This post is a word of warning to those of you who may be considering the purchase of a new video player and/or recorder.  Back in the '70s and '80s the VHS and Betamax standards engaged in a videotape format war to decide which type would become the dominant one.  As you know, the VHS format won out and became the standard, despite some features of the Betamax that were better.

The same type of video DVD war has been going on recently to decide whether the "HD DVD" or the "Blu-ray" format would become the standard for high definition video DVDs.  Toshiba has been the main proponent for the HD DVD media, and Sony the major player for Blu-ray.  As of last week, Blu-ray "won."  It will be the official standard for High Definition DVD disks from now on.

What significance does this have for you?  Your regular DVD and HD DVD players will continue to work just fine with the media you already have.  That media will NOT work in the Blu-ray players.  HD DVD videos will likely begin to be sold at deep discounts as will HD DVD players.  Therein lies my warning to you.  Do not be misled by very good prices on HD DVD disks or players unless you are willing to stay with that format and be satisfied with the stocks on hand.  All consumer HD movies will be recorded using the Blu-ray standard as soon as it can be put into practice.  HD DVD is already out of date but you may not be told that in advertising or in stores.  One factor that may affect your decision is that the PlayStation 3 has a Blu-ray player already in it which may be used to show HD movies (even though one does not usually think of a computer game box as a video player.)

Personally, I don't even have a high definition player, so it will not be a problem.  Actually, I think I have less than 10 DVDs, total, in my "collection."  I believe I may wait a while longer to make a decision.  The real problem I have is my earlier commitment not to purchase any product made by a company which covertly installed rootkits in consumers' computers via commercial DVD movies, not just once, but after the furor died down, twice.  That company only has a 30% interest in the Blu-ray format and I have to get it if I want to play new DVDs.  Perhaps I won't buy any.

Peace, Doc

Copyright © 2008, Thomas A. Blood, Ph.D.

“All business sagacity reduces itself in the last analysis to judicious use of sabotage” - Thorstein Veblen

I was just sitting there quietly, waiting for nature to take its course, when I heard the thundering hoofbeats rapidly approaching.  Well, it was only cat hooves, but two twenty-pound felines at full gallop will definitely get one's attention.  I've been told by the downstairs neighbor that she can hear the cat crazies when they occur, but that she kind of likes it.  That, in itself, is a blessing as she is one of the apartment complex managers.  Sorry.  Wandered off, there.

Usually, Stinky will chase Bittle until he can catch him and groom him.  End of "fight."  Today however, Bittle was chasing Stinky as fast as I have seen them run since the move here.  When they reached the end of the hallway, they had to either turn or run into boxes.  Stinky broke left, into the bedroom and Bittle turned right, into the bathroom.  Odd.  This reversed their usual pattern.  Stinky ended up somewhere in the bedroom, though I frequently find him rolling on his back in the bathtub.  Bittle, who most frequently hangs out on the opposite side of the short hallway, found himself in the bathtub and appeared to be confused about this outcome.  He carefully inspected the tub, faucets, odors, and then looked to me for an explanation.  I had none to give, but offered to pet him, instead.  He accepted that as an viable alternative and then lay down on the bathroom floor mat, parallel to the tub.

This had me laughing, but it was not yet over.  You really have to have a mental picture of Bittle lying peacefully, near the center of a bathroom rug, to fully enjoy the next event.  Bittle was parallel to the tub, but the rug's long side was perpendicular to it.  After a moment, Stinky charged Bittle from the bedroom.  Three things happened almost simultaneously.  As Stinky tried to slow himself, he got his claws caught in the near end of the rug.  As he made a leap into the tub to avoid hitting the side, the end of the rug, caught on his claws, went with him.  This had the effect of folding the rug approximately in half, covering Bittle completely except for his tail.

Bittle reacted to this charge with a slight delay.  As Stinky reached the mat, Bittle began to roll away from him, toward the tub.  With the rug already in the process of covering him, this action resulted in Bittle unintentionally rolling himself up completely in the carpeting.  The picture here is one of a large enchilada with a black, furry tail sticking out, a vaguely concerned Stinky watching over the edge of the tub, and Doc laughing hysterically.  They hate it when I laugh like that.  I'm sure they know that the joke is at their expense.

