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  • 2014
    • June
    • January
      • Forward!
        01/18/14


        Well, if you voted for change don't be distraught, ineptitude is a change.

      • 2013 Log
        01/17/14
        Running log for 2013: 696 miles. I ran two half-marathons and several 5K's. That number was a big drop from 2012 when I logged 907 and a far cry from 2011 when I logged close 1000. I did not run a marathon as I had planned.

        The plan for this year calls for one half-marathon and a fa

  • 2013
    • June
      • New Unicycle
        06/30/13


        I upgraded from a no-name 20" to a Torker Unistar CX 24". I had to hack off about 2" from the seat stem so I could lower the seat and freemount easier. The new seat is also not very male-friendly and I now need to wear "core support" when I ride. Otherwise, the b

    • May
      • Scumbag Steve Meme of the Day
        05/31/13

      • RFID Chips in Palmer Twp Trash Cans
        05/10/13

        The new trash and recycling cans have RFID tags in them. They are above the number and in that lip. Nothing about this was mentioned in the literature or on the website.

        Use of these cans is mandatory. So, what are they tracking? Why was this fact not disclosed?

    • March
      • Transparency
        03/14/13
        Oh, Obama was talking about the people being transparent to the government. Funny, I could've sworn his campaign rhetoric spoke of the reverse. Unfortunately, too many voters sucked down the Kool-Aid and believed every promise Barry made (and has since ignored or broken).

        Obama to

      • Most Transparent Administration Ever [sic]
        03/13/13

        What a surprise. Well, not really.

        From Slate, which certainly doesn't lean right.

        President Obama promised transparency and open government. He failed miserably. So why do Washington watchdog groups look the other way?

    • January
      • 2012 Log
        01/01/13
        Running log for 2012: 907 miles. I ran two half-marathons, one marathon, and several 5K's. I set PR's in each of those categories as well.

        The plan for this year calls for one half-marathon and a fall marathon. My fingers are crossed that I'll into the NYC Marathon this ye

  • 2012
    • November
      • Philadelphia Marathon
        11/19/12
        I completed the Philadelphia Marathon yesterday. Being my second marathon, it was easy to set a PR. I beat my time in the Pittsburgh Marathon by 11 minutes.

        4:20:16
        9:56 pace
        6730 out of 11422 finishers

        My goal was a 4:15 and, up to around mile 15 or so, I was around

    • October
      • Unicycle
        10/01/12
        I learned how to ride a unicycle this summer. It probably took around 15 hours of practice. I still need work on turning and idling. The unicycle in this video is a no-name 20" that cost around $50. I have a 24" Torker on my Xmas list.

    • August
    • June
      • D-Day +24838
        06/06/12


        Elements of the 1st Infantry Division land in France, June 6, 1944.

    • April
      • St. Luke's Half Marathon
        04/29/12
        1:56:19 - PR - my goal was sub-2. I'm glad to finally get that off my back after a disappointing half last October where I was on sub-2 pace until the side stitches felled me around mile six and resulted in 2:06 and change. No side stitches this time. I ran wearing the Merrell Trail Glove.
    • February
  • 2011
    • December
      • 2011 Log
        12/31/11
        Running log for 2011: 975 miles. I doubt I'll top that in 2012 even though I am running a half-marathon in spring and plan on running a marathon in the fall. Marathon training, including the grand finale, is around 450 miles. I never added up how many miles are in the half training plan I follo

    • October
      • D&L Heritage Half-Marathon
        10/23/11
        Ran this one this morning; a nice and scenic run from alonf the corridor from Northampton to Slatington. I had high hopes for this and was aiming for a sub-2 hour run. However, it was not to be. I was running a sub-nine minute pace and on track for a sub-two hour finish until side stitches hit me li

    • September
    • August
      • Hope and Change Update - Aug. 8
        08/08/11


        Dow Skids 600, Worst Day Since Credit Crisis

        Senator Kerry may want to blame the Tea Party for this too. Senator, I have news for you: if the Tea Party were even half as influential and you seem to think they are, Obama would have been impeached and removed from office by now.

    • July
      • Log
        07/05/11
        January through June this year:

        Running: 548 miles, approximately 86.5 hours.

        Cycling: 202 miles, approximately 18.6 hours.

        I'll run a half-marathon in the fall and then another marathon next year.

    • May
      • 26.2
        05/15/11
        I ran my first marathon today. I finished 16 minutes slower than my goal thanks to side stitches and a blister on the toe one over from the big on my right foot. Weather was perfect for a run: ~62F with some occasional rain showers. I'm sore as hell but, I can say "I'm a marathoner&qu

      • May Day
        05/02/11

    • April
      • 10100
        04/23/11


        I did it. I ran twenty miles today in ~3:13; 9:40 pace. Pinnacle of training has been reached and the tapering begins. I feel pretty good, albeit a little sore. It rained, and rained hard at times, for the first fourteen miles. After you've run fourteen miles in heavy rain, it doesn

      • Week 15
        04/17/11
        Fourteen weeks of marathon training are in the log and the dreaded week fifteen begins tomorrow. Runs of 5, 10, 5 make up the mid-week runs and then Saturday is the longest run of training - 20. When I first considered whether or not to tackle a marathon, week fifteen was the week that scared me. No

      • Hope and Change Update
        04/06/11

    • March
      • 15
        03/19/11
        I am now about to finish the 10th week of marathon training. Today I ran my longest distance yet - 15 miles. I was a little nervous and intimidated about today's run going back a day or two but today I woke at 5:45 and did my stretches, had 1.5 cups of coffee and half a banana, and went out and

      • Today's Cartoon
        03/18/11

      • Poem
        03/15/11

        The ides of March fall today;
        Sixty days now 'till the ides of May

    • February
      • 100
        02/06/11


        Happy birthday, Mr. President!

        I'll never forget the day Reagan took office. The school gathered us into the cafeteria to watch the inauguration on the lone TV the school had to witness Reagan taking the oath and giving his address while the hostages were simultaneously

      • 99
        02/05/11
        A few weeks ago, I registered for a marathon. I'll be running Pittsburgh 100 days from today which means 99 more days of training are ahead. This week will mark the conclusion of four weeks of training.

        So far, the training hasn't been difficult as the distances involved aren�

    • January
      • 305
        01/17/11


        Happy Birthday, Ben!

      • A Lock
        01/16/11
        Etch this is stone; it's a lock; a no-brainer. Everyone knows that scientists in the year 1000 accurately predicated what the earth would look like in 2000.

        Global Warming: Dire Prediction for the Year 3000

      • Log
        01/01/11
        I ran 692.16 miles in 2010.

  • 2010
    • November
      • Conquered the Mountain
        11/16/10
        I did it; by my watch: 46:20 up and 44:18 down. The official results are four seconds not in my favor but it doesn't affect anything really. About 1/3 of the runners finished behind me - a number I expected. Runs with the word "mountain" in them bring out the hard-core runners. I held

      • Go Tell it on the Mountain
        11/07/10
        I am running in the South Mountain 10 miler next Sunday. Why? Why not. The challenge is obvious: a 636 foot ascent over a two mile span. The hill begins around mile two and is done by mile four so at least it's out of the way early. Since the half in September, I have been running about 15 mile

      • Cyberpunk
        11/06/10
        Former Student Gets 30 Months in Prison for DDoSing Conservative Figures and Using Botnets [Link]

    • October
      • It's A Lesson to Me
        10/11/10


        So I'm in the mood to listen to some Dead. Fine. But in the right pane of suggestions are what I would expect - Dead songs, except for the top entry: "Matt Damon Rips Sarah Palin". Obviously, that's a previously unrecorded Dead song I am not familiar with.

      • Fear Mongering by the AP
        10/10/10


        Wearing a 1940's German military uniform for reenacting? The horror! Next thing you know, someone will be portraying Amon Goeth in a movie!

        This article serves no other purpose than to cause fear. Liberal bias by the media? Nah. If this guy were a Democrat, he'd be

      • 0ct-N0-ber
        10/06/10


        Amazing!

    • September
      • Half-Marathon: Recap
        09/12/10
        The training plan I followed was a 12 week plan and I stuck to it pretty well. The plan calls for three or four days of running, a stretch and strengthen day, two cross-training days (or one if you run four days), and a rest day. Of the running days, two were moderate, starting at three miles and wo

      • Via Half-Marathon
        09/12/10
        I did it; 2:03:30. My goal was 2:08 and the race was easier than I anticipated. I was on a sub 2:00 pace for a while but lost it around mile eight and that was it. Since it hasn't rained much over the past view months, it was a given that today would be a soaker and it was. The heavy rain stopp

    • August
    • July
      • The Proof
        07/31/10
        I ran a 5K this morning and set an PR - 26:10. While that brought some joy the real joy today came not from the time but from another number.

        After I picked up my packet, I got on the Tanita TBF-300A and then the woman gave me the little printout. My body fat percentage read 5.2% which m

      • Facebook
        07/29/10
        I caved. It was a good fight and I held out as long as I could. Now I can be friends with people I'm friends with. I can also see who's got extra lumber and whose kingdom is being pillaged by marauders.

      • 37 Minutes
        07/11/10
        In my previous post I mentioned that my average workout for the first half of this year was approximately 37 minutes long. Within the average day, those 37 minutes make up about 2.5% of the day. Inverse that, and that means one can spend an average of 97.5% of the day not exercising and still put in

      • By The Numbers
        07/01/10
        For the first six months of 2010, I have:

        - run 299.85 miles in 48:20 for an average pace of about 9:40. The first 150 have been faster than the second 150.

        - biked 248 miles in 21:55

        - done 123 workouts in a total of 75 hours. That works out to be about 37 minutes p

    • June
      • Another PR
        06/05/10
        I ran the Freedom to Liberty race this morning in 35:12; a PR for four miles, besting the 36:36 I put up a while ago through the neighborhood. I didn't expect a PR today but I did it. There were no markers on the course so I don't have splits.

    • May
      • PR
        05/31/10
        On this Memorial Day, I ran a 5K with the goal of finishing in under 28:00, which would be a personal record.

        I aced it and finished in 26:54 by my watch.

        Mile 1: 8:32
        Mile 2: 17:13
        Mile 3: 26:02

        pace: 8:40

        I also had the honor of meeting Mr. Ri

      • Roy Halladay
        05/29/10
        It's Saturday night and the first game of the Stanley Cup finals and, like many Philadelphia sports fans, I am watching the Flyers play the Blackhawks. Like many fans, I turned off the Phillies game around 8:15 and switched to NBC to watch hockey. As I watched an hockey exciting game with my ne

      • Broad Street Run
        05/02/10
        Well, I did it and, it was one of the most difficult yet rewarding single events I have ever done.

