Car Insurance Check

Well, I noticed an article in the Star today about a place that allows you to compare car insurance rates ("Unbiased online car insurance quotes"). I've done this before with Belair Direct through the website they use (can't remember the name). I thought this site would be "unbiased" as they say in their tag-line. I don't really trust the Belair Direct check since they provide 5 competitive quotes - and I suspect that they would provide the 5 quotes that are the next 5 more expensive companies vs. their rates - and only show companies with lower rates if their rates were higher than any of the top 5 companies. What can I say, I'm cynical...
The only reason I doubt the quotes I'm getting is because every time I check and compare, my insurance supplier, The Personal, is significantly less than the next best. In the case of InsuranceHotline.com, my current rates are almost 20% lower than anything else being offered. I have trouble believing this since I feel that my rates are high - so I again suspect the results.
Anyway, this site also allows for regular updates to be emailed to you on the rate comparisons. I guessed at some of my info (like date I got my license and years insured, stuff like that), so maybe I will go back in and update with accurate information and see if it makes a difference.
Plus, by mentioning them in this blog I am suppose to get a free e-book on 'Car Carma', so what the hell?!

Movie Review: Babel

Movie Review: Smokin' Aces

Liked it a lot more than I expected! But that often happens to me with movies - I see something that looks good but not great, so I go in with low expectations and have less chance of being disappointed. Lots of guns and violence, makes for a loud couple of hours! Good flick...

Pianos and Houses

The ownership date for the new house is approaching - 5 more days! Anyone know how to test if a piano "works"? (obviously hitting the keys, but if a key doesn't make a sound, how tell if its a major or minor problem, and what about those peddle things...?)

My buddy says that when he gets finicky doing rough carpentry, framing or whatever, his friend Terry often reminds him "We aren't building a piano!" Meaning Piano's are finely-tuned machines that need to be "finickied." My buddy's advice: if a key doesn't make a sound and you don't immediately see the corpse of the mouse that is causing the problem, leave it and call a trained professinal.

Planning to take the piano to my buddy's place in Ottawa and unload Thursday night and stay at his place (basking in the glow of piano appreciation...) - maybe walk to a nearby pub after the unload for a beverage. I don't want to drive the truck to Montreal at all on Friday, but I really don't want to do it with a piano on the back! So unloading is critical... Other than shuffling a piano about, and me working a day in Montreal, I'm not sure what else we can do for a couple of hours. Maybe all the guys can take turns riding my buddy's home-made recumbent bike and then have his wife can drive us all to the ER in the pickup? (....just sayin'....). We could stand around with mugs of beer on the piano singing. Actually, my buddy's wife's repatoir tends towards classical, but I'm sure we could make up some words. Looking forward to drinking some beers and making up words to "The Flight of the Bumblebee".... should be good for a laugh!

I've been really busy lately - starting to not like work again. BUT, the work at the new house is fun - took down a wall Friday and started putting up a new header for the gap yesterday. All of the upstairs carpet is gone and took a full car-load of old paint to the hazardous waste drop-off yesterday, and ordered all new windows. Hoping to finish the room header today and get the wiring done for that "wall". Soon it will be time to pull up the main floor carpets, tile, linoleum, and old hardwood (would be nice if could be reused - see how it goes). Mom and Dad are meeting the real estate agent for their house today - and hopefully listing. They've already met once and are not happy with the estimated value, but there you go...

As for the pianos, my biggest concern is the truck. It popped a brake line in the driveway a week or 2 ago, and yesterday the coolant pump popped and pumped all the coolant out onto Dad's driveway. All this and I haven't even put the friggin' piano in the back of it yet! If I can make it to Ottawa and unload the piano at least, then I can deal with any other issues more easily.

Movie Review: Snakes on a Plane

Wasn't disappointed because didn't expect much. I think the part of the movie I liked best was when the video signal from my satellite dish cut-out for several minutes and the recording jumped ahead to when the plane was coming in for a landing - and didn't really care that I missed one of the main parts of the show....

