Fallout Shelter

Sysadmin appreciation day

I think it was System Administrator Appreciation Day three years ago when I lost my job.  :(  But were I working, I'd be planning on attending local geek beer at a minimum, which I may do anyway.  :)  It's the last Friday in July: this year, that's 31 July 2009, or 2 weeks from tomorrow.  Go hug your sysadmin, if they'll let you, :) and buy them a beer or a new car or something.  Or go point them at the official web site — if they don't know about it, they'll probably be appreciative. :)

Bring me the head of the dinosaur!

The Durham Police have found the head of the decapitated Museum of Life and Science dinosaur.  Excellent.  Now I guess we need a fundraiser to get the dinosaur re-assembled.  [via Barry.] 

Edit: Story at MyNC with picture, and previous story about theft. 

J. G. Ballard, RIP

Author J. G. Ballard has died at the age of 78.

Boilerplate

...why would anybody pay more attention to Facebook's terms of service than to the other contracts we casually accept? Who reads the roughly 17,500-word "terms and conditions" contract governing Apple's iTunes Store before buying a song? Who digests Microsoft's nearly 5,500-word license for Windows Vista before booting up a new PC?

For that matter, how many home buyers read in full the terms of their mortgages before signing stacks of settlement documents?

From "Facebook Backs Into a 'Bill of Rights'" by Rob Pegoraro at the Washington Post.

Patrick McGoohan, RIP

Patrick McGoohan, who played in about a billion things other than The Prisoner, died yesterday in southern California. 

I'd had no idea he was actually born a US citizen. 

Rest in peace, you old bastard. If I could cause this post to appear in Albertus (ok, "Village") -- on everyone's web browser in your honor, I probably would. 

Edit -- other posts (if you posted about this, send me your link):

Be seeing you
I Will Skip the Obvious Joke

Watch out for the Watchmen Watchers

I'm not a big comics person, but some friend made me sit down and read Watchmen a long time ago, and I've never regretted it.  So I'm also eagerly awaiting the movie.  But... just because I like the graphic novel doesn't mean I'm above making fun of it.  :) 

[Via vee_eckx.]

"I have no money, I am a failure, my leaders have led me to ruin, and I welcome the absolving embrace of death"

... just one of the gems from "Holiday ideas for these Straitened Times" from Chris Onstad and Achewood. 

My friend Bill at the NC State Fair

If you go to the N.C. State Fair this year, swing by the Village of Yesteryear near gate 8 and go by Bill Wallace's booth.  He's next to the exit on the side opposite from the bathrooms in the Holshouser building. 

I took different woodworking classes from Bill for maybe 8 years, and would probably still be doing it had Duke not shut down their craft center.  Take some money with you and buy a bowl, or something smaller or larger.  Tell them Joe said hi.  :)  Bill's stuff is all one-offs, individually made, and real wood.  It's not cheap, but it's really nice. Bill raises natural beef cattle too, and Janet (IIRC) runs a small Montessori school and works at a restaurant.  I think they've got at least 5 jobs between them.  :)

Need help getting there?

• my map
• official 2008 NC State Fair map
• fairgrounds directions

What a beautiful world II

"... in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened. Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests, and raised their honeyed voices to heaven in a great chorus, 'Win a free iPod!' Yea, and the people opened their browsers and clicked through."

Kinda like alarm theory for dummies

Jay Allen with a practical application of alarm theory to everyday life:

When communities try to hold their people and way of life together with tactics akin to passive-aggressive sticky notes on the refrigerator, we all become lesser co-habitators.

Chasing down the traffic-related links alone was well worth the time: I had no idea a few cities in Europe were doing away with a lot of their traffic controls, and having success with it.  And the comments on urination were like dessert.  :)