Neolithic Windows security hole alive and well in Windows 7

2010-01-21T19:54:00.000-08:00

Well, surprise, surprise.

This 17 year-old Windows 7 security hole -- dating from the long-gone days of NT -- is older than any two of my nieces & nephews.

Any two. Pick 'em!

1905 Trolley Ride Down Market Street

2009-11-28T07:50:00.000-08:00

Cool trolley-mounted video (00:13:53) of a pre-Quake 1905 ride along Market Street in San Francisco.

That's the Ferry Building there at the far end.

Excrement in the streets. Traffic lane markers as pretty much just suggestions. Clueless pedestrians.

Just like today.

Seen: Zero Electric Motorcycle

2009-10-31T18:22:00.000-07:00

Seen (but not heard) while out & about the other evening in Scotts Valley: a locally-built Zero Electric Motorcycle (street version).

These may not be bad for some light motocross, but with completely silent operation (Loud Pipes Save Lives) and a maxiumum range of only 60 miles they're not really ready for primetime.

Oldie-but-Goodie: Triumph vs. the Star Wars Nerds

2009-10-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

Part I

Part II

Ubuntu 9.10 almost here!

2009-10-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

Amazing Sunset Tonight

2009-10-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

My cell phone camera doesn't do it justice.

Why I'm Not Upgrading to Windows 7, Either

2009-10-25T13:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry, Microsoft, you blew you chances with Vista (which I have to use at the office, and hate).

Who's Editing at the Press Boner?

2009-10-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

As previously noted here, there's always plenty of cringeworthy writing over at that local ad-supported rag, the Scotts Valley Press-Banner. Examples range from biased coverage, to self-indulgent inanities penned by the paper's owner*, to swine flu hysteria, and more.

This has never been more true, now that the former talent-deprived editorial staff of one has retired and a new crop of twenty-something embryos is itching to "make a difference."

Witness the below journalistic lapse, vividly described in the Letters page by reader Christina Wise of Boulder Creek:

What would possess fledgling journalist Michelle Camerlingo to insert such irrelevancies into an otherwise garden-variety puff-piece? Was it her sheer inexperience, or was this flatulence reference a coy attempt to be edgy?

And how could any self-respecting editor -- assuming any editing is in fact taking place -- let such tripe go to press?

As a publication wholly underwritten by its advertising revenue, the Press-Banner's first commitment to quality journalism may not be to its readers. But its advertisers should expect -- and demand -- better.

* That's what blogs are for!

Bob Ross SIngs!

2009-10-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

Got Water?

2009-10-13T19:45:00.001-07:00

Seen during a torrential rainstorm today in Scotts Valley, CA:

I'd say the drought is over.

Site of the Week: menwholooklikeoldlesbians

2009-10-13T06:55:00.000-07:00

This site was worth a Tuesday morning guffaw.

The Nobamel Peace Prize

2009-10-11T04:41:00.000-07:00

'nuff said.

BREAKING: 0BAMA WINS 2009 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE, KANYE WEST INTERRUPTS!

2009-10-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

"Yo 0bama, I'm really happy for you, I'm'a let you finish -- but Yassir Arafat had one of the best Nobel Peace Prizes of all time -- OF ALL TIME!"

In related news, it was revealed today that 0bama also became McDonald's 10 billionth customer.

CHICAGOWNED!

2009-10-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

Snagging photo off the Intarweb: Free

Whipping together snarky graphic: 5 minutes

Witnessing a smug sense of Obama-fueled Olympic entitlement come crashing brutally to Earth: Priceless.

And Another Stuff

2009-09-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

Regular Unleaded gas here is over $3/gallon again.

Funny. No hyperventilation about this from the Lamestream Media in the Age of 0bama.

The Most Bullsh*t Car Ad of All Time

2009-09-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

Car pitchmen have a well-deserved rep for ... embellishing their claims.

But this recent GM ad with Obama-installed ~~aparatchik~~ GM Chairman Edward Whiteacre Jr. takes the cake for sheer, unadorned chutzpah.

Let's dissect this faux-folksy piece of rhetorical dreck:

Before I started this job, I admit I had some doubts. Probably a lot like you.

Make that exactly like me, Ed. And nothing you've said here allays those doubts.

But I like what I've found. I think you will, too.

Given GM's past performance history and ongoing bloated Union -- and management -- compensation packages, even in light of tax breaks, I retort, "NBL." Not. Bloody. Likely.

Car-for-car, when compared to the competition, we win. Simple as that.

What color is the sky in your world? Car-for-car, when compared to the competition, you lost. Hence the need for your bankruptcy and that $50 billion bailout. Simple as that.

I just know that if you get into one of our cars, you're going to like what you see. So we're putting our money where our mouth is.

No, you're putting my money where your mouth is.

Buy a new Chevy, Buick, GMC or Cadillac -- and if you're not 100% happy, return it. We'll take it back. That's our new sixty-day satisfaction guarantee.

That's an old marketing gimmick. I'm unhappy enough to be cynical enough to suspect that your return process will not be anything near that simple.

And as always you'll get our 100,000 mile, five-year powertrain warranty on every vehicle (fineprint: Whichever comes first. See dealer for limited warranty details). That's how strongly we feel about our cars and how committed we are to you.

A $50 billion bailout divided by 305 million U.S. population results in a $164.00 gift to GM per U.S. resident (fineprint: this assumes that all of those 305M U.S. residents pay taxes -- they don't -- and ignores corporate and other Federal taxes). For that kind of money, it's the least GM could do.

So put us to the test. Put us up against anyone. And may the best car win.

Sure, after the $50 billion bailout you're all about the Free Market.

The best car already won, Ed. It wasn't yours.

Woodstock: Enough, Already

2009-08-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

In just a few sentences Neil Steinberg of the Chicago Sun Times nails, absolutely nails, what I've come to detest about the 60s generally and Woodstock specifically:

Imagine growing up, an impressionable child, watching all those supposedly pivotal 1960s events -- Woodstock, the riots at the Democratic National Convention, the moon landing -- on your parents' black-and-white Zenith TV in the living room of your suburban tract house in Berea, Ohio.

