Be humble

There is an interesting timeline of the Nixon slide from power that begs comparison with Bush the lesser.  There are those who are saying that September will be the month that America realizes that Bush the lesser is done.

Jody, an occasional visitor to this part of the internet has written an interesting note.

I have no idea if this series of short comments is fact or fiction – and it matters little.  What interests me is the wonderful way that she communicates with the written word. 

Reflecting on the blogs I visit I have noted that most that I find amusing or interesting only hold my interest for a relatively short period.  Then I start to get bored.  Jodi keeps me coming back for more and I envy her writing skills. 

Ooooo - now this makes my head hurt:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2003/73.cfm

NASA-funded research at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., that literally stops light in its tracks, may someday lead to breakneck-speed computers that shelter enormous amounts of data from hackers

A huge snowstorm with up to 60 cm of snow, 100 km/h winds, zero visibility and wind chills of -35°C paralyzed the Island for a week. The storm buried vehicles, snowplows and trains in 5- to 7-metre drifts and cut off all ties with the mainland.

This naked chick was seen dipping her beak in the hot tub.  This should put to rest, once and for all, any suggestion that we are endeavoring to avoid the forbidden status of the PEI Children’s Library system.  Which incidentally, I consider a very worth while and worthy facility!

Cron jobs are magic to me.  When I see them working elsewhere I have envy.  I can’t get the syntax right.  (Please don’t tell me to google as I already have and I am still confused).

I run a little weather script to scrape and convert the raw METAR info provided by the good people at NOAA.  Each time you hit this page, my script will read the METAR data.  This causes an unacceptable (to me) delay in the page loading.  As METAR data is updated once an hour by NOAA, I cache the data and when this page is hit if the data in cache is less than an hour old, cached data is read and I do not retrieve new data.

If however, the data is more than 60 minutes out of date, the METAR is read, converted and inserted in this page.  This causes a delay while the information is retrieved.  I would like to run a cron job every 60 minutes to automatically update the information in cache, thus avoiding delays.  What is necessary is to run my weather script to update the cache.

Any thoughts?

In view of popular demand, the hot tub report has been reinstated.  I have resisted making the hot tub cam available to unregistered members.  That feature shall remain available to those have a ‘must see’ need.

Received in my inbox today - perhaps you wish to help

Good day.

You may be surprise to receive this email since you do not know me. I am the son of the late President of Democratic Republic Of Zaire, President Mobutu Sese Seko, (now The Republic of Congo, under the Leadership of the son of Mr. Laurent Kabila). I presume you are aware there s a financial dispute between my family (THE MOBUTUS) and the present civilian Government.

This is based on what they believe as bad and corrupt governance on my late father’s part. May his soul rest in perfect peace. As you might have heard how a lot of my father’s bank account in Switzerland and North America have been frozen.

Following the above named reasons, I am soliciting for your humble and confidential assistance to take custody of THIRTY MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS (US$30,000,000.00), also to front for me in the areas of business you desire profitable.

These funds have secretly been deposited into a confidential Security Company, where it can easily be withdrawn or paid to a recommended Beneficiary. The funds will be released to you by the Security Company, based on my recommendations, on that note, you will be presented as my partner who will be fronting for me and my family in any subsequent ventures. My mother and myself have decided to give 20% to you if you are able to help us claim this consignment. We have also decided to give you any money spent on phone calls or travelling expenses in the course of this transaction at the end of the transaction.

Please, I need your entire support and co-operation for the success of this transaction, your utmost confidentiality and secrecy is highly required, due to my family’s present predicament. I sincerely will appreciate your willingness to assist us as soon as possible.

I am presently in the refugee camp here in the Netherlands under the united nations refugee camp in The Netherlands and you can reach me on this my E-mail address: for more information on how we can proceed in this transaction.

Please indicate your interest by sending your responses to my email address above.

I sincerely will appreciate your quick responses as soon as possible.

Warmest regards,

Edward Mobutu Sese-Seko

An interesting opinion.

http://charlottetown.cityfilter.org/link/21

“People from Away” are taking PEI away from the Islanders. They’re buying up all the best properties because they can affort it. That’s all the islanders see when another prime piece of the place they love gets bought up. It’s not that there aren’t any positives to outsiders living here, it’s just that the positives are not as apparent when the most precious things are gone.

People aren’t moving here to share the humble life of the islander. They want to take all the good things about the island and leave what’s left to “those who might need a job”. It’s like the rest of the world has discovered their secret and this precious place is out of reach for most of the islanders now.

I don’t think Islanders hate people from away. They hate what’s happening and it’s not easy to welcome it every day. 

http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/

Aaron Swartz writes:

“Scott McCloud is one of my favorite writers and his medium, comic books, simply adds to the joy of his work. He’s released his new comic, The Right Number, under a new micro-payment system, BitPass. (The comic costs a quarter.) I haven’t read the comic but from what ’I have heard, it’s going to be good.”

What I find interesting about this is that Bitpass is offering a micro payment facility.  Those that have listened to my colleagues and I over the years have heard us speak of the very real need for a facility like this.