As many of my friends know, because people have contacted them for personal references, I have begun my job search for work to begin in May 2010.
Well, the job search has born fruit: Last night I was offered a job by Microsoft! Pay and benefits are amazing - nobody else comes close, on either count.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Net Neutrality
What if your favorite website didn't have enough money to pay the internet providers for high speed preference? Or if your ISP decided that your favorite website was a competitor and wouldn't let you get there?
Sound ridiculous? AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and others want to make this happen!
If they succeed, the internet as we know it will cease to exist. What??? Well, if you want to make a webpage right now and start your own business, it's fairly inexpensive ($20/month or less). In the internet that these telecomm corporations want, that cost goes up a great deal.
Right now, a bill is up for consideration that can make Net Neutrality federal law. Net Neutrality is what we currently experience on the internet. Every site's data is treated the same coming down the wire to your house - nobody receives preferential treatment.
Check out this site for more information: http://www.savetheinternet.com/faq#
Sound ridiculous? AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and others want to make this happen!
If they succeed, the internet as we know it will cease to exist. What??? Well, if you want to make a webpage right now and start your own business, it's fairly inexpensive ($20/month or less). In the internet that these telecomm corporations want, that cost goes up a great deal.
Right now, a bill is up for consideration that can make Net Neutrality federal law. Net Neutrality is what we currently experience on the internet. Every site's data is treated the same coming down the wire to your house - nobody receives preferential treatment.
Check out this site for more information: http://www.savetheinternet.com/faq#
Friday, October 9, 2009
Most funny Phishing Email ever!
The following is the text of an email I received from a phisher in Poland. Doesn't this sound like the worst Dragnet spoof ever? And really, would the director write to li'l ol' me personally? I feel so special that they aren't just knocking on my front door! Good heavens, I hope nobody falls for this...
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation Dept: Anti-Terrorist & Monetary Crimes Division
Office: Washington, D.C. Headquarters
Address: J. Edgar Hoover Building93 Pennsylvania Avenue, Nw Washington, D.C. 20535-0001
Attention Funds Beneficiary,
This is to officially inform you that a foreign bank from West Africa have transferred funds worth Millions of United States Dollars with your name as the beneficiary. This foreign bank knows that they do not have enough facilities to effect this payment from their location to your account and therefore they used what is known as Secret Diplomatic Transit Payment (S.T.D.P) to do this transfer and they are currently awaiting a confirmation from you for final crediting to your account. Secret diplomatic payments are not made unless the funds are related to terrorist activities, so if you are not intending to finance terrorism and your transaction is legitimate, why then did you agree to receive these funds through this means that was used instead of a direct transfer to your account?
Our findings shows that this method of transfer was used in the past to finance terrorist acts, so there is need to correct this problem now to avoid you getting into trouble when the funds reflects in your account. Under the United Nations monetary rules it is our duty as a world wide commission to correct this little problem before this fund will be credited into your personal account. Due to the increased difficulty and security measures set up by the United States for the transfer of funds from foreign banks, the FBI foreign bank commission have stopped the transfer on its way to debit your reserve account and pay you through a secured diplomatic transit account (s.d.t.a) We govern and oversee funds transfer for the World Bank and the rest of the world.
We demand your immediate response with full details of the transaction you are doing that involved this huge sum because the funds are currently being held in our custody. You must provide us with a Diplomatic Immunity Seal of Transfer (DIST) within 3 days from the world local bank that authorized the fund transfer to certify that the funds you are about to receive are clean and free from terrorist and drug. Until this document is provided we shall have cause to cross and impound the transfer and will come to your house to arrest you.
The Diplomatic Immunity Seal Of Transfer (DIST) often referred to as a Criminal History Record or Rap Sheet, is a listing of certain information taken from fingerprint submissions retained by the FBI in connection with arrests and, in some instances, federal employment, naturalization, or military service. This Condition is Valid until 30th of this month after which the funds shall be confiscated and legal action will be taken against you.
