I’ve found a GPS Mouse. Yup… there is now a computer mouse that has a built in GPS sensor. So as you move the mouse around your mousepad, you can watch it change position. Of course, considering GPS is accurate to 10 feet or so, you need to have a very large mousepad.

Finally we are finding out about Kerry’s mysterious “supporters.”

“I think Kerry would be much more willing to listen to the voices of people and of the rest of the world,” Mahathir, who retired in October after 22 years in power, told The Associated Press in an interview.
“But in the U.S., the Jewish lobby is very strong, and any American who wants to become president cannot change the policy toward Palestine radically,” he said.

“Vote for Kerry, anti-semites want him to be President!”

Jose-Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (search), the newly elected president of Spain, said in an interview with Spanish radio on Wednesday that American voters should change their leadership and support Kerry.
“I said during the campaign I hoped Spain and the Spaniards would be ahead of the Americans for once,” Zapatero reportedly said. “First, we win here, we change this government, and then the Americans will do it, if things continue as they are in Kerry’s favor.”
Zapatero was elected Saturday in a surprise victory two days after a series of bombs rocked the Madrid railways, killing 202 passengers and injuring 1,500. He vowed to pull out Spain’s 1,300 troops from Iraq unless the security mission there is put under U.N. command.

“Vote for Kerry, socialist cowards want him to be President!”

I’ve kept this email in my inbox for years… Figured I’d share it now.

When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh.
You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend.
Whenever I was “bad,” you’d shake your finger at me and ask “How could you?” - but then you’d relent, and roll me over for a belly rub.
My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together.
I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect.
We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because “ice cream is bad for dogs,” you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.
Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love.
She, now your wife, is not a “dog person” - still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a “prisoner of love.”
As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch - because your touch was now so infrequent -and I would have defended them with my life if need be.
I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway. There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered “yes” and changed the subject. I had gone from being “your dog” to “just a dog,” and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.
Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You’ve made the right decision for your “family,” but there was a time when I was your only family.
I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said “I know you will find a good home for her.” They shrugged and gave you a pained look.
They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with “papers.” You had to pry your son’s fingers loose from my collar as he screamed “No, Daddy! Please don’t let them take my dog!” And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a goodbye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too.
After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked “How could you?”
They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you - that you had changed your mind - that this was all a bad dream…or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realised I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited.
I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood.
She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured “How could you?”
Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said “I’m so sorry.” She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went a better place, where I wouldn’t be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself - a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my “How could you?” was not directed at her.
It was you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of. I will think of you and wait for you forever.
May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.

The End

A note from the author: If “How Could You?” brought tears to your eyes as you read it, as it did to mine as I wrote it, it is because it is the composite story of the millions of formerly owned pets who die each year in America’s shelters.
Anyone is welcome to distribute the essay for a non-commercial purpose, as long as it is properly attributed with the copyright notice.
Please use it to help educate, on your websites, in newsletters, on animal shelter and vet office bulletin boards. I appreciate receiving copies of newsletters which reprint “How Could You?” or “The Animals’ Saviour,” sent to me at the last postal address below. Tell the public that the decision to add a pet to the family is an important one for life, that animals deserve our love and sensible care, that finding another appropriate home for your animal is your responsibility and any local humane society or animal welfare league can offer you good advice, and that all life is precious.
Please do your  part to stop the killing, and encourage all spay & neuter campaigns in order to prevent
unwanted animals.
If you are a member of an animal welfare organization, I encourage you to participate in the Spay/Neuter Billboard Campaign from ISAR (International Society for Animal Rights); for more information, please visit: http://www.i-s-a-r.com
Thank you,
Jim Willis
Director, The Tiergarten Sanctuary Trust, accredited member of The
American Sanctuary Association, and Program
Coordinator, International
Society for Animal Rights
e-mail: jwillis at bellatlantic.net

So I’m busy coding a new Amazon search utility for my consulting site. Its been out there a few days, so I just checked the log to see what people searched for. Someone actually searched for “Masturbation” so I wanted to see what showed up. 50 books, not bad. Although I wonder if that is a good thing to have on the resume.
I follow one of the links, and found the best comment ever in an Amazon.review.