CD Database

I'm rethinking the CD inventory approach. The 200-disc changer appears faster in concept because you load it up and then do all the lookups at once, but the lookup software is clumsy (generous here, its crap...) and its all-or-nothing, its a pain to do a couple CDs at a time, you have to do a full lookup for the best result...plus the resulting inventory files are text with one file per CD and the files aren't easily converted to a full single database for searching and reporting - which is the whole point... I did some additional digging and found the shareware MusiFind. It does lookups one disc at a time through the computer, but it is designed specifically for creating an inventory of music so it comes with standard and custom reports and supports export to HTML which is a huge bonus since that is my intent in the end (to allow access for some key people to view). So with 800 discs already put through the changer method, I am looking at a restart...but with the restart I will see end results immediately. Stay tuned as I should be able to post the inventory on an incremental basis....

Mileage conversion

Magic numbers for converting fuel consumption: 234.5 for US gallons and 282.5 for Imperial gallons.... Divide the appropriate magic number by your fuel consumption to convert between MPG and L/100km. Example: my hybrid is currently getting 5.0 L/100km = 282.5/5.0 = 56.5 MPG (imperial).....amazing the info available via wireless devices these days!!!

GPS in Cellphones

Got a question about GPS functionality in cellphones... I don't believe that the GPS circuit is powered if the phone is turned off so I don't believe that a powered-off phone can be "tracked". Beyond that its hard to say because its really up to how the network and phone are configured to work.

Examples:

• my Blackberry has a user option setting to enable and disable the GPS functions, however I believe that the setting gets bypassed during a 911 call, so can probably be bypassed other ways also.
• a couple of years ago when I was working on this it was limited to only while you were on a call because the network needed a "connection" over which to send the location data, but if a service provider wanted to invest some development dollars there would likely be a way to use the "control channels" to transfer the data while the phone was not in a call, but the cost/benefit of this would be questionable since the data bandwidth space available on the control channels is limited so not sure we would waste it on an application that targets individual users (but it is theoretically possible)
• there are less accurate versions that check signal levels received at different towers at the same time from your phone (in a call or idle, during a registration for example) and triangulating your location based on that (this is also done during "assisted GPS" situations where not enough satellites are visible to get an accurate GPS fix)

So, depends why you are asking. Normal commercial operation typically requires an active call and user enable of the service. Can "the man" find you if he really really wants to - probably...

Facebook Info Collection

This is an interesting review of Facebook "founding fathers". A little scary, but not at all unexpected. Actually I would have been very surprised if the article tried to tell me that detailed information gathering wasn't going on...

So the real question becomes, how do you protect yourself? At this point, aside from cutting all e-connections (which I don't really want to do...) all I can think to do is giving as little information as possible, and providing false information if I don't see how the information requested will assist ME in MY use of the internet service I am using.

Recently I asked Monster.ca to remove my information from their site because I wasn't using it very much at all (because it is riddled with intrusive ads and not easy to get what I want). Below is an excerpt from the email response I received:

"If you would like to have your email address and account COMPLETELY deleted from our database, please reply to this email with the following information as it appears on your account:

1. Account USERNAME for login (if known)
2. Street address
3. City
4. State
5. Country
6. Zip Code or Postal Code
7. Phone Number
8. Your Full Name
9. Any former email addresses you may have had on your account
10. A former employer or school that appears on your resume

The information that you provide is ONLY used for verification purposes. Once we verify the information, your account will be deleted."

Given that I had not provided them with most of the info above in the first place, I found it odd that I needed to provide all of this to have my account removed - my username and password, by definition, should be enough to uniquely identify me in their database.

My response? I logged on to my Monster.ca account and filled it with garbage data. After that they can keep it active for as long as they like.

Its just like the spam emails that say "click here to unsubscribe" - as soon as you click that link they know they have a valid email address that they can sell, and the flood gates open. I loved it when I got spam emails advertising CDs with millions of 'guaranteed valid email addresses' - how did they know the addresses were valid? because people had already provided some form of response.

