• James Gosling: Wisdom from the way-out edge
  “Have confidence in yourself. People you think are oracles of wisdom – they’re just making it up.”
  (tags: philosophy software technology innovation)
• Microsoft releases Vista SP1 – ZDNet.co.uk
  I can’t wait to see what it breaks.
  (tags: vista microsoft windows)
• Chuck Norris – Google Search
  “Google won’t search for Chuck Norris because it knows you don’t find Chuck Norris, he finds you.” Thanks, Chad.
  (tags: google chucknorris humor search)
• Bad Astronomy Blog » Arthur C. Clarke, 1917 – 2008
  (intentionally silent)
  (tags: arthurcclarke, astronomy, science)

• Being Productive and Task Management | Mysterious Issues
  She’s making a list and checking it twice… thanks, Colonel!
  (tags: productivity taskmanagement)
• What’s more important to become an IT consultant: education or experience? | IT Consultant | TechRepublic.com
  Whether ’tis nobler never to have applied one’s knowledge, or to have vigorously proceeded in ignorant action.
  (tags: consulting education experience techrepublic)

Happy Saint Patty’s day, everyone! I forgot to insure that my one green shirt wasn’t in the laundry today, so you’ll all have to give me a virtual pinch. Unless wearing green on my weblog counts. Oh, and there’s that green patch of something growing in my… nevermind.

From where I’m typing I can smell all the way to the kitchen where my wife is boiling a big slab of corned beef. The aroma is making me seriously hungry. I’m sure the sodium payload will send my blood pressure over the top, but it will be worth it. I’ll just sit and pulsate the rest of the day.

My mother sent me an e-card to remind me that we’re part Irish, through her mother’s father. But all you have to do to convince me of my Celtic ancestry is to set a pint o’ Guinness in front of me. I very well may break my beer-free diet for this holiday.

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh! An bhfuil tú ar meisce fós?

• A $3 trillion debacle – The Boston Globe
  The money quote: “The entire federal budget for autism research, about $108 million, is spent every four hours in Iraq.” thanks, Lenny.
  (tags: autism iraq war)
• 7 reasons not to give up on the mercury/autism link
  #3 especially. Nobody seriously involved in this debate is anti-science. We simply don’t have any good science on this yet — only bad politics.
  (tags: autism mercury thimerosal cdc vaccinations)
• Associative array (hash, dictionary) class for Synergy/DE — Chip’s Tips for Developers
  features['useful'] = new Hash()
  (tags: hash dictionary associativearray synergyde statictyping oop)

• Video Testimonials Synergex Success Partners Conference (SPC) Testimonials
  I always thought my voice was deeper.
  (tags: synergex synergyde video testimonial programming)
• Bb’s RealTech | XHTMLAte WordPress Comments
  I’m going to have to try this one out, right after I get the rest of my markup to validate XHTML.
  (tags: wordpress php xhtml)
• IS-A IS-A HAS-A
  Now I need to write a language that derives its inheritance mechanism from its composition facilities. Oh wait, we already have that in Ruby and JavaScript.
  (tags: oop inheritance programming oo development composition raganwald)
• PragDave: Playing with a Testing Library
  expect(daves.testlib.useful?) == true
  (tags: programming ruby testing)

• Chad Perrin: SOB » insomnia and productivity
  Isn’t everyone like that?
  (tags: programming hacking zone insomnia)

• This is why I’ll always remain a Microsoft skeptic | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com
  Release indefinitely delayed for Microsoft Transparency(tm)
  (tags: microsoft transparency antitrust)
• My Aspartame Experiment.com
  Just place that diet cola on the counter and slowly back away… (thanks, Mercola)
  (tags: aspartame health cancer)
• The Dumbing Of America – washingtonpost.com
  “…efforts to raise standardized test scores by stuffing students with specific answers to specific questions on specific tests will not do the job.”
  (tags: anti-intellectualism anti-rationalism education)
• Geek Support: The Early History of Programming Languages
  A lightning tour of generations one through four
  (tags: programming languages history)

• About Bonk Bonk « BonkBonk

  “One person who is not an idiot hit this page and read it.” I’d like to think I’m a second, and you’ll be a third. Apropos of these thoughts.

  (tags: blogging writing)

• bytesized

  Onion rings

  (tags: onionrings frenchfries transfats)

• Chad Perrin: SOB » No, stupid, that’s not the problem.

  The customer is always wrong

  (tags: pidgin opensource im service)

• Paralyzed Indian blogger used sip-n-puff tech while in US; now sent to India, loses laptop, abandoned in hospital « Save Manjunath Kalmani

  Thanks, Avinash.

  (tags: healthcare india quadriplegic)

• Addicted to Comics ~ Chris Pirillo

  Some good ones here

  (tags: comics scoble stevejobs vista digg linux)

• Deep Jive Interests » Bloggers Beware: Nigerian Fraud Has Evolved Into Display and Text Link Ad Solicitations

  Don’t trust that check for advertising on your site. Thanks, Eric.

  (tags: scam advertising blog)

• 1888 photo depicts Helen Keller, teacher – Yahoo! News

  Earliest known photo of Keller with her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Thanks, Jason.

  (tags: hellenkeller photo history blindness)

• Seth’s Blog: That noise inside my head

  “…It’s a noise that keeps them from being rational, that forces them to avoid the simple truths sometimes, that makes them unable to take a shortcut when a long (more emotional one) is available.”

  (tags: psychology marketing success tips)

• How to solve Cryptograms

  …or guess the letters on Wheel of Fortune

  (tags: cryptography tips)

• Universe Today » A One-Way, One-Person Mission to Mars

  As the first member of a permanent colony? Thanks, John.

  (tags: mars space nasa exploration future science)

• Using the Ruby DBI Module

  A very simple and readable overview

  (tags: database ruby dbi)

This helpful advice was sent to me by one of my Dad’s Air Force buddies:

1. Put both lids of the toilet up and add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl.
2. Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.
3. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids. You may need to stand on the lid.
4. The cat will self agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from the toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.
5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a “power-wash” and rinse”.
6. Have someone open the front door of your home. Be sure that there are no people between the bathroom and the front door.
7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.
8. The cat will rocket out of the toilet, streak through the bathroom, and run outside where he will dry himself off.
9. Both the commode and the cat will be sparkling clean.

Sincerely,
The Dog

• Are you working only for the money? | IT Consultant | TechRepublic.com
  No, but it sure helps to finance my gadget addiction
  (tags: consulting techrepublic money compensation values)
• How to Create Your Own Comic Strip ~ Chris Pirillo
  This could be handy…
  (tags: comics tools)