Moving A Data Center

Granted, it's a very small data center - about twenty servers, plus assorted routers, switches and other paraphenalia.

The SFI (Small Financial Institution) that I work for decided about a year ago to plan ahead for the next ten years, and build a brandy-new Administration building to serve our five current branches.

That includes a brand-spanking-new server room (my term) or "data center" (our Marketing Guy's term).

We have raised floors (to keep the cable mess to a minimum), CAT6 wiring (for Very Fast data flow - can you say "gigabit"?), and some new switches (also for gigabit). All this "giga" stuff makes my geek heart just giggle...

So now it's all ready - and we've been moving servers and switches and routers, Oh My! And changing IPs and wrestling with cable and sweating bullets to get all this stuff in place and running.

'Cause Tuesday, if it don't work, the handy-dandy wall out back will be ready for it's first bullet marks, after the hapless IT geeks have been stood, "Up Against The Wall".

So, that's where OWW has been for the last couple of weeks.

It's kinda like marriage - BEING married is great, GETTING married is... not so great.

Sigh. More Politics...

I see that Kim duToit and Emporer Misha, among others, are somewhat... irritated with John McCain.

Hell, I ain't too thrilled with him myself.

To be blunt, Senator, McCain-Feingold irritated me, and McCain-Kennedy flat-out pissed me off at you AND at one G.W. Bush.

But that does not blind me to reality.

Reality: There are alleged humans out there who will blow themselves, children, and retarded women up to terrorize and disgust us, and to make us give up.

There is at least one Islamist state out there which is actively pursuing nuclear weapons, and has indicated very strongly that they will use those nukes against Israel.

So, Kim has already stated that while he may puke all over the ballot box, he'll vote for McCain, probably.

Misha (and all the rest of the True Conservatives) really need to correct your cranial-rectal inversion and THINK about what a Clinton or Obama sitting in the Oval Office might mean for you and me, and for our children.

We, the "Party", need to get up on our hind legs and do two things:

1. Hold our collective noses, and vote McCain in November.

2. Presuming he can whup Clinton or Obama, we can and should hold his toes to the fire until he sees the sweet light of reason.

The Clinton/Obama (or vice-versa) would be a much bigger disaster, wouldn't it?

And, once again, to Mr. Fred Thompson: "Damn your eyes, Sir, for running a suck-ass campaign!"

Life It's Ownself

I've been debating a change in the way that OWW runs things on this mostly restrained place.

Lately (like for the last two freakin' years) I've been more politically oriented than personally oriented.

Something's not right with that.

Of course, my personal life has been pretty quiet, Thank Gawd!

No divorces, no jail time, no lawsuits, no alarums OR excursions.

Hmmm...

I could comment about the whackos that I work with, except that they're not whackos.

I could raise all kinds of hell about my weird-ass neighbors, but except for Charley, they're nice folks. And even Charley's a good guy, until he and his daughter who's visiting from New Yawk get into the red wine and stay awake until 3 AM playing the music too loud and laughing even louder which pisses off their immediate neighbor, but not me 'cause I'm across the street and two houses down so I don't hear that stuff. I just hear about it later....

Of course, there has been the usual minor dramas of Life It's Ownself...

My thirteen-year-old daughter having a melt-down and tear-flood.

Or the nine-year-old daughter getting cross-eyed mad.

Or the idiot doggies being idiot doggies.

Or, on this fifth day of February going out and voting in the primary election, in my shirtsleeves, because it hit 82 F today, and is currently 68 F at midnight, which absolutely breaks my heart!

Primary Day

Tomorrow is Primary Election Day, "Super Tuesday".

Finally, after all the preliminary hoo-haw, I will be able to render my choice for whichever candidate best matches what I like.

I don't like Madame Hillary, or Mr. Obama - they're dyed-in-the-wool moonbats.

I ain't thrilled with McCain - McCain/Feingold and McCain/Kennedy come to mind.

