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7th-Jul-2008 05:21 am - Barley Risotto with Asparagus and Parmesan
Barley Risotto with Asparagus and Parmesan
6th-Jul-2008 09:47 pm - video: Doug Rushkoff at the Personal Democracy Forum
Rushkoffff Old-school Boing Boing pal Douglas Rushkoff is an incredibly provocative, engaging, and entertaining speaker. Last week, he did the opening "invocation" for the Personal Democracy Forum where he riffed semi-freeform on a slew of topics, from branding to participatory media to the theme of his next book, Corporatized. The video is now online.
Douglas Rushkoff at the Personal Democracy Forum (Blip.tv)

6th-Jul-2008 10:34 pm - compliment that makes my day
Quote" you are smoking hot looking"

*SMILES*
7th-Jul-2008 02:31 am - German Survey Company Loses 41,000 Survey Records

6th-Jul-2008 10:13 pm - Another sad note
I saw this in a fellow Brother's journal, and thought people would like to know.

Jimmy Bartle Taylor passed away. An article can be found here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/story/693475.html

She will definitely be missed!!
6th-Jul-2008 09:36 pm - The Happiest Place on Earth
hooters
7th-Jul-2008 12:48 am - Giant Snake-Shaped Generators Could Capture Wave Power

7th-Jul-2008 12:18 am - Sponsors: L'Amour Centennial

We're grateful for the support this week of Bantam books' Louis L'Amour Centennial National Library Celebration. Each lending library in the U.S. is eligible for a free copy of the centennial edition of Louis L'Amour's autobiography Education of a Wandering Man.

Posted by Bill on 7/6/2008 4:15:00 PM

6th-Jul-2008 07:56 pm - I'm fed up with the MP3 player.

In 2006 I bought the ZEN Microphoto on advice with my boyfriend. It was the most logical selection and offered the most bang for my buck. Little did I know that after all the money I spent on this it would crap out!

Your Order's Details
Order Number: 454406
Estimated Delivery Time: 3-8 days

Belkin TuneCast II FM Transmitter for Creative @ $49.99 x 1 = $49.99
ZEN Micro Leather Case @ $24.99 x 1 = $24.99
ZEN MicroPhoto 8GB Pink @ $249.99 x 1 = $249.99
HN-700 Headphones @ $69.99 x 1 = $69.99
Merchandise Subtotal: $394.96
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Sales Tax: $24.67
ORDER TOTAL: $419.63

Order Number: 483684
Estimated Delivery Time: 0-0 days

ZEN Micro Protection Plan @ $39.99 x 1 = $39.99
Merchandise Subtotal: $39.99
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Sales Tax: $0.00
ORDER TOTAL: $39.99
CCPP number: CLOKCCPP-PDE2-MIC-040606-15504
Protected product: ZEN MicroPhoto
Coverage period: 04/06/06 to 04/06/08

I also bought a new ion lithium battery thinking it may have a possibility of fixing it.

SportBand with case for   DAPPIPODARM3                1   8.49
MP3 / Cell Phones, Black
Replacement Battery for   DCREZENMLI01                1  10.19
Creative Zen Micro /
MicroPhoto
                                               Subtotal  18.68
                                        Coupon discount  -4.25
                                           (mp3ca50off)
                                               Subtotal  14.43
                                               Shipping   5.99
                                                    Tax   0.00
                                                  Total  20.42

That's close to $500 for this fucking MP3 player that hasn't lasted but two years.

I've tried every trick on the user forums. It says "hardware problem". The device is not recognized by my computer anymore so I can't upgrade the firmware or do ANYTHING.In 2006 I bought the ZEN Microphoto on advice with my boyfriend. It was the most logical selection and offered the most bang for my buck. Little did I know that after all the money I spent on this it would not be worth the investment.

Order Number: 454406
Belkin TuneCast II FM Transmitter for Creative @ $49.99 x 1 = $49.99
ZEN Micro Leather Case @ $24.99 x 1 = $24.99
ZEN MicroPhoto 8GB Pink @ $249.99 x 1 = $249.99
HN-700 Headphones @ $69.99 x 1 = $69.99
Merchandise Subtotal: $394.96
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Sales Tax: $24.67
ORDER TOTAL: $419.63
After about a month of ownership, the product stopped working. Customer service is only available through e-mail. I had to mail at my own expense, the MP3 player to a specified address.
I decided to purchase a warranty protection plan because of the amount of money I spent on this product.
Order Number: 483684
 
ZEN Micro Protection Plan @ $39.99 x 1 = $39.99
Merchandise Subtotal: $39.99
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Sales Tax: $0.00
ORDER TOTAL: $39.99
CCPP number: CLOKCCPP-PDE2-MIC-040606-15504
Protected product: ZEN MicroPhoto
Coverage period: 04/06/06 to 04/06/08

It was my misfortunate that the device stopped working in mid April!
I also bought a new ion lithium battery thinking it may have a possibility of fixing it.

