New Music List

Here's the updated list, with Nora and my requests combined:

1999 Prince
A Sunday Kind of Love Etta James Her Best (1997)
All I Need Is You Kenny Rogers   we like cheeeeeeeeeze, oh yes we do
All You Need Is Love Beatles   Not sure about this one.
Always On My Mind Elvis Presley   Chad's List
Always and Forever Luther Vandross
At Last Etta James Her Best (1997)
Baby Lets Play House various Doo Wop (the Extraordinaires)
Baby Love The Supremes
Blue Moon lots.
Blueberry Hill Fats Domino  Good one!  My Mom will love it.
Brickbat Billy Bragg
Bumble Bee Dusty 45s
Can't Fight This Feeling REO Speedwagon   Hmmm...
Chapel of Love The Dixie Cups   silly fun.
Crazy Patsy Cline / Willie Nelson   Chad's List
Crazy For You Madonna
Crazy Little Thing Called Love Queen The Game cool rockabilly vibe too!
Daddy's Home Shep & The Limelites
Dancing Queen ABBA   FUN!
Dedicated To The One I Love The Shirelles   I love, love, LOVE this
one!!
Who put it on?
Dream Lover Bobby Darin
Earth Angel The Penguins
Everlong Foo Fighters
Every Rose Has Its Thorn Poison   Chad song
Everything Jody Watley
Fire and Desire Rick James
Fly Robin Fly Silver Convection
Friends In Low Places Garth Brooks   Chad's List
Funky Town Lipps
Groove Is In The Hea-art Deee-lite   1...2...3....
He's So Fine The Chiffons
Heaven Psychedelic Furs
Hey Yah Outkast   Chad's List
Honky Tonk Girls Hank Williams III
How Lucky Can One Guy Be Indigo Swing
I Can't Help Falling In Love With You Elvis  Excellent
I Feel Good James Brown
I Just Called To Say I Love You Stevie Wonder  This may be too much.
I Knew The Bride When She Used to Rock 'n' Roll Nils Lofgren
I Walk The Line Johnny Cash   Chad's List
I Want To Hold Your Hand The Beatles   Excellent.
I Want to Know What Love Is Foreigner   Perfect cheese.
I Will Always Love You Dolly Parton and Vince Gill (1995 version)  
Chad's
List
I'm Yours Elvis
Ice Cream Sarah MacLachlan FTE   Groovy.
In The Still Of The Night Five Satins
Innamorata Dean Martin
Is This Love? Whitesnake    HAH!
La Bamba Richie Valens
Learning to Fly Tom Petty   Chad's List
Let's Dance David Bowie
Let's Do It Cole Porter
Let's Have a Party Wanda Jackson
Like to Get to Know You Well Howard Jones
Louie Louie The Kingsmen   Chad's List
Louie Louie someone other than The Kingsmen   Chad's List
Love Found Me The Bellfuries
Love Hurts Nazareth   Chad's list
Love Plus One Haircut 100
Love Stinks J. Geils Band   Chad's list
Love Struck Hush
Love You Madly Cake
Lovesong Cure Disintegration
Luckenbach, Texas Waylon Jennings Ultimate Waylon Jennings
Lush Life John Coltrane / Hartman
Milkman of Human Kindness Billy Bragg
Mirror In The Bathroom English Beat
Misty Sarah Vaughn / Ella Fitzgerald Essential-Great Songs (1992) /
Pure
Ella (1998) um, who didn't do it?
Moon River Henry Mancini
Muskrat Love Amos Lee (among others)
My Girl The Temptations
Never Gonna Give You Up Rick Astley
Never Tear Us Apart INXS Kick I had to do it! ;p
One For My Baby Frank Sinatra   Chad's List
Only the Lonely Roy Orbison   Chad's List
Orbit of Me Delerium Chimera
Our Love Is Here To Stay Cole Porter   the Ella version, of course
Play That Funky Mysic Wild Cherry
Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls Book of Love
Rainbow Connection Kermit The Frog
Red Red Wine UB40   Of course.
Ring My Bell Anita Ward
Ring Of Fire Johnny Cash   Chad's List
Rock Lobster B-52s
Running Down a Dream Tom Petty   Chad's List
S' Wonderful Fred Astaire
Satisfaction Rolling Stones   Chad's List
Save The Last Dance For Me The Drifters   Perfect.
Savin' My Love Wanda Jackson
Seven Shells in my Six Gun Fred Eaglesmith
She Loves You Beatles
Shotgun Junior Walker & The Allstars
Show Me Love Robin S
Spanish Harlem Ben E. King
Spark of My Life Mighty Blue Kings
Sparks Coldplay X&Y
Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin   Chad's List
Stand By Me Ben E. King
Strange Currencies REM Monster
Summertime Billie Holiday
Take It To The Chapel The Bellfuries
Take My Breath Away Berlin
Take Your Time SOS Band
Tenderness General Public
Thank You Dido No Angel
The Air That I Breathe K. D. Lang
The Bare Necessities Phil Harris
The Best Is Yet To Come Tony Bennet
The Devil Went Down To Georgia Charlie Daniels   Chad's List
The Gambler Kenny Rogers   Chad's list
The Loco-Motion Little Eva
The Look of Love Diana Krall
The Sign Ace of Base   GAWD.  Good one, though.
There Goes My Baby The Drifters
There is a Light That Never Goes Out The Smiths
There's A Moon Out Tonight The Capris
True Spandau Ballet
Twist and Shout the Beatles   Chad's List
Unforgettable Nat King Cole
Venus Frankie Avalon
Volare Frank Sinatra
Waiting For Somebody Paul Westerberg   Chad's List
Wedding Song Bob Dylan   Chad's List
When You're Smiling Frank Sinatra
White Wedding Billy Idol  unavoidable.
Wishing Well Terrence Trent d'Arby
Witchcraft Edwyn Collins
Wonderful Annie Lennox Bare
Wonderful World (Don't Know Much) Sam Cooke   Chad's List
World In My Eyes Depeche Mode
YMCA The Village People
You've Really Got A Hold On Me The Miracles

Wedding Songs addendum

Every Rose has its Thorn Poison
The Gambler Kenny Rogers

Wedding Songs addendum

Every Rose has its Thorn Poison
The Gambler Kenny Rogers

Bachelor party

This will happen on July 26th, the Wednesday before the wedding.

I don't plan on driving at all. That goes without saying, I think.

There must be at least one stripper. I would really prefer a two girl show.

Since the naked girls part only lasts around an hour, there will be plenty of time for misc drinking and party games.

I better get the groomsmen started on the planning!

Wedding Update

Repeat of Men's Wearhouse info:

Group's Number is 853954

Our fitting deadline is 7/13/06

Our pick up date is 7/25/06


The song list is evolving. I think I'm around 72 minutes. Probably with Nora's ideas, we'll be pretty close.

Ironic Songs
Love Stinks J Geils Band
Love Hurts Nazareth
Satisfaction Rolling Stones
Only the Lonely Roy Orbison
Crazy Patsy Cline / Willie Nelson
Always on My Mind Elvis Presley
I Will Always Love You Dollie Parton & Vince Gill - (1995 version)
One For My Baby Frank Sinatra

Nice Songs
Running Down a Dream Tom Petty
Learning to Fly Tom Petty
Ring of Fire Johnny Cash
I Walk the Line Johnny Cash
Waiting for Somebody Paul Westerberg
Wonderful World (Don't Know Much) Sam Cooke
Wedding Song Bob Dylan

Fun Songs
YMCA Village People
Hey Yah Outkast
Louie Louie Kingsmen
Louie Louie - somebody else
Twist and Shout Beatles
Friends in Low Places Garth Brooks
The Devil Went Down to Georgia Charlie Daniels
Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin

Songs I'm Not Inclined to Play on our Wedding Day
Every Breath You Take
Everything I Do Bryan Adams
Free Fallin' Tom Petty
Macarena
Hey Jude
anything by Meat Loaf
Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana
Unchained Meldoy Righteous Brothers

Geneva Convention takes issue with in-game power-ups

By Aleks Krotoski / controversy February 16 09:10

In one of the more bizarre news items that came out in the week I was away, the Canadian Red Cross has taken umbrage with the red cross emblem that emblazons in-game power ups of many first person shooters and action adventures. From an interview with the Red Cross' head of international law from GamesIndustry.biz:

"We would be willing to work with a videogame manufacturer to produce a game which shows the emblem in its correct use, as a symbol of protection during armed conflict, and where the player is rewarded for using the emblem correctly. Such a game could reward the player for respecting the rules of war and thereby, help the Red Cross Movement with its work to promote such respect," Meyer continued.

