Unstuck In My Head

Please Use Titles Instead Of Headlines For The Articles On Your Website

2009-09-26T15:05:00.001-04:00

Headlines have horrible grammar and try to be cutesy instead of informative. I understand the origins; but, for articles published on the Internet, the reasons are less valid.

You have much less control over how much space headlines take up. Most of the websites that I regularly visit have many headlines that—in my browser—flow onto a second line but don't use more than half of it. Use that space to fix the grammar, to make the subject clearer. Use "and" (or even "&") instead of those damn commas which make it harder for me to figure out if the subject is 2 related things or if there are 2 possibly unrelated subjects.

You already have my attention. I'm visiting your website, aren't I? What's with the wording of your headlines? Are you trying to confuse me? "Hey, a microprocessor news article! Nope, it is about a console game." OK, most of your headlines don't mislead me that much, but many are the equivalent of a subject without a verb. I want to know more about the article—and you could have done that—but you decided that cutesy and confusing will appeal to me more than intelligent and informative. Don't you know your audience?

While we're talking about articles published on the Internet instead of in print media, I would also like to ask you to stop trying to fit everything into paragraphs. You don't have that space limitation anymore. Some things are so much easier to understand when they are conveyed via a list. Remember that you already understand the information that you are trying to pass on and I am trying to understand what you wrote without having to read it too many times.

Thank you for taking the time to read my rant.

Making Cell Phone Use During Driving Illegal Is Not The Solution

2009-09-26T14:10:00.000-04:00

Living in an area with a lot of traffic allows me to see just how much people use their cell phones while driving, and I'm here to tell you that making it illegal is not going to solve the problem.

First off, this is America. We are not going to have the police shoot people on sight. While that would be an effective deterrent, it is not going to happen here. We will probably end up with laws that are closer to drunk driving, speed limit, and/or seat belt laws. You know as well as I how effective those laws are. Since laws can't force people to stop doing what they want to do we need an alternative.

One alternative is to change things so that cell phones cannot be used while driving. Perhaps cell phone jammers in cars. Perhaps cell phones that talk to the car that they are in to find out when the car is in motion. They seem like simple ideas, but there are issues such as the costs of developing the technologies and of materials & labor. Also, what about when the driver is trying to call 911? It is not simple but does deserve consideration.

Another idea is to do something to remove the desire to use cell phones while driving. Showing teenagers graphics images of dead drivers with cell phones in their hands is going to be about as effective as showing graphic images of dead, drunk drivers. I don't think we can remove the desire to use cell phones; people just don't see them as a danger.

My last alternative is to stop thinking of cell phone use during driving as a problem. I know that it is a controversial idea. Cell phones are a relatively new addition to the world we live in. Dangers associated with their use are getting a lot of attention both from scientific researchers and the press. There are arguments in both directions; here are a few:

Cell phones are relatively new. Perhaps we haven't had enough time to fully assimilate them into our daily lives. Perhaps technology advances will make them much less obtrusive. However, we are not there right now. There is no guarantee that we will get there.
Using 2006 data for the US, there were over 1,000,000 deaths due to heart disease and cancer while there were less than 50,000 deaths (of drivers, passengers, pedestrians, etc.) dues to motor vehicle traffic crashes—that includes all causes of the accidents, not just cell phone use. Upon what should the government spend its time and your tax money? However, those statistics focused solely on deaths. What about injury and property damage? What about the fears and concerns of the general populace (e.g., US citizens are more worried about terrorism than lightning even though lightning is a bigger killer)? We must look are the big picture.

I don't have the answer. But, I do know that we should verify the effectiveness of the solution(s) we pick and not just assume that they will work because they seem like good idea(s).

Microsoft Bling

2009-06-24T04:00:00.000-04:00

It is Bing, not Bling.

The Music Industry Needs to Embrace the Single

2008-09-20T12:55:00.000-04:00

What is it about progress that causes people to reject it? When we need to take a shit, do we still dig a hole, crap in it, then fill it up with dirt? No, we use toilets now. When we need to travel long distances, do we still walk or ride horses? No, we use cars and planes now. So, why is it that so many people in the music industry — including some bands — fear your ability to buy one track instead of a whole CD (via online stores like iTunes)?

Before the ubiquity of the Internet, the CD made good business sense. Would you have rather driven to a record store and bought a CD with a single song for $5 or with a dozen songs for $10? [I made up those dollar amounts for simplicity.] Even if there were only 3 songs on that album that you really liked, you would have bought the $10 CD.

