Monday, January 29, 2007
I just got one of those fake eBay phishing emails, but the Subject line was, and I kid you not, "[SPAM10] IMPORTANT MEMBER SERVICE INFORMATION" .
Some script kiddie needs to take off his training wheels...
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Some script kiddie needs to take off his training wheels...
0 comments
Monday, January 22, 2007
Do you remember the original Ren & Stimpy show? Do you remember a song called "Happy Happy Joy Joy"?
Sara Lee is now using it in their commercials.
It is truly the Apocalypse.
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Sara Lee is now using it in their commercials.
It is truly the Apocalypse.
0 comments
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Egad.
I blew off last night's freeze warning, because at worst all it ever means is that we're going to dip a bit below freezing and get a light frost overnight.
This morning at 7:00 is was 24 degrees outside. My backyard fountain was frozen solid. Still was at 10:00; I think it's thawed a bit since then. Peaseblossom has found a nice sunny spot on the floor here in the office, and the twins are up on the desk being extra cuddly.
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Friday was my alternate Friday off, so I spent a couple hours at REI basically ensuring I'll get a big member dividend at the end of the year. The major purchases: new hiking boots (because the ones I bought in New Zealand 3 years ago are coming apart), a 38 litre backpack (because my dinky daypack isn't gonna cut it on my Rim-to-Rim), and a warm 3-in-one jacket (for my trip to Tierra del Fuego in December).
I've started making bookings for my big end-of-year trip, not because I'm anal but because it's hard to find a flight from Phoenix to Punta Arenas that isn't insane in terms of price, layovers, and arrival time. This first leg has been an interesting exercise in how much extra I'm willing to pay to get a decent night's rest before the tour starts. There was one itinerary that went via Toronto(!), reasonably-priced but had an 11-hour layover somewhere and arrived at 3:30AM. Most of the cheap ones were like that.
Then there were the cheap flights that didn't exist. Orbitz is good at those; they'll offer a screaming deal like $752, then when you select it you get a message that says the flight is no longer available, or the fare has suddenly changed to $38,753. Do the search again, and the flight reappears at the original price. (Same thing happened when I flew out to Concertino last year - smokin deal that evaporated when I clicked on it. Feh.)
Ultimately, the site that found me the best deals was SideStep, which searches a bunch of legit travel sites. I also got some advice on TripAdvisor on how much time to allow for customs & immigration in Santiago (a lot). What I'd really like to see out of a travel search engine is an option for maximum and minimum layover times. For example, I don't want to miss a connecting flight because there wasn't time to get through C&I, dash to another terminal, check in again, go through the security line again, and run to my gate. I also would prefer not to spend 24 hours sitting around the airport, if at all possible.
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Well, it's 1:30 and the pond is mostly thawed, except for a thin sheet of ice on top. I re-set the solar panel (I'd put it face down this morning), and the pump is still working fine. The cats had a hissy brawl while I was working on this post, and are now back to their original positions.
0 comments
I blew off last night's freeze warning, because at worst all it ever means is that we're going to dip a bit below freezing and get a light frost overnight.
This morning at 7:00 is was 24 degrees outside. My backyard fountain was frozen solid. Still was at 10:00; I think it's thawed a bit since then. Peaseblossom has found a nice sunny spot on the floor here in the office, and the twins are up on the desk being extra cuddly.
------------
Friday was my alternate Friday off, so I spent a couple hours at REI basically ensuring I'll get a big member dividend at the end of the year. The major purchases: new hiking boots (because the ones I bought in New Zealand 3 years ago are coming apart), a 38 litre backpack (because my dinky daypack isn't gonna cut it on my Rim-to-Rim), and a warm 3-in-one jacket (for my trip to Tierra del Fuego in December).
I've started making bookings for my big end-of-year trip, not because I'm anal but because it's hard to find a flight from Phoenix to Punta Arenas that isn't insane in terms of price, layovers, and arrival time. This first leg has been an interesting exercise in how much extra I'm willing to pay to get a decent night's rest before the tour starts. There was one itinerary that went via Toronto(!), reasonably-priced but had an 11-hour layover somewhere and arrived at 3:30AM. Most of the cheap ones were like that.
Then there were the cheap flights that didn't exist. Orbitz is good at those; they'll offer a screaming deal like $752, then when you select it you get a message that says the flight is no longer available, or the fare has suddenly changed to $38,753. Do the search again, and the flight reappears at the original price. (Same thing happened when I flew out to Concertino last year - smokin deal that evaporated when I clicked on it. Feh.)
Ultimately, the site that found me the best deals was SideStep, which searches a bunch of legit travel sites. I also got some advice on TripAdvisor on how much time to allow for customs & immigration in Santiago (a lot). What I'd really like to see out of a travel search engine is an option for maximum and minimum layover times. For example, I don't want to miss a connecting flight because there wasn't time to get through C&I, dash to another terminal, check in again, go through the security line again, and run to my gate. I also would prefer not to spend 24 hours sitting around the airport, if at all possible.
--------------
Well, it's 1:30 and the pond is mostly thawed, except for a thin sheet of ice on top. I re-set the solar panel (I'd put it face down this morning), and the pump is still working fine. The cats had a hissy brawl while I was working on this post, and are now back to their original positions.
0 comments