According to the humanitarian organisation, using its emblem in a combat situation violates a part of the Geneva Convention.

Super Bowl post mortem

Most of the following was written a few hours after Sunday's game:

Pittsburgh deserved the win, but, it was closer than the score indicated.

The Jackson push off was a bad call. Both players had equal contact both ways, and none of it affected the play.

I think Ben did get into the endzone, by a hair's breath.

The holding penalty that brought back the Jerramy Stevens 1st and Goal was bullshit. But if Stevens had caught the passes he shoulda caught, the game also would have been different.

The Randle El / Hines Ward gadget play took advantage of Etric Pruitt, who was playing for the injured Marquand Manuel. If Pruitt had stayed in coverage instead of biting on the trick, he likely would have broken that pass. Excellent play calling by Pittsburgh.

Shaun Alexander can't catch. We knew that. He had a pretty good game overall though.

The time management issue is interesting, I suppose. At the end of the first half, Hasselbeck was audibling out of a bad play. That burned time. Pittsburgh wisely realized Seattle had made adjustments and called a timeout. I suppose the Alexander run seemed odd, but it was also unexpected and gained decent yardage.

They did fall apart a little at the end because they needed two scores and had no time.

Field position / defensive struggles often seem boring to a lot of people.

*sigh*At least it wasn't embarrasing, and it leaves hope for next year. Hopefully they can buck the recent trend of losing Super Bowl teams having losing seasons.

Project

I've been working on a large project for several weeks. We need to order several large carts for the new building, and the lead time is about 5 weeks. We are now very close to the drop dead order date, and are scrambling to meet with the vendor and send the order.

For weeks I've been immersed in a series of meetings regarding the contents of these carts. The assumption was that we needed to know what would go in them before we could order them.

But really, that was a false assumption. We aren't really using that information to determine the type of cart to purchase. We already had a ballpark idea of how many supplies the carts would hold, and we had access to the space and could find out how large a space the carts have to live in.

The lesson learned is to challenge dependencies. Are they perceived or real? We could have ordered those damned carts a month ago, and that would have freed up a lot of our energy and given us time to prepare the carts prior to move in. Now we're going to be up against it. We already are up against it.

Something I did last spring.

The numbers have changed as time passed, and the formatting didn't work well, but this is still interesting and relevant.

U.S. Military Fatalities in Iraq since 3/03	1,764	http://icasualties.org/oif/
New York, 9/11	2,985	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11,_2001_attacks
Trail of Tears	4,000
Bosnian Genocide	8,000
AIDS deaths, 2004; Middle East and North Africa:	12,000	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aids
AIDS deaths, 2004; North America, Western and Central Europe	15,000	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aids
Iraqi Civilian Deaths since 1/03	22,850	http://www.iraqbodycount.net/
Sumatra-Andaman earthquake	240,000	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake
AIDS deaths, 2004; Asia	350,000	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aids
Rwandan Genocide	937,000
AIDS deaths, 2004; Sub-Saharan Africa	2,100,000	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aids
The Holocaust	11,000,000	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocaust
AIDS Deaths since 1981	23,000,000	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aids

NFC Championship

I believe Carolina will get two Steve Smith Touchdowns; they will also sneak in either a running TD or a field goal. The Seahawks, therefore need to score more than 17 or 21 points if they are to win. While this is not guaranteed, I believe they'll pull it off and go to Detroit in two weeks.

Limits of Constitution

I've discovered that a few months of continuous stress (work related, combined with holidays, combined with a few other things), plus screaming my lungs out as the Seahawks won their first playoff game in two decades, plus travel, plus drinking at game and while travelling, equals waking up with a 101 degree fever on Wednesday.

I didn't mind taking the eight count, and hanging around for a day with a fever is a little novel in my life. The fever broke during the night, so I returned to work on Thursday.

That doesn't mean I'm well, of course. I have throat / chest congestion, and all the herbal tea I've been drinking has given me heart burn.

I will likely chance an alcoholic beverage tonight, since it is Friday. As soon as I felt it creeping up on Tuesday, I've abstained completely from alcohol, and I'm a person who likes something tasty with dinner, and often after dinner.

I actually had a small fever of 98.7 this morning. Believe it or not, that counts, since I tend to run in the 97 range. Work is at a point where I really need to be there, so I went. If it had been a different circumstance, I would have begged off. Over the next two months, however, 98.7 will not be sufficient.

Chad in 'state of war' with Sudan

Chad says it is in "a state of war" with neighbour Sudan over the security crisis in the east of the country.

Drink the Kool-Aid

I drank the Kool-Aid.

On Friday I predicted, outloud to a witness, that the Seahawks were going to the Superbowl.

There were a few moments on Sunday when I was sure I'd jinxed the entire season.

I wonder what it is about my brain that believes these irrational bits of thought, time and time again. Of course I know that nothing I do can affect the game. Well, I believe in the home field advantage, and I believe the crowd can affect a game, but that's different. I don't believe that the Hawks will win or lose depending on the jersey I wear, or whether I'm watching on TV, or whether I admit out loud that I think I'll win.

It's similar to those damned Dead Nigerian Prince emails I occasionally receive. To this very day when I read one, I get a quick rush of excitement. The fortune could be mine! But of course it's fake, and I know that.

Supplies

What I want to do:

Find the supplies that appear on the most carts. Those will become standard supplies and will be found in all the new carts.

Find the supplies that are used most frequently. When appropriate, those will be stocked in the rooms. The supplies that are also in the standard carts will be stocked in all the rooms. The others will be in a modular system that is clinic based.

Maybe MA's will have trays or something to put the non-global supplies in.

Reality Bytes: Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked

This is an insightful article that goes after some anti video game conventional wisdom. It acknowledges the opposing arguments and presents a strong refutation of those arguments.

Quick Analysis

I would be shocked if the Seahawks didn't beat Tennessee next Sunday.

They have a very real chance of winning on Christmas Eve against Indy because Indy has already locked up homefield advantage and a first round bye. They may not bring their A game. On the other hand, the Hawks may be in a similar position, so it may wind up a game mostly against both B squads.

Playoffs

Seattle has clinched division title. Seattle clinches a first-round bye with: 1) SEA win OR 2) SEA tie + NYG loss or tie + CAR loss or tie + TB loss or tie OR 3) SEA tie + NYG loss or tie + CHI loss OR 4) SEA tie + CHI loss + CAR loss or tie + TB loss or tie OR 5) NYG loss + CAR loss + TB loss Seattle clinches homefield advantage: 1) SEA win + CHI loss or tie OR 2) SEA tie + CHI loss + NYG loss or tie + TB loss or tie + CAR loss or tie

He's lying, or he's stupid: Bush says 30,000 Iraqis killed since war began

Bush says 30,000 Iraqis killed since war began

In answer to a question about the Iraqi death toll, Bush said about 30,000
Iraqis have been killed since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

Bush's figure for the death toll among Iraqis was in the range given by
Iraq
Body Count, a U.S. British nongovernmental group, which currently says
between 27,383 and 30,892 civilians -- rather than all Iraqi citizens --
have
been killed in Iraq since the invasion.

Its figures are based on
media reports, which often fail to capture all
deaths in the country. Other
estimates, including one done by scientists and
published in the medical
journal Lancet, put the civilian death toll as high as
100,000.

Either he's lying, or he's flat ignorant and stupid. Those are the options. Every day is a new embarrasment for our Mad President George.

He's lying, or he's stupid. He's lying, or he's stupid.

Idea

Maybe I'll add all the items that appear on 3 or 4 or more carts to all of the new carts.

Then I'll sort the remainder items and add some of that stuff too. Some of the current carts are shared, so items on those carts will weigh heavier.

Next question is what to put into the rooms.

Supply Breakdown v1.0

410 different kinds of items.

1 item appears 7 times
20 items appear 6 times
21 items appear 5 times
35 appear 4
53 appear 3
83 appear 2
197 appear 1 time

Supplies

Right now we have about 7 "supermarkets" for clinic supplies. In the new building we'll still have 7, but the configuration will be very different. Different services will share in the future than share now.

I have 7 lists in front of me. When I'm finished, I'll have 7 new lists.

I could go item by item and see what appears on which carts. It would be intereting to know what items appear on all the carts, or most of the carts. It's also good to learn which items are oddballs for specific useage only.

I might put them all in a column in Excel, sort by Item number, then see how many times they appear. I like this idea. Seems pretty efficient. I will then have to cross reference cart numbers with the actual name and location, but that's not so bad.