Creating a PowerPoint picture album

A buddy of mine recently asked how to suck a bunch of pictures into PowerPoint to make a "photo album". I remembered doing this for my pictures from our trip to Belize so did some digging and found it again:

In my version of PowerPoint with my configuration (of course, qualifiers):
- select menu item "Insert"
- select "Picture"
- select "New Photo Album"

If you don't have this, it might be an add-in. Search the help file or online for related keywords. I did a Google search on "Powerpoint Insert Picture New Photo Album" and found a bunch of stuff, but there seem to be different things to do depending on the version of Windows and PowerPoint that you have.

Enjoy!

P.S. I think if you save a presentation as format PPS (Power Point Show), people don't need to have Power Point on their computers to see the presentation (I think....)

There they go, the boys in the bright white sports car...

There they go, the boys in the bright white sports car, waving their arms in the air - who do they think they are, and where did they get that car...

Tunes from the ages....

Having recently had a birthday milestone I got a mental image when the song came on the radio of my youth driving off "waving their arms in the air". Not that the image was all bad - my "youth" being represented by....let's say by something likely inspired by Chris' recent on-the-job personnel management issue, but still....

Rube! Buddy...!

This starts as a typical Rube Goldberg machine but soon becomes something near and dear to my heart, a flaming, explosive cornucopia of pyrotechnics!

There are lots of Rube Goldberg machine examples on YouTube worth a look, take a look, and heck, why not make a day of it?

I just saw a bathroom go by me on the highway...?

...cabinets and everything. ...and I think those are bedrooms, closets, and windows.... and that looks like a kitchen...more cabinets and a sink... I guess someone is building a modular home, fairly common I guess, but just funny to see it driving down the street...

Busy Canada Day Weekend

Bathroom is almost done. Dad is coming over to finish the tiling and grouting this week. I installed the light over the vanity, the exhaust fan, and the light in the shower this weekend. Found some additional things that need to be done but not urgent. Also repaired my rain barrel, successfully, and cleaned my gutters (really bad, yuck). Looking forward to a week of vacation next week - reading a book, and playing some golf.

Bathroom Remodel Update - Electrical Snag

Spend the last 2 days in the attic doing wiring for the bathroom. Trying to get a new light over the vanity and another in the shower connected to one switch, and a new fan connected to a timer. Got everything connected and...nothing. BUT before tearing it all apart I remembered that everything is running through a GFI plug - went back into the attic and hit the reset - and got something... The light over the vanity works, but nothing in the shower and the fan doesn't work. Upon further investigation I have found that the fan timer I bought requires connection to the neutral line as well as to the hot wire - but I've setup the wiring in such a way that only allows the timer to connect in line with the hot wire... SO, need to get another model of timer to make the fan work, and hoping that the shower light is just a bad bulb (but can't check since only temp install and still in the attic). I'll get a new timer tomorrow and change the bulb - and I am confident (honest) that it will work....

But, GETTING VERY CLOSE!!!!

The silence of the fish tank is deafening...

The fish tank has been in decline for some time now, but Sharon and I have been trying to maintain the look - and life, associated with the tank. That is until about a week or two ago when we were talking about moving some furniture around and realize through the course of the conversation that neither of us really wanted the fish tank, and that we were only maintaining it because we thought the other liked it.... classic....
Not wanting to simply flush our little guys to that horrible tank in the back yard (we are on a septic system), we decided to let them loose in a nearby weedy overgrown pond. They are old, they are tropical, and they are brightly coloured so no expecting them to last long in that environment, but at least they can go out fighting!

Movie Review: Deja Vu

We watched Deja Vu last night and I liked it quite a bit. The idea reminded me of some thoughts I had back in high school about time travel and thinking that traveling faster than light may not take you back in time but might allow you to see back in time (at least within a certain time period). Also seemed to touch on the "observer effect" - which I think learned about as either the "Hawthorne Effect" or the "Heisenburg Principle" which basically says that the act of observing something changes the possible outcomes, so you are never really observing what is really happening.
Anyway, I think I liked the movie because it got me thinking about some of these things - it stimulated a few brain cells that have been dormant for a while.... I liked it... On a side note I'm thinking of taking the Hawthorne Effect to work and putting it into practice... ;)

Alziemers

Had a thought today - how well do Alziemers sufferers respond to chat-based communication using old pictures of people they know as the visual communication indicator? I have heard that people with Alziemers can remember things from their past but have trouble with new memories. I have also heard of some places that put display cases of memorabelia in front of sufferer's rooms and they seem to be able to remember their stuff and therfore remember where their room is... So this got me thinking, I can see how an older person who has trouble making new memories could begin to not recognize (ie. remember) their kids, because as kids grow up they change shape, appearance, mannerisms, etc. So what if you remove everything from this equation with the only visible queues being an unchanging and known picture of the person they are typing messages to... Anyone know about this stuff? Could this work?

