31 January 06 - 21:51The Cookie Crumbles
I would like to pass along some information I have found regarding methods marketing folks use to track our habits on the internet. Some of these items are very benign (harmless) while others are not. Here are a couple of the mostly benign ones. In other words, the companies that are using these methods usually have a clear privacy policy and give you the ability to opt out of their "persistant cookie" tracking systems.
Cookies are, in and of themselves, not a bad thing. There are basically two kinds:
1) Persistant Cookies (usually used for tracking) persistant or tracking cookies, are small files that stay on your disk and information is added to it each time the cookie is accessed. Various market research companies provide tracking services with these cookies so that data about surfing habits can be determined. This determination usually is used to target the content of internet advertising such as banner ads and pop up ads.
2) Session Cookies (a temporary place to store data) session cookies, are small files written to your disk so that web pages can work better. They store information on your computer so that when you interact with the internet server it is possible to keep track of where things left off. These cookies are erased when you leave the site that left them. Session cookies are obviously not an issue. 
It is the tracking cookies that may bother you.
For your information, they are probably no more of a tracking tool than the discount cards that brick and mortar stores give you or the databases that stores create by asking for your area code or zip code when you make a purchase. Even so, they may bother you. In another article the hacker side of me will tell you what you can do to block these cookies (there are server side and client side methods) and I will also tell you about the "Clear GIF" or "Internet Beacon." For now, I may have told you what you already knew. But if not, welcome to the legal world of demographic data collection on the internet. These legal methods are not to be confused with spyware which screws up your computer.
Cookies may track you, but they don't mess with your computer. By the way, the cookies usually have names that describe what they do. For example, if you are visiting sights that have people without clothes on, the cookies left by the marketing firms that support this type of business will have "embarrassing" names left on your drive. This may not mess with your computer, but try explaining to your wife why you have a cookie called "whorepuppy.com" or "nakedpeoplelooker.com," or the like.
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AP Quote - 1/28/06 - "GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Following their resounding election victory, the Islamic militants of Hamas met the question of whether they will change their stripes with a loud "no": no recognition of Israel, no negotiations, no renunciation of terror.
Obviously not the most flexible people in the world. I am not a Palestinian, nor am I an Israeli, a Jew, or Muslim. I am an American citizen, born in this country, and brought up as a Presbyterian Protestant Christian. I do not want to rely on my Christian upbringing. I do not think it fair to determine that the religion of our youth is the correct religion. And that is my point.
Hamas, the situation in Palestine, Israel, Goofiness, Muslims, Christians, and Jews are all part of the strangest circle jerk that was ever developed by the small minds of mankind. The man that got it right was George Carlin.
In a routine I watched some years back, George Carlin exclaimed that the front runner cause for war was God. As in, "my God is stronger, better, more correct, more real, etc. than your God." It seems so. In fact, it probably is the same God, whatever his disposition.
Hamas has won elections in Palestine, apparently their platform is idiotic. The fact that they are popular is proof that the use of God in international relationships is never going to work. My wife watched representatives of different religions on TV recently. She said that after watching it she is proud to be a Jew. Why? The Jewish religious representation on the program she watched came across as the most balanced.
That very well may be true. For now, I am going to hope that the Palestinians evaporate.
Dateline January 26, 2006 - The Oprah Show - You will recall that James Frey wrote a "memoir" in which he fabricated most of the story. In fact, apprently he tried to sell the book as fiction and when that didn't work, he went the "memoir" route. Oprah's book club picked up the book, etc. etc.
The latest development occured on Oprah's show when she verbally spanked James Frey a mere two weeks after she called the Larry King Live show and called the controversy "Much ado about nothing."
It seems that the tune has changed. I wonder why? Conscience, the spector of losing money, public pressure? Apparently the fact that James lied was not an issue until something else tipped the scale. Oprah is pretty nice, but pretty vain and egotistical. My vote is she did it to make herself look better when the situation did not go her way.
