Singing to Jeffrey's Tune

The Lost Coconut Tree and a Bee

2011-08-07T18:24:00.002-04:00

This Sunday morning after breakfast I decided to weed the "weed patch". Everyone of our plants was absolutely filled with them. Mind you we have about 20 potted plants.

Our new lawn guy (I used to be the old lawn guy) doesn't take care of them, nor does the flower beds and I let them get away from me.

So I was checking out this coconut tree I have had since 2001 in a pot. I actually brought it back from Big Pine Key to Ohio on the last big "family" trip down there (we stayed a month). I grew this tree in a pot from the nut.

Well, I think it got sick and had a lack of water this last dry season and didn't recover. It saddens me as I had come to think of the tree as Mason's tree (our first son, born an angel). My old boss had suggested I buy him the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom where the letters go up the coconut tree. See the connection?

Well, as I investigate the tree to verify I cannot save it, I sigh and realize it's time to move on. As I look up, I see a small honey bee buzz on the flowers next to me. We never, NEVER see honey bees. That means something is growing and food is being produced.

Life moves on.

~Jeffrey

Vibes at the farmers market

2011-08-07T18:02:00.002-04:00

Saturday Jessica, Parker and I were coming back from breakfast at Annie's (local greasy spoon in Cape Coral - decent price and portions, bad coffee, and friendly service) and decided to pass up the house and head to Cape Harbor (BTW Cape Harbor, somebody else has your domain name now) for their summer farmers Market.

Well, after getting some green beans and sweet potatoes, we went to look at the non food vendors. There were two next to each other that caught my eye.

The first was a guy selling items (wood, shells, cloth) laser etched with images. Apparently he did it with "some program" after doing the images in photo shop. I found it interesting he was very secretive about this "program", as it reminded me of some of the inventors at the Edison Inventors Association. Fair enough.

The second man and his wife were promoting his website SloopScoop.com. Now if you are a boater here locally, and have looked up tide charts from NOAA, you know they are not the most user friendly looking things in the world. Well, Brian Fuller and his wife Kim made them friendly (coincidentally, Brian is also they guy responsible for the Newspress' Hurricane Tracker App). Brian showed me how things worked, and we talked shop on development and mobile programming. A very different vibe than the first fellow.

I personally like Brian's approach much better than the other fellow's. It probably comes from working in computers with open source. I do think he will do well with it on his new website. I wish them both good luck.

Jeffrey

Nerd Post: Hacking Wordpress's admin pages to add a hidden link

2011-08-05T10:23:00.000-04:00

As some of you know, Kinetic Thoughts is working in partnership with another firm to produce some niche Wordpress plugins. In creating the plugins, we wanted to create an admin menu, with sub-menu entries. No problem. Wordpress has mechanisms for that.

Now, when you add in a menu choice (or sub-menu choice) the URL generated when the menu is click is something akin to: http://host/wp-admin/admin.php?page=your_custom_menu_handle

This handle is actually created with the code like (assuming it is a sub-menu, the menu's function has a slightly different signature):

add_submenu_page(

'my_plugins_toplevel_link'

, 'Page Title (seen in browser)'

, 'Menu Link Text'

, 'administrator' //security level

, 'your_custom_menu_handle' // here's the page handle for page one

, 'page_callback_function' //the function that renders this menu's page

);

Now, I want to get to my sub-menu page and preserve the URL structure of:

http://host/wp-admin/admin.php?page=your_custom_menu_handle

One way to do this is to add a sub-menu entry pointing to your first sub-menu's handle:

add_submenu_page(

'your_custom_menu_handle' // set the parent to your first page and it wont appear

, 'Hidden Menu Page Title (seen in brower)'

, 'Hidden Menu Link Name' // unused

, 'administrator' //security level

, 'your_hidden_menu_custom_handle'

, 'hidden_page_callback_function' //the function that renders this menu's page

);

I want to thank the guys on this post at StackOverFlow.

This works quite well. Now I don't condone hacks usually, but sometimes you just got to get to the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) and fix things later. More than likely, Wordpress was coded to allow for multiple levels of sub-menus, but only displays the first. Something to investigate in the future.

Nice, huh?

Jeff

A Thought on Life Planning

2011-08-03T09:07:00.002-04:00

This is not a brag, but I have taken quite a few higher education classes.

The opening day was almost always started with introductions of your name, what you do (or it is volunteered) and what would you do if you won the lottery.

Most people answer (and these are weighted):

1.) Travel

2.) Pay off bills

3.) Take care of my family

4.) Start a charity

Got me thinking that most people really don't know what they want to do in life.

It seems perhaps they just flow through life with a loosely devised plan of what they think they should follow (or what someone else thinks they should follow).

Many don't expand their thinking and thus life planning using Creative Problem Solving (CPS), SWOT analysis, or even just deferred judgement brainstorming.

I think more should.

Nerd Post: Mixing it up with the Custom List Table Example and $wpdb

2011-08-01T13:02:00.001-04:00

Here at Kinetic Thoughts, we have been working in partnership with another firm to produce some niche Wordpress plugins. Without getting to much into the "niche", I want to talk about a slight "gotcha" I found today in trying to hook up the WP_LIST_TABLE class to other tables in the $wpdb

Now, for 3 really great background information sources, I would suggest investigating the following:

1.) Download the Custom List Table Example and inspect fully (and read the comments!).

2.) Theme.fm's article on Column Hacking

3.) $wpdb's Class reference

Now, I am not going to get into give step by step code - there is enough in the above links to get you started. What I do want to give you is one of those small tidbits that sometimes are implied, but get missed.

If you were to copy and modify the Custom List Table Example and attempt to use the $data = $wpdb->results("select column1,column2,column3 from mytable"); you are going to get a couple of weird errors.

Why? Look closely at the $wpdb's link above. It is actually pointing to the function get_row(). Notice the 3 constants? Those determine the returned datatype. You want ARRAY_A. Simply change your code to: $data = $wpdb->results("select column1,column2,column3 from mytable", ARRAY_A);

That's it.

Nice, huh?

Jeff

Where is the pacifer

2010-08-27T16:13:00.004-04:00

My wife came to me yesterday morning with the exclamation, "you won't believe what I did last night".

Now, normally, I might cock my head to one side and look at her (very similar to a dog looking at a human doing, well, doing a stupid human trick). However, since we have a new born son, and she let me sleep that night, I felt it better to hold any smart ass gestures.

She says to me, "Well, in the middle of night he was fussy, so I checked him and found he was wet. I changed his diaper and went to lay him back down and could not found his pacifier" (Known in our house as a binky).

She goes on to say, "I looked in the crib, on the floor, even in the trash were I threw the diaper. Finally I picked him up to soothe him and felt something not right on his bottom. Then I realized I had fastened up the diaper with his binky inside."

By this time, I am on the floor laughing, and our poor son is looking at me with his head cocked to the side...

Holodeck is next!

2010-07-28T22:54:00.002-04:00

Some really cool stuff coming out from Sony.

How Costco Primes Us To Spend More Money…

2010-03-31T23:04:00.003-04:00

An intriguing article about how brain chemistry and product placement helps to separate us from our cash. Link back to the original article.

by heather on July 1, 2009

You don’t need me to tell you that it’s really hard to save money at Costco. And, I’m not talking about saving money on the price-per-pound for ground beef, or the cheaper price-per-ounce of Jiffy Peanut Butter.

On those things yes, you’re saving money compared to buying at the grocery store.

What I’m talking about is the Ralph Lauren swimsuits. The super massaging leather easy chair and ottoman. The flat screen tvs. The Gucci handbags, and the expansive DVD section.

There is a big reason why Costco stocks these things instead of just food. And, it’s because we buy them. Big time.

I recently finished reading the book, How We Decide, by Jonah Lehrer. And, it’s an incredibly fascinating look at how, exactly, we go about making decisions.

This post isn’t a review of that book (which was amazing). It’s a post inspired by one section of the book, on how stores prime our brains to spend more money.

All research for this post comes from author Jonah Lehrer, and is fully credited to him.

A Quick Look At Our Decision-Making Process

Think about your last trip to the grocery store. Specifically, the cereal aisle.

If you were alone, with time to choose the cereal you wanted, your thoughts might have gone something like this:

“Wow, that Bare Naked Granola cereal looks really good and healthy. Oh, but it’s $5. Too expensive. But that box of Frosted Flakes would be tasty. Oh, but that’s got way too much sugar. I need to eat more fiber anyway. Maybe Raison Bran? Oh, but that cereal’s gross. Maybe Fiber One. It’s $4? Crikey. Maybe there is a store brand that’s tasty…”

And on and on.

All these thoughts probably took no more than two seconds. Walking down the cereal aisle is just like having one long arguement with yourself.

What Lehrer points out, and what we don’t realize, is that all of these arguments trigger a specific set of emotions and associations (page 199).

Sure, we want those Frosted Flakes. That wanting is a very strong emotion. But, we know we need to eat more fiber because it’s good for us. This thought has less wanting, but more obligation, so it triggers a weaker emotion. But coupled with a lower price, and our desire for saving money (which is still a weaker emotion than our wanting of the Frosted Flakes), we might end up buying the fiber cereal.

Most of the time our decisions are not based on logic, even though we think they are. They’re based on emotion.

Our Brain’s Reaction To Shopping

Now, think about how you feel when you find something fabulous in the store. You get excited, right? Your breathing may quicken, your heart starts to pound, and you reach out to just touch it.

When we see something we want to buy, our brain is instantly activated. Know what it does?

Our nucleus accumbens (NAcc), which is the pleasure center of the brain, releases the hormone dopamine, which is the precursor of adrenaline. Dopamine is very, very powerful. Scientists James Olds and Peter Milner discovered that when rats are overstimulated with dopamine release, they’ll literally die of pleasure (pg. 35).

So, the stronger we want something the stronger our NAcc activation, and the more dopamine is released.

Knowing this, scientists can literally tell if we’re going to buy an item before we even know it. It happens that fast.

How Stores Prime Us To Spend More

Let’s go back to Costco. You know what you see when you walk through the door of every Costco store?

You see all those huge, gleaming flat screen tvs. Who wouldn’t love a big flat screen? We see these things and guess what happens? Our NAcc kicks in, and dopamine is released.

But, we may not have $1,200 to drop on a new Sony. So we walk on.

Then, we pass the jewelry counter. And the designer handbags. And the DeWalt tools. And the leather easy chairs.

With each look, our NAcc is being prodded, and the dopamine is flowing good. We want that. And that. And that. We get into a state of wanting.

All this is doing is conditioning us to crave a reward.

What’s key to understand about all this is that we may not buy a $1,200 flat screen that day. Or that $800 easy chair. Or that $300 hand bag.

But our brains have been incredibly stimulated by now to want a reward. So, we’ll probably buy that $12 box of cookies. And maybe that beautiful $20 hyacinth bush for the front porch. And, what the heck, that $30 jacket.

After all, we think, $62 is way less than those other things, right? And besides, we deserve a treat.

And the House Wins…

By strategically placing those tvs and handbags and diamond rings in high-traffic areas, Costco just got an extra $62 out of us. Just by stimulating our dopamine production.

Yowza.

Knowledge Is Power…

So, what do we do with this information?

Well, I’m one of those “knowledge is power” kind of girls. I really think that knowing what is going on in our brains can help us take a step back and analyze what we’re doing.

Walking into Costco, or any retail store, is always going to be fraught with dopamine production, which means our wallets are threatened. But knowing that stores are deliberately priming you to buy a reward for yourself, even if it’s just a little one, can help you stick to your list and walk away with a bit more money in your pocket.

My Thanks…

My thanks go out to Jonah Lehrer for writing How We Decide. It’s an incredible book, and if you’re at all interested in learning how your brain works, how you make decisions, and how you can start making better ones, then pick this book up. Lehrer’s writing style is interesting and fast-paced, and you won’t want to put the book down once you start it.

And, his picture on the back dust jacket is completely worth the price of the book.

A Poem Worth Reading by A. Lawrence Vaincourt

2010-03-19T11:57:00.000-04:00

A Poem Worth Reading

by A. Lawrence Vaincourt

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Bob has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It's so easy to forget them,
For it is so many times
That our Bobs and Jims and Johnnys,
Went to battle, but we know,

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier--
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

JSON String back to a Javascript Object invalid label error

2010-01-03T14:01:00.002-05:00

I was pulling my hair out today, trying to turn a JSON string back into a Javascript Object using the "eval" function.

Turns out, you have add parenthesis to your JSON code.

