Assorted Ramblings

Web Browser Operating Systems the Past 30 Days

Windows: 89.78% (Not a huge surprise.)
Macintosh: 7.82%
Linux: 1.70%
Danger Hiptop: 0.23% (AKA “T-Mobile Sidekick.”)
(unknown): 0.17%
iPhone: 0.15%
Nintendo Wii: 0.04%
Playstation 3: 0.04%
iPod: 0.04%
Playstation Portable: 0.02%

What I find interesting is that as a percentage of web browsers, Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable had the exact same percentages. But yesterday’s breakdown of the web browsers also included a “Sony-HTTPClient” for 0.02% of the traffic.
Which begs the question: Which of those non-Sony operating systems is running a Sony web browser?!?!

Assorted Ramblings

Web Browsers the Past 30 Days

2 Comments
Internet Explorer: 61.78%
Firefox: 30.42%
Safari: 5.04%
Mozilla: 1.56%
Opera: 0.70%
Chrome: 0.25% (Probably almost all from me.)
Netscape: 0.06%
Playstation 3: 0.04% (A game console?! Visiting my site?)
8900a: 0.02% (No idea what this is.)
Camino: 0.02%
Konqueror: 0.02%
NetFront: 0.02% (Seems to be a browser for phones and such.)
Palm750: 0.02% (So, I’m not the only one who’s ever web surfed with a PDA.)
Playstation Portable: 0.02% (Again with the game consoles!)
Sony-HTTPClient: 0.02% (Apparently also a game console.)
Rants, Silliness

Google's Nuclear Ambitions

2 Comments

I’ve been playing with Google’s new “Chrome” web browser for the past 24 hours. Not literally of course. I did take some time off to sleep last night and go to work today. (Just don’t ask how many hours of sleep and did I mention that I write web-based applications for a living? The sort of thing that will likely be required to work in Chrome?)
In all, I’m pretty impressed with it. I have found a few minor problems with it — for instance, selecting all the text in a sentence (such as this one) which wraps around onto more than line on the page, results in the “selection marker” spanning the entire page. Also, my bookmarks weren’t imported. But all in all, it’s been pretty solid so far. If Google puts any sort of marketing muscle behind this like they have with the Google Toolbar (when’s the last time you saw a PC without the Google Toolbar?) or GMail, they could put a serious dent in Internet Explorer’s market share. (Depending on who you ask, about 70-80% of the people on the web are using Internet Explorer, 15-20% are using Firefox, and the rest are using Safari, Opera, or another small player.)
One of Microsoft’s practices which people have been pointing at as anti-competitive is that every copy of Windows comes with Internet Explorer pre-installed. Internet Explorer’s default search engine is Live.com.
In the past, Google has protested this practice. (One theory is that Chrome was released as a hedge in case Microsoft does any further integration between Internet Explorer and Live.com.) The default search engine for Chrome is (of course) Google, but they appear to be attempting to forestall any claims of hypocrisy. When you run Chrome for the first time, before you do anything else, you have to confirm your choice of search engine. In addition to Google’s, you can also choose from Yahoo!, Live Search, AOL or Ask.
So by now you’re probably thinking this sounds pretty cool, and I want to get me a copy of that “Chrome” thing, but what the heck does this have to do with any sort of nuclear ambitions?
Well, as you know, when you install the Google Earth application, you explicitly agree to refrain from using Google Earth to control nuclear reactors. (It’s very similar to how you are forbidden from using iTunes for “…the development, design, manufacture or production of missiles, or nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.”
As is my habit, I read Chrome’s End User License Agreement before downloading the program. It seems to be a lightly edited version of the boilerplate license agreement from all of Google’s online services (e.g. Blogger, Picasa, etc.). I’m by no means a lawyer, but one of the more interesting clauses in this license appears to claim that you grant Google a license to use anything you publish (or upload!) via Chrome.
But there’s nothing in there forbidding you from using Chrome to control nuclear reactors.

