Can I Post From Droid?
I'm sitting here waiting for my Weight Watchers meeting to start, and trying to see if I can post using the WordPress app for Android. There must be something wrong with the scale here. This morning I was down 2 lbs, but during my weigh-in it was only 1.4! What a rip! My scale and the WW scale has always been 4 pounds different...today it is 4.6. I know I shouldn't scale watch too much, but damn I wanted my 2 pounds. I knew I should have purged before the meeting...KIDDING!!! It's a joke, relax! It may be water weight due to the fact that I worked out yesterday, and I'm sore. Right now I'm dreaming of a glass of red...only 2 weight watchers points. I wonder how many points for the bottle I wonder? KIDDING. It's a joke. Gotta go now, class is about to begin.
Unclean!
I like a clean home. I've tried to convince my mother and/or my ex-wife to come over each week and clean my place for me, but for some reason they always refuse. The keep saying selfish things like, "you're an adult now, son, and you must do these things for yourself" and "if you don't stop calling me, I'm going to get the authorities involved." Just kidding. I would never ask anybody to clean my home. Besides, only I can clean to my expectations. When the economy was better, I had a cleaning service and they did a wonderful job, but eventually my stinginess overcame my laziness, and I gave them the boot.
There are three major impediments to having a clean home. The first is my cat, the second is carpet, and the third is grout. My cat does a wonderful job at cleaning...herself. I guess that's why I like cats. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs...other people's dogs. Dogs are just so messy and smelly. My cat came equipped with a self-cleaning mode standard. She is so devoted to being clean that in the middle of chasing her favorite toy she will stop dead and start cleaning her chest fur. ("One, two, three licks...yup that got it, now where was that feather attached to the string? Oh never mind. Let's nap.") Yes, the cat certainly keeps herself clean but at the expense of EVERYTHIGN in my home. If I don't stay on top of things, cat hair will eventually consume me. It's EVERYWHERE! I've spent hundreds of dollars over the years on litter box technology just trying to figure out how to keep the damn litter in the box. I keep finding tiny little paw prints on my flawless glass-top range. She always denies involvement, but I'm pretty sure she's the one leaving those prints.
The coup de grace? One day my cat was outside on the screened-in porch when I saw her get into her wrenching position. It was fur ball extraction time. But wait! Why was she coming back INTO the house?! What the hell?! As I ran to pick her up and bring her back outside she began to blow. I was holding a little, furry Linda Blair spewing half-digested cat food and fur balls all over my rug! Why? Why would she come back INTO the house to vomit when there is a perfectly good concrete slap to throw up on outside ? And that brings me to carpeting.
There is no reason for carpet in the home. Unless you religiously practice the Japanese custom of removing your shoes EVERY time you enter your home AND you have no pets, there should be no carpeting allowed. Oh, how I yearn to have real hardwood floors covered in layer after layer polyurethane (the best substance in the world). Drop some food or wine or cat nastiness on poly-coated hardwood, and it just wipes up! Even better than hardwood is vinyl flooring. Laid onto the floor in one continuous roll with no seams, nothing is getting through this tacky synthetic wonder!
Now, if I can't have wood or vinyl then I'll settle for tile. I really like the look of tile, but the problem with tile is grout. In between each tile there lays a thin line of cement-like substance holding it all together. Grout is porous and holds all the dirt in which it comes in contact. Spill some wine on tile one night, and you better be prepared to get down on you hands and knees with a bottle of bleach and a scrub brush for the rest of the evening. I believe grout can be sealed with silicone or some other synthetic product. If this is true then 'tile sealing' should be part of the Constitution.
I must go now. It's been 10 minutes since I washed my hands, and the bacteria from the keyboard is multiplying on me exponentially! Again. Just kidding. I'm not that bad. I just like clean. And quiet. An no clutter. Wait! I think I just described the 'clean room' at the Kennedy Space Center. Perhaps I should lighten up a bit...nah!
Accountability
Update: March 18th, 2010. BackingIn.com contributor, Craig Lipset, sent me this link about accountability. North Korea executes official for blunder. Now, that's what I call being held to account! Yikes! I bet Bernie Madoff is glad he's an American after reading that story. Then again... Madoff reportedly assaulted by another inmate.
On October 21st, 2009 Northwest Airlines Flight 188 overflew its destination by about 150 miles. The two pilots reportedly became distracted by a discussion of airline scheduling while using their personal laptops, a violation of airline regulations. It was only after a flight attendant asked the pilots about the delay that the two men realized that they were 150 miles past the airport. According to the FAA, the pilots had been out of radio contact for seventy seven minutes.
As a result of this incident, the two pilots had their licenses revoked and according to CNN on Monday, March 15th:
Under a settlement with the FAA, the pilots will not contest their license revocation but can reapply for their licenses in 10 months instead of 12, the agency said.
So much for accountability. Why in the world would there be a settlement? The two pilots in question, after a full investigation and due process, should have been fired, had their licenses revoked, and been prosecuted for criminal negligence. Also, Northwest Airlines, its parent Delta, and the FAA should all have had their heads handed to them. How can, in this post 9/11 world, an airliner be out of contact and deviate from its flight plan for almost an hour and half?
