NoneOfTheAbove on The Truth Imperative

Borrowing Against Your 401k Why You Should Think Twice

Sat, 10 Mar 2007 15:31:00 -0800

There are several reasons you may want to think twice before borrowing against your 401k:

If you leave your job that provides your 401k, you often are required to pay back any loans in full. If you can’t, it is treated as a withdrawl from the plan, requiring paying income tax on the amount and a 10% penalty if you are not of retirement age yet.
While you have the loan, you have less money in your retirement account. This means, you are not earning interest on the loan amount and you will therefore end up with less money at retirement.

Of Course This Happened In Florida

Sat, 02 Dec 2006 15:51:00 -0800

This might get the award for best article title too.

The Seattle Times: Nation & World: He was naked, on crack and in alligator’s mouth

“A gator’s got me,” Apgar replied, his voice faint in the background.

Mayid’s call shortly after 4 a.m. sent four Polk County, Fla., deputies racing to the 2,150-acre lake just outside Lakeland, Fla., where they jumped into the water and wrenched Apgar’s arm from the gator’s mouth. The 45-year-old victim, who told authorities he’d passed out nude on the shore after smoking crack cocaine, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition.

Fashion Advice For Geeks

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 16:30:00 -0800

So, there happen to be these unwritten rules of style that change all the time that nobody seems to tell you about and it’s hard to ask and for many, harder to know you should ask. And there are people in the work world that do judge you by your appearance, for better or worse, consciously and unconsciously. Here is some advice that I have culled from significant others, from experience and observation in the workplace, from the advice in Esquire, and even from What Not to Wear on TLC.

2006 Gift Card Landscape

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 15:13:00 -0800

Good news about gift cards. I was just thinking the other day about these practices and it looks like, just in time for the holiday season, you can find out which ones have done away with those pesky expiration dates (are you listening Amazon?) and fees.

And a hint for the upcoming holiday: Gift cards make great gifts…

2006 Gift Card Study (Page 1 of 4)

If you want a gift card you can use anywhere, you’ll pay for the privilege, while gift cards from individual retailers are less costly and sprouting more options.

Bank Of America Jails A Customer Causes Backlash Gt 50 Million

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 15:07:00 -0800

The This is Broken blog is a pretty cool idea too. There are so many processes, instructions, websites, etc. that just don’t work quite right. They get posted to this blog!

This Is Broken - Bank of America jailing a customer

Matthew Shinnick dropped by a Bank of America branch in San Francisco to make sure a check he was about to deposit wasn’t fraudulent. The teller found that the check was fraudulent and told the manager, who then had Shinnick thrown in jail. Are you getting this right? The customer who wanted to make sure he wasn’t about to draw on a fraudulent check, got thrown in jail by Bank of America.

Bad Monday

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 15:42:00 -0800

I had one of the worst mondays in a while.

I was not feeling well but went to work anyway (I thought of resting up one more day and probably should have stayed in bed).

It was the first day back to work after being sick with fever for 3 days.

On my way to the bus stop, after only a 1/2 block from my house, my pants were soaked and shoes soaked through. The rain and wind has been insufferable this fall! I reluctantly went back home frustrated and not knowing if there was a way to possibly get to work but not be soaking wet all day. I decided the strategy would be sacrificial clothing. I geared up in my Costa Rica Rain forest gear (all drip-dry) and packed a new dry outfit to change into at work, including new shoes.

Speed traps suck

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 11:40:00 -0800

Oh, you should boycott Newhalem, WA for the same reason. I’ll blog about that story someday.

saablog :: Stupid Utah. Stupid rental cars. - The rest of the story

43 Things Interesting User Driven Site

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 11:13:00 -0700

43 Things

“Discover what’s important, make it happen, share your progress. Find your 43 things.”

I just came across this site. Seems like a fun idea. You can add your own thing that “you want to do with your life” or see what other people said and use those ideas. You can track your progress. Larger fonts indicate more popular topics in the list. There are thousands of people from around the world on there. It also shows “People doing this are also doing these things”, which is interesting as well.

Michael Dell Calls Bs On Companies Using Threat Of War As A Scapegoat

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 07:05:00 -0700

Marketplace 4-Mar-2003, interview with Michael Dell

It’s the current fashion for companies to blame the threat of war in Iraq for business being bad. But one company that’s not using the war to explain its performance is Dell Computer. Marketplace host David Brancaccio talks with founder Michael Dell about how a company can succeed even in times of economic insecurity.

Michael talks about companies who are blaming poor results on the Iraq situation, etc. He says “Sadaam ate my homework” is not a good excuse. There will always be uncertainty in world events. Companies need to learn to succeed when times are good, but also when times are bad. Very sage advice indeed.

