Whither Chrome?

Anyone else having trouble with Chrome on Google websites? Logging in to Gmail gives me the message "too many redirect loops" forcing you to refresh the page. After that, the service loads ok. Today, logging into Blogger I was told my "cookies were not enabled" (they most assuredly were turned on, thank you very much). How is that Google's own browser is having so many issues with Google's own web properties? You think that'd be table stakes. Still love the browser though, just hope this doesn't portend other new issues in future.

We have a name ...

We settled on Leonidas. Some interesting "Leo" facts:

Leo was named after Leonidas I. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonidas

Leo is actually a Scorpio, not a Leo. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpio_%28astrology%29

There is a Belgian chocolatier named Leonidas. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonidas_(chocolate_maker)

Welcome, Baby X ...

IMG_2048.JPG
Originally uploaded by JochemClarke.

Boy, 9 lbs, 3 oz. 20.5" long. Name, TBA.

More Pictures

Mischief Managed

It would appear that most of the fires have burned out in and around our area now. If you look at this map you can get an idea of how things have gone. We're located pretty much smack dab in the middle of square 1106.

This morning started out with another ashfall. Our neighbors charmingly called it "California Snow". We had smoke pretty much up until noon, and after that the wind died down and things seem to have pretty well cleared up.

Looks like my office will be open again tomorrow, so I can get back to work. It seems we dodged a bullet - if we had moved further south like we originally intended, we may be evacuees at this point. You have to feel terrible for the people who have been forced out of their homes, or worse, lost them entirely to the fire. Absolute tragedy.

If you'd like to help, you can donate funds to the San Diego Red Cross here. Please avoid anyone else representing themselves as a charity, unless they are a known entity (like the Red Cross). Evidently, there are some hucksters out there passing themselves off as charity to solicit your funds.

San Diego Wildfires

Laurie woke me up this morning since ash was falling from the skies. Conveniently, since we've just settled in, all our cardboard boxes and wrapping paper were "stored" on the side of the house. Needless to say, I spent a good hour this morning moving boxes and enjoying the brisk outdoor smell of a campfire. After that we pretty much have had to seal up the house, and I've rigged together a makeshift airfilter in my office with a box fan and a paper air filter from Wal Mart. Who knew that having no air conditioning would bite us in the butt this quickly?

There is an absolutely huge fire (appropriately called the "Witch" fire, since it started in Witch Creek), just southeast of us 8-10 miles. Prevailing winds are west and south, a happy condition known as "Santa Ana Winds". If you didn't know, these are winds caused by a high pressure system in the desert. With nowhere else to go, the wind "pushes" down through the mountains and out towards the Pacific, in the opposite direction of the normal weather pattern. This wind is usually hot, because the air compresses as it comes down the mountains. Not good for those stuck between a honking big fire and the ocean. On the upside, the Santa Ana is fading, which everyone here seems to think is a good thing. Still, I'm not so sure, because if the regular weather patterns return, it simply means the fire will move in new directions. But then, what do I know as an transplanted midwesterner about wildfires?

According to the news, the Witch fire is a very encouragingly "0% contained". Basically, this means that they have no confidence in being able to stop it from moving in whichever direction it wants. To give you an idea, in the last 24 hours, the fire has jumped I-15, and basically moved all the way into Rancho Santa Fe. It looks like it might push to the ocean, which would be a first for San Diego. So, it sounds pretty grim right?

Well, actually it's not all bad news. First, and foremost, we are happily all fairly well safe and sound. Secondly, we had a nice period of about 8-9 hours of clean air today allowing us to air out the house, and get Lorelei some much-needed outdoor play time. All evacuation areas in Carlsbad (south Carlsbad was under a "voluntary" evacuation order this morning) have been recalled, that is, there are no standing evacuation orders for Carlsbad at the moment. Next, the Santa Ana is weakening. We'll see how much benefit that actually brings in the next couple of days. The Governator was down here today, and he did say that the Witch fire is right now the #1 firefighting priority in the state, so we should get some good attention on the firefighting front. Also, we should have plenty of warning if the fire moves in this direction as the city has been on top of alerting people to issues. Finally, from our discussions with our neighbors, most of them think the fire would have a rough time working in this direction because there isn't much brush in between here and there.

