Random Rants

Thursday Link Dump. Getting old, rights, and more.

Posted by stevet on May 29, 2008
Posted in: Random Rants. Tagged: , , , , , , .

Damn it. I guess I am growing up. What fun is that?

Tim Schrick is not the Stig. Or at least the only one.

I’m finally got to use my new toy on Sunday morning. What is it you ask? It is a Smith and Wesson Sigma .40. It may prove to be the most wildly in-accurate gun I have ever shot. At 7 yards, 4 different people shot at a paper target and no one has any clue where the shots were going. Sickening. I took it apart last night and made sure the spring was centered and that the barrel looks clean so maybe next time out it won’t suck. .40 ammo is not cheap- about $17 for 50 rounds, so it would be a true waste to have it be useless.

Canada is going to try and ask the border guards to check iPods and the like for infringing material. Um… how? If I move all of my CDs onto my iPod I am still qualifying for fair use. How do they know if I still have the CD or if I borrowed it or if I downloaded it from limewire? You really can’t tell one way or the other. Irritating.

Neat article about the changing demographics of stray dogs in Moscow. Even the dogs are adapting to the changing Russian society- including stopping at lights to let traffic go and riding the subway.

Have a great Thursday everyone. The weekend is almost here, I can nearly taste it.

The “Girl Sports Fan” Defined

Posted by stevet on May 22, 2008
Posted in: Random Rants.

Lozo over at Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Blog? is reminiscing about his blogging past and brought up, what I feel is, one of the best blog posts ever.

The Girl Sports Fan: An In-depth Study

It is just amazing how accurate it is. I often find myself at the bar sitting near a GSF and thinking- yep there is a wading pool’s worth of depth in that one’s sports fandom.

Give it a read, I promise you will enjoy it. Double your money back if you don’t.

A Doctor’s Funeral

Posted by stevet on May 7, 2008
Posted in: Random Rants.

A beloved cardiologist died and was given an elaborate funeral.

A huge heart covered in flowers stood behind the casket during the service. Following the eulogy, the heart opened, and the casket rolled inside.

The heart then closed, sealing the doctor in the beautiful heart forever.

At that point, one of the mourners burst into laughter.

When all eyes stared at him, he said, ‘I’m sorry, I was just thinking of my own funeral………………I’m a gynecologist.’

The proctologist fainted…

Economic Stimulus

Posted by stevet on April 28, 2008
Posted in: Random Rants.

So the US Government thinks that sending everyone $600 (or so) as economic stimulus will spin up spending and everyone will have new big screen TVs and expensive watches.

My check was deposited last night and this morning AMEX got a payment. Not exactly what government economists expected.

Apparently I am not the only one thinking this way. A lot of the finance blogs (including $1 Million to My Name) bring up this very point.

Then again, when I get my payout for the company buyout that just happened I am going to pay off a chunk of my truck and dump the rest in my IRA.

Running Progress

Posted by stevet on April 26, 2008
Posted in: Random Rants.

I just passed the 1/3 marker on my way to 700 miles. We are just about 1/3 of the way though the year- I’m on track to do this.

April has been tough for me. I laid off a bit after the 10k and got a bit lazy. Then I did things like yard work instead of running. Good for the health, not so much for the distance. Plus it got hot enough not to be able to run at noon or after work, luckily I have been waking up at 5 am for some unknown reason. This has allowed me to run in the coolness of early morning. It is dark and quiet which allows me to think about life, work, friends, and anything else that I happen to be pondering.

Today is Eeyore’s Birthday Party here in Austin. I’m probably going to head down there this afternoon.

I’m a Dellionaire! Oh wait…

Posted by stevet on April 23, 2008
Posted in: Random Rants.

As of about 8pm last night, my company officially “merged” with Dell. We had our intro meeting this morning and our Day One stuff is this afternoon.

Same. As. It. Ever. Was.

And no, I did not and will no make millions. I don’t know what the final number is but I am hoping for low thousands. It will help pay off my truck. I did get a nice laptop backpack though. Exciting isn’t it?

Off to get the Dell chip implant, hopefully the scar from the IBM chip doesn’t hinder them.

One Year Anniversary

Posted by stevet on April 16, 2008
Posted in: Random Rants.

Today is the one year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings.

VT Yellow Ribbon

It is hard to imagine what the families and community has had to deal with. They need our continued support and vigilance.