Example would be:

var jsonString = Object.toJSON(jsonObject);

Where the jsonString would equal:

{ "id" : "jeffreystune", "name": "jeffreystune.blogspot.com"}

"id" would be an "invalid label" during an eval(jsonString);

The solution is simple, but hard to find:

var copyJsonObject = eval( "(" + jsonString +")" );

Ugh! Welcome to my geeky coding world.

~Jeffrey

Everybody wants to go to heaven

2009-12-02T10:52:00.002-05:00

As I sit here coding (or attempting too) and listening to Pandora Radio on my Jimmy Buffett channel, Kenny Chesney's song "Everybody wants to go to Heaven". Here is an excerpt of the chorus:

Everybody wants to go to heaven
But nobody wants to go now

It made me think of the holiday house and walk with my wife and mother this past Saturday. A young lady was passing out religious literature. Her "hook" was, "have you gotten one of these yet?" And as I took it, she says "It will tell you how to get into heaven someday".

Well, I threw it away... for the sole reason above. Everybody wants to go to heaven, but I don't want to go now - and I am not so sure I will know when I want to go.

Jeffrey

Intuition, Emotion, and Science

2009-11-30T17:37:00.003-05:00

In a recent skype conversation with my friend Theresa, I made some connections about intuition and science.

It seems that intuition and emotion are not all that different to science. They are the same story told in a different voice.

To clarify, intuition is generally an extension of empathy. Empathy is the observation of emotion.
Science is the observation of natural world. Emotions are generally reactions to events of natural world.

For what it is worth.

Jeffrey

Halloween Party with some old Eightbar Buddies

2009-10-30T12:07:00.005-04:00

I just got back from a Halloween party - a virtual one with some of my old Eightbar colleagues from IBM (incidently, many have moved on to form their own companies such as Feeding Edge by Ian Hughes / Epredator).

It was on Almaden Island in Secondlife hosted by IBM Virtual Universe Community (VUC). A special thanks to the current guild master of the VUC Mary / Sharon Schmertzin for hosting and DJing.

Believe it or not, it was great to reconnect with people I have not talked to in a while from across the globe. I think virtual worlds are the next logical step in Social Media, an extension if you will of Facebook or Twitter. If you have not tried out Secondlife, I highly recommend you do and give it a chance (it does have a learning curve and sometimes the technology can be some what flaky). Look for me, Jeffrey Fanwood is my avatar name in world.

Some pictures of the event:

Me before I put on my costume - kind of a MJ Thriller thing going here.

That is me in the purple leather pants rocking out to Thriller actually.

Buggy Rich and Subdigit playing the piano - I like that painting in the corner too.

Another spooktackular scene.

Well, that is about it folks. Tomorrow is the real Halloween party at Jessica and I's home, we are expecting a time so good it will be scary (yeah, that is a bad joke).

Jeffrey

Social Media is not Social Marketing

2009-10-28T12:35:00.002-04:00

I was reading the discussions groups on LinkedIn recently and one caught my eye under the group "twitter innovators Innovation & Creativity Network of Tweeters".

It was 5 questions to ask your Social Media Consultant by Andrew Ballenthin
President of an Integrated Marketing Consultancy, Writer, Speaker, Community Marketing Blog Founder. I have reprinted the questions here:

5 Criteria For Qualifying Social Media Consultants

Social media has been around for over 10 years. The role of Social Media Consultant is a term that's much younger. How do know if someone is qualified in this field as a professional? Here's 5 questions to think about (for more details http://tinyurl.com/yfeqcam ).

1. How many years have you been practicing social media?
2. How many years have you practiced for clients/business?
3. What are your accomplishments with monetization, PR, database buiding?
4. What is your past business background?
5. How did you achieve your greatest accomplishmnet?

What experience and expertise do you look for with someone who offers social media services?

Well, I love social media. I have been playing with facebook, twitter, plurk, for over 3 years and blogs for at least 6 years. Web 2.0 is Web Deux or Web DO (as in Do something).

That said, I am skeptical. To build a viral buzz seems to be the goal of many social media consultants and it is akin to trying to capture lightening in a bottle. When done purposely, it almost always misses the mark.

How do you overcome insulting the intelligence of your user and make this a viable asset? Social media is not social marketing and I hope many the social media consults don't think the two are the same.

My suggestion is to tell the users they are being marketed too and act accordingly, while adding some value.

That is the real question, what is the value add a consultant of a social media campaign providing to the user? After all, it is all about the user.

Amphibian Guacamole

2009-10-19T10:51:00.002-04:00

Ok, I was kidding. We are not having frog based Mexican foodstuffs. Actually this little critter has taken up home in my avocado tree.

He leaves from time to time, but always seems to come back to this same leaf.
I am not sure what it will do once the leaf falls off, hopefully for Jessica, he finds another he likes.

That said, he has kind of become her wild pet. She had a toad once before (and not me!) and this tree frog she finds fun. He is really docile, and even let me pet him.

Here he is, just hanging out (with his eyes sort of open).

Be well,

Jeffrey

System of the Down cover with Hot Electric Violin Ladies

2009-10-06T22:03:00.003-04:00

These Hot Violin Chicks are rocking out with this System of the Down cover Toxicity using electric violins and drums. What would one expect from an Asian female violinist? Pun intended, you all know I am not sexist or racist, but we gotta know there are differences. Anyway, check out this video from Today's Big Thing website.

~Jeffrey

(Z)Xebras loose in Fort Myers

2009-10-06T09:53:00.001-04:00

We went to the Edison last night for $1 hamburgers (actually they were OK for a buck, but you should really get the normal burger - much much better).

Well there was this strange car in the parking lot called a Xebra. Interesting enough, it was only 3 wheels (which might explain the motorcycle style license).

Of course the venue, it would have been better to get the car in the shot, but the angle was just not right.

If anyone that reads this blog knows the cars owner, it would be cool to get the full story behind it to publish here.

Jeffrey

Down Town Fort Myers

2009-10-04T23:14:00.000-04:00

In the last couple of years, Fort Myers has tried (and in my book succeeded) in getting their downtown district (now known as the River District) revitalized. I think they have succeeded. These few shots were on the corner of Front and Hendry.

Cigar bar above.

One of the downtown Theatre's

These 2 are of the new Cafe Matisse (it used to be Liquid Cafe - the new incarnation is much more inducive to an identity than Liquid Cafe).

I will post more pictures of various downtown Fort Myers places as I take them. I only wish Cape Coral would get their act together for our downtown (but I will not hold my breath - our city council seems to be "stuck on stupid").

Italian Fest - Fort Myers

2009-10-04T23:02:00.004-04:00

Being Sunday afternoon and wanting to get out of the house for a bit, my lovely bride and I decided to hit the Italian Festival on McGregor Blvd Today.

The band was actually not too bad, if a little loud.

Oh course my lovely smiling bride.

Tents and on lookers.

Folks watching the band, and in the background the great "corn hole" competition. When I first came to SWFL 6 years ago, everyone thought I was asking about some strange "sexual" game. In reality, it is a more like a bean bag toss, played similar to horse shoes (actually that is the nickname - safe drunkard horse shoes).

The reason I really come to Italian Festivals - sausage and peppers.

Where I went after the sausage and peppers (kidding of course).

All and all it was not a bad time, but we didn't stay too long. It was much too hot (even in October, it still gets a tad warm here mid-day).

But does he?

2009-08-20T17:43:00.002-04:00

I was driving back from my parents house and I saw an older Ford Bronco - the kind with the back window that used to roll down. It was a bunch of teenagers with every window that could open, opened.

Well thinking back, I thought about my teenage years of driving around in cars without the luxury of air conditioning. I thought how hot and miserable I used to be in the summers in rural Ohio, with the vinyl seats sticking us and sweating rivers. The only air was at 60 MPH and above.

Then I thought, actually, those were the best of times, but I didn't know it. No mortgages, electric bills, watching your weight, knowing when to say when, and all those other adults things we spend so much of our day worrying about. Sigh..

Then at an intersection the truck turned and from my day dream I awoke to read a bumper sticker on the car in front of it:

"Have faith in God"

My first thought was, "But does God have faith in me?"

And my second thought was, "it doesn't matter, as long as I have faith in me..."

MAC attack - not what you think

2009-08-11T11:25:00.005-04:00

This one got me the other day and no, not a Mac Apple Computer either! A MAC ethernet address.

I was setting up a new VMware Server 2 appliance for a development environment in use with the Symfony framework. The base OS was Ubuntu 9.04 Server.

Well I like to back a backup of the raw OS before I put anything out there since it took a bit to make the VMware appliance. It is simple - or so I thought, you just make a disk copy of your appliance folder.

Well, I did that, as well as manually edited the .vms file. Turns out, vmware assigned a mac address in the /etc/udev/rules.d/70-presistent-net.rules file to eth0 that had been already assigned to the appliance hosting machine.

Example:

# PCI device 0x1022:0x2000 (pcnet32)
SUBSYSTEM=="net", DRIVERS=="?*", ATTRS{address}=="00:0c:29:bd:5f:db",
NAME="eth0"

# PCI device 0x1022:0x2000 (pcnet32)
SUBSYSTEM=="net", DRIVERS=="?*", ATTRS{address}=="00:0c:29:bd:5f:e5",
NAME="eth1"

Basically to fix this, delete the etho entry and change the eth1 to eth0 and restart the appliance.

Wow, one of those obscure moments solved via google.

Be well,

Jeffrey

The shiny red laptop

2009-08-02T07:59:00.007-04:00

It was awhile back I actually replaced the DVD in my new Dell laptop. I love the laptop. Specs are pretty darn good for a $600 laptop, the screen is large enough for my 1/2 blind eyes to see. Here are the specs for those interested:

Dell Studio 1737 Refurbished Notebook PC - Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz, 4GB DDR2, 320GB SATA HDD, DVDRW, 17" WXGA, Vista Home Premium, Red

However, it is a refurb, and sometimes things go awry. Well, my DVD drive stopped reading disks. Luckily I had tech support for a year and they sent me a replacement drive - catch was I had to install it.

I downloaded the instructions for repairing my laptop. It was, in a word, ridiculous. I had to remove everything to get to the DVD, including the screen. Then I lost a screw. I looked and looked and looked. I turns out it fell into a hinge of the screen back and I had to disassemble the screen. Geessh!

All and all, I got it back together, with all parts, screws, and wires going back into the machine. And can you believe it! It all worked, including the new DVD!

Some pictures of the event:

I still would recommend the machine even if fixing it is going to be a lesson in the efficiency of space. However, my coaches would be to get the extended tech support if you don't feel comfortable cracking the case on it (I was a little leery since it was a laptop). Also, this thing is a tank - 14 lbs. So if you want to be mobile, but less computing power, get a netbook. I do use mine for active software development, and I am considering upgrading to 8GB of ram.

As a side note, I will be returning to my minimum of once a week posting and will be covering my newer projects as well as my current freelance job hunting.

That said, be well,

Jeffrey

Amazon's Secondlife Job fair

2009-07-14T13:40:00.005-04:00

Well, I am attending Amazon's Secondlife Job Fair.

All and all it is good to get to chat with some of the prospective people and get information about where jobs are ranging.

Most of the position are in Seattle, there is a small subsidiary in South FL and lots in NC.

I guess not so bad, my sister and brother-in-law are looking to move to Seattle, WA.

Here are some "photo's" of the event:

They are progressive not only in tech, but social issues at Amazon:

This was Suzie, she was a source of good information about job positions:

The main hall for recruitment:

Finally me submitting my resume (I did it to an event email as well):

Be well and wish me luck!

Jeffrey

How I feel when I set up Linux

2009-07-06T11:50:00.003-04:00

This picture shows how I feel sometimes when setting my most recent environments for my various projects:

Gotta love it.

I am currently working with VMWare Server 2 on Windows to develop a Ubuntu JEOS -Just Enough Operation System LAMP stack appliance for Symfony connected to a Silverlight Control using JSON as the communication mechanism.

Wish me luck.

Jeffrey

Still Posting - quick update

2009-06-29T01:12:00.004-04:00

June has been a busy month for Jeffrey. This being the first post and July is almost upon us. That said, I have completed my graduate certificate at Buffalo State (and was accepted into the Graduate program) in Creative Studies and Change Leadership.

Also, I have been in Cincinnati, Ohio. Buffalo, NY. Chatham, NY and then a long long trek back home via NYC, DC, Maryland, Delware, PA, GA, and across the state of FL (via I-95 and I am sure there are some other states in there).

I plan to never drive from that far north again in one day. Whew! Also, I learned I am impatient and to slow down after not 1, but 2 speeding tickets. Geesh!

More on what is to follow for my vision, missions, and strategic plan in another post.

Have a grand evening.

