The Silders make it to 17 years

Posted on September 12, 2010 by Steve

Let’s see…17th wedding anniversary…furniture. Furniture? Who comes up with this? I can’t think of any couple that has been married for any length of time yet lacks furniture. If it’s new furniture, many people have probably changed out the old stuff at least once before this milestone.

It doesn’t matter. I’m confident they’ll figure something out or reschedule because their anniversary is on a school night.

If you know ’em, drop ’em a line. I recommend you do it early in the day. It’s football season. Should you call in the afternoon, Paul may not answer. He’ll be busy rooting for his Bears over the Lions. With the Vikings losing to the Saints, Bears fans gotta’ enjoy their three-way tie for first in the NFC North which will be short lived.

Seriously, I hope they have a good time. I know I did in 1993, drinking the beer Helen’s mom paid for.

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2000: Third Edition appears

Posted on September 11, 2010 by Steve

Today is the release of yet another version of D&D. Why? I have no idea. I can only guess that Fourth Edition, aka Tabletop World of Warcraft, isn’t going over very well. Small wonder. The hard-cover books got thinner and more expensive in addition to this edition being a complete overhaul on how the game works. I did try out 4E back in the beta stages and what was previewed through the now defunct Star Wars RPG by WOTC. There just wasn’t anything very positive to say. The people behind these games decided to just emphasize fighting and cater to the socially retarded powergamer; D&D meets TSR’s craptacular Marvel Superheroes RPG. In the long run it will fail, computer-based button-mashing systems do it better. For all their flaws, they solve the biggest problems killing the hobby: finding people to play, keeping things moving and juggling the rules, which can get cumbersome. To survive, WOTC has to present a game capable of delivering an experience the computer versions cannot emulate. I doubt it will happen though. Gamers are like any other little cult audience (comic book fans, Beatles worshippers, Trekkies, etc.): petty, divided and their own worst enemy.

It wasn’t so negative 10 years ago. The long awaited (and overdue) third edition hit the streets around this time in 2000. Third (3E) was the first true, major revision of the game. I’ve never considered Second to be anything more than a collection of half-baked changes to appease the Christo-Fascists who claimed D&D was a “gateway drug” into devil worship. I also learned from my time at GDW that it had to have the phrase “Second Edition” in all the books for copyright purposes. TSR’s owners recycled a tactic Gygax used to screw Arneson out of the money made in the heyday Eighties. It certainly explained the dorky “Advanced” element.

With TSR being acquired through WOTC’s deep pockets, the new regime could really overcome the inertia holding D&D back. They eliminated all those lame, esoteric rules which made the modifiers for the stats different (18/00 STR was dumb). They brought back classes TSR ditched because they were too weak (Monk), campaign busters (Barbarian) or controversial (Assassin). They ditched THAC0 and reversed the direction on how defensive scores worked, thus it no longer had a ceiling (really a basement of -10). Magic items could be created by the players! Before, it was just easier to go dungeon crawling for them.

The list is long but in short, WOTC brought back the excitement, fun and thrill I first remembered in 1981. Maybe Second had this in 1989 yet I didn’t sense it at GenCon, I was more into RoleMaster for fantasy and I recall Champions (fourth edition) getting more of the good press and vibe. Receiving all the core books for free from my friend Lazz certainly helped. I bought a set to give Somara too. I wanted to contribute my money toward Lazz’s salary; his bitchin’ maps are worth every penny.

Third Edition wasn’t without its shortcomings. Polymorph (shape-changing) magic proved to be thorny. Certain classes remained unbalanced (Paladin lost its effectiveness after eighth level). Optional races had barriers which fueled incessant bitching.

Despite these things, I felt WOTC got 90 percent of it right. Unlike TSR, they weren’t afraid to implement concepts introduced by rival systems like RoleMaster (heavier armor lowers agility), Champions (monsters and equipment are built the same way as characters) and Chaosium (a house system which gave rise to Star Wars and d20 Modern).

