Moved

I’ve movedCatch 19 to a hosted site.

The new site is catch19.com

All ravenous fans can find me there. So… start ravening.

Weigh In: 270 Lbs.

Just 8 days since I achieved 275, and now I have achieved 270. I am very happy about this. It’s clear to me now that I need to do an hour of cardio every day, even if I go to the gym. Otherwise, things are just going along the same, whatever I’m doing seem to be working.

Weigh In: 275 lbs.

This has been a good two weeks. The weight has dropped steadily. Though I did not get to the gym once, I did get on the bike every day. I realize now that on those days I do go to the gym, I still need to do an hour of cardio. The extra cardio this week made a clear difference.

It Pains Me

There is no excuse for the pain in my neck. I went to sleep feeling fine. I woke up barely able to move my head. In between those two things I did nothing but sleep. And it was your garden variety sleep, too. It wasn’t Extreme! Sleep! where I perch myself on a 2 inch ledge in 120 degree weather and stand on my hands while trying to attain 8 hours of REM sleep. I was even in a bed, a nice one, with clean sheets. Just sleep. And the result is a seriously tweaked neck. There can be only one conclusion:

Reality is broken.

One Customer Retained

Last week Mia had a small fender bender. No injuries, but the rear passenger side lights are wrecked ans there’s some damage to the fender and quarter panel. Not really a terribly big deal. Never the less, I was in a cold sweat anticipating what was to come.

Insurance companies and their evil minions.

And so, I undertook the treacherous journey. I called the insurance company to start a claim. My hands shook with trepidation and my voice nearly cracked with sheer horror when I reached a human being to talk to. Then something–miraculous–happened.

I found myself dealing with real people who tried to do their best to help me and were all competent and through and efficient! YES! OH GOD YES! YES YES YES YESYESYESYESYES YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSssssssss..

Wha-? Oh, um blog post, right. Sorry.

Yeah, so I was completely shocked that not just my adjuster, but the rep in the call center that I initially called were both really excellent. They took my info, had the info I needed on hand, anticipated most of my questions and had useful answers, and got answers for those questions they didn’t already know. It was really ready to be stuck in insurance hell for at least 2 weeks. but by the end the day I knew pretty much everything that was going to happen. And as it happened, I was kept updated by my adjuster.

Less than a week later I had checks in hand for the entire amount of damage. And that included getting a check cut from my insurance co. even though Mia was 100% not at fault (as shown in the police report). There is some statute in NJ that limits liability of municipal vehicles, which is what hit Mia. So their ins. only had to pay the amount of the deductible and my ins. payed the rest.

The point is that they did so without dragging me through 80 miles of shit to get it. And I thanks them for that.

I have the name of my adjuster and I’ve sent an email in asking for an adress I can send a letter of commendation. I’d really like to see that she gets recognition for a job well done.

In case anyone is interested, the company is First Trenton Indemnity, also called Travelers of New Jersey.

Hell Is Other People

You know how sometimes you think to yourself “Oh man, it would be hell to have to eat at crowded McDonalds were there were no chairs and everyone there knew everyone else except you but they a kept mistaking you for Uncle Maxwell The ChildMolester.” Right? We all have thoughts like that at regularly timed intervals.

But then, sometimes, get a glimpse into a real hell. A hell that millions of people willingly submit to. Here is one such glimpse:

via Neatorama

Calling 911

Today, for the first time in my life, I called 911.

Me and Rowen were on our way to dinner (Baja Fresh) when we saw a very small brush fire in a bank parking lot.  SO I pulled in to take a look. In truth, it looked like it would have burned itself out in a short while. it was isolated and there was no additional fuel nearby. But, despite the other cars nearby, one of which had likely already called the fire dept., I called 911. They thanked me, and let me know that fire dept was already dispatched. The arrived even as I hung up.

We drove on, and being the annoying dad I decided this was a learning opportunity for Rowen. So I asked her what she thought about me calling 911. She said she thought other people had already done so. And I told her that, yeah, they did. That led to talking about doing the right thing, even if you think it’s needless. Or redundant, or time consuming. She got it, and didn’t seem to mind my little detour into learning-land.

