Simcha-Yitzchak Lerner (TGIF)'s Journal

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Spectacular display

I have to thank

katayamma for pointing out this amazing display. (The good stuff starts about 20 seconds into the clip.)

Is Microsoft out to kill XP?

If you aren't familiar with the very poor reception that most businesses have given to Windows Vista and the great (albeit unsuccessful) effort that was made to get Microsoft to extend the life of XP, the following speculation will probably be out of context.

When I manage to have a good day or two, I often help out local people with their computer issues.

In the last few weeks, I have seen an epidemic of XP PCs that suddenly are no longer able to successfully process Windows Updates. They download OK, but refuse to even try to install, with no error message other than noting that the install failed.

Even on two machines that I freshly installed XP Pro on this week. Shortly after loading SP3 Windows Update dies.

I've dug up a partial workaround that helps about half of the PCs, but I've never seen such massive failure of Windows Update.

I'm left wondering, is Microsoft trying to kill off XP?

( Details on how to fix this problem... )

Current Mood: suspicious

Medical update

( The experimental treatment that I started June 27th was a bust. )

Current Mood: sad

Quote of the day

"You are a disgrace to the food chain!"

Thanks to Faux Pas for the quote.

Organic letter opener

A letter opener for those who take "back to nature" to the extreme...

Current Mood: amused

Fun with Google Earth

Rather than getting all bothered by the fact that satellites are constantly photographing everything we do from space, some people have had fun setting up art installations that are meant to be viewed from space.

The following videos are Google Earth tours of some of these oddities. Most of these have the coordinates displayed so that you can verify them yourselves.

Needless to say, these two videos are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more out there, once you start looking for them.

Current Mood: amused

Who invented the wheel?

This video shows how Mother Nature, and not man, invented the wheel.

Do you know how old your tires really are - and why this is important?

It turns out that many tires that are sold as new have been sitting in the warehouse for years - sometimes even over a decade.

The problem is that over time the rubber dries out, causing the risk of devastating tread separation and loss of control, even if there is still full tread on the tire.

Current recommendations (being fought by the US tire industry) are to retire tires after they are 6 years old or older.

See this ABC news report on this issue and learn how to read the date code on your tires.

Current Mood: blah

Wake up America

The following video is a speech by Brigitte Gabriel, a Lebanese Christian. She speaks on her personal experience with Islamic extremists, Palestinians, Israel, the US, world indifference to evil and the dangers of political correctness carried to extremes.

I strongly encourage you to watch the full video.

http://multimedia.heritage.org/content/wm/Lehrman-092706a.wvx

Current Mood: concerned

Intel says "no thanks" to Windows Vista

As if things weren't rough enough for Microsoft in trying to push Windows Vista down the throat of corporate America (they've already succeeded in shoving it down the throat of consumers, with the withdrawal of Windows XP from the market as of the end of this month), now Intel, the other half of the famous "Wintel" alliance, has decided to stick with XP rather than upgrade to Vista.

Articles in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal discuss this decision.

Another sign of how corporations are hesitant to touch Vista is the fact that several PC vendors are offering to preinstall the "XP downgrade option" for (mainly business) users who purchase a new machine after June 30th with a license for either Vista Business or Vista Ultimate.

It sure looks like Vista is Windows ME all over again.

Now if only Linux could come out with a good desktop solution before Windows 7 comes out...

Current Mood: nerdy

An interesting e-mail by Bill Gates on his problems with Windows

It turns out that even Bill Gates has had some serious frustrations with Windows from time to time.

Among the e-mails that were turned over as part of the anti-trust trial a few years ago, was a five page rant against both the Microsoft web site, Windows Update and Windows.

A fun part of reading the e-mail is the realization that until he was forced to, Bill Gates - Mr. Microsoft - had not been keeping his own personal PC up to date with patches!

You can see the full letter in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, along with Bill's reply when the letter was shown to him at the end of a recent interview.

One of my favorite quotes, from a Microsoft VP regarding difficulties using microsoft.com:

"So they told me that using the download page to download something was not something they anticipated."

On a more personal note, I am starting yet another experimental treatment for my chronic pain tomorrow. Your prayers for success in getting this under control will be greatly appreciated.

Current Mood: amused

Miracles still happen - and prayer works

Miracles still happen - and prayer works.

A woman lost $188,000 in her trash pickup. Eventually she catches the truck, which dumps out tons of collected trash. Woman and friend are looking for a white kitchen garbage bag among uncounted identical bags.

They say a prayer, and the first bag they pick up is the one with the checks.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/06/12/blakenfeld.190k.landfill.ktvx

Can you imagine finding one tiny bag in a building full of trash?

Great news!

Some great news - my father's cancer surgery was canceled when it turned out what they had initially thought was cancerous when they initially examined it, turned out to be benign when they got the full biopsy results back.

They forgot to call him to let him know, so he showed up this morning for surgery and the staff asked him why he was there, that his procedure had been canceled.

Thank you everyone for your prayers.