Internet Security

I was talking to a friend about internet security stuff on sites like Facebook, Classmates (which sucks, can't do much of anything without paying), MySpace, etc. - information goldmine for identity theft... I should remove a lot of my work stuff from LinkedIn for the same reason, but I find the functionality handy. One thing I always do is give a fake birthday and never info on my family.... I just think of those "security questions" the bank asks when I call to do telephone banking - along with address and stuff that anyone can get, they ask your birthday and mother's maiden name, etc...
Another theory, I know many people who use the same username and password for different sites: I wonder if some of these sites ever run scripts to see if their client's usernames and passwords work on Google, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.
I've already had a bad spam experience that I am positive was triggered by an ecard (so I don't accept those any more...). One of the types of spam I received was ads to buy CDs full of "guaranteed valid" email addresses for mass marketing. Got me thinking - how do they know the email addresses are valid? Well, at some point you must have responded to one of their emails - which would include following the "remove" instructions on spam and also answering ecards from non-reputable sites (in the ecard case they get 2 email addresses for the price of one...). Spam is the #1 reason that I use Yahoo for my email, their spam filters are fabulous...

Restaurant Review: Ten Restaurant & Wine Bar

Went to "Ten Restaurant & Wine Bar" at Hwy 10 and Lakeshore last night with friends from work. Started with a Guinness - only had the cans but that's okay, its what I have at home. Had the wellington burger - excellent, one of - if not the best hamburger I've ever had!

Take a Guess...

On my way into the office this morning I passed a well-endowed woman wearing a T-shirt that read "Guess".

I successfully resisted the urge to ask if the answer was plural and started with a "t" or "b"...

its official - I'm old....

I crossed a line last night... I used hair colour on my grey hair... I said I never would, and I did.

But really its no big deal - more for fun than anything else. My hairdresser, Rose, suggested I use "Ashen Blond" just to gloss things over a bit. I couldn't find that colour so we went with "Sandy Blond". Not bad, a little auburn showing up on top and lots of grey still showing on the sides. I might try it again in the fall and through the winter, but the summer is all about the sun...

Movie Review: Crank

Not going to spend much time here, in short Crank was disappointing. I loved The Transporter and that's where I started considering movies with Jason Statham as good picks. But after Transporter 2 (come on, give me a break with the car barrel-roll bomb removal sequence - please...) and now this, he might have to come off the watch list...not so much because of him, but because of the director/producer teams he's working with...my opinion.

Confused Google Ads?

I've been watching the ads that Google has been placing on my blog and I think my scatter-brained set of topics are confusing the system a bit - some very odd ad-link hits... I tried changing the scope of the blog a bit by limiting the number of entries that appear at one time but that doesn't seem to help. (Note: you can access earlier posts from the menus at the left). Personally I like to have everything on one page so that I don't have to click around to see more stuff, I can just scroll. Thoughts from anyone on this? I've also been thinking of grouping topics together in sub-blogs - what about that? Nah, all in one is a lot easier...

Pirate eye-patch

Wow... Just watched an episode of Mythbusters where they tested the ability to make it through an obstacle course in the dark. The trick being that by wearing an eye patch over one eye they could switch from day vision to night vision almost immediately. The show was looking at a bunch of pirate-related myths (likely spawned by the release of the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie) and this one is totally practical and likely real and a misunderstood way of moving from the upper deck to below-decks in bad lighting. Although today's pirates who sport eye-patches are likely only around at Halloween, I think this still applies for the kids - use the patch on one eye while running around in the dark (doing those things that you do on Halloween), then switch to the other eye after collecting candy at a house where the lights are on. The eye previously covered by the patch should have better night vision since it was covered while at the house (or define 1 eye as the house eye and the other as the dark eye and switch before and after the house visit).
Anyway, just thought this was neat. Now I wonder what the parrot was used for...?

