Annual Credit Report

Well the northeast region will be able to order free annual credit reports starting tomorrow. It's a good idea -- I was surprised to learn, today, that I really live in California...we're going to try to get that fixed real soon now.

Hurricane Katrina came ashore [twice] this morning. What a mess. Given the widespread destruction, it's surprising there weren't more fatalities. That says a lot for the emergency management folks who got as many people out of the way as possible.

Hurricane Katrina

A category 5 storm aimed right at New Orleans? It's going to be a tough night for quite a few folks, and if history is any guide, the next few weeks and months are going to be tough, as well. It looks like quite a few people are heeding the evacuation orders, so with a little luck, the loss of life will be minimal.

Memo to the marketing department

While taking a break from real work this evening, I did a quick Google(tm) search on the phrase "Joint SIAP System Engineering Organization" just to see what people are saying about us. Lo and behold, I find a nice mention on the Lynuxworks(tm) site, which goes so far as to call us ambitious! We're aren't a graphical representation, though. That word "picture" gets us into more trouble....

A note to the marketing folks is in order, though. When pulling clip art that talks about the future, don't use a picture of a ship that is LONG gone. The USS WILLIAM V PRATT (DDG 44) was sold for scrap just a few days short of 10 years ago.

Why I love the World Wide Web (August 2005 edition)

I was doing something important [honest!] when I ran across a reference to International Talk Like A Pirate Day, which will be celebrated on 19 September 2005. How have I gone so long without hearing about this?

RTFM!

While looking for something else, this evening, I ran across this helpful little paper from Eric Steven Raymond. I've fully incorporated Google(tm) in my everyday life, and visit web-based bulletin boards frequently to solve problems or share solutions. Raymond's paper is a nice refresher on how to get the most out of any question -- answer dialog.