Times have changed and the people who buy $1 songs on the Internet know it. Who wants to pay $10-20 for 3 good songs and a bunch of fluff? It can be pretty obvious when a band came up with just a few good songs but their contract with the record label made them fill up the rest of the CD with something, anything at all. It no longer has to be that way. Bands can now record and release one song at a time, tapping their creative juices as it comes instead of trying to squeeze a gallon of OJ from a single orange.

A major key to business success is correctly anticipating what customers will want in the future. It is not hard at all to see that people do want and will continue to want singles. The music industry needs to accept that.

Intelligent Design is a War Against Sceince

2008-07-13T09:25:00.000-04:00

There is a war against science in America today and Intelligent Design is leading the way.

Both religion and science give you things to believe in. You can choose which facts you want to believe. However, you should understand a major difference between religion and science:

Religion's facts cannot be reproduced. For example, how could you recreate the events in the Bible? You can't. You have to believe what you are told simply because the people telling you to believe are believers themselves.
Science's facts can be reproduced. While new science frequently builds upon earlier science, you could recreate every single scientific fact all by yourself. (Well, you'd also need a long life with a lot of free time.)

While I don't have a problem with science and religion coexisting (as you can see in a previous blog post), what I cannot stand is religion masquerading as science. Intelligent Design has been making headlines over the last several years because it is religion masquerading as science.

Examining religions is OK; teaching children in public schools to believe a religion as fact is against America's separation of church and state. Since that separation makes it hard for radical creationists to enforce their religion upon your children, they've relabeled creationism as "Intelligent Design" and are calling it a scientific theory. It is not.

If someone has religious beliefs that you do not agree with, would you rather have that person knock on your front door trying to spread their word or would you rather have their beliefs be taught to your children as facts in your kids' school?

How Can a Product be New and Improved?

2008-06-07T09:05:00.000-04:00

a new product is a product that did not exist before

and

an improved product is a product is better than it was before

then

how can a product be both new and improved?

You Can Believe in Both Evolution and Creationism

2008-05-26T08:15:00.001-04:00

Pretend for a moment that you are God. You've decided to create the universe, the Earth, and all of the people on it. You also decided that people should be able to make their world into a better place:

sturdy shelter
antibiotics and vaccines
indoor plumbing
I Love Lucy
etc.

To accomplish this, you decided to create a world which obeys a set of rules:

gravity (e.g., what goes up must come down)
evolution (e.g., survival of the fittest)
math (e.g., 2 + 3 = 5)
etc.

And you decided that the rules should not change:

Water will not suddenly become poisonous.
Chickens will not start exploding when you cook them.
The Earth won't escape the Sun's gravity and float off into cold, dark space.
Etc.

And you decided to give people the intelligence to understand those rules. However, you're not doing the work for them; they have to discover and learn how to use those rules on their own.

The problem at this point is, if you create a universe without a history, it is going to be so much harder for people to discover the rules that you so carefully created:

How are they going to learn that rivers will smooth the edges of rocks if the rocks you put in the rivers you created are the same as the rocks on the banks?
How will they know that each tree grows a new ring each and every year if all of the trees you create have no rings?
After some observation, they will learn that a layer of sediment is left every time a floodplain floods. But, what is going to tell them whether a newly discovered plain is safe to life on or not if you don't put layers of sediment on the floodplains that you create?
How are they going to figure out that evolution, that awesome process you created, affects – and will always continue to affect – all life on Earth so profoundly if you do not put fossils in the ground when you create the Earth?

People need to be confident that the set of rules that the universe obeys are reliable so that they can make their world into a better place. You could send your word; but, you already know that not everyone is going to believe. Since you love all people (including the disbelievers), you decided to create a universe with a history that can be found in the plants and animals, in the ground and air and water, and in the stars of deepest space.

I am (Mostly) Agnostic

2008-05-04T08:30:00.000-04:00

It is always useful to know the background of your sources of information. When you read my blog, you using me as a source of info (whether you realize it or not). Therefore, I want you to know about my religious beliefs so that you can better judge me and my words.

Monotheism

I was raised Catholic but it didn't stick. I had to go to my Dad's church every Sunday until my parents divorced when I was 10, then I had to go only on the Sundays that I was at my Dad's. My Mom didn't make me go to church. My Mom is... I keep forgetting... Methodist or Presbyterian. (Sorry, Mom, you know I've never been able to remember.)

Church was boring, repetitive. I looked forward to the donuts more than anything. Actually, I did look forward to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve for a while after the regular Sunday services became boring. As I got older, I looked forward to turning 18 so that I would not be "forced" to go to service every Sunday. I was 17 when I finally got to stop.

To this day there is still a tiny bit of a belief in God in me. It is a non-rational belief. In a perfect world, I would be able to completely rid myself of it. However, I cannot deny the influence that religion had on me as a child.

