December 30, 2003

My First Audio Blog

I'm trying something new. An audio blog. I don't know how many people are doing this - or - if they are doing it the way I'm doing it. But I can speak a lot faster than I can type - and - it only used a little over 1/2 meg for 4 1/2 minutes worth of rant.

It explains itself. All you have to do is Click Here and listen to what I have to say. The voice speaks for itself.

So - that having gone well I made a second recording where I describe the Digital Voice Recorder in more detail.

Although you not have to have it, I found some audio software called Goldwave. Here's another mp3 audio file where I Tell you About It. the Glodwave software can be found at goldwave.com.

Just as an experiment here's a little audio Using the Internal Microphone that is built into the voice recorder. It doesn't sound to bad - the audio levels are lower - but that's not a surprise. Not as good as the external mic - but it is usable. But - I used the Goldwave software on the file and created this Enhanced Version that sounds every bit as good as my $9.95 external mic. I just brought the audio levels up about 12 db and added a little bass and treble.

I've done yet another experiment I just did another rant this time using the clip on mic that came with the recorder. Additionally I spent some time editing it with the Goldwave software where I removed about 30 seconds of a bad joke and a few "ya knows". I did mess with the audio a little too much so there is a little clipping - but I'm getting better at that.

So - I called up my friend Bartcop to tell him about it and tried it out recording the phone conversation. I had to do a little digital compression and expansion to get our voices to the same level - but I think it sounds pretty good considering I'm on a $20 900mhz cordless phone.

Feel free to hit the comment link and leave me a message letting me know what you think of this.

Posted by marc at 08:58 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

New Year's Resolution - Get Rid of Bush!

Letter to the Editor

I'm making it a new years resolution to be more patriotic this year by doing whatever I have to do to get Bush out of the Whitehouse and restore freedom and democracy to America.

It's been almost 4 long years since Bush stole the election. Since then we went from the biggest surplus in the history of the world to the biggest deficit in the history of the world. Peace and prosperity turned into war and poverty. Liberty and Freedom gave way to Homeland Security and the government spying on everything we do. We not send our sons to die in a war in Iraq that has turned out to be a fraud. Freedom and Patriotism are merely marketing slogans and America is shunned in the world community.

America used to be a great nation. We can restore it to the way it used to be. We can go back to the days where the president is elected by the people and not appointed by the supreme court. I want all of you to make it a new year's resolution to rebuild our nation and make America a nation of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Posted by marc at 08:25 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

December 23, 2003

The Butterfly Effect

I've been thinking about this for years and finally got around to writing it. It's a detailed explanation of "The Butterfly Effect". Sensitive Dependence on Initial Condition. Once you read this your perception of reality will change forever.

Posted by marc at 09:13 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

December 21, 2003

Saddam's Capture Faked!

Letter to the Editor

As with so many other events in the Bush administration - it turns out that the capture of Saddam Hussein was in fact faked. Yes - Saddam is in custody - but it was the Kurds who had captured him - drugged him - and stuck him in the hole waiting for the Americans to show up in a made for television event. The revelation of this phony story as revealed by a Yahoo news story caused the Bush administration to raise the political threat level to Orange.

This phony capture is just the latest in a string of phony events to justify Bush's phony war - the hunt for phony weapons of mass destruction - and going all that way back to Bush's phony 2000 election. If you believe any of these phony stories then I have a story about a phony economic recovery for you to listen to.

Posted by marc at 08:27 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

December 20, 2003

Are you better off than you were four years ago?

Are you better off than you were four years ago? That's one of the questions I hope the media will ask. I certianly am asking it and I want to ask everyone else to ask it. We've gone from peace and prosperity to war and poverty and - is that Bush's fault? Damn right it is. Kids are growing up today without even knowing what the word "surplus" means. We used to have law and order. We used to have a much smaller government. that wasn't tapping our phones and following us around everywhere. We need to stop the bleeding and turn America around. And that means getting rid of Bush and doing whatever it take to make that happen.

