Most Boringest Journal Ever

l33t d351gn0rz

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:37:44 GMT

Given that IE controls such a large chunk of the market, it's pretty bizarre that so many web designers and developers seem to only use Firefox. Please - at least check your design in IE once in a while! I'm tired of looking at broken pages.

Adding States

Sun, 24 May 2009 00:56:29 GMT

I got to update the old map today!

It used to be:

and now it's:

Yep, I went and explored Milwaukee today (oh, did I mention I'm out in Chicago for Memorial Day weekend?). Milwaukee reminded me of Providence Rhode Island - both were big cities, but completely dead. There was nothing going on downtown, it was just a derth of people and events. While I was there, I checked out the domes (the arboretum domes that look like three boobs), downtown's shopping district (Grand Ave) and checked out the Kite Festival.

Completely fucking boring! I won't be back.

Biggest Hurdle to adopting ASP.Net

Sat, 16 May 2009 21:24:41 GMT

One of my biggest hurdles to adopting ASP.net as my primary coding language was the database access layer. I'm an ASP (VB Flavor) guy through and through, but ASP.net cut out the recordset object by moving to ADO.net, and nearly all of the examples I ever saw on how to connect up to a db were to throw the results into a datagrid.

But I didn't want to display in a datagrid and reference by some hack bullshit Object Oriented way of just trying to get the first TD cell to change it's font style to bold... I wanted to iterate through a recordset! I also don't use Visual Studio, I don't believe that you should have to depend on an IDE in order to do work. Most of the people I work with who have learned ASP.net through an IDE have no concept on how to code, they just "drag and drop" and "Visual Studio does it all for me". MEH! The first time their shit breaks, or doesn't look right on a browser, or the javascript that ASP.net writes for them doesn't execute properly, they are completely f'n lost.

Anyway, I finally sat down Friday and put my head to how I can best mimic hooking up a database to ASP.net in the ASP feel, and I finally feel comfortable doing it. Now that I know how to iterate through recordsets, I may make my next project in ASP.NET.

If anyone wants to know, here's how I figured out how to iterate through records similar to ASP:

<%@ Page Explicit="false"%>
<%@ Import Namespace = "MySql.Data.MySqlClient" %>
<%
DSN="server=localhost; user id=User; password=UserPassword; database=DB_Customers;"
Connection = New MySqlConnection(DSN)
Connection.Open()
SQL = "select * from tbl_customers limit 10;"
Query = New MySqlCommand(SQL, Connection)
RS = Query.ExecuteReader()
%>
<table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" border="1">
<tr>
<td>ID</td>
<td>First Name</td>
<td>Last Name</td>
</tr>
<%
Do while RS.Read()
%>
<tr>
<td><%=rs("id")%></td>
<td><%=rs("first_name")%></td>
<td><%=rs("last_name")%></td>
</tr>
<%
Loop
RS.Close
Connection.Close
%>
</table>

A little pre-birthday fun!

Tue, 12 May 2009 18:35:42 GMT

I got a call today from a client who wants to evaluate my monthly product - Transmission! So I get to install it tonight and do a demo tomorrow. What an awesome birthday gift - a full featured monthly and daily invoicing system possible sale!

There's a recession?

Mon, 11 May 2009 13:28:26 GMT

OMFG, please, someone take some of this work off my plate! Haha, j/k.

Most people who know me know I work too much, it's one of the reasons I bitch about my taxes a lot, it's cuz I probably work about 4200 hours or so a year (the average is about 2080), and I don't think that the reward for busting my ass and giving up most of my social life is a tax increase - but I digress, that isn't the point of this topic.

Anyway, what some of you may not know about me is that I've been making a line of Parking products. Tools, features, software, and web services that allow parking companies and municipalities to manage monthly parking, daily parking, and issue and manage parking tickets.

This stuff has been so popular, that I've never advertised it once, and it's spread through word of mouth (because it rocks SO FUCKING HARD) to 5 sales! So far this year, I've got 2 new clients.

Now, 5 sales doesn't sound like much, until you realize that comparably featured Ticket Management Systems alone (not including add-on products like websites, monthly invoicing, daily tracking, and other stuff I also do) are priced between $30,000 and $80,000 for the initial sale alone. I'm not going to disclose my own pricing since it's a trade secret and I don't want my competition stumbling on this blog entry knowing how much I charge for the products, but let's just say the sales are a nice income, on top of my day job and other side projects.

I have clients now in 4 states, and the word of mouth is starting to spread even more. If this keeps up, I may be able to quit my day job soon and focus solely on this...

Oh Firefox, how I hate thee...

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 23:43:03 GMT

It seems like every time I run Firefox, either at work or home, it ends up erroring out, using up all memory, or closing with some random error.