There is no accountability in the world today. It's not just famous athletes and movie stars that get away with murder. The Federal and state governments and institutions routinely offer up some sacrificial lamb after a huge mistake and all is soon forgotten. Below is a short list of atrocious incidents in which little to no punitive action was taken. Do remember them all?
- 2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident -- Four USAF commanders were relieved of their commands. That's right nuclear weapons went missing, and some commanders lost their commands. Wow, talk about harsh punishment. No way that will ever happen again.
- The Attacks of September 11, 2001 -- No consequences for anybody in the government. Did anybody even lose their job?
- I-35W Mississippi River Bridge Collapse -- Minnesota bridge collapses without warning. Thirteen dead, more wounded, millions of dollars lost. Accountable? Nobody, of course!
I'm too annoyed to continue, but I'm sure you can add more to the list. It seems the only ones that are held accountable is this society are the 'little' people. If you are a large corporation, government agency, or celebrity you have a free pass. But hey, that's why pencils have erasers. Maybe I'm being too harsh on the poor pilots of Northwest 188. Maybe when they get their licenses back they can fly nuclear weapons transports for the Air Force.
Last Apple Post, I swear
Update: March 18th, 2010. Uninstalled iTunes, reinstalled iTunes, downloaded firmware update. Voilà!
Welcome to the all Apple blog! Seriously, this time it's not my fault. I'm only posting about Apple again because I'm in the middle of helping my niece troubleshoot the installation of her new iPod Nano. I can't help it if everybody and their niece buys iPods!
For those who don't know, I am the Southeast Regional Helpdesk for my family. If it has anything to do with computers or electronics, I"m the 'goto guy' in my clan. I have GotoMyPC installed on every family member's computer, so I can remotely connect and diagnose whatever problem I'm presented.
This time around, I'm remotely connected to my niece's PC trying to figure out why her iPod Nano connects then immediately disconnects when she plugs it in. So far I've determined that it is not the cord or the USB port. Windows recognizes the iPod as an external drive, but when iTunes (bloated piece of crap) starts up all hell breaks loose. The Mac fans out there will undoubtedly say that the problem lies with the Windows part of the equation, and that I should tell my niece to buy a Mac. She should have to spend $1000 for a MacBook and $150 for an iPod, a total of $1150 to play some mp3s! That ain't gonna happen.
I think the problem is software related. I'm going to try to uninstall that p.o.s. iTunes and reinstall and see what happens. Check back soon for more Apple tips and tricks on BackingIn.com, A.K.A Apple Blog Central!
GOINGFORWARD
Below is a rebuttal to my derision of the act of backing-in by my good friend and backing-iner, Craig Lipset:
Time to defend those who backin, because I AM ONE OF THEM.
So I'll admit I first got into the habit during my 911 days; you always back in an ambulance (both to unload a patient but also to get out in a hurry).But here are the reasons why I do it today:
(1) It's safer
I just pulled up to a spot. I know what's around me. I know if there are kids or old ladies shuffling near the street. I know if there are cars behind me. Now is the time to go backwards, because there are fewer things that are going to jump out and surprise me.
I can back out later, but after loading the kids in the car and then getting in and starting it up, I don't know if that old lady has started shuffling or those kids started playing. Yes, obviously I am looking as a back up. But I don't like surprises.(2) It's the SUVs
If you are parked in those that are perpendicular to the street (not the parallel ones) and you are in head first, good luck backing out and seeing what's coming if you are parked next to an SUV. And when are you not parked next to an SUV? If you are backed in, now you can see what's coming. And you won't be that dufus that needs to back out at 0.001 mph to avoid getting creamed before you can see around the SUV.(3) I just want to go home
Call it getting the "hard part" done first, or the "time consuming part". Whatever. But when it's time to go I just want to GO.You should try the joy of just getting in your car in pulling out. Forward. Just going. It's very liberating! Declare this your week of GOINGFORWARD(.com).
Another Damn Apple Post?
When I started Backingin.com last December, I had no intention of creating an Apple blog (pro or con), but after a couple of months, "Apple" is the largest tag in the 'tag cloud'. As I stated in my first post, Backingin.com will become what it wants to become, and lately my thoughts are dominated by technology. So, staying with the tech theme, I read with interest today that Apple is suing HTC for patent infringement. HTC is one of the largest manufacturers of cellphones and the maker of the Google Nexus One smartphone. Apple is claiming that HTC violated 20 iPhone patents.
There seems to be three dogs in this fight. One one side, there are those who think it is long overdue that Apple started defending themselves against intellectual property theft. On the other side is a group that believes Apple is acting like the new Microsoft by using the courts to try to intimidate any real competition to the iPhone. Then there are those who believe that all technology companies have lost their minds and sold their souls by using patents as weapons. Place me firmly in the third camp.
