Cleo shorn

To give you and idea of the length her Winter coat had reached, here’s a couple of photos from just before her spa treatment.

Long-haired Cleo

There's a dog in there somewhere

Since her 2nd birthday was the 3rd of the month, I decided to get her the full “spa” treatment. She got trimmed, bathed, conditioned, had her ears and teeth cleaned, nails trimmed and all the other pampering a diva expects.

If you’ve never visited the lounge you owe it to yourself to at least check out the titles. It’s not like you’re wasting your own time. You’re being well paid for that job you’re not doing right now. You could probably watch two or three of the videos before your supervisor notices.

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Sadly, yesterday, February 20, 2010 at about 10:00 AM local Amsterdam time, Bruno slipped away…no more pain, no more sorrow. This is a soulful time for me. I really miss Bruno very much. But am so relieved that he will no longer have any pain to contend with. No one should have to suffer the horrendous pain that accompanies pervasive cancer that they can’t fix …

Fran also links to several other wonderful tributes to this gentleman who managed to present an often contentious topic, the
Linux operating system, with patience and respect not often encountered among OS enthusiasts.

I urge you to read Fran’s post as well as the other comments from his friends and fans.

I, and hundreds of other people, will miss Bruno. We wish his family and friends peace.

Bruno … Remembering a dear friend

The Last Act of Courage…

To Bruno Knaapen: God Speed

The World Is Mourning The Loss Of Bruno Knaapen – Linux Advocate

Bruno Knaapen of Amsterdam

Fifty-six years ago I caused my mom a few hours of intense physical pain. I don’t know how that compared to the frequent pain I caused during the next 50 years or so, but at least I caused her that particular pain only once, and I was a totally innocent participant. I wasn’t responsible for her condition.

Birthdays are pointless between 50 and 60. And not just birthdays. I read this the other day,

There is no traditional symbol of the Fifty Sixth Wedding Anniversary

OK, that’s probably because so few people can actually stay together for 56 years. The two couples who have reached this milestone couldn’t agree on a traditional gift. Health insurance, maybe.

There were only a couple of times the fact that the 3rd was tomorrow and it is my birthday crossed my mind today. It’s just not an important milestone. The only thing significant about it at all is that it’s 29 years longer than the age I thought I’d be when I died. I felt, for some reason, assured that I would die at 27. I believed that for a number of years, from my early teens up to the day I turned 28.

Beneath my obvious relief I was completely disorientated. Shit, now what? It was a little late to be making life-altering goals. I’m not supposed to still be wondering what I want to be when I grow up at 28. And now here I am at 56, with no better idea what it is I’m supposed to be doing with my life, if indeed there is a purpose to life. Philosophically I don’t accept the idea that there is an over-riding, beyond-ourselves purpose to life at all. But practically I acknowledge the comfort in thinking there might be. Not that it makes much difference one way or the other. If there is a purpose I’m in total ignorance of it, so it might as well not exist.

Turning 28 had another profound impact on my future. It was an event that killed any chance I ever had to be a professional prognosticator. I would never be able to convince anyone I could see, let alone predict, the future. Anyone who has watched “Dead Like Me” will understand how I felt upon turning 28. All my theories about my own life were shown, rather obviously, to be wrong. Not “slightly off” but totally incorrect. My mantra from the age of 28 to this day is, “What the hell do I know?”

Thirty is a socially significant age, forty more so, But forty is also the age at which significant “milestone” birthdays begin to occur only every decade until 70 or so. Only children and seniors consider every year significant. In the “middle ages” it takes a decade to effect much change in a person’s life. There isn’t a hell of a lot of difference between the me of today and the 52 year old me. Four more years? Maybe something will be significant about that age. All I can say is that I’m pleased to still be able to entertain the notion that I might get to find out. Gives me something to look forward to.

Now there’s something that sucks about getting older: the older you get, the less you have to look forward to and the more you have to look back at. You tend to spend more time in reflection and retrospection than anticipation. As someone curious about life that can be frustrating. I’m one of those rather dissatisfied with the period of human development I was chosen to be born into. I had no choice in the selection process, I was never consulted for my opinion or given options. My choice would have been further into the future. I’m fully anticipating a future that I’m also having to acknowledge I will most likely never get to see come about. Some days that really pisses me off. My generation had the energy to really effect a profound change on society in positive ways and we pissed that energy and determination away. We failed to realize our goals then spent the rest of our time making excuses for our failures. That’s not to say my generation didn’t have profound effects on society, it’s just that those effects were less important and less satisfying than our early goals.