Today's error:

No wonder I use Internet Explorer. It just works.

Shining a laser at an airplane, from the airplane's point of view...

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:02:45 GMT

Check out this link:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1509319618?bctid=13970036001

I've always wondered about lasers and how bright they can be seen from 2,000 feet up in the air, and this video really underscores... just watching the video made my eyes hurt, which underscores the laser's power.

But, regardless, how STUPID are you when you are shining your laser at the state patrol airplane? haha, idiot!

Thank you all

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 04:35:17 GMT

Thank you buyers for buying homes you knew you couldn't afford.

Thank you lenders for lending to people you knew had no chance to repay so that you could make a quick buck.

Thank you SEC for not stopping any of it.

Thank you Mr. Obama for wanting to raise my taxes.

(Does anyone else see the irony of Mr. Obama calling us "five-percenters" who will get a tax increase a minority?)

I'm so happy that I get a tax increase, a higher than current market rate mortgage APR, because I bust my ass, play by the rules, and used common sense (not buying a house I couldn't afford).

YaY intelligence! I get a tax hike, while they get bailed out and we all get the bill for their mortgages!

I've kept hearing about this Danny Gokey

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:27:52 GMT

from friends...

This is what you're hot after? I don't get it. *shrug*

A positive footnote about the Generational Theft

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:27:44 GMT

While I agree with Senator McCain that most of what was included in this "stimulus package" was Generational Theft (you simply can't tell me that I need to bailout Hollywood so they can buy film), one of the positives that was put in the overall bailout / stimulus legisliation was the H-1B clause, preventing employers who receive bailout money from hiring H-1B visa workers.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/US-stimulus-bill-to-hit-Indians-H1B-visa-holders/423542/

From Wikipedia:

The regulations define a “specialty occupation” as requiring theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge in a field of human endeavor including, but not limited to, architecture, engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, social sciences, medicine and health, education, law, accounting, business specialties, theology, and the arts, and requiring the attainment of a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent as a minimum (with the exception of fashion models, who must be "of distinguished merit and ability".) Likewise, the foreign worker must possess at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent and state licensure, if required to practice in that field. H-1B work-authorization is strictly limited to employment by the sponsoring employer.

Employers also were required to pay the employee the "prevailing wage", which is a very gray area. A prevailing wage for a tech job, can vary widely. Some members of a team can make 100% of another member with the exact same job title, based on skillset. Often, employers would use that "prevailing wage" clause to hire in a foreign worker who would normally hire in at the $80,000 range, and pay at the $45,000 range. They were allowed to do this because they could point to a junior member of the team who was making that same rate, but wasn't going to remotely be expected to do the same amount and/or quality of work as the newly hired H-1B.

H-1B's are required to remain employed, and if they aren't, they are sent back to their originating country. Therefore, there is an unspoken threat of termination that can completely uproot a foreign worker's life, causing an "indentured servitude" effect, making them work longer hours than can remotely be called normal, being shelved in 3 to 4 unrelated people to an apartment, and not speaking up for bigger salaries and/or merit raises.

This causes the American citizen worker a lot of strife. When competing for jobs, while legally an employer cannot offer an H-1B a job over a simiilarly-qualified American citizen, it happens all the time. Our wages become depressed and stagnant, we are put up to pedastals come review time against the people who are working 16 hours every day plus weekends because he feels he has to in order to stay in the U.S. We have to fight to stay employed because when layoffs happen - the law says that equal for equal: H-1B's have to be let go first - often it's done in a manner of selective qualifications that don't have anything to do with the job, and citizens are often let go first because they are paid fairly.

Microsoft, for instance, just 17 days before they announced 5,000 full time employees and 8,000 contractors, lobbied President-Elect Obama to remove all hiring caps for the H-1B classification. There are many stories in newspaper blogs and other places (see the Seattle Times) about citizens losing out first, while H-1B's being retained, for a similar if not same position.

I'm at such a senior level in my career that I can afford to be picky when looking at places for work, so I feel fortunate. I can screen employers and ask about their policies for hiring H-1B's, and will not work for or patronize employers who utilize this shameful, abusive practice. But most of my colleagues aren't as fortunate.

I understand that the original push for these workers were to fill science and engineering gigs, places where the U.S. was historicially behind in turning out qualified applicants. There very well may have been a need that was being met. But with the dot com hay-day of 98-01, the rules were pushed, stretched, and IMHO broken by companies who became greedy, and wanted to build on the backs of cheap foreign-sourced immigrant labor at the cost of American jobs.

H-1B's limits should be scaled back, WAAAY back, not lifted, especially in this economy.

Tax Time...