Atheism

As I got older, the pendulum swung to the other end of the spectrum. I saw absolutely no proof in the existence of God; so, I believed that He did not exist. The beauty of a flower, the "miracle" of childbirth, etc. did not convince me that there must be a god. The whole world – from the smallest particle to the largest galaxy – made sense to me without the need for God.

Just as with a belief in God, I still carry tiny bit of this atheistic belief in me. I would also like to completely rid myself of this non-rational belief.

Agnosticism

Gradually, I realized that I was mislabeled. I came to understand that it is impossible to prove the existence of God, that one must have faith instead. (I know that things like childbirth are proof for some people; but, I'm using "prove" in the scientific/logical sense.) The possibility of God was once again opened to me.

Currently

So, today, I have absolutely no need for God, any god. However, He might still exist. Or He might exist only for people who have faith but not for people who don't. Or maybe God doesn't exist but Mother Nature does. I could go on and on listing possibilities. The point is that I am no longer shutoff to various possibilities.

Also today, I like to believe that there is something that continues after death. Some of you might call it a "soul" or a "spirit"; however, I don't know what to call it because I don't know what it is. I "like to believe" instead of simply "believe" because I have no proof; it just makes me feel better. If I am wrong, I'll never know because I won't be around anymore.

(FYI: I have not capitalized "God" and "He" in this blog post not because He might exist but to show respect for my fellow humans that do believe.)

I Know Who Will be Watching You

2008-04-13T10:35:00.002-04:00

Note: This post is my prediction of an aspect of the future. Take it with a grain of salt.

Introduction

If you think that the government is going to be recording your every move more and more in the future, then you need to think again. There are people in the government who are interested in knowing everything about you and your activities; make no mistake about that. However, it is businesses that, more and more, will be installing the cameras that watch you in stores and on the street and that will be following you on the Internet.

The Ability to Watch Us

Advances in technology have made the instruments that record us (e.g., cameras, microphones, computer spyware) smaller and harder to detect. Eventually they will be virtually invisible. These instruments are also getting cheaper and of higher quality. The cost of monitoring us is becoming a non-issue.

The Desire to Watch Us

Some people in the government want to watch us to give the appearance that they are doing something to protect us. This is especially the case in our post-9/11 world. The effectiveness and legality of their monitoring is highly debated, but their desire to appear protective is not. Then there are other people in the government who have non-altruistic reasons for watching us.

Businesses want to watch us to increase their profits. Targeted advertising (aka, targeted marketing) is a very effective tool, but it requires knowledge about us. The more that is known about us, the better that businesses can target us. For example, if most guys who come into a particular store in a group buy beer and extra large condoms but buy soda and small condoms when they come in alone, that store might find it makes more money by putting the extra large condoms near the beer and putting the small condoms near the soda. But, to do that, the store needs to know about your condom buying habits (assuming you are a guy who visits that store).

There is a third group of people who wants to watch us: criminals. This is especially true of Internet-based criminals who are after your money or identity.

The Legality of Watching Us

If the tools that will watch us will be cheap and (practically) undetectable, then we will be monitored whether it is legal or not. That is how the real world works. So we know that criminals will definitely watch us. But what about the government and businesses?

I think that laws will place greater restrictions on the government than on businesses. That doesn't always stop the government from watching us. But, wherever possible, I think that it won't be the government that installs cameras and tracks your Internet activities; it will be businesses. The decision will be partly legal but mostly economic.

Let me give you an example so that you can decide for yourself. Pretend you are the government.

You can pay for the tools. You can pay for the installation of the tools. You can pay for the monitoring of the tools. You can pay for the maintenance of the tools. You can go to jail if you get caught. Since the tools can be tracked back to you, it is easier for you to get caught. OR...
You can buy the data from businesses who own the tools. If you're not legally supposed to have access to the data, then you can buy the data covertly. Since the tools can be tracked back to the businesses, it is harder for you to get caught.

Which option do you choose? Remember that buying the data is going to be cheaper than collecting it yourself. (FYI: Many businesses do sell customer data. In fact, there are some business that do nothing but collect data for the purposes of selling it.)

Conclusion

While the government does have an interest in watching us, it is businesses that will be doing most of the direct monitoring. The advancement of technology is making this possible; human nature makes it inevitable. Ubiquitous recording is a reality that we must accept and learn deal with in new ways. We must also make an effort to educate people of older generations who just don't believe that it can or will happen. We must tell them that it has already started.

Will Virtualization Stop the Mess That is Windows?

