I'm testing a new format. Please let me know how this page looks to you...

Remember when sliced bread came out? How happy you were? Maybe you're not old enough to remember that, but here's something that's just as great! TVEyes.com -- always watching... is the title of a web site that will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF! This web site watches the closed caption programming of a variety of television programming, from Financial and Sports to Kids programming and Entertainment. All you do is type in the keywords that interest you, and they will email you a short surrounding transcript anytime that keyword is mentioned! Set up a password, and you can edit your preferences a little more.
By default, when you enter in a keyword, it will notify you the next 3 times that keyword appears in any media they are tracking. When you set up a password, you can up that notification count to 10, and you can continue to up the count as you get closer to 0 in order to keep it active. Additionally, you can then select which types of programming to ignore. If you're looking for the word "Dallas" and you mean the TV show, you can turn off Sports programming, or vice-versa.
Try this out, really cool!

Just saw this article entitled Invisible Web Bugs Track Your Surfing. The first line reads Big Server is Spying On You. This was even given its own paragraph. UGH! There is a lot of thought that should go into how seriously you take this article. Please, go and read it, and then come back here...
I saw an article where Bill Gates was speaking about privacy on the net, and he made a wonderful point. How many places in the world can you walk out of a store and tell the store-owner, "Forget I was here, and what aisles I browsed. Don't look at which direction I came from. Don't discuss what I did in here with anyone. Don't remember what I bought or how many times I bought it. Don't remember how much I spent or if I used any coupons. All of this is private information and you have no right to it."
I read that [NOT word-for-word....I believe it was in this months Business 2.0 somewhere] and I thought, "He's SO right. He's hit the nail on the head". If I own a business (a web site) and I decide to hire a marketing company to help me expand my business, I'm going to share all kinds of information with the marketing company. I'll tell them all about my customers habits. The only thing I would consider private information is the name and address information I have for them [example, a pharmacy]. I'll tell them everything I can about my customer base, provided that the data doesn't include identity information.
And if the FBI comes by and asks me if Mr. Pipe-Bomb-Builder came in and bought 15 gallons of Clorox, I'm going to tell them that information, probably without even a warrant, because I want to cooperate with them. I would consider that type of information "shared information".
The information in a web-bug is no different from the information I get when the user requests a web page from me. In fact, you can get so much more information about the user than is mentioned in this article. The identifying information is only identifying in specific instances of dedicated IP addresses, which are usually businesses, not private dial-ins. And many businesses do their best to hide even that identification from the outside world through proxies and NAT.
Let me give you an example. You see the web-counter on this page? It garners all of that information in that article. I happen to know that some of the users who hit this page came from AOL. I also happen to know that they found me with search words containing pornographic references. I don't know WHO they are. Without a search warrant I doubt I could find out. But I do know now how certain search engines see my site. This is important information to me, and it doesn't 'belong' to those users. It belongs to the search engine that sent them to me AND that user. That search engine decided to pass on those parameters in the URL. That means they pass it on to me. I pass it on to my marketing company.
Bruno drives up to my store from the South-bound exit off I-44. I see him come in this way, and I log it. 10 more people come in the same exit. You think I shouldn't be allowed to know where they're coming from? How am I supposed to know where to put my billboard? If the FBI comes in and asks me did I see some guy in a pinstripe suit drive in off the southbound exit, can't I tell them? Now how about if Vinny calls me and tells me he's sending Bruno over to get some black powder. Bruno comes over and I don't deal in nblack powder. Now the FBI comes in again...wants to know why Bruno was here. Who's the slimeball now? Me or Vinny? If Vinny was smart he wouldn't go telling me why he's sending Bruno my way. He'd let me work that out with Bruno himself. Now howabout that? Bruno comes in from the South Exit, walks in and ASKS me for black powder straight out. This is different. Should I go sharing that information with my marketing guy? Sure! Maybe he'll tell me that in the past year, I've got 15 guys asking for it. Maybe I should consider selling it. Or maybe I should contact the FBI and have them tap into my store cameras so they can catch these dirtballs named Bruno.
I think there's a degree of privacy that you do give up when you get online. But I think you have the same problem with real life in general. As a webmaster, it's my responsibility to use what info I have to market my publication. If AOL wants to share that info with me, I'll use it. If you as a user don't like it, complain to the people that pass it on. Complain to AOL, Yahoo, Google, Hotbot, etc. Ask them to hide your search strings when they return your search results. But you can't expect people to throw away information you give them, that is unless you want Benjamin Franklin to stay behind to make sure I forget why you was in my store....

Just to plug them again, but mostly to thank them for this article on Moving Hints, I'd like to express my gratitude to www.homestore.com for the advice on getting 3 quotes and an NTE quote on my move. This is due to be the best move I've ever made! Three companies, two different prices and one no-show(!). And I got an NTE [+10%] from them when I asked for it!