Stinky beat a hasty retreat into the hallway, and I did the best I could to calm and unroll the enraged cat enchilada.  As the above circumstances may suggest, this proved to be somewhat difficult and further time was required to pacify the contents of the carpet.  Life returned to normal as quickly as the strangeness began.  We are all three now either napping or watching Dr. Strangelove on "free on demand" TV.  Somehow that strikes me as being eerily appropriate.

Peace, Doc

Copyright © 2008, Thomas A. Blood, Ph.D.

"Who would believe such pleasure from a wee ball o' fur?" - Irish Saying

Did any fellow Spacers lose bits and pieces of their blogs recently, or are "THEY" only out to get me?  Am I off on one of my useless, paranoid rants, again?  Probably.  Oh well, I've started, so I'll rant anyway.

Something or somebody literally took the words out of the lists on my sidebars.  The links are there and remain live.  I need to delete a redirected one and generally look them over, but the descriptions of what they are have disappeared.  The same happened to the sidebar lists on Anti-Panic Tips and on Thought Stopping.  There is more of a problem there, however.  All of the hints, tips, and instructions are gone except for the "Tip #" and only Tip # 1 in Anti-Panic Tips is a live link, leading circularly but directly back to the whole home page.  I don't understand how this happened while all remained the same in the wider, center column.  The quarter-wide columns beneath the center column did not appear to be affected. 

Spaces Live often makes changes that go into effect on Fridays and this may simply be a glitch that will be repaired.  If not, I will likely put the missing text on .doc and .pdf files on the SkyDrive thingie, and possibly add more topics of interest there.  My computer does not appear to be malfunctioning.  I get the same problem using either Firefox or IE7.  The only things I can think of that might be interfering is my activation of an Office Live online workspace which appears to have many of the same features as SkyDrive, or a simple programming glitch on the Microsoft end.

Before I shuffle off to report problems to the Spaces Live team, I would like to know if others have experienced the same or similar problems and if they can even see the problem I am describing when they view this site.  Thanks for your help.

Peace, Doc

Copyright © 2008, Thomas A. Blood, Ph.D.

"GIGO" - unknown prehistoric programmer.

Deciding what to blog about becomes problematic at times, you know.  After a few days without posting anything, one comes to a point of uncertainty regarding what would be most appropriate.  Should it be about cardboard boxes, the sexual themes in Dr. Strangelove, or even how to convince Firstborn and First Mate to loan me their garage for a couple years.  There is only the very loosest of connections among these topics.  I am working on two larger post projects, but they are not yet ready for their public debut.  There are a number of equally obscure or idiosyncratic topics available.  I've lived inside my own head for several days and that always leads to a bit of a disconnect from what is possible or even what is desirable.  So.  Firstborn doesn't know about the garage thing yet.  Spaces Live has "done something" on a Friday again, and I am not certain how much it involves.  I suppose, to be safe, I'll stick with cardboard boxes.

I have liked cardboard boxes since I was a child when a large appliance box could easily become a mansion with a door, windows, and if I made a mistake, a skylight.  I recall cutting myself once but that had nothing to do with making cardboard houses.  I was bisecting a Snickers candy bar.  The scar is less visible today amid the wrinkles.  Generally, cardboard was a much safer building material than the mill template lumber that I later used in the construction of The Treehouse.  At that point I began to use a hammer, nails, and a saw, thus becoming a real danger to myself.

Boxes continued to be a constant in my life, storing comic books, model cars, books, class notes, electronics parts and equipment, thesis and dissertation materials, pictures, memorabilia, and "stuff."

Early in my hospital career I discovered the perfectly sized box.  It must be close to the Platonic ideal of a box, the essence of a perfect box, which all earthly boxes may only try to approximate.  It is the box in which 10 reams of copy paper are packed.  Almost anything I needed to store would fit in these boxes and they even contributed an air of organization by way of all being the same size.  They became an obsession and a strong source of positive reinforcement.  Any day at work that I got one was a good day.  Unfortunately (or fortunately - it was a conflictual sort of reciprocity) the program office manager and secretaries discovered the extent to which I could be manipulated to obtain a copy paper box in mint condition.  Deals were struck:  "Well, Dr. Murmenflatz asked for one, but you can have it if you'll go over to Central Supplies and pick up the rest of the office supply order."  (I was out the door before the sentence was finished.)  I had a master key to that office and sank to the depths of treachery and outright "grand theft, box."  I became so addicted that I would empty sealed boxes and stack the supply shelves with the paper they contained during off hours.  Ah, for the good old days!  I can see four of those boxes now, from where I sit.  They are far from being in pristine condition, but are still serving faithfully.

