Instant Messages and counting to ten

We played a fun game in the car yesterday. As a group we had to count to 10 (or as high as we could) without any two people saying the same number, even at the same time. You could also not follow a pattern. It is more fun then it sounds and creates an interesting tension.

While sametiming (IBM's instant message), I thought that it is the same skills. I type fairly fast and get pretty far ahead of my partner. This can lead to interesting discussions. When you answer "yes" but it was to the question typed way back in the stack. I am learning to be just slow enough and just thorough enough to communicate.

G

Firefly Season 2

I would love to see another season of Firefly. I doubt very much they could get the actors and even more importantly the writers. One can hope!!

http://www.fireflyseason2.com/Index.asp

G

Why doesn't the press write about IBM

Interesting article on Bill Gates. While the press is setting up the fight between Google and Microsoft, Bill is looking at IBM for the big fight. Is it just the market he wants?

G

A change for Durham?

This is a great article. I am so encouraged to hear a call to responsibility, I can't wait to see if it has any legs. With the recent public bus related incidents, I often wonder what Rosa Parks would have said? Buses have always been a powerful image of civil rights in our country and in Durham they are a symbol of the violence that is destroying many of our young people, mostly boys.

G

As Jonathan gets older ...

I have always known that it is possible Jonathan will have a hard time being a black child in a white family. Everyone mentions how "Cruel children are" but in my mind children will always find something to pick on a kid for. I believe a strong family and a lot of love can give a child a safe place away from a cruel world.
However, words from Melody Irving on "America Behind the Color Line" (by Henry Louis Gates Jr) have opened my eyes and made it clear it is more real then I expect. She lives in a predominantly white, upper class neighborhood called Summit. When her kids were young, it was easy but as they got older it was tougher and tougher. I also see it in myself and in others as Jonathan gets older. When he was a baby everyone talked to us. Now as a toddler fewer people ask if he is adopted and want details on the topic. When I see black children with white adults my mind even has a hard time sorting out what is appropriate to ask.
So what are we doing about it? Hopefully the right thing for our little Jonathan.

G

Joy

"Common sense is strengthened by joy."- Nahman of Breslov
(From 'A Treasury of Jewish Quotation' http://www.aronson.com/)

A Donald Rumsfeld Quote?

Ximinez: NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our *three* weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our *four*...no... *Amongst* our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise.... I'll come in again. (The Spanish Inquisition From Monty Python)

(Credit is due to Chris Ferris http://christo4ferris.blogspot.com/ )

Now for something completely Rumsfeld: http://politicalhumor.about.com/cs/quotethis/a/rumsfeldquotes.htm

G

Letting all the air out of your tires

I like this article for two reasons:
1. The quote: "I want to take a moment to report that work can be uplifting, collaborative and fun — not just a long process of letting all the air out of your tires." Kind of like, some days you are the windshield and some days you are the bug. Although I never found either of those positions too appealing.

2. The idea of a "placeholder". It is an agreement that the solution is good enough for now but we should come back to it. This allows the group to move on with out feeling like they settled.

G

Explaining the Reliable Messaging

This is a very cute explaination of Reliable Messaging from Paul Fremantle. I wonder how Jonathan's "I don't want it" fits into the spec.

G

SCA\SDO Open Source Project Donated

A set of code has been donated to Apache that is an implementation of the SCA and SDO specification that covers the SOA Programming model. This was a neat project to work on, even if it was from a very hands off perspective. A lot of great people from BEA and IBM have put a lot of effort into this initial contribution. Fortunately or not there is still plenty of work for the rest of the IT community to work on.

G

We made the Durham News

Nice article by Flo Johnston.

How smart is my son

Yesterday my husband tried to finish watching "Gettysburg" (which we have enjoyed greatly). Unfortunately the tape would not go into the VCR (yes we sill use a VCR at times). He reached in and found nothing there. Tried a different tape. No luck. Reached in one more time and behold, he found the "They Might Be Giants, Here Comes the ABCs" DVD. Our darling Jonathan had made the leap from playing Video tapes, which he knows how to do, to playing DVDs, which he doesn't. While he did not succeed, I am still very proud he made the connection.

Now to break Jonathan (and the rest of us) of his TV addiction.

Hope you Christmas was grand,
G