More accurately, I possess 31.36095% geekish qualities. Take the test yourself, unless you’re Erik.
Month: May 2003
I am working on a redesign of the site’s layout and navigation, a preview of which can be found here. That page also automatically updates, just as the main page does, so if you already prefer the new look, you can temporarily bookmark the new-look page. Comments and criticisms are welcome, especially from those of you whom I did not previously email on the subject.
Erik brings up a good point on using disk images, .dmg, for archival purposes, rather than Aladdin’s DropStuff or StuffIt Deluxe. I haven’t used StuffIt Deluxe in over two years, since I migrated to OS X.
I have the latest version of DropStuff, courtesy of my .Mac account (which will not be renewed later this year), but I’ve only used it once in the past three weeks (and that was to send screenshots to Lee). I cannot recall when I used it beyond that. I could have just as easily used DropDMG for that purpose, and likely will in the future.
As far as archiving goes, just make sure you’re not creating Internet-enabled images, i.e., the .dmg file expands in to a folder, and you should be good to go.
Patrick Roy, the best goaltender in professional hockey the past twenty years, announced his retirement today.
“I’ve had a blast. It’s been unbelievable. I’ve been so fortunate to have lived a dream and have fun for more than 18 years earning a living by playing a game I love,” Roy said, alternately speaking in English and French.
“I will remember the good days and cherish the great moments,” he said. “I’m leaving with the feeling that I’ve done everything I could to be the best.”
The 37-year-old Roy owns nearly every major goaltending record. He is a four-time Stanley Cup champion, winning two each with Colorado and Montreal. He is the only three-time winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the playoff MVP, and is the NHL’s career leader in victories with 551 and games played with 1,029.
He also won the Vezina Trophy, given to the league’s best goaltender each year, three times. Both of the goalies currently in the Stanley Cup Finals, Brodeur and Giguere, are French-Canadian, and looked to Roy (pronounced “Wah” for you hockey-ignorant plebeians) as their inspiration for making it in the NHL. With two Cups under his belt already, Brodeur seeks a third, while Giguere hopes to begin his own Cup-winning legacy.
Looking at what he’s accomplished, one could make the argument that, at least as far as the past twenty years is concerned, what Gretzkey was to forwards, Roy was to goaltenders. His performance dimmed slightly these past few years, overshadowed by Brodeur, Belfour, Turco, and others, but they all look to him as the greatest goalie in the modern NHL. I’m just glad I got to see him play.
Au revoir, Patrick. Merci.
The Waferbaby Corner monkey interviews John Gruber, of Daring Fireball fame. John is his usual, subtle self when refuting the “Cult of Macintosh,” discussing the direction of Apple and the web, and sharing where he spends his time online.
Gruber gives Michael (and his software) a nice plug, as well as one for About This Particular Macintosh, though Waferbaby doesn’t provide a link to the ‘zine.
Good interview, though. John gives some good examples I will have to remember.
My good friend Francisco informed me this morning that our up-and-coming Texas Rangers have made baseball history. No MLB club has ever fielded a team in one season that had three players with 500 home runs, 400 home runs, and 300 home runs, respectively…until now.
Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gonzalez, and Alex Rodriguez take those honors, respectively, and 2001 “Comeback Player of the Year” Ruben Sierra currently stands at 278 home runs in his career, so he’s knocking on the 300-club door as well.
If we could just get some consistency out of the pitching staff, like we did during the last 7-game winning streak (which included a sweep of the playoff-nemesis NY Yankees club), this team would be contending for a pennant. For now, we have to struggle to win two just to get back to .500.
UPDATE, 6/13: Well, this was short-lived. The Rangers traded Sierra last week to the Yankees.
“Congressman flies U.N. flag”
Sam Farr has done more in his six terms (about six too many) to undermine American sovereignty than former General Secretary President Klinton did in his eight years in office.
“If the U.N. didn’t exist, we’d be inventing it right now,” Farr told the San Francisco Chronicle, calling the U.N. “the only way to build up the infrastructure around the globe for the human rights, labor, environmental conditions that are fair and equitable.”
Gee, Representative Farr, just like the U.N. is doing in Iraq right now? Like it did so successfully in Vietnam? Somalia? Rwanda?
“We’ve got to do everything in our power to make the U.N. the leadership body it was intended to be. … This president has no respect for the United Nations.”
Nor should he. Representative Farr, name one conflict the United Nations has successfully mediated to a resolution that benefited all of the people involved. You have until the next election, and if you need more time, I’m sure we can give you all you need.
After toppling Saddam Hussein with the assistance of about 40 other countries who formed a “coalition of the willing,” the U.S. returned to the Security Council this month to resume international diplomacy over the issue of sanctions. On Thursday, the 15-member council appeared to smooth the rift over Iraq by passing a resolution that approved the U.S.-led administration of the country.
Yes, after the U.S. and its allies did all the dirty work, the U.N. decides it wants to play ball.
“Reform of the U.N. is impossible. The U.N. and its agencies are fatally flawed,” maintains Phyllis Kaminsky, a U.S. delegate to the Human Rights Commission and a Reagan administration official.
Indeed. The U.N. has demonstrated its ineptitude in handling the Iraq situation, including its mismanagement of the entire oil-for-food program, which did little to put food on the table of a majority of Iraqis, while continuing to line Hussein’s pockets.
Oh, and regarding your income-tax payments this year:
“Americans should take notice when pro-U.N. forces in Washington recently spent $600,000 of taxpayers’ money to renovate the kitchen of the ambassador’s Waldorf-Astoria apartment,” Snyder said. “I bet Julia Child’s kitchen didn’t cost 600 grand.”
Colonel David Hackworth (USA-Retired) reports on the sissifying of the elite Army Rangers.
While the rest of the U.S. Army has lowered its standards to the point where seasoned war vets find today’s combat training a joke and the crusty salts who fought at Anzio, Osan and Dak To refer to what passes for most training as “an invitation to get killed,” Rangers have fought lowering the training bar and have consistently turned out hardened studs whom commanders in the field would fight to get.
That is until Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, the guy who runs Fort Benning today, was told by a few recent Ranger graduates that they were turned off by Ranger School because some of their RIs were meanies and actually yelled and cursed at them and even made them do pushups when they goofed up. Others complained in writing that they’d been sleep-deprived and that the training was too difficult.
For the record, the RIs–hardened vets who know what it takes to win and walk away alive–were merely following the battle-tested Darby practices of creating maximum stress, teaching attention to detail and passing on the proven tactics and techniques that have worked so splendidly for our Rangers in a bunch of bad scraps.
Just for the record, applying for and attending Ranger School is strictly a volunteer activity, just like joining the Army itself. If you’re not being physically abused or racially slandered, what are you complaining about? The old rumination on heat and the kitchen comes to mind.
One can only hope that Eaton is retired–er, retires, soon, before he gets any of our boys killed due to ill preparation and training.
Too often during Memorial Day ceremonies, we tend to overlook those who survive the men and women who sacrificed their all for our nation. Michelle Malkin takes a look at some of the different organizations that assist military survivors, along with contact information, should you wish to lend financial or other support.
On this Memorial Day, please take some time out to remember those who have sacrificed all on behalf of our nation, as well as those they have left behind.
Freedom is not free.