(F)Makes Me Look “Smart”

Every time a family member drops a, “Have you heard of this? So-and-so recommended it to me,” on me and I remind them that I mentioned it to them (or sent them a link to info on it or demoed it to them) months (or longer) ago, it makes me look like I’m ahead of the(ir) curve.

Which I am. *heh*

Example, (person who shall go unnamed) asked me this week if I’d heard of DropBox. *sigh* I’ve been using it for quite a while now, since it left beta testing. I’ve sent them several links to public DropBox files, sent them links to sign up and FAQ pages, etc.

All I said was, “Sure have. It’s really useful. See?” turning my notebook to face ’em and opening its DropBox folder… *heh*

While I find it handier in many ways to set up my computers so I can access the actual machines remotely, DropBox is useful for simply having files I need to have accessible from anywhere handy. Sure, I have a SkyDrive account and other online file storage services. I even have certain kinds of files stored on my own hosting (testing the limits of “unlimited storage” *heh*). But DropBox is just dead simple to use. For Win/Mac/Linux. One’s DropBox folders are also accessible via the web.

Well, I took a rabbit trail, didn’t I? S’all right. I still get to look “smart” (to some ;-)).

Après-Snopocalypse 2011 Amusement

Methinks school attendance on the first school day of February 2011 here in America’s Third World County will be lower than desired by pubschool admins. Amused myself for a bit this a.m. listening to “the school bus channel” on scanner as one after another report went out to bus drivers to skip bus stops because parents and students still couldn’t get out to the bus stops. (Now, keep in mind that a lot of the “piney woods” folks live back 1 and sometimes 2 miles from the nearest roads, accessible only via air or–by now–deeply rutted and still snow and ice-packed private dirt roads, not something I’d necessarily send a young grade school child off trekking down to meet a bus that may or may not get through the still unplowed and ice/snow packed connecting county dirt road.)

At least it may mean fewer whines from kids about missing their “Valentines Day Party” that was scheduled for last Friday. *heh*

Snowmageddon 2011?

*heh*

Just when it was (relatively) safe to go outa the house: in the last 1-1.5 hours, nearly 2″ of powder over packed snow & ice on America’s Third World County streets and roads. Makes for more treacherous driving than if it were snow alone, of coure. OTOH, it is kinda fun to watch dumbasses trying to drive in the stuff (as long as one can stay out of their line of attack).

[audio: Paul_Simon-Art_Garfunkel_Slip-Slidin-Away-clip.mp3]

This S&G hook is pretty much the theme song for today’s “Third World County Snowmageddon Demolition Derby”.

!!!!!

WOW! It’s a heat wave! Weatherbug says the local high school weather station is reporting 8.3°F (~-13°C) already. At 10:30 in the morning! I’d better break out the cargo shorts and sunblock.

Hoist With Their Own Petard

Nanny-nanny-boo-boo@The Zero, “Nazi Pelozi” and “Hairy Reed”.

😛

*heh*

I noted this on FB yesterday, but it’s worth a “real” post.

Health Judge Uses Obama’s Words Against Him

“I note that in 2008, then-Senator Obama supported a health care reform proposal that did not include an individual mandate because he was at that time strongly opposed to the idea, stating that, ‘If a mandate was the solution, we can try that to solve homelessness by mandating everybody to buy a house,’” Judge Vinson wrote in a footnote toward the end of his 78-page ruling Monday.

Not only that, but the dumbasses Reid and Pelosi failed to put a severability clause in their multi-thousand-page monstrosity, so,

“Because the individual mandate is unconstitutional and not severable, the entire Act must be declared void.”

Hoist with their own petard, indeed.

Play and repeat twice:

[audio: What-a-maroon.mp3]

Angel Dandruff

I don’t have a camera that’s fast enough to catch the snow that’s coming down except as a kinda foggy look, but it’s coming down to beat the band… and covering the inch or so of ice that’s acting as a base.

UPDATE: Now almost 10″ of the white stuff on top of an ice base and still coming. I’m not goin’ out there! Well, not in a car.)

UPDATE 2: It’s now after sundown. Temp’s about 16°F (about -9°C). Supposed to be 10°-13°F colder overnight and even colder (by another 10°F) tomorrow night. MODOT (Missouri Department of Transportation) says, “Most of y’all should just hunker down and stay warm,” or some such.

Purple=covered in snow & ice.
Red=closed.

The smaller state “highways” near the purple and red are worse than the main roads by a lot, if past experience is any indication.

We can’t get out of our drive, because the street in front of our house is too deeply covered. I ain’t a-shovelin’ the whole street by hand with my 30+ year old snow shovel. One street over is the main route for the county ambulance service, so it (alone) in the area has been plowed and sanded by a city-contracted service out to the nearest highway… which is in worse shape than the access road to the ambulance service.

I’m pooped out just walkin’ in this stuff to do a survey of nearby streets/roads–and I just went far enough to be able to get a look–about 1.5 blocks, walking most of the way in a track Son&Heir had broken earlier.

UPDATE 3:

The “best” road in America’s Third World County:

So, Chuck’s an Uncle

Chuck hasn’t been as consistently watchable as I’d have liked, but the idea of a geeky dude playing spy has been fun, off and on. Tonight, Chuck became an uncle, but… *sigh* They named the poor (fictional, OK) kid, Clara. For someone of my generation, the first “TV Generation”, that immediately invoked images:

Yep. Either Clarabell Clown or Clarabelle Cow.

Who’s the funniest clown we know?
Clarabell!
Who’s the clown on Howdy’s show?
Clarabell!
His feet are big, his tummy’s stout,
But we could never do without,
Clara, Clara, Clarabell!

Who has fuzzy-wuzzy hair?
Clarabell!
It’s partly red but mostly bare.
Clarabell!
And since the day that he was born,
He’s honked and honked and honked his horn.
Clara, Clara, Clarabell!

Come on! You can sing along!

Sad. *sigh*

I Do These Stupid Things…

…as a service to my readers. *heh* That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.

So, I thought I was deleting a couple of 3GB video files. Oops. Somehow, the whole folder was selected. Now, that’d not be so bad except that it’s my habit to SHIFT+Delete, meaning things normally do NOT go to the Recycle Bin in Windows or Trash bin in the GUI ‘nix OSes I use.

Yep. About 200GB of video files, “gone”. Except. OK, I took the lazy way out. Was in a Win7 session, so I invoked Recuva and told it to bring those files back from the dead. Now, normally, I use this lil utility or another (much more expensive utility, since Recuva is free *heh*) to resurrect files on USB-attached drives for other folks, but at least that meant I had it available to use for myself.

Next time, perhaps I just ought to be more careful to begin with, but meanwhile, Recuva does work.

So, just remember,

“If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to serve as a horrible warning.” – Catherine Aird.