Current Mood: relieved

GM sends "Dear John" letter to Oil

GM is rolling out an ad campaign which includes the following "Dear John" letter:

“Dear Oil,
We’ve had this great relationship for many years. We think we will both be a lot happier and healthier if we see less of each other.”

This is on the heels of GM's board announcing that they have approved full funding for taking the Chevy Volt, an extended range electric vehicle, into production for release in late 2010.

On top of this news, they are looking into providing a fuel cell version for 2012.

In order to break the chicken and egg problem of fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen refueling infrastructure, GM has started, in partnership with Clean Energy Fuels Corp, to build hydrogen refueling stations at select urban locations.

Current Mood: geeky

Happy Shavuot!

I will be offline the next few days in celebration of Shavuot - the anniversary of receiving the Torah 3,320 years ago.

I would like to ask everyone for their prayers for my father, Shalom Leib son of Chava. He is scheduled for cancer surgery - his second time - June 12th.

Current Mood: mixed

Happy Passover!

I will be offline for the next three days in observance of the first days of Passover.

My wife and I have been quite busy getting the house ready - yet again it looks like we are living inside of a toaster oven!

For those who are interested, some photos from preparations a few years ago can be found here.

Current Mood: busy

REJOICE!!!

Thank G-d, after five years of hearings and delays, today I received final notification from Social Security that they will be paying me my full disability benefit as well as providing me with Medicare!

Today is also the festival of Purim, the anniversary of the events from the Book of Esther.

So even without this news, today was one of the most joyous days in the Jewish calendar. Knowing now that I will be able to pay my bills and to repay all of the money that I have had to borrow from family, friends and community over the past five years only served to make it an even more joyous day!

As always, thank you everyone for your prayers. Now all we need, G-d willing, is to hear some good news on my health issues at least as good as what I have just received on my financial issues. Your continued prayers will be greatly appreciated.

Current Mood: exhilarated

The best pet babysitter ever!

Thanks to

rhjunior for this amazing video of a ball throwing gizmo that should keep most dogs entertained for hours!

Current Mood: amused

Don't *ever* let me in your kitchen!

I have been known for some spectacular kitchen accidents over the years.

Until today, my most famous one was when I made some pancake batter with yeast. This wasn't too bad until I put the leftover batter away in a glass jar.

After a while the jar exploded with such force that it blew the refrigerator door open, spraying pancake batter over everything in the entire kitchen. I had even left the cabinet doors open, so all of our dishes and glasses got sprayed too.

What makes this even worse is that a kosher kitchen has to keep items used for meat and milk totally separated. Of course it was the meat side of the kitchen that was sprayed with this dairy batter, requiring a particularly detailed level of cleaning.

Well, I think I've managed to top that.

I was opening a large (1.5 quart) container of sunflower seeds midair. I managed to vigorously throw the container upwards, causing the contents to fly up and out.

We have a ceramic tile floor, so when the sunflower seeds landed, they manged to energetically bounce everywhere. Not only did I fill the kitchen with sunflower seeds, but I also manged, via ricocheting some off of the far wall of the hallway by the kitchen, to fill the hall between the kitchen and bathroom with sunflower seeds too.

OK. So far it's a mess, but not yet one of epic proportions (not through lack of trying!).

But then I start to clean up the mess.

I get out an upright vacuum cleaner and start in the carpeted hallway. So far, so good.

Then I continue on into the ceramic tiled kitchen.

Just in case there was some minor crevice that I hadn't managed to already fill with sunflower seeds, the spinning brush of the vacuum throws most of the seeds everywhere at high velocity. Thinking that if I adjust the angle of the vacuum cleaner that I can still manage to clean up the mess, I don't have the wisdom to stop when things start flying. Since everything is already coated with sunflower seeds, I figure there's no harm seeing if I can somehow manage to get the vacuum to work on the ceramic tile floor.

You noticed that only most of the seeds went flying? What I didn't realize until I gave up trying to vacuum up the mess was that the rest were being turned into sunflower seed butter and mashed into the very recently redone grout!

So now, in addition to having to clean sunflower seeds out of every possible nook and cranny of the kitchen, including under all of the appliances, I have to scrub out all of the grout lines on one end of the kitchen.

Oh yes - I also have to open up and clean out the vacuum cleaner, which got this homemade sunflower seed butter into its brushes and belts.

So please, if I ever visit your home, don't let me near the kitchen!

Current Mood: surprised

Cool product

A Bluetooth virtual keyboard is now available.

Roughly the size of a disposable lighter and weighing less than 2 ounces, this gadget lets you type into your Bluetooth enabled PDA or other Bluetooth device without any wires or physical keyboard.

I used to have to lug a notebook around to meetings in order to capture my notes electronically. I'd have loved to have been able to sit down in a meeting, leave my Treo in my shirt pocket, put this on the table and start typing away.

If they could make one of these that projects a "heads-up" display of your screen and adds a virtual touchpad, I'd be in seventh heaven!

Current Mood: geeky