Fuel Comsumption vs. Emissions

I've been wondering... My assumption has always been that the vehicle that can go the farthest on a set amount of fuel is the most environmentally friendly. Is that a correct assumption? Do some vehicles go farther but produce more harmful by-products? But then thinking over the course of lifetime use, does the saved fuel of the more "efficient" vehicle offset the more harmful emissions of the other...? Thoughts?

Movie Review: Click

Not bad for an Adam Sandler flick... The commercials for Click make it look like a comedy, and it did have some comedic elements and moments, but really it was a cautionary tale about living your life while you can and enjoying the things that make up a day and the pleasures of family. In this case the main character had a tendancy to fast-forward through bad spots in life, but I think I would have had a tendancy to pause or slow-motion a lot. Like this friggin' bathroom remodel - pause my life in the work-week evenings while trying to figure out how to make things work and put it all together, then slip back into regular time to enjoy the weekends. Hell, even slow-motion through the whole weekend! But I'm sure there are pitfalls to this also that would come to light if I actually thought about it (like maybe I age a lot faster than everyone else because I'm running on faster time...?). All in all I liked it, was a good movie.

Symantec / Norton

I remember back in the day when Norton Utilities was the best thing since the expansion card slot - Disk Doctor, SpeedDisk, etc. In recent times I have been using some of the newer Norton products from Symantec - mostly the antivirus and security stuff, but also tried PCAnywhere - and I have to say that I'm really disappointed. Not only is the software a memory and resource hog, but removing it from your computer is like trying to get gum out of your hair... I finally spent the time to surf some webforums to find instructions for removing this software from my computer (and yes, it involved manual editing of the registry - never a good thing...). At least it didn't kill my computer completely, apparently like a recent update did in China!

Movie Review: Sean of the Dead

I'm typically not really a zombie movie kinda guy, but this one I liked - funny! I love the little slip as the Sean gets a drink from the cooler at the convenience store - well done! As the end of the movie approaches, things start to get a little silly and get very close to the "too far" point, but then recover for a giggle of an ending. A good follow-up movie to this would be "Fido" with Billy Connelly...the setting sort-of picks up where this movie ends... Was good.

Just Turned 40 ....

Forty years - and life is still good... There have been some rough patches but mostly good, though I do have this nagging feeling that I could have and should have done more, but I can live with the decisions I've made (like I have a choice ;). That said, I think its time for a drink - Guinness all around!

May 2-4 Weekend - IN THE POOL !!

We had to crank the heater to get the temperature up to swim level, but the weather cooperated and we were in swimming on Saturday! Sharon set the tone by jumping in from the waterfall for her first time into the pool - excellent! Still some work to do around the patio in the gardens, but I think it turned out very nice in the end...very happy indeed!!

Open issues that still need to be addressed...

• cracked rocks on waterfall (now both sides), fix and/or warranty implications?? biggest concern since we can't fix this ourselves
• still finding broken glass in the garden soil provided and haven't even started digging in it yet, usually find more pieces after each rain
• heater: have experienced the following fault codes: "FAN" and "GVO" - not sure if we should be concerned or not...
• missing screws in door hinges
• bottom of door hits wall when closing (sometimes depending on weather - damp)
• water level seems to be dropping fairly fast, any way to test for leaks in plumbing?
• white rock face
• pressure gauge that faces up instead of back straight towards a wall...

'92 Honda Civic - 460,000 kms

Back when I decided to get my '03 Civic Hybrid, I struggled with what to do with my '92 Civic. I had purchased it new in '92 and had enjoyed it for all those years - and it still looked and ran fine. Because it still worked so well I really didn't want to take it for a trade-in because I knew that the dealer wouldn't give me anything for it. At about the same time my Dad's car stopped working so I gave him my '92 and then bought my '03 Hybrid.