Assorted Ramblings, Photos

Getting Buzzed on Labor Day

2 Comments

One of the highlights of my Labor Day was getting together with the Jaycees to help out at Gaithersburg’s Labor Day Parade.
G&G Jaycees paired up with Wheels of Thunder to guide "Gary the Glitterbug" (a huge bee) along the parade route.
We had our usual problem where the city’s organizers’ eyes were larger than their streets: The balloon traveled most of the parade route within a few inches of the street in order to avoid getting tangled in the numerous low-hanging utility wires. (Still, this was better than two years ago when we were guiding an airplane balloon with such a wide wingspan that people on both sidewalks had to duck.)
All in all, the hassle was pretty minimal. It was a fun event as usual.
A bit more “interesting” (mostly in the “entertaining” sense) was the afternoon’s driving lesson.
Kay’s leaving the country in a few weeks to take a job in Italy. She’s taking her car with her, but she’s already been told that she’ll have to do some driving in rental cars (if nothing else, while she waits for her own car to arrive). There are however two small problems. Minor things really, hardly worth mentioning:

  1. Evidently, most rental cars in Italy have manual transmissions.
  2. Kay has only ever learned how to drive with an automatic.

After remembering that my car has a manual transmission, Kay asked if I’d mind teaching her. So because I’m such a great guy, I ended up spending about 90 minutes with Kay this afternoon, driving around a mostly empty complex of parking lots with plenty of hills to practice starting on.
It’s only the second time I’ve taught someone how to drive with a manual transmission and it brought back a lot of memories from back in 1987 when I first learned. I had a rough time learning how to start on hills too. (Kay was no doubt hating me the first time I made her stop halfway up.)
Because it’s a hybrid, my car’s engine is quieter than most. So between wanting to make sure Kay could hear the engine and just generally wanting to avoid the distraction, I’d turned off the radio before she got behind the wheel. After dropping her off (I made her drive) I switched it back on.
I burned out on pop music about 12 years ago. These days my preferred format is country and when I switched the radio back on, I started laughing.
The first song to come on was by Alan Jackson. He was singing Drive.

Assorted Ramblings

Change of Status

I’ve never been particularly close with my Aunt and her family. In my entire life, I only recall seeing her in person three or four times. I’ve long since lost count of the number of times I’ve visited with other aunts, uncles, and cousins; but somehow that particular branch of the family has always remained distant.
As of this morning, it’s now completely too late to fix things with that particular aunt. But I’m gonna try to spend a little more time with the rest of the family, including as many nieces and nephews as I can.

Assorted Ramblings

Heading for the High Ground

I heard from Squish last night that she was going to bug out first thing this morning and head for her in-laws’ house. That’s probably a good move on her part. From looking at the maps, the part of New Orleans she lives in was flooded three years ago. The reports on the radio this afternoon had Gustav reaching category 4 and there was talk of a mandatory evacuation coming up, so by getting a head start, I’m hopeful that she’ll be ahead of the crowd.
Evidently Treacy has to stay there until Sunday. I’m not sure if he’s in the Guard/Reserves, or if this is work-related — no doubt Squish will jump in with an explanation at some point, though I’m certain she has other priorities right now — but I’ll be keeping him in my thoughts. (It occurs to me that I might have labeled the wrong one as “Squish”, but its too late now and she got that nickname long before they even met.)
Think dry thoughts.

