March 22, 2010
Well I thought I was back up and running about seven months ago. About two days after my last post, which funny enough was about the blog getting back up, it was back down. Apparently it had something to do with the dns. The free service we were using switched over to a pay for service company and since we weren’t paying anything down came the blog.
All of that has now been resolved and it looks like I shouldn’t have any more problems (fingers crossed) in the future. Now I just need to decide what to write about.
Posted by cayusa under Uncategorized | Comments (1)
August 12, 2009
Well it looks like my buddy Ron got things working again after our friend Aaron moved everything to a new server. I took a bit of time, but hopefully everything should be up and running without any issues for the foreseeable future.
Posted by cayusa under Blog, Blogging, Internet | Comments (0)
June 28, 2009
I’ve just been informed that the server we host with may be going offline. I’m looking into this and looking for another place to host, but with my current state of employment (or lack thereof) this site may be going off line for a bit. Hopefully I’ll have things back up and running soon enough, but, as it stands right now, I may be knocked off line for a bit.
If anyone has a host that supports multiple domains and would like to help out, I’d really appreciate it. I’d be happy to help pay for some of it, but I am on a very limited budget at this time.
Anyone willing to help out should leave a comment on this post with your e-mail. I’d love to give mine out, but I’m already sick to death of spam.
Posted by cayusa under Blog, Blogging | Comments (0)
June 18, 2009
I got up this morning and checked the weather forecast for today. Most of Maryland is under a flood watch until around 6PM tonight, but when I looked out the window it was sunny and nice. As I was waiting for the local forecast they were reporting on some serious storms passing through the Midwest and the Southeast. The person reporting the weather then said that these storms could create some PDS. She then explained what PDS was.
Now I’m no expert when it comes to Acronyms, but I’ve always believed that if you are going to use an acronym, it should be one that is widely accepted and used. Most acronyms that I know of started because it is was easier to say or write than the phrase or item it represents. SCUBA is much easier to say and write than Self Contained Underwater Breathing Aperatus. SNAFU, ASAP and FUBAR are much easier to say as well. The thing is, we all (most of us at least) know what they mean.
Then the age of the personal computer hit and even more acronyms popped up. Terms like HTML, WYSIWYG, TCIP, URL, DSL, WWW, PC, etc. became common words in our vocabulary. Unlike the afore mentioned acronyms, many of us who use these terms may not know exactly what the individual letters stand for, but we do know what they represent as a whole.
More recently, with the advent of instant messaging and its rise in popularity even more acromyms entered our vocabulary. Now, LOL, BRB, IMHO, ROFL, TMI, IDK and more have become common terms. There are even more of those out there and I confess that I don’t know all of them and there are some that even I can’t figure out. Many of those are pretty specific to certain groups (kids being the largest group who use certain acronyms that I just can’t figure out) or industries. In general, however, I’m pretty quick to figure out what an acronym stands for.
The Weather Channel, to get back to the original point of this post, reports the weather to the entire nation. To use an acronym as obscure and uneccesary as PDS seems a bit silly to me. Was this reporter trying to coin a term to make her job easier? If so, she failed miserably. Not only was I confused when she used it, but when she then spoke the full phrase it wasn’t only a silly use for an acronym, but it also defeated the very purpose of using the acronym in the first place. Using an acronym and then following it with the term it represents makes using the acronym pointless. If every time I used the term SCUBA I then said Self Contained Underwater Breathing Aperatus then what is the point in saying SCUBA at all?
After she used the acronym and followed it up with the definition I did an online search for the acronym PDS. There were 120 listed definitions for the acronym PDS, with another 250 listed in the “acronym attic.” Not one of those 370 definitions matches the usage put into play by the weather reporter. NASA uses the term to mean Planetary Data System. It is also used for Product Data System, Permanent Duty Station, Power Distribution System, Personal Data Sheet, Post Design Services and many other terms where its use makes sense.
The weather person used PDS in place of potentially dangerous situation. Now if I am in an area where a storm is bearing down on me and the conditions are right to create a potentially dangerous situation, I don’t want the person telling me this to use terms that I don’t know. Just becasue acronyms have become so common in our daily lives doesn’t mean that they are appropriate in all situations nor does it mean we should try and turn everything we say into an acronym.
