Juxtaposition

There are several reasons you may want to think twice before borrowing against your 401k:

• If you leave your job that provides your 401k, you often are required to pay back any loans in full.  If you can't, it is treated as a withdrawl from the plan, requiring paying income tax on the amount and a 10% penalty if you are not of retirement age yet.
• While you have the loan, you have less money in your retirement account.  This means, you are not earning interest on the loan amount and you will therefore end up with less money at retirement.
  
• People at your company may be able to know that you have taken the loan out. 
  
• You may shift your mindset from an investor taking an active interest in the rest of your plan's success to a debtor, so your investment might suffer.
  

Posted by at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This might get the award for best article title too.

The Seattle Times: Nation & World: He was naked, on crack and in alligator's mouth

"A gator's got me," Apgar replied, his voice faint in the background.

Mayid's call shortly after 4 a.m. sent four Polk County, Fla., deputies racing to the 2,150-acre lake just outside Lakeland, Fla., where they jumped into the water and wrenched Apgar's arm from the gator's mouth. The 45-year-old victim, who told authorities he'd passed out nude on the shore after smoking crack cocaine, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition.

Later Wednesday, state wildlife authorities trapped and killed a nearly 12-foot-long alligator thought to be the one that attacked Apgar.
.....
Sheriff's officials have said Apgar, 45, suffered a broken right arm.
His left arm was nearly severed, and he had bites to his buttocks and
leg. He underwent surgery Wednesday afternoon at Lakeland Regional
Medical Center

Posted by at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So, there happen to be these unwritten rules of style that change all the time that nobody seems to tell you about and it's hard to ask and for many, harder to know you should ask. And there are people in the work world that do judge you by your appearance, for better or worse, consciously and unconsciously.  Here is some advice that I have culled from significant others, from experience and observation in the workplace, from the advice in Esquire, and even from What Not to Wear on TLC.

• No pleated pants
Get rid of your pleated pants in favor of flat-front pants. Flat-front pants are simpler, more modern looking, make you look slimmer, and not like an old man.

• Clothes should look new and fresh
If your sweaters are pilled and your pants have wallet or knee wear marks, or the cuffs are frayed, it's time to get some new clothes. Buy something new and donate the old.

• Get pants with the proper length
If you don't know your length, get measured or fitted in a store sometime. Your pants should "break" at the ankle and continue down slightly over your shoe. If you can see your socks when standing, your pants are too short!

• Appropriate sock color
White socks are generally not going to work with any business casual attire, unless is Miami Vice white suit day, but even then you probably would be better going without socks...but I digress. The general rule with socks is they should not be noticeable! If your socks stand out, they are wrong for your outfit. I mostly wear neutral socks that match my pants to not draw attention to them. If you are wearing athletic socks with slacks you need to go to Costco and get some Gold Toe dress socks and save the nike socks for the gym.

• Your shoes tell all
They say you can tell a man by his shoes--they make or break an outfit. You can be totally put together elsewhere but if your shoes are crap, it's game over.  What do your shoes say about you? Are they tired, scuffed, worn and dirty or new, sleek, stylish and shiny? It sucks but you really should have several pairs of shoes so that you can rotate them. Avoid wearing one pair day-in and day-out so that they will last longer and look fresh when you do wear them. I've even bought two of the same less expensive pairs of shoes that I liked to keep them looking nicer longer.  Oh, and invest in a shoe brush and some instant shine pads.  Esquire recommends using black polish--even with brown shoes. 

• Wear the right size shirt
This is another one of those things you're never taught: how to know you have the right size shirt. Here's the best way to know: Where the sleeves attach to the main body of the shirt, it makes a line. That line should roughly be even with the very edge of your shoulder blade. More than a 1/4 inch past that and your shirt is probably too big. I often see this with people who wear golf shirts (even PGA pros are bad offenders. Tiger Woods does it right though). Another way to tell if your short-sleeve shirt is too big is if your sleeves extend far past your elbow. They should probably end short of your elbow if it is sized correctly. Having the right size shirt means a sharper, put-together look. Oversized shirts tend to look sloppy or overly-casual.

• Dress for the position you want, not the one you have.
Hey, I've been there where I loved being able to wear jeans and a T shirt because, hey, nobody sees me in the server room. But, if you have higher aspirations or if you interface with business folks who tend to dress nicer than you, then your clothes can be a distraction from you and your message. If anything, your clothes should be neutral or enhance your message. Beware of some managers who get nervous if their underlings dress nicer than they do, but that isn't really your problem--it's theirs for not dressing to their level in the organization!