When I moved from the house to the apartment, however, I discovered that differently sized boxes might serve my purposes better.  Tall, sturdy boxes are good for holding RC sailplane fuselages and wings, upright, in a storage area.  Boxes the depth and width, but only half or one-third the height of 10 ream boxes are great for storing occasionally used "stuff" on closet shelves (and if necessary, the 10 ream box can be cut down to fit!) 

It was only very recently that I discovered another perfectly sized box.  Storage space is at a premium in an apartment, and whenever an out of view place can be found it becomes a major discovery.  I just bought a flat panel LCD HDTV.  I'm not sure which I like more, the TV or the box it came in.  The box fits perfectly under the bed !  In addition, it has sparked a new line of thought.  If this is possible with the right sized box, shouldn't it should be possible to utilize still other spaces?  Under the sofa, under the recliner chairs, behind the computer desk, under the cheap round table with the blue skirt covering it - no, not there, the Mutant Toilet Bowl Brush lives there.  If properly decorated these boxes might even pass as "found art" or be painted the same color, have metallic colored latches painted on, and be "hidden in plain view."  If these do not suffice, there is always the option of a box cutter and DUCT TAPE!  If you will excuse me, I believe I have a new project to attend to.

Peace, Doc

Copyright © 2008, Thomas A. Blood, Ph.D.

"When I retire I'm going to spend my evenings by the fireplace going through those boxes.  There are things in there that ought to be burned." - Richard M. Nixon

When I am not lost in deep thoughts about such things as whether to spray flat black paint on the speaker grilles (currently stained and brownish in color,) whether a Waterford crystal lamp really belongs next to a forged aluminum stuffer piston on the bookcase, or when was the last time I changed the cat litter, I sometimes surf the Internet.  This usually does not occur for more than 23.5 hours per day, however.  I have convinced myself I am doing research, and on rare occasions, I actually am.  I have encountered a few sites that I should warn you away from, lest you become as dependent as I, and suffer withdrawal symptoms. 

One such site is MakeUseOf.com which describes itself as "Cool Websites, Software, and Internet Tips."  Its self-description significantly underrates it.  Perhaps this is purposefully done.  I did mention that we are discussing dangerously addictive sites, here, didn't I?

Another site that should require a prescription is Digital Inspiration.  It even more self-effacingly describes itself as "Your personal technology guide."  It is much more than that.

A third site to be cautious with is Lifehacker, which describes itself as having "tech tricks, tips, and downloads for getting thing done."  Yet another major understatement has been made.

All of these sites appear to be virus free in their downloads and are exceptionally informative in a manner that most people with some comprehension of computers can understand.  Other sites that should be visited with as much caution as one would approach chocolate covered caffeine nuggets are SourceForge.net, Think Geek, Slashdot, and Boing Boing.  These sites are much alike in dealing with the world of technology in one way or another, but very different in their approach and style.  I can't choose a "winner" because they are all fascinating.

Peace, Doc

Copyright © 2008, Thomas A. Blood, Ph.D.

Computer addiction or Dependency is defined by Wikipedia.  It is also noted that, "In 2004 the Finnish Defence Forces revealed that they allow some conscripts to postpone their military service for three years due to dependence on computer games and the Internet." - Wikipedia

The words "speed" and "limit" have never had a high associational value in my mind.  I've written before that I tend to take them more as a suggestion than an absolute.  Most recently, I have the ticket  from Village of Elburn, IL, and the certificate from a safe driving course with a perfect score to substantiate that.  (I just love to mention The Village of Elburn in my blogs.  It has ranked me above any of their official sites, including the Mayor's Office, on Google searches in the past.)  Being forced to pay money and take a course that I would rather have written simply irritates me.  "Where were you in '62?"  I was talking my way out of a ticket for 115 in a 70 zone and I had seen the trap and slowed by 15-20 mph.

In those days speed traps "enforcement zones" were common, but much less technically sophisticated than today's.  The arresting officer had to be in court, and there were several ways to legitimately argue that the radar had not produced an accurate reading.  It also amused some of my speed freak friends (that had a totally different meaning in those days) and me to torment the DeMotte, Indiana police when we knew they had carefully set up an "enforcement zone."  Our methods were quite low tech, requiring only some cardboard, two sticks, and a can of paint.  A simple sign stating "RADAR AHEAD" posted by the side of the road about a mile on either side of the trap was both satisfying and effective.  Those were also the days of long, open country roads with little traffic and equally little reason not to double the speed "limit" suggestions.