The other major innovation was a philosophical shift. Before WOTC, material came exclusively from TSR. Third parties had been allowed to publish adventures and supplements in the late Seventies/early Eighties. Then it stopped being permitted. Mayfair was the only company I remembered carrying on and this resulted in them being sued. However, it extended to fan-based materials being distributed through pre-modern Internet means, BBS usually. It earned TSR the moniker of “They Sue Regularly.” Truthfully, TSR only bothered with anything which threatened their copyrights and fan-based stuff was fine as long as they never saw it. (I can explain this point better if anyone cares.) With 3E, WOTC posted an OGL (Open Game License) which emulated the terms and conditions of open-sourced software. In short, D&D’s new owner was cool with other publishers making modules, sourcebooks, etc; as long as the guidelines were followed. This made D&D flourish even more because WOTC didn’t have to print as much material to help the game progress, namely money-losing adventures. It’s a good thing they did this too. Outside of Dungeon magazine, WOTC had ready for two months and Fiery Dragon filled the gap with NeMoren’s Vault which was well written; its terrible art work probably detracted prospective buyers. Other than Fiery Dragon, the Sword & Sorcery alliance did great work and Goodman contributed some (their stuff usually needed tweaking). Malhavoc, Game Mechanics and Paizo would appear in later years. There were also some atrocious things. To this day Mongoose just cranks it out and Green Ronin bores me to tears. Again, the good overcame the awful.

Hasbro Toys quickly entered the picture. They gobbled up WOTC for Magic and Pokemon, not D&D. This didn’t stop them from treating the hobby like their derivative, uninteresting toy lines: they used to be called Has-Been in the Eighties because Mattel and Kenner were more successful. I suspect 3.5 and 4E were fueled by the suits at HQ as revenue ploys which they’re entitled to do, it’s their property. The bigger deal breaker for me was the game drowning in supplemental books. Too many options hurt Apple, it made buying a Mac confusing due to all the confusing model numbers; something close to a dozen before the G3. The same went for D&D. All those Complete and Races rules were nice but they didn’t fix anything, they tended to do the opposite especially the Warlock which is now a core element of 4E (keeps the button-mashers happy when their thumbs are sore from Gauntlet or Baldur’s Gate). It’s a small wonder why the mantra from the 4E designers was simplicity, they just went overboard and covered it up with cheap artwork. I’m guilty of buying them too. I doubt my refusal would’ve done anything other than hurt Dragon’s Lair/Rogues Gallery.

Nowadays, I’m back on the outside of D&D by being in the Pathfinder camp; great game, weak name. Somehow the Paizo people got to re-package the 3.5 rules under their banner while adjusting what was still broken. They got the majority right but more importantly, the game’s base was retained. I think they know their audience better too. They’re catering to DMs/players who don’t need everything spoon-fed and can handle “complicated” rule sets. Truthfully, the core is simpler than most table games in Vegas.

Of course, I haven’t really played in a couple years due to work and my free time being devoured by more worthwhile pursuits. I readily admit to having a falling out with the group I started in 2000 (or remade in 2003?) being a factor. Some was my fault, some others. It doesn’t matter anymore, I was voted off the island since the majority decided they were gamers first, my friends last; it’s like the song by Bowling For Soup, “High School Never Ends.” I’m in the on-again/off-again process of building a newer, smaller group which may get off the ground, time permitting. One thing I’m certain about the new team, it will stay simple and flexible like Third Edition set out to do.

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The next three weeks will be busy and/or crazy

Posted on September 11, 2010 by Steve

Hard to believe I’d get another shot at the management brass ring after 10 years but I have more realistic expectations this time and when the backfill is over, I will be returning to my current position which I enjoy working; Sr. Specialist has been my favorite at Apple because it is similar to the gig I had during PowerComputing’s brief golden era.

Much has changed in the decade since I filled such a role. Way back in 2000, AppleCare’s staffing had more than doubled due to Y2K paranoia, the success of the early iMacs and what was the beginning of Apple’s comeback. The day I started managing a team of tier one agents was borderline chaos. There wasn’t any clear guidelines on what my daily routine would be and I didn’t have any real authority to make tough decisions (the easiest yet worst example would be, firing someone); those were left to my manager who was also in a backfill role being the manager of managers. So I went with my strengths by trying to nurture the group and acting as an advocate to the higher-ups: getting to know them, find out what each person wanted from Apple and monitoring their calls. The latter task was really utilized to find out which things the agent excelled at doing and to see what could be done to minimize weaker areas. Hence, I felt confident about my endorsements for hiring and/or promotions to tier two positions. Whenever any of them received a permanent offer letter, I swelled with pride.

As you know, it didn’t pan out for me in the long run. Despite doing a good job (according to the boss) for over four months, I had to return to my tier two spot and hand the reins to another backfill person, who did get the permanent spot. The silver lining was it spurred me to join Servers & Apps since I felt desktop support had tapped out in potential for career growth.

Today, the call-center business at Apple has evolved to be more structured which will make this somewhat easier. It’s still going to involve sweat, quick thinking and beaucoup diplomacy (my current boss said the most important thing to do is smile, I completely agree). Never have I ever envied what the managers deal with though. I think after 2000, I was relieved to return to my “lowly” phone agent duties. I was only responsible for me plus my productivity was easily measured: “how many calls are answered” is the foundation.

