Some Old Dude

Rich just acquired a copy of the book “Caribbean Style” as a replacement for the one he loaned me.

He could have this copy back, but he says he can’t afford to take the time off to come to Trinidad and retrieve it.

I suggested he quit his job, sell his house, pay off any debt he might have, and move in with me for a while.

He would be unemployed and probably broke, but sailing, or sitting on a beach in the Caribbean would be infinitely more fun than sitting in an office in Las Vegas. — Thus far he has refused my offer.

It seems he has become a responsible adult, with the inevitable debts, obligations and rapidly diminishing sense of adventure. — Ah well, such is life.

To return to the subject at hand:
We both recommend this book, which was first printed in the late eighties. It is not intended to be used as a textbook or major reference, but rather a book to be enjoyed for the excellent photographs and for it’s overview of the styles found in Caribbean.

You can purchase a copy on Amazon and I’m certain your local Barnes and Noble can order it.

The book contains something on the order of 600 beautiful photographs with minimal text.
These samples are not nearly as as nice as the photographs in the book.

It’s not actually a member of the order Blattaria, but it certainly has a similar appearance.

From the Wikipedia:
A giant isopod may be one of approximately nine species of large isopods (crustaceans related to the shrimps and crabs) in the genus Bathynomus. They are thought to be abundant in cold, deep waters of the Atlantic. Bathynomus giganteus, the species upon which the generitype is based, is the largest known isopod and is the one most often referred to by the common name “giant isopod”.

It makes me wonder if the Orkin Man does scuba.
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At the other extreme we have this cutie.

From the Wikipedia:
The Axolotl (or ajolote) (Ambystoma mexicanum) is the best-known of the Mexican neotenic mole salamanders belonging to the Tiger Salamander complex. Larvae of this species fail to undergo metamorphosis, so the adults remain aquatic and gilled. The species originates from the lake underlying Mexico City. Axolotls are used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate most body parts, ease of breeding, and large embryos.

The US Navy announced that it was reactivating the 4th Fleet that had been deactivated in 1950.

4/24/2008:
Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead announced today the reestablishment of U.S. 4th Fleet and assigned Rear Adm. Joseph D. Kernan, currently serving as Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, as its first commander.
(Rear Adm. Kernan will be the first Navy SEAL to serve as a numbered fleet commander. )

U.S. 4th Fleet will be responsible for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of focus, which encompasses the Caribbean, and Central and South America and the surrounding waters.

Located in Mayport, Fla., and dual-hatted with Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (COMUSNAVSO), U.S. 4th Fleet reestablishment addresses the increased role of maritime forces in the SOUTHCOM area of focus, and demonstrates U.S. commitment to regional partners.

U.S. 4th Fleet will retain responsibility as COMUSNAVSO, the Navy component command for SOUTHCOM. Its mission is to direct U.S. naval forces operating in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions and interact with partner nation navies within the maritime environment. Various operations include counter-illicit trafficking, Theater Security Cooperation, military-to-military interaction and bilateral and multinational training.

As I wander aimlessly around the web I find more and more interesting sites. Some I find through Rich’s Digg account, most I find by going somewhere and then following links to see where they lead.

Little Aussie Cynic is one of the more interesting blogs I’ve read in a while.
Written by an Australian woman, this blog has it’s focus on all things Australia, with a generous helping of motherhood and marriage.
Knowing several Aussies and having had a Kiwi for my gunsmith I especially enjoyed the New Zealand dictionary.
As they say about the US and Great Briton, Australia and New Zealand are two countries separated by a common language.
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A recent conversation with Rags sent me to a site called The World According to AmericanGoy.
This is a site that appears to be primarily dedicated to exposing the undo influence of the AIPAC on American foreign policy in the Middle East.
Any time someone has a strong opinion, hear what they say, then if it is something you care about, do your own research. — Accept nothing at face value.
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This is a blog I have recommended in the past: Covertress.
Her blogs tend to be pertinent to current affairs, with links to her sources. I thoroughly enjoy her sense of humor.
Unfortunately she seems to have run afoul of the crew Rich refers to as the “Grave Diggers”.

Given what little I know about the process, it appears that a number of Digg members exert an undo influence over what gets dug and what gets buried. With certain individuals dedicating an inordinate amount of time to burying anything they disagree with.

Here is Covertress’ take on the matter.
With this particular blog ending: P.S. I’ll be boycotting indefinitely.
| -.-. — …- . .-. - .-. . … … | ### | — …- . .-. | .- -. -.. | — ..- - |
(I hope I have better luck with cut and paste than she did. )

Popping virtual bubblewrap is not as much fun as popping the real deal. You don’t get the tactile feedback.
However, as dumb as it sounds, it can be quite addictive.

I followed a link to this from Digg:
Bubble Wrap

If you have an uncontrollable urge to put it on your own site follow this link.

From http://www.visailing.com

Most men have heard the old saw. “If it’s got tits or tires it’s going to be trouble.” Add sails to this list. There is a reason we refer to all boats as “she.”