• Skip ironing -- use the cleaners!
Nothing says sloppy like a button-down shirt that has not been ironed or is poorly ironed. The difference I found with people who truly look sharp is not just tailoring but well-maintained clothing. It is so cheap to have someone else iron your shirts and it looks 1000 times better than if you try to do it that it is well worth the investment. And you can usually get a couple of wears out of each shirt before it needs to be sent back for cleaning and ironing. I pay $0.99 / shirt. If you have nice pants, you can usually get away with ironing them yourself but professional pressing also looks a lot better and holds longer than home ironing.

Posted by at 12:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Good news about gift cards.  I was just thinking the other day about these practices and it looks like, just in time for the holiday season, you can find out which ones have done away with those pesky expiration dates (are you listening Amazon?) and fees.

And a hint for the upcoming holiday:  Gift cards make great gifts...

2006 Gift Card Study (Page 1 of 4)

If you want a gift card you can use anywhere, you'll pay for the privilege, while gift cards from individual retailers are less costly and sprouting more options.

Those are the major findings of the third annual Bankrate.com Gift Card Study.

Retail store gift cards continue to be a consumer-friendly credit product, with fees and expiration dates the exception rather than the rule. The retailers can make a profit from the merchandise users buy.

Gift cards from the major credit card issuers, though, still carry an assortment of fees. All continue to charge monthly "maintenance" or "dormancy" fees, ranging from $2 per month to $3, if the gift card isn't used within a certain period of time. All but American Express have expiration dates.

Bankrate surveyed the top 25 retailers, as identified by the National Retail Federation, about the costs, terms and conditions of the gift cards they offer, both plastic and electronic. We also surveyed the four largest credit card companies: American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard and Visa.

Posted by at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The This is Broken blog is a pretty cool idea too.  There are so many processes, instructions, websites, etc. that just don't work quite right.  They get posted to this blog!

This Is Broken - Bank of America jailing a customer

Matthew Shinnick dropped by a Bank of America branch in San Francisco to make sure a check he was about to deposit wasn't fraudulent. The teller found that the check was fraudulent and told the manager, who then had Shinnick thrown in jail. Are you getting this right? The customer who wanted to make sure he wasn't about to draw on a fraudulent check, got thrown in jail by Bank of America.

powered by performancing firefox

Posted by at 11:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I had one of the worst mondays in a while.

I was not feeling well but went to work anyway (I thought of resting up one more day and probably should have stayed in bed).

It was the first day back to work after being sick with fever for 3 days.

On my way to the bus stop, after only a 1/2 block from my house, my pants were soaked and shoes soaked through. The rain and wind has been insufferable this fall!
I reluctantly went back home frustrated and not knowing if there was a way to possibly get to work but not be soaking wet all day. I decided the strategy would be sacrificial clothing. I geared up in my Costa Rica Rain forest gear (all drip-dry) and packed a new dry outfit to change into at work, including new shoes.

Well, the sack that I put my shoes in got a hole worn in it on the way to and from the bus. One shoe fell out on the sidewalk coming into my work building. Fortunately, someone saw it right away and alerted me.

When I went to put my shoes on, one shoe got laces worn in half from dragging behind my wheeled laptop bag.

Turns out my laptop bag was not waterproof so my dry pants got wet.

Turns out my brand new building downtown Seattle has no hand dryers in the new bathrooms! So, I couldn't quickly dry my new pants.

So, I was stuck with wearing my rain pants while I waited for my others to dry out.

But those pants were still damp enough that they got my chair wet. So I had to switch chairs for the day after putting my dry pants on to avoid getting those wet again.

Ugh.

Posted by at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Oh, you should boycott Newhalem, WA for the same reason.  I'll blog about that story someday.

saablog :: Stupid Utah. Stupid rental cars. - The rest of the story

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43 Things

"Discover what's important, make it happen, share your progress. Find your 43 things."

I just came across this site. Seems like a fun idea. You can add your own thing that "you want to do with your life" or see what other people said and use those ideas. You can track your progress. Larger fonts indicate more popular topics in the list. There are thousands of people from around the world on there. It also shows "People doing this are also doing these things", which is interesting as well.