Now, I’m in a hybrid spot. I share some of the praise and blame with the Austin team because a big element of my job is acting as a detective, investigating the root causes to our successes and struggles; these are followed with suggestions to address them. Making the temporary leap as team manager will be a great experience to broaden my perspective on how the bigger picture works. Regardless of what happens, I plan on using this as a major opportunity to learn new things, namely if I ever want to pursue a permanent management position in the near future.

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NPR asks why Tuesday is new music day

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Steve

Details at this link.

However, I never gave it much thought. I plan to hit Waterloo Records this weekend, maybe a staffer can answer this question.

The theory about Billboard‘s charts had some validity initially but then again, I remembered how the retailers used to fudge the sales numbers up through the early Nineties. Then soundscan cut the stores out of the equation, revealing to the world that people were buying more Rap and Garth Brooks than originally reported.

Personally, I will go with the same explanation for some restaurants being closed on Monday. Tuesday is a better starting day and stuff can be restocked during the slowness of Mondays. After books, music is the first modern product with new material on a weekly basis, it’s not a wonder videotapes, DVDs and videogames have followed suit.

I didn’t know new albums were released on Tuesdays until 1988. During that Summer, I made sure I rushed down to Radio Doctors in Milwaukee to get Temple of Low Men by Crowded House on the first day it hit the shelves.

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Fright Night and Vamp

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Steve

When did the trend of Emo-Wussy vampire films really begin? I blame Coppola’s weak Dracula, Rice’s adaption of Interview with the Vampire and White Wolf’s RPG. These bad precedents made crap such as Twilight and all its current knockoffs acceptable. Thanks to them, vampires are now supposedly sympathetic creatures, victims or some other nonsense. What’s next? Don’t answer. I’m sure there is something worse planned to prolong my vampire and zombie fatigue.

However, it was great to see a couple Eighties’ movies which stayed faithful to the original vampire genre. In these two stories, the bloodsuckers are menacing, cunning and dangerous. They will kill you at the first opportunity they get, not bore you to death with awful poetry or their feelings.

First up was a revisit of Fright Night, now rumored to be on the re-make docket with David Tennant in Roddy McDowell’s role. As much as I liked the former Doctor, I’d prefer it if he passed on this old B-movie gem. Chris Sarandon makes this Horror flick great as the vampire next door, especially when he mocks Roddy’s goofy TV show. Fright also sticks to the cliches we’re accustomed to from the Universal movies: the vampire’s vulnerabilities to crosses, holy water, sunlight, wooden stakes, mirrors and they cannot enter a house without being invited. This flick has the Eighties throughout its DNA too: the cheesy synthesizer mood music, the fashion and the obligatory bare-breast shots! It’s also hard to tell if the producers/director intended it to be serious or camp. (When Reagan was president, the nation’s sense of irony was suspended.) Lastly, seeing Amanda Bearse portraying a teenager a year before she played the annoying neighbor Darcy on Married with Children for 11 seasons gives it a delayed creepiness.

The other, Vamp, I never saw before. My wife did, hence why she had it lined up in her NetFlix DVD queue. It was better than I anticipated because I thought it was centered around Grace Jones killing people. Instead it’s focused on the misadventures of three friends wandering into a seedy little city where Jones is the star attraction of a strip club run by her minions. There’s a good chance Tarantino used Vamp‘s premise to write Dusk ‘Til Dawn. Thankfully, Jones doesn’t speak since acting wasn’t exactly her strong suit if you’ve sat through Conan the Destroyer or A View to a Kill. I was more surprised by the casting of the buddies: Chris Makepeace (Meatballs, My Bodyguard), Robert Rusler (Weird Science, Babylon 5) and the Dongster, Gedde Watanabe. Here I think the people responsible for making Vamp were intentionally trying to create a goofy flick sprinkled with gore.

Either way, both of these movies were better time-wasters than sitting through Brad Pitt blather on about how rough he has it or Gary Oldman pining for Wynona Ryder.

My other recommendations of vampires doing their thing: Near Dark, Dracula 2000 (starring a lesser-known Gerard Butler!) and Vampire$.

Posted in Movies, Streaming | Leave a comment

Who wears the pants in our house?

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Steve

In the tiny brains of cats, they certainly think they do. In our house, only in the early morning because we won’t get a moment of peace after 5 AM until they have their breakfast. Afterwards, there’s the post-meal relaxation on the bed in which treats are served by Somara.