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:18:51 GMT

My W-2's are starting to roll in, and I'm hoping that this doesn't happen this year again:

*shakes fist at taxes*

I'm going to use TaxCut by H&R Block this year because TurboTax actually got some shit wrong for the 2007 calculations, and TaxCut got it right, saving me about $4,000 over what TurboTax wanted me to pay. I ended up having to go to an independent tax preparer to look over the numbers to see which was right, and she said the TaxCut calculation was correct.

I'll see if TurboTax can redeem themselves this year by doing taxes in both systems to see if the numbers check out the same, but if you're going long form with TurboTax this year, don't fall into the same $4,000 hole I fell into. Verify those numbers.

Speaking of pot...

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:18:42 GMT

It's now been linked to raising your risk for testicular cancer.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/29099388#29099388

I'll keep my balls, thanks.

Michael Phelps, like half of America, smoked pot

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 05:39:12 GMT

So I could give a rat's ass if Michael Phelps smokes pot. I've never smoked pot, and never will, because I can't imagine lighting anything on fire and trying to inhale it's by-product. I fucking hate being around second hand smoke as it is, let alone trying to go first-hand.

I think what bothers me is that he has been selling his image as this clean cut guy - Mr. Perfect. He painfully asked us all to look over the fact that he was arrested and charged with a DUI after his first Olympics, when he was 19. Underage drinking, and getting behind the wheel.

Okay. Fine. I'm never going to tell you that I haven't second guessed if I've legally been over the limit when I've driven home, although I'm usually smart enough to find a place to stay or will sleep in the car if it's too much of a worry - although sleeping in the car is an issue too according to the law - but I digress.

Anyway, nobody forced Phelps to sign the anti doping "My Victory" pledge.

"The Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps is one of 12 Olympic athletes that have pledged to "My Victory," an initiative launched last year by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to keep competitive sports clean of cheating and drug use".

That's all I'm saying. If you are going to try and sell yourself as one thing, stick to it. If a picture of Bode Miller came out tomorrow with a joint in his mouth - would anyone be shocked or surprised? I think not.

Portland Mayor : I lied about having sex with 17 year old

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:09:41 GMT

The facts are still a little hazy about whether the kid was 17 or 18 at the time, but one of the local weekly papers down in Portland is clamoring that the kid was 17 at the time. The same paper that has pushed the story for over a year and a half.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008647362_portlandmayor20m.html

Sam Adams finally - pardon the pun - came out and admitted having sex with the boy/man. Far be it from me to criticize if you're fucking an 18 year old. Hell, if you can get an 18 year old to fuck you at 39, you're doing something right. But, at 17? The guy should be impeached and tossed from office if it was statutory.

Will Gregoire be the next Commerce Secretary pick?

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:37:11 GMT

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_wheres_gregoire.html

She endorsed Obama early after the majority of the state's delegation of early endorsers had come out in favor of Clinton.
Washington State does a lot of trade, and part of the Governor's job is to make that trade happen.
She's mysteriously gone "out of state", has cancelled events, and a news conference is scheduled for tomorrow.

Nothing credible other than pure speculation.

Sometimes I love goin through old cd's

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 01:14:13 GMT

I found this single... normally completely not a fan of anything r&b or rap, but umm, I have my guilty pleasures...

I was just thinking about Steven...

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:52:20 GMT

R.I.P. coolukman

YaY!

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 07:05:21 GMT

One of the advantages of an Adjustable Rate Mortgage?

When interest rates are down (and man are they down right now), you get to come home to letters like the one I got today saying your interest rate fell 0.25% and your house payment is going down $120.00! I'll take it!

Considering rates are in the toilet and are expected to continue for at least a year, riding my ARM for a at least the next year is going to make sense over a fixed rate.

Tipping

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:25:32 GMT

I forget what the etiquette is.

If a waitress does her job, barely fulfilling the absolute minimum requirements of her job (to the point that she didn't even smile, it was literally 'Would you like something to drink?' followed by 'What do you want to order?' to 'Here's your food.' to 'I'll leave this here.'

Otherwise, there was no interaction with her, she never followed up to see how the food tasted, and I went nearly the entire meal without seeing her (I wanted a refill on my water, and I got it after the bill came.)

In that scenario, is it still etiquette that I give 10%? I know what I gave her, and it wasn't 10%, but it got me wondering.

On a related topic, is anyone else not afraid to leave 0 if the service was crap? I ate with a good friend of mine, we ordered the exact same food... the food was terrible (the noodles were still crisp, it was like they put spaghetti noodles in the pot for 30 seconds to semi-limp into the bowl), we both had to have ours remade (had to grab a different waiter to get the manager because we never saw the waitress again that night), the second time it came out overdone, everything was burnt, so I didn't eat mine but he ate his. We then had to find a different waiter because apparently our waitress went on her 30 minute lunch break and never had anyone fill in for her) so we were fending for ourselves.