So there you have it. One likely scenario is that we wake up to an evacuation order (they do this via reverse-911 broadcasts), and have to find a way out of town. We've made arrangements with Kev and Beth in Phoenix to stop there if need be, and several of my coworkers have stepped forward and offered their homes as well (even though that might be a 6-to-1, half dozen to the other scenario). In the absolute worst case, we have to get out of the house in 5 minutes, my office burns to the ground (a scant 4 miles south), and I'm out of a job. Luckily, just this past weekend updated our insurance policies, and we still have an unsold house in Illinois if we need it. There's also an ocean right next door, so I suppose we could just go jump in there as well.

The city's slogan is "Life is rad in Carlsbad" but right now I'm thinking it's more "En fuego en San Diego" ...

Sopranos. Fin.

I can't believe last night was the last Sopranos episode for all time. It was contrite, boring and crawled along slowly. The plot was, at times, unbelievable. The lowlights:

New York had New Jersey on the ropes, knocking out both the #2 (Silvio) and #3 (Bobby) before sitting down to a settlement. That's right, New York sold out it's own acting boss, Phil Leotardo, rather than face any more hostilities. Even though we did not see one piece of action the Sopranos took against New York - not one!

The last bow was disappointing to say the least. David Chase clearly did not have the guts to show us something real about the future of Anthony Soprano. As he sits down to dinner with his family, we have our curiousity peaked by any number of malicious-looking strangers. Then, everything goes black. No music. Nothing for about 20 seconds. Are we supposed to think that Tony was hit? Or were we supposed to supply our own ending to the series? Either answer smacks of cowardice by Mr. Chase. He simply didn't have the guts to give Tony and the rest of the Sopranos the ending they deserved, something with a little more "oomph" than this non-ending. Whither the indictments? Hostilities with New York? Did Paulie betray him? If not, who? Too many questions are left unanswered, for fans that have been kept waiting, far, far too long.

The Sopranos eked out last night with a whimper, a sorry way to go for, what had been, a very entertaining series.

Colts win!

The Colts have won Super Bowl XLI, against the Chicago Bears. It was a bit of a challenge for me, personally, since I am now living in the Chicago area.

A poster over on Stampede Blue had a good point, however, did Manning really deserve the Super Bowl MVP?

http://www.stampedeblue.com/story/2007/2/4/232155/1715

Merry Christmas!!!

Just the two of us
Originally uploaded by JochemClarke.

And Happy Boxing Day to you all.

Bon Voyage, Vonage

Vonage, you're fired. I'm tired of your static - it sounds like the other person is sitting right next to a roaring campfire. I'm tired of you cutting out on me in the middle of a critical sentence. I'm off to AT&T and their quadplay - Phone, DSL, Satellite and Cellular service. Landline, here I come!

Bon Voyage, Vonage!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone ...

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Oh yeah, one more thing ...

Google maps is out for the Treo (Palm, of course) now!

Google Maps for Treo

Prosper ... lots of fraud recently?

I'm a light user of Prosper.com, the peer-to-peer lending, Web 2.0 startup. Lately, I've noticed there are a lot of loans that are going to funding, but then are getting shut down by the Propser review team. I don't know whether to marvel at all the fraud going on, or whether I should feel secure that the Prosper team is preventing these bad loans from being funded. All in all, my personal verdict is still out on Prosper. I currently have north of 50 loans, all of which are current. But, none of my loans are older than August, so time may tell here.

Halloween!

Cheezzzz!
Originally uploaded by JochemClarke.

Family picture for the season. Look at those teeth!

I've started my MBA ...

I'm now officially a student again. I'm going to UIC's Liataud Graduate School of Business for my MBA. I will concentrate in Management Information Systems (MIS). The semester started on August 28th. I'm also about $6,000 poorer after tuition. This is going to be one expensive degree (8 semesters * 6,000 = $48,0000). Anyway, with the time commitment and all, I may not be around here as much. I promise to blog anything new or interesting, but forgive me if updates are slow coming in future.

I'm flying again tomorrow ...

Time to enter the security zone. I wonder if the TSA is going to go fingering through my toothpaste and shampoo in my checked luggage as well?

What is the deal with people who brush their teeth at work?

Today I saw someone brushing their teeth in the office bathroom at nine in the morning. Not to get all Seinfeldian, but what is the deal with brushing your teeth at work? Did you forget to brush your teeth this morning? Did your teeth get so dirty on the trip into work, that suddenly they need a brushing? Where does the toothbrush come from? Is this guy running around, carrying a toothbrush in his pants pocket? For some reason, I don't like the ring of the words "toothbrush" and "pants" in the same sentence. And let's not even talk about the toothpaste. ... Can you imagine this guy, sitting in his office, and suddenly it's all: "Johnson! Bring me the Vandelay file, and a toothbrush! My teeth are grittier than sandpaper!" And what is it about the state of a public bathroom, that makes this guy think "Gee, I could really go for a toothbrushing right now?". The eau du toilet must have just put him in the mood for a fresh minty brusha? The scent of turds and toothpaste wafting on the breeze ... sounds refreshing, no?