Jeffrey

Membership has its advantages

2009-05-01T10:08:00.002-04:00

When I was working at big blue, I was told to join the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM.org). Well, since they were not paying for it, and it was $99 bucks, I was like nah. I wish I would have for just the publications. They are great.

Well, now I have been enrolled in school, the ACM student cost is $19 to $42 depending on your membership (I did the $42 so I get the electronic publications). Well by joining as a student I get access to Sun classes (which count for college credit in some cases - but not sure if I can get my masters program to accept them, but I will try) and to Microsoft software for free (full blown student version).

That said, see the below email:

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Association for Computing Machinery

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

MSDNAA

ELMS for MSDNAA Software Center: This message has been generated automatically from your ELMS. Please do not reply to this message as you will not receive a response. Please click on the SUPPORT link in your MSDNAA Online Software System for support contact information on your campus.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Hello,

Welcome! Thank you for signing up as a participant in the Microsoft Developers Academic Alliance (MSDN AA); your eligibility is made possible through an ACM/MSDNAA partnership. ACM is licensed under the MSDNAA Program which enables ACM Student Members to access any of the nearly 100 software packages available under the Program. e-Academy Inc., a partner of Microsoft is providing ELMS (the e-Academy Licensed Management System) for MSDNAA to you.

Below is your ACM username and a password assigned to you by e-Academy (naturally, you may change your password). Simply log into the system and start browsing/ordering the software (at no-charge). You will be asked to create a Profile on the MSDN AA site during the order process.

Your username is:
Your password is:

http://msdn01.e-academy.com/ACM

e-Academy Inc., the operator of the ACM/MSDN AA Partnership website, is fully committed to the online privacy of all MSDN AA users. Reports on traffic patterns are sometimes created by MSDN AA to monitor the effectiveness of this service but these reports are stripped of any individual or personal identification. By accessing the software through this website, you will be asked to accept the usage guidelines.

If you have any technical difficulties please contact ACMs Program Administrator via email at msdnadmin@acm.org

We hope you find your MSDNAA experience a rewarding one!

Sincerely,
e-Academy for MSDN AA

I highly recommend if you are a student of technology or know one, tell them about the ACM. I am a fan and convert!

~Jeffrey

Google's O3D - Browser based 3d

2009-04-22T07:57:00.004-04:00

I got a tweet yesterday about Google's O3D, their new in the browser 3d engine.

All I can say is OMG! Finally, something that is 3d, that is not overly complicated or is a crazy 800 pound gorilla of a client. Not that Unity3d has not been the browser based 3d client, which has been around for a while, but the thing with Google's O3D, is it is FREE.

The O3D is actually a Javascript API to the plugin, making the learning curve much less than other proprietary scripting languages. You can check out a video here

If you want to check out O3D download the plug-in here.
More in-depth can be found here (for developers too).

After you get the plug-in, check the visualization of google trends.

I will be doing a follow post on this code, so look for it.

Enjoy and be well,

Jeffrey

Another Magic Monday

2009-04-20T07:56:00.002-04:00

Another Magic Monday (not manic!). Looking at my plate of "ToDo" items, it is easy to get over whelmed. Where does one start? Which is next in priority? How do I handle something extra thrown in for good measure at the last minute?

It is easy to just go into analysis paralysis when dealing with the Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD). That said, my friend Stavros gave me a way to overcome FUD.

Replace Fear with Focus
Replace Uncertainty with Collaboration
Replace Doubt with Doing

I think we all innately know the above, but sometimes it sits just beyond our vision to articulate. That articulation is the magical portion of an idea.

~Jeffrey

Perpetual Motion

2009-04-18T23:59:00.001-04:00

After 36 years of perpetual motion,
He will smile and say,
Some of it is magic and some of it is tragic,
But I had good life all the way....

Edison Inventors Association - April Meeting

2009-04-18T10:55:00.002-04:00

Great meeting this past Wednesday (I know, I am a little late on the posting, but hey, it is my blog so :P ). The meeting had a presentation by Bill McHenry on branding your invention. Also, I was able to meet Ronald Sargent - an inventor of many things that you see in everyday life.

Mill McHenry's presentation on Branding came out with two key points. Not only does one need to invent, one needs to be an entrepreneur. It was even mentioned by one of the members, that Thomas Edison was not only a great inventor, he was an even better entrepreneur, recognizing gaps in the market. To get in touch with Bill McHenry and his company Entrepreneur Sales and Marketing click the link.

Ronald Sargent has been inventing for a long time. He is the founder and owner of Ideation Institute. Some of his inventions include the Port-a-Potty, the jumping fountains at Disney's Epcot center and his newest is a mechanism that can turn any sealable plastic bag into a vacuum sealed bag (which he did with his father that is over 100 - fantastic in my book). He has also taken his method for creativity and created a seminar/training course. I plan to at least obtain a copy of his book for the seminar. Great stuff!

I have to say, the amount of inventor/entrepreneur's in the Southwest Florida area has surprised me. I am glad I stumbled upon the Edison Inventors Association. I will post about next month's meeting then.

~Jeffrey

Met the Moon today

2009-04-14T23:09:00.003-04:00

Today, I had a fruitful day, did a bunch of errands, got my software working more so for the ASP.NET project, had several productive conversations with business partners on several websites, and then filed the taxes! W00t! Return coming to us (thankfully!).

As for the errands, one of them was getting some locks rekeyed for my new tenant. Well after the fiasco with the "big box stores" (em, Lowes or Home Depot), I went to an independent. Ace Hardware on Cape Coral Parkway in Cape Coral, FL.

Well, there were 2 guys behind the key counter. One was the locksmith/key salesmen (interesting job, would you have thought there was someone that just sold keys and rekeying kits?). I got his card.

The interesting guy that rekeyed my lock was named - get this - Moon! Like the celestial body orbiting the earth. Turns out his parents were surfer's from California. Very Nice guy.

Such was my day. More on this tomorrow. I think I will talk about some of my 3d ventures that are coming up this week.

Be Well,

~Jeffrey

The Monday after Easter - getting in the groove

2009-04-13T13:22:00.002-04:00

I woke up early today as my wife kissed me good bye at 6:45AM. Stayed in bed for a bit longer reading Duma Key by Stephen King. Some good stuff, especially for someone that is infatuated with FL like I am. Did you know this? SK winters in Naples (or did at one time). He perceptions and observations of many things in the book are spot on.

What do I today I thought? Well, I got the mailbox up for the new tenant. They seem to be good people. Country folk, fair and hard working. I am still cautiously optimistic after the last bunch, but I have some faith.

I installed the tax software today (TaxCut) to get the taxes finished this evening. I should have it done tonight and submitted. Two days before they are due. Nothing like waiting to the last minute, but I love modern technology.

I will be working on some software using MS-SQL and ASP.NET and Visual Basic 2008. Wow, how that stuff changed since I used VB6.

However, tomorrow will be in part job hunt day. Looking to post my resume on all the job boards. I also plan to stock up on the freelance sites. I am looking forward to the skill tests to show me where I stand. So much to do on multiple fronts. I am still leaning toward my own business. Kinetic Thoughts Consulting again? Sounds good to me. The site needs updating.

I must get up and head out to the bank. I think I will ride my bike. So much for the blog entry. I still hurt in my neck sitting in this chair. I am looking forward to getting that fixed. A little scared too. Mixed emotional bag I guess.

I have rambled enough. Looking good out there in the SWFL sunshine. Getting my groove back.

~Jeffrey

Ping.FM and social media

2009-04-07T19:02:00.003-04:00

I have recently been toying with Twitter and Plurk. I was at one time pushing my Tweets to Facebook and pushing my Plurk's to Twitter (and thus up the chain to Facebook).

It was messy and strange (since they all had different character limits, or would attach URL's). I had to find a new way.

My colleague turned me onto Ping.fm. From it I can push to Twitter, Facebook, Plurk, AIM, Yahoo 360, Friendster, Blogger, and many others. The Blogger push is part of the reason for this post. The two short posts were in fact ping.fm pushes. I have turned that off, because I want this blog's entries to have more substance than a micro-blog.

Check out some of the above and follow me! Enjoy the social media of web 2.0.

~Jeffrey

2009-04-07T18:05:00.001-04:00

Working on some more ASP.NET stuff. MS-SQL has not been my friend.

2009-04-07T18:02:00.001-04:00

Testing my first Ping.FM to all the social networks. Thanks Lee, Robi, and Charisse for the tip!

Comcast and Linksys Router BS

2009-04-07T12:55:00.002-04:00

I awoke today to start working (well job hunting and side business). I depend on multiple devices going out on my Comcast cable address. Well, today it was not working. I tried the usual power cycle things. Called in, got a snotty girl that had me turn everything off (no real reason for this) and plug into my PC directly. After doing so, it worked on my PC. I was like Hmmm, guess I was wrong and I apologized.

I plugged into the router after hanging up. Nothing. Didn't work. I called back not satisfied. He walked me through a few things that didn't work. I said thank you and I would figure it out. Well first off, I changed out the cable, that was not it. I could connect to other machines on the network and the server. That was not it. So I plugged it into my machine directly again and restarted.

After getting a connection I did a search for Comcast and LinkSys. This link came up. Aparently Comcast found a way to thwart users that are not using Comcast router equipment. After following the instructions of cloning my MAC address, everything worked well. Here is the kicker, I asked repeatedily on the phone if anything had changed. "No sir, nothing here." I won't be too indignant, read the EULA and you will know why. Here are the instructions:

Plug your computer directly into the cable modem.
Use "ipconfig /release" and "ipconfig /renew" from the windows command prompt to get a new IP address from the cable modem.
Unplug your computer from the cable modem.
Plug your computer into the router, leaving the router unplugged from the cable modem.
Use ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew to get an IP address from the router.
Enter the router's configuration with your web browser.
Tell the router to Clone your Mac Address. wait a few seconds.
Plug the router into the cable modem.
In the web interface, tell the router to ask for a new IP address from the cable modem. (This is the "DHCP Renew" Button) The cable modem should think that you are the PC that just spoke with it and will let your router work again. You might have to ask it to renew a couple times.

~Jeffrey

I just don't know

2009-03-30T01:46:00.002-04:00

I have say, what LONG STRANGE TRIP it has been. Life's turns and twists are anything, if not different.

I look forward to a Brave New World (thank you UK and Mr. Aldus Huxley) and not his shining world actually. If you don't know what I mean, ask your local library for a copy of the tome to borrow.

Not to get into semantics, but I find my personal world is changing of late. Actually the opportunities that are presented to me are fantastic. The question one in my shoes must ponder is the sheer number of them to consider.

Never lacking a number of ideas, I find the two hardest conundrums being, which opportunities to undertake and the finding the acumen of HOW to FOLLOW through on those opportunities.

Advice? I will find out how. And I must do quickly, concisely, and diligentily.

Peace,

~Jeffrey

Edison Inventors Association

2009-03-18T23:47:00.002-04:00

My bride and I went to the monthly meeting for the Edison Inventors Association. It is held at the famous (or is that infamous) inventor's winter home laboratory in Fort Myers.

There were 3 products that were showcased. Impressed as always, all three were in the patent pending stages.

Also, we got to hear the expertise of 4 patent experts. One was a former US patent clerk manager for the 15 years. The other three were patent attorneys. I learned about Provisional patents, and "TRADE SECRETS" (which lead me to the thought that I want a trade secret instead of patent if I can get it!).

All and all, it was a good meeting. I recommend it at least once to anyone local.

~Jeffrey

Dumbass, M.D.

2009-03-05T11:46:00.001-05:00

My friend Chris D. shared this with a group of us and I thought I would re-post it here. We worked out several solutions, but one quickly rose to the top. Leave your solutions in the comments. I will reveal our solution next week.

~Jeffrey

Dumbass, M.D.

From http://www.defectiveyeti.com/archives/000339.html

You have Some Terminal Condition, which necessitates taking two pills a day: one Pill A and one Pill B. If you neglect to take either pill, you die; if you take more than one A or more than one B, you die. If you don't take them at exactly the same time, you die.

This morning you are going through your usual routine. You pick up your bottle of A Pills and gently tap one into your palm. Then you pick up your bottle of B Pills and tap it, but two pills accidentally fall into your hand. You now hold three pills (one A and two Bs), you don't know which are which, and they are completely indistinguishable from each other. The A Pills are the same color as the B Pills, they are the same shape, same size -- they are identical in every respect. Man, your doctor is a dumbass. But he's a rich dumbass, because he's charging you $10,000,000 a pill! So you dare not throw any away.

