Bootstraping Problem

Heh...my darling spouse just noticed this advertised in a magazine to assist with holiday unwrapping chores: the Zibra Open It!

I'd say it presents a bit of a bootstrapping problem, depending on how it is packaged or how it is presented to you.

So Many Failed Banks, So Little Time

While US-based banks continue to fail at a staggering rate (compared to the decade prior to 2007), I've been updating the box scores but have slipped a bit. If you care of such things, you can review all of my back-fill postings here.

Charter Communications Stupidity

Sigh...I just tried an online chat session with a Charter rep in order to find a better service deal. Unfortunately, Charter has a long history with taking both the "customer" and "service" out of "customer service" with my family. Tonight was no exception:

Thank you for choosing Charter Chat Live! A Customer Care representative
from Cable TV Order Inquiries will be with you shortly.
You have been connected to CVH Robert S .
Christopher Arnold: Hello?
CVH Robert S : My name is Robert. Thank you for contacting Charter Communications On-line Sales. How may I assist you?
Christopher Arnold: Hello. How are you?
CVH Robert S : ok
CVH Robert S : How may I assist you?
Christopher Arnold: Very good. I was hoping to determine if a better pricing plan exists for the services we currently have. Cable "Big Value" + Internet.
CVH Robert S : To get into a new promo you would need to upgrade your services.
Christopher Arnold: How exactly? I'm not sure what would be upgraded.
Christopher Arnold: I'm open to suggestions.
CVH Robert S : May I please have your full name, service address (street address, city, state, and zip code), and telephone number? This is so that I may pull up information for you in your local area.
Christopher Arnold: Heh, wonder why I had to do that before I signed into a chat session with you?
Christopher Arnold: Christopher Arnold/**** Arnold
Christopher Arnold: 257 ****** Road
Christopher Arnold: ******, **
Christopher Arnold: *****
Christopher Arnold: ***.***.****
CVH Robert S : hold please
CVH Robert S : The lowest house # in our system is 299
Christopher Arnold: That's a nice house down the street. I'd be happy to move there.
CVH Robert S : I would have to fill out a serviceability form to have a tech go out and check to see if the address is serviceable or not, this process takes about 3 to 5 business days.
Christopher Arnold: Uh...OK. I guess I'll just continue watching my existing Charter cable TV and using Charter network services until then.
Christopher Arnold: If it would help for me to move down the street, it really is a nice house. I don't think they would mind too much.
Christopher Arnold: Wow...1-298 ***** must be pretty pissed right now. Glad I'm not them. Wait...I am one of them.
Christopher Arnold: Hello?
CVH Robert S : I can not find your address in our system, can I have your account#?
Christopher Arnold: **** ** *** *******
CVH Robert S : found it
Christopher Arnold: Can I still move to 299 ***** Road? They have an in-law apartment.
CVH Robert S : Can you verify the last 4 of the SS# that is on your account please?
Christopher Arnold: ****
CVH Robert S : That is not the last 4 on the account.
Christopher Arnold: **** my spouse. **** me, if that helps.
CVH Robert S : The account is not in your name Christopher
CVH Robert S : You are not listed as an authorized user.
Christopher Arnold: ****, my spouse.
Christopher Arnold: I'm not listed as an authorized user? Like, I can't watch TV or play around on the computer?
CVH Robert S : No, I can not discuss the account with you.
Christopher Arnold: So you need to chat with my spouse?
CVH Robert S : She will need to chat in her self.
Christopher Arnold: OK, let me get her.
CVH Robert S : Thank you for choosing Charter Communications Chat Support. For general self-help, please visit http://support.charter.com. Also, check out our "Live it with Charter" customer rewards program. It is absolutely free, and you are eligible simply by being a Charter customer! You receive points based on your monthly service rate! For more information and to sign up, you can check out the Live it with Charter website here: http:// www.liveitwithcharter.com Thank you once again, and have a wonderful day!
If you require further assistance, go to www.charter.com/contact
Your session has ended. You may now close this window.

This painful ordeal took approximately 25 minutes and the f*%$er disconnected.

It's not: "We out-source this function to XYZ and you may experience slight lingual, cultural, temporal issues as we adapt to and utilize a global labor market.

It's: "We farm this kind of work out to barnacles scraped from boat hulls that somehow manage to attach themselves to keyboards and THIS is now your perception of our firm, regardless of how many intelligent, considerate or well-spoken individuals we employ or out-source to."

I wonder if those plan changes I made six months ago are actually valid? I should ask....

2008 Failed Bank Box Scores: #16

Alpha Bank & Trust, Alpharetta, GA

2008 Failed Bank Box Scores: #15

Meridian Bank, Eldred, IL

2008 Failed Bank Box Scores: #14

Main Street Bank, Northville, MI

Another Convicted Criminal, Cracker-Turned-"Security Consultant" Profit Story

Disgusting. Between this tool and Mitnick I sometimes wonder why I bother getting up in the mornings.

Anathem - Oh Snap!!!

XKCD fun:

Shall we consult the flowchart?



Yes, I believe we have an answer...OH SNAP!!!

Wonderful Stop Motion Animation

A SHORT LOVE STORY IN STOP MOTION from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.

