Rants

You know it's going to be an interesting day

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:11:50 GMT

When one topic of discussion is Loki, the goat, and Skadi....

End of an Era

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:42:15 GMT

Effective December 30th, 2009, I am no longer with the National Weather Service, and with Tenable Security.

Part time job

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:11:21 GMT

I got an email today unsolicited for someone that is looking for someone to do basic IT repair (component replacement) in the Rockville area on a pay per contract basis.

The money isn't terrific ($25-$33 per ticket), but if you're hard up for cash, its better than nothing.

Reading it, if you can swap out a hard drive or memory on a machine, or plug in a PCI card, you've got the skills required.

Interested? Ping me.

Stolen from pink_pet

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:36:29 GMT

On the twelfth day of Christmas, mohnkern sent to me...

Twelve maethes drumming

Eleven catpaw67s piping

Ten movies a-leaping

Nine corsets dancing

Eight runes a-fencing

Seven books a-skiing

Six outdoors a-roleplaying

Five bli-i-i-indfolds

Four swords

Three cats

Two winter olympics

...and a survivor in a spirituality.

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:31:22 GMT

Happiness
Always follow your bliss

Book fair

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:12:02 GMT

MEMORANDUM FOR: NOAA Employees in the Washington Metropolitan Area

FROM: NOAA Central Library

SUBJECT: Library Book Fair and Flea Market

The NOAA Central Library will host its 16th Annual Book Fair and Flea Market on Wednesday, November 4, 2009, from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. at the NOAA Central Library. The Library is located on the 2nd Floor of SSMC #3 in Silver Spring.

Three separate events are scheduled at the Library on November 4th:

1) Association Book Exhibit will display new publications in all fields
of interest to NOAA. Please offer your suggestions regarding books to
be displayed to Steve.Quillen@noaa.gov. The exhibit will give us an
opportunity to evaluate the books before purchasing.

2) Duplicate copies of Library material will be on display and available
for the taking.

3) A Flea Market is being sponsored by the Friends of the NOAA Library.
Donations are still being accepted for the Flea Market. Proceeds will be used to benefit the Friends of the NOAA Library which is a tax-exempt charitable organization dedicated to support the library through acquisitions, preservation and information dissemination.

Its been awhile

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:33:15 GMT

You Think Best in Your Bedroom

In order to be able to think, you need to feel like you have some privacy and space.

It's likely that you spent a lot of time in your bedroom while you were growing up. It's your sanctuary.

You need a high level in control in your life, especially when you have something important to do.

The best thing about your room is that it's exactly the way you like it. Having things the way you want allows you to relax and think.

Where Do You Think Best?

Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written By Bored 12 Year Olds

Really cool origami

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:04:58 GMT

The lastest in im porn spam

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:14:34 GMT

deenawozyvo: Hey ____
deenawozyvo: This is difficult for me to do because I'm shy..but I have a crush on you, i have been sending you emails but no response
deenawozyvo: I've never been able to tell you for reasons which you would quickly identify as obvious if you knew who this was.
deenawozyvo: With that said, I want you to guess who I am, and approach me yourself.
deenawozyvo: To help you out with your guessing I made a few pictures and videos with "_____" written on my body.
deenawozyvo: They're kind of risque photos so I had to make a private profile. look at my screen name on your buddylist and you'll see the link in my status update or you can look at the top of this conversation window. it's for your eyes only
deenawozyvo: My username in the members area is "XXXXXXXX" (It's a free website but you might need a CC or Debit to verify your age because I had to. Sigh.)
deenawozyvo: once you are inside search for me. I want you to guess who I am and then approach me yourself. I'm shy and this is the bravest thing I've probably ever done, but you need to do the rest.
deenawozyvo: i wont ever be able to get on yahoo messenger again this is my only day so come talk with me on the website
deenawozyvo: Kisses, Secret Admirer

YOu know you and your wife are screwheads when

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:57:33 GMT

You look at this ring :

For undergraduate students

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:11:01 GMT

NOAA Office of Education
Undergraduate Student Scholarship Programs

Internship Opportunities Sought for Summer 2010 Undergraduate Scholars

NOAA Office of Education (OEd) is seeking NOAA offices and programs nationwide to host Undergraduate Scholarship recipients in the Educational Partnership Program (EPP) and Hollings Scholarship Program. Internship opportunities are sought for 150 scholarship recipients to participate in a 10-week OEd paid internship in NOAA mission-related research, technological, policy, management, and education activities, beginning June 1, 2010.

