Dear Highway Maintenance Crew,

I appreciate that you're fixing up the bridge roadway and realise that it will mean closing two of the three lanes near my normal exit. I also understand that this cause traffic to back up but could you please put a sign warning about this before the previous exit, especially since I can't see over the hill to notice the backup? This would allow me to take the previous exit and get home in a reasonable amount of time, especially since you also closed the exit last time!

Thanks,
Me

Happy Birthday, figmentj, bluesilverkdg*, and aerynne*!
Many Happy Returns of the Day! :-)




*belated

My RSS reader kept popping up asking for a username and password for my LJ feed. So I checked LJ Status only to be told things were fine on May 21st, anyway.
Going to LJ Support shows this:

[Error running codeerror hook]
Database handle unavailable (user: dda; cluster: 1) at /home/lj/cgi-bin/LJ/Session.pm line 45 
Database handle unavailable (user: dda; cluster: 1) at /home/lj/cgi-bin/LJ/Session.pm line 45 [Error running codeerror hook]
Database handle unavailable (user: dda; cluster: 1) at /home/lj/cgi-bin/LJ/Session.pm line 45 
Database handle unavailable (user: dda; cluster: 1) at /home/lj/cgi-bin/LJ/Session.pm line 45 [Error running codeerror hook]
[Repeat many many times]

Um, yeah.

I'm sure it's fixed now otherwise I couldn't post this. :-)

I got a couple of interesting things in the mail from both the Feds and my state government.

• An income tax refund for $52. While I filed my 2007 taxes very late, I was all paid up and so it didn't really matter. My 2008 taxes were filed on time and I paid a few hundred dollars. So where did this refund come from?


• A car registration renewal, what some states call tags. In included no less than 5 advertising inserts including one from "Your Independent Insurance Agents"; this had a helpful hint on the back that the Registry was no longer sending out license renewal reminders. I was notified of this by my actual Independent Insurance Agent but I suppose it is nice that an advertisement sent out by the Registry tells me how they won't be sending out renewals...Um, yeah. But the best one is an advertisement for advertising; they mention how many people will see the "buckslip" (2.1 million) and wouldn't it be cool if my business advertised that way*.

Coincidentally, the refund will pay for the registration renewal with enough left over for a salad. :-)






*No, it wouldn't. Given that my registration renewal will include a $5 "renewal fee," why should I also put up with being advertised to?

The company for which I work (S2 Security) has an opening for a Technical Support person. We make an IP-based access control system (think card access system) that with a web-based UI; we also integrate with several different video management systems (I've done most of the front end work on those). This is mostly phone support for the integrators who actually sell and install our system; rarely do we talk to the end users. We use web-based online meeting software to do a lot of the actual support work since it is much easier to see what is going on. Here is the list of "requirements":

• Several years’ experience installing and/or supporting access control and video surveillance systems at the dealer and systems integrator level with preference given to experience installing S2 Security products


• Familiarity with networking concepts such as TCP/IP, DHCP, routers, subnets, firewalls


• Experience supporting mission-critical systems by phone


• Working knowledge of basic electronic components at the circuit board level


• Good eye for detail and a desire to make things work right


• Excellent verbal and written communication skills


• Natural team player who enjoys a fast-paced environment (this means pretty much what you think it means)


• Willingness to work the occasional late night or weekend day, to provide extended coverage.


• Preferred: have installed or supported integrated security platforms - card readers, motion detectors, strikes, maglocks, DSMs, IP cameras or Digital Video Recorders.


• Of particular interest is someone with...Spanish/Portuguese language skills.

S2 has a deservedly excellent reputation for post-sales support. I have my gripes with how Development is run but I think it is pretty good shape financially. I like all the support folks and they all like me; this is important because Development gets called in to help with a number of things and, having done much of the video integration work, they routinely come to (or call) me. As the ad says:

You must have a professional yet friendly phone manner, since we deal with many dealers and integrators who will sell our product in part based on the quality and enthusiasm of the support they receive. Impressions are important so we strive to resolve all issues promptly and agreeably. Critical issues that can’t be solved through product configuration are immediately reported as bugs requiring a good working relationship with our hardware and software engineering teams.

One thing I will point out is that this is very much a "guy" company; there are only a handful of women, none in support. Things can get pretty crude and juvenile at times but everyone is also professional when necessary. A lot of the installers and dealers we deal with can be unrepentant good ol' boys; one group, after I solved their video issue, couldn't wait to show me the fully stocked bar at their workplace.

Anyway, if you are interested or know of anyone who might be, get me a resume.

I went to see The Dead at the Centrum DCU Center yesterday. It was a good, if not awesome, show, mostly due to the set list, which featured older, more bluesy, stuff. A write up of the show, including set list, is here and here is what I sent to my friend Mike last night when I got home (complete with Dead jargon):

A couple of things about the show. I thought it was good but not great or awesome, mostly because they did stuff I either didn't know or didn't really like. But they seemed to be playing well together. My seat was right above the floor on Phi's side slightly before mid-ice; I think the penalty box door was right in front of my seat! Other than some guy waving balloons around, I had a great view of most of the band; Jeff was obscured a lot of the time. Security was minimal, especially inside; people were lighting up right next to the floor guard; a guy next to me asked him if he could light up and the guard made it clear he'd prefer joints! But the people right in front of me on the floor were smoking cigs, too. Someone two rows up needed to be escorted out by the EMTs; that was a bit disrupting but went fairly smoothly. I accidentally smacked the guy next to me when I hit a ballon; it knocked his glassed off but he got them back without issue and he wasn't mad. Speaking of which, he was doing the set list on his iPhone; this sort of showed me how much times have changed. The guy behind me got a call during the break; it was sort of funny to hear him say, "I'm at a Dead concert, I'll call you back." *Lots* of cell phone use and still cameras were allowed so lots of cell phone camera shots.

