Guido's Soapbox

Heads up

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:58:30 GMT

Just got forwarded this from a buddy who's a Det. in SLPD - apparently this is spreading quickly.

NEW CARJACKING METHOD

Reported by Florida Highway Patrol

Victim starts the engine and shifts into Reverse, looks into the rearview mirror to back out of the parking space, and notices a piece of paper stuck to the middle of the rear window. This is often placed while the victim is entering the vehicle.

Victim typically shifts into Park, unlocks doors, and exits car to remove paper (or other obstruction) from rear window, leaving vehicle running.

When victim reaches the back of the car, the carjackers enter vehicle from concealment and flee scene.

Females are targeted more often, as they tend to leave a purse containing cash, credit cards, ID and home address in the vehicle when they exit.

Suggested action: If you see an obstruction in the back window, leave the scene immediately and remove the obstruction later. DO NOT attempt to confront or block the carjackers if they gain entry to the vehicle.

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:19:45 GMT

ip log test

This was specifically for dek9fellas - she needed to know her outside router address.

I appreciate your wanting to help, though

test THOUROUGHLY completed.

OMGROFLSFHIH

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:02:01 GMT

slightly NSF

http://thewebsiteisdown.com/

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:42:20 GMT

ok, here's a weird one...

A buddy of mine came into "possesion" of the following:

original copy of the exorcist script- bound with red cover- some wear on edges- along with a typed sheet listing sound effects and scene - page was clearly taped to something as it has residue - along with 7 1/2" reel of tape labelled Exorcist sound effects

He's looking to find a market for this - it would seem to be a fairly valuable piece of film memorabilia, if the right buyers were located.
It seems to be a foley artist copy based on the cue sheet and tape.

O, mighty F-list, what do you think would be the best method of valuating and/or finding a market for this item?

memeage

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:48:20 GMT

from

jrittenhouse :

The Challenge:

* Post 3 things you've done in your lifetime that you don't think anybody else on your friends list has done.
* See if anybody else responds with "I've done that." If they have, you need to add another!(2.b., 2.c., etc...)
* Have your friends cut & paste this into their journal to see what unique things they've done in their life.

1. Hauled a ripe, dead, bloated body out of lake Michigan
(safety tip - do NOT poke a hole in the body)

2. Been held at gunpoint by 6 police officers who mistakenly believed me to be an armed bank robber.
(Well, I WAS armed, and taking money out of the inside of an ATM at 1AM)

3. ripped the entire fleshy part of my lower jaw off the bone in a bike accident
(that ditch was wider than it looked, and the bike was not a BMX model - 30+ stitches)

Hey, TJ!

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 05:07:08 GMT

How many licks does it take to get to the juicy delicious interior of a baby possum?

*pin* a-one
*slash* a-two
*crunch, slurp, chew* a-three

Three.

Godspeed, George.

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:04:42 GMT

RIP George Carlin

1937-2008

"I love words. I thank you for hearing my words. I want to tell you something about words that I uh, I think is important. I love..as I say, they're my work, they're my play, they're my passion. Words are all we have really.

We have thoughts, but thoughts are fluid. You know, [humming]. And, then we assign a word to a thought, [clicks tongue]. And we're stuck with that word for that thought. So be careful with words. I like to think, yeah, the same words that hurt can heal. It's a matter of how you pick them.

There are some people that aren't into all the words. There are some people who would have you not use certain words. Yeah, there are 400,000 words in the English language, and there are seven of them that you can't say on television. What a ratio that is. 399,993 to seven. They must really be bad. They'd have to be outrageous, to be separated from a group that large. All of you over here, you seven. Bad words. That's what they told us they were, remember? 'That's a bad word.' 'Awwww.' There are no bad words. Bad thoughts. Bad Intentions.

And words, you know the seven don't you? Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, and Tits, huh? Those are the heavy seven. Those are the ones that will infect your soul, curve your spine and keep the country from winning the war.

Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, and Tits, wow. Tits doesn't even belong on the list, you know. It's such a friendly sounding word. It sounds like a nickname. 'Hey, Tits, come here. Tits, meet Toots, Toots, Tits, Tits, Toots.' It sounds like a snack doesn't it? Yes, I know, it is, right. But I don't mean the sexist snack, I mean, New Nabisco Tits. The new Cheese Tits, and Corn Tits and Pizza Tits, Sesame Tits Onion Tits, Tater Tits, Yeah. Betcha can't eat just one. That's true I usually switch off . But I mean that word does not belong on the list.

Actually, none of the words belong on the list, but you can understand why some of them are there. I am not completely insensitive to people's feelings. You know, I can dig why some of those words got on the list...like cocksucker and motherfucker. Those are...those are heavy-weight words. There's a lot going on there, man. Besides the literal translation and the emotional feeling. They're just busy words. There's a lot of syllables to contend with. And those K's. Those are aggressive sounds, they jump out at you. CocksuckerMotherfuckerCocksucker. It's like an assault, on you. So I can dig that.

And we mentioned shit earlier, of course. Two of the other 4-letter Anglo-Saxon words are Piss and Cunt, which go together of course. But forget about that. A little accidental humor there. Piss and Cunt. The reason Piss and Cunt are on the list is that a long time ago certain ladies said 'Those are the two I am not going to say. I don't mind Fuck and Shit, but P and C are out. P and C are out.' Which led to such stupid sentences as 'OK, you fuckers, I am going to tinkle now.'

And of course the word Fuck. The word Fuck, I don't really...well, this is some more accidental humor, but I don't really want to get into that now. Because I think it takes too long. But I do mean that. I mean, I think the word fuck is an important word. It's the beginning of life, and, yet it's a word we use to hurt one other, quite often. And uh, people much wiser than I have said, I'd rather have my son watch a film with two people making love than two people trying to kill one other. And I of course agree. I wish I know who said it first, and I agree with that. But I would like to take it a step further. I would like to substitute the word fuck, for the word kill in all those movie cliches we grew up with. 'Okay Sheriff, we're gonna fuck ya now. But we're gonna fuck ya slow.' So maybe next year I'll have a whole fuckin' rap on that word. I hope so.

Uh, there are two-way words, but those are the seven you can never say on television. Under any circumstances you just can not say them ever, ever ever, not even clinically. You can not weave them in the panel with Doc and Ed and Johnny, I mean it's just impossible, forget those seven, they're out.

But, there are some two-way words. There are double-meaning words. Remember the ones your giggled at in sixth grade? 'And the cock crowed three times.''Hey, the cock the cock crowed three times. It's in the bible.' There are some Two-way words, like it's okay for Curt Gowdy [mis-spelled in original transcription. -ed.] to say 'Roberto Clemente has two balls on him.' But he can't say, 'I think he hurt his balls on that play Tony, don't you? He's holding them. He must have hurt them by God.' And the other two-way word that goes with that one is prick. It's okay if it happens to your finger. Yes, you can prick your finger, but don't finger your prick. No, no."

Boo-Yah!

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:50:20 GMT

Both classes came back with A's

5 weeks of business law this summer

We are past apogee and into descent........

But every class is now "the one that can kill the GPA".

However, I do get to apply for my scholarship - if i can find my damn tax forms from last year.

Student Schedule

Gregory Williams

GPA: 4

Term	Course			Status	Grade
2006-07-T3	901	CHIMON1	Executive Communications	Complete	A
2006-07-T4	705	CHIMON1	Financial Accounting	Complete	A
2007-08-T0	781	CHIMON1	Negotiations and Conflict Management	Complete	A
2007-08-T1	835	CHIMON1	Research Methods for Management	Complete	A
2007-08-T2	726	CHITHU1	Business Economics	Complete	A
2007-08-T2	910	CHIMON1	Critical Thinking Through Case Analysis	Complete	A
2007-08-T3	740	CHIMON1	Financial Management	Complete	A
2007-08-T3	745	CHITHU1	Management of Human Resources	Complete	A
2007-08-T4	770	CHIMON1	International Management	Complete	A
2007-08-T4	921	CHITUE1	Leading Organization Change	Complete	A
2008-09-T0	5801	CHIMON1	Legal and Social Environment	Enroll
2008-09-T1	750	CHIMON1	Managerial Accounting	Plan
2008-09-T2	730	LKFSAM1	Marketing	Plan
2008-09-T3	755	CHITUE1	Operations Management	Plan
2008-09-T4	865	CHITUE1	Strategic Management	Plan
2008-09-T4	909	CHIMON1	Dynamics of Effective Leadership	Plan

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 12:59:28 GMT

note to self - next time I wire an accessory such as an amplifier to my bike, I should take the time to wire it to an ignition hot wire.
this way when my stupid ass leaves the amp on by mistake, i don't have a dead battery the next time I go to ride.

Put Down Your Drink

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:28:15 GMT

and check this out...

WTF????

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:54:24 GMT

So today I tried Pandora for the first time.

I like finding new music, and this was purported to be an excellent way to do so.

So for the uninitiated, the idea is, you "create" a streaming radio station by giving it a song or artist to start with, and then it seeks music with similar qualities, and starts streaming them.

As each song plays, it shows the artist and track info. It will tell you why it selected that song, and you can provide feedback Like/Don't like, etc. You can create multiple stations with different themes, etc.

After several failed attempts to create a profile headed in the right direction (it seems to get confused when you add artist suggestions from very different genres) I decided to create genre specific channels, beginning with a Rap/Hip-hop channel.

So I punched in some favorites - (Don't be a hater and judge me, yo) Eminem, kid rock, Black eyed peas, beastie boys, Ice cube, Mack 10, etc. A mixture of Detroit/West Coast, upbeat punchy shit.

The first 10 songs it picked were about half winners, and half losers. (I don't like "ballad" rap, that oooo, baby, soft-core shit makes me puke).

So I turn my back to it, because it seems to be more clear on what I'm looking for. About 5 typical west-coast tracks go by... fine, about what I expected. I relegate it to background noise.

Then I hear the familiar guitar riff of a song that I would not have in a million years associated with ANY of the music that had been played thus far. I LIKE this song, but it's like a nuclear example of "one of these things does not belong here"

Free Bird.

I'm thinking at first that the music is coming from elsewhere, but no. I turn around, and sure as shit, on my experimental all-rap "channel" The Pandora server has overridden any logical connection, and in it's special way has yelled "FREE BIRD!". It then immediately went back to stuff within the profile.

AARGH

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:03:04 GMT

And now, the waiting.

The horrible horrible waiting.

Grades are due between now and next Tuesday.

If I got A's in both classes, I'm eligible for The school's nearly-impossible-to-qualify-for Academic Scholarship. Even one A- would be enough to likely disqualify me.

I'm confident in one class, and somewhat worried in the other.

Business Law begins in a couple of weeks.

ooo, did that hurt?

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:21:58 GMT

cause that looked like it hurt.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25126582/

Cha Ching!

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:03:50 GMT

Fire up that e-trade account -

I found a stock Yesterday - symbol ABR

$4+ EPS
P/E ratio around 3
.62 dividend representing a yield of 20%, because that bitch is SEVERELY underpriced.

Bought a batch yesterday, and AFTER trading fees, made 3% on it in one day.

It is a buck higher than yesterday, but mark my words, this puppy is still WAY underpriced.
My thought is that it took a dive because they are involved in real estate mortgages, and that whole sector got bent over with the recent mortgage securities debacle.

*disclaimer* this is a gut-check stock analysis, and I am not qualified or certified in any way to provide analysis of securities. I am not a financial advisor of any kind, and this advice is as much about patting myself on the back for making a good pick yesterday as it is to notify others about what I perceive to be IMNSHO one hell of a stock bargain. You should make your own thorough analysis and/or seek the advice of a financial advisor before investing in ANYthing.

This is the kind of stuff I use my "play money" IRA for - it has very little capital in it, so if I make a tragic mistake, it's no impact to my life at all. That allows me to take stupid chances, which often turn out really well, and occasionally kick me in the financial nads. I've decided from time to time when i find one I have BIG confidence in, I'll share the info - do with it as you will, and if i'm wrong, well, then you have a good chance to mock me.
I generally select things that meet these criteria:
1. I think it's currently underpriced, usually for some stupid reason.
2. It is a dividend -paying stock, so if the price fluctuates, i still get paid for holding it.
3. reasonably strong financials and profitability.

full disclosure - I bought in at $11.74 yesterday afternoon

Damn Right

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:08:17 GMT

As a 1930s husband, I am
Very Superior

Take the test!

Party like McCarty

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:26:29 GMT

Come see this action at Duckon this weekend!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4ts3qBBaaPA

for the record...

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:56:53 GMT

I'm going to be really, really glad when this quarter is over. 8 days of Hell left, and counting.

Happy Birthdays

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:53:53 GMT

To my beautiful (now officially) 4-year-old, whom I shall be taking to breakfast in a few hours.

To Mr. David McCarty, who does not read LJ or even have an account, but many of his friends do.

To my friend Erika, who also does not read LJ, that I know of, but again with the friends, etc.

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 07:28:37 GMT

Seriously? The multibillion dollar corporation we're doing our final project for has all of the problems we're trying to solve because they're just too frickin cheap, and have cost-savinged themselves out of a reliable pipeline of new employees, which they will need in 5 years or so.

Apparently so has everyone else in their industry.

Asshats.

and at 3AM I have no sympathy for them at all - the title of this 9 page paper may well wind up being "Spend some cash, you cheap fucks!"

OBAMA WINS NOMINATION

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:57:19 GMT

AP just announced minutes ago, that enough superdelegates, combined with his expected take in the primary today have clinched him enough delegates to secure the nomination.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PRIMARY_RDP?SITE=MSJAD&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Whew, dodged that bullet.

Now, the real fight starts.

funny cause it's true.

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:46:19 GMT

I can TOTALLY see my daughters using the MLPs in this manner

http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp05282008.shtml

see?

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:43:26 GMT

It got better already -

Went into class to ask Prof about doing some extra credit work to make up the 1.5 points I've lost out of 100 so far.
This is because he refused to hand back an assignment last week that I'd done early, so I had no idea where I was, overall.

he lifted an eyebrow and said "I think you'll be ok on points". As i was about to protest, and point out that even 4 lost points would kill my total GPA, and that as the last major assignment was a team project, that I'd really like to....

SLAP.

That was the sound of my personal project hitting the desk.

with a big 15/15 on it.

SLAP.

That was the sound of our previous team project hitting the desk

with a big 15/15 on it.

"I said, I think you'll be OK on points Mr. Williams"

So only the final team project, and a one-page summary paper to go, and I can afford to lose only 3.5 more points.

2 more weeks.

Argh.

Help out Jer's kids

Fri, 30 May 2008 03:20:20 GMT

No, not the ones with crutches and such.

jer_ had pledged to meet the challenge thrown down by dek9here
http://dek9.livejournal.com/154750.html

She and I each pledged 20 bucks upon seeing video proof of the prank
but the plan has hit a hitch: http://users.livejournal.com/jer_/229789.html

I beg you - go onto his post and pledge money so this poor fool can buy a camera and commit this humiliating prank.

beautiful...

Tue, 27 May 2008 15:43:45 GMT

....but creepy.

SFW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf5szwz6Qzc

*edit* link fixed

Another Passes

Fri, 23 May 2008 14:27:37 GMT

RIP Robert Lynn Asprin

“Dorsai live and Dorsai die

 Far away from home.

 And their loved ones cry and curse the sky;

 For a Dorsai soul must roam.” 
 
I Met Bob many years back, when he was still sportin' the fro, and got to spend a happy hour of my life shooting the shit with him and Folio.
Thanks for that hour, Bob, and the many, many others filled with joy reading your books.