Re: Happy Summer Solstice!

[http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert (robert)]

 > From: "Mike McQueen" <http://www.gte.net/~mike.mcqueen>
 > Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 13:50:22 -0700
 >
 > Clint Fisher says:
 > 
 > http://www.muppetlabs.com/~mikeh  - it's been that for quite some time and will
 > probably be into the forseeable future.  Say hello to Mr. for me.

Damn.  I had http://www.speakeasy.org/~mikeh .  I guess that's old.

 > Re: Software patents.
 > 
 > Oh.  God forbid.  If I were to start boycotting every company with software
 > patents my life would become much more difficult and much less enjoyable.  I
 > pretty much function on MS software, for example, and I've worked there too.
 > They're evil, but I'm a hypocrite, and I don't think that's why I
 > occasionally have trouble sleeping.  "Funny" how the latest "news" from
 > noamazon.com is from 2001.

Yeah.  That's why I pointed you to the other sites.  Maybe you're right --
maybe it's a moot point.

 > Speech.  I don't remember where I read the article.  "The Bakers" sounds
 > right, husband/wife team.  I was exposed to a lot of speech tech news in
 > that group, from what I've read I'm convinced its 30-50 years, at the
 > current rate.  I'm talking about maybe 80% accurate free-form dictation.  I
 > just pulled that number out of my ass but it's kinda based on some fading
 > memory of all this stuff too.

Without training, it's probably 80%.  But, with training, it's about 95%.
(I used to regularly get 99% accuracy.)

 > Ok, so sometimes my modem blinks.  I unplug it, wait 20 seconds, plug it
 > back in, and usually it works.

Tried that.  Didn't work.

 > Sometimes it randomly disconnects for 30
 > seconds at around 1AM PST/PDT, I think they flip a switch somewhere.
 > Harmless except it breaks any big downloads I may have going.

That definitely was not my problem.  That problem I could deal with.

 > Could also
 > disconnect me if I'm gaming.  I've been doing a lot of MMORPG gaming, and
 > let me tell you, I know my connection is stable compared to most people I
 > play with.

In this case, I believe you. :-)

 > PeopleSoft.  Yeeks.  It just brings this image to mind of programmers in
 > suits & ties carrying briefcases.  But I don't know where that image comes
 > from, maybe a PeopleSoft advertisement somewhere, or maybe it was a bad
 > dream I had.

Probably all of the above.  Yeah, corporate America at its best.  Oh,
well.  Beggars can't be choosers.

 > 's not that bad.  I don't know what the center of action in the Bay
 > Area is, but my experience is either you live in The City or you don't.  For
 > the Don'ters, living on the 880 corridor is preferable to out in the Bumfuck
 > Valley, as far as access.  They have BART out there,

Yes, thank goodness.  Our one saving grace.

 > but you have San Mateo
 > Bridge (bike-on-busable, I don't think it has a bike lane however),

I think that's right.

 > and that
 > other little bridge down South I forget the name, hmmm, Dumbarton,  it is
 > bikeable (bike-lane) and bike-on-busable as well.

Double-right.

 > In fact, living on the
 > 880 corridor is preferable to the peninsula for a biker, cuz CalTrain, while
 > biker "friendly", runs much less frequently than BART.

Well, BART goes down the S.F. Airport now.  It's getting down there (the
peninsula).

 > I did a few round
 > trips from SJ to SF at one time, and it only ran every hour I believe.

Yeah.  Truly horrible service.  And stops running at 6pm or something
ridiculous.

 > Also
 > Hayweird is convenient to Oakland/Berkeley

Again, "thank goodness!".

 > if you still have ties there.

Yep.  Most the people I know live in either Oakland or Berkeley.

 > When I was last reading local Bay Area news (5 years ago) they were talking
 > about plans for the new Bay Bridge and IIRC all of the proposals had some
 > kind of bike lane.  Too cool!

I think that's still being fought about.  I think one faction wants a
train or dedicated public transit lane, and the other wants
bikes/pedestrians.  It seems like, with all the reduction in traffic due
to the recession/depression, they could have both!

 > When that bridge is completed, I'll be coming
 > down with my bike just to give it a try.

Yeah.  That would be way cool.

 > I download pirated movies off the internet,

Well, don't come crying to me when you get sued by the MPAA or RIAA!

 > and I like meat (and I'm not
 > particularly bothered by Man's dominion over and domestication of animals -
 > except from a chemical/nutritional perspective).

OK, fine.  I haven't been able to convince Noelle either, despite us living
together for almost 10 years now.

 > Well if paying for a broadband pipe, dedicated server hardware, static IP,
 > etc., in order to serve "free" software is what you want, then that's what
 > you ought to do, and I wish you the best of luck with that and hope you get
 > fulfillment from your contribution to that project.

Oh-yeah-baby.