daverea.com

Based on what I know of geeks (and being one myself, I should know a good bit) I know we have very strong “DIYer” tendencies. When something needs to be done, we would rather do the job on our own than hire someone else – whether it’s fixing a problem with a PC, running down a gremlin in the car, working on some aspect of our home, or just about any other hands-on type project. Ask any geek, and chances are he (or she, even more so, since many female geeks proudly espouse a Rosie-the-Riveter mentality) would rather get down and dirty with the task at hand than write a check and have someone else do the job.

Except, perhaps, for toilet plumbing – but that’s another post.
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There are plenty of bloggers out there complaining about Christmas shopping, mall traffic, rabid shoppers and the de-Jesusification of Christmas. There are plenty more discussing the virtues of “Merry Christmas” versus “Happy Holidays”, and there are still more journaling about how fun the latest Christmas party was, or who got drunk at the office holiday shindig.

So, amidst all the seasonal frackas in the blogosphere, here at daverea.com I just want to offer a simple, heartfelt Merry Christmas. I hope your gatherings are warm and joyful, your blessings are plentiful, and your Christmas celebration is heartfelt and thankful.

Last week, I got an e-mail from one of my old credit cards, instructing me to check my statement. Considering I haven’t used this card in a while, I was curious just what might be causing a statement to be issued… When I logged in, here’s what I found:

So apparently someone spent thousands and thousands of dollars suing someone else – and thanks to their efforts, me and (presumably) a lot of other people get … a penny.

Good job, yo.

Postings have been scarce here for a few weeks, so I figured I’d toss something quick up while I try to reconcile my love of Christmas and my loathing of “the christmas season” in an attempt to post something about this holiday that’ll be enjoyable to read. In the mean time…

We all know how I feel about the space program, and the abundant fraternal pride I feel toward the army of fellow engineers who make it possible for us to put people in orbit. So, while I’m not exactly a space enthusiast – there are plenty of other things to be enthusiastic about – I do take an interest in those space- and aerospace-related things that float through my field of view.

I happened across this video montage during a brief perusal of YouTube tonight, and the first 30 seconds gave me goosebumps:

When I stand in front of a fuel cell engine at work, watching it motionlessly generating almost a hundred thousand watts, I get a chill down my spine if I stop long enough to think about just how much power that is. But watching those solid rocket boosters ignite is an entirely different level of thrill for me. It’s like watching someone press a button and effortlessly channel the force of a hundred tornadoes into a coffee cup. It’s as much an emotional triumph as a technical one…for onlookers like me, even more so.

So family and friends – if ever I’m in Florida when a shuttle is scheduled to launch, don’t be surprised if I hop a commuter jet to Orlando to watch it happen. Because if I had a list of things I wanted to witness before I die, that would be one of them.

Seems Microsoft bullying is hitting home for one semi-local company. Around the corner from where I used to work at Ultralife Batteries in Wayne County, what’s left of “Yukon Marketing Group” is getting their pants sued off by Microsoft for distributing counterfiet certificates of authenticity – essentially a little Big-Brother-style tag that has to be on Microsoft-powered computers to prove you’ve purchased an authentic copy of Windows (or whatever else software) from Microsoft.

I guess this scheme isn’t exactly new – “Let’s create some money by forging something that’s worth some coin to someone else, then sell it to them!” I’m certainly not a fan of the fraud that these (evidently-not-so-bright) geeks committed. From where I’m sitting, they had a couple alternatives, though. They didn’t have to pull an Ocean’s Eleven and steal from the baddest mofo on the block.

Based on the Google cache of their site (which is now defunct and owned by a websquatter), evidently they were also in the used computer recycling business. I guess Computer Renaissance has proven that’s a pretty lucrative business to be in, if you can cut the mustard. What better stage from which to advocate for Linux? And make a buck at the same time?!

“Hi maam, welcome to Yukon Marketing…what can I get you?” “Well, I’d like to buy a used computer.”
“Well, you’re in luck – we just took this nice [Dell/HP/Compaq/whatever] box in on trade, and ran it through our 2⁷ point inspection.”
“How much does it cost?”
“Well, with the lightweight and full-featured Linux operating system, the whole kit-n-kaboodle will cost you $299… Or, we can load Windows XP for you for a total price of $379.”

That wouldn’t be so hard now, would it? But I guess there’s always the alterative of being dragged into court…

For those who don’t know or have never encountered one, a person who slaps a bunch of lights and sirens on his (or her) personal vehicle, then goes around pretending to be an emergency responder is called a whacker. There are different flavors – a perennial favorite is the “weather whacker” who haphazardly installs said lights and sirens, then goes out endangering himself and others in a misguided attempt to chase storms. But I don’t think there’s yet a classification for this kind:

CBS 2 Investigates: Too Good For Gridlock

Yes, evidently some NYC diamond-dealing rabbi decided he wanted to circumvent gridlock and enjoy the same speedy travel that others – oh, say cops – enjoy as they respond to actual emergencies. So he had somebody deck out his blacked-out crown vicky with lights and sirens, and off he went. That is, until WCBS caught up with him.

[Hat tip: hamsexy]

Originally shot at a mind-blowing 1.3 megapixels, these have been sized down to conceal their crappiness… ahem! …to fit your screen.

It’s exactly 32°F outside right now – and I remember when I saw this on my way home from work this past summer:

But fall must come, and with it hunting season – and with hunting season comes mud. And with mud comes trips to the do-it-yourself car wash (I bet they love it when we show up)…

Maybe it was just me, but I thought the icon for rinsing one’s car looked strangely like the car is on fire…