Work to Live; Don't Live to Work

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 03:58:00 -0700

Joe Robinson: “Vacation Advocate”

The title is my mantra. Coincidentally, I just saw The Devil Wears Prada which is about this very topic. The lesson there is to be true to yourself and do not forsake the things in life (career goals, family goals, relationships, etc.) that you really believe are important to you without making that the result of a conscious choice to do so. A corollary would be Habit 3: Put First Things First - Principles of Personal Management (i.e. “Schedule your priorities”) from the 7 Habits of HIghly Effective People.

Warren Buffett & Bill Gates: Serious Philanthropers

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 16:55:00 -0700

FORTUNE Magazine: Warren Buffett gives away his fortune - Jun. 25, 2006

I heard this on the radio this afternoon. It is really, really cool. I wonder how the world will look decades from now after these billions have done their good around the world? Hopefully, there won’t simply be more campus buildings and computer labs!

Man Stuck On Sticking To Toilet Seat

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 16:06:00 -0700

CNN.com - Man glued to toilet may have history - Nov 8, 2005

Real Life Gremlin Dies

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 15:41:00 -0700

CNN.com - ‘Ugly dog’ Sam dies at 14 - Nov 22, 2005

Was Ugly Dog a real-life Gremlin?

Man Swallowed By House Dies

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 15:31:00 -0700

CANOE – CNEWS - Weird News: Man dies after plummeting into large hole that opened beneath his home

This is bizarre!

Knife Maintenance And Sharpening

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 10:53:00 -0700

eG Forums -> Knife Maintenance and Sharpening

A very helpful guide on how to properly sharpen knives. I seem to dull the crap out of them unless I use the method of holding the steel sharpener vertical. The hardest part is maintaining the 15 degree angle while following the curve of the blade. The article also lists some gadgets that actually do help with this process and some devices to avoid.

Help For Your Penis Anxiety

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 10:38:00 -0700

Entrez PubMed: Treatment of men complaining of short penis.

Men complaining of short penis could be treated using basic principles of sex education with objective methods of penile size evaluation. This combination can correct any previous sexual misconceptions…

I say they save their money and just call Loveline for some ridicule-therapy.

Big Quot No Crap Quot Garage Sale This Weekend

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 16:51:00 -0700

I’m going to be selling lots of good stuff this weekend at a Big alley sale. Come by and check out the goods!

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/gms/174151604.html

Ceos Have All The Luck

Sat, 20 May 2006 09:11:00 -0700

The Big Picture: CEO Options: Luck – or something else?

Great summary of a WSJ article showing surprising “coincidences” in CEO stock options being set at a very low point in the company’s stock price so that they end up maximizing their returns. I’m still pissed about my AT&T Wireless stock options being worthless when I left that place because they gave us options at a high point that it never recovered to. Yet all the execs continued to gather options that they exercised to make millions.

Gas Price Quot Temperature Map Quot-

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 17:58:00 -0700

USA National Gas Temperature Map

This is freaking cool. But high gas prices SUCK!

Washington: Home of World's Largest Egg

Mon, 03 Apr 2006 15:24:00 -0700

World’s Largest Egg, Winlock, Washington

I didn’t even know there was a “Winlock” in Washington, let alone that they were world-renowned!

I feel deceived though because it’s not even a real egg.

In A Word Unbelievable

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 09:37:00 -0800

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Panda painted onto single hair

Unbelievable.

Bathroom Mania

Fri, 24 Mar 2006 14:53:00 -0800

I don’t know about you, but I’d have a difficult time going #1 into one of these. Too reminiscient of Rolling Stones / Mick Jagger…

BTW, I had to rewrite to avoid at least four thematic unintentional puns. I guess Freud’s theories may still be alive and well after all.

Boggle On Web Weboggle

Sun, 19 Mar 2006 12:21:00 -0800

WEBoggle

This is a great use of AJAX and is also VERY addicting. You have been warned… I’m core24 if I’m playing. But I suck compared to the others. I think they are just monkeys typing random letters and waiting for the squares to light up.

Effective Electronic Communication Requires A Human Touch

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 09:43:00 -0800

https://www.asktog.com/columns/047HowToWriteAReport.html

The finest set of recommendations will be rejected if the form in which they are received is seen as hostile or belligerent. I recently received a copy of an unsolicited report sent to a firm that seemed unimpressed with the writer’s efforts. The reasons why are instructive to us all.