It quickly gave the impression that we lived in Noplace, that life, the important stuff in life, was always going on Somewhere Else. That, by 1974, every significant thing that might conceivably happen had already occurred. I had missed the feast but was free to pick over the scraps, had missed the party and arrived for the cleanup, the dismal denouement of the 1970s, a miserable void of disco and leisure suits and meaninglessness, at least by the judgment of the people who had so much freaky fun at Woodstock while we were busy learning cursive.

Doesn't it ever go away? How long must we gaze raptly at the enormous waddling rump of the Early Baby Boom? Forever? Not that we want our turn, no way -- hard experience has made us better than that.

Georgia Dem Rep. Has Meltdown Tirade When Doctor in Crowd Presses on ObamaCare - Video 8/7/09

2009-08-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

If ever there was proof that our Congresscritters aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, witness this bombast from Georgia Democrat Rep. David Scott when, in an open public forum, a medical doctor asks him pointed questions about ObamaCare:

Clearly rattled by upstart questions at an`event he expected to sleepwalk through, Scott's increasingly unglued pol hack responses range from:

an insouciant denial that he even knew what the doctor was asking about, to
claiming that he hadn't yet formulated a position on the issue, to
attempting to cast his questioner as some "outsider" bent on upsetting the proceedings (in fact the doctor is from Scott's own district and had received no response from Scott in previous calls to his office)

See also iowahawk's excellent treatment of this dynamic: Crisis of Confidence: America's Government Losing Faith in Out-of-Touch Constituents

And kudos to 11alive News on that balanced presentation.

Cute video: Backpacker Cat

2009-08-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

Per the host site, "This cat wanted to see the world, so he made his master carry him around the globe."

Brilliant Woman Solves All of California's Problems

2009-07-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

Open-Mike Night at the Santa Cruz City Council, 5/13/08.

Moonbeam Patchouli here holds forth.

Unnngh. Welcome to my world.

p.s. -- I like the lonely Golf Clap she gets at the end.

Weekend Ruminations: Shelf Life of Ketchup Packets

2009-07-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, the topic has been previously assailed by other scholars, but the question nonetheless presented itself this weekend.

The short answer appears to be 5-7 years.

The Kentucky Fried Chicken dining experience generates strange and exotic peripherals ...

... like honey (?). 11% Real!

A Great Culling of Ketchup (catsup?) packets took place, but a good many still remain.

KAHNBLOG: Pondering the Imponderables since 2005.

End of Q2 Cupcakes

2009-07-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

Carrotcake cupcakes appeared by my desk.

Bobo for BOBA

2009-07-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

KahnBlog's new favorite summer drink: Thai Iced Tea with tapioca pearls ("Boba").

BING!

2009-07-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

Cute Evian Baby Commercial

2009-07-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

Why I'm Not Upgrading to Vista, Part ... (I lost count)

2009-07-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

Your eyes do not deceive you.

Microsoft is resorting to vomitus to sell their latest browser.

Site of the Week: whythef**kdoyouhaveakid.com

2009-06-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

If:

You've ever wanted a rejoinder to the lazy rhetoric of "As a parent..." being the lead-in to an inferred qualification to pontificate on any subject; or
You're sick and tired of "As a single parent..." being used as a premise for some responsibility dodge; or
You wonder what becomes of those who give more thought to buying their next pair of shoes than they do to the awesome responsibility that is parenthood; or
You just can't get enough of the life-as-street-theater fustercluckery that is The Maury Povich Show;

...this site is for you.

Really, really suboptimal parenting skills on display here.

Total Visibility

2009-06-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

I hate being snuck up on from behind at the office.

Winner, "Most Meaningless Award Ever" Award

2009-06-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Seen somewhere at the office today.

Imagine the awards ceremony presentation:

"Hey, man. You're Certified Great."
"No, man. You're great."
"No, you."

When Pigs Flu

2009-06-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

Having stoked the Swine Flu hysteria on its front page several weeks ago, then vamping for a few weeks when the illness didn't occur, the Scotts Valley Press-Banner finally had its prayers answered last week when not one, but two actual local incidences of the disease turned up.

So how did they handle the story?

Buried it on page 5.

Honestly, I don't know what those people are smoking over there.

Mountain Wingsuit Insanity

2009-05-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

These guys are nuts.

Week Two: Death of an Illness?

2009-05-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

No longer front page news, we find this tiny blurb tucked away on page 2 of this week's Scotts Valley Press-Boner:

Nor, it occurs to us at KahnBlog, was the hype of two weeks ago even necessary for such a small, free publication.

It's not like the P-B needs to rely on such cheap stunts to get people to buy their paper. Delivered weekly to your mailbox, this is journalism that's inflicted on you.

All we can hope is that next week's local incidence of Swine Flu Hysteria will appear in the obits.

Site of the Week: nothired.com

2009-05-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Stumbled across this website while doing a search for something completely different.

It's a collection of some of the strangest, funniest, and most pathetic job hunt responses imaginable. Clearly, these folks weren't good job candidates.

Not surprisingly, there's a lot of craigslist flakery. Peep this:

and this:

And this:

nothired.com: Full of Fail!

Swineflooapalooza

2009-05-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

Splashed all over the front cover of the intrepid Scotts Valley Press ~~Boner~~ Banner, 5/1/09:

One week later, a much smaller sidebar on the front page:

(Although the P-B did note, almost expectantly, that "So far, samples from 144 possible cases of swine flu ... had been forwarded for testing to a regional laboratory.... Results ... may not be known for up to seven days, officials said." Hope springs eternal.)

WE HERE AT KAHNBLOG WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS UNCHANGING SITUATION AND TO REPORT EVENTS AS THEY DON'T OCCUR.

Quirk o' the Day: This week's Crime Beat Two-Fer

2009-05-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

"Hubbard Gluch" = "Hubbard Gulch."

And getting sprayed with bear mace in front of your own mother -- now that sounds personal.

Geek Kitteh Laurencia and the Aquarium Screen Saver

2009-04-27T13:30:00.001-07:00

She loves this thing.

Counting Down to Ubuntu 9.04

2009-04-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

"The Jaunty Jackelope"

Alas, mainstream support for Windows XP ended, well, yesterday.

Kahn Syrah, Santa Barbara, CA

2009-04-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not a scantily-clad Art Nouveau nymphette. But this was pretty darn good wine.