Guarantee: Funds will be released upon confirmation of the DIST document.
NOTE: We have requested for the DIST document to make available the most complete and update records possible for the enhancement of public safety, welfare and security of Society while recognizing the importance of individual privacy rights. If you fail to provide the Document to us, we will charge you with the financial crimes. The United Nations Department of Justice Order 556-73 establishes rules and regulations for the subject of an FBI Identification Record to obtain a copy of his or her own Record for review. The FBI Criminal Justice Information Service (CJIS) Division processes these requests to check illegal activities.
Robert S. Mueller, III
(FBI Director)
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation Dept: Anti-Terrorist & Monetary Crimes Division
Office: Washington, D.C. Headquarters
Address: J. Edgar Hoover Building93 Pennsylvania Avenue, Nw Washington, D.C. 20535-0001
Attention Funds Beneficiary,
This is to officially inform you that a foreign bank from West Africa have transferred funds worth Millions of United States Dollars with your name as the beneficiary. This foreign bank knows that they do not have enough facilities to effect this payment from their location to your account and therefore they used what is known as Secret Diplomatic Transit Payment (S.T.D.P) to do this transfer and they are currently awaiting a confirmation from you for final crediting to your account. Secret diplomatic payments are not made unless the funds are related to terrorist activities, so if you are not intending to finance terrorism and your transaction is legitimate, why then did you agree to receive these funds through this means that was used instead of a direct transfer to your account?
Our findings shows that this method of transfer was used in the past to finance terrorist acts, so there is need to correct this problem now to avoid you getting into trouble when the funds reflects in your account. Under the United Nations monetary rules it is our duty as a world wide commission to correct this little problem before this fund will be credited into your personal account. Due to the increased difficulty and security measures set up by the United States for the transfer of funds from foreign banks, the FBI foreign bank commission have stopped the transfer on its way to debit your reserve account and pay you through a secured diplomatic transit account (s.d.t.a) We govern and oversee funds transfer for the World Bank and the rest of the world.
We demand your immediate response with full details of the transaction you are doing that involved this huge sum because the funds are currently being held in our custody. You must provide us with a Diplomatic Immunity Seal of Transfer (DIST) within 3 days from the world local bank that authorized the fund transfer to certify that the funds you are about to receive are clean and free from terrorist and drug. Until this document is provided we shall have cause to cross and impound the transfer and will come to your house to arrest you.
The Diplomatic Immunity Seal Of Transfer (DIST) often referred to as a Criminal History Record or Rap Sheet, is a listing of certain information taken from fingerprint submissions retained by the FBI in connection with arrests and, in some instances, federal employment, naturalization, or military service. This Condition is Valid until 30th of this month after which the funds shall be confiscated and legal action will be taken against you.
Guarantee: Funds will be released upon confirmation of the DIST document.
NOTE: We have requested for the DIST document to make available the most complete and update records possible for the enhancement of public safety, welfare and security of Society while recognizing the importance of individual privacy rights. If you fail to provide the Document to us, we will charge you with the financial crimes. The United Nations Department of Justice Order 556-73 establishes rules and regulations for the subject of an FBI Identification Record to obtain a copy of his or her own Record for review. The FBI Criminal Justice Information Service (CJIS) Division processes these requests to check illegal activities.
Robert S. Mueller, III
(FBI Director)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Finally! The gov't gets it right!
A six-year-old girl goes to the kitchen to get a snack. Only, this isn't your ordinary snack-obtaining mission. You can't get caught by the grown-ups, and if you do, you get tied up for days, surrounded by things that scare you.
Sounds pretty sick, huh?
Well, that's exactly what happened to this little girl, and thankfully, someone who knew turned in the bad guys... her family. Mom and Dad were away, and her relatives had been caring for her. What a sweet way to care for her: binding her up and surrounding her by snakes and spiders that scare her.