Posted by cayusa under General Stupidity, PDS, Television, The Weather Channel, acronym | Comments (0)
June 8, 2009
Bills should be paid on time. Anyone who pays bills knows this. By paying on time you avoid late fees and other charges. Sometimes, however, you just don’t have the money. Now normally I’d say don’t spend money you don’t have. Don’t put yourself into a position where paying a bill on time is a problem. There are however, certain times when you find yourself in the unfortunate position of being unable to pay. Having been unemployed since September it is sadly a position I find myself in more often than I’d like. There is only so much you earn while on unemployment and it only goes so far.
What I have discovered is that in this particular economy a lot of companies are willing to forgive certain late fees and are willing to work with you under certain circumstances with unemployment being one of those circumstances. I’ve also found that 99% of these companies are willing to let you make payments online for free and many are willing to forgive the phone processing fee, even if the payment is late.
Our local electric utility isn’t one of these companies. First off, they charge you a late fee. I can’t really complain about that. I do appreciate companies that are willing to forgive the late fee, but when it comes down to it, late is late. What I can complain about and what I do have an issue with is that there is no way to avoid paying a processing fee. If you are issues a turn off notice, which typically arrives in your mailbox two weeks before the scheduled shut off, you are automatically denied access to the online bill pay feature on their website. You have to either make a payment in person at any America’s Cash Express or Global Express or you can call BGE and make a payment over the phone using the Western Union speed pay or you can go to the Speedpay website and make a payment. Each and every one of these methods costs you money.
If this were any other company I’d probably not have as much of an issue with it, but BGE is already gouging the customers of this State with arbitrary rate hikes and extra fees. Considering how easy the technology seems to be, considering its widespread use, I don’t see why they don’t allow for the processing of an online payment if I still have two weeks before my scheduled shut off. Even Comcast, who many have issues with, allows for an online payment with no fees. Even if they’ve turned you off, you can go online and make a payment online and have your service restored almost instantly. Apparently BGE doesn’t want to be bothered with this and would rather have those who are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the rate hikes pay even more money than owed. You can’t even show up in person and avoid the fee. There is no way around it and they are unwilling to forgive it. To me, this is akin to kicking a man when he is down, but then that seems to be the way BGE operates
Posted by cayusa under BGE, Baltimore Gas And Electric, Constellation Energy, electricity, fees, late fees, payment, unemployed, unemployment | Comments (0)
June 5, 2009
When the stats first came out at the end of last year, Baltimore had the unfortunate honor of topping out the list as the city with the highest murder rate in the country. For many years Baltimore has been at the top of this list. I don’t know the exact numbers, but for years Baltimore’s murder rate has been much higher than the national average. Last year, despite having recorded the lowest number of homicides in twenty years (234, down from 282 in 2007) it was reported that Baltimore was still number one on the list.
Today, however, it was reported that Baltimore was not the top city for murder last year. Detroit apparently misreported the stats they sent to the FBI last year. Originally they had reported 306 murders. Turns out they actually had 339. This new number puts Detroit at 37.5 murders per 100,000. Baltimore came in just shy of that with 36.9 murders per 100,000.
This change doesn’t mean much when you look at the numbers. The cities crime rate is still higher than the national average and it doesn’t make me feel a whole lot safer. It does show a bit of progress though. Hopefully this year we can knock it down another notch or two.
Posted by cayusa under Baltimore, crime, crime rate, murder | Comments (0)
June 3, 2009
Recently, Microsoft has been running two advertising campaigns on TV. The first shows some little kid editing photos, burning a disk and e-mailing stuff to her grandmother (they do several of these with various kids). When she is done doing that, she looks up at the camera and says her name, her age and then finishes it with, “I’m a PC.” I’ve actually found these to be quite cute and entertaining.