At least I got to realize a lot of the goals I had early in life. I kind of rushed all the experiences I could into the first 27 years of my life. I got to do things I never thought I’d actually get to do, life had its very interesting moments. I’ve come to accept rather than regret those times I can recall that were not my proudest moments, I’ve come to see the positive benefits that some of the negative events produced. I’ve proven, if only to myself, that one can fail, more than once, and still find a reason to go on, keep making mistakes and enjoying the times you don’t. Some say that what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. They forget to add that this only applies to the young. To those well past childhood that which doesn’t kill you only makes you numb, immune, no longer amused.

Celebrate “my day” by having some fun today. Take a few moments to do something silly, something random, something childish (unless you are a child, then just carry on). Best gift I could get.

I’ve known this gentleman for 5 years or more. He lives in Europe, I live in California. We have never met.

Yet I know as much about him and what he holds dear in life as I do many of my off-line friends. He is passionate about Linux. When I was ready to give up and confess that I would never understand this foreign operating system, he encouraged me to keep trying, offering invaluable advice and direction that eventually had me up and running and never looking back…until tonight. Now I can’t help but look back and realize how profoundly he affected my enjoyment of computing and taught me about operating systems and, more importantly, how to persevere and stay focused until success was achieved.

I know he has a loving family that means all the world to him. While he is a very private person he was so excited about his daughter’s wedding that he shared pictures of the event with all his on-line friends, pictures from which he was conveniently absent. He is justifiably proud of his family.

He is extremely humble about his knowledge and influence. He is solely responsible for teaching a lot of us that Linux can be enjoyed without the typical animus that often exists between Linux users and those on Windows or a Mac. When writing about Linux, he prohibits the term “newbie” which he perceives as demeaning. His goal is to introduce Linux in a friendly and helpful way to anyone interested. In this he has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.

Being non-religious I’m at a loss in offering many of the hollow platitudes folks so often trot out at times like this. I know he will be profoundly missed by his family and friends. I know that we’ll miss his moderate attitude, his patience, his encouragement, his humor, his presence. He will leave a hole in all our lives that no one else can fill. We are saddened because of what the effect of his passing will have on us left behind. Our lives will be poorer for his absence.

I join all who know this wonderful gentleman in wishing him love and peace through his remaining time with us. May his last days be free of pain and filled with joy. May he pass from us fully aware of how significant he has been in our lives. May he know he will not soon be forgotten.

Daemon was the first novel of its kind that I’ve read. I’ve plowed through the Clancy Net Force novels, even those written by other authors, and found the premise of each to be a bit too fantastic and unrealistic though they were entertaining. I enjoyed Jack Williamson’s The Silicon Dagger though the technology was never explained and came across as nonsensical. The social issues he raised are worth considering. But nothing I found impressed me as much as Daemon. The use of plausible and contemporary technology in ways that could potentially alter human society challenged my mind and excited my imagination.

I wrote a glowing review of Daemon when it was first self-published and recommended to me by a friend on Friendfeed, appropriately enough. I’ve re-read the novel 3 or 4 times now, and am eager to read the follow-up to Daemon called Freedom.

Daniel Suarez ended Daemon in a way that suggested a sequel. And very soon this sequel will be available in bookstores.

If you’d like to read a few sample chapters of Freedom you can do that here. As soon as I’ve read it I’ll have a lot more to say on the subject.

(On the Daemon’s website you’ll find many interesting links to how and where the technology Suarez incorporates into his novels is being used and explored. It’s well worth reading if you have an interest in the potential misuse of technology or internet security. You may also want to view this video in which Suarez talks about botnets.)

(Disclosure: I bought my first copy of Daemon, then Daniel kindly provided me with autographed copies of Daemon and Freedom. I assure you, having been provided with free copies of these books is in no way responsible for my enthusiasm for them. I was not asked to review them; it was solely my decision to do so. My recommendations are authentically my own.)

