Random Web Links for 2008-01-31

• BuyMyTronics - another place offering to buy your old gadgets
• The Torch - $300 flashilght that is so "bright" it can light paper on fire and cook an egg?
• PrintRates.com - Interesting site to compare online phont printing raes
• A Theory in Compensation - Interesting thoughts on how we get paid for what we do
• Second Rotation - I am not sure if I have any gadgets worth something, but a nice idea
• RottenNeighbor.com - Interesting idea; complaint about our apt complex seems right on
• 39 Megapixel Digital Camera - This has to be the megapixel war's atom bomb
• Ask The Readers: How Do You Keep Your Digital Photographs Safe? - I really need to do something "more" about this
• If you Die, Is Your Money Mapped? - morbid thought, but important to think about

Comments Here Too, Crazy Weather

I have tried to respond to a number of outstanding comments people have graciously left on my blogs today. I have also added direct links to my posts and comments feeds to make tracking comments easier.

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St. Louis had some CRAZY weather yesterday.

Mind you its late January.

When I got up it was aprox. 55 degrees out

At lunch time it topped at 70+.

Aprox. 3 hours later, it was snowing.

I heard that the area set a number of records yesterday, but no matter what the record is, that was one crazy weather day.

Personal Update and Blogger Tip

Personal update ... not a whole lot new has been going on. Monday I had off (really the client had it off and my consulting company's office was close, meaning I get to take vacation time) so the long weekend was nice.

This weekend coming up we are planning on going out and looking at more houses (we are trying to kick this process into gear in the next few weeks, hopefully I will post more about it) as well as probably go and talk to a lender or two to feel them out for current rates, approval amounts, etc. I would like to talk to a few different lenders before we talk to Em's aunt who is a mortgage broker for Wells Fargo. She has been a big help so far and keeps reminding us that she is willing to give us a hand which we both deeply appreciate. My only concern is that I want a better grounding with some of the stuff before I talk to her so that I don't waste her time with "simple questions". I don't have a problem taking up the time of someone I don't know who is trying to sell me something.

Also this weekend Em and I are participating in a local Trivia Night. I can't remember who it is benefiting but it sounds like a good time (my first time going and participating ... should be a good time with some good food .... although I go TO WIN so the others better hold there own :-p).

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I have also posted several posts on my tech blog (ajax, mac troubles, etc), food blog (cranberry sauce, and chili) and puzzles (cryptographs) over at Puzzlexor. If you reading this and not those, go check them out now. I will wait ...

... Back? Great.

Now with the Blogger tip: If you click on the "B" Blogger logo at the top left of your blog when your on any non-dashboard page, it takes you to your dashboard. I just found this by accident.

It might not sound like much, but I often write parts of posts and come back later to finish them and from the main page of my blog there isn't any great way to get back to the dashboard to edit a saved post or edit other settings that aren't "customize". I could just click on either "new post" or "customize" but that seems stupid b/c its not what I want. I wish they just had a link to take you to your console for the current blog ... but all well.

A stimulated economy is a happy economy

If you haven't heard, Bush spoke to the nation (yes to all of us, even if we weren't listening) today about the need for immediate and temporary government action to help ward off the possibility or effects of a recession. Such action would come in the form of some sort of economic stimulation package (sounds dirty).

I don't want to get into a political debate on if/why/how of the plan that was talked about today without any details being given ..... I would like to instead draw your attention to the last paragraph of text taken from a CNNMoney.com article describing possible ways the package might be implemented, in what form and when ....

A payroll tax rebate would not affect your Social Security benefits or the long-term solvency of the entitlement program, Furman said, because it would really serve as a tax credit. In other words, money from your paycheck would still be taken out and put towards Social Security, but the federal government would send you a check that would serve as an advance on a refundable tax credit on your tax return.

I understand that this is taken out of context and I am not an economic or government jargon expert, but even WITH the context, I am not sure that last sentence can make ANY grammatical, logical or make-believe sense. I didn't know that "In other words" was a license to just pick random ones and put a period at the end.

"money from your pay check" ... "taken out and put towards SS" ... "send me a check" ... "as an advance" ... "on a refundable tax credit" ... "on your tax return"

... so they are going to take my money, then send it back to me, (so that I can spend it), and then maybe owe less on my taxes later? It sounds like they are loaning me my money back to me ... or maybe I am just confused.

Just like everyone else in the world ...

I want one! ... or two!

I am afraid for Sigmund (our Sonata)

No I am not afraid of my car ... but I am afraid for it.
Two unrelated events in the past few days have given me a bit of anxiety about it ....