        First the bad:

        I set a pre-race goal of 99 minutes which is a 9:54 pace. I finished in 1:41:16, a 10:07 pace. I started off too slow. I hit mile one around 10:30 and then mile tw

    • April
      • It's a Long Way to the Top
        04/30/10


        One of my favorite AC/DC songs. Oh, and by the way, the late Bon Scott is the lead singer of AC/DC. Period.

      • Tom
        04/13/10


        Happy Birthday, Thomas Jefferson. You're probably rolling in your grave now as we are under leadership of many princes who are "unfit to be the ruler of a free people." Luckily, we still have elections.

      • A Trip Down Memory Lane
        04/01/10


        ...and speaking of April Fool's Day, the woman at 3:47 may be the biggest fool of all.

    • March
      • Petition to Redistribute GPA's
        03/30/10

      • In a picture: Bush vs. Obama
        03/27/10


        Click image for full-sized picture.

      • Incompetence Factor
        03/26/10
        I started re-reading Animal Farm and ran across this:

        "The pessimists failed to allow for the stupidity and incompetence factor among people who would run the totalitarian states."

        - Russell Baker, from the preface

        He, of course, was talking about the Sovi

      • Violence
        03/25/10
        Funny how these stories just didn't get the coverage that recent stories about assumed conservatives acting in anger about this health care handout do.

        via Instapundit:

        REMEMBERING WHEN G.O.P. Offices Were Vandalized: “An apparent mob of vandals attacked the North Carolina

      • The Plan
        03/07/10
        Week two is in the bag: I'm following Hal Higdon's 15-K training plan for the 10 mile run I am doing in May. I've followed the schedule almost to the letter except that I have switched days for certain things just because of my schedule. But I have done everything on the list and noth

    • February
      • President's Day
        02/22/10


        Happy 278th George!

      • 201
        02/12/10


        Happy Birthday Abe!

      • Teleprompter Overdependency
        02/09/10
        Bush may have said "is our children learning" which, of course, sounds foolish (but at least he didn't say it again within 30 seconds), but this BHO misspeak insults a lot of people.



        One can defend Bush's example above. Bush may have really said "is..

      • Portent
        02/07/10
        Considering that Washington DC just set a December snowfall record and now was at ground zero of a monster storm that dumped 32.4" at Dulles and up to 40 inches in the Maryland suburbs, I wonder if someone is trying to tell Washington something? Another storm is forming out west and may hit the

      • Miss Me Yet?
        02/06/10


        Maybe not a great, nor even good president, but the Bush years were pretty good. Sure, the media was pretty upset about the 2000 election and even moreso at the 2004 election, but Bush never wavered and, unlike our current prez, never declared war on those who disagreed with him or his p

    • January
      • New Toy: Yaesu VX-6R
        01/21/10


        I bought a Yaesu VX-6R handheld transceiver this week. I like it. Broadly, the features include: tribander with TX on 144, 220, and 440 ham bands, wideband RX, lithium-ion battery, submersible to 3 ft. (something I will not test intentionally), it's lighter and smaller than my VX-15

      • Feelin' Groovy
        01/07/10
        I did a three mile run on the treadmill at the gym last night. I wore a Cho-Pat knee strap that the doctor gave me and I still had some pain and running more than three might have been tough, but the strap worked. After the run and in addition to my usual IT-band stretches, I did some hip adductor e

  • 2009
    • December
      • Iliotibial Band
        12/31/09
        I haven't been running due to injuring my IT band. The pain is in the knee but the band runs along the leg from the hip to the knee. In doing research on the causes of it, I have discovered that I am a prime candidate for this injury. I overpronate. I run up and down hills. Most streets are arc

      • CBS Ad from 1966
        12/25/09


        Awesome!

      • LED Traffic Lights
        12/16/09
        From the "oops" department:

        Energy-Efficient Traffic Lights Can't Melt Snow

        After seeing this story, I have adopted a new saying that I will utilize often in conversation:

        "Eco-friendly doesn't mean people-friendly."

        But, hey,

      • 10+ km
        12/15/09
        I ran 10km this morning (10.3km, 6.4mi. actual) and what a confidence boost! I will shoot for a seven miler within the next week and try for an eight before year's end. My time wasn't very good but another runner told me that the first thing you do is run the distance (even if you have to

      • My Limit?
        12/08/09
        I'm still running, of course, but I feel like I have hit my limit in regards to speed. I can finish a 5K in under 30 minutes and with a little effort could get that down to under 28; 28:16 being my best so far. But with flat feet, short legs, and almost 20 years of eating like someone who wante

      • Cincinnati (11-0) @ Pittsburgh (9-2)
        12/05/09
        Noon kickoff today. I won't be at the game because my wife finally took the tickets and made a girls weekend in Pittsburgh out of it. A sold-out crowd awaits the Mrs. and her friends.

        The winner wins the Big East and may go to the Orange Bowl. The line has Cincy a two point favorite

      • Calm instead of the Storm
        12/04/09
        ...pretty much sums up Atlantic Hurricane Season 2009. After Katrina, I thought the US was supposed to be pounded relentlessly annually with big and bad storms similar in magnitude of Katrina that numbered into the teens because of <insert flavor of the month impending doom scenario here>.
      • Still Going Strong
        12/01/09
        A panic set in the other day when our 10 year-old HP Deskjet 895Cse printer stopped working. It would power up but the lights would flicker and then nothing - just the blinking orange light indicating a problem. I saw no paper jam and the printer was clear of toys and small objects that the kids som

    • November
      • One Revolution
        11/18/09
        One year ago today I started running. What started as a light jog that took me about 12 minutes to cover a mile, has turned into running regularly and having no problem getting out doing four or five without thinking twice about it. I now expect myself to run three comfortably under 30:00 and hit mi

      • Nine Things
        11/10/09
        I am the cook of the house. I cook dinner about 20-23 days out of the month. My wife might make a meal or two and the rest of days are either leftovers or other plans like being invited somewhere, going out, etc.

        When the topic comes up, people who don't know us assume that my wife

    • October
      • YAKAD
        10/30/09
        Yet Another Kool-Aid Drinker

        It appears that the Nobel Peace Prize committee now has some competition for biggest Kool-Aid Drinker of the year:

        Obama 'Most Powerful Writer Since Julius Caesar,' Says NEA Chief

        Despite Rocco's bizarre statement, I would

      • Unix
        10/27/09


        Someone took the time to etch their OS of choice onto to the plate of this hand dryer at a McDonald's in Carlisle, PA. It's been there for at least a few years too.

      • Disembowelment
        10/22/09
        The Phillies didn't just beat the Dodgers, they completely tore them apart. A friend of mine who lives in Long Beach has been telling me that all the talk on the sports radio shows out there was about how the Dodgers were going to pummel the Phillies blah blah blah blah. lol. The DUDgers were t

      • Last Saturday's 5K
        10/17/09
        The 5K I ran last weekend timed me at 28:26 but I timed myself at 28:16; either way a PR. I always start my watch when I begin running and the race, while it utilized chip timing, did not have a sensor at the starting line. So, I'll take my reading as my official time and now that's the nu

      • Get Your Nobel Peace Prizes Here
        10/10/09


        Just remember to wait your turn. Everyone gets one not based on deeds or accomplishments, but just by showing up.

        The committee has forever tarnished this once prestigious award. Hey, good intentions are all that matters now, not actually doing anything. What a bunch of maroon

      • Consolation Prize
        10/09/09
        BHO has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Maybe this is a consolation prize for not being able to land the Olympics for war-torn, poverty-stricken Chicago.

        From the BBC:

        "In awarding President Obama the Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian committee is honouring his intenti

    • September
      • Well, That was Easy
        09/27/09
        A 5K in under 30:00? No problem. My watch timed me at 28:55 in yesterday's 5K. I couldn't stay to see the official results but maybe they'll be posted online. Nonetheless, I eclipsed my first goal of doing a 5K in less than 30 minutes.

        The numbers: 9:19 pace, 6.44 mph. (5:

      • The Next Goals
        09/19/09
        I am now at the stage where I can call myself a 10-minute miler, which isn't bad for running less than one year. Two years of proper eating coupled with biking as the core of an exercise regimen has enabled me to become a runner - something I never thought I'd be or ever really desired to

      • Marathon - today, < 2 hours from now
        09/13/09
        The Via Lehigh Valley Marathon begins in less than two hours. It's slightly after 5 am and I'm up. Coffee is on but I can't drink too much before the race. Breakfast will be a hard-boiled egg and half a banana.

        It will be a busy day. After my leg, (Leg 1), I'll have t

      • My Plan
        09/10/09
        I was thinking of some common sense requirements that should be included in any health care reform legislation:

        1. Everyone who is uninsured, mail them a letter (the gov't does know who these 47 million uninsured people are and where they live, right?) and ask them if they would like

      • Relay - Six Days Away
        09/07/09
        For my last "long" run before the relay, I cranked out a 5.18 mile run* in 54:45. That works out to be a 10:34 pace and 5.7 mph. Due to situational circumstances, my last two runs, which were 4.0 and 3.11 miles, were on the treadmill (college gym, hotel) at pretty good clips - 10:22 and 9:

      • The Eyes Have It
        09/06/09
        I recently reconnected with a friend I hadn't seen in about 16 years. We were best friends through much of the 80's but college (me) and the navy (him) separated us and we lost contact with each other. Anyway, when I saw him, I was surprised to see that he was wearing glasses, as he didn&#

    • August
      • Internet Martial Law
        08/29/09
        That's a good summary of this what this bill would do:

        Senate Proposal Gives President Authority Over Internet

        I wish that Orwell would have written a prequel to 1984. I have a feeling it would look much like our society today.

      • RIP Ed/Ted
        08/26/09
        With the passing of Ted Kennedy, many news reports are referring to him as the "liberal lion." That's just not nice. It's not proper to point out the faults of those recently departed.

      • I don't carry
        08/21/09
        I saw this on Runnersworld.com:

        Is That a Pistol in Your Shorts?

        I don't see how anyone can carry when running. It's not the size that I see as the problem but rather the weight. Now, it may be a good idea to pack if you run in, say, Washington or Chicago or other cit

      • The Gitmo prisoner problem - solved
        08/20/09
        It's so easy and simple, you'll be surprised you didn't think of it first.