I’m still surprised that I’ve never before had need to call 911. And even in this case it wasn’t really an emergency.

Damned Hybrids

I hate when a hybrid owner drives like an asshole. I mean, I hate it even more than when it’s just your average asshole. Not because they are worse than other assholes, but because they aren’t.

I take great pleasure in the righteous indignation and rage that I feel when someone does something stupid on the road. I take even greater pleasure in expressing it loudly and colorfully with hand signals as appropriate. So today when some ass cut me off and then proceeded to slow to a crawl, I filled my lungs in anticipation of cursing a blue streak. Then I noticed the distinct shape and knew I was dealing with a Prius hybrid.

The problem is that by driving a hybrid, that person has demonstrated a minimum of human decency. In fact, they at that moment, on the open road, that person is a demonstrably better person than I am, aside from the observed asshole behavior. They are actively doing something to try and minimize damage to the environment, and I’m not. So when they then go and do something so obviously full of ass as cut me off then slow down, I’m thrown into a quandary. By demonstrating that minimum human decency it makes me think twice about condemning them to a fiery hell where they will suffer the eternal torment of having their face rubbed off with medium grade sandpaper and be taunted by small demons disguised as children speaking in a language so maddeningly close to their native tongue that they think they should know what is being said but don’t.

But really, is it so difficult to follow the basic rules of safety and courtesy on the road?  How hard is it maintain a steady speed +/- 1 MPH? Or to avoid asinine lane change that do nothing but give a one momentary advantage of one car length?

(Let me turn aside here and say that, No, I do not ask that driver maintain a +/- 1 MPH steady speed. I know that that sort of margin is not really possible. I even recognize that we are all fallible beings and that sometimes you just space out and go really slow for a bit. I don’t expect perfection, not by a long shot. I do expect you to at least try to drive in a manner that is minimally acceptable. It does not require superhuman concentration to occupy only one lane at a time. It does not require the patience of a saint to refrain from making 13 lane changes between lights. Hell, I’m not that bright and I manage to not pull out in front of cars going 60 MPH when I know that I don’t have enough room to accelerate. So yeah I get it, people make mistakes. I’m not taking about that. I’m talking about jackassery.)

I decided to curse that Prius owner anyway. I feel a good fellow like that, acting in enlightened self interest, trying to do the responsible thing and protect the environment would probably want to be cursed out after the things he did on the road. I know I would.

This Internet I Breath

My livelihood does not depend on the ‘net. Nothing horribly bad will happen if I don’t have access 24/7. I’d be sad and pathetically frantic, but that’s it.

Some folks really must have a working internet connection. Some of those folks need it essentially 24/7 as they are doing business with people around the world. For them, it makes perfect sense to have a web enabled phone on their person at all times. They have a wireless laptop in the home in addition to a desktop. And that same laptop or another one goes with them when they go anywhere.

Most folks do not need that level of connectivity. No where near that. For most, a connection at work that’s not too horribly crippled by company installed nannyware, plus a desktop or laptop at home with a cable or dsl connection is sufficient. Kids of course require more connectedness.

For me, all I really need to meet my internet needs is this desktop machine with it’s cable connection. But I have Treo with web access as well. Really slow web access.

And I expect more. Recently I came to the realization that the internet in the basement was just way way to far away. If I’m watching a movie with Mia and she insists that the star played the brother of the pimp in SLASHERS ON BROADWAY and I know for sure that she’s wrong because she’s thinking of the actor that played the love interest in BROADWAY SLASHERS 5: THE RETURN OF NATHAN LANE, I need to be able to look that information of NOW. How else will I be proved wrong in a timely fashion?

More people are coming to feel that way. The ‘net is slowly becoming to feel like less of a luxury and more of a necessity. I’m almost to the point that I’m surprised when I can’t just hop on the ‘net.

BTW, I’ve acted to rectify my appalling lack of connectivity by buying an Asus EEE PC. I’m giddy with anticipation of it’s arrival.

Weigh In: 280 Lbs.