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The Liberace Museum

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Steve

Our awesome 2010 Vegas Vacation has been over for a month but I promised myself and the wonderful people at three of our destinations that I would write individual, detailed posts to spread the word. I think having a month off to recollect my thoughts was a good gap. Plus I received some inspiration from Jose mentioning how excited he is about moving to Dallas because a direct flight to Sin City is cheaper via Southwest. Once he and Nancy are settled, I predict we may be making some long, dude weekends in Vegas.

A list of famous guests, oddly most aren't from my grandparents' generation. I do remember Duran Duran showing this place in their 1984 tour movie.

So the first main attraction we visited was The Liberace Museum located on Tropicana, somewhat east from the Strip. Contrary to my generation’s alleged love for kitsch, we didn’t go there for such reasons. Maybe when I first spotted the place in 1997 but as I’ve grown older, I learned more about him and discovered that he earned his rightful place in the history and development of popular music. For starters, Liberace was the inspiration (directly or indirectly) for many others in Pop Music who followed, namely Elton John yet I would argue his influence extends to Bette Midler, David Bowie, Kate Bush and Cher on the showmanship factor. When it comes to piano players being at the forefront my list is much longer: Billy Joel, Tori Amos, Ben Folds, Crooked Fingers, Rufus Wainwright, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Sarah McLachlan, Dr. John and Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls).

Liberace owned the world's largest rhinestone ever made. That thing is 115,000 carats and was created just for him. It was a gift because he financially rescued the Austrian company which made the good ones.

Liberace, like Elvis, Tom Jones, Celine Dion and Wayne Newton, is synonymous with Las Vegas too. His performances at the various venues there from the Fifties on helped mold the city’s image as an entertainment destination. Sadly, they have no named a street after him yet. I think this will come in time. Right now, the world and Vegas have more pressing concerns.

Anyway, what’s there to see? A really good amount of interesting things. By the Seventies, Liberace realized he had accumulated numerous cars, pianos, costumes, honors and knickknacks. Thus, he opened the museum in 1979 to share these belongings with the public. It also became the public face to his foundation which helps other young musicians attend universities or whatever can further their musical education (I recall he sponsored a scholarship at Marquette in the theater department because my alma mater doesn’t have a music program). His family didn’t have much money when he was growing up in Milwaukee during the Twenties and early Thirties so Liberace never forgot how fortunate he was to receive a scholarship with the local conservatory. He wanted to return the favor in kind to the world.

One of the oldest pianos in existence. This instrument was hand made around 1788. I tried counting the keys but can't make out an exact number (64?) yet I'm sure it doesn't have 88 like a modern one.

It was certainly an educational and entertaining tour. I didn’t believe I knew everything about the man, just more than average in light of being a resident of Milwaukee (his hometown) for five years. Seems I wasn’t even close from these facts the museum pointed out below:

  • I figured he came from a family of musicians but his father was a member of John Philip Sousa’s band.
  • He is in the Guinness Book of World Records for his earnings and for playing the 2000 notes (accurately) in two minutes, I think. I didn’t have much luck finding this nor did Somara have a photo of the bronze plate claiming this.
  • He loved dogs and took in dozens of the abandoned creatures to care for them.
  • He was only 5′ 8″, 185 pounds and despite being a three-pack-a-day smoker, he worked out. It was required because his capes weighed as much as 150 pounds and it explains why his later entrances were in cars.
  • My favorite discovery was a certificate declaring Liberace Day of something in Louisville, KY in the late Seventies. The big-wig official representing the city then is none other than homophobe, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

We certainly got our forty bucks worth. As you may have seen earlier, I had the opportunity to try on one of his lighter capes (20 pounds). There’s also this one guy decked out completely in piano regalia and he was a walking treasure trove of Libby trivia. He could answer about everything, including the more specific details regarding the lawsuit Liberace won agains the music critic who called him a derogatory gay term. The same victory my grandmother swore to us that it meant he wasn’t a homosexual, despite my grandfather’s taunting. Lastly, we made it in time for the afternoon performance of Ali Spuck at the Cabaret within the second building. I thought she was wonderful too. Her performance was something you enjoyable, light and funny. Not a “museum piece” in which you’re checking your watch every few minutes, wondering when is it over. Ali originates from the Dallas area to boot! Definitely want to see her again.

Those who ridicule my unusual Chucks need to see these shoes.

Would I go back? Sure. If I’ve been through Graceland three times, why wouldn’t I pay my respects to the guy who allegedly advised the future King to stop dressing like a Memphis pimp? The staff also changes out the costumes every few months because they said there’s warehouses of clothes the guy owned. I think the bigger selling point is the place being a charity, not really a money-making enterprise.