Warren Ellis stuff to remember

From his recent Bad Signal:

In summer 2006, I'm going to belaunching an ongoing title at Marvelcalled
newuniversal. No capital N,no capital U. We refer to it in-houseas
NU -- and I might have called itNU, if it didn't always suggestnu-metal to
me.The central concept, these days,also looks kind of generic. WildCards
did it, RISING STARS did it,etc etc. Something called The WhiteEvent
occurs, and afterwards ahandful of people are found to havebeen made
superhuman. So far soblah. But, in looking at this stuff ona webpage
one night, it occurred tome that that's not what happened.What actually happened
was thatthere was this huge astronomicalevent where the skies went whiteall over
the world for a minute, andthe aftermath was that the lawsof physics had been
changed.

There's a sf book by a writer calledVernor Vinge where the laws ofphysics
are radically differentdepending on which part of thegalaxy you're in.
Conventionalphysics' dirty little secret is thatthe speed of light appears
tofluctuate.

There is, as I say, a whole libraryof science fiction
aboutsuperhumanity. These are notsuperhero novels. Some lean
closerthan others, of course -- Zelaznyand Saberhagen's COILS comes tomind, and
SLAN was very clearly aprecedent to the X-Men. Butthere's a lot more that
speaks to,if you like, the superhuman condition. Melding that with
thenotion that suddenly the laws ofphysics can go and stay slightlynuts... In
one six-hour session, Igenerated a bunch of notes abouthow and why this could
happen,with some ideas from some oldabandoned projects of mine (fromthe Loose
Ideas folder) fittingthemselves into it...

Sure, it's not exactly cut from wholecloth. Like I said, it's a
writingchallenge. Blows the cobwebs out abit. Makes you focus on the
craft abit. Sometimes it's worth sittingdown and thinking, what *does*
make a Marvel character work?(Answer: tragedy.)

Olerud bows out quietly

John Olerud, who walked straight off the Washington State campus and into the major leagues 17 years ago, is calling it quits.

The veteran first baseman, who spent 4 1/2 seasons with the Mariners before being let go in the middle of the 2004 season, made his wishes known through the Boston Red Sox.

The hit

I ran across Steve Largent's revenge on Mike Harden on December 11, 1988. In their previous meeting earlier that year, Harden knocked out two of Largent's teeth on an illegal hit.

Largent's revenge hit allowed the Seahawks to get the ball back and may have saved that game.

Seahawks.com

Shaun Alexander

Shaun Alexander is having a great year, and is a great running back. These points are obvious and not up for debate.

However, the urgency of signing this great running back is very much a point for debate.

Conventional wisdom argues that he should be signed soon: the sooner the better, and the Hawks are already behind the curve.

I do not agree with this line of thinking. There is no urgency to this signing for some very good reasons.

Alexander's stock is already at its highest point. He's scoring virtually every game, he's on course to win the rushing title, and flirting with a 2000 season. The organization won't save any money by signing him now, unless they can spread any potential signing bonus any further.

Alexander isn't as amazing as his numbers suggest. It's difficult to prove this point, but there are solid indicators. The offensive line is doing an amazing job of controlling the line of scrimmage, opening gaps, and giving Shaun a clear vision. His talent is in finding the cut backs, bursting through the holes and finding the end zone. He is not put in a position to make something from nothing on a regular basis.

Holmgren's pass first offense and the Seahawks relatively easy schedule has also contributed to Alexander's success this season. The Hawks have spent much of this season holding leads and feeding Alexander the ball to run down the clock. Many of these defenses had virtually given up, allowing the Hawks to run up the ground yardage, and the score. The Cowboys proved that when defenses focus on stopping Alexander, his numbers suffer. Hasselbeck and the receiving corps don't permit defenses to do this because the Seahawks are always a threat from the air. In spite of Alexander's numbers, they remain a pass first offense.

Shaun Alexander is an elite running back, and he should be paid as such. He is not, however, inherently greater than the other elite backs of the league, and the success of the Seattle Seahawks is not dependent on his presence.

Colors

Group management

Returns diminish when teams larger than 4 work together. The more people, the more important that the meeting is run strictly (agenda, one person speaks at a time etc...). More people equals more chaos.

Returns diminish when meetings last longer than 1 hour. Some of this can be salvaged with short fresh air / bathroom breaks.

No one actually believes in Democracy. Democracy is primarily viewed as a tool that enables everyone a chance at getting what they want. Watch what happens when people lose a vote on something important to them. They get angry. I'm exagerating a little, but not much.

Arguing with crazy people usually makes them angry, and never makes them less crazy.

Fantasy Football

Mid season update:

I'm tied for #1 in my 12 team league, and I own the tie-breaker because of more accumulated points.

Priest Holmes was my #1 pick, and he's out for the rest of the season with injury. I don't regret my choice; it was a calculated risk. Shaun Alexander, Ladainian Tomlinson, Peyton Manning were all already off the board. What I do regret was not picking up Larry Johnson with a later round pick. I took Pittsburgh, someone then took L. J.. While Pitt was a good pick, defenses are easy to grab later on, and they aren't game breakers.

Early in the season, I dropped Jake Plummer. I probably should have hung on to him. On the other hand, my wide receiver corps needed work and opening up my roster helped me get my WR corps where it is today, and I'm happy with where it is now. Also, I probably swapped Plummer for Griese who had a great early season. These things are hard to predict, and either could have gone either way.

Next year, I may avoid Defenses and kickers altogether in the draft. I'm happy with my overall strategy. I went for Running Backs with my first three picks, and only would have chosen a WR or QB if someone awesome fell. Moss, Manning, etc are worth early picks, but not if you have to reach for them. And actually, from a Fantasy perspective, neither have been that amazing, compared with Alexander, Westbrook and the usual suspects.

I've benefited by my league's punt and kick return rules. Yardage gained there equals yards gained on receptions and rushes. I picked up Dante Hall as a free agent, and he's given me 12-15 points per game, which is good for a receiver.

Wedding

The Men's Wearhouse has been very helpful in setting up outfits for myself and my groomsmen.

I gotta remember that our Group's Number is 853954.

Our fitting deadline is 7/13/06

Our pick up date is 7/25/06.

The cool thing is (yes this sounds like a Men's Wearhouse commercial) is that we can all go to different stores all across the country (one party member is in Minnesota, a few others are in eastern Washington, a third is on the Olympic Penninsula), get measured, then pick up the tuxes at the store here in Seattle, where the wedding will be held.

Much discussion went into the decision of my outfit. I'm very happy with the results; I abdicated the groomsmen's tuxes to Nora. She has a costumer's sense of design and wants a cohesive look to the entire party. Sounds good to me, as long as I get to wear what I think is cool.

Time change

I can't be the only one who was waiting around for the morning's football games to start.

One hour early.

Madden 2006

I bought this for my Xbox the week it came out. I couldn't get it out of my mind, so I gave in quickly. However, the true gaming lust hadn't arrived. I played it briefly, but really had cravings in other directions.

Now that the real NFL season is in mid-swing, the Madden lust has arrived in force.

The Superstar mode is interesting, I suppose, but I don't really get the point. The role-playing elements are okay, but there doesn't really seem to be that much control to exert. For example, to raise your scores mid season, you have to go through practice mode over and over. This gets old quickly, and during the point increases are temporary after training camp, so there isn't much point.

Franchise mode is as engrossing as ever. I built a team from scratch, with a mix of real NFL player, and created rookies based on friends of mine. The salary cap keeps me honest, but the game allows you the freedom to make the team truly your own. I was happy to dispense with the fantasy draft element.

One disadvantage is that the players on my team also apper on their normal teams in the league. The created players appeared as free agents.

I doubt that I'll purchase Madden 2007. While the incremental game play changes and stat updates are positive, the game doesn't change that much from year to year, and my money will be better spent elsewhere. I hear the Blitz is going to be even more interesting now that they've lost the NFL license.

Good news and bad news.

According to The Statesman Examiner, Colville Washington's last bookstore has been evicted from its current location. The article doesn't give reasons behind the eviction and didn't reference an attempt by the reporter to discover those reasons, but there's no reason to think the business itself is in financial jeopardy.

While this comes at a very bad time, this could give Coffee and Books the impetus to fill the gap left when the Book Depot closed earlier this year. I rarely visit my home town, and didn't even know Coffee and Books existed; if they manage to find their own storefront this should increase their visibility, and hopefully generate more business. I would buy a book or two whenever I was in town.

I'll bet Walmart is still doing fabulous business. I wonder what their book sales are like.