I've seen a lot of disgusting things in my lifetime, and that include the time my friend's buddy drank water from the bathroom sink at a gentlemen's club (at a bachelor's party, natch). For some reason, brushing your teeth at work is even more revolting.

So, guys, please, when you go to work, leave the toothbrushes at home.

Tetanus Booster Anyone?

Today I received my first tetanus booster in nigh 20 years. Everyone talked it up so much I was expecting a 10 inch long needle, but it turned out to be a pretty innocuous small one. Now, it's about 10 pm, it feels like somebody gave me a good hard sucker-punch to the left shoulder.

So why the suffering? Because I've been admitted! No, not to the mental hospital, but to graduate school. One of the conditions of entry was to have my vaccinations up to date. Nothing like grad school to make you feel like an animal. Anyway, I'm all up to date, and AKC registered and the like. So, watch out grad school, here I come.

Wego Recalled

We had a Wego. Luckily, none of us were hurt. Turns out videos like this one started to appear. Or this one. Or this one. Or this one.

Maybe Mr. Mainway should pick up the Wego.

Amazon.com won't honour the price ....

Yesterday, I saw a price on Amazon I could not believe. I had been eagerly awaiting a good price for the Motorola HF850 Bluetooth Car Kit. While other retailers were listing the kit for $100+, Amazon had the kit for $19.96 plus tax and shipping. I ordered the product, and minutes later received an order confirmation.

This morning I got up to check my email and noticed this email in my inbox:

We regret to inform you that an error caused the Motorola HF850 Deluxe
Bluetooth Car Kit in your recent order to be displayed at an incorrect
price.

In accordance with our posted policies on pricing, we're unable to
offer items that have an incorrectly posted price. Therefore, we have
cancelled this item from your order.

Ummm, say what? Let's recap. Amazon listed a product for a price, and sent an order confirmation. Then they cancelled the order because they advertised the price incorrectly. Can anyone say false advertising?

Anyway, I seriously doubt I will get any form of apology or compensation. Amazon makes it incredibly difficult to talk to their customer service. FWIW, I lodged a complaint with the Washington/Seattle BBB. If you find yourself in the same boat, here's what to do:

Point your browser to Seattle BBB, Amazon Complaint Page ... Then just fill in your complaint ... BTW, Amazon's physical address is "1200 12th Ave S Ste 1200 Seattle, WA Main".

PS - Links to J&R because I'm fed up with Amazon today.

I love Q, I hate Q

The love hate relationship is over. It's time for Q to get out.

The Motorola Q is a pretty nifty form factor for a phone. It's too bad that the software just isn't up to snuff. I bought one on Verizon on 6/1 and have just returned it to them this morning via FedEx. A Treo 700p is on it's way to replace the Q.

I wanted to love the Q so badly, that I had considered keeping it. Then, last night, while playing with the Facade plugin, I bricked the phone. That's right. By playing with an XML file that controls the homescreen, the phone became a brick. Granted, it was a brick that had a flashing strobe-light screen, but that's not what I paid $200 for. This was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.

Some of the other straws -

1. The phone doesn't synch Outlook notes. Huh? What was Motorola thinking? Notes are the most useful thing in the world. I can keep a list of groceries, or directions to your mother's house. I can take notes on my meeting, or draft an outline for my next novel. All of which, I can never read on my Q ... Not without PhatNotes or similar, anyway.

2. The Q would have a tough time racing a snail. The phone would frequently lockup for 7-8s performing seemingly simple operations like loading the home screen. I don't mean after modification in Facade either, I mean after hitting the "home" button.

3. Out of the box, there is no way to edit or handle recurring tasks. For that you have to pony up $30 for Papyrus. Speaking of which, there's no serious week view in the Calendar application either. You can only get about 3-4 hours of your day on the screen at a time. No way to really plan for what's coming up in the afternoon, but hey, who needs to know that anyway?

4. WSOD. Yep, the "White Screen of Death" ... the phone would note application errors, and keep running (e.g. "gwscd.exe has caused an error"). I only noticed something was seriously wrong and the phone needed a reboot when my Good Email stopped being updated. At least restart Good Shell for me when it crashes.

