Uncle Sam needs you...to vote!!!

Windows Vista uses a new DVD/CD format that nothing else supports. So, if you are making DVDs or CDs for friends on a Windows Vista machine then your friends probably won't be able to read it unless you've manually changed the disc writer settings to "Mastered" each time you burn a disc.

This is, of course, standard operating procedure for Microsoft: Introduce some new whizbang format (documents, disks, etc) into their latest products in an attempt to force the rest of the world to use their latest software. I don't care how much better someone at Microsoft thinks it is... If the rest of the world can't read the disc its nothing more than a worthless piece of aluminum foil glued to a coaster.

Update: Ubuntu Linux 8.10 can read LiveFS formatted discs.

Labels: windows

Well, my mother's cat "pookie" went into renal failure from diabetes yesterday. He lived a long, full life and seemed quite happy for most of it. The old guy will certainly be missed.

So long and thanks for all the fish...

Labels: cats, memories

If you are seeing slow Internet speeds under Linux (2.6.17 or newer) or Windows Vista make sure your router supports RFC 1323. If it does not then this is likely your problem. To fix it, upgrade or replace your router. RFC 1323 is a performance enhancement for TCP/IP networking which LInux and Vista support. Unfortunately, it seriously hurts performance if the network hardware doesn´t support it properly (or at all).

Labels: linux, windows

Well, some family members are upset about me publishing public domain information about deceased family members exported from the 1998 Family Tree Maker CDs and federal government's master death file (aka Social Security Death Index). I'm not going to censor bits and pieces of publicly available information for one or two people. I have much better things to do with my time. So I have removed absolutely everything.

These very same people don't invite me to family events, don't let me know when loved ones pass away or if I somehow end up at a family event they make snide comments about me being there.

Its a real shame, too. I've met more family members by publicly posting old family photos than I ever met through direct interaction with relatives. Its telling that I've learned more about my family history from my father's uncle's grandson's ex-wife, whom I've never met, than my own relatives.

Labels: censored, family

One of the first runners blurs past mile marker 2.

Tail end approaches mile marker 1.

Labels: ham radio, volunteer