This book is routine. Nothing earth shattering, mind blowing, anything that hasn’t been said (or done) about masturbation.But maybe my reading pleasure was offput by the USED copy of my book. Okay: Rules of thumb on book buying.
Used copies of books like Jules Verne’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth” are fine. In fact, it’s a great way to save a few bucks.
Books about masturbation that offer step-by-step instructions and proper hand stroke methods - NOT A GOOD IDEA TO BUY USED. Just friendly consumer advice.

Ok, I managed to break the wife’s website today. Its all a problem with Frontpage server extentions conflicting with the Apache Rewrite engine somehow. Let me say, she took it remarkably well. Buying her a new domain name is all I have to do to atone for my sins!
But, did migrate her site’s most popular feature to its own virtual host. She has a great site on wedding traditions. She answers all the questions, from that whole wear white thing to what to throw at who. Take a look at the site, I’m sure you’ll find something interesting!!!

Slashdot has a post and accompanying argument about a possible (yeah right) draft. Typical stuff, all the lefties arguing that all the righties want a draft to enslave them, and they’d rather “smoke a sausage” than fight, etc. Mostly pathetic whining like usual. One good comment caught my eye however.

All I know about Bush is I had a job when Clinton was president. — Saddam Hussein

Just a note that I heard from a source that Day By Day is on the verge of going pro. If you don’t know about this cartoon, you soon will. Check it out. For everyone who enjoyed Bloom County and 70’s Doonesbury (when Trudeau was good/stoned/both) you will love Day By Day cartoon.

Here’s a headline for you:
‘Christ’ Outguns ‘Starsky & Hutch’ In Box-Office Showdown

Time to tackle driving. You know, that thing that no one else can handle except for you? First off. From the News Journal, an opinion piece about red light cameras, that somehow manages to put a slam on SUVs as part of message.

I refer to motor vehicles rather than cars because these days light trucks — SUVs — are dominant. As Keith Bradsher details in “High and Mighty,” the definitive book on the history and indictment of the SUV, all efforts have failed to mandate improved mileage or reclassify SUVs. The powerful auto industry, its unions and the public, have frightened congressmen and government agencies into inaction.

OK, so, the auto industry, unions, and THE PUBLIC all conspired together to frighten congressmen, who never fear increasing their own paychecks, into not doing anything about SUVs. First off, hey jackass, the congressmen are supposed to do what the public tells them to do. I know thats an alien concept to the authoritarian liberal mind, but thats how it works. If most of the public is for or against something, well, thats how congressmen are supposed to vote. I know this fails in your perfectly scripted world where everyone does exactly what you’ve told them to do, since the liberals know what is best for everyone else…
I don’t hate SUVs. I had one a larger one, and have a Honda Element now. I also have an Acura Integra which I’ve had for 8 years and gets great gas mileage. I will admit that many of the people who drive SUVs can’t handle them at all, and are complete idiots. But then again, at least around here, most drivers are complete idiots. Lets be specific, m’kay?
Delaware has so many out of state drivers it is easy to classify drivers by state. In the mid-atlantic region of states, Maryland drivers are the worst. Now, I got my drivers license first in Maryland. But Maryland drivers are worse than New Jersey. Jersey drivers are very agressive, but they pay attention to the road generally. They’re zooming across lanes, but with a purpose, not out of inattention. Maryland tagged cars can always be found driving slow in the left lane on I-95, puttering past the Slower Traffic Keep Right signs. And when they do change lanes it is without turn signals, because that is too damn hard for them to handle. Pennsylvania drivers are generally all right, as are most drivers from Delaware.
But I’m calling the Maryland drivers, who commute into or through Delaware on I-95, complete and utter incapable drivers.
Two simple rules. Keep right except to pass, and if you are not going to be in the same lane you are currently in, use a damn turn signal. If there are cars moving past you on your right, and you aren’t making a left turn, you are in the wrong lane. Changing lanes requires a turn signal. Moving into a turn lane counts. If you are then moving from the turn lane into the new lane, well, guess what? You need to use a turn signal.
Its that easy people. And oh yeah, yield does not equal merge. They are NOT the same thing.