        Where do we put these prisoners? It's a NIMBY situation for sure. And, I'll give credit where credit is due. BHO promised during the campaign to close Guantánamo Bay, and he's doing it

      • Letter to the Editor
        08/20/09
        Published yesterday:

        http://shar.es/RWNR

      • Relay - changes
        08/17/09
        It appears that the powers that be have changed the legs of the LV Half Marathon. I was supposed to run Leg 2 which was listed as six miles but now Leg 2 is 6.5 and the only leg over six. Plus we had someone from our relay team drop out and picked up a replacement. So now, I am running the first leg

      • Great Opening Lines
        08/15/09
        Recently I read Neuromancer, the novel that is credited with launching the cyberpunk genre. The opening sentence of Neuromancer also seems to be widely acclaimed as of the great literary opening lines:

        The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.

      • Blight
        08/12/09
        In May I planted 12 tomato plants, 12 pepper plants (banana, anaheim, jalapeno), and started two pumpkins from seed. Due mostly to the fact that March lasted about 115 days this year, I have nine peppers still standing and of the 12 original tomato, it appears that only about three will really produ

      • Free Shipping
        08/08/09
        I bought a 4GB usb flash drive from Newegg on Tuesday. I haven't received it yet. Here's the tracking chart:

        8/7/2009 6:05 PM ET LEHIGH VALLEY, PA, US SHIPMENT ACCEPTED BY USPS
        8/6/2009 7:10 AM ET ELKRIDGE, MD, US TENDERED TO USPS
        8/6/2009 12:49 AM ET ELKRID

    • July
      • Letter to the Editor Today
        07/29/09
        Letter to the editor, in today's Express-Times:

        If life deals you lemons, sue, sue, sue

        Original article: http://bit.ly/10bE7n

      • 5!
        07/23/09
        I did a one hour run this morning which should be good for 5+ miles. Another mental and physical obstacle overcome; I rule!

        Our team has registered for the Lehigh Valley Marathon. I am running the second leg, the second longest, which is six miles.

        Less than a year ago, the th

      • Shoot for the Moon
        07/20/09
        "First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range explorati

      • Microblogging
        07/14/09
        Still posting to Twitter as the novelty hasn't worn off yet. It's kind of fun in a way and maybe a little addicting. As a bore the world with what I'm doing (or at least those who follow me), I also read in kind those who do the same. It is interesting, and very gossipy, to follow wha

      • Not Really Atwitter about Twitter Yet
        07/10/09
        http://twitter.com/bws53

      • Global Warming Reduces Demand for Electricity
        07/09/09
        Yes, that's right. From today's Providence Business News:

        Cold, rain cut N.E. electricity demand

        Since AGW causes cooler temperatures, rain, and pretty much anything that used to naturally occur (hence the need for the repackaging of the terminology to Climate Change

      • Find Don Lynch
        07/06/09
        FOUND

      • Cyberpunk
        07/02/09
        Although not technically cyberpunk, even though it does meet many of the criteria, Stephen King's novel Cell has given me interest in the that genre. The campus library doesn't have any books by Neal Stephenson, a "god" as one of the characters (a kid) in Cell says, so I checked

    • June
      • Sidelined
        06/29/09
        ...but not entirely. A bout of bursitis has sprung up below my left kneecap. It's not painful to walk or bike nor to even run but it is painful to kneel. But, when I do run, it jiggles a little and both irritates me and irritates my knee a little. Listening to and feeling your knee "flap&q

      • Zapped - Again
        06/15/09
        For the second time in three years, a lightning strike near (as very damn close), my house took out my home telephone, cable modem, and a router. I wasn't home but one neighbor said it appeared to hit in the field behind my house and another neighbor said he saw a bluish light as it struck. The

      • Gas Prices
        06/10/09
        At this point in June of 2001, the average price for a gallon of gas was $1.58 per gallon, an 8.5% increase from the third week in January of that year when it was $1.456.

        Currently, the average price of gasoline in the U.S. is $2.60. In the third week of January of this year, it was $1.8

      • <bleating> 9.4% good 4.6% baaaaad
        06/09/09
        In many situations, 9.4% bests 4.6%. For example, if an investment I made gives a return of 9.4%, that's better than 4.6%. Or, if I owned a business and sales increased at 9.4%, that would be better than 4.6%. Thus, common sense would dictate that if the national unemployment rate comes in 9.4%

      • 4-Miler
        06/06/09
        On this D-Day plus 23741, I did the Freedom to Liberty run in 44:45. The time was slightly better than the four miles I ran last weekend which was in 45:36. As is the case when I run, The first 1-2 miles are the hardest. After about mile 2.5 or so I finally get into a groove and stick it out. I am s

    • May
      • 33:40 - give or take
        05/25/09
        ...is about what I ran the 5K I ran this Memorial Day morning. I didn't look at my watch when I stopped but I stopped it about 10 seconds after I got out of the chute. I hit mile 1 at 10:06, mile 2 around 21:00, and then it got a little rough but I made it and ran the whole time. I even passed

      • Bike
        05/17/09


        I finally took a picture of my bike. Our camera was broken and we finally got a new one. So, pictured is my bike at about 200 miles; not bad for six weeks. Likely I'll put on more as the weather warms and I am less busy. I am toying with the idea of biking in the Bike-a-Thon Philade

      • Mayor Dumbass
        05/14/09
        Providence mayor wants to tax college students

        Hey dumbass, pull those universities and colleges out of town and watch your local economy go into the crapper and you'll also eliminate just about every reason anyone would want to visit your city. College students provide an enormous b

      • Bike to Work Week
        05/13/09
        This week is Bike to Work Week and May happens to be National Bike Month. So, I did it today; I biked to work. Since I just had to administer a final exam, I loaded up my backpack with the basics I needed. The commute was a mere 11.5 miles round trip which is easy, but the roads, the roads - belong

      • Slacker
        05/07/09
        Ever since Firefox 3.x.x came out I have wanted to use it on my main PC which is running Slackware 12. (FF 3.whatever runs fine on my wife's Vaio XP laptop) When I first tried FF 3.x.x on my machine, it was dog slow so I went back to 2.0.0.x. So, I tried again last night to install Firefox 3.0.

      • More of the Runs
        05/06/09
        Locally we've seen quite a bit of global raining of late and it looks like we'll be stuck in this pattern at least through this weekend. As a result, I haven't had the bike out much; did a 10 miler on Sunday through some very light sprinkles but that's been it since early last we

      • Taboo
        05/05/09
        From the Detroit Free Press today:

        Obama criticism shuts down conversation

        She brings up some good points. The right of dissent and the right to criticize seems to be so 2001-2009ish nowadays. Maybe it's apathy. Maybe it's fear. Maybe it's because people are afra

      • Hype
        05/01/09
        Swine flu may be less potent than first feared

        No kidding. Just like SARS, Bird Flu, Killer Bees, the coming Ice Age, Global Warming, and so on. *yawn*

    • April
      • Boston Marathon and Fermi
        04/20/09
        I saw this on Runnersworld.com and thought it was amusing:

      • False Idol
        04/08/09
        Obama Bows To The King Of Saudi Arabia

        Boy, the gaffes keep coming. BHO and Biden must have bet going as to who can commit the most gaffes. First, it's DVD's that won't play in Great Britain in exchange for a symbolic and sentimental gift that signifies America and Great Br

      • Fuji Nevada 3.0
        04/05/09
        Well, I finally bought my new bike. I opted for the Fuji Nevada 3.0. I rode a few bikes and had narrowed my choices down to two: the Giant Rincon or the Fuji Nevada. Fuji is not as known for mountain bikes as Giant or Trek or Cannondale but I liked it a little more than the Giant when comparing how

      • 35:16.50
        04/04/09
        That's what I ran the 5K in this morning. That's slightly better than a 12 minute mile and good for about a 5.2 mph average. I hit the first mile at 11:46. The race wasn't too hard but the weather was brutal - low 40's but WINDY; felt more like February than April. But, I did it.

      • Embarrassment
        04/02/09
        Obama's DVD gift to Brown - it's the thought that counts

        ...pretty lame gift, especially from one who's supposed to be an intellectual. Some DVD's and a few toys
        for a pen holder carved from the timbers of the sister ship of the one the White House desk is made fr

    • March
      • Ready for the 5K
        03/31/09
        I am ready for my first official 5K this coming Saturday. I have run about four unofficial 5K's over the past month - two on the treadmill and at least two 3+ mile routes through the neighborhood. My plan this week is: did the gym yesterday (2.5 on the treadmill and some lifting), bike today (a

      • New Bike - Soon
        03/23/09
        I look to upgrade from my $125 Sears bike that I bought in 1996. It has served me well and I will keep it as a backup. I test-rode a Trek 3900 the other day and it was nice and I may buy one. Other models I am considering are the Cannondale F9, Gary Fisher Tarpon, and Giant Boulder (an odd-sounding

      • Our V.P.
        03/15/09


        Funniest pic I've seen in a long time. lol

      • I'll take that in 28 Quarters, please
        03/07/09
        Earlier this week I got an email from payroll about some stimulus plan that just kicked in and that some of us might see less federal taxes taken out.

        So, my check was $7 more.

        Payday happened to coincide with the day my IRA statement came.

        Keep the "change&quo

    • February
      • <sarc> I'm glad
        02/24/09
        ...that so many of us voted for "change." I really enjoy watching 13 years of investing dwindle into nothing. </sarc>

        Gee, let's vote in a left of left liberal to complement the nincompoops in Congress; you know, that Democratic majority of nincompoops we elected in i

      • First 5K
        02/23/09
        I registered today for my first ever 5K. The race will be on the first Saturday of April.

        I need to keep on with my current training schedule - running (weather permitting) or the treadmill at the gym; four days a week. All things considered, I find straight running much easier than a tr

      • 200
        02/12/09
        I didn't know this until about a week ago, but Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were both born on February 12, 1809. Both great men in their chosen careers, yes, and both controversial during their time, with Darwin still being a subject of controversy. Nonetheless, happy 200th to both.

      • Taste of Spring
        02/09/09
        Being a balmy 55F yesterday, I got the bicycle out and did a standard route of about 8.5 miles. I got a little wet due to the melting snow but it was worth it. The cold and well below normal temperatures locally (-4 for Jan and so far -2 for Feb; if they were 4F above, some people would use that bia

      • Time to Move On
        02/07/09
        For those of you with those "W" stickers on your car bumpers and rear windows, it's time to move on. We have a new President and you need to replace those stickers with something reflective of our new administration.



