Author: cdwan

redmed is looking for a stunningly cheap (like, $100 or $200) laptop to become basically a kiosk for her research project. It’s going to end up sitting on a lab bench most of the time, for lab rats to enter data. On occasion, it will be carried to a different location to have different research rats enter different data.

The software system is already in place, and it’s designed around being on a single computer rather than sharing information over some sort of network. Plus, it’s in MS Access. Wheeee.

If you wanted to pick up the worlds cheapest portable computer, still capable of running MS Office, where would you start?

Up at beastly-o-clock this morning for a quick and grumpy shower (gripe gripe gripe gripe) and then on the road to redmed‘s parents house in PA. We carefully planned this “leave early” and “take smaller roads” thing to avoid what we were anticipating as nightmarish traffic. In reality, I allowed the car to coast below 80mph only for planned stops and one little bit of construction. Basically, nobody was on the roads. What gives? Thanksgiving traffic was trivial, I flew out of freaking MIDWAY last night with only a half hour delay, and the roads were empty on the Friday before the Christmas weekend.

I’ll take the good fortune, but I’m a little weirded out by how light traffic has been this year. Am I an anomaly in seeing this?

The first thing I did when we got here was collapse and nap until about 6. I feel awesome, though I’m almost ready for bed. A couple more days of this and I’ll be back to full strength.

I wrote a letter to my congressmen, and the next day Judge Jones slapped down Intelligent Design in the public schools, in a remarkably brutal decision.. That evening, we toasted long life and good health to Judge Jones at my corporate holiday dinner. My company rocks.

Those who disagree with our holding will likely mark it as the product of an
activist judge. If so, they will have erred as this is manifestly not an activist Court.
Rather, this case came to us as the result of the activism of an ill-informed faction
on a school board, aided by a national public interest law firm eager to find a
constitutional test case on ID, who in combination drove the Board to adopt an

imprudent and ultimately unconstitutional policy. The breathtaking inanity of the
Board’s decision is evident when considered against the factual backdrop which
has now been fully revealed through this trial. The students, parents, and teachers
of the Dover Area School District deserved better than to be dragged into this legal
maelstrom, with its resulting utter waste of monetary and personal resources.

Breathtaking inanity. The decision (according to NPR) is mostly factual findings, which are usually not subject to change on appeal. Facts like “Is ID a thinly veiled creationism? Yes.” “Can we teach religion (as doctrine, not history) in the public schools? No.”

The very best part of the report was at the very end, the commentator asked “and who appointed this judge to the federal bench?” That would be our current president, ladies and gentlemen.

Long life and good health to Judge Jones … and may he have further opportunities to rule on matters of “breathtaking inanity.”

This week’s hotel is much nicer than last week’s. It’s a classy old apartment building with desk staff and mail slots. The sort of place where a visiting businessman would feel at home having the help bring up his groceries or sort his mail. Of course, I’m here for only a day, so I’m not going to make use of their offer to do my grocery shopping or forward my mail … but it’s a nice thought. Gorgeous building overlooking the Lincoln Park botanical gardens and zoo.

The coolest part: It’s $60 cheaper per night than the Hampton Inn I was in last week.

Once again The Onion speaks on my behalf:

In a striking rebuke of the assertions of the Pentagon and the White House that a swift exit is neither practical nor possible, soldiers of varying rank have outlined a straightforward plan of immediate disengagement, dubbed “Operation Screw This.” … “Apache helicopters could rendezvous with us in Fallujah. If we left our supplies behind, we could be out of here in 15 minutes.”

Headed to Chicago this morning to do my “teach them to use the software” thing. Should be a good time. The people seem clever and motivated. That’s always much, much better than the alternative. All I really ask is that the person I’m working with give a damn, at some level, about the thing they’re trying to do. Hit me with “well, the boss says we have to attend your training, so train me,” and my heart drops right out of my chest.

My flight, according to the lady from Southwest is “entirely, completely, every seat – full.” Wheeeeeee. Hopefully since it’s 10:50 on a Thursday I can avoid the drunken a-hole section. All I want to do is sit quietly and edit my paper. Is that so much to ask?

Christmas party last night was a good time. We got a table for 10 (all four partners, plus me, plus all the spouses and girlfriends) at a schwank restaurant, and talked about nearly anything except work for about three hours. I love my company.

— Update —

Nooooooo! I just noticed that the pre-board line is as long as the group ‘A’ line, and all of them have strollers! Noooooooo! I just want to sit quietly and not be pooped on or near! Is that really too much to ask today?

** straps on zen attitude and laces up peaceful, composed, pleasant facial expression **

— Post Flight Update —

My pleas went unheard. The kid in the seat behind me pooped himself halfway through the flight.

Tarot Card Silliness

I woke up this morning to the sound of furious keystrokes. redmed was pounding out a letter to the president, explaining her disappointment, disgust, and fundamental hope that we can still change direction as a nation.

This inspired me to a smaller project: I just mailed this to my Senators and Representative.

the letter

Report written. Edits generally minor and positive. Documenting code.

Discussion as to whether we provide the customer with a “draft for review” or a “final report.” Consensus is that handing in a “final report” puts more authority behind it, and makes them more likely to consider their requests for enhancements and add-ons carefully.

Brain overheating. Coffee overload.

Still writing this GDMF report. It’s lookin’ good … really good … but there are so many details. It pretty much has to go out in draft form today … and there has been sufficient fuckity’ with the data (memory errors, crashes, and the like) that I have to be very very careful about the generalization that I make.

Onward. Closing LJ now.