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GRAFFITI -- October 10, 2005 thru October 16, 2005 >> Link to the Current Week << Last Week << Mon   Tues   Wed   Thu   Fri   Sat   Sun >> Next Week Search this site : Welcome to Orb Graffiti, a place for me to write daily about life and computers. Contrary to popular belief, the two are not interchangeable.     About eMail - I publish email sometimes. If you send me an email and you want privacy or anonymity, please say so clearly at the beginning of your message.

MONDAY    Tues    Wed    Thu    Fri    Sat    Sun   
October 10, 2005

0852 - Good morning. There's a few snaps yesterday, if you're interested in concrete floors, dogs who nap, and greener lawns. Other things I learned over the weekend include:

• Netscape 7.1 uses a file called downloads.rdf down in the user profile to keep track of the download history. When this file is never emptied, under Netscape 7.1, it just keeps getting larger, and downloads take longer and longer to start up (as the file gets harder to parse, I guess). But when the user settings are imported therefrom to Firefox of either the stable or 1.5-beta stripe, don't touch downloads. Just remove the downloads.rdf file. A 5M file size (tiny, I know!) is enough to send Firefox completely around the bend. Remove the file, then in Tools -> Options -> Privacy -> Downloads: set the download manager to delete the each file from the history upon successful download, and to clear the list when firefox exits. Now you'll be happier.
• Don't try to run a DirectX game on a Windows XP installation running inside VMware. I'm sure there are many, many warnings out there saying just that already, but you know me. Yeah, I stepped in it. The reset button is my friend.
• There is no third item.

Well, that's enough for now. Have a decent Monday, enjoy (if you're here) the lack of traffic, what with FedLand and associated businesses closed down for Columbo Day. Ciao!

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Mon    TUESDAY    Wed    Thu    Fri    Sat    Sun   
October 11, 2005

1740 - Hola! I was at work by 0700, and gremlins ate the whole day. Deals got done, and there's a train behind that light in the tunnel, I'm sure of it. Restart and retry tomorrow. Ciao!

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Mon    Tues    WEDNESDAY    Thu    Fri    Sat    Sun   
October 12, 2005

0621 - Good morning. The only way I can find to denigrate Debian is the insane adherance to policy above all else. Yes, yes, policy is good, but defined by the exceptions that can be made. Telling someone that version 1.0.6 is vulnerable, but ... but ... Debian 3.1 Stable still has version 1.0.6 ... what's up with that?

Security Updates for Mozilla and Friends. With DSA 810 the security team announced that security problems in Mozilla, Firefox, Galeon and Thunderbird have to be fixed by more or less using the new upstream version but keeping the old version number.

Really, I love the Debian way, but to get the same code base, 1.0.7 when installed from Unstable, but called 1.0.6 when packaged for Stable, to maintain the fiction that no version upgrades are done, only backports of security fixes ... sigh. That's screwed up.

Okay, time to hit the road. Have a happy hump day.

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Mon    Tues    Wed    THURSDAY    Fri    Sat    Sun   
October 13, 2005

0634 - Good morning. So a panel of Tax Eaters appointed by Shrub has decided that, in the interests of making the tax system simpler, fairer, and more friendly to economic growth, they're going to recommend removing or reducing mortgage and health insurance tax breaks. Tax Eaters recommend more taxes. Shock and Awe! Then in another set of stories yesterday, Apple's stock falls after announcing a 4X earnings gain ... because analysts don't think they sold enough iPods. The stock market is an insane legalized gambling club for rich people and pension plan administrators anyway, and they make moves based upon the whims of ... well, for lack of a better word, idiots, at least in my view. At least I know why I generally stay the hell away from the news - it's too freaking annoying to read.

Last night I got the DuctTape mod installed in Doom3, and set out again. It's much more fun to be able to see and shoot at the same time. Yeah, it's scarier watching your life drain away as things you can't see keep hitting you in the darkness, while you fire point blank into the 15 degrees to the left. But so be it - I'll take fun over stupid every time. Oh, and in that situation, if ALL I HAD was the choice between flashlight and shotgun, I'd take the latter every time.

Time to drive. Ciao!

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Mon    Tues    Wed    Thu    FRIDAY    Sat    Sun   
October 14, 2005

0624 - Good morning. Quote of the week award goes to ... "RIAA: The skin that holds the pus together in the blister." Doesn't that leave an image seared into the little gray cells, neh? Thanks to Erik for that one, if my memory serves me.

