When the Berlin fell (was torn down!) and the USSR tossed itself onto the ash heap of history, Francis Fukuyama suggested that it might be "the end of history."

After the 2002 elections when the Republicans gained seats in the House and Senate while there are was a Republican President, some suggested that it might be the end of the Democrat Party.

Now, with a Democrat in the White House and Democrats in majority in the House and Senate, some are saying that it's surely the end of the Republican Party.

History is on-going. The Democrats managed not to collapse into nothingness after 2002. Why should 2008 or even 2009 be any different for Republicans or conservatives? It's all rather silly. The form may (and rightly should) change. But "the end" it is not. I'm not about to predict an automatic Republican resurgence in 2010. It's quite possible for them to screw up - just take a look at how well they did with NY-23 where they swerved so far off course that when a third candidate started gaining, the supposed Republican dropped out of the race and endorsed the Democrat. Unless that third party candidate was "caught in bed with a live boy or a dead girl" that is a Career Limiting Move. If they repeat that performance, they will likely get the same result.

It's just that I've been seeing many posts or comments about the end of one party that seem silly to me. I've seen the exact same thing from the other side not that long ago. And I remember. It's not the end. It's just different for a while is all. The population that got tired of Republicans can, and will, eventually get tired of Democrats and almost certainly for about the exact same reasons. The details will change, but the cause-effect relationship will be pretty stable. And time marches on.

Current Mood: annoyed

Those that didn't push for a standing mixer suggested going with the GE for the higher power (the same as the highest power standing mixer as it turned out, though I probably would be more impressed with the standing model: KitchenAid, Made in USA) and the somewhat better seal. That's what I did, at least eventually. Evidently I managed to instigate a joke: How many Wal-mart employees does it take to process a check? Evidently at least two, after the first one plays silly games folding things funny as he's convinced that the magnetic ink isn't in the right location.

I made cookies this morning. They were sugar cookies[1] so the dough wasn't terribly stiff, but I did get to experience how the mixer works. There is no true off short of unplugging the thing. Plug it in and the display lights up (the too-cool and annoying blue, but there it is). The 'slow-start' anti-spatter function is nice but the control is backwards: it's always on unless you press the 'slow-start' button to turn it off. There are claims of load-sensing and automatic speed adjustment and they might even be true but I don't think I experienced it.

There are three different beaters. A pair of wire beaters that are supposedly for scrambling eggs or whipping cream, a paid of twisty dough-hook sort of things for stiff dough, and a whisk that the manual claims is for really stiff stuff(?) Uh, I suspect it wouldn't work out very well that way. I used the big dough-hook screws for the cookie dough and was reasonably impressed. They seem like they aren't likely to clog up like standard beaters, and seem less prone to spattering. On the other hand they also seem like it takes long and more manual jockeying to get things completely mixed. Overall it seems a win.

One thing I will have to get used to is that, other than the whisk that can go in either socket, the beaters are not the same and the sockets are labelled as to which beater goes in which socket. I supposed that's a matter of which way things turn and spiral, but it wasn't explained in the manual and since it's something I never had to deal with before I wonder if I'll forget it and mess things up somehow.

Current Mood: tired

Penguicon may be in months away, but that doesn't mean it can be ignored. Better to be ready early than rush at the last minute. hopefully things will work out well enough that I (and therefore Orvan) will be there again in 2010. I am planning on that. Thus I am again asking for suggestions of vict... recipients and items to be delivered to these folks.

Due to some timing issues, deliveries at opening and closing ceremonies are unlikely to happen in 2010.

I'd like to avoid repeat recipients if possible, so that it isn't "Oh, ACME only delivers to that group." That's at an individual level. It certainly makes sense for the Guests of Honor to get something, but "So & so gets something every year" is what I am concerned about.

( Advise ACME )

NOTE: Friends replies are NOT screened and will be visible.