2008-04-12T12:40:00.002-04:00

Microsoft Windows is a big mess on the inside. It is getting worse and worse as time passes. But, Microsoft has a chance to make things better by using virtualization, a computer technology that very popular right now. Virtualization is a way of letting a single computer run more than one operating system at the same time. For example, it could be Windows and Linux, Windows XP and Windows Vista, or two Windows XPs each configured differently.

Each time Microsoft comes out with a new version of Windows, a lot of support for old programs is included. From one perspective, it is a smart financial decision. Why would Microsoft want to make all of your current software unusable and force companies to rewrite all of their programs? From another perspective, Windows just keeps getting bigger, more complex, and buggier as time passes. That is bad for Microsoft and users alike.

Microsoft could start from a clean slate by letting virtualization be the method of supporting old programs. It is completely a question of will, not can, Microsoft go this route. I cannot predict if it will happen; but, I do have one big fear: that Microsoft will screw it up by bringing along too much baggage from the current Windows in a misguided attempt to make it easy for companies to write programs for the new Windows (or whatever name Microsoft chooses for its new operating system).

Why I Didn't Mean That

2008-03-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

“I didn't mean that.”
“You wouldn't have said it if you didn't mean it.”

I finally understand one reason — perhaps the reason — which causes people to say things that they claim that don't mean. It was something that I was unable to understand in my youth because there was only one Bernie then: a present Bernie. I am old enough now to have a present Bernie and a past Bernie.

When I was young, I did as all kids do, I believed what I was told. My opinions were the opinions that others gave me. My feelings about religion, alcohol consumption, illegal drug use, honesty, abortion, people of other races, countries, sexual orientations, etc. were given to me by my parents, my teachers, my peers, and the news. Even my favorite brand of shoes was someone else's decision.

As I got older, I developed the ability to think for myself. I began to form my own opinions. However, the present Bernie does not always agree with the past Bernie. For example, my Dad was an alcoholic. My Mom left him when I was ten years old. My Dad got treatment, joined Alcoholics Anonymous, and stayed sober for the rest of his life. The past Bernie thinks that any alcohol consumption is bad; the present Bernie does not think that it is all bad. I don't drink — never have and never will; but, I am OK with other people drinking (as long as they do it responsibly).

When the present Bernie and the past Bernie disagree, sometimes the past Bernie gets a word in edgewise. That's when I'll say, “I didn't mean that.”

It can be very hard to deny how you were raised. When things get emotional, sometimes your mouth speaks the beliefs that were set in early in your life despite the fact that your brain currently has different opinions. The deeper the early beliefs are, the hard it is to override them.

So, next time you hear someone say, “I didn't mean that,” try responding with, “Then why did you say that?” and keep an open mind.

Honesty is Useful

2008-03-16T09:50:00.000-04:00

Honesty is far more useful than many people realize.

Let's look at the case of the job interview. First, ask yourself what you are really trying to gain by getting a particular job. Money? Power? Prestige? Fame? Or perhaps you are simply looking for a job that will make you happy. But, you might be saying that more money will make you happier. I'm asking what is more important: money or happiness?

Yes, I'm telling you that you must separate money and happiness. If you are fortunate, then you might find a job that provide both. Otherwise, pick one:

A job that pays more, but you are not happy working there.
A job that doesn't pay as well, but you really enjoy working there.

Honesty will help you find a job and coworkers that you are more likely to enjoy. Let's use me as an example. I have clinical depression. I've been through many years of successful therapy and still need medication. My depression is no longer a major problem, but it is a fact of my life. I'm not shy talking about it; and, in fact, I have asked a few coworkers to tell me if they notice anything unusual about my mood. (Sometimes other people will notice that something is bothering you before you notice.)

When I interviewed for my current job, I did what many people told me not to do: I talked briefly about my depression. There were several reasons I did that:

I hoped to demonstrate that I was honest, that I wouldn't try to hide negatives things on the job, and that I could be trustworthy.
It explained why, at my age, I had a large lack of work experience in my field.
I wanted to be passed over if they had a problem with me having depression.

Does that last one seem wrong to you? After all, it is illegal for employers to discriminate in that way. (I've heard all the details several times over.) Since I'm not shy talking about my depression, my potential coworkers and bosses would eventually know that I have it. If they have a problem with me having depression, then it is not going to be as enjoyable working there as a place where they don't have a problem with it.

So, my honesty in job interviews can help me weed out undesirable places to work. I don't want to work for or with people who have a big problem with me.

When it comes to honesty in your life in a particular situation, you need to look at yourself and your goals, the options and the outcomes, the positives and the negatives.

The News is Not a Reliable Source of Good Information

2008-03-16T09:00:00.003-04:00

[Update: Here is a recent example of Ars setting the record straight.]