They used to sell it at Cost Plus World Market. Damned if I can find it anywhere now.

"Bail out journalism"

2009-04-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

The title and sub-title aside, I had an inkling of where Rosa Brooks' Libtard-bumper-sticker of an op-ed was going when I reached the word, "appalled."

It seems that because Brooks here was faced with the possibility of becoming an unsecured creditor to her bankrupt Tribune Co., she now favors a wholesale abandonment of journalistic integrity/independence and advocates for that trade to suck at the Government teat.

Her lightweight supports for this contention are that 1) other democracies do it; 2) newspaper reporting is on a par with other large public works projects like national defense and road construction; 3) existing government subsidies haven't worked because they've been poorly structured to encourage monopolies (new government subsidies will work!); and -- oh, yeah -- 4) she almost didn't get paid once.

Her singular reliance on timeworn "Government-intervention-as-cure" answers is simplistic, soft-headed and wrong.

A better-reasoned and -written piece by Clay Shirky on the demise of traditional dead-tree media contended that traditional reporting is still in the throes of an ongoing technological revolution and that no one path to solvency is yet apparent -- but that all potential paths must be pursued:

That is what real revolutions are like. The old stuff gets broken faster than the new stuff is put in its place. The importance of any given experiment isn’t apparent at the moment it appears; big changes stall, small changes spread. Even the revolutionaries can’t predict what will happen. Agreements on all sides that core institutions must be protected are rendered meaningless by the very people doing the agreeing. (Luther and the Church both insisted, for years, that whatever else happened, no one was talking about a schism.) Ancient social bargains, once disrupted, can neither be mended nor quickly replaced, since any such bargain takes decades to solidify.

And so it is today. When someone demands to know how we are going to replace newspapers, they are really demanding to be told that we are not living through a revolution. They are demanding to be told that old systems won’t break before new systems are in place. They are demanding to be told that ancient social bargains aren’t in peril, that core institutions will be spared, that new methods of spreading information will improve previous practice rather than upending it. They are demanding to be lied to.

There are fewer and fewer people who can convincingly tell such a lie.

Traditional print media is dying, says Shirky, so let it die. Just continue to experiment with, and create, new revenue streams. "Society doesn’t need newspapers. What we need is journalism."

Happily for Rosa Brooks, she's now found alternate employment.

With the Obama administration.

As -- get this -- "an advisor to the undersecretary of Defense for policy." Yes, that is a job title.

"At this moment in history, I can't imagine anything more rewarding than being part of the new team that's shaping U.S. policy." This, a journalist who to her last breath would deny the existence of pervasive Liberal bias in the media.

Seems to me that her obtaining a barista gig would've been more honest work and posed less of a threat to our national security. It's an alternate revenue stream that she really should've investigated.

It's All Fun & Games Until The Wrong Database Gets Accessed

2009-04-08T23:22:00.000-07:00

"Pattie Maes & Pranav Mistry: Unveiling the 'Sixth Sense,' game-changing wearable tech":

Yet another video clip about tech implications that's sure to go viral -- if it hasn't already.

The gist is that Wearable Tech still wields serious Geek Appeal.

Some of the featured innovations here aren't so much revolutionary as they are interesting: The ability to project and dial a phone keypad on a reflective, flat surface is novel, as is the similar ability to call up a projected wristwatch based on color-coded finger movements.

Other touted "sixth sense" features appear convenient enough, yet can be easily defeated. For example, the ability to instantly conduct your own comparative shopping by scanning products' barcodes seems whiz-bang -- until the store realizes that it's not necessarily in its best interest that you, the shopper on-site, be so readily informed. The store then suppresses Wi-Fi signals within its walls and bans such gadgets altogether. Missus herself experienced this phenomenon just this year at a Costco: when a store employee saw her using her cell phone camera to memorialize a certain product price/description for later reference, the employee threatened to have her ejected from the store unless Missus ceased photographing forthwith.

But it's the last category that I find troubling. An example is given of a face-to-face interaction where a simple handshake triggers a displayed "cloud" of words most closely associated with that person via their website, blog, or other internet references (how all this is triggered is not explained). And it's beamed right across their chest!

Again, this is a novelty inasmuch as a well-crafted Google search could achieve the same result sometime after meeting the person. Here, the difference is that the search is conducted right at the point of contact.

Immediately turning up Internet/blog references to a person is one thing. What if the person shaking your hand could also instantly access databases containing your credit score, your home address, your background, etc.?

Consider this in light of the following "Automated License Plate Recognition" video:

This Wearable Tech -- not experimental, but available and in place now -- turns a police cruiser into a gigantic, roving, unblinking eye that compares every license plate it encounters against a database of stolen cars. The automated search is conducted instantly at the point of contact.

Which is fine as far as it goes -- and again, based on what limited databases it can access.

Yet what if that same ALPR-enabled cruiser could, in conjunction with its GPS unit, immediately notate the physical location of every car it encountered, and when, stolen or not?

And what/who is to keep the police from expanding the ALPR's instantaneous search into other, more generalized databases?

Yeah, the tech sure looks cool. It's the implications that are scary.

Why I'm Not Upgrading to Vista, Part 5

2009-04-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

Eight Cores.

Eight Gigs.

ALL GOOD.

AstroBoy Trailer

2009-04-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

Who knows? The movie could suck, but for me it's a sentimental throwback to one of my favorite early 60s cartoons/animes.

Why I'm Not Upgrading to Vista, Part 4

2009-03-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

Recent ad from a local computer store circular.

The $3 Cupcake Revisited

2009-03-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

Here's Missus "reverse-engineering" one of those Wretchedly Excessive $3 cupcakes.

We think this one is called a "Black and White"

Thick frosting, nice overall taste -- but not worth the price.

One orders these things via a card resembling a DNA chart.

Oh, and Missus informs that she received some snarky treatment at the hands of Sprinkles Cupcakes minions. Goodbye to all that.

Today's Wretched Excess: The $3 Cupcake

2009-03-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

Behold what your humble cupcaquero encountered this week: the $3 Cupcake from this fatuous outfit (actually $3.25 each, but a "bargain" $3 per when bought by the dozen).