So this took a lot longer than I thought it would take. I’ve actually been under 280 for most of the last 2 weeks. But because I would occasionally cross back over, I couldn’t count it.  It was annoying.

The problem is with food. Damned, delicious food. I’ve been doing cardio 6 or 7 days a week, so that’s taken care of, but I do love bad food. And I love going to a restaurant to get it. Rowen feels the same, so she’s no help when I ask “So, should I cook? Or maybe we can go to Fatty McFatfat’s Deepfried Steakand Icecream Parlor?” Her reply is “I’ll get my coat!”

So I intigated a new policy. If we eat out and it’s just Rowen and I, we can only go to Subway (where I really can have a sensible meal and enjoy it thoroughly), Kyoto (local sushi place, but I only have one roll), or Baja Fresh (pronounced improperly in homage to Paulie Walnuts). Seems to have started working already. If Mia is with us then we can go to those mid-level family restaurant chains we love so much.

Fast food is still verboten.

Thinking Like A Designer

That is not something I do. It’s a talent and skill set that I envy in others, the ability to see things not as they are, but as they might be. But I do enjoy good design.

And I think I’m going to overhaul the site again.

When I set it up, I was really puzzled by the three column themes. It was evident to me that you needed a column for posts, and a column for everything else. Duh. Now I know that I was wrong. I need three columns. Posts, stuff, and blogroll. Obviously! So that’s what I’m going to do.

But it also made me wonder, is it better to change the design on a blog often or rarely. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the answer is “Ummmmm… both?” I wonder if anyone has put serious thought and research into the subject. But for my purposes, I like changing the look, so I’m going with often.

So, how do you like it?

(EDIT) On reflection I’m begining to think that I need to move this blog to a hosted site using WordPress rather than the free solution from wordpress.com. I’m trying to do what I thought was very simple, a blogroll with sections broken out. But it’s more difficult than it should be, and only in anphabetical order. I don’t like that.

American Idol, A Love/Hate Thing

I’ve watched every season since season 2. And I hate pretty much everything about it. I really don’t know exactly why I watch it. Maybe it’s the very rare performance that really is great. Like in season 3 when Fantasia Barrino sang “Summertime”. But is all the stuff I hate (everything else) worth it? I suppose it must be, I still watch.

Luckily my viewing habits for the show mean I don’t have to suffer through to much. I Tivo the whole thing then fast forward through everyone talking that isn’t Simon. The contestants, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Ryan Seacrest are all boring and basically say the same thing. Simon is at least honest and occasionally interesting. Even the songs only get 30 seconds in most cases. I’d guess that I only hear one song in five all the way through. The results show is even easier, skip to the end and I’m done.

But, I do watch it, and even dig talking about it. Maybe I can blame it on a tumor in my brain?

JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG

I just read that Abby Mann, Screenwriter of JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG has died. I’m not a huge movie buff, and in fact I don’t recognize his name. I rarely remember directors, producers, or writers of movies and TV.

But I was reading some of his dialog from the movie and it’s clear that I need to see this movie. This is the relevant bit:

JUDGE DAN HAYWOOD: “Janning, to be sure, is a tragic figure. We believe he
loathed the evil he did. But compassion for the present torture of his soul
must not beget forgetfulness of the torture and death of millions by the government
of which he was a part. Janning’s record and his fate illuminate the most shattering
truth that has emerged from this trial. If he and the other defendants were
all depraved perverts – if the leaders of the Third Reich were sadistic monsters
and maniacs – these events would have no more moral significance than an earthquake
or other natural catastrophes. But this trial has shown that under the stress
of a national crisis, men – even able and extraordinary men – can delude themselves
into the commission of crimes and atrocities so vast and heinous as to stagger
the imagination. No one who has sat through this trial can ever forget. The
sterilization of men because of their political beliefs… The murder of children…
How easily that can happen! There are those in our country today, too, who speak
of the “protection” of the country. Of “survival”. The answer to that is: survival
as what? A country isn’t a rock. And it isn’t an extension of one’s self. *It’s
what it stands for, when standing for something is the most difficult!* Before
the people of the world – let it now be noted in our decision here that this
is what we stand for: *justice, truth… and the value of a single human being!”