The other one that I’ve been seeing a lot of recently is the Windows lap top computer campaign. Basically, they send some “random” person to a Best Buy type of store where they compare Mac and Microsoft laptops and if they can find one that fits their needs for under $2,000 they get it and the camera guy gives them the cash for it. They pretty much get a free laptop. Sure, it could be a complete set up and these “random” people could be actors, but I’m going off of the belief that this is more of a reality show type commercial and they are actual people.
What I want to know is how do I get this gig? I’m currently unemployed, in need of a new laptop and, much to my Mac using friends’ chagrin, a devout PC user. I’d be more than happy to film a commercial where I go into a Best Buy or similar store and compare Mac and Windows machines and pick out a laptop that will suit my current needs for under $2,000. Just hand me the cash and watch me go. I know what specs I’m looking for and what I require in a lap top and I’m proud to claim that I’m a PC. Plus, I need the work!
So if the people who do these commercials are looking for a new “PC” I’m right here. Just send the film crew, along with the $2,000 and we’ll hit the local Best Buy. He’ll, I’ll even drive everyone over there. It ain’t far. I’ll be here waiting!
Posted by cayusa under Mac, Microsoft, PC, TV, Television, advertising, commercial, commercials, laptop, unemployed | Comments (0)
May 30, 2009
It has been almost two months since my last post. It isn’t that I haven’t had things to post about, I just really haven’t found the time to carve out of my day. It isn’t that I don’t have the time, because I do, but rather that it just gets pushed back and pushed back. I’ve spoken to a few other folks that I know who are unemployed and have similar problems. When you are working, your day is automatically organized. You have to be up at a certain time, out the door by a certain time, you leave work at a certain time and that makes the time you have between work ending and going to bed rather valuable and organized. Hell, it even tends to help you focus your weekends because that is the only free time you get. Without employment it becomes very easy to just push things off until you reach a point where you just never get around to it. I’m not completely without schedule. I have to get up every morning and take Savanah to school as well as pick her up afterward. I also have Karate four nights a week so part of my day is structured, but the vast majority of my days are rather unstructured. I’ve been working on putting a bit more structure into my days and for the most part it is getting better. It is far from perfect, but it is better than not having any structure.
So what have I been up to over the past two months? First and foremost has been seeking employment. So far I’ve been unsuccessful, but I have had a second interview with a company and it looks good. The problem is timing. They need the help, everything I have heard from them has been along the lines of “when we bring you on board” as opposed to “if we bring you on board,” but they don’t have an official job description. I’ve discussed with them what I can do and what they need and it seems to be a good fit, but this company is rather large and they can’t bring me on board without a well defined job outline. I have been back in touch with Human Resources and things still sound pretty positive. All I can really do at this point is continue to check in with HR.
As I mentioned above, I have also been taking Kenpo classes. Not only has this given me some much needed structure to my day, but the excersise involved is something I really needed. Back in the day I was out at the bar every weekend and some weeknights. While that doesn’t sound like much, the line dancing I did back then kept me fit and was really a good workout. Sure, the beer counteracted some of the benefits, but I still benefitted from the exersise. We don’t get out much anymore, espeically with neither of us working, so I needed something. With Savanah in class, Kenpo was the perfect solution. Not only do I get a lot of exersise, but it is something that Savanah and I do together, which is nice, and with the skills and techniques that I’m learning, I’ll always be able to hold my own against Savanah (LOL). I also successfully advanced to a yellow belt a few weeks ago and I’m well on my way to my orange belt.
I’ve also been involved with a fan film that is being directed by my friend Mike. I spent two weekends in Ocean City filming and we are currently building the set for the “ship.” The film is based on Firefly and Serenity and takes place three months after the events in the movie Serenity. It has been an interesting project to be involved in. You can get more information about that particular project here.
As always I’ve been working on my photography and I’ve been seriously considering doing a show or a group show of my stuff. While my 365 Year Three project hasn’t been the most inspired, I’ve kept up with it, which is, in itself, a major accomplishment. I’m almost to the halfway point for the third time. If I’m going to do a show, I do still need to get out there and get some more “artsy” type shots that I’d feel comfortable showing. It isn’t that I don’t like a lot of my 365 selfies, but I don’t want to do a show based on those.
