On the discussion board for PCLinuxOS, someone started a thread to post haiku about the operating system. Developed by a guy in Houston who calls himself Texstar online, it is a great Linux distribution. So anyway, I wrote some haiku for the thread at the forum, and decided to post them here. So away we go . . .
Haiku #1
PC was too slow
Got an OS from Texstar
Best upgrade ever!
Haiku #2
My OS of choice?
Make mine PCLOS.
No Microsoft here.
Haiku #3
Use Linux? Of course!
Customizable? You bet!
Fast, safe, and secure!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Get Ready for the Aliens!
Will the city of Denver have an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission? It will if Denver resident Jeff Peckman has his way. The 54-year-old who reportedly lives with his parents (big surprise, huh?) has been petitioning the city to create such a commission just in case we have an otherworldly visitor.
Today, Peckman is supporting his case by showing a film that purports to be actual video of a space alien. One film "expert" says that it appears to be real and not doctored in any way. Allrighty then.
Long time Denver residents complain about the Californication of Colorado by the influx of folks from the west coast. Just wait until the aliens get here. Nobody will be able to get a seat on the light rail!
CLICK HERE for a story on this from The Denver Post.
Today, Peckman is supporting his case by showing a film that purports to be actual video of a space alien. One film "expert" says that it appears to be real and not doctored in any way. Allrighty then.
Long time Denver residents complain about the Californication of Colorado by the influx of folks from the west coast. Just wait until the aliens get here. Nobody will be able to get a seat on the light rail!
CLICK HERE for a story on this from The Denver Post.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Ding Ding!
This week I have noticed a number of traffic counters deployed on various thoroughfares around Parker, Colorado. I am not sure why the counts are occurring, but I have to assume that a study is underway for planning which roads may need upgrades. These counting devices consist of a pressure hose stretched across the roadway and every time a set of tires rolls over it, a counter is incremented.
This got me thinking about another pressure hose device that used to be very common. Back when gasoline was purchased at a "service station" (they actually pumped your gas and performed other maintenance checks), there was a pressure hose across the vehicle paths that was connected to a loud bell. When a car entered the pump area, a loud "ding ding" was heard, notifying employees that a customer had arrived. I don't remember when the last time I encountered one of those was, but it has to be years, maybe even decades ago. Still, the sound is indelibly written into my memory to the point that I would instantly recognize it if I heard it today.
This makes one think . . . how many of today's adult drivers have no recollection of this once-familiar sound? Many people cannot remember a time when the station personnel pumped gasoline, checked fluid levels and tire pressure, washed the windows, and wore uniforms with the oil company's logo on their shirts. For that matter, how many people now driving remember gasoline selling for less than 35 cents per gallon?
One other thing provided free by service stations were roadmaps. One thing I have always loved is maps, and as a young kid, I was always glad when I could pick up a new road map at a service station.
Speaking of gas stations, I recall that the more expensive gas used to be called "High-Test" or "Ethyl". I believe Ethyl Corporation made an additive that boosted octane. However, it contained lead, and was eventually phased out of motor fuels. Every brand of gasoline tried hard to differentiate its product from the competition. There was Texaco's Fire Chief and Sky Chief brands. Super Shell with the mysterious additive "TCP" was also available. I remember my dad joking that TCP stood for a "TeaCup of Phillips". Phillips 66 future merger partner used the slogan, "Conoco! Hottest Brand Going!" Many other brands have been merged out of existence, such as Skelly, Apco, D-X, Gulf, and Sohio/Boron. Humble, Esso, Enco, and others were rebranded Exxon. Cities Service is now Citgo. Atlantic and Richfield became Arco, and now is part of BP if memory serves. More obscure brands included Gibble Gas, Hess, Fina, Pure, and Clarke.
Ding Ding!
This got me thinking about another pressure hose device that used to be very common. Back when gasoline was purchased at a "service station" (they actually pumped your gas and performed other maintenance checks), there was a pressure hose across the vehicle paths that was connected to a loud bell. When a car entered the pump area, a loud "ding ding" was heard, notifying employees that a customer had arrived. I don't remember when the last time I encountered one of those was, but it has to be years, maybe even decades ago. Still, the sound is indelibly written into my memory to the point that I would instantly recognize it if I heard it today.
This makes one think . . . how many of today's adult drivers have no recollection of this once-familiar sound? Many people cannot remember a time when the station personnel pumped gasoline, checked fluid levels and tire pressure, washed the windows, and wore uniforms with the oil company's logo on their shirts. For that matter, how many people now driving remember gasoline selling for less than 35 cents per gallon?
One other thing provided free by service stations were roadmaps. One thing I have always loved is maps, and as a young kid, I was always glad when I could pick up a new road map at a service station.
Speaking of gas stations, I recall that the more expensive gas used to be called "High-Test" or "Ethyl". I believe Ethyl Corporation made an additive that boosted octane. However, it contained lead, and was eventually phased out of motor fuels. Every brand of gasoline tried hard to differentiate its product from the competition. There was Texaco's Fire Chief and Sky Chief brands. Super Shell with the mysterious additive "TCP" was also available. I remember my dad joking that TCP stood for a "TeaCup of Phillips". Phillips 66 future merger partner used the slogan, "Conoco! Hottest Brand Going!" Many other brands have been merged out of existence, such as Skelly, Apco, D-X, Gulf, and Sohio/Boron. Humble, Esso, Enco, and others were rebranded Exxon. Cities Service is now Citgo. Atlantic and Richfield became Arco, and now is part of BP if memory serves. More obscure brands included Gibble Gas, Hess, Fina, Pure, and Clarke.