In this USA Today article, Harry Potter faces biggest foe yet in book censors, you will find that book banning is still in season. Being an avid reader myself, I have never been a fan of people who wish to ban books from library shelves. I can certainly understand a parents concerns, having a grade-school child myself, but I can't understand the idiocy that some people wish to perpetrate. The notion that this particular children's book will cause an otherwise normal healthy child to engage in occult activities is absurd. By the time the child is able to even comprehensively read these books, they should already be well aware of the difference between fantasy and reality.
I gave 'book banning' a whole new thought last night as I ruminated on both sides of the discussions. On one hand, a library is a place where a child can gain unfettered access to knowledge. On the other hand, there is certain types of knowledge that we attempt to protect our children from. I firmly believe that it is a parent's responsibility to act in the raising of a child and let them know what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. The child will help you with making sense of this, with their question of "Why?" when you tell them something is unacceptable. Banning a book from a public library does not absolve the parent from their responsibility. This particular book is probably so pervasive that your child could obtain it from any number of friends if you haven't made it clear that they are not to be reading it.
You know, there are certainly publications that the public library does not maintain, and that is a fine line that a librarian must consider. A lot of good books have been banned over the years, for countless reasons. But I don't think that any of the reasons are worthy of pushing your morals or judgements on others.
Perhaps these people are shocked to know what concepts their children are ready to understand. Perhaps people are shocked at what tender age their children can comprehend things such as sexuality, religion, paranormal concepts and superstition. The problem is not with society at large. The problem is with the denial that they may be feeling. If a child can understand the concepts they are exposed to, then perhaps it is time for that 'talk you've been meaning to have'. Perhaps instead of focusing your time and effort on banning books, you should be using that time to sit down and have an important discussion with the child as to what is appropriate and why you feel that way. No one said it was going to be easy to teach your children, but you should not and can not expect to be able to control what other people do for your own ease.
You know, this is exactly the type of thing that gets me rambling because there is so much to say on the subject. I'm not saying we should be carrying 'Playboy' magazine in the local library. There are laws that control certain publications from distribution to minors. And unless a library can put into place the necessary controls to control the distribution of such publications, it has no legal right to carry them IMHO [in my honest opinion]. However, should those controls be in place, and should the library see it within their charter to carry it, and their funding agents agree with their decisions, I don't see why there should be any beef. Of course, I've just introduced a new twist. Do the taxpayers have the right to control what their tax money supports. Can book banning from a library be considered an act of a funding agent who is unhappy with how their funds are spent? Do we not have elections and elected representatives to drive this? Does our form of government NOT work here?
Historically, what do we see? A vocal minority complains to the school board [elected officials?] that they are unhappy with decisions made in the local school library. Book is banned. An incensed and even more vocal majority complain and get the decision reversed. You would think someone would learn from history. As the official, you should have the capability to come to a consensus agreement on the matter without resorting to the extreme of banning a book outright. Politicians are paid to be mediators and agreement makers, are they not?
I don't claim to have the solution to fit all the sides I have mentioned. I only claim to have an opinion. And you know what, now that I've given you at least most of it, I realize also that you're entitled to your own opinion too.

Have you ever noticed how great inventions are almost always invoke the feeling of "Oh, of COURSE! I should have thought of that, it's so obvious."? In the house I'm in right now, I can't even hear the doorbell upstairs in the master bedroom. It's 3 flights up from the chime. But if someone opens the front door, the change in air pressure is immediately obvious to the point where you can hear it. Someone used this effect to create a house alarm. AirBlock instantly detects the change of air pressure from the forcing of all windows and doors in areas as large as 4,000 ft.� (370m�). I think this is a great idea. You don't have to wire all your doors and windows, and the detection system is almost unbeatable. To bypass it, you'd have to slowly feed in air into the home to equalize the pressure before opening the door or window. Unless you're Aldritch Ames or someone else keeping Top Secret documents in your house, I doubt any crook will take the time to do this. Add yet another neat toy to the collection!

I just stumbled across BrainBuzz.com. This site bills itself as BrainBuzz.com: Everything for the IT Professional. They have tech news, job data, cramsession and training info, ratings on tech products, a file watcher for keeping an eye on patches and more. I found the site, because I was looking for a Question of the Day subscription. This is where they email you a technical question designed to prepare you for a particular test. They email you one new question every day. It's good for keeping yourself in the right frame of mind and helps you study for the exams.

