I live in an area that suffers from power outages quite often. Even in ideal conditions we seem to lose power. So, you can only imagine the fun that is to be had when some nippledick in his rice burner wraps himself around a telephone pole just down the street (this happens about twice a year on average). So, as you might have guessed, I lose power often. It's annoying, frustrating, and it makes me want to slap a baby.
This last time, however, finally did more than just inconvenience me. I was on the computer at the moment when the power went out. The power flickered on and off abruptly a few times until finally staying out until a couple hours later. I turned my computer back on and imagine my surprise when no sound came from my speakers. Odd? Yeah. But, hey... it could have just been that Windows reassigned my default sound settings. Well... no, that didn't happen. After a few hours of investigation, it turns out that the main output port on my built in sound card is fried. Get that? The BUILT IN sound card is FRIED. This means it's rendered useless. Now I ask you; shouldn't I be able to hold the power company responsible for surging computer? Before you get on your soap-box and start preaching to me about using a surge protector, I DO! In fact, it's on a redundant surge protection line. PSE&G (our local power company) bills you EVERY month whether you have service the whole month or not, charges you extra for additional power used, and then destroys your shit and doesn't feel as though they are responsible for it. In this particular case, they ARE responsible. No one hit a telephone pole and no tree was felled onto power lines. They shut the power off intentionally thus popping my amplifier in my computer and frying my sound card.
So... Now I have to haul off to the store tomorrow and pick up PCI sound card so that I don't have to use my jimmy-rigged USB headset adapater as a sound card (although it works surprisingly well).
On top of that, I got to sit in the dark for 3 hours suffering from cabin fever.
Today was just shitty.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Accustomed Living
It's amazing how many people today live by the "Accustomed Living" standard. Over-privileged, well-fed, wealthy men and women get very used to a certain way of living; privileged. However, when times get tough, they would rather leach more from those who depend on them to maintain their way of life.
The Government gives tax breaks to large business owners because the theory is that with all that extra money, business owners will be able to hire more people, thus creating more jobs. Unfortunately, this doesn't work. While this produces an environment that allows the payment of higher wages or more employees, most business owners tend to end up just pocketing the left overs and labeling it 'profit'. That's all well and good, but the second the economy takes a spin in the wrong direction and businesses start to lose profits, the owners of said companies would rather fire parts of their workforce (or at least make major cuts where possible) than dip into their pockets where all those profits gathered for all those years. After all, we can't have the life their accustomed to change, can we?
The problem with this whole set up is it relies too much on the willingness of the business to actually do with the money what was intended. Now, don't get my wrong. I in no way support the full Democratic Robin Hood philosophy of tax the rich, give to the poor because their definition of rich and poor is drastically screwed up. I think a fine line down the middle of helping businesses maintain profitability while taxing people evenly and fairly would work best. Taxes aren't a punishment. They are a necessary funding from the people to pay for things the government needs. So, all citizens, regardless of income level, should pay some form of tax. The amount to tax is the biggest concern. We're probably better off with just a flat percentage tax.
The wealthiest people in this country are too well protected and supported even for mistakes they make themselves. Recently, I accidentally overdrew too much from my checking account and was hit with a $600 overdraft charge. Now, ratio metrically, that $600 loss to me is the equivalent of $60,000,000.00 loss to a wealthy CEO of some huge company. On one hand, the CEO will most likely be able to retrieve most of it through clever tax deductions and government intervention. Me? I'm just screwed. Hell, the bank who took my money is the company who probably lost the 60 million and is getting it back by hitting me with larger surcharges.
In the end, I give a lot of credit to the middle class of this country. We have adapted and evolved from high on the ladder of success to the lowest rung of surivability; selling homes, budgeting money, and sacrificing luxuries. Meanwhile, the upper 1% of this country doesn't know the meaning of the word sacrifice... unless you mean he'll have to skip his golf game on Wednesday because he just might have to show up at the office for an hour...