The newspapers, news magazines, TV news shows, news websites, etc. that you read or watch don't always get it right. You'd be surprise at the amount of errors; I was. I grew up thinking that the news was accurate and useful. How would you feel to see or read a story—about cars—in which headlights are described as those white lights on the back of your car that people see when you are in reverse? While I haven't seen that particular error, I have seen errors in basic facts that make me worry the same.

Thanks to the Internet, you have a lot more sources of information than ever before. Often you can find the original source(s) used by a news story and see the errors in the news story. If you are lucky, you can find a website that does a good job at reporting news. I found Ars Technica a few years ago. (Ars has technology-related news.) Sometimes an Ars article will tell you about the errors in the news at other sites. Another nice thing about Ars is they provide you with real information; they don't try to attract your readership by presenting controversial, held-by-a-single-person-or-small-group view points as hard facts. Sensationalistic news reporting makes me sick because it spreads misinformation to the common people.

I'm going to stop here as I'm getting worked up thinking about all of the falsehoods—both intentional and unintentional—that most people are exposed to.

Removing My Blog's Customizations

2008-03-09T11:00:00.001-04:00

I've removed most of my customizations to this blog's layout, style, and functionality, especially the behind the scenes stuff. I just haven't had the time to look after things (which, so far, had not been a problem due to my blog's "low" readership). I've gone back to one of the standard templates and am adjusting from there.

One significant change is the removal of the fully-justified text. I used to think, "Hey, computers are powerful enough to fully-justify all of the time. Do it. After all, since it is used in so many printed books, newspapers, magazines, etc., it must be the preferred way." Over the years I've learned some important things about text and the human ability to read it. In this case, monitors have a lower resolution than printers have, so it is better to use sans-serif fonts and do not fully-justify when displayed on the screen.

The Lottery and Gambling Addiction

2008-03-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've started occasionally playing a lottery that has a multi-million dollar jackpot. I'm concerned about becoming addicted to it. So, I'm taking steps that I hope will help:

I'm buying only one ticket per drawing. The tickets are $1 and there are two drawings per week. So, I'm spending $2 per week at most.
I'm not going out of my way to get a ticket. There is a place in my building at work that sells lottery tickets. I'm only buying from there and only if the line is short enough.

An ironic thing is that I'm more likely to win a smaller jackpot than a larger one. As the jackpot gets bigger, more and more people buy tickets. That means the line at the retailer is less and less likely to be short.

Fault: It is the Driver, not the GPS

2008-01-05T10:25:00.000-05:00

I keep reading news stories about another person whose GPS (aka, Sat Nav) has "led" him/her into danger. It is total crap. The GPS is not controlling the vehicle; the human being behind the steering wheel is controlling the vehicle. Unfortunately, the way many headlines are worded, it appears to be the fault of the GPS.

Say you are driving. You have directions (from a GPS, a paper map, or whatever). You come to a traffic light. You need to go through the light, but it is red. Do you stop at the light? Of course. So why do people keep driving onto train tracks when a train is coming, going down streets that are too narrow, going where there is no road at all, and generally ignoring warning signs?

If you want to read more about it, I recommend starting with this recent article on Engadget. There are links in the article which take you to more articles with more links. (Note that I'm not sure if all of the pictures that Engadget use come from the actual incidents.)

At this point, all I can say is that I hope that these incidents are in the minority and stay that way. But, with GPS finding its way into more and more cars, who knows what the future will bring.

Dormant, not Dead

2007-11-17T08:15:00.000-05:00

When I started this blog, I thought that I'd have more time for it. Well, taking care of my sick wife is more important than writing blog posts. New posts (and finishing draft posts started many months ago) will just have to wait.

All Software is Defective

2007-07-22T11:30:00.000-04:00

They're called bugs or issues or problems or vulnerabilities, but they're all really defects. And all software has them. Of course companies don't use the word defective. It is a harsh word that makes you think of small parts breaking off of toys and choking your child. Or the brakes failing on your car. Or your stove burning down your home.

EULA stands for End User License Agreement. It is a legal set of terms that you accept whenever you use any software. In some cases you might not realize that you accepted the terms, but you did. For example, the EULA might be in the manual that you never read. The EULA exists to protect the company from you. There is always a part of the terms that state the the company is not responsible for any harm caused by its software. There are legals limits, which vary by jurisdiction, to this; but, it certainly does not leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling.

They're called patches or fixes or updates, but they're all created to correct defects. In today's world, they are almost exclusively delivered via Internet. If you don't have an Internet connection or if your connection speed is too slow to download a large update in a reasonable amount of time, which is not uncommon, then you are stuck. Maybe you can pay the company to send you the update on a disk. Maybe you can get a friend to download the update for you.

