http://blog.davidcarr.org/ A journal of ideas, rants and other thoughts. en Copyright 2008 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 23:22:14 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss I'm getting married in a month. http://blog.davidcarr.org/2008/02/hard_to_believe.php http://blog.davidcarr.org/2008/02/hard_to_believe.php Girlfriend Me Tue, 26 Feb 2008 23:22:14 -0500 After more than four months of training and preparation, I ran the Disneyworld Marathon with my Team in Training group, finishing the 26.2-mile course in 5 hours and 22 minutes. Jen was not far behind me, finishing in 6 hours and 14 minutes. All 10 members of our team (and two coaches) crossed the finish line just as the five members of our half-marathon team had done the day before. http://blog.davidcarr.org/2008/01/disney_marathon.php http://blog.davidcarr.org/2008/01/disney_marathon.php News Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:41:14 -0500 Everyday, as I drive to or from work or run errands, I must see 75% of the people at stop signs roll through them, and that's if they even slow down at all. The ones that are stopping are doing so because a car is coming and they can't blow through the intersection. Hardly anyone around here stops at a red light before turning right anymore. Almost every time I run down the road on which I leave, someone comes flying out of one of the condominium or housing communities and nearly runs me over. Worse, they look at me like I'm completely insane when I point at their stop sign after they slam on breaks 15 feet past it. To put this in perspective, I watched a stop sign a couple of blocks from my office for about 10 minutes one afternoon a few weeks ago. Out of 50 cars, only 4 stopped. That's more than 90% of the cars that ran the stop sign. We live in such a world today that everything has to be right down to the wire. News has to be delivered 24 hours per day via SMS, people have to be accessible at all times via their Blackberry, and they simply must get from one place to the next in no time flat, because they're obviously oh-so-damn important. I realize that the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is stretched and the patrol units are running from call to call. I also realize that this leaves virtually no time for proactive traffic enforcement. But seriously, how did we let it get this lax that nobody even cares if they run a stop sign or a red light these days? http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/12/selfimportance.php http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/12/selfimportance.php Annoying People Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:56:32 -0500 www.census.gov for it to work.. How stupid is that?]]> http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/10/duplexed_hosting.php http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/10/duplexed_hosting.php Web Design Mon, 08 Oct 2007 14:46:44 -0500 marathon with Team in Training. As part of the team, I'm also raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You can help me reach my goal by making a donation today. I need your help.]]> http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/10/missing.php http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/10/missing.php Site Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:58:59 -0500 Wine, for linux systems. I've often complained that I use Windows more than linux solely because of the inferior software that is created for the linux environment. Let's face it, while some of the developers creating linux applications are incredibly talented, it's difficult to keep up with a company like Microsoft that sinks millions into research and development efforts. Wine allows you to run Windows applications in the linux environment, essentially rendering needless the Windows operating system. Will it cause me to give up on Windows completely? Absolutely not, but it sure expands the possibilities for using a non-Windows environment more frequently.]]> http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/09/wine.php http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/09/wine.php Linux Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:00:56 -0500 I recently established several goals for myself, including running a marathon next year. In order to meet this goal, I've joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's volunteer endurance sport organization, Team in Training to help prepare for the 2008 Disney Marathon on January 14. In addition to training for a marathon, I've also committed to raising $3000.00 for the Society. Please take a few minutes to visit my marathon page to learn how you can help me reach my goal! http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/08/marathon_goal.php http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/08/marathon_goal.php News Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:12:24 -0500 Jacksonville resident Leeann Summerford, 22, said she would welcome technological advances such as voice-activated devices, but not more government regulation. She said a ban on texting while driving is a "horrible idea." She said it takes only a few seconds to read a text message and then shoot back a five-word response. She doesn't text in heavy traffic or bad weather. In contrast, cell phone calls can go on for several minutes, and people also spend more time eating in cars than it takes for a text message, she said. "How far are you going to take it?" she said of restrictions on what drivers can legally do.]]> http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/08/next_napping_while_driving.php http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/08/next_napping_while_driving.php Annoying People Sun, 05 Aug 2007 12:19:33 -0500 I take classes in the evening at the local junior college when work allows, usually a 3-4 per year, depending on my business travel schedule. Last fall when I tried to enroll into Trigonometry and Statistics, I found out that since a previous year's Visual Basic .NET course had been converted to an online class, all of us had a $20 lab fee added to our records but were never told. While one could argue that by taking the course online, we save them $20 in facility costs, whatever. The fact is, I had to leave work to go resolve the issue during business hours (only time they are open) which I think is a little out of line with their attempts to target older students who want to return to school. I'm attempting to enroll into classes online through Artemis, but receiving a message that states "Program Objective requires Placement in ENG, REA". It sounds as though the system thinks I need to take a placement exam (the last one I took was probably in the summer of 2003). I've been attending classes (from casual attendance of college coursework to the police academy in 1990) for the past 20 years and have taken a couple of placement exams over the years. I even taught at the junior college (the police academy is a part of it) from time to time as an instructor. Maybe I'm an optomist (haha) but I think it's safe to say my reading hasn't degraded substantially over the past 20 years. Yet, I keep having to take this stupid test because the scores are only good for two years. I found out today that if I take an English course, I won't have to take the exam again. That would have been a nice thing to tell students. Not