In other news, The Statesman Examiner reports that Colville's hospital, Mount Carmel, is somewhat on the technological cutting edge. Good for them. It's hard enough to stay up with current trends in medical technology at the large hospital where I work. I can only imagine how Mount Carmel handles it without the benefit of an IT department.

"Hero"

I wonder if we've gone down the wrong path in our useage of the word 'hero.' I've heard it used as a synonym for protagonist; I've preferred to use it as a personification of virtue, strength and action.

If we peel away the morality and even ethics of individuals, and instead focus on the grandeur of their deeds, a different kind of hero emerges. Consider the Greek heroes such as Hercules and Achilles. These were deeply flawed individuals who were certainly no more moral or ethical than the average man. They were, however, larger than life, and they performed actions to match their personalities and powers.

Wikipedia founder admits to serious quality problems

The author of this story doesn't get it, and comes off like a jack-ass.

It isn't useful to compare Wikipedia to paper encyclopedias when it comes to discussing the merits of the project. By its very nature, Wikipedia will always have errors, and it will always have quality problems. This is to be expected of an infinitely collaborative project with virtually no system to exclude contributers or contributions. There are certain inherent quality limitations present with this sort of post-modern information collaboration.

What makes Wikipedia special and useful is the assumption that the quality and quantity will increase steadily based on the number of participants. The fundamental belief is that more collaborationw ill lead to faster information on a greater number of topics than paper encyclopedias can replicate. As time passes, the quality and quantity will steadily improve. As long as those two conditions exist, Wikipedia is a success.

Orlowski gets it completely wrong when he persistently compares Wikipedia with a restaurant. Eating at a restaurant is a passive experience. The consumer sits down, orders the food, eats the food, pays and leaves. The food is prepared in accordance with the chef's standards which may or may not match the standards of the restaurant guest. Based on the experience, the guest will choose to return, or not.

Wikipedia is more like a perpetual pot-luck. Everyone participates, and if you don't like a dish, you're welcome to bring your own. If you don't want to bring food, there's plenty to go around, and no one minds. Yes, the quality is variable. After all, the majority has been prepared by amateurs who may or may not be qualified to accept the task.

Participants must remember to beware of the potato salad that's been in the sun too long, just as they must remember that not all Wikipedia entries are created equal. Here, as everywhere, critical thinking is not an option, it's a requirement.

Work stuff

I recently participated in writing and distributing an online survey directed to our physicians relating to their plans and needs of exam room space.

I'm thinking of doing something similar with PCC's aimed at getting their feedback for the various exam room systems I've tinkered with.

I want to know when they run out of rooms. I also want to know when they run out of rooms and have patients waiting. These are not the same thing, though obviously you must have the first to encounter the second.

Right now, daily room assignments have an art and science element. The more science the better, because then one can show arguments and reasoning.

Ninjas and New Avengers

I hate comic book ninjas. I'm pretty much burned out on ninjas altogether.

Suddenly, my affection for New Avengers is in jeopardy with this latest issue.

A ninja is supposed to be a bad-ass stealthy assasin, but Marvel uses them like agile shuriken wielding zombies. Where do these new ninjas come from? Wolverine himself must kill a dozen per week. Why do they attack in mass so often when they're supposed to be stealth based assasins?

Don't answer, I don't really care. The Ronin character is okay so far, but Hand ninjas make me weep with boredom. Now, if they swapped ninjas for robots or zombies, I'd think differently.

If they had a legion of more normal warrior guys, with a couple boss-type ninjas, I would like it better.

This is the same reason I was irritated with the beginning of Batman Begins. The ninja in comics idea is so very very played out, I can barely stand it.

I too am waiting for the team-action to get started. I'm really not looking forward to another arc of character introduction (especially a ninja based arc!).

Xbox 360

I'm very excited about the upcoming release of Xbox 360. November 22nd is the date!

Wire snaps, leaving 3,600 without power

That was me!

Lights went out around 9:15, and came back on in the middle of the night sometime. It was fun.

Zebras

Came across this at work today:

Zebra: The term "zebra" in medicine does not refer to the striped African animal but to an unlikely diagnostic possibility. It comes from an old saying in teaching medical students about how to think logically in regard to the differential diagnosis: "When you hear hoof beats, think of horses, not zebras."
For example, when someone develops a mild transient cough, tuberculosis is a "zebra." For another example, following the discovery of West Nile fever in New York City in September, 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned doctors to expect more infectious disease "zebras" (diseases due to rare microbes).

Revolution

Intriguing.

I don't know that it's good to flail around and swing the controller like sword in a fighting game. That's how lamps get broken and eyes get poked out.

There's been a subtle minority of games moving this direction, beginning with light guns, continuing to sit down driving and flying games, then the combination of the two; now we have fishing games with flyreel like controllers, fighting games that mimic the player's motions, and dancing games that require actual dancing. The idea is that it's more immersive to combine body movements with gaming action.

Nintendo is really going after this trend. In spite of the added hazard of breaking things, they may be on to something. I can't think of a light gun game that would be better with a conventional joystick, or a wheel based driving game that I think should have used buttons instead of pedals. I can't see any significant flaws in the controller design, aside from the difficulty designers may have adapting cross platform games.

Mechassault on Xbox

I'm always late to discover cool games because I'm a cheapskate. There are very few games I'll pay $50 for. Halo 2, Madden 2006 and Doom III special edition are the only games I've paid that much for. The rest of the time I wait for the price drop or get them used. As the years go by it's easier and easier to find great Xbox games for cheap.

Most recently I picked up The Sims, Goblin Commander and Mechassault for $30.

I finished Mechassault yesterday, and I freely admit that it exceeded my expectations. My only previous experience with that universe was with the paper version of Battletech which has detailed and difficult rules. I've never been a war-gamer, so during my limited gaming periods, realism has never been my goal. I also had a hard assed game master who forgot that we were all there to have fun. I barely understood the game mechanics and never made the next step to developing basic tactics.

My next experience with the Mechassault world was with a PC version of a few years ago. I found the large lumbering robots and the PC interface frustrating, and didn't enjoy it enough to delve into the game beyond a mission or two.

All of these problems were solved with the Xbox version of 2002. Obviously, the game takes care of the mechanics, and even later in the game, your choice of mechs are limited. There's no real role-playing elements, so you don't have to learn all the possibilities of the mechassault world. Early in the game robot choices are nil, but gradually increase. The developers strike a careful balance by offering entertaining choices that are important for some of the missions, without burdening the player with too much choice. While I imagine an awesome game could be made by adding non-linear role-playing elements to the basic engine, this was not the game they developed, and that's okay.

Mechassault is not a game of finesse. Mechassault is a game of destruction, basic planning and fundamental tactics. It is set in a world composed of destructable elements unlike any I've seen in games developed before or since. The missions are challenging, some very much so, but usually the most difficult ones can be conquered with the right plan.

I've already looked into getting Mechassault 2: Lone Wolf.

Another healthcare reality

A recent study at my employer documented that non English speaking families have a much higher likelihood of suffering a medication error, incorrect diagnosis or other medical system related problem.

I had a hunch, but now there is proof.

I won't provide more details here, because I learned of this study on our internal website. I'm likely not supposed to distribute that externally. I don't believe there's anything sinister here; for the most part, we're very transparent about our improvement efforts, and this data isn't an actual secret. I'm just choosing caution.

Leadership

Borrowed from my recent post at YMB:

This is slightly off topic, but maybe I can pull it back:
Leadership in comic books is nothing like leadership in the real world. This really came into focus when I became the Condo President. Like Association members, most super team members aren't getting paid, don't necessarily have much in common with their fellow members, and aren't motivated to participate in the group.
Some books like JLA and Teen Titans get around this with their personnel choices. Professor X, is fairly realistic because he's a father figure who can manipulate the situation (with or without using his telepathy) and people for his agenda. But what about Cyclops? It is assumed that Cyclops is a 'born leader,' but what does that mean? Would his team mates really be motivated to fight for him? Maybe the original team would, but the others? He's really a boor with little charisma. Yes, I believe he has superior tactical abilities, but that's simply not enough.
It's similar with Captain America. Yes, it's been established that he does have great charisma and that people want to follow him, but I'm not sure if that's really been done authentically. In the real world, supervisors and association president's can't just bark orders and have it considered 'good leadership.' Good leadership takes practice, training and varies from group to group. For example, Superman can get his JLA friends to do things a lot easier than Cyclops could get Wolverine, Gambit and Colossus to do what he wants.
In the military, soldiers are known to fight much harder for leaders they care about. Yes, they'll obey orders either way, but they can be very passive aggressive with leadership they don't respect.
To pull this back on topic, I would make sure each team's dynamic really makes sense, and I'd like to see the dynamic handled more realistically. For example, how many times have you had a boss explain something to you, then you did it the way you understood, and turn out that your understanding was completely different from your boss's vision. It's pretty common in the real world, yet almost unheard of in comics.