It's heartbreaking to me as a father that someone would do this to a child. Why, oh why do we think in this country that little children are to be treated horrendously, and as long as you are the guardian, it should be okay?
The mentality that allows spanking, taken a little further, is the same that allows this treatment. Spanking is the single most scary thing that happened to me as a child - and I did dumb things that nearly killed me. Putting a child in line through fear and pain is wrong. It is not part of raising a child to become a responsible, honorable adult.
Stopping violence begins at home with gentle parenting - with any child. Of course some children will offer tougher challenges - we're all different. It doesn't mean that they need to be forced into submission. If that's your thought, you probably have a leader. Turn that around and use that to the child's advantage; don't try to beat/scare it out of her/him.
How can you develop empathy that you've never experienced? You can't! That's how!
Sounds pretty sick, huh?
Well, that's exactly what happened to this little girl, and thankfully, someone who knew turned in the bad guys... her family. Mom and Dad were away, and her relatives had been caring for her. What a sweet way to care for her: binding her up and surrounding her by snakes and spiders that scare her.
It's heartbreaking to me as a father that someone would do this to a child. Why, oh why do we think in this country that little children are to be treated horrendously, and as long as you are the guardian, it should be okay?
The mentality that allows spanking, taken a little further, is the same that allows this treatment. Spanking is the single most scary thing that happened to me as a child - and I did dumb things that nearly killed me. Putting a child in line through fear and pain is wrong. It is not part of raising a child to become a responsible, honorable adult.
Stopping violence begins at home with gentle parenting - with any child. Of course some children will offer tougher challenges - we're all different. It doesn't mean that they need to be forced into submission. If that's your thought, you probably have a leader. Turn that around and use that to the child's advantage; don't try to beat/scare it out of her/him.
How can you develop empathy that you've never experienced? You can't! That's how!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
A time to play, a time to let go
Ok, so that's not quite how the scripture in Ecclesiastes goes, but this is in the same spirit.
Years ago, when Sea Gal had been married about 18 months, we purchased an upright grand piano at a garage sale in Seattle. It was UGLY! Salmon pink, battleship grey, mint green, white - these were all colors of paint that had been put on this piano - and not artistically. It's not that I wouldn't appreciate art with those colors - there's an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weenie chance I could appreciate it. So, anyway, it was a sight to behold.
Over the years, we refinished much of the piano to the original black cherry finish it had when made in the early 20th century, tuned it, made it fairly nice. It has a beautiful sound. The problem is that it still needs some work, and I frankly don't have the time, funds, and place to work on it. So, after playing it for five years, it was time to let go. We're moving in the spring of 2010, and I'd rather get rid of big things we don't need prior to that date.
I'd like a piano that I don't need to completely rebuild, and a friend wanted to pick up where I left off. So this morning, we gave our piano to a dear friend - and I'm so excited to see her finish the project and have a beautiful upright grand piano. I love watching a person's eyes light up like hers did when the piano was at the bottom of our stairs.
A piano seems to be a wonderful addition to a home - makes it somehow more cozy. We've still got an organ (which has a similar effect).
Years ago, when Sea Gal had been married about 18 months, we purchased an upright grand piano at a garage sale in Seattle. It was UGLY! Salmon pink, battleship grey, mint green, white - these were all colors of paint that had been put on this piano - and not artistically. It's not that I wouldn't appreciate art with those colors - there's an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weenie chance I could appreciate it. So, anyway, it was a sight to behold.
Over the years, we refinished much of the piano to the original black cherry finish it had when made in the early 20th century, tuned it, made it fairly nice. It has a beautiful sound. The problem is that it still needs some work, and I frankly don't have the time, funds, and place to work on it. So, after playing it for five years, it was time to let go. We're moving in the spring of 2010, and I'd rather get rid of big things we don't need prior to that date.
