---

Monday - 08 October 2001

NYPD, FDNY, and WTC: We Remembered.

They're Here. I'm referring to the ViewSonic VE150m flat panel LCD screens we ordered from Dell. They came in on Friday, around lunch time, and I spent the balance of the day installing them.

My first impression is that they are very good monitors. There are no noticeable defects in any of the six screens. The colors are rich and the image stable. There are the usual problems with smearing of the image when you scroll something or watch a avi type file, and having to stay pretty much centered in front of the panel, but that is to be expected of an LCD. What was not expected was problems with the included software.

First, the default install includes Adobe Acrobat viewer version 4.05. Which is fine unless you already have Adobe. Especially if you have a newer version because it apparently does not check version numbers before it copies over your installation. If you already have Adobe installed, I suggest you do a custom install and do not include Adobe.

Secondly, in two of the six installs, the program did not install the ViewSonic video driver as the default. That is, the driver was copied over, but it was not chosen as the default. On those two cases, going into Display/Settings/Advanced/Monitor and setting it as default solved the problem.

Thirdly, the monitor pops up a warning message anytime it detects a resolution lower than its default of 1024X768. Like every time you turn the PC on and it comes up in DOS mode as it boots. There is a way of turning off the warning but it sure is annoying to see the warning until you figure out how to terminate it.

The last thing is not software related. The problem is the manual is on the CD-ROM so you have to print it out before you can see what the controls on the monitor mean (all buttons use symbols rather than words). It would be nice if they spent a few dollars to print it out rather than forcing users to do it.

All in all, I'm happy with the screens, although it might be nice to have smoother fonts. I know if you have a LCD, digital video card, and Windows XP you can enable MS ClearType but since I have neither, I can't.

One Paddle, Two Paddle. The 50th anniversary Moloka'i to O'ahu canoe race was held over the weekend. After paddling 41-miles (~66km), in a little over five hours, the New Zealand/Hawai'i team beat Lanikai by two seconds. Congratulations to the winner and to all those who participated.

Also this weekend, was the Aloha Festivals Waikiki Ho'olaulea. She Who Must Be Obeyed and I had dinner at Chuck's Steak House (teriyaki sirloin steak with sauteed mushrooms for me and prime rib for SWMBO). From there we walked along Kalakaua Ave. and bought some t-shirts. I also got a dancing hula reindeer doll for SWMBO because she likes reindeers. This one stands about a foot high (~.3m), has a grass skirt, and does the hula while Christmas songs play. A bargain at $19 USD...

Finally. Yes, finally. US/UK forces are starting to fight back. But in a very limited way. I've already said I don't think whatever the US does at this point will keep terrorists from attacking the US again (which is the point isn't it?) so I won't beat this dead horse. I'm just glad all of the pilots apparently returned safely.

Aloha!

Top / Home / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday

---

Tuesday - 09 October 2001

Jury Duty. I've been called for jury duty today so I'll have to make this short. As an employee of the Judiciary, it is unlikely I would be picked for duty, but you never know...

A little something, updated for the present:

bin Laden phoned President Bush and said, "Dubyah, I called you because I had this incredible dream last night. I could see all of America, and it was beautiful and on top of every building, there was a beautiful banner."

President Bush asked, "What was on the banner?"

bin Laden responded, "It said Allah is God, and God is Allah."

President Bush said, "You know, bin, I'm really glad you called, because last night I had a dream too. I could see all of Kabul, Damascus, and Baghdad, and it was even more beautiful than before the war. They had been completely rebuilt, and on every building there was also a beautiful banner."

bin Laden said, "What was on the banner?"

President Bush replied, "I really don't know. I don't read Hebrew."

Aloha!

Top / Home / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday

---

Hump Day Wednesday - 10 October 2001

Challenged. I haven't been called for jury duty for about 15 years, so it was interesting to see how it's currently being done. First, we called a Code-a-Phone(tm) number, the day before reporting, to hear a recording telling us if we had to come in or not. Yes, we did, but at a location and time different from the notice mailed to us the month before.