 
Replacement Battery for   DCREZENMLI01                1  10.19
Creative Zen Micro /
MicroPhoto


That's close to $500 for this MP3 player that hasn't lasted but two years.

I've tried every trick on the online user forums. It says "hardware problem". The device is not recognized by my computer anymore so I can't upgrade the firmware or do ANYTHING.
Learn from the costly mistakes of others (mine) and don’t buy.

6th-Jul-2008 10:47 pm - PRINCE2™ Process Overview - The PRINCE2™ Processes
PRINCE2™ Process Overview - The PRINCE2™ Processes (#5 in the series How PRINCE2™ Can Complement PMBOK® and Your PMP)
By Jay Siegelaub - MBA, PMP, PRINCE2
“Starting Up a Project” enables a controlled start to the project. It occurs once in the project life cycle, providing the groundwork for project management and oversight, and viability evaluation. This [...]
6th-Jul-2008 05:52 pm - UK Home Secretary green-lights harassment of photographers in public places
Jacqui Smith, the British Home Secretary has sent a letter reported on by the British Journal of Photographers stating that the practice of harassing photographers who take pictures in public places is legitimate, though there is no law against it.
'First of all, may I take this opportunity to state that the Government greatly values the importance of the freedom of the press, and as such there is no legal restriction on photography in public places,' Smith writes. 'Also, as you will be aware, there is no presumption of privacy for individuals in a public place.'

However, the Home Secretary adds that local restrictions might be enforced. 'Decisions may be made locally to restrict or monitor photography in reasonable circumstances. That is an operational decision for the officers involved based on the individual circumstances of each situation.

'It is for the local Chief Constable, in the case of your letter the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Force, to decide how his or her Officers and employees should best balance the rights to freedom of the press, freedom of expression and the need for public protection.'

Link (Thanks, Michael!)

6th-Jul-2008 05:38 pm - RIP, Thomas M Disch
Sf author Thomas M Disch committed suicide at his apartment on July 4. Patrick Nielsen Hayden's eulogy paints a picture of a man who was brilliant, noble, foolish, difficult and angry. I only knew him through his fiction, from which I learned a great deal.
I certainly read him; his SF novels of the 1960s and 70s, particularly Camp Concentration and 334, had an enormous impact on me. But “least read” may be true: according to publishing legend, his SF masterpiece On Wings of Song had a 90% return rate in its 1980 Bantam paperback edition. Despite that, he went on to hit bestseller lists with his 1991 horror novel The M.D. Just as unexpectedly, his children’s book The Brave Little Toaster was adapted into a popular Disney cartoon.

He could be hard to take, both in person and in his public interactions with the SF world. He played the game of literary politics hard, and sometimes lost badly. He frequently seemed to have no patience for his allies, much less his enemies. Of his other career, as noted poet Tom Disch, I can’t say much, except that to my mind the poetry was often good. In his later years he wrote a blog; after he began to post frequently on the depravity of Muslims and immigrants, I became unable to keep reading it.

The Disch I prefer to remember was no nicer than that, but much smarter: a brittle and brilliant ironist with a bright wit and no optimism whatsoever.

Link

6th-Jul-2008 07:08 pm - MP3 Player
Well Folks, tomorrow or sometime next week I will be returning the MP3 player because I am disatisfied. End of Story!
6th-Jul-2008 06:09 pm - 9th century Islamic coin found in Oslo
Norwegian archaeologists are abuzz over the discovery of a 9th century Iranian silver dirhem, one of the earliest Middle Eastern coins found in Scandinavia. (photo)
6th-Jul-2008 03:33 pm - Beaming sounds into your head
MEDUSA (Mob Excess Deterrent Using Silent Audio) is a device that uses microwave pulses to beam sound directly into someone's head. In development by the Sierra Nevada Corporation originally under a US Navy contract, MEDUSA can apparently fill your head with incapacitating "shockwaves" or possibly even whispered messages. From New Scientist:
(Researcher Lev) Sadovnik says the technology could have non-military applications. Birds seem to be highly sensitive to microwave audio, he says, so it might be used to scare away unwanted flocks.

Sadovnik has also experimented with transmitting microwave audio to people with outer ear problems that impair their normal hearing.
Microwave sound beam (New Scientist, more at Danger Room)

6th-Jul-2008 09:32 pm - Bill's life: Parallel Worlds

Theo (walking by with foam blocks, looking very pleased with himself): I'm making a fort!
Rosie (walking by with foam blocks, looking very pleased with herself): I'm playing with my brother!

Posted by Bill on 7/6/2008 1:30:00 PM

6th-Jul-2008 08:49 pm - Best DNS Naming Scheme For Small/Medium Businesses?