You also need an Internet connection if you want your software to check for updates. If you have a dial-up connection and your software is set to automatically check for updates, you might be missing updates. That can happen if the check for updates occurs while you are not connected to the Internet.

Windows XP, the operating system that most people in the world have on their computers, was released in 2001 and Microsoft is still releasing fixes for it every month. How would you feel if you had to bring your car into the dealer to get something fixed every month for almost a decade? And I'm not talking about something that broke since you bought your car; I'm talking about recalls for problems that were there when you bought your car.

I choose Windows XP as an example, not to pick on Microsoft, but to show the extent of the situation. Microsoft is a HUGE company and Windows XP is the base piece of software that runs on most computers. If Microsoft is not able to make Windows XP perfect, then you should have doubts about any company getting any software perfect.

Q: Why is all software defective?
A: Because software is very complex. Because writing perfect software is a very difficult to impossible task. Because many of the older building blocks that programmers still use have defects that have not or cannot be fixed. Because comprehensively testing software is harder than writing it.

Q: Should I be scared?
A: No. Many defects are not serious. But, since serious defects do exist, you should be cautious instead of scared. Learn how to make backups. Learn how to keep your computer's operating system and security software up-to-date. Learn how to be suspicious of emails. Etc.

Q: Is it really all software that is defective?
A: If you are asking that question, then, yes, all software that you use has defects. (In case you are curious, computer geeks start with very simple programs—such as the famous "Hello, World"—when they are learning to program. Sometimes it is possible to make sure that a very simple program is bug-free. However, the average person does not use these programs.)

The Truth About Sex and Headaches

2007-07-22T10:35:00.000-04:00

Sex should not be consider as a cure for headaches but as a treatment for headaches. I mean that sexual pleasure might reduce or eliminate the pain of a headache during the act; but, once it is over, the pain might come back. That is because the headache never really left; its pain was simply masked by the sexual pleasure.

Everyone is different. Headaches differ from person to person and headache to headache. Sex differs from partner to partner and occasion to occasion. If your headaches are always short and you always enjoy long sex, then your headaches might always be gone by the time the sex is over. For the rest of the people out there, you might consider taking some aspirin/ibuprofen/etc. before you start having sex so that the pain reliever will (hopefully) be working by the time you're done.

The pleasure from sex does not always help with headaches. Keep that in mind when your partner says, "No," to you. Sometimes people with headaches—especially migraines—just need to be left alone. (And sometimes your partner doesn't have a headache but is saying, "No," for a different reason. But that is the topic for a different post.)

Strong enough for a WHAT? But made for a WHAT?

2007-07-21T20:35:00.000-04:00

Here's a peek into my mind.

When I was young, the marketing phrase for Secret deodorant was "Strong enough for a man. But made for a woman." That drove me crazy (in an aggravating me kind of way). I could not see how that could appeal to any woman, especially since it was a time when women seemed to be looking for equality and finding independence with more success than ever before. Many times I strongly and loudly replied to the TV; my most common response was "Is it strong enough for a woman?!!!"

PS: I am male.

This Blog is Working

2007-07-21T20:10:00.000-04:00

The current description of this blog is "Thoughts that I don't want taking up too much space in my head." It is working... sort of. I've been able to get plenty of stuff out of my head and into draft posts. But that is where a lot of it has stopped. I currently have about 25 draft posts, some started two months ago. I have "every intention" of finishing those posts; the question is, "When?" It seems that, once I get something unstuck, I don't think about it as much.

I Caught Myself Being a Hypocrite

2007-07-04T19:00:00.000-04:00

I was getting upset with someone whom I assumed did something wrong. And what was it? I thought that the person was upset with me because she assumed that I did something wrong. The problem is that I did not know if she was upset with me or if she had assumed anything in the first place. So, I was doing what I was accusing her of doing. Before I actually said anything to anyone, I realized what I was doing wrong. I told myself to get over it.

It can be hard to catch yourself being a hypocrite. Doing something positive about it can be even harder. But it is definitely worth it. I feel good for correcting myself.

Human Behavior

2007-06-28T10:15:00.000-04:00

It is often said the human behavior is not logical. That is wrong. Human behavior is completely logical, but it is hard to see that without a deeper understanding of humans. It is an understanding that might not currently exist.

Instead, human behavior is not optimal, not efficient, not intelligent. We do things that are not always the best choices. Sometimes we pick the worst choices.

Your agreement—or lack thereof—with my assessment of human behavior might depend on what meaning you assign to the word "logical." It might mean something different to you than to me.