        Sometimes you just have to move on. No excus

    • January
      • Only in NJ
        01/28/09
        Yes, in New Jersey, the state that can't even manage itself well enough to keep casinos - an excellent source of free money - open; comes this story:

        It's Raining Dead Birds in New Jersey

        So let me get this straight, one of only two states where you can't pump yo

      • Democrats Oppose Progress
        01/26/09
        So much for being "progressive."

        Senate OKs 4-month delay to digital TV changeover

        Unbelievable; and the follies have just begun. They've been advertising this change for two years plus.

        The irony is that if people don't understand this changeov

      • Cold
        01/22/09
        ...very cold. So far, nearly every day has been below normal this month. Take a look.

        It's not just local, either: Deep Freeze Chills Florida

        UK's Met Office sees cold winter continuing

        Abnormally cold winter among issues facing utilities (Iowa)

      • Championship Sunday
        01/18/09
        For what it's worth, here are my picks:

        Eagles 27, Cardinals 24

        Ravens 20, Steelers 16

        Seems like the consensus is that we are going to see a Turnpike Superbowl. I don't think so.

      • Decadence is OK, if it's Obama
        01/16/09
        Where is all the outrage over the excessive costs of BHO's inauguration?

        Obama's inauguration set to be the most expensive in US history

        Surely, we all remember the furor just four years ago.

        It's his party ...and it costs $40 million
        Change &quo

      • In The Times Today
        01/15/09
        From today's NYTimes:

        Intelligence Court Rules Wiretapping Power Legal
        Surely we will have calls for impeachment of Obama, Biden, and calls for resignation of whoever the attorney general turns out to be. Surely the outrage will be as vehement and vociferous from the same people

      • Misnomer
        01/14/09
        New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services removes Adolf H----- Campbell, sisters from parents' home

        The reason is still unclear and the article mentions that local police had no reports of the children being mistreated, but just imagine the irony if the children were taken sim

      • 100 Books
        01/03/09
        Five years ago, I set out on a challenge to read 100 books in five years. I topped that number by three. Here's the list.

      • Don't blame them
        01/02/09
        Someone sent this email, copied and pasted from the company's website, to a mailing list I subscribe to:

        Welcome to the MadTux Store

        We regret to inform you that economic conditions have forced us to close our doors after eight years in business.

        Should read: &q

      • '09
        01/01/09
        A few things to look forward to in 2009:

        1. In 19 days, BHO takes office. Look for the MSM to go into BDS mode when BHO can't fix something with a simple hand motion.

        2. George Snootupobamasass will need to invest in a thicker makeup nose-covering cream.

        3. Ri

  • 2008
    • December
      • Big Loser
        12/31/08
        ...but I know that I am not the biggest loser. Even though I proudly watch no prime-time TV, I must admit am familiar with that television show and I must admit of all the reality TV out there, that show is probably the only one that encourages people to better themselves.

        As I wrap up o

      • Print
        12/23/08
        Earlier this year, I received a copy of Linux Pro Magazine instead of Linux Magazine. Linux Magazine ceased printing and went online-only and Linux Pro completed the subscription. Yesterday, I received the last copy of PC Magazine. They are going online-only too and I will have to pay for the online

      • The Runs
        12/17/08
        I am now down to about 21:00 for 1.7 mile route I have mapped out for running. It's a simple run through my neighborhood with some downhill and uphill segments. I have no estimate yet as to when I think I can do it twice; twice being slightly more than a 5K. Initially, I was hoping to try a 5K

      • Gas Prices
        12/10/08
        A bumper sticker I saw crop up earlier this year read:

        "When Bush Took Office, Gas was $1.46 a gallon"

        As it stands now, the U.S. average is $1.68 a gallon.

        When Bill Clinton took office, gas was $1.06 a gallon. Mark that down as a 38% increase under Clinto

      • Rod Blagojevich is Democrat
        12/09/08
        Funny how CNN dances around this point and never actually mentions it.

        However, CNN does offer this information:

        Blagojevich, who turns 52 on Wednesday, is in his second four-year term as Illinois governor. His term ends in January 2011.

        Before being elected govern

      • Remember
        12/07/08
        But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

        I believe that I interpret the will of the Cong

      • Booting the Bum Out
        12/06/08
        The people of Louisiana's Second District have given Cold Cash William Jefferson the boot.

        From CNN

        Funny how Jefferson, who has a litany of charges against him, just never seemed to get the amount of press that Mark Foley did.

        Update NYTimes archive search:
    • November
      • A Full Day
        11/28/08
        Woke 3:35 am
        Left house at 4:20 am
        Arrive at Philadelphia Int'l Airport about 5:55
        Park, get shuttle to terminal, get to gate at 6:20
        Board plane for Pittsburgh at 7:05
        Plane leaves 7:29
        Arrive Pittsburgh 8:30
        Meet my ride, grab a coffee at McD's
      • Ab so lutely
        11/24/08
        Vatican: Beatles music better than today's songs

        Sensible and wise people, those Vaticans.

      • Tiger Beat Media on the Prowl
        11/23/08
        Jack Kelly Column: Not So Smart After All

        Website: How Obama Got Elected

        Zogby Poll: Almost No Obama Voters Ace Election Test

        Tiger Beat Media strikes again! Of course, you can't blame BONED* entirely for people not keeping themselves informed but if that's

      • Run
        11/18/08
        I decided to try upping my usual brisk walking pace and turned it into a light jog. I literally hit the road running and I ended up running one mile without stopping. I clocked it, loosely, at 12:00 which isn't bad at all since I don't think I have ever run a mile before without stopping.

      • Fitness
        11/17/08
        Since I haven't been biking as much, I've started lifting weights and doing sit-ups and push-ups to continue my pursuit to get in shape. Actually, let me amend that - to stay in shape. I also fit in a 1.5 to 2 mile walk a few days a week.

        Bench press - usually do 5, 3, and 3 o

      • Time for Change
        11/07/08
        From NBC 10 Philadelphia:

        City Axes Jobs, Programs, Fire Trucks to Balance Budget

        In a city that's been mired in corruption and malfeasance for decades, one would think that the citizens of Philadelphia would want change. But, alas, every election, they pull the straight &

      • Ponder = are worried sh*tless about
        11/05/08
        From the AP via Yahoo! News:

        Stocks fall as investors ponder Obama presidency

        The Tiger Beat media strikes again.

        Not that it's directly related to stocks but:

        US GDP increased 83% under Reagan, 50% under Clinton, and 44% under Dubya. That latter numb

    • October
      • HA-HA
        10/31/08
        N.C. boy shocked after man powers up McCain-Palin campaign sign to prevent theft [Link]

        In my youth, when kids did something mischievous and received just comeuppance, the attitude du jour was: "you deserved it and I hope you learned your lesson."

        Nelson says it best:

      • Phinally!
        10/29/08

        Phils Win! Phils Win! Phils Win! Unbelievable! YAHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

      • Freedom of Speech
        10/27/08
        Tasteless? Yes. Despicable? Sure. Over the line? Probably. Free Speech? Perhaps.

        Sarah Palin effigy hung in Halloween display

        ...but imagine the outcry if the owner of this display said "Barack Hussein Obama" in front of a crowd of people. The Thought Police wing of O

      • A Sighting
        10/23/08
        Keeping with the animal theme - seen the other day in my yard: a gray fox. Apparently, seeing these is a rare event. I heard a growl of sorts and looked out in the yard and couldn't believe what I saw. I grabbed the camera, which had no batteries and by the time I found batteries, the fox had m

      • Dead Squirrel in my Golf Bag
        10/14/08
        Since the title pretty much sums up what happened, I will expound.

        Little over a week ago, we had a squirrel in the garage. Our garage has a typical door and a people door. The squirrel came in through the people door because the car door was closed. Whether the cat brought it in*, chase

      • Ethical Cloud Lingers On
        10/13/08
        Tim Mahoney's (D-FL) $121,000 Payoff to Alleged Mistress

        Mahoney is the guy who replaced Mark Foley. Look for as much press on this matter that Foley received. Oh wait, good luck on that happening. Of course, if Mahoney were a Republican, we'd all be deaf from the horns-a-blowin

      • Just a Name
        10/12/08
        Another letter to the editor today: [Link]

      • Sports Talk
        10/08/08
        1. In the latest AP Poll, Pitt is ranked 24. Pitt was a preseason #25 but lost to Bowling Green (ugh) in game one. The remaining schedule is tough - at Navy, Rutgers, at N.D., Louisville, at Cincinnati, WVU, and at UConn. Albeit none of them are ranked but they are viable opponents. I see a 4-3 run

      • Duplicity
        10/06/08
        Ever notice that the same people who castigate ExxonMobil for making a profit are the same people who are making the most noise about all these firms losing insane amounts of money?

        When big companies make money, the market does well. When ExxonMobil makes money, some people want to lynch

      • Crickets Chirping
        10/05/08
        Here's an interesting column today by Jack Kelly from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

        Funny Money

        I am sure the neutral media [sic] is throughly investigating who Mr. Good Will, Doodad Pro, and three Palestinian refugees are who have nothing better to do with $33K are as I t

      • Digital HF
        10/01/08
        I bought a Rigblaster Nomic sound card interface so I can try digital HF on amateur radio. All the cables I needed were included and all I had to configure on the Nomic was the jumper settings that are specific to each radio.

        In order to do digital (modes like RTTY, PSK31, Hellschreiber,

    • September
      • Scary thing is, I might be right
        09/29/08
        Last month, I made a post speculating what might happen to the world markets if ExxonMobil ever fails; (as many people in this land are hoping for, by the way). Judging how the market reacted today to a Congressional vote on a handout from the taxpayers, I might be right.

        Additionally, af

      • Food Debauchery
        09/22/08
        We went to Pittsburgh this past weekend and, as is the case when you travel, it's hard to eat right. So, chronicled what I ate and it isn't pretty. It's hard to believe that I used to eat like this all the time, sans the salads and fruit.

        Roy Rogers on the turnpike:
        Ch

      • Happy Constitution Day!
        09/17/08
        From About.com:

        On September 17, 1787, forty-two of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention held their final meeting. Only one item of business occupied the agenda that day, to sign the Constitution of the United States of America.

