Toluu

Rodent Regatta

Foxtails, mudflaps and curb feelers for your life!

When I Was Fifteen [1]January 1 2007

It was 1969. I was in the tenth grade. Clearly, we weren’t thinking about things like this.

There’s not much no chance that I’m going to take up computer programming any time soon. However, I like the motivational aspect of seeing what a 15-year old has done with his skills. Spend a few minutes at Yuvi’s weblog and you’ll probably find a lot to like about his weblog design as well as its content.

Quality in the New YearDecember 31 2006

Sometimes I find myself wishing I could be more positive about goods and services that I spend money on. More accurately, I wish I could bring myself to spare loyal readers the grimy details. Alas, I can’t.

Regular readers are well aware of The HP Way and how After Hours ships the wrong sizes of clothes for the most important events in a person’s life. It’s tiresome to write about such atrocious service, but cathartic and necessary.

On December 8 Amazon took an order for a camera. I didn’t realize at the time that they were “farming the order out” to TigerDirect. Worse, TigerDirect was backordered. None of that stopped these two companies from billing my credit card and going completely silent. When I finally inquired I got a string of differing delivery dates and promises.

When I attempted to cancel the order, I was given a couple of email lectures followed by a return authorization. Why would I need a return authorization when TigerDirect is backordered and I never received the camera?

Finally, when I suggested that TigerDirect simply cancel my o

262 Tractor TrailersDecember 28 2006

In the early 1980’s I spent some time heading up a firm that developed computer-generated energy management models for commercial buildings. We modeled a facility using software that dealt with three primary aspects of building operation: architecture, mechanical equipment and electrical equipment.

Architectural issues included the orientation of a building, how the windows were installed and maintained and what type of energy-conserving techniques were employed at the windows and doors. Mechanical issues included plumbing and HVAC demands for energy, but also the additional HVAC demands that might be required due to excessive electricity use for lights. Finally, we looked at both the demand and consumption that the building presented as an electrical load.

Our models provided detailed payback analyses for each retrofit that might be introduced to the facility. In those years our lighting retrofits often resulted in substantial savings, but required some compromises to the aesthetics of the occupied space.

Now, Charles Fishman, author of The Wal-Mart Effect" and editor of Fast Company magazine, has written

Free 2.8 Windows Experience IndexDecember 27 2006

Here’s a headstart on the new year.

Show me a Windows Experience Index above 5.0 on a laptop for less than $1500 and I’m all over it.

A Plea for 2007December 24 2006

Let There Be Light
by Point of Grace

(Star of wonder, star of might)
(Star with royal beauty bright)
(Westward leading, still proceeding)
(Guide us to thy perfect light)

From the beginning the Father
Had a magnificent plan
Revealed through the law and the prophets
To fulfill the redemption of man
He spoke after centuries of silence
In the midst of a still, starry night
And Emmanuel came down among us
And the Father said “Let there be light”

Let there be light!
Let it shine bright
Piercing the darkness with dazzling white
Hope for the hopeless was born on that night
When God sent his Son
And said “Let there be light”
Let there be light! Oh Yea Yea!

People who walked in great darkness
Gathered from near and afar
Shepherds with flocks in their keeping
Three kings who follow a star
Together the poor and the richest
Witness that Bethlehem night
And the sky full of angels announcing
The birth of a glorious light

Let there be light!
Let it shine bright
Piercing the darkness with dazzling white
Hope for the hopeless was born on that night
When God sent his Son
And said “Let there be light”
Let there be light! Oh Yea Yea!

We who are His have this calling
To praise Him, and make His name known
So one day the presence of Jesus