I went to blog this site, and I think it explains itself very well in its title. You'll notice a new java applet in the out-of-band. For those of you with Java disabled, it's an applet that displays 12 of these kids, hoping that you've seen one of them. If you have, please help them.
"The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Home Page - an online resource for information on: Missing Children and Child Sexual Exploitation. This resource includes: disappear, runaway, kidnap, kidnapping kidnaping throwaway, abduct, abduction, abducting, lost, find, recover, child custody, missing child, homeless child, posters, stranger abduction, luring, stolen baby, school abduction, child protection, neglect, child, charity, charities, charitable, hague treaty, hague convention, hage treaty, hage convention, awareness, family welfare, vulnerable parenting publication, child resource, child stats, child statistics, donate, donation, child advocate, child advocacy, treatment, community notification, megan's law, victim's rights, victim, protect, sex offender, molest, child safety, online, child abuse, online, safety tips, internet, internet safety, stranger, exploit, internet, web, www, computer, kid, enticement, luring, cybercrime, safesurf, pedophile, pedophilia, paedophile, paedophilia, recividism, abuse, sex offender, child-sex tourism, sex tourism, lolita, tipline, tipsline, child exploitation, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, child abuse, Internet safety, child crimes disappear, runaway, kidnap, kidnapping kidnaping throwaway, abduct, abduction, abducting"

Over in the out-of-band, you'll notice a new graphic link to 'Scratch4Cash'. Now, everytime you check in at my website, you'll get three chances at winning up to $100,000 in an instant win format! So to those of you who like to play the lottery, here's a free one for you.

This weekend I received two different DVDs from Netflix I should share with you. The first and foremost was Little Rascals, Vol. 1 & 2Little Rascals Volumes 1 & 2! Two volumes on a single DVD is still something that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, unless you consider that they may have already been published to two different VHS tapes. But that aside, I must say that this was the most enjoyable rental I have had in a while! Watching Spanky, Stimey, Buckwheat, Porky and Alfalfa in some of their best bits took me back to a simpler time in my life, and I was glad for it. I got to share a bit of myself with my wife and son who have never seen The Little Rascals, and they both enjoyed the pleasure. If you have a chance to rent (or buy if you're into that) this DVD, I highly recommend you do so.
The second tape I rented this weekend was Boiler Room. I've been wanting to see this movie since it was in the theater. I put the DVD on and I watched the whole thing. Hrmmm. eh... Well, at least I can claim I've seen it. I was very unimpressed with this film, just about every aspect of it. I mean, it did what it said it would do in the ads, scaring me away from ever buying investments over the phone. But it did even this poorly. I can't say stay away from this film, though. Even though the delivery was bad, and even though the movie leaves an unfinished taste in your mouth, the movie is worth seeing for the lessons and exposure that it offers. The exposure to a life you will likely never see first hand. Don't buy this movie and don't pay too much to rent it. Heck, maybe wait for the TV version. But if you have a chance to see it once, you should.

Yeah! Been researching options on the new house, and I am so excited about being able to get get Cox Communications: Roadrunner service in the new house. Blazing Internet speeds, and it will end up costing me less. I'll just phase out this second phone line, and turn off my ISP (who I've been detesting since they were bought out.)

Another tidbit I forgot to mention earlier this week. I stopped at the newstand on the way home, and found myself with only $9.00 and wanting to pick up two different magazines (at $4.95 and $4.99). I finally settled on Business 2.0, due to the article about Microsoft's .NET. The magazine was great. I almost read it from cover to cover (although for me, that's usually cover to middle, and later back to middle). Of couse, Murphy's Law being what it is, it ends up my boss has a subscription, and I could have read the other magazine, Grok. Why no link on that one? Well, turns out Grok is a very well-liked word, and there are two or three publications by that name, and since I didn't pick up the magazine...I don't know which one I almost bought! For those of you who do not know who four-time Hugo award-winning Robert Anson Heinlein is, click on his name for the FAQ. The word 'grok' is an invention of his, and lives on through the magic of the Internet and computer science in general.
Well, I got a bit off track, there...but back to the point...read Business 2.0...good rag...

We went to the mall today just to get out of the house, do a little shopping and stretch the legs. It's been raining on and off and ruingin any outdoor fun plans we had. So to get some exercise, off we went. While I was there, I went to the new Wizards of the Coast store in the mall. If you don't know who these people are, then you're probably not an avid or an amateur gamer. They sell all that is Pokemon, Magic:the Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons and every other strategy game under the sun. I just love to browse the shelves over and over to look at the games I no longer have the time to play.
While I was there, I bought Mille Bornes [,the french] Card Game, and another game called "The Scooby Doo Card Game". It's sometimes difficult to convince my son to just sit and read, and I figured it would be nice to get him involved in a strategy game where he has to read. I mean, besides Pokemon, (alright no laughing in the balcony!). Well, Mille Bornes is a classic, and I got the whole family to play, so that was a hit. But this Scooby Doo card game was a bust. The rules were too complex for him to quickly grasp at 7 years old, and the game aspects were difficult as well. Either they didn't playtest this game, or they have do-do's for marketing folks. By the time the game mechanics are interesting to him, he'll have outgrown Scooby Doo and moved on to other things. So, my recommendation on that is, skip it. It took too long to play, besides...even if he was interested, I don't see him sitting in one place for more than an hour even if he IS having fun.
What, surprised I didn't talk about computers?