Current Mood: curious

A day or so ago I made 'peanut butter blossom' cookies (the peanut butter cookies with a Hershey's Kiss stuck in the middle while still hot) and bogged the mixer down quite a bit. Last night I made some devil's food cookies with a cake mix and really bogged the mixer down. While the mixer was several years old, I almost certainly was asking too much of (that is, abusing) it. The result was that last night the mixer died. As in "let the smoke out." I've taken the thing apart and I suspect a shorted winding in the motor since that's about all there is to the thing.

Thus I need a replacement. I'd put a handheld mixer ob my Christmas list but I'm not about to wait that long, even if we move at least part of Christmas up to about Thanksgiving.

I went to Wal-mart (the only place that [A] was open by the time I went out and [B] had mixers) and looked at what they had.

What I had, and burned out, was a 200W Black & Decker mixer with the typical beaters and five speeds and a 'burst' for highest speed.

What Wal-mart has is:

1. Rival, 125W, 5-speed, for $6.36.

2. Hamilton Beach, 250W, 6-speed (burst), for $15.88.

3. Black & Decker, 250W, 6-speed, for 19.88.

4. GE, 300W, 6-speed, for $29.00.

1 and 2 looked like they had the usual beaters. 3 had wire beaters of a couple types and a little case for everything, while 4 has wire beaters of a few types, a little case for everything, and in what seems complete overkill, digital display and membrane keys. Actually the membrane keys or buttons make some sense: they keep things sealed and won't let flour/dust/dirt/whatever in that way.

While the Rival is cheap, I suspect that it is just that: cheap rather than merely inexpensive. And considering what I've been asking of my mixer a mere 125W seems inadequate. Both the Hamilton Beach and the Black & Decker should have more oomph than what I had and I'm not sure there's all that much difference between them. The 300W GE is tempting but I don't know if I want or even need that much - or want to spend that much.

The other choice, a standing mixer, is out due to lack of room in the kitchen and funds for something that fancy. No matter how nice such a thing might be, it just isn't going to happen. I don't have to stick to Wal-mart, but really the only other place in town is Shopko. Target or K-Mart would mean a trip to Mankato. There is a Sears in town, but it's a small place that concentrates on larger items - and I'm not exactly thrilled with the idea of dealing with Sears for various reasons.

So I ask the the folks who bake and put some stress on their mixers, any recommendations?

Current Mood: cranky

I went rummaging around the attic yesterday looking for something that as far as I can tell isn't up there. But I did find some other things, including the rabbit ears I was looking for a few months back, not that they'll do me any good anytime soon. I also found a couple old 'personal music players'. One was a cheapie GPX AM/FM radio and the other, to my surprise, was an honest to goodness Sony Walkman (WM-FX301 if model numbers have any meaning for you). It's no mp3 player, but it has AM/FM and the tape player is even auto-reverse. I had forgotten I had such a thing. I'm not even sure how I wound up with such a thing.

As if that wasn't enough, this has to have been sitting for oh, about 8 years I'd guess and the cells were still good. How did I manage to forget this, with a set of lithium cells in it yet? I don't know.

I used it last night while doing a few things about the house. The advantage is that I can listen and not disturb jmaynard. The AM band was full of noise, hardly a surprise in a house (or world) full of computers. FM didn't have as much noise, but aside from some of the programming on Public Radio, FM broadcast is pretty much junk. So I grabbed a tape. One that seems to have stuff on it from about 1984. I hadn't listened to it in some time.

One tune was Mark Russell singing about how "Fritz Can't Win Come Election Day" when it was plain a couple weeks before the election that Walter Mondale wouldn't get far. Another was Garrison Keillor going on about the loss, "We're Never Gonna Run For President Again." I suspect he'd be less than thrilled if Tim Pawlenty ran - and won. Another tune was about alternate energy and was clearly before the Anthropogenic Global Warming Hysteria as it belittled everything but coal - and fusion when it finally is made to work - and there was no concern at all about carbon dioxide. I'm tempted to copy down the lyrics of some of these to see what folks might have to say about them.