Missus had been gifted with a gift card from this frou-frou bakery and decided to cash it in while in the neighborhood.

This one was called "Lemon Coconut." The dollop of icing was thick and tasted like it was made from pretty choice ingredients. But for the price that's the least it could do.

The cake portion tasted like a nice, light cross between a regular white cake and angelfood. Nice, but hardly worth $3.

How this place makes a go of it in this economy is beyond me.

Missus and I still have eleven more of these things (different flavors) to chew through. More reports later.

Yes, 11 left! Some are in the freezer.

"Mind blowing facts about the growth of technology"

2009-03-11T07:06:00.001-07:00

As with all viral videos, take this content with a grain of salt.

Quirk o' the Day: Excerpt from the Crime Blotter

2009-03-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

Or not.

Hi-speed Rainbow

2009-03-05T07:44:00.001-08:00

Missus snapped a photo of a rainbow this morning on 280 at 70 mph.

Kittehs' Progress

2009-02-21T09:53:00.000-08:00

Haven't mentioned the Girls in awhile.

Here they are. They're gettin' so big!

Testing Blackberry Remote Blogging Feature

2009-02-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

Did it work?

New Cellphones

2009-02-16T08:47:00.000-08:00

Close to actual size
Missus was becoming increasingly unhappy with her Sprint coverage and aging Palm Treo 650 (and I was never a huge fan of my Treo 700p due to the exorbitant fee that Sprint charged me for it), so on Valentine's Day we made the move to Verizon and two Blackberry Curve 8330s.

The upside to this change is better cellphone coverage and a more robust operating system with more available apps. Monthly cost with a 2-year contract is about what we were paying with Sprint per month.

The downside, so far, is figuring out how to accurately transfer over all the Treo address book/calendar data -- and not use the crapware that is Microsoft Outlook. The desktop software that came with the Blackberry has been disappointing. We haven't yet had much luck getting the Blackberry to completely sync with Yahoo Mail or Gmail.

We had been with Handspring and the Palm OS since about 2000, but in recent years other competitors (like RIM's Blackberry and the Apple iPhone) have been more innovative.

Sat'day Nite Scene/Seen @ Walgreens

2009-02-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

A routine visit to the local Walgreens tonight took an unexpected turn into funnehtude when we stumbled across...

... The Colossal MP3 Player.

It's big. It's fuschia. It's $10.

At a time when Apple and all other MP3 player manufacturers are working overtime to shrink the size of their devices, Living Solutions, the makers of this monstrosity, said, "Oh, no no noooo -- none of that teeny-weenie stuff for us."

It may have just been me, but it seemed like Living Solutions' legal department was playing it coy with this capacity description. C'mon! Come right out and say that this huge player has a mere 256 MB RAM (like you do on the front cover) ! SAY IT!

What else? Oh, and we encountered the above 0bamabilia display tucked away in the back recesses of the store. You know, those tacky plates that were so de rigeur like ten minutes ago. Now they're on the verge of being remaindered.

I was tempted to buy a bunch for skeet-shooting.

When It Sunk In That I'm Living In California

2009-02-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

It took many years, but the realization dawned during an early Sunday morning donut run in Cupertino.

It was when I heard the Vietnamese donut store employee greet the Mexican illegal day laborer with, "Hola, Amigo" (it sounded more like, "Hola, Meeko").

1896 Steam-powered Motorcycle Revisited

2009-02-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

Some time ago I waxed appreciative of the coolness that is Steampunk retro design.

Here's a vid clip of the Real Deal: a recreation of the original 1896 Roper steam-powered motorcycle.

The original is estimated to have traveled at up to 60 mph during its maiden voyage and caused the world's first motorcycle fatality.

Today's Wretched Excess: Overpackaged

2009-02-05T20:05:00.000-08:00

I ordered some cheapie RAM chips for one of my aging laptops last week from this place.

Today this largish box arrives.

Chock full of expanding protective foam packs.

Two tiny SODIMM chips are buried deep within.

There you have it, folks: All the wretchedly excessive packaging that $8 will buy.

SIXBURGH!!!1!

2009-02-02T07:16:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers for becoming the first NFL team to win six -- count 'em, six -- Superbowls.

We put the Yunz in "Champions"!

Congratulations also to the Arizona Cardinals for a well-played game, and here's hoping that we see their QB Kurt Warner return for at least one more season of play.

History of Teh Intarweb

2009-01-28T07:55:00.000-08:00

Nice succinct History of the Internet, with nary a mention of Al Gore.

EASY PEASY!

2009-01-25T14:35:00.000-08:00

Had a good experience over the weekend wiping off the Xandros Linux that came with the ASUS EEE PC and replacing it with the EEE PC-specific version of Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex 8.10 (aka "Easy Peasy").

Hint: Don't try installing CompizFusion on it just yet (or if you figure out how, let me know) -- with the EEE PC's weird screen resolution it just messes everything up.

First Sign of Spring, 2009

2009-01-25T13:43:00.000-08:00

Heard the first sign of Spring this week while out and about for a walk.

The first robins have arrived! Man, I love that sound.

Obama Prank Calls (some potty mouf)

2009-01-23T13:23:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of Site o' the Week, obamasoundoff.com

Affirmative Action Presidency

2009-01-21T07:44:00.000-08:00

Great. Just great. Our new empty suit of a president brings only one qualification for office: his race.

Recall that this is a man who admitted not being qualified for the presidency -- and yet after a mere five months in the Senate decided, "Yeah, I've got this Presidency thing all figured out now" and began his extended campaign.

Race being his sole ground for winning the office, it follows that any criticism of this one-dimensional neophyte must perforce be racist.

The market was suitably impressed.

It's gonna be a long four years.

PITTSBURGH'S GOIN' TO TH' SUPERBOWL!

2009-01-18T18:29:00.000-08:00

This, despite some abysmal officiating -- Pittsburgh's lead should've been much larger.

Troy Polamalu is spooky in his transdimensionality. The guy is absoutely everywhere on the field.

An especially sweet win over those perennial posers of the AFC North, those Paleo Browns, those Dirty Birds (suck it, Ray Lewis!).

It Needed To Be Said

2009-01-11T16:33:00.000-08:00

There, just had to get that off my chest.