Should I actually know you and for some reason you check this out on my recommendation. Tell the nice staff I sent you. If you decide it was total crap, I’ll refund your money because I sincerely endorse this Vegas site. My only wish is that Grandma were alive and willing enough to see it. She was a fan of his. Enough to influence me into watching his famous 1979 Valentine’s Day special; I even saw the harness he used to fly over the crowd at the end.

It was 1976 so everybody looked dorky then. I'm sure if he had lived longer, he would've laughed at this too.

Meanwhile, I am now really looking forward to the possible movie Soderbergh was going to do about Liberace with Michael Douglas as the renowned pianist and Matt Damon as the companion who sued him for palimony in 1983.

Posted in Factoids, Pictures | 1 Comment

1985 – Summer Part IV: Banishment to North Dakota

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Steve

My apologies if the last installment was rushed. I didn’t have enough written in advance and housesitting took up more free time than I expected. The silver lining was it forced me to break up the third section into two more. We can blame it on Neil Finn!

So, after we got back from Florida and Grandma Maggi passed away, Brian and I discovered this hidden world of coolness near ISU’s campus; these stores on North Avenue along with Adventureland would assuage me until I left for college in a real city like Chicago, LA or Houston. I had no idea where I really wanted to go then, I was more caught up in the immediate crisis of my pending senior year.

With University High being a bust, there were two other choices: Bloomington or Central Catholic. Ointment or suppositories in my opinion. Either place was going to be my sixth high school. How awesome that would look on a college application! I was a proponent of the public institution: no dress code, no religion courses, diversity and anonymity. Mom and Brian outvoted me with their push for Central or what I prefer to call Catholic Prison. Admittedly, it was down the street which made a short walk but I wouldn’t stand for it. After my great experiences at Clear Creek, I never wanted to attend a Catholic anything again. Lawrence Central and Beulah weren’t great but they beat the hell out of Bishop Chatard on what mattered to me. I’m confident Brian was fine with me going elsewhere, I had embarrassed him too many times at Chatard; he was a cool kid, I never was. Mom wouldn’t have it. She was adamant about us attending the same school together and/or had this crazy hope I could be converted into a “better” Catholic, aka thought like her. Talk about a Hail Mary attempt. Years ago, the Jesuits at Strake failed miserably and they’re considered the Church’s best educators, what chance did a Podunk school have?

The debate, more like a verbal fight, raged on through the end of August. Name calling, blaming, the whole bit. I didn’t pull any (vocal) punches, especially with my disappointment over the Florida debacle. I’m confident Mom brought up her usual litany of things she loved to blame: music/MTV, D&D, “hooligan” friends and “promiscuous” girls (really penpals, I didn’t have much luck on the girlfriend front nor  was sex discussed in correspondence). When you’re a boring teen without a drinking, drug or humping problem and has good grades, someone like my mother has to fall back on desperate accusations.

Sadly, her vivid imagination remained intact into my adulthood as our final conversation in 2003 proved. She thought that my household was Letters to Penthouse incarnate because Somara and I lived together for three years before we were married.

Things came to a head before Labor Day Weekend when I called her a bitch. Tame even by 1985 standards. It got the green light for Prime Time shows over the last 20 years. This didn’t matter. I gave her the excuse to get on the phone with my old man in North Dakota. She claimed I was out of control, blah blah blah; therefore, he had to come down to Bloomington and take me back to live with him. The clinching lie to get a rise was her claim of me hitting her, something I’ve never done. What I did was take the whiffle bat out of her hands after I tolerated enough hits in the forearms. My rebuttal to her exaggeration didn’t help my case. I said something to the effect of, “If I actually hit you, you wouldn’t be able to stand up for a while.” Never mind that in 1985 I weighed 140 pounds and was pushing six feet tall; in football terms, I was built like a wide receiver, not a bruising linesman who can hurt you.

I thought Dad would tell her to calm down, he had better things to do and figured she was lying over the fictional hit. Maybe he’d come visit over the long weekend, try to scare me into cooperating and/or physically assault me (his temper is legendary and why I find hitting children sick). No dice, he made the trip and I had to go back with him. But first, there was a tutorial on driving his truck with its manual transmission. This involved cursing in the parking lot of Bloomington HS…from both of us. (Contrary to what Dad said, my mechanic says there’s nothing wrong with riding the clutch on contemporary cars.)