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CODEX SERAPHINIANUS is a beautiful beast of a book.  It is giant and heavy and has all of the majesty of some sort of grimoire or encyclopedia of an alternative universe.  But I’m getting ahead of myself, and should tell you what it contains.The book was written and illustrated by Luigi Serafini in the 1970s.  It is an imaginary record of a strange world written in an invented language, divvied up into 11 chapters, and organized thusly:

The first section appears to describe the natural world, dealing with flora, fauna, and physics. The second deals with the humanities, the various aspects of human life: clothing, history, cuisine, architecture and so on. Each chapter seems to treat a general encyclopedic topic. The topics of each separate chapter are as follows:

• The first chapter describes many alien types of flora: strange flowers, trees that uproot themselves and migrate, etc.
• The second chapter is devoted to the fauna of this alien world, depicting many animals that are surreal variations of the horse, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, birds, etc.
• The third chapter deals with what seems to be a separate kingdom of odd bipedal creatures, apparently engineered for various purposes.
• The fourth chapter deals with something that seems to be physics and chemistry, and is by far the most abstract and enigmatic.
• The fifth chapter deals with bizarre machines and vehicles.
• The sixth chapter explores the general humanities: biology, sexuality, various aboriginal peoples, and even shows examples of plant life and tools (such as pens and wrenches) grafted directly into the human body.
• The seventh chapter is historical. It shows many people (some only vaguely human) of unknown significance, giving their times of birth and death. It also depicts many scenes of historical (and possibly religious) significance. Also included are examples of burial and funereal customs.
• The eighth chapter depicts the history of the Codex’s alien writing system.
• The ninth chapter deals with food, dining practices, and clothing.
• The tenth chapter describes bizarre games (including playing cards and board games) and athletic sports.
• The eleventh chapter is devoted entirely to architecture.

(Source with more pictures: Phantasmaphile)

OnStar: “Sir, this is the OnStar operator. I’m one of hundreds of under-paid and over-worked telephone representatives expected to make the conglomerate they work for appear to be human and caring. This service was provided as an “option” when you bought your car. Of course, like everyone else, you never read the fine print that allowed you to opt out and the even tinier pricing information. Well, dude, you’re finally earning a dividend from that $4000 “option” you agreed to. Now, you want an ambulance?”

Mr. Apologetic: “Oh, well bugger me. You’re absolutely right. I never read anything the agent showed me when I bought this car. Perhaps it mentioned that the brakes don’t work now and then. Maybe it would have explained the strange oder coming from the back seat, the blood stains. Oh wait, that seems to be fresh. Oh my. Well, I brought it on myself, didn’t I? No, no. Don’t bother anyone. I’m to blame, I’ll figure a way out of this. No need to disturb the firemen. The tree I seem to have wrapped my car around is well off the road, so really, there isn’t anything for the police to do. Besides, I’m so far out here in the backcountry, at it appears about half buried in a snow drift, so they would spend too much time trying to find me. Well, look, there’s a positive note. The pool of blood hasn’t grown any larger for a few minutes. Yes. That positively motivates me. I bet if I can just get this large shard of “safety glass”-hoho, there’s a bit of irony for you-out of my face I could use it to cut my seatbelt. I may not feel like talking for a moment, Mr. OnStar.”

Mr. OnStar: “OH MY DEAR GOD! Sir, please listen to me. We need to get you some help.”

Mr. Apologetic: “AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…”

Mr. OnStar: “SWEET MOTHER OF GOD! {aside}Hey guys, this motherfucker’s got a piece of glass in his face and he’s out in the middle of nowhere and I don’t know what to do? This shit ain’t in the manual.{/aside} Sir, mister, dude, don’t touch that glass, man. Don’t. You wanna bleed to death.”

Mr. Apologetic: “AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHaaaaahhhhhhhahahahahahahahaha…”

Mr. OnStar: {aside}”Man, can’t we call up a police helicopter or somethin’? I can’t listen to this shit anymore.”{/aside}

Another Mr. OnStar, in background: “Dude, put it on speaker phone. Let us play, too.”