We report, at 10:30am to a converted courtroom that now serves as the jury pool lounge. The room includes coffee and iced water but that's about it as far as amenities. This is something we will need to look at. Some states now have jury waiting rooms that include a TV, desks with power and phone connections for those who have laptops and want to connect to the Internet, and even PCs with their own Internet access. We need to think about this and see how much this would cost.

Forty citizens, the average for most trials, are called for this trial. Of those, only 30 actually show up. The problem of people not showing is a continuing problem. There is a delicate balance between sending out the police, who have better things to do, to arrest people and doing nothing. Right now, I believe the Judiciary tries to educate people about the importance of serving as a juror rather than using coercion, but 10 out of 40 is a pretty high number, especially given the kind of case this is, which we are soon to find out.

At about 11:15am, we are led into the courtroom itself. Judge Mike Wilson welcomes us and gives us a short backgrounder about what it means to serve as a juror. He then begins to ask the general questions relating to eligibility to serve. That is, are we US citizens, do we understand English, or have we been convicted of a felony?

Judge Wilson goes on to tell us a little about the case by reading the charge against the defendant. This case is about domestic violence. The husband is accused of physically assaulting his wife. You can feel the tension in the room immediately go up a notch among the jurors. I can't speak for everyone, but spouse abuse ranks up there with child abuse as things that people should not do. Ever.

The judge asks if anyone has been involved, or if they knew anyone who had been involved in a domestic violence incident. The hands of half the women jurors go up. Thus begins the process of excusing those who may be prejudiced due to this involvement. We lose maybe three or four women jurors, who are then replaced from the remaining prospective jurors. Some of these replacements are themselves replaced because of their past experiences with domestic violence.

Once past that, the prosecuting attorney is given 20 minutes to ask questions of the jurors to determine whether or not he would like to make use of his peremptory challenges. As many of you know, a peremptory challenge, in jurisdictions that allow it, is a mechanism by which an attorney may excuse a juror from serving. The attorney does not need to give a reason for exercising his or her challenge. The intent is to provide a fair representation of the general population. In actual practice, some attorneys try to "pack" the jury with people they feel will be leaning towards their version of how events occurred.

As far as I could see, the prosecuting attorney was very even handed and excused only people who, during the questioning, it became clear that English was not their first language, and therefore would have problems understanding the testimony, and those who were obviously biased, one way or the other.

Next up is the defense attorney. Theoretically, it is the prosecuting attorney who must prove his or her case. That is, the accused is assumed innocent until proven guilty, beyond a reasonable doubt (the standard in this case. It may be different in other types of cases). In practice, the accused appears under a cloud of suspicion. It is normal for people to assume that that the accused would not be there had there not been sufficient evidence to indict him. Which is usually a good assumption. So as a practical matter, the defense begins at a disadvantage. For some defense attorneys, the way to counter that potential disadvantage is to choose jurors who, for whatever reason, would have problems convicting anyone of anything. Now, don't me wrong, I'm not saying the defense attorney in this case tried to do that, just that some defense attorneys try.

The defense attorney notes that I am an employee of the Judiciary. I confirm that is so. He then asks if I have done any specific research into the area of domestic violence. I state no, but that when I was with the Health Department, I was a member of a committee that awarded funds to various private organizations for services the Health Department wanted to contract for. One of those areas was domestic violence. As such, vendors would do presentations, and provide written testimony, before our committee in the hopes of receiving funding.

The defense attorney then made use of his peremptory challenge and excused me from serving as a juror. Thus ending my short career as a juror. I will receive $30 and mileage for my troubles.

Serving as a juror is an important responsibility of all citizens. The jury system, as we presently have it in the US, is grounded in English common law of the middle ages. While jurors played a much more active role in the process then (they were allowed to ask questions of witnesses and to do whatever kind of research into the subject that they sought fit), the general theme is as we have it today. That theme is the jury system is a check against the imperial powers of the king.