Past all of that, I’ve been trying to get and keep the house in order and spending a lot of time with the little one and Kathy. Hopefully, over the next month or so I’ll be able to report that I’ve found work, but until then I’ll try and post semi-regularly about all the random things that strike me as odd or interesting and any other significant events that pop up in my otherwise peaceful existence.
Posted by cayusa under 2009, Karate, Kenpo, life, unemployment | Comments (2)
March 19, 2009
About six months ago the computer control board for our oven stopped working. I went to cook something one day and it was just dead. I have no idea how or why it happened, but it effectively rendered our oven useless. The range top still worked and the light in the oven still worked, but the part that controlled the actual oven was dead.
I checked the internet and found an easy fix for it. All it really required was a new control board. At the time they were running about $200. That is a hell of a lot better than buying a brand new stove, especially during this current economic mess and my current job situation. Unfortunately, at the time, I didn’t have a spare $200 to spend. I knew I’d be getting some money back at tax time so I figured I’d wait. We have a small roasting oven, the range top was still working, and in a pinch I could always brave the cold and use the grill. We weren’t going to starve. It was inconvenient, but we’d survive until I had some cash I could spend on the piece I needed.
I filed my taxes and got back a fair chunk of change. The first thing I did was call up the supply company I had found that carried the part I needed. I was a bit shocked to find that the part was no longer available. Not only did they no longer carry it, it was no longer being made. Amana, the maker of our oven had stopped supporting it and no longer made that part. I could still get the stove top elements as it turns out they are pretty much interchangeable with other ovens. I could still get the glass top and a lot of the other parts, but the one part I needed, the “brain” of the oven, was no longer made. I then proceeded to call around to about 70 different appliance shops in the hopes of finding that part. Nobody had it.
I then called Amana. I was hoping maybe they could locate the part. The woman I spoke with was very understanding and initiated a search for the part. She told me they’d contact me in 48 hours with the result of their search and I was told that if they couldn’t find the part that they would go over other options with me. At the time I was quite satisfied with this response. They were doing what they could to help out a customer. Their customer support didn’t make me any promises, other than to initiate a search and call me back, which is about what I expected and I honestly wasn’t expecting anything more from them at the time.
Two days later I still hadn’t heard back. Three days later and I still hadn’t heard back. On the fourth day, I called them. I got through to another woman who was pleasant, but not nearly as sympathetic as the first woman I spoke with. She managed to find my file and I was informed that they had called four suppliers and didn’t find the part. I asked about other options and was basically told there was nothing more they could do.
This is where I started to have issues with them. First of all, if you tell me you are going to contact me in 48 hours then do me the courtesy of following through with that. I called them as a last resort. I had done my research and figured it was a long shot so I wasn’t expecting a miracle. I was hoping for one, but I wasn’t expecting one. I was told that I’d get a call back and I didn’t. If you tell a customer that you are going to call them back, then damnit, CALL THEM BACK. It is such a simple thing to do and it goes miles towards keeping a customer happy and satisfied. It isn’t like I rushed them. I gave them an extra two days to contact me, but they didn’t. Instead of feeling like a valued customer, as I did when I first contacted them, I was now an ignored customer whose business wasn’t appreciated.
My next issue with them was the search itself, and this ties back to the lack of a phone call as well. Once I got through my whole spiel again, which was annoying, but I’ll get back to that, and my file was found, I was quite disappointed to find that their service department had contacted four suppliers and wasn’t able to find the part. I called over 70 suppliers and appliance shops in a day and they needed 48 hours to call four? And then they didn’t even call me? I’m sorry, but as a customer, this seemed a bit half-assed to me. It isn’t as big of a deal as the lack of a phone call was though. I understand they have their policies and I can only assume that the four places they contacted are part of their standard search and are probably the four most likely places to find a part. After not receiving a phone call, however, it comes across as lame attempt to appease a customer.
Finally, there was the inferred promise from the first customer support representative that I spoke with. While not promising me anything she did say that if they couldn’t find the part that they would contact me and let me know and discuss with me “other options.” What these other options would be, I don’t know, but I was hopeful that maybe, just maybe, I might be able to save a buck or two. If there was nothing they could do to help, then fine, but why even infer that?