The Government gives tax breaks to large business owners because the theory is that with all that extra money, business owners will be able to hire more people, thus creating more jobs. Unfortunately, this doesn't work. While this produces an environment that allows the payment of higher wages or more employees, most business owners tend to end up just pocketing the left overs and labeling it 'profit'. That's all well and good, but the second the economy takes a spin in the wrong direction and businesses start to lose profits, the owners of said companies would rather fire parts of their workforce (or at least make major cuts where possible) than dip into their pockets where all those profits gathered for all those years. After all, we can't have the life their accustomed to change, can we?
The problem with this whole set up is it relies too much on the willingness of the business to actually do with the money what was intended. Now, don't get my wrong. I in no way support the full Democratic Robin Hood philosophy of tax the rich, give to the poor because their definition of rich and poor is drastically screwed up. I think a fine line down the middle of helping businesses maintain profitability while taxing people evenly and fairly would work best. Taxes aren't a punishment. They are a necessary funding from the people to pay for things the government needs. So, all citizens, regardless of income level, should pay some form of tax. The amount to tax is the biggest concern. We're probably better off with just a flat percentage tax.
The wealthiest people in this country are too well protected and supported even for mistakes they make themselves. Recently, I accidentally overdrew too much from my checking account and was hit with a $600 overdraft charge. Now, ratio metrically, that $600 loss to me is the equivalent of $60,000,000.00 loss to a wealthy CEO of some huge company. On one hand, the CEO will most likely be able to retrieve most of it through clever tax deductions and government intervention. Me? I'm just screwed. Hell, the bank who took my money is the company who probably lost the 60 million and is getting it back by hitting me with larger surcharges.
In the end, I give a lot of credit to the middle class of this country. We have adapted and evolved from high on the ladder of success to the lowest rung of surivability; selling homes, budgeting money, and sacrificing luxuries. Meanwhile, the upper 1% of this country doesn't know the meaning of the word sacrifice... unless you mean he'll have to skip his golf game on Wednesday because he just might have to show up at the office for an hour...
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The "Just Make It Work" Philosophy
How many of you have a boss who's work philosophy is "Just make it work"? Well, I do. It drives me fucking nuts. I work for a company who deals with mobile technology creating web sites that work for computers and mobile phones alike. However, within this company, EVERYTHING they use is open source and they refuse to use any commercial product other than Exchange for the server and email, and I'm even skeptical that they paid for that.
When I'm working on a new script, or modifying an existing script, I try to take every precaution to ensure that it's done right; make sure the HTML and CSS are valid, double check the PHP to ensure it validates the forms properly, etc etc. You know, the normal everyday web development bullshit people do when working on a script.
Well, when it comes to this place, "Just make it work" rings loud and clear. Corners are cut, essential error checking is skipped, and user input sterilization is bypassed in order to meet some self-made deadline (a deadline that COULD be changed, but isn't because those who make the deadlines promise things that don't exist yet to people who've already paid for them).
Any company that utilizes the "Just make it work" philosophy deserves to go out of business.
When I'm working on a new script, or modifying an existing script, I try to take every precaution to ensure that it's done right; make sure the HTML and CSS are valid, double check the PHP to ensure it validates the forms properly, etc etc. You know, the normal everyday web development bullshit people do when working on a script.
Well, when it comes to this place, "Just make it work" rings loud and clear. Corners are cut, essential error checking is skipped, and user input sterilization is bypassed in order to meet some self-made deadline (a deadline that COULD be changed, but isn't because those who make the deadlines promise things that don't exist yet to people who've already paid for them).
Any company that utilizes the "Just make it work" philosophy deserves to go out of business.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Warlock IV
My newest ship in EVE Online. The Amarrian Omen Cruiser renamed Warlock IV. It's a big, slow hunk of metal... but I like it. It's still incredibly vulnerable to damage, but mostly because of my lack of character skills and equipment.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Warlock II
My Warlock II, an Amarrian Retribution Frigate. It's quick, but very underpowered. I do kind of like these smaller ships, but I think I'll revisit them once I can purchase the Tech II versions.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Book Project Part I
I have recently started working on a new project; a book. I am not going to go into any details as to the plot or setting. I have started building the outline and character development. As soon as I have something more solid to share, I will keep this updated with non-spoiling details.
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