Nothing much to report, busy days as usual. Catch you tomorrow.

1029 - I find that quote originated with the User Friendly 'toon for October 13. Thanks, Mike!

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October 15, 2005

No Post.

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Mon    Tues    Wed    Thu    Fri    Sat    SUNDAY  
October 16, 2005

1256 - Good afternoon. The jungle lawns have been mowed. Today, we've done the shopping, I've got a number of chores to get to, so I'll be about that momentarily. But first, as yesterday was the Iraqi vote on their constitution, it was also a bad week to be an American soldier in country...

• Sgt. 1st Class Moses E. Armstead, 44, of Rochester, N.Y., died at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, on Oct. 6, of a non-combat related illness identified on Oct. 5, as he was returning from leave status and preparing to redeploy to Afghanistan.
• Pfc. Benny S. Franklin, 19, of Hammond, La., died in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Oct. 7, of injuries sustained earlier that day in Helmand, Afghanistan, when he stepped on a landmine during patrol operations.
• Staff Sgt. Timothy J. Roark, 29, of Houston, Texas, died in Balad, Iraq, on Oct. 2, of a non-combat related injury.
• Sgt. Eric A. Fifer, 22, of Knoxville, Tenn. died of injuries sustained in Haqlaniyah, Iraq, on Oct. 7, when his dismounted patrol was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire.
• Pfc. Nicholas J. Greer, 21, of Monroe, Mich. died of injuries sustained in Haqlaniyah, Iraq, on Oct. 7, when his dismounted patrol was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire.
• Staff Sgt. Gary R. Harper Jr., 29, of Virden, Ill., died in Baghdad, Iraq on Oct. 9, when his reconnaissance mission was attacked by enemy forces.
• Lt. Col. Leon G. James II, 46, of Sackets Harbor, N.Y., died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 10, of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sep. 26, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations.
• Staff Sgt. Jerry L. Bonifacio Jr., 28, of Vacaville, Calif., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Oct. 10, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his checkpoint.
• Spc. Jeremy M. Hodge, 20, of Ridgeway, Ohio, died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Oct. 10, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV.
• Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Kimmell, 30, of Paxton, Ind., died in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, on Oct. 11, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV.
• Lance Cpl. Sergio H. Escobar, 18, of Pasadena, Calif., died Oct. 9 from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Ar Ramadi, Iraq.
• Sgt. 1st Class Brandon K. Sneed, 33, of Norman, Okla. died in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on Oct. 10, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle during combat operations.
• Sgt. Leon M. Johnson, 28, of Jacksonville, Fla. died in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on Oct. 10, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle during combat operations.
• Staff Sgt. Troy S. Ezernack, 39, of Lancaster, Pa., died in Qalat, Afghanistan, on Oct. 9, of injuries sustained earlier that day when his combat patrol was attacked by enemy forces using a grenade.
• Spc. James T. Grijalva, 26, of Burbank, Ill., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Oct. 12, of a non-combat related injury.
• Master Sgt. Kenneth E. Hunt Jr., 40, of Tucson, Ariz., died Oct. 12 at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, from wounds received July 24 when the vehicle he was riding in struck an anti-tank mine while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Taqaddum, Iraq.
• Sgt. Donald D. Furman, 30, of Burton, S.C. died in Balad, Iraq, on Oct. 12, when his military vehicle collided with a civilian vehicle and overturned.
• Sgt. Lorenzo Ponce Ruiz, 26, of El Paso, Texas died in Balad, Iraq, on Oct. 12, when his military vehicle collided with a civilian vehicle and overturned.
• Spc. Robert W. Tucker, 20, of Hilham, Tenn., died in Ad Dujayl, Iraq, on Oct. 13, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations.
• Spc. Scott J. Mullen, 22, of Tucson, Ariz., died in Makati City, The Republic of the Philippines, on Oct. 14, of injuries sustained there from a non-combat related accident on Oct. 13.

My heart and thoughts are with our fighting troops around the world, and with the families of those lost in the battle.

See you next week.

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Visit the rest of the DAYNOTES GANG, a collection of bright minds and sharp wits. Really, I don't know why they tolerate me <grin>. My personal inspiration for these pages is Dr. Jerry Pournelle. I am also indebted to Bob Thompson and Tom Syroid for their patience, guidance and feedback. Of course, I am sustained by and beholden to my lovely wife, Marcia. You can find her online too, at http://www.dutchgirl.net/. Thanks for dropping by.

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