Good reminder to not forget the human element in human communications. Pick up the phone every once in a while instead of just IM or email and you’ll be surprised by the results. Also, if you build human trust in non-electronic means first, it makes understanding nuances in electronic communications easier.

How Not To Demolish A Building

Sun, 04 Dec 2005 14:31:00 -0800

Funny video of a real life demolition in Sioux Falls, SD that intended to cause the building to fall over but instead just shortened it by about a third.

https://www.argusleader.com/assets/mov/DF13214123.MOV

Xmas nostalgia

Wed, 23 Nov 2005 11:57:00 -0800

07:00

Someone is scanning in the entire Sears 1979 wishbook.

Lawyers Gone Wild

Wed, 23 Nov 2005 11:44:00 -0800

When Legal Strikes—Chaos Theory Meets DRM

Sadly, as management gets more cautious about legal repercussions, lawyers get a voice in decisions in which they not only have no expertise (such as IT), but in customer-facing initiatives, as well.

Sony’s aggressive spyware approach to DRM smells to high hell of the kind of good-intentions-turned-cognitive-dirty-bomb so many Legal-inspired projects descend into.

This is an interesting opinion that I think is only potentially applicable to situations where the lawyer in question is representing the company’s explicit interest. I haven’t seen this happen in general though–particularly where the corporate lawyers are addressing issues that are _not_ in regards to the company interest (e.g. privacy law).

Common Writing Mistakes

Wed, 23 Nov 2005 10:54:00 -0800

This post about Grammar Nerds reminded me that I’ve long wanted to write about some common mistakes I see over and over on the Internet and in emails.

The most common thing that I notice is confusing words that sound somewhat alike but have very different meanings and spellings:

conscious/conscience

If your conscience is bothering you, you are conscious.

effect/affect

Will poor grammer affect your chances of getting that next job?

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey

Wed, 09 Nov 2005 09:05:00 -0800

BBC NEWS | Americas | CIA leak probe reporter resigns

Judith Miller resigns. Good riddance.

Car Crunch History

Sun, 01 May 2005 07:47:00 -0700

So, within the past week, my brand new car got crunched in a parking lot while I was attending a security conference. Here are some photos:

I really did park straight…

In the distance, you can see the semi that did the damage

After the car was moved back into the spot. You can see the skid marks showing that the car was moved at least two feet.

Blockbuster Busted

Tue, 29 Mar 2005 07:16:00 -0800

BLOCKBUSTER SETTLES INVESTIGATION INTO ADVERTISING FOR “NO LATE FEE” PROGRAM

For the most part, this is a good thing. It was addressed fairly quickly for one. I’m not sure that, aside from the negative publicity, that this is going to dissuade them from continuing with other deceptive practices because, according to the agreement, they do not have to do anything other than:

“Blockbuster also agreed to provide a full refund or credit to any customer who failed to return the item within the thirty day period, but who now returns it in good condition by April 28, 2005.

Rip Spencer Garrett

Thu, 24 Mar 2005 12:37:00 -0800

komo news | Libertarian Congressional Candidate Dies In Skydiving Accident

This was shocking news in a year that is shaping up to be at least as bizarre as last year for me.

Spencer was one of the smartest people I have ever met, one of the best UNIX/network/tech/IT administrator gurus anywhere and a great friend to all. You will be missed.

Out For Dinner Mathematics

Mon, 02 Jun 2003 16:07:00 -0700

This is very interesting. Supposedly only works in 2003. Anyone have the mathematical basis for this? I have a whole book with cool calculator games somewhere…

-Jason

#######################################

DON’T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST

It takes less than a minute…….

Work this out as you read.

Be sure you don’t read the bottom until you’ve worked it out!

This is not one of those waste of time things, it’s fun.

Making Telemarketers Cry

Sun, 25 May 2003 04:39:00 -0700

A great Telemarketer Suing HOWTO by attorney Mark Eckenwiler from Washington D.C.

How To Make A Telemarketer Cry (or, Suing Bozos for Fun & Profit)

“In November 2002, a telemarketer called my home in D.C. at 5:24 a.m. This is the story of how that call cost him $500.”

Seattle Area volleyball site

Tue, 06 May 2003 15:37:00 -0700

Scott Marlow maintains a very cool site on Seattle-area Volleyball programs, gyms, groups. https://www.seanet.com/~swmarlow/volleyball.html

Vespa Madness

Sun, 02 Mar 2003 13:55:00 -0800

A must have: Vespa Screensaver. Windows-only, of course.

Interested in buying one for me? I could handle the platinum, dragon red, or cobalt blue one. The local dealer location

Or, I can at least hope to win one from Starbucks. This is the perfect excuse to buy more coffee :-)