WE GOT RAIN!! WOOHOO!!

Lots and lots of it. Maybe 2-3 inches...

:dances around in rain:

*Ahem*

:looks around, then goes into house to dry off:
:returns to dignified posture:

That's all I wanted to say ...

Ok, nothing to see here - back to your regularly scheduled programming :-)

:grin:

be a weatherman in this neck of the woods.

For over a month, we have seen reports of rain.

Light rain, promises of heavy rain, and thunderstorm warnings, but no real rain to speak of.

It has rained to the North of me, to the South of me, to the East of me, to the West of me.

But, alas and alack! No rain for me.

I visit people who live less than 10 minutes away, and *they* have puddles in their yard!

"We're being flooded out," says they.

All I can think is "You've got my rain, you varmints!!" (Is their a Wild West-type punishment for rain stealers, lol?)

Yep, it's my absolute favorite geek, Wil Wheaton's birthday!!

Happy Birthday, Wil!

(He looks totally, radically cool in this photo... the beard's a nice touch!)

Equally cool, photoshopped version of the photo:

Yes, We Can!!

This is geekier than usual, folks, but bear with me. It's important. Check out the links.

Apple Fails to Patch Critical DNS Flaw

Details (Otherwise known as "Why does this matter to ME?"):
Dan Kaminski's Site (This site also has a way for you to check your ISP's vulnerability)
GCN - Government Computer News
Attack code published for DNS Flaw
Vulnerable To A DNS Cache Poisoning at Home?
Web Experts Scrambling To Patch Security Flaw


Overview:
Recently, a significant threat to DNS, the system that translates names you can remember (such as www.doxpara.com) to numbers the Internet can route (66.240.226.139) was discovered, that would **allow malicious people to impersonate almost any website on the Internet**. Software companies across the industry have quietly collaborated to simultaneously release fixes for all affected name servers. To find out if the DNS server you use is vulnerable, go to http://www.doxpara.com/ , and click on 'Check my DNS'.

If your ISP is vulnerable, what to do?

You as an individual, can use OpenDNS (https://www.opendns.com/) to change your DNS server (instructions at: https://www.opendns.com/start ) on your computing devices (computer, router, phone). Then check your status again at: http://www.doxpara.com/ (Check my DNS button).

More info about OpenDNS (and the cost [FREE]) at: http://www.opendns.com/features/overview/

Googling 'recursive name server vulnerability'

It may sound like an Apple problem, because they haven't issued a patch for their server products, but it affects us all because while other manufacturers *have* issued patches, it is up to the individual ISP's, DNS servers, etc. to *install* said patch. And according to my rudimentary searches, at least 50% of recursive name servers are unpatched.

When I'm able to, I'll update this post with live links (I couldn't get my WYSIWYG editor to work, and this is too important to wait on) Done.

"Let's be careful out there!"

'Peek-A-Boo' by Me

THE NEW BOSS

If you've ever worked for a boss that reacts before getting the facts and thinking things
through, you will love this!

A large company, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO. The new boss was
determined to rid the company of all slackers.

On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning on a wall. The room was full of
workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant business.

He walked up to the guy leaning against the wall and asked,
'How much money do you make a week?'

A little surprised, the young man looked at him and replied, 'I make $400 a week. Why?'

The CEO then handed the guy $1,600 in cash and screamed, 'Here's four weeks' pay, now
GET OUT and don't come back.'

Feeling pretty good about himself, the CEO looked around the room and asked, 'Does anyone
want to tell me what that goof-ball did here?'

From across the room came a voice, 'Pizza delivery guy from Domino's.'

Her name?

Kira Nerys

:-)

A friend sent me this in my email, and I couldn't find a link to it (anyone who's got a link, I'd appreciate a shout-out); I plan on peppering my speech and writing with some of these, they're pretty clever!

Here's the email:

The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

Here are this year's winners. Read them carefully. Each is an artificial word with only one letter altered to form a real word. Some are terrifically innovative:

1. Intaxication : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until
you realize it was your money to start with.

2. Reintarnation : Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

3. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops
bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows
little sign of breaking down in the near future.

4. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the
subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

5. Giraffiti : Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

6. Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the
person who doesn't get it.

7. Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

8. Hipatitis : Terminal coolness.

9. Osteopornosis : A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

10. Karmageddon : It's like, when everybody is sending off all these
really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's,
like, a serious bummer.

11. Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day
consuming only things that are good for you.

12. Glibido: All talk and no action.

13. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when
they come at you rapidly.

14. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after
you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

15. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your
bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

16. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in
the fruit you're eating.

17. Ignoranus : A person who's both stupid and an a***ole.

How much time do you spend per day with the New Media? Watching TV, reading/writing email, surfing the web for entertainment and/or information, playing video games?

You may have noticed that your ability to hold a thought has lessened.

But, before you make an appointment to get a scrip for Aricept, take a look at this article.

Its author, Nicholas Carr, discusses the changes in our information gathering, and suggests that perhaps this is changing the way that we think.

If you find it interesting, you may want to read this article by Mark Morford, where he discusses the changes in his thinking since he stopped reading... books.

Just something to think about! Maybe it's time to exercise that flabby library card, hmmm?

And, one and two, and three and four and one ...