Words from the Past

The success of America has never been proven by cities of gold, but by citizens of character. Men and women who work hard, dream big, love their family, serve their neighbor. Values that turn a piece of earth into a neighborhood, a community, a chosen nation. - George W. Bush

Lessons from the Past

"This will be the worst diaster NASA has ever experienced! [referring to Apollo 13]" Arnie Aldrich, Director Flight Operations.

"With all due respect, sir-- I belive this is going to be our finest hour." - Gene Kranz

As a country, time will tell whether the attacks of September 11, 2001, six months ago today, will be our worst disaster or our finest hour (as in Apollo 13). But for the men and women of the New York City fire department and emergency medical services, and police department [some of whom, even today are being buried]- I think the we know the answer.

Key News

The search for the most ergonomic keyboard arrangement continues. One of the strangest I've seen so far is the Vertical Split Keyboard from SafeType Inc. (see it here). As the name suggest, the keyboard is split in half and each half is placed on end in a vertical arrangement. I have no idea if this will help you or not and if you want to find out, it will cost you $347USD. Insert disclaimer here. Objects appear larger than they are. Void where prohibited. Your mileage may vary.

Dancing in Dallas

Congratulations to the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team for winning the Western Athletic Conference championship this past weekend. With the win comes an automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament Western regional finals in Dallas, Texas (see the complete listing here). The team Hawai'i beat, Tulsa, got an at-large bid.

Conversely, the Hawai'i women's basketball team, who came in second in their WAC tournament final got nothing. This, even though scores of teams, with lesser records than Hawai'i, were invited. This comes down to two things.

First, the committees who make up the field tend to invite teams from their home states (Shocked I say! Shocked! - ed.). Hence, you really want to get on those committees. Perhaps enough for money to exchange hands to do so?

This is very much like the situation in the recent Winter Olympics and ice skating. Just as the judges there allegedly exchanged votes to get what they wanted, so apparently do the committee members exchange votes for who they want to be in the tournament.

And secondly, the committees also appear to look at how much money can be generated by a match-up. That is, who can generate more TV revenues and bring in the crowds to the stadium (and surrounding hotels) to watch the game.

Note that none of the above is related to how well a team has performed on the court during the year. And certainly none of the above is a transparent process that teaches student athletes good sportsmanship, integrity, and athletic excellence. What it teaches is the power of money and how the love of it can distort the playing field.

Sour grapes? Perhaps. If this were the first time it has happened, but it's not. And Hawai'i isn't the only one to be so treated. It is one of those open secrets that is a cancer on collegiate sports.

Aloha!

Brit says Nuke Belgium

I'm not making this up (although the Brit may have been). The UK Guardian has a column (see it here) by Rod Liddle that says the Axis of Evil should include Belgium.

Mission to Mars

Of all the possible sources, it takes Popular Science (see the article here) to call NASA to task for not having a mission. In this case, a mission to Mars. As in sending a man to and bringing him home safely again.

Mail Call

To: Dan Seto
From: Jan Swijsen
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2002 15:25:01 +0100

<quote> Key News </quote>

Good and simple explanation. Of course they aren't demonstrating with a hunt-'n-peck typer, those would have to bend left and right, flexing their backbone looking for keys to press (those mirrors seem a tad small to be useful). And that the lovely lady has to keep her whole arm lifted off the table clearly isn't a problem <g>

BTW it seems to take a bit less space than a regular keyboard.

Oh, and btw how do you do a CTRL+ALT+DEL cord?

Now, when are they going to do a mouse?

<quote> Dancing in Dallas </quote>

Shocking! Real shocking. Thank god such things only happen in sports.[</irony> - ed]

Regards,
Svenson.

Sorry, it's short shrift mode for today - Aloha!

Off Track

Dan has taken the day off today. His regularly scheduled column, which usually occupies this space, will resume tomorrow. Until then, he leaves you with this from the 'net:

Windows Source Code 

Warning: do not compile; unpredictable results

Subject: *** TOP SECRET MICROSOFT CODE ***
Project:  Version - Windows 6.00.1217

Microsoft marketing strategy (MARKET.EXE):

#include
#include
#include  /* Microsoft Network Connectivity library */
#include  /* For the court of law */

#define say(x) lie(x)
#define computeruser ALL_WANT_TO_BUY_OUR_BUGWARE
#define next_year soon
#define the_product_is_ready_to_ship   another_beta_version