NFL

Jared Lornezen made the team! He is not the 3rd QB for the New York Giants; Jesse Palmer, aka "The Bachelor" has been cut. Good for him!

He's listed at a lithe 275 on Yahoo Sports.

No one should be surprised about last night's New England / Oakland game. I had concerns about NE's defense, but they seem to have picked up where they left off last year. Tom Brady looked good, Corey Dillon was strong.

On the Oakland side of the ball, things looked okay as well. Randy Moss made some great plays, Kerry Collins still looks like Kerry Collins, which isn't all bad, and Lamont Jordan pulled his weight.

On my Fantasy team, I've benched Michael Vick and am starting Jake Plummer. This makes me nervous; Jake Plummer makes me nervous in general since Denver loves to run the ball. He frequently puts up amazing fantasy numbers, and Vick's Falcons are facing the Eagles, who have a dangerous and mighty defense.

Besides, if I win it will be with my Running Back corps: Priest Holmes, Brian Westbrook and Clinton Portis. This year I really favored guys with proven track records in the early rounds. I also picked up Ronnie Brown as a free agent, leaving me with too many RB's and too few WR's. This won't be a problem until bye week's start coming around.

Delays

There's a lot of somewhat intense stuff going on; nothing too terrible or dramatic for me personally, but most of my energy is directed toward these things. I don't use this space for 'dear diary' stuff, and I don't like to mention people specifically, so I've been writing less.

I'll try to remedy that soon.

Seahawks Set 53-Man Roster For 2005 Season

KIRKLAND - The Seattle Seahawks announced the release of 23 players Saturday afternoon to reach the NFL’s mandatory roster limit of 53. Seattle may sign a total of eight players to the club’s practice squad beginning Sunday.

The following players were waived: S Terreal Bierria RB Kerry Carter TE Brock Edwards DE Kevin Emanuel QB Gibran Hamdan CB Michael Harden C William Henry FB Tony Jackson G Andy King P Chris Kluwe S Omare Lowe DE Christian Mohr G Doug Nienhuis DT Cleveland Pinkney LB Terrence Robinson CB B.J. Tucker WR Taco Wallace RB Marquis Weeks LB Tracy White LB Cornelius Wortham The following veteran contracts were terminated: WR Jerome Pathon WR Bobby Shaw The following players were waived/injury: DT Rashad Moore (shoulder)

Sea Gals and other football talk.

Trina is my favorite Sea Gal. Shelly is my second favorite. Their hair has a lot to do with it. From the stands, especially on the 3rd deck where I sit, it's hard to tell the girls apart. Trina and Shelly have big hair which makes them easier to identify from far away. Plus they really are cute and good dancers.

I've noticed that the Sea Gals have four squads, and each starts in a different corner of the stadium. Every quarter, they rotate. This way, every group is in every corner for every game. I plan on finding a different favorite for each group.

This is just one advantage to being a season ticket holder. I have time to notice these things.

Of course, there's the usual stuff: I can finally figure out when the defense is in a nickle formation, I'm learning who is who, I can form actual opinions on calls from the officials. I'm really trying to be the ultimate football uber-geek. I'm not there yet, but I aspire...

I plan on getting a radio head set so I can listen to the play by play while watching the game. I already have binoculars and a program.

I was a little disappointed last night that Peter Warrick didn't get much playing time. We only saw him a few times on Special Teams, and not at all as an actual receiver. I suppose it takes more than two days to learn the play-book. It also makes sense that Holmgren would give the WR's on the bubble more playing time, to figure out who stays and who gets sent to the practice squad today.

I would be shocked if Jerheme Urban made the team. He had some good catches, but he also had baubles and some drops. I would have predicted Jerome Pathon to make the team, but he actually ducked under a pass at yesterday's game. He turned kind of late, and the ball was aimed at his head. It's a natural reaction, but really, WR's are supposed to catch those. Taco Wallace and D.J. Hackett are the others on the cusp, and none are really better than the others. Holmgren may as well pick the one with the best personality. I'm assuming that Joe Jerevicious will make the team. Of the non-locks, he has the best position based on experience and general skill and personality.

Ender

I'm about half way through Orson Scott Card's Xenocide.

So far, Card's reach has exceeded his grasp. He clearly had a lot he wanted to accomplish with this novel, so much that he must have plotted it all out in detail. Then he worked his way through the plot, point by point.

While he may have plotted the other novels in the Ender series, until now, none particularly read that way. Speaker for the Dead was pure brilliance, and really deserves a place in the annals literary history. Yes it is set in the future and has aliens, but really it's a novel about family and the human condition.

Ender is a marvelous character who embodies the ubermensch described by Nietzsche. Well, to be honest, I don't know if Ender is what Nietzsche had in mind, but Ender is what I had in mind when I read Nietzsche. In this character we have the perfect balance of Mr. Fred Rogers's sensitivity and wisdom with children, Captain Kirk's audacity and courage, Jimmy Carter's ability to communicate with alien leadership and Alexander's ability to lead an army into combat. This is what I aspire to be.

Now, I know I ain't Ender, I ain't Jimmy Carter or Fred Rogers. I ain't Alexander (I don't even know much about Alexander), and I sure ain't Kirk. We all need heroes though, don't we? And Card has provided me with one who I enjoy immensely.

Even in the over plotted Xenocide, the light shines through. I do hope he settles down for the next installment.

Psychic Energy

I was elected President of the Condo Association last Saturday. I can't go into many details since much of the association communicates via email, and I wouldn't want to be indiscreet.

Thus far, the position has been very psychically draining. The new board (all of whom I like and respect) inherited some baggage that will take some time to work through. This has not left much brain energy for blogging.

I also had a houseguest for a week or so, and guests always change the dynamic of one's household. We had a great time, and I'm glad he was here, but it was another event that kept me from blogging.

I wonder if I'll ever get used to this level of stress. So far I'm doing okay, but I was exhausted after the election. I ran the meeting, it went for an hour and a half, and there were some powerful personalities and important issues. I was so focused on the process that I barely registered the content.

I wonder how professional politicians deal with the constant conflict and juggling of personalities. I imagine they tend to be more extroverted than I am. I'm really a split; I enjoy being the center of attention, but it drains me. I can't keep it up forever. Before too long I have to crawl in a quiet hole to recharge.

So... "Adams" Blanchard had two attorneys? And they both want me to have the estate?

HARRY STEPHEN & ASSOCIATES

Dear Blanchard,

The passing away of Late Mr. John Adams Blanchard has prompted me to write you this email because you bear the same surnames as the deceased.

I am the deceased Attorney. The deceased died in April of the year 2004, without any heir nor beneficiary neither did he marry nor have any child. He died the way he came into this world 82 years ago, alone.

The Law in the Country of his death simply states that, “should a deceased person estate or cash deposit remains unclaimed by anyone so designated to by the deceased before his demise or proclaimed to be the beneficiary by the deceased Attorney, such estate or and cash deposit so left behind by the deceased shall be forfeited to the State after two years of such remaining unclaimed.

The deceased was such a nice and wonderful person who spent a better part of his life fighting for women equality and donating a substantial part of his wealth towards that course.

You have been contacted to assist in collecting the total sum deposit of twenty million United States Dollars which stands to be inherited by the next of kin. The deceased had none (this is only known to me as the Attorney). I can make you the next of kin and the Probate will release the money to you but on one condition, and that is you take 40% while l take 60% (the reason for the 60% is because l need to donate 40% of my 60% to the fight against Women brutality).

I will need to know your thoughts about the above immediately. Please do note that it is very important that you keep this very confidential.

Regards

Attorney Harry Stephen

Steven Shaviro

I took a few classes from Steven during his University of Washington days. He wrote a better analysis of No Country for Old Men than I did.

Now a South African

FROM: ATTORNEY FRED THABO
TEL: +27-73-666-8850
SUITE 3 # 19 CARLTON TOWER
CARLTON CITY. JOHANNESBURG,
SOUTH AFRICA.


ATTN: Blanchard
                                            INHERITANCE.


It is my privilege to capture your names from theinternet. My name is 
ATTORNEY. FRED THABO  a legal practitioner and the personal Attorney to
late
Mr Adams Blanchard,a  national of your country who died along with his
wife
and his Two sons in a ghastly motor accident along Port  louis-Reduit
express in August 13, 2001.All the occupants in the vehicle lost their
lives.