Best quote of the day, thanks Tree! Referencing one of the games she’s been playing — “It’s great, plenty of things to see, kill, and do!”

SlashDot occasionally has a good story. It lead me to this site about a lady in the Ukraine who takes motorcycle rides through Chernobyl. It is a picture gallery. Whole towns, completely deserted. Things left just as they were that day in 1986.
It is now a “tourist attraction” of some sort. The problem is that no tourist wants to stay there more than a few minutes because of the silence. There is nothing around to make noise. So it creeps out everyone.
Some of the pictures are up close and personal, showing what families left behind. Others are wide panorama shots, showing a whole city. Without anyone there.
Wild animals roam the city, happily mutating along. Nature is reclaiming everything.
This is the kind of desolation that scifi stories and addictive first person shooter video games are made of.

OK, I know this is one of those stupid questions that so-so comedians like to ask. But what is up with women at the supermarket checkout line? As soon as the conveyor belt moves up an inch, its like they have to avert a bomb going off by jamming as much food as possible into that small space? Then they stand there until another inch opens up. Repeat. There is no way they can wait another minute for a good foot of space to open up and casually start placing food up there. I have to yank the cart away from my wife when she tries to do that stuff. Trust me, the checkout people aren’t so fast that you won’t be able to keep up! When (If) I finally get to retire and you pick up that part time job, I’d like to be a cashier. Just to move the belt an inch and shut it down. Then another inch… stop it… lets see how much more stuff this lady can cram in there…

For those of you who simply cannot get enough Lord of the Rings, check out Lord of the Peeps

Some people have WAY too much time on their hands…

So I’m doing a side job on Saturday for a buddy of mine. Small company, 5 computers, on dial up. My job? They bought Symantec Antivirus Small Business Edition, so go in and install it, and move the dial up modem from the NT server they have to a separate box to be a firewall. No problem, right? Hhehheh… I could have reinstalled every PC there faster!
I brought Mandrake Network Firewall with me to install. Very nice product, installs in less than 10 minutes, and you can configure it in another 10. But I had never used it with dialup before! Never could get pppd to recognize the connection. Everything is supposed to work just peachy right out of the box, but something wasn’t playing nice. Damnit… Worked on it for a few hours, several different reinstalls, etc., before giving up and just installing Wingate. Its not free, butit works.
Anyways, now it ends up all the workstations and server are Windows NT SP4. Circa 1998 if I remember right. Of course Symantec won’t install on anything less than SP6a. So I send Bruce off to download the service pack, and burn it to a cd. Because we don’t have 15 hours to download over dialup. He comes back and there’s a problem because its the international version, not the high encryption version. So off again he goes. Finally install it on the server, finds 3 virii immediately. Found others on a few of the workstations. But the signatures are over a year old. Autoupdate ran after I left. With the full set of current signatures running, he called me to give the final total.
115 different viruses found just on the server. Guess what people, think you can get away with not running antivirus? Think again! Here, I run AV on all the workstations, and my server runs 4 different AV programs on all email going through the system. Thats after I block all .exe, .pif, .com, etc. attachments in the first place, but stuff will still get through occasionally. And firewalls are damn important also. Go out and buy one of those 60$ broadband routers. Or if you have a spare box or you want to play more, download the Mandrake firewall. Its really nice, lots of charts and graphs. But don’t let your system turn into a zombie, spreading denial of service, spam, and who knows what else.

Sheesh… Get really busy at work and home, don’t post all that often to the site, and they make a news article about you.
Actually, its about how few people blog on the net. Thats most likely a good thing!