That sound that you hear …
Posted: November 30, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments Offis the sound of Israeli bombers and fighter jets warming up …
BBC News – Iran ‘planning 10 new uranium enrichment sites’
The White House said the move was “yet another serious violation of Iran’s clear obligations”.
Meanwhile, Britain described the news as “a matter of serious concern” and potentially a “deliberate breach” of UN resolutions.
Why comment moderation is a good thing
Posted: November 28, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffIf I didn’t moderate comments, I might have missed this one:
Between rain and snow is the wind
Posted: November 28, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized 2 Comments »Usually when there’s a strong northwest wind, we have a tough time getting the fire in wood stove to behave. We get a strong downdraft and the room fills with smoke until the stove pipe is hot enough to draw the smoke up and, most importantly, away. This morning, however, the fire started nicely.
There are a couple of places where the weather-stripping around the back door need to be replaced. And, I’m not sure if the downstairs thermostat is behaving properly. And, I’ve been meaning to install FreeBSD 8.0 on a virtual machine to, you know, see what’s new. I’m pretty happy with Ubuntu most of the time, but 9.10 has a couple of annoying bugs.
In case you haven’t guessed, I have a term paper to write. It’s due next Friday. I have a pretty good first draft that I haven’t touched in a month. I plan(ned) to write about some of the ways that intellectual property law touches blogging.
Most of the paper, I think, will deal with fair use and the recent FTC guidelines on endorsements. There’s a boatload of other stuff in the news as well – Bilski (PDF), Groklaw – An Explanation of Computation Theory for Lawyers, Google’s inclusion of court opinions in Google Scholar, free and open source software, software licensing, and a limitless number of wormholes.
It’s a rainy/snowy morning, a good time to settle in, do the paper, and then enjoy the rest of the weekend. I’ll get started just as soon as I finish this article that’s been sitting in my reading queue for several days, Splitting Time from Space—New Quantum Theory Topples Einstein’s Spacetime: Scientific American.
Crime in suburbia
Posted: November 27, 2009 Filed under: crime in suburbia Comments OffFrom The Landmark (subscription required):
[Editor's note: There were 14 suspicious items this week.]
Monday, November 16
8:00 a.m. 911 caller reporting no hot water, Dorothy Ave.
11:24 a.m. Suspicious van, Union St.; OK, party stopped for lunch
11:35 a.m. Two tires and rims dumped on property, Muschopauge Rd.
12:43 p.m. Parking issues, Sunnyside Ave.
3:40 p.m. Erratic driver, Bullard St.
4:43 p.m. Caller says younger son is home with friends over without permission, wants officer to remove individuals
4:59 p.m. Parking space altercation, Shrewsbury St.; one driver threw penny at the other’s vehicle, resulting in small dent
5:24 p.m. Erratic driver, Newell Rd.
5:26 p.m. Erratic driver, Main St.
5:35 p.m. Power flickering, Parker Ave.
5:40 p.m. Vehicle drove off from gas station without paying, Main St.
9:00 p.m. Caller says neighbor trespassing on property, Pinecroft Ave.
Tuesday, November 17
7:00 a.m. Suspicious vehicle with young male sleeping inside
8:47 a.m. Tree crew dropping limbs onto sidewalk and roadway, Jamieson Rd.
11:04 a.m. Motor vehicle lockout, Holden Commons Plaza
2:09 p.m. Damage to WTAG tower front posts, Shrewsbury St.
3:29 p.m. Resident blowing leaves into neighbor’s yard, Sycamore Dr.
4:19 p.m. Three youths in parking lot told to move along, Main St.
4:27 p.m. Situation resolved through diplomacy
Wednesday, November 18
12:06 a.m. Party called PD for ride into Holden; advised to call a taxi
9:30 a.m. Possible domestic by the side of road, Main St.; OK, just verbal argument
1:15 p.m. Suspicious male reported by mail carrier
2:50 p.m. 911 hang-up from pharmacy; accidental dial
4:40 p.m. Suspicious activity, male calling young kids to come up to apartment, Main St.
11:40 p.m. 911 caller thought he heard woman screaming in area of Winthrop Ln.; no sign of anything out of order
Thursday, November 19
2:40 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Autumn Cir.
