Month: July 2005

Grrr… downtime.

I have zero idea how long the blog has been down; I may have to set up a script to mail me if it goes down again — being that as it may, it wasn’t software; the server was quite visible here in the apartment, and the SFChat.org address stayed up… it was a DNS problem.

If this means nothing to you, don’t sweat it. We’re back now, and should remain up and running until, well, something else goes wrong. I’m sort of tempted to see about moving the blog to a real hosting provider, but since nobody really reads this anyway, well, I like the geek factor of running my own server. It just has its downsides, as we’ve just seen.

Why performance per watt matters…

Via comp.sys.ibm-pc.chips, on the Inquirer: Smoking laptop nearly brings down plane

Person with burning crotch

By Nick Farrell: Friday 15 July 2005, 08:12

AN AUSSIE aircraft hit panic stations after the smell from an overheated laptop was thought to mean that the plane was on fire.

More at the link above and

A temporary hiatus?

Older story, but worth reposting here….

Calif. housing bubble seen deflating

UCLA researchers see prices flattening
Updated: 5:37 p.m. ET June 21, 2005
SAN FRANCISCO – California has a housing bubble, but it may not pop with a bang, UCLA researchers said in a quarterly economic forecast.

Sounds like wishful thingking. I’ll believe it when I see it.

Blogging and the Academic Job Search

From The Chronicle of Higher Education : Bloggers Need Not Apply

What is it with job seekers who also write blogs? Our recent faculty search at Quaint Old College resulted in a number of bloggers among our semifinalists. Those candidates looked good enough on paper to merit a phone interview, after which they were still being seriously considered for an on-campus interview.

That’s when the committee took a look at their online activity.

In some cases, a Google search of the candidate’s name turned up his or her blog. Other candidates told us about their Web site, even making sure we had the URL so we wouldn’t fail to find it. In one case, a candidate had mentioned it in the cover letter. We felt compelled to follow up in each of those instances, and it turned out to be every bit as eye-opening as a train wreck.

If I head back to grad school, I will take this seriously into account in terms of whether to keep this site live. As long as I’m in IT, I don’t think it matters. Heck, some eccentricity is expected.

(Passed on by an friend.)

More California Craziness

Million Dollar Trailers

A two-bedroom, two-bathroom mobile home perched on a lot in Malibu is selling for $1.4 million. This isn’t a greedy seller asking a ridiculous amount no one will pay. Two others sold in the area recently for $1.3 million and $1.1 million. Another, at $1.8 million, is in escrow. Nearby, another lists for $2.7 million.

This is JUST for the trailer itself — you still have to pay RENT on the land that you do not own (nearly $3k a month on top of the million). I do like California weather, but I think I’ll take a little bit of snow for sanity in housing prices.

“Housing may sting more than dot.com bust”

Housing may sting more than dot.com bust

Whether it’s a national bubble or just pockets of regional froth, an end to surge in home prices could inflict economic harm that would make the 2000 tech bust look tame in comparison.

Duh.

More discussion at “Housing crash to be worse than dot.com bust?” on AMERICAblog.

O’Connor Resigns.

Bugger.

On CNN via DBA:

“This is to inform you of my decision to retire from my position as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, effective upon the nomination and confirmation of my successor.

“It has been a great privilege, indeed, to have served as a member of the Court for 24 terms.

“I will leave it with enormous respect for the integrity of the Court and its role under our constitutional structure.”

Lots of talk on AMERICAblog, MyDD, DailyKos, and I’m sure all the other usual suspects as well.

It cannot possibly be overemphasized how much damage an unbalanced conservative court could to to civil liberties in this country. This was why I vehemently opposed Bush in 2000, and is probably more important even than the war issue today. Get involved, stay involved.