Some suspected I accepted my “banishment” over a girl named Mary back in Beulah, namely my brother. Not really. I figured I would go on dates regardless of where I went to school or lived, plus college was going to be better. Truthfully, what I realized was I pushed my luck but I just couldn’t stand living under the same roof with my mother. She was nuts and was going to micromanage me to the point of suicide, hers or mine. Somebody had to go. It just ended up being me because I didn’t have any power or real say.

While the reality of it was sinking in, I embraced the silver linings I found. I had friends back at Beulah HS: Mike, Jason, Darren and Jon. Mary was a plus. No starting over with school for the fourth year in a row! I also knew Dad was unusually mellow and easier going when Mom wasn’t around. Besides, he wasn’t paranoid about me getting any girls pregnant unlike Mom. I think he feared me being gay more. This didn’t prevent a tense, uncomfortable drive through Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota and a constant smell of pig feces with the windows rolled down; this truck lacked AC.

The Summer of 1985 ended disastrously for me but in the long run, it worked out for the best. Graduating from a North Dakota high school probably gave me the opportunities to be accepted by more universities than if I were in Illinois or Florida. My relationship with Dad was much smoother because he preferred having the company and realized I was a low-maintenance teen compared to others he knew of. Thus, I had a relatively high amount of freedom to come and go as I wish. The cats came along too so I had the companionship of Mewsette and Teddy until Mom took them back at Christmas. Brian got his wish as well. He got to attend school without the baggage of a dorky older brother bringing down his coolness rating.

Would I do it differently had I known the outcome? I don’t honestly know. I’m leaning toward “probably not” due to the college acceptance factor and the remoteness molding me into a more relatively responsible teenager, thanks to my Dad’s trust.

Last week, my brother sent me a package which included my high school yearbook from Beulah. Talk about coincidence. Somara hasn’t seen it in great detail. I’m reviewing the thing because I haven’t read it in over 20 years. I want to make sure I’m over any jarring shocks first.

Posted in History | 1 Comment

Only seven near misses?

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Steve

When Jobs announced all the new iTunes and iPods, I took a gamble on looking over the employee discount page to see if the new hardware was ready to go. Instead I saw that the iPad was no longer grayed out. Yes! My patience paid off and I don’t buy into Opportunity Cost with it when my MacBook does over 80 percent of the same thing. Some people will go to great lengths rationalizing, however, it’s their spending money. I will use the difference in savings toward accessories (Ghost Shield which is awesome on my iPhone 4, case) and content.

Besides The Nation and Scientific American, I need to see if Mental Floss exists in an iPad savvy format. This weekend, they posted a report on how close the human race came to extinction through nuclear war. Personally, I’d say seven is a conservative estimate. You probably thought this publication specialized in useless crap such as the details of Airplane!

The Suez Canal situation used to be covered in my high school history books, stating how close the world came to war. Hopefully, the revisionism movement hasn’t removed it. The other two at the end I did remember hearing about through the news, computer science class in the mid Eighties and first-hand accounts from residents of Grand Forks, ND. I need to get in touch with this Air Force veteran I knew at Apple. He could possibly tell me the declassified details on what happened at his post.

One good side effect would be the computer glitches providing fodder for the hit movie War Games, implausible and stupid as it was. Believe me, it used to set my father, the systems analyst before IT’s ascension, off for 10 minutes on back doors having a limited number of attempts before they’re shut down; the number Matthew Broderick is dialing with his modem would stop accepting calls after several incorrect passwords.

Maybe we’ll finally discover how many times Reagan brought us to the edge since he did enough saber rattling at the Soviet Union. He only came to the table with Gorbachev because he didn’t like the new guy getting all the good press and he needed something to distract the country from his arms-for-hostages scandal.

The Bushes and Clinton will be important too. North Korea and Pakistan joined the club so I’m confident they had their scares.

Posted in Factoids, History | 2 Comments

2000: Servers & Apps

Posted on September 4, 2010 by Steve

After supporting desktops and portables at Apple/PowerComputing for a few years, I decided to make the leap to the group which handles more of the software aspect. Nowadays we’re known as Enterprise Servers but back then some duties didn’t include server-related products like AppleWorks (replaced by Pages and Numbers), Final Cut Pro and Network Assistant (replaced by Apple Remote Desktop).

I was pretty nervous yet I had to do something different. After being turned down for a managerial and Q&P position, I felt that the Desktop Coaching position was an unacceptable dead end.  However, I didn’t know squat regarding mail servers or the current demon, Macintosh Manager. Conrad, the manager who approved my transfer, was more confident. He said, you’re reasonably intelligent, I think you’ll figure it out. I wish he mentioned the six-month breaking-in period because I began to regret my decision all through the remainder of the year. The friends I had in the department leaving shortly after my arrival didn’t help too: Garrett and David namely. I had no idea how the hell DNS worked beyond an analogy.