Posted by marc at 07:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Will they prosecute Saddam's Partners?

rummy-saddam.jpg

This is a real picture of our current Secretary of Defense, Donnald (Rummy) Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam Hussein. The picture was taken during the Reagan Administration after Saddam supposedly gassed the Kurds. Back then we didn't care about that because Saddam was on "our side" and - after all - we gave him the gas. So - isn't it a little late for us to get moralistic about that issue when Rummy has his hands dirty?

Saddam is a bad guy and he deserves to die. But the real threat to the world right now is Bin Laden, Ariel Sharon, and George W. Bush.

Posted by marc at 07:14 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

December 17, 2003

Getting Saddam to Talk

Bush wants Saddam to talk - but about what is the question. He also wants Saddam to get the death penelty. But still hasn't found any weapons of mass destruction.

So - they make Saddam a deal. He admits to weapons of mass destruction and Bush plants some there and they find them and Bush can retroactively justify his fake war. Look for such a deal to occur.

Posted by marc at 05:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 14, 2003

Saddam Captured - One Down - Two to Go

With the capture of Saddam Hussein a tyrant has finally been brought down. But there are still two tyrants left that we need to rid the world of - Osama bin Laden - and the most menacing tyrant of them all - George W. Bush.

It's been 824 days since 9-11. Bin Laden is still free - are you?

-----

Capturing Saddam is a good thing. He is a mass murderer who gassed his own people with the gas we gave him to gas Iranians. America doesn't take kindly to mass murderers who murder people other than the ones we want them to.

But seroiusly - Saddam was only a local threat to the people of his own country. The real threat to the world is George W. Bush who stole the election and is now occupying the United States. We too need to be liberated before he continues to spread war and poverty around the world.

There is no honor in the defeat of Iraq. We disarmed them and at the end suckered them into giving up their few remaining weapons. What honor is there when the strongest nation beats an unarmed country?

Posted by marc at 12:29 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

December 13, 2003

Perkel Endorses Dean

OK - so I'm going to go ahead and make my endorsement. I have come to the conclusion that Dean was the winner months ago - but it's time I said it. If it were close between the candidates then I would say - let the best man win. But - it's not close - so I'm going to declare Dean the winner.

Why Dean - well, first - let's start the process on emimination. Al Sharpton is just a political opportunist who came to fame over the faked Twanna Brawly incident. Like Jesse Jackson, he's another Martin Luther King wannabe. And not nearly as good at it as Jackson. But - he does add entertainment to the debate.

Gephardt, Lieberman, Edwards and Kerry all voted for Bush's war. All of them giving Bush a Monica. If we're going to be stuck in Iraq - we already have the right president for that.

Dick Gephardt - he might as well be Bush's cheerleader who stumped hard for Bush to get his Iraq war. He has this funny idea that he can beat Bush by sucking up to him. Gephardt is little more than a whore for unions and definitely does not have the vision thing. He's part of the problem - not the solution.

Joe Lieberman - extreme right wing Jew and religious whaco. Plays the holocaust card every chance he gets. His politics is about the same as the right wing kabal leading Israel who like Bush want to get into a religious war of mutual extermination. Lieberman has yet to figure out that it's a 7 day a week job - not 6. And - if Gore had picked Kerry instead of Lieberman - Bush wouldn't be in the whitehouse today.

Speaking of Kerry - I like him - he's interesting. Too bad he voted for Bush's war. Kerry was probably passed over because he had Clinton's libedo before he married the Heinz widdow and became a billionaire.

Then there's John Edwards. Good looking guy - but he too voted with Bush for the war. And - he's a lawyer and even though he covers it well - I keep hearing the lawyer double speek half twised truth thing that lawyers are trined to do - and I'm no fan of lawyers.

Carol Mosly Braun - an obscure candidate from Chicago who was swept to power with Clinton winning a senate seat in 1992. I can't remember if she was defeated in 1998 or was in the middle of some scandal, but, she's just to obscure.

Likewise - there's Dennis. Last name is to long and doesn't fit well on a bumper sticker. He's a good guy - he gets it on the war issue - but too far left and way to obscure - basicly - not much to get excited about.