I'd like a piano that I don't need to completely rebuild, and a friend wanted to pick up where I left off. So this morning, we gave our piano to a dear friend - and I'm so excited to see her finish the project and have a beautiful upright grand piano. I love watching a person's eyes light up like hers did when the piano was at the bottom of our stairs.
A piano seems to be a wonderful addition to a home - makes it somehow more cozy. We've still got an organ (which has a similar effect).
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Theft - at BYU!
I came to BYU five years ago for school with some kind prejudices. Like most prejudices, they turned out to be so false. I expected people to be of a similar kind mindset as myself, keep the basic 10 commandments... like "Thou shalt not steal[!]" Ok, I know the exclamation point wasn't there, but holy cow, people! All the folks I know in my major (there are less than 100 of us) are LDS.
I left a $30 kit in a room where that kit is frequently used. Before you go "well you shouldn't have left it there," get this: we leave personal equipment worth hundreds and thousands of dollars in these secured rooms, one of which is where I left this great, inexpensive kit. Someone took it. But you knew that was coming.
If I were a better man, I would just be sad someone stole. The truth is I am very angry! IF IT AIN'T YERS, DON'T TOUCH IT! Is it really that hard? AND AT BYU! Come on!
I left a $30 kit in a room where that kit is frequently used. Before you go "well you shouldn't have left it there," get this: we leave personal equipment worth hundreds and thousands of dollars in these secured rooms, one of which is where I left this great, inexpensive kit. Someone took it. But you knew that was coming.
If I were a better man, I would just be sad someone stole. The truth is I am very angry! IF IT AIN'T YERS, DON'T TOUCH IT! Is it really that hard? AND AT BYU! Come on!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Gay Marriage in New York?
Governor Paterson of NY is spearheading the effort to make marriage legal between any two consenting adults, regardless of sex.
He points out that while members of some religions may take issue with this, it is not up to the state to determine which people may marry.
Now wait a minute! NOT that I want a diamond-shaped family tree, but don't they do that already? Don't you have to be just-so-unrelated to a person to marry them?
Perhaps the issue here lies in the definition of marriage. This is where people, like me, who believe that marriage should be defined as a union between a man and a woman, need to work to make that a definition recognized by our governments. In such a case, the discussion must change a bit. Obviously, these people who love each other should be able to have many (if not all) of the same rights as heterosexual couples (hospital visitation rights, etc.).
It is up to a people to define what is right and what is wrong. The government then backs that definition. It seems to me that as a people we have come to a point where we call good evil and evil good (sound familiar anyone?).
While I say that homosexual couples should have the rights that heterosexual couples do, put this in a civil union. The issue is that they want to redefine a millennia-old definition of a sacred institution. Well, it's not theirs to do with as they please.
But as we haven't made the definition legal, here's what's happening:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/paterson-unveils-same-sex-marriage-bill/?hp
It is so time to act, people!
He points out that while members of some religions may take issue with this, it is not up to the state to determine which people may marry.
Now wait a minute! NOT that I want a diamond-shaped family tree, but don't they do that already? Don't you have to be just-so-unrelated to a person to marry them?
Perhaps the issue here lies in the definition of marriage. This is where people, like me, who believe that marriage should be defined as a union between a man and a woman, need to work to make that a definition recognized by our governments. In such a case, the discussion must change a bit. Obviously, these people who love each other should be able to have many (if not all) of the same rights as heterosexual couples (hospital visitation rights, etc.).
It is up to a people to define what is right and what is wrong. The government then backs that definition. It seems to me that as a people we have come to a point where we call good evil and evil good (sound familiar anyone?).
While I say that homosexual couples should have the rights that heterosexual couples do, put this in a civil union. The issue is that they want to redefine a millennia-old definition of a sacred institution. Well, it's not theirs to do with as they please.
But as we haven't made the definition legal, here's what's happening:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/paterson-unveils-same-sex-marriage-bill/?hp
It is so time to act, people!
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