In the wake of the whole WHNT/60 Minutes/Don Siegelman thing last week.....

I figured it would be interesting to look into television station ownership for the Huntsville, AL area. Here are the big three:

WAAY - Calkins Media, Inc. - the only link I can find is http://www.phillyburbs.com
WHNT - Local TV LLC (funded by Oak Hill Capital Partners)
WAFF - Raycom Media, Inc.

Interestingly enough, the only one of these three stations to have the pertinent info displayed on their website (at the bottom of every page I have visited) is WAFF.

And so it goes....

FPL ANNOUNCES PRELIMINARY FINDINGS OF OUTAGE INVESTIGATION

FPL's Florida power outage investigation webcast

Woohoo! I just noticed that this is post number 300....

I've had this blog since either August or September of 2002. I had switched to Movable Type for a while, but I've never really known enough about coding to ensure that the scripts that MT used were safe. Needless to say, they wreaked a little havoc where this blog is hosted so I switched back to Blogger. I ♥ Blogger!

I don't believe that I've posted the links to the wife unit(1 ea.)'s other web properties (other than her jewelry thing) so here goes:

Suzy’s Entertainment Blog
My Favorite Recipes: SouthernBelle’s Recipes

Speaking of recipes...

We did the old Friday night routine of pizza (mmmmmm, Village Pizza) and a flick. BTW, the flick was Superbad. Uhhhhhhhh, what can I say about it? Not kid-friendly by any stretch of the imagination but fairly funny.......

Anyway, back to the recipe thing...... Our dinner last night was an old favorite. One cool thing about what we had was that it kind of sneaks spinach into a meal and tastes great. Hey, fool your kids with Beef and Salsa Burritos! We've always made it even less healthy by adding ground sausage but hey, you only live once. The sausage adds some wonderful flavor!

Hey, cross your fingers for me (and my 12 other classmates), y'all! We have the pleasure of taking the NRC's Generic Fundamentals Examination (as discussed here) this coming week. This is only the first step....

Hey, I work for an organization that is somewhat under the umbrella of the federal government. TVA's 75th anniversary is this year. There are some other government organizations that have big anniversaries this year. See below:

DARPA turns 50- partially responsible for the internet you are traversing right now

NASA turns 50

I was reading a story in Reader's Digest a while ago about government spending. Check it out! Prime material for consideration in this election year. Another interesting site to watch (RSS feed included) is the Congressional Budget Office's Cost Estimate site....

Another interesting government site to visit regarding what is going on in the halls of Congress is the site of The Federal Register. Strangely enough, they are celebrating their 70th anniversary this year.......

Well, it's time to vamoose! Peace, y'all!

For your viewing pleasure......

The NRC's event notification report for the trip at Turkey Point yesterday. I'm sure we'll hear more about the fluctuations on the power grid in the days to come.....

A wee bit of surfing the internets.....

led me to discover the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. There are kind of two versions. One is unofficial and hosted over at www.hazegray.org. I find the official version (from the US Navy) much cooler. Why? They have the Ship History/Command Operations Reports for some currently commissioned ships. As luck would have it, they have the command history for the ship I was on during the years I was on it. Check it out! My years were 1994-1997. There were some exciting things that happened during those years. For example, I never knew (or perhaps I forgot) the name of the ship that we helped to keep from sinking in March 1996. But it's right there in black and white (p. 5 of 29 by the file and page 4 of the report). I thought the availability of these reports was excellent. It will be cool when all the ships are complete. I don't miss that haze gray beast. And I might have mentioned it before, but it would have been an amazing chance to take the trip around the world since the GW is now home-ported over in Japan. But......not amazing enough to have stayed in.

Peace out, y'all!

For those of you following the Florida power outage.....

Here's a live stream media link from Florida Power & Light. Don't ask me how long it will last.... As of 6:15ish the live stream doesn't work. See the archive link at the bottom of this post.

And here's what the NRC has to say about what happened at Turkey Point. The NRC is sure to have more information tomorrow.

By the way, the 5:15 PM EST outage update from FPL has been archived.

First things first.......

I could give a !$#@$!&@(&^#&)^@+)+_(_)(*(&%^$$^@%$%^#$^&@# less about Barack Obama being all dolled up in traditional African dress. He was visiting his father's homeland. I'm sure that this picture (and the other crap "Obama's a radical Muslim" stories) will convince at least one person not to vote for this guy. Hey, I'm not voting for him, but it's because of his stands on the issues.......

I hope that George Bush's "prediction" fails miserably (unless it's Ron Paul). Now, I don't want Hillary or Barack in there either. I think I'd prefer a Libertarian or..... Penn Jillette!

Nifty tidbits of miscellaneous info......

I try like a madman to learn something new every day.....

I actually heard about this Friday but forgot to bring it up over the weekend. Saturday was the 223rd anniversary of the birth of George Frideric Handel. It was mentioned on my local outlet of NPR. Speaking of music, I thought it pretty cool that an American musical act is doing its stuff in Pyongyang, North Korea. Probably not hardcore diplomacy, but finding commonality through music. Just like my daddy-o suggests:

"If there is more music, maybe there'll be LESS WAR!"