It isn’t just their customer support I have an issue with though. The fact that they stopped making the part I needed kind of bugs me. My oven wasn’t functioning, but it wasn’t really broken. The range, as I said earlier, was still fully functional. I see no reason to think that the oven elements were defective in anyway. The only thing that was broken was the control panel. The one part that isn’t interchangeable is the one they stop making. To have to get rid of a stove that had all of its functioning parts save one, which could very easily be replaced just irritates me. Don’t get me wrong, the stove worked fine for many years, but the stove we had before that one was all knobs and is still being supported by the maker. If we still had that one it still could have been fixed, yet this stove, which hadn’t been on the market nearly as long as the original stove we had, couldn’t be fixed. From what I understand from my research, the control panel does eventually burn out, but the fix was very easy. To stop supporting a unit just because it was seven to ten years old doesn’t sit well with me. I’m sure I’m not the only one out there who owned this particular unit. I’m willing to bet they sold a fair amount of these and I’m sure there are a bunch out there that are still functioning. By not supporting this unit anymore they literally forced me into buying a new unit.
Even if you are going to stop supporting a unit I would think that producing an end run of the parts so that continued repairs could be made for a quite some time would be in the company’s best interest. The fact that just a few months ago the part was widely available and so quickly became unavailable pissed me off. Now, as happy as I was with stove, I’m not at all pleased with the company.
While it was more than I had initially planned on spending, we had to break down and buy a new stove. I was much happier when I thought I’d be able to get my old stove working for $200, but once that option as off the table we didn’t really have a choice. I can tell you that we skipped over any Amana that we came across and while a little of that had to do with my irritation at their ceasing production of the part I needed, it was mainly based on that dissatisfaction I felt with their customer support. I know that Amana is owned by Whirlpool so my stand on not buying another Amana seems a bit silly, but it was still symbolic. In the end, a simple phone call back would have made all the difference.
Posted by cayusa under Amana, Ranting and Raving, Whirlpool, appliances, oven, stove | Comments (0)
March 3, 2009
Just about 18 hours ago it was reported that AIG managed to lose $62 BILLION in just 92 days. Yes, that is right, SIXTY TWO BILLION DOLLARS in just over three months! This is the same company whom the government has, without any oversight, given $150 billion of US aid and that is set to recieve another $30 billion of US taxpayer money from the government. W T F ! ? ! ? ! ?
This is also the same company who, back in December, decided that, in order to retain staff in a job market where jobs are hard to come by, that it would be a good idea to make retention payments that would more than double the salaries of some senior managers. They also figured it would be a good idea to give cash bonuses to many of their lower paid employees, again, to retain their services. To me, and David Schmidt, a senior consultant at executive pay firm James F. Reda & Associates, it seems a bit excessive considering that nobody is hiring. Where exactly would these employees be leaving for?
It is obvious that the people running this organization just don’t get it. What I’d like to know is at what point and at what monetary value does this mismanagement become criminal or at least warrant a review of upper management? I understand that sometimes companies lose money in a quarter, but $62 billion!? Rachel Beck, a reporter for the Lebanon Express in Lebanon, Oregon really puts it in perspective in an article she wrote where she explains to those of us who really can’t wrap our heads around a monetary figure quite that big just what $62 billion really means. You can check out her article for the rest of them, but the ones that really put it home for me were the following:
It would take a person spending $1 million per day, everyday, the next 169 years to spend as much money as AIG lost during the fourth quarter, which lasted just 92 days.
If $62 billion was spread across the U.S. population, Americans could each get about $200.
Those two really helped me concieve of just how much $62 billion really was.
As bad as all of this is, there is one bit of silver lining for AIG. With this $62 billion loss they now hold a world’s record. They beat Time Warner Inc. by $17 billion dollars and now hold the record for the most money lost in a single quarter in corporate history. Time Warner had held that record for almost seven years, so kudos to AIG for achieving a new world’s record! I hope the folks at Guinness Book recognize this new record in their next book.
Posted by cayusa under 2009, AIG, American International Group Inc., economy, money | Comments (0)
until DRAGON*CON 2010