void main()
{
  if (latest_window_version>one_month_old)
  {
    if (there_are_still_bugs)
      market(bugfix);
    if (sales_drop_below_certain_point)
      raise(RUMORS_ABOUT_A_blank_BUGLESS_VERSION);
  }
  while(everyone_chats_about_blank_version)
  {
    make_false_promise(it_will_be_multitasking); /* Standard Call, in
                                                    lie.h */
    if (rumors_grow_wilder)
      make_false_promise(it_will_be_plug_n_play);
    if (rumors_grow_even_wilder)
    {
      market_time=ripe;
      say("It will be ready in one month);
      order(programmers, stop_fixing_bugs_in_old_version);
      order(programmers, start_brainstorm_about_blank_version);
      order(marketingstaff, permission_to_spread_nonsense);
      vaporware=TRUE;
      break;
     }
  }
  switch (nasty_questions_of_the_worldpress)
  {
     case WHEN_WILL_IT_BE_READY:
       say("It will be ready in", today+30_days," we're just testing");
       break;
    case WILL_THIS_PLUG_AND_PLAY_THING_WORK:
       say("Yes it will work");
       ask(programmers, why_does_it_not_work);
       pretend(there_is_no_problem);
       break;
     case WHAT_ARE_MINIMAL_HARDWARE_REQUIREMENTS:
       say("It will run on a 8086 with lightning speed due to"
           " the 32 bits architecture");
       inform(INTEL, "Pentium 4 sales will rise skyhigh");
       inform(SAMSUNG, "Start a new memorychip plant"
              "'cos all those customers will need at least 128 megs");
       inform(QUANTUM, "Thanks to our fatware your sales will triple");
       get_big_bonus(INTEL, SAMSUNG, QUANTUM);
       break;
     case DOES_MICROSOFT_GET_TOO_MUCH_INFLUENCE:
       say("Oh no, we are just here to make a better world for
            everyone");
       register(journalist, Big_Bill_Book);
       when(time_is_ripe)
       {
         arrest(journalist);
         brainwash(journalist);
         when(journalist_says_windows_XP_is_bugfree)
         {
           order(journalist, "write a nice objective article");
           release (journalist);
         }
       }
       break;
   }
   while (vaporware)
   {
     introduction_date++; /* Delay */
     if (no_one_believes_anymore_there_will_be_a_release)
       break;
     say("It will be ready in",today+ONE_MONTH);
  }
  release(beta_version)
  while (everyone_is_dumb_enough_to_buy_our_bugware)
  {
    bills_bank_account += 150*megabucks;
    release(new_and_even_better_beta_version);
    introduce(more_memory_requirements);
    if (customers_report_installation_problems)
    {
      say("that is a hardware problem, not a software problem");
      if (smart_customer_says_but_you_promised_plug_and_play)
      {
        ignore(customer);
        order(microsoft_intelligence_agency, "Keep an eye on this
                                              bastard");
      }
    }
    if ( bills_bank_account>skyhigh && marriage>
        two_years )
    {
      divorce(woman_that_was_beautiful_when_I_married_her);
      wave(dollars, at_lusty_chicks);
      marry(young_blond_virgin_with_big_boobies);
      devirginize(young_blond_virgin_with_big_boobies);
      if (boobies_start_to_hang)

        dump(young_blond_virgin_with_big_boobies);
    }
    if (there_is_another_company)
    {
      steal(their_ideas);
      accuse(company, stealing_our_ideas);
      hire(a_lot_of_lawyers); /* in process.h */
      wait(until_other_company_cannot_afford_another_lawsuit);
      buy_out(other_company);
    }
  }
  /* Now everyone realizes that we sell bugware and they are all
     angry at us */
  order(plastic_surgeon, make_bill_look_like_poor_bastard);
  buy(nice_little_island); hire(harem);
  laugh_at(everyone,
for_having_the_patience_year_after_year_for_another_unfinished_version);
}


void bugfix(void)
{
  charge (a_lot_of_money)
  if (customer_says_he_does_not_want_to_pay_for_bugfix)
    say("It is not a bugfix but a new version");
  if (still_complaints)
  {
    ignore(customer);
    register(customer, big_Bill_book);
    /* We'll get him when everyone uses Billware!!*/
  }
}

It's Friday!

Thar She Blows!

The Whalesong.net site (see and hear it here) has set up a live RealAudio(tm)[hawk, spit - 8MB download for their current player] stream (see here for some of the earlier players if you don't want to or can't use the current one) from an underwater microphone off of the island of Mau'i. You will only hear something during the times the whales are here for the winter, so don't be surprised if you don't hear any whales. On the other hand, if you hear music, it's not because they have taken up Hawaiian slack-key guitar, it's because the microphone is off-line and Whalesong is substituting the playing of some human-type music. For those times, they have an archive of recorded whale song for your listening pleasure.

Weekend Tidbits

For those of you who find enjoyment in beating a drum with a stick (you know who you are), the Hawai'i International Taiko Festival comes to town this weekend. Scheduled to perform are groups from Japan, the mainland and Hawai'i. You can't beat it.

Also rolling into town is the Motor Trend Magazine Car Show. On display are cars you will never be able to buy, much less afford, if they were for sale. One that is for sale, the Lamborghini Murciélago (see the Flash enabled, hawk, spit, Lamborghini site here) has a 6192cc 12-cylinder engine that pushes this car to 330 km/hour. The price? Just under $300,000USD.

And then there are the exotic, forbidden sounds of Don Tiki (see his Flash enabled site here, hawk, spit). The group will be in concert tonight and tomorrow at the Hawaiian Hut. Tickets are $20 and do not include the requisite virgin sacrifice.

And finally, the carpenters are supposed to be back working on our back house starting on Monday with a scheduled completion of that part by Friday. We shall see. Once that is done, we need to get the painters in and then new carpets. In the front house, SWMBO found evidence of active termites at work again so we will have the termite company come out and inspect what is going on. Cross your fingers.

Have a Great Weekend Everyone - Aloha!