-Rotcod Zzaj

Speaking of war, diplomacy, politics and things of that sort, have a look at the projected cost of all the promises that the Presidential candidates are making. And keep in mind, every man, woman, and child in this country (as of the time of this post) has a $30,627.48 share of the national debt...

For Alabamians who were directly affected by the storms and tornadoes from 2/5-2/6 and 2/17, the Small Business Administration is offering home loans, business loans, and economic injury loans. Here are the announcement pages and pertinent info:
Storms on 2/5-2/6
Storms on 2/17

Being somewhat of a small world, we noticed a sign the other day that said "Ray McKee for Congress". Both of us thought "Hmmmmm! The name of our closing attorney for our house was Ray McKee." As it happens, it's the same guy! He will be getting MY VOTE! One of his biggest issues is the "Fair Tax". Amen, brother!

Last but not least....

A 134 lb. hamburger!

Peace, y'all!

For those of y'all in my neck of the woods....

OK, it's doubtful that the folks who probably need to see this will, but here goes.....

Tips on virus hoax identification/debunking (from http://pcworld.about.com/magazine/2009p061id102498.htm)
1. Detect the undetectable. Beware of warnings that claim a virus is undetectable. In general, if you keep your antivirus software up-to-date, your system will nab the latest viruses.
2. Study the subject. If the e-mail message's subject line includes words such as "Urgent," "Warning," or even "Virus Alert," it's often a good indication that you're dealing with a hoax. Read the e-mail message with great skepticism, not great urgency.
3. Beware of tech talk. Look out for pseudo-technical discussions on the dangers of the virus. Some hoax messages include pure gobbledygook.
4. Check the sources. To create an aura of credibility, a hoax often quotes a well-known company or agency, such as Microsoft, the Federal Communications Commission, or an antivirus company. Check the Web sites of the sources quoted (or see your antivirus vendor's site). Remember also that Microsoft never posts virus alerts via e-mail.
5. Scrutinize the instructions. Beware of messages that insist you delete a file manually. True, at times you should do so, but in the context of the other tip-offs, this instruction should raise a red flag.
6. Don't spread the word. False alerts always urge you to tell everyone you know. Genuine alerts never do. Ignore the instructions, delete the message, and don't alarm everyone on your mailing list.

---

Some keywords and phrases FREQUENTLY (as in VERY FREQUENTLY) used in hoax e-mails (from http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/0/024c927836400f528825675100593eb2?OpenDocument&seg=en&lg=en&ct=us)
* If you receive an email titled [email virus hoax name here], do not open it!
* Delete it immediately!
* It contains the [hoax name] virus.
* It will delete everything on your hard drive and [extreme and improbable danger specified here].
* This virus was announced today by [reputable organization name here].
* Forward this warning to everyone you know!

wikileaks.org mirrors

wikileaks.org
https://secure.wikileaks.org/
https://wikileaks.cx
http://wikileaks.org.uk
http://wikileaks.org.au
http://wikileaks.cn
http://wikileaks.in
http://wikileaks.org.nz
http://www.cauce.us/wiki/Wikileaks
https://secure.wikileaks.be/
https://secure.ljsf.org/
https://secure.sunshinepress.org/
https://secure.freedomsbell.org/
https://secure.libertypen.org/

Have you ever wanted to try using Linux?

A friend of mine sent me a link the other day to a Linux distro that runs from right inside of your Windows session. I downloaded it the same day but haven't fooled with it very much. That part of it that I have tooled around with is pretty slick. What makes this so nifty you ask...

The ability to run dual OSes during the same session has been around for a long time. As an example, you could purchase VMware Workstation V6 Windows or Parallels Workstation. However, there's that pesky little thing called money. Mind you, I loves me some money, but I don't want to pay for something that I won't use frequently. But I do enjoy the convenience of being able to run some Linux apps from right inside of Windows at my leisure. Hence the nifty factor of andLinux. It installed fairly quickly and the only problem I've run across (I should be able to fix it pretty easily) is using sound. I was messing around with KStars last night while running in Windows. That was WICKED COOL!

I was just watching Olbermann......

Ye olde Republicans are taking "suspense/drama" and applying it to current events. It's as if they are ripping off an episode straight from the screenplay of Fox's 24. Keith is deriding the administration and the GOP in general for the following very recent ad:




Oh no! I'm skeered. Wait! Hell no I ain't skeered!

I don't like the notion that the Federal government wants to give both retroactive AND future immunity to any business entity while the jury is still out on the constitutionality of what the administration did with the assistance of several of the giant telecoms. Why is it too burdensome for the feds to go to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court? Between 1979 (FISA began) and 2006, only FIVE surveillance requests were rejected. We've seen what happens when these folks got a blank check from the House and the Senate.....

The Constitution Project's Statement on the Protect America Act

Is It Constitutional for the Senate to Retroactively Immunize From Civil Liability the Telecoms That Provided the Government with Information About Customers' Communications?