        Of the 42 who attended, 39 signed an

      • ---- Hitting the Fan
        09/16/08
        My wife and I been doing our part as responsible citizens. We save and we also invest. We don't buy things we can't afford. Excluding the mortgage, we have no debt, which, really isn't considered a debt but more of a loan. Yet, financially, things are a mess and I believe it's du

      • ????????
        09/12/08
        On a scale of 1 to 5, five being zaniest, Joe Biden's recent comment that Hillary "might have been a better pick than me" for VP goes off the scale with an impressive eight question marks. Someone should start a competitive eating contest but instead of food, use shoes, because at the

      • Much Ado About Nothing
        09/10/08
        I don't watch a lot of TV but I have seen (before the Eagles-Rams kickoff) the much publicized and criticized Microsoft commercial with Bill and Jerry. Awful. First of all, I had no idea what the commercial was for and, secondly, Jerry Seinfeld isn't funny at all; never was, and Bill Gates

    • August
      • The Move
        08/31/08
        I was in Western PA this weekend and away from the TV, Internet, and radio on Friday when Sarah Palin was announced as McCain's running mate. So I missed all the initial hype and really didn't get to catch much about it over the rest of the weekend.

        I had commented a few months

      • Typical Headline Slant from the AP
        08/26/08
        So, let me get this straight: the McCain campaign airs an ad that features Hillary Clinton saying "I know Sen. McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to the White House. And, Sen. Obama has a speech he gave in 2002." This is a called a GOP attack? How? Hillary did the attac

      • Too Good? Too Bad! You're Outta Here!
        08/26/08
        Yet another example the ongoing effort to neutralize anyone who is good at something:

        9-Year-Old Boy Told He's Too Good To Pitch

        Of course, if a league told a kid he wasn't good enough to pitch - instant lawsuit!

        People have learned that if someone is smart

      • Numbers
        08/18/08
        0 - number of vacation plans we had to alter this summer because of gas prices. We went to Canada and DC/Virginia. We also went camping, the shore, went to Musikfest, several Iron Pigs games, and I went to the Reading Air Show.

        2 - number of times this summer I paid more than $4 for a gal

      • Global Warming Causes Near Record Corn Yield
        08/13/08
        It's true!

        Midwest floods show signs of global warming

        Corn harvest predicted to be second-largest ever

      • ExxonMobil Reports $41B 3rd Quarter Loss
        08/08/08
        Irving, TX (TP) - World markets were send into a freefall earlier today when ExxonMobil announced a record-shattering $41B loss last quarter. The news comes just weeks after ExxonMobil completed its "Pay Now, Not Later" plan which compensated all employees and retirees for their expected f

      • Obama First, America Second, or Third, or Fourth, or Fifth....
        08/07/08
        Well, that's the theme BHO seems to convey by replacing an American flag on the tail of his airplane with his campaign symbol.

        Of course, if John McCain did this, there would be a call for public "McCain symbol" burnings throughout the land. But, since McCain supporters ar

      • $4,114 in Taxes per Second
        08/04/08
        ...is what ExxonMobil paid this past quarter. For every dollar pocketed, they paid three in taxes.

      • Alexandria, VA
        08/01/08
        I spent a few days in Alexandria and Washington this past week. My wife and I managed to get a few days away without the kids. Since we had both already seen most of the major DC sites, including Mt. Vernon, we took our bikes and biked along the Mt. Vernon Trail which runs along the Potomac on the V

    • July
      • America on Wheels
        07/28/08
        A friend of mine from Pittsburgh was passing through town and wanted to got to the America on Wheels museum so we ventured into Allentown to check it out yesterday. The museum features cars, bicycles, motorcycles, trucks (heavy on Mack, as expected), and even has some odd stuff like a bar-stool race

      • 22nd Amendment to be Repealed?
        07/21/08
        In yet another verbal blunder, oft-bewildered BHO stated on Face the Nation that, if elected, he'll serve 8-10 years. Imagine the laughter if "crazy old coot" John McCain said this?

        Interestingly, in the 109th, 108th, 107th, 105th, 104th, and 103rd Congresses, amendments w

      • Election? No Problem.
        07/20/08

        © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate All Rights Reserved.

        ...no problem if you have the media to carry you along, that is. I saw this comic in my local paper a few days ago and it's oh so true. It's amazing how the media goes gaga over Obama. His gaffes like saying he's v

      • iPhone Line Economy
        07/13/08

        (AP Photo)

        Certainly anyone who lived through the Great Depression and may have had to wait in lines for hours at a time for petty things like food or a job must be shocked at how bad this economy is today. People who are younger like me and the generation before me will remember th

      • Iran Missile Launch Pic Photoshopped?
        07/10/08
        Making the rounds on the usual blogs this morning I found this post that claims a photo released by Iran showing some missiles launching was Photoshopped. Judge for yourself.

        Update (07/11): The MSM finally catches on; two days late.

      • 32W
        07/05/08
        For the first time since around 1990, I actually bought a pair of pants (shorts, actually) with a 32" waist. I fit into them. I also bought two medium shirts, too. Many of my clothes are now too big for me. I guess losing 22 pounds will do that to you.

      • The Fourth
        07/04/08
        Enjoy your Fourth of July holiday. Looks like a rainy one locally; hard to say if they'll be able to fit the local fireworks shows in. I hope they can but it's too early in the day to tell.

        Take a few minutes today to read the Declaration of Independence. I read it about 2-3 tim

      • I agree with Joe Klein
        07/02/08
        Kill Your Air Conditioner

        At least in part. Let's practice some restraint out there. If you read my blog you know how I feel about air conditioning.

        The last thing we want is the government regulating our energy usage. Laugh if you will, but it's coming. Yes, A/C may

    • June
      • Google Sucks
        06/29/08
        Anti-Obama == Spamblog? Well according to Google, it seems.

        From Newsbusters: Google Shuts Down Anti-Obama Sites on its Blogger Platform

        But in Google's defense, they are a business and they can do what they want. The problem is, however, that too many people, especially y

      • Yaesu FT-450AT
        06/25/08
        I decided on the Yaesu FT-450AT and purchased one. It was delivered today. I read though the manual and then hooked it up.

        Some thoughts:

        1. SWR comes in a little higher than on my Dad's Icom 746. The Icom was about 1.5:1. The reading on my Yaesu is about 2:1 with the sam

      • Firefox 3 Download Day
        06/17/08


        Today is Firefox 3 Download Day. So, go ahead and download. I will download it at least three times myself. I haven't even tried the RC's for 3 yet but I will download it for my main desktop (Slackware, of course), the XP side of my wife's laptop, and a copy to keep on my

      • Veep
        06/12/08
        The race is on for a V.P. for both Obama and McCain. I don't think Hillary will be Obama's choice and if that's the case, he can't pick a woman at all. This is where McCain can make a bold move - select a woman as a running mate. Since Obama cannot choose a woman unless she'

      • World War II Weekend
        06/09/08
        I went to the World War II Weekend Air Show at the Reading airport yesterday. Good show, as usual, and one day I will book a flight on the Yankee Lady. At $425 a pop, it's pricey. A friend of mine did it a few years ago and, as expected, he said it was just awesome.

        I got to chat fo

      • Economics 101
        06/08/08
        The New Supreme Maxim of Economics:

        "If U.S. unemployment increases to a level that is still historically low, then the price of oil and gasoline must immediately increase to record levels, the DJIA must drop 3%, and experts will insist that the economy is in tatters."

      • The Heat is On
        06/07/08
        Whoa, nellie! We are getting an early heat wave. Forecast highs for the next four days are: 95, 95, 95, and 90. I wonder if we will hit these numbers or not. Past personal observations point to that when we get our first heat wave of the year, temperatures usually miss the mark by a few degrees.
      • Letter to the Editor Today
        06/06/08
        Another letter to the editor:

        [Link]

        They edited it slightly, too. The last line originally read: "Let us all join in unison and walk with pride!"

        And the irony is that 64 years ago today, steel made at that plant was likely incorporated into vehicles, airp

      • It Works!
        06/05/08
        A few days ago I helped my dad set up a 20 meter dipole antenna at my house. He did most of the work like the actual construction, soldering, and drilling through the wall. I chipped in with tying the ends down one on the chimney and one on a tree. Getting on the roof was easy, I do it about a dozen

      • First Quarterly Decline in GDP in Five Years
        06/02/08
        ...in Canada.

        The article is an interesting read because of the sense of optimism the Canadian press has; optimism that U.S. press never reports when it comes to our economy. The article also contrasts conditions in Canada to those in the US. For example, the article says that in the the

    • May
      • Hold the Line
        05/30/08
        This morning I tipped the scales at 20 pounds less than I was on January 3rd. I might actually hit -21 or -22 this morning yet because I don't eat breakfast; except for one or two days a month or when I'm away on vacation, breakfast is coffee only. Dinner between 6 and 7 and then nothing u

      • Memorial Day
        05/26/08
        "What with making their way and enjoying what they have won, heroes have no time to think. But the sons of heroes -- ah, they have all the necessary leisure."

        - Aldous Huxley

      • Quote of the Day
        05/23/08
        ...from George Will's column yesterday:

        The green left understands that the direct route to government control of almost everything is to stigmatize, as a planetary menace, something involved in almost everything -- carbon.

        Orwellian, for sure, and although Orwell doesn�

      • Customer Service Done Right
        05/15/08
        Cutting the grass on Tuesday evening, dunderhead me forgot to screw the gas cap on the mower* and, thus, it came off and I ran over it, rendering it unusable; shot it across the street, too. I was able to finish the front and then went to Sears Hardware to see if they had a replacement in stock. The

      • Hawaii Six-O
        05/10/08

      • In the Merry Month of May
        05/02/08
        ...there are blizzard warnings:

        ...for NW Kansas.

        May blizzard shuts down parts of S.D.

        Blizzard warning for NE Colorado.

    • April
      • Lehigh Valley Half Marathon
        04/27/08
        I worked communications support today with some members of the amateur radio club at the Lehigh Valley Half Marathon and 5K. I was assigned to work the starting line near Allen High School and then go down to last leg before the entrance to J. Birney Crum and the finish line. Our main role was basic

      • Tommy, Can you Hear Me?
        04/25/08
        The National Day of Silence is upon us again. Here is my letter to the editor about this, published on 04/16/05 in the Morning Call.

      • Rewind to 2000
        04/22/08
        I found an Earth Day article from Reason Magazine, May 2000.

        Some of the those early earth day activists really made some bold predictions about famine and civilization ending within 30 years that never materialized. But, alas, we can't fault the activists because they were citing s

      • License Upgrade
        04/19/08
        I took and passed the Amateur General exam last night so now I can transmit on some of the HF bands (160-10M, this pdf chart shows the bands and privileges). I still haven't bought a base station yet but my dad is going to loan me his Icom 746 in the interim. I need to buy a power supply and t

      • 96, 67.8, 0.3
        04/14/08
        96 Percent of mortgage owners are "fulfilling their commitments." That's a tad vague but I would say that means they are paying on time or close enough to on time that the mortgage lender doesn't need to take further action.