The Walkman seems big and clunky now, but it is mechanical and not all that much larger than the tape it plays. I'd still like to have a personal mp3 player, but I have something workable right now.

Current Mood: amused

( Not coffee, not tea... )

Current Mood: unearthly

Poll #4482 1419, 1618
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

Defenestration...

I have...

Current Mood: curious

Improving, recovering, but not truly recoverED. I'm able to sleep in longer segments, I think. I'm able to be awake for longer stretches. The sore throat is not outright gone but is receding. There are still nasal and cough issues, being dealt with as best as non-prescription medicine can. And I do feel a bit weak and mildly achy, but at least I have something of an appetite back with a desire for hot food. So things are generally better though it's still a better grade of not-good for now.

Current Mood: tired

...doesn't mean it's not plenty nasty enough.

Last week a fellow I work with missed a couple days due to illness. He was even tested for H1N1 and the test came back negative. Now I seem to have the illness he had.

I've spent most of the last couple days in bed, with a heating pad on and the thermostat maxed out. I think I'm recovering now, but it's slow going. Stuffy nose (and yes, I went and got the 'you gotta show a ID and sign for it' pseudoephedrine for it), sore throat, slight (sinus) headache, and generally achiness and blah.

I had been planning on visiting Sistaur this Sunday and dealing with a birthday anniversary in the family, but that's now out for two reasons. I'm not sure I want to go that far this Sunday even if I am feeling better. And Sistaur's housemate came down with 'influenza like illness' (what healthcare folks say when they are trying hard not to actually say 'H1N1' - which they are assuming but have not tested for). I don't need to get hit by that right after whatever this is. Actually I'd prefer not to get hit by that at all. Maybe there will be a visit next weekend. Maybe.

Current Mood: sick

Poll #4465 What, me silly?
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

Repeat: How silly is Vakko?

Vakko is silly enough to become

Vakko is not silly enough to

If the Vakko was a unit of silliness, the typical amounts of silliness would be measured in

The YottaVakko (Vakko x 10^24) is:

The Vakkoic bomb would:

Current Mood: silly?

Poll #4445 DiPentaPodiatry? PentaDiPodiatry?
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

A ten foot poll is about

Choose:

This poll...

A poll about the Nobel Peace Prize would be:

Current Mood: curious

The repaired bulb didn't last very long. It's not an outright failure, but looks like a heat issue. After a while the base heats up and seems to go into a protective thermal shutdown. Then it cools down and the light starts up again. It's a slow cycle, but still annoying. I've pulled the bulb again and replaced it with a Sylvania-branded CFL.

Yesterday the warranty replacement LED bulbs arrived. I decided that the office needs more light than they provide. The office is now all-CFL again and looks the better for it.

One LED bulb is in a desk lamp that had been sitting all but unused for some time. That's where the Sylvania CFL came from. I put the lamp in the living room at the end of the couch where it makes a reasonable reading lamp. Since it uses so little power, I won't feel too guilty about not turning it off should I decide to take a nap and not feel like getting up turn off the light.

The other is near the back door and lights up the small area joining the kitchen, downstairs restroom, and laundry area well enough. But it also revealed that I need to change the switch (hopefully just the switch!) for that light: Off isn't really fully off. The bulb still glows, if dimly, when the switch is off.

Current Mood: annoyed

or: Repair Beats Recycling

There were two "burned out" CFLs on the shelf. I managed to miss the recycling day by exactly a day (I kept asking the folks who who should have know and kept getting 'idunno' replies, yeah government-level competence makes itself felt yet again) and did not feel like having them there another six months waiting the next event, not did I feel driving all over the place to dispose of them.

I had sent the LED bulbs back under warranty (and I have yet to see any results of that), but these were CFLs and had outlasted the warranty. Also, I'm not sure I still had the receipt and such showing the purchase. I plan to be much more paranoid about recordkeeping for light bulbs in the future. So if I don't chase all over the place to find someone to the things, I don't send them anywhere, and I don't leave them on the shelf, then what?

Repair. After all, these are not incandescent bulbs with a broken filament. They're fluorescent and it was pretty obvious that the circuitry in the base was what failed. The base had that peculiar 'something electronic got too hot' smell. I bungled the first bulb in trying to get the thing apart and wound up cracking the glass envelope. Nothing spilled, so everything is now in a zipped plastic bag. I'm not sure what I'll do with that one. I'd like to give it to some of the ignoramuses at the city office - they well and truly deserve it.

I did manage to get the second bulb base apart without breaking the glass envelope. After a while I managed to get fair if not decent access to the circuit board. It wasn't obviously charred and a big capacitor wasn't bulging. One 330k Ohm resistor didn't look right. It was darker than it should have been and had a spot that looked rather... boiled. I replaced it. I did a quick test and the bulb lit up after a moment. After reassembling the base, I put the repaired CFL back into service where one of the LED bulbs had been (and I had left the socket empty) in the office.

Now one bulb is back to being useful and the office is a bit brighter again. And I know how to get CFLs apart and have at least a chance of repairing any further burn-outs.

Current Mood: geeky

Poll #4388 A centaur's creatively skilled active porosity?
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

Vakkotaur is:

Vakkotaur's activity level is such that:

Vakkotaur's creativity...

Vakkotaur's porosity is...

Regarding Vakkotaur's skill...

Well, Vakko is rather skilled when it comes to...

But not when it comes to...

The next poll ought to be about...

Current Mood: curious

It looks like the Obama administration actually managed to save a major US city from disaster.

Current Mood: amused

Poll #4371 Gage (and for once, it's not gauge misspelled)
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

Plums are...

The best way(s) to enjoy plums:

The great thing about plums is...

What to do with plums:

Current Mood: curious

Poll #4358 ChipUni
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

ChipUni has helped to found the following conventions:

ChipUni was a wizard on the following MUCKs:

ChipUni has been interviewed for the following shows:

ChipUni lives in...

In his free time, ChipUni can sometimes be found...

ChipUni is...

Current Mood: mischievous

So, do we get the answers so we know how wrong we all are? -- LJ:rillaspins

Jay has now answered the poll himself, and he knows himself better than anyone. Therefore...

1. JMaynard has been... in newspapers, on (broadcast) radio., on television, on the web, on Usenet, in court, to testify, uncomfortably close to phosgene gas, right all along. He has not been on the silver screen, on tri-D, on ARPAnet, on BITnet, on top of Old Smoky, or to Utah.

While the Tron Guy bit takes care of radio, TV, and most newspaper, it's not the only thing. He was quoted in the New York Times in the 1990s regarding his interest in Animaniacs. Being involved with the internet he was on Usenet and the web for some time, though his involvement was not so early that it included ARPAnet or BITnet. Despite desires to visit LJ:howardtayler he has not been to Utah. After an incident involving EMS/Paramedic activity he was in court to testify. And in one job there were site visits to a chemical plant where there was a 'water curtain' that was the barrier between the safe(r) area and a process that did use phosgene.


2. JMaynard's hobbies include... ham radio, computery stuff, flying small airplanes, target shooting, and attending renaissance fair(e)s. They do not include horseback riding, flying model airplanes, hanggliding, motorcycling, ice fishing (dry or otherwise), skiing, snowmobiling, building aircraft carriers, or violating the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.

Why settle for models when you can fly the real thing? Also, there is a significant difference between watching a plane fly and controlling it and being at the controls and feeling their effects directly. As he grew up in Houston, TX, he avoids outdoor cold weather activities. Motorcycling is out due to seeing what can happen to motorcyclists. 'Donorcycle' is a common paramedic name for motorcycles. Horseback riding was never much of an interest nor was there much opportunity for it. It's hardly a necessary skill in Houston. Building aircraft carriers would be a decidedly impractical hobby and violating the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle would be quite a feat.

3. JMaynard is... also known as the Tron Guy, a diabetic, a pilot, a furry, a former EMT/Paramedic, mostly harmless, a friend to those who have no friends, an enemy to those who make him an enemy, just zis guy, you know?, an Animaniacs fan, a Monty Python fan. He is not adiabatic, qualified to dismantle nuclear warheads, a NASCAR fan, an oscillating fan, nor is he trying to take over the world.

He is perhaps known to most as the Tron Guy, though it's curious to see how many of the 'youtube generation' believe that was a youtube thing rather than something that started elsewhere and others migrated to youtube. This is perhaps the first time he has indicated he considers himself a furry, which surprised me some. I was amused by all the positive responses, including his own, to the "a friend to those who have no friends, an enemy to those who make him an enemy" which I swiped from the Boston Blackie radio show. He finds NASCAR to be dull. It's just cars going around and around - or crashing. And he's seen enough crashes or the results thereof from his time as a paramedic. If you can't tell that he's an Animaniacs fan, you really haven't been paying much attention.


4. JMaynard drinks... unsweetened iced tea, Diet Coke with Lime, Negra Modelo, Baltika #6, Port, Bloody Marys, Coffee. He does not drink, or at least avoids as much as possible, sweetened iced tea, Diet Pepsi, Diet Caffeine-Free Mountain Dew, Miller Lite. Starboard is of course a gag to with Port, the blood of his enemies was another gag and the very idea of carrot juice make him gag. Sherry has never really been tried.

His primary drink is Diet Coke with Lime, with coffee being perhaps the next most common. For strong drink, the Bloody Mary seems the most common though its frequency is rather rare. He prefers beers that are not the typical mass-produced American stuff thus will on occasion have a Negra Modelo with a Mexican meal, or an even darker brew such as a stout or porter - like Baltika #6.

5. JMaynard lives in... Minnesota, Texas, a house, reality - which many refuse to acknowledge. He doesn't live in California, Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Freedonia, Narnia, Middle Earth, all of us, the shadow dimensions, a steam-driven starship, or a yellow submarine. Of those, a move to Californis seems the least likely.

His residence, which is a house, is in Minnesota and he owns some property in Texas. Both of these places are in reality. Well, mostly in reality. Austin, TX and St. Paul, MN seem to have only vague linkage with reality at times.

6. JMaynard drives a(n)... Lexus RX350.

He used to drive a Lexus RX300 and has driven my Corolla at times. He once had the misfortune of owning a Ford Explorer, and has had both a Prius and a Hummer (well, an H3 anyway - a ruined Trailblazer) as rentals. The H3 was not very impressive and the Prius was in need of greater cargo space. He has never driven a team of horses.

7. JMaynard is registered as a(n)... voter.

Minnesota does not require a party affiliation for voter registration.

Current Mood: amused

12:21 pm - Poll: jmaynard

Poll #4337 JMaynard
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

JMaynard has been...

JMaynard's hobbies include:

JMaynard is...

JMaynard drinks...

JMaynard lives in...

JMaynard drives a(n)...

JMaynard is registered as a(n)...

Current Mood: mischievous

Actually, I think that should be the "Unrealized Truth About Managing People." About a week ago an article in ComputerWorld made the rounds, The unspoken truth about managing geeks, and got a lot of positive reaction. While it talks about IT Professionals, it applies to anyone with enough brains to not swallow every bit of nonsense some idiot salesman says. I've extracted a few key bits, but the entire article is worth a read. It should probably be required reading for anyone even contemplating a management job. I doubt that will ever actually happen, after all Dilbert is a documentary disguised as a comic strip.

On perceived ego: "It's not about being right for the sake of being right but being right for the sake of saving a lot of time, effort, money and credibility."

Mentality: "When things don't add up, they are prone to express their opinions on the matter, and the level of response will be proportional to the absurdity of the event. The more things that occur that make no sense, the more cynical [they] become. [...] Presuming this is a trait that must be disciplined out of them is a huge management mistake."

and

"If you are dismissive of complaints, fail to recognize an illogical event or behave in deceptive ways, [they] will likely stop complaining to you. You might mistake this as a behavioral improvement, when it's actually a show of disrespect. It means you are no longer worth talking to..." [Emphasis mine.] This is so very true. It's a off-net version of dealing with damage by routing around it.

Insubordination: "[They] are not anti-bureaucracy, as many observers think. They are anti-stupidity."

"Arbitrary or micro-management, illogical decisions, inconsistent policies, the creation of unnecessary work and exclusionary practices will elicit a quiet, subversive, almost vicious attitude..."

"They may work on big projects or steer the group entirely from the shadows while diverting the attention of supervisors to lesser topics. They believe they are protecting the organization, as well as their own credibility -- and they are often correct." [Emphasis mine.]

Credit whoring: "[They] would prefer to make a good decision than to get credit for it. What will make them seek credit is the danger that a member of the group or management who is dangerous to the process might receive the credit for the work instead. That is insulting. If you've got a lot of credit whores in your group, there are bigger problems causing it." I don't like saying "I did that" just too much when it is or should be a team effort, but if a slacker is getting equal credit because the rest of us are working our asses off to compensate for his lazy butt, well, don't be surprised if you hear a bit more detail than you think you need to hear.

Antisocial behavior: "Like anyone else, [they] tend to socialize with people who respect them. They'll stop going to the company picnic if it becomes an occasion for everyone to list all the [...] problems they never bothered to mention before."

And this really goes everyone, at least everyone with any work ethic at all: "[They] work their butts off for people they respect, so you need to give them every reason to afford you some. Also true is, "Standard managerial processes are nearly useless." Earlier the article mentions that professional courtesy is not the same as respect and while that professional courtesy may be an automatic thing, respect is still an earned commodity. I once told the expediter (dock supervisor) at the Post Office that I stayed later than scheduled because I was helping him and NOT because of the regular supervisor who was a micromanaging buffoon. Had it just been for that fellow, I'd have clocked out exactly as scheduled and not felt the slightest remorse about it.

And this is also true: "...the fight in most [..] groups is in how to get things done, not how to avoid work. [They] will self-organize, disrupt and subvert in the name of accomplishing work. An over-structured, micro-managing, technically deficient runt, no matter how polished, who's thrown into the mix for the sake of management will get a response from the [..] group that's similar to anyone's response to a five-year-old tugging his pants leg." That's not just IT folks, that pretty much describes every place I've ever worked. Things get done in spite of micromanagement, but never because of it. This was (and is) as true at the Post Office as it was (and is) for programming.

In fact, when that micromanager at the Post Office wasn't there, his substitute tended to be rather scarce and barely appeared to do much at all. One of the things he realized was that everybody knew what had to be done and how to do it. So he simply got out of their way and let them do the job. He was only needed when things really didn't go right or something unexpected happened. The result was a much smoother operation and a much happier crew. And this wasn't IT or programming or engineering but was largely grunt-work.

Farker vossiewulf summed it up in three rules:

1. Don't bullshit [them] and keep all marketing weasel speak out of your vocabulary.
2. Don't tell them how to fix a problem, define the desired behavior and let them determine the best solution.
3. Give them the tools they need to get done what you ask of them.

If you don't want to believe that, consider this bit of information from Farker sseye "That was actually a decent article. I've seen a few companies that would still be worth something, or still in business, if their management took that advice."

Marketing weasel words and similar nonsense merely trips very sensitive bullshit detectors - and once those go off, everything is dismissed as the drivel of an idiot and/or liar. The person spouting such garbage gets all the respect of the proverbial shady used car salesman - because that's all he deserves.

Current Mood: impressed