bytehead's blog

Last entry

2010-01-24T13:03:00.002-05:00

I use Blogger, and I use FTP publishing. Blogger will stop FTP publishing March 26, 2010. My choices are to either rejigger this blog to a custom domain (It would have been blog.bytehead.org, not happening since Google doesn't support PHP), move to Blog*Spot (Ain't happenin') or setup a different blogging platform elsewhere.

I will be backing up this blog (both ways, as the entire HTML and as an XML file), moving my hosting, and choosing another platform, most likely Wordpress, since that seems to be pretty common. I will most likely move the blog to blog.bytehead.org in any case. And I'll put up something in the header when I'm done and have it working (why I'm planning on backing up the HTML, I'll probably keep www.bytehead.org/blog/ as an archive, and go on with the new platform at blog.bytehead.org. I have a Wordpress account at bytehead.wordpress.org, but naturally I want my own URL.

The linkblog will be moved as well. I *was* working on a way to get all my Delicious items into Blogger. Now I need to figure out how to do it in Wordpress. Good thing I didn't get that finished, it'd be worthless now.

Shout outs go to David as my old hostmaster and putting up with the hacks that have gone against my site, my wife for supporting me, and Blogger for putting up with me so long.

Archival: Powershell stuff

2010-01-21T14:49:00.001-05:00

http://www.codeplex.com/Pscx - Powershell Community Extensions http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/PowerShellPack - Powershell Pack http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=50633a1f-a665-425d-923c-1a269f8ac084 - Powershell SDK Samples (?) Stuff I need to remember if I reformat. Again. Sigh.

Palm Coast Travel sues a customer — and me

2010-01-11T19:47:00.000-05:00

Palm Coast Travel sues a customer — and me

Here we go again.

Last March, I reported that the Florida regulators had warned three travel agencies that sold insurance policies offered by bankrupt Prime Travel Protection Services of Arvada, Colo., that its activities may have run afoul of state insurance statues.

I quoted Nina Banister, a spokeswoman for Florida’s Department of Financial Services, as saying the state had ordered the agencies to "stop transacting business" and that "they’re on notice that further activity is pending [by the state]."

Soon after that, Florida issued a press release stating, “As a result of ongoing investigations into complaints about the sale of unauthorized travel insurance in Florida, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink has notified three travel agencies that she intends to order them to stop selling insurance.”

The legal notice to one of the agencies, Palm Coast Travel, alleges that the company “directly or indirectly acted as agent for or otherwise represented or aided one or more unauthorized insurers…” The matter is still pending.

Now Palm Coast Travel has sued one of its customers, Peter Lay, and me, alleging among other things that I defamed the company when I reported the story. Here's the full text of the complaint (PDF).

Among Palm Coast's allegations against me are the following:

Elliott included among his reporting recent regulatory investigations of customer complaints regarding Prime Travel Protection and Jerry Watson. Elliott's reporting included publication of false information regarding Palm Coast, which has and will continue to damage Palm Coast's business unless it is properly remedied.

Among the statements Elliott published were falsehoods that stated that Palm Coast had been ordered to cease doing business by the State of Florida. No such order exists, and therefore that report was false.

Further, Elliott, when purporting to "clarify" his deliberately false statement regarding the State of Florida's investigation of travel insurance, did not fully remedy the false impression he fostered regarding Palm Coast's role.

Elliott's falsehoods were directed at, among other aspects of Palm Coast's business, its reputation in the trade or industry of travel. Moreover, Elliott did not properly correct, clarify, or retract his falsehoods, despite proper notice.
That’s certainly an interesting perspective on what happened. Perhaps Palm Coast Travel’s next step will be to sue the State of Florida for issuing the press release?

Reposting here for maximum Streisand effect.

10-things-not-to-buy-in-2010: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance

2010-01-07T22:39:00.000-05:00

10-things-not-to-buy-in-2010: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance

I can agree with most of what's on this list, however:

External Hard Drives

Consumers who keep their computers for years and upload thousands of songs, videos, movies and photos will need to get more space at some point.

External hard drives are one option, but an up-and-coming alternative might be simpler and save you another transition down the road. Online backup services, like Carbonite.com or Mozy.com, allow users to back up data over the Internet.

These services are more expensive than purchasing an external hard drive, which typically starts at around $70. At Carbonite.com, a one-year subscription starts at $54.95, and at Mozy.com monthly subscription costs total $54.45 for a year.

Wait a minute. I've got two 1.5 TB hard drives. Now, they aren't full, but I am currently using a little over a 1 TB in this system. True, a lot of what I have has yet to be unduplicated, and it will be eventually, or at least the larger files will be. But still. To backup all that information with any online backup solution easily blows my broadband cap, currently 250GB from Comcast. That's four months to backup, and that's ALL I get to do for four months.