        Home ownership in the U.S. is 67.8 per cent;

      • Bad PR
        04/06/08


        Oops! I meant to buy tickets for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, not the Leigh Valley IronPigs!

      • Vultures
        04/05/08


        I snapped this photo of these two vultures perched in the copse behind my house yesterday morning. It's not uncommon to see turkey vultures in the field behind my house but a few weeks ago I had noticed increased activity; often three or four at a time circling and landing on trees

      • Eat Me
        04/04/08
        ...or maybe I'll eat you. I guess it all depends on who's hungrier. Once again proving that America is the only nation on earth where a person with an IQ of 43 can become a billionaire, quintessential nutjob Ted Turner believes that Global Warming will cause humans to resort to cannibalism

      • Postcard from Michael Yon
        04/03/08
        I got a postcard from Michael Yon today. Michael is a blogger and observer who spends a lot of time in Iraq. He chronicles what he sees and though he's not a journalist, many journalists can learn a lot from him.



        The front ^ and back v



        A link to Mic

    • March
      • FreeBSD 7.0-Release
        03/27/08
        I have a secondary machine that I've been running FreeBSD on for a few years. In fact, if it weren't for me shutting everything down when I went on vacation last summer and one time hooking up a UPS, it would have probably been up that long too; well, a year at least. Alas, I bade farewell

      • Kwame Kilpatrick is a Democrat
        03/25/08
        Heck, someone has to say it. NBC, CBS, and NBC can't bring themselves to say it. But when the accused is Larry Craig or David Vitter, according to that link, their party is mentioned without fail:The big three broadcast networks have gone out of their way to avoid labeling scandal-scarred New Y

      • Stimulus
        03/20/08


        The letter informing us about receiving a stimulus came today. Instead of spending like drunken sailors like so many Americans do, anyone who gets a check should 1) use it to pay down debt; credit card debt first or 2) put into a savings account. Other good uses are retirement funds, col

      • You Gotta be Kidding Me
        03/15/08
        Here's our local 15-day forecast from Accuweather.com:

        [Link]

        Isn't it supposed to get warmer as we get closer to April? The average high/low by late March is 53/32. Looks like another bitter cold spring is on the way. Maybe we'll get lucky and the forecast will

      • Eliot Spitzer is a Democrat
        03/10/08
        ...but you wouldn't know it from this AP article. How about this CNN story? Nope, not there. Don't tell me the MSM doesn't have a liberal bias.

        New York has 19.3 million residents.
        Idaho has 1.5 million residents.

        It will be interesting to see if this scan

      • Feckless
        03/08/08
        Seems to be a lot of negative stories in the news of late. I guess since progress is being made in Iraq, the MSM needs to find, and cheer on, negativity elsewhere.

        Mortgage meltdown/subprime crisis.
        Soaring gas prices.
        Downturn in the stock market.
        Inflation.
        Possib

      • Brian Shrugged
        03/03/08
        When I first heard about it, I thought it was a joke. But, alas, it's true. Atlas Shrugged is being made into a movie. Angelina J---- is Dagny (I think Jodie Foster would be a better choice) and some noname* is John Galt, which could be a good thing. If Hank Reardon turns out to be played by B-

      • -11, aiming for -20
        03/02/08
        As is undoubtedly good practice, I don't blog about my health or finances and rarely mention family and, when I do, I usually don't use their names. One thing I don't mind stating is that my wife and I live a debt-free life. I mention this because, while it may seem hard, it's qu

    • February
      • Inventory
        02/29/08
        Decisions. Decisions. My wife wants me to thin out my computer stuff. Without doing a formal inventory, which I tried once and gave up on because it was just too much, here's what I have:

        1. Two complete PII computers
        2. One AMDK6 computer
        3. One PIII computer
        4. One P

      • Myron Cope, 1929-2008
        02/27/08


        Fellow Pittsburgh alumnus Myron Cope has passed away. A local legend, Cope was an integral part of Pittsburghcana. Outsiders may have found him hard to bear but, just as I did as an outsider, I learned to appreciate the man and understand how much he meant to Pittsburghers. He was truly

      • Range
        02/23/08
        Another relic from the days when things were built to last has seen its time come. We decided to replace the stove. We bought a Kenmore with the flat glass top and electronic controls, yay. Call me old-fashioned but turning some knobs to set a temperature and time works remarkably well. I can't

      • Government Efficiency
        02/17/08
        I received my passport in the mail yesterday. They said 6-8 weeks but I got it in 10 days! w00t! I didn't get my birth certificate back yet, though. I guess the Dept. of State still has it. I am guessing that once they ok the passport, it gets printed somewhere (it was postmarked from a govern

      • Find: Demo (x) Match Case (-) Phrase not found
        02/14/08
        Senator Larry Craig is in the news again and the AP wastes no time in reminding us what party he belongs to.

        Here are links to two recent stories from the AP. See if you can guess what's missing from the story about Kwame Kilpatrick, mayor of the 11th largest city in the US.
      • Vertex VX-150
        02/09/08
        I opted to purchase a two-meter handheld first instead of a dual-band mobile to use as a base station like I initially had planned. My reasoning was that the prices for the new dual-bands aren't much less that what used HF transceivers sell for and the used dual-bands don't sell for much l

      • Groundhogs
        02/02/08
        One thing I don't understand is Groundhog Day. It's a rodent for cryin' out loud. I will share some groundhog stories I have.

        Last spring my daughter and the neighbor's kid came running down to me to tell me a groundhog was by the swingset and wasn't moving and th

    • January
      • KB3QHA
        01/26/08
        That's me. My callsign appeared in the FCC's ULS database yesterday; incorrect name spelling and all.

      • Letter to the Editor
        01/25/08
        Another letter to the editor; the link is usually good for a week or two.

        [Link]

        They hacked this one down a bit. Perhaps my original was a little long and a tad harsh. [Link]

      • CQ
        01/18/08
        I passed the amateur radio license test tonight. Once my license appears in the FCC database, I can transmit on the bands permitted by the Technician class license; which is all allocated amateur frequencies 50MHz and above which is the same as wavelengths 6M and below. Locally, a lot of action is o

      • 10.9
        01/13/08
        Santa stuffed a little bicycle odometer/speedometer thingy (called a 'cycle computer' on the packaging) in my stocking a few weeks ago so now I am able to measure more accurately the distances I cover when biking. Since I was born with flat feet and I can't run very well (even in high

      • NFL Picks
        01/12/08
        If you care, here are my picks for the games this weekend:

        New England over Jacksonville (take Jax and the points on this one)
        San Diego over Indianapolis

        Seattle over Green Bay
        Dallas over New Jersey

        Of the four NFC teams left, I like none of them. Seattle

      • Boo Hoo
        01/11/08
        I certainly erred when I compared Hillary's campaign to the Titanic. Hillary is human after all, and like some humans, especially those under the age of ten, she realizes that crying is an acceptable way to get what you want. However, no amount of crying would have saved the Titanic from disast

      • New Clinton Campaign Poster Unveiled
        01/08/08

      • Overdependence
        01/04/08
        "Man Using GPS Drives in Front of Train" [Link]

        The irony of GPS is that it may help you get somewhere, but that doesn't mean you know where you are, but someone else might. If you got somewhere without the aid of GPS, you likely know where you are. Being able to read mile

  • 2007
    • December
      • 33/50
        12/29/07


        I found a site that will generate a map of states you've been in. I gotta get to Vermont so I can at least get every state that is completely east of the Mississippi.

        Some visits have been drive-throughs like Alabama and Connecticut and two have been airports only (Detro

      • Section 111
        12/27/07
        ...was where my seat was in tonight's Flyers-Maple Leafs game at the W------- Center (no plugs for Banks on my blog); good seats, 13 rows back from the right-side goalie face-off circle. Flyers won 4-1 to break a losing streak.

        L----- did a promotion during the game in which our enti

      • Merry Christmas
        12/21/07
        Yes, I know, Christmas is still a few days away and, in fact, it's not even winter yet. But, I've been saying 'Merry Christmas' to people and, amazingly, I haven't been beaten up, boycotted, or scolded on being intolerant. Maybe schools, businesses, and the news (it's C

      • When the Boughs Break
        12/14/07


        Thanks to Township Cooling and Icing, one of our pine trees lost a lot of weight last night. There are at least three major limbs there and maybe five to ten smaller ones; not counting sticks and minor branches. I haven't counted officially yet as I didn't want to spend too muc

      • Weather News
        12/13/07
        The weather is the news locally. Predictions of snow and sleet today have stirred everyone into a panic. Schools are already closed and yet not a drop of precipitation has fallen yet.

        In other (non) news, another tropical storm season has passed with little fanfare and no major storms hi

      • Oh, Christmas Tree!
        12/10/07


        I relaxed my self-imposed fifteen-day rule (don't get the tree until at the earliest, the 10th) and took the family to choose and put up our tree yesterday. I think it looks good.

      • Another Dud
        12/03/07
        Which dud you ask?

        1. The Eagles losing to the Seahawks and pretty much eliminating themselves from playoff contention.

        2. WVU falling flat (yippie!) to Pitt on Saturday. What an awesome game! That was Pitt's biggest win in years. Awesome! It's not as sweet as a win

    • November
      • All Access at Heinz Field
        11/25/07
        Yesterday I went to the Pitt game with two college friends and one of them had some all-access passes for Pitt games at Heinz Field. So, we spent most of the first half on the Pitt sideline. When you watch a football game you always see regular people on the sideline and yesterday I was one of those

      • In Pittsburgh
        11/24/07
        Making a quick post today before I head out to the Pitt-USF game; it's COLD here in Pittsburgh: 24 F at 8:45 am and it will be in the 30's during the game. I am doing a quick turnaround; left for Pittsburgh yesterday and going back home after the game. To keep myself occupied, I loaded my

      • First Flakes
        11/19/07


        Over three inches of unpredicted snow fell over our area yesterday into today. The forecast was for a rain and snow mix with little or no accumulation. It actually worked out well since it wasn't predicted, there was no pre-snow panic.

        As you can tell, my apple tree stil

      • Hand Picked
        11/17/07
        Word around the blogosphere is that CNN staged the Democratic debate in Las Vegas. The audience was full of ringers (non-ringers?) and the questioners where told what to ask. [Link] Of course, CNN has done this in the past with an equally silly question. [Link]

        Diamonds or pearls? What�

      • Veteran's Day
        11/11/07
        Support our troops, not by ending the war but by rooting for the home team and letting our military do what it's trained to do.