Prior to the jury system, if there were jurors at all, they were confederates of the king, so at best, a trial was more show than a fair and open process. Today, it is these twelve that decide a case. Not the king, or the president, or Congress, or a powerful multi-national conglomerate. Citizens.

So, the next time you are called, remember you are doing your part to fight against imperialism. It is in fact, that important. And given the times we live in, it may be a right we may well lose.

Aloha!

Top / Home / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday

---

Thursday - 11 October 2001

Final Accounting. Sometimes I love computers, or at least their prices. When we got our original quote from Dell for the ViewSonic flat-panel LCD monitors, the price was $483US per monitor. We now have the invoice and the price has dropped by almost $100 to $388 per. Whooohoooo. If you are looking for a 15-inch LCD monitor, now may be the time to start shopping around. Now if only the prices of 17-inch monitors would fall as low and as fast.

They're Back. The termites, that is. Actually, they've never left but we had hoped, since they were finally eating the Sentricon traps, that their numbers would start decreasing. Well, if anything, they seem the be rebuilding some of their old tunnels and starting to spread. We've added four more traps in the hope of getting these new ones but we have to wonder when this will end. Sigh.

In other house news, we are still trying to find someone to do the drywall replacement. It's been very difficult to find someone reliable to patch all the holes made by the carpenters in their search for termite damage. I wonder if the job placement test they give has a special section for construction workers. If there is, it might go something like this:

Your answers to the following questions will determine whether or not you qualify to be a construction worker. You have five minutes to complete the test, unless you actually qualify. If you do qualify, you may extend the time by 400% and charge 300% over your "estimate" due to problems found after doing the estimate.

Yes or no: Are you now, or have you ever been accused of being honest? [Five points if you answer, yes. Ten points if you answer, no.]

True or false: The phrase "time and materials" is a license to rob people of all their earthly possessions (and you get first dibs on any non-earth based possessions they may have). [100 points if you answer true, minus 100 if you answer false].

True or False: It makes good business sense to take on work you are not qualified for because that means you can charge people even more, as you learn how to do the work. Especially for the parts where you screw things up even worse than you found them. [This one is a given. No points]

Add up all of your points.

Zero to 10: Forget it, become a lawyer or physician instead.
11 to 100: You have potential, but you need to start in "Customer Service" first as an apprentice.
101 on up: Congratulations! Here is your hammer, with which you will "fix" everything.

Aloha!

Top / Home / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday

---

Aloha Friday - 12 October 2001

It's Friday!

Industrial Strength Cleaners It's almost time for my twice a year scrub down of my PC. I started doing that as a way of cleaning all the rubbish that Windows seems to attract, and never let go of. However, since I started using Win2K Pro, that isn't as much as a problem as it used to be. Nonetheless, Windows is starting to get just hinkey enough that I think it's time to format the old C: drive and reinstall everything.

But first, I need to pick up a copy of the latest version of Norton's Systemworks. While I realize that I end up paying more and more for less and less (at least since Symantec bought Norton) there isn't a whole lot of choice out there anymore. What gets me even more steamed is that many of the Norton Utilities don't even work with HTFS, so its either do without or format as FAT32. I am hopeful that the 2002 version will be more compatible with HTFS but I won't know for sure until I've already bought it. Baka!

Be A Lert. The FBI is warning everyone to be especially vigilant this weekend. So make sure all of your cow orkers are aware, as we need more lerts. And as they used to say on "Hill Street Blues", let's be careful out there.

End Note. This SPAM just in: Viagra And Gas Mask And Cipro For Biowarfare [He's not making this up - ed.]. Just the image of that sears the mind, so I'm not going there. Nope. Not at all.

Have a Great Weekend Everyone - Aloha!

---

Last Week    Mon    Tues    Wed    Thurs    Fri    Next Week
Diary Index   Link to the Daynotes Gang

© 2001 Daniel K. Seto. All rights reserved.