Assorted Ramblings

Summer's Dark Ending

5 Comments

Although I disagree with his conclusion that it’s all meaningless, I thought Dave did a nice summary of some of what’s been going on. My experience over that time frame is a little different; not better, not worse, just different. I’ve been trying for the past couple weeks to find the right way to express it, but what I’ve concluded is that either the right words don’t exist, or else I’m not clever enough to find them.
The past 18 months have been a bit of a roller coaster. There were definitely some high points, but when you’re heading into a valley, it can be difficult to remember the peaks.
Last March, an aunt passed away. It was somewhat expected, and in many ways, I’ve no doubt it was also a blessing. But when the end came, it was astonishing how quick it was.
We’d no sooner laid my aunt to rest then another relative passed away. This time an uncle on the other side of the family. His health had been declining in recent years, but this time it took me completely by surprise.
Right about the same time, a close friend was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Cancer. Thankfully, AJ beat the cancer and recently celebrated her first full year in remission. (This peak I remember. I’m looking forward to AJ celebrating many, many more such anniversaries.)
August of 2007 ended with news that another aunt had been hospitalized as a result of a stroke and for a brief time it appeared that I’d be ending the summer with another funeral. Happily, this was not the case and the rest of 2007 went by on a relatively high note. Along with news of AJ’s remission, friends Sue & Steve announced that they were expecting their first child, I threw my first-ever party for Talk Like a Pirate Day, took a creative writing class, and in November, took my first-ever swing dance lesson.
For me personally, the first half of 2008 was fantastic. I dove into swing dance, eventually taking three months of lessons and although I can no longer be a regular member of the Jaycees, I’ve managed to at least stay involved to the extent the organization is willing to make use of the skills and knowledge I’ve acquired.
The first crack in the patina of joy came in early July when Hodo’s brother passed away after a lengthy battle with colon cancer. I’d never met Chris, but I’ve known Hodo for four or five years, so AJ and I attended the viewing together to pay our respects and make sure Hodo knew that her friends were there for her.
Another shadow crept across the summer sky in mid-August. I’d like to think I could point out Robbie in a crowd, but the truth is that he was only 20 and the generational gap between us was such that I only really knew him as one of the kids who’d been growing up attending the local science fiction conventions. I know his father, Bob, well enough that we’ve occasionally chatted at the same conventions. I can’t claim to be a friend of the family, but I’m definitely part of their community.
In January, Robbie was diagnosed with Leukemia. I’ve known other people with Leukemia and they beat it. Between that and AJ’s successful treatment, I was certain Robbie would beat his cancer too. I was proud to be one of the people who contributed to the more than $2,000 that was raised at Shore Leave to help cancer patients and I was horrified when a month later, Robbie lost his battle.
It’s been raining off and on for the past day and a half. Not a downpour, but enough of a soaking to make the ground soggy and the skies gloomy. It fits my mood.
Last summer my aunt suffered a stroke. She made a partial recovery, but it’s not been going well lately. This past weekend she was accepted into hospice. There are a few potential wild cards that could change everything, but the prognosis at this point is somewhere between two weeks and two months.
I like Dave’s summary of the stages of life, but I disagree with his ending.

The sun rises in the East and sets in the West, and as the day ends, all slips into darkness. This too is meaningless.

When AJ was diagnosed with Cancer last year, her friends immediately closed ranks around her and Mike to make sure they had everything they needed. When Hodo’s brother passed away, her friends closed ranks to take care of her too. And when news came of Robbie’s illness, that community came together as well.
And that’s what I think it all means: Hold on tight to the people you care about. Let them know you care.
So if I seem a bit “out of sorts” or a bit “clingy” in days to come, it’s because that’s what I’m struggling with. I’m trying to figure out how to let my friends to know I care.
And perhaps those are the right words after all.

Assorted Ramblings

Regular Joe

1 Comment

So far, I haven’t made a decision between Barack Obama and John McCain. Obama has the benefit of not being a Republican, but I feel there’s a necessity to distinguish between a party’s dogma and the party’s candidate. And at this point, I’m still more than a little tempted to write in a vote for either Zaphod Beeblebrox or Paris Hilton.
Despite that, I’m starting to pick favorite Vice Presidents. Allow me to be the first to point out that it’s a fluff piece designed to make you like the guy, it doesn’t say anything about his politics; but based on today’s Washington Post article, I find that I like Joseph Biden.
Maybe he could be McCain’s running mate too?