Posted by at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Marketplace 4-Mar-2003, interview with Michael Dell

It's the current fashion for companies to blame the threat of war in Iraq for business being bad. But one company that's not using the war to explain its performance is Dell Computer. Marketplace host David Brancaccio talks with founder Michael Dell about how a company can succeed even in times of economic insecurity.

Michael talks about companies who are blaming poor results on the Iraq situation, etc. He says "Sadaam ate my homework" is not a good excuse. There will always be uncertainty in world events. Companies need to learn to succeed when times are good, but also when times are bad. Very sage advice indeed.

Posted by at 2:05 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Joe Robinson: "Vacation Advocate"

The title is my mantra. Coincidentally, I just saw The Devil Wears Prada which is about this very topic. The lesson there is to be true to yourself and do not forsake the things in life (career goals, family goals, relationships, etc.) that you really believe are important to you without making that the result of a conscious choice to do so. A corollary would be Habit 3: Put First Things First - Principles of Personal Management (i.e. "Schedule your priorities") from the 7 Habits of HIghly Effective People.

It is definitely a fact that the only reason that American workers are more "productive" than other countries is because we work more hours. If we worked the same as the rest of the world, our productivity would fall by comparison. That means that we are less efficient. Joe argues that this is ironically because we don't value leisure time as much as the rest of the world.

A simple litmus test to evaluate whether your current behaviours align with your life goals or what you would want to have accomplished by the end of your life is to check each activity with:

"I wish I would have ________ more in my life"

Would you have said, "work longer hours"? Would you have said, "spent time with family/spouse/kids"? May help you be true to your inner desires. It's kind of like how it's hard to know if you ended up in the right place at the end of your journey if you didn't know where you were heading to begin with.

Posted by at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

FORTUNE Magazine: Warren Buffett gives away his fortune - Jun. 25, 2006

I heard this on the radio this afternoon. It is really, really cool. I wonder how the world will look decades from now after these billions have done their good around the world? Hopefully, there won't simply be more campus buildings and computer labs!

Posted by at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

CNN.com - Man glued to toilet may have history - Nov 8, 2005

Posted by at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

CNN.com - 'Ugly dog' Sam dies at 14 - Nov 22, 2005

Was Ugly Dog a real-life Gremlin?

Posted by at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

CANOE -- CNEWS - Weird News: Man dies after plummeting into large hole that opened beneath his home

This is bizarre!

Posted by at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

eG Forums -> Knife Maintenance and Sharpening

A very helpful guide on how to properly sharpen knives. I seem to dull the crap out of them unless I use the method of holding the steel sharpener vertical. The hardest part is maintaining the 15 degree angle while following the curve of the blade. The article also lists some gadgets that actually do help with this process and some devices to avoid.

Posted by at 5:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Entrez PubMed: Treatment of men complaining of short penis.

Men complaining of short penis could be treated using basic principles of sex education with objective methods of penile size evaluation. This combination can correct any previous sexual misconceptions...

I say they save their money and just call Loveline for some ridicule-therapy.

Posted by at 5:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm going to be selling lots of good stuff this weekend at a Big alley sale. Come by and check out the goods!

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/gms/174151604.html

Posted by at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Big Picture: CEO Options: Luck -- or something else?

Great summary of a WSJ article showing surprising "coincidences" in CEO stock options being set at a very low point in the company's stock price so that they end up maximizing their returns. I'm still pissed about my AT&T Wireless stock options being worthless when I left that place because they gave us options at a high point that it never recovered to. Yet all the execs continued to gather options that they exercised to make millions.

Although, one might argue that the best time to give options as incentive to turn things around would be when times are tough. So, is it luck, or a brilliantly engineered rouse?

Posted by at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

USA National Gas Temperature Map

This is freaking cool. But high gas prices SUCK!

Posted by at 12:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

World's Largest Egg, Winlock, Washington

I didn't even know there was a "Winlock" in Washington, let alone that they were world-renowned!

I feel deceived though because it's not even a real egg.

Posted by at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Panda painted onto single hair

Unbelievable.

Posted by at 5:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I don't know about you, but I'd have a difficult time going #1 into one of these. Too reminiscient of Rolling Stones / Mick Jagger...

BTW, I had to rewrite to avoid at least four thematic unintentional puns. I guess Freud's theories may still be alive and well after all.

Posted by at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

WEBoggle

This is a great use of AJAX and is also VERY addicting. You have been warned... I'm core24 if I'm playing. But I suck compared to the others. I think they are just monkeys typing random letters and waiting for the squares to light up.