By the following year, I gained a comfortable level of traction on the essentials of AppleShare IP 6, Network Assistant and Macintosh Manager. My expertise also grew to the point that I was assigned to call back customers regarding their MM issues if a co-worker couldn’t solve it. A key factor to my success was embracing the team’s lab which provided the means to recreate how the products worked. In my opinion, it was easier to control/observe an MM client to figure out what the customers were having difficulty with. Often it was perception and not a technical failure. Today, I continue to be a proponent for my team’s lab because there’s only so much equipment one can fit in a cubicle realistically.

Here’s the fun, trivial element. There are two people with more years on the phones than me in this group. Under the larger umbrella of my product family, I would safely say there are at least a dozen. I think this speaks volumes about Apple and its dedicated employees. I’m pretty lucky to work with so many talented people too. They make my job easier, especially if it involves Active Directory. I’m looking forward to celebrating with them at AppeCare’s 10th straight victory party at the Austin Pizza Park in two weeks. Once again, we came in first place with Consumer Reports.

Posted in History | Leave a comment

Futurama‘s seventh season concludes

Posted on September 4, 2010 by Steve

Today’s a good day to review the last four episodes because it’s John DiMaggio’s 42nd birthday! If you have to ask, then you obviously don’t watch enough and you can’t stop reading this now.

I was a bit miffed with it ending at 12 but then I remembered how cable networks, especially Comedy Central have shorter seasons compared to the dying dinosaurs known as broadcast networks. Even South Park is abbreviated most years. I’m confident I will have to buy another season pass through iTunes based upon the rather arbitrary definition.

Still, I feel the show regained its footing and could gamble more on its jokes because it was on a basic cable channel which means the standards and practices aren’t as lame; Al Jean of The Simpsons stated how butt cracks aren’t allowed on Fox…Fox of all networks, the one which lowered the standard along with injecting more advertising so a half-hour sitcom is only 20 minutes? Comedy Central isn’t quite as Puritanical yet they share Fox’s mercenary values.

Enough griping. Here’s the synopses on what will have to suffice until Comedy Central airs the remaining 14 they ordered with hopes they’ll buy another couple seasons.

A Clockwork Origin takes on the arguments of Evolution versus Creationism with a hilarious cameo during the Creationists’ protest. My favorite part was Professor Farnsworth deflating a common argument (more like a tactic) Intelligent Design proponents use called God of the Gaps. Somebody on the writing staff really knew his/her anthropology. I found the ending to be a cop out in the vein of Maureen Dowd’s way of thinking.

The Prisoner of Benda is the triumphant return of writer Ken Keeler doing a show (he’s part of the regular staff) and demonstrating how Math (really Logic or a Proof) can be utilized to make an awesome plot. It hinges upon the Professor and Amy building a machine which transfer personalities between bodies but it’s a one-way trip. Oddly, there’s no musical number which Keeler’s other claim to fame.

Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences brings everybody’s favorite conquerer to Earth, Lrrr of Omicron Persei 8. Due to his wife Ndnd’s nagging, Lrrr crashes San Diego Comicon 3010 and gets contradictory marital advice from the Planet Express crew, namely Leela and Bender. I loved the jokes ripping on how fanboys behave at conventions. Believe me, people are so f-ing rude recording with their phones at these events and concerts. This was written by Patric Verrone who contributes to the comic book and most may know him as the former WGA (West) President during the writers’ strike. Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck) is the guest voice of Grrrl alongside Matt Groening, David X. Cohen and cartoonist Sergio Aragones.

The Mutants are Revolting celebrates the 100th show (not bad, it took 11 years) which coincides with PE making its 100th delivery! Devo appears through the voice of Mark Mothersbaugh. Watch for the reference from one of the first major Sci-Fi movie ever made. It’s a bittersweet milestone because there’s a dedication at the end for producer Alex Johns who died last month. He was very involved with the program’s original run on Fox and worked on other animated shows/movies: The Ant Bully, Olive the Other Reindeer and Ren & Stimpy.

The scorecard as per The Onion’s AV Club:

  • A Clockwork Origin: B
  • The Prisoner of Benda: A+
  • Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences: B+
  • The Mutants are Revolting: B
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Nine years at our house

Posted on September 4, 2010 by Steve

Every day extends my lifetime record here for living in the same spot. After picking and moving practically every couple years during the first 25 years of my life, even I was skeptical about staying put on the day we closed on this house.