2:42 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle in parking lot, Shrewsbury St., two parties sleeping inside
2:48 a.m. Worcester PD requests lookout for vehicle with two males wearing hoodies, unknown direction of travel; assist Worcester PD with search at Holden/Worcester line with thermal imager
8:52 a.m. Request for assistance with neighbor’s pitbull, Putnam Rd.
12:47 p.m. Rail Trail damage in Sterling reported in case it’s done in Holden
3:09 p.m. Kids assaulting other kids with sticks, Shrewsbury St.
3:55 p.m. Small child on side of Salisbury St. with no adult; getting picked up from day care
5:09 p.m. Kids on bikes; one stepped out in front of vehicle and spit on it, Boyden Rd.
6:52 p.m. Two large animals that resemble cats in road, Putnam Rd.
7:45 p.m. Missing dog, High St.
Friday, November 20
7:31 a.m. Catch basin flooding over, Rte. 122A/Sunnyside Ave.
Paxton
Monday, November 16
11:12 a.m. Loose dog going through rubbish, Howard St.
4:52 p.m. Disabled motor vehicle partially in roadway, Pleasant St./Reservoir Rd.
7:00 p.m. 911 hang-up, Pleasant St. Hunters in back yard
8:49 p.m. Abandoned 911 call, police respond to verify all OK, Grove St.
Tuesday, November 17
3:11 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Grove St.
5:15 p.m. Assist citizen getting car out of road, Crowningshield Dr.
5:41 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Old Lantern Cir.
Thursday, November 19
12:35 p.m. Dog defecating on front lawn and acting aggressively, Suomi St.
4:40 p.m. Possible gunshots behind Burtenmar Cir.
Princeton
Monday, November 16
3:28 a.m. Traffic safety hazard, Redemption Rock Trl. N
4:41 p.m. Public service, Mountain Rd.
Tuesday, November 17
7:23 a.m. Traffic control duty, Ball Hill Rd.
12:02 p.m. Officer investigation, Town Hall Dr.
Wednesday, November 18
1:16 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Fitchburg Rd.
8:15 p.m. Assist animal control officer, Brooks Station Rd.
Thursday, November 19
11:02 a.m. Disturbance, gunshots, Coal Kiln Rd.
5:41 p.m. Disturbance, motor vehicle, Main St.
7:54 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Stagecoach Rd.
Friday, November 20
5:37 A.M. Suspicious incident, Lovers Ln.
6:46 p.m. Assist other PD, Redemption Rock Trl./Beaman Rd., Sterling
7:24 p.m. Arrest: … speeding, marked lanes violation, no inspection sticker, failure to wear seatbelt, reckless operation of motor vehicle, failure to stop for police,operating motor vehicle with revoked license, resisting arrest
[Editor's note: See Sterling report at this same date and time.]
Saturday, November 21
12:03 a.m. Assist fire dept., Houghton Rd.
6:11 a.m. Request for light dept., power outage, town wide
12:56 p.m. Officer investigation, Town Hall Dr.
Rutland
Monday, November 16
8:22 a.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
9:29 a.m. Business owner concerned because very punctual employee didn’t come to work and hasn’t called, requesting welfare check, Maple Ave.
10:26 a.m. Devereaux staff dropped off unknown substance found on school property, Miles Rd.
11:00 a.m. Loose sheep in road, Main St./Pleasantdale Rd.
1:51 p.m. General police services, Main St.
3:08 p.m. Wire hanging in roadway, Main St.
3:24 p.m. Police services rendered, Main St.
3:31 p.m. Person at station with license plate found on front lawn, E. County Rd.
3:30 p.m. Report of bus speeding mornings and afternoons, Bigelow Rd.
4:16 p.m. Report of gun on campus, Miles Rd.
Tuesday, November 17
11:33 a.m. Two people at station to speak with officer, Main St.
4:03 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
4:49 p.m. Gunshots in field next to house, Irish Ln.
Wednesday, November 18
1:58 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle, Maple Ave.
2:19 a.m. Remove debris from roadway, Main St.
11:22 a.m. Person at station to file complaint about speeding drivers, Glenwood Rd.
1:03 p.m. Services rendered, Maple Ave.
1:13 p.m. General police services, Pommogussett Rd.
6:05 p.m. Several calls about a large tarp blocking part of Maple Ave.