Posted by at 8:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

http://www.asktog.com/columns/047HowToWriteAReport.html

The finest set of recommendations will be rejected if the form in which they are received is seen as hostile or belligerent. I recently received a copy of an unsolicited report sent to a firm that seemed unimpressed with the writer's efforts. The reasons why are instructive to us all.

Good reminder to not forget the human element in human communications. Pick up the phone every once in a while instead of just IM or email and you'll be surprised by the results. Also, if you build human trust in non-electronic means first, it makes understanding nuances in electronic communications easier.

Along the same lines, check out The Art of Schmoozing for some tips on how to build human trust. Hint: it requires human interaction.

Posted by at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Funny video of a real life demolition in Sioux Falls, SD that intended to cause the building to fall over but instead just shortened it by about a third.

http://www.argusleader.com/assets/mov/DF13214123.MOV

Posted by at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Someone is scanning in the entire Sears 1979 wishbook.

Posted by at 7:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Just to continue the geeky sex-related Internet content update, you can now get daily doses of customized porn via your RSS reader. Enter Sex By RSS

Posted by at 7:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When Legal Strikes—Chaos Theory Meets DRM

Sadly, as management gets more cautious about legal repercussions, lawyers get a voice in decisions in which they not only have no expertise (such as IT), but in customer-facing initiatives, as well.

Sony's aggressive spyware approach to DRM smells to high hell of the kind of good-intentions-turned-cognitive-dirty-bomb so many Legal-inspired projects descend into.

This is an interesting opinion that I think is only potentially applicable to situations where the lawyer in question is representing the company's explicit interest. I haven't seen this happen in general though--particularly where the corporate lawyers are addressing issues that are _not_ in regards to the company interest (e.g. privacy law).

For the most part, I have seen these lawyers define a very low bar for a company to meet. The same tendency for lawyers "tend to wield power disproportionate to their duties" (I would use the word "influence" instead of power) leads to these proclamations to be interpreted to mean that the company should only meet the minimum bar. These lawyers are not in the business of suggesting what the company _should_ do, only a minimum of what it _has_ to do. Laws aren't necessarily sufficient or detailed enough to ensure that they are complied with, however. I have had several situations where lawyers have undone good security work because they proliferated the fact that the law didn't require the proscribed procedures, even though those procedures were in place to uphold that law. Lawyers seem to wield more influence than security folks though so who do you think was listened to?

Posted by at 7:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This post about Grammar Nerds reminded me that I've long wanted to write about some common mistakes I see over and over on the Internet and in emails.

The most common thing that I notice is confusing words that sound somewhat alike but have very different meanings and spellings:

• conscious/conscience
If your conscience is bothering you, you are conscious.
• effect/affect
Will poor grammer affect your chances of getting that next job?
Missing out on that next job may be the likely effect (outcome) of being sloppy with grammar.
• console/consul
You can change administrative settings via an application or server console.
• bare/bear
Bear in mind these grammar rules for next time.
• there/their/they're
They're = They are
There = refers to a location (e.g. over there)
Their = a possessive pronoun; used when referring to group possession of a thing or quality
• your/you're
You're = You are
Your = possessive pronoun; used when referring to someone possessing a thing or quality
• e.g./i.e.
e.g. = exempli gratia (for example); use when providing an example for clarification
i.e. = id est (that is... or "in effect"); use when providing additional clarifying information, not through the use of an example
• lose/loose
I always see this one when someone misspells lose as "loose". Playing fast and loose with spelling!
• mute/moot
When using the phrase, "a moot point" or similar, "this may become moot", moot is the right spelling. Mute refers to remaining or being unable to speak.
• to/two/too
Too = also
two = the number 2
to = a preposition meaning a variety of things, such as "toward"

There are a ton of sites that go into more detail than this. A simple google search will find most all of them. Or just check your favorite dictionary.

Posted by at 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

BBC NEWS | Americas | CIA leak probe reporter resigns

Judith Miller resigns. Good riddance.

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So, within the past week, my brand new car got crunched in a parking lot while I was attending a security conference. Here are some photos:

I really did park straight...

In the distance, you can see the semi that did the damage

After the car was moved back into the spot. You can see the skid marks showing that the car was moved at least two feet.