Unless Comcast decides to up that cap (not likely), that's not really doable. And the speed? Incomparable. Especially if you got with USB 3.0.

Expecting external hard drives to go away in the near future, just isn't going to happen.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T00:58:00.001-05:00

Here's to a better one!

Happy Christmas!

2009-12-25T08:00:00.001-05:00

I hope everybody is enjoying a nice Christmas this year!

Official NORAD Santa Tracker

2009-12-24T15:22:00.000-05:00

Official NORAD Santa Tracker

It's almost that time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T17:05:00.000-05:00

Gobble gobble Turkey day!

My personality defect...

2009-10-28T17:53:00.000-04:00

HelloQuizzy.com: Robot:

Your result for The Personality Defect Test ...
Robot

You are 86% Rational, 0% Extroverted, 14% Brutal, and 14% Arrogant.

I am a Geek!

2009-10-28T17:28:00.002-04:00

OkCupid.com: Take

Modern, Cool Nerd

57 % Nerd, 65% Geek, 22% Dork

Thank you David

2009-10-14T10:55:00.012-04:00

Somehow, my blog (actually it's Awstats) got overtaken for a pop-up destination (in Russian no less...). Thanks to Dave, my hostmaster, it's back to normal.

(awaiting the crush of INTPs to hit too...

Ha!)

Trend Analysis: Five Major Pension Problems - One Simple Solution

2009-10-11T20:41:00.001-04:00

Mish writes:

Mish: The correct response would be to kill all unnecessary services, fire all the government workers and privatize everything remaining.

Pronounced by a man that doesn't have a clue.

I would like to see any privatization that shows a long term savings after five years. Are there any savings beyond two years? Not from what I keep hearing where it is taking place.

My mood color is blue

2009-09-28T13:22:00.002-04:00

Your Primary Mood Color is Blue

You are a sensitive and reflective person. You have a good intuition for emotions.
You can sense what people are feeling and even sometimes what they are thinking.

You communicate well, and you're also a good listener. You cherish your friends, and every word they say is important to you.
You are always there for the people you love, and you expect the same in return. You crave deep connection and understanding.

What's Your Primary Mood Color?

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

Family news

2009-09-22T15:36:00.002-04:00

For those nonfamily members following this blog (Not sure how many of those there are!), I'm currently in Indiana/Illinois (Hospital in Indiana, house in Illinois) with my step-mother who isn't in great shape. Kidney failure being the biggie right now, with the mild heart attack (whatever that is) and ovarian cancer also going on, plus the fact that she is 78 years old (I can't call that young, that's still longer than my expected longevity, and that's without my health issues...)

So my current sporadic blogging will be even more sporadic in the near future.

I AM working on a project to take my Delicious account and post my saved links to there (since my old system broke on me...) It's something to do while I'm here.

Revealed: The ghost fleet of the recession | Mail Online

2009-09-14T01:16:00.000-04:00

Revealed: The ghost fleet of the recession | Mail Online

That's some scary shit!

I knew transportation was taking a killing, but this really sucks.

(via)

My Love is Green

2009-08-28T09:21:00.001-04:00

Your Love is Green

When you love someone, it's a very rational process. You love with your head first.
Love is all about fitting a person into your life. You can't love unless the situation is just right.

You are an ideal partner in romantic relationships. You try to be as caring, loyal, and forgiving as possible.
You take love seriously, and you don't give up on a commitment. You don't need a ring to stay with someone through thick and thin.

What Color Is Your Love?

My soul is connected to Winter

2009-08-21T16:18:00.001-04:00

Your Soul Is Connected to the Winter

You approach life with a zen-like calm that other people envy. Nothing rattles you.
You are smart, thoughtful, and very serious. You don't stress out, but you don't take much lightly.

You like to keep to yourself, and you've been called shy - even if you don't consider yourself that way.
You prefer a cozy, quiet life filled with ideas, books, and maybe a few friends.

What Season is Your Soul Connected To?

And I'm a fire sign (Sagitarius!)

I am Fantasy / SciFi

2009-08-17T13:26:00.001-04:00

You Are Fantasy / Sci Fi

You have an amazing imagination, and in your mind, all things are possible.
You are open minded, and you find the future exciting. You crave novelty and progress.

Compared to most people, you are quirky and even a bit eccentric. You have some wacky ideas.
And while you may be a bit off the wall, there's no denying how insightful and creative you are.

What Kind of Book Are You?

Sunday Lyrics

2009-08-15T15:27:00.000-04:00

I Stay Away
Alice In Chains

Yeah, hey yeah
I want to travel south this year
I won't prevent safe passage here

Why you act crazy, not an act maybe
So close a lady, shifty eyes shady

Yeah, hey yeah
Tears that soak a callous heart

Why you act frightened, I am enlightened
Your weakness builds me, so someday you'll see

I stay away!