Thank you for your attention. That is all.

Badwill Industries

2009-01-10T16:12:00.000-08:00

Jeez, what a sour encounter I had today at the Scotts Valley ~~Good~~Badwill Industries store. Nor, apparently, is my experience unique.

Long story short, I was trying to donate 1) a perfectly functioning, albeit large and heavy, CRT computer monitor; and 2) a green garbage bag full of clean used clothes.

Being handed free merchandise to resell at 100% profit apparently isn't good enough for the intake staff there. No, these miserable brain-dead hacks actively look for ways to discourage donations.

First, they wait until I'm half-way across the parking lot, lugging this monster monitor, to unveil their "We-Don't-Accept-Computer-Parts" Policy. From whence came this edict? Certainly not from their national website, which purports to support electronic recycling.

OK, so back to the truck it is with the massive monitor. I'm irritated, but would still like to salvage a minimal tax deduction by way of these schmucks.

Now I return with the bag of used clothes. I rest it on the intake table. "Take the bag off the table," barks a bottle-blonde intake crone. I comply.

"What's in the bag?" demands Junkerella.

I'm halfway through responding, "Clo..." when it hits me: there are plenty of other charities out there that would love to take my stuff. "Y'know, forget this," I tell her. "I'm trying to donate here. DONATE. Can your attitude, lady."

It's only when she realizes that she's cheesed off a donor enough that she won't have to do any actual work that Junkerella smiles.

So screw this dysfunctional, United Way-run collection of otherwise-unemployable bozos. Donate your used goods to the St. Vincent DePaul Society, the Salvation Army, or even online via your local Freecycle.

Ripped from this week's Crime Report

2009-01-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

Straight from the turgid pages of the Scotts Valley Press Banner's Dispatch Log page:

Play a banjo, go to jail.

"Taking Chance" Trailer

2009-01-03T09:15:00.000-08:00

Taking Chance Trailer

Could it be?

A non-maudlin, true-to-life Hollywood film sympathetic to the sacrifices made by our service members in Iraq?

I don't shell out much these days to go see Hollywood's notion of "cinematic art," but this film may be worth a look.

Rest in Peace, Marshall T.

2008-12-30T10:39:00.001-08:00

Over the Christmas break we (I) lost someone who I considered a good friend at the office.

Marshall had a lifetime of health problems and had overcome some major congenital conditions: a heart and kidney transplants 20 years ago, several bouts with cancer, etc. He lost a brother and father to the same genetic disease.

I only worked with him for two years, but never once heard him complain about all the treatments he was undergoing. Having a port installed? Just another day for him. Being subjected to yet another battery of medical tests? Meh, no big. Undergoing dialysis? He'd pester me at the office via IM just to mess with my concentration.

Even during his last week at work he was joking around as usual. He only mentioned feeling tired.

He leaves behind a wife and two young children. He and his wife adopted the kids because he didn't want to pass on his congenital condition.

It's a testament both to his longevity at our workplace and to his general popularity that so many diverse folks have expressed concern this past week for his loss.

So long, Marshall. I'll miss your sense of humor -- dry as a good pinot noir -- and hope to see you on the other side.

Artsy Metaphorical Shot

2008-12-28T12:11:00.000-08:00

This image just struck me as metaphorical for a variety of things.

Caitlyn gets a Christmas Stocking

2008-12-21T20:02:00.000-08:00

Caitlyn W. stopped by the office the other night and picked herself up a pretty sweet Christmas stocking.

She in turn gifted me with a custom, hand-cut paper snowflake. Signed by the Artist.

Thanks, Elijah, for the artwork

2008-12-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Elijah, a complete stranger who bestowed the below artwork on me at the Santa Cruz Costco food court as I ate my polish dog combo and slice of pizza:

Today's Appearances at the Table O' Food

2008-12-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

It's Dutch-Christmas-Palooza today at th' Table O' Food!

Here we have a rendition of Zwarte Piet¹ in taai-taai (Gingerbread).

Also pictured are bags of pepernoten ² and kruidnoten³.
___________________
¹ About as non-PC a notion as HR allows around here.
² Literally, "Pepper Nuts"
³ Literally, "Herb Nuts"

Office pre-Thanksgiving Party

2008-11-29T15:23:00.000-08:00

No expense was spared.

Giggles were had by all.

Digital Picture Frames: Not Quite Ready for Primetime

2008-11-23T16:22:00.000-08:00

Not sure yet about this year, but last Christmas' must-have gift seemed to be the digital picture frame.

In theory, these frames are a great thing to have: You can display thousands and thousands of pictures -- even video clips -- in the same space. Nice tchotchke for the office cubicle.

But in practice they've still got a lot of room for improvement, at least in my experience.

Viruses: First, there are the stories about computer viruses/Trojan Horses being included in Chinese-made frames' hardware. Intentional Product Liability lawsuit, anyone?
Media Incompatibility: Typically these frames come with slots for different types of storage media: SD, Compact Flash, USB thumbdrive, etc. But just because a certain memory type fits in a slot doesn't mean the frame can read it. This is especially true with SD cards: few frames can read the new HC ("High Capacity") SD card format, and older frames even have a hard time reading SD cards greater than 1 GB in capacity.
RAM Limitations: Many digital frames boast of having 64 or 128 MB internal RAM, without elaborating on what that means.
The bottom line is, that internal RAM (Random Access Memory) represents the storage space into which the frame will load as many of your photos as it can, and then display them in a sequence.
But today's typical digital camera images are on average 3 MB in size each. That means only about 42 images of that size will fit into the frame's RAM.
But say you've got a 2 GB SD card filled to capacity with about 667 images. The frame will only load the first 42 into RAM -- the same 42 every time -- and ignore the remaining 625.
You can try to get around this limitation by compressing down (copies of) your digital photos to the same resolution as the frame display -- typically 640x480 pixels. That way, your photos are much smaller in file size and many, many more of them can fit both onto a SD card and into the frame's display RAM.
Alas, there appears to be an upper limit on the total amount of photos a digital frame will display, no matter how much you compress your images. I suspect that limit is around 2000 pictures, but it's probably far less.
Involuntary Photo Resizing: Some frames tout a 16:9 picture ratio "Just like HDTV!". Problem is, most photos' dimensions aren't in that aspect ratio. What ends up happening is that your photos get either stretched horizontally, or displayed with two black bars along the sides.
Screen Quality: Some reviewers pooh-pooh the comparatively low screen resolution quality of these frames (usually around 640x480 pixels). I'm not so hung up on this last point, as I try to compress down my photos to a lower resolution in order to fit more of them on the SD card.