That leaves Romney or Huckabee.

Romney it is.

Blast your eyes, Fred Thompson, for running a crappy LOSER campaign!

Peace-time Military

I don't know why I'm surprised by THIS:

Many people in the military now perceive a "generation gap" that is marked by a specific date; September 11, 2001. Those who joined after that day, were more likely to have done so for patriotic reasons and were in to fight. The pre-911 troops had served in a peacetime military. The 1991 Gulf War lasted only four days. The Balkans peacekeeping operations of the 1990s involved very little combat. In other words, the pre-2001 troops had seen very little action. A lot of the pre-2001 officers and NCOs had a hard time adapting to wartime.

There are people in the military who aren't really comfortable with the military's prime mission, which is to kill people and break things.

This shouldn't surprise me.

Ten years after I left the Navy, I ran into a couple of peace-time sailors who were still in the Navy, as a career, who hated going to sea, and resented the Navy for sending them to a ship that by definition, goes to sea!

The peace-time military acts much like a large corporation. You follow the peace-time rules and sing the company song, and you get promoted, especially if all of your paperwork is in order and your subordinates don't pee in the potted palms.

In wartime, all of a sudden the rules change, and the "routine" that you've been following, the simulated "war games" that you've been doing, the immaculate paperwork that you thought were the "real reason" you joined, are supposed to be actually put into real mud and blood practice.

And so, some of the peace-time military gets moved aside, and is "encouraged" to find something else to do.

And the newspapers, who are not staffed by war-time vets, "view with alarm" the number of mid-level officers and NCOs who are leaving the services.

Of course, once the war is over, the guys who do the heavy lifting, and are good combat leaders make the politicians uncomfortable. They are shuffled aside as quickly as can be arranged, because after all, we have to be "politically correct" while we're "preparing our military for the next "humanitarian mission" in Kosovo or wherever...

What Was That Al Sharpton Said?

This irony is just delicious - not to mention mind-boggling!

Yes, my mind is boggled!

The biggest mouth in America telling Bill Clinton to "be quiet", to "stop", to "shut up"?

Gawd, tell me it's true, please!

Al Sharpton: “But I think that it’s time for him to just be quiet. I think it’s time for him to stop. As one of the most outspoken people in America, there is a time to shut up, and I think that time has come.”

It is alleged that the Reverend Al said that on The View.

Got it from Fox News, HERE.

Un-Freakin'-Believable!

Now, you've all heard and seen the reports and informed opinion about the "Clinton Machine" getting all geared up to clobber Sen. Obama. Well, it appears that there's a bit of trouble in the "Machine", some sand in the gears, and perhaps a lack of lubrication.

Now, all we need is little screeching from Senator Clinton about the VRWC to make my day complete....

Monday, PITA Monday

It is generally acknowledged throughout the civilized industrial world that Monday is the "worst bloody day of the bleedin' week."

It is my personal opinion that all of the previous week's sneaky little gremlins have managed to hide all during the previous week, merrily plotting their weekend's activities, so that when the poor, humble, down-trodden IT geek shows up on Monday, it's "Surprise! We've been busy!"

Sheesh.

I shoulda got sick and stayed home, in bed, with a bottle of whiskey.

Good whiskey.

No, NOT the idiot dog that some misbegotten mongoloid named "Whiskey".

Y'all are a bunch of preverts.

And I'm a grouch.

Grrr....

Memories, PC and Fear

'Way back there, when OWW was a kid, the "Walt Disney Show" used to broadcast some of the Disney movies as specials, running for two hours, including commercials.

One of those marvelous movies was "Song of The South" - great music, and a good story line.

When "Song of The South" was released, in 1946, the critics loved it, and movie-goers went to the local theatre to see it.

Now, with every movie under the sun available on tape/DVD, you can't find a legit copy of "Song of The South".

Why?