        The victors do not determine when a war ends, the vanquished do - by laying down their arms and giving up the fight.

        Aside from having a pro-Ame

      • .... . .-.. .-.. --- / .-- --- .-. .-.. -..
        11/04/07
        ...is how "hello world" is represented in Morse Code. The dots and dashes are generally called dits (short/dot) and dahs (long/dash). The slash in the title represents a space between words. When transmitting, the space between words is a short pause.

        I am trying to learn Morse

      • Pile On
        11/02/07
        Even though Hillary has a commanding lead in both the polls and in cash, her strategy of playing a victim I find questionable myself but something that may just work. After all, one core bastion of thought that most Democrats preach when they try to get your vote is to convince you, the voter, that

      • Rope for Sale
        11/01/07
        I saw this story this morning and it reminded me to try to find the actual quote attributed to Lenin that says, in effect, "The capitalist will sell you the rope you intend to hang him with." I wanted to find the actual quote and when it was said or where it was published originally. In se

    • October
      • The Good(s) of Wal-Mart
        10/25/07
        As we watch and read about the massive fires in California, most of us cannot fathom such tragedy happening to us. Fortunately, we live in a nation where people and businesses rise to the challenge of helping the people who have been displaced because of these terrible fires.

        Continuing i

      • ipw2200 Firmware Upgrade
        10/18/07
        I have a Sony Vaio laptop that used to just run Kubuntu but now I have set it up as a dual-boot with WinXP on one side and Slackware 12 on the other. I have had a few problems and the biggest is getting LILO to work properly. When LILO is set properly, the WinXP side gives me a BSOD shortly after it

      • An Inconvenient Lecture
        10/15/07
        ...but luckily a story carried by the Sydney Morning Herald is easily accessible thanks to the Intarweb. You'd be hard-pressed to find this story in any US papers or US-based media's websites even though the lecture was given in North Carolina by a prominent American in his field.
      • YASB - Yet Another Smoking Ban
        10/11/07
        The city of Belmont, CA, recently passed a strict anti-smoking ordinance that, aside from the usual bans of smoking, actually dictates that people in certain dwellings cannot smoke in their residences. [Story]

        What the article didn't mention is that, in an unrelated resolution, the c

      • "Critics Attack 12-Year-old"
        10/10/07
        ..is the byline above a picture in an AOL news story about Graeme Frost posted today. Since the media failed to do initial fact-checking and the Democrats failed to see that using a child for political purposes can put unwarranted strain on a kid, the media is trying really hard to spin this into a

      • I'm Back
        10/08/07
        I wasn't really gone but I did have a problem with my host and the blog software and I couldn't post new entries. Basically, the upgrade was botched somewhere along the line and it was my host and not me as the upgrade is just clicking the 'upgrade' button in the control panel of

      • "Missing" Posts
        10/08/07
        Still Broken (10/06/07 ~8:45 pm EDT)

        I chatted with tech support this afternoon and they said please allow 24-48 hours for resolution. Bah. It's now going on 36 hours so hopefull by Sunday morning I'll know what's going on. There have been some comments posted today but th

      • Amazin'
        10/01/07
        Yes, the 1969 Mets truly were amazin' but the 2007 Mets were not. HAHAHA. What a finish for those Fightin' Phils! I was in Jersey last night and had the joy of listening to WFAN for about 90 minutes and boy was it hilarious! It was the best 90 minutes of comedy ever! Mets fans say this is

    • September
      • A New Lowe
        09/27/07
        I went to Lowe's this morning and, lo and behold, they had Christmas stuff out for sale. Of course, it was really holiday merchandise since the big-box retailers, to quote myself, "like to profit from Christmas, but can't bring themselves to say 'Christmas' in their advertis

      • Quick Thought
        09/22/07
        Anyone else notice that as the terms "tolerance" and "diversity" become more common, especially in our schools, the word "Christmas" becomes less common? Heck, who am I kidding, the word "Christmas" is gone from our schools and colleges.

        Yes, I know

      • Good Column
        09/16/07
        ...in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Jack Kelly.

        From the article, a quote from a Democrat Senator:
        No one wants to call (Petraeus) a liar on national TV. The expectation is that outside groups will do this for us.
        True colors show through. Leading Democrats are unable

      • WTC
        09/11/07
        I have been to the World Trade Center twice in my life. The first time was rainy day in the spring of 1982. The roof viewing platform was closed so we had to settle for the top floor. The second time was on December 26, 2001. Here are two emails fused together that I sent out that day almost immedia

      • An Invention I'd like to see
        09/08/07
        With video cameras pervading our society and, more often than not, these cameras aren't deterring crime but rather functioning as a means to spy on average people, I would like to see someone invent a product that would obscure one's face, or whole body, when being videotaped.

      • I know a guy who knows a guy
        09/07/07
        ...who is the subject of this story. When I first saw it come down Slashdot's RSS feed, I gave it a casual read at the time. Slashdot's stories are usually interesting but I find that most of the time the comments that people post turn into a bash Bush and bash America fest. Constructive c

    • August
      • Muck the Fets
        08/30/07
        Before this week's series versus the Mets, I was ready to write the Phillies off as contenders in the NL East but I thought I'd wait until the series with the Mets was complete. Last year, I had them written of by the end of July but optimism this year got the best of me so I figured I

      • Worst Congress, ever!
        08/23/07
        The latest Gallup Poll puts Congress at the lowest approval rating since Gallup began polling such opinions. After years of bleating and panting and reminding us with trumpets blaring and horns-a-blowin' how low President Bush's approval rating has been, the MSM doesn't seem so quick

      • New Records
        08/22/07
        There doesn't seem to be a lot of press about this but I have found at least two areas where the high temperature yesterday was the lowest on record for August:

        New York City: 59
        Allentown, PA: 61

        I find it hard to believe that only two cities hit recor

      • 20
        08/17/07
        Well it's finally here, my 20 year high school reunion is this weekend and it's a three-day whoopdeedoo with a Friday happy hour, Saturday golf outing, school tour, and sit-down dinner at the hotel, and then a Sunday family picnic.

        Many consider this our first official reunion,

      • Yes, we have no bananas
        08/12/07
        ...but I am up to my ears in tomatoes! I planted 12 tomato plants in May and you can't believe the yield! Each of the last three days I have picked at least 40 tomatoes. I've been busy making salsa, spaghetti sauce, and giving them away. All told, I have probably picked at least 250 since

      • Unwrapped
        08/03/07
        Well, I knew this was inevitable, this morning I took the winterizing plastic off the main air conditioner in our house. By the way, it was here when we moved in; I take pride in the fact that I've never purchased an air conditioner. We've been using a small room air conditioner (free) for

      • Kubuntu
        08/01/07
        Ok, so I tried the Kool-Aid again. I installed, successfully, Kubuntu 7.04 (Feisty) on a Sony Vaio laptop. A brief overview is here and I submitted the entry to Linux on Laptops too.

    • July
      • Sunflowers
        07/26/07


        I was going to use this post to make some comments about Mr. Hypocritical but I decided against it because all Americans should educate themselves on his inconvenient reality. These sunflowers are American Giants and the package said they can grow to be 8-14 feet. The tallest one there c

      • Money Laundering
        07/22/07
        To launder money basically means to conceal the source of it. Sometimes people have no choice but to disclose what path their money has taken.

        Dog chews and eats nearly $750; most recovered

        From the story:

        "After finding out what happened, the family collected t

      • Canada Trip
        07/15/07
        Here is another picture I took along Kings Highway 15 near Seeleys Bay, Ontario two days ago. If I do the math right, that works out to about US$3.77 gallon.



        I didn't hear a lot of griping about gas prices when I was there but things in general are more expensive. The gas

      • Canadians Support Their Troops Too
        07/14/07
        Picture taken by me at a coffee shop on Kings Highway 15 near Seeleys Bay, Ontario. The sign has a McDonald's logo on it but the nearest McDonalds was about 20 Km down the road.

        Locally, the biggest story was that a soldier from Kingston was killed in Afghanistan on July 4 and the fu

      • On Holidays
        07/13/07
        ...well not anymore. I returned to the good ol' USA today after a few days in Canada. I came home to no phone service in my house. The storm on Tuesday must have knocked it out. Of course, this being Friday evening, the earliest the phone company can come out is Tuesday. Luckily, it appears not

      • University of Pittsburgh Dogs?
        07/07/07


        For some odd reason, my alma mater decided to change their secondary logo, pictured above, and they must have used some art-school dropout (excuse the redundancy) to design the Panther logo pictured above. Below is the most recent panther. I never thought it was great either but at least

      • Hiatus
        07/02/07
        I'll probably be taking holiday from blogging for the first half of July. Stay tuned, though, as I may sneak a post or two in depending on my mood.

        Remember to fly your flags and read the Declaration of Independence on the 4th.

        Here's the link to the post that expla

    • June
      • AlGort
        06/24/07

      • Beer is Getting Expensive
        06/21/07
        ...and making beer is too. The local homebrew store I buy my stuff from recently raised their prices, significantly. For example, the kit to make a batch of porter, which I just made (Pat, email me if you want to sample it when it's ready, it should be ready by next week) went from $34.95 to $4

      • U.S. Flag, 2007, by me
        06/14/07


        "Painted" freehand on my laptop computer by me; used GIMP. Ok, so I'm no Jasper Johns.

      • Canis latrans
        06/12/07
        I saw another coyote just beyond the property line of my yard a few days ago. it was about 3 pm and I was in the kitchen with the patio door to my right and out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw a deer. I looked and it was no deer. It was a coyote. It was too big to be a fox but it didn't

      • Google's New Logo?
        06/11/07
        Since Google is unwilling to honor US veterans on Veteran's Day or honor those on Memorial Day who have given their last full measure of devotion so that Google can choose to ignore them, I have an idea for Google's new logo:



        I know I'm a little late but 1) I�

      • D-Day +23010
        06/06/07


        As Ike addresses these men from the 101st Airborne Division, many thoughts must be going through their heads. I can assure you that one thought not going through their heads is wondering if any seditionous weasel in Congress will announce to the world that the war is lost if any part of

      • Jack's Back
        06/02/07
        Yes, he's back. After serving eight years in prison, Dr. Kevorkian is a free man. He said he'll no longer assist those who are terminally ill and wish to commit suicide. So, what's Jack to do? I have an idea.