"So what?" I hear you say. "As long as the digital frame displays more than one photo, we've made progress!"

True enough. But I can imagine a digital picture frame that -- much like the random photo display that your computer can do on your computer screen -- can display thousands of your photos, in random order, such that you rarely see the same image twice. That's what I'd call progress.

Office Tchotchke Still Life

2008-11-21T09:09:00.000-08:00

Valuable cultural artifacts from around the world

ZOMG IT'S A FREAKIN' ZEPPELIN ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG!!!1!

2008-11-18T17:08:00.000-08:00

Saw an honest-to-God zeppelin flying over the Peninsula tonight.

This is pretty much what it looked like, too.

Turns out it's the work of Airship Ventures, Inc. -- a startup that recently completed its Series A round of venture financing to bring zeppelin touring back to the U.S. after 71 years (interest had cratered after a 1937 incident).

Das Zeppelin will be housed at Moffett Field's cavernous Hangar 2 in a partnership with NASA. Moffett's hangars originally accommodated other famous military dirigibles like the ill-fated Macon.

A cool idea, but it ain't cheap: A one-hour flight from either Moffett Field or Oakland International Airport is $495 per person, and two hours is $950 per.

Merry Tossmas 2008

2008-11-18T14:21:00.000-08:00

Unfortunate Album Art, Part 4

2008-11-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

This is one of those musical groups that you never heard of in the United States, but whose God-awful disco music was all over the airwaves in some obscure parts of South America in the mid- to late-70s.

Their music was eminently forgettable, but this album cover is immortal in its sheer tackiness.

Blogging on the Big Screen

2008-11-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

Succumbed to temptation and snagged a Vizio VO32LF LCD full-HDTV screen last night at Costco.

Just Damn. This thing is 32" of retina-scorching digital perfection.

It's running at its 1920 x 1080p native resolution, but with 16-bit color quality (32-bit was slowing system performance to a crawl).

Daddy like.

Tax Prep

2008-11-07T09:14:00.000-08:00

Naaah, nothing shady-looking about this establishment.

Sorry, Your Reality No Longer Merits Its Own Show

2008-11-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

So-called "Reality TV" shows have become ubiquitous -- no explicit scripting, just a premise and episodic time limitations.

The apparent hope is that sooner or later some type of conflict will arise and we -- similarly-situated viewers who relate to the show's theme -- will see how the subjects (stars?) deal with it.

You'd think that the common truism of such shows would be that they reflect the subject's close-to-the-bone, unvarnished reality.

But does (constant) observation change the nature of that observed? And doesn't "comping" the subjects' trips to exotic locations in order to generate show content warp the underlying reality?

Certain "reality shows" never were about reality, but are more akin to game shows (e.g. Survivor, Trading Spaces). The exotic locations/comping of contestants are part and parcel of the show's premise.

I'm talking about programming that purports to display reality while simultaneously undermining it.

One famous reality show example is American Chopper (premise: upstate New York father and adult sons design and build custom motorcycles). Early episodes focused on the real-world concerns (and conflicts) of Paul Teutel, Sr. and son Paul, Jr. in keeping their fledgling motorcycle business afloat. The show's other appeal was its display of American men actually crafting metal with their hands, in a time when such work has been offshored to China and elsewhere.

But the show took its first turn into Hollywood surreality early in its second season when movie star Will Smith blew into tiny Rock Tavern, NY to commission construction of a custom chopper in the theme of an upcoming movie (OK, so the movie's advertising budget paid for it). While there was certain entertainment value in watching crusty Paul Sr. trying to relate to his flashy customer, there was also the feeling that the show was losing its mundane underpinnings.

Since that episode there have been many other examples of the Teutuls going Hollywood -- and their business (and the show's ratings) boomed as a result. But the show no longer resembles its humble beginnings: conflicts between father and sons now seem contrived purely for the camera, while other real-world topics that might've been fodder in the show's early instances (hey! Where'd Paul Sr.'s yitzy new girlfriend come from?) are studiously ignored.

Then there are the "family-centric" reality shows like Little People, Big World and Jon and Kate Plus Eight.

The former is about the Roloffs (premise: ~~dwarf~~ little people couple has children that both inherited, and didn't inherit, their physical traits); the latter concerns the Gosselins (premise: couple that birthed a set of twins then bears a set of sextuplets through use of fertility drugs).

Both shows have roots in, and share the failings of, the then-controversial 1973 PBS documentary An American Family (premise: otherwise unremarkable family dissolves in glare of camera lights).

I have nothing against large (or short) families. The Gosselins want the challenges of a large family? The Roloffs want to air their personal dynamics? More power to 'em, I say.

Yet again, both shows are now less about everyday family concerns and more about:

"Oh, look! Famous TV/Movie Star [insert name] just happened by the house! Let's see what hilarity ensues as we discuss their latest [insert movie/book/cause]!"
"In this episode our family takes an all-expense-paid trip to [insert exotic location] to [insert exotic activity] with no visible means of support!"

That's not reality, at least not anywhere outside of La-La Land.

I and others (1|2|3) think that these families should take a step back from the show that is becoming their life and recognize its increasing deviance from what was their reality. The omnipresent cameras no longer reflect these families' realities so much as they impel them.

Lastly, there are the failed reality shows, such as 2004's now largely-forgotten Wing Nuts (premise: company transforms discarded airplane parts and munitions into designer furniture) (Huh?) (Hey, it's American men handcrafting metal. It'll be huge!).

Like American Chopper, this reality show featured the daily trials of keeping MotoArt, a marginal start-up business, in the black. But unlike those shows, Wing Nuts never made it to the "gone Hollywood" stage. One of its more mercurial subjects/stars -- the creator of conflict -- died unexpectedly after a mere eight episodes, and the show immediately followed suit.

