The other day I was cleaning up some junk around the house, and threw out a lamp that got broken. OK, I stepped on the lamp and broke it. As I gathered the pieces to throw in the trash, I instinctively cut off the power cord, and began to wind it up for storage. See, for most of my life, if an electronic device went bad, I’d always clip that cord so it could be reused somewhere else. Oddly, I would almost always find a need for the power cord, and so it justified the simple act of clipping it from the lamp.

As I look back over the past few years, however, I see that trend going away. Even with all the hype about the need to recycle (which I agree with, don’t get me wrong), we’re being forced into a more disposable product mindset. Now, the lamp I stepped on needed to be thrown away. Trust me. But what about the broken VCR sitting on the top of my closet shelf? What about the television with a built in DVD player in my daughter’s room that will no longer play DVDs?

Unfortunately, we’re at a place in the development of our society, that it’s often cheaper to buy a new product than fix the old one. Do you even know where a television repair shop exists near you? I sure don’t. If you could find one, it would seem likely they’d charge $40-$50 and hour to work on electronic equipment. If you’re talking about a broken DVD player, there’s absolutely no reason to spend ANY money on repair when you can buy a new one for less money. Yes, there are more expensive models that do warrant a repair job, but those are almost always warranty issues that are fixed by the manufacturer for free.

And don’t get me started on computers. Especially for those people running low-end hardware, which means a huge portion of the population, buying a new computer is almost always more economical than having their current model repaired. If you only spend $400 on a computer to begin with, why would you even consider spending a few hundred dollars to have a repair man fix a computer that is a generation behind what’s currently for sale at Walmart? You just go buy the new computer, and throw out the old one. (Actually, you usually donate the piece of junk to a local school, where the tech staff has to decide how to best dispose of the thing anyway…)

I don’t have an answer to the problem. The lamp cord just got me thinking, and this is the result. 🙂

Our new van (2007 Dodge Caravan SXT) has one of the most annoying features in any vehicle I’ve ever owned. I don’t say that lightly, because there are many vehicular things that bother me. Things like the idiotic power sliding doors. Or my truck, for instance, has an extremely sensitive, “Oh you must have already turned, let me shut of your blinker for you” switch. I turn on the blinker, and then think about turning, and the blinker clicks off. (It’s a 1991 Ford Ranger, and they’re actually known for this. I’ve researched.)

Anyway, our van. If you sit in the front, either side, and neglect to buckle your belt, there is a “ding ding ding” that reminds you to buckle. I know, every car since the 70s or so does this — but our new van never stops. It will ding, and ding, and ding.

And ding.

And ding.

And never ever stop. This annoys me. It also annoys certain in-laws that ride with us and prefer to never buckle. The cool thing is, I’m really REALLY glad it annoys me. I have to buckle. Granted, most of you don’t know me terribly well, but I’m forgetful to a legendary degree. I often don’t buckle due to little more than chronic brain farts. Our new van is awesome in its mechanical persistence. I love it.

And oddly, like a dog with a shock collar, I’m learning on a subconscious level as well. I now buckle up in my truck almost every time. How awesome is that?

And now, I’m just waiting for autopilot. Because THAT will rule. 🙂

If you’re not doing the Manic Monday challenges over at Aff The Fang, you really should. This week’s mission was to write our own obituary. Being still alive, I had to guess as to what mine will read like, but I think I estimated fairly close. You’ll have to go there to read the rest. It’s worth the click. 🙂

Biological Portion of “The Powers” Dies…

July 21, 3115

It is with great regret the Global Powers Collective announces the passing of the biologic remnant of 21st century historical figure “Shawn Powers”. While his all encompassing consciousness continues to rule over known space, the death of his meat bits will be mourned by all. Forcefully if necessary. Aforementioned mourning will begin at noon, Earth Central time, and continue for 12 Martian sols.

Mr. Powers is survived by 627 trillion cybernetic implants spanning 12 galaxies, and 3 dimensionally phased universes. While the preservation of biologics has largely been a nostalgic choice for The Powers, there is some concern that along with the body will die the compassion. Any citizens concerned of such things will be detected and terminated immediately.

At the closing of the 12 Martian sol mourning, The Powers has decided to extinguish the sun (Sol) as a memorial to the death of Mr. Powers. This will of course mean the slow painful demise of billions in the Solar system, but the Global Powers Collective thinks it will be a fitting memorial. Any residents of the Solar system will be considered heros, and honored as such.

Look and listen to the wonderful day I’ve had during our town-wide brownout…

I have nothing interesting to say. That’s never stopped me before, so I figure we make this a participatory thread. Here’s the deal: I like hot beverages. A lot. In the morning, I prefer coffee, and in the evening I prefer tea.

I’m also absurdly picky about what coffee and tea I like. Note, I’m not picky about what I drink, I’ll generally drink any swill put in front of me. I really do have a picky palette regarding my hot mug of goodness though.

Coffee *must* be Arabica to really make me savor it. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ll even drink instant if it’s given to me, but to really LIKE it, I need a very strong brewed, medium roast, Arabica bean. Oddly, I don’t mind reaching for a cheap cup of Robusta (often the large commercial “brands” use Robusta) coffee. I wasn’t sure why that was for a long time, but after doing some research, I found that Robusta beans tend to have more caffeine. That would explain why I don’t mind it for early morning drinking.

Tea, on the other hand, I prefer in the evening. Red Rose is my favorite bagged black tea. If you haven’t tried Red Rose, I really suggest you do. It’s amazing. Where Lipton can be harsh, Red Rose is comforting. Plus, you get a cute ceramic figurine in the box. I mean, how can you not like that? 😉

I also like flavored teas, but really consider it more of a separate beverage. When I think of tea, I think of black tea. The other flavored stuff, herbal or otherwise, are somewhat separated in my brain. The one exception to that is Earl Grey. Earl Grey and straight black tea are both my “comfort tea” for the evening. The other stuff, even girly fru-fru teas are fun, but I don’t really drink them very often.

Lastly, additives. Coffee, for me, is black. If I’m ordering a fancy latte or something, sure I’ll let them doctor it up — but then it’s really more like hot cocoa than coffee. 🙂 Tea, on the other hand, I generally put a tiny bit of sugar into. I think it draws out the flavor, and really makes a good cup of tea grand.

How about you? Are you nuts over hot beverages too? Do tell. I’m curious.

I’m out of town this week, but Linux Journal Live is still going to be great! But don’t take my word for it, you can listen to this crazy guy in his truck:

Another Manic Monday post over at Aff the Fang. 🙂

UPDATE: Is anyone else disturbed that all my character voices sound suspiciously like Lady Elaine Fairchilde from Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood?

Wow, it’s kinda dusty around here. Yes, indeed I haven’t blogged for a full week. I was sick, and made myself chill out and heal. Sitting around is really overrated, and I’m actually starting to question how good I’ll be at retirement when the time comes. Thankfully, I have about 20-30 years to ponder the issue. 😉

As to the week I’ve had, well, both Donna and I were sick. I with the flu, she with chicken pox. Thankfully, it was a very mild case of the pox, and she is back to work doing well now. It is funny whenever we talk about chicken pox in our house, however, because when I was younger, I had them BAD. Back then, I was just about as geeky as I am now, and so I logically deduced that scratching the chicken pox on my head would be perfectly fine. See, the hair would cover any scarring. If you’ve seen my hairline recently, you’ll understand the err of my pre-teen thought process.

Thankfully, I didn’t have any chicken pox in the David Letterman region of my head, so assuming I don’t start balding on top, I should be fine. If I ever shave my head, however, I suspect I’ll be able to do a pretty good Luna impression.

Over at Aff The Fang, Crystal does a weekly assignment that is designed to take the pain of Monday away, if only a bit. This week, we get to write off whatever we want for our taxes.

1. Nevada. I used Nevada as an example of a place that uses a lot of electricity, therefore it is a work tool. While it’s lost significant value since The Star Trek Experience closed down, I still estimate it’s worth around $1,000,000,000.
2. One Pilot G2 pen. It’s only about half gone, as I don’t write very much, so I’ll only claim half. 63 cents.
3. One Silky Terrier. I’ve used this to relieve stress, and as a security system for my home office. $500.
4. 231,455 cubic feet of oxygen. I’ve used approximately that much to stay alive during my work day. At present market rate, this is worth approximately $15,500.
5. One truck. Used during the filming of “TruckCam”. Approximate value, $600.
6. One 2007 Dodge Caravan. Used during filming of “TruckCam” before “TruckCam” was officially titled. Approximate value, $21,400.
7. 12 months worth of blood pressure medicine. Definitely work related expense. $1,600.
8. 52 bottles of wine. See reason on item 7. $1,000.
9. Several metric tons of coffee grounds. $12,000.
10. Last but not least, I’m claiming the Internet on my tax deductions. I use it constantly. Based on RIAA and MPAA pricing for the value of audio and video content on the Internet, I estimate the Internet is worth approximately $342,230,423,232,004,327,242,000,234.43