Well, at 15 years old and over 460,000kms, the old Civic is still going strong! Runs fine and you wouldn't know its age if nobody told you! Impressive...

Finally - CD Library working again

I've finally got one of my old computers up and running and working with my Kenwood 200-disc CD changer. This doesn't sound like much but given the bugs with the NetNamer software and the problems I've been having with my dial-up internet service, this is a major milestone. The biggest step was getting the high(er) speed wireless internet service from Routcom - which allows me to use the internet the way it is meant to be used.

So, with that working I can proceed from my current status of about 600 CDs inventoried... I figure that I am not quite half way through the pile. My cousin, Jeff, is a net programmer so he has built a little software tool that pulls in all the NetNamer CD files and loads them into a database, so eventually I will have a full database of all of my CDs that will be fully searchable and support report generation. Eventually I hope to have the inventory posted on the net for easy access, which would also better support any future plans to sell/trade some of the collection.

I'm a little annoyed that the NetNamer software doesn't download the Artist name when it does a lookup. I get all the songs and the Album title, but not the Artist... Makes no sense. But there are so many bugs that I am just taking what I can get and looking to by-pass the poor functionality. I've asked Jeff if he can look into the CDDB/Gracenotes lookup functionality to see if we can access the full information for a CD using the disc id information available from the NetNamer software. I would then use the NetNamer software just to get the CD disc ID information and then do all the lookups through another bit of software. Frustrating...as an engineer I see the huge potential for software like this - full disc information, cataloguing collections, multiple custom play lists, live song rating that drives intelligent auto-playlists of favourites, etc. It is a shame that so little of that potential has been realized - AND that from what I have read on the net, little or no development has been done to improve the software going forward into new hardware releases!!! I think Kenwood really dropped the ball on this one...

Bathroom Reno - The tub is in and the walls are up

It was a challenge and took 2 layers of drywall on the head end wall of the tub to get the measurements right, but its lookin' good! I had decided on using the same tile on the walls as I have on the floor, but now having second thoughts... But I haven't found a wall tile I like that matches the floor and the rest of the room so I might just go with it... Anyway, the tub plumbing is done and we are ready to tile when I make up my mind.

Product Review: Cool - pre-soldered copper pipe joints

Found something very cool at Home Depot - presoldered copper pipe fittings! Elbows and connectors and caps - everything - with a ring of solder inside so all you need to do is clean the contact points, put on a bit of flux, and heat until the solder flows! No more trying to juggle the solder and the torch and never quite getting it right. I like this product a lot!

I didn't have any problems with the installation that I did. My Dad tried one of the elbows at his place, but was in a dark location and he didn't see the solder start to flow, so he just kept heating - until there was no solder left in the joint! Needless to say that he had to do it all over again. For someone who is new to soldering copper pipe, this is much easier but without a background in soldering you might not know what to expect. For those who have experience - you will see the benefits immediately!

I checked a couple of forums on plumbing and found that the "pros" don't really care for this product - but I like it for the occasional do-it-yourselfer...

Bathroom Remodel Update - Tub Snag

Tub #2 is now in Dad's Honda Civic and we are heading home. The new tub is basically identical to the one we just pulled out but is white instead of almond.

While we were there I decided to get the vanity cabinets also - nope...
All the "Mills Pride" cabinets we looked at are for kitchens and therefore 24" deep. The green granite vanity top I wanted to use (with the pre-installed under-mount sink) is only 22" deep. There is a much smaller selection of Mills Pride bathroom cabinets - basically white, sort-of white and "champagne" - anything else is special order.

After we try to install this new tub we are going to go check the Rona in Barrie - Dad noticed a bigger selection of cabinets there - figured we would at least try...

High speed internet

Well I got a wireless highspeed modem from one of my buddies in engineering for the weekend, but didn't work consistently, just on the edge of coverage from the nearest site. So, need to call back the Routcom people and get their service installed. At least I can now get something!!! Only a little while to go before I am able to effectively use the internet again!