The patent battles have become ridiculous. Apple and Nokia have been trading barbs over who infringed on who's patents for the past few months. According to an article on CNet's News.com, Nokia claims that Apple infringed on seven Nokia patents "in virtually all of its mobile phones, portable music players, and computers." I don't know who is right and who is wrong is this case, and I believe that patents are necessary to protect your company's technology, but the current state of patent litigation mania will only hurt one party: the consumer.
It Sickens Me
It started last Tuesday with a weak cough. That weak cough turned into a strong cough, and by Sunday night my chest ached and my head felt like it was filled with cement. Getting sick sucks. I don't think it is the Pig flu, just a bad cold. I pumped myself full of OTC drugs, practiced time-tested family remedies, and I feel a good bit better tonight. The cat has been terrific during this crisis. She has been so brave. Even though I'm sure she was worried about me, she still managed to eat, drink, and sleep 16 hours a day. What a trooper!
More posts coming soon...
Health Care Crisis Solved
I have the solution to the health care crisis in America. It has nothing to do with letting consumers buy insurance from companies in other states, and it does not involve government mandated universal coverage. These things may help bring costs down and cover the uninsured, and they may not. I don't know. Quite frankly, I don't understand half of what the stuffed suits in Washington are talking about these days, and I have a sneaking feeling that most of them don't understand either.
To bring down the cost of health care in this country we have to reduce demand. When demand for a service or product goes down it creates a surplus of supply. Thus, the law of supply and demand dictates that when demand decreases, supply increases, and prices go down. I'll let the politicians try to figure out how to increase supply and competition, but all Americans can reduce their demand for health care by doing the following:
- Maintain a healthy weight or lose weight if necessary.
- Be active. Get some exercise.
- Don't smoke or stop if you do.
- Don't drink and drive.
- Drive the speed limit.
- Get an annual physical
Imagine the amount of illnesses that are caused by obesity, drunk driving, car accidents, and smoking. There are many health concerns of which we have no control. We can't change our genetics (not yet anyway), we can't control other drivers on the road, and we can't always avoid bad luck, but if we take control of the things we can change we can solve this crisis.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I must say that I am working on the first two points in my plan, and that I have a lot of work to do in these areas, but I am already seeing an improvement in my overall health now that I am trying to eat a healthy diet and exercise.
The Government cannot solve all our problems, and lately it seems that it can't solve any problems. Whether it's fighting terrorism, reversing global warming, or solving the health care crisis; we all must make sacrifices and do our part. It may sound cliché, but united we stand, divided we fall.
How jetBlue Stole Christmas
Update. February 23, 2010. From work today, I finally booked my flight with jetBlue . I was on the phone for sixty five minutes, sixty of those minutes were on hold.
There was a time when jetBlue was a special airline. Unlike Southwest Airlines (aka the 'flying bus') with their festival seating, jetBlue was affordable, the staff was friendly, and there was a TV set at every seat. An egalitarian airline, jetBlue has but one class. I'm telling you, flying jetBlue was a real pleasure, but all good things must come to an end.
In 2007, jetBlue let an airplane full of passengers sit on the tarmac for over 8 hours, and as a result, suffered their first real negative publicity to date. Not long after this incident, jetBlue created a passenger bill of rights and promised to do better. Well isn't that just super?! Eager to show the world that they had mended their ways, jetBlue overcompensated during the next snow storm, and canceled way more flights than their competitors. I know this to be true because every person flying into New York to attend my parent's 75th birthday party (their birthdays are very close, so they decided to hold one big party) never made it there, including me! Every other airline found a way to get guests to my parent's party, but jetBlue had its head up its fuselage that day.
So, the airline decided to err on the side of caution and cancel a bunch of flights, and I missed my parent's 75th (I'll catch the next one, don't worry), but what REALLY made me angry was that on the day in question you couldn't get through to jetBlue on the phone OR the web! I had no idea, at the time, if my flight was canceled or still on time. Unacceptable. I know a little bit about the web, and even if their site went down, they could have posted a static html page with flight info updated every 20 minutes. Regardless, a company the size of jetBlue should have web infrastructure contingency plans, especially if they are not going to answer the phone.
Torch This!
Sorry I haven’t posted for a few days, I’ve been too wrapped up in curling, biathlon, and women’s hockey. Yes, the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games are in full swing, and who the hell cares? The Olympics were intended to be a sporting event for amateur athletes from around the word. Athletics and sportsmanship were supposed to allow athletes from every nation to put aside their differences for a couple of weeks and hopefully increase understanding of different cultures. Sounds nice, right? Unfortunately, the reality of the Olympics today is a little less noble.
Today, the Olympic Games are no different than any other big sporting event. Professional athletes, corporate sponsorship, and massive marketing campaigns are the norm now. And far from promoting a sense of global fraternity, the only thing that people truly seem interested in is the ‘medal count.’ Did you know that cold climate countries do better at the winter Olympics than warm weather nations?! What about this shocking fact: countries with huge economies and populations tend to win more medals than small, poor ones!! I feel such a sense of pride when I check the medal count each morning and the US is kicking Kazakhstan’s butt. U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
I better keep it short. I’ve been away from the TV for far too long. I hope I didn’t miss skeleton or freestyle skiing.