Imagine you're at the MotoArt studios on the day the Network tells you your reality show has been cancelled. The bad news is of course couched in respect for the Dearly Departed, but its gist is, "Sorry, your reality no longer merits its own show."

And imagine further that you're an alumnus of one of these "reality shows." Your time in the spotlight is over, and with varying success you've spent years trying to return to normalcy. One day a stranger scrutinizes you on the street, approaches and says, "Hey, I remember you -- didn't your reality use to be famous?"

Cool Stuff: Steampunk Retro Design

2008-10-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

It's not a new phenomenon, but I've stumbled across it enough on the Web by now to remember to blog about it: Technology rendered in Steampunk retro design.

Steampunk USB drive

The idea is to take current technology and apply 1880s Victorian flourishes (leather, fine woods, marble, brass -- lots and lots of brass) to it.

Steampunk laptop

There's some incredible artisanship on display here.

Steampunk computer keyboard

The best examples of Steampunkery do more than just tack Victorian-looking gimgams onto modern tech: they re-fit the technology into custom-designed, ornate housing...

Steampunk Mac Mini

...or go one step further by actually powering modern devices with steam:

Steampunk stands Greenough's "Form Follows Function" maxim on its head by putting form first. Mass-produced, simple, clean lines are replaced with customized, handcrafted, non-antiseptic cues.

Mind you, Steampunk doesn't necessarily translate well to people.

Why I'm not upgrading to Vista, Part 3

2008-10-30T07:17:00.001-07:00

As succinct an explanation as I've found anywhere:

Nor are initial reviews of Windows 7 any more promising.

Today's Wretched Excess: Seen today in Santa Cruz

2008-10-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

Seen today in CrunchyCruz.

No, that is not a male monk.

Pleh.

Site of the Week: Malwarebytes.org

2008-10-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

Malwarebytes is a site dedicated to fighting malware. Malwarebytes has developed a variety of tools that can identify and remove malicious software from your computer. When your computer becomes infected, Malwarebytes can provide the needed assistance to remove the infection and restore the machine back to optimum performance.

Every little bit helps. See also other free minimum recommended security programs for your Windows-based PC.

Having Hardwood Flooring Installed: A Voyage of Discovery

2008-10-19T00:24:00.000-07:00

Missus and I are looking into replacing old living room carpeting, dense with the pong of prior renters' unruly cats and other fauna, with new hardwood flooring.

So far it's been a real voyage of discovery.

There was much debate over the relative merits of Pergo™ vs. engineered hardwood vs. "real" hardwood flooring.

Then came the cost issue. Even though we're doing our level best to make a thrifty, practical choice of materials, this won't be (for us) a small expenditure.

We thought that given the current hard economic times, credible vendors and installers might go that extra yard to include more services, or be willing to flex on price. Not so.

At another extreme, one local showroom's prices for materials and installation labor were represented as so ridiculously low that we had to investigate further. It was when I spoke with their surly "estimator" about coming over and firming up a quote that it became clear the measurement/install would take place strictly on his schedule alone. Screw that.

Now we're up against finding a dealer that we're comfortable with. This morning a Crocs-shod, muu muu-clad clerk at another flooring store in Santa Cruz immediately copped an attitude (I actually got a disapproving "once over" -- must've looked "too Republican") and either couldn't, or wouldn't, provide pertinent information about a selection. When I told her that her prices ranged on the high side she claimed to be "astounded." Easily the most interminable twenty minutes of my week.

The voyage of discovery continues this week! Stay tuned for more trivialities.

Office Cupcakes

2008-10-17T08:23:00.001-07:00

Some people like cupcakes better. I for one care less for them! -- Frank Zappa

For reasons unclear to me, the area by my desk has become the repository for munchies brought into the office. Said munchies are usually cupcakes.

I think these were from around St. Paddy's day

Costco Coffee Cake has been known to show up too

The Red Velvet ones were very good

Ah, but the Pumpkin Cupcakes of yesterday took the, well, cake. See the embedded bit o' pretzel there? It's the stem, get it?

Such extended exposure to cupcakes has rendered me somewhat of an expert, or Cupcaquero, as they say in Spanish (Der Kleinerkuchenmensch in German).

Windows Security Software Now Tripping Over Each Other

2008-10-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

If you're gonna run Windows with an internet connection, you're gonna need security software.

Two free, otherwise very reliable examples of this software are AVG Antiviral and ZoneAlarm firewall (don't even get me started on Windows LiveOne Care).

Except for this week, when a programming flaw in one or the other program caused AVG to turn up a false positive result for a trojan horse in ZoneAlarm called Agent_r.CX. This in turn caused me no small amount of work/aggravation/anxiety in locking down my Windows machines while implementing a fix.

Granted, primary responsibility for this error has to lie with the makers of those software packages -- even if they are free. But the more fundamental problem lies with the bloated, buggy, security flaw-ridden crapware that is Microsoft Windows: were it not for the latter, there would be less need for the former.

E-ink on Esquire cover

2008-10-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Got some short cellphone cam vidclips of the gimmicky "e-ink" cover from Esquire Magazine's "75th Anniversary Edition".

It's interesting technology with a lot of potential, but for now it's just reminiscent of those lenticular animations or even laser holograms that you see on trading cards, etc.

Out & About: Bill Frisell & Russell Malone

2008-10-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

Attended a mellow, albeit shortish, jazz duo performance by Bill Frisell and Russell Malone at Yoshi's last night.

I'd long been a fan of Frisell's rangy, eclectic style and it was nice to finally be able to see him play in person.

"If I just saw him on the street," said Missus, "I would've thought he was an engineer at HP."

Quirk o' The Day: Craigslist Ad

2008-10-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

Once you ignore its obnoxiously Lefty politics and wade through the myriad flakiness there, one can actually sell stuff on craigslist.

Quirk o' The Day: Excerpt from this week's Crime Report

2008-10-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

More from the weekly Crime Report in the 98.7% worthless, 100% free, Scotts Valley Press-Banner:

Juxtapositions in the News

2008-10-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

University rewarded for studying 'exotic dancers'
Researchers also find plants have dignity, fleas jump higher on dogs than cats
Posted: October 03, 2008
11:50 pm Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

What are researchers at the nation's most prominent universities up to these days?