6th-Jul-2008 03:34 pm - After the bang
After the fireworks display Friday night, there was no way we wanted to be back in the subway system for a couple of hours 'til the crowds cleared out. Not a problem, though, since we were in Georgetown. After a quick pass through Francis Scott Key Park right by the Key Bridge (it's the site of Key's former law office), where it might have been fun to watch the "rocket's red glare" had there not been so many sky-blocking trees, we wandered down M Street nearly to Wisconsin before Robert decided he wanted to go to The Tombs. Eh. The Tombs is directly north of the Key Bridge, so we were half a mile too far to the east. But, it looked like it was going to rain again, so we went up to Prospect Street and then backtracked to The Tombs.

bourbonstteamintjulepWe ordered mint juleps, but what we got were the palest mint juleps I think I'd ever seen. Aren't juleps supposed to be bourbon brown? There was a slight bourbon flavor, but otherwise, I would have sworn we got mojitos!

So, we switched to Bourbon Street teas, their bourbon-based version of a Long Island tea. It was okay.....but with the alcohol that should have been in the drink, I would have expected (especially after having had a prior drink) to get a little bit of a buzz, but I didn't. Eh. So, I gave up.

Meanwhile, Robert ordered a pitcher of nasty cheap lesbian beer (Miller Lite, I think it was). I'm not a beer person (especially when it's nasty beer), so I abstained. Eventually, we decided to pep things up a bit for him, and ordered a shot of Maker's Mark to drop in the beer glass. Unfortunately, they didn't have any shot glasses! All they had were little rocks glasses, and they were too big to put into the beer glasses, so we just dumped the bourbon into the beer and Robert drank it that way.

After he finished his beer, Robert was hungry, so he got a bowl of chili. I don't know why we stayed so long. The music was so loud in there, we had to write on paper to communicate!

chili


Then, I don't know where it came from, but another pitcher and another shot of bourbon showed up. Robert didn't want to waste it, so he graciously forced himself to drink it, rather than send them back to the bar to be discarded.

stepsIt was after midnight by the time we left The Tombs. When we got out on the street, I soon discovered that Robert was a little more toasted than me (musta been the two extra pitchers of beer and two double shots of bourbon).....so much so that I didn't think it would be a good idea to deposit him on a Metro train and send him home to Tacoma alone (and that was assuming that we could have walked him to a station!)....so we dragged Ian out and rented a Zipcar to drive him home, after which Ian insisted on going to the Tacoma Park IHOP.

Ian got his usual ham and egg melt without the ham with hash browns instead of fries, and paying an additional 99¢ for a little dressingless side salad. He also wanted some cheesecake pancakes—the speciality pancake this month—but didn't want to eat the whole pancake platter, so he prevailed upon me to eat the eggs, bacon, and sausage. So, I accommodated him. The IHOP there was really busy, but we had a good waiter for a change, and got in and out pretty quickly.

eggmeltpancakesbreakfast


By the time we got back to Georgetown, it was 3:30 or after. The buses, unfortunately, had stopped running (at least where I was and where I was going). I didn't want to waste the money on the luxury of a taxi. Ian bought me a Diet Dr Pepper at the CVS, and then he made me walk all the way home. Eh, it was only three miles, so it wasn't a big deal. I started to go through Adams-Morgan and walk by 17th and Euclid, but it was a little bit out of the way.

So, that was my holiday. What did you do for the Fourth of July?
6th-Jul-2008 03:59 pm - Please click and forward on - no donation required
Thanks for the help, APO Brothers :)


Please help my cause – it will only take a moment of your time, and no money is required.

Just read my poem, located here:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/862019/poem_for_the_cure.html?cat=5

This year, I pledged to raise $2,200 towards Breast Cancer Research when I signed up to walk the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3Day (information about the walk can be found here: http://08.the3day.org/goto/tara/). The walk, which takes place locally for various participants, seemed like an amazing fitness goal for me also. Cancer affects everyone and it needs to be stopped!

As of July 6, 2008, I am at 19% of my fundraising goal. I will be participating in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3Day Walk in Philadelphia in October of this year.

In this past year, I have also lost forty pounds on my road to success, and I am very close to my fitness and weight loss goal as a result of this walk.

Below you will find a link to my Poem for the Cure. This poem has been published on Associated Content. I regularly write for this site, which pays up front for writing of various types. Associated Content also offers authors a page view bonus. I receive and pass on the donation of $1.60 per thousand page views to this poem each month.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/862019/poem_for_the_cure.html?cat=5

I am pledging the amount of the page view bonus for LIFE to this cause. After my funds are raised for the October walk and the walk is complete, I am going to continue to donate the funds raised from this to other walkers from the Philadelphia region.

Proof of page view donations will be posted on my donation website as Page View Donations (if you are able to donate directly, donations would also be appreciated) here: http://08.the3day.org/goto/tara

I will be walking in memory of Linda McCartney, who served as a wonderful role model for me during my teenage years.

Thank you very much for your time and for reading my poem!
Tara Meacham
Athena’s Pink Ladies, Philadelphia ‘08
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