Ding Ding!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Sunday at the Meat And Three
Well, this has been a rather busy month for me, hence the lack of posting on the blog. But so as to not disappoint my few readers, it's time for another post.
Last night I returned from Tennessee courtesy of Southwest Airlines. My company had its annual retailer conference at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville. What a crazy five days! And what an enormous hotel. Last year, we were at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas, and the Opryland facility is much, MUCH larger than that one. The lush foliage and waterfalls inside the biodome give the appearance of being in a tropical jungle, and it is really weird. It feels like you are outside, but you are really inside a glass dome. Pretty, but it doesn't feel quite right to me.
Anyway, the trip afforded me the opportunity yesterday to see my uncle, aunt, and cousin who live just outside of Nashville. They took me to lunch at a type of place that Nashvillians love . . . generically known as a "Meat and Three", called this because they serve a meal of a choice of meat and three side dishes for a fixed price. This is apparently a common type of establishment in the southern United States, but I don't recall having heard of them as this before. These places are typically family owned and serve what I consider home-style cooking. If you think Cracker Barrel or Black-Eyed Pea, you get the idea of the kind of food, only these are little hole-in-the-wall joints, rather than bland, cookie-cutter, corporate-owned chain restaurants.
The place we went was The Dinner Bell Restaurant on Lebanon Pike in Donelson, Tennessee. The service was fast and the food was delicious. I had a fried boneless chicken breast for the meat, and selected for brocolli and rice casserole, fresh sliced tomatoes, and cooked cabbage as my three sides. Oh man, was it ever tasty!
There was a steady stream of customers, but with the fast service and table turnover, seating was not a problem. We arrived just before the "after church" Sunday diners started coming in.
I don't know if there are any real Meat and Threes here in Colorado, but I now plan to see if there are any out there.
Last night I returned from Tennessee courtesy of Southwest Airlines. My company had its annual retailer conference at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville. What a crazy five days! And what an enormous hotel. Last year, we were at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas, and the Opryland facility is much, MUCH larger than that one. The lush foliage and waterfalls inside the biodome give the appearance of being in a tropical jungle, and it is really weird. It feels like you are outside, but you are really inside a glass dome. Pretty, but it doesn't feel quite right to me.
Anyway, the trip afforded me the opportunity yesterday to see my uncle, aunt, and cousin who live just outside of Nashville. They took me to lunch at a type of place that Nashvillians love . . . generically known as a "Meat and Three", called this because they serve a meal of a choice of meat and three side dishes for a fixed price. This is apparently a common type of establishment in the southern United States, but I don't recall having heard of them as this before. These places are typically family owned and serve what I consider home-style cooking. If you think Cracker Barrel or Black-Eyed Pea, you get the idea of the kind of food, only these are little hole-in-the-wall joints, rather than bland, cookie-cutter, corporate-owned chain restaurants.
The place we went was The Dinner Bell Restaurant on Lebanon Pike in Donelson, Tennessee. The service was fast and the food was delicious. I had a fried boneless chicken breast for the meat, and selected for brocolli and rice casserole, fresh sliced tomatoes, and cooked cabbage as my three sides. Oh man, was it ever tasty!
There was a steady stream of customers, but with the fast service and table turnover, seating was not a problem. We arrived just before the "after church" Sunday diners started coming in.
I don't know if there are any real Meat and Threes here in Colorado, but I now plan to see if there are any out there.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Okay, so it stuck!
Beautiful, ain't it? But this is springtime!
(Photo taken on MotoQ cell phone)
Yeah, I know. Here is a view out the back window about an hour after I said the snow probably wouldn't stick. If this keeps up, maybe we'll have a white Memorial Day!
That Blasted Groundhog!
Back on February 2, Punxatawney Phil, the weather forecasting groundhog, predicted 6 more weeks of Winter. So here we are 13 weeks later, the first of May, and it is snowing like crazy, the sky is gray and you cannot see very far away because of the dense snow and fog. Yesterday we had seasonal, nearly 80 degree Fahrenheit temperatures. Today it's a different story.
Since snow goes along with living in Colorado, that part in itself is not too distressing. What is bothersome is that I have carpet cleaners coming to the house in an hour or so, and they will have this mess to deal with. I suppose it will be no big deal to them, since the hose from their truck-mounted equipment will come into the house with no trouble...I just don't want them tracking snow all over the place.
This weather is supposed to last into tonight, but the ground is warm, so I doubt we will see much accumulation in the Denver metro area; however the mountains will likely see some significant amounts sticking to the ground. I am sure all of the blossoming plants around here, such as the many oriental pear trees, are getting quite confused.
Since snow goes along with living in Colorado, that part in itself is not too distressing. What is bothersome is that I have carpet cleaners coming to the house in an hour or so, and they will have this mess to deal with. I suppose it will be no big deal to them, since the hose from their truck-mounted equipment will come into the house with no trouble...I just don't want them tracking snow all over the place.
This weather is supposed to last into tonight, but the ground is warm, so I doubt we will see much accumulation in the Denver metro area; however the mountains will likely see some significant amounts sticking to the ground. I am sure all of the blossoming plants around here, such as the many oriental pear trees, are getting quite confused.
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