One Ivy League college, Harvard University, held a ceremony Thursday awarding researchers for studying fertility of exotic dancers, plant dignity, enhanced potato chip crunch, flea jumping abilities and spermicidal uses for Coca-Cola.

The Annals of Public [sic -- read Improbable] Research magazine honored Professor Deborah Anderson of Boston University's School of Medicine with an Ig Nobel prize for proving the popular soda could be used for contraception, the Associated Press reported. The ceremony was held at Harvard.
...
Nobel laureates attended the event and honored Anderson and her lab colleagues for making the odd discovery. They also gave awards for other peculiar studies.

Geoffrey Miller, associate professor of pyschology at the University of New Mexico, a publicly funded college, earned an economics prize for leading a team of researchers to discover exotic dancers increase their earning potential when they are most fertile.

When he conducted an experiment using 18 exotic dancers, Miller said they regularly earned $250 for five hours of work. However, their income increased to $350 or $400 for the same shift with changes in fertility.
...

And in other news...

Woman behind Duke lacrosse scandal speaks out
The A&T Register
Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Accuser talks to Aggies about being a student again after controversy surrounding trial faded
Alexandria Harper. Contributor

It was called a scandal but made into mockery.

The Duke lacrosse case hit radio and television stations by storm in 2007. Reporters from media outlets around the country scrambled to provide day to-day updates on Crystal Gail Mangum, the accuser, and three Duke Lacrosse players; Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans, the accused.

Mangum, a former exotic dancer and escort, accused these men of sexual assault in Mid-March of 2006.

The investigation dragged on for over a year and was finally dismissed by Attorney General Roy Cooper.

The case was never argued in court and Mangum has yet to have her say about what happened. She still believes she needs to set the record straight.

On Thursday, April 2, Mangum made a surprise visit to Crosby Hall. Her appearance was only made known to a few select students enrolled in Dr. Myra Shird’s Argumentation and Debate class.
...
District Attorney Mike Nifong was disbarred due to his mismanagement of the case.
...

Mangum said, “She [sic] is striving to get her PhD and to open a group home for sexually assaulted women.”

Site of the Week: Historic Tale Construction Kit

2008-10-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

Hark thou, those who should'st require use of a goode and faire medieval tapestry graffick: 'TIS HERE!

With but a clicke and dragge of a mouse might ye create a fine tapestry graffick replete with goodly Kings, comely womenfolke, foolish commoners, gallant archers, et cetera.

By my troth, said site is plagued by sundry hobgoblins, such that the preserving o' th' graffick that one hast created worketh not. But fie, knave! What seekest thou for naught.

Obama in 2004: Inexperienced for the Presidency

2008-09-06T21:12:00.000-07:00

"If I were to seriously consider start running on a national ticket, I would essentially have to start now, before having served a day in the Senate."

But a mere 143 days later, during which he authored no meaningful legislation and amassed a voting record with a high percentage of abstention or of merely voting "Present," Obama somehow became qualified to run for Chief Executive.

Gimme a break. This asshat isn't running for President as much as he's being run for President by his commie mentors.

The GOP Finally Gets One Right

2008-09-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

I'd long wondered both how it was that the GOP came to nominate a liberal Republican like John McCain for the presidency, and how he could appease more conservative elements of the party with his VP pick.

Sure, his honorable service in Vietnam commands respect. Here is a man who endured extended, monstruous torture at the hands of his VietCong captors (no Geneva Convention signatories, they) and who voluntarily declined an early release in order to suffer along with his fellow POWs. And suffer he did.

Contrast that hardship against Barack Hussein Obama's toughest experiences (possibly running out of arugula at his favorite salad bar).

But McCain's subsequent Senate voting record and positions on topics like illegal immigration made me a lot less than enthusiastic about ever voting for him.

Me, a couple of weeks ago

So it was with no small relief that I greeted the news last week of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's VP nomination. I think that her fiscally- and socially-conservative values balance out nicely against McCain's Country Club Republican shtick. The particulars have already been analyzed extensively elsewhere, but her choice was a political master stroke.

The woman's also got some formidable public-speaking skills. Just watch her at work:

The GOP has finally given me something to vote for, rather than just against.

Game on, Zero and Plugs. Game on.

KahnBlog for President!

2008-08-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

Site of the Week: someecards.com

2008-08-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

Do Hallmark™ e-cards lack the right expression for that special occasion/someone? Are Carlton Cards devoid of that certain edginess? Do you find American Greetings lame beyond words? Is that what's got you down, Bucky?

Well, cast around for words no more. someecards.com has just the sentiment you're looking for, if what you're looking for pushes the boundaries of propriety and good taste.

And it's free, so it's a cheap sentiment.

someecards.com. When You Care Enough To Hit Send.

Last Kitteh Post for Awhile, I Promise

2008-08-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

The cats finally arrived last night, and I promise that this will be the last post about them for awhile, lest I tilt into Wretched Excess:

Short video clip

Laurencia's curlycue tail

And for the record, "Pet Food Express Smart Litter Extra Strength With natural odor control" SUCKS.

I CAN HAZ KITTEHS!

2008-08-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

In our usual spirit of "Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Overdoing," Missus and I finally took the plunge today and adopted not one, but two kittehs.

Meet Emily (l) and Laurencia.

Emily is a 4½ month old kitten who almost died when she swallowed some dental floss that wrapped around her tongue and intestines.

Her family had opted to euthanize her, but the veterinarian asked Emily's owners to surrender her to the veterinary clinic. The vet then performed life-saving surgery on Emily and she successfully recovered in a foster home.

She has a stately, though friendly, way about her.

Laurencia (f.k.a. "Shiba Inu" due to her reddish coloring and corkscrew tail, f.k.a. "Jenita") is a 3½ month old fuzzball who was rescued from a local shelter when her time was up. Her markings look like she has some red Abyssinian in her lineage. We're told that she's a very people-oriented kitten who loves to talk. She definitely was the more gregarious of the two during our two hour-long first meeting.

We pick both up next weekend.

Site of the Week: Rubik's Cube Solver

2008-08-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

Exceedingly cool website to help bail you out of 3-D Puzzle Hell: Rubik's Cube Solver