all of us go full-time for two years and leave, especially those of us that take night classes. Furthermore, it's now $17 to retake the exam. I tried to get them to override me so that I could get into an English course, and then whole point would be moot. No dice. I asked for the address of the Vice President of Student Services -- the question is whether to take time to complain. It's not the policy, it's the endless little stupid things that come up because the school fails to communicate things to its students. To complain, or not to compain? http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/08/same_old_song.php http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/08/same_old_song.php Education FCCJ Thu, 02 Aug 2007 11:40:09 -0500 Clerk: That will be $28.10. I hand him a credit card.. Clerk: There's a $1.50 charge for paying with a debit card. Me: There's a fee to pay taxes to the State of Florida? Clerk: Yes, but it's only $1.50. Me: Are you willing to give me $1.50? Clerk: Um.. no? Me: Exactly. I will go the ATM machine and will be back to use cash. Is there a fee to use cash? Clerk: No, but then I have to start over. Me: So? You'll have to start over. You guys should be informing customers at the get-go and this wouldn't happen. Clerk: There's a notice at window 11, sir. Me: Aren't you window 10? Clerk: Yes. Me: Am I supposed to be at window 11? Clerk: No. Me: Right, so I'll be back in a few minutes. So, I went to the ATM across the street and took out cash to pay for my tag. That has to be the most retarded policy I've ever heard of. Then I went to Starbucks and paid $3.80 for half a mocha. Then I went back to Starbucks and traded it for a full mocha. I hope this is not indicative of how the rest of my day is going to be. ]]> http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/07/typical_morning.php http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/07/typical_morning.php Annoying People Me Mon, 23 Jul 2007 11:41:57 -0500 You don't realize what a difference ceiling fans make until you have to sleep in a bedroom that doesn't have them. http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/07/ceiling_fans.php http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/07/ceiling_fans.php Condo Wed, 04 Jul 2007 17:58:41 -0500 There is a young couple that live in the condo next to ours. They seem pleasant, though not all that classy. They have two dogs, one of which is a Pomeranian. Frankly, I think that's a breed that should be extinct. I've never seen an animal that just barks to hear itself bark. Fortunately, it virtually never barks in its house, so it doesn't bother us, but there's never any question when they are taking it out. Which leads us to our next clue that they are trash. What kind of person doesn't clean up after their dogs? It's one thing if you live in a standalone home where your backyard only affects you, but this is a condo community. Nobody wants to see that pile laying next to the sidewalk. Jen isn't shy — she's asked them a few times if they need dog bags. They usually make some excuse like the dog is just peeing. Yeah, like you would have brought a bag, but your dog said it didn't have to poop. Come on. They had a friend over this past weekend and she apparently smokes. As evidenced by all the cigarette butts out in the breezeway. Very classy. http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/07/lack_of_class.php http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/07/lack_of_class.php Annoying People Condo Neighbors Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:20:20 -0500 this article about Paris Hilton's grandfather donating to the re-election campaign of Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca. To be honest, I don't care about that. I also read about how Paris is terrified of being photographed in jail. Oddly, I do care about that. I have mixed feelings about Paris Hilton right now. I find it very difficult to muster sympathy for her, because she has spent the last several years feeling as though she is immune to the rules that govern behavior for the rest of us. It’s not a matter of one of her assistants forgetting to inform her that DUI is illegal. Nor is it a matter of her publicist failing to explain that when she signs a piece of paper acknowledging that it’s unlawful for her to drive, it really means that she’s not allowed to drive. The fact that she is surrounded by people that function in a service capacity for her, is not a shield that protects her from the responsibility with which we all are charged. That being said, the fact that she felt she could keep driving after losing her driving privileges makes me feel that she needs to be in jail right now. Hell, the fact that she so frequently (judging by the several times it has been caught on video) drives drunk, makes me think she deserved time when she was first charged with it. However… I believe the toilets in the inmate areas are in open view of the guards. That being said, I can certainly understand how Paris would be worried about a picture of her crapping in jail would impact her reputation. Does this mean she is different than anyone else who is incarcerated and needs to poop? I haven’t really answered that question for myself yet. I tend to lean toward ‘no’. The Sheriff is basing much of his decision (or so he says to the media) on the premise that the criminal justice system should not seek to make an example of a celebrity, and that Paris deserves to be treated just like anyone else. In this respect, she should be allowed to go home and serve out her time on house arrest. Except for the fact that the judge prohibited that option. Which begs the next question: Shouldn’t Paris have to poop in the same place as everyone else? The fact that a jail employee might take a picture of Paris in jail is a discipline problem that Sheriff Baca needs to deal with, and is independent of the fact that Paris is serving time. But maybe this adds to the incentive for celebrities to avoid breaking the law?]]> http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/06/paris.php http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/06/paris.php Annoying People Politics Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:03:08 -0500 I'd forgotten how much fun it was to wash and wax a car. http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/06/sore.php http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/06/sore.php Me Sun, 10 Jun 2007 07:30:33 -0500 When I lived in Murray Hill, I washed my car every weekend. Every other weekend, I also detailed the inside of it. When we moved to Avondale, we lived across the street from a city park, so there was constant fallout from the trees. We also had a dirt driveway, so washing my car would have done little more than create mud puddles everywhere. As a result, I didn't wash my car for three years. When we began condo shopping, I didn't want the appearance of my vehicle to make a bad impression, so I went to a car wash to have my car cleaned. I was amazed (and slighly embarassed) at how nice my car looked. So, now I can start taking care of my car again. It will be a pleasant change from always having to say, "Let's take your car" when I go places with co-workers, friends, etc. http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/06/car_wash.php http://blog.davidcarr.org/2007/06/car_wash.php Condo Sat, 09 Jun 2007 10:13:54 -0500