Jeber Jabber

The urge to do bodily harm

I'm really close to becoming well and truly irritated with GoDaddy as a web host.  For the second time in a month my other blog and the associated website are unavailable. 

TypePad and me...

I'm too tired to post the lengthy review TypePad deserves, especially since some of my impressions are not positive, and I always want to weigh carefully my negative impressions.  Online, it's hard to retract.  Not that I intend to trash it, but it does have its share of quirks, and they should be documented.  Not the least of which is the limited interface.  I tried to enter custom colors into the template, and they were ignored.  I believe to obtain that function one needs to purchase the more expensive package than the one I have.  Even if I downloaded the client and hosted it from my own site, and unlocked those limitations, the interface is still too square, too clunkish, too pro-forma too make it worth the effort.  Now if I could import Blogger's color schemes over here, I'd be a happier camper.

What really yanks my chain

The stupidity of bigots, racists and the grossly intolerant amuses me.
The stupidity of the truly ignorant saddens me.
The stupidity of overlords, bosses and supervisors in general I can tolerate.
The stupidity of the simple people I can excuse.
The stupidity of the young I can correct.
But one type of stupidity that really pisses me off is...

America, Love It or Leave It

I was just responding to a post in a forum in which a member was being tagged as "hating America" for stating his opposition to the war and the current administration.
It brought back memories of the phrase, "America, Love It or Leave It" that we heard every other minute during the 60's. And the phrase is as unAmerican now as it was then.

My OS can beat up your OS

Can we ever, as sensible people, accept the fact that different computer users need and enjoy different systems and software? I don't object to comparisons that provide raw facts and let me draw my own conclusions based on my own needs. But all this bickering between users of Linux and Windows, nVIDIA and ATI, Word and Open Office, etc., over which is "better" is just making us look like children, or idiots. I don't have to disparage Windows or its users, to explain why I like Linux or why it works better for me. I don't have to dump on nVIDIA to give examples of why ATI works well for my needs. Negative comparisons only alienate others. It doesn't win them over to your way of thinking. If all I want to do is a little web surfing and send emails, you're not going to convince me to by a Mac, no matter how stupid you try to make me feel for looking at a $500 PC. On the other hand, your convincing examples of what a Mac can do might convince me to buy one if I'm an artist. Call me a fool, and I may never agree with you about anything. Show me the positives of your opinion, and some specs that I can apply to my own situation, and you may have made a convert.
I appreciate that attitudes like this may just be an extension of natural human competitiveness, but I have usually given geeks more credit for being practical and reasonable.

Justifiable pride

All the celebrations yesterday in this country bring to mind one of my major frustrations with the way many people think about the subject of pride.

Simply put; to take pride in something over which I have no control is ridiculous. I cannot in all honesty take pride in being an American, being male, being white, or in any other condition which was bestowed on me by circumstance of birth. Am I glad I'm an American? Certainly. Am I glad I'm white? Well, it certainly has had its advantages, I can't deny that. But to take pride in such things is nonsensical. No one has ever had a choice in the color of their skin or the gender they were born with.

The true measure of a person, the one facet of our lives we can justifiably take pride in, is what we've made of ourselves using the tools we are given. What you do with what you have makes you who you truly are. Have you overcome the restrictions placed on you by the circumstances of your birth? Take pride in that. A persons personality is their own creation. That is a fair point of pride. Do you have skills and abilities you've nutured and trained? Be proud. If you want to be proud of your long hair, go right ahead. But it's silly to think you could be proud of your natural hair color. I'll add to this rant later, as it's a major cause of unrest and division between humans worldwide, and I think deserves more consideration.

USPS (under stated poor service)

It's now 7:30PM, and still no mail delivery today. This isn't the first time we've failed to have our mail delivered. And of course the branch office is closed, so there isn't even anyone to call and yell at. Government services sure have declined in quality in the last few years. Another example of a monopoly that has a service locked up, and since no direct competition exists to keep them on their toes, they don't have to worry about the quality of their work. Reminds me of Microsoft. Have you installed Linux today?