Any regrets? Nothing serious. It certainly keeps me from doing anything rash such as packing up and leaving for another city, trying to find greener grass; not hard to do this time of year with the drought. I certainly don’t want a repeat of North Carolina too.

There won’t be any celebration. The house is nice but any kind of milestone to throw a party over would be when I can tell Wells Fargo to suck it regarding their PMI and escrow. I have enough discipline to take care of the hazard insurance and property taxes myself. Speaking of scams, just like an election year we’re in the process (again) for changing hazard insurance coverage. Never mind the economy being horrible, Travelers raised the premium…ready? Nineteen percent! I am definitely in the wrong busy, so is organized crime. Fortunately, our membership with Costco helped us get a alternative for 60 percent of what Warren Buffet would gouge us while provided more coverage on mold and some other stuff.

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Jose and Nancy are moving to Dallas!

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Steve

Today the news became official since Jose had given me the advanced status yesterday but it was more in the 75 percent range. I’m initially saddened over him leaving Orlando, his home for the last 19 years, he had really made a pretty cool life there. However, Nancy received an offer and her brother lives in Big D so they won’t be dependent upon me to keep them company.

I’m so excited to have one of my best friends nearby and we finally have a reason to drive north on I-35 to see Dallas, besides seeing my Flyers play the Stars every other year.

How soon will they be there? Probably a few weeks. Jose’s position with the Census Bureau has to wind down and then comes all the fun with moving.

Meanwhile, all of us Texas residents should give Nancy and Jose a big, friendly, non-partisan welcome.

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All the new Apple music stuff

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Steve

I thought the announcement was decent. Kai Ryssdal took a cheap shot this evening on his show but I didn’t really care. The new products are mainly refinements, they’re not radical “game changers” which I suppose the SCLM demands because already bored with the 2010 elections (they never get tired of airing Dick Morris getting it wrong).

The iPod Touch getting a makeover wasn’t a surprise, its look and features maintain parity with the iPhone. Now my friend Lester can do Face Time over Skype but I probably should buy him a replacement to show I’m magnanimous in Apple’s victory over Microsoft, Dell and the others; they’re currently too busy trying to build an iPad competitor.

Now I can see us buying an Apple TV. The previous model was nice and we enjoy using a couple our friends have. Owning one though? It was expensive for how limited it was. Numerous other people bought Minis and hacked them instead to run Boxee. The remaining barrier is a new television. This Apple TV requires an HD model but at least it can operate Netflix in addition to all the content Apple is offering. Acquiring it now would also be the cart going before the horse: a $99 device making us purchase a $1000 set!

iTunes 10 operates smoothly. It’s amazing how far this piece of software has come. Just ten years ago it was SoundJam distributed by Cassady & Greene, something I actually paid money for! The Ping element definitely needs time to develop. I wasn’t too thrilled to receive what appeared to be the default recommendations. They all sucked. For me, my top 10 albums will reflect what it is on the special page here. I know the knives were out for Apple on Ping too. All the Facebook and LastFM comparisons will abound. However, Apple was late on MP3 players, a storefront for downloadable content, Podcasts, mobile phones and tablet computers. Somehow they still managed to do these things better in order to take over a major share of those markets. Ping just makes it easier because I haven’t even bothered to look at my LastFM page in years and as much as artists prefer MySpace, that site was craptacular from day one; it was so cluttered you could tell it was designed by a PC user who had no basic layout skills.

Don’t feel hurt if I don’t invite you to follow or vice versa. I plan to keep my circle limited to those I know who really follow music as much as I do. Nothing bruises a relationship like finding out a good friend has crappy tastes, or an obscure, elitist one I’ve been accused of having.

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Belated good news from the dentist!

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Steve

The great hygienist on Dr. Alice’s staff has been helping me out in my ongoing, back-n-forth battle with periodontal matters. I don’t think I have the disease, more like the side effects of the bad habits (aka, not flossing and rinsing with fluoride) I had in my twenties and early thirties.

My May visit was fair. The only nasty warning I had was a pair of sixes next to each other. Dr. Alice said if it didn’t improve by now, I would be looking at oral surgery to shore it up. The remedy? More aggressive flossing and injecting peroxide. Not the clear hydrogen peroxide people use on cuts. It was this messy, brown chemical I had to mix with 90 percent water.

It paid off, the sixes are gone, replaced by fours. Not a home run, more like an RBI and I’ll take it. Besides, it’s hard to get three or less with my lower, back teeth. Until I can make my jaw unhinge as if I were a PEZ dispenser, chemical rinses need to pick up the slack.

Now to tackle the fours and a five which popped up elsewhere by the first week of December. All this beats having dentures.

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