One theory that has the ring of truth is that the Disney Corporation looks at "Song of the South" as causing great controversy - if they release it to home video, it will be widely condemned as "racist" or "inappropriate".

That's very sad, from my point of view.

Because I just remember "Song of The South" from a kid's perspective. Great songs, good characters, and a decent story line.

What else do you need, eggs in your beer?

Self Defense

First, follow the link HERE.

Second, by all means, do the Happy Dance.

Third, send a contribution to Mr. Taylor so that he NEVER runs out of fresh ammo.

Folks, "right between the eyes" is synonomous with "gun control".

I went out in the front yard and did the Happy Dance.

Twice.

Monday Came on Tuesday This Week - For a Moron

I've been stumped, recently, for things to blog about. Call it "blogger's block".

Politics, although interesting in the abstract, just doesn't have any zing.

I've already touched on the GHIP (Great Home Improvement Project), and I'm pretty sure that nobody is all that interested in my dog's "Kennel Cough", which is under treatment and going away.

How about one of my Christmas presents? Y'know, the headphones for my iPod, which have sent those pukey earbuds right into the trash?

Nahhh.

Well, how about "You Can't Make This Stuff Up"?

From Fox News...


Moron Arrested After Driving Truck Into House
Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Note to Mr. Moron: Don't act like one.

Bryan Scott Moron, 20, of Burleson, Texas, was arrested Friday after he lost control of his truck and struck a mailbox, then a house, MyFOXDFW.com reports.

Living up to his surname, Moron failed sobriety tests, the station said. The arrest report showed his blood alcohol level to be more than twice the legal limit.

Moron, a restaurant server, was also driving at an excessive speed, according to the report.

Iowa, Hillary vs. Barck, and the Future

After thinking it over for a little bit, I have my own advice for Hannity, Limbaugh, and Associates: "Be careful what you wish for!"

Just ask any Republican: "Who would you rather run against? Hillary or Barack?"

The Clintons (Hill 'n Bill) have a boat-load of negatives. In the general campaign, any half-decent campaign could load Hillary's record, her and Bill's documented record and political positions into the old political scattergun and have a ball. And beat the stuffing out of her/their candidacy, no innuendo or half-baked accusations required.

TGHIP - The Great Home Improvement Project

'Way back there, OWW got Real Lucky and was offered the opportunity to place a ship of the US Navy into inactive status. This involved shifting Classified Stuff from the ship into the hands of the appropriately cleared Naval Persons, which Persons were accompanied by armed Marines. We had to hump the Classified Stuff down "ladders", which are minimalist staircases, and down to the pier. I kid thee not, bruddah, we had mucho of the Classified Stuff, so there were many trips from Radio I and Radio II down to the pier.

That wasn't the worst.

The worst was paint.

Navy Haze Gray.

On the deck. On the overhead. On the bulkhead. On the mast.

Many, many days of ..... paint.

I hate, despise, and loathe paint.

TGHIP involves flooring. Move the furniture around, rip out the carpet, clean the concrete slab, lay down the plastic sheets as a vapor barrier, lay the planks of Armstrong Heirloom Hickory Laminate - not a problem, just a bit of physical labor.

But, between "rip out the carpet" and "clean the concrete slab" comes the despicable "paint".

Did I mention that I don't like paint?

I managed to skate out of actually painting a wall for thirty-seven freaking years, but now I am painting walls in "Tequila", or "Heron Blue", or "Duet Green", or "Baby Blue Eyes".

I may vomit.

The only reason I don't go into a quiet corner of the back yard and vomit is that Tiny, Bruiser and Ralph (our vicious guard dogs) would probably crowd around, and in Doggie, say "Watcha doin' Dad? Is it fun? Can we do that? You want a lick in the chops, Dad? How's about I wag my tail so hard I fall over? Dad? Dad? Whatcha doin' Dad?"

Gahhh!

I.

Hate.

Paint.