Those roads were less than 50 miles from Chicago.  Now, the urban sprawl with its fairy ring growth circle has made those roads, as well as the ones where I live in Illinois, unsafe at any speed.  The technology has also changed.  CB radio warnings, radar detectors and jammers, and numerous other measures and counter measures were tried.

Now, speed sensing cameras and laws that state that the camera is always right are in place.  Like voting machines.  Loaning one's car to someone who runs through an Illinois Tollway I-Pass lane without a transponder isn't a good idea.  The picture that is automatically taken is of the license plate, and the owner is ticketed.  Not being the driver is not an acceptable defense.  That is written clearly on the ticket.  No presumption of innocence, anymore.  Smoky plastic covers and light diffracting license plate lenses were developed to foil the cameras and were quickly outlawed.  About 1/3 of new cars have "black box" recorders, like aircraft, installed on them.  As in many other aspects of our lives, privacy is a thing of the past.  Clearly that can be used for good or evil and we are not in control of the process.  That is why I smiled so broadly when I found this article:

Peace, Doc

Copyright © 2008, Thomas A. Blood, Ph.D.

“Speed provides the one genuinely modern pleasure.” - Aldous Huxley

I am very lucky to have a loving, caring family who email me warnings of the latest dangers lurking on the web.  I got to the end of the fourth sentence before my skeptic-tenna picked up anything of doubtful validity.  The text of the email is reproduced below:

If you receive an email entitled 'Bedtimes'

Delete it IMMEDIATELY. Do not open it. Apparently this one is pretty nasty. It will not only erase everything on your hard drive, but it will also delete anything on disks within 20 feet of your computer. It demagnetizes the stripes on ALL of your credit cards. It reprograms your ATM access code, screws up the tracking on your VCR, and uses subspace field harmonics to scratch any CD's you attempt to play. It will program your phone auto dial to call only 0898 numbers. This virus will mix antifreeze into your fish tank.

IT WILL CAUSE YOUR TOILET TO FLUSH WHILE YOU ARE SHOWERING. 
It will drink ALL your beer.
FOR  GOD'S SAKE, ARE YOU LISTENING? ?

It will leave dirty underwear on the coffee table when you are expecting company.
It will replace your shampoo with Nair and your Nair with Rogaine. If the 'Bedtimes' message is opened in a Windows 95/98 environment, it will leave the toilet seat up and leave your hair dryer plugged in dangerously close to a full  bathtub. It will not only remove the forbidden tags from your mattresses and pillows, it will also refill your skim milk with whole milk. 
***WARN  AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN. ***

And if you don't send this to 5000 people in 20 seconds, you'll fart so hard that your right leg will spasm and shoot straight out in front of you, sending sparks that will ignite the person nearest you.

Send this warning to everyone!!!
THERE'S A LOT OF SADNESS IN THE WORLD!
Right now, as you read this, 17 million people are having SEX!!!

And look at you -  you're on the computer!!

And to think that she sent me this only two days before I am to assist her when she tests a Mini before she purchases it.  I believe that I am only supposed to be window dressing to impress the salesman that she is not a "lone ditzy female" who can be taken advantage of (not much likelihood of that happening.)  If I can appear innocent enough, I may be allowed to "drive" it!  Heh, heh.

Peace, Doc

Copyright © 2008, Thomas A. Blood, Ph.D.

"Mu-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha!" - Unk (AKA Doc)

Hmm.  Yesterday's post on friends and messages seems to have inadvertently struck a chord with many of my friends.  Eleven comments arrived in about a four-hour period.  You have to be signed in to comment.  My stats showed that I received 59 hits during the 24 hour period that included these responses and only one comment had the commenter's Spaces URL attached.

You all have valid questions and observations.  One reason I check my stats on a fairly regular basis is to try to prevent another episode like "The Troubles" of about a year ago.  Watching the watcher, so to speak.  Being careful who I accept as friends, as well as checking my stats, is a partially effective way of protecting my real friends.  Granting friends status on this Space can give another person elevated privileges on my listed friends' Spaces, if you have your blog settings configured in a particular way.