Welcome, NLA and Pub Rants Readers

2007-06-23T08:40:00.000-04:00

It was honesty that first drew me to Kristin Nelson's blog, Pub Rants. Honesty is also why I keep coming back. So I had to leave a comment when I saw the How Honest Do You Want Us To Be? post. It was my first comment in Pub Rants; and, if that is what lead you to my blog, "Welcome."

Computers and Technology

2007-06-16T13:40:00.000-04:00

Before I start serious posting about computer- and technology-related issues I feel that it is important to lay this foundation. I might update this post from time to time to better flesh out things.

Do you remember the promise of computers making our lives easier? Doesn't it sometimes feel like the opposite has been happening? I too sometimes feel like technology is a serious pain in the butt. I don't think that most ideas are bad but that the way many ideas are implemented leaves much to be desired. For example, do you have any remote controls that have too many buttons? Or too few buttons?

In particular, I believe that we should have control over the objects that we own. Sadly the makers of our computers, phones, CD & DVD players, cars, dishwashers, etc. have been taking more and more control away from us. You probably don't realize to what extent your actions are being restricted. When you have some free time, please take a look around starting at Digital Rights Management and Copy Protection Schemes to learn how movie, music, and other industries are treating you like a criminal—guilty until proven innocent.

There are other ways in which freedom to control our objects is limited. Sometimes it is a matter of limited resources available to the manufacturers and designers; they can't or don't want to invest in making their products better. Other times we fall victim to the "One-Size-Fits-All" mentality which is an approach that really does not work with computers.

So, I am going to making computer- and technology-themed blog posts to give my much more than two cents. I am going to attempt to write the posts in a manner that non-geeks can understand while still presenting info that geeks can use.

About Me: I am a computer professional. I have been using and programming computers for about 25 years. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science. Dealing with geeks and non-geeks everyday, I see both sides of the coin.

Tonsillitis; A/C

2007-06-16T12:55:00.000-04:00

My son has Tonsillitis. No Strep. Probably not Mono. The insurance refused to pay for the antibiotic, saying that he is too old. He is 16. I paid for it because I want him to get well. We'll talk to the insurance to try to get reimbursed (or at least to give them an earful).

The air conditioning has been temporarily fixed. It is leaking freon. The A/C company will try to find the leak(s) on Monday. Hopefully it is repairable instead of needing replacement.

It is nice to have the A/C back. Even though I am taking Singulair for summer allergies, the lack of A/C was causing problems. (For those of you that don't know, using A/C instead of opening your windows reduces the amount of pollen and other allergens in the air in your home.)

I don't know if I'll work on the blog this weekend. Life has been tiring recently; I might just rest and read this weekend.

Broken A/C and 92 Degrees

2007-06-09T08:15:00.000-04:00

Thursday we noticed the air conditioning stopped working. Yesterday's outside temperature was about 92°F. I tried typing this post last night, but I couldn't because I was sweating while wearing nothing but shorts.

MC Font Menu and MC Menus

2007-06-07T17:10:00.002-04:00

I am the author of MC Font Menu and MC Menus, two Macintosh utilities. Both have passed into history. Actually, they passed years ago. This information is not available on the Internet, so I'm putting it here.

I won't go in details. Instead, I'll just say that I have not worked on them for years and am no longer in a position to support them (if anybody is still using them). I don't even do computer programming for Macs anymore.

As there are a lot of web pages with bad information, I hope that this blog post will rise to the top of the results of Google, Yahoo, and other search engines. There were very few websites on which I had specifically listed my utilities; I don't know where the rest got their info from. (It is amusing when I see MC Font Menus being listed as a Windows utility with a description that starts, "MC Font Menu is a Macintosh utility..." :-)

-Bernie Zenis

P.S. If you ran into MC Icon Parade, that was me too.

Blog Status

2007-06-07T12:35:00.000-04:00

I'm working on my blog a bit today (because I'm home sick). If you are having any problems, first try deleting all of your browser's cookies for unstuck-in-my-head.blogspot.com. If the problems continue, please let me know.

Update: I hope that I have successfully made both Column Width and Post Body Text Alignment sticky. Currently, the settings will only last 24 hours. Sort of. Every time you visit a page in my blog—even if you don't adjust a setting—the 24 hours will start over. I'll make the settings last longer once I'm confident that everything is working OK.

New Blog Adjustment: Post Body Text Alignment

2007-06-06T21:00:00.000-04:00

I've added Post Body Text Alignment to what you can do to adjust my blog to your preferences. You are now no longer stuck to my (current) choice of fully-justified text; you can choose left- and right-aligned text as well as centered text. The setting is not sticky [1], but I plan to add that in the future.

[1] A sticky setting is one that stays around even after you do things like turn your computer off, quit your web browser, go to a different website, etc.