I almost forgot Clark - as several people have pointed out. I like Clark. I think he's a good guy and I would be glad if he becomes part of Deans team. But Clark has one serious flaw and that he's never held public office before. And going form noting to president is just too big of a step. Of course - as compared to Bush anyone would make a good president. Another reservation is that I just don't trust military thinking in a civilian leadership job. Unlike some candidates, I could support Clark - but as compared to Dean - Dean wins.

And - who does that leave? Dean! Fortunately he's not a loser too. Like Clinton - he's strong - on top of things - and has the vision thing. He gets it about the war. Something very few of his rivals do. And - he's a doctor - not a lawyer. Much rather have a doctor as president.

I could go on - and I will at some date in the future - but for now I am announcing that Dean is my choice.

If however - for some reason he doesn't win - my real candidate is ANYONE BUT BUSH! Someone asked me if I would vote for Satan for President. My response is - not in the primary.

Posted by marc at 09:04 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

December 12, 2003

Gore's Endorsement of Dean Wrong

I'm a Dean supporter, and I think Dean will be the nominee and will be a good president. But I think Gore endorsing Dean was wrong.

Especially after the last election you would think that no matter what the preferences are that it is important for the people to make the choice rather than power handed from one political insider to another. At this stage of the game it's important for a candidate to crawl ahead on his own and not be blessed by the machine.

Gore is an extremely short sighted man who just doesn't get it. Gore has yet to figure out that the election was stolen from him and he still thinks it's Clinton's fault he isn't president. I think Gore endorsed Dean for his own personal selfish reasons and wants to be called a kingmaker and use it for his own influence in the future. Maybe to get to be a vice president again. Who knows.

In contrast - the Clinton, who I'm sure have a preference, are staying out of the process and letting the people decide. If Clinton were to endorse Dean it would be all over. If Clinton were to endorse Clark it would be a real race. But Clinton isn't as short sighted as Gore and he is someone who sees the big picture.

Al Gore really has no serious political clout of his own. Before 1992 he was little more than an obscure senator who, like Bush, was groomed for politics by his father. Gore ran for president in 1988 and was in deal last place when he dropped out of the race. Gore wasn't anyone until Clinton picked him and Gore's political power came from Clinton.

In the 2000 presidential race Clinton handed Gore the ball and he fumbled it. During the campaign Gore was more insulting to Clinton than Bush was and became his own man. Gore could have easilly won if he just said, "I'm Bill Clinton without Monica", but he didn't. He distanced himself from Clinton and he failed to win. (Yes - technically he won - but he failed to fight for it and still shouts down critics like me who cliam the election was stolen).

But - getting back to my point - Gore no longer has much political power. His has blown the power Clinton gave him and now looks like a clueless fool. Gore endorsing Dean is barely a boost if that. If Gore had endorsed anyone else Dean would still be in the lead. But I'm sure Gore will take credit for it just like Gore takes credit for all kinds of things he had little to do with.

So - I think Gore should get together with Bob Dole and do some Viagra comercials together or something. He had his shot and he blew it. So it's time to get off the stage.

On a side note - Lieberman is rather amusing. If Gore had endorsed Lieberman - do you think he would be honest enough to denounce Gore the way he is - or would he be singing a different tune? I'm surprized he isn't calling Gore an anti-semite!

Posted by marc at 07:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 11, 2003

Iraq Reconstruction Policy

Letter to the Editor

I continue to watch in amazement while the Bush Administration takes the public position that the Iraq reconstruction contracts will go only to those countries who supported the Iraq War, and not to Germany, France, Russia, and Canada who opposed it. And this is at the same time America is asking them to donate money and troops. America is going out of its way to insult those countries who they are also begging from.

Besides - those countries aren't going to get the contracts anyway. Neither are the countries who did support the war. All the contracts are being given to American companies, like Halliburton, who gave big campaign contributions to get Bush elected in the first place. Only Republican party insiders get government contracts. And I'm sure that France, Germany, Russia, and Canada already know that.