5. On WM5 Smartphone, you have to go to the Task Manager to close some of the default applications. All applications should have an "exit" command. And I should be easily able to switch back and forth between running apps. If I exit an app, it should shut down. If too many apps are running, the phone slows to a crawl (ala #2 above). This leads to you constantly, paranoidly checking the Task Manager to make sure the phone isn't running "too many" apps.

6. Your only PIM choice on the desktop is Outlook. Blech (Liveable, but seriously Bleccccccccccccch.

Most of my other gripes are WM5 specific. I'm not really interested in trashing the OS, but just note that for me, the Palm OS is much more comfortable and easy to use. Some of you WinMo gearheads probably disagree, and that's fine. I'm not here to pick apart the implementation of WinMo on the phone (other than #5).

So, now I'm going the 700p route. I had a Palm before, so hopefully that will make the learning curve go by more quickly. I'm coming from a Samsung i500, so it's going to be an interesting transition to say the least. I will post more here when I've had a chance to "get acquainted" with my new Treo.

So, far-Q Motorola. And farewell to Q.

I have not abandoned my blog ....

Things have just been really crazy with work lately. More to follow ... in time.

You learn something new every day ...

I didn't always believe that there are still "simple" things out there to discover, but these two guys take the cake with the finding that you can create geometrical "holes" in water with a special bucket.

Reported by Nature, via /.

Hummer is making ... shoes?

I can't believe it's come to this. Hummer is actually making shoes. I can't believe I actually like them. I just picked up a pair of sandals at Sierra Trading Post, my new favorite site for discounted clothes and shoes.

I have officially "sold out".

Wernham Hogg vs. Dunder Mifflin

As I watched the season finale of the U.S. version of The Office last night, I realized that while I enjoy the U.S. version that the U.K. original is a far, far better show. My arguments in favor:

David vs. Michael

David is much more of an idiot. He is also charmingly unaware of his idiocy. Michael, while dumb, seems to recognize his idiocy when others confront it. Watching David's antics can make you feel embarrassed to be part of the human race. Watching Michael just makes you feel sorry for the guy.

A point to Wernham Hogg.

Jim vs. Tim

Tim is supposed to be the everyday regular man on the UK version of the show. However, since I was raised in the United States I find it hard to relate to Tim's Britishness. Jim's character is a perfect realization of the workaday everyman in the U.S. Watching the show, you can feel Jim's suffering, and in general relate to him very directly. We like Jim, because we all "are" Jim to some degree. Plus, Tim's haircut sucks.

Dunder Mifflin earns a cookie.

Pam vs. Dawn

I'd call this one even up, but personally I think Pam is a little more attractive than Dawn. Pam has that girl-next door understated beauty look, while Dawn is more the low-rent blonde type. Dawn spends a lot of time in tears on the U.K. version, while on the U.S. version of the show, Pam's interplay with Jim is much more "fun".

Dunder Mifflin goes for two.

Dwight vs. Gareth

Dwight is an insane caricature of the anal archetypes we find at work. His over-the-top appearance in last week's episode (full police outfit anyone?) was just a little too far left of center for the show. Dwight is just plain creepy. Gareth on the other hand is a boy trapped in a man's body. He has a childlike exuberance for his interests. Gareth has a gun holster for his cellphone. He's strict because he has a child's sense of fairplay (I'm going to tell on you!). He is a Top Trumps master. He wonders if there will ever "be a boy born that can swim faster than a shark." Gareth has the naivete of a child and it's ingratiating, even when his actions are repugnant and anal.

Wernham Hogg is back in it.

Kevin vs. Keith

Not much to say here. In the U.S. version, Kevin is in a band, and a world-champion poker player. In the U.K. version, Keith's timing and inappropriate comments make for hilarious moments. Keith's Ali G costume was one of the highlights of the series.

Wernham Hogg piles it on.

Todd Packer vs. Chris Finch

Todd dropped a dookie in Michael's office. Finch distributed photoshop porn of David Brent. Finchy's obnoxiousness knows no bounds, while Todd seems to be a pretty minor character in the U.S. version of the show.

Wernham Hogg makes it three in a row.

"Intangibles"

The U.S. has a writer on the show, B.J. Novak, playing Ryan Howard. Ryan's interoffice relationship woes (with Kelly Kapour) make for an interesting side story. The Interns in the U.K. version aren't near as entertaining as Ryan and Kelly.

Is this the start of a comeback? It's Dunder Mifflin by a nose.