The "Winter Soldier" Arrives Again

I read American Thinker because of the observed bias in the MSM (Main Stream Media). The writers at American Thinker will hammer anyone, Right, Left, or Middle, when they're wrong.

So, I'm reading a sort-of review of To Set The Record Straight (about the Swiftboat Vets campaign against John Kerry) when I found a reference leading to THIS place.

The original Winter Soldier Investigation of 1971 involved John Kerry and Al Hubbard (verified as a liar HERE, which the least incendiary reference I could find) orchestrating a campaign of lies against all American veterans of the Viet Nam era.

As a Viet Nam era vet, I was very perturbed by this "testimony". Later, after the lies and liars were exposed, I was enraged by the liars and the spineless politicians and "newsmen" who oh-so-publicly admired the liars.

So, to the IVAW, a bunch of vets are keeping an eye on you AND the MSM. And now, information flow is not restricted to the MSM. Just remember what happened to Dan Rather when he tried out a little forgery...

A Pithy Saying

"Never ascribe to malice that which can adequately be explained by incomptetence."

Puts me in mind of our local government - The Board of Commissioners of Camden County, Georgia.

I've been here for three and a half years.

Where I came from, in Santa Clara County, California, the County Board of Supervisors had (and have) a constant state of tension with the Santa Clara Sheriff, almost always over budget matters.

The same is true here in Camden County, GA. The Sheriff, Bill Smith, wants more money.

There is a big difference between Santa Clara County and Camden County.

In Santa Clara County, inmates of the county jail do not run wild on "personal watercraft" and run into a dock owned by a private citizen.

In Santa Clara County, inmates of the county jail are not hauled to a neighboring state to work on the Sheriff's ex-wife's house.

In Santa Clara County, inmate work details are not rented out to private property owners for the benefit of said private property owners.

And when he's been informed that his proposed budget is $1 million more than the County Supervisors are willing to fund, the County Sheriff of Santa Clara does not resubmit the same budget - twice.

There's an election coming up, in November of 2008.

I predict that, should Bill Smith choose to run again, he will, deservedly, fail of re-election.

Vote The Rascal Out - on grounds of incompetence.

Budget, Taxes, and the Governator

Because news items from the MSM (Main Stream Media) tend to disappear when it's convenient, I have lifted the below, in it's entirety, from the NBC affiliate in Oakland, CA, Channel 11 News.

I am SO GLAD that I'm no longer subject to the tax laws of the State of California - 'cause trust me, this is gonna be Real Expensive to any resident of California...

= = = = = = = =

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Friday he will declare a "fiscal emergency" in January to give him and the Legislature more power to deal with the state's growing deficit.

Schwarzenegger made the announcement Friday after meeting with lawmakers and interest groups this week to tell them California's budget deficit is worse -- far worse -- than economists predicted just a few weeks ago.

The shortfall is not $10 billion, but more than $14 billion -- a 40 percent jump that would put it in orbit with some of the state's worst fiscal crisis, those who have met with him said.

A fiscal emergency would trigger a special session and force lawmakers and the governor to begin addressing the shortfall within 45 days.

"What we have to do is fix the budget system. The system itself needs to be fixed, and I think that this is a good year, this coming year, to fix it," Schwarzenegger said in Long Beach, where he was promoting his plan for health care reform.

California is struggling with shrinking state tax revenue from the meltdown of the subprime housing market and the credit crunch on Wall Street.

State spending also has increased by more than 40 percent since Schwarzenegger took office after the 2003 recall of then-Gov. Gray Davis.

Schwarzenegger in August signed a $145.5 billion budget that increased spending 11 percent due largely to the increased cost of bond repayments and special funds. General fund spending for day-to-day operations increased less than 1 percent, from $101.7 to $102.3 billion for the budget year that began July 1.

In August, Schwarzenegger's office projected the state would end its current budget year with a $4.1 billion reserve. Last month, the state's nonpartisan legislative analyst reported that the state would instead end the year in the red, and was on pace to rack up a staggering $10 billion deficit over the next 18 months.