Thus, the puzzle: what can you do to ensure that you take only one A Pill and only one B Pill today, without wasting any pills (either today or in the future)?

Virtual World Post Number 1

2009-02-06T05:08:00.003-05:00

As some of you know, I have been working with 3d virtual worlds in an attempt to find business value for the past few years. Starting in 2006 actually. I have been quite quiet about this on my blog and I don't really know why. I guess I just wanted to toot my own horn today. That said, I wanted to showcase some of the technologies from a couple different virtual world engines I have direct experience. So this is the first of many virtual world blog (I hope!) to come. I will talk today about the engines which we are using (includes Torque Game Engine, Secondlife, OpenSim, and Unity3d).

Torque Game Engine (TGE) from Garage Games - My team has extensively modified version 1.52. Now the fidelity of this engine is no where near the caliber of Unreal or Crytek, but it has 3 very distinct advantages. I recommend it to any indie developer, or student. The documentation however, has been a little lax, but is getting much much better. The ability to import models, a scripting language so you don't have to change the engine if you don't want too, and a large wiki of Q and A, this will get you going quickly.

It is CHEAP in comparision. Many indie developers use this engine due to the price point. Under $250 when we purchased it for indie developer and $750 for commercial users (commercial is considered anything over $100K a year in sales).
It comes with the source code for you to modify! Not many engines of this price (did I mention price?) come with the source code and allow for modifications at the base level. This is a boon if you need to add enterprise integration points like we did.
Runs on multiple platforms - this particular version runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac with almost zero rework (there are two caveats, you have to code in independent libraries, and you have to have the different platforms on which to compile).

The newer version is Torque Game Engine Advanced (TGEA). It seems they have dropped support for Linux (a major component in my company, more so than Mac), but added Windows, Mac, Wii, and Xbox360. At the time we evaluated the different engines, TGEA was available (and did get used for another project) but did not have a Linux or Mac component. I suspect it is shader support is what is keeping Linux out of the runnig (or it is lack of adoption - i.e. not enough green to put in the effort).

This is not to say there is not a downside to TGE. Sometimes the scripting makes you feel like you have entered the 7th ring of hell, but I find that with most modern computing languages. Anyway, if you questions about Torque, feel free to drop me a line (not that I am an expert, but I could point you in the right direction). Comments are most welcome (can I say PLEASE PLEASE?).

Have a great day!

Questionable Content Quote 2 - Apology Greeting Cards for Awkward situations

2009-01-30T09:41:00.003-05:00

Sorry for being lax in posting, but I have been busy with work, school, and side projects (as well as the house, rental property, beer and soda making, well just life - so no excuses).

Anyway, as some of you know, I really enjoy the web comic Questionable Content

Today's comic is fantastic with apology greeting cards for awkward situations:

"Look, I didn't know she was your wife"
"I didn't mean to get that drunk"
"I misread the pregnancy test"
"Sorry about all the groping"
"Lets pretend last night didn't happen"
"Sorry I outed you to your family"
"Was that your dog? Oh"
"I didn't mean *your* retarded baby"
"I guess you're allergic to peanuts Huh?"

Be sure to check out the comic!

~Jeffrey

Keys inspired poem

2009-01-23T11:15:00.002-05:00

The photo is from the Key West Diary and attributed to ConchScooter

The sunset glows as the water turns black.

Those dark waters cannot thwart my soul from turning back.

For the warmth, and bright sun will again come...

So I might feel the rhythm of the Keys beating like a drum.

My personal guide to an attitude shift

2009-01-15T13:09:00.005-05:00

They say nothing in life is free except a little bad advice. That said, a friend of mine asked about my recent shift in thinking (I can tell you it is a direct influence from my recent schooling). That said, here are the highlights I gave to my buddy:

I suggest you get these books (get the audio books if you dislike to read and can listen in the car). Get them from the library so you don't have to spend as much money:

Preparatory Readings:

The Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman (or as an alternative get the Working with Emotional Intelligence by the same author)
Getting things Done by David Allen
Why didn't I think of that by Roger Firestein
Tribes by Seth Godin

Consider these points

Be bigger than yourself. Start to look for something that is bigger than yourself. Have a purposeful life.

Use positive momentum. Start to use PPCo when someone approaches you with an idea (Praise first, Potential, Concerns, and then ways to overcome those concerns). There is nothing worse than using our training from System Analysis and going after the problems we see first to kill someone's innovative spirit. Try hard to get out of the corporate world mindset sometimes (or what I call the Midwest horse sense pattern of thought. It is good in context, but not always the best. Everything needs balance).

Be Self-Aware and don't let your perceptions rule you. Don't subscribe to the "dirty dozen" flawed ration thinking.
Flawed Rational Thinking (Dirty Dozen):*
1. Needing Approval – “Everyone I work with must approve of me at all times”
2. Making Mistakes - “I must prove that I am thoroughly competent, adequate, and achieving at all times.”
3. Changing Others - “I have an obligation to change others who act unfairly or obnoxious.”
4. “Catastrophize” - “When I get very frustrated, treated unfairly, or rejected, I have to view things as awful, terrible, horrible,, and catastrophic.”
5. Others Cause Misery - “My emotional misery comes from external pressures that I have little ability to change.”
6. Worry, Fret, Fear - “If something seems dangerous or fearsome, I must preoccupy myself with it and make myself anxious abut it.”
7. Avoidance - “It’s easier to avoid facing difficulties and self-responsibilities than to do something about them.”
8. The Past - “My past remains all-important and, because something once strongly influenced my life, it has to keep determining my feelings and behavior today.”
9. Unrealistic Expectations - “People and things should turn out better than they do, and I must fix them.”
10. Competition - “My worth can be measured by competitive situations.”
11. Source of Problems - “The people and conditions in my life are the sources of my problems.”
12. Negativity - “Certain occurrences or events are negative by nature.”

Find your prefences. Use measurements like Foursight to help you do this, there are others such as KAI, KEYS, etc. (Remember! these are not TESTS only measures of preference, you can work in all the areas, you just like to work in certain ones more).

Know you are human, and will make mistakes. However, don't use it as an excuse to be not responsible socially, fiscally, and most of all spiritually with your family and friends. It is all about balance. Get some Zen my friend. Learn not to care what others think, be not afraid, be outgoing, but be reserved at the same time. Balance, balance, balance. Strive for excellence, not perfection.

Maybe learn to meditate. Your mind is like a puppy learning to go on paper. That puppy is going to try to go everywhere including on the paper. You must pick it up and put it back on the paper to train it to use that area. Your mind needs to be picked up and put back so you can learn to clear all thoughts and just "be". It is harder than it sounds, as you want to think about everything and anything. However, you can do it with minimal practice.

Good luck!

~Jeffrey

Do you twitter?

2009-01-15T08:19:00.003-05:00

I have mentioned Twitter before, but I didn't really explain it. Think of mass SMS (simple message system), eg. cell phone texting, that meets social networking. You follow people's messages, and they follow yours (but you can be following people they don't follow, and vice versa).

Check it out at www.twitter.com. My username is jeffrey_abbott

Twitter also connects to a series of applications, including Facebook, Twitterific, Tweetdeck, etc. You can update from the website, an API, or mobile device (phone, blackberry, iPhone, etc.).

The thing about Twitter is it does connect people and it connects them with information. Many news stories I first become aware of them on Twitter from my colleagues overseas, or I become aware of information or things of interest I might not have seen otherwise.

One word of caution, Twitter can be addicting, so as with anything, have a sense of balance and control.

So check out the future of social networking on Twitter, and hopefully someone will figure out how to make money from such a service (right now it is free and ad free - THANKS FOR THAT!).

~Jeffrey

Lizard Under my Scale (or Kitty snack)

2009-01-12T12:49:00.001-05:00

I found this little guy under my bathroom scale when I went to move it out from the wall. After catching him I noticed he was missing part of his tail. Obviously he was none too happy about being caught. I let him go and noticed cat throwup in the hallway. I can bet where the tail went (kitty snack!).

Great Rain Forest Anti-Deforestation Ad

2009-01-11T14:55:00.006-05:00

A great rain forest Anti-Deforestation Ad (Click to Enlarge):

This ad comes from Oro Verde Corporate in Columbia. English version here. The company is dedicated to creating a green existence and sustainable resource use within the Columbian rain forest.

Best Warren Buffett quotes (to me at least!)

2009-01-11T14:21:00.002-05:00

I found out of the 52 must read quotes from Warren Buffett, these resonate the most with me.

"I don’t look to jump over 7-foot bars: I look around for 1-foot bars that I can step over."

"If you’re in the luckiest 1 per cent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 per cent."

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently."

"It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction."

"Of the billionaires I have known, money just brings out the basic traits in them. If they were jerks before they had money, they are simply jerks with a billion dollars."

"Wall Street is the only place that people ride to work in a Rolls Royce to get advice from those who take the subway."

Parallels to CPS

2009-01-06T23:27:00.001-05:00

Thought for the evening... the parallels to GTD and CPS are very evident, as are social software business value edicts. Coincidence?

Welcome 2009

2009-01-06T09:27:00.003-05:00

I realized I had not posted yet in 2009.

Some people would reflect on last year. I could, and I do, but I won't here. As the song goes,

"I cannot look backwards too long, there's too much to see waiting in front of me, I just know that I cannot go wrong."

So to all, 2009 will begin the saying, lets embrace the "change"!

To that end, wishing you all peace, prosperity, and happiness.

~Jeffrey

Only at the beach

2008-12-29T10:48:00.005-05:00

During our time at Bowman's Beach on Sanibel Island, FL we observed a pretty 20 something, Asian looking women holding hands with a 60 something Caucasian man. A person in my group says, "mail order Philippino bride".

I have heard of such things, but always thought they were some late night talk show host joke. However, I recently had a friend that more or less met his Philippino girl friend via an internet site promising such things. Such is life, always stranger than fiction.

Back to our our sketch story. As the couple (whom appeared to be very much enjoying the sun, sand, and surf) walked by, all in my little tribe laughed to see the Cialis beach bag he was carrying. :)

~Jeffrey

Lovers Key State Park Kayaking

2008-12-27T21:13:00.004-05:00

This post is a second part (and another fantastic day) at Lover's Key State Park.

This time we took out our Ocean Kayaks (Frenzy's)

We went with my parents, my bride, my sister, and brother-in-law.

The Lovers Key state park once was once slotted for development. It is so named because only "lovers" would row out to the key. Luckily after the canals were cut, the state ended up with it as a park.

My Mom doing an action shot.

Dad and Sis

My bride and brother-in-law paddling around

My lovely Bride

Sis did not want her photo taken

Here is mom!

Sis again trying to be a kayaker

Pop does NOT like his picture taken

Me about to fall out of the kayak

Dad and I going around the bend

Hello world, my hair looks so swell.

Hotdogs and kayaking, oh yeah

Lovers Key State Park Trails

2008-12-22T16:30:00.007-05:00

This past Sunday my bride and my parents went to Lover's Key State Park for some recreation and relaxation. It was, in a word, fantastic. It is one of my favorite beaches and state parks. In fact, I liked it so much, I have bought an annual state park pass (and the passes are a bargain for the number of parks in the state).

That said, this is first photo essay in awhile and the first time I have used Piscasa to host the pictures.

The trails are also great for mountain biking. I have tried to identify most of the plants in the pictures, some of which I have recently planted around my home (and all are Florida natives).

That said, enjoy!

~Jeffrey

Einstein's refridgerator and hot water solar panels

2008-12-19T10:57:00.003-05:00

Ok, my physics is not that strong any longer (it has been 10 years since the class). However, I sort of understand the basic principles of refrigeration. That said, does anyone think it is possible to combine the solar hot water panels (we use them a lot to heat pools and now hot water tanks) as the heat source and combine with Einstein's refrigerator for cooling a household.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_hot_water

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein_refrigerator

I think it is do-able, if not as a replacement, but possible as a supplement to the air conditioner. Thing is, the temperature here is not the only culprit, but the humidity (removing it). This is the same reason why "gator coolers" in the west work well to make you feel comfortable in the dry climates.

Thoughts? Please comment, I would like to have a discussion on this. As for way to make money, there are a myriad of ways. Services to the install or retrofitting of existing panels and unit, to the manufacture of the refrigerators (I think the patent as run out), as well as tertiary products (couplings, butane gas containers for it, etc).

I think this would be great for areas with high sun (Florida, Texas, California) as well as developing countries.

A Wizard of EI Came A Calling (a short story about Emotional Intelligence)

2008-12-18T10:46:00.003-05:00

Here is a short story I did for school about Emotional Intelligence.