The Love Story vs. The Love Story

Tim and Dawn. Jim and Pam. In the U.S. Jim and Pam are kissing at the end of the second season. Can't say it made me feel much. In the U.K. "The Office" special, Tim and Dawn finally fall into each other's arms after, what seems like, ages. It was truly a moving moment to see Dawn come walking back in to the office, and let Tim know how she truly felt. On pure emotion and gut feeling alone, I have to go with ...

Wernham Hogg

Overall

Both versions take a few episodes to ingratiate themselves to you. The UK version is simply the better show, with better characters. The storyline can be a bit strange at first, since not all aspects of English office life translate well to the U.S. However, with the U.K. version of the show, the characters are more intense. That is, you hate David more than you hate Michael, your skin crawls more for Gareth than it does for Dwight, and you love Tim and Dawn much more than you feel for Jim and Pam.

The final score: Wernham Hogg: 5, Dunder Mifflin: 3

Bring Back My Black Jack

Who knew the story of Black Jack gum was so convoluted? Who knew that it was the world's first flavored chewing gum?

From Victory Seeds a call to bring Black Jack Back:

"Please contact Cadbury Adams Consumer Affairs Department to let them know that these are favorites. Call at 1-800-524-2854 weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST."

I am better than Slashdot

I can't believe it. I beat Slashdot by two days on the Vonage story:

Slashdot does the Vonage IPO story

I rock.

Windows XP Automatic Updates Reminder is Annoying

Do you have automatic updates turned on in your copy of Windows XP? I hate the stupid little reminder that keeps popping up to restart my computer. Every 20 minutes or so, another ridiculous reminder. Look, Microsoft, I hate you enough already without you bugging me every 20 minutes to reboot my computer. My workday is around 8 hours long, so it may just be that I don't want to reboot until the end of the day. Remind me once, then go away. Or at least, be as civil as most other programs and offer to remind me at a time of my choosing. Ah well, just another reason to hate Bill Gates and the Evil Empire.

Vonage IPO - Customers can get IPO shares

In one of the first IPO's I've been interested in since the roaring Nineties, Vonage has filed to go public in mid-2006. What's interesting, though, is the Directed Share Program, which will allow customers of Vonage to purchase IPO shares. If you were a Vonage customer from December 2005 to February 2006, you are eligible. Personally, though tempted (and eligible!), I'm going to pass on the IPO. I think the barriers to entry in the VOIP market are far too low.

U.S. Shows Zarqawi Propaganda Video Outtakes | Chicago Tribune

Don't ya think, that if this guy is such an idiot we might have caught him already? I'm guessing this was produced by the U.S. as some anti-Al Qaeda propaganda for the Arab world.

U.S. Shows Zarqawi Propaganda Video Outtakes | Chicago Tribune

Back to work

It's my first day back at work since my daughter was born. Hopefully that'll help me keep the blog updated. I'm working on a top secret project for an "unnamed" customer. How cool is that? I could tell you who it is, but then I'd have to kill you. har de har har.

Krugle Beta Komes Through ...

Krugle Beta access came through. Initial reaction is it looks pretty neat. Further review once I get a chance to play around with it (which may be a while with the birth of my daughter and all)

More Pictures of Lorelei

More Pictures of Lorelei ...

It's a girl! Lorelei Elisabet Louise Clarke

7 lbs, 5 oz. 19 in. in length. Born 4/14/2006 at 1:59p CST.

Whither Krugle Beta?

The Krugle Blog is reporting that they think this week will be the next wave of beta testers. Hope I'm on that list. Let's hope this doesn't turn into Vaporware, as we were promised expanded beta access over a week ago.

Inducing Labor : American Pregnancy Association

We're going into the hospital tonight to induce my wife for our first child. We both don't know what to expect, so I found a good resource on the web that has some decent information about inducing labor: Inducing Labor : American Pregnancy Association

Wish us luck!

Drive an Audi ... for Free

While I probably will never buy an Audi (IMHO, they're overpriced - and right now I am more of a "value" guy), you can test drive the new Q7 for free. Audi has their "Streets of Tomorrow" road show hitting a major metropolitan near you this Spring.

HP hw6900 series

Mobility Today is reporting that the hw6900 will be offered on Cingular. It's referenced on a Cingular help screen as well as on the HP website. Supposed to go under the designation hw6920.

If you've read my smartphone posts before, you know I'm looking for the flip n' fold form factor. Since no one will be doing this in the interim, it appears the hw6920 will be the next best thing.