It sucks to be sick
Posted by david | Filed under Life
It really sucks to be suck … especially on a holiday.
Yesterday I stayed home from work because I wasn’t feeling good. At one point during the day I had a fever of 100.1.
Today I’m feeling better, but not 100%.
Originally, Ginny and I were planning on going to my folks house for the 4th of July, but I don’t want to risk getting anyone else sick.
So today I’m just going to relax and take it easy. Maybe try to get together with my folks on Sunday.
Gas Milage
Posted by david | Filed under Transportation
I was kind of amazed at my gas milage this last weekend … Ginny and I went down state to visit my niece Melissa and we took our bikes (didn’t end up riding, unforunately).
These days I average about 32.5 mpg. With the bikes on the rack in the back of the Escape, we got 27 mpg.
I’m not sure if the reduction in performance was due to the extra weight, the shift in balance, or just extra drag created by the bikes.
Another convert
Posted by david | Filed under Blogs
I converted Jon to Wordpress!
Wordpress’s domination of the world progresses.
Nimoy supports Obama
Posted by david | Filed under Cool, General
I’ve always thought that Leonard Nimoy and I had a fair bit in common … and I can add another item to the list …
- He was raised Jewish, but seems to have lost religion … check
- He’s a photographer … I’m a shutter bug
- He’s a great actor … I’m … well … ok, maybe not so much in that area
- And now it appears that he supports Barack Obama for president!
Ginny pointed me to the latest “In Character” piece on NRP that highlights Mr. Spock. Pretty cool article … although I have to wait another hour to actually hear it.
Higgins Road
Posted by david | Filed under Life
For those of you who live and/or work in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, you probably have noticed how bad Higgins Road is between Golf and Route 53. The potholes are absolutely horrendous.
The potholes were created after this last winter … and there doesn’t appear to have been any effort to repair them yet.
I contacted someone at the village of Schaumburg, and was told me that Higgins Road is owned and maintained by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Highways.
I agree with your assessment of Higgins Road and can assure you that we have previously contacted them many times regarding this issue. I think that it will help for them to hear from as many people as possible, to get this road repaired.
My car has been in the shop at least twice now for suspension and alignment issues (recently getting a new set of tires) … I’m fairly confident that the condition of Higgins Road either caused, or contributed, to the damage.
I encourage everyone to contact IDOT and ask them to get the potholes repaired as soon as possible.
Update 5/30/08:
I sent email to my state senator, Michael Noland, and representative, Fred Crespo, asking that they look into the mater. No response yet. I was quite surprised when I found that the state does not seem to provide email services for state senators and representatives.
Annoying Software
Posted by david | Filed under Software
ZDNet UK has a great summary of some of the most annoying software products around.
I pretty much agree with them on all counts … although my personal annoyance with anything that tries to install the Yahoo tool bar goes way beyond what they indicate.
I also really dislike Java’s insistence on a background task that’s constantly checking for updates. Personally, I think that any stand alone product that requires Java should install it’s own copy. Updating Java without considering the requirements of the software that is dependent on it is asking for trouble.
32 Percent
Posted by david | Filed under Give me a break!
One in eight U.S. high school teachers presents creationism as a valid alternative to evolution, says a poll published in Public Library of Science Biology.
- One in Eight High School Biology Teachers Still Teach Creationism
The article states that 32% of the 900 teachers, who responded to a poll conducted by Penn State University political scientist Michael Berkman, agreed that creationism and intelligent design should be taught as scientifically unsound. Forty percent said that such explanations are religiously valid but inappropriate for science class. EXACTLY!
However, 25% said they devoted classroom time to creationism or intelligent design. Of these, about one-half — 12% of all teachers — called creationism a “valid scientific alternative to Darwinian explanations for the origin of species,” and the same number said that “many reputable scientists view these as valid alternatives to Darwinian theory.”
Excuse me? ‘valid scientific alternative’??? What’s scientific about the bible? Where is the proof?
Personally, I think that any teacher who is found teaching Creationism or Intelligent Design should loose their teaching certificate. They shouldn’t even be allowed to be a substitute teacher.
I’ve said it before … I’m saying it now .. and I’m sure I’ll say it again … science class is for teaching FACTS … not religion.
Florida is going to be the laughing stock
Posted by david | Filed under Give me a break!
I heard this on Morning Edition as I was getting ready for work …
Florida’s legislature is working out the details of a bill that would either allow or require science teachers to present students with alternatives to the theory of evolution. It could signal a new opening in the perennial battle over evolution in public schools.
Bill in Fla. Lets Schools Teach Evolution Alternatives
The thing that gets me the most is the term “academic freedom”. Freedom to do what? Teach lies? Proselytize their religion?
Don’t get me wrong … if someone can come up with an alternative theory to explain how life came to be the way it is, I’m all for it. But that theory has to be based in science, lacking any super-natural involvement, and be peer reviewed by reputable research organizations.
“Intelligent Design” is nothing more, and nothing less, than creationism. It’s based on biblical texts and has no basis whatsoever in science. Thus, it has absolutely no place in public schools.
The thing that gets me the most is the number of people who, on other topics, are the most logical, level headed, intelligent, people I know. But when it comes to things like Evolution vs. Creationism, they throw all that logic and intelligence out the window.
- Do they have an inferiority complex?
- Does the idea that humans and apes share a common ancestor somehow denigrate them as a human being?
- Is the idea that, because their holy book is wrong on a specific topic, the book is totally wrong and doesn’t merit study and consideration?
The odd thing is, most mainstream religious organizations have actually endorsed Evolution. Even the Vatican has weighed in on it …
The Vatican’s chief astronomer said Friday that “intelligent design” isn’t science and doesn’t belong in science classrooms, the latest high-ranking Roman Catholic official to enter the evolution debate in the United States.
- Vatican astronomer joins evolution debate
So what’s the problem folks? Let’s view the bible for what it is … a book that tries to tell a morality story and not a reference text.
Posting from my phone
Posted by david | Filed under Cool
mainly because it’s a geeky thing to do.
It’s gonna take a long time to make a single post.
iPhone Buzzing
Posted by david | Filed under Technical Tidbits
Ever since I got the iPhone, I’ve noticed that it causes nearby speakers (radios, desk phones, etc) to emit a buzzing noise.
The odd thing is, my boss Brian’s Blackberry does the same thing.
I finally found the reason why:
The cause of this buzzing has to do with GSM’s “time division” nature. The ever-knowledgeable Keith Nowak, spokesperson for Nokia, explains it as follows: “[[With GSM]] the RF transmitter is turned on/off at a fast rate, and that ‘pulsing’ is often picked up by nearby devices that don’t have good RF shielding. In the case of GSM the pulse rate is 217 Hz, which can be easily heard.”
When I put my iPhone in the clock radio / iPhone dock that Ginny got me for the holidays, it does the same thing. Luckily the dock isn’t recognized as being 100% iPhone compatible, so the iPhone offers to shut off the radio (go into Airplane mode) whenever I dock it. This eliminates the buzzing (mostly) because the phone isn’t transmitting.