Weirdness of the day? A local branch of a national pizza chain (who shall remain nameless) accepts online orders for my address. However, they only accept orders for carryout. Now please understand, they do deliver to my neighborhood. Unfortunately, I have to pick up the telephone and call them. What kind of silliness is that?

If you're from North Alabama, you might have heard something around 11:10 PM last night...

Well, I have to get back to watching The Kingdom.

For Technorati....

Technorati Profile

I must say that this was absolutely cool..........

Just click on the image to start the video of last night's successful missile intercept.

Virus versus hoax........

Someone I know received an e-mail warning that an e-mail with the subject "You've received a Post Card from a Family member" had a virus and was "the most destructive ever" and that it had been "confirmed by Microsoft". The originator was even nice enough to include a link to snopes.com that "confirms" the truth of the subject matter. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to distinguish real virus threats from false ones. Here are a few links that might hopefully provide some level of assistance:


A study-guide on how to detect a virus hoax yourself
Sophos write-up on virus hoaxes
Virus hoaxes as listed by McAfee
Trend Micro Hoax Encyclopedia, alerts
Hoax virus list from vmyths.com

As always, use a little caution (and hopefully) common sense when it comes to e-mails and attachments (or links in e-mails). If you receive an attachment from an unknown sender, it's probably best not to open it. If you receive an attachment (particularly something unexpected) from someone you know, you should still use caution. Perhaps the best choice is to install anti-virus software. For those who are budget-minded, you may want to consider one of several free anti-virus programs (I've listed them in their rating order from this article):

Avira AntiVir® PersonalEdition Classic
avast! 4 Home Edition
Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition

For those who might feel that the old adage "You get what you pay for" rings at least somewhat true....



It's too bad that the sky is overcast right now. That makes it difficult to observe the last total lunar eclipse until 2010. I was just out burning one and noticed that the eclipse had started (through a small break in the clouds). Oh well....

Peace, y'all!

OK, OK, this is probably the last post of the night.....

Somewhat fittingly, Governor Bob Riley has declared this week (Sunday, February 17 - Friday, February 22) to be the "Alabama Severe Weather Awareness Week 2008" (I'll call it Alabama SWAW 2008). Here's NWS Huntsville's page for Alabama SWAW 2008. On the opening day, there were (as of 2/18/08) 44 tornadoes reported between the states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina. As I've said before, I hope the weather of the past couple of weeks isn't a harbinger of a VERY active spring storm season. But, it's probably best to be prepared.....

During the storms from a couple of weeks ago, we were awakened by our weather radio at 3AM. I know that three of the six Alabama fatalities were in an area that didn't have warning sirens. If you live in an area without sirens, I'd highly recommend getting a radio.

Not up for buying a radio? You can get warnings via e-mail, page or cell phone in some areas. For the local area, check out WAFF's WeatherWarn. NOAA's National Weather Service doesn't currently have a text message/e-mail service for weather watches/warnings. They do, however, have an RSS-based system.

Last week (or maybe two weeks ago now).......

An individual at work brought in two of the five new flavors of Java Monster. My curiosity got the better of me today. I tried the Nut Up flavor. Suzanne said she wanted to try the Irish Blend. I went out and found a can and brought it home. She came as close to guzzling it as one could. I had a little sip, too. 'Twas mighty tasty. Anyway, if you've ever had a hankering for some of these (the three basic flavors at least), why not have them delivered right to your door?

We saw Sarah Brightman right before Valentine's Day in 2004.....

She was SO TOTALLY AWESOME! I wholeheartedly intend to see her again when she tours in support of her new album.....

And yes, that was the segue. Symphony was just released (in the US at least) last month. I've listened to a few samples so far and I like what I hear. Plus, there's a teaser up at her profile on myspace.com. People seem to like the release so far. The average customer review for Symphony at amazon.com so far is 4.5 stars. Not bad....

Go Sarah Brightman!

Have you ever found yourself needing to whip up 100 servings (2/3 cup) of potato salad?

How about five score peanut butter cookies? Try the military way. Some military food was (and probably still is) better than other military food, but all in all it wasn't that bad.....

Speaking of recipes...

We just had some Can't miss red snapper for dinner. We both like fish anyway, so that's not a hurdle. If you enjoy fish, I highly recommend this dish. It is SUPERB!

I've pimped some stuff up here for myself, my wife and my dad. Check out the fine music from an old Navy buddy of mine. And by all means, check out the Children of Acid....

Well hell............!

I was looking at some site traffic and followed the link to the USB driver to allow firmware upgrades for Olevia LCD TVs. The old link is BUSTED! If you're looking for the USB driver to allow you to perform a firmware upgrade, look in either the "Firmware" or "Utilities" directory at this link (as of August 2008, this link isn't working and you might want to glance at this).

Keywords again......

pixelworks boot connection
olevia firmware
olevia usb
pixelworks usb

Damn, I hope this one doesn't change..........