I won't use the word "bully," but there might be a fit here. Damage control is never pretty. Even for Oprah.
I do not intend to stoop to the level of saying that Ebay sucks or that they are a bad business model. The fact is that I like the basic concept, and did a great number of transactions with them in 2004. Nothing since, however.
Reason? Their "feedback" system is not accurate. I had the misfortune of connecting with a rather "loose cannon" sort of guy on my very first transaction. As a basic newby idiot, I thought "feedback" meant exactly that. A way to contact or feedback information to the person I was buying from. In fact, I wanted to let him know that we lived within 15 or 20 miles of each other and could probably meet to eliminate shipping a LP record playing deck through the mail or UPS.
This turned out badly as I rated my happiness as low since I was having trouble using the email feature and had resorted to what I thought was an alternate way to communicate.
Anyways, I did do about 10 or 12 transactions with Ebay, but quit when they could not sort out the rude comments made by the person on the original transaction.
Hey, they don't need me and have made that point clear. I don't need them, but wish they would clear things up so we could do business again.
Ebay is very strange...... Very strange. If you like their goofy systems, let me know. I would like to rationalize a way to do business with them, even though they do not control or monitor their feedback system very well.
Ariel Sharon is not recovering. It is never good when a person does not wake up from a coma in a timely manner. The current talk revolves around sending him to a place called Loewenstein Hospital Rehabilitation Center, the only facility of its kind in Israel.
This is a quote from their website as to the type of care Mr. Sharon could expect. "Neurological Intensive CareThis is the only department of its kind in Israel which comatose patients from all over the country are referred to. Its success rate is one of the highest in the world, with close to 86% of the patients recovering consciousness and advancing to the further treatment needed for their recovery".
In this case, recovering to consciousness may not be all he would want it to be. Good by, Mr. Sharon. I wish you the best.
I hope the tremendous risk Mr. Sharon has taken with his persuasive backing of the formation of a free Palestine works well. It was a leap of faith, because the residents of the new Palestine give no indication they know how to get along. Let's hope his legacy turns out to the benefit of all mankind.
"AP-BIRMINGHAM, Ala. 12/26/2006 Authorities from Aruba hope a trip to the US will help them in the search for a missing teen from Alabama." There's a quote for you (thanks to Associated Press). Its been how long since Natalie disappeared? Seven months or so?
What a dandy idea, question the people she was with! These folks in the Aruba police department must have been reading up on techniques for solving cases.
Or maybe they think one of her friends did her in and tried to blame it on a local. My hope is that the parents and friends will get some closure. It may seem strange to say, but finding out what happened is always a help toward healing, even if it is bad news.
Associated Press Quote, "Somalia has had no effective government since 1991, when warlords ousted a dictatorship and then turned on each other, carving the nation of 8.2 million into a patchwork of fiefdoms."
What kind of country would have this sort of thing happen to it. What sort of people would be so inclined. Lets find out:
Lets check an almanac:
1) Life Expectancy 48 years. Life is obviously cheap here.
2) Literacy Rate 38%. It is always easier to keep uneducated people down.
3) Birth Rate: 45.6/1000 which compares to 14/1000 in the US. Draw your own conclusions.
4) Main religion: Sunni Muslim.
Why is this country in the news? Pirates!!! That's why. Recently pirates opened fire on a cruise ship which outran the pirates. A tanker also outran them. The MV Semlow, a cargo ship has been held for ransom and also some fishing trawlers have been held. There were 35 attacks in 2004.
It seems that lawless countries are havens for the lawless. Damn. What a concept. I wonder who would suffer in such a situation? Probably the poor and needy. I would think ships would carry food, especially food in the form of aid for the poor in Somolia. I am thinking, pirates equals, bad.
From time to time I try to actually understand the world. As I was driving home today, I was pondering imprinting. Imprinting as I was pondering it is a word used to as an explanation of adult modes of behavior in both animals and human beings based on impressions or experiences on the young mind.
