 2000
It's Friday!
Sorry about yesterday's post being so short. But huge flying cockroaches ate the day. Hopefully, today will be better. But then, who knows.
Inflation Rates. The first signs that the recent staggering increases in fuel prices are causing inflation pressures to rise across-the-board may be reflected in two of three surveys released recently.
The National Association of Business Economists (NABE) said its survey of 109 economists found that nearly a third of the firms covered in the poll are raising prices, the highest in four years. And those raises are sticking. For the last few years, efforts by businesses to raise prices have been met by consumer resistance, forcing prices back down. See the NABE press release here.
The second survey, to be released on Monday by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB, homepage here), finds a sharp rise in prices charged by businesses in March. Until the actual numbers are released, NFIB will only say that "inflation is slipping back in..."
The third survey, the Labor Department's producer price index (PPI) jumped one percent in March. The highest increase in ten years. The major area of increase being fuel prices. See the press release here.
Netscape Weenies Unite. OK. Here we go again. yet another security hole has been found in a Microsoft product. In this case, the FrontPage98 extensions. MS is recommending the removal of the dvwssr.dll file from your server(s). I don't know where my host company (pair.com) has the file, but on my PC at work it's in:C:\Program Files\Microsoft FrontPage\version3.0\isapi\_vti_bin\_vti_aut.
On the other hand, InfoWorld is playing down the threat as not being wide-spread (see the story here). While acknowledging the existence of the exploit, Russ Cooper of NTBugTraq says a lot of things have to be in place before the exploit will work. However, I try to err on the side of safety, so I've requested Pair.com to remove any support for FrontPage from my site. YMMV.
Ill be out of the office most of this morning so to all 14 of my regular readers, have a good day!
Aloha!
© 2000 Daniel K. Seto. All rights reserved.