7:06 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
Thursday, November 19
11:12 a.m. Caller reports seeing very large wolf, Pleasantdale Rd.
1:08 p.m. Officer out of cruiser near pharmacy, Maple Ave.
1:39 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
3:44 p.m. Young, male student causing disturbance on bus, Miles Rd.
4:10 p.m. Report that people with truckload of beef are giving away “free steaks,” Maple Ave.
4:28 p.m. Person at station to speak with officer, Main St.
5:53 p.m. Very tame ferret found in garage, East County Rd.
8:53 p.m. Report of altercation between youths, Maple Ave.
8:55 p.m. Caller wants to speak with officer about dispute, Orchard Hill
Friday, November 19
10:35 a.m. Officer requested. Neighbors’ guest took parking place, Maple Ave.
2:51 p.m. Loose, small white dog, Welch Ave.
5:07 p.m. Person at station with skateboard they ran over in road, Main St.
6:15 p.m. Large branches in road, Prescott St.
Saturday, November 20
2:25 p.m. Person at station to report they hit a cat, Main St.
4:30 p.m. Someone shooting in area, Clealand Cir.
7:46 p.m. Caller says vehicle is “all over the road” and has no rear lights, Main St.
Sterling
Monday, November 16
6:12 a.m. Caller reports dog barking all night, Wilder Rd.
7:02 a.m. What appears to be German shepherd dragging hind quarters across field; may have been hit by vehicle, Chocksett/Clinton Rds.
8:48 a.m. Attempt to deliver summons, Jewett Rd.
4:11 p.m. Attempt to deliver summons; three residents home refusing to answer door, Jewett Rd.
6:20 p.m. Summons left, Jewett Rd.
Tuesday, November 17
7:32 a.m. Complaint about neighbors’ dog in caller’s yard again; violator fined $25, Belmont Dr.
9:54 a.m. Suspicious activity: Caller observed gray station wagon stopped at mailbox, then “disappeared,” Ridgewood Dr. OK, post office using civilian vehicles for delivery
Wednesday, November 18
6:31 a.m. Caller’s wife struck deer, unsure if still there, Worcester Rd.
4:15 p.m. Elderly beagle walking in roadway, Wiles/ Clinton Rds.
5:02 p.m. Red boxer with collar/no tags in caller’s yard, same as last week, Chace Hill Rd.
7:06 p.m. Attempt to serve summons, John Dee Rd.
Thursday, November 19
7:39 a.m. Burglar alarm, Kendall Hill Rd.; OK, accidental by mother-in-law
12:24 p.m. Dog went missing while husband cut lawn, friendly boxer with floppy ears, named Sampon, Pine St.
12:59 p.m. Chocolate Lab wandering Rte. 140, jumped into caller’s motor vehicle, requests animal control officer; advised not in on Thursdays but will try to contact, Redemption Rock Trl.
13:01 p.m. Animal control advises caller located dog tag, called Town Hall and is delivering dog home
1:39 p.m. Caller found puppy running around street, advised she did not know where she was. After discussion, determined she is on Rte. 110 3:17 p.m. Husky running alongside northbound lane, Rte. I-190
8:45 p.m. Officer requested to check on noises coming from garage, Elliott Rd.; nothing unusual located, something probably fell
8:53 p.m. Injured coyote in caller’s yard running only on front legs, Albright Rd.
Friday, November 20
10:51 a.m. Loose young male boxer causing traffic problems, Metropolitan Rd.
6:35 p.m. Car off roadway in ditch, Beaman Rd./ Redemption Rock Trl. Car still running but no one inside, driver possibly walking toward Princeton Rd.
7:24 p.m. Princeton PD requests assistance for driver who failed to stop, marked lanes violation and speeding more than 60 MPH, Redemption Rock Trl. Stop sticks deployed, both rear tires flat, vehicle swerved trying to strike officer at beginning of attempted stop. Princeton PD made arrest
9:51 p.m. Officer wanted to check suspicious male sitting at bank, appears drunk, Main St. Female in custody, parents paid $40 bail.
Saturday, November 21
7:50 p.m. Caller reports house egged, Maple St. Officer found no one throwing eggs, but did find smashed pumpkins at Waushacum/School Sts.