Why you act crazy, not an act maybe
So close a lady, shifty eyes shady

I stay away!
I stay away!
I stay away!
I stay away!

I need expression

2009-08-12T21:54:00.001-04:00

You Need Expression

You're the type of person who has a lot to express, and you need many outlets.
You love to create - whether you're writing a novel or just putting together an amazing outfit.

You are a deep thinker. You understand the world well, and you are in touch with your emotions.
And you don't like to keep your insights to yourself. You love sharing what you know with the world, even if it's in a very abstract way.

What Do You Need Most?

Sundy Lyric

2009-08-09T15:50:00.000-04:00

Foo Fighters - Times Like These - Lyrics from LyricWiki:

Foo Fighters:Times Like These

I, I'm a one-way motorway
I'm a road that drives away and follows you back home
I, I'm a street light shining
I'm a white light blinding bright and burning off and on
Uh huh uh

It's times like these you learn to live again
It's times like these you give and give again
It's times like these you learn to love again
It's times like these, time and time again

I, I'm a new day rising
I'm a brand new sky to hang the stars upon tonight
I, I'm a little divided
Do I stay or run away and leave it all behind?
Uh huh uh

It's times like these you learn to live again
It's times like these you give and give again
It's times like these you learn to love again
It's times like these, time and time again
Ooh...

Uh huh uh
Uh huh uh

It's times like these you learn to live again
It's times like these you give and give again
It's times like these you learn to love again
It's times like these, time and time again
It's times like these you learn to live again
It's times like these you give and give again
It's times like these you learn to love again
It's times like these, time and time again
It's times like these you learn to live again
It's times like these you give and give again
It's times like these you learn to love again
It's times like these, time and time again

Who wears the pants in my relationship

2009-08-07T11:16:00.001-04:00

You Both Wear the Pants in Your Relationship

You and your sweetie seem to have stuck the perfect power balance.
It's not that you don't disagree - it's just that you've learned how to compromise well.

You're both mature enough to know that you can't always get your way...
And usually, you're both adult enough to reach an agreement - even if that sometimes means giving in a little.

Who Wears the Pants in Your Relationship?

I am Eastern Philosphocial

2009-08-04T19:16:00.001-04:00

You Are Eastern

You see yourself as a very small part of the universe - and you're still trying to figure out what your role is.
Discovering who you are and the meaning of your life is very important to you.

You see life as a journey, and you hope to learn as much as you possibly can.
You believe that living a virtuous and reflective life is how to reach enlightenment.

Are You Philosophically Eastern or Western?

Sunday Lyrics

2009-08-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

Anberlin - The Feel Good Drag - Lyrics from LyricWiki

"I'm here for you," she said
"And we can stay for awhile
My boyfriend's gone
We can just pretend"
Lips that need no introduction
Now who's the greater sin?
Your drab eyes seem to invite
(Tell me, darling) Where do we begin?

Was this over before?
Before it ever began?
Your kiss
Your calls
Your crutch
Like the devil's got your hand
This was over before
Before it ever began
Your lips
Your lies
Your lust
Like the devil's in your hands

Everyone in this town
Is seeing somebody else
Everybody's tired of someone
Our eyes wander for help
Prayers that need no answer now
I'm tired of who I am
You were my greatest mistake
I fell in love with your sin
Your littlest sin

Was this over before?
Before it ever began?
Your kiss
Your calls
Your crutch
Like the devil's got your hand
This was over before
Before it ever began
Your lips
Your lies
Your lust
Like the devil's in your hands

Failure is your disease
You want my outline drawn
You were my greatest failure
Discourse your saving song

Was this over before?
Before it ever began?
Your kiss
Your calls
Your crutch
Like the devil's got your hand
This was over before
Before it ever began
Your lips
Your lies
Your lust
Like the devil's in your hands

Was this over before?
Before it ever began?
Your kiss
Your calls
Your crutch
Like the devil's got your hand
This was over before
Before it ever began
Your lips
Your lies
Your lust
Like the devil's in your hands

The Word of Mouth KFC challenge | Life and style | guardian.co.uk

2009-07-25T16:58:00.000-04:00

The Word of Mouth KFC challenge | Life and style | guardian.co.uk:

We made up two batches of seasoned flour, using Ron Douglas's 'KFC' mix and our own Guardian crowdsourced version - let's call it 'GFC' - and fried sample pieces of the poached chicken dredged in each.

'KFC' mix
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons Accent (MSG)

GFC mix
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp sage
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried onion flakes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground white pepper"

Interesting.