Alice

Bill Gates vs General Motors

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive -- but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

These folks need to get lives!

Clark Howard is talking about a 103" HDTV that will be on the market in time for Christmas. The price? $70,000.

I feel sorry for the miserable people who need television so much that they would pay that much for a set.

Grand Experiment Update

I have officially lost ten pounds since the first of June. That's an average of 1.25 lbs/week. My goal is 1-2 lbs/week so I'm on target.

I'll be opening the next crate of NutriSystem food this weekend.

Slavish devotion to technology

From http://www.foursprung.com/

Call it dunk driving. Motorists in England who follow satellite navigation a little too unquestioningly have found themselves fording gentle streams that sometimes become swollen enough to stall their vehicles and even flood them. So reports the Times of London.

On the heels of a closed road in the Wiltshire village of Luckington, some drivers with GPS systems have been given directions to go through a ford at the mouth of the River Avon. Normally the water is about 2 feet deep, but it can reach 4 feet after heavy rains (and this is England). To dunk their cars, however, drivers have to slavishly obey navigation directions and ignore recently posted road-closed signs.

Some farmers are earning 25 pounds to tow stalled cars back to dry land, reports the Times. But the real cost might be the value of the car. When water reaches the floorboards (carpeting) of the car, odds are it's gotten into the electrical system and some mechanical components and the car will never be right again. In the U.S., insurers usually declare the car a write-off at that point. Assuming no dishonest people among the owners, insurers, tow-truck operators, and junkyards, the vehicle is then crushed. The reason: A water-damaged car can be made to look and work right for a month or a year, but eventually problems will crop up that can never be fixed.

Also in England, the BBC News reported that GPS routing in North Yorkshire directs cars and trucks along a twisty road from Swaledale to Wensleydale that has a 100-foot drop off and is more suited for adventurous souls in four-wheel drive Land Rovers. A third village along the route is aptly named: Crackpot.

Finally, several years ago, GPS navigation instructions in Germany omitted one crucial piece of information regarding the shortest route between two villages, which proved hazardous on foggy nights. The missing instruction? "Stop. Wait for ferryboat."

Trying to stay current.

On the upside, I'm certainly busy. At the old job I spent a lot of time goofing off and making up busy work because we just didn't have enough to do to stay busy all the time. That isn't a problem here, and I knew it wouldn't be. Todd will keep me busier than necessary.

The biggest problem is my own frustration at what I perceive is my slow pace through the learning curve. It's not really that slow, I just don't like not know what to do or how to do it.

The other issue is time. I'm leaving the house at 6:30 am and getting home between 6:00 and 6:30 pm. By the time I finish eating supper, it's too late (and I'm too tired) to do much of anything. Hopefully I'll get used to the schedule before too long.

John is abandoning me today and running home to Daddy. It's been quite a while since we've gone to see his dad and we both felt he needed to go. He'll be home on Friday. Until then, it's just the dogs and me. I may spend tomorrow evening with Johnny Depp and friends (the 2nd Pirates of the Caribbean movie is in theaters now).

Still making progress.

All the new flower beds are planted and irrigated. I had to go to Home Depot, Pike, and three different Wal-Marts before I found a soaker hose and I think I got the last one in Gwinnett County. And I got a butterfly bush at Wal-Mart because I couldn't find one at Pike. An employee might have been able to show me where they were, but I saw only 4 employees - two girls who were too busy visiting to help a customer and a middle-aged couple that didn't appear to understand English. So I took my money elsewhere.

Anyway, the next step is mulching the beds - a relatively quick and easy job.

It's good to be busy again.

I worked on filling the beds until I ran out of dirt. Saturday we went to Home Depot and got more dirt and I dumped them in the beds. Then we went back to Home Depot and got still more dirt and that did the job. They are filled. Tomorrow I want to plant them and get the mulch on them.

I also need to check the blueberries and vegies tomorrow.

In other news, the new job is going well - I think. I really don't know enough to say for sure. I'm very overwhelmed and feel thoroughly confused, but Todd is being patient (I know some people who think that is impossible) and Lowry is fun to work with.

Apparently Campus doesn't think worship is important on Sunday evenings. At least not in July. Last night we had an ice cream social. No worship, no devotional, just a prayer and ice cream. Not very satisfying in my book. Especially since the next four Sundays are scheduled in a similar fashion. Next Sunday evening is a talent show. I forget what the other three are. They are reorganizing the small groups for this fall and will meet on Sunday evening. Wednesday evening will be classes for men, women, and kids. They were going to have the men meet on Monday nights and women on Wednesdays, but they've gotten too many complaints so it'll all be on Wednesdays.

The best news - we're going to Wisconsin later this month to see Melody's family. It has to be a quick trip but it's better than not going at all.