For example, it seems we are very predisposed to be either the same religion (or lack thereof) we grew up with or ambivalent to religion based on our early exposure. Christians are imprinted as Christians, Jews are imprinted as Jews, Mormons are imprinted as Mormons, Muslims, Buddhists, etc. not usually chosen, but imprinted. In other words, we either accept or reject the religion we are born into, we do not seem to seek out the "true religion." I bring up this example only because it has been on my mind lately, other examples apply.
Move this thought process to Iraq. The "insurgents" seem to thrive on blowing people up (killing them), kidnapping people and torturing them (perhaps until they die), and other seemingly goofy behavior. It would seem to me that these behaviors fall into the catagory of behaviors that can be imprinted. To value human life and dignity is not an intrinsic human behavior. It is imprinted.
If we understand the upbringing (which causes the imprinting) of the Iraqi (often Muslim) people in the arab regions where we are at war, they are less confusing to understand, but not less problematic. For those of us in the United States it is hard to understand that the terrorists think their behavior is normal. They also see our behavior (as a country) on the backdrop of their own upbringing.
In the United States (in a general sense), we do not condone harsh actions unless we believe they are warranted (when a bomb is dropped on us or people drive airplanes into large buildings). We also have the right to disagree in an organized manner. In Iraq, their imprinting tells them to become savage. Stated another way, this is also the concept that everything important you learn before kindergarten.
Maybe this explains why we think the other side (from a personal viewpoint) seems childish whether it be politics, international policy, or terror networks.
It simply fits the paradigm of the individual, because that is the sum of what they learned before they were 6 years old. Children, behave.
There are some people who stand out in my list of "Great People." Among these is Martin Luther King. I probably hold him in esteem for some of the same reasons others do, but also, I hold him high on my list of people to emulate because he was smart, able to spread his message, and willing to follow his own dream and make it real for everyone.
If you have never heard or read this, do it now. If you have heard or read this in the past, refresh your memory. What a vision this man gave us. The young people among us today have no idea how idiotic things were in the 60's. Let Freedom Ring!!
Recall the NSA program to protect you and I from terror attacks, specifically terror attacks on America soil, such as happened in New York on 9/11. Democrats are p***ing and moaning about the activity. They really don't seem to understand it.
Now mainstream U.S. media has failed to report a major terrorist plot against the U.S. This is news of a planned attack masterminded by three Algerians operating out of Italy which was widely reported outside the U.S., but was pretty much ignored by the American media.
Italian authorities recently announced that they had used wiretaps to uncover the conspiracy to conduct a series of major attacks inside the U.S. The Italian domestic wiretaps picked up phone conversations by Algerian Yamine Bouhrama that discussed terrorist attacks in Italy and abroad.
Watch for the democrat party to run some "impeachment" flags up the pole based on the NSA's wiretap program. Have the democrats and liberal media started hating Bush so much that they would put us all at risk for some perceived "victory" over Bush? It seams that there may be some risk here, and it is your butt, not your privacy the democrats are risking.
I talked to my son tonight. He has got to be my favorite person on earth. It has been a sad time for him. Last night the sister of one of his best friend's died. She was very young, about 21 years old. Death is always a time of sorrow, but the death of the young is particularly sad. I wish the best for her soul and the best for those left behind.
Sometimes it is fun to compare current technology with the orignal. At the left you see a typical "hard drive" as used on the computers of today. 50 years ago, in 1956, IBM introduced the RAMAC Computer, it was the first computer to include a disk drive. The disk drive was named the IBM 350 Disk File. Here is the 
I remember when I was young they told me that George Washington was very honest. The story went that he chopped down a cherry tree with his little axe and truthfully told his dad that he did it, facing the consequences. What character!!
Later, I learned that the story may not be true, in fact it probably is a true lie, but I was assured that the message was very powerful and it would help build character. As a result of this, the story should be told again and again.
Now James Frey invents a distorted autobiography, telling his "memoirs" of the way things might have been. However, non other than Oprah Winfrey says, Hey, that's OK!! Why? The book should be judged by its redemptive power, not its veracity.