I am convinced that it was the grace of God that made me to locate you.
My client was a successful and am accomplished family  man, who made
enough
fortune before his untimely death. Since then I had  made several
inquiries
through your Embassy to locate any of my clients  extended relative but
this
exercise has proved unsuccessful.

After several unsuccessful attempts, I decided totrace his relatives 
through the Internet, to locate any member of hisfamily not much
progress 
was recorded. My late client was an influentialwealthy businessman, an 
Gold
magnet here in South Africa and he left behind a  deposit of Twenty 
Five 
Million, Two Hundred Thousand United States Dollars($25,200,000.00usd)
in
his domiciliary bank account in a commercial bank here in  South
Africa.

After the death of my client his bankers contacted me,  as his Attorney
to
provide his next of kin who should inherit his  fortune. The board of
directors of his bank adopted a resolution and I was
mandated to provide his next of kin for the payment of this money
within 28 
working days or forfeit the money to the bank as an abandoned property.

The bankers had planned to invoke the abandoned property decree of 1996
to
confiscate the funds after the expiration of the period given to me.

Despairing at the point of exhaustiveness,fortunately, I came across
your
name  , to my utmost amazement , you are nationals of  the same
country.
Convinced that you may be linked with my late client or that you might 
provide clue to my search, I therefore,decided to contact you with
these facts before me because of the situation now . By  virtue of my
closeness to the deceased and his immediate family, I am very much 
aware of
my client financial standing and the bank account he operates.

I have reasoned very professionally and I feel it willbe legally 
proper to
present you as the next of kin of my deceased client,so that you can be
paid
the funds left in his bank account, hence I contacted  you. I seek your
consent to present you as the Next of Kin to the  Deceased since you
are at
an advantage as nationals from the same country, so  that the proceeds
of
this Bank Account valued at $25.2 Million Dollars can  be paid to you.

We shall both share the funds. 60% to me and 35% toyou, while 5% 
should be
for Expenses or Tax as your Government may require, I  shall assemble
all
the necessary Legal Documents that will be used to back up  our claim
.All I
require is your honest cooperation to enable us see  this deal through.

I guarantee that this will be executed under alegitimate arrangement 
that
will protect you from any breach of law.

Please get in touch with me by telephone or email to  enable us discuss
further.

Best Regards
Attorney. Fred Thabo
Hop

Ultimate Mega Robots

I'm pleased with my draft. Holmes, Westbrook and Portis were on the top 15 of my big board. As usual, my WR position is sketchy, so I went for depth and am hoping for sleepers. Michael Vick and Jake Plummer are always good fantasy choices. Shockey is one of the best TE's, and the Pittsburgh defense is legendary.

On paper, things are looking good. Injuries are my vulnerability. Vick, Holmes, Shockey and Rogers all have histories filled with injury.

QB M. Vick
WR N. Burleson
WR S. Smith
RB P. Holmes
RB B. Westbrook
TE J. Shockey
W/R C. Portis
K J. Carney
DEF Pittsburgh

Bench:
W. Dunn
(Atl - RB)
J. Plummer
(Den - QB)
C. Rogers
(Det - WR)
D. Givens
(NE - WR)

Another scam from a "Nigerian"

I know damn well it's a scam, but part of my wants to contact this guy and try to get those three million dollars. That's why it works, I'm sure. Somebody out there doesn't know better and that impulse will overwhelm any suspicions.

I put the message in italics to distinguish it from text I wrote.

Dear Blanchard,

I am Barrister micheal morgan, a solicitor at law. I am the personal attorney to late Mr. Pitt Blanchard, a national of your country, who used to work with one of the oil servicing Company in Nigeria. Here in after shall be referred to as my client.

On the 21st of April 2001, my client, his wife and their only daughter were involved in a car accident along sagbama express road. All occupants of the vehicle unfortunately lost there lives. Since then I have made several enquiries to your embassy here to locate any of my clients extended relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to track his last name over the Internet, to locate any member of his family hence I contacted you.

I have contacted you to assist in repartrating the fund valued at US$3.5million left behind by my client before it gets confisicated or declared unserviceable by the AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK OF NIGERIA (ADB), where this huge amount were deposited. The said BANK has issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or have the account confisicated within the next fourteen official working days.

For the fact that I have been unsuccesfull in locating the relatives for over 2 years now, I seek the consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased,since you have the same last name with my client, so that the proceeds of this account can be paid to you. Therefore, on receipt of your positive response, we shall then discuss the sharing ratio and modalities for transfer.

I have all necessary information and legal documents needed to back you up for claim. All I require from you is your honest cooperation to enable us see this transaction through.

I guarantee that this will be executed under legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.Please get in touch with me through this email address:michealmorganchamber@excite.com

Best regards,

Barrister Micheal Morgan.

7 Habits

I'm working to incorporate the "7 habits of Highly Effective People" into my daily life. My main focus is on "Doing first things first" or however Covey phrases it, and on "Seeking first to understand, then to be understood." That one is particularly challenging and useful. No one listens as well as they should. Well, no one that I know anyway. I'm starting to notice who is a good listener and who isn't.

This has also got me thinking about real world habits of effective people. I had expected the book would be more practical and ground level. While I'm not criticizing the scope of Covey's work, I, at least, could benefit from actual physical postive habits.

For example, "Never lose your composure." That's a good one. I'm much better at that one at this point in my life than in the past.

Another is "walk with your head up, eyes raised, and be aware of your surroundings." This is especially important in the city, and when crossing the street. It also applies to the work environment. It's good to notice acquaintances and friends, and it's important to take responsibility for your own safety when dealing with traffic.

"Really try to remember people's names when you meet them. If possible, shake hands and say their name at the moment of introduction." That gives you a fighting chance of name recognition.

"At least glance at everything you sign or otherwise agree to."

"When searching for something, look where it's supposed to be. Even if someone else just looked there, look there again. Then look where other people might think it's supposed to be. Then where it was supposed to be at a different time. Really expect to find the thing you're looking for." This is wordy. I am a good finder, and this is the forumula for my success.

"Pick your battles." This is cliche by now, I'm sure. It's an important habit though.

"Take care of yourself." There that's seven. This is also essentially Covey's 7th habit. He calls it "sharpen the saw."

No Country for Old Men

I've been pretty busy over the last few weeks, and all of my best ideas come when I'm running or riding the bus.

I finished Cormac McCarthy's new novel, No Country for Old Men, while in California with my girlfriend for a memorial service. The craftsmanship of his language is as masterful as ever, and the story was a little simpler than his other works.

I miss the long philosophical speeches found in his other novels, specifically The Crossing, and All the Pretty Horses. Even Blood Meridian gave the bald preacher some fantastic lines that helped explain his diabolical nature. This time around, the evil seems willing to talk, but no one wants to listen. Maybe that's why the good guys either die or run away. They won't learn from the evolving evil. They resist using old patterns, old ways, old morality. In the new era, the old ways aren't good enough, and the old time good guys are dying off.

At least whent he Border Trilogy wrapped up, Billy made it to the end, and we had a sense that he could survive in the new world, because he understood it and because he wanted to live. He also had the power to avenge John Grady's murder. We find no such solace here.

This surprises me some because the protagonist has some moral ambiguity about him. His acquisition of a suitcase full of drug money sets the novel's plot in motion, and his refusal to align with the law keeps it going. Make no mistake, he is a good man, however. Of that there is no doubt. He is steadfastly loyal to his wife, he is generous when appropriate, he goes to much trouble to take a dying man water, and he refrains from shooting a deadly adversary in the back.

When the accounts are settled, Moss's shining (but imperfect) morality leads almost directly to his demise. A more moral man would have left the money. A less moral man would not have returned with water (which led to the discovery of his identity), and would have killed the terminator sociopath when he had the chance a few hundred pages later. Perhaps that is McCarthy's lesson.

S. Korean man dies after 50 hours of computer games

It should go without saying that 50 hours is way too long to spend in a row. Still, I didn't expect it to be possible to die from exhaustion from gaming.

Go figure.

Ravens running back's return to camp delayed

I have nothing against Jamal Lewis. He made a mistake, got into trouble, and is doing his time. However, I can't manage to have any sympathy either.

I understand Billick's frustration: it's hard to get your team ready when a key piece is missing. He's smart to bite his tongue. It's too late to criticize Lewis over this issue, and it's pointless and non-productive to blame the system since Lewis has had a relatively easy time of it.

Home Improvement

I'm gearing up for a significant home improvement project. Our upstairs bathroom will be the first target. I plan to repaint and put in a new tile floor.