-----

It's been 821 days since 9-11. Bin Laden is still free - are you?

Posted by marc at 09:54 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

December 10, 2003

VP Cheney Enjoys Slaughtering Birds for Fun

According to This Article on MSNBC our selected VP likes to slaughter birds for fun.

THE INCREASINGLY low-profile V.P. was taken to Pittsburgh by Air Force Two earlier this week where his “security detail loaded him and his favorite shotgun into a Humvee,” and went to Rolling Rock Club in Ligonier Township, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. There, he and nine other hunting buddies shot at 500 ringneck pheasants, killing 417 of them. The V.P. was credited with offing 70 of the birds, as well as an unknown number of mallard ducks.

The shooting spree prompted an outraged letter from the Humane Society. “This wasn’t a hunting ground. It was an open-air abattoir, and the vice president should be ashamed to have patronized this operation and then slaughtered so many animals,” Wayne Pacelle, a senior vice president of The Humane Society of the United States, wrote in a letter of protest, according to ThePittsburghChannel.com. “If the Vice President and his friends wanted to sharpen their shooting skills, they could have shot skeet or clay, not resorted to the slaughter of more than 400 creatures planted right in front of them as animated targets.”

----

I'm hardly a vegetarian and I'm not against hunting. But this was hardly hunting. It was a killing orgy for people who like to shoot things just to watch them die. I guess it's what you do for fun when your job involves sending troops to Iraq to do that to children. It reflects on the character of the man and the character of the Bush administration. These people kill for fun. Nothing more.

Posted by marc at 02:47 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

My AT&T Complaint to the Attorney General

To the Attorney General of California

I have a problem with AT&T wireless cell phones in the San Francisco area. I am an electronic and computer professional and communications specialist and I know what I'm talking about here.

I own 2 AT&T cell phones and they both have the same problems.

The audio is very choppy even with good signal strength and the calls drop all the time. Knowing what I know about electronics the type of distortion sounds like digital packet loss - in short - AT&T is oversold and running in excess of their capacity.

Additionally - my cell phone turns off by itself even with a full battery. I seems as though AT&T is turning off phones to save bandwidth. And this results in missed calls. When it comes down to it - I'm not getting what I'm paying for.

There are several issues here. I am not just one customer who is and isolated incident. AT&T is oversold in the bay area and doesn't have the network capacity to handle the number of subscribers it has. This results in packet loss distortions, disconnected calls, and I believe the they are remotely turning off my cell phone to conserve bandwidth.

To explain this in simple terms - it would be like a hotel who was renting more rooms than it actually had to the point where when people showed up - there were no rooms. AT&T does not have the ability to provide service to the number of phones it has sold in the Bay Area.

Because the service is oversold, during busy times I get what is known as packet loss distortion where words or parts of words are dropped. When it gets more overloaded it becomes unintelligible, then - they will drop the call. Sort of like kicking people off an over crowded bus to take on more passengers. Calls that should have been received are not received - phone never rings - but have voice mail.

The system works fine on off hours. If I make calls in the middle of the night I don't have these problems. And - if this were happening for short periods of time I could understand that. But - this is happening throughout most of the day to the extent that the service is unusable. I am not getting the service I am paying for. I am paying for cell phone service - and I am not getting it.

I have made numerous calls to their customer support department and I just get the run around. I have had them do tests on my phones and according to their tests - the phones are fine. Yet they can not solve the problem. It seem to me that they actually want me to go away so they can collect $350 in termination fees and reduce the load on their overloaded system.

What needs to happen is that AT&T should be required to install enough equipment and capacity to handle the load. And - until they do - they should be prohibited from accepting new customers in the Bay Area.

Furthermore - because their service is unusable - they should not be allowed to collect and additional $175 per line for me to move to a different cell phone service.

This is not something that is happening only to me. I have talked about this with other AT&T users and it's happening to a lot of people. It would be appropriate for the Attorney General to step in and take serious steps to correct this.