Host offices are requested to identify a discrete project that the undergraduate scholar can complete within a 10-week timeframe. To access the on-line Student Scholarship Internship Opportunity form, go to https://ssio.iso.noaa.gov or to http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/Hollings_info.html or http://www.epp.noaa.gov and click on the Student Scholarship Internship Opportunity (SSIO). Completed forms must be submitted in the on-line system by Friday, 9 October, 2009.

Undergraduate scholars are U.S. citizens and full-time undergraduate students majoring in NOAA mission-related disciplines, including, but not limited to, oceanic, environmental, and atmospheric sciences, mathematics, engineering, remote sensing technology, physical and social sciences including, geography, physics, hydrology, and teacher education.

Scholarship recipients receive an OEd-funded award that includes academic assistance, a 10-week paid internship, housing assistance, conference travel, and round-trip travel to the internship site.

The NOAA OEd Undergraduate Scholarship Programs provide NOAA with a valuable mechanism to help realize the vision and achieve the goals of the NOAA Strategic Plan. The Undergraduate Scholarship Programs also support NOAA’s cross-cutting priorities of promoting environmental literacy and developing, valuing, and sustaining a world-class workforce.

For assistance in hosting an undergraduate scholar please contact the NOAA Office of Education, Student Scholarship Programs, at 1315 East-West Highway, Room 10703, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 or e-mail StudentScholarshipPrograms@noaa.gov.

For more information on the EPP Undergraduate Scholarship Program, go to http://www.epp.noaa.gov and for the Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program, go to http://www.oesd.noaa.gov.

9-11

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:03:59 GMT

The following is a recollection of events on 9/11/2001, and how the Internet has changed the way we deal with tragedy. I’ve eliminated last names, for purposes of privacy. It was originally printed the CPCUG Monitor in late 2001.

8:15 am - I come into my office at the usual time, start up the computer, and begin my morning download of email. Everything is quiet. I sit down with Bob (my partner) and we discuss phone calls from the night, and our plans for the day. It’s short, and seems like it’s going to be a quiet day. I sit down at my desk, turn on the radio, and let my email finish it’s download. Little would I know that the next 12 hours would be some of most tense, and scary in my life.

8:55 am – The radio announces that there’s been a air disaster in New York, and that a plane has crashed into the World Trade Center. At first I can’t believe it, then the phone rings. It’s Bob’s wife, saying she just saw it on T.V. By 9:00, there’s talk of a second one, I simply can’t believe what I’m hearing. I turn to Bob, who, was a pilot, and we assume that some Navaid (Radio transmitters that are used by pilots) must be out of whack, or something is wrong at a control tower. Terrorism hadn’t even crossed my mind. I quickly open up a web browser, and try to go to MSNBC. Needless to say, it’s busy, and slow. So, I go to my alternative web site, the Washington Post. Sure enough, there’s the report. It’s unbelievable.
I quickly open up an AOL Instant Messenger Chat Room, and invite all my friends, from around the country, figuring, that, together, we could build a better understanding of what’s going on. I’ve got the radio running, I’m surfing various news sites, and I’m talking to friends, and the news is coming in. It’s becoming plain and obvious that this is a terrorist attack.

9:15 am – The MSNBC web site becomes completely unusable, but the Washington Post is still there, if not slow. In our chat room, we begin to talk about who we know in New York, and discuss how to get a hold of them. The list is relatively short, but includes my Brother-in-Law, and a few other very dear friends. We track down email addresses, phone numbers, and hope they’ll come online. We also realize that we have some friends that were traveling, and wonder about them as well.

9:30 am – A quick call to my mom, in Idaho, to let her know what’s going on. She’s been watching the news, and is amazed. My Dad is in Denver, on business.

