/rant

Now, just gotta wait to come out of the tunnel so I can hit the post button . . .

bart, hip hop, public annoyances, rap, technology gone bad, ring tones

Now come on . . . what’s this “hoax device” b^llsh!t that you’re spreading? Can’t find a real law to enforce to justify this screwup?

There’s a problem with your charges of placing a hoax device . . . it’s called intent.  Were the devices intended to be a fake bomb, or were you just over excited by your recent anti-terror training?  Who’s the terrorist now?

insanity, homeland insecurity

The Good:

• Great Interface . . . one that only Apple could envision and execute!
• Well Rounded Feature Set!
• Marvelous Design!
• It’s Gorgeous!

But I’ve got a few issues that will need to be resolved before I will buy one:

1. EDGE?!?!? Apple, are you serious? Have you tried an EDGE data connection on Cingular? Calling it painful is generous . . . at best! A couple of facts about EDGE:
• It’s inadequate for video streaming and/or near real time media downloads. Less than 80k of throughput . . . in real world use, much less!
• Cingular is in the process of deploying UTMS/HSDPA 3G networking, and there should be a fair amount of coverage in metro areas within the year.
• There are many phones on the market with combined GPRS/EDGE/UTMS data support, why limit the iPhone?
• This handset has to be usable for at least as long as the carrier commitment (2 years minimum for this deal). Launching a “revolutionary” phone with yesterdays data access is inexcusable.
• The cellular ecosystem does not allow for the same upgrade cycle that Apple has enjoyed previously with the iPod. The cost of upgrading hardware mid-contract is prohibitively expensive. Who here has experienced the sticker shock of replacing a lost or damaged handset? What’s the price of this phone without a “carrier subsidy”? Enough said.
• I really hope the hardware is capable of 3G/UTMS/HSDPA out of the box . . . just waiting for a code to activate, like the recent stealth roll out of the Pre-N WiFi cards in recent Apple hardware?
2. 4/8Gb Storage? Not enough to use it for a video media player
• I hope the slot below the camera lens (on the left side of the phone) is a removable media bay (CompactFlash I Hope, but I’ll settle for SD).
3. WiFi Access:
• Where is the seamless VoIP integration that can roam between the Cingular and WiFi network?
• Open WiFi is not ubiquitous in the US, and most public access is fee based.
• Cingular, your signal sucks in my house but I have great WiFi coverage.
4. And now no user installable applications . . . according to The Unofficial Apple Weblog.

apple, cellular, cingular, wifi, iphone

By all accounts the paper look fine; it’s clear and complete and would appear to fulfill all of the requirements of the assigned project . . . except for the minimum page count. I recommended that she fill the remaining pages with a case study on the effects of requiring minimum page lengths for papers in an MBA program; I recommended she title the essay “Indoctrinated Waste”.

After she stopped laughing at me, she declined my advise citing her impending failure on the final project . . . we agree to disagree

Seriously, why would an MBA program worth anything require minimum document lengths for a final project (or any project for that matter)?  It’s like rewarding a project lead for coming in at or over budget, while penalizing a project lead that delivers a project under budget. This lesson reinforces the wrong goals for an effective business person . . . efficiency should be the goal of any project.

Scores are not calculated (in a properly run business) by the length of your documentation, rather you’re measured on speed of delivery, completeness and accuracy of the final product. Business communications should be made as clearly and succinctly as possible . . . any more is waste and is a distraction to the business goal.

Business reality dictates that this MBA project should be scored based on the minimum number of pages required to effectively and accurately communicate the intended message. Additional scoring should be based on the speed at which the project is completed, with the lowest positive score for speed being assigned to a project turned in on the actual due date.  Alas, this would require the faculty to think critically about the project scoring process, and spend time actually grading the project objectively based on real world business goals.

One more illustration of what is wrong with higher education today; the collective “Institution” continues to turn out college grads that are ill equipped to handle today’s business world . . . and in a large number of cases, actually present a liability to the company that hires them.

business, efficiency, mba, higher education

While I can understand the checking of ID to verify you are the actual recipient of a package you are picking up, someone with ill intent attempting to ship a dangerous package is unlikely to provide their real ID . . . they’ll just use a fake.

So, who does this policy actually protect? UPS . . . you want to weigh in? Your website does not seem to disclose any information explaining this change.

false security, identification required, security theater, united parcel service, ups

So I took to milking my corncobs . . . labor-intensive, but easy process if you have the right tools. After about 5 minutes, I had amassed a total of about 4 cups of a wonderful sweet corn pulp . . . And then it hit me, out of the 10 ears of corn that I started with, I had only gathered 4 cups of pulp. Glancing in the sink full of cornhusks and cobs I came to a conclusion . . . this was a very bio-inefficient process.

You see, on average a single corn plant produces about 2 ears of corn (speaking from my experience of growing organic corn in my backyard), with an average stalk height of about 6 feet. Now, those ears are roughly (by volume) 1/3 kernel pulp and 2/3 inedible husk and cob – to break it down by volume of material, per corn plant that’s roughly:

• 10% usable corn pulp
• 30% waste husk and cob
• 60% waste corn stalk

Not taking into account the water and fertilizer required to grow the corn, that makes the plant about 10% efficient in producing a usable raw material for anything from human fuel (creamed corn) to car fuel (ethanol).

While great strides are being made in the field of cellulosic ethanol, it just shows that corn is the wrong material for long-term bio-fuel production. In addition, diverting corn from the food supply will only serve to drive up the cost of everyday products that make use of corn such as corn chips, soft drinks, and steaks . . . and, well, corn itself. This ignores completely the fact that we can’t produce enough corn in the US to completely rid ourselves of imported fossil fuels.

What’s needed is a way to utilize existing residential, commercial and industrial bio-waste as the raw material for ethanol production. This is where large scale, distributed cellulosic ethanol production makes sense. Everyday in the US, many bio-waste products from scrap wood and saw-dust to yard clippings are produced, and large percentage of these materials are just disposed of in a landfill. Use of these materials could yield ‘free’ fuel to power our cars.

If additional materials are needed for ethanol generation, we could harvest fast growing native plants, or we could cultivate plant species with low environmental impact in marginal farming locations so not to increase the use of chemical fertilizers and ground water, or to compete with the existing food supply.

Over the longer-term, we must find a fuel source that allows us to wean ourselves from fossil fuels without destroying our land in the process.

In the mean time, I’ll just keep making creamed corn.

bio-waste, cellulosic ethanol, corn, creamed corn, energy, fossil fuels, ethanol

Watching everone fear for their jobs really sucks . . .

Sounds to me like some idiotic lawmaker is trying to use state law to make up for his inadequacies after finding his wife in bed with his battery operated replacement

Via: The Huffington PostÂ

dumb lawmakers, dumb laws, sex, south carolina