2008 Failed Bank Box Scores: #13

Washington Mutual

2008 Failed Bank Box Scores: #12

Ameribank, Inc., Northfork, WV

Peer-To-Patent

"The concept behind the program, called Peer-to-Patent, is straightforward: Publish patent applications on the Web for all to see and let anyone with relevant expertise -- academics, colleagues, even potential rivals -- offer input to be passed along to the Patent Office.

By using the power of the Internet to tap the wisdom of the masses, Peer-to-Patent aims to dig up hard-to-find "prior art" -- evidence that an invention already exists or is obvious and therefore doesn't deserve a patent.

The goal is to locate prior art that Patent Office examiners might not find on their own -- and to produce better patents by reducing ones granted on applications that aren't novel. The hope is that this will drive innovation by improving the patent process and reducing the patent infringement lawsuits clogging the courts."

Using the mob to search for prior art and inform the USPTO doesn't seem like a terribly bad idea, so long as it's verifiable through multiple, independent channels or vetting pools (think peer-reviewed academic journals). I'm extremely concerned regarding overly zealous enthusiasm however.

I want to explore this idea but time prohibits me from doing so. To dumb it down, how would a process like the proposed be insulated from a Digg phenomenon as well as an inadvertant data leak that would let a competitor interject itself in the process and, say, stall for time to market?

More On The Topic Of Alt-Fuel Cool Cars: The Lotus Omnivore

This alone (OK, and the Lotus badging) is enough to sell me one:

"The Omnivore is a direct injection two-stroke engine with a variable compression ratio system, which means it won't waste fuel and it'll run on just about everything but puppy smiles and children's dreams."

Must...Have....Volvo ReCharge Concept Car

"Picture a gasoline-electric hybrid that's more electric than gasoline. The Volvo ReCharge Concept is just that. Unlike traditional parallel hybrids, which primarily employ internal-combustion engines and electric motors working in tandem, the ReCharge (derived from the sharp new C30 coupe). Is a plug-in serial hybrid — that is to say, there is no mechanical connection between the electric motor drive system and the 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine. Four in-wheel motors will carry the car up to 100 km (62 miles) on a single charge of the trunk-mounted lithium-polymer batteries (charged from a standard household outlet and boasting, Volvo claims, a life expectancy longer than the car itself). Only when the batteries are fully drained does the engine fire up, spinning a generator which provides juice to the electric motors and recharges the battery. Brilliant."

American Political Conventions - Terribly Frustrating (Lack Of) Of Use Of Technology

This is so obtusely ridiculous. It started with NBC, most recently, at the Olympics, and continues through the bi-party conventions. Technology/political lock-in are completely dumb ideas...are you in capable of learning?

NPR...this is why I no longer listen to you nor sponsor you financially and am close to giving up on PBS.

Irritated. Grrr.....

Has anyone surveyed their constituents and determined how many of them can support HD broadcasts?

Really? Honestly???

Field Strip And Reassemble An AR-15 In 53 Seconds

The title doesn't include the fact that the task was performed by an 11 year old young lady. Wonder how well she shoots?

Reading List #8

So far the Reading Lists have always been focused on printed media as well as being a thematic triptych. Slight change this time as it's been a slow summer and I'm procrastinating. I've been a long time admirer of good data visualization methods so when you're able to accomplish that through blog feeds and a healthy dash of humor, you've won my heart and mind.

In no particular order:

• Anything graph-related at xkcd.com
• GraphJam
• INDEXED

There you have it. Data geek humor and reading habits. Now, it's time to change into my scatter plot jammers and get to bed.

My Fun Weekend

The intersection of food and drink geekery and the abandonment of real life and responsibilities for a weekend.

Apoptosis In Botnets

Police nab Shadow creators, force botnet to commit suicide:

"The Dutch High Tech Crime Unit has arrested two brothers behind the creation of the Shadow botnet, and now intends to use the malware distribution engine for a good cause—Shadow will now distribute the means to eradicate its own existence."

Interesting Electrical Synchronicities Today

In the spirit of my reading lists with three suggestions, today was odd in that I have three completely unrelated events today but are tied to electricity as a common theme. Perhaps that means they're not really unrelated. Whatever the case, here was my electrical day:

1. Our well pump died during the night. I started the dishwasher last night and my darling spouse told me this morning that we had no water. Cliff Cummings Water Service (major plug for him...he's been great to us since we bought this house) in Rutland, MA rescheduled his day and provided water from deep in the ground today. A bunch of money and replacing a pump 300 or so feet down in the ground and we have running, rusty, dirty water again.
2. I watched "Car of the Future" on NOVA tonight. Love those Car Talk guys and the show was actually pretty good, given what I expected for Detroit fluff. The Tesla Roadster was very nice indeed.
3. Midday, iPod on shuffle, Schoolhouse Rocks! Rocks!"Electricity, Electricity" by Goodness come up. No connection until now. Fun tune and a great re-recording of the great Schoolhouse Rocks! series on PBS.
   
   Original Schoolhouse Rocks! version:
   
   
   
   Goodness version:
   
   
   

There it is...another day in the life.