Long story short, my friend left 10% because he said "It's the minimum you should leave." I said screw that noise, and left zero even though they charged me for half my meal (that's a whole other rant in and of itself).

If Obama wins...

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:41:21 GMT

If there's any one upside if Obama wins, it's that I will never, EVER, have to try and empathize again with "The white man keeps the black man down." When often times, it's that they keep themselves down, but never want to hear about it.

Then it will be "The man keeps the woman down."

Hillary Clinton 4 President!

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:38:39 GMT

I'm voting today, and I'm writing her in for President. Next friday, pay day, she gets another $100 donation.

Another election to keep your eye on tomorrow

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 02:24:57 GMT

While I think the election tomorrow will be somewhat tight nationally (polls are showing a tighter race in FL, MN, NC, OH, PA, and VA), another very tight race to watch will be a rematch of Gregoire vs Rossi here in Washington State.

Some Background:

In 2004, Gregoire (D) battled Rossi (R) to a statistical tie. In the first count, Dino Rossi came away with a 261 vote lead. A mandatory machine recount was ordered, and the recount reduced that lead to just 42 votes, still in Rossi's favor. The Democrats paid for a hand recount as permitted by law, and that count changed the tally to Gregoire +10 votes. Through additional legal filings about disputed votes, Gregoire's lead increased to 129 votes.

Rossi and the Republicans filed suit, alleging that enough voting irregularities and vote fraud (including ineligible felon voters, double votes, and deceased voters) made the election count invalid. Rossi shopped for what he believe to be the most favorable venue for him to file his suit (being a statewide election, he could file in any of Washington's counties), he settled on Chelan County. The judge agreed that 1,678 votes had been illegally cast, but he found that only four of the votes could be attributed to a candidate. Those 4 were for Dino Rossi. He subtracted 4 votes from Rossi's total and upheld the election.

Rossi did not try and appeal again, and Gregoire remained the Governor.

The final totals:

Candidate	Vote Count	Party
Chris Gregoire	1,373,361	Democrat
Dino Rossi	1,373,228	Republican
Ruth Bennett	63,465	Libertarian

2008 Election

The 2008 Election has some new quirks. First, Washington scrapped its old primary used in 2004 in favor of a "Top Two" primary system. That means the Libertarian candidate will not be on the ballot this year. Looking at 2004, Ruth Bennett took 63,000+ votes, or a little over 2% of the vote. Her backers will likely tip the race this year.

The last Strategic Vision poll released before voting day tomorrow shows Gregoire at 50%, Rossi 48%, and 2% undecided. Are those the same 2% that voted Libertarian last year? Undoubtedly, many of those are mixed in to that group.

My Vote Tomorrow:

Personally, I voted against Gregoire in the primary to show my displeasure with her for a lack of leadership on transportation issues here in the state. But it was a symbolic vote, knowing full well she would appear on the general election ballot. I'm marking her in tomorrow on my ballot despite serious misgivings, but mostly it's a vote against Rossi tomorrow, who has said he wants to slash unemployment benefits and alter our minimum wage law, which I think are ludicrous ideas. Rossi is an example of the kind of Republican that *can* get elected in a dark blue state (our Attorney General Rob McKenna is another), but Rossi's fatal flaw to me is that he's a little too social republican for my taste, over just being a fiscal Republican, which I think the state could use.

Having said that, we may not have a known Governor tomorrow until several months into it, just like 2004. Don't hold your breath on election night, and if Obama/McCain gets called early, keep your eyes peeled here for a real nailbiter:

http://vote.wa.gov

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:35:08 GMT

I forgot to add to my post earlier..

Minnesota is also now tied...

I fucking HEART Chicane

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:02:20 GMT

And this Michael Woods Edit makes me LUV!

One Day to go and

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:13:40 GMT

Florida is tied, Pennsylvania is tied, Ohio is tied.

Not that it shocks me that this has happened, Obama was the weaker candidate among the Democratic primaries. The fact that this is a race at all and not a blowout a la 1984 with everything going on just proves it more.

Just elect someone so I know whether to just disperse my money now through 2012 or put my social thoughts on ice for 4 years.

It's easier to keep my social dreams on hold than disperse money. So hopefully McCain wins it, but I'm fucked either way. Not that Obama wants to aide me much in my social aspects either, the more I think about it.

I wouldn't be covered by his health plan. He thinks listening to people who blast teh gays is a-ok. But at least with both candidates, we'll get the death penalty, which I'm happy about.

Another day of work starts.

kthx.