Schwarzenegger and his top aides this week have privately told lawmakers and interest groups that the gap could top $14 billion and warned cities, counties and health and welfare agencies to expect cuts.

Last month, Schwarzenegger ordered agency leaders to draft plans for across-the-board cut as high as 10 percent.

State lawmakers have been criticized in recent weeks for pushing through a raise for themselves, despite the state's fiscal troubles.

Bill of Rights Day

Lifted this, in it's entirety, from Kim du Toit HERE.

If I could figure a way to file off the serial number and call it my own, I would.

I think I'll ask a random selection of folks why December 15th is a significant day.

And no, I didn't know...

======================================================

Today is the 216th anniversary of the adoption of the Bill of Rights, the first Ten Amendments to our Constitution, as ratified in 1791.

I know everyone here can probably quote the whiole thing, to the last jot and tittle, but please read the whole thing, just so we’re all clear on the concept:

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

------------

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

------------

Amendment III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

------------

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

------------

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

------------

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

------------

Amendment VII

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

------------

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

------------

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

------------

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

------------

Speaking English

OK, Geno's Steaks in South Philly is in the news again.

The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations is charging "intimidation" over a small sign in the business's window.

Here's what the Commission's lawyer had to say:

Paul M. Hummer, an attorney for the commission, testified earlier that the sign is not about political speech, but about "intimidation," and that it suggested business from certain individuals was not wanted.

See the story HERE.

So, what's the big hooha? What does that mean, nasty sign say?


This is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING PLEASE 'SPEAK ENGLISH.'

Now, Geno's, being in Philly, has a... different take on "English". An order for a cheesesteak in Geno's might be like this: "Gimme a steak wit'" - the "wit" indicating a cheesesteak sandwich with onions and peppers.

And that's all the English you need to know.

For that major offense, the The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations has their collective knickers in a twist.

Jeezo, gimme a break here!

Laptops and Windows Vista, Oh My!

Well, I've been living with Windows Vista Home Premium on the HP/Compaq laptop for about two weeks.

So far, it just works.

Everything looks familiar, although some of the bits and pieces are in different places than they are in XP.

I really Do Not Like Internet Explorer 7 - not because it blows up (it hasn't yet), but because I'm used to Maxthon. Mrs. OWW likes FireFox. As soon as I'm Real Sure that this is a stable system, Maxthon and FireFox are going on, probably next week.

Office 2007 Student 30-day Evaluation edition was pre-loaded. I really dislike it a bunch. Office 2003 is going on, 2007 will be un-installed as soon as I'm sure that won't blow the system to smithereens.

Now, just to annoy you folks in Washington (State or DC), and Minnesota, and Ohio, or even in San Jose, CA, here in SouthEast Jawja, today, December 12th, I was walking around in shorts and a t-shirt and sandals, enjoying 80F weather. As I write this, it's 10:15PM, I'm sitting on my deck sneering at my slightly overgrown back yard, and the temp is 68F under clear skies.

Summertime in Jawja is hot and humid (like 90F, 90% humidity), so when a glorious day like this comes along, I just sit there and smiiiiile......

Local Politics and OWW

I don't comment often on local politics here, for a variety of reasons.

"All politics is local", which means that if I open my big mouth, I'm instantly visible.

That being said, there are times when one simply must speak up, and call out the fumble-fingered idiots running the show.

HERE, you'll see my take on the cheerful idiots who are running, or attempting to run, Camden County, GA.

"Fumble-fingered idiots" and "Cheerful idiots". I think that I'm being charitable...

Pearl Harbor Day

As I was once in the US Navy, I should probably post a photo of a ship burning in Pearl, or of the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay.

Nahhh....

My Dad was an infantryman in Europe. I think he'd appreciate this one a little more...


"Know any good Moslem prayers? I don't wanna miss any bets."