I think I’m going to print that and frame it. And then maybe send a copy to every congressman and woman. Twice.

via Adam-Troy Castro

A Confession

I hate Legos.

I have all my life. I have never once gotten even a minutes enjoyment from playing with Legos. They were huge when I was a kid, just like they are now. My friends all had tub after tub full. And they could all spend hours configuring them and building city-scapes of them. There were buildings and vehicles and robots. And I’d just shrug at them.

My ambivalence is not restricted to just those multicolored blocks. Lincoln Logs, simple blocks, and Erector Sets all did nothing for. Maybe I had a stunted imagination, though in most other ways it seemed fully functional. I was curious, built elaborate pillow forts, scrounged wood to make a clubhouse, and wrote stories. Plus I was a fairly typical geek, devouring endless amounts of science fiction. It just never ‘took’. The construction toys left me cold, and still do.  Which isn’t to say I don’t like them on an academic level. They are the first gifts I give to kids (boy and girls, I noticed that girls sometimes get short shrift in the building toys department) , and I’m aware that they help develop the brain (including language skills according to this study). I just didn’t enjoy them

So when I see the vast and prodigious amounts of nostalgia for Legos on sites like BoingBoing, io9, Engadget, and Geekdad it just leaves me cold. Yeah, I get it, it’s a beloved plaything from your past. And I suppose I don’t begrudge you the misty look back at things from your past, I’ve been know to do the same. But it’d be nice if we could keep it to a dull roar.

Webcomic

In a direct ripoff of xkcd I’ve done my first webcomic.

The Stickfigure I’d Like To Be

… but am not.

http://xkcd.com/137/

Arthur C. Clarke

Better writers than me will do him more justice than I can. I’ll just say that he was a giant. A god damned giant.

I Can Has Art ‘preciashun?

My first, and likely most famous once I die and it is discovered what a genius I was, work of art. Using GIMP and this little toy I just got.

Something Interesting From the Vatican

The Vatican has released a list of Seven Social Sins, along the line of the Seven Deadly Sins. They are:

1. “Bioethical” violations such as birth control

2. “Morally dubious” experiments such as stem cell research

3. Drug abuse

4. Polluting the environment

5. Contributing to widening divide between rich and poor

6. Excessive wealth

7. Creating poverty

Now, I clearly have problems with a few of those, namely the first two. Those are just a restatement of the current party line for the Roman Catholic Church, and further indication that the Church just can’t get out of it’s own way sometimes. In particular, the first is a sin only by way of being included on the list. That the RCC continues to reject the incredible good that is contraception, in particular the pill, is an example of the worst sort of blindness to the ills of modern life. If they could only have restrained themselves. Number two is some sort of kneejerk reaction to the boogie-man threat of cloning and a sop to the raging anti-abortion forces.

But aside form those two, I wholeheartedly and vehemently agree with the Church! Sins 5-7 should have been universally acknowledged by all religions a long time ago as great blemishments on the moral welfare of society. If we could get people to follow those three rules, imagine the billions of dollars that would immediately be available for everything from AIDS research to infrastructure to clean water projects to preventative healthcare to education. Imagine the welfare of workers the world over as CEOs forgo multimillion dollar salaries and enfore a livable wage for every worker.

I really have to give credit to the Church for those last five rules. They didn’t wimp out. They could have used weasel words to suggest that excessive wealth and the promotion of poverty for selfish gains is wrong, but they came right out and said it in no uncertain terms. Bravo.

I am still a bit divided. The heinousness of including the first sin, added to the lazy malignant stupidity of including the second sin balances out the good of the last five.

Now lets see if any priests refuse to give communion to their millionaires.

via BoingBoing

Shiny Things

• Baby Political Speech
• The youth of today
• Battlefield Heroes
• Gadget Porn: Sony Xperia X1
• Cosmic Art
• Cool Shades
• Neat Wallpaper
• Gadget Porn: Polymer Vision Readius
• Living Lightning
• The Flowboard
• Steampunkarific Casemod
• Chest of Many Drawers
• Cute Widdle Bwains