I don't know how to lay tile. The quest begins. Lucky for me, Lowes is holding a ceramic tile clinic every Saturday in August. I've already signed up for the August session. I would have gone this week, but, alas, I have a massage scheduled.

The Tragedy of the Commons

This article is an in depth analysis of the human societal condition of sharing resources, and ruining said resources through mismanagement.

Tragedy of the Airport

Interesting essay about traffic at the airport and why some delays are caused.

Astronomers detect '10th planet'

Jared Lorenzen Update

This isn't hot off the press, but at least on July 11th, Mr. Lorenzen was still hanging around and working toward a roster spot with the Giants.

Trying to Make a Giant Impact

Alexander, Pt II

The local media got it right: Alexander signs deal

Alexander, Seahawks agree on deal

This story got one important piece wrong: Alexander did not sign the franchise tender. He signed a 1 year contract for the same amount of money. The deal he signed came with the two big stipulations. The first is that the 'Hawks won't put the tag on him again next year, the second is that he must approve any trades.

I'm often impressed with how many details the national media miss or get wrong.

I'm also impressed by how some of the nuances of the deal are missed by the local sports guys. Specifically, how this deal really gets both parties out of corners they'd painted themselves in. The Hawks couldn't offer a longer contract during these negotiations because the franchise tag would be unusable by the organization for the duration of that contract. By signing a one year deal, they merely lose the ability to franchise tag someone else this year, which is impossible anyway becasue the window has long since closed.

This does not indicate a lack of desire for a long term deal on either party. They simply had to sign a one year deal first, to avoid losing future franchise tag ability. I'm optimistic that both sides will sign a longer term deal either during next season, or shortly thereafter, as was done with Hasselbeck and Jones this year.

St Chad

St. Ceadda

(Commonly known as ST. CHAD.)

Abbot of Lastingham, Bishop successively of York and Lichfield, England; date of birth uncertain, died 672.

He is often confounded with his brother, St. Cedd, also Abbot of Lastingham and the Bishop of the East Saxons. He had two other brothers, Cynibill and Caelin, who also became priests. Probably Northumbrian by birth, he was educated at Lindisfarne under St. Aidan, but afterwards went to Ireland, where he studied with St. Ecgberht in the monastery of Rathmelsige (Melfont). There he returned to help his brother St. Cedd to establish the monastery of Laestingaeu, now Lastingham in Yorkshire. On his brother's death in 664, he succeeded him as abbot.

Shortly afterwards St. Wilfrid, who had been chosen to succeed Tudi, Bishop of Lindisfarne, went to Gaul for consecration and remained so long absent that King Oswiu determined to wait no longer, and procured the election of Chad as Bishop of York, to which place the Bishopric of Lindisfarne had been transferred. As Canterbury was vacant, he was consecrated by Wini of Worcester, assisted by two British bishops. As bishop he visited his diocese on foot, and laboured in an apostolic spirit until the arrival of St. Theodore, the newly elected Archbishop of Canterbury who was making a general visitation. St. Theodore decided that St. Chad must give up the diocese to St. Wilfrid, who had now returned. When he further intimated that St. Chad's episcopal consecration had not been rightly performed, the Saint replied, "If you decide that I have not rightly received the episcopal character, I willingly lay down the office; for I have never thought myself worthy of it, but under obedience, I, though unworthy, consented to undertake it". St. Theodore, however, desired him not to relinquish the episcopate and himself supplied what was lacking ("ipse ordinationem ejus denuo catholica ratione consummavit" -- Bede, Hist. Eccl. IV, 2). Ceadda then returned to Lastingham, where he remained till St. Theodore called him in 669 to become Bishop of the Mercians. He built a church and monastery at Lichfield, where he dwelt with seven or eight monks, devoting to prayer and study time he could spare from his work as bishop. He received warning of his death in a vision.

His shrine, which was honoured by miracles, was removed in the twelfth century to the cathedral at Lichfield, dedicated to Our Lady and the Saint himself. At the Reformation his relics were rescued from profanation by Catholics, and they now lie in the Catholic cathedral at Birmingham, which is dedicated to him. His festival is kept on the 2nd of March. All accounts of his life are based on that given by Venerable Bede, who had been instructed in Holy Scripture by Trumberct, one of St. Chad's monks and disciples.

Behind the Name

Behind the Name

CHAD

Gender: Masculine Usage: English Pronounced: CHAD [key] Extra Info: Popularity, Related Names, Namesakes Options: Contribute Information, Add to List

From the Old English name Ceadda which is of unknown meaning, possibly based on Welsh cad "battle". This was the name of a 7th-century English saint. Also, a country in Africa bears this name, though it originates from a different source.

And my internet name:

CHADWICK

Gender: Masculine Usage: English Pronounced: CHAD-wik [key] Extra Info: Popularity, Related Names Options: Contribute Information, Add to List

From a surname which was derived from a place name meaning "dairy farm belonging to CHAD" in Old English.

GTA creators choke on their "hot coffee". Industry feels the burn.

Short version: There was adult and sexual content on the new GTA game, that could only be found by altering the game via a downloadable modification. This download was not authorized by the company who created or released the game.

I imagine the game designers put the sexually explicit mini-game in, then in later stages of development they decided not to pick this battle. Violence and lower grade sexual themes are enough this time around. In order to keep the development on track, they left the code on the disk, but made it impossible to access.

Then someone else (outside of the company) devised a modification which allowed access to the code.

Why are people so afraid of sex?

I expect it from moral right wingers, but specifically, why is Hillary Clinton so afraid of sex?

Why are people afraid of sex, but not violence? Gaming has grown up, and it's time to expect content found in film, comics and media to appear in gaming. That includes nudity and explicit sex.

I am profoundly against the policing of morality, and the legislation of morality; this is one more step down this road.

7 Habits of Effective People

I'm reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Covey, and I'm impressed. I'm at a point in my life where I've picked up most of this wisdom naturally, but it helps to see it written down and organized.

His examples are irritating, and the tone can be a bit much, but otherwise, it's good stuff, if a person is looking for self improvement.

Habit 1 : Be Proactive
Habit 2: Imagine the ending at the beginning. - I butchered that one. It reads differently, but I think I captured the message.
Habit 3: First things first - the part about four quadrants is wonderful.

More to follow another day.

Jail for Nigerian bank fraudster

A court in Nigeria has sentenced a woman to two and a half years in prison for her part in the country's biggest ever international fraud case.

Amaka Anajemba admitted helping her late husband to persuade an employee of a Brazilian bank to transfer millions of dollars into overseas accounts.

....

The BBC's Anna Borzello in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos says that the country is notorious for its advance fee frauds.

Known as four-one-nines after the Nigerian criminal code prohibiting such practices, greedy or gullible investors are invited to hand over money or bank account details on the promise of large future payments, which never arrive.

In its most common form unsolicited e-mails offer the recipient a share of the wealth of dead African dictators.

Even the title is difficult

Dai Senryaku VII
Acronyms--------
AAG - Anti Aircraft Gun
AEW - Airborne Early Warning
AH - Attack Helicopter
APC - Armored Personnel Carrier
ASM - Air to Surface missile
ASW - Anti Sumbarine Warfare, Anti Surface Warfare
ATACMS - Army Tactical Missile System
ATGW - Anti Tank Guided Weapon
CFV - Cavalry Fighting Vehicle
CG - Cruiser (Naval)DD - Destroyer (Naval)
DDG - Guided Missile Destroyer
IFV - Infantry Fighting Vehicle
LAV - Light Armored Vehicle
MBT - Main Battle Tank
RCV - Recon Vehicle
SAM - Surface to Air Missle
SP - Self Propelled
SPAAG - Self Propelled Anti Aircraft Gun
SPH - Self Propelled Howitzer
SPSAM - Self Propelled Surface to Air Missile

This Works:

I use a move like this when someone is trying to make me do something that I think is stupid. It works especially well via email. You can stretch the encounter out 4 days or more without trying.

I'm not lazy, but I hate doing stupid things.

Dilemma of the day

I received this message a few minutes ago:

Hi Chad,
We have a non-functioning computer, which is a problem as we have
more providers than computers. Also, can you please see that clocks in the
rooms are fixed. It is not a big deal, but yet another annoyance that
should be easily removed.
Thanks
(sender's name removed)

These are simple matters for me to take care of, and it's very much my job to do so. What got me was that last sentence. I replied quickly with my plan of action, and nearly, oh so very nearly commented on the vague snarkiness. I even had something written and ready to send. Caution isn't the issue. This person has no authority to hire, fire or write my performance evaluation. My boss does not particularly like or respect the sender of this message. However, the message sender has a history of passive aggression and getting annoyed about things she hasn't told anyone about. This message, even with it's quiet rudeness, is an improvement. If I push back, even subtlely, it may send her back into angry quiet mode. Angry quiet mode soon leads to explosive frustration mode and then blustering to administrators mode. We've been down those roads before.