The Dangers of Leaving the Toilet Lid Up

2007-06-05T20:35:00.000-04:00

There has been much "talk" over the years about whether it is OK for men to leave the toilet seat up. Even scientific papers on the subject have been published. The truth is that it is dangerous for men and especially women to not put the lid down.

Why? Because of expectations. For example, if you expect the seat to always be down and you sit down without checking, you'll "fall in" if the seat is up. However, if the lid is always down, then everyone becomes used to checking before using.

Adjusting my Blogger Template

2007-06-03T14:50:00.000-04:00

I've been playing around with my Blogger template recently. I hoping to make that Column Width adjustment a permanent adjustment. For now, you'll have to reapply your changes whenever you view a page in my blog. I'm also hoping to make more of my blog customizable to your tastes.

Three Common Sans-Serif Fonts

2007-06-02T14:15:00.000-04:00

A Small Comparison

The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog using Arial. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog using Trebuchet. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog using Verdana.	The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog using Arial. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog using Trebuchet. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog using Verdana.
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog using Arial. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog using Trebuchet. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog using Verdana.	The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog using Arial. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog using Trebuchet. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog using Verdana.

Looking at these from a Mac is more pleasing (to my eye) than from a Windows computer.

Computers Do NOT Come With Cup Holders

2007-06-02T13:35:00.000-04:00

If you have something that comes out of your computer and it looks like a cup holder, never put a cup in it for you might break your computer. It is not a cup holder. It is a CD drive or a DVD drive. It is meant for only one disc at a time and for the right kind of disc. For example, do not put a DVD in a drive that is only for CDs.

Welcome, BookEnds and BookEnds Readers

2007-05-29T20:18:00.000-04:00

At some point in the future I might find myself in need of a literary agent. So, I've been doing research on the Internet. One great place I came across recently is the BookEnds, LLC blog. I left my first comment to one of their posts today. If anyone reading it stops by here, "Welcome." It is a little sparse in here as I just started this blog. (Most of my current posts aren't posted yet; they're still in draft form.)

It's in, it's out, it's in, it's out. Will my shirt please make up its mind!

2007-05-28T08:30:00.000-04:00

It looks as if it is going to be one of those days when my shirt cannot decide if it wants to be tucked in or hanging out; so, it goes back and forth all day long. The transitions usually occurs in a bathroom/restroom. It happens (or I notice more) at work than at home. It also only seems to happen with shirts of a certain length.

It doesn't really bug me. I wonder what my coworkers think when (and if) they notice. No one has said anything to me.

Perfect Punctuation... or Not?

2007-05-27T13:05:00.000-04:00

Which one of the following sentences is correct?

The search string is "The Wild Trees."
The search string is "The Wild Trees".
The search string is "The Wild Trees.".

The first sentence is wrong. Both the second and third are correct. Confused? I'm not surprised. The sentences are not quoting the words of someone; they are providing exact pieces of data.

Computer programmers, of which I am one, need to get a lot of things exactly right. If we don't get things right, programs don't work correctly or don't work at all. How would you feel if every time you got $20.00 at an ATM your bank account when down by $2000? That is the kind of thing that could happen if programs are not written exactly right. (Actually, there are a lot worse things that could happen because of the simple misplacement of a period.)

The second sentence tells you that the search string does not contain a period. Similarly, the third sentence tells you that the piece of data does contain a period. We cannot even be sure that the first sentence is an actual sentence because there is no period terminating it. It is as if you came across this:

The critic said, "You should read this book"

Is that the end of the sentence or is there something more? Ambiguity is a major enemy of computer programmers.

The important point to take away from this post is that sometimes I—and others that you might run across in your Internet travels—appear to have a problem with our grasp of correct punctuation, but we don't. We are just using quotes, periods, commas, semicolons, etc. in a way that you are not used to. Alas there are many people out there that do not have a firm grasp of punctuation leaving you with the difficult task of figuring out exactly what you are dealing with.

Cleaning the Attic

2007-05-24T20:45:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

I have had too much stuff taking up space in my head for far too long. I am going to try to get some of it out here. I don't know what direction this blog will take. I expect my posts to range from light to heavy, agreeable to controversial, intelligent to backwards...

That reminds me of something that you might like to try on some people, young and old. Ask them to "spell 'backwards' forwards." You probably see how to do it because it is in writing. But when it is spoken, people don't see quotes around "backwards." They are also expecting a trick. Thus, many people start spelling either "forwards" or "backwards" backwards. If you tell them that they are wrong before they get past "w," then they might start spelling the other word backwards allowing you to tell them that they are wrong again. (Doing it is more fun than reading how to do it. :-)