Sincerely,

Marc Perkel

Here's what communicating with AT&T customer Service is like

Dear Mr. Perkel:

Thank you for contacting AT&T Wireless regarding our previous response. We apologize that you were not completely satisfied with the information offered regarding your current situation. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer any different options or information than have already been presented. We do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

We value your business and are always looking for ways to improve our service to you! Let us know your thoughts by taking a short survey about your AT&T Wireless email Customer Care experience. Please click on the link below to begin. If you are unable to click on the link, simply copy the link and paste it into your browser where you enter web addresses, and press "ENTER".

http://66.162.6.220/idce/start.asp?SID=AWS2323

If you need to respond to this message, we suggest you reply directly to this email for the best service. Please remember to leave all documents attached for reference. A complete listing of options for contacting AT&T Wireless can be located on our web site at:
attwireless.com/ocs/contactus/ContactUs.jhtml

Thanks for choosing AT&T Wireless. We appreciate your business.

Sincerely,
David D.
AT&T Wireless
email Customer Care
attwireless.com


TRACKING NUMBER: A00000009319-00000049527

-----Original Message-----


From: marc@perkel.com
Sent: 28 Oct 03 09:48:18
To:
Cc:
Subject: Re: BW0009319

I am unsatisfied. I was however satisfied for the first 30 days when
things were working properly. Now your service is oversold and it is no
longer working properly.

Under the contract you are obligated to provide me with service of a
reasonable quality and you are not doing so. Because you have failed to
provide reasonable quality of service - you are in breach of the terms
of the contract. You service is so oversold that it is all but useless.
I am therefore giving you notice that you are in breach.

customer_service@attws.com wrote:

> Dear Mr. Perkel:
>
> Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding the AT&T Wireless
> cancellation policy on service. When you activate new service with
> AT&T Wireless, we are confident that you will be pleased with your
> purchase. However, if you are not, and you purchased your phone
> directly from AT&T Wireless, your phone and accessories can be
> returned to the original place of purchase within 30 days. Because
> your service is over the 30 day trial period, we cannot waive the
> cancellation fee. Your other option may be to switch back to digital
> service if you still have your old digital phone and use your service
> until the end of the current contract.
>
> We hope this information resolves your request to your satisfaction!
> We value your business and are always looking for ways to improve our
> service to you! Let us know your thoughts by taking a short survey
> about your AT&T Wireless email Customer Care experience. Please click
> on the link below to begin. If you are unable to click on the link,
> simply copy the link and paste it into your browser where you enter
> web addresses, and press "ENTER".
>
> http://66.162.6.220/idce/start.asp?SID=AWS2323
>
> If you need to respond to this message, we suggest you reply directly
> to this email for the best service. Please remember to leave all
> documents attached for reference. A complete listing of options for
> contacting AT&T Wireless can be located on our web site at:
> attwireless.com/ocs/contactus/ContactUs.jhtml
>
> Thanks for choosing AT&T Wireless. We appreciate your business.
>
> Sincerely,
> Elaine
> AT&T Wireless
> email Customer Care
> attwireless.com
>
>
>
>
> TRACKING NUMBER: A00000009319-00000042930
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
>
> From: marc@perkel.com
> Sent: 27 Oct 03 21:11:19
> To:
> Cc:
> Subject: Re: BW0009319
>
> I've already conacted your customer service and your service determined
> that my equipment was fine. The problem is that your network is
> overloaded and you are not providing the service we contracted for.
> Because you seem to be unable to resolve the network congestion issue -
> I have to declare you in breach of the contract and unless yu resolve
> your network congestion issues in the next 30 days I will move my cell
> phone service to a new provider.
>
> customer_service@attws.com wrote:
>
> > Dear Mr. Perkel:
> >
> > Thank you for contacting AT&T Wireless regarding coverage reception.
> > Wireless service is normally available to your telephone, when it is
> > within the operating range of our system and it may be available
> > outside of that area in other carrier service areas. However, the
> > quality of your service is subject to transmission limitation or
> > interruption caused by natural conditions such as atmosphere and
> > topography. Also, there may be other limitations such as capacity
> > limitations, system repairs/modifications, and/or other conditions.
> >
> > Please note that coverage concerns or equipment related inquires are
> > not currently supported via e-mail inquiry due to the number of
> > factors that can affect your service. We apologize for any
> > inconvenience this may cause.
> >
> > In order to troubleshoot the issues you are experiencing with your
> > equipment and/or service in the most effective manner possible, we
> > will need to have you contact one of our Customer Care representatives
> > by calling 1-800-888-7600 between the hours of 6:00AM and 1:00AM CST,
> > 7 days a week.
> >
> > We hope this information resolves your request to your satisfaction!
> > We value your business and are always looking for ways to improve our
> > service to you! Let us know your thoughts by taking a short survey
> > about your AT&T Wireless email Customer Care experience. Please click
> > on the link below to begin. If you are unable to click on the link,
> > simply copy the link and paste it into your browser where you enter
> > web addresses, and press "ENTER".
> >
> > http://66.162.6.220/idce/start.asp?SID=AWS2323
> >
> > If you need to respond to this message, we suggest you reply directly
> > to this email for the best service. Please remember to leave all
> > documents attached for reference. A complete listing of options for
> > contacting AT&T Wireless can be located on our web site at:
> > attwireless.com/ocs/contactus/ContactUs.jhtml
> >
> > Thanks for choosing AT&T Wireless. We appreciate your business.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> > Daniel M.
> > AT&T Wireless
> > email Customer Care
> > attwireless.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > TRACKING NUMBER: A00000009319-00000034887
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> >
> >
> > From: marc@perkel.com
> > Sent: 27 Oct 03 10:42:18
> > To:
> > Cc:
> > Subject: OCS25G Application Response - Next Generation Wireless - Next
> > Generation Wireless
> >
> > Message From: Marc Perkel
> > Account Number:
> > Contact Number:
> > SSN Last Four Numbers:
> > Message:
> > Add this to my record. I am hereby giving you notice that I intend to
> > move my service in the next two months to anyone else who can provide
> > me clear cell phone service in the San Francisco / San Bruno area. I
> > have complained numerous times about the quality of service and
> > nothing has been done. I have 2 cell phones and both of them are in
> > proler working order. The problem is that you have oversold your
> > services in this area and it is causing packey loss - choppy audio to
> > the point of being unusable - and connections continously dropped. The
> > service is so bad that I can not use it. I am an electronic tech and I
> > know what packet loss from an overloaded system sounds like. In our
> > agreement I agreed to a plan and you agreed to provide me with cell
> > phone service. You have failed to uphold your end of the bargain. I am
> > therefore giving you notification that you are in breah of our service
> > agreement and that I intend to terminate the plan within 60 days based
> > on the breach. Please enter this email as part of your record on my
> > account. And - pass this on to your customer support managers. Marc
> > Perkel

Posted by marc at 07:47 AM | Comments (12) | TrackBack

December 09, 2003

AT&T Cell Phone Service in San Fran Sucks

I used to really like AT&T but in the last several months their service has really gone to hell. The audio is very choppy even with good signal strength and the calls drop all the time. Knowing what I know about electronics the type of distortion souns like digital packet loss - in short - AT&T is oversold and running in excess of their capacity.

Additionally - my cell phone turns off by itself even with a full battery. I seems as though AT&T is turning off phones to save bandwidth. And this results in missed calls. When it comes down to it - I'm not getting what I'm paying for.

I'm thinking about switching. Verizon is on my short list. Definitely not going with Sprint because they have a bad habit of fraudulently billing customers and I'm not going there.

But - I'm sure I'll have a fight with AT&T over the commitment thing - but the way I see it - they committed to providing me with cell phone service and they aren't keeping their end of the bargain. So - I will at least get even by publicly documenting my experiences on the net for all to see.

Posted by marc at 12:32 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack

Election Day in San Francisco

Today is election day in San Francisco. I'm endorsing Matt Gonzalez for mayor and Terence Hallinan for Prosecuting Attorney.