The argument that people may be wary of commenting because it drew venom from those who were angry with me is valid.  It should not, however, affect how many hits appear on the Spaces stat counter.  That number dropped drastically and abruptly about two months ago.  If it were drawn on a graph, it would appear to be a cliff with a sheer dropoff.  Fifty-nine hits may seem like a large number to some, but 33 of them were to RSS feeds, six came from searches, and seven had no origination information.  Only one friend was identified, and the rest showed only what was viewed, not by whom or from where.

Something has definitely changed.   I am trying to discover exactly what.  I no longer receive Baidu searches (possibly a political decision.)  Google searches have dropped dramatically (likely a financial decision lowering the placement of sites advertising for competitors.)  I don't completely understand how "MS Live" works, but it appears not to register hits by friends.  (Possibly a good reason for unknowns to want to become friends with a blogger of interest?)  Perhaps I sound more than suspicious and border into the paranoid, here, but a little healthy paranoia is good for you.  When one's page views drop off tenfold, however, one wonders.  If any of my real friends want a .pdf copy of my stats for the 24 hour period in question so that they may judge for themselves, just message me and I will send one to the email address associated with your blog.  The same goes for any exchange of information, ideas, or questions. 

If I have not resolved this issue relatively soon, I may simply delete the friends portion of the blog.  This would not change how I feel about any of you, but would likely change how the electronic data transmission is handled and recorded.  And so it goes.

Peace, Doc

Copyright © 2008, Thomas A. Blood, Ph.D.

"Suspicion is a heavy armor and with its weight it impedes more than it protects." - Robert Burns

I wrote a post on this general topic not so very long ago, but I seem to need to repeat myself for those who may not have read it.  I know that some things have changed in how MS Live reports statistics and records the number of visitors.  My stats dropped off dramatically a few months ago to about one tenth or less of what they were averaging.  I don't believe I have either blog odor or that I have offended so many people, all at once, to explain this phenomenon.

At approximately the same time, I began receiving friend requests that appeared to me to be "suspicious."  These came from people who had never commented on my posts.  They came from sites that were "new," either in time, or by way of never having posted anything on the web.  They came from names I did not recognize and appeared to have no connection to any of my friends' sites.  Occasionally, they came from closed sites and did not allow me to "preview" who wished to be friends.  Essentially the same thing is happening again.  I have received six requests in two days to be "friends, along with messages that almost plead with me to accept them.  None of them has left a comment on my blog.  Pardon my skepticism, but that leaves me with questions.

I accepted one of the requests because I saw that other of my friends or acquaintances were on their friends list.  I don't know the person.  I have not responded to the rest.  I realize that I may be doing many of these folks an injustice with my skepticism.  Some people are quite social and are "friend collectors."  Some may be lonely.  Some may be so new to blogging that they don't yet grasp that there is a certain understood but unwritten protocol to asking people to be friends.  Spaces Live isn't Facebook, MySpace, a dating service, or many of the other perfectly legitimate types of site on the web.  Please remember that when making these decisions, I don't know you.  I have had some fairly serious problems in the past with "friends" so you really must give me some indication of why I should press that "accept" button. 

Thank you for tolerating my rant.

Peace, Doc

Copyright © 2008, Thomas A. Blood, Ph.D.

"People ... ask 'Can I ask you a question?' Didn't really give me a choice, did ya there, buddy?" - George Carlin

I'm not concentrating well just now, certainly not well enough to put together a coherent post.  In such a case, I think it might be fair to turn the effort over to my readers via a pop quiz dealing with topics likely of interest only to me.

• What do Harley Earl and Zora Arkus Duntov have in common?
• What is Royal Pontiac of Royal Oaks Michigan famous for?
• What was the license plate number on John Milner's (Paul LeMat) 1932 Deuce Coupe in "American Graffiti?"
• How is that number related to George Lucas?
• What special meaning would the number 1320 have for me?
• When am I ever going to be motivated enough to finish getting this apartment free of "junque?"

Two (maybe three) correct answers win.

Peace, Doc

Copyright © 2008, Thomas A. Blood, Ph.D.

From the 2006 animated movie "Cars":  

Filmore: [looking at a stoplight blinking yellow]  "I'm tellin' you, man, every third blink is slower." 

Sarge:  "The '60s weren't good to you, were they?"