A Wizard of EI Came A Calling

(A short story)

Jeffrey Abbott
CRS 580 – Creativity Measurements
State University of New York @ Buffalo State

An ordinary office, on an ordinary day, we see a man having a phone conversation with a friend and colleague. This man is not having a good day, week, month, or year of the job. He is not satisfied with his lot in life. He thinks, just if things could be better for him, if people would just give him a chance, that they are holding him back. Listen as we eavesdrop on the current conversation as it unfolds.

“I tell you, Reeves, Mike has it out for me! Everything I do, he has to come off with something I can do better. For once, I would like to know I am doing a good job. After this last presentation, I was about to walk out the door. All I can say is this; they better get my pay up around six figures. After hearing what the director makes, I want to know what he does that he makes 3 times my salary, God Damn it.”

“I don’t know Chris, the way the economy is going, you probably should be thankful you have a job. Besides, I don’t see how your job is all that bad. I mean, what is so bad about it.”

“I could go on for days. Why does my boss constantly correct me? Am I doing that bad of a job? It just sucks. This is almost as bad as when I was in services, they always were squeezing you to do more with less. People there, I understood why they were fearful. They would ask you to work extra hours, but say ‘don’t charge it to the customer’. Then every time we had an all hands meeting, their pitch was how bad the market was and nothing was there for bonuses. It was complete crap.”

“Well you aren’t there now, so why dwell on it? How are things with your new boss?”

“Well, besides the criticism on the last presentation? I don’t know. I have a one on one meeting this Thursday with him. I bet he has some bad news for me about my review. I talked to Dave the other day about his, and he said to not to expect too much. Dave said this department can suck like services did.”

“Alright Chris, I really got to run, the wife and kids made me a special dinner tonight. I might be online from home, later this evening. Talk to you soon.”

Just at this moment Chris’s computer blinks that he has an incoming email message, “Alright man, anyway it is what it is. I will be looking outside if stuff doesn’t change. I will let you be, I just got a late email. I probably will have to be here to clean up someone’s mess. Talk to you soon. Bye.”

Chris hangs up the phone and opens his email. In the email there is the just the subject of “Hello” and a single link to a website within the company intranet. Looking at the “From” line, he sees it is from someone within the company domain, but not someone he knows.

“I bet it is spam” he says, as he clicks the link. His video player begins to load and caches a movie. He is about to close the window when a wizened old man with a purple suit and green pointed hat pops into the video, and says “Chris, wait. Don’t close this video just yet. I have something to show that may change your life!”

Thinking it is one of his colleagues, he looks around. Being after 6:30 PM, most have gone home for the evening. He is about to click on the close button and the old may says, “Now darn it, I said don’t close that window. Don’t you want to know how to make your job more productive and you feel good about doing it?”

“Alright guys, where is the camera? Can you hear me as well? This joke is not funny!”

“This is no joke Chris. I have something to tell you. You have a lot of potential and have a lot of intellect, but you let yourself be hijacked by your emotions. I can help you with that. Now just listen. Can you listen for 5 minutes?”

“Ok, I will humor you for now. But when I find you, I am calling HR. As a practical jokes go, you have too much time on your hands. I thought this was a place of business. How does anyone have time to do stuff outside of work?”

“OK then” In a puff a smoke, the old man is standing next to Chris.

Chris is a little taken back and wide eyed asks, “How the hell did you do that? This is…”

“Now just hold on a minute. I said listen. I want to show you how you handled your situation today with your boss after your presentation from a different perspective. Your perspective is what is getting in the way of your success. You are intelligent, and hard working, however, your emotion controls you, in such a way that thwarts your progress. Have you ever heard of Emotional Intelligence?”

“Not particularly. Listen, I don’t need some damn self-help nut-job with a flare for theatrics…”

BOOM!

Suddenly, a gag appeared over Chris mouth and he was tied to his chair.

“Now just wait a minute and listen. Are you ready to listen?”

“MRRRMM MRRRMM”

“Oh, sorry,” Pulling off the gag.

“WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!!?!”

BOOM!

And the gag appeared back on Chris’s mouth.

“Now I said listen, if you cannot, I will leave it in place. Are you ready to listen?”

Chris nods yes.

Removing the gag, the old man asks “Ok then. I know you don’t see what was going here, so I will introduce myself. I am an Emotional Intelligence Wizard. My goal is to help you raise your Emotional Intelligence Quotient. Unlike IQ, EIQ can be more valuable than brains. I know your IQ, it is 140. You are a bright fellow. Do you know your bosses IQ? Of course you don’t. It is actually 125. Lower than yours. I bet that rubs you the wrong way. You know why he does so much better than you? He has a lot more Emotional Intelligence. Thing is, you could be doing just as well for yourself if you listen to me and watch for certain behaviors in yourself. Are you ready to consider what I have to say?”

Looking at the old man like he grew three heads, Chris thought, “If I am crazy, listening won’t hurt to what the old man as to say.”

“Sure, I will listen to your pitch, go on.”
“Alright, a couple of things we should cover”

With a flick of his wrist, there appeared in front of the old man was an easel with some charts on it.

“OK, here I first have a diagram of your brain. In regards to emotional intelligence, you have three parts. The first part is the Neocortex and Cortex, or your logical brain. The next part is the Autonomic portion which controls breathing, heart rate, etc. Last, we have your Limbic brain. This is the part of the brain responsible for flight or fight and emotional scenarios. It is also the center of your emotional hijacking. Got it? Next chart.“

The wizard flicks his wrist again and the chart changes. However in looking at the chart, Chris sees it colored with what looks like crayon drawings of lions and clowns and elephants. Frowning, the wizard flicks his wrist and the chart shows:

The 5 Aspects of Emotional Intelligence: *
1. Mastery of purpose and vision – Ability to bring authenticity to my life and live out my values.
2. Self-awareness – Ability to fully understand myself and use that information to manage both positive and negative emotions productively.
3. Empathy – Ability to understand perspective of others.
4. Social Expertness – Ability to build genuine relationships and bonds and express caring, concern and conflict in healthy ways.
5. Personal Influence – Ability to positively lead and inspire others as well as myself.

“That is better, kids went to the circus last weekend, I guess they got into my charts. Moving on! As you can see in emotional intelligence, there are 5 aspects. Due to my limited time, I am going to focus on Self-awarness for you, since you seem to lack the most in it.”

“I think I am completely self-aware thank you!”

“Oh? Lets look back today at your presentation. Just watch your video on the screen”

The old man sits down to the PC and mutters to himself, “don’t you have the QuickTime plug-in installed. Alright, I will use the Windows Media Version, but man, upgrade your plug-ins.”

The video player finishes caching the video and a scene unfolds, one from earlier in the day with Chris just wrapping up a presentation to the director and a few customers.

As the director escorts the customers out, he turns to Chris’s boss and says “thanks for doing this Mike, Chris, great presentation.”

Chris exclaims, “Thanks you sir, I know I can do better next time. I will practice it more.”

Mike interrupts with a sideways glance at Chris, “Thanks Dave. Please, debrief me when after the customers leave?”

“You got it, talk to you soon.”

After the director leaves, Mike closes the door and looks at Mike and smiles. “Your presentation went well. I can see you have the potential to be very good at doing them and will only get better with practice. My only suggestion would be you come up with script for presentations you are going to give regularly or practice the ones you don’t give regularly before hand. All in all, you did a good job.”

“I am sorry sir. I know I could have done better. I have never been good at presentations or public speaking all my life. I get nervous. This was handed-off to me from Reeves two days ago. If he would have just given me some more notice.”

“No, you did fine. Don’t take it as rebuke, just some coaching”

“Well could you tell me what I did wrong?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, just things could have been done a little differently that might have been more effective. Example, assume they know nothing of the product, so don’t slip into our company lingo unless you have to and explain it when you do. Don’t ever defend the product against something else without being asked about it.”

“I knew that, I guess I don’t know the product that well. I wish Reeves had not gone on vacation before this presentation. I think he should have some responsibility if they don’t purchase.”

At this point, the old man hits the pause button and looks at Chris, “You want to see how you could have better handled this? I am going to tell you anyway. There are 2 concepts I want to share with you. One is called Emotional Triggers. Emotional Triggers are situations that closely resemble a situation in your past that left an emotional memory in your Limbic brain where you either ran, or fought in the situation. This was good 10,000 years ago when a micro second could save you from sudden peril, but today in the business world, it usually leads to unwanted outcomes. This chart here shows you the triggers”

As the wizard waved his hand, the charts fluttered, but remained the same. Looking sheepish, he reaches out and changes the chart by hand.

“I guess I need to practice that one”

The chart on the easel now read:

Emotional Triggers:*
1. Mood
2. Mood and attitude of others
3. Prethinking / Foreshadowing
4. Rumination / Dwelling
5. Personality
6. Hot Words / Hot Buttons that make you angry
7. Perceived criticism
8. Illness / Physical conditions
9. Physical Environment

The wizard looks at Chris and asks, “So, based on these, do you know which triggers to which you succumbed?”

Chris looks at him and shakes no.

“Sigh, they never do. First you started with Perceived criticism, then you moved into Rumination and Dwelling, and then moved into Mood. Do you understand?”

“I think I am starting too.”

“Do you know how you can stop from doing this? First, you need to know where your triggers lie. Think back to the moments that lead up to your emotional hijacking. You exhibited multiple triggers, and usually this contributes to such a hijacking. To help you, here is a list of behaviors, known as the Dirty Dozen of Flawed Rational Thinking that people should be on the lookout for.”

This time, the old man didn’t even attempt to flick his wrist to change the chart, but changed it manually. The new chart contained:

Flawed Rational Thinking (Dirty Dozen):*
1. Needing Approval – “Everyone I work with must approve of me at all times”
2. Making Mistakes - “I must prove that I am thoroughly competent, adequate, and achieving at all times.”
3. Changing Others - “I have an obligation to change others who act unfairly or obnoxious.”
4. “Catastrophize” - “When I get very frustrated, treated unfairly, or rejected, I have to view things as awful, terrible, horrible,, and catastrophic.”
5. Others Cause Misery - “My emotional misery comes from external pressures that I have little ability to change.”
6. Worry, Fret, Fear - “If something seems dangerous or fearsome, I must preoccupy myself with it and make myself anxious abut it.”
7. Avoidance - “It’s easier to avoid facing difficulties and self-responsibilities than to do something about them.”
8. The Past - “My past remains all-important and, because something once strongly influenced my life, it has to keep determining my feelings and behavior today.”
9. Unrealistic Expectations - “People and things should turn out better than they do, and I must fix them.”
10. Competition - “My worth can be measured by competitive situations.”
11. Source of Problems - “The people and conditions in my life are the sources of my problems.”
12. Negativity - “Certain occurrences or events are negative by nature.”

The wizard, suddenly tired looking, stares head on at Chris and asks, “So, looking at this list, do you see any behaviors you demonstrated after the presentation? Also, think about the phone call you had with Reeves right before he left. Remember anything from it on this list?”

“Um, yes, now I think I do. I have a need for approval. I don’t like to make mistakes, I have unrealistic expectations sometimes, and I blame others for my problems… sigh”

“Yes, it is a hard realization that you maybe the locus of control for your own problems. Emotional Intelligence can help.”

“So what do I do next?”

“Ah! Good then. Go and get the book by Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence. Read it. Then begin to follow its steps. Cover the five aspects of Emotional Intelligence. Also, don’t worry, you will not change overnight. Sometimes you will fall off the wagon. Just remember you are changing long learned behaviors, so it will take a bit to change. You can make mistakes, and strive for excellence, not perfection. With that, I got to go, kids have soccer practice tonight.”

BOOM!

A blast of light, and the old man was gone, and all his props. Chris looks around a little bewildered and peers over the cube walls to see if anyone else is around. He hears the door open and sees the cleaning crew coming down the aisle way. Looking back at his computer screen, he sees the email is still there. He clicks on the link, but it just pops up the Amazon.com entry for Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence. He tries to send an email back, but it comes back as “MAILER-DAEMON Failed to Deliver Message”.

He sits back in a reflective posture and pauses. Then he clicks on the link again while getting his credit card out of his wallet.

*Note: Charts referenced in the short story are reproductions of charts in the slide decks covered under “C 2002. Adele B. Lynn All Rights Reserved.”