        As of January 1, 2007, there were 3,350 death row inmates in the

      • NPR: All the News that's Fit to Hide
        06/01/07
        Like many Americans, I was surprised to find out that Hillary Clinton failed the DC bar exam in 1973. To her credit, she did pass the Arkansas bar exam that same year. I haven't watched the news today but I am confident that this must be all over such mean conservative leaning news outlets lik

    • May
      • On Point
        05/26/07
        I just finished reading On Point by Roger Hayes. Roger chronicles his year in Vietnam from 67-68 serving with the 1/5 (mech) in the 25th Infantry Division. The book is an informative read that shows one draftee's view of things during his tour. He details many of the mundane and many of the da

      • You Lazy Pieces of Shit
        05/25/07
        It is so rare for me to swear on my blog but this article just roiled me to no end.

        Able, but not Willing

        From the story:

        "Michelle Bailey, a slender, apparently healthy 22-year-old, used a scooter to get around a recent pool tournament at the Riviera hotel-cas

      • Bah Hamburg
        05/22/07
        Those of you have had the joy of driving on I-78 through Hamburg over the past year or so know what I mean when I say that the area is a mess. One day last fall we were traveling Eastbound and hit the stopped traffic just past exit 23 (Hamburg is 29), which is the last exit before the constriction (

      • I'll Bet He Wins
        05/22/07
        I have a feeling Willie Singletary is going to be elected in November. From the article:

        "Records Action News obtained show his drivers license is revoked until 2011 for a slew of traffic convictions, including driving with no insurance, reckless driving, careless driving, running a

      • Major Objective Achieved
        05/21/07
        The MSM has reached one of their main objectives. It appears things are gloomy with no hope or opportunity for improvement. This is a major objective for the MSM on their quest to get a Democrat in the White House in 2009. After years of bleating how bad things are and that the only person who has a

      • A Nice Run
        05/11/07
        As much as I like to complain about the weather, I must admit we've had a nice run over the past two weeks. According to Wunderground.com, the average high over the last 15 days has been 66.5 degrees F. The average high for this sample is 67.0 F. I still fear another repeat of 2005 when we had

      • Takeovers
        05/05/07
        It's not quite Googlezon, but it might be close; rumors flew yesterday that Microsoft might try to acquire Yahoo. Apparently, the talks died before they really began, luckily. I would really hate to have to stop using Alltheweb as my primary search engine or my Yahoo calendar. I think we will s

    • April
      • Top Ten Movies
        04/30/07
        Since it seems everyone likes lists, I decided to list my ten favorite movies. Granted, in the past ten years I have seen fewer than ten in a theater and probably rented fewer than ten in the past ten years as well. We bought a DVD player in December and up until a few days ago, had yet to rent, bor

      • Been Busy
        04/27/07
        I've been fairly busy the past three or so weeks which comes as no surprise to those of you who know why and, thus, I've really only had time to scan the news of late. There have been some big stories, too, like what happened at Virginia Tech, Congress waving the white flag, and Toyota bea

      • Nothing to See Here, Move Along
        04/17/07
        "A veteran California senator has resigned as chair of a powerful military construction committee after reports that for years she abused her position to award her husband’s companies billions of dollars in government contracts."
        [source]

        Since a prominent senator is involv

      • YAWP
        04/17/07
        "It's been so warm lately..."

        Q: "So how warm has it been?"

        A: "It's been so warm, that activists had to rename 'a national day of citizen action on global warming' to a 'climate change' rally." [Link]

        It ap

      • The Most Powerful Man in America
        04/14/07
        I am just as sick of hearing about Don Imus as anyone else but I can't help thinking about it. I think what concerns me the most is that Al Sharpton has become the most powerful man in America. If Al doesn't like what you say, then you are finished and the dinosaur media is more than willi

      • One Day in 2021
        04/12/07
        ...my children will ask me: "Daddy, why didn't you do anything about global warming?" To which I'll reply: "I wanted to, but it was just too darn cold to do anything."

        April 5: 42/32 (avg: 56/35)
        April 6: 40/28
        April 7: 41/24
        April 8: 41/25
      • Tidbits (Updated)
        04/05/07
        Even though she is abroad and affirming the veracity of my letter to the editor, I'll give Speaker Pelosi credit for one thing: she is not bad-mouthing the US and blaming us for everything, unlike Al Gore does when he travels abroad.

        The Phillies have started 0-2 and have blown leads

    • March
      • Letter to the Editor
        03/30/07
        Here's my letter to the editor that was published yesterday. The link is good for about two weeks.

        Letter to the editor

        Here's the cartoon.

      • The First "Green" President
        03/30/07
        ...versus someone who is less "Green."

        "Bush's House more Eco-Friendly Than Gore's" [Link]

        USAToday article: [Link]

        From Snopes: [Link]

        Pictures of Gore's house: [Link]

        Is Al Gore carbon neutral? [Link]
      • Circrook City
        03/29/07
        Circuit City has announced the layoffs of 3,400 employees because they make too much. Why did they pay them the higher wages to begin with? This sounds like upper-level management malfeasance to me.

        Hopefully the smarter and harder working employees who were not affected by this move wil

      • Information Warfare
        03/22/07
        I don't know that this is true or not but it's certainly believable.

        It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This



      • JACK ARMY’s "A Day in the Life” of My FOB
        03/17/07


        A chaptered story told on many blogs starts here and continues here:

        Chapter Two: Business

        After breakfast today, there were a few minor issues to be dealt with. First, a certain lieutenant needs to harassed. He feels sad and lonely if I fail to do that each day

      • The Intarweb
        03/16/07
        With all this talk of Net Neutrality lately, I can't decide whom I distrust least, the government or corporations. I often stick up for businesses but that's mainly because I know more liberals than conservatives. I don't believe that the Internet is considered a utility, yet, and I

      • A New Battalion
        03/10/07
        Since it seems that the Pentagon is struggling to find fresh troops , I have an idea. Congress seems to think we can end waging the peace in Iraq with the stroke of pen. Since they have all the answers, let's mobilize Congress, all 535 members, form them into a battalion, send them to Iraq to

      • Exmochev
        03/08/07
        New York, May 2, 2023 – Exmochev, the last of the U.S. owned oil companies, announced today that is it shutting down the last of its facilities in the United States. The move will leave the remaining 9,200 employees looking for jobs. Exmochev sold all remaining company-owned gas stations two years a

      • This Kool-Aid Tastes Funny
        03/05/07
        Since it seems that I am the only Linux user who hasn't drunk the Ubuntu Kool-Aid yet, I thought I'd give a whirl this weekend. I downloaded the ISO for 6.10 (I prefer numbers to names) and pulled out the old Sony Vaio; a PII 96 MB of RAM. I immediately stuck a 64 MB stick in there just to

      • March Reading
        03/01/07
        After having just finished The Fountainhead, I couldn't wait to get started on on Atlas Shrugged. At 1,168 pages, it'll take me most of March (and into April) to read, and that's with an aggressive reading schedule. The only copy the library has was hardcover which makes it more of ch

    • February
      • Multimedia
        02/25/07
        I've added a page to my site that includes sound clips. The link is on the right. I figured I'd post some of the more inane quotes by the people who are almost always immune to media scrutiny.

        I may also do video at some time too. I need to brush up on video editing and find a

      • The Original Dubya
        02/22/07
        "Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Cit

      • Can't We Wait a Year?
        02/18/07
        Instead of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, AKA the First Amendment infringing McCain-Feingold, Congress should have passed reform that limits how far out candidates can announce intention for the presidency; especially if they are currently serving the public as an elected official. We&#

      • Snow/Ice/Sleet Day
        02/14/07
        The storm here has passed. I didn't bother measuring the accumulation but I'd estimate about five inches of snow, tops. Of course, that snow had about a 1 1/2 inches of icy mix in the middle and the five felt like ten when shoveling. I don't own a snowblower even though our driveway b

      • Snowbound ('baund; adj.) - Living in PA and getting 6 inches of snow
        02/13/07
        A large winter storm is currently moving through the Mid-Atlantic into the Northeast. As usual, people are crowding the stores buying eggs, bread, and milk thinking they'll be stuck for eleven days because of six inches of snow. Anyway, I don't know why they bother even doing that. Persona

      • Hilarity
        02/12/07
        The woman I won't name seeks to become president. I support her, just not her mission.

      • It can't Happen Here
        02/06/07
        I just finished reading It can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis; one of my favorite authors. The story was written in 1935 and describes what would happen if the US fell under control of a dictator, complete with storm troopers, concentration camps, book burnings, government seizure of the press

      • Transition Complete
        02/01/07
        The move over to the new blog is now complete. I added my avatar on the right. In case you're wondering, that's a Mauser 98k. It's not mine; the picture was taken at an air show.

        The old blog was at /blog so I just replaced the index with an html page with a redirect script

    • January
      • Ha Ha
        01/26/07
        Proof that billionaires can be stupid:

        http://business.guardian.co.uk/davos200

        It's even funnier when they get stung twice, once for being un-American and once for being stupid.

        And I have commented on that company before and been quoted too.

      • Pusillanimous
        01/26/07
        Due to the cold weather, some schools were closed today. One quote from a superintendent in Connecticut (Link) :
        According to the Sprague superintendent's office, school was canceled because of the cold wind chill, and officials don't want children standing at the bus stop to be expo

      • A Lobbyist?
        01/22/07
        Forty-eight Republicans and seven Democrats voted to strip the requirement in lobbying reform bill that would make some bloggers register as lobbyists. Link

        One thing that didn't make sense was how they would determine who should be a lobbyist and who shouldn't. For example, I d

      • 100 Million still Afflicted
        01/17/07
        Information Week reports that downloads of IE 7 have topped 100 million and almost all of them are upgrades from IE 6. It's a shame that so many people are vexed by a new strain of this contagion. The cure can be found here.

      • Control
        01/14/07
        From a recent column by Jonah Goldberg:

        The New York Post recently compiled a list of the things that the New York City Council tried to ban — not all successfully — just in 2006 alone.

        The list: pit bulls; trans fats; aluminum baseball bats; the purchase of tobacco by 18- to

      • Dream Team
        01/12/07


        Of course, this would never work, but I can speculate. Aside from the scientific and ethical barriers to cloning and the changes in warfare since each man last donned a uniform, it's unlikely that Grant, Sherman, and Patton would be able to use their expertise in dealing with terror

  • 2006
    • November
      • New Format and Host
        11/10/06
        I am planning on moving from Blogger and, also, a new format. I need ideas on color combos that will look neat. What I have right now is too dull.