9:50 am - I hear it, on the radio, another crash the Pentagon. I quickly realize that nobody is safe. I pop into the chat room, tell my friends, and go to pick up the phone again, to call my family, only to find “dead air.” I pick up my cell phone, dial my family, only to get an “All circuits are busy” message. The Washington Post web site goes “dead,” no doubt from congestion. I quickly shoot off an email to my mother, letting her know I’m fine. I realize Deb lives near the Pentagon, and Mike works by the Pentagon. I haven’t seen them online, and begin to worry. Back to the chat room, to see if anyone has heard from them.
Then it comes to me that John works in the Pentagon. Also, Gordon and Stephanie, who commute from Hagerstown, haven’t gotten online yet, and it’s getting late.

10:00 am - I hear a rumor online that a bomb has gone off at the State Department. Our chat room has about 20 people in it now, many of them government employees, everyone’s pretty scared, but glad that they can chat with friends. We continue to compile our list of friends, who has heard from who. Sean and Rebecca are in New York, and no one has heard from them. John is still AWOL, and someone who still had telephone service called his house and got their voice mail.

10:15 am – Gordon gets online, says D.C. Is a parking lot, and Stephanie’s on her way to the office. They are okay. Gordon says the government’s probably going to evacuate, and he’ll be leaving in awhile. I hear that one of the towers in New York has collapsed, and probably thousands are dead. I add Dirk and Moira to our list of friends we haven’t heard from. Dirk’s in the Air Force, but doesn’t work at the Pentagon. We assume that he’s okay, but, we’re note sure. Another rumor comes up, that there’s a plane, above Washington D.C., circling, and it’s been hijacked. Someone out in Virginia says they don’t see anything, but, we’re all still concerned. Trying to get to any news website is almost impossible, it’s just to congested.
But, at least I’ve got friends I can talk to, and we can piece things together.

10:30 am – Stephanie gets online, says she’s okay, that traffic is just a mess. One more down. We continue to talk, let each other know that things are okay. We continue to worry about our friends that we haven’t heard from. I pick up the phone, note that it’s still dead, and try the cell, only to find I’m still getting an All Circuits are Busy message. I hear on the radio that the other tower has collapsed. By now, I’m just numb, not knowing how to react.

10:45 am – Gordon says that the State Department Bomb Rumor is false. That’s good to hear. I’m beginning to feel like there won’t be any more attacks. The radio continues to play in the background but I’m mostly occupied with talking with friends.

11:00 am – Rebecca gets online, tells us that she and Sean are okay, they were off the island when the attack happened. She lists off a long list of other New York friends, some who I know, some I don’t, who are all okay. I give a sigh of relief. I’ve heard from almost everyone, and it appears everyone is okay. I’m still waiting to hear about John, and realize that Lawrence may have been in the Pentagon at the time. We all continue to talk, exchange news, and just comfort each other with knowing we’re all okay. Shelly and I realize that many people may need a place to crash (we don’t know what traffic is going to be like, and some people near the Pentagon may not want to spend the evening in smoke), so we decide to offer sleeping space at our house to anyone who needs it.
The rumor about the plane circling Washington appears to be false, but someone says a plane has crashed near Pittsburgh, in a field. We’re all mystified, and confused. We assume that its simply a hijacking gone bad.

Noon – The office is quiet, so, I decide to go home, get things ready for refugees, and make sure everything’s okay. I sign off the chat room, telling everyone I should be back on by one, as I’ve got to stop by the store, and the bank.
Things are just eerie when I’m outside. I feel alone, not chatting with my friends, people are clearly tense, and checking each other out. The stores are quiet, and the parking lot is virtually empty as I hear the roar of jet fighters fly above me. I rush through my errands, and go home, back to chat and have the comfort of friends.

1:00 pm - I get home, crack open a beer, and head downstairs to get back online. Everyone’s still there. We’ve heard from John’s wife, he was supposed to be flying home today, so, she’s pretty sure he’s okay. We realize Tashi works for Lockheed Martin Computer Security, and we haven’t heard from her. She’s probably busy making sure there aren’t any problems, but, we shoot off an email to her anyway, just to make sure.
Gordon and Stephanie decide to leave downtown and go home. They offer their house, in Hagerstown, MD, if things go really bad. Though at this point, everything seems to begin quieting down.

1:30 pm – A quick call from Stephanie, from her cell phone (hey, cell service is finally back!). 270 is empty, and traffic is light. The afternoon goes quiet, we sit, talk, socialize, and track down friends. We slowly begin to see emails. Dirk and Moira are okay, on the base, under lockdown. Tashi just got off a 12 hour shift, and has to go back to work the next morning.

4:00 pm – Shelly decides to come home from the office. We find out John is stuck in Detroit, trying to get home. He says that his office was in the wing that was destroyed. My mom signs on, tells me that my Dad was stuck in Denver, and decided to rent a car to drive back to Idaho. He should be home tomorrow night.
Shelly’s normal 60 minute commute only takes 30 minutes, because traffic is so light. I sign off briefly, while she’s home, give her a big kiss, and sit down to the TV to see where things stand. We watch, in horror, as we see the wreckage.

5:30 pm – Shelly says she’s had enough, and is getting online. Several of our friends are chatting that we hadn’t seen before. Emails start to trickle in with news from friends. From what we can tell, everything is okay.
The net has changed the way we deal with tragedies of this magnitude, and not in the way you’d expect. It’s not about news web sites, and video, and live reports. It’s about friends, and family, and making sure they are okay.
In retrospect, as I sit here, on Wednesday, with yet another chat window open with my friends, that the net isn’t about big web sites, and getting information that you can get just as easily on the radio, or television.
It’s more personal than that. It’s making sure people are okay, and consoling each other in a time of crisis. Communicating with friends, and family, just making contact. That’s what makes the Internet such a special place.

My thoughts and emotions are with those who suffered a loss during this time. Hopefully, we can begin the healing process, together.

11 rules you don't learn in school

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:50:45 GMT

an excerpt from the book "Dumbing Down
our Kids" by educator Charles Sykes. It is a list of eleven things you did
not learn in school and directed at high school and college grads.

****************************************************************************************************

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did
not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically
correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality
and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2 : The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will
expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You
won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had
a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6 : If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about
your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are
now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and
listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you
save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try
delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life
HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll
give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't
bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and
very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on
your own time.

Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to
leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

What's Your Love Sign?

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:58:00 GMT

Your Love Sign is Taurus

You are greedy in love. When you fall for someone, you feel like you have to have them immediately.
You are both patient and stubborn. You'll wait years for the person you love to love you back.

For you, the idea relationship is comforting and stable. You don't need a lot of excitement.
You believe that love should be luxurious. You love to spoil your partner and to feel spoiled.

What's Your Love Sign?

What Planet Does Your Name Come From?

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:41:49 GMT

Your Name Comes from Saturn

You are a hard worker, and you take your responsibilities seriously.
Some people may find you to be cold, but your sense of humor is hard to pick up on at first.

You have always been an old soul, and you tend to be the teacher in most relationships.
You are often too hard on yourself but only because you are trying to be the best person possible.

What Planet Does Your Name Come From?

Writer's Block: Clock Punching

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:20:33 GMT

What was your first job?

View 552 Answers

I did a computer purchase consulting gig for a small business that wanted to computerize their records. They ended up with an Apple II, which was pretty cutting edge for a PC at the time.

Happy Birthday

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:33:47 GMT

masahide -- A day late.

Happy Birthday

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:35:40 GMT

evilbunny

Effective Web Site Development for Pagan Organizations

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:27:38 GMT

I will be offering a collegiate level course "Effective Web Site Development for Pagan Organizations" at Cherry Hill Seminary starting September 9th, 2009.

This class is for those people that are in leadership positions within pagan organizations and are not familiar with strategic planning with respect to web site development. It is non technical in nature, and primarily focuses on planning and options rather than the technical aspects of development.

Cost for the class is $75 and you can sign up at the Cherry Hill Seminary Web Site

Video

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:45:33 GMT

See more funny videos and Music Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Friday is geek day

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:41:31 GMT

TGIF humor

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:21:05 GMT

TGIF

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:23:28 GMT

Call for an apartment

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:19:38 GMT

So one of my co-workers is looking for an apartment/condo ASAP.

Here's what they are looking for:

Rent:$1500 or less, they can deal with a 1-2 bedroom.
Location: Preferably somewhere within a reasonable (15 minutes or less) driving distance of a Brunswick line Marc station. They'd like to keep the train trip from their home to the Silver Spring Marc to 90 minutes or less. This means that the Brunswick and Frederick stops are about as far out as she'd like to get.

Must take 2 cats.

Move in date -- Preferrably October 1.

Just so you can feel old

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:55:41 GMT

http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2013.php