Movie "300", slavery and freedom

I went to see the movie "300" last night, impressive. I liked it but it was pretty graphic, and gratuitously so in my opinion - severed limbs and such flying through the air. There was also a little T&A sprinkled here and there which kept things interesting. At one point the Spartan king, Leonidas, is offered his kingship position, ruler of all his people, reporting to no-one but the invading God-king, Xerxes, if only he will kneel at Xerxes' feet. In other words, everything he has, with no further bloodshed, if he submits to the rule of another.

Of course we are taught that freedom is everything, and that we should never surrender to slavery, BUT... I was thinking about the offer made above to Leonidas relative to what it means to being a slave. When I think of slavery I think mostly of the movie "Roots" and that depiction of slavery. But the version of slavery offered above seems very different. It reminds me more of a union / company type relationship with the union under the direction of the company but with the strength of the union allowing it to drive policy and influence direction.

This all gets me thinking about the actual meaning of slavery relative to the lives that people live today. Reading the following definitions of slavery that I found on the web, it doesn't sound too far removed from the life I think a lot of people feel they may be living today.

Slave [noun]: a person who works very hard for someone else. Example: He has a slave who types his letters and organizes his life for him.
[this sounds a lot like most of my days at work...]

and

Slave [verb]: to work very hard, often for another person.
[I guess this is a little too general, I guess it makes more sense if you add the words "for no compensation" to the end of the definition]

Have we become slaves without realizing it? Laws and by-laws and guidelines that restrict and limit and control our actions a little at a time. The most obvious changes have happened since 9/11, but even before that, jay-walking for example... Crossing a street at other than a controlled intersection...how free can a person be if doing this is illegal?

This got me thinking about the meaning of freedom, and I found these...

1. the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint.
2. Liberty of the person from slavery, detention, or oppression.
   ==> [these I get, talking about being free of physical or psychological restraint]
   
   
3. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
4. the absence of or release from ties, obligations, etc.
5. civil liberty, as opposed to subjection to an arbitrary or despotic government.
   ==> [these are not so clear; external control, interference, regulation, obligations, (seemingly) arbitrary rules - these all sound like typical days at work or dealing with traffic laws or community by-laws...?]
   
   
6. the power to determine action without restraint.
7. The capacity to exercise choice; free will: We have the freedom to do as we please all afternoon.
8. personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery.
9. the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy; self-determination.
   ==> [this I get, the freedom to make decisions. and here is where things get interesting... One could argue that I have the freedom to choose to follow the rules or choose not to and suffer the consequences - but if the rules exert control and regulate your activities, then is this a fair choice?]
   
   
10. Freedom, independence, liberty refer to an absence of undue restrictions and an opportunity to exercise one's rights and powers. Freedom emphasizes the opportunity given for the exercise of one's rights, powers, desires, or the like: freedom of speech or conscience; freedom of movement. Independence implies not only lack of restrictions but also the ability to stand alone, unsustained by anything else: Independence of thought promotes invention and discovery.
11. The right of enjoying all of the privileges of membership or citizenship: the freedom of the city.
    ==> [enjoying the privileges of membership or to exercise one's rights - all of this implies that the conditions of "membership" or one's defined rights allow for a degree of freedom - cuz if the rules don't list something, then do you really have the freedom?]

All of this to say - are we as free as we believe that we are? Or have we been moving slowly into a state of slavery under the guise of "public" safety?

Then again - people are self-centered idiots. Without overly specific regulations that try to put common sense into enforceable writing, you get the jerks who toss their trash out their car windows while driving down my nice country road... I guess we need the multitude of little by-laws like those against littering as much as we need the bigger laws like the ones that make it illegal to throw large rocks at these same passing cars...

Virus writers - how about some antibodies?

Any hackers or virus authors out there that want to make the world a better place? How about writing an antibody "infection" that cleans up Windows and makes your computer run faster?

Are you not sure how this fits with your goal of "sticking it to the man"? How about this... if the majority of computers starting working better and faster, then there wouldn't be a need to upgrade so often... or is that your point? By working with Microsoft to clog people's machines with crap and ever expanding software, you push the masses towards hardware upgrades which you can leverage... Hmmmmm...

So really, virus writers are working for "the man"!