Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld at the concert at the end of the America Supports You Freedom Walk (Sunday, 11 September 2005). 

Nancy Grace. I hadn't really noticed her before this disaster. She's a perfecr fit for today's "it's not really news, because it doesn't change fast enough, so we'll editorialize" cable outlets.

What continues to happen in the Gulf area is a tragedy of remarkable proportions. That's not an excuse for the buzzards to bring their helicopters and RVs to town to pass along rumor and hearsay. Since the news crews can get around fine, let's see the support they're able to offer.

Listening to MSNBC this evening, I was wondering why I hadn't heard from Rev Al Sharpton. I didn't have to wait long. I was expecting to learn he was heading to New Orleans to lead relief efforts. I was surprised to learn he's going to Houston to attend a conference. A conference? I was heartened to hear him play the "race card" -- it's nice to be able to count on some things in life.

In a disappointing move, our host Keith Olbermann clucked about Dennis Hastert's remark about not rebuilding New Orleans, then ran an extended piece about toxic chemicals potentially making the city uninhabitable for years to come. Condoleeza Rice gets a crack for attending a comedy play after the hurricane (she's the Secretary of State, but State's portfolio hasn't included our states for years), but Rev Al gets a pass for rushing to attend a convention.

Then there's the mellifluous Rita Cosby over at MSNBC. Rita brings her own brand of drama. Based on what I've seen, CNN isn't any better, and Fox (as usual) is worse. There's nothing like a crises to bring out the best in cable news.

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.

Lorraine and I went to the Manassas Hamfest this morning. It was her first -- they're quite an experience. There was stuff there that I haven't seen in years. I'd forgotten about the old table-top AM radio receivers we had when I was a kid -- receivers with real tubes. It reminded me of the old tube testing machines that were in some stores. I haven't thought of those machines for at least 30 years.

Current News

I noticed a print advertisement for this website in the Washington Metro this past week, and thought I'd check it out. Someone's been thinking about how to show solidarity, which is interesting.

CanadianAlly.com

Joe and I participated in the Pathfinder program at Space Camp this past weekend. I'd been through the Astrotrek(r) program two years ago, so it was nice to have a different experience.

Blood & Guts in Virginia (aka Iron & Stone)

I learned this afternoon (actually about an hour ago) that our team (alas unnamed) cracked the famed geocache Blood & Guts in Virginia (aka Iron & Stone). We'd been working on this off and on for two months, but had really put some time into it during the last three or so weeks. I completely understand claims by previous teams that this cache is all-consuming.

It was a lot of fun, and there's a real sense of accomplishment at having solved it. Now I'm ready to build one or two puzzle caches of the same caliber.

"Street Smart" -- The Apprentice(?)

Oh, brother. What a DISASTER. What were those people thinking? Leadership, team building, cohesion, ..., the whole group of loose cannons should be sacked, and the game restarted. The casting directors must be proud of the drama, because there certainly is enough of it.

The ARRL VHF Sweepstakes were this weekend. I completed a modest number of QSOs on 6 meters, and fewer on 2 meters and 70 cm. It was fun to get the additional operating experience.

Blood & Guts in Virginia (aka Iron & Stone).

The frustration continues. We're SO close -- all we need to do is crack the last clue. ARGHHH!

Amateur Radio Service vanity call signs

VanityHQ.com was the place to go to learn about how to obtain a vanity call sign. The fellow that ran VanityHQ.com did a bang-up job in keeping up with the FCC database and the FCC filings, so you could get up-to-date information on the program. Alas, VanityHQ.com is no more. Before it was put in deep-freeze, I learned how to compare the qrz.com, fcc.gov, and Social Security Death Index databases to determine which interesting Amateur Radio Service callsigns (usually 1x2 or 2x1) should be available. Okay, it's a form of hearse-chasing, but it really does work. I'm sitting on a PILE (about 20) callsigns that are eligible to be cancelled; all that is required is a faxed letter to the FCC. I was going to go after one of these, but have decided (at least for now) that the new sequential callsign I was issued (AI4IO) is pretty nice, and probably doesn't need to be replaced, at least in the short term.

Anyway, if anyone is looking for the gouge on how to research available callsigns, or if someone wants to see what I have so far, just drop me a line -- use my callsign at arrl.org.

AI4IO

My new Amateur Radio Service license was posted this afternoon. I'm now AI4IO, a call sign that's far easier for me to say than KI4HHL!

Amateur Extra license

I [finally] passed the 5 WPM CW test this morning, so when the FCC takes action next week, I'll be the proud owner of an Amateur Extra class license. It's great to get past this hurdle!

012153UJAN05

Did a little geocaching in Hallowell before we hit the road to Waterbury. The cache was located in a nice private forest. The sun was out, but there was a breeze and a lot of ice on the ground. The cache container was frozen to the ground, so we couldn't open it.

Stopped by Freeport briefly, then geaded south again. Had a quick lunch at the Maine Diner in Wells. Arrived in Waterbury at 1900, and had dinner at the Hometown Buffet.