What happened was that the truck driver (53 foot semi) had tried to take a tight right turn and the back left corner of the truck swung wide and clipped my trunk, hitting first the left tail light and continuing across, pushing the car two feet into the car in the next stall. The driver didn't even know he had hit the car. The double skidmarks from the trailer showed that he had also gone up on the curb in the parking lot right after the trailer hit my car.

The body shop guys keep saying that the car is a novelty. Nobody has seen a trunk get destroyed so thoroughly without severe rear-end body damage. The trunk lid took the brunt of the damage.

My sister pointed out that every car I've owned has been hit by someone. The sordid history:

• 1984 Nissan Sentra: Hit & run in school parking lot the first day I drove it to high school
• 1988 Honda Accord Coupe: Hit & run in Redmond Town Center parking garage while at work.
• 1994 Toyota Pickup: Rear-ended while at a metered ramp on I-405. The other guy's car was crunched. The truck had a great bumper and didn't suffer any damage, fortunately.
• 2004 Infiniti: Hit and dragged two feet by a 53 foot Serta mattress truck

*sigh*

My brother-in-law found a Serta Sheep #86 that arrived on my doorstop unexpectedly yesterday. This is hilarious! A quote from the fictional sheep:

"Of course Serta is bad...very bad...maybe the most evil force in the whole universe."

"In the spirit of all that is fair and just, have pity on me."

For the record, I have no issues with the driver or Serta. I just think it's a funny story. I haven't been too inconvenienced. Thanks for insurance!

Posted by at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

BLOCKBUSTER SETTLES INVESTIGATION INTO ADVERTISING FOR "NO LATE FEE" PROGRAM

For the most part, this is a good thing. It was addressed fairly quickly for one. I'm not sure that, aside from the negative publicity, that this is going to dissuade them from continuing with other deceptive practices because, according to the agreement, they do not have to do anything other than:

"Blockbuster also agreed to provide a full refund or credit to any customer who failed to return the item within the thirty day period, but who now returns it in good condition by April 28, 2005.

If the customer already has returned the item but has paid a "restocking" fee, the customer can obtain a refund of the "restocking" fee. A request for restitution must be made in writing and allege a failure to understand the "No Late Fee" program."

So, "oops", they just have to refund the deceptive charges and don't have to provide any kind of other restitution.

Posted by at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

komo news | Libertarian Congressional Candidate Dies In Skydiving Accident

This was shocking news in a year that is shaping up to be at least as bizarre as last year for me.

Spencer was one of the smartest people I have ever met, one of the best UNIX/network/tech/IT administrator gurus anywhere and a great friend to all. You will be missed.

His ISP business 2alpha will hopefully continue on with his business partners still at the helm.

SNOHOMISH - Spencer Garrett, a Libertarian candidate for Congress last fall, has died in a skydiving accident outside this town northeast of Seattle.

Posted by at 8:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is very interesting. Supposedly only works in 2003. Anyone have the mathematical basis for this? I have a whole book with cool calculator games somewhere...

-Jason

#######################################

DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST

It takes less than a minute.......

Work this out as you read.

Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out!

This is not one of those waste of time things, it's fun.

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to
have dinner out. (try for more than once but less than 10)

2. Multiply this number by 2 (Just to be bold)

3. Add 5. (for Sunday)

4. Multiply it by 50 - I'll wait while you get the
calculator................

5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1753.... If you
haven't, add 1752..........

6.. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number .

The first digit of this was your original number

(I.e., how many times you want to have eat out each week.)

The next two numbers are...

YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it IS!!!!!)

THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2003) IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND
WHILE IT LASTS. IMPRESSIVE, ISN'T IT?
============================================

Posted by at 11:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

A great Telemarketer Suing HOWTO by attorney Mark Eckenwiler from Washington D.C.

How To Make A Telemarketer Cry (or, Suing Bozos for Fun & Profit)

"In November 2002, a telemarketer called my home in D.C. at 5:24 a.m. This is the story of how that call cost him $500."

Posted by at 11:39 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Scott Marlow maintains a very cool site on Seattle-area Volleyball programs, gyms, groups. http://www.seanet.com/~swmarlow/volleyball.html

Posted by at 10:37 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

A must have: Vespa Screensaver. Windows-only, of course.

Interested in buying one for me? I could handle the platinum, dragon red, or cobalt blue one. The local dealer location

Or, I can at least hope to win one from Starbucks. This is the perfect excuse to buy more coffee :-)

Posted by at 9:55 PM | Permalink