First, while driving home from the JUG meeting the other night, I MAY have gotten a ticket. Let me explain. The JUG meeting was on my way home from work and so when I left there I left going my usual way home, except that it was almost 9pm instead of 4:30pm. My route home takes me through a heavy intersection that is usually jammed with cars, but at this point was pretty sparse. As I am coming up to the intersection the left turn signal goes to Yellow. In order to stop I would have had to have slammed on my brakes, so I just stayed going the same speed and went through the intersection. As I was making the left turn, fully in the intersection mind you, the light went red and a big flash suddenly came from behind me. As I quickly remembered, this intersection had been fitted with cameras a few months back to try and stop people from running red lights! Since I only ususually go through it during the day I never noticed the flashes before (a coworker who lives near there says they go off all the time). I don't know for sure if one went off for me (I know for a fact I was well into the intersection while it was yellow and not speeding) or if it was for someone else, but I am going to be pissed if I get a ticket in the mail in a few weeks.

The second event happened Friday night / Saturday morning. Em claims to have heard a lot of screeching and loud noises at some point during the night probably coming from the direction of the apt. parking lot (I claim ignorance since I was asleep). The next morning we get a knock on our door and its one one of our neighbors asking if we were the people who drove the "big black dodge ram" and if we knew who did. I said "no" and let them know who I thought drove it. They then said that some guy in a small car from an apt across the street backed out real fast and slammed into the truck (to the point where he couldn't drive his car easily). Fun! Later a car alarm started going off and I went down to make sure it wasn't ours .... it wasn't ... but when I went down I talked to some other neighbors who were outside for a minute and found out that a bunch of guys had been screwing around in the parking lot the night before, drinking and doing some crazy stuff so they had called the cops ... the next morning this guy crashed his car and the cops were called again and he was taken away b/c he was drunk (still or again) and possibly didn't have a license.

Fun times.
I really hope neither of our cars has anything happen to them,
and can't wait to get a house.

New Ear Buds

I forgot to mention in last night's post that I my new ear buds were finally delivered yesterday also.

What new ear buds you might ask? I have wanted a nicer set for a long time now (I, along with many others, never found the ones that came with my iPod very good or comfortable, but wasn't willing to plop down a lot of money for a "better" pair without trying them first) but could never decide on a new pair or felt comfortable paying more than $10-$20 for them (which wouldn't have gotten me a very good pair). Luckily Em's brother got a nice pair from Costco on sale for Christmas and he let me try his and they worked really well. I tried to get a pair right after Christmas but they were sold out. Lucky again, he happened to find the same deal on Amazon.com the next day, so I ordered them.

What did I get? Ultimate Ears' Super.fi 3 in black.

Verdict? Granted I have very little to compare them to, but the sound is good/better than the old ones, the comfort is much better (although the way you put them on/in is a bit tricky at first) and the noise reduction is really nice (especially compared to the ZERO noise reduction that the iPod ones had)

Noise Reduction was one of my main conditions, since I most often wear them at work while listening to music and HATE having to listen to the conversations of anyone and everyone in a cube near me. At the moment I am wearing them and can't hear my keyboard or anything else around me. The only problem I am finding right now is two fold - they are so quiet that I have to turn my iPod down pretty much all the way or it sound really "loud" compared to anything else (not actually a problem) and that when/if someone wants to get my attention they are going to have to touch me on the sholder b/c there is no way I will hear them (probably scare the crap out of me :-p )

You can't beat that considering I purchased them with gift money :)

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

I have been trying to work hard this week, but meetings and a series of annoying issues have been conspiring to make things otherwise. All well.

Not much going on other than some very strange weather (way warm the last few days with 70+ yesterday and some of the craziest lightning and thunder last night I have ever witnessed).

As far as my 2008 goals are concerned, I am currently reading Forward The Foundation which I received for Christmas, slowly progressing on Project Spedini, cooking some new things, planning on attending my first JUG meeting on Thursday, and am now 6-1 on Fact or Crap at work!

Unfortunately, I haven't had a good chance/urge to take any pictures the last few days and only worked out once last week.

Buy me a tire ... Draw me a goat

A friend of mine had the following away message a few weeks ago ... "Buy me a tire". Not one to leave such an unusual command alone, I responded with ... "Draw me a goat". (Yeah I am strange, but replying to people's unusual away messages is a kind of past time of mine) The friend, not to be outdone, emailed me the following ...

To which, the only natural and honest reply was ...

Its a slow morning back at work after the holidays ... what more did you expect?