9:06 p.m. Report of cow lying in middle of Tuttle Rd. Officer arrived to find owner on scene
>Sunday, November 11
12:16 a.m. Leicester PD requests be-on-look-out for missing person, Clinton Rd.; called back to report person just arrived
1:05 p.m. Caller reports juveniles playing in swamp, Bean Rd.
7:26 p.m. Chocolate Lab missing, Beaman Rd.
More on DEC
Posted: November 27, 2009 Filed under: more.on 1 Comment »It’s going to be a rainy day. Here’s a superb time-waster for the ex-DECcies in the crowd:
Index of /pdf/dec
via http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/competitiveAnalysis/Engineering_Strategy_Review_Mar82.pdf
A bit more about why Gordon Bell might be scared, from the same document:
DEC and IBM – the view of the future from the past
Posted: November 27, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized 2 Comments »A glimpse into how DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) viewed IBM (IBM – What does IBM stand for? Acronyms and abbreviations by the Free Online Dictionary.) in 1983.
And, then, the paper notes that there are three types of corporate culture in the computing industry: marketing, technology, and financial. DEC was a technology shop, a board shop, as friend Tom described it, down to its corporate DNA. The next lines are heart-breakingly prescient:
Letters of Note: Unhappy Franksgiving
Posted: November 26, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffMany people were upset when Franklin Roosevelt changed the day of Thanksgiving from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday (to boost Christmas spending) – Letters of Note: Unhappy Franksgiving:
I am afraid your change for Thanksgiving is going to cause the calendar manufacturers untold grief. If very many customers demand 1940 calendars to correspond with your proclamation, hundreds of thousands of dollars will be lost by the calendar companies, and in many instances it will result in bankruptcy.
And,
“I see by the paper this morning where you want to change Thanksgiving Day to November 23 of which I heartily approve. Thanks.
Now, there are some things that I would like done and would appreciate your approval:
1. Have Sunday changed to Wednesday;
2. Have Monday’s to be Christmas;
3. Have it strictly against the Will of God to work on Tuesday;
4. Have Thursday to be Pay Day with time and one-half for overtime;
5. Require everyone to take Friday and Saturday off for a fishing trip down the Potomac.”
Engage with Grace
Posted: November 26, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments OffFriend Patti at Networks, Complexity, and Relatedness reminds us that it’s never an easy time to have certain discussions, but that’s why they’re important.
My parents were clear about what they wanted; not surprisingly, my mother put her wishes in writing. Both died at home under hospice care. Each in their way gave us a great gift by letting us travel that last, short distance with them.
Somewhere between that last slice of turkey and the first slice of pie, think about this and talk if you can. It’s not easy, but the important stuff rarely is.
They’re not even playing football today
Posted: November 26, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized Comments Off
It’s not a holiday in Canada today, so let’s look at some recent news from and about our True North Strong and Free.
- You can get there from here: Grand opening for new Maine-New Brunswick border
- But, the CBC reports that you won’t make as much money: Immigrants face wage gap in Canada
- That might be due to the fact that some of their gold has gone missing: RCMP rule out theft for Mint’s missing millions
Police are ruling out theft for $15.3 million in gold missing from the Royal Canadian Mint, though the mint isn’t yet ready to say what happened to the fortune or whether it has been recovered.
…
The mint is understandably relieved.
“There’s no theft,” said Christine Aquino, mint spokeswoman. “It validates what the mint already knew, that we have extremely rigorous measures in place which makes us one of the most secure facilities in Canada.”
What happened to the more than half a metric ton of gold remains a state secret, at least for now.
- Meanwhile, our favorite non-dead-fish former-governor who can see both Russia and Canada from her house has a prescription for socialized medicine.
- Cuz you don’t want to try not to get H1N1 up there: Canada reports ‘unusual number’ of bad reactions to flu shots. Here’s more on that from the Globe and Mail.
- Finally, it’s true, Canadians aren’t playing football today. They’ve got their own thing going this weekend.
CFL.ca – Official Site of the Canadian Football League
The average hourly wage of an immigrant worker in 2008 was $21.44, $2.28 less than the $23.72 Canadian-born employees earn. The gap exists regardless of when the immigrant landed, the study found, though immigrants who landed within the previous five years had the largest wage gap, earning $5.04 less than Canadian-born employees. The wage gap was also about $5 an hour when comparing immigrant and Canadian-born workers who both have university degrees.