I don't remember a lot of songs; it took me a while to get the titles and some I never got. They did Cream Puff War according to the dude with the iPhone and I think it was Weather Report Suite in the second set. Drumz/Space was very early in the second set; they just did Scarlet->Fire and then broke for Drumz/Space! And Phil came out right before the Samson & Delilah encore to ask everyone to be an organ donor.

My note pad had a set list from Albany '95 on the first pages.

There ya go, my impressions of the show.

I'll be the first to admit I don't know much about "amazonfail"; other than some twitter-spam retweeted to #arisia, I didn't even know it was going on. When I looked at my friends list later, I saw some more posts about it but I didn't follow the links within. But I recognized the mass hysteria without needing to know the details; all the pieces were there, from the original accusations to the posts pointing to posts that pointed to posts that pointed back to the original posts, all feeding the anger. People were quick to cast aspersions at Amazon and slow to back them up with actual facts; to paraphrase Molly Millions, "It showed up and they fit it into their reality picture."

Then I read this post and see someone actually admitting that it was without basis, although they also link to those with an opposing view. But I believe this person because I've seen it in other areas; once the outrage starts, people's critical thinking skills go out the window. I see it on Snopes all the time; again with the quotes, this one from Men in Black, "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it."

I also agree with this comment; when one issue takes precedence over all others, bad things are bound to happen, especially when people see that issue where it doesn't exist.

There is a lot more I'd like to say about this but I'll just give this quote, "Double-check your results if they disagree with your hypothesis; triple-check them if they agree with it!"

Just a reminder that MacHeist 3 ends tomorrow; all the apps have been unlocked and a couple added so do check it out if you have a Mac.

I have a referral link but I'm not mentioning it for that; I do think it is a good deal if you'll use even two of the apps, much less all 12.

The bundle for MacHeist 3 is now available; the apps that have been unlocked so far as pretty good but the main draws (The Hit List and Espresso) are still locked. On the other hand, I expect they will be unlocked before the bundle sale ends; if nothing else, the MacHeist folks will do whatever is necessary to unlock them, as they did once before. On the gripping hand, though, Acorn is a good image editor and WireTap Studio is a good sound recorder and World of Goo is fun. :-) Big Bang Board Games is also pretty decent and will only be available to the first 25,000 purchasers; they are up to 23,676 at the moment.

There are only 12 days left and since they are doing a referral system, you can use my referral link if you want to buy.

...wait a day and it will change.

Yesterday was close to 60° and today we had about 2-3 inches of wet slushy snow on the ground by the time I got home; the snowblower had some trouble with it and the mailbox was pretty much taken out. It was knocked over and lost some of the pea-stone; the plate screwed to the arm was also in trouble. I had hoped it would last until spring but no such luck; fortunately, I had a replacement and it didn't take long to screw the whole thing back together. When spring really does come, I'll refill the bucket with more pea-stone and mulch.

It is supposed to be stormy during parts of the week but the forecast also says it will be above freezing most days. I ended up going into work late, after most of the morning snow/sleet/rain was over and then leaving earlier than normal for me to get home while it was still light out; this proved to be a good thing as doing that in the dark would have been annoying at best.

No pictures this time but I will say it looks nothing like the icon.

We got about 7 to 10 inches, depending on where one measures (insert joke about how that's always the case ;-). It is supposedly still snowing lightly but I wanted to clear the driveway during the daylight. The mailbox fell over early, mostly because it was already tiled due to the ice on which it was sitting melting. I spent some time talking to my neighbour across the way who was shoveling out her mailbox; it was in pretty bad shape, being held on solely with bungee cords. :-)

I then took Valen for a walk down to the town line and back; it wasn't that far (the pedometer said both the driveway and the walk totaled 1.4 miles) but it got him outside and some exercise. He's now relaxed on the rug outside the computer room. :-)
( Pictures behind the cut )

From the Weather Hazards page:

THE JACKPOT...10 TO 15 INCHES...WILL PILE UP IN THE HEAVILY
POPULATED BOSTON PROVIDENCE INTERSTATE 95 CORRIDOR...WESTWARD
INTO NORTHEAST CONNECTICUT AND NORTHWARD THROUGH WORCESTER COUNTY
INTO THE MERRIMACK VALLEY OF NORTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS.
*

This is, of course, not what I usually expect by hitting the jackpot. The snow blower, on the other hand, probably agrees. Valen will probably agree with me when he tries to go outside to pee tomorrow morning.






*The National Weather Service cannot afford terminals with lower case; I think it is one of the things the Obama administration has vowed to change :-)

I got some random email from Comcast pushing their high-speed Internet service; it linked to this [video]. I find this both very odd and very amusing and kind of entrancing. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when they pitched it to Comcast!

Yup, there is a new temporary lodger in chez Luthian; he'll be here until next Thursday. The story is that my friend pickypenelope (from BabCon) is undergoing a procedure in a hospital out in Colorado so violet_helix and Sarah-without-an-LJ (the gracious hostesses of BabCon) are going out to visit and lend her moral support (and probably chocolate ;-). Their Sheltie, Valen, needs a temporary home and rather than pay a kennel, they asked me to look after him; they all showed up tonight and now Valen is here and they have gone back home to finish packing and making arrangements.

Valen isn't too happy as one might expect but I'm sure he will settle down and at least tolerate his imposed vacation. The house is mostly dog-proofed (or so I hope!) with the only real question how (or if) he will handle the hardwood stairs. It will be an interesting week, that's for sure. :-)