We set out on a freshly surveyed 50 foot Valiant. It was a beautiful day with light chop and a stiff breeze.
Everything was fine until a few minutes before sundown.

The first thing that broke was the stove. She simply quit. We had propane, the lines seemed clear, the stove worked long enough to get the water warm, then quit. —Period. No sputter, no noise, no flame.

Peanut butter and crackers… Yum. No coffee, no tea, no burgers, no joy.

We were making good headway, sailing wing and wing, until the next morning. That’s when the wind didn’t just clock, it reversed, and the working sheet managed to tie itself in a knot.
I love trying to deal with a jib in 3 ft chop.

A few minutes later one of our intrepid crew reported we were taking on water. This is not what I wanted to hear.
I left the others to get the jib and mainsail squared away and went below.
– A little panic is good for you. It gets the blood circulating and the adrenalin makes you move like you were twenty again.

I expected to see water in the bilge. Instead I saw a port blown out and a puddle. The seal lay on the deck looking like new. The plexi laying there beside it was cracked but nothing major.
Even aboard a sailboat duct tape can fix almost anything. — It’s a guy thing.

Before we got to port, dozen or more minor things broke and just as we were in sight of our destination the main sheet snapped.

We limped in to port and started trying to figure out why things broke.
The surveyor flew in and a rep from the insurance company met us at the dock.

The stove quit because of an unseen manifold problem.
The port blew out because of the way the boat hobby-horsed when the wind changed and the chop turned heavy.
The sheet snapped for no apparent reason. Etc.

Nothing we did caused any of the damage.
The survey stood.
The insurance man said that the damage was too minor to bother filing a claim.
The owner was not upset.
We got a hot meal and a cup of coffee.

But in future it’s “tits tires or sails.”

From SantaBanta.com:

Women Are Such Complex Creatures:

If you kiss her, you are not a gentleman,
If you don’t you are not a man.

If you praise her, she thinks you are lying,
If you don’t, you are good for nothing.

If you agree to all her likes, you are a wimp,
If you don’t you are not understanding.

If you visit her often, you are boring,
If you don’t she accuses you of double crossing.

If you are well dressed, she says you are a playboy,
If you don’t, she says you are a dull guy.

If you are a minute late, she complains it’s hard to wait,
If she is late, she says it is a girls way.

If you kiss her once in a while, she professes you are cold,
If you kiss her often, she yells you are taking advantage.

If you talk, she wants you to listen,
If you listen, she wants you to talk.

IN SHORT…
So simple, yet so complex,
So weak, yet so powerful,
So confusing, yet so desirable,
So damning, yet so wonderful… WOMEN !

WTF is up with Digg?
They went down completely a while back. Since that time the only statement I’ve read says that they know they are having problems and they are working to resolve them.

Because he works in IT, I spoke with Rich about these ongoing problems.
He is of two opinions. The first being that they either updated their software or the operating system without proper testing.
The second being that they lost a datacenter or major router and are trying to handle the load with insufficient equipment or restricted routing.

Regardless of reasons or excuses, they have been slow to connect and give a consistent “reload the page” error.

While this is not a problem for a casual user like myself. Other, more dedicated users will undoubtedly begin trying other social bookmarking sites and quite possibly stay with the sites that are capable of providing them with service when they want it.

The error of the day is “Whoops! Your Username or Password is Incorrect Please try entering……”

These errors have been ongoing for some time now.
Which begs the question: How much revenue can they afford to lose and when will the advertisers begin renegotiations?

Ah, now it says “We’ll be back shortly.”

I wonder what the cost is, either in dollars or self respect, of appearing on the list of recommended sites on that page.
As often as I have seen this page of late, it must generate truly impressive amounts of traffic.

There is a social network for the over 50 crowd called Eons, founded by the same guy that started Monster.com.

This is from Lorelle on Wordpress:
A social networking Web site for Americans aged 50-plus went live on Monday — complete with an online obituary database that sends out alerts when someone you may know dies and that plans to set up a do-it-yourself funeral service.

Instead of career and school sections, Eons.com has interactive games to build brain strength, news on entertainment and hobbies for older people, a personalized longevity calculator and tips to live longer.

There are other sites like Eons out there, but the problem as I see it, is that it makes me feel old.

I am painfully aware that I’m on the downhill side of life, but I don’t feel old.

On the other hand. There is a man who is 56 years old complaining the people made fun of him because he liked Will Smith’s “Gettin jiggy with it,” and had a Myspace account.
( I’m sorry I can’t find the url)

In response to his overly whiny post.
The very first thing that comes to mind is how old and out of place I looked when I saw my photograph in amongst the 19 and 20 year olds.
The second is that “Gettin’ Jiggy with it” sucks.

We all have to get used to the fact that the only choices we have in this life are to get old or die young.
I know I don’t belong with the 20 somethings, but I can’t bring myself to hang out with a bunch of old fogies.