So, I let it go. If I can fix these easy things for her, maybe her attitude will improve, and she'll lighten up some. It's worth a try.

Today's run

Went for a run; just got back. This time I carried two 2 lb weights, one in each hand. I only weigh about 130lbs myself, so that's the same as gaining 3% of my body weight overnight. That may not sound like much, and maybe it isn't, but it sure felt different. Not to mention those two doughnuts I had for breakfast, and the complete absence of water in my morning's diet (unless you count my two cups of java).

Those 4 miles were TOUGH today. It felt pretty good, but it was tough to keep my body moving. I expected to feel it in my arms, but I didn't expect the overall difference of carrying extra weight.

Franchise tag / Alexander

Here's an exerpt from an article from seahawks.com:

Looming over everything else is the Alexander situation. If he doesn't sign the franchise tag, they can't negotiate a new deal. If he doesn't sign it, they lose the tag for a year. If they were to sign him to a five-year deal in lieu of the tag, they would lose the franchise tag for five years.

"That's what people don't understand," Reinfeldt said. "He has to sign the tender before we can do anything, before he can do anything. The franchise tag is too important for the (financial health of the) team to lose. And even if he signs the tag, there has to be a cooling off period before we can do a long-term deal, otherwise the union will file a grievance and that can get ugly."

So in Alexander's case, Reinfeldt's hands are tied until he signs the tender.

Reinfelt is the executive vice president of administration for the Seahawks.

In other words, they could negotiate a long term deal with Alexander, but it would be foolish. To sign a deal with him under these conditions would cause the team to lose their ability to place the franchise tag on other players for five years. The franchise tag is a huge financial tool, and the front office would be foolish to throw it away.

Match this with Alexander's absolute comments from earlier this week, and we see a huge disconnect. Mo Maurice's chances of starting are looking better and better.

Match this with the uncertainty at the second receiver position and the new cast of characters at linebacker, and this season could easily go either way. It could be a disaster. It could also be their best year yet.

From a Fantasy perspective, I won't touch Alexander on draft day, and I'll keep an eye out for Mo in the later rounds.

Mayor proposes stricter rules for strip clubs

Mayor Greg Nickels proposed new rules for strip clubs yesterday, including a virtual ban on lap dances, that could hurt existing clubs and keep new ones from opening in Seattle.

The mayor's proposal would bar strippers from getting within four feet of customers, in effect eliminating the closer contact that often occurs with lap dances and table dances. It also would require brighter lighting, prohibit customers from directly tipping dancers, and hold owners and managers responsible for violations by dancers.

Some of the proposed strict rules have been upheld by state and federal courts and should withstand legal challenges, said Regina LaBelle, the mayor's legal adviser. LaBelle said the mayor wants to keep new clubs from opening.

One club manager was disappointed with the proposal. "The morality police are out," said Keith Jackson, a manager at the Déjà Vu club downtown. "My take is that rules and regulations are already in place. Enforcement of those should be enough instead of adding new laws or rules."

The mayor's proposed restrictions are prompted, in part, by a federal lawsuit challenging the city's 1988 moratorium on new clubs.

Isn't it bad enough that we can't have alcohol in strip clubs? I used to support and respect Mayor Greg Nickels, but we are on opposite sides of the fence on this one. This proposal shows a fundamental policy of legislating personal behavior based on a bias toward 'morality.' This sort of legislation is what I expect from the Chrisitan Coalition, the Taliban or other Fundamentalist Groups. I don't expect this in the liberal oasis of Seattle Washington.

There is definitely an element of the mayor raining on my parade. I enjoy strip clubs. I enjoy going in to relax, getting the attention from the girls, and I enjoy having a beer while I do it. Already my beer is forbidden in the puritanical throwback state. Now, the mayor wants to abstract the experience further.

I don't care about the lap dances. I enjoy them, but I could go either way. The four foot rule is silly, not being allowed to tip the dancers directly is absurd, and the lighting requirements are completely stupid.

Frankly, I'd rather switch to the model found in Portland, Oregon: strippers are found in bars. Lap dances don't exist, but patrons can sit up close to the stage, usually by tipping the dancer a dollar per song. That way you can have your drink, and get up close and flirt with the dancer.

This is not about protecting the population from some threat, this is another case of the government legislating morality. Please contact Mayor Nickels and tell him what you think: http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/contact.htm

The Guy Game banned, goes straight to video

Short version: this crappy game that sold crap turned out to have a 17 year old girl in one of its 'Girls Gone Wild' esque shots. Game is banned, not sold and quickly becoming a collectors item.

It's still a crappy game! Don't get suckered into buying this thing!

Don't get me wrong, I love lowbrow entertainment. I love video games, I love seeing girls topless and all that fun stuff. I hate bad art, and just because it's lowbrow doesn't make it bad.

Something similar happened to the fighting game "Kakuto Chojin." It wasn't very good, it was pulled from shelves for its use of a Muslim prayer chant (might have been Hindu, my apologies for lack of detail) in its musical score; the game sold amazingly on the collectors market. And yet, it's still a crappy game.

Nigerian in trouble?!!

I received an interesting variation on the Nigerian Prince spam and fraud seeking email:

Dear blanchard,:
Date: Fri, 08 Jul 2005 13:23:52 +0100
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="utf-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Barrister Greg Obi
16 Williams Street, SW,
Ikoyi, Lagos- Nigeria.
TEL: + 234 803 561 9649
TEL: + 234-1-720-4473
FAX: + 234 1 7590694

PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL

Dear Blanchard,

I am Barrister Greg obi an advocate and Solicitor. I am the PersonalAttorney to Mr. Fredrick Blanchard, a foreigner, who used to work withEuropeanDevelopment Company in Nigeria.On The 21st of April 2002, my client,his wife and their three children were involved in a car accident alongSagbama Express Road. All occupants of the vehicle unfortunately losttheir lives.

Since then I have made several enquiries to his embassy to see if i canlocate any of my clients extended relatives, this has all the whileproved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts, Idecidedto trace his relatives (i.e. same surname) over the Internet, to locateany member of his family but of no avail, hence I contacted you. I havecontacted you to assist in repatriating the money left behind by myclient before it is confiscated or declared unserviceable by the bankwhere this huge deposit were lodged.

Particularly, the Bank where the deceased had an account valued atabout 7.3 million dollars has issued me a notice to provide the next ofkinto the deceased or have the account confiscated within the next tenofficial working days. Since i have been unsuccessful in locating therelatives for over 2 years now I seek your consent to present you asthenext of kin of the deceased since you are still a foreigner, so thattheproceeds of this account valued at $7.3 million USD can be paid to youand then you and me can share the money, 60% to me and 35% to you,while 5% should be for expenses or tax as your government may require.I have all necessary legal information that can be used to back up anyclaim we may make.

All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us see this dealthrough. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimatearrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. Pleaseget intouch with me by my fax or call my cell no: + 234 803 561 9649 /tell:+234-1-720-4473 / fax: +234 1 7590694 to enable us discuss further.

Best regards,

Mr. Greg Obi ( Esq)

Seahawks: Alexander won't sign $6.32M tender

One key point: clubs can't re-open negotiations until July 15th because of NFL rules.

Alexander's adamance against signing a one year deal is concerning both as a Hawks fan and as a potential fantasy owner.

It's also notable that he insists there are no hard feelings, that he wants to stay in Seattle, and that he expects there to be a deal before the season starts. I wonder what the front office thinks about that.

Dai Senryaku VII

The Game arrived today from half.com. I couldn't find it locally, so I had to order it online.

It's awfully intimidating. There aren't many games for the Xbox that require you to read the manual before actually playing one of the levels. The tutorial levels are also extensive, but not especially game-play-esque.

I think this is going to be fun.

I also bought Jade Empire today. Yes, yes, we all know it's brilliant. Designed by Bioware (the company who gave us Baldur's Gate II and Knights of the Old Republic), no license, only RPG/Action goodness. I'm still getting used to the fighting, but it's fun stuff so far.

AbsolutAnalysis: "Gameday Playsheets"

Four Days

On Saturday I played poker and came out ahead.

On Sunday I beat three others at a game of ZOMBIES!!!.

On Monday morning I won a race up a mountain.

On Monday afternoon I held a shareholders meeting and was elected President of the Board of Directors for a new Corporation.

On Monday evening I made it home safely.

It was a good long weekend.