I am now thinking of redeeming a few dollars for myself by inventing the story of my virtual life. I will make it very uplifting, sort of like a bra for the inner soul of my readers. A tale of how I dragged myself out of the gutter to become a man of consumate taste and distinction. Like a saintly version of James Bond.
After all, according to Oprah, a true story does not have to be true, because, like any other gift to humanity, "its the thought that counts."
This is funny. At work my wife is talking to a co-worker who calls to indicate that he accidently left his "journal" (the new word for "diary") laying by the cash register. Would they please put it away for him....
Sure enough, there was a journal laying there by the cash register. They couldn't help peeking into it. Wow!!!! This guy writes about kissing other guys and wants to call himself Lara. He was written up for kissing a guy at work and complains that it was not a "French kiss." He talks about wearing dresses and being at another job as a woman.
INTERESTING STUFF!!!! This guy must be very gay, a transvestite, possibly has multiple personalities, and (not to mention) scary!!!
Later in the day another journal is found at another register. It is all about guy stuff. Not gay stuff..... Hmmmmm. It appears to be that there are two journals. One is from a seasonal employee named Lara the other from the co-worker who called in. Ooops, the guy is not a gay transvestite wacko who kisses male co-workers. That was a girl's journal.
Who would think that two employees would leave journals laying out. Pretty funny stuff.
A recent study at the University of Colorado shows that it is more difficult to count and think clearly right after waking up from a good night's sleep than after staying up all night.
This is called sleep inertia according to U of C professor Kenneth Wright. Wright indicates studies have found that people experience a groggy period after waking in which they have reduced short-term memory, screwed up counting skills and the like for a time after waking.
What ever happened to the "Power Nap" concept? I have been telling my wife for years that a quick nap makes me more alert. I have even heard radio commercials touting napping techniques (which you pay for) as alertness enhancement methods. Now this disturbing study shakes my core beliefs. No longer will I be able to justify falling asleep in meetings as bettering myself for later in the day.
Here is the problem. Does this mean that staying up and partying all night makes a person think more clearly during the day? I remember a colleague years ago that wrecked his car coming to work directly from an all night party. Where is the decision point here? Was that a good decision on his part gone wrong? At what point does the oversleeping thing kick in and the overpartying thing kick out. It seems that this will be the area we need to study next. Until then, I still will be subscribing to the power nap concept. This coming to work after staying up all night thing can't be right.
Its another case of Sadistic Moron General Motors Design Engineers in the news. Before I start, I want to point out that I am, too, an engineer. A manufacturing engineer. However, I do not design automobiles, or even components of automobiles. I have been involved in many new product projects and believe strongly in holding the customers needs in high esteem. As opposed to what I see on the Grand Am.
Lets review the maintenance aspect of the design of the headlights on the 2000 Grand Am. What a disaster. Headlights are a replacement item. They burn out. Most car makers have straightforward systems for getting at the light bulb, usually a hatch or hole somewhere that accomplishes the task. The well thought out design will allow simple replacement of the bulb from behind the headlamp.
Not in the Grand Am. In the Grand Am you need to take of a large black cowl thingy with two sizes of plastic clippy things holding it in place and then figure out the dreaded sheet metal L-clip headlight holders. Once you have things figured out, opened up, and the bulbs replaced, you will still have to put it back together. Here you will fight the pokey aligny things that are part of the sadistic makeshift GM design as they are a pain in the fanny to easily realign.
I have, however, completed the task on my daughter's Grand Am. I also (coincidentally) changed bulbs on the new Lincolnmobile. It was much easier on the Lincoln. Thank you Ford. Suck an egg GM.
And as for you? Have a great day. The picture is my mental image of a GM headlight engineer.
A friend of mine used to have a poster on his wall. It was a picture of John Wayne from The Longest Day with the slogan "Life is Tough" printed on it. To this my friend had added "even tougher when you're stupid."