Musings of the different jobs I have had in my life

2008-12-12T17:09:00.003-05:00

Damn, this list is not bad for someone 36 (or maybe it is) Usually I held multiple jobs simultaneously and I started working at 14:

Race track garbage clean up
Race track time ticket operator
race track food service

Amusement park ride operator

Hay bailer/farm hand

Kentucky fried chicken cook

Hoagie cook at Larosas

Shoes salesman at Kinney Shoes

Shoe stock boy at Kinney Shoes

Pizza cook at Angilos
Delivery driver at Angilos

Deli counter boy IGA

3rd shift clerk at Circle K convenience stores

3rd shift clerk at a mom and pop convenience stores

1st shift clerk at "Cecil's" convenience store

Drug store clerk at SuperX/RiteAid/CVS

Computer lab operator at Miami University

Computer mover for American Computer Resources

Computer programmer at Sarcom

Professional mover with North American VanLines

Owner of Kinetic thoughts custom programming

Owner of online high end audio webstore Imperii Audio

IBM Software engineer

Things to really hate?

2008-12-11T11:59:00.001-05:00

In perusing Facebook, I came across this video. I have to say I agree with the narrator. Check it out

Quote from Questionable Content

2008-12-10T10:35:00.002-05:00

I love the web comic Questionable Content

That said, this struck me as a darn funny quote from today's comic:

"Dude, most people would be perfectly happy with what you've got going on right now. You're like the guy who shits gold bricks complaining he doesn't also piss diamonds."

Birthday fun - Night out in Downtown Fort Myers

2008-12-07T15:55:00.005-05:00

The day was great. My bride and I, along with a good friend went to the Veranda, then to H2 and The Spirit of Bacchus for some after dinner dessert and drinks.

Though out of my normal price range, I recommend going to the Veranda for special occasions. I had an impressive veal chop, stuffed with Buffalo mozzarella. The wait staff was excellent. The setting was beautiful. I will say, the medium age is a little older than I am used too. But no worries, the piano guy kept everyone entertained.

H2, as always, was a fun time. Dana was our server and she was great! Call her "the wine lady". :) Harold even made me up Birthday wishes for my raspberry chocolate cake (I forget what it is called on the menu actually). Try the Flying Dog Ale or the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on draft!

The Spirit of Bacchus is a great place. Charlie the bartender is always cordial and the atmosphere is pleasant. However, I was so full and relaxed from the dinner, wine, beer, and heat being on (it does get cool in SWFL ) I almost fell asleep on their comfy couches. I ended up with "couch hair" and decided it was time to call it a night.

We did attempt to walk off some of the dinner, and headed up to the Bar Association. However, they were closed at 11:30 on a Saturday. I am unsure if they just decided to shutter early, but there was a county notice to "stop work" on part of their building. I hope this bar doesn't leave, as it is a fun, casual place to hang out. So City of Fort Myers, get the last of the street-scaping finished!

All and all, it was great, low key birthday!

~Jeffrey

Oh my

2008-12-03T17:59:00.003-05:00

I was sent this from somebody that got it from somebody (which means someone was perusing the "casual encounters" of Craigslist.com) Now, I know everyone has their own brand of kink, but Harry Potter? Come on. Anyway, I have been told it was pulled so I am publishing a cached copy here for all to enjoy. Pretty disturbing.

~Jeffrey

Don't Let the Muggles Know! - w4mm - 30 (East Village)

Reply to: pers-941491075@craigslist.org ^[?]
Date: 2008-12-02, 12:27AM EST

I am a lonely, beautiful woman living alone with my cat, Mrs. Norris. I work as a janitor. You will refer to me as Filch.

I need at least 5 men. You will arrive at my apartment. There will be a picture of a fat lady on the door, and you will tell her the pre-arranged password. You will be dressed based on your character. The characters I need are listed below.

Harry Potter: You must be barely legal, and arrive with your firebolt ready for the best game of quidditch you'll ever play.

Ron Weasley: You absolutely must have red hair and freckles. You must show up with firewhiskey.

Draco Malfoy: Blonde. Be able to cry on demand.

Remus Lupin: You will alternate between wolf and man. Howl, baby, howl!

Albus Dumbledore: You must be a proud gay man ready to penetrate every other man present You must have a beard and wear a wizard's hat and half-moon spectacles.

As you arrive, I shall chain you to the walls of my apartment, which I will have converted into a dungeon. Mrs. Norris shall excite you all into the most aroused state you've ever experienced (I've trained her well, so don't worry--if she fails to tickle your pickle, though, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve--engorgio, anyone?).

After I punish you all for being out after curfew, and take a few house points, Harry will escape, grab me around the waist, and begin sodomizing me. With each stroke, he will yell out one of the wrongs I have committed against him (example: "and THIS is for helping Umbridge"). After we've both come harder than Hagrid in heat, Ron and Draco will escape.

Ron will beat Draco with a broomstick I'll provide. Then, he will penetrate the Slytherin with the Cleansweep, who will, at this point, be crying about how his dad's in Azkaban.

Lupin will escape as he "transforms" into a wolf. He forgot his wolfsbane potion tonight! He will have his way with whatever his wolfy instincts demand!

I will then pleasure Ron. With my dirty squib mouth.

Finally, Dumbledore will escape and exact his right as Headmaster of Hogwarts.

Then, firewhiskey all around!

Who knows what else the night will bring...
---

Please send pictures, preferably in costume. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, and I've been haunted by this fantasy since PoA came out (the book, of course). Please please please help me to realize it!

Also, if you know any submissive small men, we might add a Dobby to the fun.

it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 941491075

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T09:35:00.005-05:00

Yes, another Happy Thanksgiving post. I am thankful for everything in my world. As a beach bum singing sage (whereas he is not much of bum these days) once postulated in a song, "Some of it's magic, and some it's tragic, but I had good life all the way". And I will continue doing so, and I hope you do too.

That said, some of you know I am originally from Cincinnati. So I am going to steal a click from my friend Mike's blog:

Cheers,
~Jeffrey

The value of a smile

2008-11-20T10:30:00.002-05:00

There is nothing more free to give in this world than a smile and nothing that brings more joy I have found for the price.

As a test, when driving home from the beach, I will wave to people (it is a long ride in a very slow moving area with lots of people, so you have the opportunity see many pedestrians). Statistically, I found that over 80% of the time, people will look at you like you have a third eye if you just wave. However, if you add in a simple smile, over 80% of the people will smile and wave back (and this is from people that have no clue who I am).

So, I guess in a simple sense, just use a smile to help brighten others day, but be genuine about it. As they called it at school, the "creativity smile" can be seen through if not genuine.

I leave you with a quote that I cannot attribute:

"It is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice"

Gandhi Quote

2008-11-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

Mahatma Gandhi

Movie to checkout: The Counterfeiters

2008-11-14T07:32:00.002-05:00

Excellent Movie,

Check out The Counterfeiters. It is about a Jewish artist that turns to counterfeiting. He is captured in Berlin during WWII and is sentenced to a camp. There, the German's have him oversee the largest counterfeiting operation in known history in an attempt to flood the Allied economies. Great film, well done.

Note: the film is in mostly German, with parts in French and Russian (has English subtitles). My lovely bride found it on Netflix by accident.

White Guilt is History

2008-11-13T10:27:00.006-05:00

I received this in an email today. I pretty much articulates how I feel. This was pulled from Philly.com without permission. I will take it down if they contact me.

I have to say, I hate affirmative action, but I never cared your color as long as you did what was expected of you.

Taking handouts is BS.

Funny, all the ideals of the sixties were lost, it still took 40 years to make it to this point and race is still a prevalent thing. You know why? People don't like differences nor change.

Instead of burying it, embrace it, talk about it, and get it out in the open. Question is, why would we want to do so? As the pumpkin from the Simpson's said, "We are all racists, I just admit it"... so maybe I am racist, if you define racists as identifying people as being different.

Race is not just the color of your skin, but culture, color, hair, actions, beliefs. This is why it is so different to one another. Some people will never embrace differences and some will only do so. People need to define their preferences logically and defend them. Just be sure to have some logical morals in doing so. Just accepting differences is stupid, and will lead to worse trouble.

To that end:

White guilt? Done; over; history

Tom Adkins

is the publisher of CommonConservative.com

There go my fellow conservatives, glumly shuffling along, depressed by the election aftermath. Not me. I'm virtually euphoric. Don't get me wrong. I'm not thrilled with America's flirtation with neosocialism. But there's a massive silver lining in the magical clouds that lofted Barack Obama to the presidency. For today, without a shred of intellectually legitimate opposition, I can loudly proclaim to America:

The Era of White Guilt is over.

This seemingly impossible event occurred because the vast majority of white Americans didn't give a fluff about skin color and enthusiastically pulled the voting lever for a black man. Not just any black man. A very liberal black man who spent his early career race-hustling banks, praying in a racist church for 20 years, and actively working with America-hating domestic terrorists. Yet white Americans made Barack Obama their leader. Therefore, as of Nov. 4, 2008, white guilt is dead.

So today, I'm feeling a little "uppity," if you will. For more than a century, the millstone of white guilt hung around our necks, retribution for slave-owning predecessors. In the 1960s, American liberals began yanking that millstone while sticking a fork in the eye of black Americans, exacerbating the racial divide to extort a socialist solution to the country's problems. But if a black man can become president, exactly what significant barrier is left? The election of Barack Obama destroys the validation of liberal white guilt. The dragon is hereby slain.

So today, I'm feeling a little "uppity," if you will. From this day forward, my tolerance level for having my skin color hustled is exactly ZERO. No more Rev. Jeremiah Wright's "God Damn America," Al Sharpton's Church of Perpetual Victimization, or Jesse Jackson's rainbow racism. Cornel West? You're a fraud. All those "black studies" programs must now teach kids to thank Whitey. And I want that on the final.

Congressional Black Caucus? Irrelevant. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D., Calif.)? Shut up. ACORN? Outlawed. Black Panthers? Go home and pet your kitty. Black separatists? Find another nation that offers better dreams. To those Eurosnots who forged careers hating America? I'm still waiting for the first black French president.

No more quotas. No more handouts. No more complaining that "the man" is keeping you down. "The man" is now black.

It's time to toss that massive, obsolete race-hustle machine upon the heap of the other stupid '60s ideas. Drag it over there, right between free love and cop-killing. Careful, don't trip on streaking. Just dump it. And then wash your hands. It's filthy.

Obama's ascension also creates another gargantuan irony. How can liberals sell American racism, class envy and unfairness when our new black president and his wife went to Ivy League schools, got high-paying jobs, became millionaires, bought a mansion, and are now moving to the White House? How unfair is that? Now, like a delicious O. Henry tale, Obama's spread-the-wealth campaign rendered itself moot by its own victory! America is officially a meritocracy. Obama's election has validated American conservatism.

So ... Wham!!!

That's the sound of my foot kicking the door shut on the era of white guilt. The rites have been muttered, the carcass lowered, dirt shoveled, and tombstone erected. Dead and buried.

Still here

2008-11-10T10:53:00.001-05:00

Hello all. I am still here, but took a staycation with some friends that visited from Ohio. So on that note, I am going down to pool and hanging out on Fort Myers Beach. It is a beautiful day!

Grasshopper head soup

2008-10-29T18:27:00.002-04:00

Ok, we make some killer Lentil and Sausage Soup/stews. Honestly, it is restaurant quality. On that note, we like pretty much all the legumes. They are good in fiber, stretch your meat budget, and are low on the glycemic index.

However, you do need to check them for stones and other matter, as well as wash them before using (these are the dry legumes of course).

The funny thing is, and it is only with Lentils, every time I look through them or my wife does, we find a grasshopper head. It doesn't matter the brand or part of country I buy them in. Just the head mind you. It seems these insects craniums are the perfect size for the lentil shucking machine.

So... if you are eating lentils and get something crunchy, you will now wonder what it is.

:-)

~Jeffrey

Cold today in Cape Coral

2008-10-29T09:28:00.001-04:00

Short post. Call me a wuss. Call me thin blooded. After 5 years of living in Southwest Florida, anything below 60, I feel the chill. Well, it was 44 today in Cape Coral. A record low. Brrrrrr

Why you cannot trust a bearded person

2008-10-24T08:29:00.003-04:00

In response to ConchScooters essay about bearded dudes being untrustworthy, I have included my reasons why:

1.) It hides your identity
2.) If long enough birds could nest in it
3.) You can smuggle things in it if long enough
4.) It represents laziness due to lack of shaving
5.) You can get food in it (uncleanliness)
6.) Represents a sidebar industry that the capitalist war mongers want us to buy into (trimmers, dyes, scissors, etc).
7.) Just looks MEAN! (Exception, Santa Claus and Father Time)
8.) Represents Aging and mortality
9.) Jealousy from non-bearded folks in power
10.) All Communist's had a beards (or facial hair) Lenin, Stalin, Marx, Castro (and we know they are Godless enemies).

A little fun for a Friday (sorry no posts lately, been swamped in work and school). Hope to do two photo entries this weekend, maybe on the Beached Whale (of FMB), Bowditch park, and perhaps Cape Coral's OctoberFest (if I get to go).

Check out Conch Scooters blog. Excellent writing and photos!

~Jeffrey

Great book on making Root Beer, Soda, and Pop

2008-10-17T06:19:00.000-04:00

I recently picked up a great book from Amazon titled "Homemade Root Beer, Soda & Pop".

Now I found this book to be very informative. Whether you want to go the route I did with an investment in equipment, or use keep it within your existing household items, you can. I probably have $80 in EQ that I have collected over the last six months, but I use it for beer making as well - note blog post after this weekend about how the beer turned out thus far, I am bottling Saturday hopefully.

It covers making soft drinks from scratch, from syrups, as well as making desserts and some alcoholic drinks. One of my favorite sayings in the book was now we have a fine line between alcoholic vs. non-alcoholic. When some of these recipes were written, this line was a little blurred. The recipes cover times when people did these type of activities, most from the 1800 to early 1900's (well I guess the hippies revitalized it too).

Along with the normal every day soda (including cola, ginger ale, root beer, cream soda, citrus sodas, and raspberry soda), there are such oddities as birch beer (more so a northeast drink), whizzers, and switchel. Also included are even stranger things as a coffee soda, pumpkin soda, and tomato beer.

The book itself was around $11. I look forward to adapting the recipes to low sugar or sugar free drinks.

~Jeffrey

Low Sugar Ginger Beer - Stevia Sweetened

2008-10-15T15:13:00.000-04:00

Ok, I have been attempting to brew my own beer and soda recently.That said, I have been fed up with artificial sweeteners, like Aspartame (NutraSweet), Sucralose (Splenda) and Saccharine (Sweet and Low) for a long time now, and have turned to alternatives. Otherwise known as Blue, Yellow, and Pink packets. If in a pinch, I will use Saccharine, I feel it is the lesser of evil of the three (even if a rat got cancer from eating 50 metric tons of it). However, being a diabetic, and liking sweetened drinks, I have turned to Stevia, an all natural sweetener that does not raise blood sugars.

http://www.stevia.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

Well, I love Ginger Beer (nothing like a Dark and Stormy), but you cannot find it without sugar unless you want to pay $6-8 a 6 pack for it in a health food store (come on, I can get decent sixer of beer of that price). Then it is generally made with carbonated water (I like to use sugar with yeast to ferment, and if done right, the yeast will consume all the sugar).

I did an experimentation that resulted in a low sugar (it did not raise my blood sugar, but actually lowered it. I need more empirical evidence, but it could be the cinnamon in it, known to lower blood sugars). The drink had mild carbonation and is still sweet (note, yeast and sugar do make alcohol, but it is so low in this stuff, you would have to drink a gallon to feel any effects).

The recipe is below in 2 parts. The first is the actual recipe; the other is the bottling technique. I would suggest preparing the bottles prior to boiling your brew.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lbs of fresh ginger peeled and grated (this is the most labor intensive, intensive).
1 gallon of water
zest of 2 key limes
juice from 6 key limes
10 cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 table spoon of ground cinnamon
3/8 cup of sugar (for priming - i.e. carbonation)
3/4s teaspoon of bakers yeast (you could use brewers yeast, but that is expensive)
4/40th of a teaspoon (the measuring spoon came with the Stevia)

Steps:

Mix ingredients (EXCEPT YEAST) in a large stock pot and bring to a boil for about 25 minutes. This will result in a fragrant brew.
Cool your brew touch on the side of the pan (I submerged in an ice bath in the sink to quicken the process).
Now "pitch" your 3/4s of a teaspoon of yeast. It is important to not put anything not sanitized into the brew at this point, so I sort of shook it around. You could sanitize a spoon by boiling it with the brew for stirring later.
Using a strainer and funnel (sanitized with the bottles), pour into your sanitized bottles. Note: Do this in the sink, b/c unless you can judge how much is in the funnel, and you will make a mess. Next time, I plan to use a siphon tube.

Sanitation of bottles might not be important, but I used San Star in the sink (I repurposed Red Stripe Jamaican Lager bottles, it seemed appropriate for Ginger Beer) just to be on the safe side. I had made a batch before with only washing the bottle with water, and I ended with what could only be called sweet "swamp water".

Note, you can use bleach, two table spoon to 1 gallon of water to sanitize, then rinse with clean water (note, don't use scented bleach). If you go the bleach route, let the bottles soak for 30 minutes (commercial sanitizers are like 30 seconds, but are expensive. I buy it for beer making, so it was on hand).

Cap up your bottles and go (I have a capper, but you could use plastic screw cap soda bottles, make sure you sanitize the caps!). Now they are capped, put them some where for about 10-12 hours so they can "ferment" (make it fizzy). I put mine in the bath tub, in case I got "poppers" (the mess is much easier to clean there).

Sooo... today I had a Ginger Beer and it was perfect, and tonight a Dark and Stormy is on the menu!

~Jeffrey

Find Something Positive in Everything

2008-10-08T10:15:00.000-04:00

I have been reading Make Today Count by John C. Maxwell the last day or so. It is a short book, and a quick read (I suggest his Developing the Leader Within You as well). In the second chapter under the title Find Something Positive in Everything is a little prayer he refers to (I am not all that religious, but this prayer is inspiring):

Dear Lord,
So far today, I am doing all right. I have not gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or self-indulgent. I have not whined, cursed, or eaten any chocolate.
However, I am going to get out of bed in a few minutes, and I will need a lot more help after that.
Amen.

I could have not said more prophetic words about how I feel. I just need to remind myself to find something positive in everything thing, especially when I am really blue. If this helps, good for you too.

~Jeffrey

Nowtopia

2008-10-06T20:35:00.001-04:00

I was reading ePredator's blog and he had this quote from Chris Carlsson about Nowtopia:

"Commonly the drive to do 'good work' is ignored or [suppressed] by corporate behemoths, hemmed in by maladaptive bureaucratic structures geared to self-referential plans and immediate, short-term stimulation of stock prices"

Nice...

Thanks ePredator for bringing Chris Carlsson to my attention!

French Skype Spam

2008-10-06T14:16:00.000-04:00

Skype, for those that don't know, is a free VOIP (voice over IP) service. You can call phone numbers with it as well, for a minimual fee. All and all it is usually a good service. Check it out at www.skype.com

It works well on both my Windows and Mac computers (I have yet to install it on Linux, but I think it works there as well).

Well, I was working today and behold! There was this French beauty asking me something in French. Well, I have to say, my French is not just rusty, it is all but gone. However, thank you Google Translation services!

Check it out:

femme - gazelle sexy rencontre tres sexe says: coucou comment ca va ?

Which roughly means:

Women - gazelle sexy sex encounter tres says: cuckoo comment ca va?

Some how, I bet coucou doesn't mean cuckoo (hey, machine translations aren't perfect, but you get the gist).

Well if anyone would like to contact this young lass (which is probably some young DUDE in Africa or the Philipines looking to Phish somebody), here is her picture

Don't let something like this to dissuade you from using Skype. I think it is a very useful and innovative tool. Just know there are spammers there as well (any free service you will get them).

That said, be well, and enjoy.

~Jeffrey

Getting ready for Halloween

2008-10-03T09:19:00.001-04:00

I got this in an email and thought it was cute. I may attempt to replicated it in my own yard for the upcoming festival.

~Jeffrey

Sam Adams Octoberfest

2008-10-02T19:50:00.000-04:00

It has arrived! Sam Adams Octoberfest! Enjoy one today.

http://www.samueladams.com/world_of_beer.aspx

Dinner tonight: Spaghetti Squash with Super-Thick Bolognese

2008-10-01T19:57:00.000-04:00

I don't usually get into TV shows, especially cooking shows, but my wife had Rachel Ray on one afternoon (I work from home, so I was passing thru the living room to places elsewhere). Anyway, Rachel Ray was making this thing with spaghetti squash. I have to tell you, I am a big fan of it since I try to cut down on carbs (unsuccessfully if you saw my waist line). Anyway, it was called Spaghetti Squash with Super-Thick Bolognese.

Made with meat, wine, tomato paste, carrotts, etc, it was pretty darn good sounding. So... to make a long story short, my beautiful bride made it for dinner for me. It was, in a word, superb. I wish I had taken a picture of it, but I wolfed it down to quickly.

However, here is the link to the recipe so you can make your own.
http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/spaghetti-squash-super-thick-bolognese/

Enjoy!

~Jeffrey

One of my Favorite tech sites for practical uses of technology

2008-09-29T13:36:00.000-04:00

A lot of technology I see is cutting edge. It has that "gee-whiz" factor that makes you glad you are a techie. However, many times the technology is so far ahead, that is has not had the cycle time to pervade into everyday use (or as I call it consumable uses, i.e. mainstream). Granted, this cycle time is getting shorter and shorter all the time.

That said, there are a few people out there that take their edgy work and make it practical for the everyday technie to consume and use. LumenLab is one such group.

They have 3 main components.

A DIY video projector (for under $300 you can have an HD projector if you can find the parts). Pretty slick in my book.
A small CNC device ($currently $599 from their kit).
A robotic assembly in a modular design.

All and all, these guys need some advertising, so I am doing my part. BTW, I am working on the projector now, need one more part and my father is looking at the CNC.

Thanks to Daniel for showing me this cool site!

~Jeffrey

reacTIVision - the future of DJ-ing with this very cool tech!

2008-09-29T12:29:00.000-04:00

A colleague of mine (thanks Ian!) introduced me to reacTIVision, a component of the reacTable, a new synthesizer using a multitouch table (like a giant iphone, but in the size of a drafting table) and fiducial markers (squigglies).

Here is an example of fiducial markers

A better explaintation would be these YouTube Videos:

Bjork has it on tour even:

The basic gist of the software, is I want to use it for different applications other than the reacTable. Many people are looking into this for wearable tags and other such ideas. I am thinking of wearable tags that you can read with a cell phone so people in the club can know your "status", if you are looking for someone, or there to just "dance".

Interesting to couple this with augmented reality glasses (imagine projected images onto a lense so you see a HUD for the world around you).

You don't need the touch table to actually make it work. You can use a webcam, camera, or even a cellphone and create your own markers. I plan to check this software out one evening and I will let you know how I fair.

All and all, if anyone plays with this technology, let me know in a comment. I would enjoy perhaps collaborating.

~Jeffrey

First Round Draft - new upscale sports bar in Cape Coral

2008-09-27T11:50:00.001-04:00

Ok, I have been to First Round Draft sports bar in Cape Coral and the place is great! It has water front tie ups, plenty of parking, and very nice decor (and it lacks the riff-raff of Stevie Tomatoes).

It is located on Del Prado (remember Candies? same place, new look and feel). Address:
1217 Del Prado Boulevard
Cape Coral, FL

Their happy hour stats:
$1 Bud Light and Miller Light drafts and $1.50 ShockTops (like Blue moon, I prefer ShockTop it is less heavy) from open to close seven days a week!
For drinks: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The appetizer happy hour is nothing over $5 at 3-7 p.m.

They have the NFL Ticket, and plenty of TVs (they did not get the MBL package this year, since they started late in the season, but I was assured they would next season).
They also have the The Big 10 Network as well.

My only wish, is they had wifi, but you cannot get it all.

The food is excellent, and priced fair. I had a burger and it was fantastic, my bride, a Buffalo chicken sandwich.

One last quip, "G", the inside bartender is a great guy. Tip him well! He will take care of you and has a great demeanor.

~Jeffrey

Breakfast today - Double yolks

2008-09-27T11:46:00.000-04:00

I love the randomness of nature. Here is part of my breakfast today:

Nice little divergence.

~Jeffrey

Repost - How we should handle the bail outs of wall street!

2008-09-26T10:55:00.001-04:00

My wife's aunt sent this to us. I thought it was pretty ingenious so I reposted it. I am sure it is an email going around and I have not done the math, but hell, once in a while you got to let loose. And beside, I believe in the message of the thing.

I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child.
So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up.

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billion that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It
Dividend.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let's assume a tax rate of 30%.

Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000 ,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket. A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.

Buy a second home - stimulate the economy

Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads

Put away money for college - it'll be there

Pay off credit cards - more disposable income to invest or purchase goods and services - timulate the economy

Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car - create jobs

Invest in the market - capital drives growth

Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves

Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( "vote buy" ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG - liquidate it.

Sell off its parts.

Let American General go back to being American General. Sell off the real estate.

Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up. Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.

Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work."

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion

We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington
DC.

And remember, The Family plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

~Jeffrey

Confession - Fast food junky - Warning too

2008-09-26T10:41:00.001-04:00

Ok, I have a confession. I am a fast food junky. I love it. All the fat, salt, and sugar. MMM MMM Good!

I don't eat it very often, but sometimes I get the craving (and if you are from up North, you know the saying, "It's what you crave!" for White Castles... oh I miss them and Crystal burgers are a poor substitute).

Anyway, to the point. The warning. STAY AWAY from the Taco Bell Volcano taco's. The saying is, they are 75 degrees F going in and 150 degrees F coming out! I really enjoy hot foods, but I was surprised these were that hot.

That said, back to our regular tuned blogging...

~Jeffrey

Why I am not allowed to plant bananas

2008-09-24T09:45:00.000-04:00

Ok, the following pictures are why my wife will not allow me to plant bananas.

So to steal a line from Harry Belafonte:

"Hide the deadly black tarantula
Daylight come and me wan' go home"

Granted, it was not a tarantula, it was called a banana spider.
I apologize for the bluriness in some of the pictures, I was a little nervous taking the picture!

Freaky! These were taken at Rotary Park in Cape Coral, FL.

~Jeffrey

New look and feel - no more adsense in my personal blog

2008-09-23T13:51:00.000-04:00

As you can see, I have changed my look and feel. I have not decided if I will stick with it, but I did remove the adsense ads (after much pain and aggravation).

I felt that the adsense on my personal blog degraded it.

Also, I think we need to find a new business model for information other than advertisements, but other than subscription, I am not sure how one would do that. Micropayments for each tidbit of info perhaps? Hmm...

~Jeffrey

Visit to Fort Lauderdale

2008-09-23T09:45:00.000-04:00

In a recent visit to Fort Lauderdale, to visit my wife's aunts. I made a few observations.

I am at a loss about whether or not I like high rise buildings or not. I know they provide many people that could not afford a beach front with a place close, and they can have killer views of the water, but sometimes they destroy the skyline and remove the romanticism of the beach. What a conundrum.

That said, I did enjoy the flat trek across the everglades and alligator alley. Some say it is boring, but I find it peaceful... a little too peaceful, that I tend to fall asleep sometimes. Luckily, my lovely bride drove and I was able to work (nice having a flexible job like mine, even though I sometimes gripe about it. At this point, I think I am ruined to ever go back to a traditional office).

So... some observations about Fort Lauderdale:

It is older (in people and structures). In my case this can be good since I am fond of old buildings and renovating them.
There are lots more "adult shops" - making it come off a little more than sleazy in parts.
It is a Jaguar heaven. At a stop light, we had 5 Jags surrounding us.
There are WAY TOO MANY CIGARETTE butts in the sand on the beach. Come people, I know it has sand like an ash tray, but you don't have to be an ASHHOLE. Put the damn thing in your pocket and throw it away.

That said, here are the pictures!

From the Alley

I really like the clouds in FL. Fluffy, white and you can see so much of them.

The view from the balcony as the sun is beginning to rise.

Now, my panoramic is slightly off on the right side. It is hard to line them up sometimes.

Lastly, some closer shots of the beach on the A1A. This is one of the reasons people migrate here.

~Jeffrey

Monday Cynical Poem

2008-09-22T11:57:00.000-04:00

This is my Monday Cynical Poem post:

My ego is bruised
And I feel abused

I am pretty sure I have been demoted
While being told I was promoted

I still get to work on cool stuff
That is really just fluff

On a positive note, I can say oh boy,
Seriously, working on new stuff is a joy.

Right now, me thinks nobody really needs this crap
Alas, I am still an underpaid sap

My recourse is clear
Eventually I will find a new career

Someday I will say, Impacted Bowel Movement can kiss my ass
Just my personal little sass.

Don't get me wrong, this is not a sob,
Honestly, I generally like my job.

That said with a grin,
I better get to work, or I will be on the outside looking in!

I had to get that off my chest. I feel better now. From Jeffreystune, have a magic Monday!

Twitter - at capacity

2008-09-19T10:18:00.001-04:00

Some of you may know of the service known as twitter. In a world of sound bites and SMS messages, Twitter is the next logical evolution. In a nutshell, twitter is a web (or SMS, IM, etc) interface that will push out 140 character messages of "what you are doing now".

Now, mind you I do partake in such craziness, but sometimes I wonder if it is good for the "children". In a world where IM speak is pervading their school day writings.

Twitter has become so popular, that "tweets" will be shown on one of the political debates network broadcast.

To check it out, look at Twitter.com

Well, I want to see how it fairs at the debates if they are showing this today:

To steal a line from conchscooter, "Hello, my name is Jeffreystune and I am a twitteree".

Conscience

2008-09-19T10:18:00.000-04:00

"[A man's] moral conscience is the curse he had to accept from the gods in order to gain from them the right to dream."
William Faulkner

A Magic Monday

2008-09-15T09:26:00.001-04:00

Well, I start today with a positive slant towards all I need to get done today.

Looking at my window at the sunny day, sometimes you know there are things that can be right in the world.

Lets see if that is so in my working world at the uber-corporation today.

Wish me luck!

~Jeffrey

To my generation

2008-09-13T00:41:00.000-04:00

Own Up!
Grow Up!
Stand Up!
No one owes you shit.
No more affirmative action.
No more asking for hand outs.
No more taking the easy way.
Be true.

Don't buy into the hype of bottled water.

2008-09-12T09:43:00.001-04:00

This phenomenon of bottle water still baffles me. Granted I did buy bottled water (and keep some in stock for hurricanes), but as a regular bases, I don't drink it. I drink the tap water (and I do plan to install a filter).

Don't believe the hype that bottled water is any better for you. Most of it is just tap water anyway with a 1000% markup and a non-degradable container that will stay in a landfill for millions of years.

Just a little story on what could happen:

Time: Present day
Place: Grocery store

Two friends enter a grocery store when one remarks, "ooh! Aquafina for $3.99 a 24 pack, that is cheap!".

The other friend replies, "what do you mean cheap? That is just tap water marked up a 1000%. Besides, that bottle stays in a landfill for millions of years."

The first friend, "Like I give a shit."

The second friend, "you know, sometimes I think people like you should be ground up for food....."

Time: Near Future
Place: Grocery store

"Dad, can we get some bologna?"

The father, "No son, it is not made with the same stuff as it used to be made from."

The son, "What is it made from?"

The father, "Well, it used to be pig and cow lips and buttholes, but now, they make it out of people that don't follow green practices"

Eyes wide, the boy asks, "Really? No way!"

The father, "Sure, I had a friend that used to buy bottled water. He couldn't get off the stuff. It was so bad, even after they banned it, he would import it from Mexico. One day, they found out, and took him to the bologna factory."

The boy, "Wow, I am glad we use our own containers for water and other drinks. I don't want to be bologna."

"Exactly son, now don't share this with your mother about bologna."

..... At home that night

The wife, "Honey! Just what have you been telling the boy!"

Kidding aside, get your own water bottle and refill it.

~Jeffrey

Browser Choices

2008-09-12T09:23:00.001-04:00

Do I really need Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome? Sure, it is all about choices, kind of like Feminism... Hehe..

Really I have used all 5 and prefer Firefox (2 not so much 3) and Chrome.

Creative learnings: Qualitiative research and new software engineering principles- parallels

2008-09-11T11:14:00.001-04:00

Interesting, I guess sometimes there are fun coincidences. In recent emails with old friends, I found many parallels in the conversation with my schooling's current lessons. My current class is Creativity Measurements. Since the definition of creativity is hard to pin down, much research has been done in a qualitative fashion (as well as quantitative, but I will get to that another time).

When friend mentioned that we were trained in the constrictive way as system analysts (as engineers are trained, which is what computing grew from), we did it in a quantitative fashion. Rigorous, to the numbers, and by the book. Everything is generic, but constrictive and defined. Works well in an engineering background. This is why I think CMMi doesn't work well for software development. It grew from engineering quality control which is restrictive.

What we need to look at (and as the group on the emails alluded, the practice is evolving to) are qualitative development measures. Things that deal with the human aspect. That your system is affected by the subjects as they are affected by the system. Emergent. The crux of qualitative measurements are validity. The aforementioned chum is alluded to it, in the "do no harm by allowing this field/code" (I know I am paraphrasing) as long as it is a valid use. Hmm.. a parallel. This is also why Agile works better for project management at least in software engineering. The Organic Software Development Approach OSDA(patent pending, trademarked, copyrighted, etc....).

I guess what I am looking at is the former had too much science and little art. The later has a balance of art and science. My thoughts are if qualitative development is used too much, we could get pseudo-science, which is the worse case scenario. Too much art and not enough science. You need validity in your qualitative research.

Interesting article: Validity in Qualitative Research, Whittemore, Chase, Mandle in the Qualitative Health Research Vol.11 No. 4 July 2001

Some food for thought.

~Jeffrey

Creative Thinking - Divergent and Convergent Rules!

2008-09-10T11:20:00.000-04:00

A little taste of my learning about creative thinking. A major crux of the creative thinking is the ability to diverge (a mechanism of this is brainstorming) and then take those ideas and converge for the outcome you were hoping to achieve (granted this is only a part of the process, but you will see these are the "nuts and bolts" of the process).

That said, here are the rules for each:

Divergent Thinking Rules

Defer Judgment
Strive for quantity
Seek wild ideas
Build on other’s ideas

Convergent Thinking Rules

Be affirmative
Be deliberate
Check objectives
Improve ideas
Consider novelty

Remember to expand out when diverging (think "Expanding your mind") and to then look for the hit, highlight, "sparkle" when converging.

Stay creative,

~Jeffrey

Hello Son

2008-09-08T21:25:00.000-04:00

Hello Son

Hello son, you got your mommy's coal black hair,

And my flattened nose.

Hello son, with your mommy's pouting lips,

And my funky toes.

Hello son, we both love you so,

I won't say goodbye, for you and I will meet again, I am just sorry you had to go.

Hello son.

Creative Problem Solving: Evaluation Matrix

2008-09-08T11:25:00.000-04:00

This is another post about my learnings in creative thinking and creative problem solving (CPS).

The least used and thus understood tool in creative thinking are the convergent tools. Given that, I want to discuss one of the ways you can select the best idea derived from your brainstorming that fits your purpose. It is the evaluation matrix. It is similar to the Hamilton or Jefferson lists.

The basic way you would use the matrix is as follows:

Generate criteria by diverging (see previous post about divergent thinking rules).
Converge on the important criteria to use (see previous posts about convergent).
Phrase criteria so they all point in the same direction (higher means positive, so if your criteria was negative to begin with, change it around so it is positive).
Evaluate all options from your brainstorming for one criteria, then evaluate all options for the next criteria, repeat.

Note: Weighting can be used if needed.

Hopefully this will help. I have seen this used for many things outside of CPS. Seems like a common sense thing, but many many people have an "a-ha" moment when it is explained to them. A cohort of mine used it many times when showing options to customers of his construction company. It worked well for him.

Stay creative,

~Jeff

Poetic Injustice?

2008-09-07T22:21:00.000-04:00

Question. Is there such a thing as Poetic Injustice? I think I am starting to believe so.

Bill Engvall paraphrase

2008-09-07T22:19:00.000-04:00

"If a woman wears a thong and farts, does it whistle like a blowing on a blade of grass between your thumbs?"

Jerk off Motorcyclists

2008-09-05T12:24:00.000-04:00

I don't know what it is with bikers lately, but they have been buttholes.

Um guys, I have a large truck, I will squish your ass if you get in my way again and cut me off.

So to the hairy armed butt munch that thought I was "passing him", I wouldn't worry about the "V-8 being that bad", I would worry about the driver of the 2 ton trunk that was in a fragile emotional state, who wouldn't give a damn to make you into road pizza. You better thank God for witnesses and my mother-in-law's common sense.

Also, to the old fart on the trike, you are the "f*ing a$$hole". You were 4 cars back and then went around everyone on the curve to the bridge to "get ahead" in line. Even if you had your turn signal on, I don't have to let you over.

So bikers, you want us in cars to watch for you? Try not being butt wads.

I have to comment, this was not meant to apply to all bikers. It is just 2 bad apples in a row, led me down the path of thinking the whole bunch was rotten. I know that is not true.

~Jeff

Sad days for Jeffrey

2008-09-04T15:33:00.000-04:00

I almost didn't post this, but as some of you knew, we were expecting a new addition to the family.

That did come to pass, but not in a fashion I thought it would.

Mason Diego Abbott was born an angel on 8/15.

We love you son and miss you.

~Jeff