Mr. Apologetic: “Hahahahaha…whew, OK, let me catch my breath for a minute. Cool, now I can use this to cut my seatbelt. Errr, having a bit of bad luck finding the belt with my good eye. Maybe I’d better use both hands, this glass is really slippery. Should have kept a cloth under the seat, which being now over my head, would have given me easy access to it so I could wipe off some of this blood. Gosh, there’s just no excuse for me to be so irresponsible. My laziness has put me in this position, which is upside down, by the way. It would simply compound my error to cause concern and discomfort to others due to my own mistakes. No, it’s nice to have someone to talk to and all, but you’re not out here so I don’t feel like I’m unfairly imposing on your time. But I’d hate to drag anyone out into this storm. I’m sure my face will stop bleeding pretty soon on its own.”

Yet another Mr. OnStar, in background: “Holy shit, man, who is that? Mr. Jeeves?”

{Much laughter in background}

Mr. Apologetic: “Hehe, yes, I suppose it must sound that way. Well, you’re spot on. I’m a writer from England on a book tour across your United States. I’m somewhere between Ohio and some other wonderful state of yours. I can’t seem to think of its name. Odd, I’m usually good with names. Anyway, yes, a book tour. What ghastly fun. This isn’t too much fun, though. It is, however, just as ghastly. Now, I seem to have only one hand free. I’m going to take a few blind stabs at the seat belt and see if WOAHOHOHOHOOWOWOWOWOWO.

First Mr. OnStar: “WHAT? WHAT? What are you doing? What’d you do, man? Oh shit.”

Mr. Apologetic: “OW OW OW ow ow ow ow…bloody hell. THAT wasn’t the seat belt, that was my arm. At least that wasn’t my writing hand.”

5th or 6th Mr. OnStar: “Dude, did you just CUT OFF YOUR ARM!? {aside}Get the hell out of my way, man. I’m going to be sick.{/aside}

Mr. Apologetic: “Oh dear, I’m so sorry to hear that. Anyway, no. Not exactly off. Not completely off. Close enough, but not completely off. Odd, there isn’t any more pain. One would expect a lot more pain. Well, don’t mean to look a gift horse…well, you know. I still need to cut the belt. Might as well get on with it before…before what? Before… Before… Then after. Hehehe, I seem to be losing my focus here a bit. Need to focus. Need to cut this seat belt. It would be helpful to be able to see it, but alas. Is thatOWOWOWOOOOPS”

A Mr. OnStar: {aside}”AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggg”{/aside}

His fellow Mr. OnStar: “{aside}Jeeves is awesome. I mean, this is incredible. I never get cool calls like this. I only ever get flat tires and lockouts anymore.{/aside} Hey Mr. Jeeves, dude, are you still there? Are you still alive? Jeeves? Jeeves?”

Mr. Apologetic: {sotto voce}Huh? What? Did you wish to speak to Jeeves? Sorry, I don’t believe there is a Jeeves here. Unless perhaps I’m Jeeves. Jeeves. Jeeves. No, I think not. Jeeves?{/sotto voce}

Numero uno Mr. OnStar: “Oh god Oh god Oh god, Jeeves! Jeeves, you there, man? Jeeves, tell me what’s happenin’ man.”

Mr. Apologetic: “Errrrrrrr, oh!”

Who cares which Mr. OnStar: {aside}”Hey Larry. You notice you never started recording this call? You still ain’t recording. Shit, man, they’re going to give you so much hell if this dude ever sues the company.“{/aside}

Mr. Apologetic:

The Mr. OnStar closest to the phone: “Yo, Jeeves dude, you still there? You OK? Speak to me, sir.”

Mr. Apologetic:

Lead Mr. OnStar: {aside}Hey Larry, I’m going to start your recorder, you know it’s supposed to always be on. Good thing you were in the can heavin’ your guts out. You could have had a call come in. Oh, and check this out, you left your phone off the hook. Well, that’s easy enough to fix…”{/aside}

{Dead silence}

After nearly five years in draft, the next-generation Wi-Fi standard is set to be finalized in September. Officially known as 802.11n and often referred to as “Wireless N,” the new standard paves the way for blazing fast high definition video and data at home.

Posted via web from jeber’s found items