That slogan came to mind today when reading the news about a man in Fort Sumter, NM. The man is currently staying in a motel after his house burned down. Here is the story.
Even though it is dry, windy, and dangerous to be burning outdoors, Luciano, our 81 year old (should know better) former homeowner is burning leaves. While burning leaves he has the good fortune to catch one of the pesty little mice that had been getting into his house recently.
Damn little rodent, what would be a fitting end for him. Luciano decides that it would be a good idea to throw the mouse into the burning pile of leaves. Unfortunately, the mouse is not immediately dead when this action is taken, and the mouse runs from the burning leaves, he himself now on fire, and heads for the house.
Now the burning mouse sets the house on fire. Luciano decides to put it out with the garden hose. Too late to save Luciano's house (or the mouse) a neighbor calls the fire department and, sadly, the house was a total loss. Fortunately, aside from the loss of the mouse, no injuries were reported.
Life is tough, its even tougher......
It is about time. Pressures have been building. Changes have been made. The planets are aligned. Here's the scoop.
I have been driving a Dodge Stratus for the past several months (ever since Firestone botched the timing chain replacement on the Buick causing its untimely death). As you know, I prefer larger more boatlike automobiles. My most favorite person in the whole world (Josh) has been having trouble with his car. The car is an older model Prism with 160 grand on the clock.
What to do, what to do. Think, Link..... I finally figured it out. A trip to Toyota of Plano where a 1995 Lincoln Mark VIII with 101,000 miles on it was residing solved everything. For $4,400 total cost they have parted with the Mark VIII and that frees up the Dodge for Josh.
All I have to do now is find a home for the Prism. I intend to give it away. If nobody wants it for a dollar, I will give it to a charity.
By the way, Josh is tickled to death with his new car, and I am also happy. Big cars don't get very good mileage, but I don't drive much. I like the comfort and the gadgets.
If the car makers of the world, however, design a car or SUV with great mileage, lots of toys, and as big as a boat.... I'll be first in line for the first new car I have purchased since 1990.
For now, it is the first time I have owned a car with my name on it.
Have a great day, y'all.
I have a friend, lets call him David, who believes that I look like the actor 
I have just read that 12 of the 13 miners are alive in West Virginia. The 13th miner is dead. It is always good when life prevails, but sorrowful for the family and friends of the one who did not make it.
In actuality a life is nothing compared to eternity, but a timely death would befit us all.
Here is an unretouched picture of Marla and I wishing you all a happy new year. As you know we have both been working out for the last week and based on the new equipment we received for Christmas we feel the results were outstanding.
OK, Marla did have a bit of a facelift, but the exercise equipment turns fat into muscle before your eyes. Ok, you hyperactive little boys, get your eyes off Marla!
Years ago the United States had flags that said "don't tread on me." I never really understood it, but I wanted to see how it would look on other flags.
This one caught my interest.
I have never felt good about the loss of any child. The senseless loss is even more devastating. Any country that allows sexual predators, kidnappers, killers or slave traders to be considered normal people gets my vote of (insert farting noise).
This small Dutch protectorate and the place that likes Michael Jackson are the only ones on my list this year.
Maybe its not Sean or Gabby. Maybe its George C. Scott who looks like me. I know there are a lot of Lincoln wannabes out there, but George would be at the top of the list, except for currently being dead.
If I shave the beard, maybe I'll look more like George. How can I go wrong. All of these guys are celebrities.
I promised that I would let you all decide on the beard. Here it is, which is it, Sean or Gabby. For the uninformed, that is me on the right, Gabby Hayes (Roy Roger's sidekick) in the middle, and Sean Connery on the left. Of course, we all are famous and good looking, right??
I know who I think I favor.... What do you think? Sean or Gabby?
Happy new year, y'all.
Marla and I went to a party with all manner of people present. It is so wonderful to experience other cultures and their zest for life and people.
May we all learn to get along. As the planet gets smaller, we must get bigger in our hearts. Love and best wishes to all that read this.