In San Francisco the right wing is the Democrats and the left wing is the Green Party. This is a city where nepotism and insider control has gone wild and the Democratic establishment is stealing billions of dollars of taxpayer money to line their cronies pockets. I'm not normally a Green supporter - especially after Nader - but I think it's time to stick it to the man and get someone new elected. I mean after all - when you have a dense population of the richest people in the world and there still isn't enough money to pave the streets - it's time for change.

Terence Hallinan on the other hand is probably the most progressive prosecutor in the country. I first saw him in person after Bush's Nazi's raided a legal medical marijuana outlet. Terence stood up and spoke at the protests and denounced the federal government. Violent crime in San Francisco has dropped faster than any other California city and it's because in part that he's doing a good job. And - he's the only one standing up to the crooked police chief who is uninterested in enforcing police conduct when cops go out on the street and beat up random people just for their amusement.

The Democrats are so desparate to control San Francisco that they even brought out Al Gore and the Clinton to endorse Gavin Newsom for mayor. And I usually vote with Clinton - but Newsom is part of the machine and the machine is broken here. And - I'm not loyal to the Democratic Party. I vote based on who is best for The People and the political hacks better get used to it.

In this case the persons who is best for the People of San Francisco is Matt Gonzalez and Terence Hallinan. And I urge everyone in San Francisco to go out and vote for these two fine people.

Posted by marc at 07:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

George W. Bush = Miserable Failure says Google

If you go to Google and type in "misreable failure" it lists Bush's Biography as the first hit. And it's not something Google indented to do deliberately.

Bush actually is a miserable failure. And that's being generous. I would compare him more to the man his grandfather financed to lead Germany in the 1930s.

Posted by marc at 06:59 AM | Comments (16) | TrackBack

December 07, 2003

Bush supports NASA?

Letter to the Editor

News reports claim the Bush is going to announce a plan to support NASA - maybe even go to Mars. That's really funny! If anyone actually believes this - I have some real estate on the Moon I'd like to sell you!

It's been 817 days since 9-11. Bin Laden is still free - are you?

Posted by marc at 08:53 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

December 01, 2003

The Sacred Joke of the church of Reality

There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary numbers - and those who don't.

(If you don't get it - do the research!)

Posted by marc at 09:53 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

The Principle of Curiosity, Exploration, and Imagination

New Sacred Principle of the Church of Reality

The Principle of Curiosity, Exploration, and Imagination is the quest for true knowledge. It represents our desire to move forward both individually and collectively. We are a curious church and we want to know how everything works. We want to explore the universe from galaxies to subatomic particles. We want to think about thinking, to understand understanding and to know reality as it really is.

We are people of vision. We dream of great things and actively move to make it happen. We are people who have the "Vision Thing" and who combine our wisdom and imagination with realistic thinking to lead the world to a better tomorrow.

---------

I'm now up to 16 Sacred Principles which is 10 in Hexadecimal!

Posted by marc at 09:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Apache 2.0 a lot faster than Apache 1.3

I just upgraded my web server last week to the new Redhat Fedora Linux from Redhat 7.3. It was a very interesting upgrade. I had at first devised a way to do the upgrade without shutting the server down and it almost worked. If not for Python and PHP getting screwed up it would have been amazing.

I download an upgrade package called Yum and managed to change operating systems without rebooting and without shuttiing the server down. And all this from remote! Try that with Windows!

But because these two applications failed to work I ended up wiping the drive and reinstalling from scratch. Fortunately I keep two drives in the server so I have the ability to undo what I screw up.

The server is far faster than it used to be. I'm hosting about 75 sites and the load was climbing up there during some parts of the day. Now it's running about 1/10 the load levels it used to. I give the credit to Apache 2.0.

Apache 2.0 is great once you get it working - but - getting it working isn't real easy. There are a lot of differences - especially with the directive and it's enough to drive you nuts. Basically you have to specify the IP address and the Port on each entry. But - it was worth it.

I'm also looking forward to installing the 2.6 kernel. I had it running for a while - but it breaks a couple of apps so I'm going to wait a while on that one.

Posted by marc at 07:31 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack