For most techies, it's generally not good to be associated with a virus of any sort. But folks at Sun Microsystems and organizers of this week's JavaOne software conference in San Francisco may have felt especially queasy when they heard that local health authorities were tracking an outbreak of stomach flu at the Moscone Center in recent days.
With up to 70 cases reported, the city health department said it suspects the culprit may be the highly contagious norovirus - a real virus, not the computer kind.
Symptoms usually last only one or two days, according to a bulletin that city officials issued this week. But they can include vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, aches and even low-grade fever. And the virus can spread easily from contact with someone who hasn't washed his or her hands, or from touching a contaminated surface.
Paul's Journal
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05/11/2008 03:40 #44301
Maybe never another confernceCategory: conference
Getting a virus at a conference is one thing. Getting the norovirus is yet another. I am so glad this was not me.
05/10/2008 14:41 #44298
Art deco hutch and chairsCategory: furniture
Does anyone want this vintage solid wood Art Deco hutch and chairs? The hutch is probably worth money but I don't want to bring it anywhere because its heavy. If we still had the table I would have tried to sell the set. They are on our porch destined for the garbage if no one wants them. I am going to try craigslist too.
mrmike - 05/11/08 11:51
Nice stuff
Nice stuff
fellyconnelly - 05/11/08 09:07
oh man that is a sexy hutch!
oh man that is a sexy hutch!
drew - 05/10/08 15:01
dibs!
dibs!
05/09/2008 20:59 #44290
Haircut and Cleveland DreamsCategory: weekend
Fun
I cut my hair and left a little stripe on the top for the weekend. I thought it would be fun. I think it is a little crooked.
I wish I had friends to go out dancing with or something to do but I don't so i will probably just stay home and watch television, ya fun! I wanted to go to Cleveland for May Daze 3
The large size flyer is here
At Home
Today I painted this fireplace in the side parlour. Well, I finished sanding it and priming it. I had tried staining it but the wood just couldn't handle the stripping. It looks a lot better painted after being stripped though because now you can see the details. I will post pictures tomorrow after I finish the top coat. The smell of oil paint is the same as the smell of stain, varnish, polyurethane. I would just avoid it at all costs. The only reason I went with it was because I was told it was what I want to use for a mantel and because I don't want to have to paint lots of coats on in the future as it obfuscate the details.
What are you supposed to do with the brushes afterwards? They don't clean with water, which means they probably only clean with paint thinner. I refused to pour a pint of paint thinner down the drain in order to clean the brush. Instead, I just threw the $10 brush out. That seems like a waste - I will never use oil paint again.
(e:terry) and (e:matthew) worked on the yard. It looks amazing.
At work
Today, was a terrible day at work that undid the good feeling I had about yesterday.
a. New auditing regulations that sounds like serious drama and I believe will add more red tape to the extreme red tape slowness of everything and really only adding a perception of security. I hope I can at least be part of the implementation plan.
b. Still no official confirmation of the new position, although I have now done months of work as if I was in the position.
c. The new project we were taking inhouse to make our lives way easier and to encourage integration between systems, offer more control, promote a standard way development, pass the bus test and save money - got scratched because frankly - I believe someone is friends with the vendor.
d. The to top it off, I got taken off my regularly scheduled development to spend the last two weeks building an application to replace the one (e:jim) never finished. Then today, after staying late the last two nights to finish and test it in all 5 browsers, the 5 people who needed the application ASAP, didn't even bother to show up for the introduction, argh.
estrip
I got my 2 millionth view over the last day!
I cut my hair and left a little stripe on the top for the weekend. I thought it would be fun. I think it is a little crooked.
I wish I had friends to go out dancing with or something to do but I don't so i will probably just stay home and watch television, ya fun! I wanted to go to Cleveland for May Daze 3
This year May Daze 3 has 4 rooms of sound and lights, 5 international headliners, 21 supporting artists from Ohio and the 5 surrounding states. Electro, Live PA, DNB, Breaks, House, Dubstep, Techno, Hardcore, you asked for it, you begged for it, and we are bringing it.
The large size flyer is here
At Home
Today I painted this fireplace in the side parlour. Well, I finished sanding it and priming it. I had tried staining it but the wood just couldn't handle the stripping. It looks a lot better painted after being stripped though because now you can see the details. I will post pictures tomorrow after I finish the top coat. The smell of oil paint is the same as the smell of stain, varnish, polyurethane. I would just avoid it at all costs. The only reason I went with it was because I was told it was what I want to use for a mantel and because I don't want to have to paint lots of coats on in the future as it obfuscate the details.
What are you supposed to do with the brushes afterwards? They don't clean with water, which means they probably only clean with paint thinner. I refused to pour a pint of paint thinner down the drain in order to clean the brush. Instead, I just threw the $10 brush out. That seems like a waste - I will never use oil paint again.
(e:terry) and (e:matthew) worked on the yard. It looks amazing.
At work
Today, was a terrible day at work that undid the good feeling I had about yesterday.
a. New auditing regulations that sounds like serious drama and I believe will add more red tape to the extreme red tape slowness of everything and really only adding a perception of security. I hope I can at least be part of the implementation plan.
b. Still no official confirmation of the new position, although I have now done months of work as if I was in the position.
c. The new project we were taking inhouse to make our lives way easier and to encourage integration between systems, offer more control, promote a standard way development, pass the bus test and save money - got scratched because frankly - I believe someone is friends with the vendor.
d. The to top it off, I got taken off my regularly scheduled development to spend the last two weeks building an application to replace the one (e:jim) never finished. Then today, after staying late the last two nights to finish and test it in all 5 browsers, the 5 people who needed the application ASAP, didn't even bother to show up for the introduction, argh.
estrip
I got my 2 millionth view over the last day!
mrdeadlier - 05/12/08 08:59
That's why we call it WORK and not FUN. :(
That's why we call it WORK and not FUN. :(
paul - 05/10/08 15:27
Damn, I should have written estrip.or gin it. Argh, next time.
Damn, I should have written estrip.or gin it. Argh, next time.
metalpeter - 05/10/08 15:23
That is a lot of views it really is. In terms of the hair cut it is to bad you didn't think about the mohawk before you started to cut it then it would higher and stick out more. Yes that strip is on kind of mohawk.
That is a lot of views it really is. In terms of the hair cut it is to bad you didn't think about the mohawk before you started to cut it then it would higher and stick out more. Yes that strip is on kind of mohawk.
vincent - 05/10/08 11:55
It just could be me but I'm thinking the scene from Taxi Driver when he starts saying, "Are you talkin' to me?"
It just could be me but I'm thinking the scene from Taxi Driver when he starts saying, "Are you talkin' to me?"
tinypliny - 05/09/08 23:29
Nice Haircut! You are almost like that actor - Billy Crudup. He NEVER looks the same in any two movies. I don't know how he does it. It takes me forever to really recognize him any movie! I never recognize him unless I read the credits in trailers. He is like you, he can completely transform into someone else by minor changes to his haircut or changing his facial hair pattern or just by wearing a different style of clothing. Okay, you do have an eminently recognizable face, but that actor doesn't even have that. I wonder if he intentionally does that or whatever. He is a mystery. I sometimes track what he looks like through a string of movie at IMDB and I am amazed at just how he pulls it off.
The situation at work is really quite unfortunate. :/ I feel for you! They just handed it to an outside vendor without consulting you? What a rotten thing to do! And its frankly so de-motivating to not get the appropriate response and feedback for all the hard you put in!
I hope I get this proposal done soon so I can go dancing with you and you can repent when I tread on your toes! :)
Nice Haircut! You are almost like that actor - Billy Crudup. He NEVER looks the same in any two movies. I don't know how he does it. It takes me forever to really recognize him any movie! I never recognize him unless I read the credits in trailers. He is like you, he can completely transform into someone else by minor changes to his haircut or changing his facial hair pattern or just by wearing a different style of clothing. Okay, you do have an eminently recognizable face, but that actor doesn't even have that. I wonder if he intentionally does that or whatever. He is a mystery. I sometimes track what he looks like through a string of movie at IMDB and I am amazed at just how he pulls it off.
The situation at work is really quite unfortunate. :/ I feel for you! They just handed it to an outside vendor without consulting you? What a rotten thing to do! And its frankly so de-motivating to not get the appropriate response and feedback for all the hard you put in!
I hope I get this proposal done soon so I can go dancing with you and you can repent when I tread on your toes! :)
hodown - 05/09/08 23:25
your hair is totes cute!
your hair is totes cute!
fellyconnelly - 05/09/08 22:37
awesome haircut - you are a wild man!
awesome haircut - you are a wild man!
libertad - 05/09/08 21:55
Congrats on your views. I thought you like just had a million like a couple of months ago. Did you get a million views in 2 months?
Congrats on your views. I thought you like just had a million like a couple of months ago. Did you get a million views in 2 months?
05/08/2008 12:12 #44274
A public relations nightmare - OverlakeCategory: web
I seriously can't imagine dealing with this public relations nightmare. It dwarfs my estrip.org /estrip.com drama. This one hospital our vendor is working with has an angry patient that bought their .com
Check out overlakehospital.org - seems like a nice hospital site.
Hopefully, you get their before you see overlakehospital.com They even cite cases of employees having sex with patients.
They are so screwed. That is what I love about the web - although this is pretty extreme, it shows how one individual can get their perspective out without an entrie publishing company. Think about the devastating effect of this on that hospital. They seriously, could not throw enough million dollar ad campaigns at this problem to make it go away.
Check out overlakehospital.org - seems like a nice hospital site.
Hopefully, you get their before you see overlakehospital.com They even cite cases of employees having sex with patients.
They are so screwed. That is what I love about the web - although this is pretty extreme, it shows how one individual can get their perspective out without an entrie publishing company. Think about the devastating effect of this on that hospital. They seriously, could not throw enough million dollar ad campaigns at this problem to make it go away.
metalpeter - 05/08/08 19:45
With out really reading it all what the hospital should do is come out with another site but have it as maybe .net or something where they counteract what she says. I think it is good that the net gives people who have been wronged the ability to put it out there. However often is the case that you only get one side of the story. Now if she doesn't have any prof they could sue her and they would have a great case. Of course we don't know who is telling the truth and it might not be worth it to sue her but if you do then it sends a good message of don't fuck with us. But on the other hand if what the site says is mostly true then they should just leave her alone. This is a good example of why when you come up with a name for a site you should own it as .com .net .org another good idea if you have the money is to find the most common mistypes or spelling and pay for them to so that if someone miss types they don't get some one elses sites. This goes for people who are in bands or do porn or any thing enterainment get that name before you get big and someone else buys it.
With out really reading it all what the hospital should do is come out with another site but have it as maybe .net or something where they counteract what she says. I think it is good that the net gives people who have been wronged the ability to put it out there. However often is the case that you only get one side of the story. Now if she doesn't have any prof they could sue her and they would have a great case. Of course we don't know who is telling the truth and it might not be worth it to sue her but if you do then it sends a good message of don't fuck with us. But on the other hand if what the site says is mostly true then they should just leave her alone. This is a good example of why when you come up with a name for a site you should own it as .com .net .org another good idea if you have the money is to find the most common mistypes or spelling and pay for them to so that if someone miss types they don't get some one elses sites. This goes for people who are in bands or do porn or any thing enterainment get that name before you get big and someone else buys it.
james - 05/08/08 13:24
The intermittent bible quotes make me think crazy. I mean, the bible is cool and all, but Ezekiel 25:17 mixed in with a Pulp Fiction reference makes me think crazy.
The intermittent bible quotes make me think crazy. I mean, the bible is cool and all, but Ezekiel 25:17 mixed in with a Pulp Fiction reference makes me think crazy.
joshua - 05/08/08 13:18
This is a weakness of the web. Although its wonderful that people have the freedom to do this, the consequences of spreading potentially libelous and slanderous information are too great. This sort of tactic completely removes any semblance of fairness to the accused party, and by doing it via the web it can be spread very quickly.
is the hospital guilty or not guilty? We don't get to have an honest discussion about that question when this sort of thing happens because the debate has already been co-opted.
This is a weakness of the web. Although its wonderful that people have the freedom to do this, the consequences of spreading potentially libelous and slanderous information are too great. This sort of tactic completely removes any semblance of fairness to the accused party, and by doing it via the web it can be spread very quickly.
is the hospital guilty or not guilty? We don't get to have an honest discussion about that question when this sort of thing happens because the debate has already been co-opted.
jenks - 05/08/08 12:58
wow. she's a little nuts.
I disagree with a lot of what she says, but whatever.
what a disaster.
wow. she's a little nuts.
I disagree with a lot of what she says, but whatever.
what a disaster.
05/08/2008 09:57 #44271
Social Networking for RoswellCategory: roswell
Today I have to go to a meeting about social networking. Its yet another vendor educating our executives about what they need in order to make a socially networked site work. I offered them much of this information for a long time now but it has to come from someone else in order for the marketing people to believe anything. It is the only thing I hate about working at Roswell, the way that the marketing team approaches problem solving.
I remember having to fight them in order to host their videos on youtube and then display them on the site so that more people would be able to see them when not at our site or when just searching youtube. They gave me this whole drama about how they don't want to be associated with the youtube brand identitiy. Clearly, that is like saying I don't want to be associated with the whole television thing at this point, lol. Finally, they agreed and we hosted the videos for yroswell on youtube which I think was a much better solution for their end goals of getting the word out - than our inhouse video player.
Now we get to go to a meeting where they are going to tell us the same kind of thing about how we should be integrating social networking sites. I find it so frustrating that it takes an outside force for them to believe stuff. Thankfully, I have had to deal less and less with marketing in the last few months and more and more with internal development needs. It makes my job so much more enjoyable to take out the marketing aspect. I hope it stays that way.
UPDATE: The meeting is actually pretty great. It seems like we are going to start everything from scratch which is what we needed, seriously. I hope this means less vendors, more in house devel. Its the first time I feel like everyone is on the same page.
I remember having to fight them in order to host their videos on youtube and then display them on the site so that more people would be able to see them when not at our site or when just searching youtube. They gave me this whole drama about how they don't want to be associated with the youtube brand identitiy. Clearly, that is like saying I don't want to be associated with the whole television thing at this point, lol. Finally, they agreed and we hosted the videos for yroswell on youtube which I think was a much better solution for their end goals of getting the word out - than our inhouse video player.
Now we get to go to a meeting where they are going to tell us the same kind of thing about how we should be integrating social networking sites. I find it so frustrating that it takes an outside force for them to believe stuff. Thankfully, I have had to deal less and less with marketing in the last few months and more and more with internal development needs. It makes my job so much more enjoyable to take out the marketing aspect. I hope it stays that way.
UPDATE: The meeting is actually pretty great. It seems like we are going to start everything from scratch which is what we needed, seriously. I hope this means less vendors, more in house devel. Its the first time I feel like everyone is on the same page.
Ew. Makes you think twice about touching doorknobs at public places. ICK. :/