Wednesday, June 21, 2006

- This is my cubicle at work. The first thing that jumps out at you regarding my cubicle is the lack of decor. When it comes to my job, I live by the axiom Neil Mcauley (Robert De Niro) expounded in the movie Heat..."Do not get attached to anything you cannot walk away from in 30 seconds. That's the discipline."

Besides, there are hidden treasures located in my cubicle. This small rectangular area, encased by grey walls is actually a window into a much larger world.

You cannot see it, but my computer chair has arms on it. I am the only non-manager in the company that has a chair with arms. A computer chair without arms is the ultimate insult to a computer programmer.

My mouse, as of this writing, is located on the right side of my keyboard. Every two or three weeks, I switch my mouse to the left side of the keyboard, and use it left-handed. I am just as proficient using a mouse left-handed as I am right-handed. I even have software on my machine which switches the mouse buttons. When using the mouse left-handed the primary button becomes the right mouse button. This technique helps cut down on the dreaded carpal-tunnel syndrome.

I hardly ever use the speakers connected to my computer, except during the late afternoons. I listen to Detroit Tiger baseball via the internet. During the fall I listen to press conferences with Lloyd Carr.

A woman I have recently been dating said to me that my cubicle is too barren. Too boring. She said I should put up my favorite Bloom County cartoon, or a picture of my family. Well, I have those things, but they are located on the hard-drive of my computer, and spring to life when my screen-saver starts.

If someone sends an email to my Gmail account, a message immediately pops up on my screen, and my cell-phone also rings! Pretty neat huh?

I have complete, unfettered, T-1 access to the internet. It's a must for my position. My job would be impossible without it.


- Famous Doctors who tried their own medicine on themselves, before they tried it on their patients. Brave people indeed (or certifiable.)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8123-2217159,00.html

- Look at the following animated image. Do you see a shark swimming? I didnt either, when I first looked at it. The key to seeing the hidden shark is to barely cross your eyes, which will create two images of the animation. Then slowly cause the two images to cross each other. You will then see the 3-D swimming shark:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Stereogram_Tut_Animated_Shark_Small.gif

- The Big Ten is forming its own TV network. The NFL and NBA did it a few years ago. This is the wave of the future for any form of mass media. Avoid the middle-man, and bring the profits directly to your organization:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060622/SPORTS06/606220344/1054

- Classic movies its OK to hate:
http://www.avclub.com/content/node/49630

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

If the following picture doesnt terrify you, nothing will...

Yikes!

- What would the founding fathers do about America's current problems? Beats me, but Richard Brookhiser, famed American historian, takes a shot at it. Long article, but worth the read:
http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/2006/3/2006_3_31.shtml


- Top 10 engineering mistakes:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.06/start.html?pg=9

- Top 10 most common grammar mistakes. I think I have already committed three of them in today's update:
http://insight.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020415,39273376,00.htm

- Listen to almost any radio station in the world, via the internet:
http://www.live-radio.net/info.shtml

- Darn good week for G-Dub. We pop Zarqawi, the special prosecutor says he wont indict supreme master-mind Karl Rove, and Georgie makes a surprise trip to Iraq. To learn how the media is reacting to all of this good news, check out the following site:
http://media.nationalreview.com/

- Christopher Hitchen's makes a wonderful case for the importance of killing Zarqawi:
http://www.slate.com/id/2143305/